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A BURSTING BUBBLE Terps flounders in NCAA bid with second season-ending loss to Virginia in a row SPORTS | PAGE 10

THE DIAMONDBACK MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009

99TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 104

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Obama sets goal of top grad. rate in the world

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MAKING THEIR MARK

Officials say USM is on track, but national trends must improve

BY MARISSA LANG Senior staff writer

Despite facing one of the highest college dropout rates in the industrialized world, the nation was issued a lofty challenge by President Barack Obama last week: for the country to have the world’s highest rate of college graduates by 2020.

“That is a goal we can meet,” he said to applause before a joint session of Congress.

University administrators lauded Obama’s challenge as “a great direction” for the country and said the university and the rest of the university system are already in line with the president’s goals, but national rates have a long way to go.

Overall, the university system is enrolling, retaining and graduating more students, Chancellor Brit Kirwan said, citing a dramatic increase during the last 10 years.

As of the class of students who first enrolled at the university in 2004, the university’s four-year graduation rate was 58 percent, according to a recent university system report, nearly doubling the rate from 10

Please See GRADUATION, Page 3

To view an interactive map of graduation rates in countries around the globe, visit WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM

East Campus delays will likely impact city projects

BY BRADY HOLT Senior staff writer

Delays to the university’s planned East Campus development have put the brakes on a city plan to redevelop its downtown City Hall property into a luxury hotel.

The city was counting on extra tax revenue brought in by East Campus to help pay for a new city hall outside of the downtown area.

Once it was built, the existing city hall and the storefronts along the east side of Route 1 between Knox and Lehigh roads would be demolished and the property would be turned into a luxury hotel.

The tax revenue would have come from a deal with Prince George’s County in which taxincrement financing would help pay for East Campus, a $900 million 38-acre mixed-use project on Route 1 between Fraternity Row and Paint Branch Parkway. Tax-increment financing uses future projected tax revenues to

Please See DEVELOPMENT, Page 3

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

BY AARON KRAUT Senior staff writer

JAMES B. HALE/THE DIAMONDBACK

Hotel, new city hall could be put on hold until loans become readily available

Team effort defines weekend

Women’s basketball beats Duke for first ACC title in 20 years GREENSBORO, N.C. – Before its semifinal and championship games in last weekend’s ACC tournament, the Terrapin women’s basketball team came out for warm-ups and headed straight toward the conference logo at midcourt.

The entire team scuffed their shoes on the icon — a map of the East Coast with 12 dots to represent the locations of the conference schools — to symbolically “mark their territory,” according

GREG

SCHIMMEL

to guard Kristi Toliver.

In yesterday’s final against No. 3-seed Duke, the Terps found out that taking over the top spot in this particular neighborhood isn’t easy. Despite allowing the Blue Devils to erase a six-point deficit during the final 1:18 of regulation, the Terps (28-4, 12-2 ACC) pulled out a 92-89 overtime victory, winning their first ACC tournament title in 20 years.

To get there, the top-seeded Terps had to endure a surprising 72-70 test from No. 9-seed Wake

verybody got a piece of the net.

After their 92-89 overtime win against Duke yesterday in the ACC championship, each player, coach and several staff members from the Terrapin women’s basketball team walked up the three steps on a platform set up at Greensboro Coliseum and cut down some rope.

Even university President Dan Mote made the climb and got a strand.

Please See TITLE, Page 7

Please See SCHIMMEL, Page 8

GREENSBORO, N.C. –

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SGA bill would restructure executive positions Legislature to debate eliminating student-elected vice president of academic affairs Wednesday

BY DERBY COX Staff writer

The SGA will consider legislation Wednesday that would eliminate an elected position that represents students on academic matters.

If the bill passes, the vice president of academic affairs, who

Showers/40s

INDEX

chairs a committee that meets with the provost, would cease to exist as of next year. Student Government Association President Jonathan Sachs said the move would strengthen the legislature by giving it some of the responsibilities formerly held by the eliminated position. A later bill would create a new

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

cabinet member to replace the executive position.

The timing of the bill is important, Sachs said, because of the upcoming SGA elections. It doesn’t make sense to elect a new vice president of academic affairs if the organization plans to remove the position, Sachs said. The bill is the

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DIVERSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . .6 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

first step in a restructuring process this semester aimed at making the organization more efficient, Sachs and SGA Speaker of the Legislature Matt Lyons said.

The SGA is currently patterned after the university administration,

Please See SGA, Page 2

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NEWSMAKERS Sudan’s president threatens to expel aid groups EL

FASHER,

Sudan – Sudan's president, Omar Al-Bashir, threatened to kick out more aid groups and expel diplomats and peacekeepers on Sunday during his first trip to Darfur after an international court issued an arrest warrant against him for war crimes there.

Sudan has already expelled 13 of the largest aid groups operating in Darfur as part of its defiant response to the International Criminal Court's decision last week to indict him.

The statements came as the Sudanese army announced it was moving toward putting its army on full alert by mobilizing three-quarters of its troops.

The army renewed its allegiance to President Omar alBashir and said it was ready to confront any possible threat.

BRIEFS Lawsuit against town of Walkersville moves forward BALTIMORE – A federal judge has ruled that the key components of a developer’s $16.5 million lawsuit against the town of Walkersville will move forward to discovery.

David Moxley’s lawsuit accuses the town of conspiring to prevent a Muslim group from buying his 224acre farm to build a mosque and religious retreat. Moxley said the western Maryland town violated federal laws that bar land-use regulations that discriminate against religious groups.

Moxley’s lawyer, Roman Storzer, called the decision “very encouraging.”

—Compiled from wire reports

University student Will McConnell and Amado Nieto of Georgetown, above, box during the university’s third annual Maryland Boxing Invitational. Maryland Boxing coach Luke Runion speaks to university boxer Ralph Shui, below, between rounds at the invitational. PHOTOS BY JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

Preparing for a championship

T

he third annual Maryland Boxing Invitational took place Saturday night in Ritchie Coliseum as teams from seven other schools prepared for the regional boxing championships later this month.

Of the 14 bouts that took place in the evening event, 12 featured members of the university’s club team, nine of whom defeated their opponents.

The Maryland Boxing Club was started in 2005 by Luke Runion, a

2008 graduate of the university.

Two years later, the group received permission to start hosting an invitational, and since then, the event has grown each year.

Runion said that because the atmosphere at the invitational is so captivating, the university has been chosen to hold the National Collegiate Boxing Association championship which will take place from April 2 to 4.

— Jaclyn Borowski

Other SGA titles may change SGA, from Page 1 Sachs and Lyons said, but the organization is a governing rather than administrative body, as it has no enforcement powers. The changes would reflect that difference, Sachs said.

“We don’t have an administrative function,” he said. “It’s not what we do.”

Under existing rules, executives are elected directly by the student body and cabinet members are appointed by the SGA president.

Replacing the position with a new cabinet post would ensure whoever holds it would be on the same page as the SGA president, said Lyons, who sponsored the bill. The SGA followed similar reasoning last semester, when it considered an amendment to its election rules that would have allowed SGA presidents to pick their vice presidents rather than have them elected by the student body. The amendment failed overwhelmingly.

