THE DIAMONDBACKTHE DIAMONDBACK

HIGH AIMTerps eyeingan ACC title

SPORTS | PAGE 8

SMURF ITThe Smurfs is anall-around failure

DIVERSIONS | PAGE 6

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Our 101ST Year, No. 155THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPERThursday, July 28, 2011

BY REBECCA LURYEFor The Diamondback

A recent state audit into university practicesfound officials committed two infractions — theypaid millions to a food vendor after the contractexpired and did not accurately record the leaveand workloads of several faculty members.

While neither violation will result in seriouspenalties for the university, the state is nonethe-less required to perform ongoing investigationsto ensure the institution, its administrators andfaculty are abiding federal guidelines.

“Auditing is just part of how we operate, andit’s a very helpful process,” Provost Ann Wyliesaid. “We do very well; we run a very clean oper-ation, but auditors see things in a way we didn’t.”

The report released last week found the uni-versity continued to pay $4.7 million to a food-service provider after its contract expired inMarch 2010. The university’s long-held contract

State faultsuniversityafter auditAdmins. said findingswill benefit departments

Whole Foods store set forRiverdale ParkDespite high prices, citywelcomes organic shop

BY JIM BACHFor The Diamondback

With the upcoming addition of a WholeFoods grocery store in Riverdale Park, studentsmay be seeing a wealth of organic options withina mile and a half of the campus.

But thanks to more convenient eco-consciousalternatives on-and-off-campus — combinedwith the store’s high price tag — some officialsand students said it is unlikely Whole Foods, setto open in 2014, will become the go-to grocerystore for students.

“Whole Foods tends to be a little moreexpensive,” said College Park Mayor Andy Fel-lows. “It may not be such an attractive optionfor some students.”

The store will move into the Cafritz family-owned property — located along Route 1between Albion Road and East-West Highway— within a half-mile of three transit locations:the College Park Metro Station to the north, theRiverdale Park MARC Station to the south andthe future Purple Line rail to the east, said ChipReed, the Cafritzes’ attorney. Combined with

Researchers are using a skull cap to measure brain function,which could help amputees. MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

Cracking thehuman brain’s code

Researchers tackle prosthetics project

‘He loved everything he did’JOHN BRUNGOT, 1990-2011

BY JIM BACHFor The Diamondback

Whether listening to the life storiesof seniors at his grandfather’s retire-ment center, playing with children athis mother’s home day care or simplyhanging out with his fraternity broth-ers, Johnny Brungot was always mak-ing friends.

“I never met anybody in my entirelife like Johnny,” said junior businessmajor Blake Levy. “People gravitated tohim because of how great he was.”

John Sivert “Johnny” Brungot died

the morning of June 29 from multipleinjuries sustained after a 25-foot-fall offthe roof of his family’s home in David-sonville. He had celebrated his 21stbirthday the day before.

The Annapolis-born senior was anEagle Scout, a camp counselor and amember of this university’s Alpha SigmaPhi fraternity. And no matter what thesetting, Brungot’s upbeat attitudealways attracted new friends.

“He was just always really friendlyand happy all the time,” said high schoolclassmate Hannah Anderson, a juniorjournalism major at this university.

Brungot attended South River HighSchool, where he ran cross countryand track. He was pursuing a degree infire protection engineering at this uni-versity and interning for the fire mar-shal at the Pentagon.

“He loved the family; he loved hisfriends; he loved his neighbors; heloved the college; he loved the trackteam; he loved everything he did,” saidGeorge Brungot, his father. “He likedpeople. He was a people kid.”

And Brungot was known throughoutSenior fire protection engineering major Johnny Brungot wasknown as everyone’s friend. PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE BRUNGOT see BRUNGOT, page 2

see AUDIT, page 3

see ORGANIC, page 2

BY MOLLY MARCOTStaff writer

Some simple, everyday movementsaren’t easy for amputees and stroke vic-tims, but kinesiology associate profes-sor José Contreras-Vidal and hisresearch team are working so thesepatients may eventually regain themotion they lost.

By using a skullcap that measuresbrain function, researchers at the univer-sity’s Neural Engineering and SmartProsthetics Lab are working to decipherspecific brain activities and how theytranslate into bodily motions. Sorting outthe brain’s code will help the researchers

learn to manipulate thoughts of actionsinto actual motions, which could restoremobility for people who have hadstrokes, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’sdisease or amputations.

And while putting these thoughts inmotion is complicated enough, Contr-eras-Vidal said adapting their lab find-ings into practical applications is essen-tial for the team. In the future — possiblyas soon as three years from now — Con-treras-Vidal hopes their research will beturned into clinical aids for people whoare looking to become more mobile.

“We want to translate these findings

see PROSTHETICS, page 3

COMING DOWN FROM CAPITOL HILLObama speaks on debt ceiling, higher education to crowd in Ritchie Coliseum

BY YASMEEN ABUTALEBSenior staff writer

After weeks of following congressional debtnegotiations on TV and in newspapers, a hand-ful of students and residents got the chance toask President Barack Obama about the nation’sfiscal situation last Friday — face to face.

In a town hall meeting announced only daysbefore, Obama took the podium in Ritchie Coli-seum at about 11 a.m. before a crowd of 1,200students, residents and previously selectedWhite House Twitter followers. Obamaanswered questions from the audience afterbriefly remarking on the looming deadline toraise the nation’s debt ceiling — the cap on theamount of money the federal government canborrow. If the debt ceiling is not raised by Aug.2, the nation could default and recipients of pro-grams such as Social Security and Medicaremay not receive their benefits.

Although congressional leaders from bothparties have put forth debt-ceiling plans in theweek since Obama spoke on the campus, nego-tiations have deadlocked several times and itremains unclear what, if any, plan will beenacted. Despite these tooth-and-nail disputesabout how to reduce the nation’s $14.3 trilliondebt on Capitol Hill, Obama promised the inti-

mate crowd in Ritchie that he will fight to ensurestudents’ futures remain secure in uncertainfinancial times.

“Before we ask college students to pay morefor their education, let’s ask hedge fund man-agers to stop paying taxes that are lower on theirrates than their secretaries,” Obama said to anapplauding audience. “This isn’t about punish-ing wealth; this is about asking people who havebenefited most over the last decade to share inthe sacrifice.”

Student Government Association Presi-dent Kaiyi Xie had a one-on-one meeting withObama before he took the stage and brieflydiscussed students’ concerns about collegeaffordability.

“[Obama’s visit] shows that he is trying tobring in student input into the talks,” Xie said.“It’s also nice to hear it from the horse’s mouthrather than the pundits on TV.”

On Tuesday, Xie participated in a confer-ence call with Obama and other collegiate stu-dent leaders, during which he discussed theuncertain future of student programs — espe-cially Pell Grants. In Obama’s budget proposalfor fiscal year 2012, he recommended cuttingthe number of Pell Grants given to students

see OBAMA, page 2

President Barack Obama speaks to 1,200attendees in Ritchie Coliseum last Friday.PHOTOS BY MATTHEW CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

2 THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011

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Worried about economicclimate change?

each year.“Even the previously untouch-

able programs are facing cuts,” Xiesaid. “It’s pretty dire and I think theyare looking to cut a lot of Pell Grants,and I think a lot of people see that asa pertinent issue. … The stateneeds to find a way to help studentspay for college because we can’tsimply rely on federal ones any-more.”

State Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-AnneArundel and Prince George’s) saidthat as Gov. Martin O’Malley’s of-fice struggles with its own estimated$1.1 billion budget gap in 2012, fed-eral aid — especially for education— will be more important than ever.

“If the federal government cutsback in areas beyond Pell Grants, itwill put a lot of pressure on the stategovernments,” he said. “We’ve gotto be sure that the federal budgetisn’t reduced entirely on the backsof middle-class families who sendtheir kids to public institutions.”

In his on-campus remarks,Obama pledged to tackle the risingcosts of government-funded highereducation programs so they willcontinue to be available in comingyears.

“We’ve got to make sure thatthese programs, which are thecrown jewels of our social safety net… that those are there for the fu-ture,” he said.

After speaking for less than 30minutes, Obama opened the floor tothe audience, randomly picking

eight attendees — ranging fromuniversity graduate students,, pub-lic school teachers and communitymembers — who asked him ques-tions on topics such as health care,creating sustainable communitiesand the president’s biggest regretsthus far in his term.

Many students were enthusedafter the meeting and confident thatno matter what the outcome of thebudget negotiations, Obama willfight to keep higher education costslow.

“He’s putting everything he canand his best effort forward,” saidsenior criminology and criminal jus-tice major Aaron Gregg.

But others said Obama’s visit didnot ease their anxiety.

“I don’t feel more assured,” saiduniversity alumnus Tom Bailey.“You hear so much bullshit withmedia coverage. I wanted to hearhis opinion from his mouth. I thinkhe explained it as well as a politicianwith his own political agenda andpolitical aspirations would.”

University President Wallace Lohsaid while the president’s visithelped students become engaged ina national debate, it was also a strate-gic political move on Obama’s part.

“I think he was out here enter-taining the students but also send-ing a signal to the people out therenegotiating,” Loh said after theevent. “I think it’s a brilliant tactic.He leaves the negotiations to comehere, be on national television andtalk about the issue.”

Nick Foley contributed to this report.abutaleb@umdbk.com

OBAMAfrom page 1

the various bus systems, Reedsaid he sees an opportunity toreach target consumers.

“I think it’s an attractive sitefor Whole Foods,” he said.

In an area that lacks an abun-dance of supermarket options, aWhole Foods could help outthose students who have littleinterest in nearby grocers —such as the Shoppers on CherryHill Road or the Giant on Green-belt Road.

“One of the first things thatWhole Foods looks for is an edu-cated customer base,” Reedsaid. “They’ve had real successin other near-university loca-

tions, so, with their style of prod-uct offering, it usually appeals tothat sort of demographic.”

Every Sunday since the be-ginning of June, a weekly farm-ers’ market takes over the park-ing lot across from Ledo Restau-rant. According to Reed, the in-troduction of yet another organ-ic option emphasizes the area’sincreasing interest in locally-grown produce.

“These farmers’ markets areright up [residents’] alley,” hesaid. “I think they are very com-plimentary of one another.”

Additionally, the on-campusMaryland Food Co-op hasboasted healthy, eco-consciousfood for more than 30 years.Devin Mahoney, a manager atthe Co-op, sees Whole Foods as

a potential partner to promotesimilar dietary values.

“The more healthy, organic,responsible options we can havearound campus, I think the bet-ter overall,” Mahoney said.

The Whole Foods store ispart of a larger developmentplan on the property that wouldinclude a fitness center andother retail venues. The con-struction is expected to begin in2012 and could lead to more traf-fic issues along a notoriouslycongested Route 1.

“One of the main things thatwe, College Park, want to do iswork with our sister municipali-ties in Riverdale Park and Uni-versity Park to make sure ourconcerns are addressed abouttraffic and congestion and other

impacts to the local communitythat development might have,”Fellows said.

