+ All Categories
Home > Documents > November 28, 2012

November 28, 2012

Date post: 08-Mar-2016
Category:
Upload: the-diamondback
View: 213 times
Download: 0 times
Share this document with a friend
Description:
The Diamondback, November 28, 2012
Popular Tags:
8
The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper ONLINE AT diamondbackonline.com ISSUE NO. 61 103rd Year of Publication WEDNESDAY, november 28, 2012 TOMORROW 40S / Sunny Elections hold up negotiations process Grad asst. committee still holding elections By Teddy Amenabar Staff writer Graduate assistants still cannot formally negotiate concerns with administrators, as a university-level committee selected to help broker conversations between the two groups is still carrying out its elections. Until elections for the Graduate Assistant Advisory Committee are over, the 4,000 graduate assistants on the campus will have to continue to rely on existing Graduate Student Government bodies to voice their problems. Without a newly elected body, graduate assistants won’t be able to meet with administrators in By Rebecca Lurye Senior staff writer The ACC has filed a lawsuit against the university and the Board of Regents in North Carolina state court to ensure it pays the entirety of the conference’s $50 million exit fee, just more than a week after the university announced its exit from the conference. University President Wallace Loh ACC files lawsuit against university Conference officials enforcing full $50 million exit fee; Loh one of two to vote against hike in September meeting wining and dining Old Line fine wine, spirits & Bistro, which occupies the inside of an old Circuit City on Route 1, offers an array of wines and beers. Unlike most liquor stores, Old Line has a bistro, which co-owner Larry Pendleton called “casual French.” While store owners are optimistic about its success, recent data show alcohol sales in the state have stagnated after the alcoholic beverage tax increased from 6 percent to 9 percent in 2011. charlie deboyace/the diamondback some graduate student government members say they are questioning whether the GAAC will appropriately represent them in the meet-and-confer process, which has been held up because of elections. su hong/the diamondback By Savannah Doane-Malotte Staff writer Though many students are itching to hit the campus slopes with stolen dining hall trays — stashed away since Snowmageddon — this winter season may disappoint, according to weather experts. Recent years have brought winter weather conditions on both ex- tremes, but the upcoming winter season will likely bring average tem- peratures and snowfall, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts. The state experienced historically mild winter conditions last year and is once again unlikely to see severe snow- fall in the coming weeks, although Facilities Management workers said they will continue to prepare for in- clement weather. Earlier predictions for the winter zeroed in the possibility of an El Niño, a warming of the Pacific waters that favors more chances for precipitation in southern states, hitting the region as one did in 2010. However, the El Niño warning was repealed earlier in the fall, so the region will likely deal with average winter conditions, according to Ken Widelski, an emergency response meteorologist at the Baltimore/ Washington NOAA weather station. “This season will not be like last year’s winter, where the area experi- enced barely any snow at all,” Widel- ski said. “We could get a couple of snow events or big snow storms, but the area will most likely have 15 to 20 inches throughout the season.” The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center reinforc- es Widelski’s forecast for a normal winter, predicting equal chances of both harsh and mild weather in the area over the next three months. Multiple university depart- ments have been heavily affected by snowfall and colder temperatures in past years and will soon begin to prepare for the possibility of inclem- ent weather this winter. Facilities Management plans to stock up on equipment for handling snow and ice and update its snow emergency Snow storm in Maryland unlikely this year State will see avg. snowfall, experts say NEWS 2 OPINION 4 FEATURES 5 DIVERSIONS 6 CLASSIFIED 6 SPORTS 8 INDEX Submit tips to The Diamondback at [email protected]. For breaking news, alerts and more, follow us on Twitter @thedbk © 2012 THE DIAMONDBACK See lawsuit, Page 2 Scan to download THE DBK NEWS APP has said he will likely attempt to ne- gotiate a lower exit fee than the one the conference instituted in September after it voted to bring in Notre Dame in all sports except football. Loh and Florida State President Eric Barron were the only two ACC presidents to vote against the hike, with Loh citing “legal and philosophical” reasons for opposing it. However, the ACC expects the uni- versity to fulfill its exit fee obligation — due within 30 days of the university’s July 2014 exit — ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. “On Friday, the ACC Council of Presidents made the unanimous de- cision to file legal action to ensure the enforcement of this obligation,” he said. “We continue to extend our best wishes to the University of Maryland; however, there is the expectation that 50 ACC’s exit fee in millions, instituted in September 20 ACC’s previous exit fee in millions 17 ACC’s annual operating budget in millions BY THE NUMBERS Route 1’s Old Line Fine Wine serves as both liquor store and French-style bistro State liquor sales stagnant after alcohol tax increased from 6 percent to 9 percent By Fola Akinnibi Staff writer Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro is not a typical area liquor store — rows of wines organized by country and beers grouped by state origin are housed inside an old Circuit City store of more than 21,000 square feet. Tucked in the back is the bistro, which co-owner Larry Pendleton described as “casual French,” and soon a gift shop and deli will open inside as well. Pendleton said Old Line has seen steady growth since it See wine, Page 3 By Jim Bach Senior staff writer More than a year after state resi- dents began paying higher taxes on beer, wine and liquor, alcohol sales have flattened compared to neigh- boring states. Sales in the state’s alcohol in- dustry have been lackluster in 2012, trailing the national average and falling below a boom in sales for neighbors Virginia, Delaware and Washington, according to David Ozgo, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States chief economist. See alcohol, Page 3 See snowcast, Page 2 a meet-and-confer process, which allows graduate assistants to bring a third party into negotiations with administrators. Because of the long-delayed process, several of the GSG’s propos- als were originally postponed by the University Senate’s most powerful committee. Though a proposal to grant graduate assistants parental leave is now undergoing further review by the Graduate Council, senators first deferred action because of unclear guidelines about how the university would negotiate with graduate assistants. See gaac, Page 3 BIG TENTATIVE RIVALRY Terps topple Northwestern in ACC/Big Ten Challenge with dominant 23-point performance from Wells p. 8 SPORTS OPINION STOP WINE-ING The state’s steep 9 percent alcohol tax is a small price to pay for a prosperous economy p. 4
Transcript
Page 1: November 28, 2012

The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper

ONLINE AT

diamondbackonline.com

ISSUE NO. 61

103rd Year of Publication

WEDNESDAY, november 28, 2012 TOMORROW 40S / Sunny

Elections hold up negotiations processGrad asst. committee still holding electionsBy Teddy AmenabarSta� writer

Graduate assistants still cannot formally negotiate concerns with administrators, as a university-level committee selected to help broker conversations between the two groups is still carrying out its elections.

Until elections for the Graduate Assistant Advisory Committee are over, the 4,000 graduate assistants on the campus will have to continue to rely on existing Graduate Student Government bodies to voice their problems. Without a newly elected body, graduate assistants won’t be able to meet with administrators in

By Rebecca LuryeSenior sta� writer

The ACC has filed a lawsuit against the university and the Board of Regents in North Carolina state court to ensure it pays the entirety of the conference’s $50 million exit fee, just more than a week after the university announced its exit from the conference.

University President Wallace Loh

ACC files lawsuit against universityConference o� cials enforcing full $50 million exit fee; Loh one of two to vote against hike in September meeting

wining and diningOld Line � ne wine, spirits & Bistro, which occupies the inside of an old Circuit City on Route 1, o� ers an array of wines and beers. Unlike most liquor stores, Old Line has a bistro, which co-owner Larry Pendleton called “casual French.” While store owners are optimistic about its success, recent data show alcohol sales in the state have stagnated after the alcoholic beverage tax increased from 6 percent to 9 percent in 2011. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

some graduate student government members say they are questioning whether the GAAC will appropriately represent them in the meet-and-confer process, which has been held up because of elections. su hong/the diamondback

By Savannah Doane-MalotteSta� writer

Though many students are itching to hit the campus slopes with stolen dining hall trays — stashed away since Snowmageddon — this winter season may disappoint, according to weather experts.

