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A P R I L 5 , 2 0 1 2

Student VoiceThe Massasoit Community Coll e g e

While most of you were celebrating the beginning of Spring Break on Friday March 16th, members of Massasoit’s Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Kappa Upsilon Chapter were headed to Middlesex College to attend a New England Regional Conference. Ev-eryone in attendance had the chance to experience fun activities and engaging workshops that left them with a good understanding of what Phi Theta Kappa is all about. At the same time, we were able to form friendships with other chap-ters that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. Zahra Alavi, a member from the Alpha Kappa Upsilon Chapter said, “It was a great opportunity to meet other Phi Theta Kappa Officers and members from the New Eng-land Region. This convention was useful to bond and share ideas with new people.” Vice President of Fellowship, Marc Bloom received an email from Emerson College that weekend stating he is able to trans-fer; he recalled, “I spent more time hug-ging and crying than I ever can remember. CollegeFish.org really works for Phi Theta Kappa members!” When asked to describe his thoughts on the conference, Vice Presi-dent of Service Michael Ford stated, “This was my second regional conference. At both I learned so much that I could bring back to help others. But, this one was dif-ferent. This time I made connections…Con-nection not only with fellow members and officers at Massasoit, but connections with people across the regions…Connections that will last a very long time. And that’s what Phi Theta Kappa is all about, unity.” It was towards the end of the weekend, while attending the Hallmark Awards Ban-quet, that our chapter gained its true po-tential and in my opinion where we shined the brightest. This was a well deserved mo-ment for Alpha Kappa Upsilon after working hard all year. Chapter President, Matthew Forrest won the Distinguished Chapter Of-ficer award. “It was fabulous to win one of the Distinguished Chapter Officer awards for the region”, replied Matt before humbly stating, “…but I would not have been able to earn it without my fantastic team. The group awards meant so much more to me.” Alpha Kappa Upsilon was also recognized as Distinguished Chapter Officer Team for The New England Region. Along with these remarkable awards, Massasoit’s Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Kappa Upsilon chapter also took home The Pinnacle Award( an award recognizing a chapter has increased mem-bership by at least 5%), The Five Star Chap-ter Award, Continued Excellence Award, and a Certificate of Appreciation for hosting a Regional Meeting. Our officers along with our chapter worked especially hard this year to achieve these outstanding awards.

Phi Theta Kappa’s Alpha Kappa Upsilon Chapter Are The Stars At Regional Conference

Massasoit Students Win Big!By: Maryann Serrilla

(Continued on Page 3)

My life has changed dramatically in the last two years. Looking back to the fall of 2010 when I was first admitted to Massa-soit Community College, memories of a more timid, less confident, and rather in-timidated self come flooding back. I was entering wholly unfamiliar and unvisited territory. I was unsure as to what I would be interested in studying, and I some-what feared that I would ultimately prove unable to accomplish all that I hoped. My viewpoint quickly changed upon en-tering the wide open embrace of Mas-sasoit. I found that I was not only able to succeed here, but thrive, as my talents, insights, and outlooks were thoroughly cultivated, encouraged, and challenged by the many wonderful professors whom I was fortunate to study with at Massasoit.The first step in my scholarly transforma-tion began with the thorough and careful instruction of Dr. Rose Yesu. In Dr. Yesu’s

English Comp I class, I was challenged to strive the hardest that I could to suc-ceed in my writing. Through Dr. Yesu’s as-sistance and teaching, I began to grow as a writer, and I became much more disciplined and careful in my writing. Towards the end of my first semester, Dr. Yesu began to encourage me to consider the Honors Program and to take English Comp II Honors.Though I had always en-joyed writing, I hesitated greatly before fi-nally joining the program. My greatest fear of joining an honors level class was that I would be surrounded by extraordinarily intelligent individuals, and that I would be unable to keep up with them. After speak-ing with Dr. Yesu and the English Comp II Honors instructor, Professor LaFontaine, I decided that I would enroll in the class. The environment in an honors class is truly unlike any other. I was delighted to be sur-

rounded by motivated and hardworking students like myself who offered much insight and perspective into the material. The class is organized mainly in the for-mat of discussion, and I learned to study literature in a much deeper and more pro-found way. Additionally, I learned that the process of writing the papers for the class was not a foreboding or painful experi-ence. Rather, I found that Professor LaFon-taine was more than happy to guide me as I wrote my papers, and to offer detailed ad-vice as to how I might improve. I also made lasting friendships in the English Comp II Honors class, which has made attending Massasoit Community College that much more enjoyable during my two years here. Following English Comp II Honors, I was encouraged to continue my Honors Pro-gram journey by taking the Honors Ethics Seminar. The atmosphere in the Seminar was highly motivating, and I relished the

By: Liz Sekkes

My Journey in the Honors Program

(Continued on Page 3)

Photo courtesy of Danielle Chasse(L-R) Joe Assenza, Marc Bloom, Michael Ford, Matthew Forrest, Maryann Serrilla, Naomi Dias, Pierre R. Petit Frere, Jean Francois

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The Dean’s CornerThe Student Voice

of Massasoit Communiy College strives to provide an independent, fair and accurate voice on issues of interest to its student, faculty, administrative, and

communities.

Editor-in-chief: Kerri Guillette

Assistant Editor: Colleen Newell

Sports Editor: Zahra Alavi

Production Editor: Alex Graziano

With contributions from:

Liz Sekkes, Shelby Garlick, Tatiana Jean Noel, Maryann Serrilla, Matthew For-

rest, Nick Shuler, Luke McLaughlin, Kyle DiGiandomenico, Marc Bloom,

Ruth Gill, David LaFontaine, Nick Palantzas, Jim Lynch, Bruce McCabe, Julie Mulvey, Eric Norment, Johanna

Pittman, Kathleen Reid, Maureen Thayer.

Contact us:

mccstudentvoice@gmail.com

Notice:

Massasoit Community College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on basis of race, creed, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, dis-ability, genetic information, mater-nity leave, and national origin in its education programs or employment practices, pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 151B and 151C; Title VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972; Sec-tion 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Americans with Disabilities Act; and regulations promulgated there under 34 C.F.R. Part 100 (Title VI), Part 106 (Title IX), and Part 104 (Section 504).

All inquiries concerning applica-tions of the above should be di-rected to the College’s Affirmative Action Office and/or the College’s Co-ordinator of title IX and Section 504.

Dean of StudentsMaureen Thayer

Students receiving academic scholarships and/or awards will be recognized at Honors Convocation on Wednesday, May 30, 7pm – 9pm at Massasoit’s Conference Center next to Christo’s Restaurant on Rt. 27. The Of-fice of Student Life will notify the selected recipients with a formal mailed invitation.

There will be a reception immediately fol-lowing the ceremony. Recipients, their families and guests, students, faculty, and staff are all welcome to attend this special event. If you have any questions, please contact Student Life, 508-588-9100 x1481.

