033011

ROLLING ALONG

FOUND OUT

Terps continue undefeated campaign with rout at Towson

The Jukebox extols the benefit of knowing the artist

SPORTS | PAGE 8

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

THE DIAMONDBACK

Police arrest man after Commons disturbance Suspect allegedly punched student, damaged property

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Williams enters 2011 NBA Draft Terrapins may suffer if Williams opts to go

BY CHRIS ECKARD Senior staff writer

Men’s basketball coach Gary Williams confirmed forward Jordan Williams’ entry into the NBA Draft. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

Terrapin men’s basketball forward Jordan Williams has filed paperwork to enter the 2011 NBA Draft, coach Gary Williams confirmed yesterday, a development that could severely hurt the team’s chances of returning to the NCAA Tournament next season.

The sophomore All-ACC selection, who averaged a team-leading 16.9 points and 11.8 rebounds this season, does not plan on hiring an agent and has the option to return to the university for his junior season, the team said in a release.

“I’m excited about testing the

see WILLIAMS, page 8

BY ERIN EGAN Staff writer

University Police arrested a man after he allegedly punched a South Campus Commons 5 resident, broke a storage closet door knob and damaged an exit sign Sunday night, police said.

Wesley L. Davidson, 21, was charged with burglar y, seconddegree assault, molesting a university student, malicious destruction of property, trespassing and disorderly conduct.

He is scheduled to appear in Hyattsville District Court on April 29.

Although Davidson is listed in the student directory, Limansky said officers do not believe he is a registered student. His permanent address is listed as on Knox Road. Davidson has no criminal history in this state, according to court records.

University Police Capt. Marc Limansky said the actions were likely drug-related, noting that the arresting officer reported smelling marijuana.

Davidson could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Police are not sure how Davidson entered Commons 5 at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday, but officers said he pushed his way into a student’s apartment after knocking on his door. Davidson allegedly asked the victim — whose name police would not release — if he wanted to smoke.

Once the resident declined, police said Davidson asked if he wanted to fight. After the victim declined again, Davidson allegedly punched him in the right eye.

The victim told Davidson to leave, but he was “incoherent” and refused, police said.

The resident then agreed to smoke with Davidson, letting him lead the way out of the apartment, police said.

After Davidson stepped through the door, police said the resident quickly

BACKING CODE BLUE

University Police chief supports national measure to better find those who kill officers

BY ERIN EGAN Staff writer

As he stood among dozens of state and national law enforcement officers Monday, the names and faces of those he has known killed in the line of duty raced through University Police Chief David Mitchell’s mind.

Officers from throughout the state came together at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89 head-

quarters in Prince George’s County on Monday to stand with Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) as he announced a federal proposal that would create a national Blue Alert system, which would help apprehend people who injure or kill law enforcement officers.

“The nationwide alert system would be used to disseminate critical information about the suspect to law enforcement agencies, the public and the media,” according to a news

Police in 1973.

“I personally knew just about all of those officers that died,” Mitchell said. “I had to bury four of them as chief of police, too.”

He recalled his first run-in with death in the department when he was just 22 years old.

“Officer Carroll David ‘Bo’ Garrison and I had the same shift,” Mitchell said. “He was shot to death

release issued by Cardin’s office.

Nationally, 48 officers were killed in the line of duty in 2009 — the most recent data available — and throughout the past decade, an average of 53 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty each year, according to the FBI. Mitchell, who has served as an officer for about 40 years, said he’s known about 20 officers who have been killed in this county since he joined Prince George’s County

see ALERT, page 2

see ARREST, page 2 GRAPHIC BY CHRISTOPHER ALLEN/THE DIAMONDBACK

University student dies after University makes switch to Gmail provider Students given the option of using Gmail’s service or signing being struck by train in NY up for an account on the email service used by faculty, staff Police continue to investigate circumstances surrounding death; suicide is suspected

BY ERIN EGAN AND RACHEL ROUBEIN Senior staff writers

A 19-year-old university student died Monday afternoon after he was struck by a train at a station in Long Island, N.Y., according to police.

The non-passenger train struck sophomore accounting and finance major Benjamin Sassoon, of Wantagh, N.Y., at about 4:45 p.m. at the Long Island Rail Road’s station in Bellmore, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Aaron Donovan.

“At this point, most of the details of this incident are still under investigation, but the initial information that the police received is leading us to investigate this as a possible suicide,” Donovan said.

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

The train crew reported the incident, and MTA and Nassau County Police were dispatched to the station immediately. According to Donovan, the Nassau County Emergency Medical Services pronounced Sassoon dead at the scene at about 5:10 p.m.

Donovan said that while there is no indication of foul play, it’s too early to say definitively what caused Sassoon’s death. The train’s crew will be interviewed in coming days; Donovan said yesterday that he was unsure if there were any witnesses on the station’s platform.

MTA police notified Sassoon’s family and University Police on Monday evening, saying they were investigating the incident, University Police

see DEATH, page 2 Cloudy/40s

BY LEAH VILLANUEVA

EMAIL PROVIDER PREFERENCES

Senior staff writer

Student email accounts will be switched from the outdated Mirapoint system to Gmail next year, but users concerned with potential security risks will be given a choice to switch to the system used by university employees, the Student Email Committee announced last night.

After several months of discussion and gathering student input, the faculty and student committee determined Gmail, overwhelmingly favored among students, was the best option for the university’s student email system. The system will maintain its umd.edu branded identifier.

Committee members said the alternative — an account under the Microsoft Exchange program that faculty and staff use — would also be available to students who are concerned about their emails being sub-

INDEX

NEWS . . . . . . . . . .2 OPINION . . . . . . . .4

In order to determine what email service provider students wanted to see replace the outdated Mirapoint system students have used for the past several years, members of the Office of Information Technology conducted a survey of 1,287 students in November.

Those results were key in determining a final recommendation.

Forwarding-only account: 36 percent Gmail account: 35 percent Mirapoint account: 26 percent Microsoft account: 2 percent ject to data mining. These concerns, which were discussed with students at a town hall forum earlier this month, did little to dissuade the student body from supporting a switch to Gmail.

