Born and raised in the north side of Chicago, Papachristos grew up during the highest point of gang violence, with over 1000 homicides a year in the city. By the time he was 16-years-old he began working for not-for-profit groups counseling gang members, many of them peers and childhood friends. He received a Ph.D. for Sociology at the University of Chicago in 2007, and is now a research fellow in a program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Video credit Loraine Burger / The Amherst Wire

Papachristos knew he would get involved with legal services, and fell in love with criminology at a young age. But why go from ride-alongs with cops, research with gangs, and field work right in the streets of Chicago to a classroom in Massachusetts? A friend once told Papachristos simply to teach what he liked.

“I want [my students] to think differently than they have before about crime. I want them to put crime into a social context; to find out why these crimes happen. It’s rational to some people; it’s how they were raised,” said Papachristos.

A huge part of Papachristos’ research involves studying the environments in which gangs develop, reducing the violence that occurs between gangs, and making the transition from prison back into the real world more successful.

It’s not just what he’s teaching, but how he’s teaching it that’s attracting attention

“He puts so much of his personal experience into his lectures,” said senior Alyssa Montelbano, “it makes the class a lot more interesting, and he’s so funny.”

“I’m the same inside and outside the classroom,” said Papachristos. “It’s not a persona; this is the way I talk, this is the way I dress, this is it.”

Video credit Loraine Burger / The Amherst Wire

In 2008, Papachristos won the Professor of the Year Award by the Student Sociological Council, and has been nominated for the Distinguished Teaching Award, UMass’ highest honor.

“It made me feel really good because it means I can be myself,” said Papachristos of the award. “I’m very animated but it’s not for show—it’s who I am—and these students like the delivery of the material.”

He’s applied the same principles to teaching as he has to his field work: be yourself. Both his students and his study subjects, he believes, are more open when they trust that he is being himself. Especially when working with gang members, Papachristos found that he had to be in the field for a long time—six months to a year with the same people—before he built up enough trust with them to get valuable information.

So who is the man behind the beard whose “self” has won over so many students? He’s a father of two; a son, Theo, 4, and a daughter, Hazel, 2. He’s a resident of Greenfield, Mass, a practitioner of Okinawan karate, and a guitar player. He’s a passionate teacher and researcher who is reaping the benefits of being himself.

The march began at the Student Union with chants and shouts for economic justice. When the crowd, led by megaphone-brandishing Sarah Meunier of the March 4th Coalition, ceased their march, they were told to remain silent and respectful while inside Whitmore.

The procession moved to the second floor of Whitmore in almost complete silence. Tension and anticipation hung in the air while the delegates parted from the group and headed up to the Chancellor Robert Holub’s office.

Unfortunately, the Chancellor wasn’t in. The demands were issued to Vice Chancellor Kim.

Photo credit Lauren Scrima / The Amherst Wire

The delegates rejoined the crowd, led them out of Whitmore and resumed chanting. Some employees chanted in languages other than English, adding to the rally a feeling of importance that reached higher and deeper than the sounds of the angered students alone.

In an interview later that day, UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski communicated his views on the demands. “The University has advocated strongly to secure as many funds as possible and has worked closely with the legislative leadership and Governor Patrick to keep that high on the agenda. We’re very much in concert with the concern and the desire of folks in terms of providing more money for the University and having it focused on providing students with a good education, so I don’t think there’s disagreement on that at all. What people do need to recognize is that the administration of UMass Amherst and of the other UMass campuses are really part of a larger equation and we’re making due with less money each year. As we grapple with priorities we try our best to make the best decisions and manage a lot of different needs.”

One of the major demands is to halt the construction of the $12.5 million police station on campus. According to Meunier, “taking our fee money to build a $12.5 million new police station doesn’t equate to more safety for us.” Katie Roussos, a member of the UMass Coalition added that, “If [the administration] want to increase safety they wouldn’t close the only health care facility on campus from midnight to 8 a.m., making it so that there is no on-campus rape crisis.” Round the clock care at University Health Services and a rape crisis center were also included in the list of demands.

