Ted Koppel urges UMass graduates to demand 'more substance' from media

AMHERST - Longtime "Nightline" host Ted Koppel told 5,000 graduating seniors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Friday to demand "more substance" from today's news media. Failure to do so, the former ABC newsman said, will result in a world with "too many unemployed, too many foreclosures, too much debt" and people asking the media: "Why did you feed us all that trivial crap, when so many terrible things were converging?" The 142nd UMass commencement took place at a sun-soaked field at McGuirk Stadium, where, in addition to the undergraduates, some 1,300 graduate students received master's and doctoral degrees

UMass band building gets green kudos

AMHERST - The University of Massachusetts campus has its first building certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system: the George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building.

Completed last spring, the building named after the much beloved late longtime UMass band director recently earned gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

UMass graduation speaker Ted Koppel addresses future of journalism

AMHERST - News icon Ted Koppel says social media like Twitter and Facebook may have played a role in the Arab Spring that brought down despotic governments in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and elsewhere. But he worries they are also bringing down the quality of journalism. Koppel, a 41-time Emmy winner, will deliver the commencement address Friday to 5,000 undergraduates at McGuirk Stadium at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in ceremonies that begin at 4 p.m.

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U.S. Sen. Scott Brown files legislation to halt increase in student loan rates

AMHERST - U.S. Sen. Scott Brown filed two bills Monday aimed at curbing rising college tuition costs, seizing on an issue that affects many middle-class families.

With financial aid limited, student loans more critical to pay for education

AMHERST - Jarred Rose has heard it all during two years working in the financial aid office at the University of Massachusetts. But the senior from Acushnet has heard one thing more than any other from students and families seeking financial assistance. "I've heard crying more than anything else," Rose told a crowd of 50 people assembled Thursday in front of the Student Union to discuss planned increases in student loan interest costs. With financial aid limited and tuition and fees rising, students and families increasingly have turned to loans to finance their education.

• Related story: Congressmen blast Republican plan on student loan rates

Former UMass chancellor John Lombardi ousted after five years at LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. - John Lombardi, who served as the chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst for five years during the last decade, was fired Friday from his current position as the Louisana State University system president.

Pharmacy stays open at UMass Health Services

AMHERST - The pharmacy at University Health Services will stay open, despite initial plans to close it as a cost-saving measure. Reduced hours at the health center will remain in effect.