THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
LATE WEEK
MNDAILY.COM
ADMINISTRATION
CAMPUS
Some regents voiced concerns over the firm leading the search for the next UMN president.
New team to help student immigrants
Regents unaware of search firm history BY HELEN SABROWSKY hsabrowsky@mndaily.com
Some University of Minnesota Regents say they had no knowledge of an unsuccessful administrative search at the University by the third-party firm hired to find the University’s next president. The board announced last month that Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates will lead the next presidential search. Regents have voiced concern about the firm’s 2011 search for the position of the University’s Vice President and Chief Information Officer, which some say they were unaware of during the firm selection process.
The candidate hired, Scott Studham, was later asked by President Eric Kaler to resign when allegations of misconduct were discovered from his time of employment at the University of Tennessee.
“We had no idea.” MICHAEL HSU University of Minnesota Regent
Regents Michael Hsu, Randy Simonson, Steve Sviggum and Ken Powell said they were unaware of the firm’s involvement in the Studham search. “We had no idea,” said Hsu of Pimentel’s
involvement with the unsuccessful Studham search, although he said he was familiar with Studham’s resignation and the firm’s other successful work with the University. “[The Studham search] would have raised some questions, but I don’t think it would have provided an absolute ‘no’ vote, had we voted,” Sviggum said. “But I was not aware of that situation at all.” Hsu said it wasn’t necessarily the firm’s fault that they were unable to successfully place a candidate. He stressed the importance of running background checks and vetting. “So then the question is: whose responsibility is that,” he said. “I think it could be very embarrassing if we select a group of finalists and a bunch of accusations come out.” u See REGENTS Page 7
STUDENT LIFE
Teen Ph.D. student perseveres
The planned Minnesota Student Association task force is in its first stages. BY MICHELLE GRIFFITH mgriffith@mndaily.com
The University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Student Association recently created a task force that aims to support non-citizen immigrant students. MSA’s Non-Citizen Immigrant Task Force hopes to connect non-citizen immigrant and international students to University resources and encourage them to express their needs. The task force is using an online application to recruit members and is currently in the planning stages of development. “[This task force] was created in response to our national climate … as well as our campus climate,” said MSA President Simran Mishra. “We’re recognizing that right now at this point in time, in our University and in our country, we really need more dedicated attention to our vulnerable students on campus.” Immigration policies enacted by the Trump Administration impact many aspects of immigrant life, said Immigration Response Team Director Marissa Hill-Dongre.
“We’re just taking it one day at a time” “counting all our blessings” “He just moved very quickly through everything” “Lucas was an exception” “what an incredible young man” “He’s motivated and excited to start back at the [University]” “We’re just taking it one day at a CITY time” “counting all our blessings” “He just moved very quickly through Mayor’s opioid task everything” “Lucas was an exception” “what an incredible young force seeks community support to curb crisis man” “He’s motivated and excited to start back at the [University]” The task force, which includes University experts, is drafting “We’re just taking it one day at a time” “counting all our blessings” policies for the 2020 City budget. “He just moved very quickly through everything” “Lucas was an exception” “what an incredible young man” “He’s motivated and excited to start back at the [University]” “We’re just taking it one day at a time” “counting all our blessings” “He just moved very quickly through
u See TASK FORCE Page 7
BY J.D. DUGGAN jduggan@mndaily.com
JANE BORSTAD AND HARRY STEFFENHAGEN, DAILY
After sustaining critical injuries, 18-year-old Lucas Kramer returned to the U. BY PRECIOUS FONDREN pfondren@mndaily.com
Many teenagers are starting their first-year of college this fall, but life is different for Lucas Kramer. The 18-year-old is working his way toward his doctorate in computer science at the University of Minnesota and recovering from a severe car accident that almost took his life. On Aug. 16, while riding his bike to his internship at Google in Silicon Valley, Kramer was hit by a truck that veered into the bike lane. Kramer underwent emergency surgery due to his injuries and is now studying back at the University while he recovers.
