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END OF AN ERA A BIT OF MAGIC Men’s tennis may have played its last match SPORTS | PAGE 15

Thursday, May 10, 2012

New SGA president creates two positions

Students bring A Very Potter Musical to campus DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

THE DIAMONDBACK THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

A BARKING GOOD TIME

Our 102ND Year, No. 145

DOTS to help fund Capital Bikeshare University, city officials would provide $94,000

BY FOLA AKINNIBI Staff writer

At first body meeting, Zwerling begins reform

BY LEAH VILLANUEVA Senior staff writer

Samantha Zwerling led an SGA meeting for the first time yesterday, but the newly inaugurated president didn’t waste any time in forging ahead with her new plan for the body.

At its first meeting as a newly elected body, the Student Government Association confirmed newcomer Charmaine Wilson-Jones and threeyear veteran Andrea Marcin as the organization’s new director of diversity and director of health and well-being, respectively — two new positions Zwerling created to spearhead campuswide health and diversity initiatives. These appointments were just the first two of 30 new cabinet positions Zwerling plans to create and fill by the fall as part of her initiative to drastically reform the SGA’s internal structure.

These new directors will also head two new committees, which will be formed in the fall, to address these topics.

“I’m extremely passionate about both of these issues, and I think we make a commitment to diversity and health and wellness by creating positions that directly focus on these issues,” Zwerling said.

Wilson-Jones, a freshman government and

see SGA, page 3

In between cups of coffee and Red Bull and marathon library sessions, students had the opportunity to destress with puppies and kittens in the days leading up to final exams.

The Student Government Association, Stamp Student Union, Student Entertainment Events and the UMD Zoo and Marine Biology Adventures Club hosted “PuppyPalooza pt. 2” yesterday in hopes of calming students’ nerves and offering a muchneeded break from studying.

Dozens of students came to Stamp’s Grand Ballroom to play with puppies and kittens from the A ForeverHome Rescue Foundation, a nonDozens of students gathered in Stamp’s Grand Ballroom yesterday to play with puppies and kittens profit organization that matches these animals with adopters. before finals. ALEXIS JENKINS/THE DIAMONDBACK

City and university officials plan to bring another sustainable transportation option to the campus as early as next spring through the signature red bikes of Capital Bikeshare.

With a $375,000 state grant in hand, Department of Transportation Services and city officials plan to install eight stations — four on the campus and four in locations around the city — where users can pay to pick up a bike and return it at any other Bikeshare station. Although the funds do not cover the entire cost of implementation, university and city officials said they are confident they will be able to jointly front the difference of about $94,000.

DOTS Director David Allen said the department’s budget will help cover additional maintenance costs, which the department and the city will also split, according to Senior City Planner Elisa Vitale.

“We have a biking budget that is a little over $100,000,” Allen said.

Allen said he does not know whether the university will provide a student discount for Bikeshare membership. Fees range from $7 for a 24hour pass to $25 for a month and $75 for one year. Using a bike for up to 30 minutes is free with the 24-hour pass, and the company charges additional fees for each extra half hour.

“It’s great, I use it a lot to get around between meetings [in Washington]; it’s quick and easy,” said District 1 Councilman Patrick Wojahn.

Chantal Cotton, assistant to the city manager,

see BIKESHARE, page 2

KATHERINE MORRIS, 1990-2012

‘She was just so gifted’

BY BRADLEIGH CHANCE Staff writer

The Division II Terrapins club baseball team qualified for the National Club Baseball Association World Series for the first time in its 13-year history. PHOTO COURTESY OF ETHAN WERGELIS-ISAACSON

Terps club baseball struggles to fund trip to World Series Team still needs $2,000 to travel to Columbus, Ga.

BY JOSH VITALE Senior staff writer

Members of the Division II Terrapins club baseball team should have been ecstatic on Monday.

The squad had just won the District 3 Championship for the first time in its 13-year history on Sunday. The tight-knit group of 23 would be making the 750-mile trip down I-85 to Columbus, Ga., for the National Club Baseball Associa-

tion World Series beginning May 18.

It was going to be an experience they would never forget.

Or so they thought.

Less than 24 hours after they celebrated their 5-2 district-title victory over Longwood, the team found out it was going to need to come up with nearly $8,000 to cover the costs of traveling

see BASEBALL, page 8

Whether through frequent volunteer work or magic in the kitchen, looking after others came naturally to Katherine Morris.

“She often unselfishly gave of herself,” said her mother, Rev. Marguerite Morris.

“Kat” Morris, a senior family science major from California, Md., died Sunday in Anne Arundel County in what police believe was a suicide. She was 22.

“She was always open to helping people,” said her cousin, Juanita Long. “Kat volunteered all the time at church and loved working with children.”

Born March 11, 1990 in Baltimore to Willie and Marguerite Morris, she was the youngest of six siblings. Morris attended St. Mary’s Ryken High School, and according to her family, had recently applied for admission to the Air Force Officer Training School.

“Her great uncle was a retired air captain, so he was helping her through the application process,” Long said. “She was going to get her letters of recommendation together this week.”

Marguerite Morris said her daughter’s intelligence always made an impression on teachers, even from an early age.

“When she was in elementary school, one of her teachers thought I was writing her papers for her because they were so well-written, and I was like, ‘No, that’s her,’” Marguerite Morris said.

According to Long, Morris lacked a temper, and her kindness extended far beyond her group of friends.

Friends and family said Katherine Morris was generous to others, and valued community service. PHOTO COURTESY OF SAM COJOLO

“My 8-year-old nephew always went to her like she was a sister,” Long said. “She did an

see MORRIS, page 2

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THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

BIKESHARE from page 1 said the city wants to give people options other than driving, in alignment with the city’s sustainability goals.

Several people said they were glad the university was embracing alternative forms of transportation.

“I think in theor y it is a really good program,” said Jill Politz, an employee at the Campus Bike Shop. “The shuttle system isn’t the most ef fective in transpor ting bikes.”

The city and university proposed installing stations at Eppley Recreation Center, McKeldin Librar y, Stamp Student Union and the Regents Drive Garage, according to College Park Patch. In the city, the College Park Metro Station,

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Hollywood Shopping Center, The Varsity housing complex and the intersection of Knox Road and Route 1 would gain stations.

Some students said four stations could be enough depending on the final locations the university chooses.

“I think that’s enough if they’re spaced out the right way,” said sophomore computer engineering major Kevin McNerney. “I probably wouldn’t have it for the whole year, I’d probably use it once or a few times.”

Vitale said officials looking to bring more sustainable transportation options to College Park had been eyeing Bikeshare, which allows users to rent its more than 1,200 bikes at 140 stations in Washington and Arlington, Va. However, the project only became a possibility once it received the grant funding

that stemmed from Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Cycle Mar yland Initiative, created in part to make bike riding “a true transportation alternative,” according to Cycle Mar yland’s website.

With the implementation process almost fully sorted out, it’s just a matter of getting people to use the system, Wojahn said.

“I’m hoping that a lot of people in College Park will use Bikeshare to get around.”

Andrew Yu, a sophomore engineering major, said although Bikeshare may prove to be inconvenient for some trips, he supports having the extra option.

“If I were to rush to class, I probably wouldn’t use it,” Yu said. “[In other situations], it would be super useful.” akinnibi@umdbk.com

MORRIS from page 1 internship at a day-care center, which really showed off her talent of handling children.”

Friends and family said Morris worked wonders in the kitchen and frequently baked for church members and friends. Her mother owned a catering company during Katherine Morris’ youth, but friends insist she developed her cooking skills independently.

“Kat loved to bake,” her friend Sam Cojolo said. “She definitely picked that up on her own.”

Marguerite Morris said her daughter was an even more talented cook than herself.

