The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper
T U E S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 015
City may get state transportation funds Proposed state budget allocates largest amount to municipal transportation projects since 2008 By Eleanor Mueller @eleanor_mueller Staff writer
state’s draft budget passes before the legislative session ends Monday. T he draft earmarks the most money to municipal transportaCollege Park could receive more tion since 2008, putting aside an funds for road maintenance next additional $3 million for cities to year if the current version of the build and repair streets.
But officials do not know how much money will be allotted to the city and must wait for a decision from the highway user revenue formula, which considers the miles of street within city boundaries. College Park is responsible for 51 miles of road, District 1 Councilman Fazlul Kabir said. “The concept is that citizens in College Park pay state taxes, but
the state doesn’t maintain the roads that they drive,” said Cole Holocker, City Council student liaison. “The highway user revenue is a kickback from the state government to compensate for that.” State funds for city road maintenance and transportation projects, including the draft’s additional See Highway, Page 2
a Hightech compact
U housing begins new priorities Res Life enters first lottery since limiting process to underclass
Univ group assembles guide to creating programs for smart contracts
By Morgan Eichensehr @MEichensehr Staff writer With the 2015 room selection process in full swing, fewer upperclassmen will be living on the campus due to Resident Life’s commitment to prioritizing first- and second-year students’ housing, department officials said. “Our housing best serves students in their first two years here,” said Scott Young, Department of Resident Life assistant director. “Freshmen and sophomores have priority for our oncampus spaces because we believe our housing has the greatest impact for them.” Young said Resident Life received 4,874 Returning Student Agreements by the end of March. Of those agreements, rising sophomores submitted 3,653, rising juniors submitted 689, rising seniors accounted for 406 and rising fifth- or sixth-year seniors submitted 126. The expected capacity in dorms See Housing, Page 3
By Joe Zimmermann @JoeMacZim Senior staff writer Old practices tend to die out with new technology. Writing letters is a lost art. Dictionary searches have gone the way of the dodo. Soon enough, even the old standby of contractual obligations could be forever transformed by the digital world. In the near future, people interested in coming to an agreement with each other might no longer need to go through a lawyer or even a printed document. Instead, computer programs might be all they need with smart contracts, and a team from this university is working on a guide to making and using them. Just as a typical contract would
Study: State officials need to invest in smarter growth States ranks next to last in economy growth By Rokia Hassanein @rokiahass Staff writer
By Eleanor Mueller @eleanor_mueller Staff writer
More than 60 senior citizens came to College Park’s aging-in-place forum, hosted in St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church yesterday. The event addressed the concerns of aging residents. tom hausman/the diamondback
College Park residents listened to and spoke about issues related to growing old in the area at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church last night. Citizens gathered in the Rector’s Lounge of the church off College Avenue next to Fraternity Row at 6:30 p.m. for a panel discussion about what kind of senior-living program residents would like to see established.
The College Park Aging-in-Place Task Force hosted the forum. “The grassroots committee is really important for something like this,” said Carol Nezzo, a task force member. “We need to have those services there when we need them, and we need to develop them ourselves.” Mayor Andy Fellows moderated the discussion, attended by an au-
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See contracts, Page 3
Andrew Miller, a doctoral student studying cryptocurrency, poses for a portrait. Miller is part of a team developing a smart contracts guide. tom hausman/the diamondback
City forum investigates needs, desires of aging locals
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Fazlul kabir, District 1 councilman, listens at a Feb. 25 City Council meeting. james levin/the diamondback
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dience of about 60 people, close to the room’s maximum capacity of 65. Among the speakers were District 1 Councilman P.J. Brennan, representing the City Council and its aging task force. T he City Council established the task force of city officials and See forum, Page 2
For the long-term success of this state’s economy, the government must overcome many challenges, such as demographic changes and affordable housing, a study found. The three-year study, which this university’s National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education conducted, found that while the state’s economy grew 0.01 percent in 2013, a rate second to last among all states, it generally
has done well over the past 15 years. To continue to grow, the study suggested, the state needs to address specific challenges. “The main findings are that Maryland has a lot of economic strengths that are likely to continue into the future, but that long term issues such as demographic change, traffic congestion, infrastructure capacity and affordable housing are the more important challenges the state must overcome,” said Gerrit-Jan Knaap, the center’s director and the report’s primary investigator. Nick Finio, a community planning graduate student at this university involved in the study, said this state
SPORTS
OPINION
AN UNFITTING FINAL ACT
STAFF EDITORIAL: State budget
After a resurgent season, fifth-year senior Laurin Mincy ended her career by scoring three points in a blowout loss to Connecticut P. 8
See growth, Page 2
Prioritizing higher education is a must after the deficit closes P. 4 DIVERSIONS
COMING OFF THE TOP ROPE New album from The Mountain Goats tackles wrestling P. 6
APRIL 22
THE CLARICE