The Diamondback by The Diamondback

The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper ONLINE AT

ISSUE NO.

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OUR

107th

16 YEAR

Monday, December 12, 2016

special project

ProtectUMD, a coalition of 25 student organizations at the University of Maryland, sent a letter to administrators in late November outlining its

64 demands for new programs, resources and initiatives to serve marginalized student populations.

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read the full story online at dbknews.com

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Ex-student files $5M suit over expulsion Student claims univ violated his due process rights during sexual assault investigation A former University of Maryland student has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $5 million, alleging he was wrongfully expelled after the university determined he sexually assaulted a woman in on-campus housing two years ago, according to documents obtained by The Diamondback. by

Ellie Silverman @esilverman11 Senior staff writer

The complaint, filed Sept. 30 against university President Wallace Loh and Title IX Coordinator Catherine Carroll, among other administrators, claims this university violated the student’s due process rights during the investigation into a reported sexual misconduct incident that occurred at about 5 a.m. on Dec. 14, 2014. The students in the complaint are not named. Instead, the lawsuit

refers to the expelled student as John Doe and the woman with whom he had a sexual encounter as Jane Roe. In the federal lawsuit, Doe alleges the university violated several of his due process rights, such as not being given “adequate notice” of the hearing or the specific charges against him. The complaint also states he was not given all the information the university See lawsuit, p. 2

WILLIAM E. KIRWAN HALL is one of multiple STEM buildings that have faced recent upgrades. It underwent a $300,000 electrical upgrade in June. tom hausman/the diamondback

‘THE INVISIBLE CRISIS’ Funding needed to fix U infrastructure nears $1 billion When junior computer enLindsey Feingold gineering major @lindseyf96 Jo s i a h B oyl e Staff writer walks through Glenn L. Martin Hall or the A.V. Williams Building on his way to class, he notices how much the buildings’ by

infrastructure needs to be fixed. “The equipment in those buildings [is] nice, but the actual facilities themselves are not,” he said. “When I’m walking through a hallway, I sometimes see something like a hole in the ceiling, which kind of sets you back a little bit.”

Boyle also wants the University of Maryland to work on fixing the buildings’ outdated aesthetic, which he believes is the drawback to many of the STEM buildings on the campus. See crisis, p. 3

‘hard to keep the lights on’ Some UMD graduate teaching assistants say they’re underpaid By Natalie Schwartz | @nmschwartz23 | Staff writer

raduate student Hugh Bryant often goes hungry to scrape together enough money to buy materials for his sculptures. A graduate teaching assistant at the University of Maryland, Bryant said he earns about $17,000 a year from his stipend and fellowship. While the art department provides some tools and equipment, Bryant, a student pursuing a master of fine arts degree, doesn’t have any expendable income to afford the steel and concrete he needs for his work without making sacrifices. “As it is it’s hard to keep the lights on,” Bryant said. He added the art department “is very poorly funded in many respects.” Bryant joins a throng of graduate assistants at this university who

claim their stipends aren’t enough to live on in the Washington area. In a recent survey conducted by the Graduate Assistant Advisory Committee, about 69 percent of graduate assistants said they don’t earn a living wage. The question received 1,023 responses. This university’s minimum stipend for a nine-and-a-half month assistantship is $16,144, according to the Office of Research Administration’s website. While each department can set its own stipend level and is encouraged to supplement the university’s stipend minimum, some departments lack the funding necessary to substantially increase the amounts, Bryant said, leaving a wake of undetermined See graduate, p. 3

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2 | news

CRIME BLOTTER By Jessica Campisi | @jessiecampisi | Senior staff writer

DISORDERLY CONDUCT University of Maryland Police responded to the 4400 block of Knox Road on Friday at 12:47 a.m. for a report of disorderly conduct, according to the police report. The report resulted in an arrest.

THEFT On Thursday at 2:53 a.m., University Police responded to the J.M. Patterson Building for a report of theft from about three hours earlier, according to the police report. This case is active. University Police responded to another report of theft at 8:24 p.m. that same day at the public health school, according to the report. This case is also active.

TELEPHONE/ EMAIL MISUSE University Police responded to the 4100 block

of Farm Drive on Tuesday at 11:04 a.m. for a report of a telephone/email misuse incident that occurred on Sunday at 11 a.m., according to the police report. This case is active.

FRAUD On Thursday at 12:52 p.m., University Police responded to the 4300 block of Knox Road for a report of fraud, according to the report. This case is active.

DUI University Police res p ond e d to t he 7 300 block of Baltimore Ave. on Friday at 1:45 a.m. for a report of a DUI, according to the report. Police responded to the 7100 block of Baltimore Ave. on Thursday at 2:40 a.m. for another report of a DUI. Both cases resulted in an arrest. jcampisidbk@gmail.com

more online

A sneak preview inside MilkBoy+ArtHouse

By Emilie Fleuette | @thedbk | For The Diamondback The city of College Park’s future arts venue, restaurant and bar — MilkBoy + ArtHouse — is making progress on Route 1 and should open before students leave for spring break in March. MilkBoy owners Tommy Joyner and Jamie Lokoff on Wednesday confirmed the opening and said construction is progressing. The

ArtHouse is the result of a partnership between the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and MilkBoy, a music and entertainment company based out of Philadelphia. It replaces The Barking Dog, a former bar that closed in 2013. For the full story, go online to dbknews.com.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE SOLUTIONIST APPRENTICE

THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING on the campus. A former University of Maryland student filed a federal lawsuit against university President Wallace Loh and other administrators on Sept. 30 seeking $5 million, alleging he was wrongfully expelled after the university determined he sexually assaulted a woman in on-campus housing. file photo/the diamondback

lawsuit From p. 1 used when making its decision. “The University is aware of the lawsuit filed against several staff members,” university spokesman Brian Ullmann wrote in a statement. “We are confident that our policies and procedures support our commitment to maintaining a campus-wide environment free of sexual misconduct and we intend to mount a vigorous defense. Persons found responsible for any form of sexual assault will be held accountable, regardless of threatened legal action. Based on longstanding policy, we will have no further comment on any ongoing litigation.” Loh reiterated this sentiment in a phone call with The Diamondback Friday morning. He said “the University of Maryland will mount a vigorous defense in this case.” The woman called the University of Maryland Police Department after the incident in a Frederick Hall dorm. When the officer met the woman about an hour later, the woman explained what happened earlier and wrote a witness statement. Officers interviewed her again about the incident at 8:15 a.m. and included her verbal statements in the police reports. Afterward, an officer drove her to Prince George’s Hospital for a sexual assault forensic exam, according to the report. Later that afternoon, an officer collected DNA samples from Doe. Less than two hours later, the officer contacted the assistant state’s attorney for Prince George’s County and the head of the ASA Sex Unit, and both agreed no crime had been committed. The police report provided with the lawsuit stated the case will remain open pending further investigation. Meanwhile, this university’s Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct conducted an independent investigation and found Doe had violated the university’s sexual misconduct policy. There are different standards of proof in a criminal

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report and university administrative complaint. To convict a suspect for sexual assault, the criminal system would require it occurred “beyond a reasonable doubt.” This university sanctions a student if there is a preponderance of evidence that he or she violated the sexual misconduct policy, in accordance with the Education Department. The lawsuit claims Doe was three credits shy of graduation at the time of his expulsion, had he been given the credits from his 2015 spring semester. With this mark on his student record, Doe is unable to continue his education, the lawsuit states. Doe is seeking a removal of the expulsion from his file, as well as re-enrollment at this university and compensation for fees acquired during this process. Among other complaints, Doe said he was given 24 hours notice of a meeting with university officials and therefore ended up missing it, according to an email to Andrea Goodwin, the director of student conduct. The university’s Standing Review Committee determined whether “it is more likely than not” that a sexual misconduct policy violation occurred. Goodwin denied Doe’s request to postpone this committee meeting for his case until he was able to meet with a representative from the Student Legal Aid Office, according to the email. Amid increased scrutiny on campus sexual assault nationwide, this university has ramped up its efforts to combat the issue. The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights issued “Dear Colleague” letters in 2011 to institutions it believed needed to better investigate sexual misconduct cases. This university did not receive a letter. However, it established the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct and hired its first Title IX Officer in 2014. Title IX requires colleges to take immediate action if it is determined a violation of sexual misconduct occurred, and prevent the misconduct from reoccurring. The number of expulsions at this university has increased since the office was founded, with three students expelled between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, and four students expelled the next year. However, many students believe the administration has not done enough and delivered a petition to Loh’s office last

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month demanding in-person training for incoming freshmen that addresses sexual violence, among other demands. Earlier this semester, the Student Government Association withdrew its proposal for a $34 annual fee to support the Title IX office after Loh told them he would table it. The administration had announced about a week earlier that it would fund six new positions across two offices dealing with these issues. But last month, Loh told the Residence Hall Association Senate that this university is “being sued left and right.” “They’re holding me personally accountable for expelling a student,” he said during a RHA Senate meeting. “In other words, my commitment, I want to tell you, goes beyond providing resources for our office. It is putting myself on the line in this way.” This university joins a growing list of colleges that are facing lawsuits over their handling of sexual misconduct complaints.

