December 11, 2017 by The Diamondback

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Monday, December 11, 2017

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

“The game unites you in a way that none of that stuff really matters.” Former Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith

“The best thing I could do was perform well on and off the football field.” Former Maryland player Darryl Hill

“I was still living with [those issues in 2012], but nobody cared. That’s why Kaepernick is a f---king hero.”

illustration by evan berkowitz/the diamondback. hill: photo courtesy of the university of maryland archives. smith: keith allison/via flickr. francis: file photo/the diamondback

Former Maryland defensive lineman A.J. Francis

he Maryland women’s basketball team agreed on a plan.

The

players would follow the Notre Dame women’s basketball squad sports

in wearing “I Can’t Breathe” warmup shirts.

PLAYING IN SILENCE

The quote comes from Eric Garner, who repeated the phrase before he died in 2014 after a New York police officer placed him in a chokehold.

This deal, though, had

one condition. If any of the 12 team members weren’t informed enough on Garner’s death or police brutality issues to pass a quiz

By Kyle Melnick | @kyle_melnick | Senior staff writer

from the coaching staff, no players could

As athletes continue to protest racism, Maryland’s remain quiet. Why?

don the shirts. Before allowing her players to speak publicly, coach Brenda Frese wants them to understand both sides of an issue. See athletes, p. 7

campus

faculty

Comp science majors struggle to meet reqs

‘more than just hiring’

See CMSC, p. 6

calendar 2 OPINION 4 FEATURES 5 city 6 diversions 8 SPORTS 12

Minority faculty say univ needs better retention to create tenure diversity By Natalie Schwartz | @nmschwartz23 | Senior staff writer

Total: 1,442

Total: 1,458

Total: 1,480

University of at the top ranks.” Maryland pro- TEnured or tenure-track faculty of color, 2012-2016 Although fessor Thurka this university’s fall 2016 breakdown of tenured Sangaramoorthy strategic plan 346 or tenure-track faculty of color works in a defor diversity has 342 339 asian 212 outlined guidepartment with no 338 339 tenured minority lines to better black/african 61 american faculty. recruit and retain Now in her faculty of color, hispanic 60 sixth academthe numbers have 2 or more races 9 Other groups ic year at this held largely stagWhite: 951 islander 2 Unknown: 110 university, the nant — or even fall fall fall fall fall native 2 Foreign: 35 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 anthropology dropped — for p ro fe s s o r h a s about a decade. Charts include only U.S. citizens. Graphic by Evan Berkowitz/The Diamondback Sources: University System of Md.; Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment begun the tenure In fall 2009, 70 process herself. of this universiBut she said it can be hard to put a tenure port- ty’s 1,472 tenured or on-track faculty members, folio together as a faculty member of color for or 4.8 percent, were black Americans. By 2016, multiple reasons, including doing work that goes this figure dropped to 61 of 1,442 tenured or onlargely unrecognized, such as mentoring minority track faculty members, or 4.2 percent, according students and tailoring courses to place a heavier to this university’s 2017 Cultural Diversity Report. emphasis on diversity and inclusion issues. Between fall 2009 and fall 2016, the number of “I would like to see more people who look like Hispanic-American tenured or on-track faculty me at higher ranks, and there are very few,” San- members grew from 49 to 60, while Asian-Amerigaramoorthy said. “That’s what makes me want to can or Pacific Islander professors part of the tenure stay in academia — to know that this is a place that actually values minority faculty because they’re See faculty, p. 3 Total: 1,477

Senior computer science major Andrés Anhalzer was frustrated with small class sizes and long waitlists when he registered for his spring 2018 computer science courses. “Only seven days after spring registration began, not only could I not grab one of the two classes I needed for my last semester, but the waitlist for that class was really long,” Anhalzer said. “I talked to other people in the major and everyone has been dealing with the same thing.” His solution: to make a petition, which has garnered more than 1,000 signatures in about three weeks. The idea to write a joint letter came first from Reddit, where students posted about the issue, Anhalzer said, but he expanded that idea and created a formal petition on Change.org. The petition is addressed to Alan Sussman, computer science associate chair; A p i tc h a ya P i m p a wa t h i n , t h e department’s undergraduate studies by

Lindsey Feingold @lindseyf96 Staff writer

assistant director; Gerald Wilkinson, interim computer, mathematical and natural sciences college dean; and university President Wallace Loh. “At the time of writing this letter, only a few of the upper level (400s) courses are open for registration,” the petition reads. “Of the classes which are full, many have long waitlists which are close to surpassing the capacity of the class itself […] Due to the lack of classes offered, the lack of professors, and the lack of sections, students who have pursued specific tracks within the major (e.g. Data Science, Cybersecurity) have been told by their academic advisors to drop their specializations – which in and of itself is bizarre and unprofessional.” The petition calls for changes to be made within the department, such as online classes, increased class sizes, the hiring of more professors and increased funding for the program. A screenshot attached to the petition, also located on umdcspetition. us, showed one computer science course — CMSC420: Data Structures — with more than 60 people per waitlist for each of its three sections. Since then, department administrators have made some changes, but there are still courses, such as CMSC456: Cryptology and CMSC435:

Total: 1,483

Shortage of upperlevel courses leaves students in lurch, some of them say

Submit tips and corrections to The Diamondback at newsumdbk@gmail.com

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monDay, december 11, 2017

2 | news

CRIME BLOTTER By Lila Bromberg | @LilaBBromberg | Staff writer University of Maryland Police responded to reports of a Title IX-related emergency petition, telephone/ email misuse, and trespassing, among other incidents over the past week, according to police reports.

title ix-related emergency petition University Police responded to Taliaferro Hall on Dec. 4 at 4:01 p.m. for a Title IXrelated emergency petition, according to online reports. This case is closed by exception. Police responded to four other emergency petition reports between Dec. 3 and Dec. 4. All cases are closed by exception.

telephone/email misuse University Police responded to the 7500 block of Route 1 on Thursday at 5:33 p.m. for a report of a telephone/ email misuse incident that occurred on Tuesday at 3:19 p.m., according to police reports. This case is closed by exception.

trespassing On Tuesday at 12:44 a.m.,

University Police responded to the 3400 block of Tulane Drive for a report of trespassing, according to online reports. The trespasser was arrested and the case has been closed, according to online reports.

thefts University Police res p ond e d to fou r t he f t reports this week. One occurred on Dec. 4 at 5:40 p.m., when officers responded to the 7600 block of Library Lane for a theft that occurred earlier that day, according to online reports. This case is active. On Wednesday at 11:23 a.m., University Police responded to the 4400 block of Stadium Drive for a report of a theft that occurred on Tuesday, according to online reports. This case is active. University Police responded to t he 4100 block of Campus Drive on Wednesday at 4:29 p.m. for another theft report, according to on line reports. T his theft occurred earlier that day. This case is active. lbrombergdbk@gmail.com

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14 THURSDAy

READING DAY

STANDARD FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs LOYOLA (MARYLAND) Xfinity Center, 6 p.m. umterps.com

FINALS BREAKFAST Prince George’s Room, Stamp Student Union, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Hosted by Stamp Student Union. go.umd.edu/ssz

8 a.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 11 a.m.

8 a.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 9:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

Courses M-W or M-W-F at 8 a.m.

1:30 p.m.

Courses M-W-F at 1 p.m.

WHY GENDER MATTERS: DINNER and DISCUSSION Catholic Student Center, 7 p.m. Hosted by Catholic Terps, featuring Father Carter Griffin. Business casual. catholicterps.org BOHEMIAN CAVERNS JAZZ ORCHESTRA MilkBoy ArtHouse, 8 and 10 p.m. Hosted by the artist partner program. Tickets $15. theclarice.umd.edu

MEN’S BASKETBALL vs CATHOLIC Xfinity Center, 7 p.m. umterps.com COLLEGE PARK CITY COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers, City Hall, 4500 Knox Road, 7:30 p.m. collegeparkmd.gov

16 SATURDAY

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COMMON FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

1:30 p.m.

stat100; math003, 107, 113, 115, 115b, 120, 121, 130, 131, 140, 140b, 140h, 141, 141h, 212, 213, 214, 240, 241, 241h, 246, 246h

10:30 a.m. chem131, 231, 241, 247, 271

4 p.m.

biom301; cmsc122, 216, 330; edms451; enma300

6:30 p.m. chem132, 136, 232, 242, 272 7 p.m.

FRESHMEN CONNECTION EXAMS ECON200, NFSC100, and CHEM and MATH courses take common exams.

15 FRIDAy

COMMON FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

high 43° low 28°

bmgt230

4 p.m.

bmgt221; cmsc131, 132, 420; enes221

6:30 p.m.

phys161, 260

freshmen connection exam schedule 1:30 p.m.

Courses F at 1 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 7:30 p.m.

freshmen connection exam schedule 6:30 p.m.

Courses M-W at 7:30 p.m.

18 monday

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19 tuesday

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STANDARD FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

8 a.m.