“At the end, it was the students’ input which led to the decision to outsource to Gmail,” interim Vice President and Chief Information

FEATURES . . . . . .5 CLASSIFIED . . . . .6

DIVERSIONS . . . . .6 SPORTS . . . . . . . . .8

Officer Joseph JaJa wrote in an email to The Diamondback last night. “I strongly support the committee’s recommendations.”

Elizabeth Moran, a student representative on the committee who also serves as a business school legislator

see EMAIL, page 3

www.diamondbackonline.com

2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011

ALERT from page 1

A CELEBRATION OF CULTURE

in Chillum in a hellacious shootout. When you experience something like that, you remember forever.”

In October 2000, Mitchell lost another friend to violence: Cpl. Edward Toatley was conducting an undercover narcotics investigation when he was killed.

Although no University Police officers have ever killed in the line of duty, Mitchell said, an officer who was a graduate of the UMDPS Police Academy, Centreville Police Officer Michael Nickerson, was killed while responding to a noise complaint in Centreville, Md., in 2001.

“We have a plaque in his memory in our academy,” Mitchell said.

The national alert system would work like an AMBER Alert, which is used to find missing children.

“The information around that case would be immediately broadcast to the public safety network and the community as a whole,” Mitchell said. “Like the other alerts, it’s asking our communities to be the eyes and ears on the lookout for the criminal and report it to the police.

There is a strong community effort here.”

Cardin modeled the national proposal after this state’s Blue Alert system,

The university’s India Week — a five-day celebration sponsored by the student group Develop, Empower and Synergize India — kicked off last night at the Nyumburu Cultural Center with a dance showcase. The rest of the week will also feature Indian dance classes and film screenings open to all members of the university community.

TONIA WANG/THE DIAMONDBACK

DEATH from page 1 spokesman Sgt. Ken Leonard said.

“If they need any assistance from us, we’re happy to provide it,” he said.

Sassoon was pledging Delta Sigma Phi this semester, and a friend of his family notified DSP members of the sophomore’s death Monday evening.

“Ben was really the type of individual who really lit up a room.

He smiled anywhere he went, and he was just an incredible per-

“He smiled anywhere he went, and he was just an incredible person who we’re certainly going to miss.”

MIKE DEVORE DELTA SIGMA PHI PRESIDENT

son who we’re certainly going to miss,” said DSP President Mike

Devore, a senior history major.

“The men here at Delta Sigma Phi are really mourning the loss of a great friend, and through the university and our fraternity, they’re providing us with the support and the resources to grieve and to handle the situation.”

For students grappling with depression or suicidal thoughts, the university offers many oncampus resources, including the University Help Center hotline (301-314-HELP) and the University Counseling Center. egan@umdbk.com, roubein@umdbk.com

ARREST from page 1 closed and locked it behind him and called the police.

Other third-floor residents also reported the commotion to police.

“While searching the hallway for [Davidson], residents began to open their doors and explain that they heard someone yelling and saw a male go the opposite direction down the hall,” Limansky said.

Officers found Davidson’s

shirt and jacket lying in the hallway next to a broken exit sign. Residents told police that he had also ripped a bulletin board off the wall, police said.

Davidson was found shirtless, leaving a storage room that was initially locked, police said.

Aside from the victim’s swollen eye, residents reported no other injuries.

Many students seemed unfazed by Sunday’s incident.

“I don’t feel any less safe on campus because incidents like this are bound to happen

which notifies all police departments in the state when such an incident occurs.

Gov. Martin O’Malley adopted the system in June 2010 after State Trooper Wesley Brown was killed outside an Applebee’s in Forestville.

“I am pleased that states like Maryland have taken the lead in creating a ‘Blue Alert’ system patterned after Amber Alerts, which has been used successfully to help apprehend child abductors,” Cardin wrote in a press release. “We now need to take it to the next level and put in place a national alert system that will ensure the speedy apprehension of violent criminals who have injured or killed law enforcement officers.”

Maryland is one of several states that have already installed systems of their own: Oklahoma, Texas, Delaware, Alabama, California, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia and Florida, which was the first state to create a Blue Alert system in 2008, have all approved similar alerts.

Mitchell said he’s hopeful that the bill, which is a bipartisan effort, will be passed and signed into law without much resistance.

“This bill has drawn an enormous amount of support,” Mitchell said. “We’re hopeful that President Obama will sign it and that it will come to be.” egan@umdbk.com

on a college campus,” sophomore government and politics and journalism major Chris Leyden said. “All I can do is put myself in the most safe situations.”

Sophomore letters and sciences major Mark Rosato said incidents like this can be prevented if students practice more self-control.

“People should really control themselves,” Rosato said. “They should respect university property for everyone else’s sake, too.” egan@umdbk.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

iSchool dean wins research honor Preece awarded for strides in social media field

BY SPENCER ISRAEL Staff writer

Residence Hall Association presidential candidate Corie Stretton spoke to representatives about her platform, which includes reaching out to administrators. GARY CHEN/THE DIAMONDBACK

RHA candidates pledge to make body more student-accessible Body will vote on executive positions in two weeks

BY MARIA ROMAS Staff writer

Three student candidates running for top Residence Hall Association positions stressed the importance of strengthening relationships with administrators and reaching out to the student body at last night’s meeting.

The representatives — one running for president and two vying for the vice president position — agreed they want to make the association a more visible student group.

In two weeks, the body will vote on the top two positions and those elected will then appoint the remaining executive board members.

Public Relations and Outreach Officer Corie Stretton, the sole presidential candidate, said she plans to reach out to several other on-campus student groups, such as the Student Government Association, to make the RHA more wellknown.

“It’s important to be as transparent as possible,” the junior American studies and communication major said. “People don’t know what we do, and I want to reach out to everyone.”

The vice presidential candi-

dates — Chief Information Officer Sasha Azar, a sophomore international business major, and at-large senator Chris Mertens, a sophomore environmental science and policy major — pledged similar initiatives.

“I definitely agree and think we need to open discussions and get people involved,” Azar said.

Stretton said she also hopes to maintain a positive relationship with university President Wallace Loh and other top administrators.

