July 31, 2013

CAMPUS & METRO

Study: calories on menus don’t affect choices

Restaurants with more than 20 locations will be required to list calories on menus beginning in 2014. u See PAGE 3

FOOTBALL

Vereen emerges from brother’s shadow into leader

U OF M

MINNEAPOLIS

Dinkytown project in limbo Dinkytown’s future is up in the air, and the community is growing more divided over what changes should happen, if any.

After a surprise vote against a controversial sixstor y apar tment complex at the Minneapolis City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee meeting last week, some businesses and community members

Underage University of Minnesota students who overdrink will have new legal protections when a medical amnesty law begins Aug. 1.

University students had urged state legislators to pass the law for years but weren’t successful until this spring.

Now that the law is about to take effect, the Minnesota Daily has what underage stu-

ST PAUL

SUMMER EDITION

JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2013

FACULTY/STAFF

U to change benefits after DOMA, marriage ruling

BRIDGET BENNETT, DAILY

Steff Yorek visits her partner Jess Sundin during one of her treatments at the Phillips Wangensteen Building on East Bank on Tuesday morning. Formally married in Washington state, their marriage will be legally recognized in Minnesota on Aug. 1.

The U is awaiting updated federal and state regulations to adjust benefits for LGBT employees.

BY HAILEY COLWELL hcolwell@mndaily.com

dents need to know if they plan to drink.

Under the law, a minor who is drinking could call 911 in an emergency. If they comply with police and aren’t committing any other crimes, both the person who called and the friend they called for wouldn’t be charged with underage alcohol consumption or possession.

To avoid a ticket, the law states, a person must have an “immediate health or safety concern,” and anyone calling to get help for another must remain on the scene

Marriage Act was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in

For years, Stef f Yorek has

Star ting Aug. 1, same-sex

partner, Jess Sundin, to be cov-

couples in Minnesota will be

ered by the University of Min-

able to marr y, and same-sex

nesota’s employee health care

marriages performed in other

plan.

states will be recognized for the

But soon, that may change.

u See MEDICAL Page 3 Sixteen other states have varying medical amnesty laws.

June.

had to pay extra taxes for her

first time.

The University is awaiting

The University is asking em-

updated federal and state guide-

ployees whose same-sex marriag-

lines for how to change employ-

es will be newly recognized on or

ee benefits after same-sex mar-

after Aug. 1 to submit documen-

riage was legalized in Minne-

tation so it can prepare to make

sota in May and the Defense of

changes to their benefits plans.

u See BENEFITS Page 16

STUDENT PROJECTS

FOOTBALL

Urban farms feed restaurants Kill aims to

continue thirdyear magic At other schools, coach Jerry Kill’s third season showed dramatic improvement.

Five days a week, six hours a day, Seth Schramm works in community gardens.

URentWise, created by a U alumnus, allows students to review area rentals.

BY ROY AKER raker@mndaily.com

their summer to creating a sustainable farm-to-restaurant supply model for a business in South Minneapolis with hopes of transforming the way people think about food. u See FARM Page 16 The students hope to one day open their own business.

u See KILL Page 8 Kill said the Gophers haven’t yet had a “signature win,” but they’ll need one this season.

u See SITE Page 5 Arling said the site will also include legal resources for renters.

BRIDGET BENNETT, DAILY

But the biology, society and environment senior is doing more than just pulling weeds.

Several University of Minnesota students like Schramm have dedicated

New site lets students rate apts.

CHICAGO — Third-year Gophers head coach Jerry Kill loves to preach optimism.

This season, he has a history of winning to show for it.

Kill’s 19-year head coaching career has been a series of success stories, highlighted by dramatic improvements in his third seasons at different schools.

His previous two teams — Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois — improved by six and three wins, respectively, in his third year. In both cases, his team won 10 games and its respective conference.

That track record has raised expectations this season for a Gophers program that has finished 2-6 in the Big Ten in backto-back seasons. The Gophers improved their overall record last season from 3-9 to 6-7 and made their first bowl game since 2009.

A bowl game might not be enough this time.

“Our expectation is a Big Ten championship,” said senior safety Brock Vereen.

Farm to restaurant coordinator Corrie Weikle is passed a chicken from Gandhi Mahal owner Ruhel Islam at one of the plots in the Longfellow neighborhood of South Minneapolis on Thursday afternoon.

Students are growing food in south Minneapolis farms for a local restaurant.

HOUSING

University of Minnesota students will be able to share their rental experiences and view other students’ property ratings online starting this fall.

URentWise will enable students to rate, research and comment on hundreds of properties.

The site is only available to those with a University email address. Currently, students can submit reviews of most University-area properties but can’t read reviews posted by others.

The website may partner with different University entities, including the Minnesota Student Association and the Office for Student Affairs, which have both have expressed interest.

MSA has offered a way for students to learn about rental properties since 2004, when they first started compiling data for its annual Renters’ Survey. The results are posted on MSA’s website.

URentWise creator, University alumnus Adam Arling, said he came up with the idea three years ago as both a renter and a University senior active in community relations work.

The website, which Arling modeled on

BY CHARLIE ARMITZ carmitz@mndaily.com

BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

u See DINKY TOWN Page 4 Bauer said she has two other offers for her land.

Medical amnesty starts Aug. 1

BY CODY NELSON cnelson1@mndaily.com

u See PAGE 10

are hopeful for Dinkytown’s future, but others are upset.

The committee voted 3-2 against planning staff recommendations for the unnamed development from Opus Group. If allowed its required rezoning, the project would replace businesses and a parking lot on 14th Avenue Southeast and Fifth Street Southeast in Dinkytown with retail space and 140 apartments.

The City Council will vote on the project Aug. 2.

The development’s opponents said the meeting

STUDENT LIFE

Underage drinkers will be able to call 911 without fearing a citation.

Three shows from this year’s Fringe Festival prove that outlandish comedy’s alive and well among local thespians.

Senior safety Brock Vereen will lead the Gophers’ secondary in 2013.

HOUSING

BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com

Forever on the Fringe

u See PAGE 8

A.M. T-STORMS HIGH 81° LOW 57°

The proposed apt. complex’s fate hangs on a City Council vote.

A&E

VOLUME 114 ISSUE 126

2

Daily Review

July 31-August 6, 2013

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1965 Joanne Rowling, better known the world over as J.K. Rowling, the author and creator of the celebrated Harry Potter book series, is born near Bristol, England.

HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH

VIDEO Vol. 114 July 31-August 6, 2013, No. 126

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Minnesota Daily sports editor Charlie Armitz and sports reporter Jace Frederick recap Big Ten Media Days from Chicago and discuss topics such as the youth on this year’s Gophers squad, expectations for this season and thoughts on the new rule changes. This two-day event featured interviews with all 12 Big Ten coaches and select players from each Big Ten squad.

View the full video and others online at mndaily.com/multimedia/videos.

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WORLD BRIEFING

Manning guilty on many charges, not most serious

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FORT MEADE, Md. — U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was acquitted of aiding the enemy — the most serious charge he faced — but was convicted of espionage, theft and other charges Tuesday, more than three years after he spilled secrets to WikiLeaks.

The judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, deliberated for about 16 hours over three days before reaching her decision in a case that drew worldwide attention as supporters hailed Manning as a whistleblower. The U.S. government called him an anarchist computer hacker and attention-seeking traitor.

Manning stood at attention, flanked by his attorneys, as the judge read her verdicts. He appeared not to react, though his attorney, David Coombs, smiled faintly when he heard not guilty on aiding the enemy, which carried a potential life sentence.

When the judge was done, Coombs put his hand on Manning’s back and whispered something to him, eliciting a slight smile on the soldier’s face.

Manning was convicted on 19 of 21 charges, and he previously pleaded guilty to a charge involving an Icelandic cable. He faces up to 136 years in prison. His sentencing hearing begins Wednesday.

Coombs came outside the court to a round of applause and shouts of “thank you” from a few dozen Manning supporters.

“We won the battle, now we need to go win the war,” Coombs said of the sentencing phase. “Today is a good day, but Bradley is by no means out of the fire.”

Supporters thanked him for his work. One slipped him a private note. Others asked questions about verdicts that they didn’t understand.

Manning’s court-martial was unusual because he acknowledged giving the antisecrecy website more than 700,000 battlefield reports and diplomatic cables, and video of a 2007 U.S. helicopter attack that killed civilians in Iraq, including a Reuters news photographer and his driver.

In the footage, airmen laughed and called targets “dead bastards.” A military investigation found troops mistook the camera equipment for weapons.

Besides the aiding the enemy acquittal, Manning was also found not guilty of an espionage charge when the judge found prosecutors had not proved their assertion Manning started giving material to WikiLeaks in late 2009.

Manning said he started the leaks in February the following year.

Manning pleaded guilty earlier this year to lesser of fenses that could have

brought him 20 years behind bars, yet the government continued to pursue all but one of the original, more serious charges.

Manning said during a pre-trial hearing in February he leaked the material to expose the U.S military’s “bloodlust” and disregard for human life, and what he considered American diplomatic deceit. He said he chose information he believed would not the harm the United States and he wanted to start a debate on military and foreign policy. He did not testify at his court-martial.

Coombs portrayed Manning as a “young, naive but good-intentioned” soldier who was in emotional turmoil, partly because he was a gay service member at a time when homosexuals were barred from serving openly in the U.S. military.

He said Manning could have sold the information or given it directly to the enemy, but he gave it to WikiLeaks in an attempt to “spark reform” and provoke debate. Counterintelligence witnesses valued the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs at about $5.7 million.

Coombs said Manning had no way of knowing whether al-Qaida would access the secret-spilling website and a 2008 counterintelligence report showed the government itself didn’t know much about the site.

The defense attorney also mocked the testimony of a

former supervisor who said Manning told her the American flag meant nothing to him and she suspected before they deployed to Iraq that Manning was a spy. Coombs noted she had not written up a report on Manning’s alleged disloyalty, though had written ones on him taking too many smoke breaks and drinking too much coffee.

The gover nment said Manning had sophisticated security training and broke signed agreements to protect the secrets. He even had to give a presentation on operational security during his training after he got in trouble for posting a YouTube video about what he was learning.

The lead prosecutor, Maj. Ashden Fein, said Manning knew the material would be seen by al-Qaida, a key point prosecutor needed to prove to get an aiding the enemy conviction. Even Osama bin Laden had some of the digital files at his compound when he was killed.

Some of Manning’s suppor ters attended nearly ever y day of two-month trial, many of them protesting outside the Fort Meade gates each day before the court-martial. They wore Tshirts with the word “truth” on them, blogged, tweeted and raised money for Manning’s defense. One supporter was banned from the trial because the judge said he made online threats.

CAMPUS BRIEFING

Regents form new health committee

BY JANICE BITTERS jbitters@mndaily.com

In the past, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents has held six committees at a time, but this year, it will add a seventh.

The board has set its sights on health research with the new Special Study Committee on Academic Health, finalized by new chair Richard Beeson with unanimous board approval at the July regents meeting.

The special committee will focus on academic medicine, which includes academic health research and the medical school.

According to a University press release, the goal in creating the new committee is to increase knowledge and oversight of University medical

research among the regents.

Regent Linda Cohen, outgoing board chair, will lead the new committee, and Regent Dean Johnson will ser ve as vice chair for the next two years.

Regents committees are responsible for making recommendations to the full board to vote on during their monthly meetings. Committees also gather reports on behalf of the board about their respective topics.

During the July regents meeting, the board heard from Vice President for Research Brian Herman, who unveiled his long-term plan for research initiatives, including academic medicine.

During the meeting, professor Karen Ashe, a leading University neurology researcher, told the board about

a breakthrough that could lead to a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Beeson said the special committee will focus on similar discoveries.

The creation of the new committee also comes at a time when the University’s academic health system is changing.

Earlier this year, both the University and South Dakota-based Sanford Health proposed mergers with Fairview Health Services, which controls the University’s Medical Center. In April, Sanford pulled out of merger talks and Fair view rejected the University’s proposal.

In a statement, Fair view’s interim CEO, Chuck Mooty, said the University and Fair view would work on strengthening their relationship.

EXTENDED WEATHER FORECAST THURSDAY HIGH 81° LOW 59° Sunny

FRIDAY HIGH 79° LOW 57° Mostly sunny

SATURDAY HIGH79° LOW 55° Sunny

SUNDAY HIGH 78° LOW 62° Partly cloudy

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July 31-August 6, 2013

Regent could pursue legal action for online photo Laura Brod confirmed July 25 a revealing photo online is authentic.

BY KEVIN BURBACH, TONY WAGNER AND EMMA NELSON kburbach@mndaily.com awagner1@mndaily.com enelson1@mndaily.com

University of Minnesota Board of Regents member and former state legislator Laura Brod said in a statement last week that she is pursuing legal action after a private photograph of her — which she confirmed is authentic — was posted online.

The revealing photo, posted July 22 on a Tumblr blog, shows Brod lying on a bed. A link to the blog was anonymously sent to several local media organizations, including the Minnesota Daily. The story first emerged on City Pages’ website July 25 after Checks and Balances, a local political website, tweeted a link to the photo.

In the statement first released July 25, Brod and her husband Wade said the photo was “illegally disseminated … for the sole purpose of embarrassing our family and damaging our reputations.”

“We cannot begin to explain why someone would be so mean, and so hateful,” the statement said. “Nor can we overstate the humiliation they have caused.”

Brod and her husband said the larger issue of privacy invasion is not unique to them and that they are pursuing “all legal means possible to prosecute whoever is responsible for the illegal dissemination of this material.”

University law professor William McGeveran, who studies digital privacy, spoke hypothetically about internet privacy cases in an inter view with the Minnesota Daily on Monday.

If private information — like a photo — is obtained through hacking, then it could be prosecuted as a federal crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, McGeveran said.

“By the way,” he said, “the crime wouldn’t actually be the posting of it then — the crime would be the way it was obtained.”

If the information wasn’t obtained illegally but was

“We cannot begin to explain why someone would be so mean, and so hateful.”

Statement released by Laura Brod July 25.

posted online without the subject’s consent, it could result in a civil lawsuit for invasion of privacy between the subject and the person who posted the content, McGeveran said.

These kinds of cases can be complex, he said, because they often deal with embarrassing information.

“It can be ver y hard on plaintiffs because you end up potentially bringing more attention to the private information by suing,” he said.

In their statement, Brod and her husband said they would not comment further on the matter.

The University does not plan to release any statement, said University spokesman Chuck Tombarge.

3

Study: calories on menus don’t affect choices Restaurants with more than 20 locations will be required to list calories on menus beginning in 2014.

BY LIBBY RYAN eryan@mndaily.com

When the Affordable Care Act takes effect in 2014, restaurants with more than 20 locations will have to provide more nutritional information to customers.

But listing calorie amounts on chain restaurant menus — one of the new requirements — may not have the power to change people’s eating habits, a recent study found.

The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health in mid-July, suggests consumers ignore calorie information and choose food for taste and convenience, even if the amounts are posted in obvious locations.

On average, about 40 percent of Minnesota college students eat fast food at least once per week and about a third eat at a restaurant at least once per week, according to the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service’s 2012 College Student Health Survey.

Katie Kasner, a registered dietitian with Boynton, said posting calorie amounts on

STUDENTS’ MEALS EATEN AT RESTAURANTS 67.4% 32.5% less than two more than one times per month time per week SOURCE: BOYNTON HEALTH SURVEY

menu boards is more useful than simply knowing nutrition information is available on a restaurant’s website.

“A good majority of us, when we eat out, we may tend to overeat,” she said. “… It’s a useful tool to be able to see calories listed at the point of purchase.”

University Dining Services started posting calorie amounts on some of its menus in fall 2011, according to a July 25 press release.

