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WHITE-OUT

THUNDER CLAP

Talented freshman impressing Bakich this season

Thor is another successful action adventure from Marvel

SPORTS | PAGE 7

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

THE DIAMONDBACK THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Friday, May 6, 2011

Our 101ST Year, No. 143

THE END OF AN ERA

(Top) Gary Williams plays on Dec. 15, 1965 for the Terrapin men’s basketball team.

(Left) Williams was named head coach for the Terps in 1989, replacing former coach Bob Wade amidst rumors of recruiting violations.

(Right) Williams holds up the net following the Terrapins’ 2002 NCAA national championship win over Indiana, 64-52. FILE PHOTOS/THE DIAMONDBACK

‘Time to do something else’ JAKOB ENGELKE

A

s news spread about the retirement of Gary Williams yesterday, the initial — and obvious — reaction from luminaries, fans, the media, players and

THROUGH THE YEARS

coaches was shock.

That response was warranted. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Williams standing on Comcast Center’s sidelines and barking orders at the Terrapin men’s basketball team. After all, he’s been doing it for the past 22 years — longer than most students at this university have been alive.

But in taking a step back and viewing the situation as a whole, it’s easy to see

see ENGELKE, page 7

1965-1967 - Terps coach Bud Millikan starts Gary Williams as point guard.

June 13, 1989 - Williams hired as seventh men’s basketball coach.

March 1993 - Terps’ first NCAA Tournament appearance 1993-2004 - Eleven straight NCAA Tournament appearances April 1, 2002 - Wins program’s first national championship.

March 2003 - Wins his 500th victory as a head coach March 14, 2004 - Wins first ACC Tournament Championship May 5, 2011 - Retires after 33 years as a head coach, including 22 with the Terps.

After 22 years at helm of Terps men’s basketball program, Gary Williams announces retirement

BY CHRIS ECKARD Senior staff writer

Gary Williams, the longtime Terrapin men’s basketball coach who took a scandal-laced program to the heights of a firstever national championship, has decided to retire after 22 years with the Terps, the school announced yesterday afternoon.

Williams will officially step down today at a 1 p.m. press conference at Comcast Center with Athletics Director Kevin Anderson and University President Wallace Loh. “It’s the right time,” Williams said in a release. “My entire career has been an unbelievable blessing. I am fiercely proud of

Junior arrested near Cornerstone says she defended herself Video of arrest goes viral; police charge student with assault, disorderly conduct

BY ERIN EGAN Staff writer

The arrest of university student Emily Lang went viral this week after she was recorded biting, hitting and kicking Prince George’s County Police officers April 26 outside of Cornerstone Bar and

Grill — actions she said were all in self-defense.

Lang, 21, was arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct after she was taken away by Prince George’s County Police at about 2 a.m. that day. But Lang said she has not been given any details about her arrest and did not know she had been charged with any misdemeanors until a Dia-

mondback reporter asked her about it last night.

The video, which was recorded by a bargoer and posted on YouTube shortly after the incident, shows Lang, a junior agricultural resources and economics major, biting one of the bar’s bouncers

see ARREST, page 3

University students traversed the hallways of Capitol Hill yesterday to relay their message to lawmakers: If you care for Israel, show it.

Joining forces with other local universities, seven students lobbied Congress on three main issues: continuing foreign aid for the country, combating the threat of Iranian nuclear weapons and raising awareness of the recent unity deal

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

Staff writer

between Fatah and Hamas, both Palestinian political organizations. Although students were unable to talk with representatives and senators at the event sponsored by Terrapin Students for Israel as a part of Israel Week, many said they still felt like they made a difference.

“I feel like I exercised my right to be politically active ... and I feel that it was successful,” freshman government and politics major Ahuva

see ISRAEL, page 2 Sunny/60s

INDEX

Univ. student indicted for selling fake IDs

BY ERIN EGAN

Students travel to Washington to lobby U.S. lawmakers to support the nation of Israel Staff writer

see WILLIAMS, page 8

The 20-year-old faces dozens of years in prison

Raising voices for Israel

BY MOLLY MARCOT

the program we have built here. I couldn’t have asked any more from my players, my assistant coaches, the great Maryland fans and this great university. Together, we did something very special here.”

Williams, the fifth-winningest coach in the country and the third-winningest alltime in the ACC, amassed an overall record of 668-380 in 33 years as a coach and 461-252 in more than two decades at this university. His resume includes 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven trips to the Sweet 16 and two Final Four appearances with the Terps.

Williams took the reigns at his alma

Sophomore business major Daniel Ensign speaks to Brian Romick, Democratic Whip Director. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

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

FEATURES . . . . . .5 CLASSIFIED . . . . .6

DIVERSIONS . . . . .6 SPORTS . . . . . . . . .8

A federal grand jury indicted a university student Monday on several charges related to the producing and selling of fake IDs. According to the 16-count indictment, Theodore Michaels, 20, and a “co-conspirator” who is also a university student allegedly produced and sold fake Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania driver’s licenses to individuals under the age of 21 from October to December 2009, according to the state’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.

If convicted, Michaels faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy, 15

see INDICTMENT, page 2 www.diamondbackonline.com

2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011

voiced their concerns to legislative aides, asking the United States to stand with Israel.

“For that unity agreement to do anything toward a potential peace between Israelis and Palestinians and the establishment of a Palestinian state, the new unity government needs to denounce violence,” said sophomore business major Daniel Ensign, Terrapin Students for Israel co-president and an organizer of the lobbying event. “They need to recognize Israel as a state.”

Many congressional staffers said they already supported Israel, so students left without stirring any contentious debate, which some said would have been more effective.

“I definitely would have liked to speak to someone who didn’t have the same opinions I did in terms of Israel,” said sophomore finance and history major Nathan Cohen, who is also president of this university’s Zionist Organization of America chapter. “I think that perhaps if I were to show them my opinion, they may think in a different light ... and maybe that could change their opinion into support for Israel.”

While students said lobbying in Washington shows federal officials that they have constituents who care about Israel, they also said university-wide efforts are crucial.

“I wish that more students on campus who are pro-Israel would show their support,” Rickman said. “I know we have Israeli cultural groups on campus, but the only way we’re ever going to achieve any kind of progress is if people from both sides engage in meaningful discussion.”

ISRAEL from page 1 Sunshine said. “Students should take the opportunity to be politically active.”

The first stop of the day was a trip to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington, where students learned how to voice their opinions effectively to congressional officials.

“We went over the seven keys of lobbying, and it was good because we were able to understand how to accurately present the information we wanted to present,” said freshman finance major Ira Rickman. “[They taught] us to keep it simple, keep it brief and get our message across properly.”

Every year, Israel receives $3 billion in foreign aid from the United States. Students said they wanted to ensure funding would continue.

Also on the agenda was maintaining the United States’ economic sanctions on Iran for as long as the country continues to develop nuclear weapons. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said publicly that Israel should be “wiped off the map” — a translation by news sources from a speech that agreed with statements made by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Creating a lasting peace in the Middle East is crucial, students said, and Wednesday’s reconciliatory agreement between Fatah — the majority political party in Palestinian territory — and Hamas — Fatah’s rival political party, recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, that often orchestrates violent attacks on Israel — had them worried. Students

INDICTMENT from page 1 years for each of the seven counts of the production and transfer of fraudulent identification documents, and another 15 years for possessing documentmaking implements, the U.S. attorney’s office said. He could also face a $12,500 fine in addition to jail time.

Michaels, a Potomac native, was released after his Greenbelt court appearance Wednesday.

marcot@umdbk.com

Week of May 6th 6198 Greenbelt Rd. Center Court of Beltway Plaza Mall

Franklin Park in Greenbelt ups safety measures, refurbishes interior

BY LAUREN KIRKWOOD Staff writer

An overhaul of a Greenbelt apartment complex, aimed at improving safety measures and providing graduate students with affordable housing , is underway, according to the apartment building’s representatives.

