Compiled by the Retriever Weekly News Staff

March 3 Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley announced that he will not pursue the seat left vacant by U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). Mikulski, who has served on Congress longer than any other woman, had announced on Monday that she would not seek a sixth term.

March 4 Police apprehended and announced their intentions to charge a man in connection to five separate Maryland shootings within the previous week. 35-year old Hong Young was found with a .38-caliber pistol that police suspect was used in the shootings.

March 5 Baltimore-based digital marketing agency R2integrated announced its acquisition of Silicon Valley based marketing agency CatapultWorks. Another acquisition is expected to be announced within sixty days.

March 6 The Maryland House of Delegates’ environmental commission voted against Gov. Larry Hogan’s appeal of the so-called “rain tax.” The law requires Baltimore Cit and the nine largest counties to impose stormwater remediation fees on property owners.

March 7 An on-duty Prince George’s County police officer was killed in a traffic accident in Lanham. 26-year old Brennan Rabain was attempting a routine traffic stop when his car veered off the road and struck a wooden fence.

March 8 A man driving the wrong way was killed in a head-on crash on W. Northern Parkway in Baltimore. The man has not been identified, and his reasons for driving the wrong way remain unknown.

Officer found to have acted inappropriately towards student during fire alarm

UMBC police have concluded their investigation into an officer’s alleged misconduct after receiving a complaint from a student. Investigators found that Officer Jamie Cheatem acted inappropriately while responding to a triggered fire alarm at Patapsco Hall on February 15. The event is being treated as an isolated incident, and no departmental changes are being implemented.

UMBC’s Deputy Police Chief Paul Dillon said, “We found that [Cheatem’s] actions were not consistent with what our expectations are, … that some of the things he said were not the most appropriate.”

According to witnesses, Cheatem asked a student who was cooking in Patapsco Hall at the time the alarm went off to step forward and — in front of the crowd of evacuated residents— state his name, that he couldn’t cook, and that he had “fucked up.”

Following an internal investigation, which consisted of interviewing several witnesses and Cheatem himself, the department has concluded that, although Cheatem publicly embarrassed a student, “he did not have any malicious intent … and so we have taken appropriate action internally,” according to Dillon.

The incident garnered a broad mix of reactions from members of the UMBC community. Some students condemned the officer’s actions, while others defended Cheatem, citing their positive experiences with him and expressing disbelief at eyewitness accounts.

Although he determined that Cheatem did not intend to offend or upset anyone, Dillon said, “I offer our apologies as an agency for anybody at that scene that was offended by what the officer said.”

When asked about plans to prevent similar situations in the future, Dillon said that because he has received “nothing but positive feedback about [Cheatem’s] performance, I don’t think there’s a need to make any changes to prevent this from happening again. We think it was an isolated incident that the officer learned from. We all say things sometimes that we regret that might be inappropriate or might offend folks. We learn from those and try to become better communicators.”

Greece

Greece’s government submitted a list of reforms to its creditors on Friday in an effort to rebuild its fiscal standing.

Greece will begin paying off the first of several loans to the International Monetary Fund in hopes of appeasing the Eurozone and convincing them to continue economic aid to Greece.

The new seven-point plan includes provisions dealing with budgetary procedure reforms and efforts to clamp down on tax evasion, as well as strategy to ease the suffering of Greece’s poor citizens. The plan also stipulates new regulations to tax internet gambling.

Last month, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis reached an agreement with Greece’s creditors to extend its 240 billion euro bailout by four months. Friday’s plan was seen as a response to the creditors’ request for more details on Greece’s reform measures before granting the aid.

Jerusalem

A Palestinian man from East Jerusalem rammed his car into a light rail train station on Friday after running into a group of female officers, wounding five officers and an Israeli.

The attack took place outside Border Police base in northern Jerusalem on Shimon HaTzadik where people were celebrating the Jewish holiday Purim. The street was also the site of a hit-and-run attack last November that killed one border police officer and injured 13 other people.

The driver, identified as Udaayi Salayma, was shot by a Border Guard who was present at the scene as part of a training exercise going on at the base. A large cleaver was found on Salayma with which he reportedly tried to attack officers before being shot.

The attack follows recent disputes between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization over cooperation agreements. However, police said that it is difficult to prevent attacks by “lone wolf” assailants who are not thought to belong to militant organizations.

South Korea

The US Ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, was attacked in Seoul while attending a breakfast meeting. The attacker slashed Lippert on the face with a knife, but Lippert was not seriously injured.

