April 17, 2017

TOP HEADLINES INSIDE:

WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM SHINES OVER WEEKEND PAGE 6

■■ U student conducts prison choir for women

THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT IS ONE WEEKEND AWAY.

■■ Minnesota is least stressed state — kind of

Voices for Hope helps rehabilitate incarcerated women. PG 2

U experts say the new ranking’s method is incomplete. PG 10

U OF M

SUNNY HIGH 59° LOW 48°

MINNEAPOLIS

ST PAUL

EARLY WEEK

APRIL 17-19, 2017

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

TRANSPORTATION

LEGISLATURE

U resolution will minimize rates for night parking Parking rates will be capped at $4 or $6, in some campus lots.

BY NATALIE RADEMACHER nrademacher@mndaily.com

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

Osman Mohamed Ali stands in front of a traditional nomad somali hut and homestead at the Somali Museum of Minnesota on Friday in Minneapolis.

For Somali Museum, expansion hinges on state funding A bill sponsored by Rep. Ilhan Omar would help the local museum expand its reach.

BY RYAN FAIRCLOTH rfaircloth@mndaily.com

W

Worried the last ar tifacts would be

two years to expand programs and

destroyed, Ali began collecting those he

exhibits. The museum has several

hen Osman Mohamed Ali

could find and brought them to the U.S.

cultural programs but lacks adequate

r etur ned to Somalia in

In 2011, Ali founded the Somali Muse-

room to operate at its current location

2009, he noticed few cul-

um of Minnesota, which now holds hun-

— tucked into a commercial basement

dreds of artifacts from the countr y.

on East Lake Street.

tural artifacts remained.

Most relics had been destroyed in

Now, the museum is looking to ex-

The museum aims to connect So-

the countr y’s 1991 civil war, Ali said,

pand. A bill sponsored by Rep. Ilhan

mali youth bor n in the U.S. to their

and there were no museums left in So-

Omar, DFL-Minneapolis, would grant

heritage while educating non-Somali

malia to preser ve remaining items.

$200,000 to the museum over the next

Minnesotans to foster understanding.

u See SOMALI Page 10

After a push from the Student Senate, the University will r educe overnight parking costs.

Star ting May 1, the overnight parking rate at 11 designated campus lots will be $1 per hour, with costs capping at $6. In addition, the five daily lots on campus will charge $1 per hour with a maximum of $4. Most parking meters will also charge $1 per hour, with a two-hour limit, according to a University Parking and Transpor tation Ser vices press release.

Currently, the night owl rate is $6 between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.

“We had an opportunity to really look at how else we can address this,” PTS director Ross Allanson said at a Minnesota Student Association meeting last month.

Allanson said the Student Senate brought it to

“[Parking and Transportation Services] ... wants to do everything they can to help with student safety but also make sure they have funding” SHANTAL PAI U Student Senate member u See PARKING Page 4

HOUSING

CAMPUS

Residence hall community to open for black women at Pio

Group for U grad students with disabilities gets funding The new U group received $2,500 and now hopes to provide grad-level accomodations.

BY DAVID CLAREY dclarey@mndaily.com

Two U students are creating the living, learning community.

Sarah Huebner found nothing when she looked for a support network and

BY CINDY SIMBA csimba@mndaily.com

MINNEAPOLIS

The University of Minnesota will open a Living Learning Community specifically tailored for black women will open in a few years.

Freshman Nassise Geleta and sophomore Kaylan Fernandez are hoping to open the 10-room LLC in Pioneer Hall once the residence hall reopens in fall 2019 after a large-scale renovation project.

After learning about the Huntley House — an LLC for black men in 17th Avenue Residential Hall — during her freshman orientation, Geleta wondered if there was one for black women she could join.

Finding none, she decided to start one herself. “[It’s] about a two-year process,” Fernandez said.

Gelata said black women often have trouble getting jobs in certain fields, and the LLC help by providing u See LLC Page 7

community of graduate students with disabilities.

Then she met fellow graduate student R yan Machtmes, and the two formed the first advocacy

and support group for University of Minnesota graduate students with disabilities in January.

The Organization for Graduate and Professional Students with Disabilities, which aims to create improved resources for

graduate students, received $2,500 from the Council of Graduate Students in March, Machtmes said.

“Because so much emphasis at the college level has been placed at undergraduate, all the accommodation has been geared

towards [undergraduates too],” he said.

The experience of being in graduate school with a disability is dif ferent than an undergraduate’s experience, Huebner u See DISABILIT Y Page 7

In mayoral bid, Dehn hopes to capture student vote State Rep. Raymond Dehn wants to follow Ilhan Omar’s lead and engage student voters.

BY MIKE HENDRICKSON mhendrickson@mndaily.com

After a successful showing at the April 4 precinct caucuses, DFL Rep. Raymond Dehn walked into Kolthof f Hall Thursday with a wide smile.

Dehn, a 2017 Minneapolis mayoral candidate, was there to meet with members of Students for Raymond Dehn, a University of Minnesota student group formed in March.

He spent an hour in a small classroom reviewing the precinct caucuses and answering questions from the seven audience members, who laughed at his

jokes and listened intently.

The students asked about af fordable housing, minimum wage and community policing after Dehn shared what his campaign took away from April 4.

“It’s a tossup between [City Council Member Jacob Frey] and myself,” Dehn said. [Mayor Betsy Hodges] was somewhat of a distant third. Ever ybody’s talking about the race a whole lot dif ferently.”

Dehn, a University alumnus, is the only candidate with an active student group on campus and u See DEHN Page 4

CHRIS DANG, DAILY

Rep. Raymond Dehn walks in to speak to students on April 13 in Kolthoff Hall. Dehn is running for mayor of Minneapolis.

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 52

2

Daily Review

Monday, April 17, 2017

THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1970 With the world anxiously watching, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returns to Earth.

HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH

STUDENT LIFE Monday, April 17, 2017 Vol. 117 No. 52

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 © 2016 The Minnesota Daily This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER Dylan Scott Editor-in-Chief dscott@mndaily.com (612) 435-1575 Elizabeth Luke Business Operations Officer eluke@mndaily.com (612) 435-2761 NEWS STAFF Chris Aadland Managing Editor caadland@mndaily.com Allison Dohnalek Managing Production Editor adohnalek@mndaily.com Emily Polglaze Sports Editor epolglaze@mndaily.com Jack White Assistant Sports Editor jwhite@mndaily.com Sophia Vilensky A&E Editor svilensky@mndaily.com Alex Tuthill-Preus Multimedia Editor atuthill-preus@mndaily.com Maddy Fox Assistant Multimedia Editor mfox@mndaily.com Haley Hansen Copy Desk Chief hhansen@mndaily.com Sheridan Swee Assistant Copy Desk Chief sswee@mndaily.com Harry Steffenhagen Visuals Editor hsteffenhagen@mndaily.com Cedar Thomas Visuals Editor cthomas@mndaily.com Brenna Bast Chief Page Designer bbast@mndaily.com Jackie Renzetti Campus Editor jrenzetti@mndaily.com Ethan Nelson City Editor enelson@mndaily.com Nick Wicker Policy Editor nwicker1@mndaily.com Jessie Bekker In-Depth Editor jbekker@mndaily.com Lucy Carey Social Media Manager lcarey@mndaily.com =

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CARTER JONES, DAILY

A group of freshmen play spike ball near Pioneer Hall on April 7.

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STATE REPORT COMMISSIONERS SET STAKES FOR UPCOMING BUDGET BATTLE ST. PAUL — Sitting in a room full of reporters, Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans’ message to his boss about most Republican’s budget bills was clear: Veto them.

As spring blooms and the Legislature’s focus turns to finalizing a new, two-year state budget, Gov. Mark Dayton has increasingly leaned on his cabinet to make the public case for his vision of Minnesota — and against the budget cuts and major tax relief Republicans in charge at the Legislature have lined up. His commissioners have used a flurr y of press conferences, news releases and stops across the state to broadcast their disdain for GOP budget bills, often drawing the ire of Republican leaders.

Dayton’s top tax of ficial recently warned about delays to tax returns if the GOP follows through with heavy cuts to her agency.

The commissioner overseeing public health care programs has crisscrossed the state, highlighting potentially painful cuts to mental health care and other services.

But few have been as visible or as vocal as Frans, who has tried to leverage his stature as the state’s top budget wonk into a powerful voice of caution to Republicans who control the Legislature. It’s a new role for the commissioner, who runs an office best known for signing the 35,000-plus paychecks of state employees and cranking out the twice-annual economic projections that guide lawmakers’ work.

“We really wanted to go on the record,” Frans said.

