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After preseason injury, Burns contributes to Terps down final stretch

London band Yuck plays in Washington for the first time

SPORTS | PAGE 8

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Senate: Univ. must accept self-signed sick notes Health center must issue notes on test days

BY YASMEEN ABUTALEB Staff writer

Professors must now accept students’ self-signed notes excusing them from class at least once per semester due to a University Senate vote yesterday, even though ill students have been allowed to print out such notes for seven years.

After the University Health Center stopped issuing sick notes for single absences in 2004, students have been left with the option of missing class unexcused or attending class while sick. But after a senate subcommittee crafted legislation to overturn the vote two years ago, members finally saw the policy passed with a 75 to 4 vote in favor of providing students at least one self-excused absence as well as health center-issued notes on test and presentation days.

Many students said this would alleviate worry and provide them with the healing time they needed.

“I think it’s a good idea, especially for classes that are attendance-based,” said sophomore kinesiology major Kesley Cofsky. “You can feel fine one day and then wake up the next day feeling lousy. It happens. Everyone needs their day.”

The new policy will require professors to outline guidelines in their syllabi for medical absences and allow students to print one note per class from the health center website stating the date and reason for absence that professors must accept. The policy also states that the health center must provide students with an excused note for absences that are more than seven days, which is already required by the university.

Matthew Stamm, who chaired the

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

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Williams remains in NBA Draft Sophomore forward ends Terrapin career after signing with agent

BY CHRIS ECKARD Senior staff writer

The loss of Terrapin men’s basketball All-ACC forward Jordan Williams stands to have a significant impact on team. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

Forward Jordan Williams, the Terrapin men’s basketball team’s leading scorer and rebounder last season, has hired an agent and will remain in the NBA Draft, effectively ending a productive but short-lived career in College Park.

After the sophomore officially declared for the draft March 29, many — including coach Gary

Williams — speculated he was merely testing the draft waters and was intent on returning.

A flurry of reports in the wake of his announcement hinted at Williams’ eventual exit to the professional ranks, where his future — as well as the league’s — was far from certain.

Yesterday, the forward made it official.

“I feel like now was the best opportunity for me after working hard, extremely hard, in the past

month and a half or so,” Williams said on Comcast SportsNet last night. “I feel I put myself in the best position to get drafted at a good area in the draft.”

Team officials didn’t know of Williams’ intentions to stay in the draft until yesterday afternoon.

“We wish Jordan well as he pursues his dream of playing in the NBA,” Gary Williams said in a

see WILLIAMS page 8

The power of learning Indian diplomat says education fuels economy

BY MOLLY MARCOT Staff writer

An Indian diplomat visiting the campus yesterday said her country’s economy is on the upswing — and education is the driving force behind it.

Indian Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar told about 35 students and faculty members yesterday that within the coming decades, India will likely emerge as one of the largest economies in the world.

But while India’s economic development rapidly progresses, she said one of the government’s biggest challenges is securing enough resources to keep up.

Shankar’s 40-minute speech — an event hosted by the university’s Institute for International Programs — centered around the reorientation of economic policies in the

southern Asian country to accommodate its growth, which has been most pronounced within the past 10 years.

Part of helping the country grow economically is harnessing the pool of human resources India has to offer in order to reach its potential. And Shankar said education is crucial to engaging more of the population in their economy’s expansion.

That’s where this university comes in, university President Wallace Loh said in his introduction to the lecture. In keeping with his goal of fostering more global partnerships, he announced this university will host approximately 30 to 40 vice chancellors and senior officials from Indian

see SHANKAR page 2

see EXCUSES, page 3 JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

SGA appoints new executive, legislative officials Univ. may decrease how long Appointees discuss goals; three of seven committee positions split up

BY SARAH MEEHAN

University Senate suggests change in response to student privacy concerns

Senior staff writer

A newly inaugurated SGA assumed its first order of business yesterday — stocking its cabinet.

At yesterday’s meeting, leaders of the Student Government Association appointed speakers of the legislature and cabinet members. They spent the night testing their hands at debate under the leadership of new Speaker of the Legislature Carson McDonald, who left his seat as engineering legislator to take the position.

“I think that my passion for this school, my passion for this organization and the dedication that I’m going to show would make me a good candidate,” McDonald said.

He defeated outlying commuter legislator Brendan Cusack for the position in a 19-15 vote.

Other legislators said they felt confident in McDonald’s ability to succeed in the position that requires him

license-plate numbers are kept

BY SPENCER ISRAEL Staff writer

Carson McDonald (left) was elected speaker of the legislature. Andrea Marcin was elected speaker pro tempore. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

to conduct all SGA meetings, mentor legislators and serve as a bridge between the executive board and other group members.

“He understands both sides of debate, and he’s incredibly levelheaded when it comes to controver-

sial issues,” journalism legislator Michelle Chan said. “I think he’d be a phenomenal speaker and a great friend and leader.”

Next, a rookie versus veteran debate

see APPOINTEES, page 3

Those concerned about Big Brother watching may have won a small victory last night after the University Senate recommended the university decrease the amount of time licenseplate numbers are stored from a year to no more than 30 days.

The issue, which was presented yesterday afternoon to the university’s most powerful voting body by a senate subcommittee, was born out of student concerns over privacy.

But University Police officials, who noted the change was far from ideal in regard to campus safety, said preserving privacy may mean sacrificing security.

Students disapproved of a provision of the Department of Transportation Services’ license-plate recognition system, which was implemented last semester, that stored their information in a database accessible to University Police for a year.

Yesterday, the senate recommended that time period be decreased to no more than 30 days.

DOTS stopped issuing plastic parking permits last semester, opting for license-plate scanners to verify whether cars are parked in their assigned lots instead. After students voiced their concerns and the Student Government Association unanimously voted to limit the amount of

see SENATE, page 2

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SHANKAR from page 1 universities who will be visiting the United States to participate in a higher education summit this fall.

Loh also cited this university’s relationship with India and Indian organizations, specifically the business school’s sustainability project with the Energy and Resources Institute of New Delhi and the engineering school’s partnerships with the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. “[University partnerships] have become one of the many connections which continue to function outside what governments can do and which provide the kind of strength to the relationship,” Shankar said after her speech.

India’s physical infrastructure needs substantial development to accommodate the rate of growth, with an assessed $1 trillion investment needed over the next decade to build sea-

ports, airports, roads and railways, she said.

“Because our economy is growing so fast, our infrastructure growth has not been able to keep pace with demand,” she said.

Shankar also focused on including the entire population through government-sponsored economic programs, such as a program guaranteeing 100 days of work per year in environmental or sustainability-focused fields for one person from each low-income family.

“In terms of ensuring inclusive growth, we’ve ... created a social safety net to reduce vulnerabilities, particularly in the rural economies,” she said.

Shankar also touched upon economic relations between the United States and India, mentioning the export of Indian information technology services in exchange for American financial consulting and educational services.

“Overall, the relationship is becoming a two-way relationship with growth and prosperity on

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SENATE from page 1

Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar spoke last night about her country’s recent economic growth. JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

both sides,” she said.

Shankar’s speech was an installment of the Ambassadorial Lecture Series program — a 10-year-old initiative bringing foreign ambassadors to the university. Several student attendees said the lecture series provides valuable insight into contemporary issues they may not get the opportunity to learn about in classes.

“I do think it’s really one of the great strengths of our university, that we’re so close to D.C. and you can have people like this come on a regular basis,” said junior environmental science and policy major Hilary Staver. “It’s about adding to your general knowledge base about the world.” marcot@umdbk.com

time the numbers are stored to 30 days, the senate decided to talk with DOTS and University Police officials to find common ground.

“It’s a good compromise,” DOTS Director David Allen said. “We don’t even need [the license-plate numbers] for 30 days, but the police still do.”

University Police spokesman Capt. Marc Limansky said the change wasn’t optimal for his department.

“If we could keep [licenseplate numbers in the system] for a year, it’d be better for investigatory purposes,” he said. “But we’ll have to live with it.”

Also at yesterday’s meeting, the senate delayed the final draft of the Facilities Management Master Plan because the plan’s developers want more facetime with the senate.

Because last month’s senate meeting was canceled due to a lack of a quorum — not enough

voting members were present — the body had a full agenda yesterday, and Facilities Management Director and acting Assistant Vice President for Administrative Affairs Frank Brewer had fewer than 10 minutes to discuss the draft.

The final update to the plan was originally slated to be presented to university President Wallace Loh and the Board of Regents — a 17-person board that governs the University System of Maryland — in September. After presenting the plan’s first draft to university officials, the College Park City Council and the SGA, Brewer said he wanted one more meeting with senators in the fall before the department goes ahead with the proposal.

Lisa Delplace, CEO of the design firm hired to assist Facilities Management in the plan’s update, said they hoped to receive feedback from senators at the meeting, but time was too constrained. israel@umdbk.com

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK

3

EXCUSES from page 1 committee that devised the legislation over the past year, said students will not abuse the system, saving their one absence for a day they really need it.

“This would give students the ability to excuse themselves from class without overburdening the health center,” he said. “The way we view it is like sick leave — you can excuse yourself from work for a day or two as long as you don’t abuse it. As long as we give this to students once a semester, they’ll use it responsibly and not expose other students to whatever they have.”

Before 2004, the health center issued notes granting students permission to miss a single class. Officials said students abused this policy and would ask for notes simply to get out of class; the health center employees

ended up spending nearly a quarter of their time writing such excuses.

And while health center officials said they are anticipating an increase in the number of requests for sick notes because they are required to issue notes for absences on test and presentation days, they will comply with the passed legislation.

“We’re one step closer to making a sort of more concerted effort on behalf of the university to treat our students like adults,” health center Director Sacared Bodison said. “I think we will try to do our part and make sure that we follow the new policy.”

Many senators threw their support behind the updated measure at yesterday’s meeting and said they trust students to adhere to the honor code.

“We’re teaching these young students to be adults in the workforce, and as adults, we need to regulate ourselves to say, ‘I’m tired, and I need one day to rest,’” said senator

Gloria Coates, a staff member. “I have a daughter who is of college age, and she had a cold, and if she had taken the one day rest, then it would not have escalated, so I think this is a wonderful policy.”

However, other senators said they were afraid students would abuse the right to issue a self-signed note.

“My concern is that this could be negative on a bit of a bigger scale as far as underage drinking goes,” said student senator Vas Blagodarskiy. “If you’re hungover and don’t want to go to class, this gives students a way out.”

Supporters said students are still accountable for making up the work.

“I think we should be held responsible to take our own sick leaves,” said Alex Miletich, an undergraduate student senator. “We’re still missing material, we’re going to have to catch up, so there aren’t reasons to skip a class just because.” abutaleb@umdbk.com

Eric Kasischke, the new chairman of the University Senate, will preside over the body responsible for approving changes to the general education plan. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

General ed. plan will progress Senate streamlines committee that oversees curriculum; change will provide broader understanding, officials say

BY YASMEEN ABUTALEB Staff writer

Officials are speeding up the implementation of a new general education plan after the University Senate approved a modification yesterday of the committee charged with overseeing the new plan.

The senate’s CORE Committee, which oversees the soonto-be-eliminated CORE program, will no longer be responsible for the nuts-and-bolts details of the new general education plan. It will instead supervise the remainder of the CORE program and monitor the replacement program’s progress from a big-picture perspective.

The committee, which was renamed the General Education Committee, was previously responsible for reviewing and approving individual courses for the new general education plan, which has been touted as a progressive and innovative model for higher education and will effectively replace the current CORE program in fall 2012. But members of the committee said its widespread responsibilities did not give them enough time to monitor the program as a whole. The newly named committee will no longer review individual courses but will instead be responsible for ensuring that

the new program follows the guidelines outlined in the implementation plan, which was approved in February and addresses its broader goals.

“Doing that work left the committee with very little time to look at how the entire program as a whole was functioning and whether it was meeting the needs of our students,” Associate Dean for General Education Doug Roberts said.

