The Minutemen and Minutewomen compete in NCAA Division I sports competition primarily as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. UMass is one of only 16 universities in the nation that plays Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey (six of which are in the Big Ten Conference). The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure.
Good grief - what's happening to Staples ? Seen the new email flyer ? Now they're selling fancy rugs, bedding, chandeliers, Valentine gifts? On one hand, yes, they're expanding on the home office organization esp. since we're smack in the midst between 'NY Resolution' and 'Spring cleaning' times. On the other hand, it's like Best Buy/FS all over again when they started selling cosmetics, luggage, pots and pans, etc...
Staples are made of either mild steel alloys or aluminium or brass or zinc alloys... Staples are made out of metal or zinc plated steel. They have also been known to be made out of stainless steel (to provide rust proofing). The thickness of the staple depends on its use, be it stapling papers together or being used in construction. Staples are made by mending large pieces of metal together and then being bent into the shape of a staple. Imagine a long piece of thin metal in the shape of an upside down U (the staple shape). A sharp cutter then slices the staple into its appropriate size by moving down the metal (like corn on the cob).