030408

STAYING TOUGH

LIFE AFTER DEATH

After a heart-breaking loss to Clemson on Sunday, the Terps need to get back on track

Murder by Death’s Red of Tooth and Claw is an exercise in indie success

SPORTS | PAGE 10

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 8

THE DIAMONDBACK TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008

98TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 97

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

City ‘cuddler’ assaults two women Residents along Hopkins Avenue are shaken; police baffled by serial attacks

BY KELLIE WOODHOUSE Staff writer

Two women were assaulted in houses along Hopkins Avenue early Sunday by a man county police say they “strongly believe” is related to at least 12 previous sexual assaults and

Peeping Tom incidents perpetrated downtown over the past year.

Maj. Kevin Davis, commander of Prince George’s County Police District 1, said during a press conference yesterday that police have no strong evidence or leads in any of the cases. The only patterns emerging from the

dled with or kissed his victims while they are sleeping. Police have informally referred to the man as the “cuddler.” The Sunday assaults also shared similarities in that the women assaulted had attended or hosted parties in the homes they were attacked in.

The first assault took place in the

series of crimes, Davis said, are that all victims have been white, collegeage women living in single-family homes downtown and the man has consistently been described as a white male in his 20s.

In the Sunday cases and in previous assault cases, the man has either cud-

Friedson slashes budget

it’s like living in a

waste

disposal’

CHEF BOYARDEE

In Easton Hall, RD aims to teach men about cleanliness

BY MARISSA LANG Staff writer

SGA President Andrew Friedson released a drastically reduced budget proposal yesterday, amounting to about a fifth of last year’s in a bid to accommodate the burgeoning number of student groups competing for funding.

Money for Student Government Association programs and other student organizations comes from the same pot. And after student groups requested a record sum last year, Friedson cut the SGA’s own allocation to about $75,000 from $185,000 last year.

“It’s not fair for us to double-dip when programs can be funded out of the reserves,” Friedson said, referring to the $50,000 in

BY KRISTI TOUSIGNANT

CUP O’ NOODLE

Senior staff writer

Pizza boxes lay stacked on top of each other while trash cans overflowed with Styrofoam cups and beer cans. Empty boxes of Bud Light crowded against a collection of red plastic cups and peanut shells spilled out of a bag across a floor streaked with mud and filth. Amid a pile of dust bunnies lay the crowning glory of the mess — a dirty, sparkle-studded blue thong.

A scene from a landfill? More like the guys side of Easton 4.

After repeated incidents of torn down emergency signs, excess trash and vomit and feces on the floor, Resident Director for Easton Hall Kevin Pitts and the housekeeping staff decided two weeks ago to leave the guys of Easton 4 in their own mess. Housekeeping stopped cleaning the hallway and bathroom.

“The smell is awful,” freshman biology major David Markman said. “Honestly, it’s like living in a waste disposal.”

Of course, piles of waste and pools of vomit aren’t new for residence halls. Students find new and creative ways to cause destruction each semester, with past incidents in Denton Hall involving feces in the microwave, a tornout water fountain and pie fights in the lounge.

Resident Assistants and housekeeping have struggled for years against what they view as disrespectful and selfish behavior.

Pitts, a former Diamondback columnist, said he thought forcing students to clean up after themselves for two weeks would teach the residents a lesson, even if Resident Life housing agreements promise that housekeepers will “remove trash from designated areas and clean common hallways, floor lounges, public areas and bathrooms.”

The students, who say they never received a

Please See SGA, Page 3

Prof. finds gambling addictions

PIZZA BOXES

SOILED THONG

Study raises questions about treatment access

BY JAD SLEIMAN Staff writer

Please See GAMBLING, Page 2

Tomorrow’s Weather:

Please See ASSAULTS, Page 3

‘Honestly,

BEER

Record group funding requests prompt SGA spending reduction

Yi Li started playing poker online during his freshman year in his Hagerstown dorm room. At first he only played a couple hours a day, but eventually the same game that made him $6,000 over two semesters became an addiction.

“I used to play instead of doing my schoolwork. I started falling behind,” the senior math and physics major said. “I realized that it was taking up all of my life — I made a decent amount of money, but it’s not worth it.”

Li would play in between classes and during meals. Gambling quickly joined schoolwork as a major source of stress. But when he realized at the end of his freshman year that his grades were slipping, he quit betting cold turkey.

But Li was lucky.

A recent pilot study found that 7 percent of 400 randomly selected undergraduates on the campus showed signs of gambling addictions,

bedroom of the victim’s boyfriend, where they had gone to sleep at about 2 a.m., police said. The victim reported that she awoke to a male she did not know spooning and kissing her on the cheek. He quickly walked

JACLYN BOROWSKI–THE DIAMONDBACK

Please See EASTON, Page 3

A trash can overflows in Easton Hall after housekeepers were told to stop cleaning part of the dorm.

Persian podcast has reach

BY MARK MILIAN Staff writer

When Afshin Sepehri recorded his first Persian podcast along with two friends, the three hoped to reach 500 listeners.

But three years and tens of thousands of downloads later, the weekly podcast, called Radio College Park, has listeners from all over the world. Many are American, but at least a few hundred hail from Iran and other countries in the Middle East.

Showers/50s

Index:

“People are downloading from all different places around the world,” said Sepehri, a 2007 alumnus. Radio College Park, which Sepehri claims is the oldest active Persian podcast in the world, attracts a large portion of listeners from Los Angeles, Canada and Middle Eastern countries.

A decade ago, it would have been nearly impossible for a program like Radio College Park to get globally popular so fast.

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Please See PODCAST, Page 3

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . .6

JACLYN BOROWSKI–THE DIAMONDBACK

Saeed Alaei and Sima Asgari record the three-year-old Persian-language podcast Radio College Park.

Diversions . . . . . . . . .8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . .10

www.diamondbackonline.com

2

THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008

Page 2

TODAY

@M

ARYLAND TUESDAY | OVERHEARD

MONDAY | NEWSMAKERS

SOME GIRL ON HER PHONE: Is it me or does The Diner make me irregular? It’s either that or I’m pregnant.

- Montgomery Hall OVERHEARD BY MARTIN HANDELMAN

Prof: You all got the e-mail with the poem for Thursday? Good.

Student: Um, Professor? I didn’t get the e-mail.

Prof: Well God hates you.

Student: Excuse me?

Prof: God must hate you.

- Susquehanna Hall

Two guys: Why does EVERY girl at Maryland wear a North Face and a Maryland sweatshirt?

Me: (walks past with a North Face and a Maryland sweatshirt) - Stamp Student Union OVERHEARD BY ANONYMOUS

Tell us what you overheard at www.diamondbackonline.com/interact ONLINE POLL How deep into March will the women's basketball team find itself?

8% 10%

21%

61%

61%

March? Try April and NATIONAL CHAMPS!

21%

The Final Four and then stopped short

10%

This team is no different than last year — no Sweet 16 here

8%

The second weekend spells trouble

Attention Terp fans! Your women's Lacrosse team will battle ACC rival Virginia, 7 p.m., Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex

WEDNESDAY | SCENE + HEARD

Alumnus indicted on charges including extortion, conspiracy

OVERHEARD BY RYAN

OVERHEARD BY ANONYMOUS

WOMEN'S LACROSSE HOME OPENER

Take a look at how the campus media covers College Park's diverse community, 5 p.m., Banneker Room A, Stamp Student Union

Help Center worker faces fraud charge

OVERHEARD

Guy 1: Dave raped a cow once Dave: It was consensual.

Guy 1: What kind of cows do you know?

Dave: The willing kind.

- Cumberland Hall

SPJ Presents: Diversity in Campus News

BY KEVIN ROBILLARD Staff writer

Andrew Beardall, a university alumnus who volunteered at the Help Center, was indicted last week on federal charges that he helped U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) in conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and extortion.

The charges allege Beardall worked with Renzi, to transfer more than $400,000 from Patriot Insurance Agency, Inc., which Renzi owned, to Renzi’s campaign account during his run for Congress in 2001 and 2002. He also then allegedly lied to insurance regulators in an effort to conceal the crime.

Beardall, of Rockville, attended the university from 1989 to 1994 and graduated with a degree in life sciences.

When reached at his home, Beardall confirmed that he was an alumnus of the university and referred further comment to his attorney. Calls to his lawyer, Lucius T. Outlaw III, were not returned.

Jonathan Kandell, the assistant director of Counseling Services, declined to comment, as did other Help Center employees.

In July 2002, Renzi allegedly sent out mailings to his clients in which he lied to them, saying their liability insurance with his

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company had been transferred to another company.

In November of that year, both Renzi and Beardall allegedly lied to insurance regulators, telling them the false mailers were sent out because of a clerical error.

One month later, Beardall allegedly lied to a Virginia Bureau of Insurance investigator, saying that payments to clients had been withheld because of a dispute with an underwriter.

Renzi was indicted on 35 different counts, most of which were unrelated to Beardall and focus on Renzi’s dealings with James Sandlin, a former business partner. Renzi allegedly conspired with Sandlin to conduct a lucrative land deal while pushing a House committee to approve it.

Outlaw told The Arizona Republic that Beardall did not defraud the government or harm anyone.

Renzi’s attorneys said he will “fight these charges until he is vindicated.”

Renzi, 49, has said he will not resign from Congress, but he had previously announced he would retire at the end of his term.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. robillarddbk@gmail.com

THURSDAY | BEST of the BLOGS

FRIDAY | Q + A

Many student gamblers in denial, study shows GAMBLING, from Page 1 while the university has no gambling awareness programs.

Public Health Associate Professor Stephen McDaniel, who led the study, said the lack of any gambling addiction awareness program on the campus worried him. If students don’t know what a gambling addiction is, they won’t seek help, he said.

The preliminary research results showed, more than anything, that more serious studies needed to be done, McDaniel said.

In addition, a University of Missouri study found that most gambling addictions start during college years, whereas drinking and drug use tend to start in high school.

