Journalism 300 Assignments

Richard Jewell - From Hero to Villain

On July 27, 1996, spectators of the Atlanta Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Ga. hectically scrambled away from the terrorizing sound of a nearby explosion, screaming.  Dark smoke rose from one of the buildings. 

The explosion, which caused two deaths and 111 injuries, quickly became the focus of media attention.  The press thus found and “mobbed” Richard Jewell, a security guard who has helped minimize the number of fatalities and injuries by clearing the surrounding area of spectators after he noticed the suspicious bag containing the bomb.

Initially praised as a hero, the stories took a turn for the worse as the search for a suspect intensified.  For the next few months, Jewell would be recognized as the bomber by the public, due to suspicion and interrogation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but also because of the lack of skepticism and objectivity practiced by the media, which had an unfortunate lasting impact.  The stigma that was forced upon Jewell would follow him for the rest of his life.

In a public statement by Jewell that we saw in the 20-minute documentary “Judging Jewell,” he declared that the media and the FBI acted irresponsibly “in a rush to fulfill their own personal agendas.”  Other journalists remorsefully agreed with Jewell in the documentary.  For example, Tom Brokaw said he could not say the media was ever skeptical enough in covering the Jewell case.

Because of the faulty conduct of journalists, which was highlighted in the documentary, an innocent man earned the reputation as a terrorist.  The documentary is a reminder of the power that the media has to influence the topics and the lives of the people that they report on, an influence that can leave both positive and negative impacts.  For Jewell, the impact of media coverage was highly negative and could not be erased.

Unfortunately, even after the actual bomber, Eric Rudolph, had been convicted, people still remember Jewell not as a hero, but as a man who was suspected of being the bomber.  His wife said that some people continued to suspect the Jewell was in fact the bomber, but had gotten away with his crime, an opinion which she said emotionally hurt Jewell very much.

Jewell was also unable to find employment in law employment for over a year following the incident.  One of the reporters interviewed in the documentary commented that he “basically lived in the dark” for the time that he was considered the main suspect, because the media “had cameras trained on every window of his apartment.”

What is worse is that the American media were not the only participants.  Because the event was so significant, it received coverage by foreign media as well, such as the BBC, giving him a poor reputation across the globe.

Given how much the coverage of him changed his life, it seems that the headline “Suspicion may stain Jewell’s life for years,” completely came true.  Although the power of the media can be beneficial to our country, acting as a watchdog over selfish politicians and making people aware of problems that need to be changed, Jewell’s case illustrates the idea that many people in the public believe, that the media rushes to get a story to the point that they are careless as to whether their facts are straight.  The media essentially convicted him regardless of his potential innocence.

His case should be viewed as a reminder to follow good journalistic principles.  The media must focus on maintaining objectivity and skepticism, no matter how tempting it may be to want to find an answer right away. 

Furthermore, Jewell’s story illustrated what we learned about covering criminals from Amherst Police Detective Jamie Reardon.  The press shouldn’t report on someone until after they have been arrested or arraigned in court and charges have been filed.  Otherwise they put themselves at risk of damaging the reputations of innocent people and can also face the accusation of writing libel.

In the future, we can only hope that the press will practice good, fair journalism so that innocent people like Jewell don’t become victims of an institution originally designed for the benefit of the people.

By Shelby Ashline

Trial by Media

The Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA in 1996 would have been remembered as a tragedy, had it not been for one man, Richard Jewell. While a concert was going on, he found what he thought might be a bomb, and tried to clear out the area as much as possible, saving more than 100 lives. Instead the pike bomb killed only two and injured more than 100 people. However, Jewell is not remembered as a hero, but instead as a man accused of planting the bomb in the first place.

The police, when a situation like this occurs, must consider all options. They were investigating everyone and had received a tip that Jewell like attention from a former boss. However, because of their inability to keep the name under wraps, journalists knew that something was up with the guy they had been praising as a hero. The Senior Managing Editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution allowed an article to be printed saying that Jewell was in fact the bomber although there was no proof of this and they were unable to attribute this information to anyone conducting the investigation.

From there, other news agencies took it as fact and ran with it. All over the world, Jewell became known as the bomber. Part of this was due to the want of the FBI to find the bomber while the world spotlight was still on the United States, and so they continued on this lead. With the amount of journalist crowding around him constantly, he was forced to stay indoors or face accusatory questions from journalists. This made him look more guilty, and lead to more journalists and more stories about how he was guilty of this terrible crime. He was under surveillance for 88 days. After that time, it was decided, upon looking at the facts, that he was not a suspect in the investigation and was instead the hero of the story. It wasn’t until 2005 when Eric Rudolph plead guilty to the bombing that he was cleared completely. Some people still believe that he is the bomber.

The media has yet to learn that even under tense situations that claiming someone is a bomber without having proof is damaging to someone’s reputation. When people look up the people who were accused of  this crime, these are the stories that are going to pop up. It might be harder for them now to get a job, to have a life that isn’t in the shadow of being accused of something that they are innocent of. Richard Jewell had trouble finding a security job even after he was cleared of being the bomber. It took him over a year and he was paid only eight dollars an hour.

The sad thing about this story is that it still happens. In April 2013, while the investigation for the Boston Bombers was happening, a number of people were accused of the being the bombers. One was a Saudi national who was actually wounded by the blast.  He fit the image that American had of a Middle Eastern terrorist but it was proved that he was not the bomber. His picture was found online and put in many new stories. The next victim blamed was a 17 year old high school track star and his coach, who happened to be wearing baseball caps and have backpacks. Due to Reddit, an online website that created a forum, a theory went viral and the media picked it up. But the boy was innocent and not even under investigation.

I think what journalists need to learn from this story and from the accusations made during the investigation of the Boston Bombing is that people are innocent until proven guilty. If the courts of the United States holds that to be true, why is it that the media of the country cannot also do so? How can the media hold its head high and claim to report the truth, when they make accusations about innocent people  that damage them in the moment and for years to come. The media also has to understand the sway it has on people, especially in tense and uncertain times. In times like this, people want to know what is going on, if there is a suspect, and what is being done to catch the person. By throwing names out to the public, the media is creating a dangerous environment for the person and is slowing down the investigation. It is also not holding by their motto of reporting the truth. These people are not collateral damage on the road to catching a bomber or killer. They are innocent people with lives. The real criminal will be put on trial, we do not need the innocent suspects to have a trial by media.

by Lauren McArdle

Detective Jamie Reardon Mini-Article

Thirty-eight-year-old Amherst Police Detective Jamie Reardon met with 12 journalism students from the University of Massachusetts on Wednesday to discuss the complicated details of his position.

     

     The small audience, who had gathered at the Amherst Police Department, questioned Reardon about the varying responses by police to individual cases and different local festivities, such as Blarney Blowout, a pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration, and Extravaganja, a festival created to raise awareness about the push to legalize marijuana.

     

     Reardon, who has been a police officer for 14 years, told his listeners that although there are plenty of regulatory procedures he follows every day, all cases are unique and therefore require different treatment.

     

     “In this job, in this field, nothing’s ever black and white,” Reardon said.  “I hate to say it.”

     

     Reardon explained that even though there were only four police officers on bicycles at Extravaganja in comparison to the massive gathering of 6,000 people, the police were not less prepared for the event than they had been for Blarney Blowout, a situation some people – particularly UMass students – feel the police handled brutally.

     

     In fact, Reardon estimated that the riot squad could have arrived at the Amherst Town Common, where Extravaganja took place this year, in a matter of 5 to 10 minutes.  He emphasized that the police “plan for the worst,” but “pray for the best.”

     

     Given the large number of people and the potential for rioting and other misconduct, Reardon said it only makes sense that the police staff themselves the best they can for events like Extravaganja, but that it’s also nice to have the riot squad and not to need them.

    

     Despite the 73 arrests made at this year’s Blarney Blowout, Reardon acknowledged that the majority of UMass students don’t encounter the police and he is content with that.

     

     “I honestly don’t like seeing college students arrested,” Reardon said.  “I have much bigger problems.”

    

     Reardon believes that the hype over Blarney Blowout that made the police subject to scrutiny was caused by the increased publicity in comparison to calmer events like Extravaganja.

    

     “Let’s face it: bad news sells,” Reardon said.  “Sometimes it sells better than good stories.”

     

     One of the highly regulated procedures in Reardon’s line of work is communicating with the press.  Reporters from The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, The Daily Hampshire Gazette and The Republican regularly seek media logs from the Amherst Police Department.  However, only certain information can be given to reporters.

