December 12, 2016

TOP HEADLINES INSIDE:

STUDENTS DEMAND PRESIDENT KALER’S RESIGNATION PAGE 4

■■ Increased police funding divides community

ABOUT 30 INTERRUPTED FRIDAY’S REGENTS MEETING.

■■ U students’ initiative aims to help homeless

The city’s 2017 budget includes funding for new officers. PG 4

Hearts2Help provides homeless shelters with clothing. PG 9

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LEGISLATURE

U OF M

MINNEAPOLIS

ST PAUL

EARLY WEEK

DECEMBER 12-14, 2016

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

VOLLEYBALL

U may change Gophers volleyball team Final Four bound how it lobbies state funding

After two victories this past weekend, the Gophers head to Ohio for the national semifinals.

BY TOMMY SLETTEN tsletten@mndaily.com

A Republican-controlled state Legislature could mean less state funding for the University.

BY KEVIN BECKMAN kbeckman@mndaily.com

With control of both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature shifting to Republicans, the University of Minnesota may have to change the way it lobbies the state for funds.

Legislators have expressed mixed views about the University’s prospects for state lobbying next session. Republicans say they will give the University adequate attention, but DFLers have expressed pessimism that Republican lawmakers will prioritize higher education.

And at many other Big Ten schools with Republican-controlled legislatures in recent years, state funding has been cut.

“If I were the University of Minnesota, considering what happened to its budget in a Republican-controlled House, considering … what happened to the higher [education] budget the last time the Republicans controlled both houses, I think I’d buckle up,” said Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona

ALEX TUTHILL-PREUS, DAILY

The Gophers volleyball team celebrates its sweep of UCLA, its fourth-straight NCAA win, in the Sports Pavilion on Saturday. The Gophers move on to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four to face Stanford in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 15.

Despite a shaky start for the Gophers on Saturday, Minnesota found a way into the Final Four for the second year in a row.

Minnesota started the weekend with a 3-1 victory over Missouri. The Gophers showed off their depth with five players earning at least 10 kills on the night.

The Gophers then won the regional final against UCLA in straight sets, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-21.

“We’re certainly happy to be advancing in the tournament, no question,” said head coach Hugh McCutcheon. “It was a very challenging match … and I was extremely proud of our athletes for the way they responded to the different style of play from UCLA.” The Gophers looked nervous coming into the match, and the Bruins won the first six u See VOLLEYBALL Page 7

TECHNOLOGY

A DIGITAL ROMANCE Apps like Tinder have surged in popularity, but have they changed our dating habits?

u See FUNDING Page 9

MENTAL HEALTH

U mental health pilot trains some faculty and staff The new program trains mental health advocates to better assist students in various departments.

BY RILYN EISCHENS reischens@mndaily.com

A few dozen University of Minnesota faculty and staff were the first to receive training on how to spot signs of mental health issues — especially when distressed students approach them with concerns.

The new ‘mental health advocates’ completed training last month as par t of a pilot program that organizers say could be an important step in promoting mental health at the University.

Trainees received a folder during their November seminar containing tips on how to identify and respond to distressed students. They also received information on best practices for addressing threatening or disruptive behavior in the classroom.

However, trained faculty and staf f aren’t equipped to ser ve as therapists, Disability Resource Center Director Donna Johnson said.

“The idea [is] to have a point person at the department or the college level … u See PILOT Page 10

V

Story by Sophia Vilensky; Illustration by Maddy Bremner

ince lent Kristen a spare quarter outside a Metrodome payphone.

The favor set in motion their fledgling romance.

The Palyans, two University of Minnesota alumni who met in the late 1980s, have now been married 25 years.

Fast-forward nearly two decades.

Engulfed by study notes during fall semester finals, a ting from Adam Baker’s phone bore the fruit of a potential relationship.

A new message from Tinder appeared on the University psychology sophomore’s screen —

BOARD OF REGENTS

“Congratulations! You have a new match!”

It was from Grace LaPrairie, a business and marketing education sophomore whose bio read: “I flirt exclusively thru gifs.”

Moments later, LaPrairie sent a moving image of a waving baby seal — her way of saying “hello.”

It wasn’t long until the two went out for pizza.

Six months later — despite fears of judgment from friends and family — the couple are still together. u See TINDER Page 6

With 70 acres of land, U plans housing, retail development The multi-year plan, presented to regents Thursday, includes East Gateway District changes.

BY KEVIN BECKMAN kbeckman@mndaily.com

MADDY FOX, DAILY

Drivers use Huron Boulevard to enter and exit the University area on Sunday. The area, which sees a high volume of traffic, is under review by the Board of Regents for a possible expansion.

As the University of Minnesota prepares for major building development on the school’s East Bank, officials are creating a plan to completely change the face of an area called East Gateway District.

Representatives from the University’s Of fice of Capital Planning and Project Management presented a detailed plan of the school’s vision for the area to

members of the University’s Board of Regents Thursday.

The East Gateway area encompasses over 70 acres of underdeveloped land, and school officials said they hope to continue to expand the edges of campus into those parts.

“It is a tremendous asset that has great potential for the University,” said Monique MacKenzie, director of planning, space and architecture at the University.

Plans include incr easing private housing and retail development on the outer sectors of campus and making the campus’ entrances more pronounced. u See DEVELOPMENT Page 10

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 28

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Monday, December 12, 2016

Daily Review

THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1980 American oil tycoon Armand Hammer pays $5,126,000 at auction for a notebook containing writings by the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci.

HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH

VOLLEYBALL Monday, Dec. 12, 2016 Vol. 117 No. 28

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 Mike Hendrickson Assistant Sports Editor mhendrickson@mndaily.com Sophia Vilensky A&E Editor svilensky@mndaily.com Bridget Bennett Multimedia Editor bbennett@mndaily.com Alex Tuthill-Preus Assistant Multimedia Editor atuthill-preus@mndaily.com Haley Hansen Copy Desk Chief hhansen@mndaily.com Sheridan Swee Assistant Copy Desk Chief sswee@mndaily.com Maddy Bremner Visuals Editor mbremner@mndaily.com Harry Steffenhagen Visuals Designer hsteffenhagen@mndaily.com Brenna Bast Chief Page Designer bbast@mndaily.com Cedar Thomas Chief Page Designer cthomas@mndaily.com Hannah Weikel Campus Editor hweikel@mndaily.com Nick Wicker City Editor nwicker1@mndaily.com Brian Edwards Policy Editor bedwards@mndaily.com Jackie Renzetti Digital Editor jrenzetti@mndaily.com Jessie Bekker In-Depth Editor jbekker@mndaily.com =

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ALEX TUTHILL-PREUS, DAILY

Outside hitter Alexis Hart pushes the ball past UCLA in the Sports Pavilion on Saturday.

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STATE REPORT FOR MINNESOTA’S SENATE GOP, 1 IS THE LOVELIEST NUMBER ST. PAUL — Countless numbers will shape Minnesota’s 2017 legislative session: 201 lawmakers, a $1.4 billion surplus, a two-year budget and four months’ time.

A single number could be the most consequential: One. That’s the size of Republicans’ majority as they take over the Senate next year, a critical footnote in the party’s complete legislative control.

It leaves new Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka with no room for error, puts a premium on GOP unity from suburban Plymouth to rural Park Rapids and forces Republicans to constrain an agenda to the basics: health care fixes, tax relief and transportation funding. When one lost vote can mean failure, absences, vacation and even illness are out of the question.

Current and former legislative leaders agree it’s a difficult dynamic that requires a special touch. But neither Gazelka nor his fellow Republicans need reminding that sticking together is key. “We all felt like that was the reality” coming out of the election, the Nisswa Republican said.

Just winning the 34-33 majority was a welcome surprise for Senate Republicans: GOP candidates lost two Senate seats but won eight DFL districts en route to the party’s second majority in more than 40 years. Combined with a GOP House majority, it gives Republicans the upper hand against Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton in crafting a two-year budget with a large surplus.

In his four-term tenure as House speaker, former Republican Rep. Steve Sviggum managed both overwhelming GOP majorities and fragile seat margins. The smaller the edge, the more critical it was to keep his members in the loop on the high-level negotiations with the Senate and the governor, he said.

“Every single individual can wield a little abnormal pressure just because you might need their vote. From a standpoint of strategy, you have to keep the team much closer, much more involved, much more aware,” Sviggum said. “You need all the votes and you can’t allow one to stray off the pasture.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS

INTERNATIONAL BRIEFING

Turkey blasts claimed by Kurdish militants; 38 dead

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BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ISTANBUL — Turkey declared a national day of mourning and paid tribute to the dead Sunday after two bombings in Istanbul killed 38 people and wounded 155 others near a soccer stadium.

The carnage was claimed by a Turkey-based Kurdish militant group.

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK, said two of its members had sacrificed their lives in the Saturday night attack that targeted security forces outside the Besiktas stadium shortly after the conclusion of a match.

“Two of our comrades were heroically martyred in the attack,” according to a

statement posted on TAK’s website.

It described the blasts as reprisal for state violence in the southeast and the ongoing imprisonment of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. TAK is considered by authorities as a PKK offshoot.

The twin car-and-suicide bombings near the stadium enraged top officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who vowed to hunt down the perpetrators. The attack was the latest largescale assault to traumatize a nation confronting an array of security threats.

Turkey is a NATO member and a par tner in the U.S.-led war against the

Netanyahu hopes to undo Iran deal with Trump’s help

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be a good friend to Israel and hopes the two countries can work together to dismantle the international nuclear agreement with Iran.

“I know Donald Trump,” Netanyahu told CBS’s “60 Minutes” in an interview scheduled to air Sunday night. “And I think his attitude, his support for Israel is clear. He feels very warmly about the Jewish state, about the Jewish people. There’s no question about that.”

Netanyahu’s remarks are significant in part because critics have accused Trump of tolerating anti-Semitism among some of his supporters.

While the two countries are close allies, relations were sometimes tense between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama because of their vastly different world views on the Iran deal and other issues. And there is sentiment in the nationalist Israeli right wing that Trump’s election could usher in a new era of relations with the United States.

Netanyahu said in the interview he “had differences of opinion” with Obama and the “most well-known, of course, is Iran.”

The Israeli prime minister has been one of the fiercest critics of the nuclear deal. During the campaign, Trump also spoke harshly about it.

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel’s destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Israel fears that Iran’s nuclear program is designed to threaten its existence.

Netanyahu said there are “various ways of undoing” the 2015 deal, in which Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions on its oil industry and finances.

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Islamic State group.

The attack targeted police of ficers, killing 30 of them along with seven civilians and an unidentified person, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters. He said 13 people had been arrested in connection with the “terrorist” act.