he details of the incident vary between t h e p o l i c e re p o r t and documents noted in the lawsuit, a difference the university’s Special Investigator Josh Bronson attributed to his knowledge of conducting a trauma-informed investigation, according to the complaint. Bronson wrote that the University Police interview did not appear to have used these techniques. While training about 20 faculty and staff interested in being on a standing review committee in September 2015, Bronson said a person’s memory is fragmented after trauma. This is why he or she may remember different details during subsequent questions and is often misinterpreted as lying, Bronson told the group. Doe went to R.J. Bentley’s that Saturday night, where he met Roe, and other friends, according to the police report. At about 2 a.m., Doe and Roe, along with their friends, walked to another friend’s apartmentstyle dorm in Frederick Hall, the report states. The group hung out in the dorm and played video games. Roe was tired and went to sleep in the bed of a person identified as K.P., and K.P. later joined her, according to the complaint. At some point, K.P. woke up and left the room. There are conflicting accounts in the police report and materials referred to in the lawsuit regarding how Doe ended up in bed with Roe. Friends interviewed by the police provided different details on what happened. One said Doe brought it up as “a dare for himself” to see how long it would take Roe to notice he wasn’t the man she fell asleep with. Another said someone may have “challenged” him to go into the room. The lawsuit states Doe just wanted to sleep and there was no dare. The lawsuit references Bronson’s investigative report, in which Bronson notes he reached out to all witnesses in the police report, but did not end up speaking with any of them. The lawsuit quotes Bronson’s notes, which state Roe woke up to Doe touching her in bed. Doe recounted when Roe woke up, she turned her head

toward him and the two kissed mutually, according to the police report that was provided in the lawsuit. The two began engaging in other sexual acts before the woman realized she was no longer in bed with K.P., according to the police report. Doe said in the report that he thought she knew it was him because the two had spoken. She then yelled for him to stop and Doe complied, got dressed and left the room, according to the police report.

he university found Doe committed Sexual Assault I — defined as any act of sexual intercourse without consent. Consent is currently defined as a “knowing, voluntary, and affirmatively communicated willingness to participate in a particular sexual activity or behavior,” according to university policy. State law says a person cannot force another person to engage in sexual behavior without consent or if the person is unconscious. However, the assistant state’s attorney for Prince George’s County and the head of the ASA Sex Unit agreed no crime had been committed because they believed the sexual acts were consensual and Doe immediately stopped when Roe “revoked consent,” according to the police report. But the standing review committee did not agree with the assistant state’s attorney finding acknowledged in the police report. The review committee determined that Doe, “while masquerading as [K.P],” did not attempt to let Roe know who he was. Therefore, Roe had “no reason to believe the person who began touching her was not the same person she went to bed with,” according to materials noted in the lawsuit. The lawsuit also alleges when Bronson, the special investigator, interviewed Doe, it was more like an “inquisition” and the report of this interview was distorted and editorialized and left out “significant facts.” This was consequential because Bronson’s report was “the only evidence” the review committee considered when determining if a sexual misconduct violation occurred, according to the lawsuit. And when Doe would inquire about the case, the information he did receive from the university was “vague and conflicting,” and included some old policy and procedures, according to the lawsuit. The university’s sexual misconduct policies and procedures have undergone significant changes in recent years. During Doe’s time at this university, the statutes have gone through multiple iterations, which his lawyer said was problematic. The lawsuit alleges that Goodwin sent Doe an outdated policy that had differing definitions of consent and incapacity. “I believe the university could do a better job adhering to its own procedures,” Robert Clarke, a lawyer representing Doe, said. “There’s been lots of different procedures and they have changed multiple times.” esilvermandbk@gmail.com

monday, december 12, 2016

disparities between graduate students’ standards of living. Although no public data exists documenting these differences, Bryant said the art department is one of the worst off on the campus. The graduate school gives an annual recommendation to Provost Mary Ann Rankin for the budget package, and each year it has tried to advance this university’s minimum amount, said Jeffrey Franke, the interim dean of the graduate school. The stipends increase generally at about 2 percent to 4 percent annually from COLA and merit adjustments, he said. “It makes it really hard for people to do what they’re supposed to do,” Bryant said. “You need to be healthy to do some of this work. You need to keep up your strength.” Bryant’s steel sculpture class requires a high degree of physical activity. Steel rods litter the floor, sparks fly off of torches and his students lug around heavy pieces of equipment. “I teach a class that is a fundamental part of this program,” Bryant said, adjusting his cap with a hand dusted in black welding grime. “It’s very rewarding, but I don’t feel very appreciated.” The median stipend for a graduate assistant was $17,840 for a nine-and-half month assistantship in 2013, according to data provided by Charles Caramello, former dean of the graduate school. It’s the most recent data the graduate school has provided despite repeated requests for more updated information, said Will Howell, a communication doctoral student and Graduate Assistant Advisory Council member. While minimum and total stipends were comparable to

When you have people working for you that are not happy with their jobs, you’re not getting good work. HUGH BRYANT

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Northwestern University, have substantially increased their graduate stipend amounts in recent years to remain more competitive with peer institutions. When most of these universities do implement large increases, it often comes with similar trade-offs, such as a reduction in doctoral candidates. T h e U n i ve r s i t y o f Chicago raised its stipends in 2016 significantly for certain programs by $2,000, from $26,000 up to $28,000. Duke University has its minimum stipend set at $22,470. Northwestern increased its stipend by 26 percent in 2015 to $29,000 a year for doctoral and master of fine arts students. T h i s u n i v e r s i t y ’s g ra d u a te s c h o o l h a s been focusing on inc rea s i n g t h e fe l l owship pool so students can supplement their stipend amounts, and has been providing wo r k s h o p s to te a c h g ra d u a t e a s s i s t a n t s how to apply for outside grants, said Mary Carroll-Mason, a spokeswoman for the graduate school. Franke said t h e g ra d u a te s c h o o l has about $5 million of fundraised money for additional fellowships to give out to students with assistantships and is working with university relations to increase this pool of money. “When you have people working for you that are not happy with their jobs, you’re not getting good work,” Bryant said. “This university works because we do.” nschwartzdbk@gmail.com

State Capital Budget AllocationS FOR THIS UNIVERSITY Graphic by Julia Lerner/The Diamondback Numbers do not include annual funding for the ‘invisible crisis” Source: Facilities Management

$98.7

$30.1

$38

$120.2

$105.1

PROPOSED

From p. 1

other Big Ten universities, resorted to crashing on his the cost of living in College friends’ couches. “I could rent a house [in Park and the Washington area is often considerably Minnesota] for what I could higher, according to a 2013 pay for a broom closet here,” survey conducted by GAAC. Bryant said. “That was kind One adult living in the of a shock. I’d been warned Washington metropolitan but you don’t really know area costs $30,068 annually what you’re up against until before taxes, according to you’re in it.” The committee discussed the Massachusetts Institute students’ o f Te c h n o l widespread o g y ’s l i v i n g concerns wage calculaabout low stitor. In Prince pends during George’s their end-ofC o u n t y, i t the-semester requires meeting with a slightthe adminly higher i s t ra t i o n o n $30,175, with Nov. 30. The $14,000 administragoing toward tion, includhousing. i n g Fr a n k e , Romina da Rankin and Costa, an eduVice President cation doctorfor Adminisal student, reGRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT t ra t i o n a n d ceived a paper Finance Carlo estimating cost of living expenses in Colella, told the committee the College Park area with they would look into the idea her offer letter. Pregnant at of reducing the number of the time, Costa took notice assistantships in order to pay of how much they predicted current graduate assistants childcare costs to be — about more, Howell said. Bryant suggested sepa$250 per week. This university does not rately from the meeting that send out standardized cost of this university should be peliving estimates to its gradu- riodically examining each ate students, but some de- department and how much partments choose to include they are able to add to the their own materials in their minimum stipend. “ Eve r y s e m e s te r t h e y admission packages, Howell said. Many students, upon should be collecting data to a r r iva l , h ave d i scove re d see whether or not they’re these sheets to be “highly holding up their end of the deal [and] providing an edinaccurate,” he said. After she had her baby, ucational experience that Costa realized the number isn’t wrought with anxiety,” on her own sheet was “ab- Bryant said. “… It makes it surdly low” and estimated really hard to perform your it’s closer to $350 per week duties and do your job when you’re constantly worried to pay for her child’s care. Bryant had also moved to about whether or not you’re the area from a small town in going to have enough money Minnesota, and he struggled to pay for this or that.” Some private universities, to find affordable housing during his first year at this such as the University of university. As a result, he Chicago, Duke University and

CAPITAL BUDGET ALLOCATIONS (MILLIONS)

graduate

news | 3

FY 17

FY 18

$32.4 $20.7

FY 12

FY 13

FY 14

FY 15

FY 16

FISCAL YEAR

CRISIS From p. 1 However, these infrastructure problems are not just happening in STEM buildings, but all over the campus’ 13 million square feet of interior building space, as well as in some exterior spaces, Facilities Management Operations and Maintenance Director Jack Baker said. And while the backlog is reaching $1 billion at this university, there aren’t enough funds to fix it. “This university is the fifth-largest city in the state of Maryland, and every building and utility system has to be maintained,” Baker said. “A lot of the buildings on campus are 60 or 70 years old and need major work, which isn’t always feasible.” In his 2016 Capital Budget Testimony to the Maryland General Assembly, university President Wallace Loh said the deferred maintenance — a backlog of funding needed to update infrastructure — was $907 million, with $738 million of that for the inside of buildings and $169 million for exterior projects, such

as the roads or underground piping on the campus. That’s $157 million more than the backlog was two years ago. In his 2011 State of the Campus speech, Loh said, “We will be spending immediately $10 million annually for the foreseeable future to address the ‘invisible crisis’ on the campus. This is the flooded basements, leaking ro o f s a n d t h e o u td a te d systems that one does not see behind the magnificent Georgian facades of the centuryold buildings on campus.” As a result, this state began to allocate money to this university for infrastructure needs starting in fiscal 2012. Facilities Management formed two plans, “The Invisible Crisis” and “Restore the Core,” in 2010 to deal with campus buildings’ failing infrastructure. “The Invisible Crisis” focuses on utility systems and HVAC, piping, electrical equipment and other issues. “Restore the Core” focuses on updating older buildings around the mall one by one that were built before 1962. The funding from the state that Loh spoke about is See CRISIS, p. 7

4 | opinion

Monday, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Opinion

editorial board

Danielle Ohl Editor in Chief

@DBKOpinion

column

Cancer moonshot will be a giant leap for mankind

JACK SIGLIN @_InTheBox Columnist

In 1962, President John F. K e n n e d y stood in front of 35,000 people at the Rice University football stadium and vowed to put an American on the moon by the end of the decade. We must go to the moon, he said, “not because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard, because that goal w i l l se rve to o rga n i ze a n d measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one which we intend to win.” Seven years later, he was posthumously proven prescient. Neil Armstrong’s small step handed the U.S. a victory in the Space Race and culminated Kennedy’s moonshot. It certainly didn’t come easy; death and disaster followed every step of the way. But to again quote JFK, we simply had to go to the moon — to “climb the highest mountain,” because “its conquest deserves the best of all mankind.”

