Immersion Essay 2: UML Support System

Working hard for something is often rewarded in many ways. Sometimes with gifts, awards and other material things, sometimes just words of encouragement and the presence and attention of someone important to you. This semester, I’ve been lucky enough to be enlightened by an Honors Thesis Presentation, to have sat in the bleachers of a Special Olympics basketball game, and to have cheered on the first base line for some of the funniest boys I’ve ever met. No matter what the occasion of event, the UMass Lowell community is bursting at the seams with encouragement and support for others.

Being in the Honors College here at the University of Massachusetts Lowell is both an honor and a daunting task. I’m grateful to be able to be recognized for the hard work and dedication that I put into my school work, but also am overwhelmed by the idea of what the Honors College will bring me in the future. I know that senior year, I’m going to be required to come up with an Honors thesis or an Honors project. Now, as an almost-19-year-old freshman who doesn’t even know what I’m doing for dinner tonight, the thought of coming up with an entire thesis or project that will determine whether or not I graduate from the Honors College makes my stomach hurt. However, some of that nausea was eased a few months ago when our FYSH class took a field trip to O’Leary library to watch a senior named Megan present her Honors Thesis. Her presentation was heavily media based, which was nice to see. Not only did it make the presentation more interesting, but it helped relieve the idea that I’d have to present a paper the length of the entire Harry Potter series without any sort of aid. In high school, I was active in the TV Media department, anchoring the morning news, acting in Homecoming and March Madness videos, as well as the filming and editing portions. Learning that Megan had no media experience prior to her Honors project yet was able to learn how to film and edit with the help of her advisor to create a project that was as awesome as it was gives me the confidence I need to know that when the time comes, I’m sure I can create an Honors Thesis or Honors Project that I can be proud of. Learning about the work Megan did in regards to technology in the classroom and utilizing modern technologies to help students learn and understand was very cool. Having gone to school back when there were just dry erase boards and loud, wheezing projectors as well as more recently with iPads and SmartBoards, her presentation explaining how technology often helps students comprehend in a more dynamic way was understandable. Watching Megan’s Honors Project not only related to me and my learning style, but also made me feel more comfortable being in the Honors College having to face a Thesis. Being able to support her in her presentation was as beneficial for her as it was for me.

Also during high school I played a very active role in our school’s PALS program, which is our version of Best Buddies. I’ve always had a passion for helping and interacting with those with special needs, so being able to attend UMass Lowell’s Special Spirit Basketball Game was a amazing experience for me. In high school, the boys in our PALS program participated in the Special Olympics at Fitchburg State every year, and every year the day before the event, we’d have a school wide pep rally for them to show our support. Being co-president of PALS, I often was the MC of the pep rally, introducing the boys and rallying cheers from all the grades. Being able to watch the smiles on not only their faces, but also the faces of their parents, is one of the greatest feelings for me. Everyone involved with PALS was always so grateful to my high school community for standing behind the boys and giving them unconditional support, and being able to sit on the bleachers and cheer on basketball players from Londonderry and Pinkerton gave me that same feeling. Unlike in high school, I didn’t know these athletes or their families. I was surrounded by parents and loved ones cheering on their athletes, and that made it an even more unique experience for me. Witnessing the elaborate set up for the event, the balloons and streamers, the UMass Lowell cheerleaders there to support, and even the A Capella groups performing between quarters, showed me and the athletes how much support UML has for the special needs community. My favorite part about any Special Olympics event is the genuine kindness and compassion the athletes have. They don’t care about winning, they're only there to have fun. At one point in the basketball game a younger girl fell in the midst of a scuffle for the ball. Immediately, an older player at least 6 feet tall stopped the game and cleared space around her, very intent on making sure she was alright. She immediately popped up from the ground, smiling from ear to ear, gave him a high five, and the game proceeded. The sportsmanship of the athletes is something you’d have to see to believe. During the break times in between quarters there would be different performances, the cheerleaders showed off their flips, the A Capella groups sang beautiful harmonies, and there was even a karate demonstration. As the audience and players waited for the next quarter to begin there was always music playing, and that can only mean one thing: dancing. Athletes and spectators (including myself) alike got up on the court and showed off their moves with Rowdy the Riverhawk. The atmosphere in the Campus Recreation Center during that event was electric. Being able to watch and cheer and support Special Olympics athletes doing something they love in our UMass Lowell community was the highlight of my week. 

