March 8, 2021

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021

MNDAILY.COM

NEIGHBORHOODS

POLICY

UMN senate requires racial justice course for undergrads

A section of I-94 passes between the CedarRiverside and Seward neighborhoods in Minneapolis as seen on May 1, 2018.

As Minnesota reimagines the freeway, residents advocating for more walkability in the neighborhood.

(Alex TuthillPreus / Minnesota Daily)

Around a quarter of U students graduate without taking a social justice course.

By Hana Ikramuddin hikramuddin@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota Senate voted to rename the Diversity and Social Justice course theme to “Race, Power and Justice in the United States” (RPJ) and make it a requirement for all undergraduate students on the Twin Cities campus during their Thursday meeting.

In past years, students were required to take four of the five available theme courses: civic life and ethics, diversity and social justice in the U.S., the environment, global perspectives, and technology and society. The new system will still require students to take four total theme courses, but students will now have to take a course classified under the RPJ theme specifically. The new requirement will not add additional credits to a student’s workload.

The change will go into effect in fall 2021.

Twin Cities faculty senators voted to approve the proposal with 67 ayes, 15 nays and eight abstentions.

The Council on Liberal Education (CLE), a group of faculty that reviews and approves liberal education courses, brought the proposal to the faculty senate in December. According to Kathryn Pearson, the CLE chair, around a quarter of University students graduate without taking a course with the social justice theme.

Pearson said this proposal was created in response to a request from Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson following the police killing of George Floyd last summer.

The council built on a yearslong effort to change the University’s liberal education requirements. In December 2019, the senate voted against all proposed changes.

According to a statement from University Relations, the Office of Undergraduate Education and the CLE will work together on next steps for implementing the change. The new requirement will not impact current students, Pearson said.

Courses that currently meet the standards for diversity and social justice in the U.S. theme will automatically meet the new RPJ theme’s requirements. As courses come up for their regular See POLICY Page 2

I-94’s impact on Cedar-Riverside When the freeway was built, it cut through the majority inmigrant area.

By Lydia Morrell lmorrell@mndaily.com Interstate 94 sliced through Cedar-Riverside in the 1960s, cutting it off from downtown Minneapolis.

Currently, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is in the public engagement process for its Rethinking I-94 initiative, which looks at a stretch of the freeway in Minneapolis and St. Paul and intends to reconnect communities torn apart by the road’s construction, including this West Bank neighborhood.

In December, Minneapolis

See NEIGHBORHOOD Page 2

BUSINESS

Oaks TW Hardware closes after 109 years

The store has long been a community hub for Southeast Como residents.

By Lydia Morrell lmorrell@mndaily.com

Patrick Clough has worked at Oaks TW Hardware for 52 years, and his dog Frankenstein — a neighborhood celebrity — has been perched in the window for about ten of those.

But after a 109-year run as a neighborhood hub, the hardware store is closing at the end of March, and Frankenstein, or Frankie, will be making friends in a different neighborhood.

Clough grew up in Southeast Como and started working in the store for 75 cents an hour at age 13. He bought it at 17 while attending Marshall-University

Patrick Clough, the owner of Oaks TW Hardware, poses for a portrait with his dog Frankie on Tuesday, March 2. Oaks TW Hardware is closing after 109 years. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily) High School in Dinkytown and established his business as a staple in the ever-shifting neighborhood. It has been a meeting spot for residents, situated less than

JUSTICE

a block from Van Cleve Park, so he has heard his fair share of gossip over the years.

“I used to say this is like a bar without liquor,” Clough said. “As

we can hear more complaints, more sob stories. And people that come and play with that dog, they’re telling me that’s the best part of their day.”

Longtime neighbor Carol Horswill visits the hardware store twice a day to walk Frankie. She said the shop is the only place in the neighborhood that provides a meeting point for residents, students, landlords and employees.

“And consequently, it’s a useful place for those groups to get to know each other and develop a sense of community,” Horswill said. “Because otherwise, it’s not a neighborhood that can do that easily.”

Clough, 64, said he decided to close the store to join his wife in Kentucky, where she recently started a new job. He is also See BUSINESS Page 2

HEALTH SCIENCES

The Chauvin trial: What you need to know Derek Chauvin is being charged with the murder of George Floyd.

The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood as seen on Wednesday, Oct. 3 2018.

The construction of I-94 cut off CedarRiverside from downtown Minneapolis.

(Will Tooke / Minnesota Daily)

published a resolution stating that the city opposes reconstructing the freeway in its current form and that Rethinking I-94 must avoid or mitigate “any negative impacts to livability, safety or environmental burden to adjacent and connecting neighborhoods.” The resolution fits within the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prioritize alternate transit and improve racial equity.

In Cedar-Riverside, residents said they wanted Minneapolis transportation authorities to increase walkability and not increase traffic on the freeways and within the busy neighborhood streets.

Longtime neighbor and project manager for the city of St. Paul

U to launch healthcare program with Google and Mayo Clinic The NXT GEN MED program will launch on the Rochester campus in 2022.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com

By Emalyn Muzzy emuzzy@mndaily.com

The Hennepin County Government Center on Sunday, Feb. 28. The trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd, will be held here starting on March 8. (Shannon Doyle / Minnesota Daily)

On March 8, the state of Minnesota is slated to begin its trial against Derek Chauvin. He is on trial for second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for allegedly killing George Floyd. The state could also take up a charge for third-degree murder, as reported by the Star Tribune.

He will be tried separately from the three other former Minneapolis police officers

involved in Floyd’s death. Their trial is in August.

Chauvin’s trial will be livestreamed on Court TV, making it available for people worldwide and across campus to watch. Court trials can get confusing, especially for people who normally do not pay attention to them.

Here is what to expect in court.

Court process: Jury selection

The first part of the trial will consist of voir dire, or jury selection, which can take about three weeks.

The jury will consist of 12 people — with four alternates — who will be chosen by the prosecutors and defense.

Normally, attorneys strive to find jurors who have never heard of the court case, but See JUSTICE Page 2

The University of Minnesota recently announced that a new health sciences degree program, designed to address the national shortage of healthcare workers, will be launching on the Rochester campus in summer 2022.

In a collaborative project, the NXT GEN MED program will use new technology from Google to teach students in a hybrid format and connect them with working healthcare professionals from the Mayo Clinic, a medical center located in Rochester. The two-year accelerated program also includes future job opportunities for students at Mayo, encouraging more students to pursue health care jobs.

Through the NXT GEN MED program, students will earn a Bachelor’s degree in health sciences while working at the Mayo Clinic, said University President Joan Gabel in an interview with the Minnesota Daily Friday. Students will also take part in mentorship programs and connect with faculty.

“Mayo needs more people. Every health system needs more people,” Gabel said. “For the foreseeable future, there are robust employment opportunities for students with this set of experiences. Imagine the demand for a student who will not only have this incredibly forwardthinking degree, but two years of experience having worked at the Mayo Clinic.”

This partnership builds off of the University’s existing relationship with both Google and the Mayo Clinic. The shift to virtual instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic also encouraged the University to See HEALTH Page 2 Volume 121 Issue 10

2 Monday, March 8, 2021

Neighborhood page 1 Kowsar Mohamed said the traffic congestion is dangerous for the children and elderly population that live and walk nearby. She said it’s important for city authorities to keep these dangers in mind when planning construction detours.

“It is highly recommended that we raise awareness at any given point if there is going to be construction,” Mohamed said. “That the detours aren’t pushed over here because there is already a high amount of cars that come through our neighborhood intersections on Fourth Street, on Cedar [and] Riverside.”

The resolution emphasizes increasing alternative transportation, like rapid transit and bicycle connections over the freeway.

Mohamed said she wants city authorities to engage more with community members and consider implications for Cedar-Riverside while developing the

Policy page 1 review over the next few years, however, they will need to be updated to meet the new requirement, according to Pearson.

The Minnesota Student Association voted to endorse the new theme requirement at their Tuesday forum meeting.

“I think the University has a responsibility and a lot of ways partly just given where we are geographically, partly given what the objectives of higher education institutions are to equip students with a diverse worldview,” said Carter Yost, an MSA student representative, who co-led MSA’s endorsement of the new theme requirement.

“I think making this theme a requirement for students is a really great step towards better student understanding,” he said.

Some senate members expressed concern about the new requirement, such as the idea that requiring these courses could place additional emotional labor on students of color who have lived experiences with racial injustice.

Mattea Allert, the speaker for the Council of Graduate Students, said she feels the new requirement does not accurately address

Business page 1 excited to be closer to their daughter, who lives in Florida. He said COVID-19 had no impact on the decision to move on.

There were no buyers for the hardware store, and there isn’t a renter yet for the storefront.

He has kept the little shop bustling even as other small family-owned businesses closed around him and the high-density housing and large competitors cropped up, replacing him in the Quarry and Dinkytown.

After Home Depot and Target moved into the area, Clough stopped selling bigger machinery and cleaning supplies and focused on his window, screen and lock repair services. He said that the college students in the area had kept him consistently in business.

“It’s a dying art. … Not too many years ago, there were seven other hardware stores around southeast and northeast [Minneapolis],” Clough said.

“So they’re all gone. I’m the only little guy left, and that’s mostly because of the windows and locks.”

Since Clough has such deep roots in Southeast Como, he has a long list of local connections. Many residents call him for references for local plumbers,

Rethinking I-94 initiative.

“This is a highly knowledgeable and aware community of their surroundings,” Mohamed said. “They know what their needs are, obviously walkability … having increased opportunities for economic development and prosperity and social capital is always at the forefront of any emerging community.”

A vision for Cedar-Riverside The freeway system decimated neighborhoods across the country. In St. Paul, the construction of I-94 tore apart the historically Black Rondo neighborhood, home to a flourishing and vibrant Black middle-class.

In all, at least 700 homes and 300 businesses were demolished.

But in Cedar-Riverside, community leader Abdirizak Bihi said the freeway provided transportation and job opportunities for residents.

“As the current condition of the community, this immigrant community that

student needs.

“I don’t think it’s inherently a bad proposal,” Allert said. “I sort of come from the mindset of opposed to dedicating specific classes to talk about race and social justice, that race and social justice should be brought into … all subjects because it touches everything.”

The University is not alone in this effort. Other Big Ten universities are reevaluating how their undergraduate curriculums consider race and racial justice.

The University of Michigan and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be re-evaluating racial themes in their curriculum. Additionally, Penn State will “establish a required, credit-bearing course for all incoming undergraduate students focused on social justice and equity with an explicit exploration of race.”

“We’re failing our students if we don’t make them aware of systemic racial inequality and give them the tools to analyze it and its implications,” Pearson said. “Minnesota has some of the worst racial inequities in education, housing, health care, criminal justice, the environment. And most recently, it’s the site of George Floyd’s murder.”

electricians or general maintenance people because they trust his opinion.

Betsy Snyder, executive director of Southeast Seniors, said she often gave Clough’s number to her elderly clients doing home improvement projects.

Many of them appreciated Clough’s conversation and the proximity of the store to their houses, Snyder said.

“It’s kind of the oldfashioned way life used to be,” longtime customer Diane Pederson said. “I mean, I could walk down to the store and get what I need. I wouldn’t have to drive there.”

After Clough announced the imminent closure, landlords, customers and community members have been streaming in to stock up on hardware supplies and give gifts, food and gas cards.

“Some people [have come in] that hardly come in, but I’ve just been here forever, and these people have been here forever,” Clough said.

As Clough sells out his remaining stock, customers have also been asking for memorabilia hanging up in the store.

“One guy wants that pop machine,” Clough said, pointing at an old Coke machine. “I’m giving it to him, but he insists that I autograph it.”

depends on highways to get jobs that are not in the city or to travel on public transportation, it’s really useful,” Bihi said.

Bihi added that many of his neighbors had jobs in suburbs or transit-related jobs like driving for Uber or Lyft, so the easy commute is essential.

However, Mohamed said she wants the city to install more pedestrian bridges and make sidewalks safer.

Currently, there is one pedestrian bridge that connects to the Seward neighborhood, and when it is under construction, she said it’s more difficult for residents to leave the neighborhood.

But Cedar-Riverside and Seward once were deeply connected before they evolved into separate communities after freeway construction, said David Markle, who has lived in the neighborhood since the early ‘60s.

On the West Bank, I-94 sliced through homes, a church, locally-owned businesses and Augsburg Uni-

Justice page 1 because this is a highly publicized case, they will be looking for jurors who have not made up their minds regarding Chauvin’s guilt, said Dr. David Schultz, a visiting University of Minnesota law professor.

The court will start with a group of people and will interview them individually to determine if they will be a good fit for the case.

When deciding jurors, attorneys can dismiss people in two ways: using a “for cause strike” or “peremptory strike.”

A for-cause strike means that an attorney can explain with a good reason why they are letting a juror go.

“The defense will not want to have a person on the jury panel who says, ‘All cops are bad.’ That’s someone that defense is going to strike immediately,” said Abigail Cerra, a Minneapolis attorney and commissioner on the Minneapolis Police Conduct Oversight Commission.

With a peremptory strike, attorneys do not have to explain why they sent a juror away. The prosecution could dismiss a juror if they feel that person has a racial bias, even if they have not been outwardly racist. For that reason, both sides have finite peremptory strikes, Schultz said.

Chauvin’s defense will

versity, Markle said. An influx of renters also moved to the area.

A community “created in the shadow of the freeways” When officials determined where the freeway would run, they considered the highway a tool to clear “blight” or “slums” in the city, which was subject to interpretation, said Greg Donofrio, director of A Public History of 35W and University of Minnesota professor.

“Blight was also often racially coded,” Donofrio said.

“Blighted neighborhoods were neighborhoods where immigrants lived, where poor people lived or where people of color lived.”

In the ‘60s, when the interstate was constructed, Cedar-Riverside hosted high populations of Scandanavian and Irish immigrants, according to a Twin Cities Daily Planet article. It was also a hub for the counterculture — hippies, and beatniks.

Two developers, Martin

be allowed 15 peremptory challenges, and the state will be allowed nine.

A Batson challenge is likely to come up several times during this trial, Cerra said. If the defense strikes a juror because of their race, gender, ethnicity or religion, the prosecution can use the Batson challenge to question that decision, though Cerra said that a Batson challenge can be difficult to bring forward.

“A prosecutor will never say the words, ‘I am removing juror number six because they are of a different race,’” Cerra said.

“But sometimes the facts surrounding that removal will lead a judge to say, ‘Yes, that’s an appropriate challenge, and that juror will stay in the pool,’ or ‘No, the prosecution is allowed to remove that juror.’”

Court process: Testimony On March 29, the prosecution and defense are scheduled to begin their testimonies.

During the testimony part of the trial, the prosecutors and defenders will give their arguments.

In a court trial, the prosecutors have to prove that the defendant is guilty. “[The defense doesn’t] have to prove he’s not guilty. They merely have to poke holes in the prosecution’s arguments,” Schultz said.

The prosecution will have to prove both “actus

and Gloria Segal, bought up many smaller pieces of land with the end goal of a “New Town in Town” concept that would create a community within a community. They wanted to redevelop most of the neighborhood into high-rise apartment buildings with a wide variety of income types.

“The Scandanavian and Eastern European populations were growing older, and Cedar Avenue was becoming a part of the underbelly of the city’s nightlife,” said Tim Mungavan, director of the West Bank Community Development Corporation. “And so the idea was to just make a clean slate and get rid of everything.”