“The first thing to do is email Loh — I mean, first of all, he seems like a cool dude,” she said. “Second, it’s important for RHA to have relationship with administrators. I want to be able to set up a meeting with Loh and members of his administration and have a meeting to talk to him and explain what we do and our influence on campus.”

Mertens said he plans to run an aggressive campaign and, if elected, his top priority is to make the association better known to the entire student body.

“We need to be a more wellknown and well-defined organization on campus,” he said.

“Everybody knows what SGA is. But with us, everyone knows

our letters and not what we do or what we can do.”

Many students agreed — although they have heard of the body, many could not pinpoint what they specifically do.

“I honestly don’t know what [RHA] does,” freshman letters and sciences major Mary Cushman said. “It hasn’t affected me not knowing. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to know, I’m just not sure that I care.”

Senior architecture major Albert Palmer said if the body wants to reach more students, it should make its information more easily accessible.

“I feel like I never had very active [resident assistants], and that is more of an issue than not knowing what RHA is,” he said. “I knew it was around, but taking advantage of it has just been difficult.”

And although she said the body may face more criticism if it is better known by students, Stretton plans to embrace the critique.

“In terms of any scrutiny RHA will face, I’m willing to stand up for RHA for anything,” she said. “If anyone tries to criticize us, seriously: Bring it on.” romas@umdbk.com

Social media websites are continuously becoming more prominent and addicting, said researcher Jennifer Preece, and she wants to pinpoint why.

After more than 20 years of work in computer-human interaction, Preece, professor and dean of the information studies college, was recognized last week for her research with one of the top honors in her field. Preece’s recent research focuses on why and how some people contribute to online communities — such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn — and others do not.

She will be inducted in May into the Association for Computing Machinery’s Computer Human Interaction Academy — an honor reflecting her longterm, influential work about people’s motivations for contributing to social media and how they do so. She was one of seven people honored with the annual award and the fourth ever at this university.

“This is a very prestigious award by the ACM,” Preece said.

“I feel privileged that my work is being recognized.”

Throughout her career as a researcher, Preece has authored or co-authored numerous books, several of which have been especially influential in the field, led national discussions on the topic and is considered a pioneer by her peers in her field for studying how people use social media to communicate with one another.

“I want to see what motivates people to contribute to social software,” she said.

The honor puts Preece’s name in the same category as other industry elites, but she’s not the first person in her family or at this university to be a recipient. Her husband, Ben Shneiderman,

EMAIL from page 1 in the Student Government Association, said the final decision came down to how best to appease all parties — those who wanted Gmail and those who raised concerns about privacy and security.

“I’ve heard everything from, ‘I might want to run for president in 25 years, and I don’t want my information floating around in a cloud somewhere’ to ‘I’m working on government projects while I’m here,’” Moran said. “So I see this as the best of both worlds.”

Jennifer Preece, information studies college dean, researches uses for social media in society. JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

who is also a professor in the university’s computer science department, was honored with the same award in 2001.

“Jenny is an established leader whose ‘Online Communities: Designing Usability, Supporting Sociability’ book was a pioneering contribution that helped trigger the current explosion of interest in social media,” he wrote in an email.

Her colleagues said Preece’s dedication to her work and leading research made her an obvious candidate for the award.

“When I heard that our dean was given this honor, the first thing that came to mind was ‘of course!’” wrote information studies college Associate Dean Allison Durin, who has also been recognized by the academy, in an email.

“It’s an honor for Dean Preece to receive one of the most prestigious awards the [human-computer interaction] field gives.”

Other professors said the award adds to the university’s credibility in the study of human-

Graduate Student Government physics representative Tomek Kott, who also sits on the committee, said having the secondary option is especially gratifying for graduate students, who may deal with research that requires a higher level of security and privacy than Gmail can provide.

Office of Information Technology manager David Barks noted the university will be working to ensure that the Gmail accounts, which will ser ve the majority of the student body, are as secure as possible.

“Security and privacy are of paramount concern, however we feel we can mitigate the

computer interaction.

“I was truly delighted to learn Jenny was elected as a Fellow of the ACM CHI Academy,” Shneiderman wrote. “Her election also demonstrates UMd’s leadership in the growing topic of HumanComputer Interaction.”

Preece is also the principal investigator of the Biotracker project, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation that encourages people to collect their own information on worldwide wildlife with photos.

The information will be included into the Smithsonian Institution’s Encyclopedia of Life, an online database for all of Earth’s estimated 2 million living organisms.

Preece has spent all of her six years at the university studying people’s use of social media, but for eight years before she was a professor and department chairwoman of information systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. israel@umdbk.com

risks with a solid contract and strong privacy and security policies and Google is willing to work with us on this,” he wrote in an email to The Diamondback yesterday.

OIT has already begun to implement the switch to ensure that accounts on the Gmail host will be ready and available to incoming freshmen when they arrive at orientation in July and August, JaJa wrote.

“They’ve got a lot of work ahead of them,” Moran said.

“Now we just get to sit back and wait, and we come back in the fall, it will be ready for us.” villanueva@umdbk.com

D E V L O V N I T E G O T T N WA DIAMONDBACK

WITH THE TIONS A IC L B U P T N E D U T S R E AND OTH

?

K IC L A E IT R W ’T N A C BUT

STUDENT MEMBER WANTED FOR STUDENT PUBLICATIONS' BOARD

!

D E D N E T X E E N I L D DEA Maryland Media, Inc., publishing board for the Diamondback, Eclipse, Terrapin, and Mitzpeh, has openings on its board of directors for two full-time students.

The Board of Directors sets general policy, approves budgets and selects the Editors-in-Chief for the student publications. The term of office is one year and begins in May, 2011. The Board meets about once a month during the school year.

For an application, stop by room 3136 South Campus Dining Hall and ask for Maggie Levy.

Applications are due

by Wednesday, April 6th at noon.

