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FLYING HIGH THE MORE WE KNOW Terps upend No. 4 Eagles with last-minute game-winner SPORTS | PAGE 8

Friday, October 8, 2010

Life as We Know It is yet another mediocre romantic comedy DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

THE DIAMONDBACK THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Our 101ST Year, No. 30

Even with hires, Grad student arrested for assault departments still struggling Student charged with molesting female student in student union yesterday

BY BEN PRESENT Staff writer

Officials wait to fill some vacant positions until economy betters

BY LEAH VILLANUEVA Staff writer

In the months following the end of the university’s hiring freeze, officials are working to fill the most critical vacant staff positions in their departments.

Deans and department heads added, however, that many of their operations will continue to be stretched thin until the economy improves.

During the freeze — which was officially lifted in July — and the past few years preceding it, many colleges and offices were blocked from replacing employees who left their posts, leaving voids in the university in fields from maintenance to marketing.

In the business school, most of the vacant positions are high-level office staff in its career services, marketing communications and executive education offices, Dean Anand Anandalingam said.

Although his college has been able to get by with its existing staffing levels, he said he is grateful it won’t need to indefinitely.

“It certainly provides a lot of relief,” Anandalingam said. “And just the thought that we can go and increase our human resources and that there’s more help coming our way, it makes both psychological relief and

see STAFF, page 3

Internet loss due to overload of new OIT system

University Police arrested a graduate student and are charging him with sexually assaulting a fellow student at Stamp Student Union near the Maryland Food Co-op yesterday afternoon, police said.

Adan Martinez Cruz allegedly approached a female student from behind, wrapped his arm around her and ran his hands up her legs under her skirt and onto her buttocks before running away at 2:12 p.m., police said.

After the incident, the woman immediately approached police officers who were in the

student union and described her assailant to them. Police found Martinez Cruz 30 minutes later on the ground floor of the student union, where the woman identified him before police took him to the central processing unit in Hyattsville.

Martinez Cruz had shed a green sweater he was wearing at the time of the incident, police said, but he did little else to hide from police.

“People do some strange things,” University Police spokesman Marc Limansky said.

Martinez Cruz is being charged with a fourth degree sexual offense, second degree

see ASSAULT, page 3 ADAN MARTINEZ CRUZ

Fasting to feed Students donate their lunch money to local charity

BY CLAIRE SARAVIA Staff writer

Stomachs across the campus grumbled yesterday as hungry students went without food. They weren’t out of dining points, and they weren’t on a hunger strike.

They were fasting to appreciate a reality for impoverished people in every corner of the world: what it feels like to go without food.

The annual Fast-a-thon was created to educate students on the Muslim culture and what it feels like to go a day without eating — a reality for many in the Washington area and across the globe. Both Muslim and non-Muslim students donated the money they would have spent on a lunch yesterday to So Others Might Eat, a Washington-based organization created to feed its large population of homeless people.

“There are many people out there who never eat and are always

see CHARITY, page 2

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik (left), community outreach director at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., spoke to students breaking fast last night in Stamp Student Union.

Department vows to fix bugs in wireless connectivity soon

BY YASMEEN ABUTALEB Staff writer

After days of student complaints, OIT officials said they have a fix for the campus’ buggy Internet.

Tim Shortall, Office of Information Technology manager of design development, blamed losses of wireless Internet connectivity on a system of new wireless controllers that wasn’t configured to handle the high usage the campus has experienced this semester. “[This problem] doesn’t happen every semester, but what we’re finding is the users are definitely using the system more and more, so we’re doing everything we can to get ahead of the curve,” Shortall said. “The gear we put in place this summer was the right gear; now it’s just a matter of tweaking it” to maximize the use of all the servers associated with the wireless system, he said.

The office upgraded to new wireless controllers — equipment that “serve as the brains of the wireless network” — to accommodate the large number of users officials were anticipating, OIT spokeswoman Phyllis Dickerson Johnson said.

“The number of users at the beginning of this semester is actually smaller than the number we had at the end of last semester, and as the number ramps up we have to accommodate the load,” Shortall said.

see INTERNET, page 2

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

PHOTOS BY ORLANDO URBINA/THE DIAMONDBACK

Doctorate programs earn top national rankings Graduate school officials lauds further changes to improve programs

BY LEAH VILLANUEVA Staff writer

Doctoral programs at this university are among the best in the country, according to a newly released national study, and officials said changes are coming to make them even better.

The National Research Council assessed doctoral programs from 212 universities based on data collected mostly during the 2005-2006 academic year. About 36 of this university’s doctoral programs were ranked among the top 25 in their field.

This university’s aerospace engineering, agricultural and resource economics, comparative literature, computer science, geography,

Sunny/70s

INDEX

linguistics, atmospheric and oceanic science, and public policy doctoral programs were among the highest rated, according to a university press release.

“It is yet another objective confirmation of the outstanding quality CHARLES CARAMELLO of graduate education and research on our GRADUATE SCHOOL campus,” graduate DEAN school Dean Charles Caramello wrote in an e-mail.

However, the new rankings drew just as

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

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

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

much confusion as gratification because they do not give definitive numerical rankings, but rather placed universities in ranges. According to the council, ranking the programs in numerical order would be misleading because factors such as fluctuations from year to year and differences in faculty views vary greatly.

Sifting through the wealth of data will require a bit of work, university officials said.

“It seems like a complex piece of research,” women’s studies doctoral student Julie Enszer said. “It also had a very dense data gathering process … it seems overall it’s an important study that gives us some information on how

see PROGRAMS, page 2

www.diamondbackonline.com

2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010

PROGRAMS

STANDOUT PROGRAMS

from page 1

Students pray before eating at yesterday’s Fast-a-thon event.

CHARITY from page 1 fasting,” Muslim Students Association President Areeb Quasem said. “When you fast for a day, you’re more aware of what people around the world go through daily.”

The event, which usually occurs during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, was organized by the MSA and the Muslim Women of Mar yland, two student groups at the university, and held in Stamp Student Union’s Grand Ballroom.

Last year, the event was canceled because Ramadan conflicted with the start of the school year and organizers were concerned students would be too preoccupied with busy schedules to attend the event, Quasem said.

Although Ramadan ended at the beginning of September this year, Quasem said the event still coincided with the Islamic month of Shawwal, where Muslims can choose to fast for an additional six days.

Muslim Women of Mar yland Vice President Shabnom Khan said the event’s goal to help the hungr y also helped teach students about

INTERNET from page 1 “Part of the [Internet] problem is the loads are getting up there, so we’re looking to make some changes to readdress the issues.”

Freshman animal science major Alicja Reczynska said OIT should work on more than just fixing the Internet.

“I feel like they should send an e-mail to everyone addressing that there is a problem, and they’re doing everything to fix it, just so it seems like they’re actually doing something about it,” Reczynska said.