UDS Director Karen DeVet said their “efforts in the area of nutrition will continue to evolve.”

But it’s unclear whether students take the calorie amounts posted in campus restaurants like Jamba Juice and Papa John’s into account when choosing their meals.

At the Papa John’s location in the St. Paul Student Center, calorie amounts appear on

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY

Jamba Juice’s menu board displays the calories next to each of its food and beverages.

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY

Jamba Juice employee Jalissa Engelage takes a customer’s credit card to pay for his drink on Monday in Stadium Village. Jamba Juice is one of the few stores that display the calorie content of their food and beverages on their menu.

the menu board above the counter. One serving, which is one slice, of cheese or vegetable pizza is listed as 180 calories, but a whole personal pizza has four slices.

Because healthy calorie amounts and serving sizes vary from person to person depending on height, weight and exercise level, understanding individual nutritional needs is important to prevent overeating.

“I may really want to eat this 500-calorie Big Mac,” Kasner said, “but maybe I could just eat less of it.”

Maxine Kobinski, German studies and linguistics junior and Papa John’s employee, said she thinks people might choose a vegetable pizza in an attempt to be healthy, but don’t take the calorie amounts very seriously.

“I don’t think most people even look,” she said. “They already know it’s unhealthy.”

Jamba Juice employee and film studies senior Tessa Lee said some people ask specifically about the nutrition facts of the various smoothies offered, but many end up

choosing something regardless of content.

“College kids don’t even care,” she said. “They’ll end up doing whatever because they just want a good smoothie.”

In Dinkytown, Potbelly Sandwich Shop is one of the few restaurants with calorie information posted on their menu board, which started in January.

“I think that people pay attention, but it’s rare,” said Potbelly manager Joel Berlowe .

Occasionally, he said, people will do the math aloud and talk to him about their choices. But more often, customers will look at the menu board and still order something with more calories.

Ted Lins, economics junior, said it’s likely he’ll decide what he wants and then glance at the calorie information.

“If it’s unduly unhealthy,” he said, “I’ll avoid it.”

But Jake Grafenstein, computer science sophomore, said he doesn’t take calorie amounts into consideration.

“I don’t think counting calories is a good way to manage your diet,” he said. “It has to be a lifestyle change, and having calories listed is not the way to make better choices.”

Kasner said counting calories can be an effective way to lose weight, but it’s not the only one. Choosing to cut back on certain foods, managing portion sizes and cooking at home can have similar effects.

“If you don’t need to lose weight,” she said, “there’s no need to count calories.”

Ana Bohlken, an economics transfer student, said she considers calorie amounts when she eats at restaurants and chooses her foods carefully.

“I’m paranoid about my diet,” she said. “I’ll look for other options if I can.”

While it may seem like some people still choose unhealthy options, Kasner said, more studies need to be done on menu labeling.

“Give it some time,” she said. “Maybe it’ll start to make a difference.”

Medical amnesty starts August 1, U could alter conduct code Medical u from Page 1

and provide contact information to police.

While underage students will be protected by law, the University can still sanction students under the Student Conduct Code.

If students are cited, the University can meet with them on a case-by-case basis to discuss any potential problems with alcohol abuse.

“Our main concern in our office is for the welfare of the student,” said Sharon Dzik, director of the University’s Office for Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.

But it’s unclear how the University will get information on underage student alcohol use if police don’t issue tickets.

Currently, Minneapolis police only notify the University about incidents involving students around campus if they file a criminal or civil report, said crime prevention specialist Nick Juarez. But under the new law, filing these reports isn’t allowed if medical care is required.

“There’s a whole lot of grey area in this,” he said.

“We don’t forward anything along unless there’s a report.”

University officials are

adding a new section to their “Know the Code” brochures, which explains the Student Conduct Code, to notify students about the medical amnesty law.

Dzik said the new policy says “University consequences and/or follow-up may still apply” for both students involved, even if medical amnesty makes it so police don’t issue any alcohol-related tickets.

The “critical question” is how the University will receive information when there isn’t a police report, she said.

“We’re going to still want to meet with students,” Dzik said, adding that University officials will likely have further discussions to adjust its policy.

If a medical amnesty incident happens on campus, University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said, the University can still rely on reports from security monitors and residence hall staff, for example.

Miner worked with Minnesota Student Association members to help draft the law, which he said helped make its language more effective.

Previously, when University police handled underage alcohol cases in which someone needed medical attention, it was at the officer’s discre-

STATES WITH MEDICAL AMNESTY LAW

SOURCE: MEDICALAMNESTY.ORG

tion whether or not to issue a citation, Miner said.

“In some sense, we’ve already been doing amnesty in some cases,” he said, “but not 100 percent of cases.”

Medical amnesty in other states

Currently, 16 other states and the District of Columbia have medical amnesty laws in place, but specifics can differ from state-to-state.

Miner said as a whole his

Big Ten peers have told him students don’t use medical amnesty very often.

In Indiana, alcohol-related tickets can be costly. Indiana University Police Lt. Craig Munroe said he believes Indiana legislators passed medical amnesty because the financial and legal penalties made underage drinkers afraid to call for help.

Indiana’s law is similar to Minnesota’s because it provides protection for one caller

in addition to the person in need of medical attention.

But Nor th Dakota law is less strict. It provides amnesty for up to five people, including the person receiving medical attention.

North Dakota State University police Lt. Gregor y Stone said the law has been pretty successful in its application.

“If the person is in that bad of shape, the last thing they need is a ticket for a minor.”

4

July 31-August 6, 2013

E-books increase, but students favor print Donald Liu teaches applied economics at the University and has opted to use e-books in his classes for several years.

The textbook for his class appears on students’ Moodle account, and the cost — about 60 percent of the same book in print — is automatically billed to them after the deadline for dropping classes has passed.

“I wanted to minimize the cost,” he said. “I know [students] have a limited budget, and I know they take many courses and have to spend $200 to $300 just for the book for each course.”

Lower cost isn’t the only benefit to using e-books, Liu said. Many e-books come with tools that instructors and students can use to make teaching and studying more efficient, including the ability to embed videos into sections of the book or to share notes with classmates.

Electronic books, or ebooks, are gaining popularity among college-aged students and educators, including those at the University of Minnesota.

While e-books currently account for only 6 percent of textbook sales at University Bookstores, that number is growing, said assistant director Martha Hoppe.

While colleges and universities nationwide invest in e-books, students still opt for traditional paper books for academic reading, according to a recent study.

The study centered on 17 City University of New York students and found that they almost always used electronic devices for short, non-academic reading, and favored print when reading for classes.

In 2012, the number of people in the U.S. age 16 and

Drawbacks

Though there are many benefits to using e-books, there are also drawbacks, like getting distracted by the option of going on the Internet while reading on an electronic device, Zhang said.

“When I use my iPad, if a deadline is coming, I’d rather not touch that,” she said.

In addition, students who like to keep textbooks after a class ends might decide to buy the print edition, said Hoppe, of the University Bookstores.

“These [e-books] are all basically subscription-based,” she said. “Once that timeframe has expired, the e-book goes away. … We try to make it ver y clear up-front how many days [students] have access to the book.”

And in order to keep costs low, instructors may need to negotiate the price tag with publishers, Hoppe said.

“The larger the class, the more power the instructor has,” she said. “We certainly will be glad to help them, but it is up to those two [parties].”

Liu said he began negotiating to lower the cost of the book he’ll require next year after learning the price was set to rise 9 percent.

E-READING

BY THE NUMBERS

23%

Nationally

Benefits

BY JANICE BITTERS jbitters@mndaily.com

Though Liu is enthusiastic about the additional features e-books and e-readers offer, he said not many of his students tend to take advantage of them. He noticed that trend while monitoring how students use the material online and through a survey he gave his class last year.

“For some students who like to read [print], they will print out a hard copy. And that is a waste of resources,” he said. “Others are very comfortable — especially [those] with an iPad. They carry the book wherever they go.”

Wanbing Zhang, psychology junior, said she likes using e-books on her iPad for schoolwork but said she doesn’t use many of the added features e-books often offer.

“I can highlight things on the PDF reader on my iPad, but I don’t really share notes,” she said. “If you share notes, you have to do that with a class, and [my classes] don’t really do that together.”

The CUNY study also highlighted that students generally read e-books the same way they would read printed ones — sequentially and often without taking notes.

of Americans 16 or older read an e-book in 2012

University

older who read e-books increased 7 percent from the previous year, while printed book reading fell 5 percent in the same group, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

The University is pushing for more e-books, but student demand isn’t there.

e-books sold at University Bookstores in 2012–13

3970

19%

5%

of Americans 16 or older own e-book reading devices

416

e-book titles available at University Bookstores in 2012–13

of library users have borrowed an e-book from a library

500,000

approximate number of e-books available from University Libraries

SOURCES: MARTHA HOPPE, UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES, PEW RESEARCH CENTER

E-book outlook

While the CUNY study shows college students today still tend to use printed material for academic reading, some estimate that will change.

Liu said he thinks students coming to college in the future will be more acclimated to using e-books over print textbooks.

Nationally, the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Communications Commission have rolled out a guide for K-12 educators to help provide digital textbooks to students in hopes

that all K-12 students will use a digital textbook by 2017.

The University Bookstores have experienced an increase in e-book purchases by students, Hoppe said. And though not ever y publisher cur rently offers an e-book option for their textbooks, she said she hopes to continue increasing the number of titles the Bookstores can offer.

“We look at absolutely ever y course option that comes through to see if there is an e-book,” she said.

Prospect Park wants stronger voice in liquor licensing The neighborhood is re-evaluating its liquor policy to prepare for the end of light-rail construction.

BY KIA FARHANG mfarhang@mndaily.com

When University of Minnesota neighborhoods try to curb alcohol use, balancing business restrictions with resident safety can be a challenge.

Prospect Park is currently formalizing its liquor policy to avoid potential alcohol issues the light rail could bring when it opens next year. The neighborhood has negotiated with several local liquor license applicants in an attempt to avoid the latenight parties and crime its residents say Dinkytown suffers from.

City of ficials say they take neighborhood input into account, but some Prospect Park residents have expressed frustration with the process.

“We don’t have any real power,” said Karen Murdock, Prospect Park East River Road Improvement Association secretary.

While the decision to grant a license is ultimately up to the Minneapolis City Council, neighborhood input plays an important role in the

Possible business restrictions

The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association also meets with liquor license applicants, albeit less formally.

“It’s not like we have a checklist or anything,” said Melissa Bean, MHNA executive director.

Bean said the neighborhood is mostly concerned with how late-night restaurants and bars will handle outside clean-up, but the restaurants have been cooperative and mostly do a good job.

MARCY-HOLMES SEES MORE CRIME THAN PROSPECT PARK IN JAN-JUNE 2013 RAPE

BURGLARY

ROBBERY

THEFT

2 3

5 5

ASSAULT

6 3

Marcy-Holmes Prospect Park

47

20

78

180

CAR THEFT

6

Resident input has shot down a license application before.

Bean said a restaurant owner wanted a speaker system on their patio about three years ago. The restaurant was in a residential part of Marcy-Holmes.

The neighborhood didn’t suppor t it, and the City Council never granted the license.

Ward 2 City Council member Cam Gordon, who represents Prospect Park, said neighborhood support holds “significant weight” in the license application process.

“I really appreciate it when businesses talk and meet with their neighbors,” Gordon said. “If neighborhoods are supportive, that gives a big signal to the Council.”

In the past, business owners had to agree to any conditions attached to their liquor license up front before the Council approved it, Gordon said. If a business didn’t follow regulations, the city could only revoke its license or shut it down.

But a recent ordinance change creates some middle ground, allowing the City Council to impose probationar y restrictions on “problem” restaurants and bars without owner approval.

Under the new ordinance, the city can require restaurants to close earlier than usual, hire extra security or provide more staff training until they clean up their act, Gordon said.

“My hope is that with the new law, people will realize that maybe conditions don’t need to be built in so much at the front,” Gordon said.

“Maybe they can come in later.”

Residents fear limiting business

20

TOTAL

115

260

SOURCE: MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT

Dinkytown u from Page 1

was a critical day for Dinkytown.

“I’m pleasantly surprised,” said Kafé 421’s James Sander. “I’m feeling hopeful.”

But other businesses left the meeting frustrated and unsure of what to do if the project isn’t approved.

Laurel Bauer, who owns grocer y store House of Hanson and the three buildings the Opus project would displace, said she expected the committee to approve the rezoning.

“I hope they come to their senses,” Bauer said.

“Nothing historic is leaving Dinkytown.”

Two affected businesses, The Book House and

The Podium guitar store, have already relocated, with only The Book House remaining in the area. The Podium has moved its business to another guitar shop on Minnehaha Ave. Bauer planned to close House of Hanson on July 31 to make room for the development, but now she’ll leave her store open through at least the weekend.

“I’m hanging on day-byday,” Bauer said.

Bauer said she has two other of fers for her land that wouldn’t require rezoning, but Bauer said the other projects wouldn’t be as good for Dinkytown as Opus’.

Opus will give up on the project if it’s rejected by the City Council, senior director of Real Estate Development Matt Rauenhorst said.

While some Prospect Park residents are worried they don’t have enough control over the liquor license

“We’re ver y disappointed in the Committee’s decision last week,” Rauenhorst said in an email. “If the City Council does not vote in suppor t, Opus will move forward to pursue other opportunities.”

Peter Bajurny, University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering information technician, said there’s no point in opposing the project now that the affected businesses are just “vacant store-fronts.”

Matt Hawbaker, spokesman for Save Dinkytown, a group opposing the project, said the fight isn’t about the individual stores anymore but about keeping the area open to small businesses.

Opponents have said small businesses can’t afford to rent space in new buildings, but Rauenhorst said in an email statement

PROSPECT PARK ALCOHOL CLUSTERED IN STADIUM VILLAGE, ON UNIVERSITY AVENUE 1. Bona Restaurant

2

2. Buffalo Wild Wings

7

3. Campus Pizza 1

12 3 15 10 8

Mis siss ipp i

13 D RON BOULEVAR SOUTHEAST HU

decision, said Linda Roberts, whose office makes recommendations to the Council. “[Residents] definitely make a difference,” she said.

“Their voice is very valuable to us.”

PPERRIA has asked restaurants to take a number of proactive measures to prevent binge drinking, which many residents are concerned about.

Prospect Park representatives have encouraged restaurants to limit drink specials, happy hours and bar seating, as well as to emphasize ser ving food with any alcoholic beverage.

If the business meets all of the requests, the neighborhood association writes a letter to the city supporting the license application.

4. Cupcake

6

5. Green Spoon 5 9

14

6. The Hole Sports Lounge UNIV ERS ITY A VEN UE S OUT HEA ST

7. My Burger 8. Noodles & Company 4

9. Profile Event Center 10. Punch Neopolitan Pizza

Rive r

11. Signature Cafe 12. Stub & Herbs

94

13. Tea House Chinese Resaurant 11

14. U Garden Restaurant 15. Valu Liquors

landscape, others say the neighborhood policy is too restrictive.

“When I read the policy, I was a little alarmed,” said PPERRIA board member Tamara Johnson. She said the neighborhood’s practice goes “above and beyond what the city’s asking” by requiring restaurants to make commitments for the future, like promising to never install a bar.

Because businesses already have to go through the city licensing process, the neighborhood shouldn’t restrict them any further, said University alumna and Prospect Park resident Diana Dukich.

“It might make a business think twice about coming to Prospect Park,” she said.

Instead, Dukich said, the neighborhood association should focus on attracting businesses to the area.

Amy Kaminsky, a resident and University professor of gender, women and sexuality studies, said the current liquor policy restricts businesses rather than protecting students because restaurants and bars

cater to an older crowd.

