Task force of UMBC students and staff plan - The Retriever Weekly

the 

retrIever 

university of maryland, baltimore county’s student newspaper 

weekly 

Task force 

of UMBC 

students 

and staff 

plan 

Patapsco 

addition 

InsIde 

Micheal Reyes 

Contributing Writer 

An unprecedented increase in the 

enrollment rate for the fall 2009 semester 

posed a problem for on-campus 

housing when the number of prospective 

residents exceeded the number of 

rooms available on campus. 

Residential Life reported that the 

waiting list consisted of 256 students 

when the semester started. Seventy 

of these students were placed in 

temporary housing in the common 

rooms and kitchens of the residential 

communities. This number has since 

declined because of regular housing 

cancellations, but demand for housing 

still persists. 

“UMBC is expanding, which is 

great,” said Carl Gruhn, the Director 

of Outreach for the Resident Students 

Association. “But it means that we 

need to be able to house more students 

than we did in the past.” 

In order to resolve the housing 

shortage, ResLife conceived the Patapsco 

addition. The $16 million 

project, which will allocate $2 million 

for planning and $16 million for construction, 

has been in the works for 

two years. 

John Wischer, Associate Director of 

Facilities, commented, “The goal of 

this project is to provide functional, 

comfortable, LEED Certified ‘green,’ 

sustainable housing for more residents 

to enjoy the on-campus residential 

experience as part of their collegiate 

experience.” Headlining the project 

is the addition of a new wing to Pa- 

> see PATAPSCO [5] 

10.20.09 

News 01 opiNioN 08 arts 16 sports 22 

sGA senate 

rebukes 

system of 

maryland’s 

porn policy 

CoRey Jonhs — TRW 

Sophomore Chauncey Gilliam wowed the crowd at Midnight Madness when he won his second straight dunk 

contest. 

Coaches set big goals at Midnight 

Madness for 2009-2010 season 

Corey Johns 

editorial Staff 

When you walk into the RAC arena 

to the sound of the Down and Dirty 

Dawg Band and thousands of students 

cheering at the top of their lungs it 

means one thing: it’s basketball season. 

Last Friday marked the official start 

to the basketball mania at UMBC as 

multiple programs were a part of the 

Archaeologists 

acquire 

Ardipithecus 

ramidus 

annual Midnight Madness, in which 

there were performances by various 

groups. The men’s and women’s basketball 

teams were introduced, and 

there was a three-point contest by the 

women’s team, as well as a dunk contest 

by the men’s team. 

The night kicked off with a dance 

routine by Major Definition, a UMBC 

Hip-Hop Dance group. That was followed 

by performances by the UMBC 

cheer team, a performance by the 

Demitri martin 

delivers 

comedic 

perfection 

swimming 

and diving 

dominates 

Rider 

volume 44 issue 08 retrieverweekly.com 

Down and Dirty Dawg Band, a routine 

by the UMBC dance team, and concluded 

with a performance by UMBC’s 

featured twirler, Stasi Kowalewski. 

Then came what everybody was 

waiting for - the introductions of the 

men’s and women’s basketball teams. 

The women’s team came out first. 

Each player came out to a song of her 

choice, performed a short dance while 

coming out, and tossed a t-shirt into 

> see MiDniGHT MADnESS [27] 

English 

Dept. hit 

by second 

felony 

theft 

in two 

weeks 

Rima Kikani 

Staff Writer 

Last week, computers were, once 

again, stolen from two Mac labs in the 

Fine Arts building. 

UMBC police received a call at approximately 

8:15 a.m. on Monday, 

October 12 reporting the theft. Police 

reported to the scene promptly and 

identified 24 missing Apple Desktops. 

Police are investigating the possibility 

that this theft might be connected 

to the five iMacs that were stolen on 

September 30. 

According to Chief Antonio Williams, 

the method of operation was 

the same in both thefts. The thieves 

cut the connecting metal cables to 

remove the computers. One of the 

two labs affected this time, FA 002, 

was the same one that was hit three 

weeks ago. Police have recovered the 

computers from the September theft 

and also charged suspects. 

The call for this most recent theft 

came in Monday morning, but Williams 

emphasized that it was very 

likely the theft occurred over the 

weekend. Academic buildings are 

typically locked on the weekends, 

but because of all the activities going 

on, the building could have been 

legitimately unlocked and the thieves 

could have taken advantage of this 

opportunity. As for the Mac labs, police 

do not know whether or not they 

were locked, but Williams confirmed 

that there was no sign of forced entry. 

The labs were not supposed to be 

open, so the thieves could have got- 

> see THEFT [3] 

oNliNe 

Justin Fry out 

for first half 

of season

2 News 

10.20.09 

foreign desk 

A trip to Stuttgart, Germany 

Stephanie Jung 

foreign CorreSpondent 

I know that a lot of people consider 

UMBC to be a small school. Here in 

Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, the school 

that I attend, called the Fachhochschule 

Schwäbisch Hall (FHSH), takes small to 

a whole new level. There are only about 

160 students in total, with ten full- and 

part-time professors and twenty specialized 

instructors. The incoming firstsemester 

(freshman) class is considered 

big, but it has only 25 students, and the 

third-semester class consists of only ten 

students. To say the least, one thing you 

will never find here is a lecture hall filled 

with 250 students. Instead, the biggest 

class you will find has only 25. That being 

said, the small student body allows 

for personal relationships with the professors 

and a lot of bonding among the 

students. The only down side, which I 

guess could be looked at as a positive, 

is that everybody knows that we (three 

Americans including myself, and two 

girls from England) are the exchange 

students. 

The way that classes are set up here is 

in block scheduling. Each class is held 

only once a week between one and a 

half to three hours. Since the classes 

are so small, there is a lot of interaction 

between the teachers and the students, 

as well as a lot of hands-on activities. 

Another interesting thing about this 

school, which is a private institution, is 

that the students have internships that 

they go to once a week. The companies 

that they work for have partnerships 

with the school and the companies pay 

for half of the student’s tuition and fees 

for the year. 

Aside from school, which obviously 

is a big part of studying abroad, we 

have also done some traveling. Four 

of us went to Stuttgart, which is a city 

about an hour and a half away from 

Schwäbisch Hall. With the German 

trains, you can get a special round-trip 

ticket that is good for up to five people 

for only 28 Euros. Once in Stuttgart, we 

walked through the beautiful Schlosser 

Park, where we watched white-haired 

men play chess with giant chess pieces 

on a checkered concrete board nicely 

decorated with newly fallen orange and 

yellow leaves. As we walked further 

through the park we spotted some humongous 

trees with unusually big holes 

in them, and we, being silly tourists, 

had to see if we could fit in them. We 

also went to the modern art museum 

and afterwards spent a very long time 

trying to find a place to eat a traditional 

German dinner. 

The modern art museum was absolutely 

amazing. In the lobby, the lights 

were programmed to gradually dim and 

brighten. To me it felt as if I were outside 

and the sun was shining brightly 

and then suddenly, it would be like a 

cloud had moved in front of it, only 

to move away not too long after. There 

also was a wall that spanned two stories, 

covered from top to bottom with graffiti, 

a jumble of words on top of words, 

all written in red. Spray cans remained 

scattered on the floor below it. I really 

enjoyed this museum so much because 

it appealed to so many of my senses. 

I saw several quirky, fun, and colorful 

paintings and installations including a 

wax figure of a homeless man sitting on 

a crate with a sign saying, “WILL WORK 

FOR FOOD” (which, from a distance, I 

thought was a real man!) and paintings 

by Otto Dix that I had seen in my Modern 

Art History textbook last year. There 

was also enchanting music, played by a 

beautiful pianist, that echoed throughout 

the entire museum and a wall covered 

with a gigantic, fuzzy, neon pink 

shag rug that I felt and wished I could 

have as a blanket (our apartment is so 

cold right now!). And finally, there was 

even a small room made out of bricks 

of beeswax that smelled so deliciously 

sweet and reminded me how hungry I 

was. 

After our awesome museum excursion, 

we decided it was time to eat. We 

walked around for about an hour and 

couldn’t settle on anything. We wanted 

a traditional German meal but we did 

not want to pay too much. When we 

were about to give up, I asked a native 

if he knew any good restaurants and 

he did! He told us to go to Paulaner’s 

and then went into detail for about five 

minutes about how great the food was 

and how big the portions were, only 

making us hungrier. After thanking him 

for the tip, we were off. When we got 

to the street that he told us about, we 

walked and walked and at last we saw 

a restaurant with umbrellas outside of it 

with “Paulaner” written on them. Excited 

we had found the place, we walked 

right in and sat down only to realize 

quickly thereafter that we were in an 

Italian restaurant. So we sent Kat out on 

a special mission to see if the real Paulaner 

was further down the street. And 

it was. But by the time she got back, we 

The RetrIever Weekly 

had ordered our drinks already and the 

waiter had brought us garlic bread. So 

we were stuck. Later I learned that that 

the restaurant was really called “Zum 

Paulaner” which means “To Paulaner” 

and that Paulaner is a beer, which explains 

the umbrellas outside of the Italian 

restaurant. 

I am not going to lie; we were a bit 

disappointed about the restaurant mixup. 

We decided that we would return 

later in the semester to eat at the restaurant 

that we actually intended to go to. 

After dinner, we rushed back to the train 

station as rain began to fall lightly and 

the sky darkened. Luckily, we had the 

time to buy sweets from a small stand 

in the train station before boarding the 

train, which would take us back to our 

quiet little town. Eating those dark 

chocolate-covered ginger pieces on the 

train ride home made me forget about 

the restaurant mix-up and thus ended 

my day on quite a happy note. 

Comments can be sent to 

stephanie.m.jung@gmail.com. 

A taste of English cuisine, castles, and classes 

Michelle Birky 

foreign CorreSpondent 

My first weekend here, I visited the 

nearby Lake District, which is very 

lovely. It was a school-sponsored trip to 

three towns. In Bowness, we rode a ferry 

around Lake Windmere, then some 

friends and I had an excellent lunch at 

The Stag’s Head Pub in town. That was 

my first meal of “pub grub,” a chicken 

sandwich and delicious veggie soup. 

In the next quaint town of Ambleside, 

we hiked up to see some waterfalls on 

the edge of town. In the final town of 

Grasmere, we saw the grave of William 

Wordsworth in the church cemetery. 

Last week, classes started. Each class 

has one 50-minute lecture (with about 

80 people in it) and one 50-minute 

seminar (with 12 people in it) per week. 

I only have classes Monday through 

Wednesday, but there is plenty of independent 

reading to do. Classes are 

short and enjoyable. So far, in one of my 

literature classes, we’ve read essays of 

Francis Bacon and some very, very dirty 

Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württenberg in Southern Germany. sTephAnie JunG — TRW 

poetry by John Donne. Better yet, in my 

first Shakespeare seminar, I got to hold 

one of the original folios of Shakespeare’s 

work, printed in 1623 and worth $1.6 

million. These Brits are very trusting! 

There are many clubs on campus; I 

joined the role-playing society to participate 

in their high-fantasy, live roleplaying 

sessions. My first one was this 

past Saturday, and it was awesome! We 

all gathered in front of the chaplaincy 

center to don costumes, pick out giant 

foam weapons, and determine characters. 

I had brought a cape for this express 

activity, and one of the girls kindly 

lent me her leather armor while another 

bestowed upon me a foam katana. The 

thirteen of us players were sent on a 

quest to each of the eight kingdoms to 

obtain a report from the leaders and 

fight whatever goblins or thieves we met 

along the way. The referees/narrators led 

us through the woods on the edge of the 

campus, and the other members of the 

club played the monsters and people 

we encountered. Working on a “three 

hits, you’re dead, but you have healing 

potions” system, we battled our way to 

victory, ultimately losing only one of our 

members to an untimely death at the 

hand of an orc. 

The next day I walked to Lancaster 

town with some friends to see the sights. 

We stopped by the cathedral, the largest 

church in town, on our way to the Ashton 

Memorial. This ornate but empty 

tower of a memorial was built in the 

1800s by one of the rich men in town to 

commemorate the recent passing of his 

wife. Next to the memorial was a tropical 

butterfly house that also contained 

several exotic birds and lizards. Finally, 

we walked to the town’s castle and took 

a tour. Lancaster Castle was built in the 

12th century as a partial prison and remains 

a prison to this day. That makes it 

one of the oldest working prisons in the 

world. Thus, most of it is not part of the 

tour, but we did see the two decorated 

courtrooms and were even locked in 

one of the historical cells for a while! 

This past week I had my first authentic 

English meal of fish and chips from 

the “chippy” on campus. A slab of fried 

miChelle biRky — TRW 

Birky in her live-action role-playing costume complete with a foam katana. 

haddock and many large French fries, 

it was good, albeit rather oily. I’ve been 

told that the chippies in town have better 

wares. I will have to check this out. 

All in all, it has been very enjoyable, 

being on campus and exploring the immediate 

area. Next weekend I travel further, 

to Edinburgh, Scotland and some 

stone circles in Cumbria that are even 

older than Stonehenge. Until then, I’ll be 

happily reading historic British literature 

and running around the woods fighting 

people in a not-necessarily-historic way. 

Cheers! 


birky1@umbc.edu.

The RetrIever Weekly 10.20.09 News 3 

SGA Senate passes controversial resolution regarding 

University System of Maryland’s porn policy 

Gavin Way 

editorial Staff 

The UMBC SGA Senate recently 

passed a controversial resolution condemning 

requirements imposed on the 

University of Maryland system that, 

according to UMBC’s SGA, are nothing 

less than a restriction on students’ 

freedom of expression. 

Summing up the SGA’s argument 

against these requirements, SGA Senator 

Stavros Halkias argued that it is 

“not the place of the state legislature to 

regulate the student body’s freedom of 

expression by leveraging funds.” Outraged 

by University of Maryland - College 

Park’s plans to show an X-rated 

film (Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge) 

in a student theater, state lawmakers 

sought to limit what material universities 

that receive state funding could 

show on campus by proposing a piece 

of legislation that would require that 

universities develop specific policies 

with regards to the showing of obscene 

materials on campus. At the 

time of its proposal, made by Delegate 

Andrew Harris, it was the only one of 

its kind in the entire United States, 

and no other state has since followed. 

In response to this proposal, students 

stood up in defiance. 

Soon after the University of Maryland 

canceled the screening, a College 

Park faculty member and students 

organized a “Pirates Screening Teach- 

In.” Not far behind, UMBC scheduled 

its own showing in a sign of solidarity 

later that week. In response to continued 

pressure from the state, state 

university SGAs stated their opposition 

to the creation of such a policy. 

To UMBC’s SGA, this issue is clear cut: 

this campus and its students will not 

tolerate any limitations on student 

speech, and, as adults and citizens, 

members of the UMBC campus community 

are constitutionally guaranteed 

the right to express themselves, 

both in choosing what to say and what 

to watch. According to UMBC’s SGA, 

unless materials violate other existing 

laws, than there is no justification for 

any policy. 

The University System of Maryland 

Student Council, a board of students 

that makes recommendations to the 

Chancellor and Board of Regents of 

the University of Maryland system, 

has also voted against the proposed 

requirements, signaling a unified student 

coalition against the proposed 

legislation. However, recognizing the 

likelihood that such a policy will be 

put into place, the Student Council 

recommended that any policy a school 

was to implement “not limit freedom 

of expression, that it not be ambiguous 

about what could be restricted, that 

the Board of Regents conduct an an- 

nual review of the policy, and that the 

policy designate who would decide 

whether it applies to a film showing, 

and that the policy define what constitutes 

an educational program if one 

is required.” According to the Student 

Council, universities ought to follow 

these recommendations in order to 

ensure that potential restrictive policies 

do not inhibit students’ freedom 

of expression and educational opportunities. 

With regards to current obscene 

materials policies already in place on 

campus, the Office of Residential Life 

possesses policies to regulate the placement 

of obscene materials in public areas 

and shared spaces in dorms. Such 

spaces include resident hall lounges or 

the surface of room doors which face 

the hallways. 

As one ResLife staffer stated, “behind 

the closed doors of their rooms, 

[the space is their own].” The staffer 

asked to remain unnamed because she 

was not cleared to speak on behalf of 

ResLife. When asked their opinion 

with regards to the showing of porn 

on campus, students appeared to sympathize 

with College Park and UMBC’s 

SGA. Junior Krissy Wesolowski argued, 

“Yes, it is obscenity, but you go 

there on your own free will; no one 

is forcing you. Though I agree, it is 

a tough issue.” While many students 

recognized the religious objections 

Computers stolen from Fine 

Arts Building again: 24 Apple 

desktops missing 

Chief Antonio Williams expresses his personal 

embarassment with regards to this 

second round of thefts. 

> from THEFT [1] 

ten inside either because they knew 

where and how to get a key or the 

labs were accidently or intentionally 

left unlocked. The physical plant refused 

to comment. 

“I take this as a personal matter; it’s 

an embarrassment to have this happen 

again,” Williams said. The police 

CouRTesy HTTP://umbc.edu 

do not have any specific leads yet, but 

Williams believes the thieves’ intent is 

to sell these Macs; it’s only a matter of 

where and when. 

Michael Fallon, Coordinator of the 

writing labs, called this theft a disaster 

for students and faculty. The theft 

has made it more difficult to teach 

first-year writing classes. The opening 

ceremony for the new labs that 

was supposed to be held on Tuesday, 

October 20 has also been cancelled. 

Police have increased their visibility 

on campus, especially around the 

Fine Arts building. They are enforcing 

saturation patrol, that is, flooding the 

area with all the resources they have. 

Police will also be in and out of the 

buildings, challenging people who do 

not belong there. Williams noted that 

everyone needs to work together. He 

asks that students should immediately 

call the police if they see people 

who do not belong somewhere or 

even just get a feeling that something 

is not right. “We can use this incident 

to galvanize awareness…make something 

good come out of it,” Williams 

observed. 

As for the English Department, 

Fallon remarked, “It’s difficult for all 

of us: administrators, faculty, and 

students, but we will simply have to 

do our best under the circumstances.” 

Police are working on solving this 

crime, as well as trying to prevent 

such thefts from happening again. 