     

     Although information on physical arrests is free for reporters to access, summons arrests are kept confidential until the person is arraigned at court.  In other words, data regarding citations issued is off limits to reporters.  However, it is possible for determined reporters to get a list of arraignments from the Eastern Hampshire District Court, which is located in Belchertown, Mass.

     

     Reardon further explained that several laws protect the privacy of victims, and even some criminals.  Due to what Reardon called the Rape Shield Law, the names of sexual assault victims are not released to the press.  No information on juvenile offenders is released either.

     

     Although Reardon and the other police officers must be versatile to combat crime in all of its varying shapes and forms that cannot completely be planned for, he recognizes the limitations in his line of work.  It is impossible to be on the scene of every crime and catch every criminal, many of whom are adept at hiding their behavior.

    

     “It’s like fishing,” he said.  “You’re not going to catch them all.” 

By Shelby Ashline

The Influence of Technology on Children

The use of technologies such as iPads, iPods and iPhones has become mainstream in recent years.  However it’s not just the adult world who has been influenced by the modern age.

     

     Children have become so involved with technology that new products have been designed to enable their screen play.  Not only are there drool-proof tablet covers to protect the devices, but since just last year parents can purchase a toilet training potty with an attached stand for an iPad, appropriately called an iPotty, for just $40.  The model was even adapted into a bouncy seat by Fisher Price, which they call an “Apptivity Seat,” according to a Washington Post article.

     

     Children’s prominence in the technological world at a very young age has led psychologists like Dr. Daniel Anderson, professor emeritus in psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, to study how their mental capacities, social skills and physical health might be affected. 

     

     In Anderson’s experience, he has found that media can both foster and inhibit learning depending on the content, although he said that touch screen technologies allow children to learn more than television because of their interactive qualities.  He also believes that advertisements can encourage unhealthy behavior and that frequent technology use contributes to obesity.

     

     During his 40 years working at UMass before retirement, Anderson primarily studied the effects of television viewing on children.  He also served as an educational advisor in the production of television shows such as “Blues’ Clues,” “Dora the Explorer” and “Sesame Street,” among others, for over 20 years.  As an educational advisor, Anderson gave producers his input regarding how to make the shows mentally stimulating for children.

     

     From his experience, Anderson said the effect of television on children mostly depends on their age, the content of the shows and then to a lesser extent, the amount of time they spend watching.  He does not condemn TV-watching by children.

     

     “Television can be a very effective educational medium,” Anderson said.

    

     As an example, Anderson explained a study of “Sesame Street” that he and other professors at UMass had participated in in collaboration with professors at the University of Kansas, where they observed the progression of 560 kids from Springfield, Mass. and Topeka, Kan. from preschool through high school graduation.

     

     “We found that the more they had watched “Sesame Street” as a preschooler, the better grades they got in high school in English, math and science,” Anderson said.

     

     Parents take notice of the educational quality technology can have.  Dawn Kennedy, a resident of Leverett, Mass., has found that watching television and playing on the iPad has helped her 22-month-old daughter Anika learn to speak clearly.

     

     “Anika’s clearest vocabulary is words that she’s learned from apps or TV,” Kennedy said.

     

     In fact, Kennedy said her daughter’s most-clearly pronounced word is “map,” which she learned from watching “Dora the Explorer.”  Kennedy believes this may be because even though she spends a lot of time having conversations with her child, she isn’t saying the same words repetitively as is often the case in children’s television shows, so Anika doesn’t learn the words as quickly.

     

     Sue Kelly, coordinator at the Amherst Family Center in Amherst, Mass., agrees that technology “could definitely be an educational tool,” but that socializing is equally, if not more important.  For this reason, she doesn’t use any technology at AFC.

     

     “They need to practice being with each other, not being with a mouse,” Kelly said.

    

     As it is, the effects of technology on children aren’t entirely positive.  Anderson recognizes limitations, saying that “there’s plenty of junk on television and in the digital media,” that can harmfully affect children, such as violent programming that can cause children to act more aggressively and impulsively.

    

     In fact, the study of the 560 “Sesame Street” viewers demonstrated some of the effects of viewing television violence at a young age, as the researchers had very detailed information about the children’s television viewing habits.

    

     “The more they watched action and violent programming, the worse they did in high school,” Anderson said.  “This effect was particularly true for girls.”

    

     Furthermore, Anderson explained that the content of commercials is key in triggering unhealthy behavior.

    

     “Spending too much time watching television, because it’s inherently sedentary can be bad for kids’ health, but also the food advertising on television really tilts heavily towards foods that aren’t very healthy, so it can contribute to obesity and other health problems,” he said.

    

     Because of the often sexual content of media, Anderson said that some advertisements encourage premature sexuality.  Still other ads, which focus on alcohol and tobacco, encourage kids to experiment at much earlier ages.

     

     The content of advertisements is one of the reasons why Cameron Carey and his wife Sarah of Hadley, Mass., don’t allow their four-year-old son Devin to watch any television at all.  Carey said he doesn’t want Devin to hear bad language or watch adult-level content, whether it’s from an advertisement or a television show.

     

     “He picks up bad language or bad behavior if he happens to see something in a cartoon,” Carey said.

    

     When Devin was allowed to watch television, Carey said he saw his son try to duplicate in real life what he had watched on television.  Even the violence of older cartoons, that can seem innocent to adults, like hitting someone on the head with a frying pan, can have a negative impact on children’s behavior, Carey said.

    

     Nonetheless, in today’s high-tech world of touch screen devices, television isn’t the only form of media affecting children.  Anderson is continuously broadening his area of study to include newer technologies.  However, he said that the health risks are the same as with watching television, since for the most part interactive media remains sedentary and advertising is still prominent.

      

     Yet because technology such as tablets and other touch screen devices are still so new, their long-term effects on children are not fully understood since in-depth studies can take years to complete.  Anderson said he’s currently working with another faculty member and one of his graduate students to develop a proposal to study the effects of touch screen devices.

     

     All the same, Anderson spoke of one of his former students, now a professor at the University of Wisconsin, who is just finishing up an essay about her studies of children and touch screen devices.

     

     “She’s basically found that babies learn more from touch screen media than they do from TV,” he said.  He explained that this could be because touch screen media is far more interactive than television, allowing children to learn certain mental skills that are not fostered by television.

     

     As a recommendation, Anderson cites the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics: no screen time should be allowed before the age of two, then from the ages of two to five about one hour of screen time a day can be permitted, and after the child is older than five, two hours a day is acceptable.

     

     Local parents like Phoebe Hazzard are setting limits on screen time that coincide with Anderson’s recommendation.  Hazzard says her five-year-old daughter Stella and her three-year-old son Sidney are only allowed 30 to 60 minutes with all forms of technology each day.  They often watch a show on PBS in the afternoon and are given some time before bed to watch a YouTube clip or play on a drawing app called Doodle Buddy.

     

     Hazzard has found that allowing her children to use technology too much can negatively affect them because she said it has “a very addictive quality.”  When Stella was younger, Hazard allowed her to use the tablet for short periods four times a day.  Her daughter began to ask to use the tablet so frequently that she minimized her screen time.

     

     Hazzard also commented on how absorbed her children become when they’re given the tablet.

     

     “They’re totally sucked in.  You can’t even talk to them,” she said.

     

     Carey noticed this addictive quality of touch screen devices with his son.  Carey said he used to allow Devin to play a language-learning game on the Kindle where he could match pictures to Spanish words, but Devin started to become overly involved with the game.

    

     “He quickly became demanding.  Almost like an addict,” Carey said.

    

     Because of Devin’s behavior, he hasn’t been allowed to play the game in a year.  Instead, he is allowed to watch YouTube videos for 20 to 30 minutes a day, which his parents choose for him.  Even then, Carey said it is necessary to give his son several warnings before taking the tablet away or he will push to watch more.

     

     Though there are parents like Carey who are highly restrictive concerning their children’s media use, Anderson has noticed that parents often seem proud of their children for their savviness with technology.

     

     “It is funny that parents take great delight in their babies’ media use,” Anderson said.  “When babies really pay attention or get excited by something they see on the screen, parents get extremely interested in that.”

    

     Carey would argue that he’s not proud, but impressed by Devin’s versatility.

     

     “I am very impressed and surprised at how quickly children can adapt to what’s going on on the screen,” he said.

     

     This feeling of bewilderment is a common theme among parents, Kennedy included, who said she’s “so amazed” that Anika can turn on the tablet and find her apps at 22-months-old.

     

     Elianis Gautier of Amherst said her two sons, four-year-old Boqian and two-year-old Kendrick are very adept with their children’s tablet, which allows for more parental blocks and is more durable than an adult tablet.