The Cafritz property, stretch-ing almost 40 acres, has poten-tial for development, Reed said.

“It’s a large undevelopedparcel,” Reed said. “An oppor-tunity with a pretty good-sizedblank slate.”

Some students, such as juniorEnglish major Rutvij Pandya,said they would make an occa-sional visit to Prince George’sCounty’s first-ever Whole Foods.

“I’d go there, maybe not allthe time but definitely to get afew things that I know I couldget there that would be better,”he said.

news@umdbk.com

ORGANICfrom page 1

the fraternity house for al-ways having friends over towatch movies, said Levy,Alpha Sigma Phi’s president.

“I think he had like a ter-abyte on an external harddrive of movies,” longtimefriend and fraternity memberNathan Suberi said.

Among his many interests,Brungot had a passion forrunning. Suberi, a member ofBrungot’s cross country andtrack teams, said he had an

uncanny ability to take thephysical and mental anguishthat came with the sport.

“He could just take so muchpain,” the senior economicsand mathematics major said.“He just had the ability to putthat part of his psyche on theback burner and just pushthrough whatever adversityhe had in the way.”

But he brought more thanjust his agility to the team —he always came to practicewith a sense of humor, oftenwearing an orange Hawaiianshirt and bathing suits totraining sessions.

Brungot and Suberi ran amarathon together in Rich-mond, Va., their sophomoreyear, highlighting a longtimefriendship that had largelybeen built on their sharedlove of running.

“Whenever I go for a runnow, I can’t stop thinking ofhim,” Suberi said. “Whenyou’re running, especiallylong-distance stuff, you havea lot of time to talk. We kneweverything about each other.”

More than 500 lines filledBrungot’s registry book atGeorge P. Kalas FuneralHome — a testament to his

active social life, GeorgeBrungot noted.

“He’s always brimmingwith life,” Suberi said. “Helived every second of everyday with a vivacity that youcouldn’t contain.”

He is survived by his par-ents George and ChristineBrungot; his brother MarkBrungot, 32, of Davidsonville;and his sister, Karen Brungot,26, of Annapolis.

Alpha Sigma Phi is plan-ning an event to memorializeBrungot this fall.

news@umdbk.com

BRUNGOTfrom page 1

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011 | NEWS | THE DIAMONDBACK 3

FRIDAY – SATURDAY

ALL SHOWS STARTING AT 11:59 AM OREARLIER ARE PRICED AT $5.00 PER

GUEST – “EARLY BIRD SHOWS”ALL SHOWS BETWEEN 12 PMAND 4:59 PM ARE MATINEES

ALL SHOWS STARTING AT 5 PM ORLATER ARE REGULAR PRICE

Children $6.00, Seniors $6.50Adults $8.50, Students $7.50

Academy StadiumTheatreWeek of July 29th

6198 Greenbelt Rd.Center Court of

Beltway Plaza Mall

301-220-1155SUNDAY – THURSDAY

Zookeeper 11:25 1:50 4:30 7:45 10:10

Friends wth Benefits 11:15 1:50 4:25 7:10 9:45

Smurfs IN 3D/NO FEE 11:15 1:50 4:25 7:10 9:45

Cowboys & Aliens 11:25 1:55 4:30 7:45 10:15

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Zookeeper PGSmurfs IN 3D/NO FEE PGHarry Potter PG-13Transformers PG-13Captain America PG-13Cowboys & Aliens PG-13Crazy, Stupid, Love PG-13Friends with Benefits R

FRIDAY – SATURDAY

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Friends wth Benefits 11:15 1:40 4:00 6:25 8:45

Smurfs IN 3D/NO FEE 11:15 1:40 4:00 6:25 8:45

Cowboys & Aliens 11:45 2:45 5:45 8:30

Crazy, Stupid Love 11:45 2:45 5:45 8:30

Captain America 11:20 2:10 5:30 8:30

Harry Potter 11:20 2:10 5:15 8:15

Transformers 12:10 3:35 7:00

into biomedical devices that peo-ple can use,” he said. “We want toget people out of wheelchairs andwalking again.”

With a 10-person team hailingfrom bioengineering, neuro-science and kinesiology pro-grams, research tasks within theproject are assigned accordingly:Some researchers decode brainactivity while others invent newways to teach the brain how tomanipulate thoughts.

“We not only want to figure outwhat the brain does, but we alsowant to have a very quick methodof being able to teach people tocontrol their brain activity,” neuro-science graduate student and labresearcher Anusha Venkatakrish-nan said. “The goal is to eventuallyunite them together.”

But getting to that point will becomplicated, Contreras-Vidalsaid, because different methodsare used for different medicalconditions. Whether it’s workingon improving dexterity for

Parkinson’s patients or movingnew limbs for amputees, the lab’scollaborative effort is essential.

Though surgical brain im-plants already exist to help peoplewith physical disabilities movemore naturally, these contrap-tions are costly measures. Butthis research team developed anoninvasive option that appliessimilar concepts, instead using askullcap with 64 electrodes thattrack brain activity. Because thebrains of physically disabled peo-ple are still fully functioning, theteam has been employing thesehigh-tech hats to learn how to re-connect the brain to the body bymanipulating thoughts.

“Your brain is still intact, it’sjust disconnected,” Contreras-Vidal said of these disabilities.

The team has presented itsfindings at international confer-ences in Italy and Mexico, and asthey continue to make progressthey will reveal more of their re-search at a UMUC conference onMonday. University PresidentWallace Loh will visit the labThursday to review their work.

Discovering the intricacies of

brain activity is well worth thehard work, researchers said.

