022812

A NEW YEAR

LAME DREAMS

Football’s new 2012 schedule features few surprises

Memoryhouse and School of Seven Bells deliver lackluster pop albums

SPORTS | PAGE 8

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

THE DIAMONDBACK Our 102ND Year, No. 98

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

STEM majors could face For some, struggle to find gender-neutral increased tuition prices Regents now considering hikes for sciences, engineering students

BY REBECCA LURYE Senior staff writer

Students in engineering and laboratory science programs may see increased tuition if the Board of Regents accepts a recent proposal by university officials.

Provost Ann Wylie has asked the Board of Regents — the 17-member governing body that oversees the University System of Maryland — to consider charging some science and engineering majors a premium to allow the university to accept more students in those fields. The board is currently engaged in discussions over the proposal, system Chancellor Brit Kirwan said.

“The proposal is very well done, and I think the concept has merit,” Kirwan said.

Wylie did not say how much students would be charged on top of tuition or specify which majors could be affected.

University President Wallace Loh said because the cost of educating students in the sciences and engineering is higher than for other degrees — such as the humanities — tuition should not increase across the board to bring in more students.

The proposal also stipulates that a portion of the extra revenue be set aside BRIT KIRWAN to support students who cannot afford the premium.

USM CHANCELLOR “This would not in any way compromise low-income students,” Kirwan said.

According to biochemistry and chemistry lecturer Irving Kipnis, the chemistry and biochemistry department’s

see STEM, page 2

bathrooms persists

Many old on-campus buildings have yet to be upgraded with new restrooms

BY JON WOLPER Senior staff writer

For Jack Izen, the choice is often difficult — being late for class or having to use a “dude bathroom.”

Izen, a junior American studies and government and politics major who identifies as “they” or “their,” has to use men’s bathrooms when

there aren’t any gender-neutral ones around.

And that, Izen said, is pretty often.

“There’s not enough, and they’re too hard to find,” Izen said.

Izen said they have friends who have to strategically camp outside gendered bathrooms until they’re

see BATHROOMS, page 3

Annapolis adventures

O’Malley proposes new tax on automobile gas

Students sit down with lawmakers

If approved, gas tax would increase 2 percent annually over next three years

Students traveled to Annapolis yesterday to lobby legislators as part of Terrapin Pride Day.

BY REBECCA LURYE Senior staff writer

PHOTOS BY CHARLIE DEBOYACE/ THE DIAMONDBACK

As hundreds of state residents descended to Annapolis to lobby legislators to fund public education and Medicaid yesterday, a delegation from this university traveled to the Capitol to compete for limited dollars.

The group of 70 undergraduate and graduate students traveled to Annapolis yesterday for Terrapin Pride Day — an annual event organized by the Student Government Association to bring student volunteers to speak directly with legislators. Students focused their attention on convincing legislators to keep tuition increases at the

BY JIM BACH Staff writer

With gas prices expected to climb in the coming months, some commuters and state officials are concerned how Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed sales tax on gas may add to their financial burden.

The Maryland Transportation Financing and Infrastructure Investment Act, which O’Malley proposed earlier this month, would increase the price of gas by 2 percent every year over a period of three years until it equalizes with the state’s 6 percent sales tax in 2015. This would be added to the 23.5 cents-per-gallon flat tax on motor fuel which state legislators put in place in 1992.

see LOBBYING, page 2

Once fully phased in, legislators expect the gas tax to generate $613 million a year in state revenue, which O’Malley spokeswoman Raquel Guillory said would be directed to a transportation trust fund to finance infrastructure projects and provide money for state transportation purposes.

According to a press release by AAA Mid-Atlantic, the state’s average gas price is $3.67 per gallon as of Sunday — a price that is expected to top the $4-mark in the coming weeks and could be as high as $4.25 by April.

“Like everything else, prices for things have risen dramatically since 1992, but that 23.5 number has

see TAX, page 3

CLIMBING GAS PRICES According to the AAA Mid-Atlantic, gas prices statewide and nationwide have climbed steadily since last year and over the recent weeks. In this state, the average gas prices include: ■ $3.27 a year ago ■ $3.61 a week ago ■ $3.67 on Sunday ■ Expected to climb as high as $4.25 by April

State considers new voter registration system Legislation would allow voters to electronically register for voting; SGA plans to create online registration just for students if passed

BY LEAH VILLANUEVA Senior staff writer

If a bill aimed to promote online voter registration passes the state legislature in the coming weeks, student leaders plan to work with university officials to create an online system for students where registering to vote is as easy as logging onto Testudo.

Last month, Del. Jon Cardin (D-Baltimore County) and Del. Ron George (R-Anne Arundel County) proposed a bill that would enable those registering to vote to allow a voter registration agency to submit an electronic signature on file rather than have them sign an application on paper, which would expedite the process, Cardin said. The bill would also require the voting agency to submit electronic signatures

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

within five days of the applicant providing consent to the State Board of Elections.

Cardin discussed the bill with Student Government Association leaders last week and said if the bill passes the legislature, it may enable the university to establish a university-run system where students can log in using their directory ID numbers and passwords and register to vote using the electronic signatures already on file with the university.

“It dramatically increases the facility and ability to register to vote,” Cardin said. “Making it easier to vote and cheaper to vote, for both those reasons, this bill should pass.”

SGA Director of Governmental Affairs Zach Cohen said he is optimistic the bill will be signed into law and hopes

Rain/40s

see VOTING, page 3 INDEX

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

If the state approves a new online voter registration system, Student Government Association legislators have pledged to work with university officials to create a student system. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

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

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

www.diamondbackonline.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012

LOBBYING from page 1

Yesterday marked the annual SGA-sponsored Terrapin Pride Day, where students lobbied legislators on tuition and textbook affordability. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

University President Wallace Loh thanked the crowd of about 70 students for taking the time to lobby for higher education affordability. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

UMUC president put on leave indefinitely Officials decline to explain decision

BY YASMEEN ABUTALEB AND LAUREN KIRKWOOD Senior staff writers

Susan Aldridge, president of University of Mar yland University College, was unexpectedly placed on indefinite leave Wednesday, and officials have not disclosed why.

In a letter sent to the UMUC community Wednesday, University System of Maryland Chancellor Brit Kirwan informed students, faculty and staff that Senior Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness Javier Miyares will ser ve as acting president in place of the 60-year-old Aldridge, who has been president since 2006.

“I am writing to inform you that, beginning today, President Susan Aldridge will be on leave for an undetermined period of time,” Kir wan wrote Wednesday, The Washington Post reported. “I know that I can count on the entire UMUC community to provide Javier with its support so that UMUC may continue its exemplar y education ser vice to Mar yland and our nation.”

Before being named president at UMUC — which ser ves more than 90,000 students across the globe, according to its website — Aldridge ser ved as Vice Chancellor for Troy University’s University College and eCampus in Alabama, according to her UMUC webpage.

Neither Kir wan nor Aldridge could be reached for comment yesterday. The UMUC President’s office directed all questions relating to her leave to a system spokesman yesterday.

Although officials have declined to release details concerning Aldridge’s leave, 53 faculty members at the college’s Asian division gave Aldridge poor ratings in morale in a university sur vey, according to The Post. Half of the faculty who filled out the sur vey rated morale at three or lower on a 10-point scale, with 10 being the highest possible rating.

Sur vey comments ranged from complaints about pay raises to Aldridge neglecting faculty and instead gearing her efforts toward generating as much money as possible for the university, according to The Post.

“The current administration seems more interested in marketing and revenue and competing with the for-

profit schools than it [is] in academic integrity,” one survey read.