Courses M-W or M-W-F at 11 a.m.

8 a.m.

Courses M-W-F at 9 a.m.

Courses M-W-F at noon and M-W at 12:30 p.m.

8 a.m.

Courses M-W at 9:30 a.m. or M-W-F at 10 a.m.

Courses M-W-F at 3 p.m. or M-W at 3:30 p.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 2 p.m.

8 a.m.

1:30 p.m.

10:30 a.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 8 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 3:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

Courses M-W-F at 4 p.m.

4 p.m.

Courses Tu-Th 5 p.m.

COMMON FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE 10:30 a.m. bmgt220; fren103, 203; germ103, 203; ital103, 203; japn101; kora101, 201; russ101, 201; nfsc100 4 p.m. cmsc250, 351; enes102, 220 6:30 p.m.

phys131, 132 ,270

freshmen connection exam schedule 8 a.m.

Courses F at 11:30 a.m.

1:30 p.m.

Courses M-W at 3 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Courses M-W at 6 p.m.

1:30 p.m. Courses M-W or M-W-F at 2 p.m. 4 p.m. Courses M-W or M-W-F at 5 p.m. COMMON FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE 6:30 p.m.

COMMON FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE 6:30 p.m.

econ200

enes232; psyc200 freshmen connection exam schedule

freshmen connection exam schedule 4 p.m.

Courses M-W at 4:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 6 p.m.

10:30 a.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 3 p.m.

4 p.m.

Courses Tu-Th at 4:30 p.m.

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Not all exams follow the standard schedule. The Diamondback isn’t responsible for missed exams.

campus

Univ has seen 27 reported hate bias incidents There have Christine Condon b e e n 2 7 re @CChristine19 ported hate bias Senior staff writer incidents on the University of Maryland’s campus since the first day of the fall semester, a university spokeswoman said. This number includes reports made to University Police and the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual by

Misconduct, spokeswoman Katie Lawson said. “Hate/bias reports do not always mean a crime has been committed or that this is an act of discrimination, nor does it mean the perpetrator is affiliated with our campus,” Lawson wrote in a statement. “An example of this might be someone on campus receiving a voicemail using a

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racial slur.” Lawson wrote in an email that data detailing past university hate bias investigations will likely be released early next week. University Police daily crime logs show five reported hate bias incidents and one hate crime incident since the beginning of the fall semester. On Nov. 27, Chief Diversity Officer Roger Worthington unveiled new policies for dealing with these incidents, including creating a hate bias coordinator within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The hate bias coordinator, who has not yet been hired, will be responsible for meeting with those affected by the incidents, serving on a hate bias rapid response team and handling educational programming on the issue. Under the new procedures, University Police, the ODI and

OCRSM would share all incident reports they received. The ODI will also create a webpage with a hate bias incident log, allowing individuals to choose to receive email updates when similar incidents occur on the campus. After black Bowie State University student 2nd Lt. Richard Collins’ murder on the campus in May, university officials created a task force for dealing with campus diversity issues and tasked OCRSM with developing an annual report on all university hate bias incidents. “Our campus community has been proactive in reaching out to report hate, working with law enforcement and Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct staff to track instances of hate and disrespectful behavior,” Lawson said. ccondondbk@gmail.com

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DUNN RENTALS

13 WEDNESDAY

monday, december 11, 2017

news | 3

faculty From p. 1 and tenure-track faculty rose from 177 to 214, according to the report. Although this university has had a slew of new initiatives to hire more faculty of color, Sangaramoorthy points to retention and promotion as the area where this university needs to improve for its faculty to become more diverse. “Retention has not been addressed in any adequate manner across the board at Maryland,” she said. University President Wallace Loh said while this university has focused on increasing the diversity of its hires, the problem lies in retention. “We are truly committed to diversity at this school, certainly in terms of hiring,” Loh said. “What I’m not so sure we’re committed to is inclusion. … Diversity means more than just hiring you. It means creating a climate where you feel comfortable, where you feel welcome, where you feel supported. And you stay. That’s the difference between inclusion and simple numerical diversity.” Vast differences exist between some faculty members of color and white faculty members’ perceptions of inclusion, according to the 2015 Faculty Work Environment survey. About 58 percent of surveyed faculty of color reported they “believed they have to work harder than some of their colleagues to be perceived as a legitimate scholar,” compared to 28 percent of white faculty, according to the survey. About 31 percent of faculty of color reported they had “experienced discrimination based on their identities,” compared to about 21 percent of white faculty. Loh said part of the issue stems from differences in how some departments value varying kinds of research. For example, some want

UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT WALLACE LOH speaks at a program launch for ADVANCING Faculty Diversity, which helps faculty of color manage issues they encounter in career development, on Sept. 4, 2013. Loh said he hopes diversity among tenured faculty will improve in the years to come. photo courtesy of stephen thomas

“Diversity means … creating a climate where you feel comfortable, where you feel welcome, where you feel supported. And you stay.” - UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT WALLACE LOH

to promote people who do quantitative — rather than qualitative — research, he said. “Everybody wants to diversify,” Loh said. “‘Hey, this is a great faculty member, let’s hire the person.’ They never stop to think that five years later you’re going to kick the person out because the person is doing qualitative research.” Public health professor Sacoby Wilson, who is black, said the disparity between how different research is valued hindered his own tenure process, among others. He said he experienced problems in getting tenure that he hasn’t seen white faculty deal with to the same extent. “I’m trying to do research that actually effects change and leads to real action and reduces injustice and eliminated disparity,” Wilson said. “But in many cases in academia, we only incentivize knowledge inquiry, we incentivize knowledge production, we incentivize producing knowledge and publishing that knowledge.

… That’s the problem.” Before coming to this university, Wilson worked at the University of South Carolina for four years, so he didn’t think he would have to wait the full six years before going up for promotion. But he said this university treated him as a brand new professor. “If you compare my package to [other professors’] packages, I had to actually do double or triple the work to get tenure,” Wilson said. “And that’s not fair.” Wilson said these multiple factors, among others, may be why there is a “revolving door” of minority faculty at this university. This is not the first time this university has tackled these types of issues, Loh said, adding that this university’s ADVANCE program — which works to support the retention and advancement of women and underrepresented faculty — has had success in improving retention rates among women. Using the infrastructure of the ADVANCE program, public health

participants’ success against university benchmarks, AFD program organizers found those who participate in the program are significantly more likely to be retained and advance than those who do not, she said. Although this university’s 2010 Strategic Plan for Diversity lists that the “chief diversity officer will monitor faculty retention and promotion/tenure rates,” Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs John Bertot said there wasn’t data immediately available on a university-wide level that tracked these rates. Bertot added that this university and Chief Diversity Officer Roger Worthington are working on streamlining a system to better monitor that information. Thomas said he’s seen this university start to make progress on these issues, noting that in the past year, four African-American men were promoted and tenured, which he dubbed a historic number. Sociology professor Rashawn Ray, who was in one of the program’s first cohorts, said “it has helped almost singlehandedly underrepresented minorities get promoted and retained here at the University of Maryland.” It’s usually not about compensation or money, Ray said, but rather about whether underrepresented minorities feel they are valued and heard and that their research is worth the same as other faculty members’ work. Loh remains hopeful that this university is shifting toward more diversity and inclusion. “If you and I have this conversation in seven or eight years,” he said, “I think we’ll say that the numbers will change.”

professor Stephen Thomas and electrical and computer engineering professor Carol Espy-Wilson came together to launch the ADVANCING Faculty Diversity program in 2013. The year-long program holds two-hour monthly meetings for members, featuring readings, speakers and discussions about “ways in which faculty of color can navigate or overcome” issues in career development, said education professor KerryAnn O’Meara. “It’s about trust,” Thomas said. “Who can you go to when you feel you’ve experienced a microaggression because of your race or your gender? … Being a faculty [member] of color, on this campus or any campus in the country where the majority is white, has its challenges and its burdens, and we feel that ADVANCING Faculty Diversity helps to lift those burdens.” About 50 faculty members Senior staff writer Christine Conhave completed the program, and don contributed to this report. 17 are currently in the program. After carefully measuring program nschwartzdbk@gmail.com

MONDay, december 11, 2017

4 | OPINION

Opinion EDITORIAL BOARD

OPINION 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.