“To try our answers on these[devices] to demonstrate thatthey actually work, and peoplecan control these arms usingtheir thoughts, sounds very coolto me,” neuroscience doctoralstudent and lab researcher Har-sha Agashe said. “ If they can re-ally help people make a differ-ence in their lives, then that’sworth it.”

marcot@umdbk.com

PROSTHETICSfrom page 1

Alessandro Presacco works tohelp amputees regain themovements they lost. MATTHEW

CREGER/THE DIAMONDBACK

with U.S. Foodservice has keptfood prices constant at a timewhen the university is dealingwith crippled funding and budgetcrises in multiple departments,university officials said.

Without a solidified contract,U.S. Foodservice could haveraised its prices, and the universitywould have been required to paythe higher fees. However, the ven-dor acted in “good faith” and didnot raise prices, according to a uni-versity statement.

“We have a responsibility andan obligation to feed the students,”said Bart Hipple, assistant diningservices communication director.“When the contract expired, wecould either stop eating or operatewithout a contract, and I believewe have the correct authorizationto do that.”

Dining Services fills out the pa-perwork for the supplies theyneed, and the university’s Procure-ment and Supply department thenwrites a check to U.S. Foodser-vice. Hipple said Dining Servicesofficials asked the Procurementand Supply department to renew

the contract, but the process failedto meet a specified deadline.

“That’s a failure over here inProcurement and Supply,” said de-partment Director James Stirling.“We should have noted the con-tract was expiring and solicited re-newal, so it was an oversight fromour department.”

The university also did not seekapproval from the Board of Re-gents — a 17-member board thatsets policy for the University Sys-tem of Maryland — before payingU.S. Foodservice, due to confus-ing guidelines, Stirling said.

Typically, the purchase of fooditems are exempt from the Re-gents’ approval. However, pay-ments of $5 million or more re-quire their go-ahead. Although thefunding was $4.7 million from July2010 to March 2011, Regents offi-cials said it would most likely ex-ceed the $5 million mark by July.

“I think this is an anomalousevent, and I think it helped clarifywhere two Board of Regents poli-cies conflict with each other,” saidJulie Phelps, assistant vice presi-dent of administrative affairs.

Although system spokesmanMike Lurie wrote in an email thatthe policies are stated clearly, hesaid his office is looking to clarify

them to avoid future complicationsThe university is currently re-

viewing competitive applicationsfor the next long-term food serviceprovider, Stirling said.

The report also looked at 10randomly selected faculty mem-bers’ sabbatical paperwork andnoticed that seven of the samplesdid not complete a form specifyingwhat they did while on leave fromthe university.

Because that statistic appearedstaggeringly high, university offi-cials conducted their own report ofemployees who took six to 12months leave for study, research orrest. They found that only 10 per-cent did not complete the correctpaperwork, Wylie said. She addedshe doesn’t believe faculty abusetheir sabbatical leaves, but getbogged down returning to workand delay writing their reports.

University officials declined torelease the names of the nine fac-ulty members Wednesday be-cause the official who knew thenames was out of the country.

To fix the error, the universitywill switch to an electronic report-ing system in January, accordingto the policy updated in May.

lurye@umdbk.com

AUDITfrom page 1

Unless you’re blinded by thenew ugly green paint jobadorning the building thatformerly housed our beloved

Thirsty Turtle, you’ve probably seenthe explosion of student housing devel-opments that has sprouted up rightpast the campus’ main gate.

Indeed, it was just a few years agothat the University View seemed like itwas all by its lonesome self on adeserted island. The only entertain-ment options available to View resi-dents were either watching Sue (theinfamous owner of College ParkLiquors) curse out loitering alcoholicsor going to McDonald’s at 2 a.m. toobserve the somber expressions ofstoned students when told theMcFlurry machine was, unfortunately,still out of service.

Suddenly, however, things are look-ing up. The View finally has some com-pany down on Route 1: The View II, theVarsity, Mazza Grandmarc and theEnclave will all bring needed foot traffic

to the “uptown” section of CollegePark. New businesses, such asLooney’s Pub and a handful of restau-rants, will serve those students well,but the development so far has beenpatchwork; downtown and uptown areseparate entities instead of anchors ateither end of a lively corridor.

But the pieces are coming together.Within the next decade or so, CollegePark will undergo a transformationunlike anything the university has seensince many buildings on McKeldinMall and North Campus were simulta-neously built back in the 1950s. Lohhas wisely sided with nearly everyother Purple Line stakeholder anddropped the university’s specific oppo-

sition to the Campus Drive alignment,which will improve transportation intoand out of College Park. The PurpleLine — a proposed light-rail systemthat would connect communities inMontgomery and Prince George’scounties — would run right throughEast Campus, a development that willeventually occupy land from PaintBranch Drive to the edge of FraternityRow, thus serving as the missing linkbetween uptown and downtown.

Additionally, through the tirelessefforts of local politicians such as Dis-trict 3 County Councilman Eric Olson(D) and state Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s),the region of Route 1 between Route193 and Campus Drive will soonreceive more than $8 million for anengineering and design project. This isthe first step in the long-term redevel-opment of Route 1 to improve safety forboth pedestrians and drivers. Oncecompleted, these improvements willcreate a vibrant streetscape: Every-

thing from newly aligned bus routesand traffic patterns to lighting improve-ments and the construction of widersidewalks will make College Park amore vibrant community.

Decades of neglect and poor plan-ning have led to a blighted Route 1 cor-ridor that raises the ire of students,their families and visitors to the univer-sity. After watching parts of Hyattsville,Silver Spring and the U Street neigh-borhood undergo drastic transforma-tions in recent years, it is time for Col-lege Park to experience the benefits ofa well-planned community. With theemergence of university and privatedevelopment, an improved transporta-tion system and leaders who under-stand what needs to be done, we finallyhave all the pieces to solve the CollegePark puzzle. Now it’s time to put themtogether.

