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2008

VOTE

Terps dealing with a banged up group of defensive backs

CALLING FOR BACKUP

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DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE GENERAL ELECTION

SPORTS | PAGE 10

The Televisionary argues that American shows need to adopt a British mentality

Most students are eligible to vote. Register online at www.diamondbackonline.com/election

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 7

MEANS TO AN END

THE DIAMONDBACK WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

99TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 22

Admission to top law schools on the rise Pre-law adviser has helped acceptance rate grow 12 percent in three years

CLOSED BUSINESS F O R

BY JEANETTE DER BEDROSIAN Staff writer

High rents continue to shutter downtown shops, restaurants with no solution in sight

BY BRADY HOLT Senior staff writer

When Greg Shaffer was asked how many pre-law advisers the university has, he sat behind his desk with a blank expression on his face.

“It’s just me,” he said.

In his State of the Campus Address, university President Dan Mote announced the university’s admission rate to law schools reached 75 percent for the 20062007 school year, up from 63 percent three years ago. The reason why?

Shaffer, according to university administrators and pre-law students, is a huge help.

Shaffer has been an adviser with the university since fall 2003. The surge in law-school admission rates

Downtown College Park is home to a multitude of bars and sandwich shops, which stand among eight empty storefronts that city officials say are victims of high rent that has plagued the city for years.

But while students and city officials alike have criticized the lack of variety among the surviving downtown businesses, College Park economic development coordinator Chris Warren said the consistently high rent keeps retail space empty and can kill off businesses that do try to come in.

“Generally in College Park over the last 20 years, you see a lot of turnover from year to year,” Warren said.

can be traced back to Shaffer and his ability to prepare students for the law school process as early as freshman year, Dean of Undergraduate Studies Donna Hamilton said.

“We have wonderful students with very good career goals. And a lot of the students who are interested in law find their way to Greg Shaffer, and he knows how to advise them to get in (to law school),” Hamilton said. “A lot of that jump has to be attributed to Greg.”

Since Shaffer’s hire in 2003, he said he has made the pre-law advising office more visible to all students, not just government and politics and criminology majors, and has established a strong connection

Please See LAW, Page 3

RA applications move online for the first time Officials: Room selection process may soon follow suit; changes will cut down on paper use

BY DERBY COX Staff writer

Please See CLOSINGS, Page 3

Students will have the opportunity to submit resident assistant applications online for the first time ever tomorrow, according to Resident Life Assistant Director for Human Resources Laura Tan. Previously, students could print application forms from the Resident Life Department website but had to fill them in by hand and deliver them to the Resident Life office.

The change will decrease paper use and data entry time, Tan said. In past years, Resident Life employees had to manually enter information from applications into databases,

Bikini Splash is among eight closed businesses in downtown College Park. City officials said the nation’s financial crisis hasn’t negatively impacted the local economy as much as high rents. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

she said. Tan was unsure how much money and time Resident Life might save or if the applicant pool will grow.

Resident assistants were split on the issue.

“I think they’ll get a lot more applicants that way,” senior biology major Josh Pearl said. “I think people will find it easier to just go online. ... You can do it around your schedule.”

And the greater number of applicants could affect the kind of people who apply, Pearl said.

“If you increase the pool size you will probably get a wider range of

Please See ONLINE, Page 3

RHA to tackle focus dates, drinking

AFTER THE RAIN

At first meeting of the year, leaders say old issues still linger

BY DERBY COX Staff writer

Midfielder Drew Yates dribbles toward the Binghamton goal. The Terps defeated the Bearcats 1-0 Tuesday night after a thunderstorm delayed the start of the game. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

Sunny/60s

INDEX

The RHA faces decisions on underage drinking, focus dates and the ever-present housing situation as it begins its session this year.

The group will be charged with forming a resolution on the Amethyst Initiative, a document that suggests reevaluating alcohol policies. It will also push for the elimination of focus dates and continue to oversee the housing situation, Residence Hall Association President Alex Beuchler said. The key to getting these goals accomplished, she said? Communication.

“That’s how we get those goals accomplished, is by you guys being the bridge between the hall and area councils and here,” Beuchler told about 40 senators at their first meeting last night.

University President Dan Mote is already scheduled to give a presentation to the RHA on the Amethyst Initiative at the next senate meeting Oct. 14, and a resolution could follow, Beuchler said.

“We definitely won’t speak to, yes, we should lower the drinking age, or, no, it should stay the same,” Beuchler said.

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

Students packed the Jiminez room in the Stamp Stamp Union for the first RHA meeting of the semester Tuesday night. JAMES B. HALE/THE DIAMONDBACK

Beuchler said she hoped any decision the RHA made would create a lasting effect on the campus, for example conducting dialogues with students.

The RHA also hopes to move for-

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

DIVERSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . .7 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

ward on an issue it has faced for several years: the elimination of focus dates. Beuchler said RHA hopes to end focus dates by the end

Please See RHA, Page 3

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THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

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TUESDAY | OVERHEARD

PHILOSOPHY COLLOQUIUM Keith De Rose of Yale University speaks on the topic of “Knowledge and Some Evaluations of Actions,” Skinner: 1115, 4-5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY | Q + A

BALTIMORE – Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld says a new city law requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen weapons will help police track down the “bad guy with guns.”

The law, which takes effect Nov. 11, requires gun owners to alert police within two days of noticing a weapon is missing.

Failure to do so will be a misdemeanor carrying a $500 fine for a first offense and $750 fines and up to 90 days imprisonment for subsequent violations.

The National Rifle Association says the new law is “frivolous” and Baltimore leaders should concentrate more on enforcing current laws, not adding new ones.

But city officials say this will help police build cases against “straw purchasers,” people who resell legally purchased guns on the black market.

Two students stabbed in Hagerstown bus stop fight HAGERSTOWN – Hagerstown police say two high school students were stabbed in a fight at a bus stop.

The fight broke out at about 4 p.m. Monday in the parking lot near Little Elliott Drive near the Cortland Manor apartments.

Police say the two North Hagerstown High School students’ wounds were not lifethreatening.

Sgt. Johnny Murray says one man was arrested, but he was released Monday evening after investigators determined the injured students were the primary aggressors in the fight.

Black bear cub spotted in Frederick area FREDERICK – Frederick County Animal Control said a black bear cub has been spotted near Frederick.

It was spotted in the Shookstown Road area.

Animal control director Harold Domer said the bear climbed a tree Saturday but was not scared off by officials making noise and did not appear to be scared by humans.

He says there was also an unconfirmed sighting of the cub about half a mile away on Jollie Drive at about 12:30 p.m.

Monday.

Officials ask people to avoid filling birdfeeders and to store pet food and trash out of reach of bears, which will begin hibernation from mid-November to mid-December.

Bailout revival sought, with better deposit safety WASHINGTON — In a surprise move to resurrect President Bush’s $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan, Senate leaders slated a vote on the measure for Wednesday — but added a tax cut plan already rejected by the House.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky unveiled the plan Tuesday. The Senate plan would also raise federal deposit insurance limits to $250,000 from $100,000, as called for by the two presidential nominees only hours earlier.

The move to add a tax legislation — including a set of popular business tax breaks — risked a backlash from House Democrats insisting they be paid for with tax increases elsewhere.

But by also adding legislation to prevent more than 20 million middle-class taxpayers from feeling the bite of the alternative minimum tax, the step could build momentum for the Wall Street bailout from House Republicans.

–Compiled from wire reports

FRIDAY | SCENE + HEARD

A day in someone else’s shoes

Prince George’s superintendent steps down

New law requires reporting stolen, lost guns

THURSDAY | BEST of the BLOGS

Q+A

BRIEFS

UPPER MARLBORO – Prince George’s County Public Schools Superintendent John Deasy has resigned to take a job with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Deasy is leaving Maryland’s second-largest school system to become a deputy director for the world’s largest charitable foundation. He will focus on ensuring students graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed in college.

The school system announced Tuesday that deputy superintendent William Hite will serve as interim superintendent once Deasy leaves in February.

Deasy was hired to lead the Prince George’s school system in March 2006, less than a year after superintendent Andre Hornsby resigned while under federal investigation. Hornsby was later convicted of wire fraud, evidence tampering and obstruction of justice.

DIVERSITY RESEARCH FORUM Presenting research gathered on Latino students at the University, Stamp: Thurgood Marshall Room, 12-1:30 p.m.

Disabilities Awareness Month encourages the campus to consider accessibility successes and goals

BY NELLY DESMARATTES For The Diamondback

The President’s Commission on Disability Issues plans a series of events throughout October to celebrate Disabilities Awareness Month. To bring more attention to disability issues, The Diamondback sat down with professor Mary Kivlighan, assistant dean of the school of public health, who will be giving a presentation on the Americans with Disabilities Act as part of the Disabilities Awareness Month series.

