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WHITE DWARF

BACKLINE ROCK

Freshman White has proved his worth with Terps’ defense

Jane Campion’s Bright Star fails to do John Keats justice

SPORTS | PAGE 8

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

Thursday, September 24, 2009

THE DIAMONDBACK THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Our 100TH Year, No. 18

Tenured Prestigious scholarship awards triple faculty will face more scrutiny Under new leadership, office helps 38 students receive top-of-the-line awards

BY ALLISON STICE Senior staff writer

Admin. pledges to renew use of 14year-old policy

BY DERBY COX Senior staff writer

University officials are looking to widely apply a sporadically enforced policy to hold tenured professors accountable in place of stronger measures the University Senate failed to pass last year.

The 14-year-old policy calls to review tenured faculty once every five years, mainly based on a report card written by the professor under review.

Faculty and administrators have criticized the system as overly vague. But without a stronger policy on the books, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Ellin Scholnick said she hopes a renewed emphasis on the existing system will step up oversight.

“Most faculty are extraordinarily self-motivated,” Scholnick said, explaining the need for post-tenure review. “But that isn’t necessarily the case for everyone because people run dry in one way or another, or they need some help in fostering things when they’re running out of steam and they need a little help in redirecting themselves.”

The number of students who have garnered prestigious national scholarships has nearly tripled in the past year, and scholarship advisors say the amount of applicants for this year’s awards may double last year’s totals.

In the 2008-2009 school year, 38 students received top-notch awards ranging from Fulbright scholarships to National Science Foundation fellowships, and set university records for the number of recipients of four different national awards.

The enormous increase in success on the part of the National Scholar-

ships Office comes shortly after the May hire of director Francis DuVinage, whom scholarship advisors largely credit with spreading the word about the awards to a wider audience of students.

“DuVinage has had a tremendous positive impact in a short amount of time,” said Bob Infantino, associate dean of the life sciences college, who also serves as an adviser for the Barry M. Goldwater scholarship.

The university administration has also acquired a newfound zeal for garnering top-notch scholarships, as evidenced by DuVinage’s hire.

see SCHOLARSHIPS, page 2

Students meet with an adviser in the National Scholarship Office. The number of students receiving the most prestigious national scholarships could double next year, officials said. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

Alex Nicholson and his partner, Jarrod Chlapowski, both openly gay U.S. Army veterans, spoke out against the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy at a College Democrats meeting last night. President Obama has yet to fulfill a pledge to overturn the policy. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

see REVIEW, page 3

National tour presses Mote on marijuana

ASKED AND TOLD Openly gay Army veterans speak out against military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy

BY ANNA ISAACS Staff writer

Jarrod Chlapowski was not discharged from the military for being openly gay, but after serving five years as a Korean linguist, he left the service voluntarily, tired of watching more

and more of his peers be discharged because of their sexual orientation.

He was worried he’d be next.

Chlapowski and partner Alex Nicholson — both former members of the armed forces — were invited to speak to students at the College Democrats’ screening of “Ask Not,”

a PBS documentary that focuses on the controversy surrounding former President Bill Clinton’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the Art-Sociology building last night.

“It’s still hard to think I’m not in the military sometimes,” Chlapowski said at the event.

The film followed both men for seven weeks of their 2007 Call to Duty tour, sponsored by Servicemembers United, in which they and other young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans shared

see SCREENING, page 3

BY ALLISON STICE Senior staff writer

Many times, when students tell stories of friends being rushed to the hospital or causing serious injury to themselves or someone else, they are talking about alcohol overdoses.

But that isn’t always the case. A new nationwide campus tour advocating increased awareness of marijuana use and student safety made its way to the campus yesterday.

Mason Tvert, the executive director of the Colorado-based Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), came to the university to promote public discourse on the taboo subject of which recreational drug — marijuana or alcohol — causes more harm to young people.

Standing in front of the Administration building yesterday morning, he held a sign emblazoned with a quote from university President Dan Mote: “Virtually every sexual assault is associated with alcohol abuse.” Mote told

see DRUGS, page 3

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

Graduate students continue push for separate writing center GSG, University Senate committee attempt to persuade Graduate Council on issue

BY MELISSA QUIJADA Staff writer

Graduate students have collectively lobbied for more than a year for the creation of a separate writing center entity.

This issue remains a salient issue on the the Graduate Student Government’s agenda this year, GSG president Anupama Kothari said.

Last semester the Graduate Council — a council of elected and appointed faculty members that meets twice a semester to advise the Dean of the Graduate School on policies and procedures covering graduate education —

Cloudy/70s

failed to address the graduate students’ need for a writing center.

“I was disappointed that no progress was made on the issue last spring, especially given that Graduate Council meetings were canceled,” said GSG vice president of academic affairs Aaron Tobiason.

In support of the GSG’s request, the Senate Educational Affairs Committee last year told the University Senate a graduate writing assistance service was needed. The plea seemed to fall on deaf ears, as the Graduate

INDEX

see WRITING, page 3

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

Woody Woodrow, a tutor at the writing center, helps a student with her work. Graduate students want a separate writing center focused on their needs. VINCE SALAMONE/THE DIAMONDBACK

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

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

www.diamondbackonline.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

www.diamondbackonline.com

ONLINE TODAY MASCOTS, MONEY AND MOVIES ON THE BLOG

Ethnic groups pass over health care in favor of other priorities

BY ADELE HAMPTON Staff writer

Yesterday on Campus Drive, The Diamondback’s news blog, we looked at mascot craziness in our morning roundup — Testudo isn’t the only mascot who went through a makeover this week, to say the least.

Also, Maryland, in addition to being the Free State, is also the Wealthy State — it was named the richest state in the nation by the U.S. Census Bureau this week.

We also looked at increasing anxiety among student leaders regarding the creation of the a policy regarding the showing of pornographic films at public universities. Brady Walker, the chair of the university system’s student council, said students are concerned the policy could be unfairly applied to other films in the future. Students want a policy that has “the least chance of interfering with student activities, and of course, the least chance of abridging academic freedom,” he said.

Finally, we took a look at the Hyattsville’s “arts district,” which isn’t too far from the campus but is far from being a real arts district. Although it does have Franklin’s Brewery, a Diamondback newsroom favorite.

TWEET IT UP Be sure to follow The Diamondback on Twitter at twitter.com/thedbk!

While debate surrounding health care reform may lead to a decrease in health disparities that often fall along racial lines, ethnic student groups at this university are focusing on other issues.

Last week, President Barack Obama’s visit to the campus brought the health care debate to the university’s front door. At Comcast Center, Obama said student involvement was needed in the national push for reform. But a week later, students’ attention has moved in other directions, despite local and national pleas for more involvement, especially among the younger generation.

Other than this university’s chapter of the NAACP, which dedicated this week’s general body meeting to the issues surrounding minorities and health care, most cultural groups are leaving the subject of health care untouched.

“As of now we don’t have anything planned,” Black Student Union Vice President Kalani Hillman said. “In the future we look forward to doing something with health care. As an organization we have to think about those kinds of things. But a lot of students aren’t aware and could be better informed.”

But national and university health care experts said student involvement in health care reform is crucial — young people are more likely to get health

“Young people have not been as active in the debate in part because they don’t suffer from illness.”

TONY WHITEHEAD ANTHROPOLOGY PROFESSOR

insurance as adults if they have been aware of the issues from an early age, anthropology professor Tony Whitehead said. This is especially true for low-income minorities, he added.

“Young people have not been as active in the debate in part because they don’t suffer from illness, but when you are lowincome you have other priorities,” said Whitehead, who has been working in the area of community health for more than 40 years. “So you’re going to take care of those priorities.

For young people, health care only becomes a problem when an emergency happens, and then who’s going to pay for it?”

These inequalities can also be tied to financial problems on the national scale.

Since the recession began, nearly four in 10 Latinos have reported having trouble paying for health coverage, compared to more than two in 10 blacks and whites. Many have also lost

their health insurance as companies cut jobs and benefits — 25 percent of blacks and 21 percent of Latinos report the loss of health insurance since last year, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, an organization that focuses on health care issues and policy.

