113009

NO STOPPING THEM

A KILLER SEQUEL

Terps pull off second straight NCAA road upset with 2-0 win at Harvard.

Assassin’s Creed II improves upon every aspect of the original

SPORTS | PAGE 8

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

Monday, November 30, 2009

THE DIAMONDBACK Our 100TH Year, No. 63

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Terps flop again in finale Seventh straight loss, 2-10 record could end Friedgen era

BY GREG SCHIMMEL Senior staff writer

After the final game ended, coach Ralph Friedgen gathered the entire Terrapin football team and told everyone how much he loved them and appreciated their effort, knowing he might not get another chance.

Friedgen said he wants to be back coaching the Terps next season, and he expects to be return. Whether he will is apparently still up in the air.

The Terps lost to Boston College,

19-17, in their season finale Saturday to record their first double-digit-loss season in program history.

The Terps (2-10, 1-7 ACC) finished the year on a seven-game losing streak in what was by far the most disappointing season of Friedgen’s nine-year tenure.

Friedgen said he will discuss the state of the football program with Athletics Director Debbie Yow over the next few days. They will likely discuss whether Friedgen will stay or if the department will buy out the last two

BACK PAGE: Sports editor Aaron Kraut believes Ralph Friedgen deserves another year years of his contract for a reported sum of approximately $4 million.

Friedgen said, without mentioning any specifics, that he has several ideas to discuss with Yow to help Coach Ralph Friedgen’s Terps fell to 2-10 on the season, marking the first season in program history with 10 losses. ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

see FOOTBALL, page 8

Alumni question lecturer’s dismissal In letter, former students claim Latin America is being ignored; professors reject claims of regional bias

BY AMANDA PINO Staff writer

MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

NUTS

going Retiring Stamp administrator sells nuts on the side Staff writer

S

see NUTS, page 2

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

DORITH GRANT-WISDOM GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS LECTURER

“With the termination of Professor Grant-Wisdom, the Government and Politics Department seems to be saying there is no place in our analysis for South and Central America and the Caribbean,” they wrote in the letter. “Is it because these countries have not created fundamentalist terrorists [that have troubled U.S. interests] or because they do not have

see ALUMNI, page 3

Penniless students pass on sales

BY ADELE HAMPTON

ome might think working at a nuthouse doesn’t exactly sound “sweet,” but for Steve Adams, there’s nowhere he’d rather be.

Adams, who is retiring today from his 29-year post as assistant director of operations for Stamp Student Union, works as a nut vendor at Eastern Market — an all-day flea market in Southeast Washington — on the weekends.

Though Adams has worked at this university for almost three decades, he said in the six years he has worked in the open-air market, he has found a new family that he will continue to be a part of even after he gives up his day job.

“I meet people from all over the world,” Steve said of his weekend gig.

“I miss it if I’m not down there. I mean there’s camaraderie. It’s a family.”

Sweet Nuthouse, the business Adams runs with his wife, Heidi Adams, specializes in pecans and walnuts. Though there are hundreds of vendors who frequent Eastern Market,

Students and alumni continue to protest the government and politics department’s decision to dismiss lecturer Dorith Grant-Wisdom, but two professors in the department balked at the suggestion it was ignoring Latin America.

Earlier this month, students began to protest Grant-Wisdom’s dismissal, claiming her departure would leave the department without a professor focusing on Latin America. At the same time, five alumni who now teach courses at other colleges and universities wrote a letter to administrators expressing suspicion that their alma mater’s government department is neglecting the study of its immediate neighbors in favor of “hot-spot” regions such as the Middle East and China.

Massive Black Friday discounts don’t convince students to spend during economic downturn

BY AMY HEMMATI Staff writer

Steve Adams (above), who is retiring today after 29 years of working for the university, sells nuts each weekend at Eastern Market in Washington. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE ADAMS

Sunny/40s

INDEX

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

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

One of the last places sophomore marketing major Elizabeth Sibaja wanted to be was outside a Best Buy at 5 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, especially given the fact she didn’t have any money to spend.

But like other shoppers across the countr y looking for deals, she waited outside with her brother for hours in the long line winding around the store.

“My parents made me go with him because it was dark and cold,” she said. “I don’t really have any money, so I didn’t buy anything myself.”

Like many of her fellow

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

Terps, Sibaja warded off the urge to shop on Black Friday due to concerns surrounding a sluggish economy and dismal winter break job market. Others skipped the crowds altogether, even as stores offered up to 70 percent off merchandise to lure shoppers.

“I understood why people might get up at 3 a.m. to go shopping with a mass of people to save $100, but I never would,” freshman aerospace engineering major Jason Connolly said. “Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving is great for the economy, but a lot of the discounts are a gimmick, and you always end up spending more

see SHOPPING, page 3

www.diamondbackonline.com

2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009

www.diamondbackonline.com

ONLINE TODAY

STRIPPER STUDIES: NOT JUST EVERY GUY’S DREAM While our university scientists investigate teleportation machines, cures for cancer and water on the moon, Leeds University in the United Kingdom is seeking a lapdance researcher.

Applicants for the governmentfunded post within in the sociology and social policy school must have “prior experience of conducting research in the female sex industry,” according to the advertisement.

The job will include interviewing more than 300 strippers across the United Kingdom to assess their backgrounds in hopes of offering a picture of how exotic dancing has become mainstream entertainment.

The proposed study has already drawn ire from some U.K. antiwaste crusaders, including Susie Squire, the political director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

This post is continued online at The Diamondback’s news blog, Campus Drive.

Want more just as intriguing?

Visit blogs.umdbk.com/campusdrive for daily updates.

NUTS from page 1 Adams said he is carving out a niche for himself among the masses.

“It’s just one of those things that evolves,” Steve Adams said. “It’s fun and you make a lot of friends. It’s a mom-andpop thing to be honest, and we’ll continue to do it after I retire.”

The Adamses have become staples for many customers. “[Steve Adams] has developed a special relationship with the people down there,” Heidi Adams said. “People just flock to him. We have regulars who come by now.”

Other vendors, such as neighboring vendor Myra Ceasar, have also come to know the pair. Ceasar, who sells homemade herbal tea, collaborates with the couple in creating spreads using Ceasar’s honey and Heidi’s praline glazed pecans.

“I love them,” Ceasar said. “They’re like parents. I look out for them and they always look out for me. It just helps to get through the day when you have nice friends next to you.”

The Adamses make the nuts on Thursdays and Fridays before the weekend market to ensure the nuts stay fresh through the weekend, said university graduate student Mike Eagan, who works for Sweet Nuthouse during the holiday season when the couple needs extra help.

