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Kelly Clarkson doesn’t sound like herself at times on new album

Marah Strickland has regained her starting job with a fury

THE DIAMONDBACK TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009

ANNAPOLIS 2009

Higher ed., economy link gains recognition Officials make strong pleas in support of full univ. system funding

BY ALLISON STICE

99TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 105

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Suspect arrested in rape case Laurel man has no known connections to College Park, university According to police, he is a Guatemalan immigrant who has lived in the United States since age 9.

They are also unsure why VilledaPrince George’s County police arrested a Laurel man yesterday in Morales was in the area and have no evidence to link him to any connection with the rape of other sexual assaults in a female student last month.

College Park. Police do not Derik Villeda-Morales, believe the victim knew 23, was arrested early yesthe suspect. terday morning outside his The arrest was a direct residence in Laurel and result of a traffic stop charged with secondmade by a university degree rape, second-degree police officer, according to sexual offense and secondPrince George’s County degree assault, police said in a news conference held in DERIK VILLEDA- Police. At around 1:40 a.m. last Saturday, Officer Joe Ritchie Coliseum earlier MORALES Lilly observed a vehicle yesterday afternoon.

Police said he has not been previ- matching the description of that of ously arrested and has no known af- the suspect’s. He said he made eye filiation to the university or the city of College Park. Bail has not been set.

Please See ARREST, Page 3

BY NICK RHODES Staff writer

A news conference was held yesterday to announce the arrest of a man suspected of raping a student in February. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

Senior staff writer

State legislators are increasingly agreeing with an argument, long advanced by university officials, that investing in higher education will ultimately benefit the state’s economy and help the state dig out of a recession.

In an effort to hold on to the minor funding increase Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) allotted the university system for 2010, officials are promising tangible economic returns, such as new companies and jobs.

Citing projects that incubate small businesses and university research successes, they are making the same case for an ambitious 10-year public university funding plan that aims to rank the system among the country’s best, and will require more than $700 million along the way.

UP AGAINST

A WALL Palestinian students say their plight goes unheard on pro-Israel campus

Please See STATE, Page 3

BY ADELE HAMPTON

U.S. senators tout federal stimulus bill, financial aid

Staff writer

G

isica Abdallah’s mother still has the key to their West Bank home.

The senior dietetics major’s parents were forced to escape to Jordan in 1976 due to a lack of jobs and mounting pressure from Israel. Abdallah then grew up in Jordan, but a child at the time, she had little clue as to the dangers developing in her homeland.

“They didn’t have a future, and they didn’t want [my sister and I] to grow up without one,” she said. “They didn’t have anything.”

To many students, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often talked about on the nightly news, but carries little personal impact. Last week’s Palestinian Solidarity Week on the campus, which was organized by several student groups, including the Muslim Students’ Association, brought the controversial topic to the forefront of the university’s attention through various programs and events.

College affordability dominates discussion at news conference

Please See PALESTINIAN, Page 2

BY MARISSA LANG Senior staff writer

BOWIE – In a rare showing, state senators, the governor and other state officials met with a group of students yesterday to discuss higher education affordability and explain how the stimulus package, the new federal budget proposal and new legislation that would open up a debt-forgiveness program to more professions would impact students in coming years.

“Reaching one’s full potential is becoming more and more difficult because of

LEFT: Palestinian student Sami Elzaharna. ABOVE: Alison Weir of the organization If Americans Knew discusses the disparity in the media's coverage of Palestinian and Israeli deaths in the ongoing conflict. PHOTOS BY JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

To view video of Palestinian Solidarity Week, visit WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM

Please See FEDERAL, Page 2

Deans to craft college-specific strategic plans Provost says individual schools will need to integrate university goals by semester’s end

BY TIRZA AUSTIN Staff writer

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) speaks at a higher education news conference at Bowie State University. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

Deans and department chairs are reevaluating their own goals in order to personalize the university’s 10-year plan and compete for university funding, officials said.

Following the approval of the university’s strategic plan — which aims to make the university one of

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the top research institutions in the country over the next decade — each college has been charged with developing its own strategic plan by the end of this semester.

The goal is to apply university goals to individual colleges, said Provost Nariman Farvardin, who chaired the committee that developed the university’s plan and oversees its implementation, not-

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ing there will be a big difference between how the university’s strategic plan is implemented in the engineering school versus the journalism college.

“There is a strong culture of research in some of the colleges,” he said. “Research doesn’t play as large of a role in others.”

Norma Allewell, the dean of the chemical and life sciences college,

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said college and department strategic plans will also be used to evaluate how university funding is allocated, noting that reallocation and the strategic plan are “very tightly coupled.”

She said she expects the provost to use the plans as a guideline to reallocate funding at the university

Please See PLAN, Page 3

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Prince George’s County Police use helicopter, infrared radar in search for suspect after incident

BY KYLE GOON Senior staff writer

Prince George’s County Police arrested a man early yesterday morning after he was caught peeping at a female student through a second-floor window in College Park.

Police arrested 37-year-old Roman Clarence Millard of Lanham and charged him with two counts of trespassing, including a Peeping Tom charge, one count

of fourth-degree burglary and issuing a false statement to a police officer, according to charging documents obtained from police. Investigators are looking into the possibility that the crime was a botched burglary.

At about 4 a.m., police said Millard took a ladder from a yard on the 4900 block of Hopkins Avenue and climbed up the ladder to the second floor of another house on the block. A student inside the house saw the suspect

trol cars. The county spying on her, made eye even utilized a helicontact with him and copter in the pursuit ran to get her boyfriend, that flew in the vicinianother university stuty of the campus. dent, said Maj. Daniel Eventually police Lipsey, acting combegan to narrow down mander of District 1. a perimeter off of susMillard dismounted pect sightings by resithe ladder and fled, but dents. The helithe victim’s boyfriend ROMAN copter’s infrared alerted county police MILLARD radar helped identify and University Police who were on the scene within the suspect’s location and pin minutes, combing the area in pa- him down, Lipsey said.

Police caught up to Millard on Girard Avenue, a dead-end court off of Norwich Road, only a few blocks away from the scene of the incident. The search took about 15 to 20 minutes, Lipsey said.

When he was arrested, Millard gave police a false name before he was definitively identified by his fingerprints.

Millard has faced trespassing and Peeping Tom charges before. In 1999, Millard was accused of trespassing in Mont-

gomery County, but the prosecutor dropped the charges before the case went to trial.

Lipsey said the quick response of the students led to the arrest.

“The key to success is getting timely information from our victims,” he said. “That’s how we were there right away.”

Neither of the students involved in the incident could be reached for comment. goondbk@gmail.com

Mikulski hypes public-service debt-forgiveness programs FEDERAL, from Page 1 financial hurdles,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said to the students during a roundtable at Bowie State University. “At the end of the day, [the Senate] wants to make it easier for you to go to college. We want to make it more affordable, and we want to give students the opportunity they need and not be burdened by debts.”

The students — all nine of whom attend Bowie State — were asked to address issues that impede their ability to afford college so the politicians could better understand the conditions students face. The students talked about unaffordable textbooks, difficulty in finding loans and resource shortages for students who do not enter college directly after high school, which caught some of the politicians off-guard.

