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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013 TOMORROW 50S / Sunny

OPINION The editorial board urges the University Senate to pass a simple grading appeals amendment P. 4SPORTS

STRONGMAN Turgeon dotes on Cleare, hopes Terps emulate freshman P. 8

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ISSUE NO. 96

103rd Year of Publication

NEWS 2 OPINION 4 FEATURES 5 DIVERSIONS 6 CLASSIFIED 6 SPORTS 8INDEX Submit tips to The Diamondback at newsumdbk@gmail.com For breaking news, alerts and more, follow us on Twitter @thedbk © 2013 THE DIAMONDBACK

SPORTSSPORTS

STRONGMAN Turgeon dotes on Cleare, hopes Terps emulate freshman

ISSUE NO. 96

103rd Year of Publication

DIVERSIONS Despite snail mail becoming outdated, artists still reference letters in love songs P. 6

ONLINE Visit diamondbackonline.com for more news, sports and diversions stories and student blogs

By Savannah Doane-MalotteSta� writer

The lights couldn’t dim soon enough for the college students and 20-some-things packed inside The Bayou.

The din was getting louder and the people were restless, but as the band began to play, the energy coursing through the room seemed to expand its very walls.

That was the typical scene at The Bayou, a Washington nightclub on K Street that closed its doors in 1998 after serving as an arena of musical culture and social interaction dating back to its opening in 1953. Fifteen years after the club opened its doors for the last time, three alumni shined a spotlight on the antiquity of the ac-claimed spot in a documentary en-titled The Bayou: DC’s Killer Joint, which aired last night on Maryland Public Television.

1978 alumnus Dave Lilling and 1980 alumni Vinnie Perrone and Bill Scanlan each had experience with the club dating back to their days on this See bayou, Page 3

campus. They began recording and interviewing for the documentary in the fall of 1998, when they heard that the club was o� cially closing on New Year’s Eve of that year, in the hopes of sharing the infl uence The Bayou had on the local community by hosting bands, musicians and comedians from Bruce Springsteen and Peter Tosh to Billy Joel and Todd Rundgren.

“The Bayou is a mid-Atlantic icon, where millions of young adults in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area came to hear great music and meet other people,” Lilling said. “When we started

By Alex KirshnerSta� writer

While many students were opposed to a plus-minus grading policy that went into e� ect in the fall, semester-end and cumulative GPAs did not see a signifi cant change, according to re-cently released university data.

GPAs similar after plus-minus gradingCumulative, semester GPAs only change by hundredths of a point after fi rst semester

fraternity members clean up a street they adopted in Old Town College Park as part of an e� ort to better relations with neighbors. Fraternities and sororities have also launched composting initiatives. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

bruce springsteen paid The Bayou a surprise visit in the early 1980s to sit in with his former friend and bandmate Robin Thompson. Three alumni created a documentary about the club that aired last night. photo courtesy of dave nuttycombe

By Jim BachSenior sta� writer

This state may not join the likes of Colorado and Washington state in legalizing recreational marijuana use this legislative session, but a group of lawmakers are at least trying to get the conversation started.

Even though the lawmakers proposing the bill don’t have much confi dence in such a measure’s success, it has become increasingly clear this session’s marijua-na legislation — ranging from loosening the legal implications of possession to authorizing the drug for medical use — has opened up the discussion.

Although legalizing recreational marijuana in the state is highly unlikely, Del. Cheryl Glenn (D-Baltimore City) wants to show her support as she rallies behind the more politically feasible me-dicinal marijuana bill.

“Sometimes, even though you realize that something is probably politically not doable in a given session, it’s good to start the conversation,” said Glenn, who in addition to co-sponsoring the legalization effort has also served as the primary sponsor on two bills that address its medical uses.

The debate has changed since last year, Glenn said, and the political landscape may have shifted enough to give medicinal marijuana in the state a chance. Gov. Martin O’Malley hasn’t come out with the same adamant oppo-sition to the proposal as last year, when

Lawmakers push more marijuana legislation Hope to open dialogue for future policies

See MARIJUANA, Page 3

dents who had grown used to their GPAs being cleanly calculated by letter grade: a simple A, B, C, D or F. Although many students worried the change would harm their GPAs — so much

The campuswide undergraduate grade point average dropped by two hundredths of a point to 3.08 from fall 2011, which saw a 3.10 GPA, data from the university’s Institutional Research Planning and Assessment department state. But the cumulative GPA ticked up to 3.13 from 3.12.

The policy change upset some stu-

so that a petition circulated shortly after the University Senate approved the policy change — the senate sub-committee charged with reviewing the proposal last year conducted a study

that showed the average GPA would only decrease by three-hundredths of a point.

See GRADING, Page 2

ALL IN A DAY’s workFraternities adopt streets in Old Town to clean up twice a month as part of e� ort to better relations with neighbors

By Annika McGinnisSta� writer

It was a chilly Sunday morning in Old Town College Park when nine young men with trash bags appeared, ambling down Dartmouth Avenue and picking up stray beer bottles and bits of plastic debris.

The rest of the neighborhood was still waking up, but for chapters in the Interfraternity Council, it was just a regular day as the street’s adoptive owners.

“Sunday — wake up, get a little fresh air, clean the street,” said sophomore economics and physics major Jesse Williams, the philanthropy chair of Delta Chi. “We love this place.”

In recent years, relations between long-term city residents and Greek life members living o� the campus have worsened, said Jimmy Gray, a senior business major. So in October, the then-IFC vice president of external a� airs spurred 20 of the 22 council fraternities to formally adopt streets in Old Town. Fraternity members clean their adopted streets at least twice a month,

By Madeleine ListSta� writer

A house of 36 college-aged men can produce a lot of trash, but it’s where it ends up that matters.

Mark Gyorfy, president of Kappa Alpha Order, said composting in the fra-ternity house has taken o� since their chef, Justin Kearney, started up the e� ort about a year and a half ago. The house has two bins in the basement, one each for compost and recycling, and another tiny cardboard box labeled “landfi ll.” Since Kearney set out the bins, only about 3 percent of the house’s waste goes to the landfi ll, while the rest is fed back to recycling and the environment.

But the environmentally friendly practice is far from uncommon on Fra-ternity Row. Kappa Alpha Order is one of 11 Greek fraternities and sororities on the campus, including Sigma Delta Tau, Alpha Chi Omega and Sigma Chi, that have launched composting initiatives since 2010, said housing coordinator Heidi Bi� . Implementing those greener habits has contributed to an increase

See streets, Page 2

Eleven Greek fraternities, sororities have launched composting initiatives since 2010 to help with university goals

See compost, Page 2

BY THE NUMBERS: PLUS-MINUS GRADING SYSTEM IMPACT

Average semester-end GPA for fall 20113.10 Average

semester-end GPA for fall 20123.08 Average

cumulative GPA for fall 20113.12 Average

cumulative GPA for fall 20123.13

Remembering The BayouThree alumni create

documentary on former D.C. nightclub;

debuted last night

2 THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | TUESDAY, FEBRuary 26, 2013

and IFC members hope the program will begin softening residents’ negative views of their younger neighbors.

As a former fraternity pres-ident, Gray said he realized neighbors hated living near him and his fellow fraternity members and wanted to find a solution to the problem.

“I was dealing with angry residents who get sick of stu-dents trashing the town every weekend, and fraternities not taking responsibility for trash they leave behind on the streets,” he said.

With the help of city public works director Robert Stumpff, Gray organized the street adop-tion program to get the streets clean and keep the neighbors happy. It’s a joint effort between students and the city: College Park funds the students’ supply of trash bags and gloves, and all the trash is taken to City Hall once it’s collected.

To students and city officials, it’s a small step toward improv-ing Greek life’s image, which District 1 Councilman Patrick Wojahn said is tainted by com-plaints about excessive noise,

beer can might not drastically change the city’s appearance, Greek life members hope to show residents they care about being good neighbors. They’re encour-aged to wear their Greek letters when cleaning, “so residents will see people wearing these shirts picking up trash, carrying a big bag, something kind of unchar-acteristic for typical college stu-dents,” Gray said.

