A Discussion With Eric Athas

My first impression of Eric Athas was that he very could have been another student in our Multimedia class. Clean cut, and armed with a Mac Book Pro, he seemed to blend in well with the rest of the journalism students. There is one major difference between Eric Athas and the masses of journalism hopefuls at UMass Amherst: He’s made it.

By ‘making it’ I don’t mean that Athas has a six-figure salary and is friends with celebrities; I mean that he has a successful career. A successful career to a college student seems like a far off entity that we are constantly chasing until we finally graduate and then….wait for it….we’re living at our parents house to pay off student loans.

Athas struck me as a student whose brain never really seemed to turn off. Before graduating in 2008, he had a number of accomplishments in the journalism field at UMass Amherst. He had the brainchild that would turn into what is now know as the Amherst Wire (link) and was a liaison to the western Massachusetts publication known as masslive.com. Hearing these achievements made me envious, but after further explanation Athas made it known that it wasn’t impossible for students to get involved in these types of publications, you just had to have the right amount of determination.

Noteworthy news seemed to shape Athas’ early career. As a student he followed a story of a student who had allegedly committed suicide in India (link). His coverage and investigative reporting led to negative comments by her friends but ultimately there was more to the story than meets the eye and Athas was apart of that for the duration of the publication. The theme of ‘wearing your journalism hat’ continued later in his career as well. As a homepage editor at the Washington Post, he was one of the first on the scene to a murder at a Lululemon Yogashop. With his journalism hat intact, he was able to break the story that turned out to be much more than a simple homicide.

Another point that was stressed in the discussion with Athas was hard work and networking. He provided countless examples of times that he has been put in contact with people by chance. Athas found his new job at NPR by befriending someone at a conference in Toronto, and many years later it landed him a job. The importance of networking seems to be essential to landing a successful job in the modern journalism field. Patience is another factor. One does not simply graduate from college and land in an amazing job, you have to work your way up the ladder to get where you want to be. Athas is a prime example of a student with a curiosity and love for journalism and a fantastic work ethic. He stuck to his beliefs when he covered stories and always worked hard to uncover the truth. Having Athas speak to us gave us an insight into the world of hard working journalists, and it became apparent that everyone needs to always wear their journalism hat.

Reactions to Post Superbowl Expulsions

New England Patriots 17 -  New York Giants 21
Soon after the Patriots second straight super bowl loss to the Giants, students from the University of Massachusetts flooded into the school’s South West Residence Area to demonstrate their discontent.

Giants fans were sprinkled throughout the crowd, and the antics of the crowd soon grew destructive. Video evidence from the scene depicts fights, disorderly conduct, and destructive behavior.

Police officers moved in soon after the mass of students formed, and 13 people were arrested.

The initial arrests were not the end of the legal action against students. Just days after the incident, the University of Massachusetts Police Department released photos of student ‘trouble makers’ who were identified from numerous videos of the incident.

“They were really looking for people that were doing something. Not just people who were standing there and were unlucky enough to be caught on video,” said Student Government Association Speaker Jared Rose.

Identified students faced punishments including either expulsion or suspension. According to Ed Blaguszewski of the Office of News and Media relations at UMass, these consequences were determined almost immediately.

SGA Attorney General Kyle Howard questioned whether the University should be pursuing these individuals for an event that has already passed.

“The time for arrests has passed in my opinion,” said Howard. “It would be unfortunate for them to start identifying people out of the blue.”

Furthermore, he stressed that those who were arrested were given the right to due process.

“They will sometimes take a police report as indisputable fact,” said Howard. “It is really important that both sides get their facts heard,” which would prevent students from wrongful punishment for a situation that he sees as no body’s fault.

Raucous gatherings are not a new concept for UMass, instances like the previous World Series championship wins and last years death of Osama Bin Laden have resulted in these uproars.

Both student leaders and administration alike are trying to shed the image that these commotions bring.

“People think [rioting] is part of the UMass experience,” said Blaguszewski. “Ultimately I think it’s foolish.”

And it would seem the SGA agrees with him as well because the Monday meeting after the gathering featured a recess, or an uncharacteristic break from formality in which students were able to voice opinions on the issue in an open setting.