Results from three-year fruit fly experiment may yield human applications
When it comes to diabetes, university scientists have found fruit flies and humans aren’t that different. By removing several genes from the genome of a fruit fly, a team of researchers created insects demonstrating human symptoms of diabetes. This research could pave the way to discovering the genetic causes of diabetes and developing treatments, according to research published online Nov. 2 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
ResLife official says no alternatives are possible; Bill eliminating lottery fails
Some student leaders called for the abolishment of the housing lottery at Tuesday’s RHA meeting, but with no alternative in sight, a university official said it will have to stay for now. Resident Hall Association President Josef Mensah, a senior theatre major, proposed a resolution ending the lottery system by spring 2011, arguing that it is unfair because it is too random. Although skeptical senators shot the bill down 11-27, Assistant Director for Resident Life Scott Young said he is interested in discussing problems with the system.
Administration warms to RHA’s idea of colored vinyl stickers
The Residence Hall Association unanimously passed a measure last week endorsing making confusing campus parking lot signs easier to understand by coding them by color and shape is successful, which they said would save students time and money by improving the signs’ readability. The RHA proposal suggested adding unique symbols — such as a red “X” for lots restricted to faculty or staff permit holders — to sign corners. All letters and numbers on signs are vinyl applications, or “stickers.”
Owner had said bar would close until January
Much to the delight of College Park bar-goers, Santa Fe Cafe’s planned renovations have apparently been delayed, and the popular downtown bar has been open part time for more than a month. Although Santa Fe owner Mark Srour said last month’s homecoming weekend would be “the only time we’ll be open [this semester]” and the last chance for students to buy a beer before extensive renovations, Santa Fe has been open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, according to employees.
Committee weighs health benefits, smokers' rights
A University Senate committee is once again considering a campus smoking ban and will likely reach a decision in the spring. The university would become the second four-year institution in the state to ban smoking after Towson University announced its own prohibition last week. At a meeting yesterday, members of the Campus Affairs Committee, which is looking into the issue, weighed the health benefits of such a policy against smokers’ rights and questioned whether a ban would be enforceable.
Team of students places 28th in 12-hour national puzzle contest
Seniors Chris Hill, Ryan Galginaitis, David Forsythe and Rob Kiefer, who call themselves “Battletoads Part Deux,” after the notoriously difficult Nintendo game, placed 28th out of 413 teams and first at the university in this year’s College Puzzle Challenge — an annual competition sponsored by Microsoft in which college teams are charged with solving dozens of puzzles online in a race to the finish.
Health center's smoking cessation programs threatened by budget cuts
The Great American Smokeout had a bit of a damper this year, as the University Health Center’s tobacco cessation program could soon be stubbed out due to budget difficulties. The core goal of the event was to convince student smokers to sign up for the tobacco cessation program, which has been struggling to provide students with services since Prince George’s County stopped funding it this year.
About 100 students and faculty members gathered in a lecture hall to hear S. Tien Wong give tips on surviving the recession and thriving in the new economy as an entrepreneur. The speech was part of the Whiting-Turner Business and Entrepreneurial Lecture Series, which begins successful technology enterprise leaders to the campus each semester.
The quilt, which is on display at Hornbake Plaza today, rounds out a week chock full of discussions, remembrances and educational programs for students who have suffered from depression or lost a loved one to the disease. Throughout the week, the University Health Center-sponsored programs to encourage students to understand and watch for warning signs of depression, including increased or excessive substance abuse, recklessness, withdrawing from friends, family and society, mood changes and insomnia. The Suicide Awareness Health Education and Training Program, which led the initiatives, also focused on debunking many of the myths surrounding suicide.
For history professor Richard Bell, suicide is his academic interest, but it’s also personal. He first became interested in the subject when a college friend’s sister committed suicide, deeply affecting his friend’s relationships and religious views. Bell became interested to find out what people in the past understood about self-destruction and in how they thought they should respond to it. Now, after time at Cambridge and Harvard universities, the British-born Bell has spent much of his career exploring the causes, implications and views of suicide in the early United States. Some of his research, he says, has unearthed connections to modern day suicide.
Legislators debate enforcement of current smoking regulations on the campus
The SGA rejected a resolution that would have increased the distance people must stand from buildings while smoking at a meeting last night.
