February 15th, 2018

COMO BUSINESSES ADD TO PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC PAGE 8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

LATE WEEK

NEW RESTAURANTS AND HOUSING MAY EXPLAIN THE SHIFT.

MNDAILY.COM

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

CAMPUS

CMU name change plan underway Student representatives are drafting a resolution that could change Coffman’s name.

BY ELIANA SCHREIBER eschreiber@mndaily.com

MADDY FOX, DAILY

Gophers guard Carlie Wagner goes up for a shot during Minnesota’s game against Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 14. at Williams Arena.

Gophers defeat ranked foe

u See COFFMAN Page 3

Carlie Wagner led the team with 26 points over No. 23 Michigan Wednesday night.

COPS

BY ELLIE MARTIN emartin@mndaily.com

Minnesota held the lead against No. 23 Michigan for most of the game, but a 3-pointer by the Wolverines’ Katelynn Flaherty gave her team an 83-82 lead with five minutes left.

But that’s when the Gophers started to take over.

Minnesota closed out the game on an 11-4 run to win 93-87 at Williams Arena.

The victory pushed the team’s win streak to three games as they fight for an NCAA Tournament bid in the last stretch of the season.

“You have to stay in the game, stay in the moment,” head coach Marlene Stollings said. “You can’t get too high and you can’t get too low.”

Entering the fourth quarter, Minnesota (20-6, 9-4 Big Ten) was trailing by four after having the lead for the majority of the game.

The quarter continued to be back and forth. The true test came with less than five minutes left, when the Gophers took u See BASKETBALL Page 4

Robberies in campus area rise in new year Police said seven of the 10 cases were connected and two suspects have been arrested.

BY ISABELLA MURRAY imurray@mndaily.com

The additional money would go toward a backlog of maintenance and structural needs at the University, Dayton said, caused by a lack of state funding in past years.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk, DFLCook, said he would like to see two separate bonding bills to address state infrastructure needs.

“Let’s just take the politics out and all admit that we’re all falling way, way behind,” he said.

Bakk said Minnesota should take notice of

A spike in robberies amid relatively infrequent incidents of violent crime have occurred near the University of Minnesota since January.

These numbers are forcing the University of Minnesota Police Department and Minneapolis Police Department to closely monitor activity in the area.

Minneapolis’ Second Precinct, which includes the Southeast Como, Marcy-Holmes and Prospect Park neighborhoods, has seen a 111 percent increase in robberies.

“We’re not happy about it. I can tell you that it’s something we’re working hard to combat,” said MPD Second Precinct Inspector Todd Loining.

Five of these robberies occurred in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood. “It’s what we call a ‘hotspot,’” said MPD Second Precinct spokesperson Nick Juarez. “All the incidents occurred near the University Church of Hope. These are patterned; they occurred during 10 p.m. to midnight.”

Violent crime incidents have remained relatively low in the precinct this year, with just five crimes. The Second Precinct had the lowest total violent crime arrests in the city. The Fourth Precinct held the highest amount of the year to date with 40 crimes, according to Minneapolis Police Department arrest data. It covers the northwest corner of Minneapolis, starting just north of

u See SESSION PREP Page 3

u See ROBBERIES Page 3

MADDY FOX, DAILY

Gophers guard Gadiva Hubbard moves the ball up the court during Minnesota’s game against Michigan.

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STATE GOVT.

At the Capitol, preparations begin ahead of busy session for UMN An hourlong forum Tuesday showed divides in lawmakers’ priorities, including U funding.

BY MICHAEL ACHTERLING machterling@mndaily.com

Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders met Tuesday to preview the upcoming session before its Feb. 20 start date.

The hour-long forum, hosted by the Forum News Service at the Senate Office Building in St. Paul, focused on legislative

A f t e r a n e x h i b i t p ro m p t e d t h e University of Minnesota’s student body president to call for the renaming of Coffman Union, students are beginning to take action.

The Minnesota Student Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee is drafting a resolution, gathering signatures for a petition and planning to present the material at a forum in early March with a goal of renaming the central campus building.

This week, state Rep. Ilhan Omar, DFL-Minneapolis, tweeted out a petition in support of the name change started by Chloe Williams, MSA’s diversity and inclusion committee chair, which more than 1,000 people have signed as of Wednesday afternoon.

The “A Campus Divided” exhibit, which sparked conversations across campus last semester, was on display in Andersen Library from Aug. 14 to Dec. 22 and raised awareness of the University’s history of antiSemitism, racism and housing segregation

priorities and legal conflicts between the executive and legislative branches.

A public works bonding bill was a focus of the discussion, but Dayton and legislative leaders differed on how much should be spent.

“I think $1.5 billion is a very responsible bill,” Dayton said, “and I think, frankly, is inadequate for the scope and the needs of local government and local issues.”

Dayton’s $1.5 billion proposal includes $298 million for the University of Minnesota — $60 million more than the school asked for in its 2018 capital request.

RESEARCH

University’s new study will analyze Minnesota habitats to help local bees The project will start in the summer and span 6-10 counties in outstate Minnesota.

BY KATRINA PROSS kpross@mndaily.com

A new University of Minnesota study will aim to understand what habitats are best for bees by leasing and planting land plots this summer.

Researchers are now reviewing landowner applications as part of the five-year study, which received a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture and $1 million from the Minnesota Legislature.

The study will span six to 10 counties in southwest Minnesota, said researcher Christina Herron-Sweet. The team is sorting through about 150 applications from landowners who want to participate to decide where they will plant the habitats.

The study will run in as many as 40 different sites, one to 15 acres each, said University Bee Lab entomologist Marla Spivak.

In deciding where to plant the habitats, the

team is considering plot size, land accessibility and the shape of the lot, Herron-Sweet said.

“Through this study, we will find out how to put in pollinator habitats for both native and honey bees for the least amount of cost,” she said.

The project will also study ideal plot size, impact of surrounding landscapes and seed mix efficacy, among other topics, said lead researcher Dan Cariveau.

Researchers will plant several pollinator habitats and experiment with two different types of seed mixes to attract the bees. One seed mix will be targeted toward native bees, such as bumble bees, and contain a range of flower species. The second mix will aim to attract honeybees and won’t be as diverse, Herron-Sweet said.

Seed mixes can be very expensive, so the researchers hope to better understand the cost and benefit of each seed mix type.

“We will also do an economic analysis of the costs of the seed mixes, planting and rent to understand the benefit that we are actually getting,” Cariveau said. u See BEES Page 3

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

Researcher Christina Herron-Sweet puts back a set of bees from the researchers’ 2017 field season research at the University of Minnesota Bee Lab.

VOLUME 118 ISSUE 39

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1898 A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor, killing 260 of the American crew members aboard.

Thursday, February 15, 2018 Vol. 118 No. 39

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BEE RESEARCH

NEWS STAFF Nick Wicker Managing Editor nwicker@mndaily.com Cedar Thomas Managing Production Editor cthomas@mndaily.com Jack White Sports Editor jwhite@mndaily.com Gunthar Reising A&E Editor greising@mndaily.com Alex Tuthill-Preus Multimedia Editor atuthill-preus@mndaily.com Maddy Fox Assistant Multimedia Editor mfox@mndaily.com Sheridan Swee Copy Desk Chief sswee@mndaily.com Molly Tynjala Assistant Copy Desk Chief mtynjala@mndaily.com Harry Steffenhagen Visuals Editor hsteffenhagen@mndaily.com Jane Borstad Visuals Editor jborstad@mndaily.com Desmond Kamas Chief Page Designer dkamas@mndaily.com Rilyn Eischens Campus Editor reischens@mndaily.com Olivia Johnson Campus Editor ojohnson@mndaily.com Ryan Faircloth City Editor rfaircloth@mndaily.com David Clarey Features Editor dclarey@mndaily.com =

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EASTON GREEN, DAILY

A Green Metallic Sweat Bee is pulled from a drawer at the University of Minnesota Bee Lab.

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STATE REPORT WELLSTONE ACTION PUSHING OUT SENATOR’S SONS ST. PAUL — A liberal campaign organization dedicated to the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone is pushing out the senator’s two sons over differences in how the organization should run.

