SPORTS
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Menâs soccer edges out unranked Lehigh, 2-1 p. 8 This yearâs ballot is historic, voters should be educated p. 4 Takomaâs friendships grow through local organizations p. 6 The University of Marylandâs Independent Student Newspaper
ISSUE NO. 40
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City council votes for Book Exchange After two-year battle, developers can move forward By Lily Hua Staff writer The College Park City Council conceded to the revised plan for a mixed-use development at the Maryland Book Exchange site last night. The councilâs approval, which came with a 6-2 vote at yesterdayâs meeting, culminated months of heated debate and disagreement between the city and developers, and the
presentation of revision after revision of the proposed apartment complex and Book Exchange. The final plan for the complex proved to be enough of an improvement for the majority of the city council members, who had argued the additional high-rise rental would be unnecessary and would clash with the historic scenery of the cityâs neighborhoods. The county planning board approved the project See approval, Page 2
Univ. College Democrats, Republicans face off in presidential-style debate photo illustration by may wildman/the diamondback
jan kasoff, who worked as a cameraman for Saturday Night Live for 36 years, has been traveling the university lecture circuit to tell students his behind-the-scenes stories. Last night, students flocked to Knight Hall to listen to Kasoff talk about his fast-paced job. charlie deboyace/the diamondback
Former Saturday Night Live cameraman shares backstage stories with students By Laura Blasey Staff writer Over the course of 36 years, Jan Kasoff watched Saturday Night Live unfold every week from behind the camera, witnessing the showâs highs and lows, its best skits and most entertaining hosts. Since retiring, the former cameraman has been traveling the university lecture circuit, speaking about his experiences behind the scenes at the famous sketch comedy show. Students flocked to hear Kasoff speak in Knight Hall last night at
an event hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists. âFor almost a year now we have been planning this event, so weâre really excited,â said Brandon Goldner, co-president of this universityâs SPJ chapter. Back in 1975, when creator Lorne Michaels first pitched the show to NBC, the network was skeptical. Why would young people want to watch TV on Saturday nights? But Michaels was persistent, and NBC gave him six episodes to prove them wrong. See kasoff, Page 2
By Alex Kirshner For The Diamondback Just like President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romneyâs final debate Monday night, last nightâs debate between this universityâs College Democrats and Republicans highlighted the ideological divide separating the two parties â even if it wasnât nearly as heated. Unlike the presidential debates, an atmosphere of cordiality overtook the Prince Georgeâs Room in Stamp Student Union as the two groups debated for 90 minutes on fiscal and educational policy, foreign affairs, social issues and several state ballot initiatives. âWe view it as an opportunity to inform students on the issues of this election,â said Tyler Grote, College Democrats president and one of
Helping with the âSmart Choiceâ Students question Dining Servicesâ healthy menus
By Bradleigh Chance Staff writer Worried about gaining the freshman 15 with the dining hallsâ vast array of cookies and fried foods? Dining Servicesâ Smart Choice menus hope to help combat that. But after a closer look at the menus, some students question how smart those choices really are. Students often pass through the dining halls not knowing how many calories are in their food or how to maintain a balanced diet, which is why Dining Services employs two students to craft the menus. Diners can find hard copies in the dining halls or print a weekâs worth of menus off the departmentâs website to keep their calorie consumption under control. The menus are created based on what the dining halls are offering on a given day. For lunch today, the menu recommends a buffalo chicken sandwich (without dressing), a half cup of mixed vegetables, a half cup of peaches and 12 ounces of apple juice â a total of 757 calories. The student employees spend about 10 hours a week researching the nutritional value of the dining hallsâ menu offerings to create meal plans, as well as writing monthly nutritional articles for Dining Servicesâ website. And the job isnât without its perks: The student workers earn See menus, Page 3
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alumnus mike mazzarella, who graduated in 2011, will be featured on tonightâs episode of Wheel of Fortune, on which he competed this summer. He was a Testudo at this university, which he said helped prepare him for the large crowd while taping the show. photo courtesy of mike mazzarella
Taking the âWheelâ
Former Testudo competes on tonightâs Wheel of Fortune By Laura Blasey Staff writer There is a large zero written on the board in Mike Mazzarellaâs classroom at Annandale High School, in Annandale, Va. Itâs the end of a countdown, and today is a big day â the day Mazzarellaâs Wheel of Fortune episode airs. The 2011 graduate of this university and former Testudo got the chance to live out his childhood
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dream this summer and try his hand at spinning the wheel. âIâm used to being in front of large crowds, and I think Testudo is a large part of that,â Mazzarella said. But that didnât mean he wasnât nervous during taping. âYou donât get nervous at home sitting on your couch,â he said. âItâs very nerve-racking when youâre there and thereâs actually thousands of dollars that you could possibly win.â
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the debateâs organizers. The eveningâs topics were wide-ranging and largely similar to the ones discussed in this monthâs Obama-Romney debates and other national races. Rather than delving into too much detail, the students debating stuck to the broader ideological platforms of the parties they represented. One Democratic debater, sophomore government and politics major Ben Kramer, said the choice in this debate â and the general election â is clear. Itâs a decision between forward and backward, he said, between moving ahead and going back to unpopular Republican policies. âWe can either go forward and continue the See debate, Page 3
He grew up watching the show with his family, and heâs always enjoyed solving puzzles, but he said he never expected to actually make it on air. Wheel of Fortune receives millions of applications each year, a pool that gets whittled down to fewer than 600 contestants through a rigorous audition process. Mazzarella decided to apply online on a whim but said he didnât think much of it when he didnât hear anything for seven or eight months. This summer, however, he received an unexpected invitation: He was being called for a private audition in Washington for the show. âGoing into the audition, I told him that I had a really good feeling about him making the show,â said Nick Mazzarella, Mikeâs brother and a freshman at Hofstra University. Producers pitted Mike Mazzarella and 50 other teachers and military personnel against one another, narrowing the pool with each stage of the audition. First, contestants were asked to introduce themselves and participate in low-pressure simulations to see how they would react on the show. Next, the prospective wheel-spinners took a written exam, which Mazzarella said was surprisingly difficult. And then there were eight: Mazzarella, two other teachers and five military personnel. He said they were told for the showâs Teacher Week â a week of shows featuring only teachers â one contestant had dropped out, and producers were seeking a replacement. Out of Mazzarella and his two opponents, one would receive a phone call that night, and that person needed to be prepared to fly to Los Angeles for an Aug. 10 filming. That night, Mazzarellaâs phone rang. âLuckily, it was over the summer,â he said. âI had absolutely no plans that weekend.â
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See mazzarella, Page 3
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