4

THE DIAMONDBACK | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011

Opinion

THE DIAMONDBACK

MARISSA LANG EDITOR IN CHIEF

YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK PHONE: (301) 314-8200 | FAX: (301) 314-8358 3150 SOUTH CAMPUS DINING HALL | COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742 NEWS@UMDBK .COM | OPINION@UMDBK .COM

KATE RAFTERY

MIKE WARLEY

MANAGING EDITOR

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

JUSTIN SNOW

KEVIN TERVALA

OPINION EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Staff editorial

Guest column

Ridiculous regulation

Alternate treatment

W

hen students graduate high school and make the journey to col- making an issue of a resident’s right to put a chair on his or her own roof, the lege, it is a major transition. Their lives change. They leave home council has done nothing but create anger around an issue many may have in a permanent way, often never returning in the same capacity not thought of until now.

A lawn chair on a roof seems like a non-issue — and it should be. But the again. Students essentially become adults, with all the freedom city council’s decision to enact another law that specifically targets students’ and responsibility that comes along with that.

But for those who move to College Park, they leave the authority of their par- lifestyles further strengthens the council’s reputation as a governing body ents for something worse. Those in the city limits are governed by the College with an obtuse attitude toward this university and its pupils.

Students who use their rooftops as patios or balconies are not solely Park City Council, an organization that for years has shown systematic hostility toward students. Last week, while students were enjoying the start of spring, engaged in drinking, despite whatever contrived assumptions council members may have. Numerous students use the extra space they did so again. for studying, sun bathing and other stationary activiActing like a clutch of nannies, the eight-member counties. Not all students have lawns or lawns nice enough cil voted to ban city residents from sitting on lawn furniThe recent city council for such activities, so the extra space provided by a roof ture on the roofs of their own homes. Council members argued the new law will promote a safer environment and, decision to ban the placement can become an ideal location. But perhaps most important of all, whether any resident decides to tote a foldas District 3 Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich stated, of lawn furniture on roofs is a out chair onto the roof he or she is paying for is none of other residents think the furniture “looks kind of trashy.” the city council’s business. Indeed, even if a student Those who break the law will face a $200 fine for the first misguided one. decides to stroll on the roof in a drunken stupor and offense and a $400 fine for each subsequent offense.

The new city law is nothing short of asinine. Although the proclaimed breaks a leg in the process, that is none of the council’s business either.

The city council will likely continue to police the lives of students living in this intention is to ensure no drunken antics leave a student dangling from the roof or sprawled on the front lawn, the statute will likely make little differ- city, whether it be by hiking up the cost of street parking permits or attempting ence. Residents are only banned from putting lawn furniture on their roofs. to disenfranchise students by raising the age requirement of council members.

However, furniture “designed and built” to be perched on top of houses is still As such, perhaps it should be no surprise they have further expanded their grip fair game. There also seems to be no ban on residents toting a yoga mat or to the rooftops of students’ own homes.

But as council members seek their next target, a question must be asked: beach towel onto their shingled domain. And if drunk students want to party on the rooftops, they certainly don’t need a lawn chair to do so. Moreover, by When does practicality give way to pettiness?

ries to be news that hits the front page and is covered in primetime network news.

I don’t want every happy story reported. After all, planes landing, trains arriving on time and college kids actually getting the housing they want for once are not news. The endings to horrible stories, however, ought to get just as much coverage as their beginnings. It seems eternal cliff-hangers are all the news will ever give us. Well, I want more. We, as consumers of news, should demand more. The beginning of making this world a better place is merely finding all the good hidden in all the bad, by finding all the light that otherwise is swallowed by the dark. I want to be someone who loves the night sky not for the overwhelming dark, but for the pinpricks of starry light. And I want this in my news, too.

Laura Frost is a sophomore government and politics and journalism major. She can be reached at frost@umdbk.com.

Justin Kander is the secretary for this university’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. He can be reached at jkander@umd.edu.

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Eric Owusu

Panama City, Fla.: Tales from spring break

M

y camera died the first day of spring break, which I think was a sign from the gods that no one wants to see pictures of me eating Taco Bell in a bikini. I road-tripped to Panama City Beach, Fla., which is basically College Park with a beach, complete with the strip-mall-like landscape, Froggerstyle roads, and about 75 percent of the former population of Thirsty Turtle.

I brought my Turtle Survivor jersey, which I have now nicknamed “the douche detector” because it reeled in an average of five questionably tattooed gentlemen a day who yelled “MURLUND!” at me. I acknowledge the fact that wearing the jersey makes me the biggest douche in all the land, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make in the name of bringing Terps together in the name of a dirty-ass bar. The bars in Florida were equally dirty, but they were also where former wannabe rock bands came to die. You could practically hear the performers’ idealistic teenage souls dying as they performed

BETHANY WYNN covers with talent and finesse. At one point, a naked lady with tassels on her nipples and a rabbit head came out and poured chocolate syrup on the crowd.

Um, I don’t know. They had rap battles, though, which soothed all complaints because I like to think my life bears a small resemblance to 8 Mile.

The beaches and ocean were pristine, although on my second day I encountered small children playing beer pong in the sand with great zeal.

They were 10 and 11, named Aaron and Carter (which brought me much joy due to the fodder for Aaron Carter jokes), and their parents were on the deck above us, cheering them on.

They won nine straight games against adults, which just goes to show how

important parental involvement is in a child’s recreational activities, like Little League Baseball and beer pong.

Several bikini contests on the beach hurt my vaguely-feminist sensibilities, but I squashed my feelings the healthy way by bonging a beer and entering into a rousing discussion about who had the best boobies. The “curvy” lady won, which I think shows just how progressive frat boys on spring break have become. They’re practically Betty Friedan in lacrosse pennies. I was asked several times if I was affiliated with Greek life, which led to my being in a fictional sorority, because one of my many charming drunk qualities is rampant lying to strangers. This came in handy when my friend lost his shoes and was refused service at a beer-serving gas station for being too drunk, then pushed over several shopping carts.

“He’s had a bad day,” I said to the police officers as I escorted him from the crime scene. “His cat died.”

