VOL. CV
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND, WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015
NO. 112
Students react to U differential tuition proposal Increases would affect business, computer science, engineering fields
JAKE NELSON, left, a senior computer science, finance and mathematics major, at the town hall. Stephanie Natoli/The Diamondback
By Talia Richman and Taylor Swaak @talirichman, @tswaak27 Senior staff writers After reading in The Diamond-
back on Monday that this university is proposing gradual tuition increases for business, computer science and engineering majors, sophomore Robert Kornfeld immediately emailed the article to his dad.
College Park tax base grows $150M since 2010
By Lexie Schapitl @lexieschapitl Staff writer Despite temperatures reaching into the mid-80s, more than 200 faculty, staff and students gathered at the McKeldin Mall sundial dressed mostly in black. T he g r oup ca me t o show solidarity with the nationwide #BlackLivesMatter movement, which formed after the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin and continues to protest racism. This university’s chapter, BlackLivesMatter UMD, formed last semester to address issues of police brutality and racial inequity following Michael Brown’s death and has participated in town halls, rallies and workshops KUMEA SHORTER-GOODEN, this university’s chief diversity officer, speaks at a BlackLivesMatter UMD this semester. event held yesterday at the McKeldin Mall sundial that drew more than 200. Tom Hausman/The Diamondback University Chief Diversity Officer Kumea Shorter-Gooden said recent events — such as the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in Baltimore and the offensive email sent by a former Kappa Sigma fraternity member — highlight the marginalization and racism black people still face. “ W hen we started this in January,” Shorter-Gooden said, “it had come on the heels of Ferguson and the town halls in the fall that related to Ferguson and Staten Island. … But now, gosh, it’s right here at home in Maryland. It’s been a tough spring. It’s been a tough year.” The crowd heard from three speakers involved with BlackLivesMatter U MD and then surrounded the Omicron Delta By Grace Toohey Kappa fountain for a moment @grace_2e of silence. Senior staff writer Domonic Rollins, an education and training specialist in In 2011, university staff members sent university President Wallace Loh a 56-page report detailing (See MOVEMENT, page 3.) alleged sexual harassment, racial discrimination and verbal abuse they faced on the campus. Ju l ia na B a r net , a n author and former union organizer who ABOUT TODAY’S AUTHOR JULIANA BARNET speaks at a university Black became involved in the workers’ HISTORIC PAGE ONE Faculty and Staff Association general body meeting held yesterday rights movement, used the stories in the Nyumburu Cultural Center. Tom Hausman/The Diamondback she heard about workplace abuse For the next four issues, the last at university-sponsored forums four issues of daily print publication, monthly meeting. in 2010 to write a fictional book country,” Barnet said. The Diamondback is exploring its The novel is set at this univerBarnet read excerpts from her based on the issues encountered print heritage with front pages novel, Rainwood House Sings, on sity and its surrounding neighby workers on the campus. inspired by papers gone by. “ I’m hoping it can be an oc- Tuesday afternoon to a group of borhoods and includes illustraToday, we emulate The Triangle, casion for people to discuss and about 20 staff and faculty and one tions by Barnet and her daughter. newspaper of the Maryland Agrialso learn about this movement student from the Student Labor Interviews with employees at cultural College from 1910 to 1921. and movements in general about Action Project during the Black justice for workers across the Faculty and Staff Association’s (See WORKERS, page 3.) Designed by Evan Berkowitz
WRITER PENS NOVEL ON U WORKPLACE Author reads at Black Faculty and Staff Assoc meeting
ISSUE NO. 112, OUR 105TH YEAR OF PUBLICATION DBKNEWS.COM
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(See TUITION, page 3.)
More than 200 gather to show solidarity with movement
By Joe Atmonavage @Fus_DBK Staff writer
(See PLAN, page 3.)
Board of Regents to vote down the tuition increase, surpassed its initial goal of 500 signatures early yesterday afternoon and was on its way to 1,000 last night. Other change.org petitions were launched about the same time, each garnering a few hundred signatures.
HEART OF THE #MATTER
CITY PLAN BOOSTS GROWTH
Craig Fleshman has been in the College Park area since the 1960s and has witnessed the city widen its redevelopment goals, but he is not sure how the plans will turn out. Fleshman said his biggest concern is the rapid construction of businesses and off-campus student housing. “ You got more businesses coming in and bigger buildings for the college students, but in my opinion, they are building them faster than they have college students coming in,” the 57-year-old Hyattsville resident said. One of the reasons Fleshman and others are seeing the city developing recently is because of the College Park Strategic Plan, the current iteration of which mapped out goals for 2010 through this year. Goal five of the plan is to “expand the local economy and tax base,” according to city documents. The tax base, which is the value of all taxable real estate in College Park, grew more than $150 million from 2010, said Bill Gardiner, assistant city manager. The rise in the tax base is due to both existing real estate increasing in value and commercial development, Gardiner said. Michael Stiefvater, city economic development coordinator, said he thinks the tax base will continue to grow with new developments such as Landmark, Terrapin Row and The Hotel at the University of Maryland. These new developments are why Fleshman said he thinks a problem could arise. “It’s like the 2008 housing crash in some ways, in the fact that there were more homes than people were buying them,” Fleshman said. “I think we are going to have another one, but this time it is going to be retail and apartments.” Stiefvater said he had concerns with some of the new housing farther from the campus, such as Monument Village, but the private developers and owners “feel confident in their projects.” He said the primary changes will be developments tailored toward professionals and visitors to improve options for living
“He’s the one paying my tuition; I thought he’d want to know,” said Kornfeld, a materials science and engineering major. His father told Kornfeld that if this proposal bothered him, he needed to do something about it. The change.org petition Kornfeld created in response, which asks the University System of Maryland
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SPORTS RUNNING INTO TROUBLE After being swept in three games for the first time this season, the Terrapins baseball team is attempting to turn things around today against Towson Page 16.
OPINION GUEST COLUMN: Differential tuition pricing School deans explain their support for the model Page 4.
DIVERSIONS LOSE YOURSELF TO DANCE Maryland Masti is all in on its January show Page 6.