102209

CIRCUS FREAK

RESTING UP

John C. Reily’s turn in The Vampire’s Assistant is simply uninspiring

Yates, Terps preparing for big conference test against Wake SPORTS | PAGE 8

Thursday, October 22, 2009

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

THE DIAMONDBACK THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Our 100TH Year, No. 38

Top officials Pill-powered brains? share XXX film policy qualms Officials will obey legislature, insist system has no choice Panel discusses controversial use of mental stimulants

BY AMANDA PINO Staff writer

With midterms in full swing and deadlines for papers and projects fast approaching, some students may turn toward drugs to work harder, for longer.

About 30 percent of college students had used a prescription stimulant illegally at least once by their senior year, usually to help them focus while studying or working, according to a College Life Study at the Center for Substance Abuse Research. Last night, Kimberly Caldeira, the project director for the college, joined two students and one other faculty member to discuss the use of socalled “performance-enhancing” prescription stimulants, such as Adderall and Ritalin.

Recently, Caldeira said, news articles in Nature magazine and the New Yorker have given an almost tacit approval to their use, calling them “brain power.”

The opinions of panelists and audience members on the safety and morality of unprescribed stimulant use ran the gamut: Some feared for public health, others for the state of society and still others believed personal choice and freedom should trump all.

Caldeira and junior computer science and mathematics major Kevin McGehee, a student panelist, focused on the public health

see DRUGS, page 3 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

DOTS open to installing Wi-Fi on buses

BY CARRIE WELLS Senior staff writer

Student leaders and faculty members have spoken out and supported legislation fighting a university system-wide pornography policy they say will curtail their First Amendment rights. Turns out, top BRIT KIRWAN university and system officials UNIVERSITY SYSTEM share those same concerns.

CHANCELLOR Although these officials won’t resist the state legislature’s decree to develop a policy regarding offensive content, they are trying to walk a fine line between pleasing legislators and not violating the Constitution.

“I’m sure nobody wants to go down this path, but when you do, how do you do it in the right way?” said System Chancellor Brit Kirwan, who oversees 13 of the state’s public institutions. “Many people are questioning, do we need this policy? If we do have to have a policy, is this the best one?”

Last April, state legislators threatened to cut off university funding after discovering the planned on-campus screening of Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge, one of the most expensive hardcore pornographic movies ever made. Administrators nixed the event, but student activists screened it anyway to protest the censorship.

Following the controversy, the legislature ordered the University System’s governing body, the Board of Regents, to create a policy for screening movies shown “only for entertainment purposes,” to avoid having to vote either for porn or against funding the state’s flagship university.

Their deadline is Dec. 1.

see PORN, page 2

Shady Grove route now has wireless Internet; cost of implementation unknown LAUREN REDDING Staff writer

For students who endure an hour-long shuttle bus ride to Montgomery County, there’s a new way to pass the time — wireless Internet is now available to passengers on the Shady Grove Shuttle-UM line.

The installation of Wi-Fi access on the Shady Grove bus could be

the first step toward having access on all Shuttle-UM routes, Department of Transportation Services officials said, if the service proves popular with students and funding for the program can be found.

Wi-Fi access on the Shady Grove line was implemented this week to encourage commuters to use public transportation more often and is funded by the Universities at Shady

Grove, a campus located in Montgomery County where various university system colleges offer courses and degrees.

“This is a service for riders so that they can get work done and hopefully so that more people will use the route everyday,” Assistant to the Director of DOTS Beverly Malone wrote in an e-mail.

The Internet unit, which runs on a battery, was wired to contin-

uously run on the bus’s electricity. Up to five users — the limit of this particular Verizon unit — can access the Internet at a time.

About 50 riders use the Shady Grove route each day, according to Malone.

“So far we have had no reported problems with connections and no reports of more than

see WI-FI, page 3

A pioneering program turns 40 After a controversial birth, African American studies stands tall

BY ADELE HAMPTON Staff writer

The year was 1969. Thousands of people stood body-to-body on McKeldin Mall clamoring for civil rights as the National Guard closed in, tear gas canisters in hand. It was this year, in the midst of chaos, the African American Studies program was born.

Rising from a proclaimed student need and community activism, the African American Studies Department has gone through significant changes since its inception. Now, in its 40th year, the department boasts a rigorous curriculum and top faculty. Its mission of pushing forward issues of race consciousness and recruiting students and

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

faculty of color persists, said department chair Sharon Harley.

“If we just looked at the criteria and looked at our department, with just two senior faculty with tenure and then everybody else untenured, you’d be amazed that we could even pull off a 40th anniversary,” Harley said. “You’d be amazed at what we do with the Legislative Black Caucus, just with all of us working six and seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or longer.”

When it was first instituted, the African American Studies Department sought to mirror similar programs at Yale, University of California, Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin, which pioneered

see ANNIVERSARY, page 3 Cloudy/60s

In a photo from a 1971 issue of The Diamondback, 300 black students and faculty protest university admissions policies two years after the African American Studies Department was founded. JACLYN

Council balks at legalizing crowded city property Landlord admits having extra tenants, confirms open secret

BY BRADY HOLT Senior staff writer

A landlord seeking to formally convert his rental house into two distinct apartment units — a move that would legally allow him to house twice as many students — met resistance Tuesday night from College Park City Council members hesitant to legitimize illegally overcrowded properties.

Steven Behr has been renting out the home at 4618 College Ave. in Old Town to nine students since he bought it three years ago, but said he only learned more recently that his county occupancy permit limits the house to five unrelated residents.

The policy applies to most houses in College Park, but Behr told the council that he bought it from another landlord who had also been renting to nine tenants and the previous owner had assured him — incorrectly — the home was legally operating as three apartment units, which would have allowed for up to 15 unrelated residents.

Behr’s attorney, Robb Longman, said he didn’t think the council should make an example out of his client, who he said should be commended rather than punished for trying to make his property legal. An abundance of illegally overcrowded rental homes is something of an open secret in College Park.

see RENTAL, page 3

BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

INDEX

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

FEATURES . . . . . .5 CLASSIFIED . . . . .8

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

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2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009

www.diamondbackonline.com

ONLINE TODAY

MOTTO MADNESS The university ’s new slogan is hardly unique in its ability to inspire your gag reflex. Take this doozy from Stanford University: “The Wind of Freedom Blows.” But one Canadian community college bucks the trend — and then some — with a new ad campaign that features tongue rings and and the word “freaks.” Check out their motto and poster child at The Diamondback newsroom blog Campus Drive at http://blogs.umdbk.com/ca mpusdrive, which features hot new posts every day.