“When students want to drink, they’re not doing it at fancy bars,” she said.

“They’re doing it in their apartments or at parties.”

that commercial rental rates would remain “in the range of those currently in place.”

the vote will open the area to similar development. “[This vote] gives the opportunity for similar decisions to be made [in the future],” she said.

Hostede said she wants to wait until the MarcyHolmes Neighborhood Association finalizes its master plan, which includes Dinkytown, sometime this winter.

Feedback from groups like Save Dinkytown will weigh heavily on her decision, Hofstede said.

Hawbaker said the group is hopeful Hofstede’s opposition to the project will influence the final Council vote.

Members of Save Dinkytown want to see development happen in Dinkytown, Hawbaker said, but not until the neighborhood sets firmer guidelines.

Development v. tradition

Even if the project isn’t approved, community members will still disagree on whether Dinkytown should cater to students or the community at large.

“Students want to live close to the University,” Bajurny said. “It’s more productive to work with Opus.”

But architecture junior Jake Benecasa said Dinkytown’s “unique charm” is more important than building more student housing.

“It will be a big, sore thumb in the middle of town,” he said.

Third Ward Councilwoman Diane Hofstede, who represents Marcy-Holmes, said

Concerns over binge drinking

Longtime Prospect Park resident Paul Zerby said the policy prevents binge drinking without being too restrictive.

“Nobody I know would want to preclude anyone from having a beer,” he said.

“There’s a long gap between binge drinking and prohibition.”

But binge drinking occurs in residence halls and private homes — not just bars, said University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner.

Most of Prospect Park is residential, which Miner said results in fewer police calls to the area.

University police don’t track calls by neighborhood, but Minneapolis police have recorded 115 crimes in Prospect Park in the first half of this year — less than half as many as in MarcyHolmes, which includes Din-

SOURCE: CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS

kytown.

Miner said after Dinkytown, the next most active late-night area is the Stadium Village commercial district, which is part of Prospect Park.

Areas like Dinkytown and Stadium Village could make it easier for students to binge drink, said Toben Nelson, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University who studies alcohol consumption behavior.

“Any time you have alcohol outlets that are clustered together,” he said, “those tend to be spots where more alcohol-related problems … are much more common.”

Graphic design junior and Marcy-Holmes resident Christina Maher said she thinks students don’t restrict their drinking to bars and instead do it wherever they can.

Maher said some of Prospect Park’s policies may discourage binge drinking but won’t wipe it out entirely.

“If you’re super driven to be out drinking with your friends,” she said, “I think those are the people that won’t really be fazed.”

By the time the neighborhood hashes out the master plan, it may be too late for Opus, but Rauenhorst said he’s “hopeful” the project can still happen.

OPUS DINKYTOWN PROJECT

BY THE NUMBERS

August 2 CITY COUNCIL MEETING 6STORIES 140 UNITS

68 PUBLIC PARKING SPACES 9,500 square feet OF COMMERICAL SPACE SOURCE: CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS, OPUS GROUP

July 31-August 6, 2013

U releases 2014 bonding requests The University has requested nearly $233 million for construction and renovation projects.

BY CODY NELSON cnelson1@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota is gearing up for the 2014 legislative session with a $230 million preliminar y bonding bill request.

The request, released July 15, asks for funding of six construction and renovation projects across all University campuses. On the Twin Cities campus, the University requested funding for renovating the Tate Laborator y of Physics, constructing a new Plant and Animal Science Building and modernizing existing labs.

The largest Universityrelated item that didn’t receive funding last session was a new Bell Museum of Natural Histor y on the St. Paul campus, which was requested by Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul — not the University.

Although the University didn’t request funding for the new Bell Museum this

year either, Jason Rohloff, the University’s head lobbyist, said it’s likely Hausman will push for it in 2014 if she still leads the House’s Capital Investment Committee.

Rohlof f said he’s optimistic this year’s bonding request will pass.

“I feel ver y confident that policymakers are in tune with what facilities are needed to position students for success and to fulfill the mission of the University,” he said.

University officials will meet with policymakers in the coming months to make the case for the projects.

The University’s top priority in the request is $100 million for Higher Education Asset Preservation and Renovation, which is funding for the general upkeep and maintenance of University buildings.

One of the main HEAPR projects is to renovate the Mechanical Engineering building, which Rohloff said is in “dire need” of funding.

The building needs a number of upgrades to meet safety and health codes, Rohloff said, adding that lawmakers have previously toured the facility to see what needs repair.

A large bonding bill failed in May, leaving about $110 million in University con-

2014 CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION FUNDING REQUESTS Total: $232.7 million

$100 million

$56.7 million

$30 million $12 million $10 million HEAPR

Tate Sciences Plant and Chemical Research and Teaching Animal Science Sciences and Laboratory Renovation Building Advanced Improvement Materials Fund Building

Crookston Wellness Center

SOURCE: MINNESOTA MANAGEMENT & BUDGET

struction projects unfunded, but in odd-numbered years, the Legislature traditionally focuses on the budget rather than bonding projects.

Later in the session, a smaller bonding bill passed, mostly providing funding to renovate the state Capitol.

University Chief Financial Officer Richard Pfutzenreuter previously told the Minnesota Daily that “unmet needs” from the recent failed bond-

ing bill will go into the 2014 request, but the preliminary request doesn’t include everything that didn’t get funding last session.

Not including the University, the Legislature has received nearly $2.6 billion in bonding requests from various organizations so far — and that could increase.

Rohloff said he doesn’t expect any “dramatic changes” to the University’s request.

The University has temporarily converted the intersection to prepare for bus routes to change once construction is finished.

BY CODY NELSON cnelson1@mndaily.com

Site u from Page 1

user-driven websites like Rate My Professors and Yelp, fills a need for University-area renters who may fall victim to poor-quality rentals or landlords, he said.

The website uses listing information from the City of Minneapolis and has recently added many St. Paul addresses.

Beginnings In 2012, when Arling was a neighborhood liaison working for University Student and Community Relations, he discussed his ideas for a website with the Of fice for Student Af fairs and members of MSA’s Facilities, Housing and Transit Committee.

Arling said he’s still deciding on possible partnerships, and the decision will depend on the different stakeholders involved and what resources each can “bring to the table.”

Former Facilities, Hous-

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY

Vehicles circle a temporary roundabout installed by Parking and Transportation Services at the intersection of Pleasant Street Southeast and Pillsbury Drive.

ing and Transit Committee co-director Phill Kelly said Arling approached him in 2012 and said he was working on a rental rating website.

After MSA had technical problems posting survey results online, the committee looked to create a more stable site using a student programmer, professional developers or a University office.

Committee members were war y of using a student-led startup website and weren’t able to provide any of their own resources to host Arling’s project online. They decided MSA would work with a professional company to host survey results, Kelly said.

“I told Adam to come back to us when he was further along in developing the site,” he said, “and then we’d give it some more serious consideration.”

Possible collaboration

Two years have passed since Kelly’s conversation with Arling.

A committee member

TEMPORARY ROUNDABOUT UNIVERSITY AVENUE SOUTHEAST The temporary roundabout will be removed on August 21.

PLEASANT STREET SOUTHEAST

considering for when the buses reroute. Other options include stoplights or an allway stop, but some University students favor the roundabout.

Nick Gerritsen, who’s taking summer classes at the University, said he generally prefers roundabouts to stoplights.

“It makes things go faster,” he said.

Business and marketing senior Abdi Farah agreed and said the roundabout is “more straightforward” than other methods of controlling the intersection.

Cameras were installed a week before the roundabout was installed to monitor the intersection and traffic delays, which will be compared with delays during the test.

PTS officials will also periodically monitor the intersection in person, Cullen said, and evaluate potential safety issues.

Cullen said she’s heard of roundabouts being used successfully on other college

City taking control of Dinkytown sewer line

$24 million

U tests roundabout to prep for light rail

University of Minnesota officials are experimenting with a roundabout at one of the most-traveled intersections on campus.

Parking and Transportation Ser vices installed a temporar y roundabout at the intersection of Pillsbury Drive and Pleasant Street Southeast on July 24, and it will stay up until Aug. 21.

PTS officials are monitoring the intersection to test the effectiveness of a permanent roundabout when buses return to Washington Avenue Southeast after Central Corridor light-rail construction concludes.

University Services Vice President Pam Wheelock urged travelers to “slow down and use caution” at the intersection in an email sent to students, faculty and staff before the installation.

The roundabout blocks part of the bike lane on Pleasant Street. Wheelock said bicyclists should ride with traffic if they are “comfortable,” but ride on the sidewalk if they aren’t.

PTS assistant director Sandy Cullen, one of the first officials to suggest the roundabout, said the intersection had an all-way stop before. After light-rail construction began, stoplights were installed at the intersection.

The roundabout is one of several options PTS is

5

campuses, but none with traffic levels as high as the inter-

section being tested at the University.

is meeting with Arling this week about a possible collaboration, Kelly said. It’s possible the Renters’ Survey could be hosted through the URentWise platform if MSA and Arling’s startup agree to partner.

MSA could either hire Arling’s URentWise team on a contract basis to build a Renters’ Survey website, Kelly said, or MSA could make a licensing agreement with Arling and use the existing URentWise website for its own purposes.

Kelly said MSA is currently bidding on a number of different host websites, including Arling’s.

MSA was quoted $75,000 with a 10 percent annual licensing fee by another company last fall, Kelly said, a cost out of the group’s price range.

University Student Legal Service and the Office for Student Affairs could help cover the cost, he said.

with Student and Community Relations.

Arling said he spoke with Fischer about what her office would like to see from the website and what aspects would be most useful to students.

Fischer said if Student and Community Relations partnered with URentWise, the office could contact students who write “par ticularly scathing” reviews of properties.

In that case, Fischer said, the students may have legal power against a landlord.

“I think empowering students to make better [rental] decisions and hav[ing] more information about what’s out there is really important,” Arling said.

Besides rental listings, Arling said the site will also include legal resources for renters.

“One of the big issues being a renter is that you’re new to this whole market,” Arling said, “and often you don’t access information you should know until it’s too late.”

Last month, Arling also requested input from Marie Fischer, assistant coordinator

The line has been privately owned for years.

BY CODY NELSON cnelson1@mndaily.com

A piece of Dinkytown infrastructure is changing hands, a transition local businesses say is overdue.

Beneath 14th Avenue Southeast, crews are renovating a sewer line before the City of Minneapolis takes ownership. Construction is expected to be complete within two weeks.

The surrounding landlords currently own the sewer line and have been pushing the city to take control for years.

City spokesman Casper Hill said the sewer line dates back to the early 20th century. Some of the pipes even collapsed about 10 years ago, causing hot water shortages and bathroom back-ups.

Dinkytown Business Association President Skott Johnson said construction has interfered with some surrounding businesses by blocking entrances and interfering with outdoor seating.

“They’re managing,” he said. “It’s not great.”

Johnson said businesses fear that, without a renovation, further damage could be done.

John Rimarcik, owner of the building housing the Kitty

Cat Klub and Annie’s Parlour, said he’s been paying to maintain the sewer for years and will have to pay more than the city estimate shows.

The current reconstruction project already has proper ty owners paying nearly $92,000 of the project’s $129,000 total cost, Hill said, with the city paying the remainder.

But Rimarcik said landlords who own property attached to the sewer line will have to pay $40,000-50,000 in additional expenses for things like reconnecting the businesses to the sewer line.

Neither businesses nor the city knew the sewer was privately owned until a few years ago, Rimarcik said, adding the city should’ve taken over the line years ago.

“It was irresponsible of the city not to take an ownership position,” he said.

Full repair was previously too expensive, so the landlords settled for temporary fixes instead of a complete reconstruction.

A previous Minnesota Daily article said property owners for Annie’s Parlour and Loring Pasta Bar each paid between $8,000-12,000 during a six-year period after the pipes burst because they couldn’t get the city to take on costs or responsibility for the sewer.

“We were upset before,” he said. “We’re still upset.”

Student left in DEA cell to get $4 million from U.S.

SOURCE: PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

University support

BRIDGET BENNETT, DAILY

Construction workers work on a construction site on 14th Avenue on Monday morning.

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN DIEGO — A 25-year old college student has reached a $4.1 million settlement with the federal government after he was abandoned in a windowless Drug Enforcement Administration cell for more than four days without food or water, his attorneys said Tuesday.

The DEA introduced national detention standards as a result of the ordeal involving Daniel Chong, including daily inspections and a requirement for cameras in cells, said Julia Yoo, one of his lawyers.

Chong said he drank his own urine to stay alive, hallucinated that agents were trying to poison him with gases through the vents, and tried to carve a farewell message to his mother in his arm.

It remained unclear how the situation occurred, and no one has been disciplined, said Eugene Iredale, another attorney for Chong. The Justice Department’s inspector general is investigating.

“It sounded like it was an accident — a really, really bad, horrible accident,” Chong said.

Chong was taken into custody during a drug raid and placed in the cell in April 2012 by a San Diego police officer authorized to perform DEA work on a task force.

The officer told Chong he would not be charged and said, “Hang tight, we’ll come get you in a minute,” Iredale said.

The door to the 5-by-10foot cell did not reopen for 4 1/2 days.

Justice Depar tment spokeswoman Allison Price

confirmed the settlement was reached for $4.1 million but declined to answer other questions. The DEA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Detective Gary Hassen, a San Diego police spokesman, referred questions to the DEA. Since attorney fees are capped at 20 percent of damages and the settlement payment is tax-free, Chong will collect at least $3.2 million, Iredale said. Chong, now an economics student at the University of California, San Diego, said he planned to buy his parents a house.

Chong was a 23-year-old engineering student when he was at a friend’s house where the DEA found 18,000 ecstasy pills, other drugs and weapons. Iredale acknowledged Chong was there to consume marijuana.

Chong and eight other people were taken into custody, but authorities decided against pursing charges against him after questioning.

Chong said he began to hallucinate on the third day in the cell. He urinated on a metal bench so he could have something to drink. He also stacked a blanket, his pants and shoes on a bench and tried to reach an overhead fire sprinkler, futilely swatting at it with his cuffed hands to set it off.

Chong said he accepted the possibility of death. He bit into his eyeglasses to break them and used a shard of glass to try to carve “Sorr y Mom” onto his arm so he could leave something for her. He only managed to finish an “S.”

6

July 31-August 6, 2013

U partners with Chinese food safety agency The partnership is the latest in many for the department of homeland security center

BY JANICE BITTERS jbitters@mndaily.com

The National Center for Food Protection and Defense, a U.S. Depar tment of Homeland Security center housed at the University of Minnesota, gained a new international par tner this week.

University President Eric Kaler and Li Xinshi, director-general of the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, agreed to a memorandum of understanding on food safety, protection and defense issues during a signing ceremony July 25 in the Campus Club at Cof fman Union.

“Par ticularly in this area of food safety, where we are ver y strong … this connection with a premier organization around food safety in China is a big deal for us,” Kaler said. “I think it’ll open some doors and provide oppor tunities across the board.”

The CAIQ is a public research organization in China that focuses on food inspection and pr otec tion. The University has

been home to the NCFPD, which is par t of the College of Veterinar y Medicine, since 2004.

Both organizations work to prevent and combat intentional contamination of the food supply for either economic or terroristic reasons, said NCFPD acting director Amy Kircher.

Karen Everstine, a research associate at NCFPD, focuses her work on Economically Motivated Adulteration, or “food fraud.”

She said the par tnership will benefit her research and could help to more ef ficiently identify threats to the food supply.

