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NEW SEASON

COOL WHIP

Terps begin ACC play tomorrow against Clemson

Drew Barrymore makes a stellar directorial debut with Whip It

SPORTS | PAGE 8

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

Friday, October 2, 2009

THE DIAMONDBACK Our 100TH Year, No. 24

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Law banning Architecture dean will step down texting while driving goes into effect Frustration with budget woes drives departure of third dean in the past year

BY BEN SLIVNICK Senior staff writer

Disheartened by budget cuts and eager to channel more than 30 years of scholarship into real-world projects, Garth Rockcastle, dean of the architecture school, plans to step down from his post this summer.

Rockcastle’s departure, which is set for June 30, will mark the third time a dean has left the university in

the past year. But Rockcastle, who has spent his entire career dipping between the free-thinking world of academia and the comparatively practical regimen of a private architecture firm, said he never intended to remain a GARTH ROCKCASTLE dean for long.

His philosophy on ARCHITECTURE DEAN

Rockcastle said his decision was also motivated by the opportunity to focus on his firm, Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, and to avoid dealing with painful budget cuts.

In his five years as dean, Rockcastle ushered in an unprecedented surge in fundraising — he raised $8.5 million for the school, while in the past 30 years, previous deans

architecture embraces the reinvention of existing structures, and Rockcastle, 58, said this same appreciation for new perspectives partly contributed to his decision to move on.

“I believe in regenerative leadership,” Rockcastle said.

“Academia does much better when it cycles. I actually am not a fan of long-standing deans, provosts or presidents.”

see ROCKCASTLE, page 3

Ban doesn’t cover other dangerous activities

THE GREAT SIGN AVENGER

BY LAUREN REDDING Staff writer

As of yesterday, texting while driving is officially banned in the state.

The Delegate John Arnick Electronic Communications Traffic Safety Act, which was signed into law in May, prohibits a person from sending or reading text messages while driving. Texting motorists could be fined up to $500.

According to a 2008 AAA survey, 65.1 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 reported using a cell phone at all while driving, while 48.5 percent admitted to texting while driving. AAA also reported that car and traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 20 years old.

“Everyone texts — kids, adults, my wife’s grandparents. In the end, most folks of all ages know that texting while driving is dangerous — even those who do it,” said Del. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery), who co-authored the bill with Del. Frank Turner (D-Howard).

District 2 Councilman Bob Catlin is the ‘Grim Reaper’ of illegal signs

BY BRADY HOLT Senior staff writer

Most people prowling Route 1 with a saw blade attached to a 10foot pole might risk running into trouble with the law.

Most people aren’t Bob Catlin.

Catlin, a city councilman from College Park’s District 2, is well known in the city for his campaign against illegal signs. Whether the signs are attached to telephone poles, littered across the ground or perched high in the air and require a saw blade to take down, they violate the city code.

And rarely do they elude Catlin.

“They’re not legal and they’re unsightly,” Catlin said of the signs, which advertise everything from junk car removal to karate lessons.

He said he has ripped out hundreds of them every year since he retired from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2004.

Catlin is up against an unknown number of faceless sign-posters, who he said often replace the signs he removes within 10 days in a relent-

see TEXTING, page 2

Students find univ. budget confusing

less game not unlike whack-a-mole.

But he thinks his efforts are important in the long run.

“If they saw more signs there, I think they would be even more encouraged to put signs up,” Catlin explained. “But if they look around and see that there are no other signs up, they might get the message that there’s someone taking them down.”

Many of these signs can be removed by hand, Catlin said, and he carries a pocketknife to take care of most of the rest. But he needed to bring in the heavy artillery last week to tackle a sign mounted on a telephone pole at the intersection of Route 1 and Berwyn Road.

Motorists stuck in Route 1 traffic looked on as Catlin collected his 10foot-long scythe-like apparatus from his Ford hatchback and carried it across the 7-Eleven parking lot toward the road. Holding the contraption, he announced, “The Grim Reaper has arrived.”

The Reaper and his saw spelled

see CATLIN, page 2

BY AMANDA PINO Staff writer

After students posted the university’s 2010 fiscal year budget online last week, the SGA is hosting a competition meant to encourage students to participate in the debate over where their tuition dollars go.

Students, who can view the budget by visiting the Student Government Association’s website, are being asked to submit examples of expenses they find absurd or confusing to SGAcommunications@gmail.com.

The best submissions will be posted on the website every week, and the SGA hopes to present a list of student submissions to university administrators at the end of the semester.

So far, student participation has been low, in part because of the sheer size of the document.

“Eight hundred pages?” junior history

College Park District 2 City Councilman Bob Catlin has ripped down hundreds of illegal signs each year since 2004. PHOTOS

BY MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

see BUDGET, page 3

Quiet on the protest front Afghanistan-Vietnam comparisons grow, demonstrations don’t

BY ANNA ISAACS Staff writer

Members of the Reserve Officer Training Corps train yesterday in Acredale Park. Some members of the ROTC may be sent to Afghanistan upon graduation if President Barack Obama opts to increase the American presence there. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

Sunny/70s

INDEX

As uncertainty about the war in Afghanistan grows, parallels to Vietnam prevail: an unwanted American presence, a vague enemy, a difficult terrain.

But if it’s starting to look like ’Nam all over again, where are the protests?

“I think the main thing, the key difference, is that we don’t have a NEWS . . . . . . . . . .2 OPINION . . . . . . . .4

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

draft,” said Karen Kaufmann, an associate professor of government and politics. “The people who think that this is theoretically a bad idea are never going to end up in the military — unless there’s a draft.”

If President Barack Obama were to institute a draft, a highly improbable outcome, she added, then the issue of how many troops are sent, where, when and why would hit closer to home.

College Democrats President DIVERSIONS . . . . .6 SPORTS . . . . . . . . .8

Amy Hartman, a senior government and politics and women’s studies major, said a lack of media focus on the war is the culprit for student apathy.

“I think that students feel completely detached from it — the American public in general feels completely detached,” she said.

“There’s no draft; there’s no dayto-day reminder that we’re even

see AFGHANISTAN, page 3

www.diamondbackonline.com

2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009

www.diamondbackonline.com

ONLINE TODAY

Ice rink transfers water from pool to recycle Workers at College Park ice rink develop new and creative method to save water

BY JACLYN BOROWSKI Staff writer

THE BADDEST DORM OF THEM ALL And you thought it would have been Easton.

Based on its reputation, you’d think Easton Hall must have racked up the most violations of any dorm on the campus last year, right?

Easton, the one freshman dorm without scholars or honors students, surely must have been the loudest.

But somehow, despite Easton’s reputation for rowdiness, it wasn’t.

In the 2008 - 09 school year, Elkton Hall incurred 132 violations, the most of any dorm. Easton wasn’t even in the top five — those spots were occupied by clusters of South Campus dorms, Ellicott Hall, Leonardtown and South Campus Commons 1 and 2.

Easton isn’t even the worst dorm over the past four years. That crown belongs to Centreville Hall.

Don’t believe us?

Check out the charts explaining the whole breakdown at http://blogs.umdbk.com/campusdrive.

People are constantly looking for new ways to “go green,” and the College Park ice rink is no different.

Following Zamboni driver Chris Maggi’s idea to take water from the local pool and use it to lay down the rink, employees at the Herbert Wells Ice Rink have adopted the process of leaching the chemicals out of the Ellen Linson Aquatic Center chlorinated pool water for reuse.

“Chris Maggi said, ‘Why don’t we use some of the water in the pool to put down some of the ice?’” said Russell Barrett, the head Zamboni operator at the ice rink. “We looked into it, and what Chris said really made a lot of sense.”

Though the Olympic-sized pool holds enough water to fill the 255,000 gallons required by the ice rink, there are still events scheduled for the pool that prohibited the rink from using the full amount. Only 1,500 gallons will be taken for use in the rink.

Once removed, the water is stored for about half a week in vats in the sun to burn off the chemicals.

Barrett and his team re-hooked their pumps and hoses to the vats to begin laying the base layer of the rink Wednesday night, including the paint that goes beneath the upper surface of ice. The entire process will be completed by today.

“We’re trying to figure out how we can best recycle and reuse this water,”

Zamboni operator Rusty Barrett and crew set a layer of ice using pool water. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

Barrett said. “It’s new for us and we’re working on it and feeling our way through it right now.”