“We want to make it ver y clear to the public what our positions are on the budgets.”

Frans came to the budget office in 2015 after four years as head of the Department of Revenue. With a background as a tax attorney and a short stint as president of a manufacturing and distributing company, he built good will with lawmakers from both sides as a no-nonsense financial expert.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CAMPUS BRIEFING

Music doctoral student leads choir group for female prisoners The women at the prison perform for each other during a grad ceremony.

BY CINDY SIMBA csimba@mndaily.com

Amanda Weber believes music is an integral part of rehabilitating incarcerated women.

After studying prison choirs for her master’s degree, Weber, a University of Minnesota music doctoral student, had an opportunity to conduct a women’s prison choir in Minnesota.

Voices of Hope is par t of the Shakopee Minnesota Correctional Facility’s education program. Headed

by University alumni Jim Verhoye, the program ensures that prisoners are provided educational opportunities while serving their sentences.

NATIONAL BRIEFING

Ark. governor says execution plan is part of job

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson comes across as a reluctant figure just carrying out the duties of his office when he discusses his extraordinary plan to execute eight inmates in 11 days.

Although the plan faces multiple legal hurdles, no other state has executed that many people so quickly since the U.S. Supreme Court reauthorized the death penalty in 1976, and it has thrust Hutchinson and his solidly Republican state into the center of the debate over capital punishment.

It’s an unusual position for Hutchinson, a low-key former prosecutor who delves into policy issues with the help of charts and graphs and isn’t known for giving fiery speeches. Yet it was he who signed off on the plan to execute so many prisoners before the state’s supply of an execution drug expires at the end of the month, with the first two originally scheduled for Monday.

“It’s not something I designed from when I ran for governor,” Hutchinson told reporters at a recent news conference, the only time he’s spoken at length publicly about the decision.

“It’s something that is put in your lap as the result of 25 years of litigation action and it’s here for me.”

If allowed to proceed with the executions, they would be the first Arkansas has carried out since 2005 due to legal wrangling and trouble obtaining the drugs. But separate courts granted stays to two inmates before two other courts — one state and one federal — temporarily barred the state from executing any of them at this time. The state is appealing.

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The women at the prison perform for each other during a ceremony when they graduate from the program.

The choir serves a greater purpose than bringing individuals together. It’s also therapeutic.

“A lot of these women are coming from paths of trauma to the prison. A majority of the women have gone through some sort of abuse,” Weber said.

More than 86 percent of women who are in prison have experienced sexual abuse before being detained, according to a Vera Institute study.

At the prison, the women often talk about restorative justice, which looks at modes of healing instead of punishment.

“The first person that needs healing is the victim, then the person who committed the crime and t h e n t h e c o m m u n i t y, ”

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Weber said.

Music has also provided self-improvement opportunities, and it’s a way for the women to add positivity to their lives.

“They absolutely love the choir. They talk about their improved outlook on life, self-esteem,” Verhoye said. “They feel like they’re giving back. They feel a connection to the community.”

For some of the women, the choir is an outlet to address certain fears, too.

“A lot of them are terrified of being in front of people. They’re actively trying to conquer fears. They’re actively trying to become a better person and to live into a new identity,” Weber said.

The choir collaborates with the University of Minnesota’s music department, and several choirs from the University have gone into the prison to perform with Voices of Hope. At the end of

their performance, some of the women have paired up as pen-pals.

Voices of Hope began in 2015, and participants practice during 12 week periods for the prison’s academic schedule. In fall of 2015, 15 women signed up for the first quarter. This past week, 57 women signed up.

Since 1980, the number of women in prison has increased by more than 700 percent. At least 95 percent of women in prison are expected to be released at some point, according to the Council of State Government’s Justice Center.

It is important that educational and rehabilitation opportunities are provided for them while they’re behind bars, Weber said.

“If we don’t focus on rehabilitation, how are we ever going to break the cycle unless we care about one another?” Weber said.

Prince death probe offers few answers

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s been nearly a year since Prince died from an accidental drug overdose in his suburban Minneapolis studio and estate, yet investigators still haven’t inter viewed a key associate or asked a grand jur y to consider whether criminal charges are warranted, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation.

Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park home on April 21. His death shocked fans and led to tributes worldwide. And news that he died of an overdose of fentanyl — a synthetic drug 50 times more power ful than heroin — surprised and saddened those who knew him as someone with a reputation for clean living.

Dozens of counterfeit pills were found in a search of Paisley Park, including at least one that tested positive for fentanyl. Yet authorities still don’t know the origin of those dr ugs and there has been no indication that they are poised to hold anyone responsible anytime soon.

Criminal justice exper ts say the pace of the investigation doesn’t necessarily mean it’s in trouble or that no one will ever be charged. They cite the complexity of tracking illegally obtained pills, the need to be sure before they issue subpoenas, and the high stakes for investigators and prosecutors, who don’t want to suffer an embarrassing defeat in a high-profile trial.

“Federal prosecutors, especially, do not like to lose,” said Gal Pissetzky, a Chicago-based criminal lawyer.

“That is why they can take so long.”

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SATURDAY HIGH 63° LOW 40° Mostly Sunny

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EDITORIAL STAFF Grace Thomas Editorials & Opinions Editor jthomas@mndaily.com Anant Naik Senior Editorial Board Member anaik@mndaily.com BUSINESS Catherine Vaught Retail Sales Manager cvaught@mndaily.com Emily Vermeulen Creative Director evermeulen@mndaily.com CORRECTIONS 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.

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Monday, April 17, 2017

3

4

Monday, April 17, 2017

Raymond Dehn vies for student vote Dehn u from Page 1

employs a recent graduate — also a former student body president — as his campaign manager.

Dehn hopes his targeting of the student population will mobilize them to vote for him in large numbers and propel him to victory.

But his early advantage with students might not won’t last long.

Frey said he plans to launch a group on campus sometime soon, and a Hodges spokesperson said the campaign would meet with student groups but

“The most efficient thing for Dehn to do is to try to tap some of that Omar magic in his own drive to build support.”

LARRY JACOBS Director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance

isn’t sure if the campaign will need a student group of its own beyond College Democrats and others.

Dehn emerged as a legitimate challenger to Hodges after the precinct caucuses, said Hamline University political science professor David Schultz .

“There seems to be a little buzz about [Dehn] that I don’t see for the other candidates,” he said. “Coming out of the caucuses, I actually think he’s the strongest [alternative] to [Hodges] now.”

Pursuing student votes

About 33 percent of eligible Minneapolis voters participated in the 2013 election with most University precincts averaging well below that.

At Thursday’s meeting, sophomore Alaina Friedrich said this level of engagement is new for students.

“Students may not vote because no one engages students,” Dehn said. “If you engage students, you can get those votes.”

Schultz said a strategy that engages with students is smart and makes sense in Minneapolis, as Min-

nesota students vote more frequently than others nationally.

The city is in a generational shift of how a Democrat is defined, he said, and Rep. Ilhan Omar — who recently endorsed Dehn — beating a longtime incumbent was one example of that.

Dehn said he sees himself as the most progressive candidate.

“We’ll know in November whether it’s the right strategy,” Schultz said.

“If… that shift is in fact occur ring, somebody who better understands that shift as a campaign manager or staf fer cer tainly makes sense.”

Other candidates have attempted this in the past, said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the Humphrey School of Public Af fairs. While it hasn’t always led to victory, Dehn has done a “great job” of focusing on the University, he said.

“The challenge is being organized and not falling asleep at the switch,” Jacobs said. “Some candidates think it’s a matter of a couple talks. You really got to put some muscle into it.”

CHRIS DANG, DAILY

Rep. Raymond Dehn speaks to students on Thursday in Kolthoff Hall. Dehn is running for mayor of Minneapolis.

But other candidates will join Dehn’s campus presence soon. Frey said listening to students is key, as they are the drivers of progressivism.

“We’re going to have a full ef for t of hiring workers and volunteers from the University,” Frey said.

“When students are committed, excited and passionate, amazing things happen.”

Alida Tieberg, communications director for Hodges’ campaign, said the campaign will reach out to existing student groups.

Taking a page from Ilhan

At 22, Joelle Stangler is the head of Dehn’s campaign.

She was the Minnesota Student Association president from April 2014 to July 2016 and recently worked as deputy campaign manager for Rep. Ilhan Omar’s DFL-Minneapolis bid for District 60B, which covers the University area.

Dehn also hired Patrick Alcorn as his field director.

Alcorn is a 2015 University alumnus who also ser ved on Omar’s campaign.

Omar won par tly by mobilizing students. In a primar y race where nearly 6,000 people voted, up 1,600 from the previous election, Stangler estimated that 800 ballots were cast by students.

