CAMPUS & METRO
CAMPUS & METRO
ROWING
The new Mesa Pizza branch will settle in before asking the city for extended hours.
The Ward 2 City Councilman is pushing old ideas, despite new leaders at City Hall.
The Gophers had a two-week rest and are ready to get back in the water.
No late-night Mesa in Stadium Village
Councilman Cam Gordon keeps goals intact
u See PAGE 3A
SHOWERS HIGH 53° LOW 38°
Minnesota rowers prep for Hawkeyes
u See PAGE 6A
U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
u See PAGE 10A
THURSDAY
APRIL 24, 2014
HIGHER ED
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
FACULTY/STAFF
Students could see more in-state grants The task A $17.6 million surplus could be divided among Minnesota State Grant recipients. BY BLAIR EMERSON bemerson@mndaily.com
Nearly one-third of University of Minnesota undergraduates could get more state money to help pay their college expenses next year. The Minnesota State Grant program
will have a $17.6 million surplus that could award students receiving the aid up to an extra $200 each. About 30 percent of University undergraduates receive the state grant. On average, their aid will increase by about $137 for the 2014-15 academic year, said Ginny Dodds, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education’s financial aid programs manager. “It’s not a huge increase, but it is a move in the right direction,” Dodds said. The state grant, which is calculated in conjunction with the federal Pell Grant,
is awarded to lower- and middle-income students. Minnesota Student Association members and other students suppor ted increased funding for the state grant program at the group’s lobbying event last month. “State grant recipients are students who have identified financial needs,” said MSA member and Minnesota Student Legislative Coalition chairman Matt Forstie. “Anything that we can do to better meet their u See GRANTS Page 7A
05:06 p.m.
of getting tenure For faculty across the country, getting tenure can be an uphill battle — and it’s getting tougher. BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com
Getting tenure isn’t easy. University of Minnesota faculty sometimes work for nearly a decade to achieve tenure status. And once they’re through the process, the University can still deny tenure and ask them to leave the institution. Next month, the University’s Board of Regents will vote on whether to approve tenure status for a list of faculty members, determining the applicants’ futures at the institution. In recent years, making it to this point has become more difficult, with fewer job openings in academia and increased requirements for approval. “Let me just say, it’s a ner vous [process],” said Karen Miksch, an associate professor of higher education and law who was granted tenure in 2008. Miksch, who now serves as co-chair of the Faculty Senate Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, said she went through a rigorous tenure process, including u See TENURE Page 5A
PUBLIC SAFETY
A man walks down 15th Avenue Southeast, Amanda Snyder
After riot, cops prep for typical Spring Jam Police said they’re ready for anything but are expecting few problems at this year’s festival. BY NICK STUDENSKI nstudenski@mndaily.com
12:59 a.m. Sophomore Tabitha Steger lies down at the Barker Center for Dance, Amanda Snyder
See SPECIAL B SECTION
For campus police during this weekend’s Spring Jam, it’ll be business as usual. Following the raucous incidents earlier this month during the NCAA Frozen Four hockey tournament, University of Minnesota police say they aren’t anticipating any riots during this weekend’s celebration. In April 2009, more than 500 students took to the streets of Dinkytown in the infamous “Spring Jam riots” that resulted in 12 arrests. University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said he thinks the social host ordinance, which the Minneapolis City Council passed in 2010, has helped tame out-ofcontrol parties near campus during Spring Jam and other major celebrations. The ordinance made it a misdemeanor to host a party at which minors are drinking. Underage drinking is one of the most common problems during Spring Jam, Miner said. Muted celebrations or not, Miner said u See SPRING JAM Page 6A
STUDENT LIFE
CSE touts student work The annual College of Science and Engineering week is a chance to court future students. BY KRISTOFFER TIGUE ktigue@mndaily.com
A disc saw screamed in the basement of Keller Hall, spraying a fine mist of wood shavings into the air. The freshly cut board was made to complete the paneling on a homemade arcade game, complete with four controllers for multiplayer mode. A few feet away, physics freshman Mitchell Paull adjusted the decibel levels of his speakers, which then sprayed mineral oil almost a foot into the air and onto the lab table. “It’s going to take some adjustments,” he said, laughing nervously. Both projects will be on display Friday
for the College of Science and Engineering Expo as part of the annual CSE Week. For 100 years, the University of Minnesota has thrown a weeklong celebration dedicated to science and engineering. This year, the Expo is the featured attraction. On April 25, more than 2,000 Twin Cities middle school students will visit campus for a day of about 50 outdoor science experiments and presentations from CSE student organizations. The event aims to encourage students at a young age to start thinking about science in an engaging and meaningful way, said CSE Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs Susan Kubitschek. If outreach for scientific engagement isn’t done until high school, she said, it’s often too late. It’s common for those who choose science as a career path to have u See CSE Page 18A
CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY
Mechanical engineering freshman Micah Lindstrom works on “Strand Beast,” a giant, pedalpowered giant mechanical moving sculpture, outside Rapson Hall on Friday.
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 109