There’s a new highest mountain, and the U.S. government is undertaking a new moonshot. It’s not Mars — this time, it’s local. The target is cancer: Vice President Joe Biden’s “cancer moonshot” is the umbrella term for a program looking for a leap forward in cancer research and patient care. It’s a lot less tangible than landing a man on the moon, but ultimately, it’s more important. O f c o u rs e , t h e Ke n n e d y moonshot was quite different from the cancer moonshot. Cancer is not one disease. It’s hundreds of diseases, each with their own underlying biochemistry and pathophysiology. Landing a man on the moon required engineering advances, but not a new paradigm — Newton’s laws had been well understood for hundreds of years. In cancer research, though, we’re constrained by what we simply don’t know about the science of cancer and its treatment. We need both knowledge and tools, and they’re unlikely to come from the same sector. That’s why all the cancer

moonshot eggs aren’t in one basket. Instead, they’re a wideranging series of initiatives. Recruiting private sector investment into R&D is one. Prevention strategies such as increasing HPV vaccination rates and decreasing the incidence of smoking are keys. Maybe most importantly, access to care is a focal point — the moonshot is focused on increasing the accessibility of screenings, clinical trials and treatments for disadvantaged population groups. In some form or another, nearly everyone understands the impact that cancer has. Every population group gets it. Unequivocally, it sucks. The goal of the moonshot isn’t really to “cure” cancer. Instead, it’s to accelerate advances in all the discrete aspects of cancer — R&D, patient care, epidemiology, prevention — which has the potential to knock one of the leading causes of death down a few pegs. Perhaps one could call that a giant leap for mankind. jack.siglin@gmail.com

editorial cartoon

Mina Haq Managing Editor

Alana Pedalino Deputy Managing Editor

William An Opinion Editor

Reuven Bank Opinion Editor

3150 South Campus Dining Hall, College Park, MD 20742 | opinionumdbk@gmail.com | PHONE (301) 314-8200

column

Labor unions aren’t as influential anymore MAX AN @maxandbk Columnist

Look around anywhere, and you will find articles about America’s undeniable divisions. But look even closer at American labor unions, and you will find a larger battle that could decide the fate of social mobility and the American dream. Once a bedrock of American employment and labor negotiations, you would be hard pressed to name one, if any, of today’s prominent union leaders. What used to be a prominent force in American politics has been fundamentally curtailed in size and function. And with such a reduction in influence came consequential declines in middle-class incomes. Labor unions, which once wielded greater abilities to collectively bargain over wages, benefits and working conditions, have in recent years seen precipitous drops in influence and membership. With union membership declining since 1956 and the loss of union power that has accompanied the decline, it is no wonder over the past several decades, middle-class incomes have also shrunk, to the point that the “working class” has seen a revival in the American lexicon. Even though recent efforts have focused on streamlining the unionization of service sector workers, privatesector union memberships has undeniably declined from as high as 33.4 percent in 1945 to 6.7 percent today. The drop in membership rate has diminished the power of organized labor, and its ability to have an effect on the workplace. Without a sizable percentage of American workers in unions, such unions have seen a decline in their ability to influence the wages and practices of non-union shops. Such a loss of power, in turn, exacerbates membership declines.

While President-elect Trump has promised to restore and maintain American manufacturing and industrial jobs, it is interesting how his rhetoric has diverged from his actions. His appointment of Andrew Puzder, a fast food executive who has entertained the idea of restaurant automation to avoid the expenses of worker unionization, as Labor Secretary is a slight to the entire Labor Department and its role in promoting and developing American jobs. Further, Trump’s pick for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, as a proponent of expanding charter and private school options for low-income children, poses a major threat to the American Federation of Teachers, who have said she could potentially defund public education in America. Despite the fact that Trump won the 2016 election in large part by getting votes from union households in key states such as Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, his administration seems poised to make battle with the U.S. labor movement. For decades, labor unions, through their political advocacy, endorsements and even strikes and boycotts, were able to preserve employment opportunities and work benefits. They were thus key mechanisms of upward social mobility, along with secondary education. The increasing cost of such higher education, coupled with the loss of union organization and influence may only serve to exacerbate the ever-expanding wealth gap in our country. While it is too soon to forecast the success or failure of Trump’s administration, it is my fear that any potential missteps in economic development may lead to an intensification of socioeconomic, religious and racial tension in our country, as we look to others to serve as scapegoats for our shortcomings. max.an@outlook.com

columnists wanted Jocie broth/the diamondback

column

Address Assad’s COH violations KYLE REMPFER Over the @Kyle_Rempfer past year, U.S. policy in Syria Columnist has focused on the removal of ISIS and the pursuit of a political compromise with the Bashar al-Assad regime. In truth, though, this strategy only serves to exacerbate the tensions in the region. ISIS is, in large, a byproduct of the excessive use of force by Assad against a predominantly Sunni population. The Assad regime and its Russian backers continue to flout the lines drawn during a Cessation of Hostilities agreement and commit human rights violations with impunity, dampening the resolve of our Sunni and Kurdish allies in their pursuit of ISIS. Therefore, if ISIS is to be eliminated, Assad must first capitulate to the international agreements that he continues to violate. To this end, it’s becoming increasingly necessary for the United States to authorize military force against the Assad regime, thereby enforcing the COH lines and negating Assad’s negotiating leverage in the future. Initiating strikes against Assad’s military component is long overdue. Thus far, the Syrian regime hasn’t suffered a direct consequence for any of its egregious acts, to include the use of chemical weapons against civilians, which had been previously marked as a “red line” by President Obama. If military force is authorized, Russian assets in Syria don’t need to be targeted, making it unlikely that Russia will attack U.S. forces in retaliation. Evidence for this is found in the November 2015 incident involving a Russian Su-24 aircraft

being shot down by a Turkish F-16. Russia did not strike back against our NATO ally then, and it is doubtful they would now. If Russia did react in any way, they would do so by bombing our allies in Syria, which is a strategy they already pursue with impunity. Nevertheless, it should always be made clear to Russian leadership that targeting U.S. aircraft would be treated in accordance with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty: collective defense. Retaliating against Assad’s COH violations would lead to the end of Assad’s bombing of civilian targets and blocking of aid convoys, finally permitting a path for genuine humanitarian intervention. Additionally, a more assertive U.S. military posture will better defend our Sunni allies, who view Assad as the primary belligerent in the conflict as he refuses to fight ISIS for his own benefit. Without Sunni cooperation, Kurdish fighters can’t project force against ISIS outside of traditionally Kurdish lands, due to the risk of aggravating the innate ethnic divides of the region. Furthermore, Assad can’t be expected to pick up the slack in a front against ISIS. His regime has thus far proven incapable of governing large swaths of land east of Damascus and has lost considerable support from the rural population needed to take back and secure land. Any action other than this risks alienating Sunnis against the United States and our Kurdish allies, as well as deteriorating the anti-ISIS alliance. Following the forced compliance of Assad, the first priority should be the elimination of ISIS

with a newly minted coalition. Then, with the COH holding firm, Assad should be coerced into a gradual release of power with the idea of a transitional government in mind. The idea that Syria can exist after this conflict as a centralized authoritarian state is increasingly erroneous. After all, many ethnic minorities, such as the Druze and Kurds, have shown an ability to police their own land, absent the regime. Orchestrating a neutered federal government with semi-autonomous zones for various ethnicities is the best option for long-term stabilization and has precedence in the Dayton accords, which divided Bosnia by sectarian lines. Although there’s certainly room for criticism of the 20-year partition, the fact remains that the violence ended. There is always the possibility that actions against Assad and his backers will further deteriorate relations with Syria and Russia. Nevertheless, any other action sans a consequence for Assad’s infringement of the COH will be seen by observant players as a green light for further disobedience against international agreements in the Middle East and elsewhere. The path recommended is the one best suited to reassert U.S. leadership on the world stage and facilitate an end to the Syrian conflict. Allowing an emboldened Assad to dictate the direction of Syria will only delay the defeat of ISIS and afford him the opportunity to maintain a feeble grasp on his waning territory. krempfer@terpmail.umd.edu

The Diamondback is looking for new opinion columnists for the spring 2017 semester. Columnists must be able to write weekly columns providing insightful commentary on relevant university, local, state or national issues. If interested, please send a sample column (between 500 and 800 words) to William An and Reuven Bank at opinionumdbk@gmail.com. Please include your full name, year, major and phone number.

column

Don’t boast your ignorance ASHA KODAN @thedbk Columnist

Oscar winning actress Jennifer Lawrence h a s r e c e n t l y upset several people after sharing a story about desecrating some scared rocks in Hawaii. She narrated the incident while being interviewed on The Graham Norton Show. In the interview she described sitting on the rocks and rubbing her bottom on them on the set of Catching Fire. Despite knowing its cultural value to the natives of Hawaii, she disrespected the site and even wedged one of the rocks loose, sending it tumbling toward one of the crew members. Lawrence further went on to make light of the fact that the Hawaiians believed that the rock falling was a sign of a curse. This incident of Lawrence’s ignorance is not an isolated one; it is yet another example of an A m e r i ca n ’s b l a ta n t d i s re ga rd toward something that they don’t understand. Do I believe that Lawrence had malicious intents behind her actions? No, not at all. It’s more likely she is one individual among a score of people steeped in oblivion and unaware there is a larger world outside of what they are familiar with. Now of course ignorance about other cultures is a problem that is experienced worldwide, yet in my personal experience, we Americans do a better job of being culturally incompetent than most. To certain

people, if something isn’t blazing red, white and blue, then it isn’t worth learning about. This is the kind of attitude that irks me more than words can express. It is about time that we realize that we are one small part of a greater globe. It is not necessary to go around beating our chests about how superior our way of life is compared to the rest of the world. I’m not saying that we should stop being proud of our history and the American culture, but instead we need to appreciate the rich traditions and beliefs of the rest of the world as well. And yes, this includes respecting sacred sites like the rocks in Hawaii. If anything, Jennifer Lawrence’s story is a lesson about perspective; as someone who did not grow up learning about the significance of the sacred rocks, she thought the entire fiasco was comedic. But to a native Hawaiian who has been raised under a different set of values and beliefs, Lawrence’s actions and nonchalance are rude and hurtful. This is why we must urge each other to think before we say or do anything that could be disrespectful to others. Lawrence’s story is a reflection on how we are perceived as Americans, and is an image which I would like to see improved upon in the future. ashakodan@ymail.com

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

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

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6 | news

community

We work together so well that it’s seamless. We all just get along so well.