SGA President repeatedly criticizes administration in yearly address
In the annual address to the Student Government Association, Glickman praised his organization for delivering on their promises but repeatedly criticized the administration for a lack of transparency and using student fee increases to make up for budget cuts. “There is a disturbing sense of distrust of the administration,” he said.
Earlier this year, student environmentalists assembled an ambitious platform of environmental initiatives they hoped to work with the city on and have already built relationships with most of the present and incoming council members.
Students, educators and national policy makers participated in a teleconference yesterday to discuss the National Wildlife Federation’s Generation E report, a study of the best sustainability projects at universities across the country.
Route 1 frozen yogurt shop quickly earns students’ fan base
In just its first two weeks of business, Yogiberry — a new frozen yogurt shop on Route 1 between Ratsie’s and Chevy Chase Bank — has seen a steady flow of customers, suggesting it might buck a revolving-door trend that forces many businesses out of College Park as quickly as they come in.
3,500 beds coming to area by 2011, but questions abound about long-term development
Whether students’ unwavering demand for housing will persist after 2011 remains questionable. Some proposed student housing complexes have been put on hold as local stakeholders wait and see how the market changes; other developers are moving ahead with long-term housing plans despite an imminent surge in the area’s housing stock.
State slashes $25M from system; only reserves will be impacted
The state slashed $25 million from the university system’s cash reserves yesterday, ensuring state jobs and programs will be shielded from this round of budget cuts. Essentially, funds were withdrawn from the University System of Maryland’s savings account, which contains money it had set aside in case of emergencies or one-time expenditures such as renovating a lab or funding the start-up packages for new faculty.
Audience lauds ambassador’s positive outlook and presentation
Africa has come a long way, Liberian Ambassador to the U.S. Milton Nathaniel Barnes said in a lecture yesterday, but still has a long way to go.
Teleportation machine is the first to transfer quantum information from one atom to another
The atom-to-atom teleportation machine developed by the university’s Joint Quantum Institute landed sixth place in TIME Magazine’s 50 best inventions of 2009 — beating a possible AIDS vaccine, an electric eye that could give blind people partial vision and a mind-reading machine.
Council wants stoplight on Paint Branch Parkway
Prince George’s County transportation officials rebuffed College Park City Council members who were seeking a stoplight for a Paint Branch Parkway crosswalk that has seen at least three accidents this year.
This university’s RHA will organize and host a regional conference of residence hall associations next year, bringing together hundreds of students to discuss how to improve their organizations.
Creator of popular blog speaks on campus about chronicling Caucasian life
Last night, about 250 students attended Christian Lander’s talk at the Hoff Theater in the Stamp Student Union on his quick rise to success, thanks to his renowned blog — stuffwhitepeoplelike.com — and book, Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions. Event organizers and many student attendees agreed the crux of Lander’s appeal rests in the relatability of his subject matter: white people.
Despite East Campus shake-up, Wylie says construction can begin in January, worrying activists
Environmental activists who have been fighting to preserve the Wooded Hillock expressed shock and confusion after East Campus’ primary developer Foulger-Pratt/Argo Investment pulled out of the project late last week, because no one seems to know what impact this turn of events will have on the forest. But Vice President for Administrative Affairs Ann Wylie suggested the project could begin as early as January despite this setback.
The Zakhem family gave $1 million this summer to create the Kahlil Gibran Chair for Peace and Values. Officially established last week, the position will focus on the works of Kahlil Gibran, a early 20th-century Lebanese-American poet, writer and artist who advocated peace, cultural pluralism and human rights. The chair, which will be occupied by anthropology professor Suheil Bushrui, will be housed under the Center for Heritage Resource Studies.
Event seeks to evaluate students’ perceptions, knowledge of sex
The Black Student Union’s second annual Sex in the Dark event attracted students looking for an educational and entertaining discussion on sex. Unlike last year’s presentation by the University Health Center, BSU student executives gave this year’s presentation that featured “Sex Jeopardy,” true and false notions about sexual health and other random sex trivia.
Costs rise as more students forced to take remedial courses
The Board of Regents is expected to require high school students applying to the university to take a fourth year of high school math as a way to clamp down on a growing number of students taking remedial classes. While some professors feel this measure would do little to make students more prepared for college-level math, university system officials maintain the change would greatly affect student success and university spending.