Several residents at town hall meetings have voiced their support for the program, Gray said. Sopho-more bioengineering major Michael Sikorski, IFC vice president of ex-ternal affairs, added those living at the bottom of College Avenue have been especially appreciative.

With the formation of the city council’s new quality of life work group, Wojahn said students and residents are starting to have a real “dialogue” about their issues.

Later this semester, Sikorski hopes to plan a large-scale spring cleaning of the city. He said the new IFC executive board is also designing a comprehensive plan to address resident concerns.

“Right now we’re in the process of trying to get every single satellite house in Old Town College Park a lot of information about appropriate relations with your neighbors,” he said.

Though street adoptions are a start, Sikorski said there’s a lot more that needs to be done in the coming year. But for now, on weekend morn-ings, groups of lettered young men will continue to traverse the streets in College Park, painstakingly remov-ing the evidence of the night before.

With the goal of improving rela-tions in the city in mind, Gray said the program is a small step in the right direction: repairing relation-ships, one beer can at a time.

“I wouldn’t say that this program is solving any huge problem in student-city relations. I think it’s helping, but it’s not solving,” Gray said. “It’s a small step toward a culture change, toward residents and students living together, sharing a community.”

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Fraternity members from this university look for beer cans, food wrappers and discarded cups in an Old Town College Park neighborhood as a part of the adopt-a-street program. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

streetsFrom PAGE 1

public urination and vandalism.“A lot of the trash you’ll find in

Old Town on Saturday morning is caused by partying,” Wojahn said. “I think [this] does help improve their image amongst our residents to show that at least they’re doing something to promote better rela-tions with the community.”

Each fraternity requested a street — often the ones their houses were on — but streets were assigned based on overall GPA and recruitment numbers. In some cases, fraternities ended up matched with streets far away from their actual houses.

On Sunday, the Delta Chi brothers searched residents’ front yards for bits of trash but came up empty-handed. Sophomore government and politics major Jake Bouer’s trash bag was almost empty, with only one beer bottle and a few scraps of plastic to show for a morning of cleaning.

“This is like the cleanest street in College Park,” he said. “All of them are families — that’s why it’s so clean.”

Williams said he thought about 80 percent of trash in the city came from fraternity and sorority members. Some streets are left littered with empty beer cans, empty cups and food wrappers from popular late-night eateries such as Jimmy John’s on weekend mornings, he said.

The Delta Chi members said they wished they had been assigned to their own street or at least one that re-quired a little more effort. However, the students added that cleaning up residents’ trash is just as important as cleaning their own trash. To them, the service goes both ways.

“We don’t mind cleaning up other people’s trash, because people clean up our trash,” Williams said.

Most fraternities embraced the program enthusiastically, but Gray said he had to give a few chapters a “bit of a hard time” to meet their cleaning commitments.

“There’s pressure on us now,” he said. “The signs are up and the city is expected to stay clean, so it needs to stay that way, or else it makes them look bad.”

In College Park, there’s a “small but loud minority” of residents who really don’t like students living around them, Gray said, although most are much more reasonable.

“There’s so many residents that really love students — they love living around students and understand what they got them-selves into. They bought earplugs when they got here,” he said.

Many of these residents have appreciated the street adop-tion program, Gray said. Early one morning, as a fraternity was picking up trash on their street, a mother with two young children approached them.

“She was like, ‘What are you guys doing? Did you get in trouble?’ And they were like, ‘No, we’ve ac-tually adopted a street,’” Gray said. “The mother stopped for a second with her two kids and said, ‘This is incredible; you’re models for the community. I wish all the residents acted like this.’”

Although picking up an empty

in composting across the campus — the university composted 566.18 tons in 2012, up from 138 tons in 2010, said Bill Guididas, recycling and solid waste coordinator.

“Generally it’s a growing culture in our community,” Biffl said.

Facilities Management collects the compost from each participat-ing house Monday through Friday and brings it to a compactor at one of the dining halls, Guididas said. When the compactor is full, the material is transported to a junction transfer station in An-napolis and eventually ends up at a compost facility in Delaware. At Kappa Alpha Order, most of the members are committed to com-posting and recycling, Gyorfy said. They easily fill a large bin with compostable material every day.

“It’s good because it gets the brothers to start thinking about what happens when you throw stuff away,” he said.

Sustainability and environmen-tal awareness go hand in hand with the philanthropic mission of the Greek system, said Taylor Griffith, Panhellenic Association president.

“The whole point of Greek life is to hold yourself to a higher level of accountability and standard,” she said. “Sustainability efforts are a part of that all-encompassing field … everything we do we try to make a difference.”

The university also makes com-posting as convenient as throw-ing waste in the trash, said Nate Finnegan, sophomore finance major and member of Kappa Alpha Order. But it’s not a walk in the park for everyone.

Despite handmade signs above each of the three bins detailing what can and can’t be thrown in them, Kearney said he spends about half an hour a week picking plastic materials out of the compost bin. He said he tries to educate the fraternity members about properly sorting their waste and even makes di-oramas in the kitchen to visually

compostFrom PAGE 1

show them what can be compos-ted and recycled.

“Would you eat it? ‘Yes.’ Then it’s compostable,” he said. “Was it ever alive? ‘Yes.’ Then it’ll break down.”

Even newspaper is composta-ble because it comes from trees, which were once alive — “But I’ve never seen a plastic tree,” Kearney said.

Mike Kizer, chef at Sigma Chi’s house, began composting when he started the job three years ago. He was disturbed by the tremen-dous amount of food being thrown away and thought something else should be done with it.

Though he composts in the kitchen, he said participation from the fraternity’s members is not always consistent.

“It’s important for students themselves to become more aware and proactive,” he said.

As someone who grew up com-posting and recycling, he said he thinks it’s hard to get in the habit in college, and many people are unaware or unmotivated.

Griffith said she agreed the reason not everyone composts is because they don’t know how or don’t understand its importance.

“With any kind of initiative, it goes back to education and aware-ness,” she said.

But Greek life is moving in the same direction with sustainability issues as the rest of the university, Griffith said, adding she hopes every chapter will eventually participate in the effort.

It also helps to visualize the impact of greener actions. Kearney, an avid surfer, said he hopes composting will become more popular, because landfill waste often ends up in the ocean, and he “doesn’t want to swim in all that crap.”

Sustainability is becoming in-creasingly vital, he said, and by the time this generation’s chil-dren are in college, everyone may be composting.

“The earth is not infinite,” Kearney said. “Nor are its resources.”

The senate initially approved the policy in December 2005, but its implementation was delayed. The legislation was picked back up in 2011 after a student asked for it to be re-viewed again — it passed in fall 2011.

The plus-minus grading system is more in line with the university’s peer institutions, officials said, and it makes academic evaluations more specific.

“It is a policy that allows for finer distinctions in describing what a student has achieved,” Hamilton said.

But because of students’ varying backgrounds and experiences, ob-servers should take caution when an-alyzing the university’s GPA figures, said Mona Levine, the university’s associate vice president for IRPA.

“We have many, many different types of students and many situa-tions, and it’s such a gross measure that it doesn’t tell us much about what the experience of any indi-vidual student or even groups of students is,” she said.

In recent years, more institu-tions have pivoted to a plus-minus system. Undergraduate Studies Dean Donna Hamilton said the change catches the university up to the rest of the academic community.

“We need to align the direction that higher education moves,” said Hamilton, who is also an English professor and associate provost for academic affairs. “Sometimes we’re out in front, sometimes we’re in the middle and some-times we’re behind. In this case, we were behind.”

The new grading policy brings the university up to speed with other competitive institutions and helps students adjust to educa-tional and economic standards, said Martha Nell Smith, University Senate chairwoman.

“We were really out of step with the best universities in the country, with universities that are our peers,” she said. “A lot of students didn’t know that both employers and graduate schools were recalculating their grades.”

It has become common for many

GRADINGFrom PAGE 1

post-graduate admissions boards and employers to adjust grades to fit plus-minus criteria, Smith said.

Some students feel the policy isn’t fair because it does not reward them for earning an A+ over an A, while it makes distinctions for other plus grades. Although an earlier form of the grading policy stipulated an A+ would reward students with a 4.3, the policy was then amended to make both an A+ and an A worth 4.0.

