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Our 101ST Year, No. 57THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPERTuesday, November 16, 2010

Cluck-U is latest business casualty Local staple shutters doors after 20 years

BY RACHEL ROUBEINStaff writer

It seems no College Park business— even one with a reputation forentertaining late-night eating experi-ences — is safe from the brutal pat-tern of downtown turnover.

Cluck-U Chicken has been a Route1 staple since 1990, city records show,but the once-bustling restaurant isnow empty because managers havebeen unable to make full rental pay-ments for almost six months, accord-

ing to property owners.John Kempf, a property manager

with Curtis Management — the com-pany that owns the strip from Cluck-Uto Bagel Place — said the evictiondate was Oct. 22, but when officialsarrived at about 8 a.m. that day, theyfound an already-vacant space and abroken door.

“I don’t have any idea [why the doorwas damaged,” Kempf said. “Maybejust to make the entrance bigger to

City officialsto illuminatelocal streetsPolice, city vow to tacklelong-time lighting issues

BY LEAH VILLANUEVAStaff writer

After his first off-campus safety walk asUniversity Police Chief, David Mitchell saidhe plans to let there be light in College Park.

About a dozen people, including StudentGovernment Association members, policeand city officials, met at Stamp StudentUnion at 6 p.m., where SGA Senior VicePresident Brandon Cuffy, who led the walk,briefed the group on the off-campus areasstudents have identified as places they feelthe most unsafe.

Half the participants then went toLeonardtown Community and half went tothe Parkside Apartments area to determinewhat aspects of each location made themdangerous and how the city and universitycould cooperate to address those issues.

A lack of adequate street lighting was theover-arching problem participants noticed ateach location they scouted. Street lights wereout on sidewalks and bike paths around sev-eral apartment and housing neighborhoods,an issue that has persisted for at least two

Art-Sociologybuilding brickscrumblingStudents still feel safe

BY YASMEEN ABUTALEBStaff writer

With constant building renovations tak-ing place around the campus, FacilitiesManagement officials seem to be con-stantly moving forward.

But between multimillion-dollar proj-ects and new complexes, older buildings,like the Art-Sociology building, have beenneglected.

A retaining wall, which acts as a “sort ofdam” between Tawes Hall and Art-Sociolo-gy, has rusted, which has led to brickscoming off the wall. Officials have yet todetermine whether the retaining wall itselfhas suffered any damage, or if the issue ismerely decorative.

“The bricks up there are just for aestheticpurposes,” Director of Operations andMaintenance Jack Baker said. “If we justneed to put the bricks back on the wall thenthat’s a several hundred thousand dollar job.But if there’s a problem with the wall, thenwho knows how much that’ll cost?”

The retaining wall is a concrete wall,which Baker explained “holds up the dirt”between Tawes and Art-Sociology. About25 years ago, bricks were placed on top ofthe wall to make the building more aes-thetically appealing.

Facilities Management officials have al-ready begun working on repairing thewall by removing the bricks. Baker saidafter this phase of the project is complete,structural engineers will verify whether

see BRICKS, page 3

see WALK, page 3

DOTS to showcase student designs on sides of athletics busesBY LAUREN KIRKWOOD

Staff writer

Terrapin sports fans with a desire toshow off their Terp pride to students,athletes and rival schools may have achance to see a logo of their own cre-ation prominently displayed on thesides of the university’s athletics buses.

By entering a Department of Trans-portation Services contest by Dec. 3,university students, faculty and staffcan design a logo that could appearstretched across the fleet of vehicles.

The newly selected design wouldlikely replace the years-old image ofTestudo holding a big red “M” to launchthe word “Maryland” on the side of thebus. This decal has garnered oppositionover the years from several members of

the university community who felt theimage appeared too phallic in shape.

The winner of DOTS’ design con-test will be chosen based on the aes-thetics of the design, its suitabilityfor use, and — most importantly —its positive representation of the uni-versity, according to the officialDOTS rules.

This is not the first time DOTS hasorganized a campus-wide competi-tion; a similar one asking students todesign parking permits has beenheld every year since 2006.

When DOTS switched to the newCampus License Plate Recognitionsystem this semester and did awaywith the hanging permits, officials

see CLOSURE, page 3

see DESIGN, page 2

Cluck-U Chicken, a downtown landmark for generations of students, was evictedlast month after 20 years at its Route 1 location. ORLANDO URBINA/THE DIAMONDBACK

DOTS is holding a contest for students to design a new logo for the side oftheir fleet of athletics buses. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

ILLUSTRATION BY SHAI GOLLER/THE DIAMONDBACK

Students won’t let marijuana legislation burn outNORML hosts event to breathe new life into issue that went up in smoke in April

BY LAUREN KIRKWOODStaff writer

Yesterday, Arizona joined the ranks of 15states to legalize medical marijuana — ameasure some students hope this state willadopt in the upcoming legislative session.

Although a bill that would have legalizedmarijuana in this state for medicinal pur-poses passed the state’s Senate earlier thisyear, the proposed legislation stalled in theHouse due to widespread concern overhow the drug would be produced for saleand the costs of the program. But for about30 students who attended last night’s lec-ture “Is Marijuana Medicine?” in StampStudent Union — hosted by this univer-sity’s chapter of the National Organizationfor the Reform of Marijuana Laws — thereis hope a similar bill will have greater suc-cess in the near future.

Caren Woodson and Victor Pinho, twoadvocates for the legal use of medical mari-juana, highlighted the number of people who

would benefit from additional medical mari-juana laws across the country.

While about 7,000 doctors are currentlyprescribing the drug to over half a millionpatients, only one-third of the population hasaccess, leaving many sufferers without hopefor treatment, according to Woodson, whoworks for Americans for Safe Access — anorganization that advocates for legal accessto marijuana for medicinal purposes.

“These people deserve as many tools onthe tool belt as possible to fight these severediseases,” she said.

Students at the event, many of whom areactive members of student organizationsthat support legalizing marijuana, echoedthis belief.