Unfortunately for the UMass Coalition, Blaguszewski explained that “the police have been in an outdated building for many years in Dickinson Hall and they were due to have a modern space to house modern equipment and manage a variety of security cameras and dispatch across campus, and those things are done now, but in very cramped quarters with limitations,” so, “that building is going up. The ground is broken and the money is committed and the building is under construction, so that is going to happen.”

Tiffany Yee, Vice President of the Graduate Student Senate, is especially concerned with the lack of ability students currently have to participate in the budget making process that seeks to make use of their money.

“There are students participating [but] we are there to listen. We have no say.”

Blaguszewski responded to this statement.

“The [budgeting] process in pretty much all colleges and universities involves assessing what the revenue is, what your expenses are, talking with key constituencies on campus. Chancellor Holub, drawing from all that advice, makes a decision and then forwards it up to the board of trustees and the president and they vote in a budget. There are student fees that are allocated to the Student Government Association and they really do have great influence and control over how those are spent.”

On the subject of reforming campus food costs, UMass Coalition Public Relations Officer, Evan Serio argued that “[students] don’t have affordable, healthy choices. We either have the choice of what they have given us: large corporation, really unhealthy food, or an increase in the amount that we have to pay for a smaller choice.”

Yee added that “It’s not just about healthy food; it’s about more affordable food. Every year the meal plans just keep going up and up. Now there’s talk about mandatory meal plans for all undergrads. We can’t afford that.”

In reference to these concerns, Blaguszewski offered sympathy and optimism. “We want to make sure that we’re giving [students] the right options…Food is basic and it’s something that everybody is dealing with three times a day and we should take a look at [the food plan] and evaluate what the economics are and decide if any adjustment can be made.”

Serio affirmed that the Coalition has “made a list of demands and we have demanded that in return we get a clear cut plan of implementation, of how they’re going to be able to respond and fulfill our demands by March 31st and we will continue to mobilize and organize until all of our demands are met.”

“I think everybody was impressed and pleased that the protest was respectful and orderly and people made good points and were strong advocates, but there was no conflict” said Blaguszewski. “Protesting really is an important aspect [of the processes at UMass]. If people feel they want to go that route we respect that and that’s part of the college experience.”

Blaguszewski reflected nostalgically on his own college years during the Vietnam War, during which he and most administrators who are from the same generation witnessed the glory days of college protests. He added that “It’s good that the students take the initiative and care. I think that’s a good sign for their interest and their engagement and that they care about the University.”

The next meeting of the March 4th Coalition is next Tuesday, March 9th at 5 p.m. in room 168 C in the Campus Center.

The evening’s focus was all about embracing Afro-Dominican heritage and culture, in addition to showing support to victims in Haiti. With a semi-formal dress code, everyone arrived looking good and ready to party. Beginning with a dinner provided by UMass Dining Services, the room was buzzing with friendly chatter; guests came from around the Pioneer Valley and included professors and students from all five colleges, as well as local Dominican families and their children. Charming hosts and fellow Casa members Gisel Saillant and Modesto Montero led the night’s festivities.

Photo credit Hollis Smith / The Amherst Wire

There were many high points of the evening, including theatrical skits performed throughout the night by Casa members. The intent of these skits was to provoke thinking and awareness of specific issues such as inter-racial dating as well body image insecurity. To celebrate their culture, Cayena, a Dominican dance group on campus, performed to the sounds of tambourines, maracas and flutes. Dancing a traditional Dominican routine, their performance proved to be a crowd favorite. Another memorable point of the evening was guest speaker, Agustin Lao-Montes, an esteemed UMass Sociology professor. Recounting the history of Dominican independence from Haiti, Lao-Montes gave an impassioned speech about the strength of the Dominican spirit.

Though the overall political climate between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is still hostile, Casa Dominicana pledged their support during the program and on March 8th are holding an event to raise funds for a new K-9 school in Haiti. The night ended on a hopeful note and dinner tables were cleared to create a dance floor. With couples starting to flood the space, moving to the sounds of an Afro-Dominican band, Kumba Carey, guests danced late into the night, making for a perfect end to this year’s Dominican Independence Day.