GlobalNet Services CEO works to improve Google-based website feature
Alumnus Ori Reiss, who graduated in 1989, contacted the Office of Information Technology later that month and told them he wanted to create a technological partnership to improve the search engine on the university's website.The revamped engine, which utilizes technology from Reiss' GlobalNet Services Inc., will be unveiled this week.
After long wait, H1N1 shot will be available Wednesday
Swine flu vaccinations are finally available at the University Health Center after months of delay, allowing the health center to give out free vaccinations yesterday and Wednesday. But this availability might be short-lived, health center officials said. Although the health center received 1,000 single-dose H1N1 shots last week, health center Director Sacared Bodison said there were very few doses left over from a closed swine flu vaccination clinic last week intended for high-risk groups, and once all 1,000 shots are used, she has “absolutely no idea” when the next batch will arrive.
Students say changes to junk mail filter sends messages for class, athletic events to spam folder
Over the summer, the Office of Information Technology changed its spam filter settings to include umd.edu e-mail addresses. OIT officials say the change has made the university e-mail accounts more resilient against ever-evolving spammers, but students complain of missed messages from professors, their jobs and even ticket notifications.
Higher education advocates say return would be worrisome
Former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who is more likely to run after recent Republican victories in New Jersey and Virginia, is widely considered to be the only Republican with enough statewide name recognition to represent a potential threat to the reelection of Gov. Martin O’Malley, who defeated Ehrlich by more than 6 percentage points in 2006. The only other announced Republican candidate is Larry Hogan, Jr., an Ehrlich cabinet member who said he will drop out if his former boss decides to mount a campaign.
Wednesday's slash would be almost as large as two previous cuts combined
The university is expecting the state to cut its budget for the third time since July before the end of the month, university President Dan Mote said, adding that state lawmakers have not ruled out a fourth cut in the spring. Mote said he feared this month’s budget cut could be more than $100 million for the University System of Maryland and $40 million for this university, close to equaling to the past two reductions combined. In previous weeks, System Chancellor Brit Kirwan said he had been told the 13 public universities he oversees would be spared in this round of budget cuts.
Move will slow development, limit scope of ambitious $900M, 38-acre project
Vice President for Administrative Affairs Ann Wylie said that the university will try to buy the development firms’ site plan and work with multiple developers to build the project piece-by-piece. Partnerships to build the Birchmere music hall and a 650-bed graduate student housing project are already in place, and Wylie said the university could break ground on the project as soon as January.
34-year-old Hyattsville resident charged with stealing laptops, other electronics
Marques Avery Buford, 34, was arrested near LaPlata Hall. He was charged with first-degree burglary, theft of $1,000 to under $10,000, resisting arrest, second-degree assault and second-degree escape, according to Prince George’s County court records.
Lecturer taught program’s lone class focusing on Latin America
Some government and politics students are questioning the future direction of their department after news that the only professor specializing in Latin America and the Caribbean will not be returning to the university next year. Dorith Grant-Wisdom has lectured at the university for 16 years and is one of the few faculty members teaching courses on the developing world and globalization outside of the Middle East. Students fear her departure signals a trend in the department away from Latin America and underrepresented viewpoints. They also expressed concerns about a growing number of quantitative courses.
Journalism school debates curriculum changes
As the news industry shifts toward evolving technologies, the skills journalists are expected to have upon graduation have also changed, leaving journalism faculty to debate whether and how to change the curriculum.
While silent on protests, Cordell Black usually speaks his mind
As more than 600 students marched on the Main Administration Building last week touting megaphones, banners and indignation over the removal of a top diversity administrator, Cordell Black — the ousted official at the center of the controversy — sat in a doctor’s office. Even if he had not had the standing appointment, Black said he still would have avoided the hordes of students protesting in his name outside his office. Black, the associate provost for equity and diversity, spoke briefly at a town hall meeting the night before but maintains the uproar is not about him.
“It’s about what the students perceive as an erosion in the university’s commitment to diversity,” Black said. “I’m not influencing these students one way or another.”