“It’s really frustrating so far,” said Tom Deahl, a sophomore marketing major. “I think it definitely should be a top priority for OIT because you’re supposed to be able to get Internet every-

“I believe we’ve done our best to address these issues, and we are close to resolving the issue.”

TIM SHORTALL OIT DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

ORLANDO URBINA/THE DIAMONDBACK

the true teachings of Islam as a religion.

“It’s a way to educate the campus community of some of the values Islam holds,” Khan said.

Although the event emphasizes the Muslim practice of fasting, many non-Muslim students were affected by the message to be aware of those less fortunate.

Maddy Bersch, a non-Muslim freshman Arabic studies and government and politics major, said fasting for the day made her appreciate the reassurance of always having a hot meal.

“I thought it was important to come here because I never grew up without food,” Bersch said. “It’s important to have solidarity with those who can’t eat.”

Although students aren’t required to fast before attending the event, Muslim freshman business major Hareem Mannan said it gives students a unique perspective they can’t get anywhere else.

“When we fast, it’s easier for us to empathize with those who are hungr y because we’re hungr y all day,” Mannan said. “It makes it more real to people.”

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, the director of community

where, and that hasn’t been happening this week.”

Freshman biology major Jordan Wolfe put it the most bluntly: “The Internet still sucks.”

Shortall and Johnson said OIT is working out the kinks of the new system.

“I believe we’ve done our best to address these issues, and we are close to resolving the issue,” Shortall said.

Shortall added that with a system this large, are constantly little problems are the norm.

“Sometimes the problems are users’ issues, and sometimes they’re things outside of our control with the Internet,” he said.

“The monitoring system is activated 24/7, so we’re constantly watching for issues, and we try to be proactive about monitoring those issues.”

Shortall and Johnson said these Internet issues have only occurred in the past week, and that students need to call the help desk whenever they experience problems with the server.

“When people call in, we can pinpoint exactly where they are, what kind of equipment they’re using and so on, so we can address the problem much faster,” Johnson said. “The more specifics we can get, the better.” abutaleb@umdbk.com

MORE ONLINE

www.diamondbackonline.com CITY SEEKS STUDENTS AT SATURDAY EVENT Tomorrow, the city will join residents and students in the first-ever College Park Day. Combining 60 city and university organizations and more than 100 volunteers, officials hope the event will bring together different local communities.

The event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at the College Park Community Center at 5051 Pierce Ave., and the Student Government Association will provide transportation from the campus.

For more details, visit www.diamondbackonline.com.

STUDENT PANEL TAKES ON HOMOPHOBIA Even at this university, diversity does not preclude prejudice, students at a lecture on homophobia said yesterday. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students said this university is relatively liberal and accepting but that it hasn’t yet reached equality among sexual orientations.

Read more about “Discussions of Fear: Homophobia” at www.diamondbackonline.com.

outreach at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., was the guest speaker at the event. In his speech, he called on students to see food as an indulgence, not a privilege.

“Our problem is not a problem of human resources; there’s no shortage of food on this planet,” Abdul-Malik said to attendees. “What we lack is will and consciousness.”

Abdul-Malik was a controversial and prominent figure in the news in March when critics protested his scheduled appearance to deliver the opening prayer at a Virginia House of Delegates floor session, accusing him of condoning violence and sympathizing with terrorists — an allegation Abdul-Malik and other religious leaders denied.

Overall, the bounty of food and the warm welcomes from Muslim student event organizers left a positive impression on students who attended.

“It was a lot more personal than I thought it would be,” non-Muslim senior government and politics major Rahul Desai said. “I’ve been to so many campus events and have never seen anything so strong and unified.” saravia@umdbk.com

we can improve our graduate programs by comparing it to others in the country.”

According to Caramello, the graduate school is collaborating with the provost’s office and institutional research, planning and assessment office to examine and decipher the meaning behind the measurements.

“We’re analyzing it and trying to make sense of it,” Provost and acting university President Nariman Farvardin said. “It was just released, but it’s very exciting and promising.”

The study’s rankings are built on data collected several years ago, Caramello said the university’s doctoral programs have only flourished further and concerted efforts have been made to better recruit and support the research of the best and brightest doctoral students. He added the university has conducted an extensive review of its 83 doctoral programs in the past two years.

This past spring, the university announced its intention to admit about 100 fewer doctoral students and decrease overall enrollment in doctoral programs 10 percent by 2013. Having fewer students enrolled, Caramello said, would allow them to receive greater support in terms of mentorship, advising and finances.

Graduate Student Government Vice President for Academic Affairs Jill Gribbin said the graduate school is making strides by creating new fellow-

After the National Research Council surveyed more than 5000 doctoral programs at 212 institutions, as many as 36 programs at this university were ranked among the top 25 in their field. They include: Aerospace engineering Agricultural and resource economics Comparative literature Computer science Geography Linguistics Atmospheric and oceanic science Public policy ships for doctoral students. For example, last semester the university extended the McNair Fellowship — a first-year financial support package with a $1,800 stipend which was previously only offered to undergraduates — to graduate students, she said.

One of the most successful doctoral fellowships thus far has been the three-year-old Flagship Fellowship program, which awards prominent doctoral students up to $40,000 in supplemental financial aid over four to five years.

Linguistics doctoral student and graduate student senator Yakov Kronrod, though he is not a Flagship Fellow himself, said he understands the effectiveness of such programs in enhancing the quality of doctoral programs.

“It’s definitely given us a lot of great Ph.D. students that we otherwise would have lost to other colleges who traditionally are seen as having better doctoral programs historically,” he said.

While Gribbin said she definitely supported new fellow-

ships, she did not agree with the idea of enrolling fewer students. She added that some departments, such as English, need more graduate students, not less.

“If we want to maintain a high level of research success, we really need to enroll a lot of good graduate students,” she said.

Gribbin said if the university wants to effectively enhance doctoral programs, it should be done through more program-specific evaluation than sweeping, university-wide changes.

“How do you define a good doctoral program?” she said.

“Is it the most papers you publish? Is it the most students who get good jobs? ... I think what it comes down to is having the individual departments looking at how they can make their own programs better, because to make a very broad change and say ‘This is good for everyone’ wouldn’t work.” villanueva@umdbk.com.

Senior staff writer Lauren Redding contributed to this report.

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

STAFF from page 1 emotional relief.”

In the agricultural and natural resource school, Dean Cheng-i Wei said he has received many requests for new hires since the freeze was lifted. Budgets remain tight, he said, but he would like to take stress off employees who have been forced to do multiple jobs to compensate for the vacant posts.

“Ever ybody had to do more for less,” he said.

“They understand the economic situations and what they have to do and to help, but after a while, eventually they are exhausted.”

Other deans specifically mentioned a need to hire employees in advising, research and budget offices.

Outside the academic departments, Facilities Management is looking to fill about 20 positions, mostly to work with the university’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, but also for managerial posts in work control and housekeeping offices, said Nancy Yeroshefsky, the department’s assistant director for human resources and payroll.