“She was gifted somehow with spices, and Kathy could cook anything, from pasta from scratch, sauces and

things; she was absolutely amazing in the kitchen for someone so young,” she said.

She added that her daughter was a well-rounded individual, maintaining high grades throughout college while holding down several part-time jobs.

“Not just speaking from a parent, she was just so gifted in so many areas,” Marguerite Morris said.

Katherine Morris also volunteered at churches, helping with audio and video production and anything else congregants asked of her, and at Leah’s House, a nonprofit organization her mother founded to benefit disadvantaged youth.

“Kat was a loyal friend, such a sweetheart,” her friend Shade Smith said. “She always did nice things. She would do anything for anyone.”

“She was just very gifted,

“[Kat] always did nice things. She would do anything for anyone.”

SHADE SMITH FRIEND OF KATHERINE MORRIS

very intelligent. She never gave us trouble, that’s the God-honest truth,” Marguerite Morris added.

Morris is survived by her parents, Pastor Willie Morris and Rev. Marguerite Morris; her husband, Isaac Goodwin; three sisters, Jameka Morris, Charlotte Morris-Breeden and Aja Long; and three brothers, Willie Morris, Jr., Christopher Morris and Andre Morris. news@umdbk.com

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

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SGA from page 1 politics major, named several initiatives to promote diversity at the university next year, including holding a ball to celebrate the wealth of countries represented at the university and welcome receptions for minority students and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students to better connect them with faculty members and resources. In her position, Wilson-Jones will oversee the organization’s equality and tolerance initiatives, promote interfaith projects and work with the university’s chief diversity officer, Kumea Shorter-Gooden.

“I personally understand there is a lack of resources on this campus for students of color and also a lack of preparation in their high schools,” she said, noting her own experience as a black woman who graduated from a local high school. “I recognize diversity is not only racial or ethnic … diversity should be collective and it’s been more so separated on this campus, and I want to fix that.”

Marcin stepped down from her position as behavioral and social sciences representative, which she won in last month’s election, to become health and

In the SGA’s first meeting as a newly elected body, members confirmed two new positions in an effort to internally reform the organization.

well-being director. She said she plans to especially focus on initiatives relating to sexual assault awareness and prevention, men-

tal health and nutrition.

“There are so many health stakeholders on campus, but they lack a unifying force and

central force,” Marcin said.

“These efforts kind of stall because so many people are working on them and it kind of sputters out. So we can provide that unifying element that can really make these initiatives succeed.”

At the start of the meeting, the SGA elected South Campus Commons representative Matthew Popkin — who formerly served as senior vice president — as speaker for the legislature. He defeated computer, mathematical and natural sciences representative Megan Konigkramer — a newcomer to the organization — in a 15-11 vote.

Popkin said he will focus on increasing collaborations between the SGA and the University Senate, especially initiatives with undergraduate senators.

“As a newly elected senator, I think I’m well-positioned to bridge the divide there’s been between the SGA and the Senate,” Popkin said. “There’s more need than ever for the student voice to be heard and better represented.”

Representatives also elected Adam Janus the body’s new speaker pro tempore. Janus

“We can provide that unifying element that can really make these initiatives succeed.”

ANDREA MARCIN SGA HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DIRECTOR

defeated outlying commuter representative Tolga Keskinoglu in a 20-6 vote.

Janus said he plans to stimulate outreach efforts to the student body and invite more students who are not SGA members to participate in the body’s work.

“Right now students aren’t informed. They don’t really know what SGA is doing,” Janus said. “Students should know what’s going on and be a part of the discussion.”

Zwerling also named Justin Dent student groups director — he unsuccessfully ran for vice president of financial affairs in last month’s election — and appointed Kate Richard

ALEXIS JENKINS/THE DIAMONDBACK

director of sustainability, Kevin LaCherra director of traditions and philanthropy, James Jalandoni director of governmental affairs, Sam Allen director of administrative affairs, Matt Arnstine (a former Diamondback columnist) director of communications and Landon Greer chief of staff.

Representatives also voted to offer temporary storage in the SGA office for some of the 26 groups that will lose their office spaces in the Student Involvement Suite in Stamp Student Union starting Monday. Student groups could lose their SGA funding if they do not store certain items securely in accordance with the SGA’s existing storage policy.

Following a 20-minute debate, the representatives also voted the SGA would not be held financially liable for any items it stores for the groups.

Representatives also continued the tradition of funding registration fees for student groups for the First Look Fair, which usually amounts to an expenditure of about $5,000. villanueva@umdbk.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

0pinion

YASMEEN ABUTALEB

THE DIAMONDBACK

EDITOR IN CHIEF

YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK PHONE: (301) 314-8200 | FAX: (301) 314-8358 3150 SOUTH CAMPUS DINING HALL | COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742 NEWS@UMDBK .COM | OPINION@UMDBK .COM

TYLER WEYANT

ALEX KNOBEL

MANAGING EDITOR

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

CHRISTOPHER HAXEL

MARIA ROMAS

OPINION EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Staff editorial

A clear and convincing case W

hat follows is an important message for students who think they and convincing evidence in all cases not involving alleged sexual assault or harassment.

Lowering the standard of evidence would stack the deck even further against acmight, in their collegiate career, use, possess or distribute an illegal drug (yes, marijuana is still illegal); possess false identification; de- cused students who already face an unjust process. In the real world, juries are comstroy or vandalize others’ property; engage in disruptive or disorderly posed of randomly selected citizens — an impartial jury of peers. At this university, juconduct; consume or possess alcohol as a minor or provide alcohol to a minor (even rors are volunteers. Yes, you read that correctly — a student’s fate is determined by Natty Light); commit a non-sexual act of violence; and/or violate, in any other way, the other students who volunteer to judge their peers for free. Furthermore, the Office of Student Conduct trains and manages three-fourths of the paruniversity’s Code of Student Conduct. ties involved in the judiciary process: presiding officers, central Here’s the message: The university might soon alter the board members and community advocates. How can students standard of evidence needed for student conduct cases, making it easier to convict students of a violation. This is obviously The university should only get a fair trial when one office trains the judge, jury and prosecuting attorney? bad for students, but first, some context is in order. use “preponderance of In addition, we ask the Student Conduct Committee to conThere are generally three standards of evidence found in this country. Beyond a reasonable doubt, the highest, is evidence” in judiciary cases sider the standards of evidence used by the court system. Civil cases, which generally use preponderance of evidence, usually used in most criminal cases. To meet this standard, there related to alleged sexual involve the exchange of money — the convicted compensates cannot be any doubt of guilt after a reasonable evaluation of the aggrieved. Criminal cases, where the standard of evidence is the situation. Preponderance of evidence, the lowest stanassault or harassment. beyond a reasonable doubt, involve more serious sanctions, dard, is found in many civil cases. To meet this standard, it must be more likely than not that the alleged offense occurred (in other words, one such as incarceration. In other words, the courts have realized the severity of potential must only be more than 50 percent certain to convict). The clear and convincing stan- outcomes should be paired with the level of evidence required for conviction — going to dard of evidence, the least commonly used, lies somewhere between the other two — jail is worse than writing a check, so it requires evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.

So consider this: University students convicted (“found responsible” is the universione must be reasonably certain to convict.

Until this year, the university used the clear and convincing standard of evidence in ty’s euphemism) of violating the code of conduct don’t face jail time, nor can they simply all cases related to student misconduct. Last April, however, the U.S. Department of pay a fee to resolve the situation. Potential sanctions generally range in severity from Education’s Office for Civil Rights began to require that schools use preponderance probation to suspension to expulsion — i.e., the punishments are softer than incarceraof evidence in cases involving sexual assault or harassment. The American Associa- tion but more severe than a fine. Sound familiar? The current clear and convincing evition of University Professors and others disagree with the Office of Student Rights on dence standard is befitting because it matches the severity of potential outcomes.