At Terrapintrail.com, the official sports blog of The Diamondback, read how Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen responded to questions about the level of expectations that should be placed on his program, and take a look at the specially-made camouflage uniforms the team will wear when they take on Virginia Tech on Nov. 14.

DRUGS from page 1 risk posed by the unprescribed use of medications.

McGehee, who was prescribed Adderall and Provigil after experiencing chronic fatigue, argued that illegal users often ignore safety risks, and also pointed out the lack of long-term studies on the stimulants’ effect on the brain.

“I had an [electrocardiogram] done because apparently if you have a specific heart defect, Adderall and Provigil can stop your heart,” McGehee said. “In the end I stopped using the drugs because I didn’t like the effect they had on me.”

The conversation grew to encompass the moral and societal implications of using these medications illegally. Some in attendance found fault with the drugs, while others thought their impact could be positive.

“We’ve banned performance-enhancing drugs for athletes and they’re not tolerated,” McGehee said. “Yet in academia, it’s not looked upon like that.”

Moderator and senior lecturer Sibbie O’Sullivan even drew a comparison between cocaine users and their competitive-at-all-costs attitude that she said contributed to the economic crisis.

“Cocaine is the white stockbroker’s drug,” O’Sullivan said. “It was what

“If it’s for the public interest, like antibiotics and birth control are, is it immoral?”

STANISLAV DATSKOVSKIY BIOCHEMISTRY MAJOR, PANELIST

PORN from page 1

TWEET AT US Want to keep up with the l a t e s t breaking and most interesting news from your campus and community?

Follow The Diamondback’s news and sports desks on their Twitter pages at http://twitter.com/thedbk and http://twitter.com/DBKsports.

The Regents were originally going to discuss the policy at their monthly meeting tomorrow but postponed the debate until November to give themselves more time.

Brady Walker, the chair of the University System Student Council and a law student at the University of Baltimore, said some students may see administrators as the “bad guys” because they are tasked with drafting the policy, but noted this is not entirely accurate.

“It’s important to make it clear that this is not what they want,” he said.

“No one at the system wants this policy. This was never something that would have occurred to them if not for the legislature.”

The draft of the porn policy, which

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University researcher Kimberly Caldeira discusses the dangers of using cognitive enhancement drugs recreationally.

JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

fueled a lot of this 24/7 Wall Street gogo-go in the 1980s, and look what happened because of these people.”

Biochemistry major Stanislav Datskovskiy countered the comparison, saying whether drug use is moral is often determined by the actions taken under the influence of the drugs.

He explained that Paul Erdos, who he called one of the most prolific mathematicians of our time, took small doses of amphetamine nearly all his life. He went on to paraphrase a section of Erdos’ biography, “The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth” in which Erdos’ friend

challenged the mathematician to quit amphetamine use for a month. “‘You’ve showed me I’m not an addict,’ Erdos said to his friend after quitting. ‘But I didn’t get any work done. ... You’ve set mathematics back a month,’” Datskovskiy said. “If it’s for the public interest, like antibiotics and birth control are, is it immoral?”

However, despite the perception that students who use stimulants are high achievers, Caldeira said students using prescription stimulants illegally tend to perform on a lower level than their nonusing peers. She said users often turn to drugs to compensate for skipping class and drinking frequently.

Junior American studies major Josef Parker said he had a problem with prescription stimulants’ tendency to reinforce the existing “rat race” structure of society. Judging a student’s or worker’s output in ways based solely on productivity is unfair, he said.

“What’s interesting about this crisis in particular is that people aren’t using the drug to think differently or expand their mind,” Parker said. “They use it to operate better within this existing institution. They are doing them to write longer papers or stay out longer if they’re partying.”

was influenced by First Amendment scholar and former University of Virginia President Robert O’Neil, says that organizations showing objectionable content must include an educational element. But it doesn’t define what constitutes objectionable content.

University officials echoed arguments made by faculty and students in recent months, saying the right to explore potentially offensive topics is an important element of free speech and higher education.

“I’ll be happy if the policy comes forward and protects people’s rights and protects the university’s right to explore controversial topics,” university President Dan Mote said. “We need an opportunity to talk about awkward, uncomfortable topics.”

In the end, he said, “probably no one will be happy.”

Although the policy has been thought

“[Porn is] not really what I like to be talking to people about the University of Maryland.”

those intending to show questionable content must follow.

That policy was lost and forgotten.

Cliff Kendall, the Regents chairman, said he had never heard of it.

Last spring, the controversy surrounding Pirates II reached news outlets as far as Australia, leaving some officials wishing this hubbub would fade away, too.

Kendall said he was particularly “disturbed” that the University System is now associated with porn.

“Because of all the national publicity we’ve received over it, my colleagues in higher education are discussing what we’re going to do with porn,” he said.

“It’s not really what I like to be talking to people about at the University of Maryland. I’d rather be talking about our high moral standards, great education, great athletic teams.”

CLIFF KENDALL BOARD OF REGENTS CHAIRMAN

to be the first of its kind in the nation, The Catonsville Times reported yesterday that the University of Maryland, Baltimore County had a similar porn flap in 1981, resulting in a university-wide policy very similar to the System policy being debated now. It didn’t ban the showing of explicit films, such as the X-rated movie that triggered the controversy — Debbie Does Dallas. Instead it laid out guidelines

apino@umdbk.com

cwells@umdbk.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

Council candidate argues for a city police force Senior staff writer

While public safety is at the forefront of many College Park City Council campaigns, few candidates are pushing for the city to develop its own police force because of the high costs and likely tax increases such a move would entail.

But District 1 candidate Fazlul Kabir said he thinks the city could add a police department while holding steady — or even decreasing — its tax rate, by soliciting grants and donations from local businesses, placing advertisements on patrol cars and contracting out city officers for special events.

College Park spends about $1 million annually to have extra Prince George’s County Police officers pa-

trol the city on contract.

But Kabir faulted the program and said its officers don’t always respond quickly enough. He also said residents would find it more reassuring to see police cars emblazoned with the city’s name.

“If many other small cities in the country have their own police force, why cannot we have our own?” he wrote on his campaign website’s blog. “It may take several years, but if we do not start now, it will never happen in future.”

But longtime District 2 Councilman Bob Catlin said Kabir’s plan seems unfeasible, even in the long-term.

Catlin — who is not running against Kabir — said outside funding would be too unstable to rely on.

“How can you fund a police depart-

ment based on people giving you money?

What if they stop doing it, fire all the police officers?” Catlin said.