“The committee now has much broader oversight of how the general education program is ser ving our students. ... It will be looking at it as an entire program.”

Some student senators at the meeting said they were concerned about the student representation on the new committee — despite the reorganization, they will still constitute fewer than one-fifth of the members.

“How engaged are [students] on this committee, and how can we as undergraduates be sure their concerns are being addressed?” said undergraduate student senator Jeff Calderon. “This plan is meant for undergraduate students, so I feel like this committee should ensure that their needs are met by this plan.”

Committee Chair woman Laura Rosenthal said she could not include more students because she did not want the committee to be too

large. She said all student needs will be met regardless of representation.

Roberts said the work of reviewing individual courses will now fall to nine newly formed faculty boards, which will report to the General Education Committee but will not technically be part of the University Senate. This will allow the General Education Committee to take a broader approach.

“There really was no body that really looked at things in a more holistic way,” he said.

“Instead of looking at this plan piece-by-piece, it was important that there be a committee that looks at it as a program.”

The delegation to the faculty boards is expected to bring participation from more parts of the university community.

“One of the goals is to have courses part of General Education ... come from all over the campus instead of coming primarily from three colleges,” Roberts said, noting most CORE courses currently come from the colleges of arts and humanities, behavioral and social sciences, and computer, mathematical and natural sciences.

“We’re expecting courses from everywhere. ...

The committee felt it important that the membership be from all the different colleges.” abutaleb@umdbk.com

APPOINTEES from page 1 ensued, as legislators argued who should assume the role of speaker pro tempore. The contest was between Andrea Marcin, a member of this past year’s SGA, and newcomer Tokunbo Okulaja.

“When you go to make change and to make a structure more efficient, you have to have a basic understanding of where it was,” Senior Vice President Matthew Popkin said.

Neighboring commuter legislator Aaron Zaccaria disagreed.

“I don’t think that you need to be a member of the SGA to have the relevant experience to succeed in this job,” he said, noting that overall leadership experience and personality are more important.

In a 19-14 vote, Marcin, the South Campus Commons legislator, won the second-highest position, which is charged with overseeing the committee board and filling in for the speaker in his absence.

Following their appointment, SGA President Kaiyi Xie presented fresh members of the cabinet for the legislature’s approval.

In choosing his cabinet, Xie appointed co-directors for three of the seven cabinet positions. Jimmy Gray and Traci Siegel were appointed co-directors of student groups; Staci Armezzani and Hafie Yillah will be co-directors of communication; and Rachel

The SGA’s incoming Speaker of the Legislature Carson McDonald accepts the gavel from his predecessor, Kevin Ford (right). CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

Burke and Michelle Kim will assume the roles of codirectors of sustainability.

Because the positions involving juggling multiple responsibilities, Xie said he decided to appoint co-directors to a role usually filled by only one person.

“When we inter viewed, we felt like a lot of the applicants were well qualified for the position, just in different ways,” Xie said. “They won’t overlap each other, they will compliment each other, so for a lot of the positions that was the goal.”

Other members of the new cabinet include Chief of Staff Steven Hershkowitz, Director of Governmental Affairs Zach Cohen, Director of Programming and Traditions Bill Braun and Director of Administrative Affairs Mar y Gillis.

Of all of the leaders appointed last night, eight were veteran SGA members and five were newcomers.

Because several of the positions were filled by representatives initially elected as legislators, the appointments left five legislative positions open.

Following the appointments, the legislators attempted a debate for the first time as one body. They pored over two bills funding separate events: a student leadership conference called ONE UMD and the First Look Fair.

The SGA voted to allocate about $3,000 to ONE UMD and front $15 for each club participating in the First Look Fair — which will am ount to roughly $5,000. meehan@umdbk.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011

0pinion

LAUREN REDDING

THE DIAMONDBACK

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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JUSTIN SNOW

KEVIN TERVALA

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OPINION EDITOR

Staff editorial

Guest column

Enforcing common sense

An unreal proposal

T

hey can be seen zipping through traffic and on sidewalks, dodging sity officials to take action, the steps that have been taken in recent months pedestrians and other motorists. Scooters and bicycles are as are a positive first step toward enhancing the safety of all members of the much a part of this 1,250-acre campus as tailgates and Testudo. university community.

After all, with scooter and bicycle riders sharing the campus with thouAfter several students — including Terrapin football players Pete DeSouza and Dexter McDougle — were injured last semester in on-cam- sands of students and hundreds of cars, helmets are a necessity and a pus crashes while riding motorized scooters or bicycles without helmets, potential lifesaving measure that should be mandated for all those individuals who choose to ride a scooter, bicycle or motorcycle on this campus. the issue of student safety was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

Some students, such as sophomore letters and sciences major Christy For years, university officials had been concerned about the issue, specifically as it related to helmet use (or lack thereof), but little concrete Goldmann, a member of the women’s track and field team, have stated that action had been taken. Indeed, according to Darr yl Conway, the “it’s just more of a hassle to bring [helmets] to class.” But the safety benefits of mandating their use far outweigh the devices’ spokesman for the athletics department, when stuinconvenience. Indeed, according to the World dent-athletes first started to ride motorized scooters in Health Organization, wearing a helmet has been 2005, officials were concerned about their failure to shown not only to decrease the risk of death in a trafwear helmets. But outside of recommending helmet The university community fic-road accident by almost 40 percent, but also to use, there was little that could be done because the must work to once and help significantly reduce health-care costs following department lacks the authority to mandate students such an accident. take such precautions. for all enforce an Although state law requires motorcyclists to wear But last semester’s accidents have ser ved as a wakeon-campus helmet policy helmets at all times, it does not do so for riders of up call for university officials and student leaders, bicycles or motorized scooters that primarily operate who, since the beginning of the year, have taken the to ensure the safety at a speed of under 35 miles per hour. Only individuinitial steps toward increasing scooter and bicycle als under the age of 16 are required by law to wear safety on the campus. of students. helmets if they operate the aforementioned vehicles.

