February 6, 2013

WILDLIFE

TAXES

SPORTS

More than 300 pairs of peregrine falcons lived in the Midwest in 2011.

MSA was fined more than $10,000 for improperly filing tax returns.

Michigan State is 7-1 since losing to the Gophers on New Year’s Eve. Minnesota is 4-4.

U center fights falcon near-extinction u See PAGE 3

LIGHT SNOW HIGH 31° LOW 23°

MSA resolves tax situation

Improved MSU awaits Gophers in rematch of Big Ten opener

u See PAGE 4

U OF M

MINNEAPOLIS

GUN LAWS

u See PAGE 6

WEDNESDAY

ST PAUL

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

RESEARCH

Capitol kicks off gun law hearings Legislators on Tuesday heard six gun control bills in the state House.

BY JESSICA LEE jlee@mndaily.com

Suppor ters and opponents of gun control filled the state Capitol on Tuesday for the first day of hearings on bills aimed at modifying the state’s gun laws.

On Tuesday the state House of Representatives Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee heard six proposals as part of three days of hearings on gun laws this week.

The committee will hear two more Wednesday and will review the proposals Thursday.

Legislators will likely vote on proposals later this month.

Testifiers in pro-gunrights T-shir ts and blaze orange filled one committee room in the State Office Building while more watched on in an overflow

room.

Lawmakers presented bills related to firear m restrictions, background checks and mental health screenings before buying guns.

Rep. Dan Schoen, DFLSt. Paul Park, is behind legislation that would expand mental health screenings for people applying for firearm permits.

“If you look at our shootings across the United States in the last year, they’ve not been committed by criminals, they’ve been committed by people who are mentally ill,” said Rogers police Chief Jef f Beahen, who testified Tuesday.

He said the state needs regulations on the local u See GUNS Page 3 An NRA rep. said a bill to expand background checks wouldn’t work.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Male scout team preps Gophers women for games The male players practice with a different pace and intensity.

BY SAM GORDON sgordon@mndaily.com

At ever y Gophers women’s basketball practice, kinesiology junior Carson Fossum tries to make Rachel Banham’s life a living hell.

Fossum is the point guard of an all-male, volunteer practice squad that helps prepare the women for games.

The scout team, under the direction of Minnesota’s assistant coaches, runs Gophers’ opponent’s plays and defenses at practice.

Gophers head coach Pam Borton said the scout team practices at a different pace, which forces Minnesota’s players to be more focused.

Women’s basketball programs throughout the nation have scout teams for that reason.

“They definitely bring u See SCOUTS Page 6 The scouts feel a sense of pride when the team performs well.

MARK VANCLEAVE, DAILY

University of Minnesota researcher Greg Brick examines the roof of Miles Cave on Monday beneath Hastings, Minn. Brick has been exploring caves for his research since 2004.

The U’s cave diver Researcher Greg Brick found caves last seen by the French explorers in the 1700s.

BY REBECCA HARRINGTON rharrington@mndaily.com

narrow passageway.

“It gets so tight,” Brick said, “you have

HASTINGS, Minn. — Greg Brick

to crawl through their ribcages.”

coughed years of cave dust from his lungs,

The University of Minnesota researcher

his breath condensing in the cold winter

was the first to rediscover caves French ex-

morning.

plorers abandoned in the 1700s. He began

He crawled as deep into the cave as he

exploring and categorizing the caves near

could, inching for ward on his stomach,

Lake Pepin in 2004 and is defending his

using his forearms to pull himself farther

doctoral thesis on the research this semes-

along the dusty cave floor.

ter.

When the cave ceiling dipped too low to

The French explorers, including Pierre-

continue, Brick rolled over onto his back

Charles Le Sueur, mined the caves for salt-

and lounged on the bedrock.

peter, the main ingredient in gunpowder

Farther on, raccoon carcasses lined the

until World War I.

u See CAVES Page 10

CITY GOVERNMENT

Parking regulations could change Businesses worry looser parking rules could compound concerns.

BY BRIAN AROLA barola@mndaily.com

With more apar tment complexes being built near the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Ci t y Cou n c i l ma n Ca m Gordon is looking to ease

parking requirements in the area.

Parking has been a concer n for businesses and residents around the University, with new developments and the forthcoming light rail pushing out public parking spaces.

But some say changing parking requirements would put fur ther strain on the area.

Currently, apar tments near campus must provide half a stall per bedroom for occupants —

with a minimum of one per unit. One of Gordon’s four possible proposals would lower the requirement to a quarter stall.

With plenty of transit options near campus already and more to come, Gordon said students are using cars less than they used to and doesn’t think the current requirement is necessar y.

“Maybe the city is demanding more than the market demands,” he said.

Another of his proposals would exempt projects in close proximity to major public transit lines fr om parking r equir ements.

“W ith all the transit locations nearby, the expense and hassle of having a car might not be wor th it anymore,” he said.

Skott Johnson, presiu See PARKING Page 4 Some neighborhoods have lost lots and on-street parking.

STUDENT LIFE

Volunteering for credit, good will Students find a variety of offcampus volunteer opportunities.

BY MERITTE DAHL mdahl@mndaily.com

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY

Former Maple Grove High School forward A.J. Litwinchuk practices with the Gophers women’s basketball team Tuesday at Williams Arena.

Emily Tucker spent some of her fall semester in the dirt.

The environmental sciences policy and management sophomore chose to

volunteer at Cornercopia, a student-run organic farm on the St. Paul campus, in place of writing a paper for her environmental science course last fall.

“I wouldn’t want to have a volunteer experience at a desk,” Tucker said.

Like Tucker, some University of Minnesota students volunteer to meet course requirements and get field experience. Others volunteer out of philanthropic

interest.

Service-learning courses incorporate community involvement into coursework, often pairing volunteer experience with reflection activities.

This semester, Tucker is exercising her green thumb again, volunteering at a St. Paul community garden for another ser vice-learning course. She said she’s required to write journal entries and a final reflection

about her experience.

Without these courses, Tucker said she wouldn’t have heard about these opportunities.

Many students use service-learning coursework to gain experience in their field.

Tricia Todd, assistant director of the University’s Health Careers Center, u See VOLUNTEERS Page 4 Students play a large role at the Ronald McDonald House.

VOLUME 114 ISSUE 67

2

Daily Review

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1952

After a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king’s two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father’s death; she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, at age 27.

HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH

SLIDESHOW Vol. 114 Wednesday February 6, 2013, No. 67

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More than 200 children showed up for Give Kids a Smile Day on Saturday at Moos Tower. Give Kids a Smile Day is an annual and national event where students, staff and faculty provide free oral health care to low-income children across the country.

View the full slideshow and others online at mndaily.com/multimedia/slideshows.

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WORLD BRIEFING

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Tsunami generated by 8.0 quake in South Pacific

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SYDNEY — A powerful ear thquake in the South Pacific generated a tsunami Wednesday that prompting warnings to several island nations.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami of .3 feet was measured in Lata wharf, in the Solomon Islands. No damage was immediately reported there or in Vanuatu, which also was covered by the warning.

The statement said the waves could be destr uctive near the epicenter and threaten more distant coasts.

The tsunami formed after a 8.0-magnitude earth-

quake near near Lata in Temotu province, the easternmost province of the Solomons, about a 3-hour flight from the capital, Honiara.

The region has a population of around 30,000 people.

In Honiara, the warning prompted residents to flee for higher ground.

“People are still standing on the hills outside of Honiara just looking out over the water, trying to observe if there is a wave coming in,” said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister. So far, he had received no repor ts that a wave had been observed in Honiara.

Atenia Tahu, who works for the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp. in Honiara, said most people were

remaining calm.

“People around the coast and in the capital are ringing in and tr ying to get information from us and the National Disaster Of fice and are slowly moving up to higher ground,” Tahu said. “But panic? No, no, no, people are not panicking.”

The tsunami war ning also covered Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna.

A tsunami watch is in effect for American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand and eastern Indonesia.

An official at the disaster management of fice in neighboring Vanuatu said there were no repor ts of damage or injuries there.

More than 50 people were killed and thousands lost their homes in April 2007 when a magnitude 8.1 quake hit the western Solomon Islands, sending waves crashing into coastal villages.

The Solomons comprise more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 people. They lie on the “Ring of Fire” — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world’s quakes occur.

The U.S. Geological Sur vey said the quake struck 50 miles west of Lata, at a depth of 3.6 miles.

The warning area does not include Hawaii and Nor th and South America.

