January 28, 2026 - Spring Back to School

The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper

THE DIAMONDBACK Back To School Guide

3 UMPD Detainment

4 BREAK ARTS RECAP

7 Plagiarism investigation

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UMD says it won’t drop conduct charges against student journalists detained in October

By Sam Gauntt I Assistant news editor

The University of Maryland will uphold two student conduct charges that a civil liberties advocacy organization asked be dropped against student journalists who were detained by UMPD while reporting on a protest outside an event in October.

Associate general counsel Christopher Lord wrote the letter in response to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s request that the university drop student conduct charges against student journalists Riona Sheikh and Rumaysa Drissi. The two were covering an Oct. 21 event hosted by this university’s Students Supporting Israel chapter featuring a discussion with three Israel Defense Forces soldiers.

Sheikh and Drissi, who reported for the Muslim student newspaper Al-Hikmah, took photos and recorded video while protesters chanted in a hallway outside the event in Jiménez Hall. University of Maryland Police officers then detained two protesters as well as Sheikh and Drissi for about an hour.

In the university’s letter on Dec. 18, Lord wrote that the university is not sanctioning Sheikh and Drissi for exercising their rights as journalists.

“To the contrary, the University has charged the Students with participating in the protest of the SSI event, in a manner that ran afoul of applicable University policies,” Lord wrote. Lord wrote that “evidence indicates” that they may have been part of the disruption of the Oct. 21 event, whether they were shouting or not.

The student conduct charges aren’t dependent on their status as student journalists reporting on the protest, he wrote, but rather if they “participated in an active disruption of another student group’s approved event.”

Video footage reviewed by The Diamondback shows

four protesters chanting and holding signs in the hallway outside of the event in Jiménez Hall. The more than two hours of footage reviewed by The Diamondback include videos taken by witnesses, Diamondback reporters at the event and UMPD body camera footage obtained through a public records request.

The videos show Sheikh and Drissi holding cameras as protesters held signs and chanted. Neither of the student journalists chanted, shouted or held signs while outside the event, according to the footage.

Two protesters left the hallway, videos show, and the officers surrounded the two remaining protesters, as well as Sheikh. Drissi was also detained minutes later after clarifying with officers that Sheikh was a student journalist.

Video reviewed by The Diamondback also shows UMPD officers requesting Sheikh and Drissi show their university IDs during their detainment, which both declined to provide. The two protesters who were also detained were allowed to leave after giving the officers identifying information.

Body camera footage shows an officer approaching a separate group of students observing the scene, which included a Diamondback reporter wearing press credentials.

The officer asked the students if they were attending the event, video shows, to which the Diamondback reporter presented her credentials. She was not asked to provide her name, a university ID or any other identification. A second Diamondback reporter present was also not asked for her credentials, but wore them around her neck.

According to the university’s letter, Sheikh and Drissi face charges of:

• Interfering with the lawful freedom of expression of others.

• Participating in disorderly or disruptive action.

• Intentionally providing false information to the university.

• Not complying with university officials’, including law enforcement, directives, such as not providing identification when requested.

In a statement to The Diamondback, Sheikh wrote that the university’s letter “attempts to recharacterize journalism as disruption” to justify their being detained and facing student conduct charges. But the video tells a different story, she wrote.

“When student journalists covering pro-Palestinian speech are treated as protesters by default, while other reporters are allowed to work freely, it sends a clear message that documenting pro-Palestinian speech is risky on this campus,” she wrote. “This should concern anyone who values press freedom and the right of students to speak against genocide and injustice.”

Sheikh added that she and Drissi were not asked for press credentials when detained. The university’s charges rely on “proximity and assumption, not conduct,” Sheikh wrote.

Drissi told The Diamondback in a statement it feels like the university is “suppressing our voices and disregarding us not only as journalists but as students of this university as well.”

“The whole incident affects us mentally and emotionally,” she wrote. “The university’s response says a lot more about how much they value our voices and safety than they might think.”

In a Dec. 8 letter to general counsel Jay Rosselló, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression student press counsel Marie McMullan wrote that the student journalists’ newsgathering was protected by the First Amendment. She added that the student journalists recording while outside the event was “protected and nondisruptive, and finding otherwise will only compound the chilling effect spurred by these investigations.”

McMullan requested the university drop the charges related to the interference with freedom of expression and participating in disruptive behavior.

In the Dec. 18 letter, Lord wrote that “there have been no findings against them to date” and the disciplinary case is still ongoing. He added that student journalists are “presumed to be not responsible unless and until they are found responsible by a preponderance of the evidence.”