“There’s the whole issue of health disadvantages with people of color,” Whitehead said. “They suffer at higher rates than that of any other demographic.”

In Maryland,18 percent of blacks and 46 percent of Latinos are without health care, according to another Kaiser study.

The foundation found that a higher proportion of blacks and Latinos are either uninsured or covered by Medicaid, a government insurance program that only provides coverage to low-income individuals and families or the disabled primarily because the two groups are also more likely to have low-paying jobs, which are less likely to offer health insurance, and less able to afford independent insurance.

While some of those in the health care field are quick to point out the racial disparities of the health care system, they also say the problem is not going to fade any time soon.

“The whole health care debate is very important,” Whitehead said. “It’s really sort of a moral issue. It’s a major, major problem.” hampton@umdbk.com

SCHOLARSHIPS from page 1 DuVinage founded George Washington University’s Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research before coming to the university.

“I want more students to get with it,” said university President Dan Mote. “We must have a lot who want to get in this game. We have a lot of students who could qualify for these things.”

Jonathan Auerbach, an English professor and Fulbright Scholarship advisor, said when he began advising for the Fulbright in 2006, he had 11 applicants. For this year’s upcoming deadline, there are more than 50.

DuVinage, who is currently the only employee of the National Scholarships Office, said he worked to strengthen partnerships with departments and living-learning communities during the summer.

“I work collaboratively with many faculty who advise for a range of different scholarships,” he said. “A lot of what I do is catalyze all of that. It’s not a one-person effort by any stretch.”

By hosting workshops, making presentations to classes and sending out listserv e-mails, the National Scholarships Office made contact with more than 600 students last year. And the key to increasing the number of scholarship winners is to increase the number of applicants, Auerbach said.

“For our peer institutions like Berkeley and Michigan, in absolute numbers they have a lot more winners but no better ratio than we do, which is about one [winner] out of four [applicants],” Auerbach said.

Another important tactic for boosting scholarship winners is snagging students early,

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Francis DuVinage leads the National Scholarship Office. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

Mote said.

“With these big-time national fellowships, you can’t just decide you’re interested when you’re a senior — by that time, it’s over,” he said. “You’ve got to capture students early and guide and inspire them to prepare.”

For Jennifer Chen, an undergraduate currently studying Chinese in Taiwan with all expenses paid thanks to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, the one-on-one attention given to every student that walks into the National Scholarship Office gave her a competitive edge.

More students should talk advantage of it, she said. “[DuVinage] provided me a huge wealth of information, which helped me appropriately consider where in the world to travel to, and which programs best supported my career goals,” Chen wrote in an e-mail.

“The NSO has helped me tremendously in this process, and I don't think I would have won the award without the support of this office.” astice@umdbk.com

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You deserve a factual look at . . .

Mr. Netanyahu’s Offer (II) Are the objections of the Palestinians justified?

In our previous hasbarah message (#117, “Mr. Netanyahu’s Offer [I]”), we told of the Netanyahu’s government’s willingness to allow a Palestinian state to arise alongside Israel in Judea/Samaria (the “West Bank”) and in Gaza. Not surprisingly, he attached certain conditions to this offer, all of which the Palestinians totally rejected. The objections that we discussed previously referred to the “settlements,” the demilitarization of the new state, and the “return of the refugees.”

What are the facts?

indeed the State of the Jews, and so do the over 1 million (approximately 20% of Israel’s population) In addition to those conditions mentioned above, Muslims that live in Israel as full citizens, with all the Mr. Netanyahu’s offer of a state for the Palestinians in rights and privileges of their Jewish fellow citizens. the “West Bank” and in Gaza included two further Nobody seems to object that, for instance, Iran requirements: One, that Jerusalem remain the designates itself as an “Islamic Republic.” For the undivided capital of Israel and two, that the Arabs Muslim world to recognize Israel as the State of the recognize Israel to be the Jewish state.

Jews would simply be recognizing reality.

An Undivided Jerusalem. Before the end of the It has to be clear to 1967 Six-Day War, during every student of modern which the Israel defense that the forces reconquered “Here is another chance for the Palestinians history Palestinians, if that were Jerusalem from the to have their own country... Chances are their real goal, could have Jordanians, claims to overwhelming that, once again, they will had their own state since Jerusalem being a Muslim at least 1937, following reject the outstretched hand....” city were rarely if ever the Peel Report. There asserted. Jerusalem had have been many always been a city in opportunities since. The most important of those was which many religions and nationalities lived side-bythe 1948 decision of the United Nations to partition side. It was only after the old city was back in Jewish the country west of the Jordan River into a Muslim hands that the Muslim Arabs declared their desire to and a Jewish state. The Jews eagerly accepted the wage “jihad” (holy war) to bring the city into Arab proposal, which the Arabs utterly rejected and instead possession. invaded the nascent state of Israel with the armies of The notion to call Jerusalem an Islamic holy city five of their countries. There have been many other has only come about in modern times, especially after opportunities since, all of which the Muslims have the Arabs lost the city to Israel in the Six-Day War. It rejected. One must come to the unhappy conclusion has now gained currency by dint of constant that to create a state is not the ultimate goal of the repetition. Basis of the claim is that Jerusalem does Palestinians. The ultimate goal always has been and indeed contain an Islamic holy site, the Temple continues to be the destruction of the state of Israel.

Mount, sacred to both Muslims and Jews. But Mr. Netanyahu’s offer of allowing a Palestinian state Jerusalem has for centuries been the capital of the to be created and to exist along Israel is a most Jewish people and has been the capital of Israel since generous offer. No parallel can be found in the annals its founding. It is mentioned hundreds of times in the of world history. It is abundantly clear that the Bible. There is not a single mention of it in the Koran. “conditions” accompanying Mr. Netanyahu’s offer are Israel is the State of the Jews. Mr. Netanyahu more than reasonable. Surely, after decades of open insists that Israel be recognized as the Jewish state. hostilities and the recent bitter example of Gaza, it But such recognition is obviously only a formality. should go without saying that the newly formed state Israel was established as the Jewish state by the should be totally and reliably demilitarized. It should Balfour Declaration, by the League of Nations, by the be clear that the “settlements” – about 300,000 Jews United Nations, by the consensus of the world, and by in a sea of over 3 million Arabs – cannot be an obstacle the facts on the ground. The reason that the Muslims to peace, since the over 1 million Arabs living in Israel do not wish to recognize Israel as a Jewish state is that are not considered a problem. It should be clear that it would supposedly prejudice the rights of the the “refugees,” which have swelled from the original Muslims and perhaps members of other religions who 650,000 to allegedly more than 5 million, should be live in Israel. But that is nonsense. Regardless of what settled in the newly to be formed state of Palestine. it is called, everybody understands that Israel is

Jerusalem has been the center of Jewish life and Jewish yearning for over 3,000 years. There is no reason why it should not remain the undivided capital of Israel. And, of course, Israel is a Jewish state. Everybody understands that, whether the Muslims do or do not wish to accept it. Here is another chance for the Palestinians to have their own country and to live in peace and in prosperity alongside Israel. But chances are overwhelming that, once again, they will reject the outstretched hand that is being offered.

This message has been published and paid for by

Facts and Logic About the Middle East P.O. Box 590359 San Francisco, CA 94159

Gerardo Joffe, President

FLAME is a tax-exempt, non-profit educational 501 (c)(3) organization.

Its purpose is the research and publication of the facts regarding developments in the Middle East and exposing false propaganda that might harm the interests of the United States and its allies in that area of the world. Your tax-deductible contributions are welcome. They enable us to pursue these goals and to publish these messages in national newspapers and magazines. We have virtually no overhead. Almost all of our revenue pays for our educational work, for these clarifying messages, and for related direct mail.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Bike shop relocates to Cole Field House Transportation officials hope move will make campus cycling easier

BY LAUREN REDDING Staff writer

When DOTS teamed up with Campus Recreation Ser vices to create a more bike-friendly university, one of the first steps was simple: moving the Campus Bike Shop to Cole Field House.