     

     “They’re really fast learners with technology,” Gautier said.  “I’m slow, but you give them an iPhone, they know how to use it.  You give them a tablet, they know how to use it.”

    

     Gautier also puts restrictions on her children’s media use, limiting it to an hour a day, although she admits she sometimes lets them go over the time limit.  For many parents, if they need to keep their children occupied or need a break from watching them, they allow them to use technology longer than usual.

    

     For example, Kennedy limits Anika’s media use to an hour a day, like Gautier, but says that if they’re on a road trip, the tablet is used to keep them occupied.

     

     Carey also said his son’s tablet use is often “purpose-oriented.”  The tablet is used to keep Devin quiet and immersed long enough to let his younger brother, Cameron Jr., fall asleep.

     

     Surprisingly, Kelly believes that this use of technology to keep children distracted can actually be a good thing.

     

     “There’s not a way to get a break and when a parent gets a break, they’re a better parent,” Kelly said.

     

     However, Anderson argues that there can be negative effects to utilizing technology as a distraction, even though it gives parents some time for themselves.

     

     “In two studies now, we’ve found that when kids are with their parents and there’s a TV going on, the parents’ behavior is really affected and it’s affected negatively as parents are less caregiving and less responsive to their kids,” Anderson said.

    

     In fact, Anderson found in his studies that when children are occupied with technology, parents talk less with them, with an average reduction of 315,000 words a year.  He cautions against parents getting too distracted themselves and not spending enough time talking with their children.

     

     Overall, Anderson thinks it’s necessary for children to have well-balanced lifestyles where screen time, creative play with toys and traditional education, particularly reading, can all play their roles in positively developing cognitive functioning.

By Shelby Ashline

UMass Western Equestrian Team Feature
   
  University of Massachusetts junior Neha Deshpande, a member of the Western Equestrian Team, circled the indoor arena at the Hadley Farm Equine Center on a recent afternoon atop a gleaming chestnut-colored horse named Chico. 

     

     Underneath her black cowboy hat, her expression was serious: if she placed first or second in her advanced-level class at the regional qualifying show, she would move on to the semi-finals.

     

     She directed her mount around the outside of the ring in both directions and at three different speeds, cued by the announcer, whose instructions bellowed out over the loudspeaker.

     

     Thus far, the regional qualifying show, held on March 15, had been no different than the several other shows Deshpande had competed in throughout the semester across Massachusetts and Connecticut.  Members of the Western Equestrian Team compete in only one class per show where they are judged on their form and their ability to control their horses.  They always wear the same entirely black outfits, with the exception of burgundy silk scarves around their necks, with the goal of looking uniform.

     

     But the regional qualifying show would offer a rather unfamiliar challenge to the competitors.  After having circled the arena, the riders lined up at the end, near the crowd of spectators – friends, family members, teammates and coaches – that stood on the sidelines, and one by one, rode through a pattern.

     

     Consisting of a series of circles, figure eights and sudden turns, the patterns are made clear to the competitors at the start of the show.  Each rider receives a paper with the pattern on it, although the difficulty of the pattern depends on the level the rider is competing at.  Large orange cones mark transition points, where the riders must cue their horses to change speed or direction.

     

     Every competitor is expected to memorize their pattern.  Some of the riders are so serious, that they can be seen before the start of their class practicing the pattern on foot in the parking lot, using cones that are just a few inches tall.

     

     Deshpande had done just that, minus the cones, and she skillfully directed Chico through the series of twists and turns.  Then she waited anxiously to hear the judge’s decision.

     

     Finally, the anticipation broke and the final placing was announced.  Cheers from Deshpande’s coach and teammates echoed around the arena when they heard that she had placed second and would move on to the semi-finals on March 28-30 at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.

    

     Deshpande was one of three UMass riders who qualified for the semi-finals, along with open-level rider Emily Messing and novice-level rider Alissa Baldarelli.

     

     This semester, the team’s roster includes 17 people: two men and 15 women.  The majority of the group participated in local shows, and whether first or last place, whether at a home show or regionals, the UMass Western Equestrian Team supports all of its members.  It provides them with an environment conducive to improving their riding ability where they not only have the opportunity to ride many different horses on a regular basis, but can find encouragement and helpful advice from their teammates and coach.

     

     Deshpande, who started riding when she was eight-years-old and has been a UMWET member since her freshman year, appreciates the opportunities being on the team has given her.  In particular, she likes being able “to ride a variety of different horses, which really helps your overall horsemanship.”

     

     The horse that a given rider will use each practice is a mystery to them.  Coach Michele Carver, a slim 37-year-old woman who rarely stands still and typically sports a baseball cap, selects mounts for each person based on the rider’s experience and whether or not they have ridden the given horse before.  Because mounts are picked randomly at the shows, the riders must be prepared to handle any kind of horse, whether energetic or lazy, and cannot grow accustomed to regularly riding the same horses.

     

     Sophomore Katie Flanagan, an animal science major from Wellfleet, Mass. agrees with Deshpande.

    

     “I like riding a variety of different horses because it helps you improve as a rider,” Flanagan said.   “Also, showing on a horse you have never ridden is a great way to test your ability.”

    

     Flanagan said she learned about the team when considering which college to attend.  While on a tour for animal science at UMass, a now former member told her about the Western Equestrian Team.  UMass was the only university of the ones she was considering attending that had such a team.

    

     Like Deshpande, Flanagan is a longtime horse enthusiast.  Because her mother had always had horses, Flanagan started riding when she was three-years-old.  She now has a golden brown mare named Daisy, which she keeps at home in Wellfleet.

     

     Junior Maylin Crouss, a hospitality and tourism management major from Pelham, Mass., said she wanted to join the team because she was a member of 4H when she was younger and used to love competing with the 4H team in horse shows.

    

     “I also am always looking for new techniques to use with my own horses,” Crouss added.

    

     Senior Caroline Eng, an animal science major from Westhampton, N.Y., said she only heard about the team last year from a friend who was a member.  She was interested in joining because she was familiar with riding but missed having the opportunity to ride during the school year.  She explained that riding is one of the ways she’s able to stay active.

    

     Eng also commented on the team’s spirit, adding that she loves “how nice and easy going everybody is and how everyone helps each other out.”  This helpfulness can take many forms, whether it be giving each other pointers on how to handle a horse or doing each other’s hair in preparation for a show.

     

      The shows, at all levels, are organized through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.  According to the IHSA website, www.ihsainc.com, almost 400 colleges throughout the United States and Canada are IHSA members, sending more than 9,000 riders to competitions.

     

     The UMass Western Equestrian Team regularly competes against Mount Holyoke College out of South Hadley, Mass., Sacred Heart University out of Fairfield, Conn. and the University of Connecticut out of Mansfield, Conn.  The schools are qualified under IHSA as competing in Region 1.5, Zone 3, according to UMWET President Emily Messing.

     

     There are six divisions at which riders can compete, ranging in difficulty: beginner, intermediate, novice, advanced, open and open reining.

     

     To prepare for shows, UMWET practices once a week in groups of five or six under Coach Carver.  Two groups ride Tuesday evening and a third group rides Friday afternoons.

     

     Practice is held at the Hadley Farm in two hour intervals.  However because the riders must groom and tack up their horses before practice, they only spend about an hour to an hour and a half of that time riding.

     

     Members of UMWET are also required to travel to Carver’s personal stable in Broad Brook, Conn. once a month for a private lesson.

     

     The Hadley Farm also is the home of two other riding teams: the UMass Equestrian Team and the UMass Dressage Team.  They ride and show separately from the UMWET because they specialize in different disciplines.

     

     Whereas UMWET uses Western equipment, like what is used on the horses in old Western films featuring cowboys like John Wayne, the other two teams use English equipment which is usually lighter and less bulky.

     

     When the Equestrian Team shows, they participate in classes similar to that of the Western Equestrian Team, where they are judged on their form and their ability to handle the horses.  However, the style of their disciple calls for them to encourage their horses to go slightly faster at each gait and they must position themselves differently in the saddle.  The riders on the Equestrian Team also guide their horses over jumps.

     

     The Dressage Team guides their mounts through intricate patterns, which they must have memorized, using large black letters located on the sides of the arena to pinpoint exactly where in the arena they should be.  Each member on the team rides separately in front of the judge, saluting him or her before and after their ride, which lasts about three to four minutes.

     

     Although the three teams practice different riding styles, they frequently help each other out.  When one team hosts a home show at the Hadley Farm, members of the other two teams will volunteer to help clean the barn or hold horses at ringside throughout the day.