“Student journalists cannot seek the protective cloak offered by the First Amendment if they themselves violate it by disrupting other students’ free speech rights,” he wrote.

The cases will be decided by a “neutral University administrator” after both students present their side at disciplinary conferences.

Editor in chief Lizzy Alspach contributed reporting.

The Thomas V. Miller Jr. Administration Building on Feb. 17, 2025. (Gurnoor Sodhi/The Diamondback)

BREAK ARTS RECAP

By Stella Garner I Tabloids editor

As another new semester approaches, it’s important to take some time to enjoy the various new media that 2026 will have to offer. Here are a few of the most anticipated albums, movies and television shows expected to drop during the spring semester.

Music

Although there aren’t a ton of new releases slated for the start of the year, there are still plenty of drops to look forward to. A$AP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb and Madison Beer’s Locket are hot off the presses from Jan. 16. In February, Bruno Mars fans can look forward to the singer’s fourth solo album, The Romantic, after nearly a decade of various side projects. Gorillaz are also set to release their art-laden ninth album The Mountain on Feb. 27. On March 20, BTS will release their fifth album, Arirang, returning from their hiatus after completing their mandatory South Korean military service. Luke Combs’s new release, The Way I Am, will also drop that Friday. And though not given a specific release date, keep an eye out for a new They Might Be Giants album, teased for “early spring” after the January release of their EP, Eyeball.

Movies

Perhaps one of the most anticipated films of 2026 is one of the first to release: Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights on Feb. 13, a not-quite-periodic adaptation of the classic novel starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi with a soundtrack by Charli XCX. March 20 will see the release of Project Hail Mary, another book adaptation starring Ryan Gosling as a science-teacherturned-astronaut attempting to save the world. Video game fans can look to the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on April 3, a sequel to the star-studded The Super Mario Bros. Movie of 2023. Finishing out the semester are the animated adaptation Animal Farm and much-awaited sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2, both set to release on May 1.

Television

This semester’s programming starts off running with season four of Bridgerton, dropping in two halves: one on Jan. 29 and one on Feb. 26. On Feb. 4, catch a television special of The Muppet Show starring Sabrina Carpenter on Disney+. Anime enthusiasts can also look forward to season two of the live-action One Piece adaptation, which releases March 10 on Netflix. Amazon

Prime will release the fifth and final season of The Boys, with the first two episodes dropping on April 8th and releasing weekly thereafter. Finally, fans of the classic sitcom Malcolm in the Middle can take a break from midterms with the reboot miniseries Life’s Still Unfair, set to release April 10 on Hulu.

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Zahir Mathis, Sidney Stewart to return to Maryland football in 2026

By Jacob Kauderer I Sportseditor,footballreporter

Maryland football’s two best defensive linemen will be back next year.

The Terps announced Zahir Mathis’ return on Dec. 25, while Sidney Stewart confirmed his Dec. 26.

Stewart led Maryland in 2025 with seven sacks and Mathis logged six — the next closest Terp notched two. The freshmen combined for nearly half of Maryland’s 27 sacks, No. 8 in the Big Ten, after recording a conference low 14 in the year before.

That growth could reach another level next season with the arrival of five-star edge rusher Zion Elee, the highest-ranked recruit in program history and No. 2 player in the 2026 class. Stewart, from Joppa, Maryland, committed to Maryland in June 2024. Mathis, a Philadelphia native, first chose Ohio State before he flipped to the Terps in February.

Mathis toured Maryland in January 2025 before making the decision. He told The Diamondback

in October it was the best visit he ever had. Over a weekend, Mathis visited food spots, scooter routes and the billiards room in Stamp Student Union.

Mathis also talked with Stewart and quarterback Malik Washington during his recruitment.

Coach Michael Locksley said Mathis’ commitment was a byproduct of the relationship that Washington had with him.

After a disappointing 4-8 campaign, questions lingered as to whether the freshmen trio would return. The Terps allowed 26.5 points a game, fifth-worst in the Big Ten, and more than 30 in five of their last seven contests.

But athletic director Jim Smith pledged more funding towards football and stressed prioritiz-

ing roster retention. With Mathis, Stewart and Washington all back, he’s maintained that commitment thus far.

Maryland men’s lacrosse’s 2026 schedule is among the nation’s toughest

By Jacob Kauderer I Sportseditor,footballreporter

Maryland men’s lacrosse released its 2026 schedule on Dec. 22. Similar to previous seasons, the Terps boast one of the nation’s toughest slates.

Maryland will face the same 12 opponents

as last year. Four of its seven nonconference foes — Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia and Princeton — rank in the top five of Inside Lacrosse’s preseason rankings. The Terps beat each last season and finished undefeated in nonconference play.