A sur vey summar y sent to Kir wan from Mer vin Whealy, a member of the university’s Faculty Advisor y Council, said many faculty were distraught over cuts made under Aldridge’s administration, including canceling math, writing and language labs, refusing to pay instructors for tutorial labs and declining to pay faculty for basic classroom supplies and travel stipends, according to The Post.

Additionally, faculty pointed to high turnover in top administrative positions under Aldridge. “[The turnover] has eroded their trust in the Aldridge administration, even though, due to extraordinar y administrative secrecy and the routine use of non-disclosure agreements, many faculty members have no idea how many administrators and colleagues UMUC has lost,” Whealy wrote, according to The Post. abutaleb@umdbk.com, kirkwood@umdbk.com

STEM from page 1 laboratory spaces are already at 80 to 90 percent capacity.

Loh said rather than overfill classes, a premium on top of tuition could be used to open more laboratory sections and meet the growing demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses, collectively known as STEM. “We don’t want to dilute the soup, so we need more faculty, we need more lab space and we need more equipment, and that costs money,” he said. “And the provost’s position, which I endorse, is the fairest way.”

Many universities already use a similar system. According to last year’s survey of differential tuition by the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute, 39 percent of the 174 institutions surveyed charged students different tuitions based on their major or college.

Although the study does not present an average tuition premium, it included course fees, such as the University of Maine’s $75 engineering course fee, as well as major-specific tuition hikes, such as the University of Kentucky’s 10.7 percent charge for students in the nursing program.

This concept is not new. According to the study, nearly 50 of the institutions had been differentiating tuition since 1995.

Physics professor Edward Redish said he thinks the money needed to procure more faculty and lab space should not burden students.

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minimum 3 percent proposed

by Gov. Martin O’Malley, in addition to voicing support for a bill that would institute an annual tax-free, two-week holiday for textbooks and discussing several graduate student initiatives.

Before students met with designated legislators, university President Wallace Loh thanked them for adding their voices to the debate on college affordability.

“The mere fact that you’re here, I really appreciate,” he said. “[University lobbyist Ross Stern] gets paid to do the job, and I get paid to do my job, so therefore what we have to say doesn’t carr y as much weight as what you have to say.”

SGA President Kaiyi Xie said he’s personally seen how the university benefits from keeping tuition affordable in a globalized education system, as he said low tuition draws in students and resources from abroad.

“As an immigrant, I can see the value of keeping Maryland not only affordable, but competitive, because it attracts a lot of people,” Xie said.

Computer, mathematical and natural sciences legislator Godly Jack, a senior biochemistry major, said he was hopeful legislators would be receptive of their message to protect higher education funding as an investment in the future.

He added that he felt the taxfree holiday would be especially helpful to students burdened by the high costs of required books. As a freshman, his book list totaled $800.

“If a textbook cost $200 now, I wouldn’t get it,” Jack said.

is discouraging students from going into science who might be able to do it,” he said.

Instead, Redish said, the state should consider raising taxes and increasing funding for higher education.

“We are giving up the principle that producing educated and capable students is something that is good for everybody, not just the individuals,” he said.

However, Loh said the proposal is fair, since students who will earn larger salaries after graduation can afford to spend more for their education.

“In a way, you can almost make a moral argument that if you’re going to make more not just your first job, but your whole career, shouldn’t you be paying a little bit more for your education as opposed to having students in other fields subsidizing your education?” he said.

Several students, such as freshman elementary education major Jenna Michel, agreed that added costs should not apply to students across the board.

“For my classes, we have to pay extra for supplies and studio space, so it’s the same idea,” she said.

Others, such as sophomore electrical engineering major Fugong Wu, said many students already feel strapped for cash .

A tuition premium, Wu said, could have negative consequences for the school.

“If they keep increasing the costs,” he said, “that might drive some talent away.”

“I’d find a way around it, possibly take a lower grade.”

And while many students said they were optimistic legislators were hearing their concerns, others, such as SGA letters and sciences legislator Brandon Zarco, said they recognized legislators are pressed for funding on all sides.

“Given there’s so many departments and offices in the state, it’s difficult for someone who’s not living in the academic world to see where the importance lies,” Zarco said.

“That’s the challenge — just getting legislators to relate to students.”

State Rep. William Frank (RBaltimore County), who met with several members of the SGA, said while he supports keeping tuition as low as possible, higher education is often considered expendable and “easy to cut.”

“Everybody wants more money, more money, more money … and there’s a delicate balancing act we’ve got to do there,” Frank said. “There’s only so much we can continue to tax people, so it’s very difficult to find these solutions.”

Frank added that he was surprised to hear from students that the Department of Legislative Services — the staffing agency for the state’s General Assembly — has proposed a $11.6 million systemwide cut that would draw heavily from need-based financial aid. The university would receive a $5 million cut.

“I am troubled by the [$11.6 million] cut,” he said. “A lot of kids aren’t going to get financial aid this year, so we will try to get that back into the budget.”

About half a dozen Graduate Student Government members also spoke with legislators about their push to gain

the right to unionize; institute a policy allowing graduate students to take four to six weeks off after a newborn baby is brought home; and expand the benefits graduate assistants receive, which has been has frozen for several years.

GSG President Anna Bedford said while university officials have claimed the GSG fills the need for a union, students should have the right to decide how they negotiate their terms.

“The point is we’ll decide whether or not we want a union, and we shouldn’t be prohibited by law,” she said.

Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s) encouraged them to continue lobbying on the campus by seeking out supporters among faculty members and staff.

“I would just organize, and get people to speak up,” Rosapepe said. “The more you can do to show enthusiasm and support on campus the better because a lot of us here at the legislature are supportive and in the past the opposition has come from the campus.”

He also urged members of the SGA to pass a resolution in support of a permanent cap on tuition, an idea for which he has proposed similar legislation in the Senate for the past several years and proposed again this year.

SGA Communications Director Staci Armezzani said she was pleased with the turnout and the representation of many student groups.

“It’s great to see that year after year, they welcome us back,” Armezzani said. “The conversations were really positive, and I think a lot of the senators and delegates we spoke to were receptive.” lurye@umdbk.com

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BATHROOMS from page 1 empty, and run in and do their business before anyone else comes in. A transgendered student who looks and sounds male might face discrimination or violence in a men’s bathroom, Izen said, or be seen as a pervert in a bathroom marked “women.” The university needs more gender-neutral bathrooms and needs to maintain an up-to-date list of these locations, according to some officials and students.

In 2005, former university President Dan Mote sent an email to the university stating he planned for every oncampus building to receive at least one gender-neutral bathroom, which would be clearly labeled and consist of a single-stall restroom with a lock on the door. But that dream wasn’t realized, and even though Facilities Management mandates all new buildings and large renovations be fitted with a gender-neutral bathroom, according to Facilities Management Director Carlo Colella, many older campus buildings have not yet been upgraded.

The fix isn’t too difficult, several students and officials said. There are plenty of single-stall bathrooms on the campus that are labeled as men’s or women’s, and there are plenty of other restrooms throughout campus that can be converted.

The onus has fallen on Facilities Management, which is responsible for all on-campus bathrooms, and, as such, fields requests from concerned students. According to Luke Jensen, the director of the university’s LGBT Equity Center, Facilities Management has been open to retrofitting old bathrooms and making other changes whenever a student brings up a need and proposes a solution.

Jensen said he points students looking for a list of gender-neutral bathrooms to a database on Facilities Management’s website that catalogs all campus facilities — including bathrooms, elevators and study rooms — and can be sorted by type. Jensen said

3

he tells students to look at the “general use” and “family restroom” categories, both of which satisfy transgendered students’ needs.

But Colella said the number of bathrooms listed — 155 between the two categories — was out of date. He said he was unaware students could be using the database as a reference, and that he’d gather a team of workers to catalog all of the gender-neutral bathrooms and update the database. A timetable has not yet been set.

