April 10, 2017

Page 1

TOP HEADLINES INSIDE:

Q&A: GOV. MARK DAYTON TALKS HIGHER ED, U FUNDING PAGE 7

■■ University student calls for bail system reform

THE DAILY SPOKE WITH DAYTON LAST WEEK.

■■ At state Legislature, bonding bill priorities vary

Cecil Simon works for the Minnesota Freedom Fund. PAGE 7

The House has yet to introduce its bonding bill. PAGE 10

RAIN AND SNOW HIGH 46° LOW 32°

U OF M

MINNEAPOLIS

ST PAUL

EARLY WEEK

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

APRIL 10-12, 2017

BOARD OF REGENTS

STUDENT GOV’T

MEDICAL SCHOOL

U Medical School may adopt passfail system

Resolution asks for U expansion of medical amnesty

The grading change is geared toward first, second year students.

The Student Senate is calling for drugs to added to the policy.

BY DAVID CLAREY dclarey@mndaily.com

BY DAVID CLAREY dclarey@mndaily.com

The University Student Senate passed a resolution asking the University to expand its medical amnesty guidelines to include drug use in the case that current state laws change. The resolution passed at an April 6 Student Senate meeting, notes some students are concerned they can’t call for medical help in situations involving dr ugs because they’re afraid of legal repercussions. Currently, the University’s student conduct code aligns with the state’s medical amnesty law, which provides legal immunity to underage drinkers who call for medical help for themselves or an underage friend. And while the state Legislature is not proposing a bill to add drugs to the law this session, the Student Senate hopes that if the law is adjusted, the student conduct code can promptly follow. “This is to streamline [the change] next year, and when we do advocate for it to say ‘the University supports this,’” said Trish Palermo, Student Senate chair and Minnesota Student Association president-elect.

MEAGAN LYNCH, DAILY

Demolition of the Electric Steel grain elevators continues on the edge of the East Bank campus on April 8.

Amid legal contention, U razes elevator towers The U’s new Recreational Sports Bubble will take the place of the elevators. BY KEVIN BECKMAN kbeckman@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota is proceeding with the demolition of the Electric Steel elevators near TCF Bank Stadium despite legal attempts to halt the process. Demolition of the elevators began last month, during an ongoing legal dispute with the Friends of the Electric Steel Elevators, LLC — a group trying to preserve the structure, which they claim is historic. The elevators are being torn down to make way for the Recreational Sports Bubble, which will be

u See AMNEST Y Page 5

displaced by the construction of a new track and field facility. Erik Hansen, attorney for the Friends of the Electric Steel elevators, said the city of Minneapolis has protections for historic buildings, but the University argued it is autonomous from the state and city codes don’t apply. Still, the electric elevators never got city historic designation. The group argued that, as a state entity, the University must cooperate with other state agencies like the Minnesota Historical Society. The lawsuit claims the Electric Steel Elevators are the last of their kind in Minnesota and have historical significance because they

u See GRADES Page 10

u See TOWERS Page 4

STUDENT ISSUES

As scores of medical schools across the nation have changed grading scales, the University of Minnesota is considering following suit. Currently, the school uses a pass-fail-honors scale, but the Medical School Student Council decided at a recent meeting to ask the school to change it to pass-fail for first and second-year students. Supporters tout it as a tool to increase the mental wellness of students. The current system at the University assigns the top 20 percent of the first and second-year medical students as honors, and the rest as either pass or no-pass. According to March 1 Medical School Student Council meeting minutes, a majority of students in the council supported the change. The Committee on Undergraduate Medical Education Duluth has already voted for the change at its campus. It’s now being reviewed by the University medical school committees and administration. Medical School administrators and student council representatives declined to comment, citing the preliminary nature of the discussion. Student council members from the Duluth campus

CEDAR-RIVERSIDE

University groups push for parent leave reform

Jambo! Kitchen opens doors on West Bank

A recent U esolution requests equal paid leave for adoptive and birth parents.

BY CINDY SIMBA csimba@mndaily.com

BY RILYN EISCHENS reischens@mndaily.com

Three weeks after the birth of her first child, Austin Calhoun retur ned to work, shut her office door and cried. Calhoun took the two weeks paid parental leave guaranteed to her as a University of Minnesota academic employee, plus a week of vacation when her wife gave birth to their son. “Any parent will tell you that’s not enough time to support your partner in this complicated … stressful, anxiety-inducing, wonderful time,” Calhoun, chief of staff in the Office of Medical Education, said. On Friday, the University Academic Professionals and Administrators Senate unanimously passed a resolution requesting the University provide equal amounts of paid leave to

adoptive and birth parents. This push is the most recent ef for t from several University groups that have been encouraging reform of the school’s leave policies. Organizations representing University employees, faculty and graduate students have been working to fix various aspects of parental leave policies, from perceived inequities to giving new parents the option to take a temporary leave. The efforts come amid an increased focus on parental leave. At the University of Michigan, graduate students are working for a new leave agreement, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, faculty members and employees have requested improved policies, even after the recent implementation of a modified duties policy. u See LEAVE Page 5

Located in Afro Deli’s former storefront, the restaurant offers East African cuisine.

Jambo! Kitchen, a new West Bank r estaurant, opened its doors last week with free bowls of food and tacos. The menu features food fr om the Middle East, Easter n Africa and Asia. The eater y is situated in the African Development Center space for merly occupied by Afro Deli, which is now on Washington Avenue in Stadium Village. “Our mission is to provide great food and a great experience,” said Mahad Ibrahim, Jambo! Kitchen’s manager and coordinator. The newly renovated space features more seating, improved lighting, more charging outlets and fresh paintings to attract more customers. “We’re hoping to offer more than just food” Ibrahim said.

CHRIS DANG, DAILY

Kitchen staffer Francisco Flores prepares chicken for tacos at Jambo! Kitchen on April 5 on West Bank in Minneapolis. Jambo! opened in the space previously occupied by Afro Deli.

The restaurant also has online ordering and a mobile kiosk for people to grab and go. Jambo! Kitchen has

par tnered with Peace Coffee to provide local coffee. The restaurant is dedicated to source as many ingredients as possible

locally to support the local economy and ensure the quality and freshness of u See JAMBO Page 2

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 50


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