Ralph Rapson, a notable architect associated with the University, helped the Segals design Riverside Plaza apartment complex as the first phase of this plan. For the developers, making a clean slate included clearing the existing immigrant population in the neighborhood, Mungavan said. “[The developers] bought

a property and basically would rent that property to hippie households as kind of a blockbusting technique,” Mungavan said. “The older Scandinavians who were not that interested in moving, when they ended up with a neighbor that had this totally different and objectionable lifestyle, that sort of softened them up and helped [the developers] buy their property.”

However, the “hippie population” organized against the development in the early ‘70s, and the “utopian” intent for the neighborhood crumbled as the developers halted progress, Mungavan said.

By the ‘70s, a new wave of Vietnamese immigrants moved into Riverside Plaza, followed by East African immigrants in the ‘90s to shape the ethnically diverse neighborhood that it is today.

“So that existing community has been sort of created in the shadow of those freeways,” Mungavan said. “And it’s pretty much adapted to it.”

reus” and “mens rea” for Chauvin to be found guilty on both accounts. “Actus reus” would mean that Chauvin caused Floyd’s death, and “mens rea” would mean he acted with culpable negligence or he knew his actions could harm or kill Floyd.

The prosecution will use the video of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s neck, Floyd’s autopsy, the police training Chauvin received and various witnesses and expert witnesses, according to Schultz.

The defense will also use Floyd’s autopsy and expert witnesses as well as police body camera footage.

The county’s autopsy noted that Floyd died by homicide, but that he also had heart disease, had drugs in his system and was positive for COVID-19. The defense and prosecution will use the autopsies differently during testimony.

Once both sides give arguments, the jury will be sent away to deliberate and decide. Schultz estimates deliberation could take one to two weeks.

During this time, the jury will talk over the evidence and can come back into the courtroom at any point to ask questions or look at pieces of evidence again.

The jury has to come to a unanimous decision for Chauvin to be found guilty.

“Let’s say 11 people find Derek Chauvin guilty

of manslaughter, but one person holds out and says, ‘I have reasonable doubt.’

At that point, we basically have a hung jury,” Schultz said. “If there’s a hung jury, it’s a mistrial.”

In that scenario, the defense would not be trying to convince the entire jury that Chauvin is not guilty — only one person.

A mistrial could get the charges dismissed, allow Chauvin to work out a plea bargain or lead to another trial.

Andrew Gordon, the deputy director for community legal services at Minnesota-based Legal Rights Center, said testimony will likely last four to six weeks.

“We will not be looking at a verdict until late April to early May,” Gordon said.

Regardless of the verdict, Chauvin could be in court for years. If found guilty, his defense will likely appeal the decision to higher courts. If found not guilty, Chauvin could face federal charges.

Cerra warns the public against comparing the Chauvin trial to TV court shows, as they are wildly different.

“All trials are tedious — it’s just a function of the law. There’s a lot of rules of evidence, rules of court. It’s not just a narrative process where someone comes in and gives their testimony and walks out,” Cerra said. “It is really not intuitive.”

Health page 1 begin the process of building the program, Gabel said.

The University and Google are partnering to develop and introduce new technology for students to aid this degree program. Google Cloud will power the technology, a platform that allows users to build software and run websites.

For the University, this software may include virtual artificially intelligent tutors for students to use when professors may not be available.

Other aspects may include artificial intelligence that can answer student questions on financial aid or student services, said Steven Butschi, Head of Education for Google Cloud.

The goal is to make these technologies available on students’ computers, cell phones and in University libraries, Butschi said.

“We’re helping the University of Minnesota use data and other components, like gamification and virtual reality and virtual assistants, to help students learn critical components of their medical education knowledge, and solve creative problems to help them prepare for their future careers,” he said.

Google and the University

Illustration by Sarah Mai are developing this technology specifically for the program and will customize it based on the needs of students and faculty, Butschi said.

Though several other universities and some K-12 use Google Cloud’s technology, this is the first program designed for the health sciences.

“It’s a little bit different for each campus, and that’s the beautiful thing about it.

It’s not off the shelf, like ‘I’m just going to go purchase this one thing.’ You actually can

customize this for what your needs are on your campus,” Butschi said.

At their Feb. 12 meeting, the Board of Regents approved a purchasing agreement between Google and the University worth over $2.3 million, which granted the University ownership over the technology. The tuition revenue that the program will generate is projected to cover the cost of the purchasing agreement.

This ownership means that the Google Cloud technology can eventually be

used in other programs or campuses in the University system, Gabel said.

“That technology can be used in other programs that should increase the demand for those programs and improve their quality. So this is an investment in the launch of this program, but it’s also an investment in being a more nimble, agile studentserving campus,” Gabel said.

NXT GEN MED will launch a pilot program with 50 high school students this summer to do an initial test run of Google’s technology.

Daily Review Monday, March 8, 2021 Vol. 121 No.10 An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900.

2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 450, Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 627-4080 Fax: (612) 435-5865 Copyright © 2020 The Minnesota Daily. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER DYLAN MIETTINEN Editor-in-Chief eic@mndaily.com 612-435-1575 Tiffany Welty Business Operations Officer twelty@mndaily.com (612)-435-2748 Charlie Weaver General Manager gm@mndaily.com (612)-435-5657 EDITORIAL STAFF Tiffany Bui Managing Editor tbui@mndaily.com Creston Halstead Managing Production Editor chalstead@mndaily.com Farrah Mina Campus Activities Editor fmina@mndaily.com Niamh Coomey Campus Administration Editor ncoomey@mndaily.com J.D. Duggan City Editor jduggan@mndaily.com Nolan O’Hara Sports Editor nohara@mndaily.com Sammy Caldwell Opinions Editor scaldwell@mndaily.com Alex Strangman A&E Editor astrngman@mndaily.com Emily Urfer Multimedia Editor eurfer@mndaily.com Jonas Dominguez Copy Desk Chief jdominguez@mndaily.com Elana Warren Assistant Copy Desk Chief ewarren@mndaily.com Mary Ellen Ritter Visuals Editor mritter@mndaily.com =

=

BUSINESS Nathan Bidinger Sales Manager nbidinger@mndaily.com Jennifer Harley Director of Marketing Strategy jharley@mndaily.com Miranda Hynnek Digital Media Strategist mhynnek@mndaily.com Elissa Keane Controller ekeane@mndaily.com =

=

The Minnesota Daily strives for complete accuracy and corrects its errors immediately. Corrections and clarifications will always be printed in this space. If you believe the Daily has printed a factual error, please call the readers’ representative at (612) 627–4070, extension 3057, or email errors@mndaily.com immediately.

The Minnesota Daily is a legally independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is a student-written and studentmanaged newspaper for the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus.

The Daily’s mission is: 1) to provide coverage of news and events affecting the University community; 2) to provide a forum for the communication and exchange of ideas for the University community; 3) to provide educational training and experience to University students in all areas of newspaper operations; and 4) to operate a fiscally responsible organization to ensure its ability to serve the University in the future.

The Daily is a member of the Minnesota News Council, the Minnesota Associated Press, the Associated Collegiate Press, The Minnesota Newspaper Association and other organizations.

The Daily is published every other Monday during the regular school year.

All Minnesota Daily inserts are recyclable within the University of Minnesota program and are at least 6 percent consumer waste.

U.S. Postal Service: 351–480.

3 Monday, March 8, 2021

Law students push for COVID-19 notation on their transcripts wording, and we would want to work through that, but we are expecting to come to them with something that has broad support among law students and faculty, so I am sure they will work with us to effectuate it.”

The notation could apply beyond this semester.

By Nathanael Ashton-Piper nashtonpiper@mndaily.com University of Minnesota law students are pushing for an official transcript notation to acknowledge that the 2020-21 school year took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If approved, the transcript notation will be the first of its kind at an American Bar Association accredited law school, Amanda Tesarek, the president of the University Law Council, said.

“I think it is a really great example of how advocacy can work,” Tesarek said. “It confirms to me that these grassroots movements can actually work, which is not always the case. This has been a really long and sometimes stressful experience, but it is now becoming much more positive.”

The notation would not apply to the 2020 spring semester because the Law School temporarily shifted grading to a pass/fail system during that time.

A long process Following the 2020 fall semester, the Law School added a oneparagraph statement to its quartile document that

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter acknowledges students’ might not remember that ongoing challenges during COVID took place during the pandemic. these semesters.”

The semesterly quartile The Law Council’s goal is document separates all for the notation to apply to students from the same all semesters that take place graduation class into four while either a gubernatorial quartiles based on grade- or presidential executive point average. order recognizes the The Law School existence of the pandemic automatically distributes — with exception to the 2020 the quartile document to spring semester, Tesarek said. all employers who recruit After its approval at directly through the an all-faculty meeting on school, associate dean for Feb. 23 and by the Law academic affairs and law School’s education policy school professor William committee — comprising McGeveran said. students, faculty, staff The statement on the and administrators — the quartile document, though notation resolution will a start, does not go far be brought back to the enough, Tesarek said. Law Council for student Employers who do not review and feedback, recruit directly with the Law McGeveran said.

School will not receive the From there, the notation quartile statement unless goes to the University’s Office otherwise requested. of the Registrar (OTR) for “It is a short-term final approval. solution, and it does not “[OTR] wants to help really address the problem us do what we want to that [students] are trying to do to help our students,” address,” Tesarek said. “That McGeveran said. “They is that years from now, we might have concerns about

Different impacts of the pandemic Shantal Pai is a thirdyear law student and one of the early proponents of the transcript notation.

In November, she drafted the original petition that eventually turned into the official resolution.

It was important that the University acknowledged the abnormality of the moment, Pai said. Students were left feeling helpless by what they said was a lack of communication from their professors and administrators.

One of Pai’s aims in the petition was to include a transcript statement of the pandemic’s impact on communities of color.

People of color in the U.S. have contracted and died from COVID-19 at disproportionately higher rates than white people.

“Being a person of color in law is already difficult, but then to add a pandemic that makes it harder to be a person of color is a challenge that we need to reckon with as a profession — and part of [this process] was to force a conversation about that,” Pai said.

The 2020 fall semester quartile document acknowledges that the pandemic has had a “disproportionate impact on many groups in our student population.”

“Our students believe [the notation] is important because there are so many variations in experience and effect of the COVID semesters in terms of access to reliable internet, health and family situations and modes of instruction,” Carol Chomsky, a law professor and vice chair of the University Faculty Senate, said.

With the University and its colleges having to put more of a focus on combating COVID-19, the lack of communication and clarity between the Law School and the student body had become unacceptable, Pai and Tesarek said.

However, after months of petitions, advocacy and conversations, the transcript notation is on the brink of being passed.

According to Tesarek, the relationship between students and the administration is much improved.

“There is a much better connection that was not there last semester,” Tesarek said. “I was much more pessimistic about the administration’s response to our concerns last semester. Things have done a real 180 since then. I am very optimistic moving forward.”

Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council to stay split this spring semester The Council will continue to reevaluate its partnership.

By Sonja Kleven skleven@mndaily.com The formal partnership between the Panhellenic Council (PHC) and Interfraternity Council (IFC) will stay severed this spring semester to hold the IFC accountable for implementing policies that address racism, sexism and safety issues in their community.

The PHC ended their relationship with the IFC late last August in a letter that said the relationship between the councils “perpetuates racism, heteronormativity, sexism and sexual violence.” In the letter, the PHC said that every PHC chapter “has a conflict with a chapter in the [IFC] related to sexual assault.” The PHC also condemned the IFC for their lack of initiative regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and their poor adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. The Panhellenic Council voted again to stay separate from the IFC on Feb. 21.

The organizations will reevaluate their partnership every semester to ensure “progress is being made

within each individual organization,” Audrey Schmalz, president of the PHC, said in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

The two councils will continue the termination of any council-wide initiatives other than Greeks Against Sexual Violence. Because the PHC cannot bar individual chapters from organizing events with IFC chapters, individual sororities may still co-host events with fraternities.

“We wholeheartedly believe changes made should stem from within …”

Schmalz said in the email.

“We are first and foremost working to rebuild our individual community and want to see IFC succeed in doing the same.”

As is routine at the beginning of November, both councils elected new executive boards. The new IFC executive board outlined its priorities for the spring semester, and the PHC plans to release its benchmarks in the coming weeks.

The IFC explained its initiatives further in a Q & A session on Feb. 20. Questions, which Greek community members submitted anonymously before the meeting, included topics such as the IFC’s relationship with the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), their stance on sexual assault cases and their relationship with the

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter University of Minnesota Life Access Fund by next Police Department. fall. According to Jackson “Time and time again, Deal, the IFC president, your group fails to connect the scholarship program with organizations in MGC will aim to financially and have only tokenized us,” support members from one comment read. “There u n d e r r e p r e s e n t e d has been no recognition communities in Greek life. of the past and how MGC At the beginning of has been pushed out. MGC 2021, the IFC also created exists because people of a Diversity, Equity and color needed our own Inclusion (DEI) committee. space. It pushes us further The volunteer-only and further away from you, committee has six members: and I hope that you can do two Black students, three better in the future to make white students and one meaningful relationships.”

Hispanic student. The IFC Daniel Akah, vice president has not added a DEI position of programming for the IFC, to their executive board, as acknowledged that some PHC did this spring semester. groups do not feel included in “We understand the value the IFC community. of the direct representative,” “I think that’s completely Deal said. “However, IFC valid. I think right now, what wanted to include many IFC needs to do is reckon diverse opinions within our with that past, understand DEI efforts.” why [MGC and NPHC] were The Aurora Center is created in the first place,” also working with the IFC to Akah said. reestablish the Prevention The IFC outlined Advocates program that other priorities for the “fizzled out last spring due spring semester at the to COVID” by next fall, Feb. 20 meeting, such as Deal said. The program implementing the Greek aims to educate Greek life

members on sexual assault prevention and speak with victims of sexual assault.

The IFC executive council has not determined if members are required to take the program.

The IFC has also increased fines for violating council bylaws or social policies, including COVID-19 guidelines.

According to Deal, while the IFC used to be able to fine chapters a maximum amount of $750, the IFC can now fine chapters $25 per member per infraction. If a chapter has 100 members, it could face a fine of $2,500 per infraction.

The PHC has also been making changes within its community. The council elected the first vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in November and has been focusing specifically on inclusion efforts within their recruitment and member programming.

“I think we have a long way to go,” Sylvia Wu, president of Alpha Phi Gamma, said. “Some culture in Greek life can definitely be improved, like, when it comes to sexual assault and racism. I think that the PHC is doing what they can by halting collaboration and re-evaluating that every semester. It kind of serves as a reminder like, ‘You’ve got to keep working on this.’”

How do you like them apples? U scientists create a new apple breed ‘Triumph’ will not hit the shelves for the next decade.

By Becca Most bmost@mndaily.com University of Minnesota apple breeder David Bedford treats the apples he breeds like his children.

It makes sense because the time it takes to cultivate the perfect apple is nearly 30 years.

Last month, the University released its newest

apple — a crisp, tart, crunchy, sweet fruit called ‘Triumph’ — which not only promises a juicy bite but will provide an additional layer of fungal resistance to a common apple disease, which will reduce pesticide use for Midwest farmers.

Triumph apple trees are expected to be available in local garden centers around 2022, and customers can expect to try the apples in 2026 or 2027.

The selection process Bedford’s job at the University is to develop

fruit well-adapted to the Minnesota climate. Apples commonly found at the grocery store, like Red Delicious for instance, are not bred to handle the Midwest chill. Triumph, formerly known as MN80, will be the 28th apple released by the University’s fruit breeding program.

