Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

UMass Lowell Image

River Hawk Homecoming -- UMass Lowell’s largest event for alumni, students, family, friends and the public to experience the campus’ transformation and dynamic university life -- will be held Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24.

10/13/2015

This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell, compiled by the Office of University Relations, 978-934-3224. For more stories about UMass Lowell, visit www.uml.edu/pressroom. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.

Sources of the week
UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss:

  • The hottest topics leading into Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate and an analysis of candidates’ performance afterward;
  • The ramifications of blockbuster mergers between Dell and Massachusetts-based EMC in the tech market and Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller in the beverage industry;
  • How nanotechnology is helping advance targeted treatment for patients as the country observes Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.

Hockey Team to ‘Draft’ Lowell Boy for Season of Support
Lessons of Market Basket Labor Uprising Explored at Event
River Hawk Fans Celebrate New Chancellor at Jacquie Moloney Night
UMass Lowell Students Help Raise Curtain on Play’s Premiere
Belfast Community Gospel Choir to Lift Voices in Lowell
Pride Soars During River Hawk Homecoming Weekend
Open House Gives Prospective Students Taste of University Life


DraftHockey Team to ‘Draft’ Lowell Boy for Season of Support

When: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 5 p.m.

What: UMass Lowell men’s hockey coach Norm Bazin and River Hawk players will introduce 4-year-old Lowell resident Lucas St. Onge as an honorary member of the team during this “Draft Day” event. Lucas, who is on transplant lists for a new liver, pancreas, small intestine and stomach due to an immune system disorder, will meet the players and sign a letter of intent to join the team. As a River Hawk, St. Onge will be invited to attend hockey practices, games and activities with his new teammates and mentors. The event is presented by the UMass Lowell Athletics Department and Team IMPACT, a charitable organization that pairs collegiate sports programs with children facing significant health challenges so they may experience the camaraderie of athletic play and team life.

Where: Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell

Contacts for media: Pete Souris, Athletics, 978-934- 3771 or Peter_Souris@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

MarketLessons of Market Basket Labor Uprising Explored at Event

When: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 11:45 a.m.

What: Authors Grant Welker and Daniel Korschun will talk about their new book, “We Are Market Basket: The Story of the Unlikely Grassroots Movement that Saved a Beloved Business,” in this Lunchtime Lecture Series event. In the summer of 2014, thousands of the supermarket chain’s employees staged a successful walkout and inspired a consumer boycott in support of ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas. Welker and Korschun will share stories of the decisions made in Market Basket’s executive suites and in the streets where employees waged their protest and how this story has become a case study in management-labor relations. Lunchtime Lectures are presented by UMass Lowell’s Office of Community Relations and the Moses Greeley Parker Lectures with support from campus and community partners.

Where: University Crossing, Moloney Hall, 220 Pawtucket St, Lowell

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

JacquieRiver Hawk Fans Celebrate New Chancellor at Jacquie Moloney Night

When: Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.

What: The UMass Lowell community and public will celebrate Chancellor Jacquie Moloney as the university’s new leader during a night of hockey dedicated in her honor. Moloney – who is considered a “Double River Hawk” because she earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees at UMass Lowell – has worked at the university for more than 30 years and is the first woman to be named chancellor in the institution’s history. She will drop the puck during a pre-game ceremony before the River Hawks take on the Colorado College Tigers. Thousands of fans at the game will be given commemorative #UnitedInBlue glowsticks and will then attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the most people simultaneously illuminating a glowstick.

Where: Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell

Contacts for media: Pete Souris, Athletics, 978-934- 3771 or Peter_Souris@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

MRTUMass Lowell Students Help Raise Curtain on Play’s Premiere

When: Saturday, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.

What: UMass Lowell students studying theater will participate in a reading of the play “Home of the Brave” alongside actors from the Merrimack Repertory Theatre who are staging the political farce. The event caps a week of workshops for the students, during which they were paired with MRT performers and staff to prepare the play for its premiere in April 2016. UMass Lowell students have gained hands-on experience working as the production’s stage manager and designers, and were mentored by the play’s author, Lila Rose Kaplan, the show’s actors and MRT Artistic Director Sean Daniels.

Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell

Contacts for media: Kate Brandt, MRT marketing office, 978-654-7595, kate.brandt@mrt.org or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

ChoirBelfast Community Gospel Choir to Lift Voices in Lowell

When: Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.

What: More than 100 members strong, the Belfast Community Gospel Choir will perform in concert in an event that will celebrate Lowell’s kinship with the people of Northern Ireland. Called “the soul of Belfast,” the choir will sing stirring renditions of contemporary favorites under the direction of the ensemble’s founder Marie Lacey and perform selections with the UMass Lowell Gospel Choir and Lowell High School Choir. The event is presented by the Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) and UMass Lowell’s Center for Irish Partnerships, which provides exchange and research programs for UMass Lowell students and faculty with colleagues from educational institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The concert is open to the public and admission is free.

Where: Lowell High School, Cyrus Irish Auditorium, 50 Fr. Morissette Blvd., Lowell

Contacts for media: Celine Gettings, city of Lowell, 978-674-4040, cgettings@lowellma.gov or Nancy Cicco, UMass Lowell, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

HomecomingPride Soars During River Hawk Homecoming Weekend

When: Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24

What: One celebration for every generation, River Hawk Homecoming is UMass Lowell’s largest event for alumni, students, family, friends and the public to experience the campus’ transformation and dynamic university life. An outdoor fair, athletic competitions, class reunions, campus tours and a concert of Portuguese folk music are just some of the weekend’s activities. The full schedule can be found at www.alumni.uml.edu. Events include:

  • “Fado: Sounds of Portugal” – Friday, Oct. 23. Pre-show reception at 5:30 p.m., concert at 7 p.m. This performance of Portuguese folk music will benefit UMass Lowell’s Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research. A pre-show reception will allow audience members to meet performers Ana Laíns, Santo Costa and Tô Neto. Reception – Health and Social Sciences Building, South Campus, 113 Wilder St., Lowell. Concert – Durgin Hall, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell
  • 17th annual Jennifer’s Fun Run/Walk – Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. Participants will follow a course that winds through Lowell along both sides of the Merrimack River while raising money for the Jennifer D’Amour Scholarship Fund, which benefits UMass Lowell women’s cross-country and track-and-field athletes. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell
  • Hawkey Way – Saturday, Oct. 24, 3 to 6 p.m. This free, outdoor festival will include food, live music, student performances, games, inflatable rides and arts and crafts. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

AdmissionsOpen House Gives Prospective Students Taste of University Life

When: Sunday, Oct. 25. Exhibits and resource fair – 9 to 11:30 a.m. Academic presentations and campus tours – 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

What: Prospective freshmen, transfer and graduate students will learn about UMass Lowell’s breadth of academic programs and get a taste of its vibrant campus life during this annual open house. Attendees and their families will meet with faculty, staff and students and tour UMass Lowell’s booming campus, which features 11 new buildings including new residence halls and academic facilities. Presentations on majors and programs, exhibits and information about financial aid and educational resources will illustrate why UMass Lowell is ranked as one of the fastest-growing public universities in the nation by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate degree programs and options for graduate study that include 42 master’s and 36 doctoral degrees and dozens of certificate programs. For more, visit www.uml.edu/admissions/visit/open-house/default.aspx.

Where: Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu