July 21, 2016

Page 1

The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper

T H U R S DAY, J U LY 2 1 , 2 01 6

marquise mckine/the diamondback

‘JUSTIFIED’ “

We as a campus have much work to do.

[I]t sounds as though progress has been made.

We got it wrong here.

I wanted to know if they thought this was fair.

This did not have to happen.

Kumea Shorter-Gooden

Oscar Barbarin

David Mitchell

Katherine Swanson

Wallace Loh

chief diversity officer

african-american studies chair

university police chief

sga president

university president

COURTYARDS

Pepper spray use justified, per report

Community reacts to investigation

By Ellie Silverman @esilverman11 Senior staff writer

By Carly Kempler @CarlyKempler Senior staff writer

University of Maryland police officers’ use of pepper spray to break up a graduation party of predominately black students was justified, but could have been avoided had the officers used a less hostile approach, according to the police chief's summary report. One officer is suspended for two weeks without pay for “conduct unbecoming an officer,” including incorrectly deploying pepper spray although the use itself was justified, according to Police Chief David Mitchell's summary report released Thursday from the May 21 incident at the Courtyards apartments. “This did not have to happen,” university President Wallace Loh said in an interview with The Diamondback. “There are a lot of people in their daily interactions that are a bit confrontational or raise their voices. And that's not a crime; it's just bad manners. But if you do that when you're wearing a uniform, that has consequences.” The five-week investigation led Mitchell to announce department-wide training in cultural diversity and implicit bias, order a review of the department's use of force guidelines with input from the community, including students, and informed the public that the state drop its charges against the two people arrested in the incident, according to a campuswide email from Loh on July 14. “That night excessive force was used by the police multiple times and the trauma that was inflicted on the victims is

The University of Maryland Police Department released body camera footage Monday depicting officers using pepper spray to break up a graduation party of predominantly black students, after a five-week investigation concluded the use of pepper spray fell within department guidelines. Officers responded to what turned out to be a false report of a fight within a party at the Courtyards apartments on May 21, according to a summary report by University Police Chief David Mitchell. The officers decided to shut

As national discussions swirl around police and citizen relations, various University of Maryland officials responded Thursday afternoon to University of Maryland Police’s investigation results that deemed the use of force at a May 21 Courtyards party was justified. Two of the officers who arrived at the party after receiving a call used pepper spray to disperse the partygoers. Police Chief David Mitchell announced Thursday that one of the officers — who had displayed “conduct unbecoming an officer” — has been suspended for two weeks without pay for this incident. Campus leaders such as Kumea Shorter-Gooden, the university’s chief diversity officer, said in a statement that “this incident has been very disturbing for our campus community, particularly our Black and African American community.” She went on to say she is “grateful that a network exists to support our students and that we are addressing what happened in direct and meaningful ways.” With the formal investigation completed, Oscar Barbarin, professor and African-American Studies department chair, said he feels more confident that students will be treated respectfully. “I have a lot of respect for [Mitchell],” Barbarin said. “He has been very forward-thinking and very responsive. … The response of suspending the person [an officer involved] for poor judgment sends a very strong message that things that police might have ordinarily gotten away with in the past are

See REPORT, Page 3

See VIDEO, Page 3

See REACTION, Page 3

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All page 1 images are Diamondback file photos unless otherwise noted. All photos edited for color only by Evan Berkowitz unless otherwise noted.

UNEDITED BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE from the May 21 incident involving police use of pepper spray at Courtyards to break up a party. image courtesy of university police

Police release 911 call audio, body camera footage By Lexie Schapitl @lexieschapitl Senior staff writer

SPORTS

OPINION

SUMMER LEAGUE SUPER STAR

OUR VIEW: Investigation results unclear

In Cal Ripken League, Terps right-hander Hunter Parsons shines for Baltimore Redbirds P. 8

Courtyards incident report leaves many questions P. 4 DIVERSIONS

MORTALLY FUNNY Upright Citizens Brigade shines at Woolly Mammoth P. 6


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THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Police aide fired for offensive post

CRIME BLOTTER By Mina Haq @DBKCrime For The Diamondback University of Maryland Police responded to reports of a stolen motor vehicle and vandalism, among other incidents this past week, according to police reports.

OTHER INCIDENTS On July 15 at about 10 p.m., University Police responded to the 8200 block of Boteler Lane after a male university student reported that his vehicle had been egged twice between about 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m, police spokeswoman Sgt. Rosanne Hoaas said. After the first instance, the individual noticed his car had been egged and cleaned it off. About 10 minutes later, he returned to his car and noticed it had been egged again and there was barbecue sauce on it, Hoaas said. The report did not indicate whether the student had any idea of who egged his vehicle, Hoaas said, but officers plan to review camera footage. On July 14 at about 4 p.m., University Police responded to Leonardtown, where a female university student reported that she was “receiving unwanted communication” via social media from a male student she met in June on the campus, Hoaas said. Police told the male to stop communicating with the

Meme implied black neighborhoods would be chaotic without policing

victim. Police gave him information on the Office of Student Conduct and gave the victim information on the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct. Hoaas did not wish to comment on which social media platform the male was using.

By Michael Brice-Saddler @TheArtist_MBS Senior staff writer The University of M a r yla nd Pol ice Depa r tment term i nated a member of its Police Auxi l ia ry a f ter he sha red a

would fall apart without the presence of police. “If we really wanted you dead all we’d have to do is stop provocative meme on Face- patrolling your neighborhoods book, according to a state- … and wait,” said the meme, ment from the department. which depicted a police officer. The police auxiliary emPolice were made aware of this incident via a series ployee quoted the post with of screenshots on Twitter on the comment: “Basically.” Here is the full statement July 9, which show the former employee sharing a meme that from University Police regardimplies black neighborhoods ing the incident:

“We were notified of the i ncident on ea rly Su nday morning via our Twitter page. Notification was made to the appropriate personnel to look further into the matter. The individual was immediately relieved of their duties and is no longer employed at the University of Maryland Police Department.” mbricesaddlerdbk@gmail.com

STOLEN MOTOR VEHICLE University Police responded to a report of a stolen motor vehicle at Xfinity Center on July 17. At about 9 a.m., an officer met with an employee who said a golf cart was stolen from the loading dock area, Hoaas said. The officer was able to find the missing golf cart in lot 11b and processed the vehicle. There was “cosmetic” damage to the vehicle in the seating area, Hoaas said, but it was still operable.