Recent years have brought winter weather conditions on both ex-tremes, but the upcoming winter season will likely bring average tem-peratures and snowfall, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts. The state experienced historically mild winter conditions last year and is once again unlikely to see severe snow-fall in the coming weeks, although Facilities Management workers said they will continue to prepare for in-clement weather.

Earlier predictions for the winter zeroed in the possibility of an El Niño, a warming of the Pacific waters that favors more chances for precipitation in southern states, hitting the region as one did in 2010. However, the El Niño warning was repealed earlier in the fall, so the region will likely deal with average winter conditions, according to Ken Widelski, an emergency response meteorologist at the Baltimore/Washington NOAA weather station.

“This season will not be like last year’s winter, where the area experi-enced barely any snow at all,” Widel-ski said. “We could get a couple of snow events or big snow storms, but the area will most likely have 15 to 20 inches throughout the season.”

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center reinforc-es Widelski’s forecast for a normal winter, predicting equal chances of both harsh and mild weather in the area over the next three months.

Multiple university depart-ments have been heavily affected by snowfall and colder temperatures in past years and will soon begin to prepare for the possibility of inclem-ent weather this winter. Facilities Management plans to stock up on equipment for handling snow and ice and update its snow emergency

Snow storm in Maryland unlikely this yearState will see avg. snowfall, experts say

NEWS 2 OPINION 4 FEATURES 5 DIVERSIONS 6 CLASSIFIED 6 SPORTS 8INDEX Submit tips to The Diamondback at [email protected]. For breaking news, alerts and more, follow us on Twitter @thedbk © 2012 THE DIAMONDBACK

See lawsuit, Page 2

Scan to download THE DBK NEWS APP

has said he will likely attempt to ne-gotiate a lower exit fee than the one the conference instituted in September after it voted to bring in Notre Dame in all sports except football. Loh and Florida State President Eric Barron were the only two ACC presidents to vote against the hike, with Loh citing “legal and philosophical” reasons for opposing it.

However, the ACC expects the uni-versity to fulfi ll its exit fee obligation —

due within 30 days of the university’s July 2014 exit — ACC Commissioner John Swo� ord said in a statement.

“On Friday, the ACC Council of Presidents made the unanimous de-cision to fi le legal action to ensure the enforcement of this obligation,” he said. “We continue to extend our best wishes to the University of Maryland; however, there is the expectation that

50ACC’s exit fee in millions, instituted in September

20ACC’s previous exit fee in

millions

17ACC’s annual operating

budget in millions

BY THE NUMBERS

Route 1’s Old Line Fine Wine serves as both liquor store and French-style bistro

State liquor sales stagnant after alcohol tax increased from 6 percent to 9 percent

By Fola AkinnibiSta� writer

Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro is not a typical area liquor store — rows of wines organized by country and beers grouped by state origin are housed inside an old Circuit City store of more than

21,000 square feet.Tucked in the back is the bistro,

which co-owner Larry Pendleton described as “casual French,” and soon a gift shop and deli will open inside as well. Pendleton said Old Line has seen steady growth since it

See wine, Page 3

By Jim BachSenior sta� writer

More than a year after state resi-dents began paying higher taxes on beer, wine and liquor, alcohol sales have fl attened compared to neigh-boring states.

Sales in the state’s alcohol in-

dustry have been lackluster in 2012, trailing the national average and falling below a boom in sales for neighbors Virginia, Delaware and Washington, according to David Ozgo, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States chief economist.

See alcohol, Page 3

See snowcast, Page 2

a meet-and-confer process, which allows graduate assistants to bring a third party into negotiations with administrators.

Because of the long-delayed process, several of the GSG’s propos-als were originally postponed by the University Senate’s most powerful committee. Though a proposal to grant graduate assistants parental leave is now undergoing further review by the Graduate Council, senators fi rst deferred action because of unclear guidelines about how the university would negotiate with graduate assistants.

See gaac, Page 3

BIG TENTATIVE RIVALRYTerps topple Northwestern in ACC/Big Ten Challenge with dominant 23-point performance from Wells p. 8

SPORTS OPINION

STOP WINE-INGThe state’s steep 9 percent alcohol tax is a small price to pay for a prosperous economy p. 4

Page 2: November 28, 2012

2 THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

HEALTH CENTER OFFERS FREE STI TESTING to promote awareness

Health center o� cials are working hard to push sexual health and aware-ness by o� ering free STI testing today and tomorrow.

The University Health Center will be o� ering same-day-result HIV testing to-day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Prince George’s Room in Stamp Student Union, as well as HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia testing tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the ground � oor of the health center.

To read more of Sarah Tincher’s post, visit The Diamondback’s news blog, Campus Drive, at diamondbackonline.com.

MORE ONLINE

Maryland will fulfill its exit fee obligation.”

The ACC raised its exit fee after conducting “further as-sessment of the potential harm for Conference members in the event of withdrawal and from additional changes related to the structure of collegiate athletics,” according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit points to Loh directly, noting he “freely participated in discussions and votes” regarding the adjusted exit fee.

However, requiring an exit fee that is more than three times the ACC’s operating budget may go beyond compensat-ing conference members, said sports lawyer Bradley Shear, who also teaches a sports man-agement class at George Wash-ington University.

“This type of fee could be seen as punitive, meaning it’s done to punish Maryland or any other

member that would want to leave,” he said.

While the university’s next move is not yet clear — Loh and University System of Maryland officials declined to comment yesterday — it’s likely the school and conference will “meet in the middle” on an exit fee, Shear said, to avoid a drawn-out legal process, which would be costly for both parties.

“Uncertainty could literally destroy the conference. It’s in the best interest of both parties to come to some type of mutual agreement, that ‘X’ dollars will satisfy all obligations,” Shear said. “Having this drag out is not in the best interest of either party.”

The university will likely seek to pay the ACC’s old exit fee of $20 million, Shear said, while the con-ference would push for a fi gure as close to $50 million as possible.

“I think, to expedite the matter, they’ll come to some sort of agree-ment,” Shea said. “Problem is, it can’t be just $20 million, because then other schools in the ACC will

say, ‘Wait, if it’s 20, why do we have this vote?’ And there will be other schools who may say they’re willing to write a check for $20 million. Obviously, the ACC wants to protect its turf.”

No school has completely reneged on fi nancial obligations to its conference, but few, if any, have paid their conference’s full exit fees. Nearly all ensuing lawsuits have been resolved through negotiations.

In July, future ACC members Pittsburgh and Syracuse agreed to pay the Big East $7.5 million each to leave the conference early; the conference stipulates schools must provide 27 months’ notice or face a higher fee. Nebraska and Colorado negotiated their fees to the Big 12 to about half of what the conference asked when leaving for the Big Ten and Pac 12, respectively; in February, Mis-souri and Texas A&M settled on fees of about $12 million, down from nearly $30 million to join the SEC from the Big 12. When West Virginia fi nalized its departure

from the Big East to the Big 12 in February, the school paid $20 million, but the considerable fi ne bought them an immediate exit.

The spate of realignments — including moves by Tulane in all sports and East Carolina football yesterday to the Big East — has prompted rumors that several other schools’ conference ties will be the next cut. In response to a rush of emails, University of

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham reassured students he was “looking forward to many more years of success in the ACC.”

“We believe the ACC is the fi nest conference in the nation,” Cunningham wrote in an email to the University of North Carolina community, according to ESPN.com. “The ACC has been our home for nearly 60 years and we

want it to be our home for another 60 years at least. Our speculat-ing on what other league may be better for the Tar Heels would not be productive. We are part of a great league with a strong future and we know that the ACC lead-ership is serious in its e� orts to strengthen the conference and position it for long-term success.”

[email protected]

UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT WALLACE LOH has said he will attempt to negotiate an exit fee lower than the ACC’s fee of $50 million. The conference raised its exit fee from $20 million in September, and Loh expressed “legal and philosophical” objections to the hike. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

LAWSUITFrom PAGE 1

p l a n , a c c o r d i n g t o C a rl o Colella, Facilities Management assistant vice president.