The Diamondback: You are making a presentation as part of the President’s Commission on Disability Issues. Can you give an overview of the presentation?

Mary Kivlighan: I teach a course in addressing legal and ethical issues in public health. ...

What this will primarily cover is an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act, its intent and the spirit of the legislation.

It is pretty much about how it impacts us as an institute of higher education.

DBK: How do you believe that the Americans with Disabilities Act has impacted the university?

Kivlighan: For public institutions — whether it is public education, or another state agency or local government, school systems — those receiving federal funds by 1992 had to have in place accessibility to all services and opportunities to all people regardless of a disability. So an example of that would be all of the curbing on the sidewalks you see around the university. In the event someone is in a wheelchair, or maybe they’re using a cane, it is easier to go down on a ramp than using steps.

I have only been at the university in the last seven years,

so I cannot really speak of the longevity of how long this has been in place. ... I would suspect that, in various programs, courses and the scheduling of classes, I would assume that the officials take into account people with disabilities. You do not simply have to make things physically accessible by ramps and automatic door openers, but also you can change the locations or you can offer the service at multiple sites.

DBK: Can you tell me what some of the tensions between the constitutional rights of individuals and organizational cultures are in relation to those with disabilities?

Kivlighan: That is the core of what I would like to talk about.

Our Constitution serves two purposes when it comes to helping to create the conditions for a healthy public. It mandates to the states police powers and those police powers are simply regulatory powers. ... Agencies like the Health Department, the State Health Department, the Sanitation Department allow [the] government to look at the common good and to put programs in place that support the common good. However, our Constitution also has amendments to it that are our Bill of Rights. In those amendments,

individuals are protected against government interference in terms of privacy, freedom of choice, freedom of religion, procedural due process — which means we have to know if the government takes something from us, what do we get in return. People with disabilities have rights given to them by these regulations.

DBK: What are some of the challenges facing disabled students, staff and faculty in pursuing higher education, especially here at the university?

Kivlighan: If you are talking about physical disabilities, I think a challenge on a large campus is mobility and scheduling their classes so that they can take advantage of all the incredible resources we have as well as the programs and still be able to get from one location to another. I think that it is a challenge that Maryland tries to meet. Another challenge for students with disabilities is those students who have a disability that is not readily recognizable. So if they are not in a wheelchair and they are not hearing impaired or appear to be full-hearing or they are not visually impaired, people assume that there is no disability. newsdesk.dbk@gmail.com

October 2nd 8 pm-Close 6th Annual Welcome Back

Luau $2 Rail, $2 Jello Shots, $3 Corona, $3 Bud Lite Lime, $1.50 Bud & Bud Lite Cans Plenty of Giveaways, Sand, Songs & Fun!!

Mary Kivlighan, assistant dean of the school of public health, will be presenting on the Americans with Disabilities Act. JAMES B. HALE/THE DIAMONDBACK

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

City planner calls Shaffer swears by the university ‘pipeline’ for law-school acceptance for sit-down LAW, from Page 1 between the university and top law schools. Shaffer meets with more than 700 law-school hopefuls each year, hosts workshops for current students and alumni and advises the College Park Law Society, he said.

“He’s a fantastic resource,” said president of the College Park Law Society Erica Guy, who is also a law-school applicant.

“He knows the process in and out. It’s a credit to him that so many people are going to law school.”

Shaffer said he has established the kind of relationship with law schools where he can call up admissions counselors and advocate on behalf of particular students. This relationship, repeatedly referred to as the Maryland “pipeline,” accounts for this university sending double the amount of students to top-25 law schools since 2003. This “pipeline” has led to seven times as many university students being accepted to top-10 schools, Shaffer said. Harvard University even requested that the university host an annual workshop on the campus for interested students.

“You do see the Maryland student being slightly better than before, but I’d like to

think a big part of it is that we’re out there in the College Park community and more people are aware we exist,” Shaffer said.

Ever since working parttime for the letters sciences office as an undergraduate student, Shaffer said he joked that he would come back to the university to take his dream job of advising students interested in law school. For students, however, the fact remains that Shaffer is the main resource they have to fuel their law school hopes.

“I think increasing the budget for pre-law advising [is important],” Guy said.

“We’re sending more and more students every year, and the fact that we’re such a huge university and have one pre-law adviser? I know from working with him that he tries to make time for each student that wants to meet with him, but he’s got to have more faculty and more resources to help him out.”

University alumnus Jeff Brown, currently in his first year of law school at the University of Pittsburgh, said he had to go outside of the university to prepare for law-school applications.

“I never went to pre-law advising,” he wrote in an email. “Many of my friends that did said that it was not very helpful, so I just

LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS In the years between 2004 and 2007, the number of university students admitted into top law schools around the country increased. Below are the numbers on student admissions from 2004 and 2007.

TOP-10 ACCEPTANCES: 2004: 13; 2007: 96 TOP-10 MATRICULATIONS: 2004: 7; 2007: 23 TOP-25 ACCEPTANCES: 2004: 114; 2007: 277 TOP-25 MATRICULATIONS: 2004: 45; 2007: 79

NOTABLE SCHOOL ACCEPTANCES: Harvard: 2004: 0; 2007: 9 NYU: 2004: 3; 2007: 9 Columbia: 2004: 1; 2007: 10 Pennsylvania: 2004: 3; 2007: 10 Duke 2004: 2; 2007: 15 Virginia: 2004: 0; 2007: 34 Georgetown: 2004: 14; 2007: 34 Vanderbilt: 2004: 2; 2007: 13 GWU: 2004: 26; 2007: 44

— Source: Greg Shaffer, pre-law advisor

decided to get most of my information from books about law school.”

Brown, who said Kaplan’s LSAT preparatory course was an important preparation tool for him, said the university should have a pre-law major or have more courses focused on pre-law students.

More emphasis on prelaw could be on the way, Shaffer said.

“I think the university has started to realize the value of pre-law advising,”

Shaffer said.

Shaffer pointed to the fact that his part-time position was made full-time in early 2007 as proof.

“Before [I came], it was a lot of part-time folks who didn’t have a whole lot invested in the university,” he said. “We have some stability in the office, I know most of my students from their freshman year. … They’re not just seeing a faceless adviser.” jeanettedbk@gmail.com

RHA hopes online resident assistant applications will improve turnaround time ONLINE, from Page 1 people, which could be a good thing or a bad thing,” Pearl said. “[But] I feel that the interviews will still find the best people.”

And the online application could help with the quick turnaround time of the application, Pearl said, which gives students only 17 days to attend an information session, complete an application and sign up for interviews.

Junior English and secondary education major Dave Hatton predicted the change would have a smaller effect.

and group interview.

The move is part of a greater shift to online for the university.

Students can already do a number of things online, such as sign up for classes, apply for other jobs within the Resident Life Department and pay their bills.

“Students are more accustomed now to doing things online than they are on paper,” Tan said.

The university’s Office of Human Resources allows people to apply for some jobs here through online applications, and soon the room-selection process

“I think if [it changes the number of applicants], it might be very little,” he said. “I think it would make it a little easier to apply, but not to where you would get a lot more people. I think the same people that were going to apply are still going to apply.”

Applicants will still have to go to the office to set up an interview, Tan said, but within the next three years she said she hoped the program would become fully automated, with students only having to show up in person for an information session, and a one-on-one

may move online as well, Director of Resident Life Deb Grandner said.

Resident Life and the Residence Hall Association will work together to develop a system to administer room selection over the Internet instead of the free-for-all in the Stamp Student Union ballroom, Grandner said.

“I think if it’s done the right way, then it will be extremely beneficial to students,” Residence Hall Association President Alex Beuchler said. coxdbk@gmail.com

RHA plans include amending organization’s constitution for first time since 2003 RHA, from Page 1 of the year.

“I think that it’s feasible,” Beuchler said. “Do I know that it will definitely happen? No.” Any firm plans for housing are further off as the organization still needs to examine the data available before pushing for new housing, Beuchler said.

“The approval of Oakland Hall in the Denton Community, that’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Beuchler said.

“We’ll always advocate for

passed last year worked to the benefit of the most students,” Beuchler said.

The RHA will also work with Resident Life to move the housing selection process online, Beuchler said.

Other long-term goals include updating the RHA constitution, RHA Vice President Josef Mensah said. The constitution was passed in 2003, and since then, the organization has outgrown it, he said.