staff editorial

Mina Haq Jack Paciotti

Ryan Romano

Max Foley-Keene, Sona Chaudhary

EDITOR IN CHIEF

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

OPINION EDITORS

MANAGING EDITOR

column

City Hall can’t replace business Recently, the College Park City Council voted Brennan said the council will honor the busito expand City Hall, three years after deciding nesses’ leases by working to keep them someto rebuild its office on the same plot of land where in downtown College Park, but this is just it’s stood on for decades. And to maximize the another decision regarding their own properties impact of its workspace’s redevelopment, the that the business owners can’t make. Plus, the council is going to take a chunk out of Route 1. council is not bound by law to keep its word. It’s demoralizing for residents to see their So, instead of a strip of resident-provided businesses seized by the goveateries and services — includernment, and it hurts the relaing Smoothie King, Subway, our view tionship between the council Hair Cuttery and Shanghai Cafe and its constituents. — we’ll have City Hall on Route Proponents of the expanded 1. This is purported to be for the building claim it will improve good of civic engagement and civic engagement because City the city, but it’s a selfish move. Hall will be a more visible and For a council so focused on imattractive space. However, proving the commercial appeal engagement isn’t an issue of of the city, it’s hypocritical to physical space. It’s a problem take away businesses because with outreach. the council deems its workspace Just moving its building more important. College Park is a college town that struggles to be livable for college closer to the hub of resident activity won’t students. Parts of it are a food desert, much of establish the local government in residents’ its housing is dilapidated and its rent prices are lives. To do that, the council needs to work increasingly unchecked. Many residents don’t with the community to improve communicahave cars and partly sustain themselves on the tion. That duty extends beyond the walls of businesses along the Route 1 corridor. A larger a government building — however large you government space shouldn’t be prioritized over construct it — and that’s where outreach efforts should be focused. all the other amenities this city lacks. In the words of College Park resident Jordan Moreover, some of the business owners targeted by the vote are unwilling to sell their Schakner, this proposal is a “vanity project” properties. The council is proposing the use of for the council. It’s too superficial to leave the eminent domain to speed up negotiations, but impact it’s supposed to, and it takes away busihow is the threat of the government seizing these ness from the Route 1 corridor in the name of businesses supposed to promote compromise? the good of the city, minimizing the voices of The council has decided to take these proper- actual residents and business and property ties by force if necessary, and it wants to remove owners. College Park needs development, yes, the owners’ ability to meaningfully partici- but an expanded City Hall shouldn’t be at the pate in that decision. District 2 Councilman P.J. top of the list.

This plan hurts the relationship between the council and its constituents.

editorial cartoon

Immigration policy must prioritize human dignity Nate Rogers @NateRogersDev Columnist

Former University of Maryland student Tochukwu Ibe-Ekeocha does not fit the conservative stereotype of an “illegal” immigrant. He immigrated from Nigeria when he was 12, believing he was simply on a family vacation. But then his father returned to Nigeria only a few weeks after arriving. His mother left a month later, leaving Ibe-Ekeocha and his younger brother in the United States with their uncle. Ibe-Ekeocha didn’t know he was undocumented until he applied to college. Now he’s under threat of an inhumane deportation. The controversy surrounding undocumented immigrants this year has largely focused on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. But preserving DACA alone would scarcely begin to fix the U.S. immigration problems. Ibe-Ekeocha and his little brother don’t qualify for DACA because they arrived after June 15, 2007. Their situation is troubling because, even under the Obama administration, their residence would’ve been considered illegal. Cases like Ibe-Ekeocha’s reveal a cumbersome and callous system. Current immigration policy is too strict and unresponsive to provide urgent help to those in need. At the same time, it punishes and demonizes people brave enough to take matters into their own hands. The U.S. immigration system is complicit in countless tragedies on a global scale. Ibe-Ekeocha’s family are Igbo Christians, a group embroiled in decades-old ethnic tension in Nigeria. His parents worried that Boko Haram would target them because of their religion. For this reason, it’s possible that legal immigration wasn’t an option. Even if IbeEkeocha’s family qualified for refugee resettlement, the process would be slow and rigorous, lasting up to two years. Expecting refugees to wait this long while fearing for their lives is unreasonable and inhumane. For the most urgent cases, the U.S. system offers nothing but tangling bureaucracy and a potentially deadly waitlist. It’s next

Maryland decriminalized weed, and so should this university Jack Lewis @OpinionDBK Columnist

There is a gap between state and federal drug policy, and University of Maryland students are caught in the middle. Marijuana remains criminalized under federal law, but not at the state level. Maryland has decriminalized “the possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana for people who are at least 21 years old,” so it stands to reason that this university wo u l d h ave a s i m i l a r d r u g policy in place. Unfortunately, this is not the case. According to Keira Martone, assistant director of Resident Life for Student Conduct, this university’s reliance on federal funding forces the department to comply with federal law. As a result, student residents can lose their on-campus housing, face a suspension or be expelled for possession of small amounts of marijuana. A resolution has been proposed to the Student Government Association to change the current ban. One goal of this resolution would be to “remove potential housing termination and suspension or expulsion for student residents over 21 years old who possess less than 10 grams of marijuana.” This

common sense measure would prioritize the rights of Maryland students over outdated drug law. However, this university seems content to defer to the position of criminalization. While it may be a safer path in terms of funding, this kind of drug policy is draconian. Policies that crack down on marijuana use have minimal public health or safety benefits and are almost certain to p ro d u ce b i a se d re s u l ts. An American Civil Liberties Union study found that black citizens are almost four times more likely than white ones to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite using the drug at the same rates. To assume college campuses are free from racially disparate outcomes would be a grave mistake. There is also legal disagreement over the rights of colleges in states with more liberal drug laws. An Arizona appeals court recently decriminalized possession of medical marijuana on college campuses — striking down a previous ban by the state — because possession is legal on the state level in Arizona. We could begin to see more cases that undermine the argument that universities have a right to ignore state law.

And whatever the courts say, a change in how we think about marijuana is already underway. Decades of wrongheaded drug policy have produced a complicated relationship between our society and marijuana. The same country that disproportionately jails black people for possession of the drug also celebrates white “marijuana moms” on the Today show. We seem lost in the transition from viewing pot as public menace to entrepreneurial opportunity. This confusion has a deeply racialized history, and the resulting policy is contradictory. This university feels, in some ways, like a symbol for this hypocrisy. We are a flagship institution in a state that decriminalized possession of small amounts of the drug and yet fall in line with national laws that categorically ban it. The Department of Resident Life owes it to its students to clarify its policy and update the rules for our changing world. A student should not lose their housing or be expelled for possessing an amount of marijuana the state would not deem a crime. Leaving the current policy untouched invites biased and unwarranted outcomes. jlewis20@umd.edu

nrogers2@terpmail.umd.edu

column

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column

to useless for people in immediate danger. Ibe-Ekeocha’s parents’ fears were not unfounded. They were k i d n a p p e d a f te r re t u r n i n g to Nigeria. Ibe-Ekeocha only learned this year that they had been returned from their captors. The actions his parents took to secure a better life for their children should not be regarded as criminal. They were heroic. Traveling almost a quarter of the way around the world in search of a better life takes uncommon bravery. It’s the embodiment of the fearless ideals many Americans cherish. But our immigration system doesn’t reflect those ideals. Rather than a welcoming beacon, i t’s a h ea r t l e ss, b u rea u c ra t i c monster. Ibe-Ekeocha’s parents stood up to an unjust system, and their sons might have to pay for it. One of the main conservative arguments against undocumented immigrants is that they break the law just by being in the United States. But people like Ibe-Ekeocha can’t be blamed for defying a law that’s clearly immoral. The law is problematic, not the people it mistreats. I b e - E ke o c h a ’s d e p o r ta t i o n hearing is later this month. If he and his brother receive special immigrant juvenile status, they will be allowed to stay in the country legally. There are many undocumented immigrants in similar positions. Not all of them will be lucky enough to avoid deportation. Many will be sent back to the dangerous conditions they came here to escape. The immigration system needlessly punishes people whose positions are too precarious for them to wait for legal entrance. U.S. immigration policy should be based first and foremost on compassion and respect for human dignity, not an unwavering commitment to the rules.

Climate change is a global problem, but it’s a local fight Sona Chaudhary @OpinionDBK Opinion editor

Yesterday, Montgomery County declared a “climate emergency.” These weren’t empty words of apocalypse — instead, they marked a new resolution by the county to cut greenhouse gas emissions 100 percent in the next 18 years. It comes as another signal for Americans to refocus their energy on local politics, especially as the national government continues to slash existing climate protections. And with an issue like climate change, we need local legislation to make progress. At the federal level, the legislative dismantling of existing national climate protection policies is dramatic to watch and easy to blame on President Trump’s incompetence. On a local scale, it becomes a harder issue to pin down. The logistics of legislating for a small area can feel pedantic because, instead of talking about the ideology of the Paris Climate Agreement or funding the EPA, we have to approach the emissions of metro stations and household. But it’s only when we talk about these everyday institutions and habits that our environment can start to improve. Climate change isn’t disconnected from people’s lives, and while businesses and larger entities are massive contributors to the problem, broad-scale solutions aren’t being pushed forward. People and local organizations need to take the next steps beyond awareness. People should push to change the habits that compound to create a city’s emissions footprint. While individuals

are the smallest units of polluters, they’re also easier to limit than billionaires who can pay to cover their gaseous tracks. Now’s the time for disruptive policy. People want to dismantle the hierarchies of power and pandering that keep harmful national climate policies in place, but the most productive place to start is in our own lives and routines. Instead of waiting for company codes to change and standards to be amended, we can adapt — and improve much faster and to a greater extent. And time is of the essence. We don’t have the luxury of taking things slow and debating every new measure — that’s already stymied our national progress. We can’t wait to ease people into living sustainably. Climate change must be legitimized in every community as something we can’t ignore. That legitimization comes from local governments and authorities ironing out policies that have meaning on a local level. Montgomery County’s approach is exemplary in how aggressive it is, and it’s a powerful response to Trump’s proposed repeals of sustainability policies for everything from power plants to cars. It’s unfortunate that we have to be mobilized through alternative avenues instead of as a unified whole, but it’s what we have. And we need to get to work.

