The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper
T U E S DAY, N O V E M B E R 1 1 , 2 01 4
Diggs out with lacerated kidney Wide receiver’s length of absence uncertain By Daniel Popper @danielrpopper Senior staff writer Terrapins football wide receiver Stefon Diggs has a lacerated kidney, a source confirmed Monday. His status for the remainder of the season is uncertain. The injury occurred when the
junior sustained a punishing hit near the goal line during the Terps’ 20-19 win over Penn State on Nov. 1 in State College, Pennsylvania. After the game, he walked into the pressroom for his news conference with a noticeable limp. Diggs was already slated to miss Saturday’s primetime matchup with No. 8 Michigan State because of a one-game suspension issued by the Big Ten following his actions in a pregame scuffle with the Nittany Lions. The wide receiver was also one
of three Terps captains to refuse to shake hands before the coin toss. The Terps close out their regular season with games at Michigan on Nov. 22 and home against Rutgers on Nov. 29. They’ll also play in a bowl game at some time in late December or early January depending on how the rest of their 2014 campaign plays out. Diggs’ absence for one or all of those games would be a significant loss for coach Randy Edsall’s squad on See DIGGS, Page 3
Wide receiver stefon diggs suffered a kidney injury after being hit by a Penn State defender on Nov. 1. Sources do not know how long the injury will leave Diggs sidelined, possibly the rest of the season. marquise mckine/the diamondback
Univ student hit by vehicle outside of Main Admin Building Man, 21, transported to hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries By Ellie Silverman and Talia Richman @thedbk Senior staff writers
this university’s fiRE program inaugural fall welcome event, held yesterday at Stamp, gives freshmen an opportunity to get a head start on research opportunities.
marquise mckine/the diamondback
IGNITING ACADEMIC PASSION First-year research program exposes students to opportunities early By Joe Zimmermann @JoeMacZim Staff writer Freshman year of college can be associated with many things: getting bad grades, gaining weight, perhaps figuring out how to work a laundry machine. Not often linked with this initiation into a new
world, however, is studying possible antibiotic cures for sexually transmitted diseases, researching the psychological basis of addiction firsthand or figuring out the genetic makeup of a terrapin. Yet through the new First-Year Innovation & Research Experience program, freshmen can do any of these things or choose from five other research experiences in which to participate.
The Stamp Student Union Atrium filled with students yesterday afternoon for the inaugural fall welcome event of the program. The event operated as a sort of choosing ceremony, during which many of the program’s 220 students moseyed among eight poster setups to decide how they would spend their next year of research. See FIRE, Page 2
Critics: new policy is ‘inappropriate,’ trivializes assaults
Student requests for flu shots on the decline By Marissa Horn @MarissaL_Horn Staff writer
By Ellie Silverman @esilverman11 Senior staff writer
fewer university students are getting flu shots this year compared with last year. file photo/the diamondback said Dan Nguyen, a junior kinesiology major. The flu, which remains one of the leading causes of death in this country, peaks between November and March. Still, more than 60 percent of Americans do not get a flu shot each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although 90 percent of flu-related deaths occur in people ages 65 and older, according to the CDC, the health center still recommends students receive the vaccine. “Last year, the flu seemed to be targeting young people and collegeaged students,” Thorburn said. “If
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Sexual misconduct policy spurs univ ire, petition
Despite illness spread worries, fewer flu shots
Though university students are more likely to contract the flu than more-publicized ailments such as Ebola or meningitis, fewer are getting flu vaccines than in years past, according to the University Health Center. As of Nov. 4, nurses had administered 1,894 flu shots to students at the health center, down from 1,976 at the same time last year, health center Director David McBride wrote in an email. The health center confirmed one case of the flu already, said Tina Thorburn, the center’s nursing supervisor, and staff members are treating more students with flu-like illnesses. But some said they’re still not concerned. “I haven’t gotten a flu shot yet, but I don’t think it’s really necessary,”
A 21-year-old male student was struck by a vehicle outside of a crosswalk near the Main Administration Building at about 6 p.m., accord i ng to Un iversity Pol ice spokesman Maj. Marc Limansky. The collision caused the student to f l ip i n the a i r, sa id M ichael L ore, a m a n u n a f f i l i ated w it h the university who witnessed the accident. Lore said the student was able to speak after being hit and compla i ned of a hu rt back. He was taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, according to Limansky.
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you’re a normal student who is living away from home, not eating as well, under stress from classes and not getting enough sleep, you are basically setting yourself up.” The CDC recommends the flu vaccine for two reasons: one, the body’s immune response to the vaccination declines over time and, two, because flu viruses are continually changing. Every year, the CDC and World Health Organization take samples from the most flu-ridden areas. By getting a flu shot, students protect themselves from the four worst See shots, Page 3
Whether it’s a catcall, provocative gesture, inappropriate comment or intrusive glare, Na s re e n B ate n-Ts c h a n sa id sexual harassment is woven into daily life. “When something bad happens, you blame yourself, even if it wasn’t your fault,” the sophomore econom ics major said. “I feel like everyone has [a] story, especially if you’re a woman.” B u t B a t e n-T s c h a n , a l o n g with hundreds of others, said she t h i n k s t h i s u n iversity’s new interim sexual misconduct policy undermines the severity of sexual assault. University President Wallace Loh approved the interim sexual
misconduct policy and procedures on Oct. 13. Three weeks later on Nov. 4, senior kinesiology major Olga Rozman started a petition against the policy changes that now has more than 900 signatures. The new documents reject the University System of Maryland’s definition of “sexual assault,” in which offenses fall into two subcategories: “Sexual Assault I,” forcible sexual penetration, and “Sexual Assault II,” groping a person’s intimate parts. The new university policy labels sexual assault as offenses involving vaginal or anal penetration with any body part or object and oral penetration involving mouth to genital contact. It defines sexual contact as nonconsensual contact, including unwelcome attempts at sexual intercourse. Lamiya Ahmed, a junior kinesiology major, said the “new policy is completely inappropriate because when you define sexual assault as strictly any form of penetration, you are limiting sexual assault.” See policy, Page 2
SPORTS
OPINION
TERPS STAND THEIR GROUND
University President Wallace Loh salutes our veterans P. 4
The men’s soccer team gutted out a physical battle Sunday against Rutgers to advance to the Big Ten semifinals P. 8
GUEST COLUMN: Veteran’s Day 2014
DIVERSIONS
THE ART OF SURVIVING WAR Multimedia performance about veterans and families debuts P. 6