The senate may argue that different standards of evidence for different cases will crethis matter, but as far as the university is concerned, there was no choice: It had to ate confusion, but that seems unlikely because there are so few hearings involving alcomply with a federal directive.

So in December, the University Senate altered the code of conduct to require the new, leged sexual assault — zero this year, in fact. Surely the board members can refresh lower standard of evidence in cases involving alleged sexual assault or harassment. But their memories on the definition of preponderance of evidence before a rare sexual asthe senate also discussed the possibility of lowering the standard for all violations of the sault hearing. And if that’s a problem, they probably shouldn’t be sitting on the board in code and decided to have the Student Conduct Committee revisit the issue at the start of the first place. If the university is truly committed to a just process, the senate should fall semester. This editorial board believes the university should continue to require clear maintain clear and convincing as the standard of evidence for non-sexual conduct cases.

Crazy or necessary addiction?

JULIET MELTSNER

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Joey Lockwood

Will you remember Junior Seau?

L

ast week, former NFL linebacker Junior Seau shot himself in the chest. The 43-year-old suffered from depression, and just a week later we forget to care. For sports fans, ignorance — and a short memory — is bliss.

A few years ago, I tried to swear off the NFL entirely. It was a moment of desperation, inspired by a gut-wrenching defeat in the 2010 NFC championship game between the New Orleans Saints and my Minnesota Vikings.

Watching 40-year-old quarterback Brett Favre endure an endless barrage of vicious blows felt like witnessing an inglorious execution — of both my hopes for the team and of Favre himself. My friends laughed off my emotion-filled promise, and so did I as I continued to watch the Vikings the next season, continued to play fantasy football and could not stop caring about America’s game.

When news broke that the Saints had a bounty system in place during that game — coaches and players offered thousands

NADAV KARASOV of dollars to anyone who sufficiently crippled Favre — it was a logical, but meaningless conclusion to old pains. Of course the Saints wanted to hurt Favre. That’s what you do in football — dominate your opponent by physically abusing them.

In the November 2011 New York Times article, “Kris Jenkins’s View of Life in the N.F.L. Trenches,” the former Terrapin and retired NFL lineman described the NFL as playing football with “legal prison rules.” Jenkins emphasized that amidst the ugliness, players themselves accept the dangers. “We consider football a gladiator sport because we understand you’re going to get hurt. You’re putting your life on the line. You might not die now, like in an old Roman arena,

but five, 10 years down the road, you could. You know that.”

Seau knew that too, and though the specific rationale behind his suicide remains undetermined, the long-lasting effects of the game probably destroyed him. Grappling with this realization leads a fan down an unsavory road. It’s uncomfortable to recognize the average life expectancy for an NFL player is 55. You would rather discuss the NFL Draft than the fact former players more than 50 years old are five times more likely to suffer dementia, or that against the national average, former players are six times more likely to kill themselves.

For all of the memory loss endured by former players, it’s tough to say a fan’s memory lasts much longer. Life goes on for fans as new players emerge to fill the void left by yesterday’s heroes.

In all likelihood, Favre will die an early death due to his playing days. Maybe that game against the Saints even cut off an extra few months. Fans will mourn and move on, just as they did with Seau. It

maintains fans’ sanity in an insane game.

Eventually the chaos may boil over — after an especially vicious death of a player on the field, for instance — at which point no amount of euphemistic ESPN jargon can mask the harsh reality: We cheer for players to consensually kill each other.

Let’s forgo the convenient clichés. It’s not a “Roman arena,” nor is it a blood sport. It’s football. Executives, fans and players all love the game and cannot let it go. Nor can we let go of Seau, or any other former player. Even the players we root for at this university will likely suffer later in life for the games they played. It’s an inherently dangerous game, and the only thing that can change is how we view these athletes. When fans begin to demand better support for current and former players, an ugly game could get a little less ugly. Regardless, Seau is still dead.

I hope one day we will never stop caring.

Nadav Karasov is a sophomore economics major. He can be reached at karasov@umdbk.com.

A commentary on comments

I

didn’t take this column-writing gig to gain campus notoriety. I don’t dream of making the “Most Commented” list. I don’t do it to incite anger from those who disagree with me nor to impress … anyone. I just want to provide food for thought and generate conversation between friends or between strangers. Like every writer I know, I’d love to further discuss the given topic or hear your opinion of my opinion. But I never read the online comments under my columns. It’s a waste of time, and I find it incredibly disappointing.

If used properly, comment boards can be a valuable resource to enrich the journalistic process. Every writer I know is open to feedback, especially criticism — it’s how we improve. But far too often, the comment sections on this newspaper’s website get clogged with unconstructive, rambling diatribes that benefit no one.

Too many readers comment impulsively, like ill-tempered adolescents with only child syndrome. This behavior is more than annoying; it’s irresponsible, because it corrupts the entire idea of feedback and exacerbates the small-minded-

ness that unfortunately pollutes an otherwise progressive student body. It’s like a swarm of hornets, angry by default. An opinion section is supposed to generate conversation and expose readers to perspectives they hadn’t considered. It’s not an invitation to work yourself into a frenzy of name-calling, accusing the writer of being stupid, racist, uninformed, ignorant, privileged or simply wrong..

I’m not advocating refraining from nasty comments simply to spare the writer’s feelings — we generally have pretty thick skin. A professor once told me: “In journalism and in life, everything should be done with intent.” What is the goal of the irate, irrelevant or malicious comments? If the goal is to embarrass the writer into performing better, it is counterproductive to post vitriolic attacks or stubborn back-and-forth dialogues with another commenter.

I’m entering journalism because I genuinely believe in the value of sharing information and perspectives. There are infinite stories people need to hear and corresponding conversations we need to have.

Theoretically, public comment boards

ALISSA GULIN are ideal platforms for facilitating those goals. In practice, though, they’re worthless — at least on sites that attract readers uninterested in giving valuable feedback.

Why, I wonder, do Diamondback readers seem to fall into this category?

The Diamondback’s primary audience is college students — intelligent, tolerant, open-minded individuals. At least allegedly. The comment boards on our student newspaper’s website provide no evidence we possess such qualities.

When reading an opinion page, do so with a calm and open mind, not a plan of attack. It’s so disheartening when a faceoff emerges between two commenters.

These exchanges rarely culminate in either party gaining insight into the other’s perspective. Instead, they become opponents who spit venom and

squander a potentially beneficial experience. It’s childish and irritating, but this utterly predictable response pattern concerns me more deeply than that. Sometimes, legitimate criticisms are buried among the invective but are too diluted by other fanatical comments to get the attention they deserve.

It’s unfortunate that for many journalists, reading the comments on their controversial pieces becomes a parasitic habit. If it does nothing for them, why do it? Comments alleging bias don’t encourage journalists to be more objective if the accusation is unfounded. Malicious ad hominem attacks don’t make writers appreciate their readership. It’s a cycle — when journalists don’t respect their readers, they won’t strive to please them.

Readers: You ask us to deliver engaging, thorough, accurate content. Offer us the same quality of feedback, and watch as a mutually advantageous relationship begins to flourish.

Alissa Gulin is a senior journalism major and a former opinion editor. She can be reached at gulin@umdbk.com.

I

am confident enough to say everyone at this university owns a cell phone. How else could we all keep in touch with our parents? Of course, you could bring a landline into your dorm and use that. But it’s only free if the calls are incoming and, let’s be honest, my parents have called that dorm phone a total of three times in the two years I have been there.

I am also sure most people communicate via text message. No matter where you are — be it a lab, Stamp Student Union or just relaxing in your dorm — you are in constant communication through text messages. It’s a good idea if you don’t feel like calling someone to ask a simple question or to let them know that you will be out.