The Special Spirit basketball game is not the only sporting event I’ve attended. Spring intramural sports recently began and you can bet I love sitting front row for those. Granted, teams don’t usually have fan sections, but our boys sure did. Some of my guy friends from the floor above me made a softball team for UML Intramurals. Their team name is something ridiculous that none of us girls got but cracked them up. Their first game was Wednesday night on the blue turf under the lights. Caroline, our friend Kaleigh, and myself were the only fans there. We sat next to the makeshift first base line and cheered on our boys, shouting out nicknames and obnoxiously cat calling as they ran by us, racing to beat the first baseman’s catch.  Although they were acting tough and macho, you could tell they loved us being there. They relished in us being there to support them as they stood next to home plate, fixed their shirt, and smugly lifted the bat to their shoulder. One of our friends, Ryan, likes to put on this cocky facade where he acts like he’s the greatest thing to walk the earth. It was his turn to bat, so the girls and I were whistling and cheering and making him blush, although he’ll deny that until the day he dies. As he got  up to the plate, he set his feet, blew a kiss in our direction, and swung at the approaching pitch. There was so much wind with that swing my hair was messed up. The boys were all laughing at his whiff of an attempt and he laughed it off, playing cool. He swung too hard at the second pitch and threw himself off balance, but still made contact. He tried to act cool as he got out at first, claiming “It’s all good, I moved Sean along, it’s all good”. We high five him as he shuffled back to his team, the three of us giggling at his ridiculous macho man act. Typical Ryan. Nights spent like that, sitting on the track beside the blue turf, making fools of ourselves as we cheer on our friends, are the ones that are my favorite. Being able to go and support the boys in their silly softball games that no one takes seriously is on of my favorite things about college. 

No matter what event you’re at or where on campus you are, the UML community is filled with people to support and encourage you. Often times, like during Megan’s Honors Thesis Presentation, you can learn something while offering support. Other times, like during UML’s Special Spirit basketball game, you know you’re making someone’s day and making someone smile by simply cheering them on and giving encouragement; and finally, giving support at silly things like intramural softball games are the times you remember 4 years from now when you’re reminiscing on the glory days of college. The University of Massachusetts Lowell has an incredible atmosphere and an incredible community that can give support and encouragement in any situation whenever it’s needed. 

Yehudit Ben-Zvi Heller

Otter Cove

I took three pebbles from there:

a cobblestone from the historic streets, 

a small rock from a construction site,

and a piece of sand laying by the Merrimack

to see what the future holds. 

Gerry LaFemina

Caged Bird Society

All the exams, the research papers, the online 

homework assignments, we’ve placed them each 

in their own little cage, set them on desks and tables

throughout the dorm for their omnipresent 

company. Some perch on laptops, head cocked.

Some peck at refrigerated cans begging to be cracked open & some scratch

at Spotify playlists ready to be enjoyed. We masochistically enjoy how

 they rustle their dark feathers at night.

Come morning you can only imagine, can’t you, 

the recollecting, dissonant dirges they sing.

Gerry LaFemina

Heroin Chic

Five small, white pebbles pushed through a hole in a plywood 

door. Into my mouth they’re put and I journey back to 

headquarters… anticipation tingling in my veins. Friends gather on 

couches, holding plastic water bottles and pipes. I see this 

everyday, ghostly men with sallow faces and women missing 

teeth. These are my friends. Lighters are taken from 

pockets and passed around, warming the white pebbles laying on 

aluminum foil. Personalities quickly change and everything is light. 

This white pebble is the devil, but provides relief. I understand 

the joy.  I understand the risk. I understand the harm. Understand I need to.

