The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper
Follow us on Twitter @thedbk
ONLINE AT
dbknews.com
ISSUE NO.
Fresh Prynce
14, OUR 108th
Terrific turnaround
YEAR
Field hockey overcame a slow start to reach the title game, Sports, p. 10
Monday, November 27, 2017
On his first proper album, CyHi doesn’t disappoint, Diversions, p. 6
city
transportation
community
DOTS to offer vanpooling
Doc on Collins planned
2,000 commuters already registered to use sharing system centered on 4 hubs
‘3 Days & 15 Miles’ to focus on killing of Bowie State student on this univ’s campus
DOTS hopes to offer vanpooling next seBrooks DuBose mester for commuters @b3dubose to the University of Staff writer Maryland as part of its sustainability initiatives. Vanpooling, similar to carpooling, will allow five to 12 commuters who live near each other to connect and share rides to the campus in vans or SUVs provided by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, said Anna McLaughlin, a Department of Transportation Services spokeswoman. Students, staff and faculty who drive to the campus can register on the DOTS website by entering their home address and personal schedule. The site finds commuters who live nearby to ride or drive with. Other options, such as regional and local transit and Shuttle-UM routes, are also visible on the site. McLaughlin said about 2,000 commuters have registered on the site so far, and DOTS has identified four areas — Gaithersburg-Rockville, Columbia, Alexandria-Springfield and Bowie — where individuals are currently driving from that would be ideal for vanpooling. DOTS shuttles run from Gaithersburg and Columbia park and rides, with each coming twice in the morning and twice in the evening on a set schedule. The Columbia and Gaithersburg buses run from 6 a.m. to 8:25 p.m. The department’s sustainable transportation program, UMD Smart Commute, has launched several other initiatives that encourage commuters to use options such as Zipcar, bike-sharing and working from home. “[Smart Commute] is a program to get people out of their cars, give people options and reduce parking demand and single-occupancy vehicles that travel to campus,” McLaughlin said. DOTS previously proposed a 600spot garage on the campus and a 1,000-spot parking lot near Xfinity Center. The Residence Hall Association opposed the parking lot proposal, citing environmental concerns, and the administration declined to construct the parking garage for financial reasons, DOTS Director David Allen said. Senior John-Edward Draganov rides the Gaithersburg commuter bus every day, so he was intrigued by the idea of vanpooling, which he said would allow for more scheduling flexibility. “[The bus] really interrupts your schedule in terms of planning out your classes,” the mechanical engineering major said, adding that he feels constrained by the bus schedule, which doesn’t allow him to participate in activities such as late-night study groups. “You have to plan around the bus schedule.” Klaudia Sulima, a sophomore public health science major, voiced concerns about sharing a car with strangers and said the bus is more reliable. “I tend to trust buses more than a stranger because [driving is] what they’re paid to do,” said Sulima, who rides the Gaithersburg commuter bus several times a month. Draganov said riding with strangers wouldn’t bother him because vanpool riders would be from this university. “At least you would have a general sense of who you would be going with,” Draganov said. Aaron Abshire, the RHA by
See dots, p. 2
calendar 2 OPINION 4 FEATURES 5 DIVERSIONS
by
A group of University
Natalie Schwartz of Maryland students @nmschwartz23 and alumni are making a Senior staff writer documentary to capture
its initiative throughout the fall semester to reduce the number of plastic bags that are handed out at campus stores, such as the 24 Shop and Commons Shop, Klajbor said. The initiative would also increase the options available for students who don’t want to use plastic bags, he added. “I think as students we’re all seeing a lot of plastic bags being handed out by these oncampus shops, sometimes when they don’t need to be,” said Klajbor, a senior economics and environmental science and policy major. In a Student Government Association survey of 158 undergraduate students from across colleges at this university, 146 students said they would choose reusable shopping bags over plastic bags if given access. Campus convenience stores sell reusable bags for about $7, which is too expensive for the average student, Klajbor said. The bags are also not as well-advertised as they could be, he added.