In an address at a funeral for the slain police officers before TAK’s statement was released, a furious Soylu condemned Kurdish rebels and their allies in the West, refer ring to the PKK as “animals.”

“Have you accomplished anything beyond being the ser vants, pawns and hit men of cer tain dark

forces, of your dark Western partners?” he asked.

Turkish of ficials didn’t make any fur ther comments after the TAK claim of responsibility was posted.

The battle between the PKK and the Turkish state has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of citizens. Turkish officials frequently accuse the West of supporting the Kurdish insurgency and of interfering in Ankara’s fight against the militants.

Erdogan vowed his countr y would fight “the curse of terrorism till the end” after paying a visit to some of the wounded at Haseki Hospital in Istanbul.

Gambian soldiers in streets amid transition

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAKAR, Senegal — Soldiers stood watch on streets in Gambia’s capital and surrounding area on Sunday, as most residents went about ordinar y life despite worries after their longtime leader said he would not accept election results that would force him to step down after 22 years in power.

International and regional bodies and governments joined together in calls over the weekend for a peaceful transition in the tiny West African countr y of about 1.9 million people that is almost completely surrounded by Senegal.

Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh initially conceded defeat after Gambians voted in president-elect Adama Bar row on Dec. 1. However on Friday Jammeh announced that he no longer accepted the election results and called for another vote, saying there were irregularities.

Jammeh’s ruling APRC party said late Saturday that it will follow up Jammeh’s rejection of the election results by filing a petition to the Supreme Cour t. By law, election results can be contested up to 10 days after the vote.

Gambia’s president-elect Bar row said Saturday that Jammeh has no constitutional authority to invalidate the vote, or to call for a new one, and called on him for a smooth handover of power in the interest of the countr y’s peace and stability.

Senegal’s President Macky Sall joined a chor us of calls for Jammeh to respect election results and step down peacefully in Gambia, where tens of thousands of Senegalese reside.

Senegal’s foreign ministr y, the United Nations Security Council, West Africa’s regional bloc and Gambia’s diaspora community have all called on Jammeh to respect the Gambian people’s choice, and on security forces and others to exercise restraint, remain calm and avoid violence.

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Monday, December 12, 2016

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U researcher focuses career on glial cells Eric Newman has studied how glial cells in the retina regulate blood flow.

BY MELISSA STEINKEN msteinken@mndaily.com

For more than 30 years, a University of Minnesota neuroscience professor Eric Newman has worked to combat misunderstandings around brain cell function.

Now, Newman’s research on the cells and blood flow could lead to new treatments for diabetes.

Glial cells have long been considered the “glue” that keeps the central ner vous system together. Newman studies blood flow to see whether these cells have an active role regulating signals

within the brain.

His most recent study showed how glial cells regulate blood flow in the retinas of mice.

“We thought glial cells were named from the German root meaning ‘glue,’” said University neuroscience professor Robert Miller, adding that scientists now understand that glial cells help clean up extra chemicals released by neurons.

Joanna Kur — a senior researcher in Newman’s lab — said the team studies blood flow in the retina by looking at the eyes of rats and mice under a microscope. They sometimes dye the cells or add poisoning agents to distinguish the specific glial cell they want to examine.

While glial cells were previously thought to balance

nutrients for neurons to per form correctly in the brain, Newman’s research shows they also send signals across regions of the brain via small blood vessels.

He said this finding could lead to better ways to improve blood flow in the brain and prevent or lessen the impact of strokes. Other work by the lab could improve treatment of some diabetes cases.

“Glial cells, 20 or 30 years ago, were thought to be simple support cells,” Newman said.

While glial cells keep their ‘housekeeper’ role, he said more neuroscientists are recognizing the added abilities shown in his research.

The number of peers who agree with Newman has slowly grown since the late 1980s.

Campus leaders seek clout in system-wide decision-making U leaders hope the planning committee will standardize their policies.

BY RAJU CHADUVULA rchaduvula@mndaily.com

Leaders at the University of Minnesota’s coordinate campuses say they’re left out of systemwide decisions.

The school’s SystemWide Strategic Planning Committee presented its findings from a semesterlong sur vey conducted on all five University campuses at a work meeting with the Board of Regents last week in an ef for t to pinpoint potential changes in system-wide communication.

“By working together … we want to make sure that we are ser ving the state in the best way possible,” said Rebecca Ropers-Huilman, vice provost for faculty affairs and the committee chair.

Committee members met with administrators, students and faculty at all University campuses this fall and asked them to

name benefits, drawbacks and needed changes to the cross-campus system, Ropers-Huilman said.

Sur vey par ticipants at the Mor ris, Duluth and Crookston campuses said they feel marginalized.

“The key issue is to convince the big campus that the little campuses have something more to of fer other than just existing,” said Morris campus English assistant professor Janet Schrunk Eriksen.

The committee was assembled to pinpoint similar goals across all University campuses and fold them into a shared plan, said Regent Thomas Devine.

Suggestions from faculty, regents and student leaders included centralizing the distribution of cross-campus resources, adopting Twin Cities-centric mental health policies on all campuses and standardizing parent-student orientation.

T win Cities campus computer science and engineering professor Joseph Konstan said University-wide resources such as librar y

materials should b e c e n t r a l l y managed, citing complaints from students from other campuses who took online courses and couldn’t access materials from Twin Cities’ libraries.

Mental health changes pushed by the Minnesota Student Association seem insulated to the Twin Cities campus, said Connor Klemenhagen, a student representative to the regents.

And if first-year orientation became standardized system-wide, the University could provide uniform information on alcohol use, mental health issues and sexual consent, Devine said.

The plan — which the committee will present to regents at the end of spring semester and could roll out come next fall — will ser ve as a soundboard for regents and President Eric Kaler going for ward, Devine said. “[We want] to make sure we point out the common goals the University should have…while keeping the distinctiveness of each campus,” RopersHuilman said.

Brexit uncertainties threaten UK

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON — Like many foreign scientists in Britain, Joanna Bagniewska was devastated when Britons voted to leave the European Union. The biology lecturer, a Polish migrant who found Britain a welcoming place to build her academic career over a decade, is suddenly seeing her job security and research prospects up in the air.

“I’m worried that after my current contract finishes, one of the prerequisites could be a permanent residence card,” she said. “I’d like to apply for EU grant money, but how much longer will it be available for?”

Britain’s top universities have long been among the world’s most soughtafter destinations for study and research, drawing the brightest minds from all corners of the globe. But since Britons voted in June to leave the 28-nation EU, many in the science community say the U.K. risks losing the money, the international influence — and crucially, the talent — to sustain that enviable position.

More than one-tenth of research funding at British universities has come from the EU in recent years.

Some fields — such as nanotechnology and cancer research — are more dependent on EU funding than others, according to a report by technology firm Digital Science. From 2007 to 2013, Britain received 8.8 billion euros ($9.4 billion) in direct EU investment in research.

Bagniewska is not just anxious about herself — she’s upset for her students’ future too, for the opportunities that both Britons and foreigners will likely miss out on when unfettered mobility between Britain and Europe can no longer be taken for granted.

“They were just getting excited about doing their masters and Ph.Ds in other countries. And then Brexit happened and they just got trampled,” she said.

Scientists and researchers argue that being part of the EU has given British science a huge boost because it allows Britain to recruit the best talent across Europe and take part in important research collaborations and student exchanges without being constrained by national boundaries. The bloc’s freedom of movement means its 500 million people can live and work visa-free in any member state.

No one knows yet what form Britain’s exit from the EU — commonly known as Brexit — is going to take, but immigration was a key issue for “Leave” voters. Many believe some limit should be put on the number of EU citizens moving to Britain.

Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to reasser t control over British borders. She has of fered no firm guarantees for the rights of Europeans already living in Britain, an uncertainty that weighs heavily over the 32,000 Europeans who make up 16 percent of the academic workforce in British universities. Many universities say the rhetoric over immigration control is also jeopardizing recruitment of researchers and students from further afield.

Scientists for EU, an advocacy group, says it has received over 400 letters from researchers describing how Brexit has already impacted their life and work. Some are losing doctoral students who pulled out of studentships and job of fers. Academics are putting plans to relocate to Britain on hold. One said their employer, a London university, immediately imposed a temporary hiring

freeze, citing uncertainties about student recruitment and research income.

Adam Durrant, a British entrepreneur who founded an aerospace star tup supplying climate data to airlines and aircraft manufacturers, says he’s now considering moving some of his business to a EU countr y outside of Britain. Part of the reason, he says, is that Brexit will likely make hiring the right people much harder than before.

“In the future, it probably means that people would be less interested to come to the U.K. to work,” said Durrant. “There’s a huge question mark over my company and my own personal future. I will certainly retain a U.K. presence, but my company’s focus of gravity may shift elsewhere.”

Scientists say some U.K.-based researchers are already being excluded from joint bids for EU funding to minimize the risks for their colleagues.

Paul Crowther, head of physics and astronomy at the University of Sheffield, said a researcher from his depar tment was dropped from an EU grant proposal as a precaution following the Brexit referendum. The vote “put the U.K.-based researchers in a ver y awkward position” and their par ticipation in EU-funded programs could “compromise the project,” he was told.

“The erosion of U.K. involvement in EU networks has already begun, with both the U.K. and EU science worse off,” Crowther said.

Apar t from a loss of grant money, Brexit will likely cause British scientists and research centers to miss out on shared databases and infrastructure.

Sidney Kuo, a post-doctoral researcher in Newman’s lab, said the findings on glial cells aren’t earth shattering or surprising based on his nearly 12 years of neuroscience experience.

Kuo said experts have known that glial cells may play a wider role for some time, but the lab is still working to cement that understanding.

Now, Newman and other researchers in the lab are working on a clinical trial of a new drug for blood flow in patients with Type 1 Diabetes.

Kur said the researchers hope the drug would inhibit an enzyme in the retina not regulated by glial cells, which can other wise lead to impaired vision in diabetics.

But finding patients willing to par ticipate

in the study, Newman said, has proved difficult.

He hopes to recr uit 60

patients — half with diabetes and half without in order to continue his research.

A CLOSER LOOK AT A NEURON Dendrites

Cell body

Axon terminals

Axon Myelin Sheath Glial cells

SOURCE: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

Texas to launch study on youth-athelete concussions

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN, Texas — This week, Texas will launch what state officials say is the nation’s largest effort to track brain injuries among young athletes.

The University Interscholastic League, Texas’ governing body for public high school sports, is partnering with the O’Donnell Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center for the project, from which they hope to gauge whether rules or equipment changes are improving player safety and what more can be done to protect athletes.

