March 8, 2013

DIVERSIONS

NOT SO MAGICAL

Oz isn’t worthy of being a prequel p. 6

SPORTS

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REPEAT PERFORMANCE?

Terps hope to secure another ACC tournament title p. 8

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friDAY, march 8, 2013

Transgender bill gaining support Legislators confident bill will be able to pass this year

By Jim Bach Senior staff writer Coming off the heels of a successful campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in the state, LGBT advocates — joined by student leaders and university officials — are hopeful that a transgender anti-discrimination bill will make its way to Gov. Martin O’Malley’s desk this legislative session.

The Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2013, introduced by Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery), would prohibit discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment and applying to credit card companies and banks for credit. A similar bill was introduced during the 2011 legislative session but did not pass the Senate. But given the success of same-sex marriage in the state,

where for the first time in the country it passed at the hands of the voters, some say the bill has enough momentum to pass.

“The marriage debate has absorbed so much time, energy and attention over the last few years that a lot of other issues of importance to the LGBT community have sort of fallen by the wayside,” said Marilee Lindemann, director of this university’s LGBT studies program. “I’m especially pleased that in Maryland, almost the moment the marriage victory was secured, people’s attention turned to this issue.”

In February, the university’s Student Government Association voted to support the new antidiscrimination act. SGA President Samantha Zwerling said it’s important the body vote on such issues, even if they aren’t explicitly directed at See gender, Page 3

Fracking ban bill fails parking tickets are a nagging problem for many students, who say the Department of Transportation Services is too quick to dole out fines. Officials said the money helps lower parking and shuttle fees for the campus community. graphic by may wildman/the diamondback, file photo/the diamondback.

Paying the bills

By Sandra Müller Staff writer

DOTS says steep parking tickets for general fund

By Bradleigh Chance Staff writer Parking on the campus is never an easy feat.

Many students and visitors walk back to their cars, only to have their stomachs sink at the sight of the yellow ticket sitting on their windshields.

Some feel they’ve had this experience all too often. But the Department of Transportation Services uses the money from parking tickets for its general fund to help offset parking and shuttle fees for the campus community.

DOTS issued 82,725 parking tickets to campus drivers last year. The department has seven ticket writers at a time enforcing the campus’ parking policies, though officials said these employees do not have a quota to meet.

State Senate committee votes down 18-month ban; House of Delegates committee scheduled to hear bill today

“DOTS is about the only thing on this campus that is too efficient at what it does,” said Ross Seidman, a sophomore government and politics major.

The money generated from parking tickets mainly goes toward supporting the Shuttle-UM buses, DOTS Director David Allen said. Since the department hopes to reduce the number of cars on the campus, they hope charging steep parking rates will deter drivers from bringing their cars on the campus, Allen said.

Fines are doled out based on how much the department does not want drivers to do something, Allen said, rather than on what funds DOTS needs.

The University Senate’s Campus Transportation Advisory Committee determines the fines.

See parking, Page 3

Fracking may come to the state sooner than environmental activists had hoped after a state Senate committee failed to pass a bill this week that would ban the controversial gas extraction technique for 18 months.

The bill’s fate is now in the hands of delegates on the House Environmental Matters Committee, who are scheduled to hear it today.

The legislation would prevent oil and natural gas companies from using hydraulic fracturing — a process that uses highly pressurized water and chemicals to obtain previously unreachable oil and gas from shale rock formations — until the state completes studies to determine its environmental effects.

And the debate reached the campus last week when the Student Government Association could not agree on a bill that would have supported a ban. The legislature ultimately voted 21 to 2 to table the decision indefinitely.

Opponents of a ban point to the economic

del. heather Mizeur sponsored a House bill that would place an 18-month ban on fracking while it’s studied. file photo/the diamondback implications for the state and country, as U.S. oil production has reached its highest level in 15 years and the boom has led to more than a half million jobs. But environmentalists, including Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery), the House bill’s sponsor, note that because fracking’s environmental impacts are still not completely understood, the state should See fracking, Page 2

Upscale apt. complex coming along

Grad students win Green Fund

Domain at College Park for faculty, staff, grad students

By Madeleine List Staff writer

Two pairs are first to receive environmental fellowship

Hobbs added. Though Domain is not planning to advertise to undergraduate students, Hobbs said he welcomes anyone to apply for

Two pairs of graduate students became the first recipients of Green Fund Fellowships this semester after the university’s Council on the Environment saw promise in their sustainability research.

The fellowship is meant to encourage a meeting of minds, with graduate students coming together from separate fields to tackle a single environmental problem. The council, created in November 2011, intended to offer $10,000 to only one pair, but in January, the overwhelming number of quality proposals inspired the advisory group to award another $10,000 from its own funds to give two more students an opportunity to further their research.

The council has already announced another pair will receive a Green Fund Fellowship in the fall.

See domain, Page 2

See green, Page 2

By Teddy Amenabar Staff writer After months of construction, Domain at College Park is beginning to resemble the upscale apartment complex that will soon house faculty, staff and graduate students right off the campus at Mowatt Lane and Campus Drive.

Many apartment buildings that target student renters have struggled to reach capacity, but Domain’s managers are not concerned the building’s high price tag will scare off tenants — its first 50 lessees are set to move in by June. The complex will lease out the remaining 200 separate units in stages and plans to fill the apartment building by March 2014, UDR district manager Scott Hobbs said. A lease for a one-bedroom apartment at

INDEX

domain at college park is an upscale apartment complex in the works at Mowatt Lane and Campus Drive. The building, which is tailored toward faculty, staff and graduate students, already has 50 lessees slated to move in by June and aims to fill the rest by March 2014. photo courtesy of scott hobbs Domain is priced starting at $1,700, while twobedrooms will start at $2,530.

“It’s probably going to drive a certain demographic base, more towards professors,” Hobbs said.

The leasing office already has two applications,

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2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | friDAY, march 8, 2013

green From PAGE 1

domain at college park, an apartment building under construction next to Lot 1, will feature one-person apartments leased for $1,700 a month. photo courtesy of scott hobbs

domain From PAGE 1

“We haven’t seen any housing for nonstudents, and I think College Park needs both.”

“Development doesn’t have to be exclusively on Route 1,” she added.

There will also be four commercial retailers underneath Domain at College Park, including a Subway, Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt and Casey’s Coffee. With the Purple Line potentially slated to come through Campus Drive in the coming years, Stiefvater said he wouldn’t be surprised if Domain were adding these storefronts to predict future construction.

“They’re planning ahead,” Stiefvater said. “Maybe it’s kind of a forerunner to more development.”

While most students make a daily or weekly ritual of walking to businesses on Route 1, Yelena Guseva said it will be a nice change of pace to grab a bite behind South Campus.

“Route 1 tends to be really crowded and busy, so I think it’s less hectic [at Domain],” said Guseva, a freshman anthropology and economics major. “It’s harder for us to go up to The Varsity and the View, and they have a lot of really nice places there.”

University View resident KC Halter, a freshman mathematics education major, said he always goes to the restaurants nearby.

But once he moves onto the campus next year, he doesn’t think he’ll make the trip to Route 1 as often.

“That would be really convenient to have there, especially if I have to branch off from the diner food,” Halter added.

the leasing process.

