EDITORIAL BOARD ENDORSES DAYTON PAGE 5 PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 48° LOW 39°
U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 29, 2014
THE BOARD SAYS HIS POLICY FOR STUDENTS IS BEST FOR MINN.
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LEAGUES HOME
SCIENCE
Medical research hits walls
AWAY FROM
Work that can show immediate benefits generally receives more federal funding. BY HALEY MADDEROM hmadderom@mndaily.com
Tay Netoff has spent about two decades researching epilepsy. Now, the associate biomedical engineering professor has to shift his research’s focus to Parkinson’s disease, as it’s more likely to secure government funding. The University of Minnesota’s support from the National Institutes of Health — the world’s largest funder of medical research — has dropped by about 6 percent over the past five fiscal years. While many researchers like Netoff say they’re feeling the squeeze, those whose work can show more immediate impact have been more successful at obtaining federal funding than others. The NIH is homing in on research that promises to directly impact public health, like studies that design and test drugs or explore ways to lower the cost of medication, rather than work that answers basic questions with no immediate results. “There’s much, much more pressure on NIH to show sort of shorter-term gains,” Netoff said. u See NIH Page 4 Sophomore Titania Markland runs on the track at the Bierman Field Athletic Building on Friday. Markland is from Jamaica and is one of 41 international student-athletes at the University. Amanda Snyder
LEGISLATURE
$6M sought for studies on mining
The University of Minnesota attracts athletes from around the world. Their transition to a new home brings fresh challenges and opportunities. STORY BY BETSY HELFAND
In the second
month of her freshman year, Titania Markland called her grandparents in tears. Like many freshmen, she was homesick. But unlike some of Markland’s peers, her family doesn’t live in the state. Most of them are still in Jamaica, where she grew up. Markland, a sprinter on the University of Minnesota track and field team, said during that call, her grandparents reminded her why she moved to Minnesota. “They’re like, ‘Well, just think. You know what you want, and you got to sacrifice certain stuff for
A chunk of the U’s biennial budget request would go to research on mining’s impact. BY BLAIR EMERSON bemerson@mndaily.com
The University of Minnesota is requesting $6.25 million from the state Legislature to address the environmental, health and economic impacts of Minnesota’s mining industry. The multimillion-dollar “mining solutions” initiative, a part of the institution’s $1.3 billion 2016-17 biennial budget request, will support students and researchers studying the effects of mining, which many University and government leaders say is a leading issue in the state. Minnesota is the largest producer of iron ore and taconite in the countr y, said Jim Sellner, manager of engineering and development at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ lands and minerals division. Collectively, the state’s six taconite facilities produce more than 47 million tons of taconite each year, he said. If lawmakers approve it, the University’s proposal would provide students and researchers with funds for equipment purchases and demonstrating their mining u See REQUEST Page 3
that,’ ” she said. “I think that’s my motivation.” Markland, now a sophomore, is one of 41 student-athletes at the University who left their native countries to get a degree while pursuing the sport they love. For some, the move required a leap of faith and major adjustments. They’ve had to navigate a new culture while maintaining academic and athletic focus. But many of the University’s inter national student-athletes have seized the opportunity, making impor tant contributions to their teams.
SEE ATHLETES PAGE 6
RESEARCH
Independent entity to ease international relations The new buffer will help University research comply with other countries’ laws. BY JESSIE BEKKER jbekker@mndaily.com
The University of Minnesota is working to protect itself from hitting bumps in the legal system when conducting research overseas. Following the lead of other higher education institutions, University administrators proposed earlier this month to create
PHILANTHROPY
a “buffer entity” to help the school navigate international legal negotiations related to research. The entity, which the Board of Regents approved at its monthly meeting, will be an independent corporation owned by the University called Minnesota Global Inc. It will consist of a board of directors —made up of University leaders — that will offer legal advice and protection for the school when it is researching in different nations. The University currently houses most of its international research operations in China. But under Chinese law, the school’s current legal ties will expire in the near fu-
ture, said University General Counsel Bill Donohue. As the University expands its undertakings there, he said, administrators want to develop a more established office, which the buffer entity could facilitate. The school has also consistently been working in India and West Africa, said Meredith McQuaid, associate vice president and dean of international programs. Still, McQuaid said she doesn’t anticipate immediate use of the corporation in those locations, adding that the buf fer u See BUFFER Page 3
A haunting for the hungry Two student groups turned a church into a haunted house to raise money for charity. BY SARAH CONNOR sconnor@mndaily.com
CORA NELSON, DAILY
Sophomore Alexis King applies makeup to Ali Huber at the University Baptist Church on Friday evening. Students Against Hunger and the Wesley Foundation hosted a haunted house at the church.
Two University of Minnesota student groups have been toiling away in the basement of an old church near campus for the past two months, building a haunted house for charity. Students Against Hunger and a faithbased student group, the Wesley Foundation, have joined forces for the past three years to create a decked-out haunted house with proceeds going to charity. And this year, they believe the event’s new location in the basement of a church that’s more than a century old will bring in more funds and frights. The haunted house hosted in the
University Baptist Church on University Avenue Southeast kicked off last weekend and will open again on Halloween for $5 a pop. Students Against Hunger Vice President Maria Frank said all proceeds from the twoweekend-long attraction will go toward the group’s meal-packing event next month. “[With the proceeds], we’ll be buying supplies to then package up meals and give them to an organization that sends them overseas to disaster areas or impoverished areas in the world and distributes them through schools and orphanages,” she said. The two organizations, which regularly hold community events, first teamed up in 2012 when Frank and a friend from the Wesley Foundation decided to pool their groups’ resources and host a haunted house for charity. The past two years’ houses have brought in about 200 visitors and u See HALLOWEEN Page 4
VOLUME 116 ISSUE 34