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LIGHTS OUT

LOSING HIS EDGE

Terps’ offense has been the best in the ACC in conference play

Mel Gibson’s acting comeback in Edge of Darkness disappoints

SPORTS | PAGE 8

Thursday, January 28, 2010

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

THE DIAMONDBACK Our 100TH Year, No. 77

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Wooded Hillock may be safe University in process of purchasing Washington Post plant in city

BY DERBY COX Senior staff writer

The university is close to purchasing The Washington Post Company’s College Park plant, potentially saving the 22.4 acres of forest known as the Wooded Hillock near Comcast Center originally planned for development.

The university had intended to relocate university facilities to the Wooded Hillock in order to clear space for the $900 million 38-acre East Campus development, which would bring stores, student housing and a music hall to Route 1. But after student and faculty outcry and resolutions opposing the plan from three separate gov-

Varsity Grille on Rt. 1 closes Sports bar was given three days to make way for highrise development

erning bodies, the university is now planning to purchase the closed plant and use it for the relocation, according to a university press release.

The $12 million deal would still have to be approved by the state’s Board of Public Works at its Feb. 10 meeting.

The plant, which is located on Greenbelt Road, is farther

from the university than the hillock, which was originally selected partly based on its proximity to the campus. Vice President for Administrative Affairs Ann Wylie could not be reached for comment yesterday evening about how the increased distance would affect

see HILLOCK, page 2

The university may purchase The Washington Post Company’s printing plant on Greenbelt Road for $12 million. STEVEN OVERLY/FOR THE DIAMONDBACK

THE COLD SHOULDER Traffic at the Dairy slows as weather cools down

BY BEN PRESENT Staff writer

BY AMANDA PINO

It’s 37 degrees outside. Snow is expected this weekend. And freshmen Megan Harvey and Emily Winafeld are focused on only one thing: ice cream.

Harvey, a government and politics major, and Winafeld, an engineering major, said a little cold isn’t enough to keep them from their favorite dessert, which the university has been offering homemade since the 1920s.

“I’ll eat minimal dinner so I can eat ice cream,” Winafeld said. “There’s no substance like it.”

Equipped with more than 30 flavors, the university produces ice cream year-round, a process that will not slow as the winter months persist, administrative chef Jeff Russo said.

But where production perseveres, consumption might not always follow. And while the university’s signature ice cream has its die-hard fans, Dairy Supervisor Claudia Funes said she notices a distinct drop in sales during the winter.

“It’s very slow in the winter,” said Funes, who has worked at the Dairy for 16 years.

She added the summer months tend to bring in different tour groups, who always make

Staff writer

The era of trivia Wednesdays and karaoke Fridays are over as Varsity Grille closed its doors for the last time Sunday evening.

The traditional college sports bar ended its run just two years after emerging on the Route 1 scene. And the restaurant’s loyal trivia buffs and happy hour crowd aren’t the only ones surprised — the closure came as a shock to the restaurant’s owners, as well.

Varsity Grille co-owner Jim McGinnis said his landlord informed him late last week the property was under contract by a high rise housing developer and he had just three days to clear the premises.

Joining the ranks of its failed predecessors, Varsity Grille was empty by Monday as the owners loaded all of the televisions, wall hangings and other personal items into moving trucks.

Bad business was never the problem, McGinnis said, adding that the restaurant and bar had seen steady

see ICE CREAM, page 3

see VARSITY, page 3

ANNA EISENBERG AND LAUREN YOFFE/ THE DIAMONDBACK

More than 30 houses in the New fund could help prevent future tuition jumps city burglarized over break ANNAPOLIS 2009

THE AGENDA

Annapolis lawmakers praise ‘step in the right direction’

BY KEVIN ROBILLARD Senior staff writer

The state could create a new fund dedicated to warding off large tuition increases if the General Assembly passes legislation Gov. Martin O’Malley proposed Monday.

The new fund, formally called the Tuition Stabilization Trust Account, would be a part

of the Higher Education Investment Fund, which would become the state’s first permanent source of funding for higher education under O’Malley’s 2010 legislative agenda.

The fund, which draws a portion of the state’s corporate income tax, theoretically works like a bank account. A specific portion of the trust would be available only to prevent spikes

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

in tuition. It becomes flush with revenue during economic booms and is able to ward off devastating cuts when the economy enters a recession.

“We’ve done a good job in making college more affordable,” O’Malley spokesman Shaun Adamec said. “But we need to do more to create the

see FUND, page 3

Partly Cloudy/30s INDEX

What makes up the rest of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s legislative agenda? Here are some highlights: Lifetime supervision of serious or multiple-time sex offenders.

A $3,000 tax credit for hiring unemployed state residents.

A reform of the state’s unemployment insurance.

NEWS . . . . . . . . . .2 OPINION . . . . . . . .4

FEATURES . . . . . .5 CLASSIFIED . . . . .6

BY DARREN BOTELHO Staff writer

More than 30 houses in College Park were burglarized during winter break despite a drop in county crime and an increase in patrolmen, Prince George’s County Police officials said.

Early last week, 25 officers patrolled College Park looking for suspicious activity and clues to the identity of the burglars who preyed on vacant

DIVERSIONS . . . . .6 SPORTS . . . . . . . . .8

houses during the university’s winter break, said District 1 Commander Maj. Daniel Dusseau. However, despite the increased efforts, many still fell victim to the crime wave.

“There is always a spike in reported break-ins when people return from break,” Dusseau said, adding that preventing all break-ins during the break would be

see CRIME, page 3

www.diamondbackonline.com

2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

www.diamondbackonline.com

ONLINE TODAY

COLLEGE LOCKDOWNS

New radios to connect university and county police $1.5 million in federal stimulus money will fund the high-tech communication system

BY AMANDA PINO Staf f writer

Two universities went into lockdown in the past two days after suspicious activity was reported on both campuses.

Northwestern University issued a lockdown at their Chicago campus early yesterday. The Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus of Montgomery College was locked down Tuesday afternoon. To find out more, check out The Diamondback news blog, Campus Drive, at blogs.umdbk.com/campusdrive.

FRIEND US ON FACEBOOK! The Diamondback is on Facebook! Become a fan of The Diamondback and keep up with the latest breaking news at the university.

Check out the latest Terrapin sports updates and find out what’s happening on The Diamondback blogs, Campus Drive and Terrapin Trail.

With live, up-to-date information, you can find out the news before it’s even printed and keep up with what the staff is up to!

University and county police will soon be able to contact any county police or fire department with just a turn of a knob, thanks to about $1.5 million in federal stimulus money.

The money, which came from the 2009 stimulus bill, will be used to equip both police departments with new hi-tech radios that of ficials say are bound to improve public safety.

Before, police and fire of ficials in dif ferent Prince George’s County municipalities were unable to communicate with each other via radio, forcing them to instead go through the more cumbersome process of contacting each others’ dispatchers in order to track down individual responders.

“Having communication with the county people as well as the wider capital region really gives us an ability to operate better in an emergency situation,” University Police Maj. Jay Gruber said. “And our officers work quite closely with Prince George’s County police, so being able to go to them directly will also be ver y helpful.”

Of the 23 towns and cities in Prince George’s County receiving the federal Recover y Act grants, the

HILLOCK from page 1

TWEET AT US! Want to get the latest updates on university news? Check out The Diamondback on Twitter to see what The Diamondback is up to in the newsroom and to find out the most up-to-date information on breaking news. Just go to twitter.com/thedbk to keep up with the latest happenings.

the project.