“If we are talking about bringing in data sources that are going to help us identify something earlier, that is great,” she said. “If there is a question, … you can call and ask, ‘What do you think is going on with this?’ ”

International opportunities

China isn’t NCFPD’s only international partner.

The center also works with organizations in Central and South America that provide a significant por tion of the U.S. food supply, Kircher said.

“Knowing that we have a global food system, it is

would be surprised if the University was not in “a really enhanced relationship [with China] five years from now.”

Celebrating 100 years

BRIDGET BENNETT, DAILY

On behalf of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, acting director and associate director of NCFPD Amy Kircher, right, looks on as President Eric Kaler signs a memorandum of understanding with Li Xinshi of the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine.

This new partnership will help to prevent and combat intentional contamination of the food supply.

really impor tant that we work with our collaborators and find partnerships around the world,” she said.

As par t of these par tnerships, the NCFPD and the University host and collaborate with professionals and researchers from dif ferent countries each year, Kircher said.

Everstine said she hopes the new partnership will of fer oppor tunities to study how products move

HOURCAR to replace Zipcar on campus 10 new cars will be on campus by Aug. 1.

BY ROY AKER raker@mndaily.com

After winning a competitive bidding contract, the car-sharing program HOURCAR will replace Zipcar at the University of Minnesota in time for fall semester.

The St. Paul-based HOURCAR has signed a two-year contract and will have 10 new energyef ficient cars on campus

by Aug. 1, according to a press release.

Jacqueline Br udlos, University Parking and T ranspor tation Ser vices spokeswoman, said HOURCAR, Zipcar, Enterprise CarShare and Her tz 24/7 all submitted bids to the University in the spring.

Of the four ser vices, HOURCAR is the only one based in the Twin Cities.

The ser vice, which is run by the local nonprofit organization Neighborhood Energy Connection, is the largest car sharing ser vice in the T win Cities, said program director Christopher Bineham.

Z i p c a r, w h i c h w a s founded in Massachusetts,

has had a contract with the University since 2005. In Januar y, the New Jerseybased Avis Budget Group bought Zipcar for $500 million.

Br udlos said the bidding contract was based on ser vices rather than cost.

She added that one of the reasons HOURCAR was chosen over Zipcar was because it’s locally run.

The Minneapolis City Council also approved twoyear agreements with both HOURCAR and Zipcar in June, allowing the companies to use on-street parking.

Geography graduate student William Lindeke has had an HOURCAR subscription for more than a year.

“Car sharing is kind of like an insurance policy or a backup plan for people in those times where you really need a [car],” he said.

An increase in city dwellers, higher costs of owning a car and an overall cultural shift toward more energy-ef ficient modes of transpor tation has caused car sharing to grow nationwide, Lindeke said.

“One other useful thing about these cars is that you can go on dates with them,” he said. “Not ever yone is willing to jump

UNIVERSITY HOURCAR LOCATIONS AND NUMBER OF CARS AVAILABLE

1

35W

1

1 2 UNI VER SITY AVE NUE

SOU THE AST

3 ST UTHEA UE SO N AVEN O T G IN WASH

3

1

for either organization, it will be in place for five years unless one par ty submits a written request to end the agreement early.

“One of the good things about the term limit is it gives both sides a chance to re-evaluate,” Kaler said.

“And obviously we hope that it’s been fr uitful and people will be eager to continue, but that doesn’t always happen.”

Kaler added that he

Student’s car stolen in Como

on a bus with you.”

Lindeke said HOURCAR fits in per fectly with student lifestyles.

“At a place like the [University], with so many people in one place,” he said, “it’s kind of the ideal solution for reducing the need for ever yone to park and drive their car ever y day.”

Rental rates for University students will include an annual fee of $35, in addition to hourly rates of $8 during the day or $5 for non-peak hours of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. This cost is higher than HOURCAR’s standard student plan, but about the same as Zipcar’s previous University rate.

Gas prices are included.

HOURCAR hubs will be in the same places as Zipcar’s were, with vehicles in the Washington Avenue Ramp on the East Bank, parking lots near the Superblock and the 21st Avenue Ramp on the West Bank.

Cars available to students will include compact vehicles as well as vans and trucks.

In addition to expandi n g a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y, HOURCAR is growing its fleet throughout the metro and plans to have more than 80 vehicles by early 2014.

COMO AVENUE SOUTHEAST

through China’s food system.

“I would love the opportunity to go to China … and see some of their work firsthand,” she said. “And obviously we would of fer the same oppor tunity to them.”

The new memorandum dictates the two organizations will have annual meetings, alter nately in China and the U.S. While the memorandum is not legally binding

The new par tnership comes at an oppor tune time.

It has been 100 years since the first Chinese students attended the University, an anniversar y the University will celebrate throughout the next academic year, Kaler said.

It also falls on the heels of Kaler’s visit to China, where he renewed par tnerships with other Chinese research institutions and organizations.

Li acknowledged the anniversar y during his speech, adding that he hoped the ceremony would “open a new age for collaboration for the next 100 years.”

Kaler said signing the memorandum was a significant step for the University’s par tnership with China in higher education and scientific endeavors. “ We a r e e x t r e m e l y proud and ver y eager to continue to work with [CAIQ] to tackle one of the world’s most critical public health and public safety challenges,” he said.

1 1

Mississ ippi Riv er

1 SOURCE: HOURCAR, PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

Also, a string of car break-ins hit a University Ave. parking lot.

BY KIA FARHANG mfarhang@mndaily.com

A University of Minnesota student’s car was stolen from outside his Southeast Como home sometime between July 23 and July 24, even though the student had both copies of his car keys, according to a Minneapolis police report.

Journalism sophomore Ken Gonzales said he left his house on 21st Avenue Southeast on Wednesday afternoon to visit a friend on campus when he noticed his car wasn’t on the street.

“I just thought it was towed,” Gonzales said, so he called an impound lot his car had been towed to in the past.

After several calls to the impound lot, Gonzales determined his car had been stolen.

“I started freaking out,” he said. Gonzales said he’s unsure how the suspect would have taken his car.

“I have both keys on me,” he said. “The doors were locked.”

Minneapolis police public information of ficer Cyndi Barrington said she doesn’t know how a suspect could steal a car without the keys.

Minneapolis police have recorded 10 other stolen vehicles in the Southeast Como neighborhood in the first half of this year.

Four car break-ins in University Ave. lot

Four cars were broken into Friday night while they were parked in a lot on southeast University and 27th avenues, according to Minneapolis police reports.

The suspects made of f with a few bags of clothes and a laptop. Police are still investigating the crimes.

Minneapolis police Sgt. Bill Palmer said strings of vehicle break-ins occur in underground lots a few times ever y year, but surface lot break-ins are less common.

Disorderly conduct at Librar y Bar and Grill

University police arrested a man for disorder-

POLICE REPORT

ly conduct at the Librar y Bar and Grill early Saturday morning, according to a police report.

Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said the man was tr ying to get back into the bar after being repeatedly told it was closed. The owner of the Librar y declined to comment for this stor y.

The man, who also refused to comment, resisted police when they tried to take him away from the scene, Miner said. Police booked him at the Hennepin County Jail.

Robber y on University Avenue Southeast

A man was robbed on southeast University and 18th avenues early Sunday mor ning, according to a police report.

An unknown suspect took the man’s phone, the repor t said. Palmer said the victim sustained minor injuries during the robber y.

The victim refused medical attention when police arrived. Palmer said alcohol may have been involved in the incident.

Wallet stolen from Wilson Librar y

A University student had her wallet stolen July 25 when she left it on a couch in Wilson Librar y, a police report said.

Miner said the student left for a few minutes to use the bathroom. When she came back, she saw a man who had been sitting near her walking away quickly. She followed the man but couldn’t keep up.

Police have some video evidence of the suspect

leaving the area, Miner said, which they can use in their investigation. The wallet contained credit cards and about $80 in cash.

Homeless man assaulted near TCF Bank Stadium

A homeless man was assaulted near the East Bank campus early the morning of July 24.

The victim, 27, told his friend Jeremy Duncan that five men jumped him near TCF Bank Stadium, Duncan said.

“His face was all swollen, and his eyes were bleeding,” Duncan said.

“He was really messed up.”

The victim went to the Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.

Barrington said police don’t yet have any suspect information.

Duncan said he thinks his friend was targeted because he’s homeless.

“I know him,” he said.

“He’s not the type to star t anything with anybody.”

In the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which inc l u d e s t h e U n i v e r s i t y, police have recorded six other assaults in the first half of this year.

Trespassing at Fair view

University police arrested a woman on July 24 and banned her from the University Medical Center, Fair view, after she violated hospital staf f ’s earlier trespass warnings, according to a police report.

Hospital security had detained the woman, 41, by the time police arrived.

Security told police the woman had been warned not to enter the building two weeks ago.

Police ar rested the woman because she had a warrant out for theft. She’s banned from the hospital for a year.

OTHER CRIMES NEAR CAMPUS Crime: Where: When: Info:

Underage drinking 12th Ave. SE and Sixth St. SE Saturday Man threw his beer on the ground as police approached him. The report said the man had watery, bloodshot eyes. His blood alcohol content tested more than twice the legal limit.

Police action: Case closed Crime: Where: When: Info:

Drug possession 10th Ave. SE and Fourth St. SE Friday Police noticed a car driving erratically at the intersection.

Driver displayed signs of a drug overdose and was taken to the hospital. Police found illegal drugs in the car.

Police action: Active case.

SOURCE: MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, UMPD

Editorials & Opinions www.mndaily.com/opinion

In the car, I just can’t wait If only every “First Date” were like the Blink-182 song.

T

Slow down, crazy, slow down

Before a first date, don’t prime yourself with his or her Facebook profile, and certainly don’t warm up by brainstorming all possible scenarios for how many kids, sexually trans-

BRONWYN MILLER columnist

mitted diseases or extra toes the other person has.

Keep that “downfall of human communication” known as texting at a bare minimum, and let the real art of getting to know someone commence with the in-person interactions.

Trust your instincts, and remember that you felt enough of a connection with this person to request or accept the date in the first place. Further “preparation” will only instill some preconceived notion about what kind of kisser they are based on their emoji usage or another equally absurd expectation.

Listen like there’s a test later

Nothing makes for a gradeA pantydropper like a good listener. It takes a conscious

effort to be a high-quality communicator, and it rarely goes unnoticed or unappreciated.

Ask questions — or, at the ver y least, reciprocate when the other person inquires about something. A “How about you?” might seem trivial, but forgetting it is a surefire way to look self-absorbed and uncaring. You may not always realize it when the other person is carrying the entire conversation, but they sure will.

Go with the flow I like my first dates like Andrew Jackson liked his government: laissez-faire. In other words, chill out.

The goal of an initial date is to gauge compatibility — that’s it. Don’t go into it with a prepared list of questions to fire at your potential suitor. It’s not a contract negotiation. Ditch any “tricks” or “dos and don’ts” that you’ve hear d about how to win someone over and just go with whatever feels right. Concer ted effor ts to woo someone shift your focus too heavily to the “game” and will distract you from recognizing if you even

DEATHS IN IRAQ: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 4,802 — IRAQI CIVILIANS: 113,429- PLUS DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 3,347 — AFGHAN CIVILIANS: UNKNOWN

want any future with the person.

It’s the little things Talking about how our generation sucks at dating is one of today’s hottest topics. Discussions about the “end of cour tship” and the newfangled hookup culture of us gosh-darned millennials abound, making a whole heap of people worried that we’ll never produce the white picket fences and 2.1 children of yore.

The good news is that the overblown generalizations and abrupt conclusions of this hyped panic can really work to your advantage. In the face of “dating exper ts” scorning how no one even cares enough to make the effort of a phone call anymore, be the type of person who calls rather than texts to ask someone on a date.

It’s remarkable how little is required to stand out and score points these days. Embrace it.

Bronwyn Miller welcomes comments at bmiller@mndaily.com.

STUDENT LIFE

Wishing for summer As summer leaves and fall arrives I find myself, as I do every year, feeling nostalgic and wishing for more.

W Maxwell Smith welcomes comments at msmith@mndaily.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Saving Dinkytown

“Dinkytown” is wellnamed for the tiny four-block neighborhood that sits adjacent to the University of Minnesota. The origin of its colorful name is lost to history, but it has long been an energetic and vibrant part of our city and the third ward that I represent. A current proposal to redevelop a sizeable portion of the neighborhood — a half-block parcel right in its commercial core — has, and should have, attracted lots of attention, debate and disagreement.

After careful study and conversation, I testified last week against the project, adding my voice to five of the 11 members of the Neighborhood Association, a majority of the city’s Zoning and Planning Committee, many locally owned family businesses and literally hundreds of concerned neighbors and citizens who think this project is a bad idea.

To understand why, some background is needed. Back in 2003, the city’s Master Plan anticipated the construction of the multi-story apartment buildings now going up along the major traffic corridors of University Avenue, Fourth Street Southeast and 15th Avenue Southeast, developments that are adding 4,000 new units of much-needed student housing near the University and on the outskirts of Dinkytown. The technical designation for this sort of zoning is “C3A.” That same Master Plan did not, however, call for the development of additional housing units within the commercial core of Dinkytown, which is zoned “C1.”

The planners recognized — correctly — that allowing development within the core would harm the neighbor-

7

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

RELATIONSHIPS

hese days, classic, easily ascertainable, pick-youup-at-seven dating sometimes feels like an endangered species. When the result of a “Call Me Maybe” is actually some attempt at courtship, it can feel like a surprise amid the late night texts and Facebook trolling that have become the expected protocol for relationship groundwork.

And since going on a date seems to occur about as often as getting five Chicken McNuggets when you only ordered four, it’s safe to say we might be a bit out of practice.

Luckily, I’ve made nearly every dating mistake in the book — or I’ve dated someone who has — so learn from the folly that is my so-called love life.

July 31-August 6, 2013

hood’s unique character and its locally owned small businesses.

Over the last 10 years, Dinkytown businesses have invested in their neighborhood based on the precepts of that plan. They have opened stores, remodeled restaurants and expanded operations to better ser ve their neighbors and a decade of University students. Their hard work has kept this century-old iconic neighborhood from disrepair and decay.

All of that hard work will be threatened by this development and its zoning change to C3A; not simply by the project itself — though its impact will be substantial — but by the pressure it puts on the rest of the neighborhood to follow its lead.

“Up zoning” this parcel will create intense development pressure for all of Dinkytown. It is the kind of ad hoc development driven by economic speculation that threatens the traditional form of our city and particularly the fundamental place-making and civic engagement functions of neighborhood small business districts. Developments such as these reduce livability and diversity by pushing out small businesses that cannot afford the “redeveloped” rent, which leads inevitably to the appearance of more chain stores. They tear asunder a vital part of a neighborhood’s defining fabric that took many decades to create.

In truth, Dinkytown is the “canary in the coal mine” for such ad hoc redevelopment of neighborhood commercial nodes throughout the city.

The Zoning and Planning Committee’s recommendation to deny the project now goes before the City Council on Friday, Aug. 2. I will speak

in opposition to the project and hope that a majority of my colleagues will join me.

We have ample grounds to reject the rezoning application as it is “solely for the interest of a single property owner” and because rezoning Dinkytown is not proper if there are “reasonable uses of the property in question under the existing zoning classification.”

By doing so, the City Council would let the planning process work.

This advance planning approach takes a little more time, but it is the only one that lets all stakeholders participate on an equal footing.

There is no recourse once uncontrolled developments are under way. Preventive medicine, using the advance planning approach, is the only tool each neighborhood has to decide for itself — instead of letting developers dictate — what is best for its future development.

The delegates at the DFL City Convention overwhelmingly supported a resolution asking the Council to preser ve neighborhood small business districts like Dinkytown from rezoning for higher density.

