LoPiccolo - Clips

Search

Menu

CAMPUS NEWS

UMD rst-generation students reflect on challenges, achievements in college journeys

Natalie Weger · November 13, 2023

Share Tweet E-mail

Mu Yuan, a sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences, speaks about his experience as a rstgeneration student. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

AfterNatalyRomerovisitedtheUniversityofMarylandonanelementaryschoolfield trip,sheslappedagiantred“M”ontoher“dreamjournal.”

Romero,whoseparentsareimmigrantsfromElSalvadoranddidnotattendcollege, saiditwasherchildhooddreamtoattendthisuniversity.

Morethanadecadelater,Romero,nowasophomoremechanicalengineeringmajor,sat onapicnicblanketatMcKeldinMallonWednesday’snationalFirst-GenerationCollege CelebrationDayandrecountedherjourneyofattendingcollege.

Sophomore mechanical engineering major Nataly Romero speaks about her experience as a rst-generation student while sitting on McKeldin Mall on Nov 8, 2023 (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Sophomore mechanical engineering major Nataly Romero speaks about her experience as a rst-generation student while sitting on McKeldin Mall on Nov 8, 2023 (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Romeroispartofabout20percentofstudentsatthisuniversitywhoarethefirst membersoftheirfamilytoattendcollege,accordingtotheuniversity’sinstitutional research,planningandassessmentoffice.Thisuniversityrecognizedthesestudentswith celebratoryeventsacrosscampusonWednesday.

“I’mproudtobeafirst-generationstudent,”Romerosaid.“Ifeellikethatopensdoorsto mygenerationormykids.”

UniversityPresidentDarryllPines,afirst-generationcollegegraduate,saidinan interviewwithTheDiamondbackthatfirst-generationstudentsare“trailblazersintheir family.”

Romerosaidmanyofherclassmates,whichprimarilyconsistofmalestudents,have parentswhoaredoctorsorengineers.Herfatherisaplumber,sheadded.

[NewUMDNativeandIndigenousemployeeshopetoenrichstudent experiences]

Shenotedthisrealitymadetransitioningtocollegeallthemoredifficult.

Romeroalsoemphasizedthatapplyingforcollegewasastressfulprocessbecauseshe didnotpersonallyknowanyonewhoattendedcollege.

“Ifeltlonelybecauseeveryoneelseseemedtoknowwhattheyweredoing,”Romero said.“Iwasjustkindofthrownintothefire.”

AshleyCortez,asophomoreenrolledinlettersandscienceswhotransferredfroma universityinMassachusetts,saidherparentsalsoimmigratedfromElSalvador.

Cortezhighlightedthatwhenshewasacceptedtothisuniversity,hermothersaid“you actuallymademydreamcometrue.”

Cortezsaidherparentsalwaysemphasizedthat“educationisthekeyforeverything.”

Sherecalledherfatheryellingatherforherfirst“C”onareportcard.Asignificantpart ofbeingafirst-generationstudentisfiguringthingsoutindividually,shesaid.

“You’realwayswalkinginthedark.Ididn’tevenknowIhadtopayafeeforapplyingto colleges,”Cortezsaid.“Itwasaconfusingtime,butattheendoftheday,Ifigureditout likeIalwaysdo.”

Ashley Cortez, a sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences, speaks about her experience as a rstgeneration student while sitting in Stamp Student Union on Nov. 8, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Ashley Cortez, a sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences, speaks about her experience as a rstgeneration student while sitting in Stamp Student Union on Nov. 8, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Ashley Cortez, a sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences, speaks about her experience as a rstgeneration student while sitting in Stamp Student Union on Nov. 8, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Cortezsaidthisuniversitypresentsmanyopportunitiesforstudents.Sheaddedthatshe hopestomajorinpsychologyandhelpsupportthoselikeherparentsbygettinginvolved ingrassrootsactivism.

“Mydaddidn’tevengraduatefromhighschool,”Cortezsaid.“Sobeingabletograduate fromcollegeandbeingabletowalkacrossthestageisoneofthemostimportantthings forme.”

MuYuan,asophomoreenrolledinlettersandsciences,transferredtothisuniversity fromaschoolinChina.Yuan’sfather,anengineer,stressedtohimfromayoungagethe importanceoftechnologicalknowledge,spurringhisinterestinstudyingcomputer science.

Yuansaidhehopesthatattendingcollegewillhelpmakehimmoresocialandbeneficial tosociety.