sonachaud@gmail.com

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017

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Council concerned about zoning draft Areas of concern include density of development and impacts on Route 1 The College Park

Leah Brennan City Council voted @allhaeleah unanimously Tuesday Senior staff writer night to send comments on a draft rewrite of the county’s zoning ordinance to the project’s coordinator. The city supports the county’s improvements to make documents more user-friendly, modernize regulations and update land use and zoning categories, the letter read, but there are “still several substantive areas” the city wants to continue considering, as they could hurt College Park. The letter included nine areas needing further consideration in the proposed zoning ordinance, as well as one comment on subdivision regulations. “We are concerned about what this might open the door for,” Mayor Patrick Wojahn said, adding that areas of concern include the density of development, design standards and impacts on the 2010 Route 1 corridor sector plan. “There are many good things that will help streamline the development process … but there needs to be balance with the need to make sure that we don’t go too far in terms of new development in College Park.” One area needing further debate is the proposed elimination of several types of zones — such as the Development District Overlay Zone and Transit District Overlay Zone — which cover large portions of the city, according to the Dec. 4 mayoral update. The transit-oriented zones that would replace these areas would add density along the Route 1 corridor, but they should be more sensitive to nearby neighborhoods, the update read. The proposed ordinance includes more of a “one-size-fits-all” solution to the Route 1 corridor, which “isn’t really appropriate,” Wojahn said. “There may be some areas that are appropriate for higher densities — such as downtown and closer to transit — but other areas that are away from transit, it doesn’t make sense to promote transit-oriented development or have a zone for transitoriented development when you’re a mile away from any transit,” he said. Other areas of concern include a proposed requirement for certain zones to have a minimum amount of mixed-use development — urban development that blends residential, commercial and other uses — which could have a “chilling effect” on new development, or lead

CMSC From p. 1 Software Engineering, with more than 20 people on the waitlists. The college’s Undergraduate Academic Programs Associate Dean Robert Infantino said in an email the department has added more than 750 seats to accommodate student needs. Seats were added in five different classes and four new sections for classes were created

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— including a completely new class, Sussman said. Some of the classes had to be moved out of their original locations to bigger classrooms. “The petition pushed us to actually do things sooner than otherwise,” Sussman said. “There were some errors in communication between our office and the scheduling office on sizes of some classes, which I didn’t realize until after I looked at the petition and then investigated why

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to vacant storefronts, the letter read. Another section raises concern that transitioning to a new zoning category allows for “too much density” in the Hollywood Commercial District, according to the update, and a different zone, which would allow for medium density residential and low intensity commercial zones, might be better. “I really appreciate that staff included the specific item about the Hollywood Commercial District,” District 1 Councilman Fazlul Kabir said. “I haven’t heard anyone asking for more density in the neighborhood, so that is more appropriate.” The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission released its Comprehensive Review Draft in September, said Chad Williams, the project manager of the zoning rewrite team. Since 2014, the rewritten ordinance was drafted after more than 300 meetings with county stakeholders. The commission hopes to receive all public comment by Dec. 15 so it can analyze them and incorporate resulting revisions as it prepares to submit legislation to the Prince George’s County Council, Williams said. “We analyze each and every comment,” Williams said. The team compiles and analyzes comments before staff members decide whether they agree, and if members are in favor, the team recommends the revisions to be incorporated into the draft zoning ordinance, he said. T h e co m m i ss i o n a i m s to provide the legislation in January and for the county council to vote on it spring 2018, according to the zoning rewrite website. They plan to have the new code take effect six to eight months after its adoption, Williams said. “In many ways, zoning is the most important function of any government, any county government … because everything that comes after — roadway networks, public facilities, public schools, relationships with taxation — all of this flows out of zoning,” Williams said. “So we hope that people are paying attention, are listening to their colleagues having conversations, and are just following along with the process as best as they can.”

district taco, to open in Riverdale Park on Monday, will be the restaurant chain’s first Maryland location.

elliot scarangello/the diamondback

tacos for sale Riverdale Park welcomes new D.C.based Mexican restaurant chain By Jack Roscoe | @Jack_Micky | Senior staff writer

istrict Taco’s first Maryland location will open in Riverdale Park tomorrow. The D.C.-based Mexican re s ta u ra n t c h a i n , w h i c h started as a food truck in 2009, has 11 other locations in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. District Taco will join Whole Foods, MOD Pizza, Starbucks and Jersey Mike’s Subs, which is opening soon, at Riverdale Park Station. On opening day, the store will give its first 100 customers in line at the new location a meal on the house as well as “District Taco swag,” such as gift cards, socks, shirts and water bottles, the restaurant’s Marketing Manager Abby Campbell said. University of Maryland students will also receive a 25 percent discount with their student IDs during exam week, from Dec. 12 to 19, Campbell added. District Taco Regional Manager Steve Lalka said he expects to see a mix of both residents and students at the chain’s newest location. “We should see families, we should see people from work getting lunch, see students camp out with the free Wi-Fi all day,” Lalka said. Every seat in the restaurant is within arm’s reach of an outlet, Lalka said, so students could use the restaurant as a meeting space. “There’s a lot of people who have been waiting for this for a long time,” Campbell said. A portion of the grand opening profits will go to Extra-Ordinary Birthdays, a College Park-based organization that provides support for homeless children and their families by throwing them birthday parties. “For every grand opening, we choose a local

“Student demand is a happy there was a bigger issue than normal. Infantino cited a “lag problem to have, and our chaltime” in hiring the appropriate lenges in [computer science] are not unique — this is a growth amount of instructors.

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organization to give back to,” Campbell said. Several students said they were excited about the opening. Senior government and politics major Darren Schweibel said he had his best taco at one of the chain’s stores in Washington, D.C. Senior communications major Max Hooker went with Schweibel to the new District Taco location on Friday. Hooker said they were invited to a soft opening event by the company after he emailed the company expressing his excitement for the opening. “I’m excited to have it close to College Park,” Hooker said. Customers can often get a meal at District Taco for less than $10, Campbell said. The restaurant has a varied, customizable menu that includes tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more, as well as all-day breakfast. Lalka said District Taco’s shrimp and fish tacos are the most popular menu items because of their unique flavor. Kellie Martin, a senior mechanical engineering major, said she had never heard of District Taco before but would make the trip to Riverdale Park Station to try it out. “I like tacos a lot,” she said. “If a new taco place opens up, I’ll probably try it.” The restaurant’s food is prepared fresh daily without preservatives and has gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, Lalka said. District Taco also uses recyclable and energyefficient materials whenever possible. “ Eve ry t i m e we o p e n i t ge ts b e t te r,” Lalka said. “We’re growing really, really aggressively.” jroscoedbk@gmail.com

area in undergraduate programs Students in the major are across the country,” Infantino also upset because they pay wrote. “It [is] difficult to hire faculty, and it has a lag time. See cmsc, p. 7

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athletes From p. 1 The players dispersed from that meeting during the 2014-15 season and expanded their knowledge, researching on the internet and asking each other questions. But a few days later, some players didn’t pass the test. “I was one of those people who was very upset about it,” former Maryland women’s basketball guard Chloe Pavlech said. “Knowing the media would ask questions, if you say the wrong thing, it not only badly reflects on you, your family, your program or institution, it can also be seen as disrespectful for [Garner] and his family.”

sports | 7

This was just one example of college athletes not gaining a platform to voice their opinions. While many professional athletes have spoken out about their perceptions of racial injustices in this country and a bevy of NFL players have kneeled during the national anthem, current Maryland athletes haven’t contributed to the dialogue. Some students feel a student-athlete speaking out would advance conversations and provide the community a greater sense of unity. Though Maryland players haven’t taken a public stance on racial issues, recent events have led to productive internal discussions. “Whether you’re a star

athlete or you’re a bench player, talk to the media anymore if he and you’re in a team sport, it’s spoke out. not about you,” Pavlech said. Francis, who now plays for “It’s about your team.” the Washington Redskins, felt especially constrained during In the locker room his junior season. He said Randy Edsall perceived him as lazy While playing defensive after taking over the program lineman for Maryland between in 2011. “Every team in the country 2008 and 2012, A.J. Francis was eager to bring awareness toward in college has a player that’s the racial injustices he experi- better than whoever’s playing enced, such as the two times he in front of him, and they don’t said police officers pulled guns play because them and the coach have a problem,” Francis on him as a teenager. But Francis didn’t want said. “Even though I shouldn’t coaches to view him as a dis- have had to shrink myself to traction and diminish his please him … I had to. Othplaying time or scholarship, erwise I wouldn’t be where I especially with a chance to get am today.” Edsall, who now coaches drafted. He said he also believed the team wouldn’t allow him to Connecticut, said through a

statement he would’ve helped Francis present his views on social injustices if Francis had approached him with his concerns. Francis said many black athletes experience similar situations as him growing up. Former Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith, who said police officers have drawn a gun on him three times without cause, added societal events are discussed in almost every locker room, regardless of the level. For example, the Maryland women’s basketball team uses the term “Kumbaya” to describe meetings for the players to escape basketball and gather in the locker room to discuss issues weighing their minds.

higginbothem From p. 12 know? We just thought he was a bigtime coach and he just was desperate for players or something.” When Stevenson offered less scholarship money than expected, Samantha Higginbothem decided to visit College Park. It didn’t take long for her to realize the program could make a personal impact while assisting her on-court development. “[Aird] kind of gave me more confidence in myself, in who I was as a player, because he said all these good things about me that I hadn’t heard from people in his position,” Higginbothem said. “He believed in me, so I was like, ‘Okay, I guess I can try it out.’”