Other lists are even sparser. One, which appears in this school year’s DISorientation guide put out yearly by various activist organizations on the campus, offers more than 60 bathrooms.

A file tucked away in the LGBT Students section of the Graduate Student Life Handbook on Stamp Student Union’s website shows 67, but the link was broken until The Diamondback reached out to Stamp officials for comment. Stamp officials then put the file back online in about an hour. According to Jensen, the equity center used to hand out that list but stopped after it became too out of date.

Stephanie Payne-Roberts, the assistant director of technology services, said Stamp’s website is currently undergoing an upgrade, and the file was probably lost in the transition.

“The document was put back where it belongs,” she said.

But that file — and the list provided

by College Park Activism — offers, among other things, the former journalism building, which is now Chincoteague Hall, as having gender-neutral bathrooms. According to Zachary Mellen, who was born biologically female but identifies as male, one of the listed bathrooms in McKeldin Library has become a group study room.

“A lot has changed since then,” the sophomore letters and sciences major said of the list. On Sept. 30, before the file went down, he copied its text into this university’s Trans U Facebook group.

Without a fully updated list, it becomes difficult for transgendered students — and other students with the

Some students and university officials are calling for more gender-neutral restrooms to be built in campus buildings and others say administrators need to provide a more up-to-date list of their locations. SU HONG/FOR THE DIAMONDBACK

need for a labeled, unisex bathroom — to reliably find places to go, several students and officials said. Izen offered the online campus map as a possible place to compile a comprehensive, centralized list.

Mellen uses gender-neutral bathrooms and said that while he has a couple mainstays, their placement is not convenient. For instance, he’s found some bathrooms in unreasonable places, such as the service corridor in the student union, and some are in buildings that are not centrally located, such as Leonardtown office building, which has three; Rossborough Inn; and the Shuttle-UM bus facility near Paint Branch Parkway and Greenhouse Road.

“I put up with it,” Mellen said. “It sucks, but I’m used to it.”

One of Mellen’s go-to places is the University Health Center, which has provided a handful of gender-neutral bathrooms since its 2004 renovation, according to the Facilities Management site. Last summer, the health center put a concentrated effort into

making the single-use restrooms more visually identifiable, according to Jenna Beckwith, the health center’s sexual health program coordinator and liaison to the LGBT Equity Center. There are now signs peppered throughout the building that point to bathrooms marked “unisex.”

“I think that they’re incredibly important, especially in fostering the health center as being a safe place for all patients, a comfortable place for all patients,” Beckwith said.

The Department of Resident Life is also well-aware of students’ requests for more gender-neutral bathrooms, especially considering gender-neutral housing has been such a contentious issue the past few years, according to Erin Iverson, the department’s manager of assignments and public inquiry. The department formed a task force this semester to “fully explore gender-neutral housing options across campus,” said Iverson, who is Resident Life’s LGBT Equity Center liaison. She also is a member of that task force.

By the end of the semester, Iverson said the task force will offer suggestions to Deb Grandner, Resident Life’s director.

“I know there’s a limited number of single-use or gender-neutral bathrooms, but that’s part of the task force’s work,” she said. “To find what buildings they exist in.”

But although steps are being taken to make gender-neutral bathrooms more common, Izen said it’s not enough. The bathroom issue is part of a larger problem: According to Izen, transgendered students on the campus are marginalized. They’re frequently mis-gendered by teachers, even after they correct them. Any attention they get, Izen said, is in the form of public relations appeasement, and no real steps are being taken by administrators to adequately combat the genderism they face.

“On this campus, I feel invisible,” Izen said. “It’s the silence that’s most damaging.” jwolper@umdbk.com

Less students register on campus cars More students opt to take Shuttle-UM buses over bringing cars; number of bikes registered on campus also on the upswing

BY LAURA BLASEY Staff writer

The number of registered cars on the campus is on the decline this year as more students choose to register bikes and ride Shuttle-UM, according to data collected by the Department of Transportation Services.

DOTS Director David Allen said the department currently has 17,000 cars registered for parking, which is about 1,000 fewer cars than last year. Meanwhile, business is booming on the Shuttle-UM buses, which are expected to host the 3-millionth rider in March.

DOTS officials expect total ridership for this academic year to reach 3.3 million by the end of the semester, Allen said.

With free bike registration on the campus, more students have also traded four wheels for two, which has lowered the total profit generated from parking permits this year,

VOTING from page 1 implementing online voter registration through the university would encourage more students to vote.

“We are ver y excited for this,” Cohen said. “Instead of doing something in paper and turning it in, if the university participates students would be able to go to a website and they’ll be able to register there, and then the university would be able to for ward this to the State Board of Elections. ...

It would certainly make registration for college students significantly less burdensome.”

SGA leaders have begun discussing implementing such a system with Stamp Student Union Director Marsha GuenzlerStevens, who has also begun to

Allen said.

“The biggest challenge we have is there are now less people paying less money which is less revenue for our operations,” Allen said.

“There’s nothing really coming in on the other side to make up for it, especially when more people are riding the buses.”

But Allen said he does not expect the revenue loss to hurt the department significantly.

“We’re not too concerned yet,” he said.

And DOTS officials plan to increase parking pass prices next year to compensate for the fewer cars, as confirmed when the department presented a revised budget to the Residence Hall Association Jan. 31. Campus residents may expect an additional $10 on their annual parking permits, while commuters may face an additional $19 increase.

Freshman special education major Rachel Norris said she shares one car on the campus with

her two older brothers, who also go to this university, rather than bring a car of her own.

“It’s just a more economicallysound decision,” she said. “There’s no need for us waste all the money on gas and everything when we could easily carpool or ride the bus.

I can just borrow it to take quick trips to the grocery store.”

Freshman psychology and criminology and criminal justice major Sophie Levin said she chose not to bring her car the campus in favor of riding a bike.

“With cars and scooters, it feels like much more of a hassle to find good places to park them. It’s a lot easier with a bike,” Levin said. “I will say I wish there were more bike racks in more populated areas, like near Tydings or Hornbake. Sometimes I’ll go to a place like McKeldin and there will be nowhere for me to park my bike.”

coordinate with administrators in the Office of the Registrar about the possibility. A student and faculty committee will also meet soon to brainstorm ways to generate student interest in the elections and push students to the polls, which the university did in the 2008 presidential election.

While Guenzler-Stevens said she is unsure whether the university would be able to feasibly institute a university-run online voter registration system, she said officials will look into providing alternate access to voter registration for students, which may include providing students with links to other agencies.

“We’re always looking for new ways to enhance voter education and voter participation,” Guenzler-Stevens said. “Often new technological innovations are born from the creative ideas of

students. Clearly we need to look at other institutions and what they are doing and who may have other options or ideas, and I think folks have already begun to do that.”

Some students said they have yet to figure out how and where they can register to vote for the upcoming presidential election, and several said online voter registration through the university would make it much easier and more accessible.

“I’m not sure how to register to vote, and I’ve asked around and haven’t gotten a straight answer,” junior English and studio ar t major Codi Gugliuzza said.

“That’d be much more convenient because you could just go anywhere that has a computer, and it sounds like it would be ver y secure.”

blasey@umdbk.com

villanueva@umdbk.com

ON THE BLOG campusdrivedbk.wordpress.com

STUDENT BLOGGER LIZ LANE TAKES ONTHE LEGGINGS As I wait for the Shuttle-UM bus, I watch almost the entire student population walk by. Jocks and sorority girls alike catch my eye and my interest. I wonder if I, an Average Jane, could ever be gazed upon as I am gazing upon these students now.

The guy sitting next to me does a double take as a girl walks by; I think I hear his neck snap. His eyes wander to a place where one does not just simply look without being invited. The invitation came from her pants, or lack thereof. Her pretty face could not overpower the strength of her outfit. What is she wearing?