VANDALISM On July 15 at about 6:15 a.m., University Police responded to the intersection of Regents Drive and Fieldhouse Drive for a report of a damaged stop sign. When the officer arrived, he noticed the stop sign had been bent down and was able to bend it back into its original position, Hoaas said. He also discovered the pole needed to be fixed or replaced. Police are unaware of exactly how the stop sign was bent, Hoaas said, and requested a camera review. newsumdbk@gmail.com

City council approves Purple Line light rail construction permit

Positive views on Muslims up, poll finds By Mika Park @thedbk For The Diamondback Recent polls show American views toward Muslim people and Islam have grown increasingly p o s it ive ove r t h e p a s t few months despite the Orlando shooting and a president i a l c a mpa ig n that has encouraged antiMuslim sentiment. Sh ibley Tel ha m i, the A nwa r Sad at ch a i r for peace and development a nd a gover n ment a nd politics professor at the University of Maryland published the latest poll on July 11 with the Brookings Institution. The poll will measured a trend line beginning from November 2015 to M ay 2016, before the Orlando shooting, and ending in June after the attack to see whether the event had an impact on public opinion. The poll revealed that there has been growth in favorable attitudes both toward Muslims and toward Islam since November. “T he cha nge went i n t he opp osite d i rect ion from what many people h ave b e en e x p ect i n g,” Telhami said. However, the poll findings show a 50 point difference between Hillary Clinton supporters and Donald Trump supporters in positive attitudes toward Islam — 66 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Telhami stresses that these are not simply incremental differences, but rather, it is almost like having two Americas.

an essential step in the construction of the Purple Line, Wojahn said. “It’s a legal necessity,” Wojahn said. “But it’s fairly simple.” Now that the measure has been approved, Maryland By Angela Jacob Transit Administration con@thedbk tractors should be able to start For The Diamondback construction whenever they The College Park City Council are ready, said Scott Somers, voted July 12 to grant the Mary- the College Park city manager. land Transit Administration a “I think we’re going to see some Right-of-Entry permit, which track on the ground within about will officially allow for the start a year or so.” Both Wojahn and Somers than getting on the beltway,” of Purple Line construction. s a i d t h e y Somers said. The I CONTINUE TO THINK There is a possibility of reducwere hopeful 16-mile light rail spanning THAT IT’S GOING TO BE for positive ing congestion on the beltway, he things once said, but the long-term impact is from BethesAN ECONOMIC DRIVER this trans- more substantial. d a to N e w FOR OUR REGION, OUR portation line “We’ve seen new developCarrollton, is a six-year, CITY, OUR UNIVERSITY. is completed. ments spurring around transit, such as the Purple Line,” “I’m $3.3 billion SCOTT SOMERS Somers said. “I continue to hoping that project, College Park city manager all the com- think that it’s going to be an funded by public-private sectors, accord- muters who come to the Uni- economic driver for our region, ing to the Purple Line website. versity of Maryland from Mont- our city, [and] our university.” The transportation system will gomery County or over from be in a “final design and con- New Carrollton will be able to struction” phase from 2016 to hop onto the Purple Line rather newsumdbk@gmail.com 2021, before service begins in 2022, according to the Purple Line website. None of the council members, including Mayor Patrick Wojahn, opposed to this measure. VOTED COLLEGE PARK’S “BEST BAGELS” “We just read the whole consent agenda, there’s a motion to approve the consent agenda, and then it all passes at once,” Wojahn said. “So there wasn’t any separate discussion on that Sign Up for Our VIP Rewards Card! matter at all.” Although it passed unanimously and without discourse, approving this permit marks

July 12 vote allows transit admin to begin building 16mile, $3.3B line

SHIBLEY TELHAMI, this university’s Anwar Sadat chair for peace and development, speaking at an April 2015 event. file photo/the diamondback Michael Robbins, director of the Arab Barometer and research fellow at the University of Michigan, believes that Donald Trump’s characterization of Muslims has contributed to more Democrats and Independents sympathy toward them. “It appears that those who support the Republican party and are relatively unmoved by campaign rhetoric about Muslims,” Robbins wrote in an email. “Donald Trump’s comments have been playing to his base rather than influencing their views.” After the Orlando shooting, Democrats who feel that Islamic and Western values and traditions are compatible ga i ned f ive percentage points. Independents’ approva l ju mped from 56 percent to 71 percent after the attacks. In contrast to Democrat and Independent responses, the 4 4 percent of Republicans that felt Islam and Western ideals are compat-

ible dropped to 42 percent. I n T e l h a m i ’s P o l i t i c o article on the two new polls, he offers possible explanat ion s for t he d i f ferences among party opinions. H i s e x pl a n at ion s c e nte r around in political stance, demog raph ic cha nge a nd nuanced understanding of the Orlando shooting that looks beyond militant Islam as the root cause. Dimas Syuardi, a senior majoring in studio art and graphic design, feels that people have been more interested in understanding his Muslim background recently. “A lot of the people I have talked to are more interested in learning about Islam, and want to be more knowledgeable on the Islam that is not por trayed i n the med ia,” Syuardi said. The poll results indicated that people who never interact with Muslims view them most unfavorably, and those with even marginal contact a re more l i kely to be ac-

cepting and understanding, Telhami said. A s t h e S a d a t C h a i r, Telham i holds the A nwar Sad at L ectu re for Peace, public forums and conducts re s e a rc h s u c h a s p u b l i c opinion polls that matter for public discourse. He finds it important for the rest of the world to know how Americans feel. “What we think of someone else affects their sense of identity and how they think of us,” Telhami said. “It is very important to have this clarity about how we think and how others think and put it out for the discourse to see how it changes and what factors influence it. “It has been a very difficult time for Muslims in America. I think people probably are heartened by the results … but overall there is a level of discomfort that is going to be with us for a while.” newsumdbk@gmail.com

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THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016 | NEWS | The Diamondback

FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE COURTYARDS INVESTIGATION REPORT

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1. Pepper spray use was justified, but could have been avoided.

2. UMPD suspended one officer for two weeks without pay.

3. The original 911 call was fabricated by people denied entry to the party.

4. UMPD informed the public the state dropped charges against 2 arrested.

5. UMPD will receive diversity and bias training, and review force policy.

MORE ONLINE: WATCH OUR VIDEO ON FACEBOOK

use of force by university of maryland police officers, 2001-2014

REPORT From PAGE 1 something that cannot be u nd one,” som e s t u d e nt s who were at t he i ncident said in a statement to The Diamondback. “Victims went to bed that n ight shaking out of shock of how a night of celebration turned into such chaos.” Those students asked that their names be withheld to protect person a l pr ivacy given the sensitivity of the situation. The investigation included 26 interviews and statement from university and Prince George's county police officers, Emergency Medical Services personnel, partygoers, a review of the body camera videos, as well as other footage from those at the scene. The body camera fo o t a ge w i l l b e re l e a s e d Monday, said Brian Ullmann, the university's marketing and communications assistant vice president. The department did not discover evidence that the incident was racially motivated, but M itchel l acknowledged that some students feel otherwise. T he pol ice depa r t ment is implementing systemic changes because the trust of the campus community, “particularly our AfricanA m e r i c a n c o m m u n i t y,” is necessary for everyone to succeed, accord i ng to Mitchell's report. “ T h e b o t to m l i n e i s i t never shou ld have gotten to this point,” Mitchell said. Earlier today Mitchell met with some of the students who were involved in the incident to share the results of the review and the body camera footage, Ullmann said. The students’ statement,