Although that hiring would only put a dent in about 100 total vacancies in the department, Yeroshefsky said employees seemed to step up to the challenge of maintaining the quality of service despite the shortage.

“We’ve had to work a little harder and a little smarter,” she said.

“We got creative about doing the same work without having the same people.”

Several Facilities Management workers said having to do more work with fewer coworkers in the past few years has been tr ying and hoped the end of the hiring freeze

3

“The lift of the hiring freeze is a relief, but it does not in itself provide resources. Until we know the budget picture for next year we will need to be cautious.”

JAMES HARRIS DEAN OF THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES COLLEGE

would bring in some new hands.

“We’ve lost three or four people last year,” said an employee who asked not to be named to avoid repercussions for talking to a reporter. “Working shorthanded has been difficult.”

The staffing shortage even extended to the upper administrative level. Provost and acting university President Nariman Far vardin said his own office has been understaffed, but he added that it has no immediate plans for new hires.

While deans said the end of the hiring freeze certainly makes it easier to address staffing problems, they recognized it did not signal the end of the persisting budget problems or replenish lost resources.

“The lift of the hiring freeze is a relief, but it does not in itself provide resources,” James Harris, dean of the arts and humanities college, wrote in an email.

“Until we know the budget picture for next year we will need to be cautious.” villanueva@umdbk.com

Here’s a formula I know you’ll love: Your old stuff +DBK Classified

Students of the One Project, which is offering a freshmen orientation class to members or allies of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for the first time, bond inside the classroom and out. PHOTO COURTESY OF DIAN SQUIRE

The One Project unifies LGBT students In wake of recent suicides among college students, special UNIV 100 section works even harder to create sense of community for freshmen

BY MELISSA QUIJADA Staff writer

Yesterday, they talked about the suicides.

A dozen first-year students in the university’s One Project — a specialized section of UNIV 100 offered to members or allies of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community — sat in a classroom yesterday afternoon, discussing the recent string of suicides among young people taunted about their perceived sexual orientations.

Now more than ever, organizers said, they wanted to make sure students feel secure.

“The students were asked if they felt safe in their halls,” said Dian Squire, assistant director of orientation and the One Project coordinator.

Squire developed the program with the help of other administrators and student groups such as Pride Alliance to address the special needs of students coming to

terms with various aspects of their identities.

“Not only are they experiencing the transition to college, but also coming out again for the first time,” Squire said. “The ultimate goal is to retain LGBT students who might not belong to an LGBT community. Once students feel like they belong, they are more likely to persist throughout by continuing to their academics and graduating.”

The course is partnered with mentorship, various events and an alternative spring break trip.

One of the project’s teaching assistants, junior kinesiology major Sam Mohen, said the program builds a solid academic and social foundation for freshman students to take full advantage of the university’s resources, similar to the objectives of other UNIV 100 courses.

Each week Mohen reads the journals of students in her section.

She said the entries are meant to encourage students to write about

their individual identities and their first semester of college living.

This week, the students turned their attention to the suicide of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman who committed suicide after his roommate filmed and broadcast online a sexual encounter between Clementi and another man.

“It’s good to know that we have people here to talk to,” freshman speech pathology major Colleen Tuohy said. “Obviously it’s tragic that something like that would happen, especially someone as young as a college student.”

Tuohy identified herself as an LGBT ally — an active supporter of LGBT issues — which she said stems from her experience with her best friend in high school, who is gay.

Next week, the students plan to take their activism and outrage one step further: They will collaborate to create a video to post on the It Gets Better Project’s YouTube page — an outreach

campaign, started by openly gay writer Dan Savage, that consists of a series of brief, personal messages assuring LGBT teenagers who are being teased that every life is worth living.

Jazz Jordan, a freshman letters and sciences major, said she looked forward to shooting the video with her classmates.

Students in the One Project also bond in events that promote vocal discussion on contentious topics. Monday, students will share their stories on National Coming Out Day at Stamp Student Union.

The formula seems to be working.

“I hate getting out of this class early! It feels like such a friendly atmosphere and I can say whatever I’m feeling,” one student wrote on the course’s midterm evaluation.

“Everyone involved is so supportive. The One Project is my favorite thing about UMD so far.”

quick response of the officers who were present in the heavily populated Stamp Student Union building at the time of the offense,” he said in the press release.

Despite the swift arrest, students were surprised such an event could happen in the middle of the day at a place like the student union.

“This is Stamp,” sophomore neurobiology and physiology major Nkechi Herod said.

“This is where everybody goes and eats and congregates and everything during the day. That should be a safe place for people.”

Freshman biology major Sarah Gordon said even though a suspect was caught, it was unsettling that someone would even consider an assault at the student union.

“Someone shouldn’t really feel like they’re able to get away with something like that if the security is good enough or the perceived security is good enough,” Gordon said.

“That’s a little disconcerting to think you’re not safe when

“This is Stamp.

This is where everybody goes and eats and congregates and everything during the day. That should be a safe place for people.”

quijada@umdbk.com

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ASSAULT from page 1 assault and molesting a student, police said. His university directory listing describes him as a graduate research assistant studying agricultural and natural resource economics.

Police said moving fast was essential in making an arrest.

“I am extremely proud of the officers that made the swift apprehension in this case,” University Police Chief David Mitchell said in a press release.

Limansky said there were many people nearby during the assault but police didn’t identify any witnesses.

Limansky said the department routinely stations officers at the student union because it is a highly populated area between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and he wants police to be seen.

“The key to the successful apprehension of the suspect was a combination of the immediate reporting of the offense to the police and the

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[police] really play up safety on campus.”

Gordon added that such a large student body brings with it some safety concerns.

“You have to be careful. You have to protect yourself,” she said.

“The truth is you go to school with 35,000 kids, none of whom you really know that well.” present@umdbk.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010

Opinion

THE DIAMONDBACK

MARISSA LANG EDITOR IN CHIEF

YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK PHONE: (301) 314-8200 | FAX: (301) 314-8358 3150 SOUTH CAMPUS DINING HALL | COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742 NEWS@UMDBK .COM | OPINION@UMDBK .COM

KATE RAFTERY

ANN SUN

MANAGING EDITOR

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JUSTIN SNOW

KEVIN TERVALA

OPINION EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Staff editorial

Guest column

Redistricting relationships

Never without hope

I

t’s no secret the relationship between students and College Park residents commended for his proposal. Although the proposal will still be subject to a has long been a conflicted one. Over the years, the two groups have butted public hearing and a council vote, we urge not only the city council but also heads on dozens upon dozens of issues, ranging from noise to parking to non-student residents to consider the benefits rather than just the drawbacks rent control. In the past, when residents and students were pitted against of this proposal.