Anyone with information is urged to 

call UMBC Police at (410) 455-5555. 


kikanir1@umbc.edu. 

that some may have to such showings, 

there is a general consensus that above 

all, universities, not legislators, ought 

to decide what may or may not be 

shown on college campuses. 

Police log 

OctOber 7, 2009 

Erickson Hall 

A UMBC student attempted suicide 

and was transported to a local 

hospital by EMT. 


Chesapeake Hall 

CDS, Possession (Marijuana) 

Four UMBC students were issued 

judicial referrals for possession 

of CDS and paraphernalia. 

One student was issued a criminal 

summons related to the incident. 


Potomac Hall 

Alcohol Violation 

A UMBC student was given a 

judicial referral for an alcohol violation. 


Walker Ave. 

Destruction of Property 

A UMBC student reported that 

CouRTesy HTTP://www.dIgITAljouRnAl.com/ 

UMBC SGA supports the right to view any movie, including Pirates II: Stagnetti’s 

Revenge, as long as it does not violate any other standing laws. 


gavin.way@gmail.com. 

someone forcibly removed the license 

plate from her vehicle while 

it was on campus, resulting in damage 

to the front bumper. 

Dining Hall 

Theft from Buildings 

A UMBC student reported that 

her phone, iPod, and wallet were 

stolen from her purse while it was 

left unattended. 


Parking Lot 21 

Theft from Automobile 

A UMBC student reported property 

being taken from his vehicle, 

which was secured on campus. 

There were no visible signs of 

forced entry. 

Hilltop Cir. & Walker Ave. 

Theft from Automobile 

A UMBC student reported that a 

GPS had been stolen from his vehicle, 

which was secured on campus. 

There were no visible signs of 

forced entry.

4 News 

Poll: 

30% 

35% 

15% 

20% 

10.20.09 

How do you feel about 

UMBC’s writing-intensive 

requirements? 

since taking writing-intensive classes, 

i’ve felt a lot more comfortable about my 

writing ability. 

my writing was already good enough. i 

don’t see the point of these new requirements, 

other than the fact that they complicate 

the class scheduling process. 

They didn’t help me become a better 

writer, they just confused me even more! 

What requirements? Time to set up an 

appointment with my advisor. 

vote in next week’s poll at retrieverweekly.com. 


UMBC ROTC cadets take 

part in seasonal field training 

excercises to develop 

leadership and confidence 

Christopher McKinney 


This past weekend, UMBC cadets 

in the Army Reserve Officers Training 

Corps (ROTC) completed their Fall 

Field Training Exercises (FTX) in Fort 

Indiantown, Pennsylvania. 

The purpose of the FTX was to engage 

the Army ROTC cadets and help them 

to practice the leadership skills they 

have been taught. Cadet Staff Sergeant 

Nichole Battles, a junior molecular biology 

and biochemistry major, said, “This 

weekend was dedicated to putting one’s 

leadership abilities to the test. We were 

put through various leadership training 

scenarios where we had to think on 

our feet. It helps build confidence and 

strengthens the esprit de corps.” 

The cadets’ weekend was comprised 

mainly of Land Navigation tasks; on the 

last day, however, they went through an 

Obstacle Course. 

Cadet Staff Sergeant Ben Halpern, a 

junior information systems major, commented 

on the weekend, saying, “We 

basically ran around in the woods this 

past weekend. Saturday was composed 

of a lot of land navigation, both during 

the day and the night. Navigation in 

the woods at night is so much different 

than during the day; you’ve got to pay 

much more attention to detail at night. 

On Sunday, we got to race through the 

obstacle course. There were several different 

obstacles we had to complete, 

including the inverted wall climb, where 

we had to climb on the underside of an 

inclined wall, the monkey bars, and the 

four vault.” 

Cadet Battles explained that the weekend’s 

exercises depended upon what 

military science level cadets were on. 

Battles is an MSIII, a junior at the third 

level of the military science courses, and 

therefore was held to a different standard. 

Battles said, “During FTX, I had 

to complete all of the land navigation 

exercises by myself, whereas the MSIs 

and MSIIs were paired up. As an MSIII, I 

also had to complete an additional land 

navigation exercise, while the MSIs and 

MSIIs were in the introduction to movement 

techniques and situational training 

exercises.” 

When asked about their reasons 

for participating in the Army ROTC 

program, the cadets all had different 

answers. Cadet Halpern stated simply, 

“My main motivation for doing Army 

ROTC and sticking with it comes from 

two ideas: the uniform looks cool, and it 

keeps me in shape.” 

However, Cadet Battles has a different 

rationale for participation. “I chose to 

join the Army because I’ve always imagined 

myself serving my country since I 

was a little girl. Army ROTC afforded 

me the best option for myself, by which 

I could complete my Bachelors degree 

before serving active duty. This was very 

important to me. Army ROTC offers full 

tuition scholarships, book money, and 

a monthly stipend.” The stipend can 

range from $250 to $500, according to 

Battles. 

It isn’t mandatory for students to begin 

the Army ROTC program as a freshman 

in college. Cadet Sergeant First 

Class Nathan Rolls, a junior Geography 

major, said, “You really can join at any 

time, you’ll just have to play catch-up a 

little; but the one thing you’ll really learn 

is how to manage your time efficiently, 

because there simply isn’t enough time 

in a day to waste any.” 


cmck1@umbc.edu. 

mARlAynA DemonD — TRW 

Political science major Sajid Akhter, biochemistry major nichole Battles, media and communications studies major 

Aaron Simons, modern languages and linguistics major Frank Jeter, geography major nathan Rolls, and history and 

sociology major Jecabseel nunez are UMBC ROTC members.

The RetrIever Weekly 10.20.09 News 5 

ResLife takes student input on Patapsco addition 

WyATT JAsTeR — TRW 

in addition to housing students in the fall, the Patapsco addition would be used to house displaced students during resident hall renovations or as a stand alone building during summer sessions. 

> from PATAPSCO [1] 

tapsco Hall. ResLife placed large banners 

on the lawn between True Grit’s 

and Patapsco to designate the area for 

construction and used athletic field 

paint to outline its estimated footprint. 

In addition to housing students 

in the fall, the annex could be used 

as a stand-alone building during summer 

sessions. It would also be used 

to accommodate displaced students 

during potential renovations in other 

Undergraduates take advantage of research grants 

Gavin Way 

editiorial Staff 

Starting in February, the board of 

faculty that manages the URA starts accepting 

applications. By April the board 

awards winning applications with monetary 

resources up to $1500 per researcher. 

These funds, as part of the application 

process, are designated to allow students 

access to the resources necessary for their 

research. For some students, this can include 

money towards wages they would 

otherwise earn in employment if they 

did not have to designate that time to 

residence halls. 195 beds distributed 

among single, double, and triple 

suites; approximately 340 squarefoot 

rooms with adjacent bathrooms, 

much larger than those in the original 

building; and a public phone on each 

floor to replace individual telephones, 

are just a few of the proposals in consideration. 

Existing facilities, such as 

bathrooms, in the main building also 

face remodeling. 

Additionally, the new wing would 

Students present and view others’ work at UMBC’s undergraduate research conference. 

research. Others use the money towards 

purchasing books that the University of 

Maryland system does not retain in circulation 

or paying for transportation and 

fees for accessing archives. Some students 

take their research much farther, in 

one case over 2000 miles further! 

Meet Vivian Onyekachukwu Ekey, 

a junior studying Political Science and 

Modern Languages and Linguistics, 

Spanish concentration. Her research on 

Afro-Argentines’ self-image and culture 

took her halfway around the world. This 

past spring she spent her semester in 

Argentina, gathering primary resources 

through interviews for her research proj- 

lead to the creation of a new courtyard 

that would be available for athletic 

and social functions. 

“I do want to reiterate that nothing 

is set in stone,” clarified Gruhn who is 

also the Student Chair of the Patapsco 

Addition Task Force. 

The RSA and the Facilities Advisory 

Board created the PATF to serve as a 

forum in which students can voice 

their opinions regarding the addition 

before designs are finalized. 

ect. Inspired by Professor Sara Poggio’s 

Spanish class on Latin American culture 

to do research on Argentina’s unique 

culture, Vivian’s personal history and 

preliminary research led her to the plight 

of the Afro-Argentine, an oft-overlooked 

segment of Argentine society. “[The Afro- 

Argentine population] is a group that 

at the same time it is trying to change 

historical misperceptions, it is redefining 

its own identity, influenced by heavy 

immigration,” observed Vivian about her 

research. 

Working with Professor Poggio, she 

compiled and submitted an URA application 

to help fund her studies abroad for 

“That’s UMBC for you,” remarks 

Asif Majid, a member of the task force. 

“It’s always willing to listen to its students.” 

Ideas offered by the task force include 

loft-able beds, walk-in closets as 

opposed to movable wardrobes, swipe 

access, and a breezeway concept. The 

PATF usually convenes in the dining 

services conference room; however, 

meetings are temporarily suspended 

while the State promotes the project, 

File phoTo - TRW 

the research. UMBC, seeing the valuable 

experience and unique circumstances 

within Vivian’s application, awarded her a 

URA. Vivian sees this primary research as 

vital to enriching her project: “If I hadn’t 

had the opportunity to study abroad, [my 

project] would have been very dry, from 

a textbook,” explained Vivian. Though 

she was originally motivated to research 

by a desire to build a strong resume, she 

found the more she explored the subject, 

the more a fire was lit inside of her, pushing 

her on to prepare the best possible 

piece of research as she could. 

UMBC’s support goes far beyond 

URAs and faculty, though, to include 

and interviews prospective architecture 

firms and construction companies. 

When the task force resumes its duties 

in January, it will be open to all 

interested students. Construction is 

expected to begin in the summer of 

2010 to be completed and ready for 

student use in the fall of 2011. 


reyemic1@umbc.edu. 

URCAD. Undergraduate Research and 

Creative Achievement Day is a showcase 

of undergraduate excellence, highlighting 

students’ original works. Students 

submit their unique works, whether 

done as part of a research requirement 

for a major or as part of their own independent 

efforts, and are able to present 

their findings to a body of students and 

faculty. 

The university’s support for research 

extends far from the executive offices to 

include many of the departments. Some 

academic programs, like History, require 

their seniors to complete a semester-long 

research project as part of their graduation 

requirements. Others have Honors 

thesis programs. The Department of Political 

Science offers one such program, 

allowing academically superior seniors 

the opportunity to earn a notation of 

Honors on their degrees. 

Students are encouraged to talk to 

professors within their areas of interest to 

find out more about research opportunities 

offered by their program or department. 

The university maintains a research 

website dedicated to undergraduates at 

http://www.umbc.edu/research/Students/, 

from which students can find plenty of 

details about the opportunities available 

and important deadlines. 


gavin.way@gmail.com.

6 News 

10.20.09 

WE WANT 

YOU! 

Earn some extra cash and write for The Retriever Weekly! 

Come to our writer’s meetings! Wednesdays at free hour 

(12pm-1pm) in UC214. 


More than just the blues: Be wary of depression 

Grace Cho 

Staff Writer 

If bad weather and stress can be 

considered causes of bad mood, the 

UMBC community must be pretty 

grumpy these days. The month of 

October, with days full of rain and 

cold and nights full of stress from 

preparing for midterms, can be especially 

gloomy. Fortunately, University 

Counseling Services (UCS) 

was prepared to accommodate this 

by having a Depression Screening 

Day last week, where students 

could go see if they were simply in 

a bad mood or were suffering from 

something more serious. 

The question is, what’s the 

difference between a bad or depressed 

mood and clinical depression? 

While a depressed mood can 

be relatively temporary, clinical 

or major depression lasts for a 

greater period of time and is often 

accompanied by low self-esteem, 

loss of interest, and lack of pleasure 

in things that once made you 

happy. People who are depressed 

can feel a lasting sadness, anxiety, 

and emptiness. They also have 

trouble concentrating and have a 

hard time enjoying what they used 

to enjoy, like listening to music or 

going out with friends, because 

they prefer to be left alone. 

Sadness is not the only emotion 

that depression can cause. People 

with depression get irritated by 

little things and can overreact to 

annoyances that used to not bother 

them. They can also start seeing 

changes in sleeping patterns, 

resulting in constant fatigue and 

restlessness, as well as changes 

in eating patterns such as loss of 

appetite or overeating. There may 

even be physical aches and pains 

that occur for no reason and don’t 

go away. 

Another symptom of depression 

is recurring thoughts of death and 

suicide that often stem from a lack 

of confidence. These symptoms 

may generate a sense of worthlessness 

and guilt towards the people 

around you, or perhaps a feeling 

of hopelessness that makes you 

feel as if there isn’t much point to 

living. 

Much has been done to find the 

causes of this common and very serious 

medical illness, which affects 

approximately 19 million Americans 

of all ages and races. Sometimes 

trauma and painful losses or 

events can lead to depression. 

In addition, many studies suggest 

that depression runs in families 

and multiple genes can promote 

vulnerability to depression. 

Although this does not mean that 

all people who inherit these genes 

become depressed, clinical studies 

done on identical twins suggest 

that genetics do indeed play a role 

in having depression. It was found 

that when one twin had depres- 

sion, the other twin was about 76% 

as likely to also become depressed. 

Also, other studies show that if 

you have a close relative that has 

major depression, you may be 1.5 

to 3 times more likely to develop 

the condition than those without 

depressed family members. 

Depression can also be caused 

by chemical changes in your brain. 

Researchers have found that there 

are associations between major 

depression and levels of serotonin, 

norepinephrine, and dopamine, 

which are neurotransmitters in the 

brain. Through what is known as 

positron emission tomography (or 

PET imaging), researchers can see 

changes in the brain and can then 

formulate antidepressant medication, 

which can raise the levels of 

these neurotransmitters. 

Depression is a common illness, 

and is one of the most treatable 

ones. More than eight out of ten 

people with depression can be 

helped. The two most common 

types of treatments are medicine 

and “talk” therapy. Antidepressant 

medication can be prescribed 

to you by a regular doctor or a 

psychiatrist. They may take a few 

weeks to begin working and can 

give you some side effects but they 

generally do help patients with 

depression by regulating moodcontrolling 

neurotransmitters. 

Another way to fight the symptoms 

of depression is to undergo 

“talk” therapy. Psychotherapy involves 

talking to a psychologist, 

social worker, or counselor to 

learn to change how depression affects 

the way you think, feel, and 

act. 

Every year, about one in ten 

people suffers from major depression 

and, sadly, most are never 

treated for it. When it is not treated, 

it can get worse or last longer. 

However, this does not have to be 

the case. Why let depression keep 

you from getting the most out of 

your college experience when University 

Counseling Services offers 

free and confidential help that is 

open to all university students, 

faculty, and staff? 

If you walked past the very 

CouRTesy PSycHologyInlIfe.com 

One in ten people suffers from depression. Unfortunately many are not 

treated due to the stigma associated with the condition. 

nice people at tables surrounded 

by cheery blue balloons on Center 

Road last week, you missed 

Depression Screening Day. But 

there are still plenty of chances 

to get help or to find out if you 

or a loved one needs help in the 

first place. UCS provides free individual 

counseling (12 sessions), 

general group counseling, and 

even skills and career counseling 

for help with academic issues. For 

more information, visit their website 

at www.umbc.edu/counseling or 

visit them in the portable between 

Chesapeake and Susquehanna 

Halls. 


gcho1@umbc.edu.

The RetrIever Weekly 10.20.09 advertIsment 

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opinion@retrieverweekly.com 

UMBC welcomes you home with open arms 

People whine each year about “homecoming” and why UMBC even bothers having 

one without a big football game to base it around. Others complain, wondering 

why the school calls its measly attempt at one anyway a “home coming” when barely 

any alumni even bother “coming home” for it. The answers to these questions (hopefully 

we are all over groaning about not having a football team in the first place, and 

that worn-out gripe doesn’t even come into the picture) are simple, and they begin 

and end with you. 

First of all, a school does not need football to have a homecoming. In case you 

hadn’t noticed, our men’s soccer team has been having a spot-on, record-breaking 

season. Quit being preoccupied by the pigskin and celebrate in other school sports 

that have been excelling over the last few years! Even the rain this past weekend 

couldn’t keep the rabid fans from cheering on their boys in black. Make attending 

some of these and other sports games part of your weekly entertainment habit. 

Secondly, UMBC, like most things in life, is what you make it. If you go in with a 

bad attitude, you will have a bad time and leave with a worse attitude. Unfortunately 

many alumni have this worse attitude because they withered away their four-or-more 

years in clear and lifeless misery. While that is their problem, you should make the 

best time here for yourself as you can. That way in six or 16 years when you’re old 

and have nothing better to do than crack open your Alumni Magazine while in the 

loo, and, noticing the huge “Homecoming” heading, you will think of the sweet soccer 

game, the legit barbeque, the games for your tykes in The Commons, and maybe 

come out and relive your glory days. If not for yourself, do it for the lackadaisical stillpimpled 

post-teen sitting in his dorm complaining about homecoming. By being an 

involved alumnus you will be making future homecomings true “comings home.” 

archaeologists finally have a breakthrough 

Yasmin Radbod 

Staff Writer 

Do you know who “Ardi” is? “A celebrity?” 

Well, yes. She is the 110-pound, 

4.4-million-year-old fossil that has 

stirred up quite a bit of controversy lately. 

She was unveiled to the public on October 

1st, and I doubt her fans will dissipate 

anytime soon. What makes Ardi 

so extraordinary (and popular) is her 

hybridization of both ape and human 

characteristics, according to the National 

Geographic News. Ardi, the most complete 

skeleton found, along with other 

fossils discovered, all belong to the species 

Ardipithecus ramidus. These fossils 

were found in Ethiopia, and archaeolo- 

courtesy theworld.org 

ardi, the oldest human skeleton! the oldest but not quite the smartest. 

gists and other experts spent seventeen 

years trying to make sense of the breakthrough. 

Back to the juicy details: Ardi was 

bipedal when walking upright, but she 

could also climb trees and use her palms, 

on all fours, when moving in trees. How 

do scientists know this? Ardi’s pelvis was 

structured in such a way that the upper 

pelvis was designed for bipedality, 

whereas the lower pelvis was intended 

for climbing. What is even more shocking 

is her big toe, which was used to 

grasp trees more easily. Prior to Ardi, no 

other species found ever exhibited such 

traits, and these facts beg the question 

of whether or not Ardi is an example of 

the intermediate species between more 

primitive ape-like human ancestors 

and the later hominids that were completely 

bipedal. Ardi had somewhat of 

an unfortunate mix of characteristics: she 

walked in a somewhat awkward fashion 

on ground, and lacked the adaptations 

chimps utilize today in trees. Nonetheless, 

her timing in the evolution timeline 

makes for us an intriguing case. 

