Talk:University of Massachusetts Lowell/Archive 1

Nuclear Reactor and Whatnot
Hey, I made a page that should encompass your nuclear reactor and other stuff in the radiation lab. There's no mention of it on this page, so I'll leave it up to one of you to add University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory. Thanks! theanphibian 12:25, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Campus Terminology
The Administration at UML changed Academic North to East Campus formally about a year and a half ago. See it here at the OFFICIAL UMASS/Lowell website. Please stop changing it unless you know what you are talking about.--Azathar 03:19, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Alright, alright. No need for your attitude, though. 24.107.227.12 04:20, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Well, you didn't need to write the "East Campus crap" either in your edits comment. One of the reasons people make negative comments about Wikis is that its contributers don't check the facts. Since I go to UML, and have been going since 1999, I would like to see it (the UML entry) remain as correct as possible. Sorry if I sound like I have an attitude.--Azathar 05:23, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Poor Mans' MIT
Is there a source for the claim of UML being the "poor man's MIT"? I keep telling myself that it is, as the purported quality of the education here is the main thing stopping me from transferring. The Taped Crusader 08:40, 26 April 2006 (UTC)
 * I've been looking but have yet to find an actual source other than wikipedia that notes this phrase. While it may not be widely held through the state, it seems a commonly held belief with the UML Engineering Department.  From what I remember "Poor man's MIT" was actually a reference that was transferred from Lowell Tech, which as the article notes later merged with Lowell State to form UML.  It goes back to when MIT and Lowell Tech were  the better of the few quality technical schools in the state. CRobey 03:52, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Chancellor Hogan
From what I read the Chancellor is resigning during the summer. While an interim Chancellor or permanent replacement has yet to be announced, it will likely need to be changed within a few months. CRobey 03:52, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Expansion/Structure
I restructured the article, adding a bunch of information. Most of it seemed relevant but I didn't have the time to properly structure each subarticle. I added a section on demographics. If I have the time I'll pull the info from the campus profile on the UML admission site. The WUML seemed out of place so I put it in it's own category, I'm sure since it has an entire article of its own, it should be easy to expand.

Greek Life?
It was my understanding that Greek Life at UML was disassociated decades ago - is it still WikiPedia-worthy? At least some mention of their "unrecognized" status is a must. Midnightdreary 22:20, 2 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I don't believe that they are especially relevant on campus, although what their official status is I have no idea. Robogymnast 00:18, 3 January 2007 (UTC)


 * yea the school doesnt offically recognise any greek life actually Gang14 05:47, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

In response to Greek life guy, yeah it is Wiki-Worthy, at least Phi Kap is. Just because the university doesn't recognize us doesn't make us worthless (I speak for Phi Kap), almost all universities across the country are doing the same thing, or are trying hard to find ways to disassociate themselves from Greek Life, fraternities aren't like Alpha house in Animal House pal. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Special:Contributions/ (talk)


 * My question would be, if the University doesn't recognize Greek life, why is it "Wiki-Worthy" in an encyclopedia article on the University? The University also does not have a varsity ping-pong team - is that Wiki-Worthy? As an aside, "almost all universities... are doing the same thing"? Based on what evidence? I work at a college with a Greek system, and never have heard that kind of talk before. And, by the way, no one suggested anything about Animal House, "pal." Sounds like you're being defensive. Step outside of your personal bias for a second, and think of the encyclopedic aspect here first. :) --Midnightdreary 14:23, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

Do you even go to UMass Lowell? Or have gone here? And the reference to Animal House was a joke that I thought you'd get. In case you didn't see the movie, Alpha House is the preppy, formal Fraternity, you know that quote "thank you, sir! may I have another?", it's from them.

Step out of the shoes of a 17th century poet and into the shoes of a prospective UMass Lowell freshman. Kids in high-school who are applying to a college will sometimes wonder about the Greek life at the school they are applying to, so it makes sense to have a short blurb on Greek life in this article.

That right there is a completely justifiable argument as to the wiki-worthiness of the mention of UMass Lowell's Greek life. I do agree, it should be stated that all Greek organizations are not affiliated with the school, but by no means should the whole entry be removed from the article.