Wellstone Action informed David and Mark Wellstone on Wednesday that they would be voted off the governing board in the coming days, following what group leaders described as months of friction. They said the Wellstones have pushed repeatedly to shift focus from training progressive candidates and campaigns to more aggressive issue advocacy following Donald Trump’s election as president.

David Wellstone did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on his ouster. A working phone listing could not be found for Mark Wellstone.

Co-founder and board m em ber J eff Bl odget t , who was Paul Wellstone’s campaign manager, told The Associated Press the “necessary but sad step” of removing the brothers from the board comes after months of tension. He said the brothers have asked that the group no longer use the family name.

“It’s difficult, personally and professionally for us,” Blodgett said.

The Wellstone brothers and Blodgett formed Wellstone Action after Paul Wellstone’s death in a plane crash days before the 2002 election. It has trained more than 90,000 candidates and campaign managers for races ranging from school boards to legislative and congressional offices. The organization’s flagship program is Camp Wellstone, which holds three-day boot camps to train progressive candidates, campaign workers and organizers how to win office and make change.

Rep. Tim Walz, currently running for governor in Minnesota, was a school teacher with a National Guard background when he became one of its first trainees. A long list of alumni includes members of Congress from Illinois and Iowa, state legislators from New Mexico to New HampASSOCIATED PRESS

Owner of Vescio’s restaurant reflects on years in Dinkytown On Sunday, Vescio’s announced it will close its doors this upcoming March.

BY KASSIDY TARALA ktarala@mndaily.com

The Vescio family has served pasta and pizza to Dinkytown residents for more than 60 years.

On Sunday, the familyowned Vescio’s Italian Restaurant announced it would close its doors in March.

The campus staple, owned by the three Vescio brothers, is known for serving generations of University of Minnesota students with Italian cuisine.

“We just decided that

the time has come. We’re ready to leave and spend more time fishing,” owner Frank Vescio said.

Vescio, 75, said he’s ready to enjoy retirement with his brothers. They plan on staying in Minnesota, where they were all born and raised.

“We have more family coming up behind us, but they’re all going to school and don’t want to be in the restaurant business,” he said.

Vescio said the family has been ready to close their restaurant for a while, and were actively looking to sell it.

The new tenant of Vescio’s longtime home will be a Chinese restaurant, ac-

cording to Vescio.

“We’re really hoping to see more local businesses set up shop here. It seems like corporations are really taking over [Dinkytown], so I’m hopeful that more local businesses will come in,” he said.

Vescio said parting with longtime customers and employees will be one of the hardest parts of leaving Dinkytown.

“We’ve had some really good employees work for us, and we’re helping them find jobs in other places,” he said.

Ve s c i o h a s a l r e a d y reached out to local restaurants in search of new positions for his current employees.

“We have more family coming up behind us, but they’re all going to school and don’t want to be in the restaurant business.”

FRANK VESCIO Restaurant owner

“The employees were sad to hear the news, but I think they understand it’s time. Now, hopefully the spot will be the new home for another locally owned business,” Vescio said.

New UMN parental leave policy University groups are advocating for inclusive parental leave reform policy.

BY HELEN SABROWSKI hsabrowski@mndaily.com

Following advocacy from University of Minnesota student and employee groups, a top University committee will vote on a new parental leave policy draft early next month.

Governance committees at the University have pushed for parental leave reform in recent years, voicing concerns over potential inequities in current policy. If approved, any employees who work at least part-time would be eligible for six weeks of paid parental leave in the event of birth, adoption or surrogacy as soon as they begin working for the University.

Under existing policy, only eligible female employees are allowed six weeks of paid parental leave. Other parents, like fathers and adoptive parents, receive two weeks of paid leave.

While employees on fellowships and grants are eligible for leave under exist-

ing parental leave policy, the new proposed policy explicitly states that benefits extend to these employees, aiming to reduce c o n f u s i o n s u r ro u n d i n g parental leave policy, said Scott Lanyon, vice provost and dean of graduate education.

“There’s been a misunderstanding for a while about whether or not graduate students on fellowship and graduate students employed by the University are eligible for the same amount of leave, and we’re clearing that up,” Lanyon said. “There isn’t a difference in leave options between the two.”

Additionally, under the proposed policy, eligible employees will receive benefits as soon as they begin working for the University. Current policy states only those employed at least nine months are eligible, Lanyon said. This made some graduate students ineligible for parental leave, as they frequently change job categories at the University, he said.

“As people switched back and forth between categories of employment, it got messy,” Lanyon said.

“The proposed solution cleans that up by making

people eligible from day one.”

Last year, the University Professional and Administrative Senate passed a resolution that called for six weeks of paid leave for all parents, citing concerns that the policy excluded some employees, said Ian Ringgenberg, chair of the P&A Senate.

“The proposed changes m at ch w e l l w i t h w h at we’ve been putting forward from P&A Senate, especially responding to the experiences of parents in same-sex couples and adoptive parents, who weren’t getting paid time off to support new children in their families,” Ringgenberg said. “It’s a huge step forward for working parents at the University.”

The Council of Graduate Students also voiced concern over the original policy’s gendered language, said COGS Speaker Zach Sheffler.

Instead of using gendered language like mother and father, the policy has been revised to birthing and non-birthing parent, said Sheffler.

The policy will go to the University’s Policy Advisory Committee and then to the March 2 meeting

“It’s a start, and it shows a commitment from the University to support working parents,” Ringgenberg said.

“But it’s still a process that goes in inches and not yards.”

IAN RINGGENBERG Chair of Professional and Administrative Senate

of the President’s Policy Committee, said Kathy Brown, vice president for human resources, in an email. If approved by the committee, the policy will be posted for public comment for 30 days. If no changes or further reviews are required, the policy will be implemented, she said.

“It’s a start, and it shows a commitment from the University to sup port working parents,” Ringgenberg said. “But it’s still a process that goes in inches and not yards.”

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Thursday, February 15, 2018

Plan to rename Coffman Union enters first stages

3

U study will analyze habitats to help bees

JACK RODGERS, DAILY

Students relax outside of Coffman Union on Tuesday, Sept. 19. MSA is working on a resolution to rename the building which will be presented in March.

Coffman u from Page 1

of African-American and Jewish students.

The exhibit highlighted Lotus D. Coffman, former University president, as one of the main campus administrators who helped enforce segregationist policies.

The MSA resolution, which seven student groups are co-sponsoring so far, is only focusing on Coffman because it’s the main student center on campus, said Williams.

Williams said the committee hopes this initiative will set a precedent for other buildings to be renamed later on.

She said the resolution and the name change is an opportunity to educate the University community about its history.

In addition to the renaming, Williams said the resolution and its co-sponsors hope to display information about the building’s history and former President Coffman inside the building.

“Because it is grounded in student work and student support, and this campus is

for students, I think that ... has an impact on how [administration] makes decisions,” Williams said. “Or at least I would hope.”

Following the exhibit’s opening event in September, President Eric Kaler made a statement calling for an advisory committee on University history.

The committee includes Head of the University Archives Erik Moore and University Historian Ann Pflaum, Dietrick said.

The committee, led by College of Liberal Arts Dean John Coleman, is expected to release its initial recommendations in March, with additional recommendations to come in April.

“The committee members and I take our charge very seriously, and we are doing our due diligence to complete this work thoughtfully and with involvement from University stakeholders,” Coleman said in an emailed statement.

The committee will hold forums over the next few weeks to discuss and deliberate possible action, he said in the statement.

Kate Dietrick, the archivist for the Upper Midwest

Jewish Archives housed in Andersen Library, said she’s interested to see where discussions from the exhibit lead.

“The intention going into this was not to rename buildings, but just to uncover the stories,” Dietrick said.

However, whatever the outcome of the exhibit, Dietrick said she’s happy to see an interest in history, research and archives.

“The materials that we have here in the archives tell really compelling stories that impact today,” she said.

Apoorva Malarvannan, a global studies and political science junior, and a member of the Rename Reclaim Subcommittee in MSA, said she heard of similar incidences at other schools, and was surprised to discover the history behind University building names.