Kra m e r h a s b e e n a t t e ndi ng t h e University since he was 11 years old, earning his bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering and his master’s degree in electrical engineering by age 15. The Minnesota native has always been academically gifted. At age two he was reading three-letter words and at age five began reading college-level texts, according to his mother Angela Kramer. “He just moved very quickly through everything,” Angela Kramer said. Kramer took online advanced placement courses when he was eight years old to keep his mind busy. After taking the ACT exam and almost receiving a perfect score, Kramer’s parents decided he was ready for college. While he has seen young students in his class before, Kramer was different, said Eric Van Wyk, an associate professor at the University. “I was surprised, but Lucas was an
exception in that he was enrolled in the University and finishing his undergrad degree at such a young age,” Van Wyk said. Less than a month after his accident, Kramer is back at the University, taking a class and working in Van Wyk’s research group, which is developing extensible programming language tools. Kramer was wearing a helmet when he was struck by the car, which his mother said may have saved his life. Kramer sustained a broken arm, broken elbow, over 300 stitches in his face, a completely shattered jaw and a broken nose from the accident, Angela Kramer said. “I don’t remember the accident actually,” Lucas Kramer said. “I just remember some people talking to me. It was kind of scary – blacking out for a little bit.” u See RECOVERING Page 5
The City of Minneapolis is taking a community-centered approach to address the opioid crisis by bringing together experts and community members, including those from the University of Minnesota. The Mayor’s Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force on Opioids consists of a collection of subcommittees made up of community members and experts with the aim of reducing opioid dependence and overdose through increased support. The task force, which was proposed in Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s annual budget, was first laid out in May. “Before, [the City] just accepted that this is something that Hennepin County or the state or other nonprofits should deal with and it wasn’t a City issue, and we’re changing that,” Frey said. “We’re devoting real funding … towards developing a really comprehensive approach.” Dr. Ryan Kelly, a graduate and assistant professor of medicine in the University’s Division of General Internal Medicine, is a member of the Community Systems Integration subcommittee. CSI aims to remove social barriers that inhibit those affected by the opioid crisis from seeking support in the community. Kelly said his experience in an opioid treatment clinic taught him the importance of harm reduction and medical intervention. He values the fact that the task force, u See OPIOIDS Page 5
TRANSPORTATION
Scooters swoop onto campus, leaving University of Minnesota to play catch up The U discusses usage on campus after Bird and Lime scooters arrived in mid-July. BY J.D. DUGGAN jduggan@mndaily.com
Dockless electric scooters descended on the Twin Cities nearly two months ago, and now the University of Minnesota is looking to work with the companies that operate them. Bird scooters came to Minneapolis on July 10, the same day the City Council’s T r a n s p o r t a t i o n a n d P u b l i c W o rk s Committee planned to draft ordinances for motorized scooters, with Lime scooters coming to the area shortly after. The University sent draft agreements to both companies last week, laying out how the school envisions parking and operations of the scooters. The scooters are “staged” at defined locations throughout the city after charging overnight. The University requested Bird and Lime not bring scooters to campus each morning, but welcomed riders.
“The University is a property owner here … [so] if somebody is going to do some activity on our property, we require an agreement from them,” said Steve Sanders, alternative transportation manager with Parking and Transportation Services. “We asked the scooter companies, please don’t set any out in the morning on University property until we have an agreement.” Sanders said the University has identified potential future areas on campus for staging scooters. Neither company entered Minneapolis with a permit to operate. But because an ordinance dictating the scooters was already underway, the City decided removing the scooters only to reintroduce them was too costly. Josh Johnson, on-street parking systems manager with the City, said agreements with the City allow the companies to operate 100 scooters each. He said that aside from parking rules, the laws are similar to those of bicycles — with operation of the scooters limited to the bike u See SCOOTERS Page 7
JACK RODGERS, DAILY
Dayshawn Brown uses his phone to pay for a ride on a Lime electric scooter in downtown Minneapolis.
VOLUME 180 ISSUE 67
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
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THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1997 Around 2.5 billion people across the world tune in to television broadcasts of Princess Diana’s funeral. She died at the age of 36 the week prior.
Thursday, September 6, 2018 Vol. 118 No. 67
An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900. 2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 627-4080 Fax: (612) 435-5865 Copyright © 2018 The Minnesota Daily This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.