Two cities near College Park — Hyattsville and Greenbelt — have their own police departments, which are budgeted to cost $7.4 million and $10 respectively, this fiscal year: Each sum represents about half of those cities’ budgets. College Park’s annual budget is typically around $12 million City officials estimate a College Park police force would cost $4 million annually, but $2 million of that could be saved by eliminating the contract police program and receiving a tax credit from the county for no longer needing to have its own officers patrol the city.

Kabir said that beyond his preliminary ideas as a council candidate, he would

tion of cost versus benefit, though.”

Since the Wi-Fi access is funded by the Universities at Shady Grove, Malone couldn’t comment on how much the service costs to provide, but DOTS hasn’t spent any money so far. It’s unclear how much expanding the service to every route would cost. redding@umdbk.com

hampton@umdbk.com

call for the city to study other municipal police forces if elected.

But many candidates said expanding the existing contract police is a more realistic approach to improving safety in College Park, a view that echoes the finding of a 2007 city-commissioned study that recommended against a full police force.

Other candidates also said they would ask for the University Police to expand their concurrent jurisdiction — the off-campus area in which they patrol. The jurisdiction already includes downtown, the Knox Box area and sections of Route 1 and Old Town, but some want to see it expanded to reflect the movement of students into rental houses in other parts of the city. bholt@umdbk.com

RENTAL from page 1 “Unlike many other individuals, Mr. Behr is doing his best to make it into a situation where it is legal,” Longman said.

“If we don’t get this [exception], we’ll get the [sale] contract rescinded, and either the house goes vacant or probably used illegally again.”

Council members said it was Behr’s responsibility to have verified before buying his house that the three units were legal and supporting his request to the county would set a dangerous precedent for College Park’s other overcrowded rental homes. College Park does not have the final say on the property but will present an opinion to the county after the city council votes on the issue next Tuesday.

“I can see that if the county let one get through they would all get through ... the majority of the rentals could come forward, and what a travesty that would be,” Mayor Steve Brayman said. “To sit there and have the government bless basically bastardizing the zoning process as a response to bad business — that doesn’t sound like good government.”

While the house has been configured into one five-bedroom and two two-bedroom apartments since 2003, Behr is barred from operating all three due to zoning rules. Despite learning more than a year ago that he could house only five people, he continues to rent it to nine students.

“Don’t you think that when approaching a government entity, being in compliance with the law is a good step?” Brayman asked. “I can’t come to grips with a logical process on that. ... You were going to try and get the maximum possible rent for as long as you possibly could.”

In an interview after the council meeting, Longman said it is standard practice for zoning enforcement to allow such a use to continue while a property owner is seeking approval, and Behr relies on the

WI-FI from page 1 the maximum number of people wanting to use it at one time,” Malone wrote.

Wi-Fi access is ubiquitous on the campus, with students expecting Internet access whether they are in dorms, academic buildings or on McKeldin Mall.

The landlord of a single-family home located at 4618 College Ave. wants the city to allow him to house more renters, but the council has taken a firm stance against overcrowding. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

rents to pay his mortgage.

Behr and Longman also told the council that unlike in many overcrowded properties, there is a bedroom and plenty of space for each tenant. While some houses have clear safety hazards, they said, this property’s only issue is with its zoning.

“I’m not a slumlord or anything like that. I spent a huge amount of money to make sure that it’s good for my tenants,” Behr said. “I would offer it to any of you to come to my house and see how my house looks. It’s pristine. It’s one of the best properties around.”

But District 3 Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich said Behr should be seeking restitution from David Model, the previous property owner, instead of asking the city to condone overcrowding.

“I appreciate your position and I have no hard feelings to you personally, but I’m trying to protect a neighborhood that has been suffering,” Stullich said. “Your quarrel is with the man who sold you the

house under false pretenses.”

But even as the council was concerned about the precedent of allowing a singlefamily home to be legally converted into student apartments, Longman said not granting his client’s request would encourage other landlords to operate illegally to maximize their homes’ potentials.

“Why hold the line on someone who’s going out of his way to go through the proper process?” Longman said. “You’re going to drive people into hiding. They’re going to say, ‘This guy came forward and look what happened to him.’”

At the council meeting, city code enforcement manager Jeannie Ripley said landlords seem to frequently hide evidence of their extra tenants before scheduled city inspections.

“You go into a house and you see the marks on the carpet where a bed used to be, but you can’t prove it,” Ripley said.

In an interview, Longman said legalizing higher student density in single-family

And with an increasing number of students using mobile devices, the idea of Wi-Fi access for iPhones and BlackBerrys appeals to many.

Junior civil engineering major Vinay Mehar, who commutes to the campus on the bus from his home in Montgomery County, said the service has been convenient so far.

“If I have to do homework, I can do it

on the bus,” he said. “Before, I would have to do it before I left for school.”

Student Government Association Senior Vice President Elliot Morris, a member of a committee that advises DOTS, said further development of the program would depend on student reaction and cost.

“It’s something students could certainly use,” he said. “It’s more of a ques-

from page 1 the movement and devised Africancentric curricula. In its first two years, the program housed 1,700 students and 27 courses that included public policy in the black community, politics in South Africa, African music and a Swahili language course.

“The students were the ones demanding African American Studies programs all over the country,” said Ron Walters, who helped found the African American studies programs at Syracuse and Brandeis Universities before coming to teach here in 1996.

“The program [at this university] was a very different experience. It was a sort of a haven for those who wanted learn about the African American experience.”

While some said the newly formed department filled a gaping hole in the university’s curriculum, others were not satisfied. The Black Student Union, which was engaged in the civil rights struggle in the ’60s and ’70s, condemned the program, saying it did nothing but provide a superficial look at the black community.

“The only purpose of the AfroAmerican program is to misrepresent the university to the black community of Maryland and to pacify the brothers and sisters on campus,” said a statement put out by the BSU in 1969 condemning the program.

The voice of opposition was loudest in The Black Explosion, a campus publication aimed at addressing the concerns of the black community.

“We would like for the administration here at College Park to know that we as black students in a predominately white institution know our worth, especially to the university,” said a staff editorial written in a 1970 issue.

A cartoon in the same edition depicted an African American studies class , with a white professor facing a black student with an afro and a gun.

“Today we discuss what it means to be black,” said the professor.

“Enough goddammit,” said the black student firing the gun, shooting the professor in the chest.

After the civil rights movement quieted, the idea of diversity and representation on the campus began to shift. Through the ’80s and ’90s, a new mindset, spearheaded by then-university President Brit Kirwan, worked toward creating a more culturally accepting environment, Walters said.

“In fighting for opportunities for minorities, Brit Kirwan’s efforts went far beyond the University of Maryland,” Walters said. “When one looked at the Kirwan era, it was apparent that he had a lot to do with the expanding diversity here.”