Introduction to Volleyball

SAMANTHA HIGGINBOTHEM, left, with brother Gary Higginbothem and sister Ashley Black, in a family photo. photo courtesy of diane higginbothem

As Higginbothem, then 9 years old, peered at a Frederick volleyball club team flier, she decided she’d try out. If her older sister Ashley Black was going to attend, Higginbothem would, too. Higginbothem’s mom, however, said the original point of letting her try out was to teach her that her older siblings would sometimes be able to do things she couldn’t. She didn’t expect her daughter to make a team. “That was pretty foolish thinking,” she said. Despite the scoliosis that had caused her chronic pain since birth, Higginbothem made an under-14 team. And despite being, in her mom’s words, “like the team mascot that year,” that experience proved Higginbothem’s condition wouldn’t limit her from competing alongside her sister at a high level. Volleyball brought the two sisters closer together. If Black didn’t have practice, she would pay Higginbothem a nickel to play pepper with her in the yard of their house, advancing her skill set and ultimately helping her compete at Charleston Southern. Those sessions also improved Hig-

ginbothem’s skills, so that she quickly became one of the best on her club team. When she was a freshman in high school, she was called up from the junior varsity squad to play with her sister on varsity during the playoffs. Higginbothem’s determination drove her past the level Black reached in college. Aird praised her for succeeding in the Big Ten despite lacking the size, speed and touch of most volleyball players in the conference. “Some people in life, they have all the excuses in life why they can’t achieve things, and she’s the opposite,” Aird said. “She proved she belonged.”

Leading the change Maryland led Liberty, 14-13, in the fifth set on Aug. 30, 2014. It was Aird’s second match as a head coach, and Higginbothem’s second match at the college level. But when the Flames called a timeout ahead of match point, Aird trusted the unranked recruit he discovered by chance to deliver in the clutch. “You’re going to take care of this for me, right?” Aird asked across the huddle

to the 5-foot-2 defensive specialist he substituted in to serve. “Yeah,” Higginbothem replied bluntly. Her subsequent serve landed for an ace to win the match. Aird noted Higginbothem’s fearlessness in not only producing in a big moment but also in showing no reservations about entering the game. Her serve supplied a narrow win against Liberty, one of only 10 Maryland victories in 2014. This season, the Terps swept the Flames with ease. “The youngsters in this [program], they don’t know any better, they just assume they should be in the tournament conversation every year,” Aird said. “But for [Murray and Higginbothem], they’ve seen it when we got here and when it wasn’t pretty. And they’re a big part of the reason it’s turned into something where top recruits all over the country want to come here now.” Aird counted on Murray and Higginbothem to set an example for his team over the past four seasons. He wanted their work ethics to influence other

players and lay the groundwork for the team’s culture. Aird acknowledged Higginbothem wasn’t an elite player like some of her teammates, but he said she never took a day off. Higginbothem said while the new recruits are talented, they need an adjustment period to the way the team operates, so she shows them what levels of effort and communication are required. Outside hitter Gia Milana said Higginbothem sets the tone when she goes after a ball in practice other players might deem out of reach. It forces Milana to work harder for the next ball. Right before Aird breaks out of a huddle during matches and play resumes, Higginbothem often tugs on Milana’s jersey to let her know she has a piece of insight. “She’s always trying to help me and the people around her,” Milana said, “giving us small pieces of advice because she knows so much about the game.”

senior night

Twice this year, the topic of the 30- to 60-minute conversations revolved around racism and police brutality. The squad’s 10 players represent six different states and Greece, meaning each team member can use her background to educate others. The Terps have also traveled to three of their players’ hometowns this season, helping the athletes learn diverse cultures by spending time with the host player’s families. “At most schools,” Pavlech said, “I don’t think a lot of college coaches would let you bring up the issue altogether.” On Sept. 22, President Trump implored NFL teams to release See athletes, p. 10

with Aird before Maryland’s season finale against Northwestern, she and her family took center court, and she went and stood next to her sister on the baseline. While attention shifted away from Higginbothem while the announcer introduced Murray, Higginbothem held her framed No. 3 jersey, a lasting memento of her service to the Terps. She leaned her head on Black’s shoulder as Black placed her arm around her little sister. It was a rare sentimental scene for Higginbothem, an otherwise stoic character. “That was her way of expressing an emotion,” Black said. “That this was an emotional night and that this just wasn’t another game, which is what she would probably tell everyone else.” The moment was fleeting. Higginbothem took her place in line for Maryland’s standard starting lineup introductions and notched two digs as the Terps marched to a straightsets victory. The win put them on the edge of NCAA tournament consideration, but they missed postseason play for the 12th consecutive season as one of the first four teams out. A journey that began with Higginbothem’s admiration for her sister ended with her spending four years on a Big Ten team and Black looking up to her for all she’d achieved. She went from the unheralded recruit found hustling at a midweek practice to the spiritual leader at Maryland. Higginbothem helped flip the script for the Terps, who finished Aird’s first season in charge ranked No. 150 in RPI. They ranked No. 52 in the final RPI poll after going 18-14 this year. “I kind of saw senior night as the culmination of that,” Black said. “Her love of the game and the love that she has for her teammates, I think that that’s Big Ten-level worthy.”

After Higginbothem received flowers, a framed jersey and a photo

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cmsc From p. 6 differential tuition, which is $1,400 per semester for at most four semesters for certain undergraduate students with more than 60 credits. The students feel these problems shouldn’t be an issue due to the increased tuition price, according to the petition. Larry Davis, the department interim chair, attributed student frustration to the increasing number of students in the major. In fall 2010, there were about 900 students in the major. Currently, there are more than 2,900, according to the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment. “We are trying hard to hire more faculty and instructors and also change our educational model so we can better accommodate classes to make them larger than they have been previously,” Davis said. “We really are invested in the students and

want them to succeed in the right amount of time, and we will work to try and minimize the extent of these problems in future semesters.” Students who are graduating in May and cannot get into the classes they need can go to the advising office and ask for an exemption — meaning they can substitute a different class than what is normally required to fulfill a specific requirement they need to graduate, Davis said. Davis said next semester there are some classes with more than 150 students, which the department has never had before. The average class size of an undergraduate computer science class has risen from 48 students in fall 2010 to 96 students currently, according to the office. Senior computer science major Davis Silverman said he signed the petition early on. “If I want to graduate on time, I need to take three computer science classes next semester,

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but I might not be able to get into what I need,” Silverman, who plans to graduate in May, said. “There’s a lot going on within the department that I think needs to be addressed and the faculty really needs to increase in size.” The struggle for students, Silverman said, is mainly in getting into upper level classes. This is because “at the upper level, students take five 400 level courses from at least three different areas with no more than two courses in a given area,” according to the department’s website. There are five areas in total. Therefore, if a student has already taken their

allotted two courses in an area, they have to look elsewhere to fulfill the upper level requirements, which limits students, Silverman said. Students in the major are also limited to taking two computer science courses per semester unless they get special permission from the department. There are currently about 51 tenured track faculty and 11 full time instructors, Sussman said, but there are a few who aren’t currently teaching classes, since they’re on leave, on sabbatical or are serving as department administrators. Since the last academic year, four tenured or tenure track

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faculty members have left the university and one full-time lecturer retired. However, two full-time professors, six assistant professors and three instructors have started since last spring. Two more full-time professors will start teaching courses in January and the department is looking to hire at least five faculty members this spring to start teaching next fall, Sussman said. “I wasn’t surprised that there were students who were upset because we have been dealing with increased enrollments for years and scrambling from semester to semester to accommodate students,”

Sussman said. “This has been difficult and now it’s getting worse because the number of students is increasing way faster than we can increase faculty sizes.” At least one more section of a class will be added, Sussman said. The department is working with university administration to increase funding and find permanent solutions to this issue. Currently, there are no discussions of making the computer science major a limited enrollment program — a solution the petition suggests. lfeingolddbk@gmail.com