Franklin Park at Greenbelt Station, a 153-acre complex with nearly 3,000 individual housing units, is targeting university graduate students to fill its refurbished rooms, said Sharon Thames, a representative for Fieldstone Properties, the company that bought the complex in October. According to the Prince George’s Gazette,there is a history of crime in the area, but Thames said her team is committed to changing that perception.

“We are serious about changing our profile,” she said.

In 2009, nearly 40 percent of the city’s reported crimes took place close to the complex — which was previously called Empirian Village — and 41 percent of crimes last year as of August, The Gazette reported in November.

The Prince George’s Police Department did not return calls for comment last night.

By requiring residents to have better credit and excluding any applicants with a criminal background, the complex has cut down on crime significantly, Thames said.

number of IDs he allegedly sold.

“He was charged for seven in the indictment, but that’s a definite number,” she said. “Because they’re seeking a forfeiture of $12,500, that would indicate there were more.”

According to documents obtained by The Diamondback, Michaels allegedly charged $100 to $170 for each license and allegedly offered a free license to anyone who referred five new customers to him. The documents also allege that Michaels and his partner created the IDs

Marcia Murphy, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office, could neither give details about nor identify the co-conspirator but said the unnamed student had not yet been charged.

“Based on the indictment papers, I would say [the co-conspirator was] not charged,” Murphy said. “I’m not sure if they’re in trouble at all, but right now, he’s not charged.”

Court documents said Michaels is charged with making seven different fake IDs, but Murphy said that may not be the total

Academy Stadium Theatre

Complex targets univ. graduate students

Franklin Park at Greenbelt Station is undergoing renovations and increasing security measures to target graduate students in need of affordable housing. JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

The building’s owners are seeking to continue this trend by requesting $15 million in tax-increment financing — public funding for community improvement projects — to construct a bridge and walkway to Greenbelt Metro Station equipped with bluelight call boxes; this would make the area much safer for pedestrians, Thames said.

These improvements, along with existing measures such as security cameras and an onsite Greenbelt police officer, should make the apartments more attractive to students, Thames said.

In addition, Thames said Franklin Park, which has been renovating at a rate of 80 to 100 units per month since October, is aiming to “improve the demographics” of its residents as it

in their dorm room using “an identification card printer and encoder, a thermal printer used to create false holograms of state seals and other tools.”

Michaels and his partner allegedly asked that customers provide photographs, names, addresses, dates of birth and other information they wanted on their fake IDs, the documents said.

The U.S. attorney’s office said the IDs featured holograms that appeared to be authentic and magnetic strips encoded with data that could be read

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aims to attract more students to the property.

“We’re really focused on the University of Maryland because most of the student population that lives here comes from UMD,” Thames said. “We really want to emphasize that we are new — we are changing.”

Graduate Student Government President Anna Bedford said she talked with Fieldstone Properties about housing characteristics graduate students prefer — with affordability topping the list. She said high housing costs have become a problem and that prices at Graduate Hills and Graduate Gardens — the two all-graduate student housing options closest to campus — continue to rise.

As safety is another high-priority, Bedford said the complex’s

when swiped.

Murphy said she is unsure if any of the ID customers will get in any legal trouble, but the U.S. attorney’s office has their names.

University Police Chief David Mitchell declined to comment, saying the U.S. attorney’s office requested that no one answer questions.

Some students said they thought the potential punishments for each charge were too stringent.

“That’s really harsh,” said freshman biology major Jasmine Powell. “I feel like a lot of

work on the security front will likely pull students in as well.

“It takes a lot of work to change an area and turn around the crime levels and reputation,” she said.

One more reasonablypriced housing option for these students is a step in the right direction, said Dennis Passarella-George, the university’s assistant director for housing partnerships.

“I often hear from graduate students that there aren’t lots of options that meet all of graduate students’ needs,” he said. “Affordable, convenient housing is sometimes difficult to find. I think what Franklin Park offers is another option in the mix.” kirkwood@umdbk.com

students buy fake IDs, they’re not uncommon.”

Powell added that she thinks there are not many students at the university who produce and sell fake IDs, but that it’s not difficult to find someone to get one.

According to court documents, with the exception of a few traffic violations, these charges are Michaels’ first criminal charges. Murphy declined to specify when Michaels was originally arrested. egan@umdbk.com

FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

Univ. Senate votes to continue family service program Increased funding to allow for more family care consultations

BY SPENCER ISRAEL Staff writer

After seven months, Cluck-U is expected to open in June but under different management.

GARY CHEN/THE DIAMONDBACK

Cluck-U will return to city this summer Eatery to have renovated interior, new menu, will be called Cluckster’s

BY LAUREN KIRKWOOD Staff writer

After an almost sevenmonth absence, Cluck-U Chicken representatives are staging the eater y’s College Park comeback.

With a renovated interior, menu tweaks and a new name, the restaurant is set to open as soon as June, according to Cluck-U Corp.’s lawyer Richard Daniels.

A city staple since 1990, many students said they were shocked when the eatery closed abruptly Oct. 22. But less than a month later, Daniels said downtown had not seen the last of the establishment that shuttered after new managers — unaffiliated with Cluck-U Corp. — did not comply with franchise requirements and had not paid rent for almost six months.

Now, the establishment will

reopen as a corporate store called Cluckster’s by Cluck-U and will be owned and operated by J.P. Haddad, the president of Cluck-U Corp.

Haddad said the name change will give the eater y a fresh start; many students had previously referred to the chicken joint as their “latenight eater y.”

“We feel that this is an evolution,” Haddad said.

The College Park location is following suit, refurbishing its interior to provide a more aesthetically pleasing environment, Daniels said.

“This particular store, it’s going to be located where Cluck-U was, but they have completely gutted and renovated that space,” he said.

The seating area will expand from 30 seats to 50, and the establishment will be updated with new tables, chairs and lights, he added

— improvements students said would make the chain more enticing.

“I’d only been once or twice but a lot of my [field hockey] teammates went there,” sophomore environmental science and policy major Natalie Hunter said. “They loved Cluck-U and were really disappointed when it closed. I think it’s a popular place to eat, but it was kind of run-down.”

The restaurant’s new mantra will be quality over quantity, as Haddad said the eater y’s menu will be shortened to focus on upping the mouthwatering appeal of each listed item.

“It’s basically going to be more of a ‘shrink menu,’” Haddad said, explaining Cluckster’s plans to offer three different sides instead of 10 and only the most popular sandwiches.

Some students said Cluck-

ster’s may face tough competition in downtown’s harsh economic climate and reputation for rapid business turnover.

“It might work out for them; we’ll have to wait and see,” said junior criminology and criminal justice major Dan Vernes.

Vernes said the renovations would make or break Cluckster’s success.

“It all depends on the atmosphere and the type of food they ser ve,” he said. “[Cluck-U] was okay. It wasn’t too great, especially with restaurants such as Vito’s Pizza nearby.”

The restaurant is set to open this summer, Daniels said.

“We will be looking forward to fall — September — with the students coming back,” Haddad said. “We’ll be ready to ser ve them.” kirkwood@umdbk.com

In a landslide vote Wednesday, the University Senate ruled that a new university family ser vice program had passed its first year trial and voted to bolster its funding by $40,000.

Over the course of the year, the senate’s Student Affairs subcommittee reviewed the performance of the Family Care Resource and Referral Service — a program that provides monthly seminars and private consultation on child and elder care issues to students, faculty and staff — after it was launched at the start of the fall, and the committee recommended increasing funding to the program significantly in the next fiscal year aimed toward providing more free consultations and new seminars and creating a summer camp fair.