It is true that a student-dominated council district would give students their each other, students had been hard-pressed to find an ally or an advocate among city officials or the student body. With the College Park City Council historically first real opportunity to elect an undergraduate representative. However, this being comprised mostly of long-time city residents, this is no surprise. Without a should not be viewed as a negative development. It is fair to point out that many students are blissfully unaware of city issues, and vote, and thus without a voice, some students have felt many others simply do not care. But if students felt they they have been denied a voice when it comes to city issues had a real chance to make a difference and a real — which arguably affect them as much as they do longterm city residents.

The city should adopt a plan chance to have their voices heard, it is very likely they would delve deeper into local issues, and it is even more City council regulations mandate that council members to redraw district lines in likely those who are already engaged would rise to the must be older than 21 — a requirement that many stuorder to increase student top and assume a leadership role. dents, many of whom graduate at that age, are unable to Whether through voting in local elections or voicing meet. Additionally, students have found it difficult to elect influence on the city council. their opinions at city council meetings, if students felt as one of their own to the body because of the way the city’s though their voices were being heard and taken into districts are drawn. On-campus students are split between Districts 2 and 4, while students living in fraternity and sorority houses vote in consideration, they could become the sort of “real” city residents they are perDistrict 3. This fragmentation has led, at least in part, to the inability of students petually encouraged to be.

However, merely creating a student-dominated district is not enough. to ever elect an undergraduate to the city council.

However, due to a measure proposed by Mayor Andy Fellows, that could Indeed, many fear that such organization could decrease the student voice because only one council member would really need to care about student soon change.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Fellows introduced an amendment to the city issues. To get around this problem, the city council should adopt the second charter that would redraw the districts partly to give students better represen- prong of Fellows’ plan, which creates three at-large seats on the city council. tation in local affairs. His proposal would divide College Park into five districts, By allowing students to vote for four representatives rather than only one, the one of which would primarily consist of students. Additionally, the plan would city will ensure students’ views are adequately represented.

Ultimately, the choice council members now face is about unity. Do they create three at-large council seats that every voter in the city, no matter their want it? Or do they want to continue the contentious student-resident divide district, could vote for.

By proposing this redistricting, Fellows has shown a remarkable amount that has plagued this community for decades. For both parties’ sake, we hope of good faith in the students who reside in College Park, and he should be they choose the former.

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Morgan Noonan

Cell phones: The death of human interaction

T

he other day I went on an outing in Washington to catch up with an old female friend of mine. During the trip I found it extremely difficult to engage in a good conversation because she was constantly playing with her cell phone.

Questions regarding how classes were going or how her mom was doing were constantly met with one-word answers.

Situations that involved describing events with hand gestures or eye contact were useless as she intently focused on the real task at hand: her BlackBerry. What she was doing on the device was unknown to me. As we continued, I began to ask myself what could really be that important, or better yet, what task on a phone demanded that much of a person’s time and attention?

When I got back to my apartment after the outing, I was surprised to find a detailed collection of the day’s events on my Twitter feed. It was apparent that during our outing, my friend was disseminating updates about our time in the city. She was discussing with her

DEKUNLE SOMADE Twitter friends all the places we visited and experiences we had — conversations that probably would have been best served for the actual person with whom she experienced the events.

As college students, it is clear we haven’t heard the argument enough that technology devices are severely ruining our social skills. Even though I am a big advocate of technology because of its advantages for society and the innovation it can encourage, I cannot disregard its inherent negative effects — effects that are adversely impacting the way we interact with each other. It is no secret that our ability to communicate face-to-face is diminishing. Many people our age are more comfortable texting than calling

and “friending” on a social network rather than greeting someone in person.

Twitter is not the only culprit.

Mobile devices laden with applications and programs such as BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Gchat, Skype and AOL Instant Messenger have diminished the need to interact face-toface. Social skills once acquired naturally from day-to-day interactions are now suppressed.

Nowadays we can’t complete a task without letting the world know. We can’t attend an event without taking at least a hundred photos for our Facebook page. It seems as though we’d rather log or document our experiences than actually live them. We have become slaves of technologies that have allowed us to communicate with everyone but the people right in front of us. What does this all mean for a society that has evolved to avoid — at all costs — engaging in face-to-face encounters with our peers? It means we, as a society, are on the verge of forgetting the importance of what it truly

means to understand and relate to another individual, for technology will never be able to replace good, old-fashioned, face-to-face interaction.

Despite this discussion, I must admit that I, more than anyone, am addicted to these rapidly evolving forms of communication. No matter how much I try to decrease my reliance on them, I much too often fall victim to the need to tweet, text and post. Not all of this is bad, though. Sharing experiences with friends through these channels is good for the diffusion of ideas quickly and efficiently. But at what cost? Are we willing to forgo living our lives to the fullest in exchange for a life through a phone? In the end, it is important that we not only acknowledge this quandary as one of the critical issues existing in our society, but that we work to find that healthy balance between technological and human interaction.

Dekunle Somade is a senior finance major. He can be reached at somade@umdbk.com.

Speech: Sometimes it has its limits

“T

hank God for dead soldiers.” “Soldiers die, God laughs.” “You’re going to hell.” These are the signs, held by adults and children alike, of the Westboro Baptist Church picketers at military funerals, and they are accompanied by jeers, taunts and the stomping of American flags into the dirt.

This was the scene in 2006 in my hometown of Westminster. Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder was laid to rest after being killed in Iraq. What should have been a dignified and proud ceremony was desecrated by misdirected hatred and used as a weapon to catapult the church’s repugnant views into the national spotlight.

The Westboro Baptist Church, led by the infamous Fred Phelps and his family, states that the United States’ problems, from Sept. 11 to Hurricane Katrina to military deaths overseas, are God’s punishment for tolerating sins such as homosexuality, fornication and adultery.

Its basic tenet: “Stop sinning and the soldiers will stop dying.”

Why soldiers? Because the uniform

they wear represents a country that accepts gays. Why funerals? Because the people at them are vulnerable.

The group’s website — www.godhatesfags.com — keeps a tally of soldiers “killed by God” overseas and, next to pictures of dead soldiers, reports how many days they have been burning in hell. It explains why Jews are doomed for the murder of the Messiah and how “President Barack Obama the Antichrist” (pictured with ram horns and a fiery halo) is a “rising beast who is going to usher in the destruction of the world.”

But its most disgusting tactic is picketing military funerals. Some have taken a literal stand against it, such as the band of bikers called the Patriot Guard Riders that attends picketed funerals, forming a human and Harley shield between the protesters and the bereaved, blocking the view with American flags and drowning out the jeers with revved engines.

Other counter-demonstrations have occurred, such as fraternity brothers turning up loud music and dancing, gay men and women openly embracing and a pink bus called the “Sodomobile” filled

BETHANY OFFUTT with gay people following the members around the country.

States have taken measures to curb the protests, passing laws to keep protesters further away from cemeteries.

The United Kingdom blocked them from entering the country altogether.