    

     Because the upkeep of horses is costly, Hadley Farm requires that each member of UMWET pay $200 at the start of each semester to help fund the facility. 

    

     In addition, Carver receives $25 per lesson from each member in exchange for her instruction.  This $25 fee carries over to horse shows as well, where Carver advises her students from the sidelines.  A $36 entrance fee is required from each competitor in order for them to participate in a show.

     

     On an organizational level, UMWET functions similarly to many other campus teams and clubs with a president/captain, a vice-president/co-captain, a treasurer and a secretary.  This year, Deshpande holds the position of secretary and Messing, a senior, is president.  Senior Katie Rinaldi is vice-president and senior Alex Raftopoulos is treasurer.

    

     According to the team officers, there is a possibility that the team will relocate from the Hadley Farm in the upcoming semester. 

     

     Such a change wouldn’t be new to UMWET.  Founded in 2008, UMWET originally practiced at the Crimson Acres Equestrian Center in Orange, Mass.  In 2011, they made the transition to the Hadley Farm, according to Messing.

     

     The team will most likely begin holding all of their practice sessions at Carver’s facility.  Though it is a lengthy drive from campus, it would save the team money compared to practicing at the Hadley Farm.

     

     After this semester, five senior team members will graduate, leaving several open positions.  According to Deshpande, who has already been voted in as next year’s president, anyone who is interested in trying out for the team should like the UMass Western Equestrian Team page on Facebook.  Deshpande says information about tryouts will be posted on the page early next semester.

By Shelby Ashline

A Profile on Patricia Gorman

Patricia Gorman, an assistant professor of the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts, has always loved the Irish culture. Over the years she has written essays and dissertations about their literature and theatre. She has also traveled to Ireland many times.

“I’ve always had an infinity for Ireland,” she said. This passion springs from her family ancestry and being part of the third or fourth generation of Irish Americans, depending on which side of the family. She doesn't know where her family is from in Ireland, but she says that that adds to the "intrigue and mystery" that drew her.

This semester Gorman is teaching the course “Irish Writers and Cultural Context,” which is a class that she created. In the class, Gorman teaches her students about the Irish culture they have likely heard so much about though the medium of plays, short stories, novels, and movies. Plays such as “The Bog of Cats” by Marina Carr, “Eclipsed” by Patricia Burke Brogan, and “Dancing at Lughnasa” by Brian Friel, juxtaposed with the movie “The Magdalene Sisters” and poems by people who partook in political activism during the fight for independence from the English. This knowledge is what she has obtained from years of study and multiple trips to Ireland.

                        Her first trip was in her twenties. While she was there she went to the Yeat’s Summer Program in Sligo, where she did graduate work on Yeats, though she eventually changed her topic to James Joyce, and specifically on "Ulysses." Another one of Gorman's trips to Ireland was academic, earning her Ph.D. in Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama from the University College Dublin in 2008.  Another trip ended up being an extended stay, living there during 1983 to1985 with her husband, Douglas DaRif, and two children, Meghan and Devin.  Though the Irish culture is in a state of “dramatic influx”, she still found the culture widely accepting.

One of the aspects of the culture that was difficult to adjust to was the pub culture, she said. In Ireland, people go to the pub in order to hang out with people, and have a variety of drinks ranging from alcohol to tea. People also commonly brought their children to the pub because it was a place of community, which was a culture shock for Gorman because of the American culture of not bring children into institutions such as bars.

However, Gorman had more trouble adjusting to life in the States when she came back because the pace of life in America is much faster than Ireland. Gorman said that the cities, and even the towns, in the United States, were more fast-paced than life in Ireland.

Her other degrees include a Master's in English, Liberal Arts and Education. This is because she continuously wants to learn and enjoys being on both sides of the desk, she said. “I just want to keep learning in a broad way,” she said in reference to her multiple degrees. When she retires, she wants to learn Thai in order to prove to herself that she can.

She remembers how her father would come home and tell stories from the classroom. “He would then lean over and grab my arm and say ‘And Pattie, they pay me for this.’” Her father’s love for his job inspired her to want to have a job that she loved. This job is teaching. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” Gorman said, citing her father as her inspiration.

                        Before Umass, she taught graduate and undergraduate classes at Clark University and Clark's affiliate, Worcester Art Museum. At Clark she created classes that were based in feminism and spirituality in literature.  She liked the unique experience of being able to work and draw from the museum, incorporating the art from the museum with the literature of the class. While there she not only taught, but designed courses as well.

She came to UMass because she wanted to live in a progressive rural area, and the Amherst area gave her that. At Umass she has taught the Dean's book course, "Metaphor and Creativity", "Gender Politics in Representation", an Honors seminar and, of course, the Irish Writers class.

Among her other achievements is receiving the Commonwealth Honors College Distinguished Teaching Award for her work in the class "Ideas That Change the World, an Honor's seminar required for Honors students at Umass. She, and the other winner in 2012, were the first winners of the award. Not only that but she was nominated and selected by students to receive the award. The honors seminar that she teaches is a ground level that most honors kids take. In her version of the class, she starts off with Plato, especially his essay known as “The Cave”, which is a way to teach to her students about questioning everything around themselves.

         She encourages her students to explore what they find interesting. Lena Golick, a sophomore biology major at UMass, says "In Irish Writers she has been allowing us to explore whatever facets of Irish literature most interests us. By doing this, we all learn more because we are actually invested in what we are learning." Instead of creating prompts, she wants students to find out about what interests them, whether that be the music, history, mythology or anything that sparks interest. She lets them pick their own subjects of essays and discussions, and allows them to have a say in the curriculum, something that is unique in the sphere of education. Albert Williams, a UMass junior computer science and math double major, said "Professor Gorman took the indifferent Math student in me and instilled him with compassion."

                        She is currently editing a book on Joyce's "Ulysses." Part of her work with the book is a 400 page dissertation that examines the gender politics in Joyce’s work. By focusing on gender politics, she is able to look at the intersection between paganism and Christianity, two very different religions.

by Lauren McArdle

The Speech Paper

With Syria broken into factions and fighting each other for power in a "proxy" war, people are fleeing Syria and crossing borders for refuge. The influx of refugees into neighboring countries, especially Lebanon, was one of the central problems Omar Dahi addressed in his lecture "The Crisis of Syria's Refugees in Lebanon," in the Commonwealth College Building, Events Hall -East at 4 pm on Wednesday.

                Dahi, an associate professor of economics at Hampshire College, was born and grew up in Syria and spent last semester in Lebanon and  spoke to 45 people of the problems that are affecting Syria and surrounding countries. He first began by explaining how the crisis was not simply an uprising, like it was at the beginning but is now a "proxy" war involving the many rebel factions, the government, the United States of American, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

                "Lebanon is the most effected, besides Syria," said Dahi. The influx of refugees due to the crisis in Syria has taken its toll on all surrounding countries but especially Lebanon. Most of the neighboring countries have closed their borders, not wanting anymore refugees. Lebanon has not.

                 Before the Syrian crisis, Lebanon was a poor country, but since the rise in population, money has gotten tighter. "They don't have the fiscal ability to take care of these refugees," said Dahi, speaking from his own experience.

                But that has not stopped the flow of refugees into the country.  The population of Syria right now is about 4 million people. Out of that number, 1 million of them are Syrian refugees. That means that 1/4 of the population is Syrian refugees. This number is predicted to rise, resulting in half the population being refugees.

                Dahi says that there were three things that led to this crisis: the Arab uprising, the war against Iran, and the decline of U.S. power in the Middle East. The Arab uprising, commonly known as Arab Spring, started when Tunisia rebelled against their authoritarian government, and other countries in the Middle East followed suit. This uprising, which turned into the "proxy war" that it is now, provided a moral cover for what was happening what is happening in Syria now.

                The war against Iran also helped to deteriorate Syria. The U.S., Saudi Arabia and Israel created economic sanctions against Iran in an attempt to weaken their power in the Middle East. The allies determined that "Syria was viewed as the weakest link." Therefore, Saudi Arabia used the uprising there to push for allegiance and to try to put into government a more supportive government. Iran felt that the Syrian uprising had been hijacked and put money into the Syrian regime.

                The United States' decline of power in the area is a similar concept because of the fluctuating support they give to different opposition groups.  "You have many different sides pushing against each other and reaching a stalemate in destruction," he said.

                The best outcome for Syria would be peace talks which recently adjourned in Geneva, Switzerland. The talks would involve Syria, Russia, The united States, Saudi Arabia and Iran. There are two possible outcomes, either to create an opportunity for a new leadership to emerge or to split up the region. "And the hope," said Dahi, "or the best outcome, is the these processes create a new space for these voices to be heard."