“If the juniors and seniors all left, we would have students who were only one year or two years into the

new housing where needed. It would be ideal for any student who wants to live on campus to be able to. But we really need to see the numbers and projections before we can make a plan.”

Nor will the RHA immediately reevaluate a resolution from last year on the leasing procedures for the South Campus Commons and University Courtyards apartments that recommended banning residents from pulling in rising seniors, Beuchler said.

“The resolution that we

RHA,” Mensah said, noting that Beuchler is the only member to be in her fourth year with the organization.

The first update to the constitution, the only resolution discussed at last night’s meeting, passed unanimously.

“Getting this constitution together is a good way to tell, you know for posterity’s sake, here’s how it’s run now,” Mensah said. “It’s something we can pass down to future RHA members after we’re all done.” coxdbk@gmail.com

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restaurant in city MISSING FROM COLLEGE PARK

CLOSINGS, from Page 1 He said that, while the recent economic downturn isn’t helping things, it’s not a primary factor in the problem because college students are always spending money. Warren added that 10 years ago there were many more vacancies downtown and that College Park is now doing better than many nearby towns.

But he said the inherent problem is the “same old, same old:” downtown landlords charging excessive rent, with strip malls like Terrapin Station charging more than $40 per square foot, greater than what Warren considers the market rate.

At those rates, it may be difficult for the sort of businesses many feel are missing from the area to come in and survive, such as a clothing store, a movie theater, book and record stores or an independent coffee shop.

Many city councilmembers have said they want independent businesses, but Warren said these are more prone to struggle than chains with experienced managers and a proven business model.

“The city needs a sit-down, tablecloth restaurant, but just be careful if you don’t have a whole lot of experience running a business,” he said.

There is relatively little the city can do about the high rents.

While it has residential rentcontrol laws, District 2 Councilman Bob Catlin said the city would be unprecedented in trying to adopt the same standard for retail space, and would likely face a court battle if it tried.

Warren said the city also tried to boost foot traffic downtown by improving the Route 1 streetscape, but the main problem is the rent.

“The city can only do so much. Basically what it comes down to are property owners,” Warren said. “Property owners in this town have a monopoly; they’re able to survive economically and have places empty.”

Property owners contacted for this story did not return calls for comment.

Asked what they felt would best fill the eight downtown storefronts, many students instantly suggested a grocery store, saying the Commons Shop and 7-Eleven are too expensive and lack the selection of a traditional grocery store, and Shoppers Food Warehouse is too far away.

“I’m trying to think of everything I have to go out of my way to get,” said freshman letters and sciences major Steve Waldt. “[My friends and I] were talking about this the other day, we were complaining about stuff we didn’t have.”

He and other students came up with many suggestions for businesses that should move in downtown, but it isn’t clear how soon students can expect to see changes, if they do at all.

City officials have high hopes for new retail in College Park, including a supermarket between Route 1 and the College Park Metro Station, but they are looking at long-term changes that current students may never see.

Catlin, a retired economist, suggested that the high rents were a “phase” that downtown would be able to pass through.

“There’s a lot of people who’d come in there, but they’re not going to pay rents that are ridiculous,” Catlin said. “Eventually, someone will probably figure out that if you cut your rent you can make money instead of not making money” by being able to fill more storefronts.

Another big change planned for College Park is the 38-acre university-sponsored East Campus development at the corner of Route 1 and Paint Branch Parkway that is set to include 400,000 square feet of retail space.

Developers and university and city officials hope to see a supermarket and movie theater among that project’s offerings, but it isn’t scheduled to begin construction for at least another two years.

But in the short run, eight storefronts — those that once held Bikini Splash, Potomac Video, Irie Café, Wawa, Fractured Prune, Paperworks, Eats and Curry Express — still stand empty even as the requests for new businesses continue to pour in.

What’s missing from downtown College Park?

A hair salon that specializes in black women’s hair - Amina Daniels, junior communication major A movie theater “like the Majestic in Silver Spring” - Bernard Critton, freshman letters and sciences major A jewelry store, independent coffee shop, shoe store and café - Mary Cook, city councilwoman, District 4 A bookstore and record store “like in a college town” - Mandisa Henry, sophomore psychology major A private medical clinic, clothing store and cheaper barbershop - Steve Waldt, freshman letters and sciences major A non-chain restaurant - John Masaschi, junior business major A grocery store - Almost everyone who was asked College Park’s eight empty storefronts has stayed vacant during the school year. PHOTOS BY JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

Potomac Video

Wawa

Paperworks

Irie Café

Fractured Prune

Eats

Curry Express

holtdbk@gmail.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

Opinion

THE DIAMONDBACK

STEVEN OVERLY

YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK PHONE: (301) 314-8200 | FAX: (301) 314-8358

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Staff Editorial

Guest Column

Increase View access

A

nd you thought getting to your classes was bad. As reported in instead, doesn’t make any sense. These buses run less frequently and Tirza Austin’s Sept. 30 article, “Univ. View shuttle now requires aren’t good substitutes for transportation to Stamp.

For instance, a student might be stuck on the curb nearly 80 minutes IDs,” junior elementary education major Brittany Debelius must trek roughly a mile and a half to get to her classes, thanks waiting for the Route 1 Corridor Shuttle-UM bus headed toward the to the fact that the University View bus now only services its residents. campus. If your schedule doesn’t line up with the bus’s, you can wave Debelius and other off-campus students who used to rely on Shuttle-UM that extra hour of sleep goodbye.

Or, if a student opts for the more frequent Campus Connector South to get to classes are now out of luck. bus, which runs once every half hour, that student will The logic behind the switch in policy is questionable get a scenic view of downtown College Park, as the route at best. According to an interview with Director of the meanders through the city for roughly 25 minutes Department of Transportation Services David Allen, before reaching Stamp. This route is a poor replacement DOTS pays roughly a third of the cost of the University Instead of blind-siding for the University View Shuttle-UM bus, which runs once View Shuttle-UM route. With the switch in service, only off-campus students, every 10 or 20 minutes and reaches the student union in residents of the View can ride the shuttle from the 10 minutes. building to the Stamp Student Union between 9 a.m.

DOTS should increase anItefficient is unacceptable that DOTS has chosen to continue and 5 p.m. But why should our student fees be supportbuses spending student fees on the University View shuttle ing an exclusive shuttle service for View students? while leaving off-campus students near the View in the Furthermore, off-campus students are left in the lurch by this decision. They entered the semester believing they’d have dust. DOTS must increase the number of shuttles it runs on this route to easy transportation to the heart of the campus via the View shuttle, and combat the overcrowding, and they need to open the route to all stunow they are left walking. Allen’s solution, in which the off-campus stu- dents. Only then can they feel free to use every student’s cash for the dents take the Campus Connector South or Route 1 Corridor bus route route.

Our View

Editorial Cartoon: Mike O’Brien

Slots: Will the College Democrats please stand up?

O

ver the summer, the university made plans to cut the hours of McKeldin Library without seeking student input. But they didn’t get away with it. Students spoke out. Administrators took notice.

Action was taken.

College campuses have traditionally been a hotbed of liberal activism. In the 1960s, students at universities across the country protested against the Vietnam War. Although it took years, these protests eventually helped change the views of party leadership toward the war.

Fast forward to fall 2008. With Maryland’s status as a solid blue state, the most contentious issue on the ballot in November will be the slots referendum.

With such an issue potentially affecting the financial future of the university and the state as a whole, one would think students and student groups would be mobilizing on both sides of the issue.

Democratic party ideals oppose slots, because they are a regressive tax on poor

JOEL

COHEN people. Since poor people see no alternative, they would turn to slots in hopes of winning the jackpot. Democrats would say since poor people are generally more likely to play slots and realistically have a very low chance of winning, poor people would be funding the state’s budget, all while going into further debt.

One would think this issue would be a rallying cry for all Democrats at this university. But instead, all we have witnessed, as Simon & Garfunkel put it best, is “talking without speaking ... hearing without listening.”

The College Democrats proudly proclaim on the group’s website that its

members “are committed to fighting student apathy on campus.” According to a Sept. 25 article in The Diamondback, College Democrats President John Allenbach is strongly opposed to slots coming to the state of Maryland. But he refuses to pursue the issue, because the highest-ranking Democratic official in the state, Gov. Martin O’Malley, is strongly pushing slots as the solution to Maryland’s looming budget shortfall. If the Republican Party introduced slots as the solution to our crisis, these would be the very same people fighting against it.

As the College Democrats president and the figurehead of the Democratic student activist movement at this university, Allenbach has the responsibility of upholding the Democratic Party’s ideals, especially when entrenched politicians compromise their core values. But instead, the group is encouraging the very apathy it is committed to fighting.