So you might be thinking, “big deal.” 

It gets better. This species, and hominids 

in general, did not mature in a savannah 

as previously thought. Instead, it is now 

understood that hominids evolved in a 

forested environment. Dental analysis 

confirmed this because woodland foods 

and fruits were proven to be commonly 

consumed during the existence of Ardipithecus 

ramidus. 

Ardi’s teeth also led scientists to the 

realization that a significant social-behavioral 

change happened at least 4.4 

million years ago. Great apes and hominids 

are clearly differentiated by their 

canines. Apes have sharp, projecting 

canines; hominids, rather, have smaller, 

duller canines, which Ardi exhibits. The 

implication of the variation in canines 

determines that Ardi belonged to a species 

that was dependent on less aggressive 

social relationships as compared to 

apes. This key fact could be related to the 

reasoning behind the shift to bipedality. 

Although scientists aren’t exactly sure 

why, ostensibly there was a considerable 

reproductive advantage in regards to bipedality, 

and the social behavior which 

changed due to the reduction in canine 

size may be connected to the transition 

to walking upright. 

One of the more provocative explanations 

as to why bipedality occurred 

only on land (while quadrupedalism 

continued in trees) is “sex for food.” As 

the National Geographic News clarifies, 

“Instead of fighting for access to females, 

a male Ardipithecus would supply a 

‘targeted female’ and her offspring with 

gathered foods and gain her sexual loyalty 

in return. To keep up his end of the 

deal, a male needed to have his hands 

free to carry home the food.” The entire 

point of such an agreement would be to 

reproduce, and the theory is based upon 

monogamous sex. Ardi’s blunt canines 

provide evidence in support of the “sex 

for food contract” because of the development 

in social behavior; i.e., aggressive 

tendencies in males were unnecessary 

because they did not have to fight 

for a mate. 

There is no doubt that the controversy 

has only just begun as to the specifics of 

the progression of bipedality and the exact 

point at which our ancestors became 

less primitive and more human-like. It 

is possible that we may never know the 

right sequence of events and why these 

fundamental changes occurred. Nevertheless, 

Ardi’s stardom has raised many 

questions which may lead to future discoveries. 

For the time being, though, I’ll 

just chuckle to myself while visualizing 

a man offering me food in exchange for 

sex. I can gather my own food, thanks. 


radbod1@umbc.edu. 

The Retriever Weekly welcomes your comments. Letters to the editor must be submitted before 5 p.m. Friday via e-mail to eic@ 

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The Retriever Weekly staff editorials reflect the views of the editorial board; signed columns and advertisements represent the opinions of the individual writers and 

advertisers, respectively, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Retriever Weekly or the University of Maryland Baltimore County. The Retriever Weekly publishes 

weekly on Tuesdays during the regular school year. Editors can be reached at (410) 455-1260 during normal business hours or at University Center 214; 1000 

Hilltop Circle; UMBC; Baltimore, MD 21250. The Retriever Weekly is an equal opportunity employer.

The RetrIever Weekly 10.20.09 oPINION 9 

Homecoming exceeds expectations for some 

Nathaniel Buechler 


Just so you know what my expectations 

for Homecoming were; I came 

to UMBC from a relatively small high 

school (Oakland Mills High School) 

of approximately 1200 students. My 

homecoming was always a very big 

event, and it wasn’t explained to me until 

I was a senior that it was not for me, 

but instead for the alumni, hence the 

name. So the way I have always looked 

at it is fun for everyone. Every year (rain 

or shine I should say) we had a parade 

that starts at noon. After this, we had a 

football game, where we often lost, preceded 

by a tailgate. At night, there was a 

dance for the students. The entire week, 

homecoming is led up to by hall decorations 

and other exciting competitions, 

many of which are not for alumni. So 

homecoming day (Saturday at the end 

of the week) is this huge explosion of 

fun. At all of these events, a majority of 

the school comes out to see the school 

at its best. Remember this for later; my 

high school has celebrated homecoming 

for decades. 

Enough about my high school and me. 

I heard too many things about UMBC 

homecoming (most things bad). This 

didn’t really help the idea that homecoming 

is a fun thing, which is what it 

should be. I can tell you that I have had 

fun. I’ll get all the negative aspects out of 

photographer: Wyatt Jaster 

the way just to satisfy all of the naysayers. 

It rained all week. The bonfire was 

cancelled. I had to pay 10 dollars for one 

of the tailgating events-the alumni one 

(which I actually thought had wings). 

Therefore, I really didn’t have all the 

facts communicated to me clearly. 

In all honesty, some of those things 

were my fault (I’ll admit that I’m not the 

smartest person in the world, who is?). 

In fact, the good things that happened 

are a much longer list. Where to begin? I 

got to see Demetri Martin, a professional 

comedian that would normally cost me 

more time and money to go see at any 

other time. I got to see him and laugh 

my ass off for the convenient price of 

10 dollars (wow!). This is a perfect segway 

into another great point about the 

week. Most of the really fun things have 

been either “FREE” (the magic word for 

bored college students) or affordable. 

The amount of free food I got would 

have cost me over a hundred dollars at a 

theme park. Wait, and I also got two free 

t-shirts. Wait, you mean, I don’t have 

to pay 15 dollars for a Homecoming tshirt? 

I get it for free! And also, because 

I’m in the pep band, I got a t-shirt there 

too. How wonderful! 

This brings me right into what 

opened homecoming for me. Playing 

(I play trumpet) in the band during 

the Midnight Madness event was quite 

fun, partially because the crowd actually 

responds more to the groups that 

participated. I thought of a pep rally as 

an attempt to get people excited, but it 

actually looked liked people were genuinely 

excited (unlike my high school 

which only had a few people). When we 

were playing the fight song, the crowd 

did a wave that continued, several times, 

around the entire gym. That was very 

cool. In fact, that was almost as cool as 

The Wizards’ dunk team. Oh yeah, and 

did I forget to mention the free swag 

there too? I am a little confused about 

why it’s called “Midnight” Madness if it 

started at 10:00, but maybe it’s because 

that’s when the basketball season officially 

began. (By the way, I’m leaving off 

a lot of the great groups that participated 

because of space; I could ramble about 

how great they were for pages.) 

Homecoming day was actually more 

fun than I expected; I really didn’t know 

what I was going to do. The alumni tailgate 

had pretty good food. It was a little 

like a VIP section when I returned for 

the soccer game (hint, hint, alumni). I 

guess it was worth 10 dollars because of 

the unlimited food, and it was a shelter 

from the rain, and open for a good three 

hours (pretty good deal). Making my 

way over to the student tailgate in The 

Commons garage wasn’t really that fun 

because of the rain, although it was very 

cool how it was sheltered. Yes, the unlimited 

wings were there and yes, I got a 

free Homecoming t-shirt there. 

The first half of the soccer game was 

fun. The stands weren’t completely filled 

which I thought was unfortunate, because 

it was pretty bad compared to my 

high school’s losing football team (this 

year the team lost again but the stands, 

at least, doubled the soccer crowd). I 

thought our soccer team was good, but I 

guess not good enough to get people to 

stand in the rain. 

I left after halftime because I was cold 

(and didn’t want to get sick). After putting 

on some dry clothes (in my dorm) 

I went to The Commons and got some 

free food. Then, I participated in the 

Greek Alumni-Student Social. I just became 

an Associate Member in Lambda 

Chi Alpha and thought I would go. After 

seeing that there was only one alum 

(not even from my chapter), and since 

I was the only one from my chapter, I 

attempted to do some sort of representation. 

This actually got me thinking about 

all the other groups on campus. 

Couldn’t other groups do things to 

make homecoming a more cohesive 

experience for everyone? It doesn’t seem 

like there is a whole lot of involvement 

on campus. Or rather, some of the only 

involvement is the complaints and 

whining about how homecoming isn’t 

exciting, or fun, or cool. I don’t see why 

there couldn’t be more things happening. 

I remember Welcome Week being 

very fun and exciting. I kind of got that 

vibe off of homecoming. 

While doing some preliminary re- 

Quotes from the Quad 

What about Homecoming would you change to make it better? 

“Get more tickets for the 

Demitri Martin show, more 

things to do at midnight 

madness, make it more 

wide spread.” 

Elaine Thomas 

Math/Education 

Sophomore, 19 

“Promote it more 

and make it more 

culturally diverse.” 

Ashwin Baikadi 

Undecided 

Sophomore, 20 

“I dont know, I 

didnt really go, 

maybe put it inside 

and get a DJ.” 

“Get a football team.” 

search, I found out that in previous years 

there was a dance and other fun things, 

but the lack of student involvement 

made those things go away. And usually 

when the weather is nice, the Alumni do 

come out in greater numbers (thanks 

rain). In all honesty, homecoming is actually 

one of those great things that can 

be a nice break from studying. 

One thing that I really should mention 

about my experience: I went to a 

fraction of things that were happening 

because many events happen simultaneously. 

If I had time to go to all of the ones 

that interest me, I would. It just goes to 

show how many things are going on 

around campus. 

I’m sure that it is clear that this is my 

first year as a college student. I am very 

optimistic about homecoming because 

I had a great time at my high school’s 

homecoming. The one thing stopping 

great things from happening at UMBC is 

the negative opinions tearing down good 

ideas. To those people, I say if you don’t 

like it, change it. Talk to people with the 

power to do so, or actually get enough 

support. Otherwise, just stop talking; it 

ruins the experience for the rest of us. I 

mean, wouldn’t it be nice to come back 

to your alma mater 10 years from now 

and just have a good time? 


nat9@umbc.edu. 

Matt Allen-Ames 

Visual Arts 

Freshman, 20 

Rosa St. Martin 

Pre-nursing 

Sophomore, 19

10 oPINION 

Collin Wojciechowski 

Staff Writer 

A flurry of talk about Snowe has 

graced our nation’s capital. Not the 

stuff that falls from the sky and 

makes everyone giddy, but Senator 

Olympia Snowe. The Republican 

from Maine has committed an act 

almost unheard of in this political 

time. I have been told stories of it 

from my parents and grandparents, 

but always thought it was just a 

myth, something written about in 

history books to make us recall a 

better time. But then, with the Senate 

Finance Committee as her background, 

Senator Snowe changed all 

that. After months and months of 

constant arguing, belittling, yelling, 

lying, cheating, scamming, fooling, 

drooling (and that’s just from the 

health care Industry) taking place 

in the District of Columbia, she 

emerged from the smoke and mirrors 

of Cigna and Blue Cross. She 

battled through threats and opposition 

from her own party, made her 

way past the “Potomac Two Step” 

of Harry Reid and company, fought 

through the media pundits guessing, 

all to accomplish one of the greatest 

feats known in Washington politics: 

casting a vote with the other party. 

It was like she had found the key 

to the lock that was getting a controversial 

bill moving; in what direction 

we're still unsure, but moving. The 

10.20.09 

actual bill that the finance committee 

voted out was immediately criticized 

by both sides of the aisle as well as 

prominent labor organizations. Even 

Snowe herself was quoted as saying, 

“Is this bill all that I would want? Far 

from it. Is it all that it can be? No.” It 

calls for an $829 billion dollar health 

care plan but its exact measures are 

still hidden in the complex wording 

of the bill itself. But it’s progress. 

Soon after the committee had voted, 

everyone paused for a moment 

in Washington. The President and 

Democrats in Congress celebrated, 

Republicans gave each other blank 

looks of confusion and the interest 

group lobbyists all had panic attacks. 

But this eerie feeling of progress 

failed to last. As I write this, the two 

parties have taken up arms again, 

fueled by lobbyists and health care 

CEO’s, against one another. Keep in 

mind that this vote only took the bill 

out of committee, that’s right, you 

would have thought that we have 

had enough back and forth at this 

point to have the bill passed through 

every legislature from here to Tokyo, 

but no. It still must travel through 

the floors of both chambers where 

it most certainly will face more arguments, 

possible filibusters, and 

if we're lucky maybe a song or two 

from John Ashcroft. 

Whatever your stance be on the 

bill, you can at least agree with the 

fact that the partisanship must end 

at some point; that this issue is too 

important to die at the hands of a 

filibuster or in the smoke-filled back 

rooms of the Senate. You can at least 

agree that if we work together, just 

a little, real change is possible. So 

I urge Congress to remember who 

this bill is for; remember how important 

this issue is and remember 

the words of the only Republican 

to date to vote for this health care 

reform, “when history calls, history 

calls. And I happen to think that the 

consequences of inaction dictate the 


the UMBC grim reaper will get you for file sharing 

UMBC’s halloween costume this year. 

Josh Palmer 


Do you ever get the urge to watch a 

movie, but don’t feel like buying or renting 

it? Or maybe get that CD, or see that 

episode of 24 you missed? Maybe you 

want it fast, without leaving the comfort 

of your dorm room. Free? Even better, 

you think. 

courtesy adv3rsary.com 

Well, you are not alone. Almost everyone 

considers their options in how 

to get their media fix cheaper: burning 

a CD here, sneaking into a movie there. 

However, some people go beyond borrowing 

a CD from a friend. Like an 

unstable bladder, some people cannot 

control their urges, and (gasp!) illegally 

obtain media, whether online through 

torrents or through a peer-to-peer local 

network. 

But surely, this doesn’t happen very 

often. The news is riddled with individuals 

being caught by the Recording 

Industry Association of America 

(RIAA) and being sued unbelievable 

amounts (Jammie Thomas-Rasset of 

Minnesota was sued nearly $2 million 

for downloading music), so only a few 

people wet their proverbial bed and are 

ashamed because they are one of the 

few that do. 

Right? 

Now, if you are reading this, there is 

a good chance you illegally download. 

A seven out of 10 chance, in fact, according 

to a CBS News poll, which 

announced 70 percent of adults aged 

between 18-29 download illegally. 

Therefore, this is an extremely common 

offense among college students. 

However, does this make it right (If all 

your friends jumped off a bridge…)? 

How much is the media industry really 

being hurt from illegal downloading? 

And most importantly, what is UMBC 

doing to catch and punish those who 

download? 

First, let’s get one thing straight: legally, 

downloading pirated music, movies, 

or games is stealing. There are few 

who would argue with that. However, 

is the media industry really hurting 

from the massive amount of downloading? 

The RIAA and the Motion Picture 

Association of America (MPAA) would 

scream a resounding yes and then sue 

you. But independent studies, such as 

one conducted by the Harvard Business 

School, concluded that not only does il- 

legal downloading not hurt record sales, 

it actually improves them! How can this 

be? Well, as the majority of downloads 

are done by teens and college students, 

groups considered to be “money-poor 

but time-rich,” sales would not be hurt 

because they don’t have the money to 

spend on the CD to begin with. However, 

when listening to the music, they 

become “samplers,” and when an older 

crowd hears the song, who wouldn’t 

have heard the song or artist otherwise, 

they are more likely to go out and buy 

the song. 

With this in mind, the outrageous 

suing of individuals convicted of illegally 

downloading media needs to be 

considered. Yes, they are breaking the 

law, and perhaps they do need to be 

punished. But really, a song costs $1 on 

iTunes. Media industries are suing those 

high amounts because it is in their lawful 

right, and this needs to be changed. 

However, we, as UMBC students, 

have more important things in mind, 

specifically, how do we get caught and 

what is the punishment should said offense 

occur? When one illegally downloads, 

specifically via a torrent, and then 

subsequently shares the data, his/her 

computer-specific IP address is tracked. 

Third-party companies involved with 

movie, television, and music studios 

monitor specific torrents. When an IP 

address is logged, they will send a notification 

to the internet service provider 

(in our case, UMBC) of the IP address 

and its offense. To clarify, UMBC is not 

the one who catches you because that 

would involve UMBC monitoring all 

Bipartisan support for health care in a partisan world 

olympia Snowe is one tough cookie! rationality trumps political parties. 

communications through its network, 

and, let’s face it, that could get pretty 

boring shifting through bio notes and 

porn people send and receive (don’t 

get me wrong, they still have a right to 

monitor and read whatever they want, 

including that dirty note you sent your 

significant other last night). 

After receiving the notification, the 

friendly UMBC authority people send 

an e-mail to the offending party with 

information about the offense and punishment. 

According to the ResLife website, 

getting caught downloading the 

first time amounts to a $175 fine, losing 

ResNet for two weeks, and a community 

service project (contrary to popular 

belief in which a grim reaper wearing 

a gold chain with giant UMBC letters 

drags you to the level of hell known 

as the UMBC judicial system). Further 

offenses include higher fines, a longer 

suspension from the campus network, 

and meeting with campus authorities. If 

you still don’t get the hint, there is the 

risk of expulsion from the school. 

Now, I know this short article won’t 

deter any of you downloaders from 

your current stealing spree. I may have 

even created some supporters (which 

was not my intention, oh mighty RIAA). 

I only hope this article has informed, instead 

of lectured. On a final note, please 

be smart. No one wants to tell their kids 

they were kicked out of school because 

of that damn Bon Jovi CD they couldn’t 

afford. 

Comments can be sen to 

jpa1@umbc.edu. 

courtesy washingtonpost.com 

urgency of Congress to take every 

opportunity to demonstrate its capacity 

to solve the monumental issues 

of our time.” 


cwoj1@umbc.edu.

The RetrIever Weekly 10.20.09 oPINION 11 

fox News versus the White House: the battle heats up 

fox News... more like faux News? 

Courtney Ring 

Senior Staff Writer 

In a somewhat puzzling move for an 

administration that has repeatedly called 

for greater transparency and openness, 

White House communications director 

Anita Dunn this week condemned Fox 

News for its “war” on the Obama ad- 

Be kind to your desk staff and just show your card 

Ryanne Milani 


Every day hundreds of students, 

guests, and Residential Life staff walk 

through the lobbies of each of the six residence 

halls and are greeted by the (usually) 

friendly faces of the exhausted desk 

staff. Normally, students don’t pay very 

much attention to the person behind the 

desk, since they only have to flash their 

card, smile, and continue on their way. 