After replacing Ralph Friedgen, Terp football coach Randy Edsall, for instance, in Januar y banned the use of motorized scoot- Through mandating that all individuals — whether they ride a bicycle, ers for all football players. The University Senate’s Campus Af fairs Com- scooter or motorcycle — wear a helmet on the campus, this university mittee began to publicly study the feasibility of mandating that all bike could significantly increase the safety of its students and help minimize riders wear a helmet, holding a forum on the issue in Februar y. And the potential injuries from accidents.

While enacting such a policy will no doubt require the collaboration of Residence Hall Association voted 27 to 5 on Tuesday to pass a resolution suppor ting a university-wide helmet requirement for all motorized various university departments and voting bodies, we hope the university community can work through the bureaucracy to emerge with a plan that scooter riders.

And while it is a sad statement on the culture of this university that it can help keep individuals safe. Let’s not wait for another tragic accident to took several serious accidents to force students to take notice and univer- take action.

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Kevin Brooks

Higher education: Got knowledge?

W

hile a summer dream paints tomorrow’s horizon, today we prepare for the annual flood of responsibilities. A frantic air has gripped the campus’s side. Men and women rush about these halls.

Rumor has it a tidal wave of Scantrons is swiftly approaching! Our fate is all but delivered. Soon we will be buried beneath a barrage of paper and pencils. Now, our actions move to align with the turn of the clock.

Today’s student lives a hurried existence. He or she is led to rise from bed not for a duty to mankind but for the faithful execution of a daily ritual. It is a ritual marked by its tedium. The student senses a pressing urgency to recite, to perform and to succeed. With perfect clockwork ever y deadline is met.

And as long as the inventor y is accounted for, there is neither worry nor reason for second thought. A man might think to himself, “I have done ever ything required of me. I

STEVEN SPINELLO have performed due diligence in reviewing my checklist not once, not twice but three times more. Surely, the day will arrive when I will reap the fruits of my labor — a job, a corner office or even a pin-striped suit!”

And in his head he will truly believe he has succeeded. Yet without knowledge of self, he will have failed to live.

What defines the American scholar? Today’s student has a fantastic inclination for meeting the bare minimum. A student is more likely motivated by a fear of failure than a desire to improve his own lot.

The emphasis is placed on graduating and not, unfortunately, learning.

I cannot blame the student when the

system is designed accordingly.

Lecture halls are packed to the brim not because of students’ infatuation with the subject matter but because of universities’ love of numbers. When a university places the quota of seats before students’ needs, it marginalizes the product it provides. When an institution trumps its rankings over the substance of the content that is taught, that institution has lost sight of itself.

Colleges were erected as temples of knowledge. It was never intended that a singular doctrine be worshiped or one ritual promulgated about the masses. A student needs both his mind and soul to be actively engaged. I know a great number of students who feel they are just that — one of a number of students. This cannot be the true aim of education.

These same lecture halls are too often occupied by a senseless mass — students who passively regurgitate and attend the ritual. If a student

is merely here, so that in proper time he may sport a cap and gown, he is delaying the inevitable. A safe return to the nest all but awaits him. A stickered college window is not the mark of a person’s character. Nor will a diploma glorify one’s cause. If one has no stake in his or her education, then what is the former but a piece of paper?

I have no doubt many are here because they hate ignorance and have a love and thirst for knowledge.

Yet I cringe over the person who simply signs off on a blank check. I say cash your checks in full! We cannot hope to gain anything from education if we fail to keep our side of the bargain. Education is not the mark of a superior intellect. Knowledge of one’s self is the true barometer of wisdom. Ever ything else falls into place accordingly.

Steven Spinello is a junior economics major. He can be reached at spinello@umdbk.com.

9/11: The generational gap

U

nlike most of my undergraduate cohorts, I was in high school on Sept.

11, 2001. I remember sitting in class watching the horror unfold on television, and I recall thinking the world had changed forever. Later I joined the army and spent many months overseas on missions best described to others as “counterterrorism.” On Sunday night, I was on an airplane when I learned of Osama bin Laden’s death. When the captain informed the passengers the face of terrorism had met his maker, the cabin erupted in a brief volley of clapping and cheering.

When we landed, a lone television in the quiet terminal was broadcasting President Barack Obama’s address. Passengers stood there, frozen, listening to our president as the glow of the television bounced off their faces. While waiting at the luggage terminal, I learned through Facebook and Twitter that people were celebrat-

ing on the streets of Washington and downtown College Park. I went home though, because it had been a long day, and I was tired. I wasn’t sure why, but the hullabaloo made me sort of uncomfortable.

So that night I lay in bed, trying to restore order to my brain. I wasn’t happy so much as grateful — not that bin Laden was dead per se, but that he was over. How he died or even whether he died seemed unimportant. For 10 years, I thought, we had been swinging at that stupid piñata, and we finally hit it. But along the way we destroyed just about everything else in the room. In those 10 years, we’ve lost about 6,000 service members. We’ve spent about a trillion dollars. We’ve overlooked our own human rights standards in the name of justice.

Now is not the time to dance in the streets, but I understand why people did it. To me there’s a distinct generational line that was created on 9/11. Undergraduates at this university were generally

CHRISTOPHER HAXEL between the ages of 8 and 12 on that day, and while they certainly have memories preceding 9/11, the memories are of their lives, not life in general. Children are by nature self-centered and unable to really understand anything beyond their own lives, so anyone who was still a child on 9/11 doesn’t really know the world as it was before that day.

As we all know, the post-9/11 world is one of body scanners and casualties, Ground Zero and threat levels. The people partying outside the White House never knew the innocence of a time when our countr y was riding the dot-com wave of economic and militar y invincibility.

So they danced. They waved flags and sang songs about America as

they celebrated the death of a man who stole a part of their childhood. I think that’s fair.

“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote. Those of us who had grown up before 9/11 have the advantage of knowing what we lost on that fateful day. We know that now is a time not for jubilation, but for solace. I’m reminded of a quiet song by Norah Jones, “The Long Day Is Over,” which deals with the mélange of emotions at the end of a long day. Her smoky voice elicits the final glowing embers found in a peaceful pre-dawn fire as she sings: “Feeling tired/ By the fire/ The long day is over.”