This vote is not just about one project or one neighborhood. It’s about managing high-density development in our neighborhoods that threatens to destroy the individual commercial cores that make so many of our neighborhoods special. I urge citizens to let all my colleagues on the Council know how they feel about this rezoning proposal before it reaches the Council on Aug. 2.

Diane Hofstede Ward 3 City Council member Hofstede is currently running for re-election.

ow, is July really over? I know it’s a time-honored cliché to remark that the years fly by faster and MATT HOY faster as you columnist g r o w o l d e r, but this summer has been exceptionally short, hasn’t it?

My temporal confusion aside, the annual convention that we are about to embark on — specific to those of us who live in colder climates — has always been unavoidable. It’s time to get ready for autumn.

For some that means going to bed at 1 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. For others it means no more biking to work. For me it means preparing for the dr udger y of homework and wearing jeans.

Contrar y to the Garrison Keillor hallmark that Minnesotans crave winter so they no longer have to be seen in shorts, putting away our swim trunks and bikinis can be a sad occasion. While saying goodbye to the mosquitoes is enough to elicit cheers of joy, saying goodbye to the lake turns out to be pretty difficult.

Maybe my nostalgic equilibrium is just a tick higher than most, but this inevitable transition gets me emotional ever y year.

It’s the thought of the last bonfire or the last night swim. There’s a beautiful poetr y in the hobbies of summer, and while I am a lover of winter, that same beauty just isn’t as present.

I know this is a premature reaction. Fall is my favorite season, warm enough to still take par t in the best of summer activities, but cool enough to warrant a steady influx of soup. And who doesn’t love soup?

August, September and October are the three most beautiful months to be a Minnesotan.

There’s nothing quite like that orange bloom of autumn.

But that gor geous canopy brings midterms with it and is followed by cold, gray winter.

It doesn’t feel like it should affect me now that I’ve gone through 22 of them, but I seem to always find myself searching for whatever the opposite of a rain dance is.

Regardless, wishing for the seasons to bend to my will is absurd, and winter is coming — sorr y, I had to. The best we can do is have a good autumn.

Matt Hoy welcomes comments at mhoy@mndaily.com.

Death by 1,000 health care cuts

The University should bring all options to the table before scaling back employee benefits.

I

n recent weeks, a heated debate has sprung up between University of Minnesota employees and administration over proposed changes to health insurance benefits included on UPlan, the University’s health plan.

If it does not change to comply with the Affordable Care Act, the University will be hit by a $48 million tax over five years. To avoid this tax blow — which is similarly affecting many employer-provided, high-cost health insurance plans at companies and public institutions across the nation — the University is changing UPlan benefits. The changes “would raise the cost of copays for primary and specialty care and make employees pay deductibles, which they haven’t had to pay before,” the Minnesota Daily reported July 24.

The goal behind the ACA health benefits excise tax, nicknamed the “Cadillac tax,” is to disincentivize use of health plans, encouraging enrollees to think twice about ordering potentially unnecessary medical tests. By scaling back benefits and increasing out-of-pocket expenses for employees, this provision of the ACA aims to keep health care premiums down. Though the tax will not come into effect until 2018, the provisions of the law states “a plan that costs more than $10,200 for an individual and $27,500 for a family would typically pay a 40 percent excise tax on the amount exceeding the threshold,” the New York Times reported in May. However, there is debate among University employees and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union members about the proposed changes to benefits and frustration with the way these changes are being discussed.

Cherrene Horazuk, president of AFSCME Local 3800 representing University clerical workers, and Barbara Bezat, president of AFSCME Local 3937 representing University technical workers, suggested the University is using the ACA’s implementation to justify shifting greater health care costs to employees. The union also questions whether the University’s plan is presently considered a “Cadillac” plan at all.

Horazuk proposed the University look closely at all aspects of the plan to see which levels would be susceptible to taxation under the ACA, lobby for the plan to fall under the “Cadillac” threshold and negotiate with insurance companies to bring down coverage costs.

Both presidents said a key reason people come to the University to work is because they know they will have access to quality health care; they are willing to forego a more substantial salary in exchange for good benefits.

Horazuk said if employees are expected to pay more out-of- pocket expenses for any reason, wages should be raised to offset these costs. Both leaders said they are concerned with the way these changes would make students and visitors perceive the University.

“If you don’t respect working-class workers,” Horazuk said, “how do you respect working-class students?”

Horazuk and Bezat said they were interested in the possibility of a wage-based or sliding-scale health benefits payment program to address increased employee expenses. Horazuk said other universities, like Dartmouth, Amherst and the University of California, have instituted similar slidingscale methods.

Horazuk and Bezat said there is solidarity between University employees, even from tenured faculty who might not be hit as hard by the proposed changes to UPlan.

Bezat said a survey containing a link to a petition opposing UPlan changes was sent to all employee groups, and within five minutes, she could see the hit rate sharply climbing as employees read and signed the petition. The petition now has 1,208 signatures, according to a representative from AFSCME Local 3800.

Before vital decisions over health care benefits are hastily handed down from the administration, all voices and compromises must be heard.

Though the threat of the “Cadillac” tax is a genuine concern for the University, there is time before 2018 to hold discussions and collect data before scaling back benefits.

Bezat and Horazuk said they will not give up on benefits negotiations, despite growing frustration.

“We will continue fighting because we know people who have gone without insurance,” Horazuk said, “and it is deadly.”

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8

July 31-August 6, 2013

Sports

@MNDAILYSPORTS

Kill u from Page 1

“I think anything less than that and you’re selling yourself short.”

Kill’s approach to improve teams over a three-year period is simple: recruit players who fit his style and teach them discipline on and off the field.

He said it usually takes three recruiting classes for a program to reach its potential, “and we’ve only had two, so it’s a little bit different.”

Those two classes mean Kill’s recruits make up about half the team.

Much of Kill’s challenge at Minnesota has been changing the mentality of some of former head coach Tim Brewster’s recruits.

When the Gophers hired Kill in December 2010, he inherited 25 players on academic warning. In the NCAA’s latest Academic Progress Rate report, the Gophers posted a score of 994 for the 201112 school year — one of the highest scores ever for an NCAA football program.

“We’ve had to recruit [Brewster’s players] also and get them on the same page with what we want,” Kill said.

“I think the kids understand where we’re going probably better now than they ever have.”

Junior running back Donnell Kirkwood, a 2010 Brewster recruit, said Kill has taught players to be mentally and physically tougher.

Vereen, another 2010 recruit, said the team’s academic improvements have helped it play better.

“When there’s less stuff to worry about off the field,” Vereen said, “all your attention can be focused on performance on the field.”

Signature win Kill drew the attention of some Minnesota fans in September 2010 when his NIU team upset the Gophers 34-23 at TCF Bank Stadium.

At Big Ten Media Days, he called the feat a “signature

DANE MIZUTANI, DAILY

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill addresses reporters at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on July 24.

win” for NIU and said the Gophers will need one of their own in 2013.

“Sometimes when you get a win like that, everywhere I’ve been, it carries on,” Kill said. “You gain confidence, and it starts a snowball effect.”

Kill’s signature win at SIU came in his second season in 2002, when the Salukis beat Western Illinois for the first time in 19 years.

“We were only 4-8 [that year], but kids started to believe after that game a little bit,” Kill said. “I don’t think we’ve had that signature moment, signature win, yet.”

Kill said the Gophers came close to earning that win in their bowl game last December against Texas Tech, which they lost 34-31 after leading late in the fourth

quarter.

“I think we needed to have a season like last year to learn the lessons that we learned,” Vereen said. “We learned that just because you deserve to win a game doesn’t mean you will win a game.”

The Gophers have yet to defeat a ranked team under Kill. They will likely play several in the Big Ten this year, so they’ll have ample opportunity to earn a momentumbuilding victory.

And they’ll have Kill’s history on their side as well.

Kill went a combined 14-1 in conference games during his third years at SIU and NIU. But repeating his 10-win seasons from the two midmajor schools at Minnesota would be a major surprise.

The Gophers have won 10 or more games just once since

JERRY KILL’S THIRD-YEAR SUCCESS YEAR ONE YEAR TWO YEAR THREE

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS OVERALL CONFERENCE 1-10 1-6 4-8 2-5 10-2 6-1

1905, and they haven’t won more than seven games since 2003.

Much to prove While the Gophers have high expectations for 2013, few people outside of Minnesota are projecting that Kill’s third-year success will continue.

The Gophers were picked to finish last in the six-team Legends division in a poll of 26 Big Ten writers. They tied for last place with Iowa last year and had sole possession

NORTHERN ILLINOIS OVERALL CONFERENCE 5-3 6-7 5-3 7-6 8-0 10-3

of last place in 2011.

And Kill, while respected in the coaching community, has rarely been recognized for his successes at smaller schools. Athlon Spor ts ranked him ninth out of 12 Big Ten coaches earlier this year.

Minnesota’s 2013 recruiting class also ranked last in the conference for the second year in a row.

Kill dismissed concerns of a weak class in February by saying his recruits were a good fit for the program. He

MINNESOTA OVERALL CONFERENCE 2-6 3-9 2-6 6-7 ? ?

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

said at Big Ten Media Days that this team is better than it was last season.

Gophers players have backed their coach throughout the offseason, and their confidence in Kill appears to be stronger than ever.

“Coach Kill is a guy who has delivered,” Vereen said.

“He delivers on everything.

Everywhere he’s been, the third year is that biggest jump.”

-Jace Frederick contributed to this report.

FOOTBALL

Vereen emerges from brother’s shadow into leader Senior safety Brock Vereen will lead the Gophers’ secondary in 2013.

BY DANE MIZUTANI dmizutani@mndaily.com

CHICAGO — Brock Vereen sat stoically at a round table in a swanky Chicago hotel last week as a cluster of reporters surrounded him.

Vereen, dressed in an Armani suit and tie, was one of three players selected to represent the Gophers at Big Ten Media Days on July 24 and 25.

He’d come a long way since he was a high school freshman in Valencia, Calif. In the eyes of outsiders, he lived in the shadow of his older brother, Shane Vereen, who’s now a running back for the New England Patriots.

Brock knows he has a lot to prove in his final year with the Gophers in order to live up to the family name.

Brock is the definite leader of the Gophers defense this year and will play a fundamental role in whether the secondary can reproduce last season’s on-field success.

He leads with a plain humbleness that was evident at Big Ten Media Days.

“I know I’m the leader, but it’s a lot easier when everyone is confident, focused and ready to play,” Brocksaid.

His two other teammates at the event — senior Ra’Shede Hageman and junior Donnell Kirkwood — classified him as a quiet guy off the field and a vocal player on it.

“He’s going to let his actions speak louder than his words,” Kirkwood said.

A pair of shoes to fill Shane is three years older than Brock and consistently owned the spotlight growing up.

Shane was a stud football player for Valencia High

School, and as soon as he graduated, Brock knew he had big shoes to fill.

Brock said the pressure to perform was always there, but he had a support system that kept him from feeling like he was in his brother’s shadow.

“I don’t think [the pressure] affected me as much as it could have, and that’s a credit to my parents,” he said.

“They never compared me to Shane, and I’m really thankful for that.”

Venita Vereen said a lot of people compared her two sons, but there was never a sibling rivalry.

“The people who knew Brock knew he wasn’t in his brother’s shadow,” Venita said. “He used Shane more as motivation growing up.”

Brock played running back growing up — the same position his brother starred at — but tried out for cornerback in high school and fell in love with the position.

“I guess I always figured, ‘Why get hit by someone when you can hit someone else?’ ” he said.

Brock played half a season on varsity with his older brother when he was a freshman and Shane was a senior.

Then Shane graduated and went on to play running back at California-Berkeley, leaving Brock to lead the team.

Brock excelled in his first couple seasons without his older brother on the roster while garnering interest from various Division I colleges.

He said he knew entering his junior season that he had the ability to follow his brother to the college level.

He proved it during his senior campaign.

Brock recorded 51 tackles, eight interceptions and a sack in his final season and led Valencia to a 12-1 record.

While Shane was rising as a star running back at California, his little brother was a hot commodity as a cornerback

Gophers senior safety Brock Vereen addresses reporters at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on July 24.

recruit.

Brock narrowed his college choices to Minnesota and Stanford. He said he chose the Gophers because he wanted a fresh start.

“I wanted to try something new,” Vereen said. “I wanted to get out of California.”

A change in position Brock’s first year on campus was all new to him — the campus, the classes, the people, the new teammates and losing on the football field.

“It was probably my most fun year of college,” he said.

“It was frustrating from a football standpoint, but I think I grew on and off the field that year.”

The Gophers finished 3-9 in Brock’s freshman season and the coach who recruited him, Tim Brewster, was fired after seven games.

Brock said that was one of the hardest parts about his

first year, but he said it helped him grow.

“It was frustrating to see a coach you committed to for four years leave after half a season,” Brock said. “A lot of thoughts go through your head like, ‘Did I make the right choice?’

“That really wasn’t anything against Minnesota,” he said. “It’s natural to have those feelings, but those were very short-lived.”

Brock said he talked to his older brother on the phone a lot in that time, which he said helped him realize he made the right choice.

Brock started all 12 games at cornerback that next season — the first year under coach Jerry Kill.

He put on 15 pounds in the offseason and at the start of his junior season switched to safety, where the Gophers lacked depth.

In his first collegiate game

at free safety, Brock intercepted a pass. He was a key cog in the 2012 secondary that ranked among the nation’s best in pass defense.

A final chance to shine

Brock has followed a similar path to his older brother, but he’ll need to take yet another step forward to make the NFL. In Hageman’s eyes, Brock has already started to make that jump.

“He has that no-quit attitude, and that comes out on the field,” Hageman said.

“He’s a low-key, quiet dude off the field, but on the field he puts on that mask and he just has a mentality to win.”

Kill said Brock has taken a larger role as a leader throughout the offseason.

He likened him to his older brother, just as many others have before, and said he

DANE MIZUTANI, DAILY

thinks Brock can follow in his brother’s footsteps if he performs well this season.

“If I could have a team full of him, we wouldn’t lose very many games,” Kill said.

Brock said he has always dreamt of a career in the NFL, but that’s not his focus now. He said the expectation this season is a Big Ten championship.

Still, he said thoughts of the NFL cross his mind at times. And though he has been compared to his older brother for most of his life, Brock said he wouldn’t want it any different.

“He’s always shown me what it takes to succeed,” he said. “I saw that when I was in high school and he was in college, and now I’m seeing it again with him in the NFL. “He’s always made me strive to be a better player.”

July 31-August 6, 2013

FOOTBALL

Expectations push ‘freak’ out of senior Hageman

FOOTBALL

Crawford-Tufts drops football for track career Devin CrawfordTufts was a statechampion sprinter at Edina HS.

BY DANE MIZUTANI dmizutani@mndaily.com

DANE MIZUTANI, DAILY

Gophers senior defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman addresses reporters at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on July 24.

The defensive tackle has been named to several awards watch lists.

BY JACE FREDERICK jfrederick@mndaily.com

CHICAGO — At 6 feet 6 inches and 311 pounds, Gophers senior defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman is a big man.

Entering the 2013 season, the expectations placed on him might be even bigger.

Hageman has already been named to numerous watch lists for college football postseason awards.

He ranked No. 2 on CBSSpor ts.com’s “Freaks List” in May, which looks at the most athletic players in college football.

Hageman said the preseason attention creates more pressure for him to per form but also drives him.

“Just the fact that people obviously have their eyes on you kind of teaches me to just do better,” he said.

South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney ranked No. 1 on

the “Freaks List.” Clowney is also No. 1 on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper’s big board for the 2014 NFL draft.

Hageman said Clowney is the only player he thinks about in training.