Jennyfer Delva, 19, was born and raised in Haiti until the age of 12, when she left her hometown of Delma in Port-au-Prince. Her mother’s side of the family—a grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins—remained in Haiti, while she and her parents joined her father’s family in the United States. She has not been back to Haiti since, but is affected by the earthquake through her family’s experience. Delva is a sophomore and studies biology at UMass.

Adib Khozouee, 19, is also from Delma, but Khozouee is not a typical Haitian. His parents left Iran to move to Haiti in the ‘70s not knowing a word of Creole, and have lived there for over 30 years. Adib, a sophomore, left Haiti to study computer science at UMass in 2008. He was back home for winter break, about 10 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince on January 12. He was able to take a plane from the Dominican Republic in time to return to UMass a little past 11 a.m. on the first day of classes.

Delva and Khozouee shared their thoughts on Haitian culture, the earthquakes, and how Haiti can progress.

Q. In the news, Haiti is described as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. How would you describe Haiti as you remember it seven years ago? Delva responds:

Q. What was it like to move from Haiti to the United States? Were there drastic cultural differences? Delva responds:

Q. How were you affected by the earthquakes in Haiti? Delva and Khozouee respond:

Q. Has foreign aid and the presence of foreign powers helped Haiti progress in the past? Should they play a main role in helping Haiti progress in the future? Khozouee and Delva respond:

On Feb. 16, the Student Union Ballroom located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts was filled with students, residents and constitutions eager to hear from guest speaker Congressman Barney Frank.

Three lounge chairs next to the stacks of Frank’s new biography set the stage for the event, with UMass journalism professor Ralph Whitehead interviewing both Frank and the author of the biography, Stuart Weisberg.

The book, “Barney Frank: The Story of America’s Only Left-Handed, Gay Jewish Congressman,” is published by the University of Massachusetts Press.

Outside the double doors of the Ballroom were two UMass police officers, stationed to keep protestors from disrupting the event. Immediately beyond the doors was a single protestor with a few more lingering outside of the Student Union building.

The protestors were members of a local 912 group, a project of T.V. personality Glenn Beck and a branch of the Tea Party movement with members predominately from the Pioneer Valley. One protestor, who only identified himself as Keith, explained why he was protesting Frank’s presence, “[Frank] is a left-wing liberal bent on the demise of the country. He blames the recession on the banks but needs to take the responsibility himself.”

Another protestor held up a sign with a photo of Representative Frank behind bars dressed as a prisoner. When asked why, he said that he had grabbed a pre-made sign, assuming it was there to grab the attention of passerby’s.

Weisberg recounted how he gathered information for the biography from over 30 hours of interviews with Frank and 150 others. This is the first published work to document Frank’s life, from a working-class upbringing in Bayonne, N.J., to his undergraduate and graduate years spent at Harvard and his integration into Boston politics. The book, which Weisberg said he needed to cut down 400 pages, analyzes Frank’s experiences not only as a Jewish man but also as a homosexual man advancing into the national government.

When speaking about his childhood, Frank touched on the issues of prejudice he faced, “Though it is no longer an obstacle, when I graduated high school in 1957, being Jewish was an issue.”

He spoke of how he could potentially be denied jobs, and how few CEO’s and presidents of Ivy-league schools were actually Jewish.

In his first year in college, Frank admitted, “When I got to Harvard, I was overwhelmed.”

Frank remained at Harvard for the completion of both his undergraduate and graduate degrees, though he said he left before he had finished his doctorate. During such time, Frank became involved in local political campaigns in Boston.

In 1968, he left and became the Chief Assistant to then Boston Mayor Kevin White; a position that he said allowed him to be the connection between the people and those higher up in government. Frank spoke of how he remained this position for three years despite the toll it had taken on his health. Citing stress and long hours, Frank explained that he had become severely obese and unhappy while in this position. When asked if he had considered running for mayor he explained that as Chief of Staff he had more power than any city mayor.

When running for elected office in 1980, Frank cites the backing of both the students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and those of Boston University as the reason he won. His campaign included posters complete with his photo and the slogan “Who’s that with Barney Frank?” During the campaign, the posters were continually taken by Boston University students and hung in the dormitories, which Frank said, was all apart of his team’s strategy.