Road-tripping back, I stopped by

Charleston, S.C., which is a beautiful, historic town. I quickly decided I was never leaving the South after being served homemade muffins by men in bow ties at a cookout, whereupon a friend texted me “Don’t be fooled, it’s just the honeymoon period, then shit hits the fan.” Moments later, the sounds of “Free Bird” wafted through the air and two gentlemen in bandanas hung a large American flag above the barbecue. Damn it.

So now I’m back in College Park and it’s 34 degrees. But, in the name of love, friendship and douchery, may you never forget a time when drinking Natty Lite in the ocean was the norm.

I’d like to congratulate you all on not killing yourselves or your fellow travelers this spring break. Next year, I’ll tour the Egyptian pyramids, then write a horrifically pious book entitled Eat, Eat Even More, Love. I’ll shotgun a beer to that.

Bethany Wynn is a senior sociology major. She can be reached at

News: Finding the happy ending

G

oldfish, according to legend, have an attention span of three seconds. And while this may make sense for a fish, in my experience, college students aren’t much better. Indeed, it oftentimes seems our attention spans are, on average, only 33 percent longer than everyone’s favorite aquatic pet.

I check the time about 25 times per 50-minute class. And if the class is boring, that doubles. However, that number may be higher in my case because I don’t spend the majority of my time in class scrolling through my second cousin’s ex-boyfriend’s prom pictures, as most of the rest of the class does.

This same minuscule attention span that plagues most college students also — and quite unfortunately — affects the news media. For example, on a national level, in all the coverage of the oil spill last summer, does anyone remember a national announcement that the spill had been stopped and finally cleaned? I don’t.

And when is the last time anyone heard about Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was tragically shot in January?

It seems reporting stops when the tragic, gory and dramatic details dry up. There are few follow-up stories, it seems; just graphic, tragic stories. At this university, for instance, how many stories have you read that focus on the reason Justin DeSha-Overcash was killed in the string of homicides that swept Prince George’s County earlier this year? Once the initial drama of his mother’s protests was finished, so were the stories on DeSha-Overcash’s untimely death.

However, the blame cannot be placed only on the media: Flash-inthe-pan stories are all we want. Anything of substance or detail is too deep. Novels by William Faulkner and J.D. Salinger aren’t over our heads, but they take far too much time and energy to read, as opposed to the riveting literary work I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Read a whole article in the paper? Nah. Read the first paragraph online? Nope. Read the The

LAURA FROST Washington Post’s and the The New York Times’ tweets on my Twitter homepage? Hell yes.

I had a journalism professor last summer who explained the lack of positive news in the market by saying, “You want us to report good news?

OK. Another plane landed at Reagan National Airport today. Happy?”

While I agree that every day, good news is not always news, perhaps if we actually reported and then maybe even read the endings to stories, we could have the best of both worlds: good news — both in quality and spirit. I want updates on Giffords. I want to hear about how exactly the oil spill was stopped. I want more investigation into the string of homicides in our county. And I want all those sto-

O

n March 14, I held a special event for this university’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. It was a presentation I had wanted to do since joining the organization, and it finally worked out. The event was about cannabis extract medicine, a much more effective form of medical marijuana that people have used to treat cancer and other diseases. As opposed to smoking, someone treating themselves with extract medicine orally ingests consistent, substantial quantities over a three to six month period. Extracts most often take the form of oil, which has a dark appearance and a viscous, sticky texture.

The event consisted of a Skype video meeting with a close family friend of mine named Dennis Hill.

He has a degree in biochemistr y, a master’s in business administration and has been teaching meditation for more than 25 years. In March 2010, he was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and didn’t know what to do. Having done cancer research for many years, Hill knew traditional routes of chemotherapy, radiation or surger y were not guaranteed to eliminate the cancer, especially considering its aggressiveness.

And even if the treatment did work, it would likely result in long-term health problems. So, he looked to seek out other ways to treat his disease. His search led him to my aunt, who told him of cannabis’ cancer-fighting potential. She also connected Hill with me. And, after I showed him significant amounts of research and testimonials, he decided to treat his cancer solely with cannabis oil. No chemotherapy, no radiation and no surger y for a cancer that had the highest level of aggressiveness possible.

Hill took the treatment for six months, and on Jan. 25, he had his final biopsy taken. On Feb. 8, the results came in: He was completely cancer free. Dennis was ecstatic and has now dedicated himself to sharing the power of cannabis extract medicine with as many people as possible.

You’re probably wondering what would make someone resort to using cannabis medicine instead of taking a professional doctor’s advice. After all, Hill’s physician told him he was going to die if he took cannabis medicine, but that clearly didn’t happen. Hill made this decision based on incredible amounts of science and testimonials. Scientifically, there are hundreds of studies showing that individual cannabinoids (the natural chemicals in cannabis) and whole cannabis preparations are effective against ever ything from ALS to Parkinson’s disease to cancer. You can see this huge list by searching for “Granny Storm Crow” on Google.

There are also dozens of testimonials about cannabis oil curing or completely controlling diseases, including three documentaries, several personal videos, written testimonials online and a book called Live Free or Die by a woman named Shona Banda.

So let’s see what we have here: Real scientific studies suggest cannabis has the potential to cure disease, and real people say highly concentrated oils of cannabis are curing their diseases. There are too many people involved for this to be one big façade. I’ve been in the drug reform movement for more than three years, and have only seen the evidence grow. This has even gotten to the point where someone who is virtually part of my family (Hill) was treated with cannabis extract medicine, and I have personally talked to dozens of other people who have used the medicine successfully, mainly for cancer, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, Hepatitis C and diabetes.

I wish I had more room to elaborate, but feel free to contact me through Facebook or email. I urge ever yone to look into the issue further because extract medicine is humanity’s greatest hope for eliminating huge amounts of disease and reforming society to be more equal, free and happy.

