Felicia Cohen
Brendan Hall Response/Showing v. Telling
From the moment Brendan Hall casually strolled into the Journalism 300 fifteen minutes late, clad in jeans and a baseball hat on Wednesday, Sept. 28, to his colorful use of curse words while sharing his journalism and reporting experiences with the class, it was clear that he was undoubtedly comfortable being harassed by up and coming journalists.
Hall, a Westminister, Mass native, graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst's journalism program in 2007. Now an ESPN Boston, reporter, he came to give advice to students trying to break into the field.
Starting his Journalism career as a Massachusetts Daily Collegian, the UMass daily newspaper reporter and editor has certainly brought Hall a long way. He obtained multiple internships during college, working at the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, and during his senior year worked as an intern in the sports section of the Boston Globe, a highly sought after paid position, which he turned into a co-op. Upon graduating college, he worked at the Florida Times, in Gainesville, Florida.
Although he did focus on writing in the sports section, Hall recalls that it was his broadened experience dabbling in the news and arts sections that held him apart from other sports reporters and helped him gain experience and internships.
"I learned more during my summer in Florida than all four years of school," he said. "I sent them samples of my writing. Don't expect anything to come easily, you have to work your ass off."
During his time at UMass, Hall worked not only in the sports section of the Daily Collegian, but also as the assistant editor of the editorial and opinion section during his final semester of school. He also spent time as the police reporter, a position he greatly enjoyed.
"It's a college campus, theres always shit going on. They're great guys who work on the force. They even let me do a ride along at the end of the semester, which was pretty cool," said Hall.
Student asked the all-knowing Hall if he believed reporters should be versatile and be able to report utilizing many different mediums. Hall recommended to students that they should get involved in on campus reporting, whether it is working for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, the radio station, television station, blogging, photography, or creating podcasts.
"I never had a lot of on-camera work before and now i do it every week at sports games," added Hall, who also creates podcasts for ESPN which can sometimes be over an hour long.
Hall also expressed the importance of networking to the Journalism 300 class and spoke of the importance of never burning bridges. He himself has many mentors in the field, especially at the Boston Globe and explained that although they are indeed competition, there is nothing wrong with maintaining a friendly relationship and even helping on another out, to some degree, in stories.
"You never know who you are going to meet. I had a sixteen year old kid named Luke come up to me at a basketball game and introduce himself as a future reporter. He's contacted me and we've stayed in touch," said Hall.
"You never know who you are going to meet. I had a sixteen year old kid named Luke come up to me at a basketball game and introduce himself as a future reporter. He's contacted me and we've stayed in touch," said Hall.
Hall, obviously as an ESPN reporter, is an avid sports fan. He managed to go off on a tangent to discuss his favorite topic of all- the Boston Bruins. While many in the class were a bit lost, it took serious determination to manage to divert the subject back to the future of journalism. The passion he held for his job and sports was abundantly clear.
Felicia Cohen
Top Ten Places to Check out in the Pioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley and its surrounding area are not just endless farmland and thousands upon thousands of students- it is filled with so many unique attractions, that if you are a student there for only four years, it is nearly impossible to visit them all.
Although there are an abundance of restaurants, attractions, and events, there are certainly “fan-favorites” among students. After talking to natives of the Pioneer Valley, it was clear that they were in agreement with students. Whether they are in Amherst, Northampton, Sunderland, or neighboring towns, there are many places, restaurants especially, that everyone seems to love.
Rachel Northup, a junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, spent the summer of 2011 living in Amherst. She described her fondness for Roberto’s, a family owned restaurant in Northampton.
“My best friend works there, and I love how they cover the tables with brown paper to color on with crayons. I always draw her pictures while I wait for her shift to end,” said Northup.
Junior Herb Scribner, of South Hadley, recommends his favorite pizza place to fellow students.
“Mimo’s in Northampton. They have the biggest slices. You have to go there,” he said.
They did however mention a few hidden gems that visitors should check out.
1. The Dinosaur Footprints in Holyoke, Mass.
The Dinosaur Footprint Park is good, clean fun for anyone to enjoy. There are fossilized footprints of the dinosaurs that roamed the Pioneer Valley so many millions of years ago. And not just any dinosaurs either- the prints are believed to be left by two-legged, carnivores, much like a tyrannosaurus rex. There are also imprints of plants and water.
Maria Yeskie, a Northampton native and junior a UMass, reminisced on her field trips there in elementary school.
“We would all be so excited to take the bus there and imagine what it was like when the dinosaurs were actually there. It must have been so different,” said Yeskie.
The park, which is off Route 5 in Holyoke, is a quiet and natural environment to visit on a nice day and let your imagination run wild. There is no entrance fee, which is great for all the poor college students in the area.