This 40-year benchmark gives the program an opportunity to look forward as well as back, Harley said.

She said the department would like to expand its curriculum to include classes on globalization and the African Diaspora — the migration of Africans, both forced and voluntary, to other regions — as well as institute a master’s and doctoral program.

“I’m really excited to have found the department,” said BSU President Amber Simmons, who is also an African American studies major.

“There’s a whole category of history that’s all about my history. The fact that I can choose from a variety of courses... shows that there’s different aspects of African Americans and I’m definitely proud of this department for exposing those aspects.”

District 1 contender believes safety would improve, but critics say his plan is impractical

BY BRADY HOLT

ANNIVERSARY

homes would make it easier to enforce fire and other safety codes. Council members have traditionally resisted the idea, saying it would make houses too valuable to landlords and price potential homeowners out of the city.

But despite an apparent reluctance of council members to support his client’s request, Longman said he was more optimistic than city officials who told him at the public council meeting that he was wasting his time.

“I think it’s going to take a bit of work, but I wouldn’t say it’s definitely out,” he said.

One outcome of Tuesday’s debate does seem more certain: Behr said in an interview this was his first rental property in College Park and he will probably never try to buy another.

“Not if the city council does this again,” he said. bholt@umdbk.com

New libraries dean works to revamp and expand McKeldin’s study spaces Second floor renovations could potentially begin this summer

BY CARRIE WELLS Senior staff writer

Libraries Dean Pat Steele is working to transform McKeldin Library from a morgue of dusty books to a cozy, laptop-friendly space where students can create their own collaborative study areas.

Steele, who took over the underfunded library system in September, is starting with McKeldin’s second floor but wants to reevaluate all seven floors of the campus’ signature library. The goal, she said, is to make McKeldin “stop one and one stop” for all things educational.

“Libraries were built to be stacks, not built to have human activities,” Steele said. “We’ve got to shift from book storage to having a place for students and faculty to study collaboratively.”

Library officials hope as soon as this summer that the second floor of McKeldin will be gutted to make way for “Terrapin Learning Commons,” which will have movable furniture, sound panels and whiteboards so groups of students can form their own study spaces. The floor will also receive new carpet, paint and secure recharging stations where students can store their laptops. The private rooms flanking the floor will be turned into PowerPoint-friendly pres-

“We’ve got to shift from book storage to having a place for students and faculty to study collaboratively.”

PAT STEELE LIBRARIES DEAN

entation rooms.

The transformation to the entire building will come in pieces and take years because of money issues, but if renovations can begin in the summer, the new second floor could be open by fall 2010. A renovation of the first floor will follow.

“It’s not the most inviting space,” said Tanner Wray, the director of public services for the library. “The building is really designed for an older way. Once it’s done, it’s going to be really dynamite for the students.”

Students echoed the same issues library officials had with McKeldin.

Molly Bumbera, a freshman letters and sciences major, said she has run into problems working on group projects for class.

“I come in here all the time looking for the group rooms, and there’s

always a wait,” she said. “If I’m with a group we usually won’t even wait, we’ll find somewhere else.”

Eddie Ohanian, a senior sociology major, said that because people’s study habits differ, officials should designate one floor for group work and another for individual study.

Currently, he said, “a huge problem is the amount of outlets. People want to bring their computers, they don’t want to work at home, then they come to the library and can’t find an outlet.”

Steele said students’ advice is paramount to the renovation.

Plans for the first floor are in flux and will depend on the money available, but Steele wants to expand the food options and hours at Footnotes Cafe. Wray said Steele is also considering whether to allow drinks in the main librar y.

The writing center will stay on the second floor, Steele said, and her team is looking into adding a color copier, poster-size printing, media production facilities and a part-time help desk.

“Whatever support services there are for students, I want them here in the library,” she said.

After the first and second floors are renovated, Steele said she is considering designing a floor especially for graduate students.

As part of a renovation strategy designed to make McKeldin more inviting, Libraries dean Pat Steele hopes to increase the hours and menu options at Footnotes Cafe. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

The provost’s office supplied $370,000 of the $500,000 Steele has to pay for the second floor’s renovation. While the total cost of the project isn’t final, the half-million won’t be enough. However, Steele is confident donors will step for ward to foot the rest of the bill.

The proposed libraries fee of $100 per year will help fund the renovation of other floors. Steele said she was grateful to “thoughtful” students on

the Committee for the Review of Student Fees for approving it last month.

The biggest change, Steele said, will be a shift in focus from making the best spaces for books to the best spaces for whatever students want.

“Students are all about success,” she said. “If you want to have an edge with students, you have to help them get an ‘A.’” cwells@umdbk.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009

KEVIN ROBILLARD

THE DIAMONDBACK

Opinion

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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JOHN SILBERHOLZ

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OPINION EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Staff Editorial

Get smart G

iving every student a free Metro SmarTrip card is a decent idea. Tak- every student makes the most of these ties, but that’s mainly due to a lack of ing $23,000 away from student groups to do so is a horrible one. Tak- interest, not a lack of access. The $5 activation fee attached to a SmarTrip card is ing $17,000 away, year after year, is a truly atrocious one. far from prohibitive, and most students who spend any significant amount of Student Government Association President Steve Glickman finally time in the city can easily purchase one.

There are steps the SGA can take to promote access to and interest in Washappears to understand the difference. Making every student ID a SmarTrip card was a major part of his campaign platform last year, and as a SGA senator, he suc- ington. One is to continue to advocate for the Campus Drive route of the Purple cessfully sponsored a bill that would have started the program using student Line. The biggest barrier between on-campus students and the nation’s capital is getting to the College Park Metro Station. The Shuttle-UM fees. But then-SGA President Jonathan Sachs vetoed it on the buses already help, but being able to start the journey in the last day of his term. heart of the campus would make students’ lives easier.

Glickman has abandoned the idea of using student fees The second step would be to create a student Metro disand claims to have found several sources willing to pay The SGA’s initiative to count, which the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit $23,000 in startup costs, though he won’t say anything about their identity. He is still looking for a sustainable source to incorporate SmarTrip into Authority doesn’t offer. Glickman is meeting with other Washington-area student leaders to discuss a proposal for a pay the $17,000 in yearly expenses. It’ll be difficult to find organizations to perpetually spend tens of thousands of dol- student IDs boils down to a student discount tomorrow. The SGA claims the waste of resources.

SmarTrip/student ID combinations would be the first step lars a year. The only guaranteed, iron-clad sustainable source toward a discount. But guarantees from WMATA officials of money available to the SGA is student fees.

