November 2, 2020

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

FOOTBALL

Mar yland wins, spoils Ibrahim’s big night The Baltimore native could not make up for the defensive woes.

By Brendan O’Brien bobrien@mndaily.com Coming into its matchup against Maryland, Minnesota was hoping to tune up some of its defensive issues from a week ago.

Late in the third quarter, it seemed like the Gophers would be able to overcome those deficiencies by riding with Mohamed Ibrahim as the workhorse running back. Minnesota had a 17-point lead and Ibrahim was running all over the field.

But then came the comeback.

After scoring three touchdowns to start the game, the Terrapins’ offense was quiet throughout the middle portion of the game. The Baltimore native played a large role in this effort, rushing effectively, finding the endzone and churning the clock to keep the ball away from Maryland. Ibrahim finished the half with 118 yards and four rushing scores, tied for a school record.

As the game continued, Ibrahim kept getting his attempts, finishing with 41 carries on the night. But this led to Maryland keying in on the Gophers’ run, and it was able to swallow him up when it mattered. And soon, a 17-point lead became only 10 points. And then only seven points. And eventually, a tied game heading into overtime.

Ibrahim finished with an impressive statline: 207 yards and four touchdowns. His 41 carries makes him just the sixth Gopher to have at least 40 carries in a game. But the end result is not what Ibrahim and Minnesota imagined with Brock Walker missing the extra point to tie the game in overtime. Instead of leaving College Park with what many thought might be an easier victory, the Gophers walked away with a 45-44 loss.

“I thought Mo played tremendous. We thought we could finish some drives with him,” head coach P.J. Fleck said after the game. “…But we had way too many explosive plays on defense and that put us in too many holes.”

Controlling the clock with Ibrahim to stop the bleeding from the defensive unit worked See FOOTBALL Page 2

MNDAILY.COM

COVID-19

UMN bars have most COVID-19 cases in MPLS COVID-19 cases keep increasing despite precautions taken by the bars.

By Lydia Morrell lmorrell@mndaily.com Two University of Minnesota-area restaurants have been among the top hotspots for COVID-19 throughout the state.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has reported 103 restaurants that have been investigated for suspected patron transmission of COVID-19 statewide since restaurants were allowed to reopen in June. Fiftyfive met the outbreak threshold, according to information released to the public on Oct. 9.

Minneapolis has 14 establishments that meet this criteria, including Kollege Klub and Sally’s Saloon at the top of the list.

The Kollege Klub in Dinkytown had a total of 90 cases this summer, with 21 cases reported in September alone. Sally’s in

Stadium Village trails closely behind with 83 total reported cases, 34 of which were also reported in September.

Both Sally’s and Kollege Klub declined to comment regarding their response to the pandemic.

MDH notes that because locations rely on self-reporting and some people may be reluctant to share information about their attendance at social events, some outbreaks could be underreported.

Hayden Cecil, a student who went to Sally’s this semester, said she felt safe while in the restaurant because of its COVID-19 precautions but was unsettled by the behavior of other patrons.

“I wear my mask when I walk around,” Cecil said. “But it’s like, sometimes when I see other people walking around without a mask, it just gives me an uneasy feeling.”

She added that social distancing is difficult when patrons are walking between tables, sometimes unmasked, or standing in

line waiting to be admitted to Sally’s.

“We’re supposed to stand on X’s. But with groups, it’s kind of hard,” Cecil said. “It just becomes one big line instead of like groups being separated in the line.”

John, a fourth-year student standing in line for Sally’s Thursday night who didn’t want to share his last name, said that even though he knows going out to Sally’s poses a risk to the community, he felt more comfortable because he does not live with anybody vulnerable to the virus.

“I’m not going to say it feels like the most safe thing and it feels kind of like a little bit morally unjust, but at the same time … [I’m] just trying to do something,” John said.

John said he thought that Sally’s previous problems with COVID-19 were because of the students who socialized with other tables and did not wear masks.

See COVID-19 Page 2

I’ve had to let staff know that ‘Hey, I know this is uncomfortable, but you do need to go tell this person to put on their mask’” JAKE BRUCE Loring operations manager

The Kollege Klub, a popular bar in Dinkytown, on Saturday, June 20. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily)

CAPITAL PLAN

UMN capital plan supports bioengineering labs The lab is funded by the Department of Defense and other sources.

By Megan Phillips mphillips@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota’s 2020 six-year capital plan includes major improvement to the St. Paul campus that could lead to new breakthroughs in sustainable fuel and agriculture, thanks in part to a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense.

The plan was announced at the October Board of Regents meeting and will include at least

An empty lot stands across from the Cargill building, on the University’s St. Paul campus, on Monday, Oct. 19. The lot will be the site of a proposed research facility. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily) $87 million in federal funds directed toward building im-

IMMIGRATION

provements and a new research facility within the University’s

BioTechnology Institute.

More than $180 million will be matched by other sources, including funds from 57 colleges, to support further research that could lead to various fossil fuel alternatives.

The DOD funding, which was announced Oct. 20, marks the establishment of BioMADE, a nonprofit created by the California-based Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC).

The Microbial Cell Production Facility (MCPF) will be the first building constructed in the biotechnology part of the St. Paul campus, said Michael Smanski, one of the heads of the BioMADE initiative and the See CAPITAL Page 2

ADMINISTRATION

‘Immigrants in COVID America’ documents Hiring of senior administrator sparks COVID-19 impact on immigrants and refugees discussion about adminstrative pay Myron Frans will earn $399,000 annually as the vice president of finance.

The project aims to inform equitable responses to the ongoing pandemic.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com

By Katelyn Vue kvue@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center and a team of researchers at Gustavus Adolphus College developed an online resource to document the impacts of COVID-19 on immigrants and refugees in the U.S. In an effort to preserve the stories of immigrants and refugees over time, the project, Immigrants in COVID America collects news reports, data and research that record the economic, health and social impacts of COVID-19 on refugee and immigrant communities.

In addition to creating a historical record, the project seeks to inform equitable decision-making in response to the pandemic and illustrate the negative consequences of immigration policy.

Illustration by Motasem Kadadah Over the summer, researchers analyzed relevant articles, podcast episodes and other sources, dating back to Jan. 30, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 an international emergency.

“When I wasn’t searching for toilet paper and making my own face masks out of pillowcases and shoe laces, I automatically started thinking about what needed to be

done,” said Erika Lee, director of the Immigration History Research Center. “What could I do to help make a difference?”

During the summer, Lee and Maddalena Marinari, associate professor at Gustavus Adolphus College, discussed ideas for a resource to bring attention to issues affecting immigrants and refugees See IMMIGRANTS Page 4

The University of Minnesota introduced Myron Frans as the new senior vice president for finance and operations last month, prompting a discussion among the Board of Regents about the cost of administrator salaries within higher education.

In a discussion before Frans was officially appointed, the Board of Regents raised concerns about his annual compensation package, especially given the University’s financial insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regents also expressed concern with the lack of consultation about Frans’ hire, a feeling student leaders echoed.

Regent Darrin Rosha was one

administrator who voiced concern at the September meeting.

Although he supported Frans’ selection for the position, Rosha said he feels the overall model of compensation is cause for concern and needs to be addressed.

“Boards like ours across the country have sat back and allowed ourselves to create this fictional market that ultimately leads to all of these students paying student loans into their 30s and 40s,” Rosha said. “So while you certainly can’t question a person’s desire to earn as much as they’re able to, the fact that the institution is offering … this type of compensation, it’s literally a question of morality.”

Frans will receive an annual salary of $399,000. This amount is subject to the 10% pay reduction taken by top administrators in July — an effort to cushion the financial blow of the pandemic.

Frans will also receive additional deferred compensation See FRANS Page 2 Volume 121 Issue 4

2 Monday, November 2, 2020

COVID-19 page 1 However, he said staff handled the issue well, especially compared to bars in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. He added that the bar’s staff has tightened enforcement regarding unmasked students wandering around.

“I’ve seen people kind of get kicked out if they go to a different table,” John said. “We saw someone walk in without a mask on, and the bouncer was really strict with them.”

Loring Bar & Restaurant in Dinkytown, which has seen zero COVID-19 cases, has faced similar challenges with patrons not complying with rules.

The restaurant has social distance markers for lines, two doors for separate exit and entry and requires face masks when

patrons are not eating or drinking.

“I’ve had to let staff know that ‘Hey, I know this is uncomfortable, but you do need to go tell this person to put on their mask’ or, you know, ‘Tell this person to step back from someone,’ just reminding them of those rules,” Loring operations manager Jake Bruce said.

“Because I mean, we’re all human, we’re all going to forget, and especially in a comfortable social setting, you’re not going to want to do that.”

He added that the biggest challenge right now is patrons, especially young people, who are not concerned about the pandemic and do not pay attention to the rules.

“But that’s our job,” Bruce said. “And it’s on us to keep everyone safe and healthy.”

Gophers head coach PJ Fleck walks the sidelines at TCF Bank stadium on Saturday, Oct. 24. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)

Football page 1 for only so long and gradually became more and

Capital page 1

lead researcher in the bioengineering Smanski Lab. He said a vision for a second building next door to MCFP is also in the works.

“It’s a great time to be a Minnesota student or faculty,” Smanski said.

The MCPF will be constructed in September 2021 and house the University’s Biotechnology Resource Center (BRC) and BioMADE. The BRC will focus on enzyme production while BioMADE will focus on the production of smaller, nonprotein molecules used as building blocks for other materials, Michael Sadowsky, head of the BioTechnology Institute, said.

These nonprotein

Immigrants page 1 during the pandemic. As a result, they worked together to form two groups of students to help create the project.

“As historians, we know that oftentimes historical records expunge the voices of marginalized communities,” Marinari said.

Lillie Ortloff, a third-year student at Gustavus Adolphus College and a student researcher on the project, said in an email her research stressed the amount of

Frans page 1 ranging from $50,000 to $80,000 each year between 2022 and 2026.

This salary is 6% less than former Senior Vice President Brian Burnett earned.

Frans received approximately $158,000 in 2019 in his previous position working under Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

In an interview with the Daily, Frans commented on the concerns about his compensation and the disparity between his new salary with the University and what he earned previously while working for the state.

“I understand the concerns about higher education salaries, and it’s something that we need to look at — and obviously mine came in lower than

my predecessors,” Frans said. “I would just say, some comparisons were made to the state salaries paid … for the comparable positions. My only comment is [state salaries] are woefully inadequate for the jobs that are required for those folks. I think the comparison doesn’t work that well.”

Rosha and several other board members also said they feel that higher education should be viewed as a public service rather than a private business and that compensation models should reflect this purpose.

“When I came back to the board in 2015, the two things that had grown exponentially were administrative salaries and tuition. Everything else sort of follows the standard trajectory: faculty salaries and other costs are

sort of in line with what you would expect from an inflationary standpoint,” Rosha said. “But administrative salaries and tuition had gone up dramatically.”

Other board members supported the appointment and salary, saying that in order to attract potential candidates to the University, salaries need to remain competitive with peer institutions.

“The salary is in line with what other people are getting from around the country. He’s making less than his predecessor. [The decision] wasn’t unanimous, but I think it was a strong support,” Regent Richard Beeson said.

According to materials from the September meeting, an annual salary of $354,700 falls in the 25th percentile of similar positions nationwide. The

50th percentile is marked by a salary of $407,800 each year.

Frans, who replaced predecessor Burnett, was approached by University President Joan Gabel about the senior vice president position.

Addressing the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic is a major focus of the position, Gabel said in an interview with the Minnesota Daily.

“Myron Frans, through his work … has a very unique set of experiences that are very aligned with what the University is going to need for the next several years,” Gabel said. “He has repeated experience successfully and consultatively taking institutions out of deficit and stabilizing them financially. We are not in a deficit, but we don’t want to go into a deficit.”

Gophers Runningback Mohamed Ibrahim carries the ball for a touchdown at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 1. (Kamaan Richards /Minnesota Daily)

more predictable. In the second quarter, the Gophers rushed for 100 yards.

By the fourth quarter, they only had 11.

Ibrahim has shown these past two games what he has the previous two seasons; he can be a dominant runner in the Big Ten.

In order to execute the Gophers’ overall game plan of playing balanced football offensively and defensively, it has been important

for the team to run the football effectively.

But his most recent performances have been overshadowed by a

defense that has allowed at least 45 points in its first two games of the season, a style that has not complemented the offense.

materials will be used to make products such as detergents, plastics, agricultural products, crop protection solutions, food additives, fragrances and flavors, according to a DOD news release.

As part of the six-year plan, the University will also modernize research laboratories on the St. Paul campus using legislative funds, according to October regent documents.

