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Thursday, February 23, 2012

THE DIAMONDBACK Our 102ND Year, No. 95

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Same-sex marriage could be stalled Senator proposes amending bill after its narrow passage in the House

BY JIM BACH Staff writer

The Senate Executive Committee is waiting to hear from Attorney General Doug Gansler before expanding the Good Samaritan policy to include drugs. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

Drug policy on hold in Senate

Although proponents of same-sex marriage legislation thought they only had one more vote in the Senate after the bill passed the state’s House of Delegates on Friday, Sen. Ed Reilly (R-Anne Arundel) has proposed amending the bill, making its passage all the more uncertain.

The House vote was thought to be the biggest obstacle in getting the bill to Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has pledged his support for the legislation, since the chamber killed the bill last legislative session. But if Reilly’s amendment to the legislation — which would put the measure in place Oct. 1, 2012, rather than Jan. 1, 2013— is accepted in a Senate hearing tomorrow,

Senators await attorney general’s stance before expanding Good Sam

BY YASMEEN ABUTALEB Senior staff writer

Although student activists submitted a proposal nearly three months ago to extend this university’s alcohol amnesty policy to also include drugs, they’ve now found the legislation indefinitely stalled while they wait for the state attorney general to issue an opinion.

The university’s Legal Aid Office first requested an opinion from Attorney General Doug Gansler’s office in

November, after undergraduate student senator Brandon Levey proposed extending the Good Samaritan policy — which protects dangerously drunk students from university sanctions if they call 911 for themselves or a friend — to include drugs. But after Gansler’s office failed to deliver its recommendation in time for yesterday’s Senate Executive Committee meeting, members will have to wait at least another month until its next meeting in

see EXTENSION, page 3

the House would have to vote once again — and many supporters said they are concerned the body will oppose the measure in a second vote.

“It would require the bill to get cleared again by the House,” Sen. Brian Frosh (D- ED REILLY Montgomery) said. STATE SENATOR “The reason for the amendment was to kill the bill.”

While the Senate was supposed to vote on the amendment yesterday, Reilly requested to delay the hearing by one day.

“This is an important issue for all of us,” he said during yesterday’s hearing. “I don’t have

a sense that we need to rush through this.”

The same-sex marriage bill that passed the House has its enactment date set for Jan. 2013 to provide sufficient time for a referendum, since many opponents have pledged to launch a petition effort to put the measure on the November ballot if passed.

Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery) said Reilly’s amendment is simply a way to stall the bill’s passage and to try to kill it before it reaches O’Malley’s desk.

“I don’t see the logic of it, and I think that we all know that any effort to amend the bill at this point is essentially to kill the bill,” he said before the Senate yesterday.

“It may look like a placebo, but it is a poison pill and I would urge the supporters of

see MARRIAGE, page 2

Winds of change Group lobbies for Offshore Wind Energy Act

BY CHAD SINCLAIR Staff writer

Against the fitting backdrop of a clear sky and strong breeze, about a dozen MaryPIRG members rallied at the Statehouse yesterday to support offshore wind energy legislation.

The students, along with representatives from 13 other colleges, constituted a crowd of about 80 activists who attended a Lobby Day in Annapolis to voice their sup-

port for the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act — a bill that would incentivize development of more green offshore energy sources — and to speak directly with state legislators.

Gov. Martin O’Malley told the crowd, many of whom were armed with spinning cardboard windmills and pro-wind energy signs, that he backs the bill.

“We’re here because we understand

see ENERGY, page 2

Gov. Martin O’Malley speaks to students lobbying for a wind energy bill. PHOTOS BY CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

New reusable dining container use grows More than 1,300 used last week

BY ALLISON GRAY Staff writer

To reduce waste in dining halls across the campus, Dining Ser vices officials began offering students reusable containers last semester — and have seen the number of students using the containers surge since launching the initiative.

At the start of the program, officials said they saw a few hundred OZZI containers used each week, but last week, students used more than 1,300 containers in the North Campus Diner. On average, officials said, the

number of containers in use has increased by about 200 per week since the start of the semester — a figure that exceeded their expectations.

“It’s really exciting for us,” Dining Services Sustainability Coordinator Allison Lilly said.

Dining Services kickstarted the pilot shortly after Thanksgiving, and the program began at the start of this semester.

Students pay a $5 fee for the first container. After that, students return the containers to the OZZI machines and receive a token, enabling

see CONTAINERS, page 3

SGA calls for future same-day voter registration legislation Body wants lawmakers to introduce bill soon to make voting easier for student population

BY LEAH VILLANUEVA Senior staff writer

The Student Government Association voted last night in favor of encouraging lawmakers to establish legislation allowing same-day voter registration to make voting easier. SU HONG/FOR THE DIAMONDBACK

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

AM T-storm/60s

INDEX

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

Although it’s too late to pass same-day voter registration in time for the upcoming presidential election, SGA members last night called on state lawmakers to introduce future legislation that would allow state voters to register on Election Day. The state legislature is currently not considering any state bill regarding same-day voter registration, but the Student Government Association voted 20-0 with one abstention to call for the Maryland General Assembly to FEATURES . . . . . .5 CLASSIFIED . . . . .6

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

introduce and pass same-day registration in a future session. The SGA also pledged to lobby for this before legislators when they travel to Annapolis for Terrapin Pride Day on Monday, arguing that such legislation would open doors for many more students to participate.

“Just because this isn’t something that’s going to happen this year doesn’t mean we should not acknowledge it and make a statement about it,” said sponsor and arts and humanities legislator Mace Phillips.

“This has gained a lot of attention in the

see VOTING, page 3 www.diamondbackonline.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Members of MaryPIRG, alongside students from 13 other universities, lobbied in Annapolis yesterday afternoon for legislation encouraging wind-energy projects.

ENERGY from page 1 there is a connection between what we do or fail to do in one generation and the life that will be enjoyed by the next,” O’Malley said. “Thank you for pushing us to do what’s right not only for the next election, but also for the next generation.”

The Energy Information Administration estimates the bill — which would incentivize the development of between 50 and 100 wind turbines that would generate up to 500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity — would create enough energy to power half the homes on the state’s east-

MARRIAGE from page 1 this legislation to resist it.”

But many lawmakers said they still expect the bill to pass and do not believe an amendment would change any legislative votes. Senate President Mike Miller (D-Calvert and Prince George’s) said he does-

CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

ern shore or more than a third of the homes in Baltimore City.

Currently, there are no offshore wind farms operating in North America.

The act will be discussed at a House hearing this afternoon.

However, O’Malley was quick to point out yesterday that while the long-term benefits of offshore wind energy are significant, the project will not move as fast as some would hope.

“Once you make the investment, once you make the choice, nature keeps giving you the resource for free,” O’Malley said. “It won’t happen overnight, but we can make it happen.”

MaryPIRG campaign coordinator Sam Rivers helped organ-

ize yesterday’s rally, in conjunction with Maryland Student Climate Coalition and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, as part of its renewable wind energy initiative.