“It’s usually just Steve and his wife working the business, but they get people at Stamp to help out,” Eagan said. “Steve calls up and asks for help.”

Heidi, who was raised in Cuba and used to work as a professional caterer, creates all the recipes for the Sweet Nuthouse nuts.

Steve said the idea to put her talents to work in the nut industry arose after a trip to New York City.

“She said, ‘You know those nuts on the street in New York — I can make them much better,’” Steve said. “‘I can do that in a healthy way.’ And that’s what she did.”

Taking a minimalist approach, the nuts are made with no oil, dairy, butter, transfats or preservatives. The Adams duo said many of their customers don’t believe it when they read the nuts’ nutritional information.

“That’s the fun part, is seeing the reactions,” Steve said. “People taste them and then look at the ingredients. They can’t believe it.”

During the weekend fervor in Eastern Market, Steve stands under a white tent in front of the Sweet Nuthouse banner. Samples of praline glazed pecans, cinnamon coated almonds and Indian-spiced pecans are handed out at liberty while customers whip out their wallets to purchase their favorite combinations.

The couple has developed such a rapport with their customers, Heidi said, they even have an honor code, with which they allow certain regulars to pay them back later if they don’t have the cash at the time.

After one taste, they said, people go nuts. And to prove it, they give away bagfuls of samples.

“It’s absolutely not about the money,” Steve said. “It’s about the quality, period.”

Graduate student Mike Eagan (right) offers nut samples at the Sweet Nuthouse stand in Eastern Market. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

hampton@umdbk.com

After debate, accusations fly over College Democrats’ stance on Israel College Republicans accuse Democrats of being anti-Israel, but Democrats say they are being misrepresented

BY ANNA ISAACS Staff writer

Two weeks after a heated debate between two student political groups, controversy over the College Democrats’ alleged criticism of Israel persists.

Although College Democrats Campaigns Director Michael Besser denied making anti-Israel remarks at the debate, Maryland Federation of College Republicans Chairman Evan Lazerowitz issued a press release Nov. 24 calling for the resignation of the College Democrats leadership.

“The views of the College Park Democrats are far outside the mainstream of American politics and should be condemned,” Lazerowitz said in the statement. “We call upon the College Park Democrats’ Board to do the right thing and resign and issue an apology to the entire campus.”

The statement accused Besser, a senior government and politics major, of saying, “Israel is oppressing the Palestinian people.”

“It’s completely fabricated,” Besser said. “It’s not even taken out of context — it’s something I never said.”

At the debate, Besser said he voiced his support for the U.S. government to call on Israel to halt settlement construction in the West Bank — a policy he said would help to jumpstart peace talks.

Besser said he also stated that the United States has a responsibility to help Israel counter the influence of Hamas, the elected leadership of the Palestinian National Authority, which some consider a terrorist group.

But Besser insists he made no remarks that could be construed as anti-Israel.

“I’m not really sure how you get ‘Israel is oppressing the Palestinians’ from that,” he said, adding that he con-

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“The views of the College Park Democrats are far outside the mainstream of American politics and should be condemned.”

EVAN LAZEROWITZ MARYLAND FEDERATION OF COLLEGE REPUBLICANS CHAIRMAN

siders himself to be pro-Israel. “To make the quote up and attribute it to someone like that I think is pretty egregious.”

College Democrats president Amy Hartman said the press release was

motivated by politics rather than legitimate concerns.

“The fact that they would call for our executive board to resign in a clearly partisan, inflammatory political attack is laughable,” the senior government and politics and women’s studies major wrote in an e-mail. “The College Republicans have no standing to make such a ridiculous demand.”

In response to a press release from College Democrats denying the remark, Lazerowitz released another statement Wednesday that stood by his initial statement and asked the Democrats to clarify their position on Israel.

Lazerowitz also questioned the Democrats’ decision to drop their cosponsorship with the College Republicans of an event featuring speaker Matthew Levitt, a former career national security official and expert on the Middle East conflict.

“We were not given any information about Mr. Levitt’s opinions and views on Middle East policy and thus, we did not want to co-sponsor a speaker whose viewpoints and opinions we were unclear on,” Hartman wrote.

While the Democrats’ press release emphasizes diversity among their membership as how best to achieve peace in the Middle East, Hartman said the topic is important to pursue.

“We had a very heated, uncivilized discussion on this particular topic at the debate, and we wanted to allow things to cool down before we delved further into the issue,” Hartman wrote. “Anyone who has followed the College Democrats over the years knows that we are deeply committed to progress in the Middle East, and have held many events and discussions towards that end.” aisaacs@umdbk.com

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

Mixed reaction for devices designed to encourage class participation Professors say clickers help to foster discussion in large lectures

BY MELISSA QUIJADA Staff writer

Large lecture halls are usually the classes students feel the most comfortable skipping, but some students say since the incorporation of clickers into their lectures’ curricula, they can’t ditch any more.

Clickers are remotes used by some professors to track attendance and encourage student participation in classes too large to foster discussion, such as science classes. When they were introduced years ago, the goal was to increase student attendance and participation, and students who use them say the devices do just that — whether they like it or not.

“Half the time, they don’t work,” sophomore Valerie Redmond said about clicker use in her plant biology class this semester. “Our teacher can’t figure it out.”

Redmond did note, however, that when a class requires

clickers, she and her friends are less likely to skip it.

For about five years, many university faculty members have required their students to purchase clickers and register them to a specific channel, enabling them to reply individually to questions posed to the entire class. A small portable receiving device, managed by the class instructor, collects student feedback. The clicker software, TurningPoint, also displays data through charts, graphs and polls.

Though the clickers have become an established tool at this university, many students are still not sold on the technology.

Sophomore Allison Gost, who is using a clicker for her introductory biology class this semester, said the technology has often proved useful for inclass quizzes, but said it also has major faults.

“The grading is weird because you can’t automatically see the answers,” Gost said. “It’s kind of hard to grasp the concepts.”

Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence Spencer Benson said though clicker use is mostly beneficial, there are always drawbacks to relying on technology.

“The downfall of having technology is that for complex reasons it sometimes doesn’t work,” Benson said.

“Sometimes the electricity goes out. It’s not a limitation, just the reality.”

Office of Information Technology spokeswoman Phyllis Johnson said the university’s wireless network features 3,700 access points across the campus, making it one of the largest networks in the country. Although some areas tend to experience spotty clicker reception, she said, the university is continuing to expand reception areas.