“This facility provides the space we need to strategically and cost-effectively phase in our East Campus relocation projects, minimize environmental impacts to campus woodlands and limit disruption to our critical campus services,” Wylie wrote in the release.

During the past year, the Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Government both passed resolutions against the development. Perhaps the most important statement against construction on the hillock came at the end of last semester, when the University Senate voted 62-12 to preserve the area.

But the hillock’s future remained uncertain. At the time, Wylie said

university received the most money — upward of $250,000, which will help pay for about 80 radios at a cost of $3,796 apiece.

Gruber hopes university of ficers will have the radios in their hands

by April or early May. Although the city doesn’t have its own police force, it falls within the county police’s District 1 jurisdiction, which also includes Hyattsville. The city’s small contract police force didn’t receive grant money.

Some students applauded the new radios, saying they could help in the event a disaster were to strike the region.

“On [Sept. 11] for example, perhaps the biggest problem that the emergency crews had was the inability to communicate,” freshman bioengineering major Anthony Fouad said. “If some grand disaster were to occur, communication is the most impor tant thing in coordinating the emergency response.”

Other students were doubtful the new radios could ef fectively impact their ever yday safety.

“It seems like it would be more ef ficient ... but would it really take that much time to call one extra person?” junior journalism major Lisa Kr ysiak said. “I wouldn’t necessarily think it would make me feel safer

there were “no good places” to relocate the buildings and she had “no idea” what the senate’s vote would mean for the site.

“I’m glad that they listened to an over whelming vote of faculty, staf f and students that told them, ‘No, you can’t demolish the last continuous forest on campus to build your shopping mall,’” said Bob Hayes, an undergraduate university senator for the engineering college.

Activists have argued the site is valuable for its environmental features, including its rare gravel deposits and native plant species.

The hillock was hit by a tornado in 2001, making it an even more impor tant place to study, professors have said. At least 14 faculty members have used or plan to use the hillock for instruction, and about 1,000 students per year visit the site

University Police officer M.A. Wittkopp’s radio will be replaced with a new 700 MHz radio in the coming months. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

to know that the police had hightech radios.”

Gruber said the 80 radios would be enough to cover all of the active, patrolling University Police officers and detectives. He said the radios’ usefulness was not limited to major disasters — of ficers who see a fire or car accident outside of their jurisdiction would be able to respond

more quickly and effectively.

“A good example of how it could be useful is the fact that we’re always looking for people who have arrest or search warrants out,” he said. “So now an investigator can just get on the radio if a suspect is on site.”

for class, according to information provided by urban forestr y professor Marla McIntosh.

While expressing their relief at the hillock’s preser vation, Hayes and Joanna Calabrese, chairwoman of the Student Sustainability Council, both said they were frustrated the university community was not consulted in the new site’s selection. This sentiment dates back to the original selection of the hillock, a decision they said did not include enough students, faculty and staff.

“I do think it’s unacceptable that we weren’t kept in the loop and that none of this information was made public until now,” Calabrese said.

And Hayes questioned the logic of buying the site as the university struggles to deal with a continuing budget crisis.

Despite the deal, the fate of the

East Campus development remains murky. Foulger-Pratt/Argo, the university’s main development partner on the project, withdrew in November, taking $15 million in relocation funds with it.

Nevertheless, the university remains firmly committed to the project.

“The East Campus Redevelopment initiative remains at the forefront of our efforts to build a world-class research institution for the residents of Maryland,” Wylie wrote in the release.

Wylie said one of the key features of the Post site is the flexibility, which will allow the university to move East Campus facilities in phases. The piecemeal strategy will help to “secure developer interest ... while continuing to move the entire project forward,” she wrote in the release.

apino@umdbk.com

cox@umdbk.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

Police develop new emergency number, university alert Univ. is first in U.S. to shorten emergency number

BY DARREN BOTELHO Staff writer

After a mere two years at its Route 1 location, Varsity Grille shuttered its doors and windows after closing up for the last time Sunday night. STEVEN OVERLY/FOR THE DIAMONDBACK

atmosphere, big screen televisions playing university from page 1 sports games and popular trivia and live music nights, Varsity Grille had built up a sales increases since its strong base of supporters looking for an alternative to opening.

McGinnis said he and his the bar scene downtown.

Students were disapbusiness partners were planning to purchase the restau- pointed and surprised to rant themselves but had diffi- hear the restaurant closed.

“Damn. Really? Damn,” culty securing financing. After discovering floodplain, or foun- freshman kinesiology major dation prone to flooding by Jimmy Sheptock said after water beneath it, on the prop- hearing the news. “Cornererty, their lender backed out of stone and all that is closer, but Varsity Grille was a good the deal, he said.

“If people want wall to wall change of scener y.”

Former bartender and high rise, we can’t compete graduate Jill with that,” he said. “It was a recent developer coming in and Giamfredi said the restauoffering a big number to take rant was consistently packed the property, and our pock- on home game days with a mix of students and alumni, ets are only so deep.”

Known for its sit-down and trivia night brought out

VARSITY

because the school hit them with an increase between from page 1 semesters,” Bohanan said.

“This is designed to avoid infrastructure to help keep those unforeseen hurdles.”

But it’s not yet clear how tuition predictable and premuch money is needed for vent spikes.”

The tuition trust is the trust to have an impact or intended is to keep college how much of the overall fund costs down. It attempts to pre- will be set aside for tuition.

“Clearly you’d need tens of vent unpredictable tuition jumps by being able to sup- millions of dollars at least,” plement campuses with funds said Sen. Jim Rosapepe (Dwhen there’s not enough Anne Arundel and Prince money in the state’s normal George’s), who represents budget to keep tuition College Park. “It’ll take several increases low. The bill says years to build the fund up.”

Rosapepe and Bohanan tuition should not grow faster than the state’s average fam- both also emphasized making ily income over the previous the fund permanent was merely a “step in the right three years.

Some higher education direction.”

“For the long-term fix, we advocates were cautiously need mandated funding for optimistic about the move.

“It’s a laudable goal, and I the universities, and we need applaud it, but we need to see hard tuition cap,” Rosapepe how it pays out,” university said.

Both were recommended lobbyist Ross Stern said.

Del. John Bohanan (D-St. by the Bohanan Commission Mary’s), who chaired a com- two years ago, but the $700 mission that recommended million price tag scared off the tuition account, said the lawmakers, who have repeattrust means future students edly been battling budget won’t “be hit with double-digit deficits. Rosapepe is sponsortuition increases,” like other ing a bill that would implestudents across the nation are ment both for the second year now. Tuition for schools in in a row, but with a $2 billion the University of California gap this year, he concedes it system, for example, is going has no chance of passage — even with half the senate up by a third.

“Sometimes, [students signed on as co-sponsors. The will] work their butts off first future is a different story.

“I’m hopeful that as the econsemester and not be able to come back second semester omy and revenues improve, we

FUND

CRIME from page 1 impossible. “There would have to be an officer stationed at ever y property. ... If there is an officer on one street, they’re not going to see someone trespassing in a backyard on the street over.”

Over break, there were days when 20 or more officers were patrolling College Park neighborhoods, Dusseau said. Officers from all over the county were diverted to College Park to patrol neighborhoods and identify the culprits of this past winter break’s rash of break-ins.

City Director of Public Services Bob Ryan said, although the identities of all the burglars responsible for the break-ins during winter break are not yet known, there have been some arrests made.

“A man going door to door [checking for unlocked doors] in the Old Town neighborhood was arrested, and another man was arrested for trespassing in the Knox Box area after he returned to the area after being told by police to leave,” Ryan said.