“Asafirst-generationcollegestudent,Ihavemoreresponsibilitytobeabetterpersonin university,”Yuansaid.“Ineedtodosomethingmeaningful,usefulto…societyandmy parents.”

Mu Yuan, a sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences, speaks about his experience as a rstgeneration student while sitting on McKeldin Mall on Nov. 8, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Mu Yuan, a sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences, speaks about his experience as a rstgeneration student while sitting on McKeldin Mall on Nov. 8, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Mu Yuan, a sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences, speaks about his experience as a rstgeneration student. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

[UMDstudentgroupsreacttoWashingtonQuadeventrestrictions]

Severalfirst-generationstudentsalsogatheredatthe251NorthDiningHallon Wednesdayforadinnerhostedbytheuniversity’sResidenceHallAssociation.

SophomoreaccountingmajorMichaelNino-Aguilar,whoattendedthedinnerevent, saidthathefeelsproudtowalkaroundcampusknowingthathe“defiedtheodds.”

Nino-Aguilar,whoattendedacollegepreparatoryhighschool,saidhisparentswere alwaysstrictabouteducation.

“Ifeellike[myparents]wantedthebestforme.They’vebeenworkingsincetheywere teenagers,andtheyknowwhatitfeelsliketobeontheshortendofthestick,”NinoAguilarsaid.“Theywantedmetohavethatsecurity,andthatsecuritycomeswith education.”

Nino-Aguilarsaidheisthefirstamonghisparentsandthreeyoungersisterstoattend college.Headdedthatapplyingtocollegewasastressfulprocess,especiallybecausehis

parentsdonotreadorspeakEnglish.

Onechallengeofbeingafirst-generationcollegestudentisworryingaboutyourfuture andquestioningifyouare“goodenough,”Nino-Aguilarsaid.Buthenotedthatthe additionalpressuremotivateshimtoperformbetterinschool.

FreshmancriminologyandcriminaljusticemajorVanessaSandoval,whoalsoattended thedinner,saidoneofherbiggestmotivationsforcompletingcollegeisinspiringher youngersiblings.

Freshman criminology and criminal justice major Vanessa Sandoval speaks about her experience as a rst-generation student while sitting in 251 North on Nov. 8, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Movingforward,Sandovalsaidthatshehopestohelpimmigrantslikeherparents,from GuatemalaandHonduras,bystudyingcriminaljustice.

Sandovalsaiditfeels“amazing”toattendaschoolthatrecognizesfirst-generation students.

CAMPUS NEWS

UMD faculty, students respond to rise of ChatGPT

Nene Narh-Mensah · February 3, 2023

Share Tweet E-mail

Dr Philip Resnik, a professor with the UMD Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and the linguistics department, with an afliate appointment in computer science, poses for a portrait outside of Marie Mount Hall on Jan. 30, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo / The Diamondback)

TherecentriseofadvancedartificialintelligencechatbotssuchasChatGPThasforced professorsanduniversitiesacrossthecountrytorethinktheircurricula. Menu

Manyprofessorshavebanneditsuseintheirclassroomsovercheatingconcerns—but UniversityofMarylandlinguisticsprofessorPhilipResniktookadifferentapproach, givingstudentsachancetouseAIwithapurpose.

“Idecidedthatratherthansimplyhavingapolicythatwouldforbidtheuseofthiskind oftechnology…Idecidedtokindofembraceitandincorporateitintotheclass,”Resnik said.

ResnikisamongfacultyandstudentsattheUniversityofMarylandexploringthe potentialimpactsofartificialintelligencechatbotsonacademicintegrity.Some professorshavealreadymodifiedtheirsyllabitopreventtheusageofAIonassignments. Others,suchasResnik,aretestingwaystoimplementAIintheirclassroomsaslearning tools.

UnderResnik’sAIusepolicyinhisclassonunderstandinglanguage,studentsare allowedtouseAIonanassignmentaslongastheyadmittheyusedit,submita completedescriptionofthepromptstheyusedandananalysisofwhatthebotdidand didn’tdowell.

[UMDstudentturnsinterestinAIpromptingintobeginnercourse]

“It’snotasubstituteforthemtodoanassignment,”Resniksaid.“Instead,it’sawayof broadeningtheexperienceofdoingitinawaythatwouldhaveteachingvalue.”

Hiscourseisaboutunderstandinglanguagefrommultipleperspectivesincludinga technologicalone,sotheAIpolicywillallowstudentstobe“hands-on”withsuch technology,Resniksaid.