Benson said clickers greatly increase student classroom involvement by giving students the opportunity to respond anonymously to controversial or sensitive ques-

tions that the professor might want to ask.

Biology professor Jeffrey Jensen said he integrated clicker technology during some lectures to disprove scientific misconceptions held by his students and invite discussion amongst themselves.

“The emphasis in scientific teaching is to define measurable goals, and to assess whether we and the students are actually meeting them.

Clickers are useful for this,” said Jensen. “Occasionally students will nail a concept that I think they’ll have trouble understanding, other times they’ll tank on a question I thought was too easy.”

Physics professor Edward Redish agreed, saying students in his introductory physical sciences lecture become animated and talkative during clicker sessions — especially when there is a split vote on a question.

“To a real extent, in science, learning to talk the talk is learn-

Junior kinesiology major Hanah Nguyen uses her clicker in class. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

ing to walk the walk,” Redish said. “Clickers allow me to bring these kinds of discussions even into a large lecture and shift the class towards deeper learning.”

Although Redish said overall his students don’t seem to like using the clickers, he still uses them, albeit sparingly.

Some, like junior American studies major Nateara Gaston prefer old-fashioned methods

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nuclear arms they are insignificant to the strategic planning of a Research 1 university in the nation’s capital?”

Two professors in the government and politics department dismissed the suggestion Grant-Wisdom’s departure signaled regional favoritism.

Both Ken Conca and Jóhanna Kristín Birnir — named by government and politics chair Mark Lichbach as professors concerned with Latin-American affairs — attributed the department’s limited regional reach to the small size of the comparative politics team.

They weren’t familiar with the circumstances surrounding Grant-Wisdom’s departure, however.

“I do not see the department as having any particular regional priorities. We do not have a large group of faculty in the area of comparative politics,” Conca wrote in an e-mail. “We do not have more than one or at most two professors who specialize in any one world region, so there is no gross imbalance.”

Birnir, who has done significant research on LatinAmerican politics, currently teaches an undergraduate course on terrorism. She said that terrorism in Latin America is featured prominently in the content of the course.

“If the department didn’t care about Latin America, I don’t think they would have hired me,” she said.

Conca said that although he has done field work in Brazil, he does not feel qualified to teach an undergraduate course on Latin America.

He also said that while he perceived no agenda on the

SHOPPING from page 1 money than you would otherwise because you think you’re getting a good deal.”

Of the students who did go shopping, most went looking for deals and were conscious of their bottom lines.

“When I go shopping, I feel like I’m stimulating the economy,” sophomore bioengineering major Afareen Rezvani said. “I don’t go crazy like I used to, but I still buy more than I need, especially when there are good deals.”

Marketing professor Jie Zhang said retailers will be offering especially low prices this season to clear their shelves by the end of the holidays.

“Anticipating a dismal holiday season, many retailers have already cut down inventor y and started holiday discounts early this year,” Zhang said in a statement.

“Consumers will be especially deal-prone this season, so retailers may have to resort to deep discounting.”

Despite the dismal global economic situation, the National Retail Federation reports Black Friday sales rose 0.5 percent from last year, with a total of $41.2 billion spent across the country.

“Even though I went in the afternoon, I still got good

to clicker use.

“For tests, I just prefer to bubble in a circle on paper,” said Gaston, who took many of her business management tests last fall with clickers. “[With clickers] you do get your test grades sooner than average, but I’ve never been the one to want my test grades so quickly.” quijada@umdbk.com

part of the department, there were still obvious gaps in its offerings, notably in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia.

“With specific regard to Latin America, we had a professor teaching on that region who did not succeed in getting tenure and who left the department several years ago. We have not consistently offered classes on the region since his departure,” Conca wrote. “With regard to Africa, in recent years two of our comparative politics faculty who focused on Africa left for jobs at other universities.”

Both professors expressed hope that underrepresented regions in the department could be strengthened by the three new hires the department hopes to recruit this winter, and Conca said that he has “great respect for Grant-Wisdom both as a colleague and an instructor.”

Grant-Wisdom’s departure remains a mystery to the alumni and many students, who felt she was particularly qualified for the position.

“Not only has she served on graduate committees across disciplines, she has also introduced undergraduate students to our closest geographical neighbors in a complex and rigorous way,” the alumni wrote in the letter.

Junior government and politics major Jazz Lewis, an organizer with Students Taking Action to Reclaim our Education and the co-president of Community Roots, said STARE circulated a petition in support of Grant-Wisdom’s reinstatement during the rally for Cordell Black.

He estimated more than 100 students signed the document. pino@umdbk.com

“When I go shopping, I feel like I’m stimulating the economy. I don’t go crazy like I used to, but I still buy more than I need ...”

AFAREEN REZVANI SOPHOMORE BIOENGINEERING MAJOR

deals,” sophomore histor y education major Rebecca Durgin said. “Most of the stores I went to were fairly crowded.”

Marketing professor Janet Wagner recommended Durgin’s strategy of hitting the mall during the peak of deals and discounts, and offered a bleak picture for those holding off on their holiday shopping until the last minute.

“Consumers who are lastminute shoppers need to rethink their strategies this year,” Wagner said in a statement.

“Retailers have trimmed their inventories to avoid the massive pre-Christmas markdowns, which hurt profits last year. Consumers who wait may not find the perfect gift.” hemmati@umdbk.com

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009

Opinion

KEVIN ROBILLARD

THE DIAMONDBACK

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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KYLE GOON

JOHN SILBERHOLZ

MANAGING EDITOR

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

ROB GINDES

JUSTIN SNOW

OPINION EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Staff editorial

Guest column

Be a friend to families

A worthy slogan

R

earing a child is no easy task. Young children consume massive fessors, and tenure-track faculty would delay the time of their tenure review amounts of their parents’ time, energy and money. Unfortu- by picking such a route but could do so for up to two years. Tenured faculty nately, we live in a world where time is money. Parents often have could work part-time indefinitely but would face renewal every two years.

By instituting such a policy, the university could also further improve facto make the seemingly impossible choice between working to provide for their children or raising them on their own. But the University ulty diversity. Men are 20 percent more likely to obtain tenure than women, Senate could be on the road to making this difficult situation a little easier and women who have children early in their careers are less likely to receive tenure than those who wait. Making this switch for faculty members. would help the university recruit female professors and Next month, the senate will consider allowing faculty doctoral students. members to request part-time positions while they raise It’s an easy — and sexist — cop-out to insist that women young children up to their fifth birthday without irreparashould wait to have children. The reality is more complibly harming or giving up their academic careers. Tenured The University Senate cated. Pregnancies aren’t always anticipated. Plus, more and tenure-track faculty would be able to request up to a should vote to improve and more people are receiving their doctorates in their 50 percent decrease in their workload. family leave policies to mid-thirties. The average age for receiving tenure in the This policy change is not only the right thing to do, but it would also help the university retain and recruit top facattract potential faculty. sciences and social sciences is 39. That doesn’t leave much time to have children. ulty members who could pursue more family-friendly jobs A vote for this policy change should be an easy decision. in government, the private sector or at other universities.