A state as large as Texas, which has more than 800,000 public high school athletes, would be a key step in developing a national database of brain injuries in youths, of ficials say. Already, the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention is seeking federal funding for such a database.

“Until we understand what the frequency of concussions is across the state, or a region of the state, we can’t determine when rule changes, equipment changes or things like recovery programs are really being effective,” said Dr. Munro Cullum, a professor of psychiatry, neurology and neurotherapeutics who will lead the study.

All 50 states in recent years have passed rules or laws to address concussions in youth athletics from research to protocols for identifying concussions and setting rules for return to play. The CDC has estimated that up to 3.8 million concussions occur in sports and recreational activities each year, but some exper ts wonder if those numbers underestimate total brain injuries, as some individuals may not seek treatment for mild or moderate symptoms.

The Texas program will track about two-dozen sports, from football to girls’

s o c c e r, recording what caused an inj u r y, r e c o v e r y t i m e and other data.

Other states have researched head injuries, too.

In Michigan, which requires schools to repor t concussions, a recent concussion study showed 755 schools reported 4,452 head injuries in the 20152016 school year. Football had the most— 1,907 — and girls’ basketball ranked No. 2 with 454.

It tracked details such as whether the injury occurred in practice or a game, whether the athlete had to miss class and how long it took them to return to competition. That research is being shared with Michigan State University’s Institute for the Study of Youth Sports.

The Texas study will collect more concussion data than it has before, University Interscholastic League deputy director Jamey

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Monday, December 12, 2016

Protesters interrupt regents meeting Demonstrators called for Kaler’s resignation and decreased tuition.

BY KEVIN BECKMAN AND LAYNA DARLING kbeckman@mndaily.com ldarling@mndaily.com

About 30 demonstrators interrupted a University of Minnesota Board of Regents meeting Friday, demanding the resignation of University President Eric Kaler, citing a lengthy list of complaints.

The group, which included members of Students for a Democratic Society and Differences Organized, stood up during Kaler’s presentation to the board and read a list of grievances such as student debt, rising tuition and what protesters viewed as an inadequate response by Kaler to a series of hate-related campus incidents.

“We’re calling on the Board of Regents to replace Kaler with a more accountable president, a president who better meets the needs of students, faculty and workers on campus and actually represents transparency,” said SDS member Matt Boynton.

Demonstrators also called on Kaler to unconditionally support creating a sanctuary campus at the University.

In response to a widely circulated petition calling for the University to be declared a sanctuary campus late last month, Kaler said he supported undocumented and international students. He also said it’s too early to decide whether to declare the University a sanctuary campus.

While the board recessed during the demonstration, many regents stayed in the room to hear the students’ complaints. Kaler left the room as the protest began.

“I have empathy for all of our students, including those who disagree with me,” Kaler

said. “They’re angry, and we work every day to try to make the University a better place.”

Demonstrators spoke for about ten minutes before University of Minnesota Police Department officers told them to leave or face arrest.

The protesters, chanting “fire Kaler,” were then escorted out by police, and the board meeting resumed.

“We’re not tr ying to suppress any dissent or conversation,” said UMPD Chief Matt Clark. “But the regents meetings have a set of rules so they can conduct their business, and we’ll follow that.”

Board Chair Dean Johnson said it’s important to listen to dissent, but he feels the University has improved considerably in a number of areas.

“Let your detractors be your teachers,” Johnson said.

“Having said that, by the reports that were given to us … the University has never been in a stronger position than it is now financially, with student enrollment, with graduation rates. It continues to be a better, more competitive place for students and faculty.”

SDS members said they planned a disruption like this since six students were arrested during a protest at a regents meeting in June.

“We want to be more responsible students. We want them to hear what we have to say,” said Delaney Facklam, a technical writing transfer student and SDS member.

Carrying a sign that read “I owe 40,000+ in student debt, why is this a reality for our students?” film and media senior Ryan Buechner said the disruption’s focus on student debt was a big reason why he got involved.

“There needs to be some sor t of structural reform within the financial system of University,” Buechner said. “It is unsustainable for

CHRIS DANG, DAILY

Matt Boynton chants as protesters are escorted from McNamara Alumni Center on Friday. Students for a Democratic Society protested at the Board of Regents meeting.

students to have to pay this kind of money.”

Signs were posted on the doors of McNamara Alumni Center, where the meeting was held, announcing that no signs or banners were permitted in the building, but some students brought in signs anyway.

Additionally, anyone entering the board chambers was required to have their bags searched by University police and campus security guards.

Marty Branyon, a senior studying history and political science and an organizer with SDS, said the group partnered with the Differences Organized coalition so they could address a variety of issues.

Branyon said SDS will continue to attend board meetings, either to disrupt or to listen.

CHRIS DANG, DAILY

Students for a Democratic Society discuss their plan at McNamara Alumni Center on Friday.

Police department budget draws disagreement Minneapolis police received funding approval to add 15 new officers.

BY RYAN FAIRCLOTH rfaircloth@mndaily.com

After approval by the city council, the Minneapolis Police Department is adding more police of ficers, which has been met with

mixed reactions.

The Minneapolis City Council appr oved $1.3 million in its 2017 budget on Wednesday to create 15 new police officers positions — 12 for community patrolling and three that will work with health professionals to respond to calls concer ning mental health.

While city officials and police representatives say

they’re happy about the increase, advocates are concerned about transparency.

Ward 6 City Council Member Abdi Warsame said he supported the city’s investment because neighborhoods in his ward are often under-policed.

“The perception of crime and lack of safety has been an ongoing issue that we have been grappling with,” he said.

Several neighborhood

organizations raised concern with him over public safety, Warsame said, as well as a rise in shooting incidents.

The Chicago-Franklin intersection and Ventura Village neighborhoods are key areas that require more policing, he said.

Warsame said it’s important for his residents to feel safe because he wants them to have the same quality of life as those who live in more affluent areas of the city.

“Yes, we do need to have a better relationship between the community and the police. Yes, we do need to invest in alternatives, but we also need to make sure that our streets are safe,” he said.

Still, some advocates are convinced that adding officers will do little to alleviate public safety issues.

“It’s been proven that the department clearly isn’t even accountable to the city, let alone anybody else,” said

Tony Williams, organizer for Neighborhoods Organizing for Change. “Investing more money into the department at this time seems … really reckless.”

He said he would’ve rather seen the funding allocated toward alternatives such as mitigating racial disparities in income and investing in the city’s small businesses.

Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, said she wanted more funding to go toward accountability measures instead. “[The police funding] shows that they don’t have actual interest in holding police accountable,” she said.

T he ci ty’s Of fi ce o f Police Conduct Review has been inadequate in its handling of of ficer complaints, Gross said.

With funding, she said the Of fice of Police Conduct Review could’ve been disbanded in favor of a civilian review committee.

This would save the city money because the number of lawsuits would decrease, she said.

Lt. Bob Kroll, president of Minneapolis’ police union, said he’s happy there will be more of ficers but doesn’t think the city’s investment is enough.

The 15 new officers will bring the city’s officer count up to 877, he said, but that still is lower than the 940 officers Minneapolis had a decade ago.

Having fewer police officers patrolling the streets than in the past means officers are overworked, Kroll said.

“They’re running overtime in all the precincts constantly to suf ficiently staff,” he said.

Bomb kills 25 in attack at Coptic Christian cathedral in Egypt

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CAIRO — Sunday morning Mass was drawing to a close at the chapel next to St. Mark’s Cathedral, the seat of Egypt’s ancient Coptic Orthodox Church, when Magdy Ramzy said there suddenly was a “shattering explosion like nothing I had ever heard before.”

A bomb ripped through the chapel in the cathedral complex in central Cairo, killing 25 people and wounding another 49, mostly women and children, one of the deadliest attacks on the countr y’s Christian minority in recent memory.

“It felt like the world has turned upside-down,” said the 59-year-old Ramzy, who was wounded behind the ear by shrapnel. He frantically searched the wrecked chapel, and then outside, for his wife, Sabah Wadie, Only later did he lear n that she was killed, and his daughter-in-law and three

of his grandchildren were wounded.

Ramzy sobbed uncontrollably at the hospital as he leaned on relatives for support.

“This is one of the acts of terror that we used to watch on television. Now, we saw it with our own eyes,” he told The Associated Press.

The bombing of the Boutrossyia chapel — and another one Friday that killed six police — were grim reminders of Egypt’s struggle to restore security and stability after nearly six years of turmoil.

Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by Islamic militants since 2013, when the militar y over threw President Mohammed Morsi, a freely elected leader and a senior Muslim Brotherhood official. Many of his supporters blamed Christians for supporting his ouster, and scores of churches and other Christian-owned properties in southern Egypt were ransacked that year.

Since 2013, authorities have waged a sweeping crackdown, outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood, jailing thousands of mostly Islamist dissidents and killing hundreds in street clashes.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday’s attack.

One of the worst previous attacks against Christians by Islamic militants was a 2011 bombing at a church in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria that killed 21.

The Islamic State group also has targeted Christians in the Sinai Peninsula, where it primarily goes after security forces. Most IS attacks in Egypt have been confined to security personnel and judicial officials.

The bombings are almost cer tain to undermine the modest recovery in recent months by the vital tourism sector after years of slumping that followed the 2011 popular uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Editorials & Opinions

Monday, December 12, 2016

COLUMN

COLUMN

Change is (still) going to come Though the country faces a Trump presidency, the promise of a better tomorrow isn’t lost.

CHANCE WELLNITZ columnist

F

or many people, this past year has been, and I’ll put this as delicately as possible, a massive, steaming pile of crap. Or, at least that’s what I’ve gathered from the internet, and I can’t help but agree with that consensus. It’s truly been a garbage year — even outside of the political and pop cultural arenas.

So, I looked for something positive amid disappointment, and to my surprise, I found it in one of my own biggest letdowns for the year: Bernie Sanders.

Sanders had a cult following for years, but this past election cycle is where his ideas went viral and resonated with people.

I wasn’t a member of that cult following, and to be honest, I wasn’t even an early adopter in this election. When my friends felt the Bern, I was still hesitant. But let me tell you, my Bernie Sanders shirt is still one of my most prized articles of clothing.

It’s truly been a garbage year — even outside of the political and pop cultural arenas.

Solitary confinement is modern torture There are consequences of cutting inmates off from other human beings.

A recent series of articles by the Star Tribune have brought new facts to light regarding solitary confinement and the effect it has on prisoners, and frankly, I’m horrified. The phrase “humans are social creatures” is so well-known because it’s true — the consequences of cutting someone off from other human beings, no matter how despicable their crimes may be, are numerous.