SeniorgovernmentandpoliticsmajorAlexPuggsaidprofessorshavemoreawareness aboutAIthantheydidlastsemester.Hiscomparativepoliticsprofessorinstructed studentsnottouseChatGPTonassignments—butPuggsaidthetechnologycouldbe usefultohelplearningifnotusedforoutrightplagiarism.

“Ithinkit’sdefinitelygoodtohelpkidswhoareshowinguptoclass,especially[if]the professorcan’tarticulatewhathe’stryingtoteachthem,”Puggsaid.

JenniferKingRice,thisuniversity’sseniorvicepresidentandprovost,saidthe universityismeetingwithacademicleaderstodiscusshowtonavigateAIand instruction,butdidnotlistanyspecificchangestotheacademicintegritypolicy.

[MarylandlawmakersexpandUSMunionizationpushtoincludefaculty members]

“AIisheretostayandwewillleverageourcampuswideexpertisetoadaptaccordingly,” KingwroteinanemailtoTheDiamondback.

Resnik,thelinguisticsprofessor,saidAIhasirreversiblychangedtheeducational landscape,andpoliciesanddiscussionofChatGPTwillbeunavoidablegoingforward.

HalDaumé,acomputerscienceprofessoratthisuniversity,saidinstructors conversationsaboutAIaren’tnew,especiallyinthecomputersciencefieldwith programssuchasCodex,whichautocompletesprogrammingprompts.

ManyprofessorswillprobablydefaulttobanningtheuseofAIintheirclassrooms, Daumésaid,buthehopesinstructorscanintegratethemaslearningsupplements.

“Itletsyougetfeedbackandupdateyouressayoryourthoughtprocessquicklywithout havingtowaitforTAorprofessorstogiveyoufeedback,”Daumésaid.“Icouldseethat asbeingapositiveoutcome,analogoustotheadvantagesofauto-gradedthings,withthe caveatthattherearealsodisadvantagestoauto-gradedthings.”

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM BY DONATING TO THE DIAMONDBACK.

CATEGORIES: Campus News

TAGGED: academic integrity ai chatbot articial intelligence ChatGPT linguistics umd professors

Here’s

what happens to recycled items in Prince George’s County

Katharine Wilson · November 20, 2023

Share Tweet E-mail

Material ready to be processed for recycling arrives at the Prince George's County Materials Recycling Facility on Nov. 15, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Recyclingisaregularpartoflife,butwhathappenstomaterialsaftertheyfallintoblue canscanoftenseemlikeamystery.

HereisalookatwhathappensinsideaPrinceGeorge’sCountyrecyclingfacilityand whatcanberecycledinthecounty.

RecyclingtruckscollectmaterialsfromcurbsidebinsandthendrivetothePrince George’sCountyMaterialsRecyclingFacilityinCapitolHeights,oneofmultiple facilitiesinthecounty.Thisiswhererecyclablematerialsaresorted,packagedand marketedtocustomersaroundtheworld.

A recycling truck deposits a load of to-be recycled material at the Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility on Nov 15, 2023 (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Material undergoing the process of recycling at the Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility on Nov. 15, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Material ready to be recycled is deposited into the drum feeder at the at the Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility on Nov 15, 2023 (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

On-campusrecycledgoodsattheUniversityofMarylandgothroughaprivaterecycling facility,ownedbyOliveStreetProcessingLLC,inCapitolHeights,accordingtoa spokespersonfromthisuniversity’ssustainabilityoffice.

About70,000tonsofrecycledmaterialspassthroughthePrinceGeorge’sCounty facilityeveryyear,accordingtoemployees.Fivedaysaweek,employeessortthrough 250to300tonsofwaste,accordingtoMichaelBell,thefacility’sactingsenior operationsmanager.

Therecyclingfacilityhasbeenmaintainedthroughacollaborationbetweenthe MarylandEnvironmentalServiceandthecountysince2015.

[PrinceGeorge’sCountytojoinnationalefforttoboostsemiconductor chipmanufacturing]

Truckdriversfirstdumpoutrecycledgoodsontothe“tippingfloor”tobebriefly inspected.Thecontentsarethenliftedintoadrumfeederandfedintothefacility.

Insidethefacilityisacomplexsystemoflayeredconveyorbelts,high-poweredmagnets, screensandworkersinneonyellowhardhatssortingthroughrecyclableand nonrecyclablematerials.

The main processing floor at the Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility on Nov. 15, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Workers sort through material undergoing the recycling process at the Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility on Nov. 15, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Someemployeessaid“wishrecycling”—whenpeoplearen’tawareofthecounty’s recyclingpoliciesandsimplythrowanythingintothebluebins—isaconstantburden ontheiroperations.