Lyons said the current bill is

not a reflection on the performance of Vice President of Academic Affairs Sterling Grimes, who ran with the Students Party along with Sachs in last year’s elections. “[The bill is] not a knee-jerk reaction to any person or any position from this year,” Lyons said.

“We’re looking at long-term restructuring to make the SGA the most effective body it can be.”

Grimes’ position, which is “not very well defined,” “intuitively” fits better as a cabinet position, Lyons said. This year, Grimes said he has worked on issues including course evaluations, the university’s strategic plan, posttenure review and general education — all major concerns of Provost Nariman Farvardin, who is the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs.

Sachs said the bill would not reduce student representation in the SGA because many of the eliminated position’s duties would be filled by other elected members. The senior vice president — who would be referred

to as simply “vice president” if the bill passes — would lead the committee that meets with the provost, he said. Other duties would fall to members of the Academic Affairs Committee, which is currently led by the vice president of academic affairs, Sachs said.

“It’s not taking away [from students] direct representation for academics at all,” he said.

The bill would also change the title of the vice president of financial affairs to “comptroller” to emphasize that the position is independent of the executive and legislature.

Sachs and Lyons declined to comment on the exact nature of further SGA restructuring because the plans haven’t been formally announced.

“This is just the first piece of the puzzle,” Lyons said. “This is something that at the end of our term, we’re going to have a more expansive overhaul of the way the SGA is structured.” coxdbk@gmail.com

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

Hotel project University officials believe goal is realistic depends on East Campus GRADUATION, from Page 1

DEVELOPMENT, from Page 1 pay for the developments that will create those revenues.

Without the funding, city officials said their plans will be difficult to move forward.

“A lot our work in downtown development has to do with East Campus,” College Park Planning Director Terry Schum said. “They’ve slowed down, so we’ve slowed down.”

The developers of the East Campus project, Folger-Pratt Argo, have been unable to get loans, preventing construction. And until construction begins, they won’t be able to apply for tax-increment financing, said Ann Wylie, university interim vice president for administrative affairs.

Wylie emphasized East Campus would be built as soon as financing was available, though she didn’t know when that would be.

“We have a lot of minds working on it, and no one has said it’s not possible,” she said.

Wylie said the best-case scenario for breaking ground on East Campus would be fall of next year, and the actual date could be years away if the developers can’t get loans. She added East Campus’s proximity to the university, a Metro station and the proposed Purple Line make it a top candidate for financing once lenders can lend again.

City officials are also hopeful their planned hotel project will survive the downturn. Two developers, Urgo Hotels and the Peebles Corporation, are competing to build on the City Hall site, Schum said.

Despite earlier urgency, the city’s pace toward a decision has slackened. The city is past its original deadline for choosing between the two developers and is struggling to select a new site for City Hall.

The council voted to go ahead with the project last summer and selected the developers in October.

“East Campus was going quickly at that point,” Schum said. “All that has changed.”

The city’s delays may make it more difficult to buy the storefronts between the City Hall property and Route 1, officials said, and may lead to competition from another hotel planned within the East Campus development just a few blocks away.

“It’s a problem of some magnitude, certainly,” said District 2 Councilman Bob Catlin. “By not moving quickly, we’re creating additional problems.”

Wylie and her predecessor, Doug Duncan, have both said they support the city’s hotel plan and don’t see East Campus as a competitor.

Despite all its hurdles, city officials are confident they will be able to redevelop once East Campus is ready to apply for its county tax increment financing.

“We have no reason to believe [East Campus] is not going to move forward,” Schum said. “Just like our project.” holtdbk@gmail.com

years ago, when the four-year graduation rate was 30 percent.

More than 80 percent of students who enroll at this university graduate in six years. The rates are from a Board of Regents report that will be presented to the board’s education policy committee tomorrow.

“We are absolutely in line with President Obama’s goal,” Kirwan said.

According to the National Report Card on Higher Education published in 2008, the United States is seventh in the world for college participation, behind Korea, Greece, Poland, Ireland, Belgium and Hungary, but the nation ranks 15th for the number of degrees completed per 100 students enrolled. According to the study, the United States graduates 18 out of every 100 students who enroll in a college or university, compared to 26 per 100 students for the leading countries, Australia, Japan and Switzerland.

“While so many people across the globe getting an education is a very good thing, it doesn’t mean [the United States] should sit back and fall behind,” said Patrick Callan, the president of the National Center for Public Policy

and Higher Education. “And we have fallen behind.”

Kirwan led the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education, a committee that analyzed the global gap in retention and graduation rates.

Their final report was sent to Obama’s transition team and other governmental and higher education groups. The experience led Kirwan to believe reaching the No. 1 spot in the world for graduation rates by 2020 might not be as achievable as the president seems to think.

“I applaud the president’s goal because I think we have to set a high aspiration, but 2020 is a very optimistic goal for the United States because we’ve allowed ourselves and our nation to slip behind other industrialized nations,” Kirwan said, noting the United States has the highest college dropout rate in the world among industrialized countries. “There’s so much that has to be done in order to restore the U.S. leadership in this area.”

But despite the disparity, many university officials and higher education experts say the goal is achievable.

“I think [Obama’s plan] is realistic,” Callan said. “We can certainly do this. But this cannot be done on

the federal level alone — we have both public and private universities in this country, and we have 50 states to think about. This will take an effort on the part of all those entities to get us from here to there.”

Kirwan said many universities across the country — like this one — already have plans in place that aim at decreasing their dropout rates. The university’s strategic plan — the 10-year plan that aims to make the university one of the nation’s top public research institutions — highlights improving retention and graduation rates as primary goals.

“This is one of the highest priorities of the strategic plan,” Provost Nariman Farvardin said. “There [is] a whole host of programs and initiatives outlined in the plan that are aimed at making sure students who come to this university get out of this university in a fine amount of time and with a degree in their hands.”

But Kirwan said the problem may be out of universities’ hands.

He said often the problems that lead to students dropping out of college have their roots at the K-12 level — national high school graduation rates have fallen from 77 percent in 1972 to 67 percent today —

or lie with state-controlled standards that are inconsistent across the country.

“There’s a huge gap between the material students learn in high school and what they are expected to know when they start college, and as a result, colleges across the country are spending too much time on remedial education,” Kirwan said. “Another issue is, in our country, we’ve allowed standards to be determined state-by-state, which 100 years ago was understandable, because people grew up and spent most of their lives in a single state. But today that’s not the case.”

Kirwan, who added that Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) created a council intended to increase coordination between public K-12 and higher education officials, said keeping college affordable and instituting national standards for high-school-level education are necessary steps toward accomplishing Obama’s goal.

“I think Maryland is off to a great start in closing this gap,” Kirwan said. “But we, and the nation, still have a very long way to go.”

langdbk@gmail.com

University researchers seek good uses for tobacco Positive plant properties could benefit many industries, help stimulate the economy

BY MICHELLE CHAN For The Diamondback

Even though tobacco is associated with negative stigmas, such as cigarettes and cancer, researchers at the university are working to find positive alternative uses for the plant.

Martin Lo, the head researcher of Alternative Uses for Tobacco and an associate professor of food science at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said their goal is to help revolutionize the way tobacco is grown and used with the goal of helping the economy adjust to changing times.

The ingredients recovered from tobacco will have applications in food, chemical and fer-

mentation industries, Lo said.

However, exact uses for the tobacco plant could not be revealed due to pending patents.