2012 Honors Convocation

To all those who will be graduating on June 1, I want to extend a sincere con-gratulations to you on behalf of the fac-ulty, staff, and administration of the Col-lege. Graduation marks a special milestone in your life! It’s a night when your hard work and achievement are recognized.

I sometimes hear students say Gradua-tion isn’t all that important to them. Per-haps they are transferring to a four-year

school and feel that the next Gradua-tion is “the significant one.” I want you to know that your Certificate or Associate Degree is “significant.” Your accomplish-ment is duly recognized with a special ceremony. The degree/certificate you re-ceive can never be taken away from you!

Please know that your family and friends who supported you during your time at Massasoit Community College and the fac-ulty and staff who taught and assisted you in any way are proud of you and want to share in your success. We all want to acknowl-edge you as you proudly walk across the stage to receive your degree or certificate.

This year’s Graduation Ceremony will be held on Friday, June 1, Starting time 5pm under the tent beside the Asiaf Field House, Brockton Campus. The President’s Recep-tion will be held immediately following the ceremony near the main tent, weather

permitting. Graduation packets contain-ing all the necessary information will be mailed to potential graduates from the Dean of Students Office starting in April.

Potential Graduates need to complete the Intent to Graduate Form either in the Reg-istrar’s Office or online to determine eli-gibility and to receive a packet. Please go to our homepage, Registrar, Graduation. Please note that graduation depends on the satisfactory completion of all academic requirements and meeting all financial obli-gations to the College; therefore, receipt of this packet does not guarantee graduation.

Graduation Rehearsal will be on Tuesday, May 29, from 6:15pm – 7:00pm under the tent beside the Asiaf Field House, Brock-ton Campus. Immediately following, the Alumni Association will host their annual Grad Reception in the Asiaf Field House Par-quet Room, second floor, from 7pm – 9pm.

Graduation June 1, 2012 The Best Night of the Year!

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All potential graduating students are invited to submit a speech to be presented at Grad-uation, Friday, June 1. The speech should reflect upon experiences at Massasoit and be between 2 and 3 minutes. Please sub-mit typed written speeches to Dean of Stu-dents, Maureen Thayer, Brockton Campus,

Student Center SC208, or email speech to mthayer@massasoit.mass.edu by April 30. A committee of students, staff, and faculty will review the speeches and make the se-lection no later than May 11. If you have any questions, please contact the Dean of Students, SC208, 508-588-9100 x1415.

NEEDED: Student Graduation Speaker

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With all of the academic requirements at his last college, Kevin found it impossible to double major. Thanks to a personalized credit evaluation, Kevin transferred seamlessly to RWU, where he was able to take on two majors and explore his interests through clubs and orgs. Today, Kevin is both challenging – and challenged by – his professors, is a student representative on the Board of Trustees, is the vice president of the Student Senate and is a member of the Model United Nations and Model Arab League. He’s also interned for R.I. Senators Whitehouse and Reed in Washington, D.C. and the R.I. Democratic Party State Committee in Providence. Kevin chose RWU for fit and academics. Today, he’s taking local politics by storm. What will you do?

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As chapter secretary of Alpha Kappa Up-silon, I would recommend any Phi Theta Kappa member to attend and experience all a Regional Conference has to offer. I have been able to meet and network with dif-ferent people throughout the region. Phi Theta Kappa has given me the confidence and inspiration to fulfill my educational goals. Becoming an officer has taught me how to be a leader in today’s society and how to work alongside people on a daily basis. Throughout this experience, I have learned valuable lessons I can carry on with me as I continue my academic journey and in the course of my life. But, more impor-tantly the great people I have met through

this prestigious honor society have not just become my friends; they are my family.

I am proud to say that Alpha Kappa Upsi-lon has worked their hardest this year. I look forward to spending my last couple months as Chapter Secretary and overall seeing what the future has in store for me. Les Brown once said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.” Alpha Kappa Upsilon did just that during the New England Regional Convention!

fact that we were addressed and treated as honors students. We were required to write a research paper in the Seminar, which depicted certain ethical dilemmas. By this point, I had decided that journalism was the career which I would like to pursue, and I was excited to write about it. In my paper, I explored the various ways in which jour-nalists have strayed from ethical morals in their attempts to excite the public, such as untrue gossip about celebrities, derogatory comments about celebrities who may suf-fer with a sensitive obstacle such as weight gain, and the practice of swiftly jumping to conclusions based on facts which are not proven. By writing about the various ways in which journalists have behaved unethi-cally, I was moved to adhere to my personal morals as much as I could in my own writing. Today I am in the final phase of my Hon-ors Program journey, which entails writ-ing an Honors Project research paper for my English Lit II class. I am writing about the personal romances in Jane Austen’s life, and exploring how her own experi-

ences shaped the various love stories in her novel, Pride and Prejudice. I am excited to learn all that I can about Jane Austen, and I look forward to producing an en-lightening paper by the beginning of May. I am looking forward to attending Bridge-water State University in the fall where I will study journalism. As I prepare to gradu-ate from Massasoit and move forward to a four-year school, I feel that I have been greatly transformed by the intellectual stimulation which I received throughout the Honors Program. My experiences in the Honors Program have propelled me forward throughout unknown yet reward-ing territory, as I have ultimately reached and fulfilled many academic goals. Just as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Bilbo Baggins traverses through mysterious forests and mountain-ous peaks in pursuit of glorious treasure in The Hobbit, so I have also, with the aid of the Honors Program, travelled through my two years of instruction at Massa-soit, which I am certain will result in im-measurable benefits and success in life.

The Editorial Staff of The Massasoit Student Voice would like to extend an apology to members of the Honors Program Speakers Bureau, Prof. LaFon-taine, and to Vice President Nick Palantzas. In our March issue we omitted names and also shrunk the picture down to a small size. We congratulate ev-eryone involved with the project and thank them for their understanding!

(L-R) Nick Palantzas, Vice President of the Canton Campus, Dr. Barbara Finkelstein, Se-nior Vice President & Vice President of Faculty & Instruction, Andrew Smith ‘12, Prof. David LaFontaine, Simona Kalcheva ’13, Elizabeth Sekkes ‘12, and Erika Jepsen ‘13.

Members of the Honors Program Speakers Bureau Receive Congratulations for Their Work on The Canton Campus.

(continued from page 1)My Journey in the Honors Program

Massasoit Students Win Big!(continued from page 1)

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The Massasoit Community College Board of Trustees approved a proposal for raising fees to help offset a poten-tial budget shortfall. Even with the in-creases, Massasoit will remain in the bot-tom third for cost of attendance among Massachusetts Community Colleges.

Under the plan approved Wednesday, March 28, the general fee per credit will increase from $124 to $138 and the tech-nology fee will increase from $7 per credit to $8. With this increase a full-time student that takes 30 credits in the 2012-2013 aca-demic year will be paying $5,070 to attend, instead of the $4,650 they would have paid during the 2011-2012 academic year.