After they devised a way to execute their plan, Barrett had no trouble getting the support of rink manager Joe Hampton, who said the environmentally friendly aspect of their plan was the selling point.

“Once pool season is over, the water just sits in the pool until next year. So it’s there, we should just go ahead and use it,” Hampton said. “Plus, everybody’s into the green thing nowadays and it helps with that, too.”

And they aren’t stopping there.

Once ice-skating season is over, Barrett said they will be looking for a way to return some of the water to the pool in April.

“The only thing we couldn’t do ...

2 0 1 0

College Park city councilman Bob Catlin removes illegal signs around the city. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

CATLIN from page 1 death for “Quick CA$H For ANY UNWANTED VEHICLE$.”

“Even if I can’t get it all down, I can mess it up so nobody can read the phone number,” Catlin said before starting to slice through it.

As Catlin went to work, Prince George’s County police officer Ryan Whitlow — who was watching from across Route 1 — did not interfere after a threatening “what are you doing over there?” sounded from his patrol car.

Whitlow recognized the councilman, pulled out his nightstick and came over to help. After Catlin had cut through part of the sign from the top, Whitlow leapt into the air to hit the bottom, sending it flying into the street. “[The signs] look tacky as hell,” Whitlow said afterward. “It really makes the area look bad.

It’s as bad as litter and graffiti.”

College Park’s city staff, not its city council, is responsible for the signs, as well as litter and graffiti.

Catlin said the work he puts in every week — usually five to 10 hours — picking up signs and other trash around his legislative district saves the city money and gets the job done faster.

After more than a decade on the council — which can often only make recommendations to state or county agencies rather than setting its own zoning or liquor license policies — Catlin said he was glad to now have a way of making an instant contribution to his neighborhood.

“It’s one of the few things you

TEXTING from page 1 “This new law provides extra incentive for Marylanders to break this dangerous habit,” Waldstreicher added.

The law makes texting at the wheel a primary offense, allowing police to pull over suspected texters even if they aren’t breaking any other laws. Maryland is one of 18 states and the District of Columbia with such a statute.

Named for Delegate John Arnick, an early advocate in the fight against distracted driving, the bill was first introduced in January 2008 but didn’t gain traction until last year’s legislative session.

“I knew when I introduced it that, if I was patient, my colleagues would see the wisdom behind the texting-while-driving ban,” he said.

Waldstreicher was right — after two years, the bill had gained more than 60 co-sponsors.

In a hearing last January, the testimony of a Baltimore couple, whose daughter was killed by a texting driver in Florida, jolted into action those who were still

can actually accomplish. You can see a sign and tear it down and throw it away,” he said. “You don’t have to wait six years to find out if you can do it.”

But Whitlow and Catlin agreed that it’s all but impossible to punish people who post signs because they’re hard to find and even harder to bring into court.

The phone number on the “UNWANTED VEHICLE$” sign bears witness to that. It reaches a cell phone, according to online records, and the man who answered it would only identify himself as Dave.

Dave would not say what company he worked for and seemed doubtful about any complaints about the signs.

“Well, what did you want us to do, not put them up?” he asked.

A message left for the company owner wasn’t returned.

But another sign mounted lower on the same pole — Catlin removed that one by hand — seems more traceable. Encouraging viewers to “finally get paid to drop 3 dress sizes in minutes,” it included both a cell phone number and a website URL. The website includes the name of its operator, Sandi Morton. In addition, a Twitter user identified as Craig R. Morton promoted the website. Online telephone directories list an address and phone number for a Craig R. and Sandi A. Morton in Clinton, Md. Messages left at the Mortons’ home and on the cell phone numbers on the ripped-down sign were not returned. holt@umdbk.com

hesitant about such a ban.

“That really drove it home for lawmakers,” Waldstreicher said.

This university does not have any programs aimed at addressing the issue, but students maintain that the ban is only a beginning. Other hazardous activities many do behind the wheel — checking Facebook, Tweeting and using iPhone applications — are still considered legal.

“These activities should have been included in the ban,” freshman communications major Ann Levie said. “If you have your hand on the phone and you’re typing, it should be banned.”

Although many students confess to texting while driving, they still are in favor of the ban.

“I support it completely,” senior English major Zach Lyon said.

“Every time I pass someone while I’m driving, they’re texting.”

Some students feel not texting while driving is common sense.

“People who do that are retarded. They’ll kill someone,” junior English major Johnnie Simpson said. “It’s like trying to beat off while driving.” redding@umdbk.com

is take the paint and put it back in the pool,” Barrett said, adding the paint might have toxic effects on the water. “However, you could conceivably cut off the top layer and mix it with the pool water and chlorine.”

The process seems to be a new one — Barrett and Hampton haven’t heard of other pool-ice rink combos trying such a procedure.

“I’ve never heard of this being done anywhere else where we’re pulling water out of a pool,” Barrett said. “It’s plausible that someone else thought of this. But I’ve been working at rinks for the last 20 years and never heard of this.”

Barrett said he and his team have been recording their steps. They plan on filming the process and eventually posting it on the Internet.

T E R R A P I N

“It’s like anything,” Barrett said.

“The first time you do it, it’s going to work and we’re going to get it done.

But you smooth out the operation as you go. … This is new, creative and different for us.”

Barrett and Hampton hope their work hoping that their work at recycling resources will encourage others to do the same.

“It shows that we’re resourceful, that we’re thinking about our environment and not wasting our natural resources,” Hampton said. “It proves that something can be done. When other people have other situations they might think about what they can do to help go green. Little ideas might spark somebody else to think of something.” jborowski@umdbk.com

Y E A R B O O K

Here’s the Scoop on Senior Pictures!

Senior Pictures for the 2010 Terrapin Yearbook will be taken for three weeks, October 5-23, 2009, by Herff Jones Photography. Six to eight poses will be taken, including an optional cap and gown shot, and it only takes five minutes!

The photo session doesn't cost you a cent, and guarantees you a place in the 2010 TERRAPIN, all at no cost. You select the pose to be published in the 2010 TERRAPIN to preserve and recognize your college memories. HJP offers a wide variety of excellent, quality photographs at reasonable prices. Students often find these portraits make great gifts and help resumes and job applications.

AND . . . You Can Win An iPod Touch!

At the conclusion of the photo sessions every senior photographed will be entered in a drawing. Three lucky seniors will win an iPod Touch! And, since we don’t want you to wait ‘til the last minute to get your picture taken, each senior photographed during the first week, 10/5-10/9, will be entered three times in the drawing. Get your picture taken 10/12-10/16, you’ll receive two chances and if you wait until the third week, 10/19–10/23, you’ll get only one chance. So why wait? Call today and make an early appointment!

SAVE $12!!

Save $12 on your 2010 Terrapin Yearbook if you purchase one when you get photographed.

WHAT TO DO? Call 1-800-687-9327 between 8am5pm to schedule your most convenient time for an appointment, or visit our website at ouryear.com (school code:

87101) and make your appointment online!

We’ll be shooting October 5-23, 2009, Monday-Friday, 11am-7pm in room 3101 South Campus Dining Hall (Terrapin Yearbook Office).

CALL 1-800-687-9327

BETWEEN 8AM-5PM TODAY TO MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT! OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT

WWW.OURYEAR.COM (SCHOOL CODE: 87101) AND MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT ONLINE! 3101 SOUTH CAMPUS DINING HALL OCTOBER 5-23, 2009 • 11AM-7PM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

Student DOTS fees to shrink next year After a sharp increase last year, fees will drop along with gas prices

BY LAUREN REDDING

DOTS FEE CHANGES

Staff writer

As state-wide budget cuts are forcing university officials to talk about raising student fees, DOTS is bucking the trend.

About one week after the university proposed charging $165 per student in new fees to maintain the libraries, the University Health Center and the university’s classrooms, Department of Transportation Services Director David Allen said student fees for his department will drop by at least $3 next year.

Allen said the fee decrease is possible because gas prices have fallen.

This year, DOTS charged about $40 for part-time students with fewer than eight credits and about $80 for other students.

The fees marked a major increase from the previous year as officials worried that $4-a-gallon gas would become a permanent reality, but with gas prices now swinging in the opposite direction, Allen said the department could afford to charge students less.