The political atmosphere continues to be poisoned by partisanship; as demon-

strated by this case, party stances still routinely trump personal beliefs.

Presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is campaigning on a message of change. But is change really defined by blind partisanship? Would he really want Democrats following the leader for the sake of getting a pat on the back from state Democratic leadership?

War protesters in the ’60s and the students fighting the McKeldin Library changes during the summer demonstrated the effect students and student groups can have when they speak their minds.

When students speak out, administrators take notice. Action is taken. When activists oppose party leadership, officials take notice. Action is taken.

Instead, all we have heard from the College Democrats are the sounds of silence.

Joel Cohen is a junior government and politics major. He can be reached at jcohendbk@gmail.com.

Housing: Why Rockville should reign

T

his university has a policy of naming its dorms after localities in the state. As a result, I was quite struck to find out a few weeks ago that the new dorm being built on North Campus will be called Oakland Hall. The only Oakland I know of is in California, home of the Raiders and Tupac Shakur, and, needless to say, I was a bit confused. After consulting a map, I discovered there actually is an Oakland in this state, but it’s still a disappointment.

According to the city’s website, www.oaklandmd.com, Oakland is the seat of Garrett County, located in Maryland’s western panhandle, and has a population of nearly 2,000. The city is closer to Pittsburgh, Penn., than to Washington or Baltimore, and it’s only notable resident was a Civil War general who lived there for a decade before moving to Oak-

land, Calif., where he was buried.

Couldn’t we have picked better?

All dorms on North Campus are named for county seats. There are 23 counties and 23 county seats in the state.

So far, there are 13 groups of buildings named for county seats: the 11 dorms on North Campus, the Leonardtown apartments and Annapolis Hall on South Campus. That leaves 10 county seats that don’t have dorms named for them.

However, there’s no denying that one county seat in particular most deserves having its name on a dorm. Now, I assume you’re reading this newspaper in a lecture hall, so I’d like you to look to your left and to your right. One of the three of you is from Montgomery County. It goes without saying that MoCo (as we locals call it) contributes a healthy number of students to the university, not to mention,

DAN

REED

of course, that we’re the eighth-wealthiest county in the nation. Why, then, doesn’t Rockville have a dorm named after it?

The 2007 Census update showed Rockville has 58,706 residents and is the third-largest city in the state by population. It’s home to a branch of Celera Genomics where the human genome was decoded. On top of that, Rockville has three Metro stops, the gravesite of F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby and even a mention in R.E.M.’s

1984 single “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville.” It’s got a newly revitalized downtown with overpriced parking and overpriced stores. I’m not gonna lie, guys: Rockville rocks.

Does Oakland rock? No. I don’t think R.E.M. has ever even been to Oakland, except maybe when they tried to see a Raiders game and got horribly lost.

Let’s give the Board of Regents three cheers for approving the first new traditional-style dorm since Hagerstown Hall was built in 1967, but the name they chose has got to go. We’ve got three years until Oakland opens its doors, and students born and bred in MoCo should rise up and ask: Where’s my Rockville Hall?

Dan Reed is a senior architecture and English major. He can be reached at reeddbk@gmail.com.

POLICY: The signed letters, columns and cartoon represent only 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.

How to define the patriotism of history OWEN ANDREWS The term “the patriotism of history” has two distinct meanings. The first speaks to a process, an oppressive mesh of fear, power politics and human baseness, which has waxed and waned throughout the history of the United States. Whether one points to the stifling Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 of President John Adams or the Red Scare investigations of Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, there has always been a readiness by those who have obtained power and are seeking more to equate dissent and criticism with treason and “unpatriotism.”

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the current administration has rehashed these old tactics to advance its agenda. Many have presented the reconfiguration of dissent as dishonor as an original stratagem of the current White House; this administration, however, does not deserve all the credit. The redefinition of what is patriotic is a process negotiated by camps outside of Washington, as well: the media, intellectuals, teachers, students, you. This happens in wartime and periods of extended stress.

We find ourselves in that scenario now as we prepare for the Nov. 4 election.

In times like these, jingoism becomes a badge of honor. Loving one’s country is then defined by how quickly and thoughtlessly one falls in line. The military is used as a shield to deflect the heated debate and compromise that comprise the bedrock of a democracy. The very definition of patriotism, and the profile of the American patriot, is reworked beyond recognition.

Now more than ever, it is important to take a step back and look to history as a guide to patriotism. This is the second meaning of “the patriotism of history:” In times of crisis, when the powers that be attempt to stifle democratic dissent, it is helpful to be reminded of cases where this has been tried and overcome to apply these lessons to the present. Thus, the study of history itself becomes a patriotic and necessary endeavor.

Through a thorough understanding of the past, all citizens can further engage our democracy and better our country.

Knowledge of the bad along with the good, is a healthier measure of one’s patriotism than mindless allegiance. We can serve our country in many ways — as soldiers and also as teachers and students of what makes us great and where we have fallen short. By chronicling and analyzing America’s past and making pointed connections to the present, the citizen-historian defends America, if only in a different way than the citizen-soldier.

A patriot is not the one chanting “U-SA” at the top of his or her lungs. A patriot is not the one who hates Osama bin Laden, or all foreigners, the most. A patriot is not the one who says, “Well, he’s our president, so we should support him, right or wrong.” The patriot knows the sacrifices made so we could all shout whatever we want, no matter how unpopular it is. The patriot understands how much America owes the world and how much the world owes America, holding these duties in perspective. The patriot says, “Well, he or she is the president, but I think he or she is wrong on this, and here’s why.”

Now, more than ever, it is most important to understand the patriotism of history and the history of patriotism. So go to a presidential library, a national monument or a historic site. Read a book, open the newspaper or converse respectfully but firmly with those you disagree with. Vote.

We can all be citizen-patriots so long as we never stop asking questions and we never stop questioning what patriotism means and who a patriot truly is.

Owen Andrews is a senior government and politics major. He can be reached at oandrews@umd.edu.

AIR YOUR VIEWS Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion.dbk@gmail.com. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and day- and nighttime phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words. Please limit guest columns to 600 words.

Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright in the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD 32 35 38 41 43

Chief’s adviser Poet’s contraction A Barrymore Pitches in Skater’s jump

44 Beats the incumbent 46 Rug rat 48 Improves upon 51 Night attire 52 Dueler’s weapon

Energy source Gift-tag word Punjab princess Dolly and her clones 57 Melt, as an icicle

© 2008 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

Previous Day’s Puzzle Solved:

TODAY’S CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY:

DE B A T E A S I MOV S ECURE S T R S PRE E T I ED T RAH B I ANA A B WO B B L E E S T V E S T A E N T OMO ROOK H S L OE M E S PN S

UM NA SR E T C L OO I P D D E O S T D I ARN L OG EW RS T E

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orn today, you are a natural leader, though you are not so eager to be at the vanguard in every situation that you alienate those on your team who are also able and, more importantly, willing to assume the front position. You know how to give those around you not only responsibility but also the credit for a job well-done — even though you may be the one in the background who is making it all happen. It is essential for your contentment — and good work — that you never try to be anything to anyone but yourself; any attempt at fabrication or disguise on your part can only lead to disappointment or disaster.

B

You are the kind of person other people can lean on in times of stress or trouble, but there are times in which you must be allowed to show some vulnerability yourself. Indeed, you are not always willing to let yourself betray what you too often think of as a weakness.

Also born on this date are: Julie Andrews, actress and singer; Stella Stevens, actress; Mark McGwire, baseball player; Randy Quaid, actor; Richard Harris, actor; Jimmy Carter, U.S. president; Walter Matthau, actor.

likely to be spread to some outlying social circles — and you may be surprised by the eventual response.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — An attraction is likely to develop between you and someone who wants, in the end, more than you’re able to give.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Be sensitive and receptive to another’s problems. You’re likely to discover a thing or two about your own current circumstances.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Don’t build any castles in the air. Maintain control, follow a straight path, and focus on real concerns.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — The challenge of keeping things moving at a rapid pace is sure to keep you going, despite recent frustrations.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — You don’t want to waste any of the resources available to you at this time. Conservation is key. Make no mistake: Your energy is not limitless.

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Your thoughts and ideas are

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — Plug into the aspirations of one close to you, and you will surely discover that more doors are open to you than you had figured.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Don’t begin finding fault with someone who has been by your side for quite a while. Be understanding and sympathetic.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Take the time to learn more about your current circumstances if you want to make the most of them. Someone may try to hold you back.

Copyright 2008 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — You’ll have to be more convincing than usual if you want someone in authority to grant you the special permission you’re currently seeking.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — It won’t hurt you to give another a little more support. In the end, you may find that you can benefit greatly as well, though indirectly.