“If it helps a patient more than any otherprescribed drug, then why the hell not?”said sophomore plant science major CrystalVarkalis, who serves as the vice presidentfor this university’s chapter of Students for

Activists Victor Pinho (left) and Caren Woodson (right) spoke to about 30 students last nightabout the need for expanded medical marijuana legislation. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

see MARIJUANA, page 2

Sensible Drug Policy.The speakers also discussed

medical marijuana policy instates such as California andNew Jersey, where the drug islegal but is regulated with vary-ing degrees of severity.

Woodson said other statesshould aim to instate statutesthat resemble California’s.

“From a medical perspective,California is head and shouldersabove any other state,” she said.“It’s the only state where you canhave access to the medicinewithin 24 hours of going to a doc-tor, and any physician can pre-scribe it for any condition.”

New Jersey falls on the otherend of the spectrum, said Pinho,a university alumnus who worksfor the Coalition for MedicalMarijuana New Jersey.

He explained that those seek-ing medical marijuana prescrip-tions in his state must surmounta number of obstacles — insur-ance companies are not requiredto cover the costs, so bills canrun high; there are no legal pro-tections for those using medicalmarijuana preventing them frombeing fired by employers or oth-erwise discriminated against;and the maximum dose pre-scribed to patients is often toolow to alleviate their symptoms,he said.

Pinho urged students to calltheir representatives and makeappointments to meet withthem.

“If you don’t stand up and talkto your politicians, your state willend up like New Jersey,” he said.“It is their duty to listen to whatyou have to say.”

Lauren Mendelsohn, thepresident of NORML Terps, saidthis kind of lobbying is exactly

what NORML encourages.“It means a lot to lawmakers to

see one person standing there,speaking out about somethingthey believe in,” she said. “Wereally encourage our membersto call their representatives.”

Neither NORML Terps norSSDP has definitive plans tolobby legislators in Annapolis toback medical marijuana legisla-tion in the coming year. Severalstudents said the issue is morerelevant to the university thanstudents often realize.

“You don’t really think aboutit, but there are a lot of studentswho use medical marijuana,”said former SSDP presidentIrina Alexander, who now servesas a university senator. “Whenpeople picture these patients,they usually think of an olderperson, but it is a student issue aswell.”

kirkwood@umdbk.com

BY LEYLA KORKUTStaff writer

Thanks to a donation from auniversity alumnus, veteranscould be studying and minglingin a newly furnished lounge inthe Cole Student ActivitiesBuilding as early as January,officials said.

Late last month, former Sec-retary of the Navy Gordon Eng-land, who graduated in 1961,donated $125,000 to the univer-sity to furnish and expand acard-accessible center for veter-ans and active-duty servicemenand women, Director of Opera-tions and Maintenance JackBaker said.

The space will be used as astudy lounge, a place to meetfellow student-veterans and ameeting area for Terp Vets,Stamp Student Union DirectorMarsha Guenzler-Stevens said.A fifth of the money will be usedto pay for new furniture, laptopcomputers and a small kitchen,and the remaining $100,000 willsupport upkeep efforts in the

future, Vice President of Uni-versity Relations Brodie Rem-ington said.

The center will be located onthe first floor of Cole FieldHouse in the Asian AmericanStudies Office’s current space,Guenzler-Stevens said. The cen-ter should be finished by Janu-ary 2011, depending on howquickly the Asian AmericanStudies department can relocateto room 1145 in the same build-ing, Baker said.

Since the area was recentlyrefurbished, the office willundergo modest renovation,Baker added, including paintingthe area and removing one wallto create more space.

“This gift from SecretaryEngland is a truly transforma-tive gift in that it provides aplace that will significantlyenhance veterans’ experienceat the university, improve theiraccess, their support and theirsuccess,” said University Presi-dent Wallace Loh’s Chief ofStaff Sally Koblinsky.

The university has wanted to

create the facility after a univer-sity-sponsored study titled “Riskand Resilience in War VeteransReturning to College” severalyears ago revealed student-vet-erans wanted a place where theycould study and socialize witheach other, Koblinsky said.

Remington said building thelounge would ordinarily havetaken months or even years hadEngland not donated the moneywhen he found out about theproject during a speech Reming-ton made to the Board ofTrustees last month.

“That doesn’t happen veryoften,” Remington said. “He’sjust a very caring individualand, needless to say, a very gen-erous one.”

England said he didn’t hesi-tate in donating the money, call-ing the center a great way tohelp student veterans becomemore engaged with each other.

“It was natural for me to dothis,” England said. “UMD wasvery instrumental in my life andmy career. It was a small way togive back, but mainly it was a

way to say ‘thank you’ and honorthe veterans.”

Army veteran and junior phys-ical education major Chris Day,who served in Afghanistan forfour years, said he is excitedabout the new center and theopportunity to meet more stu-dents, adding it will help someveterans come out of their shells.

“For me, when I got to school,I was in my own bubble,” Daysaid. “I wasn’t comfortable ...even if there were things to goto. ... I think that having thelounge is going to help us meetone another and give us thewillpower to basically get

involved more on campus andnot feel so isolated.”

England said he is glad theuniversity is helping a popula-tion of students who have givenup so much for their countryand have a lot to contribute tothe campus community.

“Veterans have unique experi-ences, especially those that serveduring times of war,” he said. “Ithink it’s very helpful to them tohave a place and an opportunityto get together and share theirunique experiences and buildfriendships going forward.”

korkut@umdbk.com

2 THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010

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Private donation will expand space for veteransdecided a new competitionwas in order.

“In the past, we’ve done theDesign a Permit contest, andwe thought this would be agood way to continue doingcontests and getting the uni-versity community involved,”DOTS training and marketingmanager Shayna Smith said.

Freshman art and journal-ism major Kelsey Marottasaid although she hadn’theard of the contest, as a stu-dent interested in graphicdesign, she would considerentering.

“That’s a really neat thing,to have a student’s design onthe buses that carry DivisionI athletes,” she said. “I think alot of people will enter, evenpeople who aren’t intographic design but have otherartistic talents.”

The design on the buseswas created in 2003 by a pro-fessional design company,officials said, but with a cam-pus full of potential ideas,soon it will be replaced by aTerp’s vision.

“We’ve gotten some sub-missions already and we’veonly had it running a fewdays now,” Smith said. “Ithink a lot of students whoare into graphic design willenter so they can say,‘There’s my design going byon the buses.’”

In addition to the reward ofa public, mobile display for thewinner’s design, the contestoffers an additional prize of anApple iPad.

However, for some graphicdesigners, the draw of thecontest is the chance toshowcase their art, not toreceive a gadget.

“[The iPad prize] is defi-nitely attractive to people, butI think being able to say,‘That’s my design on the bus,’is a lot cooler,” Marotta said.

All contest entries must besubmitted by Dec. 3, to bejudged by a panel of DOTSrepresentatives. The winningdesign will be seen drivingaround the campus by March2011, officials said.

kirkwood@umdbk.com

DESIGNfrom page 1

Cole Field House will be the home to a new study and sociallounge for veterans. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

MARIJUANAfrom page 1

MORE ONLINEwww.diamondbackonline.com

ORLANDO URBINA/THE DIAMONDBACK

KURKJIAN SHARES BASEBALL EXPERTISE

For Tim Kurkjian, last night was a trip down memorylane. For students, it was a chance to talk sports withone of the biggest baseball nuts TV has to offer.

To find out the bases he covered and students’ re-sponse, check out the rest of the story on our website.

$125,000 will create new lounge in Cole Field House

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK 3

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years, said Robert Stumpff, thecity’s director of public works.

Stumpff said he will prioritizeturning on the lights the cityowns as soon as possible, butmany other street lamps areowned by electric utility compa-ny Pepco. Though it’s unclearwhy Pepco has neglected to fixthe problem thus far, Mitchellsaid it was “outrageous” for thedark areas to have gone ignoredfor so long and he plans to puthis foot down when he meetswith the company.

University Police officers andSGA Leonardtown legislatorAndre Beasley also identified anumber of locations in the Old

and New Leonardtown commu-nities in need of additional secu-rity cameras this year. Beasleysaid cameras are a crucial ele-ment of his plan to reduce crimein what some students have saidis a notoriously sketchy area.

Cuffy said having the walk atnight allowed officers to trulystep into the shoes of studentswho feel unsafe venturingaround the city — even to theirown residences — after hours.

“We really want to lookaround and immerse ourselvesin what it’s like to walk aroundCollege Park at night,” Cuffysaid before the walk. “The night-time element adds somethingmore of a realness to it.”

The Parkside group discov-ered high, untrimmed hedgesand bushes that spelled trouble

as potential lurking spots forcriminals and bars in the ironfence behind the building thatwere bent apart to create anopening. Multiple sidewalks re-mained dark as a result of streetlights that were either out orblocked by trees.

Sgt. August Kenner of theLeonardtown group reportedhis group identified a number ofbuildings as easy targets be-

cause they aren’t under surveil-lance by any security cameras.

Cuffy said while the list ofsafety issues was long, he isconfident the walk was the piv-otal first step in addressingeach problem.

“The good thing about this isthat all these problems are fix-able,” he said.

villanueva@umdbk.com

WALKfrom page 1

move things out from theinside.”

While many other chickenestablishments, includingWing Zone and Wata-Wing,folded after short-lived runs,Cluck-U Chicken has been adowntown mainstay for twodecades — a significant amountof time by College Park’s stan-dards and long enough to haveseen many classes of studentscome and go.

Many said they were disap-pointed to bid goodbye to therestaurant that routinelyoffered free chicken couponsand provided a guaranteedspot to catch their breath aftera night out. Store manager LeeMajors — better known to stu-dents as “Cluck-U-Pac” for hisuncanny resemblance to the1990s rap icon — also sold orhanded out his demo CDs tocustomers.

“It’s kinda sad,” said seniorjournalism major Greg Jubb. “Itwas one of those staple late-nightrestaurants you went to if youwere still up and about at 3 a.m.”

“I’ve never really eaten theresober,” junior economics majorChris Conway added. “It’sgood late-night food.”

But a change in manage-ment at the beginning of thisyear spawned financial issues.Managers could not bereached for comment.

“Once it was subleased to

the new management, that’swhen problems started,”Kempf said.

Curtis Management warnedCluck-U several times over thepast five or six months that itwas on the verge of beingevicted, Kempf said, but theproblem wasn’t fixed.

“We did the right steps ofwhat we were supposed to doas the owners,” he said.

Several students said theyweren’t shocked to see thedowntown restaurant shut-tered.

“I’m not surprised; it lookslike it’s poorly maintained,”Jubb said. “I wouldn’t call it thecleanest of establishments.”

Officials from BurnettBuilders and Developers — acompany contracted by CurtisManagement to clean the prop-erty — unearthed the restau-rant’s last chicken meal yester-day under where the ovenused to be and is now dealingwith a different sort of occu-pant.

“This place is infested withroaches,” Burnett said.“They’re all over the place.”

Kempf said they are guttingthe space to make it moreappealing for a future tenant torent.

“We don’t have anybody setto go in there ... we’re just try-ing to get the place cleaned upto a white shell,” he said. “It’svacant, and we’re looking for atenant.”

roubein@umdbk.com

CLOSUREfrom page 1

the retaining wall is “still doingits job” or if it needs to bereplaced, which should takeabout a month to determine.

Students who frequent thebuilding said since they haven’tfelt the effects of the rottinginfrastructure, they still feelsafe inside.

“I figured when they first builtit there was something holdingit up besides just bricks,” fresh-man letters and sciences majorAdele Hart said. “Unless there’ssomething wrong with the inte-rior structure, I don’t think any-thing’s going to collapse.”

But others said the building’soutdated structure interferes

with the classroom experience.“You can tell the building is

old,” sophomore economicsmajor Ken Grossman said. “It’snot as good of a learning envi-ronment as the business schoolis, which has really nice lecturehalls.”

And while at times it seemslike the campus is slowly fallingapart — officials have also dealtwith a deteriorating heating andcooling system in the Microbiol-ogy Building and failing waterlines just this month — Bakersaid it’s all part of the job.

