December 14, 2020

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2020

MNDAILY.COM

ACADEMICS

NEIGHBORHOOD

Twin Cities undergrads can switch to S/N grading

What the Minneapolis budget means for the UMN area

The provost made changes to grading scale in response to MSA and COVID-19.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota announced further changes to the current grading system for the fall and spring semesters in a systemwide email sent Wednesday.

The changes come in response to advocacy by the Minnesota Student Association, and will allow undergraduate students on the Twin Cities campus to switch to or from the pass/ fail grading system for the fall semester through early January.

These changes will also be available for spring semester.

Students intending to make these changes should email One Stop Student Services from Jan. 4 – Jan. 6, 2021.

Following feedback from students throughout the fall semester, the approved resolution makes it so courses taken S/N, or pass/fail will count toward all graduation and program requirements, given that students earn a qualifying grade, Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson said in the email.

The new changes also dictate that any courses taken S/N through the fall or spring semesters will not count towards the total number of S/N courses allowed to be taken within undergraduate programs.

Consistent with other grading changes made earlier this fall, any grades of “F” will automatically be changed to a grade of “N” instead. The circumstances of the fall and spring semesters will also be noted on undergraduate transcripts, according to the email.

Croson urged students to consider the effect of changing their course grading on future semesters. Students may visit the One Stop COVID-19 frequently asked questions page for more guidance.

“As this choice may affect longer-term outcomes (e.g., admission to post-baccalaureate education, employment) as well as current outcomes like financial aid and scholarship eligibility, eligibility for the Dean’s list, athletic eligibility, intra-college transfers, accreditation, licensure and certifications (among others), I strongly urge students to become informed about the consequences of their choices,” reads the email.

A trash bin adorned with the silhouette of Minneapolis is half buried in snow in the Marcy Holmes neighborhood on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The neighborhood provides housing for a significant number of University students. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily)

The budget tackled issues like public safety, neighborhood funding and renters’ rights.

By Samantha Hendrickson shendrickson@mndaily.com

The Minneapolis City Council had the eyes of the nation on their Wednesday night meeting when they voted to adopt the finalized 2021 city budget. While police reform was the hottest topic of the night, a variety of budget amendments will have a significant impact on University of Minnesota neighborhoods.

Mental health response teams and neighborhood funding were important items in the budget for the University area leading up to the contentious budget adoption.

Council members representing

See NEIGHBORHOOD Page 2

ENVIRONMENT

Advocates call for Gov. Walz to deny or delay Line 3 construction.

spill in the country when a Michigan pipeline burst in 2010 and leaked at least 1 million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River.

By Becca Most

By Hana Ikramuddin bmost@mndaily.com hikramuddin@mndaily.com

Following the approval of several key permits through Nov. 30, a new Line 3 crude oil pipeline is set to run across northern Minnesota, with construction already underway.

Citing concerns about the environmental impacts of oil spills, the health risks and effects on Indigenous communities, some University of Minnesota students, faculty and alumni have been fighting the Enbridge Energy pipeline for years.

The new Line 3 pipeline will replace an older Line 3 pipeline that was built in the 1960s and will run

Activist and Giniw Collective member Wabigonikwe Raven poses for a portrait in front of St. Anthony Falls on Saturday, Nov. 28. The Giniw Collective is an Indigenous women, 2-Spirit led group that is an active part of the StopLine3 movement. (Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) from Alberta, Canada through North Dakota and northern Minnesota before ending in Superior, Wisconsin. This new pipeline can transfer nearly 760,000

ADMINISTRATION

barrels of crude oil per day and will emit 273.5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Enbridge Energy was responsible for the largest inland oil

MSA calls for the University to make a statement Maddie Miller, a University of Minnesota third-year individualized studies major, started the Students Against Pipelines student group last year and interned with nonprofit MN350 to do pipeline advocacy work last fall and summer. She is also the Minnesota Student Association’s environmental accountability director.

When the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency approved a crucial water permit on Nov. 12, 12 of its 17-member Environmental Justice Advisory Group resigned.

In response, Miller helped draft a petition to University President See ENVIRONMENT Page 2

SOCIAL CHANGE

Former Glam Doll Donuts employees allege hostile work environment Employees came forward about discrimination while on the job.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com

The board also discussed budget shortfalls at the virtual meeting.

The Board of Regents discussed proposed strategies for the University of Minnesota Police Department to combat a recent increase in crime in a virtual meeting held Friday.

The board also revisited President Joan Gabel’s systemwide strategic plan, reviewing

Mental Health Response Team A proposal for a pilot program of a mental health response

team was a keystone amendment brought forth to the city by several Council members, including Steve Fletcher of Ward 3, as part of the “Safety for All” budget plan.

Nearly $8 million was cut from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) budget to help fund the program’s pilot, on top of the $14 million in cuts to the MPD budget that Frey initially proposed.

Minneapolis will now join a growing list of cities opting for mental health professionals,

‘There has to be a point when we say enough’

Regents discuss public safety and a proposed free tuition program

By Abbey Machtig and Sonja Kleven amachtig@mndaily.com, skleven@mndaily.com

University neighborhoods also spearheaded several significant amendments, including funding for renter’s associations and an opioid crisis clinic.

In an interview with the Minnesota Daily, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that despite clashes with the city council over issues of police reform, he plans to sign off on the budget on Monday morning.

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter new proposed goals such as a free tuition program for students with families making less than $50,000, among others. The board hopes to approve these measures at their next meetings on Feb. 11 and 12.

Public safety update Incidents of robbery, auto theft and reports of individuals fleeing from the police have all increased since 2018, with most of these incidents taking place

off campus or along campus borders, according to a presentation by UMPD Chief Matt Clark.

The University is also anticipating a report by external consultant Cedric Alexander on his full safety review of the University in the near future, which has taken place over the last several months.

“The broader definition [of safety] is something that we’re See ADMINISTRATION Page 2

For many years, Glam Doll Donuts has been a mainstay in the Twin Cities food community. With bright bubblegum pink boxes holding uniquely flavored donuts inside and a website that calls itself “your happy place,” the business has built its reputation on being a quirky and inclusive shop with a late night crowd. But among its employees who uphold the business’s image, it’s another story.

In November, Demaris Johnson, Sariah Jackson and Nadirah McGill, three former Black femme employees, came forward with their experiences at Glam Doll. In a series of Instagram posts, the trio detailed how they were terminated from the shop. Several other former Glam Doll

employees have since shared their own stories working at the iconic donut shop, revealing a work environment quite different from the shop’s well-crafted image of an all-around happy place.

In mid-September, Jackson’s employment was terminated by Glam Doll Donuts. Jackson said that she’d been verbally abused by management after calling to ask why she wasn’t being scheduled for work for nearly three weeks.

After Jackson spoke out on Instagram, Johnson and McGill came forward with their experiences.

In late September, the northeast Glam Doll location was exposed to a positive COVID-19 case. Johnson voiced concerns over the upper management’s decision to stay open and was terminated a day afterward for “presenting an attitude of pessimism,” according to Johnson’s Instagram post. Out of everyone who voiced concerns in the store group See GLAM DOLL Page 2 Volume 121 Issue 7

2 Monday, December 14, 2020

Neighborhood page 1 instead of police officers, to respond to nonviolent mental health crisis calls.

“It’s really exciting because that feels like one of the things that we’re ready to implement this year that can actually produce a better and safer outcome for our residents,” Fletcher said.

Mohamed Ibrahim, deputy executive director of the Minnesota chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said this was one of the most important items to the communities CAIR serves.

“You’re creating capacity for police officers to do other things that they need to be doing,” Ibrahim said.

“They have no business

Environment page 1 Joan Gabel, urging the University to make a public statement opposing the pipeline.

“As the largest public educational institution in the state, the University of Minnesota is greatly influential in Minnesota’s economic and scientific future,” the petition said.

“The University of Minnesota also prides itself on its environmental stewardship and intends to become carbon neutral by 2050, but an oil pipeline with the carbon emissions of 50 new coal-fired plants would be a detriment to much of that progress.”

Because the University also prides itself on its location on the Mississippi River, an oil spill would drastically impact the river’s water quality and livelihood of nearby ecosystems, the petition said. Though the University acknowledges that the college rests on land forcibly taken from Dakota and Ojibwe people, the letter added that the University needs to take further responsibility and advocate against a pipeline that would directly violate treaty lands and harm Indigeneous communities.

Signed by MSA, the American Indian Student Cultural Center, UMN Climate Strike and several other student organizations, the letter was passed by MSA unanimously on Nov. 24.

Miller said they are still waiting on Gabel’s response.

Impact on Indigenous people Tara Houska, a University alum, tribal attorney and Couchiching First Nation citizen, has been fighting the Line 3 pipeline for nearly seven years, leading national policy work and talking with lawmakers and shareholders.

Founder of the Giniw Collective, an Indigenous women and Two-Spirit-led pipeline resistance group, Houska and other advocates have been living in a community resistance camp 200 yards from the pipeline’s route, growing food and training others in direct action. The pipeline will disrupt land treaties

Administration page 1 working on and does take time because of the representation and representative voices we want to hear in developing any program that would address safety,” Gabel said at the meeting.

With these rising crime rates, Clark also reported that the Twin Cities campus has the highest rate of crime in the areas surrounding campus proportionate to the number of police officers among all the Big Ten schools.

Due to a budget shortfall of approximately $300,000, UMPD has not

when it comes to responding to the health crisis calls.

We need to create more accountability.”

Other amendments passed

by Council members Ward 6 Council member Jamal Osman pushed several amendments that passed in the 2021 budget, which include more funding for renter’s rights advocacy, homeownership training, opioid addiction crisis resources and employment opportunities for those in Ward 6 neighborhoods, including Cedar-Riverside.

“Our community needs a very different, specific strategy to make sure that programs work for the community,” Osman said. “There’s a lot of barriers for immigrant communities.”

Thanks to a budget

of the Anishinaabe people, detrimentally impacting the Red Lake, White Earth, Leech Lake, Fond du Lac and the Big Sandy Lake Bands reservations, Houska said.

The pipeline will also run within half a mile of 17 wild rice beds around the state. Wild rice is a culturally significant staple of food and source of revenue for many Indigenous people, said Wabigonikwe Raven, a member of the Giniw Collective and enrolled member of the Lac Courte Orielles Anishinaabe tribe.

“Not getting this pipeline built is really important to me,” Raven said. “It’s bigger than all of us, because once it gets put in the ground, it doesn’t just stop there. Pipelines leak and destroy ecosystems.”

Although she was not surprised to hear of the governor’s response to the pipeline’s construction, Raven said it is saddening to see Gov. Tim Walz have no empathy for people who will be affected by the pipeline and that this is just another example of historic oppression and disregard for Indigenous people.

“Engaging with these big companies to try to force them to transition away from fossil fuels is about our survival as people,” Houska said. “This project is one project among many, but there has to be a point where we say no more.

There has to be a point when we say enough.”

Houska said the young people coming into this space will step out as tomorrow’s leaders.

“And, you know, what kind of world do you want that to be? I hope it’s one that has clean drinking water and human rights being upheld and treaties no longer being broken,” she said.

amendment led by Osman, the Opioid Peer Recovery project, piloted by the city, will now operate out of Firehouse 7 on Franklin Avenue East in the Seward neighborhood to better serve the immigrant communities most affected by the opioid crisis in that area.

Another amendment allocated $50,000 for the Cedar-Riverside Opportunity Center to help with employment resources for those in the Cedar-Riverside community, plus $95,000 to support East African homeownership and education.

Weighing equity and cuts for neighborhoods Neighborhood associations saw significant funding changes with the 2021 budget and the Neighborhoods 2020 initiative, and

University health, water experts denounce pipeline Laalitha Surapaneni, an assistant professor of medicine at the University, has been giving testimonies and pushing against the pipeline for years. She was one of many medical professionals who held a teach-in at the State Capitol in January calling for the governor to acknowledge the negative health impacts caused by fossil fuels and

potential oil spills.

Surapaneni said the pipeline’s construction has come under fire by frontline workers in northern Minnesota where the construction will take place.

Although Enbridge has said the pipeline will create thousands of jobs, most of the workers are not from the communities they are operating in, and some are from out-of-state areas with higher rates of COVID-19.

She said this has alarmed rural health care providers whose hospital beds are already full.

In November, a petition submitted to Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health from Aitkin County health care professionals and residents called for a temporary delay of the project due to the pandemic.

Christy Dolph’s involvement with Line 3 started in 2017 when she testified against the Public Utilities Commission about the environmental impacts of the new pipeline. A former University water resources scientist, Dolph specializes in streams, rivers, lakes and wetland ecosystems.

Dolph said freshwater species are some of the species most heavily impacted by mass extinction worldwide, and the best way to preserve these ecosystems is not to put them at risk in the first place.

Line 3 is set to run through 818 wetlands, over 200 streams and lakes, including Lake Superior, and across the Mississippi river twice. Tar sands oil, the type the pipeline will transfer, is different from other types of oil because when spilled, it sinks below the surface of the water rather than floats to the top, which makes it more difficult to clean up.

“We don’t have time to sit back and passively do research in our lab when the stakes are so high, and the crisis is so dire,” Dolph said. “If we want to solve these problems, we really have to take what we know and start making decisions upfront, … especially when we know fossil fuel use needs to be downscaled or eliminated immediately. We have a handful of years to really turn things around.”

been able to hire additional officers, Clark said.

The board and Clark discussed potential strategies for decreasing crime on and around campus including an increased focus on the campus perimeter, expanding the blue light alert system and introducing a safety app with a virtual escort system.

Clark also asked the board to consider providing additional funding to equip police officers with body cameras, an update that would cost approximately $120,000 each year.

“I just want to be specific with members of the board that our officers

are asking for [body cameras],” Clark said at the meeting. “They want that, and I think that speaks volumes about what they want to do when they’re out there protecting the public.”

UMPD has been requesting funding for body cameras since 2017, as they have become a standard piece of equipment among police officers, Clark said. Funding for body cameras has been omitted from the University’s budget in recent years, despite a trial of the technology in 2017.

“I was kind of surprised to know that we’re not

some neighborhood programs were cut out from the budget altogether.

Ward 2 Council member Cam Gordon helped push an amendment that increased the base funding for neighborhood organizations in 2021 to $25,000.

Alongside the base funding, equitable engagement funds will be awarded to organizations in an effort to support historically underrepresented communities.

The allocations are based on multiple factors within that neighborhood — including poverty levels and gentrification — based on an analysis by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban & Regional Affairs.

However, despite the base funding, neighborhood organizations anticipate significant change as

Glam Doll page 1 chat, she was the only one terminated, the post said.

Upon reflection, Teresa Fox, one of the owners of Glam Doll Donuts, said in an interview with WCCO that she should’ve been more thoughtful in her communication and that she overreacted in firing Johnson.

In response to the three former employees’ posts, Glam Doll Donuts released a statement on its Instagram acknowledging its mistakes and citing the “unclear waters of the new COVID world” that has changed business plans and expedited decision-making processes.

“We’ve experienced total failures in communication that would otherwise have been handled differently,” the shop said in its post.

Glam Doll Donuts’ leadership could not be reached for comment.