Before relocating, the bike shop was located in the Outdoor Recreation Center at the Eppley Recreation Center, a long walk away from where many students live. The relocation is part of bikeUMD, a collaboration between the Department of Transportation Services, CRS and University Police to improve biking conditions on the campus, and officials hope it will make the shop more convenient for students.

“We wanted the shop to be more visible and more accessible. The old shop in the Outdoor Recreation Center was in the corner of campus and at the bottom of the hill — not easy to get to with a broken bike,” said Mike Doyle, the assistant director of outdoor programs.

The new location seems to be working. Last year, the bike shop received 23 visitors during the first week of school. This year, 143 people visited.

For the first time this semester, the shop is renting out bikes for $60 a semester to anyone affiliated with the university. It also offers riding and maintenance classes, as

WRITING from page 1 Council has yet to address this concern.

“The Graduate Council is a big black hole where several central issues disappear because no action is taken on these issues,” said Kothari. “The Graduate Council should function in a more efficient way and clean up its act.”

The University Writing Center only provides assistance to undergraduate students, save for a couple of graduate services. It hosts a free English Editing for International Graduate Students program. It also provides a contact list of editing and tutoring services that graduate students can pay for.

Several university peer institutions offer free writing services catering to the writing needs of graduate students.

University of California, Berkeley, houses a Graduate Division Academic Services Unit that assists its graduate students with individual consulting services that help with grant writing, dissertations and articles for publications.

According to Kothari, Berkeley has a great program. Penn State runs a small graduate writing center for its graduate population.

Matt Weiss, the coordinator of Penn State’s graduate writing center, said it offers a peer consultation service that focuses on writing itself, not editing services.

“We are willing to consult with grad students about any writing they’re doing. From CVs to proposals, dissertations, master theses,” said Weiss. “Anything that grad students want to bring in we’ll take a look at it.”

Although GSG assembly members mostly agreed the issue still exists as an obstacle to graduates at the meeting earlier this month, one student said he saw no need for a graduate writing center.

Orhan Torul, an economics doctoral student, said graduate students are too busy to consult a third party when preparing papers.

“To be honest, I don’t think I will be able to benefit from a graduate writing center,” said Torul.

Nevertheless, many students insist the issue is an important one for the university’s graduate student population.

“The writing center should provide the same services for graduates,” said Roberto Münster, a graduate public policy student and university senator. “It doesn’t make sense that we should be paying for writing services when the service should be provided for free, especially if the writing center is funded by our tuition.”

Kothari said she promised the GSG will continue to lobby intensely for legislation allowing the creation of a graduate writing center.

“Graduate students need a writing center just as much as undergraduate students do,” she said.

“There is no reason why graduate students are denied this service,” Münster added. quijada@umdbk.com

The Campus Bike Shop has moved from Eppley Recreational Center to the tunnel entrance of Cole Field House. VINCE SALAMONE/THE DIAMONDBACK

well as free repairs — fixing broken chains, changing or adding air to tires — to all non-motorized bikes.

The maintenance provided is unique, however, because the cyclist is made a part of the process.

“Because our staff are teaching mechanics, you can’t just drop the bike off. We want people to learn to care for their own bikes,” Doyle said.

Tools are also provided so experienced riders can fix their bikes themselves. bikeUMD is part of a larger effort to increase cycle ridership on the campus. Last

year, DOTS registered 412 bikes, a number they hope to increase by at least 85 percent this year. Beverly Malone, assistant to the director of DOTS, said increasing available services — like the shop — should help the department meet its goals.

Besides moving the bike shop, other parts of the bikeUMD effort include offering free U-locks to cyclists who register their bikes and increasing the number of racks on the campus.

“The first two weeks we had a huge flood of people,” said Cameron Etienne, a mechanic

at the bike shop and a junior environmental science and policy major.

Although many students still don’t know the shop exists, cyclists who frequented the shop before its move appreciate the accessibility of the new location.

“I’d probably ride a bike anyways, but it’s nice to come here because it’s free,” said junior computer sciences major Matt Orlove, who visited the shop to get a new tire for his bicycle. “It’s so much closer to everything now.”

REVIEW from page 1 Post-tenure review was a hallmark of the university’s Strategic Plan, a 10-year road map for increasing the institution’s national prominence. But when the University Senate considered more thorough reviews last semester, faculty senators said the plan could effectively eliminate the dearly-held tenure system and voted it down.

In place of the proposal, Scholnick said the current policy will have to ser ve as a good start. She called the policy poorly worded and said she would prefer faculty to have clearer channels to appeal poor reviews.

Graduate Student Government President Anu Kothari said she was concerned about a lack of clear consequences for poor performance.

Without elaborating, the current policy states reviews “should have major influence on a faculty member’s future, and on the

“If full-scale reviews are completed for all faculty ... the people required to complete the reviews would be so overwhelmed ...”

rewards to the faculty member.”

Still, Kothari agreed that revisiting the policy was a step in the right direction.

“I think it’s high time it was implemented,” Kothari said. “I think that in all the talk of this being a research institution, teaching is being overlooked severely, to the extent that people drawing six-figure salaries in several departments are tr ying to shrug of f their teachings loads.”

Senate Chair Elise MillerHooks said the new approach could burden faculty with additional work.

“If full-scale reviews are completed for all faculty ever y five years, as I believe the policy indicates, the people required to complete the reviews would be so over whelmed that they would not be able to accomplish much else in terms of their regular duties,” MillerHooks said in an e-mail.

Her hesitance reflects the wider skepticism about post-tenure review that faculty senators expressed last semester. Many faculty members, upset the policy allowed for poor reviews to lead to salar y reductions, vehemently opposed the policy. They defeated the policy by such a wide margin that counting votes wasn’t necessar y.

“I think the idea that salaries could be reduced as a result of the process was the tipping point,” Ken Holum, last year’s University Senate chair said. “That’s what gave it teeth, and a lot of people were ver y upset with that.”

ELISE MILLER-HOOKS redding@umdbk.com

UNIVERSITY SENATE CHAIR

cox@umdbk.com

Prospective students to take on new application Univ. officials hope new admissions standards will streamline recruitment process

BY TANYA KAPOOR For The Diamondback

Hopeful Terps-to-be will have new hoops to jump through this fall to gain acceptance into the university thanks to an application revamp that administrators hope will make the admissions process more efficient.

The application was previously in two parts with two separate deadlines, but freshmen entering in fall 2010 will only have to complete an application with one part by November or January, for priority and regular admission, respectively.

“Through our changes, we hope to streamline our applica-

SCREENING from page 1 their experiences in serving the country under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

It told the story of an armed service member who dealt with identities that seemed to be at odds — soldier and gay man — and followed the efforts of Soulforce’s Right to Serve campaign, which led sit-ins at military recruiting centers that turned down would-be enlisters for proclaiming their homosexuality.

“It’s very arbitrarily enforced,” Chlapowski said. “It depends on the commander.”

“You have some people who try to abide by what they understand the policy to be, and they won’t discharge anybody unless they’re backed into a corner,” Nicholson added. “So unless you walk in and say, ‘Hey, I’m gay, I want out of the military’ — which happens — they won’t discharge anybody unless that happens. And you have others who will sort of accept rumor and suspicion as evidence. It’s all over the place.”

But sloppy enforcement is

tion and also gain a good opportunity to see who the [prospective] students are,” Director of Freshmen Admissions Shannon Gundy said.

Not only is it shorter, the format of the application changed.

Instead of one long essay, prospective students will have to write two short ones. The “Finding Your Niche” questions, used to place students in special programs, have been replaced by 20-word answers.

“So far, students seem pleased with the short-answer questions,” Gundy said. “They are a snapshot ... and they enhance our ability to give [applicants] a holistic review.”

only one of the issues that plagues the modern application of the 16-year-old policy.