While these additional services would cost the university about $120,000 next year according to the committee’s report, the large price tag was not enough to deter senators from supporting the change, with 98 senators voting in favor of the move, 10 opposing and another 10 abstaining.

This past year, the service could only afford to offer up to 240 consultations with the $80,000 to $85,000 it received in funds. However, under the senate’s recommendation, the service would offer up to 264 consultations next year — a 10% increase from the 149 consultations offered from September to February, according to the report.

However, while this new program may be secured for the immediate future, most senators agreed this does not offer a permanent solution

Students shop smart but spend more National study says post-recession, student shopping sprees increase

BY KELLY FARRELL Staff writer

Even college students had to learn to be smarter shoppers when the economy took a dive in the last few years, but a recently released national study indicates that students’ spending habits might be slowly loosening up.

Of the 15,000 students surveyed, 75 percent indicated they compare prices more often than in previous years, while 57 percent said they use coupons and discounts more often. However, other statistics indicated that for some students, tight financial situations may be starting to turn around. Eighteen percent said they had more money to spend, 20 percent are spending more on entertainment, and 13 percent are buying more designer-brand clothing.

These findings were gleaned from an annual survey by OnCampus Research, a division of the National Association of College Stores, which studies the college market. Julie Traylor, the organization’s chief of planning and research, said when the economy took a hit three years ago, researchers found that many students began to mirror their parents’ spending habits.

“When their parents cut back on spending in 2008 and 2009, they did as well,” Traylor said.

And freshman journalism major Krista Stucchio said she always compares prices and thinks carefully before each purchase because she is thinking about her future.

“I have a lot of student loans, so I know I will be paying them off after school and I don’t want to end up more in debt by spending money on random things,” Stucchio said.

But freshman biology major Michelle Chu said the recession is far from her mind when she is at college.

“It mainly affects me when I go home and I watch the news more and overhear my parents talk about it,” Chu

On Cloud 9 is a new boutique in the city this semester that some students said is out of their price range. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

said. “Right now, I already have a summer job set, so ever ything I’m spending I kind of figure I’ll just make back in the summer.”

Finance professor Elinda Kiss said the motivations behind spending or saving differ from situation to situation with students.

“I think some older students are more aware of what’s going on, but a lot of it also has to do with outside factors — like if you have a job after college, if you’re planning to move back in with mom and dad,” Kiss said. “I think these things are affecting student’s spending behavior much more than the recession.”

Traylor said that while the

numbers show that most are still exercising caution at the cash register, it appears that students are slowly starting to spend freely again.

“The good news is those percentages are lower than they were two years ago in the 2009 sur vey. They indicate college students may be starting to feel less pessimistic about their financial situation,” Traylor said.

“There are small signs that the financial freeze may be thawing out just a little for college students.”

The survey also revealed that students tend to gravitate toward budget-friendly stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, dollar stores, Forever 21 and Kohl’s.

Even such discount stores are difficult to find in downtown College Park. Some students said they were satisfied with the offerings available on Route 1, but others wished for a more interesting variety of stories that would not break their budgets.

“The only clothing stores we have near us are basically just UMD apparel, and Rugged [Wearhouse] isn’t exactly glamorous,” Stuccio said.

“The new store On Cloud 9 is awesome, but too pricey for college kids. I think a WalMart or Target that is closer to us would be perfect.” farrell@umdbk.com

ARREST from page 1 after he attempted to detain her and repeatedly trying to kick a county police officer in the groin during her arrest.

Lang was handcuffed and placed in the front seat of a police cruiser, at which point she managed to escape from the handcuffs that bound her and gave the middle finger to the crowd of people that had assembled after her initial arrest, the video shows. Upon seeing that she had wiggled out of her confines, police pulled her out of the front seat and attempted to detain her again. Lang grabbed onto the trunk of a nearby tree to avoid being arrested — an act that is depicted in the video recording.

After loosening her grip on the trunk, county officers tied Lang’s legs with a Ripp “hobble strap,” traditionally used to restrain the legs of arrestees who display threatening behavior or are trying to escape police custody.

Prince George’s Police spokeswoman Misty Mints said the act more commonly known as “hog-tying” an individual is only used in severe situations.

“There were all indications and reasons to use the strap,” Mints said. “She displayed all of those characteristics.”

But Lang said the police’s actions were out of line.

“I had bruises all up and down my body, arms, legs, everything,” Lang said. “I am a cooperative person, and when they tried to tie me up, I told them I would be cooperative. But they were whipping me around. They’re a lot bigger than me, and I felt like I was in danger.”

Lang said she was told by her friends and those who witnessed the confrontation that the scuffle with police began when she broke a window — an action she does not remember.

“They said that I broke a window but I don’t recall doing it,” she said, noting it was not clear if the window she allegedly broke was one of Cornerstone’s. “I don’t think I did that, I hate the sound of broken glass, it scares the crap out of me. If I did it, it was never intentional.”

Mints did not specify if the incident began with a broken window or not.

“We really should have oncampus child care for young children subsidized by the university.”

JASON KAHN FACULTY SENATOR AND CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR

for the ongoing lack of family services at the university.

“When I was going through trying to figure out what to do with my three kids, I don’t think I would’ve made use of this,” faculty senator and chemistry professor Jason Kahn said. “We really should have on-campus child care for young children subsidized by the university.”

However, child care specialist Carol Ann Rudolph, who owns the university-contracted Family Care Resources company under which FCRRS operates, said this was “not likely to happen” as the economic climate remains uncertain.

Due to budget constraints, family service resources have been lacking at the university for decades. The only university child care service — the Center for Young Children — is often too expensive with limited space.

However, Rudolph said the senate’s recommendation will be a great boost for family service resources at least for the time being.

“It’s a Band-Aid, but it’s a good Band-Aid,” she said.

“One with smiley faces on it.”

Staff writer Yasmeen Abutaleb contributed to this report. israel@umdbk.com

Lang said although some of the details are blurry, she vividly remembers feeling like she was in danger. But police said everything they did was necessary.

Mints said the video, which has been linked to by several blogs after being posted on YouTube, will be used against Lang in court. But the junior said she doesn’t know when her court date will be, as she has not received any charging documents.

The state’s court records website had no court records last night for this incident. However, Lang was issued a citation for drinking an alcohol beverage in a prohibited place April 23, the website shows.

Many who have watched the video agree with the methods used to arrest Lang.

“The police tried every nice possible way to contain her and she wouldn’t stop kicking and screaming,” sophomore criminology and criminal justice major Kenny Sheain said. “I’m all for hog-tying that drunk girl up.”

Raghav Ahuja, a sophomore finance major, agreed.

“The people I watched it with were talking about how this just reinforces the reputation of police brutality in College Park, but I didn’t think that was the case,” Ahuja said. “She was being extremely difficult to deal with and I don’t think there was police brutality involved in this case at all.”

Ahuja added that incidents like this are to blame for the constant cycle of closing bars on Route 1.

“This is just another reason why we keep losing bars, because of stuff like that, which can be easily avoided,” he said. “Her friends should have been there to control her and not let her get to that point. It’s sad that she didn’t have anyone to help her.”

Lang noted the incident could have been prevented if someone had helped her. She was not celebrating her 21st birthday, as the narrator of the web video claims.

“If you ever see someone in that position, do the Good Samaritan thing,” she said, crying. “If I had one of my friends out there, this wouldn’t have happened. If you ever see someone in danger, even if you don’t know them, just go help someone who can’t help themselves.” egan@umdbk.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011

0pinion

LAUREN REDDING

THE DIAMONDBACK

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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JUSTIN SNOW

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Staff editorial

Guest column

Time to grow up

The RHA in review

Y

ou’re an adult. That’s the mantra students hear from the minute they issue sick notes for students who miss only one day of class, citing a lack of arrive at college. At some point between high school graduation and staff. Instead, students have had the option of printing out their own selfthe first day of college classes, 17- and 18-year-olds step over some signed sick notes online, which professors can accept as an excused absences invisible line into the realm of adulthood. When they do, they are if they so please.