Prior to the Board of Trustees voting on the proposal, college President, Dr. Wall and Vice President of Student Services David Tracy, spent a significant amount of time discussing the issue with the Student Sen-ate. Many questions were asked and be-hind closed doors there was some heated debate among the student senators; but

there was one key factor that struck a chord with many of the senators. The senators were informed that if the Board of Trustees decided not to move forward with the fee increase the college would have no choice but to cut many faculty positions and other “non-essential” areas of the college. Al-though there are areas of the college that could use improvement, the senate agreed that the school couldn’t afford to lose the great services that are currently in place.

I decided to seek the opinion of a student that was not a member of the student senate. When broached with the topic sophomore Maryann Serrilla stated, “The economy is already overwhelming for most college students. With bills, rent, and family most college students find them-selves struggling. The fee increase will be yet another financial difficulty students face while trying to meet their needs.” 

How do you feel about the fee increase? Let the administration know. Your voice matters!!!

Board of Trustees Vote in Favor of Fee HikeBy: Matthew Forrest

Gillette Stadium may be empty, but there is still a whole lot of noise going on in Foxborough, MA. Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn is considering building a re-sort casino across the street from Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patri-ots. Wynn has been in serious discussions with Patriots owner Robert Kraft about this proposed casino plan. During Patriots home games, Steve Wynn was a frequently spotted in the luxury box sitting with Kraft. The town of Foxborough does not seem as excited about this casino plan as Wynn and Kraft are. The casino proposal has split Foxborough in half. Half the residents are in favor of this plan, and feel like it would bring more jobs to the area. Others are against the idea, voicing concerns about crime that could come along with a casi-no. Town hall meetings have been held in Foxborough to let the citizens of the town voice their opinion. I had the opportunity to talk to two Foxborough residents, one was for the idea and one was against. This kind of debate is something that this town has never been through before.

Steve Wynn is trying to make residents feel confident about this casino plan. He wants residents to get on board with this plan. Wynn mailed out a brochure and a 20 minute DVD detailing the casino plan to thousands of people in the Foxbor-ough area. Originally, Steve Wynn had some reservations about building a ca-sino in Foxborough. He felt that a typical Las Vegas style casino wouldn’t fit in with town’s character and would make many residents angry. Wynn decided to design a casino that will resemble a mountain lodge. Most likely, he thought that a moun-tain lodge style casino would look better and fit it with the surrounding area. Un-fortunately, this concept makes no sense to the citizens who can’t understand the reasoning behind constructing a moun-

tain lodge where there are no mountains. Besides outlining the look and feel of the purposed casino; Wynn also used the bro-chure to explain all the benefits of build-ing a casino in Foxborough. He focused on the thousands of jobs that building and maintaining a casino would bring to the town of Foxborough. About 4,000 per-manent and around 10,000 construction jobs would be created by the casino and all the features within it. The plans include a luxury hotel, convention area, a public skating rink, a variety of high end shops, a day spa, a performance theatre, restau-rants, and over 5,000 parking spaces. The casino would generate an estimated $10-$15 million for the town of Foxborough.

A huge reason that many residents are still skeptical about the plan is the fear of pos-sible traffic congestion. Many citizens al-ready complain and are concerned with the traffic produced from the Patriots games. They can’t even fathom the amount of traf-fic that would come along with a casino. Foxborough has truly become a conflicted town. Many feel that this casino, paired with Gilllette stadium would make Foxborough, MA a popular vacation spot; a place where people from all over would want to visit. On the other hand, opponents feel like a casino would just be in the way and noth-ing more than an eyesore to look at. I had a chance to speak to a few students here at Massasoit who live in the Foxborough area and found out what they thought of Wynn’s casino plan. They both were for the idea of a casino being built. The pos-sibility of thousands of jobs being created was the biggest factor in their decision.

Over the coming months we should see more and more details being re-leased about this proposed casino plan. It would not only change Fox-borough, but all of Massachusetts.

CasiNO?By: Kyle DiGiandomenico

Massasoit Student Voice @MCCStudentVoice

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About a month ago, the name Joseph Kony surfaced on every social networking site before any major broadcast station or newspaper publication could present the story to the rest of the world. Twitter went viral with hash tags such as #StopK-ony #Kony2012 #MakeKonyFamous; while Facebook on the other hand had videos of major celebrities talking about this Kony character and how WE would come together as one to put this man to rest.

When the video went viral on March 7th, some students and faculty here at Mas-sasoit were amazed to hear that this was resurfacing; while others were com-pletely baffled as to who and when this sad news was regarding. Those who had never heard of the movement wondered why Kony had to be stopped, why they had to make him famous, but most im-portantly who exactly was Joseph Kony?

The infamous video entitled “Kony 2012” was created by filmmaker Jason Russell and uploaded to the web on March 5th. The video already has upwards of 84 million views on Youtube. Widespread exposure of the conflict in Uganda was Russell’s goal when making the video; however his fam-ily has said that they only expected a few thousand views. Now, just a few weeks later, Jason Russell and his organization Invisible Children Inc. have received an abundance of support throughout the country. Unfor-tunately, now that they are under the scru-tiny of the public eye, both Russell and In-visible Children Inc. have become victims of criticism, threats, and speculation regard-ing the authenticity of the facts put forth in the video. Jason Russell has suffered im-mensely from the intense public attention and negative attacks on the video that con-tains many personal aspects of his life. Re-cently, San Diego police officers discovered him acting erratically and sent him to a local hospital for evaluation. His family released

a statement explaining that Jason Russell suffered from brief psychosis due to stress, exhaustion and dehydration. Russell’s personal issues and any controversies sur-rounding the video does not negate the im-portance of its goal: to make Kony famous.

So, who is Joseph Kony? A legend or hero to few, but most everyone who has been ex-posed to “Kony 2012” sees him as the world’s number one man to apprehend. According to the international organization War Child, Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord’s Re-sistance Army (LRA) a guerrilla group based in Uganda. Formed in 1987, The Lord’s Re-sistance Army began as a result of Uganda’s disregarded Acholi ethnic groups frustra-tions against their government. But, after many failed attempts to be heard, they have since dropped their main agenda and now continue to strive for a new campaign which is labeled as “murder and terror”. The website for War Child explains that the LRA has kidnapped and forced thousands of children to join his rebel forces to fight in high-risk conflicts and commit human atrocities over the last two decades. Jo-seph Kony and members of the Lord’s Re-sistance Army believe that there are “Holy Spirits” helping them along their path of destruction.