The researchers conduct experiments on raw tobacco plants, extracting proteins and finding uses for them in alternative fields.

“We here at the university are the troubleshooting team,” Lo said. “This [research] expands the horizons.”

Another aspect of the research, according to Lo, involves finding more efficient processing methods after the plant has been harvested. Currently, the tobacco leaf is preserved, but the new method would involve chopping up the leaf, effectively decreasing labor

and production costs.

The findings in the study could also have an economic impact on southern Maryland, according to Lo. The research they have done will impact the farming community, which gives their discoveries an economic ripple, Lo added.

Farmers can gain revenues of $400 per acre of tobacco, so the project aims to provide similar benefits to farmers through their new methods, Lo said.

The Alternative Uses for Tobacco research team consists of professors, graduate students, research assistants and undergraduates.

“For me, it has been a learning experience,” said Ansu Elizabeth Cherian, a second-year master’s

student. “Apart from the usual stigma attached to tobacco, we can find good uses for it.”

Research assistant Sandra Catalian Rodriguez said that while at the Library of Congress, she explained the Alternative Uses for Tobacco project to a group of Fulbright Scholars.

Many of the people were surprised at possible alternative uses for the crop.

“People are getting sick from tobacco and cigarettes, and now you can try to find something different,” Rodriguez said.

“That was a really nice experience, just mentioning that. The learning process is very open field.” newsdesk.dbk@gmail.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009

Opinion Y

THE DIAMONDBACK

STEVEN OVERLY

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EDITOR IN CHIEF

ROXANA HADADI MANAGING EDITOR

BEN SLIVNICK

MARDY SHUALY

OPINION EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Staff Editorial

Guest Column

CORE values

Building bridges or reinforcing walls

ou’ve taken a (D) class, but you don’t understand anything about diversity. schema of sustainable initiatives.

The problem is that they won’t necessarily be forced to wrestle with the very idea of And you’re hardly alone. As we’ve noted in the past, the current CORE studies program is built around a strong list of ideas that every undergraduate should sustainability. In the same way that memorizing the parts of a leaf doesn’t make you wrestle with before graduation — the sciences, the humanities, the arts, etc. question scientific methodology, memorizing the constituent layers of forest ecology But one of the current system’s greatest failings is that students aren’t forced to wrestle won’t make you work through what it means to be an environmentally responsible citwith the way science works or the manner in which we understand art; instead, they izen. This requirement should make students understand the ethical imperative behind a task as mundane as recycling. If the university is going to require a course in just have to memorize the parts of plant cell or recognize a Matisse on command. sustainability, it should give the subject the attention it deserves, The Student Government Association recently made a formal and as the SGA has recommended, develop new classes that adrecognition of one topic that isn’t being addressed in the current dress these deeper questions from a variety of disciplines. FortuCORE list: sustainability. Sustainability is a pressing issue, and politicians are increasingly joining the ranks of activists who recogSustainability is just one nately, there’s already a place for topical courses built into the strategic plan. The plan calls for the new general education curriculum to nize that we are approaching crisis. In response, members of the way to teach social include a class on “2020 Perspectives,” which would focus on curSGA have proposed requiring every undergrad to take a course rerent events and issues. lated to sustainability as part of the revised General Education curresponsibility.

The SGA is pushing a universal requirement for a sustainability riculum that is currently being debated.

SGA Senior Vice President Joanna Calabrese mentioned that the Office of Sustain- course on the premise that everyone needs to be made aware of environmental stewability has a list of more than 150 courses across a range of disciplines that could satis- ardship in order to be a responsible citizen. We agree with the premise, but a lot more fy the requirement. But to rely on such a broad list would only recreate the greatest than sustainability fits that bill. What about the importance of voting? The ethical weaknesses of the current CORE program. At some point during their four years basis for social equality? Everyone should be required to take a class that forces stuhere, future undergrads will be forced to scour Testudo for a class with an (S) that dents to consider their social obligations. One way to frame those social responsibilidoesn’t start too early. And they’ll likely wind up taking a class that fits into the big ties is in the context of sustainability. But it’s not the only way.

Our View

Editorial Cartoon: Shai Goller

Archives: Safeguarding history

L

ast week, a building in Cologne, Germany, collapsed.

Initial reports indicated that a few people may have been killed, although loud creaking noises that preceded the actual collapse allowed most to escape. One witness was quoted as saying the falling building and cloud of debris was “like Sept. 11.”

The building was Cologne’s city archive. It contained many rare, priceless and irreplaceable documents dating back to the year 922. It was the largest municipal archive in Europe north of the Alps. The cause of the collapse is currently unknown, but some people are speculating that ongoing construction of Cologne’s subway system may have been at least partially responsible. A spokesperson for the subway system refuted that charge, noting there was no work being done directly under the archives. City officials are still searching for answers and explanations. The building was constructed in

JEREMY

SULLIVAN 1971 specifically to house the archives. One person assumes it was equipped with all possible measures to protect the materials.

As a historian, my heart aches when I hear stories like this. Archives and libraries around the world contain documents, maps, paintings, letters and other one-of-a-kind materials that are invaluable connections to the history of human civilization.

Closer to home, a fire at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library two years ago destroyed much of a collection of materials that dated back to the colonial era, including copies of the Maryland Gazette from 1775 to 1776, which reported the sign-

ing of the Declaration of Independence as a news item. A construction worker using a heat gun to remove paint from an exterior window caused the fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene only to discover that the two closest fire hydrants were not functioning.

These incidents make me think about the possibility of large-scale construction on the campus for the Purple Line. Some folks concerned about science laboratories have raised objections to the construction.

But we also need to remember what’s housed in Hornbake Library.

Hornbake contains the University Archives: documents, photographs and other materials relating to the history of this university, dating back to its founding in 1856. It also contains significant archival materials related to state history and the personal papers of several influential Marylanders. There are rare books and other literary and historical manuscripts, the National Public Broadcasting

Archives and the university’s extensive non-print media holdings.

In Cologne there were materials that practically dated back to the time of Charlemagne. While there’s nothing quite so old in Hornbake, it nonetheless contains important historical artifacts that must be protected.

I know supporters of the Purple Line will assure us that the construction through the heart of our campus will be completely safe. It seems exceedingly unlikely that nearby construction could bring down Hornbake like the World Trade Center. But last week’s event in Cologne should encourage us to double and triple and even quadruple check any plans for seismic disturbances in the vicinity of a building on our campus that houses such historical treasures.

Jeremy Sullivan is a doctoral candidate studying American history. He can be reached at sullivandbk@gmail.com.0

Students: Working hard or hardly working?

W

e’ve become a nation of cutting corners.

It’s no wonder why pretty soon we’re all going to be poor or owned by China.

When jobs everywhere are going to hell, Americans are still asking one resounding question: How can I get out of it?

Like how people start skipping classes for the most ridiculous reasons.

“Oh, it’s such a nice day. I think I’ll skip.” If that’s your reason, how come you’re spending the day inside watching Tool Academy?

Or, “Oh, this class is too far away.”

Get your ass up the hill outside Stamp Student Union and stop complaining.

Somewhere, someone has a problem worse than walking up a 40 degree

incline. In some places, the incline is 45 degrees.