County police have also discovered some of the burglars’ methods, Ryan said.

“People need to lock their doors; it’s very important. They need to shut their blinds at night so their bright, bigscreen television isn’t shining through the window.”

MAJ. DANIEL DUSSEAU PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY POLICE DISTRICT 1 COMMANDER

Some of the trespassers arrested admitted to attending house parties and “casing the place” before returning to burglarize it while the property was vacant during this past break, he said.

County police are doing their best to patrol neighborhoods and look for suspicious activity, but they can only do so much, Dusseau said.

“People need to lock their doors; it’s ver y important,” he said. “They need to shut their blinds at night so their bright, big-screen television

an especially diverse crowd.

“All kinds of people showed up,” she said. “We had a bunch of student teams, but then we also had families that would bring their kids and play.”

Though he has talked to the city council about reopening somewhere else in College Park, McGinnis said his options are limited. Still, he hasn’t given up hope.

McGinnis said Varsity Grille’s focus on the university and their sports teams was merely an extension of his own passions, and he will never give them up.

“I love Maryland. I love the whole campus, love the sports,” he said. “I’m a diehard Maryland fan, Terp for life.” apino@umdbk.com

“There’s no reason it shouldn’t pass this year. ... The only reason to oppose this bill is if you want higher tuition.”

In an emergency situation, many students may not have University Police’s phone number memorized or stored in their phones, but it doesn’t matter — just dial #3333.

Because calling 911 will connect on-campus students with Prince George’s County Police rather than University Police, the university abbreviated the police phone number to five characters, #3333, to make it easier for students to remember and dial when emergencies arise. No other university has shortened their emergency number in such a way before, University Police spokesman Paul Dillon said.

In line with these public safety efforts, University Police also created a new alert system last week, in an attempt to assuage student concerns about being left out of the loop when crime strikes the city.

The university teamed up with three cell phone companies — Verizon Wireless, Sprint/Nextel and AT&T — to provide students with the abbreviated number. Another company, T-Mobile, will begin to offer the ser vice sometime this spring.

Dillon said students should be mindful of where they are and what number is appropriate to use for emergencies.

He added dialing #3333 anywhere off or near the campus may not work, but many off-campus areas are included in county police jurisdiction anyway.

“You shouldn’t be dialing #3333 if you are four miles

“It’s a good idea. ... I’m paying my money and should know about most things going on around here.”

CECILY GREENE SOPHOMORE CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR

from campus — you should be dialing 911,” he said.

But students concerned about crime on and around the campus should keep their phones on, in case they need to call for help or to stay informed about what’s happening.

For the past few years, university members have been able to receive text messages and e-mails through the “UMDAlert” system for emergencies that pose an immediate threat to students, faculty and staff. But now, university members can sign up at www.alert.umd.edu to receive alerts of significant police-related activities that may not pose an immediate threat to the university community, such as an incident where an arrest has already been made.

As of yesterday morning, about 500 people had already signed up, Dillon said.

If a situation on or around the campus is noteworthy, university police will notify students via text message and e-mail.

Dillon said last semester’s shooting at Rugged Wearhouse and the suspicious

package scare at McKeldin Librar y during the summer sparked a whirlwind of rumors and complaints that the greater university community was kept in the dark about both incidents.

“We wanted to help do rumor control and further inform people,” Dillon said.

“It’s also free, and there won’t be that many alerts sent out.

We don’t have a chart listing what types of incidents to alert people of, but we’re not going to send out an alert that a couple cars were broken into.”

Standard text messaging rates apply, so some students like sophomore psychology major Melanie Kohut would rather save their money.

“No, I didn’t sign up. I’d like to, but I probably won’t,” Kohut said. “I don’t have an unlimited texting plan and I don’t want to go over.”

Other students like sophomore criminology and criminal justice major Cecily Greene want to get the most out of their tuition money and be informed of on-campus police incidents immediately.

“It’s a good idea,” Greene said. “I’m paying my money and should know about most things going on around here.”

Dillon said that many police-related activities are not a threat to individuals on the campus, but people nowadays expect up-to-the-minute information.

“We are in an era where people demand instant information,” Dillon said. “People like to be informed — it’s the way our society has evolved.” botelho@umdbk.com

JIM ROSAPEPE STATE SENATOR (D-ANNE ARUNDEL AND PRINCE GEORGE’S )

can implement the rest of the commission’s recommendations,” Bohanan said.

The Higher Education Investment Fund was created

by O’Malley earlier in his term but has never been on sound footing. It’s scheduled to sunset this summer unless O’Malley’s bill passes. While Stern warned that fiscally cautious lawmakers could be skeptical of the bill, others were confident.

“I think lawmakers will see this the way the governor does: as a way to keep college affordable for working families in Maryland,” Adamec said.

“There’s no reason it shouldn’t pass this year,” Rosapepe said. “The only reason to oppose this bill is if you want higher tuition.” robillard@umdbk.com

isn’t shining through the window and bring trash to the dumpster or break it up and put it in bags so people don’t see what you’re buying.”

Dusseau said there has been a great effort on the part of city officials to curb the annual break-ins.

In each of the past two years, the city allocated $1 million for an increase in fulltime patrol officers and offduty county police. Since then, crime has decreased, Dusseau said.

“I think we have had significant improvement in College Park with this program,” he said.

According to Prince George’s County crime statistics, burglaries have decreased from 2008 to 2009 by 2 percent and overall crime by 12.2 percent.

Dusseau added that neighborhood watch programs are vital, because evidence disappears as hours pass, allowing criminals to get away, so neighbors need to be on the look out for suspicious activity.

“There’s a lot of good neighbors in College Park who have reported people walking down the street turning door knobs and peering in windows,” Dusseau said. botelho@umdbk.com

The Dairy, a restaurant and ice cream bar on the south side of the campus, serves up scoops of university-made ice cream to students and visitors. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

ICE CREAM from page 1 their way to the Dair y.

Sophomore mathematics major David Berlin counts ice cream as part of his personal arsenal for combating the cold.

“It lowers your blood temperature,” he said. “It makes you more imper vious to the cold.”

Other students rely on ice cream to keep their spirits up during the drear y winter months.

“Whenever I’m feeling down in the dumps, I eat ice cream,” sophomore finance major Paul Rowe said. “So about two or three times a week.”

But unlike Rowe, not all students are rushing to get a cold scoop of the university’s finest.

Despite an apparent dropoff in business, Russo works in the basement of the South

“[Ice cream] lowers your blood temperature. It makes you impervious to the cold.”

DAVID BERLIN SOPHOMORE MATHEMATICS MAJOR

Campus Dining Hall between six and 10 hours a week, crafting what amounts to more than 25,000 gallons of ice cream a year.

The ice cream is packaged and dispersed to The Diner, the South Campus Dining Hall, the Dair y and at various university sporting events throughout the year.

“Any time the students are on campus, the production is pretty constant,” Russo said.

“Milk shakes are huge sell-

ers all year.”

The frozen treat has always attracted long lines at both dining halls, despite the long-standing rumor that the ice cream’s fat content is so high it exceeds Food and Drug Administration standards.

It turns out the ice cream’s legendar y fat content is simply that: a legend.

Russo said the rumor has been popular among university students long before his time.

“There’s no truth to that,” he said.

Russo said the university’s ice cream usually contains 14 percent butterfat, which gives it “a nice mouth feel.”

He then compared it to Breyers ice cream, which usually weighs in at 11 or 12 percent butterfat.