“Because of that discrepancy, it can really impact your GPA because there’s no reward for the pluses, but for the minuses, you get taken down,” said freshman government and poli-tics major Carl Legg, who said his GPA was hindered by minus marks.

Although plus grades usually earn students extra grade points, a 100 percent A+ is not treated any differently under this system than a mid-level A.

Legg said minus grades could hinder students’ future opportu-nities, whether it’s graduate school or the job market.

“A lot of the things that we take advantage of as college students are tied to our GPAs, and it’s kind of taken away opportunities for some of us,” he said.

Despite some opposition, Smith and Hamilton each believe the majority of the student body has come around to — or will eventually — accept the new grading methodology.

And Levine said the IRPA data was no surprise as her office antici-pated the plus-minus scale would have little effect on grade outcomes.

A 2006 internal IRPA report, now published on its website, found that “over the long term, most students’ cumulative GPAs are affected negatively” by plus-minus scales.

The new system better aligns the university with the rest of ac-ademia, said Ryan Heisinger, the Student Government Association’s academic affairs vice president.

“This is really just something we were dragging our heels on, and now this puts us in the same boat as a lot of our peer institutions we strive to be more like,” Heisinger said. “It just makes sense.”

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ticularly, that students have when they’re living in a resi-dential community.”

But after enduring months of construction, some residents questioned whether the patios and pergolas — structures that shade walkways with architec-tural flair — were examples of money well spent.

“I’d rather see every single dollar of this go into my actual education,” said junior me-chanical engineering major Matt Palkowski.

T h e re n ova t i o n s, wh i c h began after some delays last summer, came on the heels of the construction of Oakland Hall and the all-you-can-eat

251 North dining hall. Offi-cials hoped the project would be completed in early fall, but due to setbacks in obtaining proper renovations permits and damage from Hurricane Sandy, Facilities Management had to extend the project’s time line two more months. Workers put the finishing touches on the space in December, much to the chagrin of some North Campus residents.

“It was really loud, espe-cially in the morning,” said freshman public health major Lynn Cournoyer, who lives in the Denton Community.

However, she said she was impressed with the work and

TUESDAY, FEBRuary 26, 2013 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK 3

Students see benefits of completed Denton quad renovation$3.5 mil project ended in December after five monthsBy Dustin LevyStaff writer

After enduring months of construction dust and disrup-tive noise, students living in the Denton Community can finally enjoy an updated quad.

Facilities Management spent more than $3.5 million renovat-ing the outdoor space, adding better lighting, more seating and new pavement. The redone space is also a little greener — workers put in place new drains, chilled water lines and

more plants in “bioretention” areas, which collect rain runoff and prevent chemicals from making their way into the local water supply. The focus of the project, however, was creating a unified environment by focusing on the “spaces in between build-ings,” which are key to bringing together every amenity the com-munity has to offer, said Carlo Colella, Facilities Management associate vice president.

“These spaces in between are an important part of our overall campus environment and mix together the different buildings,” Colella said. “They have profound impact on the experience, in this case par-

is looking forward to using the quad’s new features as the weather gets warmer.

“ I t’s ve r y a e s t h e t i c a l ly pleasing. They kept all the green and the grass,” Courn-oyer said. “People are happier now, especially since they don’t have to walk in circles around construction.”

Many students said they had grown tired of the noise and were happy to see the mess and footpath detours go. While con-struction might have been an inconvenience, the work done to improve the quad is worth it in the long run, Colella said.

“It’s the kind of investment that is leveraged against a

whole lot more people that get to use it and pass through it or enjoy it actively all the time,” Colella said.

Facilities Management isn’t quite done with the Denton Community yet, as they still have to finish installing air conditioning in Elkton Hall. However, residents won’t see nearly as much disruption as during the recent renovations. For now, they’ll be able to enjoy their new quad in peace.

“There’s benches, there’s tables,” said sophomore com-munication major Mike Calia. “I have everything I need.”

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this project, we did not realize the rich history that the club had. Playing at The Bayou was like a rite of passage for D.C. musicians.”

Scanlan, who previously worked as the program director of WMUC radio, would broad-cast live concerts from the venue on Monday nights as part of his on-air show. He recognized the potential The Bayou could present for an interesting docu-mentary and pitched it to Lilling, his longtime friend. The duo then invited Perrone, a former sports editor at The Diamond-back, to join them in creating a 90-minute production of the club’s life and times.

“In a way, the club’s closing gave us the opportunity to expose the role that the club had played in musical history,” Scanlan said. “Its transitions from the Dixie-land, rock ‘n’ roll and jazz genres reflected the national musical pattern of each era.”

The documentary includes how The Bayou was involved in each of these cultural periods in American history, telling the stories of patrons, musicians and workers, Lilling said. One

portion of the documentary tells the story of a couple that met at The Bayou and has been married for 15 years. Many famous artists also had their start on the club’s stage, including Hootie and the Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band, U2 and Foreigner, whose per-formances at The Bayou were among their first in the country.

“We want people to understand that The Bayou was a place where many amazing musical events happened,” Lilling said. “That’s why people should watch, for those special moments.”

bayouFrom PAGE 1

One such moment includes the never-before-seen footage of jazz and blues singer Eva Cassidy’s last performance, which she delivered just six weeks before her death at age 33. Many similar interviews and recordings were discovered between 2008 and 2009, after the three producers had taken a small hiatus from their project, Scanlan said. The growth of Facebook and YouTube during this time aided the alums in finding more unknown performances and other informa-tion that progressed the comple-tion of the documentary.

“A big thing had changed in the late 2000’s that helped us find many more people with

connections to the club,” Scanlan said. “So much new informa-tion came out of the woodwork; we were able to conduct 10 to a dozen more interviews that we hadn’t gotten before.”

In addition to its TV debut last night, The Bayou: DC’s Killer Joint is entered in a few film festivals, including one in Richmond this weekend. More than 20 other outlets have given offers to air the film starting this summer, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is inter-ested in some of the video clips that were documented. Scanlan hopes all of the hard work put into the docu-mentary may open peoples’ eyes to the musical history of the area.

he vowed to veto any such legis-

lation if it came to his desk. That, combined with growing support, has given Glenn confidence that her legislation will eventually become state law.

MARIJUANAFrom PAGE 1

“We wanted to make this a worthwhile documentary,” he said. “The fact that it’s being aired is really great. We took making this very seriously; we approached this as if we were being paid. It is a huge labor of love.”

Sung-Min Kim, WMUC’s co-music director, said he was looking forward to viewing the documen-tary to learn more about the great musical, cultural and artistic past of the district.

“A lot of us join the radio station because we love music, and The Bayou was a big center for great times in music history,” the junior journalism major said. “It will be great to revisit the peak of D.C.

music and remind students of different cultural eras.”

Creating that experience for viewers was aided by the educa-tion Lilling received from his pro-fessors at this university, he said.

“My professors really encour-aged me to think outside of the box and to not do what every-one else was doing; it was never about following the textbook,” he said. “The great thing about Maryland is that you get this big tent experience, since there are so many students that attend the university. That really helps you understand the big picture.”

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A go-go girl (above) is pictured in a vintage photo performing at The Bayou in Washington during one of the nightclub’s regular Sunday events. Three alumni produced a documentary on the club (pictured at right in 1977), which closed nearly 15 years ago. photos courtesy of dave nuttycombe

“I do believe that we have really turned a corner in this whole discussion,” Glenn said.

Glenn added that she could see recreational use eventually becoming a possibility, which she strongly supports.

“If you’re an adult and you are willing to abide by the laws and use marijuana as regulated, I see nothing wrong with that,” Glenn said.

Medical marijuana bills have been held back in previous years because of fears that federal reg-ulators will step in and go after state dispensaries, setting the stage for a more conservative posture on the issue in a state with a reputation for being one of the nation’s most liberal.

This state does, however, have complicating factors that have roadblocked the medici-nal efforts.

“Part of it may be a geo-graphic issue — we’re pretty much in [the federal govern-ment’s] backyard,” said Alan Lehman, a criminology and criminal justice professor. “It feels kind of different when you’re out in Washington state or California or Arizona.”

That proximity has made the state more apt to play the waiting game and see how these laws have affected other states that have already enacted such measures, Lehman said.