Students also get upset about having work the week before spring break. And then everyone gets upset the week after spring break too. So really, spring break should be three weeks long. Except then people would complain about having work the three weeks before and after that until we just decided to cancel work forever. You’ve got to draw the line somewhere.

And it’s not like people are any more stupid or lazy than ever before.

It’s just that now they get away with it. Some people here have perfected the art of cheating to the point where they’ve never received a day of education in their lives. These people are going to go off into the world with col-

ROB

GINDES lege degrees and make tough decisions. Hopefully, someone smart will be there to copy off of.

Kids think they deserve top grades just for showing up or simply turning in 10 pages with writing on them. You don’t automatically get a good grade just for existing. But people feel like it’s OK to cut corners and that we should all be treated like winners.

And what’s scary is that we actually are treated like winners.

And it’s not like I’m high and mighty on this one either, because I’m just as guilty as anyone else. I don’t start my work until the night before it’s due, if that. I don’t do readings when I feel like I don’t have to. I turned in this very column a day late.

But we should want to get better, not be OK with sucking.

It’s like those books I don’t read.

Maybe I don’t need them to get good grades, but inside those books is an education. And if that’s really what we were getting graded on, we’re all probably failing.

Fortunately, that’s not the case. My GPA is a 3.35.

Rob Gindes is a junior journalism major. He can be reached at gindesdbk@gmail.com.

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.

JULIE FRANCE Don’t get me wrong. I support Palestinians and the future state of Palestine. I want just as much as the next person for there to be a stable Palestinian state with control of its own borders, domestic policies and international affairs.

At the same time, though, I support Israel and its right to exist and protect its citizens. I acknowledge that Israel violates human rights in the West Bank and Gaza, but I understand that the threat terrorism poses to Israel is serious and unrelenting. Neither terrorist activities nor human rights violations are acceptable under any circumstances, and neither should ever be tolerated. This was the problem inherent in Thursday’s Palestinian Solidarity Week lecture, “The Palestinian Massacre Will Not Be Televised!” from the organization If Americans Knew.

I was proud to be one of the few Jewish students standing up for Palestinian awareness on this campus. Many people declined to support Palestinian Solidarity Week because they viewed it as a vehicle for spreading hatred. Unfortunately, to my dismay, that’s exactly what this lecture did.

The talk and the ensuing discussion focused solely on the Palestinian perspective, neglecting any mention of alternative viewpoints.

I admit there is gross suffering in the West Bank and Gaza, but it is unfair to delegitamize the Israeli cause or those supporting it. The lecture brought up some valid points, but when the discussion session began, the atmosphere became uncomfortable.

The audience and the speaker often put down and belittled questions raised in support of Israel, which sometimes even sparked laughter. Several of the questions were not answered sufficiently or were distorted. For example, when asked about Hamas’ refusal to recognize Israel, the speaker ignored its charter, which blatantly states in its first section: “Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.”

Many other legitimate points in favor of Israel were simply dismissed. The Palestinian government and its people were made to seem infallible. I was extremely angered at the lack of frank discussion on such an important issue.

More than anything, the evening disappointed me because it failed to bring anyone closer to an understanding. Although it brought attention to the frequently ignored Palestinian narrative, it did so at the cost of well-founded Israeli arguments.

At the end of the night, everyone had a little more hate for the other side. I hoped both sides would walk away with a better understanding of the conflict, but Thursday night only further polarized the situation. I hope George Mitchell, America’s special envoy to the Middle East, is better at resolving these differences then we are. Otherwise, the Middle East will continue to struggle. Events such as this one should offer open discussion about the issues in a respectful setting. Instead, all we got was closed-minded hatred.

Julie France is a freshman government and politics and Jewish studies major. She can be reached at jfrance@umd.edu.

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

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

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009 | THE DIAMONDBACK

5

Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD 48 Kind of struggle 40 Snacking 34 This, in Latin 59 Wanted GI ACROSS 49 Go — (cooperate) 41 Kickoff stand 35 Choose 60 Hematite yield 1 Gave out 50 Leggy bird 43 Uproars 36 Lucy Lawless 62 Not shy sparingly 52 Faded 44 Feels sad role 63 Give temporary 6 “Beowulf,” e.g.

53 Portuguese lady 45 Constructs 37 Colorado resort use of 10 Pew locale 47 Make a blunder 38 Seine aits 64 Zero 14 Make smile 65 Scruggs and 15 Just OK (hyph.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hines 16 Off in the 66 Joule fractions distance 14 15 16 67 Biting fly 17 Hair tint 18 Part of an orange 68 Stone monument 17 18 19 19 “I, —” 20 21 22 23 DOWN (rock autobio) 1 Cleopatra’s wooer 20 Weird 24 25 26 2 Arab chief 22 Eyes and nose 3 Melody 24 California’s 27 28 29 30 31 4 To be, to Brutus Big — 5 Toss out (hyph.)

26 Bell towers 32 33 34 35 6 Clairvoyance 27 Not care for 7 Upswept hairdo 31 Katherine — 39 40 41 8 Atlas dots Bates 9 Bargain with the 32 Ell 42 43 44 prosecutor 33 Give comfort (3 wds.)

36 IV squared 45 46 47 10 The outdoors 39 Foreign visitors?

48 49 50 51 11 In flames 40 Cash, casually 12 Barn toppers 41 Bluish-green 52 53 54 55 13 Geologic 42 Mr. Newhart divisions 43 Ninny 59 60 61 62 21 Hearty laugh 44 Wish granter 23 Row of seats 45 Coal bunker 63 64 65 25 Spy mission 46 Breakfast foods 27 Apply a mudpack 66 48 Spare tire 67 68 51 Numerical prefix 28 Hard facts 29 Haughty type 52 Did one’s nails 30 Guitarist — Paul © 2009 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE 54 Consumer lure

Previous Day’s Puzzle Solved: M A N S

AWS L AN I K E T E A K S K I S W I T AWE D L I M I E S S A T A P PR B A L I B L OB Y I P E

D I L L T Y R O

S T I ROS SW I S T S OP E E AN S I T NE R AM V E S A L L I L I L OT

C I N E S S A V O R E A U

55 56 57 58 61

Scow or barge Real estate unit Rangy Anything —?

New Jersey cager

11

36

56

12

37

57

13

38

58

orn today, you aren’t the kind to brook criticism or rejection of any kind very well at all, and for this reason it is very likely that you will find a line of work for yourself that allows you more autonomy than most, for you are at your best when you have to answer to no one but yourself — or, at the very least, only one or two who guide you along the way. It may take some doing for you to rise to the top, but once you do, you will surely stay there for some time; your staying power is perhaps unmatched by anyone else born under your sign.

B

Your emotions can often be quite near the surface, and it doesn’t take much to make them boil over. When this happens, you can actually make quite a mess of things — but fortunately time and experience can teach you how to control such outbursts and to remain on more of an even keel — especially when the stakes are high.

Also born on this date are: Joyce Van Patten, actress; Faith Daniels, news anchorwoman; Bobby Fischer, chess champion; Mickey Spillane, author; Yuri Gagarin, cosmonaut; Raoul Julia, actor.

TODAY’S CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY:

can certainly find it — but not in the usual locations. Help comes from a surprising place.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — It takes more than talent to get done what you have to get done — it’s going to take experience and a cool head, too.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — There’s no reason to keep your plans or methods to yourself at this time. It is likely that others will benefit from what you know and do.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — What started big some time ago is likely to get only bigger — but not all at once. The pace might seem slow, but potential is high.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Any attempt to win over your critics must come from the heart.