“Running a university is likerunning a city,” he said. “We’vegot lots of old facilities and this ispart of the campus’ infrastruc-ture, and we’re taking care of it.”

abutaleb@umdbk.com

BRICKSfrom page 1

Students, police and city officials toured off-campus areassome called unsafe. ORLANDO URBINA/THE DIAMONDBACK

I really like movies. Whenevermy budget allows, I try to seethem in theaters. I saw a fewgreat ones in Hoff Theater

back in the day when they used toshow new features for free. Whenmoney is tight, my friends and I willhit up the Redbox outside of 7-Eleven, hoping it’ll have a decentflick for a dollar. I’m also on my thirdfree trial of Netflix.

After a movie finishes, we alwaysturn to one another, waiting forsomeone to break the ice and make aclaim about the movie. The firstwords spoken will set the tone for therest of the conversation. Did we likeit? Did we hate it? Was it just “eh”?Whoever speaks first will be the onedefending their claim about themovie: If they liked it and someoneelse didn’t, will they acquiesce orstand their ground?

I’ve noticed that people get pretty

attached to movies they enjoy. Newacquaintances can quickly bondover movies they both love. Sci-fimovie buffs have conventions andimmerse themselves in theirfavorite fictional worlds. People canrecite the script of cult classics andbond over watching their fave flickfor the umpteenth time.

But if you dislike someone’sfavorite movie, they will seriouslyquestion your friendship. An evenworse offense is not having seen a“classic.” There are certain moviesthat trigger a frightening response insome people. One time, The Big

Lebowski came up in conversation,and I casually mentioned I hadn’tseen it. My friends looked at me as ifI just said I liked to punch puppies inthe face. As they jumped down mythroat about my ignorance, I curledup into the fetal position and toldthem I would see it (I haven’t).

After this kind of thing happened tome a few times (OK, I like movies, but Ihaven’t seen every single one), Istarted to keep quiet or even bluff myway through a conversation. “Oh man,Ellen, that movie was awesome! What’syour favorite part?” “Uh, the part wherethat guy does that thing! Obvi ...”

Why do we take movie prefer-ences so personally? Well, there areso many reasons people will give forloving a movie. The characters. Theactors. The director. The cinematog-raphy. The epic sex scene.

Think about it, though — the char-acters aren’t real; we don’t know the

actors; that sex scene was really awk-ward to film; the plot line never hap-pens in real life. Maybe people feellike they can relate to the characters,but with increasingly ridiculous char-acters and plots in movies, I find thathard to believe.

Movies are our escape. I love agood book (see my tagline: I’m anEnglish major), but sometimes youjust need a good action movie, or apotty joke-filled comedy. For one anda half, two, even two and a half hours,we can sit in a dark, quiet room andescape into a different world. Some-one else’s life. We all have our own“classics,” so there’s no reason toexcommunicate each other if wedon’t share the same fiery passionfor Caddyshack.

Ellen Linzer is a senior English major.She can be reached atlinzer@umdbk.com.

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Afew weeks ago, my room-mates and I were sent theAmerican Community Sur-vey by the U.S. Census

Bureau. We initially tossed the sur-vey aside because we had all com-pleted our Census forms and didn’thave the foggiest idea what the ACSwas or why we were receivinganother data-gathering survey sosoon after the 2010 Census.

About a week later, upon furtherinspection, we noticed that refusal tocomplete the ACS was illegal underfederal law. So, of course, we did it.

The ACS form is distributed ran-domly to approximately 2.9 millionAmerican households. The data col-lection is used to determine how $400billion of federal money should be dis-tributed to different communitiesbased on “basic” population cate-gories, including age, sex, Hispanicorigin and race. According to the ACSwebsite, the statistics gathered fromthe survey help to determine fund dis-tribution to “everything from schoollunch programs to new hospitals.”

The ACS and Census are both

important in ensuring that the prece-dents of equal opportunity andemployment set forth in the CivilRights Act of 1964 and the VotingRights Act of 1965 are carried out.They allow federal agencies to seewhere different racial communitiesare located and are invaluable in iden-tifying structural inequalities thatstem from different race, class andgender categories.

However, not all demographic sur-veys have immediately recognizablepractical aims. Leyla Korkut’s Nov. 5article, “University introduces newdemographical categories,” had TheDiamondback readership asking whyracial data collection is necessary atthis university in the first place.

For one, the university’s reports onracial demographics allow us to seehow reflective the student body’sracial makeup is of the surroundingcommunity. Located in PrinceGeorge’s County, the university’sLatino/a and black populations’ rela-tively low representation is troubling.A 2009 report on student enrollmentshows that Latinos/as represent

about 6 percent of the student body,blacks about 12 percent and whitesabout 56 percent.

Aside from being a good way toshut down uninformed people’sclaims of reverse racism and the so-called quotas that are destroyingwhite people’s chances of getting intogood schools (there are about 21,000of you guys here, get over it), thedemographical categories show theuniversity’s recruitment practicesmight need a little tweaking. Locatedin a county with an astounding blackmajority, the 12 percent just doesn’tcut it for this columnist.

Also, the university’s nondiscrim-ination policy mandates compliancewith various state and federal lawsregarding the distribution of need-based funds and admissions. Survey

data are not simply a way of toutingmulticulturalism (although formeruniversity President Dan Mote cer-tainly never missed a chance toboast about such diversity). Theyare a starting point. From them, wecan see who is being let into the uni-versity and what, if anything, theuniversity can do to be more proac-tive in improving minority students’life chances through a good educa-tion — something we’ve beendenied historically.

Still, the racial politics of the U.S.Census and similar data-gatheringsurveys are complicated. Yes, peoplewho can’t sum up their race in oneword have difficulty when given apiece of paper that tries to codify theiridentity under a rubric that doesn’trepresent the complexity of racial for-mations. However, for the sake ofneed-based fund allocation, I imploreeveryone to suck it up and just fill outthe damned things.

Michael Casiano is a junior Americanstudies and English major. He can bereached at casiano@umdbk.com.