“It’s not going to be directed, per se,” Hobbs said. “We’ll rent to whomever.”

There will likely be some undergraduates living in Domain, said city Economic Development Coordinator Michael Stiefvater, but they’ll be the exception.

There’s a strong market for an apartment complex close to the campus and directed toward faculty, he said.

“I’ve talked to faculty who are empty nesters and are interested in living there,” Stiefvater said. “I think it will be interesting. It’s the first new multifamily building in College Park since 2004.”

Domain entities will include a computer lounge, billiards lounge, 24-hour concierge service, a swimming pool, outdoor fire pit and grilling, a bike-share station, 24-hour business center, study lounges and underground parking for residents.

Because Domain is adjacent to the campus, Hobbs said, the location will be hard to beat for any professors who commute.

“Parking is at a premium here on campus,” Hobbs said.

“Having your home in the proximity of campus … not having to have a car, you save tons of money.”

Domain will fill a gap in the city’s housing offerings, said District 3 College Park City Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich.

“A lot of the development that’s been happening in College Park over the last 10 years or so has been primarily studenthousing oriented,” Stullich said. newsumdbk@gmail.com

fracking From PAGE 1

as we don’t have enough facts, we simply don’t know which approach we should take.”

Fracking would have “severe health effects” on state residents, said J.T. Stanley, the SGA bill’s sponsor. He noted the drilling process requires about 600 chemicals and could risk polluting drinking water if there are spills.

Other legislators, however, simply argued an SGA vote should not anticipate a state decision.

While Mizeur’s bill and the Senate bill would only temporarily ban fracking, Sen. Karen Montgomery (D-Montgomery) and Del. Shane Robinson (DMontgomery) took their bills one step further. The legislation calls for a ban on the entire drilling process and on depositing wastewater caused by fracking.

Fracking is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), a federal law that ensures the quality of Americans’ drinking water. Under SDWA, the Environmental Protection Agency sets standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities and water suppliers who implement those standards.

not be so quick to drill.

At the SGA meeting, Grace Sweeney, a member of Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit organization, said investing in fracking would not fall in line with the university’s green goals. Instead, she said, it would only encourage the state’s dependence on “dirty fossil fuel that will run out eventually.”

Gov. Martin O’Malley set aside $1.5 million in his proposed budget for fiscal year 2014 to study fracking. He also issued an executive order that prohibits the state’s environmental department from approving drilling permits until the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative completes its study.

By next year, a final report should be done evaluating the risks and benefits of fracking for public health and the local economy, Mizeur said. Although O’Malley’s proposed funding is a “good start,” Mizeur said, it’s not enough to conduct all the necessary research, which she said would likely cost about $4 million.

“I am skeptical of hydraulic fracturing”, she said. “But as long newsumdbk@gmail.com

“In grad school, it’s very difficult to engage in cross-disciplinary collaborations,” said Joe Maher, one of the fellowship recipients and an agricultural and resource economics graduate student. “This gave us incentive to combine our specializations to do an interesting research project neither of us could do on our own.”

Maher is working with Xiaopeng Song, a geography graduate student, on a project to evaluate how deforestation is impacted by protected areas, plots of rainforest that companies buy to offset their carbon emissions.

Song’s expertise is in remote sensing, which he has used to create spatially precise, highresolution satellite images that show deforestation rates more accurately over time. Maher can then analyze this data from an economic policy standpoint and determine whether the protected areas had any substantial impact on deforestation rates.

“Having an accurate assessment of the effectiveness and the cost-effectiveness of protected areas is what we’re getting at because it informs what kind of role carbon offsets should have in comprehensive climate policy,” Maher said.

He and Song plan to use most of their grant money to travel to conferences and cover the costs of publishing once they have their results, Maher said. Hopefully, he added, their research findings will shed some light on current environmental policy, especially a United Nations agreement called REDD+, in which partner countries buy carbon offsets in tropical rainforests to mitigate the effects of their own greenhouse gas emissions.

The council awarded a second grant to David Daily and Scott Tjaden for their research on the effects of integrating green roofs and solar panels to improve energy efficiency.

Two pairs of graduate students received the university’s first Green Fund Fellowships in January. Xiaopeng Song and Joe Maher (top) study deforestation and Scott Tjaden and David Daily (bottom) research solar panels and green roofs. photos courtesy of joe maher and david daily The two met as undergraduates when they worked on the university’s winning entry to the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, a solar-powered home inspired by the Chesapeake Bay. Daily, an electrical engineering major, and Tjaden, an environmental science and technology major, had several ideas for research but weren’t sure if they would be able to work together on a joint project.

However, when they heard about the council’s fellowships for interdisciplinary work, they thought they would make the perfect team, Tjaden said.

Their research is aimed at comparing the energy efficiency of solar panels to a solar-powered roof that is also covered in vegetation. They hypothesize

that using a solar panel combined with a green roof will be more efficient because of the plants’ cooling effects. Not only do solar panels produce more energy in cooler air, but a green roof can help keep the building cool as well, which can cut down its energy use in the summer, Daily said.

“If you combine the two technologies, it’s creating that larger system that can have beneficial effects,” he said.

Green roofs are relatively inexpensive, require minimal maintenance and can provide other benefits such as managing storm water runoff, Tjaden said.

The university has already started to use green roofs on many of its buildings, including the physics building,

Cumberland Hall and parts of Stamp Student Union, Tjaden said. The duo hopes their research will encourage wider use of green roofs, especially when paired with solar panels.

“In the end, we’re trying to make things more efficient, more cost effective and overall better for the environment,” he said.

Both groups will present their findings to the council when they finish their projects at the end of the year. However, Daily said he’s looking forward to pursuing more research with experts outside his field.

“Departments usually stick within their own areas,” Daily said.

“They don’t like to branch out, but when they do, it’s a good thing.” newsumdbk@gmail.com

friday, march 8, 2013 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

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parking From PAGE 1

STUDENTS lobbied for same-sex marriage in 2012 in Annapolis when the issue was brought to referendum. Gender rights advocates hope the referendum’s success will give a new transgender anti-discrimination bill enough momentum to pass this year. file photo/the diamondback

GENDER From PAGE 1 students in the way tuition increases or the University System’s budget are.

“It’s really important for people to acknowledge that students aren’t only students and that we’re also citizens of this state; we’re voting members of this state that have full rights just like everybody else,” Zwerling said. “It’s really the government’s job to make sure that we’re representing students, not only as students but as citizens.”

And legislators should listen to college students, Zwerling said, especially because they tend to support gender equality issues. In November, more than 70 percent of students who voted on the campus voted in favor of same-sex marriage.

“Especially with our generation, you’re just seeing a lot more inclusiveness just in general,” Zwerling said. “We do have students that are affected by this legislation and do identify with this community.”

Without such a bill, transgender individuals are more likely to be the target of discrimination, Lindemann said.

“It’s important to have ex-

plicit protections for gender nonconforming people,” Lindemann said. “In the absence of those protections, they can be and have been discriminated against in a variety of ways in things like housing and accommodations and employment.”

But the bill is not without its critics. Opponents have said the best solution is not to push legislation, but to help transgender people seek counseling and come to terms with their biological identity.

