DIFFERENCE IS TIME
BALANCING ACT
Terp outfielder Mike Rozak juggles baseball, heavy academic load
Four years after being hailed as ‘the next Bob Dylan,’ Conor Oberst has lost his touch
SPORTS | PAGE 8
DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6
THE DIAMONDBACK TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2009
99TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 140
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Univ. Senate delays credit policy vote SGA Pres. Proposal to loosen requirements will be considered next semester BY TIRZA AUSTIN Senior staff writer
A proposal that would make it easier for seniors to study abroad has been temporarily dropped by the University Senate, meaning it likely won’t go into effect until next year. The proposal would have changed a university policy that demands students complete their
last 30 credits on the campus. Instead, students would only be required to take half of their final 60 credits at the university, giving upperclassmen more flexibility. Supporters of the change said it would eliminate a hurdle that blocks seniors from engaging in internships or studying abroad. But the bill was dropped last week by the Senate Executive Committee for technical reasons.
The technical error means the bill, which was popular among student senators, won’t be voted on until at least next fall. While outgoing senate Chair Ken Holum had “no doubt” the bill would be able to easily pass, other faculty members seemed less enthusiastic, arguing students should have to take upper-level classes in their major with university professors. “We have an intelligent and
dynamic student body,” said Donna Hamilton, the dean of undergraduate studies. “We want them to advance their education; we want them to go abroad — it makes them more competitive — we’re talking about an elite student body, but that’s also why we want them on campus. “We don’t want these great
Please See CREDITS, Page 2
Jehan Sadat, a senior fellow at the university, lectures on Middle Eastern peace and feminism. Sadat was married to assassinated former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. VINCE
vetoes SmarTrip legislation Sachs says funding for proposal should go to student groups
SALAMONE/THE DIAMONDBACK
BY DERBY COX Staff writer
In one of his last acts as SGA president, Jonathan Sachs vetoed a bill that would have provided incoming freshman with IDs that double as Metro SmarTrip cards yesterday, a move critics said goes against student interests. Supporters of the initiative said it was designed to encourage the use of environmentally friendly transportation and better integrate the university into the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. But Sachs and other critics maintained the project was a gross misappropriation of student activities fees — the bill pledged the remainder of the SGA’s legislative
Please See VETO, Page 3
Jehan Sadat speaks about reviving the Middle East peace process BY DARREN BOTELHO Staff writer
In 1978, then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Accords, making Egypt the first Arab state to officially recognize Israel. Now, 31 years later, his widow, Jehan Sadat, is trying to revive the spirit of peace that led to the signing of that treaty. Sadat, a senior fellow at the university,
spoke yesterday to a crowd of about 200 people in the Riggs Alumni Center, touching on her past, the role of women in Islam and the prospects for the revival of the Middle East peace process. “The hope that my husband and I once had seems like an elusive dream,” said Sadat, whose husband was assassinated in 1981 by Muslim extremists who were furious with him for making peace with Israel. “Thirty years later,
we have nothing but fighting.” Sadat said after her husband’s death she initially withdrew herself from the public light and moved to the United States. “It’s easy to think that I was running away,” Sadat said. “But, why would I run away from everything familiar to me? I could have stayed and had a comfortable life, but I wanted to continue
Please See SADAT, Page 3
Rain prompts cancellation of commencement prayer protest Rally was meant to showcase secular, religious diversity BY ALLISON STICE Senior staff writer
Yesterday’s rain prompted the cancellation of a rally against the university’s decision to continue holding prayer at commencement, disappointing more than 160 students who planned to showcase their religious and secular diversity on McKeldin Mall. The cancellation negated hours of planning by organizers and undergraduate student senators Kevin Tervala and Lida Zlatic, and upset the plans of students who indicated
Please See PRAYER, Page 3
TOMORROW’S WEATHER:
Re-examining their religious beliefs Increasing numbers of Americans changing their faiths as young adults, survey finds
WHY PEOPLE CHANGE FAITHS
BY JAMES B. HALE Staff writer
Looking at her traditional Muslim garb, it’s difficult to tell that Emma Dyroff was raised by Christian parents and attended a Baptist high school. Dyroff is one of a growing number of Americans who have converted from their childhood faiths. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life indicates 44 percent of adults in the United States do not belong to the faith they subscribed to as a child. Many of the conversions are taking place among young adults — more than half of those who converted left their original religion before the age of 24. College students, separated from their parents and surrounded by new people and ideas, often find themselves questioning their beliefs, which in an increasing number of
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INDEX
According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, common reasons for leaving one’s faith include: 59 percent gradually drifted away from the religion 51 percent said their spiritual needs were not being met 37 percent found a religion they liked more 33 percent were unhappy with teachings about the Bible
The Counseling Center will be relocated while the Shoemaker Building undergoes renovations. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK
Counseling Center will relocate for fall semester Currently in Shoemaker, center moving to S. Campus Diner, Susquehanna Hall BY RICH ABDILL Staff writer
cases is leading to religious conversion. Dyroff, for one, didn’t come to college intending to convert, but after talking to a Muslim friend and examining other religions,
Students seeking services from the Counseling Center next year will have a hike ahead of them — the center is slated to uproot this June, allowing for renovations to its regular offices in Shoemaker Hall. While its facilities are renovated, the center will be temporarily split in half next semester and relocated to the second floor of the South Campus Dining Hall and the fourth floor of Susquehanna Hall. But despite the upheaval,
Please See RELIGION, Page 3
Please See CENTER, Page 2
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 CLASSIFIED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
DIVERSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . .6 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
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