Editor in chief

Elections are exciting. Last year, of course, we had the presidential election. Earlier this year, we had Student Government Association elections. For the past few weeks, we’ve covered the city elections, which occurred this week. Sometimes there was drama that kept us up late into the night. Other times, the editorial board sat down to talk about student apathy.

Regardless of the results, we’ve all been proud to present local journalism about local politics. The Diamondback is glad to help residents and students know more about their city, because we all have to live here.

Here’s some of what we enjoyed most this week:

Monday

The editorial board wrote about the importance of city elections and voting, encouraging voters to elect Mayor Andy Fellows, District 1 Councilman Patrick Wojahn and university graduate student Matthew Popkin, a District 3 hopeful.

Tuesday

Last week, we wrote about the CIA; this week we tackled the NSA. Senior staff writer Laura Blasey wrote about the university’s connections to the National Security Agency and its research efforts, especially through the Center for Advanced Study of Language.

“Alex Shinsky was supposed to be a star for the Terrapins men’s soccer team.

TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked the midfielder as the No. 1 recruit in the nation in 2011. He started and scored a goal for U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team during the 2009 FIFA World Cup in Malawi; earned all-state honors four years straight while playing for West York Area High School in York, Pa., scoring 17 goals as a senior; and had offers from a host of elite college programs, including North Carolina, Virginia and Stanford.

But injuries marred a once-promising career, as physical setbacks in each of the past three years limited Shinsky to just 37 appearances.”

Read the rest of staff writer Daniel Popper’s BLOODIED BUT NOT BROKEN here.

Wednesday

Online class registration should be simple, the editorial board wrote. Instead, students deal with a disjointed array of conflicting websites.

Rapper and actor Ice Cube visited the campus Tuesday to promote his new film, Ride Along, saying, “The people have blessed me with longevity because they can sense I’m not just throwing out trash.”

Thursday

Mayor Andy Fellows and every incumbent candidate who ran in Tuesday’s election will return to City Hall this January for another term. Two residents will replace District 2 Councilman Rob Catlin and District 4 Councilman Marcus Afzali after uncontested races.

After encouraging students to vote, the editorial board felt disappointed by the turnout and results of the city elections, writing that student apathy will leave College Park unchanged — again.

Terrapins Basketball Preview

“In the hours leading up to Terrapins men’s basketball home games last season, before thousands of spectators and several television crews poured into Comcast Center, forward Evan Smotrycz had Gary Williams Court to himself.

Opposing teams hadn’t arrived at the facility yet, and the Terps were napping in the locker room or munching on pregame meals. But Smotrycz, serving an NCAA-mandated year on the bench after transferring from Michigan, had time on his hands.

Sometimes joined by fellow transfer guard Varun Ram or student managers and other times alone, Smotrycz would spend hours taking hundreds of shots at the rim and pounding the ball into the floor, causing an echo to fill the vacant, almost 18,000-seat arena.”

Read the rest of senior staff writer Aaron Kasinitz’s A NEW BEGINNING here.

There’s reason for optimism with this season’s Terps, columnist Daniel Gallen writes, but uncertainties should still temper expectations.

Friday digital edition

News

“The story of race in this country — and at this university — is neither pretty nor neat.

Since 1856, this university has played host to some of this country’s most groundbreaking strides in overcoming racial divides in sports. Terrapins football player Darryl Hill, for instance, broke the ACC’s color barrier in 1963. And a few years later, in March 1966, Texas Western University fielded the NCAA’s first all-black basketball lineup as it beat Kentucky in a national title game at Cole Field House.

But there have been ugly moments, too. And Saturday afternoon, when the Terps take on Syracuse, the university will pay tribute to a 76-year-old act of racism: the benching of black Syracuse football player Wilmeth Sidat-Singh in 1937.

‘This posthumous tribute will not right the wrong of 76 years ago,’ university President Wallace Loh said. ‘But it is an opportunity to learn from our history and reaffirm the commitment of our generation to racial equality and human dignity.'”

Read the rest of senior staff writer Alex Kirshner’s SIDELINED. 

Opinion

As students pick their classes for the spring semester, many will come to question the CORE courses they need to take. Some see General Education requirements as crucial to a well-rounded, balanced college experience. Others see them as a waste of time, distracting from the true purpose of college — studying what you love.

In today’s digital edition, our columnists debate the good, the bad and the ugly of this university’s General Education requirements.

Diversions

Lady Gaga’s latest album, Artpop, drops Monday, reopening questions about the pop artist’s authenticity. Is she a confidence-boosting role model for anyone who feels ostracized or a cynical, carefully-constructed persona designed for maximum exposure? Our writers debate the issue.

Sports

This Friday’s sports content features the Terrapins men’s basketball team’s season opener against No. 18 Connecticut at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Senior staff writer Aaron Kasinitz previews the game, using the team’s loss to Kentucky at the same arena one year ago to show how much the players have grown since then. Kasinitz also exchanged emails with Tim Fontenault, sports editor of The Daily Campus at UConn. Managing editor Dan Appenfeller resurrects the Nonconfriends series with the Huskies.

The Terps football team remains one win from bowl eligibility for the third straight game and will look to clinch the postseason for the first time since 2010 with a win over Syracuse at Byrd Stadium on Saturday. They’ll have some major playmakers back from injury, too, as both quarterback C.J. Brown and running back Brandon Ross are expected to start.

Terps field hockey opens ACC tournament play Friday afternoon with a matchup against Duke. The Terps defeated the Blue Devils, 5-1, down in Durham, N.C., one week ago, and star forward Jill Witmer’s move to the midfield played a key role in that game. Could a position switch be the difference again?

Terps volleyball plays at Duke on Friday night before hosting Wake Forest on Sunday for Senior Day. The team will honor seniors libero Sarah Harper and outside hitters Mary Cushman and Carlisle Abele before the match, but Abele, who was hit by a car earlier this year, won’t be taking the court.

See you next week.