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 | THE DIAMONDBACK

5

Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD ACROSS 59 Where Asia begins 1 Above the 60 Grant horizon 65 Basketball team 6 Plus 66 Ale ingredient 10 Actress Tyne 67 Strongman 14 Kind of physicist of myth 15 Well, to Yves 68 Rip open 16 Nadelman 69 Doing nothing or Abel 70 Auditions for 17 Winter precip a role 18 Fix up 71 Woes 19 1492 vessel 72 Within reach 20 Chick 73 Nervous 22 Wields a machete DOWN 23 Stalemated 1 Impulsive 24 K2’s superior 2 Cuba, to Castro 26 Joanne of films 3 Proofer’s word 29 Broken-down 4 Upright horses 5 Zero 31 Shogun’s yes 6 Shortens 32 Frozen Wasser 7 Claim 33 Sprouted on property 34 Plumps the 8 Papyrus is one pillows 9 The Plastic 38 Write on glass — Band 40 Weaken gradually 10 Centurian’s coin 42 Type of survivor 11 Tea-party 43 Century plant crasher 46 Leaf part 12 Connects up 49 Mauna — 13 Fermenting agent 50 Whiskey grain 21 Nonsense 51 Ms. Fitzgerald verse writer 52 PC key 22 Be a doctor 53 Ordinary 25 Channels 2-13 57 Handed-down 26 Regard as stories

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STRANGE THOUGHTS

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Also born on this date are Celine Dion, singer; Tracy Chapman, singer and songwriter; Vincent van Gogh, artist; Eric Clapton, guitarist, singer, songwriter; Warren Beatty, actor, producer, director, writer; MC Hammer, entertainer; Peter Marshall, game-show host.

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orn today, you rarely if ever find yourself yearning for the past; you are forwardthinking, forward-moving and forward-oriented in all things — so no regrets for you, certainly. Indeed, you are so positive about all the twists and turns in life that you are an inspiration to others more often than not — even when you are going through difficult times. None of this is to suggest, of course, that you are ignorant of the past; on the contrary, you have a healthy relationship with all that has gone before, but you learn from it rather than wallow in it.

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.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31 ARIES (March 21-April 19) — A little more research may be required before you are comfortable dealing with a new topic on a professional level.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — What begins as casual conversation is likely to result in

something far more emotionally charged than anyone expected.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — You’re going to have to be more thorough than usual, though in truth you are far more detailed in your approach than most at this time.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — You and a friend can come up with an exciting new idea simply by brainstorming. Don’t discount any notion simply because it’s far-fetched.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — You may have to wait for the official word before you are able to take action that you are ready and willing to take.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You have good reason to focus intently on a financial situation that is fast developing. Can you keep it from getting out of control?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Routine affairs may get the better of you if you don’t try to keep your priorities straight. A small glitch can be significant.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — It is important for you to recognize the relative importance of seemingly conflicting influences at this time. Weigh your reactions carefully.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — You can combine style and substance with skill, but remember that the most important thing is that you remain true to yourself.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — A domestic rearrangement, whether large or small, is likely to be unavoidable. Remember who your allies really are.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Some are seekers, some are finders, and some will enjoy doing both as appropriate.

Don’t let your role become confused with another’s.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — There is only so much you can do in a day, and you must be willing to put some things ahead of others on your list of priorities.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:

Diversions

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arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

COLUMN | THE JUKEBOX

History is what’s happening REESE

HIGGINS

I

f you let it be, music can be a multifaceted art experience.

Our understanding of music is significantly affected by the medium’s many layers.

Much of the popular music made today can be broken down into several components: the music, the lyrics, the release art, the performer(s), and the live performance. This template has been relevant to pop music for roughly 100 years or more, thanks to the popularization of vinyl record releases in the late 1800s.

All these components contribute to the valuable experience of understanding or following a particular artist (should you care enough about that artist to buy the albums and see the concerts).

Let’s say you’re a Justin Bieber fan.

Without knowledge of his image or personal life, your perception of his music would likely change. Mine certainly would have. I had qualms with the kid when he first appeared as the host of a party for toddlers in his “One Time” video.

“Why is this preschooler desecrating my beloved MTV Hits with his infantile Auto-Tune?” I thought at the time, ignorant of what would become Bieber Fever.

As time wore on and Bieber became the pop hero he is today, I felt less offended by his polarizing Gerber Baby image and could accept that, yes, “One Time” and “One Less Lonely Girl” aren’t the worst songs in the world. “Baby” is even pretty good, except for the Ludacris product placement. I try to be open to all types of music and in Bieber’s case, I certainly was a bit too judgmental at

first exposure.

In his essay, “Death of the Author,” philosopher Roland Barthes details his hopes for literature (or any art, truly) to be consumed without the looming presence of the author, or creator, distorting the art. Barthes states that the culture of reading so often involves learning about the author of a piece in order to understand the product. He argues that this practice is an inappropriate one.

Barthes makes a valuable argument and points out a common and largely unquestioned practice. Without a doubt, we often research an artist before or after we consume their work in order to better understand the supposed message the artist wanted to convey.

I agree that in certain cases, putting an end to this practice would be beneficial to a greater understanding of art. But I disagree with Barthes on how he requires “the birth of the reader” and “the death of the Author.” And in terms of music, I believe the audience benefits from knowing more about where the end product came from.

Oftentimes, knowledge of the artist can greatly enrich the meaning and usefulness of the art. Art is subjective, so knowledge of the artist may never be needed, but it certainly can explain and enhance the experience. Background, or a lack thereof, on an artist can give important context in which to view the piece.

Take the songs of Morrissey, for example. The great solo artist and former frontman of The Smiths has built a career on breaking hearts. His depressing and honest lyrics carry great meaning at face value. But the man’s legend, his songs’ immediacy and the swoons of his followers would surely be diminished if we didn’t fret about his sexuality or his alleged celibacy.

So much art is intensely personal — a sentiment Morrissey’s legions of

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fans would agree with. It helps to understand the intentions of particular art when we know where that art comes from, even though Barthes argues for the importance of art’s destination and not its origin.

In Morrissey’s case, we don’t know what exactly happened in his life to cause him to write so exquisitely about sexual frustration and the perils of teenage living. We have some clues about his repressed adolescence, but die-hards always want more: What pivotal moments led him to write “Girl Afraid,” or “Half A Person”? There’s an entire encyclopedia dedicated to him, for Dagenham Dave’s sake.

Would you care about Wiz Khalifa if he didn’t smoke weed and rap about it?

