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ATHLETICS
Facilities plan gets donation
U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
WEDNESDAY
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM IS AN INT’L EXPERT ON INFECTIOUS DISEASE
SEPTEMBER 3, 2014
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
BUSINESS
A new test in Dinkytown
Land O’Lakes announced on Tuesday a $25M gift for several upcoming University projects. BY SAM KRAEMER skraemer@mndaily.com
The University of Minnesota and Land O’Lakes announced Tuesday that the corporation will donate $25 million to new school projects, with a large portion of the funds going toward the school’s $190 million athletics facilities plan. The Arden Hills-based corporation has pledged $15 million for a new facility, which is expected to open as the centerpiece of a new “Athletics Village” in fall 2016. Land O’Lakes will receive naming rights to the 60,000-square-foot center, which will be home to academic and other programs available for both students and student-athletes. The contribution will also help fund other projects across University colleges, including the Carlson School of Management and the College of Science and Engineering. This is the largest donation Land O’Lakes and its foundation have ever made, according to a joint statement released by the corporation and the University on Tuesday. “Today’s announcement underscores our commitment to educational excellence and further strengthens our investment in the pipeline of talent from the University of Minnesota,” said Land O’Lakes President and CEO Christopher Policinski in the release. The company will pay the donation to the University between 2015 and 2024. “Meaningful partnerships with Minnesota businesses are vital to the success of our students and the state’s economic future,” President Eric Kaler said in the release.
LIAM JAMES DOYLE, DAILY
Gina + Will General Manager Danielle Stager rings up a customer at the checkout of the new Dinkytown shop on Tuesday. Goodwill opened the doors to the first and only secondhand store tailored to college-age people late last month.
Following a line of failed clothing stores in the University area, Goodwill is trying out its first “campus casual” store. apartments late last month, sees Dinky-
BY HALEY MADDEROM hmadderom@mndaily.com
W
town as a laboratory for a new kind of store
hile Dinkytown has proved to be
— one that’s less than one-fifth the size of a
fer tile ground for eateries and
traditional Goodwill store.
bars, it has served as a revolving door for apparel stores.
ELECTION 2014
MSA invite denied by Franken The student gov’t waged an unsuccessful push for a senatorial debate on campus. BY JOHN THOMAS jthomas@mndaily.com
A U.S. senator and candidate in November’s election refused an invitation last week to debate at the University of Minnesota despite a heavy push on social media, prompting student leaders to question how candidates prioritize college-age voters on their campaign trails. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., denied the request from members of the Minnesota Student Association. Although student leaders expressed dismay, exper ts say debates aren’t the best route for politicians to sway voters. Lar r y Jacobs, a political science u See DEBATE Page 3
The company’s staff combed through donations and tailored the shop’s merchan-
In 2002, Ragstock closed its doors after
dise of clothing, shoes and accessories with
decades of business. Shops like Everyday
college students in mind, said Mar y Beth
People, Covered boutique and Peppermint
Casement, a marketing product manager
Park have also crawled off the Dinkytown
for Goodwill.
map.
Prices at the store are also set with
But Goodwill, which opened a “cam-
younger customers’ budgets in mind, said
pus casual” branch called Gina + Will
General Manager Danielle Stager, with the
at the base of The Venue at Dinkytown
cost for many pieces falling around $15.
u See GOODWILL Page 4
WEST BANK
Mudslide closes West River Parkway until 2015 Minneapolis leaders will vote on a permanent fix for the area following storms in late June. BY ZOE DICICCO zdicicco@mndaily.com
A mudslide that occurred on the University of Minnesota’s West Bank in late June will keep a stretch of West River Parkway closed until 2015. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board announced last month that a onemile portion of the road will remain closed to all commuters because of safety concerns. On Wednesday, the board will vote
HEALTH
to enter an agreement with a local engineering consulting firm that would oversee permanent fixes to the hillside. If approved, Barr Engineering will oversee the hill’s reconstruction, which is set to begin in the spring. The resolution says Minneapolis has allocated up to $640,000 for the project. Justin Long, the city board’s assistant superintendent for environmental stewardship, said a definitive solution to secure the area has yet to be decided, but engineers are still reviewing options. He said each scenario would include adding clean, engineered soil and walls along the hillside, but the engineers are still determining the best location
for the walls. The remaining soil is currently being protected by a geotechnical fabric that prevents rain from further deteriorating the soil and minimizes erosion, Long said. The area where the mudslide occurred is located just below the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fair view, on the West Bank. Fair view spokeswoman Jennifer Amundson said that on the night of the mudslide, the building was carefully assessed and “determined to be structurally sound.” Since that night, she said, “it’s been business as usual.” u See RECONSTRUCTION Page 6
Recovery House on hold A lack of applications to a sober Living Learning Community delayed its opening this fall. BY CHRISTOPHER AADLAND caadland@mndaily.com
AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY
University graduate Lauren Feller watches a Minnesota Twins game with fellow SOBER members Lars Gunnerson, Sarah Day and Ashley Ott on Tuesday evening at Target Field.
Despite promises to welcome University of Minnesota students recovering from alcohol addiction into a sober Living Learning Community this fall, a shortage of applications to live there means those students will have to wait. Though the Recover y House’s prolonged opening date came as a setback for some students who say the University campus could be more sober-friendly, the school says it’s boosting efforts to provide those resources. In addition, student organizers still hope to make the house, which was previously set to open in Middlebrook Hall, a reality. Recently, the University created a work
group to improve its support ser vices for and resources offered to recovering students, said Julie Sanem, director of health promotion for Boynton Health Service. Cooper Johnson, student coordinator of the Students Off Booze Enjoying Recovery, or SOBER, said there may be recovering prospective students who don’t end up coming to the University. “People maybe don’t feel comfortable [coming to the University] if they’re in recover y, and we want to make it so people don’t have to make that decision,” Johnson said. This year, he said SOBER plans to reach out to local treatment centers and students in local sober high schools and encourage them to attend the University and join the Recovery House next year. The University’s work group — which comprises members of SOBER, Boynton, Housing and Residential Life and University u See COMMMUNIT Y Page 6
VOLUME 116 ISSUE 2