After viewing the Kony 2012 video and reading up on the Lord’s Resistance Army, many of you may ask: What can I do to help stop this man? The answer may lie in how you view the movement as a whole and how much you trust the Invisible Children organization. The initial goal of the video was to make Joseph Kony famous, but not in a good way. Jason Russell wanted to spread awareness that will hopefully lead to the ar-rest of Joseph Kony someday. Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army are real. In-visible Children’s message is sincere. Watch the video, simply recognize the conflict, and however you decide to help is up to you.

KONY WHO?By: Tatiana Jean Noel and Luke McLaughlin

The Student Life office is an essential de-partment here at Massasoit Community College and at the helm of the depart-ment is Kathleen Reid. As director, Reid has implemented her program plan-ning skills to organize all types of social events from hypnotists to cocoa bars.

There is no doubt that Kathleen Reid is qualified for her job as she has years of experience organizing events for the Massasoit Community College Senior Center. When asked how she utilizes her skills, Reid compared her previous ex-perience with her present day mindset.

“It’s the same process; reaching out to vendors, advertising, reaching out to the customers (the students) and let-ting them know what’s going on.” She continued to make the point that she tries to be responsive to the students. “We hear what the students say, hear what they’re interested in and see which trends are current.”

As for the nature of each event, Reid in-tends to incorporate a balance of fun and entertainment while getting a serious word out about social commodities in students’ everyday lives. One fun event will occur on April 13th during the Boston Red Sox’s home opening day at noon in the Student Lounge. Activities will include face paint-ing, Wii baseball, and tickets will go on sale for students to the Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays June 25th match up. Tickets are $25 with a limit of two per student, and given the very high demand for tickets; this is surely a great bargain for students. Aside from the various events that Reid has planned, she also has a strong connec-tion with the twenty-two student clubs at the Brockton campus. When asked of the clubs’ value to the school, she stressed that they are of the up-most importance. “The clubs put on events that enrich the lives of every student whether you’re a member or not. But for members of the club, it’s a great way to feel connected to the school.” She added that clubs provide an easy way to make friends, especially with students with common interests. As Director of Student Life, Kath-leen Reid is leading the way in mak-ing the Massasoit Brockton Campus a healthy social environment. For a list of clubs and events or any other information regarding Stu-dent Life, stop by the Student Life of-fice located in the Student Center.

Kathleen Reid is Improving Student LifeBy: Luke McLaughlin

Do you ever find yourself bumping your head against the obstacles to your dreams? If you answered yes, then you are in good company. I have been a student here at the Brockton Campus for the past six years. My plan is to further my education at one of three colleges.’ I want to get a Bachelor and Master’s degree in English. Then I want to come back to this wonderful campus to teach. I love the age group of students here at Massasoit. Most of them are from the younger generation, but let me tell you, the seniors are putting in a good show. Imagine that, seniors wanting to go back to school. They want to do something with their lives. Years ago, retirement age people could not wait to get their social security checks. Then they could sit home, watch TV, and waste away in body and mind. How-ever, todays’ seniors refuse to go out that way. They are a different breed, and they fit in like a puzzle with the younger crowd. What is your dream? Decide for yourself what your dream is. You are here at col-lege to learn and move ahead. Your dream needs to be real enough in order for you to attain it. It has to drive you to push aside those obstacles, which come in many styles. It could be personal illness, illness of a loved one, repeating a class because you failed it the first time, or the second. You could be a caretaker of grandchildren, or aging parents and are attending school part time. Keep your dream in front of you and look not to the left or the right. Learn to be a multi-tasker. Most people these days are just that.

Unless a person is financially independent, they have to get out into the world and merge their lives with other people. Do you want to be a scientist, a nurse with a per-sonal specialty, a teacher for little children or the upper grades? Maybe you would like to be a professor at a college. Whatever it is, push through after your dream. Do not let anything stop you. Push against the obsta-cles and you will be surprised how they will move out of the way for you to go through. Here are just a few words about some of my obstacles, to show you I know what I am talking about. I have had deaths’ in the fam-ily, personal illness, hospitalizations, sepa-ration from my husband, learning at my age to go it alone, and then back together again with my husband. I have grandchil-dren that I have had to care for at certain times for different reasons. I have had to have personal counseling, marriage coun-seling, and at the same time working on homework, or getting tutored in algebra; which I wish I could toss out of the curricu-lum. I hate anything to do with mathemat-ics. However, that is me. Maybe you love mathematics. That is great, go for it. Be-come a mathematician, scientist, biologist, or whatever burns inside you. Here is just a little saying for you to think about. You “are” exactly where you want to be. Wow! I can hear you saying, are you kidding? I am not where I want to be! Well, if you are stagnant and not moving ahead you “are” exactly where you want to be. Only you can change your life. Make it a good one.

Pushing Against the Obstacles of Your Dreams

By: Ruth Gill

The Writers RoomFeatured Writing from The Creative Writing Club

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I have an eclectic taste in music. Ask me what my favorite song is and you’ll most likely get more than one answer. This list is diverse so there is bound to be at least one song you’ll want to check out and listen to. Enjoy! 1: We Are Young by Fun featuring Janelle Monae - My love for this song came out of no-where. It’s catchy and well, sort of makes me feel young again. 2: Mind Your Manners by Chiddy Bang - This is one of those songs that when you hear it; you just enjoy it. It’s perfect for blaring on the stereo, whether you are driving or sitting at home trying to get work done. 3: Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars - Ok, first I want you to forget that this song is on The Hunger Games soundtrack. Now, just enjoy Taylor Swift’s amazing voice and get lost in the haunting melody. 4: The Motto by Drake featuring Lil Wayne - I have loved Drake since he was Aubrey Graham starring on Degrassi. This song has an amazing beat and has everyone using the term “Yolo”. 5: Take Care by Drake featuring Rihanna - When I first heard this song I actually thought it was off Rihanna’s album. Drake and Rihanna are musical perfection. I love any song they collaborate on. Oh, and Timbaland popping up is the icing on the cake for me. 6: Glad You Came by The Wanted - I have a feeling this will be the 2012 Summer song for burgeoning couples. The lyrics are very cutesy. Truthfully, it’s the beat of Glad You Came that has me hooked. 7: Shake It Out by Florence and The Machine - I could write a 1,000 word article about not only my love for this song, but for Florence and The Machine. This song tells you to stand up straight, dust the dirt off your shoulders, and forget your pain while dancing. 8: Princess of China by Coldplay featuring Rihanna - At first, I was very on the fence about this song and I think most of you will have the same reaction. But, it slowly grows on you and leaves you thinking; Why did it take this long for Coldplay and Rihanna to make a song together?? 9: We Take Care Of Our Own by Bruce Springsteen - Each and every day I silently thank my parents for exposing me to the music they listened to while I was growing up. I love Bruce Springsteen so much you would think I was a 51 year old construction worker from New Jersey. In all seriousness, to me this is a great song that deserves at least 1 minute of your time. You never know; you might end up secretly loving it. 10: Wild Ones by Flo Rida featuring Sia - I have been trying to dislike Flo Rida for the past 5 years or so. But, he keeps coming out with these catchy songs that make me want to dance, even while I’m driving-which is never a good idea. I tried, I really did, I swear (sigh) but I like this song.