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British lawmakers New doubts Egypt will get IMF loan vote in favor of gay marriage

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON — A bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Britain cleared a major hurdle Tuesday, as lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposals championed

by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The vote in the House of Commons — 400 to 175 in support of the proposed legislation — will be followed by more detailed parliamentary debates. The proposals also require the approval of the House of Lords before they become law.

The process could take months, but if approved, the bill is expected to take effect in 2015 and enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies, provided the religious institution consents. The bill also lets couples who had previously entered into civil partnerships convert their relationship into a marriage.

“Tonight’s vote shows Parliament is very strongly in favor of equal marriage,” Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said. “I genuinely believe that we will look back on today as a landmark for equality in Britain.”

The lopsided vote was a qualified victory for Cameron, with around half of his party’s lawmakers rejecting the proposals or abstaining. Nonetheless, strong support from the left-leaning Labour Party and Liberal Democrats party ensured the Commons approval.

After the ballots were counted, Cameron acknowledged that “strong views exist on both sides,” but said the result was a “step forward for our country.”

Officials have stressed that all religious organizations can decide for themselves if they want to “opt in” to holding gay weddings.

CAIRO — New signs of distress in Egypt’s economy emerged Tuesday with the disclosure that foreign currency reserves — already at critically low levels — fell nearly 10 percent in just the last month as political turmoil flared anew on the streets.

With unrest holding back critically needed austerity measures, there is growing doubt that Egypt will be able to secure a $4.8 billion dollar IMF loan in time to rescue the flailing economy, or even at all. The loan is considered crucial to shoring up investor confidence and freeing up a wave of loans that Cairo has requested from other lenders.

The central bank said foreign reserves fell to $13.61 billion in January from $15.01 billion a month earlier, a $1.4 billion decline that provided stark new evidence of a dangerous deterioration in the economy. Foreign reser ves stood at $36 billion before Egypt’s uprising began in January 2011. The latest central bank figures show a drop of a total of $23 billion in reserves in the two years since, wiping out well over half of the money.

Even before that decline, the central bank said the $15 billion level represented a “critical minimum,” or just enough to cover three months’ worth of imports. The reser ves are being propped up with billions of dollars in transfers from the energy-rich Gulf state of Qatar.

Still an official of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that dominates the government, denied that Egypt has an economic problem.

Mohammed Gouda, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s economic committee, told The Associated Press on Monday that he did not expect reserve levels to ever dip below $14 billion. He suggested that aid from oil-rich Gulf states is Egypt’s lifeline until the IMF loan comes through and investors return.

EXTENDED WEATHER FORECAST THURSDAY HIGH 29° LOW 13°

P.m. snow showers

FRIDAY HIGH 30° LOW 25° Partly cloudy

SATURDAY HIGH 33° LOW 23° Cloudy

SUNDAY HIGH 29° LOW 20° Snow showers

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

3

U center fights falcon near-extinction More than 300 pairs of peregrine falcons lived in the Midwest in 2011.

BY BRANDEN LARGENT blargent@mndaily.com

Patrick Redig talks about Midwest Peregrine falcons like they’re his children.

His passion for the falcons began in adolescence, so it saddened him when he learned they were on the verge of extinction.

“Not only could I not conceive of the Peregrine coming back, I had no conception that I would be involved,” said Redig, the University of Minnesota Raptor Center founder and director emeritus.

The Midwest Peregrine falcon nearly went extinct in the early 1960s, but the contributions of University professors over the past few decades helped restore the population through both natural and urban nesting sites.

Beginning in 1982, Redig and the late Harrison “Bud” Tordoff, former Bell Museum of Natural History director, collaborated to breed the falcons in captivity and release them.

Now, the peregrine population has surpassed the number of falcons that existed before they became endangered.

“No matter how you look at it, the peregrine falcon is just one of the most amazing creatures on the face of the earth,” Redig said Peregrine falcons are light-weight, bird-eating raptors that can reach speeds of more than 200 mph when diving in the air for prey, said Amber Burnette, a Raptor Center program associate.

They nest on high cliffs and tall buildings, including sites in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as on campus, Burnette said.

History The widespread use of pesticides like DDT, which was banned in 1972, nearly wiped out the entire peregrine population in North America — east of the Rocky Mountains and south of the Arctic by the early 1960s — Redig said.

In the 1970s, a group of falconers and professors from Cornell University established The Peregrine Fund to crossbreed subspecies of peregrines, but Redig said they lacked the resources to be successful.

In 1982, Redig and Tordoff took matters into their own hands. They bred the falcons in captivity and released them along the Mississippi River, but great horned owls killed all of the peregrines.

After three years without success, Redig said they decided to release the falcons from tall buildings in cities.

“That was just an absolute watershed event,” Redig said.

“It turns out peregrines love buildings.”

The falcons began claiming the buildings as their nesting sites, prompting Redig and Tordoff to build sites for them in Minneapolis locations and eventually expand throughout the Midwest.

About 40 pairs of peregrines lived in the Midwest before being wiped out by DDT. The goal of the restoration work was to breed a population about half that size.

In 2011, there were more than 300 pairs in the Midwest, according to the Midwest Peregrine Society data. They

were taken off the U.S. endangered species list in 1999.

“We’re probably at carrying capacity right now,” Redig said.

Redig has created and maintained a database of the falcons, accumulating 6,635 total branded peregrines in the Midwest since the project began.

He said tracking the peregrines has resulted in information about falcon patterns, longevity, productivity, survival of young and which falcons are genetically fit.

“So that’s just been a bonanza as far as scientific information is concerned,” Redig said.

The project Redig and Tordoff began now has hundreds of people involved, said Jackie Fallon, vice president of field operations for the Midwest Peregrine Society.

Fallon, who became involved in the late 1980s, currently maintains about 45 nesting sites throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

“There’s just been so many different people that have been involved and excited to have the peregrines back,” Fallon said.

The project’s ‘heart and soul’

Breeding and releasing falcons, known as hacking, can be an expensive process, Redig said.

Hacking falcons costs about $2,500 per bird. Over the years, it has totaled more than $3.2 million to hack 1,286 falcons.

Most of the money came from private donations, which resulted from Tordoff’s fundraising.

Tordoff also did field work with banding falcons and maintaining nesting grounds,

THE FALL AND RISE OF THE MIDWEST PEREGRINE FALCON Before 1939 About 40 pairs of peregrine falcons existed in the Midwest before WWII 1950s Widespread use of DDT wipes out falcon population

EMILY DUNKER, DAILY

Raptor Center founder and former director Pat Redig holds a peregrine falcon named Artemis on Monday in St. Paul.

“People create the problem; people can fix the problem,” said Redig, whose efforts have helped bring the peregrine falcon population off the endangered species list.

Redig said.

“I would say he was the heart and soul of the whole thing,” Redig said. “He made a lot of stuff happen.”

Fallon said Tordoff spent thousands of hours in the field and watched birds into his early 80s. He died in 2008 at age 85. “[Tordof f] was a huge mentor to me,” she said.

A rare success The success of Redig and Tordoff’s work led others to consider if it could be replicated for other species, said Robert Zink, a Bell Museum Breckenridge chair in Ornithology.

Zink said the peregrine was a rare case because it prefers urban landscapes, which is a rarity among endangered species.

“It’s not clear whether this provides a model for other species that aren’t so human adaptable as the peregrines are,” Zink said.

But Redig said the story of the peregrine’s recovery might distort the complexity of endangered species restoration because the problem, DDT, was already eliminated.

Other repopulation attempts haven’t been as successful.

Redig said lead poisoning from leftover hunting ammunition is still largely responsible for endangering the California Condor. Redig has worked on trying to restore their population as well.

Until hunting big game with lead-based ammunition is more regulated, Redig said, the condor cannot become a self-sustaining population.

Ultimately, Redig said the sur vival of an endangered species relies on the community at large.

“People create the problem and people can fix the problem,” Redig said. “But they got to decide that they want to fix it first.”

1962 Peregrine population east of the Rocky Mountains nearly goes extinct 1972 U.S. bans use of DDT Mid 1970’s Cornell University professors and falconers start The Peregrine Fund 1982 Redig and Tordoff begin breeding and releasing peregrines in the Midwest 1989 Minnesota peregrine releases end 1999 Peregrine Falcon is taken off U.S. Endangered Species List 2007 226 known pairs of peregrines in Midwestern territories 2008 Harrison “Bud” Turdoff, one of the restoration pioneers, dies at age 85 2011 Midwest peregrine falcon production starts leveling off at more than 500/year SOURCE: PATRICK REDIG, THE RAPTOR CENTER; MIDWEST PEREGRINE SOCIETY

MSA to push for charging stations A new system for student release questions was also passed Tuesday.