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LOCAL DINING
NEWS STAFF Max Chao Managing Editor mchao@mndaily.com Christine Ha Managing Production Editor cha@mndaily.com Natalie Rademacher Campus Activities Editor nrademacher@mndaily.com Madeline Deninger City Editor mdeninger@mndaily.com Katrina Pross Campus Administration Editor mdeninger@mndaily.com Drew Cove Sports Editor dcove@mndaily.com Sophie Vilensky A&E Editor svilensky@mndaily.com Ellen Schmidt Multimedia Editor eschmidt@mndaily.com Molly Tynjala Copy Desk Chief mtynjala@mndaily.com Desmond Kamas Chief Page Designer dkamas@mndaily.com Jane Borstad Visuals Editor jborstad@mndaily.com =
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Blarney Pub & Grill, the Irish pub located on 14th Ave. SE. in Dinkytown, opened for business on Sept. 4, 2004.
MARSHALL LONG, DAILY
The Hub brings new retail space Caribou Coffee is already open and will be joined by Roti in December. BY TIFFANY BUI tbui@mndaily.com
Amidst a rapidly-changing commercial landscape, The Hub Apartments will bring with it a chunk of retail space to Stadium Village. The newly opened luxury student housing complex has two spaces available for businesses to rent beneath the apartments. So far, Caribou Coffee and Roti Modern Mediterranean have signed leases. Caribou first opened Aug. 24, and the location features a “walk-up” window where customers can place orders outside. Sarah Lefor, a University of Minnesota freshman,
was among many waiting in line for coffee. Despite the presence of Starbucks just across the street, Lefor said she prefers the Caribou and its proximity to her dorm. “I think coffee is always a great way to get millennials to go somewhere,” Lefor said. The space that Roti Modern Mediterranean will occupy is under construction and is projected to open in December. Their menu features customizable dishes, allowing customers to choose what goes in their pita or rice plate. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options will also be available. Roti has 34 other locations throughout the country, including around other college campuses. “We take a modern stance not only [on] recipe and recipe curation but also how people get fresh food on their terms,” said Dane
Mathews, vice president of marketing. Mathews said the modern interior of the luxury apartment will complement the restaurant’s atmosphere. “The building and the new construction allows us to do some unique things inside and make the environment really inviting to students,” said Mathews. The corner where the tower now stands has seen turnover in recent years. A block of independentlyowned businesses, including notable names such as The Big 10 Restaurant and Bar and Espresso Expose, were displaced by the development in fall 2016. The Hub isn’t alone in its endeavors to join retail space with upscale student living in Stadium Village. WaHu Apartments also offers leases below its massive complex, but some store-
fronts still stand empty. Craig Wack, spokesman for the Hub Apartments, said businesses and the housing complexes have a mutually beneficial relationship. “We’ve seen that retail elements in our student housing communities enhance one another. Having a restaurant, coffee shop, convenience store, etc. in one of our communities is a great selling point for prospective residents,” Wack said in an emailed statement. “We tend to build communities that are within walking distance to campus, so shop owners also like our locations and the potential for foot traffic from all parts of the university community.” Vince Netz, president of Prospect Park Association, said The Hub will have an easier time filling the retail space than WaHu because of its proximity to the light
rail station and hospital. He said the new businesses are a welcome addition to the area. “It adds nice activity in the evening in [an area] which used to be a dead zone,” said Netz.
“We tend to build communities that are within walking distance to campus, so shop owners also like our locations and the potential for foot traffic from all parts of the university community.” CRAIG WACK Hub Apartments spokesperson
The Hub Minneapolis, which opened for tenants this summer, is seen near East Bank on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. The building is 284 ft. tall.
TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY
EDITORIAL BOARD Ray Weishan Editorials & Opinions Editor rweishan@mndaily.com Ariana Wilson Editorial Board Member awilson@mndaily.com Hailey Almstead Editorial Board Member halmstead@mndaily.com Kelly Busche Editor-in-Chief kbusche@mndaily.com BUSINESS Darya Karas Sales Manager dkaras@mndaily.com David Keane Controller dkeane@mndaily.com The Minnesota Daily strives for complete accuracy and corrects its errors immediately. Corrections and clarifications will always be printed in this space. If you believe the Daily has printed a factual error, please call the readers’ representative at (612) 627–4070, extension 3057, or email errors@mndaily.com immediately. The article “U’s strategic plan may prove beneficial in upcoming legislative session,” which ran on page one on Sept. 3, misstated the tuition raise in the Morris campus, and misstated the 2017’s budget allocation. The regents voted to raise undergraduate resident tuition on the Twin Cities campus by 2 percent and Morris campus by one percent this academic year, and the University received less than 38 percent of its original request. THE MINNESOTA DAILY is a legally independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is a student-written and student-managed newspaper for the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus. The Daily’s mission is: 1) to provide coverage of news and events affecting the University community; 2) to provide a forum for the communication and exchange of ideas for the University community; 3) to provide educational training and experience to University students in all areas of newspaper operations; and 4) to operate a fiscally responsible organization to ensure its ability to serve the University in the future. The Daily is a member of the Minnesota News Council, the Minnesota Associated Press, the Associated Collegiate Press, The Minnesota Newspaper Association and other organizations. The Daily is published Monday and Thursday during the regular school year and weekly during the summer, and it is printed by ECM Publishers in Princeton, Minn. Midwest News Service distributes the 10,000 issues biweekly. All Minnesota Daily inserts are recyclable within the University of Minnesota program and are at least 6 percent consumer waste. U.S. Postal Service: 351–480.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
MN DAILY
Sports
MNDAILY.COM
Sophomore Maddie Nielsen finds way to starting role
Nielsen started in three matches for the Gophers last season. BY ERIK NELSON enelson2@mndaily.com
When sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Nielsen learned that she would be Minnesota’s starter for the 2018 season, she said she was ready to take on the responsibility. Nielsen has just begun her first season starting in net for the Gophers as the team is six games into the season. “It was a transition that I was ready for,” Nielsen said. “I was pushing hard to start last year, although I didn’t. Those few games that I got in made me want to be a starter even more. I’m not going to take for granted any of the opportunities I’ve [been] given because you never know what could happen in the future.” Nielsen took over the starting position for Kailee Sharp, who appeared in 16 matches last season for the Gophers as a junior. Nielsen said she paid close attention to Sharp in practice. “I had to make sure that I was always ready because she injured herself earlier on in the season,” she said. “I was able to get a game in then. Being ready and focusing in practice and games helped.” Junior defender Nikki Albrecht said she and Nielsen motivate each other by saying words of encouragement before
going on the field. “I say, ‘I believe in you. I trust in everything that you need to do throughout the match and I trust your judgment,’” Albrecht said. “It’s like talking to any other player on the field. We know where we need to be at the right time, but we need to communicate that so that we’re on the same memo.” Nielsen made her Minnesota debut in a 6-1 win over Iowa State on Aug. 27, 2017, making one save. A week later, she recorded her first-career shutout in Minnesota’s 1-0 victory over Providence on Sept. 3, 2017. This season, Nielsen is 3-3 with a goals-against average of 1.12 and a .741 save percentage. Nielsen said the toughest part about being a goalkeeper is to be mentally tough. “One thing about being a goalkeeper is that when you make a mistake, it shows often,” she said. “Being mentally tough and being able to wipe off little mistakes and bounce back does help.” Nielsen thought she could become a goalkeeper at the collegiate level when she played for her high school team in her hometown of Shoreline, Washington. She is her high school’s all-time leader in single-season shutouts and and fewest goals against. While playing for her high school team, Minnesota began to
recruit Nielsen. “I knew coming in that I was kind of an underdog,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect because they came for a few of my games. They didn’t know me until I let it all out in the first team practices of freshman year.” This season, Nielsen and freshman goalkeeper Ana Aguado are working with Minnesota’s director of goalkeeping, Alli Lipsher. Lipsher is in her first season as Minnesota’s director of goalkeeping after serving as goalkeeper coach at East Carolina and Arizona. Head coach Stefanie Golan said Lipsher focuses on Nielsen’s strengths and strives to improve them. “[Lipsher] sets up amazing training sessions that help them grow day-tod a y a n d g ro w i n t h e i r confidence,” Golan said. “[Nielsen] feels good by the time she comes into the team aspect of training day-to-day.” Nielsen has yet to make a start against a Big Ten opponent. She will make her first Big Ten start on Sept. 14 against Illinois. Albrecht said Nielsen’s stature and confidence allow her to extend and compete to make every save. “The range that she can get to on a save is incredible,” Albrecht said. “If I can’t extend to get a ball, I’m confident in Maddie being able to extend to each and every corner.”
ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY
Goalkeeper Maddie Nielsen throws the ball back into play during the game against DePaul on Thursday, Aug. 30 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.