Stangler said for mer Rep. Phyllis Kahn, who held that seat for 44 years, lost to Omar because she didn’t engage the students of her district.

Sophomore Sonia Neculescu, one of Dehn’s campus directors, said students have latched onto Dehn because he connects with the struggles of Minneapolis and its students, as he is still paying student loan debts.

“He really is making an ef for t to engage with students,” she said. “He’s the only candidate that has a strong student presence on campus.”

Jacobs said students

CHRIS DANG, DAILY

Rep. Raymond Dehn speaks to students on Thursday in Kolthoff Hall. Dehn is running for mayor of Minneapolis.

could make a difference in the mayoral election, even though it encompasses more people than District 60B. “The most efficient thing for Dehn to do is to tr y to tap some of that Omar magic in his own drive to build support,” he said.

But the campaign isn’t just after students, Stangler said, as Dehn has a base of suppor t from two successful state legislative bids and can target voters who haven’t been reached by previous campaigns.

“It would be silly to think a candidate could just win on a ground full of young people,” Stangler said. “We know that if young people tur n out in large numbers and are backing Ray, we’ll be in a good place.”

Maintaining momentum

The key for Dehn will

be mobilizing students this summer for the July DFL convention, Schultz said.

Omar’s primar y was in mid-August and enough students showed up to elect her, something Dehn will likely have to replicate to defeat the still-favorite Hodges, Schultz said.

Before the precinct caucuses, Dehn said people saw the mayoral race as between just Hodges and Frey.

But with the April 4 results, he feels he has momentum and the race has shifted.

“People like to think Ilhan was an anomaly but it’s not,” Stangler said. “If you genuinely engage young people and you give them power over their own electoral destiny, you’re going to have success on the ballot.”

Alida Tieberg is a former Minnesota Daily reporter.

VOTER TURNOUT IN UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE 2013 MINNEAPOLIS MAYORAL ELECTION 43.0%

33.4%

25.5% 20.7%

18.9% 13.8% 7.3%

Ward 2, Precinct 3 Como

Ward 2, Precinct 4 University

6.9%

Ward 2, Precinct 5 Prospect Park

Ward 2, Precinct 7 University/ Riverside

7.0%

Ward 2, Ward 3, Precinct 10 Precinct 1 University/ Dinkytown/ Prospect Park Marcy Holmes

Ward 3, Precinct 2 Marcy Holmes

Ward 6, Precinct 3 Cedar Riverside

Total turnout in Minneapolis

SOURCE: CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS

U resolution eases cost of night parking on campus Parking u from Page 1

his attention that parking spaces close to popular student destinations were often left empty because of the current rates.

“We have a resource,” he said at the meeting. “It is an area where we could potentially of fer something.”

With feedback from students, PTS has been working on a plan to reduce rates without sacrificing profits. The money raised from parking helps fund the University bus system in addition to other

transit-related maintenance and projects.

During the 2015-2016 fiscal year, PTS raised $33,480,329 in parking fees. This includes public, contract, meter and special event parking. More than half of the income for PTS during the 2016 fiscal year came from public and contract parking. PTS is self-funded and does not receive legislative funding.

From July 1 2016 through Feb. 28 this year, PTS has raised $21,091,621 in parking fees, according to data from PTS. The proposed plan would not change event parking rates, Allanson said. The pr oposal, if

enacted, would affect most lots, ramps, and some meters on campus that are not in high-trafficked areas.

The change came because students expressed concern over safety at night on campus, said Shantal Pai, a member of the University Student Senate.

Reducing over night parking costs is part of an overarching Student Senate goal to make campus safer for students, Pai said.

“Parking and Transpor tation Ser vices has been ver y responsive,” Pai said. “They want to do ever ything they can to help with student safety but also make sure they have funding.”

Monday, April 17, 2017

Sports

5

@MNDAILYSPORTS

FOOTBALL

Gophers have fun day in spring game Head coach P.J. Fleck coached his first spring game for the Gophers.

BY JACK WHITE jwhite@mndaily.com

In its first spring game under head coach P.J. Fleck, Minnesota’s Team Maroon came away with a 42-40 victor y in an enter taining matchup at this year’s spring football game.

Five healthy of fensive linemen proved to be no problem for Minnesota during Saturday’s game.

“We’ve got some bumps and bruises, and we have a dislocated finger here or there,” Fleck said. “I was really pleased with the way we came out.”

The game had four 15-minute quar ters with a non-stop running clock.

The kick return team had two players, and quar terbacks could not be tackled. Fans also took punts in the four th quar ter of the game.

Quar terback Demr y Croft led two scoring drives to star t the first half. Croft threw for 109 yards with no interceptions or touchdown passes in the game.

Quar terback Conor Rhoda str uggled on his first drives as the offense went three-and-out twice. He finished 8-12 with 70 yards through the air. “[We have] a ton of lear ning to do,” Rhoda said. “Due to the lack of our O-line, we weren’t really able to scrimmage [this spring].”

Running back Rodney Smith star ted the scoring for the Gophers in the first quarter.

Smith, last year’s leading

TENNIS

Women’s team shines over the weekend The team has two more matches before the Big Ten tournament in April.

BY DREW COVE dcove@mndaily.com

The women’s team had a successful showing over the weekend for the Gophers, especially for their head coach.

Minnesota had two decisive victories this weekend over Purdue 6-1 Friday and Indiana 5-2 Sunday.

“We played hard,” said head coach Chuck Merzbacher. “We played really well [Friday].”

Merzbacher was the center of pregame festivities Friday, which honored the coach and former player as he prepares for retirement.

Merzbacher announced his retirement last week after five years as Minnesota’s head coach and 28 years as a Division I head coach.

“Where else would you want to end?” Merzbacher said. “At a place that you love, around people that you love … I feel good about it, putting a wrap on the career.”

After the ceremony, the Gophers took care of business on the court.

Minnesota got the doubles point decisively with the pair of freshman Tina Kreinis and sophomore AnneMarie Emme winning the first match. Junior Mehvish Safdar and sophomore u See TENNIS Page 6

MEAGAN LYNCH, DAILY FILE PHOTO

Gophers wide receiver Tyler Johnson runs the ball down the field against the Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016.

rusher, went up the middle for a 17-yard rush and the first touchdown of the game.

Running back Jonathan Femi-Cole also scor ed on a touchdown up the middle. Femi-Cole broke two tackles before he was hit into the end zone for the second r ushing score.

Femi-Cole finished with two r ushing touchdowns and ran for 75 yards on eight carries, which were both game highs.

Wide receiver Rashad Still caught a 60-yard pass the first time the of fense had the ball. Still led the team with 66 receiving yards.

H o w e v e r, w i d e r e ceiver Tyler Johnson led all Gophers receivers in r eceptions with six.

Johnson totaled 64 yards receiving.

Johnson also attempted a pass on a trick play. The wide receiver got the ball on a reverse and threw it

to Croft, but the pass fell incomplete.

“That was my fault,” Croft said. “He told me to keep r unning, and I didn’t tr ust him. I kind of slowed down, stopped running.”

Walk-on Clay Gear y caught a touchdown pass from Quar terback Seth Green in the of fense’s final play.

The defense forced two tur novers, both on interceptions, in the game.

Cornerback Adekunle Ayinde caught the second interception of the game for the defense when he picked off quarterback Tanner Morgan. The turnover was a go-ahead score for the defense in the game, as the defense took a 19-16 lead.

Cornerback Duke McGhee forced the first turnover of the game. Green threw a ball that tipped off his intended receiver and went to McGhee.

“We have incr edible twitch to the ball from the defensive backfield,” Fleck said. “We always have our hands on the ball.”

Linebacker Car ter Coughlin led the defense in sacks with two, both times getting to Rhoda.

“I thought today went great,” Coughlin said.

“There’s always things that we need to improve on, things that we need to grow on, but I think that today was awesome.”

SOFTBALL

Minnesota scores 17 runs across three games in sweep of Northwestern in Illinois The softball team is now 10-1 in Big Ten play and 38-3 overall this season.

BY KYLE STEINBERG ksteinberg@mndaily.com

Minnesota head coach Jessica Allister has said all season that if her team performs three facets of the game —offense, defense and pitching — well, they will have a good chance to win.

This weekend, the Gophers excelled at all three.

No. 6 Minnesota (38-3, 101 Big Ten) battled through three Friday night rain delays to earn a weekend sweep of Northwestern (16-23, 3-9 Big Ten).

“I think we had a couple of different curveballs thrown at us [this weekend] — Friday night we had three different rain delays,” Allister said. “I was pleased with our performance.”