Demographics: More than just a box to check

I t’s the kind of story fit more for Hollywood than reality, seeming tooabsurd to be true. Friday, Prince George’s County Executive Jack John-son (D) and his wife, County Councilwoman-elect Leslie Johnson (D),were arrested by federal agents and charged with destroying and tam-

pering with evidence in connection to a larger corruption investigation.Jack Johnson had been under FBI surveillance for months for allegedly

accepting bribes from developers in exchange for preferential treatment inawarding county contracts, but when agents arrived at his door last week,chaos erupted inside the Johnsons’ Mitchellville home. With agents listen-ing in, Leslie Johnson allegedly phoned her husband totell him two FBI agents were at their front door.Instructing her not to answer, Johnson then told hiswife to destroy a $100,000 check from a real-estatedeveloper hidden in a box of liquor, according to theaffidavit used in the case. His wife then allegedly toreup the check and flushed it down the toilet and then hidnearly $80,000 of cash in her bra, as per her husband’ssuggestion. All, mind you, while FBI agents recordedthe spectacle as it unfolded.

Although the Johnsons are claiming innocence, andJack Johnson was back at work yesterday at his UpperMarlboro office, both could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Andsome within the Justice Department are describing this as the “tip of the ice-berg” when it comes to corruption investigations in the county government.Although the stories of crooked politicians may seem worlds away to students,they are literally right in our backyard.

Like it or not, the university calls Prince George’s County home. And withthat comes all the extra baggage. The county has long fought an uphill battleto restore a respectable reputation, but last week’s arrests make such a taskall the more difficult.

In Sunday’s Washington Post, county residents not only expressed their embar-rassment with Johnson’s arrest and the stories surrounding it but also feelings ofpersonal betrayal. Some urged others not to jump to conclusions about Johnson,

who has claimed the evidence will vindicate him. But through it all, the situationhas left many shaking their heads at the sensationalism of the incident.

Luckily for the city, thus far, it seems none of the development deals inquestion are linked to any in College Park. But if Johnson’s arrest is merelyone instance of corruption in the county, the repercussions of such scandalscould affect the city and university for years to come.

Some cite the fact that Johnson was only a month away from completing hisfinal term and thus his arrest will have little effect on how the county and city areperceived by developers. This seems somewhat naive. After all, if this is indica-

tive of a larger corruption investigation that extendsyears back, developers may opt to take their projects else-where, where there is less of a perception of corruption.

It further complicates the efforts of a county tryingdesperately to break free of poverty and crime andbecome the equal of others in the state, such as themore prosperous neighboring Montgomery andHoward counties.

Moreover, the university is inherently linked to thecommunity that surrounds it. A county that alreadyfaces a constant struggle with its image is furtherbruised by Johnson’s arrest by federal agents. For

families considering where to send their children for college or potentialhires considering this university as an employer and this county as a place ofresidence, such a reputation is far from enticing.

While Johnson is innocent until proven guilty and further revelationsabout the federal investigation will likely surface in coming weeks, weshould not forget that Prince George’s County is the university’s county. Stu-dents, faculty and staff are linked to it by where they work and often bywhere they live. As such, the issue of corruption in this county should not bedivorced from the issues facing this university.

The university community should take not only an interest, but a stand —corruption should be rallied against. Not only for the sake of the law, but alsofor this place we call home.

Staff editorial

Our ViewAlthough it may seem the

arrest of County Executive JackJohnson does not concern thisuniversity, it should be rallied

against to create a more livable community.

Movies: Making and breaking friendships

MMIICCHHAAEELLCCAASSIIAANNOO

Readers of Josh Birch’sNov. 12 column, “Ath-letics: The blamegame,” should glance

at Friday’s New York Times.Three of the four headlinedsports stories focus on seriousproblems in intercollegiate athlet-ics, none related to Birch’s con-cern that he and his father mustsometimes face the choice of pay-ing for tickets to athletic eventsthat do not guarantee victory.

The headlines speak for them-selves: “NCAA Says Turkish Cen-ter Can’t Play at Kentucky”: Doesthis mean Kentucky coach JohnCalipari bent a rule or two inrecruiting? Hold the presses onthat one. (Can this man achievethe trifecta of landing threeschools on probation in a singlecareer?) “A Question of Eligibil-ity”: Allegations continue aroundthe possibility that Auburn’s quar-terback in effect demanded a sign-ing bonus. Finally, “How BrokenMust College Football Be to FixIt?”: George Vecsey offers in thispiece the “reality ... that footballand basketball at the top level aresemipro enterprises grafted clum-sily onto the fabric of education.”

Vecsey is partially correct,though not completely so. In thelast 10 years, the athletics depart-ment which Birch accuses of aninability to do its job has producednational championships in men’sand women’s basketball and afootball program that has com-peted in six bowl games. Moreimportantly, it has done so with-out suffering NCAA probation inany of those programs.

Vecsey further notes that“when a university suddenlybecomes proficient in basketballor football, it is usually a sign itsadmission director is being heldhostage in some rural hideaway.”(Has he been following the for-tunes of North Carolina football?)My guess is that coaches RalphFriedgen, Gary Williams andBrenda Frese have stories theycould tell of the admissions officehere saying “no” on more thanone occasion. I wish AthleticsDirector Kevin Anderson well inmaintaining a delicate and dif fi-cult balance, one his Army expe-rience must have prepared himfor, to our benefit. This univer-sity’s fans, students and alumnineed to support the university’scommitment to that balance. (Tobriefly note Birch’s other com-plaint, fan behavior of studentsand “old disgruntled men” alikeis part of that.)

Would I like to see the footballteam competing in a nationalchampionship game? Yes, but notat the price paid by such schoolsas Southern California, Alabamaand others that have lost theirgrip over the years. Likewise inbasketball, I’ll take Williams andFrese over Calipari any day of theweek. When we win nationalchampionships, we don’t have toplan on giving back the trophiesonce the investigations are com-plete. In that respect, the univer-sity and its athletics departmenthave done their jobs well.

William Nolte is a professor in thepublic policy school. He can bereached at wnolte@umd.edu.

Editorial cartoon: Morgan Noonan

A livable community

EELLLLEENNLLIINNZZEERR

THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16. 20104

CARTOONISTSWANTED

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PPOOLLIICCYY:: Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent the opinions of the authors. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Diamondback’s editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor in chief.