According to the Faculty Affairs Committee, many doctoral students The university has continually worked for a progressive community that supdecide not to pursue academic posts at universities because they fear they ports all types of individuals and does not hinder the opportunities of some won’t have enough time to raise and support their families. But by adopting for convenience. And after the Board of Regents recognizes domestic partpolicies more hospitable to professors with children, the university could nerships, the family leave proposal would extend to same-sex couples and attract many potential academic leaders who other wise would pursue their children as well.

There are many qualified doctoral students out there. And like any careers elsewhere.

The policy is also fair to taxpayers — any reduction in work would be met employer, this university competes for the best candidates. By telling these by an equal reduction in pay. This reduction allows the university to hire potential professors that this is a place that won’t hinder their ability to raise adjuncts or part-time faculty members to fill any void left by the tenured pro- a family, this university would provide an environment that truly stands out.

“And then she says she can’t talk, she’s on her way to church!”

“Wasn’t she getting married to that boy in the Marines? Did she have the baby?”

“Didn’t it ever occur to you people that we might be busy at school?”

Another Thanksgiving, another decibel-level louder. But somehow, it does seem that the louder the family party, the more enjoyable it is.

Show me a family that has civilized, audible conversation at its Thanksgiving table, and I’ll show you a group of people that doesn’t know how to have fun.

Maybe we’re just enjoying the time we spend together. Or maybe we’re all just gradually losing our hearing.

Luckily, we have an ear, nose and throat doctor in the family.

Rachel Hare is a senior French language and literature and journalism major. She can be reached at hare@umdbk.com.

Dan Hardisty is a senior Chinese and government and politics major. He can be reached at hardisty.dan@gmail.com.

Editorial cartoon: Shai Goller

California: A preview of coming attractions?

A

MALCOLM

HARRIS ing and Tasering students are horrific and make me feel like I dodged a bullet by moving away, but my heart rose when I read there were demonstrations at the U.S. embassies in Vancouver and Vienna: Canadian and Austrian students protesting police brutality in California.

An unsophisticated observer might just see students fighting for their wallets. And for some, this is true. A 32percent increase in tuition means some of the protesters are fighting for their chance to continue attending school. But the protesters’ demands across the state make it clear they’re fighting for more. The students at

Santa Cruz demanded the school keep open childcare facilities and work on cheaper rent for students with families, in addition to the elimination of student debt. Spurred by budget cuts and a tuition increase, students have united (along with faculty and staff) to fight for a more accessible university system.

While watching videos of thousands of students shutting down one of our “aspirational peers,” I couldn’t help comparing California’s situation to our own. Sure, theirs is more severe, but our problems are similar in substance if not yet in scale. The specter of a tuition increase looms over us. Proponents of an increase are already framing students as selfish brats for not wanting to pay more to sustain the university colossus that cuts programs and asks to get paid for it. A $1,600 increase would be about 20 percent, less than California’s, but certainly a significant raise. How many students

would have to drop out because they wouldn’t be able to pay? How many students would have to get a job, or even a second job? We have yet to learn the answer, but we know it’s more than zero.

Tuition hikes and program cuts radicalized and united UC students — not just at Berkeley but at Fresno State, Davis and Irvine, too. The questions we should be asking are how long will it take us to realize our own crisis and will we have the courage to stand up for each other? I think we can beat back a tuition increase. Gov. Martin O’Malley is running for reelection and student uprisings don’t bode well for incumbents. But if we want a shot, we’re going to have to learn from our fellow students in California and realize our crisis soon.

Malcolm Harris is a senior English and government and politics major. He can be reached at harris@umdbk.com.

Families: Mine won’t shut up

U

nder normal circumstances, I’m a pretty softspoken person. I’m not the kind to shout over others or scream at the person next to me when a library voice will do. But put me at a table with 13 of my relatives, and suddenly I’m screeching like a chimpanzee at the zoo, trying to be heard over the pandemonium.

It’s not that my family members cannot control the volume of their voices, or that we have particularly impassioned conversations, or that we are all naturally loud people (in fact, the majority of our 14-member clan is normally quite introverted.)

For some reason, though, family gatherings seem to bring out the “loud” in all of us.

It’s no wonder my grandfather is using hearing aids these days. I’ve been in the family for 21 years now, and I can already feel my auditory organs beginning to fail.

Perhaps this Thanksgiving was

particularly boisterous because we were all gathered Charlie Brownstyle around the ping-pong table in my basement, our voices ricocheting off the walls like lottery balls.

To send compliments on the potatoes to the chef at the other end of the table was like tr ying to get an order to the bartender at the Thirsty Turtle: You ended up sprawled across the table and screaming at the top of your lungs.

And your aunt would still respond, “No, there’s no tomatoes.”

During dessert, by which time we had resorted to more primitive forms of communication, my brother looked at me and mouthed, “Where’s the dog?”

In fact, she had been markedly absent for a good 15 minutes — she wasn’t stealing anyone’s napkin, climbing into anyone’s lap or circling anyone’s legs in pursuit of scraps.

I excused myself (not that anyone took note of my politeness over the

RACHEL

HARE din) and found her upstairs in my parents’ room, curled up as if in hiding. Yet even in that hideout, I could still hear the distinct rumblings of high-decibel conversations thundering up from two stories below.

“Well now that he’s in college, he never calls home!”

“Oh, Rachel’s the same way — worries me sick!”

“Could you pass the —” “They said it would cost $8,000, can you believe that?”

“If you hold the Colts to 17 points, how do you lose that game?”

“Samantha, you cannot eat pecan pie — you just had your wisdom teeth out!”

I

’ve heard some of you don’t like the new slogan, “Unstoppable Starts Here.” Well, today I ask you to reconsider.

Since naysayers don’t get off easy with me, let’s get some things out of the way. First, I don’t want to see any comments about how easy my life must be or how rich I probably am so it’s easy for me to luxuriate and think of novel ways to amuse myself. I have a wife and we have a wonderful, energetic 7-year-old girl.

I work 24 hours a week in retail, I’m doing honors course work, and I carry 15 credits every semester.