Frank represented 600,000 residents in a span of 29 towns, that extended from Newton and Brookline to New Bedford and Fall River. Of his constituents Frank said, “I represented the Yuppies before we called them Yuppies.” As an openly gay, Jewish man, Frank said that he was surprised to have been elected. Adding that he believed his appointment was the result of campaigning in an accepting district.

Having been in politics for over 30 years, Frank spoke of a time when there was middle ground in Washington. He attributed the changes in policy to Newt Gingrich, who changed the conversations from those of Regan, who had once said, “after 6 p.m. we’re all friends”, and would also call the opposing party corrupt and immoral. Frank suggested this as the reason for the partisanship between the parties now, and why constitutions call politicians sell-outs when attempting to compromise.

Increasing the tension between the political parties, Frank suggested that it is because the parties receive their information from different sources.

Frank said, “People are almost in a parallel universe; they’re not getting a common set of facts. Everybody’s talking to people who agree with them.” He then elaborated that the people who include themselves in the right tend to get their information from FOX news and talk shows while the left gets majority of their information from the internet.

During a 30 minute question and answer section, a PHENOM member asked Frank to sign his petition for increases in funding for public higher education, which the congressman eagerly agreed to sign. Adding that the issue over the rising costs of public higher education was an important issue which needs to be addressed. The next person at the microphone angered with the housing crisis called for Frank’s resignation to which he responded that his speech was not a question but an angered proclamation, and added, “your side is run by a demented felon” to loud applause from majority of the audience. To respond to the right-wing student, Frank explained that he had supported a bill in the House of Representatives to decrease foreclosures, in order to help Americans who were losing their homes do to unemployment not sub-prime mortgages.

Following questions, Frank sold signed copies of his book for discounted event rates.

Michelle Williams can be reached at mnwillia@student.umass.edu.
Correction: an earlier version of this story quoted Frank as saying he graduated high school in 1971. Frank graduated from Bayonne High School in Bayonne, N.J. in 1957.

Once in a while, in the midst of all the pizza and wings that frequent the typical college student’s diet, it’s nice to have a change of pace. Amanouz Café, located at 44 Main St., Northampton, Mass., offers just that. With an eclectic mix of both Mediterranean and Moroccan classics, and an award for “Best Mediterranean Restaurant” by the Valley Advocate Readers’ Poll in 2007, diners can be sure that their meal will be anything but ordinary.

Art on the wall from local artists

The restaurant is small and usually tightly-packed with patrons ready to embark on a cultural culinary adventure. The walls are always displayed with the work of local artists, which patrons can buy if they so choose. One week it might be hand-painted pottery in a slew of vibrant colors; the next, framed photography. Either way, the décor is always eclectic and ever changing.

The atmosphere is lively and exotic, with ethnic music playing in the background, staff delivering food to customer’s tables, fresh pastries on display at the front counter, and the constant warm aroma of herbal tea lingering in the air. The main blackboard over the counter displays all of the regular menu items. The wall to its right showcases breakfast items, soups, pasta dishes and other specialties and acts as a colorful backdrop for the coffee station, with each item on its own vibrant rectangle of paper.

Specials wall and coffee bar

After ordering at the counter, diners can grab forks, knives and napkins and get settled into an open table (if there are any), and after a few minutes the staff will deliver the food right to the table. Start with a pot of freshly-brewed Moroccan green tea with fresh mint ($1.25) and you’re off to a great start. It’s really that simple. The six women sitting across from my sister and me were raving about how delicious their food looked as the staff brought out the plates one by one, and after tasting everything, they were even happier. The words, “Oh my goodness! This is delicious!” seemed to be on repeat while they ate. And keeping with the traditions of Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine, they enjoyed a family-style meal, enjoying bites from one another’s plates and sharing great conversation and laughs all the while.

Pastries at the counter

A classic Middle Eastern dish that is fantastic at Amanouz (and my favorite) is the falafel. For the vegetarian falafel sandwich ($5.25), three falafel balls are served in either a pita or on lavash bread with fresh romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and slices of cucumber. The whole thing is topped with a generous pour of homemade sesame tahini sauce and sprinkled with fresh parsley. The falafel are about the size of a pool ball, and are cooked perfectly. Instead of the heavy fried version, these are baked to perfection, so that the outside is crispy and the inside stays moist with the flavors of the ground chickpeas and fresh herbs coming through. The tahini is cool and creamy and makes for the perfect accompaniment to the warm falafel.