This day is indeed over but, as always, the end of one day is the beginning of another. It too will be taxing and arduous. I hope the revelers are prepared.

Christopher Haxel is a junior English major. He can be reached at haxel@umdbk.com.

T

he April 28 staff editorial, “A needed transformation,” did not make an adequate case for the necessity of any of the changes that it proposed, a trait it shares with the April 26 article (which seemed inappropriately placed outside of the opinion section), “Finding a place of their own.”

The April 26 article quoted students arguing that special consideration is required to make sure transgender individuals are not made to share rooms with “intolerant roommates.” However, the article presented no examples of intolerance, just an interview in which a transgender student expressed feelings of discomfort living in dorms. The student stated, “My first roommate was fine with it, but I was not comfortable on my floor at all.”

Does this mean a person’s housing assignment should depend on whether that person uses feminine or masculine pronouns to refer to someone who is biologically one sex but practices behaviors culturally reserved for the other? Or a person’s willingness to consider female a male dressed in clothing typically worn by women, or vice versa? This is an unreasonable requirement for room assignments.

If, on the other hand, that means pairing transgender students with roommates who will not harass them about their identities or behaviors, then this does not require anything beyond policies already in place against harassment. It seems unreasonable to assume any student is more likely to face inappropriate behavior from someone who is not lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender than from someone who is, and that’s why segregation proposed is a problem.

The April 28 editorial went much further, advocating the construction of private bathrooms in every university building and calling the lack of these facilities and special housing accommodations “unsafe.” The editorial gives no examples or other evidence that this situation places members of the university community at risk of suffering from any injury whatsoever and instead cites students’ feelings of discomfort in using the same facilities that everybody else uses.

The editorial board makes a downright offensive attempt to link vaguely defined “trans-phobic” feelings and policies with an assault at a McDonald’s in Baltimore County — an event that certainly has nothing to do with this university.

To warrant the enormous expense that would be required to install private bathrooms in every university building, I believe the burden falls upon the editorial board to show that these feelings of discomfort are something more than paranoia experienced on the part of some transgender individuals and also that such problems are separate from the general presence of violence at this university and in College Park.

Because sexual assault and harassment are actual problems at this and other universities, it is certainly reasonable for women not to want men in their restrooms, just as it is reasonable for a woman not to want a male roommate, regardless of whether that biological male identifies as a man or a woman (sexual orientation is generally separate from gender identity). And I don’t see why it is the responsibility of taxpayers and tuitionpayers to build hundreds of private bathrooms to alleviate the discomfort faced by a very small subset of people, rather than it being the responsibility of these people to either overcome this preoccupation or use the existing private restrooms.

Michael Kossin is a sophomore physics major. He can be reached at ionbeam2@gmail.com.

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011 | THE DIAMONDBACK

5

Features HOROSCOPESTELLA WILDER

CROSSWORD 39 Figures out 42 Villain in Shakespeare 43 Put in an appearance

45 Ho-hum feeling 46 Wassail alternative 47 Gambling mecca 48 Particulars

49 Change the clock 51 First name in spying 52 Letter encl.

53 Ibsen woman

ACROSS 59 Dogie stopper 61 Not apt to bite 1 Engrossed 62 Unduly hasty 5 Dusting powder 63 Novelist Lessing 9 Big party nights 64 Type of mgr.

13 Dormant 65 Chop — 15 Have poison ivy 66 Ancient history 16 Relax 17 Ginza locale DOWN 18 Ore deposit 1 Ceremony 19 Horrid-tasting 2 Unknown auth.

20 Flight dir.

21 Part of an orange 3 Lap dog 4 Make an effort 23 Enhanced 5 Rudder control the flavor 6 Upon 25 Toy on a string 7 Arith. term 26 Picked 8 Grinning cat 27 Indy participant 9 Graceland idol 30 Carioca’s home 10 Alto or tenor 31 Pseudonym 11 Ms. Degeneres 32 Five-gallon container (2 wds.) 12 Luge, for one 14 Debate issues 37 Mountainous st.

22 Ms. Hagen 38 Think alike 24 Like church mice 40 Jot 25 Actor Reeves 41 Comes by 26 Hudson Bay tribe 43 — -ski wear 27 Pro — 44 Oz. or lb.

28 Obi-Wan 45 Rabbit ears portrayer 47 Some August kids 29 Quatre’s follower 50 Greenhouse 32 Next year’s supply grads.

51 Falling star 33 Startled cry 52 Dry plains shrub 34 Toe woe 53 Goose egg 35 Pharaoh’s god 56 Birthday 36 Apollo acronym numbers 38 Gunsmiths 57 Coup d’—

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orn today, you are known for being more frank, more forthright and more free and honest in your dealings with others than most other people, and this can surely prove a strength in both work and play.

But it can also be a liability when you find yourself saying and doing things that are premature, ill-advised or simply unwise given the circumstances. It’s important for you, always, to think through the possible effects of your words or actions, and to acknowledge that the impact you may have on others may outweigh the immediate rewards enjoyed as a result of saying or doing what pops into your mind.

B

When you are young, you may be seen as the type to pursue certain endeavors. But as you grow and develop, you’re likely to move in directions that take everyone — even yourself, possibly — very much by surprise. The course you follow will be one of your own making, surely.

Also born on this date are Tina Yothers, actress; Tammy Wynette, singer; Pat Carroll, actress; Ann B. Davis, actress; Tyrone Power, actor; Karl Marx, author and political philosopher.

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.

ging bit of public business.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — The more demanding you become, the more likely you are to be disappointed when all is said and done. Negotiate more gently.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — It’s important that you reach at least one of your preliminary goals; without that sort of measurable progress, frustration sets in.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You may be trying to decide which direction to go once a current project has come to a satisfactory conclusion. Many options are viable.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — You may have to change your plans due to environmental forces. In other words, the weather may cramp your style at this time.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Someone who has known you only a short time is likely to identify certain key motivations that may surprise even you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — If it’s privacy you want, it’s privacy you can have — but first you must dispense with one nag-

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Stay focused, and keep your head in the game; let yourself be swayed by an attractive distraction and you may be quite sorry.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — You may be the source of much good fortune for those who choose to remain in your company. It’s only part luck, however.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Things may evolve more quickly than expected, and you’ll have to keep your wits together and be on your toes morning, noon and night.