Doing something that isn’t really you can only work against you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Something in the headlines is likely to strike you, inspiring you to do something quite unusual for a surprising cause.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about — but of course, even you can have a bit too much publicity.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — The complexity of a current situation may escape you — but only for a short time. Soon, you’ll realize what’s really going on.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — You may be fortunate enough to find yourself in exactly the position you had hoped to be in — and yet something may still be missing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — You may feel as though your time has passed — but in fact a major opportunity could be just around the corner. Don’t miss it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — As soon as you let go of any preconceptions, you’re likely to come to a better understanding of the people around you.

Copyright 2009 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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

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6

THE DIAMONDBACK | MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009

Diversions

ARTS IN THE AREA David Henry Hwang, the Tony Awardwinning and Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright of M. Butterfly, will present a lecture and reading Tuesday at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Gildenhorn Recital Hall. The lecture starts at 8 p.m. and admission is free.

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

FEATURE | A CHORUS LINE

all the crap you care about

A classic Chorus revived

LIVE AT TENT CITY PRISON Once upon a time, an abruptly honest NBA star declared, “I am not a role model.” During the past 16 years, Charles Barkley has proved himself more than right. On New Year’s Eve, police arrested Barkley in Scottsdale, Ariz., for driving under the influence after the NBA Hall of Famer ran through a stop sign. His rush? To get oral sex from a female passenger, of course. Serving his threeday sentence in Tent City Jail, Barkley delivered a press conference from inside the grounds, admitting that he learned not to drink and drive. Interestingly enough, he mentioned no specific regret for breaking the law in the name of a blowjob.

BIG ICKITT In accordance with America’s unflinching desire to know each and every celebrity baby name, news spread like wildfire this weekend that M.I.A. christened her newborn son Ickitt. It wasn’t long, though, before M.I.A. diffused those reports with the following allcaps post on her MySpace blog: “My baby is not called Ickitt, Pickit or Lickit thank you very much to all the Hollywood press. He’s a baby, he don’t need press!” Fascinating claims, really, from a woman who already planned a 2010 tour with said child.

THE BREAKUP: PART TWO Say what you want about these two’s (socalled) comedy shows, but there is no denying Jimmy Kimmel’s and Sarah Silverman’s star-studded faux video feud from last year was just about the funniest take on domestic conflict we’ve ever seen. Alas, there will be no more Jimmy and Sarah for the foreseeable future — People reports the couple is calling it quits. Following their July breakup, the pairing rekindled for the past five months only to once again part ways. No word whether any f---ing of Matt Damon or Ben Affleck was a factor in the split.

Broadway hit is brought back to life with national tour

BY DORIS NHAN Staff writer

When a classic gets redone, many fans of the production may groan, expecting a terrible interpretation of the original. But for the actors of the 2008-2009 national tour of A Chorus Line, their only concern is living up to their own standards.

“My task as an actor is [to] really try to honor the history and the integrity of the show, but also breathe new life into it and find my way through Zach on my own,” said Sebastian La Cause, who plays Zach.

A Chorus Line will stop at the National Theatre in Washington from March 10 through 22. According to La Cause, the revived production features the original choreography and staging from the 1975 show.

Rather than featuring a normal main character’s plight, A Chorus Line focuses on the oftforgotten supporting chorus line and follows the journey of 17 dancers as they audition for roles in an upcoming Broadway production.

Zach is the driven director looking to cast dancers, but has more interest in the dancers’ lives than their resumés and has trouble keeping his personal life out of his work.

“I’m very similar to Zach in a lot of ways, as far as how driven and ambitious and how work-obsessed he is,” La Cause said. “I like to think I have a little better handle on my personal relationships than he does, but we’re similar in a lot of ways, so it’s been easy to find him.”

Bob Avian, the original co-choreographer for the 1975 production, directs the 2008-2009 touring production. In addition, Baayork Lee, who played the

Classified CALL

David Henry Hwang

A Chorus Line is directed by Bob Avian, the original production’s co-choreographer.

original dancer Connie, serves as the choreographer. La Cause said it has been a “fantastic” experience working with Avian and Lee. “They were there when all that happened, so they have incredible stories and a lot of insight into the structure of the piece and the background and where it came from,” La Cause said.

La Cause has been involved with the show since last October and said he will continue to play Zach until his contract runs out in May. Afterward, the thespian plans to move back to New York and pursue other acting opportunities.

La Cause has previously performed in Washington at Arena Stage and the Kennedy Center and has also had small roles in film and television. He said his

many experiences with past directors served as the foundation for the inspiration of Zach.

Although he is performing the same dances and staging as in the original, La Cause tries to concentrate on bringing a sense of uniqueness to the life of a character portrayed by many actors before.

“How you breathe life into it is how you interpret the character,” La Cause said. “So even though you have this choreography or you have to move over to that spot ... it’s up to the actors to bring their own life and their own perspective when they interpret the role.”

Throughout its 34-year history, A Chorus Line has been recreated many times, from a 1985 film adaptation to the 2006 revival on Broadway. Both

COURTESY STREETTALKIN.COM

Broadway productions received Tony nominations, with the 1975 incarnation winning nine Tony Awards.

La Cause said he believes the enduring appeal of A Chorus Line comes from its universal message of pursuing one’s passions.

“I think ultimately A Chorus Line is about people putting themselves on the line to pursue something they’re passionate about,” he said. “I think that’s something people can relate to.”

A Chorus Line runs at the National Theatre from March 10 through 22. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $47 to $92. dnhan@umd.edu

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Summer Babysitter needed for summer months, June 15August 29. Two girls, 9 and 11. Weekdays 8:45 am-3:45 pm. University Park neighborhood. Must have driver’s license, references, and be a non-smoker. $350 per week. Phone: 301-277-6641.

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

THE UPS THE& DOWNS MARISSA COLEMAN The tournament MVP scored 28 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out six assists despite a physical Duke defensive strategy.

BALL HANDLING The Terps turned the ball over 19 times, throwing lazy passes against the Blue Devils' full court pressure.

THE OTHER GUARDS Guards Marah Strickland, Kim Rodgers and Anjalé Barrett combined for 26 points yesterday on 5-of-9 3-point shooting.

DUKE TERRAPINS

36 40

45 41

8 ——————89 11 ——————92

DUKE (26-5, 11-3 ACC) PLAYER MIN FG FT O-T Gay 37 9-13 1-2 2-10 Black 28 3-11 5-6 3-8 Waner 39 4-9 3-4 1-2 Thomas 39 6-19 4-4 0-2 Mitchell 15 4-6 0-2 3-6 Christmas 28 6-13 4-5 3-4 Cheek 20 1-7 2-2 0-0 Jackson 16 1-4 0-0 0-0 Thomas 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 Team 6-7 TOTALS 225 34-82 19-25 18-39

A 1 1 3 5 2 3 0 3 0

PF 2 4 3 1 3 2 1 4 0

TP 19 11 13 16 8 16 4 2 0

18 20 89

PERCENTAGES–FG: 41.5, FT: 76.0, 3FG: 16.7. 3-POINT GOALS–212 (Waner 2-6, Christmas 0-3, Thomas 0-2). TURNOVERS–8 (Black, Mitchell 2). BLOCKED SHOTS–6 (Gay, Waner 2).