“Maybe this is just me not understanding, but is there a stan-

dard book for everyone?” asked Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), expressing confusion over why textbooks were so unaffordable for many students.

“Students struggle to pay tuition and fees as it is, so they cut corners to try to mitigate other costs,” Bowie State President Mickey Burnim said, explaining how some students will share books, borrow from the library or forego buying textbooks altogether.

“They do what they have to do.”

Both Cardin and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) assured the students their concerns would be addressed by the federal economic stimulus bill and the proposed federal budget. Both include specific mandates to fund education and expand federal financial aid, including federal student loan programs, a tax credit for middle class families and an increase in the maximum Pell Grant award — the result of a federal program that provides need-based aid to help low-in-

come students pay for college.

“You might have the talent, you might have the dreams, but you need to have the opportunities too,” Mikulski said. “We want students to know that the government is on their side.”

However, neither bill does anything to alleviate concerns about the high cost of textbooks.

But, Mikulski said, the senate recently expanded their debt-forgiveness program— which allows graduates to gain an annual 10 percent decrease in debt for up to 10 years of service — for “public servants” by expanding the definition of public servitude to include more professions such as teaching, nursing and jobs in the non-profit sector.

But O’Malley pointed out that the state government is doing their part to prevent students from having to take out expensive student loans by holding down instate tuition for the fourth-straight year — a move University System

Chancellor Brit Kirwan said is unique to this state.

“There are great things happening for higher education,” Kirwan said. “The tuition freeze is, in part, made possible by funding the state will receive from the stimulus package. And how many other states do you think have had no increase in tuition over the last [four] years? A big goose egg.

Zero. That’s how many.”

The state, which will be receiving federal funding from the stimulus package in the next two weeks, will be charged with the responsibility of divvying up $3.8 billion — $1.1 billion of which is required to be put toward state public schools and universities.

However, critics of the packages said investing money in Pell Grants and giving middle class families a college tax credit wouldn’t stimulate the economy in the short term, and, in light of the recession, the country should focus on measures that would cre-

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), University System Chancellor Brit Kirwan and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) at a press conference yesterday at Bowie State University. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

ate jobs now.

But Cardin said investment now will pay off in the long run.

“These students are the building blocks of our future workforce,” Cardin said. “Investing now will help the economy in the end. But if you allow the recession to rob you

of your future, then that’s exactly what it will do. And our country will not allow itself to fall any further than we already have. That is why improving our education system is not an option, it’s a must.” langdbk@gmail.com

‘Everyone is looking for peace, safety and justice’ PALESTINIAN, from Page 1 But while organizers hoped Palestinian Solidarity Week would give students a glimpse of the Palestinian side of the struggle, they were met with resistance, both in the form of torndown fliers before the week started and offensive posters characterizing Palestinians as violent that were anonymously hung after an event last Tuesday.

Palestinian students and their supporters point to the posters, which had been investigated as a hate crime, as an example of the one-sided dialogue the IsraeliPalestinian issue receives on this campus. Because of the university’s large Jewish population and the United States’ political sympathies toward Israel, it is a challenge for Palestinian students to have a presence, let alone a voice, on the campus, they said.

“It’s so easy to walk up to a person on campus and ask, ‘What do you know about Israel?’ or ‘What do you know about the Israeli conflict?’ and they automatically assume that Israel is right all the time,” Abdallah said. “It’s such a great number of people that it’s so hard to be on the other end and say, ‘Look, we have a story.’”

Yet some Jewish leaders on the campus said that while they understood the goal of Palestinian Solidarity Week, the events did little to promote a two-sided dialogue between students about the issue. For Aimee Mayer, president of the university chapter of the Union for Progressive Zionists — an organization that is “the voice of the Zionist Left,” according to their website — open communication about the IsraeliPalestinian conflict on campus is still sorely lacking.

“This is a campus that doesn’t have a lot of dialogue on it,” Mayer said. “In this way, I thought Palestinian Solidarity Week was great. But that said, I don’t think a lot of their events were open for dialogue. Some students felt that the events themselves ended dialogue from the beginning. But it’s a starting point.”

During the week, audiences were given statistics about the number of Palestinian deaths against those of Israelis, with the number of the latter skyrocketing over the former. As of a 2007 report by the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there have been more than 4,000 Palestinian deaths and more than 1,000 Israeli deaths as a result of the conflict since September 2000. Those numbers, however, do not include the bout of violence which killed more than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers between December and mid-January, accord-

ing to a field report by OCHA. However, these numbers are often overlooked by a pro-Israel media, said Alison Weir, the speaker for last Thursday’s event, “The Palestinian Massacre Will Not Be Televised.” She is the founder of If Americans Knew, an institute that raises awareness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The U.S. connection is the omission that is probably significant,” she said. “Checkpoints are not tollbooths or something.

They’re soldiers with machine guns ... this is routine. The information is there, we’re just not getting it.”

Sami Elzaharna, a senior computer science major, remembers the Israeli enforced curfews.

While his parents are from Gaza, he was born in Annapolis and moved to the Middle East with his family at the age of 5. He returned to the United States to attend this university. Since then, he has made repeated trips to Gaza to visit aunts, uncles and hundreds of cousins. As a child on those visits, Elzaharna’s nights outside ended at 8:30 p.m. — after that, the curfew was in effect.

“I remember during the 1994 World Cup,” Elzaharna said.

“We’re watching [it] over there and it started a little late, because it was in the U.S. at the time. So we wanted to go get food or something, but it was after the curfew.

So I remember, my cousin and I, we would go sneaking behind walls just to go to a shop to get food. These things clearly stick out in my mind.”

While the conflict is often characterized as simply religious, there are other layers of complexity regarding territorial and boundary disputes and who has rightful claim to the land. As a result, the conflict affects not only all who live in the region, but also impacts the opinions of people who live in the United States and other countries with an interest in the issue, said Melissa Waksman, president of the Jewish Student Union, in an e-mail.

“I think one must keep in mind that this issue of Palestinian Solidarity Week is not about Muslims and Jews, but Israelis and Palestinians,” Waksman wrote. “It is important to know that there are members of both religions who are on both sides of the playing field and not the sides one would expect. I believe the religion of the person is independent of the political views of the person, and a person’s religion does not necessarily dictate who they are politically.”

Abdallah, a Christian, remembers her mother’s stories of how the West Bank used to be a place where neighbors lived in peace —

Christians, Jews and Muslims lived side-by-side in one community, she said. But Abdallah’s family was forced out of their home, moving from place to place before finally settling in Jordan as refugees. After living in Jordan for 10 years, a relative living in the United States called with an opportunity for the family to live in the country. They had 20 days to pack their things and leave.

The definition of occupation is a question not easily answered by either Palestinians or Israelis, but for Palestinian students on the campus, the meaning of the word is clear: Occupation is an unexposed persecution.