2. The Eric Carle Museum
It is a blast from student’s pasts- children around the country grew up reading the brightly illustrated children’s books by Eric Carle, and now they can see them come to life. There are of course the classics like “The Very Hungry Caterpiller,” “Do You Want to be my Friend,” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See,” and so many more. The Carle museum invites other exhibits to present their artwork to the public, and offers many workshops focusing on art, drawing, painting, films, and music. The gallery is located in Amherst, Mass.
3. Mike’s Maze
Mike’s Maze takes the comic page to a whole new level. Warner Farm, in Sunderland, is home to an annual, one of a kind, life size maze. Visitors to the maze allow themselves to get lost inside and navigate their way our. This is not your average box or spiral maze either- the 2011 maze is of a man, Noah Webster’s face, made of hedges, which are too tall to see over. Once inside visitors must look for hidden words and answer trivia questions. When they complete the maze, if they have all the words from inside, they win a free pumpkin. Whether it is a race against friends, or just a personal challenge, the maze is sure to occupy you for hours. Located in Sunderland, Mass.
Felicia Cohen
Ben Storrow, a Daily Hampshire Gazette reporter, should have known he would be a journalist from the day he sat in his elementary school auditorium explaining the Dole vs. Clinton election to his peers.
The politics junky, who only stumbled into journalism a mere three years ago spoke to the Journalism 200 class on October 26 about his experience in the field and how lucky they were to have a head start.
Storrow, who graduated from Gearge Washington University in 2008 with a degree in international affairs was not as fortunate as to get a jump start on his career in college. After spending time after graduation abroad in Macedonia as an intern at a development agency, Storrow realized quickly, in just a few months, that international affairs was not right for him.
Upon his arrival home, the western Massachusetts native was introduced to Phoebe Mitchell, the editor in chief of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, who encouraged him to appy for a job.
“I didn’t get the position. And rightfully so, I had never written an article before,” Storrow said.
He was not discouraged however- Storrow worked as a correspondent to gain experience, and when a full time employment opportunity arose, he successful earned the job.
As it turned out, Storrow loved reporting and working in journalism. He went from reporting on Franklin County’s news to bigger pieces centralizing in politics. He said he writes about 8 stories a week these days.
“I like the enterprise stories, politics, economics, environmental issues. I would be interested in combining journalism with international affairs,” he said.
Storrow recommended to the students that they get involved in all aspects in journalism, although he specializes in print. He admits he still has a lot to learn about video and photography, although he shoots his own footage regularly. He also suggests blogging.
“If I were a journalism student there are two classes I would definitely be interested in taking. The first is some kind of a production class. The second is creative writing- it teaches you to write on deadlines and get your work out there, he said.
Tanya Loss and Jennifer Schreer
On a typical afternoon at University Health Services at University of Massachusetts Amherst, a student will walk into the room where they face a swarm of people anxiously waiting to see a doctor. In past years, UHS had running hours from 8 a.m. to midnight, but has now informed the University that the hours have been shortened.
At the start of next semester, UHS will now only be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On weekends, the hours are even shorter, from noon to 4 p.m. Bernette Daly, Director of UHS, announced the changes to the campus via email on Nov. 1. This creates an issue with many students due to the fact that they have limited options and will be forced to travel to the Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton more frequently than before.
Many students on campus do not have means of transportation to and from the hospital in Northampton, and UHS provides convenient transportation through their own private buses for students during regular UHS hours.
Daly explained in her email that the hours have been shortened due to financial reasons. “Cost-effective services have never been more important. These shifts are expected to reduce UHS’ expenses by approximately $1 million annually,” said Daly.
In a letter to the Editor of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Daly said, “The clinic treats an average of just four to seven patients after 8 p.m. weeknights, and about half that many on weekends - a demand that did not justify existing levels of staffing or overhead costs.”
Daly also explains that UHS will be closed on certain holidays when students are not “living” in the residence, such as on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, and July 4th. But many students stay on campus for certain holidays, such as Martin Luther King Day, and are wary on staying on campus because UHS will not be running on days that they may need their services.
“Being from California, it’s not exactly easy for me to go home for every holiday,” says freshman at UMass Jessica McFadden. “I wasn’t planning on leaving campus during some of these holidays, and now I’m not sure how I feel about staying because in case of an emergency, health services wouldn’t be open.”
UMass student, Carlene McGuigan, shared her recent experience with UHS. “When I went to UHS a few weekends ago, I was there for 5 hours,” she said. McGuigan mentions in a letter that she wrote to UHS after her bad experience, that not only was she there for an extensive amount of time, but that the doctor forgot she was in the treatment room, where she was left ignored for two hours.
“I am paying to attend school here, and I believe that having access to proper health facilities is a right that I can expect. I understand that money and budgets are tight, but UHS is one of the most important operations on campus and I think the campus community will suffer with less hours,” McGuigan said.
Community Health and Patient Educator, Amanda Collings Vann, discussed her take on the new changes. “What UHS will look like in the future is still yet to be determined,” Vann said. “We are doing our best to make it less of an impact on the student body. UHS is taking every precaution they can and are trying to make it better.”