“He’s on top. He’s making news. He’s on ESPN,” he said. “It’s not like I want to be like him, but I want to be better than him.”

Hageman compiled six sacks and 35 tackles in 2012, earning him an honorable mention in the AllBig Ten selection.

Those numbers are impressive, but most projected NFL draft picks have more to show. Hageman’s early honors and expectations are more of a reflection of his playmaking potential, which stems from his athletic ability. He has previously demonstrated a 36-inch vertical jump.

Gophers senior safety Brock Vereen said Hageman has taken a more focused approach to his improvement this offseason.

“He’s hungrier than he’s ever been, and he has the physical tools for it, obviously,” Vereen said.

“It’s going to be scar y to see how he can do.”

Hageman is still an

unfinished product. Basketball was his first love growing up, he said, but he fouled out too often, so he decided he needed a new sport.

He arrived at the University of Minnesota as a tight end but was moved to the defensive line during his redshir t season in 2009. He’s still growing into that role, but he’s already become one of the nation’s best at it.

“I think that’s why ever ybody’s excited,” Gophers head coach Jer r y Kill said. “He is a raw talent, and he’s going to get better this year. ... His upside is tremendous.”

Hageman said he finally star ted to get more comfor table at defensive tackle last season.

The Minneapolis native has earned the respect of opponents across the Big Ten as well.

“I think he’s one of the better [defensive] linemen I’ve played against all year,” Michigan State University guard Blake Treadwell said. “I feel like he’s going to do a lot of damage this year.”

Hageman said he’s more confident in his playmaking abilities this year

RA’SHEDE HAGEMAN PRESEASON HONORS BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Outland Trophy watch list

BEST INTERIOR LINEMAN

Rotary Lombardi Award watch list

BEST LINEMAN OR LINEBACKER

No. 2 on CBSSports.com’s “Freaks List” SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

and is focused on improving his sack total.

Along with the pr e season honors, Hageman is gaining attention from NFL scouts. Kiper lists him just outside the top five draft prospects at defensive tackle.

Hageman said the NFL is always in the back of his mind.

“The fact that [I] have scouts looking at me kind of motivates me to do better,” he said. “I’m definitely always kind of amped to see scouts and just hear about that.”

Freshman gains weight, shows potential

BY JACE FREDERICK jfrederick@mndaily.com

Gophers junior center Mo Walker has received much of the local media attention for losing more than 45 pounds this summer.

But also impressive, and perhaps just as important, is redshir t freshman Charles Buggs’ weight gain.

As of mid-July, Buggs said he weighed 214 pounds, up 24 pounds from the 190 he weighed in May. “[This summer’s] been productive,” Buggs said with a smile after the team’s fifth summer practice July 16.

The 6-foot-8-inch forward said he’s been eating four to five meals a day.

He’s spent the majority of his summer on campus, retur ning home for less than a week.

Gophers strength and conditioning coach Shaun Brown, who was hired in April, said players work out on a voluntar y fourday schedule in the summer. Fridays are generally of f-days, but Buggs uses them to put in extra work.

“I wish I could say it was something top-se cret,” Brown said. “He’s done a great job taking it

day-by-day and working at it a little bit at a time.”

Head coach Richar d Pitino said Buggs has the most upside of anyone on the team. He said the forward does things in practice that show “pro potential.”

Buggs’ length and athleticism should fit in well with Pitino’s up-tempo system. Buggs, an Arlington, Texas, native said he had a similar style in high school and likes r unning up and down the court.

Gophers fans saw glimpses of Buggs’ athleticism in pre-game warmups last season. He often put on a show for the crowd with flashy dunks.

“When he figures out how to play for me,” Pitino said, “he can be a ver y good player down the road.”

Buggs said he wants to reach the 220- to 225-pound range this summer. Brown said by the end of Buggs’ career, he could hold his weight in the high-230s to -240s.

“He’s a hell of an athlete,” Brown said. “There’s no restrictions with him on [his weight gain].”

Buggs said he can feel himself getting stronger ever y week as his weight increases.

Brown said it’s important for the athletes to see early success in the weight room. He said Buggs feels good, which only “stokes the fire” for him to keep working.

“He’s been really tuned

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC MILLER, GOPHERSPORTS

Gophers redshirt freshman Charles Buggs goes up for a layup in an exhibition game Nov. 1, 2012.

into it, and I think he sees this is scratching the surface,” he said, “so we’ll just

Devin Crawford-Tufts was a speedster on the football field. Now he’ll look to maintain that speed on the track.

Crawford-Tufts has left the Gophers football team to pursue a collegiate track career, the Gophers announced July 29.

Crawford-Tufts was a member of both the football team and the track and field team last season.

“I’ve had a good relationship with Devin, and I was the one that told him to go r un track [last spring],” head coach Jerry Kill said.

“I knew that might happen, so we’ve kind of prepared for it.”

Crawford-Tufts was a three-star recruit out of Edina High School, according to Rivals.com, and played intermittently in his first two seasons on campus.

He recorded 16 receptions for 189 yards last year and caught the only touchdown of his career in the

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas on Dec. 28 against Texas Tech.

Some thought he would be a main factor in the passing game this season with his ability to stretch the field.

“It’s a blow to us, but we’re really confident with ever ything we have going for us,” junior wide receiver Isaac Fr uechte said of the receiving core.

“We were still working hard and kind of working like he wasn’t going to be here, because it was up in the air.”

Sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson said he’s confident in the wide receivers on the roster.

“They’ve been putting in the work in the of fseason, and we’ve been really working to get on the same page,” Nelson said.

Crawford-T ufts was a state champion in the 100 and 200 meters at Edina High School and joined the Gophers’ track and field team in the latter half of the indoor track and field season. He finished four th at the Big Ten indoor championships in the 60 meters after a short time training with the team.

Chuck Bednarik Award watch list

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Charles Buggs has put in extra work in the weight room this summer.

9

keep our fingers crossed and hope he keeps progressing at this pace.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Mbakwe signs with Italian club Virtus Roma Many had expected the ex-Gophers forward to play in the NBA this year.

BY JACE FREDERICK jfrederick@mndaily.com

It felt like a sure thing that former Gophers forward Trevor Mbakwe would not only be selected in the NBA Draft in June but would also sign with a NBA team for his rookie campaign.

Then neither happened.

After going undrafted and playing limited minutes in the NBA’s two summer leagues, Mbakwe has signed with the Italian club Virtus Roma, according to

a July 26 repor t by Sportando.net.

Mbakwe completed his senior season with the Gophers in March, averaging 10 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-8-inch forward was projected to be taken in the second round of the NBA draft by numerous mock draft websites.

In summer league action with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors, Mbakwe averaged 2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game.

Notable players to suit up for Virtus Roma in the past include Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings and Hall of Fame wing George Gervin.

10

July 31-August 6, 2013

A&E EDITOR

RADIO K TOP 7

Sarah Harper (612) 627-4070, ext. 3237 sharper@mndaily.com

1. Jacuzzi Boys “Double Vision” 2. Serengeti “West of Western” 3. Run the Jewels “Get It” 4. David Lynch “Star Dream Girl” 5. Baths “Miasma Sky” 6. Smith Westerns “Only Natural” 7. Deafheaven “Dream House”

ONLINE WWW.MNDAILY.COM/AE

CORRECTIONS

errors@mndaily.com 2221 University Ave. SE Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414

Forever on the Fringe

Three shows from this year’s Fringe Festival prove that outlandish comedy’s alive and well among local thespians.

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY Actors Phillip Schramm, Brandon R. Caviness and Joel Thingvall in the play “Stuck in an Elevator with Patrick Stewart,” featured in the Minnesota Fringe Festival.

S

ince 1994, the Minnesota Fringe Festival has offered a staggering amount of theater over its annual 11-day run. With 176 shows in 16 venues, the largest non-juried theater

Inside Trek “Stuck in an Elevator with Patrick Stewart” Where: Red Eye Theater, 15 W. 14th St., Minneapolis When: 7 p.m., Saturday; 8:30 p.m., Sunday; 10 p.m., Tuesday; 5:30 p.m., Aug. 9 and 8:30 p.m., Aug. 10

B

ill Hedrick is fluent in Klingon. When asked whether actor Phillip Schramm mastered the fake language popularized on “Star Trek,” the makeup artist balked.

In response to Hedrick’s silent disproval of his Klingonspeaking abilities, Schramm, who plays a Trekkie, simply shrugged.

“I’m young. I have time,” he joked.

Luckily, “Stuck in an Elevator with Patrick Stewart” requires no proficiency in the fictional alien language.

Writer Brandon Taitt’s Fringe premiere may trade in steep references from the cult TV show, but the story gives a universal account of heroworship.

“Stuck in an Elevator” follows a group of devoted Trekkies at a science fiction convention in 1988. When the 17-year-old Daniel finds himself stuck with his hero, the star of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” he gushes over his idol.

“Daniel isn’t seeing Patrick Stewart,” Taitt said. “He’s seeing Captain Picard.”

In the early days of “The Next Generation,” the classically trained British actor wanted nothing to do with “Star Trek” after the reboot’s first season.

“He felt he had made this big mistake,” Taitt said. “At the time, he was very displeased with his role.”

Stewart initially felt antagonistic with a whole cadre of overzealous fans — none of them cared about his love of

“Hamlet” or “The Merchant of Venice.” Basing much of Stewart’s objections to the show on his biography, Taitt soon found parallels in the actor’s biography and the fantasies of many Trekkies.

“He lived in a very violent household — not something you’d expect from him,” Taitt said. “He used theater as an escape to get away from that world at home.”

Thus, the escapism that Daniel finds in “Star Trek” becomes common ground in the show. “Stuck in an Elevator” finds the two diametrically opposed strangers bonding unexpectedly.

Underneath bright starship regalia, Taitt’s comedy reveals a rich depiction of devoted “Star Trek” followers. None of the actors trade in the stereotypes found on “The Big Bang Theory” because they’re fully fleshed out.

“So they’re not just about pretending to be a Klingon or pretending to be Spock,” director Kevin T. Houle said.

“They’re real people.”

The same way “Star Trek” unites fans with an endearing optimism, “Stuck in an Elevator” paints its Trekkie characters as human.

One-hit wander “Wanderlust”

Where: University of Minnesota, Rarig Center Thrust, 330 S. 21st Ave., Minneapolis When: 7 p.m., Friday; 4 p.m., Sunday; 5:30 p.m., Monday; 8:30 p.m., Tuesday and 7 p.m., Aug. 11

festival in the United States offers an unpredictable slew this year.

Choosing what 60-minute shows to attend is a tricky task, but for tunately A&E scouted out the top comedies among the “I thought, ‘all we need is for something to happen,’ ” Dockery said.

The one-man show “Wanderlust” follows his autobiographical account through West Africa, but he never found a “Heart of Darkness” type of tragedy, as much as Dockery initially wanted.

“The show’s about waiting for that amazing thing to happen,” Dockery said.

In 2004, the Brooklyn storyteller embarked on the backpacking trip in need of adventure. When he returned six months later, he wanted to translate his tales into an account reflecting his own state of mind.

“Wanderlust” reflects Dockery’s gifted comic sense — he performs the show without a script, insisting that the account feels extemporaneous to crowds with each pass.

“I had this idea that I wanted to go to somewhere far away,” Dockery said. “Timbuktu is this place that we grow up hearing as the most faraway place you can go — it’s not too far away for the people who live there.”

The comedic situations Dockery highlights in “Wanderlust” sometimes reveal the foreigner’s naivety — over the course of the play, Dockery learns to accept his story. While his tale of Mali included no truly dramatic

elements, he learned to appreciate the small moments of his journey.

Throughout his career in wandering through backpacking trips in Asia and Africa, Dockery’s now made his travels fodder for insightful comedy. “Wanderlust” represents his breakthrough as the performer, who recognizes that he’s deeply embedded in the story even if sometimes he doesn’t realize it.

Silent sci-fi “To Mars with Tesla or the Interplanetary Machinations of Evil Thomas Edison” Where: Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis When: 7 p.m., Sunday; 5:30 p.m., Tuesday; 5:30 p.m., August 7; 8:30 p.m., Aug. 9 and 4 p.m., Aug. 10

wide-ranging line-up of productions. From a tribute to the cult fandom of “Star Trek” to one man’s trek in the Sahara, these three shows offer a diverse array of humor. as part of “Steampunk Delusions,” Scrimshaw wrote the silent comedy “To Mars with Tesla” in hopes of rewriting a ridiculous history in the tradition of the genre. “[It’s] taking characters from history and spinning fantastical alternate versions of them — often casting forgotten people as heroes,” Scrimshaw said.

Nikola Tesla, the reallife electrical engineer who worked for Thomas Edison, becomes the hero in “To Mars with Tesla.” Scrimshaw plays the heroic scientist as he silently travels to the red planet.

Scrimshaw and company create a living silent movie in the vein of a Buster Keaton comedy. Scored by Miriam Gerberg, a rollicking piano is the only sound

that accompanies the physical gags.

“There are a lot of classic radium gags, too,” Scrimshaw said, referring to chemist Marie Curie’s role in the story.

Although no knowledge of the historical figures is required, the factual jokes heighten the comedy. One of the opening projected slides reveals the textual humor at play, relying on a fact from Tesla’s life.

“We play a lot on Tesla’s weird side,” Scrimshaw said.

“He had a weird revulsion of human hair, and he wasn’t really into women.”

“To Mars with Tesla” might have some of the most obscure Fringe references, but also some of the setup’s the most accessible comedy — the pseudo history only deepens the fantasy.

J

. Weldon Cobb’s 1901 novella “To Mars with Tesla” features very little interstellar travel. The pulp sci-fi story instead features ray gun-toting gangsters — in other words, Joshua English Scrimshaw used the book’s title for his Fringe show because its source material makes no sense.

Originally produced for Open Eye Figure Theater

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARTIN DOCKERY Martin Dockery left his New York temp job for a solo trip across West Africa, as he relates in his comic monologue “Wanderlust.”

M

artin Dockery knew he had the beginning of a great story.

In the middle of the Sahara Desert, he met a Belgian couple on their way to Timbuktu, Mali.

The only thing in the way for the trio’s trek across the desert in a Land Rover: a food shortage or flat tire — anything to heighten the drama.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSHUA ENGLISH SCRIMSHAW “To Mars with Tesla” features martians, an electric chair and slapstick comedy.

July 31-August 6, 2013

11

MUSIC

Handle with Carroll Minneapolis dream pop project Carroll forge ahead thanks to the group’s bar band mentality.

BY JOE KLEINSCHMIDT jkleinschmidt@mndaily.com

C

arroll’s a band with a hell of a work ethic. “Needs,” the only release by the Macalester College-founded group, is only six songs long, but the brief back catalog never meant they shied away from touring.

Even with only a week befor e gigs, dr ummer Charlie Rudoy remembers composing new material to fill time in a set.

“Even when we had only six songs, we would just always take shows,” Rudoy said.

Carroll’s ef for ts seem to be paying off. The quartet, who chose their name after a street in St. Paul, won this year’s Vita.mn’s “Are You Local?” contest and went to SXSW. With the taut indie pop of “Needs,” Carroll car ved out a niche within the local crowd, all thanks to a contest.

Humans Win!, a local recording studio, called for submissions from bands last year. Hundreds of local acts entered to record under the helm of Lance Conrad, a producer who’s worked with ever yone from Dosh to DeVotchKa. “We almost didn’t send it in because of the quality of the demo,” Rudoy said.

“Billionaire” might’ve sounded rough out of the gate, but Conrad’s production on “Needs” shines.

Singer Brian Hurlow hones Dir ty Projectorslike devotion for experimental pop on the intricate release.

