The Diamondback, February 24, 2020

BASEBALL IS BACK: Maryland tops Rhode Island to win its first home series of the season, p. 12

NOT SPICY ENOUGH: Hot Ones made it from YouTube to your TV screen, but it’s just OK, p. 9

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Monday, February 24, 2020

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Graduate activists still fighting for union rights

“it’s been kind of a taboo” UMD’s new disability studies minor aims to destigmatize the study and perception of people with disabilities

By Chloe Goldberg | @ChloeGoldberg10 | Staff writer

They sparred with lawmakers at the State House on Friday ANNAPOLIS — Sen. Delores Kelley (D-Baltimore) wanted to make one thing clear on Friday: Her sympathies were with the University of Maryland graduate student activists who sat before her, asking once again for the right to unionize.

She lamented the conditions under which graduate students work, offering up stories from her own experience as a teaching assistant at Purdue University in the 1970s. More than once, she directed incisive lines of questioning at officials, at one point underlining the disparity between what the University System of Maryland spends on athletics versus what it spends on graduate assistants.

But, throughout the twists and turns of the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Kelley interjected her support with a cautionary refrain. With legislation aiming to enact sweeping reforms of Maryland’s public schools tugging at the state’s budget this year, the students’ bill — which would give collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants at system institutions and two other state universities — wasn’t likely to make it to the Senate floor. by

Angela Roberts @24_angier Senior staff writer

Peter leone, the director of the disability studies minor and a faculty member in the education college, has been advocating for a disability studies minor for years. julia nikhonson / the diamondback

In her Disability in Community class, Carolyn Fink takes a unique approach to the traditional lecture. She sends her students on a mission — what she calls an “accessibility scavenger hunt” — to search the campus for places that students with disabilities might

See union, p. 8

find difficult to navigate.

administration

Undocumented coordinator to leave in June

Gradually, her students start to question their surroundings, she said. They notice how far away disability seating is from the front of a lecture hall. They wonder why sign language interpreters aren’t at concerts.

Raising awareness about issues that people with disabilities face is a key component of the university’s new disabilities studies minor, which includes Fink’s class. The minor is being offered for the first time this semester, marking the end of a years-long approval process and the start of what many say is a more inclusive approach to education.

“I think historically, talking about disability, it’s been kind of taboo,” said Peter Leone, the minor’s director and a faculty member in the education college. “We’ve either put folks with disabilities out of sight out of mind, or we’ve patronized them. And the course and the minor is a first step in normalizing the idea that disability is a valuable thing to study.”

Leone has been teaching a special education course on the history of disability for about ten years. Year after year, he found his students were surprised by all they didn’t know about disabilities, and were eager to learn more. It wasn’t just those studying to become special education teachers, he said — there was interest across the board.

With the help of other professors in the education school, Leone set out to create a 15-credit minor that takes a holistic approach to the study of disability. Instead of focusing on teaching and rehabilitation, the minor analyzes the concept of disability over time, and how culture, education and technology have shaped society’s understanding of the topic.

The professors received a $15,000 grant from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to establish a similar minor in 2014, but efforts to organize the minor fell through early in the planning stages.

The President’s Commission on Disability Issues, an advisory board that advocates for students with disabilities, became involved with the minor’s development in 2018, securing more widespread

She rejected a contract that would broaden the scope of her role Undocumented student coordinator Laura Bohorquez Garcia said she will leave the University of Maryland in June, opting out of a new contract that would have allowed her to stay at the school under a different title.

Last week, Bohorquez Garcia was offered an expanded position, titled “Immigrant, First Generation and Transfer Student Coordinator,” that included the duties of her current position with additional responsibilities.

She declined the offer on Monday, she said.

“I said no because I don’t think the position that was presented to me would serve students the way I think they should be served,” she said.

Bohorquez Garcia, who offers financial and emotional support to undocumented students through programming and counseling, has been in the role since 2017.

As part of her job, she’s done research on how universities across the country are supporting their undocumented students. Many have resources this university does not, she said — such as legal immigration clinics, undocumented student resources centers and a larger staff devoted to the undocumented community who can answer questions based on recent trends in immigration policy.

“I think that as someone who has done work at the national level and doing research at what other institutions are doing, we’re seeing there are more pieces to programming that need to be added,” Bohorquez Garcia said. by

Lillian Andemicael & Clara Niel @thedbk

See MINOR, p. 8

campus

SGA frustrated with presidential search Legislators say more student voices should have been included in the selection process, call on Darryll Pines to hold open forums The University of AmandaHernández Maryland’s @amandavhernan SGA voted Staff writer Wednesday to call on the school’s incoming president to meet with them and hold open forums focused on student concerns.

Officials announced last week that Darryll P ines, current dean of the engineering school, would take over as the university’s president in July. At Wednesday’s meeting, students by

expressed frustration that their perspectives weren’t valued in the search process.

David Pontious, Student Government Association legislator and bill sponsor, urged his fellow legislators to vote in support of the measure to ensure that the voices of the student body are heard and respected.

“It’s time to forge ahead,” he said. “Making sure the students voices are heard — making sure that we understand what the incoming president’s priorities

are, that he understands what our priorities are.”

The resolution received a vote of 31-0 with one abstention.

Hunter Petit, the business representative and one of the supporters of the bill, said he believes the vote was a step in the right direction, helping ensure the SGA can continue checking the administration and representing the concerns of a diverse population of students.

“If the SGA was given more

See undocumented, p. 8

calendar 2 OPINION 4 FEATURES 5 city 6 diversions 9 SPORTS 12

of a voice in terms of decisions on campus, I think that would be reflective of the diversity of the campus,” he said.

In September, the SGA unanimously passed emergency legislation calling for more student involvement in the search for current President Wallace Loh’s replacement.

Prior to the passing of the emergency legislation, the co m m i t te e h a n d l i n g t h e selection of presidential finalists held a forum open to See sga , p. 8

Submit tips and corrections to The Diamondback at newsumdbk@gmail.com

The Diamondback is a publication of Maryland Media Inc.

2 | news

monday, February 17, 2020

POLICE BLOTTER

By Rina Torchinsky | @rinatorchi | Senior staff writer

University of Maryland Police responded to reports of stalking and a suspicious person over the past week, according to daily crime logs.

student struck by car A university employee driving a red sedan struck a student riding an electric scooter in the M circle Thursday morning, Hoaas wrote in an email.

The female employee was traveling west on Campus Drive toward the M Circle at about 9:20. When she entered the circle, she struck a female student riding an electric scooter in the roadway, Hoaas wrote.

The student on the electric scooter was transported to a local hospital for minor injuries and was later released. The employee was issued a citation, Hoaas wrote.

Suspicious Person Pol ice resp onded to Stamp Student Union on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at about 12:15 p.m. for a report of a suspicious person, Sgt. Rosanne Hoaas wrote in an email.

A female employee reported that a male who she did not know tried to touch her without consent, Hoaas wrote. The male left

the area, and then returned briefly. The male left again after he saw the female employee, Hoaas wrote.

Officers searched the area but did not locate the male, Hoaas wrote. The case is closed.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR 24 monday

10% high 58° low 43°

LOVE YOUR BODY, SHARE THE LOVE Edward St. John Learning & Teaching Center, Lobby, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hosted by the Counseling Center. www.counseling.umd.edu

25 tuESDAY

80% high 52° low 43°

BASEBALL VS GEORGE MASON Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium, 4 to 7 p.m.

Hosted by Maryland Athletics. go.umd.edu/i7R

PURPLE LINE BROWN BAG LUNCH & LEARN Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Prince George’s Room, 12 to 12:45 p.m.

Hosted by Courtney Brown. go.umd.edu/i7E PAYING IT FORWARD PANEL Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Charles Carroll Room, 6 to 8 p.m.

Hosted by the Black Graduate Student Union. go.umd.edu/iMw

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. PURDUE XFINITY Center, 8 to 11 p.m.

Hosted by Maryland Athletics. go.umd.edu/iQR U.S. IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT & ETHNORACIAL PROFILING IN IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Pyon Su Room, Room 2108, 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Hosted by Baha’i Chair for World Peace go.umd.edu/i7D

Stalking A female student met with police on Feb. 17 at about 2:45 p.m. for a harassment report. She was referred to university resources, Hoaas wrote.

Another female student met with police on Feb. 17 at about 12:50 p.m. The student reported that she met a male last semester who continues to harass her. A video review is underway, Hoaas wrote.The case is active.

vandalism Pol ice resp onded to South Campus Commons 3 for a vandalism report on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at about 1:45 a.m., Hoaas wrote.

Officer talked with a resident and were given permission to enter his apartment, Hoaas wrote.

The male admitted to damaging the exit sign and was arrested, Hoaas wrote.

The case is closed.

27 thURSDAY

28 friday

high 44° low 28°

CURATING YOUR DIGITAL PRESENCE McKeldin Library, Room 6103, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Hosted by Research Commons. umd.libcal.com/event/6075016 SWING DANCE AT UMD Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Atrium, 7 to 9 p.m.

Hosted by Swing Dance Club at UMD. facebook.com/swingdanceumd ENSEMBLE DAL NIENTE: COMPOSER READING The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, 7 to 8 p.m.

Hosted by The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. go.umd.edu/i7H SEE PRESENTS: THE WORLD IS YOURS BY DEMETRIUS HARMON Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Grand Ballroom, 7 to 9 p.m.

Hosted by Student Entertainment Events. go.umd.edu/i7V

high 41° low 25°

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS University Health Center, Conference Room, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hosted by University Health Center. go.umd.edu/i7C GALLERY MEDITATION Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Stamp Gallery, 11 to 11:30 a.m.

Hosted by Stamp Gallery. go.umd.edu/i7F NOISES OFF The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

Hosted by The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. go.umd.edu/i8k ENSEMBLE DAL NIENTE (USA) The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, 8 to 9 p.m.

Hosted by The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. go.umd.edu/i8Z

26 wednesdaY

90% high 54° low 37°

WOMEN OF COLOR ARTISTS PANEL Edward St. John Learning & Teaching Center, Room 2208, 5:30 p.m.

Hosted by the Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy (MICA). go.umd.edu/idF NOISES OFF The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

Hosted by The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center go.umd.edu/i7K SEE PRESENTS SPRING MOVIES: PARASITE Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Hoff Theater, 8 to 10 p.m.

Hosted by Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy (MICA). go.umd.edu/idF

29 saturday

high 39° low 21°

MEN’S LACROSSE VS. NOTRE DAME Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium, 1 to 3 p.m.

Hosted by Maryland Athletics. umterps.com/ WOMEN’S SOCCER VS. WILLIAM & MARY Ludwig Field University of Maryland, 2 to 4 p.m.

Hosted by Maryland Athletics. umterps.com/

1 sunday

high 39° low 21°

GYMNASTICS TERRAPIN INVITATIONAL XFINITY Center, 1 p.m.

Hosted by Maryland Athletics. go.umd.edu/i8J

newsumdbk@gmail.com

Student injured UMD students say xenophobia has after campus bus ramped up amid coronavirus fears collision Saturday Kyle Chan’s Lyft Lexi Gopin ride started @lexi_gopin Freelance reporter off fine. But then his driver asked, “A re yo u coming from China?”

Chan, a junior computer science and mathematics major, had a cold and was wearing a face mask. The driver had assumed Chan had come into contact with coronavirus because of his appearance, he recalled.

“That was quite an awkward moment,” Chan said. “I just didn’t really want to talk about it.”

