Administrators Lay Out Changes for RDs

Below is the text of the document which Residence Directors have received from administrators and have sent to their RA staff.

SGA President Roh Speaks Out

In light of the news regarding the University’s decision to cut its Peer Mentors, effective next fall, SGA President Yevin Roh took to facebook to address the student body about this and other proposed changes to campus residential life.

UMass to Cut Peer Mentors, Student Jobs

The University of Massachusetts is abuzz with the news of the administration’s decision to cut the Peer Mentor position effective next fall. Many believe that the cuts will not end with the Peer Mentors, rather that this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I will be working diligently to keep my readers up-to-date on this and other campus issues so stay tuned. As a start, here is a transcription of the e-mail that was sent out to the Peer Mentors on Wednesday. This text was provided to me by a Peer Mentor.

Can Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Get in the Way of Ethics?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a technique used by producers of online content to drive traffic to their websites.  The technique involves using key words as much as possible, especially in titles, headlines and the URL, so that one’s particular website will be more likely to appear as one of the higher results of an internet search.  For example, of two articles on the Occupy Wall St. movement, one titled “The Unemployed Occupy Wall St.” will likely get more traffic than one titled “Protesters Decry Corporate Greed”.

Study Drugs at UMass Amherst

This time of year college students have many things in mind.  Students are busy making plans for winter break, selecting course for the next semester and preparing for their dreaded finals.  For some students, the pressures of this hectic time of year can become too much to juggle and they sometimes turn to study drugs, like Adderall.  Adderall is a prescription drug and it, along with cocaine and oxycodone, is a class II drug, meaning the U.S. government has determined it has a high potential for abuse.  Adderall is also used outside the library these days as it has gained increased popularity as a recreational drug.  I decided to talk three UMass students about their experiences with the drug and attempt to understand its popularity among college students.  The names in this article have been changed to protect the identities of the students.

Silly Spider Monkey Fiasco Promo for UVC-TV 19

Check out this promo I created for the student-run TV station where I work, UVC-TV 19, at UMass Amherst.  It features Trevor Williams (who has written and performed for College Humor, MTV, ESPN, and Comedy Central) and Mack Williams (who has worked as an animator for Cartoon Network/Adult Swim and is currently the animation director for FX’s series Archer).  I was introduced to Trevor and Mack through the Silly Spider Monkey Fiasco, a television show they were part of while undergrads at UGA which we air on UVC.  Thinking that they, as people with a background in student television who had moved on to have successful careers in today’s entertainment industry, I invited Trevor and Mack to our campus last year to share their experiences with the students at UMass.  They agreed, and shared a ton of valuable insights with the students in attendance.  To find out about upcoming events for students hoping to get into media-related fields, follow UVC-TV 19 on facebook and twitter.

A Review of S.P. Sullivan’s “Salamander Crossing”

This piece of multimedia was created by Masslive.com producer and UMass alumni, S.P. Sullivan.  I’m a big fan of this piece for several reasons.  I am particularly impressed by the amount of pre-planning that must have gone into this work.  To make this project a reality, S.P. reached out to a local community member who was conducting research particular to this region (Western Massachusetts).   In this case adjunct Hampshire College biology professor Noah Charney who would be taking his students to observe the annual migration of the spotted salamander.  He had to coordinate with Professor Charney to find out when he’d be taking his students out to observe the salamander migration and prepare for shooting in those conditions.  In this case, the shooting took place at night, so S.P. had to gather the equipment necessary for an outdoor night shoot, including appropriate lighting.  Lighting is something which most people with any experience in producing videos will attest can be one of the trickiest aspects.

5 Last Minute Halloween Costumes for College Students

With Halloween weekend already upon us, here are some costume ideas for my fellow procrastinators which are sure to impress whether you be at the Hockey Game or Hampshire Halloween.

A UMass Student’s Visit to Occupy Wall St.

The Occupy Wall St. movement is currently the nation’s hottest topic. Drawing on inspiration from the Arab Spring, the movement used social media devices including facebook and twitter to broadcast its messages while it was being ignored by the mainstream media. Now the movement has gained quite a bit of attention and has spread to over 1,700 cities and towns in dozens of countries worldwide.

Reactions to the Occupy Wall St. movement vary greatly depending on who you listen to. “I think it expresses the frustrations that the American people feel,” said President Obama on Thursday. “People are frustrated and the protesters are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works.”

UMass Amherst Faculty Senate Approves Tobacco Free Policy

The University of Massachusetts Faculty Senate has approved a policy for a tobacco-free University. The policy was proposed to the Faculty Senate by the University Health Council, which included Wilmore Webley, a UMass microbiology professor who has taught the Biology of Cancer and AIDS for several semesters and Ann Becker, an RN at University Heath Services, among others.

I recently asked two UMass students to share their view on the new policy for our campus newspaper, the Daily Collegian.