While he supports a law that would authorize medici-nal use of the drug, Lehman is still wary of an effort to make it legal for recreational use, primarily because it opens the floodgates to abuse by people who either don’t know how to correctly use it or aren’t using it as a part of a structured medical regimen.

“I just don’t want to see people getting in trouble with it,” Lehman said.

Some are also skeptical a rec-

reational legalization bill could serve as anything more than a symbolic measure. Public policy professor Peter Reuter said bills only passed in Wash-ington state and Colorado after both had established medical marijuana programs and sup-porters had launched large campaigns, but Reuter said he doesn’t see that same fervor in this state.

“It’s not something that you can create without a lot of at-tention to detail,” Reuter said. “It’s not that you need medical marijuana in a logical sense, but I think in a political sense, it’s probably a step toward having the populace take a different attitude on marijuana.”

With the unlikely possibility the state would pass a recre-ational legalization bill, other lawmakers have proposed several variations of laws per-taining to the bill.

Glenn had introduced a bill that provides an affirmative defense in court for caregivers administering the drug to pa-tients. This year, the bill passed the House by a 92-40 vote and is currently going through the Senate process.

Additionally, Sen. Bobby Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) has proposed two bills that would make possession of certain amounts of marijuana a civil offense, as opposed to a criminal charge that puts of-fenders behind bars. These would also have an easier time passing the assembly than a rec-reational law.

“At present, you have a large number of people who are ar-rested for possession of small amounts of marijuana and then have to deal with criminal court,” Reuter said. “It’s not hard to mo-tivate this reform.”

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Your greatest weapon

MARC PRIESTER

If you’ve ever taken a class in which you’re assigned papers or other subjective assignments, you’ve

likely gotten back a grade only to wonder where all the deducted points could have possibly come from. Pro-fessors try to be fair, but as students, we often feel snubbed or that we didn’t get the grade we wanted for arbitrary reasons.

Those types of scenarios prompt-ed a University Senate proposal to update alleged “arbitrary and ca-pricious grading.” As it stands, stu-dents can file an appeal for a grade they believe is unfair, but when the policy was last updated, it did not include a time limit on how long the reviewing committee could take to make a decision. The proposal states, “anyone appealing a grade or involved in a grade appeal should not have to wait an excessively lengthy period of time to be informed of the decision by the reviewing committee.”

The senate’s executive commit-tee decided to push the proposal forward, so it will now be reviewed by the Academic Procedures and Stan-dards Committee. Unless the policy is amended in committee review, the time limits would include 10 days for professors and students to be noti-fied if an appeal is dismissed, along with an explanation of why it was dismissed; additionally, the student, professor and dean would need to be

STAFF EDITORIAL

informed within five days of the com-mittee reviewing the appeal meeting.

While the policy of allowing stu-dents to appeal a grade ensures a transparent grading process — which also helps protect professors and in-structors because a committee com-posed of objective viewers decides

whether the appeal is worth reviewing — the process can get held up and lose its merit without stringent time limits.

This editorial board fully supports the amendment to the policy, as it guarantees the process of appealing a grade remains e� cient and benefi -cial to students.

Some professors, however, said the time limits are too restrictive and would burden professors and admin-istrators in the committees already bogged down with work. But these time limits ensure appeals are re-viewed as they come in, rather than allowing the committee to accrue a backlog of appeals that could be held up for weeks or months and never come before the committee prior to semester’s end. Perhaps officials

should explore expanding the com-mittee so more people can review appeals as they come in to help offi-cials stay within the time constraints.

With the plus-minus grading policy now fully in place, there’s a high probability more students will appeal certain grades given that it isn’t just about staying within a certain grade range anymore. While semester-end GPA and cumulative GPA averages did not significant-ly change — the first decreased by two-hundredths of a point, while the latter increased by one-hundredth of a point — individual grades fluctu-ate much more, meaning students will be more inclined to fight for the extra couple of points to bolster their individual GPAs.

If the appeals do in fact mount because of this university change, enforcing tight time limits will help keep the process moving, rather than having students and professors become frustrated by stagnant waits.

The senate has many lofty, time-consuming proposals to tackle this semester — it already passed an all-inclusive Good Samaritan policy, and it still has a smoking ban implementa-tion and a proposal to mandate sexual assault prevention education to take up. Updating the current grading appeals process seems like a relatively simple order that in the end will benefi t the entire university community.

A more timely process

OUR VIEW

Revising the current grading appeals process is an easy

and worthwhile proposal for the University Senate to pass.

JAKE STEINER/the diamondback

EDITORIAL CARTOON

This is a call to arms. The pen is the greatest weapon at your disposal — now write. It doesn’t matter how you decide to materialize the thoughts rumbling in your head — just do it. Whether it through poetry, stories, stream-of-consciousness free writes, journals or articles, you have an ob-ligation to yourself and the world to help fi nd truth.

This world encourages lies. Our interpersonal relationships are founded on deceit and masks hiding our insecurities. Half-truths and doublespeak have grotesquely dis-torted conversations from remotely refl ecting anything genuine. You lie, I lie and the world lies. But the pen is our platform to reclaim truth.

I’ve loved writing ever since I was in third grade. Over time, I became deeply intrigued by the concept of lying and how one could go about liberating himself or herself from its binds. The works of my idols such as Sylvia Plath and Alfred Tennyson sought to use fi ctional universes and artifi cially crafted realties to highlight the ills of the real world.

The world can be outlandish and even disgusting at times, yet it seem-ingly all works. Many people go to school, get a job, pay o� the mortgage, get married, have kids, retire then die. On a superfi cial level, everything is working — but at the same time, it isn’t. Our belief that everything is fi ne comes from the lies we are fed.

The dread and anguish we experi-ence when facing the reality of be-coming cogs in the machine is real. The su� ering drives some over the edge. Anxiety, stress and pressure can eventually break you.

But writing saves us. When Lord Tennyson wrote the poem “Ulysses,” the narrative of a depressed and bored Greek hero exposed the monotony of a

GUEST COLUMN

completed life. Simply satisfying goals in life is not su� cient for happiness. Ten-nyson’s “Ulysses” advocated the pioneer spirit of rejecting complacency and never settling. It’s a rallying call for free souls to never squander the possibility of ad-venture. His writing directly conflicts that of a modern suburban pipe dream and defeats the notion that superfi cial objectives are what make a person.

“Ulysses” may be fi ctional, but the struggle described in the text is refl ec-tive of our own, thus, it embodies truth. Writers have a prerogative to use art as a channel for criticism. Therefore, if all people used it as such, we would have nothing to lose but our chains, and the truth to gain.

As a poet, my idols taught me that valuable lesson. It has become my creed, the standard by which I evaluate my creative works — “Did I bring the audi-ence and myself closer to the truth?”

But writing goes beyond the spiri-tual; it also tangibly preserves “you.” Who we are as humans is rather con-fusing to define, because we change rapidly over time. The “you” of last year is vastly di� erent than the “you” of today. When we write, we forever inscribe the thoughts and emotion of who we are at this moment and guar-antee our being never fades. The un-fortunate truth is we all will die one day, but our writing is an undisturbed sanctuary where we may live for eter-nity. There’s comfort in that.

The struggle for truth and freedom continues to persist. Maybe it’s an in-herent part of life and impossible to end, but creative writing has become our megaphone to raise our voice over the riotous chorus of lies. It’s my hope every human being will write in some form so that maybe we as a people can find solace and hope in a world that often seems devoid of truth. The price of this war may be your soul — never allow yourself to become a casualty.

Marc Priester is a sophomore economics and government and politics major. He can be reached at marcpriester@gmail.com.

Within this university’s Depart-ment of Residential Facilities, there is a subdivision called

“refl ex.” It is a group that, in theory, exists to provide after-hours and weekend emergency maintenance for campus residential communities. Unfortunately, this sta� endures tre-mendously inadequate supplies and, as a result, will continue to fail in re-sponding to on-campus emergencies unless something is done immediately.

Reflex is made up of six employ-ees collectively working within the program as a sort of fi rst responder unit on the campus. They respond to anything from sewage backups, electrical outages and fl ood damage, to retrieving university IDs from toilet bowls — all for the sole purpose of helping distressed students in emer-gent or odd situations. Sadly, our em-ployees respond to these emergencies with a virtually empty supply truck containing little to su� ciently resolve problems.