“I was so excited to be part of this club” “They can speak on it as much as they want, but they can’t deny the fact that they fired a Black woman for an attitude problem,” Teygaen Hartman, a former Glam Doll employee said. “Try to tell anybody anywhere that a white woman firing a Black woman for an attitude problem shouldn’t be questioned.

Because that’s not objective.

And we as Black women are day in and day out having to prove to people that we’re not what they believe to be a stereotypical angry Black woman, and it’s things like this that make us angry.”

Hartman began working at Glam Doll Donuts in the fall of 2016 as one of the first employees at the northeast Glam Doll location. They remembered how exciting it was to begin working at such a cool shop in the Twin Cities, but as time went on, their perception of the shop began to shift.

“I realized that the culture of Glam Doll was like, be hot and party and work, like, a little bit, but at the end of the day, be hot. That’ll get you into the club, right? Like, I was so excited to be part of this club,” they said.

The culture, Hartman explained, involved a blending of personal and professional life. Hartman recalled employees partying with each other or going over to the owner’s house for drinks after

equipped with body cams. … They’re an expectation, somewhat, these days,” Regent Mike Kenyanya said at the meeting.

This request comes amid student pushes for reform and more oversight of UMPD following the police killing of George Floyd. Some students have also advocated for the disarming of UMPD. Continued strategic planning Administrators and regents continued to discuss Gabel’s systemwide strategic plan, which was first approved by the board in June.

a result of the cuts. Jessica Focht-Perlberg, executive director of Southeast Como Improvement Association, said it’s still unclear how the funds will be distributed or how they can be used.

“On one hand, there seems to be positive momentum forward in terms of people in the neighborhood understanding the critical importance of the equity work … and new folks involved in the conversation, and that’s great,” Focht-Perlberg said. “But then we also are just looking at the reality of [less] resources … ” The fate of other programs throughout the city is also unclear, including Cedar Riverside’s Youth Program, a part of the city’s Youth Coordinating Board.

The program in CedarRiverside aims to provide

East African mentors for a mostly East African population to help combat things like youth crime, homelesnness and the opioid crisis by providing mentors that can relate to the youth of the community.

City funds will no longer keep the youth program running after July 2021, which leaves organizers like LaToya Balogun to find new ways to support it. This could come in the form of grants and donations, which Balogun said is typically thanks to community support.

“We’ve had the community speak up [for us,]” Balogun said. “Community has really been able to coalesce around the work of the outreach team and speak up and push on policies for our community.”

a shift.

W h i l e working there, Hartman said they felt pressured by a manager who encouraged drinking on the job. “It would be very normal to work a shift at 6 a.m. and be drinking by 10 a.m., and it was encouraged by my manager,” they said. The manager Hartman is referring to no longer works there.

S e v e r a l The Glam Doll Donuts street sign hangs in e m p l o y e e s Northeast Minneapolis on Monday, Nov. 30. said they felt (Shannon Doyle / Minnesota Daily) as though they couldn’t come forward with ment that he believed was their concerns about the man- cleared up, Smith found himagement since doing so could self no longer scheduled for jeopardize their employment. shifts.

“If you do something “You have to treat employwrong, I think there was a fear ees with grace, even if you’re of being tapped out from this about to fire them, because whole community of people,” you never know what situaHartman said. “For a while, tion people are in,” Smith said. that was my sole group of “You don’t put Black people friends, and that was how I in bad situations, without any held my personal self-worth.” warning, just, you know, if you’re all inclusive and all that Stepping on eggshells you claim that you are.”

While many employees In May, when Glam Doll enjoyed their fellow staff began to reopen the Northmembers and the experience, east shop, it posted on its several employees described Instagram that it was hiring the general environment of baristas for the northeast and the workplace as intimidating Eat Street locations. But the and felt as though they were owners neglected to notify stepping on eggshells around their former front-of-house the owners, Fox and Arwyn employees at the Eat Street Birch. location, many of whom they “It would just be like, a had laid off months earlier, couple times a month some- according to Maggie Barathone leaving in tears or getting Lane, one of the workers laid chewed out and being scared off at the time. to come to work,” Grace SulliBarath-Lane saw the post van, a former employee said. and wrote a text to one of the Through her time working owners expressing her frusat the shop, Sullivan said she tration for not being notified experienced fear and insecu- that the shop was hiring. Fox, rity coming into work each the recipient of that text, nevday. er responded.

“I would have the manager “I don’t think I can look at pull me into the office and a donut the same way again,” basically threaten to fire me Barath-Lane said. if I didn’t get my shit together, Former employees said but they wouldn’t really give that the shop’s image did not examples on what I was doing match the employees’ reality wrong. And then it would just of coming to work each day. be me coming to work scared “I will say [Glam Doll] is every day and like, fearful probably a happy place for of when the girls show up to the owners. It’s probably a work,” Sullivan said. happy place for the customTimothee Smith, a former ers who get to come in and employee who wished to re- eat donuts and drink Coke or main anonymous due to pri- whatever,” Smith said. “But for vacy concerns, said a month the employees? No. It’s not a after a dispute with manage- happy place.”

Currently, administration is developing a progress report in order to meet the goals outlined in the strategic plan, which may include transitioning to test-optional applications. Other goals include increasing graduation and retention rates and research funding.

One goal introduced a metric to create a “tuition free program for Minnesota families with adjusted gross incomes at $50,000 or less by 2021,” according to docket materials.

Regent Tom Anderson said that many students from families making less than $50,000 a year

already receive significant support and scholarships that cover a considerable amount of their tuition.

Regent Darrin Rosha voiced concerns about the potential for this proposed goal to increase tuition for some students and the need to continue to lower student debt.

“If it’s a function of raising tuition on some students to reduce it for others, I don’t know if that’s a great policy, it may create some divisions,” Rosha said at the meeting.

The board will continue discussions about the topic at their February meeting.

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3 Monday, December 14, 2020

Proposed community housing project addresses homelessness Advocacy groups work to combat housing barriers in Minneapolis.

By Becca Most bmost@mndaily.com

A model housing unit sits in the parking lot of a northeast Minneapolis church.

With a small bedroom and bathroom, modern furniture, decor and household necessities, the tiny gray house is a hint of a new housing initiative to come.

Three years into the Envision Community project, advocacy groups, faith groups and other organizations, including the University of Minnesota, have been working to develop an equitable housing model designed to foster community and combat homelessness. Since the pandemic, architects on the project have had to adapt their design of the model home to accommodate space for quarantine measures.

Led by people who have personal experience with homelessness, the collaboration’s efforts highlight and uplift those who historically have not been heard while addressing housing insecurity in the Twin Cities.

“When you’re homeless, you are invisible, ignored, and you lose your voice,” said John Cole, the interim director of Align, one of the partners of the project. “To have their input and to have them as partners is really exemplary and is actually a model that should be replicated for anyone who wants to do anything with persons experiencing homelessness.”

About the units The proposed two-year project’s design consists of 15-40 micro housing units, which will be clustered around a community center and green space, said Jacob Mans, an assistant professor at the University who is an architect on the project. Two people will live in each unit.

Since the pandemic, Mans said the team has needed to re-evaluate nearly every aspect of the initial design. Now, instead of smaller units with shared bathrooms,

each unit will have its own full bathroom and a working kitchenette, which will enable people to quarantine if needed.

The larger community space will have a bigger kitchen, a recreation area and a place where people can receive social services and medical support, he said.

The team is currently acquiring land for the project on the corner of Fremont Avenue North and North 41st Avenue.

Mans said architects are typically called to design buildings for clients with large disposable incomes rather than projects like this one that find creative solutions to address systemic issues like homelessness.

“It’s really rethinking architectural practice models and finding opportunities for architects to serve people they traditionally have not been able to serve,” he said.

Mans said he wanted to design buildings that would address homelessness without building structures that emphasize difference, thus othering people or putting them under a microscope.

Twenty percent of those living in these units will have experienced chronic homelessness and have more serious health issues, 60% will have experienced housing instability and 20% will never have experienced housing instability. Although all residents will pay monthly rent, many of them qualify for subsidies, which will offset the low cost of living.

Homelessness can be a traumatic experience that leaves many people still in “crisis mode,” where they are focused on short-term survival like finding food, transportation and shelter, Cole said.

When stuck in that mindset, it can be hard to make long-term plans, even in safe housing, he said. Having a supportive network of neighbors who can empathize with those experiences and others who can provide an outside perspective will ultimately enable and support upward mobility, Cole said.

Community building Freddy Toran, a leadership consultant for the

project, has been doing this kind of advocacy work for 15 years. As someone who experienced homelessness and addiction, Toran said he knows what it feels like to not have a safe place to live or take his medicine.

Over time, many people experiencing homelessness give up on themselves when

faced with constant societal rejection and judgement, he said. Because some people experiencing homelessness struggle to find housing due to income, a criminal record, substance abuse, prior evictions or poor credit history, Envision does not disqualify anyone due to these factors.

This project is designed to meet people where they are and build a trusted community where they feel safe, Toran said.

“People with [lived experiences of homelessness], they bring great ideas and information to the table,” he said. “You got a lot of educated people out here that’s homeless: a lot of talent, a lot of skills — it’s just something causing them to lose their home.”

Even though Rochelle Washington, the project manager, has lived in her rented home for 12 years, her landlord recently gave her a 30-day notice to vacate after she mentioned she wanted to become the first person in her family to purchase a home.

Although evictions have been suspended in Minneapolis due to the pandemic, Gov. Tim Walz’s peacetime order expires on Dec. 14.

“Having affordable housing is key,” she said. “Even me, thinking my housing was secure — it’s not. … Anyone can lose their housing for any reason. And homelessness [happens] so quick.”

Washington has been

Above, Freddy Toran walks into the living room of a tiny home outside Elm church on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Left, Rochelle Washington poses for a portrait in a tiny home outside Elm Church on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Bottom, Freddy Toran stands outside a tiny home outside Elm Church on Wednesday, Dec. 9. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

working with grant writers, developers, neighborhood associations and Minneapolis city officials on the project.

Although it has been a long process, she said building homes like these can slow down homelessness and even potentially stop it.

Fulfilling a need Cole said Minneapolis is in a housing crisis where there are not enough affordable homes or apartments on the market, which has forced some to stay in their current houses rather than move, creating a bottleneck in the system.

The pandemic has brought about additional challenges for those whose housing is insecure, he said.

Some who would typically stay with friends or family now cannot, and shelters, which were at full capacity even before COVID-19, are now swamped.

According to 2019 data from Minnesota’s Homeless Management Information System, people of color made up 65% of people

experiencing homelessness in Minnesota. Black people made up 42% of those experiencing homelessness in Minnesota despite making up 7% of the state’s population.

Eleven percent identified as American Indian or Alaska Native although they make up 1% by population. These statistics only reflect those staying in shelters or transitional housing programs and are likely higher today and with those experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

The $13.25 minimum wage for large businesses is often not enough to pay rent in the city, even while working multiple jobs, Cole said.

And with winter coming, the situation is even more dire.

“This provides one solution to what is a complex problem, and it requires a multiplicity of solutions,” Cole said. “We need to recognize and accept that housing in Minnesota is a crisis and unless decisive action is taken to comprehensively address this once and for all, we will always be having to deal with homelessness.”

New survey centers boarding school experiences The Indigenousled survey looks at trauma due to forced removal.

By Lydia Morrell lmorrell@mndaily.com For more than a century, Native American children were forcibly removed from their families and driven into boarding schools where their hair was cut, and they were stripped of their culture.

Now, Indigenous community members and University of Minnesota researchers are looking at the trauma caused by this practice.

The Child Removal in Native Communities Survey centers the experiences of American Indian and Alaskan Native people who were forced into boarding schools and the foster care system, focusing on the generational impact of these practices. Led by Native researchers, it is meant to study the trauma inflicted on Indigenous communities and subsequent healing.

In April 2019, two Indigenous community-based researchers opened the survey with a ceremony, establishing that their academic research would be “guided by spirit, not just by the intellect,” said Sandy White Hawk, a Sicangu Lakota tribal citizen and founder of the First Nations

Repatriation Institute.

Christine Diindiisi McCleave, an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe Nation and CEO of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, co-led the study and said academic research of Native communities historically has been extractive and privileges the voices of researchers who are not Indigenous.

This research is different.

Diindiisi McCleave said that her and White Hawk’s leadership in the project has been critical because they had direct experience with boarding school survivors and Native American adoptees.

“We Indigenous peoples, we don’t want to be studied from the outside,” Diindiisi McCleave said.

“We have a lot to say about our own histories, about our own experience and about our experience with American history.”

A survey and a ceremony The approximately 30-minute survey looks at three different experiences: if the respondent went to boarding school, if their family went to boarding school, or if they were adopted or put into foster care. Participants could fill out one or all segments, depending on which fit their experiences.

Because of COVID-19,

the researchers have stopped recruiting participants for the survey, though it is still open online. Diindiisi McCleave said the survey addresses difficult experiences, so the team did not want to push the survey on people who were already under pandemic-related stress.

Carolyn Liebler, a University of Minnesota sociologist who is helping to lead the research alongside White Hawk and Diindiisi McCleave, said their approach is “totally different” from other research.

“We have ceremonies and prayers as part of the research process … talking about things holistically, recognizing that just because time passes doesn’t mean things change,” Liebler said.

Until the pandemic is over, the team will not close the survey or move on to analysis. The researchers are aiming for 1,000 participants and currently have about 600, Liebler said.

She added that they plan to attend in-person events once the pandemic is over to meet with the tribes in large groups and provide paper copies of the survey while offering support for participants who are sharing traumatic experiences.

“And then we will have a ceremony when the survey closes to thank the community for allowing this to exist,” Liebler said.

Generations of trauma, “incredible resilience” The research unearths a painful era of federally mandated Indian boarding schools that were enforced from 1860 to around 1980.

At this time, government officials forced many Indigenous children to leave their families to attend boarding schools and assimilate to white, Christian culture. Eventually, the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 gave jurisdiction of children to tribal governments, enabling tribes and families to be involved in child welfare cases.

White Hawk previously conducted research on Native American adoptees and served as an honorary witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada, which addressed a similar era of boarding schools and aimed to facilitate reconciliation between former students and their communities.

“I listened to three days of testimony from former boarding school attendees,” White Hawk said.

“And nearly every single individual said, ‘I did not know how to express love to my child [because of the boarding schools].’”

White Hawk said boarding schools led to the “breakdown of the family,” which continued into the adoption era where many Native children were adopted into white fami-

lies. This resulted in further assimilation and loss of Indigenous culture — which included assigning children “white” names, forbidding them from speaking their Native language, cutting their traditionally long hair and converting them to Christianity.

Today, these effects are still apparent as American Indian children are 18 times more likely to experience out-of-home care than white children, according to a 2019 survey conducted by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

“The result is: You were disconnected, you were removed. You lost that connection to your family, your language and culture, your community, your homelands,” Diindiisi McCleave said. “If the harms and impacts are the same or similar, then the healing path is also similar, where the healing comes from reconnecting with language and culture, returning home.”

The researchers said they hope gathering data will help provide a legal basis for experiences they have known for decades.

“That’s part of why we need empirical data, right? It’s part of the westernized system,” Diindiisi McCleave said. “It’s something that people will believe and rely upon.