“We told the [Committee for the Review for Student Fees] that if gas prices don’t keep going in that direction, we will credit the money back to students,” Allen said.

When gas prices dropped this year, DOTS went to the committee earlier this fall and proposed a decrease in the 2010-2011 fees.

“The process is still going on, so it is unclear exactly how much the fees will decrease,” Allen said.

Once the committee approves the fees, they will be

Over the last three years, DOTS has steadily been raising mandatory student fees for the Shuttle-UM buses. In preparation for a huge hike in gas prices, fees were raised significantly last year.

Those numbers are expected to go down next year because gas prices have dropped.

Part-time students 2007-2008: $32.85 2008-2009: $33.95 2009-2010: $39.93

2007-2008: $65.70 2008-2009: $67.90 2009-2010: $79.86

KARA MILSTEIN FRESHMAN LETTERS AND SCIENCES MAJOR

redding@umdbk.com

university President Dan Mote’s persistent stream of e-mails.

“I don’t pay much attention to the campus news,” junior elementary education major Steffi Chang said. “I didn’t know the budget was online, so I don’t think most people are really reading it.”

SGA legislator Kenton Stalder, who originally downloaded the document from Hornbake Library for public distribution, said he did so to make it easier for students and faculty members to get involved in decisions about university spending.

“Obviously we have a lot of decisions that are going to be made down the line,” Stalder said.

“We’re hoping students can contribute creative solutions to some of the university’s problems.”

SGA spokesman and former Diamondback staffer Joel Cohen said only about 10 to 15 students had submitted budget lines as of Wednesday, adding the SGA hadn’t really advertised the competition outside of its

BUDGET from page 1 major Danielle Levenfus balked.

“I have homework to do!”

Some students said they are too bogged down with classes and extracurricular activities to digest the huge amount of information in the university’s budget.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t look at it,” sophomore Romney Makle said. “I don’t have the time or the level of commitment.”

Others think that the information available in the budget doesn’t provide enough insight into administrators’ motivations.

“Personally, I wouldn’t look at it because numbers alone don’t tell much of a story to me,” junior Tam-Sanh Nguyen said. “Numbers can’t say why [administrators] decided something needed that much money or if it’s being used effectively.”

A few students admitted they didn’t even know the university was tackling budget cuts, despite

Academy Stadium Theatre Week of October 2nd 6198 Greenbelt Rd. Center Court of Beltway Plaza Mall

from page 1 in war.”

Though Obama has made it clear since the campaign trail that he would shift the focus from Iraq to Afghanistan — he deployed 21,000 troops barely two months after taking office — the administration’s fault lines are emerging as he and his war council consider their next move.

Gen. Stanley McChr ystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, is widely believed to want 30,000 to 40,000 additional troops to join the 68,000 already in the countr y. While Secretar y of State Hillar y Clinton seems to support the deployment of additional forces, others are skeptical: Vice President Joe Biden is on the fence about an increased militar y presence, while Sen. John Kerr y (D-Mass.) has cautioned against creating a situation similar to Vietnam.

But even though the 18- to 25-year-old demographic that largely voted for Obama last November did so with the

Facebook group.

One of the few students to comment on the competition, Nate DeSelms, a junior computer science major, gave a “thumbs up” to a submission posted on Saturday: “Did you know your university budgeted $250,000 for the football team’s food service this fiscal year?”

DeSelms, who said he joined SGA’s Facebook group for “no special reason,” said he liked the post because he thinks the university spends too much money on athletics. He added that he did not know that the SGA was hosting a competition.

“The focus on putting money toward athletics bothers me and scrutiny toward the budget can only benefit the university,” DeSelms said.

Cohen said he expects most students to search the document for things of particular interest to them.

“The idea is that people will look at what they’re interested in,” Cohen said. “If you’re a gov-

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expectation that he would end the wars, all is quiet on the demonstration front.

“I can’t really speak overall for College Democrats on that issue just because Democrats now are so divided on whether or not here should be a troop increase,” Hartman said, noting divisions among students.

Clyde Thompson, a senior criminology and criminal justice major and vice president of public affairs for the College Republicans, said his group is also split on the issue because of a lack of clear signals from the president and his administration.

“I think ever ybody is for the mission, but I think a lot of people are kind of confused about what his mission is right now.” Thompson said. “Is he tr ying to establish a government? Is he tr ying to eliminate al-Qaeda and the Taliban? There’s a lot of question about what his motives are, which makes it hard for us.”

Kaufmann said that Vietnam was much closer to home than any war today can possibly be because modern warfare is less casu-

ernment and politics major, you might search for BSOS or the government and politics department. Or if you’re a big athletics fan, you would look at that.”

Although the PDF can be searched, lines are so specific that queries often turn up too many or no results. There is no table of contents or index, and the budget references ambiguous acronyms without providing a key.

For example, one submission made on Monday reads, “Did you know your University budgeted $77,000 for ‘instructional’ in the office of 350049 ASCDU? If you know what this office is or what they do, we want to know!”

Both Stalder and Cohen stressed that they hoped to take up the issue of the budget’s readability with administrators.

Cohen said the SGA plans to do so when representatives present the list of winning submissions at the end of the semester. apino@umdbk.com

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AFGHANISTAN

Full-time students

submitted to university President Dan Mote. The Board of Regents gives student fees final approval.

Various Shuttle-UM services provided by DOTS — NITE Ride, evening services and commuter services — require funds from student fees.

Although many students use these services, those who don’t ride the buses feel the mandatory fees are unfair.

“If we don’t use it, then why should we pay?” freshman letters and sciences major Kara Milstein said.

In light of possible hikes in student fees, some students feel the decrease in transportation fees won’t make much of a difference.

“It will just balance out if they add more fees,” Milstein said.

“If we don’t use[the bus], then why should we pay?”

Cadet Capt. Ned Curry was one of the station leaders at the university's Army ROTC training session held Thursday afternoon at Acredale Park on Metzerott Road. Many students do not know veterans personally. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

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“I know a lot of people who hadn’t met a veteran before me. I think that speaks volumes.”

CLYDE THOMPSON VP OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR COLLEGE REPUBLICANS AND NAVY VETERAN

alty-intensive.

“There was really no place in the country that wasn’t touched, where there weren’t neighborhoods where people didn’t either have friends and family that had their sons and daughters in Vietnam, where people had their high school friends that were in Vietnam,” she said. “So it was very personal, but it was also a matter of intense self-interest.”

Thompson, who ser ved in the Navy, said many of his fellow ser vicemembers came from towns in the South and the Midwest where ever y street had a blue star in the window to represent a relative at war.

But those small pockets of militar y communities are unfamiliar to most students here, he said.

“I know a lot of people who hadn’t met a veteran before

me,” he said. “I think that speaks volumes.”

Americans tend to have stronger reactions to overseas warfare when their troops suffer significant casualties, Kaufmann said, and Afghanistan has that potential.

“It’s a ver y difficult terrain,” she said. “It’s not a place where you can rely on, you know, dropping bombs from airplanes.You need to get on the ground and in the hills to root out the Taliban, and it’ll be interesting to see how committed Obama is to this.”

Kaufmann said only a significant increase in the numbers of war-related deaths or the institution of a draft could shake the public out of apathy.

ROCKCASTLE

“When he would speak, the community was particularly responsive to him. ”

from page 1 raised $2 million — and established a new program in real estate development. A trusted voice to administrators on the university’s design and planning, Rockcastle also shaped the vision for East Campus.

Vice President for Administrative Affairs Ann Wylie said Rockcastle helped design visual links between the proposed 38-acre development and the university’s existing architectural style. She said Rockcastle’s calm, reasoned demeanor also helped sell the East Campus plans to the university’s neighboring community.

“When he would speak, the community was particularly responsive to him,” Wylie said. “It was clear to me that he was not just a university representative, but he was someone who had interacted with the community at large.”

In fact, Rockcastle hasn’t just interacted with the university’s outlying community, he helped to build it.

About three miles south of the university, in Hyattsville, Rockcastle retrofitted an old city hall and bought a few buildings near the city’s arts district. When he leaves the deanship, Rockcastle said he will continue to teach in a limited role at this university, focus on his firm and finish a book outlining his vision on architecture.