Let’s address the money spent.

Yeah, the university could have spent the money on other things, but the money is gone now. It’s spent, and we can’t get it back. I’m not addressing that today and, to be honest, the complaints I’ve heard have had less to do with the money spent and more to do with “it’s lame, it’s dumb, I don’t get it,” etc. If you don’t get it, then perhaps you could use a little more inspiration in your life.

What I ask you to reconsider is the meaning of the phrase “Unstoppable Starts Here.” When I hear that phrase, I think of inspiration. It helps reinforce my commitment to succeeding not only here at school but also in life. I have lived my whole life trying to be unstoppable. I’m the first in my family to go to college, and I’ll be the first to earn a bachelor’s degree. It’s been 12 years since I graduated high school. I joined the U.S. Navy in 1998 and got out in 2004. I worked for almost two years while I went to community college before coming here in 2006. If I hadn’t discovered inspiration anywhere it could be found, I couldn’t have held on for almost nine years to get back into college.

Our new slogan makes me think of inspirational stories like the one told in The Pursuit of Happyness.

After I saw the movie, I got the audiobook by Chris Gardner, the man the movie is about. He was homeless and had his son with him on the streets, but because he’s unstoppable, he achieved his dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur. For me, one of the most touching parts of that film is when he tells his young son not to ever let anyone tell him he can’t do something. Sounds a lot like unstoppable started inside him, and it reminds me of the things my dad told me growing up.

Another inspiration of mine is the late Randy Pausch, who was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He’s famous for something called the The Last Lecture. The professor talked about his life and how he approached chasing his dreams. The title of his lecture was “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” and in it he said, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

At the time of his lecture, he was in the final stages of pancreatic cancer. The speech wasn’t about cancer or death — it was about achieving childhood dreams. The details of his life are too numerous to go into here, but I assure you “unstoppable” is a vocabulary word that man knew well.

I have a cube on my desk at home with different quotes on it; one of which is from Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” He was so unstoppable his ideas live beyond his death.

When I used to go to work with my dad growing up, people would ask him if I would be following in his footsteps. He would adamantly say no and tell people his son would get an education and have a better life than him. He wanted me to be unstoppable, and in my case unstoppable started at home. He wanted (and still does want) a better life for me. We all want better lives and futures for ourselves and for the world. That all starts here.

If unstoppable hasn’t started for you yet, then let it start somewhere — anywhere. But why not here?

Find out who inspires you. Find those things in life that drive you to achieve your goals and your definition of success. Be unstoppable.

Our View

s a California native, some days it’s hard not to miss home, and last week it wasn’t just the weather that called me back to the Golden State. In a way, I lucked out by coming east for college.

California’s budget gap makes Maryland’s shortfall look like my bar tab at the club while University of California students are facing a 32-percent tuition hike over the next two years. But through this crisis, it’s the student reaction that has made me homesick.

Facebook makes following major events inevitable, and I have enough friends in California that I’ve been able to follow the student response by stalking my high school classmates. I saw protest pictures and calls to strike from students I remembered as apathetic and uninvolved. In response to the assault on the UC system, demonstrators occupied eight buildings on six different campuses. The horrific videos from Berkeley of police beat-

DAN HARDISTY

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.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 58 Debtors’ notes 1 Turnpike rumbler 60 Boy Scout rank 61 Ms. Bombeck 5 Awful 62 Fluctuate 8 Elephant tooth 63 Shadow 12 Ms. Verdugo 64 Trial balloon 14 Muslim mystic 65 Prior to 15 Con 66 Lemon candy 16 Forty-niner stakeout DOWN 17 — d’oeuvres 1 Jiffies 18 Firmly fixed 2 First name in jazz 19 Save (2 wds.)

3 Sit-down occasion 21 Like a stegosaur 4 Rolling — — 23 Zig’s opposite (rich) 24 Tavern fare 5 Gull’s perch 25 007, for example 6 It’s south of Eur. 26 Sun-dried bricks 7 Supplant 30 Fabulous time 8 Ciao, to the 32 Office notes queen (hyph.)

33 Sports injuries 9 Apartments 37 Tub in the fridge 10 Marinate 38 Mrs. Kramden 11 Tot 39 Class ender 13 Stuns 40 Small-time 14 Catch a fly ball (hyph.)

20 We — robbed!

42 Coke rival 22 Perchance 43 In a lather 24 Alas and —!

44 Greeted the 26 Love, to Claudius villain 27 Lox purveyor 45 Is, to Fritz 28 Comet, to an 48 Location ancient technique: abbr.

29 Volumes 49 Capture 30 Like seawater 50 Isthmus 31 Floats downriver 52 Have second thoughts (2 wds.) 33 Uses a spatula 34 Gym iterations 57 Cave, maybe

© 2009 UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE

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orn today, you are always on the lookout for a cause to support — and if the odds are against you, all the better. You thrive on the kind of challenge and difficulty that would stop most others in their tracks; the more you have to struggle to achieve your desired ends, the more you will be satisfied when you do — and you acknowledge that success is surely never guaranteed. You are quick to assess the issues that are prevalent in the world around you, and to pick one or two that you will support, tooth and nail, until your impact and influence have been felt.

B

It may seem to some that you are self-serving and ego-driven, but the truth is that you are genuinely philanthropic in your approach and efforts. To say that you’re not at all interested in personal reward is, of course, untrue, but it’s not your primary motivation.

Also born on this date are Shirley Chisholm, politician; Virginia Mayo, actress; June Pointer, singer; Winston Churchill, British prime minister; Mark Twain, author; Dick Clark, TV and music personality; Robert Guillaume, actor; Ridley Scott, director.

63 66

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.

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ects. They want to see you succeed.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — The way you see things unfold will be determined, in part, by your mood as you awaken. Perspective determines a great deal.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — You may be challenged in a surprising way, but once you bring out your native skills, nothing can stand in your way. For now.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — It’s not whether you win or lose but how you face your opponent. Are you confident and strong, or uncertain and vacillating?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — You can do much to defuse a potentially volatile situation. It all depends on being in the right place at the right time, however.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — You’re bound to run into distractions and obstacles, but there’s no rule that says you can’t stop to get your bearings if necessary.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — Environmental influences are sure to be stronger than expected, but in a way that surprises even the experts. Be ready for anything.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — You’re still waiting for that big thing to come along. The truth is, what you’re waiting for may have been with you all along.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You’re going to have to work hard and fast to achieve the goals set for you by another.