Anything less than 10 percent, he said, “you would have to call an ice milk.” present@umdbk.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

Opinion

KEVIN ROBILLARD

THE DIAMONDBACK

EDITOR IN CHIEF

YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK PHONE: (301) 314-8200 | FAX: (301) 314-8358

KYLE GOON

JESSICA BAUER

MANAGING EDITOR

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

3150 SOUTH CAMPUS DINING HALL | COLLEGE PARK, MD., 20742 NEWS@UMDBK .COM | OPINION@UMDBK .COM

ROB GINDES

JUSTIN SNOW

OPINION EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Staff editorial

Advice:

Un-amused

Coming clean on Turtle

A

few years ago the university was ranked one of the top 20 ugliest ics and the university-owned athletic field is available to the community as colleges in the country by CampusSqueeze.com. This badge of well as students for use. Anyone who has ever tried to get a game of two-hand shame had far less to do with the university’s Georgian architecture touch going in an empty Byrd Stadium knows this isn’t the case here. If the as it did with the surrounding area. With congested traffic and university plans to argue such, then serious changes must be made to how decrepit liquor stores, College Park is far from paradise. However, if univer- the Athletics Department operates.

Despite these discrepancies, there is a broader moral factor to this situasity officials get their way, things could get much worse.

Currently, the university and the University System of Maryland are ques- tion. The university does not live in a bubble. The ability of College Park to tioning whether a Maryland Court of Special Appeals ruling in June, which function directly affects the university and students’ lives. It must not be forgotten that city taxpayers spend thousands each year on exempted Johns Hopkins University lacrosse games from services that protect students, manage traffic after games Baltimore admissions and amusement taxes, could be and keep College Park functioning. applied to this university. Such a ruling would exempt the The city still has far to go, and progress would be dramatuniversity from as much as $550,000 in annual city taxes. If The university should feel ically hindered if more than half a million dollars was the court agrees, then the city of College Park would only obligated to help support reduced from the city’s revenue. receive $5,000 from the university a year, according to DisSome members of the city council have been hostile trict 2 Councilman Bob Catlin, depriving the city of muchCollege Park, despite a toward the university, describing it as a “gorilla.” But this needed revenue at a time when municipalities are strugpotential tax exemption. hostility is bred by such self-interested and duplicitous gling in the grips of a recession. behavior on the university’s part. If the university does find Although we generally support efforts by university officials to save hundreds of thousands of dollars, trying to become exempt from a way to exempt itself from these taxes, the council should challenge the decision in the state’s Court of Appeals. the amusement tax would be insulting to the city and short-sighted.

No prospective student or faculty member wants to come to a university There’s a chance they would lose the case. State law says admissions and amusement tax may not be imposed on the gross receipts if they are used surrounded by crime and disorder. To block room for improvement would be exclusively for education purposes. The fact of the matter is that most of the reckless to current students’ well-being as well as to the future of the univermoney made from athletic events goes right back to the Athletics Depart- sity. Before university officials attempt to cut more than half a million dollars from the city’s revenue, they should remember that the city that whizzes by ment, not a general university fund like at Johns Hopkins.

Some factors the court considered in making their decision were that all their windows during their evening commute is called home by thousands of students at Johns Hopkins are required to take a physical education course, students. And while it may not be paradise, it’s far from Skid Row. Let’s keep it more than 50 percent of the student body participates in some type of athlet- that way.

ESTI

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Jenna Brager

Obama: Create policy, not panic

I

f you were a political Rip Van Winkle who had stopped paying attention to hot air emanating from Washington during winter break, it is time to wake up and smell the chaos.

People are acting like the improbable victory of Scott Brown in the Massachusetts special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy handed the Republicans an insurmountable majority in the Senate — 41 of its 100 seats.

Like despite braving a blizzard to pass health care reform before Christmas, the bill would need an act of God to now reach President Barack Obama’s desk.

Like cap-and-trade will never see the light of day, and financial sector reform would have to be acceptable to Wall Street before being passed. Like Obama should have begun his State of the Union by saying “American people, I hear you” and promptly turn over the presidency to Sen. John McCain.

The problem with Obama and con-

MATT

VERGHESE gressional Democrats has been their failure to listen to the public. But the message from the nation hasn’t been the anti-government hatred spewed by “tea-party” activists or the paralyzing caution advocated by self-styled centrists. No, the American people demand a government that is responsive, effective and empathetic — they demand to see some of the change that was promised to them.

In the 2008 election, voters rebuked a Republican party that had shepherded nearly a decade of disaster filled with economic inequality, gross mismanagement and needless bloodshed.

But winning the election wasn’t the

ultimate goal. The goal was to accomplish something. In that regard, Democrats have failed, aided by an obstructing conservative minority. When government is so desperately needed to stabilize the economy, incentivize job creation, mend a broken health care system and create more opportunity for the middle class, Democrats have been complicit in a Republican plot to make government fail. The response to the president’s bipartisan overtures at the beginning of his term where virulent protests filled with rabid accusations of Hitler-esque fascism. Draping themselves in conservative robes won Democrats little or no Republican support on any legislative initiative of note.

The string of setbacks now presents an opportunity to Obama and his Democratic allies: an occasion to be bold and dramatically rewrite the negative political narrative.

Obama and Congress must show a capacity to lead and to govern, and that

requires fulfilling promises. There will be no electoral reward for delay, inaction or retreat from the values and principles that got Obama elected. Results are what can save Democrats. This entails health care being passed even if it requires the use of parliamentary maneuvers such as reconciliation. Populism cannot be surrendered to the Republicans who will simply use it for political gain. Efforts to increase job creation and continue to stimulate economic activity should be watered down, and calls for spending freezes and more tax cuts should be acquiesced without something in return.

One defeat does not end a movement or stall a presidency. Change always faces large hurdles, but it’s about time to jump over a few of them. Listen to the American people: The time to act is now.

Matt Verghese is a graduate student in public policy. He can be reached at mverghese@umdbk.com.

UNDERDOG(S) OF THE WEEK

Cab drivers: Getting their fare share

T

his being my last semester at our fine little establishment, and thus the home stretch of my always-enlightening Diamondback contributions, I thought it might just be time for me to go ahead and find myself a niche.

Being the youngest of five and the frequent recipient of the short end of the proverbial stick, I have grown to garner a certain admiration for life’s little underdogs. There’s just something special about those tenacious few who have been repeatedly kicked in the crotch by circumstance and yet find a way to soldier forth. You can’t tell me you didn’t cheer for that autistic kid in New York who dropped like eight 3-pointers in a high school game a few years back, or that you didn’t at least feel for Conan O’Brien when he got royally dicked by NBC last week.

Let’s face it: We all love to root for the little guy.

So since I’ve already wasted my word count setting up this little beauty, I’ll get right to the point. My Underdog(s) of the Week are the fine men who make up the elite squad of College Park cab drivers.

If you make as many bad decisions as I do, you surely have your favorite cab driver’s number saved in your phone. Of course, that number is saved under “ride home” or “cab” since generally the student body of College Park views their cab drivers as nothing more than a silhouette in a smelly box that will get you home after you have consumed a few dozen garbage buckets.

However, the next time you flop your way into one of these cabs with the strange person you’ve been making out with all night, remember that cab drivers are human beings, and actually most of them have some pretty amazing stories.

Maybe it’s because I so frequently

MIKE

DIMARCO find myself going home alone, but over the last few years I have taken the time to get to know some of these latenight heroes of transportation, and let me be the first to say they deserve some respect. A majority of the labor force in the College Park cab industry is made up of men who have immigrated from different parts of Africa to find steady income for their families.