BY CODY NELSON cnelson@mndaily.com

The Minnesota Student Association will push for installation of cellphone charging stations in high-traffic areas on the University of Minnesota campus.

If budget allocations are passed at the next forum Feb. 19, MSA will begin the initiative by testing the chargers in the Science Teaching and Student Services building, said Mick Hedberg, co-director of MSA’s Facilities, Housing and Transit Committee .

“A lot of students are out and about for the entire day, and their phones die out,” Hedberg said. “It’s a common sense thing that’s pretty costeffective to do.”

The stations will be paid

for using money from MSA’s special projects fund, which comes from student services fees. The units would be wallmounted and feature six to eight connections for common phone types.

Inspiration for installing charging stations came from the success of similar initiatives at other Big Ten universities, Hedberg said.

If the program is successful, MSA has plans to expand outside the initial pilot program in STSS.

Instructor evaluations public

MSA also unanimously passed a resolution in suppor t of a new system for student release questions.

Cur rently, professors have to opt in if they want student release questions to be made public.

T h e r e s o l u t i o n s u ppor ts a system where students’ answers are automatically released, and

professors have to opt out if they want the answers private.

MSA’s University Policies and Student Concerns Committee director Marissa Kramer said few professors know how to release students’ answers, and about 10 percent of them currently choose to opt in.

The University is a public institution, MSA stated in the resolution, so MSA hopes to increase transparency and better prepare students when registering for classes.

Before passing the resolution, MSA found support from Vice President and Dean of Undergraduate Education Bob McMaster.

Kramer said her committee plans to meet with McMaster this month to begin discussing implementation of the system.

“We will see movement on this [after passing the resolution],” Kramer said.

Capitol kicks off gun law hearings Guns u from Page 1

level to protect communities.

Police depar tments would be able to use the information from the mental health screenings when deciding whether to grant an individual permission to purchase weapons, according to Schoen’s proposal.

Rep. Jim Newberger, RBecker, spoke out against the proposed changes.

“What we are doing here is we are creating a second class of citizens,” Newberger said. “A second class that says once you are mentally ill, you are always mentally ill, and therefore you should not have the right to defend yourself.”

He said the change is an attack on the Second Amendment.

Rep. Michael Paymar, DFL-St. Paul, and chair of the committee, is sponsor-

ing a proposal that would expand the system of background checks to people wanting to buy pistols and assault weapons.

The bill would not mandate background checks on people purchasing hunting rifles or for sales between family members.

Chis Rager, state liaison for the National Rifle Association, testified at the meeting.

“The universal background check systems would never be universal,” Rager said, “the reason being because criminals would never submit to a background check — only law-abiding individuals are impacted by these regulations.”

Rep. Sheldon Johnson, DFL-St. Paul, is behind a bill that outlines penalties for people involved in gun trafficking.

Rep. Jim Davnie, DFLMinneapolis, is sponsoring two bills to equalize penalties for offenders unlawfully possessing firear ms on

school proper ties and for possessing guns on private proper ties that prohibit guns.

R e p . R y a n W i n k l e r, D F L - G o l d e n Va l l e y, i s s p o n s o ri n g a p r o p o s al that would allow people to temporarily store firearms with law enforcement if they feel unsafe having them at home.

Winkler’s legislation also includes the creation of a registr y for people to voluntarily make themselves ineligible to purchase weapons.

“A lot of these bills are works in progress, and I hope we can make them better as we move along,” Winkler said.

Some DFL legislators want to merge many proposed changes to the state’s gun laws into one bill.

The committee will hear two bills Wednesday on gun restrictions and registration.

Similar bills are expected to be discussed in the Senate later this month.

4

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

MSA resolves tax situation MSA was fined more than $10,000 for improperly filing tax returns.

BY CODY NELSON cnelson@mndaily.com

After failing to fulfill federal tax obligations for two years, the Minnesota Student Association has received an abatement for non-compliance fines.

The student association didn’t file its tax returns correctly for fiscal years 2009 and 2010, resulting in more than $10,800 in fines.

Tax-exempt groups like MSA aren’t required to pay organizational taxes, said Internal Revenue Ser vice spokeswoman Karen Connelly, but do have to file compliance returns.

MSA applied for and received the abatement — a complete refund of the fines it paid plus interest — but its tax issues could affect its upcoming funding request.

For 2012-13, MSA received nearly $160,000 from student services fees, which provide the majority of MSA’s funding.

The Student Ser vices Fees Committee, which allocates fee money to groups, may take the MSA’s tax situation into account in terms of “mismanagement of funding” when making appr opriations this spring, said Rebecca Doepke, former SSFC member.

Because this year’s

Volunteers u from Page 1

requires her students to volunteer to see if a career in medicine suits them.

For aspiring medical school students, volunteering in hospitals or other patient care facilities can teach them to understand the patient’s perspective and to better articulate their interest in medicine.

But course requirements are not the only reason students volunteer off campus.

The University YMCA’s pool of student volunteers reflects a range of majors, said Patti Neiman, director of educational efficacy and leadership at the University YMCA. University students who volunteer at the YMCA travel out to elementary and high schools to mentor students, while others plan programs from the University location.

Working with people from different backgrounds toward the same goal is why kinesiology junior Octavia Cheatom said she volunteers at the University YMCA. Family social science sophomore Hannah Greely has been a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House near the Superblock.

Ronald McDonald House provides lodging for families with children being treated at a Twin Cities-area hospital for a life-threatening illness, said Carynn Roehrick, director of volunteers at the House.

Volunteers — most of whom are from the University, Roehrick said — allow the facility to accommodate 48 families free of charge.

MSA administration addressed the tax problems, Doepke said the fees committee may make a recommendation that MSA put a policy in place to ensure this issue doesn’t happen again.

MSA is already implementing provisions to make its financial processes more organized and transparent, said MSA President Taylor Williams.

These changes include a standardization of forms and changes to reimbursement so the group could “hold up” to an audit, Williams said.

There were “rumors” of these tax errors beginning in spring 2012, Williams said, stemming from a series of letters from the IRS. When the IRS fines became evident last summer, Williams and MSA Chief Financial Of ficer Derek Lunde worked together to properly file the overdue taxes.

During this process, Williams said they found this wasn’t the first time MSA hadn’t filed tax returns.

He said similar incidents happened about every 10 years.

Lunde said past MSA administrations only filed miscellaneous forms for paying independent contractors.

But the informational return required as a nonprofit was never filed with the IRS. Some student groups have been unaware of their

tax obligations and failed to meet the requirement, said Megan Sweet, SSFC adviser.

“I think what [Williams and Lunde] have done this year to rectify this situation and to ensure it doesn’t happen again is impressive,” she said.

Sweet said the fees committee takes tax issues and the steps taken to resolve problems into account but said she doesn’t know how it will affect funding recommendations.

“I can’t predict how the fees committee will review this information or how it will affect their funding request,” she said.

Lunde said tax issues aren’t unique to MSA and that this type of problem has to do with the constant turnover in student group leadership.

“I think it has to do a lot with the nature of student organizations,” he said.

“We just have a little more money.”

Lunde said he doesn’t think the IRS fines will affect the SSFC’s funding recommendations because the situation was resolved and MSA was transparent about the process.

After initially paying the entirety of the fines, MSA didn’t plan to receive an abatement in its budget.

There are several ideas of how to spend the money, Williams said, but fur ther discussions will determine exactly how the funds are used.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES NEAR CAMPUS University YMCA

1801 University Ave. SE UN IVE RSI TY A VEN UE SO UTH

EAS

WASHINGTON AVENUE SOUTHEAST

T

Richard M. Schulze Family American Cancer Society Hope Lodge 2500 University Ave. SE

Ronald McDonald House Charities Upper Midwest 818 Fulton St. SE

SOURCE: RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, YMCA

Students volunteer by working in the office, doing light housekeeping and tutoring in the facility’s school.

They often work in small shifts to work around their busy schedules, Roehrick said. Student groups have cooked meals for the families or done outdoor landscaping, Greely said.

At least one University student volunteers ever y weekday at the Richard M. Schulze Family American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, which provides free housing for adult cancer patients traveling to the Twin Cities for treatment, assistant manager Debbie Nelson said.