       The first poem I chose was one that I’m sure every student writing three poems chose. Although Otter Cove is short, and many likely saw it as an easy outlet, I find short poems much more appealing than longer ones. The brief five lines keep my attention but pack a punch with content. In the poem, the author takes three stones that embody the cove he was in- one from the water, one from the sun, and one that represents all of the live that is growing there. To relate this to Lowell, I chose three stones that represent Lowell in the past, present, and future. One stone is a cobblestone from Lowell’s historic past filled with mill workers and Cambodian culture. One stone is a rock from a current construction site; Lowell is in the midst of a revolution, the city is changing and advancing and construction sites are a frequent site around the city. The last stone is a grain of sand from the Merrimack, the heart of Lowell. Given the right circumstances, a grain of sand can become a pebble. I chose to make a grain of sand from beside the Merrimack my third memento because it represents the hopeful question mark that is Lowell’s future. The incredible changes that have happened are nowhere near their end, so the grain of sand represents the bright future of the city.
       The second poem I chose was Caged Bird Society. What I took out of this poem was a man who takes his worries and griefs and sets them aside, ignoring them until he is reminded of them in the night. When he wakes in the morning, those caged worries and griefs are still their, perched on their swings singing “dissonant dirges” to him. Personally, I felt I could relate this to the college experience. Procrastination is filthy habit that nearly every university student is guilty of. Online assignments, studying for exams, and long term projects (like this one) are often pushed aside and ignored until the last minute, so students can instead go to hockey games, or to a movie, or hang out with friends in the dorm next door. We take those school burdens and put them in their own bird cages, where they sit on our laptops as we scroll through Facebook feeds and on our stereos as we listen to the newest country songs with our friends. These burdens are pushed aside for fun, but when it’s time to lay our heads down at night after a day of nonsense with friends, they ruffle their dark feathers and we’re reminded of our negligence. When we wake up in the morning, we’re reminded of our procrastination, and a brief feeling of guilt sets in. The thought of staying in to finish that paper is contemplated as we put on our shoes, and that thought is disregarded as we hop into a full car, en route to whatever adventure we’re distracting ourselves with. Our schoolwork is comparable to the man’s griefs and imagined worst things, both pushed aside but refusing to be ignored. 

       The final poem I chose was Heroin Chic, where Heroin addiction is addressed along with all the messiness that comes with it. Given recent assignments in class, I was inspired by Dicky Ward and The Fighter. Although Lowell hasn’t had a problem with crack cocaine in a while, drugs and addiction still play a part in our city’s tumultuous past, and sadly, a piece of our present.

Immersion Essay 1: Making Memories in Lowell

There are a few things in life that really can bring people together. Too often, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to sit down and talk to the people we love. Also too often in this highly digital era, we find it difficult to find relatable topics to talk about with new people. These social struggles, however, are eased when two things are introduced to the situation- sports and food. These two are undoubtedly two of the most effective ice breakers and points of melding for people. Luckily for me and other residents of Lowell, this city is filled to the brim with athletics and food.

Sports at UMass Lowell is a crucial aspect to our community. Being a completely D1 school puts a lot of focus on the athletic teams and events. Nothing is better than being in the Tsongas on a Friday night, all decked out in Blue UML gear, taunting the opposing goalie with 500 of your classmates. From freshmen to seniors, the stands are filled with people all cheering for the same thing, all on the same team. 

One of the best games was the night Merrimack College came to Lowell. My oldest friend, Brooke, goes to Merrimack and is a D2 softball player there. Despite Merrimack’s hockey team being their ONLY D1 team, she always jokes about how they can beat us. Well, the night Merrimack came we proved her wrong. I was extra excited that night because of my connection to Merrimack through Brooke. I was certain we could beat them and prove her wrong. As the lights in the stadium dimmed and the names of the players began to be called, my adrenaline was pumping. 

“Number 13…. Brett Seney!” As the Merrimack player skated to the center, the arena was filled with the usual “Who cares! You suck!” chant. The announcer went down the line of Merrimack players, each skating the the center to high five their teammates, and each being greeted by a booming “Who cares! You suck!” My favorite hazing moment, however, is when the goalie is announced. “Number 32…. Rasmus Tirronen” 

“Sieve you suck! Sieve you suck! Sieve you suck!”