After years of operating with in-adequate supplies and consistently informing department supervisors of our plight, I found it compelling to raise awareness about our issues to the most widely circulated news source on the campus: The Diamondback. As a parent of a university alumnus and a dedicated department employee for the past 15 years, I am passionate about doing whatever I can for the campus community. Especially now that we are facing troubling times with campus safety, I believe it is of the utmost importance we address issues of safety and the lack of com-munication between departments across the campus.

On two occasions this month,

refl ex employees had to climb through windows during what many consider high-crime hours to assist residents who were unable to access their rooms. On one occasion, there was no available lock on the campus to replace a resident’s bedroom lock. I fi nd it disturbing, as a parent, that with all the recent crime around the campus, my department has done absolutely nothing with respect to providing the adequate emergency maintenance to help in the safety and security of our campus’ residents and visitors. If my daughter were left locked out of her room during a local shooting because a fellow employee could not assist her, I would have found it entirely unacceptable. No student should ever fear for his or her safety, nor should an employee be without the proper tools to assist in an emergency.

There are many ways we can safely protect both students and employees, such as by providing the night employees with identifi able and refl ective clothing or the even simplest of my concerns: adequate supplies for the refl ex team.

It is my hope we can address the problems regarding campus safety in a timely and wise manner. We can start with simple communication, positive service to the student community and su� cient supplies for departments to successfully complete the tasks to which they have dedicated their lives. My de-partment knows there is nothing more precious than the ability to gain access to the safety of one’s room. I hope we can continue to guarantee this possibility for all students housed on the campus.

Joseph Sherman is a staff member of the Department of Residential Facilities refl ex team. He can be reached at collegeparksherman@msn.com.

For my first two years of college, class attendance was mostly optional. Though attending classes was strongly encouraged, as it would usually help improve grades signifi cantly, it was almost never required. Professors would lecture, and students would attend if they felt the lecture was worthwhile, had nothing else they needed to do and their alarms woke them up. Classes were almost never fully attended, but most students showed up most of the time. Now, however, almost all of my classes have an attendance requirement.

Professors give many di� erent ex-planations for this decision. Some call it a way to ensure active class discus-sion. Others give long speeches about responsibility and using tuition dollars e� ectively. Some bring studies em-phasizing the grade increases when students actively participate in class. These are all good reasons for empha-sizing attendance and, in some cases, they’re even honest. Many profes-sors are good people who care about students, and they just want to make sure we get the education we paid for.

But these requirements hint at an underlying question: Why aren’t we attending these classes in the first

place? Why do we need professors to so generously o� er us incentives for attendance? We know attendance helps our grades; we know we get more out of classes by actually going to them; we know we are paying a lot of money for college. So what’s stop-ping us from attending? Why do we need attendance requirements at all?

In general, most students don’t need the requirements. They will sometimes miss classes for various personal reasons: they’re sick, hun-gover, have too much work to do for other classes, have weekend plans, it’s raining, it’s cold or their alarm wasn’t set. Though attendance re-quirements will often encourage stu-dents to push through some of these excuses, in general, students would have gone to the classes anyway. In almost all classes, the requirements are irrelevant.

In some specifi c cases, though, the requirements are actually needed. For some classes, even the best students often fi nd it di� cult to attend on even the most ideal of days. These classes all have something in common: They’re bad classes. The professors explain the material poorly, the lectures have little bearing on the exams, the class is a tangential requirement for a major, the class repeats material from a previ-ous, lower-level class, the professors are unpleasant to be around or the class is so easy the lectures don’t matter. I

even had one class with all of these features. These classes offer almost nothing to students; they’re almost always a waste of time, money and will to live. In these classes, attendance requirements are necessary — and, coincidentally, a mainstay.

The stated reason for attendance re-quirements is to incentivize students to make the most of their college edu-cations. However, when bad classes continue to exist, students will never be able to maximize their educations. How can we take something out of a class that offers nothing? It’s not a secret that some classes are terrible and useless and that some profes-sors can’t teach effectively. So why do these classes exist? And why do these professors still have jobs?

As stated earlier, there are many genuine reasons to encourage par-ticipation. Most professors teach the material well and know partici-pation and attendance increase the value of the class for students. Some classes, though, only exist because of required attendance. In these cases, attendance requirements should be replaced with competence and rel-evance requirements. Good classes are well-attended, bad classes aren’t. It’s as simple as that.

Ezra Fishman is a junior accounting and fi nance major. He can be reached at ezra.fi sh@gmail.com.

Incentivizing classes by teaching

Underfunded refl ex

EZRA FISHMAN

AIR YOUR VIEWS

Address your letters or guest columns to Maria Romas and Nadav Karasov at opinionumdbk@gmail.com. All submissions must be signed. Include your full

name, year, major and phone number. Please limit letters to 300 words and guest columns to between 500 and 600 words. Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright of the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to

edit submissions for content and length.

4 THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Opinion EDITORIAL BOARDYASMEEN ABUTALEBEditor in Chief

Mike King Managing Editor

Tyler Weyant Managing Editor

maria romasOpinion Editor

nadav karasovOpinion Editor

CONTACT US 3150 South Campus Dining Hall | College Park, MD 20742 | newsumdbk@gmail.com OR opinionumdbk@gmail.com PHONE (301) 314-8200

ACROSS 1 Like cirrus clouds 6 Memoir topic 10 Blow it 14 Jetsons’ dog 15 Quechua speaker 16 Jason’s vessel 17 Competed in a rodeo 18 Wise guy (hyph.) 20 Vanquish 22 Meted out 23 Veldt antelopes 26 Debussy subject 27 Honked 28 Discussed again 33 Goose genus 34 Flies alone 35 Take unfair advantage of 36 Bonny miss 37 Referees’ calls 38 Droop-nosed flyers of yore 39 “ER” setting 40 Gaucho’s lasso 41 Shop machine 42 Buddy 44 Real-estate party 45 El Dorado loot 46 Modify 47 “The Velvet Fog” 50 Perfect place 52 Fake diamonds? 54 Urged on 58 Evergreen

59 Oodles (2 wds.) 60 “Groovy!” 61 Plant anchor 62 Back talk 63 In a -- (quickly)

DOWN 1 Tolstoy title word 2 Prefix meaning “equal” 3 Indy 500 sponsor 4 Occurs earlier 5 Mountaineer, maybe 6 Walleyed fishes 7 She taught in Siam 8 Highlander 9 Shooting marble 10 Croc’s cousins 11 Aloud 12 Gawk at 13 Quit, in poker 19 Game plans 21 Current rage 23 Slanted type 24 Albert II’s realm 25 Play -- (feign sleep) 26 Electrical units 28 Mail carrier’s beat 29 She, in Seville 30 Work fast 31 Swimmer -- Williams 32 Arid region

34 Prices may do it 37 Rover’s pal 38 Flotsam collector 40 More scarce 41 Easygoing

43 Saddle horn 44 Wet thoroughly 46 Is priced at 47 Recipe qtys. 48 John Glenn’s state

49 Rajah’s consort 50 Stanford rival 51 Ring stats 53 W. Hemisphere pact

55 Moo goo -- pan 56 And so forth 57 Mother rabbit

CROSSWORD HOROSCOPE STELLA WILDER

Born today, you make promises only after careful consideration of all the

issues at play, for one simple reason: You insist on keeping your promises, come what may. Indeed, you will do all you can to protect the value of your word even when circumstances work against you, and you will weather all kinds of hardship as a result. There will be times, of course, that you are simply unable to keep a promise -- not because you do not want to or because you give up, but rather because the world around you conspires against you. Because you are so honorable, however, these few lapses are always understood and forgiven. You are the kind to face problems head-on, and when it comes to personal issues you are never unwilling to talk about what is going on. Indeed, when others are too uncom-fortable to talk about the most sensitive issues, you have a way of opening doors to honest communication. Also born on this date are: Margaret Leighton, actress; Betty Hutton, actress; Erykah Badu, singer; Michael Bolton, singer; Johnny Cash, singer and songwriter; Tony Randall, actor and director; “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Western showman; Victor Hugo, author. To see what is in store for you tomorrow, find your birth-day and read the corresponding paragraph. Let your birthday star be your daily guide. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27 PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You’ll have to think fast today in