McDaniel said the majority of the problem at this university and others around the country is that students with gambling problems often do not realize they have a problem.

An awareness campaign would help problem gamblers or their friends recognize the disorder, he said.

“I don’t remember seeing any.

Since I don’t see any, there definitely needs to be [more awareness programs],” Li said.

“Most people [with addiction problems] are in some sort of denial,” said Jonathan Kandell, the assistant director of counseling services.

He acknowledged the

“Traditionally what we’ve focused on is addiction as it relates to alcohol and other drugs.”

–Kendra Smoak TEMPORARY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER

university’s lack of gambling addiction programs, but added that awareness campaigns “probably wouldn’t make a huge difference” because many students are reluctant to seek help for their friends.

At the University Health Center, officials said they generally treat alcohol and drug cases, but could refer g a m -

bling addicts to off-campus clinics.

“Traditionally what we’ve focused on is addiction as it relates to alcohol and other drugs,” said Kendra Smoak, who is standing in for the assistant director for for health promotion at the health center.

Smoak acknowledged “gaps” in the university’s awareness programs when presented with McDaniel’s findings.

A Harvard survey of universities and colleges around the nation found a little more than a quarter of schools have policies punishing gambling, while this one does not. At the University of Missouri, there is a dedicated staff that deals with gambling addicts and awareness. jsleimandbk@gmail.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008 | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

City residents shaken by latest sexual assaults ASSAULTS, from Page 1

mitted a series of Peeping Tom crimes. In Sunday’s away after she awoke, police crime, the man was described said. Her boyfriend remained as being in his 20s, standing between 5 feet 10 inches and asleep.

On the same street, a sec- 6 feet tall, with dark eyes and ond victim told police she hair, large eyebrows and was went to bed at about 3 a.m. wearing a black wool jacket after hosting a modest-sized and dark pants during the party with her housemates. At incidents.

Davis said police aren’t rul6 a.m. she awoke to a man groping and fondling her ing out the possibility that the suspect is a student at the uniwhile masturbating.

Davis said at the press con- versity.

Residents downtown said ference that the man may have attended one or both they were shaken after the parties and “blended in” with incident and they hope police other students. The man then will catch the man involved likely entered through soon.

“It’s a serious issue that unlocked doors to gain entry to the homes and bedrooms needs to be handled,” said where his victims were senior government and politics major Dan Andorsky, a located, police said.

A housemate and friend of neighbor of the groping victhe groping victim said in an tim. “Whatever they’re doing interview yesterday that a isn’t working,” he said, noting the perpetrator hasn’t party at their home been caught after was attended by “a three consecutive small number of peosemesters of assaults. ple” and said she is “It’s pretty scary; confident the suspect you think it would be did not attend. The safer here,” said Diamondback is not Elena Komarova, a publishing the name of junior mathematics the housemate to promajor who is also a tect the identity of the neighbor of the gropvictim. ing victim.

When the victim Davis said at the woke up, the housepress conference that mate said, she he wants students to screamed and “kicked know “we’re very the crap out of him, serious about stopand she was like, ‘Who ping these assaults.” the hell are you?’”

He noted, however, “The police were that calling police asking her, ‘Are you right away is imporsure he wasn’t at the tant in catching the party?’” the housemate suspect. In one of said. “And she kept Sunday’s incidents, saying, ‘Yes, I know –Anonymous the crime wasn’t who was at my party. I VICTIM’S reported until 13 would know if this was HOUSEMATE hours later, he said. a random guy; he wasDavis added that he n’t hanging out at my had plans to meet house.’” with the university Both crimes on Hopkins were also similar for about the incidents yesterday.

University Police their brazenness. During the interview, the housemate said Spokesman Paul Dillon said eight men had stayed the that at that meeting, police night after the party to avoid administration agreed with drinking and driving, some of county police to coordinate whom were sleeping in the prevention efforts downtown.

“Both agencies are increasliving room. Their presence apparently did not deter the ing patrols in the area. That’ll suspect from entering the be great, but the likelihood — home, just as the presence of it’s difficult to catch someone the other victim’s boyfriend in the act,” he said. University did not appear to keep the Police will also “conduct an operation this Wednesday perpetrator away.

“It’s scary — you feel vio- with Prince George’s and our lated,” the housemate said. [officers and] ... flood the city “You feel like, ‘holy crap, with officers and go door to someone came into my house door with an education and did this to one of my best effort.” friends.’”

Last semester, one student Reporter Kyle Goon and ediwas raped and three more tor Kevin Litten contributed were sexually assaulted by a to this report. woodhouseman police believe also com- dbk@gmail.com

“It’s scary — you feel violated. You feel like, ‘holy crap, someone came into my house and did this to one of my best friends’ ”

Friedson ‘cuts the fat’ from SGA budget SGA, from Page 1 spending requests mandated

by SGA bylaws.

Friedson and other SGA officials could not say what specific cuts they made to reduce the budget so drastically and continue running programs such as the recently instituted annual Crab Fest and the barbecue planned for this spring.

In preparing the budget, Friedson looked at past SGA spending proposals and “cut out the fat,” he said.

That means more money left over for the growing number of SGA-recognized groups. SGA Director of Student Groups Ruth Igielnik said there were at least 20 new groups formed last semester.

All student organizations, including the SGA, receive funding from student activities fees, an amount included in university tuition. At about $65 per person, about $1.5 million is collected annually to allocate to student organizations and activities.

Organization leaders must then submit a budget proposal for the coming year to the SGA Finance Committee, including predicted amounts needed for all future projects and programs.

Despite the cutbacks in the budget proposal, SGA officials say they aren’t concerned

about short-changing next year’s SGA administration.

“We are confident that next year’s administration will have enough money to carry out all their programs,” SGA Chief of Staff Daozhong Jin said.

The SGA’s finance committee was the subject of controversy last year. Some groups that had been denied funding complained that poor communication from SGA officials left them out of the appeals process.

Because they missed the date of the appeal, some organizations were forced to wait for the secondary appeals process in the fall to apply for more funding.

Friedson said the controversy did not bear on this year’s budget planning, however.

“I was never thinking about anything that happened last year when creating this budget,” Friedson said.

He insisted that while this budget could provide more funding for more student groups, it was in no way a response to, or an attempt to, make amends for last year.

“Student organizations are the life and blood of student life on campus, and it has always a priority to enhance and improve student life,” he said. langdbk@gmail.com

JACLYN BOROWSKI–THE DIAMONDBACK

Without housekeepers to pick up trash, the men’s bathroom garbage can in Easton Hall 4 can no longer accomodate the inflow.

Piling up...

EASTON, from Page 1 bucket or mop, had a different take.

“After awhile, it got unbearable,” sophomore computer science major Amit Chauhan said, “I just thought, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ but how can I be expected to clean without a broom and how can I mop floors without a mop?”

After weeks of unruly behavior from Easton 4 inhabitants, Pitts posted a letter on the floor citing “torn down bulletboards/door decorations, toilet paper in the hallway, food discarded on hallway floor and stacking garbage cans.”

Resident Life finally decided to put its foot down when an entire jar of mayonnaise was thrown on the walls some time on the night of Feb. 16 or the early hours of Feb. 17. The following Tuesday, students were informed in letters posted around the dorm that they would be responsible for cleaning the halls and bathrooms that they had neglected this year.

Students, however, claim the damage was mostly not their fault, saying that residents from different floors came in and caused the destruction. Pitts called that a “typical excuse.”

“We felt that taking this short pause would be a great way of teaching the value of the housekeeping staff who come up and clean with them every day,” Pitts said. “They showed a lot of disrespect to the housekeeping. I think its important to keep in mind that housekeepers are staff, not maids.”

Fast-forward a week and the trash piled up, a stench of rotting food hung thick in the air and layers of shaving cream were caked on the shower stalls. The state of the bathrooms — with clumps of hair and old razor blades strewn through the showers and piles of used

toilet paper carpeting stall floors — sent students up and down the stairwells to use other floors’ facilities.

“I woke up and went to the bathroom and I started dry heaving,” freshman finance major Alex Chisholm said. “It’s unclean air and it’s gross.”

Resident Assistant Jordy Hirschfeld, a junior government and politics major, held numerous floor meetings with the residents about the issue in the past and told Pitts that he did not think another gathering would help the situation.

Pitts collaborated with the housing staff to suspend cleaning on the guys’ side of Easton 4.

“I think that it’s a very good decision,” Hirschfeld said. “We are dealing with a unique problem. I, myself was getting frustrated with the amount of disrespect towards [the housekeeper].

She goes above and beyond the call of duty. It’s heartbreaking to see how disrespectful the kids were to her.”

The mess has even turned dangerous as Markman slipped and fell in a puddle of liquid trash sludge that had leaked from one of the over-flowing trash cans Monday night, resulting in a hairline fracture to a bone in his left wrist.

Though Hirschfeld had planned to hold a floor meeting last night to discuss what they had learned and then clean the floor with his residents, Pitts told the housekeeping staff to finally clean the floor yesterday.

Despite the now cleaner conditions, nearly half of the floor’s residents are still suffering from flu-like symptoms some claim have been brought on by the filth.

Freshman letters and sciences major Evan Sadler caught pneumonia over winter break, but had been improving until the trash piles and waste started to build up, he said.

JACLYN BOROWSKI–THE DIAMONDBACK

A men’s room toilet accumulates filth.

“I got better two weeks ago, but when they stopped cleaning, I got worse and worse,” Sadler said. “I ended up having to go home because I felt terrible.”

While Dr. Kevin Scott from Belle Point Family Medicine in College Park attributed the spread of the sickness to close quarters and a particularly rough season for the disease, he questioned the safety of living in tight spaces with so much trash.

“The flu can be spread by close contact with a person to person,” he said. “But, obviously, it’s not necessar-

ily sanitary to have stuff piled up, especially if it contains food.”

Pitts hoped the students learned their lesson, and anticipated the boys living up to the other, cleaner floors in the building.