“Historically our discipline has always envisioned the zenith, the fantastic, the new,” Rockcastle said. “This means erase what’s there and replace it with that [vision]. My philosophy is much more interested in organic and creative thinking that embraces what is and thinks about design more as editing.”

The basic architectural question he deals with, he said, is, “How do you intervene with the most modest means for the most dramatic benefits?”

The question could also apply to his leadership style as dean.

“He’s very hands-off unless he feels the needs to intervene,” said Courtney Miller Bellairs, the architecture school’s assistant dean for stu-

aisaacs@umdbk.com

ANN WYLIE VP OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

dent affairs. “He’s not a dictator. It’s a fairly relaxed management style.”

But she added, “If you talk to other directors or faculty, they might tell you that he’s not strong enough in telling everyone how they need to be.”

Rockcastle acknowledged that confronting professors’ personalities was the hardest part of his job. After his first year on the job, he instituted monthly faculty meetings aimed at improving communication, but he thinks departmental morale will likely remain a challenge for his successor.

“I’m the bad boy who has to call to question, to noodle, to speak about the changing world and changing circumstances,” he said. “It doesn’t make you a popular person when you’re trying to encourage people who are rightly strong-willed to examine themselves. And so it’s easy to become a target of dissension when you’re a dean.”

Last October, when talk of budget cuts first gained steam, Rockcastle said he knew he would soon be ready to step down.

“I thought, you know, it’s going to be a long time before most state-supported universities are going to see optimization,” he said. “I don’t mind it, and I’m doing a pretty good job managing our contraction, but it doesn’t interest me very much. I’d rather channel my energies to building than contracting.”

Rockcastle notified Provost Nariman Farvardin about his intentions to step down last year. A search committee for Rockcastle’s successor is underway, but it has not yet identified any candidates to replace him. slivnick@umdbk.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009

Opinion

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Staff Editorial

Bullish on buyouts

Letters to the editor Vegging out

N

ow is not the time to retire. Retirement accounts have lost 28 per- amount of teaching experience the university has, for sure, but experience is cent of their value as the stock market has free-fallen from a hous- not always directly correlated with quality.

University President Dan Mote has encountered early retirement packages ing bubble-induced high. Picking up a part-time job, which many retirees like to do, could be near impossible with a 9.6 percent before. While he was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the early 1990s, more than a quarter of the school’s faculty retired over the unemployment rate.

Nonetheless, the administration is considering offering incentives for early span of a few short years. The Cal administration hired younger, cheaper professors to replace them, and many of the recent retirees retirement to older faculty members. This is a good idea stayed on and continued to teach. As a result, the univerthat could reinvigorate the university’s professorial corps sity’s operating budget decreased and the number of active and save a lot of money while losing only a little value. jumped.

Part of the job of a great university is to look toward the The university is on the faculty For an administrator (or a taxpayer), that’s almost an future and constantly innovate. But even while looking ahead, all of academia is somewhat frozen in place by the right path by considering ideal scenario: smaller class sizes and more course offerings for a lower price. It’s hard to think a similar program tenure system. Professors, once they get tenure, can settle buyout packages for here could be as effective due to the economic situation, in and count on lifetime employment. The vast majority high-paid faculty. and one may not even happen. This may not be the best continue to work hard despite this cushy benefit, but they time to retire, but it’s a good sign that the administration is still end up standing in the way of younger faculty, who may have training with more advanced techniques or have been introduced to considering steps that neither hurt faculty or the university as a whole.

At the very least, the administration should continue to explore the option. more creative concepts while in graduate school.

Offering early retirement could convince some of these older, more well- After all, if professors don’t take the buyouts offered, the university won’t paid professors to move on to emeritus status, making them cheaper to retain have to spend the money. And if professors rush to take it, then the university while also freeing up space and money for younger talent. This would hurt the reaps the benefits in their budget later on. What is there to lose?

Our View

Editorial Cartoon: Justin Cousson

I really appreciated the article The Diamondback ran about vegans and vegetarians taking action against McDonald’s (“Vegetarians launch protest of McDonald’s,” Sept. 30). For three years I have been waiting for a group like this to start on the campus, especially when there are so many vegetarians and vegans here.

Many people see VegTerps and peta2’s movement to get rid of McDonald’s as pointless and radical, but I believe their cause is worthwhile. Since people have become more conscious about the environment, they have also become more conscious about their health and what they put into their bodies.

Not only that, but people have become more aware of cruelty toward animals in factory farms. I think VegTerps’ action is one small step toward a healthier and crueltyfree world.

Nicole Dao | Class of 2011 | journalism

“I” object Your front-page article Sept. 30, “Overhaul of CORE excites faculty,” surprised me. The opening paragraph informs the reader that “faculty weighed down by the monotony of teaching introductory courses to bored undergraduates are getting excited” about the prospect of teaching a new “I” series course. The new courses “could address thought-provoking questions about sex or UFOs.” I’ll refrain from inquiring what questions about UFOs might provoke thought (UFOs having sex?).

I merely want to register that I’m not bored with my classes in the slightest, and given their enrollments and the student evaluations, I have no reason to think my students are bored.

The plan for the new “I” series course seems interesting, and I have submitted a proposal to teach one. However, many of the CORE courses I know are excellent, and all seem to provoke much more thought than inquiries into UFOs are ever likely to do.

Christopher Morris | professor of philosophy and director of graduate philosophy studies

Fashion police: Not getting a leg up

S

o you know: Black and brown are now acceptable to wear together, as they are both neutrals. You’re welcome.

I excitedly announced this to my roommate yesterday, but all she did was look me up and down and say, “And apparently not wearing any pants is acceptable now, too.”

I wasn’t prancing around in my underwear; I was actually wearing leggings. After years of wanting to quietly take girls aside and say, “I know this must be just as embarrassing for you as it is for me, but I thought I should let you know … you’re not wearing any pants,” I decided to just throw in the towel and try it for myself.

At first, I felt the way any normal person would: self-conscious because I wasn’t wearing any pants.

But today on my bus to the campus, were about six other girls blatantly wearing leggings as pants, and I felt a warm and fuzzy sense of solidarity.

BETHANY

WYNN They’re comfortable, they’re practical, and they’re perfect for 60- and 70degree weather.

Weren’t leggings as pants acceptable at some point? Maybe late ’80s or early ’90s? I have vague memories of my 4-year-old self wearing flower-patterned leggings as pants, and I was definitely cute and comfortable. I might even have pictures of my mother wearing purple tie dye leggings as pants sometime in the ’80s.

At what point did leggings as pants move away from these comfortable connotations and become associated with “that” type of girl, a fashion faux pas for anyone remotely intelligent?

While I’m not advocating dressing in UGGs, leggings and a sweatshirt every day (you know who you are), to be honest, some mornings, I just want to roll out of bed and wear black and brown together, white after Labor Day or no pants. So I’m suggesting some “not wearing any pants” rules of conduct to make it all a little less embarrassing.

1. Let us wear shirts long enough to cover our backsides, banishing even a hint of camel toe.

2. Let us not bend over in our leggings-as-pants, stretching out the already thin material so that everyone can see everything.

3. If five of our friends have decided to wear the exact same thing, let us either throw on something else or not walk around with them in pants-less, UGG-footed bands.

4. À la Mean Girls, let us only wear leggings a certain number of times per week, rather than every day.

Jeans are pretty low maintenance

too, as are most other types of pants.

Actually, I’m not sure what we find so difficult about actually putting on real pants, but I digress.

I think that covers most of the leggings-as-pants issues, so feel free to roam pants-less around the campus, inflicting your broken social norms on people wearing jeans.

While you’re at it, try breaking some other outdated fashion “rules.”

I’ve always thought black and brown go together. Remember, though, if you don’t follow the “not wearing any pants” rules of conduct, you’re just ruining the fun for the rest of us.

So if I see you around the campus wearing black and brown together, I’ll give you an approving nod or something. You’ll know it’s me, because I’ll be the one not wearing any pants.

Bethany Wynn is a junior French and sociology major. She can be reached at wynn@umdbk.com.

Chicken Rico: A revelation of a restaurant

W

hen it comes to food in College Park, you’ve got options — more options than you can shake a corn dog at. Nowhere else in the state will you find a higher density of restaurant joints than right here in our own quaint and quiet town.

