CAMPUS & METRO
FOOTBALL
CAMPUS & METRO
A new housing initiative aims to help students reach their goals.
There is still no set timetable for Kill’s return to the football program.
Five mayoral candidates want to revamp education and police systems.
Dorms look to connect with students
Gophers prepare with Claeys, Leidner
u See PAGE 3
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PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 54° LOW 40°
U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
Mayoral candidates talk cops, schools u See PAGE 12
ST PAUL
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 16, 2013
U courts Chinese students, reaps benefits
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
CITY COUNCIL
Election will bring new blood Four City Council seats are completely open, and many incumbents are in tight races. BY ALMA PRONOVE apronove@mndaily.com
JULIET FARMER, DAILY
Students share ideas at a Global China Connection meeting in the Science Teaching & Student Services building Friday. Global China Connection was created to help promote mutual appreciation and understanding between China and the Western world.
U.S. universities are benefiting from record-high Chinese enrollment.
We need to be the place for qualified Minnesota students, but I would like to see us get a little bit more geographically diverse out of the upperMidwest. Eric Kaler University president CRIME
BY ROY AKER AND KIA FARHANG raker@mndaily.com mfarhang@mndaily.com
P
a n We n b i n g w a s the first and only Chinese student at the University of Minnesota when he enrolled in 1914. He joined the soccer team, lived in Dinkytown and never moved back to China. In 2011, Michael Wu left Nanjing, China, for the University and joined more than 2,200 Chinese students already here. He formed an intramural soccer team with other students in his dorm and said he never had a problem fitting in. As Chinese students have enrolled in American universities in record numbers — fr equently backed by family funding — American universities have stepped up recr uitment ef for ts, promoting a relationship that benefits them financially while alleviating an over-burdened Chinese education system. At the University of
Minnesota, inter national students make up a growing por tion of revenue, and Chinese students are quickly becoming the largest piece of that population. In the 2011-12 academic year, the University raked in more than $110 million in tuition and fees from inter national students, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. International students rarely receive state or federal grants or financial aid, so the average inter national student pays a larger share of out-of-pocket tuition than the average American student. Almost 64 percent of inter national students in the U.S. relied primarily on personal and family funds to pay for college in 2011-12, according to a study from the Institute of International Education, a non-profit training organization. “There’s definitely a financial aspect to the growth in recruiting overseas,” said Peggy Blumenthal, senior counselor at
the IIE. Well-funded students from China are “ver y attractive” to state institutions, Blumenthal said. Those schools have experienced a loss in state funding and can capitalize on inter national tuition rates. State funding for the University has declined 23 percent since 2008. The University has added more than 1,000 Chinese students to its ranks since opening a Beijing recruiting office in 2009 — its only recr uiting of fice outside the U.S. This year, Chinese students make up more than 40 percent of the University’s international student body. Barbara Kappler, assistant dean of International Student and Scholar Services, said she doesn’t think the University is recruiting international students to make up for a lack of state funding. But, she said, “it’s completely fair to ask the question.”
China page 4
Election Day will bring big changes to Minneapolis’ city government, including the first new mayor in more than a decade and many new faces on City Council. Four of the City Council’s 13 seats are completely open to new members, and seven of the remaining nine are highly contested, which could mean a shift in the council’s priorities and cooperation after the Nov. 5 elections. University of Minnesota political science professor Larr y Jacobs said next month’s elections will be an “incredible time” in u See COUNCIL Page 6 Councilwoman Elizabeth Glidden said many fresh faces will mean changing dynamics on the Council.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Police rarely cite drinking Many minors say they drink, but university police report few alcohol offenses. BY NICK STUDENSKI nstudenski@mndaily.com
College campuses have a reputation for high alcohol use, but university police departments often report few offenses. Nearly two-thirds of Minnesota college students said they consumed alcohol in the last month, according to the Boynton Health Ser vice 2012 College Student Health Survey. University of Minnesota police reported 181 alcohol offenses in 2012, which includes tickets for underage drinking, public consumption and open liquor bottles in vehicles. Biology freshman Kalie Schwartz said she sees a lot of alcohol use on campus. “It’s obviously prevalent,” she said. Despite high rates of alcohol use, Schwar tz said she thinks students are u See DRINKING Page 6 University of Wisconsin-Madison police issued more than 700 underage drinking citations last year.
KICKIN’ IT
Four robberies hit U Monday Police suspect one group of men is responsible for robbing several students. BY NICK STUDENSKI nstudenski@mndaily.com
Several University of Minnesota students were robbed in four incidents on and near campus over the weekend, according to police reports. University police Chief Greg Hestness emailed a crime alert on Monday informing the community of the robberies, all of which occurred between 1 and 4:45 a.m. Sunday. This is the fourth crime alert sent by University police about an armed robbery or assault in the last month. Federal law requires UMPD to send alerts when violent crimes occur near University or student group buildings, or when crimes are an ongoing threat. University police believe the same group of five to six men is responsible for all four robberies, the alert said. The suspects were not armed, but at least one of the victims in each robbery was injured. u See CRIME Page 3 One person’s phone was snatched from their hand on a Metro Transit bus.
Kaler talks Kill’s leave, budget request He also discussed the government shutdown’s effect on the University. BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com
The Minnesota Daily sat down with University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler for its monthly Kickin’ it with Kaler interview Tuesday at the 17th Avenue residence hall’s Fresh Food Company. Kaler discussed head football coach Jerry Kill’s recent leave of absence, the 2014 capital budget request and his Halloween party plans over a cup of coffee and chocolate cake. Coach Jerr y Kill is taking a leave of absence to focus on his epilepsy treatment, while Tracy Claeys will ser ve as interim head coach for the football team. What effect will this have on University athletics? I don’t know of a person in Minnesota who dislikes Jerry Kill, and I think people who’ve met him are rooting for him to get better. It’s clear that he needed some additional time to get treatment and get himself back to where he needs to be the head coach, and so he’s doing that. Right now, he’s taking time of f, sick leave, like any other employee, and we’ve asked Tracy to be the acting head coach. … Jerry is our head coach. Has there been any discussion be-
CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY
The Minnesota Daily sat down with President Eric Kaler for lunch and an interview at the 17th Avenue residence hall’s dining hall, Fresh Food Company, on Tuesday.
tween you and Nor wood Teague about Kill stepping down? Our plan right now is for Jerr y to get better and be able to resume his full duties, and that’s what we want to see happen. Have you discussed this with Kill?
Yes. Norwood and I have talked to Jerry about this. ... Again, you’ve got to note that u See KALER Page 3 The 2015 capital request could include renovations for Elliott, Eddy and Pillsbury halls, Kaler said.
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