“I think it’s about respect for the community,” Pitts said. “All other floors are very much in order. We really take pride in our community here. We are looking forward to working with the fourth floor to move forward in a positive direction.” tousignantdbk@gmail.com

2,000 a week tune in to Persian podcast PODCAST, from Page 1 Sepehri had no official funding or experience in broadcasting when he began. But with dirtcheap operating costs and a dedicated staff of 55 volunteers, the podcast has managed to give thousands a window into the lives of Persians in the U.S. Sepehri, who completed his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering last May, began the podcast in June 2005.

In the first month, 100 listeners tuned in. Now it attracts an average audience of 2,000 listeners each week, Sepehri said.

Hosts, recruited from a pool of loyal listeners, range from technology novices to computer wizards and radio professionals.

Hosting an episode requires little more than a $10 microphone and a laptop, which has allowed just about anyone to produce a radio segment.

“We ask members of the audience to make programs and

send them to us, and we broadcast them,” Sepehri said.

“Everybody is recording their own program at home.”

One of the show’s main goals is to show Iranians what life is like for Persian students living in the United States.

“We are presenting for our fellow Iranians something interesting, and we want people to know about it,” said Sima Asgari, one of the show’s hosts, who is a former research associate of computer science at the university.

The show creates a window into life at this university.

“We just wanted to show people [in Iran] that we have a large group of Iranian graduate students who do study on very good programs,” Sepehri said. “Obviously you would like more people to know about the school because Maryland is a very good university. To some people, Maryland was not as known as other universities.”

The podcast is also a way to

educate Iranians who may have a less than stellar view of the United States, Sepehri said.

“In this country we have a very negative view of Iran,” said Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, the founding director of the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Center for Persian Studies. “In Iran, they also project a negative image of the U.S. They are trying to counter that by showing our diversity, our activities and whatnot.”

Radio College Park limits the subject matter to art, history, literature, science and technology, avoiding controversial topics like politics and religion that could cause the Iranian government to block its citizens’ access to the site, Sepehri said.

“Politics is not a really good topic because everyone can have different views,” said Karimi-Hakkak, who has read poetry in Farsi on more than 25 episodes. “If you want to connect with people, you have to

talk on the level of culture.”

The subject matter isn’t the only thing that makes it easy to connect with Iranians.

“Iran uses [the Internet] so much, and there are so many blogs,” Karimi-Hakkak said. “I get about 300 e-mails every day, and about 50 to 100 of them are from students in Iran.”

Because of the low upkeep costs, Sepehri does not run ads on the show or its website.

Sepehri covers the cost of the show’s Internet bandwidth out of pocket — about $100 per year, he said.

The podcast has developed more popularity among Persians than its founders ever expected. But Sepehri has even higher hopes for the years ahead.

“Obviously when you get to something, you want more,” Sepehri said. “We expect this to grow over time.” miliandbk@gmail.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008

Opinion

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OPINION EDITOR

Staff Editorial

Brandon Blische

“There are not enough jails, not enough police, not enough courts to enforce a law not supported by the people.”

Luxury lifestyle

- Hubert H. Humphrey

JAY NARGUNDKAR

Chill out

C

hill out. Recent opinions published in this space have discussed the need for legislative solutions to the problem of global warming. It is a timely debate to have, as undoubtedly this issue will be prominent in the upcoming presidential election.

You may remember that in June, NASA head Michael Griffin drew controversy about his views on the way global warming is perceived.

“Unfortunately, this is an issue which has become far more political than technical,” he said. Given the poor level of insight most politicians have about climate science, he said, he was wary about the productivity of a political situation. I agree, and I would add that the public’s scientific literacy is not adequate, either.

“Global warming” for many people is something bad that happens from buying Hummers and voting Republican — and if neither bad habit is curtailed within the next few years, we will all die. News flash, people: a warm weekend in January is not a doomsday symbol — it is an “anomaly,” i.e., an outdoor picnic in January.

How many people know global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer are two entirely separate issues? Or the earth has experienced warming and cooling in the past, cyclically and over long periods of time (hundreds of thousands of years)?

While we are in a period of warming right now (which for the past 40 years or so has been fueled by greenhouse gas emissions), I do not want to hear anyone breathlessly exclaim how this year is hotter than last year or five years ago — that is statistically irrelevant.

Yes, global warming exists. We should be working to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, though I see this as secondary to establishing energy independence for geopolitical reasons. Most importantly, we should not succumb to the hysteria that has enveloped the global warming debate and could potentially lead us to making poor choices.

For example, before wholeheartedly embracing ethanol as the fuel of the future, we should consider whether large-scale production of ethanol is feasible or if it even reduces net greenhouse gas emissions. (A recent, much discussed article in Science suggests it would not.) We have already seen how the ethanol-driven demand for corn has created an across-the-board rise in food and fertilizer prices, an unintended but serious economic consequence.

Columnist Ali Adler (“Path to Our Future,” Feb. 12) advocates solar and wind power, but she fails to consider neither measure feasibly matches our country’s energy needs. We should resist the urge to throw millions of dollars in government subsidies to ideas that won’t work. (Personally, I think nuclear power is the way to go, but I will save that argument for another time.)

When it comes to tackling global warming, we should not, like the people of Emerald City, be blinded by “green” glasses. Some ideas are good, but most are over-reactionary or counter-productive, often both.

Restraint may be our best option.

People who love to trumpet their high-mindedness about global warming should realize this is an issue of practicality, not morality. An October article in Reason magazine

by Ronald Bailey defines the problem simply: “We do not need to ‘lift global consciousness;’ we need to find a cheap, low-carbon source of energy.” Furthermore, “man-made global warming is an economic and technical problem,” one that can be solved without resorting to drastic measures of dubious benefit.

These sentiments may come as an inconvenient truth to some political agendas, but the use of scare tactics and hyperbole about global warming is disingenuous and does not contribute to the finding of a proper solution. Hopefully, as the debate over this issue continues, agendas will take a backseat to getting it right.

Jay Nargundkar is a senior finance major. He can be reached at terpnews@gmail.com.

Policing the presence W

I

t goes without saying the position of this newspaper is speeding traps or enforced traffic laws in his neighborhood. to support the city’s lobbying in Annapolis on behalf North College Park Citizens Association leader Mark of a bill that would provide funding for police in Col- Shroder worried publicly his area would get short straw lege Park. What’s concerning, however, are the mixed from police in favor of downtown.

All valid concerns, to be sure, but what of the presentation messages residents of College Park and lawmakers in in Annapolis that focused so heavily on students? And why, in Annapolis are getting.

As The Diamondback’s Megan Eckstein reported last the nearly three years since 2005, has the council failed to week, both University Police and College Park elected offi- produce any meaningful change when it came to their concials presented a unified front in portraying city crime as a tract police program? Change has certainly come in the form burden students are bearing the brunt of. Prince George’s of tax increases, raising the rate county officers are paid to County Police Maj. Kevin Davis, who commands the district patrol the city and in dramatic boosts to the police budget. where College Park lies, has also raised the issue that with But that doesn’t mean those changes were meaningful.

Instead, Mayor Brayman has re35,000 students on the campus, there are mained singularly focused on his “bang probably more than 70,000 family memfor the buck” theory of policing, which esbers around the state who are equally — The city must focus sentially suggests throwing money at the if not more concerned — about safety in College Park. funding on increasing situation (he proposed quadrupling the city police budget in 2006), and when you But historically, the city has had to deal police presence in order fail to attract enough contract officers, with a well-known anti-student (and in some cases anti-downtown) sentiment to keep students safe in don’t spend that money. Had the city just done what City Manager Joe Nagro proamong residents of the city who don’t live College Park. posed earlier this year, which is to negotidowntown, which has prevailed in both ate the terms of having full-time officers safety discussions and in the city-wide referendum held in 2005. That non-binding ballot item paid by the city rather than moonlighters, meaningful policasked voters that year whether they’d be willing to pay up to ing could have begun long ago.

If the state does provide the funding for more police in $40 per household per month in taxes to pay for more police presence. In Eckstein’s story, College Park Mayor Stephen College Park, as it should, we hope tit does it on the condition Brayman was paraphrased as saying the referendum that the council spend the money in meaningful ways. Community policing is a strategy employed by the county and in passed with a resounding “yes.”

That’s just not true. The Diamondback headline in 2005 thousands of jurisdictions across the country. It’s only effecwas “Police referendum barely passes,” with a subheadline tive when police know their beats and reach out to commureading, “Decisive vote in one district carries decision.” The nity members. They’re doing that now under Maj. Davis, decisive vote in District 3, which includes downtown, Olde but if they’re going to be supplemented, it must be done in a Town and Calvert Hills, voted so heavily in favor of the ref- way that complements the county’s strategy — not in a way erendum that it offset the fact that the referendum failed in that throws money at it. And if the city lobbies for police in the name of student safety, they must focus whatever fundall three other districts.

The message was clear: If the downtown district wanted ing they get on that. That means more comprehensive papolice so badly, they were going to get it. But what of the trols and tougher questioning of suspicious people. It doesn’t other districts? In North College Park, former councilman mean a group of officers who develop an expertise in busting John Krouse frequently complained police rarely set up parties.

Our View

Editorial Cartoon: Shai Goller

The Lite Fare

Forgive us father, for we have sinned Oh! Immortal gods of basketball, why do you hate us so? It always comes to this: We worship you dutifully throughout the year, and yet you, in your infinite wisdom, test our fortitude by threatening us with a journey to purgatory in the NIT. Surely we have sinned, as all mortal souls are wont to do, but repentance is near!

minions, respectfully uniformed in a cardinal hood and unwashed denim, graces the hardwood’s hallowed luster to attempt a Herculean task: Escape the temptation posed by three prurient altar girls, adorned in their shimmering face paint and libertine skirts, and entice one of them to reward him with a year’s worth of free pizza.

We have tried dearly to shame that splinter faction, those dastardly scan-and-leavers who come to your temple every week but leave without even a parting glimpse of the inner sanctuary’s shimmering hardwood. We hiss at them! Those vile heretics who worship only during the holiest of high holidays, that glorious spectacle when devils, posing as dukes in their royal blue gowns, come for their yearly exorcism.