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monday, december 11, 2017

8 | diversions

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Lady Bird

Best of 2017

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Diversions

The Big Sick

r | directed by greta gerwig | starring saoirse ronan & laurie metcalf

t l I have a confession to make: I’m a little addicted to coming-of-age movies. The kind that end with the saccharine revelation that a main character has gone from a hapless, confused kid to a capable and experienced young adult. They’ve lost some things along the way — maybe -friends, maybe innocence — but when the credits roll, you can’t help but feel renewed. Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird is no different. We meet Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) at a tipping point in her life, one we all probably remember pretty well. She’s a high school senior with a dogged determination to go to college on the East Coast — and to reinvent herself as “Lady Bird.” Throughout the film, we watch Christine deny her identity at just about every turn. The prospect of attending a university anywhere near her California home sickens her, and her modest upbringing in a less-than-affluent suburb of Sacramento is something she’d rather hide from her more well-to-do Catholic school friends. Christine isn’t the most likable character there is — her pretentious attachment to a nickname that just won’t stick is, at times, eye-roll inducing. But watching a unique character grapple with identity issues and high school drama, interspersed with enjoyable scenes of her thrift store prom dress shopping, snacking on a box of school communion waivers and listening to the Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash Into Me” at max volume, was delightfully cathartic. -News Senior Staff Writer Christine Condon

r | directed by michael showalter | starring kumail nanjiani

Romantic comedies are usually a hit-ormiss for me, but the fact that The Big Sick is based off the real-life romance of Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, Emily Gordon makes me love it that much more. Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan (who plays Emily) have an amazing chemistry that starts off as a one-night stand and slowly blossoms into a beautiful relationship. The only problem is, Nanjiani’s parents (played by Anupam Kher and Zenobia Shroff) are traditional Pakistani parents and believe in arranged marriages and thus, do not approve. Through trials and tribulations (and several more “onenight stands”), the young couple discovers the importance of love and sacrifice. I love Nanjiani, but Kazan steals the show as the fresh-faced and young Emily Gardner. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, as her mother and father, are the typical suburban mom and dad — but with hearts of gold. The story is a romantic comedy but it’s also a social commentary, a fat “Fuck you!” to the racists out there, and a short-lived medical drama … It’s a mish-mash of all the best and worst things about society, and watching it, you feel connected to the characters. Trust me, watch The Big Sick. It’s sweet and funny and sad all at the same time, and when it’s over you’ll just stare at the screen wondering how and why it ended so soon. -Diversions Contributor Balbina Yang

pg-13 | directed by steven soderbergh | starring channing tatum

r | directed by jordan peele | starring daniel kaluuya & allison williams

There are few things more satisfying than a well-executed heist movie, and few directors more capable of putting one together than Steven Soderbergh. What separates Logan Lucky from other heist movies is Soderbergh’s decision to remove the element of professionalism that’s so central to the genre. The movie’s plot follows the same basic structure you’d expect from a heist movie — a team is assembled, a plan is devised, a heist is performed, a getaway is made. But it’s all done by two brothers — Channing Tatum and Adam Driver — who are as white trash as they are unlucky. Logan Lucky’s fun comes from seeing how the cast manages to carry out the heist without the expertise, polish and capital usually at the disposal of those performing heists. Soderbergh even subverts audience expectations at a meta level by having Daniel Craig, usually seen with high-tech gadgets as the sophisticated James Bond, make a bomb out of bleach pens and a plastic bag as explosives fanatic Joe Bang in one of the movie’s many laugh-out-loud, superbly edited scenes. Logan Lucky is a welcome twist on the triedand-true heist genre and proof that Soderbergh hasn’t missed a step since his “retirement” from film in 2013. -News Senior Staff Writer Jack Roscoe

Jordan Peele made a masterpiece with Get Out. The movie not only had an interesting, scary plot but was also socially relevant by focusing on racism in America. The plot about ‘the sunken place’ was scary enough already — everybody can be scared of feeling trapped in a weird darkness while still being able to see the outside world — but the racial elements made it something special for people of color to relate to. The intense and bloody ending of the movie is what makes it the best of the year, though. Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a black man, is clearly the protagonist of the horrible situation his white girlfriend’s family put him in. He has to literally fight for his life and autonomy in the closing minutes of the film, then a cop arrives and all viewers hold their breath, thinking the harsh realities of policing in America will come to light. The movie is socially relevant and something all complicit Americans should watch. Even those who don’t seem to have a racist bone in their body may be holding some deep-seated prejudice, and even people of color who fit white America’s mold can be victimized by racism. -Diversions Staff Writer Allison O’Reilly

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illustration by evan berkowitz/the diamondback photos via imdb

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Logan Lucky

Baby Driver

‘Finding Frances,’ Nathan for You

r | directed by ethan wright | starring ansel elgort & lily james

tv-14 | comedy central | starring nathan fielder

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie in which I legitimately had no idea what would happen next. Maybe Baby Driver wasn’t the best singular movie of 2017 — seriously, you should see Get Out if you haven’t already — but, man, it’s really refreshing to predict the outcome of a scene, then have that prediction explode in front of your face like an abandoned warehouse full of stolen arms and dead crooked cops (sorry, spoiler). Baby Driver has a number of positive attributes — its casting (Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm were the only two actors on the planet who could’ve played their respective roles), its direction (the Three Flavours Cornetto-style panoramic camera move is a classic), its soundtrack (Run The Jewels and Big Boi on the same song!). But it’s really that bonkers plot that makes it a blast to watch. While “I sat on the edge of my seat” is about as tired a cliche as there is, that accurately describes me in the theater watching this movie. I’m just glad it was in another state, watching with total strangers, so no one could judge me for shouting “Holy shit!” several times over the course of 113 minutes. -Deputy Managing Editor Ryan Romano

Re se m b l i n g so m e t h i n g c l ose r to a n indie film than a Comedy Central television finale, the two-hour long season four closer of Nathan for You deserved every minute of airtime it received. In the epic “Finding Frances,” Nathan Fielder and new friend Bill Heath — known by fans as the Bill Gates Impersonator — embark on a mission to track down Heath’s high school sweetheart in Dumas, Arkansas, with nothing but her first and last name. What begins as a quest to find a long-lost love evolves into the slow unraveling of Fielder’s innermost fears, regrets and secrets, a side of him never before exposed to the viewer. While you can count on the laughs to carry this episode to its end, it’s the heart of the characters and the depths of their truths that make this one of the most memorable and shocking finales in television history. -Special Projects Editor Hallie Miller

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Read even more online at dbknews.com

monDAY, december 11, 2017

sports | 9

women’s basketball

Christinaki set to make Terps debut after long wait Former Florida guard eager to join rotation before Big Ten play W h e n t h e practice time to play for

Greece in FIBA EuroBasket Sean Whooley Maryland women’s basqualifying matches. @swhooley27 ketball team She averaged 10.4 points Staff writer competed at the World University Games in Taiwan last summer, guard Eleanna Christinaki — born in Greece — was unable to take the court with her U.S. teammates. Christinaki couldn’t play with the Terps through their first 12 games this year due to NCAA regulations after transferring to the program from Florida. She missed

per game with the Gators in 2015-16 and 17.6 points t h ro u g h n i n e ga m e s l a s t season before she quit the team after refusing to accept a suspension, so she struggled to adjust to the extended off-court stretch. “It was one of the hardest things in my life,” Christinaki said. “I was very competitive. I was playing a lot and then I couldn’t understand that I

guard eleanna christinaki averaged 17.6 points through nine games last season with the Gators. photo courtesy of maryland athletics exit, she visited Maryland when the Terps hosted No. 1 Connecticut on Dec. 29, 2016. She watched as the Te r p s n ea rly m o u n te d a co m e ba c k f ro m d ow n 1 9 points in front of a raucous Xfinity Center crowd. The atmosphere and fight

FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE FUTURE 0F THE HUMAN RACE.