                What can the United States do? Dahi said that United States citizens can contact their delegates to urge them to put pressure on their allies, like Saudi Arabia, for a political settlement. The other part the United States can take is to recognize Iran as a legitimate country and enter talks with Iran to find a peaceful resolution.

                "I felt like I learned  a lot about the current situation in Syria and that it has gone from an internal uprising to a kind of international battleground from Dahi's organized presentation," said Mary Carey, a journalism professor at the University of Massachusetts.

                Morgan Morselli, a sophomore at UMass, said "Dahi did a great job of clarifying why the refugees have a big impact."

by Lauren McArdle

The Student Debt Problem

Colin Diederich graduated from the University of Massachusetts last may with a degree in 

computer science. He is now an associate software engineer at CA Technologies, but college is not a 

distant memory. He paid for college mostly through loans and grants, and though his mom paid off the 

interest while he was still in school, he still has to pay off the actual loans. "Instead of putting money 

into the economy, I'm paying off an obviously good decision for five years or longer," said Diederich.

Many college graduates are facing the same kind of financial trouble. According to the American 

Student Assistance, a nonprofit that tries to help students and alumni manage and repay their college 

loans, nearly 20 million American attend college every year, and of those 20 million, 60 percent borrow 

annually to help cover costs. In March 2012, the amount of student loan debt first exceeded $1 trillion 

according to fastweb.com, a website that posts daily about the scholarships that are out there. Since 

then it has risen to $1.1 trillion. Student debt is the second highest type of consumer debt, behind only 

mortgages. It can take anywhere between 10 and 25 years to pay off student loans and payments start 

coming in six months after you stop taking classes.

 Though some students have help from parents and guardians, not all do. Shelby Ashline, a 

sophomore as UMass, has no help from parents, though she says she isn't paying for college by 

herself. "I can't say I'm paying for college myself because I depend on a lot of people, my boyfriend 

Roland especially. He works full time while I'm in school and this year, after all the loans and grants and 

scholarships I could possibly get, we paid $1150," said Ashline. Her boyfriend, Roland Brock, is a 

construction worker. 

The beginning of this semester was especially hard for Ashline. She had applied for the 

Massachusetts Native American tuition waiver last semester because she has Abenaki blood. One of the 

requirements is that she be a resident of Massachusetts, so she sent them a copy of her lease for her 

apartment, and she was accepted. This semester, UMass told her that she was not actually eligible 

because she had not lived in Massachusetts for over a year which is the school's standards for being a 

resident. 

"So not only would I lose the waiver for this semester, but I would have to make it up because 

they were going to take away from last semester. It was news to me that they can take away money 

from previous semesters. I really wonder where the money went after that," said Ashline.

Scholarships can be hard to come by as well. According to an article published by Lynn 

O'Shaughnessy on the CBS website, only .3 percent of full-time college students enrolled at a four-year 

college receive enough grants and scholarships to cover the full cost of college. A study called the 

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study surveyed more than 80,000 undergraduates and found that in 

2003-2004 school year only 9.6 percent of undergraduate students at four-year colleges received private 

scholarships worth $2,184 on average. And though good grades matter, only 19 percent of high schools 

students with an average of 3.5 to 4.0 get awards. 

Matt Mourovic is an assistant director at Financial Aid Services. He says that is hard for students 

to get scholarships because "there are a lot more applicants than there is money." Though there is only 

a small amount of money to go around, not a lot of people are taking advantage of the resources around 

them. Scholarships can be found through the academic departments and through local groups from a 

student's home town. At UMass, the Commonwealth Honor's College also offers scholarships for non-
honors students. It is also important to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or as it is 

more commonly known, FAFSA. And in case all of that seems overwhelming, there are people like 

Mourovic to help you, though he says on average, the office only sees about 20 to 30 percent of the 

student body. His advice, "Apply earlier than you think."

The question, though, is whether college is worth it. With all this money that has to be paid and 

the amount of debt students have to pay off later, is it worth it? There are some people who can't go to 

the school of their choice or the most prestigious in their field because of money. "I feel bad for the 

many people who have their dreams and in a way their chances ruined because they can't afford to go 

to college. Education should be a right, not a privilege," said Ashline. 

Ryan Wells, an assistant professor in the Higher Education Concentration, said "For any one 

individual, is it worth it? Maybe? Overall, on average, it is." On average, according to Mourovic, poeple 

who hold a Bachelors Degree make about $45,000 with a median annual of $17,500 higher than a 

person without any type of degree. Wells also brought up the point that minimum wage is low and hard 

to live on. College allows people to find jobs that are not in minimum wage. 

"It is very alarming when you hear the dollar amount people are coming out with," said Wells. 

Though the school gets money from the state, if it is a state school, it is usually the first thing to get cut 

because it has other sources of revenue. So to compensate in the cut of state funds, schools will rise the 

cost of school. This can be frustrating when in places like Sweden and Norway, college is free. But look 

at the culture. 

Their taxes are some of the highest in the world and they believe that sending people to college 

is a public good. In America, the individual is the key, this country is very much an individualistic 

community in which someone should go to college for their own personal gain, said Wells. However, 

these countries are shifting over to the American model of college.

But why is tuition high? The sticker price that people get when applying is rarely the amount 

people pay after everything is said and done. The net price, or the price a student actually pays, is a lot 

lower. The money that students pay go to many things. 

"College is expensive because you are paying for what you get," said Mourovic. This includes the 

maintenance of the buildings, salaries for various people, and amenities. College is a business, said 

Mourovic. Also many schools, UMass especially, are having construction done, what Wells calls an "arms 

race" of buildings that can lead to greater prestige. Plus, as Mourovic put it, people are willing to pay for 

it. Students and parents, despite complaining about the cost, are still saving up to put students through 

college in any way possible. 

Is the price of college going to go down? Is there going to be less debt for students in the future?

It is starting to be recognized as a big problem among graduates. Wells said that having student loans to 

pay off can lead people to put off other big milestones in life, buying a house, starting a family, and 

eventually retirement. However, Wells said, "I don't' see a dramatic culture shift that will change this, 


not to sound pessimistic."


by Lauren McArdle



The BDIC Program

Shelby Ashline, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts, chose UMass because 

they had a journalism program and an equine management program. But upon coming here, 

she found out that since journalism was a bachelors degree, a four year program, and the other 

was an associate's degree, a two year program, she could not double major in the two. Her 

advisor gave her a solution. " She said that I could combine the two by going to BDIC and she 

directed me to the Goodell building where I could find their office. " 

Created in 1968, the program allows students to design their own major. This 

alternative to the traditional major also allows students to pursue their educational goals in 

areas where majors have not been created yet. It is for students looking for that niche and 

finding it by creating it for themselves. 

The program for the students was created by the students. In 1968, a group of students 

organized a conference and called for more individualism in education. Professor Arthur Kinney 

of the English program steeped forward and helped the students with their demand for 

academic freedom. The program was approved by the faculty senate and board of trustees and 

began to operate in the fall of 1970. 

To create a major in the BDIC major, students choose from three areas of study that will 

help them in their pursuit. They then take a one-credit writing proposal class, where they get 

help writing their proposal and creating their major to submit to enter the program. They get 

help from a teacher and peer mentor. The proposal consists of why a student wants to enter 

the program, what classes the student intends to take, what led the student to choose the 

intended career path, and other similar questions. "I wish there was more guidance," Nicole 

Dziadzio, a junior at UMass, said "The class is more or less designed for people who already 

know what they want to do, but I don't think there is enough support when it comes to the 

logistics of planning which courses to take. It can be overwhelming when there are thousands 

of classes to choose from."

The classes they have to choose from are 300 level classes or higher. This can be a 

restriction for some areas of study that are smaller than others. "BDIC does not allow its 

students to take any 100-level classes and you can only take two 200-level classes. Because 

equine management is only meant as an associate's degree program, almost all of the classes it 

offers are 100- and 200-level," said Ashline, "The program may be a step towards individuality, 

but it's only a baby step." 

Not many people have heard of the program based on the small number of graduating 

students, about 80-100 each year according to the program's website. Some hear about it from 

advisors like Ashline and UMass senior Jeung Takeda, some hear it from friends like Dziadzio, 

and some may hear it sandwiched between UMass trivia on college tours. But it is not talked 

about enough according to sophomore Courtney Stacey, who said " I do not think enough 

people know about it, and its various possibilities. It is a 36 credit major, so a student could 

start it his or her junior year! I wish more people took the chance to do that." 