Abdallah and Elzaharna recounted story after story where domination and cruelty — and poor sanitation and poverty because of an Israeli chokehold — were common themes. Ten years after coming to the U.S., Abdallah returned to Palestine to visit family. She was shocked to find her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents living without clean water or electricity and with nowhere to go. “[My cousin] pointed at these streets that they’re not allowed to look at, because if a soldier saw you peek at that street or glance at that street, you were automatically dead,” she said. “This is occupation. That even though it’s ‘peaceful’ on the West Bank, you still have streets that are blocked off, you still have a prison where people aren’t allowed to leave their homes at times. You can’t go beyond your limits.”

Elzaharna told a similar story of brutality.

“I remember once when my aunt ... was on the street a few minutes after curfew and she was whipped,” he said. “So she came home at the time and she had to lay down on her stomach for the next couple of days because her whole back was whipped and lashed.”

It was those kinds of experiences that Abdallah, Elzaharna and other students wanted to share during the week — and now, after the events are over, efforts are still being made by the MSA and the Organization of Arab Students to work with Jewish student organizations to create an open dialogue.

“I hope there is an opportunity for us to move forward and cooperate,” Mayer said. “We’re not really looking for two different things. Everyone is looking for peace, safety and justice.”

Communication and education are key components in voicing clashing opinions, Elzaharna said.

Without solid understanding and willingness to see differing perspectives, there is no opportunity to make change.

“I think that most people don’t know any better,” he said. “I don’t blame people for that. When I speak to people, I just tell them our side of the story and then let

them make a decision on their own, but I find that the majority of the time, people tend to see the other side. But it can get frustrating sometimes, when you’re talk-

ing to people and you just hear the same thing over and over again. It needs patience on our side.” hamptondbk@gmail.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Mote: Univ. will offer state tangible economic returns in the future STATE, from Page 1 University officials say legislators are more excited about higher education than ever before, an attitude they attribute in part to O’Malley’s emphatic support and in part to increased understanding of how to grow the state’s knowledge-based economy through investments in its colleges and universities.

“In my 10 years, I’ve never seen anything like it,” University President Dan Mote said. “The state legislature has come to a point where they’re very receptive to what we’ve been saying.”

At a hearing for the public university funding model — the end result of a study by a commission chaired by Del. John Bohanan (D-St. Mary’s) — on Friday, Senate Budget and Taxation committee chairman Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Prince George’s County) gave an unprompted speech to his fellow legislators that awed the academics gathered to testify.

“If you look at where we are with our budget, with our environment, even health care, only through higher education are we going to be able to resolve those issues,” Currie said. “It makes sense for our deficit, too. Highly educated people get in a higher tax bracket. It’s how we will grow revenues.”

Mote called it the best hearing he had ever been to. University officials were initially dismayed with the timing of the rollout of the Bohanan Commission, which commits the state to funding higher education more than do three quarters of the states it competes with for jobs. When the

recession was declared in October, many felt the price tag precluded the model from state support. But curiously, the economic downturn emphasizes the need for strong universities, Mote said.

“How are we going to come out of this recession? With new jobs,” Mote added.

“Where do the new jobs come from? New companies. And who is going to create those companies? Our graduates.”

Although the model won’t be funded this year, it would be a positive step if the state adopts the commission’s findings as policy while they are still fresh, said university lobbyist Ross Stern.

In testimonies before the General Assembly, Mote typically highlights the small business incubators and development centers on the campus, which deliver big economic impacts with small startup costs. Mote led a governor-appointed task force that researched how the university system can directly affect economic development whose findings were released in January. The system is also considering a commitment to create 325 companies during the next decade.

Mote often brings up Zymetis, a biofuels company founded by university professor Ron Weiner. The company hopes a biomass it found in the Chesapeake Bay can eventually be turned into a low-cost substitute for gasoline.

Mote said his arguments are gaining traction with legislators and that he likes to think he has had an influence on their thinking. Both the funding model policy and the university system’s budget have favorable odds in the General Assembly.

The legislature’s increased support for higher education is a natural progression after mandates for K-12 education gave Maryland the distinction of being the No. 1 school system in the country. Now, officials are aiming to stop the brain drain of the state’s most talented students in order to strengthen Maryland’s economy.

“When I was growing up, it was all about the neck down, the ability to work,” Currie said. “Now, it’s about the neck up.”

But not everyone buys into the theory that investment in higher education eventually will stop the economy from the dive.

Analysts, as well as top-ranking legislators such as Senate President Mike Miller (DCalvert and Prince George’s), have called for O’Malley to reconsider the tuition freeze and increased university budgets in light of the recession. Neal McCluskey, an associate director at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, said there’s no proof state spending yields higher achievement, which is often because of poor use of funds. He cites economist Richard Vedder, who found that economic growth decreased the more a state spent on its colleges and universities.

“When universities petition the government for money, they talk about the jobs that would be created with the money or the buildings that would be built, basically, what you can see,” McCluskey said. “It’s a flawed equation because nobody looks at how taxpayers would have used the money if they kept it. They could have saved, invested or spent it.” sticedbk@gmail.com

Department plans will influence funding PLAN, from Page 1 level, just as she intends to at the college level. The university’s strategic plan gave the provost the power to reallocate 2 percent of the university’s budget each year.

“There’s a lot of motivation [for colleges] to compete for university funds,” Allewell said.

But despite common goals, deans of different colleges have identified different ways to approach their departments’ plans.

Allewell, for example, has crafted a list of criteria for how to evaluate the department plans, including singling out plans that are “high impact, bold and exciting,” in addition to being well articulated, realistic and in-line with the university’s mission.

On the other hand, Robert Gold, the dean of the school of public health, said his college developed 75 different measures to monitor the success of the school, adding that each department has redone their plan with “an eye toward where they fit with the university’s strategic plan.”

“Everyone should know what our priorities are now and how to maintain our performance,” Gold said. “If you are doing a good job, it becomes a road map.”

Both Gold and Allewell thought the time and effort put into creating a separate plan was worth the effort, they said.

“It’s a lot of work,” Allewell said. “It’s a lot harder than it looks, but it’s tremendously worthwhile.”

Farvardin said he has already seen drafts from individual deans.

He said his office expects all of the proposals to be in alignment with the university’s goals.

Vicky Foxworth, the director of the Center for Leadership and Organizational Change — a consulting department within the provost’s office that provides advice to deans and department heads — said she has helped six or seven colleges draft a strategic plan by walking them through a model plan.

She encouraged department heads to take their colleges’ plans into account, as well as college deans to take the university’s goals into consideration, when designing their own proposals.

“The belief is that the more people you involve, the stronger your plan is,” Foxworth said. “The more people you pull into the process, the better people will buy into the plan.”

Every college and department is expected to use the university’s strategic plan as a guideline, but the specifics of each plan will be much different, Farvardin said.

But Allewell said her college is doing things a little differently.

She has asked departments in the chemical and life sciences college

to submit their plans first so she can read them over before drafting a final plan for the college.

“This is a great exercise,” Allewell said. “The departments like the opportunity to determine their destiny and plan for their future. It helps them better understand themselves.”

