TOP HEADLINES INSIDE:
ZEIGER BREAKS BIG TEN RECORD IN 1,650 FREESTYLE PAGE 7
■ ■ Pres. Kaler names interim VP for research
THE JUNIOR WAS A STANDOUT OVER THE WEEKEND.
■■ U to start first undergrad research journal
Former CFANS dean Allen Levine will take over Jan. 1. PAGE 2
The publication received $2,000 in start-up funds. PAGE 4
SHOWERS HIGH 42° LOW 26°
U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
EARLY WEEK
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
DECEMBER 5-7, 2015
VOLLEYBALL
FACULTY/STAFF
State rejects U appeal over faculty union Some non-tenured faculty could still be part of a potential union at the U, said a state agency. BY RILYN EISCHENS reischens@mndaily.com
Lecturers and teaching specialists will be allowed to remain in a potential faculty union at the University of Minnesota according to a Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services decision announced Nov. 29. This fall the University challenged a September BMS decision to allow some positions like teaching specialists and lecturers to be included and tenured faculty members to be part of the same bargaining unit as part of a long-running dispute over who would be allowed in a union. The University has argued that the decision violates Minnesota law by adding CHRIS DANG, DAILY
Left: Junior libero Rosado sets the ball on Friday at the Sports Pavilion. The Gophers won against the University of North Dakota. Right: Senior outside hitter Sarah Wilhite sets the ball on Saturday at the Sports Pavilion.
u See UNION Page 10
Gophers sweep first two rounds of NCAA tournament
HIGHER ED
U nixes felony box on college application
The No. 2 seeded Gophers cruised to victory over North Dakota and Hawaii at home over the weekend. BY TOMMY SLETTEN tsletten@mndaily.com
No. 2 seeded Minnesota advanced to the Sweet Sixteen after decisive victories in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament over the weekend. In front of the hometown crowd and packed student section on Saturday, the No. 1 Gophers swept North Dakota and Hawaii to remain undefeated at the Sports Pavilion this season. “We’re very happy to be moving on in the tournament, obviously,” said head coach Hugh McCutcheon. “This weekend felt more like a regional than it did a first or second round. Two very good teams.”
Minnesota cruised through three sets against North Dakota, hitting .349 to North Dakota’s .147. The Gophers dominated the second set of the match and won 25-12. “In the first set we came out strong,” said senior outside hitter Sarah Wilhite. “For the second set we made a goal to stay strong the entire set, and I think we did that.” Wilhite led the team with 17 kills on the night, and she also had seven digs. Sophomore Samantha Seliger-Swenson had a double-double with 39 assists and 10 digs while junior middle blocker Molly Lohman had seven kills and three blocks. Minnesota followed Friday’s performance with another sweep against Hawaii on Saturday.
Starting next fall, students who apply to the U won’t have to selfreport felony convictions. BY DAVID CLAREY dclarey@mndaily.com
“We gave over 21,000 vaccines over the course of two weeks,” said Sarah Van Orman, UW-Madison’s health ser vices director. “Our students really stepped up. That’s about 70 percent of our undergraduates, which is the group we wanted to get.” She said the school sent bacteria from the cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for genomic sequencing. The CDC found the bacteria from all three students to be genetically identical. “They basically suggested there was
Questions about past felony convictions or pending criminal charges will be removed from the University of Minnesota’s admission application next year. While the fall 2017 application won’t include the felony question, applicants will still be required to disclose whether they have a history of academic dishonesty or sexual offenses. “The decision was made that those individuals did not represent a threat to our campus,” said Bob McMaster, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education. A question asking prospective students to report if they’ve been found legally responsible for a sexual offense or if they have sexual offense charges pending against them, will remain on the application, McMaster said. “As it stands right now, we feel that if someone has been convicted of a sexual offense, we need to know,” he said. Last year, the University decided to remove questions regarding misdemeanors and hide the applicant’s answer to the felony question during admission decisions. However, the national “Common App” program — which the University has re-
u See VACCINE Page 4
u See APP Page 3
u See VOLLEYBALL Page 5
HEALTH
UW-Madison meningitis outbreak spurs vaccination Three at UW were treated for meningitis b. At the U, there’s been one fatal case in 27 years. BY OLIVIA JOHNSON ojohnson@mndaily.com
After cases of meningitis were found at the University of W isconsin-Madison, students from the school who are retur ning to Minnesota for winter break might need a second round of vaccinations. In October, UW-Madison discovered
three cases of the disease within its undergraduate population. A large portion of the student body was vaccinated after ward, and the second dose necessar y for the vaccine to work will be doled out over the next two months. About 3,000 Madison students live in Minnesota. Because meningitis spreads rapidly and can be fatal without antibiotics, the school worked with the state health depar tment to provide large-scale vaccine clinics. The three af flicted students have since been treated and released from the hospital.
STUDENT ISSUES
State: 47 reported cases of sexual assault at U in 2015
u See REPORT Page 3
8
incidents reported
4
15
Carleton College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Macalester College
College of St. Benedict/ St. John’s University
St. Olaf College
Hamline University
1
investigated
Augsburg College
1
Winona State University
1
2
University of St. Thomas
3 2
University of Minnesota Sexual Assualt Data
47
6 5
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Of the nearly 300 sexual assaults reported on Minnesota college campuses last year, 47 — the largest number in the state — were at the University of Minnesota, according to a report released Thursday. The report, released by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, was compiled after a law passed in 2015 by the state Legislature required post-secondary institutions to
10
7
St. Cloud State University
BY RILYN EISCHENS reischens@mndaily.com
report sexual assault data to the state. The report comes amid intense scrutiny of how colleges and universities nationwide internally handle sexual misconduct cases. Of the 47 assaults reported at the University, 15 were investigated by the University and less than 10 were reported to police. To protect identities, the report didn’t list specific numbers if there were less than 10 reports for each statistical category — categories like the number of cases reported to law enforcement, number of students found responsible of sexual assault and cases closed without resolution. “It probably is a snapshot of what goes
Sexual assaults reported per 1,000 students
University of MinnesotaTwin Cities
The state’s report, released last week, found nearly 300 reports of sexual assault at MN colleges.
SEXUAL ASSAULT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
15 referred for disciplinary process
0
discilpinary process pending
SOURCE: SEXUAL ASSAULT DATA REPORT, MINNESOTA OFFICE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
VOLUME 117 ISSUE 26