VIDEO From PAGE 1 down the party, opting to deploy pepper spray twice to disperse partygoers. The video is dark and often difficult to make out, and faces are also blurred to protect identities. The footage shows two officers responding to Courtyards, where they meet individuals in the parking lot who had made the false call. The group tells the officers that there is a fight inside the party of what they claim to be 80 people. One person mentions someone may have a bat, but others say there are no weapons involved. Officers then knock on the door of the apartment and state they were told of a fight. Two women at the door tell the officers that no one is fighting, and there is no bat in the apartment. The officers ask the individu-

Graphic by Evan Berkowitz/The Diamondback Source: University of Maryland Police Department

41 39

37 31 26 Number of times officers pointed a firearm at a person 16

24 17 10

Number of times officers used pepper spray

6

29

28

8 4

3

4

5

12

19

18

20

19

8 3

4

1

1

1

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 along with the police report, provide greater insight into what happened when officers responded to Cou rtyards on May 21. Non-university students who were denied entry to the graduation party retaliated by calling the police at about 1:46 a.m. They fabricated the story of a possible fight, someone w it h a bat a nd u ndera ge drinking, so the department is pursuing criminal charges against the callers, according to the report. Dark and grainy cell phone videos of police forcefully ending the party while partygoers ran away screaming and coughing went viral on Twitter and elicited a public response from the university the same day. Since Trayvon Martin's death i n 2012, cel l phone v ideos of officer conduct posted on social media have increasingly garnered national attention. Just last week, footage documenting the deaths of Philando Castile

and Alton Sterling, two black men, stirred public outrage. A video tweeted by Raphael Oduok shows a few of f icers attempting to restrain someone face down on the ground, which fueled the criticism that police officers employ excessive use of force with black men and women. As the person tried to crawl away, the officer remained on top of this person, raised his arm and seemed to bring his forearm down on the person's neck or left shoulder, forcing the person's head back down to the ground, Oduok’s video shows. The first pepper spray deployment occurred in the breezeway when an officer was surrounded by about 10 partygoers, one of whom attempted to lunge at the officer while others held the person back. The two officers who deployed pepper spray to disperse the crowd, did so because they believed the other officer was in danger, according to Mitchell's summary report. The students’ statement

elaborated on this first encounter, and said while partygoers tried to grab their belongings, the officers told them they could come back later for personal possessions and it would be considered trespassing if they didn't leave the apartment. “The police then proceeded to mace the entire crowd without warning,” the students said in a statement. “After people were maced, more police officers began laughing and shaking their mace bottles to continue spraying even though people were on the ground screaming and crying.” A f te r c a l l i n g for more support, about 15 officers and fire department medics arrived to help de-escalate the situation and provide c a re for t h o s e wh o we re pepper sprayed. Police arrested two people during the encounter, according to the police report. While in the parking lot, a not her of f icer deployed pepper spray in a manner

that violated police policy, but it's u se wa s ju st i f ied b e c a u s e o f t h e “ u n c o ntrolled scene,” Loh wrote in his July 14 email. O ne m a n “wa s m aced” when he tried to help some women “getting pushed down to the ground” by officers, according to the students’ statement. At the same time, a woman attempting to help others lying on the concrete who were temporarily blinded by the pepper spray, a male officer grabbed her neck and detained her, according to the students’ statement. “T his incident compels us to confront the reality that A frica n-A merica ns, and other persons of color, experience bias and unequal treatment in everyday life,” Loh wrote in a previous campuswide email on May 26. University Police rarely deployed pepper spray i n recent years, with one use i n 2 01 1 , 2 013 a n d 2 01 4 . The department deployed pepper spray 70 times from

als to step back from the door because they “need to see that everything is okay.” Soon afterward, an officer orders everyone out of the apartment. As partygoers exit the apartment, a crowd begins to form in the breezeway of the building. The officers request additional units respond to the scene, citing a “very large party, refusing to break up, refusing to cooperate.” When the crowd surrounds an officer, two of them deploy pepper spray on the partygoers. Video footage shows many people screaming, and an officer says “multiple people were sprayed with O.C.,” commonly known as pepper spray. Officers then requested medical treatment for the partygoers they sprayed. Later in the video, an officer uses pepper spray again near individuals who were receiving treatment. Student Government As-

sociation President Katherine Swanson said watching the body camera footage affirmed that the campus needs to work toward a better relationship between students and the police department. She added that the video was “kind of shocking.” “You can read about something but actually watching it is a little bit different, and watching how aggressive the cops were at the door of the party really bothered me and I think really bothered a lot of my cabinet as well,” the senior government and politics major said. “It was just hard to watch.” The SGA is working with the university’s chapter of the NAACP and Phi Beta Sigma to plan a town hall to address these issues with Mitchell and university President Wallace Loh during the first week of school, Swanson said. The SGA will also be writing a letter to University Police with recommendations

of how they could improve their investigations and communication with students, she added. In the wake of the incident, many used Twitter to voice their concerns that the officers’ conduct was racially biased. Mitchell addressed these concerns Thursday, but said the department did not discover evidence that the incident was racially motivated. “However, my students feel that,” he added. “And perception is reality, so I agree that this is a problem for us in law enforcement with regard to trust between our community and the police.” Junior Ja’Nya Banks, the SGA director of diversity and inclusion, said some students in the black community are frustrated that the situation escalated so quickly, especially when they see “huge, white frat parties” that never lead to such a use of force. “It’s very common that large

parties happen on campus, parties much more large scale than this … and they always seem to get shut down fine. There never seems to be any need or use for pepper spray or alarm, you don’t usually see police tackling students,” the special education major said. “So I think that’s the main concern is, why was this different? And how come things got so out of hand?” Junior Julian Ivey has long been active on issues of police conduct and race relations. In fall of 2014, the arts and humanities major also participated in a student march and a sit-in at Stamp Student Union to protest campus police militarization in response to a grand jury decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of a black teenager, Michael Brown. He was also involved in championing UMPD to begin wearing body cameras, which the department implemented in February

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REACTION From PAGE 1 not goi ng to be tolerated under his administration.” Student leaders such as Student Government Association President Katherine Swanson also emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship between students and police. “My first reaction was to reach out to my cabinet to see how they felt,” said Swanson, a sen ior govern ment a nd politics major. “I’m a representative of the students, and I wanted to make sure I’m representing them.” Students w i l l h ave t he

opportunity to share their thoughts on the investigation with Swanson as well as suggest ways to improve students-police relationships, she added. “I’m really encouraging students to reach out to me in any way that they can,” she said. “All I can work to do now is better relations between the police and the students, and I’m committed to that.” The Residence Hall Association said in a statement that their advisory committees would be working with University Police, the Department of Resident Life, SGA and other campus groups to “engage in constructive dia-