Friday night’s game was an interesting one, as the teams had to clear the field three times due to rain.

The Gophers got on the board early with a two-run first inning, but after Northwestern pulled within a run in the third the game was delayed for the first time.

The Gophers didn’t seem

SOFTBALL RESULTS

FRIDAY

Hits Errors SCORE

Northwestern No. 6 Minnesota

5 2 2 8 4 6 Hits Errors SCORE 5 1 2 2 1 3

Runs 2 6 SATURDAY Runs 2 Northwestern No. 6 Minnesota 3

SUNDAY Northwestern No. 6 Minnesota

Runs Hits Errors SCORE 0 8

2 8

1 0

0 8

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

Freshman catcher Kendyl Lindaman prepares to bat during the Gophers’ game against Northwestern on Saturday.

to mind the break, however, as outfielder Sam Macken hit the first pitch she saw after play resumed over the center field fence for what would prove to be the winning run.

“Our team was just having a great time [during the delays],” said catcher Kendyl Lindaman. “We knew right when we stepped back on the field we had to be focused and we [were] just that.”

Sara Groenewegen gave up one earned run in the circle and pitched all seven innings to earn the victory.

The Gophers added two runs in the third and fifth innings to cement the 6-2 victory.

Saturday brought on

a tougher test from the Wildcats, especially early in the game.

Amber Fiser allowed the first three Northwestern hitters to reach base, with two brought home on an RBI single.

The Gophers benefitted from strong defense to get out of the inning without further damage, but Northwestern had an early lead.

That lead was cut in half in the bottom of the first when third baseman Danielle Parlich hit a home run — one of just two Gophers hits on the day.

The second hit turned out to be a big one as well — a Sydney Dwyer home run to

left that tied the score at two.

Shortstop Allie Arneson drew a walk to start the bottom of the fifth and advanced to third following an error and a wild pitch.

She would score the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Maddie Houlihan, sliding under the tag to give Minnesota the victory.

“You got to win on days where you struggle to hit,” said Allister. “It was impressive that Amber, after a tough first inning, just put up zeroes the rest of the way.”

Sunday’s game featured an early offensive explosion.

The Gophers scored seven runs in the first two innings

CARTER JONES, DAILY

with more dominance by Groenewegen in the circle.

She gave up two hits on the day and again threw a complete game to move her season record to 19-2.

“Something we talked about this weekend was just being gritty,” Groenewegen said. “I’m happy with our outing, and I’m happy with my personal outing as well.”

With the series sweep and a Michigan loss to Maryland on Saturday, Minnesota is now in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. “We’re in control of our fate at this point,” Groenewegen said. “Having that control is a really awesome feeling.”

6

Monday, April 17, 2017

TENNIS

Women’s team shines over the weekend Tennis u from Page 1

Caitlyn Merzbacher took the second match.

“Me and Tina have only played a couple of matches together this season,” Emme said. “It felt really good. I thought we were really solid out there.”

Junior Caroline R yba and freshman Cammy Frei’s match went unfinished while they wer e down 5-3, since Minnesota had already taken the point.

Singles play was highlighted by quick victories, with three of Minnesota’s points coming of f of matches that finished in two sets.

The most impor tant of those, though, was the clinching match victor y by sophomore Camila Vargas Gomez.

“I am really happy,” she said. “This is the first

time I [have] clinched, and I feel like I played really well today.”

It was more of the same for the women on Sunday, this time with senior Maja Vujic clinching the victor y on Senior Day. The Gophers lost the doubles point but dominated singles play with five of the six matches lasting only two sets, four of which went in Minnesota’s favor.

After Sunday, Minnesota’s record improved to 12-10 overall. The Gophers are looking to get a ber th in the Big Ten Tour nament in two weeks.

The men’s team had a rougher weekend, losing both of their matches — first to Ohio State 6-1 Friday, then to Penn State 5-2 on Sunday.

Ohio State boasts the No. 1 overall singles player in the countr y, junior Mikael Torpegaard. He defeated the No. 74 overall singles player, Minnesota

MEN’S TENNIS RESULTS

FRIDAY No. 31 Minnesota No. 2 Ohio State

1 6

SUNDAY No. 31 Minnesota Penn State

2 5

WOMEN’S TENNIS RESULTS

FRIDAY Purdue Minnesota

1 6

SUNDAY Indiana Minnesota

2 5

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

junior Matic Spec, in two sets.

Minnesota’s only point Friday came from junior Felix Cor win in his singles play. The rest of the Gophers came up empty against the No. 2 team in the countr y.

O n S u n d a y, N o . 3 1

ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

Senior Maja Vujic returns the ball during a match against Ohio State on Friday.

Minnesota faced unranked Penn State and lost 5-2.

Minnesota lost the doubles point but gained two in singles play from

Cor win and sophomore Marino Alpeza.

The mens’ record fell to 15-8 overall and 4-5 in the Big Ten.

They retur n to the Baseline Tennis Center next weekend for two matches, where the team’s record is 11-3 this season.

BASEBALL

Gophers’ 12-game winning streak ends against Indiana Despite scoring 23 runs in three games, the Minn.

Gophers lost two.

BY LUKE HANLON lhanlon@mndaily.com

Despite scoring 23 runs, Minnesota dropped two of three over the weekend against Indiana in Bloomington, which brought the first conference series loss for the Gophers so far this season.

“The Big Ten is a tough league,” said head coach John Anderson. “You’re not going to walk through this league and win every series.”

The Gophers were 6-0 — all road wins — in the Big Ten coming into the

weekend. The Saturday loss resulted in an end to the Gophers’ 12-game winning streak.

Junior Alex Boxwell said the Gophers got good “ base ball kar m a” o v er the course of the winning streak to repay the team for some close losses at the start of the season.

The weekend star ted optimistically for the Gophers as they easily defeated the Hoosiers 11-0 Friday and continued their hot streak.

Minnesota destroyed Indiana’s pitching as ever y star ter got a hit and the team had 20 overall.

They weren’t just hitting singles, either. The Gophers scored five of their 11 runs off home runs.

“If you told me that we were going to go 7-2 in our first nine conference games on the road, I would’ve taken that.”

JOHN ANDERSON Head coach

Boxwell led the game of f with a solo shot. Terrin Vavra hit a solo home run to star t the fifth, and Matt Stemper broke the game open with a threerun home run in the same inning.

The Gophers were up 7-0 by the end of the fifth inning, and that was more than enough run suppor t for Lucas Gilbreath.

Gilbreath cr uised

through 7.2 shutout innings, struck out eight batters and allowed only two hits. This per for mance increased his record to 4-0 this season.

The winning streak came to an end Saturday, but it wasn’t for lack of runs.

The Gophers lineup compiled 21 hits and scored 12 r uns, but fell just short in a 13-12 loss.

Minnesota had control of the game early. Boxwell hit another lead-of f home r un to take the lead immediately, and Stemper and Jordan Kozicky each hit two-r un home r uns — which was the first of Kozicky’s career — in the four th inning to take an 8-4 lead.

The fifth inning is where the Gophers fell apar t as the Hoosiers put up nine r uns and took a 13-8 lead.

Anderson said the wind was blowing out, which contributed to the 25-run game.

The lineup tried its best to pull of f the comeback as it cut the deficit to just

“The Big Ten is a tough league. ...

You’re not going to walk through this league and win every series.”

JOHN ANDERSON Head coach

MADDY FOX, DAILY FILE PHOTO

Alex Boxwell runs to first base during a Gophers game against South Dakota State at Siebert Field on April 12, 2015.

one r un with two innings left, but the Hoosiers’ bullpen shut out the Gophers to secure the victor y and handed Minnesota its first loss since March 16.

After combining for 23 runs and 41 hits in the first two games of the series, the Gophers were shut out on Sunday and fell 4-0 for the series loss.

The fifth inning was problematic once again for Minnesota as the Hoosiers scored all four runs in the fifth.

Indiana star ter Pauley Milto threw six shutout innings with seven strikeouts and just three hits. Tim Herrin finished the job and allowed only one hit in the

BASEBALL RESULTS

FRIDAY Indiana Minnesota

Runs Hits Errors SCORE 0 2 1 0 11 20 0 11

SATURDAY

Runs Hits Errors SCORE

Minnesota Indiana

SUNDAY Minnesota Indiana

12 13

21 18

0 0

12 13

Runs Hits Errors SCORE 0 4 0 0 9 0 4 4

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

three innings he pitched.

“If you told me that we were going to go 7-2 in our first nine conference games on the road, I would’ve taken that,” Anderson said.