STEALS–11 (4 tied with 2).

TERRAPINS (28-4, 12-2 ACC) PLAYER MIN FG FT O-T A Liles 42 1-7 4-4 5-12 3 Coleman 45 10-18 6-6 4-15 6 Kizer 19 2-3 2-2 0-3 0 Strickland 30 4-9 0-0 1-1 2 Toliver 45 7-19 8-9 0-4 1 Barrett 16 1-2 0-0 0-1 0 Oyefuwa 5 1-1 0-0 1-2 0 Rodgers 21 4-5 3-3 1-2 0 Mingo 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 Team 2-4 TOTALS 225 30-64 23-24 13-43 12

PF 4 3 4 3 1 1 1 2 0 1 20

TP 6 28 6 11 24 3 2 12 0 92

PERCENTAGES–FG: 46.9, FT: 95.8, 3FG: 45.0. 3-POINT GOALS––9-20 (Strickland 3-5, Coleman 2-5, Toliver 2-6, Barrett 1-2, Rodgers 1-2). TURNOVERS––19 (Toliver 6). BLOCKED SHOTS––2 (Kizer, Toliver 1). STEALS––4 (Liles 2).

ATTENDANCE––9,943.

7

TERPRECAP

TERPS 92, DUKE 89

Toliver conference player of the year TITLE, from Page 1 Forest and a 95-84 battle against four-time defending conference tournament champion North Carolina, the No. 4 seed.

Then they repeated the task yesterday at the Greensboro Coliseum by holding off another Tobacco Road giant.

“It’s huge for us to beat Duke and Carolina back-to-back in two days,” Toliver said. “To beat two teams of that caliber in the state of North Carolina is huge for us, and we’ll take that confidence into the NCAA tournament with us, without a doubt.”

Toliver, the conference’s player of the year, and forward Marissa Coleman, the tournament MVP, combined for 52 points.

But the Terps turned the ball over 19 times against the Blue Devils’ pressure defense and didn’t score for the final 2:12 of the second half.

Duke forward Chante Black tipped in a miss by guard Jasmine Thomas with 2.3 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 81.

With the momentum on Duke’s side and Toliver visibly fatigued after playing the full 40 minutes, Terp coach Brenda Frese said she had to make an extra effort to rejuvenate her team.

“The first person I talked to was Kristi, because she just looked so mentally and physically exhausted,” Frese said. “I just wanted to get into her mind, to let her know we’re gonna find the energy to be able to push through. ... And just talking to our team, overtime is our time.”

A 3-pointer from Coleman with 2:53 remaining in overtime gave the Terps an 88-87 lead before a layup from Toliver and two free throws

BY THE NUMBERS A statistical look at Saturday’s game

from guard Kim Rodgers iced the game.

Rodgers, along with guard Marah Strickland, supported Coleman and Toliver with critical baskets in the second half. Rodgers, a redshirt freshman coming off of a knee injury last season, saw the most significant playing time of her career in the three tournament wins and scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting yesterday.

“In the beginning of the season, Coach B and I talked about how I had to be patient and keep working,” Rodgers said. “It just happened that I peaked and everything started to come together during this tournament.”

Strickland hit three 3-pointers in a 1:49 to help the Terps get comfortable against Duke’s zone defense in a back-and-forth start to the second half. The Terps built their lead to 10 with 9:55 remaining after forward Dee Liles tipped a Toliver miss to herself and found an open Strickland underneath the basket for an easy layup.

But Duke countered with a quick 6-0 run, and the game turned into a more physical affair. Coleman was called for stepping out of bounds while falling down after contact from a Duke defender with 8:02 remaining.

Coleman, who ended with 28 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, angrily waved her arms up and down on the next defensive possession, trying to get her teammates to match the Blue Devils’ rugged play.

While Duke tied the game in a frenetic finish to force overtime, the Terps held it together, giving Coleman and Toliver an ACC tournament title to go along with this sea-

Kristi Toliver and the Terps hadn’t won an ACC Championship in 20 years, but Toliver’s 24 points helped put an end to that streak. JAMES B. HALE/THE DIAMONDBACK

son’s regular season championship and their national crown as freshmen in 2006.

“We just stay composed,” Coleman said. “I think that’s what we did throughout the tournament. When we played Carolina, they went on their runs. Wake went on their runs and Duke had their runs, so we just stayed composed throughout.”

The Terps stayed composed, won their 12th straight game and likely

locked up the No. 1 seed in the Raleigh, N.C., region of the upcoming NCAA tournament.

But they also earned the distinction of being the best team in the ACC for the first time since 1989.

And they did it in the state of North Carolina, emphasizing their dominance of the league and validating their territorial ambitions. akrautdbk@gmail.com

45 23 20 Minutes played by both Coleman and Toliver

Points off turnovers from Duke, which allowed them to stay close

Years since the Terps’ last ACC tournament championship

92 Points scored by the Terps, the most Duke has allowed all season

Terps make adjustments to win VIRGINIA, from Page 10 “I think it’s a game that gives our kids confidence,” coach Cathy Reese said. “We have a young team, a team full of fighters and competitors, that just went out and had a great time today playing, and good things were able to happen.”

The Terps were slow out of the gate and fell behind 2-1 as Virginia foiled many of their attempts to speed down the field on breakaways.

But the Terps soon adjusted to the new pace, prolonging possessions and keeping the ball away from the Cavaliers. This sparked a 3-0 run to take the lead, then a four-goal barrage later in the half, giving them a 9-4 advantage.

“When we were able to push our transition, we did,” Reese said. “But they took it away from us quite a few times as well, and then we were forced into a settled

offense. But we stepped up and responded.”

Fouls hindered this success, as the Cavaliers converted 5-of-6 free position shots in the game, including two in the last 40 seconds of the first half that cut the Terps’ lead to three.

Still, that lead was enough to carry them through a back-andforth start to the second half in which the teams traded goals.

Then, in the final 14 minutes of the game, the Terps suffocated Virginia’s attack, controlling the ball and the draws and clinching the win.

The Cavaliers had only one goal in the stretch, making the score 14-11 with 4:42 remaining.

But the Terps followed immediately with a three-minute possession capped by a Brittany Jones goal to ice the game. Mollison buried two more goals in the final minute, padding the margin of victory.

Mollison led the Terps with six goals on seven shots. The Terps have had a different scoring leader in each game so far.

“That’s what’s so special about being a part of this team,” Mollison said. “There are so many awesome players. Anyone can step up on any given day.”

The defense, too, played a big part in the road win. The Cavaliers, who had averaged 17 goals a game, were held to 11, and dogged Terp defenders prevented Virginia All-American Ashley McCulloch from notching any goals or assists.

“We want to have a very balanced defense, we want to have a very balanced attack and I think we’re seeing that from our team this year,” Reese said. “I know it’s early into our 2009 season, but so far we’re liking where we’re headed. kyanchulisdbk@gmail.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | SPORTS | MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009

Vasquez: ‘There’s no excuse’ LOSS, from Page 10 balance runner with about 10 seconds on the shot clock.