2001 to 2014, according to the department's internal affairs reports. M itchel l sa id officers could have handled the call w ith de-esca lation techniques, and he is “terribly embarrassed a nd hu m iliated” by the actions of the officers. Pepper spray can be used to disperse a crowd if an officer believes failure to disperse the crowd immediately will lead to some kind of violent behavior, Mitchell said. The department will revisit the use of pepper spray under its policy, he added. “What we hope will come from this incident is a better re s p o n s e f ro m t h e U M D police force in future situations like these and sense a unity within the campus community,” according to the students’ statement. Senior staff writer Lexie Schapitl contributed to this report. esilvermandbk@gmail.com

2015. He called the incident at Courtyards and the results of the investigation “disheartening.” “Even here at the University of Maryland, where we strive to be progressive and we strive to be fearless, even here we have these instances,” Ivey said. “It’s just sad we’re here two years later and we’re still talking about the same things.” The department found that the second use of pepper spray, while reasonable, “did not meet UMPD standards,” according to the report. The officer who deployed that spray has received a two-week suspension without pay, the report said. Mitchell said Thursday that the situation never should have escalated to the point where pepper spray was used, and that he is “terribly embarrassed and humiliated” by the actions of his officers. lschapitldbk@gmail.com

I’M A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STUDENTS, AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I’M REPRESENTING THEM. ... I’M REALLY ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO REACH OUT TO ME IN ANY WAY THAT THEY CAN. ALL I CAN WORK TO DO NOW IS BETTER RELATIONS BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE STUDENTS. KATHERINE SWANSON SGA President

logue on improving studentpolice relations.” The RHA also thanked University Police in the statement for an “open and transparent” review of the incident. “We support the department’s recognition of the role that implicit bias may play i n thei r i nteractions with the campus commu-

nity, and applaud their decision to require implicit bias and diversity training for all UMPD officers,” the statement said. Staf f w r it e rs Kim b e rly Escobar and Lexie Schapitl contributed to this report. ckemplerdbk@gmail.com


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THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, July 21, 2016

OPINION

EDITORIAL BOARD

casey Kammerle

Danielle ohl

Managing Editor

Editor in Chief

use of force guidelines, what those guidelines are remains wholly unknown. And while the report clearly justifies the decision to use pepper spray to break up parOUR VIEW

Some of the University of Maryland Police Department’s findings just don’t add up. tygoers, it muddies that with addendum regarding how the officer executed the spraying. Still, facts are facts: The pepper spray was allowed. But that doesn’t really make sense. Sure, the use of force guidelines (whatever they may say) allow pepper spray in a situation where, presumably, an officer feels threatened. But we’d be curious to know what those guidelines say about a threatening situation that an officer caused. The investigation found the officers, with their aggressive approach, exacerbated the situation. University President Wallace Loh likened it to bad manners. Mitchell, in his summary report, referenced a lack of diplomacy. According

to that report, officers sprayed because they believed a fellow policeman was in “danger.” Danger that, according again to the report, “did not have to happen.” This does not add up. The police officers responding to the Courtyards party that night were doing their job — an important job that without, we could not enjoy the level of security we often take for granted. It’s the importance of that job, the honored and serious place police officers hold in society, that allows us to hold them to “very high standards of conduct and accountability,” as the report spells out. We have to. They’re the proverbial arbiters of justice. They’re supposed to be better than us. But when a weeks-long investigation finds that on-the-job behavior failed to meet these standards, it’s a bit disappointing to read further and find that civilians were still in the wrong. We won’t pretend to know what happened. No one on this editorial board is a police officer. None of us were at that party. But we have read the report and statements from parties involved. When “overall conduct unbecoming an officer” begets use of force, there is not accountability, only dubious conclusions further persecuting a group of vulnerable people that law enforcement is sworn to protect.

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Jocie Broth /the diamondback

NEW COLUMNISTS WANTED

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The GOP’s crisis of character

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reuven bank Opinion Editor

The Affordable Care Act’s uncertain future

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resident Obama recently wrote an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association in which he praised the results of the Affordable Care Act and offered proposals to improve American health care reform. Like any president nearing the end of his tenure, Obama is clearly concerned with his legacy. The success or failure of the health care law will be a major factor in how Obama will be remembered. The Affordable Care Act has expanded health care coverage for Americans through private insurance and the expansion of Medicaid. The health care law has prohibited insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions. In addition, because of the Affordable Care Act, it appears that the health care industry is moving away from the flawed fee-for-service model. Preceding the act, fee-for-service improperly incentivized physicians to charge for additional, unneeded services. Presently, the health care industry is experimenting with different payment and delivery models that aim to reduce costs, while improving the quality of care. However, there is much uncertainty as to whether these models will reduce the cost and improve the quality of care. A fundamental flaw in the Affordable Care Act is that it failed to change the structure of the country’s health care system in that insurers, not physicians, are responsible for the delivery and financing of health care. Even in Medicare and Medicaid, insurance companies act as third party fiscal intermediaries on behalf of the government. When consumers become eligible for Medicare, at age 65, they can either sign up for traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage. For traditional Medicare beneficiaries, they are allowed to purchase Medigap policies to help them cover the costs not covered by traditional Medicare. Medicare Advantage is a private plan approved by the federal government. To improve on the goals of the Affordable Care Act, Obama urged policymakers to implement the public option. The public option would in the long-run wrestle control from insurers. The success or failure of implementing the public option will

Want to be a columnist for The Diamondback? We are looking for new columnists for the fall 2016 semester. Columnists write weekly columns on any relevant university, local, state, or national issue. If interested, please send a sample column (between 500 and 600 words) to William An and Reuven Bank at opinionumdbk@gmail.com. Please provide your full name, year, major and phone number.

f you were to create a Mount Rushmore of Republican presidents, the obvious four faces would be those of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. Experts rate these men are among the most highly-regarded presidents in our history, not only for their accomplishments, but for their character. Unfortunately, the party of Lincoln is now the party of Trump, as Republican National Convention delegates officially nominated the business mogul and reality TV personality as their presidential candidate Tuesday. While I’ve written in the past about how Donald Trump’s policies conflict with conservatism, what is even more troubling to me is how Trump’s character is wholly inconsistent with the Republican Party’s proud history of nominating presidential candidates who exemplify the highest in personal integrity while in the public eye. The first key character flaw is that Trump has throughout his campaign consistently pedaled information that is false, offensive, and many times both. Politifact rates his campaign and debate statements as 75 percent false, and he’s been called out by journalists in both conservative and liberal outlets for his blatantly false statements on crime statistics, immigration and the war on terror. Think on that for a moment. A full

