April 22, 2015

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The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper

W E D N E S DAY, A P R I L 2 2 , 2 015

Man, 40, sentenced for 8 sex offenses Gaithersburg resident assaulted student in College Park in fall 2013 By Katishi Maake @TheHavocRat, @dbkcrime Staff writer

Liquor stores in this county will be able to apply to sell liquor on Sundays. josh loock/thediamondback

Gov. Hogan OKs Sunday liquor sales in county

johanna deguzman, a junior communication major (left), and junior atmospheric science major Hassan Agyei read diversity tags at the SeeMe exhibit yesterday in Stamp Student Union’s Atrium. The project aimed to foster cross-cultural communication on the campus. rachel george/the diamondback

SEEING PAST THE LOOKS

100 licenses available for 160 eligible stores By Jon Banister @J_Banister Senior staff writer

SeeMe exhibit aims to promote campus diversity discussions

Some Prince George’s County liquor stores now will be permitted to sell liquor on Sundays after Gov. Larry Hogan signed a bill April 14 ending Prohibition-era “blue laws” in the county. Washington and a majority of this state’s surrounding counties already allow Sunday liquor sales, which forces consumers in this county to leave if they want to purchase liquor every day of the week. “It seems to me it’s a bit antiquated to have just that one day of the week that alcohol sales aren’t permitted, and I’d hate to see our local businesses hurt by a seemingly antiquated law,” College Park District 1 Councilman Patrick Wojahn said. The law allows the Prince George’s County liquor board to issue permits allowing for the sale of liquor on Sundays to no more than 100 liquor stores in the county out of an estimated 160 stores that could be eligible. Eligibility is based on reinvesting at least $50,000 in the business within a year of obtaining the permit. Under the current law, some liquor stores, such as College Park Liquors and #1 Liquors, have to remain closed on Sundays. Other stores, such as Town Hall Liquors, have a different license that allows them to sell just beer and wine on Sundays. If these stores obtain the new permits — which include a $750 application fee and an annual permit fee of between $1,000 and $2,500 — they will be allowed to sell beer, wine and liquor on Sundays from 8 a.m. to midnight. The legislative analysis of the bill concluded the county would receive more than $200,000 in revenue from permit fees alone. At #1 Liquors, managers said they must weigh the permit cost with the expected bump in sales they would receive from the extra day of business. “As long as it’s not prohibitively expensive, we will probably be applying for it,” said Jon Morgan, a #1 Liquors manager. “As far as we’re concerned, anything that gives consumers better choice and allows competition is good for everybody.” The law outlawing Sunday liquor sales stems from restrictions put in See liquor, Page 3

By Lexie Schapitl @lexieschapitl Staff writer Junior Johanna DeGuzman flipped through the dozens of red cards that hung from a clothesline spanning Stamp Student Union’s Atrium yesterday. The back of each card read, “See Me,” while the front showed one of many ways students at this university wrote how they wished to be seen beyond their physical appearance. “An equal.” “An ally 4 LGBTQ.” “Blonde AND smart.” The art exhibit, “SeeMe: More Than How I Look,” was a collaboration between the graphic design concentration and the Student Government Association’s Diversity Committee and was on display yesterday. Graphic design professor Audra Buck-Coleman said the event was designed to promote the com-

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City Council, U plan innovation district Draft plots housing, retail, offices, labs along Route 1 By Eleanor Mueller @eleanor_mueller Staff writer This university’s former East Campus is set to morph into an innovation district that integrates the city with the university to create an environment that inspires creativity.

A draft of the plans to transform College Park was presented to the City Council last night by Carlo Colella, this university’s administration and finance vice president; Brian Darmody, research and economic development associate vice president; Adam Gross of the architecture firm Ayers Saint Gross; and Ken Ulman, president of Margrave Strategies. “My first thought is, ‘Wow,’” District 1 Councilman Patrick Wojahn said. “This could really transform our city.”

Created by the u n iversity and various consultants, the proposal looks to revamp land on both sides of Route 1 near Ritchie Coliseum into a mixture of market-rate apartments, university housing, retail, offices and laboratory buildings. These amenities could replace buildings such as Old and New Leonardtow n, Reckord Armory and other structures along Route 1 in proximity to See district, Page 3

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MICA co-hosts Hoff Theater religious freedom panel Panelists include Islamic, Catholic officials By Morgan Eichensehr @MEichensehr Staff writer As Nadia Hassan stood before an audience in Stamp Student Un ion last n ight reading the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, she couldn’t help but feel gratitude for America’s religious freedom. “This is beautiful,” said Hassan,

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mittee and prompt discussion about diversity on this campus. “UMD loves to tout itself as being one of the most diverse [universities]; it is the most diverse flagship, all these sort of statistics and numbers,” Buck-Coleman said. “But what does that really mean? What does that look like for students, and what does that look like for the rest of the population on campus?” The exhibit featured eight posters that showed different images depending on the visitor’s viewpoint. From one angle, viewers could see a quote from a student about how others might perceive him or her, and from the other, the poster displayed a photo of a student and a phrase explaining how he or she wished to be seen. The artwork represented students of different races, cultures, religions and genders.

A Montgomery County man was sentenced to 150 years in prison April 15 after a history of sexually assaulting several college-aged men. Police arrested Joey Poindexter, 40, of Gaithersburg, on Oct. 9, 2013 after a male college student reported that Poindexter sexually assaulted him on Oct. 2 after the two met at Looney’s Pub on Route 1. The next day, the student woke up in Poindexter’s residence with no recollection of the previous n ight, accord i ng to the Montgomery County state’s attorney’s office. O n O ct. 9, t he st udent met with Poindexter at a Starbucks in College Park, and Montgomery County Police detectives took an audio recording of the meeting. Poindexter admitted to sexually assaulting the student, and police subsequently arrested him that evening, according to state district court records. Poindexter was found guilty of sexually assaulting five men who came forward with their cases, but prosecutors presented evidence that suggested he could have assaulted upward of 25 men, according to a Montgomery County state’s attorney’s of f ice news release. Poindexter was found guilty in February on five counts of second-degree sex offense and three counts of third-degree sex offense, according to the release. Computer files taken during a search of Poindexter’s house revealed he had a history of sexually assaulting men dating back almost 10 years, the release stated. “T his case encompasses five i nd iv idu a ls who were brave enough to come forward and be a part of this prosecution,” said Ramon Korionoff, public affairs d i re c tor for t he Montgom e r y County state’s attorney’s office. “He assau lted them w ithout their knowledge, without their consent; 150 years behind bars is an appropriate sentence.”

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the government and interfaith relations coordinator for the Islamic Society of North America. “Our forefathers were able to witness and observe what didn’t work in Europe. And they came here and were able to develop laws that worked to benefit of everyone.” Hassan and Virginia Loo Faris, the foreign policy adviser for the See freedom, Page 2

nadia hassan (left), an Islamic Society of North America coordinator, and Virginia Loo Faris, a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adviser, speak yesterday in Hoff Theater. stephanie natoli/the diamondback

SPORTS

OPINION

REVIVING A RIVALRY

STAFF EDITORIAL: Endorsing Patrick Ronk

Multiple outlets reported yesterday the Terrapins men’s basketball team will play Georgetown as part of the inaugural Gavitt Tipoff Games next season P. 8

DIVERSIONS

Ronk’s proven leadership makes him the right choice P. 4

GRAB YO’ SPOONS Yogurt is on the rise, and there’s no end in sight P. 6


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