Leggings. Knee-high boots. Over-sized T-shirt to match.

For more, read The Diamondback’s blog, Campus Drive.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VIKTORVIKTORIASHOP.COM

Gov. Martin O’Malley has proposed applying the state’s six-percent sales tax to gas purchases. The average price of gas in the state was $3.67 per gallon on Sunday. JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

TAX from page 1 stayed the same,” Guillory said.

“It was never indexed to inflation.”

Sen. Roger Manno (D-Montgomer y) called the gas tax a “necessar y evil,” noting the state roads need a more “dedicated revenue stream,” which this proposal may provide.

“There’s not fewer people driving, there’s not fewer people using mass transit, there’s more,” he said. “The need is going up and the money is going down.”

However, Manno said the added tax may be too much, a concern echoed by other state of ficials who said the tax was not ideal in the current economic climate. State Comptroller Peter Franchot also voiced opposition to the proposal.

“He feels the economic recovery is still too feeble,” Franchot’s spokesman Joseph Shapiro said.

“Mar yland families and businesses can’t really absorb or shouldn’t have to absorb a tax increase on gas, particularly a sales tax increase on gas.”

And some student commuters said they are worried how this tax would amplify the financial hit they already take at the pump.

“I think that the government is blindsided by their money,” said freshman letters and sciences major Sanchita Bose, who pays $50 ever y two weeks for gas. “They should take into consideration students, they don’t need an added tax.”

Another commuter, sopho-

“Maryland families and businesses can’t really absorb or shouldn’t have to absorb a tax increase on gas.”

JOSEPH SHAPIRO STATE COMPTROLLER PETER FRANCHOT’S SPOKESMAN

more kinesiology major Vagner Dachao, said commuting from Laurel costs him up to $45 in gas a week. He said he has spent more nights in his friends’ dorm rooms to avoid driving back home.

“I’ll probably tr y to limit driving as much as possible,” he said. bach@umdbk.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012

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An endless cycle

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U

This is just the latest in a seemingly never-ending budgetary tug-of-war. niversity President Wallace Loh has proven his dedication to making This university alone saw a 19 percent drop in state funding from 1991 to 1993. The costs at this university as affordable as he can under the state legislature’s budgetary issues. He helped bring about the end to furloughs for the first USM faced cuts of 6 to 8 percent from 2000 to 2004. In 2010, the General Assembly time in three years after vowing to do so. He has developed and main- avoided reductions by taking money from system reserves, despite the potential such tained a good relationship with Gov. Martin O’Malley and has shown he knows his action could negatively affect the system’s bond rating.

The university has responded in various ways, at times instituting furloughs, layoffs, way around Annapolis. hiring freezes and delaying maintenance and building renovaBut a new year brings more trouble with funding for hightions. The USM began an “Effectiveness and Efficiency” camer education in Maryland. Specifically, the General Assempaign in June 2003 to reduce costs when the state faced a potenbly’s Department of Legislative Services has proposed a $4 million cut to the University System of Maryland Office — Officials should examine tial $2 billion deficit. Within three years, costs had been cut by about $40 million, with an increased faculty workload among $1.8 million of which would directly affect this university. ways to avoid the boom the methods instituted to save money.

The department, which is tasked with balancing the state’s And as many are well-aware, students have also been forced $1 billion deficit, decided cutting the budget to all state servand bust nature of state to shoulder increased tuition costs: Full-time undergraduate inice centers is the way to go. funding for the University state tuition has increased more than 125 percent since 1996.

However, Loh says this university can’t afford the cuts, Year after year, university officials and state lawmakers and argues the office doesn’t provide any of the 12 USM inSystem of Maryland. have wrestled over where to cut money, where to add costs stitutions a service, but simply allocates funds and governs and how to make it all work. Sometimes they are on the the system — so it should not be included in this budget cut.

He told The Diamondback, “The system office is simply an organization that works same side, but it seems more often than not they are opposing each other, fighting with the campuses to advance higher education in the state. If you buy that argu- for their own constituencies.

There has to be a better way. Rather than acknowledging the importance of higher ment, which is the argument that we are making, then the system office should be education, lawmakers seem to view the state’s higher education funding as an emerexempt from this cut.”

The $4 million would be an addition to the previously proposed $11.6 million general gency fund to be raided when necessary. Instead of a reactive approach, where lawmaksystem-wide cut, which would leave this university with a $5 million budget reduction. ers propose cuts and university officials respond to them, perhaps it’s time for Loh to be To compensate for the loss in state funds, O’Malley has proposed a 3 percent tuition in- more proactive and put his political experience to work. He has an extensive backcrease for the second consecutive year, which would bring about $6 to $7 million in new ground working in the Washington state government, serving as director of executive revenue. The General Assembly doesn’t have the power to authorize anything less than policy and chief policy adviser to former Gov. Gary Locke (D). Loh and university lobbyO’Malley’s proposed 3 percent increase. So unless lawmakers raise tuition even more ist Ross Stern need to think strategically and find a way to curb the cycle of looming fund— which seems unlikely — the end result will be students shouldering a greater share ing costs followed by tuition raises. If the next 15 years see another 125 percent tuition increase, there may not be many students able to afford this university’s education. of university funding, which would remain relatively unchanged.

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Nathan Tucker

That awkward Facebook moment

N

owadays, everything is social media-based — breaking news, communicating with friends and family and, of course, keeping everybody you know afoot of your latest activities, emotions or late-night mobile uploads.

With the good comes the bad. It’s one thing to have awkward encounters stemming from your Facebook activity, but our handheld devices take it to another level. No longer are you safe upon escaping from your class or the South Campus Dining Hall; your smartphone is a smaller, more deceptive version of your laptop, both of which have no boundaries when it comes to social jeopardy.

There are the obvious dilemmas: trying to update your status after a night out at Looney’s Pub or considering writing on an ex-girlfriend’s wall after five too many adult beverages and a flood of romcoms. For iPhone users, autocorrect eases the process sometimes, but not every time. In fact, it can make things all the more obvious.

“I got an awesome set of colored penises and I plan on busting them out

SAM SPIEGELMAN and using them tonight while everyone’s downstairs playing games” should be referring to pencils (complements of www.damnyouautocorrect.com). The first rule is: Never trust your “smart” phone. #DYAC. As for your brilliant decision to tweet at/write on the wall of a former, current or future lover — this only seems logical under certain conditions. Ingredients may include: alcohol (served in excess), love in the air (not the old disco song that seems to find its way into commercials every year, but a situation in which you’re surrounded by couples), watching How I Met Your Mother, catching a case of the jealous bug and lastly, incentive. By this, I mean you may have been Facebook stalking earlier on. Oh, your old girl is doing well with her new boy toy, huh? Let’s see

how she feels when I paste some Third Eye Blind lyrics on her wall.

That’s right, I’ll never let you go.

You don’t have to be intoxicated, however, to feel the pressures of social media.

Even a regular guy with a plain-old crush can feel anxiety. You may ask yourself: When is it too soon to submit a friend request? Is it weird because I met her last night and I remembered her? Wait, what if we have a lot of mutual friends? Do you think she is thinking the same? I should wait a couple of days … but what if she meets another guy in the meantime?

Friend request submitted. “Shit … too soon.”

There are also timing issues. At what point in the relationship is it appropriate to post awesome, LOL-worthy YouTube videos on her wall? It’s definitely creepy to write something right away, isn’t it? Wait, what if it’s an inside joke — she could forget we were laughing about that if I put it off until next week. I’ve got to man up. I’ll just do it. Three hours later, no response.

“I can’t believe I blew this.”