“When we put someone’s name on a building, that means that we are, sort of, passively honoring them,” Malarvannan said.

“The question becomes: do we want to honor someone who practiced … policies that explicitly [were] there to exclude black and Jewish students?”

Twin Cities campus area gets spike in robberies since January Robberies u from Page 1

North Loop and Lowry Hill neighborhoods.

Four of the Second Precinct’s five violent crimes in 2018 occurred near the University of Minnesota campus.

Two University students were robbed at gunpoint on Jan. 22 near Marcy Park, and another gunpoint robbery occurred on Jan. 16 after the victim got off a Metro Transit bus on Bedford Street Southeast in Prospect Park. A student was robbed at gunpoint near Target Express in Dinkytown on Feb. 6. That same day, an assault occurred with a dangerous weapon near the University of Minnesota Medical School.

UMPD and MPD have had to balance their responses to crimes that fall out of their jurisdictions, UMPD Police Chief Matt Clark said.

UMPD and MPD dispatchers are in the same computer system, leading to greater surveillance of campus. “We can see where every car is in Minneapolis, and they can see where we are,” Clark said.

The Second Precinct saw a sizable uptick in crime during the first week of February. Between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5, there was a total of 10 robberies. “[The number] is almost unheard of,” Loining said.

“This is by far the worst week I’ve ever seen in terms of robberies.”

Loining said that seven of the 10 robberies were related. The majority of the

robberies were at night and the suspects were described as juvenile males.

There was no trend among the victims who were targeted, Loining said, other than the fact they were walking alone at night.

Most occurred on Tuesday and Thursday between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., he said.

“Two suspects were arrested, and ever since then, the robberies [have] dropped,” he said.

C l a rk s a i d s t u d e n t s should take notice of the uptick in crime and walk in groups at night, or utilize University services like 624-WALK and Gopher Chauffeur.

“Students are as responsible for their safety as we are in public safety,” Clark said.

“We’ve seen them learning over the years.”

Legislators ready for busy session Session prep u from Page 1

President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan and prepare to fund maintenance separately to possibly qualify for additional federal funds.

House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman, DFLBrooklyn Park, said she wants a larger bonding bill now because of low interest rates that could soon rise.

“This is the time for the state to maximize its borrowing and get those projects underway because they are going to be more expensive in the future for two reasons: we know inflation is coming, and we know interest rates are going up,” Hortman said.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, said an $800 million bonding bill would be more fiscally reasonable.

And Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, said he would like to see a bill that is significantly less

than $1 billion, but is open to negotiation.

The Legislature also needs to pass an operating budget.

Legislative leaders have been operating on carryover funding since Dayton utilized his line-item veto on their budget last May. The issue was litigated in the Minnesota Supreme Court in August, with the court ruling in Dayton’s favor in September.

“I want to sign the [legislative budget] bill. I want to put it all behind us. I want to move forward,” Dayton said.

The legislative leaders could not agree to a clean funding bill during the forum, even though Dayton said he prefers one.

Hortman said she wants to be involved in the legislative budget bill process and may use it to revisit “unfinished business” from the end of last session.

“If the Speaker would like to pass that budget with any

DFL votes, we’ll need to have a conversation about what [the bill] looks like,” Hortman said.

Daudt said the best way to move forward is through a clean legislative budget bill without adding amendments for other priorities, which may make the process more difficult.

“Our intent is not to add anything extra into that [budget] bill,” Daudt said.

“Our intent is to send a bill just the way it was.”

A new campus neutrality bill aimed at protecting free speech on college campuses was discussed by Gazelka, Daudt and Hortman during the forum.

“I think if a campus invites someone who is more liberal or more conservative, they should have the right to share their views,” Gazelka said. “The University of Minnesota, I think, does a reasonable job of doing that.”

The Legislature convenes at noon, next Tuesday.

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

A Green Metallic Sweat Bee is shown under the microscope at the University of Minnesota Bee Lab. A new project will research bee pollinator habitats to find which ones bees are more attracted to.

Bees u from Page 1

Cariveau stressed that since the researchers will plant the habitats themselves, they’ll have more control over the environments and better understanding of which factors lead to results. In many other studies, state or federal agencies

are responsible for planting, which makes it difficult for researchers to analyze cause and effect, he said.

“We hope to minimize as much variability as we can,” Cariveau said.

The study will benefit declining bee populations and boost their health by providing the bees with food, which will allow them to be effective pollinators.

The study may also help researchers understand how plantings influence the predators of crop pests.

“Soybean aphids are a crop pest that eat the soybean plant and make it have a lower yield. There are other insects that kill soybean aphids, and it is possible that the pollinator plantings might be good habitat for those insect predators,” Herron-Sweet said.

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Sports

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gophers defeat Michigan at the Barn Basketball u from Page 1

the lead over Michigan (20-8, 9-6) with a basket by guard Gadiva Hubbard. Hubbard’s make spurred the late run that led to the victory.

Later in the fourth quarter, momentum shifted when Hubbard made a steal with 1:27 left in the game, to convert Michigan’s turnover into a six-point lead. Hubbard scored 17 points and finished with seven assists.

The Gophers secured their upset by scoring the most points of any team against Michigan this season. Heading into the game, no team had scored 90 points on the Wolverines.

The Gophers also made defensive plays in the win.

Minnesota only allowed 14 points the fourth quarter, which helped maintain their narrow lead. The team forced Michigan to commit 16 turnovers and they had just five.

Guard Carlie Wagner continuously found a stride

for Minnesota, especially beyond the arc. Wagner had 26 points in the game — first among Minnesota players — and shot 6-11 from 3-point range.

“I was very confident going into the second half,” Wagner said. “It really gets the momentum going when people hit threes.”

The fast pace of the game began right as the game tipped off. The teams exchanged leads before the Gophers closed out the first quarter on a 6-0 run.

Whether it was late in the game or early on, when Michigan looked like it was pulling away, Minnesota came back.

Hubbard made a contribution to the team defensively as well as offensively. She had five steals throughout the game. Guard Kenisha Bell helped out with four steals of her own.

“I know defense at the end is really key”, Hubbard said.

Minnesota looks to make it four consecutive victories when it takes on No. 10 Maryland Sunday.

MADDY FOX, DAILY

Gophers guard Kenisha Bell moves the ball up the court during Minnesota’s game against Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 14. at Williams Arena.

SOFTBALL

MEN’S HOCKEY

Amber Fiser starts sophomore season undefeated for Minnesota Fiser has started 3-0 and the team went 5-0 to start the 2018 campaign.

BY DREW COVE dcove@mndaily.com

MAX OSTENSO, DAILY

Junior forward Darian Romanko chases after Michigan forward Quinn Hughes during a game at 3M at Mariucci Arena on Jan. 12.

Ramsey, Romanko help Gophers on penalty kill The Gophers kill is ranked 15th in the nation, allowing only 21 goals so far.

BY DREW COVE dcove@mndaily.com The defensive ability of the Gophers has been a point of emphasis this season.

The defensive-minded forwards, Darian Romanko and Jack Ramsey, have four regular season games left this season to make an impact.

“Romo and Ramsey, they play together, they kill penalties together,” head coach Don Lucia said.

“They don’t get a lot of the limelight, but that’s one of the reasons why, late in the game, they were on the 5-on-3.”

The Gophers penalty kill has been one of the top units in the country this season, with help from the two forwards. The penalty kill is ranked 15th in the nation, as they have kept over 83 percent of the opposing power plays scoreless.

The Gophers have historically relied on offense to win games; until this season, that has been the story for Ramsey and Romanko’s career. In their fres h m an s eas on , M innesota ranked 11th in the nation and in their sophomore season the Gophers ranked fifth in the nation in team offense.

This season, Minnesota ranks 38th in total offense, in the bottom half of teams.

With the lack of offense, Minnesota’s most defensive-minded forwards have kept up their development of shutting down other teams’ offenses.