The obvious question, however, is: Do we text too much? Think about it. Do you find yourself checking your phone for a text, then, not even two minutes later, checking what time it is because you were only concerned with whether your inbox had a message? Do you feel your phone vibrate, but find when you check that it was all in your head?

I tried testing my texting obsession by leaving my phone in my apartment for a whole day of classes. When I finally got home, I turned on my phone, eager to check whether I had any messages. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, even though my inbox only had two texts. This feeling of having a text message is very gratifying, but also scary. It really makes me wonder just how addicted we are.

If you get excited whenever your phone lights up, vibrates or rings with a text-message notification, you are probably a texting addict.

Don’t be ashamed; I can admit to being one of those addicts, too. For instance, I will text someone, and if they don’t respond within 15 minutes, I start to question whether they are mad at me and don’t want to talk or whether they even got the text. “You can’t build a relationship via text messaging,” my roommate always tells me. I know this, but all I am asking is for this person to respond to my texts promptly, since people probably have their phones on them almost 24 hours a day.

I’m not writing this to bash texting addicts, or even cell phones in general. They are a very important technological advancement in our society. They help us find those inebriated friends who wander off at parties. They help students keep in touch with their parents (and vice versa — though I don’t know how good that really is). The downside is they have provided yet another distraction during lectures and even put people in danger — texting while walking can result in collisions, not only with other vehicles, but also fellow Terps. They have also resulted in poor face-to-face communication skills.

Hopefully, our society will not get to the point where breaking up — and proposing — become normal via text.

Juliet Meltsner is a junior microbiology major. She can be reached at meltsner@umdbk.com.

OPINION STAFF WANTED The Diamondback is seeking paid opinion columnists and editorial cartoonists for the 2011-2012 school year. Editorial cartoonists publish cartoons once or twice a week.

Opinion columnists write approximately once every two weeks. Exceptional writing ability is required. Knowledge of campus affairs is preferred, but not required. If you are interested in applying for either position, please contact Christopher Haxel and Maria Romas at opinion@umdbk.com for more information and to request an application.

POLICY: Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent 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.

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Orchestra’s place 4 Blah 8 Carried on 13 “New Yorker” cartoonist 14 Mine access 15 Divert 16 Ration out 17 Comedian Imogene — 18 Rudner and Moreno 19 Way back when 20 Lose it (2 wds.)

22 Kid’s question (2 wds.)

24 — -majeste 25 Fish-to-be 26 Chicago gridder 28 Dust cloth 31 Nobody’s fool 34 Skin, in combos 35 — colada 36 Icicle holder 37 “The Merry Widow” role 38 Latch — 39 Water, in Tijuana 40 Attractive guy 41 Jockey — Cordero 42 Sardine holder 43 Indiana steel town 44 Tampa Bay pro 45 “Misery” co-star

47 51 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

Skunk Cumulonimbus Mineral deposit Kind of geometry Sorry!

Wide sts.

Continental drifter Technical sch.

Hibernates Fine violin, briefly Luau greetings Forensic science tool

29 30 31 32 33 34

Poker stake Liverpool poky Chair or sofa Yule trio Uncle-like Morose

35 Explorer — de Leon 37 Alan Ladd film 41 “— Lang Syne” 43 Rambled around 44 Talks big

46 Santa — racetrack 47 RC rival 48 Witches’ band 49 Rodeo locale 50 Miss Trueheart

DOWN 1 Ragu rival 2 Being led (2 wds.)

3 Sock filler 4 Puget Sound port 5 Mud brick 6 Isinglass 7 Footnote abbr.

(2 wds.)

8 More leery 9 Not quite right 10 Burning low 11 Mr. Morales 12 Genealogy abbr.

13 Delhi nurse 20 Part of GI 21 Andes ruminant 23 Chick — of jazz 26 Mr. Goodman 27 Norwegian name

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52 Novelist Victoria — 53 Make muddy 54 Give an edge to 58 Say more

orn today, you are one of the most forthright and unpretentious individuals born under your sign, and you will no doubt weather all manner of criticism as a result of your unwillingness to bow to courtesy, custom or authority. You call it like it is, and you are always willing to take the good with the bad — though you will spend much of your life working to increase the frequency of the good in your life and the lives of those around you.

B

You have a great deal of creative energy, and you will strive again and again to outdo yourself and accomplish more than you have in the past.The greatest prize for you, of course, is a sense of accomplishment; this is the very thing that drives you above all else.

Also born on this date are: Phil and Steve Mahre, Olympic champion skiers; Sid Vicious, singer; Donovan, singer; Judith Jamison, dancer and choreographer; Gary Owens, TV announcer; Nancy Walker, actress; David O. Selznick, producer; Fred Astaire, actor, dancer, singer.

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.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — You’ll be waiting quite a while today for the information you need to move forward. Fortunately, you’ll be ready when the time comes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — You may hit a wall of sorts and find yourself thinking that you cannot do what remains to be done. This fatigue is not permanent.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — You may find it more difficult than usual to get along with others today, though there is nothing unusual in the situation you are facing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — You’ll want to follow instructions, especially when they take you by surprise. Certain behavior is not appropriate.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Are you willing to let another call the shots today? Even then, you should be able to direct the overall movement of major endeavors.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — You may not be able to do much about an unexpected delay, but when it is over you’ll be able to move forward at an even faster pace.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — You don’t have to go to extremes today to protect those in your care; simply focus on the strategies and tactics that have worked in the past.

• • • • • •

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6

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

ALL THE CRAP YOU CARE ABOUT

Diversions

BONNAROO PARTNERS WITH YOUTUBE The producers of Bonnaroo launched the festival’s own YouTube channel, Bonnaroo365, on Monday. The channel will include several original series along with videos of the best Bonnaroo performances in history (My Morning Jacket’s 2011 set is available now).

For more, just click the Diversions tab at WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

PREVIEW | A VERY POTTER MUSICAL

The boy who lived on

BY BEENA RAGHAVENDRAN Staff writer

“Does anyone have a wand?”

It was 10:33 on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and — as if by magic — the question signaled the start to the frantic hunt for the perfect prop.

The 20 students looked everywhere for one, rummaging through bags, under chairs, in between books.

THE FIVE DIRECTORS

But, alas — nothing. They were forced to settle for brandishing drumsticks and pencils.

They had entered the Rever Rehearsal Studio groggy but determined, pulling out various gray sweaters, Hogwarts ties and paper dragons from backpacks, hair still damp from morning showers, mussed from rushing out the door and up stairs.

They were 20 friends reuniting over a common cause: building the wizarding world.

As the sun shone brilliantly through the windows one Friday afternoon in the South Campus Dining Hall, a group of five friends — all directors of A Very Potter Musical — sat at a round table, chatting about props and costumes, laughing, talking about Professors Quirrell and Dumbledore and dragons.

This group of students — who have formed an unofficial group they call StarTerp UMD — are bringing to life A Very Potter Musical. The show was written and performed in 2009 by a group of University of Michigan students dubbed StarKid Productions, and it became a

YouTube hit.

It was after a rehearsal for Terrapin Theatre Troupe’s spring cabaret this year that the idea was born, the directors said.

They had the right vocal parts. They had a theatrical group of friends. They all knew the show.

“We were like, ‘Let’s just do it,’” said Hillary Templeton, a sophomore theatre major who is one of the directors of the show and also plays Draco Malfoy.

The group, which is unaffiliated with any university theater groups, has only been working on the show since the end of March. The directors have often had to improvise to pull A Very Potter Musical

together, they said.

For instance, the show needed benches for the Hogwarts classroom scenes, and the group needed them for free. The directors found some in a town north of Baltimore called Rosedale, so they woke up at 6 a.m. one day and drove there, said senior English and history major Samantha Wekstein, who co-directs the show and plays Hermione Granger.