Unquestionably, the most perplexing decision is when it’s finally OK to “like” or

comment on her status. You could have absolutely no interest in the link she posted or no clue as to what the status actually means. Regardless, you feel compelled to contribute your two cents, hoping it will spark some sort of a reaction: a raised eyebrow, a smile, a giggle.

Not only does the timing have to be just right, the “like” must make sense — meaning it must somehow be pertinent to your life. And the comment must work on two levels, being both witty and intuitive.

As I stated earlier, it must invoke a reaction. Being comical, sensitive and/or intelligent works, being sarcastic doesn’t work on the Internet, and being mean is just stupid. In summary, make sure you’re remembered in a positive light.

There’s no real message hidden in this column, just a reminder that social media adds another element to college relationships. The key is timing and content. If you play your cards right, your detriment can become your vantage point.

Sam Spiegelman is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at spiegelman@umdbk.com.

It’s time to check your privilege

O

n Feb. 21, the Supreme Court agreed to review a lawsuit against the University of Texas at Austin. The lawsuit was filed by then-prospective student Abigail Noel Fisher after the university denied her admission into its undergraduate program. Fisher contends the denial was based on her race.

While Fisher’s SAT scores placed her in the middle 50 percent of undergraduate students typically accepted to UT, and her fairly high GPA made her a competitive candidate for admission, her rejection from the school is not surprising. Admissions committees make weird decisions all the time.

The debate then is not a question of merit; it is an ethical question. Should students be given “preference” in admissions decisions based on their race and ethnicity?

If you asked this question toward the beginning of the 20th century, the answer would have been a resounding “yes.” Students would have absolutely agreed that preference be given based on race.

That is, white students.

Nowadays, affirmative action de-

bates typically become predictable through lines with little utility. Supporters tend to say the policy levels the playing field for minorities who have historically been denied access to higher education — a necessity in an increasingly competitive job market where skilled labor pays dividends.

Opponents point to the racial politics of the policy and the supposed “reverse discrimination” faced by stellar white students who cannot get into programs or get the jobs they deserve because unskilled minorities are taking them all — a doubtful claim, but no one ever said dominant narratives had to be based on fact (see: welfare, health care, women’s reproductive rights, etc.).

The controversy behind affirmative action stems largely from a systemic naturalization of whiteness as a “normal” category — one historically untouched by legislative interventions. As a highly visible intervention in whites’ chances of fulfilling their sense of social entitlement, affirmative action has engendered animus toward minority groups in college settings and the inane charge of “reverse racism” in which

MICHAEL CASIANO white people embrace their privileged positions by deeming any “racism” committed against them as “backward,” “odd” and “unnatural.” Racism only affects “other” races, doesn’t it?

Affirmative action has challenged whiteness to acknowledge its vulnerability — an acknowledgement oppressed peoples have long since been savvy to on behalf of our respective locations. Comparatively, affirmative action doesn’t begin to create the kind of level playing field aggrieved groups in this country have been looking for. The outcry by European Americans against affirmative action is telling, however, because it shows just how much racial self-consciousness doesn’t affect dominant groups. As the dominant group, whiteness is not distinct or unique — it’s standard.

In a country with an increasing mi-

nority presence, will this white supremacy falter? Probably not. Intergenerational movements of wealth (don’t sleep on the 1 percent), super-representation in Congress and other legislative bodies and control over various social and economic institutions cannot be dismantled overnight, and certainly not by a population shift.

Even so, the integrationist in me doesn’t want such a dismantling to occur. The Latino in me, however, is weary and unwilling to compromise such a small allowance as education.

Look at it like this: If your parents knew you were going to college before you were even born, you might have felt a sense of entitlement when the time came. Contrarily, my mother didn’t know people like us could get into college. When the time came, I didn’t have a clue. Institutions of higher learning are trying to fix that.

One mediocre student’s racial insecurity must not curtail this process.

Michael Casiano is a senior American studies and English major. He can be reached at casianio@umdbk.com.

M

y apologies to anyone posting on The Diamondback’s website, but I am simply not a fan of online comment sections. When posting online, people tend to forget usernames are connected to faces.

Posts come from people, and the result is hate.

This was on full display after my friend, James Morris, wrote a guest column (”Marriage is a gift from God”) in Friday’s paper describing the Catholic Church’s teaching on gay marriage.

Among the numerous personal attacks in the online comments, a few insinuated that, because he sticks to the Catholic teaching, Morris is unfit to be an elementar y school teacher. Obviously, whoever wrote that has never met Morris: His constant, winning smile and jovial disposition will make him a great elementar y educator. Of course, this goes both ways: I once met a student who had written a column I strongly disagreed with, and I was pleasantly surprised to find an intelligent person who was admirably striving to better the world. We disagreed on the best method to do this, but in the end we had the same goal.

Political debates often fail to recognize shared goals. Republicans don’t advocate lower taxes because they want to steal from the poor and give to the rich — they just believe small government works better for people.

Similarly, Democrats don’t have a secret plot to turn the countr y communist — they just want to pragmatically help people out. In the end, both sides just want to make America great.

The more you get to know and understand someone, the harder it becomes to hate him or her.

This is why anonymous comment sections are filled with hate while God, who knows all, is love. It’s also why Jesus said the two most important laws are to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. Regardless of your religion, or lack thereof, that second rule works: If you tr y to see the good in people and understand them rather than getting hung up on disagreements, you will be happier. This isn’t to say the other rules are not important — they will also bring you a more fulfilling life if you let them — but the first two are the foundation.

The solutions to the problems we face will come from loving and getting to know each other, not from online insults.

Misunderstanding breeds conflict, and we can only sort through misunderstanding by sitting down and talking to each other face-to-face. Such discussions must be calm and respectful, with both sides willing to learn. The goal of discussion should be simply to understand the opposing stance while describing our own. I believe once we begin to understand one another, we will begin to love one another and our disagreements will seem frivolous.

So next time there is an opinion column you disagree with, do not seek revenge in the comment section. Instead, please use the email address listed below the piece and invite the author to talk over lunch at The Diner. If we ever do that, great things will happen.

Matthew Rice is a freshman materials science major. He can be reached at matthew.rice.d@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.

Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright of 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.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012 | THE DIAMONDBACK

5

Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Anthropologist Margaret — 5 Sufficient 10 A TV Maverick 14 Moon ring 15 — acid (B vitamin) 16 Essay byline 17 Language with clicks 18 Sudden spate (2 wds.)

20 — -eyed 22 Young raptors 23 Redford role 25 Shipshape 26 Quick breakfast 27 Heat source 28 River in Russia 32 Unit of length 33 Southfork surname 35 Wild cat 36 Dernier — 37 Sugary drink 38 Beauty pack 39 Strauss of denim fame 41 Philosophy 43 Vaulted recess 44 Churchill successor 45 Kiel conjunction 46 Roughed up 48 NFL periods 50 Cared

51 Loyola’s order 54 LaBelle or LuPone 55 Alluring thing 57 Mass of clouds 61 Confirm 62 Erik the composer 63 Biology topic 64 Financial page org.

65 Stair part 66 Wagner’s earth goddess

27 Put up clapboards 29 Wrinkle up 30 Tickled 31 Filled the hold 34 Alerts

40 41 42 43 47 49

Question Most abrupt Skipped over Loud enough Picnic intruder Personal quirk

50 Obsession 51 Film vamp — Harlow 52 Feeling of covetousness 53 Canonized mlles.

DOWN 1 Pentium meas.

2 — de cologne 3 Winner’s take 4 Was skeptical 5 Pleasant 6 Stale 7 Run the stereo 8 Fleur-de- — 9 Reverberating 10 Bankrupt (hyph.)