MEN’S HOCKEY PREVIEW

VS NO. 10 MINNESOTA WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday/4 p.m. Saturday

NO. 6 OHIO STATE WHERE: 3M Arena at Mariucci SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

“I feel like I’m starting to work a little bit better with Jack,” Romanko said.

“It’s just that awareness we have with each other on the ice.”

Romanko said that, with Minnesota’s offensive struggles, the team has had to take on a more defensive style of play. He said that that’s the way he played in juniors and that he is used to the style that the Gophers have been forced to play, with a lack of offense.

Now with Minnesota, Romanko hasn’t been the offensive star, but instead a stalwart of the Gophers defensive structure. Romanko made an impact on the offense when he scored the game-winning goal in Minnesota’s victory over St. Cloud State this season.

“That was definitely up near the top [of my best hockey moments],” Romanko said. “That game against St. Cloud, getting the game winner against the No. 1 team, that’s definitely a big moment.”

Besides his increase in offensive production this season, Romanko is back with Ramsey after the two players started the season on different lines.

The two forwards are on the penalty kill together and, as other lines were shifted around in recent weeks to find more scoring, the “trench line” stayed in-

tact. The forward duo got the nickname “trench line” from their gritty style of play, keeping pucks to the wall and playing primarily in the “dirty areas,” Romanko said.

“We take pride in being 100 percent on the [penalty kill],” Ramsey said. “I think coach has instilled his trust in us going out against top lines [for] the other team.”

Romanko and Ramsey have been playing together for three seasons and, thanks to Lucia’s trust in the two, they have gotten more playing time, including time on the power play in the last game against Wisconsin.

The two will be counted on in the coming weekends with Minnesota’s regular season dwindling to an end, especially against two offenses that are in the top15 in the nation with Penn State and Ohio State.

“They do have that firepower,” Romanko said. “I feel like it’s going to be a good test.”

“That was definitely up near the top [of my best hockey moments.”

DARIAN ROMANKO Forward

Amber Fiser could find herself as one of the Gophers top pitchers this season.

Before No. 14 Minnesota takes on its toughest opponents yet — Notre Dame and No. 8 Florida State at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge this weekend — Fiser made the case to pitch for Minnesota more often.

The sophomore pitcher started her season 3-0 for the Gophers in their first weekend of play and played in four of the five games on the undefeated weekend for Minnesota.

“I feel pretty comfortable,” Fiser said. “I see improvement not only in my team, but in myself. I have a lot more confidence and I know I’ve got to go out there and do my job.”

She pitched one shutout in the three starts and recorded her first collegiate save in the first game of the season. She got a career-best 10 strikeouts in the game against Creighton on Sunday.

Fiser is ready to lead the Gophers in pitching, and she is the longest-tenured pitcher on the roster as a sophomore.

“Fiser has the ability to do a lot of really good things based off her skill set,” head coach Jamie Trachsel said. “She’s going to get her opportunities [and] she’s going to continue to get better.”

Trachsel said before the season that the team was al-

CARTER JONES, DAILY

Sophomore Amber Fiser pitches against Northwestern on Saturday, April 15, 2017 at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.

ready a strong offensive and pitching team, and a lot of that can be attributed to Fiser.

In her freshman year at Minnesota, Fiser started 18 games and went 14-0. She had 83 strikeouts and a 1.68 earned run average. Now, five games into the season, Fiser has played in four games, started 3-0 and has one save under her belt.

Fiser said Iowa, the Big Ten team in her homestate, did not offer her out of high school.

“Minnesota was the first school that the coach had actually called and talked to me, so I knew [there was] something special about them,” Fiser said.

“I talked to them, I came up here for a visit and fell in love with everything.”

Fiser joined the Gophers in time for the best season in terms of victories for the program. She earned a start on the final day of Minnesota’s season last year in the NCAA regional against Louisiana Tech.

She pitched the first five innings of the game and al-

lowed one run. She eventually came out of the game for former pitcher Sara Groenewegen to pitch the rest.

Fiser said Groenewegen showed her how to be fearless.

She said the confidence and effort that Groenewegen exuded gave Fiser the help she needed to get through every pitch.

Outfielder Maddie Houlihan said she knows Fiser puts her best effort forth.

“I’ve seen such an improvement in her pitching and just in her confidence,” Houlihan said.

“She thinks that she deserves to be out there.”

Though Fiser is the only returning pitcher on the team, she is tied with junior and LSU-transfer Sydney Smith for collegiate experience. The Gophers have two freshmen pitchers to cultivate, in addition to Smith and Fiser. With two opponents this upcoming weekend, pitching will be key.

“She has the ability to do great things,” Trachsel said.

“She’s got a great test ahead of her and our defense will be behind her to support her.”

5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

CULTURE to CONSUME

By Haley Bennett

Watch this: “100 Years of Olympic Films”

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

MOVIES

Review: ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ just sucks.

It really does.

We’re going art school on you.

This month, the Criterion Collection released a collection of Olympic films, from 1912–2012, by artists from Germany (Leni Riefenstahl), Argentina (Carlos Saura) and Czechoslovakia (Milos Forman). For their breathtaking camerawork and the feats they film, we recommend this collection for any fan of cinema or sport.

Put this on your face: SheaMoisture African Black Soap Clarifying Mud Mask We’re four weeks into the semester. If you’ve fended off breakouts so far, your skin is stronger than mine. For those who need to soothe some sore skin, though, I recommend this oil eliminator.

Plus, doing a mask reminds you to sit and breathe for 10 minutes, something we all need.

Listen to this: “Black Panther” soundtrack If you were looking for a set list for your next party, you’ve found it. This week’s release of “Black Panther” poses a potential revival for the Avengers franchise (admit it, they’ve gone stale). The Marvel team enlisted Kendrick Lamar to curate and produce the movie’s soundtrack, which was a good move — if anyone knows cool, it’s Kendrick.

CULTURE COMPASS

By Haley Bennett

Friday The Cafe Meow Grand Opening The much-purred-about cat cafe fad has hit Minneapolis. The trend started in Japan more than 10 years ago, but it has taken until now to hit the Midwestern tundra.

Catch the fuzzy opening this weekend near Uptown.

Where 2323 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN Hours 9 A.M. Cost $10 for a visit to the cat room

Saturday Planet of the Apes (1968) It’s the 50th anniversary of the original Planet of the Apes, complete with a young and barechested Charlton Heston. Catch it before the Parkway Theater closes for good!

Where 4814 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN Hours 8 P.M. Cost $5–$10

Sunday Double Lover If you were deeply dissatisfied with “Fifty Shades Freed” (we were), take this thriller for a spin — it plays on our Freud-based paranoia that all our psychoanalysts are just as screwy as us. Might not make the safest Valentine’s date, though.

Where St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 Main St. SE, Minneapolis, MN Hours 1:20 P.M., 9:40 P.M. Cost $6 with student I.D.

RADIO K TOP 7 1. CAROLINE ROSE, Soul No. 5 2. DREAM WIFE, Somebody 3. THE HAPPY CHILDREN, Long Jon Silver 4. PORCHES, Find Me 5. BROCKHAMPTON, Swamp 6. DJANGO DJANGO, Tic Tac Toe 7. MARMOZETS, Play

DOANE GREGORY / UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

We would’ve loved less drama and more dirt. Here is A&E’s dual review of the unsexiest thing on celluloid.

BY SOPHIA VILENSKY svilensky@mndaily.com

I

was, at one point, intrigued by the Fifty Shades trilogy.

I read the books (on a Kindle so as not to worry my mom), and giggled through the first movie with my girlfriends. I’ve listened to the soundtracks (the Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift duet “I Don’t Want to Live Forever” is a highlight), and felt Dakota Johnson was an excellent choice to play main character Anastasia Steele.

I still do.

But when I sit through a movie like this, I want what’s advertised. Beautiful lingerie, frivolity and bad pop culture references.

Instead, I got almost two hours of jumping from one — either hyper or less-than-desired — dramatic scenario to another.

A peek at a Tiffany Charm bracelet without a backstory for the baubles, a semi-thought-out kidnapping and sticky-in-a-badway Ben and Jerry’s foreplay.