Each spring, Bedford takes advantage of the apple trees’ short blooming season, manually collecting the pollen from one tree and bringing it to the flowers of another. He then collects the seeds from the apples made

“Triumph,” the new breed of apples created by the University of Minnesota. Courtesy of the University of Minnesota. from these crossings, which will then be grown into trees

See APPLES Page 4

Daily Review

4 Monday, March 8, 2021

Apples page 3

at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Horticultural Research Center in Victoria.

Five to six years later, once those trees produce fruit, the next step is tasting. Bedford said in the apple season he will often taste 500 apples a day to determine which apples are good enough for further testing — something he promises is not as fun as it sounds.

Rarely, he said, it is love at first bite. For every apple released from the University, 10,000 are thrown away.

“We do the math: It’s a one in 10,000 proposition. It’s not

a model that most businesses would say, ‘Oh boy, I want a piece of that,’ but it’s what’s required,” Bedford said.

“When we get a good one, it’s worth it.”

Naming MN80 Naming a new apple poses its own series of challenges too, said Dr. Anne Hall, a University technology portfolio manager. The perfect name has to be fitting for the apple, easy to spell and remember and also not a registered trademark.

In September the apple breeding team sent an email to about 6,000 University employees to help name the new apple. Some of the 500

plus suggestions were related to the extraordinary events of the last year, including names like Floyd, Justice, Unity, Coronacrisp and Zoombite.

Other fan favorites included Appley McAppleface, Crisp Cross and Blam-o.

The team ultimately settled on Triumph, pitched by a graduate student in the horticulture department, because it expressed a feeling of hope and optimism they felt was fitting for the new apple and for our time, Hall said in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

Apple scab Bred with a national favorite developed by the

University — the Honeycrisp — as well as the Liberty apple, the Triumph is unique because it was bred to have two types of natural resistance to apple scab, the most common apple disease in Minnesota.

Apple scab is a fungal disease that damages the external layer of the apple, which makes it difficult to sell.

Because of this, farmers have to use chemicals to combat the fungus. Triumph’s double resistance to the disease has the potential to reduce use of these chemicals, which will not only have various health and environmental benefits but reduce costs for farmers too.

“It is the number one disease problem that we have pretty much throughout the state of Minnesota and in the northern part of the states,” said John Jacobson, an apple farmer in White Bear Lake.

In the spring, Jacobson said he spends almost six weeks just spraying for apple scab, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per year.

Growing an apple that does not need to be sprayed would save him money and allow him to use his time more efficiently around the farm.

Steve Wood, owner of Wood Orchard LLC in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, said he has already ordered a thousand Triumph trees

for next spring. This variety would be the first organic apples he has produced, something he said is notoriously hard to do in Minnesota because a wet climate creates the ideal conditions for apple scab.

“It’s really difficult to grow [apples] without using fungicides, so we hope that Triumph will be an apple that we have half a chance to grow organically,” Wood said.

Now, Bedford said he is happy to see Triumph finally ready to go out into the world.

“We’ll see where this kid lands up,” he said. “It’s got some good background.

We’ve done the best we can.”

U begins developing framework for future design of campus The master plan will outline goals for the next 1015 years.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota’s administration is creating a master plan to guide the Twin Cities campus’ physical development for the next decade.

The plan will identify priorities for the campus, such as housing, transportation and safety, using University research and feedback from students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders. The final master plan will be presented to the Board of Regents for approval in fall 2021.

The plan will not dictate specific building renovations or new buildings added to the campus, said University President Joan Gabel in an interview with the Minnesota Daily Monday. Instead, the plan will help administrators envision how the campus should “feel and function” in the future.

“The first phase of master planning is not so much about ‘I want this building here, I want that elevator fixed,’” Gabel said. “It’s about what the physicality of the campus needs in order to retain the legacy but evolve to meet needs that we may not even know about yet.”

The University is working with an outside planning firm, Sasaki, to create the campus master plan. At this stage, planners are gathering

information and data on the current campus, including development projects that are already underway, said Greg Havens, a principal planner with Sasaki.

“We want to make sure that we have a solid foundational understanding of the institution where it is today,” Havens said. “That understanding then forms the foundation for beginning to talk about the future. From there, we’ll move into really looking at what is possible and what might evolve.”

At the February Board of Regents meeting, regents discussed possible areas to target within the master plan. The board considered the addition of housing and dining facilities and methods for addressing the shift to distance learning

Illustration by Motasem Kadadah on campus. the master plan.

Although the board has Havens said increasing not approved priorities spaces where people for the plan, Monique can connect is a possible MacKenzie, director of priority, especially due to the planning at the University, COVID-19 pandemic. said increasing access to In addition to input from the Mississippi River and regents, the University will furthering campus safety also consult with students may become set goals within throughout the master

planning process, Mackenzie said.

Before the pandemic, this consultation involved asking students on campus their opinions on specific areas or their favorite spots, MacKenzie said. Now, the planning team is using an electronic survey to engage with students.

Engagement with students and the “listening phase” are especially important, Havens said. In his work at other universities, this process has revealed issues that the master plan needed to address.

“The whole human side of this is what’s really critical,” Havens said. “How do we design this to better serve students and how to better serve faculty and staff in the broader community?”

Carlson no longer requires students to study abroad — for now

Classes allow students to complete requirements.

By Kathryn Sundquist

Lauren Polzin, a fourthyear student in the Carlson School of Management, enrolled in a class at the University of Minnesota during the fall 2020 semester that allows her to graduate without studying abroad after University officials canceled her study abroad program.

In previous semesters, Carlson officials required students to study abroad to graduate. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, students now have the option to take one of several approved classes through the University that incorporate intercultural lessons, according to the school.

“I was super sad because I feel like it’s a once in a

lifetime thing to be in college and study abroad, but I also understand we’re all tied with just the way things are,” Polzin said.

Carlson officials decided this fall to broaden options for students to complete what they refer to as “international experience” to help students stay on track to graduate while still gaining a valuable global perspective, said Kirsten Canterbury, the Carlson Global Institute director of education abroad.

While it is unknown when exactly studying abroad will be safe for University students, Carlson officials said they decided to broaden the options for an international experience in response to a crisis and hope to send all students abroad in the future.

Canterbury said she predicts options for completing an international experience will be limited to studying abroad when international travel is

deemed safe for students.

She added that although the additional cost of studying abroad — along with extra attendance fees for the Carlson School — may be a burden to some students, the benefits often outweigh the costs.

“The domestic options certainly come at a lower price point with no travel component associated with it,” Canterbury said. “In terms of scholarship funds, increasing ways to support students and not wanting finances to be a barrier for all students to participate, that is certainly an ongoing

Illustration by Sarah Mai conversation that is going on all the time, especially right now as we’re talking about getting students back abroad during a difficult time for everyone.”

According to the school, the international experience aims to prepare students to work in a global environment by teaching them how to communicate with people from other cultures or backgrounds and train them for a global economy.

“I would never say that having a virtual class here in the U.S. with exposure to voices overseas is the same as living in another country for

a full semester. It just isn’t. It’s a different experience. But it doesn’t mean that it’s not still a valuable experience,” said Canterbury.

This is true for Polzin, who said class activities, such as hearing from international guest speakers and planning where she would like to visit abroad in the future, have allowed her to think outside of the U.S. without ever physically leaving.

Polzin said she views her abroad experience as more of a postponement than a cancellation, as she plans to use the information she learned in her class to help her travel abroad in the future.

Jo-Ann La, a thirdyear student at Carlson, also planned on studying abroad during her time at the University but ultimately decided to take the replacement course. She feared whichever program she chose would get canceled close to departure or she would be sent home partway

through the semester due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Even if she could go abroad, she felt that with COVID-19 restrictions she would not have had the full experience, La said. To fulfill her international experience requirement, she now plans to take a course on campus next fall with a global element.

La said the international experience goal is to become more culturally aware, and she feels she can accomplish this through the classes Carlson is offering.

Despite not being able to go abroad, La said she supports keeping the international experience requirement in place because it sets Carlson students apart from other public business schools.

“I think it makes Carlson students stand out,” La said. “Studying abroad and experiencing those things will help you develop your skills too, as an individual.”

TRIO Student Support Services will extend to a four-year program next fall The program received a grant to fund the extension.

By Katelyn Vue kvue@mndaily.com Starting next fall, the University of Minnesota’s TRIO Student Support Services (TRIO SSS) will transition from a two-year to a four-year program to continue supporting students from lowincome, first-generation and disadvantaged backgrounds throughout their undergraduate college careers.

Last August, TRIO SSS received a grant to make the change possible. TRIO SSS is a program within the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) that offers advising, financial aid counseling, academic support and more.

Before the new grant, students had to leave the TRIO SSS program after

reaching the end of their second year. However, the now-four years will help advisers build deeper relationships with their students and continue helping them navigate the University.

Ruth Cardenas, a TRIO SSS adviser, said TRIO SSS was a two-year program because it was a part of the University’s General College, which served students underprepared for post-secondary education in subjects like English, writing and math. But when the Board of Regents voted to close the General College in 2005, CEHD adopted the TRIO SSS program, and it remained a two-year program, she said.

“In order to serve our students more robustly, we need to transition to be a four-year program. So then we can also provide services for our third- and fourth[year] and on students,” Cardenas said. “So we stay with them, and we can better serve them throughout their whole time at the University

of Minnesota.”

Second-year business, marketing and education student Fatima Altaf said in an email to the Minnesota Daily that she will be staying in the TRIO program throughout her four years.

“When I found out that the TRIO program at the U is transitioning to a four year program I was so happy and excited because I didn’t want to leave my TRIO SSS advisor [Ah Vang-Lo] who has been so supportive and helpful throughout my journey. I would never want to leave that support system nor do I plan [to],” she said in the email.

In March, three advisers for TRIO SSS — Cardenas, Vang-Lo and Ryan Hanson — will be honored with the 2021 Ski-U-Mah Collaboration Award from the University’s Academic Advising Network for their work transitioning the TRIO introduction course to an online format, learning new technology and implementing engaging educational experiences for first-year students.

TRIO SSS advisers work one-on-one with students, teach the TRIO introduction course and lead different initiatives within the program.

“Many of us [come] from that similar background,” Vang-Lo said. “So that gives it a more relatable touch because we know what it is that they are going through and not just within theory.”

Lemlem Jeldo, a fourthyear student, was a TRIO SSS participant during her first two years. Currently, she is a TRIO SSS front desk assistant and a 2019 TRIO McNair Scholar. She said TRIO SSS student workers were involved in the decision-making for new advisers by reviewing their application materials. “[TRIO SSS] is like a home for me,” Jeldo said. “I never left because … it’s a very great experience having the same similar background with students and getting different resources that can help me succeed in my education.”

Every year, TRIO SSS

Fatima Altaf poses for a portrait on Monday, March 1.

(Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) serves between 270 to 290 students. TRIO SSS students have access to two-credit integrated learning courses that provide smaller class sizes for challenging courses such as biology and psychology. TRIO SSS advisers are also trained to work with students specifically on financial aid.

“Our advising is a little bit more intense than other advising on campus,” Hanson said. “I think we’re the only advisers on campus who have access to financial aid stuff. [Some] advisers are just like, ‘Go talk to One Stop [Student Services].’ [But] we jump in there and dig

through it.”

Besides TRIO SSS, there are two other TRIO programs at the University: TRIO Ronald E. McNair Program for graduate students and TRIO Upward Bound for high school students.

“TRIO has helped me shape into a very confident and determined person. It has helpedme to be a better version of myself and made me more aware of who I am as a person and what I believe in,” Altaf said in her email. “TRIO has shown me that I am capable of a lot and made me feel confident about being a first generation college student.”

5 Monday, March 8, 2021

NEIGHBORHOOD

Daily Day Guide: Marcy-Holmes

A&E plans your perfect day so you do not have to.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com

As the weather slowly warms up and COVID-19 cases across the state go down, we are hopping into spring with optimism and lots of places to visit, restaurants to eat at or things to do that maybe we haven’t gotten around to since the pandemic began.

This week we’re focusing on a perfect day in the MarcyHolmes neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Cafe Alma: Every good day begins with a good cup of coffee, so to start your perfect day,

head on over to Alma on University Avenue. Alma is currently offering a flavorful juniper latte — order it iced and thank me later.

The impressive collection of pastries is also worth mentioning, with a special shout-out to the fruit galette and savory danishes.

While you sip on your iced latte or munch on your pastry, make your way to Father Hennepin Bluff Park, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of Minneapolis and a wonderful opportunity for some socially distanced people-watching.

The next item on the agenda is window shopping — or shopping if you feel so inclined. Walk a few blocks and find yourself at the intersection of Central Avenue Southeast and East Hennepin Avenue.

Three shops to check out, depending on your mood:

cheap tacos are worth a mention. Try anything from the menu of over 20 different tacos, and don’t forget to order a margarita “made with fresh lime juice and cheap tequila” while you’re at it.

The Golden Pearl Vintage: This vintage shop specializes in clothing from the 1920s to the 1990s.

Sift through the carefully curated boutique collection and find a wardrobe staple.

Findfurnish: There’s something quite romantic about hapless perusing. If you find yourself on the west side of MarcyHolmes, be sure to head on over to Findfurnish, a vintage furniture store with an “everevolving collection.” With reclaimed furniture and a record collection hiding in the back, the store’s sleek and ambient atmosphere is worth visiting.

I like you: If you’re anything like me,

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter you’re always buying your best friends their birthday presents two weeks or two months too late. To curb that habit, check out I like you, a gift shop specializing in a wide array of local gifts and quirky greeting cards.

After all that walking and shopping, it’s time for lunch.

Three lunch spots, depending on your mood:

PinKU: PinKU is a Japanese street food joint with many fresh fish menu items to satisfy the seafood lover in your life.

Try the spicy tuna crispy rice or the spicy crab onigiri, or dive into the specialty rolls, like the Yuzu tempura.

Rusty Taco: These delicious

and

The Herbivorous Butcher: Whether you’re practicing or entertaining the idea of veganism, this vegan butcher spot may be your reason for conversion.

The shop offers all plantbased everything, including satisfying sandwiches like the turkey dill Havarti sandwich or the hot brat with chips.

Before you make your way home, check out Surdyk’s Liquor & Cheese Shop for a careful assortment of wines and liquors and a savory selection of fine cheeses sure to spice up your evening.

MUSIC

Review: Endio’s “Black Romantic” Endio’s debut EP tells of a young Black man in love.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com On “Black Romantic”

by Endio, also known as Nnamdi Darlington the fourth-year Guthrie BFA student and artist, the production and vision is promising, though the lyricism lacks nuance.

The EP that premiered Feb. 19 is an amalgamation of R&B, alternative and rap music. Endio uses his voice to convey the vulnerability of being a young Black man in love, facing loneliness and the trials and tribulations of relationships.

The ambient vision of the music is strong, and it’s accompanied by crisp videos of him creating art — Endio is also a very talented painter; he painted the EP cover himself. The songs on “Black

Romantic” flow seamlessly with one another, creating a storylike quality to the work with a solid beginning, middle and end.

The album begins with “Twilight (In Fair Verona),” and the first sounds the listener hears are iPhone pings and keyboard clicks. The thoughtful effects remind us that this is a modern spin on your average love story.

Endio’s voice echoes and becomes theatrical through voice distortion and melody as he sings.

The most notable tracks on the album are “Strung Out (Heartstring Anthem)” and “Black Romantic.” These two songs showcase Endio’s effortful production, creative instrumentals and passionate voice. “Strung Out (Heartstring Anthem)” feels like a foot-tapping, sunny day song.