It’s certainly good the SGA has found donors willing to spend $23,000 on uni- are necessary before any money is spent upgrading student IDs. A discount versity students, but there are better ways to use this generosity. Financial aid wouldn’t have a huge impact on student interest, but it would be a much more appeals have skyrocketed. Student groups can always use more money. substantial incentive than free SmarTrip cards would be.

SGA officials disagree with this idea and are conducting a survey they believe Engaged University, which the SGA called “essential” a month ago, needs $300,000 to keep going. In comparison to these needs, the combination Smar- will show that students will use the Metro more if they have a SmarTrip card Trip-compatible ID cards are a boondoggle. And a boondoggle is a boondoggle, built into their IDs. The results of the survey won’t be available until tomorrow, but its scientific validity could be questioned. If the SGA really wants to judge regardless of whose money is spent.

Giving every student a SmarTrip card, Glickman and other advocates say, student interest, it should have a university-wide referendum on the issue in the would help promote public transportation and strengthen the university’s link to spring. If students, fully informed of the details and realities of the plan, want Washington. These are both admirable goals shared by the entire university. But SmarTrip cards and are willing to spend money on them, then students should it’s highly questionable that the new IDs would do either one of these things. It get them.

Right now, the SGA spending its time — and potentially students’ money — would not be cheaper for students to travel on the Metro with the IDs, and the on a Metro discount makes sense. But just pursuing SmarTrip cards with no increase in convenience would be almost negligible.

The university’s ties to Washington are already strong. Hundreds — if not promise of progress is more likely to be a waste of time than anything else. Increthousands — of students intern, work and visit the city each week. Dozens of mentalism works when each stop brings benefits beyond just being closer to adjunct and full-time professors have Washington-centric backgrounds. Not your goal, not when breaking down would leave you stranded.

Advice: Time to stop snitchin’

Our View

at issue What do you think of the Terps’ football struggles?

Jack Quesinberry Sophomore Microbiology

“ “ “ “ Honestly, I think the offensive playcalling has been awful ... It’s time for Fridge to throw in the towel.”

That’s the easy way out, to say, ‘Fire Fridge.’”

Brian Meyer Sophomore General business and management

It’s the culmination of a lot of things, but I think it has a lot to do with youth.”

Jim Corcoran Freshman Architecture

Fridge needs to gain more weight. Ever since he lost weight, everything is going bad.”

Brenna Skelley Junior Chemical engineering

Life past 21: Older than dirt

L

et me tell you how I spent last Tuesday night: I came home from class, napped and cooked myself some soup. I then had a glass of wine, settled in and watched Schindler’s List.

Then I went to bed. It was the best night I’ve had in weeks.

You see, kids, I’m quickly approaching my 22nd birthday, and I’m realizing that I’m stuck in a strange place in my life. I’m too old to have fun in College Park, but too young to be part of the real world. I know a lot of you are jazzed about that upcoming milestone age, but let me put this into a little bit of perspective for you.

Before I hit 21, I was just like you. I couldn’t wait until I could retire my

MIKE

DIMARCO fake ID that said I was a 38-year-old Malaysian man from North Dakota and move up in the world to the ranks of legality. Sure, those first few weeks were fun: being that smug dick in line at Cornerstone Grill and Loft who laughs at the drunk kids who get turned down; having your name on that yellow keg sticker so everyone knows you’re the man; and, of course buying ridiculous liquors that you’d

never drink just to make sure you get carded by the old guy with the glass eye at your local liquor store. I had my fun with these things and you should too, but before you know it, your bank account balance is going to look like a 7-Eleven receipt, and your liver is going to look like my column mugshot.

Aside from the fact that I’m now bordering on destitution, I also have to deal with the harsh reality that my choices of nightlife scene are less than favorable.

I can go out in College Park, where I feel just a little like I should be on To Catch a Predator while bumping and grinding on a random sweaty person who I’ll probably never see again. Or I can always catch the Metro down to

good old Washington and buy a round of $26 rum and cokes for a smart, funny woman and her boyfriend waiting at the other side of the bar. It feels like a lose-lose situation to me.

I know by now you’re all thinking, “Oh great, it’s Thursday and thus time for Mike to bum us all out about our futures,” right? Well, that’s not why I write these little gems, I promise.

Learn from my mistakes, my friends.

Go out and have fun while you can still enjoy it, and when the time comes to take a little break, you can come have a quiet night with me.

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

Y

resonated because her story is shared by millions of other Americans who have seen their interest rates and fees hiked and their credit lines slashed, often with no reasonable explanation.

Ironically, many of these malicious changes may have been triggered by a bipartisan credit card bill that passed overwhelmingly in Congress and was signed by President Barack Obama in May. The legislation was meant to protect consumers by ending predatory lending practices and helping households get out of debt faster. The new law bans hidden fees such as those charged when paying over the phone, mandates that companies provide 45 days’ notice when they change the terms on your card and give consumers 21 days to pay their bill, rules out interest rate increases in the first year and creates new protections for cardholders below the age of 21. The financial services industry was united in their opposition to any of the changes.

Since most of the law’s provisions

MATT

VERGHESE will not come into effect until February 2010, credit card companies are scrambling now to implement changes while they can. This is more disgraceful and despicable behavior from an industry that continues to post enormous profits and pay lavish bonuses to its executives despite requiring a $700 billion bailout from the federal government a year ago.

These changes will hit students particularly hard. According to a report released by Sallie Mae, the average college student has more than $3,150 in debt and half have at least four credit cards. As interest rates and minimum payments increase, students who already face severe budgetary con-

FRISCHLING I’m good friends with both members of this couple, and I know for a fact the guy cheated on the girl. I don’t want to create drama in my group of friends, but do I have an obligation as her friend to do or say anything?

Q:

You say cheated like it’s a one-time thing, so let’s pretend it is.

I’d like to say it depends on which member of the couple you’re better friends with, but the truth is, you better not rat either way (bitch). Sounds like somebody needs to brush up on the infamous and locally-shot Carmelo Anthony “Stop Snitchin’” video.

Despite popular warnings not to, people love to kill the messenger.

Even if you’re closer with the girl and she actually seems to appreciate it, you’re going to be so caught up in the drama of their crumbling relationship you’ll probably want kill the messenger yourself. If you’re closer with the guy but you say something to her, you better believe when the smoke clears after the big brouhaha, you’ll be ousted from the group. Then nobody’s happy, least of all the friends who you claim to care so much about. There’s also the distinct possibility that she’d rather not know. If he got wasted at Thirsty Turtle and while falling over in his drunken stupor accidentally landed on some freshman’s mouth, it’s sort of better not to bring it up.