Unfinished conflicts and toorosy tiffs.

Almost six years after the film’s namesake book was released, I have to ask: who was this movie for?

Because the tweens that secretly read it also began reading Rupi Kaur and can see that main-man Christian Grey is kind of a creep.

And is there any way that the sexually unsatisfied older readers have held on for this long?

I saw the film on opening night, and the ticket line was packed. However, the patrons were mostly parents with kids there for “Peter Rabbit.” Besides a couple of GNO groups, singles scattered the theater. Singles … and a couple sharing a large popcorn and soda. I didn’t hear them say a word to each other.

When the film started, I knew. It was just a bad movie.

But what can you do if fans demand you stick to the book?

The grayness of the story’s setting, Seattle, is sexier on the page. The grayness of Grey is worrisome in today’s — hopefully more — consensual landscape.

And for a movie that focuses on sex, there’s really not much of it. Save for the first few scenes and random sprinklings in the middle.

We get poor Dakota Johnson stuck, acting naked in a walk-in rainshower. Her curls get bouncier with every scene, but nothing else changes.

I guess no matter how likable Johnson is, no one can get away with the line “boobs in boobland.” Except maybe Megan from Drake and Josh.

And that would be a different kind of movie altogether.

Grade: D

BY HALEY BENNETT hbennett@mndaily.com

T

he worst thing about “Fifty Shades Freed” isn’t that it reinforces constrictive gender norms.

It’s that it’s boring.

Imagine if Logan Huntzberger stayed with Rory and wanted to give her a thorough spanking. There, you’ve got the gist of the trilogy.

For all the times the word “erotica” has been applied to this trilogy, there isn’t much that’s strictly erotic about “Fifty Shades Freed.” The thrill of the books is that they are porn with a complicated backstory.

Artlessness of the writing aside, this bold-faced approach to sex is the strength of the novels.

With the limitations of filming this series, however, much of the sexual charge gets shorted. Add assault and kidnapping into the plot, and you get some pretty mixed messages about what’s okay when it comes to sex and entertainment.

It’s all happening in the movie, so it begins not to matter what’s role-play for the characters and what’s nonconsensual. In the book, the appeal is the blurred lines, but it’s clearly relegated to the realm of fantasy.

With her wide eyes, power bangs and raspy drawl, Dakota Johnson reminds us very much of another mousy heroine, an aspiring writer who stumbles into the lap of a rich boy only to spend hours on-screen stumbling

between his money and her own will. Given the cliche she had to turn into a character, Johnson does put impressive effort into the role.

Christian, meanwhile, is repulsive. He spends the movie trying to make Anastasia’s story revolve around himself, and Jamie Dornan doesn’t have the charisma to make it sexy.

Their dom/sub dynamic is believable. Besides the Fitzgerald level of luxe that the characters live in, their on-screen relationship really isn’t that twisted.

The movie serialization of the “Fifty Shades” trilogy tries to link romance, drama and a little bit of action to BDSM with rose-colored handcuffs. It’s awkward. It’d be much more fun as an unadulterated porno.

Nobody actually cares about Christian Grey’s feelings, which makes watching Anastasia and their friends observing him mournfully cover Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” that much more painful. Maybe we’re all amazed at how much watching this movie is like eating Snack Pack Tapioca pudding.

This franchise makes one thing clear: it’s not 2008 anymore. For the sake of healthy relationships and good cinema, it’s time to let “Gossip Girl,” “Twilight” and their cloying spawn die.

Grade: F

FASHION

‘Project Runway’ alumna returns to the Twin Cities Samantha Rei carved out her niche in the Twin Cities fashion scene by elevating femininity, narrative and youth.

BY MADDY FOLSTEIN mfolstein@mndaily.com

A

fter facing the critical eyes of Heidi Klum and Nina Garcia on season 16 of “Project Runway,” Minneapolis native Samantha Rei is staying busy in the Twin Cities — her still life collection entitled Vanitas opened yesterday and her collaborative photo series “Harmonic Convergence” opened on Saturday.

The creative instincts and refined skill set that Rei developed in her Twin Cities training helped to carry her through the well-known fashion competition. “[‘Project Runway’] was fun.

Parts of it were not as hard as I thought they would be,” Rei said. “I’m fast. I’m a fast designer, and I can make patterns really quickly. … I thought I would be more nervous on the spot … but I just ignored the cameras after a day.”

As for crowd-favorite Tim Gunn? Rei says he’s just as nice as you hope he is: “He kind of reminded me … of one of my two favorite teachers in fashion school … and also my dad.”

A longtime illustrator, Rei

first found her inspiration in the fashion shows that come on after Saturday morning cartoons.

“I always wanted to be an illustrator … and I got really intrigued by watching fashion shows,” Rei said. “I think it was the fact that fashion could be art. My mom has been sewing since she was four years old …

I thought it was amazing that we wouldn’t have something, and then the next morning, there’d be something new at the foot of the bed.”

In her collaborative photo series featuring Rei’s designs, Rei worked with local fashion photographer Alex Butterfield to create “Harmonic Convergence.”

For Butterfield, this experimentation was a natural reaction to Rei’s expressive designs.

“These types of projects are really nice when the designer has a really fleshed out story. … It’s a jumping point for me to apply what I’m doing,” Butterfield said. “[Samantha’s] work always has a good fashion story to it. ... There’s a really good narrative, and the looks are interesting — that’s what attracts me.”

Ashley Hay, a local graphic designer, also collaborated with Rei to create a set of “geek chic” enamel pins.

“We like to call it this kind of geek covert fashion for everybody — the working adult, whether it’s patterns, pins, accessories. We’re starting with pins … but we do plan to create more things that people can use to integrate this nerdy stuff … but also still be business formal if they want,” Hay said.

Conversation and ideas flow naturally between the two friends, despite coming from different design backgrounds.

“We’ll just start sketching ideas. She’s a great collaborator for me. She and I think similarly, and we know what we like to sell and what we think is missing from our niche markets,” Hay said. “We usually end up laughing … and saying ‘oh my god, yes that’s perfect’ a lot.”

Rei’s practical talents as a designer are unmatched, which her collaborators pick up on early in their work together.

“I was at her house … and she was working on this last minute dress,” said Megan Bishop, a designer who has

WILL TOOKE, DAILY

Local fashion designer Samantha Rei works in her studio on Monday, Feb. 12. Rei was a competitor on Season 16 of ‘Project Runway.’

collaborated with Rei to develop accessories like harnesses and headpieces. “She was just like, ‘give me a second,’ and she went into the other room. She came back, and she had draped a perfect asymmetrical sleeve and sewed it in 15 minutes … I was like, ‘you are incredible.’

Her skills just blow me away.

She’s so good at her job.”

Whether her designs are captured on film or worn by customers, Rei finds a way to highlight the confidence of the wearer in the joy of a wellfitting garment. “[Her designs] … always fit you like a glove, and she knows how to tailor

specifically to your body type,” Hay said. “It is commentinducing. People always say, ‘oh my god, I love this piece of what you’re wearing’ or ‘where did you get that?’ ...

She gets the body, and people always have something to say.”

And that’s exactly how Rei wants her customers to feel — confident and sure of themselves.

“I don’t want my clothes to make somebody feel good about themselves because they’re wearing them … It’s more of an accentuation of how I want them to already feel about themselves,” Rei said.

6 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions EDITORIAL

COLUMN

Campus conservatives are fed up The PROSPER Act personifies the political tension that exists on college campuses.

R

ight now, the U.S. House of Representatives is working on a rewrite of the higher education bill.

Despite still being in the works, the bill has drawn some heated criticism.

However, it continues ELLEN SCHNEIDER to be backed by many columnist Republicans. The bill will affect college students and their campuses in a number of ways: not only are students expected to lose roughly $15 billion in federal aid, but it also rescinds safeguards meant to protect students from scam universities, not unlike Trump University.

While these aspects of the bill should not be understated, the rest of it will also alter campus life dramatically. It is essentially a laundry list for the conservative social agenda. The bill includes provisions that will allow religious colleges to bar same sex relationships and allow religious student groups to block people from joining who don’t share their faith. It will also give controver-

sial speakers more leverage to visit campuses.