“I take responsibility on that play,” Vasquez said. “I should have been able to run a good play, but I got confused; I didn’t know what we were running.”

The Terps still had a timeout in their pocket but instead settled for a chaotic possession which yielded no return.

“We didn’t get the shot we wanted there,” Williams said. “But it doesn’t come down to the last play. There’s 39 minutes before that.”

During the first 14 minutes, it appeared that picking up their eighth conference win would be a walk in the park for the Terps.

They jumped ahead 21-8 as the Cavaliers failed to get anything working offensively.

After switching to a zone defense, Virginia summoned an 11-0 rally toward the end of the first half. At the break, the Terps’ lead was cut to one.

“You look at the start of the game, it’s almost like it’s too easy — where you think that’s gonna continue,” Williams said. “We got away a little bit during their run in the first half, of trying to run our offense properly.

When they went zone, we were a little stiff.”

Virginia used its momentum to build a nine-point lead with six minutes remaining.

The Terps had a comeback effort of their own: Neal hit a pair of 3-pointers, and after six previous misses from beyond the arc, guard Eric Hayes finally connected to tie the score 61-61 with 1:46 left.

It wasn’t enough.

In the second half, the Cavaliers scored 42 points on a mere 19 field-goal attempts, while the Terps scored 36 on 40 attempts.

After getting to the line just twice against Wake Forest last week, the Terps had only six free throw attempts Saturday at Virginia.

In his post-game press conference, a solemn Williams rubbed his eyes for a moment, then stared toward the ground, unwilling to make eye contact after his team missed an opportunity for a .500 conference finish. His responses to reporters’ questions were more curt than any he had given all season.

But Vasquez, always candid with his remarks, said what his team and many Terps fans must have been collectively thinking.

“It’s not like Virginia is a great team,” he said. “They won four in the league. There’s no excuse for us to lose against one of the worst teams in the league.” mseligdbk@gmail.com

SCHIMMEL

Terps’ full nine-player roster made impact SCHIMMEL, from Page 1

Landon Milbourne and the Terp frontcourt struggled with Virginia’s size, allowing the Cavaliers to win the battle on the boards 36-27 Saturday. ALLISON AKERS/THE DIAMONDBACK

The celebration was fitting because, as cliché as it may sound — and it is one of coach Brenda Frese’s favorite phrases — the Terps won their first ACC tournament championship since 1989 with a “total team effort.”

The three wins in three days would not have been possible without the contributions of all nine — yes, there are only nine — active players on the roster.

Forward Marissa Coleman and guard Kristi Toliver certainly led the way, and they are most responsible for the balloons, confetti and streamers that rained down on everybody.

Coleman and Toliver combined to score 52 points yesterday and scored all but two of the Terps’ points in overtime.

They were the emotional leaders all weekend, as they have been all season, and they will go down as the most successful duo in the program’s history.

Coleman was named tournament MVP, and Toliver made nearly as many clutch shots.

This is their team, their championship and their legacy.

It was appropriate they got to wear what was left of the nets around their necks.

But it’s important to recognize the contributions of everybody else. The Terps’ run through Greensboro this weekend was anything but a twowoman show.

“What makes it so special is that every single person was involved,” Frese said. “Everybody had key contributions at different times in the three days.”

And that really is the truth.

The Terps wouldn’t have made it past the quarterfinals on Friday without center Lynetta Kizer starring with 16 points and 11 rebounds as Toliver and Coleman struggled to get it going against Wake Forest.

They wouldn’t have won with-

out forward Dee Liles staying active yet composed around the rim all weekend, racking up rebounds and second-chance points.

They wouldn’t have won without the streaky shooting of guard Marah Strickland, who carried the Terps during a rough stretch against Duke, or without the sure ball-handling of guard Anjalé Barrett, who calmly dribbled through the Blue Devil press late in the game and also hit some big shots against Wake Forest.

They wouldn’t have won without the defensive interior presence of center Yemi Oyefuwa, who played solid minutes late in the first half against North Carolina in the semifinals and against Duke, or without forward Drey Mingo, who also gave them depth inside.

They definitely would not have won without Kim Rodgers.

After playing sparingly the entire regular season, the redshirt freshman guard came out of nowhere to provide a major spark off the bench in the tournament. She hit two big threes against Wake Forest and scored in double figures against both North Carolina and Duke.

“Everything started to come together in this tournament,” Rodgers said.

With only the NCAA tournament left to play, Coleman and Toliver are going to continue to set the tone, lead the way and dictate how the Terps are going to play. But the role players need to be able to continue contributing in order for the Terps’ seemingly unstoppable freight train to continue running smoothly.

They all got it done this weekend, and that’s a great sign.

If it continues, the Terps might be sharing the pieces of another net in April. schimmeldbk@gmail.com

JOSEPH

Team has Williams’ persona JOSEPH, from Page 10 coach has responded strongest with his back against the wall. Tell him he can’t, he will. Then, he’ll throw it back in your face.

In recent weeks, Williams had told the media and his players that an 8-8 record in ACC play should be good enough to ensure an NCAA Tournament bid. Whether you agree or not, it’s not an irrelevant point for the 200809 Terps, who just finished their season 18-12 with a 7-9 record in ACC play.

And don’t get me wrong — this season was an eyeopener with regard to Williams’ coaching ability.

Even with 604 wins under his belt entering this season, it’s fair to say getting a team with so little on-paper talent to achieve what this Terp squad has accomplished required one of the better coaching jobs of Williams’ career.

Williams had developed a special bond with these players. That was made all the more clear after the team’s loss to Wake Forest last week when he declared, “These guys have had my back all year. They’ve been tremendous. And I’m gonna have their back going into this game.”

Still, it was clear Saturday that the Terps lacked the same effort they showed

The Terps’ loss Saturday at Virginia was puzzling to players, such as senior forward Dave Neal (above), and fans alike. ALLISON AKERS/THE DIAMONDBACK

against North Carolina, or even in a home win against Virginia earlier this season.

The defense was lackadaisical and Greivis Vasquez, the team’s unquestioned emotional leader, admitted he and his teammates “didn’t play hard.” How that can be possible in such a dire situation is something the Terps will have to grapple with entering the ACC tournament later this week.

“We needed eight guys to be ready to play,” Vasquez

said, “and I didn’t think we had it tonight.”

Friday, I asked Williams if he had taken any time to reflect on his 20th year with the Terps. In response, he shed insight into his view of success, one that goes beyond a final record. He spoke about teams with great records who underachieved as well as the 1989-90 squad that finished 19-14 in the midst of controversy exceeding this year’s.

“As a coach, you measure [success] differently,” Williams said. “You measure in terms of the players you have, how hard they worked — were they willing to work hard, could you get them to work hard, certainly from a coaching perspective. And then you look at what they achieved and how they did it.”

It’s tough to imagine Williams wouldn’t have marked this season as a success had his team pulled off that 8-8 ACC record and made the NCAA Tournament.

Instead, they’ll head into the ACC Tournament needing to win no fewer than two games, the second against a Wake Forest team that simply out-manned them last week.

Then again, maybe this team will respond once again with its back against the wall. ajosephdbk@gmail.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009

More Terp sports coverage

Sports Wrestling wins 2nd straight ACC title Three juniors win individual titles

Along with what’s in the paper, this weekend, baseball was swept by Georgia Tech, softball protected its home field, gymnastics suffered an acceptable loss and both men’s and women’s tennis split the weekend with a win and a loss. For more, check out www.diamondbackonline.com.