But it seems as though that’s changed. The University Senate voted 75-4 to weighed down with a whole new load of responsibilities. Faculty and staff expect them to turn in assignments on time, schedule their time accordingly, feed them- require faculty to accept at least one self-excused absence per student and to selves, find housing on their own and do a long list of other things that are alien structure their syllabi accordingly. Such a move ends a policy that forced many students to decide between trekking into class with the stomach flu or taking a to most high school seniors but are nonetheless necessary.

Despite the long-standing — and correct — philosophy at colleges that stu- hit to their grade.

Although this new policy could lead to some abuse, it will be no different from dents should be treated like adults and face many of the same consequences the abuse some faculty inflict on students through this they would in the real world, coddling continues in one blatant contradiction in philosophy. In many professors’ aspect of student life: class attendance. minds, it’s fair to construct an environment that is based Attendance policies differentiate from professor to professor, but for some faculty members at this university, the It should not take a university on the business world, with tight deadlines and severe consequences for poorly done work, while simultaneissue of attendance is enforced like martial law. Despite policy to ensure that ously viewing sick days as removed from the business the fact that university policy prevents professors from grading based on attendance — except in the case of professors treat their students world. Instead, they look at students and their excuses with suspicion if they miss a day of class. Indeed, people courses in which participation is a key component, such as like the adults they are. do get sick, and neither their grade nor their character lower-level language classes — some instructors are quick should be threatened by a syllabus for being partial to the to sneak around this rule. Some link attendance to participation grades: If you’re not there, you can’t participate and thus your grade suf- same laws of mortality as their instructors.

This change in university policy is a welcomed one that will undoubtedly fers. Others put a limit on the number of absences a student can have. For example, John Auchard, an English professor, requires an additional term paper for lessen some of the pressure and stress on students. However, the need for such a change speaks to the larger issue of trust. Certainly, there are many students every three classes missed, no matter the excuse.

What seems to be embedded in this university’s culture is not so much a dis- at this university and others who will do anything to miss class. But more often guised threat to get students to show up for class — and, ideally, students would than not, they accomplish this without the help of a university policy, and their show up for classes anyway if they are well-taught — but a severe lack of trust grades usually reflect that. However, for many other students, this is not the case. That is a fact some faculty members must realize. They should not look at between faculty and students.

Perhaps one of the biggest contributing factors to class absences is illness. their students with suspicion, but with an open mind. And it seems unfortunate But for the past seven years, the University Health Center has refused to that it now takes a printed university document to force them to do so.

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Ian Rodenhouse

Mother’s day: Giving thanks

“T

hey f--- you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do.

They fill you with the faults they had/And they add some extra, just for you.”

This is a part of a poem by Philip Larkin I read sometime around my 15th year of existence. At the time, I thought it was incredibly fitting. I clung to it and showed it to the rest of my friends who had poor relationships with their parents, or, if everything was hunky dory, jealously read it after watching their parents hand $50 to spend on “whatever they liked.”

My parents were of a different breed. I was raised by a single mother in various dubious places of residence: shared housing, a house infested with mice and/or slugs, a cute little house that used to be the servant’s quarters of a Victorian neighborhood. My mom didn’t have a car when I was little — she strapped me to the back of a bicycle. We didn’t have a shower, washer or dryer. I

BETHANY WYNN never felt poor (I’m not even sure if I was poor), but I did feel insecure. I did wonder where my father was, and even though I didn’t know him, I did wonder if he was someone I might possibly have needed.

I got a father somewhere around when I turned seven or eight. I still remember writing him a Care Bear notecard, carefully, “Dear Jim: Can I call you Dad? Love Bethany Kittle.”

He said yes, my mom married him, and now I’m Bethany Wynn. It’s not a big deal — God knows there’s worse stuff in the world — but that stuff sticks with you.

Even after moving to the United States from Britain, we have never been financially stable. I have student

and credit card debt, and it’s mine, all mine. I am a precarious adult. My parents don’t “check” my housing before I sign the lease, they don’t call the financial aid center, make doctor’s appointments or look up graduation dates. That’s me. As a teenager I hated that this was me, I threatened all kinds of melodramatic things, and as an adult, I still Google my biological father’s name. Stuff sticks with you, but we’re adults now. Just because your parents divorced, or you fight with your mom, or they’re not financially generous or they don’t support your life choices doesn’t give you license to walk around with a chip on your shoulder. Your parents love you the best they can, and if they occasionally fall short (which, let’s face it, they occasionally do), you have to come to the Earth-shattering realization that parents are humans too. It’s not something we want to admit.

My mom made it through college with a baby. She raised me with no money, no car, no house, no shower,

no washer, no dryer. We played “follow the slug tracks” around the house in the morning, and she made it fun.

She married a man who was kind to her daughter and who loved me like his own. She moved houses, countries and mountains for me. So yeah, everyone’s childhood sucks in some way.

But I love my mom.

There’s another quote I heard somewhere — it may have been on some kind of terrible, formulaic crime show. Unfortunate, because it resonated with me. “There’s an expiration date on blaming your parents for your problems.” At some point, it’s all you. You got this. But your mom will always be there to call you and repeatedly ask, “Did you hear back from that job interview yet? Are you dating anyone?” And it will always be incredibly annoying. This Mother’s Day, be thankful for that.

Bethany Wynn is a senior sociology major. She can be reached at wynn@umdbk.com.

A college education: Beyond the classroom

A

ccording to a recent and controversial book, Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, many students show no significant gains in knowledge during their first two years of college. And this very well might be true. Thinking back, I can’t say I learned too much sophomore year while I was skipping GEOG 201 with my roommate or mourning the death of my brain cells in non-credit math freshman year. Does it get any better as upperclassmen? Well, I can’t say I learned much last semester in ARTH 200 except that ancient Greeks love nudes and the textbook works well as an ironing board.

But as I look back fondly on my four years here, I’d say I definitely learned some vital lessons that can’t really be quantified in a study or published in a book.

I came to this university without my high school friends — I started from scratch. My closest friends here have become my family. Together we have crashed house parties, climbed

rooftops and stadiums, thrown tea parties, gone on midnight joyrides to Ocean City, survived Snowmageddon, gone abroad and been almost decimated by a semi-truck en route to Quebec. My closest friends and I have written excessively long and unnecessary theses, learned how to forgive for past hurts, comforted one another through heartaches and defended one another. In college, I learned to value love and friendship above all else.

I have met some of the most diverse and beautiful people here. I’ve met super-tall ninjas; hopeless romantics; half-Cherokee archaeologists obsessed with British folk-pop, German poetry lovers and the smell of cleaning products; and students who enjoy upperlevel genetics courses (yeah, I don’t get that one, either). I’ve come to know people of every creed, background, disposition, size, shape and cupcake preference. From this I learned to accept and respect others I meet along my life journey and appreciate the inevitable impact they will have on my life.

MALLORY SERVAIS When I came to college I was an awkward, strange, dry-humored girl who didn’t really know what kind of person she was or wanted to be. OK, so I may still be strange, awkward and dry-humored. But now I’ve come to learn that it’s acceptable to wear dresses with jeans, rock red lipstick on Mondays, wear frog rain boots and talk obsessively about peace, love and Star Wars while baking vegan cupcakes. It’s fine to be crazy about polar bears as long as I treat others with love and respect, control my temper, am patient and work hard to be good, authentic and genuine to others.