Matt Arnstine is a junior government andpolitics major. He can be reached atarnstine@umdbk.com.

0pinion 3150 SOUTH CAMPUS DINING HALL | COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742

NEWS@UMDBK.COM | OPINION@UMDBK.COM

You may have heard that theU.S. Women’s World Cupteam lost the final match tothe Japanese in PKs (some

bizarre soccer lingo), marking the firstthing Japan has won since Manchuria.And while my heart was broken for theawesomely named, gorgeous-eyed,valiant American goalkeeper HopeSolo, I must begrudgingly commendthe people of Japan for what seems likethe only good news they’ve hadrecently. One thing the Women’sWorld Cup did do was generate excite-ment. As miraculous as it may seem,people were genuinely interested inwomen’s soccer.

Honestly, how could you not be? TheWomen’s World Cup was amazing.Replays of Abby Wambach’s last-minute header still give me chills.Women from around the world playedwith skill and passion, and peoplewatched. But why is it that aside from afew huge events such as the Olympicsand World Cup, women’s sports areoften relegated to the periphery of pop-ular culture?

Unfortunately, the fact of the matteris that many people here at this univer-

sity, in the United States and aroundthe world couldn’t care less aboutwomen’s sports. Of course there areexceptions, but for the sake of grossgeneralities, this is a useful one. Manywomen’s professional sports leaguesseem to be the awkward younger sib-lings of their male counterparts. Boththe WNBA and LPGA Tour are far lesspopular and lucrative than the NBA andPGA Tour are.

In recent years we have begun to seewomen breaking into major men’ssports; Michelle Wie on the PGA Tourand Danica Patrick in NASCAR are twoprominent examples, but these womenare the exception rather than the rule.As a former baseball player who stillremembers giving up a home run to agirl in a championship game, the claimthat women cannot compete with menis simply false — she was one of thebest players in the league.

We at this university are luckyenough to have some of the best femaleathletes in the country. Our fieldhockey team has won seven nationalchampionships, competitive cheer haswon four and women’s lacrosse has 11.All three teams were national champi-

ons just last year in 2010, and undercoach Brenda Freese, women’s basket-ball has been a perennial contenderand won the 2006 NCAA champi-onship. We love our lady Terps and doa good job of supporting them; fieldhockey led the nation in attendance in2010, and women’s basketball has beentop 10 in three of the past four years.

This week College Park is playinghost to the CITI Open, a Women’s Ten-nis Association event that has broughtsome of the world’s top players here toCollege Park. Tennis is probably theprofessional sport with the most paritybetween genders in terms of fan base,prestige and wealth. The Maria Shara-povas and Venus Williamses of theworld are just as famous and wealthy asthe Rafeal Nadals and Rodger Feder-ers. And yet, I have barely heard anymention of this event going on in our

own back yard.As a broad trend, the lackluster sup-

port is a concern: In a nation obsessedwith sports, where are the women?While the NFL and NBA have bothundergone lockouts to bicker over howto divide their riches, women’s leaguesstruggle. The Women’s United SoccerAssociation folded in 2003 and it wasnot until 2009 that the Women’s Profes-sional Soccer league was formed. Thesad fact is that when people do not careas much, there is less money. Sincethis seems to be the year to talk aboutmoney (even the federal governmentis doing it), it is important to note theuniversity’s athletics department issome $83 million in debt. I hope thatwhatever changes are made do notnegatively impact our female athletes,who have brought our university themajority of our national championships(23 of our 38). And when you get thechance, watch a women’s game, youwon’t be disappointed.

Rob Riker graduated in May withdegrees in government and politics andhistory. He can be reached atriker@umdbk.com.

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THE DIAMONDBACK LAUREN REDDINGEDITOR IN CHIEF

College Park: Putting the pieces together

The university may not be facing a potential credit rating downgrade like thefederal government is, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been spending withinour means. News that the athletics department has overspent its budgetand thus exhausted reserve funds is discouraging for a university commu-

nity already weary of tuition hikes and furloughs, to say nothing of the nationaldebate over budget cuts and debt limits.

But at least university President Wallace Loh is prepared todo something about it.

According to a statement released last week by Loh, theathletics department has been running a deficit for severalyears and used funds from a separate reserve to balance itsbudget. But now that reserve is depleted. So Loh has estab-lished the 17-member President’s Commission on Intercolle-giate Athletics, which is tasked with examining the athleticsdepartment’s finances. The commission, composed of mem-bers drawn from inside and outside the athletic community,is set to report back to Loh with recommendations Nov. 15.

In the meantime, this editorial board has some recommen-dations of its own.

As Loh stated early in his tenure, athletics are the “front porch” of the university.Last decade’s success in football and men’s basketball led to an uptick in exposure atthe national level. Former Athletics Director Debbie Yow, perhaps emboldened byan influx of alumni donations, spent upwards of $200 million on facility projects,including the construction of Comcast Center, the addition of 64 luxury boxes toByrd Stadium, new facilities for softball, field hockey and lacrosse and renovationsto soccer’s Ludwig Field and baseball’s Shipley Field.

After all that, the university certainly has a nice front porch. What we don’t haveanymore, at least it seems, is money: According to documents obtained by The Wash-ington Post, the athletics department is $83 million in debt, and only part of that debtcan be blamed on the recession. The department ordinarily relies on surplus dollarsfrom the Terp men’s basketball and football programs to fund the other sports, butlackluster performance and fan malaise has led to a decline in that revenue for sev-

eral years running. Byrd’s luxury boxes remain unsold, and football and basketballattendance has declined.

