CAMPUS & METRO
University searches for Parkinson’s markers
The U is one of five sites looking for new ways to diagnose the disease.
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
TENNIS
Changing AP credit policy
Senior works way back from mono
Stricter guidelines may force students to evaluate colleges differently.
Alexa Palen’s career has been plagued by injuries, but she’s hoping to return this season.
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FLURRIES HIGH 32° LOW 17°
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U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
LEGISLATURE
Medical amnesty gets a look Legislators will take up a bill to give legal protection to underage drinkers. BY CODY NELSON cnelson@mndaily.com
A bill that would provide legal immunity for underage drinkers seeking medical care will be heard in two legislative committees Tuesday. The medical amnesty measur e would legally protect underage drinkers from punishment if they sought medical attention for themselves or others. Several other states have passed medical amnesty laws, and Michigan State University’s student government sponsored its state
law. Minnesota students have pushed the issue for years, but it has only gained traction this session with bipartisan support. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, is a co-author of the bill and said it has “very good support for passage.” Kahn said the bill represents a change in attitudes. “We’re dealing with the problem instead of the punishment,” Kahn said. Students will testify in support of the bill at Tuesday’s hearings, said Matt Forstie, chairman of the Minnesota Student Legislative Coalition, which has been lobbying for medical u See AMNEST Y Page 3 USLS has seen cases where students could’ve benefited from the policy.
Charges filed in prosthetics case BY ALMA PRONOVE apronove@mndaily.com
A Coon Rapids, Minn., man was charged Friday for allegedly stealing and selling prosthetics from the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview in 2011. Federal pr osecutors charged 52-year-old Peter Stasica with wire fraud after he allegedly sold prosthetics while ser ving as the manager of the Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics at the center. According to the charg-
TUESDAY
es, the FBI found Stasica was taking prosthetics without authorization from Februar y 2011 to August 2011. He then sold those supplies on eBay to customers in Minnesota and North Dakota. In addition to stealing prosthetics and prostheticrelated supplies like liners and socks, Stasica was also allegedly soliciting patients for the prosthetics they weren’t using without telling them he planned to sell them online. Stasica hasn’t worked at Fair view since August 2011, according to spokesman Ryan Davenport. The Fair view Medical u See CHARGES Page 10 Another man was charged with videotaping boys in Mariucci.
MARCH 12, 2013
AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY
Roommates Maria Finsness, left, Maddie Hansen, center, and Emma Reese relax in one of their rooms Sunday in their Dinkytown home. The three roommates share the home with 11 other people and said they consider rent very affordable.
Mpls. releases housing survey Residents say they’re happy with affordability but not development.
Minneapolis is the place to live, according to the city’s most recent resident survey. Nine out of 10 sur vey respondents rated living in the city as “good” or “very good.” While respondents re-
ported satisfaction with the livability of the city, they also revealed their increased concern for housing — especially in the University District. On campus, the affordable housing is there, said Tom Streitz, director of housing development for the city — the perception is just that it’s been there for a long time with little new development. Sixty-two percent of University District residents reported being satisfied with affordable housing develop-
ments, the second lowest of 11 city districts. At the same time, the district was among the top four for residents feeling their housing costs were affordable. On campus, the contrast between shiny new highrise apartments and older, smaller buildings demonstrates the survey results’ seeming contradiction. For psychology sophomore Emma Reese and many other University of Minnesota students, the concern for finding afford-
u See HOUSING Page 10 Students often deal with high rent by pooling resources or with loans.
U considers environmental impact in de-icing Ice-melting chlorides damage waterways and cause erosion. BY HAILEY COLWELL hcolwell@mndaily.com
Winter ice is a constant threat to students’ balance on campus, but minimizing slips can also threaten the environment. For years, the University of Minnesota has turned
to anti-icing products like sodium chloride — common table salt — to prevent students from skidding, but these products come with negative environmental effects. When ice melts, chlorides run into the sewer system and water ways like the Mississippi River, posing a hazard to wildlife. Chlorides also destroy plant material, usually grass on the side of walkways, said University
U entrepreneur looks to what’s next The freshman said in his first venture he made enough money to fund his college education.
Landcare supervisor Doug Lauer. He said de-icing chemicals also seep into cracks in the pavement and break it down when the water refreezes, creating larger cracks and potholes. Over the past four years, the University has spent an average of $139,130 on de-icing, said Facilities Management spokesman Brad Hoff. Chloride is a permanent pollutant because it doesn’t
BY MERITTE DAHL mdahl@mndaily.com
AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY
phermods, an electronics repair shop, Saturday to discuss the venture, he said. The business, opening next month, will connect the companies and
focus on buying used electronics. Get Smarter Soluu See BUSINESS Page 3 Get Smarter Solution made more than$350,000 in sales last year.
u See ICE Page 10 Dyeing chlorides blue can curb the amount used.
Report: Mpls. bicycling continues to increase
BY BRIAN AROLA barola@mndaily.com
University freshman Austin White-Pentony founded Get Smarter Solutions, a company that buys and sells used cellphones, tablets and laptops. White-Pentony uses his office to store and package all of his products, which are then mailed to online customers.
break down or change form over time, said Brooke Asleson, watershed specialist for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Because of this, the best way to remove it is just to use less, she said. Chlorides can run into groundwater and build up over time, which could affect drinking water in the
TRANSPORTATION
The city’s topthree bike traffic areas are near the University campus.
This spring, he’s teaming up with another former dorm-room entrepreneur to create a new business. White-Pentony met with the co-owners of Go-
able housing is very real. Reese lives with 13 other students in a house and pays $439 a month for rent. She said she never considered new upscale apartment complexes in her search for a place to live because of the high rent rates. “I’m paying for school myself,” she said, “so the cheaper the better.” Students, like Reese, often deal with expensive rent
ENVIRONMENT
BUSINESS
For Christmas during his junior year of high school, Austin WhitePentony asked his parents for a filing cabinet to keep his tax records straight. The University of Minnesota freshman now owns and operates Get Smar ter Solutions, which buys used and br oken electronics, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, then sells them on eBay. White-Pentony star ted the business out of his bedroom and has since made more than enough money to cover his tuition.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
HOUSING
BY MARION RENAULT mrenault@mndaily.com
COURTS
A former University employee is charged with selling stolen prosthetics on eBay.
ST PAUL
Over the years, Minneapolis has made itself into one of the top bicycling cities in the U.S. Bicycling has increased in Minneapolis steadily over the last several years and in 2011 was cited as one of nine North American cities experiencing a “bicycling renaissance.” In 2007, the Twin Cities was one of four U.S. communities chosen to receive $28 million in federal funds to increase bicycling in the metro area. Bike Walk Twin Cities allocated the funding to increase bicycling.
Since then, bicycling has increased 51 percent in the Twin Cities and 56 percent in Minneapolis, according to the 2012 BWTC report released late last month. The increase in biking has come as funds were used to build more than 75 miles of new bikeways and sidewalks. The increase over the past six years is encouraging, said Hilar y Reeves, spokeswoman for Transit for Livable Communities, which allocated the funding to BWTC. She said the results can show Congress that money given to communities to enhance bicycling is being spent well. “To see the increase is a definite validation that the funding [is working],” she u See BIKES Page 3 The report also counted the number of women bicyclists.
VOLUME 114 ISSUE 86