Another banger on “Black Romantic,” “U Don’t Have 2 Call,” concludes the work with an instantaneous bop. His

artistry shines through his more joyous songs.

He creates music that a bustling concert crowd could dance to, but when Endio tries to give depth to his music it becomes lackluster.

While his blending and production is strong and can only get better with time, his lyricism falls short in some of his songs.

In “Zelda,” he tells his love interest that her hourglass is vexing, something that’s hard to imagine anyone saying in earnest. In “Names (Ain’t Changed),” he sings, “I was too damn shy until I met Mary Jane/ She ignited my sex drive.”

Some lyrics fall short of romantic and stumble into cringe territory; others offer tired cliches and unoriginal rhymes.

Some songs, like the titular song, however, offer deep and vulnerable lyrics. “Black Romantic” is a seven-minute blend of horns, stinging lyrics, beat changes and twists.

The song covers love and loss and his identity as a Black man. He’s introspective and broken but hopeful, repeating “We’ll carry on.” He questions whether anyone can love him as a Black man.

When he talks about his classes in school, he questions whether his skin was the reason people laughed at him. He describes himself as “a black sheep in a sea full of white.”

His debut EP display’s Endio’s promise as a performer and creator, but he still has room to grow into his sound and voice.

Grade: B-

Album cover of Endio’s EP, “Black Romantic,” illustrated by Nnamdi Darlington.

Endio, an artist and fourth-year BFA student at the University of Minnesota, poses for a portrait outside of FloCo Fusion Apartments on Saturday, Feb. 20. His debut EP, titled “Black Romantic,” came out on Feb. 19.

(Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily)

FASHION

Antione Jenkins refuses to be boxed in Antz Creationz is creating waves in Twin Cities fashion.

By Jarrett George-Ballard

jgeorgeballard@mndaily.com

Antione Jenkins is a multidimensional and ceilingless creator who makes a name for himself in the local fashion scene working with professional athletes and highprofile musicians.

Jenkins combined artistic expression with his eclectic sense of style and created Antz Creationz, an up-andcoming Twin Cities fashion brand.

Jenkins, 22, is the owner, creative director and designer of Antz Creationz, an online store that sells customized shoes.

His interest in shoes started at a young age. He was a sneakerhead and played basketball in high school, but he didn’t dive into his artistic side until his senior year when he participated in his school’s annual senior art show, submitting multiple pairs of shoes he painted.

After high school, Jenkins attended Valley City State University for a couple of years, where he majored in communications and minored in marketing. He eventually took a year off and never returned because his heart just

wasn’t in it. Through an online course about the world of sneakers, Jenkins allowed his creativity to take him on a path of self-discovery.

“I used what I learned from Fashion Institute of Technology, and I was able to use my past experience with customizing shoes, and I combined that with my newfound business and marketing knowledge to create Antz Creationz,” Jenkins said.

The brand’s name originated from Jenkins’ abbreviated first name — Antione — and his belief in keeping his branding simple and straightforward. He chose Creationz because he refuses to box himself in, trying to create multiple forms of fashion, not only shoes.

Jenkins’ brand is fairly new, but due to his eclectic style and creative designs, he’s already caught the eyes of a few notable athletes and artists, including NBA player Gary Trent Jr. “Within the first three months of me starting my brand, I created shoes for Trent, who revealed them during announcement day via ESPN live, in which he announced he was going to Duke as he unboxed and waved the shoes on camera,” Jenkins said. “This was a statement, and I really thought that if I can reach him, I can reach other people, too.”

Antione Jenkins, the founder of Antz Creations, poses for a portrait at his apartment on Monday, Feb. 22. The shoes, called “Loon Blazers,” are Antz Creations’ latest release. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily) Jenkins went on to collaborate with notable artists such as Juice Wrld, G Herbo and Lil Keed, which he did for free because he’d “rather work for free and build a relationship with them.”

Antz Creationz is currently under construction, and Jenkins is working on updating the catalog of his site with his friends’ help.

“Once I’m finished with my shoe designs, I send photos of them to my friends to get their input on if the shoe is hot or not because we’ve been friends for the longest time, so I trust them, and they trust me,” Jenkins said.

Brooklyn Park native Shadrach Subah, 23, better known as Shaddy, is the lead photographer for Antz Creationz. Shaddy’s cousin introduced him to Jenkins

during their time as students at North Dakota State University, and they clicked right away.

“Antione hit me up to take pictures of a shoe that he made for NBA player Gary Trent, which was the first project we worked on, and the start of our partnership began,” Shaddy said.

Jenkins fills Antz Creationz with people who emphasize having a good, supportive team, and there’s no shortage of people who make the brand exciting and innovative.

Woodbury native Chris Dummer, 26, has been working with Jenkins as a videographer for two years. He worked on Jenkins’ collaboration with Spyhouse Coffee to create the AC Cooler — a jasmine tea with lemonade

and red berries.

“I put together the behindthe-scenes video for the project and shot some footage that was used for marketing leading up to the release of the AC Cooler,” Dummer said.

Dummer also worked on the Cozy shoe release that Antz Creationz released on Nov. 28, 2019. The Cozy shoe was an all-white Air Force 1 that featured pink on the front toe; a pink, furry Nike swoosh; and a jeweled, glittery finish on the heel of the shoe that covers the Nike sign.

Since Antz Creationz’s inception, Jenkins and his partners have created unique projects such as his latest shoe, called the Loon Blazer.

A Minnesota-based design, the shoe captures the cold weather and essence of the loon — Minnesota’s state bird

— seen through the multiple blue hues and snow-white colorway. The shoestrings were inspired by Travis Scott’s rope shoestrings.

The shoe was successful — so successful that it sold out and is currently out of stock.

Jenkins has come a long way in a short time, and he’s still as hungry as when he first began his brand.

“Follow the story ‘cause y’all are gonna see how authentic we are, and we’re still in the beginning process of our full potential,” Jenkins said. “I have a whole production team, and we’re willing to work with all sorts of artists and any type of entrepreneur because we’re trying to change the culture out here in Minneapolis where people can know that we have a land full of Black creators, creators in general and dope people.”

Antione Jenkins holds out the new shoe, “Loon Blazer,” in Minneapolis. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily)

6 Monday, March 8, 2021

MUSIC

Underground Update: Kyle Skye The former UMN football player dropped a song: “Halo.”

By Frankie Carlson fcarlson@mndaily.com Since his debut release in 2016, local artist Kyle Skye has been making his mark on the Minneapolis music scene.

His raw delivery, hardhitting lyrical work and captivating production combine to create Skye’s standout sound.

His latest single, “Halo,” dropped on Jan. 18, with more music on the way in 2021.

Skye began writing songs and experimenting with making beats at the age of 10. A University of Minnesota alum, Skye first started sharing his music during his time as a starting cornerback for the Gophers football team.

“I kind of tried to keep it quiet while I was going to college,” Skye said. “I didn’t want my coaches to know because I didn’t want them to think that it was a distraction, but

I really couldn’t hide it for too long. Before you knew it, they’re playing my music in the locker room. It just was not hideable.”

Following his graduation in 2011, Skye found himself at a crossroads between football and music and asking, “What’s next?”

“Those first two weeks, I was just pacing back and forth in my apartment, I really didn’t know what I was gonna do with my life,” Skye said. “I talked to some people who I really trusted and valued their opinion, and they kind of pushed me in the direction of music.”

In 2013, Skye launched his label and lifestyle brand “Bay Laurel.” The company is centered on work within the music and fashion business, as well as philanthropy. 2019 saw the launch of the “Bay Laurel Fund,” a nonprofit working to create free “Arts + Athletics” camps for inner-city youth. A portion of all Bay Laurel profits goes toward these camps.

“We started with the thought that we were going

Kyle Skye, a Minneapolis musician, poses for a portrait in downtown Minneapolis on Wed., March 4. Skye just put out his new single, “Halo.” (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily) to help the community no matter what,” Skye said.

“It was just going to be a part of our business.

After I made ‘Mint’ [debut album, 2018] and once I was like, ‘Alright we’re about to monetize, we’re about to start making money,’ I wanted to make sure that the community aspect was cemented.”

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Skye and Bay

Laurel have continued to breathe life into Minneapolis music. In July 2020, Bay Laurel kicked off “Tundra,” a playlist and profile series curated by KARE 11 reporter Kiya Edwards.

Tundra highlights the work of local Minneapolis musicians through its constantly updating Spotify playlist, as well as spotlight interviews with

local artists.

Minneapolis-based musician and producer Aaron Mader, aka Lazerbeak, champions Skye’s work in helping to shine a light on up-andcoming artists.

“There’s a lot of good that they’re doing, and only good can come from that, building up your community and connecting the strings

and making a lane for everybody,” Mader said.

“It’s great to see someone like him who’s, in a way, getting his start too, being willing to share whatever spotlight he gets.”

Skye’s manager and friend, Jared Gray, finds Skye’s music speaks for itself and stands out among other working Minneapolis artists.

“I think Kyle is really coming into his own with his sound. He is starting to create most of his beats on his own, is starting to do most of his mastering on his own. It’s not typical trap beats, it’s not typical R&B beats, it’s this awesome melting pot of sounds and beats that’s uniquely his,” he said.

As someone who is constantly working and refusing to sit still, Skye is looking to take the future by storm.

“I understand that now there’s so much out there, so much incredible music,” he said. “So to be able to not only hold my own but grow in this market feels good, and it’s just reassuring, and it tells me that I’m on the right path.”

COFFEE

Wildflyer Coffee releases spring menu

Get a caffeine fix and support Minneapolis homeless youth.

By Grace Davis gdavis@mndaily.com

With classes in full swing and midterm season starting to set in, we’re all looking for a reliable caffeine source to get us through it all.

No matter the craving, Wildflyer Coffee’s new spring seasonal beverage and specialty food menu has something for you.

With festivities from Feb. 6 to 12 to celebrate the grand opening of the shop on East 33rd Street and Minnehaha Avenue, Wildflyer is open and ready for business. A nonprofit organization dedicated to creating job opportunities for Minneapolis

youth experiencing homelessness, Wildflyer’s mission embodies compassionate service, building community and providing the tools for cultivating skills needed for youth to “spread their wings.”

It’s more than a fantastic mission, though.

Wildflyer has some delicious, locally sourced drinks from renowned Minneapolis-based roasters Peace Coffee.

Along with a specialty drink menu, Wildflyer has a food menu ranging from sweet and savory specialty toasts to hearty oatmeals and a light yet sweet yogurt parfait.

Shift manager Jordan Hanson had a lot to recommend when it came to fan favorites for the food menu, saying, “The hummus and kimchi toast is so good, but it still needs

more hype for sure.”

If you’re looking for lighter options, Wildflyer also has a dangerously good-looking display case, full of mouth-watering homemade pastries and sweets, including banana bread and mint chocolate chip cookies made in house, along with select baked goodies from St. Louis Park’s Honey & Rye. Hanson recommends the savory scone.

“The savory scone made with goat cheese and herb is really good too.

And even though we have it now, it’s almost always gone before 11 every day.

It’s a really popular one,” Hanson said.

Nathan Crymble, cafe manager, explained the name origins behind the new spring menu drinks.

“Everything here is based on relationships,” he said.

Wildflyer’s “Paint Me Like One of Your French Girls” latte sits ready for a customer on Tuesday, March 2.

The latte is part of Wildflyer’s spring seasonal menu.

(Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) The Brekele Latte is named after a donor and made with blueberry syrup. It tastes fruity, sweet, has a maple tone and “drinks like a pancake.” This latte is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth who woke up a little too late to grab breakfast.

Executive director and founder of Wildflyer, Carley Kammerer, suggests trying any and all of the spring seasonal lattes made with unique syrups, like maple, blueberry and rose cardamom. “They’re all made in house, and I honestly just think they’re

more delicious that way,” Kammerer said.

An employee named another one of the four new featured drinks, titled “Radical Botanical Iced Herbal Tonic.” It’s a mouthful to say but nonetheless extremely worth it once you try this refreshing herbal tea. The iced tea drink is a cold-brewed Sacred Blossom Angel tea topped with lemon sparkling water and a fresh lemon slice.

“Paint Me Like One of Your French Girls” deserves an honorable mention, as well. The latte encapsulates bold flavors of rose cardamom syrup with a juxtaposed floral freshness.

With good coffee and a good cause, Wildflyer makes it easy to support the community and your caffeine craving.

THRIFTING

Meet TikTok’s favorite Minneapolis thrift stores Support local businesses and spice up your wardrobe.

By Grace Davis gdavis@mndaily.com If you’re into secondhand clothing, online resale vendors like Depop and Poshmark have likely been a trusty vice to satiate your pining for a new wardrobe during the pandemic. Yet, as satisfying as it is to click twice and have that cool, slightly overpriced Star Wars graphic tee shipped to you in a matter of minutes, we can’t forget our city’s small, local thrift and vintage stores.

TikTokers have been showing these local thrift stores love recently, with a new trend of showing off aesthetically pleasing videos of “hidden gems” in the city on TikTok. A&E rounded up three of our favorite hidden gems close to the University of Minnesota for all our thrifty readers.

Queenie & Pearl – IG: @queenieandpearlmn – $$

5014 Xerxes Ave. S – Approximately 20 minutes from University Run by a small group of local female creatives, Queenie & Pearl is in southwest Minneapolis.

The shopping experience guarantees some bopping ‘70s tunes; Fleetwood Mac is a given.

There is something for everyone here, with new, vintage and handmade accessories. In addition to clothing, Q&P has an ever-changing creative studio on the second floor for shoppers to take fun pictures in.

Lisa Banwell, owner, creative director and selftitled “boss babe in charge,” handpicks every item in the store. You’ll find her wearing some killer flares and a wide-brimmed hat and rocking a deadstock band tee.

“We are so grateful for the love we’ve received from the TikTok. It’s overwhelming but in the best way possible,” Banwell said concerning the recent uptick in traffic on social media and in-person shopping.

Clothes hang outside of Queenie & Pearl Vintage Boutique on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The stand-alone shop in 2018. (Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) Rewind – IG: @rewindminneapolis – $$ 2852 Johnson St. NE – Approximately 10 minutes from University Similar to Queenie & Pearl, Rewind offers vintage, contemporary clothing and accessories.

Rewind’s inventory is an eclectic mix of everything from 1960s flowy blouses to early 2000s low-rise jeans,

reminiscent of the Britney Spears and Paris Hilton glory days.

“I love going to Rewind because I feel like there’s something new to find every time I go in there.

It never gets old,” said University student Giselle Hayes.

Rewind is on Johnson Street in northeast and is a perfect place to spend your day now that it’s finally

warming up. After shopping at Rewind, support some more local businesses: Grab a latte at The Coffee Shop Northeast next door or head across the street and snag a donut from Sarah Jane’s Bakery. You won’t regret it.

The Cat and The Cobra – IG: @thecatandthecobra – $$$ 2400 N Second St. #105 –

Approximately 10 minutes from University The Cat and The Cobra is tucked away in the Northwind Lofts, occupying a smaller space with 1970s to 1990s one-of-a-kind vintage clothing climbing the walls and lining the racks. You can tell every piece had a whole other life and story before it landed here, and that makes shopping here all the more exciting.

The clothes are on the pricier side but worth it when you finally find that Beach Boys tee that you think could resell for hundreds of dollars — consider it an investment.

If you’re ballin’ on a budget, the shop does have more affordable items in the back of the store. There is a “bargain bin” with an array of clothing, where if you find something you like, you can bring it to the front and haggle over the price, going as low as five dollars.