But the benches were nowhere to be found.

Instead, a dump full of junk from a construction site was waiting for them.

,

see POTTER page 7

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THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

7

The university’s cast of a A Very Potter Musical rehearses the number “Voldemort’s Going Down.” Sophomore Garrett Zink (bottom, left) plays Harry Potter.

POTTER from page 6 “We just attacked it,” Wekstein said.

can’t believe they did this,’ and we’re doing it,” said freshman theatre major Tyler Angier, another one of the show’s directors, who plays Ron Weasley. “We have ideas, too, that we might want to come up with. It’s awesome.”

GOING VIRAL YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE The members of StarTerp UMD would never have become their favorite characters without StarKid Productions.

With a budget of less than $150, StarKid’s original live performance became a YouTube hit, sparking several other productions and propelling the members’ careers, including Darren Criss of Glee fame, who wrote music and lyrics for StarKid’s show and played Harry Potter.

StarKid, now based in Chicago, claims on its website that its original works have racked up 64 million views on YouTube within two years.

The directors of this university’s A Very Potter Musical production said almost their entire cast is full of diehard StarKid fans.

“There’s this mentality that, ‘I

“How could you not like Harry Potter?” said freshman Spanish major Tiziano D’Affuso, who plays Cedric Diggory in the show. “He grew up with me.”

While D’Affuso talked, the noises of the rehearsal filled the background. On center stage, tap shoes clacked across the floor. A pair of directors discussed the creation of a 2-D paper dragon offstage. Bits of words such as “Hogwarts” and “Hermione” could be heard from clumps of actors running lines.

“I die twice,” he said, explaining his role in the show and adjusting his Hufflepuff robe. “I defy ‘YOLO.’” As D’Affuso chatted with other cast members in the upstage right

corner, several actors rehearsed Lord Voldemort and Professor Quirrell’s show-stopping number, “To Dance Again.”

After he had finished dancing, Will Bentz, the sophomore aerospace engineering and physics major who plays Quirrell, left the stage and surfed the Internet casually for — what else? — wands.

“My favorite part is the friendships that are occurring — the fact that we’re all involved in something we really love together,” he said, glancing up from the screen at the cast scattered around a piano early that morning. “It’s a great group.”

NOT YOUR AVERAGE WIZARD The Potter culture — from musical parodies to “Dumbledore’s Army” chalkings on McKeldin Mall to the Harry Potter 24-Hour Readathon spanning all seven books last weekend — has seeped its way into the college lifestyle, even after the saga ended with the release of the final film last summer.

Although Harry Potter is associated with childhood, it has a strong holding in university settings throughout the nation, said this university’s Quidditch team president, Logan Anbinder.

A senior physics and philosophy major, Anbinder — who, with his glasses and dark hair, looks very much like Harry Potter — sat in his chair in the Quidditch office, walls around him plastered with Quidditch hoops, dodgeballs and other Potter paraphernalia.

He said Har r y’s stories are timeless.

“They’re resonant and comforting because it’s the story that college students know,” Anbinder said.

“Those are things that students can look back to.”

LIVING THE DREAM As of Wednesday night, 585 people have RSVP’d “going” on the Facebook event for the performance, and 210 have RSVP’d “maybe.”

There are just 200 seats in the

PHOTO COURTESY OF KLARA KNEZEVIC

hall for each show, Wekstein said.

After the five directors left the dining hall, they continued talking — about weekend prop-making, that funny thing Bentz said the other day at rehearsal, the bed they were tr ying to obtain for a scene in the show.

They’d never received acceptance letters to Hogwarts. They’d never kicked off a broomstick on the Quidditch pitch, never battled the Dark Lord, never made anything other than a frustrated flick with a plastic wand.

But as they walked, you could almost see the giant castle forming in the distance, their Hogwarts robes billowing in the April breeze as they walked down the path, happily chatting.

StarTerp UMD’s per formances of A Ver y Potter Musical are tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in Tawes Hall’s Ulrich Recital Hall. Doors open a halfhour before each per formance.

Tickets are free, and any donations will go to StarKid Productions. raghavendran@umdbk.com

SENIORS – LAST CHANCE!

There are just 36 2012 Terrapin Yearbooks left to sell.

Don’t leave your Maryland memories behind!

WHERE: DIAMONDBACK BUSINESS OFFICE 3136 SOUTH CAMPUS DINING HALL PHONE: 301-314-8000 WHEN: 10AM-4PM, MONDAY-FRIDAY COST: $72 Please bring your receipt and photo ID if you have already purchased a yearbook.

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Student creates program to make class registration simpler Google Chrome enhancer displays GPA data and professor ratings; integrates OurUMD and Testudo

BY MICHAEL-ANN HENRY For The Diamondback

Thanks to one frustrated university student, the grueling process of scheduling classes is about to get a little easier.

This semester, sophomore computer engineering student Eric Lee finished a Google Chrome extension, the UMD Schedule Browsing Enhancer, which automatically displays OurUMD grade data when users look up class descriptions on Testudo.

The extension, which students can download for free from the Google Chrome web store, changes the standard Testudo webpage so each course includes the average GPA and average number of stars each professor received from student reviews. When the user’s mouse hovers over the grade point averages, a graph of the grade distributions from OurUMD will appear.

BASEBALL from page 1 to the World Series — without much help from the university.

And with just more than a week before the start of the doubleelimination tournament, the Terps still aren’t sure if they’ll be able to participate.

Campus Recreation Services is willing to fund part — but not all — of the team’s trip to Columbus, but still hasn’t decided how much money it will put up. That, along with a small bit of extra funding from the Student Government Association, will be all the team will get.

“When we won, we were all just elated and really proud. It was something that no one thought we could do,” junior Nick Sevilla said. “To find out that we weren’t going to get as much financial support as we thought we were was kind of a letdown. It was kind of deflating. But once we were faced with that adversity, we know

Lee said he created the extension to better integrate Testudo and OurUMD and help ensure other students don’t have the same class scheduling experience he did.

“I was annoyed with switching between tabs for every teacher and every course,” Lee said. “My first semester here, I picked terrible classes because I didn’t know about ourumd.com.”

Although he finally released the app this semester, Lee said he began creating its first elements in CMSC 131H: ObjectOriented Programming I, a computer science class he took last year. Lee said unlike the traditional non-honors course, students in this class had the opportunity to be more creative with their projects.

The course professor, James Purtilo, assigns an open-ended creative research project for the freshmen and said he was surprised Lee started the appli-

cation in the course.

“He deserves all the credit for putting this together,” Purtilo said.

But Lee said the course stuck with him because such an approach to teaching is

that, as a team, we could come together and do whatever it takes to get the funds to go to the World Series.”

As far as Sandy Sanderson is concerned, it better.

Never in the 12-year history of the World Series has the NCBA’s president seen a qualifying team not play in the event.

He doesn’t expect that he’ll see his first this year.

“Making the World Series is the goal of every team in this organization. That’s why they choose to be in it; that’s why they try so hard just to be good enough, to have played well enough to get to go,” Sanderson said. “We expect that they will be there. We haven’t been told that they won’t be. We were told that it was a concern, but, honestly, the procedure of making that is so great that we foresee that they will find a way.”

Club teams are allowed to provide their own transportation to any game or tournament within 300 miles of College Park. But if the trip is any longer, a form of pro-

fessional transportation — bus, train or plane — must be used.

The Terps need that $8,000 to pay for a university athletics bus and lodging for the weekend. So far, they’ve raised about $6,000, according to coach Dan Sharpe.

But if they don’t come up with the last $2,000, they won’t be able to pay their way out of College Park. The World Series would simply have to go on without them.

