Assistant Social Media Editor, Paige Hanson sat down with Wheatus front man, Brendan Brown to discuss their legacy. Wheatus is a rock band formed in 1995 by Brown with members: Matthew Milligan who plays bass, Brandon Tiger who plays keyboard, and Joey Slater and Gabrielle Sterbenz who are the background vocals. They have struggled with feeling socially unaccepted. When their #1 hit song, “Teenage Dirtbag” was originally released it failed to make it to the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 but had huge successes in areas such as the UK, Europe, and Australia. The band seems to understand the popularity behind “Teenage Dirtbag” as they believe it is just one of those songs anyone can relate to. The song plays an important role in self-expression and acceptance of humanity. The audience at their show was mainly filled with college students eager to hear the song along with a few millennials and die-hard fans. Brown shares many meaningful interactions with his audience on stage through story-telling, cracking jokes, and raw talent. Sterbenz made a significant impact in the band considering Brown strived to have a female presence in the band. According to Brown. “A song is just a person with an instrument, telling the story.” The band made a bold choice to not have a setlist during tour but instead let the audience pick the songs. Nicely enough, Brown stuck around after the show to bond with fans by taking pictures and talking, getting to know fans. Although he refers to his band as a “one-hit wonder” all that matters to him and his fellow band members are special moments they share with fans and the memories they make.
Collegian Staff Member, Hailey Furilla captures the significance of UMass Amherst students serving justice for Palestine. On January 23rd, UMass Amherst students disrupted career fair at Mount Ida Campus for justice in Palestine. Students alternated between surrounding outside of the fitness hall where the event was being held and beside the Mass foundation booth. Members of group handed out flyers informing how various companies at the fair had contributed to the war in Gaza. Members of SJP had an objective to make students more aware of what they are doing when they sign up for jobs. SJP member, Samuel Whalen hoped to educate students a bit about the background of these companies. While UMass foundation booth ignored protestors, Anya Epstein, another SJP member, said flyers and signs conjured a positive response from students. Protestors emphasized the need to keep advocating for Palestine, though Israel recently reached a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Members want to inform students this genocide isn’t over. Even after ceasefire was announced, Israeli strikes continued. A targeted attack occurred hours later that took 73 Palestinian lives with drone strikes whilst celebrating the agreement. Israeli forces then murdered 2 more innocent civilians as Palestinians attempt returning to North Gaza. Hamas violated the agreement by failing to return hostage Arbel Yehud which delayed the return of civilians to North Gaza. Another member of SJP, Hailey Ho emphasized that the temporariness of the deal is why protesting must continue. By joining together, the UMass chapters hope to convince UMass to drop the war profiters they’ve partnered with.