Students may occasionally have a run-in 

with the desk staff if they forget to show 

their IDs, or need some toilet paper or a 

package, but for the most part, they seem 

to forget that there is an actual person 

behind the desk. In their rush to get into 

the building and go to their rooms, get 

on their computers, do their homework, 

and be responsible young adults (because 

of course, college students would never 

ever consider getting into any types of 

shenanigans), most students don’t even 

remember to say hello. 

Occasionally, the desk staff see some 

crazy behavior, or meet some resistance 

from the students that can’t take the time 

to show their IDs. After only a few weeks 

working the desk, most of them have seen 

everything from intoxicated residents to 

Elizabeth Kudirka 


“Let’s see how quick we can blow 

through $30,000” is back! Oh no, 

wait, I think we call that “Prove It!” 

here on campus. And personally, I’m 

excited to see what horribly unoriginal 

waste of money someone comes up 

with this year. 

Last time we played this lovely little 

game, a green space that’s more brown 

than green was built with the original 

prize money of $50,000. Now, when 

this was all going on, I didn’t think 

too much about how bloody expensive 

this whole thing was going to be be- 

courtesy topnews.us 

ministration, calling into question its legitimacy 

because of its opposition views. 

No matter what one thinks of Fox News 

or President Obama, this quarrel seems 

counterproductive on a number of levels. 

First of all, such an accusation distracts 

from the larger issues with which Obama 

has to deal with and reduces the strong, 

conciliatory image so far projected by the 

Obama administration. With health care, 

fights to people in costumes (anyone seen 

the Burger King lately?). These students 

have also had to handle late night shifts, 

visits from the cops, and tricky residents. 

How do they deal with it? Usually, by 

watching tons of TV and movies to pass 

the time and keep them calm. The paycheck 

also helps: it may not have the best 

pay in the world, but most of the desk 

staff work so many hours the paychecks 

still look pretty nice. 

Students that refuse to show their IDs 

rarely help matters. There is a reason that 

everyone is required to show some form 

of identification to enter the building. The 

desk staff has been charged with keeping 

the students in each residence hall safe 

from people that shouldn’t be on campus 

and has been through rigorous training to 

handle many different kinds of dangerous 

and exciting situations, and even a 

few mundane ones. They have to make 

sure that they pay attention to everything 

that goes on in the entire building, and 

keep their community directors and RAs 

informed. Students that don’t show their 

IDs, even students that know the desk 

staff, make this job difficult. Believe it or 

not, the desk staff see a lot of people every 

day and it is very hard to remember 

everyone’s face. 

cause I was under the assumption that 

with enough money to build a small 

house for five illegal families to live in, 

we’d be getting the Garden of Eden. 

But alas, no Garden of Eden, we didn’t 

even get the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 

We got a patio. A patio the size of 

a dorm room. 

Back in 2006, my parents did a 

bunch of landscaping around their 

house. To landscape the entire front 

yard, it would have cost roughly 

$6,000 if they had gotten people from 

the nursery to do all the work for them. 

My parents did the work themselves, 

but bought all the plants and trees 

from the nursery for about half that 

the economy, and the attempt to reinvent 

U.S. relations with the rest of the world, 

Obama simply has bigger things to think 

about than how one particular media outlet 

portrays him and his policies. When 

he took office, President Obama promised 

greater transparency and openness in his 

administration. The natural consequence 

of such a stance is the possibility it opens 

to inviting more criticism. In order to remain 

consistent with his promise, Obama 

and his colleagues should welcome the 

criticism, or at least be able to shrug it off 

as a matter of course. Engaging personally 

in a fistfight with a popular news outlet 

simply wastes his political capital as it 

pulls his attention away from the greater 

issues at hand. Also, any victory that 

Obama may gain is liable to be pyrrhic 

as people see the argument as petty and 

beneath him. 

Second, although the fact remains 

uncontested that many of the pundits on 

Fox hold conservative views, Fox does 

also have a regular news outlet. President 

Obama has claimed that one would be 

hard-pressed to find a positive report of 

him on Fox News. It's interesting to note, 

don’t worry, Senior Katelyn Busy doesn’t bite. 

The job may look very easy from the 

outside; to most students, it looks like we 

do nothing more than sit behind a desk 

and stare at a computer or the people 

walking in the building. It’s true, the job 

is not the most difficult in the world, and 

sometimes it’s easy for the desk staff to 

forget they’re at work. However, there is 

a lot more to the job than meets the eye, 

so much, in fact, that the entire desk staff 

is required to go to three intense days 

of training at the start of every semester, 

and various other meetings, sessions, 

price. Assuming with inflation and 

such, UMBC could have done the exact 

same thing for about a fifth the cost 

of the initial Prove It! competition. So 

someone please explain to me why the 

brown-patio-space cost more than a 

year’s tuition at Harvard. 

This year, the prize is enough to cover 

a year of graduate school at Johns 

Hopkins, probably because of budget 

cuts and all. How about this year, 

instead of spending this money on 

something even more ridiculous than 

a glorified extension of the sideway, we 

do something responsible with this apparent 

surplus in SGA’s budget. Some 

ideas include: 

however, that according to a report from 

the Pew Research Center, in the final 

weeks of the election 40 percent of the reports 

relating to President Obama and 40 

percent of those relating to John McCain 

were negative. Of course, this statistic 

doesn't account for all factors, but it shows 

greater proportionality than, for instance, 

MSNBC, which the report showed had a 

14 percent through 73 percent disparity 

in negative reporting in favor of Obama. 

At the end of the day, pundits are paid to 

raise people's blood pressure, but is it possible 

that regular coverage just feels more 

negative because it is more balanced? 

Finally, the administration's attempts 

to delegitimize Fox News because of 

its political slant sets a dangerous tone. 

Despite all pretensions to the contrary, 

reporting remains a partisan business—as 

long as people do the reporting, some sort 

of bias will always creep in. If, however, 

the legitimacy of reporting depends on 

political views, then the definition of legitimate 

reporting will change every time 

the presidency changes hands from party 

to party. This sets a dangerous precedent 

in a society that depends on the freedom 

and events throughout the year. They are 

responsible for a lot more than looking 

pretty behind a desk. They are there to 

protect their residents. 

Consider this: the hard-working members 

of the desk staff are students here too. 

Just like everyone else, they go to classes, 

eat at the dining hall, hang out with their 

friends, and sometimes even live in the 

dorms that they watch. They all understand 

what a hassle it can be to pull out a 

simple piece of plastic and how valuable 

five seconds of your time (the average 

1. Eliminate some of the furloughs 

that the university employees have to 

take. 

2. Pay student employees more than 

minimum wage. 

3. Give out 3 full tuition and fees 

scholarships. 

4. Give out a ton of partial scholarships. 

5. Update Lecture Hall 1’s heating 

system. 

6. Buy more books for the library. 

7. Build a small house that five illegal 

families could live in. 

8. Give the money back to the students. 

Seriously, I didn’t vote for Referen- 

to express and air political opinions and 

grievances. Not only does it engender 

confusion and cynicism as people try to 

figure out whom to trust (Can anyone 

imagine what an election cycle under 

such conditions would look like? Personally, 

I would rather not), it also opens the 

door for forcibly shutting out unpopular 

views. President Obama and his party will 

not always be in power, and they would 

do well to remember that the freedom of 

which Fox News now avails itself is the 

same freedom that allowed many others 

in the media to regularly excoriate the 

Bush administration—a punishment that, 

whatever his other faults, Bush took with 

fairly good grace. In the end, the only way 

to secure political freedom of expression 

for everyone is to allow the expression of 

all political opinions, no matter how risible 

they seem. 

No one enjoys criticism, but to dwell 

on such minor details right now will only 

be a disservice to this country and to 

President Obama. 


scrambledscribblings@gmail.com. 

patricia davila — trW 

amount of time it takes to wave an ID) 

are, but try to remember that during the 

20 minutes it takes to call an RA, the cops, 

and the community director, hunt you 

down, fill out an incident report, and yell 

at you, everyone loses. Save them some 

time and some sanity, please, just show 

the card! And next time you walk by the 

desk, be nice and say hello. They’re just 

as friendly as they (almost always) look! 


milani1@umbc.edu. 

Prove it! campaign is received with low expectations 

dum A last year so that SGA could turn 

around and basically flush that extra 

$10 they got from each student down 

the toilet. What are you people thinking? 

This doesn’t build school spirit, we 

elected you because we believed you 

would be responsible. We gave you that 

extra $10 a year, under the assumption 

you wouldn’t turn around and blow it 

on something preposterous. You might 

as well take the SGA Senate to Vegas for 

the weekend, because you aren’t going 

to get an idea from a student that’s any 

more responsible than that. 


e.kudirka@gmail.com.

12 advertIsEment 

10.20.09 

The RetrIever Weekly

4 

The RetrIever Weekly 10.20.09 ARTS 13 

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43. Beaver 

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46. Tight 

12. Batman’s sidekick 36. cloth 

13. choose 

18. mill 

23. slant 

24. warm-hearted 

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59. consequence 

60. directs from the front 

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37. a daring exploit 

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The RetrIever 

Weekly 

University Center 214 

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Baltimore, MD 21250 

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Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

14 ARTS 

10.20.09 

steFANie mAVRoNis — tRW 

miCHAel lANKFoRd — tRW 



steFANie mAVRoNis — tRW steFANie mAVRoNis — tRW 

steFANie mAVRoNis — tRW


ACHsAH JosepH — tRW miCHAel lANKFoRd — tRW 




CoRey JoHNs — tRW 

Homecoming 2009 was a success as students, faculty and alumni alike looked past the bleak weather and 

enjoyed free food, games, and performances in celebration of UmBc.

16 

Arts 

EntertaInment 

Mixed Signals 

exhibit examines 

masculinity in 

competitive sports 

CouRtesy iNdepeNdeNt CuRAtoRs iNteRNAtioNAl 

Filmmaker Matthew Barney’s 35mm CREMASTER is just one of the visual 

media pieces in the CADVC’s latest exhibit. 

Becky Hunter 

Staff Writer 

The latest exhibit in the Center for 

Art, Design and Visual Culture, or 

CADVC, Mixed Signals: Artists Consider 

Masculinity in Sports, has accomplished 

something potentially greater than what 

it meant to. It successfully considers 

the importance of athletic success in 

the lives of men, how it affects them 

either positively or negatively and why 

it is a major factor in American culture. 

Each piece represents a different male 

figure in a sporting scenario, displaying 

strength and power and all that that 

implies. Several of the pieces showed 

men, donning their numbers and most 

impressive stances, however it also 

captured an overwhelming sense of 

vulnerability in the athletes. The exhibit 

is quite depressing once you get beyond 

the surface. It shows that living up to the 

standards set by families, coaches, and 

the general public is more important 

than retaining a sense of self. Certainly, 

there are athletes who are doing this 

for themselves, but there are also those 

whose success is for someone else. This 

exhibit showcases the pressure and stress 

placed on men and boys in order to 

live up to these high standards of what 

masculinity really is. 

The first thing you see when you walk 

into the space is Bull in the Ring by Shaun 

El C. Leonardo, which consists of a series 

of identical football helmets suspended 

from the ceiling. Each one is no different 

from any other, hanging there somewhat 

lifelessly. It is hard to focus on just one 

of the helmets in order to appreciate it, 

because it belongs to this unit that makes 

an individual helmet obsolete and kind 

of invisible, making the player himself 

seem obsolete and invisible. 

The series of chromogenic prints by 

Catherine Opie are definitely some or 

the rawest pieces in the exhibit. Each 

print (which kind of look like they could 

have been done by the people who 

shoot yearbook pictures, which might 

be the point) shows what look like high 

school-aged football players standing 

there, with their game faces on, standing 

on the field in their playing attire. In 

> see CADVC [18] 

steFANie mAVRoNis— tRW 

Winners of the Best Group Performance. Sophomores Michael Winch (left) and Rich Bussey (right) played a fiddle 

and guitar duet at the Homecoming Talent Show this past Friday. 

Talent Show draws colossal 

crowd to the UC Ballroom 

Nayana Davis 

Staff Writer 

To the delight of the long line formed 

outside the University Center (UC) on 

Friday, the doors finally opened at 7:00 

p.m. to welcome students to the 2009 

Homecoming Talent Show. Shortly 

afterwards, with direction from SGA and 

SEB leaders, students, faculty, and staff 

packed the UC Ballroom. 

The night began, to many cheers 

and applause, with a performance by 

the ever-popular Mama’s Boys, an allmale 

a capella group, wearing vibrant 

multicolored garb. They performed a 

3x3 performance comes alive 

with electronic influences 

Charlene Cleland 


The performers of UMBC’s faculty 

ensemble RUCKUS brought music to life 

with the help of the most untraditional 

use of technology this past Sunday 

night in the Fine Arts Recital Hall, with 

the performance of 3x3. The show was 

wallet-friendly to the money-conscious 

both young and old, with an admission 

fee of a mere $7 for general audiences, 

$3 for senior citizens, and free for UMBC 

students with their red IDs 

This concert celebrated cross-cultural 

interaction, and was a way of welcoming 

the artist collective Spiza to a residency at 

UMBC. Spiza, founded in Athens, Greece 

in 2003, is a non-profit artistic society 

that aims to create a unique forum in 

which artists of differing backgrounds 

and media can work together. 

Close to 100 people were at the 

medley of pop songs featuring “I Gotta 

Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas and 

“Good Girls Go Bad” by Cobra Starship. 

With a contemporary musical direction 

led by Matt Polonchak and several new 

fresh faces, the ensemble shined in their 

first public performance of the school 

year. 

The Mama’s Boys seemed to be a 

tough act to follow; however, Daniel 

Roberts and Joe Edwards, on guitar and 

sax respectively, were certainly up to the 

challenge. Crowdpleasers for the past 

two years, the duo played along, with 

their own unique improvisations, to a 

recording of “Clocks” by Coldplay. The 

concert, with more than half of the 

audience being UMBC students. Dr. 

Linda Dusman, a professor at UMBC 

who teaches music theory, music 

instrumentation and music composition, 

was the producer of 3x3. Dr. Dusman 

stated that the music composition for the 

production started nine months ago. 

During the concert, soundscape 

interludes created by UMBC student 

Andy Hayleck were played between each 

main composition. These compositions 

included William Kleinsasser’s “Adagio 

(amore)," Tim Ward’s “Cambos," and 

Linda Dusman’s “Skra," as well as 

Matthew Burtner’s “A’aa," Theodora 

Panagopoluou’s “3x3x3,” and Sofia 

Kamayianni’s “Clepsydra Mm." 

William Kleinsasser’s “Adagio” is a 

recasting of a two-minute recording of flute 

and clarinet multiphonic counterpoint 

from a previous composition. 

“Cambos” by Tim Ward is the 

arts@retrieverweekly.com 

crowd, once again, voiced their approval 

with an uproarious ovation. 

The Major Pitches, a female 

barbershop quartet, performed a few 

popular numbers as well including 

“Mr. Sandman” and “When I’m 64." 

Afterwards, both Jason Palombo and 

Luke Roberts gave solo vocal and 

keyboard performances. As evidenced 

by the many positive responses, the 

crowd found these performances to be 

enjoyable as well. 

Before a ten-minute intermission, 

Master of Ceremonies Katie Dix made 

> see TALENT SHOW [19] 

replaying of sounds by performers 

using electronics. The recorded sounds 

undergo transformations, before being 

played. 

“Skra” by Dr. Linda Dusman was 

inspired by Mary McDonnell’s famous 

red line drawings. “Skra” also features a 

similar process of ambient sounds. 

Burtner’s “A’aa” is a compilation of 

stunning sounds of recorded flows of an 

actively erupting Guatemalan volcano 

called Pacaya. 

“3x3x3” is a combination of many 

different sounds and instruments, all 

of which were written by Theodora 

Panagopolous. 

The final piece, which was “Clepsydra 

Mm” by Kamayianni, is a dialogue of live 

instruments that tell an abstract story. 

Some of the musical compositions 

contained the ripping of paper, shattering 

> see 3x3 [18]


ACHsAH JosepH— tRW 

Celebrity comedian Demitri Martin accompanied his witticisms with guitar 

and piano this past Saturday in the RAC. 

Comedian Demitri Martin brings 

riotous laughter to the RAC 

Liz Omberg 


Even in the cold and rain, the line to 

get into the RAC to see Demetri Martin 

stretched the entirety of academic row 

and even reached the library. I had seen 

snippets of his act on an episode of 

Comedy Central Presents but had no idea 

that he had such a following, especially 

one big enough to keep enough students 

on campus during a weekend to fill the 

RAC. Maryland-born Martin has not led 

the stereotypical life of a comedian; after 

graduating from Yale University he went 

on to NYU to study law - a program that, 

much to the dislike of his parents, he 

dropped out of a year before graduation 

in order to pursue comedy. Luckily for 

him, the choice paid off and led him to 

write for Late Night with Conan O’Brien, as 

well as working for The Daily Show, and 

finally begin his own show Important 

Things with Demetri Martin on Comedy 

Central. 

Demetri Martin is known for his oneliners 

rather than long jokes that tell a 

story. To start the show off Martin fired 

off numerous one liners like “a rabbit 

made out of candy is better than candy 

made out of rabbit,” or wittily observing 

the many ways that vests save you, “life 

vests save you from water, bullet proof 

vests save you from bullets, and sweater 

vests save you from having pretty girls 

talk to you.” He also joked about all 

of the advertising in the RAC and if it 

was the prime advertising space in the 

Baltimore area; the lack of championship 

banners hanging from the wall “leaves a 

lot of room for potential." After warming 

up the crowd with these, he went to his 

signature "large pad," which is just that, 

a large pad of paper with what looked 

like random drawings on it. One such 

drawing was a picture of a cat head 

that he thought would make a good 

birdhouse because “it would look like 

the cat was eating and puking up birds 

all day." 

Martin’s quick sense of humor and 

short jokes make his act a lot like that 

of the late comedian Mitch Hedberg. 