David Bransfield, MaryPIRG’s chapter chairman, said the campaign is more than just lobbying and rallying.

“When we have kids, this campaign will have affected their lives,” he said last week at the organization’s kick-off meeting. “We can’t let the state die.”

Del. Heather Mizeur (DMontgomery) said citizens must educate themselves on the detriments of fossil-fuel energy to make an informed choice about supporting the legislation.

“We have to decide if we want to keep our homes heated and our lights turned on by continuing to use dirty fossil fuels that harm the environment and create public health concerns, or invest in offshore wind energy that will create jobs, help us meet our long-term energy goals and allow us to lessen the impact of climate change,” Mizeur said.

However, several organizations, including the state’s Chamber of Commerce, the Maryland Conservation Council and the Maryland Farm Bureau, oppose the bill, which did not pass in the last legislative session because of concerns that offshore wind farms

would be too costly an undertaking for many utility companies. Consumers would also likely see their electricity rates increase, although the bill caps increases at $2 a month.

CCAN Campus Organizer Megan Jenny said it is still important for the state to invest in wind energy to eventually eliminate petroleum.

“You can only fight against dirty fossil fuels for so long without having an alternative,” Jenny said. “Offshore wind is the best alternative for Mar yland.”

She said her focus now is on expanding CCAN’s efforts to universities that have not yet thrown their support behind renewable wind energy.

“We are still working on campuses to convince presidents and administrators to support offshore wind,” Jenny said. “Campuses are huge energy customers, so hearing from them means a lot.”

Del. Ben Barnes (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s) said the only way that investment will happen is if the project’s supporters continue to develop new ideas.

“We’ve got to be people who continue to think big,” he said. “Unless we start down this road and help encourage this kind of technology, we’re never going to get there.”

n’t “anticipate a single vote has changed” since last legislative session’s 25-21 Senate vote.

Frosh, however, said amendments would threaten the bill’s future by making it go through a House vote a second time; he said he expects favorable results in the Senate.

“I’m certainly hoping that we’re not going to adopt any

amendments,” he said. “I think we have the votes as long as nobody gets sick.”

Frosh added he believes passage of the bill is an important measure for equality.

“In a couple of years it will be very clear that it’s very mainstream,” he said. “I think people will look back on the debate today in 10 years,

maybe five years, and ask, ‘what were they thinking?’”

Raskin said because the bill has been amended to address religious concerns of many lawmakers who feared such legislation would force churches to recognize same-sex unions, it warrants passage.

“It provides that no church and no church-operated institution

will ever be required to solemnize, celebrate or promote any marriage that it chooses not to for religious reasons,” he said.

He added he believes it is a right that should be afforded to thousands of residents who are currently ineligible for more than 400 benefits and more than 1,000 federal benefits.

“The Supreme Court has said

that deadbeat fathers have a right to marry, mass murderers on death row have a right to marry, people who just met on Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire have the right to marry,” he said.

“Yet there are tens of thousands of our constituents who still cannot marry.”

SENIOR GRADUATION PORTRAITS

T

he 2012 TERRAPIN YEARBOOK, in association with Herff-Jones Studios, will be taking graduation portraits the week of February 20-24, 2012.

Although it is TOO LATE for these pictures to be included in the 2012 TERRAPIN, many of you called to request this portrait session.

There is absolutely NO cost or obligation on your part. Several poses will be taken, both with and without cap and gown, if you prefer.

You will then have an opportunity to purchase portraits at a reasonable charge.

You may make an appointment by calling 1-800-687-9327, 8 a.m.5 p.m., or schedule your appointment on the net! Visit our site at www.ouryear.com using Maryland’s school code: 87101.

DATES: February 20-24, 2012 One Week Only!!

TIME: 11am-7pm PLACE: 3101 South Campus Dining Hall (TERRAPIN YEARBOOK Office) PHONE: 1-800-687-9327 or www.ouryear.com School code: 87101

sinclair@umdbk.com

bach@umdbk.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

Univ. Police report no gun pointed at student in alleged assault last week Police found suspect using security camera footage, determined no firearms involved in case; label incident as ‘unfounded’

BY ERIN EGAN Senior staff writer

After a student reported an alleged assault on Feb. 16 near Stadium Drive Garage, police determined that the assault never occurred.

A student reported that, while walking to his Ellicott Hall dorm, he passed an unknown silver vehicle parked outside of the garage with a male passenger inside the car pointing a gun at him, University Police spokesman Capt. Marc Limansky said.

But after police identified the

vehicle and inter viewed its owner and the passenger, they determined there were never any firearms involved.

Police labeled the incident as unfounded, meaning an event did not happen the way it was originally reported, Limansky said.

Although Limansky said the victim agreed with the conclusion of the case, he added, “We have no reason to believe that the victim doesn’t believe what he saw. He didn’t make up a stor y and lie about it.”

Police tracked down the

owner of the vehicle using security camera footage, Limansky said. Investigators found license plate and tag information from footage of a silver car driving onto the campus at a time matching the student’s report. Police then interviewed the female owner and the passenger of the car — the passenger was a university student — to determine the events of that night. The owner said she was parked outside of the garage because she and the passenger were trying to decide whether they should park there.

Police also photographed the car to show to the victim, who confirmed it was the same vehicle he saw last week.

The alleged incident was repor ted to police 19 hours after it happened, and Limansky said although police were able to solve this case, it is always better to repor t incidents sooner rather than later.

“It’s just always more beneficial when people report things in a more timely manner,” he said. egan@umdbk.com

Student Government Association President Kaiyi Xie (above) said he, along with the majority of the SGA, support extending an alcohol amnesty policy. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

EXTENSION from page 1 March before moving forward with the policy.

“It’s just unfortunate that it’s been held up for so long because they’re waiting for the Maryland attorney general to give his opinion and thoughts on it,” Levey said. “This is such an important policy.”

Senate Chairman Eric Kasischke said senators need to understand all of the legal implications associated with crafting such a policy. The senate has proceeded with contentious legislation without the attorney’s recommendation in the past, Kasischke said, only to have to revise the legislation. “[The attorney’s opinion] is not required, but on the other hand, the committee could be doing a lot of work that would later be rendered moot by the attorney general,” he said. “Unless the committee actually understands all of the relevant information needed to consider the charge, they could be wasting their time.”

Gansler could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Students initially pushed for an all-inclusive Good Samaritan policy when they began lobbying four years ago, but focused their efforts on getting an alcohol policy passed. After the senate voted to approve the policy in March, activists immediately mobilized to update the policy — and now fear losing momentum in passing such legislation.

Levey contacted the Board of Regents — a 17-member governing body that oversees the University System of Maryland — before submitting his proposal and received the OK to forge ahead with the policy.

Although Kasischke is standing firm on waiting for Gansler’s opinion before moving forward, he said he strongly supports Levey’s proposal and hopes to set it in motion as soon as possible.

“We seem to be stuck at a standpoint,” Kasischke said.