Roger Ruan, a researcher of sustainable food and agriculture in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, said any improvement in the facilities on the St. Paul campus will be helpful. He said it has been difficult to conduct some types of experimental research because of safety precautions.

“The updated laboratory spaces on the St. Paul campus will definitely benefit the research conducted here,” Ruan said in an email. “Our current laboratories are really out of date and very difficult to meet the needs of the new research and development in the areas.”

Bo Hu, a researcher of bioprocesses in agriculture in the same department as Ruan, said the St. Paul laboratories are scattered and have limited space. He said a centralized facility that consolidates all of the bioprocessing and bio-industrial labs will help researchers to collaborate more effectively.

“This will give us a lot of new tools, new space for research,” Hu said.

“I am very excited about this aspect.”

Snow falls outside the Cargill building on the University’s St. Paul campus on Monday, Oct. 19. The building stands across from a lot that is the proposed site of a new research facility. (Kamaan Richards /Minnesota Daily)

instability that immigrants and refugees face regularly.

“I’ve always known how nothing is guaranteed for immigrant communities and it can be hard to find stability – and a pandemic certainly doesn’t make that any easier,” she said in the email. “I think one thing that has definitely been emphasized for me through our research is the amount of adapting that has to be done. Especially by refugees and asylees, who came looking for protection.”

Immigrants in COVID America is also partnering

with Sahan Journal to publish stories of immigrants and refugees and their experiences during the pandemic. Sahan Journal is the only nonprofit news organization in Minnesota dedicated to reporting about immigrants and refugees.

“I feel like some of these changes are dizzying because there’s so much that’s happening, but it’s different when you can hear a story,” Marinari said. “So, hopefully, it will contribute to rehumanize people who have been dehumanized.”

Currently, a feedback

form is available to gather suggestions and ways to improve on the website.

The project will be updated throughout the year.

“I hope [readers] take away the sense that this isn’t … a one-sided experience for people in the United States,” said Catherine Lim, a fourth-year student at Gustavus Adolphus College and Immigrants in COVID America researcher. “And I hope [readers] use this resource in a way to expand beyond what the common narrative will be for COVID-19 in America someday.”

I’ve always known how nothing is guaranteed for immigrant communities and it can be hard to find stability – and a pandemic certainly doesn’t make that any easier.”

LILLIE ORTLOFF Student at Gustavus Adolphus College

Daily Review Monday, November 2, 2020 Vol. 121 No.4 An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900.

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3 Monday, November 2, 2020

CAs will receive additional compensation for their work CAs will be paid the equivalent of two hours of pay at $10.25/hr.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com Housing and Residential Life announced on Oct. 7 that community advisors will receive additional compensation for the year’s employment period in acknowledgement of their efforts and the impacts of COVID-19 on their work.

CAs will receive a payment of $20.50 per duty shift, regardless of how long their shift lasts. CAs typically work one duty shift per week, which typically last from 4:30 p.m. until 8 a.m. the next day, and weekend shifts typically last 24 hours.

The payment comes as an addition to the rest of the CA compensation package, which includes full board, a 14-meal per week meal plan and the choice of one

Daily File Photo additional form of compensation per semester valued at $250, such as tuition credit, FlexDine or Gopher Gold.

CAs will be compensated for their last two months of work, and the contract period will last until May 2021.

As a previous CA, president of the Minnesota Student Association Amy Ma said she thinks this is an important first step of acknowledging the work of CAs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the beginning of the year, Ma and former MSA Vice President Becca Cowin announced their advocacy for additional

compensation for housing workers on Instagram. MSA also addressed their advocacy for CA compensation in a letter addressing their concerns on the University’s Maroon and Gold Sunrise Plan.

“We were clear in talking to the administration that if CAs are being expected to have responsibilities way beyond what they typically would be, they should also be compensated for that work,” Ma said. “In my view, CAs should have been paid even before taking on this extra responsibility.”

Ma said, based on what

she has heard from CAs, additional testing is still needed. MSA will continue to advocate for increased testing, she said.

Jess*, a CA on campus who wished to remain anonymous due to her ongoing employment status, said she was not expecting the decision. CAs received temporary hazard pay during the spring and summer months, but they were not expected to be paid during the fall.

“I would say the first couple weeks being out in the hallways, it was a little rough enforcing the COVID-19 guidelines because we’re supposed to approach students if they’re not wearing masks or if too many people are in a certain room and things like that,” Jess said. “It has been an additional stressor.”

James*, another CA who wished to be anonymous because of his ongoing employment status, said he hopes the University takes additional measures to ensure the safety of CAs.

“I wish that, especially since we’re in such a high risk environment, that we’d be given testing, or perhaps like mandatory testing procedures, because if we get [COVID-19], we’re probably going to spread it to other people, and that’s just not a good idea,” James said.

In an email statement regarding the decision to additionally compensate CAs, Housing and Residential Life interim director Susan Stubblefield said she remains committed to supporting CAs through the varied tasks of their position.

“As always, our department aims to foster a mindset of continuous improvement, which is why maintaining open lines of communication with our building teams is vital to our operation. This has been especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic as many circumstances have required changes to our approach,” Stubblefield said in the email.

UMN continues planning for spring learning abroad despite uncertainty The U’s Learning Abroad Center is still planning for spring programs.

By Evan Berg eberg@mndaily.com University of Minnesota students looking to study abroad this spring face uncertainty as COVID-19 concerns leave travel plans open to change.

Despite the pandemic, the University’s Learning Abroad Center website still has many spring programs listed, but few have yet been approved. With uncertainty surrounding the continuation of the University’s travel restrictions, set to end on Nov. 20, it is unclear whether they will run even if initially approved, posing a challenge for students planning their spring semester.

“Study abroad programs are on the books, but we haven’t decided yet whether we’re going to run them,” President Joan Gabel said in an interview with the Minnesota Daily.

Gabel said the decision to run spring programs depends on whether partnering countries are

open to travel at the time of the course.

“If we are notified that we’re able to travel, then we’ll travel. It will be because we know those decisions are made holistically, using the same safety metrics that we use here,” Gabel said. “We’ll wait as long as possible, if we haven’t seen that notice, to announce that we’re not having them, because we want to retain the option for as long as possible without creating undue inconvenience.”

It is for this reason that the Learning Abroad Center’s website encourages “parallel academic planning” as part of its COVID-19 procedures. This is a form of backup plan where a student’s credit maximum can be temporarily increased to 30 credits to ensure they can register for another academic schedule should their program be canceled.

Assistant Director of Programming at the Learning Abroad Center Jill Reister said students have been understanding of the uncertainty as they work with their academic advisers to create alternate schedules.

Some interested

students have become uncertain about registering for the coming spring and summer semesters due to the pandemic, Reister said. There has been a dip in enrollment because of these concerns.

Part of how the University usually assesses the safety of study abroad programs is by submitting them for approval to the International Travel Risk Assessment and Advisory Committee (ITRAAC), according to Zach Mohs, an associate director at the Learning Abroad Center.

According to Kevin Dostal Dauer, director of health, safety and compliance for the University’s Global Programs and Strategies Office, this approval process is based on the State Department’s travel advisory levels. Countries that are above a level two — countries in which U.S. citizens are advised to “exercise increased caution” — often require a more thorough petitioning process.

Due to the pandemic, this means that very few countries are eligible for expedited approval, with

Illustration by Hailee Schievelbein Thailand and a few other select countries being the sole exceptions, Dauer said.

Even if a program is approved, such as Minnesota Studies and International Development Thailand currently is, this does not mean it is guaranteed to happen.

“Any approval that ITRAAC is given is fully contingent both on the travel restriction and the continuing evolving situation with the pandemic around the world,” Dauer said.

One way the Learning Abroad Center moved to accommodate students was the introduction of virtual internships. Student interest over the summer prompted the Learning

Abroad Center to begin offering these programs.

The demand for virtual internships has been larger than anticipated, with over 200 students participating this semester alone, Reister said.

According to the Learning Abroad Center’s website, these internships involve working for international organizations online in 18 different countries.

Other programs are still going through the approval process under the assumption that the University’s travel restrictions will be ending as scheduled.

Abbey Machtig contributed to this report.

Local nonprofit seeks $5,000 to help Prospect Park students

Outdoor recess and a learning program is being hosted for kids.

By Lydia Morrell lmorrell@mndaily.com Fifth-grader Rose Weaver has spent her afternoons jumping from Zoom classes at home to outdoor learning programs at Luxton Park in Prospect Park.

While Pratt Community School, where Weaver is a student, remains in distance-learning mode, a neighboring nonprofit is aiming to add two teachers to facilitate after-school programs and make sure the kids are keeping up with their remote classes.

The work of East Side Neighborhood Services (ESNS) has had a great impact on Weaver’s development and her connection to peers, she said, especially thanks to Jean Emmons, the youth program manager who has worked most closely with her.

“Ms. Jean is really nice,

and she always at the end of the day if we did a good job, we all get hot cocoa,” 10-year-old Weaver said.

“And then she’s also helped me with a lot of my socioemotional problems. And she also because of her, in the program, I’ve gotten some friends.”

Due to remote learning, the school district could not fund an after-school program this year, said Lissa Gordon, ESNS program manager at Pratt.

In past years, the school system has given ESNS enough funding for five teachers to work with kids that have academic needs.

The nonprofit is working to raise $5,000 to add two Pratt teachers, totaling four, to their after-school programming in Luxton Park. So far, a donor gifted half of the funds and the program is continuing under the hope that it will receive the other half of funding to pay teachers through December.

ESNS programming is free for families and any kid can come to recess.

Kids who have registered

can also come to the afterschool program, which has been entirely outdoors so far. Gordon said they have focused on “nature-based play,” and invited naturalists to come educate the students about the park’s environment.

As it gets colder, organizers plan to spend half of the afternoon session inside to focus on keeping kids on task with homework and online schooling.

The additional teachers would start Nov. 30, working one-on-one with kids to assess their progress with schoolwork and help them get on track if they are slipping behind, Gordon said.

Cynthia Harms, Weaver’s mom, said Pratt Elementary has done well with online schooling, but the physical and social parts of learning are harder to access because of the pandemic. She added that more teachers would mean there would be more eyes on the kids to ensure social distancing and

Participants in an after school program congregate around a fire at Luxton Park on Tuesday, Oct. 27th.

(Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily) mask wearing.

Harms said the ESNS program is beneficial because teachers combine behavior and learning strategies with much-needed physical activities.

“After she’s either been playing soccer or playing on gym equipment, [she’s] able to focus and ready to do more cognitive

learning,” Harms said.

But between her classes on Wednesday, Weaver’s focus was pointed to the prize she hoped to win at recess that afternoon.

“I have a feeling I’m going to try and still win those McDonald’s pancakes,” Weaver said. “Yesterday in four square I was doing a really good job with one hand.”

Daily Review

4 Monday, November 2, 2020

Students push for change in Humphrey School’s relationship with Freeman family

Mike Freeman remains seated on the Dean’s Advisory Council.

By Katelyn Vue kvue@mndaily.com

University of Minnesota students at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs are continuing to advocate for the school to change its relationship with Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, who sits on the Dean’s Advisory Council. As a member of the council, Freeman’s role is to help strengthen ties to the community and advise the dean.

Students started a petition last summer calling the Humphrey School to remove Freeman from the Dean’s Advisory Council, among several other requests, and criticizing his handling of George Floyd’s case and other cases of police brutality. Last week, student leaders published a website with the petition, a timeline of the events that followed the killing of George Floyd and a community voices survey to gather responses about racial

equity at the Humphrey School.

The petition includes requests to remove Freeman from the council, rename the Orville and Jane Freeman Commons and establish a fund for anti-racism training, hiring and retaining diverse tenured faculty and intersectional race and policy curriculum. Students also asked the school to disclose financial ties to the Freeman family and the Humphrey School.

In September, student leaders had their first meeting with some council members who opposed the removal of Freeman from the Dean’s Advisory Council to discuss future steps. In addition to discussing the requests in the petition, members of the advisory council expressed their views about removing Freeman.

Some members said they felt that removing Freeman from the council was unproductive to achieve the racial justice that student petitioners are seeking.

“I think that’s a really good question to ask ourselves: ‘Who else don’t we like?’ Because I bet you can find some other people that

Njoya Chomilo poses for a portrait in front of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Chomilo, in his final year of graduate school, is one of the leaders of a petition to remove Mike Freeman from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Dean’s Advisory Council. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) you don’t like too. And eventually, maybe build a table that is only the voices you like,” said Kim Nelson, retired senior vice president of external relations for General Mills, in the meeting. Nelson is the chair of the nominating committee for the council.