I learned that I’m the kind of girl who gives people millions of chances, believes that loving is the best way to spend your day and knows that moods

are directly correlated to weather patterns. In college, I learned to strive to always be the best version of myself that I can possibly manage to be.

Finally, I learned that you can never predict how life will turn out. Rather than fearing change and uncertainty, you should, as Rainer Maria Rilke said, “want the change” and “love the questions.” Dear God, after four years of messing shit up, making obscenely poor life choices, kicking ass and taking names, there’s nothing more to want but the damn change.

Every single one of us learns lessons like these during our years here.

The stories might be different, but the lessons are the same and equally important. So, are we learning meteorology, remedial math or art of the Western world pre-1300? Maybe not (I’m not). But I like to think that we are learning some much more impressive life lessons here.

Mallory Servais is a senior anthropology major. She can be reached at servais@umdbk.com.

A

s we approach the end of the semester, it is hard to believe how quickly another year has gone by.

The warm, carefree days of summer are almost here, and everyone is anxious to go home as soon as they can. During this time, however, it is also important to reflect on what has been done throughout this year and what major accomplishments we can look forward to seeing implemented next year for on-campus students.

The Residence Hall Association had an incredibly busy year, constantly working to improve the lives of all students living on the campus. We have worked on a variety of initiatives in our senate meetings, ranging from housing to dining services to transportation.

Starting this fall, all students in the Honors College will be living in the Ellicott Community together, in the “Honors Village,” to foster a better sense of community for students in that program.

In addition, our Dining Services Advisory Board has been working all semester to prepare kiosks that will be placed in each dining hall with detailed nutritional facts for students to review starting this fall. And in regards to transportation, we recently passed legislation supporting the development of a policy that would require all students riding motorized scooters to wear helmets. These are only some of the changes we have made this year, demonstrating our strong desire to do what is best for our constituents.

This year, we also continued our tradition of collaborating with other on-campus student groups to support a variety of events, such as TerpsVote, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Town Hall, the Student Government Association post-Duke game bonfire, the Maryland Sneaker Cartel’s Sneaker Drive and the American Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. Looking to next year, we will continue to seek out opportunities to work with even more student groups and contribute as much as we can to these successful initiatives.

In addition to these shared efforts with other groups, the RHA has also had great success in hosting its own social events in each hall council throughout the year.

Holiday-themed events, like Denton’s Dungeon Extravaganza for Halloween and the South Campus Commons Thanksgiving dinner, attracted larger crowds than ever before, giving students a place to celebrate the holidays throughout the year. The last week before finals will also feature a luau for all North Campus students on LaPlata Beach, as well as a barbecue in the Washington Quad for students living on South Hill.

Many dorms also hosted traditional small-scale events, such as ice cream socials and midnight pancakes before finals — events that all worked to create a stronger community feeling among the students in the dorms.

It has certainly been a busy year for the RHA. However, next year we look forward to pushing ourselves even more to better serve you as your on-campus leaders.

Elections for next year will be held in mid-September, and we invite all on-campus students to consider applying for one of our positions. If you have any questions, please contact us at marylandrha@umd.edu.

From everyone in the RHA, best of luck on your final exams, and enjoy the summer!

Corie Stretton is the incoming president of the Residence Hall Association. She can be reached at coriems19@gmail.com.

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FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 65 “Rocket Man” 1 Competed for John 5 Hear or smell 67 Actress Sedgwick 10 Urge on 68 DNA component 14 Gucci of fashion 69 Influence 15 Lying down 70 Do a laundry 16 Capable of chore (2 wds.)

71 Amtrak driver 17 Read hastily 72 Works at a bar 18 Bad, bad Brown 73 Bottle part of song DOWN 19 Muralist Joan 20 Manor 1 Florist’s need 22 Night light?

2 Types 24 Smoke detector 3 Prevent errata output 4 Kingdom 26 Musical ensemble 5 Dazzling 27 Funnel cloud 6 Afore 30 Weds on the run 7 Benchmark 34 Diamond stat 8 Stuck-up one 35 Alice in 9 Pooh’s donkey pal Wonderland’s cat 10 Wet weather wear 38 Pasture entrance 11 Mayberry kid 39 Free of 12 Razor brand 40 Small coins 13 Gloom’s mate 42 Gloss target 21 Common 43 Like a good cake amphibian 46 Type of vinegar 23 Swedish name 48 Gleeful shout 25 — boom 49 Made catty 27 Payment details remarks 28 Hunter of myth 51 Lucrative 29 Wheel spokes 53 Way out 31 Seasoned rice 55 Place of exile 32 Yale of Yale 56 Happen (2 wds.)

33 Calyx segment 60 Mien 36 Left Bank friend 64 Eager 37 Yard enclosure

© 2011 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

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orn today, you are able to maintain your high ideals without being either defensive or offensive, and you are in no way threatening to others — even when you come face to face with those who disagree with you. Indeed, you believe firmly that you can coexist peacefully with those who live in ways quite different from your own — and, in fact, that doing so is often how life can be most interesting and most rewarding. You never feel as if you have to sacrifice either character or beliefs in order to get along with those around you.

B

One of your greatest tools in life will be your open, charming and often-disarming personality.

You have a knack for winning smiles from others in situations that would otherwise get frowns, and you are able to put those around you at ease in what would otherwise be quite uncomfortable situations.

Also born on this date are George Clooney, actor, director, producer; Tony Blair, British prime minister; Bob Seger, singer; Willie Mays, baseball player; Orson Welles, actor, director, writer; Stewart Granger, actor; Rudolph Valentino, actor; Sigmund Freud, author, father of modern psychoanalysis.

be dealing with some important issues throughout the day. Others heed your advice.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — You may feel the influence of another more than usual, but whether he or she is working for or against you, effects are positive.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — You’ve been spending a good deal of time doing those things that come most naturally, but you may have to explore more unusual activities.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You’re after certain personal rewards that are not attainable until you compromise with someone working against you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — A project beginning will require more of a commitment than you had planned on making, but you’re ready to do what is required.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — You may have to change plans almost as soon as you put the first plans into motion. An argument can be settled in a social setting.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — You’re working on two things at a time, and though more physical energy is required, intellectual prowess is tested as well.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — You can score a personal victory without having to hand anyone a defeat of his or her own.

Everything can work out well for everyone.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — You may be surprised by your ability to untangle a mess brought on by someone else’s oversight. This is only the beginning.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — You may have to deal with someone who has crossed the line in some way. This boundary is not something you consider negotiable.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — A bargain can be struck that puts you ahead of the competition, but you’ll have to pay a significant price for that kind of progress.

Copyright 2011 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE SPONSORED BY:

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.

SATURDAY, MAY 7 TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — You have only a certain amount of time in which to dispense with the business at hand; you’ll want to do things in the right order.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Despite seeming trivialities, you’ll

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Diversions

It’s a weekend full of events, starting with the weekend-long Congress of Jugglers convention at Cole Field House and ending with The Peacherine Ragtime Orchestra’s performance in the Hoff Theater this Sunday. Geeky songwriter Jonathan Coulton will perform at Ram’s Head Live and indie rockers Les Savy Fav will hit the Black Cat tomorrow.

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arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

REVIEW | THOR

IT’S HAMMER TIME

BY ZACHARY BERMAN Senior staff writer

For many, visiting the comic book store as a child could even surpass the mad sugar rush of visiting a candy store.

The medium’s circuitous cliffhangers and colorful splash pages make comic books tough to hate. The pencil and ink pulp digests have become a sort of modern American mythology, providing readers with everything from fantastic adult storylines to simple proverbs.