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Address your letters orguest columns to the OpinionDesk at opinion@umdbk.com.All letters and guest columnsmust be signed. Include yourfull name, year, major and day-and night-time phone num-bers. Please limit letters to 250words. Please limit guestcolumns to 550 words. Submis-sion of a letter or guest columnconstitutes an exclusive, world-wide, transferable license toThe Diamondback of the copy-right in the material in anymedia. The Diamondbackretains the right to edit submis-sions for content and length.

AIR YOUR VIEWS

Born, you are not likely to beunderstood every step ofthe way, but this in itself

rarely affects you in a negativemanner — or any manner at all,for that matter.What does make adifference to you, of course, isthat those around you appreciateyou in some way — and this doesnot depend on understanding atall. Indeed, those who understandyou the least may actually appre-ciate you the most. You are one ofthe most creative individualsborn under your sign, and you willfind that when you are driven todo something, you are not likelyto be stopped — even by yourself.

You can be rather fragile attimes, especially in your youthwhen you will not yet havelearned to take your knocks instride. Indeed, when young, fail-ure and disappointment mayprove quite traumatic, but withage and experience you’ll learnthat it’s all part of the learningprocess.

Also born on this date are Ok-sana Baiul, Olympic figure skater;Lisa Bonet, actress; Martha Plimp-ton, actress; Burgess Meredith,actor.

To see what is in store for youtomorrow, find your birthday andread the corresponding para-graph. Let your birthday star beyour daily guide.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) —Communication may be misdi-rected for a time, and it is likelyto fall to you to set thingsstraight when the time comes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)— Only you will truly under-stand the significance of thesituation you have helped to so-lidify. An opportunity beckons.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) —You’re likely to be satisfied bysomething small and special;you do not feel the need to goafter the big and unlikely prize.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) —Your performance in the hotseat is likely to be quite im-pressive, especially when itcomes to demonstrating yourknowledge.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — Amessage that gets to you just intime is likely to change youroutlook just enough to signifi-cantly affect the days andweeks to come.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) —You can put the pieces of a puz-zle together in record time, butthe solution may not makesense to you just yet. Ask theexperts.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) —You’ll benefit greatly by achance encounter with some-one who is eager to share someuseful knowledge.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) —You can remain calm even in

the face of a sudden upheaval,but at day’s end you’ll have togive yourself an emotional out-let.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) —You may be far from the com-forts of home, but you can satis-fy your need for contact simplyby reaching out when you feelthe need.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Thestealthier you are, the furtheryou can get before your inten-tions are known. Your closestrival gives you food forthought.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) —Whether at work or play, thatwhich takes you out of yourcomfort zone will demandmore attention than you wereexpecting to give.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Effi-ciency is the key, but whatmakes the difference is thatyou will be calling the shotsmore often than not.

Copyright 2010United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

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REVIEW | RIHANNA

BY ZACHARY BERMANSenior staff writer

There is a very fine linebetween art and entertainment.Usually, this relationship reflectsnegatively on art — if somethingis too artistic, deep, confusing oruncomfortable, then even thehippest hipsters won’t view it asentertainment.

Meanwhile, the other side ofthe dichotomy is that entertain-ment is so soulless it leaves artbehind and blasts off into thestratosphere as a machine of big-business money-making. Thisdoesn’t happen to all pop artists— many manage to continuemaking great music no matterhow popular they get.

On her fifth album, Loud,Rihanna returns yet again with abrisk, 46-minute album of over-produced pop music that, whileoccasionally interesting musi-cally, is lyrically incompetent andshows little in Rihanna as anartist.

Let’s clarify: Rihanna liessomewhere in between theabove stated parallels. While a

slim minority of her catalogue isinteresting, she is for the mostpart just a major-label tool. Again,some artists on major labelsreally bring good music to listen-ers, but most are simply there tokeep the record companiesafloat for a few years while atrend passes.

Like too many of today’s so-called artists, Rihanna does littlebut sing on tracks written by oth-ers. While this isn’t necessarily abad thing, it does strip Rihannaof any credit fans may think shedeserves for being the creativemastermind on her albums.

In fact, as is made clear on thisalbum, she uses copiousamounts of Auto-Tune in hermusic, so she isn’t doing muchof anything in the course of cre-ating her music. She may havebeen present for most of theprocess, but her hands-on workis extremely suspect.

Regardless of her minusculerole in the creation process, noone these days really cares howthe music gets made, so all herpopularity comes down to iswhether one or two singles from

the album will bump in the cluband whether or not one or twosoft ballads will make listenersidentify and feel emotional.

The compositions on Loud aremostly a bore, though a few riseabove the general junk that per-vades the album. There isn’tmuch here people haven’t heardbefore in excess, so there isn’tmuch of a reason to bother withthe album.

The fact that Rihanna andIsland Def Jam find it OK toregurgitate Eminem’s hit single“Love the Way You Lie” as thefinal track on an 11-track albumnot only shows the label’sshameless milking of a tiredproperty, but it is insulting to lis-teners expecting new music.

While Alicia Keys may havepulled a similar trick on her lastalbum, The Element of Freedom,with “Empire State of Mind PartII (Broken Down),” she at leastexpanded on the original track,and in many listeners’ ears,improved it in her own way.

Rihanna, on the other hand,is just banking on old cashcrops.

As for the rest of the album,listeners can expect often blandinstrumentals and stupefyinglyrics. The perfect example isopening track “S&M,” which,needless to say, isn’t one for thekids to be listening to.

Aside from what is obviouslyrevealed by the title, Rihannamisses a great chance at ametaphor and instead simplysings about fetish. In an odd, R.Kelly kind of way, the song isworth hearing purely because itis so unrelentingly silly.

Take the chorus, whereRihanna repeats, “Some may bebad/ But I’m perfectly good atit/ Sex in the air/ I don’t care, Ilove the smell of it/ Sticks andstones may break my bones/

But chains and whips exciteme.”

The clear standout track onthe album is “Cheers (Drink toThat),” led by a an out-of-left-field, Cranberries-style yodelingpart by Rihanna on the chorus.The song is slower but veryupbeat and simply fun to vibewith.