We apologize for the apotheosis of Greivis Vasquez. He deserves no place on that “Terrapins Forever” tapestry, immortalizing him among the likes of Blake, Bias, Dixon, Elmore, Francis, McMillan, Smith and Williams. We, the truly pious, know and love the proper patron saints of this land, but we have a simple request: Send Pope Williams another reverent soul, one who comes to Comcast Center convent with a humble visage and a devotion to serving you and only you. We have been plagued far too long with a sanctimonious lot who rest both on the laurels of their past prestige as McDonald’s All-Americans and on the cushy seats of those kingly carriages, known to us mere mortals as Vespas.

What? What must we do for you to beam down holy blessings from the firmament of the heavens to furbish our tired and bleak countenances?

Shall we struggle? Our holy praises have been condemned year in and year out by those who aren’t graced with the ability to speak in tongues. They label us lewd and obscene. Some have even convinced the church to silence the choir. But the ingenuity of a fervent few, a triumphant duo who scrawled “Hey!” and “You suck!” onto neon yellow signage, has allowed us to sing our song of highest praise a capella.

Shall we sacrifice? Each week, countless souls offer themselves in reverent ritual: waving blue plastic rectangles in unison, watching the dizzying display of the shell shuffle (it’s number three) and dancing for a chance to dine in the ever-august hamlet of Greenbelt. Each week, without fail, one of the faithful

Shall we tithe? The devout among us have dutifully donated to the altar of Nike for the holy privilege of wearing those numbered robes of red and white. 3, 25, 32, 34, 41, 54: We come to the pantheon dressed in their garb, as if you created us in their image.

Our veneration is honest but far from complete.

And yet you test our faith. We fall to the anonymous hordes of American and Ohio. We will never vanquish the cyclonic tribe of Miami. Our stamina unceremoniously disappears near the end of each service. Twenty-point leads evaporate into three point losses. We are beaten, downtrodden and desperate.

We ask nothing of you. We ask nothing of you besides rewarding our piety with another regular season win. We ask nothing of you besides a deep jaunt in the conference tourney.

We ask nothing of you besides a glimmering ticket to the Big Dance.

This, this is all we ask ... oh yes, and maybe another Sweet Sixteen to scintillate our souls?

hen will some sort of housing equity come to students? I guess as long as “cities” are populated exclusively by rich kids living on the monthly monetary contributions of daddy — powerful executives, lawyers, judges, politicians and old money, we shouldn’t rationally believe housing prices would be fair.

Where did all these rich, snotty, immature children come from? Why is it that when I walk through the campus parking lots, most cars cost more than my entire four-year education? How come I’m wearing $15 jeans when an increasing number of students have $300 North Face jackets and $115 Armani Exchange designer denim? At any number of private schools, I’d understand, but is it OK the majority of students at the university outrank my family in average income by huge amounts? I thought public universities were to educate all of us, poor, middleincome and wealthy.

This problem becomes increasingly obvious when you open the paper or log onto www.craigslist.org and are blown away by rent prices in the area. Sure, bring in the high-price developers, jack up the rent and tell the average-income students (quickly becoming the minority, as more rich kids take up space at our public university [theoretically an equitable source of education]) ... SORRY, these people just have more money! No, you’re not going to be able to live close to the university. You’re going to have to own a car, buy a parking permit, take the bus for 20 minutes or ride your bike in the freezing cold, you poor schmuck. If only you (or daddy) had more money or didn’t care about your debt situation, then we could accommodate you.

I’m sorry, but I don’t consider $1,200, $1,000 or even $500 a reasonable price for an individual student to pay for rent ANYWHERE, whether it be next to the campus or two miles away. My parents told me when I moved out to try to budget so that rent costs are no more than a fourth to a third of my income. If you haven’t heard this, I’m sorry, but it is common wisdom. I’m a student. How can I make $2,000 a month, which works out to be $24,000 a year? I’m lucky if I can make $10,000 annually, loans included.

Personally, I don’t care for luxury apartments with expensive bathroom fixtures, recessed lighting and custom paint jobs. I don’t need marble tile in the bathroom, garbage disposals, dishwashers, center island stoves or cable TV. Give me a bedroom that is warm, a shower that is hot and a stove that works. I can wait until I’m out of school and make a decent living for those staples. Instead, I’m forced to take out loans to pay for things I DON’T WANT AND CANNOT AFFORD. “But don’t you want a nice place to live?” say the developers, tempting us, putting us into the hypnotic trance of material lust.

What quantifies as a nice place to live is up to me. At this point in my life, a nice place to live is efficient, quiet and utilitarian. Most importantly, a nice place to live is CHEAP. This is going to sound crazy, but there are places in the world where students’ rent is PAID FOR. Gasp!

Well, free-market economics would go down the drain, landlords would take advantage of the government, and the apartment prices would skyrocket! I love what free-market economics have done here in College Park. You would be fortunate to find a place for under $550 that has both heat (that actually warms the house) AND hot water that lasts longer than five minutes. Don’t get me wrong, they do exist, but there aren’t plenty of them. There needs to be hundreds of these places, not a handful, and within a reasonable distance from the campus.

My proposal? I wish I had one that I knew would work. As long as students continue to accept the status quo, there will be no change. The university officials must be ... gulp ... lobbied to take affordable housing seriously, especially when they can’t even provide housing for the new batch of students they bring in each year. The students who represent the legitimately worst off should be responsible for setting the ceiling for affordable housing, then the city needs to get involved in a revolutionary way. I’m not a politician, but I am a philosopher, and I know injustice when I see it.

Brandon Blische is a senior philosophy and public health major.

He can be reached at bblische@umd.edu.

TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008 | OPINION | THE DIAMONDBACK

5

“When are we gonna become tough enough to finish out games?.”

Best of the week “It was a privilege to have been given a “It's important for the RHA to do this chance to be dean, most especially because of from a resident's perspective.” the relationships I've built with students.”

- Senior Bambale Osby on the heartbreaking loss to Clemson.

From the March. 3 Diamondback

- Journalism Dean Tom Kunkel after his appointment as president of - Transportation Committee Chair Dan Leydorf on the RHA’s support of a Campus Drive alignment.

St. Norbert College.

From the Feb. 27 Diamondback From the Feb. 29 Diamondback

Harry Cavanaugh Moran

No hoes in SoHo

T

his past weekend, I had the good fortune of being able to go up to the City (as there is only one, a friend once told me) on a weekend filled with everlasting sunshine and a sweet breeze rippling up and down the blocks — a perfect weekend to fall in love with the City in all its glitz and glamour.

And, of course, it put out.

Please, I ask each and every one of you to go up there and try not to be shamed by your so-called “fashion acumen.” Even I — a stranger once called me a fashionista — felt a twinge of guilt because it seemed all this time I had been pretending to be a la mode, stylish, fashionable, what have you, and suddenly I felt like a lowly bug in a plain full of veritable omnivores. Naturally, this is how it should be, as New York City, being the most tangible example of a melting pot, is replete with the most avant-garde and chic designs and styles and people who, without even thinking, are living portraits of the very city in which they live.

As I was going downtown from 175th Street (If that sounds familiar to you, I will confirm it — I did go and see Bjork) on the subway, I saw a stunning black-and-white flower-print dress on a girl who was fit enough to be a model. It went down to above the knee and was scrunched up at the bottom, of course not forgetting the shiny, slightly but not gaudily so, black heels. As she traipsed down the stairs with her friends, the dress shimmied around her ever so gently. A rare demigoddess using the people’s transportation! Of course this was not the only time I saw something worthy of a 21 gun salute! Walking down SoHo made my head turn every which way, as it seemed every walking, living person (and perhaps even those who had passed on) was darting around dressed to the nines.

My, my, was I impressed, and to tell the truth, I was quite awed. It seemed, to these people, it was their very duty to put aside trends, the rest of us are just catching up to and go after new ones that soon will be the rave elsewhere. I demand each and every one of you to go up to the City and be witness to the heavenly (even to look at, much more to wear) garments in which these people bedeck themselves. It seems every day is worthy of celebration as these people go to and fro on quotidian errands!

The only people I have seen worthy of comparison to the awing City fashion are the youths I see frequenting the Metro. You may see them as slightly wacky, bizarre, a touch over-the-top but, nevertheless, very different and obviously of their own style. They have the most creative outfits I’ve ever seen, and the shoes they wear are a rainbow of colors, though not distributed as ROY G BIV. These boys and girls aren’t constrained by fashion ideals or stereotypes, as I so frequently see here. They see a dashing, daring article of clothing, and they snatch it up!

The urban sense they have rivals that of the City’s in the way they pursue an eclectic fashion ideal — it truly is commendable.

But let me lament no longer, my good people! We can take the grand ideals of the City without ever having paid any money to people-watch, though why not take a sejour there!? Of course the City people have a leg up on all of us because of the breadth of design and fashion which is literally grown there. (I know we have D.C., but there is a noticeable difference. D.C. is not the City.) and distributed in such rapidity, but let’s not fret! We can be on the cutting edge, as well!

The key is to not be constrained by what you see around you and how you see yourself. It’s all about experimenting — trying a new jacket from that store on the corner or a pair of comfy pants from the boutique just over there! I’m sure you all have a favorite store, but why not get out of that comfort zone? It is quite thrilling to give everything a taste, and maybe you’ll end up enjoying it!

Take a risk, but do remember those trailblazers to the north and salute them!

Harry Cavanaugh Moran is a sophomore French major. He can be reached at hmoran1@umd.edu.

The right to choose ...

I

am a firm supporter of a woman’s right to choose. I believe women are intelligent and reasonable human beings who can think for themselves and make educated decisions. I have faith that my fellow females, when faced with that all-important choice, will not make uninformed, narrow-minded decisions but will consider all options and weigh all possibilities in order to make a choice that will benefit the country.

I support a woman’s right to choose — to choose for herself which political candidate she wishes to endorse.