Rudoy and guitarist Max Kulicke first noticed Hurlow’s talent at a free

PHOTO COURTESY OF RIGOBERTO LARA GUZMAN AND JIMMY CHRISTENSON

Dreamy psychedelic pop band Carroll.

show in Powderhorn Park in 2011. He per formed at the outdoor concert with a crude setup, but his future par tners in Carroll could see through the on-stage clutter.

“To have a pedal to trigger the samples on his laptop, he used an old Apple keyboard and would just stomp on the spacebar,” Rudoy said. “It was a really weird setup. It didn’t work ver y well.”

T wo songs from Hurlow’s makeshift solo project eventually made it on “Needs” with the help of the full band, now with the

proper equipment. Rudoy and Kulicke, members of the same bar band at the time, approached the oneman band with the same intention.

“We both were tr ying to quit the band we were in without telling each other,” Rudoy said.

With that band’s dissolution, Rudoy and Kulicke wanted to start an original project — not simply covering Led Zeppelin and LCD Soundsystem in dive bars. Combining Hurlow’s ear for pop melodies and the new members’ fondness for shoegaze, Carroll

finds an original synthesis.

Although Rudoy’s initial intention fed into his d a r k e r, e x p e r i m e n t a l roots, Carroll owns a tight pop sheen on tracks like “Lead Balloon.”

“We wanted to be My Bloody Valentine, but we couldn’t help making pop songs,” Rudoy said.

The blend never feels too strong one way or the other on “Needs,” a collision of influences. Rudoy and Kulicke agree that Car roll’s only just now settling on an identifiable sound, hurtling into murkier territor y now that the

band’s had time to grow.

Where the EP mostly represents Hurlow’s handiwork, Carroll’s now looking to open up the songwriting to the entire group.

“The newer songs I feel like are a better representation of the four of us playing together,” Kulicke said.

At work on their debut full-length, the band’s latest challenge is to hone the new sinister material.

Carroll’s new songs sound like a sickly sweet concoction — musically and lyrically.

WHAT STRANGE NAMES WITH CARROLL AND HOT FREAKS WHERE 7TH ST. ENTRY, 701 N. FIRST AVE., MINNEAPOLIS WHEN 8 P.M., SATURDAY COST $5 AGE 18+

“We have a song on the new album — the opening line is ‘I put poison in your ice cream,’ ” Rudoy said.

“Maybe that’s a good analogy for our band.”

CAMPUS

So fresh, so clean

I

thursday

t’s supposed to bring water falls and fish to mind, though for some it’s just the stuf f of nightmares.

The Weisman Ar t Museum, finished in 1993, was designed by architect Frank Gehry. His profile has since risen dramatically, making the Weisman’s presence a coup for the University of Minnesota. A $14 million expansion, also designed

by Gehry, was completed in 2011.

The Weisman’s stainless steel exterior and the matching panels along the Washington Avenue footbridge aren’t different from some kitchen appliances.

Its convoluted metal contor tions are just as prone to dirt and grime, with the added cur ves and twists providing more nooks and crannies that don’t get naturally cleaned with rainwater. Even the areas that do get a rinse when the heavens part still get water stains and streaks.

In spite of its abstract appearance, the Weisman gets cleaned with a mild, diluted

Arj Barker You might remember him from “Flight of the Conchords,” but chances are good that you don’t, actually: Arj Barker didn’t play one of the two main guys. He played their good friend, Dave. A calm presence in the comedy world, Barker has made his red-eyed, shaggy-haired mark in other ways.

He was in the off-Broadway laugh-fest “The MarijuanaLogues” with pals Doug Benson and Tony Camin. Barker has also made appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and been featured on “Comedy Central Presents.” u Where: Acme Comedy Company, 708 N. First St. G31, Minneapolis u When: 8 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. (Running through Aug. 3) u Cost: $15-30

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY Weisman Art Museum event coordinator Emily Foxen and director of security and building operations John Allen clean the stainless steal exterior of the museum on Thursday. The Weisman staff cleans the outside of the building about every two years.

— at that moment, it was easy to see why people were concerned about the Weisman’s potentially blinding effect on motorists when it first opened.

A moot point, as light-rail

construction has detoured much of the traffic that usually putters by. But the added muck from the construction of the tracks was an added reason to get the scr ub brushes out.

“Oz” by Circus Juventas Not enough scrilla for Cirque du Soleil? Creeped out by that high-falutin’ Vegas sham of flexibility anyway? No problem. Get the home-grown, fresh-faced version of it for a fraction of the price. Swing into the St. Paul youth circus’ annual summer show, and marvel at up-and-coming Twin Cities talents — along with kids who are just doing this for fun. Circus Juventas is a community force, giving everybody under the age of 18 a chance to try their hand (and other hand, and legs and torsos) at being the next Barnum and Bailey brothers (and sisters!) u Where: Circus Juventas; 1270 Montreal Ave., St. Paul u When: 7 p.m. (Running through Aug. 18) u Cost: $14-35

There’s no official word other than wait-and-see on whether train traf fic will make any difference to the Weisman’s exterior. (The building did undergo vibratory testing to simulate the

saturday

BY SPENCER DOAR sdoar@mndaily.com

detergent once ever y two years or so.

The strangest par t is that it’s done not by a janitorial crew or steel-cleaning specialists but by the Weisman’s own staff — John Allen, the director of security and building operations, and Emily Foxen, the event coordinator.

The weeklong cleaning process is an in-house cost-saving measure; expenditures come in at around $2,500. Quotes from specialists put the cost of a more professional clean in the tens of thousands.

Since Foxen and Allen are already Weisman employees, the majority of that $2,500 goes toward equipment — mostly the rental of a JLG aerial lift, or cherrypicker.

That’s changed since Allen took over cleaning duties from the previous director, Bill Lampe.

“I’m not as into it as [Lampe],” Allen said. “He liked to rappel down the sides [while cleaning].”

That isn’t to say that Foxen and Allen don’t have fun — the clean is certainly a break from the normal routine.

“I get to work on my tan,” Foxen joked, gesturing to hers of the farmer’s variety.

The museum is reminiscent of a foil reflector around a sunbather’s neck

friday

The Weisman Art Museum just got its stainless steel exterior cleaned.

new rail system with satisfactory results.)

Oh, and for the obsessively minded: The crooked “k” in the “Frederick R. Weisman” lettering is targeted for a straightening.

Red Stag Block Party If you haven’t seen a good Minnesota cover band yet, you’ve been missing out: This state is home to a glorious motley crew of them. Take Saturday as an opportunity to get jiggy with All Tomorrow’s Petty, a band that sounds like what it is — the greatest. Take a peek at the lineup; you’re guaranteed to have a blast even if you’re not treating the block party like your own personal PettyFest 2013. Go for locals Gramma’s Boyfriend, Bad Bad Hats, Greg Grease, Actual Wolf and more. u Where: 509 First Ave. N.E., Minneapolis u When: 5-10:30 p.m. u Cost: Free

CULTURE COMPASS BY SARAH HARPER

12

July 31-August 6, 2013

Last summer, the whole world rejoiced with a cr y of “Backstreet’s back, alright!” when the five greatest showmen of our time reunited to live in a house together and record a new album.

But the real Streeters among us knew that the golden boys never left — for two decades, they’ve been producing a steady stream of scream-worthy pop. It may not be raking in the critical praise, but their 20th anniversar y album, which came out Tuesday, is worth a few listens.

Get ahold of “In a World like This,” and convince your fab friends to help you make up some sweet choreography, or maybe just turn out all the lights in your bedroom and bask in the glor y of what was, is and forever shall be.

“The Bachelorette” It’s the perfect time to jump into the all-time greatest ABC show — the second part of the season’s finale is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. Spend these remaining days catching up on Desiree Hartsock’s hunt for a good man. You’ll be a full-fledged citizen of #BachelorNation just in time to watch the last rose giveaway live. Who will it be now that big, bad Brooks Forester has broken our artist’s heart? Who’s in it for the right reasons? The adorable Chris Siegfried? The adorable Drew Kenney?

Maybe Des can skate away with both of them, and the producers can keep scheduling sweet group dates for the rest of their lives. Or are we thinking Chris Harrison will shuttle in a wildcard? Juan Pablo Galavis fans can only hope.

eat

Backstreet Boys

watch

listen

CULTURE COMPASS BY SARAH HARPER BBQ Alright folks, I hate to be the one to bring this up, but we’re coming right around into August here, and it’s time to get going on our overly ambitious “summer lists.” Have we gone on a road trip? Have we climbed a mountain? Have we brushed up on Portuguese? No, no and no — and we may not before the summer is over, but we can sure as heck get some charred meat going before September falls upon us.

Fire up the grill, or better yet, head on over to one of the Twin Cities’ solid BBQ joints: A&E recommends Rudolphs (1933 S. L yndale Ave, Minneapolis), Market Bar-B-Que (1414 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis), Dixies on Grand (695 Grand Ave., St. Paul) and Scott Ja-Mama’s Restaurant (3 W. Diamond Lake Road, Minneapolis).

MUSIC

The music is Dunwell

Brothers Joe and David Dunwell didn’t expect the success of the last few years, nor to be playing with each other.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY PAYNE

The Dunwells are a big happy family that sing as one.

BY SPENCER DOAR sdoar@mndaily.com

B

rothers in musical arms Joe and David Dunwell are six years apart, enough of a difference for them to begin their careers in the English music scene separately before fate intervened.

At an open mic, the brothers star ted harmonizing, something they’d messed around with growing up in a musical household (their dad plays classical guitar), though never

together in public.

A talent agent in the crowd insisted on booking them together.

In the three years since, the Leeds, England,-based Dunwell brothers have been joined by childhood friend Dave Hanson on guitar and cousins Jonny Lamb and Rob Clayton on drums and bass respectively. The result is the unique chemistry on their 2012 debut album, “Blind Sighted Faith.”

“Some songs are tr ue and some aren’t, but I believe every word I sing,” Joe

Dunwell said.

That’s recognized by fans across the pond and here in the States, where the folk rock of Mumford and Sons has already found a home.

The Dunwells have played the festival circuit on multiple international tours, including last year’s SXSW, and were scheduled at Lollapalooza before a Chicago storm interfered. As if their rise wasn’t surreal enough, “Almost Famous” director Cameron Crowe tweeted support after a Los Angeles

show.

The chorus of critic and fan approval is only outdone by the harmonies of The Dunwells themselves.

This will come up again and again because all five chipping in on vocals is the best, and sometimes eeriest, aspect of their music. They’re a generally guitar driven affair, but the plunking banjo of David Dunwell is another serendipitous addition to The Dunwells’ sound. “ We w e n t o u t a n d bought a bunch of instruments for 500 pounds,” Joe

Dunwell said. “We were practicing, [David grabbed] the banjo — it just worked.”

It’s one more aspect of their sound that keeps The Dunwells a sum that’s greater than its par ts. By themselves, they’re three busking guitarists with good voices and a gigging rhythm section. Together, they’re called a moder n Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Of fstage, though, you get a different vocal treat: Their singing voices are clear as day, but the moment they break into con-

WHAT THE DUNWELLS WHEN 7 P.M., WEDNESDAY WHERE DAKOTA JAZZ CLUB, 1010 NICOLLET AVE., MINNEAPOLIS COST $24 AGES ALL AGES

versation, the Yorkshire accent kicks in full throttle, and a lifetime of watching the BBC wouldn’t save a linguist.

MUSIC

Crank up the jams

BY SPENCER DOAR sdoar@mndaily.com

A

lex “Crankshaft” Larson owes some thanks to Cowboy Mel, an Anoka barber and local character.

It’s one of Mel’s amusing anecdotes that provided the basis for the 11th track on Crankshaft and the Gear Grinders’ 2013 album, “What You Gonna Do?” “Fill It Up” details the stor y of a cuckolded construction worker who gets revenge on his lady’s beau by ruining his car. Except, like any good Cowboy Mel stor y, it’s in a crazy way: The man fills the cheater’s Cadillac convertible up with cement.

Larson was bubbling with excitement on the phone with A&E — he actually got the chance to ruin a ’75 Caddy last weekend while filming the video for the song.

Romance gone awr y, a spurned lover, a badass whip and an unexpected climax — it’s the perfect subject matter for Larson’s genre-melding music. That stor y makes bluesy rock ‘n’ roll with a punkish edge flat out work: He calls it pork neck.

“Basically people were asking me time and time

again [what type of music I play]; it’s so hard to answer,” Larson said. “So I say it’s pork neck because I can.”

No matter what he wants to call the edgy, spiraling, Chuck Ber r y-influenced tracks on the album, people are listening.

He gigs all over the cities and the state, playing 7th Street Entry as easily as Bunker’s.

There was a point when he wasn’t sure if itinerant gigging was the right move, continuing to run his own construction company up until 2009 while still playing 90-odd gigs a year.

Even when Larson made the commitment to support himself with nothing but music in 2010, he didn’t pull his contractor permit, his subconscious nagging at the musical decision.

Now, there are no regrets, and his experience in the world of wood-hewn beams and power tools came in handy for the recording of “What You Gonna Do?” One of Larson’s goals setting out was to find a space that would allow him and the Gear Grinders to record live. (His engineer’s studio in Minneapolis is too small for live tracking.)

In the end, that require-

With or without his backing band the Gear Grinders, Alex “Crankshaft” Larson knows how to get audiences stomping their feet.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER LEE Alex “Crankshaft” Larson is ready to total cars in the pursuit of his musical ambitions.

ment was filled by a small dair y barn that required quite a bit of work to get up and running — a veritable episode of “This Old House.”

Larson recalls that even after all the wiring, weather proofing and general cleaning up, there was still a pigeon problem.

“Probably two-thirds of the instrumentals on the album were recorded with a couple of pigeons that got into the barn,” Larson said.

Just add those feathered friends to the growing audience of people falling for Crankshaft’s pork-neck stylings.

July 31-August 6, 2013

Classifieds

13

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EMPLOYMENT

HOUSING

Deja Vu is hiring entertainers for day & night shifts. Flexible hours, great for students have cash everyday you work. Full & P.T. hours, you pick your own schedule, no experience needed. Apply in person or at dejavu.com 612-333-8130. must be 18+

2 bed near St. Paul campus, 8/1, 775 651-636-2481

BARTENDING! $300/Day potential No Exp Nec, Training available. Age 18+ OK. 1-800-965-6520 xt114

3 Bed, avail. 9/1/13, upper unit in duplex, 1 car garage, coin wash/dry onsite, util. incl, $1500/month call Cindy at 763-355-4829

SERVICES

CLASSIC CITY APTS Dinkytown/Stadium Village AVAIL FALL 2013 Rooms: Studios, 1 BR, 2 BR Check our website at www.classiccityapartments.com 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???

Ask Elenute. Relationship/dating coach with >25 years professional experience.