Students do tasks similar to those at the Ronald McDonald House, while University student groups have hosted on-site events for guests of the Hope Lodge, Nelson said.

The University’s men’s gymnastics team hosted a bingo night last month, Nelson said.

About 10 members of the

team and one coach attended the event, said gymnast and sports management junior Zack Chase.

Playing bingo and getting to talk with the guests was a great experience, Chase said, and the team is planning to return this month.

Psychology junior Hami Lee was required to volunteer a minimum of 20 hours for a psychology course last fall.

Representatives from local charities visited Lee’s psychology class to talk to students about some options for volunteering.

Lee chose to do art projects with kids through Free Arts Minnesota because she wanted to work with kids and the shifts fit her schedule.

Although her class is over, Lee signed a one-year contract with FAM and will continue to work there.

“One semester is kind of short to make a change,” Lee said.

Nobel laureate receives honorary degree The former professor received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2011.

BY T YLER GIESEKE tgieseke@mndaily.com

A former University of Minnesota professor and Nobel laureate received an honorary University degree during a ceremony Monday.

Thomas Sargent won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2011 along with Christopher Sims, both former faculty members in the University’s Department of Economics.

The University presented Sargent with a Doctor of Science degree — the highest award given by the University Board of Regents — after he gave a lecture to event attendees, University spokeswoman Tessa Eagan said.

Christopher Phelan, professor and chair of the Department of Economics, said

he felt the event demonstrated the widespread respect held for Sargent.

Phelan said it’s one thing to be a great scholar or a great teacher, but “it’s rare to have somebody who’s both.”

Sargent was a professor at the University during the 1970s and 1980s, Phelan said, and is currently a professor of economics at New York University. He received his doctorate in economics from Harvard University.

The research recognized by the Nobel Prize, which Sargent and Sims conducted separately but the prize committee considered complementar y, examined cause and effect in the economy, according to a University news release.

For example, the rational expectations model was developed mainly while the two professors were colleagues at the University.

The theory states that since consumers and investors will change their behavior

in response to a new government policy, those policies don’t often produce their desired effects.

“Both Sargent and Sims are giants in the field of macroeconomics,” Phelan said.

Including Sargent and Sims, the University claims ties to 23 Nobel laureates, seven of which are part of the Department of Economics, according to a University website.

The University of fers honorar y degrees for “acknowledged eminence” in cultural af fairs, public service and contribution to knowledge. Since the first was awarded in 1925, the University has presented 266 honorary degrees.

“It’s definitely not a common thing,” Eagan said.

From 2000 to 2008, more than 100 individuals received honorary degrees.

Although Sims will also receive an honorary degree from the University, Eagan said a ceremony isn’t likely to take place this semester.

Parking regulations could change Parking u from Page 1

dent of the Dinkytown Business Association and owner of Autographics Printing, said he’d want the parking requirements for apar tments to stay the same, if anything.

Although mass transit is available nearby, Johnson said most University students own cars and need parking provided by their apartment building.

“I’m always amazed that they say students don’t need the parking,” he said.

Johnson said Dinkytown has lost a lot of public parking throughout the years and referenced the loss of spots at the University Technology Enterprise Center, which will be replaced by a 300-plus unit housing project, as well as the lot where Sydney Hall now stands.

Laurel Bauer, owner of House of Hanson, said she could see why the restriction should be loosened with buses, bike lanes and the to-be-completed light rail nearby. She mentioned most of her business

“Maybe the city is demanding more than the market demands.”

CAM GORDON city councilman

comes from walk-ins.

“There’s the availability for transportation other than private vehicles,” she said.

Bauer reached an agreement in Januar y with the Opus Group, a developer planning to build an apar tment complex over her business. She said the Opus Group is showing concer n for the parking

situation in the area.

“You absolutely have to consider parking with this project,” she said. “And I think they’re doing an excellent job in approaching that solution.”

With apar tment complexes springing up in the Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood, parking could get squeezed there, too.

“It cer tainly is wor risome for us, but the developer has reached out and said ‘How can we work with you to solve any issues?’ ” said Jack Reuler, ar tistic director of Mixed Blood Theatre.

Kelly Doran, owner of Doran Companies and a developer of multiple apartments in the University area, said he doesn’t think a quarter stall per bedroom requirement would be unreasonable and it could save developers money.

He said more flexible requirements might be best to distinguish between smaller and bigger projects.

“I’ve suggested in the past that perhaps there should be some sliding scale between .25 and .5,” Doran said.

Stadium Village, too While apar tment complexes have replaced some Dinkytown parking, Stadium Village is having problems of its own.

The light rail’s completion in 2014 will reduce onstreet parking spaces by nearly 200 and of f-street spaces by about 50, according to a study in early 2012

by Biko Associates, commissioned by the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and the University.

Although the light rail will reduce parking, the study also estimated that it would ensure far fewer trips by car in the area.

Along with the light-rail construction, the new apartment complex The Station on Washington will be built at the intersection of Walnut

POSSIBLE PARKING REQUIREMENT CHANGES IN UNIVERSITY AREA

1

Change apartment parking requirement from .5 spaces per bedroom to another multiplier, for instance .25 spaces per bedroom.

2

Exempt larger apartment buildings from the requirement so that they would fall under the citywide one space per dwelling unit.

3

Exempt projects in close proximity to a major public transit line or station/stop.

4

Allow buildings to provide less than one space per unit by simply applying the “.5 spaces per bedroom” standard and delete the “but not less than one space per unit” requirement in the current rules.

5

A combination of the four

SOURCE: ROUGH DRAFT FROM COUNCILMAN CAM GORDON

Street and Washington Avenue by the Opus Group.

Bronson Wether n, assistant manager at Sally’s Saloon and Eater y, near the new development, said parking around the restaurant is already ver y sparse.

“A lot of people are parking in the ramp or at meters,” he said. “It gets really expensive.”

Sally’s has a small lot, but it fills up quick, Wethern said.

Of his proposals, Gordon said a combination of the four would be most likely.

Gordon said the proposals will be referred to staff this week, and balancing the needs of businesses, neighborhood organizations and developers will be his highest priority.

Editorials & Opinions www.mndaily.com/opinion

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

5

The Editorials & Opinions department is independent of the newsroom. The editorial board prepares the editorials labeled “EDITORIALS,” which are the opinion of the Minnesota Daily as an institution but not representative of Daily employees’ opinions.

Columnists’ opinions are their own.

EDITORIALS

SOCIAL MEDIA

Privacy no more Social media applications have kicked the value of personal privacy to the curb.

O

ur devices have become cluttered with an array of social media platforms. So, it’s no surprise that the social media industry has boomed, releasing new applications in hopes of being the next hit thing.

However, in an attempt to get a new application onto the screen of the public, entrepreneurs seem to be skimping on the privacy settings of these applications just to get ahead.

If I’m allowing an app to be on my phone and to access my information, I want to trust that it will do what it says it will and nothing more.

EyeEm, a free photography application that is similar to Instagram in offering photo filters and easy posting abilities, has allowed for an easy set-up by way of a person’s Facebook account.

This is no shocker; many new applications are now using this method. But what new users

don’t realize is that by allowing EyeEm to post their photography on their Facebook page, it also allows for friends to see what the user was viewing.

Meaning, that any photograph you clicked on in EyeEm is now public knowledge.

That occasional impulse click of your mouse, and sud-

One minute you’re posting an artsy photo of the underground indie music festival you’re at, and the next minute your stalker is walking in the door ... denly you’re tainting your mother’s news feed with your “impulses.”

All the fuss could be avoided by simply registering by using an email address, but who wants to spend the extra five minutes doing that?

Path, another photo sharing application, has recently run

into issues by revealing the location of its users even if they check the “location off” button within the application itself.

One minute you’re posting an artsy photo of the underground indie music festival you’re at, and the next minute your stalker is walking in the door scouring the room for you.

Path told them where you were.

The Federal Trade Commission stepped in when this news was released and is holding Path to pay $800,000 for violating the privacy of consumers.

Headline after headline, I read news of applications like WhatsApp messenger that accesses users’ contact lists and keeps hold of the data. Last summer the LinkedIn mobile application was reported for taking meeting information from people’s iPhones and iPads and storing the information in LinkedIn servers.

Privacy disclosure is lacking in the creation of these applications, and the privacy settings they do accommodate can be increasingly misleading for the user. It is because of these social media sources that the lines of privacy have become blurred.