© 2013 United FeatUres syndicate

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order to keep up with a rival who has, somehow, discovered your most vulnerable points. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You may discover that what was done only yesterday is likely to be ineffectual today. It’s already time to think up some new moves. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You have a way of putting things so that others understand what you’re getting at without a lot of fuss or struggle. Keep it up! GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You may want to look another way to-day if what you see before you isn’t to your liking. You can’t get away from it -- but you can minimize it! CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You have little to fear today if you stick to the path that has revealed itself to you. A journey into stranger territory can be dangerous. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You may feel as though someone else has the advantage over you -- but later in the day you’ll come into your own and show you mean business. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You may want to choose a more difficult path for yourself today, just to prove

to yourself -- and one other -- that you have what it takes. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- You’re trying to keep a secret from the wrong person! He or she is actually on your side, and can help you in your efforts. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- What you do by yourself today can prove more important to you in the long run than any collaborate effort. Study a few new methods. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- You may be surprised to learn that your standing has increased in the eyes of those who, only yester-day, were harsh critics. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Plans can be made today that will make a big difference to those who are in your care. Focus on that which can be done all at once. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- You are not making points with one who is asking you to do certain things in certain ways -- but you are asserting your independence, surely!

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6 THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, february 26, 2013

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Diversions

signed, sealed, deliveredBefore letter writing was considered quaint and old-fashioned, it was a practice that conveyed love, effort and respect and created a gold mine for musicians

COUNTDOWN | SONGS ABOUT MAIL

By Kelsey HughesStaff writer

In honor of the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to end Satur-day mail, juxtaposed with indie electronic group The Postal Service’s announcement of a new tour and release of a new single, “A Tattered Line of String,” here are some of the best songs about mail and the post.

“Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes

Singing in the early ’60s, Marvelettes vocalist Gladys Horton did not have the same privilege of instant communication af-forded to Hellogoodbye when they sang about the mail 40 years later. In this song, Horton desperately hounds the poor mailman for a letter from her boyfriend who has been away at war. It’s not clear what Horton and her fellow Marvelettes believe the postman can do, aside from forging a letter to get the girls off his tail. However, it did result in a catchy Motown tune, replete with the line “Deliver de letter/ de sooner de better.” The song has gone on to be covered many times, most notably by The Carpenters and The Beatles.

“Dear Jamie...Sincerely Me” by Hellogoodbye

This song, written in the same depressing yet cute electropop style harnessed by The Postal Service and released in 2004 on the band’s self-titled first EP, is the story of a boy confessing his love through the mail. Few before or after former Hellogoodbye member Jesse Kurvink have so eloquently and adorably penned the trials and tribulations of analog love: “Dear Jamie, this en-velope will represent my heart/ I’ll seal it, send it off and wish it luck with its depart.../ Should I trust the postage due/ to deliver my heart to you?” The band went on to record many more songs about love, including “Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn,” a track from the very same EP, which made use of the nearly extinct AIM message sound, proving even Kurvink was moving into more digital forms of communication.

“Across the Sea” by Weezer

Once again comes a song about long-distance romance made possible by the USPS, though this one errs on the side of creepy. According to Weezerpedia (the online Weezer encyclopedia), frontman Rivers Cuomo wrote the song about a letter from a young girl in Japan asking him about his time at Harvard University in the ’90s, a period during which Cuomo had been extremely depressed. Cuomo said he fell in love with the girl upon receiv-ing the letter, but he never contacted her, knowing the girl was probably too young and couldn’t speak English. In the chorus, Cuomo sings, “Why are you so far away from me?/ I need you and you’re way across the sea/ I could never touch you/ I think it would be wrong/ but I’ve got your letter/ and you’ve got my song.” He later penned another song about his affinity for Asian women, “El Scorcho,” which reads, “God damn you half-Japanese girls/ you do it to me every time.” According to Weezerpedia, Cuomo proposed to his Japanese-American wife Kyoto Ito while they were in Tokyo in 2005.

“Stan” by Eminem

For songs about mail, there are few better or more haunting than “Stan,” the eerie seven-minute rap epic that details one crazed Eminem fan’s correspondence with the rapper. Sampling Dido’s

“Thank You” for the chorus, Eminem plays the role of Stan, who believes himself to be Eminem’s No. 1 fan. Stan gets more and more agitated as time goes by without receiving any response to his three letters, even though Eminem said he would reply. Misunderstood by almost everyone around him because of his obsession and what appear to be serious problems with his home life and mental illness, Stan kidnaps his pregnant girlfriend, gets drunk and records one final tape on his way to a bridge. Eminem writes his response letter a few weeks later, belatedly realizing he is far too late. Despite Emi-nem’s reputation for self-deprecation and humorous raps, “Stan” is a fantastic example of the musician’s ability to be introspective and poetic about the influence that comes with fame.

“Letter Home” by Defiance, Ohio

Defiance, Ohio is a lesser-known folk-punk band whose namesake is a place not far from their hometown in Columbus, Ohio. Its 2006 song, “Letter Home,” is a New Year’s Eve address to an anonymous friend. It discusses the good and bad of life away from home, replete with Emily Dickinson graffiti, criticism of war and reflections on changing lives, ending on a moment of hope: “But the miracles in motion/ finding new places we belong/ and finding inspiration to sing our brand new songs.” It’s a pretty picture of suburban life, a blatant political attack and a showcase of the band’s intelligence (in addition to Dickinson, references include Grendel and Gilgamesh), all rolled up into a short and sweet minute and 32 seconds.

diversionsdbk@gmail.comTHE MARVELETTE’S “Please Mr. Postman” became a Motown staple and went on to be covered by other notable bands, such as The Beatles and The Carpenters. photo courtesy of slicethelife.com

eminem’s obsessive “stan” feels like the dark-hearted inverse of mail-centric songs, many of which focus on declarations of love and letters from sweethearts. photo courtesy of wat.tv

TO RUN AMOK“At first listen, it’s hard to escape thinking of Amok as a Yorke vanity project. After all, the frontman’s influence on the record’s sound is far more overt than his bandmates’.” For more from Matt Schnabel, visit diamondbackonline.com.

ON THEBLOG

EVEN THE DIAMONDBACK | XXXDAY, SEPTEMBER XX, 20122 THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK 7

he gets on base often.The lefty can square and

drop a trickling bunt down the third-base line with precision and consistency. Third basemen regularly charge, field and look to throw — only to find White already safe at first base.

“I’m a speed-type player, so I need to learn how to use my short game, and bunting is part of my short game,” White said. “It’s a nice weapon to have.”

That speed has made White a perfect fit for Szefc’s up-tempo style of play, which was showcased this weekend when the Terps (4-3) stole 26 bases without being caught in a four-game sweep of Oakland. White accounted for 10 of those in ar-guably his best series as a Terp. After batting 10-for-15 with five RBIs and six runs, White was voted one of Louisville Slugger’s National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, and even earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors.

On the year, the Naperville, Ill., native leads the Terps in

hits (11), slugging percentage (.583), RBIs (5) and stolen bases (10). He is also second on the team in batting average (.458), on-base percentage (.567) and runs scored (6).

That’s quite the fast start for a player who missed the major-ity of last season after suffering a broken hand in mid-March.

“I worked in the offseason to try and get faster down the line,” White said. “I got on my own little speed program, got in the weight room and worked on my skills at the plate.”

While White may already garner comparisons to Dykstra, it’s clear the redshirt sophomore has the ability to become one of college baseball’s top leadoff men this season. He has the versatility to lay down a perfect bunt in one at-bat and double to the right-center gap in the next.

And that makes him the type of player Szefc has long desired at the top of his lineup.

“Charlie is really a pure leadoff guy, and that’s exactly what you want at the top of your lineup,” Szefc said. “He adds a huge dimension to our team.”

sportsdbk@gmail.com

WHITEFrom PAGE 8

constantly directed traffic in front of the net.

“He’s really become more of a vocal leader,” Tillman said. “Being in that third year, he’s a guy that’s very comfortable always telling guys where to go and getting them checked up.”