In the past decade, Marvel Comics has risen from its late1990s economic grave and, through its numerous highgrossing film franchises, has transformed itself into a brand to be reckoned with. Marvel Studios, the company’s film production team, widens the breadth of its reach by just a hair farther with Thor, even if the film isn’t quite the payoff one expects.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Ca$h) is certainly a lesser known property than the likes of Spider-Man or the X-Men, but it doesn’t make him any less important to the Marvel Universe canon or any less rich a character to cull stories from.

Beyond that, the character Thor dates back to another mythology altogether in the beliefs and later folklore of Nordic pagans. The translation of the comic form of Thor — the god of thunder — to the real world was an easy one, given the “anything goes” conceit of comics.

However, as is true of almost any film adaptation, forcing delightfully preposterous storylines onto the big screen is a much tougher task than simply throwing so much CGI at viewers that they become blind to the story’s shortcomings.

Gods and monsters do battle in Thor, a fun yet highly predictable superhero film.

As a movie, Thor technically has all the desired elements, yet like all of the independent Marvel Studios properties — which does not include SpiderMan (distributed by Columbia Pictures), X-Men (20th Century Fox), Blade (New Line Cinema) and many others — most of these elements seem overly strained and too predictable, even for a comic book.

That is not to say Thor can’t make for a great time at the movies. The plot follows the titular thunder god as he runs afoul of his father, Norse king of the gods Odin (Anthony Hopkins, The Rite), while foolishly and violently trying to protect their kingdom from dan-

gerous ice giants. As Thor is banished to Earth and becomes mortal, the heavenly Nordic realm of Asgard comes under the control of Thor’s trickster-turned-evil brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston, Archipelago), whose machinations become the film’s main antagonistic thrust.

On the far more boring Earth, the mortal Thor meets a pretty physicist named Jane (Natalie Portman, Your Highness), as well as the shadowy and very nosey government agency SHIELD during his quest to reclaim his powers and stop Loki. Although much of the movie’s action is great, the ending does seem just a

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

bit underwhelming, particularly Thor’s short battle with the “Destroyer.”

For the uninitiated, the somewhat complicated tapestry of Nordic gods and other mystical realms discussed in the film can be a bit overwhelming. The movie’s opening scenes do a good job explaining it all as succinctly as possible, while curtly sidestepping the issues of “God” and religion.

Given the absence of a brilliant performance or even a potentially brilliant character like Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark in Iron Man, Thor is nevertheless equivalent if not even more exciting than that movie.

The film’s first act has some of the most awe-inspiring locales and epic fight scenes in film so far this year, which is why it is such a shame that the story spends much of the next two acts in a desert in New Mexico and ends on a lower note than it started.

Still, the film’s comparative equivalency is what grows irksome about the overall Marvel film franchises, which are all building toward next year’s massive superhero team-up, The Avengers, directed by nerd god Joss Whedon (Serenity). As a non-spoiler, some of these

future Avengers may or may not appear in Thor — looking at you, Jeremy Renner (The Town) — though only fans will catch them among many more of Marvel’s usual in-jokes.

Even just watching the trailer for Thor, any perceptive viewer can pick up on the three major sets and possibly even be able to tell which action scenes will fit into Marvel Studios’ unflinching adherence to the simple three-act pedigree.

Sure, these movies are supposed to be comics brought to life, but the plotlines of Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk and Thor can be broken down exactly as follows: First, hero and villain genesis; second, hero completes mildly challenging task; third, bad guy is defeated in lukewarm battle and the hero learns a lesson.

Cut to Samuel L. Jackson cameo after the credits.

Sure, it’s fun and all, but after the unrivaled The Dark Knight, one might think Marvel Studios would want to try a bit harder to set its superhero movies apart from the same old tale, which people might stop caring about one day, especially considering Marvel’s current pattern of two to three new films a year.

Still, as far as summer movies go, the one rule when watching Thor should be to forget the letdown of the bigger picture. Thor is simply a badass action flick with all the heart and humor one expects in a good summer popcorn movie — watching it is a bit like, well, the mad sugar rush of a kid in a candy store. berman@umdbk.com

MOVIE: Thor | VERDICT:

1/2

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FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

ENGELKE from page 1 why Williams made his decision, how a combination of countless factors snowballing together combined to convince him to step down.

Perhaps most pertinently — and this is what many people will point to as the tipping point for Williams — was AllACC for ward Jordan Williams’ announcement just 24 hours earlier of his decision to hire an agent and remain in the NBA Draft, forgoing his final two years of eligibility with the Terps.

With Jordan Williams gone, Gary Williams would have been left with yet another rebuilding project with the Terps, a taxing and undoubt-

7

edly stressful undertaking.

According to media reports, Williams contemplated stepping down after the Terps won a share of the 2010 ACC title with then-seniors Greivis Vasquez, Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes.

After those three left the program, Williams mulled over retirement before eventually deciding to return for the 2011 campaign.

But the Terps stumbled to a 19-14 record and missed the postseason for the first time since the 1992-93 season. And with their best player headed to the NBA, the Terps will, in all likelihood, suffer the same fate next year.

At the age of 66, that’s something Williams just couldn’t go through once again.

“I’ve been doing this a long

time, and I thought it might be time to do something else,” Williams told The Washington Post yesterday in a phone inter view.

“I’m looking forward to not always worrying about the next game, the next recruit, the next season. I can’t remember the last time in my life there wasn’t a ‘next thing’ I had to be concerned about.”

That “next recruit” was certainly a major factor in Williams’ decision. College basketball recruiting has become more and more shady every year. For proof, just look at coaches such as Kentucky’s John Calipari, Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl and Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun, who have racked up quite a collection of recruiting violations in pursuit of glory in recent seasons. Add that to the fact that

Williams was never a fan of dealing with the AAU circuit or massaging the massive egos of blue-chip recruits, and it’s easy to see why he would want to leave the coaching profession after 33 years of dealing with spoiled 17-year-olds.

Williams has always preferred the less-heralded, strong-minded players who stuck it out for four years — Vasquez and Juan Dixon come to mind — over the local superstars such as Rudy Gay or Carmelo Anthony, who made their college stays a pit stop on the way to the NBA. But college basketball has changed, and the one-and-done player has become the norm for successful programs.

“The most enjoyable thing I do is teach, and I had a great teaching class, a 12-person

class to work with,” Williams told ESPN.com. “I will miss that. I won’t miss a lot of the other stuff.”

Williams probably can’t complain too much. He’s certainly well off — the coach made $2.3 million last year, according to state records — and he remarried last month, making it a logical time to leave the profession and finally get some time to relax.

“I just want to do other things,” Williams told ESPN.com. “I’m 66.

How many other coaches are coaching beyond 66?”

Said men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski, who has known Williams since he first came to College Park in 1993: “He’s been very much at peace.”

Still, all these telltale signs don’t make Williams’ departure any more expected. He never

made public comments suggesting his tenure was nearing an end, and he had been quoted as saying he would at least be coaching until his contract ran out in 2013.

“I was pretty shocked when I saw it today,” Eric Hayes said last night. “I didn’t really see that one coming. I know he had a tough year last year and all, but I feel he had the team going in the right direction. It’s just shocking.”

As the initial jolt of his decision fades away, it’s important to realize that all greats must eventually step down.

You might not have expected it — or even like it, for that matter — but for Williams, the timing was just right.

Senior staff writer Chris Eckard contributed to this report. jengelke@umdbk.com

BASEBALL

Playing through the pain ‘Warrior’ White emerges as bright spot for Terps in freshman season

BY JEREMY SCHNEIDER Staff writer

In the moments after a loss to Towson on Tuesday, an irritated coach Erik Bakich sat and bounced a baseball on the dugout floor as he talked about his disenchantment with his Terrapin baseball team’s ugly 10-6 loss — and his distaste with the 2011 season in general.

The only time Bakich seemed remotely happy in the 10 minutes he sat discussing the loss was when he was asked about a player who hadn’t even taken the field that night due to injury — freshman right fielder Charlie White.