I understand that the top-

DEATHS IN IRAQ: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 4,802 — IRAQI CIVILIANS: 111,135- PLUS DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 3,245 — AFGHAN CIVILIANS: UNKNOWN

ics one chooses to disclose on the Internet have grown. What one used to consider personal information may now be a post on a Facebook “wall” or a tweet.

We have become accustomed to making our lives public. But it should still be up to each person to decide what information is released and what remains private.

These companies, whether they intended to, pulled information from their consumers and made it content for the eyes of the public without consent.

This is my point. Whether social media exists, and whether we choose to post personal information on our web pages, we should still be entitled to our privacy where we see fit.

It should not be in the hands of application creators or corporations.

As consumers we should be comfortable downloading applications onto our devices without the fear that our privacy will be invaded in the process.

Meg O’Connor welcomes comments at mo’connor@mndaily.com.

SMOKING

Smoke on the water The University should crack down on smokers in the Washington Avenue bridge tunnel.

A transparent rental process The renter’s survey could provide students with helpful information about landlords and properties.

F

or most students, college is full of new responsibilities, opportunities and experiences. One of the more important experiences students will take part in is the process of looking for and renting property around campus to live in during the school year. Whatever outlet students use to find housing, from Dinkytown Rentals to Craigslist, they deserve open access to previous rental history, as well as a listing of landlords’ qualifications and evaluations from past tenants.

The Minnesota Student Association began work on re-developing the format of a student renter’s survey in October, the Minnesota Daily reported. The sur vey was originally developed after a tragic house fire that resulted in several student deaths. The updated sur vey has now been sent out to renters living within the University of Minnesota community. Several sur veys per building must be completed and turned in so that responses can be validated and the information can be added to the overall data being compiled. In order to gain as much information as possible and improve the renting process around campus, ever y student receiving the sur vey should feel encouraged to complete it.

Students shouldn’t have to sign a rental contract feeling unprepared or devoid of additional options. Accountability is important in the rental market, and information on landlords and rental companies should be made public so that the renting process may become more transparent and lead to more informed consumers. The data collected is not expected to be released until at least the end of the month. We recommend that ever y student receiving the sur vey completes it and adds their renting experience to the overall image of local renters being collected.

The rising temp economy The growing temp industry isn’t promising for students looking for fulfilling careers.

RONALD DIXON columnist

The federal tax code drives jobs, companies and capital out of our countr y.

High business taxes drive up prices so U.S. goods and services cost more and are less competitive in the world markets. We, the final consumer, pay more than 22 cents per dollar in hidden taxes.

We have regressive taxes on jobs, payroll taxes, paid by both the employer and the employee. Want less of something? Tax it. We have a 15.3 percent income tax on self-employment jobs.

Tax lobbyists outnumber elected of ficials by a ratio of 32-to-1 in Washington. The tax code is used by politicians, lobbyists and special interests to their advantage to gain tax breaks, funding and to pick winners and losers.

As a nation we spend $450 billion per year to comply and file taxes. The Internal Revenue Ser vice consists of 110,000 employees with a budget of $13 billion. Tax code complexities alone lead to a 16 percent noncompliance rate.

The solution is to move the tax base from income, savings and investments to a tax base on consumption with a progressive national consumption/sales tax system. The solution is the FairTax bill, HR25/S122.

Call your U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison. Ask him to co-sponsor the FairTax bill HR25 and move it to the House floor for tax-reform debate and a vote.

Paul Livingston FairTax volunteer district director

Ronald Dixon welcomes comments at rdixon@mndaily.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Obama’s human rights injustices

“As president, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act and adhere to the Geneva Conventions,” said presidential candidate Barack Obama in August 2007. Yet here we are, five and-a-half years later, with husbands, fathers, sons and brothers still awaiting trial while being held in cages and tortured, ironically in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Despite being ignored by almost all major news outlets last week, the White House announced that it will reassign its committee, which was originally charged with organizing the closure of the detainment camp, to focus on Iranian and Syrian sanction policy. This essentially ensures that the prison camp will remain open indefinitely — no pun intended.

Appearing to fulfill his pledge, Obama promised yet again in January 2009 that Guantanamo would close, creating a special commission to oversee its dismantle.

But the move proved to be pure political pageantry, and exactly two years later, he signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011, which prevented it from being shut down.

Not only has the president gone back on his original campaign promise, he has actively sought to ensure that fair trials for the detainees have been delayed or stopped completely — pushing groups like the American Civil Liber ties Union and Amnesty International to seek justice in what they

call “a human rights scandal.” In late 2009, the International Committee of the Red Cross released evidence of activities it said were “tantamount to torture” and included physically beating prisoners and holding them in cells enduring extreme temperatures.

Despite the reality of Obama’s per formance as president, the anti-war, antitorture groups around the nation remain silent. Today, the Department of Justice says there are still more than 150 “terrorists” being held in Cuba without charge or trial, while their families await their return home. It’s time to call out this administration for its complete and utter failure to protect the human rights and civil liberties of those enduring this injustice, lest we all become guilty of failing to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

Adam Motzko Young Americans for Liberty, University of Minnesota Chapter

Support the FairTax Why is real tax reform needed? What does true reform mean? It means removing abuses, eliminating bad practices and change for the better.

Our Constitution was written to prevent the tax system of tyrants, the direct taxation of income. The wisdom of our founding fathers was neglected with the passage of the 16th Amendment on Feb. 3, 1913. Approaching its 100th birthday, the tax code has become 74,000 pages through the years.

I

have a five-cr edit Spanish course that star ts at 8 a.m. each day. When I begin my venture from Middlebrook Hall, the harsh wind chill is a cruel inevitability. As most students that must traverse the Mississippi River, the tunnel on the top of the Washington Avenue Bridge is a necessity for getting to class.

Unfor tunately, though, the scent of cigarettes welcomes students and staf f in the tunnel.

Despite the clear “no smoking” signs posted along the walls, students continue to fill their lungs and the closed str ucture with carcinogen-filled, tarr y smoke.

The issue is two-fold. Smoking kills: The activity harms the user through first-hand smoke, others through second-hand smoke and even the recently coined “thirdhand smoke,” which stems from the residue left after the secondhand smoke has cleared.

The other is simply respect for others and for University of Minnesota policy. Numer ous students smoke at the University, which is their right. Yet, it’s apparent that some of these students disrespect the policies of the University and those around them by clogging the tunnel with the offensive odor of their habit.

A solution to this dilemma could incorporate several of the following suggestions: Impose penalties for smoking in the tunnel, assign University police patrols to systematically patrol the bridge and enforce currently existing regulations that help keep University infrastr ucture free of cigarette smoke.

As I walk to my early classes, I wish not to be caught within the bind of whether to walk outside and feel the wrath of our Minnesota winters or to walk through the smoking room the tunnel has become. By promoting the aforementioned suggestions, perhaps we will see a change in the smoking rates within the Washington Avenue Bridge.

Collin Randolph welcomes comments at crandolph@mndaily.com.

W

hen economic repor ts show an increase in job creation, be it at the local, state or national level, politicians of all kinds use the numbers as proof that the economy is gaining strength and is on track to more prosperity and economic security. While in some ways this may be true, rarely discussed are the kind of jobs being created, how much they pay and whether these are the kind of jobs that will lead to a strong middle class. While these questions are rarely asked, the answers to them are important. We not only need an increase in the number of jobs available but an increase in jobs that pay and demand a highly skilled workforce.

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that as America continues to recover slowly from the debilitating recession, the jobs being created are not ones that pay particularly well and provide enough benefits to sustain a strong middle class. According to the American Staffing Association, the temporary labor industry has added more jobs than any other since the start of the recovery.

While there are certain benefits to temp jobs, particularly for recent college graduates that are looking to gain experience, the rise in the temp industry shows that employers are less willing to invest in their workers for the long term. Rather than looking for loyalty and knowledge, employers are more interested in the ability to pay workers as little as possible and provide limited benefits as a way to increase the bottom line. It demonstrates a change in economic philosophy that isn’t beneficial to workers looking to make their way up the company ladder but seems to make sense to employers. This trend isn’t promising for college students and graduates who are looking for long and fulfilling careers. America’s CEOs and business owners should consider the benefits of investing in long-term workers rather than seeking cheap and unskilled labor.

LETTERS AND GUEST COLUMNS

The Minnesota Daily welcomes letters and guest columns from readers. All letters must include the writer’s name, address and phone number for verification. The Daily reserves the right to edit all letters for style, space, libel and grammar. Letters to the editor should be no more than 500 words in length. Readers may also submit guest columns.