Daily Review

4 Monday, December 14, 2020

University faculty report high levels of burnout during COVID-19 pandemic

Nearly 20% of the faculty at the U reported high burnout levels.

By Ethan Fine and Hana Ikramuddin efine@mndaily.com hikramuddin@mndaily.com

A research study found that nearly 20% of faculty at the University of Minnesota have reported a high level of burnout following the beginning of the pandemic, according to a study completed by researchers at the Carlson School of Management, the University of Washington, and California Polytechnic.

The researchers collected answers from over 1,000 faculty in a study conducted the week prior to the start of fall semester, with a follow up survey being sent out in November to some of the initial respondents. Some faculty at the University said the increased workload associated with the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health. Co-author of the study and Carlson professor Colleen Flaherty Manchester recently

presented her findings to a group of associate deans in November.

The study found that faculty, overall, spent substantially less time than average researching over the spring and summer semesters, with more time spent on teaching during those periods.

Additionally, 14% of faculty reported experiencing a higher level of financial stress than before the pandemic.

The pandemic has also made it difficult for faculty with children who may also be learning remotely, said Carrie Henning-Smith, the co-chair of the Women Faculty Cabinet (WFC), a group of faculty who act as an advisory board to the Provost on women’s issues.

Phil Buhlmann, chair of the Faculty Consultative Committee and chemistry professor in the School of Science and Engineering, said the blending of private life and work has increased the workload for faculty at the University.

“I’ve been on around 1,000 Zoom calls since March and there’s so many where a child shows up,” Buhlmann

said. “That double-tasking that people have to do really cuts into the ability to focus. I definitely see Zoom fatigue.”

One group who has disproportionately been impacted by the pandemic has been women, as childcare responsibilities have largely fallen onto women faculty, Henning-Smith said.

Manchester, a member of the Faculty Consultative Committee, also found that women faced higher rates of burnout than their male counterparts.

“We know that there has been a disproportionate impact on women because they tend to do a larger share of the child rearing, but the same is true for caring for older adults or anyone with a disability or a long-term health condition — women tend to do the lion’s share of that work,” Henning-Smith said.

To highlight the difficulties that caregivers have faced during the pandemic, the WFC has created an anonymous page of testimonials from faculty members who are caring for children.

“This semester has not been easy on anyone, faculty

spent significant time and energy re-prepping their classes for new modalities, many teaching from their homes, while guiding their children’s education or caring for family members,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson at the Dec. 3 University Senate meeting.

In an interview with the Minnesota Daily in October, President Joan Gabel said the University has tried to get information about mental health resources and programming out to the campus community.

“We’ve been very focused on serving our students. And not only do our faculty and staff have needs, but their health is a big contributor [to] student health, they need to have the capacity to be in service to students in order to do what we think we need to be doing for our students,” Gabel said.

According to the University’s dance program director and FCC member, Carl Flink, the dance program has taken some steps to support faculty mental health, including non-mandatory Zoom meetings where

Colleen Manchester poses for a portrait. Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota Development Office. faculty can discuss issues that extra work, peothey have been having and ple are tired. They’re help one another. tired physically, they’re Part of the reason for tired mentally.” the high rates of burnout Addressing mental health has been that faculty did is crucial for the betterment not have a traditional sum- of students and staff, said mer break to recharge due Colin Campbell, associate to the pandemic, and be- professor in the Department cause teaching classes of of Pharmacology. different modalities can be “You can’t even call it a more work for faculty, said crisis,” Campbell said. “We Flink, who is also the artistic have a mental health realdirector of the Black Label ity. A crisis implies that it’s Movement, said. going to go away. This is just “One of the things we’re a feature on the landscape definitely wrestling with and and there’s very little reason doing a lot of work on is, is to think it’s going to change just burnout,” Flink said. dramatically.”

“As a manager and a proManchester expects to gram director I’ve definitely have a more comprehensive seen the kind of energy and write-up of the faculty study emotional costs of in January.

UMN launches national center to fight COVID-19 misinformation in migrant communities The center aims to combat the virus spread in communities.

By Jasmine Snow jsnow@mndaily.com With the race to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon, the University of Minnesota has established a national organization to help mitigate the spread of the virus in migrant communities.

Based at the University, the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants (NRC-RIM) will work with state and local health departments across the country to develop and disseminate better practices for COVID-19 control and prevention in communities that need it. Key goals include fighting disinformation, destigmatizing healthcare and eliminating barriers for refugee, immigrant and migrant populations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Organization for Migration awarded more than $5 million to help

create the center, which is a collaboration of multiple departments and colleges across the University.

“It’s been really exciting so far,” said Erin Mann, NRC-RIM program manager. “There’s a lot of energy and urgency with getting the project up and running in order to get some resources and materials and tools in the hands of state and local health departments.”

Mann works within the University’s Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility, which houses NRCRIM. Dr. Shailey Prasad, a professor in family medicine at the University and co-lead of NRC-RIM along with Dr. William Stauffer, said this work will involve creating accurate communications between healthcare professionals and the communities they intend to serve. The center also aims to improve culturally relevant practices and training for those health professionals.

“I would make the case that we need to approach these communities

The Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility resides in the Mayo building on campus on Saturday, Dec. 5. The center just received a $5 million dollar grant.

(Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily) wherever they are,” Prasad said. “In some of the communities, there was more of a communal sense of participation in programs.

[We consider] how we can tap into that as a way to approach healthcare messaging. Those are the things that we will be looking at.”

Prasad said the center is especially necessary because of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on many refugee, immigrant and migrant communities.

Although the CDC has not

yet identified the full scale of this impact, a growing body of evidence shows that various socioeconomic factors lead to poorer health outcomes in these communities across the U.S. These factors include: attitudes toward healthcare, density of housing, access to housing, language barriers, working jobs that do not emphasize COVID-19 precautions, distrust and fear of government authority and a predisposition to underlying medical conditions.

Prasad said he thinks the next phase of the work includes vaccination strategies, which would involve tackling issues like vaccination barriers and hesitancy in refugee, immigrant and migrant communities.

Vaccine hesitancy has hit close to home before. In 2011 and 2017, the Somali community in Minnesota experienced large measles outbreaks that have been partially linked to vaccine hesitancy. This was due in part to widespread

misinformation fostered by a 1998 study linking certain vaccines to autism.

The study has since been disproven, and almost all ensuing theories have been thoroughly debunked by doctors and scientists. However, it has had a lasting impact on attitudes toward vaccinations — especially those in migrant communities in the United States.

Ahmed Mussa, community health coordinator at the Brian Coyle Center in Cedar-Riverside, said outside efforts to curb wariness around vaccines would be largely ineffective in communities like the one where he works without the assistance of trusted leaders.

“It has to be from someone they know and trust in the community — an elder or an imam or someone who has worked there and knows them,” he said. “It needs to be someone who can clearly say, ‘Here is what it is; here is what it does.’ Before anyone else comes in, they need to listen to people in the community, really hear them, and address those concerns first.”

MSA passes tuition reimbursement bill at forum meeting MSA passed a bill that calls for a 3.3% tution reimbursement.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com In a bill passed at the Nov. 24 forum meeting, the Minnesota Student Association asked the University of Minnesota Board of Regents to immediately refund students 3.3% of fall tuition because one-third of the semester has been exclusively online.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the University refunded students 50% of their Student Services Fees from March 28 through the last day of finals in May because many of the services were no longer accessible to students.

The proportion of tuition reimbursement MSA is advocating for equates to a 10% reimbursement of the portion of the semester that was exclusively online, said

Illustration by Morgan La Casse Jack Flom, the author of the resolution. At the beginning of the semester, MSA proposed a 10% refund if class modality was online for the

entire semester.

The resolution cited a Student Senate survey that found that a little over 50% of Twin Cities undergraduate students surveyed had

no in-person classes. Additionally, almost 96% somewhat to strongly agree there should be a reduction in tuition.

A 3.3% tuition refund

for University students on the Twin Cities campus would amount to $219.75 for a resident student and $521.66 for a nonresident student, according to the resolution.

President of MSA, Amy Ma, said she had conversations about tuition with administrators, including Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations Myron Frans.

“Nobody is denying that the value of online and inperson classes are different,” Ma said. “Several admin offices had expressed that unless [MSA is] putting forward a proposal, they wouldn’t really engage in this conversation.”

In an email, Rodrigo Tojo Garcia, MSA representative to the Board of Regents, said a 3.3% reimbursement is more than reasonable given the circumstances that students have faced during the pandemic. Tojo Garcia said he hopes that the measure will provide relief

to students.

“The cost of higher education has long been a concern for students – doubly so for our Nonresident, Non-reciprocity (NRNR) students, whose tuition is much higher and tends to increase much faster than in-state students’ tuition,” Tojo Garcia said in the email.

According to the College Student Health Survey conducted in 2018, University students systemwide reported financial difficulties as one of the top five health and personal issues that affected their academic performance. The Board of Regents plans to meet on Thursday to discuss the top stressors for students.

“In addressing tuition, I am optimistic that the Board of Regents will take these factors into account and hope that they will act swiftly to reduce tuition,” Tojo Garcia said in the email.

5 Monday, December 14, 2020

DRINKS

College Kitchen: Holiday drinks for a merry and bright December Get in on the holiday spirit with some simple drinks.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com It’s the holiday season, and you can’t say “Eat, drink and be merry!” without the “drink.”

A&E put together some festive drinks that are stellar to sip on throughout the most wonderful time of the year. Plus, all of these recipes are easy to make and convenient for nonalcoholic substitutes.

A more refined take on a Vodka Cranberry: If you have a bag of leftover cranberries laying around from Thanksgiving, put them to good use by turning them into a simple

syrup that’s infused with rosemary or cinnamon for a warm holiday touch.

Cranberry simple syrup recipe 1 cup white sugar 1 cup water 2 cups whole cranberries Optional but recommended additions: a few sprigs of rosemary, a few star anises, a cinnamon stick or a few dashes of ground cinnamon In a medium saucepan, add sugar, water and whole cranberries, stirring occasionally on medium high.

Once all the cranberries have popped and the liquid has turned a rose tint, remove from heat and chill.

Strain the mixture to remove the cranberries and store the syrup in your fridge for two to three weeks.

Vodka Cranberry ingredients 2 ounces Vodka 1 ounce Cranberry simple syrup Soda water to fill Ice In a glass, add your vodka and cranberry simple syrup. Stir with ice or shake with a cocktail shaker until cold. Top with soda or tonic water and garnish with a few sugared cranberries by putting three to four cranberries on a toothpick, lightly coating with simple syrup and rolling in sugar.

Enjoy.

Apple Cider Mimosas: If you’re anything like me, you bought a gallon of apple cider in October to celebrate the fall season.

But, after it sat in your fridge for a month, you’re questioning whether you

needed a whole gallon after all. To use up some of that cider, turn it into a sparkling drink!

Ingredients: ½ sparkling wine of choice ½ apple cider It’s as simple as putting some champagne or Prosecco in a glass and adding apple cider.

Enjoy!

Optional but enjoyable additions: Cover the rim of your glass with lemon juice.

Then, mix some white sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, and coat the rim of your glass with it. Then, add your sparkling alcoholic beverage of choice and mix with apple cider.

Mezcal mule: This drink utilizes Mezcal, a smoky liquor that tastes like a warm fireside.

Reporter Nina Raemont displays her vodka cranberry, apple cider mimosa and mezcal mule. (Nina Raemont / Minnesota Daily) Paired with ingredients typically found in a Moscow Mule, you’ll end up drinking this throughout the whole season.

Ingredients: 2 ounces Mezcal 1 ounces Triple Sec Orange Liqueur 1 ounces simple syrup 1 ounces lime juice (or

any citrus juice you have on hand) Ginger beer to top In a glass, add Mezcal, Triple Sec, simple syrup and lime juice.

Stir with ice or shake with a cocktail shaker.

Finish with a pour of ginger beer and garnish with a slice of lime.

ARTS

UMN theater student builds an empire of artistry Artist Nnamdi Darlington talks collaberations and his first EP.

By Meg Bishop mbishop@mndaily.com This summer, Nnamdi Darlington was collaborating nonstop with local artists, protesting against police brutality and curating his personal art style.

Darlington, who also goes by DiO, is a University of Minnesota fourth-year student in the Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program. But when he’s not acting, Darlington is often letting his creativity flow through painting and music. Recently, he’s been focused on planning the release of his first EP in January, after years of playing with sound and learning how to produce.

This summer, he began his business, DiO Designs, selling spray-painted t-shirts at protests.

Designs included a portrait of George Floyd or a pig face and phrases written over designs, including “Black Lives Matter,” “No Justice No Peace” and “Say His Name.”

“This summer became wake up, paint, paint, paint t-shirts, go to protests, connect and engage with people, go to the studio, make music and then rinse and repeat the next day,” Darlington said. Seeing his art used to inspire the community to get out and help one another gave him the confidence to continue with his constant artistic endeavours.

Darlington says building local connections has been the ultimate goal throughout his time in the University’s BFA program, so after school he has a network to widely share his art.

“It’s given me this mentality as to how to approach art and creating, and not only that but connecting with people and connecting with audiences,” Darlington said. While professors in the acting program often tell students to bring their own out-of-class experiences into their roles in class, he takes learning how to play a character in class and transfers that into his art.

In middle school, Darlington said he started to watch anime, which

led to him drawing anime characters, shaping his future artistic exploration.

“I was like ‘Woah, these guys are making dynamic figures and characters.’

It was really the story telling,” Darlington said.

“No matter what it is that I’m doing, I’ve always been connected with telling stories.”

Last month, he painted a mural at local Minneapolis clothing store, Water Wave TV. The store is a new addition to the Como neighborhood and holds vintage clothing, a recording studio and production office. The store’s owner, Eric Geisthardt Jr., heard of Darlington’s work and asked if he would add some art to the inside of the store.

“He did his thing and went crazy for a whole month,” Geisthardt Jr. said. “When he was painting, it was like he could have stopped at any point and it would have been acceptable, but he kept going and going, and adding small details. It became a masterpiece.”

He is working with Water Wave again this month to host an art show at the end of December and

Acting student and artist Nnamdi Darlington poses for a portrait in his studio in front of his artwork in Como on Tuesday, Dec. 1. “I’m so grateful because I’ve really learned how to love where you come from,” said Darlington, a Twin Cities artist. “At the end of the day, it’s the place that has shaped you and molded you into who you are, and you can’t remove that. You can’t separate the environment from the experience.” (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily) promote his upcoming EP, “eNDiO Black Romantic,” which is set to drop in January.

“I can’t call what we do everyday for two and a half years work,” said Ben Siroka, Darlington’s friend and collaborative partner.

“As an artist, DiO has unlimited creative scope.

I wish I could think like he does.”

Darlington’s aspirations for his music are of top priority to him at the moment. “I’m a big fan of creating a body of art that gives back the more you put in. I’m creating a transmedia storytelling experience,” Darlington said. The album will be accompanied with videos of him creating abstract art or performing different

character roles.

With this album, Darlington says he hopes to continue his artistic career in Minneapolis, working with local artists and businesses.

“Being here, I’ve not only grown my appreciation for Minneapolis, but I’ve also found some crazy dope and talented people here.”