Monday, April 17, 2017

7

Pio Hall will house new women’s LLC LLC u from Page 1

academic and professional resources for its members.

The duo has teamed up with Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence Vice President of Equity and Diversity Cydney Gaines and Assistant Depar tment Director of University Housing and Residential Life Kristie Feist.

“Living lear ning communities are there to help students transition into University life,” Feist said.

The University has over 30 LLCs that serve students of dif ferent backgrounds and academic interests.

Feist said students engaged with the University, like those in LLCs, have higher

retention rates.

The Huntley House serves as a community for black men on campus and also provides resources and mentorship.

“What we see in the media is a negative image, and sometimes on campus black men are looked down on,” said journalism sophomore Dijon McCain. He joined Huntley house after a mentor from high school encouraged him to be a part of it.

“It’s not only a place for black men to connect and discuss; it’s a safe space,” said Matthew Odumuyiwa, a CLA sophomore. The group focuses on building relationships and is a space for people of color to discuss topics and issues that impact minorities.

“Huntley House ser ves as something for people of

color to come together and form bonds,” McCain said.

The community has evolved to include all people of colors across genders.

The Huntley House is maintained by students who aim to increase the retention rates of black male undergraduates.

“My best friends and roommates now are people I met at the Huntley House,” Odumuyiwa said.

Junior Saul Flores-Lopez credits his positive first year in college to his LLC, CASA SOL. “Coming to a different state and college, I wanted to have a support system,” he said.

Geleta and Fernandez said they hope to provide the same sense of community and belonging to the LLC they’re starting.

Research more accessible through online Humphrey school collection Civios was launched by the U to engage the public about social science research.

BY MAX CHAO mchao@mndaily.com

University researchers hope to make their work more accessible with a new online collection.

The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs launched a Civios, a new online collection,, April 10 after three years of development.

Civios is meant to make Humphrey school more accessible to field practitioners, policy makers and the public, said Kathleen Conners, Humphrey’s director of technology enhanced learning. “[It] creates bite-sized, but not dumbed-down in any way, summaries of some of the key, most important research that is going on here,” said Laura Bloomberg, a Humphrey School associate dean.

Civios publishes content in various formats such as

videos, podcasts, timelines and other visual mediums.

So far, the program has published content on issues such as predatory criminal practices, bicycle infrastructure and immigration history in the United States.

“I was very happy to have [this] opportunity because [it was] a free opportunity to make [my] work more impactful,” said Yingling Fan, an associate professor at the Humphrey School who made a video studying waiting time at transit stops for Civios.

Faculty members hope the program will help people see the value of university research amid potential

federal funding cuts.

“We need to be ver y clear about public policy and planning r esear ch that’s happening,” Bloomberg said. “When people understand the value to them in their lives, I think people are going to be far less tolerant of a budget that says we need to substantially cut funding for research at universities.”

They also hope Civios will help people value reliable information.

“When you overlay the national climate right now of misinformation and fake news, I think that it is more important than ever before to take advantage of the unique skill sets that researchers have to make sense of the world,” Conners said.

“We need to be very clear about public policy and planning research that’s happening.”

LAURA BLOOMBERG Humphrey School associate dean

Mass transit advocates hope for boost from highway collapse

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA — The collapse of an interstate in the hear t of Atlanta has more than 2 million metro residents sitting in even more traffic in the already congested city, and mass transit advocates hope the headaches will spur new interest in expanding rail and bus routes.

Many commuters come from sur rounding counties that have long resisted mass transit, creating a carcentric region shaped by issues of race and class for more than four decades.

Georgia transpor tation of ficials hope to reopen Interstate 85 by mid-June after a 350-foot span came crashing down March 30 amid intense heat from a fire set beneath the roadway.

Until then, 250,000 drivers who depend on that route each day are stretching the limits of Atlanta’s other highways and surface roads, or using the region’s transit system at unprecedented levels. Ridership has gone up 20 percent since the collapse.

Skeptics of expanding mass transportation in metro Atlanta wonder whether residents of such a sprawling region will leave their cars behind barring a crisis of this magnitude.

Georgia lawmakers created the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority in 1965, envisioning a system to serve the counties that made up metro Atlanta at the time.

But three of the five counties backed out of MAR TA in referendums before its 1971 startup. On the heels of the civil rights movement, white Atlantans were fleeing to the suburbs in droves and had no interest in closing the distance between their new homes and the city’s core.

“There’s no question

in my mind that since the 1960s, race has been the underlying factor in all of these attitudes against bringing MAR TA into the outlying areas,” said Ronald H. Bayor, a professor emeritus of histor y at Georgia Tech and author of the 1996 book “Race and the Shaping of Twentieth-Centur y Atlanta.” ‘’White flight was well underway. People were running away from the desegregation of the Atlanta schools. Some of the opposition was from whites who worried that it would lead to the integration of the suburbs.”

Long after MAR TA began operating, Bayor said, whites would privately joke that its nickname stood for “Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta.” Publicly, opponents were less explicit but warned that mass transit would incr ease crime or diminish property values in the suburbs.

Violent crimes haven’t helped MAR TA’s reputation. On Thursday, a man was fatally shot on a MARTA train and three passengers were wounded in what police called a “targeted, isolated incident.” MARTA police have investigated four other killings since July, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported . There were no slayings in the previous four years, though several dozen aggravated assaults and robberies were reported each year.

The transit system is largely limited to Atlanta’s core that doesn’t give most commuters a practical route between home and work.

Ted Johnson typically drives 45 minutes from his suburban home to his downtown office, a trip that takes twice as long using mass transit. He doesn’t mind using the train to avoid the collapse issues, but he’s not sure MAR TA will be a good fit when everything is back to normal.

“I’ve used MAR TA before when my car was in the shop or I needed to get to the airport,” Johnson said.

“But compared to driving a hybrid car that doesn’t use much gas, parking at a station and paying a train fare is more expensive.”

In a 2011 study comparing mass transit in the largest U.S. metropolitan areas, the Brookings Institution found only 38 percent of metro Atlanta’s working-age population lives in neighborhoods with access to public transpor tation.

Even those living near bus stops and train stations could reach on average only 21 percent of metro Atlanta jobs within 90 minutes.

“In the metropolitan big leagues, Atlanta has the lowest-performing service,” said Adie Tomer, who authored the study. “There’s a long legacy there of just really not supporting transit.”

But attitudes toward the Atlanta transit system have changed dramatically in recent years. Decades-old claims that transit would lead to crime and blight “have been proven inaccurate,” said Tad Leithead, the former head of a regional planning organization.

“I’m hoping the people who are using MAR TA maybe for the first time will see how convenient it is and stay with it,” he said.

Mercedes-Benz and State Farm are building headquar ters in Sandy Springs, citing access to two rail stations in the suburban city north of Atlanta.

Mayor Rusty Paul, a vocal supporter of transit expansion, said opponents feel like transit is a concession to become an urban center rather than a suburb.

“To which I say: Whether you like it or not, the character of this area is going to change because the people are still coming,” he said.

ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

Kaylan Fernandez and Nassise Geleta pose for a portrait on April 8. They are starting a living learning community at the University for first and second-year black women at the University.

Student group for disabled graduate students forms Disability u from Page 1

said. Finding housing, s w i t c h i n g d oc t ors a n d finding health insurance ar e all challenges that most graduate students tackle.

“When you’re a graduate student, you don’t take classes the same way,” she said. “For a graduate student … you have a lot of dif fer ent responsibilities at the same time. You teach, take classes and you do research.”

In addition, the group says it wants to address policy problems that are overlooked. Goals include decreasing parking costs and extending deadlines for students with disabilities, Machtmes said.

Nicholas Goldsmith, president of COGS, said

the group is the first he knows of focused on graduate students with disabilities.

The group was funded for two years. COGS will vote on a second $2,500 n e x t y e a r, G o l d s m i t h said.

Huebner said they hope to use the fund ing to develop a website and purchase subscriptions to programs that let members vir tually attend meetings.

The group plans to collaborate with the school’s Disability Resource Center, she said.

In an email, DRC dir ecto r Do n n a Jo hn s o n said it has helped spread word of the group to students registered with the DRC. “Groups such as [Organization for Graduate and Professional Students with Disabilities] are impor tant because they help in building disability

community, culture and pride at the University of Minnesota,” she said in the email.

In the future, the group hopes to receive student ser vice fee funding and of fer grants to students.

They plan on reaching out to Professional Student Government to collaborate and apply for funding.

“I would like to see a group … have a voice for the disability community,” Huebner said. “[to] make sure we’re including ever yone in our definition of diversity.”

“When you’re a graduate student, you don’t take classes the same way.”