Also, Marty Meehan was quoted saying that he is interested in affiliating UMass Lowell with all nationally recognized Fraternities and Sororities. As much as you probably don't believe me, I am not making this up and I got verbal confirmation from the Dean of Students as well. It's probably a stretch, but it has been almost 20 years (UMass Lowell stopped recognizing Greeks in 1989) so it could very well happen. It's better for the school, if we had a thriving Greek life, it'd attract more students to apply to UMass Lowell and up our enrollment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.63.173.50 (talk) 06:06, 11 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Actually I do go to UMass Lowell and other than parties you dont hear anything about greek life. Second I'm in contact with Larry Segal weekly and geek life will not be recognized in any of our college lives even if Marty wants it. Third if people are looking for colleges on Wiki I dont want them coming to Lowell but thats me. Gang14 07:36, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Well, hang on, there's a couple problems with both arguments. For one thing, let's leave personal opinion out of this (and conjecture; I wonder what evidence you have that having a Greek life increases enrollment at a college that's already over 10,000 or whatever the number is). Let's also be careful to think about Wikipedia as an encyclopedia, not as an admissions brochure and not for unencyclopedic information. If the school does not currently recognize something like, for example, the KKK (which, by the way, very quietly attempted to have a rally on campus several years back when I was a student there; they couldn't because they were not recognized), why include information about it in an encyclopedia article? I agree, Greek life worth mentioning, but only alongside the caveat that they are not recognized. If further information is added, it must be in relation to UML, not the Greek organizations - that would mean a discussion of the controversy, why they are unaffiliated, debates for and against them, etc. Does that make sense? (Quick addendum, who's looking at this like a 17th century poet? What does that have to do with anything?) --Midnightdreary 13:51, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

To Midnightdreary: It was a joke man; midnight dreary, Edgar Allen Poe, 17th century poet. That being said, my last post was directed towards you. It is my fault, I probably should be clearer in regards to who I am writing to.

As far as Greek organizations helping enrollment... come on, this is Lowell, which used to be one of the shadiest cities and next to one of the dirtiest and smelliest rivers, who really wants to go here? This school wasn't my first choice--I'm a transfer from Drexel in Philly--and it wasn't for many people I know. Don't misunderstand me, the educational programs are great, UMass Lowell has a lot to offer, and I am damn proud to be graduating here this coming spring, but a lot of kids I know come here as transfers, and that's only if they don't decide to go to UMass Amherst first, who does recognize Greeks. Okay, I don't have statistical evidence, but it's my personal opinion that if we had a flourishing Greek life--and I don't mean parties, stuff like inter-Fraternity sports, fund raising events, family cookouts, the list can go on--it would attract more students to become interested in UMass Lowell as their top choice and increase freshman enrollment. Plus, if the school would be so kind as to aid us in buying houses, we could house students, increasing the quality of student life considering so many people that go here are commuters. Meehan wants to make this school a powerhouse with all the goals he listed in early Sept., why completely disregard the Greeks? We are a big part of the social life at UMass Lowell. We actually have around 7,000 undergraduates, you can find the exact number on the registrar's webpage somewhere.

To Gang14: Very true, you won't hear anything about Greek life other than parties because we're not affiliated with UMass Lowell, which means we can't advertise a thing on campus. Also as a result of this, there's no pan-Hellenic council, so even the Greek organizations themselves aren't exactly sure what each other is doing. Yeah, Larry's a tough cookie, he probably will put the brakes on Greek affiliation, but if we had the chancellor backing us--Hogan never did as far as I know--I'd think we'd have a fair shot. Having the school recognize Fraternities and Sororities would help alleviate the stereotypes surrounding us.

I understand what you mean about someone searching UMass Lowell on Wikipedia for the reason that it's an open encyclopedia, but it's a little harsh to say you wouldn't want anyone coming here for that reason. I highly doubt a graduating high school senior would make his college decision based on an article on Wikipedia, it's just a supplement to information that you wouldn't hear about otherwise.