Seriously, food here is so cheap and plentiful that not even the homeless go hungry. Realistically, your only problem with College Park’s overabundance of cheap and delicious food is deciding where to eat. Allow me to weigh in on this simple problem with a simple solution: Chicken Rico, punks.

Let me guess: You feel totally out of the loop on this one. Don’t worry, I would too if I had Pad Thai at Noodles and Co. four times a week and carried a calorie-counting index card in my pocket or if I was somehow frequenting the on-campus dining establishments.

Luckily, I’m on the “eat what I want,

JASON

KRAMER when I want” diet, so you can consider me a connoisseur of College Park cuisine. Sure, we have the second-highest grossing Chipotle in the nation. Yeah, Jason’s Deli gives you free ice cream.

But have you ever touched perfection with a fork? If you’ve been to Chicken Rico, you have.

Chicken Rico is a Peruvian style restaurant that serves charbroiled chicken in a wide variety of dishes or, what I like to call “meals of might.”

Located right across Route 1 from CVS, Chicken Rico is in prime territory for all your hunger needs. Now, this isn’t a

silly restaurant review — that’s not really my style. And besides, Chicken Rico is too good for conventional methods of food evaluation. My concern here is that the hard-working people of this fine university are failing to utilize the sheer awesomeness that is the Rico.

Unfortunately, Chicken Rico sits on one of the most cursed real estate properties in the area. This strip of shops has seen more business closures than Eddie Bauer, Circuit City and the entire newspaper industry combined.

Although Chicken Rico is a fairly new and successful addition to the College Park eating scene, I feel like I could never do enough to ensure the stability of this temple of food, which is why my friends and I eat there six times a day.

During my first pilgrimage to Chicken Rico, I requested the No. 2 chicken sandwich. This superstar of a meal is served on a buttery sub roll with chicken grilled to perfection and your

choice of, well, whatever the hell you want. Along with the sandwich, you also get your choice of two delectable sides that range from fries, mashed potatoes, fried rice, vegetables and plantains. In total, you are getting a solid pound of food for a little more than $6.

Chicken Rico is less a restaurant, more a revelation. The people are nice, the food is delicious, and it’s cheap.

What more could you ask for?

Unfortunately, its location is haunted by some type of College Park culinary spirit, because the place just never gets any respect. So the next time you’re planning to eat your sixth Chipotle burrito of the week, get the extra exercise and go across the street.

It’ll be worth it. Don’t be ... well ... you know, chicken.

Jason Kramer is a junior American studies major. He can be reached at kramer@umdbk.com.

Room for gray area After reading Fenan Solomon’s column “Racism: At the Heart of the Heckle” (Sept. 23), I cannot help feeling the sentiments she expressed are not only troubling, but also indicative of a disturbing trend in America today.

The United States is a country founded on the idea that citizens should maintain a healthy distrust in government. According to Solomon, those who do not march lockstep to the beat of the Obama administration’s drum are obviously “racists.”

She describes those in attendance as being comprised of “[President Barack Obama’s] biggest fans who rose before the sun did to stand in line (guilty), uninformed students who came seeking details of his health care reform plan and people who just love to hate him.” It does not seem that there is any room, in Solomon’s opinion, for those who are well-informed and disagree.

They must be either uninformed or “haters.”

Furthermore, the syllogism she uses to paint Rep. Joe Wilson (RS.C.) as a racist is flawed at best.

To use Solomon’s argument, Wilson doesn’t view the president (who is black) as his equal. Racists do not view blacks as equals.

Therefore, Wilson is a racist. This logic is quite a stretch. Racism is a very real issue that has faced our country since its founding and continues to plague us today. That being said, with issues such as mounting debt, health care reform and wars abroad, we cannot allow the forces of political correctness to squelch all opposition to the Obama administration. I want to believe that our government is moving us in the right direction.

This becomes much more difficult when alternative views are crushed by that all-too-powerful six-letter word “racist.”

Disagreeing with the president or his policies does not make one uneducated, unpatriotic or racist. I urge Solomon to resume saving her race card for situations that actually demand it.

Spenser Peterson | Class of 2010 | accounting and finance

POLICY: Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent the opinions of the authors. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Diamondback’s editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor in chief.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Derby or pillbox 4 Potatoes go-with 9 Gravy dish 13 Cigar residue 14 Quartet member 15 Long-handled utensil 16 Explored caves 18 Put — (save) 19 Petunia part 20 Border saloons 22 Fish or turtle 25 Sharp 26 Fine violin, briefly 28 Swallow up 32 Huge pullovers 35 Regular and long 37 Giggle (hyph.)

38 Beowulf’s drink 40 Fizzy drinks 42 Wander 43 White heron 45 Inert gas 47 Blockbuster 48 Rackets 50 Popular search engine 52 Not owing 54 Hawaii’s main industry 58 Not in the phone book 62 Columbus’ port 63 Dwelling

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Type of incense Earth pigment Mannerism Jogged Take advice Groups of cattle Before

33 Toy building block 34 Graceful wrap 36 Anwar of Egypt 39 Loathed 41 London district 1

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Desensitize Kind of panel Coon cat origin Slangy refusal (hyph.)

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DOWN 1 Diary locks 2 Colorado tree 3 Sweater letter 4 Works with clay 5 Bo Derek film 6 Wapiti 7 Mr. Baldwin 8 Eastman invention 9 Actress Kim — 10 Wednesday’s god 11 Swit co-star 12 Tie-dyed garments 15 Potential 17 Racetrack circuits 21 Bridal notice word 23 — the Red 24 Barber’s implement 27 Stall 29 Yikes! (hyph.)

30 Name in denim 31 Shoe fillers 32 Comic-book heroes (hyph.)

© 2009 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

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orn today, you may be known for accomplishing one or two important things, or for having one or two spectacular talents — but the truth is that you are so interested in all that life has to offer that you’re not likely to limit yourself to those one or two endeavors or to the development of only one or two skills. You can be something of a mystery to others; those who claim to know you best will admit that there is much about you they do not know at all — and this suits you just fine. Indeed, you prefer to maintain a rather mysterious and secretive image, just for the fun of it.

You enjoy the good things in life, and no matter how much money you may have at any given moment, you’re likely to live as though you have much more. This can be a source of great enjoyment to you, surely, but it can also be a real danger when you live beyond your means. It’s not something you should always do.

Also born on this date are Annie Leibovitz, photographer; Lorraine Bracco, actress; Donna Karan, fashion designer; Tiffany, singer; Sting, singer; Don McLean, singer and songwriter; Rex Reed, film critic; Groucho Marx, actor and comedian; Mahatma Gandhi, spiritual leader.

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.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — You’re not likely to get the information you need from the expected source. Let yourself remain open to unusual opportunities.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Certain feelings are likely to

B

rise to the surface, complicating relations with friends that are already a little too complex.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — You’re in need of a little getaway of sorts, and a friend may well come through for you in the nick of time. Be ready to go.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — There’s only one thing to say to an idea that is floated by a friend or colleague: why not?

Indeed, a daring approach can work wonders.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Plans you make with family members may not pan out exactly as expected, but they can still lead to the desired result eventually.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — Financial worries are likely to overtake you for a time — until you hit on a strategy that can see you through the current phase.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — You’ll want to think twice before dedicating your time and energy to a project that is not in anyone’s best interest. Know when to say no.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — You can expect to encounter a few new obstacles as a result of a certain carelessness that is borne out of heightened confidence.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — You’re looking everywhere for something that will make the difference at this time, but what you really need is right there within reach.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — Avoid chaos. Anything you can do to minimize disorder in the way things are done will prove beneficial — now and in the long run.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — It’s a good time to address certain issues that others have wanted you to overlook for a time. Now, however, you can do no such thing.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You’re not going to want to put yourself through anything that could bring unusual risk or danger. Keep yourself safe; routine endeavors are best.

Copyright 2009 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:

Diversions

MOVIE — CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY “Michael Moore, whose documentaries owe as much to his personality as anything else, unsubtly captures the brutal disenchantment of the nation with the free market and rides a wave of populist fury back into our good graces.” — Vaman Muppala RATING: 4 stars out of 5 For the full review, just click the Diversions tab at: WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

REVIEW | WHIP IT

q&a DREW BARRYMORE In a conference call with The Diamondback, the Whip It director discussed her experiences helming the roller-derby comedy.

On how she is different from most directors ...