Amato’s leadership helped propel the Terps to a huge win,

and he decisively outplayed Runkel, the goalie on last year’s NCAA All-Tournament team. Amato said he never thought back to last season, though.

He’s not too elated over this win, either. The Conshohock-en, Pa., native has bigger goals for his top-ranked Terps this season.

“No one is ever satisfied with being a winner in Feb-ruary and March,” Amato said. “Our bar is set for na-

tional championships and ACC championships.”

If Amato can match his success from Saturday’s game during the rest of the season, his Terps may reach those goals. The junior has stopped 63 percent of shots on goal this year and is anchoring a stout defense that has given up an average of 6.7 goals a game.

Inside Lacrosse selected Amato as a third-team pre-season All-American. With

his performance through three games, though, his coach is convinced he deserves even more praise than that.

“It’s one thing to make the saves, but also he gets the ball out, he creates transition, he makes great decisions on the clears and he’s getting guys or-ganized,” Tillman said. “That’s what you really want out of a first team All-American.”

sportsdbk@gmail.com

AMATOFrom PAGE 8

Diggs and running back Wes Brown — as well as some re-turning defensive contribu-tors — will join an incoming freshman class Rivals.com ranks No. 33 nationally.

And unlike the coach’s first two years, everybody seems to share the same vision for the program’s first bowl game in three seasons.

“Coming into spring, we all know what we have to do,” de-fensive lineman Darius Kilgo said. “We had some guys that added dead weight to the team, but we got rid of those guys.”

QUARTERBACK BATTLE

After injuries forced the Terps to shuffle in one unproven quar-terback after another last season, Edsall will have two more options under center this fall.

C.J. Brown, who started five games in 2011, was the pro-jected starter last year before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in preseason practice. The rising senior still isn’t back at full strength and will only participate in individual and 7-on-7 drills this spring. He is expected to be ready to play when the team starts preseason practice in August.

“I’m really excited for where I’m at right now from where I’ve come,” Brown said. “I’m just going day by day.”

Brown’s injury opens up an opportunity for Ricardo Young, who sat out last season after transferring from New Mexico. The 2010 Washington High School Player of the Year has yet to play in a college game, but Edsall praised Young’s ath-letic ability yesterday.

W i t h B row n s i d e l i n e d , Young will get the first-team reps this spring. Both signal callers possess speed and are serviceable passers. And they both acknowledge that they’ll be competing for the starting quarterback job.

“I feel like he’s the incumbent starter,” Young said of Brown. “The only thing I can do is try to come in and fill his void and try to play to the best of my abilities.”

Quarterbacks Perry Hills and Caleb Rowe, who both earned starts in the injury-plagued 2012 campaign, will continue to rehab ailments suffered last season and will not compete during the spring.

“We’ll see how Caleb and Perry come back and how they’re doing,” Edsall said. “The best situation for us would be to be able to take one of those guys and redshirt them.”

NEW-LOOK DEFENSE

The Terps graduated stars like Joe Vellano and Kenneth Tate from a unit that ranked No. 3 in total defense in the ACC last year. But Edsall feels this year’s unit can be just as solid.

There’s finally some consis-tency with Stewart returning to run the defense and the Terps should have plenty of depth, barring major injury issues. Returning starters Jeremiah Johnson and Dexter McDougle will anchor a veteran defensive backfield, while Edsall expects improved play from Kilgo and linebacker Alex Twine in the front seven.

“We feel like we have some good pieces on defense,” Edsall said. “Now it’s just a matter of solidifying those best 11.”

SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

The Terps released their 2013 schedule yesterday. They open the season Aug. 31 against Florida International at Byrd Stadium and play West Vir-ginia on Sept. 21 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

As for the ACC, Virginia, Clemson, Syracuse and Boston College will visit College Park. The Terps will travel to play Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and N.C. State.

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NOTEBOOKFrom PAGE 8

Quarterback C.J. Brown will compete with Ricardo Young for the starting job in spring practice.Brown missed all of last year after tearing his ACL in the preseason. file photo/the diamondback

the first half, the Terps missed eight jump shots. The high-percentage shots DeVaughn and Hawkins had converted all season long disappeared on the interior, forcing Pavlech and guard Katie Rutan to take their chances from the perimeter.

“We didn’t stop,” Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “We want to be consis-tent. [Hawkins] got a few more this time than last. We were

pretty steady and consistent with [Thomas]. But they’re a great team and great players, and we had to work very hard.”

Hawkins, who had a game-high 16 points and nine re-bounds, and Thomas, who totaled 14 points, six rebounds and six assists, were still able to get their opportunities. Neither, however, could take over the game the way Hawkins did against Clemson on Feb. 14 or the way Thomas did at Virginia and Boston College in the two games before Sunday.

“[Thomas is] a great player,”

McCallie said. “Really, really one of the best that’s ever hit the ACC, that’s for sure. You can’t really stop her completely, so we just tried to work very hard at playing good defense around her.”

Rutan emerged as a weapon for the Terps in the teams’ first meeting Feb. 11 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with 14 points and a deft touch from the outside. But back in the friendly confines of Comcast Center, she mustered eight points on 3-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-9 from behind the arc.

The 3-of-18 line from three-

point range was the Terps’ third-worst this season when attempt-ing at least 10 shots from behind the arc. Thursday night, the Terps made 53.8 percent of their 3-pointers at Boston College.

While a 46.7 percent shooting second half brought the Terps within eight points late in the contest, it just wasn’t enough to take down the Blue Devils, who clinched the ACC regular season crown with the win.

“We just fell short this time,” Pavlech said.

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DEFENSEFrom PAGE 8

he guarded Tigers star Devin Booker for 19 solid minutes.

Cleare held Booker — Clem-son’s top scorer and rebounder — to just six points and three boards after the break. The defensive display helped the Terps quickly build on a three-point halftime lead and cruise to their fifth ACC home win of the season.

“I always tell Shaq, ‘They are big and strong, but not as big and strong as you are.’ He can wear them down,” Turgeon said moments after the Terps moved back to .500 in confer-ence play. “Shaq really played good, I was happy for him.”

Cleare’s workhorse effort came just four days after an up-and-down rookie season hit a low point. Matchup issues left Cleare sidelined while a sluggish Terps group stumbled its way through a disappoint-ing 69-58 loss on his 20th birthday. The former Top-30 recruit logged just five minutes against the Eagles and didn’t score a point for the second time in four games.

Ever the optimist, Cleare’s head began to hang for one

of the first times this season. A once-promising freshman campaign was veering off track, and he didn’t understand how to better his situation. Cleare hadn’t reached double-digit points since a Dec. 5 rout of Maryland-Eastern Shore, and he hadn’t topped the five-re-bound mark since a Dec. 8 win over South Carolina State. For the season, he was averaging just 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.2 minutes.

H is less-touted class-

mates, meanwhile, seemed to be finding their niches. Jake Layman had solidified a starting role; Seth Allen had emerged as an instant-offense option off the bench and Charles Mitchell was de-veloping into one of the ACC’s premier offensive rebounders. Why was it taking the 6-foot-9, 265-pound Cleare so long to become an interior force?

But the easy-going center didn’t spend the days following Tuesday’s debacle pouting or

begrudging his friends’ success. He met with Turgeon and asked for advice. He wanted to know what he could do to improve himself, to make a more signifi-cant on-court impact.

“[Shaq] might get down on himself, but he moves on to the next one,” Mitchell said. “He’s going to do something to get better and to make people notice that he wants to play and he wants to win.”

Cleare’s diligence could prove critical down the stretch. With Len starting to look more like a raw sophomore than a projected NBA lottery pick, Turgeon may lean on his favor-ite pupil over the Terps’ final four regular-season games.

But if Len returns to form and Cleare finishes up the year playing mop-up minutes, Turgeon won’t be concerned. After all, he’s seen Cleare out-muscle teammates in practice and he knows the former four-star prospect’s work ethic can’t be taught. It’s only a matter of time, Turgeon reasons, before Cleare is an elite ACC big man.

“ H i s t i m e ’s c o m i n g ,” Turgeon said. “I don’t know when, but his time’s coming.”

