ASCE takes third in regional concrete canoe competition

UMD ASCE comes in third place at the annual Concrete Canoe Competition

By Jeff Trull

UMass Dartmouth’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers placed third at last weekend’s Concrete Canoe Competition, in Quebec. Left to right: Chris May, Kevin Paradise, Aaron Jamous, Jackie Schmidt, Meghan Aratrudo, Rebekah Novak, Matt Gagnon, Shane Soiusa, Ian Bettencourt, Tom Perry and Jeff Trull.

Didn’t think 200 pounds of concrete could float? A team of UMass Dartmouth students proved naysayers wrong this past weekend by placing third in the annual American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Competition.

This was the first time the UMD student chapter has placed in the top three since placing second in 2002. Meghan Amatrudo, ASCE’s president, expressed excitement about the result. “All I could do was look around at my teammates in shock after we won,” she explained. “Even UMass Amherst and UNH congratulated us on our huge upset to beat URI for third.”

Eleven UMD students traveled with their canoe in tow, named “Pirate’s Booty,” all the way to Université Laval in Quebec, Canada to compete with other New England schools. The team made the 500-mile journey to compete in the competition against UMass Amherst, UMaine, University of Rhode Island, University of New Hampshire, and Université Laval. The UMD team overcame several obstacles to finish the canoe and simply be able to compete. “We should have started the production of the canoe back in September, but most of the work was done in the final few weeks and days before the competition,” Amatrudo admitted. “Also, our $1,000 budget for the project was miniscule compared to the $23,000 that first place Laval had to work with.”

The competition tested both the performance of the canoe along with the research and design behind it. On Saturday the students presented their report in front of their competitors as well as the competition judges. Amatrudo and fellow team leader Chris May delivered the presentation and tackled difficult questions from judges as well. “The judges asked questions that I hadn’t specifically prepared for, but I was able to answer them based on what I learned in my geotechnical engineering class,” Amatrudo said.

With the racing portion of the event cancelled, the competition came down to the team’s written report, presentation, and buoyancy of the canoe. The canoe, which weighed approximately 200 pounds, floated with no problems in the “swamp test.” The boat’s 19-foot length and 32 inch width kept the canoe high up on the water. Despite the success, not all team members were certain it would float. “I really didn’t think the canoe would float because of the weight we calculated, but I was pleasantly surprised when it did,” stated May.

To build the canoe, the students did careful research in order to make the concrete design float, as well as hold four people at a time without capsizing. The concrete mixture of the canoe, which consists of cement; aggregate; and tiny, ultra-light glass spheres, among other things, was developed and tested over the 2007-2008 school year. The competition has strict guidelines for the project, as these rules are similar to building codes or other laws that civil engineers may encounter in the “real” world. Not only does the mixture need to be strong to prevent cracking but too much weight means the canoe will simply sink. “This isn’t your typical concrete that you would see in buildings and sidewalks,” May explained. “It’s purposely made with lighter materials so that it can float but still be strong enough to support the weight of the paddlers.”

On top of coming up with a concrete mixture, the students also designed the size and shape of the canoe. Most of this was done using computer software. A hull mold consisting of foam board was generated using measurements from the software. The concrete mix was then piled on top with fiberglass mesh serving as reinforcement between concrete layers.

The Canoe competition is the major ASCE student event for the UMD chapter. The event is held in different locations across New England each year. UMass Dartmouth hosted the event in 2006, and UMass Amherst will do so in 2009. On top of judging the report and presentation, the competition traditionally includes a rowing portion of the event. With up to four students in the canoe at a time, the students paddle around a course against the other teams. However this part was cancelled this year due to unsafe conditions.

The event gives the students a chance to apply what they have learned in class about concrete and analysis of building materials and put that knowledge into practice. “It was great to use some things I learned in my concrete engineering class this year,” May explained. “To actually apply my knowledge and come up with our final product was a lot of fun.”

Université Laval came out on top at the competition, with last year’s winner UMaine placing second. The winning school from each regional event moves on to the national competition, which is in Montreal this year. UMD’s third place finish was not enough to get them there, but Amatrudo is confident that this is a stepping-stone to achieving that. “I learned a million new things this weekend about building the canoe, and I’ve taken a lot of notes on how to perfect ours in the future,” she noted. “Third place this year along with more experience and funding in future years will definitely allow us to get out there and compete for first.”

Campus Community member talks about sustainability

By Katie Bresnahan

During Earth Week, UMass Dartmouth held various lectures, panel discussions and activities, one of which featured UMass Dartmouth student Ellie Early and Marina Dippel of the Office of Campus and Community Sustainability speaking about different ways that UMD can become more sustainable.