Increased racism and bias toward Asian and Asian American people, in person and on social media, has been reported since the coronavirus outbreak in January. Several University of Maryland students, like Chan, said they have also experienced these incidents.

Linda Kuo, a senior American studies and public health major, was at a meeting a few weeks ago when the conversation shifted to coronavirus. Kuo described how one woman, who was afraid of contracting the virus, was saying it originated “from Chinese people eating animals.” Kuo said she was not surprised at the remark. by

A University of Maryland student s u s t a i n e d a serious leg injury after a collision with a shuttle-UM bus Saturday night, said University Police spokesperson Sgt. Rosanne Hoaas wrote in a message.

T h e b u s w a s t ra v e l ing east on Regents Drive toward Baltimore Avenue at about 8:20 p.m. when a pedestrian ran alongside by

Rina Torchinsky @rinatorchi Staff writer

it in an attempt to get the driver to stop, Hoaas said.

The female student tripped and made contact with one of the bus’s tires.

A police officer began first aid until firefighters arrived and took over care, Hoaas wrote.

The student was transported to the hospital and is in stable condition, she wrote.

newsumdbk@gmail.com

READ MORE ONLINE “A true scholar and a great human being”: UMD students mourn public policy professor Miguel González-Marcos

CORRECTION Page 8 of last week’s edition incorrectly credited two photos to Charlie Deboyace.

They were taken by Diamondback photgraphers Eric Harkleroad and Joe Ryan.

Teriyaki Sushi Hibachi Tempura Sake/Beer

“Western people look down on people for eating traditional food,” Kuo said.

Jackie Liu, a sophomore biology and women’s studies major, serves as the Asian American Student Union’s vice president of community education. She said she was also “disappointed but not surprised” when she came across racist and xenophobic comments on a YouTube video called “Eating show: Chinese food, Chinese eating and collecting VOL48.”

Many of the video’s comments suggest Chinese culture was the cause of the coronavirus.

Dorothy Kou, the Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Involvement coordinator for the university’s Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy, said fear mongering through social media and other large power structures create misconceptions about people who have never even been in contact with the virus.

“We know that in history AAPI folks, the AAPI community, has been vilified as historically foreign, always foreign,” Kou said. “So, recognizing that history within this broader framework of what’s happening now really helps to demystify that this isn’t happening out of nowhere.”

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, causes respiratory issues such as pneumonia, fever and cough, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since January, the death toll from the coronavirus has risen above 2,200, and more than 76,000 people have been infected. The illness has mostly been contained in mainland China near the city of Wuhan, where it originated. However, there have been over 1,000 cases outside of China, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Stephen Thomas, the director of the Maryland Center for Health Equity, pointed to repressive structures as a way to understand the microaggressions that students like Chan are facing related to the outbreak.

He related the issue to marginalized groups’ historical perception as carriers of disease.

Thomas explained that during the era of slavery and Jim Crow laws, black Americans were seen as a race “soaked in disease,” and how the LGBT community was stigmatized during the HIV/ AIDS epidemic.

“The fear of disease and the use of the fear that those other people, those outsiders will bring disease into your home has always been an underlying

strategy for ‘otherizing’ marginalized groups,” Thomas said.

“And that’s why we need to stick together.”

Reflecting on the history and structures of racism related to disease, Thomas said behavior such as the Lyft driver’s attitude and jokes spreading on social media must be called out.

“It simply cannot be tolerated, especially for people who have positions of authority,” Thomas said. “We cannot normalize this, we have to recognize it as a form of racism. We have to recognize it because today it’s much more subtle.”

Chan suggested people should educate themselves on how the disease actually works.

“People should be more aware that this virus can affect anyone,” said Chan. “It’s definitely not healthy for the people that have the notion perpetuated about them that they might have coronavirus just because of their appearance.”

Kou said kindness and understanding of the historical context related to those assumptions is the best way to move forward.

“Just be kind to each other and check your assumptions at the door,” Kou said. newsumdbk@gmail.com

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monday, february 24, 2020

news | 3

Students want free period products in more dorms A petition calls for other dorms to follow Hagerstown Hall, which started offering the supplies in December by

When Deesha Eric Neugeboren Ajmera and Luciana m ove d i n to Perez-Uribe the Univer@thedbk sity of Maryland’s Hagerstown Hall last fall, she wasn’t expecting its bathrooms to offer free pads and tampons.

Then, in December, the dorm’s resident assistants d i p p e d i n to t h e i r eve n t funding to stock every bathroom with sanitary products. Now, Ajmera wants such a program to become commonplace across the university’s dorms.

“I personally wouldn’t have thought of it, which is sad,” the freshman bioengineering major said. “It’s a necessity, and it’s something that we can’t live without.”

Ajmera is far from alone in her support for the program — in two weeks, over 450 people have signed a petition calling for all dorms on campus to offer free period products.

Doing so would be an opportunity to meet the needs of the university’s diverse student body, said Hagerstown resident assistant Liam McCammon, who started the petition.

“We have a lot of different types of students. People come from a lot of different backgrounds and have a lot of different needs, including financial needs,” said

really helpful, knowing that it’s there if you need it.”

Maura Johnston, a freshman psychology major who lives in Hagerstown Hall, joined Ajmera in signing the petition. While she has enough money to buy her own period products, that’s a privilege she recognizes that others may not have.

“I know that there are many girls that get their period — that it is a huge f i n a n ce fo r t h e m — a n d they’re unable to have their own supply,” she said.

N istha M itra, another Hagerstown resident assistant and an international student representative for the Student Government Association, said she aims to introduce a bill to the body in the upcoming weeks, supporting the dorm’s “Period Poverty” program.

M i t ra s a i d s h e h o p e s the bill will help students Pads and tampons are on offer at Hagerstown Hall. A petition to expand the “Period Poverty Program” has gotten over 450 signatures in two weeks. julia nikhinson / the diamondback become more aware of These efforts are build- b a t h ro o m s w i t h p e r i o d the initiative and eventuMcCammon, a sophomore products — a total of 20 pads were used, Kharod wrote in ing on a previous push by products for a year. While ally help it expand to more economics major.

Kush Kharod, another a message. Tampons were students to make sanitary their request was approved campus residence halls. She Hagerstown resident as- added to the bathrooms products more accessible by the committee in charge stressed that she was speaksistant, first thought up the earlier this month, and in on the campus. Currently, of the fund last semester, it ing in her role as a resident “Period Poverty Program.” the first two weeks, 80 have free pads and tampons are is still waiting on a green- assistant, and not as a SGA offered in select locations light from the Facilities representative.

Kharod collaborated with been used.

“It’s a very natural thing Next, McCammon said on campus, including the Council. other resident assistants, Ajmera hopes free pads and [sanitary pro ducts] residents and the Depart- the hall’s staff is aiming University Health Center ment of Resident Life to get to expand the program to and Stamp Student Union. and tampons are one day should be very easily availLast fall, five students re- offered in every building able to everyone, irrespecthe two other dorms in the it started. tive of their socioeconomic I n t h e l a s t 1 0 d ays o f Ellicott Community. They quested $18,000 from the on campus.

“If you just randomly get status,” Mitra said. the fall semester — when eventually hope the program Student Facilities Fund to Hagerstown’s bathrooms will be expanded to every stock 15 of the university’s your period, you’re kind m o s t h i g h ly- t ra f f i c ke d of screwed,” she said. “It’s started offering free period dorm on campus. newsumdbk@gmail.com

Health insurance is now required for graduate students They can enroll in the university’s Student Health Insurance plan if they don’t already have coverage

Graduate students can provide proof of external coverage, enroll in a state program if they have an assistanceship or obtain health insurance through the university’s Student Health Insurance Plan. by

Starting

graduate school dean Steve students were uninsured.

“If a graduate student was

julia nikhinson/the diamondback

However, even though

eligible for Medicaid. The

Much of the council’s dis- on a very strict budget, and Buchongo is covered under email the graduate school Angela Roberts next semes- Fetter wrote in a statement @24_angier ter, all gradu- emailed by a graduate school cussion centered around the the only [things] they could her husband’s insurance, se n t l a s t we e k d o e s n o t affordability of SHIP, said afford [were] living expens- she worries that the gradu- highlight Medicaid in its Senior staff writer ate students spokesperson. e n ro l l e d i n full-time master’s or doctoral programs at the University of Maryland will be required to have health insurance, the graduate school announced in an email last week.

Students can choose to enroll in the university’s Student Health Insurance Plan, provide proof of coverage under an external plan or — if they hold a graduate assistantship — enroll in a Maryland State Employee Health Insurance Plan, according to the email.

Previously, under the Affordable Care Act, all graduate students who were U.S. c i t i ze n s a n d p e r m a n e n t re s i d e n ts we re re q u i re d to have health insurance.

When the act’s individual mandate was rescinded last January, the graduate school began discussing the “necessity of health insurance,”

All present at an October meeting of the Graduate Council — a group consisting of elected and appointed graduate school faculty members and graduate students — voted unanimously in favor of the proposed policy change.

“The health of our students is important and the policy was created to help minimize the physical, financial, and academic impacts of illness and injuries, especially when they go untreated due to a lack of insurance,” Fetter’s statement read.

According to the minutes from this meeting — posted to the graduate school’s website — Fetter presented data from a survey looking i n t o s t u d e n t c o v e ra g e choices. Judging from the responses, Fetter estimated that 20 percent of graduate

student councilor Sheung Lu. Council members heard from representatives from Academic Health Plans, the insurance broker for SHIP, who argued the plan’s benefits and rates were comparable to the plan offered to state employees.

Health insurance under SHIP comes down to about $1,300 for a single student for one year and allows them to seek care at the University Health Center without a deductible or copay.

L u s a i d h e wa s u n a ffected by the policy change because, as a graduate assistant, he has been covered by the state employee health i n s u ra n ce p l a n s i n ce h e came to the university for t h e fa l l 2 0 1 6 s e m e s te r.

However, he recognized that the new rule could further burden students who are already financially strained.

es and paying tuition,” he said, “[A] $1,300 increase a year would force them to go over budget and then put them in a situation where t h ey h ave to m a ke h a rd choices.”

According to the meeting minutes, Fetter said he plans to work with the financial aid office to include health insurance at the SHIP rate in the estimated cost of attendance for graduate students. Still, all graduate students — not just incoming ones — will be required to have health insurance next semester.

Portia Buchongo, a docto ra l s t u d e n t s t u d y i n g health policy and management, expressed concerns similar to Lu’s. As a doctoral student — and as a registered nurse — she understands just how important it is to have health insurance.

ate school didn’t consider t h e u n i n te n d e d c o n s e quences that could follow requiring all students to have health insurance.

Would the school set up financial aid packages or a fund to assist students who would struggle to purchase health insurance? Would the health center extend walk-in hours? Hire more healthcare professionals to keep up with a potential increase in demand for services?

A graduate school spokesperson did not provide any d e ta i l s re ga rd i n g t h e s e inquiries.

Yehuda Katz, a computer science doctoral student and representative for the Graduate Student Government, also hopes that the g ra d u a te sc h o o l w i l l d o more in the future to inform students that they could be

body, but does include a link to a webpage which mentions the program briefly.

In his statement, Fetter wrote that the new policy was supported by “campus stakeholders, including the Graduate Council,” but did not elaborate who these stakeholders were.

Buchongo, for one, is disappointed that more people weren’t looped into discussions before the policy’s announcement.