CONTAINERS from page 1

At its meeting last night, the Student Government Association discussed lobbying state lawmakers for a bill that would allow residents to register to vote on an election day, which legislators said would increase voter participation. SU HONG/THE DIAMONDBACK

with these laws in place.

However, the issue does from page 1 not come without opposition, and SGA members noted it had been struck down in the state legislature because of state legislature several the coming election, so we times in previous years.

“It’s ver y controversial have to make this a priority in Annapolis for when the because some people say time does come that it actu- there are issues of voter fraud,” SGA Director of Govally happens.”

Affairs Zach Student leaders noted ernmental states that already have Cohen said in an inter view same-day registration laws before the meeting. “But the saw an upsurge in participa- questions that lawmakers tion among young voters, and have to answer is, is that a a California Institute of Tech- real problem, and do the bennology study estimates 9.1 efits of enabling college peopercent more young people ple to vote outweigh the risk (ages 18 to 25) vote in states of voter fraud?”

VOTING

Members of this university’s chapter of MaryPIRG will also advocate for same-day registration during this legislative session. MaryPIRG chapter Chairman David Bransfield said the issue directly affects students, especially first-time voters, and that prohibiting them to vote on election day bars them from their rights to participate in open government.

“I’m constantly told that students are out of touch, don’t want to be involved, and I don’t believe that’s true,” Bransfield said. “Our goal is for students to feel like the people in Annapolis represent them, and this is something that would

help us reach that goal.”

SGA legislators also wrapped up the stances for which they will lobby state legislators Monday, voting unanimously to back a proposed statewide five-cent disposable bag tax; a proposed requirement for state high schools to include a half-year financial literacy course in the curriculum; and a proposed two-week tax holiday on textbook sales before each fall semester. Last week, the body had also voted to support same-sex marriage and the Maryland Wind Energy Act. villanueva@umdbk.com

them to continue using the reusable containers.

While officials initially ordered 1,000 containers, the program’s popularity prompted Dining Services to order about 1,000 more to add to the machines yesterday.

Since Dining Services uses about a million disposable containers per year, Lilly said she hopes to see the program continue growing to promote more sustainable dining — especially with more than 8,000 students on meal plans.

For now, the number of dispensers and containers officials place in dining halls are determined by how often students choose to use them, Lilly said.

“The whole program is very new,” she said. “[As] people start seeing about it, learning more about it, they become more interested in trying it out.”

To reward students using the containers, Lilly said dining officials hope to allow students to return their

“That really bothers us, but on the other hand, we can’t charge a committee on a proposal like this that has some legal ramifications to it without really understanding what those are.”

Although about 50 universities across the country have implemented an all-inclusive policy — including the University of Georgia, University of Iowa, Washington College in Maryland, William and Mary and Tulane, according to university websites — Kasischke said there are various state laws that prevent the university from simply following suit.

The Student Government Association threw its support behind implementing an all-inclusive Good Samaritan policy shortly after Levey submitted his proposal last semester. SGA President Kaiyi Xie said since it would only prevent students from university punishment — and not legal trouble — the university should adopt the policy.

“The senate wouldn’t get rid of the fact that drugs are banned, but if we remove some of the barriers for students potentially calling for help … certainly it’s a very helpful thing to students to reduce the number of potential worries they may have in calling for help,” he said.

To rally student support and pressure the senate to move forward, members of Students for Sensible Drug Policy have been passing around a petition and have gathered hundreds of student signatures, treasurer Nick Rosenberg said.

Kasischke said although the legislation has been stalled for at least another month, he is still optimistic the senate will review the policy and determine the best course of action.

“Personally, I support the policy; whether or not the senate supports it, I don’t know,” he said.

“I understand the importance of what Brandon has proposed, but we deal with the system, not an ideal world where you say ‘This needs to be done.’” abutaleb@umdbk.com

token at the end of the semester so they do not have to worr y about losing it over the summer.

Officials said they plan to conduct a study in the coming months to compare the number of disposable containers used before and after the program to see how successful the OZZI containers have been in reducing campus waste.

Although students have to pay to begin using the OZZI containers, freshman letters and sciences major Nusheen Majidi said they eventually end up costing students less, since disposable containers cost 25 cents each time they’re purchased.

“Eventually it’s cheaper, and that’s a bonus of being green,” she said.

Megan Beveridge, a freshman architecture major, said purchasing the containers helps her live more sustainably.

“I’ve always kind of been an environmentalist, so I just feel better about using them than the plastic ones,” she said. gray@umdbk.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

0pinion

THE DIAMONDBACK

LAUREN REDDING EDITOR IN CHIEF

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

ALEX KNOBEL

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CHRISTOPHER HAXEL

MARIA ROMAS

OPINION EDITOR

ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

Staff editorial

Guest column

A long-overdue extension

Dismal student support

I

He doesn’t have the greatest track record with responding to university requests in t hasn’t been an easy ride the last four years for student activists supporting the Good Samaritan policy. When students first introduced the legislation — which a speedy fashion. In 2008, the university told a group of student journalists it would protects dangerously drunk students from university sanctions if they call 911 not disclose the names of students convicted of sexual assault, citing a federal privacy for themselves or a friend — in 2007, they proposed a policy that would include act. The journalists worked with a local state delegate to request an opinion from both alcohol and drug use. The latter was quickly shot down, so students regrouped Gansler just a few months later; they didn’t receive one until April 2010.

After Gansler ruled in the students’ favor, the university was forced to comply and focused on an alcohol policy. After four years and intense lobbying by students with their request and release the information. The stuwho refused to give up, the University Senate passed it. dent journalists’ case is similar to the first round of Good The fight isn’t over for students, however. They’re back Samaritan debates; both are now considered success stoto fulfill the goals of the original proposal and extend the policy to include drug use. This time around, the debate is While waiting for Attorney ries for undergraduates because of the incredible devotion students showed, with upperclassmen passing the torch even more complicated. Because drug use is illegal at any General Douglas Gansler’s onto younger activists when they graduated to ensure the age, the legal implications of such a policy are extensive and students are possibly facing another four-year fight just opinion on extending Good cause didn’t die.

Similar tactics need to be implemented now, given it’s to extend the original bill.

Samaritan to include drug unclear when Gansler will issue an opinion. Undergraduate The legislation has been sitting in the senate’s Student senator and senior Brandon Levey, currently leading Executive Committee for three months. Students hold the use, senators should work student the fight for an all-inclusive policy, has done a commendable majority on the committee, and all five of them — including four undergraduates and one graduate student — support it, to educate the study body. job bringing the issue up this semester. But it’s unlikely he’ll see it pass before he’s graduated. Levey needs to rely heavily meaning it should be a breeze to pass. But because the committee refuses to move forward without a statement of support from state Attorney on the Students for Sensible Drug Policy — a group instrumental in seeing through General Douglas Gansler — who has yet to respond three months after an opinion the first Good Samaritan policy — to establish a lineage of student support that will last long after he’s gone. was requested — the legislation is stalled indefinitely.