More than 12,000 members of the military have been discharged for being gay, according to the film, and there have been more than 300 discharges of members with much-needed language skills.

Nicholson joined those ranks in March 2002. Though he speaks four different languages, he served as an intelligence officer for only a year before being discharged for being gay.

One of President Barack Obama’s campaign promises was to reverse the policy, but won’t likely follow through until at least next spring.

“I would put the chances of that happening at maybe 25 percent,” Nicholson said.

According to a June Gallup poll, most Americans support the right of LBGT people to serve in the military. But the issue continues to be hotly debated across the country and at the university.

“If people want to keep a secret that’s fine,” sophomore studio art major Evan Ritz said. “But if people want to be open with it, I don’t think it should be a problem.”

DRUGS from page 1

Mason Tvert advocates for a discussion on pot. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

The Washington Postlast year. “Almost every assault of any kind is related to drinking.”

The quote also appears in Tvert’s book Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? because, he said, it highlights an acceptance of campus culture that promotes alcohol consumption.

“We cited Mote because he’s a great example of how administrators on college campuses have their heads in the sand,” Tvert said. “They’re unwilling to acknowledge that marijuana is a safer alternative

Admissions officers don’t expect the release date for admissions decisions to change drastically, but they do expect fewer applicants.

“We expect that fewer students will apply,” Gundy said. “In the past, part one of the application was easy. It consisted of mainly demographic information. Now, because the application is one part, students are less likely to submit the application until they are ready to complete the process, including submitting their essays, recommendation letters and test scores.”

Special departments, such as the university’s Honors College, are also changing some of their

admissions procedures. In the past, only students with SAT scores in the top of the admitted class were reviewed for Honors; this year, all applicants can be considered.

“The reason for removing the minimum SAT score requirement is that the SAT may not be a good predictor for success in Honors,” Honors Director Bill Dorland said.

High school seniors who decide to apply by the November deadline will have the ability to indicate their interest in specific honors programs.

“We are working on the details of how we are going to communicate these choices

with students,” Dorland said.

“Students will have to choose certain programs and then write a short explanation that tells us why they’re interested in the programs they have chosen.”

Although neither Gundy nor Dorland could predict precisely how the changes will affect the university, both think they will have a positive effect.

“We are confident that the new application will allow us to get good information and a complete picture of our applicants,” Gundy said. “The application will give us an easy way to see who our applicants truly are.” ga@umdbk.com

The College Democrats hosted a screening “Ask Not,” a documentary that advocates for the eradication of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. JACLYN BOROWSKI / THE DIAMONDBACK

“I think the struggle for LGBT rights is one of the biggest civil rights issues of our generation, and probably the most important for our generation,” College Democrats president Amy Hartman added.

Others disagree.

“I feel many people in the military come from conservative families,” sophomore government and politics major Tarang Bapna said. “So, I feel like, they come from cultures where they’re not exposed to homosex-

uality and therefore if you were to just suddenly change a policy rapidly, it would cause some friction in the army.”

“Our issue is basically that we don’t, … especially during a time of war, … we don’t want anything that could possibly affect morale or hurt recruiting,” said senior criminology and criminal justice major Clyde Thompson, who is Vice President of Public Affairs for College Republicans and also served in the Navy.

“A lot of different situations

present themselves where people just find themselves really uncomfortable being naked in front of a gay guy,” Thompson said.

But Nicholson said he still has hope for this generation’s ability to make a change.

“All it takes is a small group of loud voices and dedicated activists or even advocates to really move a member [of Congress] or to speed up the timeline,” he said.

to getting intoxicated.”

Armed with studies from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Task Force on College Drinking and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that explained how many deaths and injuries are caused by binge drinking, Tvert has created the Emerald Initiative — a call for objective debate on the effects of marijuana compared with those of alcohol.

The petition responds to the Amethyst Initiative, signed by Mote and 134 other university presidents, that advocated for public discourse on college drinking.

“Number one, it’s illegal for 18, 19 and 20 year olds to drink so in

both cases, it’s a debate on changing the law,” Tvert said. “I don’t understand why they want to debate youth drinking but won’t debate letting college students use a safer substance.”

Tvert hasn’t had much luck convincing the public: Although the Emerald Initiative has existed for several months, not one university president has signed it.

At a lecture yesterday evening in the Art/Sociology building, Tvert largely preached to the choir.

“In my mind, there’s no debate on which one is safer,” said Zachary Brown, president of the university chapter of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

But marijuana advocates face far larger opposition when they try to engage the administration in a conversation on the subject.

A SAFER-sponsored Student Government Association referendum on reducing the penalties of on-campus marijuana use to equal those of underage drinking passed with 65 percent of the student body in 2006, and the Residence Hall Association passed a measure to loosen pot penalties the following year. But the Department of Resident Life halted the momentum by standing firm on current penalties, if the case enters the judicial system, automatic loss of state and federal aid.

aisaacs@umdbk.com

astice@umdbk.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

Opinion

KEVIN ROBILLARD

THE DIAMONDBACK

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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Staff Editorial

Guest column

Easing up on exams

Starting with students

I

magine that when finals roll around in December you’re forced to take difficult to find times that work for every student. When the SGA considered three exams in one day. That’s six hours of mind-numbing examinations the policy, then-Registrar David Robb said it would require either expanding for a handful of classes spread across a variety of disciplines. Legislation the finals period by one day or holding finals during the evening hours. If nechas been introduced in the University Senate to limit the number of essary and cost-effective, the senate should consider the latter option. After exams a student can take in one day to no more than two. Those senators who all, most students would rather take a final at 5:30 p.m. than at 8 a.m. The university has been successful in limiting exams to no more than three in one support such legislation are completely right in their thinking.

The idea of a student taking three exams in one day is ridiculous. While day, and we think it’s fair to say that, with enough hard work, they can also some professors give students the option of rescheduling, many do not. limit them to two.

One possible solution would be to allow professors to According to a letter sent to the committee by Sterling administer exams for the same class on two different days, Grimes, a former undergraduate committee member, allowing students to choose which day to take the exam. approximately 4 percent of students face three exams in one day. While this number is rather slim, it doesn’t mean The limit for final exams a Depending on the circumstances, professors may have to two different exams to avoid cheating, but they that those 4 percent should be forced into a situation student can take in one day create already do this for makeup exams. where, because of university scheduling, they will have to should be lowered to two.

Setting exam times before the start of the semester decide which exam should be put on the back burner. would also be helpful to students. When registering for Some have expressed concern about the “cost” of such a policy. By this, they mainly mean extra stress on faculty and staff members. classes on Testudo, students should be alerted about conflicts in their final While university employees certainly have a lot to worry about (furloughs, exam schedules, just like they are about the distance and time between potential layoffs, etc.), so do students, especially when they have six hours of classes. This would take planning on the part of faculty but it would give students a better picture of their exam schedules at the end of the semester and exams in one day.

The Student Government Association considered a similar change three could provide for better planning.

Most students would agree that three exams in one day is anything but reayears ago, but administrators said it didn’t impact enough students to warrant a switch. If 4 percent of students is an accurate number, 1,000 of the campus’ sonable. This university prides itself on its academic success, but when stuundergraduates are at a disadvantage because they have less time to study dents are forced to endure such a grueling amount of exams, they are anything but successful. The senate should confer with faculty to find a real soluthan their peers.

It is true that instituting such a policy will likely take work. Exam schedules tion to this problem to ensure the 4 percent who face three finals in a day are tight enough as it is, and at an institution as big as this university, it will be aren’t abandoned because of apathy.

Our View

Editorial Cartoon: Justin Cousson

Obamamania: Posing for the president

I

’m going to admit something now that I’ve kept hidden from the general public for far too long. Are you ready for a bombshell? Here goes: I didn’t vote for President Barack Obama. In fact, the truth of the matter is, I didn’t vote, period. Take a minute to collect yourself, and I’ll see if I can explain.