“The solution to this problem is not actions — up to and including self-mutilating surgery amputating healthy body parts — which will reinforce this disconnect with reality,” said Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies of the Family Research Council, in testimony against the bill. “The solution is compassionate counseling aimed at helping the individual to uncover the psychological roots of their gender identity problems, and to become comfortable with one’s actual biological sex.”

Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s) introduced the bill in the House of Delegates in 2011. It faced its biggest hurdles in the Senate, where the leadership never brought the bill to the floor for a vote. Luke

Jenson, the director of the LGBT Equity Center at this university, said he was skeptical of the traditional opposition to the bill that kept it from a Senate vote.

“There’s been an active campaign of misinformation from people who don’t want to see this law pass,” Jensen said. “[The bill’s opponents] said someone could dress up as a woman and go into a woman’s restroom and harass them.”

Such concerns are unfounded, he added, because “that would still be illegal.

Harassment’s harassment.”

Housing remains an issue of particular concern for the transgender community, Jensen said.

Generally, transgender individuals’ income levels are “abysmally low,” he said, and they often face discrimination when seeking low-income housing.

“Its not untypical for a transgender person to be homeless,” Jensen said. “If you’ve got people who need housing and low-income housing, you don’t want to create discriminatory practices so that they can’t get in and have a roof over their head.” newsumdbk@gmail.com

Parking meter tickets are now a $25 fine, up from $15. Inconveniencing another driver by parking in a service spot or in the wrong lot carries a $75 fine, while safety issues — such as parking in a fire lane or blocking a roadway — will result in a $100 ticket.

Those who take a spot designated for handicapped drivers will be slapped with a $250 fine, and committing fraud, such as by putting an old ticket in the window, carries a $300 fine.

The steepest citation, which comes from drivers using a disabled permit that doesn’t belong to them, costs $500.

Even though the money from tickets helps decrease fees, many students said they find themselves paying hundreds of dollars in tickets. Stephanie Heuber said she has received at least three or four parking tickets.

“They don’t need to write this many. If you run your laundry into the dorm and are gone for maybe five minutes, you come back and there is a ticket,” the senior animal sciences major said. “They cost more than a speeding ticket.”

Heuber said the department needs to be more clear about which lots students can park in.

“When I was a freshman, I had no idea which lots were free after four, and one of my very first tickets was issued because I parked in a space where this rule did not apply,” she said.

And many students had similar sentiments, believing the parking policies are not consistent across the campus.

“They could definitely do more to educate students about the different types of citations and the differing costs,” Seidman said. “They should be more explicit with certain spots around campus.”

Some campus lots are free

DOTS issued more than 82,000 parking tickets last year. DOTS officials said revenue from the tickets helps offset parking and shuttle fees for the campus community. file photo/the diamondback after 4 p.m., but there are often spaces reserved for service vehicles or ones that are only free after 8 p.m. These variations can make navigating the university’s parking policies confusing, Heuber said.

But DOTS officials said they work to ensure as few people as possible end up with tickets because of misunderstandings.

“We try to make everything as clear as possible so that people don’t get tickets inadvertently,” Allen said. “Once we’re able to eliminate that problem, the only tickets being issued are to those who choose to violate parking policy.”

Some drivers will only put an hour in the meter, even if they know more time is needed, Allen said, and others choose to park in lots they don’t have permits for.

“The $75 tickets are a bit excessive, and the $25 ones for meters can definitely be ridicu-

lous, especially when the meter is only expired by a couple of minutes,” Seidman said.

But even he agrees these high costs serve as a decent deterrent.

“People often say that $75 is too much for a citation,” Allen said. “But tickets aren’t supposed to be affordable — they should catch people’s attention.

If they were, drivers wouldn’t do what they’re supposed to.”

If the department didn’t issue as many citations, however, parking fees for drivers would go up, Allen said. DOTS wrote twice as many citations a year two decades ago, he added.

“I’ve been here for 27 years, and this past year we’re seeing the least amount of money come from citations than ever,” Allen said. “It’s not that people are conforming more to regulations. It’s just that there are fewer cars registered to park.” newsumdbk@gmail.com

4

Opinion

THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

EDITORIAL BOARD

YASMEEN ABUTALEB Editor in Chief

Mike King

Managing Editor

Fighting for women’s rights

J

Managing Editor

maria romas Opinion Editor

nadav karasov Opinion Editor

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

STAFF EDITORIAL

oe Biden is a polarizing figure. Some consider him one of the greatest politicians this generation has seen, while others see him as lazy, crass and ineffective. But there’s no denying the vice president’s unwavering support of protecting American women.

In 1994, he drafted the Violence Against Women Act, which provides federal funding for programs and research to prevent and prosecute domestic and sexual violence; it eventually garnered enough bipartisan support to become law. Since then, it has been continuously amended and improved, until September 2011 — when the act expired, it stalled in Congress because of typical partisan gridlock.

But after weeks of debate, both the House and Senate ultimately passed a comprehensive reauthorization for President Obama to sign. It now ensures colleges — including this university — will continue to receive federal funding for sexual assault prevention programs, and includes a vast number of other benefits for women across the nation.

And now, the law includes a provision that directly protects students across the country: the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, which requires colleges to report dating violence incidents, sexual assault and stalking. The act also strengthens procedures for notifying victims of their legal rights and maintains campuswide policies for addressing and preventing sexual assault. This editorial board hopes the university capitalizes on this provision by creating more initiatives to educate the campus on sexual assault.

While VAWA makes strides in improving the culture surrounding domestic and sexual assault, these problems are far from

Tyler Weyant

disappearing anytime soon. Students need to continue spearheading a movement to diminish the culture of silence surrounding violence against women.

Although the rate of sexual assault decreased between 1995 and 2005, it leveled off between 2005 and 2010, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report. Additionally, the report shows fewer women reporting sexual assault to police — a statistic that includes a significant number of victims on college campuses. Studies have found 20 to 25

OUR VIEW

In order to change a culture of violence against women, we need to continue to fight and educate ourselves. percent of college women have experienced rape or attempted rape — that 350 rapes are likely to occur annually on a campus with a student population of 10,000. And this university has about 37,000 students.

The work that has been done on this campus to talk more openly about sexual assault should not be forgotten, but VAWA doesn’t go far enough in protecting sexual assault victims.

Because colleges receive federal funding, we hope to see the university become a leader in not only prevention, but in an open dialogue about how to help those who are victims. In a Wednesday Diamondback article, African American studies professor Melinda Chateauvert said ideal domestic violence legislation would focus more on empowering victims and helping them get jobs to become self-sufficient — something

VAWA fails to fully address as is. So there is still a ways to go before VAWA and other similar pieces of legislation are fully comprehensive.

Minutes before Obama signed the bill into law yesterday, Biden said: “We knew from the outset in 1994 that there was much more we could have done at the beginning if we were able to get the votes. But we did what was necessary and important, but we knew more had to be done to reduce domestic violence, domestic violence homicides, to provide new tools, as was just spoken to … address the perplexing rate of dating violence among young women, and so much more.”

The Centers for Disease Control’s 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey show that 1.3 million women were raped in 2009, one in six women have been stalked during their lifetime and one in four women have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner. Before signing the bill, Obama pointed to the fact that domestic violence still kills three women a day, one in five women will be a victim of rape in their lifetime and one in three women is abused by a partner.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from yesterday is when Obama said: “I promise you — not just as your president, but as a son, and a husband and a father — I’m going to keep at this. I know Vice President Biden is going to keep at it. My administration is going to keep at it for as long as it takes.”