“I found The Cat and The Cobra from TikTok a while ago, and it brought me to one of my favorite vintage t-shirts I own,” said University student Jorgie Rassi.

Editorials & Opinions

7 Monday, March 8, 2021

COLUMN

Pretty green, not that new The Green New Deal: bring it back now y’all (to the 1930s)!

F

Emily Eaton reezing temcolumnist peratures in the South. Wildfires in the West. Increasingly severe hurricanes in the East.

The climate crisis has shown its face across the United States, and it won’t be leaving anytime soon. In response, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., and Sen. Edward Markey, DMass., introduced the Green New Deal, though many attribute it solely to A.O.C. It is a nonbinding resolution with the goal of achieving net-zero

greenhouse gas emissions, establishing economic equality, investing in sustainable infrastructure and securing an accessible and sustainable future for all Americans. Though it was originally introduced in 2019, Democratic control of the legislature means that there is new momentum behind passing the bill.

Implementing the Green New Deal is critical for the future of America.

Calling it the “Green New Deal” could be the reason it fails.

The name harkens back to the New Deal — an agenda of public works programs, f inancial restructuring and social support implemented by President Franklin Roosevelt from 1933 to 1939. It aimed to pull America from the depths of the Great Depression. It was largely successful, mobilizing a signif icant portion of the workforce and establishing social services that we still use today.

The New Deal was also incredibly controversial. Back in the ‘30s, Republicans and Democrats were divided down the aisle when it came to supporting these reforms. Conservatives argued that the New Deal curbed big business and exerted too much control over the financial industry.

Liberals believed that it didn’t attack capitalist structures with enough

force and left minorities behind.

Sound familiar?

If you sit down and read the Green New Deal’s contents, it’s actually pretty reasonable. It focuses on ensuring that all Americans have clean drinking water, homes to live in that aren’t at risk of rising sea levels or forest fires and jobs to support themselves.

It just shifts the focus away from coal, logging and other historic (but dying) bastions of the American economy and onto renewable energy and sustainable industries. The Green New Deal is refreshingly moderate.

You would never know that by the socialist label that has been slapped onto it. Regardless of the legislation, people associate the New Deal with socialism. Naming vitally important environmental and economic reforms after the New Deal may seem like a way to pay homage to FDR’s work, but it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many. In the U.S., socialism is a dirty word. It is not a word that inspires unity, conveys economic success or showcases increased rights and freedoms. An injustice has been done by framing this legislation through the lens of socialism.

The irony here is that my politics fall even farther left than those of A.O.C., and even I can see that the

Green New Deal shouldn’t cater to controversy. We don’t have the time to argue semantics. At the end of the day, the Green New Deal is about a sustainable economy based on equitable jobs — something everyone should be able to agree on, something that should be held up without partisan squabbles.

Dear A.O.C.: You can rebrand it as “Our Old Name Was Kind of Socialist and America Still Loves McCarthyism Deal” for all I care. Just don’t give crucial legislation a name that immediately inspires disgust in half of America. I’m sure I can find a Carlson School of Management kid who would be more than happy to help you with your branding.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com

Tucker, Trump and Co. are ripping us apart They’re making money while doing it, too.

A

Zach Courtney few weeks ago, columnist Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, on his primetime show “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” said that “ There was no physical evidence that George Floyd was murdered by a cop. The autopsy showed that George Floyd almost certainly died of a drug overdose.”

This is contradictory to what two autopsies said. Although they differed on some things, they agreed that Floyd died by homicide. At best, Tucker was being misleading, but what he said was probably closer to a lie. Sadly, that doesn’t even matter. In a previous defamation lawsuit against Carlson, Fox News argued (successfully, I might add) that “given Mr. Carlson’s reputation, any reasonable viewer arrives with an appropriate

amount of skepticism.”

Is this even true? Do Tucker ’s viewers arrive with an “appropriate amount of skepticism” to what he says? I’m not so sure. As former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken said, “We have two sets of truth.” Franken is right. Recent polling by CNN shows that 75% of Republicans do not think that Biden’s 2020 win was legitimate.

And though it’s flat-out wrong, it’s not even a fringe, far-right belief that Trump won the election. Even usually reasonable people are being bamboozled.

Ever since former President Donald Trump lost the election, he has been falsely arguing that he won the election and that widespread election fraud (coupled with other conspiracy theories) led to Biden winning. He was still pushing this narrative on Fox News just last week, saying “I think we won substantially. And Rush thought we won. He thought it was over at 10 o’clock; 10:30, it was over. A lot of other people feel that way, but Rush felt that way strongly.”

Trump can lie on his own time, but Fox News shouldn’t allow him to spread these conspiracies on their airwaves, free from dispute. Newsmax and One America News Network (OAN) — two networks that have (somehow) found room to the right of Fox News — allowed Trump to push the same narrative on their airwaves.

Rush Limbaugh passed away last week, and this column wouldn’t be complete without bringing him up. To say the least, he was awful. He once

said, “Holocaust 90 million Indians?

Only four million left? They all have casinos, what’s to complain about?”

During the AIDS/HIV epidemic, Limbaugh had a segment titled “AIDS Update,” in which he mocked those who died of AIDS, even reportedly saying that, “Gays deserved their fate.” Late last year, he floated the idea of secession on his show. In 2009, he referred to then-President Obama as “more African in his roots than he is American.”

Tucker, Limbaugh and Trump have one thing in common: What they do can be really, really prof itable. In 2020, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” along with his colleague Sean Hannity ’s show, “Hannity,” became the f irst two cable news programs to finish a whole year with more than four million viewers. Limbaugh had long been a staple of right-wing talk radio, and made $84.5 million in 2018.

Trump raised $207.5 million in the month following Election Day, largely based on his voter fraud nonsense.

These three aren’t in the business of helping our country. They aren’t in the business of moderating healthy public policy debates. They’re like a local Applebee’s: Serve up exactly what the customers want, or they’ll go to the place that will. Many conservatives don’t want to entertain the idea that Trump could have lost the election, or that a white police officer could have done wrong to a Black man.

Instead of facing these realities, right-wingers go get their comfort

food from the likes of Trump, Carlson, Limbaugh, Fox News, OAN or Newsmax. I don’t blame them. I’ve been pretty clear on this; Democrats, almost as much as Republicans, have long failed to help the working class or the poor. I blame those like Trump, Carlson and Limbaugh that prey on desperate, hurting Americans, giving them what they want to hear in the short-term, making a quick buck for themselves, and rotting our democracy in the long run.

It wouldn’t do much for me to sit here and tell Carlson, Limbaugh and Trump not to lie or be divisive. It’s worked for them, so why should they care? What we need to do is stop making it so incentivizing for people like Tucker, Limbaugh and Trump to lie.

Stay tuned, because there will be much, much more to come on this.

Zach Courtney welcomes comments at zcourtney@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

The dangers lying within performative activism Pretending to care about important issues has the potential to do damage.

T

his past sumTara Brankin columnist mer was beyond tumultuous. Between the pandemic, the police killing of George Floyd and the resulting uprisings, everyone seemed to be on edge and frustrated. It was around this time that I also started noticing an increase in Instagram stories. They weren’t the kind of posts I was used to, though: Many of the posts, including my own, were political in nature and calling for an end to the various injustices that were not only plaguing Minneapolis but the rest of the country as well. However, I

quickly began to question these posts’ authenticity.

It was around this time that I first heard the phrase “performative activism.” Performative activism is characterized by people posting about important social and political issues in hopes of making their followers believe that they care about said issues.

For example, when the nationwide lockdown began in March, some celebrities took part in a video compiled of each of them singing a line from the John Lennon song “Imagine,” supposedly to increase morale. Not only did this video quickly become a meme on sites like Twitter, but many of the people I know — myself included — saw this as a shallow attempt to make normal people feel united with these celebrities. But the majority of people do not have the luxury of being able to quarantine themselves in a massive house with access to great medical care whenever they need it.

Performative activism is not exclusive to celebrities. In the days following George Floyd’s killing, many people posted black images with the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday in an attempt to bring attention to racial injustice in America. However, many Black activists were quick to point out that flooding Instagram with these posts hid resources for ways to support Black-owned businesses

and petitions to end racial violence.

For transparency’s sake, I will admit that I was one of the people who posted a black square. At the moment, I believed that this was a way to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement, but after learning that it was viewed as repressive rather than helpful, I felt embarrassed and ashamed that I didn’t do more research before posting the black square. It was then that I realized that I had fallen into the trap of performative activism, and it was a huge learning moment for me.

In my opinion, the real harm of performative activism is that it can suppress the voices of people who don’t have the same amount of followers or as large of a platform. The “Imagine” video is a perfect example of this. While it is possible that these celebrities’ hearts were in the right place, the attention this video got overshadowed the reality that hundreds of thousands of people were contracting the virus and thousands were dying. On a smaller scale, someone partaking in performative activism who has 1,000 followers is going to reach more people than someone who has 300, but this can be harmful if the person with a greater number of followers spreads false information.

It is natural for people to feel that

if they are not jumping on the bandwagon, regardless of the context, that they are doing something wrong. But in this instance, blindly supporting a cause you really don’t know much about has the potential to be toxic rather than helpful, as shown with #BlackoutTuesday. I am not cynical enough to believe that everyone who participates in performative activism is doing so just to gain followers or clout, but I think many people are afraid that not showing their support for certain social causes will cause them to be ostracized. In reality, surface-level activism is, I think, worse than not saying anything at all.

Tara Brankin welcomes comments at tbrankin@mndaily.com

Editorials & Opinions

8 Monday, March 8, 2021

COLUMN

Thank you, Rebecca Black How one young YouTuber has opened my eyes to an epiphany.

R

e b e c c a B l a c k Henry Kueppers deserved better columnist — nay, we didn’t deserve her. On Feb. 10, 2011, Black released the pinnacle anthem for the weekend, “Friday.” This song, paired with a revolutionary and bitchin’ music video, culminated into a culture shock our world has yet to recover from. Two weeks ago, Black released a 10th anniversary remix of “Friday” to commemorate the song and its legacy. Listening to the remix brought back a flood of emotions I thought were tucked away forever, along with my signature middle school bowl cut and braces. Yet, now that I’m a successful, sexy and brilliant college student, I was confused that the song still made me feel such strong emotions. “ W h a t ’s h ap p e n i n g t o m e ? ” I

thought.

“Have I reverted to that sickly middle school form?” No — a quick look in the mirror and some therapy reassured me I was past that. So what was it? Troubled, I analyzed the lyrics to “Friday,” and there I was greeted with an epiphany. You’ll recall, in a masterful bridge toward the end of the song, Black reminds us, “Yesterday was Thursday. Today it is Friday.”

Yes, I see where you’re going with this, Rebecca, but why does this matter? I pondered. Then, Black enlightened me: “We-we-we so excited / We so excited / We gonna have a ball today.”

“Oh my god,” I thought. We are excited, aren’t we? Admittedly, I’m always thrilled it’s Friday, but Black’s thesis also made it clear we were gonna have a ball today (Friday). However, that’s not always the case for me, Rebecca.

With school, work and other responsibilities, oftentimes I’m just too tired or sad to really embrace the full spirit of Friday like Black does. “I hope they never take that away from you, Rebecca,” I think to myself as I watch her party with all four of her friends in the music video. Then, I realized Black wasn’t just partying because it was Friday. No. All these years, she’s been advocating for us. It all makes so much sense. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before! “Friday”

by Black isn’t just a party song; it is a rallying cry for society to petition for four-day workweeks.

The four-day workweek is exactly

what it sounds like: We should only be having school and work for four days, specif ically Monday through Thursday. Then, we should be relaxing and, of course, partying on Fridays. But, if the words of the wise-beyond-her-years Black don’t convince you of supporting a four-day workweek, consider the following: For starters, the productivity and overall performance of the company could still survive and thrive thanks to continuing support from technology. Research shows that our robotic co-workers, artificial intelligence (AI) systems, and day-to-day technology like laptops can actually ensure ample time for employees to complete their work in four days and still provide support on off days like Fridays.

Speaking of employees, Sanford University conducted a study that proved people have higher morale and productivity rates when they are not being overworked and are introduced to a four-day workweek schedule.

Obviously, there is the argument that there will be less time to work and therefore work will not get done — and people will not receive the same amount of pay. Yet, last year NPR found that companies still saw higher sales and productivity with four-day workweeks, were able to continue to pay their employees the same wages and came to a mutual understanding with employees that they needed to finish all their work because of the new time crunch.

Finally, there is overall employee satisfaction because, let’s face it: If

you are running a company and you have angry employees, chances are they either won’t do their best work or they ’ll just quit. But multiple sources agree that converting to a four-day workweek has been proven to boost overall happiness, lower stress and increase employee loyalty toward their company. And, once again, happier employees equals more productivity, and more productivity equals more money in your pocket. So, unless you’re one of those weird business owners who like to lose money, consider the four-day workweek.

And then, pay some thanks to Rebecca Black, the brave visionary who worked hard to champion Fridays — a time of rest and party.

Henry Kueppers welcomes comments at hkueppers@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

The Internet knows everything about you Can we not make America more like “Black Mirror,” please?

D

o you know what they say about a big digital foot-

Emily Eaton columnist

print?

That it will negatively affect your future and your job prospects.

Every time you upload to Instagram, Google that new slang word or make another late-night Amazon purchase, you leave behind breadcrumbs of data that can be followed. That is your digital footprint. Right now, it matters a lot more than most people realize.

Digital footprints are used by some employers as a way to screen potential employees. People often show one side

of themselves in an interview, and a different side online and at home. But, in the digital age, our professional and personal lines have blurred — meaning that activities online that are potentially unsavory could cause you to lose out on a job opportunity. This is all well and good for people who had fully developed prefrontal cortexes (i.e., the decision-making part of the brain) as the phenomena of digital footprints became reality. But, how do we navigate these standards for those who have never known anything but the tech age?

The f irst iPhone was launched in 2007. The class of 2020, our most recent May graduates, were likely between 8 and 9 years old at the time. Technology is an integral part of our lives in a way that no other generation has experienced before, and a larger portion of the average Generation Z-er’s life has been spent online.

I’m 20 years old. If we look at my digital footprint as starting around the same time as the launch of the f irst iPhone, more than 50% of my life has been tracked and stored online. Every phone call I’ve made has shown my location, every website I click on tells advertisers how to market to me specifically, and every social media post I’ve ever made can be recovered. In contrast, a 45-year-old working professional would have only spent about 28% of their lives on their phone. And yet, we are judged by the same standards.

Let’s look at it a different way: If a minor commits a crime, those files can be sealed once they turn 18. This ensures that young adults are not permanently impacted by mistakes made in their youth. But, there’s no way to “seal” a harmful social media post or poorly worded tweet. If we don’t allow employers access to the court records of minors, why do we accept that companies can and will use the online actions of minors as a screening tool?

This simple logical fallacy is why digital footprints are the new tattoos.

Once taboo in the workplace, tattoos are becoming more accepted. Today, some employers are more likely to frown upon political conversations than a visible tattoo, body piercing or non-traditional hair color. Just like tattoos, digital footprints should be used to get an impression of who you are, not as a tool to determine who might get a job. And, like body modifications, it’s hard to legally justify telling another person what they can or cannot do in their personal life. The viewpoints people express online may be indicative of whether they will enjoy a certain work environment, but as long as those viewpoints aren’t directly endangering others, they shouldn’t be directly penalized for holding them.