“That kid’s a warrior. He’s an absolute warrior,” Bakich said. “I love Charlie White.”

On a team seemingly stuck in the bottom of the ACC, White has emerged as one of the few bright spots, becoming one of the team’s best hitters and table-setters in his first year in College Park.

While he hasn’t played since last Friday, it’s the way he was hurt — and the way he handled the injury — that helps explain why Bakich has such an affinity for his freshman outfielder.

In a victory last Friday over NC State, he sprained his wrist after diving onto the right-field warning track at Doak Field as he tried to make a catch.

“I dove back on the warning track,” White said, “and the warning track is pretty much like all rocks.”

White couldn’t grip a bat or throw a ball, and the team’s trainer recommended he come out of the game. But White fought to stay in the game, and Bakich relented.

“I don’t really like coming out of the game — ever,” White said. “Especially because it was a Friday night ACC series, it was a big game for us. So, I

just wanted to contribute any way that I could.”

As much as his wrist hurt, White didn’t let the pain stop him from contributing in the Terps’ 13-11 victory.

With his ailment making it impossible for him to actually swing a bat, he was able to find a way to work around the injury at the plate: He bunted.

Using one-handed bunts, he singled in the fifth inning and forced an error an inning later to reach base and allow a run to score.

“He’s a great player, he’s a tough, little kid. I mean, he’s young, but he’s tough,” first baseman Curtis Lazar said. “He keeps rolling, and been playing well all season. ... Battled his butt off and played with a lot of grit.”

Even though he couldn’t grip the ball well enough to throw it against NC State, White and the Terps made do with him in the field.

“All the infielders on balls that went out to him before he came out of the game, they’d have to run out there because he couldn’t even grip the ball to throw,” Bakich said. “He’d have to basically toss it underhand to the closest guy to him.”

He left the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, when defensive reliability became more crucial and his wrist had become even more beaten up and swollen.

The Terps held on to win that game, but they haven’t won since, going 0-4 without the freshman from Naperville, Ill., in the lineup — hardly a surprise given how instrumental he’s been for the Terps this season.

“He’s a big-time sparkplug,” Bakich said. “He’s a catalyst.”

White has stood out as a freshman on a team stacked with them. Before injuring his hand, he had played in every game this year. His .313 batting

Freshman right fielder Charlie White has been one of the Terps’ top hitters all season. Entering this weekend’s series with North Carolina, White was hitting .313 with a .406 on-base percentage. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

average, .404 on-base percentage and 29 runs scored lead the team, while he is second in hits, doubles and total bases. He fits well into the aggressive style of play Bakich asks for, having stolen 17 bases in 18 attempts this year, and has been crucial for the Terps in the leadoff spot.

“It definitely feels pretty cool,” White said of his success. “But I knew that I could play with anyone coming in, so I just knew I had to stay focused, keep working hard and the good things would come.”

White’s father, Brian, played baseball at Illinois and in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system. White says his father taught him most of what he knows about baseball and has helped make his transition from high school, where he was an all-conference selec-

tion and second-team all-state player, that much easier.

“He’s gone through all the same stuff I’ve gone through,” White said.

“He’s a good guy to look up to just ask for some advice.”

His father was down in Raleigh, N.C., watching the Terps play when White got hurt. And while he was obviously concerned for his son’s health, he, like Bakich, lauded the way he handled the injury.

“He was proud of me,” White said.

“But at the same time, he just wanted me to get better and not injure it anymore. So he kind of just had the same mindset that everyone else had, that it was good that I stayed in the game and contributed and got out when I should have got out.”

Since leaving that game, his four

games of rest have him ready for the Terps’ showdown with North Carolina as they look for their first ACC conference series win of the year.

And while the team has struggled mightily this season, Bakich is quick to point out how young the team is, starting five or six freshmen in nearly every game. It’s a learning process that can pay off in the long run, even if the dividends haven’t always been apparent this year.

Bakich is confident his touted freshmen will pan out. According to him, Charlie White already has.

“I love him. Charlie White’s going to be —,” Bakich said, stopping to correct himself. “He is a great college player.” schneider@umdbk.com

MEN’S LACROSSE

Absence of injured Cummings adds to weekend’s uncertainties

BY JAKOB ENGELKE Senior staff writer

As the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team prepares for its final regularseason game tomorrow against Colgate, the biggest challenge it faces might not be a Raiders team fighting for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The more daunting task, it seems, is how the Terps respond to the prospect of playing without leading goal scorer Joe Cummings.

The junior midfielder went down with an upper-body injury against Duke in the ACC Championship game April 24 after being illegally slashed by Blue Devil defender Chris Hipps in the third quarter. After the hit, Cummings grimaced in obvious pain and grabbed his right arm, and he wore a sling with ice wrapped around it during the Terps’ postgame celebration.

Cummings underwent an X-ray upon the team’s return to College Park last week, but the extent of the injury has not been made public. A team spokesman said the Towson native is day-to-day and has not been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against No. 17 Colgate (10-5), but coach John Tillman remained cautiously optimistic while answering questions regarding the All-ACC midfielder.

“I’m excited about his progress,” the first-year coach said. “Everything looks like it’s moving great.

“Joe does so much for us. It’s hard not to have him on the field.

But other guys are primed to step up and are ready. I’m excited

because his lacrosse is not done. I know that for a fact.”

Still, the loss of Cummings could hamper the No. 6 Terps (103) against a Colgate team not lacking for motivation. Ranked No. 15 in RPI, according to LaxPower.com, and with two wins against Army, the Raiders are sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble and could earn a postseason berth with a victor y against the ACC champions tomorrow inside Byrd Stadium.

“The way I would look at it if I was them would be, ‘Hey, we’re in the round of 32. If we beat Maryland, we’re down to the round of 16,’” Tillman said. “We have to make sure that we get ready and focused to match their intensity.”

Cummings, who was not available to comment, has 24 goals this season, tied with attackman Grant Catalino for the team lead. His breakout season has been highlighted by four-goal performances against UMBC, Virginia and Johns Hopkins earlier this year, and he added a hat trick in the team’s season-opening win against Detroit Mercy.

“He’s been having an incredible season,” midfielder Dan Burns said. “He’s a converted attackman and can finish any play on the crease. We’re definitely going to be hurting without him.”

“He’s probably our biggest threat out of our midfielders this year,” attackman Ryan Young added. “He’s really stepped up and matured as a player. It’s always hard to lose someone like that.”

With Cummings’ status up in the

air, the Terps will attempt to ensure a home game in the NCAA Tournament with or without him.

The top eight seeds in the NCAA Tournament receive a first-round home game, and the Terps are projected to receive anywhere between a No. 6 and No. 8 seed. A loss could potentially undo their work in the ACC Tournament and send them stumbling to an away game next weekend when the NCAA Tournament gets under way.

“That’s why this game is very important and why we’re treating it as a playoff game,” Burns said.

“Everybody wants another home game. We feel it’s a big advantage in the tournament.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Cummings this week, Tillman and players were confident he would be back in time for the postseason, when they will be facing teams of higher pedigrees.

“We’ll get him back next week for our first round of the playoffs, so I don’t think it will too big of a deal for our team,” Young said.

“He’s definitely going to be back for next week’s game.”

TERP NOTE: Tomorrow’s game is the Terps’ senior day, and the 15member senior class will be honored at midfield with their families before the opening whistle.

“It’s such a big senior class, it’ll probably take a while,” Burns said.

“It will definitely be a little emotional for the guys. It’s a weird feeling coming down to the last games in Byrd Stadium.” jengelke@umdbk.com

Midfielder Joe Cummings grimaces in pain after being slashed by Duke defender Chris Hipps in the ACC Championship last month. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011

Sports

More Williams coverage For more on Gary Williams, including a video retrospective, recruiting ramifications and a look ahead, check out TerrapinTrail.com.