When Sen. Hillary Clinton (DN.Y.) announced her intention to run for president, I had not yet singled anyone out from the rather crowded field of candidates. I had no idea my decision had already been made for me in the minds of many who believed that simply because I am female, I will vote for Clinton.

Black people faced similar assumptions when Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) joined the field.

Suddenly, it was supposed the black vote would automatically go to Obama. This left black women in an unusually sticky mire of indecision. Would they vote with their sex or their race? It never occurred to anyone that a black woman might support John Edwards for his stance on the issues.

The suggestion that women will vote mechanically with their own sex is insulting and unreasonable.

Yet the media, politicians and analysts continue to emphasize sex breakdowns in poll results, assuming women will not make decisions based on the important issues of

RACHEL HARE the election.

In fact, Clinton has received a great deal of support from women, although that support is beginning to weaken due to Obama’s gathering momentum.

According to a Washington Post article Feb. 20, “Clinton held only a narrow edge among white women in Wisconsin — of the 24 previous contests with Democratic exit polls (not counting Michigan), Clinton beat Obama by doubledigit margins 19 times and lost by that wide a margin in only one, Obama’s home state of Illinois.”

While this does not prove women have been voting solely based on sex, the large number of female votes Clinton has consistently received suggests American women may indeed be taking too much female intuition into the voting booths.

Voting along gender lines is not informed voting; it is narrowminded voting. It is exciting to see a woman compete quite successfully for the presidential nomination, and it provides a unique opportunity for American women to cast historic ballots. However, it is important we not cast our votes

simply to make history. To give our votes away to anyone who is female would cheapen them. No matter what future history books will say, women must make Clinton earn their votes.

It is natural for women to gravitate to Clinton as an icon of female power and worth. Surely, a victory for Clinton would be a victory for all women, but we must not lose sight of the purpose behind our vote. We should not cast our vote merely for a woman but for a worthy candidate who reflects our views, whoever he or she may be.

Every person is given one vote — one tiny voice, one fleeting chance to affect the future of our nation; to throw that away would be a disservice to us and our country.

This election has been groundbreaking in many ways. The name “Bush” did not appear on the Republican ballot, to the relief of many and perhaps the dismay of some and for the first time, the two Democratic front-runners are a woman and a black man. Change is imminent, and history is in progress. Americans must not lose sight of what matters most — we must embrace our right to choose.

Everyone asks, “Will women vote with their sex?” “Will black people vote with their race?”

I’d like to say neither. I’d like to believe Americans will not vote blindly for a sex or a race but for a candidate who instills hope, inspires courage and effects positive change.

Rachel Hare is a sophomore French and journalism major.

She can be reached at rhare1@umd.edu.

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POLICY: The signed letters, columns and cartoon represent only 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.

Letters to the Editor Thoughts on bank robbery

Unsafe risks

With regard to the Friday afternoon burglary reported in The Diamondback, (“Man tries, fails to rob Chevy Chase Bank downtown,” March 3), I couldn’t help but observe a few oddities. First of all, as a semiclean-shaven early-20s man about 6 feet 2 inches tall, I cannot help but be outraged my demographic is publicly involved in botched robberies. The reason the police couldn’t find this guy is he probably walked by the Thirsty Turtle and then to Fraternity Row and fit in too well. If only this guy had turned his hat around backward, a wanted poster “Gigantic Tool Wanted for Burglary” would have been hilarious and appropriate. The polo could become the new baggy T-shirt; I’m already looking to invest in Lacoste.

On a more serious note, however, there is one blaringly obvious trend illustrated by this burglary. This one failed because he did not have a gun (and his note was slightly ambiguous). Look at the related crimes reported by The Diamondback. Now look at the one that succeeded, the only one listed that involved gunpoint.

Well-regulated militias don’t rob banks; criminals do, yet by some interpretations both groups have the right to bear arms. If you try to tell me the teller should have had a gun, too, I hope you (or someone in your family) are the one standing in line behind the burglar when that firefight starts in a public place, not I.

This is in response to the staff editorial printed Feb. 29, “Catch a Fire.” Why are people still going to Santa Fe Café? The news of its nonexistent sprinkler system has been plastered across The Diamondback for a while, and those concerned about the safety of patrons could advertise that fact from outside Santa Fe. If people care about the risk of being incinerated, then they’ll avoid Santa Fe, and dropping sales will convince owner Mark Srour to install a sprinkler system faster than any lawyer would.

Why wait for the city council or the county liquor board to act when a customer boycott is more effective and more immediate?

Or maybe, people will still go because they don’t think the risk is significant. That’s their choice to make. Their lives rest on their own shoulders — they neither can nor should blindly entrust their safety to the government.

NATHANIEL W. SNYDER JUNIOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHILOSOPHY

The OUT campaign After years of waging an intense internal war and grappling with ideas that frequently frightened me, I at last came to my senses, achieved mental harmony and came out of the closet. It was a monumental step in my life not only for accepting and embracing what I was inside but for finally being able to proudly announce to (a staunchly Catholic) family, friends and Facebook what I had been hiding. Seeing as how I belong to one of the least understood, most loathed and, some may say, most hated, groups in America, this was no easy undertaking. I am an atheist. I am writing this to encourage the non-religious to leave the closet. The OUT Campaign (outcampaign.org) is a great place to begin your journey.

Its mission is to provide resources to the curious and closeted atheist to encourage and strengthen their resolve and beliefs and to help them gain the self-confidence needed to stand up and embrace their convictions. There are more of us out there than you might realize. If you are an atheist, then you already have embraced reason and science as enlightened manners of thinking. You have broken the mold of your parents, family and ancestors. Have confidence in yourself, stand up proud, present your arguments, and delight in the dissection and destruction of any religious “argument” thrown your way. Come OUT, reach OUT, speak OUT, and stand OUT!

MATTHEW GRAVES SOPHOMORE ECONOMICS

DOTS needs to ensure safety Sunday night, I spent over an hour trying to get from University Courtyards to the campus via Shuttle-UM, from around 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. The first bus I tried to catch disappeared from the ShuttleTrac screen when it read five minutes and never showed up. I waited until the next bus dropped to around five to eight minutes and went outside to wait for it. A few minutes after I went outside, ShuttleTrac jumped back up to 18 minutes.

I called NITE Ride twice, but ShuttleTrac told the person I reached that a bus was on the way, so he told me to wait for it. He said if the next bus did not arrive, he would arrange a ride for me. As far as I know, no bus went through Courtyards for well over an hour because I went outside to try to catch it every time it was due to arrive. It never got there. NITE Ride, however, insisted for more than an hour that it was coming.

If Transportation Services’ buses are not running reliably, NITE Ride should be readily available. Especially because walking alone after dark is not an option, I should not have to fight for a ride after wasting an hour and a half of my time waiting for a bus that never arrived. Transportation Services is failing to ensure the safety of students.

No sporting event should cripple transportation to the point of forcing students to either jeopardize their personal safety or wait until the following morning to make it home. Transportation Services seems to have made little progress toward reliable, safe transportation for students.

DAN CONWAY SENIOR GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS AND PHILOSOPHY

AND PHYSICS

ART

DORA LARSON SOPHOMORE HISTORY, E NGLISH AND F RENCH

DANIEL MARCIN

Gringos y Latinos

I

t was a long time coming, but the race issue finally rubbed me the wrong way Friday. I saw what I hoped would be the last time someone would call for an entire ethnicity to be true to themselves and vote as one entity for one candidate. But I never expected it would be Fran Drescher, of The Nanny fame, pitching to Latinos.

For those who missed it, Drescher made an absolute gringa of herself on Larry King last Friday night. She struggled through saying, “I just want to say, la niñera gusto mucho Hillary Clinton. Es la solución de los problemas de inmigración y para evitar el abuso de las mujeres.” In her obnoxiously nasal Brooklynese, she said she was “speaking to the Latino community.” Then when Larry King and other guests admitted to not understanding her Spanish, she claimed that was because they were “not bilingual.” (For a complete discussion of why it’s ridiculous to think Drescher is bilingual, watch the clip and attend SPAN 103: Intensive Elementary Spanish for one day.)

But while her statement is certainly good for a laugh, it provides sad insight into the perception of Latino people in this country. All the talk recently has been about “the Latino vote.” Why do the pundits, in all their punditry, think Latinos are one homogeneous group to be appealed to? And why does Drescher think two sentences of broken Spanish will win over votes? Do we really think they’re that stupid? There’s actually a word in Spanish for these kinds of attitudes, and that word is racista.

Many would point to some “common culture” or “common values” among Latinos, but I don’t buy it. In my opinion, you can only say two things for sure about them. One, many Latino people trace their ancestry through Latin and South America back to Spain, and two, Latino women are the most beautiful women in the world. These two are universal truths and cannot be debated, but everything else you’ve been told about Latinos is a generalization, opinion or, worse, stereotype.

It is nonsense to think all Latino people share some common culture or feel otherwise connected. You certainly wouldn’t say the Greeks and French share a common culture, even though both were once ruled by the same Roman Emperor and are geographically close on the European continent. You probably wouldn’t even say a Texan has much in common with a Floridian, or a Charles County farmer with a D.C. student. So why would you say Guatemalans and Venezuelans do, or Cubans and Chileans, or Puerto Ricans and Costa Ricans? For example, did you know Bolivians are a major target for discrimination in Argentina? I’m not saying Latinos are awful, discriminatory people; I’m just saying they’re not a blob.

But let’s just imagine they are some uniform voting bloc. Then what’s the deal with the campaign tactics? Any immigrant with the right to vote had to pass a citizenship test, which included speaking English. Why so many ads in Spanish, then? They must believe voters will be so touched their campaign hired somebody to speak Spanish for them. Then the media can’t help but make a big deal out of any Latino leader endorsing either Democrat.

Does anybody really think endorsements matter? Now, I won’t tell you who I voted for, but I’ll give you a hint: It wasn’t the candidate that my governor or senior senator endorsed.

But suddenly, Bill Richardson’s endorsement is the most coveted prize in the West, just because he is Latino.