I’m lucky enough to (currently) have a job where a digital footprint actually benefits me. If you Google my name, and one of my columns is the first result

CARTOON BY NATALIA POTERYAKHIN Dr. Date, I recently broke up with my ex and have been healing ever since we decided to part ways. I was doing well and really coming back to the person I want to be … until I went on TikTok. What did I see, you ask? My ex is now TikTok famous!

It’s a pretty universal thing that you want to be doing better than your ex when you both break up, but this puts a wrench in those plans. Not only does his face pop up on my ‘For You’ page, reminding me of our troubled past and the failure of our relationship, but now he’s talking about starting a Hype House with other Como creators — yes, I too am vomiting from the sound of this sentence.

I can’t find peace! Now all my friends ask me about him and his newfound fame, and all I want to do is scream.

-Going through an emotional renegade Dear Going through an emotional renegade, This sounds horrible. I’m sorry about the breakup and even more remorseful that he had to be TikTok famous, of all breakup outcomes. The first thing you need to do is block him from your ‘For You’ page to continue enjoying the app; the second thing you need to do is tell your friends to never bring him or his fame up again.

— that’s great. Many people are not so lucky. Normalizing having a digital footprint that isn’t perfectly curated for the professional world isn’t just about the shady legality of employment screening or being fair to Gen Z; it’s about maintaining the idea of a work-life balance.

I don’t want to feel like I have to archive silly photos of my friends on Instagram just because they aren’t professional.

I want those memories that I cherish to be on my profile for a reason, and I want to see other people being authentic on social media without concern.

People are more than the web pages we click on and the phone calls we make.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com.

It’s OK to feel insecure, but I don’t know if your insecurity should stem from the fact that he’s getting thousands of views on a clock app. He hasn’t cured cancer or COVID-19. A Nobel Peace Prize won’t be arriving at his doorstep anytime soon for his rendition of the “WAP” dance. He’s simply making silly videos.

And let’s not even get into the Como Hype House. That sounds more like eboy prison than actual enjoyment. Out of all the places I’d want to live, the last place on earth would be with a handful of purple hair, cuffed-jean, TikTok creators. But hey, that’s just me.

Don’t worry about who’s doing better.

Keep focusing on yourself and enjoy the app.

-Dr. Date

Dr. Date is a satirical advice column dissecting real-world situations. Want advice from the love doctor? Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com

Sports

9 Monday,March 8, 2021

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Gophers fall in WCHA Final Faceoff Gophers won’t automatically go to NCAA tournament.

By Matthew Kennedy mkennedy@mndaily.com The Gophers women’s hockey team, the fourth seed, faced off against top-seed Wisconsin in the opening game of the 2021 WCHA Final Faceoff. They played an even game throughout the first half of the first period but ultimately fell 5-3.

Wisconsin forward Sophie Shirley scored the first goal of the game off of a textbook lead-in pass from Britta Curl on a two-on-one breakaway. With Shirley’s 10th goal of the season, the Badgers went up 1-0 midway through the first and kept that lead until the end of the period with eight shots

on goal apiece.

In the second period, the Badgers got another close opportunity in front of the net with forward Makenna Webster converting on a goal to make the game 2-0.

The Gophers soon answered with an Abbey Murphy goal from the slot to diminish the Wisconsin lead back to a onegoal advantage.

The Badgers ended the period with a 3-1 lead after Webster scored her second of the game. The Badgers finally converted on their fourth power play opportunity after previously going 0-for-3. The Gophers did not have any power plays at this point of the game and finished 0-of1 with a chance midway through the third period.

To start out the final period, Lauren Bench replaced Makayla Pahl as goalie for the Gophers. And with less than three minutes

elapsed in the period, redshirt junior forward Amy Potomak scored her third goal of the season to make the game 3-2.

Gophers head coach Brad Frost said there was a needed change after the second period.

“I felt like Lauren could come in and jump-start us a little bit,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on playing both goalies tonight, but that’s how it worked out.”

The Badgers ended up returning the lead to a twogoal advantage as freshman forward Lacey Eden swooped in on an unsuspecting Bench, who left the net empty trying to pass to another player. A rare easy opportunity ended up costing Minnesota the game, even with the Gophers managing to bring the game back to 4-3 with a late Grace Zumwinkle goal.

Wisconsin added a late

Defenseman Madeline Wethington pursues an opponent at Ridder Arena on Sunday, Nov. 22. The Gophers fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes 2-1.

(Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily)

goal with only seconds left from Curl. Minnesota outshot Wisconsin 26-23 but still came up short.

“Tough result here tonight, but man, I thought our team played well,” Frost told Gopher Sports. “As a group we defended well and were on it. I know saying we defended well and giving

up five doesn’t often times make a whole lot of sense, but I just loved how our team competed.”

“We got down a couple goals a couple times and got it to one and had a ton of momentum, and unfortunately, whether it was being in the box too much or not catching any bounces,

the result did not end up the way we wanted it to.”

By losing to Wisconsin, the Gophers will not receive an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament after failing to win the WCHA championship. They will wait until Sunday at 8 p.m. to see whether they make the tournament.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

Women’s gymnastics dominates Nebraska Freshman Mya Hooten earned a perfect 10 on floor.

By Michael Lyne mlyne@mndaily.com The No. 5 Gophers women’s gymnastics team dominated Nebraska at Maturi Pavilion by a score of 197.400-196.150 Friday evening to improve to 6-2 on the season and remain an undefeated 4-0 at home.

The team’s total score marks the sixth highest in program history.

“We are really proud of where we’re at,” Gophers head coach Jenny Hansen said. “I’d say even more so excited about where we’re going.”

Led by all-around seniors Lexy Ramler and Ona Loper in their last meet at the Pavilion on senior night, the Gophers saw consistency throughout all the meet’s events, with their lowest team score being 49.250.

For the sixth straight week, another spectacular performance from Ramler earned her the all-around

title. She earned 39.725 of the teams’ total points, tying for the second highest score in Gophers program history. Loper came in a close second allaround place with 39.525.

Freshman Mya Hooten scored a perfect 10 on the floor, the third perfect 10 by a Gophers gymnast this season. She is the first Gopher in program history to achieve this feat on the floor.

“She did all the little things we have been working on,” Hansen said.

“It is really exciting to even know that you have the potential to achieve a perfect ten. Not everyone has that potential, but she does.”

The Gophers once again responded to mistakes when needed.

“I think it shows their fight and how tough they are,” Hansen said. “We have to be able to come back after a mistake.

You’re bound to have mistakes. It’s how you respond to the mistakes that really matters.”

Junior Tiarre Sales scored 9.675 on the floor and junior Ali Sonier scored 9.600 on the beam.

Photo by Brad Hempel, courtesy of Gopher Athletics However, both of these scores were dropped and did not affect the team total.

Vault — Team Score = 49.250 Led by Hooten and Loper, both scoring 9.875 to tie for second place, the Gophers started their evening on the vault.

Ramler scored 9.850 to finish in fourth place, while sophomore Halle Remlinger and redshirt sophomore Maddie

Quarles also competed on the Gophers vault team, scoring 9.825 to tie for fifth.

Bars — Team Score = 49.325 Led by Ramler scoring a near-perfect 9.975, which ties her career-high and earned her the bar title, the Gophers continued their dominating performance through the bars. “[Ramler] is amazing,” Hooten said.

“Every day at practice, she’s so

consistent. We can always count on her to hit her routines.”

Loper and Sales matched each other’s scores, both scoring 9.875 to tie for third.

Remlinger, Hooten and senior Hannah Willmarth also competed on the Gophers’ bar team. They all scored 9.800 to tie for fifth.

Beam — Team Score = 49.250 The Gophers beam team suffered mistakes from Sonier (9.600) and junior Abbie Nylin (9.675). Nylin’s score counted in the team total. However, Ramler and Sales had magnificent performances to keep their overall team score at 49.250.

Ramler scored 9.975 to win the beam title, while Sales scored a season-high 9.950 to earn second place.

Loper and redshirt senior Mary Korlin-Downs also competed for the Gophers beam team. Both scored 9.825 to tie for fifth.

Floor — Team Score = 49.575 To close out the evening, the Gophers floor team scored a total of

49.575, tying the program record on the floor.

Hooten led the recordtying total by scoring a perfect 10, earning the floor title.

“I cannot explain this feeling,” Hooten said. “It truly is a dream come true and this is a moment I will never forget.”

“A perfect 10 for Mya has always been a goal,” Hansen said. “It was so fun to see her do it tonight and absolutely nail her routine.”

Loper scored 9.950 to earn second place, while Ramler scored 9.925 to earn third place.

Sophomore Mallory LeNeave and freshman Emily Koch also competed for the Gophers on the floor. LeNeave scored a 9.875, while Koch posted her second highest floor score of the season at 9.825.

What’s up next The Gophers will look to continue their hot fourmeet win streak as they go on the road for their season finale to compete against Illinois on March 13 at 1 p.m. The meet will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network.

MEN’S HOCKEY

Four-game win streak snapped in loss to Michigan Michigan seemed to have the answers the Gophers didn’t.

By Michael Lyne mlyne@mndaily.com The No. 3 Gophers men’s hockey team had its fourgame win streak snapped in a 5-2 loss against Michigan Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The team moves to 19-6 on the season.

“We’ve got to play a full 60,” junior forward Sampo Ranta said. “That’s the thing if you want to win a hockey game, you have to be good the entire game.

No matter what, we have to come back tomorrow and win. We have to answer the bell here and play a good game.”

Friday night’s loss is the first time the Gophers have lost to Michigan when both teams are ranked in the top-10 nationally since the 2000-2001 season, marking the end of a 12-game win streak.

Although it has been two weeks since the Gophers last played, they came out in the first period flying, leaving any concerns of

rust out of the picture by outshooting Michigan 16-5.

The Gophers had two early looks on the powerplay, but struggled on the advantage and did not convert.

Back-to-back penalties quickly after their powerplay chances from junior defenseman Ben Brinkman gave Michigan some light.

The Wolverines converted their second power-play of the night to open up the score just 4:32 into the game to make it 1-0.

Fighting for the puck in front of the Gophers’ goal, the puck found its way on the back door after taking a bounce off of sophomore forward Jaxon Nelson’s skate to Michigan freshman forward Thomas Bordeleau, who buried it.

“I thought we had a very good first period,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “A puck bounces off of Nelly’s skate and boom, we are down 1-0. We couldn’t have had a better first period.”

As the game progressed into the second period, frustration started to settle in for the Gophers.

They did not record a shot on goal until a power play at the 7:31 mark of

the period.

“The second period, we couldn’t have been more off of how we wanted to play,” Motzko said. “We had frustration on the bench.

This is one of the things we got to learn when we get tough, tight games like this. We got to stick to it.”

On the power play, the Gophers were finally getting shots on the net.

A nifty feed highlighted their third power-play from junior forward Blake McLaughlin to senior Scott Reedy, but Michigan junior goaltender Strauss Mann once again stood tall to keep the game at 1-0.

Quickly after the power-play expired at the halfway point of the second, there was a battle in front of Michigan’s net and sophomore forward Bryce Brodzinski found the loose change to equal the score at 1-1. Sophomore defenseman Ryan Johnson and sophomore forward Ben Meyers had the assists.

“The puck just ended up by my feet and I noticed a little bit of open space inbetween the hash marks,” Brododzinski said.

“I kicked it up to my stick, found open ice and shot it into a spot that I thought

might be open considering there was a lot of chaos and the goalie was down.

Luckily, it found a spot.”

Just a few minutes after the Gophers found the equalizer, Michigan came right back with a goal from freshman forward Kent Johnson to regain the lead at 2-1. A shot from the blue line found its way toward senior goaltender Jack LaFontaine. The Gophers could not find the loose puck before Johnson eventually buried it fivehole.

With 4:24 remaining in the second period, LaFontaine made a huge save on a cross-ice onetimer from Michigan freshman forward Matty Beniers to keep the game at 2-1.

Mann decided to match LaFontaine’s big save with one of his own, robbing Nelson on a cross-crease pass from senior forward Cullen Munson.

Michigan extended its lead to 3-1 with just 58 seconds remaining in the second period. Junior defenseman Jack Summers received a cross-ice pass from Beniers at the faceoff circle, where he made no mistake one-timing it into

the back of the net.

In the third period, the Gophers looked much like the Gophers from the first period. They were pressing and finding chances.

After a shift of unrelenting pressure by the Gophers third line in Munson, Meyers and Nelson, they were able to make a line change, keep possession in the offensive zone and play against a tired line of Michigan skaters. With persistence, Ranta dazzled his way to the faceoff dot, stopped and fired a quick shot to beat Mann to cut Michigan’s lead in half at 3-2. Freshman defenseman Brock Faber and Reedy had the assists.

“The line before us had a great shift down low,” Ranta said. “They worked their defenseman and they had a good line change. We got fresh bodies out there and Faber made a great play cross-ice right to my tape and I got the shot off.”

But yet again, with five minutes left in the game, just minutes after the Gophers scored, Michigan had an answer to the Gophers’ goal. Sophomore forward Nick Granowicz found a rebound after a

shot from Beniers hit the goal post and buried it to extend Michigan’s lead to 4-2.

Every time the Gophers found the back of the net last night, Michigan seemed always to have an answer.

“Michigan had a bunch of players tonight that were the best on the ice,” Motzko said.

In desperation time, the Gophers pulled LaFontaine with 1:50 left in the game for an extra attacker.

However, Beniers found a loose puck in the defensive zone and shot the puck down the ice to find the empty net and extend Michigan’s lead to 5-2.

The Gophers outshot Michigan 30-19, but they could not recover after a frustrating second period where they suffered two goals.

“We cannot let that frustration ever mount us at any point with us,” Motzko said. “That’s what we were disappointed with. We had a handful of guys that did not have good games today. People are going to punch back on us and we can’t ever get frustrated. We’ve to stick tight and stick together.”

Sports

10 Monday, March 8, 2021

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Gophers close out regular season on a loss

The Gophers lost their seventh game in a row.

By Nolan O’Hara nohara@mndaily.com It’s only fitting that an unusual season for the Gophers men’s basketball team would be capped by an unusual final game against Rutgers.

The start time was moved to 11 a.m., star point guard Marcus Carr didn’t score for the first 36 minutes of the game and Minnesota’s three seniors — Eric Curry, Brandon Johnson and Hunt Conroy — were honored for senior “night,” with very limited fans in the stands; players’ family members could only observe the ceremony from 100 feet away in the bleachers.

“I can’t ask any more from these [seniors] ... I hate that it hasn’t been a traditional senior year for them but those families have been so supportive,” Gophers coach

Forward Eric Curry challenges a defender at Williams Arena on Thursday, Dec. 10. The Gophers went on to defeat the Kansas City Roos 90-61. (Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) Richard Pitino said.

Despite support from families and players, Pitino’s days in Dinkytown are likely numbered. As rumors have continued to swirl about Pitino’s future, Minnesota’s athletics director Mark Coyle was in attendance to watch the Gophers come up short once again, falling 77-70 in overtime to the Scarlet Knights (14-10, 1010 Big Ten). After the game,

Pitino made his way back into the stadium from the locker room, seemingly a sign he may have coached his last game in the Barn for Minnesota.

No one would have thought back in January the Gophers would be on the outside of the NCAA tournament bubble. They had an 11-4 record with wins over No. 5 Iowa, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan. But

canceled games, offensive struggles and injuries have all played a role in the team’s collapse.

Now, Minnesota (1314, 6-14 Big Ten) will look towards the Big Ten tournament after closing the regular season on a sevengame losing streak.

“We were right there, but injuries hit us. So, kinda is what it is,” Pitino said.