Students leaders said the meeting was frustrating, and questions were still unanswered.

“It was incredibly frustrating to watch. I had to break it up over a couple sessions of watching it

just because I got very frustrated with the stonewalling that was happening,” said Njoya Chomilo, a third-year master’s of public policy and MBA student at the Humphrey School.

In response to the petition, Laura Bloomberg, dean of the Humphrey School, sent a letter to the student petitioners in July. In the letter, Bloomberg addressed the requests in the petition and pointed out that Freeman will reach the end of his term on the council by the end of this academic year.

“The updated bylaws now ensure that council members have term limits and that those term limits are followed,” Bloomberg said in the response letter.

For renaming the Orville and Jane Freeman Commons, the Humphrey School’s Equity and Inclusion Council is assigned to examine questions to determine the Rondo community and the Humphrey School’s history, according to Bloomberg’s response letter.

Bloomberg’s letter also provides three records of financial ties to the Freeman family, which include a fellowship, an endowment fund for the Freeman Faculty Chair and Freeman’s pay rate as he taught one class every other year for more than 15 years.

Some students said that waiting for Freeman’s term to end is not a solution, and efforts for racial justice should be on the legislative side and the Humphrey School.

John Tunheim, a member of the advisory council and chief U.S. district judge, said Freeman had been an important

contributor to the success of the Humphrey School, and removing him is not the right approach. If students have issues with the way a prosecutor follows the law, they should bring the issue to the legislature, he added.

During the meeting, a student asked whether Freeman’s presence on the advisory council was helpful to Bloomberg.

“It’s a resounding yes.

And it’s yes because there’s a diversity of opinions …

I accept and acknowledge and I realize there are consequences with students of this decision,” Bloomberg said in the meeting. “I equally believe there are other consequences of making a different decision.”

Chomilo said he understands the importance of having different opinions on the council.

“But we are not organizing around a difference of opinion,” he said, adding that the student petitioners are organizing to put forth solutions on the petition signed by more than 400 alumni, students, community members and faculty.

A brief look at UMN employee political donations Dem. candidates acquire more donations by a large margin.

By Jasmine Snow jsnow@mndaily.com University of Minnesota employees are putting their money where their mouth is for the 2020 election season.

Political donations from University faculty and staff have more than tripled compared to the 2016 election.

Democrats have raked in significantly more than Republicans throughout the last five presidential election seasons dating back to 2004, and the difference is especially stark this year.

Adjusting for inflation, University employees have donated nearly $3 million to all federal candidates over the last five presidential election seasons. Approximately $737,000 more was spent toward all federal campaigns this year compared to the 2016 election.

The Minnesota Daily gathered data from the Federal Election Commission and OpenSecrets.org, courtesy of the Center for Responsive Politics, to find out where 2020 political donations are going from individuals who identified the University of Minnesota as their employer.

Where going?

are

donations

University of Minnesota employees donate the most to Democratic candidates, who have raked in more than $1.2 million between all federal races. By comparison, Republicans have received less than $19,000 within those races.

Local candidates who have received some of the most money include Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith and Antone Melton-Meaux. Joe Biden has garnered the most University-employee donations with almost $213,000.

Looking at the contentious race to unseat Ilhan Omar from the U.S. House of Representatives, University employees donated significantly to Antone Melton-Meaux, her Democratic contender, who dropped out when he was losing by a wide margin in the primary.

University employees directed $390 to her Republican opponent, Lacy Johnson. No data is available saying if University employees donated to the Legal Marijuana Now candidate, Michael Moore.

Who donates?

Having grown up in Washington D.C., Fred Dulles has been interested in politics since the Nixon administration. Now the University “data wrangler” tries to donate everywhere he can to make a difference.

“What we need is for people to participate,” said

Dulles, who works in the Office of the Vice President for Research. “Certainly by voting, but also by volunteering and/or giving money. I believe in giving a lot of small contributions all over the map where I think they’ll do the most good, so that’s what I try to do.”

Dulles is just one of many University employees who gives multiple small donations to more Democratic or progressive candidates and causes throughout the country.

David Walsh, an associate professor who runs the University’s opera program, said he donates “cautiously,” giving in small increments based on the political climates. He said Julián Castro was his first donation and that he has since donated to national progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren.

Walsh said he has also donated to local candidates like Angie Craig and Tina Smith.

“I feel I really support those candidates who are, I think, speaking up on behalf of everyday people, and the broad concerns that we all have in the country about where it’s going,” Walsh said.

“This is not a time to sit out.”

Twyla Treanor, a computer applications teacher on the Crookston campus, said she donated to and is voting for Trump because of his money, fame and power,

which said marks his ability to be successful. She added that she appreciates that he is “authentic.”

“I know, as an educator, you always admire those people who work hard, and I think he works very hard,” Treanor said. “While [Trump]’s busy working this week, Biden is sitting at home. And that’s just a good example of it — we can’t have that.”

Even though donations are publicly reported, many donors felt hesitant discussing their contributions and declined to comment, worried about the impact their statements could have on their work at the University.

“It just makes everyone wary,” said Vanessa Dayton, clinical assistant professor in Laboratory Medicine pathology. “I would hate to be quoted as saying anything in the Daily that would come back and reflect negatively on my department or our institution.”

Dayton did voice her support for Jaime Harrison, a contender for the seat of Lindsey Graham, the outspoken South

Carolinian Republican senator. She said she believes in Harrison’s ability to “rise to our current crises.”

Many donors said they are especially passionate about the presidential election and the impact the elected president could have on the

country’s future.

“I believe that our democracy is ailing ... I think every four years people running will tell you, ‘This is the most important election of our lifetime,’” said Dulles. “This probably is the most important election of our lifetime.”

Concerns voiced about Boynton’s capacity for COVID-19 testing

Some University students chose to go off campus to get tested.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com

Some students at the University of Minnesota have expressed concerns about Boynton Health’s COVID-19 testing criteria and accessibility.

In order to get tested at Boynton, students either need to have been showing COVID-19 symptoms or to have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus.

Though Boynton will be expanding testing capabilities this month to keep up with increased demand, some University students have opted to get tested

off-campus to obtain faster results and avoid appointment traffic and tight testing criteria.

Second-year student Jack Holthusen, who expressed concern over the University testing eligibility, said he did not meet the qualifications for getting a COVID-19 test at Boynton. Holthusen had a mutual friend who had been displaying COVID-19 symptoms, but had not yet been confirmed to have the virus.

“We found out even if we did get tested, the results won’t come back for 3-7 days. So that was kind of frustrating because I had just been with my family and Boynton could not tell us anything we had until [my mutual friend’s] tests came back,” Holthusen said.

On average, it takes 48 hours to receive a positive test result and 2-3 days to re-

ceive a negative test result, said Dave Golden, the director of public health and communications at Boynton.

Third-year University student Madisyn DeFranco got tested at Boynton with the assumption that it would take 2-3 days to get her results back. DeFranco said she ended up waiting five days for her negative test results.

She said she feels that Boynton’s capacity for testing must be increased although she is thankful for the individual saliva testing the University recently approved.

“I am glad that they are sending the individual saliva tests out, but I feel like there is probably more than one time I’m going to have a COVID scare,” she said. “There’s more than one time I need

Boynton Health, the COVID-19 testing site for the University of Minnesota campus, sits empty on Sunday, Oct. 25. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) to test before I go see my family.”

Due to the lack of frequent testing, DeFranco has resorted to going to other locations for more accessible testing.

“I wish we could get tested more frequently, which is why I ended up going to [North Memorial Health Specialty Center] that one time because you don’t have to have symptoms for you to go there,” she said.

Other universities are taking more steps to ensure prevention for students, DeFranco said.

“I think the University

could be doing a lot more testing-wise,” DeFranco said, adding that getting tested weekly is required for her friends at the University of Illinois. “I think it has been slowing down outbreaks there,” she said.

The University COVID-19 dashboard includes positive COVID-19 cases collected primarily through Boynton, which University officials warn is not representative of the number of cases on campus.The University also added positive case totals from the Minnesota Department of Health, which includes data from Boyn-

ton, Gopher Athletics and elsewhere. However, not all those tested elsewhere may have disclosed their affiliation with the University.

Holthusen said he wants to see more enforcement of COVID-19 prevention measures from the University.

“I have two in-person labs and I have no idea what the other students in the labs are doing in their free time and if they are being safe or as safe as I am being.

It would be nice to know if the U was doing more to ensure my safety when I have to go to these labs,” Holthusen said.

5 Monday, November 2, 2020

HALLOWEEN

Halloween isn’t canceled, it’s just socially distanced

Students plan Halloweekend 2020 with their quarantine pod.

By Meg Bishop mbishop@mndaily.com

As students watch marathons of “Halloweentown,” while simultaneously carving “More BOOs please” into pumpkins, there’s no doubt they’re also reminiscing about that White Claw costume they wore to their friend’s Halloween party last year.

Celebrating the season will certainly look a lot different this year with social distancing, but students are still trying to keep the spirit of Halloween alive, celebrating in costume

with their “quarantine pod.”

Anna Keltner, University of Minnesota fourth-year student, is planning for two nights of festivities.

One night she and her roommates are having a costume party, including pumpkin carving, caramel apples and festive drinks — one of them being Poison Apple Cocktails.

“My roommates and I are really into Halloween.

There’s eight of us total in our house, so we’re having a party, costumes required of course,” Keltner said.

“We’re being COVIDsafe. We’re just doing the eight of us and then our partners.”

She and her boyfriend are dressing up as Betty Boop and Popeye for the party. The next night, Keltner and her boyfriend

are headed over to his place for a superhero-themed party with his roommates.

The two of them settled on Wolverine and Rogue from X-Men as their couples costume.

Ann Miller, University of Minnesota fourth-year student, plans to wear a vampire costume this year, only to settle in and celebrate Halloween on the couch in her apartment.

For Miller, this year’s Halloween itinerary calls for movies and snacks with her roommates.

“It’s going to be a lot smaller than what we did last year, which is, had a big party,” said Miller.

There will be pizza as the roommates watch their choice movie of the night, “Silence of the Lambs.” “I think that a few of us might dress up and just hangout

in our costumes.”

Payton Faber, University of Minnesota fourth-year student, plans to go out with a few friends to Lake Monster Brewing in St. Paul. She was originally planning to make a taco bar and spend the night inside with her roommates, but has since changed her plans, saying she simply wants to get out of her apartment.

She now plans to play card games on the brewery’s patio and spend the evening with six close friends instead.

“We’re going to go get beer and play cards, like play Bananagrams or something, which is totally opposite to what we’ve done in years past.

Normally we would go out and dress up,” Faber said.

The restaurant has

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter socially distanced seating with friends to celebrate and since she will only be Halloween. She said she’s with a few friends, believes okay skipping out on being it’s a good COVID-19-safe at the bars this year and option for Halloween. “It would rather prioritize makes me feel better about COVID-19 safety. it — that I’m not going “We’re also in the to Blarney’s or the KK middle of a pandemic, so [Kollege Klub],” Faber said. it’s like, how can we have Being a fourth-year that ‘oh we’re going out and student, Faber has already we’re having fun’ spirit but had a couple years of going make it the safe version out to parties and bars of that?”

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Students for Justice in Palestine use art to further social justice initiatives SJP celebrated the week with Palestinian art and food.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com Last week, Students for Justice in Palestine held Palestine Awareness Week (PAW), a week of events dedicated to the celebration of Palestinian culture through music, poetry, food, film and embroidery.

SJP’s mission at the University of Minnesota, according to their vice president *Numan Shehadeh, is to advocate for Palestine on campus and use the platform to further their own justice efforts.

But the mission of PAW was not to focus directly on Palestinian oppression, persecution and how to seek justice. Rather, it was to celebrate and further learn about the intricacies of Palestinian culture through art.

The first day of PAW was dedicated to discussing the

ways in which Palestinian poetry makes its way into modern-day music and culture. In the introduction to the Zoom event, Shehadeh sarcastically asked, “Why are we talking about poetry? Shouldn’t we be talking about the destruction of the Israeli state?”

Joseph Farag, a professor of modern Arab studies who was in attendance, responded to Shehadeh’s sarcastic inquiry.

“My response is, no, absolutely not just should we, but we must be talking about poetry and hip hop and art and cinema and novels. The examination of all of these things has suffered immensely because of the mindset that we have higher priorities right now that we need to be focusing on,” said Farag.

Farag pursued his doctorate in the U.K., and has seen how advocacy groups in both the U.K. and the U.S. differ in their ways of promoting Palestinian awareness.

