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THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | wednesday, december 11, 2013
Athletes raise $3,130 for cancer in first Terps Got Talent show Runners win first with violin and dance routine By Holly Cuozzo @emperorcuozzco Staff writer
david strohecker, a sociology doctoral candidate, says custom tattooing has become commonplace in society. sung-min kim/the diamondback
Tattoos From PAGE 1 has a tattoo on his inner bicep. It’s an image of the capsaicin molecule, the component responsible for chilis’ spice, representing his love of both science and music, specifically the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “I wanted something I’ll have with me forever,” Dorsch said. “I really enjoyed the aesthetic appeal of it, being able to have something be a part of me and commemorate that long-term.” Because he is aware of the stigma that still surrounds tattoos, Dorsch said he was sure to get his in a spot he could easily cover up. Strohecker, on the other hand, did not take the same route — he is covered head to toe in colorful ink, except for a few spots on his palms, throat, head, ankles and upper thigh, which he said he is saving for more designs later in life. He doesn’t know how many tattoos he has or how much money he has spent on them,
smoking From PAGE 1 T he i mplementation of the university smoking ban, approved by the University Senate in April after a University System of Maryland mandate, has proven difficult. The ban on smoking activities went into effect in July, but Kaufman said the inability to shape an enforcement plan that will satisfy all affected parties is rendering the ban ineffective. As this university’s RHA pushes for progress, Kaufman said one thing has become clear: The problem is one universities across the system and country are also grappling with. “There’s no one answer,” Kaufman said. “We are constantly looking at ways that could try to mitigate all these different concerns and make our campus as good of an environment as it could possibly be for the majority of our residents that we represent.” In the spri ng, the R H A worked with other campus organizations to designate four smoking areas, although there is still no official method of enforcing the ban. The RHA also passed a resolution last month to support new educational efforts and uphold administrative sanctions for smoking outside dorms. Now, they’re looking to other schools for constructive solutions to test. “We’re still looking for a so-
but he said he will never forget his most painful tattoo, a bright blue and red mandrill’s face on his right armpit that took hours. Sometimes, Strohecker said, he’s surprised at the positive reactions he elicits from people, such as when elderly women approach him at the grocery store to compliment his body art. But he’s often aware of people’s judgmental gazes and biases, such as when a security guard at CVS followed him through the aisles while shopping just a few days ago, he said. Once, he was almost kept out of his own high school reunion party when a pub in Dallas tried to prevent him from entering, claiming he was too “underdressed” for the establishment. Strohecker tries not to let others’ perceptions get to him, but the constant stares sometimes cause him anxiety, he said. He hopes stereotypes are changing, especially as more businesses, such as coffee shops and bars and nationwide chains such as Urban Outfitters, are now accepting — and even welcoming — tattooed employees.
But, he said, tattoos are still under attack from suggested regulations such as the Washington Health Department’s proposed tattoo waiting period, which, if enacted, would force people to make an appointment and wait 24 hours before getting inked, eliminating walk-in business for tattoo parlors. Some students, such as freshman Sylviane Alexion, sa id people shou ld th i n k before making a decision that will affect them for the rest of their lives. “I have a habit of liking something, and then, after a while, I really don’t like it,” the accounting major said. “Why would I spend a ton of money, go through pain and get something that I might hate in three months?” Small tattoos aren’t bad, but big, extensive ones aren’t pleasant to look at and may hurt future job prospects, Alexion said. “I don’t consider them professional,” she said, “and I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.”