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE SPONSORED BY:

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.

S T A S H

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Certain limitations are good for you, and will keep you from endangering yourself and others.

Know when to follow the rules.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

Diversions

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

MOVIES AT THE HOFF: Today: Mongol, 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. | All Quiet on the Western Front, 7 p.m.

Tomorrow: Mongol, 11:30 a.m., 5 p.m. | Body of Lies, 6:30 p.m.

Friday: Speed Racer, 5 p.m.

Speed Racer’s car.

COLUMN | THE TELIVISIONARY

Pulling the plug

Announcing the end could be just the boost several returning television shows need

THOMAS

FLOYD

ER is still on the air?

Apparently, the medical drama’s 15th and final season kicked off Thursday night. And, with a decade gone since the glory years of George Clooney and friends, the former Emmy winner for outstanding drama series debuted with its lowest premiere rating ever.

It is sad that a one-time staple of the primetime lineup is in such a dismal state, but even more discouraging is how some producers aren’t learning from its mistakes. Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has said he would love for his fading comedy — which made the jump to ABC after NBC unceremoniously dumped it — to continue on for years by cycling in new characters as ER did.

Although ABC may be responsible for the agonizing continuation of Scrubs, the network does deserve credit for allowing one of its shows to take a step in a better direction.

In May 2007, ABC announced a landmark agreement with the producers of Lost to end the show in three years. Unprecedented for a network program still near the height of its popularity, the move may mark the start of new era in American television.

The days of watching your favorite shows aimlessly trudge toward cancellation with just fleeting memories of seasons past could fade away if the precedent ABC set catches on (for the record, HBO did this with Extras, but that’s HBO, not regular TV). Just take a look at how the agreement has already helped the drama since ABC made it public during the show’s third season.

The first half of that campaign consisted of tedious storylines, unnecessary flashbacks and superfluous character introductions. Having an end date to march toward reinvigorated the show, and after negotiations ended halfway through the season, Lost gained noticeable steam.

The final episodes of season three and the entire arc of season four marked a voyage into uncharted waters for Lost. The bold introduction of flashforwards showed the audience exactly where the story was heading, a move that, in all probability, would have been put off if the producers were trying to keep the show afloat indefinitely.

The strategy loosely resembles an extended take on the British television model, where writers generally map out just a season or two and a special series finale before pulling the plug (think the BBC version of The Office).

vital video FEY AS PALIN: PART 2 Either Tina Fey was made to impersonate vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), or Palin was made for Fey to impersonate.

Either way, it’s the best thing to happen to Saturday Night Live since “Dick in a Box.” This time, SNL mocked Katie Couric’s (played scathingly by Amy Poehler) interview with Palin on the CBS Evening News last week, painting Palin as a dim-witted, babbling beauty queen by using her own words as answers to fake questions. Again, Fey was spot on as Palin, and we can only hope this will continue as the campaigns come to a head this month.

JEREMY PIVEN: ON BROADWAY? In this Funny or Die clip, the Entourage star celebrates his recent Emmy Award win by telling a series of fellow actors (Jamie Foxx and Seth Meyers included) how his next project will take him back to his roots: the stage. The reactions are priceless, with everyone ripping his decision.

Piven’s stint in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow is set to begin Oct. 3, according to the video.

JACK WHITE AND ALICIA KEYS’ “ANOTHER WAY TO DIE” Last week, we got the song. Now we get the video: Jack White and Alicia Keys’ collaboration, which serves as the theme for November’s Quantum of Solace. It’s mostly White’s baby, but Keys does sing and, at least in the video, play piano. The gritty Southern rock-soaked song sounds as one would expect: a White Stripes song playing on the 007 theme. The video’s more of the same, dressing White and Keys up and putting them in some Bondlike situations.

Reasoning the decision to kill their cash cow in 2010, Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse repeatedly cited two similar cult favorites from the 1990s: The XFiles and Twin Peaks. Though The X-Files was a classic example of a profitable show overstaying its welcome to the point of absurdity, Twin Peaks met a much sadder demise.

Forged in the disturbing — though wonderful — mind of David Lynch, Twin Peaks revolved around the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer in a rustic suburb outside Seattle.

Beneath the charming small-town persona laid a seedy underbelly of drugs, prostitution and supernatural forces, not entirely unlike Lost, where the tropical island paradise secretly plays host to scientific experiments, hostile inhabitants and, well, supernatural forces.

But where Twin Peaks failed, Lost has already succeeded. Although the town’s colorful characters had some fascinating side-stories to tell, the superstructure of Twin Peaks was the mystery of who murdered Palmer. Having no clue when his show would end, Lynch figured that people would tune out after he revealed the murderer and decided to never solve the mystery.

ABC, however, balked at this notion. So rather than hammering out a mutual understanding on when to expose Palmer’s killer and end the show properly, the network pressured Lynch to abruptly answer that question halfway through the second season. Without the binding mystery at the drama’s core, Twin Peaks collapsed during the year’s remaining episodes and ABC promptly canceled it, never living up to the vast potential of its tremendously popular first season.

In Britain, most shows (like The Office, top) have a definitive start and end, with a season or two and then a special. ABC is trying a similar idea with Lost (right), which now has a 2010 end date. The network previously ran into problems with Twin Peaks (left) in the late 1990s, which crumbled after its main story arc ended early. TOP: COURTESY OF THE BBC, RIGHT: COURTESY OF ABC, LEFT: COURTESY OF CONTEMPORARY-NOMAD.COM

But you don’t have to look far back to find shows that would benefit from announcing the series end date a year or two in advance — several returning fall programs are coming off their worst seasons yet and could use such a jolt.

The Office finally put Jim and Pam together after three seasons, and without their sexual tension, the fourth dwelled on less engaging storylines. Heroes, meanwhile, suffered through a muddled sophomore slump, inexplicably relegating its best characters (Hiro and Sylar) to the sidelines for long stretches.

Even Katherine Heigl publicly said Grey’s Anatomy stalled creatively while executive pro-

ducer Shonda Rhimes shuffled her intuitive deck on the fly. And Weeds, which actually just wrapped up its fourth campaign, toiled through a slew of abandoned subplots during its directionless past two seasons.

If these programs’ writers knew when and where their shows will end, then the episodes could slowly build toward a natural conclusion rather than tread water until the ratings hit a steady decline.

Narrative balance on television — how about that for an idea? tfloyd1@umd.edu

PREVIEW | ALL ROADS FILM FESTIVAL

Putting things into perspective National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival provides students with some major learning experiences and a glimpse into other cultures

BY LAUREN COHEN For The Diamondback

For the people of foreign countries, film can often serve as a voice for the voiceless.

National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 2 to Oct. 5 at the society’s headquarters in Washington, aims to do just that.

The films and photographs showcase 20 cultures from 15 countries, everywhere from Columbia to New Zealand to Afghanistan.

As We Forgive, a film by Laura Waters Hinson, explores the subject of forgiveness in Rwanda and is one of the 21 films at the festival. The documentary is based on reconciliation between family members of the victims of the Rwandan genocide.

“An understanding of reconciliation and forgiveness can have a profound affect on the way people live their lives,” Hinson said.

She shot the film in the summer of 2006, capturing 55 hours of footage, but took a year and a half to complete the editing process, Hinson said. Hinson has shown her film at universities and encourages students to see it, adding it’s about a “topic that can apply on all levels of society and human relationships.”

Francene Blythe, director of the All Roads Film Project, also said she supports the attendance of students of all ages.

“The stories are really for everybody,” Blythe said. She also added there are animated films for children as well as works intended for an older crowd.

Blythe said one of the highlights of this year’s festival is how it is dominated by women.

Three-quarters of the filmmakers presenting pieces are female, she said.

One part of the festival, “Women Hold Up Half the Sky,” which is Sunday at noon, is devoted to presenting the works of female filmmakers. Along with Hinson’s As We Forgive, there is a film about a hula dancer, a piece centered on a Myanmar painter and a 6-minute short that mixes animation with live-action.

Roshini Thinakaran, a local filmmaker from the Washington area, will present a documentary, What Was Promised, which focuses on the

Laura Waters Hinson’s As We Forgive looks at forgiveness in the wake of the Rwandan genocide. It’s one of the 21 films featured at the All Roads Film Festival. COURTESY OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

women who became part of the new Iraqi security forces after the United States invaded the country in 2003.

Thinakaran has received huge support from National Geographic for the project; she was named an emerging explorer and an All Roads seed grantee, which greatly helped her in making the documentary.

“To have a first time documentary in a film festival, it’s a huge deal,” Thinakaran said.

