June 5, 2013

Page 1

CAMPUS & METRO

Kickin’ it with Kaler Now that the DREAM Act has passed, Kaler says the U is “open for business.” u See PAGE 4

SHOWERS HIGH 66° LOW 52°

BASEBALL

A&E

Junior enters draft with better discipline

Noise in da ’hood

The Minneapolis International Noise Conference aims for diverse eccentricity this year.

D.J. Snelten will likely be picked in the first 10 rounds of the MLB draft.

u See PAGE 12

u See PAGE 11

U OF M

MINNEAPOLIS

ST PAUL

WEDNESDAY

JUNE 5, 2013

MAYORAL RACE

Somalis raise their civic voice

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

NATIONAL POLITICS

Congress locked on student loans The Stafford student loan interest rate will double July 1 if a deal isn’t reached. BY CODY NELSON cnelson@mndaily.com

EMILY DUNKER, DAILY

Minneapolis mayoral candidates, former Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Andrew, City Council members Gary Schiff, Don Samuels and Betsy Hodges, and former City Council President Jackie Cherryhomes, listen to an introduction at a forum hosted by the Somali DFL caucus Friday at Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis. The DFL party will choose a mayoral candidate at the city DFL convention June 15.

The Minneapolis Somali community hosted a mayoral debate last week, the first of its kind. BY CODY NELSON cnelson@mndaily.com

Somali-American to hold a seat. These men are examples of Somali-

In 2010, Hussein Samatar became the first Somali-American to hold public office in Minnesota.

Americans getting increasingly involved in Minnesota civic life. Last week, the five major DFL can-

In 2011, Mohamud Noor fell 300 votes

didates for Minneapolis mayor debated

short of becoming the first Somali-born

at Safari Restaurant and Event Center in

state senator in the nation.

south Minneapolis to gauge issues im-

In April, Abdi Warsame received the

portant to the Somali community. With a

DFL endorsement for City Council, which

growing population, Somali voters are an

could pave the way for him to be the first

important base for candidates.

u See SOMALI Page 8

U’s transportation man calls it a career

BY HAILEY COLWELL hcolwell@mndaily.com

When Bob Baker came to the University of Minnesota as a residence hall director in 1974, Territorial Hall housed only men. He recalled the testosterone-filled dorm being “kind of crazy” and said he convinced the University to make it co-ed. Nearly 40 years later, Baker said he still considers this one of his big

accomplishments. Baker, now the executive director of Parking and Transpor tation Ser vices, will retire in June. As head of the depar tment for 23 years, he expanded parking space on campus by 50 percent, started the U-Pass program and advocated for the University’s interests regarding the Central Corridor light-rail line’s intersection of campus. After working in Housing and Residential Life for about 15 years, Baker took a job as acting parking u See BAKER Page 4 Baker and a colleague spent six years on light-rail negotiations.

DINKYTOWN

Book House is relocating, but not done fighting The 37-year-old store will move to a smaller location in Dinkytown. BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com

The Book House is relocating to a new home just around the corner, but it’s not done fighting for Dinkytown. Its large collection of used and rare books will be moving to a small space above Varsity Bike and Transit in Dinkydale Mall. Owner Kristen Eide-Tollefson said they plan to open by mid-July.

u See LOANS Page 7 President Eric Kaler said he supports Kline’s bill that would tie interest rates to the market.

LAW SCHOOL

STAFF

After 39 years, PTS Director Bob Baker will retire June 7.

If Congress doesn’t act soon, almost 200,000 Minnesota students could see interest rates double on their college loans. The Stafford student loan interest rate is set to double July 1, but the Republican-led House of Representatives and the White House are pushing opposing plans to address the issue. Each year, thousands of University of Minnesota students take out Stafford Loans, the most commonly used type of federal student loan in the nation. The main bill moving through the House, authored by Rep. John Kline, RMinn., would set market-based interest rates for loans, allowing the rate to fluctuate from year-to-year with the government’s cost of borrowing. The plan, which caps interest rates at 8.5 percent, passed the U.S. House on May 23, but President Barack Obama’s administration said he won’t sign the measure if it reaches his desk. The Democrats have proposed multiple plans, but Obama and others suppor t a

New law center to help immigrants A $4.5 million grant will fund The Center for New Americans at the U. BY BRANDEN LARGENT blargent@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota Law School will expand its immigration law programming this fall to meet increased demand for representation. The Robina Foundation pledged Thursday to give

almost $9 million to the law school — one of the largest gifts in the school’s history — to fund its Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice and create a Center for New Americans. Law School Dean David Wippman said the immigration law center will help immigrant groups who often can’t afford legal assistance and can have difficulty navigating the legal system. “This will be great for the community,” said Saeed

Fahia, executive director of the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota. Fahia said Somali immigrants often have trouble finding lawyers who do pro bono work. The number of foreignborn Twin Cities’ residents increased by about 100,000 people from 2000 to 2010. About 10 percent of the population was foreign-born in 2010, according to Minnesota Compass, a part of the nonprofit organization Wilder Research.

Many immigrants face income and language barriers, said Cathy Haukedahl, executive director of MidMinnesota Legal Aid — a pro bono collaborator that will work with the center to provide expertise in civil legal issues to immigrants. “Minnesota has a lot of immigrants who need help in their own language,” she said. u See CENTER Page 6 The center will give aspiring immigration lawyers experience.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Williams has a lot to prove in NBA Some analysts peg the ex-Gophers player as a secondround draft pick. BY JACE FREDERICK jfrederick@mndaily.com

Book House employee Matt Hawbaker said the compact space will be about one-third the size of the current store. The new store will take over the space that the Dinkytown Antiquarian Books bookstore once occupied. Because of the tighter space, the Dinkydale Mall location will be a more curated collection of books, and they’ll be focusing on more online sales, Hawbaker said. Employee Kevin Sell said they previously con-

Rodney Williams wowed Gophers fans with highlight dunks and spectacular athleticism throughout his four-year career at the University of Minnesota. Now that he’s graduated from the team, some analysts are projecting Williams to be a second-round pick in the NBA draft at the end of the month. But some say he’ll need to do more to warrant playing time in the NBA. “Ever yone knows he’s always been a great athlete,” said Flip Saunders, president of operations for the Minnesota

u See DINKY TOWN Page 3 The store is making way for a controversial new development

u See WILLIAMS Page 10 Williams’ poor shooting limited his production with the Gophers.

BRIDGET BENNETT, DAILY

Former Gophers basketball player Rodney Williams works out for the Minnesota Timberwolves on May 29 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Some analysts project Williams to be a secondround pick in the NBA draft June 27.

VOLUME 114 ISSUE 118


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June 5, 2013 by The Minnesota Daily - Issuu