Guest columns should be approximately 350 words. The Daily reserves the right to print any submission as a letter or guest column. Submission does not guarantee publication. letters@mndaily.com Fax: (612) 435-5865 Phone: (612) 435-1578 Letters and columns to the editor 2221 University Ave. SE Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414

Look for online exclusive columns at www.mndaily.com/opinion.

@mndailyopinions

EDITOR IN CHIEF CALI OWINGS = EDITORIAL EDITOR ERIC BEST = SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER WILLIAM BORNHOFT = BOARD MEMBERS CASSANDRA SUNDARAM, JONATHAN MORRIS

6

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Sports

@MNDAILYSPORTS

Male basketball scout team preps Gophers women for games Scouts u from Page 1

a whole different intensity level to practice,” Bor ton said.

There are several scouts, but some show up to practice more than others.

Fossum, who played three years of varsity basketball at Rochester Centur y High School, is in his second year on the scout team. Former Maple Grove for ward A.J. Litwinchuk is in his third year.

They’re two of the regulars who saw the scout team as a way to continue playing basketball competi-

tively.

“I tr y to make it three or four times a week if you can,” Litwinchuk said. “It’s great to get in here, get a workout in, keep in basketball shape and be around basketball still.”

Litwinchuk said his sister indirectly put him in contact with the Gophers’ director of basketball operations. He inquired about a spot on the practice team, landed it and has been par t of the team ever since.

Fossum, on the other hand, was recruited by Gophers players.

“I was up at the [recreation center], and I ran into a couple of the girls.

They said I should join the scout team,” Fossum said.

“They gave me the coach’s information, and here I am.”

Fossum takes his job so seriously that he scheduled his classes around Minnesota’s early afternoon practices.

When at practice, the scouts usually get the best of the Gophers’ women.

“They’re all in different shapes and sizes. They’re quick. They’re pretty strong,” forward-center Micaëlla Riché said. “They’re definitely a good challenge.”

Banham said the scouts bring lots of energy and make it tough on the players.

“No boy wants to lose to a girl,” the point guard

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Improved MSU awaits Gophers in rematch of Big Ten opener

said.

At Tuesday’s practice, though, the Gophers women had their way with their counterparts.

While practicing against a zone defense, the women hit five straight three-pointers, including three from Banham.

Litwinchuk said the scouts feel a sense of pride when Minnesota plays that well in games.

He watches some games on TV and some in person. Fossum has missed one game in the last two seasons.

“It makes you feel good when they win,” Litwinchuk said, “and when they lose, you think, ‘What could I have done better in practice?’ ”

Benjamin Smaby practices with the Gophers women’s basketball team Tuesday at Williams Arena.

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY

WOMEN’S GOLF

Gophers finish sixth in first tourney Banchalee Theinthong finished tied for ninth to lead the Gophers.

BY NICKALAS TABBERT ntabbert@mndaily.com

The Gophers women’s golf team finished sixth out of 16 teams in its seasonopening Hurricane Invitational on Monday and Tuesday in Coral Gables, Fla. Minnesota shot 69-over par in the 54-hole event.

Baylor won the tournament at 31-over par.

This is the Gophers’ first of five spring tournaments before the Big Ten championships in late April. Minnesota finished third in its last two fall tournaments.

Coach Michele Redman said she was happy with her

team’s first performance of the season.

“We were a little bit rusty, but we got a lot of practice in,” she said. “It was a pretty dif ficult golf course. You had to hit the ball pretty straight.”

Banchalee Theinthong led Minnesota with a ninthplace finish at 9-over par.

She shot 5-over par in both the first and third rounds, and her 1-under par second round missed tying her career-best round by one stroke.

“I was pr etty happy with my driving, my hitting was better and my shor t game, too,” Theinthong said.

The Gophers were unable to finish the second round Monday due to darkness. Players finished the final holes of the second round Tuesday mor ning before star ting the final

round.

Redman said the delay didn’t throw the team of f and instead benefited them by giving them a fresh start.

The middle round was Minnesota’s best, as the team shot a combined 18-over par, four shots better than its first round.

Carmen Laguna, the Gophers’ best golfer in the fall season, signed an incorrect scorecard and had her final round disqualified.

S a r i n e e T h i t i r a t a n akorn and Anna Laorr tied for 46th at 23-over par.

Jackie Shepherd tied for 55th three shots behind them.

Taylor Quinn had the best final round for Minnesota at 3-over par. She shot 14-over par in the first round. Her scores were not used, though, because she competed as an

individual.

Redman said she took Quinn on the trip on a lastminute decision and was glad to see her per form well.

Minnesota will play next in the Central District Invitational in Tampa, Fla., in two weeks.

WOMEN’S GOLF RESULTS

GOLFER RD1 RD2 76 70 Theinthong Thitiratanakorn 77 78 78 81 Laorr 81 79 Shepherd 75 75 Laguna

RD3 76 81 77 79 DQ

TOTAL 222 236 236 239 150

TEAM Baylor Texas State Miami Oklahoma State Mercer Minnesota

RD3 296 293 297 303 307 313

TOTAL 883 887 898 902 919 921

RD1 298 292 301 301 299 306

RD2 289 302 300 298 313 302

Michigan State is 7-1 since losing to the Gophers on New Year’s Eve. Minnesota is 4-4.

has continued to struggle since the win over Michigan State when it scored eight points.

The Gophers’ reser ves are averaging 10.2 points i n B i g Te n p l a y. T h e y didn’t score at all and had no field goal attempts in Sunday’s win over Iowa.

“They all want to shoot it,” Smith said, “but they must’ve not had an open look.”

Sophomore center Elliott Eliason had an impressive game against the Hawkeyes, and Smith said he will still come of f the bench Wednesday. “[Eliason’s] got to get his of fensive rebounds, m ak e hi s fr ee thr o ws , draw fouls — that’s how he can be an ef fective scorer,” Smith said.

Mbakwe and Eliason will face of f against Payne, who provides Michigan State with the athleticism it may need to keep up with the Gophers’ fast-paced style of play.

Payne has shot 63 percent from the field in the eight games since he last faced Minnesota, averaging 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds.

The Spar tans enter the matchup with a few bumps and br uises, but they’re for tunate to have five full days of f since their last game.

Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate Gar y Harris is questionable after Michigan State’s win over Illinois on Thursday.

The freshman suf fered back spasms during the game and has been limited at practice.

Sophomore guard Travis Trice, who shot 3-for-4 from deep against Minnesota, is also questionable with a possible concussion he suf fered against Illinois.

BY ANDREW KRAMMER akrammer@mndaily.com

These aren’t the same Spar tans the Gophers pushed around on New Year’s Eve. No. 18 Minnesota travels to face No. 12 Michigan State on Wednesday in a rematch of the Big Ten Conference opener, which the Gophers won 76-63 on Dec. 31.

“We beat them once, but that doesn’t mean anything,” junior guard Austin Hollins said.

The Gophers are fresh off back-to-back wins after a four-game skid.

Coach Tom Izzo’s Spartans have won seven of eight games since losing to Minnesota, including victories over then-No. 11 Ohio State and a road win at Wisconsin.

“Michigan State is a better team, but we are too,” Hollins said.

Coach T ubby Smith’s squad has a 4-4 record since its of fensive outburst against the Spartans, during which the Gophers shot a Big Tenseason best 57 percent from the field.

But this time around, Michigan State won’t be playing a four-guard system like it did Dec. 31.

Spar tans center Adreian Payne has been inser ted into the star ting lineup, and Der rick Nix, who str uggled against the Gophers’ frontcour t, has moved into the power forward role.

T revor Mbakwe bullied Nix in the post New Year’s Eve, finishing with 12 rebounds to Nix’s four.

Minnesota’s bench

@dailyinthebarn

MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW

@ NO. 18 MINNESOTA

NO. 12 MICHIGAN STATE

6 p.m., Wednesday in East Lansing, Mich.

MINNESOTA: The No. 18 Gophers (17-5, 5-4 Big Ten) are 1-3 on the road in Big Ten play, but they beat coach Tom Izzo’s group at Williams Arena on Dec. 31 in their conference-season opener.

Austin Hollins hit the game-winning three-pointer in Minnesota’s victory over Iowa on Sunday. He ranks sixth in the Big Ten in threepoint percentage, shooting 45 percent in conference play.

MICHIGAN STATE: The No. 12 Spartans (18-4, 7-2 Big Ten) are 4-0 at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in Big Ten play, including a Jan. 19 victory over then-No. 11 Ohio State.