Copyright 2011 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011

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MOVIE — THERE BE DRAGONS “Despite its attempts, There Be Dragons does not match other epics in its genre. The film is a minor addition to both cinema and artistic representations of the Spanish Civil War.” — Zachary Berman RATING: 2 stars out of 5 For the full review, just click the Diversions tab at: WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

PREVIEW | YUCK

SO SICK Yuck fights setbacks to succeed

BY REESE HIGGINS Senior staff writer

For Yuck, a London-based fourpiece, rising to indie-rock stardom doesn’t come with any breaks. The band has learned this the hard way, trudging through visa troubles and a massive snowstorm — just to make its first United States performance in New York earlier this year.

Guitarist Max Bloom has been sick with a cold this week, and despite feeling very ill, the young axe-man has performed every night with Yuck, which will bring its noisy, melodic rock to the Black Cat in Washington tomorrow.

“The worst part was in Toronto,” Bloom said. “I was feeling ridiculous drunk from feeling ill almost. I [had] to concentrate really hard to make sure that I [sounded] all right. … It turned out okay in the end because I was concentrating really hard, but it was horrible feeling so shit on stage, but it was all right; I just kind of got through it.”

Canceling a show, or simply being absent from the stage for a night, is not an option.

“Definitely not,” Bloom said. “The only way I would not play is if I broke my hand — if I was like physically incapable of doing it. If I felt a little bit bad then that’s just a bit stupid.”

Despite the pressures of critical

praise and new fan attention, the struggles are worth it, according to Bloom. With the group’s debut, selftitled album released in February, Yuck is still new to the large, sold-out concert halls the band has been playing on its tour with headliner Tame Impala. The opportunity to tour in the U.S. is a much-appreciated joy.

“It’s incredible to be playing in front of so many people, and you do kind of forget about that once you’re up there,” Bloom said. “But it’s never going to be a chore; it’ll always be I’m extremely grateful that I’m able to come to a different countr y and play for so many people. It’s incredible.”

Although the group hadn’t toured in the U.S. before crafting its splendid songs, it’s clear the band members have had their ears tuned to the underground American rock scene of the past few decades. The band’s classic indie-rock sound has garnered innumerable comparisons to the music made popular by Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement in the 1990s. The comparisons aren’t off base for Yuck. The group’s debut full-length is full of distorted guitars and fuzzy, summertime melodies.

Having toured extensively over the last year, the relatively young band has benefited greatly from the time on the road. Whether it be locking in to a groove with his bandmates or getting

London indie-rock band Yuck’s debut album is full of fuzzy guitars and memorable melodies.

past any stage fright, Bloom says touring has been helpful.

“More than anything, touring gives the band the chance to be more creative on stage,” he said. “Once you get past the anxiety of people looking at you because you’re up there on the stage — which is something really weird and not many people are used to — once you’re sort of more comfortable you can experiment more. You get really tight as a band, and you can just experiment more with what you’re doing and play around with stuff.

Touring is basically for putting on the best shows possible.”

Even though the group has earned

praised from massive media outlets such as Rolling Stone and tastemakers including Pitchfork, the accolades haven’t gone to the members’ heads. Bloom and lead singer Daniel Blumberg began Yuck out of an urge to write music. The good fortune that has come with the band’s quality songwriting has just been icing on the cake.

“There was no, like, motivation. It was just making music,” Bloom said of Yuck’s late-2009 start. “Me and Daniel wanted to make music. I wasn’t doing anything, Daniel was sort of not doing anything. ... I was just living with my parents. So Daniel and I just spent

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every day together and wrote loads of songs, and I recorded songs all day, every day. It was really fun. We just did it because for the joy of writing the song and nothing more really. At the beginning, our dream [was of] playing a gig, and so eventually we got [drummer Jonny Rogoff and bassist Mariko Doi] involved in rehearsing. And then took it in stages, I guess.”

At this rate, the stages Yuck takes will only get bigger.

Yuck will play at the Black Cat tomorrow. Doors open at 9 p.m. The show is sold out. rhiggins@umdbk.com

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK

7

BASEBALL

Tigers’ walk-off solo home run clinches 3-2 win, series sweep

BY JEREMY SCHNEIDER Staff writer

Curtis Lazar and the Terrapin baseball team weren’t worried. Even as Lazar watched the Terps’ one-run lead over Towson evaporate in the bottom of the eighth inning, little could sway the first baseman’s optimism.

“So what? It didn’t really matter,” Lazar said. “We were confident that we could get the job done and that we were going to take care of business.”

But as Lazar and the Terps walked off the field at Schuerholz Park last night, that same self-assurance had been replaced by the sullen realities of another loss. Tiger first baseman Austin Harclerode’s walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 11th inning clinched a 3-2 victory and a sweep of the Terps in the home-and-home series.

A day after the Terps’ pitching staff let the game get out of hand in an eventual 10-6 loss in College Park, they dominated the Tigers, allowing only one run through seven innings. Left fielder Kyle Convissar’s two-RBI single in the fourth gave the Terps a 2-0 lead that Towson cut to 2-1 in the same frame.

But the offense didn’t strike again for the rest of the day, held scoreless through the final seven innings.

“Any time the other team scores two runs though 10 innings, then I’d say the pitching did its job for sure,” coach Erik Bakich said. “Certainly, we pitched well enough to win the ballgame, but we just didn’t do enough offensively.”

The Terps (20-29) outhit Towson 9-7, but they couldn’t deliver when needed, stranding 10 runners on base in a fourth straight loss.

“We didn’t get the timely hits, the twoout hits with runners on base that could have blown the game open,” Bakich said. “We had opportunities to get that big, clutch two-out hit — just didn’t capitalize on it. In a game like today, where it’s a midweek game and it’s a low-scor-

ACOSTA from page 8 said. “She’s an energizer. It’s good to have her because she’s loud and she can get everyone pumped up.”