“I think it was a noble sentiment, in terms of what the intention of the policy is,” she said. “But I do wish that this was brought up even outside of the groups [that were] privy to it, so that it could have been a larger conversation amongst the graduate students.”

newsumdbk@gmail.com

monDay, february 24, 2020

4 | opinion

Opinion OPINION 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.

Graduate assistants need collective bargaining rights sistants have the right to come together to negotiate with the university for better conditions and compensation.

Despite the necessary functions that graduate assistants perform for the school, this university has stubbornly minimized their importance, arguing that they are primarily students and that their work is merely a part of their own education. As graduate school Dean Steve Fetter said in his testimony against the bill on Jan. 28, “Collective bargaining is inappropriate because graduate assistants are students and the duties they perform as graduate assistants are p art of their education.”

our view

Graduate assistants face a power imbalance with the university.

Only through this knowingly incomplete understanding of graduate assistants’ work could someone argue that they don’t deserve collective bargaining rights.

Fetter and other university officials have made countless arguments against collective bargaining on the basis that graduate assistants’ grievances are already being addressed or that the meet-and-confer process is sufficient. They have pointed to the many attempts to placate increasingly frustrated graduate assistants, including increases in (still abysmally small) stipends and new requirements for doctoral

advisers.

But these small victories are not a reason that graduate assistants shouldn’t be able to collectively bargain. Their compensation is low and they often work long, difficult hours, but even if that were to change outside of a collective bargaining agreement, they still deserve the right to negotiate with the university if they desire to do so.

This isn’t the first time the issue has come up. Similar bills have been introduced many times, with one last year being abruptly tabled. Just like before, university officials oppose the bill on blatantly self-interested grounds. It makes sense that Fetter and the administration would be opposed to graduate assistants’ being able to collectively bargain, as the university is the beneficiary of its current power imbalance with graduate assistants. Still, that doesn’t excuse their attempts to convince graduate students that the basic right to unionize would somehow come as a detriment to them.

Just like private employees or members of public unions such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — which counts many University of Maryland staff among its members — graduate students’ work benefits the organization that pays them, and they have grievances regarding their compensation and working conditions that they have too little power to address.

This university’s administration has made its opposition to unionization clear. But if it really cared about the graduate assistants who work here, it would support their right to decide for themselves.

column

UMD Senate has the right idea with its plan to curb vaping on campus HADRON CHAUDHARY @esophagor Opinion editor

I want to b e li-eve we’re moving toward a post-vape war society, where people have blown their steam enough to start focusing on rational vaping regulations.

H o p e f u l l y, t h e l a s t remnant of this more cloudy time is the federal ban on m os t f l avo rs o f p o p u l a r types of e-cigarettes implemented earlier this month.

W h i l e i t re m a i n s to b e seen how effectively it will curb youth usage, it at least avoids a unilateral ban on vaping and gives more sane institutions the chance to try better approaches.

The University of Maryland Senate is now working on its own policy to limit vaping on the campus, and it looks like an immensely progressive step forward in developing thoughtful and appropriately cautious vaping legislation.

The most commendable thing about the development of this campus policy is its enforcement model, which would be the same as the campus smoking policy.

Arya Hodjat

Madelyn Miller

Hadron Chaudhary, Zachary Jablow

EDITOR IN CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

OPINION EDITORS

column

staff editorial

Research universities like the University of Maryland need graduate students. While they take classes and receive training in academic research, they also often work as teaching and research assistants, instructing many of the classes offered at this university and helping faculty members to conduct their research.

Graduate assistants who work for the university are compensated with a stipend, but they currently have no right to collectively bargain with the organization that pays them. A bill currently in the Maryland General Assembly would change that, granting graduate assistants the right to form a union and bargain with the university.

Currently, graduate assistants only have a process known as “meet and confer” through which they can talk about their concerns with university officials. It’s not enough.

No binding agreement results from the process, as it’s much weaker than a collective bargaining agreement.

And graduate assistants certainly need the ability to improve their working conditions. The minimum stipend for a graduate assistant— $18,791 for 9 ½ months — is well under what’s considered a livable wage in the area, and the average stipend isn’t much better. Aside from compensation, graduate assistants have cited poor mental health and general discontent with the university they work for.

It’s important to note that the bill would only grant graduate assistants the right to collectively bargain through a union — it wouldn’t automatically create one. It simply establishes that, as workers, graduate as-

Leah Brennan

No one is tasked with persecuting vapers. Rather, the university community is empowered to remind one another where vaping is not permitted.

This prevents a power relationship from forming between vapers and the university and between vapers a n d t h e i r p e e rs. Va p e rs aren’t pressured to circumvent rules to satisfy a nicotine addiction or challenge distant authority; as we know, prohibition and coercion policies often end up backfiring. Instead, it links healthier and more considerate vaping practices to being a decent person and fulfilling the social contract.

In addition, if no one has to be a cop, the conversation around vaping can be more open. We’re learning more about vaping’s dangers, and new research has to inform future policy.

People have valid concerns about secondhand vapor inhalation and the growing cases of lung injury associated with it — and at the same time, a lot of misinformation is driving the greater war on vaping.

Even the recent flavor ban

is a dubious bit of policy. A similar ban on most flavored cigarettes in 2009 barely had any effect on the decreasing rate of youth cigarette use, and there has been much criticism of the politicization of developing vaping regulation.

The university’s approach helps set a precedent that vaping policy should be responsive to science, public health concerns and frustration across many different communities — but shouldn’t exclude vapers from the conversation.

It creates space for vapers to be informed and responsive to new information, requiring them to consider the effects of vaping on other people without demonizing them for their usage.

Vape culture is growing and changing, and the most effective way to promote healthier practices is to work within that culture.

National attention is on younger people picking up e-cigarettes as their first nicotine product, and the fatalities incurred by offmarket vape usage. chauds@umd.edu

Larry Hogan should listen to Kirwan Commission’s recommendations LIYANGA DE SILVA @liyangads Columnist

Educational disparities have long been a concern for the state of Maryland. State officials use a ranking system — which scores institutions out of five stars — to track school performance, and Maryland schools span the scale. The least shocking piece of data is that 75 percent of schools in Montgomery County received a four or five, while the few schools that scored a one were located in the poorest areas of Baltimore. Of course, Montgomery County is one of the richest counties in the state, and in 2018, it was the seventeenth richest county in the country.

But educational disparities between the rich and the poor, and historically white communities and communities of color, are nothing new.

These imbalances are a result of racist policies, budgets and district-drawing, and they have persisted across the nation. What is new, however, are the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations on how to fix them. Created by the Maryland General Assembly in 2016, the commission was tasked with making recommendations on how to better prepare Maryland students for college or the workforce.Now, the commission has actually made recommendations that could address some of the educational disparities at the core of our education system — and they should be implemented as soon as possible. For example, they recommended the state increase the standards to become a teacher and raise teaching salaries.

This would partially address the fact that schools in lower-income communities often face high teacher turnover rates.

Many scholars have pointed out that it takes more than just putting good teachers in highpoverty schools; without adequate financial resources or support for students’ learning, students aren’t in a productive learning environment. Additionally, teachers in low-income communities are often rookies who transfer to wealthier schools as they move up the salary scale and gain experience in the profession.

Paying teachers higher and more equal rates across counties and districts would ensure that students in poor communities have the same learning conditions as other students, at least within the classroom.

The commission also recommended the state

provide “more support to special education students and schools with concentrations of poor families.” While I really hate the term “special education” because it unfairly puts students in boxes, this targets a really important issue within our education system. For many impoverished families, sending students to school may be the only means of making sure they eat regularly.

For some students, going to school is secondary to taking care of an ailing parent or working to ensure the family has a roof over their heads.

Too many people believe that low-income schools have lower graduation rates and test scores simply because the students in those communities are “low-achieving” or “unmotivated.”

But those students usually have to worry about so much more than a rich, white student in Montgomery County. Although I’m not white or rich, I did grow up middle class in Montgomery County, and I never had to wonder where my next meal was coming from. I didn’t have to work while I was in high school to support my family or have to worry about whether my landlord would evict us while I was at school.

If you had to worry about those things, you’d need extra support, too — and that’s what the state should be providing, according to the Kirwan Commission. It’s unsurprising that Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan doesn’t support them — historically he has failed to significantly improve education systems and reduce poverty in our state’s poorest communities, namely Baltimore. He argues that the plan is fiscally irresponsible because it would cost billions of dollars, much of which would come from increased taxes.

But what does it mean if we’re in favor of education reform, and we support helping the poor, but we don’t want that money to come from us personally? Many high-earning families in the state have had the benefit of attending public school in wealthy counties, providing them with greater opportunities and leading to higher-paying jobs. Just like poverty is a cycle, we let wealth feed back into already rich communities instead of spreading it evenly. Hogan has another opportunity to break the cycles of wealth and poverty, and improve public education for all students in Maryland — maybe he’ll take it this time. liyanga.a.ds@gmail.com

column

Terp Thon should operate differently MAYA ROSENBERG I don’t like Terp Thon, it’s uniform and uninspiring. Every Facebook @mayarosenberg_ and I’m not afraid to say it. post and Instagram story has the same scripted Columnist I can’t stand the deluge of request for donations. The privilege-based work Instagram stories asking for Venmos and Facebook fundraisers pleading for donations to meet certain goals. In my eyes, most of the requests for money are disingenuous and uncomfortable.

The organization means well, but in reality, it’s a mechanism for college kids to gain selfcongratulatory philanthropic clout. In order for the organization to go beyond being a tokenistic form of fundraising and have a greater impact on the kids they strive to help, Terp Thon needs to place a greater emphasis on community service itself.

As a concept, I think Terp Thon is wonderful. The student-run organization raises money for children with pediatric illnesses and donates the funds to a children’s hospital. Raising money for Children’s National in Washington, D.C., dancing for 12 hours straight to symbolically represent nurses’ shifts and year-long fundraising efforts? That’s all great. I have no issue with the mission or goal of Terp Thon. Where I start to run into problems, however, is the manner with which the organization operates.

Terp Thon isn’t community service. It’s not volunteerism. It’s not even charity work. It’s philanthropy, pure and simple. And philanthropy, by its very nature, is geared toward those who can afford to donate. It implies that giving money is the catalyst for change and gives members a superficial sense of empowerment that they seem to hold over the heads of those who do not join in.

For example, Terp Thon places so much emphasis on engaging fraternities and sororities.

These Greek Life groups typically have members who can afford to pay dues totalling thousands of dollars, and therefore are able to consistently engage in Terp Thon’s fundraising efforts. Not only is the participation from these groups overwhelming to the rest of the student body,

that Terp Thon engages in allows for wealthier students to tout their generosity despite doing the bare minimum of work. It overlooks students who want to participate but can’t afford to, or feel awkward asking for donations to fulfill the $120 fundraising minimum for a formal invitation as a dancer. It overpowers students who actively volunteer and engage with the patients at Children’s National Hospital without gloating about it on social media.

If you really want to be for the kids, you have to give more than just your money. Give your time by going to the hospital to spend time with the patients on a regular basis. Give your attention by advocating for a healthcare system funded strongly enough to eliminate the need for college students powering through a 12-hour dance marathon fundraiser. Give your support by volunteering with the nurses and doctors who work tirelessly to save the lives of these children.

It’s not all surface level. I know some amazing, passionate individuals who participate in Terp Thon because they truly believe in the cause.