You and he do not see eye to eye.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — You’ll want to keep tensions to a minimum, but it may prove difficult when you’re face to face with a rival.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Someone close to you is giving you a firm but gentle nudge in a certain direction. The question is, of course, why are you resisting?

Copyright 2009 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009

DIVERSIONS

BY ANDREW FREEDMAN For The Diamondback

An old adage goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Publisher and developer Ubisoft has taken that saying and thrown it out the window.

While Ubisoft would have made plenty of money repackaging its 2007 title Assassin’s Creed with a new story, it has gone above and beyond, improving almost every facet of the original game in Assassin’s Creed II. Assassin’s Creed II takes place right where the original left off.

Protagonist Desmond Miles gives a quick recap explaining his experience with a company called Abstergo that forced him to relive the memories of his ancestor Altaïr Ibn La’Ahad, anassassin during the Crusades, on a machine called the Animus.

Desmond finds he is in way over his head as he becomes part of a

REVIEW | ASSASSIN’S CREED II secret war between two clans: the Assassins and the Templars.

Breaking out of Abstergo with laboratory assistant Lucy, Miles is trained by a team of Assassins.

To do learn the skills of the trade, they have him relive the life of another one of his ancestors, Ezio Auditore de Firenze, an Italian assassin in the 15th century who is out to avenge the deaths of his father and two brothers. A “bleeding effect” should cause Desmond to learn all that Ezio learns as he trains to be an assassin while experiencing Ezio’s life in the Animus 2.0. Also, Ezio has to hone his skills as he escapes the wrath of a corrupt politician with a grudge against his family and learns the secrets his father left behind — those of his double life as an assassin.

There are so many improvements to the sequel that it’s hard to choose where to start. The story is more action-packed and

interesting this time around, perhaps due to the fact they did not need to introduce us to the science of the Animus. Players are immediately immersed in the action. Game play has improved considerably — the missions are no longer repetitive, as they were in the original game. Assassin’s Creed had only a handful of tasks, while there are about 10 more mission styles in the sequel.

Also added to Assassin’s Creed II is the ability to purchase merchandise from vendors to upgrade Ezio’s weapons and armor. Weapons can also be stolen from opponents and used against them. Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci acts as the arms dealer, designing Ezio’s trademark wrist blades, a flying machine and other tools to carry out missions and assassinations, while other historical figures such as famous banker Lorenzo

Classified CALL

de’ Medici make appearances.

The artificial intelligence has improved greatly, with smarter, tougher guards and enemies who search in more hiding spaces when they come after you.

In addition, the Animus 2.0 has several welcome additions.

When Desmond is reliving Ezio’s life, he is supplied with historical information about the famous locations in Italy he passes, as well as biographies of characters in the game, fitting them into both Europe’s and the game’s history. Documents such as letters from one character to another also deepen the experience and often have full voiceovers reading them — an impressive feature that makes these documents more engaging.

Ezio is also a more dynamic

character than the original’s assassin, Altaïr. He is more personable than his focused and somber ancestor. Further, this game takes place over the course of many years so players see Ezio age and change, making the story more interesting. Desmond has grown, as well. The introverted bartender turned science project turned assassin has come out of his shell quite a bit.

The controls, mostly unchanged from the original, are great for the fluid rooftop parkour involved in escaping enemies around Florence, Venice, Tuscany and Rome.

Unfortunately, this is one area with a flaw. The controls can be too sensitive when one is trying to make jumps in the rafters of a church and hoping not to fall to his death. One wrong twitch of a

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Text on the screen tends to be on the small side, making it difficult to read mission instructions and subtitles for the voice acting.

Sequels tend to be more of the same, with just a few extra features thrown in. The original Assassin’s Creed was popular despite its flaws, and Ubisoft would have sold plenty of copies simply following the typical sequel formula. However, it went above and beyond, making almost everything about Assassin’s Creed II better than the original. Skeptics can breathe easy — this is one of the most impressive experiences you can have on your Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 this holiday season.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

KRAUT from page 8 Besides the obvious injustice of firing Friedgen for not meeting the very standards he created and buying him out because the season ticket revenue he made possible has fallen off, there are just too many other unfeasible factors.

After you fire Friedgen, who do you hire? Franklin is an affable guy, but he certainly hasn’t done enough with his current gig to validate a promotion.

Brian Kelly of Cincinnati, Gary Patterson of TCU or even Skip Holtz of ECU aren’t coming here. They are looking for more prestigious jobs with bigger paydays in better conferences. There’s a good chance they wouldn’t perform better.

That leaves the Terps with a well-regarded assistant coach. Let’s say he comes in next season, and magically

7

makes the Terps a nine- or 10win team, just as Friedgen did when he arrived after serving as the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech.

If that’s how it plays out, that new coach would have just done the same thing Friedgen did nine seasons ago.

The best job in sports is the first-year head coach who takes over a losing team. You can harness the new energy and excitement around the program. All you have to do is win more games than the last guy to be labeled a success. If you win a lot more, you’re a miracle worker.

That’s partially what Friedgen did, but there’s a difference.

People forget that Friedgen proved he could coach in the meantime, even if it also became apparent that making the Terps a truly elite program is a near impossible task.

In 2006, with a limited quarterback and a mediocre defense, Friedgen carefully

MAUI from page 8 Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Last year, the Terps picked up their first two losses of the season in an early trip to the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla. But they also knocked off eventual national runner-up Michigan State in their first game of that tournament, a win that loomed large in March when the Terps found themselves on the edge of the NCAA Tournament field.

A win against a D-II squad won’t impress the selection committee.

Now, to bolster their nonconference résumé, the Terps will need to knock off the Wildcats at the Verizon Center in Sunday’s BB&T Classic showdown.

But coming off a pair of disappointing losses, Williams wasn’t even ready to look that far ahead in his final Maui press conference.

“Hopefully, [the losses will] make us better for Indiana,” Williams said.

Besides the re-emergence of guard Greivis Vasquez, who averaged 18.5 points in the two losses, there weren’t many positives to take from the Maui trip. The team struggled with rebounding, perimeter defense and running its half court offense at various times.

It started early in the week when the Terps allowed Chaminade to

guided the Terps to a 9-4 record with a number of close wins over more talented teams.

In 2007, Friedgen must have been doing something right because the Terps exposed two top-10 teams amid some frustrating narrow losses.

Last season was uneven and ended poorly, but Friedgen probably still had the team’s attention if he could get them to beat three ranked teams the week after moralecrippling losses.