If the Terps don’t make it, there is no contingency plan. The NCBA has hosted 17 World Series in its lifetime, and there’s never been an instance where a team hasn’t come. Sanderson said the most likely solution would be to invite the district runner-up — Longwood — to replace the Terps in Columbus.

But Sanderson said he hopes it won’t come to that. If it does, the Terps would likely receive the harshest punishment the NCBA has ever levied.

“It would be a slap in the face. …

It would be severely damaging to the organization and all that it has

“He deserves all the credit for putting this together.”

JAMES PURTILO COMPUTER SCIENCE PROFESSOR

uncommon in computer science courses.

“Some professors give openended problem sets while others just test the concepts and how you would apply them,” he said.

“Some say ‘find out what this does’ and others say ‘make a circuit or a program that will does this.’”

Lee said he has not advertised his creation aside from a

Sophomore computer engineering major Eric Lee designed a Google Chrome extension that displays data from OurUMD on the Testudo class schedule. PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE CHROME

couple Facebook links.

Although more than 200 people have downloaded the extension and student reviews include comments such as “This is

amazing!” and “Awesome Idea,” Lee said he doesn’t think the product is revolutionary.

“It’s not like it makes you breakfast or anything, it just

helps you pick better classes,” he said. “If people like it, they like it.”

worked for,” Sanderson said.

“Maryland would probably no longer be welcome in the league.”

For a group of 18-to 22-yearolds charged with the task of raising a few thousand dollars in just a little more than a week’s time, the Terps seem optimistic. They know how much they would regret it if they weren’t able to play in the World Series. They know how bad they want it.

Hours after learning they would need to come up with thousands of dollars on their own, the Terps took to Facebook, spending much of their Monday night concocting a fundraising strategy they hoped would help them afford the trip to Columbus they had worked so hard to earn.

“We just got together and said, ‘OK, we’re going to do this, because we all want to. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so let’s do this,’” senior Ethan Wergelis-Isaacson said. “It’s pretty cool to see a team band together like that.”

The team has already received donations from family, friends

and team alumni, and has been approaching local College Park businesses since Tuesday, doing everything it can to piece the money together, bit by bit, including setting up fundraising nights.

Team members also plan to talk to Cornerstone Bar & Grill and R.J. Bentley’s about the possibility of having the bars donate a night’s worth of collected cover charge to help their cause. The Terps have even toyed with the idea of having one of those local businesses sponsor the team’s trip to Columbus.

“We figure each of them won’t get too much money,” said Wergelis-Isaacson, who said the team has also set up a PayPal account for donations. “But if we get a bunch of them, hopefully it’ll add up.”

Falling short of their fundraising goal simply isn’t an option for the Terps. They understand what’s at stake if they can’t raise enough money to cover travel expenses. For many on the team, it’s just the push they need.

“They said, ‘Money is not an acceptable reason to not show up.

And if you guys don’t show up because of money, then you might as well not field a team next year,’” Wergelis-Isaacson said. “I understand that they can’t just make exceptions for teams because then there would be no rules. At the same time, it does seem like it would be a waste of time if we worked really hard this entire time and just not be able to go.”

So with just eight days until the first pitch of the tournament, the Terps are full-bore on the fundraising trail. They’re slowly approaching their goal, but with $2,000 more still needed, they have a ways to go.

Not that they’re worried. For a club baseball team, this is a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity. They’re not going to let money stand in the way of playing in the World Series they’ve worked so hard all season to get to.

“We need a little more help, but I think we can get it done,” Sharpe said. “I have confidence that we’ll be there.”

news@umdbk.com

vitale@umdbk.com

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

9

Dining Services stocks univ. alumnus’ cookies Six shops sell Mike & Cookies products ALLISON GRAY Staff writer

After months of selling cookies out of his truck, university alumnus David Botwick-Ries has found a more permanent home for his prize-winning business.

After Botwick-Ries supplied a week’s worth of his Mike & Cookies-brand snacks to Dining Ser vices shops and Footnotes Café on Sunday, the cookies sold out in most locations in just three days. Dining Ser vices officials said because of the successful trial run, more shops across the campus will soon sell Mike & Cookies, a business

“I feel like he’s sharing a little bit of his philosophy on life when I eat one [of the cookies].”

ELISA ESCAPA SOPHOMORE COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR

Botwick-Ries launched after winning $2,750 in the Pitch Dingman Competition last year.

The shops sell each pack of two cookies for $3, a dollar price hike from when Botwick-Ries was selling the baked goods around the campus last semester. The department hopes to sign a long-term contract once Mike & Cookies officially gains

small-business status.

“They’re not over-the-top, Food Network-style, gourmet, whoknows-what, specialty, niché cookies,” said Dining Ser vices spokesman Bart Hipple. “They’re just good cookies.”

Botwick-Ries approached Dining Services Assistant Director David Bullock on April 27 — the day before Maryland Day — to discuss serving his cookies in the university shops and cafés.

Bullock and Dining Services Director Colleen Wright-Riva said they were excited about the idea of supporting a university graduate, and in the fall they plan to advertise the cookies as a Pitch Dingman Award winner’s business.

The cookies are sold in all six Dining Services shops and at McKeldin Library’s Footnotes Café. Hipple said Dining Services may add the cookies to one or two locations in the summer, and in Van Munching Hall’s Rudy’s Café in the fall. If sales are high, he said, they may be sold in all of the cafes on the campus.

Sophomore computer science major Elisa Escapa said she met Botwick-Ries at a dining hall through a mutual friend and was impressed not only by his product but also his outlook.

“I know from the get-go that he’s a very pleasant, really nice guy with a view on life that’s just so rare to find in a person,” she said. “I feel like he’s sharing a little bit of his philosophy on life when I eat one [of the cookies],” she said.

Botwick-Ries’ cookies are

University alumnus David Botwick-Ries founded his business, Mike & Cookies, after winning the annual Pitch Dingman competition last year. His cookies sell for $3 for a pack of two. JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

“baked with bliss,” according to his website, and “confidence,” “awareness” and “compassion” are listed as ingredients for his three cookie varieties.

Freshman theatre major Naomi Cohen said she first tried Mike & Cookies in the fall and is glad the desserts will be sold at university shops.

“Oh my God, it was one of the best cookies I’ve ever had,” she said. “And I know my cookies.” gray@umdbk.com

10

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

11

Building the foundation for 42 students’ brighter futures, hoping to instill change University junior Mohammad Sharif ’s organization sponsors educational opportunities in Pakistan

BY PHILIP STAIMAN For The Diamondback

As a sixth grader in his native countr y of Pakistan, Mohammad Sharif noticed something troubling as he walked the hallways of his private school.

Every day, Sharif watched children his own age come into the school not as classmates, but as workers, helping their fathers clean up the very building in which Sharif studied.

“That really struck me,” the letters and sciences major said. “At that moment, I realized that I was capable of making a difference, so I decided to act.”

Thus Sharif and friend Haris Mirza founded the Karachi Stalwarts Leo Club to raise money to sponsor tuition for underprivileged Pakistani students to attend private schooling. Five years later, Sharif — a junior at this university who plans to major in journalism — is continuing to press toward his goal of granting all Pakistani children equal access to quality education.

Today, the KSLC program financially supports 42 students in Pakistan, a number Sharif hopes will only continue to grow. Sharif said programs like his may not only provide a better future for these children, but potentially save them from turning to violence or radicalism.

He noted because many Pakistani teenagers are not in school, they are easily lured by terrorists on the street.

“The terrorists offer temporary food and maybe some shelter, so it is easy to be misled,” Sharif said. “With the help of school, these children are protected from that. I’m trying to offer a long-term solution.”

Sharif’s work sprung from

humble beginnings. After first realizing the problem in his own school, he and his friends decided to skip class one day to canvas a 25-mile area to see if this was a widespread issue.

“We found that 187 children were being put to work,” Sharif said.