11 Lotion ingredient 12 Kind of squad 13 Smidgens 19 ATV feature 21 NASA counterpart 23 Equipped 24 Get there 25 Adjusted 26 Bike

© 2012 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

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54 — Seeger of folk music 56 Damage 58 Tire filler 59 Can. province 60 Big green parrot

B

What surprises many who get to know you is your sense of humor; while you seem at first to be rather serious, it quickly becomes clear that you are able to poke fun at almost anyone or anything — and the more grave a situation may be, the more likely you are to laugh at it.

Also born on this date are: Robert Sean Leonard, actor; Bernadette Peters, singer and actress; Mario Andretti, auto racer; Tommy Tune, dancer, actor, director, choreographer; Gavin MacLeod, actor; Charles Durning, actor; Zero Mostel, actor; Linus Pauling, chemist.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — You’ll have one more chance to get it right today — and you are confident that this time you’ll know just what must be done — and how.

tion of authority that is not at all in your sweet spot. You will be able to say “I told you so.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — You are being unusually glib about a situation that is quite important to someone else. You are part of the problem.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — A little faith in your own abilities can go a long way today. You are in a situation that demands confidence and a little daring.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — You may find yourself coming closer to the edge than ever before today — but there’s a reason for this newfound daredevil spirit.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — It may be time for you to take a calculated risk — but take care that you don’t involve anyone against his or her wishes.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — In just a few minutes you should be able to accomplish something that takes others three or four times as long.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — You can have a little nostalgic fun today, provided a friend agrees to come along and help you maintain the proper perspective.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Home projects have been sitting on a back burner long enough.

It’s time to take those vague ideas and turn them into firm plans.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Personal security may be your primary concern throughout the day. Still, you mustn’t let yourself become too fearful.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You’ll learn a few tricks of the trade from someone who has recently taken you under his or her wing. Soon you can break off on your own.

COPYRIGHT 2012 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.

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COLLEGE INTUITION

orn today, you have a way of telling it like it is that will win you a great many friends and admirers — and perhaps more than your share of critics as well.

Those who do not react positively to your direct manner are almost always those who fear that you see through them in some way and may, at some point, finger them by telling an unknown truth about them to the world at large.You are in no way malicious, however, and you never seek to harm another in any way — at least intentionally.

Some say that honesty is not the best policy — but you adamantly disagree.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Diversions

NEW ALBUMS: CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Leaving Eden

THE CRANBERRIES Roses (left)

CHIDDY BANG Breakfast

ESTELLE All Of Me

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

Sleeping through the noise REVIEW | SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS

REVIEW | MEMORYHOUSE

Now a duo, group returns with an uninspiring rehash of old ideas

Canadian twosome’s debut LP is forgettable and stale

is described as a concept album. After a listen straight through, the term “concept album” seems more like an excuse to explain why Dream-pop group School of Seven Bells has every song lazily repeats the same elements.

These tracks, such as “Love Play,” are always come across as valuing style over substance in its craft. Instead of writing great songs actually relying on the same old composiand nestling them inside dreamy electronic tional tricks that SVIIB has always used — shoegaze textures, the band, known as SVIIB, start with a melancholy beat composed of seems purely obsessed with producing the expansive synthesizer pads and leads that seem to sparkle, then add whispery, angelic right timbres.

Granted, these bubbly concoctions are easy female vocals on top. Even when the listener begins to feel invested in one on the ears, but it takes more song’s interesting take on than a good tone to make a good V E R D I C T : SVIIB’s ubiquitous stylistic song. The group’s third record, School of Seven Bells choices, the next track and the Ghostory, provides more of the continues making the track after that repeat it to the same from past records. Ghostory continues the trend of passable, same music it always has point of annoyance.

— vast in timbre and The only aesthetically different airy melodies and synthetic narrow in scope. attribute separating Ghostory wisps that offer little beyond a from SVIIB’s previous records is surface-level attraction.

There’s nothing wrong with SVIIB’s music, the departure of singer and multi-instrumentalper se — everything is perfectly in pitch, the tim- ist Claudia Deheza, identical twin sister of band bres aren’t abrasive and the production value is member Alejandra Deheza.

Nevertheless, this difference goes almost some of the best listeners are likely to find on an independent record. Furthermore, Ghostory’s completely unnoticed. “Lafaye,” for example, tracks feel like a single, complete thought, which finds Alejandra Deheza simply overdubbing herself as necessary. With multi-instrumenmakes it easy to sit through.

However, the decidedly unobtrusive nature talist Benjamin Curtis still on board — and of these pretty little synth-pop tunes doesn’t the only other member of the band — SVIIB grab attention so much as it diverts it. Hearing continues to make music with a frustrating lack of evolution. one song out of context or reading its A decidedly uninspiring obscure philosophical lyrics listen, Ghostory does may give the music a succeed in making momentary sense of great bedtime grandeur — especially music. As SVIIB’s an epic-length groovesound grows stale marathon like “When from floating perYou Sing” — but as a petually in its own whole, Ghostory quickly ethereal atmosbecomes glorified pheres, we simply background noise. drift off, unaware of Ironically, for when the record begins all its evasive and when it ends. lyrics and repetitive compositional choices, Ghostory berman@umdbk.com

reverb-tinged vocals they used on their first EP in favor of a sound that is dr y and stale.

A track like “The Kids Were Wrong,” for The Slideshow Ef fect, dream-pop duo Memoryhouse’s first full-length album, is a instance, wastes a memorable guitar riff pinpoint accurate title, for better or worse. and effectively bare drum beat because Washing over you like a series of semi-sig- Nouvion’s vocals don’t sound dreamy at nificant photographs that linger for a few, all. For a genre focused on sensor y images short moments before losing their con- of free love and youthful yearning, ever ything sounds, unfortujured luster, this album is nately, claustrophobic sleepy but not dreamy, VERDICT: and stuffy. pretty but not beautiful On the whole, The and tender but not touchThe Slideshow Effect isn’t Slideshow Ef fect portrays ing. Contrar y to the band’s effectively dreamy the noble pursuit of a name, The Slideshow Ef fect enough to make any young duo attempting to is forgettable. vital musical statements. follow its veteran label To its credit, though, the mates’ past success. record has some timely touches that make a few tracks worth Beach House, also on the Sub Pop label, revisiting. The slide guitar on “Bonfire” is found bliss in a barren place with 2010’s distinctly Mazzy Star, except Denise Nou- Teen Dream. That album took dream-pop, vion’s voice lacks the youthful sexiness a misunderstood genre, and effortlessly that Hope Sandoval displayed on classic made it accessible to the mainstream.

But despite its painstaking attempt to songs such as “Fade Into You.” And “Heirloom,” besides the female vocals, could replicate it, The Slideshow Ef fect won’t pass for an outtake on Real Estate’s nostal- achieve the same success as Teen Dream gic, memorable record Days, with its light because Memor yhouse hasn’t yet learned the No. 1 rule of the trade: The sleepiest and summer y guitar riffs.

Other songs, however, are bogged down songs do not yield the best dreams. by their atypical cleanliness. It’s anyone’s guess why Memor yhouse chose to axe the diversions@umdbk.com

BY ZACHARY BERMAN Senior staff writer

BY DEAN ESSNER For The Diamondback

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

WALSH from page 8 running the Terps’ offense.

But one thing’s clear: While the effort may be there, Faust is no point guard.

And this team could really, really use a point guard.

“This is a first,” Turgeon said last week.

“I’ve always had at least one kid who was a true point guard. … It’s been a challenge. I wish I could help guys more. As a coach, you always want to help players more. I wish I could help Terrell more, I wish I could help Nick more to understand the fine line between winning and losing and making winning plays and winning decisions.”

Even with Howard on the floor, pointguard play rivaled the Terps’ overmatched frontcourt as the most glaring weakness on this team’s roster.

Take, for example, the Terps’ loss to North Carolina on Feb. 4. They were very much in the game against one of the nation’s best teams and even led at halftime. But it all slipped away in the second half.