“We have had a good amount of experience over the years with snow removal operations,” Colella said. “The folks that work on this, including people from both Facilities Manage-ment and Residential Facilities, are a very stable group.”

If the weather turns out to be average as predicted, Fa-cilities Management’s main focus will be clearing parking lots and sidewalks to ensure pedest r i a n sa fety, Colel l a said. However, if the climate is harsher, the university could become more vulnerable to issues such as dealing with pressure from snow on roofs,

maintaining heating systems i n a l l bu i ld i ngs a nd fi x i ng water line failures.

“T he way the u n iversity is affected really depends on the severity of the weather we encounter,” Colella said. “It usually has to be pretty severe for any big issues to occur.”

The Department of Transpor-tation Services’ bus schedules could be influenced by ice and snow on the roads. Shuttle-UM buses stopped running during Hurricane Sandy because of the unsafe driving conditions.

Some fi xtures of the campus, including the rooftop gardens o n t h e N o r t h a n d S o u t h Ca mpus d i n i ng ha l ls, may even benefit from moderate snowfall, said Steve Cohan, a plant science and landscape architecture professor.

“ Mo s t of t he pl a nt s a re annuals, so a lot of the beds

do not have plants growing in them right now,” he said. “But there is no adverse e� ect on the gardens from snow or cold weather; snowfall actually puts moisture back in the soil and acts as an insulator blanket for the plants.”

Several students said they h op e t h e c a mp u s w i l l s e e some snow fa l l du r i n g t he winter months. Julie Guacci, a freshman business major, said she would welcome the winter weather as long as it does not significantly inhibit her daily routine.

“I love snow, but it’s only a good thing until it starts to inter-fere with you every day,” she said. “I think it’s fun if classes are can-celed for one day, but if classes are canceled for a week and the buses are canceled and then you can’t get around easily, that can make for a bad situation.”

Widelski said students should begin preparing for the upcom-ing winter by keeping a stock of food, making sure there is gas in their cars and paying attention to weather broadcasts.

“ I f y o u h a v e n ’ t t a k e n precaut ion s when a stor m warning is issued, it will be a problem,” he said. “It’s im-portant to keep abreast when a storm is coming in.”

[email protected]

SNOWcastFrom PAGE 1

“if you haven’t taken precautions when a storm warning is issued, it will be a problem. it’s important to keep abreast when a storm is coming in.”

KEN WIDELSKINOAA emergency response meteorologist

� le photo/the diamondback

Page 3: November 28, 2012

wednesDAY, november 28, 2012 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK 3

ALCOHOLFrom PAGE 1

Alcohol is moving slower from local businesses’ shelves as a direct result of its 50 percent sales tax hike — from 6 percent to 9 percent — that went into effect July of last year, Ozgo said at a state meeting earlier this month. However, many students said they aren’t deterred by a higher number on their liquor store receipts.

“I don’t know how long it’s been in e� ect; I wasn’t aware that it went up,” said Ryan Kennedy, a senior environmental science and policy major. “I would be surprised if people even noticed it.”

The demand for alcohol doesn’t change across the board when prices go up, said family science professor Mitch Mokhtari. Beer has a low price elasticity of demand, meaning con-sumers will not drastically change their spending habits for beer in light of a price increase. However, wine and liquor have signifi cantly higher price elasticity, so when prices go up, consumers are likely to either cross state borders or stop purchasing them altogether.

This year’s anemic sales in the alcohol industry have drawn criticism from liquor lobbyists, who argued the tax would force residents to take their purchasing power across state lines. However, public health advocates who want to curb alcohol abuse said the tax is doing its job.

The law aims to limit access for young people, who are “price sensi-tive” and more receptive to a jump in cost, said Vincent DeMarco, presi-dent of the state’s Health Care for All Coalition. However, Kennedy said the tax is still “nominal,” and he doesn’t see students making a cross-border run for cheaper booze.

But some state residents have cut back their alcohol spending, to the detriment of the state’s alcohol industry. And the stagnant sales growth suggests the tax is doing what many proponents intended: successfully fighting the societal ills of alcohol abuse, DeMarco said.

“The whole goal here was to reduce underage drinking and reduce alcohol abuse, and we think that’s happening,” DeMarco said. “The alcohol industry shouldn’t want there to be underage drink-ing and alcohol abuse.”

However, while the law was ex-pected to raise about $85 million to be used for state health and commu-nity service purposes, it has fallen short of those initial estimates, raking in $70 million.

That revenue will do very little to help drive down the abuses as-sociated with alcohol, said Bruce Bereano, a state lawyer who has lobbied for alcohol distributors, and the true measures to put an end to unlawful underage drinking are being overlooked.

“It’s just a lot of bunk,” Bereano said. “The way you get teenagers is enforcement; nobody pays any attention to enforcement.”

The blame for the stagnant sales and unrealized revenue goals comes from residents crossing state lines, primarily into Delaware, to take advantage of lower tax rates, according to Ozgo. Delaware has no sales tax on alcohol.

“In general, cross-border pur-chases of anything happen if there is a price di� erential for any product … assuming there’s not much of a transportation cost,” Mokhtari said. “To some extent, that takes place to o� set the impact” of the tax.

Given most residents’ proximity to state lines, Bereano said the sales tax doesn’t prevent the possibility of residents buying alcohol elsewhere.

“I just wish that public o� cials would look at a map of the state of Maryland,” he said. “We’re nowhere from 30 to 90 minutes tops to another jurisdiction.”

DeMarco doesn’t buy that argu-ment — and on a college campus, few students make a trip out of the city for their weekly purchases, let alone out of the state.

“People aren’t going to spend $4 in gas to save a little bit of money to get their alcohol,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

[email protected]

wineFrom PAGE 1

opened its doors last month, and although it is located a consider-able distance from the campus — just past Costco on Route 1 — he said he hopes to attract university students to its casual, comfortable environment.

“It’s kind of like the Cheersbar,” Pendleton said. “We want everyone to know your name.”

The restaurant has already hosted a Terrapin Club foot-ball viewing event and a soror-ity event, and Pendleton said he hopes to continue to hold university-affiliated events in the bistro, which has seating for about 100 people. Large-screen televisions line the bar area, and there is a Breathalyzer patrons

can pay to use before leaving to prevent drunken driving. The proceeds will go to charity, Pendleton said.

Before experiencing the restaurant’s “Cheers-like” environment, patrons must first maneuver through the massive liquor store. According to Pendleton, Old Line carries the largest selection of craft beers in the state, which draws in curious student customers.

Old Line’s size amazed Sean Pelletier, a senior journalism major, when he visited the store for the fi rst time this week.

“It was like a grocery store full of alcohol,” he said. “I’m going to go there from now on. I feel like I’m going to buy some-thing new every time.”

As a resident of the Mazza Grandmarc apartments, Pelletier

said it’s easier for him to make a trip to Old Line than to College Park Liquors.

However, some students said the store’s location is less than ideal and many of its prices are far higher than at more estab-lished competitors.

Megan Kuehner, a senior public health major, said con-venience plays a big factor in her liquor store choices. She would generally shop at No. 1 Liquors, the closest store to her apart-ment, but said she plans to visit Old Line soon to check out the store’s wine selection.

Despite its distance from the campus, Pendleton said he isn’t concerned Old Line will have trouble drawing in student cus-tomers. The variety of events he plans to hold, including watch parties, tailgating events and

wine tastings, as well as the shop’s vast selection of wines and beers, will bring students in, he said.

“It’s like a museum,” Pend-leton said of the craft beer selection.

When Old Line’s foot tra� c begins to pick up, Pendleton said he plans to open up the gift shop and deli, so patrons will be able to pick up breads, meats and cheeses to match their selec-tions from the store.

Because the university crowd will be key to his continued growth, Pendleton said he plans to keep prices at an affordable level for college students.

“We love the state and we love the area we’re in,” he said. “We want to support the university.”

[email protected]

GAACFrom PAGE 1

Headed by the graduate school dean, the Graduate Cou nci l is the “presid i ng body” for graduate assis-tants, said Reka Montfort, executive secretary of the University Senate.