However, the lyrics that rulethe song are about partying at abar. For such a joyous, pastoralexcursion, the track can’tescape the major-label decreethat every song needs to beclub-ready.

There has been so much

high-quality music releasedthis year alone that there is sim-ply no reason for audiences towaste their time giving thisalbum more than a passingglance. With previous releasesby Cee Lo Green, Big Boi andJanelle Monae, not to mentionKanye West’s upcomingrelease, there is pretty much notime for Rihanna.

She can be as loud as shewants, but really, Rihanna’s bestoption would be just to accept thefact that she isn’t on top — andnever will be.

berman@umdbk.com

ALBUM: Loud | VERDICT: 1/2

Rihanna turns in a poor effort with her fifth album, Loud. Above, the singer serenades a robot atMarch’s Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. PHOTO COURTESY OF NICKELODEON

SILENCEDLoud only confirms Rihanna as a

major-label construct

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 | SPORTS | THE DIAMONDBACK 7

and Duke highlight the rest ofthe Terps’ bracket.

“Do we even have to play thegames?” former Terp standoutTaylor Twellman said on theESPNU telecast after theseeds were announced, addingthat the Terps have the easiestroad to the College Cup of anyof the top four seeds.

Cirovski had a different take. “I think it’s a very difficult

bracket,” said Cirovski, whoplans to make the trip to watchthe Bucknell-Pennsylvaniagame Thursday. “With geo-graphic location, you’re alwaysgoing to have some rivalries.”

The Terps are 4-0 againstteams in their region this sea-son, including two victoriesagainst the defending nationalchampion Cavaliers. The teamalso beat Penn State last seasonin the second round of the tour-nament, setting up a potentialrematch against the NittanyLions in the Sweet 16 this year.

The Terps’ bracket alsoincludes South Carolia,which almost upset NorthCarolina earlier this season,and Michigan, which won itsfirst-ever Big Ten champi-onship last weekend.

Still, the Terps contendtheir focus is not on prospec-tive matchups.

“In situations like this, youcan’t look ahead,” Kassel said.

It might be tempting for theTerps to look to the past,though. In 2008, when theTerps won their third ACCChampionship before alsoreceiving a No. 2 seed, theywent on to Frisco, Texas, towin their third national cham-pionship. But Cirovski knowsthere’s a difference betweensavoring one accomplishmentand pushing for another.

“It’s an incredible feeling,”Cirovski said of the team’sACC Championship. “You’restill walking on air. ... We justtalked about it in the lockerroom. We’re filing it away. Wehad a great weekend, but we’removing forward.”

ceckard@umdbk.com

SEEDINGfrom page 8

Rodgers. The Suffolk, Va.,native led the Hoyas in scoringas a freshman last season andearned first-team All-Big Eastand honorable mention All-America honors.

“I think Terri has done atremendous job in rebuildingthat program, and she’s done itwith recruiting,” Frese said.“It’s a lot of players we’ve seenin the process. There’s a lot offamiliar faces.”

Even as Williams-Flournoyhas begun to stockpile talentand transform the Hoyas into ateam picked to finish third inthe powerful Big East, Fresehas in no way slowed down.

This season’s freshmanclass is perhaps the best thatFrese has brought to CollegePark in her nine years on thebench for the Terps. Andgiven the plethora of talent inthe Washington area, Fresesaid it’s plausible that theteams could coexist asregional powers.

“It’s exciting for the game,and especially in our area,where there’s so many great

options,” Frese said of the localtalent. “It says a lot for oursport that we can have twogreat programs play eachother in a nonconference slateby [just getting on a bus].”

While tonight’s matchupmay mark the start of a com-petitive regional rivalry thathas long eluded the Terps —the two teams have alreadyagreed to square off again atComcast Center next season— its significance as a measur-ing stick for both could be ofgreater importance.

Both teams are young, withtalented Georgetown guardMonica McNutt standingalone as the only senior oneither roster. And both are fastand prefer an up-tempo style ofplay, characteristics that nei-ther side has seen in an oppo-nent this early in the season.

The game has particular sig-nificance for the Terps, whohave gotten ample contribu-tions from a highly toutedrecruiting class that has neverplayed together outside thecomforts of Comcast Center. Aroad debut at McDonoughArena could be particularly jar-ring, even for talented fresh-men such as Alyssa Thomas

and Laurin Mincy.“We want to see how we

compete when we go on theroad,” Frese said. “Can we goout in this hostile environ-ment and play to the best ofour abilities?”

Tonight’s game won’t posethe same problems of life onthe road that the Terps’ firsttrue test last season did. TheTerps were dismantled at No.25 Mississippi State in theirfourth game of the year,marking the start of roadwoes that lasted throughoutthe season.

And while tonight’s gamegives the Terps their firstchance to establish them-selves on the road this sea-son, it could also serve assomething greater: an oppor-tunity to further prove them-selves as the top dog in theWashington area.

“We’re looking forward toseeing how we match up,” Fresesaid. “We know each other’splayers. In the overall scheme ofit, I don’t think it’s a game that’sgoing to make or break eitherteam’s season. But it’s a funcrosstown rivalry game.”

cwalsh@umdbk.com

GEORGETOWNfrom page 8

right read, but the one thingthe kid does is he will com-pete,” coach Ralph Friedgensaid. “We can’t turn him freebecause he’s not solid on all hisprotections yet. But he willfight his butt off to get the ballin the end zone.”

Adams scored the Terps’first touchdown of the game, a6-yard run in the first quarterin which he took four Virginiadefenders with him over thegoal line to finish the play. Histwo fourth-down conversionscame shortly thereafter.

By the time the Terpsmarched into the red zone lessthan a minute into the fourthquarter, there was no questionwho would get the ball. Facing atwo-point deficit and first-and-goal from the 7-yard line, quar-terback Danny O’Brien handed

off to Adams, who forced hisway through to the 2-yard line.On the next play, he pushedhimself into the end zone for atouchdown and what proved tobe the game-winning score.

“I’m playing my role,” saidAdams, who became the firstTerp to rush for three touch-downs in a single game sinceLance Ball in 2007. “I’veaccepted my role, and opportu-nities present themselves, likethey did tonight, and you’ve gotto make the most of them.”

