…Aaaaand, we’re back. Summer’s over, folks, time to hunker down.

The UMass Boston campus has, as you may have noticed, undergone some retooling, as have we at The Mass Media. We have new editors and writers, and we look forward to an eventful and productive semester. We remind you also that as a student-operated newspaper our content reflects the energy and abilities of our community, so submissions are heartily encouraged!

Enough about us; let’s go over some of the elements that make UMass Boston a unique and vibrant academic community. Returning students should be aware of the extracurricular resources available to them on campus: Student Life, the Wit’s End Café, the Game Room, and various clubs. For now we’re still a commuter school, which means no dorms, and no real frat presence. (Sorry Blanchard’s.)

If you plan to focus on your studies, UMass Boston is a good place to work without distraction. Many of our students are a bit older. This makes for a somewhat more reserved and studious student body than one might find at, say, Amherst. You only have to attend class with these people, you don’t have to live with them. This could lead to isolation were UMB not blessed with a friendly campus. We have a remarkably multifaceted group of people from Boston and beyond who come to study with us, making for an engaging environment.

Our campus boasts a Cape Verdean Club, a Haitian American Society, the Japanese Club, the Pakistani Student Association, the Vietnamese Student Association, and much more including a group for paintballers, skateboarders, sailors, and our very distinguished and successful Chess Club. The Chess Club and other activity groups meet in the Game Room on the Upper Level of the Campus Center, which is a fine place to squander otherwise perfectly good study time with billiards and video games.

There is also a full gym in the Wheatley building which offers yoga and meditation classes with which to wind down after you are finished blasting your ripped pecs or what-have-you. Most student activities fall under the jurisdiction of the Student Life office, which also offers alcohol and substance abuse group meetings, a Veteran’s Center, and a Queer Student Union among other support groups.

Student Life is a governing body which oversees campus groups in conjunction with the Student Senate. If none of the available groups meet your demands, you can always begin a new one! Ay, the possibilities are endless…

Folks generally congregate outside the Wheatley building between classes. Also there is the recently refurbished Wit’s End Café, which has a small kiosk in the lobby of Wheatley. The Café itself is on the third floor and issues a full menu of comestibles and caffeinated concoctions for your approval.

Finally, there are the student-run publications, The Watermark literary magazine and our own Mass Media newspaper. Both can be readily found around campus, and submissions are gratefully accepted.

Outside of all the groups and activities, something new students should familiarize themselves with is the One-Stop student center. A dear, sainted, endlessly patient group of dedicated professionals man (and woman) the desks at One-Stop, ready to safely guide you through the brain-swamping bureaucratic rigmarole that is part and parcel of any college experience. They are beautiful people.

All that said, we at the Mass Media welcome our new students, anticipate renewing our acquaintance with returning students, and wish all a busy, happy, and productive semester. Work hard, and best of luck everybody!