Farvardin, Wylie defend decisions as signs show trust in administration is “eroding”
Students, faculty and staff grilled top administrators at a University Senate meeting yesterday, using the opportunity to voice concerns about the impact of budget cuts and to demand more input in the administrative process. Provost Nariman Farvardin said he welcomes suggestions regarding cost-saving strategies and how to best distribute budget cuts. But several in attendance yesterday said there is a lack of transparency when it comes to financial matters and that they cannot access the information necessary to give meaningful feedback.
Last night, more than 500 people including famous athletes, college athletics officials and journalists packed the Colony Ballroom in the Stamp Student Union to discuss the pros and cons associated with intercollegiate athletics. What followed was a heated debate over if college athletes should be paid.
Campus groups debate health care, Afghan war
Members of College Democrats and College Republicans argued both sides of several hot-button issues in a contentious debate last night before an audience of about 30 people.
Legislature backs furlough exemptions for low-wage staff, lesser sanctions for pot possession
In two sweeping votes last night, the SGA approved bills throwing their support behind low-wage university workers and marijuana users.
Campus group will return to Burkina Faso in January to continue work modernizing health care clinics
Engineers Without Borders, a student-led international development group, is trying to create a brighter future for women giving birth in Dissin, a rural town in Burkina Faso, where babies are often delivered by the light of a flashlight, and a lack of running water and electricity jeopardizes the health of mother and child.
After six years in the Army, sergeant returns to College Park
Senior government and politics major Dean Christmon enlisted in the Army in August 2001. He was 18. Now in his late twenties, but feeling much older, he looked back on six-and-a-half years in the Army yesterday, Veterans Day, with mixed feelings. The Army took him to Korea, Fort Hood, Texas and the battlefield in Iraq. The Army gave him life skills and the title of sergeant. But, wherever he goes, he says he’ll take scars from the war, too.
Endowments key to launch of Israel Studies minor
As several university programs that rely on state funding are preparing to be merged, cut or folded into other departments, the College of Arts and Humanities is bucking the trend by unveiling a new institute and accompanying minor with the help of private donations.
S.T.A.R.E. organizer speaks at meeting
“We are now witnessing a devaluation of diversity within academic programming,” a student organizer said in a speech to the Board of Regents. But the regents and University System Chancellor Brit Kirwan — who is known for his emphasis on diversity issues — were steadfast in their backing of the administration. The support of the regents, a 17-member board of gubernatorial appointees who set university system policy, could be crucial for the administration as the they grapple with diversity and fiscal crises.
Victory for students, free speech
The university system will not adopt a pornographic film policy, openly defying a state mandate and perhaps resolving a months-long debate on the limits of free speech on campuses across the state. The Board of Regents — a 17-member panel of gubernatorial appointees that oversees the university system — unanimously voted not to adopt a policy at a meeting yesterday, citing a commitment to free speech and the difficulty of administering such a policy.
A new website aimed at helping students plan their college careers while keeping track of their friends and their finances, Semesterly, launched last week with the support of the SGA.
Buddy Hance, the state’s secretary of agriculture, spoke to about 90 students in Stamp Student Union about the importance of buying locally-grown food.
Students follow nationwide trends, switch to debit
A growing number of consumers — including students — are putting a halt to their charge-happy spending habits in an effort to manage their money more wisely, according to U.S. Federal Reserve reports.
Department of Veteran Affairs faces 30,000-person backlog in payments
The Post-9/11 GI Bill, which was signed last year and went into effect this past August, provides financial support for education and housing to veterans who served on or after September 11, 2001.
Further protests will follow up on last week’s 600-person march
At a meeting, student leaders, united under the banner of a new coalition — Students Taking Action to Reclaim our Education — gathered in the multipurpose room of the Nyumburu Cultural Center, in an attempt to devise a plan of action against the provost’s decision to remove Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity Cordell Black from the position he has held for more than a decade.
Risking legislative wrath, Regents side with administrators, students
Despite a state mandate, the Board of Regents likely won’t institute a policy restricting the viewing of pornographic movies on college campuses after months of discussion and student protest. Citing free speech issues and administrative difficulties, University System Chancellor Brit Kirwan has recommended the Board of Regents — a 17-member panel of gubernatorial appointees that oversees the university system — not pass a film policy at its meeting today.