Illustration by Luis Mendoza “In my very limited experience of campus advocacy in the U.S., it’s more about informing the public about the ways in which Palestinians are victimized by Israel. But I’m worried that … in this constant emphasis on Palestinians as victims of the State of Israel, there is perhaps an unintentional dehumanization of the Palestinians if they’re constantly being portrayed passively as victims,” Farag said.

So, SJP’s intentions for PAW were to divert focus away from Palestinian

oppression or victimization and towards Palestinian cultural appreciation.

The first event of the week honed in on poems and music, beginning with Mahmoud Darwish’s poem “To My Mother,” written

by Darwish while in Israeli prison. The poem touches on Darwish’s yearning for his homeland and all of the comforts of his childhood before Israeli occupation. After examining the poem, SJP members listened to Lebanese singer Marcel Khalife’s song, “I Long for My Mother’s Bread,” and

Palestinian hip-hop group DAM’s song, “Dedication” that also takes inspiration from Darwish’s words.

From film to food, attendees of the weeklong event watched Palestinian films like “Today They Took My Son” and “Nation Estate,” learned how to embroider a tatreez and trace their heritage through this style of embroidery, as well as make classic Palestinian dishes, like za’atar manaqish, a savory Palestinian pie.

“Food is really important to Palestinians because everything that we do is politicized, even our food,” said JP board member Nadia Aruri who led Thursday’s Palestinian cooking tutorial.

Throughout the tutorial, Aruri answered questions on Palestine submitted by students, like, “How many congress people recognize Israeli aparteid?” and, “How can Americans support Palestinians?”

The events were simultaneously welcoming, encouraging attendees

to share their thoughts after watching films and listening to music.

While also poignant, the art provoked important conversations about how Israeli occupation and apartheid impacts Palestinians, and how Palestinians create art through that struggle.

“Palestinians creating art is commentary on the fact that we are here and resisting occupation, apartheid and genocide in unexpected and creative ways. And that’s important to think about,” Shehadeh said. “It’s not just kids throwing rocks or political organizations, but it’s also random people creating art that reminds them of their homeland, and I think that’s something that is really important.”

*Shehadeh requested their real name not be used due to safety concerns, as Palestinians are heavily surveilled before re-entering Palestine, including mentions in media reports.

FOOD

Sharing Food: Cacabsa

“Sharing Food,” a series by A&E, lets no meal go unshared.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com

This week’s Sharing Food recipe comes from the Oromo Student Union (OSU).

The Oromo people live in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Estimates of the Oromo population in Minnesota vary widely.

A 2016 survey by the Oromo Cultural Institute of Minnesota found about 40,000 Oromo Americans live in Minnesota, but the state demographer’s office estimated the number is about 8,500.

Cacabsa is a spiced bread dish that is eaten for breakfast in the Oromia region. It is made in a very

large circular pan called an eelee and, before it is shredded into pieces and mixed with a spiced butter blend, resembles a tortilla.

In Oromo, “cabsuu” means to rip apart or break, according to OSU member Meea Mosissa.

When OSU member Sonne Terfa thinks of this dish, she thinks of weekend mornings when her family had a little more time to prepare an extensive breakfast. OSU member Derartu Ansha chimed in.

“My mom doesn’t cook this often, so when she does, I know it’s made with love,” Ansha said.

When asked about the differences between Oromo culture and American culture, Ansha responded with a giggle, “It ain’t Minnesota.”

Ansha lived in the Oromia region for the first seven years of her life. “You

know your neighbors got your back there. It’s kind of like a huge family in a way,” she said. Ansha described how everyone would gather outside and eat meals together. Terfa added that eating food at someone else’s house is a sign of respect.

“It’s just this warmth of like, ‘Oh come into my space, and I’ll give you my food, and we’ll eat it together,’” Terfa explained.

Cacabsa is chewy in texture and extremely flavorful. You can find the teff flour, or Xaafi, at local Ethiopian grocery stores such as Shabelle Ethiopian Grocery and Restaurant on Franklin Avenue.

Ingredients: 2 cups Xaafi (teff flour) 1 teaspoon of salt 1 cup water 2 tablespoons of berbere (a blend of spices) *recipe for berbere below

1/4 cup dhadhaa (clarified butter) Berbere (Recipe credit to Epicurious) 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek 1/2 cup ground dried New Mexico chiles 1/4 cup paprika 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice Instructions: In a large bowl, mix together the Xaafi, salt

Oromo Student Union member Zubeda Chaffe cooks Caccabasa at the Keeler Apartments on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Chaffe is combining bread with a sauce made of butter and spices. (Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) and water. The mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter, wet and doughy. Add more or less water depending on the consistency of your batter, then knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes. The dough will become more elastic through this process.

In a large skillet or round pan, pour the 1/2 cup dough into the pan, spreading it thinly. Cover it as it cooks.

After a few minutes, the

dough should take on some color on one side. Flip and repeat until all the batter is used.

In a separate pan, melt the dhadhaa with the berbere. Add a pinch of salt to your liking and stir to combine.

Once the bread is finished cooking, rip it up into shreds and mix it with the dhadhaa mixture.

Mix until each shred is covered in the butter mixture. Serve.

6 Monday, November 2, 2020

THEATER

UMN alum produces play about reproductive justice “I With Things New Born” began on Friday, October 30.

By Meg Bishop mbishop@mndaily.com In hospitals today, people are often left to give birth alone in a room with a stranger due to COVID-19 and hospital visitor restrictions. One former Gopher set out with her theater degree and a passion for reproductive justice to share the stories of birth givers during the pandemic.

University of Minnesota 2020 alum Madeline Wall wrote, directed and produced the forthcoming play “I With Things New Born.” The play is set to run Oct. 30-Nov. 8 at

Off-Leash Art Box. The seven in-person performances will run 45 minutes with no intermission.

The production lays out the story of a young woman giving birth during a time of world chaos, where she finds that she must have a stranger deliver her baby.

Wall’s piece,“I With Things New Born,” stems from Shakespeare’s piece, “Measure for Measure.”

The main character conceives a child out of wedlock and is imprisoned. According to Wall, sharing the stories of childbirth can be a learning experience for all.

“Birth is a universal experience, so I think it can be a lens through which we understand a lot of the big questions

Actors rehearse for Madeline Wall’s “I With Things New Born.” (Photo Courtesy of Madeline Wall) about what it means to be human,” Wall said.

There are only two cast members in the play, Wall and Renèe Schwarz, a University of Minnesota fourthyear student. Schwarz is the lead role in the twoperson production. Her character, Juliet, gives birth, with Wall as her

struggling midwife.

The play originally had an eight-person cast and was set to hit the stage last spring, but because of COVID-19, was postponed to this fall — a blessing in disguise according to Wall and Schwarz.

“I think this story is really important especially during this

time and talking about women giving birth during a pandemic,” Schwarz said.

“We need to listen to the stories of birth givers all the time, but especially now,” Wall said.

Reproductive justice and the stories of pregnancy are the driving force behind her current production.

“When we decide that a birth giver’s voice is worth listening to, then all these stories come to light and we learn a lot about what needs to be done in order to achieve reproductive justice,” Wall said.

Recently Wall started “The Birth Play Project,” a new Twin Cities theater initiative. Her plan is to have other productions join the organization in hopes of further sharing stories about

reproductive justice.

According to University of Minnesota alum Seth Campbell — someone who Wall would regularly bounce ideas off of during the production’s creation — the play not only reflects Wall’s ability, but also that of the theater program at the University.

“I think [the play] really shows what the theatre program at the U is capable of producing,” he said.

Wall’s production will be the last play at Off-Leash Art Box before the venue permanently closes its doors. But, for those who couldn’t go to the show, a video of the production will be available to stream on the Birth Play Project Facebook page on a pay-what-you-can basis beginning on Nov. 8.

ALUM

Around the country in a nutshell

Recent graduate Owen Luterbach went to work in a peanut.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com It was an early Saturday morning back in April.

Owen Luterbach had been laying in bed, avoiding homework, when the coordinator of the Planters “Peanutter” program called to notify him that he had gotten the job as a peanutter, a brand ambassador for Planters.

For the next year, he would travel around the U.S. in a 26-foot long Planters peanut, also known as the NUTmobile, spreading the word about all things nuts. Luterbach was so ecstatic at the nutty news that he couldn’t keep it to himself.

“He had woken all of us roommates up with the exciting news that he’s going to be paid to essentially make nut jokes and travel around in a giant peanut,” his former

roommate and recipient of the early morning peanutrelated wake-up call, Jack Borneke said.

Luterbach is one of nine peanutters accepted to this year’s program.

Each year, Planters recruits college graduates for the position and trains them to represent the brand on the road.

The three NUTmobiles cover Central, Eastern and Western regions of the country, traveling to around 48 states per year, according to Luterbach.

“I remember, as a kid on road trips, my brother and I would always be the ones waving up to truckers and seeing if we could get them to honk their horn, and now being in the NUTmobile, looking down at those kids that I just was or still feel like. … It’s just the awe and amazement that people have because no one will ever expect to see a giant peanut driving past them,” Luterbach said.

Luterbach was a strategic communications major at the University

of Minnesota when he had applied. Throughout college, he had expected to end up at an ad agency after graduation; it seemed like a clear path to him.

Then, he studied abroad in Copenhagen last summer and got the travel bug. He figured he wasn’t ready for a normal job in the city just yet and applied to the Planters program.

As a peanutter for the central region of the U.S., Luterbach and his two other peanut partners travel throughout the midwestern and southern states, like Illinois, Arkansas, Georgia and many more. An avid foodie, he appreciates visiting new restaurants and breweries, tasting the local cuisine and practicing his food photography skills. On his days off, he and his peanut partners, Talya Cohen and Allyson Toolen, explore all the local attractions, whether that be the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee or markets in Minneapolis.

During a normal year, peanutters are sent

to big venues, music festivals and corporate events. But since most of those experiences are nonexistent during the pandemic, peanutters are now tasked with scheduling local, intimate gatherings, like visiting nursing homes or birthday parties.

From the photo-ops at stoplights and gas stations to the attention the NUTmobile attracts on the road, Toolen referred to the NUTmobile as “the world’s greatest icebreaker.”

“You want to talk to anybody in the world? All you have to do is drive a 26-foot-long peanut. That’s your conversation starter,” said Toolan.

Luterbach recounts one memory in Tennessee where he forged a new friendship with a resident from a nursing home, all because of the NUTmobile.

While he was parking the car, a resident named Tena Baehm ran out to him to greet him, telling Luterbach that she, too, was from Minnesota.

Throughout their interaction, he had learned that Baehm works in the woodshop at the nursing home, making clocks and toys that she mails to orphanages in Haiti.

“The NUTmobile giving me the opportunity to meet these humans that I never

would have met before is pretty remarkable,” Luterbach said. At the end of the event, Tena was the last person out with the peanutters.

“I feel like we’re best friends now,” Luterbach said, “and she was a complete stranger.”

Top, The NUTmobile sits parked. (Photo Courtesy of Owen Luterbach) Bottom, Owen Luterbach poses with co-workers in front of the Planters NUTmobile. (Photo Courtesy of Owen Luterbach)

SKATEBOARDING

Skaters, a great skate spot might be closer than you think Student-skaters share the best spots to shred near campus.

By Meg Bishop mbishop@mndaily.com For skateboarders at the University of Minnesota seeking the smoothest sidewalks and the widest staircases, the campus and the surrounding neighborhoods are a skatepark all their own.

A&E hit the pavement with student skateboarders to learn about their favorite places to skate.

Zoe Challenger, a University of Minnesota third-year student, grew up in Saint Paul. One of her favorite skate spots was a parking lot at St. Catherine University. Now she frequents Merriam Skatepark in St. Paul

and Front Skatepark in St. Paul.

Parking lots are one of Challenger’s go-to pavements when not at a skatepark. When she wants to skate on pavement, she takes her board, complete with a deck from Familia Skate Shop in St. Paul, and heads to Dinkytown.

“There’s one on campus that I do like a lot. It’s over by the sports center. I think it’s the Land O’Lakes Center for Athletics — I like skating over there,” Challenger said.

Sammy Sherian, a University of Minnesota third-year student, regularly skates around the sidewalks on East Bank Campus. “I like hitting that Washington Avenue Bridge because it is flat, and you get a beautiful view,” Sherian said.

He began skating as a child, took a few years

Jonathan MacDonald perfects his skate tricks on the Washington Avenue bridge. (Easton Green / Minnesota Daily) off, and then hopped back on the board during college.

His first skateboard was a SpongeBob skateboard from Walmart. His current

board is from Cal Surf in Uptown.

Sherian prefers street skating over going to the city’s skateparks. “Some of these bigger parks

like 3rd Lair and Familia and Overpass tend to charge which is a little bit out of my budget,” Sherian said.

