Disclaimer: Sifa Kasongo, a managing editor and currently employed peer mentor at UMass Amherst, did not contribute to this report. Additionally, names of sources have been changed to protect anonymity. “The Resident Assistant and Peer Mentor Union (RAPMU) has been in contract negotiations since December 2017 and is consistently disrespected by the University’s bargaining team, who are often late to bargaining meetings,

If you’re driving along Race Street in downtown Holyoke, you may be surprised to see two large shipping containers sitting on an otherwise empty plot of land. You might be even more surprised to learn what’s inside them—self-contained urban farming units producing fresh produce year-round. Connecting Point’s Henry Brechter takes an in-depth look at a coming-of-age farming method that could influence the state’s agriculture industry for years to come.

The UMass football team scored early and often in Saturday’s season opener, using five first-half touchdowns to kickstart a 63-15 win over Duquesne University at McGuirk Stadium in Amherst. A three-headed offensive monster of Andrew Ford (13-for-19 passing, 186 yards, two TDs), Andy Isabella (5 catches, 131 yards, 2 TDs), and Bilal Ally (9 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD) tormented the Dukes early, helping to build a 35-9 lead by halftime.

This year's commencement speaker talks about Trump, the media, and the future of today's grads. CNN Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper does not remember much of the commencement address at his own graduation from Dartmouth College in 1991. But he’s doing his best not to botch this one. Tapper will be the featured speaker for the Undergraduate Commencement for the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Class of 2018 on Friday, May 11, at 4:30 p.m. at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium.

For Amherst’s Ken Johnston, commemorating an occasion like the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination calls for far more than a simple donation or pledge. Johnston, 57, will make a six-week, 400-mile trek from Selma, Alabama, to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee as a “collaborating partner” of the museum’s own recognition efforts.

The chance for David and Dorothy Wheeler to see their grandsons, Owen and Jack McGowan, play for Catholic Memorial in the annual Thanksgiving matchup against Catholic Conference rival BC High is special. as a junior in 2015 — and Owen, on Tuesday night, suit up at Fenway Park has been an unprecedented blessing for the Canton residents.

For young athletes who have grown up playing both football and baseball, the opportunity to play at one of the country’s most legendary ballparks is nothing short of a dream come true. Those dreams will be realized Tuesday night at Fenway Park, when the football teams for BC High and Catholic Memorial square off in their annual Thanksgiving game at 7 p.m.

On a cloudy summer day eight months later, last December’s Super Bowl loss feels fresh to Xaverian football coach Al Fornaro. “It’s in my mind, but I don’t want it in the minds of the players,” said Fornaro. “The best part of the new season is that everyone is zero and zero.”. Fornaro is in his first season at Xaverian’s helm after 37 years as the team’s strength coach and defensive coordinator.

A Division 1 soccer recruit, Lauren Bonavita was offered a unique and exciting opportunity: train and play for the US Girls Development Academy in its inaugural season. The club program will feed elite young talent directly to the national team. But the Whitman-Hanson Regional senior, like many other high school players, had a tough decision to make.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists Report on Climate Change Effects in Mass., the number of one-to-three month droughts in the state is expected to increase dramatically in the near future. Increasing average temperature coupled with a drop in rainfall totals will continue, as a normally water-rich state endures one of its driest periods in history.

Diversity is often used to measure the adequacy of a college campus. How is UMass Amherst becoming more inclusive? Like many immigrant families, University of Massachusetts sophomore Alex De Brito and his parents experienced hardship upon arriving in the U.S. After moving to a low-income part of New Bedford, MA. from Cape Verde in Africa, he recalls his mother and father shuffling through multiple low-paying jobs, and being forced to move several times after failing to pay rent.