William An

COLUMN

Pepper spray investigation leaves more questions than answers

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STAFF EDITORIAL

ast Thursday, the University of Maryland Police Department released the results of their investigation into the May 21 incident at a Courtyards party. For those who might not be familiar with the situation, officers used pepper spray and force to break up a party of predominantly black recent graduates. Their actions prompted immediate backlash on social media and an investigation, which is now finished. Upon the investigation’s release, Police Chief David Mitchell atoned for the actions of his department and acknowledged that the May 21 incident did not have to happen. We want to applaud Mitchell for his efforts to render a fair investigation, to review use of force guidelines and to suspend an officer found applying pepper spray incorrectly. This editorial board also commends the decision to release some of the body camera footage at the discretion of the partygoers involved in the pepper spraying. But we would be remiss if we failed to mention what we see to be a decision couched in deliberately vague language. Intentionally or not, the results of the investigation are somewhat unclear. While the police department has made the respectable decision to review their

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three quarters of public statements made by Trump were evaluated as false. While Politifact notes that the statements they evaluate shouldn’t be construed to be fully representative of a candidate, but note “Donald J. Trump’s record on truth and accuracy is astonishingly poor,” even lower than “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz’s or “Crooked” Hillary’s. Trump’s business practices are also a cause for concern. While many point to his numerous bankruptcies and refusal to release his tax records, far more troubling is the staggering number of lawsuits brought against him by former employees and contractors. Trump currently has 1,450 lawsuits filed against him, many coming from workers who allege he simply decided not to pay them for their hard work. For comparison, USA Today found Trump was involved in more lawsuits than five top real-estate business executives combined. Trump and his staff frequently brush off concerns about the number of suits brought against him as the cost of doing business, but the vast quantity of these suits and their allegations show a man with no regard for “the little guy” he claims is being harmed so much by the political establishment. Finally, Trump has shown throughout his campaign an inability to rise above the most disgusting and

childish name-calling and slander. Whether it was alleging Ted Cruz’s father was involved in murdering JFK, that Hillary Clinton is not a Christian, or mocking a disabled reporter, he has demonstrated a complete lack of character. I could only imagine what Abraham Lincoln’s reaction would be to a man who claimed an opponent wasn’t a war hero because he was captured by the enemy. In his second inaugural address, Lincoln uttered the phrase that should be our guidance: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” In a time where America finds itself on edge, we desperately need a leader who appeals to the better angels of our nature? The Republican Party has picked its man, and he surely isn’t it. S a m Wa l l a c e i s a g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s t u d y i n g go v e r n m e n t and politics. He can be reached at swallacedbk@gmail.com.

be determined by politics. Of course, this is always the case when enacting health care reform legislation. It is extremely unlikely that a public option would pass in a Republican-controlled Congress due to opposition that a public option would lead to a singlepayer system. Instead, conservatives would argue for a pro-free market approach. Even in the ideal scenario of a Democratic-controlled Congress, liberal Democrats would need to convince centrist Democrats to support a public option. Even in the ideal scenario that the public option could get passed by Congress, the public option would most likely be opposed by physicians and insurance companies. Insurers will most certainly oppose the public option because it is antithetical to their interest. Historically, the American Medical Association opposed any federal health care reform legislation due to the threat of losing physician autonomy. Maybe the public option could succeed if policymakers can convince the AMA that it is in their interest to support this piece of legislation. While they may be reluctant to support federal government intervention in health care, it may be preferable to the status quo. Because physicians are not responsible for the delivery and financing of health care, they have no political power. Any future health care reform legislation will reflect the victor in the political battle between physicians and insurers. The Affordable Care Act is a case in point. The Affordable Care Act is an achievement for Obama. However, due to its reliance on the status quo, it is hardly liberal reform. If policymakers want to improve on the act, they need to realize that as long as insurers are at the center of the American health care system, the Affordable Care Act will continue. Furthermore, they need to understand the dominance of insurers’ factors into the decisions of physicians and health care providers. Thus, consumers will continue to face difficulties in affording and acquiring access to health care, whether their coverage is or isn’t through private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. The task facing policymakers is whether they will continue to enact reforms that will fail to achieve their goal of improving the cost and quality of health care. Leslie McNamara is a public policy graduate student specializing in health policy. She can be reached at lamcnamar@gmail.com.

COLUMN

Your best is not enough

A

merica is full of ubiquitous mantras. Like “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” “live in the moment,” or “supersize that.” Most of us go through the day, hearing, saying a n d se e i n g t h e se w i t h o u t a second thought. But there’s one mantra that penetrates deep into the “American Dream.” It penetrates so far into the American psyche, that we are drugged with it from the moment we are born. “ I t’s a l l r i g h t yo u d i d n ’t succeed as long as you tried your best.” The Earth and the planets revolve around the sun, and America’s peace of mind revolves around this vague, outdated, despicable, unforgivable, pathetic excuse that serves as the ultimate safety net when we a re u n a b l e to a t ta i n o u r projected goals. It’s an invitation to wallow in our own selfpity, and the ultimate defense against anyone who challenges our efforts or our work ethic. Anyone who criticizes us can be made out to be someone who is unhappy with effort and unnecessarily harsh. We can just hide behind the fact that we “tried our best.” With this traditional, homegrown, customary, deep-rooted American ideal, we should be proud of our heritage and the fact that we encourage and breed mediocrity even more prolifi-

cally than rabbits in Australia. How do you measure when someone is doing their best? Is there a scale or units of measurement? Are there formulas pertaining to an individual’s capacity to progress in the world? The phrase is so subjective and ambiguous, and lies so nascent within this nation, that we simply utter it in times of need or defense. This is a fundamental error that will never change, simply because we refuse to accept the fact that often our best is simply not good enough. If we were not taught that we would make the cut by “doing our best,” then we would not be disappointed when we got rejected from the college of our choice, or could not land the job we wanted. But really, the thing that horrifies me is the fact that many people are simply willing to accept the fact that they will never try their best. We don’t live in a world where effort matters anymore. No, you won’t pass a class by trying your best, you will pass a class by putting the right words on paper on test day, and by showing that you have the capability to get the required score for a certain field. And the best way we can achieve that? By not settling for what we think is our best, because in the right situation with the right conditions, we can also be pushed further. Surjo Bandyopadhyay is a sophomore physiology and neurobiology major. He can be reached at surjobandyopadhyay@gmail.com.

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, JULY 21, 2016 | The Diamondback

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DIVERSIONS

SOLE SURVIVOR Staff writer Anna Muckerman asks whether, in 2016, Instagram is the only true way to keep up with your friends lives like social media originally intended. Visit dbknews.com for more.

