September 19, 2013

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The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper

T H U R S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 19 , 2 013

Siemens gifts univ software Tech giant grants design, simulation program to engineering school By Annika McGinnis @annikam93 Senior staff writer

wallace loh, university president, discusses a partnership with Siemens Corp. rachel george/for the diamondback

It creates everything from golf clubs to a Mars rover. It might help reenvision the Purple Line. It’s worth more than $750 million — and now the university has it for free. On Tuesday, the university received

a gift of cutting-edge engineering design and simulation software from electronics and engineering giant Siemens Corporation that will help advance engineering students and staff in their coursework, projects, research and team competitions. University President Wallace Loh accepted the gift in front of an audience of faculty and students in the

Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building’s rotunda Tuesday morning. The “product lifecycle management software” was used to design the Mars Curiosity rover, along with some smartphones, light rail trains, wind turbines and medical equipment. Now, the university can use it in its See siemens, Page 3

Univ won’t join athletic coalition U Senate votes to keep presidential committee By Alex Kirshner @alex_kirshner Staff writer

tioned to be dependent on the Internet because of ELMS,” said Kent Norman, psychology professor. “How can you be a student at this university without an email address, without access to the Internet?” For the most part, Norman said,

The University Senate decided this fall not to join the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, an ad hoc organization of collegiate legislatures that pushes for athletic policy reform across the country. The Campus Affairs Committee, the senate group behind much of the decision, issued its recommendation after deciding the university’s athletic council — a roughly 25-member presidential advisory committee — was already an adequate primary structure for athletic oversight. Thus, COIA membership was unneeded, especially as the university moves to the Big Ten athletic conference next summer. The Campus Affairs Committee voted on the proposal to join the COIA at the end of August, and its decision was

See internet, Page 3

See senate, Page 2

internet dependent… or addicted? As nation’s first Internet rehab center opens, professors discuss technology reliance james levin/the diamondback

By Zoe Sagalow @thesagaofzoe Staff writer Walking down McKeldin Mall, it’s not unusual to bump into pedestrians glued to their phone screens. With earbuds in and eyes locked on games and social media apps, students are

tuned in to the digital world. Some experts are calling it an addiction, opening the country’s first Internet addiction rehab program at a Pennsylvania medical center. But amid the hype, university experts are questioning whether Internet dependency is anything more than a sign of the times. “Students at Maryland are condi-

Experts: Accreditation mars higher ed support Some say flawed approval process alters fed aid By Jim Bach @thedbk Senior staff writer Recent discussion about higher education reform has centered on using output metrics to allocate federal dollars, but experts said the approach only scratches the surface. The real culprit, they said, is a flawed accreditation system. Law ma kers have proposed a number of ways to reform higher education. Most recently, President Obama unveiled a plan that would determine the federal financial aid available to a school based on metrics including graduation rates, employment rates after college and advanced degree attainment rates. But some experts said the focus should target a more direct link between quality institutions and funding: the accreditation system, which has a long-standing tradition of defining prestige through superficial inputs such as enrollment numbers and acceptance rates. That goal is similar to Obama’s past proposals, said Anne Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, and “mirrors in many respects” the White House’s concerns as they relate to higher education reform. Accreditation has long decided

which universities have access to federal financial aid dollars. It acts as a stamp of approval for a school’s quality, a signal to the government and private investors that a school is worthy of their investment. It’s also subjective, as it is determined by independent accrediting bodies that have varying standards. While basing federal funds on a school’s graduation rates could effect some change, it wouldn’t be nearly as effective or efficient at improving school quality as challenging accreditation standards, Neal said. Take away a school’s accreditation, and the flow of federal money can stop altogether — sending a stronger message than tapering funds later down the road, as Obama’s plan suggested. “The regulatory approach has failed to protect the taxpayer and failed to ensure educational quality in our colleges and universities,” Neal said. “Today, there are schools which graduate in the single digits, and yet they are still accredited, and federal dollars are still being poured into those institutions.” The government recognizes more than 50 accrediting organizations and is required by law See reform, Page 2

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Cumberland Hall will house the latest influx of students to College Park Scholars in fall 2014 for the upcoming Law and Society program. file photo/the diamondback

Law minor to start in program next fall MPowering the State partnership also adds College Park Scholars program By Darcy Costello @dctello Staff writer

Park Scholars program called Justice and Legal Thought. Participating students will take classes taught by law professors while pursuing their University pre-law students used undergraduate degrees. The program itself comes as a to have to go to law school to immerse themselves in the discipline, but start- partnership between the Univering next fall, officials will bring a taste sity of Maryland, Baltimore’s law school and this university made of law school to the campus. T h e n e w L a w a n d S o c i e t y possible by the MPowering the program, housed in the university’s State program. Robert Koulish, College of Behavioral and Social Sci- who will serve as director of the ences, will have two components: a Law and Society program, said the law and society minor and a College collaboration may be the first of its

kind in the country. “From what we know, there are no other programs that have actual law school professors teaching undergraduate programs,” Koulish said. “What we’re offering — the involvement of the law school and classes — is going to be a really unique opportunity.” The Law and Society program is not restricted to pre-law students, Koulish said, emphasizing that it will focus on the role of law in all aspects See law, Page 3

SPORTS

OPINION

A BORDER BATTLE RETURNS

PRANKING PLAYBOY, PRAISING CONSENT

They’ve lost seven straight games to their geographic rival, but the Terps are treating Saturday’s matchup like any other game P. 8

Maria Romas on helping make a feminist prank go viral P. 4 DIVERSIONS

WHAT NOT TO DO WITH SPIN-OFFS Lessons the Harry Potter franchise can learn from others P. 6


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