If, on the other hand, this cheating is some sort of ongoing affair, the game changes. If you’re closer with the girl in this instance, you still do not tell her. Instead, you approach the guy and say something along the lines of (and feel free to quote me directly) “Dude stop being such a dick — your girl is hot, lay off the adulterous pussy.” If this doesn’t convince him, you haven’t delivered it properly. Just kidding.

After a speech of sorts, if he continues to cheat, he is obviously a huge asshole and you probably don’t want to be friends with someone who has such obvious personality flaws. Given that he cheats so regularly on his girlfriend, he probably also drinks your alcohol without pitching in and gets really low scores on Wii games — with your Mii. What a dick.

Assuming this guy is literally playing this girl, you can always tr y to convince him to break up with her. I mean, he can’t possibly see her as marriage material if he’s having all this premarital sex with all the sluts, right? Right.

Guys like that honestly just suck.

They really do.

I say — and this is my final answer by the way — blow up his spot and f--- his girl. Yeah.

A:

Esti Frischling is a senior English major. She can be reached at esti@umdbk.com.

Debtors’ revolt: Bank on it ou probably have never heard of Ann Minch of Red Bluff, Calif. For years, she was an ordinary middle-class American who lived a normal life. She went to work, paid her bills on time and loved her family. Her quiet, unremarkable life dramatically changed when she posted a video on YouTube on Sept. 8 denouncing banking executives as “evil, thieving bastards” and calling for “an American debtors’ revolution against the usury and plunder perpetrated by the banking elite.”

What makes a 46-year-old stepmother of two transform from dutiful citizen to firebrand revolutionary? The answer is simple: Despite being a loyal customer who never missed a payment, Ann’s credit card company, Bank of America, decided to raise her interest rates from 13 percent to 30 percent.

The change was unfair and outrageous yet legal.

Ann’s webcam video, which has nearly 500,000 views on YouTube, has

ESTI

straints will be at a further, greater risk to fall deeper into debt or permanently damage their credit scores.

This behavior is unethical and unacceptable, and every credit card holder should be outraged. It is one thing to be incensed at JPMorgan Chase’s $3.6 billion in quarterly profit or irritated at the bank bailout that hasn’t translated into more lending. But when the banks unilaterally punish honest customers and refuse to treat them justly and with a modicum of respect, a line has been crossed. An industry that owes its continued survival to the generosity of American taxpayers should not betray the trust of the people.

It is time to stage a debtors’ revolt.

Demand better treatment or refuse to pay. Withdraw your money and put it into community banks.

Enough is enough.

Matt Verghese is a graduate student in public policy. He can be reached at verghese@umdbk.com.

AIR YOUR VIEWS Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion@umdbk.com.

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

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 59 City in Idaho 61 Inventor 1 Travel guides — Sikorsky 5 1977 whale movie 62 Ibsen heroine 9 Upshot 63 Sharp barks 13 Kayak user 64 Frat Z 15 Juicy pear 16 Mountain refrain 65 Yaks 66 Find a tenant 17 Lunch periods 18 So long, in DOWN Soho (hyph.)

1 Dozens 19 Year-end tune 2 Medicinal plant 20 Urge 3 Unskilled worker 21 Sixty minutes 4 Heat source 23 Mended 5 Dull 25 Allen and 6 Jungle warning Conway 7 Missouri hrs.

26 Least 8 Scholastic world 27 Dunk 9 Type 30 Fifi’s date 10 Desktop symbols 31 Pollute 11 Cookie — 32 Rained a bit 12 Notified 37 “Vogue” rival 14 Souvenir buy 38 Writer — Jong (hyph.)

40 Needing a 22 Mantra chants shampoo 24 Desert st.

41 Learned well 25 Basic precept 43 Purple — 26 Antony the 44 It may be slung Roman 45 Rejected 27 News article 47 Abs tighteners 28 Actress — Powers (hyph.)

29 Wire measures 50 Choir voice 32 Performed 51 Roomiest 33 Man in a mask 52 Fellows 34 Androcles’ pal 53 Shriner’s hat 35 Threat ender 56 Estate recipient 57 Mrs. David Bowie 36 Changed color

© 2009 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

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A B E T

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orn today, you wear your passions on your sleeve — but you are also quite protective of them, so you are rarely if ever the victim of one who would take advantage of those passions. Yes, you are an open book on display for anyone to read; no, you’re not about to be buffeted this way simply because someone else thinks he or she can get the better of you and your emotions. You invest yourself fully in anything that wins your dedication and loyalty; you’re never one to do anything halfway.

B

You can be rather scattered and disorganized when it comes to those parts of your life that no one sees; your home can be untidy, your closets a mess and your workspace completely undecipherable. Still, you know where everything is, and you are happy with the way you live and do things. You are immune to most criticism.

Also born on this date are Annette Funicello, actress; Sarah Bernhardt, actress; Joan Fontaine, actress; Catherine Deneuve, actress; Jeff Goldblum, actor; Tony Roberts, actor; Timothy Leary, professor; Brian Boitano, Olympic skater.

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

S T A Y

ly to reveal. Discoveries lie ahead of you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — An imaginative approach to a familiar problem can put you in the running for major recognition. The competition, however, is considerable.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Others are looking at you expecting to learn something about themselves — and indeed they may, though not in the way they anticipate.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — The more effective you want to be, the more willing you must be to abandon those things that come naturally and easily.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Resist the temptation to do things in a random manner simply for the sake of experimentation. Planning is key to success.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — You’ll be called upon to change your plans with little or no notice. What you come up with as an alternative can be quite satisfying.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Success depends on your ability to see everything around you in full focus. This takes practice, but you’re getting good at it.

P E L T

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — You are closer to what you want than you know — and closer, too, than anyone else is like-

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — You can do things quickly and easily during the first part of the day, but later on you may encounter one or two unexpected obstacles.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — A slowdown needn’t be interpreted in a negative fashion. Indeed, it may be just what you need to get a handle on a tricky situation.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Others are doing what is important to them, so you can feel free to do what matters most to you — no matter what anyone says.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — You’ve been playing with fire lately, and you don’t even know it. Today, however, the true effects of your actions will start to be felt.

Copyright 2009 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009

TRAILER WATCH:

Diversions

THE WOLFMAN With an all-star cast starring in a dark and gritty thriller, the new trailer for director Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman shows us everything The Dark Knight’’s Christopher Nolan has trained us to expect in a wellconstructed superhero movie. Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving feature in the film, which opens Feb. 12

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

REVIEW | CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT

Welcome to the Cirque du bleak Paul Weitz’s The Vampire’s Assistant is one of the year’s worst films

BY JON WOLPER Senior staff writer

To its credit, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant does a great job of masking the fact that it is indeed a truly awful movie.

