Dear

I am writing you in regards to a deal between the University of Massachusetts – Lowell and the Lowell Spinners to broadcast baseball games on the university’s student run radio station, WUML (91.5 FM). This station was built by students and has been operated by students for over 50 years. It is still financed through student activity fees, and operates under a non-commercial educational license. With the Spinners deal, UML will use this station to promote a commercial entity not affiliated with UML in any way. At the same time, UML plans to use the station to offer a nationally syndicated show from professional broadcaster Christopher Lydon.

As a taxpayer in this state, I am strongly against the use of tax monies to promote commercial ventures. I am especially against the broadcasting of Spinners games because it is in direct violation of UML’s Mission Statement, which states “The mission of the University of Massachusetts Lowell is to provide to students an affordable education of high quality and to focus some of its scholarship and public service on assisting sustainable regional economic and social development.” The Spinners games, which begin at 7 on weeknights and 5 on weekends will displace a number of shows, including many that cater to ethnic groups unserved elsewhere, such as Voice of Cambodian Children, the only Khmer language program serving the 2nd largest Cambodian population in the country. This action does not assist in regional social development, but rather harms it.

The educational impact on the students will also be significant, as shows such as Live From the Fallout Shelter, Soul Power 91.5 and The Stress Factor, all of which are student produced, will be eliminated from the schedule entirely. While UML’s website states its historical commitment to “educating students to work in the real-world, solve real problems and help real people,” this move acts to take students out of a real world setting, and instead places them in the background – observing professional sports broadcasters, already hired by the Spinners, and professionally produced shows, such as Lydon will create, rather than creating those shows themselves.

In over 50 years on the air, WUML has continually offered the sort of high quality educational experience and the community outreach that UML states it wishes to offer students. It has done this through community programming, internships for students at local nonprofits organizations, and active involvement in the development of a new Media Studies/ Communications Major. While WUML has written plans to promote their current programming and to further the use of the station as a learning environment, the administration, the administration of UML has stated that they have no plan. In fact, their plan to start broadcasting a nationally syndicated show less than one month before they begin broadcasting professional sports in the same time slot shows a lack of ability to plan effectively. Yet they have no problem violating a signed contract which stated that all time outside of the 25 hour per week, university run “Sunrise Show” would remain in student hands. This not only violates students’ trust in their administration, but also sets a poor example of ethical behavior.

I urge you to speak out against this action by the administration of UML, and to encourage them to work with the students, not against them.

Thank you,

Representative Charles Murphy Rep.CharlesMurphy@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Colleen Garry Rep.ColleenGarry@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Cory Atkins Rep.CoryAtkins@hou.state.ma.us
Representative David Nangle Rep.DavidNangle@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Geoffrey Hall Rep.GeoffreyHall@hou.state.ma.us
Representative James Miceli Rep.JamesMiceli@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Kevin Murphy Rep.KevinMurphy@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Robert Hargraves Rep.RobertHargraves@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Thomas Golden Rep.ThomasGolden@hou.state.ma.us
Representative William Greene Rep.WilliamGreene@hou.state.ma.us
Senator Steven Panagiotakos Spanagio@senate.state.ma.us
Senator Bruce Tarr Btarr@senate.state.ma.us
Senator Pamel Resor presor@senate.state.ma.us
Senator Robert Havern Rhavern@senate.state.ma.us
Senator Susan Fargo Sfargo@senate.state.ma.us
Senator Susan Tucker Stucker@senate.state.ma.us

Senator John Kerry
http://kerry.senate.gov/bandwidth/contact/email.html

Senator Ted Kennedy
http://kennedy.senate.gov/index_high.html

Congressman Marty Meehan
Martin.Meehan@mail.house.gov

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And Contact info for the board of Trustees:

http://www.umass.edu/usa/trustees.htm

AGGANIS, Michael J.
Exp. 2003
G.M.: Jeff Auman Akron Professional Baseball Inc.
300 South Main Street
Akron, OH 44308
(330) 253-5151
fax (330) 253-3300 Six Mohawk Lane
Lynnfield, MA 01940

AUSTIN, Dennis G.
Exp. 2006
Asst.: Janet Anastasi Raytheon Company
141 Spring Street
Lexington, MA 02421
(781) 860-2648
fax (781) 860-1843 58 Eagle Nest Road
Duxbury, MA 02332

