UMN OFFICIALS ADDRESS BEN SHAPIRO VENUE PAGE 2 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018
EARLY WEEK
SOME STUDENTS SAID THE ST. PAUL SPOT IS TOO REMOTE.
MNDAILY.COM
MEN’S HOCKEY
ENTERTAINMENT
Weekend series ends in U sweep The Gophers beat the Badgers 4-2 Friday and 7-1 on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin. BY DREW COVE dcove@mndaily.com
Paul Bunyan’s Axe might have gone back to the Badgers after they shutout the Gophers in football, but the men’s hockey team managed to score seven against Wisconsin on the ice. No. 12 Minnesota (18-13-1, 9-10-1 Big Ten) dominated No. 17 Wisconsin (14-15-3, 8-11-2-1 Big Ten) in a 7-1 offensive explosion-victory Saturday for the coveted fourth spot in the Big Ten standings. “We talked about the playoffs had begun for us,” head coach Don Lucia told the Gopher Radio Network. “We’ll have a chance at homeice and this was a critical two-game segment for us.” The offense for Minnesota has struggled to produce much of the season, but Saturday, it came alive to score seven goals on the Badgers, a season-high goal total for the team. Forward Rem Pitlick — goalless in the past 12 games — scored two goals, including one where he batted a puck out of mid-air. On top of Pitlick’s offensive resurgence, another name that has been quiet on the scoresheet this season came back and scored a goal for the first time in months. Forward Leon Bristedt scored 20 goals two seasons ago for the Gophers, but had only three coming into Saturday’s game. He scored his fourth goal of the season in the victory, which marked the first time he scored an empty-net goal since a game in late December against Army. The last goal he scored that wasn’t an empty-netter was on Nov. 4 against Michigan State. It didn’t take long for the Gophers to get back into their offensive stride. Just 1:07 into u See MEN’S HOCKEY Page 4
CAMPUS
Keillor’s face removed from Scholars Walk The former “Prairie Home” host was quietly replaced on the campus monument. BY MAX CHAO mchao@mndaily.com
Former radio host Garrison Keillor was removed from the University of Minnesota’s Scholars Walk following a recent sexual harassment scandal. Scholars Walk, which honors outstanding University faculty and alumni, removed Keillor’s plaque. Keillor’s song lyrics from an early A Prarie Home Companion was still on the Wall of Discovery as of Sunday night. Keillor, a longtime Minnesota Public Radio personality, was fired in late 2017 after facing allegations of workplace sexual harassment. In a letter to members published on Jan. 23, MPR’s President Jon McTaggart said that an outside investigation looked into dozens of allegations regarding sexually inappropriate incidents by Keillor. When asked for more information on the decision, a University spokesperson deferred comment to a company based in McNamara Alumni Center that manages Scholars Walk. When reached for comment, the company deferred comment to a University spokesperson. Keillor graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1966.
Kiss the Tiger perform at the Varsity Theater as part of their grand reopening show on Friday.
MAX OSTENSO, DAILY
A Dinkytown staple returns The Varsity Theater’s “soft reopening” was the venue’s first live show in over a year. BY KATE DRAKULIC kdrakulic@mndaily.com
Friday night appeared to be just like any other. Underclassmen walked in tightknit herds to frat-row, jocks ignored walk signs as they stormed Qdoba and odd characters tumbled from Ubers in front of the Kitty Cat Klub. To the uninformed eye, all was ordinary in Dinkytown, except for the handful of social smokers and the sound that seeped out of the doors of the Varsity Theater. For the first time in over a year and a half, Varsity opened its doors and put on a show. You would never know the theater took such a hiatus from the inside. The quirky jungle bathrooms, the bars and the barn-like warehouse ground floor were still very much intact. As the night u See VARSIT Y Page 5
MAX OSTENSO, DAILY
Dirt Train perform at the Varsity Theater as part of the theater’s grand reopening show.
ADMINISTRATION
President Eric Kaler addresses sexual misconduct, bonding bill hopes Kaler also spoke about the controversial plan to close an East Bank child care center. BY KELLY BUSCHE kbusche@mndaily.com
The Minnesota Daily sat down with University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler Friday for this semester’s first monthly interview. Kaler discussed the University’s legislative priorities, the President’s Initiative to Prevent Sexual Misconduct and the planned closure of the University’s Child Development Center, among other topics. Did you check out the Super Bowl last week at all? We had the NFL Honors here in Northop, which was fun. So my wife and I, we went to that, which was interesting. … But I did not go to the game. We have a tradition of watching it with friends and [my friend] bought a new TV with speakers so we went over and checked it out.
Last time you sat down with the Minnesota Daily you mentioned that a few of your biggest goals for 2018 are developing the 2019 budget and advancing the University’s legislative agenda, so looking specifically at this semester, what are your top priorities? Getting a good bonding bill is really critical to the future of the University. … This is also the time in which we are developing our operating budget for the next fiscal year. … And that will engage a lot of conversations around things that we’re going to do … [and] around what tuition will be. And again some conversation with our [legislators] about the potential for a supplemental budget that might bring in some more operating dollars. So that sounds all about money, and that’s a necessary, but not sufficient, thing for a University to have. So we’ll also engage in exchanges with faculty governance and student governance around the student conduct code and other issues that will come forward. Your annual State of the University speech is coming up March 1 … have
you started thinking about the themes and topics you might address? Absolutely. Yeah, I think I’ll probably be pretty timely. I think I’ll spend a fair amount of time talking about freedom of speech, the First Amendment rights and protest and I’ll spend a fair amount of time talking about the President’s Initiative to Prevent Sexual Violence [Misconduct] … and how I’d like to see that grow. So those feel to me to be probably the two most significant parts of what I’m going to talk about. Why are those the most significant? I think right now, in this country there’s incredible tension, uneasiness, a real inability for people with opposing points of view to come together and talk and try to understand each other … and universities are the place where that kind of dialogue should be able to take place in a safe and respectful environment. And I’d like this University to be that kind of place. And I don’t think there’s any element in our society now that u See KALER Page 8
ADMINISTRATION
Protesters storm Regents meeting The interruption came after a disagreement over new changes to the student conduct code. BY KELLY BUSCHE kbusche@mndaily.com
CARTER BLOCHWITZ, DAILY
A group of students air grievances to UMN President Eric Kaler and Regent David McMillan during the Board of Regents meeting on Friday. Their concerns stem from a proposed Student Conduct Code change.
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents discussed a potential tuition increase, a new sexual misconduct initiative and institutional risks, among other topics, at its meetings Thursday and Friday. The meeting Friday was also interrupted by a group voicing opposition to proposed student conduct code changes. Student Conduct Code A scheduled vote on the proposed student conduct code amendment was postponed amid criticism from some students and faculty. Under the proposed document, student
groups could be held liable for conduct they direct, sponsor or endorse that violates the University’s conduct code; or if a group’s officers don’t prevent misconduct during a group event. Students and faculty who attended the protest worry this change could make it easier for the administration to punish students who engage in “disruptive behavior” — like protests — on campus. The current code defines “disruptive behavior” as a punishable offense that includes “participating in a campus demonstration that disrupts the normal operations of the University,” “engaging in intentional obstruction that interferes with freedom of movement … on campus,” and “using sound amplification equipment on campus without authorization.” With about five minutes left in the Board of Regents meeting Friday, a group of u See REGENTS Page 3
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 38