Wanting someone who looks like you to represent you is not wrong.

fasika delessa sga academic affairs v.p.

katherine swanson

There’s no lack of positive role models for [freshmen women].

sga president

nisha desai

sga communications director photos courtesy of the student government association

file photo/the diamondback

key

Gender breakdown of 2016-17 big ten Student Government legislatures

illinois indiana iowa maryland michigan michigan state minnesota nebraska northwestern ohio state penn state purdue rutgers wisconsin

58.8% 41.2%

Gender breakdown of 2016-17 big ten Student Government executives 52.6% 47.4%

= MEN

70.0% 30.0% 60.0% 40.0% 47.3% 52.7%

68.8% 31.2%

= WOMEN

54.5% 45.5% 40.0% 60.0% 40.0% 60.0%

= TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

no data available 59.0% 35.9%

5.1%

50.0% 50.0% 47.1% 52.9% 56.0% 44.0%

46.2% 53.8%

Graphics by Julia Lerner/ The Diamondback

33.3% 66.7%

no data available

Sources: Associated Students of Michigan State University; University Park Undergraduate Association; Minnesota Student Association; Rutgers University Student Assembly; Northwestern Associated Student Government; Purdue University Student Government; Ohio State Undergraduate Student Government; SGA.

51.3% 48.7% 67.5% 32.5% 67.7% 32.4% 53.0% 47.0% 51.7% 48.3%

46.7% 53.3%

47.1% 52.9% 41.2% 58.8% 79.0% 21.0% 46.7% 53.3% 57.1% 42.9%

illinois indiana iowa maryland michigan michigan state minnesota nebraska northwestern ohio state penn state purdue rutgers wisconsin

‘empowering’

Women in top SGA positions reflect on representation, advocate for future By Adam Zielonka | @Adam_Zielonka | Staff writer

atherine Swanson supported Hillary Clinton’s presidential candidacy for policy reasons, not just because Clinton would have become the first female president of the United States if elected. But when someone accuses the SGA president of voting for Clinton just because she is a woman, Swanson disagrees with the premise. “Wanting someone who looks like you to represent you is not wrong,” Swanson said. “Especially if it’s somebody who has never been in that office before.” As a woman and an aspiring politician, Swanson feels strongly about women’s repre se n ta t i o n . W h e n s h e wa s appointed Student Government Association director of student groups as a sophomore two years ago, she was one of only two women in the cabinet that year, she said. So when she became SGA president this academic year, Swanson surrounded herself with several women in her executive board and cabinet, with positions including academic affairs vice president, communications director, diversity and inclusion director, health and wellness director, sexual misconduct prevention director, sustainability director and tradition director. She said she wanted to make the staff as diverse as possible — while ensuring her selections were the best candidates, too. “ I t wo u l d b e s o ea sy fo r me to pull up [female cabinet members’] resumes and talk about why they were qualified for the position,” Swanson said. “And I knew that when I was picking them. I knew I might have to say, ‘Well, here’s why I thought they’d be better for this position than so-and-so.’” Her choices have made an

impact. The University of Maryland’s SGA boasts one of the highest percentages of female student government officers among Big Ten universities. T h e D i a m o n d b a c k ga t h ered data from the websites of each school’s SGA equivalent. Student representatives at each university were also contacted to allow them to self-report any discrepancies between current numbers and what their websites showed. Representatives from 11 schools responded to confirm data. Twenty of the University of Maryland’s 38 SGA legislators – 52.6 percent – and nine of 15 executive board and cabinet members – 60 percent – are female. That ranks this university second in the conference in each category. Only at the University of Minnesota are women as well-represented in both branches. The conference is more balanced at the presidential level. Swanson is one of seven female student body presidents among the 14 Big Ten schools this year. At the University of Iowa, the current student government president and vice president comprise the second all-female executive ticket in the university’s history. The United States is one of 79 countries in the world never to have had a female head of government, and only 20 percent of U.S. senators and 19.3 percent of U.S. representatives were women in 2015, according to the Pew Research Center. After the retirement of Sen. Barbara Mikulski, and District 4 Rep. Donna Edwards’ defeat in the Democratic Primary for Mikulski’s seat, this state will send an all-male congressional delegation to Washington for the first time in more than 40 years in January.

But the women who do serve in government are often visible role models for younger women such as Fasika Delessa, SGA academic affairs vice president. Besides Clinton, Delessa named First Lady Michelle Obama and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and retiring Sens. Mikulski and Barbara Boxer as women who have inspired her. She also looks up to Swanson, whom she praises for creating a cabinet and executive board that are “empowering” to their female members. Under Swanson’s leadership, Delessa said the officers’ teamwork is “seamless.” “We all just get along so well,” Delessa said. “Whoever’s speaking gets the floor. Obviously we all respect each other and if there are disagreements, it’s on merit and it’s on the basis of policy. It’s never personal.” Nisha Desai, SGA communications director, said she already sees the presence of more women affecting the legislature’s newest members. “[For] freshmen students coming here, especially freshman girls, I think there’s no lack of positive role models for them,” Desai said. Freshmen women on the legislature “now have this confidence to come into the room fighting,” she added. Diversity in student government can also shape the focus of its legislation. The defining priority of the SGA’s fall semester was its proposal for a student fee to increase funding for the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual M isconduct. The SGA later withdrew the proposal after university administration said they would commit more resources to address sexual misconduct. Swanson and Taylor Aguiar, the director for the Committee

on Sexual Misconduct Prevention, are both quick to point out that sexual assault is not just a women’s issue, and that both men and women have worked on sexual assault legislation. Swanson said A.J. Pruitt, SGA student affairs vice president, was a “force for such change” for introducing the Title IX fee idea and proposing a permanent SGA Committee on Sexual Misconduct Prevention. The SGA had voted in 2014 to assemble an ad hoc committee — including representatives from the Residence Hall Association, the Panhellenic Council and the International Fraternity Council — to study this university’s mandatory sexual assault training policies. But the committee did not achieve anything before it dissolved, Swanson said. As the primary committee working on the Title IX fee resolution, the Committee on Sexual Misconduct Prevention played an important role in passing the bill. Women make up 13 of the 18 members of the committee, Aguiar said. The Committee on Sexual M isconduct Prevention this semester also endorsed a bill considering a potential student advisory board for T itle IX Officer Catherine Carroll. The advisory board would unify different student efforts toward the issue of sexual assault prevention, Aguiar said. The SGA unanimously passed the resolution on Nov. 30. “When you have a majority female cabinet, when you have a female president, you tend to look at these issues — they’re not just abstract,” Desai said. “It becomes something that’s really important in trying to govern.” S G A l e g i s l a to rs a re a l s o working on piloting a program to make free feminine hygiene products available in all women’s

and gender-inclusive restrooms in Stamp Student Union. South Hill representative Marie-Therese Meye and freshman class representative Michelle Garda are leading the effort in the Committee on Student Affairs, Pruitt said, and a bill should come up for a vote early next semester. If successful, the program could be expanded to all academic buildings on the campus. The SGA plans to find an outside grant to fund this initiative, rather than seek money f r o m t h e a d m i n i s t ra t i o n , Swanson said. But she added that she will continue to hold university President Wallace Loh and the administration accountable on women’s issues and their commitment to the Title IX office. Swa n s o n s a i d s h e wo n ’ t hesitate to revisit the Title IX student fee bill. “I don’t doubt that President Loh is committed to women’s issues,” Swanson said. I’m sure he’s committed to gender equality and he’s never treated me any differently [from men].” But she added that the administration has “talked about our commitment to athletics so many times. How many times are we going to put women and minorities on the backburner?” Swanson, a senior government and politics major, is already thinking ahead to what the SGA’s future might look like after she graduates. “ T h e re ’s n o g u a ra n te e a woman will come after me, and there’s no guarantee someone who shares my values will come after me,” she said. With one semester left at this university, Swanson said she’s asking herself, “What do women need that I can give them before I leave, and how do I do that?” newsumdbk@gmail.com

march 2014

nov. 4, 2015

sept. 28, 2016

nov. 30, 2016

Catherine Carroll, right, becomes Title IX coordinator.

The SGA votes to create an ad hoc committee focused specifically on mandatory sexual assault training for campus community members.

The SGA resolves to endorse a $34 annual student fee to help fund the Title IX office.

The SGA passes a resolution to investigate creating a student advisory committee for Carroll.

september 2014 The Diamondback publishes a series of articles investigating sexual assault at this university.

timeline of sga actions on sexual assault

timeline not to scale

april 27, 2016

oct. 26, 2016

The SGA’s legislative session ends and the ad hoc committee dissolves, having rarely met and failing to pass a bill. At its final meeting, the SGA creates a permanent sexual misconduct prevention committee.

