CAMPUS & METRO
CAMPUS & METRO
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
FOOTBALL
New General Counsel William Donohue is set to serve for only two years.
Nine faculty members were chosen out of the several hundred applications.
Students marginalize the nearby community too often.
Marcus Jones has already returned a kick and a punt for a touchdown.
U’s general counsel spot still in flux
New hires bring new expertise to CBS u See PAGE 4
u See PAGE 3
SUNNY HIGH 85° LOW 60°
U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
Keep Riverside in mind u See PAGE 5
WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
STUDENT LIFE
TCF and the U: How close is too close?
Jones a spark for Gophers u See PAGE 6
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
MSA crafts platform for 2014 MSA will prioritize the U’s bonding bill and open-source textbooks this year. BY KYLE STOWE kstowe@mndaily.com
The Minnesota Student Association outlined its policy platfor m for this school year at its first for um of the semester Tuesday evening. MSA will focus on advocating for University of Minnesota bonding projects, open-source textbooks and changes to the Higher Education Act during its reauthorization this year. The undergraduate student government succeeded in lobbying for the
new medical amnesty law in the 2013 legislative session, and MSA leaders said they’re confident they can influence policy change again. Matt Forstie, Minnesota Student Legislative Coalition chairman, said it’s important to show state legislators a student voice when they discuss bonding projects in this spring’s session. Local governments and state agencies, including the University, request state funding during the legislative session for constr uction and remodeling projects, generally in u See MSA Page 10 MSA will also push for a more transparent college ranking.
AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY
Economics sophomore Alex Carlson uses the ATM outside TCF Bank in Coffman Union to deposit a check Tuesday.
Some students say they felt pressured to open an account when they arrived at the U. BY NICOLAS HALLETT nhallett@mndaily.com
University of Minnesota
the relationships between big banks and American universities.
biology freshman Alyssa
Many have criticized the
Oakman thought she need-
University’s relationship
ed to open a TCF Bank ac-
with the bank for targeting
count in order to receive
students since the partner-
her U Card.
ship began in 1995.
“That’s how they pre-
“In that time, the rela-
sented it at orientation, that
tionship has been scruti-
it would be easier to have
nized up and down,” said
them linked,” she said. “I
University spokesman
didn’t fully understand what
Chuck Tombarge.
was going on.”
But if the University
Though TCF check
didn’t have the bank’s spon-
cards and U Cards aren’t
sorship, he said, it would
in fact linked, the Universi-
lose funds for student-ori-
ty’s tie to TCF has recently
ented programs like schol-
come under scrutiny from
arships, Homecoming, the
the U.S. Consumer Finan-
cricket team and Spring
cial Protection Bureau,
Jam.
amid larger questions about
For example, TCF must
u See TCF Page 3
HEALTH
HIGHER ED
Online classes don’t cut costs, surprising some The University charges up to $270 in fees per online course. BY ANNE MILLERBERND amillerbernd@mndaily.com
As the cost of higher education continues to increase, online classes have been held up as a less expensive alternative. But at the University of Minnesota, and elsewhere, these classes can mean additional fees on top of tuition costs — something some students and faculty members are unaware of. University students taking more than one Online Distance Learning credit are charged an additional fee between $90 and $270,
depending on the number of credits taken. Nick Biondich has taught the ODL version of a University accounting class for nearly 18 years and said he’s never heard of the fee. Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Bob McMaster said most instructors aren’t aware of many of the fees students pay, including the ODL fee, because it’s not relevant to them. “In my role as a faculty [member], I rarely get involved with tuition-related issues,” Biondich said. Freshman Vanessa Nelson said the fee would discourage her from taking an online course. u See ONLINE Page 4 Creating a new online class can cost the U up to $100,000.
STUDENT GROUPS
Students using more e-cigs
Groups mourn lost murals in Coffman
BY T YLER GIESEKE tgieseke@mndaily.com
Until last spring, one wall of the Black Student Union’s corner office in the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Union displayed a vivid depiction of the 1969 Morrill Hall takeover — a protest that played a huge role in the group’s growth. “It brought character to the space in the way that white walls can never do,” said BSU President Amber Jones. The mural — showing a protest that sparked creation of the University’s African-American and African Studies department — was a great conversation starter and a lesson in “local, relevant” history, she said. With last summer’s renovation of Coffman’s second floor, student groups and cultural centers that previously held space lost
Coffman’s second floor renovation has left student Some say electronic cigarettes groups with blank walls. are healthier, but their full BY HAILEY COLWELL effects are unknown. hcolwell@mndaily.com
University of Minnesota staffer Brad Kaufman said he began smoking electronic cigarettes a few months ago because they contain fewer chemicals than regular cigarettes. “They’re better for you,” said the Office of Information Technology systems administrator. While they may be less harmful than regular cigarettes, health experts caution that the full effects of e-cigarettes — which are growing in popularity nationwide — are still unclear. Rather than burning tobacco, an electronic cigarette heats up nicotine extract, u See E-CIG Page 4 E-cigs aren’t affected by the new tobacco tax as much as regular cigarettes are.
u See COFFMAN Page 10 The University must now approve any painting in the new spaces.
ICHIGO TAKIKAWA, DAILY
Junior Miguel Jimenez studies at the La Raza Student Cultural Center on Friday afternoon in front of the only mural left from their previous office space before the renovation.
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 6