 * I hate being called "man," man. :) You'll excuse me for not catching the joke until after the fact; my excuse is that Edgar Allan Poe wasn't born until 1809, so you were about 200 years off - I hope you're not majoring in English at UML! Heh heh. Anyway, your opinion on Greek life at Lowell is very strong and I for one respect that and you won't catch me arguing about it. But, we have to discuss the article on Wikipedia, not Greek life at Lowell in general. In that light, Wikipedia is not intentionally meant to serve as an admissions tool (so you're argument about enrollment doesn't seem to be relevant). Besides, UML is possibly the strongest school in the state for engineering, computer science, and even music (though I think it's riding on an old reputation on that one) so people will always go there if they're looking to save cash and not go to a private school or, yuck, Amherst. Anyway... the Greek houses are not provided by the university (as you say) and, technically, I believe their current homes are not part of the physical campus owned by UML (therefore, they aren't relevant). Because they are not officially recognized, they don't technically have official gatherings or events or fundraisers on campus (or am I wrong here?) so, again, there's not a lot of need for them in an article about UML. I think the best compromise might be to address that they exist but in their unrecognized status and maybe a bit about the debate to bring them back or not - but this is only if references are found (didn't the Connector have an article a few years back on the controversy? Maybe something since Meehan came on board?). Does this make sense? Ultimately, I'm really not trying to argue or cause a fight or anything like that. Again, we're not talking about Greek life for the sake of Greek life, we're talking about Wiki-policy (and, granted, you're an anonymous IP, not a dedicated Wiki-geek like Gang14 and me but still...). And, as an aside, this talk page is for discussing improvements to the article, not general chat related to UML (but if you're interested in the Hogan years, you could always email me). . --Midnightdreary 22:16, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

I'm not so anonymous since that kid released his software that tracks who changes what on Wikipedia. I just don't have an account, but for future reference, my name is Jeff.

Maybe it's just the way I see Wikipedia; Wikipedia is open-source--I'm a big advocate of open-source--which means it's owned by everyone, which in my eyes--in this case especially--translates to students. Current students and alumni should be editing this page (with accurate information, of course) on how their experience is/was. No, I don't mean a blog, but we could have a section on student life and how good it is through the eyes of the students. I go back to Drexel, if you look it up on here you'll see a section entitled "The Drexel Shaft", it's a common saying there that the students coined in regards to the bureaucracy in the administration there. Do you think the president wrote that? and had Wikipedia been the thing then (almost four years ago), I probably would've looked Drexel up and read all about the shafting. Granted, it may not have swayed my initial decision to go there, but I definitely would have asked questions at orientation and have a clearer idea of what I was getting myself into. My point is, where there are no restrictions, as there are on UMass Lowell's website and other "official" information resources, no detail should be left out...Greeks included.

And as far as I know, Wikipedia policy is just as simple as reporting the truth. The truth is there are Greek organizations located on, or near if you want to be absolutely technical, campus, but we happen to be unaffiliated with the school.

And in case you are going to respond and say "well why don't we fill it with information that just isn't true?", all I can say to that is, there is so many devoted people to the open-source "cause", if you will, and so many educated UMLers that frequent this page, that it's under close watch. I have faith in you people. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.63.173.50 (talk) 04:20, 18 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Fair enough. But, well, Wikipedia does have a crapload of policies; we're not just doing this blind. Verifiability prevents us from just adding "truth" but instead makes us focus on "verifiable truth." Even that's qualified based on reliable sources, otherwise we fall into original research. And, of course, we have to always worry about neutral point of view. Then there's the question of conflict of interest. So, we do the best we can, but there are definitely specific aims, goals, and ideals for this Wikipedia project. I'll make this argument too: "The truth is there are Greek organizations located on or near campus"... well, there's also a pizza join near campus. And a hardware store. There's also a bridge that isn't paved, not to mention way too many handicapped spots on South Campus. But, the trick for Wiki editors is to discern what's most important, while still watching for verifiability using reliable sources, avoiding original research, and maintaining NPOV. Well, anyway, there was my crash course in Wikipedia. But, ultimately, I go back to the original point I made here back in January: if Greek life is mentioned, our commitment to truth (which even you mention, Jeff) tells us that we must emphasize that they are unaffiliated. Is that a good compromise or not? --Midnightdreary 12:13, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

Other Buildings?
There is no mention of the many different buildings on campus some of which are named after some local semi-famous people like Charles H. Allen do we want to consider adding this section? 129.63.179.139 17:12, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

I added the buildings does anyone wanna put them in colums because I have no idea how Gang14 05:41, 3 September 2007 (UTC)
 * scratch that found out Gang14 05:59, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:UMass-Lowell-logo.png
Image:UMass-Lowell-logo.png is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 16:00, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

The story behind the name Riverhawk
The history of the name Riverhawk presented in this article is somewhat true. The name was voted on by the student body in the fall semester of 1993, a year after the transition from Lowell University to UMASS-Lowell. The measure was brought forward to change the name Chiefs as it was seen as racially insensitive by members of the board of trustees and members of the student council. At no time was pressure brought from an organization outside of the university to change the name.