“I have everyone stay far away from the actors and trust in our process. And I work right next to the camera. So when I’m working on a performance, I’m able to say to the actor, ‘Please do what you would do naturally. I don’t want to get in the way of your instincts.’

“And we’ll try that take. Then ...

[I say] ‘All right, let’s try it this way, and we’ll start to amalgamate both of our instincts together.’”

On directing as well as acting in Whip It ...

“I wanted to be getting injured in there with them.

I think that instead of being just a leader, there’s something different about a coach. I feel like a coach is in the dugout; they’re with the team; they’re sweating it out with them, inspiring them, motivating them to go farther.

“I didn’t want to be the guy who, like, owned the team and sat up in a glass box, up and away, you know? Be a sideline dictator. For me, it was really great to feel like I was in it with everyone and knew what they were going through.”

On what it was like making the film ...

“It definitely did not meet my expectations on any level. It’s a 24-hours-aday, 7-days-a-week job. You have to love something so much that you’re willing to get out of bed for three years and focus all of your passion and all of your attention on something.”

— Vaman Muppala

Whip It good

BY VAMAN MUPPALA Senior staff writer

There are a number of unexpected, yet absolutely right, moments in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It. One of them is prominently featured in the trailer. Bliss Cavender (Ellen Page, Smart People), a beauty pageant contestant by day, punk by night, is accosted by a table of classmates in the restaurant she works in.

With typical small town (Bodeen, Texas) attitude firmly entrenched, the queen of the pack asks her, “So what are you, like, alternative now?” Dumbfounded, with those big, vulnerable eyes we’ve come to love, Page replies, “Alternative to what?”

It’s a great sequence because it captures what the life of a teenage misfit is: unsure, tentative and trapped between two worlds, not quite sure which one is more accepting. There are no rebels in the world of Whip It — just people looking for a family.

Bliss’ first world revolves around her beauty-queen-turned-letter-carrier mother, Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden, The Maiden Heist). Her well-meaning father Earl (Daniel Stern, Red State Blues) is too consumed by football and beer to notice or put up much of a counterbalance, while her young sister Shania (Eulala Scheel, Home) is already rehearsing her Miss America speech. The familiar premise of a tyrannical mother living through

Classified CALL

Ellen Page shines in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut

From left, Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page and Kristen Wiig star in Whip It. COURTESY MOVIEWEB.COM

her daughter certainly applies here, but the execution is so good that all is forgiven.

Bliss’ way out, competitive roller derby in Austin, Texas, with The Hurl Scouts, is surprisingly treated with the respect it deserves. We see Bliss charge and scrape her way to skating proficiency, and nothing is given to her. Every small victory has to be earned.

Eventually, though, she makes it onto the team and announces her presence saying, “I’m Bliss, but I can change that.” Sparked by the arrival of the teenage speedster now known as “Babe Ruthless,” The Hurl Scouts abandon their chant of, “We’re No. 2,” and begin that classic sports movie trajectory from also-ran to underdog with the faint shot at the grand prize.

Barr ymore, Kristen Wiig (Sat-

urday Night Live) and Eve (Flashbacks of a Fool) all play Hurl Scouts. The way the women form a protective cocoon around Bliss as she grows up, meets boys and becomes a woman is the true arc to watch, not what happens on the scoreboard.

Of course, hackneyed elements are somewhat of a necessity, such as the jeering rival Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis, Metropia), the last-second confessions and the even more last second resolution.

With such a plot, it would seem that nothing could give Whip It legitimacy and stop its slide into cliché. Though her presence is not always felt, Barrymore keeps complete control of the enterprise. It’s

always about the characters and not about some lofty idea of feminism in which bashing heads on a track liberates one from the beautyobsessed culture.

It becomes clear roller derby is a means to the end of self-identity.

Bliss doesn’t exactly find herself but finds a way to balance her two sides and form a clearer idea of who she is and what she wants.

At times, the film does strain for credibility. We know the filmmakers are trying too hard when both MGMT’s “Kids” and Radiohead’s “Let Down” are featured so prominently. Likewise, Jimmy Fallon (The Year of Getting to Know Us) brings a lot of effort to the table as “Hot Tub” Johnny Rocket but continues a long career of unfunniness.

Still, it’s easy to excuse those faults for a film that delivers so often and so competently. Nobody could have guessed in the days of Charlie’s Angels Barrymore would make a name for herself as a director. Now, it is quite clear she has stumbled onto something quite substantial in Whip It. For once, Hollywood has created a complete, female, adolescent character that is neither a rebel nor a cheerleader, someone who has to incrementally find her own place in such a turbulent time — one fully felt bruise at a time. vmain13@umdbk.com

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

After Tuesday’s loss, men’s soccer heads down to Duke Set-piece production the focus as Terps look to rebound from 2-0 defeat at GMU

BY JONAS SHAFFER Staff writer

Earlier this week, Terrapin men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski led his team back to the drawing board in preparation for tonight’s match at No. 15 Duke.

After four of the first nine goals the Terps scored this season came in setpiece situations — corner kicks, free kicks or penalty kicks — not one of their last five tallies has come off a restart, leading Cirovski to focus more in recent practices on the team’s set piece strategy than he probably expected he would have to.

Surprisingly, the Terps have done less recently even as they’ve had more opportunities than earlier in the season.

The team converted two of their first 17 corner kicks to start the season, but since defender Ethan White’s header early in the second half of the team’s 7-0 rout of Duquesne on Sept. 15, the squad hasn’t capitalized on any of their 34 corner kick opportunities.

The Terps were unlikely to sustain their white-hot dead ball proficiency — typically, a far higher percentage of a team’s goals are scored in the run of play — and Cirovski

admitted the drop in success was somewhat expected. Still, Cirovski said it’s all fixable.

“Other teams have seen that we’ve been successful and have done a better job at trying to stop it,” Cirovski said. “You never want to show all of your cards on set pieces too early in the season, and you’re adjusting and adding different components and pieces throughout the season.”

The Terps’ 51 corner kicks are more than double that of their opponents. In eight games, the team has had to defend just 20 corners, or 2.5 per game.

Though it’s largely indicative of a team’s possession time and scoring opportunities, the differential in dead ball opportunities doesn’t win games alone.

Statistics like corner kick and free kick totals only hold explicit value if the acts themselves are successful.

Many a Terp opponent learned that the hard way last year.

Set piece goals were a consistently dangerous weapon for the Terps last season. But it was how and when the Terps scored those goals that mattered.

Early in the season, the Terps forced overtime in an eventual 2-1 win over No. 14 UCLA after a header

Forward Matt Oduaran and the Terps hope to make more out of set pieces at Duke tonight. The Terps are coming off a 2-0 loss Tuesday at George Mason. ALLISON AKERS/THE DIAMONDBACK

from defender Sean Flatley found the net in the 90th minute.

In a win over No. 25 Duke, defender Omar Gonzalez headed in the lone goal off a corner from midfielder Matt Kassel.

In a 1-0 victory against Creighton, midfielder Rodney Wallace’s diving header off a free kick helped the Terps advance to their fifth College Cup in seven years.

And against No. 3 seed St. Johns in the College Cup semifinal, midfielder Graham Zusi’s unforgettable looping 26-yard free kick pushed the Terps

one step closer to their third National Championship.

This year’s Terps have been just as proficient on restarts — four of 14 of their scores have come off set pieces — but not nearly as lethal.

Three of the team’s four tallies came in the Duquesne blowout.

The last before that game — a late header by defender Kevin Tangney off a Kassel corner to go up two against Boston College — clinched a game the Terps already had well in hand.

The Terps failed to take advantage

of several late-game free kicks and corners against George Mason on Tuesday, and they won’t have any more breathing room against Duke.

The Blue Devils have allowed only one goal off a set piece all year. And this time around, the 6-foot-5 Gonzalez won’t be available.

“It’s not all about the size,” Cirovski said. “It’s about the timing and breaking away from your man.

We’re trying to get other guys to step up a little bit.” shaffer@umdbk.com

Terps hope to finally make noise in the ACC No. 1 Field hockey faces No. 3 Virginia Women’s soccer has struggled in conference so far

BY KATE YANCHULIS Senior staff writer

Right now, the Terrapin field hockey team is in a lull of what seems like a battle against its schedule: A run of four games in 11 days ended Tuesday, but another taxing stretch of three games in nine days starts today against No. 3 Virginia.