21-year-old charged with three counts of assault; lawyer says client is not guilty
Police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Reedy confirmed Wayne Michael Weissblatt was arrested at about 2 a.m. Friday and charged with two counts of second-degree assault, one count of first-degree assault and additional counts of disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure.. A search of university and court records indicated Weissblatt is a 21-year-old undergraduate student. His attorney denied all charges.
James Pitts is latest in line of lesser-known December speakers
James Pitts, the corporate vice president and president of the Electronic Systems sector of Northrop Grumman will address graduating students the night of Dec. 19 at Comcast Center. Pitts, a Baltimore native, is the latest in a string of lesser-known winter commencement speakers, including Nobel-winning physicist John Mather and United Way Chairman Brian Gallagher.
Student appears on Wheel of Fortune’s college edition
Deanna LeBlanc, junior journalism major and former advertising representative for The Diamondback, was a contestant on the popular T.V. show Wheel of Fortune.
Safety concerns drove decision; students grumble about elimination of access
In an effort to close the one unprotected nighttime entrance to the campus, DOTS and University Police have installed a gate at Mowatt Lane Garage that locks every evening at 10 p.m. While most entrances to the campus have been blocked or manned by a police officer, the Guilford Drive entrance to the garage has been open this year, as has the Preinkert Drive entrance to the garage.
Students, university health officials discuss misconceptions about smoking hookah
Though most students assume hookah use is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a typical hour-long hookah smoking session involves inhaling 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled in a single cigarette.
Architecture graduate students propose ideas for Annapolis Sailing museum
An exhibit in the Annapolis mayor’s office last month showcased the design proposals of 10 of those visions — conceived last fall — for the National Sailing Hall of Fame, a museum that will eventually be built near the harbor.
Last election day, voters approved legalizing slots as a way to generate more than $300 million a year for public education. But a year and two days later, it’s questionable when the money will fill the state’s coffers and how much of it will ever arrive. Public officials’ dream of a new revenue source to close the state’s stubborn budget gap has been partially battered by the economic downturn and local opposition to slot parlors.
Police arrested a Capitol Heights man on Wednesday in connection with a string of car parts thefts that afflicted the campus last month, University Police said.
First Year Book author Dave Eggers, Valentino Achek Deng speak on the campus
Valentino Achak Deng was forced from his home in Marial Bai, Sudan amid a civil war that ravaged the country for 22 years. He was 7 years old. Deng’s saga is chronicled in renowned author Dave Eggers’ latest novel, What Is the What, which was chosen as the 2009-2010 First Year Book in line with the university’s semester on peace. Eggers introduced Deng to more than 500 students and faculty members in a packed Tydings lecture hall last night.
Yogiberry, Wata-Wing managers think their restaurants can survive where others failed
There’s no proven plan for success on Route 1 — a fickle market crowded with restaurants and at the mercy of a student population that leaves the town en masse every summer. Each business has its own theory on how to survive, but Chris Warren, the city’s economic development coordinator, said even he doesn’t have many answers for why some businesses succeed and some fail.
Officials: Budget didn’t cause consolidation
University officials are considering merging the colleges of Chemical and Life Sciences and Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences in a move they said is not budget-based, but would promote collaboration among disciplines.
Students demand official’s reinstatement, release of key documents, reshuffling freeze
More than 600 students marched from the Nyumburu Cultural Center to the steps of the Main Administration Building yesterday afternoon, calling for the reinstatement of Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity Cordell Black, a 30-year faculty member and diversity administrator, who was told earlier this week he was being removed from his administrative position.
In response to Cordell Black's removal from his administrative post, students protest
More than 600 students marched from the Nyumburu Cultural Center to the steps of the Main Administration Building this afternoon, calling for the reinstatement of Assistant Provost for Equity and Diversity Cordell Black, a 30-year faculty member and diversity administrator, who was told earlier this week he was being removed from his administrative position by Provost Nariman Farvardin.
Piscataway Indian Chief explained his people were here before the state existed
For hundreds of years, Chief Billy “Redwing” Tayac’s family has lived around the Chesapeake Bay. But, he stresses, they are not from Maryland. “I’m not indigenous to Maryland. I’m indigenous to the Chesapeake Bay area,” Tayac said to a crowd of about 50 students gathered at Marie Mount Hall yesterday.