GIFTS

Shop local: Gift guide to support Twin Cities businesses this holiday season An Amazonalternative gift guide curated by the A&E team.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com Jeff Bezos doesn’t need our money.

Instead of supporting big corporations this holiday season, let’s think about the beloved, local shops around the Twin Cities that deserve our love and support, especially right now.

With the unique gifts and shops on this list, you’re bound to find something perfect for that special someone.

For the plant parent: I’ve never received a

plant for Christmas, but would I be opposed to it?

Absolutely not. This year, it felt like everyone and their mother began caring for a new plant. Why not continue the trend with the help from Mother in St. Paul?

Not only does this shop offer unique plants and pots, but the shop itself also serves up some tranquil vibes that we could all use right now.

Shop for different plants, fertilizers, pots and planters, among other things, here.

For the coffee lover: There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when we’d take our public transit of choice down to our favorite Twin Cities coffee shop and spend an afternoon blissfully

sipping lattes, catching up on homework — or appearing as if we were — and enjoying life. For now that time is gone, but we still have coffee.

This holiday season, support a local coffee shop by purchasing your favorite blends directly from them.

A few favorite local roasters include Bootstrap Coffee Roasters in St. Paul, Five Watt Coffee and Northern Coffeeworks.

In collaboration with a Minnesota staple, Five Watt Coffee partnered with First Avenue for their Backstage Blend, a roast with notes of cocoa, toasted nuts, citrus and a “touch of smoke,” according to their website. Bootstrap Coffee Roasters and Northern

Coffeeworks also offer subscription services, so keep a caffeine lover covered this year with some monthly bags of coffee.

For the foodie: Sometimes, gifts for the food lover in your life lack a little bit of flavor. If that’s the case this season, spice it up with Hai Hai’s Coconut Chili Crisp and Hola Arepa’s Nut and Seed Salsa Macha. This condiment set is perfect on all your homemade concoctions, from roast veggies to steak or fried eggs.

For the mixologist: For around $20, give the gift of a cocktail kit. Alma offers two cocktail kits: a rosemary cider mixer and a bloody mary kit. Add the rosemary cider syrup

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter to your soda of choice for something new, or keep it classic with a bloody mary mix that comes with pimento stuffed olives and fresno citrus salt.

For the book lover: Shop Black Garnet Books, the only Black-owned bookstore in Minnesota’s catalogue on Bookshop. org. The online bookshop offers everything from romance to political reads, and, of course, some best sellers that are bound to satisfy the book

club junkie in your life.

If all else fails, get them a candle: These candles from carousel + folk are perfect for everyone, from that distant acquaintance you got for Secret Santa or the chic friend who loves an interior accent piece.

These handpoured candles sold at carousel + folk are made

by EVIEMINE, and their offerings include a shell, a cloud and a daisy candle — who wouldn’t want one in their stocking?

6 Monday, December 14, 2020

BOOKS

Local bookworms give reading recommendations for winter break Unplug this winter break with a list of good books.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com Imagine: The snow is falling, you’ve finished a stressful set of finals and you’ve survived another semester of “Zoom University.” Holiday music is playing, and your worries are as far away as the beginning of spring semester. You can finally read something you enjoy.

If you still haven’t picked your winter break novel, here are a few reading recommendations to keep you busy over the well deserved break.

“Wow, No Thank You” by

Samantha Irby: This book of essays, recommended

by Kesha Nash, the library services specialist at Washburn Library, is one of Nash’s favorite books of the year. “I connect with her. She’s just trying to go through life and figuring out what ‘adulting’ means,” Nash said.

Irby’s book is witty and relatable and explores her life at 40 years old. The third book of her collection, “Wow, No Thank You” is a humorous page turner.

“Dune” by Frank Herbert: Next year, “Dune,” the 1965 science fiction novel, will become a movie starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. Lacie McMillin, a library assistant for the University libraries, recommends reading the bestselling novel that

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter explores themes of politics, colonization and mind control before watching the movie.

“The Plague” by Albert Camus: If you’re interested in a philosopher’s assessment of a previous pandemic, Christian Uwe, an assistant professor of cultural studies and comparative literature, recommends Albert Camus’

1947 novel about the plague that swept through the city of Oran in French Algeria.

Uwe said that this novel reflects on the plague as a “philosophical allegory for the human condition.”

“This Town Sleeps” by Dennis E. Staples: Staples’ novel takes place on a reservation in northern Minnesota and follows the

romance between a gay Ojibwe man and a closeted white man. The novel quickly unfolds to investigate the mystery of a murdered Ojibwe basketball star and discoveries unravel. Nash, who recommended this book, said she loves the suspenseful writing Staples employs to create this pageturning story.

“Season of the Shadow” by Léonara Miano: According to Uwe, Miano’s novel details how the trans-Atlantic slave trade impacts everything in an African village and how human existence is completely upended by the presence of slavery. Miano imagines through this novel what it might have been like for African communities when slave traders came to villages and took people away. Uwe explains how the

trans-Atlantic slave trade is something African writers have only recently begun to address in literature, and Miano accomplishes the feat of writing about this important topic with poetic eloquence.

“The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir” by André Leon Talley: Ever wondered what it’s really like to work at one of the most prestigious magazines in the world?

McMillin recommends André Leon Talley’s memoir for those curious about the high-fashion universe.

Talley, the creative director at Vogue when the fashion magazine was on the rise, details his experience working in the world of fashion and how he struggled with the issues that arise in this dog-eat-dog industry.

MUSIC

A&E’s top 10 albums of 2020

Here are 10 albums that brought a little light to 2020.

By Frankie Carlson[ fcarlson@mndaily.com

There is an argument to be made that one of the only good things to come out of 2020 has been the music. As Gov. Tim Walz urged us to stay indoors and away from others, we found company in our favorite artists. Though choosing the best of the best is no small task, here are the top 10 albums that stood out above the rest.

10. City Girls: “City on Lock” The sophomore project from Miami rap duo City Girls is nothing if not a good time. Delivering the same energy from their studio debut “Girl Code,” the unique flows from both Yung Miami and JT are the driving factor on this project. Complete with minimalist production and features from Doja Cat, Lil Durk and Lil Baby, this album is one headbanger after another.

9. Tame Impala: “The Slow Rush” Tame Impala ended their five-year hiatus this year and came back with a vengeance.

Following their 2015 masterpiece, “Currents,”

Tame Impala chose to dial back the energy and focus on a slightly more laid back sound for their fourth studio album. Complete with the familiar groovy basslines and distinctive drum sounds, “The Slow Rush” hypnotizes with its meditative synth leads and soaring vocals.

While there may not be as many standout hits on “The Slow Rush” as there were on “Currents,” Tame Impala has blessed us with an endlessly interesting addition to their discography.

8. The Strokes: “The New Abnormal” Another long-awaited release, “The New Abnormal” is the first new project from the Strokes in seven years. With a nine-song tracklist running 45 minutes in length, Julian Casablancas and the rest of the New York rock band teleport us back to the early 2000s with their one of a kind sound and style. With engineering from Rick Rubin and outstanding performances from the band, this record is a masterclass in sound quality.

The album features hits like “The Adults Are Talking” and “Eternal Summer” — immediate additions to the list of greatest Strokes’ tracks.

7. Thundercat: “It Is What It Is” A musical virtuoso, a

pensive and introspective lyricist, a certifiable geek, and so much more, Thundercat continues to pour all aspects of his eclectic personality into his music on his latest record, “It Is What It Is.” The LA native keeps us asking ourselves, “How the hell does he do it?” with his jaw-dropping bass stylings featured on tracks like “Miguel’s Happy Dance” and “How Sway.” His patented groovy instrumental paired with his signature falsetto make way for some of his most fun tracks to date.

Skillful, thoughtful, artistic and goofy, his fourth studio album hits from all angles.

6. Lil Baby: “My Turn” With his latest record, Atlanta rapper Lil Baby shows his growth as an artist and why he’s one of the greatest rappers out right now. While a 20-song album can be daunting for listeners, Lil Baby shatters all doubt with consistent quality and low points that are few and far between. While there is a cast of notable features from the likes of Young Thug, Future and Lil Wayne, Lil Baby proves to us that he does not rely on his guests with each solo track outshining the one before.

5. The Weeknd: “After Hours” Canadian superstar The

Weeknd takes his sound in a nostalgic new direction with “After Hours.” Channeling elements of 80’s synth-pop and dance music, these songs are simply infectious.

While sticking to his melancholic and reflective lyrical themes, the Canadian singer sings his stories of heartbreak and selfacceptance over a backdrop of dazzling synths, 80’s drums, and melodies that refuse to leave our heads.

This record is one of a kind and truly a highpoint in The Weeknd’s career… regardless of what the Grammys’ judges have to say.

4. Run the Jewels: “RTJ4” Rappers Killer Mike and EL-P made their mark on 2020 with their iconic fourth installment of their Run the Jewels series. Delivering their first release in four years, the rap duo hits harder than ever before, which is saying a lot considering the quality of their previous three albums.

“RTJ4” is chock full of mindblowing verses from both members alike and features some of the group’s heaviest songs of all time. The production refuses to slip, the lyrics are murderous and the political commentary is in your face and without apology.

3.

Freddie Gibbs Alchemist: “Alfredo”

&

Illustration by Hailee Schievelbein The collaboration of rapper Freddie Gibbs and producer Alchemist proved to be a match made in heaven with their 2020 release “Alfredo.”

The production is captivating with its jazz, funk and R&B influences, and it is executed with precision throughout the project. Gibbs’ masterful lyrics and flow are a return to the proficiency seen in his opuses “Bandana” and “Piñata.” Running just 35 minutes, this album manages to pack in a plethora of poetry, musical fusion and experimentation all in one concise package.

2. Fiona Apple: “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” The fifth studio album from New York singersongwriter Fiona Apple is an artful and wonderfully experimental project like no other. Written and recorded entirely in her home over multiple years, the album is outside of the box in the best ways possible, whether it’s her heavy vocal

contrast throughout, the obscure samples used or her experimental song structure.

Her songwriting style on this album is original and refreshing as she tinkers with attention-grabbing lyrics, unique soundscapes and themes of the mundane and ordinary life. It’s wholly new and much needed in a year like this.

1. Mac Miller: “Circles” The first posthumous release from rapper Mac Miller is a poignant walk through his career and talents as a songwriter.

The album contains 12 previously unreleased tracks that highlight Miller’s versatility as an artist and showcases his explorations into various genres. While the album contains prolific rapping from the Pittsburgh MC, the standout of “Circles” is Miller’s singing voice.

His vocal performance on songs like “Everybody” and the title track “Circles” make for sobering moments of reflection.

FOOD

New taco truck brings the sizzle to Dinkytown Sizzlin’ Mexican Grill contributes new flavors to Dinkytown.

By Emalyn Muzzy emuzzy@mndaily.com On the corner of 10th Avenue and Fourth Street, outside the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house, a Mexican food truck sits.

The chef and the manager chat away in Spanish while grilling up fajitas and making the cold outside air smell of cumin and warm corn tortillas. Students walk up, pondering which taco they want and if they really need a churro.

The Sizzlin’ Mexican Grill opened up on Nov. 27, serving University of Minnesota students and Minneapolis residents delicious tacos, burritos and burgers.

Jose Hernandez, owner

of Sizzlin’ Mexican Grill, had plans to open the food truck and model it after his Stillwater coffee shop, Mex! Café, but the pandemic forced him to temporarily shut down the restaurant, speeding up the food truck process.

Hernandez is a maintenance worker for the Sigma Phi Epsilon frat house, so the fraternity lets him park his truck in its parking lot.

Manager David Mendez Morales said that the timing of the grand opening couldn’t have been better.

Within two months, the permits were approved, the staff came together flawlessly, Mex! Café closed so the grill was able to use supplies from the restaurant and Sigma Phi Epsilon agreed to let the truck park on its property.

Morales said that while running any restaurant is tough during the pandemic,

the food truck offers flexibility. “I look for the positive. Right now a food truck is perfect for anyone,” he said.

Chef Roberto Quiros said he made sure to keep the food authentically Mexican while also considering his consumer base. Putting a Mexican spin on an American classic, he created Quiro’s Burger, which features Chihuahua cheese in the burger, caramelized onions and a special chipotle mayo.

The trailer has been busier than a typical sitdown restaurant, mainly because it has only to-go food, Hernandez said.

Students in the surrounding area have curiously come out to try the new food.

Fourth-year student Sonia Olson walked to the truck to eat with her roommates on Tuesday night. “I like that it’s accessible and has

good COVID practices,” she said.

Morales and Quiros make sure to always have their Sizzlin’ Mexican Grill face masks on, wear gloves when touching food, wash their hands frequently and keep the truck clean throughout the day to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Since the truck is still new, they are only accepting cash but will soon be taking credits cards. They encourage people to order ahead if they want to park in the Sigma Phi Epsilon parking lot or walk to the restaurant.

Although running a restaurant amid a pandemic isn’t easy, Hernandez wouldn’t change what he’s doing.

“This is my dream for all of my life. It’s very difficult but when you have a dream, you have to work for it,” he said.

Sizzlin’ Mexican Grill

is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday.

You can call ahead at 612-232-6362 and can find the menu on the grill’s Instagram or Facebook.

Top, Co-owners Roberto Quiros, left, and Jesus Hernandez pose for a portrait in their new food truck, Sizzlin’ Mexican Grill, on Monday, Dec. 7. “We make all the ingredients fresh every day,” said Hernandez. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) Bottom, New food truck Sizzlin’ Mexican Grill’s chef Roberto Quiros prepares an order of carnitas tacos on Monday, Dec. 7. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily)

Editorials & Opinions

7 Monday, December 14, 2020

COLUMN

Dealing with crime beforehand Is there room for young people in the public safety budget?

E

arlier this week, Jonathan Ababiy a story that is becolumnist coming all too familiar happened again: A St. Paul man stepped away from his car while it was running then watched someone hop in and drive away when he turned around.

A couple days later, St. Paul police spotted the car and were prepared to pull it over until it sped

away. They didn’t pursue the car, but it hit another car as it drove off. A few minutes later it hit a light pole and flipped over.

A 14-year-old boy died when he was thrown from the car, while another 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, the driver, were arrested.

I say familiar because this wasn’t the first time a young teen died in a carjacking this fall. In October, three boys, ages 13, 15 and 16, died fleeing Minneapolis police at around 2 a.m. in a chase that lasted just two miles when the boys lost control of their vehicle in a rollover crash.

These boys’ deaths are part of a pattern that has emerged this fall. The Twin Cities have experienced a dramatic increase in carjackings: up 537% in November in Minneapolis compared to last year. This statistic of 537% has come up a lot, but there is another one tied to it that is just as dramatic and important: 75% of solved Minneapolis carjackings were committed by juveniles. For a Nov. 24 story, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office told KARE 11 that it had already charged 27 juveniles since July.

This is devastating because juvenile incarceration greatly increases the likelihood of incarceration as an adult.

Amid the devastation Minneapolis has experienced this year, this is some of the most long-lasting damage. With school online and nowhere to go, young people are turning to crime, with little tangible preventive effort from the city.

Seriously — this fall, 27 teenagers may have started a lifelong journey in the criminal justice system.