While some colleges may need until the end of the semester to finalize their proposals — Donna Wiseman, the dean of the education college, said she is looking at reorganizing the college to improve efficiency but is still working on sorting out the details — others will be ready to submit their plans to the provost in the coming weeks.

Gold said his college, which was founded only last year, and underlying departments are developing a plan that could be finalized in as soon as two to three weeks. Gold said the school had hosted schoolwide retreats to discuss the new strategic plan, which includes measures that will move them to gaining accreditation, Gold said.

He said he plans on revisiting the plan annually to see how the school is keeping up.

Gold said the committee didn’t encounter any conflicts with the university’s plan but had trouble identifying the relevance of university-wide goals to the college. taustindbk@gmail.com

County police announce the arrest of suspect in the recent rape of a university student at press conference yesterday. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

Surveillance footage key in rape arrest ARREST, from Page 1 contact with Villeda-Morales at the intersection of Yale Avenue and Knox Road, one block away from where the victim in the rape was picked up by her attacker.

“He looked at me; I looked at him,” Lilly said. “He looked somewhat nervous.”

Lilly then decided to follow the vehicle, because it matched the description and had a white, Hispanic driver. Villeda-Morales subsequently failed to yield at a stop sign on the corner of Hopkins Avenue and College Avenue, and Lilly pulled him over. He conducted a field interview and issued a citation for the traffic offense. Lilly said the driver seemed extremely nervous throughout.

“When we stopped the car, I had a bit of a hunch, but I’m no detective,” said Lilly, a two-year veteran.

Unable to legally pursue anything further, Lilly let Villeda-Morales go and then immediately contacted the Prince George’s County detectives on call, giving them all the information on the driver and the stop. Lilly, who also volunteers at the Burtonsville Fire Department, was confident his stop had made a difference.

“At that point, I think he was pretty scared of us,” Lilly said. “He knew we were looking for him.”

Eventually, police decided to issue a warrant for Villeda-Morales’ arrest based on the description of the vehicle and driver. Police also obtained a warrant for his DNA and search warrants for his car and residence.

A friend of the 21-year-old victim was talking to the driver of an unknown car near the corner of Yale Avenue and College Avenue when the victim approached and accepted a ride home from the suspect. The suspect took her to an unknown location and raped her.

He then dropped her off on Route 50 in Anne Arundel County, almost 10 miles east of College Park. An off-duty county police officer picked her up from the road afterward. Police are still investigating to pin down a more accurate and detailed timeline.

“The victim is doing as well as we can expect,” said Maj. Andy Ellis, spokesman for Prince George’s

County Police. He said she is aware of the arrest.

Police say it’s not uncommon for suspects to return to the scene of the crime.

“That’s one of the precise reasons we hand out fliers sometimes, because a lot of times, people are very comfortable with the areas where they commit the crimes,” commander of the criminal investigations division of the Prince George’s County Police, Maj. Daniel Dusseau, said. He said in distributing fliers to citizens, businesses and police in the area, they have a greater chance of catching the suspect should he return, citing, among criminals, a common sense of “arrogance” and belief that they can not be caught.

Police credit the partnership between county and University Police as the impetus for the arrest.

“If it weren’t for [Lilly’s] work, this case would still be an active investigation,” Dusseau said.

Assistant District 1 Commander Maj. Daniel Lipsey echoed Dusseau’s sentiments and predicted a harmonious future.

“We’ve had a great relationship before this — we will continue to have this relationship,” Lipsey said.

Police also praised Steven Lane, a supervisor for the university’s security operations center. Lane, working for 22 hours straight on his day off, was able to find the image of the suspect’s car after combing through countless hours of surveillance footage.

Lane explained it was extremely difficult to find the suspect’s vehicle due to the vague descriptions of the vehicle and the suspect, as well as the large time frame they had to work with. Lane was essentially forced to go through each vehicle one-by-one and use a tedious process of elimination based on the limited description available.

Eventually, he had a “hallelujah moment” toward the end of his shift and was able to positively identify the suspect’s car.

The image Lane found, police said, is the biggest piece of evidence in the case so far. rhodesdbk@gmail.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009

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M

embers of the SGA have taken stances on a smattering of academic is- dress these shortcomings. But he’s leading the charge in the wrong direction.

The senior vice president already has an enormous range of responsibilities to consues. They’ve proposed a new course on sustainability. They’ve funded an information session on limited enrollment programs. But regardless tend with, including campus safety, environmentalism and transportation. Throwing of these individual efforts, the Student Government Association has academic affairs into the mix will only result in shoddier work across the board. Sachs failed to express a big-picture agenda. They passed a bill supporting the strategic plan, has justified the change by saying that individual legislators need to take more ownership for the colleges they represent. He’s right that they need to be more aggressive in part because it “intends to improve the quality of undergraduate education.”

But the strategic plan is only a set of guidelines and goals, and the SGA hasn’t yet de- and involved in representing their colleges. But he’s wrong to think that’s justification for the proposed changes. veloped a vision of how they hope to see the new general education There needs to be one person leading the charge on academic isplan implemented. The SGA is the leading body representing unsues. It’s a complicated morass of questions, from departmental dergraduate student interests. It should go without saying that they should be seriously committed to developing a plan to entirely re- The SGA’s vice president funding to the curriculums of new majors and minors. It demands attention to both administrative and intellectual considerations. vamp the undergraduate education program, which is the very reafor academic affairs is a Legislators need to feel more responsibility — and one person in son that the SGA’s constituency is here. charge of academic issues is needed to hold them accountable on a This should go without saying, but unfortunately, recent events vital position. day-to-day basis. We are an educational institution, and it almost demand that we say so. Vice President for Academic Affairs Sterling Grimes, who is responsible for this big-picture agenda, said he spends 30 hours a seems stupid to spend time talking about how much the quality and content of educaweek in meetings with administrators, professors, students and members of the SGA. tion defines students’ experience here. With such obvious importance, it’s only right But in a 30-hour work-week, Grimes hasn’t made the time to meet with Ira Berlin, the that the entire student body has the opportunity to vote for their representative.

Sachs claims that the proposal to change academic affairs to a cabinet-level posichair of the task force restructuring CORE. And we aren’t sure why the SGA hasn’t yet taken a stance on post-tenure review when it’s a policy that stands to benefit un- tion isn’t a demotion, just a reshuffling. But it’s hard to see it that way seriously. A cabdergraduate students by holding tenured professors more responsible for the quality inet-level replacement would be appointed by the SGA president, not voted on by stuof their teaching. At this point, the ship is about to sail — the University Senate is de- dents. “It’s not taking away [from students’] direct representation for academics at all,” Sachs said. Maybe it’s just how politicians talk. But when we see a proposal that ciding the issue in two days.

SGA President Jonathan Sachs said he hopes a new proposal to split academic re- would remove students’ one chance a year to vote for their academic representativesponsibilities between the senior vice president and individual legislators will ad- in-chief, we call it a loss of direct representation.

Our View

Editorial Cartoon: Mike O’Brien

You’re 19 years old. You and your roommate, also 19, have just returned from a night of drinking at an off-campus party. Your roommate is stumbling and barely able to walk back to your room in one of the freshman high-rise buildings.