But coach Missy Meharg said she has a strategy.

“You just need to think of the regular season like a three-and-ahalf-month tournament,” Meharg said.

Meharg has a penchant for competition, so her view of the season as yet another playoff scenario is no surprise.

But the team’s busy nature as of late does bear certain similarities to a tournament.

Most of the Terps’ opponents are in the top 20 in the latest poll and have good chances to qualify for the 16-team NCAA Tournament. The No. 1 Terps (11-0, 2-0 ACC) have only one unranked foe, Delaware, remaining on their schedule, and the Blue Hens earned the third-highest vote total of unranked teams in Tuesday’s poll.

The progression of the games

also mirrors a tournament. The team started out against lowerlevel opponents and worked its way up, maintaining its winning streak. It got past a scare against American, the equivalent of a lower seed, on Tuesday.

“Now we’ve made it through the first rounds,” Meharg said.

“And we’re getting into the exciting time of the tournament, with the meat of the ACC schedule coming up and so many top teams.”

When facing an ACC regularseason schedule, however, the comparison stretches only so far.

If the Terps were in a tournament, they would not have to face the Cavaliers (11-0, 1-0 ACC) until at least the semifinals — the same round the teams met in last year’s ACC Tournament. The Terps nearly lost to Virginia before tying the game in the final minutes and winning in overtime. And the Cavaliers are even better this season, claiming their best start in 30 years.

“This game really is going to showcase one of the best ACC battles this season,” Meharg said.

The Terps want to make up for their lack of scoring against American. Thwarted by a tough Eagles backfield, the attack had

one of its lowest shooting and scoring outputs of the season.

“Now we know what we were doing, and we can come back a little bit fresher and a little bit stronger,” back Emma Thomas said.

But Virginia’s defense will be tougher. They have the second lowest goals-against average in the country at .40, a full goal lower than American. Of the Cavaliers’ 11 wins, seven have been shutouts.

At the same time, the Cavaliers are coming off a scare of their own: They escaped with a narrow 4-3 win at Richmond on Wednesday after allowing the most goals by an opponent all season.

The Terps hope to not only put their troubles to bed but also to jump on Virginia out of the gate so they can really get into “tournament mode.”

“They love the challenge of a tougher opponent — the pace, the energy, the tempo,” Meharg said. “I think the faster it goes, the more fun they have. And now we’re at the point where the schedule really picks up, too, and we just get going.” kyanchulis@umdbk.com

BY CHRIS ECKARD Staff writer

Entering conference play with an undefeated record, a top-20 ranking and the program’s best start since 1996, the Terrapin women’s soccer team at one point looked destined to change their past ACC failures.

But a road trip to Florida ruined the parade. Losses to Florida State and Miami brought more questions than answers for a team that had yet to be challenged on the conference stage.

In Sunday’s match in Durham, N.C., against Duke, the No. 24 Terps (8-2, 0-2 ACC) are hoping to answer those questions and prove their nonconference run was not a fluke.

“At the end of the day, we won eight games in an as tough, or tougher, nonconference schedule than the rest of the country,” coach Brian Pensky said. “We played a Florida State team that is topfive in the country, and we played them pretty respectably. All that matters is the people in the locker room

believe in themselves.”

The defense, which has been a staple for Pensky’s teams in the past, has struggled in set piece play. All four goals allowed during the Florida trip came in those situations. Just last season, the Terps lost to the Blue Devils on a corner kick, much like how Miami beat them last Sunday.

But Pensky has been working harder this week with his offense than his defense. The team was held scoreless for the first time all season against Miami. In the past five games, only two Terps have scored: forward Jasmyne Spencer and midfielder Molly Dreska.

Spencer has been the goalscoring standard for the team all season, but she hasn’t received much help recently.

“We have become the Jasmyne Spencer show, and we need to get more people involved,” Pensky said. “We have become a little bit too dependent on her the last few games.”

To start the season, the Terps scored 12 goals in their first four games. But their

DETWEILER from page 8 that seven ACC teams already have one conference loss, there’s at least an opportunity to gain back some of the respect lost in the last few weeks.

“Saying we’re ‘0-0 in the ACC’ is just a mentality that if we win this week, we’ll be tied for first place [in the conference’s Atlantic Division],” center Phil Costa said. “Then maybe we can keep winning, if we can correct our mistakes. You can’t forget about why you lost, but if you can fix your mistakes, you can be successful.”

That’s the hope right now.

The chance to be competitive in the ACC is a motivating final straw to grab at before chalking this up as a lost season.

But if the conference plays out anything like last season, there’s little hope for a happy ending. The Terps found themselves in the hunt for a spot in the conference title game into the last two weeks of the regular season, and they still ended up 4-4 in conference play.

This season, that same mark will keep the Terps out of postseason play for the first time since 2005.

Wide receiver Adrian Cannon said the Terps have moved

offensive persistence has trailed off as they have scored only seven times in the past six games.

“This weekend, we lacked energy, both on the bench and on the field,” forward Ashley Grove said. “We had a bunch of chances, but we were unlucky. This week, we have been working on finishing those chances.”

Duke (4-4-2, 0-1) enters the match coming off an overtime loss to North Carolina, the reigning national champion.

Both teams are looking for a win to vault out of the bottom of the conference standings. The Terps know a loss would symbolize a repeat of the past three years — when they also started conference play with three consecutive defeats.

“On any given day, any team can win if you have a certain amount of talent,” Pensky said. “I believe we can win a good number of games in the ACC. We can also lose a lot of games in this conference if we don’t improve from the set pieces and on offense.” eckard@umdbk.com

past their failed early-season goals, such as scoring a statement-making road win at Cal and going undefeated at Byrd Stadium. Now, they are focused on getting better and on a future that is, at least for now, as bright as they make it.

Even the Orange Bowl is within reach — in theory.

“I haven’t thrown in the towel one bit. I’m still thinking about winning,” Friedgen said this week. “I’m still thinking about winning the ACC. That’s just the way I am. I’m not going to change.”

Let’s hope ACC play is as wonderful as everyone claims.

In this alternative world, running back Da’Rel Scott might have a dependable offensive line to open up gaping holes.

Defensive coordinator Don Brown could live up to his mad scientist, defensive genius billing from fall camp.

Maybe Turner ends his career in style with more of his former big-game magic during a late-season conference charge.

So, go ahead. Drink the Terps’ Kool-Aid. Walk into the light. Embrace the last gasp of a troubled team.

Just don’t be surprised when things are pretty much the same on the other side. edetweiler@umdbk.com

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8

THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009

Sports

Go online for weekend coverage Check Terrapintrail.com for continuous coverage of all Terp sports this weekend and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DBKSports for instant updates.

TERPGAMEDAY

THE MATCHUP

Maryland Terrapins

Clemson Tigers 2-2 (1-1 ACC)

1-3 (0-0 ACC)

WHEN: Tomorrow, Noon ET WHERE: Byrd Stadium, College Park T.V.: ESPNU LINE: Clemson by 13 DATA: Last year, the Terps upset then-No. 20 Clemson 20-17 in Death Valley thanks to an 11-point second-half comeback.

TERPTRACKER 2009 TEAM STATS Passing (ypg) Rushing (ypg) Total (ypg) Points per game Opponents ppg Avg. Time of Possession

CU

TERPS

178.5 148.8 327.3 24.8 16.3 31:00

242.8 112.0 354.8 23.8 38.2 29:54

TOUGH LOVE In a nod to classic football movies The Program and Remember the Titans, Terp coach Ralph Friedgen put a football in the hands of running back Da’Rel Scott and told him not to lose it.

Scott has carried a football around campus recently as a measure of Friedgen’s attempt to teach his team the importance of ball security. The ninth-year head coach has admitted he’s reaching deep, looking for any measure that might add up to an improvement from the team’s last two games, losses to Middle Tennessee and Rutgers, in which the Terps have committed nine turnovers.

After the Middle Tennessee loss on Sept. 19, Friedgen announced a new regime for his team. “I’m not going to be worried about guys legs or how they feel,” Friedgen said following the loss. “They’re going to start worrying about how I feel.

We’re going back to work.”

