The Great Experiement: Of Jedis and lightsabers
Frank Catalano, right, a UMass freshman, started a Jedi Academy on Sunday nights where he practices lightsaber skills and duels with friends and willing participants. Here he prepares for a sparring session with Alex Qi, a senior at UMass, on a recent Sunday evening on the Amherst campus. SABATO VISCONTI/fOR THE GAZETTE
Alex Qi, a UMass senior, shows his lightsaber twirls during a Jedi Academy session on a recent Sunday night on the Amherst campus. SABATO VISCONTI/fOR THE GAZETTE
UMass freshman Frank Catalano waits for a challenger during his weekly Jedi Academy sessions. SABATO VISCONTI/fOR THE GAZETTE
The Great Experiement: Of Jedis and lightsabers
Frank Catalano, right, a UMass freshman, started a Jedi Academy on Sunday nights where he practices lightsaber skills and duels with friends and willing participants. Here he prepares for a sparring session with Alex Qi, a senior at UMass, on a recent Sunday evening on the Amherst campus. SABATO VISCONTI/fOR THE GAZETTE
Alex Qi, a UMass senior, shows his lightsaber twirls during a Jedi Academy session on a recent Sunday night on the Amherst campus. SABATO VISCONTI/fOR THE GAZETTE
UMass freshman Frank Catalano waits for a challenger during his weekly Jedi Academy sessions. SABATO VISCONTI/fOR THE GAZETTE
December 10, 2020
Student businesses and student government representatives now in the process of moving into their new spaces in the renovated Student Union, which is set to open in February 2021.
As UMass Amherst looks ahead to the start of the spring semester, students, faculty and staff who return to learn and work in person will encounter a transformed center of campus following the completion of a series of major construction projects. Among the marquee projects are the renovated Student Union, the new Worcester Commons, a major upgrade to campus infrastructure and striking landscape improvements.
“These long-planned projects are now coming to fruition, and they are going to markedly improve the student experience at UMass Amherst,” said Shane Conklin, associate vice chancellor for facilities and campus services. “We are, of course, implementing COVID-related restrictions for the spring, but people will immediately benefit and in the long term these investments will h