That night, Sharif went home and made pamphlets he later distributed around his school.

However, Sharif said the school officials did not appreciate his efforts. He said the principal of the school even called him into her office and threatened to suspend him for advertising on school property without permission. It was a moment of deep disappointment for Sharif, who until then had regarded the principal as one of his “biggest inspirations,” but his plans would not be deterred.

Six months later, the principal of the school traveled to Mecca for the Muslim pilgrimage, and while she was gone, Sharif and his friends launched their program, first naming it the “Friends Social Organization.” Together, they collected enough money to financially support two students.

“We made progress, but it wasn’t enough,” Sharif said.

Sharif and his friends then turned to Sharif’s uncle, who told them the next step in becoming a legitimate organization was to register themselves with a larger company.

Upon his advice, they went to “Lions Club International,” a corporation that works to improve communities all around the world.

Once registered, many more donations flooded in, and by the time Sharif graduated from the 10th grade, his organization was fully supporting 14 students.

“My dream was to financially

Junior Mohammad Sharif (second from left) helped found an organization in Pakistan that helps protect educational opportunities for youth. The group has supported 42 students thus far. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MOHAMMAD SHARIF

support at least 10 students by the time I graduated,” Sharif said. “We surpassed that goal, and it was very fulfilling.”

Shahzad Hassan is one of the 42 students in Pakistan benefiting from Sharif’s efforts today.

“I was in third grade when my father asked me and my sister to stop our education. He asked me to work at my uncle’s grocery store, which would pay me 15 rupees [about 28 US cents] every day,” Hassan said.

“I am blessed to have Mohammad in my life because he allowed my sister and I to con-

tinue with our education.” news@umdbk.com

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CASSESE from page 13

John Collins will play in the NCAA Doubles Tournament on May 23.

TENNIS from page 15 a chance to win the tournament,” Spencer said. “I think they’re a good enough team and they can do it. They’ve beaten some of the best teams in the country.”

While Horny has been slowed by a knee injury this season, he said he sees no reason why he and Collins can’t go far in the tournament.

“I feel pretty confident about our doubles,” Horny said. “We can beat anybody in the field.”

But once the doubles tournament ends, so does the team.

Unless it reaches the set financial benchmarks by June 30, the Terps won’t compete on the Division I level next season.

That would leave eight players with a difficult decision they

HOKIES from page 13 place now than the first time we saw them. It’s going to be a whole different matchup.”

The senior has been in the circle for virtually every inning in the Terps’ surge, a trend that’s unlikely to change this weekend. The only blemish on her near-perfect record in that stretch came when the infield’s miscues handed the Seminoles a 4-3 win last Saturday.

“She wants to come out and pitch,” first baseman Candice Beards said. “If her arm is hurting or not, she’ll come out and pitch every game if she has to.”

Knight’s hot streak, along with an increasingly consistent

never thought they’d have to make: stay in College Park or try to continue their tennis careers elsewhere.

Three players have already made plans to move on — Collins to Tennessee, freshman Vlad Stefan to Michigan and junior Jesse Kiuru to St. Mary’s (Calif.) — and several more are still weighing their options.

One Terp who will definitely remain with the school is junior Andy Magee. A four-sport athlete in high school, Magee said he hopes to play third base on the baseball team next year. He also hopes to walk-on to the football team as a quarterback.

And while Magee will get a chance to start fresh next season, the men’s tennis program won’t.

It will leave behind a legacy that includes three All-Americans, one ACC Player of the

offensive attack, has played a large part in the Terps’ winning ways. But the ACC Tournament is a different animal compared to regular-season play, especially with an NCAA Tournament berth still up for grabs.

“We’ve really come through a lot this season and evolved as a program,” Watten said. “But just as we evolved and got better, other teams have too.”

Part of the Terps’ improvement was on display Sunday afternoon in the rubber match against Florida State. Down to their final out in the seventh inning, the team cranked out four straight hits to tie the game and struck again for a walkoff run in the 10th to take the three-game set.

“Sunday really helped build our confidence in all areas of

FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

Year and one First-Team AllACC performer. The Terps also finished second in the ACC Tournament in 1975 and 1986.

Still, they aren’t focusing on the negative. They’re disappointed their program will likely end for good in the coming months, but they’re not letting that keep them from supporting their two teammates who are still playing.

“We made the tournament, [so we] might as well go out and win it,” Collins said.

“We’ve just got to get hot. I think we can do it.”

As for Spencer, he’s not ready to give up the fight to save the Terps just yet.

“When the season is over,” Spencer said, “we’ll continue to try and [do] what we can to save the program.” walker@umdbk.com

the game,” Watten said.

The Terps — who sit on the tournament bubble with a No. 48 RPI — will need a strong performance in Chapel Hill to solidify a spot in the NCAA field for the third straight year, which would be the first such streak in program history.

To do it, the Terps will need to continue to rely on the infusion of confidence that comes from Knight’s stellar performances on the mound and the offense’s steady improvement.

It’s the kind of combination that can carry a team deep into postseason play.

“I don’t think it will ever run out,” Beards said. “You just want to take it all.” benscher@umdbk.com

and 2-1 during three years (20052007) as a Blue Devils assistant.

“But we felt the strongest about Duke-Maryland.”

Now Cassese is interested in starting a new rivalry with the Terps, one that seemed highly unlikely half a decade ago.

Before Cassese arrived in Bethlehem, Pa., in 2007, Lehigh was hardly a lacrosse power. It had gone a combined 21-22 in the three previous years, and hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament in its history.

But after four years of steady improvement, Cassese hasn’t just gotten it into the tournament field — he’s helped it earn a top-eight seed, which gave the Mountain Hawks home-field advantage in the first round.

“Lehigh has been a really

great example to hopefully other programs throughout the country,” Terps coach John Tillman said. “You’ve got a good coach who’s going to work hard, you bring in a good staff and give him some help, and hey, why not you? You know, why not your program?”

It’s a trend Tillman said he hopes other schools follow.

After all, the more teams that have a chance to compete for a title, the more people follow lacrosse. And for a sport that is still relatively unknown in many pockets of the U.S., that could ultimately prove vital.

“It’d be really exciting to get it nationwide,” Tillman said. “If we only had the traditional powers playing, you know, I don’t think there’s much reason for the sport to expand.”

Cassese figures to play a major role in those efforts.

At just 31 years old, he’s one of the youngest head

coaches in Division I and is widely considered one of the sport’s rising stars.

But right now, Cassese’s focus isn’t on the future.

Although he may find himself reflecting on his great bouts with the Terps from time to time this week, he’s not thinking much about the past. He’s concentrating on extending his team’s season past this weekend, on turning a memorable season into an unforgettable one.

“If I know him, the amount I know him, I don’t think he’ll be giving any smiley faces [on Sunday],” said Terps assistant coach Ryan Moran, who played on many of the Terps squads that faced Cassese. “I think he’s going to be pretty gung-ho, and he’s going to have his guys pretty locked on and I know he’s going to be locked on.” letourneau@umdbk.com

LIONS from page 13 Lion in one inning of work.

The win marks the end of the Terps’ nonconference slate, a 26-game stretch in which the Terps posted a 22-4 record. Just three games next week against No. 21 Virginia remain to determine the Terps’ postseason fate.

For a team that has struggled to score runs in recent weeks, that seven-run outburst in the third inning was a positive sign heading down the stretch.

“When we string a lot of quality at-bats together, we score,” Bakich said. “That’s why it’s always the focus. Fortunately for us, we were able to have an explosion inning right there, have the big inning, and that provided enough cushion to get through a rain-shortened game.” dgallen@umdbk.com

Third baseman K.J. Hockaday had two RBI and scored a run in the Terps’ win last night. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

CORRECTION Due to a reporting error, Monday’s article, “Galindo sets new all-time hits mark for softball,” incorrectly stated the number of Vangie Galindo’s record-breaking hit. The hit was No. 220.