Would you be interested at all in the music of Jandek if you actually knew a single factoid about him?

An artist’s identity is often tied inextricably with his or her work.

This seems especially true for the medium of music.

Popular music is one of few media in which the work is tied to both the product and the image of the artist.

Lady Gaga is a prominent example of this: Her music would be nothing if we did not also see her various images and know some of her intentions.

Even when an artist tries to obscure his or her background, so as to not influence an audience’s interpretation of their art, it can backfire.

In addition to Morrissey, another example of this is The Residents, a collective of musicians and visual artists who attempt to distance themselves from their work by donning costumes (a tuxedo and a giant eyeball mask) that obscure the face and by remaining anonymous in album credits.

The Residents make bizarre, avantgarde music and complementary videos. The concept behind the anonymity is to make The Residents

Knowing the story behind an artist and/or their songs can be beneficial to the listening experience. Suggestive art, such as the above image from Morrissey's "Hold On To Your Friends" single, and public image can add to or take away from the mystery of a song. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMI RECORDS

operate as one force and not as a band of individuals. This works both for and against the group’s art. On one hand, we have no clue who The Residents are. On the other, The Residents’ odd avoidance of press makes us ever the more interested in who they are and what their art means. This gimmick has been so well perpetuated for over 40 years that the members’ anonymity does seem intended to incite interest

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and intrigue.

Barthes also argues for a reader without history, but our personal experience is what makes art function, what makes art subjective. If we, as an audience, have no background, all art would be interpreted in the same way — and that would be a terrible thing.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

TOWSON from page 8

Attacker Karri Ellen Johnson finished with five goals in the Terps’ 17-8 win at Towson last night, matching a team high also set by attacker Sarah Mollison. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

offensive and defensive deficiencies.

“I thought we had some lapses defensively, and Towson capitalized from it,” coach Cathy Reese said. “And offensively, we had a big lull at the end of the half. I think we went about 16 minutes without scoring, which is a little uncharacteristic of us.”

The squad seemed to be in prime position to put the game out of reach when Mollison — competing in front of family who had traveled from Australia, including her mother and brother — pocketed her second goal to extend the Terps’ lead to 9-2 with 16:19 remaining in the first half.

The team, however, fell into an offensive slumber, partly due to a strong effort

by Towson goalie Mary Teeters. It lasted until near the end of the half, when attacker Kristy Black broke

free in front of the cage and scored with 25 seconds left before intermission. Mollison notched her fourth of five assists on the goal.

“I think it was a great game,” said attacker Karri Ellen Johnson, who tied Mollison with a team-high five goals. “I think we could have done a little bit better on offense, been a little bit smarter, and I think we could have respected our opponent a little bit more on defense.

“We kind of were lazy in and out of our game plan a little bit but brought it together at halftime and refocused.”

Midfielder Katie Schwarzmann added one of her three goals 13 seconds later, and Johnson ripped in two shots before 90 seconds had elapsed in the second half to give the Terps a commanding 13-4 advantage.

Towson (4-5) battled back with three unanswered goals as the Terps’ offense again failed to score for more than 15 minutes. But it was Schwarzmann who once

more ended the skid, ripping a shot past Teeters with 13:06 to play.

A year after she allowed seven Tiger goals in little less than a half of action, goalkeeper Brittany Dipper ably absolved herself against her hosts last night. The junior set a strong tone early with three saves before either team scored and finished with six total.

Mollison’s five assists pushed her all-time total to 107, good for fifth place in program history. The Australia native earned praise from Reese who, after learning of her doubledigit point total, summed the senior’s night up with a sentiment Mollison’s teammates undoubtedly share.

“I’m glad she’s on my team,” Reese said. “She’s a leader for us on offense. She always goes 100 percent on everything that she does. She just has such high expectations for herself, but she raises the level of everyone around her.” castello@umdbk.com

Shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez, one of the Terps’ top defensive players, returns to action tonight against George Mason. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

ERRORS from page 8 said Delp, recalling the play.

“That just opened everything up.”

But as the Terps (11-13) prepare to face George Mason tonight at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium, they’ve already closed the chapter on the defensive gaffes that ruined their weekend in Charlottesville, Va. “Oh, I’m past it already,” Rodriguez said. “I was past it the pitch after. I’m past it.”

The team, it seems, has brushed off the mistakes similarly. Despite the costly errors, the Terps didn’t take any extra fielding practice in preparation for the Patriots (10-14-1).

Errors are inevitable, Rodriguez admitted, but what made the blunder-filled weekend even more surprising was its contrast with the defensive prowess the Terps have shown all year. It’s that fact that has the Terps confident their fielding won’t be an issue against George Mason or for the rest of the year.

“I didn’t make the play when I needed to,” Rodriguez said.

“But I’m confident that I’m going to make 99 out of 100 balls. That one, I wasn’t able to come up with. We’re confident in our defense. We’ve got one of the best defenses in the country, and everyone makes errors.

It’s just unfortunate that that was the time.”

Coach Erik Bakich knows who he wants the ball hit to in important situations. Even after Rodriguez and Delp, two normally reliable defenders, made errors, Bakich said he wants them to be the ones making plays with the game on the line.

“In a situation like that, you would always want the ball hit to Alfredo. You feel good about the ball being hit to Tomo,” Bakich said. “No sense dwelling on it now. Hopefully, they’ll learn from it. They’ll get another opportunity late in a game to be able to put an opponent away and make a clutch play.”

If a similar situation arises tonight, it sounds like the feeling is mutual.

“I want the ball being hit to me, and that obviously gives me confidence that our coach wants the ball hit to me,” Rodriguez said. “I want the ball.” schneider@umdbk.com

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8

THE DIAMONDBACK | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011

Sports

Wrestling season in review For a recap of the Terrapin wrestling team’s 2011 season, which included another ACC Championship, read more online at diamondbackonline.com/sports.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Williams declares for NBA Draft All-ACC sophomore forward widely regarded as second-round talent in upcoming draft from this past year. Williams and forward WILLIAMS Dino Gregory, who is graduating this from page 1 waters and seeing where I would be,” Williams said in the release. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play at the next level.”