Furthermore, senators and student activists should use this waiting time wisely to edFor the record, this editorial board fully endorses extending the policy to include drug use. It’s the logical next step in ensuring the university upholds student safety ucate the entire university on the importance of such legislation. When the first legislaabove anything else. It wouldn’t be a revolutionary policy, either; major state institu- tion passed, former Student Conduct Director John Zacker credited much of its success tions such as the University of Georgia, the University of Iowa (university President to the overwhelming student voice in favor of such a policy. Students conducted interWallace Loh’s former school) and Tulane University all have inclusive Good Samari- views and surveys to gauge the university’s opinion on the matter; not surprisingly, betan policies. Senate chair Eric Kasischke has stated that because this state has its own cause it centered around saving students’ lives, most were in favor of it.

But this time around, with a more controversial policy dealing with drugs, the senspecific laws, the university can’t simply follow suit.

However, considering Washington College in this state also has a similar policy, ate will likely need more swaying. Undergraduates need to gather sufficient data to this editorial board finds it hard to believe Gansler would deny the state’s flagship prove once again how wholeheartedly the university community values such policies. university the right to implement such legislation while another in-state institution Once Gansler OKs the legislation, senators will be able to immediately mobilize and already has one in place. It doesn’t seem to be a question of what Gansler will say, have a fighting chance at getting the policy passed. It’s already been four years — it’s time to approve the original Good Samaritan proposal once and for all. but when he will ultimately say it.

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Joey Lockwood

Sam Arora: So long, farewell

W

hen the House of Delegates passed Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Civil Marriage Protection Act, I was elated and filled with glee.

After two years of lobbying, phone banking and impassioned pleas from LGBT and allied communities, Maryland is soon set to live up to its “Free State” moniker. However, I was curious to see how Del. Sam Arora (DMontgomery), a freshman representative, voted on the bill.

During his 2010 campaign, Arora raked in campaign donations from area progressives, many of whom he met while working on Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. In a survey by Equality Maryland, Arora declared he would co-sponsor civil marriage legislation. Yet, during last year’s legislative session, Arora backtracked and withdrew his co-sponsorship of the bill.

Due to the fact marriage equality proponents had to pull the bill from

MATT ARNSTINE consideration, Arora was given a lifeline: He would have nearly an entire year to rethink his position on samesex marriage. Over the past week, Arora reportedly received phone calls from O’Malley, former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe. A www.change.org petition for Arora to vote for marriage equality received thousands of signatures. If Arora wanted to change his vote, his jilted supporters and Montgomery County Democrats would’ve greeted him with hesitant, but open, arms.

But he didn’t change his position, and what makes Arora’s betrayal sting even more is that we’ve seen coura-

geous legislators in conservative districts support marriage equality. Last summer in New York, we saw Republican legislators who voted at great political risk for marriage equality. So, after Arora almost derailed passage in the House of Delegates, he deserves to be thrown out of office when he faces reelection in 2014.

Arora may think voters have short memories, and indeed that’s typically true for some general election voters.

But Arora shouldn’t necessarily be worried about the general election — he should worry about the Democratic primary because his district in Montgomery County is royal blue. Primary elections are filled with party activists who closely follow day-to-day politics.

In the aftermath of Arora’s decision to vote “no” on the Civil Marriage Protection Act, Arora’s legislative director, Joshua Lapidus, resigned in protest over his employer’s decision. According to the Washington Blade, Lapidus wrote, “It saddens me that you are

standing against the tide of history and ending your career over an issue that will no doubt be decided in the affirmative, with or without your vote, over the next couple years.”

Years ago, before the netroots and social media were prominent in politics, Arora’s betrayal would’ve been unknown to those who don’t follow the minutiae of legislation and political leaders. However, in today’s world of Change petitions, Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, there’s nowhere for cowardly politicians to hide. Every political issue has dedicated bloggers who closely follow political developments. In short, Arora isn’t going to get away with his betrayal.

When you spurn O’Malley, Clinton and McAuliffe, there isn’t really a place for you in the Democratic Party. So long, farewell, we needn’t say goodbye.

Matt Arnstine is a junior government and politics major. He can be reached at arnstine@umdbk.com.

Post-graduation: A blissful future

T

he career fair is coming to an end. Your pitch for a job was either a huge success or an epic waste of time, or maybe you decided to avoid the impending doom of picking a career completely, like I did. But realistically, my graduation clock is ticking and I’m psyching myself up for the anticipated awesomeness of post-graduation. Because, oh yeah, life goes on.

It took me a while to accept the phrase “I’m graduating.” I chose not to discuss it with friends, probably because I don’t want to believe it — I’m sentimental about endings. Spending half of my week interning in Washington now, I’m toeing the line between college life and the anticipated real world. I refuse to believe graduating implies a life of meaningless existence just because I can’t party like it’s 1999 anymore.

We must realize the college experience is a bubble: a safe place to grow, explore and change. It’s a time when we can still make dumb mistakes and (usu-

ally) get away with them. By the time you graduate, hopefully you’ve gained enough knowledge of life skills through experiences in the past four years to mature into the adulthood phase of life.

If you haven’t done so yet, start thinking about it: Because whether we like it or not, we outgrow the institutional safety net of the college incubator.

By now, I’m digging the idea of graduation. It’s a mark of accomplishment and anticipated excitement that the fun won’t stop after college.

Considering life after college — and the blissful possibilities — is a good way to break out of the mid-semester doldrums. Earning a salary sounds like the best part of all. Unfortunately for those like me who think they can make a living traveling the world on a wad of cash, or are continuing to rack up debt in graduate school, this doesn’t apply now.

But for those of you who are careerdriven individuals, your salary can now finance your lavish hobbies, classy dates and social life. You can use your hard-earned salary to fund post-work

JENNIFER SCHWARZ happy hours that start at 5 p.m. Your salary will even cover paid vacation time to sit on a yacht, sunbathing in the Caribbean. At work, you can prank your cohorts (with discretion), just as you did to your college roommates. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to travel and eat steak dinners — all on the work tab. After college, video games will still exist, and maybe you’ll even have enough money to upgrade to a classier couch.

But post-college life does have its pitfalls. Bills to pay, early morning alarm clocks and — most annoyingly — the non-stop solicitations from organizations such as the alumni association, which think your bank account suddenly turns to gold upon leaving this university.

Putting it all in perspective, post-college life doesn’t sound that bad. You don’t peak in college, and if you think you did, then you have many self-pitying years ahead. You’ll break out of your shell, find a new niche and, if you’re savvy, make new friends. The learning continues, and life’s choices and opportunities open up. After all, for those who care, alcohol will still be there. In fact, it may even be free at the annual office Christmas party.

I’m midway through my final semester of college, and each day I inhale the essence of college life: Seven floors of library books, a bustling student union, chants at basketball games, the awning of McKeldin Mall trees and, of course, tons of learning. I look around realizing my college time has almost passed as I eagerly anticipate the end of my homework days.