“I’m really just hoping to bring them up,” Acosta said.

“I’m just being myself, I guess I could say. I’m hoping they just follow and get as excited and loud as I am.”

While the rest of the Terps (37-14) follow Acosta’s lead on the field, they also follow her at

ing game and you got a chance to blow it open, sometimes you got to find a way to put pressure on the defense and make that happen.”

Towson, meanwhile, made the most of its opportunities. An error by Terp third baseman Tomo Delp extended the eighth inning, and the Tigers took advantage of their new life to score the tying run.

The Terps had to stave off the Tigers (22-21-1) in the bottom of the ninth, with Convissar throwing out Tiger second baseman Pat Fitzgerald at the plate to send the game into extra innings.

But the outfield assist only delayed Towson’s eventual celebration.

Facing Terp closer Korey Wacker in the bottom of the 11th, Harclerode launched the first pitch of the inning just over the left-field fence.

Bakich didn’t fault Wacker afterward, instead rueing the uneven output from the Terps at the plate and on the rubber over the past two games and throughout the season as a whole.

“We’ve got to get firing on all cylinders. There are games that we hit well and don’t pitch well or pitch well and don’t hit well,” Bakich said. “We’ve got to match up those positives so we can have a chance to come out on the right side of the scoreboard.”

While the game was much closer than Tuesday’s four-run defeat, it was still another loss in a season already filled with them. The fact that the Terps pitched well yesterday and came within only a few outs of a victory hardly appeased Bakich.

“It’s not a positive. You can play well and lose, and when you play well and lose, that’s going to happen. But that’s not the case here,” Bakich said. “I’m not saying we’re playing terrible baseball right now, but I’m certainly not going to continue the thought that, ‘Well, we didn’t get blown out, so it’s not that bad.’” schneider@umdbk.com

the plate, where she fills the role of sparkplug at the top of the order. At Acosta’s position in center field, coach Laura Watten said, she can see all and be heard by all.

“When we’re quiet on the field, it causes us to maybe not be ready in situations,” Watten said. “We really press them a lot to be vocal and talking all the time so we can communicate about situations.”

Acosta, who is batting .282 with one home run and 15 RBI, said she can’t remember not playing the game in the same

A win at Duke on April 24 was attackman Ryan Young and the Terps’ last game. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

NOTEBOOK from page 8 ACC Tournament, takes pride in.

“That’s my favorite thing to do,” said Burns, who has picked up 12 groundballs and forced five turnovers this season. “It’s pretty much the equivalent to an offensive guy scoring a goal. Clearing the ball out and pushing transition is big.”

Burns’ recent resurgence has long been in the making. After running with the team’s first midfield line for much of 2010, he entered this season with a nagging back injury and didn’t see the field until the Terps’ eighth game of the year against North Carolina on March 26.

“To have him back, being at full strength, it really showed,” coach John Tillman said. “He was sensational on the faceoff wings, groundballs, midfield defense and clearing.

He’s a pivotal guy for us.”

Burns has rounded out his overall game this season, becoming the team’s top short-stick defensive midfielder, and he believes his journey back from injury has made him a better player.

“It’s been a really long road hav-

outspoken manner she does every day.

“I guess it kind of just hit me when I was in high school,” Acosta said. “There had been a game where I had gotten so down and the team had gotten so quiet. My high school coach just kind of pulled me aside and was like, ‘Sara, I don’t think you realize the impact you make.’ Coach Watten has brought it to my attention, too. If I’m down, it kind of feels like the rest of the team around me is down, so I just got to stay positive and stay up through everything. That is my

ing to sit out that long, especially because it’s my senior year,” Burns said. “During rehab, I was really motivated knowing I would miss games in my last year. I feel like I came back faster and stronger than I was before.”

Burns said. “We’ve got to stay humble after a big ACC win.”

The team ran a clinic for the innercity program Charm City Youth Lacrosse on Saturday before holding an intrasquad scrimmage and fully returning to practice Monday.

TERPS’ TIME OFF After playing 13 games in nine weeks, the Terps finally received some much-needed time off last weekend with a bye week.

Following a stretch of two games in three days last weekend en route to their first ACC Championship since 2005, the Terps used the break to rest and catch up on schoolwork.

“It’s nice to get our legs back and just have some time off and relax,” midfielder Kevin Cooper said. “We get to hang out and be a regular student for a couple days, which is nice.”

The Terps took Monday, Tuesday and Friday last week off, and, without an opponent to prepare for, focused on individual work in shortened practices Wednesday and Thursday.

“The main thing of the bye week is not worrying about any of the teams and worrying about us,”

personality, and it’s not normal for me to be quiet or be down.”

In Acosta’s two years on the team, Watten said she’s noticed a telltale sign for when things aren’t going well: silence from Acosta. As she’s become one of the Terps’ leaders, her chirpy nature has handed her what amounts to another on-field responsibility. Watten said Acosta isn’t doing her job if she’s not keeping the Terps on their toes.

“Every team has vocal leaders,” Watten said. “There isn’t a team out there that has 20 absolutely, totally loud vocal

CHAMPIONSHIP MINDSET Despite their obvious excitement in claiming an ACC Championship, the Terps have seemingly already moved on from their title run.

The team realizes its larger goal — a spot in the Final Four and a chance to play for the national championship — looms on the horizon with the NCAA Tournament set to begin May 14. Complacency, the Terps said, is not an issue.

“Our guys, because we’re a senior-laden group, they realize their time is short,” Tillman said. “We were able to achieve one of our goals. Now, it’s, ‘OK, let’s continue to get better and see if we can achieve our next goal.’ It’s going to be difficult, but that’s why you come here. Those are the goals of the program every year.” jengelke@umdbk.com

leaders. You’re going to have a few that are going to lead that area of the game.”

That the sophomore from Anaheim, Calif., is now one of the Terps’ most vocal and dynamic characters is a surprise given her other athletic pursuit. During her four years at Loara High School, Acosta garnered most valuable player honors four times on the school’s golf team — a sport not exactly known for its colorful personalities.