Prisoners who suffer from mental health issues are especially vulnerable to deterioration and are often placed in solitary confinement because of behavior officials see as inappropriate. These behaviors, however, can often be connected to a myriad of serious psychological disorders such as schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder. These illnesses can be easily magnified when an inmate’s sole taste of freedom is the five hours per week of recreational time that they are allowed — provided the prison has the proper staffing to supervise.

If a prisoner is given the opportunity for mental health care, it must be through the same slot through which their meals are shoved. In what universe does the prison system think this is proper care for the inmates under their supervision? How in the world are these people, who are put in solitary specifically because of their behavioral problems, supposed to form a bond with psychiatrists and manage to take steps in a positive direction if

What makes me feel better about 2016 is witnessing the rise of Bernie Sanders’ political columns. It isn’t even about what he says in his columns, per say, because you know that “break up the banks” will be in there somewhere tucked alongside critiques of the “millionaires and billionaires.”

At this point, all my former Bernie Bros are familiar.

The fact that we have these types of voices and ideas resonating is something worth celebrating.

There are many legitimate reasons to fear the amount of uncertainty that comes with a Trump presidency, and for many (myself included), his win ser ved as a much-needed wake-up call. Trump isn’t even president yet, and I’ve seen a vast swathe of people critical of his actions as president-elect.

Do I ever wonder what a Sanders presidency would have looked like? Honestly, no. I tr y not to concern myself with questions of what could have been because there are still enough people like him I admire, both in and outside of government, that keep me from giving up hope.

Chance Wellnitz welcomes comments at cwellnitz@mndaily.com.

KAYLEE ANDERSON columnist

they can’t even see them?

It’s mind-boggling that even with 30 states having put restrictions on solitary confinement over the past six years, Minnesota has not been one of them. Instead, this state in particular has sentenced 17,500 prisoners to “restrictive housing” in the past decade. Even with the knowledge that many professionals define isolation as torture, a state as progressive as Minnesota has done nothing to resolve the problems that social isolation can cause.

The worst part is that solitary confinement sentences are handed out like timeouts in elementary school, not taking into account the severe consequences for the inmate. The most minor infringements can easily snowball into weeks, months or even years of solitude.

If we want to have a better chance at reforming prisoners and giving people opportunities to grow, we can’t be stuffing them in boxes and limiting their access to proper care.

The only way that inmates will ever be able to make different decisions in life is through the influence of others, not the featureless grey walls of a solitary cell.

Kaylee Anderson welcomes comments at kanderson@mndaily.com.

The role of the President of this University is one that cannot be taken for granted. The president is supposed to be a steward for those that constitute this University, beholden to the needs of the faculty and student body. Eric Kaler has been nothing but a complete failure in this regard.

Why should we believe that Kaler has our interests at hear t when, time and again, his actions show other wise? Kaler claims to be fighting tuition hikes, but he continues to take a [$625,250 salar y] with pay raises while students take on more debt with increased tuition. It isn’t hard to imagine why the state Legislature isn’t willing to give adequate funding when his administration hasn’t even taken a pay cut. However, when his administration needed to find hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight faculty unionization, he

“We need to have a radical imagination about what our president could be tor this University. The president could be chosen in part by the students and faculty and could have real accountability to them.”

NATHAN KLISH Students for a Democratic Society

EDITORIALS Protesting Kaler isn’t productive On Friday, 30 demonstrators from Students for a Democratic Society — a student organization on campus — disrupted a Board of Regents meeting. Their grievances reflected important issues on campus. On their list were qualms over recent tuition hikes, what they say is Kaler’s failure to deem the University a “sanctuar y campus,” the president’s decision not to condemn or ban the “Build A Wall” panel on the Washington Avenue bridge and other perceived failures of Kaler’s administration.

The demonstrators brought legitimate issues to light. Indeed, the tuition hike earlier this year was substantial — though the University administration argued it wouldn’t really impact students because of the increased availability of financial aid. Further, many reports have confirmed the increase in animosity and hate crimes toward Muslim Americans and immigrants, locally and nationally.

It’s impor tant not to forget that the University did vow to suppor t undocumented students and ensured that the school will foster an atmosphere where all students — regardless of their documented status — will be able to lear n and pursue their academic goals. Other concerns regarding the sexual harassment case against former Athletic Director Nor wood Teague and the Psychiatr y department’s ethical violations were also part of their grievances.

However, the legitimate concerns of demonstrators were largely nullified by their demand to “Fire Kaler.” Protests help spotlight issues, and they help bring publicity to issues that would other wise go under the table. Yet, none of these issues were new — discussions about them have gone on for months. In addition, legitimate action has been taken.

While there is no denying that there are many issues which Kaler has met with inaction, which is infuriating — an argument for his removal as president is not a particularly valid one. The job of the president is an important one — Kaler must juggle heading the administration and appealing to students and lawmakers.

L.C. Graber welcomes comments at lgraber@mndaily.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Kaler Must Be Replaced

5

had no trouble finding an available slush fund.

The only responses Kaler has had toward the needs of students have been empty gestures. It was no surprise that Kaler [hasn’t of ficially] declared this University a sanctuar y campus — why should anyone expect him to when he has repeatedly defended and tacitly endorsed the same hateful rhetoric that created this threat to undocumented students and staf f in the first place? Instead, he hides behind shallow rhetoric about what is “legally” possible, which is nothing but cowardice when students need courage in the face of a Trump presidency that will tr y to change what is legal.

We need to have a radical imagination about what our president could be tor this University. The president could be chosen in par t by the students and faculty and could have real accountability to them. We could have a president willing to fight for students and staff, one who is willing to put his or her administration on the line in order to stand up to the Board of Regents and other forces that threaten livelihoods, and most impor tantly, willing to give students and workers a real voice in the decisions that affect them the most. Though it is unclear who could be a future president, it is apparent is that Eric Kaler is incapable of fighting for us. He needs to go, now.

Nathan Klish Students for a Democratic Society

Editor’s Note: This letter has been lightly edited for style conventions and factual

THE EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS DEPARTMENT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE NEWSROOM

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

All letters must include the writer’s name, address and phone number for verification. The Daily reserves the right to edit all letters for style, space, libel and grammar. Letters to the editor should be no more than 500 words in length. Guest columns should be approximately 350 words. The Daily reserves the right to print any submission as a letter or guest column. Submission does not guarantee publication.

letters@mndaily.com Fax: (612) 435-5865 Phone: (612) 435-1578 Letters and columns to the editor 2221 University Ave. SE Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414

In the case of the “sanctuar y campus,” the administration issued a profound statement and af firmation of the values of equal education access for all students.

Regarding the ethical violations of the Psychiatr y depar tment, the University did thoroughly investigate the matter and has taken steps to increase oversight. The burden of the tuition hike on in-state students was also attenuated by increased access to financial aid.

While there is no denying that there are many issues which Kaler has met with inaction, which is infuriating — an argument for his removal as president is not a particularly valid one. The job of the president is an impor tant one — Kaler must juggle heading the administration and appealing to students and lawmakers.

Instead of asking to fire him, we think students should work on drafting tangible reforms to issues they find concerning.

For example, they could work with Board of Regents student representatives to ensure their voices are heard, which could prove more productive. It’s no longer enough to keep complaining. If students want change, they must work to make that change a reality.

2016 U.S. GUN VIOLENCE Total gun-related incidents: 54,324 Total number of deaths: 14,027 Total number of mass shootings: 364 EDITORIALS & OPINIONS DEPARTMENT Editorials represent the voice of the Minnesota Daily as an institution and are prepared by the editorial board.

CONTACT THE EDITOR Grace Thomas jthomas@mndaily.com

LOOK FOR ONLINE EXCLUSIVE COLUMNS AT WWW.MNDAILY.COM/OPINION

@MNDAILYOPINIONS

6

Monday, December 12, 2016

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

A DIGITAL ROMANCE

Adam Baker and Grace LaPrairie walk around campus on Friday.

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

Miguel Rocha and wife Mindy cheer with beers in hand at Bald Man Brewing in Eagan, Minnesota on Friday.

Grace LaPrairie and Adam Baker converse about their plans for the rest of the day at Baker’s apartment on Friday.

Tinder

OPINIONS ON TINDER

u from Page 1

LaPrairie and Baker’s story has become increasingly common among young people, who have embraced the digital dating phenomenon in recent years. The number of 18- to 24-year-olds using online dating sites or mobile apps nearly tripled from 2013 to 2015, from 10 percent to 27 percent, according to a study from the Pew Research Center.

And about half of single adults in the U.S. have tried online dating, 2010 U.S. census data shows.

“I definitely think there’s a stigma around apps.

There’s this notion that they’re just for hookups, or they’re kind of dirty.”

RACHEL BALL Strategic communications sophomore

In the late 1600s, personal ads in newspapers helped single men search for wives in England. Video dating emerged in the 1980s.

Match.com launched in 1995.

And now, Tinder — which launched in 2012 — has made finding compatible partners online even easier.

The app matches couples based on a preferred age

range, gender identity or proximity — ranging from 1 to 100 miles away. With the help of five photos and a short bio, users can swipe right or left to indicate whether they want to match with — or pass on — a potential mate.

While the volume and variety of online dating services have modified prospective partners’ modes of communication, some experts say the standards and methods for finding “the one” have remained the same over time.

From signal, to message

Even as dating transitions to an online platform, experts say at least two components of courtship haven’t changed — showing interest and making an impression.

Matt Benson, a first-year physics and computer science student, never crossed paths with his future girlfriend of almost a year — Kayle Minear — when the two attended the same high school in the small town of Rock Island, Illinois.

Despite an unreciprocated swipe on Tinder, Benson added Minear on Snapchat.

After a few failed messages, she finally agreed to a date.

“We had no mutual connection. I never would’ve thought before then that it would work and last,” Benson said. “[Without the technology], I never ever would’ve met her.”

For Benson, showing interest in Minear beyond a swipe is what dating experts call the transition from a

HOW POPULAR IS TINDER WITH 18-24 YEAR OLDS? 18-24 YEAR OLDS WHO USE ONLINE DATING OR MOBILE APPS

10% 2013 27% 2015 KNOWS SOMEONE WHO USES ONLINE DATING

57% KNOWS SOMEONE WHO HAS ENTERED A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP

34%

80% OF AMERICANS WHO HAVE

USED ONLINE DATING AGREE ONLINE DATING IS A GOOD WAY TO MEET PEOPLE.

62% AGREE ONLINE DATING

ALLOWS PEOPLE TO FIND A BETTER MATCH.

61% AGREE ONLINE DATING IS

EASIER AND MORE EFFICIENT

45% OF ONLINE DATING USERS AGREE ONLINE DATING IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN OTHER WAYS OF MEETING PEOPLE.