Early spoke about what students can do to make the university more sustainable. She spoke a lot about food, including the successful farmers’ markets held last semester and the campus garden that will be started up in the near future.

She explained to her audience, made up mainly of students from a sustainability class, that she works at Silverbrook Farm, located only a few miles from UMD. “It is an organic farm that has been in production [for a very long time]. It’s very old,” stated Early. She added that they have been farming organically for about the last six years.

Last semester was the first time that UMD held a weekly farmers’ market, which Early helped put together. “We’re hoping to bring farmers’ markets back on campus, but the problem is that people are very used to buying coffee and their produce at Stop and Shop and they’re not used to buying whole food,” she said.

Early posed several questions, regarding the farmers’ markets and the food provided there, to the student population. What would make students want to buy whole food? Should it be emphasized as more convenient? Does it need to be jazzed up? Would they want to be given recipes in which to use the food? Early said, “The reason why I support the farms is because I work on one. I get free food and I see how good that it is and I can put it in things that I like.”

For a little while last semester they experimented with serving locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables in the Residence Cafeteria. However, this did not last long because students complained. For instance, Early explained, even though the local apples were fresher, students did not like that they were smaller than the ones they were used to eating, ones that came from places including the West Coast of the United States and South American countries such as Chile. “We’re trying to get more local food. If there’s a demand for local food it will definitely happen quicker,” Early said.

Since gas and oil are getting more and more expensive Early believes that “buying local will become more viable.”

She also spoke about starting an on-campus garden. She explained that the garden has been there for a long time, but has not been used in many years. It is located about 40 feet from the Dell Pond, she said. She suggested that maybe some of the vegetables grown in this garden could be used at Res Café.

Dippel spoke about the business side of campus and global sustainability. She mentioned a group, Net Impact. The point of this group, with over 135 chapters around the world, is to “mingle and share your projects with students from other schools… It’s about building relationships with other students,” she said.

The four initiatives that Net Impact has are education, career, community impact and campus greening. Members of Net Impact can attend regional events, global competitions and an annual conference (which usually features around 80 speakers).

For more information on Net Impact, go to netimpact.org.

Res floor buckles under pressure

By Stephanie Luz

A construction worker removes the damaged tiles from the landing of the Resident Dining Hall.

“I’m standing there working at the desk and it started shaking and trembling! I thought it was an earthquake!” said Beverly Brown, known as Bev, who swipes UMass Passes at the Resident Dining Hall.

On the morning of Tuesday, April 29, Brown experienced a row of tiles buckle under her feet. The general manager of Sodexho Dining Services, Maryanne Conroy-Miller, commented, “We don’t know why the floor buckled.” She said that the engineers examined below the tiles and found no cracks in the foundation.

Below the safety cones that blocked the top of the stairs, students could see a row of lifted tiles on the landing where food service employees, such as Brown, would normally swipe students’ UMass Passes. The lifted tiles took the appearance of a long ridge. After a construction crew came into the area, more tiles were removed and ply-wood was applied.

To alleviate the problem, facilities and Sodexho decided to close off the main entrance of Rez and channel people through the use of signs and a Sodexho employee to the emergency entrance located behind the Frederick Douglas Unity House. Conroy-Miller continued, “We don’t want to send students in the rain but we also don’t want them to walk somewhere that is unsafe.”

Engineering student Tom Golden was not surprised when he found out about the tile incident. He said, “We have an old campus and a lot of work has been done on the buildings.” He added, “I think the Rez staff did a good job responding to this; I certainly wasn’t inconvenienced.”

Nathaniel Becker was impressed: “They responded to the incident on a timely fashion.”

English major Hope Middleton liked the change. “I personally think they should have the back door open more often,” she explained. “I think it’s more convenient if you’re coming from Oak Glen or Pine Dale.”

Jason Ruth, an employee of Sodexho, was not surprised by the news when coming to work. Ruth said that he knew the tiles were fallible: “The tile is a waste of time and money; the food carts break it and even when plates fall, the tile chips. The tile just can’t support the weight. They will probably replace the tile two years from now.”

Construction workers expect the repair of the Resident Dining entrance to take about three days before it will be fully functional for students and employees.

GREENING THE CAMPUS

Suburbia’s end ‘peaks’ through

By Sakira McPherson

Ok, so we’re all aware of the good ol’ American dream…a house, a car (or two), children, a white picket fence and a dog. And all this is located in the land of “Suburbia,” the quiet country-like setting just outside Big City, USA. If you want to live amongst fewer people with less noise and more grass, Suburbia is just for you.