The SGA announces it will withdraw its Title IX fee proposal from consideration, a week after the administration announced it would commit funding for six new positions related to victim care and after university President Wallace Loh told SGA executives he would not sign the fee proposal if it reached his desk.

monday, december 12, 2016

news | 7

community erica puentes, right with arm raised, demonstrates during a Nov. 17 walkout in front of McKeldin Library. She is among many women at this university taking a leading role in campus movements. tom hausman/the diamondback

leading the charge Among campus activists at UMD and nationwide, women take a central role

From p. 3 specifically for “The Invisible Crisis.” “The Invisible Crisis” projects are split up into various sections including life safety, which are fire alarm systems and electrical equipment; H VAC , wh i c h s ta n d s fo r heating, ventilation and air conditioning; utility systems and environmental projects, Baker said. The recent con-

open communication needed for success.” That style of leadership is what Black Student Union president Bria Sladden aims for. She said she’s most proud of her team and its dynamic, and she has one-on-one phone calls with her board members to hear about their plans for the semester and ensure they understand what their position entails in order to help them be most effective. “I just really wanted to facilitate a culture within the organization that requested more feedback from our members … since everything we do is for the community,” the senior finance major said. Other female leaders on the campus cited different reasons for deciding to get involved at a higher level. Lauryn Froneberger, president of this university’s NAACP chapter, said when she set foot on the campus her freshman year, seeing the same people step up on several occasions inspired her to learn leadership skills. She later enrolled in the leadership studies minor, a program

that shesaid allows for “a lot of self-exploration, and you start to really realize that anybody can be a leader if they work toward it.” “If people consistently see the same people in the spotlight, it discourages them in a way,” said Froneberger, a senior journalism major. “People would start to think, ‘I’m not charismatic, I don’t have these character traits, I’m not extroverted,’ about themselves, and that really discourages people from wanting to step up.” For Community Roots President Dani Gillis, one thing that stood out to her about the club was the fact that it’s a multicultural organization that doesn’t focus on one demographic. “I want to not only fight for my own rights, but also fight for the rights of my classmates, my peers, the people around me that I care about that don’t always have the same issues,” said Gillis, a senior English and journalism major. “It speaks in even more volumes when you’re standing in solidarity with somebody and the outcome doesn’t

struction on McKeldin Mall was also part this plan. Baker said life safety projects are the most important and “probably about 30 of those projects have been completed since the state started funding this program.” But the funding didn’t live up to Loh’s promise. The state did not provide any funding to this university for infrastructure repairs, and it won’t provide any funding in fiscal year 2017.

Arshad Mughal, associate director of capital budgeting for Facilities Management, thinks this is because the state allocated more money than usual for new buildings being built on the campus. “We saw that we were going to lose funding in the government’s five year plan, and in a way, I was not too terribly surprised, but we were all disappointed,” Mughal said. “Normally, we get way less money for other big projects on the campus.” The state does not have any plans to provide funding in fiscal year 2018, Mughal said, but he is confident it will get restored in the next few years. Baker said he is disappointed about the lack of funding, adding “projects can’t be completed quite as fast without state funding,” but creating

new buildings also helps the infrastructure problem. “A lot of buildings on the campus are reaching the end of their lifespans, and we continue to improve them, but just like cars, you can’t keep maintaining it; you need to replace it at some point,” Baker said. “But you can’t just tear down a building — where are you going to put the people in there? That is partially what the new buildings are for.” Bill Olen, executive director of planning and construction, said two recent projects to address this funding problem “were to replace the security lighting along Regents and Paint Branch Drives and replace the HVAC system at Jimenez Hall.” And, addressing Boyle’s concerns, Baker said multiple STEM

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even directly affect you. … If I’m rising up, but I’m leaving people behind, am I really rising up?” Asian American Student Union President Amanpreet Kaur said having a “bond of sisterhood” with female leaders of other student organizations has helped accomplish more, especially after the 2016 presidential election. “It really just feels amazing, our campus … especially our multicultural part of the campus, is very female-driven,” said Kaur, a junior public policy major. Leaders such as Kaur are working to make sure that the communities they are trying to reach are well-represented under their leadership. “I definitely feel that there is a lot of responsibility,” Kaur said. “Not only are you leading your [executive board], but you’re also representing the organization to the community.” Sara Carter began heading MaryPIRG this fall, even though she wasn’t supposed to. Carter, a junior government and politics major, joined MaryPIRG in fall 2015, and in the spring

Graphic by Julia Lerner/The Diamondback Source: Facilities Management

$10 $10 $10 $10

$0 $0 FY 12 FY 13 FY 14 FY 15 FY 16 FY 17 FISCAL YEAR

buildings have gone through upgrades recently or will get them in the upcoming months. William Kirwan Hall underwent a $300,000 electrical upgrade in June 2016, and Glenn L. Martin Hall went

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she became the coordinator of the organization’s democracy campaign. By the end of the spring semester, she was elected MaryPIRG’s vice president, though at the time she hadn’t considered being president until her senior year. W h e n t h e n - M a ry P I RG President Andrea Holtermann left school this fall to work for former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign, Carter had to step up from her role as vice president and take the lead. Before Carter joined MaryPIRG her sophomore year, she’d been involved with service organizations, but never advocacy organizations. But she wanted to challenge herself. “Every step is a challenge, and every step, you feel a bit uncomfortable,” Carter said, citing words from her boss as inspiration. “You should never feel like you know what you’re doing, because that’s how you know that you’re really pushing yourself.”

PROPOSED

crisis

various female activists have led the majority of the campus’ rallies and protests this semester, such as the Nov. 17 walkout and the post-election rally in front of McKeldin Library. Though men tend to rate themselves as more effective leaders than women rate themselves, when others’ ratings were taken into account, women came out ahead on perceived effectiveness, according to a 2014 study published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Applied Psychology. “Women are typically described and expected to be more communal, relations-oriented and nurturing … whereas men are believed and expected to be more agentic, assertive and independent than women,” wrote lead researcher Samantha C. Paustian-Underdahl of Florida International University and her colleagues. “As organizations have become fast-paced, globalized environments, some organizational scholars have proposed that a more feminine style of leadership is needed to emphasize the participative and

STATE FUNDING (MILLIONS)

Erica Puentes, the former PoKimberly litical Latinxs Escobar and Naomi Grant U n i t e d f o r Movement @thedbk Senior staff writers and Action in Society president, started her activism career to work on a cause that was personal. When the Baltimore City Public School System was going to cut funding for Ingenuity programs at four schools and International Baccalaureate programs at two high schools in 2014, she decided to do something about it, even though she had no experience as an activist. Puentes wrote letters, held a rally and called her friends to help. “Those two programs and those two high schools were honestly the only lifeline[s] students of color in Baltimore have to get to college,” the senior African-American studies major said. “I recognized that the only reason I was in college were because of the opportunities that those programs had opened towards me.” At the University of Maryland, by

FY 18

through the same construction in July. A $1.2 million project to replace the electrical distribution system in J.M. Patterson is going to finish over Christmas break, Baker said, and in January, construction crews will start replacing the fire alarm system in the plant sciences building — a $325,000 project. The generators will be replaced in the Computer and Space Sciences building next summer as well, which will cost about $3 million. However, Baker said the backlog will likely continue to grow, because requirements are outstretching the resources this university has. “There’s a tremendous requirement each year to keep all the systems on the campus running, but funding maintenance is not a flashy thing to do” like funding new, hightech buildings, Baker said. “The entire infrastructure of the U.S. and the world is deteriorating — every university, every city, even the federal government has this problem.” The backlog of maintenance is up 22 percent since 2007 at public universities and colleges in the U.S., according to a 2015 study by Sightlines, a higher-education facilities consulting firm. lfeingolddbk@gmail.com

monday, december 12, 2016

8 | diversions

MORE ONLINE

Diversions

Standing by their selection On a new installment of The Dive, three writers defend their Best of 2016 choices in movies, TV and music.

@DBKDiversions

review | post malone’s stoney

lasting impact | lord of the rings

Post Malone’s studio debut is a varied intro In October Cam Neimand 2013, with two @kneemund go l d c h a i n s Senior staff writer draped over his short-sleeve American flag button down, Austin Post sat and sang a gorgeous, poignant cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right” to a camera while strumming away on a mahogany acoustic guitar. “And it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe,” crooned Post with an enchanting folky and sultry vibrato in the video posted to YouTube. “It’ll never do somehow.” In December 2016, Austin Post has a new moniker, known to most as the hair-braided, grillz-donning rapper/singer/guitarist Post Malone. On “Broken Whiskey Glass,” the first track of Malone’s genreblending debut studio album Stoney, Post’s lifestyle portrayal is a far departure from h i s s t r i p p e d - d ow n 2 0 13 introduction. Stoney, an 18-track marathon of Malone’s many styles, is an encouraging debut for an artist who is constantly toeing the line of his own legitimacy. His aesthetic, the “White Iverson” from Dallas with a penchant for the goldest of golds and Bubba Chuck cornrows, leaves Malone in a precarious state between respected talent and entertaining caricature. With Stoney, Post Malone safely lands on the side of the former. His highs are triumphant, though mostly coming in the form of prereleased singles like the Justin Bieber duet “Déjà Vu,” “White Iverson,” “Patient” and “Conby

photo via warner brothers

Bringing fantasy to life December 19 marks the 15-year anniversary of Peter Jackson’s movie The Fellowship of the Ring, the first in a series of masterful films Fantasy books fill our John Powers @RealJohnPowers minds with impossible Staff writer images and our hearts with boundless wonder. The reader is forced to use their imagination to construct large-than-life creatures, structures, scenery and moments. But if these imagined concepts exist in our head like hazy yet epic mythology, doesn’t putting them on a big screen take away from the mystery and excitement? This is a problem with TV show and film adaptations — the awe-inspiring visions we conjured up while reading them pale in comparison to the CGI creations we see on screen. As we approach the 15-year anniversary of Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring, the first movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we can remember this highly acclaimed series as an example of bringing the abstract to life. In a modern movie climate dominated by spectacle, it by

can be easy to get lost in the beautiful visual marvels that contemporary technology is able to create. Often, fantasy movies can get by on this alone. The Lord of the Rings movie series certainly utilized this, and it was a necessity. The books are about a quest against the forces of evil and epic conflicts that ensue in the magical realm of Middle Earth, so naturally there had to be some powerful special effects. Yet the story is told largely through meetings in elegant rooms and conversations over campfire. Of course, the battles are a hugely important part of the films, but war without characters we love has little weight. This concept is true for any genre when it comes to human drama — horror films help us get to know characters before they are terrorized, and romance films endear us to the protagonist so we want them to find love. What good is a touching moment if the audience doesn’t care about the characters involved? Jackson’s success came from

his consistency to the book’s character development. Of course, he had to cut a significant portion of the dialogue — these books are 400 to 500 pages each. But the most essential and revealing moments were left in for the movies. The books are filled with action, so another director may have turned their focus to the action, stretching it out for as long as they could. But again, why do we care about these moments? Because of the people they are happening to. This is where some fantasy films — and most action films — fall short of their potential, and it’s where the Lord of the Rings trilogy stands apart. We mourned Boromir’s death because we understood that he was well-intentioned yet corrupted by the ring. We cheered when Gandalf arrived with the riders of Rohan because they were saving the characters inside Helm’s Deep. How a film will end is often the most intriguing part of the story, but it isn’t a mystery how Lord of the Rings ends.