The mandatory athletics fee of $198.77 per student per semester already providesmore than $9 million to the athletics department’s annual budget. Forcing the restof the university to shoulder additional debt would place an unfair burden on stu-dents who reap little benefit from non-revenue-producing sports. Relying on a fickle

fan base to fill a reserve fund is just as unreliable as hopingfor an end to the recession.

Spending money to field competitive teams in revenue-producing sports can be seen as an investment in hopes of afuture profit, but in lean times it’s difficult to justify signifi-cant expenditures on sports programs that have no hope ofproducing a surplus. According to The Post, 24 non-revenue-producing sports drained the university of $64 million from2005 to 2010.

It is clear, then, that the athletics department needs to finda way to cut costs.

The university boasts one of the largest athletics pro-grams in the country. Its 27 varsity teams outnumber those of every other ACCschool except Boston College and the University of North Carolina. Perhapsfielding so many programs is a luxury we may not be able to afford anymore.There are many ways to cut costs, such as reducing salaries and travel costs, butat this university athletic scholarships often account for about half of a program’stotal expenditures.

It’s never easy to cut a program. Coaches lose their jobs, students lose scholar-ships and fans lose the opportunity to watch elite athletes take part in games theylove. But what’s good for a sports program isn’t necessarily what’s good for the restof the school, especially in such tough economic times.

As the President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics compiles its report,we ask only two things: Be thorough and be fair. Submit an honest report with hardnumbers, showing the university community how to balance the front porch’sbudget the right way. For the sake of the rest of the house, be good sports about it.

Staff editorial

Our ViewThe President’s Commissionon Intercollegiate Athleticsshould consider all options

when determining how best tocreate a balanced budget.

Women’s sports: Worth a watch

Isat at my desk on the fifth dayof my summer internship andhappily — yet quietly —slurped yogurt off the con-

tainer’s lid without a care in theworld. But a striking thoughtmade me stop mid-lick: What ifthe company’s CEO, whose officewas right next to my not-so-pri-vate workspace, popped her headout and caught me?

I returned my tart tongue tomy mouth, disposed of the yogurtlid and turned back to my com-puter, glad everybody else aroundme was too busy to have noticedmy momentary lapse of profes-sionalism while enjoying my mid-morning treat.

It really doesn’t take very longto become comfortable in newsurroundings. On my first day, Iwould not have been caught deadlicking a yogurt lid at work. I did-n’t even start bringing yogurtuntil my third day, because Ithought eating something thatrequired a spoon would call toomuch attention to my presence.

Yet by my fifth day, I hadalready become way too comfort-able in a space that was barelymine. What came after lickingyogurt lids? Taking off my shoesunder the desk? Bringing in slip-pers? Putting on another layer ofdeodorant midday? I was slidingdown a slippery slope.

I’ve always been told feelingnervous is a good thing, becauseit means you’ll be more aware,alert and likely to put forth yourbest effort. I’ve also been toldrelaxation and confidence areindicators of success. If all that istrue, then how am I supposed tobe confident, relaxed and nervousat the same time?

While it is important to main-tain a certain level of relaxation inthe workplace, it is also importantnot to cross the boundarybetween being relaxed and beingtoo comfortable. Especially whenyou don’t have the luxury of anoffice with a door that you canshut when you have your inexpli-cable urges to do the unthink-ables mentioned above, youalways face some amount ofscrutiny in the workplace.

Though the line between relax-ation and comfort depends on thecompany or organization and yourhierarchical position (for some, itmight be perfectly fine to wearslippers at work), professionalismmust always be in the back ofyour mind as an intern. A little redflag should arise in your mindwhenever you find yourself slip-ping into practices that you usu-ally perform in your dorm roomor apartment.

As the summer winds down andinternships come to an end, takenote of your environment as youget more comfortable and gainmore confidence in your work-place. Whenever you encounterthat line between comfort andcomplacency, maintaining a senseof that first day nervousness isimperative to keeping your feet onthe ground — not folded up ontoyour swivel chair — and yourtongue in your mouth.

Emily Kleiman is a juniorcommunication major. She can bereached atemilykleiman22@yahoo.com.

Protect this house

THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, JULY 28, 20114

Guest column

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.

RRIIKKEERRRROOBB

OPINION STAFFWANTED:

AARRNNSSTTIINNEEMMAATTTT

Walkingthe line

Editorial cartoon: Eric Owusu

MIKE WARLEYMANAGING EDITOR

ALEX KNOBELDEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

The Diamondback is cur-rently seeking paid opinioncolumnists and editorial car-toonists for the 2011-2012school year. Editorial cartoon-ists publish cartoons once ortwice a week. Opinion colum-nists write approximately onceevery two weeks. Superiorwriting ability is required.Knowledge of campus affairs ispreferred, but not required. Ifyou are interested in applyingfor either positions, please e-mail opinion@umdbk.com torequest an application

CHRISTOPHER HAXELOPINION EDITOR

KEVIN TERVALAOPINION EDITOR

EDITORS SEEK OPINION

COLUMNISTS, EDITORIAL

CARTOONISTS

The coming week is likely to re-quire of many individuals a re-newal of commitments both

large and small, which run the gamutfrom personal promises to businesscontracts. This week, it may surprisesome that what doesn’t happen mayprove more significant, in the longrun, that what does — though ulti-mately it will be an individual’s reac-tions to each that really makes thedifference and goes a long way to-ward shaping the future. Everyonewill have his or her mind on tomorrowto some degree; there is no ignoringthe road signs at this time.