Thinakaran, who called herself a “news junkie” and mentioned how she has watched Nightline since she was a teenager, said she is unhappy with the “trashy shows” on television right now and wants to “create serious programming.”

“It’s so important to understand that there’s a world outside your own,” she said.

As far as a future career in filmmaking goes, Thinakaran said she is unsure of what

will come next.

“I have to see how this one is received,” she said.

She also added if she does continue with this kind of work, she would like to “bring these stories to people and start a discussion.”

Discussion is also something Hinson hopes to achieve with her film. One of her goals is to “stir a wide international discussion on forgiveness,” she said.

“I hope to tell redemptive stories of human beings for the rest of my life,” Hinson added.

Besides films, the festival features photography exhibits as well as a concert from K’NAAN, a Somali hip-hop artist.

“People do not have to travel too far from home to go on a trip around the world at our festival,” Blythe said. diversionsdbk@gmail.com

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | SPORTS | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

SCHIMMEL

ACC Atlantic not much to worry about this season SCHIMMEL, from Page 10 Wake Forest was probably the next team favored to win the division, and they are still a strong contender. But a perplexing 24-17 loss at home against Navy Saturday makes them seem a lot more vulnerable than they appeared to be a few hours before.

Also, keep in mind the Terps will play the Demon Deacons at home Oct. 18, right after a bye week. That’s a winnable game.

Florida State is slowly climbing back to prominence, but scoring three points in a loss to Wake Forest JEREMY Sept. 20 may be NAVARRE more telling SENIOR DEFENSIVE TACKLE than scoring 69 points against Western Carolina Sept. 6.

The Seminoles will be traveling to Byrd Stadium Nov. 22, and the Terps have won the last two home meetings.

The only other Atlantic Division teams standing between the Terps and a trip to the championship game in Tampa, Fla., are N.C. State and Boston College.

The Terps beat N.C. State 37-0 last year, and the Wolfpack is arguably the worst team in the division this season.

Matt Ryan couldn’t lead the Eagles to a victory against the Terps last season, so there’s no reason to think the Terps can’t beat them again, either.

Of the three inter-division games, only the trip to Virginia Tech Nov. 6 looks like a pretty tough matchup.

Now it wouldn’t be Terp football if the team didn’t step on itself and lose another winnable game between Saturday and the end of the season.

But if the Terps decide they want that spot in the conference title game, it is absolutely theirs for the taking.

“The conference is so even right now,” defensive end Jeremy Navarre said. “Every team is going to give everybody trouble. Whatever team can do it every week is going to end up winning the conference.”

“The conference is so even right now.

Every team is going to give everyone trouble.”

Safety Terrell Skinner, linebacker Moise Fokou and the Terps have had a lot to celebrate in their current three-game win streak. They are now 4-1, with their one loss coming at Middle Tennessee. ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

schimmeldbk@gmail.com

Staff writer

Digs are burying the Terrapin volleyball team in a deep hole.

The Terps (5-10, 1-2 ACC) have struggled with digging, a key defensive skill, and other fundamentals this season, leading to a losing record.

“I know exactly what’s gone wrong,” coach Tim Horsmon said.

“You’ve got to have discipline.

You’ve got to have heart. And those things are the two things that if you want to be a great defensive team or a great defensive player that you’ve got to do. It’s that simple.”

But this simple solution has been out of the Terps’ reach so far.

The team has faltered defensively because of missed opportunities for digs. And the offense has also missed opportunities to close out plays, forcing the defense to be involved in more plays.

Rather than focus on one key adjustment in practice, the team has had to focus on every aspect of their play, from digging and defense to attacks and offense.

In losses to North Carolina and N.C. State this weekend, the team lost opportunities because of missed or mishandled digs, giving the other teams the upper hand.

“Defensive-wise, we just need to make more plays,” outside hitter Michelle Kenning said. “We need to dig more balls. That’s basically the main point.”

Libero Bethany Springer has the most digs with 200. A libero is a team’s defensive leader, so she is expected to get the most digs on the court. But Horsmon wants Springer to step up even more in light of the team’s current situation.

“We’re probably not getting enough energy from that position,” Horsmon said. “We need that position especially to be a vocal leader, not only someone who makes all of the easy plays but a lot of the great plays and changes the momentum of our game.”

Springer was not available for comment.

Beside Springer, the team has three defensive specialists, Christina Paul, Rachel Profit and

Marissa Odom. Paul and Profit played against the Wolfpack on Sunday as Horsmon tried to give the team’s defense a boost, but the Terps still lost, 3-1.

But Profit had 13 digs in the match, and her teammates think she helped make a difference.

“Rachel is doing really well coming off a shoulder injury from last year,” middle blocker Lisa Scott said. “I think she’s really stepping it up and getting it done and working really hard.”

The Terps recognize that the libero and the defensive specialists cannot take the blame for the poor defense. Outside hitter Maggie Schmelzle has the team’s secondhighest dig total, 147.

Defense has had to become a priority for the team, though, because the offense has not been able to finish plays, Horsmon said.

“We’re having issues on the other side of that because we’re having to

Freshmen reach goal DELAY, from Page 10 storm caused the game to be delayed in the 20th minute. Fans were instructed to leave Ludwig Field for shelter and both teams ran to their locker rooms.

“With the delay, we came out a little flat,” Cirovski said. “We weren’t as dangerous on our chances as we could have been. In other words, we took too many shots from too far out when we could have beaten another guy or slipped someone else through.”

Binghamton’s strategy almost paid off 15 minutes into the second half, when a header by midfielder Darren McAllister bounced off the right goal post. The Terps inability to finish chances left the door open for the Bearcats.

In one two-minute stretch with a little more than 35 minutes remaining in the second half, the Terps were awarded three corner kicks, only to have each cross cleared away.

But Kassel’s first career goal left no doubt.

The chance was a result of another play in the Binghamton penalty box.

With no real angle toward the goal, midfielder Jeremy Hall headed the ball down across the box. The ball was deflected once more, out to a waiting Kassel.

Kassel celebrated the goal by pretending to shave his beard, which by last night was full grown.

“It’s a little thing we do here. Now that the freshman guys scored enough goals we can all shave our beards,” Kassel said. “So I was happy.”

Kassel’s goal gave the freshmen class eight this year. All of the freshmen agreed before the season to grow out their facial hair until the eight-goal mark was reached.

While Cirovski said he didn’t care much for their self-motivational tactic, he was more than impressed with Kassel’s goal.

“That shot would have beat any goalkeeper in the world,” Cirovski said.

“And that’s what it was gonna take today.” akrautdbk@gmail.com

JOSEPH

Volleyball trying to dig itself out of slump

BY KATE YANCHULIS

Midfielder Matt Oduaran and the Terps won 1-0 Tuesday. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

dig so many balls,” Horsmon said.

“Our attackers aren’t putting balls away, so we have to continue with so many defensive plays. There’s constant pressure on defense because we’re not terminal offensively.”

The team has also had 90 service reception errors and has 345 attacking errors this season, proving that the team’s problems are not endemic to the defense.

“We’ve had a lot of errors in every single thing that we do,” Horsmon said. “You’re not going to be able to find one single thing that we’re not erring at. We have a lot of defensive errors, serve receive errors, service errors, blocking errors, attacking errors. Right not, we are really, really good at making errors.”

If the Terps cannot get on track, not only on defense but in all aspects of the game, fans might have to dig in for a long season. kyanchulisdbk@gmail.com Ralph Friedgen and the Terps have struggled with consistency this season, which has included two wins against ranked teams. ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

Terps have been all over the map this season JOSEPH, from Page 10

Libero Bethany Springer and the Terps have struggled with team defense all season, a big part of their 5-10 overall record. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

crucial injuries, including one to star running back Da’Rel Scott, certainly weren’t going to help things. Right?

Fifty-one points later, and I’ve got another laughing stock of a prediction (I went with a 28-17 win). And yeah, I picked No. 20 Clemson last weekend, but can you blame a man for picking the team Vegas called an 11-point favorite?

So how can we predict which Terps we’re ever going to see? Will it be the Terps who allowed just 26 rushing yards and no points in the second half against Clemson or the group that couldn’t complete drives and allowed 195 yards on the ground in the first half of the same game?

The only conclusion I’ve come to is we’re not likely to see too much from the team that looked miserable in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

“I think sometimes you’ve got to lose to see what you’re made of,” tight end Dan Gronkowski said. “We lost that game, and we just got the feeling that we didn’t want to lose anymore.

We knew what we could do, and we just really put it together.”

Absolutely. The Clemson and Cal wins were great.

Still, the Terps’ dark side does tend to rear its head often and at unexpected times.