It is a classic good versus evil conflict, involving a clearly just cause that will prevail, no matter how bleak the situation may seem. There weren’t any profound twists once the characters’ motives were established, and the ending was fairly obvious. Even someone with no previous knowledge of the trilogy could have seen it coming. Yet the Lord of the Rings films were universally acclaimed, raking in crazy amounts of money at the box office and winning 17 of their 30 Academy Award nominations. Sometimes books are better left in the abstract — any interpretation of a location or creature that is made will be relentlessly criticized. But an adaptation that shapes the characters with the detail-oriented obsession can make any fantasy film worth watching. Even if we already know how it ends. diversionsdbk@gmail.com

review | jackie

In Jackie, Natalie Portman brings depth to First Lady by

By the time

Patrick Basler I go t to t h e @pmbasler screening of Senior staff writer Jackie, the only seats left were in the nearly-empty first two rows, where the film’s grainy look was even grainier and the screen’s already-blurred corners were dark and out of focus. But in the first act of Pablo Larraín’s Jackie Kennedy biopic — a whirlwind segment that follows the beloved first lady in the minutes following her husband’s death — my distorted, unclear view only added to the chaos unfolding on-screen. As the camera sways in a perpetual close-up, moving jaggedly from distraught face to distraught face, Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) wipes blood from her perfectly painted face, watches Lyndon B. Johnson take her husband’s place and asks questions, her already hyperactive mind working overtime to make sense of her situation. Portman doesn’t play one character in Jackie — she plays many. There’s the Jackie the country knew from her famous 1962 tour of the White House (recreated impeccably here), with her plastic yet somehow warm smile and overly-pronounced accent. There’s the behind-closed-doors Jackie, destroyed by her husband’s death

but hell-bent on celebrating his life, his personal shortcomings aside. And there’s the Jackie featured in the film’s frame, an interview with Theodore H. White (Billy Crudup), where she appears both fragile and harsh, obsessed with crafting her husband’s legacy. In just more than 90 minutes, the film mines the depths of Jackie’s character for the drama missing from textbook accounts of the Kennedy assassination, which is no easy task. It’s difficult to make a riveting movie from a story everyone in the audience already knows. But Jackie does; the dizzying cinematography and gut-wrenching score are as glamorous and tragic as you’d expect from a movie about the Kennedys. The film’s biggest strength, though, is that it manages to lend humanity to characters pulled from the pages of history, “A first lady must always be ready to pack her suitcases, it’s inevitable,” Jackie proclaims in a moment of tragic clarity. There’s a lot of that in the film: seemingly clear-minded statements about legacy, truth and character made by the film’s permanently blurry-eyed protagonist. Jackie Kennedy is a woman as focused on the future as her husband was. But while JFK pondered the future of the

jackie stars Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy after the assasination. nation, after his death, his wife was laser-focused on the future of her husband’s name — which, for the time, anyway, was her own, too. “Do you know who James Garfield was?” she asks the driver of a hearse as she sits in the back with her husband’s coffin. And it’s as much a question for the audience as it is for the driver: Do you remember Garfield? How about McKinley? Lincoln? Do you remember who Kennedy was? Although Jackie is very much a movie about the former first lady, it’s also a film about the presidency. It explores the idea of what makes a good president and, maybe more importantly,

photo via youtube

what makes a good person. JFK’s rumored immoralities are briefly mentioned, but swept away in the turmoil of his death. And as soon as that part of John F. Kennedy, husband and president, leaves Jackie’s mind, she replaces it with the fantasy of Camelot — that the Kennedys had transformed America into a beautiful place of magic and majesty. And, as Portman’s performance powerfully proves, it wasn’t just about her husband. Jackie needed the world to remember. She needed. “It wasn’t for Jack,” she confesses toward the movie’s end, after the now-famous funeral procession, “it was for me.” pbaslerdbk@gmail.com

gratulations.” Of the aforementioned hits, the Quavofeatured “Congratulations,” a tale of the rapid ascent of two of hip-hops most visible faces of 2016, shines brightest. “Big rings, champagne,” raps Quavo in a proclamation of his newfound belongings. “My life is just like a ball game.” However, Stoney isn’t just a compilation of boasts. Accompanied by Pharrell’s celestial production, Malone admits that all that glimmers isn’t gold. “I wanna go up there and I don’t ever wanna come d ow n ,” l a m e n ts Pos t o n the pain-filled hook of “Up There.” “I wanna see what’s up there, must be better than the Hell on the ground.” Moments like this are what keep Post Malone differentiated from rap’s Riff-Raff-ian sideshows. With a keen understanding of what today’s audience desires, Malone keeps his hits filled with the tomfoolery and fluff required for radio attention. However, when push comes to shove, Post can delve into the soul and retrieve a closing track like “Feeling Whitney” ripe with the aroma of whiskey, cigarettes and introspection. “To each their own and found peace in knowing/Ain’t always broken, but here’s to hoping/ Show no emotion, against the cold and just act as hard as you can/ You don’t need a friend, boy you’re the man.” Though he’s opted for a hip-hop casing, Post can’t help but let the familiar twang of Dylan creep into Stoney’s goodbye. cneimanddbk@gmail.com

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monday, december 12, 2016

sports | 9

men’s basketball

Cekovsky provides frontcourt help It seemed Callie Caplan like every time @CallieCaplan Maryland Senior staff writer men’s basketball forward Michal Cekovsky raised his arms to defend the paint in the first half of Saturday’s game, the Saint Peter’s ball handler would travel. If the Peacocks managed a shot, the 7-foot-1 junior often swatted it away. While his performance Saturday afternoon at Xfinity Center didn’t feature the same flashy statistics or highlightreel plays, Cekovsky’s eightpoint, three-rebound, threeassist and two-block outing underscored his prominence on this year’s squad. Maryland lacks frontcourt depth, and Cekovsky, after battling injuries that lingered throughout the fall into the start of the season, is the team’s best option. That’s why Cekovsky’s surge can’t end when the team’s nonconference slate does next week. If the Terps want to be successful in Big Ten by

play, they’ll need to rely on Cekovsky’s consistency down low. “Definitely I’m feeling more comfortable on defense and offense, so it’s getting better every game,” Cekovsky said last week. “I’m getting better every game.” Perhaps the team’s soft scheduling has contributed to the Slovakian big man’s rise. After all, he was at least a head taller than every Saint Peter’s player. Previous foes, such as Stony Brook and Howard, didn’t have a response on the post, either. But those mid-majors aren’t the sole reason his offense has improved from his first two seasons in College Park. He combined to shoot 17-for-23 for 35 points in the contests with spin moves and strength in traffic. He’s reached doubledigit points four times, including a career-high 16 twice. He didn’t play with that awareness and confidence as an underclassman, when he was still learning to speak English

and adjusting to the physicality and grind of the college level. Coach Mark Turgeon has c o m m e n d e d C e kovs k y ’s growth. But the sixth-year co a c h n o te d t h e s t r i d e s Cekovsky, whom Turgeon admitted he’s coached harder than anyone else on the team, should make in the coming weeks. In the second half against the Peacocks, the Terps ran isolation with Cekovsky in the paint on three consecutive possessions. On the first, he missed a layup. Next, he passed up a shot to send a cross-court pass toward guard Dion Wiley beyond the arc, which Saint Peter’s intercepted. The Peacocks pulled a second defender down and stuffed him at the rim on the third try. “What we have to do is start doing the little things better,” Turgeon said, “and that’s really what it’s about.” If Cekovsky can polish the details, such as rotating on defense and timing up lobs on offense, Maryland will reap benefits across the court.

forward miChal cekovsky needs to produce in the frontcourt for the Terps to have success in Big Ten play. matt regan/thediamondback For one, it’ll have an established veteran to anchor the frontcourt. Forward Damonte Dodd, who’s out through at least Monday’s game against Jacksonville State, has battled injuries to start his senior campaign. Dodd’s post defense is the squad’s best, but he has a penchant for fumbling passes

men’s basketball

on offense. Meanwhile, forward Ivan Bender, a welcome addition to the rotation and a muchimproved prospect from last season, is better suited to play off the bench. Cekovsky will also help free Maryland’s guards from beyond the arc. The Terps have a 31.1 three-point shooting percentage. With a trio of talented

freshmen to complement star guard Melo Trimble, that number must rise. That priority should start with keeping Cekovsky in his groove. “When he gets the ball,” guard Kevin Huerter said, “he can really do it all.” ccaplandbk@gmail.com

wrestling

Turgeon can’t rest Rutgers beats Terps Trimble in victory over Saint Peter’s The Sean Whooley Mary@swhooley27 land wresStaff writer tling team endured several injuries that forced it to rotate its lineup and give young grapplers experience this weekend. Facing seven combined ranked opponents between North Dakota State on Friday and No. 12 Rutgers on Sunday, the Terps lost both matches, 22-12 and 21-13, respectively. Later they earned a 38-3 victory over George Mason as part of a double-header. Of those seven m a tc h u ps a ga i n s t ranked wrestlers, the Terps won two. No. 12 149-pounder Alfred Bannister beat Rutgers’ No. 15 Ken Theobold, wh i l e 157 - p o u n d e r Justin Alexander upset Rutgers’ No. 20 John Van Brill. Coach Kerry McCoy said earning the victories over ranked opponents was a positive note that helped his team gain confidence. He said if the Terps continue to carry that belief, “The sky is the limit.” “Our guys have been by