from the Terps impressed Christinaki and factored into her decision to join coach Brenda Frese’s squad, but wasn’t the driving force behind the move to College Park. “ T h e f i rs t rea s o n wa s Coach Brenda,” Christinaki said. “She’s one of the best coaches I have [played for]. She’s extremely good and she’s very open-minded. … I really trusted her from the beginning and now whatever she said in my visit is coming true.” Maryland announced it signed Christinaki on Jan. 5. But given the various obstacles that kept her from playing alongside the Terps until late December, the process of being integrated into the team has taken time. Her teammates have aided that adjustment. W h e n s h e re t u r n e d to practice from FIBA EuroBasket qualifying matches on Nov. 28, she was greeted with several excited embraces by teammates and coaches. “The team has been incredible,” Frese said. “She missed all of Taiwan, she’s had that break going back with the national team and they’ve done nothing but support her and understand as she comes into the fold.” While her current teamm a te s h a ve h e l p e d h e r, she’s also received advice from former Terps Brionna Jones and Shatori WalkerKimbrough, who have since moved on to the WNBA. Guard Ieshia Small joked the Terps like the legroom provided by such a shallow

bench, which, without Christinaki, has four substitutes at most. But Frese said Christinaki’s inclusion w i l l “ d e f i n i te ly h e l p m e sleep a little better at night,” knowing she has one more quality substitute option. Fre s e s a i d C h r i s t i n a k i makes everyone around her better. In addition to praising her ability to score from anywhere on the court, the 16thyear coach said she views her as a “great passer” who can help freshman point guard Channise Lewis by offsetting her workload. That ability stems from her time with the Greek national team, along with a year and a half of college experience. “ M a t u r i ty-w i se , s h e ’s played at the highest level with the senior national team with women that are 30-35 years of age,” Frese said. “She is beyond her years. That kind of experience is something that is much-needed on this team.” For a player who, as Frese said, “oozes with happiness and energy,” Christinaki has endured a lot: learning English, changing schools and being away from her family. Still, Frese said she’s in good physical shape and should be ready to contribute upon her return. Christinaki hopes to make a statement with her play in the coming weeks. “I don’t like to say many things,” Christinaki said. “I prefer to talk on the court. You will see.” swhooleydbk@gmail.com

forward joshua tomaic redshirted last season and had played 17 career minutes entering Saturday. He scored nine points against Gardner-Webb. marquise mckine/the diamondback

TOMAIC From p. 12

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was healthy and wasn’t able to play. But, I learned a lot about being more patient.” Christinaki will play her first game with No. 15 Maryland against Coppin State on Dec. 20. It’s a date she’s eagerly counted down to over the past couple of months. “I’m very excited,” Christinaki said. “I’m trying to visualize the day [I’ll return] but I can’t. It’s been a while that I wasn’t playing. I feel that I’m OK with games but still, I was waiting a year and I can’t believe now we are [almost there].” As Christinaki looked to where she’d continue her career following her Florida

team was at a consensus that he is one of the squad’s hardest workers. “He’s usually one of the first ones in the gym, one of the last ones to leave,” guard Darryl Morsell said. “He stays with [Director of Basketball Performance] Kyle Tarp after and gets stronger, works on some of his weaknesses.” Tomaic’s emphasis in the weight room has helped him transform his body and has made him one of Tarp’s favorite players, Huerter said. His drive comes from his time at the Canarias Basketball Academy, where he watched players who went on to play professionally. “They always worked hard before practice and after practice,” Tomaic said. “It led to results, so you can really see how they developed because they did extra. That really is my motto. My high school coach always told me

I need to live in the gym if I want to get somewhere.” Turgeon said Tomaic’s performance offered a glimpse into his bright future over his next three-plus years in College Park. But he admitted once Maryland returns to full strength, Tomaic’s minutes might dwindle back to nearly zero, reiterating his belief that the talent on his roster crowds out capable players. “It’s easy when you’re sitting here after the game a n d [ yo u say] , ‘ O h we l l , maybe against Penn State we’ll put Josh in there,’ but in the heat of the moment it gets difficult,” Turgeon said. “He’s going to help our program in the future. Immediate future? I don’t know yet.” Still, it was a welcome opportunity for a player the team feels had earned it. “I see his work. When he came in today, it gave us a good spark off the bench,” Morsell said. “It’s all paying off.” jcrabtreehdbk@gmail.com

monday, december 11, 2017

10 | sports

“Whether you’re a star athlete or you’re a bench player ... it’s not about you. It’s about your team.”

“When there’s things that do need to be talked about, we’re not afraid to address those issues.”

Former women’s basketball guard Chloe Pavlech

Women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ athletes From p. 7 players who kneel during the national anthem, calling any player who participates in the movement a “son of a bitch.” Two days later, Maryland volleyball coach Steve Aird tweeted a photo of him and his team locking arms with the caption: “The power of sport brings us together. #Unity #Love.” Aird’s squad held a conversation about the unifying power of sports at breakfast during its trip to Indiana. “When you get to college or the professional level, there’s people from different backgrounds, different states, different races, different financial classes,” Smith said. “Some people may have issues and things t h ey d i s a g re e w i t h , a n d others may not be able to relate because they didn’t experience certain things. The game unites you in a way that none of that stuff really matters.” Sasho Cirovski has recruited internationally over his 25 years at the helm of the Maryland men’s soccer program. His current roster features seven players who hail from outside the United S ta te s. S u n ny Ja n e , wh o played forward for Maryland in the early 2010s, said players offered their different nationalities to discuss racism, calling those conversations some of his best life experiences. Center Sean Obi said the M a ryl a n d m e n ’s ba s ke t ball team has held similar discussions. Still, the only public protest at a Maryland athletics event this year was performed by the marching band. About 10 members kneeled while playing the national anthem before the football team’s games against Northwestern, Indiana and Penn State. “I do it personally for racial j u s t i c e ,” m a rc h i n g b a n d member Aaron Gladstone said. “This is my biggest platform. To not say something

illustration by evan berkowitz/the diamondback. file photos/the diamondback

would be disrespectful.” T h e Ma ryl a n d fo o tba l l team has remained in the locker room during the national anthem for years, so the players don’t have an outlet to kneel. While The Washington Post reported athletic director Kevin Anderson, who started a sixmonth sabbatical in October, held a forum for student athletes to discuss subjects o u ts i d e o f s p o r ts, s o m e current football players said they don’t want to publicly discuss their views. Maryland football coach DJ Durkin was not made available for this story. “I don’t want to speak for all college athletes, but I think there is a bigger percentage that doesn’t necessarily understand how their platform could help promote social change,” Pavlech said. “I don’t think they have the best grasp on some of these issues until they graduate or until it’s too late, where their platform isn’t as big.”

ON CAMPUS While playing for Maryland in 1963 as the first black football player at this university and in the ACC, Darryl Hill faced discrimination on almost every southern road trip. Still, Hill often declined offers to protest. “The best thing I could do was perform well on and off the football field,” Hill said. “If I was successful in doing that, then I would’ve had more impact than if I became an active protester.” Hill helped progress black inclusion in Maryland sports, but racial tension has persisted on this campus. 2nd Lt. Richard Collins, a black Bowie State student, was killed near a campus bus stop in May. Sean Urbanski, a white former student at this university reportedly involved in a racist Facebook group called “Alt-Reich: Nation,” was charged with murder and a hate crime. A b o u t a m o n t h b e fo re Collins’ death, a noose was found hanging in the kitchen

of this university’s Phi Kappa Tau fraternity chapter house, and there have been multiple reported instances of white nationalist posters found across campus in the past year. ProtectUMD, a coalition of student groups that represents marginalized communities at this university, made 64 demands for new programs, resources and initiatives to serve students last November. The organization has held multiple protests since then. Ju n i o r e c o n o m i c s a n d p h i l o s o p hy m a j o r Yu s u f M a h m o o d s a i d s t u d e n ts would’ve been comforted by a Maryland student athlete speaking out after one of these incidents. He said such an action could’ve prompted this university’s president, Wallace Loh, to respond with more urgency. “The more people know who you are and follow you and care about you, the more of an impact you’ll have, especially if you’re making the university a lot of more [money],” Mahmood said. “ S t u d e n t a t h l e te s co u l d kneel because they want to bring awareness to the fact that there’s DREAMers who go to our campus who could potentially face legal trouble for existing in America. They could kneel because of the tragedy that happened to Richard Collins.” Other students come from households with mixed feelings about athlete protests. Some of sophomore mechanical engineering major Patrick Bevan’s relatives are police officers, and those family members feel protesters are generalizing all officers. UMD College Republicans President Steven Clark believes athletes should promote issues by talking with the media and making a difference in communities instead of using kneeling as the main way to bring these matters attention — further actions many professional athlete have followed through with. “While it’s disrespectful,

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it’s their First Amendment right to protest [by kneeling],” the junior government and politics major said. “College athletes talking about issues they think are important adds to the dialogue. That is what college is for: sharing views and getting a perspective that is different from your own.” Only a handful of college football players have kneeled for the national anthem, which brought them and their schools attention. Albright College’s Division III team in Pennsylvania cut a quarterback after he kneeled during the anthem. Former Maryland wide receiver Deon Long participated in a Black Lives Matter p ro te s t o u t s i d e X f i n i t y Center in 2014, becoming one of the only Maryland athletes to publicly protest social issues this decade. That same year, Georgetown men’s basketball and Notre Dame women’s basketball wore “I Can’t Breathe” warmup shirts. The Duke and M ichigan State men’s basketball teams wore shirts that read “Equality” and “We Talk We Listen,” respectively, during the national anthem before playing each other in November. Several Michigan and Michigan State football players held fists in the air during the national anthem in September. Fo r m e r S a n Fra n c i s c o 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick isn’t on an NFL roster, and many speculate it’s because he started t h e p ra c t i ce o f k n e e l i n g and would bring unwanted attention. So while Loh, the NCAA and the Maryland athletic d e p a r t m e n t s a y t h e y ’ re open to students using their

freedom of speech, college players are often hesitant to risk their draft stock because of their political beliefs. “If you get to a point in your career where you think you’re good enough and you don’t want to be yourself because of how it could affect that status,” Francis said, “you’ll absolutely shrink into a hole.”