how the fatal stabbing of a black Bowie State University student on this campus has affected the community. Kristian Simon, a senior kinesiology and public health science major, said he came up with the idea for the documentary when he noticed there wasn’t the level of uproar he expected following the death of 2nd Lt. Richard Collins in May. Simon enlisted the help of other members of The Guild, a D.C.-area creative collective that he co-founded, to work on the project. “It made me kind of question or wonder what was going on, why there was a lack of action, in my opinion,” Simon said. “So I thought of the documentary to kind of ask that question and kind of analyze the impact of that incident … on the campus community — specifically the community of minorities — as well as the danger that it posed to the educational institution.” Police said Collins was waiting for an Uber with friends near the Montgomery Hall bus stop early in the morning on May 20 when Sean Urbanski, who was a student at this university at the time, allegedly stabbed him in the chest. Collins died at Prince George’s Hospital’s Trauma Center later that morning. Urbanski, who is white, has been charged with murder and a hate crime. “Even being so innocent and just living life, enjoying the night standing on the bus stop, an innocent black man standing at the bus stop can still be a victim of hate,” Simon said. “Hate finds you.” Urbanski’s trial is scheduled for mid-January. He faces life in prison without parole, plus 20 years, if convicted on all charges. The documentary, titled “3 Days & 15 Miles,” stands for how many days from graduation Collins was and about how far he was from his home campus, respectively, on the night of the stabbing, said Breion Goodson, an alumnus of this university working on the project. The group started filming in September and hopes to wrap up by the end of this year, Simon said. So far, they have interviewed at least 10 people — a mixture of students, staff and faculty at this university. They also plan to reach out to those at Bowie State who have been affected, as well as administration and officials at this university, including President Wallace Loh and Police Chief David Mitchell, Simon said. After wrapping up filming, the group plans to spend about three months editing the documentary, which group members expect to run from about 40 minutes to an hour. They aim to release it by May. The group also plans to hold a showing on the campus, potentially at Hoff Theater, and enter the documentary into film competitions. The documentary doesn’t aim to pitch a “specific narrative,” but rather cover events and facts that many have overlooked within the area, said Marquise McKine, a student at this university who is part of the documentary team and also the sports photography editor at The Diamondback. Group members said they have noticed several recurring themes — some of which have been surprising to them — during their interviews.
See sga , p. 2
See collins, p. 3
mister mayor With his second term set to begin, a closer look at Patrick Wojahn By Leah Brennan | @allhaeleah | Senior staff writer photo illustration by evan berkowitz/the diamondback
The day after College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn was re-elected in the most contested mayoral race in city history, he received an unexpected phone call. ¶ It was from a young resident, who told Wojahn he had just come out as gay a few weeks earlier. He watched the election, and he wanted tell the city’s first openly gay mayor that he appreciated his public service. ¶ “He felt that by me being out and being who I am, that it made life easier for him,” Wojahn said. “That’s the sort of thing that makes this all worth it — the long hours and standing in the rain on [Election Day] for 13 hours and the sleepless nights … that I can make a difference in someone’s life.” See wojahn, p. 3
sga
Free reusable bags may be headed for U shops Committee’s proposal calls for implementation of returnable bag system at convenience stores by
The SGA Sustainabil-
Carly Taylor ity Committee is working @carly_taylor97 to implement free reusable shopping bags at the Staff writer University of Maryland’s campus convenience stores. If implemented, students would have the option of bagging purchased items from campus convenience stores in plastic bags or reusable bags. After students are done with the reusable bags, they would take them to a designated drop-off location. The Department of Resident Life or Dining Services would pick up the bags and return them to campus stores, said Will Klajbor, the committee’s director. The committee has been working on
6 SPORTS 10
Submit tips and corrections to The Diamondback at newsumdbk@gmail.com
For breaking news, alerts and more, follow us on Twitter @thedbk