Entering Kyle Melnick the Maryland @kyle_melnick men’s basketSenior staff writer ball team’s game against Saint Peter’s on Saturday, guard Melo Trimble had been the catalyst in almost all of the Terps’ nine victories. The only outing Trimble didn’t score in double figures was when he played 15 minutes in Maryland’s 48-point win over St. Mary’s (Md.) on Nov. 17. Yet Trimble didn’t attempt a shot in the first half Saturday and finished the contest with a season-low five points. With Trimble allowing his teammates to take over, the Terps jumped out to a 40-18 halftime lead, but his unselfishness also helped the Peacocks cut Maryland’s advantage to 10 late in the contest. Trimble often leads Maryland’s late runs, and coach Mark Turgeon would’ve liked the junior to do the same Saturday. “It would’ve been nice,” Turgeon said. “We never found a rhythm in the second half. He was more aggressive in the second half. He really trusts his teammates. He was making the right decisions.” Trimble, who leads the Terps with 17.2 points per game, averages team highs of 11.5 field goal by

attempts and 31.8 minutes per game. The Upper Marlboro native is the lone returning starter from last season, and Turgeon hoped to rest his veteran in the nonconference slate. The sixth-year coach, however, hasn’t had that luxury in Maryland’s close contests. Entering Saturday, Trimble has played less than 30 minutes twice against mid-majors. The 6-foot-3, 185pound junior has scored the game-winning points in each of the Terps’ three one-point victories. When the team is struggling, Trimble slows the game down and takes over by attacking the basket. To avoid injuries like the nagging back and hamstring issues that hindered Trimble late last season, Turgeon has pulled the guard out of practices at times. “I’d like to not play Melo 34 minutes a game the next four games,” Turgeon said Dec. 6.“But if it takes 34 or 35 minutes, he’s going to play 34, 35 minutes. We’ll rest him at other times.” It seemed Trimble, who recorded three assists in the first half, would get a breather Saturday. Guard Kevin Huerter and forward Justin Jackson combined for 22 points at the break, and Maryland was in control. Trimble attempted his first

shot less than a minute into the second half, a 3-pointer from the left wing. He finished shooting 2-for-4, and he didn’t attempt a free throw despite averaging 6.5 attempts from the charity stripe this season. But Maryland struggled in the second frame, shooting 28 percent. “He was just going with the flow of the game,” guard Anthony Cowan said. “That’s what a lot of us have to do. We just can’t force a lot of shots.” When he exited with three minutes and 41 seconds remaining, Trimble’s outing appeared finished. But with the Terps’ reserves playing, Saint Peter’s cut Maryland’s lead to 10, prompting Turgeon to reinsert Trimble with about a minute to play. Though Trimble recorded his second-fewest minutes this season (26), he might’ve watched the ending from the bench had he put a larger cushion on the Terps’ lead. “He’s our leading scorer and obviously our leader. He’s willing to get other guys involved if the shots aren’t there for him,” Huerter said. “It shows how unselfish he is. That says something about Melo.” kmelnickdbk@gmail.com

working hard, and we put a lot of faith in our guys,” McCoy said. “They put a lot of work in, and the more they believe in it, the better the results.” Bannister, whose takedown in the third period earned him the 3-2 decision over Theobold, said his mindset contributed to fending off his ranked opponent. “Wrestling these guys that are ranked, my mentality is, ‘If I want to reach my goals, I have to go through this guy,’” Bannister said. “That was my mentality throughout the match. By any means, I wasn’t going to lose.” However, those wins were only part of the weekend. Because of injuries to several wrestlers who likely would have started if healthy, the Terps moved wrestlers between classes. With No. 11 Tyler Goodwin out, Jhared Simmons wrestled at 133 pounds and went 2-0 on Friday. However, Simmons sat out against Rutgers, forcing 125pounder Michael Beck to move up a weight class Sunday. Meanwhile, Danny Boychuck wrestled at 157 and 165 pounds over the weekend, and 174pounder Idris White wrestled at 184 in Jaron Smith’s absence. The Terps also relied on six freshmen. McCoy acknowledged the close nature of a few matches had tinges of a moral victory, but he wants the Terps to complete the result. Still, he was impressed by his team’s flexibility. “Look at a situation where

Idris White moves up a weight class and wrestles against a top-20 ranked guy [No. 12 Nicholas Gravina of Rutgers],” McCoy said. “It wasn’t really pretty, but he kept a close match out there. Finding ways to do what you can to help the team, if you can’t get a win make sure you minimize the damage — those are things that are important to recognize.” Three Terps went undefeated: in addition to Simmons’ two victories, Bannister and 197pounder David-Brian Whisler won all three of their matches. Bannister is nationally ranked, but Whisler, a redshirt freshman, is still in a learning curve. “I noticed this year I’m doing a lot more extra than I did last year,” Whisler said. “The redshirt year is a lot different from starting, and you’ve got to take it a little more serious. A lot of extra work is paying off.” McCoy’s team has about a month before its next duals in January, but he said the Terps will use the results from the weekend as a stepping stone for improvement over the rest of the season. “We can turn those around relatively easy with a little adjustment in effort, and a little adjustment in attitude, consistently,” McCoy said. “I’m pretty happy with where we are right now, but we’re going to be a lot better in the coming weeks and months.” swhooleydbk@gmail.com

gymnastics

Nelligan’s squad aims for postseason return The MaryConner Hoyt land gymnas@ConnerHoyt27 tics team will wait one month Staff writer until its next meet after Friday’s Red vs. Black intrasquad event, but it certainly won’t treat the time as a vacation. “I don’t know if I’d call it time off,” sophomore Megan McClelland said with a smile. “We’re going to try to keep the energy up and treat each practice like a competition, so when the time comes in a month, it’ll feel like another practice.” After missing the postseason last year for the first time in eighth-year coach Brett Nelligan’s tenure, the team is “closer, stronger and more consistent,” McClelland said. Maryland’s charge back to the postseason starts Jan. 8 against West Virginia in the annual Beauty and the Beast meet. “We owe it to ourselves and our coaches [to reach the postseason],” McClelland said. “We all want it and we know we can by

do it, so we’re going to this year.” The Terps added six freshmen — whom McClelland has lauded for their early efforts — to a team that graduated three gymnasts in the spring. Freshman Deanna Magro said she’s still adjusting to college gymnastics being more teamoriented than high school gymnastics. She said her favorite part of the program thus far has been the energy. “I’m not really used to competing for a team,” she said, “but I want to be able to help them any way I can and learn more about myself as a gymnast. I’d like to go out there and hit my routines every single meet.” For Magro, seeing the Terps miss the postseason during her senior year of high school was unsettling. “It was tough because I know I’m coming into it,” the freshman said. “It’s also interesting because I know I’m able to help the team, do better moving forward.”

“This group has done a good job of not settling,” Nelligan added. “We’ll have a great performance, and they’ll go back into the gym and work hard again the next day.” The coach had a positive outlook for the season, citing the gymnasts’ work ethic and toughness. “The sky is the limit,” Nelligan said. He said the season’s length often contributes to injuries and setbacks, but he’s eager to see how the Terps respond to the adversity throughout the campaign. As the preseason ends, the coach highlighted some areas that need improvement for his team to earn a postseason berth. “They need to focus on the little things — finishing each routine, staying with their cues, the way we practice in the next couple weeks leading up to our first home meet,” Nelligan said. choytdbk@gmail.com

The Terps missed the postseason last year for the first time in coach Brett Nelligan’s eight-year career. marquise mckine/thediamondback

monday, december 12, 2016

10 | sports

women’s basketball

Two freshmen form tight bond by

Maryland James Crabtree- women’s basketball guard Hannigan @JamescrabtreeH Sarah Myers and center Staff writer Jenna Staiti are freshmen, but they played in front of a Maryland-like crowd before they made their Xfinity Center debuts. When their Georgia high schools played each other, it was a big event, they said. Tints of red, black and gold covered the stadium to show admiration for Myers and Staiti, the best players on their respective teams. “The student section would all dress in Maryland stuff,” Staiti said. “So it would be fun to play against them.” The duo hails from Cumming, Georgia, and has been playing on the same travel team since middle school. They never went to school together, though, until teaming up at Maryland, which plays Loyola (Md.) on Monday night. Myers and Staiti have known they would come to College Park for more than three years. Terps coach Brenda Frese first saw them at a camp after their freshman years of high school. She extended them official offers shortly after. “We were fortunate, it started early and ended early,” Frese said. “Within three or four days, they both committed.” Staiti and Myers said they didn’t collaborate heavily during their recruiting processes. They wanted to make their own decisions. When Myers committed, though, Staiti took note. “I saw it, and I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s awesome,’” Staiti said. “I thought this

place was for me, and it’d be awesome to have a teammate that I already have there.” Staiti made the decision to follow Myers, and both of their commitments became public July 3, 2013.