They do more than just ask for money; they work on advocacy and public relations and actually interact with the kids. I applaud and admire the leaders who put in their time and effort all year long to consistently ensure that Terp Thon meets its goals. But these individuals, who spend months planning and programming the dance marathon, are few and far between.

Terp Thon already raises incredible amounts of money for children who truly need it. However, on-the-ground community service could elevate the group from being a social media pat on the back to having an even stronger impact than they already have. It’s time for participants to do more than just put their money where their mouth is. maya.b.rosenberg@gmail.com

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monday, February 24, 2020

City Calvert Hills to get a new drainage system After residents lobbied for a decade, work on the aging infrastructure is set to begin this fall After 10 years of calls for an updated system, construction on a drainage improvement project in the Calvert Hills community of College Park is set to begin this fall.

T h e P r i n c e G e o r g e ’s County Department of the Environment plans to begin installing new drain pipes and a stormwater storage va u l t ove r t h e n ex t two years, along with upgrading the area’s road culverts. It is intended to improve runoff water overflows in the community, where an undersized drainage system has often led to flooding after severe rainstorms.

“It has been a priority for our neighborhood to get this drainage improvement project done,” said Stuart Adams, Calvert Hills Citizens Association president.

“We know how bad flooding by

Jonathan Tercasio @jon_terc Staff writer

can be, and this project is just to bring [the system] up to the minimal design standards.”

C a lve r t H i l l s ’ c u r re n t drainage system was installed in the 1940s, when so m e o f t h e l a s t h o u se s in the neighborhood were built, said District 3 councilman John Rigg. As the Un ive rs i ty o f M a ryl a n d ex pa n d e d u ps t rea m a n d the Metro tracks were introduced, stormwater began to run increasingly downhill and into the Calvert Hills community, Rigg added.

“There were a series of s to r m s t h a t e s s e n t i a l ly generated knee-deep water in the neighborhood,” said Rigg, who cited two rainstorms — one in 2009 and one in 2014. “The county found it was due to stormwater infrastructure.”

The flooding caused sewage water to seep into residents’ basements, fo r m e r P r i n c e G e o rge ’s

County councilman Eric Olson said.

District 3 resident David Dorsch said that after the storm in 2014, 18 inches of water flooded the basement of a house he leases out, causing about $25,000 of damage.

“When we have one of these heavy rainstorms … it seems like the size of the piping is not large enough to handle these large flows of water,” Dorsch said. “Everyone knows that this is a big problem and everyone knows it needs to be fixed.”

I m p rove m e n ts w i l l b e completed in four different stages, according to a factsheet from the county.

Co n s t r u c t i o n o n two o f the four phases — which involve installing a new stormwater storage system at Calvert Park and upgrading drainage infrastructure along Guilford Road and Dartmouth Avenue — will begin this fall, and are set

to be completed by the end of summer 2021.

The last two phases of construction include upgrading drainage channels along Baltimore Avenue and Guilford Road. Construction for these improvements are set to begin in spring 2021, with an estimated completion date of spring 2022, according to the factsheet.

Total construction costs — which are budgeted to be spent in fiscal years 2021 and 2022 — are estimated to amount to $5 million, according to a 2018 presentation from the county.

Linda Lowe, a spokesp e rso n fo r t h e co u n ty ’s Department of the Environment, wrote in an email that the county announced the project in December 2013, more than three years after planning evaluations began. The project is still in the design phase, which is expected to be completed this summer and will cost

the county over $1.9 million.

“There’s a lot of engineering that goes into it,” sa i d O l so n , wh o h e l p e d propel the project forward i n 2 0 0 9. “ T h ey h ave to d o s u r veys a n d a l o t o f investigating.”

Adams and Dorsch expressed their frustration with the drawn-out design phase. Redevelopment projects in College Park — including a new apartment complex on Guilford Road — have heightened their concerns.

Runoff water from the redeveloped sites uphill of Calvert Hills often lead into the community, Adams said, which is why he’d like to see improvements before any more deforestation.

“The county folks in charge of this project have stated their contracting process. That’s not that meaningful to the average resident,” Adams said. “It’s been funded, but there still

haven’t been any shovels in the ground.”

I n 2 0 1 8, C a lve r t H i l l s residents wrote a letter to county executive Angela Alsobrooks urging the county to speed up the project.

“This project has been crawling along at the incremental design phase for the better part of a decade,” Rigg said. “[And] it seems as if severe weather is becoming more common.”

Olson agreed that the area has seen more intense storms in recent years, but said the investigation and engineering processes for the project require time.

“Especially in light of climate change, we’ve got more storms — more intense storms, more unpredictable storms — globally,” said Olson. “We have to be resilient to those types of issues.”

newsumdbk@gmail.com

Construction on hotel near Metro could start this year The Marriott Residence Inn will feature 165 rooms and replace a county-owned parking lot Construction for a new JonathanTercasio Marriott Resi@jon_terc dence Inn near Staff writer t h e Co l l e ge Park Metro is planned to start as soon as this year.

Preliminary site plans for the new hotel, which is being developed by Republic Properties Corp., were approved by t h e P r i n c e G e o rge ’s County Planning Board on Jan. 23. The Residence Inn will sit on more than two acres of land and will accommodate 165 rooms, according to county agenda documents.

Construction is set to start once all of the entitlements are secured, said Brad Coburn, managing director for Republic Properties. by

“We, like many people, are attracted to College Park for the university, for the proximity to the Metro and the employment in the adjacent business park amongst other reasons,” Coburn said. “The general area is continuing to develop, become more attractive.”

The hotel’s planned site, located on Campus Drive and Corporal Frank S. Scott Drive, is currently a parking lot that Prince George’s County owns. The project w i l l ta ke f ro m 2 0 to 2 2 months to complete, and is estimated to cost over $40 million, Coburn said.

District 3 Councilman John Rigg spoke optimistically about the new Residence Inn. “A hotel makes a lot of

sense,” he said. “It could be both great for people who want to go to D.C. or to the university.”

Spaces for retail — likely to become food or beverage spots — will accompany the Residence Inn, Coburn said.

The stores will appeal to hotel guests, travelers on the Metro and future residents of an apartment complex that will be located on River Road, he added.

That apartment complex, developed by Gilbane Properties Inc., will contain 451 multifamily units spread over more than five acres of land, according to county documents. Gilbane Properties is developing the complex through Metro’s Joint Development Program,

in which the transit authority works with private developers to promote transitoriented development.

Projects such as the hotel and apartment complex fit within the city’s goals to develop its Transit District, an area that covers properties on the side east of the Metro tracks, College Park Planning Director Terry Schum said. “ I t’s a b o u t c rea t i n g a higher-density, mixed-use, walkable area,” said Schum.

She added that the city would like to see the area become a “transit village,” where there’s a blend of housing, retail and offices.

However, the Residence Inn will be entering an already-crowded hotel market,

since new hotels — including The Hotel in 2017 and the Cambria Hotel College Park in 2018 — have entered the area in recent years.

Jeff Brainard, vice president of sales and marketing for the company that manages both The Hotel and the Cambria, didn’t seem concerned at the prospect of having more competition, though.

He explained that Marriott Residence inns typically attract guests interested in extended stays. The Hotel, on the other hand, targets group business and corporate travel, while the Cambria’s location on Route 1 is “superior” to the Residence Inn’s location, he said.

“When you add supply

to a market, there are more options for customers,” said Brainard, who works for Southern Management Corporation. “[But] our focus isn’t going to change.”

New developments, such as the Purple Line and the Southern Gateway — another apartment complex planned to be built in College Park — will also increase demand in the market, Brainard said.

“We’re looking at things more positively,” Brainard said. “It really has been a great time to have a hotel here.”

newsumdbk@gmail.com

City Council sends Dept. of State letter of support for refugees A September executive order requires local jurisdictions to consent to receive resettled refugees College Park City Council members expressed support for allowing the federal government to place refugees in the city — agreeing to send a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo detailing their stance — during its work session on Tuesday night.

The letter was drafted in response to a presidential executive order passed in September 2019. Signed by President Donald Trump, the order announced the federal government could only place refugees in states by

Angela Mecca @AngelaMecca2 Staff writer

and local jurisdictions that had consented to receive them under the State Department’s Reception and Placement Program.

Even before Tuesday’s discussion, though, city M a y o r P a t r i c k Wo j a h n clarified that College Park had been open to accepting refugees. “ [ Se n d i n g t h e l e t te r] would mean that we can — as we always have — be a welcoming community to people who are refugees, and not let the current administration be a barrier to that continuing,” Wojahn said.

According to city documents, in 2019, the council

requested that the federal government “increase the number of refugees that the United States accepts.” In recent years, the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. has only decreased.

In 2016, the last year of t h e O ba m a a d m i n i s t ra tion, the U.S. allowed up to 110,000 refugees to resettle in the U.S. Over the course of his presidency, Trump has slashed this number multiple times — most recently to 18,000 in September, down from the 30,000 refugees allowed into the country in 2019.

The letter, which Wojahn signed, affirms the council’s support for refugees.

“The City Council recognizes the immense challenges these refugees have faced, and believes that our communities should accept and provide assistance to them,” it reads.

College Park isn’t the only city that has expressed its desire to accept refugees.

Since the executive order was passed, “approximately 42 states, including Maryland, and more than 100 local jurisdictions” have already provided consent, meeting materials said.

To District 4 Councilwoman Denise M itchell, the council’s agreement to send a letter shows that the city is “in tune” with other

jurisdictions in the state. “ We a re ve ry m u c h i n alignment with a lot of other municipalities in the state of Maryland and across the United States,” Mitchell said. “This is my home that I welcome everybody to share.”

Because the city is a member of the National League of Cities— an organization that advocates for cities, towns and municipalities throughout the nation— refugee policy has been a topic officials in College Park have discussed many times with representatives from cities nationwide, Mitchell said.

Mitchell’s support was

echoed by her fellow District 4 Councilwoman Maria Mackie, who said that it’s important for the city to take action that bolsters its “pro-refugee” policy.

“It’s important for the federal government to know that College Park is willing to take and to help refugees,” Mackie said. “It makes us a place where refugees feel welcome.”

With no objections, the council decided to add the letter to next week’s consent agenda — which allows decisions to be passed with no discussion and in a single motion. newsumdbk@gmail.com

monday, february 24, 2020

news | 7

Students can change pronouns on ELMS

LGBTQ+ activists fought for the function for years, and users can also use it to clarify name pronounciations by

I t ’s e a s y

the wrong pronouns.

“This has been the result gender markers.

they can fully celebrate a ra said. “We also understand

LillianAndemicael for Mar SalHowever, they are hopeful of a lot of years of discusI n s t r u c t u r e — t h e shift to a more inclusive that we have some outdated @LAndemicael lah-Moham- a new feature in Canvas, sions,” said Shige Sakurai, company that owns Canvas society. systems.”

Freelance reporter m e d to fe e l which allows students to the associate director for the — released the feature in “There’s a lot of social SGA business representainvisible.

Despite being president of the Black Student Union’s freshman council, the aerospace engineering major said they constantly feel a sense of exclusion simply existing as a nonbinary person. “ I h ave to p re s e n t a s something else for my own safety because my identity is not as accepted within certain contexts,” SallahMohammed said.

Regularly confronted with a gender identity they reject, Sa l l a h - Mo h a m m e d sa i d people often assume their pronouns — sometimes even ignoring any clarifications made after their peers use

enter their pronouns and name pronunciation, will save them this burden, at least from their professors.