Falafel sandwich and side of babaghannoush

The musaka sandwich ($5.25), which my younger sister ordered, is also a great option from the vegetarian sandwich menu. Musaka is a Greek classic made with eggplant, so the sandwich is filled with just that: sautéed eggplant that has been seasoned with a variety of spices, as well as zucchini, green peppers, fresh veggies, tahini, and fresh parsley. This sandwich is also served in a pita or on lavash and has fantastic flavor. Even my sister, who is a picky eater, loved this sandwich saying, “It’s really good, and that means a lot coming from me, because I never eat food like this.”

Inside of the falafel balls

Other options are the chicken kebab sandwich ($5.95), with marinated, charbroiled chicken, broiled tomatoes, fresh veggies and tahini, or the traditional Moroccan tagines ($9.75-$9.95) of either fish, chicken, seasoned, ground beef known as kefta, or lamb sausage called merquez. These tagine meals are served with rice in the beautiful terracotta tagine pots that they’re cooked in and are full of rich flavor.
The babaghannoush ($2.95) is one of the best sides at Amanouz. It’s a puree of eggplant, garlic and other spices and comes with fresh veggies, a drizzle of tahini and four pita points. This in itself could make a perfectly fine and filling meal, but there are just too many great items to pass up. The homemade hummus ($2.95) is also delicious with its punchy garlic undertones and it pairs perfectly with any of the sandwiches as either a filling or just a simple side with pita and veggies.

The food at Amanouz is fresh, flavorful and boasts the flavors of places much more exotic than Northampton, Mass. So, if you’re looking for a change from the usual bar food and sandwiches, this tiny café is a sure thing.

Photos by Alex Tillotson

Here are their answers.

By: Jeffrey Larnard, Caroline Scannell, and Angela Chen

For many students at the University of Massachusetts, the idea of staying healthy and eating right may seem like a challenge as students often have a hard time staying healthy while balancing work and play.

The transition into college life can give rise to a phenomenon better known as the “Freshman 15” resulting from students’ newfound freedom to make their own diet and exercise decisions. Though the idea of the “Freshmen 15” has recently been dispelled, UMass Dining Services has undertaken a healthy eating initiative to make a number of food options available.

A recent article published this year by the Journal for American College Health by Rachel A. Vella-Zard, M.A. and Frank J. Elgar, Ph.D, as well as research done by UMass Dining Services’ dietician Diane Sutherland, suggest that despite some general weight gain, the actual weight amount is far below 15 pounds placing the average somewhere around five to seven pounds.

Nonetheless, weight fluctuations are still important health issues for college students. University Health Service’s dietician Caren Weiner weighs in on the situation reflecting on the reasons weight fluctuates for college students. In her opinion, these include adapting to a new environment and changes in diet due to eating and ordering out and an increase in alcohol intake.

Dealing with and fixing these issues is one part of being more healthy, hence, Sutherland and Weiner can both agree that it is important for students to realize that now is the time to focus on staying healthy. “It’s important for students to set goals for themselves and try to eat healthy and maintain their exercise regime, so when they do get older, this will be more of a habit rather than a forced issue,” said Sutherland.

“Food is nourishment. If you don’t eat, you’re not going to be able to think, you’re not going to be able to focus, you’re not going to be able to do your schoolwork,” said Weiner. “It goes hand-in-hand with being a good student. The healthier you are, the better you probably are going to do in school.”

In addition, research has shown that those who eat breakfast are therefore more successful. “People who tend to eat breakfast are more energetic, more creative and do better in their studies than those that don’t,” said Sutherland.

When it comes to promoting healthy eating, both Weiner and Sutherland have many ideas about what the University can do for students and what students can do for themselves.

The UMass Dining Services have made many changes behind the scenes including adjusting menu items to include healthier choices and more organic ingredients, as well as smaller portions of food and going tray-less to reduce food intake. “Students don’t even realize that we are making these healthier choices for them,” said Sutherland.