After a decade of staunchly ignoring the issue, the Supreme Court has finally, reluctantly, entered the fray after the Snyder family sued the church and was awarded $11 million in damages, which was overturned by the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This week, the Supreme Court hearing began.

The issue is not whether the church has the right to air its views — the First Amendment guarantees it that — but whether that right extends to funerals.

You can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded

movie theater. You can’t maliciously defame someone. You can’t show pornography in public. And you shouldn’t be able to protest at funerals. There are established limits to the free speech guarantee; with Snyder v. Phelps, the Supreme Court needs to add another.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of Snyder’s story was that across from the assembled signs of hatred, were several small, homemade signs that read, “Matthew Snyder is a Hero” and “God Bless the USA.” You shouldn’t have to bring signs to your son’s funeral because that’s what it is — a funeral. It’s not a political convention, not a podium in front of Congress and not a pulpit from which to shout your views and shake your fists.

It’s a sacred and private ceremony to say goodbye to loved ones. It should never be a political spectacle.

Make your point somewhere else.

Bethany Offutt is senior criminology and criminal justice and psychology major. She can be reached at offutt@umdbk.com.

I

n the past four weeks, the convergence of at least five tragedies has shaken lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and allied communities in this nation to their cores, reminding each of us about the impact of homophobia and hatred in today’s society. Since Sept. 9, at least five LGBTQQI students between the ages of 13 and 19 have taken their lives. Asher Brown, 13, shot himself. Tyler Clementi, 18, jumped off the George Washington Bridge. And Seth Walsh, Billy Lucas and Raymond Chase, 13, 15 and 19, respectively, hanged themselves. Though these five teens were of different ages, different races and different socio-economic backgrounds, all were victims of anti-gay bullying and harassment so intense that it caused them to believe that ending their lives would be easier than facing another day of torment.

And though it is possible to view each of these tragedies as merely that: a tragedy — nothing more and nothing less — it would be a mistake to do so. For the suicides of five students within one short month at the hands of anti-gay harassment are indicative of larger problems — of rampant, unchecked homophobia and of a society that views this sort of hatred as acceptable. Indeed, though we will never know, it is possible (if not plausible) that if people didn’t feel that it was acceptable to tell gay students to go kill themselves, as in the case of Lucas, or if officials had taken action to stop anti-gay harassment instead of ignoring complaints, as in the case of Brown, these five students might still be alive.

And while there is a chance, despite the best efforts of activists like us, that the homophobic hatred that these five teens faced will never be completely erased from our society, we are here to tell all of you LGBTQQIA students that there is hope, that it does get better and that we are all here for you.

At this university, you should never feel alone and you should never be without hope. If you are struggling with homophobic harassment and hatred, if you are looking for a safe space to discuss your sexual identity or even if you are simply seeking a space to interact with other members of the LGBTQQI students, there is a place for you. Actually, there are multiple places.

If you are looking for a safe and supportive environment to interact with undergraduates and talk about your sexual identity, Pride Alliance, a student group for LGBTQQIA students at this university, should be the first place that you look. In addition to hosting regular performances, dances and socials, we also host five small groups: QueerStraight Alliance, SafeSpace, Women2Women, TransU and True Colors of Maryland. These groups, which are facilitated by undergraduate students, provide an opportunity and a safe space to meet other LGBTQQIA students and discuss what it means to be queer at this university. For more information, please visit our website, www.pride alliance.weebly.com, or contact us via e-mail at communication.pride@gmail.com.

Outside of Pride Alliance, there are many other resources for LGBTQQI students. You can make an appointment at the Counseling Center or just stop by during their rainbow walk-in hours from 3-4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. You should also stop by the Office of LGBT Equity in Cole Field House and the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy in Stamp Student Union — an office that has a graduate student coordinator who works specifically with LGBTQQIA students. Each of these offices is staffed by helpful, friendly and understanding people who would be thrilled to speak with any student who needs help or just a place to talk.

We wholeheartedly encourage you to take advantage of them.

In the end, we hope that every LGBTQQIA student will take advantage of these and other resources at the university. And even if you don’t, always remember that we are here for you no matter what.

Spencer Brennen is the president of Pride Alliance, an undergraduate student group for LGBTQQIA students. He can be reached at president.pride@gmail.com.

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 8, 2010 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Sector 5 Hoist 9 Recipe meas.

13 Powerful primates 14 “— Elena” 15 Grades 1-12 16 Round veggies 17 Click-on items 18 One-liner 19 Block from view 21 Hockey goal 22 Coffee brewers 23 Diamond or Simon 25 Teamster rig 27 FAA quest, at times (2 wds.)

31 Noted oracle site 35 Bowling alley 36 Drew on 38 Uxmal residents 39 — take forever!

40 Pedro’s honorific 42 Estuary 43 Arises from 46 Went by car 47 Greek salad need 48 Halvah base 50 Harmless 52 Sharp flavor 54 Cook in a wok 55 Hunch 58 Tigger’s friend 60 Lacking vitality 64 Rustproof metal

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Extinct birds Tuxedos, often Cape waver Wee, in Dundee Exotic

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© 2010 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

Previous Day’s Puzzle Solved:

TODAY’S CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY:

MU ES NU SA A L

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S T A R C CH A C L T I I V

W I R I L ASK T ES

N E S T

S AS A CH Y DE S CA OO L AC A L PO EARR NS G E K I I AN DM I L AGU SHA S TU

P S WA I A OX EM E L ROUSE RAN E DOF LOCA EACT I UNK R RK SE YEP L COP A ORA D L ED D ESS

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While you seem to be so very serious much of the time, the truth is that you are quite funloving and you have a vivid, whimsical and often mischievous sense of humor and a willingness to play games with the bare enthusiasm of a child. Indeed, there is much that is childlike in your nature.

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orn today, you are likely to be held in the highest-possible esteem by your peers, for you are often seen to be everything they wish to be themselves. Whether or not this is true is beside the point; the fact that you are viewed in such a manner is an indication that you are exceptional in many ways, however, and it is worth your time now and then to determine just what it is about yourself that others value so highly. In other words, try to see yourself through the eyes of those around you, and you will come to understand yourself all the better.

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Also born on this date are Sigourney Weaver, actress; Stephanie Zimbalist, actress; Rona Barrett, gossip columnist; Matt Damon, actor; Chevy Chase, actor and comedian; Jesse Jackson, civil-rights leader; R.L. Stine, author.

To see what is in store for you tomorrow, find your birthday and read the corresponding paragraph. Let your birthday star be your daily guide.

RD EN BA S F L O A T

S E N D S

S T O A

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find yourself working in tandem with someone with different priorities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Money matters will not wait another day for your attention.