The new feature — which was released to Canvas, the university’s online learning system, on Feb. 11 — is part of a larger push to create a more uniform data collection process regarding students’ genders, names and other forms of personal information.

Namecoach, a separate tool in ELMS that allows students and faculty to voicerecord and clarify the phonetic spelling of their names, can also be used in courses and commencements.

LGBT Equity Center. “The specifics around actually implementing this in Canvas has been more of a conversation of the last year and a half or so.”

In 2014, the LGBT Equity Center wrote a proposal to the University Senate to ease the way students update their personal information.

University President Wallace Loh approved and signed it into policy in 2017, following some recommendations by the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee in how the university records and changes personal identity information, particularly with names and sex and

Ja n u a ry. T h e u n ive rs i ty adopted it to accomplish some of the recommendations made as a result of the proposal, Sakurai said. “ We w a n te d to m a k e sure that there’s nonbinary markers available for gender,” Sakurai said. “That gender is ideally optional information. We wanted to make sure that if you want to have a … primary name that’s different from your legal name, that that is easy to do through the systems.”

Sallah-Mohammed emphasized that while they were excited with the change in ELMS, there is much more that needs to be done before

co m p l ex i t i e s t h a t co m e with coming out as nonbinary,” they said. “So it can be extremely uncomfortable.

And people might even feel unsafe.”

Marcio Oliveira, the assistant vice president for the university’s Division of Information Technology, said his office worked with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to identify a list of pronouns to include in ELMS. He said he hopes the enterprise resource planning project will create a more uniform method to collect student information.

“We understand that there is a need on campus,” Olivei-

tive Jaime Atilano met with Jack Blanchard, the university’s associate provost for enterprise resource planning, to discuss ways to create a more streamlined Student Information System that implements some of the recommendations made from the 2014 proposal.

While Atilano is excited with the new feature, they said there is a lot more to be done.

“For me, I’m personally celebrating the small wins,” Atilano said. “But at the same time, I’m also cognizant that it’s not over.” newsumdbk@gmail.com

Dining Services says they phased out most single-use plastics A $150,000 grant allowed paper and compostable alternatives to replace plastic bags, straws, utensils and more

RECYCLING BINS are provided to dorms in the South Hill Community. Dining Services’ Ocean Friendly Campus initiative aims to provide more recyclable and compostable options and reduce disposable plastics from the campus. gabby baniqued/the diamondback Dining Services’ Clara Niel @clarasniel s h o p s a n d cafes on Staff writer the University of Maryland campus just completed their first semester free of most single-use plastics, according to a Dining Services spokesperson.

The move came after a push from student activists prompted Dining Services to create their Ocean Friendly Campus initiative, which aimed to remove most single-use disposable plastics in Dining Services’ stores and cafes.

“When you start looking for plastic stuff, it’s all over t h e p l a ce ,” sa i d A l l i so n Tjaden, assistant director of new initiatives in Dining Services. “So, we keep up the fight.”

With an approximately $150,000 grant won last spring from the university Sustainability Fund, staff were able to replace plastic bags, straws, utensils and coffee creamer cups with paper or other compostable products.

“It enabled us to absorb the increased costs,” Dining Services spokesperson Bart Hipple said. “Plastic straws a re c h ea p e r t h a n p a p e r s t raws. P l a s t i c ba gs a re cheaper than paper bags.”

Tjaden said students used to come into her office to ask about sustainable alternatives to plastic bags. While she had worked with students on small outreach programs to promote reusable bags, student groups — such by

as the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and their petition to ban plastic straws— moved Dining Services to action.

While Dining Services will still use other plastic items, the initiative targets items that are so small they can’t be successfully recycled, Tjaden said. Since the Ocean Friendly Campus initiative launched, Dining Services removed about 1.3 million disposable plastics from the campus, she said.

“That’s really why we fo c u s e d wh e re we d i d ,” Tjaden said. “Students have been asking for many years to get rid of plastic bags and plastic straws specifically.

But we also thought, ‘What are other items that are similar to those things that we could also phase out?’”

According to the World Wildlife Fund, it can take plastic between 20 to 500 years to biodegrade, somet i m e s l o n g e r. H u m a n s produce nearly 300 million tons of plastic per year — if the current trend persists, the ocean could have more plastic than fish by 2050, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

All Dining Services shops a l s o o f fe r d i s c o u n t s to promote sustainable practices— such as 20 cents off for using a reusable cup or 5 cents off for using a reusable bag, H ipple said.

Students with dining plans can also pick up a free reusable bag at the 24 Shop, the Commons Shop and the North Campus Convenience Shop, a program started last

semester that has since been expanded, he added.

“They’re really looking for us to set the tone in changi n g p e o p l e ’s b e h av i o r,” Tjaden said. “How do we

start shifting the culture on campus to one that is really prioritizing reuse?”

Freshman bioengineering major Ella Evensen applauded Dining Services for using

their position and resources ocean. So clearly what we’re for the good of the campus doing here is going to have a and the global community. global impact.”

“Plastics are obviously going to circulate,” Evensen said. “It all leads out to the newsumdbk@gmail.com

What is SEES? The STUDENT EXPERIENCES AND ENVIRONMENT SURVEY seeks to gather insight from undergraduate students about their experiences in relation to campus environment and culture. Your suggestions and feedback are vital in helping make UMD better.

Please take the SEES that you received in your email.

RaiseYourVoice.umd.edu

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UNION From p. 1 “It’s not the best year,” said Kelley, the committee’s chair, “but I certainly feel for you.”

Her remarks caught activists off-guard, especially since she had signed onto the bill as a co-sponsor. But in a hearing packed with quick, sometimes fiery exchanges, Kelley’s announcement wasn’t the only spark of contention.

Throughout the hearing, a dispute over how a section of IRS tax code should be interpreted raged between the graduate school’s dean, Steve Fetter, and Sen. Benjamin Kramer (DMontgomery), one of the bill’s sponsors.

Currently, graduate student employees are exempt from paying certain taxes on their stipend — something Fetter argues would change should they win collective bargaining rights and earn benefits such as sick leave and paid vacation.

undocumented From p. 1 The university established Bohorquez Garcia’s position in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, after a coalition of student activist groups lobbied for the role. Her contract was temporary, but every year since 2017, students have pushed to renew or extend it — and succeeded.

Stamp Student Union director Marsha Guenzler-Stevens said there will be additional support for the immigrant, first generation and transfer student coordinator as the role expands. A position that Stamp has — that is currently vacant — has been focused on off-campus and transfer students, but its duties will be expanded to “include that focus on first gen students.”

Stamp plans to initiate a search to fill that role “within the next month,” she added.

MINOR From p. 1

support from faculty and s t u d e n ts. T h i s s u p p o r t culminated in a unanimous vote of approval by the University Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula and Courses last October.

Ana Palla-Kane, the PCDI’s co-chair, teaches a class in the kinesiology department on adapted physical activity and the impact it can have on people with disabilities.

“We can see that the students are really seeking knowledge, and they want to really have

SGA From p. 1 s t u d e n ts, fa c u l ty a n d community stakeholders to share their thoughts and ask questions.

Despite their efforts, the “SGA was not informed ahead of time of this major

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However, Kramer denounced this claim as “smoke and mirrors.”

“There is no instance in the many number of universities throughout the country that have given and afforded this opportunity to graduate assistants … where suddenly they became employees with regard to their withholding status,” he said.

Alex Rittle, president of the graduate student association at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, echoed Fetter’s alarm in his testimony. While he sympathizes with students at College Park, he said he worries earning collective bargaining rights would translate into higher costs for graduate student employees.

After Rittle finished testifying, Kramer lit into him. Of all the many universities where graduate assistants have the right to unionize, Kramer asked, could he point to a single instance where students lost their exemption under the IRS? Did he have any evidence backing his concerns?

“I do not have any evidence, but that doesn’t mean that [it won’t] be the case in the University System of Maryland,” Rittle responded.“This is me just trying to represent the graduate students at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.”

Beyond the IRS exemption kerfuffle, Kelley — and activists who came out to the hearing — had harsh words for the system graduate students worked under.

“It ought not be something that we’re comfortable with forever,” Kelley said. “We ought to be moving away from it.”

Fetter and university system representative Carolyn Skolnik offered up similar arguments to ones they’ve previously made against proposed collective bargaining legislation.

Skolnik, associate vice chancellor for the system’s human resources office, pointed out that graduate assistants are afforded tuition remission, a subsidized health insurance plan and a stipend for the work they conduct. Furthermore, she

added, they’re able to access a grievance procedure and have seen hikes in their stipend levels over the years — since April 2017, this university has raised its minimum stipend by about 16 percent.

Plus, she said, graduate student workers across the system already regularly engage with administrators over workplace concerns through a process called “meet-and-confer.” “[This bill] would create a confusing maze of litigation and legal expenses over which groups or classes of grad assistants would be allowed to organize,” she said. “The costs of negotiations and a potential for productivity slow-downs for students outweighs any perceived benefit.”

Adelaida Shelley — co-chair for the group responsible for representing this university’s graduate assistants in meetand-confer — said the process is deeply flawed. Since discussions don’t result in any sort of binding agreement, graduate

employees are really at the mercy of the graduate school, she said.

It’s up to administrators to decide which workplace issues get resolved and which get ignored.

The right to unionize would open up an alternative pathway for students to tackle recurring problems, Shelley said.

“Having the right to choose whether or not we want to form or join a union would go a long way in making UMD a better place to work,” she said.

Fetter also raised concern that should graduate assistants unionize and earn higher stipends, the graduate school could be forced to offer fewer assistantships. He painted this possibility as “a simple matter of economics,” shooting down one activist’s portrayal of his statement as a threat.

Despite Kelley’s doubtful outlook on bill’s future, though, the activists aren’t throwing in the towel quite yet. They’re going to keep pushing lawmakers to propel the legislation out of committee, and onto the

house and senate floors. And, geographical sciences doctoral student Rachel Lamb added, she’s sure Kramer will continue encouraging his colleague to bring the bill up for a vote.

Over the many years graduate students have spent pushing for collective bargaining rights, Lamb said they’ve heard time and time again that one day, legislation will pass. But the university’s Graduate Student Government,its meet-and-confer body, its coalition of activists — they all worked so hard to build support for the bill, Lamb said. Not only that, they’ve also continued to work through existing channels to make life better for graduate assistants.

“So, I don’t think we need to keep waiting,” said Lamb, the GSG government affairs vice president. “I think now is the time. People have spent a lot of time and effort working hard to gain this right, so let’s not give up now.”

There will also be a graduate student that will assist with the new focus, she said.

The university is still working out the details of what the new role will entail, Bohorquez Garcia said. But widening the scope of her job would make it harder for her to serve undocumented students, she said.

“It’s a huge tragedy for us,” said Paula Molina Acosta, president of the university’s Political Latinxs United for Movement and Action in Society group.

“Not everyone in that position would go the lengths she does go to provide for students she’s responsible for … and we’re going to miss her so much.”

Student affairs assistant vice president John Zacker said the change is aimed to support a variety of students’ identities.

Undocumented students can be a subset of other populations — such as first generation students — that the university

doesn’t “necessarily serve as well as we could,” he said.

“Undocumented students will still be a primary role of this position, but we’re trying to attend to the other parts of their identities,” Zacker said.