This has been the dream of numerous Americans on their path to upward mobility. And why shouldn’t it be? Who wouldn’t want to live in a quieter, less congested area? Thus, this became the pitch of the whole Baby-Boom Generation; country-style living in a not-so country style location. You get your isolation only a few miles outside the city.

On the other hand, the untold downside to the big dream of the post World War II era is that good ol’ Suburbia actually possesses the disadvantages of both urban and country life. A lot of people want separation and less hustle and bustle, but eventually the result is a congestion of people who all want less hustle and bustle. And then, if you do want to see and hear civilization on any given day, you have to ride for miles to get to it.

Granted, it may only be an extra 20 minutes, but that’s 20 minutes a whole neighborhood is spending emitting exhaust into our fragile ozone. All these automobiles are making their way on the thousands of miles of interstate highways that take over more and more land (Just think of how many squirrels and birds had to give up their homes the next time you drive on the highway).

Suburbia destroys natural resources not only through its creation but also through its preservation. “It’s affordability without sustainability” as cheap fossil fuels provide for the suburban way of life. Trees and vegetation have to be removed to erect these affordable dwellings, so with that comes the loss of numerous animal lives. And once the home is built, it relies on these resources to “operate.” We need enormous amounts of natural gas to keep it warm during the winter months, prepare gourmet meals, or transport that food (and us) from point A to point B.

Even more coal is used to produce the electricity that runs every technological invention in our mini mansions. Especially in the summer, high temperatures equal high electric bills, as we’ve found it nearly impossible to survive without the luxury of air-conditioning. So much so, it even causes blackouts or brown outs throughout areas in the country.

The most recent and perhaps most severe occurred the summer of 2003. Fifty-seven million people went without power on August 3, in New York City. So many air-conditioners were running that a series of fuse boxes tripped because 100 percent electrical capacity was being used. In other words, everyone was sopping up electricity trying to stay cool. This included both businesses and residences. A whole city was shut down simply because people were uncomfortable from the heat.

Then you can’t forget good old “black gold” also known as oil. This has become the staple for all walks of life. Oil heats homes, runs cars, and even operates agricultural tools. This is especially true for the suburban way of life. The distance between neighbors and surrounding communities constitutes the need for oil and gas. People, food, and products rely on them for transport and survival. One expert referred to it as “being stuck in a cul-de-sac in a cement SUV,” and our overuse of gas and specifically oil are the beginnings of the end.

Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow at Post Carbon Institute and a peak oil expert explained to an audience at UMass Dartmouth last week that our country’s philosophy of “use as much as we can as fast as we can” is finally starting to catch up with us. Extraction of oil resources is reaching its “peak.” We have drilled as much as we can to yield the highest amounts we can, so much so that oil production has been stagnant since 2005, with the effects being felt across the board. Higher gas prices, food prices (because of the high cost of fuel), and the now familiar global warming are all seen by all of us, no matter our way of life.

Imagine only being able to buy gas on Sunday and Thursday because your license plate ends in an odd number, or having to grow your own vegetables because farmers can’t afford to fuel their tractors. If our usage habits continue at the same pace they are now, this could be a reality in the near future.

Heinberg also suggested the small, but significant, changes we can bring about ourselves. Our solutions lie in greater community involvement and more efficient, self-sufficient lifestyles. We have to readjust our behavior to be more eco-friendly; smaller vehicles, general energy conservation, and education are the start for the normal everyday person. But the more drastic change has to come gradually.

Educating ourselves and others is a big part. We must not only educate about ecological issues and alternative fuels, but also encouraging the adjustment of our behavior. This even includes occupational adjustments. We must transition back into more labor intensive fields, including jobs in agriculture and utilizing more animal and manual labor. He even explained more people in psychotherapy related jobs will be needed to help us make these life-changing adjustments.

We may not be able to change the world overnight, but every little step from every individual will make our future that much more promising.

For more information about Richard Heinberg, peak oil and other sustainability issues, or to learn what you can do to help visit: www.richardheinberg.com.

TOPICS IN MENTAL HEALTH

So you’re finally done with college… Now what?

You’ve ordered your cap and gown, you’re looking forward to senior week, you’re planning a graduation party...and all of these events are helping you to deflect questions from parents and professors such as, “What will you do next?”

Graduating from college is a huge accomplishment and a milestone. But with it comes a host of questions that might be difficult to answer. What job will you get? Where will you live? Will you have enough money? Will you see your college friends again? Who are you?