The difference?

North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall was a force, finishing with a game-high 16 assists. Howard had none.

He did have two turnovers, though.

And then there was the Terps’ Feb. 18 loss to Virginia. The Terps stumbled in the second half and finished the game with just three assists and 15 turnovers.

You could even see it against the ACC’s worst squad Saturday, when Georgia Tech capitalized on another late-game collapse by the Terps. Hidden in the embarrassing loss was another telling stat line: Faust had two assists, while Yellow Jackets point guard Mfon Udofia finished with nine.

It’s a tough scenario for Turgeon. You can see his aggravation on the sideline, throwing his hands up with each successive turnover.

But what else can he do? He’s shaped Faust into a kid who, at times, can successfully run the Terps’ offense. But Faust and Stoglin just aren’t point guards, and that’s got to be killing a point-guard purist.

“Kids have to grow up and learn from their decisions,” Turgeon said. “It’s been hard. Even with Pe’Shon, he gave us everything, but he’s not a true point guard coming out of high school.

“At least Pe’Shon tried to think [like a point guard]. Nick’s trying, but he’s never had to play that way. And Terrell has to score for us so it’s hard for him. … I just want to help them more down the stretch.

I think we’ve made some strides.”

In a way, the point-guard play is representative of the Terps’ season. Faust and Stoglin are doing what they can, and there’s no questioning their effort. Likewise, the team as a whole has battled all season, but it just doesn’t have the talent or the bodies.

As the season winds down, it can be described by an array of adjectives, from disappointing to encouraging.

But for Turgeon, it must just be downright frustrating. cwalsh@umdbk.com

Forward James Padgett and the Terps were within a win of .500 in ACC play after last week’s win over Miami.

STANDINGS from page 8 both of those games, and have Clemson or N.C. State lose once and Miami lose twice, to improve their conference tournament seeding. Those odds are long, though: They have yet to upset a ranked opponent the past two years.

Perhaps more disappointing to Turgeon has been the

team’s failure to value wins and losses. Throughout the year, he’s singled out senior captain Sean Mosley as the lone member of the team who “knows how to win.”

Said Turgeon: “It’s got to mean more.”

But the Terps haven’t won back-to-back games since early January, when they beat lightly regarded Wake Forest and Georgia Tech teams at home.

“It’s very frustrating,” for-

ward James Padgett said.

“You always want to go up the hill instead of going up and constantly sliding back down. We have to figure out a way to get these wins.”

The team’s roller-coaster season has certainly been frustrating for Mosley, a regular on the 2010 ACC regular-season co-champion Terps. The senior scored 14 first-half points against the Yellow Jackets before all but disappearing in the second.

“I don’t care how young we are,” Mosley said of the team’s inconsistencies.

“We’re halfway through the season and guys have a feel for the play and the ACC. It’s just tough right now. It’s just very tough.”

Most telling, though, was Turgeon’s attitude yesterday regarding the team’s final two games. He didn’t highlight the team’s need for quality wins or the chance to end the season on a high note or

NOTEBOOK from page 8 Lynetta Kizer and guard Laurin Mincy, who were honorable mentions, joined Thomas as postseason honorees.

Kizer was also honored as the league’s Sixth Player of the Year.

Voted on by the conference’s 12 coaches, the award is given to the league’s top player who started in less than a third of her team’s games. A three-year starter for the Terps entering her senior year, Kizer has started only once this season.

“She gives us a phenomenal scoring punch and a rebounder that’s coming in while other teams may not be as fresh or bringing in limited players,” Frese said last week. “She’s able to give us a punch that I don’t think any other team has in the country coming off the bench.”

STARTER SHUFFLE

Despite starting only one game this season, center Lynetta Kizer was was named an honorable mention All-ACC pick yesterday. Starting guard Laurin Mincy was also an honorable mention. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

OFFENSE from page 8 Carlson rotate in frequently.

Tillman employs a similar strategy with the midfield.

While senior Drew Snider, junior John Haus and redshirt sophomore Mike Chanenchuk make up the first midfield, sev-

eral bench players — senior Michael Shakespeare, juniors Kevin Cooper and Landon Carr and freshman Kevin Forster — have seen considerable time.

“I think the second line has some great chemistry, as well as the first line,” Shakespeare said Friday. “We can mix and match, and I think we made some things happen tonight. We exe-

cuted the game plan great.”

That selfless approach has resulted in the extra pass, providing players with better looks at the cage. The Terps have connected on nearly 35 percent of their shots this year, which would’ve placed them at the top of the nation in that category at the end of last season.

Cummings, a third-team All-

Moments before tip-off Friday night, a name that Terps fans hadn’t heard boomed in a long time was announced over the Comcast Center public-address system: “Starting at center, a 6-4 senior from Woodbridge, Va., No. 12 Lynetta Kizer.”

After coming off the bench in each of the first 24 games of her senior season, Kizer was back in the starting lineup on Senior Night.

She finished the victory with seven points, five rebounds and a teamhigh four steals.

When asked during Friday’s postgame press conference whether Kizer’s move back into the starting lineup would stick, Frese offered little comment.

“I haven’t really thought that far,”

American at midfield a year ago, has been instrumental in helping bring along an inexperienced attack. He orchestrates the offense, always calling out assignments and reads.

“He’s our quarterback of the offense,” midfielder Curtis Holmes said. “He knows where people are supposed to be, he knows where he’s sup-

CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

the importance of the team’s play in relation to the upcoming ACC Tournament.

He instead pointed toward the future.

“Great opportunities for us,” Turgeon said during yesterday’s weekly teleconference. “Any time a young team can play in games like this, it’s good for your program, so we’re looking forward to this week.” ceckard@umdbk.com

she said.

The question was answered on Sunday, however. Proving her start was nothing more than a Senior Night formality, Kizer was back on the bench when lineups were announced Sunday afternoon in Raleigh, N.C. Alicia DeVaughn reclaimed the starting role she gained after Kizer’s three-game suspension to start the season.

Kizer posted six points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench in a win over the Wolfpack.

“I’ve been starting here for three years,” said Kizer, who started 96 of 102 games in her first three seasons in College Park. “But it was clearly the coaches’ decision to keep the lineup how it was.”

LOCKING DOWN If you were to ask Frese or any of her players what the Terps’ primary focus in practice has been this season, their answer would be simple: defense.

In the team’s past seven games entering this weekend’s ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., it’s clear that focus has paid off.

After allowing an average of more than 70 points per game through their first eight conference games, the Terps have held all but one of their past eight opponents to fewer than 65 points. They’ve allowed less than 59 points per game in that span.

The Terps are 7-1 in that stretch — they lost to No. 7 Miami, 76-74, on Feb. 12 — making them one of the hottest teams in the conference heading into its quarterfinal matchup Friday.

“I’m really proud of our defense,” Frese said. “Everyone’s game is getting better.” vitale@umdbk.com

posed to be. He gets everything organized.”

That playmaking ability was on display against the Hoyas, against whom Cummings tallied the first multi-assist game of his career. He finished with a career-high six points on four goals and two assists.

But even as Cummings quickly emerges as the most

dynamic cog of an otherwise starless offense, the Towson native understands that it’s not about one individual player. Not this year.

“I just try to play within in the system,” he said. “It’s not one person scoring, it’s the whole offense scoring.” letourneau@umdbk.com

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Sports WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | NOTEBOOK

Follow us on Twitter For constant updates on everything Terps sports, follow The Diamondback’s official account @DBKSports.

FOOTBALL

releases Terps’ 2012 schedule Four players ACC Nonconference test at West Virginia, ACC matchup with Florida State highlight slate earn All-ACC LOOKING AHEAD distinctions

BY CONOR WALSH Senior staff writer

Thomas named to first team after stellar year

BY JOSH VITALE Staff writer

There are few players in women’s college basketball who mean more to their team than Alyssa Thomas.