Due to an editing error, Monday’s article, “Women's lacrosse earns high seed in NCAA Tournament,” incorrectly stated which number NCAA Tournament this was for UMass. It is not its first-ever berth.

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012 | THE DIAMONDBACK

13

BASEBALL

MEN’S LACROSSE

Old foes reunite in Terps, Lehigh game Cassese played for Duke in 2000s

BY CONNOR LETOURNEAU Senior staff writer

Right fielder Jordan Hagel drove in two runs in the Terps’ 7-3 win over Penn State last night. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

When the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket was announced Sunday night, Lehigh coach Kevin Cassese couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic.

The former Duke midfielder holds fond memories of his numerous battles with the Terrapins men’s lacrosse team during the early 2000s. He still reflects often upon the last-minute finishes and the hard-fought ACC Tournament matchups.

So when Cassese heard his No. 7 seed Mountain Hawks would host the unseeded Terps in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, his message to his team was simple: Be ready to work.

Rain-soaked Terps beat Penn State, 7-3

SOFTBALL

Led by Hagel, Hockaday, team scores all seven runs in third inning

BY DANIEL GALLEN Staff writer

Last night seemed like the perfect time for a letdown.

After all, the Terrapins baseball team had just arrived back in College Park less than 36 hours earlier after an emotional Monday night win over No. 1 Florida State.

The Terps’ opponent, Penn State, entered the evening winners of 21 of its past 30 games and was making a late push for a postseason bid.

But a seven-run third inning quelled any doubts of the Terps (31-22) coming up short against the Nittany Lions (24-24) in a 7-3 victory at a rain-soaked Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.

“I actually felt really good about the team’s confidence,” coach Erik Bakich said, “and thought that they would use Monday as a springboard and a momentum builder into tonight, and kind of give us some confidence headed into finals

and then going into next week.”

Terps starter Sander Beck struggled with his control early, and Penn State jumped to a 2-0 lead in its half of the third, taking advantage of a lead-off walk.

It appeared there might be a bit of a midweek hangover in the Terps’ dugout.

Any thought of that, though, was erased immediately. Seven Terps reached base consecutively to start their half of the inning against Penn State starter Mike Franklin (3-3), and right fielder Jordan Hagel and third baseman K.J. Hockaday both had two-RBI hits to stake a 4-2 lead. Before it was over, the Terps would bat around and exit leading 7-2.

“When we hit the ball solidly, usually they start falling,” second baseman Kyle Convissar said. “With the rain, the ball started getting a little slick and he was throwing it over the plate so he could throw strikes. I think we did the right approach looking for the fastball and hitting it well. Things fell our way and that

was a really big inning.”

Penn State left fielder Sean Deegan hit a home run in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 7-3 before the light drizzle turned to a steady downpour. After a 30-minute rain delay, the game was called one batter into the Terps’ half of the fifth.

“The first few innings, we were still hitting him pretty well,” left fielder Tomo Delp said. “The inning before, we had two line-drive outs so we knew we were going to get to the guy. When that happens, it’s just raining; it’s good to get a lead just in case something like this does happen.”

Beck pitched four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks. He was relieved by right-hander David Carroll after throwing three straight balls to the second batter in the fifth inning. Carroll (4-3), who started Monday night at Florida State and lasted just one inning, earned the win, allowing one hit and striking out one Nittany

see LIONS, page 12

“The thing I’ve always noticed about Maryland is that no matter who they have, or who their coach is, they’re always tough,” Cassese said yesterday. “And that’s what I told my team: ‘They’re hardnosed, scrappy. They go hard for 60 minutes.’ ” Cassese should know. Of the eight games the three-time AllAmerican played against the Terps, four were decided by one goal. Those included two Blue Devils’ wins in the ACC semifinals — an 8-7 victory in 2002, and a 7-6 come-from-behind upset in 2003.

“People always talk about the Duke-North Carolina rivalry,” said Cassese, who went 5-3 against the Terps as a player

see CASSESE, page 12

Terps ready for ACCs Team will face Virginia Tech tonight

BY JASON BENSCHER Staff writer

Laura Watten has her Terrapins softball team playing exactly the way she needs it to.

The seventh-year coach’s Terps have won 14 of their last 16 contests and enter tonight’s ACC Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the conference.

Four days removed from a series win over Florida State, the No. 5 seed Terps face No. 4 seed Virginia Tech at Anderson Softball Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., hoping to continue their three-week stretch of nearly flawless performances.

“We’re just playing well now.

We’ve made some mistakes, but we bounce back,” Watten said Sunday. “I like the fight.”

As well as they’re playing right now, the Terps’ season has been full of peaks and valleys. The Hokies (38-18, 12-8 ACC) swept the teams’ series in College Park in late March, right in the midst of the Terps’ (34-19, 10-8) 2-8 slide that left them in the ACC’s cellar.

Since that weekend, though, the fortunes of the Terps — and pitcher Kendra Knight — have changed dramatically.

“Last time we didn’t make plays,” Watten said Tuesday.

“But [Knight] is in a different

see HOKIES, page 12

14

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012 | THE DIAMONDBACK

15

Sports

Soccer schedule released The Terrapins men’s soccer team released its 2012 schedule yesterday. The Terps open the season against Louisville. Read more at TerrapinTrail.com.

MEN’S TENNIS | SEASON IN REVIEW

For Terps, match point Team begins to move on after finishing out its final season

BY RHIANNON WALKER Staff writer

When Kyle Spencer first arrived in College Park three years ago, he had visions of building a downtrodden men’s tennis program into one that would be feared in the ACC. That program will now live in the record books, not on the tennis courts.

Encouraged by the 17-member commissions board, President Wallace Loh accepted a proposal to eliminate eight of the school’s 27 varsity teams on Nov. 21, hoping the cuts would help alleviate the athletics department’s multimilliondollar debt.

The Terrapins men’s tennis team was one of those eight.

So for the past five months, the Terps have played with the knowledge that, if they don’t raise the necessary funds — more than $3 million — to keep their team from being cut, their tenure as a team would officially come to an end on July 1.

But Spencer prefers to focus on what his team has accomplished, not its seemingly inevitable end. “[I think our legacy at Maryland] is against the odds,” Spencer said. “No one came in here with the expectations that we could do what we ended up doing. I’m proud of the fact we built a culture here of hard work, determination and not listening to people who told us we couldn’t do something.”

In his first two years at the helm, Spencer led the Terps to two straight 13-win seasons, their highest single-season win totals since 1992.

Last year, the Terps captured their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, knocking off Michigan, 4-2, in the first round.

While they failed to make the tournament in their final year, they did notch two season-defining wins. The Terps beat Miami for the first time in school history on April 1. In the final match of the season two weeks later, they defeated North Carolina for the first time in 22 years.

“We have a good program here,” Spencer said. “We have guys that are continuing to break down barriers that haven’t been done here at Maryland. I think that’s the No. 1 theme, is that in the three years that I’ve been here, we’ve been able to do what a lot of people thought was not possible.”

Though their April 20 loss to Virginia in the ACC Championship was likely the team’s last, two Terps will continue their season when the NCAA Doubles Tournament begins on May 23 in Athens, Ga. The No. 26-ranked pair of Maros Horny and John Collins will participate in the 32-team doubles competition, becoming the first Terps duo to qualify for the event since 2008.

“I would love for them to have

see TENNIS, page 12

Coach Kyle Spencer (top), Jan Surovic (left), Andy Magee (right) and the Terrapins men’s tennis team will likely be cut on July 1 if the program doesn’t reach the financial benchmarks necessary to keep the team alive. FILE PHOTOS/THE DIAMONDBACK

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THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012