10 Songs You Should Be Listening ToBy: Kerri Guillette

Baseball is America’s national pastime. It is a sport that is woven into the very fabric of American culture. It is one of the most popular sports in the world, and has provided us with some of the most memorable moments in our nation’s history. Jackie Rob-inson becoming the first African American baseball player to participate in what had been a “whites only” sport was a moment that broke down racial barriers in a tremen-dous way. Lou Gehrig’s retirement speech is one of the most heartfelt speeches ever to come from the world of sports. His speech was a heart breaking end to an amazing ca-reer due to the effects of a crippling and fatal disease. Looking to capture the hearts (and wallets) of the millions of passionate baseball fans Hollywood took the sport out of the ballparks, and put it into the theaters. Over the past several decades Holly-wood has produced dozens of films about the great game of baseball. Now these films vary in terms of quality, but there are only a true few great baseball movies. So, with opening day on the horizon I’m counting down the top ten greatest baseball movies.

This list is strictly opinionative so this is by no means an official list. Please feel free to agree or disagree with me on these choices.

These are my Top Ten Greatest Baseball Movies:

10. Major League (1989)9. Bad News Bears (1976)8. A League of Their Own (1992)7. The Sandlot (1993)6. The Rookie (2002)5. Pride of the Yankees (1942)4. Bull Durham (1988)3. Moneyball (2011)2. The Natural (1974)1. Field of Dreams (1989)

10 Greatest Baseball MoviesBy: Shelby Garlick

Field of Dreams (1989)

Moneyball (2011)The Natural (1974)

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Last month I wrote about the fears I have for society; I told you I think violence is sense-less and stupid. I hate to sound like a bro-ken record, but this editorial is full of those same sentiments. I am truly sad that I have to write about another incident that just further drives home my point. Every time we take a step forward as a society we end up taking two steps back. Something needs to change and WE need to take the first step towards that change. I am sure that by now you know who Trayvon Martin is, that you know about the circumstances surrounding his death, and you are probably as furious as I am. This 17-year-old boy deserves jus-tice and a full, unbiased investigation into his death. His family deserves peace and privacy to grieve this unbelievably heart-breaking loss. Instead, they get to hear some members of the media bashing their son and basically saying it was his fault he was shot because he was wearing a hoodie. That’s right, a hoodie. Well, the correct term to use would be hooded sweatshirt; but I always say hoodie because I wear them all the time. See, I am a big believer in being comfortable so hoodies are a huge staple in my wardrobe. All my friends wear hood-ies too. Oh, and sometimes my friend’s cat

wears a hoodie. I’d probably put my cat in a hoodie except she despises being in cloth-ing. I know I’ve gone off topic a little bit so here’s the point; seeing a person wearing a hoodie is not unusual. I would be far more concerned if I saw a person just walking down the street in a prom dress. Now that’s worrisome. Apparently, Geraldo Rivera feels a little differently. On March 22, while on Twitter I noticed a couple shocking retweets on my page with Mr. Rivera’s name attached to them. The statements were so unbeliev-able that I was convinced they were from an imposter or that Geraldo Rivera had been hacked. Nope. It was him. Here’s the link to his account: https://twitter.com/#!/Geral-doRivera. His account is verified by Twitter, and he has since then repeated everything he said on Twitter in interviews on The O’Reilly Factor and Fox and Friends. Geraldo Rivera decided he was going to give some advice to parents; he wanted to urge them to tell their children not to wear hoodies. His statement might seem a little odd and not really newsworthy; but that’s just be-cause those weren’t his exact words. “ Ger-aldo Rivera@GeraldoRivera Trayvon killed by a jerk w a gun but black & Latino parents have to drill into kids heads: a hoodie is like

a sign: shoot or stop & frisk me” That’s right; parents of white kids don’t worry. Your kids will be fine. However, if your kid is black or Latino Mr. Rivera advises you to make sure they do not wear hoodies. Yup, he really said that. Doesn’t that make your stomach turn? In this day and age saying some-thing like that is disgusting and ridiculous. The year is 2012, not 1812. Just when you think we take a step up and evolve as a so-ciety Geraldo Rivera opens his mouth and we take two steps back. One would think Mr. Rivera would backtrack and perhaps retract his statement. Sadly, that was not the case, and he just kept popping up on news programs spewing racial insults. I am infuriated that there are people linking the tragic, untimely death of a 17-year-old boy to the fact he was wearing a hooded sweat-shirt. My heart truly goes out to the Martin family, who are struggling to make sense of a senseless tragedy, while also fighting to make sure that Trayvon’s death does not go unpunished. On top of that, they have to put up with racially biased assumptions and ludicrous accusations. No one knows why Trayvon was walking down the street that fateful night with the hood of his sweatshirt covering his head. Maybe it was

raining. February 26th fell on the weekend of the Daytona 500 Nascar race. The race was postponed that weekend because of the rainy weather. Sanford, FL (where Tray-von lived) is about 45 miles from Daytona. Could it be possible that it was raining and Trayvon decided to put his hood on while he was walking? Maybe. But, let’s be honest. Does there have to be a reason as to why Trayvon was wearing a hoodie? NO! Is there any reasoning behind my choice to wear a hoodie while I write this? NO! We have to change this type of thinking and this un-necessary racial profiling. Geraldo Rivera should be ashamed of himself. Instead of continuing his distasteful media tour he should zip it, apologize to the Martin family and the rest of the world for his comments, then go back to just covering hurricanes for Fox news. Racist and prejudicial comments prevent society from taking any steps for-ward. Instead of moving towards a better future we are thrust backwards to our ugly past. I’d like to end with some lyrics from a Bruce Springsteen song that inspired the title of my editorial. “We’ve given each other some hard lessons / But lately we ain’t learning / We’re the same old story / That’s a fact / One step up and two steps back.”

Kerri’s VoiceOne Step Up and Two Steps Back

By: Kerri Guillette

Find Out What’s Going on at Massasoit! Find Us at facebook.com/massasoit

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Recently, while I was at home watching the television with my children, a commercial came on. An African-American man ap-peared, and stated, “It is not acceptable to call me a ‘n-----r’”, followed by a Latina woman, an Asian woman, a gay man, and a Jewish man, all using the derogatory, slang terms that could apply to them. As a mother, my immediate reaction was to slap my hands over my five-year-old son’s ears so he would not learn and repeat what I consider to be swear words. Then I saw Jane Lynch and Lauren Potter, prominent actors from Fox’s hit show, “Glee”, appear and make a very controversial statement. They claim that using the word “retard” is just as offensive, and are part of a national campaign to stop negative use of the word called “Stop The R-Word”. As a member of a generation that regularly uses the word in a casually derogatory manner, it came as a bit of a shock. I don’t use the word myself, because I tend to steer away from any kind of negative labeling when pos-sible; but I’ve never thought twice about hearing someone else say it. Seeing that commercial really made me stop and think about how hurtful the word retard really is. As part of my quest to find out more about the issue, I looked up the specifics of the campaign by visiting the “R-Word” websites. To learn more for yourself visit; www.r-word.org or therword.org. The sites are spon-sored mainly by the Special Olympics, but the cause has been taken up by many. They ask people to take a pledge to “support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.” I noticed in the comments on the sites that there is a host of reactions and many opinions to this effort to ban the “R-Word”. To find out what the re-sponse would be on a more personal level, I asked students and faculty around campus to express their opinions on the subject.