All of a sudden, your friend tells you he wants to rest his eyes and lies down in the stairwell. You try, but you can’t wake him up. What do you do? Does he need help, or will he be able to sleep it off if you get him back to your room? If you call for help, you could get into trouble for underage drinking. Your parents would kill you if they found out. What do you do?

This is a decision many students face all too often in college. And it’s exactly the type of decision that is supposed to be made easier by a Good Samaritan policy, which would shield students from university sanctions if they call emergency services for a fellow student. The Good Samaritan Policy is again being considered by the University Senate, and a Student Conduct Committee working group on the issue would like to hear from students about similar experiences they have had. We will be hosting an open forum from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Jiménez Room in the Stamp Student Union tomorrow.

Many students believe that a Good Samaritan policy has the potential to save lives. However, it’s up to students to fulfill their role in the shared governance model at this university by speaking up and letting the University Senate know if these types of situations come up and if a Good Samaritan policy would make students safer. So come out to the open forum to tell your story and let your voice be heard!

BRAD DOCHERTY UNIVERSITY SENATOR UNDERGRADUATE

Benefits for all

Going the distance: If at first you don’t succeed...

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ast fall, I wrote about life lessons learned from my disastrous 26.2 mile Marine Corps Marathon race where I failed to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I badly missed the qualifying time of 3 hours and 10 minutes. After collapsing at the finish line, I was content to let my body and psyche heal. The plan was to take it easy over the winter and do some shorter races in the spring before taking another shot at my athletic dream goal of 3:10 a year later.

On March 21, I’ll be running the National Marathon in Washington. So much for the plan!

The road back from a race where I couldn’t see straight for an hour, think straight for a day or walk straight for a week hasn’t been easy. On Thanksgiving, I decided to race for the first time since the Marine Corps race in a three-miler.

Before the race started, I panicked and had to hide inside a building for a couple of minutes until I could swallow up the nerve to do something I’d already done

MATT

DERNOGA 100 times.

As for the National Marathon, I blame my friend. A commercial during Sunday night football in late December told me about the race. He said I should run it. I said there wasn’t enough time. He conceded I was right; I couldn’t. It was like calling Marty Mcfly chicken. There wasn’t much time to decide. I couldn’t wait a year for this. A day later I was signed up for a race with 10 weeks to train; 16 to 20 weeks is advised. For my last marathon, I trained for 22 weeks.

Though I’ve run in three previous marathons, preparing for this one has been toughest. I’ve ramped up weekly

miles run faster than normal. I constantly wake up feeling as though I tried to kiss a freight train the night before. I’ve toed the line between sore and injured. I cut out all fast food, and I’ve eaten more salads in the last two months than in the last 20 years.

We all have dreams and goals. But often, instead of trying to realize them, we keep trying to plot them out, waiting for the perfect opportunity where everything is lined up just right. So much feels planned out and structured. Days move slowly, but months and years fly by. We hesitate. Before you know it, the opportunity has passed, the circumstances have changed and you’ll never get them back to what they were before. There are regrets and memories where we wish we’d left our feet with our eyes closed just once.

With a marathon, there will be second and third chances to get it right. I can’t say the same for much else. Think of the best decisions of your life. I’ve found most of mine put me in a position where I

took the chance, and had to ask myself at least once, “What in the world am I doing here?” These risks don’t always work out, but if you never try, you won’t get what you want 100 percent of the time.

I have found out the hard way that all the preparation, planning and training won’t do it alone. It matters, but at the end of the day, you have to make a decision. I will reach a threshold where my legs scream, my lungs burn and nothing measurable is left in me. All my work will be stripped from me and left to ruin in my wake. In the end, it comes down to wanting something so badly that nothing can keep you from going for it, regardless of the circumstances. When that time comes where we believe something inside us is superior to the moment, I hope we’ll both come to the same conclusion.

Don’t hesitate.

Matt Dernoga is a junior government and politics major. He can be reached at mdernoga@umd.edu.

Post-tenure review: Grading goes both ways

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he faculty’s vocal opposition to the post-tenure review proposal is hardly surprising. Like their colleagues at the public universities in 37 other states that require some form of performance evaluation, university faculty members see this review as the coming of the apocalypse in academia. They fear weakened tenure and job security, curtailed academic freedom and a system where professors are punished for being outspoken or critical. But if professors only put aside their doomsday scenarios, they will see that the facts simply do not support their conclusions.

Public reports on post-tenure review conducted by the University of Massachusetts system, the University of Texas system and the Arizona University system, among others, indicate only a handful of tenured faculty receive unsatisfactory reviews. Even fewer, and in some cases none, are fired. Even someone

with a rudimentary knowledge of the tenure system understands why this is true: Earning tenure is extremely difficult at a major public university such as this one. Faculty members must jump through innumerable hoops to win full professor status, and the evaluation process continues when raises are considered, awards given out, books are published and when teaching occurs.

If the faculty can momentarily stop seeing the proposal as an affront against tenure, they might recognize that the post-tenure review is a way of strengthening the practice. What would the No. 1 criticism of tenure be? Undoubtedly, it would be that university professors have a job for life, regardless of how much they do and how well they do it. Posttenure review fixes this flaw of the tenure system by providing an accountability mechanism. This is a refinement, not an abolition, of tenure. The post-

MATT

VERGHESE tenure review can be an impetus to generally improve the performance of all faculty, rather than being singularly focused on eliminating or punishing those who fall behind. On top of monetary benefits, the university could follow the example of Amherst College and set aside funds for professional development.

With the faculty divided, student senators might just tip the balance in deciding the fate of post-tenure review. Student leaders from the senate as well as the Student Government Association and Graduate Student Government must

come out strongly in favor of a culture of competence at this university. Faculty evaluations cannot be dismissed as superficial and time-consuming paperwork, but must be seen as a step toward the long-term development of the university. Neither students nor the university can sit around idly and let underperforming professors be a drain on limited resources and hinder departmental progress. Mediocrity can be tolerated no more than incompetence, and Provost Nariman Farvardin must be applauded for taking the initiative to raise standards even if it means threatening the status quo and angering more reactionary elements at THIS university. Will student leaders also stand up for a system of accountability and transparency?

Matthew Verghese is a graduate student in public policy. He can be reached at mmverg@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.

As a university employee with more than 22 years working at this university, I am writing in response to Marissa Lang’s March 3 story, “For lesbian couple, a sense of equality looms,” which was about pending legislation that may offer health benefits to same-sex couples. I take issue with family sciences professor Robyn Zeiger’s remark that heterosexual couples have the option to get married.

This blanket statement is simply not true.

There are numerous reasons as to why heterosexual couples cannot or do not marry. Like Zeiger, my partner and I have been living together for 10 years and have made a strong commitment to each other, but I can’t add him to my health insurance. He has had two knee replacements and other health issues, which affect our household budget by thousands of dollars a year. If same-sex couples are being considered for benefits, then why aren’t heterosexual couples? A domestic partner is a domestic partner, regardless of gender.

ELIZABETH A. WEISS ASSISTANT TO THE DEAN COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Real dialogue Jenn Young’s March 3 column, “Dialogue should start here,” is long overdue.