A lot of these guys are not even able to pay for their families to join them in the states and must send money overseas to feed their kids. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it kinda sucks that these guys are sacrificing so much,

and we repay them by making out and dry humping in their back seats while we ignore the fact that there’s another person in the car.

I know some of you are thinking, “So what? There are plenty of shitty jobs in the world, why are these guys special?”

Well, I suppose they’re not, but these guys chose to work from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. so that we don’t have to drive drunk and crash into Applebee’s — in my book, that’s a pretty honorable thing. They work in a place where half of their business is taken by buses, Nite Ride and dummies who think they can walk home safely in College Park. So kids, please go out and do the awful things that we all know you’re going to do, but when it’s time to catch a ride home, remember that cabbies are people, too.

Mike DiMarco is a senior English major.

He can be reached at dimarco@umdbk.com.

FRISCHLING

Q:

Why do you always hate on Thirsty Turtle so much?

A:

This is my last semester at the university, and I would like to set the record straight about something: I love Thirsty Turtle. It’s one of my favorite college institutions, right behind The Diamondback and Chicken Rico. I realize going to Cornerstone Grill and Loft is really mature, going to The Mark Lounge is really classy, going to Washington is for people who are really 21 and not going to the bars is really edgy, but Thirsty Turtle is really awesome.

We need to be honest with ourselves about why we love the university. It’s not for diversity, athletics, academics or location. It’s because our school is simply collegiate as f–––. We go to a huge state school with a real campus. Kids are just trying to have a good time. And if we happen to get a degree somewhere along the hazy journey, I guess we wouldn’t throw it away. When they make movies such as Animal House or Van Wilder, I feel like I am being personally saluted. Why thank you.

Yes, I agree, college is sweet, and I go to one.

I used to think I wanted to go to a small liberal arts school where I could hang out with kids who share my burning passion for jazz and smoking cigarettes in fingerless gloves. Then I spent my first semester feeling sorry for myself for not having $200,000 at my disposal.

What I know now is that I want to be in a place where the first week of classes means a week of free excessive drinking on fraternities’ dimes.

If there is someone on this planet with “The Situation” written above a Chevy Chase card drawn on their abs at a basketball game trying to win 100 bucks, I want to be there.

Thirsty Turtle is like a microcosm for everything we love about this university. People are pretty good-looking, and if not, it doesn’t really matter because we’re pretty drunk. The girls who go there are overtly young and overtly DTF. My fake ID had no hologram, was expired, said I was 32 and featured a strange Latina woman. Sometimes the bouncers will laugh, but they will always welcome you with their warm hearts and huge arms. I bet you could show them a Post-it note with the number 21 on it, and you’d be cash. And where else can you go besides YouTube to hear “LOL Smiley Face” played twice in a row?

This is what we came here for.

This is what it means when we say these are the best years of our lives.

Sure, I’ve made some jokes at Thirsty Turtle’s expense, but it’s only out of love (and insecurity because I know at heart I’m barely cool enough to hang out there).

More than all of the other bars on Route 1, Thirsty Turtle has all the makings of a good time. So yeah, we make out in public sometimes when we go there, and sometimes we throw up on each other afterwards.

But haters go home. Fear the Turtle.

Esti Frischling is a senior English major. She can be reached at esti@umdbk.com.

AIR YOUR VIEWS Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion@umdbk.com. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and day- and nighttime phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words. Please limit guest columns to 600 words.

Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright in the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.

POLICY: Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent the opinions of the authors. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Diamondback’s editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor in chief.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD 40 DJ’s countdown (2 wds.)

41 Rx monitor 43 Freighter destination

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Put up shingles Propeller arm Date in March Genuine Hold sway Library sound Reply to a schoolmarm 68 Wheel shafts

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Whets Pledged Brief interruption We, in Cannes Mr. Trebek

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© 2010 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

Previous Day’s Puzzle Solved:

TODAY’S CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY:

A T L A S F E T E

F E L T P BSE AUN T S CHE H I N T I NE VEN AS T NT E

AV L A CU RON UT T NT T L SPR EO BON UN SSE T N E V R S

ES HO NA EP ES L E HA I R S GOA TW I S T A I N E I NGS NS LO E CAS DAUNT UPGR ERO I A I L C PCA H

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NG OL VA ED L E

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DOWN 1 Pacific island 2 “The — Reader” 3 — colada 4 Advantage 5 Some pastels 6 Dict. notation 7 Tenn. gridders 8 Pass a law 9 Kearney’s place 10 Stony 11 Mud brick 12 Use, as power 13 Arid 21 Hearty laugh 23 With skill 25 Capri and Skye 27 Give shape to 28 Melville title 29 Immediate successor 30 Ques. response 34 Seagoing initials 35 Ring up sales 36 Holly shrub 37 Bleached-out 38 Approved

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orn today, you are always quick to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, and while this often puts you at least a step ahead of the competition, always be aware that you are also in danger, just as often, of forging ahead without the proper or requisite preparation. It is essential that you are, whenever possible, actually as ready for things as you think you are; confidence alone isn’t going to do it for you — though it can separate you from those who come in second when all is said and done.

B

You know how to take full advantage of modern technology and other advances of the information age. You enjoy all kinds of communication, and it is likely that you will keep up with advances in technology — if only because you see it all as gadgetry that is fun to play with on a daily basis.

Also born on this date are Sarah McLachlan, singer; Barbi Benton, model and actress; Susan Sontag, writer and director; Jackson Pollock, artist; Alan Alda, actor; Arthur Rubinstein, pianist.

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To see what is in store for you tomorrow, find your birthday and read the corresponding paragraph. Let your birthday star be your daily guide.

S T E T

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — The overall mood may not be as bright and eager as it might be, but you can do much to improve the group outlook of those around you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Don’t leave certain things undone before heading out on a journey of discovery. Closure is valuable.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Friends and loved ones may express their concern about a recent decision you made under pressure. Is it too late to change your mind?

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — You’re facing a situation that threatens to get out of control if you don’t do what you can to stop one or two current trends.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — It’s a good day to make plans with those who share your outlook and ambition. The hardest decision will be who is actually in charge.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — A new and exciting adventure begins, and you’ll want to do all you can to be at the forefront, leading the way.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — You may feel as though you are backed into a corner at this time, but those around you can help get you out of trouble in the nick of time.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — You’re likely to learn two important lessons — one from someone much younger than you are, and the other from someone much older.

Copyright 2010 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE SPONSORED BY:

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THURSDAY

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — You may be introduced to something new and intriguing by someone who has an air of mystery about him or her.

E G G O

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Resist the temptation to help a friend through a difficult situation by doing or saying exactly what he or she fears.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — The more frank you can be with

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — You run the risk of being spread too thin at this time — unless you take someone up on his or her offer to take something off your plate.