So today, I hope my favorite candidate wins. But more than that, I hope I don’t have to see a single exit poll that attributes his wins to “winning the Latino vote.” After all, if his message is all about unity, how does it make any sense to appeal differently to different racial groups?

Oops — did I just give away who I voted for?

Daniel Marcin is a senior mathematics and economics major. He can be reached at dmarcin@umd.edu.

6

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SILVER SPRING. All brick rambler. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Montgomery County. Close to University of Maryland. $389,895. Call Charlotte Walker 301-365-0066. Coldwell Banker

LIFEGUARD and Pool Operator. Must be certified and experienced. Excellent pay and hours. In Gaithersburg. 301-840-1792 WEB SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTRockville company seeks fulltime programmer. Experience in Perl, SQL, and HTML preferred. US citizen, BS CS or equivalent. Send resume to jobs@ejpress.com

FOR RENT GREAT HOUSE 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, huge den, fenced backyard, deck, all appliances, washer and dryer. 1 mile to campus. 8600 48th Avenue, available June 1, $2,950. Call Alan 301-704-6465 HOUSE FOR RENT. 5 bedroom, 2 full bath.

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Galaxy Billiards Cafe OLD TOWN COLLEGE PARK In Silver Spring. Nice, friendly servers needed. Outgoing personality.

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AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS 1 bedroom, $850. 2 bedrooms. $1,200. 3 bedrooms, $1,400.

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HOUSES. Apartments. 2008-2009 school year.

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ROOMMATES

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PERSONALS I’m looking for a girl who’s ready to go any time of day- morning or night. I like to move fast, but would be in it for the long haul for the right lady.

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Criminal Justice Career Fair Wednesday, March 5th 10:00 am-2:00 pm Grand Ballroom, Stamp

Student wanted to play with bright six-year-old girl while mom is occupied with therapies for brother. Part time until summer break, then full time for the summer. In Rockville. energetic, positive, creative, English speaker and driver a must.

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The University of Maryland

Residence Hall Association presents

The Annual Town Hall Meeting Featuring: the Directors of All Major Departments

Today, Tuesday, March 4 6:30-8:30 P.M. Where: Atrium in the Stamp Student Union Come with all your questions, comments, and concerns about life on campus. Present will be the Directors of the following campus departments: Resident Life, Residential Facilities, Dining Services, and Transportation Services.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008 | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Healthy breakfast 5 Rock bottom 10 Chalky mineral 14 — -a-brac 15 “Star Trek” lieutenant 16 Charles Lamb 17 Problem with hives 18 Blue 20 High standard 22 Bedding 23 Contrary to common sense 25 Livestock show 26 Grads 27 Rainbow 28 With, to Henri 32 Shade trees 33 Kiss target 35 Close at hand 36 Jewel 37 Hematite 38 Mouths, in zoology 39 Disney CEO Bob — 41 Bend 43 Muffin spread 44 Like autumn leaves 45 Malt beverage 46 Fastens 48 Bumps against

50 51 54 55 57 61 62 63 64 65 66

Aspects Maintain When pigs fly Chicken style “Hey —” Jog Of ships Bradley or Sharif Tools with teeth Applies caulk Candied tubers

DOWN 1 Sapporo sash 2 Technique 3 Muscle spasm 4 Faction makers 5 Like ZIPs 6 Down the road 7 Boring 8 A Gershwin 9 Comb through 10 Mideast capital 11 Lotion ingredient 12 Cheery tune 13 Coral islets 19 Life force, in acupuncture 21 Grayish-brown 23 Claim 24 Bad thing to happen 25 Releases from bondage 26 Sponsorship 27 Hawk’s lair

Previous Day’s Puzzle Solved:

29 30 31 34 40 41

Meadow flower White herons Pandemonium Wolfpack sounds Throwaways Clan IDs

42 Really goes places 43 Make happy 47 Decorate cupcakes 49 Christina’s pop

56 — kwon do 58 Emma in “The Avengers” 59 River blocker 60 Hosp. areas

50 Wild 51 Plays a role 52 Mystery writer — Paretsky 53 Barge 54 Exploding star

© 2008 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

TODAY’S CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY:

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orn today, you seem to have boundless energy and a tremendous enthusiasm for all that life has to offer; even bad things have something about them that you can consider positive. A real survivor, you know how to find a tremendous advantage where others find only frustration and defeat; you cling to that one tiny aspect of a situation that feeds your optimism and allows your hope for a better future to grow and flourish. You can be quite emotional, as your passions are very near the surface at all times.

Your life is sure to progress according to a rather strict cycle of repeating phases, and you’ll come to recognize the onset of each and learn exactly what you must do to maximize your potential no matter what your internal rhythms or external influences may be at any given time.

Also born on this date are: Paula Prentiss, actress; Antonio Vivaldi, composer; Knute Rockne, football player and coach; Charles Walgreen Jr., pharmacist.

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

you bargained for from a Libra native who has become involved in your own affairs at the workplace.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Even though you feel you are an expert at telling others just what it is you really want, you can be even a little more aggressive.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — It’s time to work more closely with others. Cooperation can increase your chances of success, and bring you greater rewards than expected.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Keep your spirits up and you can be a shining example to others whose situations are not nearly as complex as your own.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You can impress others with what you don’t do just as dramatically as with what you do. Things unsaid are heard loud and clear.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Don’t ignore or discount messages and signs that you do not under-

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5 PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — What you used to do in the old days that worked so well for you may be worth a second try at this time. You can put on quite a good show.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Why take something that works so well for you and change it?

Leave well enough alone. Enjoy the fruits of your labors.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — You’re likely to get more than

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stand. Do everything you can to increase awareness.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — A trend is continuing that allows you to take further advantage of circumstances that take you very much by surprise. Focus on new information.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Collaborate with others if you so choose, but realize that there are certain things that you can only do on your own, in moments of solitude.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Someone may be keeping important information from you.

If that’s the case, you’ll have to make a key decision based solely on instinct.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — The more you say, the more others are likely to pass you by.

Speak only when you insist on being heard, and you’ll be satisfied.

THOMAS DOBROSIELSKI

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THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008

ALSO RELEASED THIS WEEK:

Diversions MUSIC

ARTS

LIVING

Murder by Death shakes off its confusing name and tackles bourbon, zombies and sin in Red of Tooth and Claw Much like how you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t judge an indie rock group by its cryptic name. While it might be easy to assume any group that takes the moniker Murder by Death must be a run-of-themill metal band, the name actually comes from a quirky Neil Simon movie.

And instead of bloodsoaked guitar riffs and sinister lyrics, the Bloomington, Ind., quartet opts for whiskey-driven cello solos and outlandish narratives.

Always a fan of the concept album, singer-guitarist Adam Turla describes the band’s latest effort, Red of Tooth and Claw, in a press release as “Homer’s Odyssey of revenge, only without the honorable character at the center.” Taking cues from the less-than-honorable knaves the band has created in the past, Turla manages to come up with even more despicable characters and tales of drunken debauchery.

The album starts off with “Comin’ Home,” which is also their second single (following “Fuego!” from the eponymous online EP released earlier this year). At the very start, Turla snarls, “By the light of the moon/ I’m comin’ home/ Howlin’ all the way/ I’m comin’ home.” The entire song, and this line in particular, is one of several on the album that capitalizes on Turla’s newfound ability to channel Johnny Cash and Tom Waits. After first revealing the deeper, grittier voice in small doses on 2006’s In Bocca al Lupo, Turla now employs it frequently throughout Red of Tooth and Claw.

“Ball & Chain” follows and serves as a showcase of sorts for new drummer Dagan Thogerson, who succeeded original member Alex Schrodt last year. Though the band has toured with Thogerson since Schrodt left, Red of Tooth and Claw is the first full-length recorded with him. He has no trouble carrying his own weight, as he and cellist Sarah Balliet provide the bouncy cello-percussion backdrop for Turla’s tortured musings about his lover — hence the title.

For those familiar with Murder by Death, it will come as no surprise that it only takes three songs before zombies are thrown into the mix. Naturally, Turla — never one to side with the undead — adopts the mantle of a zombie-hunting mercenary in one of the early verses of “Rum Brave:” “I heard tell of a place/ Where the dead walk tall and proud/ Where men like me were needed/ To thin the growing crowd.”

Of course, not every song can be a winner. “The Black Spot,” for example, is reminiscent of In Bocca al Lupo’s “Dead Men and Sinners,” in terms of seeming completely out of sync with the rest of the album. Whereas even Murder by Death’s somber songs usually have a bit of a toe-tapping quality to them (see “I’m Afraid of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe” for a past example or “A Second Opinion” for a more recent one), “The Black Spot” stretches a little more than three minutes and is comprised mostly of Turla slowly churning through a bland and repetitive chorus.

Happily, the album picks up immediately with the last two songs, so it doesn’t end on a sour note at all. Amid a muted intro courtesy of bassist Matt Armstrong and another strong cello and percussion performance, Turla again sings about a grimy

Float Flogging Molly

Go Away White Bauhaus

WEEKEND

REVIEW | STEPHEN MALKMUS

What’s in a name?

Staff writer

Strangers Almanac Whiskeytown

MOVIES

REVIEW | MURDER BY DEATH

BY ADAM FRIED

Warpaint The Black Crowes

love affair. While Turla’s lyrics aren’t exactly Valentine’s Day serenade material, it’s tough to resist the sleazy scenarios they almost always produce. Lines such as “I met the girl in a juke joint on the fly/ Needed a friend the day my mother died/ Her place was hot, and it smelled of sin/ I guess when one life goes, another begins” probably won’t help anybody get laid anytime soon, but they’re a hell of a lot more fun to sing along to than most love songs.

The final track, “Spring Break 1899,” has Turla returning to a persona he knows quite well: that of a booze-fueled ne’er-do-well with a penchant for cheap girls and eluding law enforcement. “There’s a drained bourbon bottle layin’ next to my head/ And the piss and the vomit are the sheets on my bed” perfectly complements an instrumental track that would sound completely normal during last call at any seedy, hole-in-the-wall bar.