Jennifer Schwarz is a senior environmental science and policy major.

She can be reached at schwarz@umdbk.com.

O

ne year ago this week, the Terrapins men’s basketball team put forth its most impressive performance of a disappointing season.

It rallied to defeat Florida State at Comcast Center with an inspired performance, putting itself squarely in the hunt for a postseason berth. But what people will remember about that night, coming on the heels of a losing effort against Duke, was that for one of the first times since Comcast Center opened in 2002, the student section was visibly not full for an ACC game during the semester. People were shocked to see only about 75 percent of the available student seats were taken.

Fast forward a year. On Tuesday, the Terps defeated Miami in one of their most complete performances of the year. The students who were there were treated to a gritty and inspired victory over a more talented team, coached by a college basketball legend. However, it appeared to me that students only occupied about 1,000 of the 4,000 available seats. The entire “wall” was almost empty.

Comcast Center has long been one of the most intimidating places to play in the entire country. But not this year. It’s not even close. The culture at this university has shifted in the last several years from a “basketball school” where students show up in force to every home game to a school whose students think the season only has one game that matters (the Duke game).

I’ve heard a number of excuses for why students aren’t showing up anymore. One of the most common is “the team isn’t that good this year.” Guess what? The team is 13-3 at home this year. I repeat: 13-3. Another one is, “I have too much work.” Well, students at this university did work between 2002 and 2010 and somehow they still managed to fill Comcast for most games.

Taking three hours out of your day twice a week to go to a basketball game is not going to make or break your semester, trust me. It’s also not going to make or break your ability to party either; the games are done in plenty of time to get to Route 1.

The truth is, I don’t think any of those reasons are why the student body has become apathetic about basketball. Attendance is down across the ACC for reasons nobody can really explain. College basketball is one of the most incredible, rewarding experiences you can be a part of at the university. Give it a shot. You don’t know how lucky you are to go to a school with a historic ACC basketball program.

In college basketball, home-court advantage is incredibly important.

The home team has won 60 percent of all ACC games this year, and that percentage is higher at schools with devoted student sections. Your participation helps the team. Duke players this year said Comcast was the hardest place for them to play because of the students. It used to be every team said that, but now the students only come for Duke. I encourage you all to visit www.betterterps.com, a website that acknowledges the issue of declining attendance and has set out to educate students on the rich history of the basketball program.

The Terrapins’ final home game is March 4 against Virginia. Go scream and jump for two hours. It’s a nice study break, and you’ll feel better. See what you’ve been missing all year.

Support Sean Mosley and Berend Weijs on senior night. Mark Turgeon is more loveable than Randy “Rangoon” Edsall anyway.

Casey Anis is a 2011 graduate of the university. He can be reached at casey.anis@gmail.com.

AIR YOUR VIEWS Address your letters or guest columns to Maria Romas and Christopher Haxel at opinion@umdbk.com. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and dayand night-time phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words and guest columns to between 500 and 600 words.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012 | THE DIAMONDBACK

5

Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Is introduced 6 Turkish coin 10 — majeste 14 Nepal neighbor 15 Pharaoh’s god 16 Black-hearted 17 Red Sonja ally 18 Equinox mo.

19 Sees the point of 20 Fully conscious 21 Quislings 23 Eyebrow or rainbow 25 Freud, to himself 26 “— — a Male War Bride” 29 FitzGerald’s poet 32 Snowy 37 Galleon cargo 38 Pull down 39 Victor’s wreath 40 Can’t miss (4 wds.)

43 Storage places 44 Mild oath 45 Mao — -tung 46 Groovy 47 Thrall of yore 48 Smirk’s kin 49 Moonbeam 51 Chromosome material 53 Bridge support 58 Eyed amorously 62 Nursery rhyme girl

63 64 65 66 67 68 69

Humdrum Jeweler’s lens Valhalla host Succotash bean Copier ink Bay Area valley Temptation location 70 Go right in

38 Accompany 39 Drew together 41 Hobby-shop purchase 42 Poet’s dusk 47 Kohl target

48 50 52 53 54

Shallow lake Mosey along “48 Hrs.” lead Opera by Verdi Brief upturn

55 56 57 59

Arm bone Repute Larger — life Fontanne’s husband

DOWN 1 Flaky mineral 2 Adequate, way back 3 Best or Ferber 4 Diadems 5 More feasible 6 Keep on going 7 Old Roman road 8 Fix 9 Prank 10 Engineering toy 11 — so much 12 Watches the kids 13 Metro RRs 22 Sharp blow 24 Barbecue pit need 26 Corn Belt dweller 27 Put pen to paper 28 Main artery 30 CAT scan relative 31 Egyptian amulets 33 “What’s that?”

34 Teed off 35 Of few words 36 “— Gantry”

© 2012 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

Previous Day’s Puzzle Solved:

TODAY’S CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY:

60 Dueler’s blade 61 Novelist Earl — Biggers 62 “Garfield” guy

orn today, you are a goodhumored individual and able to speak and listen well as the situation requires. You are not one of those who feels that a conversation is lacking if you do not contribute your own opinions or point of view; on the contrary, you are far more interested in the thoughts and ideas that others have than in anything you might be able to offer — though your offerings are never less than anyone else’s, and you do have confidence in your thoughts, words and actions. When facing a problem, you never act until you have determined the best possible course of action; you are not impulsive in any way.

B

Once you have made a friend, you can count on that person being a friend for life — even if distance or circumstances should separate you for long periods of time. You are the kind for whom time doesn’t diminish friendships; even after months or years, a reunion feels as though you were together only yesterday.

Also born on this date are: Dakota Fanning, actress; Howard Jones, singer, songwriter and musician; Peter Fonda, actor; Victor Fleming, director; George Frideric Handel, composer.

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.

quickly the hours pass today, even though you are not as involved as you expected to be.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Someone can help you from afar today thanks to technological advances — and a little good luck. Keep lines of communication open at all times.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Information that comes to you is likely to affect you in a manner not expected by those who have been in your position before.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — It is important that you think for yourself and draw your own conclusions today. Do not, however, be contrary just to be contrary!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — The predictions that others share with you may get you thinking — but you’ll stop short of making any predictions of your own.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Studying will help you get through a tough time today.

After that, you can use what you know to help someone else in need.

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — An accident of some kind may change the course of your day more significantly than you are able to anticipate. Be ready to adjust.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — You may want to let things settle down a bit before you speak your mind — especially at the workplace.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — You may have to work harder than usual to keep up with the day’s developments. A member of your immediate family holds an important key.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19) — You may be surprised by how

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6

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES:

Diversions

This weekend holds many delights for music fans. Tonight, Guns N’ Roses (left) plays at the Fillmore Silver Spring. On The Diamondback’s website, read about the band’s lasting impact on staff writer Kaitlin Bulavinetz. Bulavinetz also previews a Friday show at the Strathmore in Rockville with the Junkyard Saints, a sevenpiece zydeco band. Staff writer Beena Raghavendran talks with some of the folks behind the DC Bluegrass Union’s third annual DC Bluegrass Festival, which takes place tomorrow and Saturday at the College Park Holiday Inn. For the full stories, just click the Diversions tab at: WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

FACE OFF | ACADEMY AWARDS

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE In the last few years, the Academy Awards have tried to capture formerly alienated viewers by making changes to the broadcast show and expanding the Best Picture category. Are the awards still relevant or even worth watching this Sunday?