Are you ready to address some of the most pressing issues facing you?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — What you do behind the scenes will prove just as important as anything a rival is able to accomplish in the spotlight.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Reach out and you’ll be rewarded in ways that you had not imagined. You’ll have to break through certain walls, however.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — You may be considering making a change, but you’ll want to stay the course and maximize your gains before considering something new.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Your own confidence and security are unassailable at this time — or so you must believe in order to stand up to a coming threat.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — It doesn’t matter whether you are here or there, your responsibilities are the same and you must be sure to get things done on time.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Efficiency may become the primary issue, especially if you

THE BEACH

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — You’re never going to see the world exactly as it is, but who is? Right now, your perspective is strong and enables you to do much.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — Your attraction to someone whom others consider wrong for you is undeniable. Are you ready to break with tradition and do your own thing?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — What goes on at home is far more important — now and in the long run — than anything you might be able to accomplish on the job.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You have many rivals, but only one is able to get a real rise out of you. Today, you can do something to set things straight for a while.

Copyright 2010 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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6

THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010

MOVIES OPENING OCT. 15:

Diversions

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

RED Director: Robert Schwentke

STONE Director: John Curran

JACKASS 3-D Director: Jeff Tremaine

NOWHERE BOY Director: Sam Taylor-Wood

REVIEW | LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

Another day, another rom-com

BY MAY WILDMAN Staff writer

As tired as the romantic comedy genre is, there is no denying it can be entertaining.

Some rom-coms triumph, like Love, Actually or Say Anything. They follow the inevitable formula while managing to be witty and even deep.

One of the latest rom-coms to hit screens is Life As We Know It, which is sometimes funny but is mostly unable to break out of the rigid box that is romantic comedy.

Holly (Katherine Heigl, Killers) and Eric (Josh Duhamel, Ramona and Beezus) are best friends with married couple Peter and Alison.

The problem is, Holly and Eric can’t stand each other. A date set up by their mutual friends is a failure from the start — they can’t even make it out of the driveway.

However, when Peter and Alison are killed in a car accident, Holly and Eric are named the caretakers of the couple’s daughter, Sophie. After much hemming and hawing, it is agreed that the unlikely pair will indeed take custody of Sophie and will raise the child in her parents’ home.

The two go through all the hardships of childrearing, bodily fluids and all (excrement is way too prevalent in this film), and eventually the three grow to become a family. And, of course, Holly and Eric fall in love. That much is clear,

even in the trailers.

This kind of cookie-cutter plotline is beyond overdone. The whole “hate turns to love” story has been utilized ever since Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice. And frankly, When Harry Met Sally did it better.

On top of being cliché, Life As We Know It is also impossible. How would Peter and Alison have known that Holly and Eric would be perfect parents for their daughter? And why would two unmarried people that hated each other willingly live under the same roof? The hasty and incomplete answering of these questions in the film lends itself to a not-so-smart plot.

It is also very hard to pity the film’s characters, even when they are at their breaking points.

In one scene, Holly is in the kitchen of their enormous McMansion, complaining about how she won’t have enough money to pay for the renovations at her pastry shop. It is depressingly ironic to hear such words coming out of a person who is wearing artfully applied makeup and is standing in a gleaming dream kitchen.

On the plus side, rom-com veteran Heigl’s role as a mommy is sufficiently convincing. Her most memorable moments in the film are when she is either drunk or high (of course).

Duhamel’s job is sometimes relegated to looking pretty, but he also delivers surprisingly funny lines.

The biggest laughs in the movie, such as when

CRUCIAL SUPPORTERS

Josh Duhamel, left, and Katherine Heigl star in the bland romantic comedy Life As We Know It. The pair play characters who must take care of a baby after a tragedy. COURTESY OF MOVIEWEB.COM

he is talking to Sophie as if she were his dinner date, are all brought to you by Duhamel’s character. He also has a cute little part in which he sings Radiohead’s “Creep” as a lullaby to the baby.

Life As We Know It is exactly what you would expect it to be. You won’t be on the floor laughing, but you will chuckle every few minutes. It is

a movie in which The Wiggles are referenced far too often, and there are too many gay jokes. You might leave the theater with a smile on your face, but this movie will be residing in the land of forgotten romantic comedies all too soon. wildman@umdbk.com

MOVIE: Life As We Know It | VERDICT:

1/2

online exclusive PETER & ALISON,

HOLLY & ERIC’S MUTUAL FRIENDS AND SOPHIE’S PARENTS

SAM, HOLLY ’S LOVE INTEREST

SOPHIE, BABY IN NEED

SECRETARIAT It is as if Disney handpicks its stories from a giant list of miracles: In Remember The Titans, a football team blurs the racial lines between black and white to play great games of football. In Miracle, a team of college hockey players wins the Olympic gold medal.

In Secretariat, a horse that nobody bothers to look at becomes an international sensation and sparks interest in horseracing worldwide.

The film tells the story of Penny Ch-

enery (Diane Lane, Killshot), a Colorado housewife who loves her husband and four children, but yearns for life at her childhood farm in Virginia.

Tragedy strikes when Penny’s mother dies and she discovers her father’s Alzheimer’s disease has progressed more than she thought.

Penny resets her priorities when her brother threatens to sell the family farm because her father can no longer run it himself. She looks to investors, gambles for breeding rights and hires Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich, Jonah Hex) to

train and Ron Turcotte (newcomer Otto Thorwarth) to jockey the movie’s namesake and future 1973 Triple Crown winner: Secretariat. — David Oliver RATING: 4 stars out of 5

For the full review of the movie above, just click the Diversions tab at:

WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

Forward Casey Townsend and the Terps have beaten two straight top-10 opponents.

SCHEDULE from page 8 6 Terps (6-2-1, 2-1-1 ACC) with his past champions.

Their second half of the season starts tonight at Virginia Tech (3-6-1, 1-1-1).

“We’re in a good place,” Cirovski said. “We’re in a very similar place to the best teams that I’ve had here at Maryland.

History shows that we’re in a good striking position.”

Since 2005, the Terps have posted a 32-3-5 record in their final eight games of the regular season. This year, the Terps find themselves in a great position to continue that trend.

After taking down two straight top-10 teams in Duke and Connecticut, the Terps have entered the second half of the season full of momentum and facing a schedule

EAGLES from page 8 the ropes. But in the 60th minute, Eagle midfielder Kristen Mewis beat goalkeeper Yewande Balogun to spot Boston College (9-2-1, 2-2-0) a 1-0 lead.

“We were building some confidence, so it was disappointing to go down 1-0 when we had them where we wanted them,” Pensky said. “The way they responded after the goal is, ‘We’re not losing this game.’”

Pensky labeled the game’s final 30 minutes as the team’s best of the season. After falling behind, the Terps set out to draw even. And after a handful of opportunities, it finally happened when midfielder Megan Gibbons threaded an endline cross to midfielder Amy O’Sullivan, who connected to put the Terps on the board.

History had set the stage for last-second spectacle. One year ago today, Virginia earned a draw with the Terps on a goal at the last possible second of regulation. But yesterday, it was the Terps who provided the drama.