SARAH HUEBNER Grad student

8

Monday, April 17, 2017

Editorials & Opinions COLUMN

The difficulties of diversity outreach Striving for diversity is great but challenging in practice.

H

ow often is ‘diversity’ used as a catchall, generic concept — a loosely-defined gold star chased by groups of all kinds? College campuses, clubs, workplaces, improv teams — you name it, they’re all chasing diversity.

However, the actual pursuit of diversity can be tricky and often forced or uncomfortable to tackle.

This past week, a friend described to me their experience rallying together a group of people to appear on camera for a diversity campaign video. The video was quite literally about inclusivity and diversity, but the actual task of assembling a team that could adequately convey that message felt somewhat forced.

For my friend, it meant popping into various student groups, where they felt out of place or intrusive. Ironically though, the infringement was aimed at creating a video that would go promote a message of respect and interest for student groups of all kinds.

The act of mashing together a platter of diversity is noble in theory but can often be tokenistic at worst.

KATE MCCARTHY columnist

This friend and I went on to talk about the attempts to diversify a humor magazine we both founded on campus. Sometime after initially forming, we all realized that the group had obliviously cultivated a much rarified voice and perspective: all our writers were racially and socio-economically similar, and then of course there was the ever-present comedy gender skew.

So I became head of diversity outreach and went full force — sending out emails and coordinating to speak with various campus groups. The attempts were received somewhat tepidly, which is understandable.

It makes sense to be skeptical when a group comes to you with the expressed purpose of diversifying their own work even if it’s with the best intentions and honesty. At our magazine, we might have been genuinely trying to create a platform and open space for new and

unrepresented voices, but the “genuine” factor is key. Otherwise, it feels like tokenizing, especially if there’s no follow-through. It can come off as fake, a one-off attempt to get that stamp of diversity approval.

Again, it might be with the best intentions, but it’s not alright to make people feel like pawns.

Luckily, there’s a solution. It can be as simple as starting out diverse and checking yourselves constantly to make sure that whatever you’re doing is a cool collage of lots of experiences and backgrounds — not because it’s good for the old resume, but because it’s more true to life and interesting too. And that’s way simpler than trying to frantically reverse-engineer a group’s demographics through half-baked diversity outreach that is often rightfully met with suspicion and weariness.

It’s the thought that counts, but there’s certainly a way to go about diversifying with finesse and earnestness — making space at the table available for everyone.

Kate McCarthy welcomes comments at kmccarthy@mndaily.com.

DAILY DISCUSSION Pulitzer: Community journalism wins the big prize He didn’t mince words, and those words have landed the editor at a small Iowa newspaper the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, putting him in the company of winners from the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Art Cullen, the winning editorial writer from the Storm Lake Times, caught the notice of many media and their followers this week for being the little guy who made the big time.

His prize was tied to opinion pieces he wrote for the 3,000-circulation newspaper that helped unveil the corporate donors behind a lawsuit over nitrate pollution in local rivers. The topic is a familiar one in farming country, and taking on big ag as Cullen did is not for the faint of heart.

Aside from prompting journalists who work at small newspapers to stand up taller, Cullen’s award stresses the crucial importance of local journalism. His editorial writing was based on impressive expertise that came from lots of solid reporting.

It is the public that suffers if reporters aren’t poring over data, attending meetings, and combing through court documents. Not knowing what’s going on in your community because no one is paying attention or bothering to dig below the surface hurts society in general on a number of levels, including economic.

Years ago when Blue Earth County was filling its landfill at an alarming rate because its low fees attracted haulers from elsewhere, this newspaper covered the issue and the practice stopped. When the county fell behind on updating its property assessments and expensive houses weren’t on the tax roll, this newspaper wrote about it and the problem received attention.

When the project to improve Highway 14 from North Mankato to Nicollet was passed over repeatedly because government officials argued it wasn’t a high priority, this newspaper challenged those assumptions and proved the stretch was one of the most dangerous highways in the state. The report drew notice and legislators approved the Corridors of Commerce program; the $40 million project from North Mankato to Nicollet received corridor program funding.

Community newspapers the size of Storm Lake’s or Mankato’s don’t have a corps of investigative reporters who can spend a year on one topic. But they know their communities and the serious publications, no matter what their size, aren’t afraid to shed light on the good, the bad and the ugly.

Editor’s Note: This editorial was originally published by the Mankato Free Press.

Lea Graber welcomes comments at lgraber@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

When ‘dialogue’ is only lip service The Yudof Hall bulletin board that went viral last week led to more promises of conversations.

L

ast week, a bulletin board containing a “white privilege checklist” was posted in Mark G. Yudof Hall, and the events that followed played out exactly as you’d expect. Conservative news outlets jumped at the opportunity to show how out of control liberal institutions have become and feigned discrimination in the process.

Meanwhile, left-leaning outlets used the stor y to make light of how conser vatives will dismiss liberals as “snowflakes” but exhibit the same trigger-able tendencies.

In the end, it was just another few days wasted on the Internet.

Evan Christenson, the student who initially documented the bulletin board, told WCCO he thinks the board simplifies a complex issue, adding, “I will continue my dialogue with white and non-white members of the surrounding community about this complex issue and how we can continue moving forward.”

Setting aside the fact that Christenson admittedly doesn’t believe in white privilege in the first place, if he was truly looking to continue a dialogue, as he stated, then why did he take his thoughts to a platform with as narrow a worldview as the one he believes he’s refuting?

Do I think a “white privilege checklist”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Transportation cuts could affect students The transportation proposal passed by the Minnesota House threatens to disrupt the lives of thousands of Minnesotans who depend on transit every day. The House omnibus transportation bill contains gratuitous and counterproductive cuts to Metro Transit that will multiply the transit system’s budget deficit from $74 million to $140 million over the next two years.

At a time when the state has a $1.6 billion budget surplus, legislators are considering cuts that will force a 40 percent reduction in basic bus service. I object to this proposal because it will hurt families and businesses, and supporters have offered no rationale for making these deep cuts.

The bill specifically targets people for whom transit is a daily necessity. There are many people in our region who are

transit-dependent, for whom taking a car to work, school or for errands is not an option.

Half of local bus riders in Minneapolis and St. Paul don’t have a driver’s license while 58 percent don’t have access to a car. In addition to steep service reductions, the House bill would require fare increases well above the increases already under consideration, effectively blocking some transit dependent riders from accessing opportunities for work, school and training in our region.

A cut in bus service of this size will put thousands more cars on the road every day, adding to rush hour congestion across the metro area. At rush hour, a bus can take 40 cars off the road and a light rail train can take up to 600. Without transit, I-35W would require an additional one and a half lanes of traffic flow to move the same number of users during rush hour. Regionally, our transit system provides 100 million trips a year. You can’t build enough roads to efficiently move that many more cars

THE EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS DEPARTMENT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE NEWSROOM

CHANCE WELLNITZ columnist

It’s time we stop giving lip service to having a dialogue because it’s all too easy to ‘keep the conversation going’ when our actions don’t agree with our words. will convert those who don’t already accept the concept? No. But Christenson’s actions only hardened people’s existing beliefs on the topic, whether that was his stated intent or not.

I disagree with Christenson, but if he says he’s looking to have a conversation, I urge him to follow through.

It’s time we stop giving lip ser vice to having a dialogue because it’s all too easy to ‘keep the conversation going’ when our actions don’t agree with our words.

Chance Wellnitz welcomes comments at cwellnitz@mndaily.com.

The transportation proposal passed by the Minnesota House threatens to disrupt the lives of thousands of Minnesotans who depend on transit every day. in our already congested metro.

Eighty percent of all transit riders are either traveling to work or school, meaning that hundreds of families and businesses would be negatively impacted by this service reduction. It’s difficult to understand why lawmakers who claim to value public transit would cut this essential service and leave employers and families across the region on the curb.

Jon Commers Metropolitan Council Member District 14, representing St. Paul

EDITORIALS Impact of Spectrum on campus appears black and white The new complex attempts to profit off one community at the expense of another.

W

hen you’re a University of Minnesota student, the question of housing seems to occupy half of your conversations no matter the time of year.

As soon as you’ve secured a unit to rent for next year, you’re forced to plan ahead for the following year so you can find affordable, close and livable accommodations that won’t hinder your quest to earn a degree, live out your social life and maintain your mental health.The housing problem is compounded because it’s more than just a question of personal comfort, it’s also an ethical question: is your housing impacting the community it surrounds?

Many luxury apartment complexes in Dinkytown andStadium Village — and now in Southeast Como and even Marcy-Holmes — have been rightly criticized for leveling beloved local businesses, changing neighborhood aesthetics and impacting the historic spirit of certain locales.