Let’s start with the big one that everyone asks about: the job. Sometimes the particular field that you majored in during your time at college will help direct you in your job search. For example, if you majored in accounting, you will probably be able to find jobs in accounting and might begin your job search by looking for companies seeking accountants. If however, you majored in English, you might not have the same kind of obvious direction in which to move. You might want to write, in which case you could apply to newspapers, magazines, or editing jobs or you might want to teach, in which case you would need an advanced degree.

One way to make these kinds of decisions is to research some potential jobs. Do some brainstorming about what jobs sound interesting to you and make a list. At this stage, it doesn’t matter what they are or whether or not you’re qualified, just make a list of jobs that sound interesting. Once you’ve gotten a list together, do some research about these jobs. (A good website to help you with this is www.bls.gov/ocol/. This is a site in which you can type in a job title and find out the demand for people in this field, the pay scale, a job description, and the necessary qualifications.) After you’ve learned more about the job and the requirements for it, you may decide it’s not right for you or you’re not prepared enough for it, yet. Or, you might feel like it’s perfect. Either way, you have now narrowed your search.

Once you’ve come up with a few jobs that sound interesting to you, browse the papers or online ads to see what’s available. Having an idea of what you’re interested in ahead of time will help guide you in your search. Circle jobs that might work for you. Hopefully there will be at least three of four that you find interesting (if not, keep looking every day until there are). The next step is sending out resumes.

The Career Resource Center can help you with making a resume, and you can find some sample resumes online. When you’re sending a resume out to a potential employer, it is important to accompany it with a cover letter. This is a brief letter, addressed to each potential employer specifically, in which you explain who you are, why you’re interested in the job, and why you think you would be a good candidate. Once you mail out this packet (resume plus cover letter), it is often a good idea to follow it up several days later with a phone call, making sure the company received it and expressing your continued interest in the position.

The process of searching for a job can be quick or can be lengthy. Since there is no way to predict this, it is helpful (and stress-reducing) to begin several weeks or even months before graduation. This also allows you to schedule in a vacation for yourself if you want one, as you can set a “start date” for whenever you want it. If the quest for the perfect, lucrative job that is related to your major and previous work experience is not successful (this sometimes happens), you may need to take a job you’re less enthusiastic about first, just to support yourself until you can find something else. Many people do this and it does not mean they are failures or will never have careers.

Okay, so now you have a job. Do you earn enough money from your job to pay rent somewhere? What about utilities? Gas? Food? Spending money? It can be very difficult to earn enough money to support yourself right out of college. Additionally, many of you will have student loans to pay off, beginning only six months after graduation. That may seem like a long-time from now, but it comes up quickly and the payments can be large, depending on how much you’ve borrowed. One way to make life more affordable is to have a roommate (or even two). Or, though many of you might be loathe to do so, you could move back home for a while. Some of your decisions about where to live will be dictated by what job you’ve gotten (how much it pays and where it is), and may make the decision about your living situation easier. If you know you will need to live at home for a time in order to save money, it will be important for you to narrow your job search to options in that area.

Whether you live at home or on your own, in your life post-college money management becomes very important. This means not only paying your bills, but beginning to save money. Even if it’s only $5 a week, saving some money will help take stress off you in your daily life and will help give you options later on (in terms of places to live, taking time off and finding new jobs).

While these practical issues of where to work, where to live, and how to save money are important, there are also emotional issues related to graduating that are equally important. You are leaving the life that you have built here. You are leaving friends, maybe a romantic partner, professors and your room or apartment. Will you see these people again? Will it be the same if you do?

At the same time that you might feel excited about graduating, it is normal to feel sad and scared about saying goodbye. It is likely that your friends feel the same way, and talking to them about how they feel and how you will keep in touch might ease some of your worry about it.You have grown and changed in many ways since move-in day of freshman year, and while some of those changes were UMass Dartmouth-dependent, most of them were within you and will therefore go with you when you leave. You have become someone different from who you were when you arrived—through the fun times, the social drama, the academic struggles and successes, the tears, the vacations and the changing family relationships. Those changes will help set the stage for who you are in the rest of your life.

And if you’re lucky, you will continue to change and grow forever. Your new job and living situation, your changing relationships with college friends and the new friends you make post-college will all continue to shape who you are, what you think, and how you feel. This is a life-long process and it is important to remember that, as we let some parts of ourselves go, new parts emerge and develop. Each loss is also a gain. Losing UMD and your life here means creating a new home and life somewhere else. And that is perhaps the best graduation gift you will receive.

If you are struggling with issues surrounding graduation or life post-college, please contact the Counseling Center at x8650. If you have questions or comments about the information presented in this article, please direct email correspondence to rachel.lively@umassd.edu.

Rachel Lively, Psy.D.
Counseling Center

STATE OF THE QUEER NATION

Mount Si’s gay-rights Day of Silence is far from quiet

The state of the queer nation was silent last week but, only for the Day of Silence, last Friday.