“The GAAC is not the … ad-visory body on graduate issues to us at this point because that seems to be a very fluid situation,” Montfort said. “I can’t really tell you what will happen in the future.”

Members of the GAAC said they are taking their time in the process to ensure the body can better represent its con-stituents in its second year. Some graduate assistants had problems with last year’s elec-tion process, graduate school o� cials said, which prompted some to question whether the body accurately represented its population.

W h i le it’s st i l l u nclea r

when elections will be over, GSG President David Colon-Cabrera said the body hopes to wrap them up before the end of the semester. So far, there have been primary elections for 12 new graduate assistant representatives, who will rep-resent each of the university’s graduate departments.

L a s t y e a r, U n i v e r s i t y System of Maryland o� cials negotiated a meet-and-confer process in lieu of collective bargaining rights with Gov. Martin O’Malley’s o� ce. The graduate school formed the GAAC by mandate of the Uni-versity System of Maryland and assigned the body to take the lead on meet-and-confer negotiations, rather tha n combining members of the GAAC and the GSG.

It would have been better for the GA AC to elect its members earlier in the year, Colon-Cabrera said, but it takes time to craft a relatively new body’s procedures.

“We know that it is not

ideal. We wish it would have been sooner,” he said. “We understand the constraints and we understand what’s going on.”

Un l i ke the GSG, wh ich focuses primarily on student issues, the GAAC is a “univer-sity-level committee” that also incorporates the university’s position on various issues, said Blessing Okoroafor, the GSG’s chief of sta� and a member of GAAC who helped prepare this year’s elections.

B e c a u s e o f t h e G S G ’s history on the campus, it would have been appropriate for the body’s own gradu-ate assistant committee — the Graduate Researchers, Employees, Assistants and Teachers Committee — to ha nd le negotiations w ith administrators, said William Burghart, the GSG’s fi nancial a� airs vice president. But the graduate school favored a “top down” approach by forming the GAAC, Burghart said. Al-though several GSG members

backed the move, calling it the only option for forward prog-ress, many graduate students said they are questioning whether the GAAC was the right choice.

“We have these people that could talk to the graduate school. What did the gradu-ate school do? Created its own committee,” Burghart said. “And I think that says much about how much they care about self-determina-tion of students.”

A lt hou g h t he g radu ate school initially helped the GAAC hold its elections, of-fi cials do not want to control how the body functions in the future, said graduate school Dean Charles Caramello.

“It will really be up to GAAC to determine how they want to organize themselves, how they want to connect with graduate assistants,” Cara-mello said. “We’ll help them, we’ll help facilitate.”

[email protected]

Page 4: November 28, 2012

From India: Notes on arranged marriage

ANAND KUMAR-GUPTAA

hike in the alcohol sales tax may have been enough to deter some residents from buying the same

amounts of alcohol in years past — or they’re taking a little extra time to go to Delaware or Virginia to buy cheaper drinks. Alcohol sales in Maryland have grown a mere 0.2 percent in the past year, which has many state residents up in arms, citing the 2011 tax increase from 6 to 9 percent as the reason for the stagnant sales.

Nationwide, however, there has been an average 3.1 percent increase in alcohol sales, according to Mary-landReporter.com, and neighboring Delaware and Virginia have had in-creases well above this average.

David Ozgo, Distil led Spirits Council of the United States chief economist, said in a meeting last month Virginia’s off-premise sales are up 5 percent and Delaware’s are up 8.8 percent. He said the di� culty in alcohol sales is a direct result of the tax hike.

So yes, Maryland’s slight increase is paltry compared to surrounding states and the nation. And the state’s 9 percent sales tax rate for alcohol is shocking compared to Virginia’s 5 percent and Delaware’s 0 percent. It is, of course, inevitable that some people who live close to the borders of these states will choose the extra 20-minute drive to pay the cheaper price. It’s what people in Virginia and Delaware

STAFF EDITORIAL

(and other states) have been doing for years, when Maryland’s alcohol was the cheapest. It’s a give and take, and right now, Maryland seems to be giving.

But not every part of this state with high alcohol sales is close to the border — residents in those areas are likely not willing to spend the extra gas money for the slightly cheaper price. Cities like College Park and Towson, both college towns, have a high rate of alcohol con-sumption, and there’s nowhere for city residents to easily benefi t from another state’s lower tax rate.

We also have to consider the big picture when looking at this issue. A Baltimore City Paper blogger even suggested the idea that liquor store raids could be a contributing factor in the lack of alcohol sales.

No one wants to see increased taxes, which Gov. Martin O’Malley has continually enacted over his six years in o� ce. It’s imperative to closely examine every decision to in-crease tax money for the government

— and in this instance, an increase is the right move for the state. The 9 percent rate is steep, but justifi ed.

Just look at Maryland’s economy; it’s prospering. Many other states’ economies are faltering, which has led a number of state institutions nation-wide to increase tuition that is already di� cult for many to pay. The unem-ployment rate in the state dropped from 6.9 percent to 6.7 percent, ac-cording to Labor Department data, translating to 14,000 additional jobs, more of which were added in the private sector than in any one-month period since 1996.

The state should lower the 9 percent tax if possible, but higher price tags on drinks are small prices to pay for a prosperous state economy when much of the country is still re-covering from the 2008 recession. This editorial board fi nds it hard to believe the few extra bucks on an alcohol purchase would deter stu-dents from buying it. In the end, it’s easier for Maryland residents to cope with a few slight tax increases for the time being, rather than face a state government with a mounting defi cit somewhere down the line.

So go out and buy some liquor. It’ll help the state’s alcohol sales, and maybe it’ll aid in keeping tuition low. Just kick back and have a drink — there’s only so much time before you have to study for fi nals.

Wine-ing about taxes

OUR VIEW

Though the state’s 9 percent alcohol tax is

steep, it’s justi� ed when looking at the larger economic picture.

JACK CHEN/the diamondback

EDITORIAL CARTOON

As I write this column in my study, my extended family is cho-reographing dance moves to some really cheesy Bollywood songs in the living room outside. My sister is getting married Thursday. It’s a classic Indian wedding, and the mood is celebratory. Relatives from all over the country and abroad have taken the week o� to camp at the Gupta residence in Pune, India. Preparations are in place for a seven- to eight-course day (seriously), music is blasting in every space of this house and the chatter of family — 20 people squeezed in a house of four — will be the norm for the week ahead.

Isn’t this different from the more sober setting you’re used to in the U.S.? As I got used to this buzz and coped with jet lag yesterday, I wondered what the implications of this Indian setting could possibly mean to an Ameri-can college student.

I was talking to a friend of mine from the Indian School of Mines, a top engineering school in India, a little more than a week ago. What he told me left me amused: “College is the only time you can struggle; struggle and work ex-tremely hard here, and then you can obviously enjoy for the rest of your life.”

I politely nodded at the thought and observed how it was the polar opposite of the mindset in an American college setting. To confirm this person wasn’t the anomaly, I called up a few others as well. Most of my friends, all from good schools, echoed similar views. Work hard in college. Party hard later in life.

My sister is marrying a man whom she didn’t even know just a few months ago. My parents and

GUEST COLUMN

my soon-to-be-brother-in-law’s parents met through introductions in an extended network of family con-nections and decided their two chil-dren should tie the knot — in other words, an arranged marriage.

The two, my sister and her hus-band-to-be, spoke to each other on Skype (he was on a work assign-ment abroad) and gave their consent to the arrangement after their very first online chat (I’m not even sure if it could be called a date). Some catchphrases coming to mind: “Awk-warddd,” “Like, seriously?,” “No [ex-pletive] way.”

Wouldn’t such a system come across as highly absurd in America? With a slight stretch, one could even make the argument that my parents may have violated my sister’s human rights. But here in India, my sister couldn’t have been happier, and all of our family and friends are thrilled for her. There is no right or wrong about this.

Why should you care even a little? In this age of an integrated global economy, it is useful to know how young people are di� erent in other parts of the world. How this works in your favor or disfavor is a question with no answer.

But I encourage you to travel outside America (you don’t know how lucky you are to have a U.S. passport and visa, free to travel anywhere in the world) and familiarize yourself with people from different backgrounds and cultures. Take on study abroad opportunities, join the Peace Corps, do European road trips, internships in Africa or even nonprofi t volunteer-ing in Southeast Asia. Understand-ing the peculiarities of people from other cultures will, in essence, help broaden your horizons. Travel not as a tourist, but as someone who truly wants to learn.

Anand Kumar Gupta is a junior a g r i c u l t u r a l a n d r e s o u r c e economics major. He can be reached at [email protected].

It’s the end of November, and with the passing of Thanks-giving break and the last of the

autumn leaves, it is time to grudg-ingly accept the home stretch of the semester is here. But before we stress out over group projects and final exams, the Residence Hall Association would like to take a moment to show its gratitude to all students for their continued support and creativity in helping to make on-campus life as “stress-free” as possible.

At October’s RHA Town Hall meeting, students were able to voice their opinions and o� er in-novative solutions for issues im-pacting on-campus life.

The input and advice we re-ceived was incredibly insightful and has shaped the RHA’s agenda for the upcoming months, includ-ing exploring new methods for campus sustainability, changes to bus routes and the wrap style in the dining halls.

Through programming and policy initiatives, we do everything in our power to make your experience living on the campus a “home away from home.” RHA is comprised of 15 separate hall or area councils that plan social activities throughout the year for their residents.

Recently, the South Campus Commons and South Hill Area councils teamed up to put on the South Campus Fall Fest. Despite the cold weather, there was a large turnout of people who came to-gether to engage in fall festivities. Leonardtown Area Council held its annual Thanksgiving Dinner on November 18, in which residents came out to share a traditional Thanksgiving meal (complete with

turkey, mashed potatoes and stu� ng) with their community.

Along with the programming, hall and area councils also send repre-sentatives to the RHA Senate, a leg-islative body that drafts and votes on imperative policies that a� ect all resi-dents. To accomplish this, members of the Senate work closely with four departments within the Division of Student A� airs. By communicating directly with administrators in these departments, it is easy to implement whatever changes we think should be made and to directly impact stu-dents’ lives.

RHA has been working on exciting new legislation. Earlier in November, RHA passed a resolution supporting the initiative by the Department of Resident Life to begin a pilot program on gender-inclusive housing in the residence halls, a program which would determine which halls are structurally feasible to implement mixed-gender floors.

RHA will keep track of the progress of the pilot program and will seek out input during the implementation phase to ensure the student voice is heard.

From Thanksgiving-themed hall and area council events to important legislation, the RHA has been hard at work for on-campus students.

We are so thankful to all of you for your input, and will continue to serve you and work toward making your ideas and suggestions come to life. We hope your last few weeks of the semester are as stress-free as pos-sible, and we wish you the best of luck on your fi nal exams.

Meenu Singh is the public relations officer for RHA. She can be reached at [email protected].

Christopher Columbus is frequently cited as the man who bravely sailed to the shores of North America and discov-ered the lands of our great nation. But by now, most of us know the real story.

We know the so-called “New World” was already inhabited by millions of people. We know Native American tribes were already estab-lished on this land, but Columbus and the waves of European immigrants that followed him felt entitled to call it their own. And we are aware of the atrocities that ensued.

Those of us who have taken basic U.S. history classes know about the near genocide of the Native Ameri-can people, the later banishing of survivors onto reservations and the forced assimilation of Native American children into the New World culture. But this tragedy is not merely history. The injustice continues today, and it is extreme.

Native American reservations were purposely created on the least valuable plots of land in the country, placing them in the most destitute and remote locations. This has not changed, and people living there today are far away from basic necessities, sometimes up to 90 miles from the nearest town. This means miles from gas stations, hospitals, police stations and power sources, leaving many homes without electricity or running water. And out

in the middle of nowhere, there are few economic opportunities.

Unemployment is extremely high, with some reservations reaching rates of more than 80 percent, according to The New York Times. Homeless-ness is rampant. Most of the Native American population lives below the federal poverty line.

Violent crime rates are more than two-and-a-half times higher than the national average. Murder, rape and sexual assault are more common on reservations than anywhere in the country, except perhaps for a few of America’s most violent cities. One in three Native American women ex-perience rape or attempted rape, and justice is rarely served. The Justice Department turns down half of the murder cases and nearly two-thirds of the sexual assault cases it receives from reservations.

Violence and domestic abuse are fueled by endemic alcoholism. Alco-holism contributes to higher rates of homicide, suicide and abuse as well as fetal alcohol syndrome and infant mortality. The frequency of alcohol-related deaths on reservations is more than three times the percentage for the general population.

Many young people don’t graduate from high school, and high school dropout rates on some reservations reach 70 percent. This does not bode well for the future and a long, healthy life is not to be expected when life expectancies are less than the na-tional average.

This is an unavoidable fate for most

Native Americans. History placed them in these desolate locations, and now, in the 21st century, they are trapped. They are isolated from the outside world, without access to quality education; there are few promising opportunities left for them o� the reservation.

On these forgotten segments of land, these horrifi c issues go unno-ticed and unresolved. America has abandoned its own indigenous people. It is time to start making things right.

It is up to us to take notice. Vol-unteers can make a huge di� erence in improving the quality of life on reservations by building schools, fixing up houses, providing access to electricity, improving health ser-vices and helping boost education. There is a wide variety of opportuni-ties for students at this university to volunteer abroad, and with enough interest, we could establish domestic programs that would bring students to work on reservations. A program like this would give students the opportunity to help improve con-ditions on reservations while also making these issues more visible to the nation. Many of the more serious issues require federal intervention, and that will not happen unless our leaders start paying attention.

Unfortunately, we cannot change history. But we can change the present, and hopefully reshape the future.

Ma d e l e i n e L i s t i s a so p h o m o re journalism major. She can be reached at [email protected].

The truth about life on reservations

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

Turning student voice into action

MADELEINE LIST

4 THE DIAMONDBACK | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

Opinion EDITORIAL BOARDYASMEEN ABUTALEBEditor in Chief

Mike King Managing Editor

Tyler Weyant Managing Editor

maria romasOpinion Editor

nadav karasovAssistant Opinion Editor

CONTACT US 3150 South Campus Dining Hall | College Park, MD 20742 | [email protected] OR [email protected] PHONE (301) 314-8200

Page 5: November 28, 2012

ACROSS 1 Joined the chorus 5 Corn storage 9 Godzilla’s land 14 Wedding-cake part 15 Paddy crop 16 Pedro’s pal 17 Comics pooch 18 Three oceans touch it 19 Change the clock 20 Easel partner 22 Lower in esteem 24 Ringlet 26 Miss Piggy’s word 27 Ranch or meal 30 Sprained an ankle 35 Bedside noise 36 Transvaal trekker 37 German import 38 Gas-pump abbr. 39 Machines for hoisting 42 Turn down 43 Be a party to 45 Auction shout 46 Ms. LaBelle 48 Pause 50 Hair foam 51 Work out 52 Cozy corners 54 Shoulder ornament 58 Salty snack 62 Not express 63 Throw off heat 65 Forum site

66 Carried 67 Actress -- Freeman 68 Chits 69 Winning 70 Flake off 71 Kind of prof.

DOWN 1 Grind to a halt 2 Verdi princess 3 Mr. Armstrong 4 Hand shaker 5 Ready to ship 6 Swells, as a river 7 Here, in Le Havre 8 Droplet 9 Lingo 10 New World 11 Leaning Tower site 12 Made cheddar better 13 Quick letter 21 Hike 23 Common abrasive 25 Puffed up 27 Vaughan or Bernhardt 28 Annapolis frosh 29 Comes unglued 31 Tall stalk 32 Seeks out 33 Proofreads 34 Civil War anthem 36 Pat dry 40 Meter reading

41 Ladder rung 44 Border town 47 Freud’s homeland 49 Pealed

50 Not a god 53 Conjecture 54 Napoleon’s island 55 Bear of little brain

56 Realty unit 57 Weather info 59 Monkey havens 60 Green-egg layers

61 Perchance 64 “Simpsons” bartender

CROSSWORD HOROSCOPE STELLA WILDER

Born today, you have a kind of mischievous, even naughty personal-

ity, and you are likely to get into more than your share of trouble when you are young. Fortunately, you are so charming and have such a way with words that you are not likely to remain in trouble very long, for you will be able to talk yourself out of almost anything if given the chance. When older, you could parlay your “bad boy” or “bad girl” image into a kind of profes-sional success that others both admire and imitate -- though you are, in truth, one of a kind. You will very likely learn at an early age that there is something to be gained from keeping secrets -- espe-cially when they have to do with what you are doing or planning. You don’t like to put your cards on the table until the betting is through, and you know you have a winning hand. Also born on this date are: Anna Nicole Smith, model and reality TV personality; Jon Stewart, comedian; Judd Nelson, actor; Ed Harris, actor. To see what is in store for you tomorrow, find your birthday and read the corre-sponding paragraph. Let your birthday star be your daily guide. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29 SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- You may be able to control those who refuse to be controlled better than most -- but you must

© 2012 United FeatUres syndicate

today’s crossword sponsored by: preVioUs day’s pUzzle solVed: today’s Horoscope sponsored by:

colleGe intUition ricHie bates roGer does colleGe Max siskind

Su | DO | ku© puzzles by pappocom

Fill in the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9.

preVioUs day’s pUzzle solVed:

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY:MediUM

know that the odds are not with you! CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You may not wholly understand the central issues facing you, but if you follow your instincts you can surely acquit yourself well. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Take care that you don’t let an-other’s ignorance get to you; you must be patient with those who do not know as much as you do. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Why engage in an argument with someone who is ill-equipped to do the same? Now is no time to waste your time or energy in such a way. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Difficulties you encounter can enable you understand the plight of another -- and that, in turn, will let you know what you can do to help. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- What lies ahead may not be crys-tal-clear, but you’ll have the sense that what you want is somewhere out there in front of you. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You’re waiting to get started with

something big, but a member of your team may not be working at the same pace, and must catch up first. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- What you have to offer cannot be equaled by anyone else at this time -- but this is no reason for you to become cocky or overconfident. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Are you aware of what others are do-ing around you? It’s important for you to use your peripheral vision -- and any other available senses. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- While there are those who think that you’ve just arrived on the scene, others are aware that you’ve been in the thick of things for a while. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- You must strive for peak efficiency, or expect to accomplish only a fraction of what you’ve got on the docket. Timing counts for much. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Express yourself honestly and openly and you may be rewarded by someone who is eager to give you precisely what you want.

COPYRIGHT 2012UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.

Today’s sUdoKU PUZZLE sPonsorEd by:

wednesday, noVeMber 28, 2012 | tHe diaMondback 5

Features

Page 6: November 28, 2012

By Beena RaghavendranStaff writer

The stars are dressed in snazzy clothing. The red carpet is rolled out. The films are projected on the big screen.

The Maryland Filmmakers Club presents the Winter Film Festival Friday night featuring 10 short films — all student-produced. 2012 marks the third year of the on-campus film festival, which is now biannual.

Audience members receive ballots at in-termission to vote for their favorite film as the recipient of the audience choice award. This year’s selection features dramas, com-edies and mockumentaries, many of which are set in a college environment, said club president Peter Garafalo.

Here are a few of the highlights. God’s Will — This comedy shifts the func-

tion of the word “will” from a desire to a tan-

gible object; God dies, so Jesus, Satan and Death are sitting in an office having his will read to them.

But these personas aren’t your normal Jesus-Satan-Death personas — Jesus is a frat star, Satan is a “sad sack” and Death is a Willy Wonka-e s q u e c h a ra c te r, said director Daniel Lerner, a sophomore psychology major.

Assurance — This c o l l e g e s t u d e n t whodunnit is about a guy who’s framed for murdering his room-mate. He knows the leader of a gang really did murder the roommate, so in order to save himself from conviction, he has to find evi-dence the crime boss did it.

The day sophomore Waill Essa, enrolled in letters and sciences, was writing the film, he was listening to mysterious classical music. It drove him to write a twisted murder story, he said.

“It’s more of a serious drama mystery,” he said. “I keep it strictly dramatic so you can feel for the character.”

Case of the Campus Corpse — A twist on a 1950s film noir, it’s a murder mystery set in modern times with five characters who dress and act like they live in the ’50s. Among them is Tim, a detective and college student who’s being blackmailed by a fra-ternity. Those contradictions fuel the piece, said Alexander Hammer, the junior psy-

chology major who’s writing and directing the film.

The idea for the film came to him just before he took a nap on McK-eldin Mall. It exemplifies the absurdities in colle-giate life, he said.

“ E s s e n t i a l ly, t h e overall theme is the cutthroat, competitive nature of college itself,” Hammer said.

Almond Joy — This mockumentary centers around a campus squir-re l e nt h u s i a s t w h o spends her time pro-

moting squirrels and student activism for their preservation. But the student body isn’t recep-tive and in the end, it starts taking a toll on the student’s mental health.

Junior marketing major Belinda Shao, writer and director of the film, said the moral of the story is to accept the more eccentric people around us.

She also said the film used an exorbitant amount of peanuts, so if anyone’s seen squir-rels gathered around a large pile of crushed nuts in the last few weeks, that’s thanks to her and her crew.

Algorithm — In this film, a young physi-cist goes back in time for one moment with his younger sister, who was killed in a car accident a few years ago.

Writer Jessica Esteves, a senior English major, said the idea for the film came to her one day during class.

“I wanted to write a film that people can connect to, because I feel like everybody has that one person that they wish they had a little bit more time with,” she said.

Non Sequitur — It’s a set of 10 to 12 comedy sketches (along the lines of sketch comedy group The Whitest Kids U’ Know) that are all offensive and absurdist.

Freshman economics major Hugh Monahan had tons of material from writing comedy for open mics in Baltimore, so he decided to put it to use, he said. Filming so far has been an ad-venture — to set up a scene, Monahan had to jump into a Dumpster.

“I hope they say, ‘What?’ at the end,” Monahan said.

The Maryland Filmmaker’s Club’s Winter Film Festival is at Hoff Theater on Friday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the films start at 6 p.m.

[email protected]

6 THE DIAMONDBACK | wednesDAY, november 28, 2012

ONLINE All Classified & Classified Display Ads will run online at no additional charge.¿

ClassifiedRATES35¢ per word $3.50 minimumALL CAPITAL LETTERS 35¢ extra per wordBold Letters 70¢ extra per word

To place an ad: PHONE 301-314-8000 | EMAIL [email protected] | FAX 301-314-8358 | v m A All ads must be prepaid

CLASSIFIED DISPLAY ADS • Larger type • Sold in 1” increments • One column wide • $33.00/column inch • Run online at no additional costOFFICE HOURS 10AM – 4PM Monday – Friday • 3136 South Campus Dining HallDEADLINES The deadline for ads is 2PM • 2 business days in advance of publicationSPECIAL Run the same ad 4 consecutive days and get the 5th day FREE!

FAXSERVICE

Send/ReceiveLocal/Long Distance

(international not available)

DiamondbackBusiness Office

3136 South Campus Dining HallPHONE: 301-314-8000Mon. - Fri. 10 am - 4 pm

APARTMENTS

AUTOMOTIVE

BEAUTY

EDUCATION

FLORIST

RECREATION

RELIGION

HEALTH

LEGAL

APARTMENTS

AUTOMOTIVE

BEAUTY

EDUCATION

FLORIST

RECREATION

RELIGION

HEALTH

LEGAL

APARTMENTS

AUTOMOTIVE

BEAUTY

EDUCATION

FLORIST

RECREATION

RELIGION

HEALTH

LEGAL

APARTMENTS

AUTOMOTIVE

BEAUTY

EDUCATION

FLORIST

RECREATION

RELIGION

HEALTH

LEGAL

APARTMENTS

AUTOMOTIVE

BEAUTY

EDUCATION

FLORIST

RECREATION

RELIGION

HEALTH

LEGAL

EmploymEntSTUDENTPAYOUTS.COM. Paid surveytakers needed in College Park. 100% free tojoin! Click on surveys.

Home OfficeAdministrator

1-2 days/wk. Maintain bookkeeping sys-tems, process paperwork for apt. build-ing and social work practice. Location:home office in Takoma Park (also pos-sibly work in Baltimore). Pay: $15/hour.301-807-1549 or [email protected]

SAT TEACHERS NEEDED. Flexible hours.No Experience Necessary. Need HighScores and Transportation. Email Resume:[email protected].

$ Bartending $ – $250/day potential. No ex-perience necessary. Training available. 1-800-965-6520 x116.

EmploymEntNight Clubs

Seeking DancersUp to $1000 nightly. No experience

necessary. Apply after 7 p.m. McDoogals Nightshift410-437-2834 410-633-7100

Part Time Data Entry Opportunity. Motivatedand reliable individual needed to verify andupdate our customer database. FLEXIBLESCHEDULE within business hours, 10-15hours per week. Position includes enteringand verifying existing customer contact in-formation using online resources and somephone verification. Desirable candidatesmust be detail oriented and focused. Pleaseforward resume, cover letter and salary re-quirements to [email protected].

EmploymEntPART TIME

RECEPTIONISTAnimal hospital in Silver Spring has immedi-ate opening for part time receptionist. After-

noon hours M-F. Work references only.Please include work references with resume.

Call 301-598-7300 or fax resume to301-871-4381. Email [email protected].

PART TIMEADMIN. POSITIONLocated in College Park & looking forcandidate to handle calls, copying, in-voicing, etc. Position pays $10/hr. and

will work in a friendly atmosphere. CastleSprinkler & Alarm, Inc. Email:

[email protected]. www.csafire.com.

For SalEHonda Civic 2003 Hybrid. White. 42 mpg.MD inspected. 197K miles. $3300. 240-441-4401.

Diversions PROBLEMATIC PIZZA2Amys is a well-known pizza place that’s received rave reviews from names as big as The Washington Post. But The Diamondback’s Jennifer Himmelstein thinks there are far better places to go to satisfy your Italian inclination. For more, visit diamondbackonline.com.

ON THEBLOG

just like the oscarsMaryland Filmmakers Club’s Friday night film festival will present 10 student-directed films that cover all genres — from mockumentary to comedy to drama

PREVIEW | MARYLAND FILMMAKERS CLUB WINTER FILM FESTIVAL

algorithmDirected by Tessla WilsonDirector of photography Ambily Bose, director Tessla Wilson and club member Eli Shindell work on shooting a film about a young time-traveling physicist. photo by peter garafalo

case of the campus corpseDirected by Alexander HammerDirector of photography Steward Beckham and writer and director Alexander Hammer film a scene starring lead actor Daniel Frank (middle) along with supporting actors Ben Wills and Luke Councell in their take on film noir. photo by karen rust

god’s will Directed by Daniel LernerWriter and director Daniel Lerner models “sad sack” Satan’s horns while working with editor Kai Keefe and club member Wes Allbright on his Jesus-Satan-Death film. photo by karen rust

all photos courtesy of maryland filmmakers club

Page 7: November 28, 2012

EVEN THE DIAMONDBACK | XXXDAY, SEPTEMBER XX, 20122 THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBer 28, 2012 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK 7

VOLLEYBALL | SEASON IN REVIEW

What could have beenDespite strong start, rash of injuries leaves Terps short of achieving postseason aspirations

By Aaron KasinitzSta� writer

T he Terrapins volleyball team made a resounding statement on Sept. 21. In the squad’s first ACC road match, it beat a more highly touted Clemson squad, 3-0, domi-nating a team that would finish fifth in the conference.

The victory was the team’s fourth in a row, improved its overall record to 9-4 and had the Terps playing at their best heading into the bulk of their conference schedule.

That momentum wouldn’t last, though. In fact, it was halted the same night the Terps earned arguably their most impressive victory of the season.

“We got that fi rst concussion late in the Clemson match,” coach Tim Horsmon said Sunday. “After that, we struggled to stay healthy. It made everything a challenge.”

A day after beating the Tigers, last year’s kills leader Mary Cushman was diagnosed with a concussion. Outside hitter Kamrin Gold su� ered a sprained ankle in practice a few days later, and the two starters were side-lined for the next month.

Those would not be the last inju-ries, either. Over the next three weeks, contributors Emily Fraik, Kaitlyn King and Caitlin Adams all su� ered their own ailments and joined the team’s stars on the sidelines.

Subsequently, a battered Terps squad lost eight of nine matches fol-lowing the win at Clemson, shifting the course of a once-promising season.

“It’s unfortunate because we had

been playing very well,” Horsmon said. “The kids battled hard and we didn’t make excuses, but there just wasn’t much we could do in terms of putting a full team out there.”

The injury-riddled stretch had left the squad’s ACC record at 2-9. It also brought back memories of last year’s team, which lost 15 of its fi nal 16 con-ference matches and fi nished with a 4-16 league record.

But as soon as Cushman returned to the lineup, the similarities between the two teams began to fade and the season changed course once again.

This time, for the better.In the outside hitter’s second match

back in the lineup, the Terps won at American, snapping a season-long six-match losing streak. After that, the team picked up where it left o� in Clemson, S.C., a month earlier.

With a l ineup that was finally getting healthy again, the Terps went on to win seven of their final 10 matches. Five of those victories came against teams the Terps lost to while dealing with injuries earlier in the season.

“I think getting healthy as a team

was huge,” Cushman said earlier this season. “It allowed us to play the way we wanted to play again.”

Cushman wasn’t the only one leading the team to success after her return.

Setter Remy McBain’s leadership and versatility kept the Terps afl oat all year long. The senior fi nished the season in the top four on the Terp’s kills, assists, blocks and digs lists.

Sophomore Ashleigh Crutcher played a major role in the Terps’ success, too. The outside hitter fi n-ished third in the conference in kills per set and became the fi rst Terp se-

lected to the All-ACC team during Horsmon’s fi ve-year tenure.

With McBain and Crutcher leading the way, the Terps (17-15, 8-12 ACC) won fi ve of their fi nal seven confer-ence matches and would fi nish with eight league wins, twice as many as the year before.

“Obviously those si x matches [during the losing streak] killed us,” McBain said. “But we stuck together through it, and I think even with that we had a really good season.”

T hei r season record may look good thanks to their success over the past month, but the 2-9 start to ACC play hurt the Terps’ RPI and eventua l ly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.

Sure, the Terps missed some op-portunities to boost that RPI while healthy. They lost a winnable match against Boston College early in the season and couldn’t win a single set at No. 12 Florida State or No. 23 Miami two weekends ago.

Still, Horsmon believes his team was even better than its modest 17-15 record indicates.

And maybe, he said, the Terps’ season would have had a different ending if injuries hadn’t sidelined nearly a third of the team’s roster and derailed the Terps’ mounting momen-tum two months ago.

“We were really close to being a t o u r n a m e n t t e a m t h i s y e a r even with all we went through,” Horsmon said. “We think we were good enough to be there.”

[email protected]

COach Tim Horsmon and the Terps were derailed by injuries this season. Two starters missed signi� cant time and three others also su� ered injuries. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

three freshmen ready for that element.”

So far, the Terps have had just one real road test — a 50-49 loss at St. Joseph’s on Nov. 17 — and the next two games against Nebraska and UConn not only put the Terps in hostile envi-ronments, but also place them on the national stage. They’re 5-0 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and have won nine straight games against future conference foes.

“We realize it’s going to be a really tough week, but we just got to buckle down, take things one game at a time and focus on ourselves,” forward Alyssa Thomas said. “It definitely gives us a look at ourselves to see where we match up against top teams in the country.”