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ACROSS 1 Aquarium fish 6 Part of the range 10 Feline foursome 14 Serviceable 15 Doggie treat 16 Adams or Brickell 17 Make void 18 Cement section 19 Dutch colonist 20 Skimpy 22 Dig frantically 24 Si, to Jacques 26 Postponed action 27 Punk hairdos 31 Furtive 32 Forebodings 33 Fortunate 36 Dot-com dream 39 Hi’s comic-strip wife 40 Physicist Nikola — 41 Harsh criticism 42 June bug 43 Search party 44 Designer — Simpson 45 Pol. party 46 Vegged out 48 Quays 51 Barbecue extra 52 Gold Rush phenomenon 54 Equipped 59 Isolated

JUSTIN COUSSON BEAR ON CAMPUS

COLD SNAP

TUNG PHAM

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Previous Day’s Puzzle Solved:

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6

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

REEL NEWS:

Diversions

JAKE SULLY WANTS TO DRINK YOUR BLOOD? Starring in the film with the highest foreign box office gross of all time can have its perks. Sam Worthington, the Australian tough guy who was relatively unknown before starring in James Cameron’s Avatar, has been cast as Dracula in the iconic vampire’s origin story, Dracula Year Zero, according to Latino Review. The star of Avatar playing a vampire during these Twilight-obsessed times? This one could have box office gold written all over it.

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

REVIEW | EDGE OF DARKNESS

Over the Edge

Mel Gibson’s first leading role in more than seven years isn’t worth the wait

BY TREVOR RUBEN For The Diamondback

Where there should have been more of Mel Gibson (Signs) beating the crap out of people, there was father-daughter mushiness. From the start, Edge of Darkness struggles to find a story worth telling and an effective way to tell it. Is it about a man’s quest to avenge the murder of his daughter as the trailers would have you think? Or did director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) use all that setup to explore a person’s psyche as he approaches the inevitable end?

Throw an overcomplicated conspiracy theory in the mix, and you get a movie trying to do too much and succeeding at too little.

Gibson plays Detective Thomas Craven who, in search of his daughter’s murderer, uncovers a conspiracy involving a big bad corporation, the big bad government and big bad nuclear weapons. Craven is the honorable, hardened cop with a sensitive side shown through love for his daughter.

Gibson does not do sensitive well, as witnessed in the monumental disaster What Women Want. In Edge of Darkness, his relationship with his daughter is unable to evoke emotion — their entire bond comes off as scripted and at odds with itself.

In the beginning, they are weirdly close with one another, as there is no mother figure in the picture. But it soon becomes apparent Craven has had nothing to do with his daughter’s life for

Mel Gibson plays a grieving father out for vengeance in Edge of Darkness.

quite some time. It seems odd that they would be so close and his memories of her have not changed, even after they have grown apart.

When Gibson turns into an ultimate badass during the occasional action sequence, he brings back the Lethal Weapon vigor that shot him to stardom in the first place.

Tracking those two sides of Craven — parent and badass — provides a definite structure for the movie as a whole. Whenever Craven is mourning, having flashbacks or dreams about his daughter or talking to hallucinations of her, the movie drags like a 20-ton boulder through quicksand.

When he goes all Martin Riggs with a nothing-to-lose mentality, you will jump out of your seat and glue your eyes to the screen. It really is a joy to watch Gibson go rampant and make his enemies look weak and pathetic, particularly in

Classified CALL

COURTESY MOVIEWEB.COM

the final 20 minutes. The grand finale is surprisingly satisfying despite a lackluster buildup.

Unfortunately, sporadic switches between slow, talky sections and brisk violence are unsettling, making it hard for the viewer to relax and slip into a particular mindset. Sure, it’s fun to watch some chick get smashed with a car out of nowhere, but it jolts you out of the drama of the moment.

In addition to that, a large majority of the narrative is used to explain the conspiracy, which never needed to be more complicated than bad guys selling weapons. Or even just bad guys.

All we needed was someone for Craven to kill by the end.

When Craven is at his most violent, themes of

mortality pop up, asking the viewer what he or she would do if there was nothing to lose and a drained hourglass. Complimenting this angle is a stellar, if underused, performance by Ray Winstone (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull).

Winstone plays Jedburgh, a mysterious man hired to “clean up” the mess the evil corporation created. Jedburgh has similar issues with mortality that Craven faces, though he stands on the opposite end of the morality spectrum as a hired gun instead of an honorable cop. He is witty but horribly jaded, much like The Comedian from Watchmen. The world is a joke to him.

Without missing a beat, Jedburgh proves to be the most dynamic and flat-out entertaining character in the movie. Having his eyes inspected by a doctor, he asks if there is a soul “in there.” Yet he is nothing but a side-story.

What a shame.

In the end, Edge of Darkness does not have enough guns and punches to overcome its pitfalls. The pace is unnerving, the entire fatherdaughter relationship is botched, and the plot is nothing more than a vehicle to observe Gibson and Winstone. Simply put, too many scenes drag out pointless details when there is still vengeance to be had. diversions@umdbk.com

MOVIE: Edge of Darkness | VERDICT:

1/2

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EMPLOYMENT

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P/T Administrative Assistant

Great Pay, Flexible Hours!

Graphics co. seeking energetic, organized person to handle accounting and secretarial duties. Experience with QuickBooks a plus. Located in Laurel. Email resumes to rsharma@sharmaassoc.com or fax 301-776-7338.

Wanted: Sitter for our 5 year old twins.

2:30-5:30 weekdays, more hours possible.

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Free fitness kickboxing and yoga week. Free shuttle. RSVP 301-585-8622.

Part Time

THE DIAMONDBACK is searching for a few individuals who like to stand out in a crowd.

Must enjoy a competitive environment & be interested in making an unlimited amount of money. 10-15 hours a week. Those interested please stop by 3136 S. Campus Dining Hall, 9:30-4:30.

Hiring & Training for Spring 2010 Position close date 1/29/10.

* On Campus *

Mad Scientists!

Up to $35/Class Hr. Instructors needed to lead fun after-school science clubs for kids in Metro area elementary schools. Experience working with kids a plus and MUST HAVE A CAR. Flexible PT opportunity. Must be available at least 2 days/ week (M-F) by 2 p.m. Paid training. Science background NOT required. $25-$35 per program hour.

Mad Science 301-593-4777 www.madscience.org/DC

PT Employee needed for small veterinary practice in Bethesda. Job includes mixed duties: veterinary assistant and receptionist work. Fax resume to Lauren at 301-564-0985.

The New York Deli in College Park is hiring Delivery Drivers, Cashiers and experienced Sandwich Makers. Please call 301-345-0366 or email to newyorkdeli1@gmail.com for an interview.

ATTENTION FRESHMEN & SOPHOMORES PAID ADVERTISING INTERN Maryland Media is now hiring two interns. Flexible hours 5-10 per week.

Send resume to advertising@dbk.umd.edu.

Deadline 1/29/10. *On Campus*

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MASCOT Think You Have What it Takes to be Testudo?

Contact Jamie L. Little TODAY for tryouts this week!!

JLLittle@umd.edu, 202-438-0499

WANTED RECEPTIONIST — Close to UMD, Bladensburg, full time, great pay, must have good phone skills, computer & typing skills required; contact Traci 301-779-9116.

Help wanted. Part-time office work. Macintosh computer skills a must. Page layout skills a must. Own transportation a must. We have flexible hours 2-3 days a week. Please contact Brenda Boice at 301-627-0900.

Office Assistant Takoma Park company seeking self-motivated individual to support small sales office. Business experience preferred. Must be multi-task oriented & dependable. Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Excellent telephone skills. Flexible F/T or P/T weekday hours.

Resume to: creativefiling@aol.com.

Please include hours available.

See Hundreds Of Different Job Listings On THE DIAMONDBACK

JOB BOARD

By Visiting www.diamondbackonline.com Click on “Job Listings” in our navigation bar.

Help wanted, part time, $10 to $15 per hour.

Event marketing staff partners. Make extra money working at local malls on weekends.

Transportation provided if needed. On campus contact mmorgan@umd.edu by email.