When it comes to food labeling, Dining Services makes nutrition information available for health conscious students if they seek to modify their diet in any way. But Weiner explains that she’s “glad it’s not right out written in front of the food because I think that would make people nuts if they saw all the calories right on the items.” Dining Services leaves the health decision making to the students. Their primary goal is to provide students with the options and necessary information to make healthy choices, not to force the issue.

Weiner suggests that instead of getting caught up in counting the calories of food items, students ought to just go about “feeling when you’re satisfied and eating what you want to eat and eating what looks good,” said Weiner.

“We’re doing our part, but it is also up to the students to do their part,” said Sutherland on the topic of student choice. “If they want to stay healthy and fit, they have to eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, and drink less alcohol.”

In addition, according to Sutherland, students can also log onto mypyramid.gov and insert their height, weight and activity level and receive a breakdown of how many of each food group they should consume to help them stay on track with their eating habits.

Ultimately, Weiner recommends students give in to their cravings to a certain extent and listen to what their bodies want. “If it matters to you and you want to eat healthy and two things look equally good, pick the one that is healthier,” she said. “But if you really want that something else, then get that something else or you’re never going to be happy.”

While Sutherland has helped to spearhead many of the healthy menu and preparation practices, she maintains that “you can’t really pinpoint a specific healthy food because all the food can be healthy, just in moderation.” For college students looking to stay healthy, just remember the words of Sutherland: “moderation and variety are key.”

By: Mary Kate Alfieri, Elizabeth Murphy, Andrew Smith

With the recent debate over health care reform, high premiums and inefficient care, many Americans are trying a new approach by taking their health into their own hands.

For some, this is as simple as taking a daily vitamin, eating a more balanced diet and hitting the gym regularly, while others are resorting to pay-out-of-pocket services like acupuncture and yoga to keep their immune systems healthy and to reduce their chances of needing medical attention. Even some insurance companies, such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield, are giving discounts to those members that join a fitness center- all in an effort to stay healthy.

The New York Times reports that about half of adults take a daily multivitamin. “Sales over the last decade had been growing by about 4 percent annually. But this year… sales are expected to grow by 8 percent to a total of $9.2 billion, according to Nutrition Business Journal,” added the article.

Christina Pirello of the Huffington Post argues that “real health care reform begins in the kitchen.” In a recent article on the website, Pirello says that by being healthy and fit, one can lower the chances of getting involved in the unstable health care system. “We must choose food that serves the purpose of our lives and supports health, not steals it,” said Pirello.

According to Pirello’s article, 75 percent of all health care costs are spent on ‘lifestyle diseases,’ such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers, which adds up to over $2.1 trillion spent annually to treat these diseases. Research has shown that many of these concerns could be eliminated or reduced with the assistance of a proper diet and exercise.

The EPIC Study, which stands for the European Prospective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition, discovered that people who eat a diet rich in grains, beans, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and low in animal food, while also exercising regularly and not smoking reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 93 percent, heart attack by 81 percent and strokes by 50 percent.

Some insurance plans have begun to realize the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota offer discounts to local fitness centers with their insurance plans. So far, studies have shown that the discounts are working.

According to a study by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, people who use the fitness center at least eight times per month are more likely to have lower health care costs compared to those who don’t participate in the program.

The distance between a person’s home and the fitness center also plays a big factor.
In a study of 74,000 members eligible for Blue Cross’ BluePrint for Health™ Fitness Center Discount program, “63.3 percent of all members who have signed up for the discount program live within two miles of a participating fitness center. Those who didn’t sign up for the discount program were, on average, at least 3.5 miles from a fitness center.”

Shawn Patterson, Blue Cross marketing vice president, recognizes the importance of choosing fitness centers that are convenient to a large number of people.
“This study shows that its important to have convenient locations for fitness centers because proximity to a health club has a pretty direct relationship to whether or not people use their fitness discount benefit,” he said. Blue Cross has worked hard to develop the state’s largest network of fitness centers, to increase the number of people using this incentive.

Click here for their audio interview.