While I don’t consider myself a conservative, I still find it enormously important to be exposed to opinions that are different from my own. There is ineffable value to understanding attitudes that you dislike.

These provisions are a pushback from the conservative community, who feel their rights, including the freedoms of assembly, speech and religion are being trampled by a liberal agenda.

Conservatives feel that the cause for political correctness is jeopardizing these basic rights, and that they are being largely marginalized as a group. And they aren’t far off.

College campuses have represented a direct reflection of liberal values in recent years, and in turn, universities have somewhat disregarded their conservative student body. We will only continue to further polarize and diminish the opinions of those we disagree with if we continue down this path.

We can reach a middle ground, in which same sex couples don’t lose their rights and conservatives can openly voice their opinions. Universities are meant to be institutions that foster openminded discussion and debate.

What this University can do to repair this division on campus is to not treat student groups of contradicting political ideologies differently.

As reported by the Daily, the University denies

that it attempts to suppress conservative rhetoric. However, Madison Dibble, the president of Students for a Conservative Voice at the University, said that university officials make it easier for liberal students to get speakers on campus.

She argues that there is an “entirely different process” for conservatives.

Dibble is specifically concerned about Ben Shapiro’s planned speech on campus Feb. 26.

Many students feel that Shapiro is being treated differently than most liberal speakers coming on campus in that he is being banished to St. Paul campus . While I’m unsure of the legitimacy of these claims, and am not a fan of Shapiro’s, I am in full support of his speech on this campus.

Many other students don’t think Shapiro should be allowed here because he spreads hate speech. While Shapiro’s views are undoubtedly extreme, controversial and often pointed, we cannot delegitimize viewpoints simply because we disagree with them. We need to challenge our own opinions, ideologies and beliefs, otherwise it is all too easy to fall into blind extremism.

The University should be doing more in and outside of classrooms to encourage and promote difficult and sensitive conversations. Otherwise, it fails us.

Ellen Schneider welcomes comments at eschneider@mndaily.com.

Robert Mcgrady welcomes comments at rmcgrady@mndaily.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

COLUMN

Ben Shapiro’s views are worthy of widespread moral condemnation

Please move the Lind Hall piano

Bobby Hahn does something remarkable in his Feb. 12 letter to the editor of the Minnesota Daily. He asks whether it makes sense for University of Minnesota students to protest Ben Shapiro’s Feb. 26 visit to campus without actually mentioning the substance of Shapiro’s views. The omission is particularly galling given Hahn’s advice for concerned students like myself: “Draw [conclusions] by listening to Shapiro firsthand. Make sure you have evidence to leverage any accusations. Consider that civil discourse may convince others more effectively.”

I don’t know whether Ben Shapiro is a white supremacist, but his inability to empathize with the pain and suffering of black and brown people has been well-documented. Let’s start, as Current Affairs Magazine does, with Shapiro’s surprisingly little-known hatred of Arabs. Shapiro once said “Israelis like to build. Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage.” In Shapiro’s eyes, “the Palestinian Arab population is rotten to the core” – a disgustingly heinous and demonstrably false belief that seems to comport nicely with the textbook definition of racism. If you don’t believe me, swap out the word ‘Arabs’ for ‘Jews,’ ‘blacks,’ or any other group of people who are routinely subject to gross generalizations about their culture or entire way of life.

Actually, there’s no need for you to even do that because Shapiro has already done it for us. And his favorite target for condescending lectures about personal responsibility is black people. To Shapiro, blacks’ individual choices are to blame for everything wrong with our lives. It’s “our culture” he says — the ways we move, the ways we dance, the ways we respond to injustice — that causes African Americans in this country to be worse off on virtually all major objective measures of well-being than the average American. As far as Shapiro is concerned, the plight of black America isn’t enduring social inequalities as a result of state-sponsored segregation, but “the culture of single-motherhood [that] breeds violence.”

Shapiro’s arguments defy logic, common sense and mounds of anthropological research.

Though they are old, his views about blacks remain as dangerous as they are dehumanizing because they’ve become the rhetorical Trojan horse through which white supremacy has reentered the political mainstream. Assuming, then, that the inherent worth of my existence is not — and should never again be — up for public debate, what is the point of listening to a racist give a talk about nonsense?

I will not be among the UMN students protesting Shapiro’s appearance later this month even though his views are worthy of widespread moral condemnation. I’ll be leading an anti-racist teach-in instead for those of us curious and convinced of the imperative of racial justice.

Perhaps Mr. Hahn will join us there.

This letter has been lightly edited for clarity and style.

Noël Gordon Jr. is a graduate student dual enrolled in the Carlson School of Management and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

It’s good that students play the piano, but it’s bad that there’s one in the library.

M

usic is a noble passion, and playing piano in particular is a wonderful pursuit. Music is said to heal as many people as medicine does, and the piano is one of the most versatile and expressive UMA VENKATA instruments at our discolumnist posal. It’s a wonderful thing to practice.

But does it really have to be in Lind Hall?

Just 30 feet north, a library full of students is trying to study, and on all sides of the piano, there are student offices. When you’re trying to study at 11 p.m., it’s hard to focus through the night’s 14th recital of Heart and Soul. It’s not any easier at 11 a.m., either.

Clearly, students at the University want a free and accessible place to practice or just to putter around. Either way, it’s a healthy and reliable method to relieve stress that teaches our minds more than Netflix does. A lot of us played the piano in our youth and miss it, and even more of us just find it fun. Unfortunately, though, practice pianos on campus are a little hard-to-reach. Freshmen in dorms can duke it out for the building’s only practice room, but beyond that, the University’s only remaining options are paid practice rooms in Ferguson or the public pianos in Coffman or Lind Hall.

In Ferguson, practice rooms are cheaper for students in a music major or enrolled in a music class than for those who are not. For the music majors, the ten-hour punch card (“hourly”) for piano practice is $25 and the semester and summer pass is $65. For

students who are not music majors, but are enrolled in a music class, the hourly is $65 and the semester pass is $115, and it increases for summers. For non-music-major, non-musicclass students, an hourly card is $115 and the pass for the semester or summer is $255.

The music department requires these fees for facility upkeep, to tune and repair the instruments, to pay those who monitor it around the clock and other expenditures.

But unfortunately, with those kinds of fees to compete with our rents and weekends, it’s not a surprise that the Ferguson practice rooms are far off the beaten path — not to mention that they’re also all the way on West Bank.

The remaining options, especially if you’re not a dorm resident, are the two public pianos.

A University of our purchasing power could do with a few more, even low-quality, free-topractice pianos.

The Coffman piano has something of a following. Lots of people play there — many of them are quite accomplished — while students have a grand old time getting their work done in the immediate area. This is all fine and well because, while students do work there, Coffman is not a library. There is no expectation of a library’s quietude and focus. On the other hand, Lind Hall’s Taylor Center is a hub especially for students of science and engineering who walk in with no expectation of public music.

The Lind piano, painted maroon and gold, bears the melody of the school song — it’s a darling piano, right up there with Coffman’s Goldy statue for photo ops. But please, to all the non-pass-holding pianists, keep in mind your fellow students when you play it. I’m glad there’s a free piano to practice with, but a library seems like an oxymoronic place to put it. What about the Rec? Uma Venkata welcomes comments at uvenkata@mndaily.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR I was embarrassed to be on Scholars Walk

It’s odd to be punished by having something taken away that you never wanted in the first place, like when my mother sent me to my room for being sassy. I loved my room, all my books were there, I had no interest in going outdoors. And that’s how I feel about being removed from the Scholars Walk at the University because I’ve been accused of “inappropriate behavior”

by Minnesota Public Radio. I looked at the Scholars Walk once and was embarrassed to be in it.

I’m a writer, not a scholar, and writers don’t need plaques: we write books and if you wish you can read one, good luck and God bless. I wrote a slew of novels, essays, poems, have a collection of limericks on the

way and am at work on a novella, “Inappropriate Behavior.” As for the accusation, it is very far from the truth: what I am guilty of was friendship, not harassment. I believe I know the difference. As for the University, I wish you all a long and happy and productive life, and if you have that, plaques don’t matter. Go to your room. Do your work.