Williams has until May 8 to withdraw his name from the pool of draft-eligible players. If he opts not to return, the sophomore will forfeit his remaining two years of college eligibility.

Williams’ decision will be pivotal to the Terp program, which two weeks ago ended a disappointing 19-14 campaign with its first postseason absence in 17 years. The 6-foot-10 forward was one of the lone bright spots for the team this season, breaking the program’s record for doubledoubles in a season with 24 while becoming one of the nation’s most dominant inside forces.

Still, his professional prospects remain unclear. At best, Williams is considered a fringe first-round draft pick by some NBA Draft pundits, and many others have him going in either the second round or undrafted. Only first-round picks are guaranteed contracts in the NBA, whose future is also shaky with the league’s collectivebargaining agreement set to expire and a possible lockout looming.

“We talked to him today, talked to his dad also,” Gary Williams said on Comcast SportsNet’s Washington Post Live yesterday. “He’s testing the waters like good players do today and just finding out where he is in terms of the NBA Draft.”

His development, along with the rise of freshman guards Pe’Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin, had seemingly put the Terps in position to return to the NCAA Tournament next season.

“The big thing is, we’re here to be in the NCAA Tournament,” Gary Williams said in a March 14 interview on Comcast SportsNet. “We’re not here to make the NIT. So just like Connecticut, UCLA, [North] Carolina last year, who weren’t in the NCAA Tournament, we’ll be back in it next year. We’ll work hard to get there.”

Should Williams decide to remain in the draft, the Terps would enter the 2011-12 season without their starting frontcourt

spring, were the only two Terps to start every game this season.

Without them, the Terps would be left with forwards Ashton Pankey, Haukur Palsson and James Padgett and center Berend Weijs in the frontcourt next season. Martin Breunig, a 6-foot-9 German forward who committed to play for the Terps last month, is also expected to compete for playing time.

Williams’ destination is far from solidified, though. He is allowed to attend pre-draft workouts and receive feedback from scouts while maintaining his amateur status.

Williams ultimately could take a route not unlike that which former Terp Greivis Vasquez opted for two years ago. The guard filed paperwork to enter the draft after his junior season with the Terps before deciding to come back after gathering information about his standing in the draft.

The decision to return ultimately paid off for Vasquez, who was drafted in the first round last year by the Memphis Grizzlies after a successful senior campaign that included an ACC regular-season championship.

“What I think Greivis did his junior year, was that he impressed people in the workouts but not enough that they would guarantee being a first-round draft pick,” Gary Williams said on Comcast SportsNet yesterday. “It’s really important that you have that insurance.

Greivis did not get that insurance, and that’s why he came back.”

Guard John Gilchrist was the last Terp to leave this university early, turning pro in 2005. Forward Chris Wilcox was the last sophomore, forgoing his final two years to enter the 2002 NBA Draft just months after helping win the Terps’ first national title.

Whether Williams follows their lead or Vasquez’s will be clear in fewer than 40 days.

“Reality, hopefully, is out there, and we’ll get a good idea of what that is,” Gary Williams said. “When he has to make a decision, we’ll certainly be talking to a lot of NBA people.” ceckard@umdbk.com

Forward Jordan Williams, who averaged nearly 17 points and 12 rebounds per game this season, set a program record for double-doubles in a single season with 24. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

BASEBALL

After sweep, Terps see the error of their ways String of fielding gaffes Saturday keyed Cavaliers’ rally in team’s winless weekend

BY JEREMY SCHNEIDER Staff writer

Leading No. 3 Virginia 2-1 in the eighth inning Saturday, the Terrapin baseball team was six outs away from effectively erasing the memories of a five-error debacle in the series opener the night before.

And based on the way third baseman Tomo Delp was fielding, it hardly

seemed like an inning — or a game — that would be destroyed by poor defense.

Playing shallow in the infield and looking for a bunt from the Cavaliers’ leadoff batter, shortstop Chris Taylor, Delp dived to his left to snag a hard-hit ground ball before collecting himself and throwing out Taylor at first base for the first out of the inning.

Moments later, Cavalier left fielder John Barr laced

another grounder that Delp grabbed backhanded and then relayed to first for another putout.

“Two quick outs,” Delp said. “Yeah, that’s when it started going bad.”

The highlight-reel plays

by Delp were quickly forgotten, as back-to-back errors from shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez and Delp set the table for a Virginia rally in an eventual 4-2 Terp loss, their

second in a three-game Virginia sweep marred by uncharacteristic mistakes in the field.

Possibly the biggest came in that fateful eighth inning, when Rodriguez mishandled a routine ground ball that, on almost any other day, would have closed out the inning.

“I didn’t handle the ball cleanly,” Rodriguez said.

“And with a good base runner that was running, I was-

n’t able to get him out.”

Then, with one runner on after Rodriguez’s error, Delp charged toward a chopper advancing to third base. As he tried to move the ball from his glove to his bare hand, he lost the handle on it, allowing a second Cavalier on base and putting the pieces in place for a winning rally.

“It just kinds of flares out,”

see ERRORS, page 7

Attacker Sarah Mollison finished with a career-high 10 points on five goals and five assists in a 17-8 win last night.

CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

QUARTER-BACK

Mollison’s big night carries Terps in rout

BY MATT CASTELLO Staff writer

TOWSON – For the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team, there was no denying that the magnitude of last night’s contest paled in comparison to the last time it strode into Unitas Stadium.

But for all the fond memories the familiar venue prompted for Terp attacker Sarah Mollison, who was a part of the team’s 13-11 national title over Northwestern here last May, it produced even stronger play.

Despite prolonged scoring droughts in both halves, Mollison netted a career-high 10 points as the No. 1 Terps continued their undefeated run on a chilly evening, topping a scrappy Towson side, 17-8.

It was not the sharpest effort this season for the Terps (11-0), who managed to win by a comfortable margin despite both

see TOWSON, page 7

Quarterback Danny O’Brien, standing, and the Terrapin football team opened spring practice yesterday, their first under new coach Randy Edsall. The Terps’ spring practice slate concludes with the annual Red-White game April 30. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK