February 20, 2013

Page 1

SPORTS

OPINION

SLIPPING AWAY

After falling at Boston College, 69-58, Terps’ hopes of making NCAA Tournament appearance fading p. 8

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SAFETY ABOVE ALL ELSE

University Senate Chairwoman Martha Nell Smith writes why expanded Good Sam. is critical p. 6

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ISSUE NO. 92

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

N.C. judge upholds ACCsuit

Officials honing university crisis plan Updates in response to student requests

State’s motion to dismiss unsuccessful

By Savannah Doane-Malotte Staff writer The university has not had to resort to its crisis plan since a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the campus in 2011, but officials are constantly working to make sure it can serve the campus at a moment’s notice. In response to student requests, University Police are in the process of giving the plan a clearer and more concise presentation, said University Police Lt. Robert Mueck. The department updates its Emergency Operations Plan every year, and does not intend to change its content this semester, but officials are looking into potential alterations that better spell out how students should react in crises, Mueck said. Because last week’s shooting that left two students dead and one injured occurred off the campus, Prince George’s County Police handled the situation and officials did not resort to consulting See crisis, Page 3

By Yasmeen Abutaleb Senior staff writer

of the university’s largest campaign to date on Feb. 9. “It simply shows there are lots of alumni and donors who love the university and they want to make a difference,” university President Wallace Loh said. “It shows that they care about how giving, very generous giving, can transform the university

The university’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the ACC to ensure a more than $52 million exit fee is paid in full proved unsuccessful Monday after a North Carolina judge denied the motion. After university President Wallace Loh announced in November the university would be leaving the ACC for the Big Ten in 2014, the ACC quickly filed a lawsuit to enforce the exit fee, which was instituted in September. Last month, the state filed a motion arguing that as a public institution, the university is an entity of the state, meaning it has sovereign immunity and cannot be sued in a North Carolina court. The ACC, whose headquarters are in North Carolina, said the university is not protected under sovereign immunity in contractual claims. The state’s attorneys have 30 days to appeal the ruling. The state is now “considering its options,” said David Paulson, a spokesman for state Attorney General Doug Gansler. Loh and Florida State President Eric Barron were the only two dissenting votes when the ACC voted to hike its exit fee from $20 million to more than $52 million in September, the same time at which the conference’s council of presidents unanimously voted to admit Notre Dame as its 15th member in all sports except football. Loh, who said he was not thinking of joining the Big Ten at the time, said he opposed the fee for “philosophical and legal reasons.” Loh declined to comment on the

See campaign, Page 2

See LAWSUIT, Page 2

officials and donors celebrated raising $1 billion as part of the Great Expectations campaign, which is the university’s largest fundraising drive to date. Almost 130,000 donors contributed to the campaign, making the university one of about 30 institutions to raise more than $1 billion in a single drive. photo courtesy of mike morgan photography

MEETING EXPECTATIONS University celebrates completion of Great Expectations campaign after raising $1 billion By Jenny Hottle Senior staff writer

university president loh and officials are working on the crisis plan. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

The university recently celebrated raising more than $1 billion in its Great Expectations campaign, an accomplishment that proved difficult to achieve despite being lower than the goals set by many similar institutions. The fundraiser kicked off at the

$60 mil. project planned for S. Campus Dining Hall Renovations to ensure building is up to code By Teddy Amenabar Staff writer The almost 40-year-old South Campus Dining Hall will undergo $60 million worth of renovations by 2017 to meet newly established codes for disabilities access, fire safety, electrical wiring and sprinkler systems, Dining Services officials said. A consulting firm that inspected the building this month will issue a report with renovation recommendations in the next 30 days. After receiving the report, Dining Services can begin crafting its design plans for the project, a process that will likely take a couple of months, said Director Colleen Wright-Riva.

“everything needs to be replaced. we want to make our investment in what benefits the [students].” JOE MULLINEAUX

Dining Services senior associate director

INDEX

The primary focus of the renovations is to ensure the four-floor building is up-to-date with new building codes, but the dining area where students eat may receive a few cosmetic repairs as well, said Joe Mullineaux, Dining Services senior associate director. The changes outside of the dining area — other than adding some sprinklers — will be less noticeable, he added. “Everything needs to be replaced,” Mullineaux said. “We want to make our investment in what benefits the [students].” Funds for any renovation of the building must come directly from the department’s revenue rather than from the university’s general fund, WrightRiva said. The department looked at a larger plan five years ago to strip the entire building’s contents. Only the structure would have been retained, but after officials realized the project would cost $118 million, it was nixed, Assistant Director Bart Hipple said. See diner, Page 3

onset of an economic downturn, causing officials to extend its deadline by a year to December 2012. However, university officials said becoming one of about 30 institutions across the country to raise more than $1 billion in a single drive was a “remarkable feat” for the university’s development, with nearly 130,000 donors contributing to the cause. Officials celebrated the conclusion

stephen alex rane, 1990-2013

‘He was there for everybody’ By Jenny Hottle Senior staff writer He was sarcastic, laughed a lot and sometimes made off-color jokes, but there was one thing everyone could agree on: Stephen Alex Rane was perfectly genuine and always sincere. It didn’t matter if Rane was talking with his best friends or chatting with classmates — he made it known that he cared. Rane, 22, died early Feb. 12 after his roommate, graduate student Dayvon Maurice Green, killed him and injured undergraduate student Neal Oa before shooting and killing himself, police said. Green had suffered from a mental illness for at least a year, according to Prince George’s County Police. Last night, a group of about 50 people — including family members and friends from the university and Rane’s

NEWS 2 OPINION 4 FEATURES 5 DIVERSIONS 6 CLASSIFIED 6 SPORTS 8

stephen alex rane will be remembered for his sincerity and kindess, family and friends said. photo courtesy of turna mukherjee high school — gathered near the sundial on McKeldin Mall to share memories of Rane. They laughed as they recalled the Ted Leo and the Pharmacists sweatshirt he was practically sewn into and smiled as students mentioned how he could make anyone feel better. “I’ve been watching messages on his Facebook wall pop up — it’s all helped,” his sister, Alison Rane, said to the group

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last night. “But for us, there’s going to be more difficult times ahead. I just hope that if you think of him sometime in the future, you tell us.” Born on June 18, 1990, in Lafayette, Ind., Rane attended West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School before transferring to Centennial High School

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See rane, Page 2

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February 20, 2013 by The Diamondback - Issuu