His blank facial expression and 

monotone voice make the jokes more 

funny because they seem like normal 

observations rather than a joke strictly 

geared to have a punch line in order to 

make the audience laugh. My favorite 

part of the act followed the “large pad," 

where Martin went to a smaller pad of 

paper in which there were more of his 

drawings. He described two graphs that 

showed the amount of fun of watching 

someone do either karaoke or skiing and 

the corresponding level that the person 

has in the talents. For example, it is best 

to watch someone who is either really 

good at karaoke or really bad at it, just as 

it is more fun to “watch someone ski who 

is about to go to the Olympics or who 

has never seen a hill in their life." 

Halfway through the act he stopped 

using the pad of paper as a prop and 

began to read off flyers that would be 

good to put on bulletin boards. Such 

as one saying “brown dog, not missing, 

has spots, everything is fine," or “free 

candy for kids, no parents or tattletales 

allowed, just kids." The crowd seemed 

to really enjoy Martin and throughout 

his entire set received a lot of applause 

and screams of laughter. At one point 

someone heckled Martin by shouting out 

“Sean is gay," but Martin, not skipping a 

beat, responded “Oh! Are you Sean?” 

and commended him on his brave way 

to come out of the closet in such a public 

place. After brushing that off, Martin 

ended his act with jokes accompanied by 

his own piano and guitar playing. While 

playing the piano he listed off funny 

ways to propose to a woman. Such as 

breaking her finger and then putting the 

ring in the cast and when the cast comes 

off say, “we’ve been engaged for three 

weeks." He also noted that the best way 

to sound creepy is to end every sentence 

you say with the word “ladies," which 

is something I would never think about 

but ended up being very true. Martin left 

to a huge crowd cheering in the RAC and 

was a great choice for SEB to bring to 

campus for homecoming. For someone 

who had not really seen his work before 

I really enjoyed the whole show and 

recommend him for at least a YouTube 

search…ladies. 

Comments may be sent to 

eomberg1@umbc.edu. 

Student turnout falls short at Retriever Fever Fest 

Derek Roper 

Staff Writer 

The weekend weather was not kind to 

school spirit; it wreaked havoc on sports 

and deterred some from coming out. But 

that didn’t stop the Student Events Board 

or Alumni Relations from (an attempt 

in) making lemonade out of lemons. 

Retriever Fever Fest went on in The 

Commons without a hitch (somewhat) 

and was the perfect example of the 

saying "it only takes a couple of people 

to have a party." 

Last year The Retriever Weekly covered 

the student tailgate and even then the 

weather was anything but cooperative. 

True Grit managed to come out and 

students still showed their school spirit 

through chattering teeth. 

SEB Vice President Katie Dix, bundled 

up in her UMBC hoodie, was happy 

at the turn out this year. “We had way 

more people than expected, because of 

the rain; it’s always hard to tell,” Dix said. 

She said this year was the first year that 

the fest was also indoors. “We wanted 

merging all over the campus to get that 

sense of feeling,” Dix added. 

She said that if the activities inside 

went well they would continue the 

tradition. But the tailgate was the only 

hub of student interaction for the day. 

As the crowd moved from The 

Commons Garage and dispersed, a 

handful of people went to The Commons 

to see what was going on. The silence 

was deafening; the faculty that were 

all set up just held conversations with 

themselves. They had big plans for the 

day and eagerly waited for students. 

The smell of popcorn wafted through 

the air and managed to attract a few over 

to Laura Arnwine’s stand. She was busy 

crafting the perfect sweet swirl of cotton 

candy and diligently working to clean 

the burnt popcorn out of the popper. 

A few students passed by the hot 

beverage dispenser and talked before 

leaving campus for good that day. 

UMBC Magazine was set up and 

looked like an Involvement Fest, table 

but a closer look showed that they were 

not only promoting their magazine. 

Lately, the athletes and coaches have 

gotten together to sound-off about the 

dated look of the UMBC’s athletic logo, 

designed back in 2001. The UMBC 

Magazine table displayed a large graph 

along with voting ballots for alumni and 

current students to cast their vote for one 

of five new logos. However, this wasn’t 

the only day that people could vote 

because there are plans to put a poll up 

online as well. 

True Grit was supposed to come down 

and partake in the festivities but he was 

over at one of the fields, He did have a 

stand-in: a cardboard cutout ready to 

take pictures. 

There was supposed to be a Guitar 

Hero competition that afternoon but 

there were no signs of either student life 

or the gaming instruments. 

However, since the event was focused 

on the alumni, that meant the presence 

of kids. The upstairs kid’s corner located 

in the Sports Center featured a movie 

and all kinds of crafts. Heather Gleason, 

a part of Alumni Relations, sat ready to 

greet anybody that walked in for crafttime. 

She handed out foam hands to 

anyone that asked for a bag and got to 

watch the Harry Potter movie due to the 

lack of guests. 

Angel Ruckert, whose husband is 

an alumnus, brought her daughter 

Samantha, who took part in painting one 

of the many faux pumpkins that adorned 

the tables. “My husband used to go here, 

so we decided to come up and see what 

it was all about,” Ruckert said. 

There wasn’t too much cotton candy 

being made and there wasn’t a game 

competition, but for the few that made it 

out it was definitely worth their while. 

So with a better turn out in The 

Commons Garage, the question still 

remains what drew the students to the 

outside on the nasty day? “Because there 

were free wings,” student Maria Beckford 

said. 


roderek1@umbc.edu. 

deReK RopeR — tRW 

Commons Coordinator A.J. Irizarry receives free cotton candy from UMBC student Laura Arnwine during the Retriever 

Fever Fest in The Commons this past Saturday.

18 ARTS 

10.20.09 

CADVC’s exhibition 

comments on sports 

CouRtesy iNdepeNdeNt CuRAtoRs iNteRNAtioNAl 

“Scar Chest,” a print by Hank Willis Thomas, comments not just on masculinity, 

but on race and corporate branding as well. 

> from CADVC [16] 

America, high school sports go so far 

beyond just a game. They are a ticket 

out, a way to make something of life 

that can’t be accomplished somewhere 

in Middleofnowhere, Kentucky. 

These pictures expose that longing for 

something more; you can see it in their 

eyes. 

But the big question here is: why 

are male sports figures so important to 

American culture? In a way, sports strip 

people of all of the things that make them 

individuals. They are part of a team and 

that is what they are recognized as. Not 

as a human, but as a part. Gender roles 

for men do not seem as though they have 

evolved quite like those of women in the 

latter half of the 20th century. It is still 

expected for men to be these figures of 

strength and power which have been the 

RUCKUS performance 

> from 3x3 [16] 

of glass, air passing through instruments, 

clicking keys and general sounds of 

chaos, all of which were choreographed 

in a magnificent way to present a 

beautiful cohesive work. 

Performers at the show included 

UMBC students Danielle Spaeth and 

Rachel Beetz on flute, professional 

percussionist Tom Goldstein on 

percussion, and Professor of Music E. 

Michael Richards on clarinets. 

Other contributors to the event 

included the Director of Recording, 

Alan Wonneberger, the Chair of the 

Music Department, Lisa Cella, as well as 

administrative supporters Connie Bailey 

and Susan Velli. 

Many students seemed to enjoy the 

concert immensely. Michelle Ko, a senior 

stereotype forever, where women have 

seen a very strong turnaround in their 

expected roles which are very different 

than they were even just 30 years ago. 

The view of masculinity has not seen 

that growth and still retains a sort of 

backwards concept. And sports are one 

of the places that it is seen the most, 

with an almost barbaric emphasis on 

competition and success. Mixed Signals 

has done an excellent job of pointing out 

what it means to be a man in a world 

that is obsessed with a dated perception 

of masculinity. 

Mixed Signals: Artists Consider 

Masculinity in Sports will run in the 

Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture 

through December 12, 2009. 


rhunter2@umbc.edu. 

music performance major, stated, “the 

show was thought-provoking and an 

experience unlike any other." 

Another student, Anethia Benson, 

simply described the show as having 

been “amazing!” 

Most attendees really enjoyed the artist 

collective’s blend between electronics 

and live music. The description about 

each piece was helpful because it allowed 

those in the audience to connect and 

relate to the pieces on a personal level. 

The lobby was abuzz with discussion 

after the show, as the event proved to 

be an all around enjoyable performance, 

even for those unaccustomed to such 

avant-garde music. 

Comments may be sent 

to ch30@umbc.edu. 


Spike Jonze makes magic out 

of Where the Wild Things Are 

CouRtesy WARNeR bRos. piCtuRes 

Gorgeous cinematography and a stellar soundtrack make Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s famous 

children’s book a cinematic masterpiece. 

Daniel Supanick 

Staff Writer 

Childhood is not an easy period. It's 

a time when children are discovering 

the world, and, at the same time, the 

people and the things around them 

are growing up and changing. Many 

children act out in reaction to this 

change, screaming for attention, but are 

met with anger and reprimands from 

those who have forgotten what is it like 

to be a child at that stage. Childhood is 

a very complicated time in anyone's life. 

Where the Wild Things Are, an adaptation 

of Maurice Sendak's storybook, is a film 

that at its core is about childhood and the 

places where children go to escape from 

the world that is disappointing them. 

Where the Wild Things Are is not a 

children's movie in the most accepted 

sense of the term. It is a movie children 

can watch, but it doesn't have the same 

loud sense of humor, upbeat tone, and 

simple sensibilities that a conventional 

children's movie has. It has a much more 

understated tone. Its story is more fluid 

and doesn't spoon-feed information. It 

is a more subtle film than most would 

probably have it, but the subtlety and 

downbeat tone work perfectly for it. 

Take Max, the nine-year-old 

protagonist of the film. He is a lonely 

child who spends most of his time 

imagining and creating. He usually finds 

himself getting lost in his own world and 

doesn't pay much attention to what's 

going on around him. 

His home situation is not a happy one. 

His father isn't around. His mother spends 

most of her time trying to support him 

and his older sister, and also has a new 

boyfriend that Max does not approve of. 

His older sister has outgrown him, and 

makes more time for her friends than she 

does for him. 

Things have changed in Max's life. 

The attention and love he once had from 

everyone has either gone away or taken 

a new form. How does Max cope with 

this? He plays make-believe and acts up. 

He dresses up like an animal and chases 

the dog around the house. He builds 

an igloo and pretends he has an army 

at his command. He isolates himself in 

his room and plays with the toys he has 

stashed up there. Max copes by escaping 

into his imagination, where he can 

project his insecurities onto characters 

and things that he has control over. 

This is where the Wild Things come 

into play. After a bad run-in with his 

family, Max runs away from home and 

imagines that he is traveling to the Land 

of the Wild Things. It is here that Max is 

a king, someone with great power that 

everyone looks up to and loves. It is here 

that Max can find the love he does not 

receive at home or in the real world. 

As in his other imagination games, 

Max projects his different insecurities on 

the Wild Things. Each one represents the 

way things are in Max's life, or the way 

he would have things. One represents 

the father figure he wishes he had. One 

represents a sister who does stay around 

to console him. One even represents him 

and how he is represented in his family. 

The Wild Things are Max's barometer for 

the people in his life, and how he would 

change things. Where the Wild Things Are 

doesn't have a story so much as it has 

a journey we follow Max on. The story 

never stays in one place for a reason: Max 

is a kid. He's always coming up with new 

and exciting things to do. The story goes 

wherever Max's imagination takes him. 

We are seeing a film centered a child's 

imagination, so the story becomes more 

fluid. The characters are not simple 

ones either. Again, most of the movie is 

a representation of how Max is coping 

with his life. Each Wild Thing is not 

just a monster Max has created to be his 

friend. They are beings with problems 

and feelings that Max assigns them so 

that he may understand and deal with 

his problems. They are an extension of 

Max's insecure psyche. In a way, the film 

is more a study of a young child than 

it is a story about a child befriending 

monsters. 

Where the Wild Things Are could have 

fallen into the trap that many storybook 

adaptations do. The filmmaker could 

have written it off as "kid's stuff," and 

riddled it with gratuitous bathroom 

humor and popular culture references 

that don't tie into the story at all. Instead, 

what director Spike Jonze does is get 

to the book's core and expand upon its 

themes. The end result may not be a 

film that children will necessarily enjoy 

the way they enjoy more conventional 

forms of children's entertainment, but it 

is far more meaningful, compelling, and 

memorable than The Grinch or The Cat in 

the Hat will ever be. 

Spike Jonze has really done a great 

service to Sendak's work with this 

film. His aesthetic and tonal choices 

represent perfectly what he and Sendak 

want to show. No, the tone isn't bright 

and happy. The aesthetic is not shiny 

and bubbly. And should it be? The film 

is dealing with a depressed child. The 

world the film represents should be 

one that displays the character's feelings 

of alienation and hopelessness. Jonze 

has done a brave thing not to relegate 

the material to "distraction" status, and 

creates a beautiful piece of art as a result. 

Jonze also makes it a point to 

remember that this film is made or 

broken based on the boy playing Max. 

In the end, we have the newcomer aptlynamed, 

Max Records playing our hero. 

Records hits Max's subtle notes perfectly. 

He strikes a great balance between the 

character's primitive child-like habits 

and his innermost sadness. Records' 

performance makes the film believable 

on an emotional level that could have 

been destroyed had an actor just been 

thrown haphazardly into the role. 

Where the Wild Things Are is not 

the simple film many want. It isn't a 

distraction. It isn't a fantasy adventure 

ripe with obvious humor and rude gags. 

It's an examination of a child who has 

wants and needs, like the grown-ups 

who write him off as a problem. It is 

an appeal to those who have forgotten 

what it is like to be a child to begin to 

understand again and listen. Where the 

Wild Things Are is an appeal to the child 

in all of us. This is what separates it from 

the pack of children's films that choose 

to be merely acceptable, and those things 

are what help make it a masterpiece of 

children's cinema. 


daniels7@umbc.edu.


Coming 

to theaters 

This week 

by Daniel 

Supanick 

saw Vi [r] 

Jigsaw tortures more people who truly deserve it. I’m sure I’m not 

the only one who’s tired of seeing new installments of this series litter 

theaters. The worst part is that they’ve announced more to come. 

Please, no. For the love of God. 

asTro BoY [PG] 

An adaptation of the Japanese manga, this film tells the story of a 

scientist who creates a young robot in the image of his dead son. The 

robot sports incredible powers and must learn what it means to be a 

hero. This movie looked like a fun watch but may be too juvenile for 

many audiences. 

cirqUe dU Freak: THe VamPire’s assisTaNT [PG-13] 

A teenage boy discovers his destiny when he joins a traveling freak 

show as a vampire’s assistant. This is just another in a long line of 

vampire offerings to come to theaters. It shouldn’t be any better than 

the past ones. 

ameLia [PG] 

Hilary Swank stars as Amelia Earhart in this biopic. This is clearly Oscar 

bait for Swank, although being labeled as such does not make the 

movie good. I guess what I’m trying to say is this movie will most likely 

not meet expectations. 

antichrist [r] 

A married couple grieving the death of their young son retreat to a 

cabin in the woods to rehabilitate themselves, but find things getting 

worse. This movie caused a huge stir at the festivals that screened 

it, and is allegedly very disturbing. Word is, though, that despite the 

controversy surrounding it, the movie’s middling at best. 

oNG Bak 2: THe BeGiNNiNG [r] 

Tony Jaa returns in the second installment of his martial arts series. 

Expect this to be hit with fans of the genre. 

Event showcases UMBC talent 

steFANie mAVRoNis — tRW 

Sophomore Luke Roberts, winner of Best Individual Performance, performs on the keyboard. 

> from TALENT SHOW [16] 

an announcement that winners would 

be announced at Midnight Madness, 

the homecoming event following the 

talent show. As an homage to recent 

pop culture, SEB President Brandon 

McCleary, wearing a pair of shutter style 

sunglasses, interrupted Katie in true 

Kanye West style to promote the Demetri 

Martin comedy show on Saturday at 

the RAC. Interestingly enough, this act 

brought on some of the greatest laughs 

of the night. 

During the intermission, students 

took to milling about and chatting 

among themselves about the great 

performances they had enjoyed thus far. 

However, they were certainly waiting in 

eager anticipation for the acts that would 

follow. 

The Stilettos, UMBC’s first all female a 

capella group, all, appropriately, wearing 

stilettos, impressed with their rendition 

of Avril Lavigne’s hit song “Girlfriend." 

With their sassy moves and vocal skills, 

this talented outfit is sure to give their 

counterpart, the Mama’s Boys, a run for 

their money in the coming years. 

Following this performance, 

there were a few more acts that truly 

captivated the audience. These included 

an interesting interpretation of the Mario 

Kart theme song played on a ukulele, 

stand up comedy from UMBC funnyman 

Stavros Halkais, and some freelance 

poetry from Philip Golden. 

The official repertoire concluded with 

a few songs from a regular favorite at the 

Talent Show, Loose Change, a band led 

by UMBC alumni Ray Remesh. 

At Midnight Madness, it was 

Q: I recently got into a relationship with a guy I met through someone not too long ago and it’s going well so far, but I am beginning to 

have second thoughts since I met this other guy in one of my classes. What should I do about this? 

advice 

adVice@reTrieVerweekLY.com 

a: To be honest, it sounds as though your first decision was a little rushed and perhaps you made a bit of a lapse of 

judgment. on the other hand, it also sounds as though you’re rushing through the fine details with this new guy as well, 

so perhaps the best thing to do at this point is to simply sit back and see how these relationships develop. Take your 

time with the situation as your new relationship is still relatively fragile and even your interactions with the new guy are 

fragile as well- don’t make any rash decisions and just wait it out until you have a clearer picture of the whole situation. 

Q: I have liked my friend for awhile now and she keeps giving me the same reasoning as to why she won’t just go out with me already. 

I’ve changed so much of myself for her and she still just won’t have any of it. What can I do to get her to notice me? 

a: There are quite a few ways for this to go down- you can continue this path and more than likely go nowhere with 

her, or you can simply abandon the notion that she will cease being shallow, and remain on a friendly level and nothing 

more with her. if you have honestly changed that much about who you are simply to be with her, you’ve already gone 

over the line - you should never sacrifice who you are so that one person will date you. Perhaps it would be best for 

you to simply move on and avoid a real conflict before some situation comes along in the future and creates a mess of 

tension and stress for both you and her. if she can’t appreciate you for who you are, look for someone else who will. 

announced that the Talent Show judges, 

including The Retriever Weekly Editor-in- 

Chief Gaby Arevalo and representatives 

from SGA and SEB had decided upon the 

winners. For the individual performance 

category, Luke Roberts, as he did last 

year, claimed victory, and in the group 

performance category, Daniel Roberts 

and Joe Edwards proved triumphant, 

again for the second time. 