And maybe that’s the point. Sure, Murder by Death might have a few songs about alcoholic womanizing, but there are also plenty of other songs about slaying zombies, being an outlaw and other drunken adventures. Red of Tooth and Claw treads familiar territory, no doubt, but it does so in a way that keeps things fresh and demonstrative of the band’s creative power. fallopia@umd.edu

ADAM FRIED–THE DIAMONDBACK

Murder by Death, who appeared at the 9:30 Club Jan. 19, 2007 (above), will appear at the Black Cat in April. The band’s Red of Tooth and Claw, is a rousing success.

THE DISCOGRAPHY BREAKDOWN: MURDER BY DEATH

Red of Tooth and Claw (2008)

In Bocca al Lupo (2006)

Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them? (2003)

Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing (2002)

ALBUM: Red of Tooth and Claw | VERDICT: Thousands read The Diamondback Classifieds Call 314-8000 for advertising information

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No Trash here Indie rocker Stephen Malkmus expands his sound on Real Emotional Trash

BY RUDI GREENBERG Senior staff writer

You may not know who Stephen Malkmus is, but you should. The creator and frontman for Pavement before the indie band broke up, Malkmus’s solo career has been marked by cryptic lyrics and sonically interesting music. On his latest album, Real Emotional Trash, Malkmus is no different — in fact, he’s as weird as ever.

Real Emotional Trash is Malkmus’ second album that credits his backing band, The Jicks, who were previously credited on 2003’s Pig Lib. The band also played on 2001’s Stephen Malkmus, his first solo album, and on 2005’s Face The Truth, but was uncredited on both occasions.

But overall, this is a guitarheavy (read: Malkmus-heavy) album. Malkmus’ guitar guides every song — it sounds kind of like Guitar Hero, in which the guitar is louder than the other instruments.

You can tell by Malkmus’ tone whether a song is a rocker or a ballad; he is the driving force.

But that’s not to discredit The Jicks. On the album, the band functions with Malkmus as a unit.

However, the band is continuously the auxiliary of Malkmus, following his lead, and it is obvious why his name precedes theirs.

Malkmus’ voice sounds as good as ever; it only falters on “Gardenia,” the album’s shortest and most popfriendly song.

For most of the album, though, Malkmus drops the pop and veers more toward the Grateful Dead, as he works his fret board into some trippy sounds. Malkmus did foray into experimental pop rock on Face The Truth, but if that album gave any warning to what Real Emotional Trashwould sound like, it was on the eight-minute “No More Shoes,” which bears a resemblance to Trash’s title track.

The 10-minute, nine-second song features the most guitar experimentation on Trash: What starts out as a slow ballad morphs into a psychedelic exploration before seamlessly segueing back into a more subdued intro.

Probably because of these experiments, Malkmus really lets his guitar playing loosen up throughout the album. Most of the album’s 10 tracks hover around the fiveminute mark, with four clocking in at more than six minutes. He sounds jam ready, to say the least, and allows solos to go on at length during songs such as “Real Emotional Trash,” “Elmo Delmo” and “Baltimore.” Those songs all have sections that sound as if they were pieced together, almost like a puzzle, while still remaining cohesive.

The single “Baltimore” (well, “single” in the sense that Matador Records put the MP3 online for free) is one of the album’s strongest songs. Similar to “Trash,” the song builds during six minutes and 37 seconds, constantly shifting before exploding with a Malkmus guitar freak-out, as many of Real Emotional Trash’s songs do. It almost resembles Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” in structure, with each distinct section standing out from the others.

Trash’s songs are the kind of songs that make you get up, sing along and play air guitar — they’ve got that classic rock feel to them.

Real Emotional Trash boils down to a very interesting album musically. Songs shift and change before you’ve even realized what’s happened, and you’re constantly discovering a new musical or lyrical quirk after repeated listens.

The album grows on you, and you catch yourself singing along before you even start wondering, what does “Elmo Delmo” mean? rudi.greenberg@gmail.com

ALBUM:Real Emotional Trash | VERDICT:

OPENING MARCH 7

Join the Treat Team and Work at Rita’s!

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TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

9

Terps recover from slow start PROVIDENCE, from Page 10

pass, we tried to look for the first shot that came our goals to the Blue Devils. It way,” Cottle said. “That’s did not allow a Providence something we’ve got to work shot until 7:04 left in the on.”

Still, the Terps (3-1) were second quarter. The Terps outshot the Friars 26-3 in able to get back on track in the half and 49-14 for the their first home game after three road contests game. heading into “They have a Saturday’s game couple of good against No. 18 players that we were really keying MEN’S LACROSSE Towson.

“I think, between on, so coach said if Terrapins . . . . . . . . . . 13 we eliminated them, Providence . . . . . . . . . 5 Duke and Towson, this game was a the pieces would fall into place,” freshman good way to get our feet defender Max Schmidt said. back and get back to what “We did that in the first we’re used to doing,” Reed said. half.”

Junior midfielder Jeremy Sophomore goalie Brian Phipps gave up one goal in Sieverts, who recorded a the first half and made two goal, admitted the loss was saves. Redshirt junior goalie probably still in the back of Jason Carter allowed four the Terps’ minds but said goals and made three saves they rebounded well by in the second half, but Cottle continuing to improve.

“In a game like that, there said he faced tougher shots.

Early in the second half, are a lot of things we can fix, the Terps increased the lead obviously,” Sieverts said of to 10-1, and it could have the 15-7 loss at Duke. “But been more. The Terps hit the you’ve got to keep your head post at least five times in the up and realize tomorrow is another day and another game.

However, the offense chance to get better. I think slowed as Cottle started today we made some strides.” rotating in more players.

“Once we got ahead, instead of making the extra edetweilerdbk@gmail.com

YUCHEN NIE–THE DIAMONDBACK

Freshman attackman Travis Reed led the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team with three goals against Providence in yesterday’s 13-5 win.

Terps looking for hope CLEMSON, from Page 10 usually don’t have a week off this late in the season.

There are two ways the Terps can go: They can use the week off to wipe the Clemson game completely out of their head, or they can dwell on it even longer than normal.

“Hopefully we can use this to our benefit,” Williams said. “You never know what’s best in this situation. It is what it is, and we have to take advantage of the situation.”

Two weeks ago, when the Terps blew a double-digit lead to Virginia Tech, they put up a dud in their next game at Miami.

Williams said afterward he thought the tough loss to the Hokies might have had a domino effect into the next game. If that’s the case now, the Terps should feel grateful to have a week off.

But maybe this time, the Terps would have wanted to play another game as quickly as possible, so the sting of the loss doesn’t linger throughout the week.

“We just gotta figure out a way to stick together and come in here ADAM FRIED–THE DIAMONDBACK these next couple days ready for Virginia,” sophomore Landon Senior center Bambale Osby watched his Terp men’s basketball team blow a 20-point lead against Clemson. Now the Terps are in a high-pressure situation. Milbourne said.

STUDENT !

D E D N E T X E DEADLINE MEMBER WANTED FOR STUDENT PUBLICATIONS’ BOARD Maryland Media, Inc., publishing board for the Diamondback, Eclipse, Terrapin, and Mitzpeh, has openings on its Board of Directors for two full-time students.

The Board of Directors sets general policy, approves budgets and selects the Editors-in-Chief for the student publications. The term of office is one year and begins May, 2008. The board meets about once a month during the school year.

For an application, stop by room 3136 South Campus Dining Hall, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and ask for Maggie Levy. Applications are due

by Thursday, March 13th at noon.

It will be up to seniors Gist and Bambale Osby to try and get the team back into the right mindset.

Before the Terps beat Wake Forest on Thursday, Gist delivered a pre-game speech and followed it up with a 31-point performance.

This time around, the message he sends might be tougher to get across.

After the loss to Clemson, Gist was at a loss for words as to what to tell his teammates.

“I don’t know much about how to keep anyone’s spirit up, especially mine right now,” he said.

“It’s hard to take anything positive away from this. I’m sure as the week goes on I’ll be able to find something to tell the team, something that we can build off of.”

If the Terps can rebound from the deflating loss, they can still play their way into the NCAA Tournament. It would be an impressive feat given that their backs are up against the wall.

Then again, it’s not the first time this season the Terps have been in this position.

“This is a chance,” Williams said, “for us to prove how tough we are.” zuckermandbk@gmail.com

Women’s lacrosse has lost 8 straight to Cavs VIRGINIA from Page 10 other. For us defensively, we just need to make smarter choices. We need to be consistent and poised defensively, and the turnovers we want will follow.”

Still, the players understand they need to control their aggressiveness defensively.

“We decided that after the loss against Duke that we need to be a more disciplined team,” senior attacker Katie Princiotto said. “Those are things we can correct by just being a more disciplined team.”

The Cavaliers come into the game with a perfect 3-0 record, which includes a 13-8 drubbing of then-No. 4 Syracuse on Saturday and road wins against Virginia Tech and Richmond.

This will be the Terps’ home-opener after three straight road games. The home game marks the first time Reese, who has missed the road trips due to her pregnancy, will be on the

sideline for the Terps.

“I am really looking forward to it,” Reese said. “Watching games on ACC Select, watching film and listening to the radio is tough. Finally being able to be on the sidelines and support the Terps is right where I want to be.”

The Terps have been very good at home recently. Their last loss at home was in 2006, and they went a perfect 9-0 at home last season. But the Terps have not beaten the Cavaliers since 2003, an eight-game losing streak.

Last season, Virginia held the Terps to a season-low four goals in a 15-4 rout and later eliminated the Terps in the ACC quarterfinals by a score of 10-7.

“We want to get over that hump, especially after Duke,” sophomore midfielder Caitlyn McFadden said. “We are really excited and anxious to play; we want to go out there and give it our all.” bkapurdbk@gmail.com

Seniors held Whittington in check FORWARDS, from Page 10 With the Wolfpack inching closer in the second half and the Terps’ lead down to eight, Harper made two of the biggest baskets of the game — both in the paint — to give the Terps some breathing room, and the Wolfpack never really threatened again.