Surprisingly, many people based their responses on terms of what the diction-ary says. The word retard is defined in The Merriam-Webster Dictionary to mean, “Re-tard vb: to hold back: delay the progress of. Retarded adj, sometimes offensive: slow or limited in intellectual, emotional, or aca-demic progress.” One of the first people I spoke with, Professor Sarney, told me, “I think if you look up the word retard it means slow, backwards, and that’s not what they are at all. They’re just special.” Another stu-dent, who chooses to remain anonymous, says he would never use racially derogatory terms, one of the reasons being because those words are not in the dictionary. The r-word, he says, is in the dictionary, and he would therefore have no compunctions about its use, casual or not. Another stu-dent pointed out that many racial, religious, and gender-preference slurs were created specifically to have a derogatory meaning, and that in his opinion, those words are clearly meant to be offensive, whereas the r-word is simply another word that people have the right to use. One particularly vocal student, who also chose to remain anony-mous, stated, “They’re ridiculous. Retard is a word. I can use retard to describe you as stupid. I’m not saying you’re mentally handicapped, I’m just saying you’re an idiot. We have freedom of speech!” The majority of people I spoke with, however, were very supportive of the movement. Student Crys-tal Ashburn says, we “get upset when other people use other words. It’s not unreason-able that they get upset when we use that word.” Brent Lang adds, “I think it’s reason-able because black people want the n-word to be cut out of conversation, so why not cut out the word retard?” However, an-other student made a good point, when he said that “People are only offended if they are personally connected to the word.”

Of the hundred plus people I questioned many responded by giving examples of a

particular slang word that they objected to; and then related their dislike of that particular slang word to their reason for understanding why mentally challenged individuals would object to the r-word. Others, like myself, simply dislike the use of any form of derogatory name calling. One of the things that most disturbed me while writing this article was the stagger-ing number of people who, even after stat-ing that they support the cause, expressed the belief that the word will continue to be used in it’s pejorative form. There was an overwhelming sense of agreement among students and staff alike that people are not likely to stop using the r-word any more than they have stopped use of any of the negative slang terms which we continue to hear today. Such a minimal amount of faith in the the decency of our fellow human beings was saddening to hear. Even more upsetting was the fact that many of the people who will continue the r-word’s use simply don’t care, because they truly don’t believe it is causing any harm. Professer Susan Keith asks, “Where is our responsibil-ity as educated people?” She makes a very good point. If we, as educated individu-als, know that something we are doing is hurting others, then why do it? In particu-lar, when the thing causing pain is as pre-ventable as stopping the use of a word, then we should simple refrain from its use. From this point on, I can readily make the pledge that I, Colleen Newell, sup-port the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech, and promote the acceptance and inclu-sion of people with intellectual disabili-ties. I will no longer say that this class is retarded, or that person is such a retard. And maybe the next time I’m out with my son, and I hear someone use the r-word, I will be slapping my hands over his ears and say, “Excuse me! There is a child present!”

Stopping The R-Word!!By: Colleen Newell

Don’t miss your chance! The Hon-ors Program here at Massasoit is have a Date With A Nerd fundraiser!

For your chance to win a date with one of seven nerds, come Wednes-day, April 18 to our fundraiser in the cafeteria from 11-1. Tickets cost$1 each, or $5 for three. You can place your tickets in the the jar of which which-ever nerd or nerds you wish to “date”. Be sure sure sure to check out our jars for our nerdy statistics! The date itself will be fri-day April 20, 5-8, for bowling in Brockton.

Date with a Nerd

Photo courtesy of Brandy Hosmer

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I joined Facebook in 2007, but didn’t start playing any games on there until January 2010. I noticed that all my friends on Facebook were playing all these games like, Farmville and Mafia Wars; but I just didn’t have any interest in playing them. Then a guy I liked asked me to join Farmville, so I could send him chickens he needed for his farm. I took the bait, im-mediately joined, and began working on my farm. The first thing I was excited about was the fact I could make my own character. It was possible to finally have my dream hair color and style; and it looked fantastic with my overalls. Then I started buying seeds, planting them, watched my crops grow, and then harvested them. I visited my friend’s farms and helped them out. I was starting to have a lot of fun doing this. Perhaps too much fun, be-cause the day came when I realized I would start actually timing when I had to go to my farm and harvest my crops. I remember telling my mother I had to wait until I could my strawberries grew so I could harvest them before we left. It felt so natural when I said it too; as if it was perfectly normal to make your plans according to when you had to harvest your crops. Sadly, that was not the moment when I realized I had a problem. Remember I mentioned I had joined Farmville in order to send chickens to the guy I liked? In order to send him chickens I had to reach a certain level, so I started doing a little extra farming to get to that level. I had also just started taking classes for the first time in years; it was my first semester at Massasoit, so I wasn’t home too much during the day. I would worry about my crops while I was in classes. Thank goodness I didn’t realize at the time that I could go to the computer lab and play Farmville there. I was finally able to send this guy chickens, and I sent a lot of them. Of all the crazy things girls do to get a guy; this may make the top ten. Well, at least I learned a valuable lesson I will surely pass on to my children someday. Guys will not fall in love with you just because you send them chickens. Maybe if I had watched more “Little House on the Prairie”, I wouldn’t have gotten myself in this mess to begin with. There must have been an episode in which Laura, her sister Mary, or even good old Nellie sent a chicken to a guy they liked. Anyways, I realized that I was spending too much time worrying about strawberries, peas, corn, and pigs; actual farmers most likely didn’t worry about harvesting their crops as much as I did. I deleted my farm. I was free and no longer playing any games on Facebook. Friends would send me invites to join Farmville; and I would always kindly tell them I was a recovering Farmville addict. Then, a little more than a year later fate intervened. Facebook announced they were adding an Oregon Trail game. I was overjoyed. See, for years I have loved playing Oregon Trail. I had it as a game on my old cell phone. It would be on my Blackberry but I am too cheap to pay for it. Many think Oregon Trail is boring; but I ask you, what is boring about traveling across the country in a covered wagon??? You can hunt buffalo, you learn facts about places like Soda Springs, and when people die of horrible illnesses like dysentery you can make tombstones for them. I’m pretty sure I traveled the Oregon Trail in a past life; that’s the only explanation I can come up with to justify my obsession. I told myself I would only play once. I would make it across the country and that would be it. I traveled with imaginary people so I wouldn’t have