We must embody this same sentiment. This is an uphill battle, but if we continue fighting and refuse to accept any level of sexual assault, the unacceptable culture of violence against women can finally begin to fall.

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Opinions are stupid Everyone has them and wants to share them, but we should all just shut up DREW FARRELL A f te r m y s c re a m i n g “ O h ” column ran Monday, I got an angry email slamming the piece for its prideful Maryland arrogance. I know not everyone screams “Oh” during the national anthem, and many who don’t simply find it distasteful. So I wasn’t surprised by the email.

Despite my lack of surprise, the email still made my head hurt — it was the proverbial opinion straw that broke the fed-up-with-people’s-opinions camel’s back.

I understand there are two types of opinions: valid and timely (provide us with progress and insightful conversations) and forced and arrogant (annoy us the rest of the time). I also understand, as an opinion columnist, there is a hefty bit of irony in a rant about this particular topic, but I’m going to do it anyway.

In May, I will be graduating from this fine university along with thousands of other students. I’ll be handed a diploma, patted on the back and sent merrily on my way, probably only asked to come back for money or if I become famous.

Despite my GPA, credits and extracurriculars (this column is pretty much it), all I will have to show for this “accomplishment” is a piece of paper millions of other college seniors will get as well.

Graduating college used to be a big moment in a young man or woman’s life; now, it feels like the market is oversaturated with the dumb, grown-up versions of the kids who played in the Little Leagues in which everyone got a trophy.

Somewhere in the span of human existence, opinions shed their protective humble coating and entered into the realm of misplaced egos and entitlement. (A diploma no doubt added to this phenomenon.) It’s a scary proposition that everyone has an opinion — because if everyone has an opinion, everyone is

so busy constantly competing with one another about who’s right and who’s wrong that nobody sits back and thinks about how little they actually know.

Whoever came up with the phrase “I’m entitled to my opinion” must not have realized the ticking time bomb he or she released on humanity and the scariness of the free reign of one’s own opinion.

If you don’t believe me, scroll through the comments on Fox News, CNN, ESPN or even The Diamondback websites to see how nasty, or at the very least, condescending, humans can be to one another under the veil of anonymity. The Internet is basically the amalgamation of ignorant opinions, and all it seems to have given us is death threats to field goal kickers who miss big kicks and racist or homophobic garbage underneath any remotely political article. And the worst part is, the best we can do now is “agree to disagree,” which only means your ego and my ego are choosing pride over progress.

Enough with the opinions. Here is a fact. About every second, three babies are born to one person dying. That’s three new arrogant little babies’ opinions to every one withered, ignorant dead opinion going away, netting two brand-spanking-new, stupid opinions every second. That means in one minute alone, 180 people will enter this world who think about the same proudful dumb things as you and me.

Imagine you’re driving and every minute, 180 cars magically show up in front of you, cut you off, start honking their horns and do their best to impede you from where you’re trying to go.

How long would you even last on the road before you jerked the steering wheel and aimed for the nearest tree?

On second thought, don’t answer that. Perhaps the opinion forced on a nonlistening ear has the same fate of the tree that falls in the forest with nobody around to hear it. Does it make a sound?

No one cares.

Drew Farrell is a senior English m a j o r. H e c a n b e re a c h e d a t dfarrell@terpmail.umd.edu.

GUEST COLUMN

The merits of our country’s freedom ben stryker/the diamondback

The elusive, imperative free pancakes JOSHUA DOWLING On Thursday, I woke up dreadfully early to an iPhone calendar alert informing me “PANCAKES FREE” was happening in 10 minutes. No context, location or other details — just “PANCAKES FREE” at 9 a.m. Still groggy, I bounded from my bed and started making calls. Don’t let that fool you; I only have one friend — I just called her several dozen times.

When she answered, she faced a barrage of questions about the pancakes. Did she know how they got there? Did she know where they were?

Most importantly: Did she know how I could get them?

My enthusiasm began to wane as it became clear no one knew anything about the free pancakes. Why did I put it in my calendar if it wasn’t real? What kind of sadomasochistic weirdo am I that I would lie to myself about pancakes?

Now, to be perfectly clear, I am not even sure if I really like pancakes. If

we’re being honest, I could eat maple syrup, whipped cream and powdered sugar for days on end. But pancakes?

I’m less sure of them.

But since that moment, I have wanted nothing more than pancakes.

Pancakes consume me. I don’t even like them, but they are all I have ever wanted. I feel the same way about the treadmill in the gym: I don’t like it, and it really isn’t that fun, but I find myself inevitably drawn to its rotating floor.

“Food will never hurt you,” my mother once told me, as she shoved Oreos in my direction moments after I told her of my latest middle-school heartbreak. And she was right. It wasn’t pancakes that hurt me last Thursday. It was a malicious pastJoshua Dowling who decided he could fool future-Joshua with the promise of free pancakes. I can’t believe me sometimes.

I tried to drown my pain by drinking a chocolate milkshake and eating a quesadilla I pretended was a pancake.

It wasn’t my wisest move, and my stomach certainly drove that point home throughout the day, but it made me feel better about the pancake

problem, at least momentarily.

After some research, I determined my cryptic promise of free pancakes was, in fact, applicable and very real.

But it was a year too late. Last year, IHOP’s free pancake day was on Feb. 28. Shocked I had missed it, I put the event in my calendar and had it repeat yearly. This year, however, IHOP had National Pancake Day on Feb. 5.

This ridiculous bait and switch on the part of IHOP is unacceptable and has led to an undue amount of stress and hardship on my part. I can only hope next year’s free pancake day falls on Feb. 28 again, or I fear I will be subjected to even worse emotional turmoil.

Missing free pancake day twice?

Could any man survive such a travesty? Free pancake day should be a national holiday, a day off for all Americans — except, of course, IHOP employees. We should abandon the current rhetoric around gun control and fiscal cliffs. That can wait — pancakes can’t.

Joshua Dowling is a senior government and politics and history major. He can be reached at dowlingj@terpmail.umd.edu.

AIR YOUR VIEWS Address your letters or guest columns to Maria Romas and Nadav Karasov at opinionumdbk@gmail.com. All submissions must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and phone number. Please limit letters to 300 words and guest columns to between 500 and 600 words. Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright of the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.

Allowing the president the ability to use military drones infringes on our rights

T

hose who would forsake essential liberties in order to purchase a little temporary security deserve neither, Benjamin Franklin wrote.

On March 4, Attorney General Eric Holder wrote a letter stating that President Obama has the authority to use a military drone to kill American citizens inside the U.S. Now, I know what you might be thinking — the president would only use this power if he believes there is a terrorist inside the country. I am inclined to agree with you, but maybe we should look at how the government classifies a terrorist.

According to a training manual released by a U.S. Department of Justice program, a potential terrorist could be a person who: uses social media, doesn’t like paying taxes, flies the U.S. flag … are you getting my point? You sure?

This country is on the verge of losing whatever remnants of freedom and liberty it has left. Now again, you’re probably thinking: But our country and our president would never do that — we are the good guys. And again, I am inclined to agree with you.