The UMBC Talent Show proved to 

be a very successful endeavor. It was 

particularly adept at engaging the crowd 

and bringing the UMBC community 

together. All in all, the talent show more 

than made up for the postponed bonfire 

with its many surprises, laughs, and 

general bouts of merriment. 


ndavis3@umbc.edu.

20 ARTS 

10.20.09 

The second Annual Campus Wide 

Scavenger Hunt will take place 

Thursday, October 22nd to Sunday, 

October 25th. The hunt begins 

Thursday at noon, when teams 

of as many as 20 UMBC students 

each begin the frantic chase around 

campus to complete tasks, take 

pictures and find objects. Judging will 

take place on Sunday, October 25th 

on The Commons Mainstreet. In an 

effort to stay true to the Season, the 

winners will receive $200 worth of 

candy! Visit http://userpages.umbc. 

edu/~andsil1/ to register your team. 

The Department of Theatre presents: 

Kiss Kiss: An Evening of Magical 

Realism, featuring The Frog Prince by 

David Marnet and The Winged Man 

by José Rivera. Both plays, directed 

by Eve Muson, deal with the themes 

of beauty, faith and fidelity. The plays 

will run in the Theatre Wednesday, 

October 21st (8 p.m.), Thursday, 

October 22st (4 p.m.), Friday, October 

23rd (8 p.m.), Saturday, October 24th 

(8 p.m.), and Sunday October 25th 

(4 p.m.) Admission: $10 general, 

$5 students and seniors, $3 on 

Wednesday, October 21st, and free 

for UMBC campus community on 

Thursday, October 22nd. 

The InterArts series, in conjunction 

with the UMBC Department of Dance, 

presents: Lore- A Mystery Awaits 

presented by Deviated Theatre and 

Co-directed by Enoch and Kimmie 

Dobbs Chan. The evening length 

production combines elements of 

fantasy with contemporary dance. 

The production will be held in the 

Fine Arts Studio 317, Friday October 

23rd to Saturday, October 24th at 8 

p.m. and Saturday, October 25th at 

6 p.m. Admission: $20 general, $15 

students and seniors. 

The Center for Art, Design and Visual 

Culture presents: Mixed Signals: 

Artists Consider Masculinity in 

Sports, an exhibition which focuses 

on artists from the mid-1990s to the 

present who question the notion of 

the male athlete as the last bastion 

of uncomplicated, authentic identity 

in American culture. The exhibit will 

run from October 8 to December 12. 

The Center, located in the Fine Arts 

building, is open Tuesday through 

Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. 

Admission is free. 

TUesdaY, ocToBer 20 

Tunisian Film 

UC 310, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The 

French Area of MLLI presents: The 

Silences of the Palace by Moufida 

Tlatli. This North African drama 

focuses on the economic and social 

status of women during the last 

days of the Tunisian aristocracy. 

The film will be presented in 

Arabic and French with English 

subtitles. Admission is free. 

Green Building and LEED Panel 

Discussion 

UC 312, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Panelists 

from the Whiting-Turner 

Contracting Company, Leach 

Wallace Associates, Inc. and the 

United States Green Building 

Council will participate in a panel 

discussion on green building and 

LEED certifications. The panel will 

help students learn more about 

these fields and learn how to 

secure internships and careers in 

the industry. 

Women’s Self-Defense Workshop 

Commons 004, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Become familiar with basic selfdefense 

skills, such as boundarysetting, 

verbal de-escalation and 

physical techniques at Cathy 

Johnson’s Women’s self Defense 

Workshop. Admission is free. Call 

410-455-2714 to register. 

wedNesdaY, cocToBer 21 

UMBC Talks: Gay Marriage 

Commons 2B23, 12 p.m. to 1 

p.m. UMBC Talks continues their 

Diversity Dialogue Series with 

the topic: Gay Marriage v. Civil 

Union: Is There a Difference? 

Come participate in the facilitated 

discussion to learn more about 

the topic from fellow community 

members and to voice your own 

opinions. Bring your lunch! 

The Parthenon Sculptures and 

Periklean Policies 

Library Gallery, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

In this Humanities Forum Lecture, 

Jenifer Neils, a professor of Art 

and Archaeology and Museum 

Curator, and Ruth Coulter Heede, 

a professor of Art History at 

Case Western Reserve University 

will speak about the Parthenon 

Sculptures and Perkilean policies. 


THUrsdaY, ocToBer 22 

SEB Weekly Movie: Public Enemies 

LH1, 10 p.m. Admission: $2 ticket 

Transfer Express 

Chick-Fil-A, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Transfer, commuter and nontraditional 

students come together 

to learn about Off- Campus 

Student Services, and to meet with 

fellow UMBC off-campus students. 

Poetry Reading by Rose Solari 

Library 767, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

Come witness a poetry reading 

by acclaimed poet and playwright 

Rose Solari. After the reading, 

Solari will take questions, and sign 

books while light refreshments are 

served. Admission is free. 

John Berndt and Second Nature Music 

Performance 

Fine Arts Recital Hall, 8 p.m. 

The Music Department’s TNT 

series presents Composer and 

experimental music performer, 

John Berndt. Experience the 

eclectic sound of his compositions 

inspired by jazz, Indian and African 

music, and extreme modernist 

instrumental influences. Admission: 


ABC’s new fall lineup promises positive ratings 

around 

campus 

reasons to 

stick around 

this weekend 

CouRtesy touCHstoNe teleVisioN 

ABC’s fall lineup offers up new seasons of the hottest shows, such as Ugly 

Betty, Desperate Housewifes, Castle, and FlashForward. 

Ingrid Garcia 


Ugly Betty premiered on Friday the 

16th with a two-hour season premiere 

full of witty comments and a new, fresh, 

younger look on the main character 

that has outshined TV screens with her 

enormous braces. 

The October wait must have been 

long for Ugly Betty fans, as the usual 

date of fall premieres averages around 

August or September, but never fear, 

it was worth the laughs. Fluttering 

butterflies, arrows, and a model shoot 

at the UN building all distress our 

modern heroine as she also copes 

with her ex-boyfriend now working 

for her magazine. Fashionable faces 

stalk the halls of Mode as Matt seeks 

Wilhelmina’s trust and the bubbly 

Amanda bumps into an unprecedented 

problem. At home, Hilda deals with 

the ever-adorable Justin, who struggles 

with being flamboyantly gay in high 

school and having a drink spilled all 

over his new shirt! 

Worth the wait, Ugly Betty spins 

the plot once again. The laughs are 

harder, characters more dynamic, and 

the fashion is sparkling through the 

constant drama at Meade publications! 

Not to mention a new murder plot 

that promises twists and turns for the 

ever villainous Wilhelmina Slater who 

(surprisingly) did not kill anybody, but 

is the sidekick! 

No worries though, if you missed 

the episode, get on ABC.com and enjoy 

viewing on their full episode player, 

easily accessed with mere 30 second 

commercials by their sponsors. 

ABC’s fall lineup is full of shows 

that hit the taste bud of everybody 

on campus. Desperate Housewives 

premiered about four weeks ago, and 

the ladies on Wisteria Lane are getting 

boisterous, pregnant, and deadly. 

Viewers be advised, spoiler alert 

coming: if you didn’t like Katherine 

the last season, think Dr.Jekyll and Mr. 

Hyde, because this is one pissed-off 

bride that never was! Also, remember 

Gabby’s lover? Sunday, October 18th 

should bring another headache to that 

love triangle, since the gorgeous new 

niece happens to have a crush on this 

same guy! 

Recent shows that have returned for 

their second seasons are still reeling-in 

positive ratings. Castle, a show about 

the famous (extremely attractive) 

author who teams up with an equally 

attractive detective solving extremely 

well-planned-out crime scenes is still 

airing October 19th at 10:00 p.m. after 

the must-see Dancing with the Stars. 

Cougar Town plays on ABC’s comedy 

night, with a dialogue piece for the next 

episode: “Why do you have to use your 

tongue? Don’t lick me, just kiss me!” 

Check it out on Wednesdays at 9:30. 

Lovers of Lost, I give you FlashForward, 

a phenomenal show that deals with 

the world blacking out for 2 minutes 

and 17 seconds and glimpsing their 

lives six months from the present. Talk 

about creepy; it has received ratings as 

the best new show to broadcast this fall 

season. It keeps you at the edge of your 

seat with the usual unexpected twist 

that Lost has. 

These annoyingly sprinkling, wet, 

chilling days don’t seem to end. So 

when you’re done with that 45-page 

assigned reading on the importance 

of cutlery during the 15th century or 

any other equally mind-charged bit of 

homework, sit back, grab your laptop, 

and enjoy the gripping, chilling, 

hilarious and ridiculous fall shows on 

ABC! 


ing1@umbc.edu. 

$7 general, $3 seniors, free for 

students with UMBC ID. 

Big Heart Comedy Hour Presents 

Sonny Fuller 

Lower Flat Tuesdays, 8 p.m. 

to 10 p.m. SEB, in conjunction 

with Big Heart Comedy Hour, 

brings comedian Sonny Fuller to 

UMBC. The night will also feature 

comedians Vince Barnett and Bill 

Monaghan and will be hosted by 

Stavros Halkias. 

FridaY, ocToBer 23 


LH1, 8 p.m. Admission: $2 ticket 

saTUrdaY, ocToBer 24 


Sports Zone, 8 p.m. Admission is 

free. 

Michael Jackson Tribute Dance Party 

Lower Flat Tuesdays, 9 p.m. 

to 11 p.m. Join SEB as they 

commemorate the King of pop 

at their Michael Jackson Tribute 

Dance Party! Don’t miss out 

on Michael Jackson posters, 

memorabilia, door prizes, sequined 

gloves and a DJ who is sure to blast 

tunes from ‘Thriller’ to ‘Beat It.’ 


moNdaY, ocToBer 26 

Stone Pastures Film Screening 

Administration: LH3, 5:30 p.m. to 

7 p.m. UMBC presents, Donagh 

Coleman’s Stone Pastures, the 

second of three film screenings 

taken from the American Museum 

of Natural History’s Margaret Mead 

traveling Film & Video Festival. 

The film follows a family of goat 

and yak herders as they spend a 

year preparing Pashmina wool for 

market. The film showcases the 

painstaking process step by step 

and the effect the work has on the 

family’s young boys. Admission is 

free.


Comics 

tower of babel 

blundergrads 

borrowing not stealing 

TimB maNTeGNa 

comments: man3@umbc.edu 

PHiL FLickiNGer 

comments: blundergrads@gmail.com 

chris ng 

comments: borrowingnotstealing@flipsmack.com

22 

sports 

inclement weather doesn’t ruin 

homecoming tailgate festivities 

michael lankford — trW 

randy Monroe rallies students outside of The Commons during mid-day madness on Friday afternoon. 

Lia Roper 

Contributing WritEr 

Through the torrents of ice-cold, 

chilling rain, glimpses of Retriever 

Fever could still be spotted on the 

UMBC campus. Black and gold balloons 

decorated places such as entryways, 

The Commons, and The Commons 

Garage. Gold “Retriever Fever” 

signs were splattered (and oftentimes 

magically disappearing) all across the 

campus. Students with exaggeratedlooking 

foam hands attached to their 

own hands were often seen parading 

their school spirit around campus. 

Featured 

courtesy athletic communications 

Although the weather for this 

week was horrendous and chilly, 

that did not stop hundreds of UMBC 

students from attending the 2009 

Homecoming Tailgate, which helped 

support the UMBC men’s soccer team. 

Hundreds of eager students showed 

up at the Tailgate, which was supported 

by the Student Events Board 

(SEB). 

So what was the commonality between 

all the students that showed 

up? They each had a craving for Buffalo 

Wild Wings, which were a huge 

hit at the Tailgate. Not to mention, 

SEB ordered a staggering 3,000 deli- 

Donald Daniels 

Editorial Staff 

The women’s cross country team has had 

two seniors lead the charge for the Retrievers. 

Seniors Sara Parkinson and Suzanne 

Gabriel have been the first two Retrievers to 

cross the finish line for the 2009 season. The 

month of September belonged to Parkinson 

as she was the first Retriever to complete 

courses before her teammates with Gabriel 

not being far behind. The month of October 

cious buffalo wings for this event. 

Many UMBC students were in favor of 

Homecoming and the Tailgate. 

UMBC student Katie Gauvin stated, 

“I think the best Homecoming event 

was the Wizards’ Dunking Team at 

Midnight Madness. Three talented 

guys were doing these amazing dunks, 

and it was extremely entertaining!” 

Besides the nice mix-tapes being 

played at the Tailgate, Sophomore 

Rachana Haliyur felt that the best 

parts about this year’s Tailgate were, 

“The good turn-out, the relaxed atmosphere, 

and the delicious food.” 

Freshman Nathan Rehr, who volun- 

athlete: suzanne gabriel 

10.21 

10.22 

10.24 

currently is in the possession of Gabriel as 

she and Parkinson have switched positions 

in who finishes first. This past week Gabriel 

was not just the first Retriever to cross the 

finish line but she was also the first runner 

overall at the Princeton Invitational to 

finish. Gabriel finished the 8k course with 

a time of 23:15.70 as she became the first 

cross country for UMBC to win an event. 

Her victory was a huge boost in the point 

standings for the Princeton Invitational as 

the Retrievers finished in fifth place overall. 

sports@retrieverweekly.com 

This week in sporTs 

Men’s Soccer at Boston University at 7:00 p.m. 

Women’s Soccer vs. New Hampshire at 3:00 p.m. 

teered for the Tailgate, noted that the 

two things he’ll remember about this 

years Tailgate include, “The wings, 

definitely. Also, the huge turn-out for 

the event, despite the weather.” 

Katie Dix, the Vice-President of 

SEB, was very pleased with the Tailgate 

turnout. Dix stated, “Tailgating 

is a new event for UMBC. Even 

though The Commons Garage is our 

rain location, I’m excited about the 

great turnout!” Although the weather 

is horrible, many people are coming 

through, showing their team spirit 

and Retriever Fever. In the future, SEB 

may even organize tailgates for basketball 

games. 

When asked about the Tailgate’s 

main focus (the soccer team), UMBC 

students showed nothing but love and 

support. UMBC senior biology major 

Tolulope Sodimu said, “I’ve heard 

the UMBC soccer team has done really 

well this season. I have no doubt 

they will do awesome for the rest of 

the season.” 

UMBC senior Katy Travers, a psychology 

major, added, “Like any other 

UMBC student, I hope the soccer 

team wins against Longwood later on 

today. I think they’ve done very well 

as a team, so I have faith that they’ll 

do great later on today.” Adam Taylor, 

a freshman said, “The soccer team 

is good, but they need to play bigger 

teams. I believe they will have a 

great season, and hopefully they’ll win 

against Longwood.” 

The Homecoming Tailgate allowed 

students to express their team spirit, 

known widely around the UMBC 

campus as “Retriever Fever.” While 

the weather was terrible this week, it 

did not halt the presence of the UMBC 

student body’s growing Retriever Fever. 

The turn-out for this year was 

excellent, and we will definitely be 

anticipating next year’s Homecoming 

Tailgate! 


lroper1@umbc.edu. 

Gabriel’s win and the team fifth place finish 

should be a big confidence booster going 

into the America East Championships that 

will be held on October 31st at Burlington, 

VT. 

Honorable Mention: Women’s swimming 

and diving Lindsay Sherman who won 

the 100 meter fly (58.24) and the 200 meter 

fly (2:07.32). 


ddaniels@retrieverweekly.com. 

Wednesday 

thursday 

10.23 friday 

Volleyball vs. Stony Brook at 7:00 p.m. 

Men’s Swimming and Diving vs. Navy at 12:00 p.m. 

Men’s Soccer vs. Albany at 1:00 p.m. 

Women’s Swimming and Diving vs. Navy at 2:00 p.m. 

saturday 

10.25 sunday 

Women’s Soccer at Boston University at 1:00 p.m. 

Volleyball at Stony Brook at 2:00 p.m.

The RetrIever Weekly 10.20.09 SPORTS 23 

america east statistics 

Men’s soccer 

standings 

school 

NeW HAMpSHire 

BiNgHAMToN 

HArTforD 

SToNy Brook 

VerMoNT 

UMBC 

BoSToN U 

ALBANy 

league leaders 

Ae 

overall 

W L T W L T 

04•00•00 07•05•01 

02•01•00 07•05•01 

02•01•01 05•06•02 

02•02•00 03•09•02 

01•01•02 01•07•05 

01•02•00 10•03•00 

01•03•00 07•05•02 

00•03•01 00•10•03 

Total saves 

Name Team Saves gA Saves % 

ADriAN foNCeTTe 

ToM CriTz 

jASoN STeNTA 

Phil sAunders 

HrAfN DAViDSSoN 

NeNAD CUDiC 

CoLiN o’DoNNeLL 

ANTHoNy rogiC 

STefAN MANz 

CHriS DeViNe 

VolleybAll 

standings league leaders 

school 

ALBANy 


BiNgHAMToN 

SToNy Brook 

NeW HAMpSHire 

HArTforD 

Ae 

W L 

04 • 00 

03 • 01 

03 • 01 

02 • 02 

01 • 04 

00 • 05 

UA 

UVM 

Bing. 


BU 

UHart. 

UNH 

SBU 

SBU 

UNH 

overall 

W L 

14 • 08 

11 • 08 

11 • 09 

10 • 10 

09 • 13 

06 • 16 

89 

64 

62 

47 

44 

43 

38 

31 

15 

10 

Total Points 

Name Team goals Ast. points 

Andrew Bulls 

levi houAPeu 

AAroN o’NeAL 

CArLoS ViLLA 

CHriS BANkS 

SAMUeL AppiAH 

kyLe LUrCHArSki 

L. ferNANDez 

BeriAN goBeiL 

M. BUSTAMANTe 



BU 

UHart. 

UNH 

BU 

Bing. 