Michigan State had beaten the Gophers four straight times before its Dec. 31 loss. Izzo’s group is 7-1 since then, with its only loss coming at then-No. 7 Indiana. The Hoosiers are now ranked No. 1.

*out of 16 teams

SOURCE: GOLFSTATRESULTS.COM

Today is

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY On National Signing Day, recruits around the nation are expected to sign National Letters of Intent with their prospective colleges.

The Daily’s sports department will be tracking the action on our blog, Upon Further Review, and on Twitter at @DailyattheBank and @mndailysports.

Check in for updates.

mndaily.com/blogs/upon-further-review

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY

Minnesota guard Austin Hollins drives to the basket against Iowa on Sunday at Williams Arena.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

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EMPLOYMENT $$$Bartending$$$ Up to $300/Day No Exp Nec, Training available. Age 18+ OK. 1-800-965-6520 xt114

HOUSING

CLASSIC CITY APTS Dinkytown/Stadium Village AVAIL FALL 2013 Rooms, Studios 1 BR, 2 BR, 5 BR Units OPEN HOUSES Check our website at WWW.classiccityapartments.com for Dec/Jan Dates & Times.

5BR/2BA Lofts incl 46 inch TV starting at $2700/mo. Call 612-623-1888 for appt.

Email info@classiccityapartments.com WHY share a room when you can stay in an apt for around same price???

Studios and 1 BR, avail ASAP, Crpt, A/C, ldry, sec, pkg, $660 and up, heat pd 612-237-6941. www.uofmhousing.com

HOUSING ST. PAUL

Sandy Hill Apartments Large 2 br, large patio and gar, heat incl, www.sandyhillapartments.com, 651-775-0511

DUPLEX & HOUSE DINKYTOWN

*Now Renting For Fall* The Lodges of Dinkytown Gorgeous 5BR 2BA unit laundry. Off st pkg.

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528 14th Ave. 9BR+ $650/BR all util paid. www.dinkytownrentals.com or 612-378-2413

Events HAVE AN EVENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROMOTE IN THE DAILY? The Minnesota Daily now promotes events in the new Events section for free.

If you would like your event promoted here, go to mndaily.com/contact and fill out the provided form.

UPCOMING EVENTS WHAT: College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Scholarships Workshop WHO: CFANS undergraduate students and CFANS scholarship coordinator WHEN: 4-5 p.m., Feb. 12 WHERE: Haecker Hall, Room 365, St. Paul Campus PRICE: Free Learn what scholarships are available to CFANS undergraduates, how to impress scholarship reviewers and when to apply. Questions? Contact Lauren McCarthy at lfmccart@umn.edu.

WHAT: Valentine’s Day vegan bake sale WHO: Compassionate Action for Animals WHEN: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Feb. 14 WHERE: Coffman Union, Ground Floor PRICE: $1-3 per item Buy a compassionate vegan baked good for your sweetie! We’ll be selling sweet goodies to raise awareness to see how tasty dairy- and egg-free baking can be, and support our work to advocate for animals.

WHAT: Weekly Buddhist meditation WHO: Diamond Way Buddhism student group WHEN: 7 p.m., Feb. 18 WHERE: Coffman Union, Room 305 PRICE: Free Come meditate with us at 7 p.m. every Monday.

Before the meditation there will be an introductory 10-minute talk about Buddhism, then a guided meditation and enough time for questions and socializing. No special clothing or previous experience is necessary. Feel free to invite more people.

Featured Student Group HAVE A STUDENT GROUP YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROMOTE IN THE DAILY? The Minnesota Daily now promotes student groups in the new Student Group section for free.

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The Minnesota Daily Classifieds page is now a service for student groups. Student groups can promote themselves for free in the featured section.

Featured student groups run for one week and are published on a rolling submission basis.

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The subject matter, for wording, illustrations and typography of featured groups are subject to approval by the Publisher. Any content that attacks, criticizes or demeans any individual, race, religion, sex, institution, firm, business, profession, organization or affectional preference shall not be accepted.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

BACKTALK

horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (2/6): You’re a philosopher this year, always asking thought-provoking questions. Take time out from that to fix your place up a bit and you’ll be a happy camper.

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is a 7 — Your year enters with special grace. April is good for promotion. Stick with the team you have, and avoid speculation until September.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 9 — This week is excellent for interior decoration. Improve living conditions with shrewd bargaining. Get something you’ve always wanted.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is an 8 — Expect lots of new directives in the next few days.

Friends inspire laughter and brilliant ideas, along with the means to realize them.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is an 8 — You’re extra brilliant and persuasive. Being careful gets you further than recklessness. Take care of family. Allow for contingencies.

Complete the grid so each row, clumn and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is an 8 — Romance is in the picture; someone is impressed. Travel conditions improve. Invest in expanding your influence. Share love.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is an 8 — Keep sorting to find the missing clue. Help comes from far away. This phase can be quite profitable. Parking may get tricky.

For strategies on how to solve sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is an 8 — Review your budget, and pay bills today and tomorrow.

Invest in your career. Accept creative input from others. Hidden benefits get revealed.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 9 — You’re stronger today and tomorrow with high energy. Keep close track of income and prosper. It’s a good time to sell.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is a 7 — Share the load, but hold on to the responsibility. Accept an unusual invitation. Draw up plans for a shared dream. This can get romantic.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 7 — Review priorities, and schedule actions. You don’t see the entire picture yet. Ask provocative questions, and contemplate potential outcomes.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — You’re attractive, and attracted, today and tomorrow.

Define your terms and establish rapport. Your words are magic today.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 9 — Associates provide valuable input, and friends help you advance. Study with passion. You’re coming up with great ideas.

sudoku Visit mndaily.com to see the solution to today’s puzzle.

2/6/13

Tuesday’s solution © 2013 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

All rights reserved.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Written By Linda C. Black

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

overheard Guy [drinking coffee]: “Who drinks coffee? It tastes like tar!”

“And he smelled like poop and sex, so that’s why we call him ‘Poopsex.’”

Student 1: “What’s ‘Internet addiction disorder?’”

Student 2: “I don’t know. I think I’ll go look it up!”

Guy 1: “How’s it going man?”

Guy 2: “[Expletive] everything.”

Guy 1: “But what if it doesn’t have an orifice?”

“I wish I could hire Donald Trump to have him tell my roommate she’s done living with me. Just have him say, ‘YOU’RE FIRED!’”

Guy: “Boy Scouts are super homophobic.”

—Hanson Hall Starbucks

—Unknown

—Dinkytown

“Beyoncé is my spirit animal.”

—Science Teaching and Student Services building

—Middlebrook Hall

—Centennial dining hall

—Sanford dining hall

Professor: “Did you wipe his butt from front to back or back to front?”

—Amundson Hall

Guy: “[Expletive] your pants once, fool on you ... ”

—Coffman Union Bookstore

What did you overhear?

4Post submissions on the “overheard at U of M Facebook group.

4Visit mndaily.com and look for the “Connect with the Daily” box on the homepage.

4Email submissions to overheards@mndaily.com.

crossword

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Middle Ages century opener 5 Request before a snap 10 “Survivor” airer 13 Something to assume 15 Foofaraws 16 You can dig it 17 European auto club device?

19 Floor application 20 Pronouncement of Pontius Pilate 21 Device commonly used in “The Twilight Zone” 23 “Citizen Kane” studio 24 One-time ring king 25 Raise objections 27 Balkan primate?

31 Vegetation 34 Butts 35 Julio’s “that” 36 Yokel 37 Mythological dogooder 39 Word-of-mouth 40 “Star Trek” rank: Abbr.

41 Greenhouse square 42 Matter to debate 43 Mideast orchestral group?

47 Who’s who 48 One of the Bobbsey twins 49 __ double take 52 “Come here __?”

54 Losers 56 Expected result 57 South Pacific 18wheelers?

60 Counterterrorist weapon 61 “__ Heartbeat”: Amy Grant hit 62 One handling a roast 63 Jiff 64 Indian tunes 65 Makes, as a visit DOWN 1 “Real Time” host 2 Coop sound 3 Dos y tres

2/6/13

By Jeff Stillman

4 Batting practice safety feature 5 Buffalo 6 Magic charm 7 Craters of the Moon st.

8 __ cit.: footnote abbr.

9 Native Alaskans, historically 10 Water cooler gatherers 11 Muffin mix stir-in 12 Hot 14 1943 war film set in a desert 18 Play thing?