Cubic tons of ink have been spilled on the city’s rising crime rates in the pages of newspapers and Facebook group comments. It’s not a secret. The statistics are grim with violent crimes up dramatically since last year in Minneapolis and in other cities like Milwaukee, Philadelphia and New York City.

The reform-minded Minneapolis City Council has definitely taken the heat for this. It just concluded a political battle with the mayor and police chief to cut $8 million from the next police budget.

But little has been said about a plan for preventing and reintegrating the young people turning to violent crime.

More police, like Mayor Frey’s budget calls for, might mean Minneapolis police catch criminals more quickly, but it doesn’t change the factors that led that person to commit a crime or the societal consequences of that crime. Police don’t put victim’s or offender’s lives back

together. As the last 30 years of American criminal justice policy have taught us, neither does jail.

The price of a brand new SUV is easily less than the price of one year of prison. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, Minnesota spends $41,366 on a year of prison. Getting better at sending kids into the incarceration pipeline is not a solution. Once the incarceration loop begins, it’s much harder to drag a person out of crime than it was in the beginning.

Our budget should reflect that and ensure that young people get an emphasis in the criminal justice system — ideally one focused on prevention, not prosecution. We will never get back the boys that lost their lives due to the mistakes they made. But, the 27 already charged and those who haven’t been caught yet are still out there in this city, as much a part of it as you or me. They still have a future.

Either we deal with the problems that lead them to the mistakes they made or we pay for it later. I hope it’s the former. We can’t lose any more kids.

Jonathan Ababiy welcomes comments at jababiy@mndaily.com

COLUMN

ACAB for the everyday citizen The radical case for not so radical change.

T

his past summer, Emily Eaton I sat across from columnist my father at our dining room table. For weeks, our dinnertime conversation seemed to cycle back to the same topic again and again: police brutality and what to do about it. I argued for abolishing the institution, while he insisted progress could be made via reform. There was one area that we agreed upon: the term “ACAB,” or “All Cops Are Bastards,” is inadequate. Vilifying every law enforcement officer without specifying that the root of the problem is a bastardized system provides only half the story, only half the context. And, in these politically fraught times, half the context is never enough.

Defunding and/or abolishing police forces across the country has surged as a hot topic for conversation and consideration in recent months. But, what does defunding actually look like? Does it mean police officers will have to confront dangerous people like active shooters without any weaponry? Does it mean that you will never again feel that deep chest-pounding fear when you barely make it through an intersection on a yellow light and realize that familiar blue and black emblem is right behind you? Or, does it mean communities will police themselves?

These are all good and valid questions.

Well, maybe not the second one. But, I’d like to take a moment to consider the other two. While some activists are calling for dismantling or removing the police from society entirely, many are instead focused on defunding the institution. This means reducing the resources allocated to police and redistributing those funds, often to social services like housing, education and employment — aspects of the social safety net that can help reduce crime and recidivism. Commonly, this takes the form of disarming officers. To the everyday American, this idea sounds radical. The average Minneapolis Police Department officer carries one to two fully loaded handguns, an impact weapon (otherwise known as a baton), a Taser and a chemical agent (tear gas) and must have a riot stick readily available whenever on duty. Meanwhile,

the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Norway, among other countries, do not arm law enforcement at all.

Police in the United States have become a catchall support system for many problems communities face. Burglary, vandalism, car-jacking? Call the police. Your elderly neighbor hasn’t answered the door in a couple days? You’ll likely call the police.

A stop light is out on a busy road or the bar in your neighborhood is blasting music too loudly? Once again, your local police department will be answering the phone.

Most of these crimes are nonviolent and do not necessitate police carrying firearms to effectively handle the situation. In fact, many police departments spend only about 4% of their time addressing violent crimes. We can create a community that is safer for everyone by ensuring that police have access to firearms when the situation necessitates them while still lowering the risk of police violence in otherwise nonviolent scenarios.

Let’s say we’ve all agreed that reallocating police funding is in our best interest.

Unfortunately, the situation is still tricky.

While neighborhoods like Stadium Village, Dinkytown and Marcy-Holmes are policed by the Minneapolis Police Department, the campus itself is covered by the University of Minnesota Police Department. So, who do we even defund? Looking at the City of Minneapolis crime locations map, significantly more crime occurs

off campus than on. Disarming UMPD is theoretically easier as it is under the jurisdiction of University governance, meaning that we as a community would also have greater control over how funds are redistributed. However, disarming UMPD does little to solve the greater problem at hand.

It is but a small drop in a very, very large bucket.

The reality is that disarming UMPD is a symbolic gesture. It is not meaningless, but the legitimate effect it will have on the surrounding community will not be obvious or hugely transformative. Crime will still be an issue on and off campus. Police brutality toward minorities will not disappear. But, disarming UMPD is a crucial step in distancing ourselves from the racialized, militarized policing tactics of the past. More importantly, it allows us to accept that disarming and defunding police departments is not just another insane, unachievable idea of the radical left. ACAB may strike fear in the hearts of moderates everywhere, but the core idea is one we can all agree on: We, as a society, cannot sustain this level of violence. Creating a society that is more equitable, peaceful and compassionate starts with change in our own communities.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com.

COMMUNITY COLUMN

We need to re-energize to change public safety It is time to follow through on our promise for change.

A few years ago, I entered the public safety space in my local Minneapolis neighborhood organization. I did this after experiencing a crime at my apartment. I joined to work with neighbors to help promote safety through a more connected neighborhood. One early discussion, near city budget time, introduced an idea that seemed radical to me. The proposal was thus: the city should divest funds from the police department and reinvest the funds in a new community safety model. To be frank, I was initially skeptical that this was just another radical proposal by dreamers ahead of their time.

My initial gut-reaction about public safety was informed by my upbringing. I grew up in a small town that lacked its own police department. My limited interaction with police consisted of school gang prevention programming and slamming on my brakes when I saw county sheriff officers patrolling the roadway. In my perception, police officers arrested the “bad guys.” They worked to keep everyone safe. Generally, I thought that more police resulted in less crime, and I supported growing police budgets.

But that naïve perception was challenged when I became involved in neighborhood public safety in Minneapolis. The city is nearly 40 times larger than the one I grew up in. I noticed for the first time that some of my neighbors did not share my positive perception of the police. This seemed especially true in our Black people, Indigenous people and people of color

communities. In these communities, calling the police too often brought about more fear and violence, not less.

How could these two viewpoints on public safety be so fundamentally different? I wanted to learn more to better understand the dichotomy.

As a result, over the past four years I took the role as a safety lead for our local neighborhood organization. I took an intentional look into the published data on community public safety. I participated in dozens of community safety meetings and safety walks.

I partook in ride-alongs with officers in their squad cars, participated in the Minneapolis Police Department Citizens Academy and attended many “Coffee with a Cop” community outreach events. This was all in an effort to understand how my original perception of the police did not match the reality for so many in our city.

As a quick aside, through this public safety work, I became friends with off icers and city employees. I am grateful to know them. Many people I met demonstrated compassion and care in their work. In our current society, like it or not, state security forces are necessary. Someone has to fulfill the role of stopping those determined to harm others. I hope that as a society we can recognize the humanity of the individuals behind the badge. I hope we can find ways to show our gratitude for handling the difficult situations we put them in. This being said, we cannot let our “good cop” attitude distract us from the truth. The system is broken and in desperate need of change.

From my “outside looking in” perspective I understood two pivotal

concerns: 1. Generally speaking, police are not trusted by our Black, Indigenous and people of color neighbors.

2. Police spend the majority of their time responding to “social service” calls.

The truth is, America’s history of violent policing has created distrust and fear in too many of our communities. The distrust is deeply ingrained.

The community outreach efforts, embedded within the police department, have done little to change this broad perception. As for the second concern, the officers are not doing the work we think they are doing. They are not able to devote the time to solving violent crime because they are too busy responding to our mental health crises, the trespass calls targeting unsheltered neighbors and calls about those experiencing substance use disorder. According to the Murder Accountability Project, our city clearance rates (the rate as which cases are solved) are just above 50% for homicides. A 2015 NPR analysis found that, in 2013, violent crime had a 34% clearance rate in Minneapolis. Roughly one in two murders and one in three violent crimes in our city get solved. How can this be? In part, these rates are low, because officers are being used as a stop-gap measure to respond to every societal and public health problem our cities have. Officers running from call to call do not have time to respond to and solve real crime. This is not acceptable, and we must change this approach.

In the wake of the George Floyd killing, the calls for change to the system were electric. Millions around the

globe pledged to bring about a new approach in public safety. Right now, it is city budget time. We need to hear from those same voices. We need to re-energize and bring back the passion experienced over the summer. We need to follow through on our promises for change.

Demand that public safety is more equitable. Demand that our elected officials invest in public health and community safety approaches. Demand that we start targeting the root causes of violence. Demand that we allocate substantial money to ensure these new approaches are set up for success.

Undoubtedly, there will be naysayers on our journey toward a better and more equitable public safety future.

But I know that together we can influence change. I will leave you with a quote by the late Congressman John Lewis’ in his final essay and call to action. “When you see something that is not right, you must say something.

You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.”

Friends, take it from a small-town former skeptic. The time is now to change our approach to public safety.

This OpEd essay was submitt e d b y C o dy Ho e r n i n g , a Un iv e r s i t y o f M i n n e s o t a g ra d u a t e s t u dent and student board member of t h e So u t h e a s t C o m o Im p ro v e m e n t Association.

This OpEd has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

8 Monday, December 14, 2020

Editorials & Opinions

COLUMN

GOLDY’S BIKINI PICS LEAKED! ...Or, how have tabloids survived this long in a “sophisticated” society?

T

abloids are ev- Henry Kueppers erywhere. They columnist are on shelves at grocery stores, gas stations and dentist’s offices. They litter grandma’s coffee table and plague every conversation you have with your Aunt Denise. And even online, tabloids infiltrate apps like Snapchat with the little stories from tabloids like The New York Daily News or The New York Post.

Now, when I talk about tabloids, I’m not talking about an opinions piece from an established newspaper. I am talking about those magazines that purposefully sensationalize stories in order to shock and offend readers. These are the newspapers that write weird theories or lies about celebrities based solely on rumors.

This is why they are so different from legitimate journalism. A tabloid like The New York Post can write headlines like, “Barack Obama punches baby penguins for fun in his spare time.” It appears as though the writers sometimes do little research, conduct no interviews and

seem to post the story without worrying about consequences because they know people will want to read about that.

Meanwhile, credible news sources like The New York Times will say, “Hey, we should probably check with at least 10 other publications to see if Obama really does this, and even then, we should definitely back it up with firsthand accounts and supplemental interviews.”

Real journalism cares about facts and puts in the time to give ethical and correct stories. Tabloids do not, and that is why they make my blood boil.

These gossip-filled, shallow passes at journalism infuriate me for two main reasons: First, tabloids essentially bring us to our most primal state of humanity because they are so simplistic and hateful. By providing stories with zero evidence or credibility, tabloids create a vacuum that keeps out all common sense and ethics and encourages vanity and judgement.

The second reason I hate tabloids is because they are so wildly entertaining, and I can’t stop myself from reading them. (Because as much as I hate to admit it to myself, I am deeply invested in who Zac Efron has dated and who he is rumored to be dating). Here is the question I pose to you today: How have tabloids survived for this long? Why do people continually cite them like credible news sources when they are about as credible as a mean girl in high school telling you that Billy Rents has a crush on you? You know that can’t be true because Billy doesn’t even know you exist, but at the same time, you so desperately want to believe this piece of news.

Just like imperialism, poor dental hygiene and Ricky Gervais, we have the British to blame for tabloid news.

The first tabloid newspaper was published in 1903 in London by a town gossip named Alfred Charles William

Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe (I really wish I made that name up, but no, that was all his parents’ choice. Apparently, his parents absolutely hated him and wanted a terrible life for him).

Since then, even in the dawn of the internet and social media, tabloid news, like the parasite it is, has learned to adapt and stay relevant. Tabloids are so prevalent that even today we have important public figures, like mayors, senators and, oh yeah, the president citing tabloids as real news, even when it was the furthest thing from the truth.

Clearly, tabloid newspapers wield an ancient, unexplainable dark magic, and that is why they are still catching the attention of readers all over the world.

My greatest fear is that so many young minds like my own will soon be corrupted and corroded by tabloid news.

For that reason, I sat down with a fellow college student and asked him his thoughts on tabloid news, whether or not he consumes it and where he get his news sources:

have proven themselves in the past to be trustworthy.

Fourth-year student Alex Church: Alex, my first question for you is what are your thoughts in general on tabloid news?

I guess it depends on what we think of tabloid news because immediately when I think of tabloid news, my first thought is like the supermarket: People Magazine, Daily Inquirer, sources like that. But in general, I do not really consider them to be quality hard news. I mean, every other time that you go to the grocery store, you see some sort of article about how Kim Kardashian has been injected with alien eggs or Prince Harry took a dump in front of the Queen—

Please stop giving tabloid newspapers your viewership. They are seedy, gross organizations that parade around people’s insecurities and private lives.

They spread rumors and hate. Before you think about reading another tabloid, ask yourself these questions: Is this something that could contribute to a meaningful conversation? Or, is this just going to satisfy some weird little demon in your head who wants to see the top 10 nip slips of 2002? If you answer yes to either of these, you still shouldn’t read it.

Where do you get your news sources then?

My biggest ones are NPR, The New York Times, Politico and The Hill.

Final question: Why are tabloids able to survive in our “sophisticated” society?

Our society is deeply steeped in celebrity culture. We Americans have always loved celebrities and the allure of being famous. Since the advent of magazines, we’ve been just obsessed with them. And I think it’s partially because it’s just like a mindless entertainment that lets people dream of like, ‘Oh, what if my life was like the Kardashians? What if I just became famous overnight?’ And I think tabloids are a way for us to daydream and live vicariously through these people, and [tabloids] have the benefit of being salacious toward these people that we look up to.

Henry Kueppers welcomes comments at hkueppers@mndaily.com.

I read that one.

Yeah, they’re not exactly sources that

COLUMN

If you care about poor people, let them live next door Everyone loves affordable housing, unless it’s next to them. That’s a problem.

T

he proposed de- Jonathan Ababiy velopment at 2301 columnist California St. NE should have made everyone happy. It had 164 affordable units, 40% of them 3-bedrooms and plenty of parking spots on a large, empty, vacant lot next to a busy road and a Metro Transit bus stop. It was even shorter than originally proposed and included 13,400 square feet of production space.

Yes, a 100% affordable — specifically 60% of the average median income — privately-built project with production space in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. A

perfect building at the site of what two years ago was a tall, gray, concrete grain elevator.

Guess how the “community” felt.

The owners of the neighboring studio building filed an appeal against the rezoning, including a tenant of the building, a songwriter, who has his own appeal. The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District added in their own, as well.

Then, the Bottineau Neighborhood Association followed suit, adding their own appeal and a 147-signature petition opposing the project. The “community” said things, like: “This Over, Too Big Footprint building, will create conflicts” about a site that was zoned industrial and is part of a string of industrial buildings along railroad tracks.

“An enormous 6 story building is completely out of place” at the site where an enormous grain elevator once stood.

“Stop gentrifying NE!” about a building that was 100% affordable.