“My math teacher was our golf coach in high school and

had asked me to come out,” Acosta said. “It’s a lot different for me. It’s kind of like a quiet sport. [You] keep to yourself. I play softball with a lot of emotion.”

And while that might not always please the umpires who at times have to endure her jeers, it suits the Terps just fine.

After all, as long as Acosta’s talking in a game, the Terps probably have a shot at a win.

“That’s just who I am,” Acosta said. “That’s just how I am.” dgallen@umdbk.com

SUMMER DIRECTORY

8

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011

Sports Williams leaving Terps Tennis receives new honor Two Terrapin women’s tennis team members will participate in the individual national championships later this month. Read more at TerrapinTrail.com.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

In hit to team next year, sophomore forward signs with agent and remains in draft pool WILLIAMS from page 1 statement yesterday.

The Torrington, Conn., native set a program record with 25 double-doubles this season, averaging 16.9 points and 11.8 rebounds a game and garnering first-team All-ACC and honorable mention AllAmerica honors.

Williams has signed with Andy Miller of ASM Sports, according to a Washington Post report. Miller’s clientele includes such established stars as Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and New York Knicks guard Chauncey Billups.

“It definitely was a tough decision,” Williams said last night. “People are going to speculate ... but I didn’t completely stop going to class or anything like that.”

Williams’ sole focus will now be the June 23 NBA Draft, in which his standing has improved dramatically since he first filed his paperwork to declare.

The decisions of several highly touted underclassmen post players to return to school, including Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, Baylor’s Perry Jones and North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes and John Henson, helped send Williams up many experts’ draft boards.

Some recent projections of the NBA Draft have forward Jordan Williams, a first-team All-ACC selection last season, slotted as a late first-round selection. Only first-round draft picks are guaranteed contracts. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

The most recent mock drafts at www.NBADraft.net and www.HoopsHype.com both have Williams going to the Denver Nuggets with the 22nd pick in the first round, while www.DraftExpress.com has him slotted in the mid-second round. Only first-round draft picks are guaranteed contracts.

SOFTBALL

“Williams is one of the few true low-post players in the draft, and a terrific rebounder,” ESPN NBA Draft analyst Chad Ford wrote Tuesday. “A month ago it was virtually unanimous that he’d be a second-round pick. But the more that NBA scouts have gone back to the tape, the more their attitude has begun to

change. Combine that with word out of Las Vegas, where he’s working out, that he’s already dropped weight, and teams are starting to give him a legitimate look in the first round.”

Williams’ decision stands as a major blow to a program still recovering from its first season without a postseason appear-

ance in 17 years. Gary Williams had initially expressed confidence his best player would be back in a Terp uniform this fall.

“I fully expect Jordan to come back because of the lockout possibility,” Williams told The Washington Times in late March. “No one knows anything about the draft right now except the NBA.”

Williams’ departure, combined with the graduation of starting forward Dino Gregory, leaves the Terps without a proven option in the frontcourt next year. Forwards Haukur Palsson, Ashton Pankey and James Padgett and center Berend Weijs have combined for three starts in their careers, and none averaged more than nine minutes per game last season.

Other options may include Martin Breunig, a 6-foot-9 high school forward who will join the team next season, and former Kansas State forward Wally Judge, who is considering transferring to the Terps and may receive a hardship waiver that would allow him to play immediately.

Even as a group, those Terps likely will be unable to match the production Williams provided last season. For now, Williams’ departure is as much a harsh reality as it is a daunting challenge.

“I love the University of Maryland, I love the atmosphere, I love the fans,” Williams said. “It was definitely a tough decision for me to make, but I think that the best decision for now, for myself and for my family is just to try to go up to the next level.”

Staff writer Conor Walsh contributed to this report. ceckard@umdbk.com

MEN’S LACROSSE | NOTEBOOK

Now healthy, Burns emerges as clear force Midfielder recovered from back injury; team recovers physically during week off

BY JAKOB ENGELKE Senior staff writer

After collecting a feed from goalkeeper Niko Amato with just more than a minute left to play in the third quarter against Duke in the ACC Championship on April 24, Terrapin men’s lacrosse midfielder Dan Burns immediately collided with two Blue Devil defenders.

The blindside hit didn’t affect Burns, who spun between the two players and then took a couple more steps upfield before finally being dropped by an illegal hit from a third opponent, Duke attackman Christian Walsh.

Center fielder Sara Acosta, left, dives for a ball during a game against NC State last month. The sophomore is hitting .282 this year for the Terps. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

The play gave the No. 6 Terps (10-3) a man-up opportunity and possession in the offensive zone, but it also served to illustrate the impact Burns has made in the team’s clearing game since fully recovering from a back injury he suffered during the preseason.

Against the Blue Devils, the Terps converted 11 of 13 clear attempts, many of which resulted from Burns taking the ball himself from one end of the field to the other. It’s an oft-overlooked stat that Burns, who was given the team’s hard-hat award for his play in the

see NOTEBOOK, page 7

Midfielder Dan Burns, right, has emerged as the Terps’ top short stick defensive midfielder this season. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

Roommates Can’t live with ‘em, can’t afford to live without ‘em.

Talking the talk, and then some Acosta guides Terps as vocal leader and leadoff hitter

BY DANIEL GALLEN Staff writer

In an April 19 game against Binghamton, Terrapin softball pitcher Kerry Hickey delivered a two-strike pitch that appeared to graze the outside corner for a called strike three.

Umpire Kerry Joseph, however, saw things differently.

Instead of pumping his fist to punctuate an inning-ending strikeout, Joseph quietly called a ball.

As the crowd at Robert E. Taylor Stadium let out a low groan, a sound pierced the air

from center field.

“Oh, my God!” the voice exclaimed before trailing off.

The Terps didn’t even have to look up to know its origin: outfielder Sara Acosta.

Moments like those have come to help define Acosta’s place on the best Terrapin softball team in more than a decade.

As the voice of the team, the outfielder is charged with keeping the team alert, motivated and focused on the field.

“She gets people going,” fellow outfielder Vangie Galindo

see ACOSTA, page 7

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