22 Bolt 25 Letter opener?

26 Acting award 27 Coll. senior’s test 28 Old-time news source 29 Biblical twin 30 School with the motto “Lux et veritas” 31 It’s measured in Hz 32 Roman moon goddess 33 Relating to childbirth

Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved

(c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

37 Like some clocks 38 First few chips, usually 39 Org. in old spy stories 41 HP product 42 Overlook 44 Tankard filler 45 Puts down, as parquetry 46 Harper’s Weekly cartoonist

2/6/13

49 Bangladesh capital, old-style 50 Pitched perfectly 51 Toting team 52 Musical number 53 Throw for a loop 54 Uttar Pradesh tourist city 55 __ roast 58 Eggs, in old Rome 59 Not pos.

Visit mndaily.com to see the solution to today’s puzzle.

dr. date Dear Dr. Date,

What is the most acceptable way to ask someone on a date? I know the old-fashioned way of face to face is the best, but are there any other alternatives? Or, is anything less than an in-person invitation (call, text, Facebook) a sign of weakness that will send the girl or guy running?

—Rookie To The Dating Scene

Thunderbolt And Tenderfoot,

The landscape of the dating terrain has been altered; thus, the vision of what’s culturally acceptable in the dating world has gone blurry — but a good blurry. It’s like you’re on drink two or three — weight permitting — and the sweetness of liquor’s kiss is seeping into your veins; how delightful!

Doc says you’ve got room to play around. If you and your wannabe boo-bear frequently converse à la text games and social media exchanges, work a little magic through the web. Make sure it’s semi-formal, no “group hang” stuff — that is definitely not a date.

On the contrary, if she’s an old-fashioned kind of broad, go with an in-person invite. Bonus: Women are less likely to turn a man down if it’s face to face than via text, as she has less time to craft a cunningly impressive rejection answer. Also, sad puppydog faces are not fun to see. :(

—Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

How can you gently tell a guy that you are just a nice person, and that you being nice to him or that starting a conversation with him is not a sign that you want him to pursue dating you? There are a couple guys that I think are getting the sense that I am interested in them just because I am friendly when we talk. It’s frustrating because I am just trying to be nice. How do I steer them in the right direction — that is, to stop trying to date me or flirt with me?

—Just Being Nice

Dear General Simpatico,

You’re probably one of those girls who

are overly smiley, aren’t ya? OK, darling, this isn’t meant to crush your beautiful/ perfect/a-dork-able soul, but you’ve got to be aware of something: Your niceness is flirtatious.

I’m sure you don’t “think” you’re intentionally flirting, but if you’re giggling, overly agreeable and bewilderingly smiley all of the time, that’s not being nice, that’s being a tease. And that ain’t a good thing, sista.

Cool it on your overt friendliness, and if your troubles proceed, tell your fawning pups straight to their faces these simple words: Dude, I don’t like you romantically — step off.

—Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

I am starting to get the sense that my guy is not planning a nice date for our first Valentine’s Day together. Not because he doesn’t believe in it or anything like that — I think he just doesn’t realize that I want to make it a special night. However, I don’t want to look like I want him to spoil me or that I expect a huge, expensive date. I just want him to put in the effort of planning something. What’s a kind way to tell him that?

—Don’t Be Stupid Cupid

Dear Cupid Is As Cupid Does,

My advice is extraordinarily simple: Men cannot read minds. If you’ve been relatively chill and disinterested in the holiday, then chances are he is going to act and do the same. No elaborate prizes or magic carpet rides for you, Jasmine.

If you’re craving a spontaneous and crafty evening, let the poor dude know that so he can plan ahead.

Ultimately, I want you to know that Valentine’s Day isn’t a day for you to be spoiled beyond reason; it’s a day to celebrate your relationship (OMG, cue tears). And above all else, it’s a night to have a very intimate, passionate, last-for-hours night together under the sheets — whatever that means for you and yours.

—Dr. Date

Need relationship advice? Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The University’s cave diver Caves u from Page 1

Historians have unear thed the remains of caves containing saltpeter in the southern parts of the U.S., but they never made it this far nor th. And the explorers never mapped the saltpeter caves in Minnesota.

So Brick had to sift through Le Sueur’s notes and journals describing the area to find and map the caves himself.

Confronting conventional wisdom

The U.S. imported gunpowder from Britain in the 1700s. But during the Revolutionar y War, Americans had to find saltpeter and make their own gunpowder.

Similarly, during the Civil War, the Confederate Army couldn’t impor t gunpowder because of the Union’s blockade.

When the soldiers mined the caves for saltpeter, they kept records of where they were, which historians later traced back.

Brick said it took about 200 pounds of sediment to make 3 to 5 pounds of saltpeter.

The conventional wisdom, he said, was that saltpeter caves didn’t exist in Minnesota.

Calvin Alexander, his adviser and a University geology professor, said Brick’s unique way of using histor y to inform science allowed him to discover what many historians thought didn’t exist.

Alexander has known Brick since he was an undergraduate at the University in the 1980s, when Brick’s interest in caves began.

When Brick decided to pursue his doctorate, Alexander said he thought it was a great idea to find if there was saltpeter in Minnesota’s caves like Le Sueur described.

So Brick went out and investigated, bringing samples back in one-gallon freezer bags for Alexander to test in a lab at the University.

They then put their findings into computer models, confirming their predictions that the caves contained saltpeter.

Until researchers can sit down and reproduce what they obser ve in nature, Alexander said, they don’t really understand it.

he said, which is a major ingredient in the nitrates that make up saltpeter in Minnesota.

Exiting through a different route, Brick sat for a moment to look at the gurgling, frozen river below.

“It’s such a nice view …,” he said. “Wow, that is something.”

SPELUNKING SALTPETER CAVES

BY THE NUMBERS

100 APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF CAVES BRICK VISITED

1700s LAST TIME THE CAVES WERE EXPLORED

40-70 feet LENGTH OF THE CAVES 3.5 percent MAXIMUM NITRATES IN SEDIMENT

SOURCE: GREG BRICK

MARK VANCLEAVE, DAILY

Brick sifts raccoon teeth and bones from nitrate-rich sand in Mill Cave in Spring Lake Regional Park on Monday near Hastings, Minn. Brick is attempting to determine whether caves like those near Hastings could’ve been mined for saltpeter by French explorers in the 1700s. Saltpeter was a key component of gunpowder.

MARK VANCLEAVE, DAILY

Brick slides through the narrow “coon crawl,” named after the large amount of raccoon remains there, in Miles Cave on Monday beneath Hastings, Minn.

MARK VANCLEAVE, DAILY

A pipistrelle bat, covered in droplets of water, hibernates in Mill Cave in Spring Lake Regional Park on Monday near Hastings, Minn. The caves maintain a relatively warm and stable temperature through the winter.

MARK VANCLEAVE, DAILY

The skeletal remains of a raccoon lay on the floor of Miles Cave on Monday beneath Hastings, Minn. Raccoons and other cave-dwelling animals contribute to elevated levels of nitrates, through both their droppings and decomposing bodies.

Spelunking When Brick first arrived at Frontenac State Park, they told him they didn’t have caves.

Park Manager Har r y Roberts said he had never come across such caves in his 26 years working at the park.

The caves Le Sueur described in his journals were long and nar rowly cut into the bluf f, making them dif ficult to see until Brick was right in front of them.

Brick calls them “maze caves” because they have so many passages to explore.

Rober ts said the public should not explore the caves at Frontenac because they’re located in protected areas that aren’t easy or safe to get to.

“My fear would be in this case is if [we made] these open and readily available to the public, there’d be a lot of resource damage,” he said.

On Monday mor ning, the Hastings, Minn., cave Brick was spelunking was not one that Le Sueur described. But it was one of the 100 or so caves where Brick found saltpeter.

He picked up a handful of the dr y, reddish sediment, letting it sift through his fingers.

“I can tell right away, even before I get to the lab, that this will be high in nitrates,” Brick said.

The smell filling the cave was “the musty stench of raccoon scat,”

MARK VANCLEAVE, DAILY

Brick prepares to descend a snow-covered slope to an entrance of Miles Cave on Monday beneath Hastings, Minn.

Brick has explored about 100 caves as part of his research on saltpeter.

MARK VANCLEAVE, DAILY

Brick carefully navigates an icy cliff to reach the entrance of Mill Cave in Spring Lake Regional Park on Monday near Hastings, Minn.

Brick looks out from the mouth of Miles Cave on a ravine carved by the Vermillion River on Monday beneath Hastings, Minn.

MARK VANCLEAVE, DAILY