The three potential mascots, all associated with the Merrimac River, were presented to the student body for a vote. A fourth space was provided for write-ins. After the vote the ballots were tallied by members of Student Government in the SGA offices in Fox Hall.

At the end of the tally Riverhawks actually received the second most votes. The mascot that received the most votes, by almost a two to one margin, was immediately discounted. You see the winning mascot was, as chosen by the student body by write-in vote, the Chiefs. I know this because I was on the student government at the time of the vote and I helped tally the ballots.Linuscalling (talk) 18:13, 19 August 2008 (UTC)
 * That's a really interesting story so thanks for dropping the note. It's nice to hear the student body at Lowell actually stood up for something (it seems to happen only rarely). I think Raging Rapids was an excellent suggestion, personally, but the vote was before my time there. I wonder if there's a better, reputable source we can cite discussing the development of the River Hawks... --Midnightdreary (talk) 21:20, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

Proposed structure changes
While the neutrality problems mentioned by others are still a problem, I wanted to address the article structure. Per WP:UNIGUIDE I propose the following changes:


 * 1) Add Campus section
 * 2) Fold Rankings into subsection under Academics
 * 3) Combine Notable Alumni and Notable Faculty into single Notable People section
 * 4) Fold Recent Developments into subsection under History
 * 5) Eliminate University Demographics section, move relevant content into new subsection under Student Life

Thanks! --Zmacinnes (talk) 05:37, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

Cleanup and rewrite needed
Nearly everything in the article sounds like it was copied from UML promotional literature, press releases, etc. That's not the purpose of Wikipedia (see what Wikipedia is not), so this article needs to be re-evaluated from scratch to determine what material is important enough to include.

Whatever is retained should be rewritten in a neutral point-of-view style, and documented with references to reliable published sources. Employees of UML should not edit the article as part of their jobs: that would be a case of conflict of interest. Thanks to all who have contributed to building the article so far! -- Chonak (talk) 06:52, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Minor edit: saw WUML listed twice, under the big seven clubs and other clubs(which I am assuming is all clubs not part of the big 7.) 24.60.59.205 (talk) 06:29, 2 October 2011 (UTC)

Guide for writing university articles
There is a helpful guide on how to write articles about colleges and universities at WP:UNIGUIDE. Chonak (talk) 21:47, 27 September 2009 (UTC)

College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
I am removing this content from the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences section: "The College of FAHSS focuses most of its resources and energies on major programs such as Music, Criminal Justice and Psychology. Smaller programs, even departments that are traditionally part of any collegiate education, such as history, are often extremely neglected as a result. To compare, UMass Lowell, a university of 17,000 students employs 14 tenure-track Hitstory faculty members and lacks any graduate programs in the department; the Commonwealth of Virginia's second-ranked public university, The College of William and Mary, a university of only 6,200 or so, employs 37 tenure-track History faculty members and not only offers a masters in history but a doctoral program." Not only does it not have a source for any of the information, but is the opposite of academic boosterism and advocates a POV. If you want to revert it, find a source and clean up the language, please. --LibraryGurl (talk) 15:15, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

Plastics Engineering
UMass Lowell's Plastics Engineering program is clearly not the only ABET accredited bachelor's degree in the subject. A search on ABET's website reveals five others: Pennsylvania College of Technology; Pennsylvania State University, Behrend College; Pittsburg State University; University of Wisconsin - Stout; and Western Washington University.

Previously, I had changed this line to say "first", and then asked for a citation. But now it has been reverted and cites wrong information. I will remove the line again for the moment (hopefully this will make clear my concern before it is reverted), but as a pretty casual Wikipedia editor, I am unsure how to proceed.

72.88.116.234 (talk) 01:12, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
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