You see, this past presidential election was a pickle for me because I honestly didn’t believe in either candidate, and I felt I would be cheating myself if I wasted a vote on the lesser of two evils. Thus, I decided to stay home that day and catch up on all the stuff I had backed up on the DVR (Highlander marathon). I tend to be someone who only takes action when I deem it necessary, and, for me, voting for Obama just to tell people that I voted for Obama didn’t seem neces-

MIKE

DIMARCO sary. In fact, it felt quite pretentious.

Now if you’re smart (and you surely are), you will have already realized why exactly I chose a Thursday in September to reveal this bit of information. Last week, a certain Leader of the Free World visited our campus and sent waves of giddy excitement up and down the collective spine of our student populace.

Ever since I can’t escape the inevitable ice-breaker of every conversation I’ve had: “So uh, did you go

to that Obama thing?”

For me, the problem with this is that the vast majority of the people who have asked me this went to the rally, and the vast majority of those people don’t actually care about politics at all. Most of these people would much rather have been at home watching America’s Next Top Trust Fund Baby on MTVH1, but instead they followed the crowds to Comcast Center. The rally for Obama seems to have been on par with a football game in that people went because they were supposed to, not because they cared.

Let’s face it. Though his status is dwindling, Obama is still more of a rock star-caliber celebrity than a politician in the eyes of our generation. I’m not so ignorant as to say that no one cares about his policies, as

there is a demographic of young people who truly care about politics and believe in the president. But the group of people our age who claim to care just for public approval is much larger than anyone will admit.

Having the president visit our campus was cool, really, but don’t kid yourself into believing that the majority of the attendees were really invested in what was said, not just there to tell their friends and kids that they saw Obama up close. So to those of you who honestly went to the rally to be informed, I say kudos.

And to those of you who went to have a good opener for picking up chicks, well, I say good luck.

Mike DiMarco is a senior English major. He can be reached at dimarco@umdbk.com.

Advice: Not down with distance

Q:

I had a girlfriend at home over the summer and we got pretty serious. I thought as long as we got to see each other a couple of times a month, I’d be able to handle a long-distance relationship once school started, but things have been really hard. What kind of compromise can we make so I can handle the distance but we can still stay together?

Because of my biting sarcasm and disarmingly attractive headshot, you might not know by reading my column that I’m a warm and fuzzy romantic. I think as a senior in college, it’s not unreasonable to feel that your relationship is serious and worth the wait. I obviously don’t really know what you mean by “pretty serious.” That might mean you’ve met her parents and it might mean you’ve paid for her Taco

A:

ESTI

FRISCHLING Bell once or twice. The bottom line is, if you are spending your last year on a college campus Skype-canoodling and e-card sending instead of eye-f--ing and booty texting, you better have serious intentions with this girl.

Whenever faced with this problem, people usually do this thing they often will refer to as “going on a break.” I personally like to call this little number “breaking up.”

You can come up with any excuse you want: You’re too young to be tied down like this, you’re too emotionally fragile to sleep alone, or you’re just not good at talking on the phone. I’m

assuming when you say things have been really hard you mean because certain (ahem) things haven’t been really (cough) hard — you’re only human after all.

The lack of sex or any physical contact afforded with a long distance relationship is obviously a most unfortunate side effect, but, no pun intended, nut up, man. Just like marijuana is a gateway drug and will inevitably lead to you rolling around in piles of cocaine, so too will going on a break so you can get with other girls inevitably lead to you losing your girlfriend.

I like this drug metaphor so I’m going to run with it: You can possibly sustain a coke addiction for a little while, but ultimately you’re only hurting yourself. It might be fun to prowl around Thirsty Turtle and add freshman notches to your belt, but if you’re in love with this girl, you will probably end up a bloody mess with John Tra-

volta stabbing an adrenaline shot into your heart. Drug metaphor too far?

I guess what I’m trying to say is, there is no compromising when it comes to long-distance relationships.

You have to weigh your priorities, and if you think it’s worth pulling a Jonas brother and refraining from carnal pleasures, stick it out. You can’t have your carnal cake and eat it too, and you shouldn’t try and stay in any sort of open relationship.

If this is too much for you for whatever reason (I guess there could be other reasons besides sex; I just have a one-track mind), don’t waste your time by breaking up in stages. Call it what it is and do what will make you the happiest. After all, these are the best four years of our lives and I certainly plan on having it all go downhill from here.

Esti Frishling is a senior English major.

She can be reached at esti@umdbk.com.

AMY HARTMAN

I

n response to the staff editorial in the Sept. 18 Diamondback titled, “Healthy Discussion” and in response to President Barack Obama’s request last Thursday to bring about health care reform in this country, the University of Maryland College Democrats along with MaryPIRG, Community Roots and Organizing for America, are today launching a health care reform campaign called “Generations United for Health Reform.”

An overwhelming majority of younger people in this country, age 18 to 29, are fully in support of health reform, but are not as engaged in the health care debate as our elders. Our elders, specifically our parents and grandparents, are also not as supportive of health care reform as we are. It is our job as young people in support of health care reform to bridge the generation gap.

But before we tell our parents and grandparents why they should support health care reform, we need to know why we support health care reform. The past few weeks, I have been asked numerous times by students, “Why should I, as a young person, care about health care reform?” It’s a valid question as we don’t tend to think of younger people such as ourselves as the ones who usually get sick and need health insurance. However, young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 make up nearly one-third of the uninsured population. In fact, young people have the highest uninsured rate of any age group.

While many college students are still covered under their parents’ employers’ health care plans, finding affordable coverage becomes more and more difficult for young adults as we begin our careers and establish financial independence. The myth that health care coverage doesn’t affect young people is simply not true. In fact, our age group may be affected the most.

So maybe you’re fully in support of health care reform, you got up at 5 a.m. last Thursday to see Obama speak about reform and you’ve briefly talked about the issue of health care in one of your classes.

But what happens when you go home this weekend and your mom asks you to explain the public option, or your grandfather wants to know what exactly end-of-life counseling means? You’re stuck.

This is where our campaign comes in. Health care reform is undoubtedly a complicated issue.

We want to help you learn the basics of health care reform and arm you with the talking points and strategic arguments you need to effectively advocate for health care reform among your parents and grandparents.

How are we going to do this?

The campaign will be holding a “teach-in” on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. in the Art-Sociology Building, room 1213.

We will have several experts and doctors there to speak about the issue and to equip you with the necessary tools in order to advocate for reform. Additionally, we are today launching our website, generationsunitedforhealthreform.org, on which you can find fact sheets, articles and other resources to learn more about the issue.

Quality, affordable health care coverage is not a privilege reserved for just a portion of our country’s population. It is a civil right that the 47 million uninsured people in this country deserve. As Obama said last Thursday in his address to the student body, “It begins right here in College Park.

It begins on campuses like this one. It always has. Just like the change that began in our campaign, it starts with people, especially young people, who are determined to take this nation’s destiny into their own hands.”

Let’s take reform into our own hands and make quality, affordable health care available for all.

Amy Hartman is the president of the university’s chapter of the College Democrats. She can be reached at ahart13@umd.edu.

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, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 55 Draw on glass 56 Vast ages 1 Fissure 57 Juicy steak 6 Make a trade (hyph.)

10 Express shock 58 Fur 14 Sweepstakes 59 Wander 15 El —, Texas 60 Stanza 16 Muffin spread 61 Very, to Yvette 17 Got wrong 62 The — the limit!