Cashier/Lottery Attendant Hiring immed. Flexible hours. CLOSED SUNDAYS. Nice environment, family owned & operated liquor store for over 50 years. Students encouraged to apply.

Must be 18 yrs. Call EASTGATE, located on Greenbelt Road, 301-390-6200.

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Earn Extra Money Students needed ASAP. Earn up to $150 per day being a mystery shopper. No experience required. Call 1-800-722-4791.

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Training provided.

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CHILD CARE Child Care/Driver. Seeking junior or senior for two or three afternoons a week from 3 6:30. Must have own car. $15/hour. Reply to catbuzz@netzero.net.

SEEKING STUDENT WHO LOVES KIDS! Part time nanny in Silver Spring to care for 3 and 1 yr old boys. Child care experience, reliable, loving, strong references, car/driving ability required. Please email resume to theakayne@yahoo.com Before and after care needed for 7 year old girl in College Park. Contact Mom at 301-996-7857.

DRIVER NEEDED Spring semester for 16 year old. Mon., Wed., Thurs. – pick her up at school in Rockville at 3:30 p.m. & bring her home to downtown Silver Spring. Some later pick-ups. Good driving record & car necessary. $15 per hour plus expenses. Call Irene at 301-563-6476 or irenewalton@gmail.com.

Silver Spring Need afterschool sitter for 3 school-aged children 2x/week. Pick up from school, supervise homework/play, some driving to activities. 3:00-6:00, Tuesday and Thursday.

Need own car, excellent references. $13/hour.

Call/e-mail Naomi: 202-292-1712, silsprworkingmom@gmail.com.

Part-time Nanny needed after school for 2 school-aged children. Possibly evenings.

Summer hours available. Please email jmrhodoui@msn.com.

FOR RENT WALK TO CAMPUS. Houses and apartments. 6807 Baltimore Avenue - 5 bedrooms, $3750. 7007 Dartmouth Avenue - 5 bedrooms, $3750. 7409 Columbia Avenue 4 bedrooms, $2995. 4502 Guilford Road, Apt B - 2 bedrooms, $1650. 4502 Guilford Road, Apt C - 3 bedrooms with walkup attic, $2200.

301-699-1863. Visit dunnrentals.com for more information.

HOUSE – Early decision – special price for Spring.

301-392-5205; landwardmd@gmail.com.

3 lovely rooms available now in 5 room girls house. Washer/ dryer/rec room. 2 full baths, easy walking distance to campus.

Call Liz now: 301-502-8126.

Room. $400 includes utilities, internet, DirecTV. Close to UMCP. 301-237-2829.

4 bedroom, 2 bath Adelphi house. Near UM shuttle route and grocery store. $1600/group or $450/person, plus utilities. Non-smoking.

No pets. Available now. 301-935-5387.

WALK TO CAMPUS. 7203 Rhode Island Ave: 8 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, $4950. 4801 Calvert Rd: 7 bedrooms, $4900.

410-798-0713.

Beltsville Clean, furnished single room in house.

Independent entrance, private bath, freezer and microwave, utilities included. Close to Costco, Ikea, laundromat, CVS, etc. 8 min. by car to UM. Interested call 301-346-0243 or email angiem_2003@hotmail.com.

SERVICES

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DISSERTATION EDITING — Theses, papers. Wordprocessing. Style manual experts.

301-474-6000 Anytime.

College Park Area — Quiet, elegant, (un)furnished studio apartment. Dishwasher, washer, dryer, a/c. All utilities included. $675. jkh3302005@yahoo.com or 703-715-6200.

RUSSIAN tutoring for all levels by a retired professor. Native speaker. Reasonable rates. Call 301-213-4194.

CONDO FOR RENT — Beltsville. Spacious 3 bedroom/2 bath, balcony, pool, close to campus, walk to stores. Available February. $1400/month includes utilities (or $500/room). Nick 301-357-1355.

5 Bedroom House 2 baths, 2 kitchens. Pawnee Street, Adelphi. Less than 1 mile from UMD. Bike to school or walk to shuttle stop. $500 + utilities. 240-421-0900, Fatima.Bracamontes@comcast.net.

REDUCED PRICE. Negotiable. 1 bedroom sublease. UNIVERSITY VIEW. Patricia.

301-367-7555. pvalenci@umd.edu ROOM. EASY WALKING DISTANCE. $450.

All girl house: 2 full baths, washer/dryer.

Parking. 301-502-8328.

ROOM FOR RENT. Located at 8307 Potomac Ave., College Park. Available now.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

SMITH from page 8 1990s. The two coaches run similar offensive schemes, and that connection, paired with the general “family feel” shown by the coaching staff, is what fortified Smith’s decision.

“We know each other, and we know the type of people we are,” Comp said. “I think Tyler sees that and says, ‘Well, that’s the kind of people I want to be around — good people, family people and just have a real passion for the game of football.’”

Evaluators have mar veled at Smith’s arm strength and deliver y, as well as his size.

ESPN.com rates Smith as a four-star recruit. In his senior season, Smith threw for 3,130 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also led the Warriors to an 11-1 record and a second straight Colonial League Championship.

Comp described Smith as a “mentally as well as physically tough competitor” who knows how to read a defensive coverage with ease. He also said Smith’s calm demeanor is one of his best attributes.

But even with the expectations, Smith has managed to stay humble.

“I just want to learn as much as I can and compete as

OFFENSE from page 8 halfcourt offense, as a turning point.

Since then, the team hasn’t shot less than 45 percent in any game except in an overtime loss to Wake Forest. In five ACC games, they’ve knocked down an astounding 52 percent of their 3-point attempts.

And impressively, 19 of the team’s 28 field goals in Tuesday’s 81-59 win against Miami came off assists.

“We’re following coach Williams’ system, and we’re winning games,” guard Greivis Vasquez said. “Before, we weren’t playing together, in my opinion. Now, our chemistry says a lot about our team.”

After his team’s third

much as I can,” Smith said.

“We’ll see. It’s a lot to learn — the offense and the tempo to get used to. I’ll go down and do ever ything I can to play, but whatever happens, happens. And I’ll just keep working hard through ever ything.”

With the depar ture of senior Chris Turner, next year’s Terps will have questions at the quar terback position.

Jamarr Robinson will be the preseason favorite to earn the star ting job, with Danny O’Brien and C.J. Brown not far behind. Coach Ralph Friedgen often complimented O’Brien and Brown, both freshmen, throughout the fall.

That could bode well for Smith’s development.

In his entire high school career, Smith lost only six games, in part because of his natural leadership ability — a vital quality to have at the quarterback position.

He hopes that quality, along with his comfort level coming in, will enable him to have more success.

“I’m not used to losing, and I don’t like to lose,” Smith said. “Being a quarterback, you have to be a leader, and you have to give that [winning] mentality to the whole offense.” engelke@umdbk.com

“Before, we weren’t playing together, in my opinion. Now, our chemistry says a lot about our team.”

GREIVIS VASQUEZ TERRAPIN POINT GUARD

straight double-digit conference win, Williams said it was just a matter of time before an experienced offense figured out how to play.

He noted for ward Dino Gregor y’s return from suspension provided more continuity to the unit. With Gregor y out, for ward Jordan Williams was

7

HOKIES from page 8 to focus on a quick start.

The Terps have faced significant early deficits in each of their four conference losses this season. They trailed N.C. State by 20 points before halftime.

Against North Carolina, an early Tar Heel lead swelled to as much as 11, and against Miami, the Hurricanes’ greatest lead was 15. Duke also held an 11-point advantage before the Terps closed the gap.