GONE, GARY, GONE Iconic coach steps down after 22 transformative years on Terps’ sideline WILLIAMS from page 1

Coach Gary Williams, who led the Terps to their first-ever national championship in 2002, announced his retirement yesterday after 22 years in College Park. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

mater in 1989, three years after the death of Len Bias and just months into an ongoing NCAA investigation related to former coach Bob Wade’s dealings with players and recruits. Over the course of the next two decades, Williams restored the program’s once-proud tradition, bringing the Terps back to relevance and then national prominence. In 2002, he guided the program to its first national championship, and he did so with the only team in NCAA history to win one without a McDonald’s All-American.

“Gary has been an iconic figure in the ACC,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a release. “His resurrection of the Maryland program to national championship status was huge. ... His long term consistent success is what I admire the most about Gary.

His accomplishments are of Hall of Fame caliber.”

His retirement comes just a day after star sophomore forward Jordan Williams officially announced he would remain in the NBA Draft, and just months after his team finished 19-14 and without a postseason berth for the first time in 17 years.

But Williams’ greater legacies — becoming one of just three active men’s basketball coaches to guide his alma mater to a national championship, twice garnering ACC Coach of the Year honors, co-chairing this university’s Great Expectations fundraising campaign — will likely remain as the enduring memory for most.

“Gary Williams is a legend,” Anderson said in a release. “His accomplishments on the court have earned him a place among the elite in college basketball history. But Gary’s legacy here at Maryland goes far beyond basketball. From his philanthropic efforts to his tireless work with fans and alumni to his impact with our students, Gary has left an indelible mark of excellence on this university.”

For many, including Terrapin athletics department officials and former players, the news of Williams’ retirement was unexpected. Williams never hinted

that he was considering retirement in recent seasons, and he often alluded to wanting to coach until his contract expired in 2013.

“I think we’re all stunned,” women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese said yesterday.

“My initial reaction was shock and surprise, immediately followed by just pure happiness for Gary,” men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski said. “It’s clearly his decision and on his terms.

Gary is a legend, he’s an icon.

There’s not a single person on this campus that has done more in the past 20 years to raise the profile of this university.”

Williams, who played guard for the Terps from 1965-67, received his first head coaching job in 1978 at American. The New Jersey native quickly moved up the coaching ranks, taking jobs at Boston College and Ohio State before returning to this university in 1989.

Williams’ most prominent accomplishments as a coach, though, came during his 22 years with the Terps. In College Park, he inherited a stained program that had won just nine games under Wade the year before. Late in Williams’ first season as Terp coach, the NCAA found the program guilty of 18 rules violations while Wade was coach, resulting in a two-year postseason ban, the loss of two scholarships, a ban on televised appearances and three years probation. The stilllooming specter of Len Bias’ death just three years earlier only made his job more difficult.

But Williams went to work.

Despite the sanctions, he landed a quality recruiting haul in 1992 and then a standout class the following year headlined by future stars Keith Booth and Joe Smith. In 1994, Williams guided the Terps back to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years.

Williams and the Terps soon became an annual fixture in the tournament, making the field the next 10 seasons and 14 of the next 17. With teams built around strong foundations comprised of once-unheralded players like Juan Dixon, Steve Blake and center Lonny Baxter, Williams’ program accomplished unmatched success.

The Terps’ 64-52 national title

victory against Indiana on April 1, 2002, put a defining mark on Williams’ distinguished career — one likely to be honored in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame — leading to unprecedented fan support and a brand-new home court in Comcast Center. In each of the nine years after Comcast Center’s opening, the Terps finished in the top 10 in average attendance nationally.

“I didn’t think a guy at his age and at that point of his career would still be doing the things that he did,” former Terp guard Eric Hayes said. “He put it all into Maryland basketball, everything that he had.”

In the years following Williams’ ascent to the top of college basketball, his Terp teams struggled to stay there. After an ACC Championship in 2004, the Terps went to just one NCAA Tournament in four years, derailed by a string of recruiting misses and off-court mishaps.

With guard Greivis Vasquez, Williams and the Terps headed back to the postseason during Vasquez’s final two years in College Park in 2009 and 2010. But by then, some felt that Williams’ time as coach was winding down.

Still, the 66-year-old coach, regarded as one of the most demonstrative and competitive in the country, never hinted at retirement, even during the trying seasons he endured in recent years.

Yesterday’s announcement has left the program in considerable uncertainty. With Jordan Williams’ departure, the Terps would have entered next season absent an established frontcourt presence. Now, they have a tottering recruiting class, a worried fanbase and no coach.

Williams will remain involved in the athletics department as an assistant athletics director and special assistant to Anderson. But as rumors swirl regarding the Terps’ next coach, the obvious question of whether his successor can leave a comparable mark on his program and this university will remain.

“Gary will be around, but his legacy will be here forever,” Cirovski said. “Garyland is a true statement when you describe the University of Maryland.” ceckard@umdbk.com

GARY WILLIAMS: BY THE NUMBERS

4 22 1 668 1 Years Williams spent as Terp men’s basketball coach

National titles Williams won; the Terps’ only

Total wins amassed in Williams’ 33-year career

NCAA Tournament appearances under Williams

As Williams steps down, shock sets in for fans News of coach’s retirement met with mixed reactions

BY CONNOR LETOURNEAU AND CONOR WALSH Staff writers

When Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen’s contract was bought out in December, it left a depleted fanbase split between feelings of surprise and relief.

When news broke yesterday afternoon that Gary Williams, the iconic 22-year coach of the Terrapin men’s basketball team, was retiring, much of the campus that has been dubbed “Garyland” was left completely stunned.

“When I heard it, at first, I honestly didn’t really believe it,” sophomore mechanical engineering major Kevin Bullock said. “It kind of crept up on me.”

“I was totally shocked,” sophomore mechanical engineering major Josh Barrett added. “He’s the face of Maryland basketball.”

Bullock and Barrett, like many fans, will miss Williams’ fiery sideline demeanor. The coach’s intensity often left his shirt drenched and voice hoarse, much to the delight of the Comcast Center faithful.

But for others, the product Williams had put on the court of late — including last season’s team, which failed to qualify for the postseason — left them welcoming change.

“Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of Gary Williams,” sophomore marketing major Max Shrier said. “I think he’s the worst recruiter in college bas-

ketball right now. If you look at top recruits, every year two or three guys in the top 10 comes from our area and we never get anyone.”

“It’s very rare that we have a big run [in the NCAA Tournament] because teams like Kentucky and Kansas, they all recruit the one-and-doners, which is not the way college basketball should be,” junior finance major Marc Kramer said. “But ... I would love to win a national championship.”

Regardless of their personal opinions about the longtime coach, many fans found themselves eyeing the future.

And with the news of Williams’ retirement coming within a day of forward Jordan Williams’ announcement that

With yesterday’s announcement that coach Gary Williams had retired, Terp fans will welcome a new coach to Comcast Center next season. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

he would remain in the NBA Draft, fans’ outlook, at least for the near term, is bleak.

“My first reaction was, ‘Short term, this could suck,’” Shrier said, expressing concerns over reports that incoming freshmen Nick Faust and Sterling Gibbs may decommit from the Terps

because of Williams’ retirement.

But as uncertainty reigns over the program, one realization has rattled the Terps’ fanbase: Gary Williams, the face of the Terps, has emerged from the tunnel at Comcast Center and acknowledged the crowd with his signature, emphatic

fist pump for the last time.

“Williams has been our face throughout,” Shrier said. “It’s going to be a little bit different feel at our basketball games next year, to be sure.” letourneau@umdbk.com, cwalsh@umdbk.com