Editor’s note: Garrison Keillor submitted this letter to the editor shortly after the Daily ran a story that his plaque was replaced on Scholars Walk.

Keillor is a former Minnesota Public Radio personality who was fired from the station in 2017 after being accused of inappropriate behavior. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1966.

Student group endorsement processes matter

W

ith the Minnesota Student Association and various other student governments on campus holding elections in the next month, it’s likely that many student groups will be faced with the decision to endorse a candidate. Student group endorsements are vital to the election process, a principle conduit for student engagement on the campus community, and provide avenues for students of variable interests to engage with their peers. As a consequence, student group endorsements, especially the student groups that represent an important component to the campus, should not be taken lightly.

We believe that student groups ought to follow a methodological and rigorous process to identify the candidate that best aligns with their values. This rigorous process should involve a discussion with the entire student body of the group, and not simply the one or two few leaders that are on the student board. This is important, because after all, the student group represents the opinion of the entire organization with their endorsement. Ensuring that the integrity of the process is maintained will help increase the strength and the weight of the nomination, and we believe that this should be the main objective of any group seeking to endorse.

Our Board plans to undergo this process ourselves. We recently reached out to all the candidates, and will be meeting with them in the upcoming weeks. During these interviews, we will ask challenging questions that test the candidates’ knowledge about the University campus, as well as their plans to improve it for the future. From these interviews and the platforms of the candidates, we intend to endorse a candidate that we believe will best achieve our vision for what direction the campus will be heading.

Too often, student group leaders will rely on personal friendships and individual networks to endorse candidates. While networks do matter, we believe that familiarity should not be the highest weighted parameter in determining whether the candidate is deserving of their vote. It should be based on the merits of their platform, their plan for executing their campaign promises, the pragmatism shown on student issues and an alignment with group values.

Some might argue that endorsements are usually sought after by candidates. In conversation with some student group leaders, some argued that they provided the endorsement to whichever candidate approached them first, taking the time and effort to meet with them and provide them a concrete presentation of campaign ideas. This thought process subverts the responsibility of the student group leaders in the election process. If the student body is not run effectively and appropriately, it has a direct impact on student groups and their ability to advocate for the students at the University of Minnesota. Student groups cannot absolve themselves of the responsibility to engage in the election process.

For this reason, we believe that student groups interested in endorsing candidates should reach out to all candidates and meet with them, asking challenging questions that interrogate their plans to make our University better. Through a more meticulous process, the value and impact of a student group endorsement will increase.

SEX ASSAULT

Among female victims of partner violence who filed a protective order, 68% reported they were raped by their intimate partner and 20% reported a rape-related pregnancy.

SOURCE: CDC

CONTACT THE EDITOR Anant Naik anaik@mndaily.com EDITORIALS & OPINIONS DEPARTMENT Editorials represent the voice of the Minnesota Daily as an institution and are prepared by the editorial board.

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.

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7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

HOROSCOPES Today’s Birthday (2/15): Your professional talents earn profit and respect this year. Advance planning pays fine dividends. Confidence fuels your performance this spring. A powerful surge energizing health and fitness this summer inspires personal reflection and redirection before romance sweeps you off your feet. Follow love.

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

Written by Nancy Black

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is a 9 — Begin a transformative phase in friendship, social networks and community, with this New Moon Solar Eclipse.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is an 8 — This New Moon Eclipse in Aquarius sparks a family, fun and passion phase. A romantic relationship transforms. It’s all for love and love for all.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 7 — Complete old projects and begin a new professional phase, with this New Moon Eclipse in Aquarius.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is an 8 — A new domestic phase arises with this Aquarius Solar Eclipse. Wrap your love around home and family. Create something wonderful together.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 7 — Open a new door for education, travels and exploration, with this Aquarius Eclipse. Discover new possibilities. Study with a master.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 9 — Miracles and breakthroughs arise in conversation under this Aquarius New Moon Eclipse. Adapt communications to a new story.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is a 9 — A lucrative phase dawns under this Aquarius New Moon Eclipse. Find creative ways to grow your family’s nest egg. Launch a profitable initiative together.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 9 — Surpass old limitations and barriers in your relationship with money, with this Eclipse. Step into new levels of prosperity.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is an 8 — Collaboration blooms anew. Begin a new direction in partnership under this Aquarius Solar Eclipse.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 9 — A new personal phase dawns with this New Moon Solar Eclipse in your sign. Take charge. Develop your talents, capacities and skills to new levels.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — Embrace healthy lifestyle practices with this New Moon Eclipse. Nurture yourself before caring for others.

New energy floods your work, health and vitality.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 7 — Insights, breakthroughs and revelations sparkle under this Aquarius New Moon Eclipse. Discover something about the past.

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FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 15, 2018

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle CROSSWORD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Día de San Valentín flowers 6 California’s __ Gabriel Mountains 9 Construction rod 14 Remove from the bulletin board 15 Blood type letters 16 Like 36 piano keys, traditionally 17 Lewis with 12 Emmys 18 “That ’70s Show” exchange student whose nationality isn’t revealed 19 Lessen 20 *Beer hall snacks 23 Surf and turf, say 24 NASA vehicle 25 Tempe sch.

28 Time for action 29 *Deli snacks 33 Actress Neuwirth with Tonys and Emmys 34 Slim craft 35 *Bakery snacks 41 “Tempt not a desperate man” speaker 42 Pretty good 43 *Diner snacks 46 California wine valley 50 Favorite 51 One of three rhyming mos.

52 Pavement cloppers 54 Component of balanced health ... and what each answer to a starred clue looks like it should be part of?

57 Lose one’s cool in a big way 60 Murmur 61 Lift with force 62 Car or tree feature 63 Tote 64 Film with lots of shooting stars?

65 Ships 66 Stat for Clayton Kershaw

2/15/18

By Elliot M. Abrams

67 Flexible Flyers, e.g.

DOWN 1 Blitzed, in football 2 In stock 3 Peloponnesian War victor 4 Put on the line?

5 Wading bird 6 No-risk 7 Help with an inside job, say 8 Gas pump part 9 Genuine article 10 Flows out 11 Feathery wrap 12 House pest 13 Bread with caraway seeds 21 Insurgent 22 Charged fish?

25 Indigenous Japanese 26 Notice 27 Multi-tools have many 30 Old hoops org.

31 Board 32 Solo with a Wookiee co-pilot 33 Nowheresville, with “the” 35 Cut closely

Last Issue’s Puzzle Wednesday’s PuzzleSolved Solved

©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

36 Sharpen 37 Skip over 38 Board bigwig 39 Heart test letters 40 Broth that’s the base of miso soup 44 Cath. or Prot.

45 Christmas eave decor 46 “The agreement is off” 47 Take wing

2/15/18

48 Rather put out 49 Starlike flowers 53 Figure-eight steps, in an Argentine tango 54 Posterior 55 Acidic 56 Draped garment 57 FG’s three 58 Exist 59 Many a “Call the Midwife” character

Dear Dr. Date, I’m just going to put it out there, because I’m 21 and I’ve never even considered something like this before. I work as a server at a nice restaurant in Uptown, and this weekend a beautiful couple in their 30s came in for brunch. They ordered mimosas with blood orange juice instead of regular orange juice. It was the classiest thing I’ve ever seen.

I s e r ve d t h e m , a n d w h e n I brought them their check, they handed me a little piece of paper.

On one side was a phone number.

On the other, they’d written an offer like none other. They ‘cordially invited’ me to an, ah, a ‘group pleasure event’ at their mansion on the north side of Lake Harriet next week. They wrote that they liked my look, and that I could bring a friend if I wanted.

Now that the of fer is on the checkered tablecloth, and I’m definitely interested, my question is pretty simple: What the hell should I do?

Sincerely, Naked Brunch Dear Naked Brunch, Duuuuuude.

Dude.