ON THE SITE

REVIEW | WE KNOW HOW YOU DIE! AT WOOLLY

REVIEW | CLAMS CASINO’S 32 LEVELS

Killer comedy

operating on a new level

The Upright Citizens Brigade brings their delightful brand of improv to Washington’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre

Clams Casino goes from behind-the-scenes producer to front-and-center star By Miranda Jackson @mirandanjackson Staff writer

upright citizens brigade members Brandon Scott Jones, Connor Ratliff and Shannon O’Neill talk to an audience member. photo by teresa castracane./courtesy of woolly mammoth theatre company By Maeve Dunigan @maevedunigan Staff writer Thinking about how someone will die is morbid. Watching a group of professional improvisers perform a scene depicting how someone will die is hilarious. We Know How You Die! is a fully improvised show performed by members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, a theatre and improvisation training center with locations in New York and Los Angeles. For most of July, the Upright Citizens Brigade, or “UCB,” is bringing improvisation to D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre. The show, which runs a little under two hours including a 15-minute intermission, stars Shannon O’Neill, Connor Ratliff, Brandon Scott Jones and Molly Thomas. The group has comedy expertise to spare. Thomas has been studying at the UCB since 2008 while O’Neill is currently the artistic director of the theatre. Ratliff is the creator of The George Lucas Talk Show, in which he interviews guests while pretending to be George Lucas; he is also the warm-up comedian for The Chris Gethard Show. Scott Jones was named one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch” in 2015. The crowd present on opening night

consisted of many older D.C. couples, a contrast to the younger crowds found at UCB shows in New York, or at UCB’s Del Close Marathon improvisation held every June. Regardless, the audience was laughing and engaged throughout. The first half of the show involved a brief interview with an audience member, whom on opening night was a soft-spoken engineer. After the interview, the games began. Using a long form improvisation style, the performers acted out scenes based on this man’s life and death. It would be pointless to try and describe any of the show’s plot that night, as the nature of improvisation results in every show being completely different — a brand new set of scenes and dialogue, seen only by one audience and thrown away the minute the lines are uttered from the performers’ mouths. It is safe to say that O’Neill, Scott Jones, Ratliff and Thomas performed expertly. Paying to see a show that’s made up on the spot may seem shortsighted, and in the hands of less seasoned performers it could very well be a train wreck. But in the case of We Know How You Die! watching the actors make up each line on the spot is thrilling. There’s a certain almost palpable exhilaration felt in the room each

time one performer plays perfectly off the other, delivering a genius oneliner not from a script but snatched out of thin air. The addition of light tech and costumes in the show’s beginning gave it more depth than an average improv performance. The performers entered dressed in full grim reaper garb, pointing ominously at different members of the audience as eerie music played. During the interview, O’Neill asked what the man’s favorite song was, a seemingly aimless question until the song, which happened to be “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” began playing from the speakers at the end of the interview. The second half of the performance, after intermission, consisted of long form improvisation based off of an audience suggestion. This portion seemed like more of a way to fill time than a fluid part of a stage performance. Regardless, it was entertaining. The UCB motto is “Don’t Think,” an improvisation principle implying that performers shouldn’t over analyze what they do onstage. In the case of We Know How You Die! the UCB motto is also in play, because choosing to go see this performance is really a no-brainer. mdunigandbk@gmail.com

Many years ago, in the days of A Tribe Called Quest and N.W.A., producers held a powerful hold over the hip-hop community. It was the producers who changed the pace of the genre, who put forth the beats that popularized a movement. Over the years, as rap grew as a sub-genre in the community, producers slipped out of the limelight, eventually coming to face a reality where their names are often unknown. Taking a route that was paved by the likes of Flume, Kaytranada and Jamie xx, Clams Casino has released his debut studio album, 32 Levels, in hopes to reverse that reality, fighting to place himself in the same ranks as the vocalists he features. His latest album is a smorgasbord of style that is set to satisfy any music taste. Don’t believe me? Well, are you a fan of The Weeknd’s “King of The Fall”? How about Pia Mia and Chance the Rapper’s “Fight For You”? FKA Twigs’ “Hours”? Despite the differences their genres pose, they all have one thing in common: the incredible production of Clams Casino, who has now shot his way to the top of the hip-hop scene with 32 Levels. Clams Casino, born Michael Volpe of Nutley, New Jersey, premiered his first EP, Rainforest in 2011. For the most part, it flew under the radar of many listeners. He followed it up with three mixtapes over the span of three years, all of which featured instrumentals, a few of which charted successfully. T h re e ye a rs l a te r, h e dropped the first single of his studio album, “Blast,” a haunting instrumental that would inevitably set the pace for the entire new project. A few months later, the entire album arrived, one half instrumental tracks and one half vocal-featuring songs. The intro track opens with an angelic instrumental and

closes out with Lil B declaring, “Leave it up to Clams/ He got us.” The honesty of his statement speaks for itself as the first vocal-featuring song, “Be Somebody” featuring A$AP Rocky and Lil B, comes in. It is a bass-heavy, buzzing song with an open ambience very similar to A$AP’s At. Long. Last. A$AP, ironically the only A$AP album that Clams does not have production credits on. Indie band Wet’s front woman, Kelly Zutrau, makes a surprising feature. “Back to You” opens with a gentle instrumental that drops out and clears way for Zutrau vocals to shine through. Like A$AP’s piece, this song sounds precisely like what got Wet popular in the first place. Another triumph of the album is Kelela’s “A Breath Away,” a track that is likely to actually take your breath away. Kelela has a vocal tone that feels raw and honest no matter what her lyrics are, and her chorus is euphoric at the very least. Every song sticks loyally to the style of music that the feature artist is known for, which makes Clams’s style seem incohesive, when in fact he is simply honoring what works best with his vocalists. While his style is arguably indefinable, Clams Casino has a very distinct mood for this album. It has a quality to it that makes it ideal for any type of chill setting. Even “All Nite” — which features the rhymes of Vince Staples, a Cali rapper whose Summertime ‘06 mixtape is gaining a lot of heat – has a quicker pace to it that somehow does not interrupt the flow of the album as a whole. The second half of the album is entirely instrumental versions of the first half of 32 Levels, which are great for those who really want to hear the mastery that Clams put together before layering on his vocalists. 32 Levels is undoubtedly a victory for Clams Casino as both a producer and an artist. mjacksondbk@gmail.com

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THURSDAY, july 21, 2016 | sports | The Diamondback 2

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 20157

Turgeon realizes dream henningsen Veteran coach assisting with U-18 national team By Scott Gelman @Gelman_Scott Staff writer Growing up watching the Olympics, Mark Turgeon always wanted to represent Team USA. About three months ago, the Maryland’s men’s basketball coach received his opportunity to do so. The 2015 Big Ten Coach of the Year was selected to be an assistant coach for the 2016 USA men’s under-18 national team, which opened play Tuesday with a win against Puerto Rico in the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship. Turgeon worked with coach Shaka Smart and assistant Kevin Ollie dur-

pros

ing seven practices and a scrimmage at Houston before the team announced its 12-man roster July 13. “It’s an honor to represent your country,” Turgeon said in a release. “We have players with different skillsets who can help us in different areas: shot blockers, scorers on the block, guys who can press and good shooters.” Turgeon has also had a chance to work with Maryland incoming freshman Kevin Huerter. Turgeon was impressed with the 6-foot6 guard’s ability to press full court full-court press after predominantly playing zone defense in high school. “Kevin has shot the ball very well,” Turgeon said.