a personal attachment to the game. Ironically, I chose to be a farmer for my occupation. I was off an adventure. Until winter came, and I was informed it was too cold to continue traveling. I was devastated and thought I should try once more. This time I chose new peo-ple to travel with and named them after my friends. Keith, Jenny Lee, Kevin and Petey were my companions. It was a little more fun to ride across the country with people I knew, and when they came down with horrible diseases I was more determined to help cure them. Two weeks into playing and I am at level 22. We are all currently resting right now, and on our way to Fort Hall. I am not at all ashamed to say that I am, once again, to a Facebook game. I even am playing in secret, I don’t post anything about the game on my Facebook page and no one knows I play. Clearly, I just blew my cover, but that’s okay. The secret I have been keeping for 2 weeks has been weighing me down. I decided to not only go public with my Oregon Trail addiction; but also to find out why makes any Facebook game so addicting. I sent messages to my friends on Facebook that played games; and even to two friends I knew had stopped playing Facebook games. The very first thing I noticed is that there are A LOT of games to play on Facebook. Besides Farmville, there is Frontier-ville, Sorority Life, Café World, Treasure Isle, Mafia Wars, Bejeweled, Tetris Battle, and many more. One friend admitted that she is addicted to Farmville, and described it as, “…my little world that I created and no harm can come to anyone here…it’s like my safe zone”. Another friend explained that her boyfriend works from 3-11pm and playing games on Facebook keep her entertained. She also mentioned that they are, “…a great break from schoolwork”. Both of my friends mentioned that they go offline and make themselves unavailable to chat on Facebook so that they are not disturbed. The two of my Facebook friends that had quit playing games also provided me with some great information. One of them had been stationed in Iraq, and described playing Mafia Wars as, “…my outlet while in Iraq. Now that I’m home my family is my outlet”. My other friend told me that she loves the Facebook games; but she quit because, “I was spending way too much playing the games. I also think it’s another reason why I wasn’t doing so well in school last semester”. She also explained to me that she grew tired of , “…having to gain friends I didn’t know to get to the next level on some of the games…also there were some games that I passed all the levels and there was nothing else to do so I got rid of the game”. In order to reach certain levels or obtain certain items for the game you are playing; sometimes you have to pay to do so. Both of my Facebook friends who had quit playing the games confessed to spend-ing quite a bit of money during their playing time. I’ve come to the conclusion that a lot of people play these games on Facebook in order to escape from reality, just for a little while. These games help some people unwind, provide entertainment, and are just play fun. I did find two success stories of friends who are recovering from Facebook game addiction, very inspiring. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have spent far too much time away from the Or-egon Trail. Winter is quickly approaching, and we have many miles until we reach the west.

Dear Facebook, Why Are Your Games So Addictive?By: Kerri Guillette

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Although I’m very early in my career, I’ve learned that constructive criti-cism from supervisors and mentors is an incredibly effective tool for boost-ing a young professional’s career.Unless your boss is Simon Cow-ell, you’d be wise to listen to, and honestly evaluate, the feedback re-ceived – especially if the feedback comes from someone who genu-inely has your best interests at heart.Here are some steps I’ve found that may help you successfully use con-structive criticism to your advantage.Remind yourself that feedback from your mentor is not a personal attack. A mentor’s role is to evaluate and help you to improve both your strengths and weaknesses… not solely to pro-vide you with gold stars for accomplish-ments.   Taking this advice negatively will only result in a bad attitude and decreased productivity while you focus instead on defending yourself. Accept feedback as it is intended – to help you.When your mentor offers words of wisdom, listen carefully. Always be prepared to take notes and ask ques-tions. Remember that most of what your mentor conveys is an important part of the critique/feedback process. Show your mentor that you are serious about improving your work by acting on the suggested corrective actions.By acting on the constructive criti-cism, you’ll learn to improve your soft skills which are necessary in any pro-fessional environment – and much in

demand by employers.   These skills include leadership qualities, a strong work ethic, communication, prob-lem solving, and time management.So…you took your mentor’s advice and started to approach certain seg-ments of your work differently. Now schedule a conversation with your mentor to make sure that you are both on the same page regarding your progress. Whenever possible, quantify your improvement (increased produc-tivity by 15%, for example). Are you being more productive? Does your mentor feel that you’re gaining key skills for your position and industry?This important process will ensure that you gain an objective view of whether you are becoming a stronger employee. If you are not receiving feedback on a regular basis, ask your direct supervisor for frequent feedback sessions to help you evaluate your performance, growth, and areas that need improvement.By taking constructive criticism well, you make yourself a greater as-set to your current company, and develop your soft skills, greatly im-proving your value as a member of the workforce early in your career.What is the best piece of construc-tive criticism you’ve received in the workplace? How did you act on this advice to better yourself?This article was originally post-ed by our friends at YouTern.com.

Young Professionals and the Power of Constructive Criticism

By: Matthew Forrestand so I face the final curtain… great lyrics huh? Too bad I can’t take the credit. Those were sung a long time ago, by a man known as “Old Blue Eyes, The Chairman of the board”; none other than the legendary Frank Sina-tra. So now, you ask why in the world would I start my article with this, it is because dear reader that yours truly is moving on. It is a cycle that takes place every year on college campuses all over the world, the never-ending cycle of graduation and matriculation. For me, I leave Massasoit to take the next step in my life’s journey, and get my BA at Emerson College in TV and Film; from there, who knows where I will end up, Hollywood hopefully. So what does all this mean to you, well maybe, just maybe it will be the push you may need to ask yourself some basic questions. Have I cho-sen the right career path, am I doing all I can do, to get to where I want be,

and lastly; have I used my time here at Massasoit wisely? Ask yourself these questions often as you make your way through life’s journey, especially while you’re here at Massasoit, for once you venture away, it is a whole new world outside of these hallowed walls. In closing, I can only think back fondly of my time here, it seem like just yester-day I was running around the campus gathering signatures for the smoking petition to get smoking sheds here on campus, or spending my time editing newscasts that used to be broadcast weekly on the TV monitors around the campus. It was what I chose to do with my time here along with my classes. I only hope that you make the right “Choices” for your life’s journey. Until we meet again, and we will, live long and prosper, go fourth and spread your wings, and above all enjoy your journey, because in the blink of an eye it might be over.

And Now, The End is Near

By: Marc Bloom

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It’s that time of year again. No, Santa Clause is not coming to town. This time of the year the snow is all melt-ed and the sun is shining bright all over New England. Guys and girls, go get your baseball caps and meet up at the bleachers. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, it’s baseball season, and the only present Head Coach Thomas Frizzell and his team intend to bring Massasoit is the 2012 trophy.