BY DEAN ESSNER

BY WARREN ZHANG

For The Diamondback

Staff writer

The Academy Awards are like an old couch at your grandpa’s house: dusty, full of tradition and undeniably lovable. There’s something timelessly American about watching a room full of celebrities joke about each other while handing out giant, golden statues as tokens of reward. And while we may scowl at Meryl Streep’s shameless self-depreciation or George Clooney’s never-ending smirk, we can smile at one simple fact of life: These idiots give us movies, the undeniable breadth of modern art.

Not to mention, the Oscars usually deliver solid nominations — despite critical damnation.

All right, so Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a throwaway choice when either Drive, Bridesmaids or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo would have made a fine Best Picture nominee. But, the other films — especially Martin Scorsese’s touching Hugo, Terrence Malik’s polarizing The Tree of Life and Alexander Payne’s quiet and poignant The Descendants — are phenomenal movies.

Seeing them get such recognition is both a wonderful tribute to the vitality of the films and the vitality of the Academy, which had the good sense to pick these excellent pictures.

On the whole, though, the Oscars are pretty straightforward. There’s little below the surface to chew on, which may be a turn-off. When viewed in comparison to other awards shows, they lack the corporatism of the Grammys, the boozy antics of the Golden Globes, the serious tone of the Primetime Emmys or the overt playfulness of the Tonys. The Oscars have the advantage of awarding an art form that can be less subjective than music, theater or even television. Good movies are good movies. Bad movies are bad movies. It’s all relatively plain and uncomplicated.

Therefore, tuning in on Sunday night is a safe bet for solid, satisfying entertainment.

Even though there is no Beach Boys reunion or omnipresent champagne, the Oscars are perfectly simple: an old theater, a goofy host, your favorite conceited actors and lots and lots of talk about really good movies.

The Academy Awards aren’t relevant anymore. To prove this point, allow me to crudely (and offensively) split moviegoers into three broad categories.

The first category consists of the people who go to the movies entirely for escapism. To them, movies are a

lot like popcorn: agreeably tasty while being eaten, utterly devoid of nutritional content and completely forgotten after fully consumed.

This category holds the majority of American moviegoers, and they mostly watch big blockbusters, animated films, rom-coms, etc. Nothing wrong with that. Let’s call them the Rockers.

The second group of people is the

YES

diversions@umdbk.com

hardcore cinephiles. They’re the type of people who sneer at films with budgets above $30 million, and whose list of favorite movies contain only a handful of American films. They like movies a lot, and they watch a lot of movies. Call them the Mods.

And then there’s the third and last group of film watchers: folks who have more discerning taste for films than the Rockers but aren’t quite as esoteric as the Mods. These people like to watch movies that make them think and feel. They’re not quite ready to fully dive into the kooky world of subtitles, but they’re on the verge. They shall be dubbed the Proletarians.

The movies the Oscars enjoy rarely line up with the movies the Rockers favor. How many blockbusters have been nominated for Best Picture in the past decade? You’ve got Avatar, Lord of the Rings and Inception. Maybe Gladiator?

That’s four out of 74 nominees.

So, the Oscars don’t really have anything to do with mainstream entertainment. The Los Angeles Times recently found the median age of the Academy was 62 and only 14 percent of the voting body was under the age of 50. Your doddering old grandfather isn’t going to have the same taste in films as you, especially if you’re a Rocker.

But even if the Rockers’ favorite film of the year gets nominated, everyone will have already seen it by then.

The Oscars have never been relevant to the Rockers, except as, perhaps, an interesting bit of trivia about their favorite movies.

The Oscars might be just slightly less relevant to the Mods. Partially because the Mods have already seen all the films nominated for Best Picture, and partially because a large portion of the Mods are smartass cynics.

If you watch enough films to call yourself a Mod, chances are your taste in film is more refined and diverse than the modern Academy’s.

When you’re a Mod, your favorite movies aren’t likely to be recognized by the Academy. Your favorite movies

are likely to be idiosyncratic in a way that polarizes audiences. You might admire Antichrist for its brazen, genital-mutilating artistic bravery or respect the restraint and pacing of Mysteries of Lisbon.

So, for the Mods, the Oscars exist solely as a thing to bitch about.

That leaves us with the Proletarians. They’re the people whose tastes most closely align with the Academy’s; they like movies with depth, are accomplished but not intimidating or abstruse enough to be off-putting.

They loved The King’s Speech, and will probably love The Artist.

They are the reason why the Oscars were relevant, and the reason why the Oscars are no longer relevant.

Before the Internet and before Rotten Tomatoes, the Oscars were a good tool for the Proletarians to hear about new, intriguing movies, and to provide a basis for discussing movies.

Now, with the proliferation of armchair film critics and Facebook, there’s no real reason to use the Oscars as advice. The awards might still somewhat reflect your taste in movies, and you might still watch the awards ceremony, but they’re pointless now. If you’re a Proletarian, the Oscars are just a bit of movie trivia, and some form of validation for the more pretentious among them.

I’m not going to say the Oscars should be abolished, or even drastically revised. The point of the Academy Awards isn’t relevancy — they’re just a reflection and celebration of what its members (veteran filmmakers and some people with really good connections) liked and loved.

Long ago, in the past, when movies like The Godfather were winning Oscars, the Academy Awards had some connection to a good chunk of society. Now, they’re just the reflection of a specific, if vocal, group within society, largely detached from and useless to the rest of us.

NO

Our writers agree on the high quality of The Tree of Life, which is nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. They don’t see eyeto-eye on the relevance of the awards. PHOTO COURTESY OF MOVIEWEB.COM

chzhang@umdbk.com

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

SCHNEIDER

TRANSFERS from page 8

from page 8

do that. There are still three burning questions I need answered: Why did it take this university a week to make this move? Why was Vanderbilt blocked for O’Brien in the first place?

And was it really Edsall’s idea to give O’Brien his full release?

In a year filled with Randy Edsall gaffes — and let’s face it, there have been enough to fill a SportsCenter Not Top 10 — this is likely the worst. He didn’t just embarrass the football program with this one. He embarrassed the entire university.

The Washington Post. Sports Illustrated. CBSSports.com. Name a wellregarded news outlet, and chances are it was trashing the decision. Reversing it a week later isn’t going to fix that.

It’s hard to blame them. The man who preaches character and accountability pulled the pettiest move of all on a student-athlete who has been classy throughout this entire process.

