September 30, 2013

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The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 013

Government may shut down tomorrow Congressional gridlock makes funding deal unlikely; shutdown might impact higher ed

terrapin’s turf will open in the next week, the bar’s owners say. kelsey hughes/the diamondback

Terrapin’s Turf set to open soon

A government shutdown could further inflame the partisan divide in Congress and cause a deluge of temporary furloughs for federal By Jim Bach Tomorrow, funding for the gov- government jobs, but it’s unlikely @thedbk ernment will stop unless Congress to jeopardize university and research Senior staff writer passes legislation authorizing more grant funding, at least in the short spending. But with a divided Con- term. It would primarily affect federal Despite the looming Oct. 1 deadline, gress struggling to agree on a plan to workers, such as employees at nafederal lawmakers don’t appear to be continue that funding, experts said tional parks or contractors at the any closer to passing a resolution that a shutdown is looking more likely, Defense Department. When it comes to research grants or would avert a government shutdown. putting government employees at risk.

student loans, “the funds have already been allocated,” said Tony McCann, a public policy professor. “Not one single employee of the education department as part of his or her daily work actually teaches a student.” In a contingency plan released Friday, Education Department officials said the biggest impact will fall on its own staff, which will absorb See shutdown, Page 2

all you care to eat, here or anywhere

Bar’s owners confident after multiple missed dates from code delays By Annika McGinnis @annikam93 Senior staff writer New live music bar Terrapin’s Turf has been a long time coming. For almost three-and-a-half years, an angular two-story building has sat vacant near Ratsie’s Pizza on Knox Road, tantalizing students’ memories with flashbacks of the glory days — when students would party all night to live bands at former bar Santa Fe Cafe. But in May 2010, after years of squabbling between the bar’s owners and code enforcement officials over installing a sprinkler system, the bar shut its doors for the last time. In the next week, Terrapin’s Turf will open in Santa Fe’s former location, after a year-and-a-half delay while owners worked to bring the building up to code. Owners Salomeh, Yasmine and Moh a m m ad A fsh a r received their final permit from the city on Thursday, giving them the green light to open their live music establishment. “I can’t believe it. Thursday, I was just like, ‘Is it really happening?’ It just seems like so long,” Salomeh Afshar said. “It’s been

251 express, a sustainable carryout option for all-you-care-to-eat, buffet dining hall 251 North (inset), will soon replace Cool Beans Cafe (above), a former weekend and dessert venue. rachel george/for the diamondback By Holly Cuozzo @emperorcuozzco Staff writer For many students, 251 North’s appeal lies in its all-you-care-toeat, buffet-style meals — but soon, students will be able to take the

See turf, Page 3

dining hall’s cuisine with them. Cool Beans Cafe in the dining hall will soon become “251 Express,” a waste-free carryout station where students can use their weekly 251 meal points to take an OZZI box of food from the dining hall to go, said Bart Hipple, Dining Services spokes-

man. OZZI boxes, which debuted in fall 2011, are reusable containers for dining hall food. Before it closed for renovations, Cool Beans served food Friday and Saturday nights, as well as ice cream during 251’s weekday hours. At 251 Express, students will need to have an OZZI coin or purchase a

box, and they’ll also have to bring a cup to use, although Dining Services may decide to offer reusable cups for purchase, Hipple said. The menu will be limited because of the small space, but it will stay open slightly See 251, Page 2

University senior running for District 1 council seat

Entrepreneurship programs extend eligibility to all majors

Mellman seeks tight-knit community bonds

By Madeleine List @madeleine_list Staff writer

By Josh Logue @jmlogue Staff writer District 1 College Park City Councilman Fazlul Kabir met a different kind of student while knocking on doors during his campaign two years ago. The student who answered the door was Benjamin Mellman, and now he’s running in the same City Council race as Kabir. Most students don’t live in the same house year to year or stay in College Park after graduating. But Mellman, who was 21 when Kabir knocked on his door, already owned the house he lives in and now rents it out to tenants to pay off the mortgage. He purchased it in 2009 with money from his grandparents before graduating

from Montgomery College in Rockville and enrolling in this university. The senior aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering major is a character in the community. He keeps bees behind his house and has been at the forefront of a local push to allow College Park residents to raise chickens in their backyards. Mellman is one of two university students running for a seat on the City Council. Matthew Popkin, a graduate student in public policy, is running for a District 3 seat. Although he’s running against incumbent residents, Mellman isn’t worried about the competition. “I’m not really doing an aggressive campaign,” he said. He has instead taken a relaxed approach to campaigning. It’s partly because of his heavy course load and

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benjamin mellman, senior aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering major and District 1 City Council candidate. tim drummond/the diamondback partly because that’s just who he is, Mellman said. He meets residents while walking his dog, Cayley, a gigantic German shepherd mix, through the neighborhood. He has also ordered some lawn signs, which he said should come in this week. While his campaign strategy may be more casual, Mellman isn’t new to the local political scene. After his first encounter with Kabir, the incumbent helped the student get a position See mellman, Page 2

Anyone can have a great business idea, and now students don’t have to be enrolled in the business school to get help making their ideas a success. This semester, the business school’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship expanded its Innovation Fridays program to reach students of all majors. The program, which used to be advertised only to business school students, gives student entrepreneurs free consultations with successful business owners to get advice for starting their own small businesses, promoting social causes or creating new technology. The program has expanded to different locations around the

campus, with wider advertising and the capacity to serve many more students in a variety of fields, said Elana Fine, Dingman Center managing director. Every Friday, students can pitch their ideas to an entrepreneur-inresidence and get feedback on how to improve that idea and turn it into something that can be marketed to consumers, said Alla Corey, program manager. “These are successful entrepreneurs who’ve started businesses, built them and sold them,” Corey said. “They’ve all been there, done that.” T h e p ro g ra m i s r u n b y t h e Dingman Center in partnership with the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership and the Center for Social Value Creation. See innovation, Page 3

DIVERSIONS

OPINION

SPACING OUT

STAFF EDITORIAL: Setting priorities

Senior staff writer Robert Gifford attends Washington charity dinner sponsored by The Kevin Spacey Foundation, schmoozes with A COMEDIC rich and famous P. 6 THEATRE PERFORMANCE

New city committee should focus on community building P. 4

THAT REVEALS THE EXPLOITS OF A NEW YORK MATCHMAKER.

SPORTS

PACE LEADS No. 8 TERPS PAST PANTHERS Forward scores two goals in first shutout in almost a year P. 8

MIAMI STRING QUARTET FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 . 8PM TICKETS: $35/$10 STUDENTS

MIAMI STRING QUARTET PRESENTS A PROGRAM THAT SPANS THE RANGE OF POSSIBILITIES IN THE CHAMBER MUSIC REPERTOIRE.

100413_CSPAC_Diamondback_Miami String Quartet.indd 1

301.405.ARTS (2787) | claricesmithcenter.umd.edu

9/18/13 10:54 PM


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