31% AGREE ONLINE DATING KEEPS

PEOPLE FROM SETTLING DOWN BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS HAVE OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE

“weak signal” to a “message.”

This concept precedes inter net romance, said Ravi Bapna, a data analyst at the Carlson School of Management who researches online dating.

People send “weak signals” — swiping right on Tinder or smiling at someone — but “messages” constitute a tangible step forward, such as adding a potential partner on another app or suggesting a date.

With online dating, singles can plan their flirting strategy before sending interest signals to potential matches, Bapna said.

And while technological opportunities to find a partner have expanded, Sehoya Cotner — who studies the science of attraction and founded the “Evolution and Biology of Sex” course at the University — has a new hypothesis on patterns of dating that have been unchanged by the digital age.

Traditionally, humans use biological instincts such as scent and sight to judge attraction. Then they assess compatibility by comparing more abstract traits like

religions and ideologies, Cotner said.

W ith online dating, users can skip pheromones and skim for matching political views.

Still, Cotner doesn’t advise daters to swap out the instinctual cues for a Snapchat streak.

“The animalistic stuff still comes into play after we’ve checked all the boxes,” she said.

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

Miguel Rocha and wife Mindy play Super Mario together at their home in Apple Valley, Minnesota on Friday.

TOP FIVE MOTIVATIONS FOR USING TINDER

;) love

casual validation sex

trendiness

HOW TO GET THE RIGHT SWIPE THE PROFILE PICTURE A genuine smile, crinkled eyes and possibly a tilt of the head.

‘We’re looking for high quality’

While the concept of online dating is still seen as taboo by some, the standards for dating haven’t changed, experts say.

“I definitely think there’s a stigma around apps,” said strategic communications sophomore Rachel Ball.

“There’s this notion that they’re just for hookups, or they’re kind of dirty.”

Even today, Benson and Minear are not always truthful when people ask how they met. They often credit Minear’s sister with introducing them. LaPrairie and Baker tell people they were in the same ps yc h ol og y d i s c u s s i on section.

And until something serious comes of it, users often play off their swiping habits as enter tainment.

Pace University professor Aditi Paul, who researches online dating, said these jokes let people hold on to the fantasy of meeting someone serendipitously.

‘If you want to tell your children how you met their father, you don’t want to say it was just a right swipe. Tinder robs that opportunity [for romance],” Paul said.

But others embrace their Tinder stories.

University graduate Miguel Rocha and his wife, Mindy, met on Tinder and say swiping is the new normal.

“What do we do that’s so traditional? You order clothes, buy beer and book tickets online,” Rocha said.

“You do everything else on a phone and all of a sudden say you’re too good to find someone on a phone?”

thrill

ADDITIONAL PICTURES Group photos showing others having a good time in your company.

For humor, ‘show; don’t tell.’

THE PROFILE Tell the truth on your profile.

It’s best to provide a 70:30 ratio of who you are, and what you are looking for.

University of Minnesota

IT’S A MATCH! WHAT NOW? THE OPENER Make it short and sweet.

THE CONVERSATION

Ask open questions.

Howdy

Respond promptly — eagerness is not turn-off.

Don’t sell yourself as a rare commodity.

THE DATE

Don’t leave it too long before arranging a face to face meeting.

SOURCES: Pew Research Center, BMJ, Telematics and Informatics

Monday, December 12, 2016

Sports

7

@MNDAILYSPORTS

VOLLEYBALL

ALEX TUTHILL-PREUS, DAILY

The Gophers volleyball team celebrates its sweep of UCLA in the Sports Pavilion on Saturday.

The Gophers move on to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four to face Stanford in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 15.

ALEX TUTHILL-PREUS, DAILY

Middle blocker Hannah Tapp jumpd to hit the ball in the Sports Pavilion on Saturday.

ALEX TUTHILL-PREUS, DAILY

Volleyball fans celebrate another point scored by the Gophers in the Sports Pavilion on Saturday.

Gophers head to Final Four after sweep Volleyball u from Page 1

points to start Saturday.

After a Minnesota timeout, Minnesota regrouped and took the set from UCLA. The Bruins tried to overwhelm the Gophers with heavy hitting, a specialty for the Pac 12 team.

But Minnesota dug up everything, led by junior libero Dalianliz Rosado, who had 17 digs on the night.

Rosado was all over the court, benefitting of her team by digging Minnesota out of sticky situations.

“I thought she was particularly impressive tonight,” McCutcheon said. “She made some really big plays, and I’m ver y happy to see that from her. She adds a ton of value to our team, mainly because she’s consistent. Tonight, not only was she consistent, but at times, she was spectacular.”

Minnesota was led in kills by senior outside hitter Sarah Wilhite, who had 15, followed by freshman outside hitter Alexis Hart, who had 11.

Sophomore setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson had her second double-double in a row with 35 assists and 10 digs, while junior middle blocker Molly Lohman had four kills and five blocks.

Minnesota enters the Final Four with heaps of experience, as the team advanced there last year as well.

Hart, who has played well through the first rounds of the tournament, will be the only contributing player who has no experience in the Final Four.

“I’m excited. There’s a lot of great teams playing,” Hart said. “I just can’t wait to get out there.”

Minnesota’s W ilhite, Lohman and Seliger-Swenson were all named to the All-Tournament Team with Wilhite ser ving as MVP. The match marked the 36th consecutive win at the Sports Pavilion for the Gophers.

Minnesota will play Stanford in the national semifinal in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Final Four Bound No. 1 seed Nebraska:

The Nebraska Cornhuskers were Big Ten champions this year and are the defending national champions. Nebraska is 32-2 on the season and split their season series with Minnesota. The team defeated Washington, Penn State, TCU and New Hampshire en route to the Final Four. The Cornhuskers will play Texas in the semifinal

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS

SEMIFINALS

VS

VS

NO. 2 MINNESOTA

NO. 6 STANFORD

NO. 4 TEXAS

NO. 1 NEBRASKA

WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday

WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday

CHAMPIONSHIP TBD

TBD WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday

— the team that they beat for the title last year.

Players to Watch: OH Kadie Rolfzen, OH Mikaela Foecke, S Kelly Hunter and DS Justine Wong-Orantes.

to the Final Four.

Players to Watch: OH Sarah Wilhite, S Samantha Seliger-Swenson, MB Paige Tapp, MB Hannah Tapp and MB Molly Lohman.

No. 2 seed Minnesota:

No. 4 seed Texas:

The Gophers went undefeated at home this season and advanced to the Final Four for the second consecutive year. The team is 29-4 and lost an early season matchup with Stanford, the Gophers’ semifinal opponent. Minnesota defeated UCLA, Missouri, Hawaii and North Dakota on their road

The Longhorns are no stranger to the Final Four, earning their spot this year for the fifth consecutive time.

Texas is 26-4, which includes getting swept by Nebraska in the second match of the season. The Longhorns will look for revenge against the Huskers in the semifinals — the team that elimi-

nated them last year. Texas defeated Creighton, BYU, SMU and UTRGV earlier in the NCAA Tournament.

Players to Watch: OH Micaya White, OH Paulina Prieto Cerame, OH Ebony Nwanebu, DS Cat McCoy and S Chloe Collins.

No. 6 seed Stanford: The Cardinal are the only new team in this year’s Final Four. Stanford is 25-7, including a win over their matchup in the semifinal, Minnesota.

Stanford defeated Wisconsin, Florida State, Boise State and Denver in the NCAA

SOURCE: NCAA

VOLLEYBALL RESULTS

FRIDAY

2 25 21

SATURDAY

1 23 25

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

Tournament and is on an eight-match win streak.

Players to Watch: OH Kathr yn Plummer, MB Inky Ajanaku, DS Morgan Hentz, S Jenna Gray and MB Audriana Fitzmorris.

VOLLEYBALL

Home sweet home: Minnesota gets energy from fans The Gophers saw two matches with big fan showings, especially students.

BY EMILY POLGLAZE epolglaze@mndaily.com

While one chapter continued for the Gophers on Saturday, another ended.

Minnesota’s seniors played their last match at the Sports Pavilion en route to their second consecutive Final Four.

Both regional matches hosted at the gym saw large, lively crowds, making for an atmosphere players say they

will long cherish.

“The Sports Pavilion is just an amazing place to play,” said senior middle blocker Sarah Wilhite on Saturday. “Especially tonight, the crowd showed up.

They were loud, and I think that brought the energy to our side.”

The student section — popular throughout the season — swelled in size while the team hosted NCAA play.

The section hosted around 250 students per match in the regular season, but spilled over to 315 in attendance Saturday.

Students started to show up over an hour before

match time. Some were turned away for capacity. To gain access to the match and join, some students even turned to ticket scalpers.

“The Gopher Block” has become host to a cast of colorful characters over the course of the season.

The women’s hockey team frequently appeared in costumes that ranged from a bottle of ketchup to an astronaut toward the end of the season.

The team couldn’t attend over the weekend due to a road series, but the Gophers still had plenty of support.

A group of fans dressed in Zubaz and cat shir ts

became a student-section staple this season, known for their zany attire and unwavering support of the Gophers.

“Even back in the days where there were few fans, we loved the Gophers and we’re here to support them,” said Tanner Glaza, an environmental and ecological engineering student.

“Whether it’s a Sunday afternoon or a Friday night, we’re here because we love them.”

The Minnesota fans got creative over the weekend, holding signs with messages like, “Killhite,” “U C LA, We see OH,” and “Making

Goehns,” all to references to Minnesota players and the team’s sights — a national championship.

Another familiar Gophers fan made an appearance Saturday — Minnesota’s own “blanket lady.”

She’s a regular at women’s basketball, known for waving a blanket to rile up the crowd, and she stopped over at the Sports Pavilion to pump up the student section.

Minnesota hasn’t lost at the Spor ts Pavillion in over two seasons, partially thanks to an environment that fans call “electric.”

While the fans think that

the players build off of them, the team is what really gets the crowd going.

“We know the team plays its heart out for us, so we like to be there to give a little something back to them,” said Antonio Rivera, a communications student.

While Minnesota won’t have any more home matches this season, the Sports Pavilion has a certain way of drawing its fans and athletes to return in the future.

“I’m going to miss playing at the Pav, but I think our best is yet to come,” Wilhite said. “We’ll be back. We’ll be the ones cheering loud next year.”

8

Monday, December 12, 2016

MEN’S HOCKEY

Minnesota earns sweep on the road The Gophers have not swept the Spartans since the 1978-79 season.

BY DREW COVE dcove@mndaily.com

The brooms have been sitting idle for nearly two months, but the Gophers brought them out this weekend.