The athletics department made O’Brien the face of the program, taking him around the state to Terrapin Club meetings throughout the summer and featuring him in marketing campaigns.

But as soon as he struggled, Edsall benched him. He was given several chances to voice support for his now-former quarterback. He never did. Thus, O’Brien will move on.

Edsall then had the nerve to say he couldn’t go to Vanderbilt, a program that runs O’Brien’s preferred pro-style offense and one that the Terps aren’t scheduled to play.

Don’t want him to play for another ACC school? Fine. A nonconference opponent the Terps are facing soon?

Understandable. But Vanderbilt? Just because Franklin, the man who recruited O’Brien to Maryland, is coaching there?

It’s not head-scratching. It’s not curious or questionable. It’s mindblowing. They alienated the guy, basically pushed him out the door and then wanted to tell him he couldn’t go somewhere else. The fact that Edsall,

Vanderbilt should not matter to Terps football. But it’s obvious that there’s bad blood between the two schools, specifically Edsall and Franklin. The former Terps assistant was considered crazy after bolting for Nashville. He looks brilliant now, taking the long-maligned SEC doormats to a bowl game in his first year.

It could be that Edsall is just scared that we’ll realize it would have been smarter to let Franklin take over the Terps than Edsall. Too late.

Maybe O’Brien will end up at Vanderbilt. Maybe not. But if he does, it’s hard to blame him. After all, it’s a better football program than the one here in College Park. And Franklin’s probably a better coach.

could not transfer, Edsall chose to allow the former Terps to pursue their respective futures wherever they choose.

“While at first I thought it was important to limit the institutions to which they could transfer, I have since reconsidered my decision,” Edsall said in a release yesterday. “At the end of the day, I want what’s best for these guys and I wish them well in their futures.

“As a program we are looking forward to putting this distraction behind us and to moving forward.”

It remains to be seen whether O’Brien, the former ACC Rookie of the Year who was benched for some of last season’s 2-10 campaign, will pursue a future with Vanderbilt and Franklin, the man who initially recruited him to College Park.

The Washington Post reported yesterday that O’Brien is unlikely at this point to visit Vanderbilt, where Franklin remains under scrutiny after the Terps filed a complaint with the ACC and SEC about possible tampering by the Commodores staff.

Deputy Athletic Director Nathan Pine declined to comment on any complaint filed against Franklin, and said it was Edsall’s decision to lift the restrictions.

“I am pleased to be able to move on and pursue a graduate degree and continue my athletic career at the school of my choosing,” O’Brien said in the release. “I would like to thank Coach Edsall for his support throughout this process.”

Other possible destinations for O’Brien, who has two years of eligibility remaining, include Florida, Wisconsin and Penn State.

schneider@umdbk.com

cwalsh@umdbk.com

STOGLIN from page 8 probably all year. … Guys accepted roles tonight and that’s really big for us.”

The win brought an overwhelming sense of pride to a cast of players accustomed to deferring to No. 12. Guard Sean Mosley hit a big 3-pointer with 1:37 left, forward James Padgett converted a traditional three-point play moments later, and Faust forced a gamechanging turnover. All this while their star watched in support.

Tuesday’s game marked one of the first times this season Stoglin hasn’t had to bear the burden of the team’s scoring load late in the game.

Often, the sophomore has turned to himself to pull out a victory.

His efforts were certainly noted as he saved the Terps from potential embarrassments to nonconference foes in December. But all of that work has left Stoglin exhausted late in the sea-

Coach Randy Edsall has been widely criticized by local and national media of late.

Kevin Anderson or Wallace Loh didn’t realize how bad this would look is incomprehensible.

Luckily, it’s been resolved. O’Brien can go wherever he pleases. And apparently, it was Edsall who had a change of heart. But it’s hard to believe that the man who has been so staunch and steadfast in his ways would all of a sudden reverse a decision on a dime like this. It had to come from the top.

“This was a decision reached by Coach Edsall after some reflection,” William Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, said in a statement to The Diamondback. “Having learned of the decision, I applaud it.”

Kir wan had to have gotten some heat for the debacle. This stor y received national attention, and none

of it was positive. Even if he did make the call to release O’Brien, he can’t admit it. He would be undermining the first or second most important person in Terps athletics.

But that might just be what happened. Though Edsall has received consistent support from the higherups, it seems this may have cracked that foundation. There’s only so many slip-ups a boss can take before you have to step in. Edsall may be reaching that threshold.

Edsall has accused Franklin and Vanderbilt of tampering for having illegal contact with O’Brien. But more important than anything Franklin could say is what Edsall did, or didn’t do, to support O’Brien. The Commodores coach didn’t convince Danny to leave. Edsall did.

son — a reason for his missed shots Tuesday, according to Turgeon.

“He had to carr y us against Radford, he had to carry us against Mount St. Mar y’s,” Turgeon said of Stoglin’s efforts earlier this year. “The kid is tired. I have to get Terrell’s legs back under him because he’s way, way too important.”

So Turgeon looked elsewhere in one of the team’s first marquee wins this year. That he found enough help, and that Stoglin wasn’t really a part of it, stood out to players after the game.

“I think it pulls us together,” Mosley said.

“Knowing that we did this as a team makes this feel so much better. The locker room was unbelievable.”

“No one player can win the game,” Padgett said.

“So when he facilitates the ball, everybody else can get the ball and now teams can’t key on him. It helps us be a better team.”

The result? The team’s biggest win to date. ceckard@umdbk.com

FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

SOCIAL from page 8

Guard Terrell Stoglin had 20 points on 6-for-17 shooting in the Terps’ win Tuesday over Miami. JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

OPENINGS

FOR EDITORS OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Maryland Media, Inc., the independent publishing board for student publications on campus, is accepting applications for editorships for the 2012-2013 school year.

The following positions are open:

Eclipse editor-in-chief Diamondback editor-in-chief Mitzpeh editor-in-chief Application forms may be picked up in the Diamondback business office, room 3136 South Campus Dining Hall. Applicants will be notified of an interview time and date.

The deadline for applications is noon on Friday, February 24, 2012.

Brenda Frese and her women’s basketball team for a victory over Duke; a retweet of university President Wallace Loh congratulating Johns Hopkins on its 136th birthday; and an inspirational quote from Assistant Athletics Director Carrie Blankenship: “A good leader is one whom will inspire people to see what they can be, rather than what they are.”

And, just yesterday at about 4 p.m., “The Official Maryland Wrestling Page” — quotations included in the official name — uploaded 58 new photos to the “Untitled Album,” a compilation of pictures of family members, cheerleaders, Testudo and some wrestling action.

Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Sheptock said the team’s Internet presence is essential to developing and sustaining a fan base in a niche sport.

“A lot of fans outside of the sport, if they like the page, they can see when the matches are and come to matches and see us wrestle,” Sheptock said.

“Everything nowadays is through multimedia, so it helps get what we’re doing out to the other fans out there.”