1:1 in person for women. Free 30 min. intro session. 612-379-3316

Dinkytown 615 15th Ave SE 1 BR $675$725 Free pkg avail 9/1 turne327@umn.edu 612-331-4398

UNIVERISTY POSITIONS Landcare Student Workers Must be UofM student, starting FT immediately, PT during school year. Sat-Wed or Wed-Sun. 7am-3:30pm $8.25/hr.Go to http://z.umn.edu/landcarestudent

HOUSING *FREE first month’s rent w/ lg 1 bedroom lease!* Studio, 1 br, 2 br Avail 9/1 4 blks to U. 813 University Ave SE. Hdwd flrs, french doors, wifi, garage, Pics: www.813university.com Call for more details 612-379-1843 1 bed, avail 9/1/13 $850/month util includ, 1 detach garage, open to single/couple call Cindy: at 763-355-4829

HOUSING Rose Hill Apartments 1 & 2 Bed Avail., close to St.Paul/Minn. campus, short walk to #3 bus 651-644-4823 or toni.rosehill@gmail.com Sandy Hill Apartments Large 1 and 2 br, large patio and gar, heat inc, avail now, www.sandyhillapartments.com, 651-775-0511

UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS Studio, $650, month to month lease, DT MPLS, close to W Bank, full kit, full BA, walk in closet, call Grant 612-221-1322

DINKYTOWN 1, 2, 3 BR’s avail 9/1 Crpt, A/C, ldry, secure, pkg, $720 and up, heat pd 612-237-6941 www.uofmhousing.com

HOUSING

HOUSING

DINKYTOWN

WEST BANK

1112/1114 4th St SE 1BR for $795/mo. avail 9/1 2BR for $995/mo. avail 9/1 Call Bryce 612.481.1676

Lg 2 BR Remod Condo, Lg Kit, Store Rm w/ extra storage avail, Balcony, Free Ldry, Indoor Pkg, Security Bldg, Near DT, On Busline, Close to LRT, No pets/smoker, Avail Immed, $1230/ month, 952-974-9292

2 Bed, 710 13th Ave SE, $950 + elec., 651-635-9336 4 bed/2 bath, central AC, off st. parking, call Jake: 612-600-9101 DINKYTOWN 1 bed apart., $600/month crpt, AC, call: 952-935-4942 Lg. 3 bed/2 bath central air/AC, great rental rates call Jake: 612-600-9101

COMO

SE Como, 3 BR dplx, $900 + util, ldry, kit.

651-226-1094.

SE Como, 4+ BR, 2 BA, 1.5 kit, dw, ldry, deck, gar. 651-226-1094.

STADIUM VILLAGE Lrge 4BR house, $1600, avail 9/1, ldry, A/C, water, furnished, short walk to U, off st prkg, 651-895-4436

ST. PAUL 1022 Manvel (St. Anthony Park), 2BR, $750, no pets, avail 9/1, 651-635-9336 Falcon Heights Larpenteur near Snelling ns, sunny 1 br $675 2 br $715 ht pd, beau. hwf, gar. av. 1 mi to St.p camp. on busline free avail 6/1 wifi 651-645-1322

Fall leasing: 4 bed/2 bath starting at 570.

Lease by the bedroom, call 651-644-8400.

Girl Roommate wanted, 1 bed avail, $500 + half utilities, call 612-819-9371

Looking for roommate 800 SE 4th St Minneapolis, MN Spacious apartment, if interested contact Laura Haller @ 612-386-3187

Nik Yahya Nik Rushdi

14

July 31-August 6, 2013

BACKTALK

horoscopes

sudoku

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

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

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

7/31/2013

July 24-30’s solution © 2013 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

All rights reserved.

Today’s Birthday (7/31): Your universe centers on home and family this year. Care for elders or children.

A renovation or relocation keeps you busy, along with plenty of work. Friendships grow.

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

Written By Linda C. Black

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is a 9 — Listening is a large part of the conversation. Pay close attention to the words of a loved one, as if worth gold.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is an 8 — Get outdoors. Today and tomorrow harken for adventure and exploration. Opportunities present themselves.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 9 — Financial planning could be quite profitable. Start by getting practical. Consider the long-term benefits and costs.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 9 — Handle financial matters. Discuss shared funds.

Don’t let a windfall slip through your fingers.

Pay special attention to your senses.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 7 — Be grateful for a bird in the hand, and care for it well. You get a boost of energy, so take advantage.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 9 — Accept an offer of assistance from a partner, or consult a respected strategist. You have a situation. They can help with a big decision.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is an 8 — Keep an eye on the competition. You’re very good at seeing details now, but they could overwhelm.

Listen to your partner.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is an 8 — There’s a heavy workload for the next two days.

Sort through feelings as they arise. Focus on your work.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is an 8 — This phase, your dreams begin to come true. It requires patience and discipline. Luckily, your friends are there for you.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 7 — Don’t wait another minute to start having fun! You’re entering a generally lucky and cuddly two-day phase, but it could get complicated.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is a 9 — Assume more responsibility. It’s as good a time as ever to provide for your community and make a difference in the world.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is an 8 — Take work home. Get fully into a household project.

Handle repairs, re-organize or redecorate.

Focus on home and family.

July 31-August 6, 2013

crossword

secret admirers

FOR RELEASE JULY 31, 2013

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Dear Ladies of the Library,

While I appreciate your affinity for yoga pants, you are making studying for finals much more difficult.

Sincerely,

It’s Just Not A Good Time

Josh Kelley,

You may not be much of a hipster, but you sure do make my hips stir.

Call me maybe?

Dear girls with glasses,

You think with your enhanced vision you would see us checking you out all the time.

—Guys who love the four eyes

Dear boys I saw running on West Bank,

The boy in Wilson wearing the Brewers gear,

You are gorgeous. Just thought you should know that. If only your taste in sports teams was better quality ...

—A Twins fan walking by

To all the men on campus who wouldn’t mind being wined and dined,

I have two bottles of wine and homemade cookies, in return I just need a big spoon for the last Saturday before finals week. Any takers?

Ryan K,

You are one sexy security monitor and could be my escort any day.

Yes, I did do a double take when I saw you because yes, you were that attractive.

Sincerely,

Girl that is now about to go on a run

Do you have a secret crush?

4Post submissions on the “University of Minnesota Secret Admirers” Facebook group.

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

4Email submissions to overheards@mndaily.com.

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Rooters with beers, maybe 5 Pampering places 9 Spunk 14 Stargazer’s focus?

15 Basil or Ginger, e.g.

16 Attention-getters 17 “__ put it another way ...”

18 Switch ender 19 Pinkish wines 20 Chocolate-andcrisped-rice candy 23 “Jews and Words” co-author 24 Heavenly lion 25 Ballpark fig.

28 Official symbol 31 Puzzling problem 33 Like a Chihuahua’s ears 37 Solid investment?

39 Many an auctioned auto 40 P-like Greek letter 41 Sprinted 42 “It floats” sloganeer 45 Lost cause 46 Bird in a clock 47 Pianist Peter 49 Chuckle sound 50 Looker’s leg 52 Beehive, e.g.

57 Gymnast’s event, or what 20-, 37and 42-Across literally are in this grid 60 Crosswise, nautically 63 Refusals 64 Scoreboard figure, at times 65 Coup group 66 Vegan staple 67 German article 68 Inner turmoil 69 Six-legged marchers 70 American-born Jordanian queen DOWN 1 Pop singer Apple 2 Relevant, in law 3 Untrue 4 Casino lineup

7/31/13

By Susan Gelfand

5 React to sunlight, maybe 6 Paris’s Bois de Vincennes, par exemple 7 Son of Venus 8 1988 Summer Olympics city 9 Pioneer in wireless telegraphy 10 “Oopsie!”

11 Survey marks 12 “__ Mine”: Beatles song 13 Double curve 21 2000s TV drama that ended in a church 22 Have to have 25 Encourage 26 Camper’s dessert 27 Spud 29 Prefix with business 30 Lindsay of “Mean Girls” 32 Gung-ho about 33 Psychoanalyst Fromm 34 Variety show 35 Noteworthy period 36 Eco-friendly tile material

Tuesday’s July 24-30’sPuzzle PuzzleSolved Solved

(c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

38 Run easily 43 Place for meditation, for some 44 Fly high 45 Hockey score 48 Animal for which a blood factor is named 51 Tropical ray 53 Hedda Gabler’s creator 54 Proportion

7/31/13

55 Backup-beating brand 56 Maker of the MyBlend blender 57 Back strokes?

58 Bird on Canada’s dollar coin 59 Hit the road 60 1977 Steely Dan album 61 Burger holder 62 Tower of London loc.

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

dr. date Dr. Date,

I’m actually an incoming freshman at the U. I’m moving into my dorm in a few weeks, and honestly, I’m a little nervous.

I didn’t have much success with girls in high school. And by much, I mean none.

It feels like most college girls will want somebody with experience. Have any tips for a freshman looking for love or something a little less permanent?

—Young Lust

Wonder Lust,

This is a really sweet letter, and I like you for it. I like you. I have a few single friends who might like you, too. They’d be interested in someone with your conscientious ’tude. Girls like a good thinker.

In our University’s fine residence halls, romance tends to be a casual affair, so don’t worry about finding your inner Sinatra. Trysts typically arise out of friendship and casual “group hangs.”

College dating is a lot easier than it was in high school because people are much more able to “hang” — no parents! If the lady you’re interested in lives in your dorm, you can ask her if she would like to meet you for breakfast or something fun like that.

Regarding sex, college girls are nervous sometimes, too. They might prefer someone who’s willing to explore with them, someone who’s down for a little trial and error. Here are a few tricks from the Doc: Go slow, pay attention to the sounds your partner is making and never be afraid to talk during a hook-up — communicating out loud takes a ton of unnecessary mystery out of any sexual process.

Good luck, baby. Don’t be nervous!

—Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

My girlfriend and I have been dating for about nine months, and it’s been great. But for the last two weeks, she’s stayed at my house every night. Don’t

get me wrong, I love hanging out with her and feel like we’ll last awhile, but I just need some space, and I don’t know how to bring this up without hurting her.

What should I do?

—Room To Breathe

Rent Due,

My biggest question here: Why is she all of a sudden staying over? Y’all have been together for a full term, so to speak, but she’s been house-guesting only for the past two weeks? What changed? Examine that and then address it. If there’s nothing to uncover, try taking your girl on more dates! Of course she’s staying over if you’re inviting her over for a “chill hang.” Take her out, and then drop her off! Go to dinner! Go play putt-putt! If she gets wise to your lil’ date tricks, maybe try talking to her like an adult.

—Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

I’ve been hooking up with this guy for the past few weeks. I think I really like him, but there’s a problem. He doesn’t ... last too long in the bedroom. It’s the only area we have a problem, everything else is great! But I can’t say I’m not disappointed things aren’t better between the sheets.

—Too Soon

Buuuummmmerrrrrr,

Babe! I’m sorry. Do you think you can teach this new dog old tricks? I think you can! I know you can. If everything else really is great, then it’s worth it to try out a few tricks. Encourage him (through fantasy texting!) to masturbate the day you’re expecting to get down and dirty.

Or jack him off the minute you get to his house. Get him to breathe deep during sex and take a few time-outs every time you sense he’s about to blow. You deserve an awesome sex time!

—Dr. Date

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

15

16

July 31-August 6, 2013

After DOMA, U benefits to change Benefits u from Page 1

Currently, the University of fers the same benefits to employees with a samesex domestic par tner as it does to married heterosexual couples. But employees with same-sex partners have to pay additional taxes on their benefits.

Because the Inter nal Revenue Ser vice doesn’t recognize same-sex par tners as dependents, their benefits are considered to be taxable income.

When the University changes its benefits system to accommodate the federal and state changes, this tax will be lifted, said Dann Chapman, employee benefits director for the University’s Of fice of Human Resources.

The University won’t be able to change its system until the federal government issues its regulations, which are expected in September, Chapman said. After the federal regulations are released, he said, the state can produce its own policies. Minnesota employers — like the University — have to wait for both processes to finish before they can lift the tax for employees with same-sex marriages.

Chapman said the University’s new system could be in place by November, when employees can make changes to their benefits plans.

The University will notify employees about the policies and programs affected by the law change, he said.

A waiting game Because her partner is disabled and visits the doctor every three weeks, Yorek said it’s difficult to meet the cost of her medical bills with the additional tax

burden.

Yorek said this additional tax is based on $6,000 more income than she actually gets. She said she would rather put those tax dollars toward co-pays and prescriptions for her partner.

Because Yorek and Sundin were legally married last March in Washington state, she said she wishes the University would award spousal benefits beginning Aug. 1 instead of waiting to make changes.

“Now, my par tner is simply a spouse, no different than any other spouse,” she said. “I’m kind of frustrated because the University could just decide that they’re going to follow federal and state law and recognize [my marriage], and they will figure out the administrative glitches later.”

In 2008, the University Senate passed a resolution asking the administration to find a way to compensate employees paying the extra tax.

But the action was shot down by former University President Robert Bruininks, who cited budget shortages.

“It’s about time,” said speech, language and hearing sciences professor Benjamin Munson, who was chair of the University Senate’s Equity, Access and Diversity Committee at the time.

Munson said he and his par tner had a civil union in New Zealand in 2008.

Though they’re getting married in the Twin Cities in about two weeks, Munson said some people in samesex domestic partnerships who are currently receiving University benefits may not want to get married.

“I’ll be interested to see whether or not other people who are using these benefits are going to feel like they’re

being railroaded into getting married,” Munson said.

Because health care costs are going up, he said, the University should work to lift the extra tax on samesex partners’ benefits.

“Part of me thinks, ‘Well, I’m so grateful,’ ” he said.

“Another part of me thinks, ‘Well, you know, it should have been like this 30 years ago.’ ”

Other impacts Although eliminating the tax will be the most significant result of the state and federal changes, employees with same-sex marriages will likely see other positive outcomes.

For example, employees won’t have to designate their same-sex spouses as their primar y beneficiar y anymore, Chapman said — instead, that designation will happen automatically.

Same-sex couples will also have less paper work to fill out when enrolling in benefits plans, Chapman said.

“We will be able, finally, to treat them the same as anyone else in terms of how we process their benefits,” he said. “… And that’s a big win, I think.”

Though the University has done what it can to offer the same benefits to employees with same-sex partners as it does to other employees, Chapman said, they’ve been limited by government regulations.

“To have this barrier going away is something that’s very much welcomed by the University administration,” he said.

A lot financial changes are on the horizon for samesex couples, but the biggest change might be the social one, Munson said.

“The haters can hate, but I’m just as married as them,” he said, “or least I will be a week from Friday.”

Urban farms feed restaurants Farm

URBAN FARMS

u from Page 1

“We want to ideally change the urban food system,” Schramm said.

The project started last summer after Julia FrostNerbonne, environmental sustainability program director for the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs, noticed her students wanted to farm but had no means to do it.

Frost-Nerbonne par tnered with Ruhel Islam, the owner of Gandhi Mahal restaurant in South Minneapolis, to start a garden that would provide him with fresh, local food.

This summer, the program has a dozen gardens near the restaurant, which will provide Islam with about 10,000 pounds of produce.

Islam said he hopes his restaurant can be entirely self-suf ficient in the next five years through the gardens and greenhouses.

He paid the gardens’ startup costs and will pay the student workers for the produce.

“This is my dream,” Islam said. “Since I was a little boy, I was ver y passionate about food.”

Islam is originally from Bangladesh, where food shortage is a problem.

But food insecurity isn’t just a problem for other countries. To tackle food disparities at home, HECUA also works with north Minneapolis youth to teach

694

GANDHI MAHAL 94 35W

494

SOURCE: HECUA, GANDHI MAHAL PROJECT

them how to grow their own gardens.

After his days in the gardens, Schramm works ever y night on a research paper for the project, which will act as a template for future urban farmers.

“We plan to make this a regular fixture,” Frost-Nerbonne said.

Although it’s only worked with Gandhi Mahal so far, HECUA plans to par tner with more restaurants and community members in the future.

But the cost of transpor tation and cold food storage could cause setbacks.

“The reality is, the deck is stacked against us,”

Frost-Nerbonne said.

The project is tr ying to raise funds through a Kickstar ter campaign, which will allow them to purchase essentials like rickshaws for transpor tation, chicken coops and a cold storage system.

In addition to purchasing supplies, the project hopes to use the funds for licensing fees to become an official business.

The farm-to-restaurant cycle, Nordhagen said, helps consumers feel more connected to their food.

“It gives us a much greater connection to our food,” she said. “I think that’s really beautiful.