18 Above 63 Sneakier 19 Cropland measure DOWN 20 Where Japan is 1 Without 21 Overexcited discoloration (hyph.)

2 Cayuse 23 Let back in 3 Open-air lobbies 25 Skin softeners 4 Without a pause 26 Atom fragment 5 In vogue 27 Orchard pest 6 Athletic pursuit 29 Tracks 7 Whitecap 32 Small stream 33 Promise solemnly 8 Offshore 9 Meat market 36 Seabee’s buy (2 wds.) organization 10 Incited 37 Tummy flattener 11 Aluminum (hyph.) company 38 Burrowing 12 Vaccine animal 13 Limerick writers 39 Retiring 21 Shark warning 40 Braid 22 Viking name 41 Uninhabited 24 Calendar divs. region 27 Big-band name 42 Jazzy Della — 28 Mope 43 Two, in Tijuana 29 TLC providers 44 Miner’s trough 30 Contented 47 Meadow flowers murmur 51 Bird’s size 54 Famous last word 31 Poison —

© 2009 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

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orn today, you are one of the most independent individuals born under your sign — and yet, almost conversely, you crave the society of one or two special individuals with whom you have the most in common. Indeed, though you are known for following your instincts and doing things in very much your own way, you want to share as much as you can of life with those whom you call friend. You value your freedom, and it is likely that those who win your confidence, your time and your affection feel the same about theirs — and in this way you will seek freedom and independence together.

B

You are one of the most relaxed and easygoing lovers born under any sign; when under the romantic spell of another you are never at a loss, but you go about your business as if it is truly the natural way of things — which, for you, it is indeed. You are something of a paradox.

Also born on this date are Linda Eastman McCartney, singer and photographer; Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets; Anthony Newley, singer and actor; Jim McKay, sportscaster; F. Scott Fitzgerald, author.

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.

E G G E D

S A S H J OW L H RAE AGHA E CUR B L I P A CHCOMB E R S HEY A I S L E T AD FUN S A L A L L GONE CHE CEE BEN OOT T ED OA T UE W I T BE T E R L EO V I SOR SC I ENCES UND ORE L SE T EE ASCOT S END L A T T ES

sure to suffer; you may be risking more than your reputation.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — When others call it quits for the day, you’re likely to swing into action — and impress many with your ability to do the impossible.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — You can do much more when others are not looking over your shoulder. Of course, you don’t want to be completely ignored, either.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Fact may well be stranger than fiction when all is said and done — and you may very well find yourself at the center of the storm.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — You should be able to pass an important halfway mark, but don’t be fooled. Your greatest efforts lie ahead of you, surely.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — You’re going to have to put in a little extra effort in order to come through for someone who has been depending on you for a while.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — If you haven’t been getting enough rest lately, your work is

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Solitary efforts enable you to put the finishing touches on something that has been nearing completion for a while.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — You can propel yourself much more quickly ahead of the pack through sheer determination.

Form is less important than function.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — You may seem to be at rest, but you’ll very likely be thinking up one way after another to achieve a new goal when given the chance.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You’ve been paying attention to the wrong details lately, but you’ll realize it and correct the error before it’s too late.

Copyright 2009 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

REEL NEWS:

Diversions

THE SOCIAL NETWORK When we first heard a film about the founding of Facebook was in the works, we were skeptical to say the least. But with Fight Club director David Fincher helming a script penned by The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, the project showed promise. Now that Variety has broken the news that Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake have joined the cast, you can officially consider us excited for this one.

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

REVIEW | BRIGHT STAR

online exclusives NO IMPACT MAN Sure, An Inconvenient Truth had some sort of impact on an ideological level: Schools played clips, climate change was on everyone’s lips (for a time at least) and Al Gore suddenly became cool (and won a Nobel prize doing it).

But did anything really change? Is it even possible for non-ex-vice presidents with an outsized conscience to make a difference? Those are the questions New York-based guinea pig and writer Colin Beavan attempts to answer in No Impact Man as he sets his wife Michelle Conlin and their baby daughter Isabella forth into the brave new world of carbon neutrality and environmental accountability.

The shocking part of the film really is not how far the Beavan clan will go but how much anger they inspire for going where few Americans have dared to venture before.

— Vaman Muppala RATING: 3.5 stars out of 5

AMREEKA Aside from a few bigoted strays to whom the truth is only a theory, the vast majority of Americans do in fact realize not all terrorists are Muslims and, the more important inverse, not all Muslims are terrorists.

Still, seeing is believing. Amreeka, a National Geographic-produced tale of immigrants trying to make it, is a vehicle to transmit the lives of West Bank émigrés with as much heart, humor and realism as possible.

A variety of important questions are raised as to the balance of selfidentity with national identity and how to hold an immigrant family together through the gears of assimilation. Is it really possible in America for an Arab man to demand that his voice be heard when it comes to foreign policy?

— Vaman Muppala RATING: 3.5 stars out of 5

For full reviews of the movies above, just click the Diversions tab at:

WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM

Falling into the darkness Jane Campion can’t conjure the spirit of John Keats’ work

BY VAMAN MUPPALA Senior staff writer

When considering William Wordsworth’s oft-quoted proclamation that “good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,” director Jane Campion’s Bright Star, a dim, feeling-drained sketch of his Romantic-era spiritual descendant John Keats, appears truly baffling.

Rather than scale the heights and frequently powerful emotions of now-canonized verse, the film leaves the viewer crawling along as Keats (Ben Whishaw, The International) forms a tentative, incremental affair with a working-class seamstress named Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish, Stop-Loss).

The beginnings of the courtship are willfully dry and unadorned. A shy, impish Keats first looks to Brawne for her sassy, swift doses of reality. While Keats lies wrapped in his lyrics, Brawne toils and sustains herself in early 19th-century England one obsessively embroidered dress at a time.

To Keats, there appears to be something of value in the way Brawne refuses to suffer pretension either from him or the ill-fitting social circle they both frequent. Along with his ever-present semi-patron Charles Brown (Paul Schneider, Away We Go), Keats even suffers a bit of abuse from Brawne: She compares their “scribblings” to her stitching but ultimately concludes that her work differs because it’s actually profitable and has “more merit and admirers.”

Still, if it weren’t for the titular poem apparently written with Brawne in mind, one would be left grasping for a reason to value her presence.

She purchases Endymion to “see if [Keats] is an idiot or not” (surely a commendable goal), but judges the epic a failure aside from the immortal opening, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

At first, Cornish is emotionally rigid and appears undeserving of Keats and the audience’s affections. Shades of charm appear, especially as she plays off her wisecracking younger siblings. Ultimately, nobody will be ready to

Classified CALL

Abbie Cornish (left) and Ben Whishaw star as Fanny Brawne and John Keats, respectively, in Oscar-winner Jane Campion’s Bright Star. COURTESY MOVIEWEB.COM

label her a tragic lover for the ages.

The supposed blossoming of their relationship — after Keats rents an apartment adjacent to her family’s — does not carry with it an expected emotional or physical payoff.

Granted, the filmmakers are boxed in by pre-Victorian morality.

But there are only so many hushed kisses, fights about class, stolen walks and glances of longing that modern viewers are still willing to grant period-piece Oscar bait.

Fortunately, Campion is a technically impressive, albeit subdued, visual artist. Her specialty in Bright Star is a nuanced sort of communication through the use of focus. Whishaw and Cornish are filmed with hazy fields in the foreground or against a backdrop of blurred snow.

For those inclined to notice such things, Greig Fraser’s cinematography does create its own sort of

poetry. Yet, it is ultimately a poetry underutilized and constrained by the dictates of realism. We hear Keats describe a particularly affecting dream but never see it through Campion’s lens.

Subliminal visions are often best left to the realm of horror flicks, stoner movies or David Lynch.

When choosing between a peek into the inner workings of Keats and an impassioned reading of his couplets, however, the former quickly becomes preferable.

Whishaw reveals his worth in the worst of times, as Keats’ slight frame falls victim to a variety of ailments. His performance has a certain nobility to it — one can see the workings of a great mind even as he coughs up blood into his handkerchief.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

WHITE from page 8 said. “He has a tremendous upside and I’ve been just extremely pleased with his progress, his attitude and his willingness to learn and embrace everything we ask him to do.”

All-ACC talents like Boston College’s Edvin Worley and N.C. State’s Ronnie Bouemboue all but disappeared for stretches in their matchups with White this season.

The freshman insists there’s no deeper meaning in donning the Terps’ No. 4 jersey — most recently that of Omar Gonzalez, the former All-American and current Los Angeles Galaxy starter who shut down other stars with similar ease.