This year, it undeniably fell apart. A rare combination of inexperience, injuries to key players and, yes, poor coaching decisions, did Friedgen in. But there should be little doubt next season’s Terps will be better, perhaps a lot better if sophomore quarterback Jamarr Robinson can build on his lateseason showing and Friedgen and Franklin can make the right changes to the offense.

The Terps’ 2010 recruiting

class is currently ranked No. 36

by Rivals.com. That’s one spot ahead of Florida State, and two ahead of Ole Miss, though questions about Friedgen’s job status won’t help matters down the stretch. (Contrary to popular belief, Friedgen’s recruiting classes have consistently been rated in the top-25 to top-40 range, right where a program like Maryland’s should be.)

The Athletics Department shouldn’t let the dramatic contrast between Friedgen’s great start and awful 2009 influence its decision.

Let Friedgen’s whole body of work — a 66-46 record with six bowl appearances in nine seasons — be the measurement.

At this school, that’s about as good as it gets.

Don’t fire Friedgen because of that, even if for three seasons he somehow made it seem like better things were possible. akraut@umdbk.com

hang around into the second half.

Given the Terps’ eventual 28-point win, Williams balked at a question about his team’s slow start in that contest. The 21st-year coach instead praised the scrappy Silverswords.

But after two more lackluster firsthalf performances resulted in losses, Williams softened his stance and placed the onus on his team.

“You can’t come from behind all the time against good teams,” Williams said. “It’s just not going to happen.”

In explaining his team’s struggles, Williams also leaned heavily on the fact that suspended forward Dino Gregory didn’t make the trip. Freshmen James Padgett and Jordan Williams continued to split minutes in the starting spot that would have been Gregory’s. Jordan Williams, who leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.7 per game, got into foul trouble in both losses.

Without ever specifically naming Gregory, Williams, who praised his freshmen for doing their best in a tough situation, alluded to the team being short-handed until Gregory’s scheduled Dec. 12 return.

But in the meantime, it’s just one excuse for a suddenly disastrous start to the season.

“We don’t have another way to go,” Williams said. “That’s just the way it is.”

“That’s a Casey Townsend goal,” Cirovski said.

“That’s a goal scorer’s goal.”

Harvard entered Sunday’s match with a striker to match Townsend. Forward Andre Akpan, playing in what would ultimately be his last college match, needed just one score for the Crimson career goal record, set by Chris Ohiri, the man for whom the stadium was named.

He almost got it — twice. Midway through the first half, Akpan found a rare opportunity to slip behind the Terp backline, running onto a through ball before pointing the ball toward goal. Terp goalkeeper Zac MacMath charged off his line to close down the angle, but collided with Akpan a second too late. The whistle blew, and Akpan headed to the penalty strike for a chance to make history and tie the match.

Akpan’s try toward the right post struck the knee of a diving MacMath, and the ball popped fortuitously back to the forward. But seemingly taken aback by the save Akpan managed only a weak rebound effort that drifted easily back to MacMath.

“Maybe it wasn’t meant to be,” Akpan said of his failed penalty kick.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Terps took control of the action in the second. Cortes again rose to the occasion. After a goal and the game-winning assist last week at Penn State, Cortes resumed his postseason heroics with a 22-yard missile in the 78th minute.

That all but punched the Terps’ ticket to Charlottesville, Va., and wrote the latest chapter in the Terps’ unlikely run to the brink of the College Cup.

edetweiler@umdbk.com

shaffer@umdbk.com

HARVARD from page 8

Forward Diandra Tchatchouang scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the Terps’ 82-65 win against Drexel yesterday afternoon. VINCE SALAMONE/THE DIAMONDBACK

DREXEL from page 8 amount of the workload offensively for the Terps. Bjork recorded 19 points, with 12 coming from behind the three-point line. Tchatchouang recorded 18 points on 55 percent shooting.

Center Lynetta Kizer, who went down with an ankle sprain in Friday’s matchup against Howard, did not start but entered the game with 16:11 remaining in the first half. She made her presence felt instantly, hitting two straight baskets for the team’s first four points after her return.

A few minutes later, she grabbed an offensive board, turned and hit a jumper while being fouled. She went on to make the free throw to complete the three-point play. She

would finish with 13 points in 18 minutes of playing time.

“It would get sore every now and then,” Kizer said. “But the coaches were smart with me. … [I’m] just staying positive I guess, like not trying to worry about the injury too much — just going out and playing.”

With the 17-point victory, the Terps won their third straight game since dropping an early season matchup against thenNo. 25 Mississippi State. Yesterday’s win was also the Terps’ 42nd straight at home.

“I’m very, very proud of our veterans,” Frese said. “They just did a tremendous job showing a level of toughness. … I’m excited because when you have quick turnarounds — to be able to have that kind of play — it bodes well for our future.” engelke@umdbk.com

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8

THE DIAMONDBACK | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009

Sports

For breaking news, go online Stay up to date on any football coaching news by checking out Diamondbackonline.com and Terrapintrail.com.

ANOTHER ‘L’ FOR EMPHASIS Friedgen deserves a shot at redemption AARON

KRAUT

T

he fundamental mistake Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen has made during his nine-year tenure wasn’t hiring James Franklin as offensive coordinator, allowing a high-profile local recruit to sign out of town or choosing Morgan Green over Steve Slaton.

Friedgen simply started too well, too fast. After winning the ACC title in 2001, he won 11 games in 2002 and 10 more in 2003.

Suddenly, there were outrageous expectations for a previously expectation-less program. Friedgen outgrew his modest surroundings, not gradually, but at such a feverish pace that after a 2-10 season the Athletics Department is reportedly considering firing him and buying out the remaining $4 million and two years on his contract.

That move would be a bigger mistake than any error Friedgen has ever made.

Running back Da’Rel Scott (No. 23) and wide receiver Torrey Smith (No. 82) walk off the field Saturday after the Terps’ 19-17 loss to Boston College. The game capped a seven-game losing streak and the first season with 10 losses in program history ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

FOOTBALL from page 1 improve the program, and he repeated his desire to stay on as head coach multiple times. “[The players] never quit on me. Why would I want to quit on them?” Friedgen said. “I want to be there when they’re good so we can think about these times and laugh about them.”

Friedgen didn’t necessarily help his cause on Saturday.

He blamed himself for the Terps going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 29-yard line instead of punting and letting the Terp defense get the ball back with nearly five minutes to play and all three timeouts still in hand.

The Terps trailed 16-10 at the time, and Friedgen said offensive coordinator James Franklin made the call to have quarterback Jamarr Robinson take a quick quarterback sneak that failed to gain an inch. However, Friedgen said he could have overruled it.