“Affordable housing yes, one hundred and sixty cars parking all along our streets, no.

Community doesn’t seem to be gaining on this one” about a building where every unit has a parking spot — more than what the zoning actually required.

By a considerable margin, public comments opposed the 100% affordable housing project. That is sad.

In a general sense, affordable housing is the kittens and puppies of politics. Everybody loves it, and anyone who does not is a monster. It is something that both rural farmers and urban tenant rights groups agree their

communities need more of. That is especially true in Minneapolis, a city as politically blue as denim.

For example, Kenwood, a wealthy neighborhood with little affordable housing, and Cedar-Riverside, a low income neighborhood with lots of affordable housing, both are represented by city council members who say they support more affordable housing. Lisa Goodman, the Lake of the Isle-area city council member, even calls herself a “champion” for affordable housing.

But, as 2301 California St. NE shows us, affordable housing in your neighborhood is a different ball game. Everybody wants affordable housing, just not when it is next door.

People’s impulse to say “not in my backyard,” is much stronger than any weak, abstract political commitment they have to housing justice. Sure, 2301 California isn’t perfect and our reliance on private developers to deliver affordable units is flawed, but either we can get 164 thoughtfully designed affordable units or we could get none. In the development process, the homeowners-association-like interests of homeowners have become the priority, not the future low-income tenants or future generations who will need housing. By ceding complete control to NIMBYs, we have their narrow definition of perfect the enemy of public good.

The Bottineau Neighborhood Association gives this away in its bylaws. The first listed goal of the organization is to maintain the “stability” of the neighborhood, while the second goal is “enhancing the social well

being.” In the 1930s, the racist Federal Housing Administration used “stability” as a codeword for keeping neighborhoods racially and socially segregated. It deemed neighborhoods like Bottineau “hazardous” because of their minority populations or industrial backgrounds.

As a result of this pushback, 2301 California St. NE almost died in the Business, Inspections, Housing & Zoning Committee.

Thankfully, it was later approved in the full City Council vote, but it came too close to dying.

It is disappointing that it is this difficult to build affordable housing in Minneapolis.

There was a permitted encampment of unsheltered people at Marshall Terrace Park this summer, just a half mile from 2301 California. Our city is in an affordable housing crisis.

In a crisis or not, we cannot let the false or petty grievances of NIMBY neighbors dictate whether or not low income people can have housing. Minneapolis, especially industrial Northeast, is not Yellowstone National Park or a pastoral prairie. It is a thriving city that will grow and change over time.

To show that we care and advocate for affordable housing, we actually have to build it.

I look forward to seeing how Minneapolis will continue to prosper because of projects like 2301 California.

Jonathan Ababiy welcomes comments at jababiy@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

Staying active, in spite of the impending shutdown As COVID-19 regulations get a move on, make sure your body does too.

I

Emily Eaton f you’re anything columnist like me, entering Minnesota’s second lockdown doesn’t change a whole lot about how you live your everyday pandemic life.

Except, it does. I don’t go out to eat or see people regularly or go to bars, but I do hit the gym nearly every day. Whether it’s my apartment gym or a journey to the Rec, I rely on those exercise endorphins as a way

to keep my stress levels low and my mental health in check.

But, I’ve encountered an obstacle much bigger than gym closures. During the warmer months, getting my heart rate up outside was an easy alternative to lifting heavy indoors. But according to my weather app, it felt like 12 degrees this morning.

I got my workout in just trying to layer up enough to stay warm before heading out.

While running may have filled gym closure-induced gaps in my workout routine during the summer, it’s certainly not the path of least resistance come winter. So, I have engaged in some very serious and intensive research and found limited equipment, accessible, free home workouts to get your heart pumping (and get the people who live below you wondering what the heck is going on). Here are my recommendations: My absolute favorite fitness guru with free, no equipment workouts is Sydney Cummings. A National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer, she offers a wide range of videos, from strength training to tabata and even stretching guides. Though some of her workouts use weights, she always offers a body weight

modification. Best of all, the focus is always on how you feel, not how you look.

Too often, trainers use physical appearance and image as motivation for pushing through a difficult workout. That’s not an issue with Sydney — her encouragement is all based on growing your strength, speed, endurance and overall health.

If you’re looking for something a little more out of the ordinary, check out the Nate Bower Fitness channel. A boxing instructor and personal trainer, Nate’s workouts are fast-paced and fun. Best of all, you don’t need any equipment. Personally, boxing is one of my favorite ways to get my heart rate up. Putting my mind and body into every move not only results in an amazing workout but provides a mental break from the crazy world we live in.

After long days of sitting at your desk, it’s important to give your brain (and body) a break. Yoga with Adriene has become my absolute go-to whenever I’m feeling bleh. Adriene has a broad variety of videos, from long vinyasa flows to get you in the zone to quick and easy stretches for your study break. She also offers videos specifically catered to people with disabilities and chronic pain. Yoga uniquely

combines mindfulness, breathing techniques and poses to leave you less stressed and more relaxed. Adriene’s calming presence and emphasis on tuning in to your body only adds to this. Bonus points: her dog, Benji, often joins the yoga party.

That’s only a small sampling of the multitude of online workouts available out on the internet. Personally, I like lower impact, faster paced workouts, so I can sweat without disrupting my neighbours or my roommates. But, everyone is different, especially when it comes to movement. Listen to your body and choose what makes you feel good. Keeping your body active is key to mitigating the negative mental health effects of social isolation and the winter blues. Exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve cognitive functioning and self-esteem. While I can’t guarantee that a yoga video a day will keep the failing of your finals away, it might put you in a better position to succeed academically and professionally.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com.

Sports

9 Monday, December 14, 2020

FOOTBALL

Gophers without rust after 22 days between games

Thomas Barber and Coney Durr tackle Purdue on Saturday, Nov. 10 at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers beat the Boilermakers 41-10. (Tony Saunders / Minnesota Daily)

Minnesota beats Nebraska for its third win of the season.

By Brendan O’Brien bobrien@mndaily.com Coming into Saturday, the biggest question about Minnesota was if the Gophers would have to scrape off some rust after

missing two games thanks to COVID-19.

Any rust did not seem to play a significant part in the game, as the Gophers looked fresh and prepared on both sides of the football and beat Nebraska 24-17 in a close Big Ten West matchup.

Before the game began, the Pioneer Press reported that Minnesota would be without 33 players due to

injuries or COVID-19. This meant the Gophers were in need of players all over the field to step up to help secure the victory.

“I think it just showed how tough we are,” Tanner Morgan said. “I am extremely thankful for this team and to be a part of this team.”

John Michael Schmitz and Axel Ruschmeyer were two regular starters on the offensive line who did not play Saturday. Nathan Boe, the first offensive lineman off the bench this season, and Aireontae Ersery, a true-freshman, stepped in to start and helped the offense continue its success.The Gophers continued to be productive in this area, providing rushing lanes for running backs and a clean pocket for Morgan.

“I think they showed how tough and united they are,” Morgan said when

asked about the shorthanded offensive line.

“Doesn’t matter who’s in there, they’re going to play extremely hard for each other and for the benefit of the football team.”

On top of that, the Gophers knew they would not have receiver Rashod Bateman as he decided to opt out of the remainder of the season. Chris AutmanBell was expected to be Morgan’s primary target and finished with five receptions for 82 yards. But receivers Clay Geary and Daniel Jackson also played their way into the mix and made crucial catches to extend possessions for Minnesota. Geary and Jackson combined for seven catches for 75 yards.

Tight ends are generally a significant part of Minnesota’s offense in both the running and passing attack, but the Gophers were without

two regulars in Ko Kieft and Jake Paulson. Brevyn Spann-Ford was just another player who filled in at a needed spot and caught a touchdown pass to give Minnesota a threepoint lead to end the first half.

Cam Wiley, Treyson Potts and Bryce Williams also needed to carry more of the load in the Minnesota backfield early in the contest. On his first touchdown of the game, Mohamed Ibrahim broke loose for 26 yards, but appeared to have a minor injury and equipment issue at the end of the play. Instead of receiving his normal share of the work early on, Ibrahim did not see many snaps in the second and third quarters.

He did close out the game on the final drive for the Gophers and finished with 108 yards.

On the defensive side of

the ball, it was immediately evident the Gophers were ready as the unit did not allow the Cornhuskers to score in the first quarter.

Defensive back Tyler Nubin also came up with an interception off a tipped pass to give Minnesota good field position.

Minnesota finishes its original eight-game slate having played only six games and a 3-3 record.

The Gophers will face a Big Ten East division opponent based on standings next week. With a win, Minnesota could become bowl eligible to end this “challenging” season.

“This is something nobody has been through,” head coach P.J. Fleck said after the win. “So to say that this has been challenging is an understatement. This has been the hardest year I have had as a head coach, and I’ve been 1-11.”

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Gophers beat Mavericks in 2-0 sweep

The University of Minnesota hockey team plays against Ohio State at Ridder Arena on Saturday, Nov. 21. The Gophers ended the night with a win. Photo: Emily Urfer

Gophers made quick work of Minnesota State-Mankato.

By Matthew Kennedy mkennedy@mndaily.com Game 1: Gophers fire four goals to win handsomely in final period On Thursday in Mankato, the Gophers’

women’s hockey team never lost the lead. An Abigail Boreen goal put the game at 1-0 in the first period, and early in the third period, Olivia Knowles, shooting from the blue line, secured a 2-0 lead for the Gophers.

Not long after Knowles’ goal, the Mavericks struck back with a goal from Sydney Langseth to put the game at 2-1. But once

the second half of the final period hit, the Gophers caught fire.

Boreen first fired in her second score of the game, and one minute later Grace Zumwinkle also scored to extend the lead to 4-1. Then 20 seconds later, Taylor Heise helped the puck find the back of the net. A Gophers’ one goal, 2-1 lead extended to a four goal lead and eventually a 5-1 victory in the span of 72 seconds.

Lauren Bench made a season high in saves, stopping 40 of 41 shots from the Mavericks.

“Slow start tonight on the road. Mankato played really well but fortunately we got some breathing room from our play in the third period,” Gophers’ head coach Brad Frost said after the game. “Overall, we got three points [in the WCHA standings] and a great win on the road, and I look forward to getting off to a faster start tomorrow at home.”

Game 2: Gophers earn the sweep Early on in the first period, the Gophers faced a 5-on-3 disadvantage because of massive penalty trouble with Anne Cherkowski and Emily Oden both receiving penalties within the same minute of each other.

Luckily, that did not seem to bother them as they came away unscathed and back to full strength, only letting up two shots.

Soon, Audrey Wethington got a nice setup for a close tip in from her older sister Madeline Wethington firing at the goal from afar that made the game 1-0.

“It felt really surreal.

Credit to all of my teammates who I battled with all game and watching the Gophers all my life to finally get that goal felt amazing,” Audrey Wethington said.

In the second period, the Gophers continued

their onslaught of shots at Mavericks goalie Lauren Barbro, and one managed to find the back of the net from Zumwinkle. At the end of the second, the Gophers were up 2-1 after a goal from Mankato’s Brittyn Fleming with 28 seconds left in the period.

In the third period, a defensive battle ensued as the Gophers’ defensemen only allowed five shots on goal the entire period.

Neither team managed to score.

In the second game of the series, the Gophers also started Makayla Pahl over Bench. This was scheduled prior to last weekend, and Frost wanted to give Pahl a chance in net after working hard in practice the past few weeks.

Pahl in her first collegiate start was nearly perfect, saving 18 of 19 shots fired en route to a sweep and the Gophers improved to 5-1 on the season.

The Gophers’ next games this season are up in the air. They are finished with their “first stretch” of the season, and more information will be available in January with Frost expecting to get back on the ice sometime next month.

“Really good game tonight. Our team played really well and did a much better job tonight playing without the puck not giving up too many quality chances,” Frost said. “Credit to Mankato’s goaltender, she played really well. Overall, a great way to end the first half of the season.

“It’s been a tough stretch but I’m really proud of our team in how we’ve been able to manage everything here in the last few months, and I’m really looking forward to our team getting away and spending some time with our families and coming back rejuvenated to start up again in January.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Gophers basketball improves to 6-0 Gach and Robbins paved the way to a 9061 point win.

By Matthew Kennedy mkennedy@mndaily.com The Gophers men’s basketball team had an abundance of opportunities at the free throw line on Thursday, as they knocked down 34-of44 from the stripe en route to a 90-61 win over Kansas City.

In the first half, center Liam Robbins converted on 9-of-11 tries at the stripe.

It appeared as though the Gophers were going to pull away from their Summit League foes early as they went up 18-4.

Robbins’ steady performance from the line was an improvement from his last game against Boston College, where he shot 4-of-8 from the charity stripe.

“Free throws are a big deal and I hurt us down the stretch missing key points,” Robbins said. “Pitino has us shoot 100 free throws

everyday and always emphasizes to draw fouls, so it takes some of the good players on opposing teams out of the game to get more mismatches and advantages.”

But, the Roos fought back with a nicely shared dosage of points from Brandon McKissic, Demarius Pitts, and Franck Kamgain. They managed to keep up with the Gophers but after falling behind, never got closer than six points for the remainder of the contest.

Marcus Carr, the high-octane point guard, who averages 25.6 points per game was uncharacteristically quiet for most of the half, making his first field goal attempt with 3:47 left in the half. He went into the break with eight points on 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, including a very stylistic finale to the half knocking down a buzzer beater three-point shot before heading to the locker room. Carr finished the night with 15 points and seven assists, still productive overall, yet less

productive than his last few contests.

The top performers in the first half were Robbins for Minnesota, who had 14 points, four rebounds and McKissic for Kansas City, who had 10 points, three assists and three rebounds.

Minnesota led 43-31 at the break.

In the back half of this non-conference matchup at the Barn, the Roos could not find the bottom of the basket for a good three and a half minutes. Meanwhile, Robbins continued his onslaught of scoring, putting up six points right away for Minnesota in the second half.

After a Both Gach three point snipe that put the Gophers up 52-31, Kansas City head coach Billy Donlon took a timeout.

The Roos finally started to nail some buckets, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Gophers from building on their lead. Robbins scored 27 points and was prolific inside the paint finishing 7-of-11 from the field and knocking down one three in the process.

Most of Robbins’

success can be attributed to the Roos starting four guards the game and his considerable height advantage over Kansas City’s most talented hoopers on the hardwood.

Aside from Gach having an impressive shooting percentage with a clip of 80%, the rest of the Gophers could not find consistency in putting the ball through the net with Carr, guard Gabe Kalschuer, and forward Isaiah Ihnen shooting a combined 7-for-21. Gach finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Gophers kept extending their lead and pulled Robbins to end his night with 27 points, as Gophers’ head coach Richard Pitino swapped in some players from the bench.

“It’s always nice to put up a good statline but I never in my whole career have been a ‘stat guy’. For me, the first focus is always winning,” Robbins said.

“I don’t care how I play as long as the team wins.”

One player profiting from extra time was

freshman David Mutaf, native of Istanbul, Turkey.

Mutaf finished with five points in his first ever game-time as a Gopher, notably nailing a cornerthree for the very first points of his collegiate career.

Pitino shared his thoughts on the young guards performance and his adjustment coming from Eastern Europe.