It’s fast-paced, action-packed and thoroughly invested in the fantasy world it creates. But on the flip side, the acting ranges from middling to terrible, the pacing of the plot is wildly uneven and the special effects — which the film rely on often — are amateurish.

It’s the kind of movie that a viewer has fun watching but likes less and less upon realizing how poorly constructed it actually was.

The Vampire’s Assistant (which is based on the first three books of a 12part series by Darren Shan) stars the wooden-at-best Chris Massoglia (The Hole) as Darren, a good kid with solid grades and an immaculate disciplinary record who attends, on a whim, the Cirque du Freak with his best friend, the comparative bad boy Steve (Josh Hutcherson, Journey to the Center of the Earth).

From there, the two get swept up in an ancient conflict between the Vampires and the Vampaneze. The two factions differ mainly in their means of getting blood to drink: While the amicable vampires sedate their victims, the thuggish Vampaneze spring more for the rip-outthe-heart-and-feast method.

And somehow, in a bizarre casting move, there is John C. Reilly (9) as Darren’s vampire mentor, Larten Crepsley.

As it turns out, Reilly’s uninspired performance is the best in the film.

All scenes between the teenagers (besides the charismatic Patrick Fugit), including ones with Darren’s obligatory love interest, Rebecca (relative newcomer Jessica Carlson), are cringe-worthy line readings bereft of any sort of chemistry. Both Salma Hayek’s (Across the Universe) bearded lady and Michael Cerveris’ (Fringe) fat-suited Mr. Tiny do nothing but snack on the scenery.

The actors aren’t helped by the subpar script, which goes to great lengths to force-feed its audience the movie’s hackneyed message. And they’re not helped by Paul Weitz (American Dreamz) who can’t direct an effective action sequence without shaking the camera violently. And they’re not helped by the special effects, which look like they were done by someone who just graduated from the SyFy network school of animation.

The Vampire’s Assistant also readily embraces the most clichéd clichés and groan-inducing lines. While the film never claims its idea is original, the familiarity of many of its aspects is just too much to take.

For instance, why does a character, after becoming “evil,” feel the need to suddenly spike his hair? Is it to remind people of his brutality?

After his vampiric transformation, did he have time to make an appointment with his stylist?

And why did the writing team decide it was necessary to shoehorn in that silly message delivered so earnestly by Massoglia it’s amazing

Classified CALL

Cirque du Freak stars, from left, Chris Massoglia, Willem Dafoe and John C. Reilly.

Reilly didn’t burst out in spasms of laughter? Why should a movie need to impart wisdom to its audience when the film itself is so unapologetically dumb in the first place?

Add in clunky, out-of-left-field bouts of exposition in the dialogue, a few poorly constructed montages and a reliance on the mediocre acting of the lead, and you have yourself a second-rate film.

And how bad is it when the best praise that can be offered for a movie is that its stylishness and speedy pace

can cover up how lame it really is?

It’s too bad, because there’s something in here, somewhere. Early on, Massoglia asks Reilly if he’ll be able to turn into a bat and fly around.

Reilly tells him that’s “bullshit,” and suddenly a million self-referential jokes can be made about how vampires aren’t like you see them in the movies. But, naturally, the jokes

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

Terps head to Clemson with less on the line Team in more comfortable spot than last year vs. Tigers

BY CHRIS ECKARD Staff writer

Entering the final game of last season, the Terrapin women’s soccer team knew it needed to do one thing: beat Clemson. If the Terps lost, they would officially be eliminated from contention for an ACC Tournament berth.

Forward Lydia Hastings scored in the first half, elevating the Terps to a one-goal victory against the Tigers. But as the joyful team gathered around coach Brian Pensky after the game, the bad news struck.

Miami defeated N.C. State, clinching the eighth and final seed and officially knocking the Terps out.

A collective feeling of heartbreak set in.

One year later, it’s Clemson that is clawing for a victory.

The Tigers (3-12, 0-7 ACC) are mathematically still in the race for an ACC tournament berth despite a winless conference record.

The No. 13 Terps (11-2-2, 32-2 ACC) know exactly how that feels. Last season, the Terps were 1-6 in the ACC at this point.

“We were in that position a year ago,” Pensky said. “We still fought and tried to get wins and get results.”

Right now the Terps are in

prime position to seal their first ACC Tournament berth since 2005.

“We need this win,” Pensky said. “But does it kill us if we don’t get it? Last season if we didn’t win, our season was over regardless. It’s three points that distances us from the bottom half of the league, where teams are fighting and scratching to clinch a berth.”

One of those teams is Clemson, which has scored just three goals in conference play this season. But the Tigers held Duke scoreless through the first half of their last game.

Their last win was on Sept. 20.

“They have some very talented players and talented seniors who don’t want to go winless in the league,” Pensky said. “Clemson is more than capable of knocking us off.

Our kids will certainly hear that from me.”

Every year both teams mark this match as a possible win and, therefore, games become very competitive. Three of the past four matches finished in overtime.

“It’s important to finish the game and pay attention to the little details,” goalkeeper Mary Casey said. “Those goals came down to the smallest things, so taking care of detail.”

The Terps plan on getting after the Tigers early on offense

Coach Sasho Cirovski has had to carefully manage his team’s practices because of a hectic recent schedule and a number of injuries. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

Danielle Hubka and the Terps head south to face Clemson, who is winless in the ACC.

SOCCER from page 8

ALLISON AKERS/THE DIAMONDBACK

going there.”

to try to avoid what happened against N.C. State on Sunday.

The Wolfpack scored two first half set piece goals and played stingy defense through 80 minutes, before the Terps rallied with two goals in the final 10 minutes.

“We can’t underestimate them,” Casey said. “I know their record is poor, but they’re still a good team, they’re still in the ACC. We still have to do what we need to do.”

■ TOUGH TRAINING

eckard@umdbk.com

part of the consequence of that is [being] a little bit off here and there with weary legs,” said Cirovski, who gave his team the day off yesterday after its victory Tuesday.

An unforgiving season schedule hasn’t made managing practice any easier for Cirovski.

This season, the Terps have had three weekdays off between games only twice. That typically leaves the day after and before games for rest, recovery and reflection but no bridge day in the middle for more extensive drills and training.

The setup of the schedule has been a constant gripe for Cirovski, who said it has forced issues such as the team’s inconsistent attack to the back burner as the injury-plagued Terps instead focus on getting healthy.