We’ve asked similar questions in past editorials, which have pondered whether luxury apartments are the right move for the University of Minnesota community’s housing needs. As a board, we have soundly stated that large, commercial housing enterprises are often exploitative and damaging. From the many empty units to the costs that are often either out of reach or nonsensical to many of our fellow students, luxury complexes have become a bad joke to many in our community.

So when a member of this board noticed that the newest luxury apartment complex to target students at our school, named Spectrum (operated by CPM), chose “Turn up the saturation” for its slogan, we laughed until we were sick.

What kind of Lex Luthor-type megalomaniac is behind such a disastrously tone deaf piece of branding? It’s almost as if this is proof super villains live among us. This — like our current president — suggests that they’re only really concerned with real estate and their bottom line.

Spectrum seems to be tenuously positioning itself as a choice housing option for the LGBTQ community with its name and the coding you can find on its website — like the phrase “all-inclusive lifestyle community” and its rainbow branding.

At first, that might seem like a welcome move for an apartment complex, but exactly what kind of people is Spectrum really welcoming? The affluent, that’s who.

The complex doesn’t even mention that it’s in the Marcy Holmes neighborhood in the description of Spectrum’s location on its website.

“Spectrum occupies an ideal location at the intersection of three core Minneapolis neighborhoods: Downtown, Dinkytown, and Northeast,” the website reads.

This total disregard for the community it situates itself in, along with its laughable slogan, reeks of classism. Spectrum lacks any sort of grounding in the University of Minnesota’s intersectional community, which makes its “all-inclusive” appeal ring hollow.

EDITORIALS & OPINIONS DEPARTMENT Editorials represent the voice of the Minnesota Daily as an institution and are prepared by the editorial board.

2017 U.S. GUN VIOLENCE Total gun-related incidents: 17,264 Total number of deaths: 4,312 Total number of mass shootings: 98 Data compiled by gunviolencearchive.org

SHARE YOUR VIEWS The Minnesota Daily welcomes letters and guest columns from readers.

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Monday, April 17, 2017

CROSSWORD Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle 17, 2017 FOR RELEASE APRIL 14,

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

HOROSCOPES Today’s Birthday (4/17): It’s a year of transformation, renovation and revolution. Create plans this spring. Nurture partnership this June. Shift course with a community effort in August, before making time for fun, romance and family.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Written by Nancy Black

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is an 8 — Disciplined action toward a professional dream pays off. Make an important connection. Do the homework. Build your structure, brick by brick.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 7 — Make necessary domestic changes. Home and family have your attention. Draw up your fantasies, and talk it over. Divide efforts on common priorities.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is an 8 — Stir creative imagination into your research. Meditate on what you’re learning. Explore your subject.

Sing the praises of others who inspire you.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is an 8 — Words come easily. An elder sets the tone. Take notes, and articulate a vision. Edit for clarity and precision. Everyone’s on the same page.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 9 — Discuss shared finances. Take responsibility as needed.

Keep your objective in mind. You’re gaining stability. Friends have good advice.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 9 — Investigate options. Business is booming; could you expand your territory? A connection could use the win-win situation you envision.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is an 8 — Dream a little dream with a partner. Invent a new possibility in conversation and negotiate to refine the plan.

Don’t worry that you don’t know how.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 9 — Take charge for what you want. Dress the part, and use the right tools for the job. Strengthen your infrastructure. Build out your vision.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is an 8 — Get your body moving. Physical effort pays off. Dreams get realized with steady, persistent action. Build to a comfortable momentum and rhythm for endurance.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 7 — Settle down and consider your options. A dream seems within reach, and still requires focused and dedicated efforts.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — Follow a passion or dream. You have the emotional support. Use your connections. Find ways to weave your interests into daily routines.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is an 8 — Team efforts go further. Put order where there’s chaos.

Invite participation. Young people provide unique solutions. Get help building your dream.

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ACROSS 1 Tablet Drop ainput line from the dock, 5 Stick (on) say 5 Groovy Normandy battle 10 town Quiet Man” 13 “The 9 Massage co-star targets 14 Together, 15 Take in, maybe musically 16 Mauna __ 15 Chips __!: 17 Insensitive cookies zealot?

16 Formal-sounding 19 Wine bottle figs. will? capital 20 Asian 17 Friends of man’s 21 Where Gauguin best friend painted “Woman 19 Columbus craft With a Flower” 20 For each one 23 Lays to rest 21 Diving lake bird 26 Eye partstitle 22 Knight’s 27 Gung-ho 24 Sport involving 28 Concurrent some rollingwith on 29 Poetic praise the grass 30 Like Mandarin 28 QB-to-receiver Chinese, six-pointer linguisticallygiant 30 Rent-a-car 32 ’80s-’90s slugger 31 Landed Fielder 32 TV show shown 35 Popular before wine region bug spray 34 Banned 37 Forgetting Summer Triangle the twinkler unpleasant parts 41 All “Good” 39 there cholesterol 40 View initials 42 Get rid of 42 Wishes 44 Rotation meas.

43 Sitting on 45 Downgrade, 44 List of computer maybe options 47 Tot’s indigestion 45 “Movin’ area right along ... ” 49 Grows 47 Tidy sum that periodically doesn’t 51 Sad, on sound the Seine like muchwool 52 Sweater 52 Overhead trains 53 Rodeo critter 53 Steak ordera top 55 Item under 54 Contemporary 56 Reprobate’s radio station regular named for its expense? former “easy 61 Funny pair? listening” playlist 62 Like Mexico’s 56 Leaves out Pyramid of 58 Highway the Magician segment for 63 Part of traffic UTEP... slower 64 Whiskey option and, literally, 65 Rested what 17-, 24-, 66 Casual 37- andrefusal 47- ... and, another Across each has way, aup hint to this 61 Used puzzle’s fourwhat 62 “So THAT’S longest answers you mean” 63 Physics particle DOWN 64 Bacon work 1 Lysol Bashful 65 target comrade?

66 Drive-__ window

4/17/17 4/14/17

BruceMcClain Haight

By Mark

DOWNso!” 2 “I thought 1 1860s Craze White 3 2 House Knot-tying boywords 3 Tell, Drugmemorably test 4 placebo 5 Part of UTEP 4 Fronton Beatles’ game second 6 film word 5 Kind File-renaming 7 of deviation: command, at Abbr. times 8 Wobble 6 Unpredictable “Supernatural” 9 network 10 Golf course 7 equipment Oscar winner of the Sophia future?

8 Kvetching cries 11 Big artery 9 Rationale Nile snake 12 10 Flu symptoms 14 Genesis mount 11 Asian capital 18 12 Like “Tinywild Dancer” horses singer John 22 of talk 13 Duncan Much street baking fame 18 Many 23 Shackles Rembrandts 24 22 Clay-court Squirrel away legend 23 Loafed 25 many 25 What Exposes golfers regularly 26 Reproductive engage in? cell 26 27 Yardstick Cellar reds and 28 Reel, whitesfor one 31 29 Fledgling Gobbled down launching 32 Tear to pieces spotsYear’s __ 33 New 33 34 Feedback “Duh ... figure it 34 “I wanna try!” out!”

Late Week’sPuzzle PuzzleSolved Solved Saturday’s Thursday’s

©2017 Tribune Tribune Content Content Agency, Agency, LLC LLC ©2017

35 End Slobber 36 of __ 36 Frying Printing goofs 38 38 preparation Newscaster Huntley 41 Self-evident 39 actualities Broadway award 40 Least Possibly will 43 spoiled 44 Ham’s Medit. volcano 46 45 accessory Song before the gameQueen” 48 “The 46 (2006) Vladivostok star veto 49 in writing 47 Color Narrative the 48 “America Boat launching Beautiful” aids

4/17/17 4/14/17

49 Like Greatmany Lakes 50 bar natives jokes 50 Blow Beethoven 53 a fuse dedicatee 54 Canvas shelter 51 Actress Algeria neighbor 57 Carrie 55 who London was married apartment to Dick Cavett 57 Skeletal Muddy pen 58 58 opening?

Fix, as a fight 59 Toddler’s Neither here __ downtime there 60 Japanese Down Under market bird letters

SUDOKU Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

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4/17/2017

Late Week’s solution © 2015 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

All rights reserved.

DR. DATE Dear Dr. Date,

I’ve been seeing this one guy for a few weeks now and things have been weird.

The things I like about him so far are as follows: He’s cute, he skates (love) and he is really funny. Things I dislike about him are as follows: He lives half an hour away and doesn’t have a car, so I end up driving a ton whenever we hang out, and he might be really dumb.