It isn’t like we have put U.S. citizens in internment camps, overthrown democratically elected governments and installed puppet dictatorial regimes, fired on a village of innocent women and children or given a portion of the population syphilis.

But we have.

In order, I give you: Japanese internment during World War II, Operation Ajax in Iran, Moro Crater Massacre in the Philippines and the

Tuskegee Experiments. I am sad to say the U.S. government has done all of these things, and it is important we realize what, in fact, our government is capable of.

Is it that hard to believe the U.S. government could kill a citizen unjustly and without trial?

Look at Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, a 16-year-old American citizen who was killed by an Obama administration drone strike in 2011 in Yemen. He was never accused of a crime, yet the government felt it had the right to kill him, simply because of who his father was. Being related to a criminal is not a crime, and if he was suspected of wrongdoing, why was he not charged with anything?

The Bill of Rights clearly states all citizens deserve a speedy and fair trial.

But do our rights only matter when it is convenient for the government? Is there an asterisk in the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights I missed?

The fact is we are slowly heading toward a point at which we need to decide if we truly value the freedoms people have given their lives for. You can never truly be safe from everything — no government can provide that.

Yet we grant the government the power to tap our phones, spy on us, indefinitely detain us without charge or trial and now kill us in our homes.

So will we continue down the path we have been on, or do we finally wake up and stand up for our inalienable rights?

Brian Rothman is a junior management and marketing major. He can be reached at broth262@gmail.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013 | THE DIAMONDBACK

5

Features ACROSS 1 Hoarfrost 5 Fend off 10 Large fishhook 14 OPEC member 15 Pale 16 Culture medium 17 In -- (as found) 18 Makes level 19 Moon, to a centurion 20 Manor 22 Worst of all 24 Diet 26 Cookout 27 Root vegetable 30 Afternoon nap 34 Shade 35 Thumbs-up votes 38 Lomond and Ness 39 Regal emblem 40 Clean energy 42 Indiana Jones quest 43 Brother’s daughter 46 La Scala site 48 Spike or Bruce 49 Cream-filled pastry 51 Pried 53 Dracula’s -Stoker 55 Aussie rock group 56 Brought about 60 Listened to

64 65 67 68 69 70

Secluded valley Leave in awe Pretentious Opening Pyle of sitcoms “-- drummers drumming . . .”

71 Dr.’s visit 72 Hairpin curves 73 Bandy words

CROSSWORD

37 41 44 45 47

Tex-Mex dip Stock holders?

Kitchen fixture Blarney Stone site Twig juncture

50 Do ruinous damage to 52 Barracuda habitats 54 Quick reminders

DOWN 1 Swell, as a river 2 Rainbow goddess 3 Marshal Dillon 4 Social peers 5 Dears 6 Hebrew T 7 Ice skater’s leap 8 Cobra toxin 9 Happens next 10 Early astronomer 11 Feverish chill 12 Ceiling fixtures 13 Toga party site 21 Like microbes 23 Ride a windjammer 25 -- salts 27 Get in touch with 28 Mr. Goldfinger 29 Refuse to obey 31 Cut too short 32 -- Dog Night 33 Set a price 36 Yale athlete

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56 57 58 59 61

Turkish title Filly’s footfall Call to a lifeguard River tamers Roof problem

62 Still-active volcano 63 Batik artisan 66 Mark of Zorro

B

HOROSCOPE STELLA WILDER

orn today, you don’t always pursue your heart’s desire with all the dedication and resolve that it deserves -- but the reason, likely, is that you are too busy thinking about supplying the needs of others before satisfying your own. Yes, your generosity is one of your greatest gifts -- but it is also a liability where your own success is concerned, for there are times when dedication to your own plans and your own ambitions is paramount. You are fully able to reach your goals and achieve big things -- but there are times in which you must allow yourself to be a little selfish in order to do so.

You are able to wrap your brain around the most complex issues and lofty notions; indeed, you can be quite satisfied by simply sitting and thinking about a problem for a while.

Ultimately, however, you must swing into action -- for yourself or for others -- in order for your brainpower to pay off.

Also born on this date are: Lynn Redgrave, actress; Carole Bayer Sager, singer and songwriter; Cyd Charisse, dancer and actress; Oliver Wendell Holmes, U.S. Supreme Court justice; Alan Hale Jr., actor.

To see what is in store for you tomorrow, find your birthday and read the corresponding paragraph. Let your birthday star be your daily guide.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -It’s a good day to remember what others have done in your position

-- though you needn’t copy them outright, to be sure.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You have a way of imparting information that allows others to “own” their situations. You, too, must own yours!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Take responsibility for what you have done -- and only what you have done. Now is no time for you to be a hero and cover for someone else.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -You can bring someone into the modern age today by introducing him or her to the kinds of tools everyone uses these days!

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -What you want to do may not be in the best interest of those whom you currently serve. The time will come for you to be more self-serving.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You must not take for granted that which is necessary to your well-being and which is made possible by someone in the shadows.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- A mystery is not likely to be solved outright today, but you can gather a few important clues and begin to

understand its significance.

LIBRA (Sept.23-Oct. 22) -- It may be up to you today to keep the peace -- at home, especially, where someone is getting a little too big for his britches!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -You’ll have the chance to celebrate a recent winning move today -- but take care that a rival doesn’t catch you off guard with a new assault.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- You may not be able to get as far as you had planned, or make progress as swiftly as you had hoped, but you can still make measurable gains.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -Someone you know well is waiting for you to make even a minor error so he or she can rush in and save the day. This may not be a bad thing!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- You’ll have to make one or two difficult choices today, but when all is said and done, you may be “sitting pretty” as you had hoped.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

Diversions

ON THE BLOG

COMEDY’S DIGITAL DEATH?

Staff writers Dean Essner and Beena Raghavendran face off on whether the Internet is killing modern comedy, while Emily Thompson speaks to Erick Jackson of Heavy Breathing, one of the area’s most innovative bands. For more, visit diamondbackonline.com.

REVIEW | OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

IF IT ONLY HAD A BRAIN

Sam Raimi’s prequel to The Wizard of Oz has plenty of eye candy and fleeting moments of wit, but it lacks the heart or intelligence to justify plundering a classic

By Dean Essner Staff writer Sam Raimi’s (Drag Me To Hell) horribly titled, $200 million Oz the Great and Powerful is a movie that uses up all of its creative energy in the first scene as a decoy to lure us into the vapidity that lies just beyond its brilliant opening minutes.

In fact, the stellar introductory sequence contrasts bizarrely and unevenly with the rest of the film, functioning as an out-of-place prologue that’s nevertheless the film’s highlight.

We begin in Kansas at a makeshift carnival, the screen a winsome coat of black and white. We’re introduced to Oscar Diggs (James Franco, The Letter), who is a magician with an act based more on scam than real sorcery.

These initial moments are wistful and sweet, akin to something a sobered, PG-rated Terry Gilliam might construct. Yet whether we find Oscar tinkering with a Thomas Edison-inspired trick in his cluttered trailer or performing onstage with his trusty, somewhat inept assistant (Zach Braff, The High Cost of Living) working behind a curtain, everything here feels fleeting. It’s as if this gor-

geous, breathless, infinitesimally small sequence could blow away at any moment. And it does.