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PUNCTURED HOPES Terps crash and burn at Virginia in crucial game

BY CHRIS ECKARD Staff writer

Heading into the weekend’s ACC championships, Terrapin wrestler Brendan Byrne won eight of his previous nine matches.

That one loss was against Virginia Tech’s Jarrod Garnett.

Saturday night, when Byrne went into the finals for the 125pound weight class, he had his shot at revenge against Garnett — and got his redemption.

With a 7-6 decision against the No. 12-ranked wrestler in the weight class, Byrne received an individual ACC title, furthering the Terps’ firstplace lead in the tournament.

Using Byrne’s victory, the Terps went on to win a second straight ACC championship, the program’s 22nd overall. The Terps finished with 70 points, edging Virginia by two points for the second year in a row.

“It’s always nice to beat a guy who beat you earlier in the season; it shows you’re improving and peaking at the right time,” Byrne said.

Notching his first title, Byrne will go down in the university’s history books as the first-ever 125-pound ACC champion.

In the next championship bout at 133 pounds, No. 11 Steven Bell was on the mat for the Terps up against North Carolina’s Mike Rappo, defending his title from a year ago. Bell went down 4-1 early but snagged a couple takedowns and a three-point near fall to win 11-7.

No. 10 Alex Krom completed the trio’s sweep when he beat Virginia Tech’s No. 18 Chris Diaz with a decision of 85 in the 141-pound championship. Krom’s title is the second straight for the Terps at 141, as Jon Kohler won the title last season.

“Byrne, Bell and Krom have been setting the tone all year, and they set the tone again with their victories,” coach Kerry McCoy said. “It was another great week for those guys.”

The Terps found a way to win despite Hudson Taylor coming up short in the 197-pound weight class. Taylor, who entered the tournament as a heavy favorite, went into the championship battle against No. 19 Brent Jones, who he beat 12-0 earlier in the season.

Jones stunned Taylor and the Terps when he got Taylor on his back, pinning him in 38 seconds. The loss was Taylor’s first in ACC play in two seasons.

With Taylor finishing in second, the Terps needed to find a spark from somewhere else on their roster. Heading into the championship round, the Terps had already earned important victories in the consolation bracket.

At 165 pounds, Brian Letters took down Virginia Tech’s Matt Epperly 8-6 in the thirdplace match. The very next match, Terp freshman Corey Peltier did the same when he beat Duke’s Voris Tejada 4-3.

Peltier entered the weekend unseeded.

Redshirt freshman Kyle John, 157 pounds, and sophomore heavyweight Patrick Gilmore both finished fourth.

“Without a doubt, those guys are the reason we won the championship,” McCoy said of his consolation placers.

“There’s an old adage in our sport that championships are won in the trenches. The bonus points we got in some of those matches really got us in the hunt.”

The Terps also secured four NCAA automatic qualifiers with Byrne, Bell, Krom and Taylor. Gilmore and Letters could possibly secure a wildcard berth announced by the NCAA on Wednesday. eckarddbk@gmail.com

BY MARK SELIG Senior staff writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Following a game in which the Terrapin men’s basketball team had everything to lose while their opponents had very little to gain, Greivis Vasquez offered a puzzling assessment for what had just transpired.

“We just didn’t play hard, man,” the guard said. “We didn’t play hard. I would tell you [why] if I’m a coach, but I don’t know.”

For the second straight year, the Terps (18-12, 7-9 ACC) lost to an inferior Virginia team (10-17, 412) in the final regular season game, leaving them with much work to do in the upcoming ACC Tournament.

The Terps let a 13-point advantage evaporate, allowing Cavalier forward Mamadi Diane to bury them with 23 points and a gamechanging 3-pointer during the final minute of his Senior Night.

Virginia’s 68-63 victory at John Paul Jones Arena pushed the Terps, at least temporarily, to the outside of the NCAA Tournament discussion.

“By far, one of my toughest losses — probably of my career,” said forward Dave Neal, who finished with 15 points. “What we had at stake — if we would have won that, we’d still be in the NCAA tourney [picture].”

After Diane’s 3-pointer, which put the Terps behind by three points with 38 seconds remaining, the Terps could only manage a mangled attempt at a tie.

Coach Gary Williams called for a screen-and-role play to attack what he thought would be a Virginia zone defense. When he realized the Cavaliers were in a man-to-man set, he shrieked new orders from the sideline, but Vasquez called a different play.

With the offense disjointed, Vasquez, who finished with a team-high 21 points, dialed his own number, taking an offGary Williams shows frustration in his team’s performance Saturday in a key game at Virginia.

ALLISON AKERS/THE DIAMONDBACK

Please See LOSS, Page 8

Loss leaves Williams hanging his head low

G

ary Williams pursed his lips. He stared down at the table in front of him, never making eye contact. The 20th-year Terrapin men’s basketball coach answered questions in short sentences, never once flashing his trademark quick wit, yet avoiding a tone of bitterness.

The postgame press conference, traditionally at least seven minutes long, lasted just three Saturday. For

ADI

JOSEPH

Williams, a regular season congested by criticism of his program, his recruitment and his relationship

TIGERS CLAWED

with the Athletics Department came to a bitter close. The embattled coach and his band of overachievers had fallen short.

If the bubble didn’t pop Saturday, it certainly began deflating.

Still, staring into the eyes of another NIT finish doesn’t quite explain why a coach who has dealt with 355 losses in his prodigious career would appear so despondent.

I expected an angry Williams after

his team’s horrendous performance in such a crucial game. Instead, the media were treated to a parent who appeared to be explaining to a child, “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed.”

Who can blame him? This team embodied Williams, only to fail him at a critical hour.

Throughout his career, the veteran

Please See JOSEPH, Page 8

No. 3 women’s lacrosse topples No. 2 Cavs in Charlottesville Terps blow past Virginia 17-11 in Friday ACC match

BY KATE YANCHULIS Staff writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 3

The Terrapin men’s lacrosse team won an ugly affair at Towson on Saturday, 9-7, in part thanks to four goals by attackman Grant Catalino. For a full recap, visit www.diamondbackonline.com. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

Terrapin women’s lacrosse team sped to success in its previous three games, but No. 2 Virginia slammed on the brakes, halting the quick transitions that are the cornerstone of the Terps’ offense.

But the Terps (4-0, 2-0 ACC) turned the Cavaliers’ own methodical style against them in a 17-11 win, using long possessions to control the tempo and beat the Cavaliers (4-1, 1-1) at their own game.

“Our team’s so dynamic,” said attacker Sarah Mollison, the Terps’ scoring leader. “We can push transition, we

can slow it down. We want to control the game, and that’s just WOMEN’S how we play. We can push it or we can hold LACROSSE the ball and we can No. 3 TERPS. . . . . . . . . 17 still score either way.” No. 2 Virginia . . . . . . . 11 With the victory, their first in Charlottesville since 2003, the Terps avenged their overtime loss to Virginia in last year’s ACC championship.

Today’s Inside Lacrosse media rankings will almost certainly seat the Terps at No. 2, knocking Virginia from its spot behind defending champion Northwestern.

Please See VIRGINIA, Page 7