The assailant was a militant Korean nationalist and reportedly called for the unification of the Korean peninsula during the attack on Lippert.

North Korea’s state news agency applauded the attack, saying that the assailant delivered a “knife shower of justice.”

Many nationalist groups in the region blame the American military presence on the peninsula for the ongoing division of North and South Korea.

Speech right before Israeli election, Republicans fail to inform Obama of invitation causing controversy

On Tuesday, March 3, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress regarding a diplomatic deal between the Obama administration and the current Iranian administration to limit Iran’s nuclear program.

As soon as Netanyahu took to the podium, he immediately apologized for any controversy that was caused and said that, “that was never [his] intention.”

Netanyahu’s speech praised the continued bipartisan US support for Israel, stressed the danger of the current Iranian regime, and urged the world to “stand together” to stop Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.

The Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner of Ohio, invited the Prime Minister without notifying the White House. This move has been a source of contention and controversy.

Many Democratic politicians and political commentators dismissed the speech as political theatrics. They claimed that the speech was used by Netanyahu in an attempt to gain voters in Israel and by Congressional Republicans to insult the Obama administration. Representative John Lewis from Georgia tweeted, “The floor of the House shouldn’t be used as a tool to re-elect a foreign leader.”

Due to the controversy surrounding the speech, President Obama and Vice President Biden, as well as over 50 members of Congress, did not attend the speech. Some members spoke out against the speech.

Representative Earl Blumenauer from Oregon, tweeted, “Iran will always be America’s enemy? … not what many Iranians feel or want … or what America has to accept.”

Iran is currently in the stages of developing a comprehensive nuclear program, which it stated is a “completely peaceful” program. However, many worry that Iran could and would use its nuclear program in order to develop nuclear weapons.

This concerns some countries, such as Israel, due to Iran’s previous calls for the destruction of the state. In 2014, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that the “barbaric” state of Israel “has no cure but to be annihilated.”

The Obama administration is currently working on a diplomatic deal to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions, with the Iranian government aiming to remove some of the current sanctions placed on it by the West. The sanctions have been placed in response to the development of the nuclear program and have been hurting Iran’s economy.

Most Republicans and some Israelis, such as Netanyahu, oppose the Obama administration’s diplomatic efforts. The general thought is that any nuclear deal with Iran would ultimately not be doing enough to halt Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

These opponents believe that a nuclear Iran would constitute an existential threat to Israel. They have argued that instead of any diplomatic efforts with Iran, the US should impose even harsher sanctions on Iran, which they believe would cripple Iran’s very ability to produce a nuclear program.

Netanyahu’s demands to end the diplomatic deal with Iran have generally gone unheeded. President Obama dismissed Netanyahu’s speech when he said that the Israeli leader did not offer any alternatives. The speech may play a role in his upcoming re-election on March 17, which ultimately determines the course of Israel’s foreign policy, as Netanyahu tends to be more conservative and aggressive than the other Israeli candidates.

Quadmania artist is finally announced to students

The student events board revealed who the Quadmania artist will be this spring and students are responding with mixed emotions.

The big reveal has finally happened. On Monday, March 2 at 12:30 p.m., the Student Events Board dropped a banner from the second floor of The Commons above Main Street. Kesha’s face was revealed to a crowd of students with phones poised to capture the moment. After some cheers and applause, the students quickly dispersed with their free “Art Week 2015” t-shirts in hand.

Now the word is out that Kesha will be coming to Quadmania this spring, and the student response has been varied. Jessie Link, a freshman psychology major, and Catherine Chao, a freshman biology major, were present for the big announcement.

“I came out of my room specifically for this event,” said Chao. “It was awesome.” The event in question lasted a total of ten minutes. Before the reveal, students gathered in front of the bookstore, glancing at the tables with booklets and pins advertising Art Week 2015. A line formed where an (seb) member began handing out free t-shirts.

When (seb) took to the second floor, all speculation about the mystery artist dwindled as focus shifted upward. After an enthusiastic New Years-like countdown, the wait was over. A mixture of excitement and discontent trickled through the crowd as students left to carry on with their daily routines.

Ian Meng, a junior information systems major, did not attend the big reveal so he did not hear the decision until later on. He said, “Kesha’s going to be at Quadmania? That’s pretty cool. I always wondered how big artists come to this campus.”

According to (seb), discussion took place over winter break to determine which artists were popular. During Involvement Fest, a “Who do you listen to?” poster board was available on which students could place stickers on different artists’ pictures. Paramore, Big Sean, Jason Derulo and Kesha were among the options. (seb) explained this was meant to gauge campus interest, not to serve as an official poll.