Oscar, fleeing the carnival after being chased off by an angry husband he has cuckolded, floats in a hot air balloon all the way to a mystical world, and, at the same time, into another movie. Suddenly, we’re surrounded by Technicolor terrains of trees and mountains and flowers that magically open their petals as soon as the camera pans past them.

You guessed it — we’re in Oz, or so says Mila Kunis (Ted), who plays her character, Theodora, like a lifeless android given nothing more to do than stand around, flash pretty smiles and add superfluous gestures to her otherwise wooden dialogue.

And when (spoiler alert) she becomes the Wicked Witch of the West out of lustful frustration, she cackles like a high schooler turned misfit turned unconvincing villain.

Theodora tells Oscar he is the “wizard” Oz has been waiting for and promptly brings him to Emerald City to meet another witch, Evanora (Rachel Weisz, The Bourne Legacy).

There, Oscar learns about a massive gold fortune he will inherit if he is able

to defeat the evil forces plaguing the land. Along the way, we meet a flying monkey (also Braff) and yet another witch (Michelle Williams, Take This Waltz), all while traveling endlessly up and down the yellow brick road.

It all proves to be a massive bore, a fact nearly impossible to fathom given both the brilliance of the opening sequence and the time-honored source material inspiring the film.

One could perhaps praise Raimi — who has been making good niche movies for a long, long time — for the 3-D effects. It doesn’t look quite as splendorous as the massive budget would suggest, but there are enough pleasing visuals to keep you awake, at the very least. Maybe.

What’s truly concerning are the character-to-actor relationships.

Franco plays Oscar as the same Franco you’d probably see at the bagel store: with half-baked squinty eyes and a tendency to comment on how awkward or out of place he feels. Even when surrounded by the inspiration of Oz, Oscar has nothing interesting to contribute.

His brain is full of hot air and salami. One could even make the case that, based on the amount of

LAVISH VISUALS and talented actresses, such as Rachel Weisz (above) and Michelle Williams, can’t compensate for a weak story and a typically vacant performance from James Franco. photo courtesy of movies.inquirer.net women he seduces in the story, his motivation comes from somewhere other than his noggin.

And these women are used as nothing more than eye-candy pawns.

In one scene, there’s Williams, with not a word to utter, in a too-tight laced corset. In another scene, Kunis meets Oscar and promptly hooks up with him, with only five or so minutes elapsing in between. It’s truly a shame these phenomenal actresses — especially Williams — are given nothing to do but look pretty while golden boy Franco saves the day.

The worst perpetrator, though, is the man at the creative helm. There’s no classic Raimi campiness, the trademark tool used to elevate his past horror films, to be found in Oz the Great and Powerful. Some characters screech, make faces and try to be scary, and in other cases say silly things to try to make us laugh. But in the end, all efforts prove to be fruitless.

In a cold grave somewhere, L. Frank Baum is turning restlessly. Somebody forgot to follow the yellow brick road. diversionsdbk@gmail.com

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2EVEN FRIDAY, March 8, 2013 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

GRIFFIN From PAGE 8 percentage ranks third among players who have taken at least 15 shots.

After her first three-score game against Duke on Feb. 24, Griffin was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week. On Tuesday against the Retrievers, she did it again.

“She’s an excellent shooter,” coach Cathy Reese said. “She’s got good field sense, can read the plays, can see what’s going on. Because of that, she puts herself in the right place at the right time.”

Two of Griffin’s tallies on Tuesday came by way of Alex Aust. The attacker, whose seven assists against the Retrievers set a program record, has developed a unique bond with Griffin on the field.

The duo has worked together to score eight goals this year. Aust has

THE DIAMONDBACK THE DIAMONDBACK | XXXDAY, | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER AUGUST XX, 31, 20127

found Griffin at least once in each of the Terps’ past four contests, and on the year, she has helped Griffin find the net for five of her 11 tallies.

“She contributes all over the field,” Aust said. “She hasn’t missed a beat. I can’t even imagine the team without her.”

Griffin’s success is nothing new for the Terps, as her 40 goals last season ranked No. 4 on the team. Still, the midfielder hasn’t taken her journey for granted.

After all, two years ago, she was forced to watch her teammates from the bench.

After suffering the debilitating injury, Griffin wondered whether she would ever step on a collegiate lacrosse field.

“You think about that in the back of your head,” Griffin said. “But I have my coaches, everyone on this team. It was easy to come back.”

Griffin joins Katie Schwarzmann, Kelly McPartland and Taylor Cummings on a Terps midfield that has

helped lead the team to an undefeated start to the season.

Schwarzmann and McPartland are members of the U.S. national team, and Cummings’ team-leading 30 draw controls have put her among the nation’s elite rookies. Griffin, cognizant of how lucky she is to be on the field, fits right in.

“She just loves to play,” Reese said.

“She’s a competitor … just keeps getting better.”

Reese is happy the midfielder has returned to full strength. If anything, the injury has helped Griffin evolve into a more complete player, something she’ll hope to show off again tomorrow when the Terps (6-0) play the Nittany Lions (4-1).

“She wants to be out there,” Reese said. “With her being sidelined for a year, she’s learned a lot. It’s helped her in her overall game sense.” sportsdbk@gmail.com

Midfielder Brooke Griffin (No. 11) has scored eight goals so far this season, and her 19 points rank third on the team. She and the Terps will host Penn State at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex tomorrow. file photo/the diamondback

TOURNAMENT From PAGE 8

Coach Mark Turgeon was frustrated after the Terps’ 79-68 loss to North Carolina on Wednesday and used the word “disappointment” four times. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

CAVALIERS From PAGE 8 a tall order for a squad that hasn’t won more than two consecutive ACC games this season.

So as the Terps (20-10, 8-9 ACC) prepare to finish off a disappointing regular season Sunday against the Cavaliers (20-10, 10-7), they understand that the time for talking has expired. It’s time to finally remedy the chronic inconsistency that soured a once-charmed campaign. It’s time for a young bunch to string together a sizable winning streak.

If the ACC tournament started today, the Terps would earn a No. 6 seed and face Wake Forest — a team they’ve already beaten twice this season — in the first round. And assuming they manage to squeak past the Demon Deacons for a third time, No. 3-seed North Carolina would await them in the quarterfinals.

The only way the Terps can make that stretch less daunting? Pull off the upset in Charlottesville, Va., and

improve their ACC road mark to 3-6.

“We have a great opportunity in front of us with Virginia,” center Alex Len said. “We’ve just got to win that game.”

That’s no easy task. The Cavaliers own an 8-0 conference record at John Paul Jones Arena this season and are desperate to boost a borderline NCAA tournament resume. They know pundits won’t look fondly on their road losses to a host of conference bottom-feeders and a couple early season defeats against mid-majors.

So from Virginia’s viewpoint, Sunday is a must-win game as well.

Of course, the matchup won’t represent new territory for the Terps.

They’ve faced scrappy teams on the road in must-win scenarios three times over the past three weeks.

Coach Mark Turgeon’s squad fell flat in two of those games — double-digit losses at Boston College and Georgia Tech — before ousting Wake Forest on Chris Paul Day on Saturday.

The night-and-day showings showcased the erratic play that has come to define this Terps season. They are sluggish one night and inspired

the next. Which team will decide to show up seems to be anyone’s guess.