Thursday, I’ll be left choosing between a rolling Terp team and a sliding Virginia (1-3, 0-1) team with little going for it beyond homefield advantage.

Right now, a two-score win for the Terps seems like an appropriate prediction. Maybe that’s exactly why I should find a new guess.

Practical logic is irrelevant with this team. ajosephdbk@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

9

Terps still not feeling respect in ACC ACC, from Page 10 eighth in the ACC in the preseason coaches’ poll.

The ranking is in part a result of the Terps’ poor record in conference play last season, when they went 1-8-1 and failed to qualify for the eight-team conference tournament.

But having brought in a highly-touted recruiting class, coach Brian Pensky believes this is the season to turn things around in the conference.

For an extra boost of motivation this season, the Terps have been using the lack of respect and recognition they received from other teams. “[The motivation] comes from the other teams doubting us and what they think about us,” forward Kaila Sciascia said. “By ranking us eighth in the conference, they think we can’t compete with the top teams. It makes us want to prove them wrong.”

While the Terps have yet to prove the doubters wrong, they’ll have eight more chances this season.

Even though the schedule doesn’t get any easier, opening against Wake Forest, North Carolina and Florida State in an eight-day span is a rough patch for the Terps.

They know that if they continue to play hard, anything can happen. If one team doesn’t bring its top performance, it runs the risk of losing to anyone.

“Every team is beatable and anyone can win any game,” Arias said of the ACC’s parity. “That’s the beauty and the challenging part. You have to be on your game day in and day out.”

As if playing in the ACC wasn’t brutal enough, recruiting is just as competitive. Being able to use the prestige of the ACC to lure recruits from around the country is a benefit the Terps have used in recruiting.

Telling players they can play in the best conference and against the best players is an inviting pitch to high school recruits.

Prying those top players away from the top teams in the conference is a different story. Although difficult, the Terps have begun to hold their own in the recruiting world under Pensky.

“It’s a positive in recruiting in terms of the best players nationally wanting to play in the ACC,” Pensky said. “So, we should be in the hunt for many of the top kids. And it becomes our job to convince those kids to choose Maryland over North Carolina, Virginia and Duke, etc.” dmorrisondbk@gmail.com

Senior safety Jeff Allen is one of the few key members of the Terp secondary who hasn’t dealt with injuries this season.

ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

Moten has surgery, won’t play Saturday NOTEBOOK, from Page 10 nearly ready to return from an ankle injury, the Terps hope they are finally getting healthy as they move along with their ACC schedule.

“I’m looking forward to [being healthy],” secondary coach Kevin Lempa said.

“We’ll be better because of it.

We’ll have a lot of game-ready players.”

Lempa has had to get creative. He used nine players to fill the secondary’s four spots against Cal Sept. 13, when several players missed time with injuries. Unproven players like McCollough, Antwine Perez, Kenny Tate and Michael Carter have been asked to play increased roles. Starting cornerbacks Kevin Barnes, Anthony Wiseman and safety Jeff Allen have played nearly every play.

“We kind of covered things up with some coverages,” coach Ralph Friedgen said. “I think we’re doing a pretty good job of trying to play to our strengths and hide our weaknesses.”

Barnes, who was moved off kickoff coverage to keep him fresher for his increased workload, said he’s proud of the way the unit has stuck together.

He’s had to help the young players, especially Carter, at times, but he knows the team is building valuable depth for later in the season.

“Guys are showing up when

they get their chance to play,” Barnes said.

Against Clemson, the Terps put together their best performance against the pass since the season-opening win against Delaware. They limited senior quarterback Cullen Harper to 151 yards passing with no touchdowns and an interception.

They also had to defend just 63 plays, after facing an average of 81 in the previous two games.

It was a small step for the defense, but with an off week coming after Saturday’s trip to Virginia, the secondary figures to have a chance to be fully healthy soon.

“I just can’t wait,” said McCollough, who had not taken a snap as a defensive back in game action before this season. “When [Carroll, who’s questionable against the Cavaliers,] gets back, we’re going to be a good secondary. We’ll have more depth, and coach will have a lot of options to rotate us.”

Moten sidelined Linebacker Adrian Moten had left wrist surgery Monday and will miss four to five weeks, Friedgen said at Tuesday’s press conference.

Moten hurt the wrist in the second half of the Terps’ win against Eastern Michigan Sept. 20. He played about 25 plays against Clemson Saturday with a hard cast on the

wrist, registering three tackles and two pass breakups. He also caused a second quarter turnover, deflecting a Harper lateral attempt and recovering the ball before it rolled out of bounds.

Friedgen said Moten could’ve put off surgery, but with two of the next five Saturdays off, they decided to do it now.

“The tough part about it is I think his last two games have been his best two games,” Friedgen said. “We’re going to miss him.”

With Moten out, Antwine Perez will back up linebacker Moise Fukou. Perez, known as one of the hardest hitters in the Terp secondary, moves from safety where he started two games this season while Skinner was injured. Friedgen said the role won’t be too different for Perez, who has played primarily in running situations this season. “[Perez] is picking up things very well,” Fokou said. “And we should be able to move forward without missing any heartbeat.”

Also listed on the Terp early week injury report as questionable were running back Da’Rel Scott (shoulder), wide receiver Danny Oquendo (head), defensive tackle Mack Frost (knee) and defensive tackle Travis Ivey (foot).

Barnes Senior Bowling Cornerback Kevin Barnes

Senior cornerback Kevin Barnes made national highlights with his hard hit on Cal’s Jahvid Best. ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

plans to play in this year’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Barnes, a second-year starter with six career interceptions, said he received an invitation from the prestigious all-star game the week after the Terps win against Cal. Barnes gained national attention for his jarring hit on Golden Bear running back Jahvid Best in the game.

He said he was among the first 16 players in the nation to be invited to play in the game, which is regarded as a top showcase for the NFL Draft.

The 2009 Senior Bowl will be held at Ladd-Pebbles Stadium on Jan. 24, 2009 at noon.

“They told me I was the only corner they invited so far,” Barnes said. “It was an honor.” edetweilerdbk@gmail.com

Women’s tennis team full of international flavor

BY JOHN TALTY For The Diamondback

Call them the United Nations of women’s tennis.

With players from Israel, Australia, Sweden, Ukraine and a coach who escaped Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia, the Terrapin women’s tennis team has a clear international flavor.

Coach Martin Novak has recruited from far and wide, but says at a school as diverse as this university, his roster list shouldn’t be a surprise.

“We have a very diverse tennis team. … We are not homogenous, but it shouldn’t be a surprise at this diverse school,” Novak said. “But it lets us learn a lot from each other.”

Not only are there a few international players, but there is also a large contingent of players who aren’t from Maryland. These include players from California, Florida and Georgia. The diverse team manages to coexist without

much culture clash.

“It’s certainly a family atmosphere,” Novak said.

“They end up becoming sisters.”

Most of the team members live in the same dorm, and some are roommates. Even though Eleanor Peters and Jordan Hansbrough have only been living together since the beginning of this semester, Peters says she already knows about the “Dirty Bird,” a reference to Hansbrough’s Georgia upbringing.

In addition to living together, the team also eats together, studies together and works out together.

The constant time with each other has led to bonding and has eliminated any initial awkwardness.

“After spending time with the team you become friends,” Lisa Miller said.

Miller, who hails from the small town of Airlie Beach, Australia, says the proximity to Washington was a major factor in her decision.

“Growing up in a town of

only 2,000, I wanted to be near a city and go to a big school,” she said.

One issue that arose with this team was the language barrier, as English isn’t everyone’s primary language. But Peters said the team has found ways to make the situation better.

“Some of the internationals struggled with their English papers, so we would all try to help them out with that,” Peters said.

The process of becoming close as a team doesn’t seem to be forced or rushed though. A few players stressed the fact that they usually don’t delve too far into each other’s backgrounds, but they always are learning something new about each other.

“You notice new things every day and learn from how people act,” Israeli Michal Amir said.

The players’ international collaboration can in part be credited to the tough academic standards of the university.

Novak said that the academic standards of the university do affect the players he is able to recruit, but he certainly wasn’t lamenting the issue.

“You have to have respect for the university for wanting their athletes to be academically the same as the rest of the students, except to have exceptional athletic ability,” Novak said.

That certainly seems to be the case with this team, as the team has an overall GPA of 3.2 with several players majoring in kinesiology and psychology and some are on the pre-med track.The support of the team certainly seems to speed up the adjustment period, but for some it still takes a little time getting used to life in College Park. For Californian Jordan Harvey, there has been a definite change of pace in Maryland compared with California.

“Things are more laid back in California,” Harvey said.