Nick Hernandez Velasquez, a senior government and politics major and member of UndocuTerps — an on-campus group that supports students who are undocumented or from mixed-status families — said pushing more responsibility onto Bohorquez Garcia’s plate would be detrimental to the students who currently rely on her.

“Having a very broad position isn’t really going to help us,” Hernandez Velasquez said.

“There’s really nothing else on campus that specifically helps undocumented students.”

Hernandez Velasquez, who became a permanent resident of the U.S. during the summer of 2019 after immigrating from

Colombia when he was seven, said he was initially considered an international student at this university despite transferring from Anne Arundel Community College. The error concerned him, as it would have prevented him from receiving in-state tuition.

When he went to International Student and Scholar Services and the financial aid office, officials were confused and unable to help — some were even unsure what “DACA” meant, he said.

But Bohorquez Garcia,he said, knew exactly how to help him.

She referred him to residency reclassification services, and he was able to qualify for in-state tuition and remain in school.

“If they’re willing to create organizations and create aid for other marginalized groups, why can’t we have the same thing?” Hernandez Velasquez said. “Why do we have to be

bunched up into first generation or migrant students? It’s like looking at it through a very singular lens.”

Many undocumented students pressed Bohorquez Garcia for an update on the status of her role in the past few months, as they felt they were living in a period of uncertainty, she said.

As the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program hovers in limbo, students have been coming to her with questions about how to navigate their status.

The turmoil has many DACA recipients and other undocumented students “wondering if they even have a place in this country,” said PLUMAS vice president Candela Cerpa.

“They don’t need the university to be questioning that as well,” she said.

Cerpa added that PLUMAS is worried about what will happen if the administration

hasn’t found a replacement for Bohorquez Garcia by the time her contract is up in June.

Guenzler-Stevens said Tuesday that, if Bohorquez Garcia declined to move forward with the new position, officials would follow a typical process for vacancies — trying to “pretty quickly stand up a search process that would be national in scope” in hopes that there wouldn’t be lag time between people.

Though PLUMAS is sad to see Bohorquez Garcia go, the activists said they trust her judgement. And they intend to continue working with the administration to help shape the new role, Molina Acosta said.

“In the end,” she said, “we want to make sure that … the position that comes out of her leaving is a good position … that will still continue to provide explicitly for undocumented students.” newsumdbk@gmail.com

the experience of working with people with disabilities,” PallaKane said. “We needed to have a program, and I would say that the next step now is to create an undergraduate program and a graduate program in disability studies.”

Out of the 24 students currently enrolled in the major, half are hearing and speech sciences majors, Fink said. The other 12 represent a variety of disciplines, including psychology, computer science and astronomy.

Gathering students with an array of academic backgrounds was central to the minor’s

success, Leone said. While foundational courses are situated within the education college, many of the minor’s elective courses come from pre-existing curriculum in subjects across the university. He hopes students will take their knowledge of disability issues and apply it to their own fields.

Business students could develop products that serve specific needs for people with disabilities, and computer science majors might create more user-friendly technology, Leone said.

“You could literally go to, I believe, every single major

across campus, and you could identify [disability] issues that may or may not be touched upon within their curriculum,” he said. “What we try to do is help students explore those issues.”

Freshman elementary education major Sophie Bricker first heard about the minor while taking one of its foundational courses, which Leone taught.

After he encouraged students to apply to the major during “every class for a month,” Bricker sent in her own application last fall.

It was in that class that she discovered the extent of disability studies beyond special education.

“The classes that are offered aren’t just about education — the ones that I’ve been in are about the history, and using personfirst language, and how to create equity rather than equality,” Bricker said. “The emphasis that disabilities, like having a disability, is part of society, and learning to celebrate them rather than keep them segregated, is very important.”

Bricker plans to change her major to hearing and speech sciences soon, where she feels she will have a more “direct impact” on the children she wants to work with. A disability studies minor would help her

better understand the obstacles her future students face both outside the classroom, she said.

In the meantime, having a disabilities minor on this campus will encourage a more inclusive outlook among students, Bricker said.

“I think learning about the history, learning about the different issues right now … is helping to create that equity,” she said. “The more you know, the more you want to do, and the more you want to help, the more society is going to be accepting.”

announcement or able to meaningfully participate in the decision in any way,” the resolution read.

Although legislators tried to work with the presidential search committee, the Board of Regents’ student member, and the University System of Maryland’s student council

to find solutions to issues of transparency and student engagement, the body was ultimately unable to open up hiring process specifics to student input.

“The biggest [goal] is just building the trust, I think a lot of students don’t feel like their administration seeks out their problems and their stories and their requests,” said SGA president Ireland Lesley. “I’m hoping that [the lack of trust] is a huge culture change that we see with the new administration.”

M o v i n g f o r wa rd , t h e SGA hopes to invite Pines to a general body meeting, wh i c h t h ey e n c o u ra ge d the community to attend.

Legislators want to discuss

a wide range of issues, such as the safety of minority students on campus, college affordability and health issues.

During Loh’s tenure, he has received criticism for his handling of several scandals that have swept the university i n c o n t rove rsy. I n M ay 2017, after a spate of racist incidents across the campus, a black Bowie State student was murdered by a white student who attended this university. In the aftermath, many students of color have expressed concern about their sense of safety and support in College Park.

The next year, Maryland football offensive lineman Jordan McNair died two weeks after suffering heatstroke at

a team workout. And several months later, student Olivia Paregol died after contracting adenovirus — a virus that ultimately sickened more than 40 students and that Paregol’s parents allege the university fa i l e d to c o m m u n i c a te adequately about.

All that’s added up to be “a very tumultuous last couple of years,” Pontious said. So, SGA legislators emphasized Wednesday, the administration has work to do in rebuilding its relationship with its community.

“Putting students first can’t just be a slogan,” Pontious said. “Putting students first has to mean listening to students — has to mean constantly, in every kind of

action the university takes.

Listening to student voices, hearing what they care about, hearing what their positions are about moves the university is taking.”

Last week, Pines told The Diamondback that he hopes to have an “open-door policy” as president. And Lesley said she was “cautiously optimistic” for his tenure.

“It’s important for us as the governing body of undergraduate students to be involved in that,” she said.

“To be creating a big stance on that and making sure we’re keeping the administration accountable.”

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diversions | 9

Diversions UPCOMING EVENTS

ONE-SENTENCE REVIEW U St. Music Hall

Editor in chief Leah Brennan on To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You:

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“P.S. not good, no plot.”

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a shot to be tiktok famous Maryland men’s basketball and TikTok: The race to go viral

By Andy Kostka | @afkostka | Senior staff writer Anthony Cowan and Aaron Wiggins have started to make videos for the popular social media platform TikTok Photo via TikTok.

F

or everything t h a t ’s g o i n g right in Anthony Cowan’s world — he’s now No. 8 in Maryland men’s basketball scoring history and a major catalyst in the Terps’ nine-game winning streak — there’s still one nagging problem.

It’s on his phone. It’s this one pesky app. And while he can make magic happen on the court, he just can’t seem to crack this TikTok thing, the phenomenon that’s gripping Maryland’s locker room and pitting player against player in the quest to

go viral.

“Very disappointed in that,” Cowan said, after scoring 19 points while dishing another five assists in Tuesday’s win over Northwestern. “That’s probably the worst thing that’s going on right now.”

That’s not a bad place to be.

It started when one of guard Aaron Wiggins’ videos blew up on the app. That clip — in which a befuddled Wiggins makes his way around the Terps’ locker room, reaching for a phone that keeps swapping locations on him — has garnered over 38,000 views.

Forward Jalen Smith, who

said he was more into dancing for other people’s videos than doing it himself, said the TikTok craze is fueling locker room conversations — mostly comparisons of how many views each person has.

And after Tuesday’s win, guard Darryl Morsell told reporters to “stay tuned” for an appearance from him in one of Wiggins’ upcoming videos.

“It’s a plague right now, with TikTok,” Smith said, caught in his teammates’ crossfire. “Everybody’s just trying to go viral, honestly, and they pretty much — him and Aaron — are in a race to see who can go viral first.”

But seeing Wiggins’ success only kindled Cowan’s competitive spirit.

“I wanted to get [mine] to go viral,” Cowan said. “Whatever Aaron had, I wanted to pass that.”

Cowan’s attempt — which he said sat in his drafts for a bit before he posted it — plays on a slightly older trend. As he checks out his fit in the locker room, the “Bibbidi-BobbidiBoo” song from Cinderella plays.

Suddenly, as if the Fairy Godmother waved her wand, Cowan transforms into his Maryland uniform. With it, Smokepurpp’s

“Audi” begins to play.

Smith was a tough sell on Cowan’s video.

“I say Aaron’s [was better],” Smith said. “Ant is just stiff, I tell him that all the time. His was stiff. And Wigs is more of a camera guy than Ant, so I choose Wigs on that part.”

And with just over 3,000 views so far, Cowan is underwhelmed. Part of the trouble may be due to Cowan’s music going silent on the video, which he originally thought was just his app “tripping” but now knows is a wider issue. He said he’d try to fix it.

“My numbers wasn’t doing

as good as I thought they would do,” Cowan said. “I’m not going to lie to you.”

The senior is leading the Terps with 16.7 points and 34.5 minutes per game. He’s on the No. 7 team in the country, one that’s leading the Big Ten and riding a nine-game winning streak.

TikTok remains the one arena Cowan can’t dominate just yet.

But he’s trying — and he may be there quite soon.

“We’re gonna work on TikTok,” Cowan said. “We’re gonna work on it.” diversionsdbk@gmail.com

hot ones ‘Hot Ones: The Game Show’ and the magic of Sean Evans

By Evan Haynos | @evanhaynos | Senior staff writer

S

Sean Evans’ YouTube show ‘Hot Ones’ became a hit on the internet, and a lot of that success is due to his mad interviewing skills. Now, he has a game show. Photo via YouTube.

porting his usual bomber jacket and beautif u l ba l d h ea d , t h e i n te r n e t’s fa vo r i te s p i c e lord Sean Evans graduated to television Tuesday night as he hosted the series premiere of TruTV’s Hot Ones: The Game Show, a spin-off of the popular YouTube series and a massive step forward in the five-year existence of the concept.

The internet-only show first aired in 2015 with a simple concept — famous guests eat chicken wings coated in progressively hotter hot sauce while fielding questions. The Complex-produced show took off from there, gaining popularity, attracting bigger guests and even producing their own line of sauces. It’s now in its 11th season.

You’re likely familiar with the show, even if you’ve never sat down for a full 20-some minute episode. The Idris Elba

coughing clip, the hilarious Shaq licking-the-wing bit and the widely-applicable Paul Rudd “Who would’ve thought” meme all originated at the Hot Ones table.

Though it seems like an intriguing enough concept, the hot sauces are not the sole reason for the show’s success — Evans can take a lot of the credit. A Howard Stern fan, Evans knows the power of the interview and takes his job seriously by crafting deeplyresearched questions. His style has become an inside joke among fans, prompting parodies and compilations of guests being wowed by his interviews.

Friend groups across the internet often do their own take on the show to see just how lethal the sauces truly are. Having been part of one of those renditions, I can assure you they are no joke.

Even milk, the widely-trusted antidote, does little to cure the pain of the top sauces.