The idea of committing oneself to one major, or two in some cases, can be scary. Is it 

the right choice? Will there be time to take other classes outside of the major? "To like a major 

after you're in it is really difficult, but because BDIC allows you to do what you think is best 

freely, it allows me to reconsider and reflect what I want out of the courses rather than being 

told just to take it. What appealed to me the most was that the program gave me an endless list 

of different courses which I wanted to take but didn't want to make meaningless," said Takedo.

Ashline said that she tried the BDIC program because "I decided that if I could write 

about horses in particular, like they do in magazines like Equus, I would just have the best of 

both worlds in my career. I could combine my love of writing with my interest in horses. I don't 

know if I believe a job like that could ever be boring. Thus, I was determined that my niche 

would be Equine Journalism"

Stacey found that the education program was too rigid for her but also wanted 

something that would allow her to take part in the Citizens Scholar Program. " To me, its 

integration and interconnectedness across departments aligns with the interconnectedness of 

our world. I believe education consists of many ways of learning, and many perspectives and 

lenses, so it made sense that I would incorporate other disciplines into my work with 

Education." 

Though the BDIC major has some restrictions, it still allows students to travel abroad 

and take part in other academic activities. " I also loved the fact that BDIC did not restrict me 

from taking a Five College course, or Domestic Exchange and Study Abroad--all of which I am 

doing," said Stacey. She is also able to take part in the Citizens Scholar Program, which is a two-
year, academic service-learning program that combines the classroom with community service, 

and even incorporate it into her major and internships can count towards credits.

For more information about the program or who to apply, interested students can visit 


the program office in Goodell 607 or can visit their website: https://www.bdic.umass.edu.

by Lauren McArdle

Omar Dahi Speech Article

 In his own interpretation of events, Dahi divides the Syrian crisis into two phases.  Phase one, from March 2011 to March 2012, he classifies as the main period of Syrian uprising and revolution.  During phase two, from March 2012 until the present, a civil war has been unfolding in Syria.

     

     Dahi breaks down the long-lasting conflict even further, making it easier for his audience to understand the complex struggle.  He divides the underlying causes of the Syrian crisis into three processes.

     

     The first process, according to Dahi, began with the Arab uprisings.  The initial rebellion in Syria was related to a ripple effect from the Arab uprisings.  The general context that was unfolding in the region shaped peoples’ perceptions on how change might happen and instilled them to act.

     

     The second process, he continued, resulted from the United States’ war against Iran.  The U.S. and its allies were “interested in encroaching upon power in the region,” said Dahi.  Thus they focused on weakening Syria, an Iranian ally that was already viewed as the weakest link.

     

     The U.S. pushed to put in policy a foreign government that would be more reliable to them, but Iran rigidly declared from the very beginning that they would not let the Syrian regime fall.

     

     The third process occurred when the U.S. attempted to “settle its accounts in the Middle East,” and its power there steadily declined.  A division was created between the U.S. and its allies Israel and Saudi Arabia as a result of different ideas on how to solve the problem of the Arab uprising, creating even more tension in the area.

     

     Simply put, Dahi explained that “you have many different sides pushing against each other and reaching a stalemate.”

     

     Now Dahi feels that the best possible outcome would be to “have a meaningful transition in Syria.”

     

     Dahi argues that further political fragmentation in Syria would lead to a weaker economic state and less solidarity throughout.

     

     Instead, he hopes that peace talks, which were recently adjourned in Geneva, Switzerland involving the U.S., Russia, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia, can create an opportunity for new leadership to emerge in Syria.  He also feels that it is necessary to foster a sense of citizenship among the people living there.

     

     After having listened to the whole of Dahi’s speech, reactions from the audience were generally positive.

     

     “I thought it was very informative,” said Lauren McArdle, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts.  “I like how it focused on the refugee impact on Lebanon because it’s not talked about a lot.”

     

     Morgan Morselli, also a UMass sophomore, agreed, saying, “Dahi did a great job clarifying why the refugees have such a big impact.”

     

     Mary Carey, a journalism professor at UMass, had a similar opinion about the speech’s informative quality.

    

     “I felt like I learned a lot about the current situation in Syria and that it has gone from an internal uprising to a kind of international battleground from Dahi’s organized presentation,” said Carey.

By Shelby Ashline

Profile on Jennifer Krainski Plant

Out for a walk in the woods around her childhood home in Ware, Mass. over 30 years ago, then 9-year-old Jennifer Krainski Plant discovered a dilapidated cabin.

    

    Exploring inside the cabin, she found personal belongings scattered everywhere, as if the former residents just left one day, leaving all of their things behind.  She felt compelled to learn what had happened to them.

      

     “It was driving me crazy,” said Krainski Plant.  “I needed to know the story and I knew I’d never know, so I had to make one up.”

     

     The resulting story that Krainski Plant wrote about the abandoned cabin was just the first example of a passion for writing that would later influence her career path as both an author and a teacher.  Today, 40-year-old Krainski Plant is a published author of four books and four verse poems.  She also teaches English composition at Westfield State College in Westfield, Mass.

     

     Oddly enough, even though it was a significant part of her life, Krainski Plant never went to college for English.  She said that she “sampled majors at first,” initially going for an associate’s degree in nursing at Springfield Technical Community College.

     

     However, after giving birth to her son Chance, Krainski Plant decided that she wanted to transition from a career in nursing to a career in education.  She wanted to relearn everything that her child would be learning so she could be a good mother.  She also thought she had the laid-back personality it takes to be a teacher.

     

     After receiving her associate’s degree, Krainski Plant moved on to attend American International College, where she earned a master’s degree in education.

     

     She also spent the past four and a half years working on her doctorate in education at the University of Massachusetts.  In February, 2014 she graduated, without having finished her dissertation.

     

     Though Krainski Plant immersed herself in her education, she never lost her desire to write.  She continued to compose poetry and short stories while in college and working.  As a public school teacher of various grade levels, she would wake up at 4 a.m. and devote two hours to her writing before going to work.

     

     As an author, Krainski Plant specializes in fiction novels that are “appropriate for late middle school through adulthood,” as she says on her personal website, JennyKrainski.com. 

     

     Her first book, “Deep in the Forest,” was published by Writer’s Club Press in 2003.

    

     “The Leader of Nature,” a sequel to the first book, was a collaborative effort by Krainski Plant and her youngest sister Meghan, the artist of the book’s pictures.  “The Leader of Nature,” along with “Undetected,” and her most recent book, “My Neighbor,” were all published by PublishAmerica in 2005, 2007 and 2009, respectively.

     

     She also wrote a chapter on Beaver Lake for a Ware history book and an unpublished manuscript entitled “A Look Into the Long, Healthy Life of Spencer Beaver,” for her elderly neighbor who wanted to share his own story.

     

     Krainski Plant frequently bases ideas and settings in her books off towns in Massachusetts, bringing the world she lives in into her writing.  For example, in “My Neighbor,” there are references to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside and the town of Southampton.

     

     Krainski Plant says that over the years she has learned to write and look for publishers and readers that are interested in what she has written, “instead of saying, ‘This is what people want,’” and molding her writing to fit what she believes a publisher would want to publish or what a reader would want to read.

    

    “The biggest thing I learned is just write,” she said.  “The first draft should be just for you and then you can gear it towards an audience.”  Through this process, she feels that she has found out things about herself as a writer that she didn’t know.

     

     Krainski Plant has also published four of her verse poems, the topics of which vary depending on her mood.  When she goes hiking at the Quabbin Reservoir in Ware, she writes about nature, but when she’s going through a hard time, her poems can sound “scary dark.”  Krainski Plant sees her poetry as a way of getting her frustrations out and de-stressing.

     

     Krainski Plant has found that her schooling, her career as a teacher and her family life have often caused her to get sidetracked from her writing.  She has vowed to make time for that part of her life.

     

     “I promised myself…that I was going to make space for writing,” she said.  “Unlike years previous, I’m making time.”

     

     However, through her position at Westfield State College, which she has held since 2008, Krainski Plant has found that teaching at the college level is an important part of her life and is a good personal fit for her.

     

     “I sat back and said, ‘You know what, this is it.  This is where I belong.”

     

     Krainski Plant said she’s eager to implement some new teaching tactics in her classroom because even though she’s always loved to write, she didn’t enjoy taking English composition classes in college herself.  She wants to present things differently than how they were taught to her in college so that her students won’t be bored by the subject matter and can get the most out of the classes.

     

     Instead, she wants to follow the methods of some of her high school teachers who provided prompts that opened up her mind to things to write about and gave her feedback to keep going.  She partially attributes their positive feedback to her motivation to write.