“Starting out aggressive and being ready to play, we can’t dig ourselves in holes like that against all this great talent,” Frese said.

“When you have the chance to take the crowd out of the game, it makes it that easier down the stretch,” Bjork said.

Which Virginia Tech team the Terps will square off with tonight is anyone’s guess.

The Hokies led by as many as 23 points in a 79-64 stomping of preseason ACC favorite and then-No. 10 North Carolina on Jan. 14.

But one week later at No. 6 Duke, they hit barely a quarter of their shots en route to a 69-38 loss.

forced to learn the offense while contributing major minutes. Adding Gregor y, a player with experience in the system, offered Gar y Williams a chance to spell Jordan Williams without hurting his offense.

In the past few games, the Terps have jumped out early and adjusted to playing with big leads, which puts more emphasis on longer, clockwasting possessions.

Still, they have found ways to turn them into good shots and easy baskets, which has allowed them to extend the leads.

For a team that blew several second-half leads in the middle of last season, the Terps’ 67 percent second-half shooting in Saturday’s 24-point win against N.C. State and 55 per-

“Testing...One...Two...Three...”

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Terps vs. Virginia Tech Where: Blacksburg, Va. When: Tonight, 7 p.m.

Radio: WMUCsports.com The veteran Hokies, led by for ward Utahya Dr ye (11.8 points per game), have managed to stay afloat in the ACC with a rather ordinar y brand of play.

The team doesn’t stand among the top three or bottom three in most of the major offensive or defensive statistical categories in conference play.

“They’re really experienced with juniors and seniors on the roster who have played through the wars -— just a team that’s playing really well,” Frese said.

It’s a reality the Terps will have to face tonight, even if no one expected them to.

“With preseason rankings,” Frese said, “a lot of people don’t know where teams will be at.” shaffer@umdbk.com

cent second-half shooting against the Hurricanes are major positives.

“We can’t back off from the way we’re playing,” Gary Williams said. “Some nights the shots will go in. We’ve been shooting the ball really well.

And as long as we continue to pass the ball well, we’ll get good looks.”

And the 21st-year coach doesn’t see any reason why that success can’t continue — especially if players such as Mosley continue to trust the offense and keep firing.

“We’re good enough shooters to make those shots that we’re making now,” Williams added. “They’re the shots that we want to take, and hopefully they keep falling for us.” edetweiler@umdbk.com

Guard Dara Taylor and the Terps will face a Virginia Tech team that was predicted to finish last in the ACC tonight in Blacksburg, Va. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

EFFICIENT ATTACK MIAMI, TUESDAY: 81-59 W ASSISTS: 19 FIELD GOALS: 28 N.C. STATE, JAN. 23: 88-64 W ASSISTS: 16 FIELD GOALS: 29 BOSTON COLLEGE, JAN. 16: 73-57 W ASSISTS: 17 FIELD GOALS: 28 WAKE FOREST, JAN. 12: 85-83 L ASSISTS: 18 FIELD GOALS: 28 FLORIDA STATE, JAN. 10: 77-68 W ASSISTS: 14 FIELD GOALS: 29

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

Sports

Read Terrapin Trail for more info Check out Terrapintrail.com for more on the men’s

basketball team’s dominant ACC start and a rundown of former Terp football players who will be participating in pre-NFL Draft events.

Terps head to Virginia Tech in need of a win

Terps’ offense flying high during hot streak Men’s basketball team using improved halfcourt offense to dominate ACC opponents on way to 4-1 conference start

BY ERIC DETWEILER Senior staff writer

Even during a hot shooting start this season, Sean Mosley heard a familiar refrain after several offensive possessions each game.

Whether it was from a teammate who had passed him the ball or coach Gary Williams on the sideline, the message was roughly the same: “Why didn’t you shoot?”

The Terrapin guard realized that when he and his teammates pass up open looks in Williams’ patented flex offense, it hurts the team.

Lately, the rugged 6-foot-4 sophomore hasn’t heard that frustrated sentiment nearly as much.

For Mosley, that was the first clue that the Terp offense has kicked into high gear.

For the rest of the ACC, it’s the gaudy statistics and blowout victories the Terps have registered during a run of six wins in seven games.

Keyed by a more patient, fruitful halfcourt offense, the veteran Terps have surged to the top of the ACC standings. In conference games, they’ve jumped to the top or

1

Terp women have lost 3 straight

BY JONAS SHAFFER

near the top of nearly every offensive category.

“Everything is on one page, and everybody’s clicking,” said Mosley, who is shooting nearly 60 percent this season. “When a guy’s open, he’s shooting it and making it.”

Scoring hasn’t really been a problem for the Terps throughout the season. They cracked the 70-point mark in each game this season except for November losses to Cincinnati and Wisconsin on backto-back days at the Maui Invitational.

But often, the Terps struggled early in wins against mid-major opponents before using their defense and athleticism to pour it on late.

In recent weeks, the team’s scoring has been more consistent thanks to hot shooting and better production out of the flex.

Several Terps have pointed to the team’s Jan. 3 blowout win at UNCGreensboro, a game in which they bounced back from a home loss to William & Mary with a more concerted effort to go inside and run the

Staff writer

see OFFENSE, page 7

The Terps’ rank in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play.

Terps’ guard Sean Mosley is shooting 58.8 percent from the field this season and is part of a squad that is leading the ACC in a number of important offensive statistical categories. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

COUNTDOWN TO NATIONAL SIGNING DAY | SIX DAYS

Smith seeks ‘family’ feeling

BY JAKOB ENGELKE Staff writer

For quarterback Tyler Smith, the decision to attend this university was an easy one.

Smith, who committed to the Terrapin football program last May, said he knew where he wanted to continue his football career immediately when he stepped foot on the campus for a recruiting visit.

“I just felt comfortable with Maryland, and I knew that’s where I wanted to be,” Smith

sion.

But ultisaid. “I figured, why mately, familiarity keep going through with the Terps’ this process and going coaching staf f was through interviews the major factor. when I knew what I Bret Comp, wanted to do and Smith’s high school where I wanted to be?” coach, was a teamThe 6-foot-4 commate of Terp offenmit from Wilson Area sive coordinator and High School in Easton, Pa., said the TYLER SMITH head-coach-in-waiting James Franklin Terps’ current quar- TERRAPIN RECRUIT at East Stroudsburg terback situation, as well as the campus’s proxim- University during the early ity to Baltimore and Washington, played into his decisee SMITH, page 7

It was potential that got the Terrapin women’s basketball team first-place votes in the league’s preseason poll. And it was a lack of it that had Virginia Tech voted dead last in the same poll.

But near the end of the first month of conference play, neither side has realized the expectations heaped upon them. The Hokies (12-7, 2-3 ACC) aren’t playing like the worst team in the league. And the Terps (14-6, 2-4), who travel to Blacksburg, Va., tonight for a crucial mid-season matchup, have shown only flashes of the team some expected to see at this point.

“Sitting at 2-4 right now in the conference, we really need to get back in the race a little bit,” guard Lori Bjork said. “This is a good opportunity to do it. We know we can win, but it’s going to be tough any time on the road.”

In a season full of firsts for a young Terps squad, tonight will mark another unusual moment for the team. No player on the team has ever played at Cassell Coliseum during her college career.

“Ever y time we go to a different venue, we’re playing an entirely new team in a new environment,” coach Brenda Frese said. “The only way to get through it is to go through the experience.”

Before the Terps can get too accustomed to their new surroundings, however, they’ll need

see HOKIES, page 7