No. 11 Minnesota (9-5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) swept Michigan State (4-8-1, 0-2 Big Ten) and won 4-2 on both Friday and Saturday.

“It was a good team win for us,” said head coach Don Lucia.

In an early game at Munn Arena in East Lansing, Michigan the Gophers got off to a rocky start again, with Michigan State scoring the first goal just 3:30 into the first period.

Minnesota scored the eventual game-winner on a

fluke play by Michigan State goaltender Ed Minney.

The netminder attempted to clear the puck but did not see the streaking Minnesota forward Vinni Lettieri, and the senior potted the puck into the empty net for the third goal of the game.

“I really had no time to react,” Lettieri said. “It was just kind of a non-conscious thing that I just put in, but those are just lucky bounces.”

Lettieri’s goal was his seventh of the season, bringing his season point total to 15 points in 15 games.

The Gophers got some security near the end of the game with an empty net goal from for ward Darian Romanko, the first official goal of his career, to make the score 4-2.

Although goaltender Eric Schierhorn didn’t face a lot of shots, he remained consistent Friday and allowed two goals

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S HOCKEY RESULTS

FRIDAY Michigan State Minnesota

SATURDAY Michigan State Minnesota

1 1 1

2 1 2

3 0 1

FINAL 2 4

1 1 0

2 1 2

3 0 2

FINAL 2 4

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

on 14 shots for the victory.

The Gophers had a major shot advantage for the game and gave the Spartans goaltender a busy night by having a 44-14 advantage.

That advantage continued on Saturday, adding to the focus of consistency this weekend.

When the score was all tied up and tensions were running high in the third period Saturday, Michigan native and Minnesota forward Brent Gates Jr. scored the go-ahead goal, and what eventually became the game-winner.

MADDY FOX, DAILY FILE PHOTO

Gophers forward Brent Gates Jr. battles for the puck against St. Cloud State at Mariucci Arena on Oct. 21.

Gates had six shots of Minnesota’s 34 overall in the game.

Schierhorn put up another strong performance Saturday and saved 17 of 19 shots faced.

The Gophers fell behind early in the game yet again, just like they did Friday night.

Michigan State forward JT Stenglein scored both opening goals over the weekend.

Defenseman Jake

Bischof f star ted the comeback for the Gophers and scored the first goal of the game on his only shot of the game mid-way through the second period.

From there, Minnesota would add a power play goal from forward Rem Pitlick, Gates’ goal, and an emptynet goal from forward Tyler Sheehy.

Sheehy is Minnesota’s top scorer this season, and with

the empty-netter Saturday, has points in eight consecutive games for the Gophers — bringing his season total to 23 points in 16 games.

Minnesota hadn’t swept Michigan State on the road since the 1978-79 season.

“Part of the great stuff that our team does is battle back,” Gates said. “You play for each other, and you have the will to battle back and win a game on the road like that.”

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Minnesota closes first half with split at BU The Gophers rallied during Saturday’s series finale but fell 6-5 in overtime.

BY TOMMY SLETTEN tsletten@mndaily.com

CHRIS DANG, DAILY FILE PHOTO

Offensive players Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy attempt to score on Friday at Williams Arena.

Gophers bring total wins into the double digits Reggie Lynch tied a career-high for points with 18 in Sunday’s victory.

BY JACK WHITE jwhite@mndaily.com

While the Gophers were outsized once again against Northern Illinois Sunday, the team still outplayed the Huskies down low.

Center Reggie Lynch had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds to help Minnesota (10-1) defeat Northern Illinois (4-5) 77-57 Sunday at Williams Arena. “[Lynch] has got a long way to go, and he’s got to be coached,” said head coach Richard Pitino. “He just needs as many reps as he can, but I thought he was terrific today.”

Lynch scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half. He also added three blocks in the game.

Power for ward Jordan Murphy also had a doubledouble. Murphy scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards in the win.

Murphy said it has been a really big turnaround since last season.

“Obviously, same with our team and our guys everything’s been different,” Murphy said. “It really makes me happy.”

The Gophers pulled away from the Huskies in the second half.

Minnesota went on a 6-0 run, followed by a 7-0 run, to take a 59-41 lead over the Huskies. Five different Minnesota players combined for points on the two runs.

Springs was the leading scorer off the bench for the Gophers with 10 points. He hit two 3-point field goals during the game.

“Springs, they all want to find him because he’s obviously a very good weapon,” Pitino said.

The Gophers dominated the Huskies on the boards.

Minnesota tallied 48 rebounds to Northern Illinois’ 28.

Both teams shot less than 40 percent in the first half.

Northern Illinois went 11-30 compared to Minnesota’s 9-30 in the first.

Minnesota improved on

MEN’S BASKETBALL RESULTS

FRIDAY Georgia Southern Minnesota

SUNDAY Northern Illinois Minnesota

HALF FINAL 32 49 45 86 HALF FINAL 23 56 29 77

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

its shooting in the second half.

The Gophers shot 53.6 percent from field-goal range in the second compared to the Huskies’ 37.9 percent.

The Gophers held the Huskies to 34 points in the second half and under 60 for the game.

Pitino said the team has a commitment to getting stops.

“I think we’ve got some individual really good defenders as well as some good team defense as well,” Pitino said.

Gophers win on Friday

The Gophers’ backcourt rose to the occasion in the team’s win over Georgia Southern.

Guards Dupree McBrayer, Nate Mason and Akeem Springs combined for 48 points to help Minnesota (101) rout Georgia Southern (4-5) 86-49 Friday at Williams Arena.

“Unselfishness,” Pitino said Friday. “Just sharing the ball, giving a good shot to get a great shot. I thought that were getting some good, quality looks.”

Minnesota had 23 assists in the game compared to 13 from Georgia Southern. Mason led the team in assists with nine.

The team came off of a performance where it won by six points against New Jersey Institute of Technology. Mason said the team showed a lot of maturity about responding from the game against NJIT. “It was definitely a good response,” Mason said Friday.

Minnesota finished the weekend 2-0. The two victories were each by more than 20 points. Pitino said the players look like they have fun together.

“They celebrate each other’s success. They’re constantly looking to share the ball,” Pitino said Sunday.

The Gophers traveled to the East Coast over the weekend and came home with a split to cap the first half of the season.

No. 2 Minnesota won 5-1 over Boston University Friday but lost the second game of the series 6-5 in overtime.

“We were certainly hoping for better. Yesterday we got out of the gates quickly, but today BU got out quickly, but our team battled back,” head coach Brad Frost said Saturday. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the result we were looking for, but I’m proud of our kids for the way they competed and laid it all on the line.”

The Gophers looked like completely different teams defensively in the two games, where they were utterly dominant in the first and lost defensively in the second.

Minnesota’s first game saw the team come out firing in the first period, where defenseman Megan Wolfe scored a power play goal less than two minutes into the

game and was followed up by a shorthanded goal from forward Kate Schipper.

Forward Sarah Potomak scored the third and final goal of the first period to make the score 3-0.

The scoring didn’t stop for Minnesota there as forward Cara Piazza scored one more in the second before Boston scored its first.

Redshirt senior defenseman Lee Stecklein scored the fifth and final goal for Minnesota in the third period to reach the final score of 5-1.

Redshirt junior goalie Sidney Peters had 14 saves on the night.

After that, the Gophers came into the second game with all the momentum, but the home team didn’t let Minnesota get off easily.

Boston held a 5-3 lead deep into the third period, with Minnesota going into desperation mode andattempting to salvage what was left of the game.

With just over five minutes left in the game, junior forward Kelly Pannek scored her first goal of the game to bring Minnesota within one.

Then, with less than two minutes to go, Stecklein netted the equalizer and forced overtime.

“I’m really proud of the

CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY FILE PHOTO

Junior forward Kelly Pannek skates against the Lindenwood Lions on Friday, Sept. 30 at Ridder Arena.

kids for battling. I just really felt like we had the momentum,” Frost said.

Again the Gophers had all the drive, scoring the final two goals of regulation. But the Terriers’ Natalie Flynn had other things in mind.

Flynn scored just 1:40 into overtime, crushing Minnesota’s hopes for a weekend sweep.

Peters had 16 saves but allowed six goals.

Pannek finished with one goal and five assists on the weekend, while Potomak had two goals and two assists.

Minnesota also played without its top goal scorer, senior for ward Dani Cameranesi, who was out due to injury.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY RESULTS

FRIDAY

1 0 3

Boston University Minnesota

SATURDAY 1 Boston University 2 2 Minnesota

2 0 1 2 3 1

3 0 2

3 1 1

FINAL 1 5

4 FINAL 1 6 0 5

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

Minnesota goes into the winter break with a record of 15-3-2.

“It’s hard coming off a loss, but, in the end, we have three losses, and that’s not bad,” Pannek said. “Losing three games out of 20 isn’t bad, but we still have a lot of room for growth as a team.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gamecocks limit Gophers after early weekend win Minnesota’s Carlie Wagner scored just six points against South Carolina.

BY DOMINIC DAVIS ddavis@mndaily.com

Minnesota experienced a big victory and a big loss over the weekend with a commanding 70-52 victory over Army West Point Thursday and a 98-58 loss to South Carolina Sunday.

A sound defensive display from Minnesota led them to a victory over Army on Thursday.

“Considering that Army [is] a shorter team comparably to us, I just concentrated on not jumping up and staying low,” said center Jessie Edwards. “Just using my height as an advantage.”

The Gophers held the Army Black Knights to 15 points in the first half.

Army West Point (8-2) shot 11.4 percent in the half. The Black Knights managed to convert one 3-pointer out of 11 attempts in the half.

Freshman guard Gadiva Hubbard, who scored 18 points in the game, almost outscored Army West Point by herself with 12 points in the opening half.

Army reduced its deficit to 12 in the third. Minnesota (7-4) responded by extending it to 16 before the final quarter.

The Gophers stayed ahead by at least 16 points the rest of the game.

Minnesota caused Army problems with their speed.

Their fast-paced offense allowed them to get where they wanted on the court.

The Gophers scored 40 points in the paint in the game.

They earned 13 free throw attempts in the first half.

Guard Carlie Wagner led all players with 20 points in Minnesota’s victory. The Gophers are 5-1 at home this season.

“We just love playing at home,” Wagner said. “We like to say ‘protect our house’ before we get out in play. It’s just taking pride in playing at our home court.”

Minnesota had a rough away game Sunday.

Wagner, who has been a reliable point contributor for the Gophers, managed to score six points in the game, ending her streak of scoring 10 or more points at 44 games.

“They did a good job of crowding her, not giving her a lot of space [and] not really biting on any fakes,” said head coach Marlene Stollings.