     

     Krainski Plant wants to emphasize what her students do right in their pieces so that they can have the same positive experience.

     

     Yet at the same time, Krainski Plant admits that the assignments she did in high school weren’t college prep by any means.  She wants her assignments to prepare her students for their other college classes.

     

     “What I’m trying to do is intertwine the creative with what the college expects,” she said.

    

     Krainski Plant’s 19-year-old son Chance, feels that his mother’s teaching methods are “easily accessible.”  Himself a student of Holyoke Community College, Krainski Plant often asks Chance to read the guidelines for her assignments, asking his opinion of them as a college student before she finalizes them. 

     

     Chance feels that his mother’s creativity and talent can be seen in far more than just her teaching career, whether it be in regards to her writing or her harping, which she likes to do in her spare time at home in Ware.

     

     “It is amazing to see her flourish with her talents as a harpist,” Chance said in a Facebook message.

     

     According to Krainski Plant, her husband Alan has always been encouraging of her teaching and her writing as well.

     

     “Jenny is more than an author; she is an artist,” said Alan in a Facebook message.  “She looks at the world differently.”

By Shelby Ashline

Article on Brendan Hall

Students of Professor Mary Carey’s Newswriting and Reporting class gathered in the W.E.B. DuBois Library on Monday to listen to a special guest speaker: the High School Editor of ESPN Boston, Brendan Hall.

     

     Hall, himself a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, answered questions about his journalism career and provided advice to the aspiring journalists on how to be successful in the field.

     

     While he was in college, Professor Carey encouraged Hall to get some experience in writing, which inspired him to start covering stories for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian.

    

     After graduating from UMass in 2007, Hall explored several jobs primarily covering high school sports.  He worked at the Boston Globe as well as the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, where he had interned as a student.

    

     In May 2010, Hall landed himself a position covering high school sports for ESPN Boston, an opportunity he was very excited about.

     

     “(At only) 25-years-old, I landed where a lot of sports editors dream of being,” said Hall.

    

     Hall appreciates working at ESPN Boston because he is allowed considerable creative freedom and because he feels his coverage is very unique, since high school sports aren’t frequently covered by ESPN.

     

     “We put a lot of time and effort into this to make it what it is,” said Hall.  “It takes a special kind of person to be as devoted to high school sports as we are.”

     

     All the same, Hall feels that one of the best things about his writing position is that he gets to watch talented young journalists, who come to ESPN Boston as interns, grow and “develop to go on to do bigger and better things.”

     

     Hall suggests that aspiring journalists broaden their horizons, making themselves well-rounded in the various types of journalism so that they are capable of covering any story that comes their way.

     

     “You want to make sure you have a wide cornucopia of things you cover,” said Hall.  “I was never out of work for long because I had my hand in so many dishes…Make sure you cast a wide net (and) have a diverse portfolio.”

     

     Having heard this, it was a surprise to Professor Carey’s students when Hall admitted that he had no experience in broadcasting before he was hired at ESPN Boston.  He explained that practice is key in the field of journalism and that through practice he was able to improve his broadcasting skills over time.

     

     “The only way you’re going to get better (is through) repetition.”

    

     Hall also addressed the problem of keeping articles brief, yet expressing all the necessary points.  He suggested using a writing style that would keep the reader interested throughout.

    

     “You don’t have a lot of room.  You’ve really got to reel the reader in tight.”

     

     Lastly, Hall suggested that the aspiring journalists take every opportunity they are given to cover a story, not only for the practice, but because it is impossible to tell where an interview will go or how an event will turn out.

    

     “Once the moment is gone, it’s gone forever,” said Hall.  “There’s no taking it back.”

By Shelby Ashline

Brendan Hall

The first thing Brendan Hall, a University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni and high school sports writer for ESPN Boston, showed the group of Journalism 300 students on Monday was a press conference he had attended over the weekend. Brendan Durkin, a boy with down-syndrome, had scored had scored the last basket in the final seconds of the Newton North game. Afterwards, there was press conference that Durkin got to speak at.

Most reporters had left the game early. Newton North was a favorite to win and proved so. Some groups didn’t even send reporters. But they missed out Durkin’s special moment. “Honest to God, one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, being a part of that press conference,” said Hall in his heavy Boston accent to the class.

Hall then went on the show the class similar stories. A story about the Bruins game that happened after the Boston Marathon Bombing and the way people were connected. Another about the Mansfield Coach’s speech to his basketball team after they had just lost a big game.

And although he showed the class the team stats pages he and his colleague Scott Barboza had done, featuring all the teams in Mass and talked about the different kinds of recaps they did, the focus seemed to be on the people.

It wasn’t just about the numbers and the game itself, but also about the people inside the sports. And it was more so about the special moments. “Certainly motivates you to write something special. When it happens, you kick it into a different mode.”

Hall didn’t start out at ESPN, and wasn’t always a sports writer. While at UMass, he worked on The Daily Collegian writing not only about sports but also wrote the beat for the UMass police and some arts pieces. “You got to cast a large net,” said Hall as advice to the class, going on to say that having diversity in your work shows dedication and flexibility.

While at school, he has did three internships, including the Boston Globe. He graduated with a degree for journalism. He then got a job at Worcester Telegram and Gazette and later as a correspondent at the Boston Globe. By then, he has found his niche as a high school sports writer which he had discovered while doing the internship at the Boston Globe.

He then, along with now colleague Barboza, helped create the high school page for ESPN Boston. Though it was launched in 2009, and Hall joined the project in 2010, he has had a lot of influence by making sure that all the sports teams are covered, not just the ones in the immediate area. The teams are all accounting for, even Martha’s Vineyard.

“100 years from now, people are going to pull up your account, and that’s the coolest thing for me.”

By Lauren McArdle

FAKE Obituary of Jerry Lee Lewis

          Jerry Lee Lewis, one of rock and roll’s greatest stars of the 1950s who was renowned for his piano playing, LIVED Saturday morning at his ranch in Nesbit, Miss. at the age of 78.  He is remembered for the energy and enthusiasm he demonstrated during his performances.

            Born on Sept. 29, 1935 in Ferriday, La., Lewis was the son of Elmo and Mamie Lewis, according to Wikipedia.org.

            Though Lewis’ mother enrolled him in the Southwest Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas, Lewis gave up school at around the age of 14 to focus on his music.  By that time, his father had bought him his first piano and he had given his first public performance, according to Lewis’ website jerryleelewis.com.

            Lewis traveled to Memphis, Tenn. when he was 20-years-old and found work as a musician for Sun Studios, which has worked with artists such as Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. 

He recorded his first single, a cover a Ray Price’s “Crazy Arms,” in 1956, but his first big hit, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” wasn’t recorded until the following year.  His other early, well-known songs include “Great Balls of Fire,” and “Breathless,” which made it into the Top 10 on the pop charts according to jerryleelewis.com.

Lewis gained a nickname, “The Killer,” because of his shocking performances that left his audiences stunned.  He would frequently play the piano standing up and sometimes lit his piano on fire.

In the 1960s, Lewis found a new career as a country artist, with hits such as his 1968 song, “Another Place, Another Time.”  However, he never lost touch with his rock music, revisiting some of his older songs in the 1970s.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s first class in 1986, according to jerryleelewis.com.

Lewis’ LOVED ONES include two sons, Jerry Lee Lewis III and Ronnie Guy Lewis, and two daughters Phoebe Allen Lewis and Lori Lee Lewis, as well as his wife Judith (Brown) Lewis.  He was predeceased by two sons, Steve Allen Lewis and Jerry Lee Lewis, Jr.

By Shelby Ashline

Obituary for Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert, 70, of Chicago, Illinois, died April 4, 2013, after a long battle with cancer of the thyroid and salivary glands.

Born in Urbana, Illinois on June 18, 1942, he was the only child of the late Walter and Annabel Ebert.

Ebert’s interest in journalism began when he was a student at Urbana High School, where he was a sports writer for the school newspaper. Ebert started talking classes at the University of Illinois as an early entrance student, completing his high school courses while also starting to take university courses. While at the university, he wrote as a reporter for the school paper, “Daily Illni”. One of the first movie reviews he did was for the university paper about “La Dolce Vita”, published in 1961. By senior year, he served as the newspaper’s editor. Through out his time at school, starting at the age of 15, he was continuously working for “The News-Gazette” in Champaign, Illinois. 

After graduating college in 1964, studied English as a master’s student. During this time, he attended the University of Cape Town on a Rotary Fellowship. He then was accepted as a Ph.D. scholar at the University of Chicago. While working on this doctorate, he applied to newspapers in the Chicago area. He was hired by Jim Hoge of the “Chicago Sun-Times” as a reporter and feature writer in 1966. It was not until the current movie critic left the paper that he received the beat. After working under the load of student and newspaper writer, he left the University of Chicago and focused his energies on movie reviews.