Vi Emissary, a recent University of Minnesota grad, prefers performing tricks over street skating.

When they do go street skating, it’s mainly around East Bank Campus because of the smooth pavement and many short staircases to do tricks on. According to Emissary, East Bank comes together to form a makeshift skatepark of its own.

“There’s one of everything if you look for it,” they said.

Emissary started skating this summer and within the last few months has picked up multiple different tricks, just by getting out and skating a few times a week. They often skate at Front Skatepark

in Saint Paul because of its small size and relatively high number of ramps for learning new tricks.

They recently moved to Uptown but lived in Como last year. Emissary said the basketball courts at a local elementary school, with large sections of flat pavement adorned with makeshift ramps, provided the perfect spot to practice.

“In Como we would skate at Tuttle Elementary like five times a week,” they said. “There are three or four ledges. A short one, a tall one and there’s an extra tall one and they’re super great to learn grinds on.”

Whether you’re looking to do some street skating or pop a few tricks, the University community can be your personal skatepark if you know where to look.

Editorials & Opinions

7 Monday, November 2, 2020

COLUMN

Mainstream sustainability Remember, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism.

I

t’s no secret that Emily Eaton columnist our climate is changing. As the Earth warms, it’s important to live life conscientiously and understand the environmental impact of your actions. With that being said, I despise the majority of “zero-wastesustainable-vegan-no-plastic-ever” Instagram influencers for many, many reasons. The American Psychologi-

cal Association produced a 69-page climate change guide to help mental health care providers navigate the growing numbers of young adults suffering from anxiety over climate change, so it’s clear that we don’t need anyone in our faces or our feeds telling us that we’re not doing enough.

Before you trade your morning bacon for an acai bowl, let’s look at the facts.

Exxon Mobil, an oil and gas company, was informed by its own researchers of the damages of climate change as early as the 1980s. That’s almost 40 years ago. You might be asking yourself, “Why didn’t they do something about it?” Well, they did. The company turned around, invested in climate denial and ensured that the research wouldn’t be easily discoverable. Capitalism, baby!

According to a 2017 Carbon Majors Database, 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions can be traced back to a mere 100 companies. Biking to work instead of driving is going to cut down on your carbon footprint, but it won’t stop the fossil fuel industry. The quotidian citizen is not the primary perpetrator of climate change.

T h e t re n dy e nv i ro n m e nt a l i s m of today still struggles to accurately

represent the intersectionality of racial, environmental and economic inequalities. Many of the practices espoused by social media influencers have been gentrified and greenwashed.

Sustainability has become trendy, and, with its trendiness, it has grown elitist. There is a growing connection between environmentalism and wealth. As sustainability grows as an industry, demand inflates prices for eco-friendly clothing, furniture and accessories, pushing this lifestyle further out of range for most. A study by the Scarborough Research Center found that people earning above $150,000 a year were far more likely to engage in environmentally friendly practices.

The reality is that many of us simply do not have the time or resources to devote ourselves fully to an environmentally conscious lifestyle. Eating healthy, organic foods is significantly more expensive than buying frozen vegetables in bulk from the grocery store. Sustainable clothing brands are often double or triple the price of fast fashion. Even energy efficient light bulbs, though they may save money in the long run, have a higher initial cost

than regular light bulbs.

This is not to say that making environmentally conscious choices is a fruitless endeavor. If you have the time and the resources, reducing your personal carbon footprint is important.

But, don’t feel ashamed or intimidated if you don’t turn into a vegan, recycling queen overnight. Small changes, like composting, bringing reusable grocery bags to the store or picking one day a week to go “meatless,” can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by your lifestyle.

At the end of the day, it is the people in power who determine whether or not we allow our planet to heal. Consider using your spare resources to donate to intersectional environmental justice campaigns, like the Sunrise Movement.

Vote for politicians who support the Green New Deal, and vote out those who continue to take money from the fossil fuel industry. It’s time to reduce the number of climate change deniers in power, (re)use our voices and recycle!

No, seriously. Please recycle.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

Standardized testing requirements ease Eradicating another threshold for success.

L

Sidney Clarke a s t M a y, t h e University of columnist California made the historic decision to eliminate its standardized testing entrance requirement. UC President Janet Napolitano said that students will not be required to submit ACT or SAT scores until at least 2024. By 2025, the university hopes to develop a standardized test that is more reflective of public education.

The earliest version of the SAT was first used to test the IQ of incoming U.S. army men and was adapted in 1926 for incoming college students.

Its subsequent competitor, the ACT, was developed in 1959. Since then, standardized exams have been used

to homogenize student bodies in terms of apparent intelligence and academic proficiency.

Inaccurate results Although almost 95% of regionally accredited colleges that U.S. News has data on require or recommend submitting a standardized test score, the exams themselves are highly inaccurate. For example, each section of the ACT has a margin of error between 1.43 and 2.2 points. These small numbers under consideration of scholarship and acceptance cutoffs actually carry an immense weight. The fact that a student, under no fault or merit of their own, may receive a test score that varies by more than two points should invalidate the exam altogether.

Faulty correlational value Recent evidence for and against the predictive value of standardized testing has been scattered. Although the ACT board asserts that test scores have a strong correlation with collegiate success, most independent studies agree that high school GPA is a more reliable predictor. Students with excellent high school GPAs but lower than average exam scores tend to perform better than students with low high school GPAs and high test scores.

Questionable adherence to antidiscrimination statutes

Even at first glance, standardized testing score distributions are problematic. Not surprisingly, there is a strong relationship between exam scores, race and family income. SAT data from 2014 found that white and Asian students respectively scored 298 to 367 points higher than Black s t ud e nt s. St ud e nt s wh o s e f am i ly income exceeded $200,000 a year received the highest test scores, and students whose family income fell below $20,000 a year received the lowest scores.

Of course, the two issues are related. Just 5% of white test-taking students’ family incomes were below $20,000. Likewise, only 7% of the participating Black students’ families made $100,000 or more. Considering the prevalence of elective, expensive test-taking courses, students with greater means have more opportunities to prepare. However, even less financially privileged white students, whose families made less than $10,000, still scored 61 points higher than Black students from higher income brackets. The Journal for Blacks in Higher Education suggests a number of ideas about the basis of the phenomenon, including differences in curriculum at majority Black grade schools, availability of honors courses and stereotype vulnerability in the education system itself. One possibility, which catalyzed a lawsuit against

University of California schools, is that both the test’s format and content tailor to white culture.

Proponents for the continued use of each of these outdated tests argue that they allow prestigious universities to compare students with similar transcripts. They also allow schools to use admission selectivity data to attract prospective students. Although neither of these usages are inherently malignant, the current system for standardized testing fails to determine students’ college readiness and serves to function as an indicator of privilege or lack thereof.

Sidney Clarke welcomes comments at sclarke@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

Do not downplay the down-ballot Albeit less glamorous, your local elections are arguably just as crucial.

I

f you are religious, Henry Kueppers think of the downcolumnist ballot as David and the presidential election as Goliath. If you have siblings, think of your parents’ favorite as the presidential election and the middle child, who — for all intents and purposes — we’ll say is named something random like Henry Kueppers, as the down-ballot. And if you know how to read, think of the down-ballot as “a contest for a political off ice that appears in a relatively low position on the electoral ballot.” In these scenarios, like David, the down-ballot elections can prove to be mightier than the colossal Goliath, or presidential election. Furthermore, like the middle child, the down-ballot deserves to be told, “We love you, and you are the

best, Henry.” (Again, totally random example). My point is, there is a reason this election season that people need to research and understand the impor tance of their down-ballots because their power should not be underestimated.

Your down-ballot is responsible for the election of school board members, city council members, county prosecutors, district attorneys and judges. And while probably 90% of people could not name their county’s district attorney (I’m guilty, too.

Sorry, Michael Orville Freeman, you just weren’t on my radar), it should be noted that basically 90% of your day-to-day activities will be directly affected by these local officials, and not the ones in Washington, D.C. And that’s simply because politics are local. The president won’t determine what traffic lights to get rid of or add to your daily commute, or the amount bail will cost when you find yourself in the slammer for running all the new traffic lights on your daily commute. That’s all city officials, baby.

The down-ballot wields an unprecedented amount of power, yet similar to Mitch McConnell telling people he is a human and not a horrible, reanimated blob of stale tapioca pudding, no one believes it! However, on a local and national level, your down-ballot can and will affect everything.

On a local level, our representatives will be the ones to determine the laws and policies for schools (public and private), health care and policing. Policing is a gigan-

tic discussion point, especially after this summer and the killing of George Floyd. In June, the Minneapolis City Council proposed to give voters the chance to decide if we should defund and disband the Minneapolis Police Department and create a “Community Safety and Violence Prevention department.” Unfortunately, this will not be on the ballot this November because the City Charter Commission declared that they needed more time to look over the proposal, despite the recent death of an innocent man.

Me m b e rs o f t h e C i t y C h a r t e r Commission are appointed by the chief judge of the Hennepin County District Court. But who elects those judges? Why, by Jove, it’s us! Well, what about the governor, who can also appoint and/or promote these judges? Why, it’s us again! The power of all reform, policies and monumental change falls right into our laps, but because national media often focuses on the presidential election, we find ourselves forgetting about local elections and therefore becoming uninformed about what really matters.

Down-ballots are impor tant to national elections as well. When the results of a down-ballot race flip control of a state house or senate seat, it can create new policies and reform that encourages the rise of candidates from a certain party. A great example is f o r m e r Te x a s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e and singer of his college rock b a n d , B e t o O ’ R o u r ke. O ’ R o u r ke lost a historically close Senate race to Ted Cruz, but the fact that

the race was even close to begin with was because of the chang ing landscape of down-ballot races in Texas. Before 2018, Texas was full of Republican counties across the entire state. However, year by year, D e m o c ra t s i n c rea s e d t h e i r presence and campaigns and eventually began to win local elections little by little. This led to the eventual build up that pushed Beto O’Rourke so close to victory. It’s plausible now to think that, one day, a Democrat could win a national election in the state of Texas, a state that hasn’t been blue since Jimmy Carter!

I implore you to research your local representatives and their platforms.

Find out what they are fighting for and what they would bring to local positions of power. For Minneapolis readers, check out the city of Minneapolis’s website. Use your resources and apply them to the choices you make on the ballot because this November, we will be facing one of the most pivotal elections in recent history. If you’re religious, think of this election as the determination of whether or not the four horsemen of the apocalypse will ride into town. Or, think of it as you are the middle child and this election will finally determine if you get a pat on the back from Mom and Dad and are showered with love and affection. I’m picturing it now, and I hope you do, too.

Henry Kueppers welcomes comments at hkueppers@mndaily.com.

8 Monday, November 2, 2020

Editorials & Opinions

COLUMN

To each their own, even now In a global pandemic, everyone has their own way of seeing the world.

of COVID? Or because you didn’t get it, you were kind of like, “Well, I’m invincible now.”

Honestly, it made me a little more scared, which is probably not what other people are saying. It kind of put everything into perspective. Like, this virus is here. It made me realize we’re not as invincible as we think we are.

And you’re involved in Greek life right?

Yes.

I

n the preHenry Kueppers pandemic columnist world, I was terrified of several things: heights, snakes and parking garages (people always get killed in parking garages in movies and TV). Now, I live in constant fear of the coronavirus. Luckily, I am privileged to have no prior health conditions that put me in a higher risk group. That being said, I recently found out that you can lose your sense of smell and taste from COVID-19 and seeing as I’ve grown to like these two senses over the years, I’m terrified of losing them.

In summary, I am cautious, overprotective and serious when it comes to the current pandemic. However, as you probably have seen on social media, not everyone feels this same way. In fact, college students across the country continue to throw bodacious gatherings and tubular parties (in case it’s not yet clear, before COVID-19 I was not invited to many parties). Because of this, I decided to sit down with some college students and hear what their perspectives were on the coronavirus pandemic and why they make the decisions they do.

Second-year student Jake Budke: So, all your roommates have gotten COVID? Yes. And how many roommates do you have?

I have four roommates.

Because all your roommates got COVID, did that make you more scared

So, when you go to the frat house, is everybody wearing masks?

It’s really messed up. Basically everyone has to wear a mask at all times when we’re together and whatever. But there’s always exceptions where people like the president and the vice president don’t wear masks all the time. Sometimes, they are not wearing their masks at all.

But no parties?

When it was warmer out … There were a bunch of pool parties that would go down, which had … I’m not even kidding, like 300 to 400 people.

You went to a party with 300 people?