It was refreshing to hear her call for a renewed commitment to dialogue as opposed to each side holding its own polarizing events. And if you are one of these staunch right or left wingers who think dialogue is for hippies, come to a meeting of the Interfaith Dialogue Project or of our sister organization, the Interfaith Council.

You might be surprised at what you see. Both of our organizations are comprised of students of various faiths or of no faith affiliation, from a variety of majors and with a diverse range of religious observance. I must stress this: We are not a warm and fuzzy, hold hands and sing “Kumbaya” kind of group. Our goal is not to agree on everything; our goal is to question and to understand.

We have discussions, debates and sometimes even arguments, but we all love it! And the more extreme and polarized an opinion or person, the better.

JONATHAN KUGEL INTERFAITH DIALOGUE PROJECT

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.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Cowboy at a roundup 6 Went fast 11 7 and 11 14 Address the crowd 15 Humiliate 16 Expert 17 Fragment 18 Weather maker (2 wds.)

20 Battery size 21 Pore over a book 23 Chilling 24 Dens 26 Break up 28 Strong-arm 30 Starchy food 31 Farming major 32 Cites 33 Intelligence 36 Honey wine 37 Delhi coin 38 Evergreen 39 Sushi morsel 40 Future pickles 41 Ceases 42 Like a judge 43 Vote 44 Museum pieces 47 Upper body 48 Knight’s suit 49 Melville captain 50 Whey-faced

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DOWN 1 Sub — (secretly) 2 “Free Willy” whale 3 Lawyer’s aid 4 SFO info 5 Mark down, perhaps 6 Ranis’ spouses 7 Still snoozing 8 House pet 9 Winding curve 10 Abhors 11 Wagner opus 12 Bathtub part 13 Like some stadiums 19 McEntire of country music 22 Before 25 Like the Kalahari 26 Titled ladies 27 Shrink’s reply (2 wds.)

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Also born on this date are: Sharon Stone, actress; Harriet Tubman, abolitionist; Shannon Miller, Olympic gymnast; Jasmine Guy, actress; Prince Edward of Great Britain; Chuck Norris, actor and martial artist; Bix Beiderbecke, jazz musician.

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© 2009 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

TODAY’S CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY:

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orn today, you are one of the most spontaneous individuals born under your sign, and this one trait is likely to make the greatest single difference to you throughout your lifetime. Indeed, those things that you value most in life — be it a strong and lasting relationship, a successful career, financial success or personal power — are no doubt the direct result of your free-thinking, unrestrained, spontaneous nature. This doesn’t mean that you’re a rulebreaker; rather, you work within the rules to see that things go your way.

You’re likely to know just what you want to do with your life at an early age, and though you may shift gears now and then, you’re likely to follow the same rewarding path for years. Along the way, of course, you’ll enjoy the company of good friends and more than one true love.

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49 Made top honors 51 “Puppy Love” singer 52 Tree house?

54 Fido’s shaker 55 Era 57 Kind of rally

43 Mae West accessory 44 Nobelist from Egypt 45 Vogue 46 Sermon enders 47 That place

Hayseed Buddies Soup and salad Ports Word in a telegram

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Checked in Kind of molding Gift wrap Microwaves More slender Wild about Aptitude —

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53 Telescope’s range (2 wds.)

56 Conjecture 58 — Arbor, Mich.

59 Psyched up 60 Smells strongly 61 QB objectives 62 Garbo or Bergman 63 Herring

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.

not willing to undo the damage, however slight, as quickly as possible.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Others may not be sure that you know exactly what you are doing at this time, but you are confident and can see the road before you clearly.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — The happiness you are likely to feel may be laced with just a bit of sadness as well. Light and dark are closely intertwined at this time.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — You’re not likely to enjoy the solitude you are seeking at this time. At work and at play, you’re likely to be in the spotlight.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — You may think that you’re working with the team, but there may be something you are hiding — even from those who know you best.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — That which is most profitable at this time may also afford a chance at lasting satisfaction as well.

There’s no reason to say no.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Someone is likely to give you a second chance — but the real significance of this may escape you for a time.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — A surprise acknowledgment is likely to come your way, and as a result you’re going to have to make a decision about what comes next.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Issues of policy and protocol are likely to get even more complicated at this time. Quick thinking can keep you above the fray.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Now is no time for self-indulgence or self-importance.

You’ll have every reason at this time to put others first.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — You’re impulsive and a bit more outspoken than most — and the combination can prove quite volatile. Take precautions.

Copyright 2009, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE SPONSORED BY:

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THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009

Diversions

MUSIC NOTE: PHISH REUNITES

arts. music. living. movies. weekend. online exclusives ELVIS PERKINS IN DEARLAND — ELVIS PERKINS IN DEARLAND “At least on a thematic level, on In Dearland, Perkins recalls another Elvis: Elvis Costello. Much as Costello did on his classic Armed Forces, Perkins takes battlefield imagery and applies it to the bedroom — where arrows are slung in malice from one former lover to another.” — Zachary Herrmann RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars

HANDSOME FURS — FACE CONTROL “Compared to the Furs’ debut Plague Park, Face Control is far tighter, focused and driven.

Stripping the acoustic guitars and indulgent pace from their sound, the Furs pump out every song with a previously unseen fervor.”

— Vaman Muppala RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Jam icons Phish reunited in Hampton, Va., this past weekend with three sold-out marathon shows. The foursome opened the run with “Fluffhead,” a fan-favorite the group hadn’t played since 2000. The rest of the shows featured a mix of new and old, including a few debuts and old favorites.

The band mostly played it safe, choosing tight and focused songs over long, improvisational jams. Judge for yourself, as all three shows are available as free MP3 soundboard recordings at www.livephish.com.

REVIEW | KELLY CLARKSON

Stuck in the middle Kelly Clarkson’s latest album is a mixed bag

BY KYLE LUCAS For The Diamondback

There’s just something about Kelly Clarkson that makes her so … likable.

Perhaps it’s a bit of nostalgia for her being the first winner of America’s holy grail, American Idol, or maybe it’s the fact that, despite criticism of her image from the blogosphere and lessthan-optimal studio backing, she has still managed to sell more than 20 million albums worldwide. It’s hard to hate the girl, and All I Ever Wanted is a reminder of why.

For this record, it seems Clarkson drew upon the success of 2004’s Breakaway and used some of its finer points to build upon. She hired an onslaught of producers, led by Howard Benson (All-American Rejects and Daughtry) and Ryan Tedder (front man of OneRepublic), and also used the songwriting capabilities of Katy Perry, Tedder and herself, to name a few.

The result, for the most part, is

Classified CALL

Phish’s Trey Anastasio during the band’s show Saturday.

what we have come to expect from Clarkson — pop-rock danceability and a few ballads for good measure.

The album begins with the lead single “My Life Would Suck Without You,” which begins with a quiet guitar riff, a programmed drum beat and a bit of synth. Sound familiar? It’s almost identical to “Since U Been Gone,” an unsurprising fact, seeing as how both songs were produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin. Soon enough, the chorus kicks in, and the listener no longer cares about the similarities to the old song because “My Life” is just as good.