Langhorne has now scored 20 or more points and grabbed 10 or more rebounds in three consecutive games, while Harper has scored in double figures in five straight games and grabbed double-digit rebounds in five of her last six.

“We had one player that could go inside and match with Maryland, but only one,” Wolfpack coach Kay Yow said. “They got two — and their backup is not bad — but those two are both candidates for All-American.”

Defensively Sunday, Harper, Langhorne and backup Jade Perry did well against Whittington, often playing man-to-man against one of the most physical players in the league and holding their own.

Whittington did end up scoring 16 points — close to her season average of 17.2 per game — but most of her points came after the Terps already had established control of the game.

“I thought Laura and Crystal both, when they had to step up and play her man-to-man, just did a tremendous job,” Frese said.

Heading into the ACC tournament this weekend in Greensboro, N.C., the second-seeded Terps will need the strong post play to continue if they are going to win their first conference championship since 1989.

YUCHEN NIE–THE DIAMONDBACK

Crystal Langhorne posted her third-straight game with 20 points and 10 rebounds against N.C. State on Sunday.

Consistent interior scoring is always a plus, and the other ACC contenders also have excellent post players — Erlana Larkins and Latoya Pringle at top-seeded UNC and Chante Black at third-seeded Duke — who will need to be stopped.

But while in many ways it starts with the forwards, the Terps proved once again Sunday they have enough talent to be dangerous from all over the floor.

“You’re looking at a team right

there where the five starters — every single one will play professionally,” Yow said. “That’s a tough road to hoe.”

TERP NOTE: Langhorne and junior guard Kristi Toliver were named first team All-ACC on Monday, along with N.C. State’s Whittington and UNC’s Larkins and Pringle. Terps junior forward Marissa Coleman was named to the second team, and Harper was named to the third team. schimmeldbk@gmail.com

10

THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008

AP Men’s College Basketball Poll Top 10

Sports

School 1. North Carolina 2. Memphis 3. UCLA 4. Tennessee 5. Kansas

Record (27-2) (28-1) (26-3) (26-3) (26-3)

Prev.

3 2 4 1 6

School 6. Duke 7. Stanford 8. Xavier 9. Texas 10. Wisconsin

Record (25-3) (24-4) (25-4) (24-5) (24-4)

Prev.

7 8 9 5 10

Terps blow by Friars Men’s lacrosse gets 13-5 win

BY ERIC DETWEILER Senior staff writer

Terrapin men’s lacrosse coach Dave Cottle said he could see a bit of a carryover from his team’s loss Saturday at Duke in the Terps’ “brutal” warm-up before yesterday’s home-opener against Providence.

It may have even carried into the game as the Friars were able to hold the Terps scoreless for the first nine minutes of the game by controlling the ball and slowing the tempo. But the No. 6 Terps snapped out of it eventually, scoring the first eight goals of the game en route to a 13-5 win.

“We just didn’t know what to expect from our team coming off a loss, coming in with [a short rest] and all those things,” Cottle said.

“The good news is we played a game. It’s over with. Now we can move on to play Towson.”

After junior midfielder Dan Groot finally put the Terps on the board with 6:00 left in the first quarter, the offense got rolling. They scored seven more goals over the next 10:44. Freshman attackman Travis Reed provided three of the scores to increase his team-leading total to 12.

“It takes a while to get the first one, but once you start scoring, then it gets better,” Cottle said.

The Terp defense buckled down after surrendering 15

Please See PROVIDENCE, Page 9

ADAM FRIED–THE DIAMONDBACK

Coach Gary Williams said the Terrapin men’s basketball team’s season is not necessarily NIT-bound. His players know it will be a rough road if they hope to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Williams to fans: ‘It’s not over yet’ Coach emphasizes that Terps still have tournament hopes

BY ANDREW ZUCKERMAN Senior staff writer

Just seconds after The Clemson Collapse on Sunday night, Terrapin men’s basketball coach Gary Williams walked over to do his traditional post-game interview.

As heartbreaking a loss as it was, Williams immediately delivered a simple message to the stunned fans: Don’t give up.

“It’s not over yet,” he said.

“Just give it a chance. We’ll stay

tough; you stay tough.”

Williams has said all the right things since the final buzzer sounded and is refusing to give up on the season. While fans may be thinking of an NIT bid, the Terps still have the NCAA Tournament on their radar. It’s by no means out of the question, although the Terps probably need at least two more wins.

But, with that said, is one more win even possible, given the way the Terps lost Sunday night? How does a team recover from such a

collapse?

“It will be tough,” sophomore Greivis Vasquez said.

“It will take a while to get over,” senior James Gist said.

“You gotta get over it, and you gotta move forward. The season’s not over yet.”

“You can’t dwell on it too much,” sophomore Eric Hayes said. “It’s gonna be tough to get over, but we have to get ready for Virginia. It’s going to be a tough game, but it’s a game we have to have. Who knows how many we

have to win in the [ACC] Tournament.”

Williams noted yesterday that the Terps have had to go through some rough patches this year.

But nothing compares to what happened Sunday night, including a Dec. 22 home loss to American.

“It’s just like a boxer — how many times does he get up after he’s been knocked down?”

Williams said. “We’ve been knocked down a few times this year; [Sunday] was a pretty good

example, but we’ve come back.

So I’m feeling today that we can come back. It’s not easy, but these are the types of things that, if you use it right, you really get from sports — that once you get out of college it makes you a strong person. We have to look at it that way.”

The Terps have plenty of time off before their next game, which is Sunday at Virginia. It’s somewhat of an odd situation — teams

Please See CLEMSON, Page 9

Terps look for a new opportunity Women’s lacrosse takes on Virginia tonight after a heartbreaking, last-minute loss at Duke on Saturday

BY BRIAN KAPUR Staff writer

The Terrapin women’s lacrosse team has had just three days to lick its wounds after their heart-wrenching loss in Durham on Saturday.

After fouls derailed the Terps against No. 3 Duke, they will have to clean up their act with No. 2 Virginia coming to College Park tonight. With a chance for redemption, the Terps are

very upbeat and excited about tonight’s tilt.

“After the Duke game, we were devastated about that loss,” senior attacker Lauren Cohen said. “It is what it is.

We can only learn from it. We watched it on film, and we know what little things we need to fix. Both of these games are huge. We were off [Sunday] to clear our heads; we are ready to get back out there against Virginia.”

Foul trouble was a major

issue against the Blue Devils.

The Terps committed 29 fouls against Duke, three of which resulted in freeposition-shot goals. Despite the large number of fouls, coach Cathy Reese is not concerned.

“I don’t necessarily consider it a problem,” Reese said. “I think fouls are called on people’s judgment. Every game is different from the

Please See VIRGINIA, Page 9

Softball earning some recognition

BY JEFF NEWMAN Staff writer

YUCHEN NIE–THE DIAMONDBACK

Senior forwards Crystal Langhorne (left) and Laura Harper combined for 41 points in the Terrapin women’s basketball team’s 12-point win at N.C. State on Sunday.

Senior forwards step it up

BY GREG SCHIMMEL Senior staff writer

In the last regular-season game of their careers, Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper made sure to stand out.

The senior forwards led the No. 5 Terps with 20 and 21 points, respectively, and also helped limit the production of N.C. State forward Khadijah Whittington, one of the premier scorers in the ACC. Their production helped the

Terps to an easy 76-64 win in Raleigh, N.C. As it’s been for most of their careers, the Terps were able to rely on Harper and Langhorne whenever they needed a big hoop Sunday, and the team’s ability to get them touches in the post will be key to the Terps’ success in the postseason.

“When we need a big play, we know that we can go inside,” coach Brenda Frese said. “They have the confi-

dence to be able to put this team on their backs and be able to step up and make big plays for us.”

In the first half Sunday, the Wolfpack simply could not find a way to stop Langhorne in the post, and by the time the Terps had built up their lead to as much as 18 shortly before halftime, Langhorne already had 12 points, all on layups.

Please See FORWARDS, Page 9

Off to the best start in program history and owners of the best record in the ACC, the Terrapin softball team received news yesterday that affirmed once and for all they have people’s attention.

Meredith Nelles and Kerry Hickey were named ACC Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, yesterday, after both played integral roles in extending the Terps winning streak to 10 games and capturing the University of Central Florida Knight Games Championship.

“I don’t feel that we’ve always gotten respect in the past from the conference,” said coach Laura Watten. “I think it’s a big deal and great for them. It’s good to be recognized in the conference and respected in that way.”

Last week Nelles (5-0) pitched 14.1 cumulative innings without allowing an

earned run while collecting three wins and one save. The junior struck out 16 batters last week and leads the team with 44 fans. She also pitched her second consecutive shutout last Wednesday against UMBC, an 8-0 victory that was called after five innings.

Hickey batted .500 over six games last week and drove in 10 runs while scoring five times herself. She hit two home runs, one a walk-off shot in the bottom of the seventh against Florida A&M in a 6-4 win last week and another game-winner against UCF in a 1-0 win.

She leads the team in almost every offensive category: batting average (.442), slugging percentage (.721), hits (19), triples (2), home runs (2) and RBIs (15). The freshman has also made significant contributions from the mound, going 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched.

“They’re setting goals and doing very well accomplishing

them,” Watten said. “They’re listening to what I have to say. It’s a long season and we still have a long way to go. They’ve been showing a lot of heart and charisma.”

The Terps (12-1) will begin a 14-game homestand this week as one of the hottest teams in the country and were only two spots out of the top 25 last week, when they’re winning streak only stood at four games.

Still, the Terps know they can’t begin to let up now that other teams know what they’re capable of.

“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” Watten said. “The better your record, the bigger the target on your back is. We’re going to be challenged more and it’s important that just stay focused on us and not worry about who we’re playing. Everybody is important at this point and it’s really just up to us to stay focused and not look at the finish line and continue to work.” jnewmandbk@gmail.com