Weren’t you scared about COVID? I actually only attended one for like 10 minutes for a friend’s birthday. But when I was there and seeing Snapchat stories, not a single person wore a mask.

Was it scary? Or just kind of like, “Whatever, I’m just at a party”?

I mean, just being surrounded in an atmosphere of people not giving a shit, it kind of rubs off on you in the moment.

Then, after I left, I came back to reality and was like, “Well, that was probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen or done.”

Fourth-year student Morgan Gast: What is your number one fear in regards to the pandemic?

I think my number one fear — which is honestly pretty selfish, I guess — in the whole scheme of things, but still really realistic, it’s just finding a job or doing things after college.

You’re worried COVID gets in the way of that.

Yeah. Now, so many job options are put on hold that we were already gonna have to work so hard to get to after college. So, I think I’m worried

about that.

So, would you say you kind of worry more about the future versus right now, the present moment?

Yeah. I mean, I’m not too worried right now. I guess my main fear, I don’t think is health —

with how it’s affected our communities.

But I’m also hopeful. I’ve seen a lot of really good change and a lot of people learning a lot about themselves during this time. So I think everyone’s gonna come out of the pandemic here with a new understanding of who they are.

It’s financial stability, right?

Yeah, yeah. I guess I would say that.

That was always the concern before, and it’s especially ... it’s harder to come by stability in jobs even more.

Finally, what are your feelings about COVID right now? Like one buzz word to describe it.

I’m just super numb to it at this point.

There’s no real emotional response in any way.

So, does COVID play any effect then into your daily life routine?

In a weird way, COVID has totally decreased my depression and anxiety, and I don’t know why. And I think it’s because I get to spend so much time at home, and I don’t feel guilty for it. I like being at home.

And I like having this time, and before I felt so pressured to, like, go out, and there were so many stimuli coming into my life. But now I don’t, like, have to deal with those.

I don’t think I have ever heard that. You might be one of the few people who can say that.

Fourth-year student Jacques Frank-Loron: So, you are the president of your fraternity? Correct?

Yes.

Fourth-year student Courtney Annakin: What are your main priorities during this COVID-19 pandemic? Is it health? Is it friends and family? Is it having a good time?

I would have to say my friends and family because I don’t want to infect them.

But, like, I’ll be fine if I get it. But I don’t want to give it to anybody else.

That’s very chivalrous of you.

I feel like my actions have repercussions and if they happen to me, it doesn’t bother me as much. I’m like, “I did this thing.” And I’m fully capable of understanding that that has a consequence. But I don’t want to push that consequence onto other people. I can put myself in danger all day. Putting other people in danger is bad.

What would you say are your priorities right now, being the leader of a house that big? Is your priority just number one, everybody’s safety, or number two, everybody’s comfortable, or like, “Let’s just all make it out in one piece and make sure we all graduate”?

We’re doing our best to keep people safe and keep people’s families safe. And so I’d say, yeah, physical and mental health have been huge priorities for me because I’ve had my own challenges in those areas. And I think the pandemic environment is so much harder on everyone right now.

Absolutely.

At this point, just do your due diligence.

Wash your hands for 20 seconds. You should be wearing a mask. You should be keeping your distance; you shouldn’t go to ragers on campus.

It’s changed the entire world, which reminds me: How are you viewing the world right now? Is it through fear? Is it through indifference?

My brother actually caught COVID, so it’s real for me. So, as far as where I’m at, I’m frustrated, to say the least. I didn’t want my senior year or the back half of my junior year to go this way. And I’m upset

Do you have any other thoughts, feelings or stories about COVID that you feel are relevant to share?

If you are partying right now, you’re a bad person.

Are you still frightened by the COVID-19 pandemic then? Or are you used to it?

I think it is terrifying. But I think the government has kind of played down what’s going on, which is scary. They say things like, “Oh, it’s fine. Everything’s cool.”

And everything’s really, really bad.

Henry Kueppers welcomes comments at hkueppers@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

An open letter to unregistered, out-of-state students Minnesota can make sure your voice is heard.

T

he political cliEmily Eaton mate is more than columnist a little toxic at the moment, and if you’re not someone

already knee deep in the swamp, it can be hard to convince yourself that it is worth it to take the plunge. It can be even harder if you are not from a state with significant pull in the election. That said, this goes out to all of the out-of-state students who haven’t registered to vote and weren’t planning on doing so.

Minnesota has voted blue in every presidential election since 1976. This year, however, things are a little different.

Hillary Clinton barely eked out a victory in the state in 2016, winning by a mere 1.5%, or roughly 44,000 votes. Minnesota was a somewhat overlooked member of the Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin coalition of strongly purple states that went more red than expected that year.

And so, with a mere 10 electoral votes, Minnesota joins the ranks of the swing states.

The land of 10,000 lakes is far more crucial in this election than many of us have considered. Even if Joe Biden were

to win back Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, losing Minnesota could lose him the election.

If you are one of the nearly 8,000 nonresident, nonreciprocity students (meaning that you are not from Minnesota, Wisconsin or one of the Dakotas) across the University of Minnesota system, you have the opportunity to influence one of the most contentious elections in our history. Thanks to Minnesota’s voting laws, attending the University of Minnesota basically makes you eligible to register to vote here. You can register online or in person on election day; all you need is your U Card and your student fee statement, which can be shown on an electronic device. If you live in on-campus housing, odds are all you need to provide is your ID. If you lost your U Card, you can even use a driver’s license from a different state. You don’t even have to register with a particular party.

In 2018, students at the University of Minnesota had the highest voter turnout

rate of any other large, public, four-year university, with a systemwide voting rate of 56%. I challenge you to raise the bar even higher this election. College students are an untapped powerhouse of political pull.

It’s time to show you care about your future, the future of your friends and family and the future of this nation.

It’s time to mask up and go vote.

For more information on how to register to vote, head to the Secretary of State’s website.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com.

Sports

9 Monday, November 2, 2020

FOOTBALL

Inexperience costs Gophers in loss to Michigan Complications left our defense without any answers.

By Paul Hodowanic phodowanic@mndaily.com Last season, the Minnesota Gophers defense ranked ninth in the nation in yards allowed per game.

But this is not last year’s defense.

Fielding seven new starters on that side of the ball, No. 21 Minnesota couldn’t contain No. 18 Michigan’s offense all game long. The result… a 49-24 drubbing

by Michigan. The Gophers have now lost 17 straight home games to the Wolverines.

“You got a bunch of other freshmen or redshirt freshmen who haven’t played a ton of football yet,” head coach P.J. Fleck said. “You’ve got people on the back end who haven’t played a ton of football yet at the safety position who are filling holes, filling gaps. It was hard. Some guys were trying to do

somebody else’s position at times. We didn’t tackle well and when we did fit it, they sprung out of it.”

The Wolverines racked up 481 yards of offense, averaging 8.6 yards per play.

They were forced to punt just once, which came on their opening drive. From there, it was touchdown after touchdown, with their only unsuccessful drives coming in the form of three missed field goals and a turnover on downs in garbage time.

It was Minnesota’s worst performance since it gave up 55 points to Illinois in 2018. The next day, the team fired then-defensive coordinator Robb Smith.

“There’s a lot of youth and experience at that side,” Fleck said. “Again, not an excuse, we just have to be able to coach it better and it starts with me. We got to get it better and I know we will as we continue to go through the year.”

While Saturday’s performance was reminiscent of Illinois, the circumstances are different.

Normally, these opening game warts would be

worked out against far lesser teams than Michigan. Minnesota struggled at times at the beginning of last season, surviving scares against South Dakota State, Fresno State and Georgia Southern by sheer talent. With the schedule exclusively Big Ten opponents, that won’t be the case this season.

“We’re much better than what we showed tonight,” junior linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin said. “The communication, the guys doing their jobs, wasn’t where it needed to be tonight.”

The Gophers also lost four defenders to the NFL — safety Antoine Winfield Jr., linebacker Kamal Martin, defensive end Carter Coughlin and cornerback Chris Williamson — an atypical occurrence for the program.

But inexperience reared its ugly head in more than just the defense. The special teams unit was depleted because of COVID-19.

Starting punter Mark Crawford and starting kicker Michael Lantz were both out due to positive tests, Fleck revealed after the

game. Backup kicker Brock Walker was forced into action despite still recovering from a sports hernia issue, which limited his ability. Backup punter Matthew Stephenson averaged just 35 yards per punt, including a 18-yard punt. The Gophers also attempted a fake punt on 4th-and-4 from their own 31, which failed and set up an eventual Wolverine touchdown. “[COVID-19] hit the specialists pretty hard and it hit them at different times,” Fleck said. “That’s why there’s certain decisions made that maybe people agree with, maybe they don’t agree with, but at the time they seemed like the best decision… we were playing catch up.”

The lack of a traditional offseason plus the wealth of talent Fleck has brought in recruiting over the past several years provides hope that this can be just a blip on the radar with more time to grow. Yet, for a team that had hopes of competing for a Big Ten title, any more results like Saturday could sink their season’s hopes quickly.

Gophers linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin follows the ball at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 24. Minnesota fell to Michigan 49-24 in their first showing of the season.

(Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily) “We just have to be better, we will be better,” redshirt junior quarterback

Tanner Morgan said. “We’re going to take this and learn from it and move forward.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Robbins, a new face for the Gophers at center Robbins will be key in pushing for the NCAA tournament.

By AJ Condon jcondon@mndaily.com After two seasons playing for the Drake Bulldogs in the Missouri Valley Conference, junior Liam Robbins entered the transfer portal. Head coach Richard Pitino and his coaching staff were able to land the 7-foot center. After losing Daniel Oturu to the NBA draft, Robbins will help fill the void in the front court.

The Gophers have gotten key contributions from its past two centers in Jordan Murphy and Oturu. Robbins has big shoes to fill, but he has the skills and athleti-

cism to give the Gophers the production they need.

“I think he’s an impact guy. I think he saw what we were able to do with Daniel and how we utilized Daniel last year,” Pitino said. “I don’t see why there should be any type of dropoff to be honest.”

While playing just over 27 minutes per game last season, Robbins averaged 14 points a game while shooting 49.9% from the field. He might not have the same skill set Oturu does on offense, but he’ll be an important piece for the Gophers on defense. He averaged 7.1 rebounds a game, but more importantly, averaged just under three blocks a game.

Examining the playing time of last year’s roster, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Robbins’ time increase.

Oturu averaged about seven minutes more than Robbins last season. Robbins could see similar court time this season, and his productivity would be likely to take a jump as well.

It won’t be an easy task by any means going from the MVC to the Big Ten. Switching to a Power Five conference is never easy, and the competition he’ll have won’t make it any easier. Throughout the conference, the center position has some notable names that Robbins will go up against.

The most notable name on that list is Luka Garza of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Robbins’ height will bode well with Garza — who only has an inch on him — but in terms of size, Garza has about 25 pounds on the junior transfer. Kofi Cockburn and Trevion Williams both

have at least 30 pounds on Robbins as well.

“He’s all the seven feet, got great hands, great feet, very skilled, and he’s a Big Ten-type player. Obviously there will be an adjustment period like anybody going from Drake up to the Big Ten,” Pitino said.

With COVID-19 postponing the season, and practices being delayed because of it, Robbins won’t have as much time to prepare for the Gophers’ first matchup.

The schedule has still yet to be released, but Robbins would benefit from not having to face the physicality of the conference’s top centers in his first conference games.

“He’s stood out in practice, and I think he’s one of the best transfers in the country. He is a talented, talented player,” Pitino said.

Forward Brandon Johnson approaches an opponent.

(Courtesy of Gopher Athletics)

Center Liam Robbins advances towards the basket. (Courtesy of Gopher Athletics)

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Pitino optimistic about transfers this season Pitino and staff filled those holes in the transfer portal.

By AJ Condon jcondon@mndaily.com The Gophers’ men’s basketball team is going to have a lot of new faces when they take the court this season.

From freshmen to grad transfers, head coach Richard Pitino is excited for them to make a difference.

“For all the newcomers, we’re very excited about them. I think what we were able to do in the spring, from a recruiting standpoint, that was a great job by our staff to pull that off,” Pitino said. “All of them are working hard and we’ve got to be ready to adjust and pivot as a coaching staff.”

The Gophers have seen new faces year after year, and with that comes inexperience. Moving into the Big Ten conference isn’t an easy change for any transfer even if they’re coming as a

Gophers Head Coach Richard Pitino looks on from the sidelines during a free throw attempt at Williams Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 26. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

grad transfer.

“It’s a challenge, Brandon Johnson is older, but he’s never played at the Big Ten level, therefore he’s inexperienced.

They’ve been really good, the older guys. Liam [Robbins], Both [Gach] and Brandon certainly understand it a little better than the younger guys, which is normal,” Pitino said.