“They had size on her too. She doesn’t go up against that big of a guard most of the time.”

South Carolina (7-1) shot 52.8 percent from the field and almost shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, making 16 of their 33 attempts.

The Gamecocks were quick to build a lead, starting the game scoring 15 unanswered points.

Minnesota managed to decrease South Carolina’s lead to 11 before the second quarter.

Efficient shooting continued for the Gamecocks. They scored 33 points in the second

CARTER JONES, DAILY FILE PHOTO

Gophers forward Carlie Wagner and center Jessie Edwards play against Florida State at Williams Arena on Nov. 30, 2016.

quarter, including an 18-0 run.

Minnesota’s shooting struggles didn’t go away, as they found only 14 points in the second.

The Gophers had a tough second half ahead of them, trailing 57-27 at halftime.

A few more scoring runs by the Gamecocks extended their lead to 45 at the end of the third quarter.

Minnesota outscored South Carolina in the final quarter 18-13, but the Gamecocks’ lead was too great to bring the score close.

Guard Kenisha Bell led Minnesota with 16 points in the game. South Carolina had a few big-point contributors,

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RESULTS

THURSDAY 1 2 3 4 FINAL Army West Point 10 5 22 15 52 Minnesota 21 17 15 17 70 SATURDAY South Carolina Minnesota

1 2 3 4 FINAL 24 33 28 13 98 13 14 13 18 58

SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

with three players scoring 16 or more points, including junior guard Kaela Davis with a game-high 22 points.

“We knew [Davis] was by far the best,” Stollings said.

“We weren’t wanting to give her much space.”

Monday, December 12, 2016

9

U student group helps homeless people in winter

Students voice concern about new Dinky housing

The new initiative will distribute supplies to area homeless shelters.

Business owners also worry about possible changes to the neighborhood.

BY NATALIE RADEMACHER nrademacher@mndaily.com

A new student group at the University of Minnesota is working to improve the living situations of homeless people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Ifeyinwa Ikegwuani — a first-year student — wanted a way to help the area’s homeless population, especially in harsh winter conditions. She decided to post on the University of Minnesota Class of 2020 Facebook page, which has over 5,000 members, to recruit help.

In her post, Ikegwuani asked peers to join Hearts2Help, a student group made to support homeless people in the area with food and supplies.

“We will focus on collecting toiletries, clothing, food and anything else necessary to help them get through these harsh Minnesota winters,” she said in the post.

The group has grown to over 100 members since late October, which Ikegwuani said is largely due to social media.

“I always find myself in areas where a lot of homeless people are. Especially being in Minneapolis, I see it so much and really wanted to help,” Ikegwuani said on her rationale for

starting Hearts2Help.

Minnesota has seen a drop in homelessness since 2012, according to a 2015 report by Wilder Research. But there’s still a high demand for winter clothes and donations, said Michelle Whitney, administrative assistant for People Serving People — the state’s largest homeless shelter.

“We get a lot of donations from businesses, charities, student groups,” Whitney said.

One of Hearts2Help’s cur rent projects is a winter clothes drive.

“We have about five or six schools around the Twin Cities that are contributing,” Ikegwuani said. “Our items are going to a number of shelters around the Minneapolis area, including Mary’s Place, The Bridge for Youth and People Serving People.”

Jasmine Lee, an officer for Hearts2Help, said a main focus of the group is to provide shelters in the area with items that will aid those in need.

Ikegwuani said the clothing drive was the biggest project for Hearts2Help since its inception in October.

And increasingly, over recent years, student groups on campus have looked more to social media to reach new members and to increase visibility.

“I went through Facebook to see if there were people out there that would be interested in joining the group,” said Ikegwuani. “I wasn’t expecting as much of a turnout.”

BY DAVID CLAREY dclarey@mndaily.com

Some Dinkytown business owners and University of Minnesota students worry an influx of luxur y high-rise apar tments could render the Dinkytown area unaffordable and take away its charm.

At a Minnesota Student Association town hall meeting Wednesday, University of ficials and members of the Dinkytown Business Alliance and the MarcyHolmes Neighborhood Association fielded questions from students who were concerned about the affordability of new apartments, including a proposed 16-stor y complex that would displace Mesa Pizza and Chatime Bubble Tea on Fourth Street Southeast.

A petition cir ulating campus calling for local neighborhoods and small businesses to be preserved has collected almost 800 signatures.

“If [Dinkytown] just becomes a large dormitor y, there’s not a lot of reason for anybody to come here,” said Jim Sander, a member of the Marcy-Holmes Land Use and Development Committee. Sander’s wife owns Kafe 421 in Dinkytown.

CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY

Randal Gast, co-owner of Qdoba Mexican Eats in Dinkytown and member of the Dinkytown Business Alliance, speaks at a town hall about affordable housing on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Sander isn’t opposed to change but said he doesn’t think new luxur y high-rise buildings fit the “character” of the area.

The Minneapolis City Council designated the commercial buildings on the block of 14th Avenue Southest and Fourth Street Southeast as historic in 2015. The designation could hinder new development, but guidelines are pending approval.

“The thing about Dinkytown is that … it is

a draw,” Sander said. “If it ceases to be a draw because it’s lost its character, we’ve really lost the essence of Dinkytown.”

Conver ting areas such as the block on 14th and 4th to residential property can drive proper ty values up, leaving mom-and-pop shops priced out of the area, said Kristen Eide-Tollefson, coowner of The Book House.

Dinkytown benefits from new business as long as they fit the existing culture, Eide-Tollefson said,

pointing to Gina + Will and Target Express as positive examples.

English senior Brigid McBride, who attended the town hall meeting, said she lives in the Southeast Como neighborhood because she was priced out of Dinkytown.

“It’s been really dishear tening from an affordability standpoint and a cultural standpoint,” she said. “It’s pretty distressing as a student here.”

U may have to change lobbying strategy with Republican Legislature Funding u from Page 1

and member of the House higher education committee. “The last time this happened, it wasn’t good for higher ed.”

Pelowski said resources are tight, and the University will have to prove to the Legislature that it’s worth the investment.

“There will be resources, but they’re not going to be anything like they were,” he said.

J.D. Burton, interim head of the University’s Government and Community Relations department, said

that this session, the University will emphasize the school’s role in each legislator’s home district.

“It’s our job to tr y and explain what role the University has for their local communities,” Burton said.

“That isn’t necessarily something that is a change, but it’s certainly something we’ll be putting a lot of focus on.”

University President Eric Kaler told the Minnesota Daily last month that he has had conversations with Republican leaders in both the House and Senate since the election.

“We will continue to have those discussions and continue to talk about the

importance of the University of Minnesota,” he said.

Burton said the school has been in contact with the chairs of both chambers’ higher education committees and has met formally and informally with legislators since the election.

“We’ve reached out … and offered our assistance and our willingness to help in any way that we can,” he said.

“But certainly once the session starts we’ll be spreading out and introducing ourselves to the new legislators.”

In addition to new legislators, the University will be working closely with alumni in both chambers to lobby for the school, Burton said.

Besides a more than $1.2 billion base request for the biennium, the University will ask the state for $147.2 million over the 2018-19 biennium for six projects and initiatives and $245.1 million in 2017 to finance seven infrastructure projects.

“We’ll be making our case for the needs that we’re asking for and the ways that we’ll help students,” Burton said. “There are members of both parties that feel strongly that the University should be successful and should continue in the role in the state that it’s always had.”

But the University may be fighting an uphill battle because state funding

to higher education has declined for many Big Ten schools with conser vative legislatures in recent years.

Rutgers University saw a drop of about $70 million in state appropriations between 2006 and 2013.

Purdue University experienced about a $40 million drop in state funding between 2008 and 2012.

State appropriations as a percentage of revenue at Michigan’s 15 public universities fell from 48 percent in 2000 to just over 20 percent in 2014.

And at the University of Wisconsin, the percentage of school revenue from the state has been cut in half

from 1998 to 2016.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker approved a plan in July 2015 to slash state funding to the University of Wisconsin by $250 million between 2015 and 2017.

Funding per student at that system has dropped almost $4,000 since the early ‘00s.

Still, despite other states in similar legislative situations cutting state funding, Burton said he’s confident the University can convince the state to provide enough funding.

“I’ve always believed that higher education and the University’s role is a bipartisan issue,” he said.

BIG TEN SCHOOLS UNDER REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE APPROPRIATIONS AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL UW-MADISON REVENUE

INDIANA STATE BUDGET APPROPRAITIONS FOR PURDUE UNIVERSITY

50%

APPROPRIATIONS AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL MICHIGANS PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES REVENUE

$450

75%

$400 40% Millions of Dollars

$350

30% 20%

$300

50%

$250 $200 $150

25%

$100

10%

$50 0% 1976

$0 2000

2016

0% 1998

2006

2012

1984

2000

2014

SOURCE: UNIVERISTY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON BUDGET REPORT, PURDUE UNIVERSITY SENATE, STATE OF MICHIGAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Militants retake ancient city of Palmyra

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIRUT — Islamic State militants recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from Syrian troops Sunday, according to both sides in the battle, scoring a major advance after a year of setbacks in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

In winning back Palmyra, the extremist group appeared to be taking advantage of the Syrian and Russian preoccupation with Aleppo, timing its attack to coincide with a major government offensive to capture the last remaining opposition-held neighborhoods in the northern city.

Palmyra, with its towering 2,000-year-old ruins, holds mostly symbolic meaning in the wider civil war, although its location in central Syria also gives it some strategic significance.

Islamic State militants re-entered the city Saturday for the first time since they were expelled by Syrian and Russian forces amid much

fanfare nine months ago. The government’s first important win against the Islamic State group in the historic city gave Damascus the chance to try to position itself as part of the global anti-terrorism campaign.

The militants had spent 10 months in Palmyra, during which they blew up a number of temples and caused other destruction — severing the heads of statues and partially damaging two temples and famous arch.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria’s official for antiquities and museums, said his department had transferred the contents of Palmyra’s museum to Damascus, but that he still worries about the safety of the ruins from the IS militants.

“I fear they will be more vengeful,” Abdulkarim told The Associated Press.

Palmyra was a major tourist attraction before Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

Sunday’s takeover came

hours after gover nment troops and Russian air raids pushed the group out the city’s perimeter. IS militants later regrouped and attacked from multiple sides, forcing government troops to retreat.

The militants went door to door, looking for any remaining forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, opposition activists in the city said.

Homs provincial Gov. Talal Barazi told the pan-Arab Mayadeen news channel that the IS attack on Palmyra is a “desperate” reaction to the Syrian government’s recent military “victories.”