The concept — putting people through a painful scenario will yield good answers — is unique, and others have noticed. Comedian Kevin Hart launched Cold as Balls — where guests sit in baths of ice water on YouTube — in 2017, and James Corden’s “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts” segment subjects guests to similar torture with disgusting foods.

The YouTube show is, by its own admission, low budget: an all-black set, two chairs, one table, occasionally a laptop, and twenty chicken wings — ten for Sean, ten for the guest. Fans who tuned in to TruTV on Tuesday night found the host now accompanied by a live crowd and massive digital monitors in the large circular studio nicknamed “The Pepperdome.”

Unfortunately, the show doesn’t really reinvent the already-stale game show format. There are two teams of two competing for $25,000,

answering a variety of trivia and participating in a series of parlor games. The twist, of course, is the hot sauce.

Players are forced to clean chicken wings drenched in a hazardously hot coating.

The games become much more difficult as the increasing millions of Scoville units (the standard barometer for measuring food’s spiciness) is coursing through their blood.

It’s difficult for game shows, particularly those that aren’t already classics like Jeopardy!, to be done correctly or to really sit above a certain threshold in terms of entertainment value, so this iteration of Hot Ones is hardly appointment television. A game show like this doesn’t really appeal to the typical audience that watches YouTube videos, nor does it play to Evans’ strengths as an interviewer.

If Hot Ones on YouTube is Jackass meets Charlie Rose, as Ricky Gervais once said, then Hot Ones: The Game

Show must be Who Wants to be a Millionaire meets Man v.

Food. In short, it’s not nearly as good of a combination.

Regardless, Evans and show creator Chris Schonberger

have found themselves with an intirguing concept. Now they must see what else they can do with it. diversionsdbk@gmail.com

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10 | sports

monday february 24, 2020

women’s lacrosse

Turnovers doom Terps vs. UNC No. 4 Maryland committed a season-high 15 turnovers as it suffered a blowout 19-6 loss to the No. 1 Tar Heels by

When

Jacob Richman Maryland @JacobHRichman women’s lacrosse travStaff writer eled to take on No. 1 North Carolina on Saturday, the Terps wanted to dictate how the game played out.

Possession hadn’t been a problem for coach Cathy Reese’s squad in their first two matchups, even in their 15-14 loss to then-No. 14 Florida one week earlier. Instead, it was shooting accuracy — or lack thereof — that had caused the Terps trouble early in the season.

However, when they faced the Tar Heels in another marquee matchup, turnovers plagued Maryland (1-2) on its way to a second consecutive loss for the first time since 2006.

“Way too many turnovers,”

Reese said. “We like to be under 10 … we were just hesitating a little bit. Carolina forced us into a couple turnovers and then we started to hesitate. We got caught back on our heels.”

The Terps had a season-high 15 turnovers — nine of which came in the first half — in their 19-6 loss to North Carolina.

Maryland found itself exposed multiple times in transition throughout the match, a result of forced and unforced turnovers.

“They pressured us hard and we needed to be more confident with the ball bringing it up the field,” defender Meghan Doherty said. “[But] a lot of that was still on us.”

Three of the Tar Heels’ forced turnovers immediately led to goals, two of them coming in the first half while

the Terps were still within striking distance. North Carolina would tally seven forced turnovers total.

Along with being the top team in the nation, the Tar Heels have boasted an imposing defense, causing 34 turnovers through four games.

“They’re a really talented team, they’re a really good team,” Reese said. “Is that an excuse for us? Absolutely not.”

For Maryland, unforced turnovers were just as prominent of an issue. The Terps recorded eight against the Tar Heels after combining for four in their first two games.

“We had some unforced errors, and that can be a huge difference,” Reese said.

“Every time we turn the ball over, we lose possession, and Carolina was very capable of

capitalizing.”

North Carolina took advantage of half of those unforced turnovers, scoring four goals on those complimentary possessions.

Turnovers weren’t the only factor that hurt Maryland’s ability to hold onto the ball.

The Terps were beat on draw controls for the second time this year and lost out on ground balls for the first time by a margin of 21-15.

“In all those statistical categories that equal possession, they outhustled us,” Reese said.

The Tar Heels edged the Terps 14-13 in draw controls, too. And once it had possession, North Carolina proved clinical, scoring on seven of its draw controls.

The Terps now find themselves in unfamiliar territory

Cathy reese had never lost back-to-back games since becoming Maryland’s head coach before her squad fell in consecutive contests to Florida and North Carolina. julia nikhinson/the diamondback with two losses already on their record. Reese says that wins and losses at this point in the season are not as important as the growth of the team. She believes that once her squad discovers and implements their own play style, results will come.

And Saturday’s effort — with turnovers a major part of the 13-goal loss — leaves much to learn from.

“We want to dictate what we can do throughout the game,” Reese said. “And we didn’t.” sportsdbk@gmail.com

men’s lacrosse

Norovirus postpones Maryland’s game against Navy The decision was made out of an “abundance of caution” after the outbreak among the Midshipmen by

David Suggs @ David_Suggs3 Senior staff writer

The Maryland men’s lacrosse team’s matchup with Navy on Saturday was postponed due to an outbreak of the Norovirus among the Midshipmen, both schools an-

nounced Friday.

T h e Te r p s c l a i m e d a 14-9 win in Annapolis last season, courtesy of hattrick performances from attackmen Jared Bernhardt and Logan Wisnauskas, plus a five-piece from attackman Louis Dubick.

With neither side having a free weekend until the end of the season, the game will likely be rescheduled in the midweek — if at all — as was the case when their matchup was last postponed in 2016.

The rivalry is particular-

ly significant for Tillman, who spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach for the Midshipmen. Since being named head coach of Maryland, Tillman has gone 9-0 against his former employers, winning each game by three goals or more.

In a release, Maryland said the decision was made out of an “abundance of caution and for the sake of public health.” Singlegame tickets will also be refunded.

T i l l m a n ’s s q u a d n ow turns its sights to Notre

Dame on Feb. 29, hoping to avenge its shock defeat to Villanova on Tuesday.

The Midshipmen travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to take on Lehigh on the same day. sportsdbk@gmail.com

MARCH 9 K C A B D N O M A I D E TH E U S S I T N I R P FINAL

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monday, february 24, 2020

Sports | 11

softball

Terps top Georgia Southern, 4-2 Maryland finished the Eagle Round Robin tournament with three wins, bringing their record to 5-8 With

by

Katie Manganelli runners on @KatieManganelli the corners, two outs and Staff writer Maryland softball tied with Georgia Southern in the top of the seventh inning, infielder Anna Kufta fell into an 0-2 count.

The senior didn’t panic, though. She laced a single to right field to put the Terps in front — a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in the bottom half.

Alongside pitchers Trinity Schlotterbeck and Courtney Wyche allowing only four hits for the game, Maryland’s offense shone toward the end of the contest — eventually racking up 10 hits and four runs after a long stint at zero — en route to a 4-2 win over the Eagles on Sunday in the Eagle Round Robin.

“You’re seeing two freshmen, specifically Courtney Wyche and Trinity Schlotterbeck, growing out there on the field right now,” coach Mark

Montgomery said. “They had some work to do and they’re starting to figure stuff out, and it shows.”

Behind the freshmen duo’s solid pitching, the Terps’ defense held firm, going without an error yet again.

“The last [four] games in a row we had zero errors, and our pitchers have cut down a great deal on the walks and are getting ahead in the counts,” Montgomery said.

After three well-pitched innings by both teams, Georgia Southern scored its first run of the day in the bottom of the third.

Outfielder Ellington Day walked and infielder Ashlynn Gunter singled to left-center.

Outfielder Mekhia Freeman reached on a fielder’s choice, Gunter was thrown out at second and Day advanced to third. Freeman was caught stealing second and was tagged out in a rundown, but Day made it home in time, putting

a run on the board before the out was made.

Maryland didn’t score until the sixth inning, when designated player Shelby Younkin smashed a two-RBI double to send Kufta and Taylor Okada home to take a 2-1 lead.

The Eagles came back in the same inning after Wyche took the mound for Schlotterbeck.

Freeman walked and infielder Faith Shirley doubled down the left-field line to send Shirley home to tie the score at two.

Wyche notched two consecutive strikeouts to get the Terps out of trouble in the bottom of the sixth.

“Better pitching by our pitchers and playing better defense has allowed us to stay in those close games, and if you’re in those close games, you can find ways to win them in the end,” Montgomery said.

And courtesy of Kufta’s timely hitting, the Terps regained their lead in the seventh.

After outfielder Micaela Abba-

infielder anna kufta went 2-for-3 with a walk Sunday, including an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning. file photo/the diamondback tine singled and stole second to put herself in scoring position, infielder Regan Kerr singled to advance her to third.

Kerr then stole second and advanced on a fielder’s choice that put Okada on first. Kufta’s RBI single to right field brought Kerr home, and infielder Taylor Liguori followed with an RBI single of her own.

Maryland took the game,

4-2, after strong pitching from Wyche in the seventh to secure the win.

The Terps won three of the four games they played during the Eagle Round Robin tournament and they allowed only six runs through the four games.

Maryland is now 5-8 on the season and will head to Arizona State for the Sun Devil Classic next weekend.

“We went and played a couple of really good teams and got hit in the face and now they figured it out and they’re punching back,” Montgomery said. “It’s always been in us. Sometimes you have to get knocked down a few times to figure out how to ride that bike.” sportsdbk@gmail.com

gymnastics

Maryland’s freshmen have showed off from leadoff Aleka Tsiknias, Reese McClure and Emma Silberman have each been integral in providing a boost to the Terps Three rotations about the high bar and a near-perfect landing from Aleka Tsiknias were a fitting end to her opening routine in Maryland gymnastics’ final event at Saturday’s Big Five meet.

The freshman opened for Maryland on floor in addition to bars, averaging a score of 9.813 from the leadoff spot.

When Tsiknias wasn’t slated first in an event, it was freshman Reese McClure — she did so on beam and vault, averaging 9.750 when leading off.

In addition to freshman Emma Silberman becoming a constant all-around competitor for the Terps, Tsiknias and McClure have shown off the program’s youth by delivering consistent scores at the top of each rotation.

“The freshmen are step-

ping up, and they’re exciting to watch,” coach Brett Nelligan said. “Silberman and Reese, on floor, had personal bests ... they’re just out there having fun. It’s refreshing.”

The personal bests for Silberman and Tsiknias both came on vault, posting 9.850 and 9.900 respectively. McClure also tied her career-high score with a 9.900 on floor.

The freshmen’s high scores on the front end of each event have also served as a spark for the gymnasts that follow them.

“They get the team fired up,” Nelligan said. “When you see Reese, or Emma, or Aleka hit a big routine, they always run back to the team, fired up ... It gets everybody going.”

With junior Audrey Barber and senior Kirsten Peterman out of the lineup for the Terps, Nelligan has called on a few of his younger gymnasts to fill their shoes. It hasn’t always

worked out this season, with inexperience contributing to occasional slip-ups, but their coaches and teammates have been patient as they’ve progressed.

“Everyone was really supportive with us,” Tsiknias said, ”and we put up strong, confident routines to start out the meet on each event.”

McClure has posted relatively consistent scores all season long — all have been at or above 9.700. On the other hand, Tsiknias has had some shaky moments this campaign, averaging a 9.467 on vault heading into Saturday.

But in the Big Five meet, the Spartanburg, South Carolina native’s improvement was on full display as she shattered her career-high with a 9.900 to open the rotation for Maryland.