The tough stretches for the Gophers came early on Saturday. They went over three minutes in the first half without a field goal and fell behind 37-28 by the half, a deficit which would have been greater had it not been for the play of Johnson, who led all scorers with 11 first half points and added five boards.

He finished with a teamhigh 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the double double.

“Brandon tried to go out with a bang,” Curry said. “I mean, we needed it … that was big for us, we needed that.”

Johnson along with

guards Tre’ Williams and Jamal Mashburn Jr. tried to fill a void in the scoring column left by Carr’s struggles. Carr started the game 0-for-10 from the field and didn’t score his first points until there was 3:32 left in the game. He did, however, hit the game-tying three-point shot that sent the game into overtime. He finished with seven points and seven rebounds on 1-for13 shooting.

“We told [Carr] to keep going. ‘We know what you can do, it’s going to show,’ and in that moment he came up big for us,” Curry said.

Williams and Mashburn stepped up offensively, even if it wasn’t either of their best shooting performances.

Mashburn finished with 17 points and six rebounds, while Williams finished with 11 points and six rebounds.

Both players saw the court for over 35 minutes.

But the Gophers’ mistakes ultimately led to a defeat in overtime. The Scarlet Knights opened the overtime period on a 6-0

run. Minnesota answered briefly, but Rutgers guard Jacob Young attacked the basket, finishing at the rim and drawing a fifth foul on Curry to go to the line for an extra point. That put the Scarlet Knights up 74-68 with 40 seconds remaining.

Young scored a gamehigh 23 points, six of which came in overtime, and shot 8-for-13 from the field, adding seven assists and five rebounds. Guards Geo Baker and Montez Mathis finished with 12 points each for Rutgers.

All that remains for Minnesota is the Big Ten tournament, which is slated for March 10-14. The Gophers will look to get a little big healthier and close out their season strong when they retake the court next week.

“Obviously, we’re not happy with the results but I am happy with the effort,” Johnson said. “I’m happy how everybody played, we all gave it all that we had …

That’s something we can definitely build off of.”

BASEBALL

Gophers prepare for the upcoming season

John Anderson begins his 40th season leading the Gophers.

By Tony Liebert tliebert@mndaily.com

After playing only 18 games in the 2020 season, the Gophers baseball team is about to return to the diamond Friday in a weekend series at U.S. Bank Stadium. Minnesota will play four games from March 5 to 7 – two against Rutgers and two against Indiana.

“There is no training manual for what we’ve gone through in the last year, that’s for sure,” Gophers’ head coach John Anderson said. “I think what I have learned throughout my 40 years – better figure out how to be adaptable and flexible.”

Offensive firepower In its shortened 2020 campaign Minnesota relatively struggled, earning an 8-10 record in a daunting nonconference schedule.

However there is a reason for optimism heading into the 2021 season, as the Gophers return starters at every position except shortstop.

In total, the team will return 31 players, including six who hit .300 or better last season. Anderson will lean on preseason secondteam All-American second baseman, Zack Raabe, and third baseman Jack Wassel for offensive firepower, both of whom rank as topsix infielders in the country according to D1Baseball.

“We’re actually just really excited to play again. Getting our season stripped away like that was heartbreaking,” Raabe said. “We’re just

looking forward to the first game of the year.”

In 2020, it wasn’t just Raabe and Wassel, as Minnesota led the Big Ten Conference in both hits and total bases. The team also has the most .300 hitters in the conference since 2016; 18 Gophers have hit .300 or better in that period.

Heading into this season, Ronald Sweeny leads the rest of the infield and will likely be the team’s prominent first baseman. Drew Stahl, Noah Berghammer and Zack Elliott are expected to all compete for time at shortstop. Junior Chase Stanke will be the catcher after playing in all 18 games, including 15 starts, a year ago.

In the outfield, senior Easton Bertrand and junior Andrew Wilhite are likely to be everyday members of the starting lineup, while Otto

Grimm, Gabe Knowles and Drew Hmielewski will likely all compete for the other spot.

Pitching staff Minnesota will face overcoming the loss of its number one ace. Max Meyer, a 2020 All-American, was selected third overall in the 2020 MLB draft by the Miami Marlins. Junior J.P. Massey will attempt to replace Meyer as the Gophers’ number one pitcher. Last season the 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher from Chicago finished with a 4.66 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 19 1-3 innings. He might also be right behind Meyer to the big leagues, ranking as the No. 71 college prospect, according to D1Baseball.

“We got a lot of experienced guys coming back this year that we more than likely wouldn’t have had if it was a normal season,”

Massey said. “We also got some young talent. We have some young arms that are primed to step up this year and take on a big role.”

Sophomore Trent Schoeberl will compete to be the staff’s number two option. He finished last season with a 2-0 record and a 2.75 ERA over 19 2-3 innings pitched.

The Gophers will also get back former Utah transfer Jack Liffrig after recovering from Tommy John Surgery, while the rest of the starting rotation will be rounded out by 2018 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Patrick Fredrickson and redshirt junior Drake Davis. Utility player Sam Ireland is expected to appear on the mound as well as at the plate as a hitter.

As for the bullpen, Bubba Horton was arguably the most productive Gophers reliever last season. He

pitched 16 innings, earned a 4.50 ERA and recorded a team-high two saves. Lefthanders Ryan Duffy, Danny Kapala and Will Anderson will be much involved, while right-handers Gus Radel and Bennett Theisen will have prominent roles as well.

Redshirt senior Nolan Burchill will likely act as the team’s swingman, contributing as both a starter and high-leverage bullpen option. Joshua Culliver continues to recover from Tommy John surgery but is expected to be available at some point in this season.

As a whole, the Gophers’ experience and developing talent will give them every chance to compete for a regional postseason spot this year. They will be a team known for its offensive firepower, and if the pitching comes along, the sky’s the limit in the 2021 season.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTIC

For Mya Hooten, things are just getting started

Hooten as back-to-back B10 Freshman of the Week.

By Michael Lyne mlyne@mndaily.com

Freshman Mya Hooten has quickly become a point of consistency for the Gophers women’s gymnastics team — and she’s just getting started.

Hooten has been competing in three out of four events for Minnesota — bars, vault and floor — and, in the month of February, Hooten garnered back-toback Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards, an Event Specialist award and earned career-highs in the vault (9.875) and bars (9.875) while winning the bar title.

“I was actually shocked that I got it two times in a row because that’s what every freshman works for,” Hooten said. “It’s just crazy that I won it two times.”

For Hooten, gymnastics has always played a significant role in her life.

She was introduced to gymnastics at the age of 3 and started her competitive career at 7 years old.

“I learned that I actually had potential when I got offered in 10th grade,” said Hooten, a Woodbury, Minnesota native.

And who offered? Gophers women’s gymnastics head

coach Jenny Hansen offered her a chance to play for her home state and a Big Ten university. As soon as Hansen was allowed to have contact with Hooten, she jumped on the opportunity immediately.

“I’ve been following her for quite a while,” Hansen said. “She’s just an incredibly talented young woman. We could see a lot of potential way back then.”

Hansen enjoys recruiting hometown gymnasts and understands the importance of them representing their home state.

“We love having Minnesota kids on our team,” Hansen said. “To be able to keep someone of her caliber in the state of Minnesota and be part of our program was really important for us.”

Hooten grew up competing for her hometown. However, toward the end of her high school career, things at her club in Woodbury were not going as well as she hoped. So, she decided to transfer to another club in Chanhassen, Minnesota, but the daily 45-minute commutes and time commitment with gymnastics took a toll on her academic performance.

As a result, Hooten’s coach offered her an opportunity to live with one of her teammates in Chanhassen for the remainder of her senior year. She accepted the invitation and did not look back; it allowed for a shorter

commute and more time and focus for both academics and gymnastics.

Although Hooten arrived on campus later than in a typical season due to the pandemic, she immediately impressed her fellow Gophers teammates with her abilities.

“As soon as she stepped foot on campus and started working with the girls, our team was like, ‘Wow,’” Hansen said. “That’s pretty awesome for them to see that. They see a lot of good gymnasts, but they were pretty happy she joined our team.”

Hooten has quickly learned what it takes to transfer her abilities from competing in club to the collegiate level.

Senior leaders on the team always remind her to trust herself.

“The seniors always give me a pep talk,” Hooten said.

“It reminds me that I just need to trust myself and know that I can do it.”

Seniors Lexy Ramler and Ona Loper have played critical roles in impacting Hooten ever since she joined the team.

“I look up to [Ramler and Loper], their work ethic and how hard they work,” Hooten said. “They are so consistent in practice and I realize what I do in practice will help me do better at the meet.”

Being a freshman, sometimes Hooten gets too excited when she’s ready to

compete at meets. Hansen and the coaching staff have been working with her to help her control her energy in a way that positively impacts her routines. To help her stay calm and in the moment, Hooten says the best way for her to remain calm is by breathing and reminding herself that she knows how to do her routines.

The energy and enthusiasm in college meets are higher than what they were at the club level. As Hooten gains more experience, Hansen is confident that she will recognize the control she carries over her emotions and knows the importance of this to be able to perform at a high level.

“I think a lot of athletes go into meets thinking they have to do more, be more, be better,” Hansen said. “If they just do what they do every day, they don’t have to do anything more special, bigger, harder, just do it the same way. And I think she’s been taking that to competition and it’s been serving her really well.”

Hansen has had and continues to have high praise for Hooten, who the team has consistently counted on for the bars, the vault and the floor throughout her freshman season.

“She’s got some incredible natural gifts,” Hansen said.

“She’s very powerful and she’s got what we call ‘air

awareness.’ She knows where her body is at all times when it’s flipping and in the air.

She’s been wonderful to have on the team.”

Although Hooten competes in many events for the Gophers each meet, her favorite event is the floor event. She believes that this is her strongest event, and Hansen thinks so as well.

“I think floor is definitely her stand-out event,” Hansen said. “She’s got incredible tumbling and amplitude when she does that. She has a lot of personality. She cannot wait to get out there. She loves to compete.”

Hooten’s passion and energetic personality can be seen through interactions with her teammates, judges and coaches on a meetto-meet basis. The life she brings to events is something that Hansen enjoys watching every meet, mostly because she does not see so much animation, mainly out of freshman competitors.

“She brings a lot of energy to what she does,” Hansen said. “She’s a great, bubbly personality. She’s very fun to be around in the gym. I think when she competes, you just feed off of that.”

A big part of why Hooten has so much energy throughout the meets, besides her personality, is that her Gophers teammates also bring a lot of energy to the meets. This energy is her favorite thing about being a

part of the team.

“I just love their support and having them trust me in the lineups and stuff is really nice,” Hooten said. “It’s just so, so much fun. It’s the best after my routines when my team comes hugging me. It’s the best feeling.”

While Hooten has been competing in three of the four events during meets, she is working on the balance beam in practice in hopes of competing allaround in the near future of her young Gophers career. If she can become consistent at the balance beam, she will help fill the gaps when the Gophers lose their all-around seniors in Ramler and Loper next season.

For the remainder of the season, Hooten hopes to continue how she started the season: strong and consistent. Hansen knows Hooten has yet to hit her full potential, but she has very high hopes for her.

“She’s got the capability of scoring a 10 on floor,” Hansen said. “I think she’s that good.

I think she can fight for championships. Her floor team could win the Big Ten championships. She could be an All-American. I really think those are things she can shoot for. … She’s done a phenomenal job. This is a strange year for everybody.

But she’s adjusted really well and I think she’s making the state of Minnesota really proud.”

11 Monday, March 8, 2021

Provost Croson advises colleges to begin planning for commencement Colleges are urged to plan for in-person, online or hybrid events.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com Earlier this month, University of Minnesota Provost Rachel Croson called on individual colleges to begin planning for either virtual, in-person or hybrid spring commencement ceremonies, according to a Thursday email from President Joan Gabel.

Croson ordered University colleges to begin contingency planning if circumstances change due to COVID-19, advising colleges to abide by social distancing guidelines and live-stream the ceremony if in-person.

Colleges planning a ceremony must complete a form detailing their commencement plan no later than March 15.

According to the email, state officials will issue commencement guidance for higher education institutions soon.

Prior to the University announcement, Carlson School of Management student leaders urged the Office of the Vice President and Provost to develop clear guidelines for the University colleges to plan for a possible in-person commencement ceremony.

In a survey developed by the students on the Carlson Business Board, 78% of Carlson students who responded to the survey said they would attend an in-person graduation ceremony if everyone followed

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter safety protocols, and about 95% of students said a ceremony is an important aspect of their undergraduate experience.

“I was hearing a lot from my peers in the senior class that graduation and having some sort of

commencement ceremony was really important to them,” said Kayla Fixel, the vice president of the Business Board.

Fixel and Business Board president Nate Burkholder brought a resolution with 250 student

sponsors to the Minnesota Student Association (MSA) to incorporate more student input and support.

The resolution passed with a 5-1 majority at the MSA Academic Affairs Committee and passed at MSA’s forum meeting on Feb. 9 with roughly 51% of the vote.

“I think I saw Forum as the voice of the students to really be able to tell the University that the students want the University and think the University should be taking a look at that student experience in a very serious manner,” Burkholder said.

Despite passing, several students at the forum meeting criticized the resolution, citing its prematureness and the pressure the resolution would put on international and outof-state students to travel

to attend a ceremony.

“By promoting in-person graduation, we’re in a way kind of separating and dividing people when right now we need to be unifying,” said at-large representative Sarah Jasa.

“We’re electing these students to represent our voices, and if they’re making decisions on behalf of us that aren’t the safest for our community … I think they do need to be held accountable.”

MSA president Amy Ma said she feels neutral regarding a virtual or an in-person graduation ceremony.

“I know graduating college is a huge achievement and especially important for first-generation students, and the health and safety concerns are valid as well,” Ma said in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

Minneapolis Ward 2 City Council challenger Robin Worlobah brings grassroots approach to change Worlobah focuses on the working class and community.

By Samantha Hendrickson shendrickson@mndaily.com Chicago native Robin Wonsley Worlobah came to Minnesota for a change.

More than ten years later, she is dedicated to being that change.

The 29-year-old community organizer, originally from South Side Chicago, is running for the Minneapolis City Council Ward 2 seat in the upcoming November elections. She is taking on incumbent Cam Gordon and challenger Tom Anderson.

Minneapolis continues to struggle with issues like a housing crisis, public safety

and social unrest in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. Worlobah said she has seen city officials “cower” and that grassroots movements of working-class people she has spent her career organizing are the first steps toward healing Minneapolis.

“I’ve seen the inaction and the lack of political courage and will from elected leaders,” Worlobah said.

“This summer was a really major awakening for all of us that we cannot continue on with the same old things to get better.”

What she is working to change Worlobah has often worked with incumbent Gordon to advocate for Ward 2 residents. While she said she appreciates his progressive views, she also

Robin Worlobah, a Ward 2 Council Candidate, poses for a portrait in Coffman Memorial Union on Monday, March 1. Worlobah is also a current Ph.D student at the University of Minnesota. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

said it is time for a leader to organize around people and not just the council.

“I don’t just show up to vote; I put in work ahead of time,” Worlobah said. “He’ll show up, and he’ll most likely vote the right way when it comes to it, but he does not lead or champion proactively.”

Worlobah’s focus is on transforming public safety, revolving mostly around police reform. She is an avid supporter of expanding the definition of law enforcement into positions like mental health responders and decreasing the police force as a whole.

“I would love to see public safety get to the point — and it needs to get to the point — where our police officers are the very last resort,” Worlobah said.