“I was pushing hard to start last year, although I didn’t. Those few games that I got in made me want to be a starter even more. I’m not going to take for granted any of the opportunities I’ve [been] given because you never know what could happen in the future.” MADDIE NIELSEN sophomore goalkeeper
Seliger-Swenson ready for final season at U
Sophomore setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson cheers after the Gophers score a point on Friday, December 2, 2016 at the Sports Pavilion.
The three-time All-American is prepared for her final season. BY DAVID MULLEN dmullen@mndaily.com
No. 1 Minnesota is just one year removed from two consecutive Final Four appearances, but one of the only players who remains from that time is in her last season. Although being at the top of the NCAA rankings is nothing new for senior setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson,
she is taking in every moment with the Gophers (5-0) before her time ends. “Now that I’m a senior, I don’t get as nervous or anxious when we play in front of big crowds,” Seliger-Swenson said. “It’s really allowed me to kind of take a step back and really appreciate everything.” Seliger-Swenson is a three-time All-American with two back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2015 and 2016. She said missing the Final Four in 2017 left a sour taste in the team’s mouth. “Last year was tough since
some of us had been to the Final Four, which made us feel like we took a step back,” Seliger-Swenson said. “Going into the spring, [our team] reminded ourselves that we’re not satisfied with the Sweet Sixteen.” Although the Final Four is in the back of all the players’ minds, it is not the focus, Seliger-Swenson said. “I’m really just trying to focus on one day at a time because there is no point in worrying about [the Final Four] if we don’t focus on the game ahead of us,” she said. Seliger-Swenson learned
this mindset when she was developing her skills as a freshman. As a senior, it is her turn to lead and share the importance of this philosophy. “The past couple of years I’ve been able to be more of a leader and show the younger girls what it is to be a Minnesota volleyball player,” she said. “I think my role has shifted [from] learning the ropes to showing people the ropes.” Seliger-Swenson’s mentality and leadership skills have earned her recognition from her teammates. “I think she’s a great team-
mate and leader,” said sophomore Jasmyn Martin. “She really helps us as a team and helps people around her get better.” Head coach Hugh McCutcheon said he is looking forward to seeing SeligerSwenson’s growth during her senior campaign. “She’s a three-time AllAmerican, and getting into her senior year I think her game will continue to improve,” McCutcheon said. “We’re excited to see what she does this year.” Seliger-Swenson is a local player from Hopkins High
CHRIS DANG, DAILY FILE PHOTO
School, located about 20 minutes southwest of the University’s campus. Currently, Seliger-Swenson is preparing for this weekend’s match-ups against Oregon and No. 4 Stanford. But she said playing in the Final Four at the Target Center in Minneapolis at the end of the season would be the perfect send-off. “It would be amazing to play [the Final Four] in front of our home crowd. It would be the perfect way to end my senior year,” Seliger-Swenson said. “But, I’m still just focusing on today.”
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MNDAILY.COM
CULTURE to CONSUME
MN DAILY
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
STYLE
By Maddy Folstein
Enter this: The “Hamilton” lottery Not able to snag tickets to the hottest (and priciest) show in town this fall? Try your hand in the “Hamilton” lottery — two days before a performance, the lottery will open at 11 a.m. and run through 9 a.m. the day before the performance. If you’re one of the lucky winners, you can purchase up to two tickets for only $10 each. Start making your list of plus-ones now!
Catch up on this:
“The Good Place” The funniest show about the afterlife, “The Good Place,” comes back for a third season this fall. Lucky for you, its first two seasons are available on Netflix. Streaming the show this weekend is one of the best ways to spend your last few homework-less days.
Read this: “Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession” True crime fanatics, gather around. Alice Bolin’s essay collection examines everything from “Twin Peaks” to Joan Didion. Through her essays, Bolin interrogates the recurring theme of the Dead Girl, a trope which anyone who has listened to “My Favorite Murder” or “Serial” will recognize.
CULTURE COMPASS By Maddy Folstein
Friday Midnight Madness: “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” Kick off your weekend with a throwback movie screening. The Landmark’s Uptown Theatre will screen “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” at 11:55 p.m. on Friday (and Saturday night as well!). If you haven’t seen the movie since middle school, now is the time to see Michael Cera defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes on the big screen.