The Gophers have just about all their pieces for the upcoming season, but are still waiting on a waiver for junior Both Gach.

“If he gets the waiver, which we anticipate [he will],

he’s another guy to go along with Liam that we feel can be an impact guy right away,” Pitino said.

Pitino enjoys bringing newcomers to Minnesota, particularly adding transfers.

It’s a chance for a new start, and a chance for players to start their career again as Gophers.

“Having a bunch of newcomers, it is a bunch of fun in its own little way. It gets you as a coach to step back and build it from the first floor and make sure everybody’s on the same page.”

FOOTBALL

Key Gophers starters inactive against Michigan The Gophers will be without two offensive line starters.

By AJ Condon jcondon@mndaily.com

The Minnesota Gophers will be without several key starters against the University of Michigan on Saturday.

This was expected following head coach P.J. Fleck’s comments from

earlier in the week when he declined to specify which players Minnesota would be without, but said there would be absences.

The biggest of those absences comes on the offensive line with right tackle

Daniel Faalele and right guard Curtis Dunlap Jr. out.

Faalele was not seen in pregame warmups while Dunlap had his left foot in a cast.

On defense, redshirt sophomore Braelen Oliver is out. He was seen in street

clothes on the field prior to the game. Oliver was expected to take over a starting role following the departure of seniors Thomas Barber and Kamal Martin.

True freshman Cody Lindenberg will start in Oliver’s

place alongside Mariano Sori-Marin.

The Gophers special teams unit will also be missing one of its starters. Freshman punter Mark Crawford did not participate in warmups.

Sports

10 Monday, November 2, 2020

FOOTBALL

Sori-Marin to lead Gophers’ defense in 2020 season The junior linebacker is ready to step up as a staple.

By Brendan O’Brien bobrien@mndaily.com Over the years, Minnesota has had linebackers who were staples at the position for the program.

Thomas Barber amassed 274 tackles as a Gopher. Kamal Martin logged 177. But now that both are gone, questions have arisen regarding who will take over as the Gophers’ next primary linebacker.

Head coach P.J. Fleck already appears to have the answer: Mariano SoriMarin. Entering his third season, Sori-Marin is expected to be the linebacker to keep an eye on during the season.

“He’s one of the most intelligent, if not the most intelligent, players we have on this football team,” Fleck said. “Not only that, I would probably rank him in the top three of who loves football the most. You take a really smart player and you match that love for football, that’s what you see in his style of play.”

Sori-Marin was considering playing football at some Ivy League universities before being recruited

by Fleck at Minnesota. The junior said his enjoyment

for studying in school has translated well when learning more about football, whether it has been opening up the playbook or watching film.

He credits his development of the mental side of the game to 2019 when he had to study and know all three primary linebacker positions in defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s scheme.

Fleck said this season SoriMarin will primarily play as the middle linebacker and act as the “Joe Rossi, Jr.” on the field.

On top of sharpening his mental game, SoriMarin has the physical gifts to play the position well.

As Fleck described him, Sori-Marin is everything a coach would want in a Big Ten linebacker: aphysical, fast and tough, and SoriMarin is up to the challenge.

“Sometimes you’re going to line up against guys that are bigger, faster and stronger than you,” SoriMarin said. “But if you know what your responsibility is and can play at an elite speed and have that mental intuition of what’s going to come next, it’s only going to propel you in your game.”

Despite playing in significant contests last season while Martin was injured, Sori-Marin knows he needs to step up and be a leader for the Gophers.

Gophers Linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin makes a tackle on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily) He said quarantine and the chaos of COVID-19 over the summer helped him develop his leadership skills, whether it was setting up

Zoom calls with his position group or scheduling safe player-led workouts.

“If there’s one guy who’s played enough football to

lead the football team, everybody knows it’s Mariano,” Fleck said. “We are so thankful to have him. He’s one of the best people on

our football team — one of the best students on our football team on and off the field, and we expect big things out of him.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Uncertainty hangs over Gophers’ basketball schedule The Gophers do not know their season schedule.

By AJ Condon jcondon@mndaily.com In a normal year, head coach Richard Pitino and his team would be under two weeks from starting their season. This year has been everything but normal, and the Gophers’ men’s basketball team is feeling that effect.

The season was scheduled to start Nov. 10 but has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On top of the season being delayed, the NCAA has also delayed the start date of practice. Scrimmages and exhibition games will not be allowed, and the season will be condensed.

That first day of the season, officially, was Oct. 15.

The Gophers are only allowed 30 practices in the 42 days before the season gets underway.

The number of games played always is dependent on the teams’ ability to win in the Big Ten tournament, as well as in the NIT or NCAA tournament,

granted the Gophers make it. Originally, the schedule was going to be 31 games, but that has since changed.

The season is set to start Nov. 25 and will feature no more than 27 games. Ordinarily, with the season set to start just under a month away, Pitino and his team would have expectations as to who they would be going up against.

It’s easy to think generally about the teams that the Gophers will face. That isn’t the question that’s still up in the air. The lingering question is the nonconference games the Gophers will participate in.

When asked about what the schedule will look like, Pitino said, “I can’t confirm anything.” He added they are waiting for the Big Ten schedule to get solidified, so they can work around that.

Originally, the Gophers were set to play in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off starting Nov. 21. The team was scheduled to face UCF in the first round with the winner playing either Rhode Island or Marquette.

Pitino, again, was asked if he could confirm whether or not the Gophers would be participating in

Players on the Gophers bench observe those on the court at Williams Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Minnesota defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 75-69. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily) this tournament. He re- Florida have filled up the Challenge, the Gophers ty standpoint. We want to sponded, “We’re not even three spots, and the tour- will host Boston College make sure that whoever close to confirming that nament is set to start Nov. on Dec. 8. we are playing, they’re yet, so I just don’t know.”

28.

Though there still is a following the same type Now, there are three The Gophers will miss lot of uncertainty with the of protocols that we are,” new teams that have taken out in the Hall of Fame season amidst the pan- Pitino said. “Travel crethe spots of the Gophers, tournament, but their first demic, Pitino wants one ates another element that Eagles and Knights in the game of the season was an- thing for his team — safety. becomes an issue and so Naismith bracket. Virginia nounced Friday. As a part “We want what’s best we’re trying to work our Tech, Temple and South of the 2020 ACC/Big Ten for the players from a safe- way through that.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gophers’ Women’s basketball to face shortened season due to COVID-19 Much is to be determined for women’s basketball.

By Tony Libert tlibert@mndaily.com

In mid-September the NCAA announced that the 2020-21 season will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Outside of that the rest of this year’s campaign will be very open ended.

On the NCAA’s the only other significant news that

they have announced is that every division one team is allowed to schedule 23 regular-season games and participate in one multipleteam event that includes up to four teams, or a team can schedule 25 regular-season games if it does not compete

in a multiple team event.

The Division one council has recommended a minimum of four non conference games for each program.

Very few teams have finalized their schedule for the upcoming season. For

the teams that have announced opponents it has been anywhere from 2-10 total games for the whole season so far.

The Gophers have yet to announce a single opponent for the 2020-21 season, so for now it is just wait and see.

Women’s basketball teams will only be allowed 25 regular-season games this year.

11 Monday, November 2, 2020

Nursing instructors caught calling students “little shits”

Assistant professors were filmed insulting students.

By Jasmine Snow jsnow@mndaily.com

In a lecture video posted to a University of Minnesota nursing school class Canvas page, lecturers were captured calling students “little shits” and “dirty little rats.”

In the video, Dawn Fredrich and Raney Linck, clinical assistant professors in the school of nursing, expressed frustrations they had regarding students in the class, their responses and specific assignment results. In the post-lecture section of the recording, Fredrich can be heard calling students “dirty little rats” and “super weak.”

Dawn Fredrich, a School of Nursing clinical assistant professor, was captured insulting students when a lecture recording was uploaded to Canvas. (Screenshot from video) The video surfaced on social media after former Minnesota Daily reporter Audrey Kennedy tweeted out a link to the lecture.

A spokesperson for the University said that the School of Nursing received a formal complaint from nursing

students “regarding a possible violation of University policy by the faculty,” and the school has initiated a formal review of the complaint.

The University has also submitted the complaint to University Information Security and FERPA for

review.

“The School is committed to ensuring all NURS 3801 students receive a continued high-quality learning experience and are able to meet all the course requirements and objectives,” said University spokesperson

Katrina Dodge. “To that end, the School is reaching out to those students individually to ensure they have the academic and other support they need.”

Fredrich, who did the majority of the talking throughout the video, also calls one student a “little shit” for having submitted an assignment late, with the student’s name clearly visible.

She later said one person had given her “flak” for a specific simulation.

“God, she drives me crazy.

Crazy,” Fredrich said in the video.

Cristine*, a junior in the nursing school who wished to remain anonymous due to concern about disciplinary action, said she was disappointed by the instructors, given her prior relationship with Fredrich and the School of Nursing’s small size.

“I was immediately disgusted,” Cristine said.

“As someone who’s in the nursing school myself, and actually looked up to Dawn, I have actually gone to her for personal advice and told her personal things about myself.

I really regret telling her those things now seeing how she is talking about students.”

The course, NURS 3801: Patient Centered Care: Caring for Adults I, is a required class for those in the nursing school. Fredrich and Linck are the only instructors available for the course.

Fredrich and Linck could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

Christine Mueller, Senior Executive Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Carol Flaten, Director of Prelicensure Programs, will lead the class when it resumes next Thursday, according to the University.

U establishing tool to connect organic farmers to brewers University students are developing a searchable map.

By Becca Most bmost@mndaily.com Hidden in the industrial sector of St. Paul, a grain bin-shaped building glints in the sun. Inside, a tank fermenting yeast bubbles and sacks of organic malted grain sit on the floor. When operating, Bang Brewing can make about 300 gallons of beer per batch.

Since officially launching in May, the St. Paul brewery is partnering with the University of Minnesota to create the Organic Brewers Alliance, a database that will map out growers, brewers and maltsters around the nation and help foster connections among them.

Once finished, the database will map where producers and breweries are located and enable people to search by specific ingredient or location, said Sandy Boss Febbo, co-owner of Bang Brewing. Companies will also be able to find contact information to get in touch with one another.

When Boss Febbo and her husband, Jay, opened Bang Brewing in 2013, she said their mission was to craft their beers and ales using only organic ingredients.

One of the challenges they encountered right away was how to source them.

Boss Febbo said there are few farms growing organic grains needed to brew beer, like barley and rye. For the organic farms that do exist, finding them

is another hassle.

“We have fewer options, because there are fewer farms that are working with organic practices. Within those, they’re growing fewer varieties [of grains],” she said. “It’s a challenge that we embrace.”

Giving farmers this tool, the Organic Brewers Alliance will help promote sustainable and organic agriculture, Boss Febbo said. Through this, farmers will also be able to find and expand their market, which will in turn give brewers like herself more options.

“Rebuilding regional networks, I do feel at times like we’re reinventing the wheel,” she said. “We need to show that there’s more demand out there and coming together in this network and making this tool available to people is going to enable that to happen.”

Emmery Hartwig, a fourth-year plant science major, has been working on the project since its launch. Hartwig and another undergraduate student, Marena Ekblad, have spent their time calling nearly every organic brewer, farmer and producer in the country and recording a master list of maltsters, millers, brewers and growers.

Hartwig said they have cataloged over 60 breweries and hop farms, 100 grain farms and 14 maltsters so far. Often when they call a brewer, the brewer will refer Hartwig to another organic brewer, and so on. Because of this, Hartwig said it is apparent there is a need for a resource like the Organic Brewers Alliance.

“One of the purposes is just to help people

spread information, share information, establish cooperative purchasing for brewers, so that they can access larger markets that they normally wouldn’t be able to access,” Hartwig said.

“And then also just to garner support for sustainable and regenerative agriculture because with climate change, it’s never been more important.”

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, they said, and there are plans to make similar projects cataloging organic cider and wine distilleries around the U.S. in the future.

Noreen Thomas, an organic farmer who owns Doubting Thomas Farms in Moorhead, Minnesota, has supplied Bang Brewing with malted and flaked barley, oats and wheat for almost two years. Thomas said the Organic Brewers Alliance would be great for her business Already organic producers face challenges with getting certified as organic entities. Organic farms have to be inspected by a third party and cannot use any herbicides or pesticides, she said.

Thomas said the Boss Febbos are already ahead of the curve. Not only will the Alliance promote organic farming, which has environmental and health benefits, it will also help consumers know which local farms they are supporting. With more small breweries opening in recent years and an interest in uniquely crafted flavors, their work is especially relevant, Thomas said.

