CAMPUS & METRO
BASEBALL
SOFTBALL
Some are pushing for a bill to make certain donations tax deductible.
Dan Olinger drove in two runs with a pinch-hit single in the seventh inning.
Sara Groenewegen is 11-0 and has eight home runs in her first year on campus.
Greek housing bill flails in Congress
Gophers win midweek game against NDSU
u See PAGE 4
Pitcher Groenewegen impresses in Year 1
u See PAGE 10
U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
WEDNESDAY
APRIL 16, 2014
Minnesota quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski leads practice April 5 at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex.
SNOW TO RAIN HIGH 41° LOW 24°
u See PAGE 10
building a quarterback Jim Zebrowski has developed great running quarterbacks in the past. Mitch Leidner could be the next. - story by jack satzinger, photo by chelsea gortmaker
im Zebrowski was always better at baseball than football, but he’s made a living molding young quarterbacks. He currently ser ves as the Gophers’ quarterbacks coach, schooling the most important position in football — a position that’s been a turnstile for Minnesota since Jerry Kill and his staff came to Minneapolis in 2011. Zebrowski has worked with ever y signal caller since then, and for the first time, he’s found one who possesses nearly every trait he looks for in the position. In the past, MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell — holdovers from Tim Brewster’s stint as head coach — struggled to make an impact in Kill’s first two seasons with the Gophers. Philip Nelson — touted as the quarterback of the future — replaced Gray and Shortell midway through the
2012 campaign. Nelson entered 2013 as the No. 1 quarterback but shared much of his time under center with Mitch Leidner. A bit wary of losing his star ting spot and becoming a backup, Nelson transferred to Rutgers in January. Now the quarterback position is in the hands of Leidner, an under-recruited downhill runner from Lakeville, Minn. He didn’t come to the Gophers with the pomp and circumstance that Nelson did, but he looks the part of a Zebrowski signal caller. Zebrowski has taken under-recruited quarterbacks and turned them into all-conference performers in the past — and Leidner could be next. “You’ve got to love football as a quar terback. You can’t like it,” Zebrowski said. “You’ve got to be done with practice and be excited about watching film.”
see ZEBROWSKI page 8
just because i wasn’t a great player doesn’t mean i can’t produce great quarterbacks. - Jim Zebrowski
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
HIGHER ED
Course evals could go public A University Senate vote may publicize course evaluations but not instructor reviews. BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com
University of Minnesota students may get access to their peers’ course evaluations when registering for classes next year. Some faculty members, administrators and students have pushed for years to make teacher and course evaluations more accessible. The course assessments, at least, could finally be made public when the University Faculty and Student senates vote on the issue in May. “I think it’s good for faculty, and I think it’s really good for students,” Faculty Senate Consultative Committee Chair Will Durfee said. For now, there are no plans to make instructor evaluations more accessible. At the end of each semester, students fill out a Student Rating of Teaching form for each course, giving them the chance to tell their instructors what they liked and didn’t like about the class. u See EVALUATIONS Page 14
LEGISLATURE
In tight race, Somalis turn out for Noor Mohamud Noor may be Rep. Phyllis Kahn’s toughest challenger in 42 years. BY JESSICA LEE AND ROY AKER jlee@mndaily.com, raker@mndaily.com
The surge in political activism from Somali-Americans in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is putting pressure on longstanding Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, to prove that she deserves another term in the state Legislature. Somali-born Mohamud Noor, a fellow DFLer, is challenging the 22-term legislator for the seat representing the West Bank, the University of Minnesota and other east Minneapolis neighborhoods. Because of deadlock in early stages of the election process, the outcome of the race won’t be decided for months. Until then, the longstanding incumbent and newcomer will vie for support. The highly contested battle is highlighting how voters identify with candidates, either culturally or politically. Simultaneously, the idea that the district’s seat should mirror its demographic u See ELECTION Page 3
HEALTH
Active body, nimble brain University researchers found that an active lifestyle can keep the mind healthy in old age. BY ALLISON KRONBERG akronberg@mndaily.com
Nearly half of the nation’s nursing home occupants are living with Alzheimer’s or other degenerative brain diseases — something young people may be able to avoid. Researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health found in a study released earlier this month that maintaining an active lifestyle as a youth may help preser ve memor y and other brain functions. For about 30 years, the study has followed the activity levels and cognitive ability of more than 2,500 people, starting when they were between the ages of 18 and 30. Now, researchers are about to check in with participants for the ninth time.
Participants who could run longer on a treadmill when they were young were more likely to be able to answer memor y questions and other brainteasers correctly 20 years later. “The hope is to carr y this through old age, which will give a glimpse of how youth affects old age,” study author and professor David Jacobs said. Cardiovascular activities like running, bicycling and swimming are especially central to brain health, the study found. While the processes behind thinking aren’t well understood, Jacobs said, it’s known that the brain requires lots of oxygen to function optimally, and cardio workouts help the body deliver and preserve more oxygen. Biomedical engineering sophomore Paul Borowick said he enjoys playing sports or lifting weights, but he admits that it’s sometimes hard to get motivated to do more intense weekly workouts. u See BRAIN Page 4
HOLLY PETERSON, DAILY
Sophomore Loralee Onstad runs on the track at the University recreation center Tuesday.
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