Housing is also a passion of Worlobah’s, and despite her and Gordon’s differences, she has been a staunch supporter of the rent stabilization work he has led in the council. Her experience living in South Side Chicago has further pushed her advocacy for more homeownership to combat the housing crisis, especially among Black, Indigenous and people of color communities.

“The difference that I’m bringing into City Hall is my connection and commitment to grassroots and workingclass people and BIPOC communities,” Worbalah

said. “Right now, even as a candidate, we’re engaged in their fight.”

From the South Side to Southeast Worlobah attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and moved to Minneapolis in 2014 after graduating. For the last seven years, the city has been her home as she moved between several neighborhoods, including Southeast Como, Prospect Park, Seward and CedarRiverside.

In 2014 Worlobah became the program coordinator for the University of Minnesota’s Women’s Center and a board member for Restorative Justice Community Action, which helps people expunge low-level offenses from their criminal records in exchange for community service and outreach.

“There’s a system of racial capitalism that creates disproportionate positions of equity, largely for workingclass folks as well as Black and brown and Indigenous communities,” Worlobah said.

These roles helped launch her into various advocacy positions around the Twin Cities, from fighting for immigrant rights to advocating for more public school funding.

On top of her advocacy work, Worlobah is currently a Ph.D. student at the University and aims to

receive her degree in feminist studies and gender, women and sexuality studies.

While studying at the University, Worlobah has led research projects involving racial disparities and housing alongside Attorney General Keith Ellison and others. She helped produce the Minnesota Trust Black Women and Girls report, which outlines the inequity and overall housing crisis of Black people in Minnesota.

The study also outlines disparities in education and mental health care, specifically for Black women and children.

As a current student campaigning in University neighborhoods, Worlobah said she plans to keep students in the conversation around serious issues like public safety, affordable housing and minimum wage.

“We’re building relationships with those groups now because they have to be at the table,” Worlobah said.

“These decisions and changes that are being made, and they’re impacted directly by them.”

Seven years of advocacy in the Twin Cities Worlobah worked with several nonprofits as a fundraising consultant after her work at the Women’s Center.

“She has a holistic approach to leadership,” said Amber Jones, a friend and fellow community organizer

who also moved to the Twin Cities from South Side Chicago. “That’s something that we really need.”

But following the police killing of Jamar Clark in 2015, Worlobah became more involved with local branches of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar and other groups to protest racial injustices.

She also worked with Fight for $15 as an outreach coordinator, rallying for the minimum wage to be increased to $15 an hour.

Kip Hedges, a longtime airport employee, met Worlobah after he was fired for unionizing. They ended up working together to advocate for minimum wage increases, and Hedges now works on her campaign.

“I always come out of our cabinet meetings feeling very hopeful,” Hedges said. ”She’s an extremely multidimensional leader.”

When the police killing George Floyd turned all eyes to Minneapolis, Worlobah led protest efforts throughout the summer of 2020. She also continued to champion grassroots movements, such as the People’s Budget, and helped provide protesters and homeless people with needed supplies.

“She was out on the front lines at the protests daily,” Jones said. “She said that this was what she was put on this earth to do: to fight against injustice.”

Black Student Union launches scholarship for Black students The group hopes to raise $20,000 for Black students.

By Jasmine Snow jsnow@mndaily.com When members of the University of Minnesota’s Black Student Union (BSU) noticed fellow Black students dropping out during the COVID-19 pandemic due to financial difficulties, they knew they could not stand aside.

“We just thought we could do more,” said BSU president Samiat Ajibola.

“Since we have a lot of connections in the community, we figured we might as well just do it ourselves because we didn’t want to have to wait for the University or anything like that.”

They have put an end to their wait — the BSU has decided to fund its own scholarship exclusively for Black students on the Twin Cities campus.

Ajibola said the group hopes to raise a total of at

least $20,000 to be doled out to about 40 students.

They hope to give a minimum of $200 to each student. She said the needsbased scholarship will likely be funded primarily through donations and that any exact amount awarded will not be finalized for some time.

“In a perfect world, we’d get enough money to be able to support every single student that applies,” she said. “But right now, it’s kind of just however much we get is how much we give.”

The BSU hopes to have a short essay prompt for applicants and will ask students about their financial need while considering that, even if they are in a higher tax bracket, parents may not help fund a recipient’s college.

Ajibola acknowledged the resources the University has made available to Black students already, such as the George Floyd scholarship, which was plagued by criticism and legal technicalities. She said unlike the Floyd scholarship, BSU’s scholarship

would not be subject to the same Title VI raceexclusivity restrictions because of the way both it and the organization are funded.

Fanta Diallo, a University and Students for a Democratic Society alum, was instrumental in making sure the University would give additional consideration to Black students for the Floyd scholarship.

She said although she had reservations about the final product, scholarships specifically geared toward Black and African American students are an important step in addressing institutional racism as a whole.

“Scholarships like these are the reason why I was able to go to college,” Diallo said in an email to the Minnesota Daily. “To anyone weighing if they should or should not apply for this, I would say do it.

The more people of color who apply for scholarships like this the more we will be able to show that there is a need and where there is a need, as a society we can ask for a solution.”

Black Student Union president Samiat Ajibola poses for a portrait in the BSU room at Coffman Memorial Union on Wednesday, Feb. 24. A junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, Ajibola hopes to continue her education with a Masters in Public Health at the U. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) So far, BSU has already raised about $800 in donations toward the scholarship. A majority of the funding has come from the local chapter of PERIOD.MN, a recently disbanded University group

that advocated improved access to menstrual products and gender equity.

“BSU deserves the money and I am just happy we were able to help contribute to the s cholarship,” said Esmé

Call, former director of marketing for the University’s PERIOD.MN chapter.

BSU plans to launch a social media campaign next month where more details about the scholarship will be released.

12 Monday, March 8, 2021

UMN rolls out new medical truck to better help cardiac arrest patients The truck aims to bring more responsive services.

By Srilekha Garishakurti Over the past three years, the Minnesota Mobile Resuscitation Consortium (MMRC) at the University of Minnesota has been working on the development of a medical truck aimed at delivering mobile oxygenation procedures for patients with cardiac arrest who have been unresponsive to standard resuscitation procedures.

Dr. Jason Bartos, assistant professor in the division of cardiovascular medicine and president of the MMRC, said the University developed the MMRC in 2015 to provide a meeting place for healthcare resources across the Twin Cities to collaborate together and

combat cardiac arrest.

When a patient experiences cardiac arrest, they lose heart function, and standard procedure is to resuscitate them.

However, when a patient does not experience a sustained heart rhythm after 30 minutes of CPR, they are in the refractory period where an ECMO machine must revive them.

ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, is a procedure where the physician pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. The machine is connected to cannula, or plastic tubes, which are placed in large veins and arteries in the legs, neck or chest where they then pump and oxygenate.

Normally, when a patient undergoes cardiac arrest, paramedics bring the patient to the University provided that they are a 30-minute drive

University of Minnesota’s new Mobile Resuscitation Consortium truck. Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota. Courtesy of the University of Minnesota. away, Bartos said.

But with every passing minute, the likelihood of survival decreases. Bartos said that every ten minutes that go by, the survival rate decreases by 15%-25%.

“The idea was in order for us to treat as many people at any location regardless of the proximity to hospitals, we needed to put the hospital equipment and expertise into

something that moves, and that was when the idea for the truck was created,” said Dr. Demetri Yannopoulos, director of the Center for Resuscitation Medicine.

Costing almost $1.8 million, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust was one of the truck’s primary sources of funding, said Kim Harkins, program manager at the Center for

Resuscitation Medicine.

The truck will be a 24-hour service, and physicians will work in 12-hour shifts to provide services day and night.

The vehicle includes all of the necessary equipment, such as defibrillators, ventilators, ultrasound machines and more in order to successfully complete the procedures.

Harkins said

telemedicine is a critical component of the medical truck as well.

“The telemedicine concept was that once the truck is out there, Dr. Bartos and Dr. Yannopoulos would be able to see everything happening in the truck,” Harkins said. “There are cameras set up near the patient’s head and the cannulation site and a 3D image of the whole truck.”

The physicians can monitor heart signals by pulling up an electrocardiogram more closely while simultaneously being able to look at different views of the patient, Harkins said.

With the elimination of 30 minutes of drive time back to the University in an ambulance, Bartos said the truck could potentially increase survival by 75%.

The MMRC is in the process of training physicians and paramedics and expects to be put to use by the summer of 2021.

Minneapolis Ward 2 City Council candidate Tom Anderson brings public service approach Anderson hopes to use skills as an educator in election.

By Samantha Woodward swoodward@mndaily.com Tom Anderson has spent most of his adult life in Ward 2 and has wholly devoted his post-grad life to public service.

He now wants to take that to the City Council, where he runs against incumbent Cam Gordon and challenger Robin Wonsley Worlobah for the Ward 2 seat this November.

Anderson hopes to prioritize public safety, invest in public housing and create green infrastructure in Minneapolis.

His work mostly focused on community organizing and education, and he is currently cochair of the Longfellow Community Council’s (LCC) Neighborhood Development and Transportation Committee.

He has been an LCC board member for nearly four years. He also serves on an equity advisory committee for Minneapolis Public Schools and is the outreach and inclusion officer for the Senate District 63 DFL. After starting a family

with his wife in Longfellow, Anderson shifted from nearly five years as a social studies teacher to student advocacy work.

He currently works as the director of government relations for Students United, where he lobbies lawmakers on behalf of students in Minnesota State colleges. He also works to build student leadership skills among the board of students.

Anderson’s campaign is called “Reimagine Minneapolis,” and Lexi Byler, his coworker at Students United and his director of communications, said this embodies his message.

“It’s not just about Tom; it’s about the community,” Byler said.

A focus on working together Nearly a year after the police killing of George Floyd and ensuing unrest, Anderson said the city has “very little to show for it.”

He said public safety issues are intersectional and connect to various other crucial problems for the city to address.

This process will involve eradicating the “racism that has permeated the Minneapolis Police Department,” he said, and

our city are our strengths of our city,” he said. “We should be able to embrace that.”

Ward 2 Candidate Tom Anderson poses for a portrait on Franklin Ave. bridge on Tuesday, March 2. Anderson has been a Minneapolis resident for 14 years, 10 of which have been in Ward 2. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) seeking out root causes of crime, like food insecurity, to solve those issues.

He hopes to invest in assistance for people experiencing homelessness, rather than just arresting them.

This would include creating mental health resources and integrating social workers within communities.

“We need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make sure ... that we rebuild post-pandemic and post-civil unrest in a way that’s equitable and in a way that ensures that our businesses that have existed here can continue to exist here,” Anderson said.

During Anderson’s continued work in

government relations, between his role at Students United or numerous campaigns he has worked for, he said he had seen division among local government officials as he would expect in federal politics.

“We’re so divided. Even though almost everyone in Minneapolis is left of center,” Anderson said.

“We’re at a point where we’re unable to work together and unable to listen to each other.”

Anderson said he hopes to bring local government back to public service orientation rather than being distracted by political rivalries and outside interests.

“Our diverse opinions in our community and across

From a teacher’s perspective Anderson grew up in the small town of Pine River just north of Brainerd, Minnesota, and education has always been an important aspect of his life.

He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2011 with a degree in political science and communications. He later received his Master of Education degree in 2014 from the University. He followed in his mother’s footsteps by becoming a teacher.

After moving offcampus, Anderson has lived in the Longfellow neighborhood for the last seven years. He has continued to be heavily involved in the education system after leaving his teaching career in 2019.

Alexandra Holter said Anderson had strong relationships with the students in the Brooklyn Center school district, where they worked together. Besides teaching, he coached basketball, track and football and was the student council adviser.

She said he brought groups together during contentious times.

“One of the most appreciated qualities of Tom during that time was just his very calm, levelheaded ability to listen to all sides because passions often run high when we’re talking about student needs,” Holter said. “He just kind of brought us all back to the purpose of what we’re doing, which was to serve the students.”

During his time as an educator, Anderson said he noticed that the students who struggled in his classes were the ones that were affected by means outside of their control, like food insecurity and homelessness.

“Our city is really held to address [these] issues,” Anderson said. “I think that would go a long way to helping close the achievement gap.”

Carlee Diggins, executive director of Students United, said Anderson takes his job as an advocate for students’ needs “very seriously” and has the edge and passion for doing whatever he can to do the right thing.

“He truly understands the importance of the student voice,” Diggins said.

Young Women’s Cabinet program aims to decrease gender equity gaps by keeping women in legislative conversations

The cabinet bridges gap for women in all communities.

By Samantha Hendrickson shendrickson@mndaily.com Amy Zhou did not enjoy her first trip to the Minnesota State Capitol.

As soon as she stepped foot into a state Senate meeting room over a year ago, the University of Minnesota student had to leave and battle a panic attack in the bathroom nearby. No one looked like her, she said, and she questioned if she belonged there.

A lot has changed since then. The governor’s office recently appointed Zhou to the Young Women’s Cabinet (YWC). She and other women of color work to shape state policy and create a more representative Minnesota Legislature.

Dawn breaks over the Minnesota State Capitol Building on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily) “We have policymakers nonbinary individuals from that simply don’t look like eight underrepresented us, and that comes in every communities across the single form rather than just state, including Black ethnic diversity,” said Zhou, women, Indigenous women, a fourth-year University women with disabilities and student. “That’s something more. that is needed in Minnesota.” “[The cabinet] really sets The Women’s Foundation up infrastructure for the of Minnesota (WFM), which lasting change that is beyond was the first of its kind in tokenization,” Zhou said. the nation, spearheaded the These cabinet members, foundation of the YWC in between the ages of 16 2016. The cabinet, partnering and 24, work to increase with Gov. Tim Walz’s office, gender equity in state comprises 32 women and politics and bridge the gap

between lawmakers and those underrepresented communities.

According to WFM spokesperson Jen Day, they hope to center women’s voices, from many different communities, in legislative conversations and enact change in areas such as gender discrimination.

“It ensures that the state really invests in the power and the potential of young women who are leading so much in every sector we see in this moment,” Day said.

Since 2016, the YWC has helped direct over $1 million to nonprofits and individuals while training policy advocates and increasing leadership development among young women.

The WFM often works hand-in-hand with the Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy at the University’s Humphrey School.

Their joint 2020 study found several prevalent

issues that continue to undermine women in Minnesota’s workforce, such as pervasive wage gaps.

Women still make only 79 cents to a man’s dollar, even though Minnesota leads the nation in women in the workforce.

That gap can be even wider for women of color.

The study showed that the gap between white women and white men in Minnesota is twice as large for Hmong women, Indigenous women, and Latinas. The pay gap is nearly twice as large for Black women and 2.5 times greater for Somali women than white women.

The study also noted that sexual harassment toward women continues at significant rates in Minnesota and can be more common in male-dominated industries.

According to Christina Ewig, a professor at the center, a major concern is the lack of movement on these data

points, specifically regarding the amount of sexual violence toward young women.

In a study independent from the WFM, the center also discovered that women of color are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace or be laid off due to the pandemic. The most atrisk groups in Minnesota are Somali and Hmong women of “working age,” Ewig said.

Despite pandemic-related obstacles faced by both themselves and the people they want to represent, Zhou and Nibraas Khan, a thirdyear student at the University who was also appointed this year, said they’re still excited to put in the work for gender equity.

“The energy is amazing,” Khan said. “Every single kind of powerful, emboldened person I could imagine is in that space. And they care about each other’s opinions, and they value each other and want to uplift each other.”