“It was tough to tell [if he made it]. We were under the pile just digging,” center Phil Costa said. “Somebody told me

[linebacker Luke Kuechly] jumped over the top and timed it pretty good.”

Eagle kicker Steve Aponavicius made a 42-yard field goal four plays later to put the Eagles up by two scores, 19-10, and essentially put the game out of reach.

Robinson found wide receiver Torrey Smith for a 28-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 19-17 with 1:34 remaining, but the Eagles recovered the ensuing onside kick and kneeled out the clock.

For the fifth time in six games, the Terps were within a touchdown in the fourth quarter but lost.

“This was probably the best losing team I’ve seen,” Smith said. “It’s been frustrating. Our team has definitely progressed since the first game of the season, and we’ve been in a position to win.

We’ve just got to finish.”

The Terps used both Robinson and Chris Turner for extended time as neither quarterback was at full strength.

Turner had missed the previous two games with an MCL sprain he suffered Nov. 7 against N.C. State, and Friedgen said Robinson had a turf toe injury and a shoulder injury. Neither practiced much the week before the game.

Turner finished 11-for-17 for 101 yards

see KRAUT, page 7

passing, and Robinson finished 9-for-15 for 115 yards passing and a touchdown.

Turner played nearly the entire first quarter, the entire third quarter and much of the fourth quarter, but Robinson led the Terps’ last two drives in crunch time at the end of the game.

“It wasn’t that we were disappointed in Chris’ performance at all,” Friedgen said. “We were just trying to go with the guy we felt could put points on the board best.”

Several players acknowledged after the game they are aware of the speculation surrounding Friedgen’s job status, but said it hasn’t really been a distraction for any of them.

Each player who spoke said he wants Friedgen back next year.

“I love Coach Friedgen to death. I came here because of him,” Smith said.

“I support everyone here from the top to the bottom. If they made a change, that’s [Athletics Director Debbie] Yow’s job to do that. I can’t really speak on her job. I just know that each coach here has made an impact on me whether they’re here the next day or gone.” schimmel@umdbk.com

Coach Ralph Friedgen said Saturday he would meet with Athletics Director Debbie Yow in the next few days. ADAM FRIED/THE DIAMONDBACK

Terps trip to Hawaii ends poorly Terps leave Maui with two consecutive losses

BY ERIC DETWEILER Senior staff writer

The Terps celebrate after a goal in yesterday’s 2-0 NCAA third-round win at No. 10 seed Harvard. The Terps will face Virginia on Friday. PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD F. TAYLOR/THE HARVARD CRIMSON

LAHAINA, HAWAII — Several boosters who made the long journey to watch the Terrapin men’s basketball team play in the Maui Invitational sported white T-shirts throughout the week reading “Fear the Honu,” a reference to the Hawaiian name for the sea turtle.

But even they must’ve had trouble believing the message as the No. 21 Terps walked off the court at the Lahaina Civic Center Wednesday with their second loss in as many days, dropping the Terps to a disappointing fourth-place finish in

a tournament they were favored to win.

The Terps (4-2) have put themselves in a precarious position if they hope to craft a convincing NCAA Tournament résumé by failing to defeat a Division I opponent during their Thanksgiving week trip to the islands.

The team, which will likely lose its national ranking when the new poll is released today, followed a disturbingly similar trend in three lackluster performances. Heading into a week in which they will play two more power conference opponents, the struggling Terps suddenly have far more questions than answers.

“You’ve got to play 40 minutes,” said coach Gary Williams, whose team plays at Indiana tomorrow before facing No. 4 Villanova on Sunday.

“Hopefully, we’ll get that coming out of here — the importance of playing your best basketball early on in the game to establish yourselves.”

After a pair of Terp players appeared at the press conference following Monday’s 7951 win against tournament host Chaminade, none were made available for comment the rest of the week. The Terps lost 69-57 to Cincinnati on Tuesday and 78-69 to

see MAUI, page 7

Men’s soccer beats Harvard 2-0, setting up Women’s basketball team cruises past Drexel NCAA quarterfinal match at archrival Virginia Terps win third game in six days easily, 82-65

BY JONAS SHAFFER Staff writer

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — As a zooming ball rushed by him, a befuddled Austin Harms looked as though he didn’t even know where the shot had come from.

How fitting.

After being unseeded for the first time in eight years, a Terrapin men’s soccer team many did not expect to do much continued onward toward its hopes of repeating as champions yesterday afternoon, winning away from Ludwig Field for the second straight time at No. 10 seed Harvard, 2-0.

Forward Casey Townsend opened the scoring, and midfielder Billy Cortes’ second-half strike past Crimson goalkeeper Harms secured the Terps’ sixth quarterfinals appearance in the NCAA Tournament in eight years.

“I thought we played a complete game, and we met the different demands that this game presented,” said coach Sasho Cirovski, whose Terps will play at Virginia next Friday. “I think we’re a team that’s young, that’s overcome a lot of adversity and has found a way to get better and stayed resilient.”

Again, the first goal made all the

difference.

After a scramble for the ball along the left flank in the 11th minute, Cortes touched it to defender Taylor Kemp, who sent in a low line drive toward the near post. After the ball made its way through a first wave of bodies, Townsend stretched for the leftfooted volley. Instead, the ball deflected down to his right foot and then above Harms’ head, seemingly headed for the crossbar.

Before it could, the wind intervened, dropping the ball down and into the net.

see HARVARD, page 7

BY JAKOB ENGELKE Staff writer

Entering its third game in a span of six days, the Terrapin women’s basketball team had reason to be tired.

But fueled by a strong defensive performance and an offensive barrage from guard Lori Bjork and forward Diandra Tchatchouang, the Terps were able to pull out an 82-65 victory yesterday against Drexel (2-2).

After the game, coach Brenda Frese noted her team displayed a lot of deter-

mination and heart during its recent stint of three games in under a week.

“I thought it showed a lot of character from our end to be able to grind this game out,” Frese said.

The Terps (6-1) played well on the defensive side of the ball, forcing 14 turnovers, eight coming from steals. The team employed an uptempo style of play to shut down Drexel’s Gabriela Marginean.

Despite Marginean’s 17point output, the Terps felt they executed their game

plan to stop the 6-foot-1 forward well. The team limited her to just four points in the second half.

Guard Kim Rodgers was given the task of guarding Marginean.

“Kim does a tremendous job defensively being physical,” Frese said. “She’s a smart, intelligent player, and we felt like it was probably gonna be the best matchup.”

On the other end of the court, Bjork and Tchatchouang handled a massive

see DREXEL, page 7