Cordell Black will be replaced by a part-time official in overseeing key diversity offices
Despite rumors to the contrary, Assistant Provost of Equity and Diversity Cordell Black is not leaving the university, according to an e-mail sent out by MICA officials.
Mechanical engineering professor Jeffrey Herrmann develops software that could save lives
In the event of an emergency, swarms of people will turn to Point of Distribution sites expecting to receive medicine. In order to handle these chaotic crowds, states and institutions all over the country will turn to technology developed by university professor Jeffrey Herrmann to quickly and effectively combat wide-spread illness.
Clean Energy for UMD proves skeptics wrong with 80-person march
City elections rarely see any rush of students: Student turnout in the council races historically struggle to top 50 voters. But about half an hour later, the UMD for Clean Energy’s “March to the Vote” rally made its way across the building’s downtown parking lot, prompting cars to honk their horns and cheer along as they passed. There was an estimated 80 students in that group alone.
Graduate student Marcus Afzali wins council seat
Marcus Afzali, a 24-year-old government and politics doctoral student, and Denise Mitchell, former chairwoman of the city’s education advisory committee, defeated three-year incumbent Mary Cook and eight-year incumbent Karen Hampton in the district that includes most of western College Park, including parts of North Campus, Knox Box housing and University Courtyards.
Students plan ‘emergency’ meeting today in Nyumburu
Outraged students are rallying tonight to respond to rumors surrounding the elimination of the Office of Equity and Diversity and termination of Assistant Provost of Equity and Diversity Cordell Black’s position. Black reportedly told another administrator his position was being cut as a part of the elimination of the Office of Equity and Diversity, which houses the Office of Multiethnic Student Education (OMSE), the Office of LBGT Equity and the Nyumburu Cultural Center.
Final decision still far off, faculty members say
Seeking stability within an uncertain economic future, officials from African American studies, American studies, women’s studies and LGBT studies are considering consolidating their four programs into a new academic unit, three faculty members said. Proponents say the consolidation would maintain the four programs’ individual academic integrity, while allowing them to share resources and staff. But student leaders and some faculty caution that such a move would lump disparate disciplines into one excessively broad program.
Dining Services hoped to help students eat healthier but low-calorie greens miss the mark
Students who have sampled the salads said they miss the mark by being too complicated with sauces and salsas which mask the flavor of the vegetables. The station serves one type of salad a day that features greens, a hot meat or fish, dressing and a gourmet relish, although they can be assembled to order.
Seven student legislators have dropped out of the SGA so far this semester, leaving the remaining members scrambling to fill the empty seats. The application deadline for the open positions is Friday, but if the Student Government Association can’t find enough interested parties, they’ll continue business as usual just as they have in previous years.
Students would no longer have to take final credits on campus, making it easier for seniors to study
It might be getting easier for students to study abroad during their last semesters at the university, thanks to a University Senate proposal akin to similar measures that were derailed last year. The change would relax a policy requiring students to take their final credits at this university, which makes it hard for seniors to take advantage of study abroad opportunities or job offers in other states.
Logistics and statistics to help throughout the day
College Park’s residents will head to the polls to determine who will lead the city for the next two years. They will decide the outcomes of contested City Council races in all four legislative districts. This election has seen unusual levels of competition for council seats and strong interest from several student groups. As a result, today’s race may include a higher level of excitement than in years past.
Nurse provides guidance on how to handle real-life drug overdoses
Don’t believe everything you see in movies. That was the first piece of advice registered nurse Billie Tyler gave to students at a drug overdose training event at the Stamp Student Union last night. “It’s not like the Pulp Fiction movie,” Tyler said of the iconic scene in which John Travolta stabs a comatose and overdosing Uma Thurman in the chest to revive her.
Matt and Kim perform at the Stamp Student Union
Though they failed to sell out the Grand Ballroom Friday night, Matt and Kim’s performance as part of Student Entertainment Events’ HalloWeek turned the show into a pre-Halloween dance party. Midway through the set, bandmember Matt Johnson offered to take off one garment of clothing after each song.
Several ’90s cartoonists went big-time with their drawings
In the 1990s, The Diamondback gave rise to a slew of well-known comic artists including Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows) and Aaron McGruder (The Boondocks). The cartoons appeared one after the other, building a legacy of clever, well-drawn cartoons in the newspaper that the cartoonists said helped shape their careers.