“Things move a little bit quicker here, but the people

are much nicer here than California.”

For some international students it was also a bit difficult to adjust. Amir and Miller both talked about getting on a plane to Maryland not knowing anyone at the school. But both seemed to agree that the team and other students eventually made it easy to fit in.

“It was a bit of a culture shock because I didn’t know anyone,” Amir said. “But I have made a lot of Israeli friends and part of the reason why I came to Maryland in addition to the academics and tennis was the large Jewish community.”

In the end, this team is able to mesh well because of a very supportive coach and willingness by the team to accept each player’s different background.

“It’s easy, due to the support of the team,” Miller said, in one of the team’s many international accents. sportsdbk@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL TERRAPINS The Terrapin women’s tennis team has four international players who were recruited by Czechoslovakian coach Martin Novak.

Michal Amir

Oksana Krutiyenko

Israel

Ukraine

Karin Lundmark

Lisa Miller

Sweden

Australia

10

THE DIAMONDBACK | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

NSCAA/adidas Women’s Soccer Top 10

Sports

School

Record

Prev. School

1. Notre Dame (10-0-0) 2. North Carolina (9-1-1) 3. Portland (9-1-0) 4. UCLA (7-0-2) 5. USC (8-1-0)

1 3 4 2 5

6. Stanford 7. Texas A&M 8. Texas 9. Duke 10. Virginia

GREG

SCHIMMEL

M

Please See SCHIMMEL, Page 8

Prev.

(9-0-1) (8-1-1) (7-0-2) (9-1-1) (8-1-1)

6 7 9 10 13

You try making these picks

Realistic optimism

aybe we’re crazy.

Maybe we believers are getting ahead of ourselves, still in a state of shock after the second-half transformation we witnessed over the weekend.

But at the very least, the Terrapin football team’s improbable 20-17 win at Clemson Saturday seems to have gotten a lot of us thinking about the possibilities.

The Terps might be capable of more than we originally thought.

In a college football season this unpredictable — in a mediocre ACC with this much parity — is a Terps’ Atlantic Division championship and a spot in the conference title game that far out of the realm of possibility?

After mind-boggling results against Middle Tennessee, Cal and Clemson in three of the last four weeks, it’s starting to look like anything is possible for the Terps this season.

Stranger things have happened.

“There is a special feeling that I have for this team,” coach Ralph Friedgen said.

“The point I’m struggling with now is to get them to understand what is out there for them.”

And what’s out there for them, as far as the ACC goes, is everything.

It’s clear the Terps haven’t consistently looked like a team that could be playing for a spot in the Orange Bowl, and even Saturday was no exception.

But in the awkwardly average Atlantic, who has?

“I don’t know that there’s any team that’s in that situation [to be considered the team to beat],” Friedgen said. “I don’t know that anybody doesn’t have a shot at it right now.”

There’s nobody the Terps can’t conceivably win against.

Clemson was the heavy favorite to win the six-team Atlantic Division before the season began, but it’s clear it has some issues, and it’s huge the Terps got them out of the way early, winning in Clemson Memorial Stadium, best known as Death Valley, no less.

Record

ADI

JOSEPH

I

Despite being forced to reach down the depth chart for healthy players and play the remaining healthy starters more than usual, the Terp secondary has played well enough to help the team to a 4-1 start.

With Skinner back from a two-game absence and cornerback Nolan Carroll

don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.

Five weeks into the season, and I’m 1-3 on those Terrapin football team predictions you see in every Friday’s Gameday layout (yeah, I should be 2-3 but the Delaware game was before our first issue). Even on that one correct guess — my lone victory was the Terps’ 51-24 win against Eastern Michigan — I was nowhere near the final score.

I apologize to those readers looking for some indication as to how their Terps will fare on the field. I apparently have no idea what I’m talking about.

Then again, who does?

The Terps have been all over the place this season. A 14-7 win against Delaware in the season-opener was pretty ugly, to say the least. I think everyone, including myself, expected a better effort in the season opener in front of 49,119 fans.

But at least it was a win, something that can’t be said for the following week’s road trip to Middle Tennessee. I don’t need to rehash that mess of a game. It remains the 1-3 Blue Raiders’ only win.

Why would anyone but the most biased of Terps fans have expected a monstrous rebound performance against No. 23 California?

“I feel like after we lose a big game, like Middle Tennessee, we always come back and beat a ranked opponent,” senior linebacker Moise Fokou said, referring to the Terps’ wins against Cal this season and then-No. 8 Boston College last year, one week after losing to North Carolina.

“This team’s kind of like a roller coaster — ups and downs. But this year, it’s been a little more uphill, and I like that.

Still, the Terp defense relented in the final seven minutes against Cal, and several

Please See NOTEBOOK, Page 9

Please See JOSEPH, Page 8

A long list of injuries to the Terp secondary has increased the pressure on players such as Anthony Wiseman.

ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

TERRAPIN FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK

Secondary depleted by numerous injuries

BY ERIC DETWEILER Senior staff writer

Jamari McCollough entered the Terrapin football season as a third-string strong safety.

A shoulder injury to backup strong safety Drew Robinson slid him up the depth chart at the beginning of the season. When starting free safety Terrell Skinner

went down with an ankle injury against Middle Tennessee, he earned even more playing time.

Now McCollough leads the Terps in interceptions. The junior has picked off three passes in the last two games.

“It’s an opportunity I’ve been waiting for since I’ve been here,” McCollough said. “I was waiting for my turn, and it finally came.”

2008 FOOTBALL It came because the Terp defense, which ranks 102nd in the nation against the pass, giving up about 254 yards per game, has had to play through a number of early season injuries.

Terps face tough test in deep ACC 2008

WOMEN’S SOCCER

BY DAN MORRISON Staff writer

Forward Casey Townsend and the Terps attacked Binghamton unsuccessfully for much of the night, playing against a tightly-packed defensive zone the Bearcats regularly employ. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

After delays, Terps drop Bearcats

BY AARON KRAUT Senior staff writer

Midfielder Matt Kassel had taken 10 corner kicks by the time he scored the only goal in the Terrapin men’s soccer team’s win over Binghamton last night.

When the ball rolled to his feet about 25 yards from goal in the 78th minute of a scoreless game, Kassel decided to take matters into his own hands.

The freshman from New Jersey struck a perfect ball to the far left side of the net, helping the No. 4 Terps break through 1-

throughout the 0 in a game that was delayed an domination hour and 20 minutes by lightning game, the Bearcats were able to and in which the Terps struggled pack defenders into their penalty box and help goalkeeper to create quality Jason Stenta ward off chances despite posting dangerous shots.

20 shots.

“We knew the way “Binghamton is a MEN’S SOCCER played tough team to play, and Binghamton . . . . . . . . 0 Binghamton we knew that coming No. 4 Terps . . . . . . . . . . . 1 coming in,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “I told my into the game,” Kassel assistants before the said. “Regardless of that, we weren’t quite here game that it was probably going tonight. We had a couple let- to be 1-0. We just had to get on downs but fortunately for us we the right side of that score.”

An approaching lightning got the victory, and that’s what’s most important right now.”

Despite the Terps’ (7-2-0) Please See DELAY, Page 8

Nine minutes into Sunday’s loss at North Carolina, the Terrapin women’s soccer team found itself already down 2-0.

The Tar Heels piled on three more goals and continued to apply constant pressure to the Terps’ backline and goalkeeper throughout the game in their 5-0 win.

Games like that one have become customary for the Terps in recent years in the tough ACC. Acclaimed by players and coaches as the premier conference in women’s soccer, this season has been no different. Six of the top 16 teams in the NSCAA/adidas rankings are from the ACC, with No. 2 North Carolina being the topranked team in the NATALY conference.

Playing in a confer- ARIAS ence so deep and rich SENIOR MIDFIELDER in talent, the Terps realize they have their work cut out for them every game.

In two conference games so far this season, the Terps have faced two top-15 opponents in Wake Forest and North Carolina.

This week, they’ll host No. 11 Florida State

“That’s why we all chose Maryland, because it’s in the ACC. It’s hands down the best conference in the country.”

Freshman midfielder Danielle Schulmann is part of a top-20 ranked class, but the Terps were picked eighth in the ACC preseason.

JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

and Miami, one of the few unranked ACC teams.

Although the constant barrage of highly-ranked teams can seem daunting, the Terps look forward to going up against the best, night in and night out.

“I wanted to be in this type of conference and this type of environment all the time,” midfielder Nataly Arias said.

“That’s why we all chose Maryland, because it’s in the ACC. It’s hands down the best conference in the country.”

Even after landing a top-20 recruiting class, the Terps were picked to finish

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