By 1970, he had written a book and co-wrote a number of screenplays, including the Sex Pistols movie “Who Killed Bambi”. He worked for the University of Chicago as a guest lecturer and taught about films.

In 1975, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Ebert also began hosting a weekly film review television show called “Sneak Previews” that same year, which was produced by the Chicago public broadcasting station WTTW. Three years later, PBS picked up the show for national distribution.  This show, though changing names throughout the years, lasted 34 years.

In early 2002, Ebert was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer, which was successfully removed. He had surgery in 2003 for cancer in his salivary gland, which was followed by radiation treatment. In 2006, he underwent surgery to remove cancerous tissue in his jaw, but due to complications, lost the ability to speak.  

He became an honorary member life member of the Directors Guild of America. His final review for the “Chicago Sun-Times” was for the film “To the Wonder”, which he gave 3.5 out of 4 stars. It was published in April of 2013. However, throughout the year of 2013, previously unpublished reviews came out posthumously as the movies he has written about came out. 

Ebert leaves his wife, Charlie “Chaz” Hamelsmith, of 21 years. There was a private memorial vigil on April 7, 2013 with an open casket at the chapel of Graceland Cemetery. The funeral was held on April 8, 2013 at Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral. A bronze statue was erected in his honor in Champaign, Illinois  at the Virginia Theatre in 2014.

Memorial contribution can be made to the non-profit group headed by Ebert’s wife, the Robert Ebert Foundation.

By Lauren McArdle

Taylor's Trip to Barcelona

     After spending eight weeks over the summer in Barcelona, University of Massachusetts student Taylor Gilmore said she would recommend other students get involved in the study abroad experience.

     Gilmore, a native of Walpole, Mass. had always hoped to explore other countries.

     “I’d always wanted to go to Europe and it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live there,” said Gilmore.

     While abroad in June and July, Gilmore took Spanish language courses, developing her Spanish-speaking abilities.

     “My only prior Spanish language experience was in high school,” said Gilmore.  “Living in Barcelona definitely helped improve my Spanish language skills because you are constantly practicing with native speakers.”

     However she also did a lot of traveling, seeing parts of England, France, Italy and the Czech Republic as well as other parts of Spain.

     Gilmore said the experience was everything she expected, “if not harder” because of the significant lifestyle differences in Europe, as compared to that of the United States.

     “It’s culturally so different that it was difficult to adjust,” she said, referring to the food, the language and the size of the city in general.  She explained that Barcelona also participates in siestas from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day.  People typically spend this time sleeping, eating elaborate three-course lunches and drinking alcohol.  All stores are closed for the three hours to allow employees to partake in the siestas.

     She also found living in Barcelona to be much more exciting than living in Amherst because of the city’s scale.  Amherst’s population of around 38,000 people pales in comparison to that of Barcelona, which is over 1.6 million.

     “It was very interesting visiting the different tourist attractions because they were always full of people,” said Gilmore.  “There were always lines out the door at the nightclubs and if you went to the beach you could expect to be sitting within three inches of another person, who was probably speaking a language that you didn't understand.”

     However, Gilmore remarked that Barcelona is also a lot more dangerous because of the frequency of pickpockets.  In fact Barcelona was picked by TripAdvisor.com as the number one city in the world to beware of pickpockets.

     Though Gilmore had to take the crowded subway on a regular basis and was frequently at risk of having her belongings stolen, she returned to the U.S. without personally experiencing theft.  Unfortunately three of her four roommates were not so lucky.  One had her phone pick-pocketed twice, another had her camera stolen and the third had her phone taken out of her purse while at a nightclub.

     All the same, Gilmore considers study abroad to be “a very rewarding experience,” that she would encourage other students to take part in.

     “I highly recommend students study abroad because it allows you to see and experience other parts of the world and different cultures.”

     Gilmore said she would consider going back to Spain in the future to teach English, but only temporarily.

     “I would miss my family too much to move there permanently,” she said.

     Here at UMass, Gilmore, now in her junior year, studies both journalism and communications.  She also is pursuing a minor in psychology.

     Gilmore currently works as an intern in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences where she primarily writes articles and edits videos.  The monthly SBS newsletter, which is sent out to its students by email, is subject to her editing expertise.     

By Shelby Ashline

Deadline Assignment: Slips, Falls, and Ice: the Downside to Winter

College students have experienced slips, falls and the dangers of black ice as they make their way to class.

 Due to the large amount of snow that has fallen over Amherst in the past week, University of Massachusetts students have had two snow days and a delay.

            “I’d rather get snowed on than rained on,” said Dean Ludgate, a sophomore Communications major at the University of Massachusetts in light of the recent flash blizzard. Ludgate and his friends, Paul Sobchenko and Gila Goldstein shared their sentiments on the recent onslaught of snow while sitting around a table at the library.

When asked whether they liked the snow, Sobchenko, a junior environmental science major, said, “Yea, I love it!” to which Goldstein replied “As long as it doesn’t turn to ice in the day time.”

            Goldstein, a sophomore natural resource conservation and public heath double major at UMass, described trying to get to her dorm in Orchard Hill, which is often a struggle for students in slippery weather.

            Goldstein, who was with a friend during the  flash blizzard , said “Initially we were just going to walk up the hill but we decided we didn’t want to risk falling.”  As an alternative, Goldstein and her friend waited extensively

            “UMass needs to put down more salt.  I mean, I’ve almost fallen like four times,” said Kassie Madore, a sophomore communications disorders  major.  Madore expressed concern about walking to her job at the Recreational Center early in the morning because she’s worried about slipping on black ice.  “I know I’ll fall eventually,” she said.

“I haven’t fallen yet, but I will,” Madore’s friend Rachel Keane, a sophomore English major, said, sharing Madore’s concerns.  In addition to more salt, Keane wants the university staff to do a better job shoveling.  “They don’t shovel the stairs to by my building,” she said. 

“I was walking and it started snowing,” said Keane.  “I got snow in my eye, and my contact was sticking to my eyelid.” Her sentiments  matched those of some of the other students when they walked out of class at one o’clock today to find a surprise flash blizzard.  

Snow came down hard and fast as students rushed between buildings. The campus sits, covered in snow, waiting to see how UMass will handle the new load of fresh powder.

Whether students love or hate the snow, they share the sentiment that spring needs to come soon. Sobchenko said “ Kind of sick of winter for a little bit,” and remarked about how he is looking forward to spring break.

Rachel Keane in her winter gear

By Lauren McArdle, Shelby Ashline, and Molly Gately

Mini Profile on Shelby Ashline

 

Most little girls loves horses at one point or another, but Shelby Ashline has turned that love into a passion. The sophomore at the University of Massachusetts has just started to create a Bachelor Degree with Individual Concentration involving equine management, journalism and communications.

This passion was founded at a young age when she would drive with her grandmother in Saint Albans, VT to see the horses around town. Her aunt also owned a few horses.NICE

At the age of nine, Shelby received her first horse, an American Shetland named Luc. They got him when he was only two, “and still mentally a baby.” She and her mom trained Luc by themselves. 
“He turned out really well in the end though, and I think he’s all the more special to me because we learned and grew up together.” 
Luc is not her only horse. She has had to two other horses, both quarter horses, named King and Charlie.

        Eventually, they had to sell King and Charlie “because horses are just a huge expense and hard to afford." Luc stays with Shelby’s aunt.

        Shelby has also extended her passion into extracurricular activities. she recently joined the Equestrian Riding Club on campus. They ride once a week in groups of five at Hadley Farm. 
“I'm one of two new girls this semester and the others are really generous when it comes to helping me find the horse I'm supposed to ride or the tack I'll be using, and I even carpool to the farm with them," Ashline said. 
She looks forward to eventually going to shows with the team. She has competed before, though in small local shows with about 200 people. In order to go to bigger and competitive horse shows, she would of had to travel a lot. “Especially in Vermont when there’s often no sign of life for miles,” she said.

        Shelby’s passion is one that encompasses her life, from her studies to her extracurricular to even the horse tattoo on her back.
There is just something about riding a horse, the connection between the horse and the rider, that is undeniable. But also the way it makes her feel.
“I love riding because it lets you slip away from all the problems that you’re facing in life. It helps to de-stress, I think because for that time it’s just you and your buddy, the horse, and you forget about everything else.” 
To find something does that, is magical.  

By Lauren McArdle

Infographics from the police station visit

by Lauren McArdle