As with most Clarkson offerings, the album isn’t musically progressive, nor is anyone going to be blown away by the lyrics. But as is the case with most pop albums, if one looks past those inadequacies, there’s a solid record here — she has the ability to cross genres, and she does so.

The thing is, on almost all of the good songs on this album,

Clarkson sounds like another group altogether, and she rarely makes any style her own.

“I Do Not Hook Up” and “Long Shot” are above average in their own right and are standouts on this album, but these are the two tracks originally written by Perry for her ill-fated first record, Katy Hudson, and retooled here for Clarkson. And while this could be a non-factor, Clarkson instead opts to change her vocal style to a point where a casual listener could easily think they’re listening to One of the Boys, bringing the song down from what it could be.

“Already Gone,” a song cowritten and produced by Tedder, is slow but catchy with an echoing drum beat. In other words, it’s a great OneRepublic song.

But as mentioned earlier, there are still a few songs in which Clarkson does sound like

Kelly Clarkson recycles some old Katy Perry on her fourth album, All I Ever Wanted. COURTESY OF ABOUT.COM

the Kelly of old, and it’s a relief when she does. The title track has a great grooving bass line and a sing-along chorus that will have most listeners bobbing right along.

“If I Can’t Have You” is the album’s best dance track and should be in clubs within a few months. There’s a great synth line and swift, upbeat drum programming that will fit right in with the Lady GaGa crowd.

The only question mark about this song is that Clarkson has a small amount of Auto-Tune on, and it’s not apparent why — the girl can sing.

Clarkson has gone back to her bread and butter on All I Ever Wanted, and the results are solid. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad that she sounds like so many other artists here, because she has made a good record. But how good can an album be when it’s not a true representation of an artist? Unfortunately, those rumblings about stealing from The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs may be coming back.

Too bad — our American Idol deserves better. klucas7@umd.edu

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TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

Strickland’s defense key for Terps STRICKLAND, from Page 8

Greivis Vasquez and the Terps struggled to penetrate and get to the free throw line against Virginia’s zone. ALLISON AKERS/THE DIAMONDBACK

N.C. State may switch to zone D ZONE, from Page 8 “We just slowed down. It’s everybody’s fault. My fault.

Everybody.”

The Terps were hardly playing great offensively when they snatched a 21-8 advantage, predominantly against a man-to-man defense during the first 14 minutes of the game. But Virginia coach Dave Leitao said the Terps’ flex offense was giving his Cavaliers trouble, so he switched to a zone.

Instead of putting the game away early, the Terps scored just six points in the next 7:24, allowing a previously moribund Cavalier offense to gain some confidence.

“We shot the ball too quickly,” Williams said. “It wasn’t like a lot of points were scored by Virginia — they only had 26 at halftime. It was mostly us stopping our offense.”

A gaze at the box score creates little sense in explaining why the Terps offense stalled.

They grabbed more offensive rebounds than Virginia, committed half the turnovers and even took 20 more field goals throughout the game.

But the Terps weren’t pressuring Virginia’s defense, and they only got to the free throw line six times Saturday.

The Terps settled for 3pointers — shooting 22 total — and just like they have all season, they failed to connect with those on a frequent basis, only managing five makes.

At times this season, the Terps have masqueraded as a 3-point shooting team, but their

32.4 percent shooting on the season attests that they are better attacking the hoop, despite lacking size down low.

Williams said the Terps “were a little stiff ” against the zone during the first half Saturday but thought his team “moved real well” in the second half, scoring 36 points after the break.

“If you’re a good team, you can make that adjustment going to your zone offense,” Neal said.

Saturday, those adjustments came too late.

“We still have to run our plays, we still have to execute the same way we usually do,” Milbourne said. “We can’t let defenses change the way we play. That’s something we need to work on.”

By the time they play N.C. State in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday, the Terps will have had four off days to figure out a solution.

Last time the Terps met the Wolfpack, Vasquez shredded a man-to-man defense despite having noted defensive stopper Courtney Fells marking him.

With Fells nursing a groin injury but expected to play, the Wolfpack may follow the pack in trying to stop the Terps with a zone.

“I know the whole entire ACC Tournament, people are going to be playing us zone,” Neal said. “They see that our man offense is very good but our zone offense could use a little work.” mseligdbk@gmail.com

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received a piece of souvenir twine.

Strickland found former Terp football player LaMont Jordan, one of the program’s most visible boosters, flashed her usual wide smile and presented him with a clipping of the net.

It was a gesture symbolic of the adjustment — from emerging offensive star to helpful role player — that the sophomore from Mt. Airy has had to make this season.

A former McDonald’s High School All-American and regular starter on last season’s loaded Elite Eight squad, Strickland has become coach Brenda Frese’s primary oneon-one backcourt defender despite being dropped from the starting lineup at one point this year.

“I’m just trying to have an all-around game,” Strickland said after Friday’s narrow 7270 win against No. 9 Wake Forest. “I’m definitely focusing on my offense, but always making sure you keep in mind defense ... because that’s the most important thing out there.”

In Sunday’s championship game, Strickland chased Duke guard Abby Waner, the Blue Devils’ main 3-point shooting threat, around screens and all over the perimeter, limiting her to 2of-6 shooting from 3-point range.

The price for Toliver’s increased role as the Terps’ defensive stopper has been a sharp decrease in both her overall shooting percentage and 3-point shooting percent-

age from last season.

That was evident throughout the weekend and especially in Sunday’s game, when Strickland missed her first three shots. But with the game tied at 46 with 15:14 remaining in regulation and the Terps (28-4, 12-2 ACC) struggling against Duke’s zone defense, the player Frese calls “Big Strick” came through.

Strickland hit three 3-pointers in a span of 1:49 to provide the Terps with a two-point lead. Strickland then converted a layup with 9:55 left to put the Terp lead at 10 points.

“Big Strick, as we call her, she loves to make plays,” Frese said. “I knew just the confidence that she was shooting the ball, and I credit her teammates for finding her. I thought we really fed off of some of the key shots she hit.”

Strickland, who is shooting 36 percent from the field this season after hitting 43 percent of her shots last season, said she still had confidence from long range. Strickland was the second most accurate 3-point shooter in the ACC as a freshman.

“I think in every game, you just gotta find the rim,” Strickland said after Sunday’s win. “And being that I’m a shooter, I had to find the rim and [Kristi Toliver] kicked it to me on the right side.”

Earlier this season, it wasn’t clear if Strickland would play as big a role as she did in the No. 4 Terps’ ACC Championship triumph.

She missed the team’s Dec. 21 win at Old Dominion for “personal reasons,” then was

Marah Strickland’s shooting percentage has dipped this year, but her role has grown for the Terps in other facets. JAMES B. HALE/THE DIAMONDBACK

replaced in the starting lineup by guard Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood for the next three games. She returned to the starting five on Jan. 8 against Wake Forest, but missed consecutive road games at Duke and at Clemson because of an illness, according to a team spokesman.