“It was good to see because when we paused and took some time off, it was hard for him to get in shape for the season since he got here late. But, you see the size and the nice stroke from him making him very skilled at the game,” Pitino said.

“I just talk to him and keep repeating, ‘stay the course’ because he has so many things thrown at him from learning the English language, fitting in socially in America and on the court, so I was happy to see him get his first basket tonight and I can’t wait to see his growth the rest of the season and his career as a Gopher.”

Ihnen also had his first

start of the season tonight in place of injured forward Brandon Johnson. The German native scored four points and was 2-of7 from the field and 0-of-4 behind the arc. Yet, he did have nine rebounds in the first half and finished with 11 on the game which is something to smile about for the 6-foot-9 sophomore forward.

Pitino spoke highly of Ihnen’s work ethic.

“Isaiah took advantage of the opportunity and hopefully Brandon is back sooner or later. Nine rebounds in the first half was terrific. I just loved his mentality today,” Pitino said. “He was all about what we talk about ‘the 95%’ which is what you do when the ball is not in your hands. Isaiah exemplified that today and helped us in a big way and took advantage of his bigger role.”

The Gophers (6-0) will stay undefeated on the season. They travel to Champaign, Illinois, to face off with No. 6 Illinois next Tuesday to open Big Ten play..

Sports

10 Monday, December 14, 2020

FOOTBALL

Gophers’ football finale highlights 2020 oddity more than closure Minnesota has faced challenges it has never seen.

By Brendan O’Brien bobrien@mndaily.com From the outside looking in, Minnesota’s game this Saturday at Nebraska seems similar to a bowl game.

Playing in midDecember, preparing for multiple weeks, trying to win the final game and solidify a winning percentage around .500; that is what the college football bowl season typically looks like. And this matchup could mark the end of what has been an odd season for the Gophers.

Coaches and players at Minnesota are also using the same cliche vernacular

used around the country when bowl season begins, saying the game against the Cornhuskers provides the Gophers with another opportunity to grow as individuals and a team.

“It’s about how we take it each week. Each week is a championship season, this week is a championship season,” quarterback Tanner Morgan said. “It’s about growing and having fun together and doing everything to be successful on Saturday.”

But besides these stretched similarities, this week’s matchup is quite different than what a bowl game would look like in a normal season. Other than the obvious fact that this is a Big Ten West matchup, the Gophers have not been together on the field for training and practices.

Minnesota paused team activities two weeks ago

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gophers fall to Drake 99-69 The Gopher’s youth and lack of depth shown in loss to Duke.

By Tony Liebert tliebert@mndaily.com Drake University came into Williams Arena and handily defeated Minnesota’s young roster 99-66.

Gophers head coach Lindsay Whalen remained shorthanded, but she did receive two reinforcements.

Sara Scalia and Laura Bagwell Katalinich remained out due to injury or illness for the second consecutive game, but Alexia Smith and Caroline Strande partook in warmups. Strande was the only one to appear in the game, finishing with nine points, four rebounds and four steals.

“I liked her approach, I thought she was aggressive.

She made a lot happen. It was her first game against the preseason No. 23 team in the country, so I thought she did really good,” Whalen said. “I was very impressed.”

The Drake Bulldogs were voted to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference and entered this matchup 1-2 on the season following a close loss to Iowa.

Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk has led her team to six straight 20-win seasons, so the Gophers had their work cut out for themselves.

Whalen opted to stay with four of the same five starters. Powell, Hubbard, Hedman, and Sconiers remained, while she decided to replace Kadi Sissoko with Grace Cumming. Sissoko recorded 24 points in her Gophers debut, so the decision came by surprise.

With even more surprise, Sissoko checked into the game for Cumming only 30 seconds into the contest.

Whalen later stated it was just a miscommunication with the scorers table.

Drake began the day scorching hot, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.

The Gophers quickly trailed 19-5 with 5:35 remaining in the first quarter. Gadiva Hubbard did her best to keep the Gophers in the ball game with three first quarter made threes, but Drake failed to cool off, leading 3317 after the first quarter.

The Gophers failed to make any dent into the Bulldogs lead in the second quarter. In fact, Drake extended its lead to 22, 5634. Minnesota struggled to slow down Drake’s highpowered offense, as the team shot 7-of-10 beyond the arc in the half. The Gophers struggled to find a rhythm of their own on the offensive end. Hubbard and Powell led with nine first half points each, while Drake’s Kierra Collier led all scorers with 13 at the break.

The second half truly could not have started much worse for the Gophers. Drake continued to find success on wide open threes and backdoorcutting layups. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 13-1 run, and Minnesota looked completely outmatched.

Drake led 81-43 heading into the fourth.

Minnesota ran into much of the same problems in the fourth quarter. Jasmine Powell began to find her rhythm shooting the ball, finishing with a team high of 22 points. But it didn’t change the end score of 9966 and the Gophers fell to 1-1 on the season.

Overall, there was not one single reason for the Gophers’ disappointing performance. They didn’t get destroyed in the rebounding or turnover margin. Drake simply had more high-percentage shots and found great success in making said shots.

Heading into next week’s game, there is obviously a lot that needs to improve, but Whalen and the rest of the team believe communication on defense must be first.

“Transition defense and communication when we get tired. I think communicating when we get tired is big. We need to match up defensively,” Whalen said.

The Gophers will begin Big Ten conference play next week, when they host Michigan State Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m..

I think communicating when we get tired is big. We need to match up defensively.

LINDSAY WHALEN Gophers Head Coach

due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the program and has not played a game since Nov. 20.

A bowl game is typically the 13th game of the season for many programs and is seen as a game that provides a sense of closure.

But in this case, Saturday’s matchup will be only the sixth one for the Gophers this season, making it feel like the season is just getting started when, in actuality, it’s ending.

When asked about the potential of playing Wisconsin next week to make up for one of the canceled games, head coach P.J. Fleck said he and the Gophers would love to play the Badgers, but he has not heard if that is possible. If the Big Ten decides against playing that game, Saturday will mark the end of what has been an odd 2020 season with many

different ups and downs compared to what teams traditionally experience.

The challenges began with Rashod Bateman opting out of the season to focus on the NFL draft. While Fleck and the Gophers voiced their support of Bateman, losing a player of his caliber would be challenging for any team. Once the Big Ten announced a shortened schedule with extensive protocols in place, the challenge became Bateman opting back in and trying to regain NCAA eligibility.

Then, the challenges came on the field. Several players were immediately unavailable to play due to opting out or injury.

In its first two games, Minnesota’s defense was clearly in need of work, as it allowed more rush yards per attempt than any team in the Big Ten. Kicking

and punting were also significant issues for the Gophers that did not give a successful offense any favors.

Following that up, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi tested positive for COVID-19 and was unavailable to coach in the Gophers’ best defensive performance against a struggling Illinois team.

Iowa extended its winning streak against Minnesota to six years after a 35-7 thrashing of the Gophers and a narrow victory over Purdue ended with a controversial offensive pass interference call that went Minnesota’s way.

Fleck also has discussed throughout the season logistical issues behind the scenes that he has not faced as a football coach in a non-pandemic season.

Added together with the result against Nebraska

coming Saturday, it may seem difficult to evaluate this season for the Gophers.

In short, they will have played only half the typical number of games with different types of practices, while adhering to regular COVID-19 testing and protocols, and two weeks away from the facilities in the middle of the season.

But, Fleck knows how valuable this season has been to his team.

“What you do now, it matters, and you should care about it because here’s how it’s going to affect this.

Not just tomorrow, not only Saturday against Nebraska or the last week or even next year,” Fleck said.

“Whatever you’re doing now, you’re creating the habits and instincts you’re going to have when you’re a father, a husband and a responsible professional. It goes beyond football.”

MEN’S HOCKEY

Minnesota sweeps Michigan, winning 4-0 LaFontaine earned his second career shutout.

By Julianna Landis jlandis@mndaily.com In their final game of the first half of their regular season, Minnesota outworked Michigan on both ends of the puck.

The Gophers scored four goals on the Wolverines while the defense and goaltender Jack LaFontaine denied their scoring chances to leave Ann Arbor with a shutout.

While their goal scoring was firing on all cylinders, the most notable storyline in this game would be that of Jack LaFontaine. He started his career in Michigan, playing two seasons with the Wolverines before spending a year in the

Jackson LaCombe fist bumps Jack LaFontaine at 3M Arena on Thursday, Nov. 19. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) British Columbia Hockey League and then returning to collegiate hockey with Minnesota.

LaFontaine stood on his head in goal for the Gophers on Wednesday, but returning to play his former team and leave with a shutout was also gratifying on a personal level. In an emotional postgame interview, LaFontaine said that to get a shutout in Michigan meant a lot to him.

“I’m super proud of my team right now, I’m

probably the luckiest goalie in the entire country… we’ve got something special here, we’ve got a really good culture, and we’re just going to keep going.” LaFontaine said.

Back-to-back scoring in the second period helped build Minnesota’s early lead, and the momentum was started by forward Jaxon Nelson. While on the powerplay, Nelson cashed in on a rebound off a shot

by Sampo Ranta to put the Gophers ahead 3-0.

Twenty seconds after

that goal, freshman Mike Koster scored his first collegiate goal against Michigan veteran Strauss Mann, who was relieved of his duties following Koster’s goal.

The Gophers had a familiar hot start in their second game against the Wolverines, with Scott Reedy and Sammy Walker scoring in the first period.

Wednesday’s game was the last on the schedule for the first half of the season.

In post-game media availability, Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said that while the teams were currently in the dark on when the next half of the schedule would be released, “I’ve been told it could come yet this week, you’re sure hoping [it does], because we can’t make any plans until we know when we have to be back….but you know what, it’s fitting for 2020, right now.” Motzko said.

MEN’S GOLF

Flanagan named to the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team Flanagan could be the second Gopher to compete.

By Matthew Kennedy mkennedy@mndaily.com 2020 continues to bring opportunities for Gophers’ golfer Angus Flanagan.

After winning the 2020 Minnesota State Open and qualifying for the 3M Open, Flanagan has received the attention from the higher ups at St. Andrews across the pond.

Flanagan has been named one of 15 amateur golfers to the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team. If Flanagan makes the team, he’d be one of 10 golfers on the squad.

Flanagan will be monitored for his play up until April when he will hopefully be selected to represent his home of Great Britain at the Seminole Golf Club at Juno Beach, Florida, on

Angus Flanagan plays during the Gopher Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. (Courtney Deutz / Minnesota Daily) May 8-9, 2021.

The two-day competition features morning foursomes matches and singles matches in the afternoons. On the first day, there will be eight singles matches and on the second day, all 10 players from each side compete.

According to the University of Minnesota Athletics, “One full point is awarded for each victory, while a half-point is earned for matches that are all square after 18 holes. As the two-time defending champion, the United States needs 13 points to

retain the Cup while GB&I needs 13.5 points to capture it.”

There will be two training sessions — one in Spain and the other in Florida. If the pandemic does not conclude soon, the young Brits and Irish still playing for universities in the U.S. will only train with each other; the others back home will train in Spain due to international travel limitations.

“I’ve had some of my dad’s friends play in it.

It was always my goal to graduate college in 2021 and be able to play in this

Cup as a nice send off,” Flanagan said. “But now since I’m currently debating playing my fifth year for the Gophers, it still would be an amazing accomplishment to play in the Walker Cup.” Flanagan has a lot of familiarity with Seminole Golf Club, a course he’s been playing for years.

He’s looking forward to the potential opportunity of playing there in the Walker Cup. “It’s one of my favorite golf courses in the world, playing there when I was 17,” he said. “Since my game suits a longer, more narrow and windy course, I feel like it would be a blast playing there since that’s how Seminole is set up.”

Flanagan just finished golfing down south in Dallas, Texas, in an amateur tournament, and — since he is still a student — he’s had fun working through his introduction to small group communications and public health classes this semester at the University.

11 Monday, December 14, 2020

Senate resolution seeks greater access to mental health resources Passed on Dec. 3, the resolution seeks more web accessibility.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota Student Senate passed a mental health expansion resolution on Dec. 3, assembling a task force to address the challenges of accessing mental health resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among several issues, the task force will advocate for student access to telehealth services across state lines.

In April, Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order that ensures Minnnesotans can continue to access mental health services from out-of-state providers.

The order accommodates Minnesotans who previously lived out of state but have returned to Minnesota during the pandemic,

like some college students.

Some telehealth-related executive orders have been declared or extended, though others are set to expire. Minnesota’s waiver for out-of-state telemedicine services is currently slated to expire on Dec. 14, according to Walz’s order.

Because accessing services depends on telehealth state laws, many international students and students from states without similar policies cannot access their mental health services in Minnesota if they are not residing in the state.

Sophronia Cheung, cosponsor of the resolution and vice president of the Minnesota Student Association, said distance makes it harder for students to access mental health resources and that administrators should do more to address the hardships that students face during COVID-19.

Cheung is also the former external vice president of the Minnesota International Student Association.

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter “There’s a lot of students whose homes consider mental health issues taboo or not talked about, so it is harder to reach out and do these services…” Cheung said in an email. “I firmly believe mental health is something that needs to be firmly brought awareness of. Especially for international students where their mental health is not talked about at home or the distance made it much harder for school this year.”

Matthew Hanson, the interim director of the

mental health clinic at Boynton Health, said the primary barriers that students face when returning to their home state or country are mainly related to issues surrounding insurance coverage and a provider network.

“Our ability to provide care in various locations are driven by licensure requirements in each state.

In other words, it’s not the [Student Services Fees] that determine their eligibility, it’s the laws and statutes from the states where

they live,” Hanson said in an email.

According to Hanson, Boynton has a team of clinical care coordinators who help students connect with a provider in their area.

The resolution calls for the Office of the President and the Office of Government and Community Relations to advocate for the expansion of mental health provider licenses to include interstate care as well as the broadening of insurance network coverage of telehealth services.

The resolution also said the University should allocate additional resources to support the efforts of Student Counseling Services, Boynton and the Care Program to ensure students receive continuous care.

The task force will also call on the University to implement more lenient attendance policies and record all Zoom lectures to increase flexibility for students during the pandemic.

In the short-term, the

resolution asks that students are kept up to date about information on student mental health resources and that all courses include a list of mental health and stress management services in their syllabi.

“Rather than just saying at the bottom [of the syllabus] ‘the following policies also apply to this class’ and then making the students click through those links and try to find the information, just list it in the syllabus,” said Emma Flynn, a student senator and one of the resolution’s authors.

The Student Senate Mental Health Advocacy Expansion Task Force hopes to present the resolution to the Office of the President.

“It was very clear that a lot gets talked about, but not necessarily a lot gets done in terms of writing the resolution and passing something,” Flynn said. “I don’t think there’s a more compelling kind of thing to be working on, especially right now.”

Researchers study intersection of food insecurity, neighborhood safety, discrimination in young adults Food insecure young adults are more likely to feel unsafe.

By Srilekha Garishakurti amachtig@mndaily.com During the COVID-19 pandemic, young adults experiencing food insecurity have been more likely to face discrimination and feel unsafe in their neighborhoods, according to a report published by University of Minnesota researchers.