Sandy Boss Febbo , co-owner of Bang Brewing Company in St. Paul, explains the ins and outs of brewing beer on Sunday, Oct. 25. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) Competing against larger companies, the Organic Brewers Alliance tool will level the playing field by helping smaller

organic farms get put on the map, she said.

“The people interested in organics are very committed. They’ve had

to go against the grain, literally,” Thomas said.

“The work is a lot harder and this will help alleviate [those challenges].”

UMN Foundation takes over fundraising for M Health Fairview system The Foundation will manage all donations and donor gifts.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com In an effort to streamline the donation process, the University of Minnesota Foundation will now be responsible for all monetary gifts for the M Health Fairview system.

This new agreement, approved by the Board of Regents in October, acts to create one brand for donors to give to, making the donation process more efficient. Previously, fundraising efforts were completed by two different groups, the University of Minnesota Foundation and the Fairview Foundation.

Illustration by Motasem Kadadah.

Combining all donations under one brand, the University of Minnesota Foundation, or UMF, is likely to increase the number and amount of gifts from donors, said Patricia Porter, vice president of development, medicine and health for UMF. UMF’s Driven campaign launched in 2011 and has raised approximately $3.97 billion. The campaign will end in 2021. These funds are designated for a variety of places, including M Health

Fairview.

The M Health Fairview system consists of the University’s Medical School, University of Minnesota Physicians and Fairview Health. This partnership will also extend to M Health Fairview locations around the state of Minnesota.

This change will take effect on Nov. 1. The Fairview Foundation will continue to distribute funds raised by donors prior to this date, said John Swanholm, president of the Fairview Foundation and

vice president of community advancement in a statement emailed to the Minnesota Daily.

This new arrangement will especially benefit the University’s Medical School, which often depends on donor contributions to fund new research projects.

Leaders also said they hope this funding will help to increase the Medical School’s rankings over time.

“The stronger the medical school is, the better off the health system does because it attracts more patients, it attracts national notoriety and it attracts more grant funding from federal agencies,” Porter said. “So we see this philanthropy very often helps leverage.”

Continued support of the Medical School will also help to aid further research into the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If you look at all the

media attention that the University and our health system have had, it’s been about that whole spectrum,” Porter said. “It’s been about vaccine development and antibody tests; it’s been about creating ventilators in garages that can be built cheaply. It’s been about creating masks and shields within our own biomedical engineering departments.

And then it’s been about the actual care, the frontline care workers, that are delivering care and taking care of patients right now.”

She added that the switch is also beneficial to those who donate to the M Health Fairview system as they will now be able to make gifts to one organization rather than the two separate ones used previously.

“When you have a benefactor population that feels so strongly about what

we do as a University and how we can help patients, it just becomes natural that we can help them have one conversation as to how that translates into patient care,” said Anette Lillegard, assistant vice president for communications at the Medical School.

These changes will not require UMF to change its operations, although staffing will expand to account for the added workload. The foundation expects to see an increase in efficiency as a result of this new agreement.

“We’ll be expanding: we will be importing information from their database into ours and setting up some new funds,” Porter said. “There’s a lot of communication activities that need to go on to inform everybody on the front end … so those are the things that we’re focused on right now.”

12 Monday, November 2, 2020

White women at the U and the 19th Amendment Throughout the century, women have fought for suffrage.

By Jasmine Snow jsnow@mndaily.com Helen Marr Ely was the first female graduate of the University of Minnesota in 1875. She would not have the right to vote for another 45 years, but women did not wait for that right to be given to them — they took it.

This year marks 100 years since the ratification of the 19th Amendment — the key legislation that largely cleared the path for white women voters in the United States.

University suffragettes The crusade for women’s voting rights may have begun with the University Equality Club, one of the first suffrageoriented groups on campus, which was introduced in a 1907 Minnesota Daily article.

“All would-be politicians among the co-eds are urged to come; who knows, perhaps [Teddy] Roosevelt’s successor may be numbered among the members,” the article read.

Roosevelt’s successor was not in that room, but several of the women who were present would take the group’s message forward to fight for women’s right to vote throughout the following decades.

The Equality Club appeared through various iterations and names following its 1907 introduction, and many students in the club were involved in similar efforts as part of other campus groups, making it difficult to trace its progression.

A Social Problems Club appears briefly in

Sophomore Kayla Greifenkamp poses for a portrait on Sunday, Oct. 11 in front of Northrop Auditorium.

(Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) records from 1911 and later reorganized into a College Woman’s Suffrage Club, or Equal Suffrage Club, in 1912.

The group fades “in and out” of records, said University Collections archivist Rebecca Toov, but appears to have grown in popularity in 1914 as regular Minnesota Daily articles detailed the group’s activities at the time.

Toov said women’s records can be especially difficult to find due to the lack of consistent recordkeeping and sexist practices, like documenting women by their husbands’ names.

“You really have to dig deep,” Toov said. “To find women’s records, you have to really hone in your search.”

Yet, some prominent women from the University found their way into the history books.

Dr. Ethel Hurd was a physician and trailblazer for women’s rights from the late 1800s to early 1900s who led multiple suffrage clubs and authored a historical handbook of suffrage

in Minnesota.

Gratia Countryman, who was the first female head of the Minneapolis Public Library in the early 1900s and advocated for equity, especially concerning immigrant groups.

Elsa Ueland — daughter of Minnesota Women Suffrage head Clara Ueland — led some of the early iterations of multiple women’s suffrage clubs in 1909.

In 1919, Equal Suffrage Club president Rhoda Kellogg was among many Minnesota women who participated in watchfire demonstrations, in which women burned copies of President Woodrow Wilson’s speeches in front of the White House to push for equal rights.

Mabeth Hurd Paige was a state representative from 1923-1945 who was a key figure in the development of the Minnesota League of Women Voters.

A movement continues beyond the 19th Women’s empowerment

efforts around campus did not die out after the 19th Amendment was ratified.

In 1928, the University Board of Regents — which had elected its first female regent, Alice Warrent, six years earlier — accepted $10,000 to establish a fellowship in memory of Clara Ueland in the Department of Political Science, which was to be granted to a female graduate student studying “problems of government and citizenship.”

The University’s chapter of the League of Women Voters had entries in the student directory through at least 1945, and was reinvigorated in 1977 during the second wave of feminism in the 1970s. The new incarnation helped the Minneapolis chapter raise funds to support the Equal Rights Amendment.

President Ronald Reagan’s 1980 election marked the beginning of a wide “gender gap” in partisan identification, said University voting expert Kathryn Pearson. Pearson said since Reagan was elected, women have been more supportive than men of the Democratic Party.

“That’s not to say that in every election a majority of women necessarily support the Democratic candidate,” Pearson said. “If a Democratic Party candidate loses, that doesn’t mean that the majority of men voted for him or her. But, it does mean that more women did than men did.”

Women of today Between excitement to vote for female candidates — or anyone besides President Donald Trump — it is clear that young University women are ready to have their voices heard at the ballots for the first time.

Second-year speechlanguage-hearing science major Kayla Greifenkamp, 19, was excited to vote for the first time for Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the primary. The fallout of the 2016 election has largely shaped her decision to vote for the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket now.

“I feel like [the 2016 election] shaped me as a voter because now I’m really conscientious of the fact that women who are up for office have to work two times as hard as men to get to the same space, and then they’re still not going to be treated with the same respect,” Greifenkamp said.

Second-year Mandy Billups is excited to cast her ballot for Biden and Harris along with other women in local races this year. She said that after the last four years of watching the Trump administration, she is excited to see women take charge in many areas of public service, including community work, nonprofits and politics.

“I’ve seen a lot of women doing a lot of ... moving stuff that I really respect,” Billups said. “I’m just really excited about that. It feels a little hopeless sometimes, but seeing women in charge, doing things to start change has been really, really exciting for me.”

Several of these women said issues important to them include the environment, civil rights and equity, the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and, of course, women’s rights. To them, such rights include abortion rights, body autonomy, equal pay and equal pricing on products geared toward women.

White women at the University are also reckoning with the large role their demographic played in

electing Trump. They are frustrated by the support Trump has seen from the women in their lives and feel an obligation to counteract that.

Recent University graduate Grace Becker finds this especially troubling because of the repeated sexist statements Trump has made against women. She said it is hard to think of her family members voting to reelect him again.

“It’s tough to know that somebody that you love so much might be voting in a way that could disappoint you,” Becker said. “... And that [the Access Hollywood tapes have] not influenced them enough to change their mind. That’s a little disappointing.”

This centennial offers a unique insight for some women. Many white women said they are currently grappling with their privilege this election, especially in light of the racial reckonings that have widely moved into mainstream white consciousness. Meanwhile, some women feel largely underwhelmed by the progress — or lack thereof — that has been made in the last 100 years.

“It is a little disappointing to be in 2020 — be so far out from the suffrage and civil rights movements — and to be looking at a stage of two 70-plus-year-old white men,” Becker said.

Editor’s note: This story is part one of a multi-part series on University of Minnesota women and the fight for equal rights. The next story will feature the history of trailblazing Black women leaders at the University who paved the way for future Black students and will discuss how Black women today view the election.

University to mail each student a COVID-19 saliva testing kit

This program was expanded to include students.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota is expanding its COVID-19 testing for students with a new remote saliva testing program.

This program will make one saliva test available for each student to use at their discretion. At the October Board of Regents meeting, administrators approved the purchase of 66,000 of these testing kits from Vault Health for over $8.5 million.

In order to receive their tests, students, faculty and staff need to request a kit using a code sent via email from, as tests will not be automatically sent out.

Vault Health will send testing kits using overnight shipping to students, faculty and staff. Once the kit arrives, the saliva test will be completed via Zoom with the

assistance of a Vault Health employee and then sent back to Vault Health’s lab for processing. Students, staff and faculty can expect to receive their results via email in 24-72 hours.

“We don’t have to set up a clinic to have you come in and do it. Across the state, we’re running out of nurses and other health care providers to do this work. So, this is nice where you can just do it in the comfort of your own space,” said Jill DeBoer, director of the University’s Health Emergency Response Office.

Student test codes are expected to be available in the coming days, DeBoer said.

Tests were made available to faculty and staff on Oct. 21.

“People will get an individual email and it will be a code for us to access the Vault test system,” DeBoer said. “My understanding is that once you get your code, you decide it’s time you need to use it or you want to use it.

You go on their website with your code and that starts a process.”

Vault Health currently operates out of New Jersey, although a new lab has just opened in Oakdale, Minnesota to provide additional test processing capabilities. At this time, there is no concern about potential delays in processing testing kits, according to Vault Health co-founder and CEO Jason Feldman in a statement emailed to the Minnesota Daily. The lab has the capacity to test over 30,000 kits a day.

The saliva testing program was originally only available for faculty and staff at the University through Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s testing program. Costs for faculty and staff tests are covered by the state through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds, while the University is covering the costs of student tests.

“For us, it didn’t feel like we should do this for faculty and staff and not do it for students. We thought, if we’re making this one-time test available for faculty and

Boynton Health’s east bank location COVID-19 testing station stands empty on Wednesday, Sep. 16. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) staff, then we need to make it available to students,” said University President Joan Gabel in an interview with the Daily.

The state program first provided testing kits to Minnesota K-12 educators, administrators and childcare workers at tribal, public and private schools. CARES Act funding also covers the cost

of these K-12 tests, though educators can purchase additional testing kits if they choose.

“Each school district sends out an email to each employee that has their own specialized URL code that they were able to use to order their tests,” said Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson Kate Brickman.

All of these testing kits have a ‘use by’ date of Dec. 31. After that, tests will no longer be processed by Vault, as funding made available through the CARES act expires at the end of the year.

As of now, there is still uncertainty as to whether this testing program will be continued into 2021, DeBoer said.

Executive Vice President and Provost announce grading changes

Changes include extending the deadline to opt for S/N grading.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com

Executive Vice President and Provost, Rachel T.A Croson, announced in an email that students will now have the option to change their grading basis until 11:59 on November 30.

Additionally, students who receive an F grade on the A/F grading system will have their grade be converted to an N on the S/N system. These decisions came after consultation with the Minnesota Student Association and faculty governance. This change will not automatically apply to D grades. However, the announcement said that you may request to have a D converted into an N by emailing One Stop Student Services from your

university email account.

There are no changes to the policies that limit S/N credits in major degree requirements.

“I strongly urge you to check your APAS report, review the fact sheet on the One Stop website, and/or consult with your academic advisor before making any of these changes.” said Croson in her email to students.

Lastly, the University extended the last day to withdraw from Fall 2020 coursework to December 1.

Illustration by Sarah Mai.