Plasticbagsareacommon“wishrecycled”item,Bellsaid.Thecountydoesnotrecycle plasticbagsandtheyoftengettangledintheequipmentwhichcausesextraworkfor employees,Bellsaid.

Batteries,whenputinnormalrecyclingbins,canquicklybecomedangerousandcause firesatcountyfacilities,Belladded..

“Itcreatesheatandasparkandonthatdrypaper,youwon’tknowuntilyoumightbe seeingsmoke,”Bellsaid.“Wetryourbesttoeducatethepublicasmuchaswecantonot putbatteriesintherecycling,butwestillgetthemalot.”

Bellsaidhehasseenprettymucheverythingendupontheconveyorbelts—-including carparts,furnitureanduseddiapers.

“Nothingsurprisesme,”hesaid.

InPrinceGeorge’sCounty,glass,aluminum,steelcans,paperandcardboardboxescan allberecycled.Othermaterials,suchasplasticbagsandstyrofoamcannotbe.

Plasticslabeled1,2,3,5and7canberecycled.Theselabelsusuallyappearonrecyclable plasticsurroundedbythreearrowstoindicatetheircategory.

Thisdoesnotincludeplasticbags,whicharelabeledas4,andplasticpolystyreneor styrofoam,labeledas6.

MachinesdothefirstroundofsortingintheCapitolHeightsfacility.Peopleareusedas the“lastlineofdefense,”Bellsaid.

Flatandthickeritemsareseparatedbymovinggears.Alargemagnetseparates aluminumcansandanopticalsystemseparatesdifferentplastics.

(Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

(Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

Afterthesortingprocess,recyclablesarepressedintorectangularblocks.Thesewirewrappedbricksaresenttomanufacturers,whoreshapethematerialintonewproducts.

Purchasersusuallyturntheserecycledplasticsintosmallchipsandfibers.Theycanalso meltthemintonewbottlesandotherproducts.

[Greenbeltreceiveshighestsustainabilityawardamong16Maryland municipalities]

AngieWebb,therecyclingcoordinatorattheMarylandEnvironmentalService,manages marketingforthecounty’srecycledgoods.Therevenuegeneratedfrommarketingruns therecyclingprogram,shesaid.

BecauseofPrinceGeorge’sCounty’sproximitytoBaltimoreanditsport,Webbsaid,the county’srecyclingfacilitiesexportmuchofitsproductsoverseas.

“We’rereallyluckyinwhereweare—thatwearelocatedontheeastcoast,andthereare marketsforeverycommodity,”Webbsaid.

WhilemuchoftherecycledmaterialfromthecountystayseastoftheMississippiRiver, Webbsaidthebulkofthecounty’spapershipmentsaresentoverseastoIndia, IndonesiaandSouthKorea.

Search

Menu

LOCAL NEWS

Community members call for better communication from PGCPS on school water quality

Eden Binder · December 12, 2023

Share Tweet E-mail

The exterior of Hollywood Elementary School in north College Park on Nov. 26, 2023. (Giuseppe

JaclynBrunerhadnoideawaterfountainsinCollegePark’sHollywoodElementary Schoolwereshutoffuntilsheheardfromherfive-year-oldson’skindergartenteacher.

“Anotefromtheclassroomteachersaidourwaterbottleshipmentislateandyouneed tomakesureandsendthemwithextrawater.Andwewerelike‘whatareyoutalking about?”Brunersaid.“That’swhenitcametoparents’attentionlastyear.”

Bruner,thepresidentofHollywood’sParentTeacherAssociation,isoneofseveral parentsinPrinceGeorge’sCountyPublicSchoolswithongoingconcernsaboutthe county’scommunicationaboutcleanwateraccessibility.Parentsallegecommunication fromPGCPShasbeenunreliablesofar.

LeadintwoofHollywood’s20testedwatersourcesexceedsfederalallowances, accordingtotheschool’slatestwatersamplesfromDecember2022thatwerereleased inSeptember.AccordingtoU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyregulations,samples exceedthefederalallowancesiftheycontainmorethan15partsperbillionoflead.

Drinkingwatercanmakeup20percentormoreofaperson’sexposuretolead, accordingtotheEPA.

Childrenaremorevulnerabletolead’sphysicalandbehavioraleffectsthanadults, accordingtotheEPA.Lowleadexposurelevelscancausebehavioralandlearning problems,slowedgrowthandanemia.Inrarecases,leadingestioncanleadtoseizures, comasanddeath.