I repeat, Doc, he might be really, really dumb. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there have been some small instances that make me suspect he’s an idiot. I was wearing my NPR snapback one time when we hung out, and he had no idea what NPR was. Like, what? Also, I was telling him about how “Twin Peaks” is a cult hit series and he thought “cult hit” meant the show was about cults.

Lastly, he made fun of my favorite fluffy shoes.

Should I pull the plug on things with this dude? I don’t want to be wasting my time with someone who isn’t on the same mental level as me, you know? Part of me defi-

nitely thinks I may be being too harsh, but I just don’t know.

—2 Dumb 2 Dumb,

This all sound an awful lot like something that would happen on a throwaway episode of “Twin Peaks,” except, like, if it was in 2016 but this dude just didn’t have the internet. I don’t know what kind of goofball doesn’t know about NPR, but I’d say more likely than not, he might be pretty dumb.

The only saving grace I see here is that he What Are Those’d your shoes. I mean, honestly, one of his best traits in your book is the fact that he’s a skater?

Homie, any man that is more attractive to you because he uses wheels to move slightly faster than walking pace isn’t worth the $80 bucket hat on his head.

Bang.

Honestly, it just sounds to me like a future with him would involve you driving a ton and needing to explain normal facets of culture. How’s he gonna fare when you

not only tell him about Frank Ocean, but also how the world needs him now more than ever? That’s a can of worms that doesn’t need to be opened. There are secret dummies and explicit ones; neither kind is worth it.

—Dr. Date

Dear Dr. Date,

Long story short, I was masturbating in my room the other day and my boyfriend walked in on me. I was full-on in the middle of the act, and I was so in the zone that I didn’t hear him coming through the front door.

Now he’s really upset with me because he feels like I was practicing some self love because he isn’t good enough or something. I really care about him and I want him to know he is more than adequate for me in that department, but he doesn’t believe me when I tell him.

Can you help me get through to him?

Our relationship means a lot to me, and it’s awful to see him feeling so sad.

—Self-Love

Need relationship advice? Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com.

Self-Love,

Just like hookah pens and off-brand condoms, egos are fragile things. I can see how this guy might feel a little off-put by what he stumbled into, but the truth is that he needs to chill. Self-love is healthy, homie. I’ll send my most valuable possession — a burlap sack filled with my fancy socks — his way if he can look me dead in the face and tell me he never jacks it from time to time.

It sounds to me like you’re doing all you need to do by telling him that he’s still good enough for you. There’s hella times when love wrestling is totally the preferred method — after a relaxing night of binge-watching “Gossip Girl,” perhaps. But sometimes you just gotta enjoy some self time, and that’s the truth.

Also, let’s not breeze right past the fact that dude walked right in without knocking. Where are the manners? This is pretty much the main reason doors were invented: to give people the crucial five seconds needed to pretend like they weren’t up to something before someone sees them.

—Dr. Date

9

10

Monday, April 17, 2017

Expansion of local Somali Museum hinges on funds Somali u from Page 1

“The museum represents culture and heritage for our community,” Omar said.

People of all ages and backgrounds visit the museum, including students on field trips and government employees, said Ali, who ser ves as the executive director of the museum.

“When they take a tour, they lear n something about this culture,” he said.

But space constraints have caused the museum to keep much of its more than 700-ar tifact collection in storage. There’s also no room for the museum’s dance troupe and weaving classes to use, Ali said.

The bill’s funding would let them lease separate spaces specifically for

these programs, he said.

“This money’s going to help us to do more activities and … more exhibits and display mor e ar tifacts,” he said.

The museum sidesteps some of its layout issues by conducting outreach away from its physical location. The Somali Museum’s dance troupe travels and per forms traditional dance across greater Minnesota and in other states, Said Salah Ahmed, who teaches for the museum, said.He gives monthly presentations on Somali culture at Minnesota schools — where he incorporates museum ar tifacts to enhance stor ytelling.

“The awareness-raising in between cultures and communities is such an impor tant factor that the museum does,” said Ahmed, who’s also a Somali language teaching specialist at the University of Minnesota.

This outr each helps bridge cultural gaps between the Somali community and other Minnesotans, Omar said.

“I think we’re sor t of looked at as a community that just appeared out of nowhere,” Omar said. “For our neighbors, it’s really impor tant for them to understand the vibrant culture that we belong to so that they are able to find ways to connect with us through song and dance and poetr y.”

While the bill’s funding would improve museum operations, Ali said he’s looking at more long-term solutions.

Ali is working to raise money within the community so the museum can eventually have a larger, central location — which could house all the ar tifacts and programs.

Their fundraising goal is $300,000, he said.

Minnesota ranked least stressed state Though the state is ranked highly, experts say it’s based on incomplete data.

BY OLIVIA JOHNSON ojohnson@mndaily.com

With low divorce rates and good health, Minnesota was labeled the leaststressed state in the U.S. A ranking released this month by Wallethub ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia by looking at 33 indicators of stress.

The rankings factored work, money, family and health and safety-related stressors.

Bonnie Klimes-Dougan, a University of Minnesota psychology professor, said while Wallethub’s methodology isn’t inaccurate, it’s incomplete.

Klimes-Dougan said stress is typically measured by asking a person their level of stress, which can be subjective, or looking at how their brains respond to threatening stimuli. She said she also looks at physiological signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones.

“Those are the more

“I’m not saying that the indicators should be completely thrown out, but i think they should be viewed with some caution.”

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

Osman Mohamed Ali speaks about some of the 700 artifacts in the museum’s collection at the Somali Museum of Minnesota on Friday in Minneapolis.

SUSAN BROWN State Demographer, Minnesota

objective ways that we can measure how the body responds to threat,” she said.

Though these are the most common ways to measure stress, Klimes-Dougan said an array of approaches is necessary to accurately determine whether a person or region is stressed.

“I don’t know that I would say any of them are inaccurate, but they all have their own limitations,” she said.

She said Minnesota’s population isn’t ver y transient, so people have secure family suppor t systems that reduce stressors.

The state also invests its money into the educational system or parks and recreation — which can reduce stress.

Susan Brower, Minnesota’s state demographer, said rankings like Wallethub’s are often subjective, though they can appear objective because they’re based on data.

“I’m not saying that the indicators should be completely thrown out, but I think they should be viewed with some caution,” she said.

Mustafa al’Absi, the University’s director of Behavioral Medicine, said he’s not aware of any credible national study that looks at stress objectively and would take this article’s results with caution.

“I would always ask about how the data was collected in what context,” al’Absi said.

“That’s a caveat that’s always important to be aware of.”

At the University, more than 45 percent of students repor t stress impacting their academics and about 35 percent report being unable to manage their stress, according to a 2015 Boynton Health survey.

STRESSORS OF U STUDENTS Arrested Attempted suicide Bankruptcy Death of someone close to you Diagnosed with a serious mental illness Diagnosed with a serious physical illness Excessive credit card debt Excessive debt other than credit card Failing a class Fired or laid off from a job Getting married Issues related to sexual orientation Lack of health care coverage Parental conflict Put on academic probation Roommate/housemate conflict Serious physical illness of someone close to you Spouse/partner conflict (Includes divorce or separation) Termination of personal relationship (not including marriage)

18.4% 40.0%

41.6% Students who face zero of the above stressors Students who face one or two of the above stressors Students who face three or more of the above stressors SOURCE: BOYNTON HEALTH

Lawmakers try to include young people in voting

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

— Donald Trump’s characterization of Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists during his presidential campaign angered Heidi Sainz, whose family is from Mexico and who has close friends who are immigrants.

She was also upset that she couldn’t do anything about it at the ballot box because she was a year shy of being able to vote.

Sainz favors a bill in the California Legislature that would lower the voting age to 17, which she thinks would give a voice to more people affected by the outcome of elections.

“Looking at all the protests throughout this year throughout all the high schools across the nation, we could see a lot of the minors were protesting because they felt as if they didn’t have a voice,” said Sainz, a senior at Inderkum High School in Sacramento.

Lawmakers in mor e than a dozen states are tr ying to increase voter par ticipation by targeting young people. Their bills are among nearly 500 pieces of legislation introduced around the countr y this year to make voting easier, according to a March analysis by New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice.

While Republicanleaning states have moved to tighten voting rules — nearly 90 such bills have been introduced — those ef for ts have been outstripped by the number of bills seeking to expand access to the polls.

“A lot of young people last year wanted to make their voices heard but were unable to do so because the rules prohibited them,” said Jonathan Brater, counsel with the nonpar tisan Brennan Center Democracy Program.

“That has cer tainly renewed interest in making the system more accessible,” Brater said.