I like to think that I’m not a mean person, and usually harsh comments like this would rattle me and send me into a “don’t be a jerk” speech, but when it comes to UML hockey games, the chanting gets the best of me. Something about how the whole school comes together looking to beat the same team, it’ll get the best of anyone. Hockey games are always a blast. Getting ready with my friends, the adventure from south campus all the way to the Tsongas, and especially the game itself. Hockey games are always eventful and a guaranteed good time, but that night was made even better when we beat Merrimack 4-1. Brooke was pretty vexed when I sent her a picture of the score board.

Food in the city of Lowell is just as diverse as its residents. There are Cambodian and Thai restaurants, Italian trattorias, and organic cafes. Downtown Lowell, with its rustic cobblestone streets and historic brick buildings, is the melting pot of good food in the city. For me, my family, and friends, there’s no stronger bonding experiencing than sitting around a table stuffing our faces. In almost every culture, meal times can be seen as sacred. It’s when everyone is together, sharing stories and laughs while enjoying good food. 

Two of my favorites are Tremonte’s and Life Alive. Both very different restaurants with very different food, atmospheres, and motifs, but both have the silent power of bringing people together. 

Tremonte’s is one of my family’s favorite restaurants. We go there for birthdays and anniversaries, and many times just for the sake of going. It’s located on the corner of Palmer street and sometimes requires risking a rolled ankle on the cobblestones during the long trek from a parking spot. The dark wood on the floors gives the restaurant a warm feeling, and the large booths are like a big, leather hug when you’re waiting for your food. My brother and I visited Tremonte’s a few weeks ago and it was just as good as it always is. It’s tradition to order than eggplant parmigiana as an appetizer, although I’ve had it as an appetizer and an entree before and been more than satisfied. My brother gets chicken broccoli pizza almost every trip. It’s basically chicken, ziti, broccoli, the pasta meal with white cream sauce, on top of a pizza sans ziti. He orders a large every time and I’ve never seen him not finish it. For me, I ordered a small version of their specialty pizza of the night. It had caramelized onions and peppers and was loaded with other veggies- right up my alley. I joined my brother in the Clean Plate Club that night, just like I usually do. 

When the waitress came to ask our drink orders when we were first seated, I ordered a water with lemon and Michael ordered a Bud Light draft. At the end of our meal, there was an issue with the check and we were waiting for quite some time. The waitress felt bad, and also knew my brother from the many times he’d visited during his four years at UMass Lowell, so she brought my brother a tiny glass of beer while we waited for the check. It was bigger than a shot glass, but only by a little. I think it may be a glass used for beer tastings, but watching my brother drink is Bud Light from that tiny glass with his pinky raised like Queen Elizabeth had me in stitches laughing. 

Life Alive is right around the corner from Tremonte’s in Downtown Lowell. It shares the same Lowellian feel, the quaintness of the cobblestones and the feeling that you’re in some artsy, hipster Tumblr blog that posts black and white pictures of coffee cups and buttered toast. The walls of Life Alive are covered with flyers for apartments for rent, community events, and tons of advertisements for local band performances. There are abstract murals covering the walls in brightly colored paints. As you leave the foyer and open the glass door into the actual restaurant, your eyes are overwhelmed with things to look at. The walls are a sunny shade of yellow that can brighten even the coldest January day. There are Chinese lanterns asian tapestries on the walls, shelves and shelves of books, and a stage for live music. 

As my mom and I walked into the small cafe, there was a man onstage playing his acoustic guitar. What first caught my eye was the large array of plants in the room. From hanging vines to potted flowers to bamboo, it was an array of cultures all put together, blending and coming together into a beautiful, peaceful place to meet with friends and loved ones.