When being asked the financial aspect of the change, Vann said, “I think it is what it is. Decisions are necessary based on the financial health at UHS.” She continues, “Health care in general is under fire. Cuts are sometimes necessary.”
Amherst College Health Center hours are also minimal, beginning at 8:50 a.m. and closing at 5:30 p.m. during weekdays. Their website explains that in case of an emergency after hours of operation, students can rely on UMass’ UHS. This shortening of hours at UHS will now also impact Amherst College, as its students utilized UMass’ UHS in an emergency once their Health Center closed.
Some students aren’t concerned by the reduced hours, because they have the impression that services are minimal already.
“I’ve never been to UHS,” says junior at UMass Sarah Kronwith, “I’ve always heard stories that people told me about how UHS would close once they got there and they had waited hours before getting put in a room. I feel like I won’t even get anything out of going, especially now with the time changes.”
Though hours are cut beginning in January, the hotline for mental and medical health will remain available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. UHS also, and as always, encourages those with a life-threatening emergency to call 911 for an ambulance to the hospital.
"Fox Proprietors" Exhibit Brings Unique Artistic Ideas to UMass
The Journalism 300 class excitedly waited entering the Hampden art gallery on Monday, Sept. 19th as they had no idea what to expect upon entering “The Pawn Shop; Fox Proprietors” exhibit.
Ms. Anne Laprade, the director of the art gallery on campus greeted the class alongside Thomas Conan, who represented the gallery publicity and took photographs as the class observed the exhibit. Laprade began the tour of the exhibit with a brief explanation on the gallery and the artists of this showing. The two artists, Tim Winn and Zehra Kahn of “The Pawn Shop; Fox Proprietors” are a collaborative team based in Provincetown, who both received their MFA’s at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the Fine Arts Work Center. They have been working side by side for two consecutive years and each play a different role in their art making team.
In the particular case of this exhibit, Winn was the paper architect of the “Shop”, while Kahn was responsible for costume design and performance. “The Pawn Shop; Fox Proprietors” was scheduled to take two days to create and ended up taking three ten-twelve hour days of work for the artists.
“The Pawn Shop” was, “a place where you go when things are pretty hard,” said Laprade. “There’s an element of desperation about the whole thing,” she continued. Laprade began to set the scene of the exhibit for the class; she says that the animals stand in for humans, and the foxes are the owners of the pawnshop but at the moment of the viewer’s arrival are not present. The viewer sees a sign that reads “employees only.” The corridor behind the sign leads to a vault with plentiful money scattered. “What happens when no one is around?” Laprade explains, raising a moral question in a lighthearted manner. Laprade says that the artists are not trying to send out one specific message, but rather are questioning, “What is the value of your possessions?” She explains that these paper objects, which started as small ink drawings and then enlarged and layered with watercolor and ink, could be found in any stereotypical pawnshop.
The viewers walked to the far corridor of the room and found themselves in a small dark space. A white projector screen began to play a film which looped every two minutes, portraying the two artists in fox costume made of bed linens, pillow cases, sheets- Laprade explains that Kahn worked with these objects due to their, “sense of intimacy,” and their potential to influence these emotions. The film began as a still video clip and gradually showed movement of the two fox proprietors with money cascading all around them in the shot.
The exhibit “supports the notion of a gloomy desperate place,” says Laprade. “[It is] a fitting exhibit of the times.” She says that the exposition puts people on edge and allows viewers to exercise their thoughts. Laprade also elaborates on the choice of colors in the exhibit; she says the creams and beiges support notions for desperations.
The paper exhibit was set up in an intricate way. Upon entry, viewers noticed tapered paper telephone wires that led to the actual “Pawn Shop.” Small splashes of neon color were noticed upon entering the “Shop,” and as one ventured onwards into the physical interactive exhibit, the scene unveiled itself. Paper two-dimensional objects hung from every surface, mostly in black and white shades, all with small price tags that, later Laprade explained, could actually be bought by viewers. The exhibit continued on through a small paper corridor, leading into a dimly lit vault with an unstable cardboard table in its center. Paper money clung to every surface of the room; in piles on the table, the floor, the ceiling, the walls, these uniquely made paper bills were scattered endlessly around the room. A paper bed for two hung on the far wall, and as one peered upward, viewers noticed that the ceiling was made of a clear vinyl or plastic sheet.
“[I’m] looking forward to seeing more from these artists,” says Thomas Canon, the photographer who was present. He elaborates on how the exhibit seems like a cartoon world combined with something dark and cynical.
Eleanor Wong, viewing the exhibit as the class was there simultaneously said, “[You] Get a feel of [the exhibit] on your own with the foxes away,” and that, “[you] get a sense of what [the foxes] do in their own time.”
Patrick Strohecker, on being asked how he felt about the exhibit, said, “[It] depicts hard times- [the exhibit is] better than usual art themes [and relates to] students struggling for money.”
-Tanya Loss