Although the Terps took home fifth place at the meet, their 195.325 score was on par

osu

early, they’re big for us up front. We need those guys down low.”

Turgeon turned to 7-foot-2 Chol Marial for eight minutes in the opening frame, and while he seemed capable, Smith’s a b s e n c e wa s s t i l l f e l t .

Without Smith on the floor for much of the final 5:28 of the first half, Maryland managed to hit one field goal — one of Wiggins’ six 3-pointers.

If not for free throws, the run to close the opening frame might’ve been worse. Instead, a tie game following Wiggins’ trey turned into a sevenpoint Ohio State advantage.

And it swelled to 14 before Turgeon called a timeout just over two minutes into the second half.

“Our last four minutes and our first four minutes were critical.” Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said. “We talked about it at halftime, you know: ‘This is going to say something about us, how we start the second half.”

It started with forward Kaleb Wesson — who made

l i fe d i f f i c u l t fo r S m i t h throughout on his way to 15 points and nine boards — knocking down a triple.

Ohio State hit 40 percent of its 3-pointers and commanded the offensive glass, producing 13 boards and 14 second-chance points.

M a r y l a n d s e e m e d to have a hint of an opportunity once Cowan scored his first field goal, cutting t h e d e f i c i t to f ive . A n d even after Cowan fouled out, Wiggins hit a pair of threes to keep the Terps in it, combining with Ayala to produce 36 points.

“We were teetering on getting blown out there, and those guys started to step up for us,” Turgeon said. “Didn’t play our best game, but we competed.”

There are worse losses than this and worse places to lose. But on the road against the Buckeyes, a combined 4-for-12 shooting performance from Cowan and Smith won’t result in many wins.

Maryland discovered that on Sunday.

by

Kevin F. McNulty @kmcnulty_219 Staff writer

From p. 12 deficit of a few possessions.

But they never got the critical stop when necessary, allowing the Buckeyes to see out the remainder of the upset.

For as strong as Maryland has looked this season with Smith and Cowan on the floor, the drop-off without them has often been just as noticeable. It’s led Turgeon to rely on a core group of six players, sprinkling in others here and there in the hopes of a few positive minutes.

At Schottenstein Center on Sunday, though, Turgeon opted to rotate more heavily in the first half. And while having guard Hakim Hart and forward Ricky Lindo on the floor at the same time concluded with a Buckeyes 7-0 run and a Turgeon timeout, the coach didn’t have much choice but to rotate once starting bigs Donta Scott and Smith each picked up two fouls.

“Stix is a big piece to this team,” guard Eric Ayala said. “For him to go out early, Donta got some fouls

sportsdbk@gmail.com

with their marks from prior meets. The upperclassmen still in the lineup were grateful for Tsiknias and McClure’s contributions to a score they were proud of at the end of the night.

“Reese and Aleka started us off on every event, and they were just great,” senior Tiara Wright said. “We knew that

they were going to put up big routines, and we could follow strong.”

Silberman, Tsiknias and McClure help their team in multiple ways — and not just by earning quality scores at the front of the rotation. The intangibles the group brings to the table are a constant source of

motivation for their teammates. “[The freshmen] remind our upperclassmen how fun this is,” Nelligan said. “The upperclassmen are toward the end of their careers, looking back, and these freshmen are just showing them it can be fun again.” sportsdbk@gmail.com

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12 | sports

monday, February 24, 2020

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

TWEET OF THE WEEK “i got vocals fr

Womens lacrosse

one day y’all gone see

Feb. 22

1 North Carolina 3 Maryland

@Zoe_Young, Maryland women’s basketball guard Zoe Young

19 6

Wrestling

Rider Maryland

Feb. 22

22 16

Softball

Feb. 23

Maryland Georgia Southern

4 2

baseball

sunday

shutout Costes’ two homers power Maryland to 3-0 win over Rhode Island

By Alexander Dacy | @alexanderdacy | Staff writer

maxwell costes entered Sunday’s game against Rhode Island with just three hits in five games. He doubled that with his 3-for-4 effort in the rubber match, clubbing two home runs en route to Maryland’s 3-0 win. julia nikhinson/the diamondback In its first loss of the sea so n Sa t u rd ay — o n e defined by sloppy play — Maryland baseball plagued itself with three errors, continuing a streak of committing at least one defensive miscue in each of its games this campaign.

On Sunday, the Terps bucked that trend, playing their first error-free game of the season as designated hitter Maxwell Costes blasted two home runs and right-hander Sean Burke struck out eight across 5 2/3 shutout innings in a 3-0 series-clinching win over Rhode Island.

left-hander sean fisher allowed just one run while striking out six over 6 1/3 innings in Maryland baseball’s series-opening win over Rhode Island. joe ryan/the diamondback surance for Burke, who kept the Rams (2-4) behind for most of the afternoon with an overpowering fastball.

The redshirt freshman

maxwell costes went 3-for-4 with two home runs as Maryland’s designated hitter in its 3-0 rubber-match win over Rhode Island on Sunday. gabby baniqued/the diamondback “You don’t have to play defense when we strike guys out,” coach Rob Vaughn said, also attributing the defensive improvement to increased reps in the field.

Maryland’s offense continued to stay hot in the early innings as it jumped on Rhode Island righthander Vitaly Jangols in the first. Center fielder Chris Alleyne led off with a double, and after he advanced to third on a wild pitch, left fielder Tucker Flint brought him in on an RBI groundout to second base.

That provided enough in-

was sharp as he racked up six strikeouts in the first three innings and did not allow a hit the first time through the order.

Maryland (5-1) added to its lead with two outs in the third inning. Costes cranked a 2-2 breaking ball over the left-center field wall for his first home run of the season. The slugger had only three hits entering the game but doubled that with a complete performance. “[Assistant coach Matt] Swope told me I’ve been swinging at good pitches and it’s going to come to-

He then stepped on third and gunned Salgado out at first to turn a double play and get out of the inning.

G a rd i n e r l e d o f f t h e bottom of the inning with a single through the left side to pick up his seventh hit of the season. While the Rams would extinguish the threat with the help of a double play, the Terps chased Jangols. The senior allowed two runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings while striking out four.

W i t h h i s p i tc h c o u n t rising, Burke ran into more trouble in the sixth. Two runners reached with one

right-hander nick dean struck out five while allowing six earned runs over 4 2/3 innings in Maryland’s 11-8 loss to Rhode Island in the series’ second game. julia nikhinson/the diamondback But Burke won the battle, Right-hander Connor getting Vargas to fly out to S t a i n e c a m e o n i n t h e Alleyne. The right-hander seventh inning and conwas then pulled for right- tinued to shut down Rhode Island. He allowed two hits and no runs while striking out two in 2 2/3 innings.

The Rams’ bullpen was strong, too. The Terps had been hitless since Jangols departed, but Costes c h a n ge d t h a t w i t h o n e swing in the eighth. The so ph o mo re crush ed his second home run of the afternoon, putting a firstpitch fastball from rightfirst baseman maxwell costes didn’t record an official at-bat in Maryland’s series-opening win hander Sean Sposato on top over Rhode Island, walking three times and getting hit by a pitch twice. joe ryan/the diamondback of the Varsity Team House in left field to give Staine out, and up to the plate hander Elliot Zoellner after some breathing room. It stepped Rhode Island first giving up four hits in 5 2/3 was the Terps’ fifth blast baseman Xavier Vargas, scoreless innings. in their past two games. who clubbed two home runs Burke said he had a Rhode Island brought the Saturday. similar gameplan to last tying run to the plate with w e e k , w o r k i n g w i t h a two outs in the ninth, but simple fastball-curveball right-hander Mark DiLuia combination to keep the s t r u c k o u t p i n c h h i t te r R a m s g u e s s i n g . B u t h e Thomas Summers on a full also credited much of his count to seal Maryland’s success to veteran catcher cleanest game of the season.

Justin Vought.

“You’re not going to go “He’s making a lot of undefeated in a baseball balls that aren’t strikes season,” Costes said. “To look like strikes right now,” see our guys come out here Burke said. and bounce back after yesZoellner got Mark Coley terday shows what type of to fly out on a full count, character this team has.” first baseman michael pineiro went 0-for-4 at the plate in Maryland’s 3-0 rubber-match a n d t h e R a m s c a m e u p sportsdbk@gmail.com win over Rhode Island on Sunday, stranding two baserunners. gabby baniqued/the diamondback empty once again.

ge t h e r a t s o m e p o i n t ,” Costes said. “Today, it came together.” “ I h a ve n ’ t l o ve d h i s at-bats this year so far, but he’s still on base at like a .700 clip,” Vaughn said.

“So if that’s what I consider not great, that tells you how good that kid is.”

The blast gave Burke a two-run cushion, and he continued to cruise through the fourth inning.

Burke faced one of his only real threats in the fifth, as he put two runners on with one out. But third baseman Tommy Gardiner saved Burke’s scoreless outing.

Third baseman T ino Salgado grounded a 2-2 pitch down the third base line, but Gardiner made a sliding stop to prevent a hit.

men’s basketball

No. 7 Maryland can’t find its groove in 79-72 upset loss to No. 25 Ohio State Guard Anthony Cowan fouled out with just under four minutes to go after being assessed a technical COLUMBUS Andy Kostka — A n t h o n y @ afkostka Cowan’s day Senior staff writer ended early.

It ended with h i m l eav i n g t h e h u d d l e and heading to the bench m o m e n ts a f te r s c o r i n g his first field goal of the contest with under four minutes to play.

It ended with a technical foul, his fifth personal, taking No. 7 Maryland men’s basketball’s most experienced late-game option off the floor when his team by

might’ve needed him most.

Late in games, when the Terps need someone clutch, Cowan so frequently rises to the occasion. Cowan dished out seven assists, but overall he was a shell of his usual self Sunday, and he spent the last remaining minutes watching instead of playing.

He’s bound to have an off game once in a while.

But combined with forward Jalen Smith’s foul-shortened first half and shaky s h o o t i n g p e r fo r m a n ce ,

Maryland lacked its usual bite against No. 25 Ohio State, losing a 79-72 affair to end its nine-game winning streak.

“We fought,” guard Aaron Wiggins said. “So I’m proud of my guys.”

When Cowan knifed t h ro u g h t h e l a n e w i t h under four minutes remaining, he scooped a layup attempt and got knocked by forward Kaleb Wesson in the process. The senior hit the ground hard with Wesson and looked up at

the officials wondering whether a whistle would come or not.

No whistle came, one of the few trips down the floor late devoid of a stoppage.

And when Cowan realized there was no call attached to his make, he let his frustration be known. He kicked out his foot, which happened to pass close to Wesson’s head — although there looked to be no contact.

The crowd took exception. The referees did, too, upon further review. So

after Cowan had made it a five-point game, Duane Washington got to make two free throws with Maryland’s top scorer on the bench for good.

“It’s rule 10, Section 3, Article 1G,” referee Larry Scirotto said via a pool reporter. “It simply states: a flagrant, non-contact infraction that involves extreme — sometimes abusive — contact when the ball is dead or alive.”

When the pool reporter asked if the kick had been

judged to not make contact with Wesson, Scirotto confirmed that was the case.

“He was looking right at the referee when he did it, so we can take all that out of the way that he was trying to kick the player, because he wasn’t,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “He was frustrated because he got tackled on a layup and there wasn’t a call.”

W i t h o u t C o wa n , t h e Terps hovered around a See Osu, p. 11