Having her here, it’s definitely helped me. ... I know someone. Jenna Staiti

maryland women’s basketball center

and tight games, Myers said the two were friendly toward each other during their clashes. “ We ’ d h i g h - f i v e and say good luck and l a u g h ,” M y e r s s a i d . “ D u r i n g f re e t h rows sometimes, we’d make comments. Like, ‘Jenna, stop scoring!’ and she’d be like, ‘You too!’” As highly touted recruits with an extensive AAU season, Myers and Staiti spent more time as teammates than opponents. In fact, Staiti said she tried to enroll at South Forsyth with Myers, but it “didn’t work out.” They’re teammates and classmates now, though, and are both thankful to have had each other to lean on as they adjusted to Maryland. “They know a lot about Georgia,” freshman Destiny Slocum said. “They talk about it all the time.” Staiti said she misses “Georgia in general,” but she and Myers miss their families more than anything. They can’t see their relatives whenever they want, but they have each other to stave off the homesickness. “Having her here, it’s definitely helped me,” Staiti said. “I know someone.” “We lean on each other in those situations,” Myers said. “It’s so good to have a familiar face here.”

“They committed on backto-back days,” Frese said. “From then, it was just gaining the ability throughout their high school career to put their target on getting to here.” Knowing they would be Terps in the future raised the stakes for the pair’s final three years of high school. Myers attended South Forsyth and Staiti went to West Forsyth. Both starred for four years, earning countless awards and placements on All-Area lists. Myers was the Forsyth County Player of the Year in 2014. Staiti was the Gatorade State Player of the Year as a senior. The teams played close contests when they matched up. “Every year, I won one and she won the other,” Myers said. “It was mostly split.” That trend broke in their senior year, when Myers’ South Forsyth team swept the series. Despite the packed crowds jcrabtreehdbk@gmail.com

Guard Kevin Huerter (left) and Forward Justin Jackson average more than 26 minutes per game this season. marquisemckine/thediamondback

freshmen From p. 12 Barclays Center Classic final. The Terps beat Kansas S ta te t h e n ex t n i g h t , c l i n c h i n g t h e i r fo u r t h straight holiday tournament title. “They’ve handled everything,” Turgeon said before his team’s game with Pittsburgh on Nov. 2 9 . “ I t ’s f u n n y. I wa s talking to [Kansas State coach] Bruce Weber after the game, and he said ‘Boy, your three young guys just played with great poise.’ “Anthony’s been that way his whole life, Kevin Huerter’s got great knowle d ge o f t h e ga m e , a n d Justin Jackson is just a baller.”

*** Despite their success, Turgeon maintains the f re s h m e n h ave fa ce d a learning curve. He wants to see Cowan do a better

job running the offense and hopes Huerter can continue to improve defensively and start to score in a variety of ways. Jackson is still getting used to Maryland’s offensive system, the sixth-year coach said, and added he’s a player the Terps are “still figuring out how to use.” In addition to Jackson getting to the rim and knocking down 3-pointers at a 47.2 percent c l i p, Tu rge o n e n v i s i o n s the Canadian developing a post-up game. A s e a c h o f t h e f re s h m e n wo rk to u p g ra d e i n these areas, they’ll have the luxury of learning from their veteran teammates. Huerter forged a bond with junior Jared Nickens in the summer because of their similar body types. Both players are 6-foot-7 and weigh less than 210 pounds, so Nickens has told Huerter about the weight-gaining shakes he drinks and training regimens that have helped him bulk up.

Cowan, meanwhile, has taken on-court advice from Trimble and looked to junior Jaylen Brantley for leadership. Jackson hasn’t been drawn to any specific player. He views the team as a family, something he noticed when he visited College Park before committing in May. The upperclassmen, Jackson said, have welcomed all the new players into the Terps’ tight-knit group. In response, Jackson, Huerter and Cowan have impressed their coaches and teammates about two months into their inaugural season. “Winning is a culture, and something that we’ve been able to do is win close games,” Clark said. “Through practice and through just being in the locker room and talking, our veterans have given great leadership and taught these young guys our culture and the things that we do that allow us to be successful.” kstackpoledbk@gmail.com

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Sports

SCOREBOARD men’s basketball

women’s basketball

Terps 66, Saint Peter’s 56 wrestling

women’s basketball

Rutgers 21, Terps 13

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Page 12

Terps 97, Towson 63 Terps 101, Saint Peter’s 49

Monday, December 12, 2016

men’s basketball

guardS Kevin Huerter (left), Anthony Cowan (right) and forward justin Jackson have been the Terps’ biggest contributors behind guard Melo Trimble. While Trimble is a junior, the trio is playing its first season of college basketball. marquise mckine and matt regan/the diamondback

freshmen connection Kevin Huerter, Justin Jackson and Anthony Cowan help power Terps’ early-season success

s last season’s Maryland men’s basketball team made a run to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003, three of this year’s biggest contributors had yet to play a college game. While guard Melo Trimble ran the Terps offense, Anthony Cowan did the same at St. John’s College High School, averaging 20.6 points per game and helping his squad end its 16-year WCAC title drought. While forward Jake Layman stretched the floor for Mark Turgeon’s team, Justin Jackson provided Hill Academy in Ontario with an inside-out scorer. And no player on Maryland’s roster quite resembled Kevin Huerter,a lanky 6-foot-7 sharpshooter and New York’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. Down four starters from last year’s group, Maryland has needed production from all three rookies 11 games into the 2016-17 campaign. Aside from Trimble, they’ve played the most minutes for the Terps (10-1), who have won six games by six or fewer points against a mediocre nonconference schedule. Turgeon affirmed these players could make an immediate impact this season, and each has delivered. That success, according to their teammates and coaches, has come from the mindset of expecting the play right away. To them, the term “freshman” is just a label. “The best compliment that I can give them is that they blended in,” assistant coach Dustin Clark said. “If you were sitting at practice, you wouldn’t be able to single them out and be like, ‘Oh, those are freshmen.’ It was more just about their approach.” The trio, whom Turgeon just refers to as “the new guys,” has stood out for its

By Kyle Stackpole | @kylefstackpole | Senior staff writer play on the court. Cowan and Huerter outperformed last year’s backcourt reserves this preseason to earn starting spots since the season opener. After Jackson scored 17 points in the Terps’ 76-75 road win against Georgetown in their third game of the season, he joined the fellow freshmen in the starting lineup. Jackson and Cowan are the team’s second-and third-leading scorers at 11.2 and 10 points per game, respectively, while Huerter averages 7.6. And against bigger and stronger competition, they’re some of the squad’s top rebounders. Cowan averages 4.7 boards per game, the fourth-highest mark of the team, despite being 6 feet tall. “Just hunger always came from me,” Cowan said. “I don’t know what it was. Just being looked down upon sometimes or I don’t know. But that’s just always been in me, so I just always try to bring that to my game.”

on [Dodd,] and he blocked me,” Jackson said. “I was like, ‘Oh man, I really got to step it up,’ because there’s guys just like him out there trying to do the same thing as he’s doing, so it’s going to be tough.” All the while, the freshmen were training under director of basketball performance Kyle Tarp. The Terps didn’t only do traditional workouts such as squatting and benching. Huerter said other exercises were specific to basketball and were ones he hadn’t done before. Add in the intensity and energy Tarp required from his players during the lifting sessions, and Huerter said these instances served as a “wake-up call” for the type of daily work ethic the Terps required. Cowan and Jackson agreed. “Kyle Tarp, one of the best in the country,” Cowan said. “He definitely got my body ready for the type of bump I’m going to get in Big Ten play.”

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Cowan and the rest of the freshmen, aside from Canary Islands native Joshua Tomaic, arrived in College Park during the summer, which Huerter said accelerated their adaption to the college game. The Terps staff had two hours a week to work with their players, focusing on individual and team workouts. The younger players also competed in pickup games with veteran teammates during the summer, and Jackson immediately noticed the differences in physicality between high school and college. He remembers watching Trimble slash into the lane and forward Damonte Dodd swat away shots. In one of the first practices of the year, Jackson fell victim to Dodd’s rim-protecting prowess. “I had like a drive, and I tried to dunk

The trio of first-year players spoke to how crucial it was to join the program before the team opened practice in October. When the 2016-17 campaign opened, they felt prepared. Cowan’s ability to play point guard has allowed Trimble (17.2 points per game) to move off the ball, which he did in high school, after serving as the floor general in his first two seasons in College Park. Cowan is also one of the team’s best defenders, Turgeon said, and he’s honed those skills guarding Trimble, a twotime All-Big Ten performer, in practice. Seeing the way Cowan defends him in practices gives Trimble reason to believe his freshman counterpart “can guard anybody.”

Up 71-70 against Oklahoma State on Dec. 3, Cowan guarded Jawun Evans, the nation’s sixth-leading scorer, as he dribbled down the court with about 10 seconds remaining. Evans forwent the ball screen and drove to his right, but Cowan kept him out of the lane and forced an acrobatic shot. The ball rolled off the rim, and Evans’ second attempt came after the final buzzer. Huerter dealt with a similar situation against Georgetown on Nov. 15. Guard Jagan Mosely blew past Cowan and appeared to have an open lane for a layup to give the Hoyas a one-point lead with a few seconds to go. As he went up for the shot, however, Huerter pinned the ball against the backboard. Time expired moments later, and Huerter, whom Turgeon called one of the most consistent shooters he’s seen, sealed a 76-75 win with a defensive play. Jackson kept the Terps in that game with his offense, scoring 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting, and said that performance was the moment he realized he could contribute at the college level. Two games later, the 6-foot-7 forward posted 21 points against Towson to help Maryland overcome a 13-point secondhalf deficit. Those performances echoed what Jackson intended to accomplish in his first year with the program. “I wanted to be an impact player, whether it’s coming off the bench, whether it’s starting. It doesn’t matter,” Jackson said. “I just wanted to come in here and make a difference.” Perhaps the trio’s best combined was the 88-82 overtime win against Richmond on Nov. 25 in Brooklyn. Trimble poured in 31, but the freshmen combined to score 46 points, helping the Terps advance to the See freshmen, p. 10

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