Though Adams hasappeared in six games this sea-son, Saturday marked his mostsignificant contribution sincescoring two touchdownsagainst Football Champi-onship Subdivision opponentMorgan State in the secondgame of the season.

Adams helped the Terpoffense Saturday to a perfect 6-for-6 in the red zone. Lastweek, the Terps went 2-for-3,

with both scores againstMiami coming on field goals.

“We finished the ball a lot onthe offensive side today, andthat was a very positive step,”Friedgen said.

Adams’ success against theCavaliers was due in large partto the work of behemoth defen-sive tackle Zach Kerr. The 6-foot-2, 320-pound sophomorehelped out on both sides Satur-day, playing as a fullback inshort-yardage packages andably clearing out Adams’ path.

“We’re still using D.J. inpackages because he’s still ayoung guy, growing, but hedoes run extremely hard,”offensive coordinator JamesFranklin said. “And whenyou’ve got him, who’s a 400-pound bencher, 220 pounds,and you’ve got him behindZach Kerr, that’s a pretty goodcombination.”

kyanchulis@umdbk.com

Running back D.J. Adams celebrates one of his three touchdowns Saturday against Virginia.Adams has been primarily used as a goal-line back this year. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

ADAMSfrom page 8

Running back D.J. Adams, center, ran for 37 yards on 13 carries in the Terps’ 42-23 win Saturday against Virginia. JACLYN BOROWSKI/THE DIAMONDBACK

8 THE DIAMONDBACK | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010

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SportsMore on the Terps’ draw

Who should the Terrapin men’s soccer team berooting for in Thursday’s Bucknell-Pennsylvaniafirst-round match? Get more at TerrapinTrail.com.

MMEENN’’SS SSOOCCCCEERR

Terps get No. 2 seed in NCAA TournamentTeam receives first-round bye, will play winner of Bucknell-Penn at home Sunday

BY CHRIS ECKARDSenior staff writer

Unlike last season, theTerrapin men’s soccer teamdidn’t tune into the NCAATournament selection showyesterday feeling uneasyabout whether it would playin the first round.

A second ACC Champi-onship in three years Sun-day left the Terps with no

worries about that. A first-round bye and top-four seedin the field of 48 were all butguaranteed.

So when their nameappeared on the screen as theNo. 2 overall seed, behindonly top-seeded Louisville,the Terps (17-2-1) were filledmore with satisfaction thanexhilaration. Coach SashoCirovski described the atmos-phere inside the varsity team

house as “very nondescript.” “We expected a high

seed,” Cirovski said.“We’ve been through thisso many times now, weknow all these games aregoing to be tough.”

Instead of playing in thetournament’s first roundThursday, as they did for thefirst time in eight years lastseason, the Terps will stayhome and rest until the

weekend. The road to theCollege Cup in Santa Bar-bara, Calif., as far as theteam is concerned, nowgoes through College Park.

“We knew we would be atop-four seed. We expectedthat,” midfielder Matt Kasselsaid. “The important thing isthat we’re going to be homeuntil the College Cup, but ourfocus is on our first game.”

Sunday, the Terps will face

either Bucknell or Pennsyl-vania in the second round ofthe tournament at LudwigField. Bucknell (10-8-2) wonthe Patriot League title thispast weekend, while Penn-sylvania (12-5) finished sec-ond in the Ivy League.

No. 7 South Carolina, No.10 Michigan, No. 15 PennState and unseeded Virginia

Forward Diandra Tchatchouang, center,and the Terps face No. 13 Georgetowntonight. CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

WWOOMMEENN’’SS BBAASSKKEETTBBAALLLL

Showdown pitsTerps againstsurging Hoyas

FFOOOOTTBBAALLLL

see SEEDING, page 7

BY CONOR WALSHStaff writer

Before last season, Georgetown hadlong stood in the shadows of the Ter-rapin women’s basketball team, bothlocally and nationally.

As the Hoyas floundered throughoutthe decade, the Terps, nearly half anhour down the road, flourished undercoach Brenda Frese, emerging as peren-nial contenders for ACC titles andnational championships.

But the 2009-10 season marked whatsome saw as a local power shift betweenthe two, with the Hoyas celebratingtheir first NCAA Tournament appear-ance in 17 years. The Terps, mean-while, sputtered en route to their firstabsence from the sport’s Big Dance inseven seasons.

When the No. 21 Terps travel toMcDonough Arena to battle the No. 13Hoyas tonight, they’ll be seeking toreassert their spot atop the local peckingorder against a team that has followed asimilar path to prominence.

Hoya coach Terri Williams-Flournoyhas ratcheted up her recruitment of tal-ent from the Terps’ traditional stompinggrounds of Maryland, Virginia and NewJersey over the past several seasons,landing several highly touted recruits tohelp trigger the program’s rebound.

Williams-Flournoy’s most notablepledge was sophomore guard Sugar

see GEORGETOWN, page 7

Adams comes up big on short gainsBY KATE YANCHULIS

Senior staff writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Facinga fourth-and-1 in the red zone mid-way through the second quarter, theTerrapin football team elected not totrot out running backs Da’Rel Scottor Davin Meggett.

But its special teams didn’t movefrom the sideline, either. Instead, theTerps called on third-string runningback D.J. Adams for the short-yardage situation. The redshirtfreshman delivered where his team-mates have often come up short thisseason, barreling through the Vir-ginia defense for a first down on the

Cavaliers’ 8-yard line.Four plays later, on yet another

fourth-and-1, Adams got the callonce more on the goal line. Again, heeasily broke through the line ofscrimmage, pushing the Terps’ leadto 11 with his second of three rush-ing touchdowns.

Displaying an impressive physical-

ity and perseverance throughout theTerps’ 42-23 win against the Cavaliers— if not impressive yardage totals —Adams proved himself a valuableoffensive weapon, making the most ofhis 13 carries for 37 yards.

“Sometimes, he doesn’t make the

see ADAMS, page 7

Reserve Terp running back racked up three touchdowns with bruising goal-line runs