For the Terps’ three fresh-men, it’ll be their first expo-

sure to an elite opponent in a road environment on national television. With depleted depth due to the season-ending in-juries to guard Brene Moseley and center Essence Townsend, Frese will need her freshmen to keep the same consistent pro-duction they’ve had all year.

It begins at point guard, where Chloe Pavlech is slated to make her second career start. In her first start against A merica n a week ago, the Cincinnati native dished eight assists while turning the ball over just twice in 26 minutes.

A fter using T homas and guard Laurin Mincy out of po-sition through the first three games, Pavlech gives Frese a primary distributor in an o� ense teeming with scorers.

“It’s b e en a re a l ly e a sy tra nsition just hav i ng my tea m m ates, b ec au se t hey trust me,” Pavlech said. “As a freshman, I’m making a lot of mistakes here and there,

but having Coach B telling me that it’s OK and I have to act like a quarterback. If he throws an interception, he has to get over it because the next play is important.”

While Pavlech is just getting her career started, her Corn-huskers counterpart repre-sents a stark counterpoint. Guard Lindsey Moore is slated to make her 105th consecu-tive start for Nebraska and is coming off a performance in which she scored 17 points in the fi nal six minutes to lead her team to a win over USC.

“She’s playing really well, as seniors should,” Frese said. “She’s leading her team at that position. Obviously, we’ve got to do a really good of knowing where she’s at, being able to lock down defensively, make her have to take di� cult shots.”

Moore is joined by 6-foot-2 forward Jordan Hooper, who enters tonight averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per

game. Both Moore and Hooper are on the Naismith women’s basketball early season watch list, joining Thomas, Mincy and forward Tianna Hawkins. It’s the first time all season the Terps have faced a tal-ented inside-outside combi-nation like Nebraska’s.

It’s the sta rt of a n ea rly season test for a Terps team looking to solidify itself in the nationa l conversation a fter a n u neven sta rt. But g a m e s l i k e t h e s e a g a i n s t elite competition are why her players came to College Park, Frese sa id. W hat happens now cou ld have a positive impact come conference play and tournament time.

“The best teams want to play the best teams,” Pavlech sa id a f te r t he Te r p s b e at A merican on Nov. 21. “We just want to go out there and make a statement.”

[email protected]

CORNHUSKERSFrom PAGE 8

out and getting a road win,” Wells said. “Just coming out and getting this win in this at-mosphere, it’s a great win for us as a team. It’s going to bring us closer, and we just want to build o� this.”

It wasn’t a fi rst half either team necessarily wants to remember, though. Neither squad shot better tha n 36 percent from the field, and they combi ned for just 5 4 points at the break.

The teams traded baskets early before the Terps managed a 9-0 run midway through the half. The Wildcats responded with a 7-0 spree of their own,

though, and the Terps didn’t score a fi eld goal over the fi nal 5:45 of the half.

Turgeon’s squad entered the break with a tenuous 28-26 lead over a 3-point shooting team that was just 3-of-16 from beyond the a rc. A nd once again, the Terps owed it to sloppiness. They tallied 11 turnovers over the first 20 minutes, while Northwestern coughed up just two.

Despite the Terps’ strug-gles, there was no inspiring speech from Turgeon at half-time. The second-year coach told the Terps to calm down, continue to guard and execute the game plan.

“It really wasn’t anything special,” Turgeon said. “But it seemed to work.”

The Terps emerged from halftime focused and effi-cient. They attacked the rim with ease, piecing together a string of dunks and layups that culminated in a 19-6 run. When Northwestern coach Bill Carmody called his second timeout in a stretch of less than two minutes, the Wild-cats’ two-point deficit had ballooned to 13.

The Terps then turned to a host of contributors to put the game out of reach. Guard Logan Aronhalt hit three key 3-pointers. Wells muscled his way to the basket, hitting layups with seemingly little di� culty. Faust connected on timely free throws.

The Terps (5-1) also benefi ted from Northwestern’s shooting woes. The Wildcats missed at-tempts early in the shot clock, allowing the Terps’ bigs to haul in defensive rebounds and start the fast break. Turgeon’s squad fi nished with a 47-19 rebound-ing advantage over Northwest-ern (6-1), a team that averages more than double that total.

“You’ll never win when you get outrebounded like that,” Wildcats guard Dave Sobo-lewski said. “We just had to improve on the defensive end and especially on the glass.”

No late-game heroics would arrive for the Wildcats. With about eight minutes remain-ing, the Terps led, 66-45. All that was left was a repeat of the Terps’ previous handful of games: allow a deep bench to continue wearing down a team with few reserve contributors and put the fi nishing touches

on a convincing win.T h e W i l d c a t s p u t u p a

f i g h t, o f c o u rs e , t ra d i n g buckets for the remainder of the game. But it was of little consequence. When the final buzzer sounded, the Terps had what they trekked more than 700 miles for.

They had the first blowout

road victory of the Turgeon era, and they earned a confidence boost that should hold them over for the remainder of an un-imposing nonconference slate.

“Last year, we had only one road win,” Len said. “I think it was huge for us.”

[email protected]

WILDCATSFrom PAGE 8

Forward Dez Wells (left) and guard Nick Faust celebrate during the Terps’ 77-57 victory at Northwestern last night. Wells � nished with agame-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and Faust added 10 points and six rebounds. photo courtesy of meghan white/the daily northwestern

Page 8: November 28, 2012

PAGE 8 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

Sports

By Daniel GallenSenior sta� writer

Though its season is still relatively young, the Terrapins women’s basketball team tips o� a week of games tonight that could provide a distinct gauge of where the team will end up.

A fter ta k i ng on No. 21 Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., tonight, the Terps travel to Hartford, Conn., to face off with No. 2 Connecticut on Monday. T hree days later, the team returns to College Park to open its ACC slate against Virginia.

Those three games — squeezed into a nine-day span — should give coach Brenda Frese a clear indication of where her No. 11 Terps stack up nationally, starting with tonight’s matchup with the Cornhuskers at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

“Obv iously, you’l l f i nd a lot out about you r tea m, where you’re at early on, how you handle adversity, all the different elements about going on the road in these talented venues that we’re going in,” Frese said. “What we wanted to do is prepare us for con-ference play and use this to get our

STATLINE

Terps men’s basketball center Alex Len’s performance in a 77-57 win at Northwestern

2Blocks

13Points

13Rebounds

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Daunting slate starts with No. 21NebraskaCornhuskers provide Terps’ toughest test yet

See CORNHUSKERS, Page 7

DIGGS TABBED ACC’S NO. 2 ROOKIETerrapins football wide receiver Stefon Diggs � nished second in ACC

Rookie of the Year voting. For more, visit diamondbackonline.com.ON THEBLOG

TERRAPINS 77 57 WILDCATS

Behind BIG TENemy linesWells, Len lead Terps in win

over future conference foe Northwestern

Center Alex Len and the Terps held Northwestern to 34 percent shooting in a 77-57 victory last night. photo courtesy of stephen j. carrera/northwestern athletics

By Connor LetourneauSenior sta� writer

EVANSTON, Ill . — Mark Turgeon told reporters Monday his Terrapins men’s basketball team was anxiously awaiting an opportunity to face an undefeated squad this week.

Not because the Terps were taking on a future Big Ten counterpart. Not because they were coming o� a string of imper-fect performances.

They were just excited for an oppor-tunity to prove their worth on the road against a quality Northwestern team in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, to show a nationally televised audience how far they’ve come since winning just one road game last year.

It showed last night. After a turnover-marred first half, the Terps used their overwhelming size and depth to notch a memorable 77-57 win before a hostile crowd of 6,009 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

They used stifl ing defense to hold the Wildcats to just 34 percent shooting and leaned on a near-flawless night from forward Dez Wells. The Xavier trans-fer, who was coming o� a fi ve-turnover showing against Georgia Southern, led three Terps in double fi gures with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Center Alex Len con-tinued a string of noteworthy performanc-es, chipping in 13 points and 13 rebounds.

“Home games are really, really good wins, but there’s nothing like coming

See WILDCATS, Page 7


Recommended