The Day of Silence “a project of GLSEN, is a nationwide, student-led event during which thousands of high schools and colleges bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools” (dayofsilence.org). The premise is a vow of silence taken by choice to represent those students in the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) community who feel they have to be silent in order to avoid harassment.

UMass Dartmouth was part of this nationwide silence, which was put on by the UMD Pride Alliance. This year’s Day of Silence was in memory of Lawrence King, a 15 year old student who was killed in a junior high school in Oxford, California this past February. King was murdered because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.

In one Alabama town, however, the day wasn’t very silent. Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie was the site of a protest against silence. Last Friday, one-third of the students didn’t show up for school and the principal, “Randy Taylor said 495 out of 1,410 students weren’t at school, including 85 athletes whose parents had asked that they be excused for their personal beliefs.” Reverend Ken Hutcherson, a “prominent anti-gay activist” led about 100 people in prayer and song that “questioned the dedication of a school day to what they said was a controversial political cause.”

Earlier in the day about 80 parents and supporters of the event stood outside the school as the students were arriving, but they left at about 8 a.m. because they didn’t want to confront Hutcherson and his supporters. “Last week, Hutcherson called for 1,000 ‘prayer warriors’ to join him outside the school Friday. He and his wife also took out a half-page ad in the Snoqualmie Valley Record calling on residents to join them.” Hutcherson supporters carried signs that said “Teach don’t Preach” and “Silence for Unnatural Behavior? Not ME”

“Some students left class when the protests began outside. Max Rosentreter, a sophomore, said he wanted to be outside voicing his opinion.” Hutcherson supporters weren’t the only ones holding signs though. One read, “I believe in separation of church and hate.” One student’s car window read, “It’s our school, not your church.” Another student drove an open Jeep blasting the Village People song “Macho Man” and Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out.”

“Taylor said Friday’s observances were a lesson in democracy for students.” Jaqueline Ferland, president of the school’s GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) that initially sponsored the event, called the day a success. “There’s diversity at this school and there’s now a recognition of that.”

While our university’s Day of Silence was less eventful than Mount Si’s, it was still very much a success.

Melanie Correia
Secretary
Pride Alliance

UMass Dartmouth students take part in silent protest

Friday, April 25, 2008 was the twelfth annual Day of Silence. The Day of Silence is a project of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), is a student-led day of action when concerned students, from middle school to college, take some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to the name-calling, bullying and harassment—in effect, the silencing—experienced by LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) students and their allies.

This year’s Day of Silence was held in memory of Lawrence King, a teenager who was killed because of his sexual orientation. Students and supportive staff members observed the day in silence, fighting the urge to speak to friends, classmates, colleagues and go about a normal day.

Pride Alliance provided pins, shirts and cards, explaining the reason for all the participants’ silence, so that others would understand. Some wore the pins and shirts to support the day and their friends who did participate, but due to presentations and similar activities were unable to be silent from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At the end of the silent protest, at 5 p.m., 20 students gathered around the Campanile to celebrate the end of their silence by screaming. Waiting for the bell to ring out the fifth peal, they all stared at the tower, urging 5 o’cock to come faster. The Department of Public Safety was notified, in case anyone whose office was nearby or people in the campus center worried for the screaming students.

When the cacophony of screams died out this question was proposed: What did you learn? Some said they enjoyed not speaking in class. Others said they disagreed, wanting to participate and share their thoughts, but in the true spirit of the day, could not because of their silenced voices.

One student who participated in UMD’s Day of Silence said, “I tried to get the attention of a friend, and ask for help, but they did not see me, could not hear me, and I had no real way of getting their attention. I felt helpless and lost.”

The red Day of Silence shirts were distinctive in unifying the group as they stood laughing, joking and celebrating the return of their voices.

MJ Fischer
Pride Alliance

The senior members of Pride Alliance pose after the annual Rainbow Recognition award ceremony. From the left: Darius Mark Herber, Adam Lawrence, Sean Murphy, MJ Fischer, Joanie LeMay and Kathryn Charron. This year, the ceremony’s theme was “The Wizard of Oz.” Guests were encouraged to dress up as characters from the iconic musical. The Rainbow Recognition Awares give Pride Alliance a chance to recognize individuals and groups who are instrumental in raising awareness about GLBT issues. This year’s aware recipients were: Sean Murphy, Breaking the Silence Award; UMass Dartmouth Theatre Co., The OUTright Award; Kathryn Charron, Pride Alliance Member of the Year; Camilo Vivieros, The Harvey Milk Award.