BABINEAU, M.D., Timothy J.
Exp. 2003
(Surgeon, Boston Medical, Assoc. Prof. of Surgery, BU School of Medicine) 14 Maryknoll Drive
Hingham, MA

BOYLE, F. Lawrence
Exp 2006
Asst.: Sandy Morrison Morrison, Mahoney & Miller, LLP
250 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 439-7588
fax (617) 439-7590 86 Meredith Circle
Milton, MA 02156

DAWOOD, Heather
Non-Voting Student
Exp. 2003 Office of the Student Trustee
University of Massachusetts
Wheatley Building
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
(617) 287-7971
fax (617) 287-7977 24 Millhouse Avenue
Randolph, MA 02368

DEFARIA, Doreen
Voting Student
Exp. 2003 Student Box #509
UMASS Medical School
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester,MA 01655 11 Frongillo Farm Drive
Worcester, MA 01604

DUBILO, Edward A. (Ned)
Exp. 2002
(Senior VP and Financial Consultant)
Smith Barney Inc.
53 State Street, 40th Floor
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 589-3448
fax (617) 973-9671 3 Tamarack Road
Weston, MA 02493
fax (781) 893-1253

FEY, Grace K.
(Chair)
Exp. 2005
Asst.: Lesley Shahbazian Frontier Capital Management Co.
99 Summer Street, 19th Floor
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 261-0681
fax (617) 261-4999 42 Commonwealth Avenue, #2
Boston, MA 02116

GIBLIN, William E.
(Vice Chair)
Exp. 2004 Tweave, Inc.
138 Barrows Street
P.O. Box A.V.
Norton, MA 02766 5 Tim's Point Road
Wareham, MA 02571

KARAM, James J.
Exp. 2006
(Developer - son of former chair Robert Karam)
President
First Bristol Corporation
222 Milliken Boulevard
P.O. Box 2516
Fall River, MA 02722
(508) 679-1180
fax (508) 677-4940 38 Highland Road
Tiverton, RI

KENNEDY, William F.
Exp. 2006
(Former chief of staff and chief legal counsel to Finneran; attorney and lobbyist) Nutter, McClennen & Fish Policy Group
World Trade Center West
155 Seaport Boulevard
Boston, MA 02215-2604

LANKOWSKI, Rosalyn
Non-Voting Student
University of Massachusetts
71 Wilder Street, #5059
Lowell, MA 01854
(978) 996-2589 107 Merrifield Road
Bernardston, MA 01337

MAHONEY, James E.
Exp. 2004
(Senior VP and Director of Corporate Affairs) Fleet Financial Group
Mail Stop - MADE10025A
100 Federal Street
Boston, MA
(617) 434-9556
fax (617) 434-1912 44 Grove Hill Park
Newton, MA 02460

MAHONEY, Robert M.
Exp. 2001 Citizens Financial Group
28 State Street, 38th Floor
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 725-5868
fax (617) 725-5991 37 Longfellow Road
Wellesley, MA 02181

MCCARTHY, Robert B.
Exp. 2002 Professional Fire Fighters of Mass.
130 Bowdoin Street, Suite 710
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 523-4506
fax (617) 523-5312 71 Bromfield Street
Watertown, MA 02472

MOES, Diane E.
Exp. 2004 Foley, Hoag and Eliot
155 Seaport Boulevard
Boston, MA 02201
(617) 832-1178
fax (617) 832-7000 50 The Ledgeway
Milton, MA 02186

POWERS, William A.
Voting Student
Exp. 2003 Student Government Office
University of Massachusetts
420 Student Union Building
Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 545-0341
fax (617) 316-3830 13 Regent Drive
Danvers, MA 01923

RAINEY, Stacey
Exp. 2006
(Former campaign manager and senior advisor to Gov. Jane Swift) xxxxxxx 680 Tremont Street, Apt. 4
Boston, MA 02118
SHERIDAN, Robert K.
Exp. 2007 CEO, Savings Bank Life Insurance Service
One Linscott Road
Woburn, MA 01801

WHITE, Karl E.
Exp. 2003
(Former managing principal - Gracian Capital Management) Executive Director
MBTA Retirement Fund
One Washington Mall, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 316-3800
fax (617) 316-3830 P.O. Box 2994
Boston, MA 02101-2994
efax (707) 313-4925

ZANE, Ellen M.
Exp. 2003 Partners Healthcare System
Prudential Towers, 11th Floor
Boston, MA 02119