“I thought it was coincidental,” White said of his jersey number, laughing. “I try not to think about that. I try to play my game.”

Still, Cirovski has had just as little to worry about with White as one of the Terps’ last line of defense as he did with Gonzalez.

Whereas Gonzalez soared over strikers and knew where to be with each fleeting second, White chases down wayward balls and streaking for wards

with ease before sealing them off effortlessly with his chiseled physique and wide frame.

“He’s had to learn to become a piece of the puzzle and he really has done a great job,” Cirovski said. “I’ve been delighted with him.”

White committed to the Terp coaching staff summer of 2008 after a two-year courtship with the program. His speed and size captivated Cirovski, who watched him dominate the club soccer scene with the Potomac Cougars and play a year up with the D.C. United Youth Academy.

His ascension to the Terps’ starting lineup from there wasn’t as clear-cut as both probably thought it might be. After recovering from a torn calf muscle injury before his senior year, White’s play stagnated. His coaches at D.C. United became so concerned with what they saw of their backliner they dialed Cirovski. It wasn’t long before Cirovski was in White’s ear.

“We challenged Ethan that going through the motions just because he’s committed to a school isn’t going to be good enough,” Cirovski said. “Within days, I started getting reports back that it’s a whole new Ethan White.”

“When people challenge me, it just pushes me harder to do whatever I have

7

to do,” White said. “When someone says I’m not playing well or I can’t do this or I can’t do that, it just makes you want to try harder.”

The next obstacle for White wasn’t any easier.

When he stepped on the campus, White said he wasn’t expecting to start.

Even with a backline depleted by graduation and defections to MLS, he didn’t think he’d be counted on to replace stars he’s still in awe of.

“We’ll watch video of our games last year and I’ll be like, ‘Wow, Omar!’” White said, shaking his head. “[But] to play as much as I do, it feels great.”

Even as his disbelief lingers, White said he knows the Terps are ready for big things.

He never expected to be playing under the lights at Ludwig Field in front of a live television audience and likely another 7,000 in person.

Friday, when No. 2 North Carolina comes to College Park in a rematch of last year’s national championship, he’ll do just that for the No. 4 Terps.

“I tr y not to think about it. … I get butterflies,” White said. “This is a reward for how much hard work I’ve been with here.” shaffer@umdbk.com

FOOTBALL from page 8 job done. But I want to get stronger, faster — get in better shape. This offseason will probably be really good for me and help my game a whole lot.”

Last year, Friedgen took two very different approaches with two true freshmen who are now starters. Cornerback Cameron Chism played in nine games, primarily on special teams, as Friedgen was worried Chism would be needed more if an injury occurred. Meanwhile, linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield moved up the Terps’ depth chart throughout the season without playing in any games, thus keeping his redshirt while being available in the case of an injury.

This year, Friedgen has already used linebacker Avery Murray on special teams and anticipates using safety Eric Franklin and possibly cornerback Dexter McDougle in similar roles. While all three would almost certainly play on defense with an injury at their position, defensive coordinator Don Brown has been non-committal about using any of the three just yet.

FSU from page 8 Travel and weather are not the only concerns the Terps have heading into tonight, as they are up against one of the ACC’s best teams. The Seminoles return six starters from a team that went to the NCAA’s Final Four last year.

All week the Terps have been preparing for set pieces, as it’s one of the Seminoles’ strengths.

The lone goal the Terps allowed against Brown on Friday night came off a free kick.

Florida State defender Toni Pressley has the ability to throw the ball 40 feet and can loft it into the box on sideline throwins deep in the opponents’ half of the field, Pensky said.

“They are a very good possession-oriented team,” Pensky

DAVIES from page 8 she’s even got a point this season, but it doesn’t matter, because what she does can’t be measured by that. It’s better than what points are. No one can get a point unless you have people like Bri doing the legwork.”

It is always hard to measure defensive skills. Though the Terps allow just 1.25 goals a game, on a team with a highoctane offense, the play in backfield can be overlooked.

Though attackers show prowess with goals, assists and points, and goalies can record saves, Davies’ skill set is full of intangibles that do not appear in a game report.

She serves as an on-field general in her hybrid position as midfield/back, sending directions and facilitating communication among the team’s different units.

“On the field you’ll always hear her sorting everyone out,” freshman midfielder Megan Frazer said. “She’ll lead from the back.”

Meharg praises Davies’ pass-

VOLLEYBALL from page 8 her injury],” Horsmon said.

“She’s got to ice it when she’s done. She’s got to stretch throughout practice. I know that there are doctors that probably would have sat her this season and said you need to stay off of it. … She wanted to play, and we needed her to. … She never complains about it, and she competes every time she practices and plays.”

But even with her intense work ethic, Scott still notices her physical limitations. At practices, she cannot take as many reps as she wants to.

Regardless of the limited practice time, Scott has still emerged as a team leader and dominant middle blocker.

At 6-foot-3 with an athletic build, she certainly has the tools needed to excel in volleyball.

And according to Horsmon, she is “very articulate” and “very bright,” both necessities to excel as the Terps’ team leader.

“She leads every day,” he said. “I think she sets an example. She comes in and makes a decision that a lot of things aren’t good enough in how we play, and she voices that. She wants to be really good, and

“I want to get all the best players on the field I can,” Friedgen said. “Most of the time, I’ll consult a player on that, find out if he’s OK burning his redshirt to play on special teams. If they the kid wanted me to wait, I could hold it.”

Currently, kicker Nick Ferrara, guard Bennett Fulper and defensive tackle Zach Kerr have played all three games for the Terps. While Ferrara already has a gamewinning field goal under his belt, Fulper and Kerr have seen their roles expanding.

Friedgen said Ross, Franklin, Murray and defensive tackle Justin Anderson would also see increases in playing time. But with a 1-2 record, the Terps have very little room for the kind of mistakes that buried them last week against Middle Tennessee, even from freshmen.

“It’s time to just play like a mature team and win football games,” senior quarterback Chris Turner said. “The whole ‘young’ thing is not an excuse anymore. … There’s too much at stake for guys to say that ‘I didn’t know this,’ or ‘I didn’t know that.’” ajoseph@umdbk.com

said. “But at the same time they can hurt you in a moment because they have two kids up top that can absolutely fly.”

The Seminoles are also riding an encouraging win against in-state rival No. 10 Florida last week. Florida State has also played in the College Cup four times since 2003 and was picked to finish second in the ACC this season.

But the Terps said tonight’s battle will be close, despite the talent of Florida State and the outside factors of heat and travel involved.

“We’re looking to move the ball, switch it and play to our strengths. They are very competitive and it will be very tough,” Mooney said. “We have a lot of confidence right now, and we know we can play with these big teams.” eckard@umdbk.com

ing and stick skills, which she uses to maneuver the ball up the field and into the possession of the Terp forwards. She also possesses an all-around athleticism she displays with diving stops and head-on tackles to take the ball from opponents.

And her speed impresses her team most of all. Thomas cited a play against the Golden Bears when Davies ran from one end of the field to the other to challenge an opponent, tackled the ball and then dribbled all the way back up the field to feed it to teammates in the circle.

It was a far cry from her play at the start of the season, when she was burnt out from her long offseason with the junior national team. Her movements were slower, her reactions sluggish.

But after taking time to recover, she emerged from the fog of exhaustion re-energized and has stormed through the Terps’ last four games. And when Davies is in top form, few can keep up with her.

“Some of the things she does, some of the rest of us could only dream of,” Thomas said. yanchulis@umdbk.com

that’s important.”

This season, the Terps desperately needed someone to step into a leadership role, and so far, Scott has been able to fill those shoes.

“I think she’s really stepped up for our team, being a middle blocker,” outside hitter Michelle Kenning said. “We only have one other [blocker], with Sara [Shannon] tearing her ACL. … I think she has made it a point to be more verbal, just being more physical on the court and being a leader.”

Scott’s play on the court has echoed her leadership role on the team.