Since, he’s turned off warm-up music before practice. He’s turned off period clocks, forcing players to get their drills and plays correct in all facets before moving onto the next set. He’s charting turnovers in practice and making the offense do up-downs for each committed. After the Terps committed 10 penalties against Rutgers, he’s brought in referees to call penalties. And he’s got his starting running back carrying around a football, hoping to address Scott’s three fumbles in the past two games.

“I’m doing anything — I’m pulling out all stops,” Friedgen said, knocking on wood as he added the team hadn’t turned the ball over in practice Wednesday or Thursday.

“I get very upset with turnovers,” he added. “I’m trying to keep my poise, but it’s wearing me out. I know my staff’s tired of hearing it. I know the players are tired of hearing it. But I’m tired of seeing it, too. I’d just like to give ourselves a chance.

We haven’t done that the last two games. Just to see what we can do when we don’t beat ourselves.”

SERIES HISTORY ALL-TIME SERIES Clemson leads 30-25-2 LAST MEETING 2008

RECENT MEETINGS 2008 (A) 2007 (H) 2006 (A)

W, Terps 20, Clemson 17 L, Clemson 30, Terps 17 W, Terps 13, Clemson 12

The student section at Byrd Stadium empties out quickly during the Terps’ 34-13 loss to Rutgers. With the team’s 1-3 start, attendance might be down again for tomorrow’s ACC opener against Clemson. ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

BYRD’S EMPTY NEST Early season difficulties have left Terps struggling to fill Byrd Stadium for ACC opener

BY ADI JOSEPH Senior staff writer

With each Terrapin turnover, the aisles of Byrd Stadium began to crowd. With each penalty, it seemed another thousand red-clad fans vanished.

As Rutgers quarterback Domenic Natale took the game’s final kneel, running out the clock in a 34-13 Scarlet Knight win last Saturday, the cold, wet gray of the bleachers had become the dominant color in the student section. A few stragglers watched as the Terps waited out the seconds until their third loss of the season became official, but many had left before the fourth quarter began, even with the Terps down just seven points.

In three non-conference home games this season, the Terps have averaged just 44,500 fans per game.

That’s well behind last year’s average of 48,899 for three nonconference home games, and it’s a far cry from Byrd’s 51,000 capacity. Season ticket sales have dropped each of the past four seasons, and average attendance has fallen

financially, as most concessions and apparel sales come pregame and at halftime, but “certainly, there’s an advantage to having a full stadium,” he added.

Students interviewed said generally said the losses have been frustrating. But many said they would continue showing up week-in and week-out, even after admitting to leaving early in several games.

Every student interviewed has heard rumblings from friends about the team’s struggles. But most said they would continue going to games regardless.

“They’re disappointing,” said sophomore government major Jenn Startzel, who said she goes to games primarily for social reasons.

“It’d be nice if we won, but I’m not going to stop going just for that.”

Free tickets, of course, make returning to Byrd Stadium a weekly tradition for many students.

And with the team off to its worst start since 1997, the “free factor” may be crucial to continued student support.

“I think people would just stop going,” sophomore criminology and criminal justice major Andrew Ross said, when asked about how the student body would react to being

asked to pay for tickets. Many universities charge students reduced rates for single-game and season ticket packages.

The Terp players said fan presence has little in-game impact on them. Several said they had not noticed the fans leaving early last week.

But coach Ralph Friedgen has told his players in the past that it’s part of their job to make the fans want to come to the games by playing well.

So far this season, the Terps have struggled to do their job. And after a 21-point loss to a mediocre Rutgers team, they recognize fan support isn’t at the top of their list of worries.

“We just focused on us and trying to play the best that we can,” safety Terrell Skinner said this week. “We don’t go into games thinking, ‘We gotta play well so we get X amount of fans, and we got the new boxes in.’ Nobody really thinks about that.”

Yet if the Terps can solve their onfield issues, those bleacher problems may right themselves. “Just like everything, if you build it, they’ll come,” Skinner added. ajoseph@umdbk.com

2

Clean slate, HEAD HEAD empty hopes

KEY MATCHUP

ERIC

DETWEILER

TERP OT BRUCE CAMPBELL VS. CLEMSON DEFENSIVE ENDS This is one of those absolutely terrifying key matchups where, when you see these physical specimens, you fully expect someone to come out of a pile without a head.

Campbell (inset), Chris Turner’s blindside protector, can bench press almost 500 pounds. He’s coming back from a turf toe injury that has limited his mobility, but he expects to be in much better shape this week than he was last week against Rutgers, when he missed a few crucial assignments, leading to at least one turnover.

And he better be. Da’Quan Bowers (top) and Ricky Sapp (below) are ferocious pass rushers, and two of the ACC’s top defensive ends. They’ll provide a real challenge for a recovering Campbell on the weakside and right tackle Paul Pinegar, who is recovering from a bruised butt.

hard since 2006, when the Terps averaged 52,426 at home games.

This, in the inaugural year for the Tyser Tower additions of luxury boxes and mezzanine seating, for which sales have stalled.

Yesterday, administrators sent out an e-mail to students, serving as a reminder of tomorrow’s ACC season opener against Clemson. As of noon Thursday, just 6,461 of more than 10,000 allotted student tickets had been claimed, according to the Athletics Department. But even when students and fans get their tickets and make it to the game, getting them to stay there has been a problem the past two weeks, in losses to Middle Tennessee and Rutgers.

Senior Associate Athletics Director Brian Ullmann said the team’s struggles — starting with a 52-13 blowout loss at California to open the season — have had an impact with fans of all sorts.

“I think that what we’ve seen is that it’s across the board,” Ullmann said. “Wins and losses obviously matter to ticket sales, and that plays a role whether you’re a season ticket holder or single-game holder or student.”

Ullmann said the effect of fans leaving late in games is negligible

T

hroughout a disastrous nonconference schedule, the Terrapin football team has held onto a sliver of hope.

For weeks, the team has seemed to be spiraling out of control through youthful mistakes and poor execution. But in the distance loomed a shiny beacon.

It seemed to be a place where an embarrassing blowout on national TV, a home loss to a Sun Belt conference foe and even an ugly five-turnover debacle could be forgotten.

Who cares that the Terps (1-3) have massively underperformed during the weakest part of their schedule?

Welcome to ACC play.

“We’ve kind of seen it all right now,”

quarterback Chris Turner said.

“And we’re pretty prepared for the ACC, I think.”

When the Terps take on Clemson at Byrd Stadium tomorrow, we’ll find out for sure. If the answer is “yes” and the Terps can string together a few wins, it will be a feel-good story, a testament to coach Ralph Friedgen’s best bounceback effort yet. If not, it will be a long final two months in College Park — or at least two weeks until the men’s basketball team starts practicing.

It’s easy to understand why the Terps have been so anxiously awaiting their first ACC tilt. After four games in which it was generally assumed the Terps would find three wins, the team ranks 10th in the conference in scoring offense and last in scoring defense. Simply put, while other teams battled for early control of the conference, the Terps have been struggling to solve their own issues — with little success.

The Terps seem to understand their chances to avoid being a conference laughingstock are dwindling. But given

see DETWEILER, page 7

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Clemson has struggled at quarterback, with baseball player Kyle Parker thrust into action and completing less than 50 percent of his passes. But running back C.J. Spiller is one of the nation’s best.

Oh, and after last week, the Terps aren’t getting this category against any team in the country.

Clemson is annually among the most talented and athletic teams in the conference, and this team is no exception. The Tigers boast a top-caliber defensive line and secondary.

The Terps showed tremendous improvement against Rutgers, but they’re not on the same level.

SPECIAL TEAMS

COACHING

Spiller and teammate Jacoby Ford are two of the best return men in the country, and the Tigers have three touchdown returns already this year.

The Terps are without All-ACC punter Travis Baltz, and Friedgen has not been satisfied with coverage or return units so far this season.

Both of these teams could easily have another win, possibly two, on their records.

While those losses are often chalked up to coaching, it’s tough to say exactly how much Dabo Swinney or Friedgen could do with inexperience at key positions. But Swinney has the edge as he’s stayed off the hot seat.

INTANGIBLES

PREDICTION

The intangibles don’t particularly stack up in either team’s favors, until you consider the Terps’ turnover and penalty issues that have led them to miserable field position in recent weeks.

That could prove to be the deciding factor this week — if the Terps can even keep it close.

24 10 Want an explanation? Go to TerrapinTrail.com.