Those people who used the fitness center at least eight times a month for at least nine months had claim costs 17.8 percent lower than non-participants, the study shows. These people also had 38.7 percent less visits to the emergency room and were admitted to the hospital 41.4 percent less often than non-participants in the one-year study.

According to Patterson, the study suggests that by increasing the amount of time you spend exercising, the more likely you are to have less health claims. Having a health club close to home makes it more likely you will exercise regularly, he said.

“Based on this study alone, we can’t say there is an absolute cause-and-effect relationship yet between fitness center discounts and health care costs, but we believe that incentive programs like these could ultimately help people live healthier and need fewer health care services,” Patterson said.

Besides just going to the gym, many people are also improving their overall health and immune systems by doing yoga. In an online article, Jen Acquire, who owns her own personal training studio in the San Francisco Bay Area, said that many people are finding themselves unemployed and without company-paid benefits, such as health insurance. As a result, she said, “it is imperative that we seek more preventative measures to keep potential health issues at bay to avoid massive hospital bills in the future.”

Acquire said that incorporating yoga into your daily life provides immediate results such as reducing chronic pain, high blood pressure, depression and high cholesterol. “It also creates more efficient lymphatic function, which in turn, boosts immunity,” she said.

The UMass polo team defeated the Kemptville Koyotes of Ontario, Canada 5-2 on Oct. 31, winning its second home game of the season.

Elise McHugh, a junior, scored all five goals for UMass – or “Boo! Mass,” as the players’ handmade Halloween-themed uniforms read – at Stone Pony Farm in Leverett.

WORKING WELL TOGETHER

“She was a real superstar,” said McHugh’s teammate, senior Amy Dolan. Dolan and McHugh started in the game along with the team’s third varsity player, junior Tanya Chesnell.Though stating that she was excited by the win, McHugh was not eager to take all the credit for UMass’ five goals, two of which she scored on penalty shots.

“There was a lot of passing involved,” said McHugh. “I just happened to be closest to the goal.”
Dolan also said that the three starters worked well together.

“As a team, we had a lot of good passes,” said Dolan. “Sometimes I would back [the ball] and [McHugh] would pick up my back shot and make a goal. … We all made plays and she finished them.”
Also playing in their first game were UMass junior varsity players Mindy Lucas, a junior, and Heather Sliney, a senior.

‘IT WAS AWESOME’

After UMass ended the first of three 5-minute chukkers – periods in polo – with a 3-1 lead over the Koyotes, assistant coach C.B. Blyth rotated in Lucas for Chesnell in the second.

Despite some nervous feelings before stepping into an arena with a few dozen spectators looking on, Lucas said after her first match: “It was awesome. It was really exciting.”

Sliney, who came in for Lucas in the third chukker, said her first match was “a lot of fun.” Though, she said she had some bumps and bruises as a result of one of the Koyotes players who “had a really hard bump,” which is a common play in the equestrian game.

The varsity players enjoyed having the junior varsity players in the game, “I’m glad that Heather and Mindy got to play and they played really well,” said Chesnell, though adding that she was a bit disappointed she didn’t get to play in the whole game. “I’m spoiled,” she said with a laugh. “I usually get to play all three chukkers.”

The Koyotes girls weren’t too disappointed about their loss, despite coming off their first team win the night before against Vassar College.

‘WE KNEW WE HAD A CHALLENGE’

“We just watched [UMass] play last year,” said Koyotes captain Jen Shumilak. “We saw what a strong team they were. We knew we had a challenge, especially since this is only our second year we’ve been playing together.”

Koyotes coach George Bezak said stamina may have also been an issue for the team. “They were tired,” said Bezak of his players after the Halloween match. He noted that the arena at Stone Pony Farm was regulation size, or 300 feet by 150 feet – five times larger than the arena they practice in back home at the Augusta Polo Club.

Both teams, which compete under the United States Polo Association’s Northeast intercollegiate division, are hoping to schedule a rematch after the new year, this time on the Koyotes’ territory. Today at 2 p.m., UMass will be looking to repeat its Halloween victory in a match against Skidmore College. Today’s game will also take place at Stone Pony Farm, 147 Long Plain Road in Leverett.