EX-PLAYER BECOMES GOPHERS COACH PAGE 7
PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 28° LOW 19°
U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
THURSDAY
FORMER HOCKEY PLAYER GRANT POTULNY IS NOW AN ASSISTANT.
DECEMBER 4, 2014
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
HEALTH CARE
CRIME
Violence prompts proposal Drunken driver hits
Assaults against health care workers are on the rise, and a state lawmaker is taking action. BY LOGAN WROGE lwroge@mndaily.com
A patient turned violent against a nurse at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, in early September, choking her and leaving her uncertain about the profession she chose. “My life has turned completely upside down because of this,” said Kim, who asked
to go by her first name due to the nature of the incident. Kim’s stor y represents an increase in violence toward nurses and other health care professionals, a trend that’s prompting lawmakers to address the issue and further protect those who serve others. Rep. Joe Atkins, DFL-Inver Grove Heights, plans to introduce a bill, the Nurse Protection Act, in the spring legislative session that would increase fines and prison sentences for anyone who assaults nurses, doctors or other emergency personnel. “Why would you ever want to physically harm someone who is literally there to help
you?” said nursing senior Zack Stegeman. Nurses working for local and state government were at the highest risk for injury and illness compared to other industr y subsectors in Minnesota between 2010 and 2012, according to data published by the state’s Department of Labor and Industry. Kim, who has worked at the University’s hospital for 12 years, said she was assaulted four times by the patient. The patient left his room in confusion and wandered toward a freight elevator, Kim said. After attempting to bring him u See PLAN Page 3
NEIGHBORHOODS
City, U seeking federal help
2 students
A 26-year-old man is charged in an incident in which both victims sustained head injuries. BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com
A drunken driver hit two University of Minnesota students near campus on Monday night, according to a complaint filed in the Hennepin County District Court. Ewan Henry Leask, 26, was charged on Wednesday with two counts of criminal vehicular operation while driving under the influence, the complaint said. Leask remained in the Hennepin County Jail on Wednesday evening. His bail is set at $75,000. Leask hit Lanxiao Song and Zifei Guan, both age 20, on University Avenue Southeast near highway I-35W late Monday night, according to the complaint. After the crash, he allegedly told witnesses, “Please don’t tell anybody what happened,” the court documents said. Leask told of ficers he didn’t see the women crossing the street, according to the complaint, and admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol before driving. Leask also allegedly had hash oil in possession, court documents said. He told police he smokes marijuana daily for his Asperger’s syndrome, the complaint read. Song, a statistics major, was thrown into the air after being hit by the car, according to the complaint, and Guan, a mathematics major, has a fractured skull. Song said she and Guan were “feeling better” on Wednesday evening, but she said they hadn’t attended any classes since the incident.
ENVIRONMENT
ELIZABETH BRUMLEY, DAILY
Psychology junior Colleen Enwesi tutors high school students at the Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center on Monday evening. The University is working with the UROC and the Promise Zone in north Minneapolis.
Officials are applying to receive a Promise Zone designation for north Minneapolis, which would help it get federal support. improve.
BY ETHAN NELSON enelson@mndaily.com
“A thing like this will take a generation,”
L
esa Clarkson started connecting Minne-
Clarkson said.
apolis’ middle and high school students
To help the area, University and city lead-
with University of Minnesota undergraduate
ers applied late last month to receive a Prom-
tutors last year.
ise Zone designation. If approved, the U.S. De-
As an associate director for the Univer-
partment of Housing and Urban Development
sity’s STEM Education Center, she oversees a
would make a section of north Minneapolis
group of undergraduate and graduate students
part of a program the president started last
who prepare students citywide for the ACT.
year to help create jobs and improve education
The program operates partly in north
in low-income areas.
Minneapolis, a historically low-income
The designation, which would last 10 years,
part of the city. The area has been subject
doesn’t provide any grants. But it would give
to much attention from both city officials
the proposed zone preference for some fed-
and University staff members, some of
eral programs, said Jay Stroebel, Minneapo-
whom say it needs lasting attention for it to
lis’ deputy city coordinator. Five AmeriCorps
White House names Mpls. as climate leader National leaders recognized the city’s goal of making major cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. BY ANNE MILLERBERND amillerbernd@mndaily.com
The White House recognized the city of Minneapolis on Wednesday for its recent environmentally friendly initiatives. The city was named one of the nation’s 16 “Climate Action Champions,” a distinction for which it will receive peer-to-peer learning and mentorship, federal support and help in moving its environmental initiatives forward. The White House recognized the city for its Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce Minneapolis greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent incrementally by the year 2050, according to a press release. The release also highlighted the city’s partnership with Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy to improve air quality and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, known
u See PROMISE Page 4
u See GREEN Page 3
CAMPUS
New housing moves along The University’s gender-open spaces will open next fall in four residential buildings. BY ANNE MILLERBERND amillerbernd@mndaily.com
The University of Minnesota is making progress on a gender-based housing initiative it announced about a year ago. As part of the school’s initiative to make transgender students feel more comfortable living in University residences, 56 gender-open housing spaces will be available next fall in Comstock Hall, Middlebrook Hall, Yudof Hall and University Village apartments. The spaces available in Comstock Hall account for the Lavender House, which is a living-learning community for GLBTA students. Gender-open housing is distinct from
the co-ed housing arrangement some University residence halls already have. In coed residence halls, a room with males could be next to a room with females. In genderopen housing, rooms are not assigned based on gender. The initiative was called “gender-neutral” when the University announced it late last year, but it changed to “gender-open” because the former term discounts gender, said Susan Stubblefield, assistant director of housing and residential life. The rooms will only be available to sophomores through graduate students — a guideline some students say could be problematic. Co-chair of the Queer Student Cultural Center Mira McDonald said if on-campus gender-open housing had been available when she was a freshman, she would have taken it. Instead, McDonald ended up living u See GENDER Page 3
FALL 2015 GENDER-OPEN HOUSING OPTIONS
UN
IVE
RS
ITY
AVE N
UE
Comstock Hall WASHINGTON AVENUE SOUTHEAST 16 beds (Lavender House)
SO
UTH
EAS
T
University Village 8 beds
Yudof Hall 16 beds Middlebrook Hall 16 beds
SOURCE: SUSAN STUBBLEFIELD, ASSOCIATE DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR
VOLUME 116 ISSUE 54