In what Pensky had described as a risk-free game, the Terps managed to contain the Eagles’ explosive attack, which ranked eighth in the country before yesterday’s match. Balogun registered a season-high seven saves in the

CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

lacking much punch. Only one of the final eight teams the Terps face is currently ranked in the top 25.

“There were a lot of expectations for this team this year, and right now, we’re in as good of a place as we could be after starting off with a loss,” defender Taylor Kemp said.

Beginning with Virginia Tech tonight, the Terps are set to enter their easiest stretch of games this season. They’ll face

four unranked nonconference teams and likely won’t face a ranked opponent until traveling to Virginia on Oct. 29.

Their two other conference opponents — Wake Forest and the Hokies — have struggled this season.

The slate stands in stark contrast to a demanding first half of the season, which Cirovski often uses as a measuring stick against some of the nation’s elite. Seven of the

nine teams the Terps faced to open the season made the NCAA Tournament last year.

Now, even in the face of an undaunting stretch, Cirovski and his players will stick with their mantra of “respecting everyone and fearing no one.”

“All I know is we play Virginia Tech on Friday,” Cirovski said after a 1-0 victory over No. 2 Connecticut on Tuesday. “I don’t look beyond that. I don’t look at how many teams are ranked, because I’ve been here when we’ve lost to teams that have not been ranked.”

Cirovski expects the team to face a rejuvenated Virginia Tech squad looking for a monumental upset after suffering one itself Tuesday against a previously winless Longwood side.

“We recognize who we are and that teams are going to give us their best effort,” Cirovski said.

“It will be a good test,” Kemp said. “Even though they’re not doing well right now, any team in the ACC is going to be tough.”

But with postseason play just weeks away, Cirovski, Kemp and the rest of the Terps are focused on realizing the type of team they can be by the time they travel to Cary, N.C., for the ACC Tournament in mid-November.

“We definitely got through the more difficult part of the season,” Kemp said. “Especially now that the pieces are starting to fall together, I think we’re going to make a really special run in the second half of the season.” ceckard@umdbk.com

The Terps face ACC opponent Virginia Tech today. ROBERT MANG/FOR THE DIAMONDBACK

HOMESTAND from page 8 a string of three straight five-set losses after winning 10 of its first 11 matches.

“Both teams are good teams,” Horsmon said. “The schedule hasn’t been great to them at the beginning, so I wouldn’t look at that record and think that they’re at the bottom, because they probably won’t be at the end of the year.”

After two straight weeks of playing in largely unfamiliar environs, the Terps are happy to be back on their home court. The team is 7-0 in the comfortable confines of the Comcast Pavilion this season, and it will aim to continue that success on this homestand.

“This is our opportunity to start climbing up the ACC ladder,” Horsmon said.

Even though Horsmon believes neither Virginia Tech nor Virginia is as bad as its record might indicate, the Terps realize both are beatable.

Especially at home.

“We want to keep it known that we defend the court here,” Cushman said, “and we don’t lose here.” vitale@umdbk.com

victory, turning away striker Victoria DiMartino, arguably the nation’s most potent scorer, three times. “[Balogun] didn’t have to make many great saves,” Pensky said. “But she held everything and controlled the game from the top of the box. She was great tonight.”

While the magnitude of last night’s win will likely follow the Terps for the rest of the year, solidifying the team’s spot in the ACC’s upper echelon while boosting the team’s NCAA Tournament credentials, Pensky believes the result could have a more lasting impact.

“That’s one of the most talented teams in the country,” Pensky said. “It’s a big, big win, not only for our team this season but for the program as a whole.”

In the midst of a six-game, 19-day stretch, the Terps have little time to savor the win. They’ll travel back to College Park today, only to leave for Raleigh, N.C., tomorrow for a date at N.C. State on Sunday.

But after battling for the full 90 minutes, victor y is a little sweeter for the Terps.

“We were more angered by [giving up a goal],” Pensky said. “It proves that, ‘OK, well, guess what? Against a very good team on the road down a goal. So what? You’ve got to believe.’” cwalsh@umdbk.com

Midfielder Lydia Hastings, left, moves upfield during the Terps’ 2-1 win against No. 4 Boston College, the team’s first victory over the Eagles in program history. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX TRAUTWIG/THE HEIGHTS

BYE

The Terrapin Yearbook is looking to hire a sports photographer!

from page 8

Running back Da’Rel Scott, left, will head to his home in Pennsylvania this weekend. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

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If interested, contact terrapinyearbook@gmail.com.

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watching his younger brother Patrick take the field for Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Pa., rooting on the quarterback to lead his alma mater to victory. And Dill, of course, wants to be on hand to provide a brotherly sendoff to his homecoming dance.

Center Paul Pinegar will also be home watching his former team, Olney’s Sher wood High School, play in its homecoming game tonight in his

first return to the school in four years.

But after that, the Terps’ senior leader said he won’t be able to stay away from college football completely.

“A lot of times I gripe because there will be really great games, like great college games on that we don’t get to see because we’re playing,” Pinegar said. “I really wish our bye week would have been last week because there were some great games on, but I’m not complaining. I mean, we got our win last week.

“But I think getting to watch other people play, catching the best games, that’s probably what I’m going to spend my Saturday doing,” Pinegar added. “I’m always up for football.” kyanchulis@umdbk.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010

Sports

Follow the Terps all weekend Get all the latest on Terp athletics this weekend, from men’s soccer to field hockey to volleyball, by checking out twitter.com/DBKSports and TerrapinTrail.com.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

MEN’S SOCCER

Deegan delivers in victory

Terps’ schedule easing up after unforgiving 1st half

Header tops No. 4 Eagles with 0:08 remaining

BY CONOR WALSH Staff writer

A complete 90-minute effort, coach Brian Pensky has preached to his No. 8 Terrapin women’s soccer team, can make every difference.

To their detriment, it was true Sunday, when Virginia Tech pounced on the Terps after a lackadaisical start to the second half in the Hokies’ upset victory.

Yesterday, his message also rang true. But it was for all the right reasons.

With an end-to-end effort at No. 4 Boston College, the Terps culminated a stunning 2-1 comeback victor y with a 90th-minute goal off the head of defender Colleen Deegan, topping the Eagles for the first time in program histor y.

FIELD HOCKEY

Pressure will be vital vs.

No. 14 Duke

“We’re pretty jacked,” Pensky said.

“We just beat a good team, and to come out here on their home field after a tough weekend at Virginia Tech and win is just outstanding.”

With roughly 30 seconds left in the game, the Terps earned a corner kick after an offensive flurry. Forward Ashley Grove patiently stepped up to the ball and delivered a beauty to the far post, where the 5-foot-10 Deegan rose above the Eagles for the decisive blow with just eight seconds left on the clock.