THE NEXT STEP Smith felt sheltered from social issues when he attended Maryland between 2007 and 2011 due to the daily routine of a student athlete. His days consisted of practices, meetings, classes, the diner and returning home. While Smith, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, wasn’t afraid to express his opinions as a student athlete, he experienced the worst racism outside College Park. Josh Wilson, meanwhile, has always b een o pen to ex p re s s i n g h i s o p i n i o n s on racial injustices. But he didn’t feel educated enough on the events when he played cornerback for Maryland between 2003 and 2006. Smith and Wilson were inspired to learn more about those issues through their African-American studies and criminology and criminal justice courses. While neither publicly expressed their social views in school, those classes and the locker room served as their outlets to assert their beliefs. “You have to have a lot of courage [to speak out],” Wilson said. “Once you sign with a school, you’re representing that team.” At the start of each semester, African-American S t u d i e s p ro fe s s o r Jo n a than England asks his Black Culture: Race and Sports class — one of Smith and Wilson’s

favorite courses — whether there’s racism in sports. Smith, Wilson, Francis and former Maryland cornerback Domonique Foxworth eagerly joined class discussion on the connection between racism and other fields. Since Francis graduated in 2013, though, England said not as many student athletes who take his course have been as socially conscious. Smith said if players aren’t comfortable taking a public stance, education is a way to remain active on important issues. In particular, he credited the work of the African-American studies department, such as England’s class, and the criminology and criminal justice department, which is researching racial profiling in arrests. W i l s o n s a i d a l l te a m s should hold forums where players can express themselves, while Pavlech believes there should be more communication across all of Maryland’s athletic teams to discuss social events. Francis said student athletes would be more likely to voice their opinions if they were paid, as coaches couldn’t hold unfair leverage over their players. But if Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, Michigan State forward Miles Bridges o r a n o t h e r h i g h - p ro f i l e college athlete were vocal about societal issues, Francis believes other student athletes would follow their lead, much like NFL players rallied behind Kaepernick. “There’s a lot of players in college who deal with the same issues I’ve dealt with my whole life,” Francis said. “I was still living with [those issues in 2012], but nobody cared. That’s why Kaepernick is a f---ing hero.” kmelnickdbk@gmail.com

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monDay, december 11, 2017

12 | sports

Sports LAST WEEK’S GAMES

TWEET OF THE WEEK Women’s basketball

Please don’t use JJ’s accomplishments in the community as a way to discredit what Kap has done and is doing. It’s ok for folks to impact the world in different ways.

Dec. 8

15 Maryland

80 54

George Washington

@TorreySmithWR, former Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith

Dec. 9

Men's basketball

Maryland Gardner-Webb

82 60

Wrestling

7 Iowa

Maryland

Dec. 10

40 6

volleyball

DIGGING

deep

Samantha Higginbothem surpassed expectations as Terps’ defensive specialist By Andy Kostka | @afkostka | Staff writer defensive specialist samantha higginbothem was born with scoliosis and didn’t receive much Division I attention until coach Steve Aird noticed her. photo courtesy of maryland athletics

aryland volleyball coach Steve Aird was in disbelief when he met with Diane Higginbothem in 2014 to recruit her daughter, defensive specialist Samantha Higginbothem. Higginbothem, who is listed at 5-foot-2 and was born with scoliosis, hadn’t received much Division I attention. Other college coaches had misled her older siblings in the recruiting process, her mom said. So the Middletown High School senior was content with signing for Division III Stevenson despite an offer from Valparaiso and the opportunity to walk on at other low-level Division I schools. Her mom dismissed the notion Aird would be interested. “Her mom … looked at me like I was an evil human being,” Aird said. “She thought I was joking. But I wasn’t. I knew she was good enough.” Aird, a new head coach at the time, had spotted Higginbothem months earlier at a late-night club volleyball practice making hard-nosed defensive plays. He was eager to convince her mom he truly wanted her to become a Terp. It wasn’t an easy sell. “You’re a volleyball coach, you have a bottom line, and I have my daughter’s best interest at heart,” Aird recalled Diane Higginbothem telling him. “I’m not on your side. I’m on Sam’s side.” “I’m on Sam’s side, too,” Aird responded. By the end of their meeting, Samantha Higginbothem’s mom shared Aird’s vision. Three-and-a-half years later, she says she’s grateful her daughter chose to come to College Park.

Higginbothem finished her Maryland career last month after playing in 112 matches. She notched a career-high 15 digs in Maryland’s fiveset loss last year to Illinois. Twice she completed five digs to help the Terps pick up victories in her senior season, surrounded on the court by members of Aird’s back-toback ranked recruiting classes. When Aird handed Higginbothem a framed Maryland jersey before the Terps’ Senior Night win over Northwestern on Nov. 24, her teammates delivered a loud round of applause for the work she put in. The victory over the Wildcats capped off the Terps’ best season in Higginbothem’s four years with the team, as she helped Maryland volleyball go from finishing 11 games under .500 her freshman year to posting a winning record her senior year, all while playing in the difficult Big Ten. “She’s not some random token local kid that I wanted on the roster,” Aird said. “She can play the game.”

DISCOVERY Soon after Aird joined Maryland volleyball in late January 2014, he visited Woodrow Wilson High School in Northwest Washington, D.C., to scout middle blocker Hailey Murray and outside hitter Liz Twilley as they practiced for Metro Volleyball Club of D.C. But during the low-stakes weeknight session, Higginbothem impressed Aird by aggressively diving for balls and controlling first passes. When she mishit a serve out of play, she berated herself, signaling to Aird the level of competitiveness she could bring to his program.

At the end of the two-hour training period, Aird asked the Metro Volleyball coach where Higginbothem would play in college. He was shocked when she told him Higginbothem was uncommitted and looking at Division III options. “For two hours, I saw her go after every single ball, play as hard as anyone I’ve seen play, period,” Aird said. “I knew when I was going to be trying to build a program, you need people like that who compete like crazy. I mean, it was a random weekday night practice, and no one in the building played harder than she did.” So, Aird met with Higginbothem — as well as Murray and Twilley — to talk about his vision for Maryland and their potential part in it. Higginbothem didn’t understand why she was included in the conversation. Later, she laughed when her club coach told her Aird was serious about offering her a place on his roster. But she still called him the next day to confirm. Aird respected Higginbothem’s preference for Stevenson and didn’t push her to change her mind. Because the talk was casual and absent of promises, Higginbothem didn’t tell her parents about Aird’s interest. But Diane Higginbothem found out when Twilley’s parents asked for her opinion of Maryland. “Uh, what’re you talking about?” Higginbothem said to Twilley’s parents. “Then I talked to Sam about it and she totally blew it off,” she recalled. “We didn’t really take it seriously, you See higginbothem, p. 7

men’s basketball

Tomaic shines after receiving rare playing time vs. Gardner-Webb

Redshirt freshman flashes potential by setting career highs in points and rebounds

With about five-and-ahalf minutes left in Maryl a n d m e n ’s basketball’s 82-60 win over Gardner-Webb, the players at the end of the Terps’ bench jumped and entered their usual celebration of a teammate’s reverse layup. The group of walk-ons mimed maneuvering the ball around defenders and posed with their arms arched toward the sky as if they’d just released it. But unlike most other bench celebrations over the past two seasons, forward Joshua Tomaic wasn’t there by

James CrabtreeHannigan @JamesCrabtreeH Senior staff writer

to participate. Instead, he was retreating back to defense after scoring the bucket that sparked the burst from the teammates he usually spends entire games sitting next to. Injuries and foul trouble forced Tomaic into the first significant minutes of his career, and the redshirt freshman delivered with a career-best nine points and six rebounds. “There’s a lot of guys on this team who deserve to play who don’t really get the minutes they want,” guard Kevin Huerter said. “Josh got his opportunity today with foul trouble and he was ready to play. He’s been really good in practice for us, so I

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was happy to see him carry it over.” Tomaic redshirted last season and played just 17 minutes entering Saturday, entering during garbage time as one of the deepest players on coach Mark Turgeon’s bench. But Saturday, with forwards Justin Jackson and Bruno Fernando unavailable — with an illness and sprained ankle, respectively — and two other big men in foul trouble, Tomaic entered midway through the first half with Maryland leading by just eight points. Shortly after, the Canary Islands native found himself wide open in the corner and nailed the second 3-pointer of his career, showing intriguing range for a 6-foot-9 post player. While shooting has always been a part of Tomaic’s game, the See tomaic, p. 9

forward joshua tomaic finds inspiration in motivating younger players from the Canary Islands. Coach Mark Turgeon said Tomaic’s the hardest worker on the team after redshirting last year. markquise mckine/the diamondback

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