Lucky you. I think. They could always be serial killers or sex traffickers, so you should probably treat this like a Craigslist deal and tell your roommate which door to kick down if you’re not back in X amount of time. Actually, get full names and find them on Facebook first. You don’t need blackmail material, but you need real identities.

If they’re legit about their business, they’ll understand this completely.

The “bring a friend” thing is a promising sign. So is the fact that they live nearby. Assuming this is all going down within the bounds of legality (or at least in the gray areas, because I’m not sure what the law has to say about group sex), and you’re curious enough to give it a shot, this could be your only chance to do it with people who sound like they know what’s up.

But for the love of intercourse, take precautionary measures in all of this. Please and thank you.

-Dr. Date

Dear Dr. Date, I like this boy who’s just not my type. He’s jock-ish and rude. All he does is drink. He still wears Abercrombie, like the sweatshirts with the giant moose A&F circa 2003. I think he might have even been in a frat at one point.

But I’ve known him all year, and every time my phone lights up with a text from him, my heart jumps a little. I know this is a stupid crush to have, as my best friend reminded me a dozen times. But I’ve got this Taylor Swift-y complex that I need to get out of my system, crushing on boys that wouldn’t have noticed me in high school. (I figured out what to do with my long, thick brown hair and curvy thighs after high school ended.) How do I navigate this with, like Cardi B and Bruno Mars say, finesse?

Sincerely, InFratuated Dear InFratuated, It’s good that you see this as infatuation rather than relationship potential, because all else aside, REALLY?! He still wears THOSE sweatshirts?

Assuming he’s built or something, flir t away, but keep your head in this before your heart. He doesn’t sound like the brightest bulb. Remember, not only does A&F belong in the now-distant past, so does Taylor Swift’s whack desire to relive high school as Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen at the same time. Keep that stuff out of college.

-Dr. Date Dear Dr. Date, All I did on Valentine’s Day was listen to Joy Division and eat ramen. Make me feel better.

From, I suck at this Hey, I suck at this, Don’t worry.

I give advice. Think I know how to take it, though?

No. Me too, except it was The Smiths.

-Dr. Date Want advice from the love doctor?

Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com

8

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Como sees new businesses, more traffic As new businesses move into the area, the neighborhood sees more visitors.

BY KASSIDY TARALA ktarala@mndaily.com

Southeast Como residents have noticed a spike in neighborhood traffic with the arrival of new businesses.

While longtime favorites like Black Coffee and Waffle Bar and Manning’s continue to serve residents, new restaurants like Blue Door Pub and Ramen Kazama are quickly piling in.

Southeast Como Improvement Association Executive Director Cody Olson said the neighborhood has seen more investment with the addition of new business and housing developments.

“We’ve seen a renewed interest in the area, especially after the CPM apartments and new retail like Blue Door Pub came in,” he said.

Olson said there has been renewed interest in other areas of Como, too.

The Bunge Tower is being considered for a potential new apartment building, an old neighborhood church could be renovated into an arts center and a trucking company is planning to move into one of the neighborhood’s industrial spaces.

“We’ve seen a lot of positive changes in the area since Blue Door moved in.

It seems to be pretty wellliked by customers, and homeowners and student renters also seem pleased with it,” Olson said.

Though Blue Door Pub brings more visitors to the neighborhood, Olson said they’ve received no complaints about the traffic

or noise.

Blue Door Pub Assistant General Manager Sarah Scott said the restaurant has been well-received by the neighborhood.

“Business is going great, and we’re really happy to be here in the community and see changes going on like Ramen Kazama coming in,” she said. Blue Door Pub is holding events to boost its community outreach, Scott said, like trivia every Monday and Tuesday night, partnerships and fish fry events.

“Last year, we partnered

with Minnesota United to do promotions, so we’re looking forward to doing more partnerships with people in the area,” she said.

Ramen Kazama is another new restaurant in the neighborhood which has contributed to increased neighborhood traffic.

Ramen Kazama General Manager Joel Gomez said the restaurant had a steady customer base built in from its other locations, which has carried over to the new Como location.

“We’ve been having steady business. It’s usually

New U technology helps hobbyist track space dust

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

Lab manager Anette von der Handt and local scientist Scott Peterson look at images of micrometeorites through a electron microprobe at the University of Minnesota on Wednesday.

Peterson has been searching rooftops for stardust for about eight years.

BY ELLA JOHNSON ejohnson2@mndaily.com

A local amateur scientist is partnering with a University of Minnesota researcher to identify micrometeorites from Twin Cities rooftops.

Scott Peterson, a military veteran, stay-at-home-dad and engineering student, works with a University research associate and her brand-new technology to image and identify the composition of his samples of tiny rocks from space. Peterson started collecting the samples around 2010 and first succeeded in finding a true sample last year.

2017 was a big year for Peterson. His first child was born and he began his partnership with Department of Earth Sciences research associate Anette von der Handt. They got in touch in December when he verified for the first time that one of his samples was extraterrestrial, Peterson said.

When Peterson first started micrometeorite hunting eight years ago, he dragged magnets through his storm gutters, following instructions from an article he saw on

MADDY FOX, DAILY

People walk outside restaurants along Como Avenue on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Facebook — a far cry from the advanced technology he uses in von der Handt’s lab today.

Peterson relied on mentorship from University of Oslo geosciences researcher Jon Larsen to advance his micrometeorite hunting techniques, which can be a complicated endeavor.

“I started to search for stardust in 2009, and all the other scientists considered it impossible to find one extraterrestrial dust particle among trillions of terrestrial ones,” Larsen said in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

Understanding which types of roofs — where most micrometeorites are found — are best for stardust hunting is key to Peterson’s hobby.

Old, flat vinyl roofs give him the best probability of finding micrometeorites, he said.

Once on top of the roof, Peterson looks at the pattern of water flow to determine where he is most likely to find samples, then collects dirt from the roof and takes the samples home. From there, he digs through the dirt for grains of sand from outer space.

He said he found his first true micrometeorite in October, and since December he has confirmed 20 total samples by using a microprobe — which can provide information about whether rocks have certain markers of extra-

terrestrial origin — in von der Handt’s lab.

Von der Handt said she’s looking forward to testing Peterson’s samples with the new microprobe. This new device replaces the University’s old microprobe, which was purchased in 1993, she said.

“These machines tend to be very, very expensive,” von der Handt said. “They last quite some time, but it was time to replace that one, specifically as it’s also the only microprobe here in Minnesota that is in an academic institution and more or less the only one within a couple of states.

So people come from afar [to use it].”

As Peterson improves his micrometeorite hunting, he has also taken on a mentee, Chris Colvin. He is a member of the Air National Guard, working in logistics, and sees micrometeorite hunting as a challenge and a way to escape his desk job.

Colvin has collected meteorites for about two years, since he found out about micrometeorite hunting through Larsen’s Facebook page. He hopes that he’ll be able to make scientific contributions through this work.

“That’s the thing about micrometeorites is that it’s still a very … budding … field, even outside of amateurs, so I think there’s definitely some potential,” Colvin said.

a mix of locals and longtime residents as well as some of our built-in customer base,” he said.

Students and longtime residents have stopped in for a meal at the new restaurant since its opening, Gomez said.

The addition of Ramen Kazama and Blue Door Pub has also contributed to a spike in traffic for older Southeast Como establishments.

Black Coffee and Waffle Bar manager Katie Essler said she hasn’t noticed much of an effect on sales,

but there has been a noticeable increase in foot-traffic.

“There’s definitely a different crowd of people, especially now that there’s a bar in the area,” she said.

Essler said the increase in competing restaurants hasn’t driven away any of their customer base, so she’s ready to welcome more new businesses to the area.

“I think that the area will continue to change and continue down the same path it’s headed with new businesses,” she said. “The new apartment building going in will definitely bring

more traffic, too.”

While Southeast Como has seen some turnover, Olson said longtime businesses like Black Coffee and Waffle Bar show that businesses in the neighborhood typically have long lifespans.

“There’s been a noticeable increase in traffic, which I think has benefited all business, old and new,” Olson said. “I think the combination of older and newer businesses is exciting for residents and brings in a lot more visitors than ever before.”