Maryland also plays Richmond, Loyola and Delaware before opening Big Ten play at Penn State on March 21.

The Terps beat both the Nittany Lions and the Orange — two Final Four teams — twice last season en route to a fourth NCAA championship appearance in five years. They also narrowly beat then-No. 1 Notre Dame in March, which again sits atop Inside Lacrosse’s rankings.

Maryland’s regular

season losses surprisingly came to Michigan and Rutgers. The Terps have a chance on March 28 to avenge last season’s triple-overtime defeat to the Wolverines.

Their Big Ten home opener is the next weekend against Ohio State, which beat Maryland in the 2025 Big Ten championship. Another game at SECU Stadium looms the weekend after against Rutgers. The Terps close their regular season with a road rendition of “The Rivalry” against Johns Hopkins on April 18.

Maryland has earned double-digit wins every year under coach John Tillman since he took over in 2011.

But this season’s schedule looks like one of the two-time national champion’s most challenging yet — arguably the nation’s toughest nonconference slate in an improving Big Ten.

Spring Events Calendar

Jan 26

Spring 2026

First Day of Classes

March 15-22

Spring Break

May 8

Last Day of Classes

May 9

Reading Day

May 11-18

Final Exams

May 19-22

CommencementCollege/Department Ceremonies

May 20

Commencement - Main Ceremony

Summer 2026

June 1

Sessions I and I-A Begin

June 18

Session I-A Ends

June 19

Juneteenth Holiday

June 22

Session I-B Begins

July 3

Independence Day Holiday

July 10

Sessions I and I-B End

July 13

Sessions II and II-C Begin

July 31

Session II-C Ends

Aug 3

Session II-D Begins

Aug 21

Sessions II and II-D End

USM finds no misconduct evidence in UMD president plagiarism investigation

By Sam Gauntt | Assistant news editor

University of Maryland president Darryll Pines has been cleared of accusations that he plagiarized sections of two academic papers he co-authored in the 2000s.

The University System of Maryland announced on Dec. 12 that an independent committee has found “no evidence of misconduct” by Pines, after a year-long investigation into claims that he plagiarized sections of two academic papers he co-authored in 2002 and 2006.

In a letter to this university’s faculty and staff members on Dec. 12, university system officials wrote that, after receiving notice of the plagiarism allegations through news reports, Pines “immediately and appropriately recused himself from the process and cooperated fully with the investigation.” The review was led by the law firm Ropes & Gray, and consisted of three rounds of review, the officials wrote.

The review examined other journal articles and works authored by Pines, in addition to the two papers he co-authored.

Though the committee found no evidence of any scholarly misconduct by Pines, it did acknowledge the presence of “select portions of text previously published by another author” in the introductions of the papers.

The committee also found a “discrepancy in assignment of authorship” in a different work, which was not one of

the two academic papers. But it determined that Pines was not responsible for this inclusion either.

The accusations against Pines were first published in an article by the conservative media outlet the Daily Wire in September 2024.

The story claimed that a 1,500-word stretch of the 5,000word research article co-authored by Pines was plagiarized from a website created by then-doctoral student Joshua Altmann.

The day after the story was published, Pines dismissed the allegations in a letter to university faculty.

“While I do not believe there is merit to these claims, an impartial review is in the best interest of the university,” Pines wrote in the Sept. 18, 2024, letter.

In an interview with The Diamondback in September, Altmann said the introductory sections’ language was “clear plagiarism.” But Altmann added that, as Pines was not the sole author of the piece, it’s possible that he wouldn’t have knowledge of the plagiarism if those sections were added by his co-author.

The accusations against Pines came after a series of similar allegations made against academics and university administrators across the country. Those allegations often targeted those who focused on diversity initiatives in higher

education or who are Black.

In the university system’s letter, which was signed by Board of Regents Chair Linda Gooden, Chancellor Jay Perman and research and economic development Vice Chancellor Michele Masucci, the officials wrote the investigation was not focused on if the papers missed a citation, which can occur without intent of scholarly misconduct. Instead, they wrote, it was to determine if the work was in agreement with “accepted practice, intent and awareness” at the time it was published.

“The Board of Regents and the Chancellor, in their role overseeing the appointment and conduct of university presidents, accept the conclusions of the UMD process,” the statement read. “Furthermore, we continue to have great confidence in President Pines’s leadership and strongly affirm his role leading the University of Maryland, College Park.”

Spokesperson Michael Sandler wrote in an email to The Diamondback that the university system has no additional comment beyond the letter.

This story has been updated.