Scores of Syrian troops reportedly have been killed in fighting around Palmyra in recent days. While a distraction from the battle for Aleppo, it is unlikely to affect the government’s final push on the last rebel-held neighborhoods in the northern city.

By Sunday evening, there was no sign the army was shifting significant resources from Aleppo.

WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday

WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday

10

Monday, December 12, 2016

U plans to develop campus’ east edge CHAMPIONSHIP

TBD

TBD

WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday

SOURCE: NCAA

Development u from Page 1

“This site is a gateway,” MacKenzie said.

WRESTLING RESULTS “It’s a place where the public comes into the UniFRIDAY FINAL No. 9 Michigan versity, and we want 17 to No. advantage 10 Minnesota of that.”

20 take T h e U n i v e r s i t yFINAL has SUNDAY Michigan State been buying land 18 from r a iNo. l r10 o aMinnesota d c o m p a n i e22s i n SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM the East Gateway district since the early 1990s; land was first purchased to make room for the Lion Center, which currently stands near TCF Bank Stadium. Since then, the University has built health sciences research labs in the area, and more recently, has planned to demolish the Electric Steel Elevators to make room for a recreational sports bubble.

Administrators said projects will focus on enhancing the presence of the Academic Health Center in the area, con-

str ucting new research buildings and improving walking conditions for pedestrians.

“Student uses of these VOLLEYBALL areas are ver y impor tant RESULTS for consideration,” said FRIDAY Thomas 3 4 FINAL 1 2 Devine.

Regent Missouri

15 25 19 14

21 25 25 25 project Minnesota Towerside

1 3

SATURDAY 2 3 FINAL In addition 1to redevel-

UCLA oping land Minnesota

20 22 0 the23 University 25 25 25 3 already owns, school ofSOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM ficials are coordinating with private real estate groups and neighborhood associations to develop the Towerside District — which will include market-rate and af for dable housing units, of fice and retail space and community parks on streets in the Prospect Park neighborhood.

“It’s really a place where the University could and should think about how it interacts w i t h t h e c o m m u n i t y, ” MacKenzie said.

School of ficials said the University will work closely with its surround-

ing neighbor hoods, inc l u d i n g Ma r c y-H ol mes and Prospect Park, to make sure the plan has WOMEN’S HOCKEY community members’ inRESULTS terests in mind.

FRIDAY 2 3 FINAL “Neighbor1hoods ar e Boston University 0 0 1 1 real authorities in the city 3 1 1 Minnesota 5 of Minneapolis,” MacKenSATURDAY 1 2 3 4 FINAL zie said. “So the UniverBoston University 2 3 0 1 6 sity, sitting in 2 the 1 2 middle 0 5 Minnesota of five neighbor hoods, SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM is ver y cognizant about that.”

Between the Prospect Park light rail station and Highway 280, project planners hope to add nearly 800 housing units, 397,000 square feet of office and research space and more than 140,000 squar e feet of gr ocer y and commercial space.

“Over a ver y shor t period of time, this area is going to change,” said Sarah Har ris, managing director of the University of Minnesota Foundation, which will help advocate and plan for the project.

“Our goal is to make it change for the better.”

New U pilot aims to train ‘mental health advocates’ Pilot u from Page 1

who knows ever ything about the resources,” said Lauren Mitchell, a psychology graduate student involved in the design of the program.

For example, a teaching assistant who hears concerns from a panicked student could pass that information onto a trained advocate in the depar tment, Mitchell said. The advocate would be able to decide if the behavior is normal and address the situation.

The advocates will receive monthly emails regarding mental health services on campus and will take par t in another training session in Febr uar y, Johnson said.

At the end of the spring semester, the pilot program will be evaluated and expanded to include more advocates if it is successful, she said.

Many new advocates

pr eviously filled these p o s i t i o n s i n f o r m a l l y, Mitchell said.

“Many of them have been winging it or just doing the best that they can,” she said.

Tim Kamenar, School of Public Health senior director for student ser vices, said becoming an advocate felt natural because he previously ser ved as the Disability Resource Center’s assistant director.

“I think it was a vital introduction to what exists on campus. All too often there is that lack of [knowledge about] what exists … and that creates uncertainty,” he said, adding that while he was familiar with most of the material covered in training, it was new information for many others.

Since the program launched in early November, Kamenar has already met with one student.

“If one consultation makes a difference for one student, that’s definitely worth it,” he said.

S o f a r, K a m e n a r i s the sole of ficial advocate in the School of Public Health, so staf f have worked to identify who’s already doing mental health work within the school to ensure student concer ns are addressed, he said.

Kamenar has also sent the training materials and monthly newsletters to faculty and staf f so they have those resources on hand.

“The [number one] refer ral of students to the DRC is faculty, so it’s impor tant that we get that information to the faculty so they know who they can ask for information,” he said.

Kamenar anticipates that the program will impact the way mental health resources are managed at the University, he said.

“The demand is there.

The need is there. The program itself … isn’t really going to go away because … student need isn’t going away,” he said.

RENDERING OF TOWERSIDE DISTRICT

SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FACILITIES, PLANNING AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE

While there is not yet a specific end date for the project, some private developments will begin in 2017, and most of the project’s design phase will be finished by 2019.

Regents heralded the

plan as an integration of the University into the broader community.

“With much of the University’s histor y, we’ve been somewhat isolationist,” said Regent Darrin Rosha. “We have the

neighborhoods paying attention to what we’re doing at the University. W ith this perspective … we can alr eady see the impact that the University is having on that relationship.”

Nigerian church collapses, 160 dead, says hospital director

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WA R R I , N i g e r i a — Mor tuaries over flowed with bodies Sunday from a church collapse in souther n Nigeria that killed at least 160 people, and worshippers said constr uction of the building had been rushed.

Hundreds had been inside the Reigners Bible Church Inter national in the city of Uyo on Saturday for the consecration of founder Akan Weeks as its bishop when the metal girders fell and the corrugated iron roof caved in.

Screaming sur vivors streamed out amid cries from the injured inside.

“There were trapped bodies, par ts of bodies, blood all over the place and people’s handbags and shoes scattered,” said computer analyst Ukeme Eyibio.

Of ficials feared the death toll could rise.

Weeks and Akwa Ibom state Gov. Udom Emmanuel were among the sur vivors.

Eyibio had parked

his car outside the complex to make a phone call when he heard a deafening crash and saw that the church had disappeared.

He and three others dragged 10 injured people from an over flow area for worshippers just outside the collapsed church.

They did not enter the main str ucture because a constr uction worker warned it was not safe.

The worker called his boss at Julius Berger construction company, which sent a crane to help lift debris off bodies.

While they waited for the crane, Eyibio helped a man whose legs were trapped under a girder.

“I r ushed to my car, got out the tire jack and used that to get the beam of f his legs,” the 27-yearold said by telephone.

“We managed to get him out, but we saw others dying all around us,” he added. “I’m so traumatized I could not sleep last night for the horrors repeating themselves in my mind.”

Mor tuaries in Uyo were over whelmed by the

disaster, medical director Etete Peters of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital told The Associated Press.

Many of the dead were taken to private mor tuaries scattered across the city, said youth leader Edikan Peters. Some people were taking the bodies of relatives to their homes because of the overcrowding.

Peters said he counted 90 bodies removed from the church before he was stold to stop his tally Saturday night. Jour nalists also said that church officials sought to prevent them from documenting t h e t r a g e d y, t r y i n g t o seize cameras and forcing some to leave the area.

The church had been still under constr uction and workers had been r ushing to finish it in time for Saturday’s ceremony, congregants said.

The gover nor’s spokesman, Ekerete Udoh, said the state gover nment will investigate if any building standards were compromised.

Trump might lift military gear limits

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — If president-elect Donald Trump keeps his promise, surplus militar y grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armored vehicles and highpowered firearms and ammunition will once again be available to state and local U.S. police departments.

National police organizations say they’ll hold Trump to that promise.

President Barack Obama issued an executive order restricting that access in 2015 amid an outcry over police use of armored vehicles and other war-fighting gear to confront protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. Since then, federal officials have recalled more than 1,800 items, which have been destroyed through target practice or otherwise disposed of, officials say.

But state and local police organizations have protested, insisting that militar y-style vehicles and gear help protect officers’ lives and public safety — for example, a privately manufactured, tracked armored vehicle played a key role in the police response to the mass shooting at a county government building in San Bernardino, California, in December 2015.

During his campaign, Trump sided with the police. In September, he promised to rescind the executive order in a written response to a Frater nal Order of Police questionnaire that helped him win an endorsement from the organization of rank-and-file officers.

“The 1033 program is an excellent program that enhances community safety.

I will rescind the current executive order,” reads the response posted on the group’s website.

“We take him at his word,” Executive Director James Pasco said in a recent telephone interview.

The Tr ump transition team did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about the executive order.

National Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jonathan F. Thompson said his group has pressed the topic in discussions with Trump’s transition team.

And William J. Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, said he was encouraged by his conversations with Trump representatives before the Nov. 8 election.

“The feeling that we got is they absolutely hear us and they share our concerns,” he said.

Obama’s order was triggered partly by police use of military-style gear and vehicles in response to the 2014 unrest in Ferguson. The order prohibited the federal government from providing grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and vehicles, and firearms and ammunition of .50-caliber or greater to state and local police agencies.

Since then, the Defense Logistics Agency has recalled 138 grenade launchers, more than 1,600 bayonets and 126 tracked vehicles — those that r un on continuous, tank-like tracks instead of wheels — that were provided through the militar y’s 1033 program, agency spokeswoman

Michelle McCaskill said.

Peter Kraska, a professor at Eastern Kentucky University’s School of Justice Studies who has studied the militarization of police, said Obama’s executive order has had little ef fect because there was relatively little demand for the prohibited items to begin with.

“It was more symbolic politics than anything substantive,” he said.

The order also added requirements for recordkeeping, local oversight and training for the acquisition or use of other surplus military equipment such as wheeled armored vehicles, but those hurdles apparently have not deter red agencies from obtaining the gear. McCaskill said 183 law enforcement agencies have received mineresistant, ambush-protected vehicles or MRAPs, through the 1033 program so far this year. That’s more than the 165 MRAPs that were distributed in 2013.

Never theless, Kraska said, there’s nothing to justify most police departments having such equipment.

“It just ramps up the probability that this kind of kind of high-end military hardware is going to be misapplied,” he said.

But Cass County, North Dakota, Sheriff Paul Laney said the executive order is aimed at urban areas and ignores the usefulness of tracked vehicles in rugged terrain.

“They fail to realize the dilemma it puts sherif fs in who live in the rural areas, the deser t areas, the mountain areas,” he said.