RASHEED SULAIMON From PAGE 8

the clear favorites to win the NBA Finals next season and are coming off a 73-win season. Carter did not receive as much playing time as Layman and Stone, starting zero games for Golden State. He had two games where he reached double digits in scoring, but he also had two games where his only points came on free throws. Carter made barely over 20 percent of his field goals and went 0-11 on threes. If Carter can make his way onto the Warriors’ roster, he has a fantastic chance at getting a ring as a rookie. However, his summer league performance did nothing but hurt his chances of doing that.

S u l a i m o n wo n t h e L a s Vegas Summer League championship with the Bulls, but he was not a major contributor to their success. He never scored more than seven points in a game, twice failed to score and did not start any of the seven games for Chicago. While the Bulls desperately need three-point shooting at this point, it does not look likely that Sulaimon will make an impression on Fred Hoiberg’s squad.

DEZ WELLS

“He has been lot better defensively. He uses his angles as well as his length. Kevin is playing with confidence.” Team USA earned its second win Wednesday after a 107-63 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands and continues play today against Chile on Thursday. The championship will be played Saturday. “We need to be good on that end of the floor and create our opportunities through our defense,” Turgeon said. “It will be a great environment. There is a tremendous fan base [in Chile] and they really get into basketball.”

From PAGE 8

helped the U.S. generate a comeback as the squad trailed, 8-2, at the break. “It was incredible,” U.S. head coach Nick Myers said to Inside Lacrosse on Henningsen’s performance. “I challenged him before the game,” Myers said. “We knew what he was capable of. We didn’t feel like he had his best stuff yet, him and Christian [Feliziani] were a one-two punch all tournament, and we felt like we had a fresh Austin because of that.” Bernhardt, the younger brother of former Maryland players Jesse and Jake Bernhardt, finished the week with 10 goals and five assists, including one in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s championship to knot the game at 12.

He finished with a 59 percent winning percentage, and despite missing four games at the end of the regular season with injury, the Northport, New York, native set a program freshman record with 151 faceoff wins, a seasonhigh 19 of which came in the Terps’ national championship loss. Bernhardt, meanwhile, amassed 236 goals and 198 assists in high school at Lake Brantley. Henningsen and Bernhardt have trained together throughout the past year in an effort to make the world championship squad. The original tryout in June 2015 featured 105 players, 51 of whom advanced to a training camp last August. Then 30 players participated in training camps last November and January, when 25 were selected to the team, two as alternates. ccaplandbk@gmail.com

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affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. The Bulls started Wells for all seven of their games, and he averaged four points and two rebounds. Wells’ stats do not exactly jump off the paper, and he will need a strong preseason to avoid starting another season in the D-League.

EVAN SMOTRYCZ Evan Smotrycz spent last season playing in Cyprus, so his inclusion on the Raptors’ summer league came as a surprise. Smotrycz only played in two games and scored four total points for Drake’s favorite team. Barring some extraordinary circumstances, Smotrycz will go back to playing overseas and enjoying the Mediterranean weather.

Sulaimon was joined by another former Terp on the Bulls, Dez Wells. Wells is now in his second pro year after spending last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s D-League jkatzdbk@gmail.com

right-hander hunter parsons credits the development of his slider as a reason for his increased success. rania hentati/the diamondback

parsons From PAGE 8

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The U.S. entered the fourth quarter in an 11-8 deficit, but Bernhardt’s tally was the third in the team’s fourgoal run that spanned about seven minutes. Henningsen won the faceoff after Bernhardt’s score, and the U.S. waited to set a play. Though Canada stopped Bernhardt’s late drive on the possession, a few passes allowed Penn attacker Simon Mathias to feed a pass to Virginia midfielder Ryan Conrad for the game-winner with eight second left in regulation. After helping the U.S. secure its eighth straight U-19 world championship, Henningsen and Bernhardt will now have the opportunity to work toward winning a title with the Terps. Henningsen saw the most playing time of any Terps freshman last season as he emerged as the team’s top faceoff specialist.

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willing to make adjustments.” Parsons’ dominance on the mound has helped the Redbirds to the best record in the league at 27-11 and earned him a spot in the All-Star game July 13. He was unavailable to pitch after starting two days earlier against the Gaithersburg Giants but said the selection was an honor. “ I t wa s a we s o m e a n d I c o u l d n ’ t h a ve d o n e i t without coach Lopez and the defense,” Parsons said. “It was an awesome feeling and

an awesome night.” Sheets said Maryland coach John Szefc played a role in the decision not to have Parsons pitch on the short-rest, and it’s one of many ways that Szefc has been hands-on with the Redbirds over the summer. Parsons said he hears from Szefc frequently, and the veteran coach often comes to watch the Redbirds, who have five Terps on their roster. Szefc’s attendance serves as another reminder of how Parson’s performance this summer can impact his role with the Terps going forward. “We’re going to need a guy

“I’VE LOVED HAVEING HIM. HE’S BEEN A HUGE PART OF THE TEAM SO FAR, AND HE’LL BE A HUGE PART COMING DOWN THE STRETCH.” LARRY SHEETS

Baltimore Redbirds coach on the weekend,” Parsons said. “My hope is that I can use this summer and just continue it right into the fall and spring,” jcrabtreehdbk@gmail.com

roundup From PAGE 8 George Solomon, ESPN 980 host Doc Walker, broadcaster Phil Wood and other sports figures wasn’t state in release.

SMITH, DUNN MAKE ALL-STAR GAME Maryland baseball’s Nick Dunn and Kevin Smith were named East Division AllStars and will participate in the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game, the league announced in a release. Smith will start at shortstop for the East Division, while Dunn will serve as a reserve. Smith has thrived with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox after batting .259 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs for the Terps last season. He’s hitting .320 with eight doubles and 11 RBIs so far this summer. Dunn is batting .319 with six doubles and 21 runs scored as a part of the Brewster Whitecaps. In his freshman campaign last season, Dunn was named a Freshman All-American after leading Maryland in average and doubles. The All-Star Game is

shortstop kevin smith has dominated at the plate this summer. file photo/the diamondback sc h e d u l e d fo r Ju ly 2 3 a t Rome, Florence and Lake Veterans Field in Chatham, Co m o a n d p l ay a pa i r o f Massachusetts. games while overseas. Maryland boasts the c o u n t r y ’s to p f re s h m a n TERPS class, which features Kaila PREPARE FOR Charles, Stephanie Jones, TRIP TO ITALY S a ra h Mye rs, D e s t i ny The Maryland women’s Slocum, Jenna Staiti and basketball team began prac- Blair Watson. All six were ticing this past week for its McDonald’s All-American trip to Italy in early August. nominees, while Charles, Per NCAA rules, the Terps Slocum and Watson were are allowed to practice in named All-Americans. preparation for the trip. The Terps will travel to sgelmandbk@gmail.com


SPORTS

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Chloe Pavlech @Cpav15 Former Maryland women’s basketball guard

“Should I download Pokemon GO?”