The even-keeled Turgeon has put the inconsistency in context much of the season. He details the difficulties of playing seven underclassmen, and says his Terps are “right on track.”

But Turgeon’s irritation was on full display moments after yet another letdown nearly squelched his team’s NCAA tournament chances Wednesday. He used the word “disappointment” four times in his postgame press conference, and openly derided Len’s inability to contribute during critical stretches. He seemed desperate and nearly out of answers.

Turgeon’s players echoed the same frustrations. They know they’ve lost more games than they can afford, and they understand it’s time to piece together a run.

“I feel we have to do really good,” forward Dez Wells said of the Terps’ postseason chances. “I don’t want to put any pressure on my team, but I feel like we have to do really good.”

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POSTSEASON

Defender Goran Murray became the third Terp to win ACC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in a win over Duke. He’ll look to shut down Stony Brook midfielder Jeff Tundo on Sunday. christian jenkins/the diamondback

From PAGE 8 and Virginia — few are expecting the hosts to contend for another championship.

“It’s not even close,” McCoy said.

“We’re not supposed to win. Virginia Tech has had a tremendous year, and UVA is right behind them. We’re the underdog. People aren’t gunning for us, they are gunning for those other teams.”

Wrestling alongside the Terps’ four stalwarts will be 125-pound Shane Gentry, 141-pound Frank Goodwin, 149-pound Lou Mascola, 157-pound Danny Orem, 165-pound Domenic DeRobertis and heavyweight Dallas Brown. Only two of them competed in last season’s tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C. — Gentry fell in the finals, and Goodwin lost in the first round.

Asper also ended his tournament run with a loss last season, falling to the Hokies’ Peter Yates in the 165pound finals. This year, the senior isn’t going to let a second individual championship slip through his fingers.

“It’s my last ACC tournament, and it’s at home,” Asper said. “This is the first time we’ve had it at home since I have been at Maryland, and it’s a good feeling. I’m just very concentrated on winning this.”

As is customary, the Terps had more than two weeks off between their

award for the second straight season yesterday — the Terps are once again poised to make a run at Sunday’s championship.

“We’re used to a tough schedule,” Frese said. “From our upperclassmen’s end, they’re used to this.”

Even with four newcomers seeing major minutes, the Terps aren’t worried about any assimilation to the tournament environment. They’ve already seen each team at least once during the season, giving them an element of familiarity.

“Nothing’s really changed,” forward Tianna Hawkins said. “The only thing is that if we lose, we go home. If you go into each game like you’ve gone into this year, confident, just playing your game, you’ll be good. It’s just we’re playing games back to back. If we lose, we go home.”

Beyond a conference championship, there could be more at stake for the Terps. They enter the weekend ranked No. 10 in Monday’s AP poll and No. 10 in the RPI computer rankings. That position, analyst Debbie Antonelli said, puts them right on the line for a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, which will begin March 23 in College Park, regardless of this weekend’s results.

A strong performance on the weekend could vault the Terps into the top eight teams of the tournament.

An early exit, and the No. 3 seed could be expected.

“You can only help yourself; you can’t hurt yourself in conference tournaments,” Antonelli said Monday. “I think you can only help your opportunity, not necessarily hurt it, unless you’re in the bubble — then you’ve got to win.”

Despite the ramifications for the national tournament, there’s nothing beyond this weekend for the Terps.

In fact, there’s nothing beyond this evening’s matchup with Wake Forest.

There’s no looking at a potential rubber match with No. 3-seed North Carolina tomorrow, and there’s no peeking at the course for a rematch with No. 1-seed Duke, a team that swept the Terps this season, on Sunday.

“We’re focused on the present right now,” Frese said. “Your present will control your future. We’re focused on coming in and playing the best possible basketball we can play.”

Winning an ACC Championship this weekend would be yet another notch for the Terps in a season where things could have easily gone downhill fast.

Despite the injuries, the Terps have reeled off a nine-game win streak, hung tough with top-five teams and performed beyond the expectations of those outside the program.

After those challenges, the weekend presents just one more. Now, it’s win or go home for the Terps.

“It’s just giving us more sense of urgency,” Hawkins said. “We don’t want to lose. We don’t want to leave.

We don’t want to go home.”

SEAWOLVES From PAGE 8

Josh Asper is looking to win his second individual crown in his final ACC tournament. charlie deboyace/the diamondback final regular-season dual meet and the start of the postseason. In most sports, that time off could be reason for concern. In wrestling, it finally gives players time to rest.

“Our guys were tired at the end of the season. They were battle tested,” McCoy said. “The last couple of weeks have given them a lot of recovery time.

They’re ready to go, and they’ve been feeling better every day.”

Still, nearly three weeks of practice time without actual competition can certainly lead to some rust. Keeping wrestlers ready is an issue, something McCoy has had to deal with since the Terps last competed on Feb. 21.

“We’ve been staying fresh and fine-tuning,” Boley said. “You have to reinforce what you do best and

build up a little bit of confidence to be at the top of your game for the conference championship.”

McCoy hopes he did prepare his Terps enough to be at the top of their game. With the postseason finally here, they can accomplish the goals they’ve been working toward all year.

And McCoy can’t wait to see it happen.

“When you run a marathon, and you finally see the finish line, you’re ready to give that extra boost and sprint to the end,” McCoy said.

“That’s where we are. The finish line is in sight, and every day when I come here and see these guys, I feel better and better about what we’ve done all year. Let’s go get it.” sportsdbk@gmail.com

all-conference talent in midfielder Jeff Tundo and own a formidable .328 shooting percentage.

But the Terps think their accomplished defense is up to the task. They’ll counter Stony Brook’s offense with defenders Goran Murray — last season’s ACC Freshman of the Year — and Casey Ikeda, a former high school All-American.

And last week, Murray joined defender Michael Ehrhardt and Amato as Terps to win ACC Defensive Player of the Week after shadowing Duke AllAmerican Jordan Wolf throughout a 16-7 win. He held Wolf scoreless for the first time all season, and he’ll get a chance to slow down Tundo on Sunday.

“My teammates had a lot of respect in me and confidence in me to play [Wolf],” Murray said after the victory at Duke. “After that, it’s just about good team defense.”

The Terps’ three starting defenders have had their share of success this season. And that’s not including AllAmerican long pole Jesse Bernhardt, who was a Tewaaraton Award nominee last season.

But the team’s talented players aren’t

the only ones working to frustrate opponents. Coach John Tillman typically hands much of the defensive game planning duties to assistants Kevin Conry and Brian Farrell, and he said they have been key in structuring a defense that has held opponents to a .227 shooting percentage.

“Coach Conry and coach Farrell do an awesome job with the game planning and getting our guys in the right spots,” Tillman said. “And then we have good leadership down there.”

Tillman said the Terps have the coaching and the leadership he wants on defense. The numbers show that the team has capable players there, too.

All that seems to make Amato’s job a little easier, but the junior doesn’t want his squad to become content.

He’s one of the Terps’ most experienced players, imploring young teammates to move beyond the win at Duke and focus on Stony Brook.

Maybe Amato’s teammates should listen. After all, he is the one always stepping in front of a small, rock-hard ball.