She has become a factor on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, recording 102 kills and 65 total blocks, all while battling her injury.

Her progression this season has Horsmon thinking of big things for his talented athlete.

“Her work ethic is good. She competes hard. She’s athletic.

She’s smart,” he said. “I think she has a huge upside. It’s just a matter of getting her the practice and the reps she needs to really take it to the next step. …

The sky’s the limit for Lisa, it’s just a matter of her health holding out for her.” engelke@umdbk.com

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

Sports

More coverage on the blog ■ Read Terrapintrail.com for extra analysis and updates on all Terp

sports, including baseball beat writer Michael Lemaire’s look at the Terps’ first fall camp under the direction of coach Erik Bakich.

Terps prepare for long Florida weekend No. 18 women’s soccer team will face No. 5 Florida State tonight, Miami on Sunday

BY CHRIS ECKARD Staff writer

Coach Ralph Friedgen has had to rely on more true freshmen in 2009.

ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

Key freshmen should see more time this season

Yesterday morning, the Terrapin women’s soccer team hopped on a flight to Florida for what may be their most demanding road trip of the year.

It took the team two flights to arrive at their first destination, Tallahassee, Fla. After training last night, the team will play tonight at No. 5 Florida State. On Friday the team will board another plane down to Miami.

Saturday, the team will scramble to find a place to train before playing Miami on Sunday. To cap the weekend, the Terps will fly back to

Terps vs. Florida State Where: Tallahassee, Fla. When: Tonight, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: Sun Sports College Park to arrive before classes on Monday.

In a little more than a weekend, the

team will have been on four flights, practiced twice and played against two conference opponents, all while the temperature hovers in the upper80- and lower 90-degree range.

“It’s always a long trip,” coach Brian Pensky said. “You feel like you’re constantly flying and moving around.”

And the results show.

The last time the Terps beat Florida State was in 2002, and they have never defeated Miami on the road.

But the team is hoping to turn it around tonight against one of the toughest teams they will play all season, the Seminoles (7-1-0). In order to

see FSU, page 7

White fills big shoes easily

Terps burning more redshirts than usual

BY ADI JOSEPH Senior staff writer

Isaiah Ross spread a toothy grin across his chubby cheeks. His arms, visible under his T-shirt, lacked the size or definition of former Terrapin linebacker E.J. Henderson, Ross’s favorite player, or current teammates Jared Harrell or Derek Drummond, who sit above Ross on the Terps’ depth chart at defensive end.

A true freshman, Ross didn’t even expect to play this year. Ross seemed to be a lock for a redshirt season entering training camp, as the 18 year old was not even listed on the depth chart in August.

Then he started running around and making plays in practice. And the decision was made — Ross had to play, even with clear rough edges in his game.

“He’s a bit more athletic than some of our ends,” coach Ralph Friedgen said. “We probably should have played him more the last few weeks because he’s good in the space game. A game where they run right at him won’t be his game because he’s not strong enough yet.”

Ross made his debut in the Terps’ Sept. 12 win against James Madison.

He is one of six true freshmen to play this season, and at least two more are expected to join the group sooner rather than later. In the past three seasons, Friedgen has only used a total of nine true freshmen, but a particularly strong recruiting class combined with an already young roster has forced Friedgen to use more freshmen than in previous seasons.

A redshirt season allows players to adjust to the speed of the college life and game. Few freshmen come in with the necessary conditioning and understanding of what is generally a significantly more complex playbook.

“As far as weight room and running, I’m definitely not there,” Ross said.

“Athletically, on the field, I can get the

see FOOTBALL, page 7

prepare, the No. 18 Terps (8-0-0) have been wearing long sleeves while training to emulate the humidity.

Freshman forward Caitlin Mooney, who grew up in Edmond, Okla., is one player on the team who is used to the extreme heat.

“Summers it gets from 100 to 110 degrees [in Oklahoma],” Mooney said. “One tournament I played in was approaching 110 degrees. There is no breeze and it’s just humid. You have to mentally prepare yourself. You have to go out there, forget about the heat and just play.”

Freshman centerback is impressing so far

BY JONAS SHAFFER Staff writer

The tape doesn’t lie. Still, Terrapin men’s soccer defender Ethan White shakes his head at what he sees.

There he goes, a burly blur of a freshman running stride-for-stride with the ACC’s best, skying for headers with players who have more goals to their names than he does starts.

The whole process seems too farfetched. After all, the few times he used to watch film before this fall were for laughs over a breathtaking juke or a sensational goal. Now, he’s watching himself make mistakes. He’s learning the hard way, but that’s been the theme lately for his soccer career.

After all, that White would even be in a position to be criticized or complimented for his play this early is an achievement itself. He’s endured injury, burdened himself with nearly impossible expectations and matched up against future professionals.

But coach Sasho Cirovski said how White has handled the developmental challenge has impressed him as much as the athletic tools he was first drawn to.

“He keeps getting better,” Cirovski Freshman defender Ethan White has gone up against some of the best strikers in the ACC and performed well, leaving an impression on coach Sasho Cirovski. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

see WHITE, page 7

Catching her second wind Field hockey’s Davies is back to her usual self after taxing summer with national team

BY KATE YANCHULIS Senior staff writer

The Terrapin field hockey team’s season had not yet begun, but Brianna Davies was already worn out.

For eight months, she trained and played with the U.S. under21 national team with fellow Terps Katie O’Donnell and Alexis Pappas, culminating in the Junior World Cup in August.

She got to go home to Annville, Pa., for four days of rest, but when she joined the team for the season-opening weekend, the senior captain was still emotionally exhausted.

“I was a little mentally not there when I first came back,” Davies said.

So when the Terps got a few days off from practice after the first two weeks of games, she kept her mind off field hockey completely, using the time to recuperate and recharge.

“Then I think I started enjoying hockey more again,” she said. “When I got back, I just realized, ‘I have to step it up. I can’t keep being in this slump of not being there.’”

By the California game Monday, she was finally back.

In the 8-0 beatdown of the Golden Bears, the midfield/back dove on the

Terp middle blocker Lisa Scott has 102 kills and 65 blocks this season despite nagging knee trouble that has forced her to miss practices. ALLISON AKERS/THE DIAMONDBACK

Midfield/back Brianna Davies is a critical distributor and team leader for the No. 1 Terps. ALLISON AKERS/THE DIAMONDBACK

ground to stop the ball, tackled with abandon, and tore up and down the field. She had definitely arrived.

“Sometimes when you play teams that aren’t quite your level, you can end up making more errors, and she made zero,” coach Missy Meharg said.

“So we’re just really pleased.”

The No. 1 Terps (9-0) know having Davies in tip-top shape is crucial to the success of team.

But anyone looking at the stat sheet would not give Davies a

second glance.

She does not lead in any category. She has just two assists, one shot and no goals yet this season. In fact, she has scored just once in her four years as a starter. When it comes to Davies, though, you can’t assess her impact with statistics.

“She’s probably the best leaststatistized player in the whole country,” senior back Emma Thomas said. “I don’t know if

see DAVIES, page 7

Scott still playing strong despite painful condition

BY JAKOB ENGELKE Staff writer

As Terrapin volleyball middle blocker Lisa Scott prepared for Tuesday’s matchup with Boston College, she did something she’s been accustomed to do for some time now.

Scott slid on a black knee brace onto her left leg — something many athletes do as a precautionary step to prevent injury. However, Scott does it out of necessity.

“Basically, my knees are structurally wrong. … It’s the way I was born kind of thing,” she said as an explanation of her ailment. “My kneecaps are pointed inward sort of, so it puts

a lot of pressure on it. … It’s a lot of different little things, but it’s basically something that unless I want to have a major surgery, I have to deal with it.”

Scott certainly has been dealing with the nagging injury, and she must go through different forms of rehab, icing and stretching daily. Coach Tim Horsmon noted she was unable to practice and condition with the team during the summer due to knee pain. But, because of her mental toughness, she has played well this season.

“Every day she practices she [overcomes

see VOLLEYBALL, page 7