UMassHoops.com

ShotPutNC · Junior Joined: 05 Feb 2012 Posts: 633 Location: Amherst

^ I have a hard time believing that anyone thinks that the academics at our school or their reputation are somehow worse now because students were outside late at night.

DrG · Hall of Fame Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 2171 Location: MA

meff · Senior Joined: 10 Nov 2003 Posts: 895 Location: Hanover

^

The negative press that it brought DOES hurt the reputation of the school. I had co-workers from Nashville and Canada who know I'm a big UMass fan and alum send comments about the riot and what a party school I went to. Their comments are all based on the press UMass gets each time something like this happens.

ShotPutNC · Junior Joined: 05 Feb 2012 Posts: 633 Location: Amherst

Maybe the reputation surrounding the school and the social life. The "riot" had no impact on how strong our academic programs are, and no riot ever will because the two are completely unrelated.

It was a clear failure on the administrations part and I think it was blown out of proportion early on. The emails put the idea in kids heads long before chatter had started on campus. If you didn't want a "riot", you'd have a more pronounced police presence on the concourse before anything starts. They should have been proactive, not reactive.

Bubba · Junior Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 571

I am with Meff,

Here is the deal. Most people attend 1 or maybe 2 colleges for their education. The way they reconcile (rank) the value of other people from other schools is based on their perception of that university. This hurts the perception of our school as a valid institute of higher learning. No one really sees what goes on in the classroom.

example: Ivy league college are still often regarded as the best, I would imagine similar classes are not vastly different in required effort between Umass and any given Ivy. (think the grade inflation 'scandals' http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-03-27-princeton-grades_N.htm )

Riots and other crime and disorder that gets press hurts alumnus.

On the flip side. Those of us in the working world that are well regarded can help combat those issues, but typically that reaches 1 person at a time, where negative press reaches thousands at a time.

meff · Senior Joined: 10 Nov 2003 Posts: 895 Location: Hanover

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:27 pm Post subject:

ktabz16 · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:30 pm Post subject:

the further you go from massachusetts, the better the u is perceived. i have a friend in scotland who was raving about umass when i told him thats where i went to school.

jjmc85 · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:59 pm Post subject:

Whether people like it or not, the riots and ZooMass name have a bad connotation with those who didn't go to UMass. People in my church were talking about the riots and family members I watched the Super Bowl with talked about James saying "ZooMass." Their impressions were not positive.

What would you be doing if a UConn alum called their school "Convict-U" during the Super Bowl or if a bunch of BC kids went out and rioted after the Bean-Pot? Would you be praising their universities? Would you think it was funny? Would you think it looked favorably on the schools? Would you rave about what great schools they are? Would it make you think good things or bad things about their Universities as a whole?

Take off your maroon colored glasses cause the rest of the world isn't wearing them. Especially in Massachusetts, where not many think highly of UMass when compared to the private schools. It's considered a safety school and a party school and a school for people who can't get into "better" schools. "ZooMass" and riots help to keep this reputation alive.

At my own high school, I had teachers say "Why are you going there?" I have a roommate who goes to Northeastern, and he was shocked to here that I chose UMass over NU, cause he didn't think anyone would do such a thing. People are still shocked when I tell them UMass rejected me for Grad School but BC gave me a full scholarship and a stipend for Grad School.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the impression that UMass has to fight for everything it gets in this state. People will use anything and everything they can and hold whatever it can against UMass. They don't take time to analyze whether or not the riots and ZooMass name effect how strong our academic programs.

Seriously. Think about it. If It was "ZooConn" and they rioted after every Red Sox/Yankees/Patriots/Jets/Giants/whatever playoff game, wouldn't max out the bandwidth with people making fun of them and taking shots at their university as a whole?
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I wish Hockey East was an all-sports conference.

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:07 pm Post subject:

Comparing the names ZooMass and Convict-U is a bit ridiculous, no?

And I thought we determined that what happened two weekends ago actually wasn't a riot.
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Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

Old Cage · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:18 pm Post subject:

B - The media made it a riot, therefore it was a riot.
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"Jack didn’t have any envy in him," Calipari said. "He was the greatest coach to ever coach here."

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:22 pm Post subject:

Come on OC, that's a load of crap and you know it.
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Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

CrooksisRhyming · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:19 pm Post subject:

Meanwhile we had two players in the Super Bowl, and one who caught a touchdown. We had 90 high school juniors on campus - NINETY - on Friday. We have potential recruits tweeting about how much they loved it.

We have a recently committed recruit tweeting about how their mother was crying happy tears because her boy was going to play football for UMass.

Great things are happening right now, and yet the most popular subject on the football portion of this board is regarding a rowdy gathering of kids that is being called a riot because that and $10 houses are the only sexy topics happening in Western Mass.

Some call it ZooMass and some hate the moniker, that's just something that people are going to disagree about. But the fact of the matter is that we're having this conversation under a thread representing one of the great accomplishments this program has ever seen.

Not to mention, this accomplishment is just one of many great things happening for this program and school.

Let's recap:

1) We moved to the FBS
2) We are playing our home games in Gillette and are in the process of making drastic changes to our home stadium
3) We hired Notre Dame's offensive coordinator
4) We just put together a VERY intriguing recruiting class
5) We just had 90 future recruits on campus
6) We are scheduling BCS programs left and right
7) Two alumni just played in the Super Bowl
Cool

Victor Cruz is literally taking over the sports world in the biggest media market in the nation
9) Another former Minuteman is slated to be drafted in the fifth round

Life is good, and the few idiots that were more stupid than they should have been are paying the price by not being able to attend our respectable, impressive and ever-growing university.

A few idiots do not equal what we are and what we're about to be. We can go back and forth for days here, but why not just enjoy what's right in front of us?

Go UMass.
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"Wherever I go, I’ll never be bashful about being from UMass, baby.” -Victor Cruz

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:25 pm Post subject:

You forgot to mention that the one caught that touchdown one on one against the other, while another was 50ft away from them in the stands!

Laughing

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Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

Old Cage · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:26 pm Post subject:

B - No, I don't know it! You absolutely don't get it on what anyone who graduated before Zoumass believes.

Zoomass disgusts me. It denigrates my degrees. I am embarrassed when professionals scoff at our school. I know, and you know, the true story, but the general public in MA does not.

What folks see on the tube, or when they read idiots like Howie Carr, is the only impression that the 99% get.
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"Jack didn’t have any envy in him," Calipari said. "He was the greatest coach to ever coach here."