PGCPShashadissueswithleadcontaminationinitswaterformorethanadecade. Districtwatersourcetestsfrom2004revealedleadlevelsinapproximately90percent ofwatersampleswereaboveEPAleadallowances.EPAguidelinesmandatethatthe districtinformsparentsofapossibleplantoreduceleadlevels.

[UMDstudents,Lakelandresidentsadvocatefor“revolutionary”change inneighborhood]

LeadtestingresultsforHollywoodandotherPGCPSschoolsareavailableonthe district’swebsite.ButBrunersaidPGCPStestresultsareoftenhardtoread.

“Ishouldn’thavetospendhourstryingtodecipherallofthis,”Brunersaid.“Itshouldbe obviouswhetherornotmykidhassafedrinkingwater.”

Hollywoodandotherareaschoolsreceiveshipmentsofbottledwater,PGCPS confirmed.

Thewaterbottleshipmentsareapandemic-erameasurefromthefederalElementary andSecondarySchoolEmergencyReliefFund,Briggssaid.Fundingfromthisfederal initiativewillendinSeptember2024andisunrelatedtowaterqualityatHollywood,he added.

District2PGCPSschoolboardmemberJonathanBriggssaidHollywood’swatersources aremuchbetterthanotherschoolsinhisdistrict.

Briggsfoundawaterfountainthatwasnotoperationalonarecentschoolvisit,butmost gradeshadaccesstodrinkablewaterintheirclassrooms,hesaid.

PGCPSdidnotrespondtoarequestforcommentaboutthenonoperationalwater fountainorwaterbottleshipments.

Briggssaidatleastthreeotherschoolsintheareasufferfromwatersupplyissues, includingDoraKennedyFrenchImmersionSchoolinGreenbelt,whichhasonewater filtrationsystemservingtheschool’s600-plusstudentpopulation,hesaid.

PGCPS’leadtestingresultsforDoraKennedysignaledthatnoneoftheschool’swater sourcescontainedleadabovetheEPAallowances.

Still,someparentshaveconcernsaboutotherwaterissues.

[MultiplelawsuitsaccusePGCPScontractorsofwagetheft,worker misclassification]

ChristinaToy,whosechildattendsDoraKennedy,saidtheschool’sprincipalhasputin workordersaskingforwatercoolersoneachflooroftheschoolthathaveyettobe completed..

ThefinalphaseofPGCPS’waterqualityprogram,whichwascompletedinJanuary 2018,wasintendedtoinstallfilteredwatersystemsinallschools.

Toysaidshebelievesschoolsareresponsibleforprovidingcleandrinkingwater.

“Iamallfordonatingandsupportingmysonandthepublicschools,”Toysaid.“I’mnot goingtospendmymoneysupplementingPGCPSwhenIalreadypaytaxdollars.”

The exterior of Hollywood Elementary School in north College Park on Nov. 26, 2023. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

ToyandBriggscalledformoretransparencyfromPGCPS.Theyfeelthesituationat Hollywood,includingthereasonsforstudentsreceivingbottledwater,hasbeen miscommunicated,Briggssaid.

“Concernedparentsareconcernedparents,”Briggssaid.“Ithinkit’samatterof applyingalittlebitofattentiononthecommunication.”

PGCPSdidnotrespondtomultiplerequestsforcommentregardingtheallegedlackof communication.

CollegeParkresidentAubreyBatten,asoon-to-beparentwhosechildrenmayattend Hollywood,saidhereconsideredsendinghischildrentoPGCPSbecauseofHollywood’s lackofcommunication.

“Ifwecan’tevenbeclearaboutthebasicsafetyofthingslikedrinkablewaterinthe schools,thenIcan’ttrusttheorganizationtokeepmychildrensafe,”Battensaid.“I haveeveryrighttoknowiftheschool’snotmeetingtheirsafetyobligations.”

CAMPUS NATION

Hundreds of UMD students gather for presidential debate watch parties across campus

Diamondback Staff · September 12, 2024

Share Tweet E-mail

A student watches the rst debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on Sept. 10, 2024. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/The Diamondback)

ByLillianGlarosandOliverMack

HundredsofUniversityofMarylandstudentsgatheredatwatchpartiesacrosscampus

TuesdaytoseeVicePresidentKamalaHarrisandformerPresidentDonaldTrumpface Menu

offforthefirsttime.

Studentsacrossthepoliticalspectrumheldtheeventsindorms,academicbuildingsand StampStudentUniontoincreasevoterengagement,supportaparticularcandidateor provideentertainment.