“We have a lot of leadership on this team, a lot of seniors with a lot of experience,” Amato said. “We know we’ve still got a lot of work to do.” sportsdbk@gmail.com

ON THE WEB

FIRST ACC-TION FOR TERPS

The Terrapins baseball team will begin its ACC schedule this weekend at Virginia. For more, visit diamondbackonline.com.

Sports

FOR SENIORS, A FOND FAREWELL

Terps gymnasts Ally Krikorian and Kesley Cofsky will compete in their final home meet Sunday. For more, visit diamondbackonline.com.

Page 8

ON THE WEB FRIDAY, March 8, 2013

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | ACC TOURNAMENT

Can they do it again?

With ACC player, coach of the year honors in hand, Terps set sights on second straight conference championship

By Daniel Gallen Senior staff writer

Forward Alyssa Thomas won her second consecutive ACC Player of the Year award yesterday. She and the Terps will face Wake Forest tomorrow. file photo/the diamondback

The last time the Terrapins women’s basketball team was on the court at Greensboro Coliseum, Alyssa Thomas chest-bumped Sequoia Austin at midcourt, Anjale Barrett tackled Brene Moseley outside the three-point line and coach Brenda Frese cut down the net.

The Terps defeated Georgia Tech, 68-65, and became ACC champions.

It was all part of a postseason run in which the Terps made it as far as the Elite Eight.

When the No. 2-seed Terps take the court this evening against No. 10-seed Wake Forest, though, things will be dif-

ferent. Gone are point guard Barrett, the sharp-shooting Kim Rodgers and conference Sixth Player of the Year Lynetta Kizer. Gone are guards Moseley and Laurin Mincy and center Essence Townsend, all lost for the season to torn ACLs. In all, six players from last year’s 31-win squad won’t suit up for the Terps.

But if you ask Frese, nothing is different. The Terps have weathered an at-times trying season to finish second in the ACC, the same place they were picked to finish when they began the season completely healthy. Boasting the conference’s Coach of the Year and Player of the Year — Thomas won the See TOURNAMENT, Page 7

Coach Brenda Frese, who was named ACC Coach of the Year yesterday, is looking for the Terps to defend their ACC title despite a rash of injuries. file photo/the diamondback

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S LACROSSE

Terps face must-win game at Virginia in regular-season finale

By Connor Letourneau Senior staff writer Nick Faust has done his best to stay positive throughout an erratic Terrapins men’s basketball season. After each mounting letdown, the sophomore guard has focused on watching film and learning from mistakes.

But Faust struggled to hide his frustration Wednesday when he faced the question of the night: Do the Terps need to win the ACC Tournament to secure an NCAA tournament berth?

“I guess; I don’t know,” Faust said, staring blankly at the table in front of him. “I hope we do.”

Faust then pushed back his seat, stomped out of the crowded media room and slammed the door behind him.

Odds are it wasn’t the first door to slam at Comcast Center on Wednesday night. With their regular-season finale looming at Virginia on Sunday, a 79-68 loss to North Carolina on Senior Night significantly harmed the Terps’ already meager chances of ending a two-year NCAA tournament hiatus.

Whether or not Faust is willing to admit it, the Terps will likely need a conference tournament title — or at least a finals appearance — to move into the 68-team field. And that’s quite Guard Nick Faust and the Terps likely must win their matchup at Virginia on Sunday if they hope to have a chance to secure an NCAA tournament berth. Asked if they have to win the ACC tournament, Faust said, “I don’t know.” charlie deboyace/the diamondback

See Cavaliers, Page 7

WRESTLING | ACC TOURNAMENT

For McCoy, the wait is over After full season of preparation, Terps get chance to capture third consecutive ACC title tomorrow

By Daniel Popper Staff writer Kerry McCoy sat in Comcast Pavilion on Oct. 27 with one thing on his mind. Even as he watched the Terrapins wrestling team compete in its annual intrasquad scrimmage, the only thing he could think about was the postseason.

It didn’t matter that the season hadn’t even started yet. It was still nearly five months away, but the fifth-year coach was focused on March.

But after a season rife with grueling workouts, emotional wins and devastating losses, the moment McCoy has been waiting for has finally arrived.

Tomorrow, McCoy will be back in Comcast Center, only he won’t be in the pavilion. He’ll be on the main floor, looking on as his Terps look to capture their third straight ACC tournament championship.

“This is it,” McCoy said. “This is what we’ve been training for all year. This is what it is all about.”

Unlike years past, though, the Terps

Goalkeeper Niko amato credits his strong start this season to the success of the defense in front of him. Through four games, the redshirt junior has a .617 save percentage. christian jenkins/the diamondback

Stout defense makes Amato’s life easier Goalkeeper looks to stop Stony Brook next

By Aaron Kasinitz Staff writer Niko Amato — armed with only a mask, chest padding and a lacrosse stick — is constantly tasked with stopping a 5-ounce ball just 8 inches in circumference flying toward him at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.

Yet the Terrapins men’s lacrosse goalkeeper doesn’t think his job is too difficult. In fact, if he didn’t have such a stout defense in front of him, it could be a lot tougher.

Three different Terps have won ACC Defensive Player of the Week this season, and the unit allows just 6.75 goals per game — the fifthlowest total in the country. The Terps often don’t even let Amato get much work — they’ve taken 43

more shots on goal than their opponents this season.

So Amato won’t fret when his No. 1 Terps host Stony Brook on Sunday afternoon. The Terps’ All-ACC netminder is confident behind a group that limits his workload, helping him post a stellar .617 save percentage so far this year.

“We just try to give up shots that I can make saves on,” Amato said.

“And we have a ton of great athletes who do that.”

The Terps’ (4-0) defense will have plenty to contend with Sunday. While the Seawolves (4-2) are the first unranked team the Terps will face in more than three weeks, they do boast an See SEAWOLVES, Page 7

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Healthy Griffin boon for No. 1 Terps’ offense Team hosts No. 9 Penn State tomorrow

By Joshua Needelman Staff writer

Coach Kerry McCoy has been preparing his Terps for the postseason all year long. charlie deboyace/the diamondback won’t step onto the mat as favorites.

They do feature four No. 1 seeds in 133-pound Geoffrey Alexander, 174pound Josh Asper, 184-pound Jimmy Sheptock and 197-pound Christian

Boley, but after a poor showing in conference play — including losses to tournament favorites Virginia Tech See POSTSEASON, Page 7

Brooke Griffin has always played sports year-round. In addition to playing lacrosse, she starred in field hockey and swimming at Edgewater’s South River High School, earning All-County honors six times over two different sports in her four years there.

So when the midfielder tore her ACL in the fall before her freshman campaign with the Terrapins women’s lacrosse team in 2011, Griffin didn’t know what to do with herself. Forced to spend what would have been her rookie season on the sideline, she developed a new perspective.

“I learned that at any time, it could be taken away from you,” said Griffin, whose Terps will host No. 9 Penn State tomorrow. “You just got to work hard every minute.”

So when the redshirt sophomore netted her second hat trick of the 2013 campaign in a 17-10 win over UMBC on Tuesday, it served as a reminder of just how far Griffin has come.

Six games into the No. 1 Terps’ undefeated season, Griffin has served as one of the team’s most reliable scoring threats. Her 19 points rank No. 3 on the squad, her eight assists are tied for first among Terps midfielders and her .611 shooting See GRIFFIN, Page 7