I ordered “The Emperor”, which is a collection of vegetables and legumes over brown rice with miso sauce. It was the best kind of meal. It filled me up and left me feeling clean, not heavy and bloated like most restaurants. With my Emperor, I ordered the Life Alive juice. The juice consisted of Apple, Beet, Carrot, Celery, Kale, and Wheatgrass. Unsurprisingly, it was a bit bland and not quite the best thing I could’ve ordered. I think I would’ve preferred a sweeter fruit smoothie instead. Being an all organic restaurant, some menu items are a bit too earthy crunchy for me. Regardless, my mom and I still had a fabulous lunch in a unique atmosphere. The acoustic guitar playing mixed with the art and organic beauty products for sale provided a remarkable dining experience. 

At first glance, it’d be difficult to see the relation between two, quiet restaurants in downtown Lowell with the loud, rowdy atmosphere of a Riverhawks hockey game. When you look deeper, however, it’s easy to see the common thread between my brother’s tasting glass of beer and chicken broccoli pizza with the harassment of an opposing team’s goalie, or the relation between organic salads and acoustic guitar with the student section of the Tsongas Arena. It’s all about coming together and just spending time with loved ones. Whether you’re looking to munch on some italian cuisine with a sibling, sip on an organic fruit smoothie with your mom, or watch a hockey game with your classmates, Lowell has umpteen places and opportunities for gathering and making memories.

Adventure 1: The Allen House

      

In my 6 months living on campus at UMass Lowell, I’d walked by it a million times- on the way to the dining hall, on the way to class, I could even see it right from my bedroom window. I’d seen its brick structure bathed in sunlight during the heat of August; I’d seen it surrounded by the warm colors of autumn, orange and red leaves dusting the porch area in the rear; and now, mid February, its roofs and window sills are buried in snow. During the fall, my favorite homework spot was sitting outside under the oak tree that casts its shadow on the building, and during the massive blizzards in recent weeks, its hilly surroundings were the starting point of an epic sledding track for enthused students. The Allen House truly is the centerpiece of South Campus.

Upon opening the glass paned front door and walking into the building, you enter a foyer. In the foyer sits a desk, with papers and pamphlets scattered as if someone had abandoned it in the middle of a project. There are posters advertising minority groups on campus, and a on the right, hangs a large black plaque explaining the history of the building and namely, it’s famed owner. 

The Allen House was built in 1854, and in its 150 years, has been owned and utilized by various different groups before landing in the hands of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. It built by Abiel Rolfe, who was an agent for the Lowell to Nashua Railroad, and was originally called “The Terraces”. In 1864, Rolfe sold the house to a man named Rollin White who, during his ownership of the house, doubled its size. Years later in 1890, the house was purchased by Congressman Charles H. Allen. Mr. Allen was a Lowell native, graduating from Lowell High School and then later on from Amherst College. Charles H. Allen was truly a remarkable man with remarkable life accomplishments. He was a member of the School Committee in Lowell and played a part in establishing the Lowell Evening Schools. Allen served in the U.S. Congress from 1885 until 1889, and in 1890 was nominated for governor of Lowell. Allen was defeated, but later on served as Massachusetts Prison Commissioner from 1897 to 1898. When Theodore Roosevelt left his position as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to fight in the Spanish-American War, President McKinley asked Allen to fill the position. Upon Roosevelt’s return when the war ended in 1899, President McKinley named Allen the first civil governor or Puerto Rico. During his three years as governor, Allen brought the island government out of debt and left them with more than one million dollars in its treasury. 

Upon retiring from government positions in 1902, Allen became even more involved with his community back home. He was on the boards of many banks and businesses in Lowell, was vice president of the Morton Trust Company, and was president of the American Sugar Refining Company. Beyond his social and business accomplishments, Charles Allen was a fan of the arts. He played the cello and was also a talented painter. While living in the house, Allen collected art and built an art gallery as well as a music studio in the house. Back when Allen lived there, of course before the University was built, the house was surrounded by beautifully detailed gardens to accent the breath taking view of the Merrimack River. 