Jason Chen, a sophomore information systems major, has not attended Quadmania events in the past and has not yet decided if he will make an appearance this spring either.

“I’m actually surprised she’s coming to UMBC,” he said. “I like her music, but I wouldn’t go just for her.”

Some students’ decision to attend this year may have been influenced by the selected artist. This is particularly true for Matt Massimilla, a senior computer engineering major. He said, “I’m actually not sure if I’m going. On one hand, it will probably be a fun time, but on the other she’s not that great of a singer. I would’ve rather had Paramore.”

 

Photo credit: Ashley Parks

Harbor Hall residents offer the community free coffee

Joshua Belice, community director of Harbor Hall, has been offering residents a daily dose of caffeine in an effort to enrich the community. After an initially uncertain future, community donations have kept the program going.

Lazy sun drapes across the half-shoveled courtyard and filters through the windows of the Harbor Cafe. The room is warm and cozy, and it almost seems like there should be a fire crackling in the corner. Everything is still. An abandoned, empty mug with a bible quote on it sits on a table in the center of the room like part of a still life painting.

At the far end, without ceremony, a silver urn sighs peacefully every ten seconds over the hum of the soda machines. The gentle sounds and the muted Hopper-esque colors of the scene are enough to lull anyone to sleep, until a guy comes in and breaks the spell.

He walks in and makes his way over to the urn. As he fills his mug with steaming coffee, he takes a vibrantly green muffin, places it between his teeth and leaves the cafe to return to his dorm. It’s four in the afternoon, but all day people have been stopping by.

These students have been taking advantage of a new Res Life initiative. In the Harbor Café, every morning for the last few weeks, residents are welcome to fill up for free. Today’s blend is Chocolate Hazelnut Heaven.

The idea to offer residents a free cup of joe came from Harbor Community Director Joshua Belice, known around the hall as CD Josh. He wanted a good way to bring people together and coffee fit the bill.

“I’m an extreme couponer and, also, in a coffee club,” said Belice. In the program’s first few days, CD Josh provided the coffee. Since it has become popular, the cost is now covered by the building’s budget.

According to Belice, the promise of free coffee led residents to blow through 80 cups in two days. “It’s a really cool surprise,” he said.

Due to this unanticipated boom, now into the third week of free coffee, Res Life requests that residents bring their own mugs.

As for flavor preferences, there hasn’t been a definitive choice. However, Belice said, “Harbor likes regular coffee far better [than decaf].”

Students are stopping by to fuel up on their way to classes. Belice also mentioned that he is working with a student organization to potentially provide tea as an alternative for those who prefer it.

Though it may be a smaller-scale Res Life event, Belice argued its value. “I think you have to keep residents engaged,” he said. “You’re the reason why we’re here, so we like to keep you happy and guessing.”

Addressing those who might roll their eyes at school-sponsored events when there are so many other options, Belice was understanding. “Go have fun, but we’re here too,” he said, “as long as people know that we’re an option.” Programs like this free coffee event foster a sense of community without demanding much time.

When asked how long he plans to keep this up, he said, “‘Till the coffee runs out.” Initially, this was intended to last about two weeks, but Belice began working on it and asking students to donate their own coffee supplies.

“Harbor has been very generous to us, and clearly said it wants the coffee program to continue,” said Belice, a week after the coffee was slated to run out. “We’ve had several large donations of coffee and coffee supplies made, so we should be able to continue for at least another month.”

It is clear that CD Josh’s little idea to bring people together has been a success. On a campus where students often complain about a lack of student involvement, there’s nothing like some free coffee to wake everyone up. Quoting one Harbor resident who donated, Belice said, “I hope the free coffee initiative never ends.”

 

Photo Credit: James Gallagher

UMBC student Kavita Krishnaswamy, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science and electrical engineering, was interviewed by CNN about how she has used a Beam telepresence robot to visit museums, attend computing conferences, and defend her Ph.D. proposal. Telepresence robots consist of a screen on motorized wheels that allows users to visit places and interact with people remotely.

Krishnaswamy is also an undergraduate alumna of UMBC (’07, computer science and mathematics). Her Ph.D. proposal focuses on using robotics to increase autonomy for people with severe disabilities and draws on her personal experiences with limited mobility.

Click here to read “Will robots help the bedridden see the world?” on CNN and here to see Krishnaswamy’s proposal defense on YouTube

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