Written communications must bestudied and saved, and not even thesmallest detail must be forgotten. Allnegotiations will take on increasedimportance, but it is those betweenloved ones that will be truly pivotal.Apositive outcome can be far-reaching;a negative one, fortunately, need notbe so significant.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 7) — Somethingrather mysterious is likely to besorted out at the beginning of theweek, and later actions will takeshape as a result. (Aug. 8-Aug. 22)— The answers you dig up at thistime may surprise you — and somewill not fit the questions at all.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 7) — It maybe more difficult to do what isasked of you than usual — andyou’ll be asking yourself some hardquestions as a result. (Sept. 8-Sept.22) — You’re nowhere near thelimit of your patience; you’ll beable to rise above the fray.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 7) — Travel isin the picture, but you may not betaking a conventional means to getto a routine destination. Surprisesabound. (Oct. 8-Oct. 22) — You maynot want to share certain thingseven with a loved one, but honestyis the best policy.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 7) — Youwon’t have to explain yourself toooften, but when it is required,you’ll want to make sure thatyou’re honest and concise. (Nov. 8-Nov. 21) — You may have to hear a

few things that you don’t want tohear, but recovery can be swift.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 7) —You may have to take a little time inorder to get used to certain newcircumstances that come as a com-plete surprise. (Dec. 8-Dec. 21) —Now is certainly the time to makeyour feelings — and your needs —known to those who can do some-thing for you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 6) — Youmay not understand the serious-ness of your position, but to a cer-tain extent, ignorance can be quitevaluable to you. (Jan. 7-Jan. 19) —The quality of your work is not inquestion, but there are those whomay doubt your motives.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 3) — Whatyou do is in large part in retaliationfor a wrong done you some timeago, but perhaps it’s best to moveon at last. (Feb. 4-Feb. 18) — Thecriticism that someone in the knowoffers needn’t affect your decision-making process.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 5) — Thebeginning and the ending of twoseparate phases may seem verymuch alike, and only close studycan help you tell one from theother. (March 6-March 20) — Thisweek your personal strength, emo-tionally and physically, will serveyou quite well.

ARIES (March 21-April 4) — Youmust prepare yourself for a disap-pointment, though when all is saidand done, it is likely to be less sig-nificant than expected. (April 5-April 19) — You may be takingthings far too personally, especiallywhere work is concerned.

TAURUS (April 20-May 5) — Whatyou’ve seen before is likely to beback before your eyes, but your re-action is likely to be quite differ-ent. (May 6-May 20) — You may notbe able to make sense of the unusu-al trends that are taking shapethroughout the week. Use caution.

GEMINI (May 21-June 6) — Whatbegins as a game is likely to besomething much more serious bythe end of the week, and you’ll haveto work hard to avoid pitfalls. (June7-June 20) — Someone you know istrying to figure you out at this time,but you can maintain some mys-tery.

CANCER (June 21-July 7) — Thebest you can do is your best — andanyone who isn’t satisfied with thathad better adjust his or her expec-tations. (July 8-July 22) — You maythink that you’ve completed a proj-ect, but there are some personalloose ends to tie up.

Copyright 2011Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

ACROSS1 Raised5 In a fog10 Modeling medi-

um14 Two semesters15 Battery post16 Lemon peel17 Plateau18 Craze19 — out (with-

draws)20 Hit the hay22 Lunar event24 Impulse27 Break the news28 Skimmers and

boaters32 Get through to35 L-o-n-g time36 Bonfire residue38 Slow poke40 Work units42 Sitcom demo44 Eat elegantly45 Contemptuous

look47 — Marbles49 Hwys.50 Tupelo phenom52 Look into (2 wds.)54 Boulevard liners56 Quartet minus

one57 Steakhouse order60 Fortunate64 Challenge

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DOWN1 Nautilus sites2 Fishing gear3 Dexterity4 Conclude (2 wds.)5 Filly’s mother6 Literary

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for farming11 Facial features12 — meridiem13 Fabric meas.21 Genealogy chart23 Seine

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Met30 Financial

backer31 Hawks33 View from Giza

34 Krishna devotee

37 Thesaurus com-piler

39 Perchance41 Harshly43 Layer

46 Tiny stream48 Hit dead-center51 Preserved ham53 Spring back55 Red Sea

peninsula57 Mystery writer

Paretsky58 Where to hear

Farsi59 Pew locale61 Not too friendly62 Wavy-bladed dag-

ger

63 Harvard rival64 Donut qty.66 — out (relax)67 Paul Anka’s “—

Beso”

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BY ROBERT GIFFORDStaff writer

Move over, Battle: Los Angeles: You’vegot some steep competition for the titleof worst movie of the year.

The Smurfs seems to exist primarilyto prove critics were wrong to hateCars 2 (“No, this is what a terrible kids’movie looks like.”) It’s a craven, cynicalattempt by studio execs to cash in onnostalgia by offering up a hackneyed,lamely “hip” remake of a 1980s anima-

tion franchise — in 3D, no less. Really, The Smurfs is two movies in

one. Neither is good. One is merely bor-ing; the other is gouge-out-your-eyesbad, and the movie as a whole is alter-nately insipid and insufferable.

The boring half of the movie dealswith an ad executive of some sort(he claims to be an analyst butspends a lot of time drawing up bill-boards) played by the always-likableNeil Patrick Harris (How I Met YourMother) trying to maintain a healthy

balance between work and life. By itself, this plot would make a per-

fectly forgettable dramedy, the kind of C-quality, 80-minute flick studios crap outall the time to make an extra $20 million

But the other half of the movie, thehalf that actually deals with theSmurfs, is so bad — so woefully terri-ble — that not even the likes of Harriscan save it from descending into Alvinand the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel-levels of intolerability.