With its regular updates and offbeat topics, the wrestling team’s online profile far outstrips that of some fellow Terps programs. The gymnastics team has 981 Facebook likes, the swimming and diving team 464 and the softball team 761.

But for McCoy, it doesn’t stop at Facebook.

The coach himself has 1,343 followers on his own personal

Twitter account (@kmac120), where he, like the team’s account, congratulated coach Mark Turgeon and the men’s basketball team for a Tuesday night win and announced the Terps gymnastics team’s final winning score Saturday.

On top of his own Twitter account, McCoy also has a personal website at www.kerrytherealmccoy.com. The twotime Olympian and two-time NCAA champion’s site touts self-written essays of his accomplishments and wrestling videos and even hawks T-shirts with his name and picture for sale.

“I actually started my site when I was competing,” McCoy said. “I started it as a way for fundraising and for my followers to follow what I was doing. This was all before blogging and before Facebook and Twitter.”

McCoy added that he hasn’t updated his site since he was given the Terps’ coaching job almost four years ago.

And although he isn’t sure how many views his personal webpage gets daily, McCoy’s satisfied with how many people are seeing his Facebook and Twitter updates every day.

“We have a pretty good following,” McCoy said. “A lot of our followers are the other coaches and other sports teams here and everyone retweets each other. We’re not super active in a sense that we haven’t done Twitter chat lines and all that stuff, but everything we do is on our Twitter and on our Facebook, so that’s where we’re getting the younger crowd.” egan@umdbk.com

FREE CLASSIFIEDS Run your classified for 4 consecutive days and receive the 5th day FREE! ◊ Call 314-8000 for more information.

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Sports

Softball sweeps Oakland The Terrapins softball team won both of its games against Oakland yesterday in dominant fashion. For more, read diamondbackonline.com.

FOOTBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Right call, wrong timing

Transfer restrictions lifted after backlash

BY CONOR WALSH Senior staff writer

Randy Edsall, it seems, had heard enough.

Amid mounting criticism, the Terrapins football coach announced yesterday that he had decided to lift the transfer restrictions imposed on the scholarship releases of quarterback Danny O’Brien, offensive lineman Max Garcia and linebacker Mario Rowson.

When the three players announced their intentions to transfer Feb. 13, it soon came to light that the team would

not allow them to transfer to an ACC school, any future opponents or Vanderbilt, a school the Terps haven’t played since 1987 and are not scheduled to play in the near future. James Franklin, who tutored O’Brien as the Terps’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator two seasons ago, is the head coach at Vanderbilt.

But after local and national media roundly admonished the coach for stipulating where the three could and

see TRANSFERS, page 7

JEREMY SCHNEIDER

R

Quarterback Danny O’Brien is considering transferring to play at Vanderbilt. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

andy Edsall did the right thing. It just took him more than a week to do it. Yes, after seven days that included several national columnists absolutely crushing him, Edsall relented and gave former Terrapins football quarterback Danny O’Brien a full release from his scholarship.

The 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year can now go anywhere he wants to. Even ACC schools. Even schools on the Terps’ upcoming nonconference schedule.

And yes, even Vanderbilt, where former Terps coach-inwaiting — and O’Brien’s first offensive coordinator — James Franklin is now in charge.

You can credit Edsall for doing the right thing, something we haven’t been able to do, well, maybe ever.

But I’m not quite ready to

Guard Terrell Stoglin had three assists in the Terps’ win over Miami on Tuesday. That was his most in more than two weeks.

JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

see SCHNEIDER, page 7

WRESTLING

Off the mat, all atwitter

Stepping out of the spotlight Stoglin defers to Faust and Padgett

BY CHRIS ECKARD Senior staff writer

Terrell Stoglin had an opening at the top of the key late Tuesday night, so, naturally, he rose up for a 3-pointer.

Then he went another way.

Nearing the top of his jump, Stoglin whipped a pass into the post for a wide-open teammate.

Instead of tossing up the 3pointer against Miami — a look no one would’ve argued with — the shot-happy guard set up guard Nick Faust for an easy layup on a pretty assist.

It was a telling moment for the Terrapins men’s basketball sophomore, who doubles as the ACC’s points leader and the team’s de facto late-game scoring option. It was also a surprising one in the Terps’ 75-70 cathartic win against the Hurricanes, with Stoglin content to play a backseat role in the game’s most crucial moments.

While the guard had a team-high 20 points and attempted 17 shots, Stoglin opted against trying to take the game over himself. In the final 5:50 of play, his assists total (one, to Faust) matched his shots total.

During that stretch, his teammates scored 20 straight points and 22 of the last 26 overall.

“Coach [Mark Turgeon] has been on me a lot about trusting my teammates, so I tried to do that today,” Stoglin said. “I feel it’s the best win of the season because of the circumstances. It brought a lot of confidence.”

Said Turgeon: “For the most part, we really executed and shared the ball better than we have

McCoy active on social media

BY ERIN EGAN Senior staff writer

Last week, the Terrapins wrestling team won a share of the ACC regular-season title. Next week, it will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the ACC Championships.

This week, it changed its profile picture and asked its 4,090 Facebook fans and 1,412 Twitter followers to join them there.

With an active, engaging and oftentimes random social media strategy, coach Kerry McCoy and his staff have created an Internet presence akin to a D-list celebrity. On a daily basis, a wide mix of colleagues, fans, friends and family are treated to small bytes of information ranging from live updates during matches (pictures included) to announcements of birthdays, betrothals and babies.

“Our Internet presence is supporting other organizations and getting ourselves out there,” McCoy said. “You know, someone has a birthday, someone gets a job, someone gets promoted, all that stuff. It’s multifaceted.

The biggest thing for us is to just be out there.”

Some of this week’s posts from the @UMDWrestling Twitter account include words of congratulations to

see SOCIAL, page 7

GRAPHIC BY MAY WILDMAN/THE DIAMONDBACK PHOTO BY CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

see STOGLIN, page 7

STUDENT MEMBERS

VOLUNTEERS The Naval Medical Research Center and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research are seeking healthy adult volunteers, male and female, to participate in a dengue vaccine research study who: • Are 18-50 years of age • Are not pregnant or breast-feeding • Have never had or been vaccinated against dengue, yellow fever, or Japanese encephalitis • Available to participate in a 12 month study Please contact the Clinical Trials Center for more information about the “TVDV” study. Volunteers will receive a free medical evaluation and financial compensation.

1-866-856-3259 (toll free) or 301-319-9320/9335 www.clinicaltrials.army.mil

NEEDED

WANTED FOR STUDENT PUBLICATIONS' BOARD Maryland Media, Inc., publishing board for the Diamondback, Eclipse, Terrapin, and Mitzpeh, has openings on its board of directors for two full-time students.

The Board of Directors sets general policy, approves budgets and selects the Editors-in-Chief for the student publications. The term of office is one year and begins in May, 2012. The Board meets about once a month during the school year.

For an application, stop by room 3136 South Campus Dining Hall and ask for Maggie Levy.

Applications are due by Friday, February 24th at noon.