Severaluniversityacademicdepartments,alongwithitsCenterforDemocracyandCivic EngagementandBlackGirlsVotestudentorganization,co-hostedawatchpartyinthe ShoemakerBuildingtoinformvotersandcollectstudentfeedbackonthedebate.

Students watch a presidential debate during a watch party hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, Black Girls Vote, and several academic departments, on Sep 10, 2024. (Alexa Yang/The Diamondback)

Students watch a presidential debate during a watch party hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, Black Girls Vote, and several academic departments, on Sep 10, 2024. (Alexa Yang/The Diamondback)

MorganTravers,BlackGirlsVote’svicepresident,saidoneoftheclub’sgoalsisto increasestudentvoterengagement.

“Bydoingthis,we’reincreasingaccesstothisandgivingpeopleasafespacetowatch andconnectandtalktogetherandlearn,”theseniorgovernmentandpoliticsmajorsaid.

[UMDSGAplanstoprioritizetransparency,studentvoterturnout]

Membersofthisuniversity’sCollegeRepublicansandTurningPointUSA,an organizationthatencouragesconservativepoliticsinhighereducation,watchedthe

debatefromTerpZone.Theuniversity’sCollegeDemocratstunedinfromtheParrenJ. MitchellArt-SociologyBuilding.

Students watch a presidential debate during a watch party hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, Black Girls Vote, and several academic departments, on Sep 10, 2024. (Alexa Yang/The Diamondback)

ModerationbiaswasacontentioustopicasmultipleattendeesattheTerpZonewatch partysaidthedebate’smoderationwasbiasedagainstTrump.

“ItwasdefinitelyskewedagainstTrump,”ConnorClayton,thepresidentofthe university’sTurningPointUSAchapterandaCollegeRepublicansmember,said.“They werecuttinghimoffalot.”

Clayton,ajuniorgovernmentandpoliticsmajor,saidthemoderatorswere“hounding” TrumpwithquestionsabouttopicssuchastheJan.6,2021,attackontheU.S.Capitol. Questionsshouldhavefocusedonthefutureaftertheelectionratherthanthepast,he said.

SeveralstudentsattheCollegeDemocratsevent,includingJessicaJohnson—asenior Frenchandgovernmentandpoliticsmajorandmemberoftheclub—supportedthe debate’smoderatorsbutwishedformoreactivefact-checkingofTrump.

“Ilovetoseethecorrectionimmediatelysothere’snoroomforthatdisinformationtogo elsewhere,”LoganMitchell,aseniorgovernmentandpoliticsmajorandtheCollege Democrats’treasurer,said.

SophomorepublicpolicymajorMichaelDeweaver,theclub’soperationsdirector,said hewassurprisedthatthemoderatorsinrealtimefact-checkedTrump’s“egregious falsehoods.”

Themoderatorscouldhavemutedthemicsmore,Deweaversaid,asTrump“forced”his waytounmutethemicsattimes.

[AlsobrooksandHogantiedintightUSSenaterace,pollfinds]

ManystudentsattheCollegeDemocrats’watchpartyweresatisfiedwithHarris’ performanceandfelt“relieved”afterthedebate.

“[Harris’]enthusiasmhasbeeninvigorating,”MaceViemeister,CollegeDemocrats’copresident,said.“Shealwaysremainedcalm,collected,andansweredthequestions, whichishowadebateissupposedtobe.Iappreciatedit,anditmademeexcitedtobe abletogofurtherthisNovember.”

Viemeister,asophomorepublicpolicyandAmericanstudiesmajor,saidtheywould havelikedtoseethemoderatorsaskmorequestionsaboutclimatechange.

SomeattendeesatTerpZonesaidtheyweredisappointedbythedebate.

“Ithoughtthatoverall,itwasprettydiscouraging,”HannahVanderWall,asophomore governmentandpoliticsmajor,said.

VanderWall,CollegeRepublicans’vicepresident,saidshethoughtthoughTrump started“prettystrong,”theformerpresidentwasonthedefensiveanddidnotplaytohis strengthsbecauseofthemoderators.

IsabelFlynn,aseniorcomputersciencemajor,saidshethoughtneithercandidatewon thedebate.

“Itjustkindoffeelslikechaosmostofthetime,”Flynnsaid.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM BY DONATING TO THE DIAMONDBACK.

CATEGORIES:

Campus Nation News

TAGGED:

Donald Trump kamala harris presidential debate umd college democrats

umd college republicans watch party