When Allen died in 1934, his daughter sold the house to the Grey Nuns of the Cross of Ottawa. The nuns used the house as a training space for novice nuns, and in 1957, sold the house to Lowell State College. Lowell State College later became the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Since purchasing the building, the University has used the house for student housing, classrooms, as well as offices. Beginning in the 1970s, the house was vacant for thirty years until the University decided to renovate and reopen it in 2007. 

After reading the plaque, the first thing I noticed was the tall staircase winding up to the second floor. The staircase was roped off, so I wasn’t able to travel upstairs, but I heard footsteps and later saw a student come down, so I would assume the second floor is filled with offices. As I took a left at the staircase, I entered a living room-esque space. The hardwood floors seemed modern enough, although they creaked below my Eddie Bauer boots as I walked through. The large fireplace was clearly the centerpiece of the room at one point in time. The detailed mantle and wide set chimney had been painted white, while the inner portion remained rustic brick. It’s easy to imagine Charles Allen sitting here during a cold winter storm, enjoying the fire and painting a landscape of the snowy Merrimack.

After noticing a small table covered in UMass Lowell Brochures, I proceeded into a large room that is easily my favorite in the house. Now filled with chairs and a flat-screen television mounted on the wall on top of a huge, stunning fireplace, with a surround sound sound system in the corner, I could easily guess this room had some sort of modern use. Despite these present-day distractions, what caught my eye was the beautifully styled ceiling. Arched and painted white, the ceiling had gold carvings, all parallel and perpendicular to each other. The golden details also lined the crown molding of walls. Paired with the incredibly dark, almost black, wood of the walls, the room was the most antique looking. Hanging on the walls were paintings by Charles H. Allen himself, all beautiful landscapes, as well as some family portraits of the Allen family. To the right of the massive television stand the most wonderful french style doors. They open up on the back porch of the building. From here, you can see the Merrimack in clear view, although all I saw was feet and feet and feet of snow. 

Walking back through the double doors that I entered through, I continued through the first fireplace room to further explore. Each room in the house is opened by double doors with opaque glass, and through one set of these double doors, I found a meeting room with more large windows as well as photographs on the wall. In the photographs are current day students of the University matched with students of the past; a photo of science majors in a modern lab sits on top of a black and white photo of science students of what looks to be the sixties; a female basketball player donning her red UML uniform dribbles down the court as female athletes wearing white blouses and knee-length skirts toss around a ball beneath her.

Across the hall, were two closed doors. Although I’m sure they were closed for a reason, I opened and went in anyway. The room was empty for the most part, with spare chairs and tables scattered about. It was clearly a storage space. The room had the smallest window I’d seen so far in the house. Despite being the smallest, it without a doubt had the best view. When you looked out, you could see the Merrimack River curving in the distance, the open field just outside the fence of the softball field, and the end of Sheehy Hall. This window offers the clearest view of the river, and I’m without a doubt going back in the spring to see the view sans snow.

As I snuck out of the storage room and quietly shut its doors, I continued down the hall I’d been traveling. On the walls were more paintings by Charles H. Allen as well as photographs of his family. I soon came upon an office on my left, where I ran into Donna Spellissy, Special Events Coordinator for the University. I could tell that Donna loved being located within the Allen House, as she expressed “we are just so fortunate to have our offices located here and we occupy the entire house”.

She gave me some brief information about the use of the house, and later e-mailed me an article about the Allen House’s Inaugural art collection event which help more information about the history of the building. The house was utilized as the Chancellor’s Office, but today is occupied by the Hospitality and Event Services Department of the University. The Hospitality and Event Services Department are responsible for booking events for the entire university as well as external clients. The house maintains its original “Italianate” charm and is filled with meeting rooms and offices. When I asked what the large room filled with chairs and a massive TV was used for, Donna told me that this year the University is using the Allen House as the starting place of campus tours. Groups come into the house, sit and watch a presentation about the University, and are then sent on their way with tour guides to see the campus. 

I think it’s a remarkable thing, how the house was adopted by the University at the very beginning of its lifetime, and now prospective students begin their prospective journey at Umass Lowell at the Allen House. It’s a beautiful building with a beautiful, antique charm, and now knowing the history, I’m even more glad to have it as my bedroom window view.