She didn’t regain her starting spot until Wiley-Gatewood left the team on Feb. 15, also for “personal reasons,” according to Frese.

But whatever challenges Strickland faced up to Sunday’s game didn’t matter as she stood wide open on the 3-

point line with just more than 15 minutes left in the second half and her team tied with Duke in the ACC final.

Strickland hit that shot, then three more on the way to the Terps’ first ACC tournament title in 20 years.

“I focused in and knocked the shot down,” Strickland said. “After that I was feeling comfortable.”

And after the game, Strickland was comfortable enough to continue her supporting role by helping others take part in the celebration. akrautdbk@gmail.com

SCHIMMEL

Terps have more defined roles this year SCHIMMEL, from Page 8 sized roster to begin with, and Wiley-Gatewood’s departure exacerbated the issue.

But the Terps seem comfortable heading into the NCAA Tournament as they are, and you certainly can’t argue with their recent results.

It’s possible a short bench could even work to their benefit.

“It’s never a concern when you have seniors like I have,” coach Brenda Frese said, referring to Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver. “They will have this team ready to play.”

Wiley-Gatewood played her last game on Feb. 12 against Virginia, leaving the Terps with fewer reserves than they have starters.

If the five consecutive games the Terps won after that to finish the regular season didn’t convince you they could be successful with nine players on the roster, look at what they just did at the ACC Tournament this weekend.

On each of the three days in Greensboro, N.C., the Terps passed what could have been a major test of their short rotation.

In the quarterfinals against Wake Forest on Friday, they won a game in which Coleman and Toliver struggled to score in the first half.

Coleman had only six points on 2-of-7 shooting before half-

Forward Dee Liles provides the Terps with athleticism and great defense and rebounding ability.

Guard Kim Rodgers played more than she had most of the season in the ACC Tournament last weekend.

JAMES B. HALE/THE DIAMONDBACK

JAMES B. HALE/THE DIAMONDBACK

time, and Toliver had five, making 1-of-4 field goals.

Dee Liles and Lynetta Kizer led the offense, and Kim Rodgers and Anjalé Barrett each hit a couple of big threepointers to keep the game within reach before the Terps’ senior duo heated up in the second half.

In the semifinals against North Carolina, the Terps survived foul trouble for Kizer and Liles, and in the process discovered Yemi Oyefuwa is capable of playing important minutes in postseason play. If the 6foot-6 Oyefuwa can do it again in the NCAA Tournament, the

Terps actually may have stumbled upon more depth here than they originally thought they had.

And, most impressively, in the finals against Duke, the Terps battled fatigue and played extremely well in their third game in as many days. They didn’t let up in overtime, even though Frese said afterward Toliver “looked so mentally and physically exhausted” at the end of regulation.

Finding balanced scoring, dealing with foul trouble and fighting off fatigue are all potential stumbling blocks for a

team with nine players.

The Terps have conquered all of those challenges.

“I don’t think we’re concerned about it at all,” Coleman said after Saturday’s game against North Carolina. “This team’s on a mission. We want to win the ACC Championship. So you have a team that is that focused and wants it so bad, the rest of that doesn’t really affect it.”

You would assume that mindset also applies to the NCAA Tournament.

Five of the Terps’ nine players are newcomers who saw their first Division I postseason action this weekend. So it benefits the Terps knowing that each player has a role, and each player is capable of filling it.

The men’s team, with 12 healthy players on the roster, often lets certain reserves rot on the bench for extended stretches of the season. As a result, they are unable to get into a rhythm and perform when they are finally called upon.

Frese is able to get everybody involved, and each player makes a real impact.

A short bench is yet another reason why the Terps will likely make a long run in the NCAA Tournament.

But I probably have more reasons than the Terps have players. schimmeldbk@gmail.com

R E C Y C L E THE DIAMONDBACK

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009

Sports

AP Women’s College Basketball Poll Top 10 School 1. Connecticut 2. Stanford 3. Oklahoma 4. TERRAPINS 5. Louisville

Cavaliers’ zone D gave Terps trouble on offense

Record

Prev.

(31-0) (26-4) (27-3) (28-4) (28-3)

1 2 3 4 7

School

Prev.

(26-5) (24-5) (29-3) (27-5) (23-6)

8 5 6 12 10

6. Duke 7. Baylor 8. Auburn 9. Ohio State 10. Texas A&M

‘Big Strick’ finally hitting her stride Sophomore now a defensive leader

BY AARON KRAUT Senior staff writer

Strategy may be used against Terps by others in ACC Tournament

GREENSBORO, N.C. – After the Terrapin women’s basketball team won the ACC Tournament in a 92-89 overtime thriller against Duke on Sunday, guard Marah Strickland took on a small but important task.

All the players, coaches, team managers and even university President Dan Mote had already climbed one of the three-step

BY MARK SELIG Senior staff writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After their 68-63 loss Saturday at Virginia, coach Gary Williams and the three Terrapin men’s basketball players who spoke to the media after the game all had a few things in common.

They were irritated. They were unsettled. And they all discussed the same tactical deficiency which led to the loss.

“Once again, the zone defense threw us out of whack,” senior Dave Neal said.

Tri-captains Neal, Greivis Vasquez and Landon Milbourne may have been the Terps’ three best players down the stretch of the regular season, but even they had trouble pinpointing exactly why a zone defense flummoxed them for the second straight game.

They had a good idea last week when Wake Forest used their overwhelming length and athleticism to stifle the Terps with a 1-3-1 zone set.

But even Virginia — who lacks those physical traits and has the secondworst defense in the ACC based on points allowed — confounded the Terps long enough to capture a gut-busting win at John Paul Jones Arena.

“We slowed down when they went zone, and we couldn’t score the last 10 minutes of the first half,” Vasquez said.

Record

podiums underneath each basket to cut a piece of the Greensboro Coliseum nets.

But one of the nets was still hanging, so Strickland stepped up and snipped off the few remaining pieces. While her teammates danced and posed for pictures, she searched out the mob of Terp supporters at midcourt for anyone important to the team who hadn’t yet

Please See STRICKLAND, Page 7

Lack of depth could be an asset for Terps GREG

SCHIMMEL GREENSBORO, N.C. –

I

Guard Marah Strickland has reasserted herself as a key player for the Terps this year thanks to defense and 3-point shooting. JAMES B. HALE/THE DIAMONDBACK

t’s striking when the Terrapin women’s basketball team jogs onto the court before a game, and the single-file line ends abruptly.

You notice it again when you glance at the bench during the game, and you see several empty chairs, even with some players sitting on two seats at the same time.

But the small number of play-

ers on the Terps’ roster simply doesn’t affect them, and they are able to get by with fewer players than their opponents. In fact, the limited roster options have proven to be a benefit at times for the No. 4-ranked team in the country.

Since senior guard Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood left the team for personal reasons last month, the Terps have had just nine healthy, eligible players on their roster.

Emery Wallace took a medical hardship right before the season started, and Lori Bjork is sitting out this year after transferring from Illinois. It wasn’t a full-

Please See SCHIMMEL, Page 7

Please See ZONE, Page 7

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