Deegan’s goal all but ended a game the Terps (10-1-1, 2-1-1 ACC) were convinced they could win. After “weathering the storm” in the first half, Pensky said, the Terps put Boston College on

see EAGLES, page 7

VT among unranked future opponents

BY CHRIS ECKARD Senior staff writer

Defender Colleen Deegan scored the Terps’ game-winner yesterday. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX TRAUTWIG/THE HEIGHTS

In both of Terrapin men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski’s National Championship seasons, his teams battled through a difficult first half of the season and felt the pain of several losses.

Those defeats proved important learning tools for the rest of the season. In 2005, the Terps lost on the road to Penn State and N.C. State in the same week. In 2008, the Terps fell at Clemson after allowing three second half

goals in a 90-second span. Both years, the Terps turned their weaknesses — playing on the road, defense — into strengths.

And once those growing pains subsided and the season’s opening half concluded, the Terps reeled off eight-game unbeaten streaks to end both regular seasons before eventually hoisting the National Championship trophy.

With eight games remaining this regular season, Cirovski couldn’t help but compare his No.

see SCHEDULE, page 7

FOOTBALL

BY JAKOB ENGELKE Senior staff writer

Soon after the Terrapin field hockey team started feeling the pressure last Friday against No. 4 Virginia, it decided to ramp up its own.

Cavalier forward Paige Selenski’s sixth-minute goal, which came after the preseason All-ACC selection dribbled around two Terp defenders into the shooting circle and rifled a shot past goalkeeper Melissa Vassalotti, put the Terps in an early hole and forced them to switch their defensive scheme against one of the nation’s most explosive offenses.

The change worked. The Terps’ backline of Lauren Barr, Ali McEvoy, Alicia Morawski and Harriet Tibble didn’t allow a goal for the remainder of the contest, and Vassalotti recorded a careerhigh eight saves as the team’s anchor in net.

The No. 2 Terps (10-1, 3-0 ACC) will look to harness that same kind of up-tempo defensive play this weekend as they host No. 14 Duke (6-6, 0-3) tomorrow and Pacific (2-7) on Sunday.

“We’re just going to continue to focus on defense,” forward Katie O’Donnell said. “It’s something that we work on everyday, so hopefully it’ll continue on the field.”

Although this weekend’s lineup might not feature the same kind of competition the Terps faced during their recent four-game road streak — a daunting slate that included matchups with four top-15 teams and two undefeated squads — the team said it’s not preparing any differently from any other week.

“The bottom line is that it’s Duke,” coach Missy Meharg said.

“When you talk about field hockey, you talk about [the ACC].

This team is not a team that’s defined by its record. They’re very talented, and I’m exceedingly familiar with them.”

Players said that when opponents come to College Park, they often play their best game of the season.

Given the chance to knock off one of the nation’s top teams, opponents often put the Terps on edge, even when they’re clearly overmatched.

“Every game, we expect to see the best from our opponents,” O’Donnell said. “They’re stepping on the field and facing off against a top-two team, and everyone is running and gunning for us.

“We need to go into these games just like we’re about to play Princeton again,” she added, alluding to the team’s lone loss this season.

“Nothing we do should change depending on who we’re playing.”

At practice Wednesday, the team looked as focused as it has all season, and its defense was in prime form.

In one drill, O’Donnell caught a pass from midfielder Megan Frazer near the baseline. Before she could attempt to dribble, McEvoy swiped the ball away and hit it upfield. Even after losing a majority of its starters to graduation, the Terps’ defense has made strides to compensate.

“We just need to keep playing that way in practice,” Meharg said.

“We’ve got a very strong backfield, and their communication is coming along everyday. It’s pretty exciting that we’re where we are at this point in the season.” jengelke@umdbk.com

Coach Ralph Friedgen, left, said that during the team’s bye week, he thinks many players “look forward to going home, getting the chance to have a home-cooked meal and see their parents.” The Terps return to the field next Saturday at Clemson. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

After Xs and Os, some R&R With tiring start to season, some Terps planning escape from football during bye week

BY KATE YANCHULIS Senior staff writer

During game week, Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen’s focus is on the Xs and Os. But in bye weeks, he’s just as grateful for another facet of football: R&R — rest and relaxation.

And even after having already doubled last season’s win total, the coach knows this year’s nicked-up Terp team needs time away from the game, if only for a weekend.

“They haven’t been home in a while, you know?” Fried-

gen said. “I think they look forward to going home, getting the chance to have a home-cooked meal and see their parents, especially the out-of-state kids.”

The Terps’ week began in the same relaxed fashion they’ll finish it. On a typical Monday, the Terps have team meetings and watch film of the weekend’s game.

But after the 21-16 win against Duke last Saturday, Friedgen asked only that players come in, lift weights and be prepared for practices to start back up Wednesday.

“My thought was, they

need to get away from it for a while,” Friedgen said. “I was pleased with the way they came back and worked. They looked like they were happy to be back.”

He hopes the same can be said for the team after a whole weekend off. With no game tomorrow, the Terps have their only free weekend until after Thanksgiving.

Friedgen expressed a fatherly concern for his players — joking earlier this week, “What is the saying about idle hands?” — but said he knows much of the team has long been antici-

pating this weekend. He told players the schedule for the team’s practices and meetings this week ahead of time so they could plan their trips accordingly.

Running back Da’Rel Scott, a Conshohocken, Pa., native, isn’t sticking around any longer than he has to.

The senior planned on leaving for home right after yesterday’s practice.

“I’m just getting away,” Scott said. “Home’s two hours away, and I’m just getting there. I don’t have class on Friday, so I can just get out of here and just get away

a little bit, get away from football.”

After focusing on the sport for hours a day since the preseason, Scott sees the time off as key to maintaining his drive and motivation through the rest of the schedule.

After the brief respite, he said he’ll come back full of home-cooking but still hungry for more football.

Offensive lineman R.J. Dill is heading home, too, but his break isn’t going to be football-free.

The sophomore will be

see BYE, page 7

VOLLEYBALL

Terps happy to finally start homestand vs. Tech, UVA

BY JOSH VITALE Staff writer

After two straight weekends of action on the road, the Terps return to Comcast Pavilion, where they are unbeaten this season. ROBERT MANG/FOR THE DIAMONDBACK

After finishing a four-game road stretch last weekend against some of the best teams in the conference, the Terrapin volleyball team returns home this weekend for a far easier test.

In the past two weeks, the Terps (12-5, 3-2 ACC) traveled to North Carolina and Duke, who sit atop the ACC standings with undefeated conference records. The Terps narrowly lost both matches, but they will face much different foes at home in College Park this weekend.

The Terps host Virginia Tech today and Virginia on Sunday, two teams that are a combined 2-8 in conference play and find themselves near the bottom of the ACC standings.

“It’s definitely important to jump on top of them,” freshman outside hitter Mary Cushman said. “We have to execute and knock them off quickly.”

But even with their early-season struggles, coach Tim Horsmon believes that the Hokies (10-5, 1-4) and Cavaliers (7-8, 1-4) are not to be taken lightly. Virginia Tech, in particular, will be looking to rebound from

see HOMESTAND, page 7