SBU 

SBU 

BU 

15 

10 

9 

7 

5 

4 

2 

4 

4 

1 

19 

17 

12 

11 

14 

14 

9 

13 

13 

3 

6 

9 

3 

1 

2 

3 

6 

2 

2 

8 

0.824 

0.790 

0.838 

0.810 

0.759 

0.754 

0.809 

0.705 

0.536 

0.769 

36 

29 

21 

15 

12 

11 

10 

10 

10 

10 

League Leaders statistics updated as of 10/19/09. 

Kills 

Name Team No. per Set 

HArMoiNe CALiNDA 

ANNA LejiNA 

M. MCDoNoUgH 

eriN MArCo 

kirSTeN BATeS 

VALArie SoUrBeer 

AlyssA lAng 

LiNDSAy fogArTy 

ASHLey HeADeN 

HiLLAry WHiTe 

SBU 

Bing. 

Bing. 

UHart. 

UNH 

UA 


UNH 

SBU 

UA 

woMen’s soccer 

standings 

302 

284 

267 

248 

137 

229 

165 

222 

227 

187 

school 

BoSToN U 

SToNy Brook 

BiNgHAMToN 

MAiNe 

ALBANy 

NeW HAMpSHire 

VerMoNT 


HArTforD 

league leaders 

Total saves 

Name Team Saves gA Saves % 

mo vAn vlerAh 

MAriSA VioLA 

eLizA BrADLey 

ALLy yoST 

LAUreN BroDeUr 

CATe CreNSoN 

jANie reiLLy 

M. priCe-LeiBeNzeDer 

eriN iMAN 

BreANNA MAggio 

LAUrA MArTeL 

CHeLSeA DeVerNA 

jeSSiCA LUSCHiNSki 

eMiLy pALLoTTA 

ASHLe TirABASSi 

fArreLL MCCLeroN 

SA’SHA kerSHAW 

ALex USCiLLA 

MegHAN giLLey 

2 pLAyer Tie 

4.03 

4.00 

3.76 

3.22 

3.19 

3.01 

3.00 

3.00 

2.87 

2.79 

Ae 

overall 

W L T W L T 

06•01•00 10•05•02 

05•01•01 06•08•02 

04•02•00 07•06•01 

03•02•01 06•05•02 

03•02•01 08•07•01 

02•04•00 03•12•01 

01•03•02 01•10•03 

01•05•00 02•12•01 

00•05•01 04•10•02 


SBU 

UVM 

UNH 

UHart. 

UA 

BU 

Maine 

Bing. 

UA 

Maine 

UA 

BU 

BU 

UA 

BU 

SBU 

Hart. 

SBU 

102 

98 

92 

91 

83 

63 

46 

45 

44 

38 

Total Points 

Name Team goals Ast. points 

10 

5 

3 

5 

5 

4 

4 

4 

5 

Name 

Digs 

Team No. per Set 

LAUrie goNzALez 

SArA HeLDMAN 

BriANNA STroNg 

jeANNeTTe giBBS 

DANieLLe eTTA 

PAm JArrett 

HArMoiNe CALiNDA 

kirSTeN BATeS 

M. MCDoNoUgH 

Brooke STANLey 

42 

24 

30 

21 

22 

10 

8 

14 

9 

7 

1 

3 

7 

2 

1 

3 

2 

2 

0 

UA 

UNH 

Bing. 

SBU 

UHart. 


SBU 

UNH 

Bing. 

UA 

0.708 

0.803 

0.754 

0.812 

0.790 

0.863 

0.852 

0.763 

0.830 

0.844 

21 

13 

13 

12 

11 

11 

10 

10 

10 

9 

League Leaders statistics updated as of 10/19/09. 

308 

349 

318 

336 

193 

259 

266 

128 

192 

202 

4.81 

4.59 

4.48 

4.25 

4.20 

3.65 

3.55 

2.98 

2.70 

2.62 

League Leaders statistics updated as of 10/19/09.

24 SPORTS 

10.20.09 

Club hockey team 

continues tradition 

of excellence as 

they dominate 

lastest competition 

Corey Johns 


It was certainly an action-packed 

weekend for UMBC athletics. It was 

homecoming for the men’s soccer 

team. The volleyball and women’s 

soccer teams each played twice. 

Swimming and Diving kicked off 

their season with their first scored 

meet. Suzanne Gabriel led an impressive 

charge for the cross country 

teams. And it was midnight 

madness, kicking off the start to the 

basketball season. 

But this week you have to look 

at the club level of UMBC athletics 

to see who ruled the weekend. 

That team was the UMBC club Ice 

Hockey team. They may not get 

much recognition and they may not 

be a sanctioned varsity sport, but 

the hockey team takes every game 

just as seriously as every other team 

at UMBC. 

Made up of players who play 

purely for the love of the sport (no 

player on the team is eligible for an 

athletic scholarship), the hockey 

team has been ruling the ice for 

several years. At the club level the 

hockey team is one of the top teams 

in the nation and they are showing 

why. 

While they dropped their first 

three games of the season against 

other top ranked teams William 

Paterson and two to Sienna, the 

hockey team has dominated their 

competition in their last four games 

to improve to 4-3-0. 

In their last four games the Retrievers 

have outscored their opponents 

50-3 as they beat four 

Mid-Athletic Collegiate Hockey Association 

(MACHA) teams to jump 

women’s cross 

country takes fifth 

> from Cross CoUnTrY [28] 

Megan Arnold and Laura Blevins. Arnold 

was 61st overall with a time of 25:30.80. 

Meanwhile, Blevins completed the race 

with a time of 26:16.10, which placed 

79th overall. 

Columbia University was the top finisher 

at the Princeton Invitational with all 

of their runners placing in the top ten. 

Gitterman was happy that his team 

received a test with bad weather. “I think 

the weather gave us good experience go- 

to 4-0 in their conference. 

The domination started with a 

13-1 rout of Monmouth on Oct. 3. 

But they did not stop there. They 

then took down Lafayette 14-1 and 

this past week they had two contests 

as they shutout Rowan 13-0 and 

beat Rider 10-1. 

This season marks the 20th in the 

history of the ice hockey team and 

they started the year with a target 

on their back after winning their 

first MACHA championship in the 

team’s history last season. 

But this season they may have 

their most talented team yet as they 

return four of their top five scorers, 

led by Drew Harcharik who was 

named the 2008-2009 Lou Cantore 

Club Sports Athlete of the year after 

recording 74 points off 40 goals and 

34 assists last year. 

This season Harcharik is second 

on the team, with 25 points from 

11 goals and 14 assists, while fellow 

center Alex Post leads the team with 

13 goals and 13 assists for 16 points. 

Post is current third in the nation in 

points and Harcharik is fifth in the 

nation at the club level. 

They also return their goalkeeper 

P.J. Carmack, who has saved 91% of 

the shots against him in 300 minutes 

of action, and top defender 

Dana Becker. 

So sports fans, next time you are 

looking for some good sports to 

watch make the 20 minute trip to 

Piney Orchard to watch one of the 

best club hockey teams in the nation 

play their hearts out to try and 

make a name for themselves in the 

UMBC sports community. 


cjohns2@umbc.edu. 

ing up to Vermont in [late October],” said 

Gitterman about the conditions. “I can’t 

imagine the weather being too warm or 

dry. At this point all we can do is just 

increase the intensity. The workouts are 

going to be a little faster than they have 

been.” 

UMBC now has the America East 

Championships to look forward to in 

two weeks in Burlington, VT. 


brwrigh1@umbc.edu. 


abnet shiferaW — trW 

sandra Vacarino and the women’s soccer offense only managed five shots in their loses to Albany and Binghamton. 

offensive woes put women’s 

soccer in a tight spot as 

they get shutout in two more 

conference games 

Zach Seidel 

SEnior Staff WritEr 

The UMBC women’s soccer team 

continued to play stingy defense, and 

goalie Mo Van Vlerah remained stellar, 

but the Retrievers couldn’t find 

the back of the net in losses to Albany 

and Binghamton this past week. 

The week opened Thursday afternoon 

with a key game at home 

against Albany. The game was moved 

to UMBC Stadium due to torrential 

rains but the weather still seemed to 

be a factor. Both teams struggled connecting 

on passes, and many players 

struggled to keep their balance as the 

rain soaked the field on a cold afternoon 

where the temperature hovered 

around 40 degrees. 

In the 18th minute, Albany’s Katie 

Grant crossed the ball from the left of 

the net to Ashley Tirabassi, and she 

just got a head on it to put the ball in 

the lower right corner for what turned 

out to be the game’s only goal as the 

Great Danes pulled out a 1-0 victory. 

Albany (8-7-1, 3-2-1) dominated 

possession throughout the game as 

it outshot the Retrievers, 20-1. Van 

Vlerah made several key stops in the 

game to keep UMBC in the game, and 

she finished with nine saves overall, 

keeping the Retrievers close on an 

ugly day. 

UMBC (2-12-1, 1-5-0) was able to 

earn two corner kicks, but the Great 

Danes cleared the ball without a problem 

both times. Danielle Kell took the 

Retrievers’ only shot of the game, but 

Albany goalie Cate Crenson was able 

to make the stop. 

Despite earning seven corner 

kicks and having the ball for a large 

chunk of the game, Albany couldn’t 

get the ball in the net any more. The 

Retriever defense kept Albany from 

connecting on passes deep inside the 

box, and UMBC was able to clear the 

loose balls in front of the net. It was 

a physical game as both teams combined 

for 17 fouls, 10 of which were 

on UMBC. 

On Sunday, the Retrievers went 

north to play a Binghamton team that 

had won six of nine and was looking 

to clinch a spot in the America 

East tournament. UMBC fought hard 

again, but the Bearcats came away 

with a 2-0 decision. 

Binghamton applied pressure early 

and broke through in the third minute 

when Amanda Casares took a shot 

that Van Vlerah was able to knock 

down. But the rebound went right to 

Emily Cirillo, and she finished from 

right in front for the quick 1-0 lead. 

Binghamton struck again in the 

second half. That’s when Dani Raske’s 

corner kick sailed right to the far 

post, and Stefani Knopick headed the 

ball into to a wide open net for a 2-0 

lead in the 58th minute. 

The Bearcats (7-6-1, 4-2-0) outshot 

the Retrievers 26-4 and held a 9-2 advantage 

in corner kicks. Binghamton 

also held a 12-0 advantage in shots on 

goal, but Van Vlerah made 10 saves 

and again kept the Retrievers in the 

game. 

Rachel McKee was able to get two 

shots for the Retrievers while Kell and 

Brooke Piper each had a shot. Binghamton 

now holds a 6-0-2 record alltime 

against the Retrievers. 

UMBC next takes the field when 

New Hampshire (3-12-1, 2-4-0) 

comes to town for the final home 

game of the season on Thursday at 3 

pm. The Retrievers will then travel to 

Boston to close out the regular season 

against the first-place Terriers (10-5- 

2, 6-1-0) on Sunday. 


zseidel1@umbc.edu.


Men’s swimming and diving 

continues domination against 

rider in season’s opener 

Dan Levin 


The UMBC men’s swimming and 

diving teams opened up their season 

on Saturday when they traveled 

to Rider University to take on the 

Broncos. After defeating Rider three 

straight years, the men completed the 

four-peat with 163-133 victory on the 

back of eight first place finishes. 

One of the lone seniors on the team 

stepped up big for the Retrievers on 

Saturday. Senior Matt Mattingly 

picked up victories in the 100 breast 

and the 200 IM with times of 58:67 

and 1:57.38 respectively. He was 

also a part of the 200 medley-relay 

team with junior Brad Reitz, freshman 

Sandy Haibel, and freshman 

Steve Gallagher, who won in a time 

of 1:35.80. 

Along with being on the relay 

team, junior Brad Reitz was victorious 

in two other events as well. After 

breaking a school record last year, Reitz 

picked up a victory in the 200 fly 

with a time of 1:54.70. Reitz also won 

the 100 fly in a time of 51.42. 

The other big winner of the meet 

was junior Eric Jones. Jones took 

home first place in the 100 free and 

the 200 free with times of 47.84 and 

1:45.36 respectively. He was also 

part of the victorious 400 free relay 

in 3:12.53 along with senior Zach 

Vonder Haar, freshmen Herol Marjak, 

and Steve Gallagher. Other victories in 

the meet came from Nour Saad in the 

200 back with a time 1:53.99. Also 

John Mendenhall took first in the 200 

breast with his time of 2:11.39. 

On the diving side of it, the men 

were led by Andrew Eckhoff, who 

finished third in the men’s one-meter 

dive. Eckhoff also finished third in 

the three-meter dive posting a score 

of 223.34. 

After losing so many key seniors 

the team really needed its returners 

and younger members to step up. 

Head coach Chad Cradock had to 

be pleased with what he saw in the 

opener as his team took a step in the 

right direction on its way to hopefully 

another conference championship. 

Cradock could not be reached for 

comment. 

Up next for the team is the Navy 

Midshipmen, who will be at the 

UMBC natatorium on Saturday, October 

24th. The meet will begin at 12 

noon. Navy has always proven to be 

a difficult opponent for the Retrievers 

but will be a good measure of where 

the team is at this early in the season. 


daniel23@umbc.edu. 

file Photo — trW 

Men’s swimming and diving controlled the meet against rider as they won 10 events last saturday. 

women’s swimming 

and diving win their 

meet of the season 

at rider, 165-135 

Dan Levin 


The women’s swimming and diving 

team opened their season on Saturday 

with a trip to Rider University. The 

women were just as successful as the 

men, picking up a victory with a score 

of 165-135. 

The Retrievers were led by three 

two-event winners in seniors Lindsay 

Sherman and Tereza Kaplanova and 

junior Rebecca Godwin. A relay victory 

helped seal it off for the women. 

Sherman took victories in the 100 

and 200 fly with times of 58.24 and 

2:07.32, respectively. She was the only 

competitor to post a time under 1:00 

in the 100 fly. Kaplanova was victorious 

in the 200 breast with a time of 

2:26.77. She also took home first in 

the 200 IM with a time 2:12.34. Godwin 

took first in the 500 and 1000 

free events. Her times were 5:09.29 

and 10:29.68 respectively. 

The 400-free relay team set a new 

pool record on their way to a first place 

finish. The team of sophomores Ashley 

Miller, Ashley Sippel, Abbey McKenney, 

and freshman Tara Morrissette 

won in the record time of 3:36.94. 

The previous record of 3:38.32 was 

also held by a UMBC women’s team. 

On the diving side the women 

were led by Amanda Shinholser who 

finished third in the women’s threemeter 

dive. She also placed third in 

the one-meter dive. This is diving 

coach Petar Trifonov’s first season at 

UMBC. He could not be reached for 

comment. 

Coming up is the first met of the 

year for the team, when they host 

Navy on Saturday, October 24th. The 

start time for the women will be 2 

p.m. Navy is always tough but with a 

big opening win at Rider the women 

have kicked off what they hope will 

ultimately be a successful season. 


daniel23@umbc.edu. 

weather hampers men’s cross country at the 

princeton invitational as they finish 12th overall 

courtesy athletic comunications 

Freshman T.J. Cowing finished 106th in the princeton invitational in 27:07.40. 

Brandon Wright 


This weekend, the Retrievers took 

the field in the Princeton Invitational 

in Princeton, NJ. UMBC was 

all set to test their skills against 12 

other teams from different colleges 

and universities. This would be a 

good test going into the America 

East Championships. However, the 

8k race ended up being completed 

in far less than ideal conditions. 

“Because of the weather, the times 

are pretty much meaningless,” commented 

Head Coach Matt Gitterman 

when asked about the day’s race. 

“Everyone’s running about a minute 

slower than they would otherwise.” 

The Retrievers landed a 12th place 

finish out of 13 teams with a team 

time of 2:16:29.40. Andrew Madison 

was the first Retriever to cross 

file Photo — trW 

women’s swimming and diving used seven first place finishes to beat rider. 

the finish line, and 61st overall, as 

he had a time of 26:18.10. Following 

him was Michael Christmas, 

who completed the race in 26:35.40, 

good enough for 80th overall out of 

179 runners. 

The Retrievers’ top finishers were 

seniors, and Gitterman has no problem 

with that. “I think it’s the way 

they have been all year,” said Gitterman 

when asked about the performance 

of the seniors. “The seniors 

have been running strong lately and 

Andrew has been our number one 

runner all year so I think that’s a 

positive step for us.” 

Chris Bowie and Chris Snyder 

completed the race in between 

Christmas and TJ Cowing. Cowing 

had a time of 27:07.40, which 

placed him 106th overall. Brothers 

Roy and Tim Jones were the final Retrievers 

to score on the day. Roy fin- 

ished with a time of 27:17:30, while 

Tim timed out at a 29:11.20. Roy 

finished 116th and Tim was 165th. 

The top finishers were the University 

of Texas with four top ten runners 

and a team time of 2:06:08.70. 

Gitterman praised his team and 

was able to recognize exactly what 

needed to change. “Come conference 

time I think that this shows 

us that we are in a good position to 

step it up,” said Gitterman. “At this 

point all we can do is just increase 

the intensity. The workouts are going 

to be a little faster than they have 

been.” 

The Retrievers’ time is now as the 

America East Championships are 

looming in two weeks time in Burlington, 

VT. 


brwrigh1@umbc.edu.

26 SPORTS 

10.20.09 

corey Johns — trW 

Midfielder sean rothe (7) battles for the ball against Longwood defender shane Johnson on a rain-soaked field. 

Men’s soccer homecoming 

game spoiled by Longwood 

with 3-2 overtime loss 

Corey Johns 


On a cold and miserable day the 

men’s soccer team took the field 

against Longwood University in hopes 

to get back on track with a win in their 

homecoming game, but it was Longwood 

that would come up victorious, 

handing UMBC their second straight 

loss and third of the season. 

While UMBC looked to be ready 

for a rout of the Lancers with two 

early goals, Longwood struck back 

and eventually handed UMBC a heartbreaking 

3-2 loss in overtime. 

“We’re very disappointed,” said 

head coach Pete Caringi. “We wanted 

to play better. Obviously giving up 

three goals is a lot of goals. The field 

conditions were horrible and the fact 

that our two starting center backs were 

out of the game, added to what was 

not a great day.” 