lution,” said John Thacker, the RHA public relations and outreach officer for the upcoming spring semester. “We’re still working with students to make the ban as good as a situation for everyone as possible.” The RHA addressed North Hill students’ concerns Tuesday night by passing a resolution to improve the smoking area by McKeldin Library, which Ashley Feng, a North Hill senator, said was causing problems due to lack of definition of the designated location. “People often ignore the area and smoke on the sidewalks,” she said. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County seemed less invested in student and faculty input, according to Sam Manas, the opinions editor of The Retriever Weekly, the UMBC student newspaper. UMBC designated two smoking areas and implemented a $50 fine for smoking outside those locations. “There was no student participation in its passing, the smoking areas are far-flung at best and there was little consideration of different groups on campus,” Manas wrote in an August column. The University of Michigan, a Big Ten school similar in student population size to this university, adopted a smoke-free policy in July 2011 that prohibits smoking on the campus. Similar to this university, Michigan has a less punitive approach, aiming to
enforce the policy through an educational campaign. “Education for sure is perhaps the easiest to stomach from both camps,” Kaufman said. Kaufman said the RHA plans on increasing visibility as its next step. Last week, the RHA unanimously passed a resolution to approve a Department of Resident Life poster campaign, and the department agreed to improve how it handles the smoking ban. “We’re going to get all the word back out to the staff,” said Deb Grandner, Resident Life director. “We’re 100 percent behind [the RHA] on this.” Grandner said part of the enforcement issue could stem from new resident assistants being unaware of the university’s smoking policies. Kaufman said the smoking ban is also a divisive issue, creating factions of smokers and nonsmokers who want different results, making it difficult to discuss productively. The RHA understands that no policy will be ideal, but it’s continuing to search for an alternative to address the flaws in the current policy. “We could have very easily said, ‘The areas are here. We’re good,’ but that’s not the case,” said Kaufman. “The situation is far from being perfect and we strive to make the situation perfect to make the campus perfect for all.”
Last night, instead of wearing lacrosse cleats on the field, Chad Rafferty found himself wearing an elf hat and standing onstage at Comcast Pavilion. The freshman defender on the Terrapins men’s lacrosse team and his teammate Isaiah Davis-Allen, a freshman midfielder, were set to dance to “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The dance routine was one of 17 acts featuring basketball players, gymnasts, runners and other studentathletes who competed in the first Terps Got Talent Student-Ath lete Talent Show. T he talent show, ho s te d b y t he S t u d e nt Athlete Advisory Committee, benefited the American Cancer Society. Performers competed in front of five judges: former men’s basketball guard and current assistant coach Juan Dixon, former track and field athlete Robert Duru, Terrapin Club President Marlene Feldman, Colleges Against Cancer executive Julia Ring and Testudo. “I knew that it would be a ton of fun to be able to bond with the team and win a trophy,” said Alex Anthony, a freshman women’s soccer forward who participated in a dance routine with her teammates. “This is nerve-racking because it’s
TRACK AND FIELD RUNNERS Noella Anyangwe and Jordan Simmons win first place for their violin performance and dance routine in last night’s Terps Got Talent Student-Athlete Talent Show. See more photos online at diamondbackonline.com. rebecca rainey/the diamondback not something you’re used to. When you’re playing, you’re just excited.” The acts were silly and entertaining, said Will Likely, a freshman football defensive back who attended the event. He said he liked watching performers showcase their talents in areas outside athletics. “It’s a great way to help support the cause of cancer while having fun before the semester ends,” Likely said. Skits ranged from dance or step routines and lip-synch performances to drum solos and synchronized swimming acts. But it was a hip-hop interpretative dance and electronic violin routine by Jordan Simmons and Noella Anyangwe, sophomore sprinters on the women’s track and field team, that won over the judges and crowd. Simmons’ dance and Anyangwe’s perfor m a nce ended w it h a standing ovation from the crowd of about 620 people. “I was honestly surprised,” Simmons said. For Simmons, the talent
show was more than just an entertaining way to spend an evening at the end of the semester; it was a way to honor and celebrate a friend from her dance school who died of cancer in 2006. “We all have some connection to this disease,” Ring told the crowd. T he show’s u nderly i ng goal — to raise money for cancer research — motivated many of the athletes to get involved. They raised about $3,130. With busy game and practice schedules, some athletes don’t have a chance to participate in other campus events such as Relay for Life, said Daniela Yaniv, a co-president of Colleges Against Cancer, a student organization that supports campus American Cancer Society events. Yaniv said the group hopes to make the talent show an annual event. “I’m glad to help out such a great organization,” Rafferty said. “It was exciting.” hcuozzodbk@gmail.com
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