The talented Terrapins women’s basketball forward does a little bit of everything, and she does it all very well. Her 16.7 points per game are tied for first in the ACC in scoring. Her 7.9 rebounds per game rank seventh in the league. She’s third in free-throw percentage, 10th in assists and 15th in steals.

Her being named first-team All-ACC for the first time in her young career yesterday, in fact, was the drama-free prelude to the announcement later this week of ACC Player of the Year.

“If there’s any doubt for people out there for who should be player of the year in the conference this year, I mean, the amount of games she’s taken over and put this team on her back has been pretty special to watch,” coach Brenda Frese said.

The sophomore capped off her allconference season with an impressive final weekend that earned her the ACC Player of the Week award for the fourth time this season. In the No. 6 Terps’ 8464 win over North Carolina Friday night, Thomas came within three assists of notching her first triple-double, posting 20 points, 14 rebounds and a seasonhigh seven assists.

Her showing Sunday may have been even better. Thomas scored 22 of her game-high 24 points in the second half against the Wolfpack, setting new career highs with 17 rebounds and four blocks.

Forward Tianna Hawkins, a secondteam All-ACC selection, and center

For a Terrapins football team desperate to move on from last year’s 2-10 debacle, the release of the team’s schedule for the 2012 season yesterday came as a welcome reminder that there is, at least, a future.

Home games against Florida State and coach Randy Edsall’s former team, Connecticut, highlight the Terps’ fall slate, which includes nine games against bowl teams from last season.

The Terps open their sea-

son Sept. 1 against William & Mary at Byrd Stadium.

From there, they play three straight nonconference games against Temple, Connecticut and West Virginia.

The home-and-home series with Connecticut, which will continue with a Huskies home game in 2013, was scheduled before Edsall or Athletic Director Kevin Anderson arrived in College Park.

ACC play begins after a bye week for the Terps, who open against Wake Forest Oct. 6 and then face Virginia, N.C. State and Boston College.

They’ll close their season with a far more strenuous stretch, hosting Georgia Tech before consecutive games at ACC champion Clemson and at home against Florida State. The Terps’ regular season concludes at North Carolina Nov. 24.

Unlike last season, when the Terps opened with five home games in their first six games, the team’s schedule alternates home and away games throughout the season. Game times will be set at a later date.

The Terps will face four nonconference and eight ACC opponents in their 2012 schedule, listed below: ■ Sept. 1: William &

Mary

■ Oct. 20: N.C. State

■ Sept. 8: @ Temple

■ Oct. 27: @ Boston College

■ Sept. 15: UConn

■ Nov. 3: Georgia Tech

■ Sept. 22: @ West Virginia

■ Nov. 10: @ Clemson

■ Oct. 6: Wake Forest ■ Oct. 13: @ Virginia

■ Nov. 17 Florida State ■ Nov. 24 at North Carolina

cwalsh@umdbk.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

see NOTEBOOK, page 7

MEN’S LACROSSE

Terps learn to share wealth

Coach Mark Turgeon, pictured above during the Terps’ 71-44 loss at Virginia on Feb. 18, is hoping his team can better its conference standing before entering the ACC Tournament. The team has two league games remaining this regular season. PHOTOS BY CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

Quite pointless

With major weapons gone, team benefits from balanced attack

BY CONNOR LETOURNEAU Staff writer

Turgeon’s frustration with Terps’ pointguard play reasonable

The Terrapins men’s lacrosse team lost 17 seniors from a group that reached the national title game last May, so entering this season, holes were aplenty.

Few were more gaping than the ones left on the front line.

For the past three years, the No. 5 Terps’ offense was built around the three-pronged attack of Grant Catalino, Ryan Young and Travis Reed. The trio accounted for more than a third of the team’s offensive production last year, scoring a combined 110 points.

Catalino, Young and Reed are now gone. But that hardly means the Terps’ offense has missed a beat.

The unit has netted 28 goals in two games, including 16 in a five-goal win against Georgetown on Friday night. It may still be early, but the 14 goals-pergame average is actually a three-goal improvement on last season’s numbers.

The Terps have relied on their offensive depth to notch critical wins over the Hoyas and Hartford, two teams many expect to earn berths in the NCAA Tournament this season.

Fifteen different players have tallied a point so far. Thirteen have already scored a goal, and 10 notched a goal against Georgetown alone.

“I think we realized with what we lost last year, everyone was going to have to share and buy in and do their part,” coach John Tillman said. “It’s a true team effort.”

Tillman added that the offense benefits from a lack of egos. Everyone understands they have a role to play, and no one seems too concerned with how many goals they score.

Senior Joe Cummings and juniors Owen Blye and Billy Gribbin are the starters, but sophomores Sean McGuire and Rustin Bryant and freshman Jay

etween Greivis Vasquez’s Bob Cousy Award, Steve Blake’s national championship and John Lucas’ two AllAmerica selections, the Terrapins men’s basketball program has a decorated history at point guard.

With the offseason hiring of coach Mark Turgeon — a former backup point guard for a Final Four Kansas squad — it seemed we were set to witness a return to that tradition.

But with no point guard on the Terps’ roster after an ACL injury ended Pe’Shon Howard’s season earlier this month, Turgeon’s been left searching for answers.

Imagine yourself in his position. Here’s a guy who didn’t have the chops for an NBA career but earned a reputation as a pure point guard for one of the best college teams of the ’80s.

Now he’s forced to sit back and watch as two guys — Nick Faust and Terrell Stoglin — butcher his own art.

And it’s nothing against Stoglin or Faust.

Stoglin’s clearly better suited as an off-theball scorer, while Faust projects as a slashing wing player.

To his credit, Faust stepped up to the plate and asked Turgeon for the ball after Howard went down for a second time. And, in many respects, Faust has improved as a converted point guard. The baby-faced freshman has finally started to look poised and confident

see OFFENSE, page 7

see WALSH, page 7

After loss vs. Tech, Terps’ hopes of finishing season in middle of ACC dwindle

BY CHRIS ECKARD

CONOR WALSH

Senior staff writer

B

None of the Terps’ three options at point guard — Pe’Shon Howard, top, Terrell Stoglin, middle, or Nick Faust — has proven fully capable of leading coach Mark Turgeon’s offense this season.

Coach Mark Turgeon knew exactly where his Terrapins men’s basketball team stood in the ACC entering Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.

With a win against the conference’s bottomfeeder, Turgeon figured, the Terps could rise as high as fifth in the conference standings — a far cry from the team’s predicted ninth-place finish.

Getting there didn’t seem all that outlandish, either: All they had to do was beat a team that had won just twice in conference play.

The Terps could’ve improved their ACC record to .500 after a revitalizing comeback victory against Miami earlier in the week. They could’ve drawn even with N.C. State, which fell to Clemson in overtime, and closed to within a game of Virginia, which faltered late against North Carolina.

Instead, the Terps fell, 63-61, in Atlanta and left Turgeon lamenting his team’s inability to capitalize on the opportunities the season had presented.

“We’re right there,” Turgeon said. “We have a chance to be 7-7. Everybody else in the league lost. We could’ve been fifth after being picked [ninth by the media]. It’s just disappointing.”

With two games left in the regular season, the Terps (16-12, 6-8 ACC) can’t fall farther than eighth in the ACC standings, a spot they currently occupy. They also don’t have high prospects for rising before a return flight to Atlanta for the ACC Tournament in early March.

Tomorrow, the team travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face No. 6 North Carolina. It finishes its regular-season schedule Sunday against No. 24 Virginia.

In all likelihood, the Terps would have to win

see STANDINGS, page 7