Under normal circumstances the 

game would have been moved to 

UMBC stadium to play on the field 

turf because of the rain, but, because 

of homecoming events, the game was 

played on the grass field at the UMBC 

Soccer Stadium. 

“The weather was a big factor today,” 

Caringi said. “I think if we would have 

played on the turf we would have won 

the game. The conditions were horrible 

and changed our game totally.” 

In the 24th minute UMBC got on 

the board when Andrew Bulls chested 

in a shot by freshman midfielder Mark 

Lubetkin for his 15th goal of the season. 

Just five minutes later Lubetkin 

passed a ball inside to Bulls, whose 

shot was stopped by the Lancer goalkeeper 

Joel Helmick, but the nation’s 

third-leading scorer, Levi Houapeu, 

was there to chip in the rebound for 

his 10th score this season. 

Houapeu and Bulls would combine 

for all 11 shots by the Retrievers in the 

game as Bulls had six and Houapeu 

had five. While UMBC was clicking 

early, the defense that was torn apart 

by injuries gave up two quick goals in 

the next nine minutes to tie the game. 

In the game both center backs, Chris 

Williams and Liam Paddock, were out 

of the game. Williams was sidelined 

with a knee injury and Paddock was 

suspended after recording his fifth 

yellow card of the season against New 

Hampshire. In their places were right 

back Vince Savarese and midfielder 

Dustin Dzwonkowski, who played 

on the back line purely because of his 

height. On the outside Jason McCarron 

and Joe Green got back into the 

starting lineup, but neither was playing 

fully healthy. 

In the 35th minute Brian Germain 

knocked a ball into the far left corner 

from eight yards out to get the Lancers 

on the scoreboard, and, three minutes 

later, Harvey Headley tapped in a score 

after a scramble in front of the goal following 

a corner kick to tie the game 

up at two, a score that would remain 

for the rest of regulation. 

In the second half UMBC had five 

great opportunities to close out the 

game but just could not finish and 

came up empty on all five situations. 

“That just happens,” Caringi explained. 

“You can’t blame those guys. 

They produced all year long and they 

have five great chances that any other 

game this year they make them. Today 

on a bad condition day they just didn’t 

go in and you can’t point fingers at 

them, that’s for sure.” 

Houapeu had an open lane in front 

of him to the far right corner of the 

goal and took the shot, but the ball 

hit the post. While the ball was still 

in good position for a goal after it 

bounced in front of the goal, Houapeu 

took his second chance but the ball 

sailed high. 

Three minutes later, in the 71st minute, 

Houapeu had another chance at a 

goal, but once again misfired and the 

ball went high. In the 76th minute he 

had another golden opportunity, but 

the ending did not change as he sent 

the ball wide. 

Several minutes later Lubetkin 

knocked in a ball during a scramble in 

front of the goal, but was called offsides, 

canceling score. 

Their last good opportunity came 

as time wound down and Bulls took 

a good shot on a one-on-one situation 

with the goalie, but Helmick came up 

with one of his two saves to keep the 

game tied and send it into overtime. 

While 90 minutes was not enough 

time to settle the match, 94 minutes 

was as Chris Saul sent a ball past freshman 

goalkeeper Phil Saunders for the 

3-2 overtime victory. 

While the game did not count towards 

the Retrievers’ conference record, 

the team is now 10-3-0 (0-4-1 

all-time against Longwood). The Retrievers 

will travel to Boston to play 

a do-or-die game for both teams, followed 

by their final home match of 

the season on October 24th against 

Albany. 

But right now their focus is Boston 

University, the reigning conference 

champions and formerly nationallyranked 

men’s soccer team that has suffered 

three straight conference losses. 

The game is key for both teams as the 

loser is put into a tough position to get 

into the six-team conference tournament. 

“We have to get everybody healthy,” 

Caringi said. “Boston is the defending 

champ and coming off three straight 

losses. We just have to get back to 

playing out game: attacking and having 

a better flow.” 




has breast cancer 

awareness in sports 

gone overboard? 

Donald Daniels 


October is National Breast 

Cancer Awareness Month and 

the National Football League has 

decided to do its part in helping 

with that awareness. Both players 

and coaches have worn the usual 

apparel with pink somewhere that 

is easily visible. Everything from 

pink hats, gloves, towels and wrist 

bands have been worn and will 

continue be worn until the end of 

October. The NFL of course, isn’t 

the only league that has joined in 

the breast cancer awareness campaign. 

Major League Baseball and 

the National Basketball Association 

have also joined in over the 

last couple of years as well. Both 

leagues have worn pink wrist 

bands and MLB has even used 

pink bats in some regular season 

games. Here at UMBC various 

women’s varsity sports have also 

taken part in the think pink phenomenon 

by wearing pink uniforms 

at home games. 

Sports on any level are a great 

way to bring people together. Millions 

of people faithfully follow 

different sports and those sports 

are conscious of that. So when 

leagues, both collegiate and professional, 

decide to get behind a 

cause to help a problem or at least 

get a dialogue started about an issue, 

then you have do nothing but 

applaud the effort. Breast cancer is 

a serious disease that kills thousands 

of women and some men 

yearly. If you have paid attention 

to the whole pink movement, it is 

the main issue that sports in general 

is trying to address. 

Leagues like the NFL, NBA 

and MLB do address other is- 

sues but over the last five years it 

seems that sports are really trying 

to inform you about breast cancer 

above all else. Prostate cancer, for 

example, is a disease that takes 

the lives of thousands of men annually. 

And it would make perfect 

sense if these leagues that are 

male-dominated set aside days to 

help raise awareness for prostate 

cancer none of the major sports 

leagues have done that. 

So why is breast cancer at 

the forefront of these leagues 

and sports? It could be the fact 

that inserting pink in sports will 

automatically get people talking, 

especially when it involves male 

sports. The color pink has never 

been a part of any sports uniform, 

either in college or in the pros. So 

when you see a linebacker who’s 

six feet four inches tall and built 

like a truck wearing pink shoes 

you what to know why. Then the 

result of that curiosity leads into 

a conversation about breast cancer 

in which you may talk about 

someone you know or connected 

to that has or had the disease. 

Without a doubt breast cancer 

is horrible disease and is highly 

important issue. However, it isn’t 

the only issue that deserves our 

attention. There are many causes, 

topics and diseases that need to 

addressed. Yes there is nothing 

wrong with alerting people about 

an issue, but when that one issue 

becomes the clear cut point of discussion 

then that topic slights the 

other problems. There are enough 

problems in the world, and sports 

can give equally time and attention 

to all of them. 


ddaniels@retrieverweekly.com. 


Freshman midfielder Mark Lubetkin recorded two assists in his first career 

start in the 3-2 overtime loss to Longwood in their homecoming game.


11 th annual Midnight Madness rocks The rAC Arena 

> from MiDniGhT MADness [1] 

the crowd before huddling together 

at center court. 

After the players came, the head 

coach to give his annual Midnight 

Madness speech to the fans and discussed 

the goals and plans for this 

year. 

“A few years ago we won our first 

America East Championship. Then in 

2008 the men’s team won an America 

East Championship, making us 

the only team to win back-to-back 

championships,”head women’s basketball 

coach Phil Stern explained. 

“But this year our goal is to win 

[men’s and women’s] championships 

the same year.” 

While the goal may seem lofty, 

Stern certainly thinks his team is in 

perfect position to be in contention 

for the AEC crown. With Kim Browning 

being the only new addition to the 

team, the rest of women’s basketball 

team has already gone through some 

growing pains last year. 

“We’re really excited about this 

season,” Stern said. “Our young kids 

have grown up a little. We only have 

one freshman this year, Kim Browning. 

She’ll contribute, but Carlee 

[Cassidy] is a senior and we want to 

send her out on top. Our sophomores 

and freshmen have grown up and I 

think they are ready to make an impact 

on the America East.” 

Following the women’s team introduction, 

the men’s team was introduced 

and, like the women’s team, 

each player came out to a song of his 

choice, followed by head coach Randy 

Monroe for his turn at a speech. Like 

Stern, he explained that the teams put 

in hard work and they plan on raising 

two championship banners in the 

same year. 

“Both teams make a serious commitment,” 

Monroe yelled over the 

microphone to a very loud audience. 

“When everybody is gone over winter 

break and Thanksgiving break our 


The women’s basketball team shows of it’s dance skills to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in a surprise performance. 

players are here working and, like 

coach Stern said, our goal is to bring 

it together and win a championship 

for both the men’s and women’s program 

in the same year.” 

While the women’s team is expected 

to do very well this season, 

Monroe’s men’s program is expected 

to take a step back for a rebuilding 

year after losing two of the best players 

in UMBC history in Jay Greene 

and Darryl Proctor. While Monroe 

admits that the team is not expected 

to do well, he also says there is no 

better motivation than when people 

doubt you. 

“I always say it’s a great challenge 

and great motivation when people 

doubt you and people don’t think 

you can do it,” Monroe explained. 

“There is no greater motivation and 

no greater feeling than when you put 

it all on the line and work hard and 

prove those people wrong.” 

While the men’s team lost two of 

the best players in the history of the 

program, they certainly have plenty 

of talent this year and could be a 

potential dark horse. They welcome 

two transfers, Chris De La Rosa, a 

quick point guard with superb passing 

ability, and Robbie Jackson, a 

7’0” 300-pound center who is the 

big body that the America East have 

never quite seen before. Not only do 

they have those two, but they also 

welcome what has been regarded 

as the team’s best recruiting class in 

UMBC history by ESPN. 

“I’m looking forward to coaching 

the young people we have in our program. 

It’s a new team obviously; every 

year presents a different challenge. 

The thing I like about this team is 

they are excited about playing. They 

want to come out and represent the 

university very well and represent 

themselves really well and they have 

something to prove and they have a 

chip on their shoulder, which I like 

seeing,” said Monroe. 

Both coaches admit though that 

they cannot win without the fans. 

Having support at every home game 

boosts the teams’ play because they 

do not want to disappoint the fans 

who come to see them, but also they 

feed off the crowd’s energy. 

“We want to see you all come back 

every game because you don’t realize 

it, but you are a sixth man,” Monroe 

explained to a crowded RAC arena. 

After the team introductions and 

coaches’ speeches was a surprise 

performance, which turned out to be 

a dance by the women’s basketball 

team. 

Shortly following that were the two 

big competitions of the evening: the 

three-point challenge and the slam 

dunk contest. 

The women’s basketball team 

three-point challenge came first, with 

four players competing: UMBC’s alltime 

leading three-point scorer Carlee 

Cassidy, Erin Brown, who was second 

on the team in three-point percentage 

last season, and two more sharp 

shooters: Meghan Colabella and 

Chelsea Barker. 

In round one Brown just edged 

out Colabella for a spot in the finals 

while Cassidy and Barker tied in the 

first two shoot-offs they had, bringing 

it to a five second shoot-off, which 

Cassidy won. 

But in the finals it was Brown who 

would be crowned the 2009 women’s 

three-point contest champion. 

The night concluded as it always 

does, with a slam dunk contest by the 

men’s basketball team. In the competition 

were Jackson, Bakari Smith, 

Jake Wasco, and reigning champion 

Chauncey Gilliam. 

But Gilliam made it look easy as he 

beat Jackson in the finals as he successfully 

defended his title with four 

successful dunks: a 360-degree dunk, 

a one-handed dunk off a pass from 

himself off the top of the backboard, 

a dunk over teammate Nick Groce, 

who sat on a chair and passed the ball 

up to the soaring Gilliam, and finally 

a side Tomahawk to take the crown. 

Then, as the night came to a close 

and the clock struck midnight, the 

basketball season officially began. 




UMBC twirler stasi kowalewski (left) entertains the crowd with her twirling abilities while the Down and Dirty Dawg Band (right) shows why they are one of the top bands on the east Coast.

28 SPORTS 

10.20.09 


Volleyball five-match winning streak snapped at Albany 

Michael Donnelly 


The UMBC volleyball team split 

its road trip over the weekend. The 

team won a hard-fought match 

against Binghamton before losing in 

three sets to Albany. The matches 

put UMBC at 11-8 overall and 3-1 

in the conference. The loss to Albany 

snapped a five match winning streak 

that included three straight conference 

wins. 

Senior Kira Giles earned third 

place in assists for UMBC with 3,067 

after the matches over the weekend. 

The Retrievers started the road trip 

with a match against Binghamton 

Friday night. UMBC had not won a 

match at Binghamton under Head 

Coach Ian Blanchard. UMBC won 

the match in five sets (25-23, 25-22, 

25-27, 17-25, 15-9). 

“We know any time we play that 

team it is going to be a battle,” 

Blanchard said. “We had a game plan 

going in for what we wanted to do 

offensively and defensively.” 

The Retrievers won the first two 

sets by a very narrow margin. UMBC 

outhit Binghamton .263 to .138 in 

the first set but was outhit .147 to 

.143 in the second set. 

The third set was also close, but 

UMBC could not pull away and win, 

ultimately losing the set 25-27. 

“We got it tied at 24-all and we 

had an opportunity to go up 25-24 

and 26-25 and we just weren’t able 

to capitalize on either one of those,” 

said Blanchard. The Retrievers outhit 

Binghamton in the third set .239 to 

.234, but like the second set, better 

hitting didn’t translate to a win. 

By the fourth set both teams were 

tired, according to Blanchard, but 

he said the players did not lose their 

focus even though they had a large 

amount of hits. Binghamton went 

on to win the fourth set and force 

a fifth set for the match. UMBC had 

its worst hitting on the match (.116) 

while Binghamton had its best (.368) 

as the Retrievers lost 17-25. The Retrievers 

were able to pull away in the 

final set and win 15-9. 

Sophomore Alyssa Lang had 20 

kills for the night but also had 12 errors. 

Senior Ashley Oscars (13 kills, 

12 digs), Senior Kira Giles (23 assists, 

14 digs) and Sophomore Allie 

Spaay (35 assists, 10 digs) all earned 

double-doubles for the match. 

Freshman Ali Loynachan made her 

first appearance in five weeks, helping 

the team by earning eight kills 

and three assisted blocks. Freshman 

Naomi Bush also played a strong 

match with 13 kills and .310 hitting. 

Both teams had trouble serving for 

the match. UMBC and Binghamton 

both only had five service aces for the 

match. Both UMBC and Binghamton 

had 11 service errors apiece. When 

asked the cause of the high number 

of errors for the match, Blanchard 

commented it was due to aggressive 

serving by both teams. 

“We couldn’t just lollipop the ball 

over them and give them the easy opportunities. 

They’re too good for us 

to do that,” Blanchard said. 

The win in Binghamton was coun- 

suzanne Gabriel wins princeton invitational 

courtesy athletics communications 

suzanne Gabriel is the first retriever runner to win an event this season. 

abnet shiferaW — trW 

senior pam Jarrett (left) averaged 12 digs in the last two matches. Freshman naomi Bush (center) had 16 kills while 

sophomore Alyssa Lang (right) averaged 11 kills and eight digs during the volleyball team’s brief road trip. 

Brandon Wright 


With the America East Championships 

drawing near, the Retrievers had 

just one final tune-up before showing 

what they could do against the other 

teams in their conference. The Retrievers 

headed to New Jersey this weekend to 

compete in the 6k Princeton Invitational. 

However, they ended up having another 

opponent as well in the weather. 

“There were torrential downpours and 

mud the entire time,” described Head 

Coach Matt Gitterman. “The girls’ side 

ran second so their times were probably 

about two minutes off.” 

UMBC’s team time was 2:03:26.70. 

This time landed the women’s team a 

fifth place finish out of the nine teams 

that competed. UMBC was able to ride 

the performances of their two seniors, 

Suzanne Gabriel and Sara Parkinson, 

who both claimed top 15 finishes. Despite 

the weather, Gabriel was able to ac- 

complish an amazing feat, as she was the 

first woman to cross the finish line out 

of the 112 other runners. Gabriel’s first 

place finish timed out at 23:15.70. 

“She ran a perfectly technical race to 

take the win,” said Gitterman. “What 

she did today was exactly everything that 

she needed to do.” 

InsIde 

tered with a loss on Sunday afternoon 

in Albany. In a battle between 

the two 3-0 teams in the league, Albany 

simply outplayed the Retrievers 

in almost every way. Albany proved 

why they are the defending AEC 

champions as they swept the match, 

winning the three sets handily (12- 

25, 19-25, 11-25). It was the first 

conference loss for the Retrievers all 

season. Albany outhit the Retrievers 

.324 to -.045. UMBC also had 28 errors 

for the match. 

“We didn’t execute as well as we 

did against Binghamton,” Blanchard 

said. “There wasn’t an area of the 

game in which Albany wasn’t better 

than us.” 

UMBC lost the first set 12-25, 

hitting only .029 to Albany’s .516. 

The second set wasn’t much better. 

UMBC was outhit .000 to .225. 

“They were never in jeopardy 

of losing that set,” Blanchard said. 

“We chipped away a little bit but we 

were never in a position to challenge 

them.” 

When asked for the upside of 

such a one-sided loss, Blanchard was 

quick to point out that it was not the 

best the team could do. 

“We can get a lot better. If there is 

anything positive we can take out of 

the loss, it is that we didn’t play our 

very best volleyball and we have a lot 

of areas where we can improve.” 

Loynachan had 5 kills and .188 

hitting, a team high for the match. 

Oscars had six kills and 13 digs for 

the match. Giles earned another 

double-double with 12 assists and 

10 kills. 

Even with the loss at Albany, the 

team still considers it a successful 

trip. It is the first time under Coach 

Blanchard that the team got any wins 

on a particularly hard road trip. 

UMBC faces Stony Brook (10-10, 

2-2) on Friday at the RAC Arena at 

7 p.m. 


mdon1@umbc.edu. 

Parkinson had a 12th place finish 

with a time of 23:56:40 which was 

good enough to score ten points for the 

Retrievers. Keri Wilson was the third 

UMBC runner to score, as she timed a 

24:27.70. Wilson finished 27th overall. 

The final two Retrievers to score were 

> see Cross CoUnTrY [24] 

sports 

24 woMen’s soCCer BLAnkeD 

25 swiM & DiVe DoMinATes 

26 Men’s soCCer sTUMBLes

Task force of UMBC students and staff plan - The Retriever Weekly

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