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Center Shaquille Cleare is averaging just 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 13.4 minutes in hisfreshman season, but coach Mark Turgeon said, “His time’s coming.” file photo/the diamondback

CLEAREFrom PAGE 8

By Daniel PopperStaff writer

John Szefc can’t help but reflect on one of the greatest leadoff men in baseball history when he watches his starting center fielder on the diamond.

After all, Charlie White’s high on-base percentage, speed on the base paths and perfectly placed bunts are reminiscent of a certain hard-nosed former major leaguer.

“He’s a really good college version of Lenny Dykstra,” said Szefc, whose Terrapins baseball team will face James Madison tomorrow in Harrisonburg, Va. “A lot of young people wouldn’t remember who that guy was, but I’ve always wanted a true leadoff hitter and [White] is certainly that.”

Dykstra spent 12 seasons in the major

leagues with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, earning the nick-name “Nails”for his relentless playing style. He was a three-time All-Star, won a Silver Slugger award and finished second in MVP voting for the 1993 season.

And though White still lacks a pro-fessional pedigree, he’s already playing with Dykstra’s scrappy style. He does everything he can to get on base, and

Page 8 TUESDAY, February 26, 2013

SportsQUOTE OF THE DAY

Deon LongTerps wide receiver

“Once we get a QB established, we could be scoring 50 pointsa game, easily.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Center Shaquille Cleare, who coach Mark Turgeon has regularly called his “favorite player” this season, scored 10points and grabbed six rebounds in the Terps’ 72-59 victory over Clemson on Saturday. christian jenkins/the diamondback

Loud and cleareTurgeon’s teacher’s pet, Cleare, proving himself with strong work ethic

By Connor LetourneauSenior staff writer

Shaquille Cleare doesn’t think he does anything unique. He just com-pletes all the basic tasks required of Division I athletes.

But Mark Turgeon sees something special in Cleare’s approach to the Terrapins men’s basketball team’s laundry list of workouts, meetings and film sessions. In fact, a day rarely passes without him lauding the fresh-man’s focus and work ethic. Cleare is his favorite player to coach, Turgeon regularly says. He’s someone the sec-ond-year coach hopes the rest of the youthful Terps emulate.

“He always says it like, ‘Why can’t you guys do what Shaq does?’” Cleare said with a chuckle last week. “I go, ‘Coach, I don’t really do nothing special but bench press and pushups and stuff.’”

Cleare showed why he’s become such an object of Turgeon’s affection during Saturday’s 72-59 win over Clemson. With center Alex Len strug-gling through yet another middling performance, the Bahamian big man went to work down low. He finished with 10 points and six rebounds, and

FOOTBALL | NOTEBOOK

Edsall upbeat as Terps begin spring practiceCoach talks QB battle, defensive changesBy Aaron KasinitzStaff writer

Randy Edsall couldn’t hide his confidence when he strode into a news conference at Gossett Team House yesterday. With spring prac-tice slated to begin Saturday, the third-year coach has found stability within the Terrapins football team for maybe the first time since taking over the program.

Questions still surround the quarterback situation and a defense that lost a host of contributors, but those concerns hardly compare to what Edsall faced during his first two years at the helm. The team stumbled to a 2-10 record in Edsall’s first season, and new coordinators couldn’t prevent an injury-riddled 4-8 campaign last year.

But Edsall can’t help but feel things are different now. The Terps have a year of experience in Mike Locksley and Brian Stewart’s respective systems; players Edsall recruited compose the majority of the roster, and there seems to be more cohesion within the locker room than in past years.

“I would expect that from the day we go out there, the players will be able to know exactly what to do, and they’re going to play a little bit faster,” Edsall said. “I think any time that you go in and you have people coming back and they are familiar with what you’re doing, it gives you a chance to get a lot better.”

The Terps will have an NCAA-

mandated six weeks to improve before spring practice culminates with the annual Spring Game on April 12.

The 2013 Terps will feature a com-bination of new and old faces. Play-makers such as wide receiver Stefon

2013 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

august 31vs. Florida International

September 7vs. Old Dominion

September 14at Connecticutseptember 21

vs. West Virginia (M&T Bank Stadium)october 5

at Florida Stateoctober 12vs. Virginiaoctober 19

at Wake Forestoctober 26vs. Clemsonnovember 9vs. Syracuse

november 16at Virginia Technovember 23

vs. Boston Collegenovember 30

at N.C. State

See NOTEBOOK, Page 7

MEN’S LACROSSE

Goalkeeper Niko Amato anchored the Terps’ defense in a 12-10 win on Saturday. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

Duke defense forces poor shooting effortTerps shoot 38.7 percent in first half of loss

By Aaron KasinitzStaff writer

BALTIMORE — As soon as the game clock ticked down to zero Saturday at Ridley Athletic Complex, every member of the Terrapins men’s lacrosse team sprinted downfield to gather around goalkeeper Niko Amato.

It’s a common custom in lacrosse for the winning team to greet its net-minder for a postgame celebration. This time, though, the gesture was particularly warranted.

Nine months ago, Greyhounds goal-keeper Jack Runkel stifled the Terps in a 9-3 national championship victory, leaving Amato on the losing end. Sat-urday, it was the Terps’ All-American who outshone his counterpart, helping solidify his team’s 12-10 victory.

Amato saved 13 of 23 shots on goal, consistently keeping No. 4 Loyola from converting on scoring attempts. His efforts helped the No. 1 Terps keep a sizable lead throughout the contest and escape Baltimore with a win.

“He’s always been a great stopper,” coach John Tillman said. “He’s got high standards, and he really wants

to be the very best.”Runkel, on the other hand, strug-

gled mightily. The junior allowed 10 goals and saved just two shots before being pulled in favor of Jimmy Joe Granito midway through the third quarter. The goaltending battle clearly favored the Terps and was one of the keys to their victory.

Though Loyola scored 10 goals, that number could have been much higher. The Greyhounds outshot the Terps, 41-36, but they capitalized on only one of four extra-man opportunities thanks to a pair of Amato saves.

“Their defense was making us string two passes along to get a good look at Niko, and we felt like once we did get that look, he was right there,” Loyola coach Charley Toomey said. “It was a little frustrating because we felt like we did get some good looks at Niko, and he bailed them out.”

The junior didn’t just make saves, though. He also gathered two ground balls, caused a turnover and threw several passes that gave the offense quick scoring chances.

And maybe most importantly, he

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Forward Tianna Hawkins and the Terps struggledagainst Duke’s defense. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

BASEBALL

White drawing lofty comparisons

By Daniel GallenSenior staff writer

Days after posting one of its most complete shooting performances of the season at Boston College, the Terrapins women’s basketball team returned to College Park hoping to put on a similar show against Duke on Sunday afternoon.

But the No. 5 Blue Devils — boasting one of the nation’s top defenses — flus-tered the No. 9 Terps early and stone-walled them in front of a near-capacity crowd at Comcast Center.

The Terps shot 38.7 percent in the first half, including a glaring 0-of-9 from three-point range. One game after their best performance from dis-tance, the Terps’ looks — while often open and uncontested — just wouldn’t fall. After shooting 56.1 percent against

the Eagles Thursday, they shot just 42.6 percent Sunday.

“I think kind of the way we came out,” guard Chloe Pavlech said of why the Terps struggled early. “We didn’t have maximum effort, so obviously our energy wasn’t there and a lot of our shots were short. I think we came out flat, and that’s what kind of led to it.”

Duke’s defense collapsed on center Alicia DeVaughn and forward Tianna Hawkins in the post, blocked forward Alyssa Thomas’ driving lanes and forced the Terps to keep the ball on the perimeter. The Blue Devils forced them to become a jump-shooting team, coach Brenda Frese said, and they simply weren’t as effective.

While Duke went on an 18-4 run in Amato reverses fortune in victoryGoalkeeper saves 13 shots in win vs. Loyola

Center Fielder Charlie White leads the Terps with 10 steals, six runs scored and five RBIs through seven games.He’ll bat leadoff when the team plays the Dukes in Harrisonburg, Va., tomorrow. charlie deboyace/the diamondback

Szefc sees shades of Lenny Dykstra in soph. center fielder

See CLEARE, Page 7

See DEFENSE, Page 7

See AMATO, Page 7See WHITE, Page 7

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