“We haven’t been able to really practice hard, so I think

■ CONFERENCE MESS

FOOTBALL

group,” Friedgen said. “Usually, [Mondays after a loss are] kind of a tough time for me. And they got into it, and it kind of picked me up. ... You’re always talking about how coaches affect players. I think this time, you may be talking about players affecting coaches.”

Friedgen has made special efforts to curtail fumbling. He’s brought in a ball with a long elastic band on it, to be pulled out of the hands of running backs. He’s increased tumbling drills, where players are told to fall to the ground without losing the ball.

from page 8 holder Travis Baltz suggested a more competitive method.

Friedgen brought the firstand second-string field goal units onto the field for a kicking challenge between starter Nick Ferrara and reserve Mike Barbour.

As the kickers made field goal after field goal, the players’ spirits began to flare up. Girlfriends were mentioned. And the coach got a few laughs and a some new gossip about his team.

“That’s kind of why I like this

While a Terp win Saturday against No. 3 Wake Forest could shut the door on the rest of the ACC in the conference championship hunt, a tie wouldn’t exactly hurt either.

The Terps top the conference standings by virtue of having played — and won — one more game than the Demon Deacons, but Wake Forest joins the Terps as the only teams in the league with just one conference loss. A win by either team Saturday would separate that squad from the rest of the pack, but a draw would actually keep the Terps in the driver’s seat.

According to the ACC’s

tiebreaker guidelines, if in-season head-to-head competition between two teams with equal standing does not produce an advantage, the best record against the highest-seeded remaining team — currently, North Carolina — is used as the tiebreaker. If both the Terps and Wake Forest were to win out after a tie Saturday, the Terps’ Sept. 25 1-0 win over the third-place Tar Heels would guarantee them the top spot.

The Demon Deacons tied North Carolina, 2-2, earlier this month.

Either team’s future opponents, however, could easily shake up the standings. The Terps host No. 12 Virginia on Halloween night, while Wake Forest still has to face upsethappy Boston College and No. 19 Duke. shaffer@umdbk.com

The defense, as well, is focusing more on stripping the ball.

And there’s sure to be plenty of smack-talking.

“We all a family,” wide receiver LaQuan Williams said.

“You feel like you arguing with your brother.”

For Friedgen, perhaps that concept can be extended. The coach has compared players to his own sons — he has three daughters — in the past. Thus far this year, he’s struggled watching those hard-working, capable children fail. ajoseph@umdbk.com

I mmortality– Get Shot!

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8

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009

Sports

Friedgen talks expectations ■ Read Terrapintrail.com to see what Terp coach Ralph

Friedgen said about his team’s long-term expectations and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DBKSports.

Effort in practice hasn’t fallen off Terps still playing hard despite poor record

BY ADI JOSEPH Senior staff writer

Forward Casey Townsend and the Terps ended a long set piece drought Tuesday against Seton Hall. The team faces No. 3 Wake Forest Saturday. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

TERRAPIN MEN’S SOCCER NOTEBOOK

Set pieces improving; team resting for Wake

BY JONAS SHAFFER Staff writer

For more than a month, the No. 5 Terrapin men’s soccer team’s dead-ball play didn’t have a pulse.

Entering Tuesday’s game against Seton Hall, the Terps had gone nine straight games without a goal off a set piece. Since defender Ethan White’s header off a corner kick from midfielder Matt Kassel in the team’s 7-0 trouncing of Duquesne on Sept. 15, the Terps had gone through 66 unsuccessful corner kicks and numerous other free kicks without a score.

Against the Pirates, it was midfielder Paul Torres —

not Kassel, as was often the case last season — who was instrumental in snapping the ignominious streak. His swerving free kick from just wide of the penalty box skidded off the head of a Seton Hall defender before connecting with forward Jason Herrick, who headed it in from five yards to seal a 3-1 win.

“It’s one of those things where you just have to keep defining the roles and making sure you get quality services, and good things happen,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “That was a start, and hopefully we can keep some momentum

see SOCCER, page 7

There was a spark in Ralph Friedgen’s eye throughout training camp this year. He had a young team with a boatload of question marks surrounding it. But they worked hard, had fun and showed their coach a lot of promise.

“He may have said some of those things in the past, but I just think there’s a genuine affection now,” Gloria Friedgen, Ralph’s wife, said before the season. “He’s always cared about all of his players ... but this team, their youthful confidence ... you definitely get an energy from this team.”

Then, in the season’s first game, a road trip to Berkeley, Calif., the Terps were blown out 52-13 by then-No. 12 California.

Friedgen’s tenor hardly changed. His team struggled with staying on assignments, open-field tackling and protecting the quarterback, but the effort remained.

Now, seven weeks in, the Terps (2-5, 1-2 ACC) are off to their worst start in Friedgen’s nine-year tenure. They’ve fumbled away three games and been run over out of the gate in two others. The fan base is growing irritable. The players are frustrated.

And the coaches are lost, trying to figure out what’s going wrong.

Still, on the practice field, nothing has changed. There’s still the smack-talking and overwhelming competitiveness.

There’s still the high level of play. There’s just a few more fumble drills and a little less of what linebacker Adrian Moten once described as “bulljiving,” or joking around.

It’s his team’s practices, then, that have left Friedgen more frustrated with each Saturday’s results than anything else.

That frustration leaked out in one of Friedgen’s most spirited diatribes last weekend, immediately following his team’s 20-9 loss to Virginia, in which the offense committed four turnovers.

“I’m amazed. I’ve been on other teams and been part of other teams that the season has gone a lot better, and yet you had to push them and drive them to get the effort out of them. This team hasn’t been that way,” Friedgen said, answering a question

Defensive end Deege Galt and the Terps are still approaching practice with the right mentality, according to coaches, despite their 2-5 record. ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

about quarterback Chris Turner. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because of their youth. I don’t know. But it’s still fun to be out there on the field with them.

“And it would hurt me if that changed,” he continued. “I know human nature, and it gets tough to keep going back to the well when you don’t see the fruits of your labor.

And this game was one that I think the kids wanted to win very badly. I don’t question their effort one bit, on either side of the ball.

It’s just circumstances allow us to turn it over. And look, I think all of Virginia’s points came on turnovers. I’m going to keep work-

ing. I’m going to hope they’re going to keep working. That’s all I’m going to say.”

In their first day back out on the practice field, the Terps came out hitting Monday.

Friedgen said he had to slow his players down for fear of injury.

He also made some structural changes to practice, at the players’ request. Instead of traditional kicking drills, where the firststring kick coverage unit must make a timed field goal, moving back five yards after each successful attempt, punter and

see FOOTBALL, page 7