It has to be said: Smurfs are annoy-ing. Maybe they weren’t quite asannoying in their cartoon incarnation— then again, children are not the bestjudge of these things — but they are

god-awfully annoying here. The writers must comprehend how

grating the Smurfs’ singing is (theonly lyrics they know are “la la la”), butthey keep having them sing anyway.Eventually, the characters come tofind the singing adorable (suggestingthe film is best read as Harris’ descentinto madness).

Even worse than the singing is theSmurfs’ habit of randomly inserting“Smurf” into sentences, substituting itwilly-nilly for nouns, verbs, adjectivesand especially profanity (“Oh my

Smurf!” “Smurf me!”) They do this morethan 40 times.

It’s cluttered with product place-ment, the plot is completely reliant oncontrivances and it reeks of design bycommittee. Indeed, it’s credited withfour writers.

It’s the worst kind of children’smovie. It’s puerile, vulgar, sloppilywritten, stupid and, despite therequired bits of sentimentality in theright spots, mean-spirited to the core.

diversions@umdbk.com

MOVIE: The Smurfs | VERDICT:

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Friedgen. They also lost 2 1/2practice hours from theirweekly in-season allotment of20 for violating practice limitslast season. The departures ofnearly a dozen players, eithervoluntary or otherwise, hasalso thinned the Terps consid-erably at several positions.

“It’s not going to be an issueat all because we’re not goingto let it be an issue,” Edsall saidof the practice limitations. “It’snot going to hinder us. Notgoing to let it hinder us.”

Edsall added: “This isn’t myfirst rodeo. Let me say this,going in to Jacksonville with theJaguars and starting that pro-gram from scratch, then goingto Connecticut and doing what Idid — this has been a breeze.”

After a season in which theTerps came within one win ofa trip to the ACC Champi-onship game, rising sopho-more quarterback DannyO’Brien said, “The goal isACC title or bust.”

For now, few see that hap-

pening. Florida State (65 first-place votes) emerged as theoverwhelming media favoriteto take the Atlantic, with Clem-son (four) and Boston College(two) also garnering mentionand NC State projected to fin-ish third. Only Wake Forestreceived fewer votes than theTerps in the division — not thatEdsall was taking notice.

“My thought process iswe’re going to compete for aleague championship thisyear,” Edsall said. “That’s thewhole mindset.”TERP NOTE: Linebacker KennyTate was named to the presea-son All-ACC team Wednesday.Tate is the only Terp representa-tive on the team.

O’Brien received four votesfor preseason conferenceplayer of the year, making himone of only two quarterbacks toearn first-place nods. FloridaState’s EJ Manuel, who wastabbed as the preseason All-ACC quarterback, earned 14 of71 votes, behind only BostonCollege running back MontelHarris (26).

sports@umdbk.com

EDSALLfrom page 8CATCHING UP: TERPS SIGN ON AFTER LOCKOUT

With the end of the NFL lockout allowing teams to headback to work, several former Terps set out to do the samethis week. After the start of a condensed free-agent signingperiod Tuesday, undrafted free agents such as linebackerAdrian Moten (left) didn’t have to wait long to find at least atemporary home for their services. Below are three otherplayers from last year’s team who have already signed:

KK TTrraavviissBBaallttzzIndianapolisColts

WWRR LLaaQQuuaannWWiilllliiaammssBaltimoreRavens

LLBB AAlleexxWWuujjcciiaakkClevelandBrowns

FILE PHOTOS/THE DIAMONDBACK

LLBB AAddrriiaann MMootteennIndianapolis Colts

Linebacker Kenny Tate was the Terps’ lone representativeon the preseason All-ACC team. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

8 THE DIAMONDBACK | THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011

SportsMore ACC Kickoff coverage

Why is coach Randy Edsall rankled at having to faceMiami in the season opener this September? Get theanswer online at our sports blog, TerrapinTrail.com.

FFOOOOTTBBAALLLL

Coach Randy Edsall, shown here at his introductory press conference in January, told reporters Monday at theACC Kickoff that “we’re going to compete for a league championship this year.” FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

For Terps, againit’s title or ‘bust’Team projected to finish fifth in Atlantic

BY JONAS SHAFFERSenior staff writer

PINEHURST, N.C. — Before aflock of reporters who, on the whole,hadn’t yet put much stock in theprospects of his Terrapin footballteam, Randy Edsall grinned. Skim-ming over the piece of paper in front ofhim — the one that bore the predic-tion of a fifth-place Terp finish in theAtlantic Division — Edsall said he’dseen it before.

A season ago, the former Connecti-cut coach’s Huskies were projected tobe the Big East’s fourth-place finishers.Then they went to the Fiesta Bowl.

“I’m not worried about pleasingeverybody because if I think I’ve got toplease everybody, then we’re notgoing to be as good as we need to be,”

Edsall said Monday at the ACC Kick-off, his first public appearance withleague brethren. “And we can’tdevelop the way I want to develop. I’mjust going to go and do the things Ithink are right for our program.”

That hasn’t always been easy forEdsall in his first few months on thejob. As he seeks to reshape the Terps’future in his own ways — introducingnew coordinators, new rules andeven new uniforms — traces of thepast have cropped up to complicatematters for the team, which startspractice Aug. 9.

The Terps were stripped of threescholarships this spring after postingsubstandard Academic Progress Ratescores under former coach Ralph

see EDSALL, page 7