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PAGE 8

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016 MEN’S BASKETBALL

Former Terps begin pro careers Four players from last year’s team compete in NBA Summer League By Jordan Katz @Jordan_KatzUMD Staff writer Six former Maryland basketball players got a chance to put their skills on display for coaches and scouts at the NBA Summer League alongside other rookies and players trying to make an NBA roster. Here’s a look at how the Terps did.

Former Forward Jake Layman averaged eight points with the Portland Trailblazers. daniel jenkins/the diamondback

five games for Portland, averaging eight points to go along with four rebounds per game. Layman also had his fair share of highlight plays. He viciously posterized the Phoenix Suns’ lottery pick, Marquese Chriss.

DIAMOND STONE

Stone’s five games with the Clippers proved why he has so much potential and also why he is still JAKE LAYMAN just a rookie who is raw around the Layman was the only player the edges. Stone started all five games Trail Blazers took in the 2016 NBA for Los Angeles and had games Draft, and his performances in where he scored 15 and 20 points. the Summer League made it seem Stone made over 50 percent of his like the Blazers made a good deci- field goals and grabbed over five sion. Layman started three of his rebounds per game.

On the other hand, he also had a game where he fouled out. Fouling out in the Summer League is particularly alarming, given you need to rack up ten fouls, not the usual six. Stone should definitely make the Clippers’ roster, but he has a long way to go before challenging DeAndre Jordan for the starting job.

ROBERT CARTER Rather than be a late secondround pick in the NBA Draft, Carter reportedly opted to be an undrafted free agent with the ability to choose the team he wanted to play for. Carter chose the Warriors, who are See pros Page 7

BASEBALL

SPORTS

Meharg inducted into HOF By Scott Gelman @Gelman_Scott Staff writer Maryland field hockey coach Missy Meharg was inducted into t h e D.C . S p o r ts H a l l o f Fa m e Sunday at Nationals Park, becoming the third Terps coach to be recognized. Fo r m e r wo m e n ’s ba s ke tba l l coach Chris Weller and men’s coach Gary Williams were inducted in 2014 and 2015, respectively. “What a complete honor to be recognized with former great Terp coaches Gary Williams and Chris Weller,” Meharg said. “George Solomon, former Washington Post sports editor and current professor in our journalism school, is such an advocate for local sports. I am very grateful to him and the entire committee for everything they have done for athletics in D.C.” Meharg, a nine-time National Coach of the Year, is entering her 29th season with the Terps. She has led Maryland to seven of the program’s eight national titles as head coach and won 22 conference championships. She’s also guided the Terps to 16 final four appearances. Last season, Meharg became the fourth head coach to earn 500 wins. She’s coached 46 All-Americans and more than 120 All-Conference selections. Seven players Meharg coached at Maryland have gone on to make Olympic rosters. The inductees are selected by a 10-member panel that features Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner, former Washington Post sports editor See Roundup Page 7

Right-Hander Hunter Parsons has a 1.49 ERA and leads the league in wins (six) for the Baltimore Redbirds. His performance this summer could lead to a larger role with the Terps next season. rania hentati/the diamondback

HUNT OR BE HUNTED Right-hander Hunter Parsons dominating hitters in Cal Ripken League

A Cal Ripken League All-Star, By James Crabtree-Hannigan Parsons leads all pitchers with six @JamesCrabtreeH wins and boasts a 1.49 ERA over Staff writer 36.1 innings. “They’ve been quality starts,” M a r yl a n d b a s e b a l l r i g h t hander Hunter Parsons quickly Redbirds coach Larry Sheets said. e s t a b l i s h e d h i m s e l f i n h i s “I’ve loved having him. He’s been freshman year, settling into the a huge part of the team so far, and fourth-starter role after coming he’ll be a huge part coming down out of the bullpen to start the the stretch.” At Maryland this past season, 2016 season. And with right-hander Mike Sha- Parson said he primarily used his waryn’s departure to the professional fastball and changeup. He’s been ranks leaving a weekend starter spot able to develop his slider with the open for the 2017 campaign, Parson Redbirds, a pitch Sheets and Parson has looked the part this summer with said is one reason the Fruitland native has found so much success. the Baltimore Redbirds.

“Adding that third pitch has h e l p e d m e ke e p ba t te rs o f f balance,” Parsons said. Parsons said he has also made significant strides in terms of his strike-throwing ability. T h e 6 - fo o t - 3 r i g h ty d i d n ’t struggle too much with his control with the Terps, walking 13 and striking out 28 over 36 innings, but he saw room to grow. In the Cal Ripken League, he’s walked just seven batters over 36.1 innings and picked up 42 strikeouts. “It’s just [controlling] my body and learning what my body needs

to d o to b e m o re co n s i s te n t ,” Parsons said. “[Redbirds pitching coach Craig Lopez] has helped me a lot with that.” And most of Parsons’ walks while pitching for the Redbirds came early in the season. In his past three starts, he has issued one free pass while striking out 16. It’s a credit to both Lopez and Parsons, Sheets said. “Lopez is an excellent pitching coach,” Sheets said. “And Parsons is a very coachable young man, which is so important. He’s interested and See parsons Page 7

MEN’S LACROSSE

Henningsen helps Team USA win title Faceoff specialist named to All-World team By Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan Senior staff writer

Faceoff specialist austin henningsen was named the All-World team for his performance in the U-19 Men’s World Championship. daniel jenkins/the diamondback

Faceoff specialist Austin Henningsen and incoming freshman midfielder Jared Bernhardt will get to share the field as Maryland men’s lacrosse teammates this spring, but the duo got a head start in familiarity with one another last week. Henningsen and Bernhardt played on Team USA in the Federation of International Lacrosse U-19 Men’s World Championship last week, winning the gold medal Saturday night in Coquitlam, British Columbia, with a 13-12 win against Canada. The two Terps’ performances garnered them spots on the tournament’s

All-World Team. Bernhardt also earned Most Valuable Player accolades. “It was an honor to represent Team USA at the World Championships and I’m so happy we were able to come away with the gold medal,” Henningsen said in a release. “It was a tremendous experience full of memories I will never forget.” Henningsen posted a 67 percent winning percentage at the X during the tournament. He finished 15-for-26 in the championship game after splitting time with Ohio State’s incoming freshman faceoff specialist Christian Feliziani in the team’s six games. In securing possessions during the second half of the game, Henningsen See henningsen Page 7


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