The study, published in October, analyzed online surveys about food behaviors, neighborhood safety and discrimination from 218 young adults during the stay-at-home order in Minnesota.

Nicole Larson, the study lead and senior research associate in the School of Public Health, said she hoped to gain a better idea of what

resources could assist young people to ensure they have access to adequate food and healthy living during the pandemic.

“The pandemic in combination with already present structural determinants of health further limited access to healthy foods for emerging adults from racial or ethnic marginalized backgrounds,” Jaime Slaughter-Acey, co-author of the study, said in an email.

Larson and the five other researchers on the project found that respondents who were food insecure were less likely to have fruits or vegetables at home compared to those who were food secure. They were also more likely to have frequent fast-food restaurant meals.

Larson said the study was important to bring to food pantries during the pandemic.

“[The study] gives [food pantries] a sense of what are the biggest challenges for emerging adults during this time and what emerging adults were looking for when they went to a food pantry,” Larson said.

Rebecca Leighton, health promotion specialist at Boynton Health, founded the Nutritious U Food Pantry as a graduate student in 2017 to address college student food insecurity.

According to Leighton, 85% students who use the pantry feel that they are getting enough to eat.

Additionally, 97% of students say that they feel reduced stress after visiting the food pantry — but students face many more challenges during the pandemic, Leighton said.

Nutritious U is collaborating with another food bank, Second Harvest Heartland, on an initiative called Minnesota Central Kitchen, Leighton

said. The program offers free chef-prepared meals for college students and others experiencing food insecurity.

The Minnesota Central Kitchen initiative began in March, but in recent weeks it has partnered with Nutritious U, Swipe Out Hunger and Campus Club to bring meals to University students.

Campus Club prepares the meals, and Nutritious U and Swipe Out Hunger ensure they are distributed to students in need. “[Minnesota Central Kitchen] was a response to a growing-by-the-minute number of college students that were existing food insecure and or newly food insecure,” said Emily Paul, executive director of Minnesota Central Kitchen.

Paul said Second Harvest Heartland had not prepared meals before. But with their resources, they have been able to make free food during the pandemic for people

Illustration by Motasem Kadadah experiencing food insecurity.

“Minnesota Central Kitchen is currently moving 300 meals per week to the UMN campus food shelf for distribution for undergraduate and graduate students,” Paul said.

According to Paul, the kitchen has spent almost $100,000 buying ingredients from farmers who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color.

“We do know that food insecurity does disproportionately affect

certain marginalized populations. Our students of color, BIPOC students and international students definitely have higher rates of food insecurity than their white counterparts,” Leighton said.

According to Larson, much more work needs to be done.

“We need to pay more attention to research in this area of interpersonal and structural racism that impacts food insecure people,” she said.

The Loring Bar & Restaurant’s has a new lease on life

Loring Pasta Bar is revamping as a coffee shoprestaurant hybrid.

By Samantha Woodward swoodward@mndaily.com Cherone Vestal’s short time bartending at Loring Bar & Restaurant has only partly translated into her new role as a barista in the same location.

On opening day for what is now Gray’s, Vestal tidied behind the counter of the coffee bar next to the beer taps.

The former Loring Bar & Restaurant opened its doors as Gray’s on Monday, offering a more casual dining experience with the addition of a coffee shop and

hangout area for students.

The Dinkytown staple has held onto its classic bohemian ambiance with red leather booths and scattered vintage vinyl records on tables — but now includes an espresso machine.

Vestal said that the opening day for Gray’s was slow following the departure of students after Thanksgiving break, but she said she is “just glad to be working.”

Jake Bruce, a longtime employee of Loring Bar & Restaurant and now operations manager of Gray’s, said the new shop is aiming at creating a balance between the classic dining experience Loring is known for and a study spot for local students.

Once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, the main

Barista Cherone Vestal poses for a portrait in Gray’s coffee shop in Dinkytown on Monday, Dec. 7. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily)

floor can be used for mainly dinner service and live music, and the upper mezzanines will be suited for studying and hanging out while allowing for better social distancing.

“There was just really no kind of study space at a coffee shop around town,” Bruce said. “We want to utilize all of the space that we have in Loring and basically wanted to rebrand ourselves.”

Lyndsey Bramer came onto the marketing and business development team in July after the restaurant reopened following an initial COVID-19 shutdown that lasted four months.

Bramer said she thinks by creating a space where students can “grab a table, socially distance, plug in your laptop, hang out,” Gray’s will shift from a pricier, fancy dinner establishment to a more approachable, palatable dining option for students.

Principal owner Lynn Nyman, has been involved with Loring since before it first opened in 2001. She said that winter is a difficult time to pivot into a studentmarketed hangout spot, especially since they are used to being a late-night, eventoriented establishment.

The menu still includes local brewery taps and classic Loring favorites like

The interior of Gray’s coffee shop in Dinkytown on Monday, Dec. 7. Gray’s has recently been redesigned to better appeal to the University population. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily) their artichoke dip and signature pasta during dinnertime, but it has been modified to add an extensive list of locally roasted coffee beverages, including a horchata cold brew and a “molten mocha,” among others.

The building occupying the corner of 14th Avenue Southeast and Fourth Street Southeast has a long history with many purposes over the course of more than a century.

In 1885, Minneapolis Street Railway Company’s “car barn” was located there at the original ending of

the area’s first horse-drawn streetcar line. The site acted as storage for the streetcars that ran along what was then Fourth Street. In the following years, it would become Gray’s Drugstore, and Bob Dylan’s apartment was upstairs. It eventually became various iterations of Loring Pasta Bar. When Loring Pasta Bar was sold in 2017, the restaurant reopened a few months later under new employee ownership. For a few years, the restaurant has functioned as a high-scale pasta bar and nightclub — until this week when the name

Gray’s was resurrected.

In the wake of so many small businesses closing due to COVID-19, Bramer said she has seen an influx of big chains taking over places that were once Dinkytown landmarks.

In the past few years, at least two iconic coffee shops in Dinkytown have closed: Purple Onion Cafe and Catering and Espresso Royale.

The Gray’s team hopes to fill that gap while giving a nod to the legacy of Dinkytown.

“Long term, we just want to be able to help preserve historic Dinkytown,” Bramer said.

12 Monday, December 14, 2020

Regents weigh in on 2021 potential challenges and priorities for UMN

Regents expect financial and enrollement issues in 2021.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com

As the fall semester concludes, the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents discussed challenges and priorities for 2021 in interviews with the Minnesota Daily.

Each year, the board is tasked with setting priorities to discuss at its meetings held several times a year.

The priorities for the 202122 academic year will be finalized this summer.

Recovering financially from the effects of COVID-19 will be a major priority and challenge in 2021, several board members said.

Others discussed enrollment numbers and the

impact of the pandemic on student experiences.

“COVID is obviously still front of mind. Part of the challenge is just maintaining the University and continuing to teach but the other big challenge is how do we move forward when it’s over,” said Regent Mike Kenyanya in an email to the Daily.

“Some of our friends will still be in mourning, we will have budget deficits to address, and we will have students who haven’t had the experience we all wished they had. We’ll all have to collectively deal with that going forward.”

With the University predicting a budget shortfall of around $150 million, seeking alternative sources of revenue will also be a priority, the regents said. “[Senior] Vice President of Finance and Operations [Myron Frans] is going to lay out where we are in terms of the financial problem

The Board of Regents convene for their October 2019 meeting at the McNamara Alumni Center on Thursday, Oct. 10. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily) that’s been created by the pandemic,” said board chair, Kendall Powell. “We are down — as most universities across the country, many of them significantly more than we are — but we are down on the income.”

As a result of these financial constraints, the cost of tuition for the upcoming academic year is also likely to be discussed.

“Recognizing that the opportunity our students are currently receiving from the University does not reflect the typical academic experience that they would be receiving, I’m interested in student feedback on that, with respect to the cost,” Regent Darrin Rosha said.

“I understand that the students were talking about requesting a reduction, and

I want to understand that better and if it has merit.

That’s something that I think we should consider as a board.”

Student enrollment is also a priority among board members as some campuses have faced low enrollment numbers, Kenyanya said.

“Another one of our annual priorities that is important to me is systemwide campus enrollment. Several of our campuses have ongoing enrollment struggles. The campus leaders continue to make changes and work to solve that issue every year.

I think the Board needs to take more ownership of this issue,” he said in the email.

President Joan Gabel’s Systemwide Strategic Plan, which the board approved earlier this year, is used to inform the board’s priorities and agenda items, Powell said.

Advancing the measures outlined in the plan, such

as improving enrollment and student wellness, will be a major priority in 2021 in addition to managing the effects of the pandemic.

“I think sort of the pandemic — we can’t escape it; we got to be ready to move. Then [we have] this super comprehensive and substantive strategic plan.

How do we advance it?”

Powell said.

Continuing to focus on other initiatives around the University has been difficult during the pandemic, Regent Michael Hsu said.

“We need to focus on pandemic recovery, which is mostly financial. … People are obviously sitting there trying to push whatever is in their area forward,” Hsu said. “From our perspective, there’s only one [priority]: It’s pandemic recovery. I really don’t see anything as important as trying to recover from the pandemic.”

University herbarium collection goes digital The University plans to scan and upload almost a million plants.

By Becca Most bmost@mndaily.com Walking into the University of Minnesota Herbarium collection is disorienting.

Housed in a collection hidden on the eighth floor of the Biological Sciences building on the St. Paul campus are almost a million pressed plants, some from 2020 and others dating back to the early 1800s. Stored in upright filing cabinets, large manila folders of pressed plants are color coded by continent. In the scanning room, a wooden cabinet holds jars of algae preserved in hundred-year-old alcohol.

In other drawers around the collection are small boxes of lichen clinging to scraps of gray rock.

As part of a statewide effort to digitize historically preserved collections like this one, the University has been working to scan, upload and label hundreds of thousands of specimens,

which have long remained in the depths of their archives.

Though painstaking, the process will allow researchers to access data that will help them analyze how plants have evolved, changed or disappeared from an area over time.

Researchers will also be able to extract DNA from the physical specimens in the collection, analyzing their composition.

“Having this record of plant diversity through time, ecologists have come to realize the value of these specimens to their studies, not just studies of plant biology but also studies of plant ecology,” said Tim Whitfeld, the curator of the herbarium collection.

“Depending on the species or the location, some of these pieces are flowering two or so weeks earlier on average than they did 150 years ago.

So this is an interesting kind of documentation of the effects of climate change.”

The data will be uploaded into the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas, a web portal launched by the Bell Museum in 2016. Containing over five terabytes of information, there are 16,000 species catalogued

so far, including other Bell Museum collections of mammals, fishes and birds.

The atlas also includes collections from other entities like the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

Katie Noren, the herbarium curatorial assistant, said uploading all the collections together on one site will allow people to see how different species interact.

“Each of these specimens are a unique snapshot of a time in history that is irreplaceable. You know, you can’t just find a new version of something that existed 70 years ago,” Noren said.

Because one-third of the University’s herbarium collection includes plants native to Minnesota, Whitfeld said the database is useful for University researchers, local botanists and ecologists and even students and citizens interested in plants. Citizens can also donate their time and transcribe handwritten labels for the project through an online portal.

Having these collections online makes the data

more accessible to a global audience, Whitfeld said.

Before, people wanting to view the collection would either have to visit in person or request the specimens on loan, which were sometimes shipped around the world.

Bec Skelton, a thirdyear arts major, started working on the project about two months ago. Taking photographs and labeling birds held at the Science Museum, Skelton also scans plants from the herbarium collection on campus.

Over time, Skelton said they get to know the names of collectors and learn to understand the historical context in which the plants were collected. For instance, Skelton said they see a lot of specimens from the early 1900s and the 1920s but hardly any in between, which could be an indicator that naturalists were not working during World War I. “I enjoy working with primary documents, just from a historical perspective,” they said.

“You’re able to draw a lot of little connections that you wouldn’t get otherwise. …

You kind of get one little historical puzzle piece that everything else falls into.”

Herbarium collections manager Tim Whitfeld, works to digitize the collection, for storage and sharing with those who are unable to travel to the collection, at the Biological Sciences Center on Tuesday, Dec. 1. “We are working on digitizing the over 950,000 dried plants that we currently store here at the Herbarium. It is quite the process.” (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

Fall sees major crime upticks for University neighborhoods

Neighborhoods in UMN area reflect citywide crime increases.

By Samantha Hendrickson shendrickson@mndaily.com As crime in Minneapolis continues to rise citywide in 2020, University of Minnesota neighborhoods are not exempt.

Citywide, Minneapolis has seen a 33% increase in violent crime and a 6% increase in property crime from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1 of 2020, compared to the same dates in 2019.

Minneapolis - Citywide Minneapolis Police Department crime data gathered and analyzed by the Minnesota Daily shows that crime has risen in University neighborhoods in nearly every category of both violent and property crime during that same date range.

Several major crimes have stood out this year in University neighborhoods, and some remain unsolved. But like many neighborhoods across the country, 2020 continues to be a year of crime upticks for these Southeast Minneapolis communities.

Cedar-Riverside While violent crime in Cedar-Riverside appeared to decrease in the spring of 2020 compared to last year, that trend hasn’t lasted into the fall.

Aggravated assault and robbery have both more than doubled compared to 2019, reaching 17 and 16 incidents, respectively.

Incidences of rape and domestic assault have also increased marginally.

Property crime is also up, with a 33% increase in larceny with 73 reported occurrences this fall, more than double the burglaries at 15 incidents, and a 78% increase in theft from a motor vehicle with 48 incidents.

Southeast Como Robbery in Southeast Como is up to 4 incidents from one compared to the date range between Sept.1 and Dec.1 of last year.

Larceny is up by 61% with 50 reported occurrences, and theft from a motor vehicle has more than doubled to 38 incidents.

Southeast Como saw its first homicide in five years this past February, when an intoxicated woman stabbed her boyfriend at the 900 block of 15th Avenue Southeast. The woman,

Zara Jo Case, was sentenced over the summer to more than 10 years of prison time, according to the Star Tribune.

Marcy-Holmes On May 8, Jory Wiebrand, an alleged serial rapist, was charged with sexual assault and kidnapping. He is suspected to be responsible for 12 different sexual assaults around the state, at least four of which allegedly occurred in Marcy-Holmes.

However, this fall, aggravated assaults have remained about the same in the largest of the University neighborhoods, while robbery has increased compared to the same timeframe last year, and is up by 69% with 22 incidents.

There are still no leads in the murder of a Marcy-Holmes man from last October, and the incident prompted several safety meetings in the neighborhood.

Marcy-Holmes has seen

a 83% increase in property crime overall, reaching 422 incidents this fall. This includes a 122% increase in burglary with 60 reported occurrences, a 59% increase in larceny with 205 reported occurrences.

Theft from motor vehicle has more than doubled, reaching 85 incidents this fall. Auto theft has also more than doubled up to 72 incidents.

Prospect Park While the crime numbers for Prospect Park are relatively small, eight robberies occurred this year, compared to three during the Sept. 1 to Dec. 1 timeframe last year.

There has also been a 52% increase in larceny with 152 reported occurrences, a 93% increase in burglary with 27 occurrences, theft from motor vehicle nearly doubled to 71 incidents and auto theft has increased by 145% to 27 incidents this fall.