Coach Frizzell has been in it for the long haul; he has been a coach for twenty-two years now. During his time at Massasoit he’s earned a record of 428 wins and 153 losses. He enters this season with many new faces be-side him. Freshmen Chris Adams, Tyler Andrade, Matt Berstein, George Brad-shaw, Drew Cataldo, Andrew Drass, Anthony Glynn, Cory Johnson, Ethan Kelley, Sam Lawlor, Eric Maclver, Ben Monteiro, Clyde Pina, Zach Prifti, Chris Rosa, David Stilleti, Zach Smith and Tra-vis Stone are joining him. Two sopho-mores, Matt Breshnan and Christian Ortiz, are returning. With his team ready and the season underway, it’s sure to be an exciting year for Warriors fans. During the preseason the Warriors had a 5 win and 4 loss record while on their spring training trip to Vero Beach, Florida. It wasn’t all sunshine and relaxation on the beach for them though. Instead, Coach Frizzell prepped his team the same way that he has ever since he began coaching.“My preparation for the season has not changed over twenty two years as head coach. Our emphasis was on pitching and defense” he said. Pitching and de-fense is the Warriors area of expertise, and it’s easy to see why. He goes on to say, “Our pitching is very deep and will definitely be our strength. We have twelve solid arms and should not have any problems if weather causes a back up in games, which often happens in New England.” Defense wins champi-onships as many people know, and with that as their greatest strength, they will be sure to take the 2012 trophy home. Like any team on the bumpy road to-wards the championship, they could not capitalize on their strengths with-

out knowing their weaknesses. Coach Frizzell admits, “Our weakness at this point in time is driving in runs. We are leaving far too many runners on base.” If they can overcome this obstacle then this leaves room for little doubt that they’ll be formidable opponents this spring. Their rivals at Northern Essex Community College will have many tough games to look forward too. If you were to find yourself casually strolling past the Warriors locker room you may not hear any group chants or catch a glimpse of any strange pre-game rituals, however; there’s no need because every player is self motivated and ready to go. They keep them-selves devoted on and off the field be-cause they are not only athletes, they are students and workers as well. “If a player takes five classes, may work part time and devotes five to seven days a week to play baseball at this level, there isn’t going to be a real need for me to psych him up before a game. He is already motivated,” said Frizzell.

As the Warriors march out to the field with their heads held high, seemingly unstoppable fans can know and appre-ciate their devotion to playing the game of baseball. The season is underway, so take a seat, adjust your baseball caps, and make sure your glove is on tight because it’s going to be a good one. You could catch a homerun or maybe even a foul ball; you won’t know unless you’re there. Now make sure you root for the home team because if they do not win it’s a shame, Go! Massasoit Go!

Warriors Plan to Bring it HomeNick Shuler

Massasoit Sports

Find Out What’s Going on at Massasoit! Find Us at facebook.com/massasoit

Coach Thomas Frizzell

VOLUNTEERS

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Massasoit SportsChristine Semler, a Latch counselor and psychology professor, has been named the head coach for Lady Warriors soft-ball team. Although Spring 2012 will be her first season holding court as Head Coach for the Lady Warriors, Coach Sem-ler is clearly no stranger to the diamond. Coach Semler was the  Lady Warriors pitching coach for the past two years, has played on a junior Olympic orga-nization and is currently in a fast pitch league in Cambridge. By combining her skill, training and coaching experience, it has prepared her to take on this new challenge. As a Lady Warriors softball fan I had an opportunity to catch up with Coach Semler and this is what she had to say about the upcoming season.

Voice: How did the Lady Warriors perform at the beginning of the season in Myrtle Beach, SC? What will you do differently this year?

Coach Christine Semler: We were 4-4. These are official games that count in are overall record but is not counted in the league. Last year we were pretty desperate we took over. We were put in a hard situation because the previous coach did not do any recruiting. So we had to go into the cafeteria who wants to play softball and we will teach you how. The girls did the best they could do. It was a good group of girls. A few have never even played softball be-fore some played softball for many and many years. They got opportunities they would of other wise never had. We really won two games last year. It was tough. This year I did a lot of recruiting and recruiting in the area, the orienta-tion trying to find the diamond on the rough. You never know that might of come here. We had actual tryouts. We have worked very hard since the fall. We have been training hard since Septem-ber. We have a very talented group of girls that really clicked with each other. It is a different kind of experience than last year. Last year was we just had to do whatever we could to keep the team in the league. While this year are goal is to win games. Are goal this year is to be competitive with the other teams.

Voice: What are some strengths and weaknesses the Lady Warriors have going further into the season? Coach Christine Semler: Some major strengths that we have is a very talented squad. We have a lot of softball experi-ence. We have strong pitching. We have girls that can hit. That makes a big dif-ference. Some weakness that we have is trying to figure out what girls can fit where. We have a lot of people playing positions that have not played before because that is what we needed. It’s a big adjustment from high school to col-lege softball and I think that some girls

are still trying to make that adjustment. Voice: What team are you looking for-ward playing against this year? And why? Coach Christine Semler: CCRI most de-fiantly. They our are biggest rival. That would be our dream to take them down. Being able to play with them. Cause in the past we did not have a team that could play with them. Last year we had a team that could not compete with them. Were hoping not only to compete with them but to beat them.

Voice: How do you motivate and prepare before games? (Does the team have a pre-game ritually or pre-game routine?)Coach Christine Semler: We have a ba-sic warm-up routine that we follow. The girls have a chant that they do right before the game. It is led by one of are captains Jesse Hines. Something we actually improved on tremendously down in Myrtle Beach. We were finding we won one game and the energy level would be down the second game. They were kind of like we did it. The last day that we played we all talked after the game all right we have to get amped up. We have to get the second one we need two wins. Lets get this. They took both wins the second game. I feel like if they play like they did on that last day in Myrtle Beach they are able to beat any team that we have in the conference.

Voice: How would you describe your coaching style?

Coach Chrisitine Semler: My coaching style that I have is I try to take a positive coaching style. I try to use my psycholo-gy background. Of course there is times when the girls test that. I have learned through my own experience as a player having a coach that belittle you on the field does not motivate you. Especially female athletes are much different from male athletes and often coaches treat them the same way. Female athletes de-fiantly do not respond in the same way as male athletes do. It is important to recognize those differences. I try to treat them with the same respect I expect from them that is my kind of philosophy.

New Coach, New Season, And High ExpectationsBy: Zahra Alavi

The Warriors men’s baseball team season is underway and they currently have a record of 12-6. The Lady Warriors softball team has a

current record of 7-5.

Massasoit Warriors Defeat Roxbury Community College at home 18-9

Coach Chrisitine Semler

A Winning Day for Massaoit