Where Landmark’s Uptown Theatre, 2906 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis Hours 11:55 P.M. Cost $9 Hours 9 P.M. Cost Free
Saturday Minneapolis Greek Festival Take advantage of the fleeting warmth by spending a day sampling authentic Greek food and listening to live music. You’ll also have the chance to learn more about Greek culture through presentations and cooking demonstrations.
Where 3450 Irving Ave. S., Minneapolis Hours Noon-10 P.M Cost Free
Sunday PEN America’s BreakOut: Voices from the Inside This week, head over to the Weisman Art Museum to see their new exhibit, “The Section of Disapproved Books,” which examines censorship within prisons. Then, on Sunday you can attend “BreakOut: Voices from the Inside,” which will feature panels, a film screening and a poetry reading.
Where Weisman Art Museum, 333 E. River Pkwy., Minneapolis Hours Noon-4 P.M Cost Free (arrive early though — limited seating available)
TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY
Patrons of Piff, a clothing store on Como Avenue, check out the brand’s streetwear items on Saturday, Sept. 1. The store specializes in buying and selling streetwear like Nike, Jordan, and Supreme.
The Fashionisto is in: Street style paving 612 fashion A guide to Minneapolis streetwear and where to cop it.
BY SAMIR FERDOWSKI sferdowski@mndaily.com
It’s the night before the first day of class. You’re planning the outfit that’ll impress the crush you think is in your class this semester ... but you’ve worn all this stuff before. Well, time to hit the streets and purchase the hottest ‘fits of fall 2018 right in the University of Minnesota’s backyard. There’s no need to hop on Grailed, StockX or — dare we say — eBay; Minneapolis has a hidden stash of coast-style consignment shops waiting for the hypebeast in all of us. From coveted Off-White to vintage Ralph Lauren, these four shops are the Twin Cities’ premier street
style go-tos. Piff Minneapolis 1521 Como Ave. S.E., Minneapolis New York has Unique Hype, California has Round Two and Minneapolis has Piff. Opened in 2014, the boutique has opened the floodgates for shops of a similar style to come into the Twin Cities and try their hands at the hype market. From the glowing white walls to the shoe wall enveloping customers as they check out, Piff radiates coastal vibes. “We saw room for the community to cultivate here and we just sort of ran with that,” store manager Ben Alberts said. “So many brands are coming up out of their closets, we’re a space for that.” High-end-low-end cocktails will be big this year, Ben said. Matching Louis Vuitton with SK8-Hi vans,
for example, is the go-to look this autumn. With brands like Supreme, Bape, Carrots, OffWhite, Air Jordan and more, the Como neighborhood shop is a one-stop-spot for any style guru. Urban Jungle 1419 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis For all non-all-out hypebeasts, Urban Jungle is the place to go. While carrying classic labels like Supreme and Bape, the West Bank joint’s racks are mainly filled with vintage clothing. To be exact, they’re 80-percent vintage, 10-percent hype and 10-percent kicks, co-owner Jonathan Bastida said. “Kids just flee nowadays and we’re here for them,” Bastida said. “Off-White and whatever they want is what’s pretty hot.” Will you find the VLONE Air Max on the shoe wall here? No. A 90s
Biggie oversized T-shirt? Definitely. From old-school varsity jackets to Ralph sweaters that would make Kanye turn his head, this street style dive feels more like a Tokyo back alley thrift shop than a Washington Avenue store. Opened in December 2017, Urban Jungle is a unique newcomer to the scene that is definitely worth a peep. Project Sozo 2414 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis Speaking of Tokyo, another streetwear shop, Project Sozo, lives, breathes and emanates Japan. Opened Super Bowl Sunday 2018, this uptown creative space harbors the roots of streetwear. “The concept was inspired by my time in Tokyo, Japan. I spent five years in beautiful and innovative Japan during my marketing and consulting life, and I absorbed all of it,” founder
Moh said. Inside the shop feels like a stroll down the streets of Tokyo fashion district Harajuku. The reddish-blue walls boast a custom made Japanese water dragon whose eyes follow your every move, a painting of Mount Fuji, a koi fish and the famous “Great Wave off Kanagawa” inspired by Japanese artist Hokusai. “Really, if you can think it, we will try our best to accommodate,” Moh said. “Space can be rented out for special events as well. So again, the only limits we feel we have are those in the mind.” In terms of threads, mainly Bape and Supreme pieces can be found on the racks. Some Medicom vinyls add to the display cases, but overall the clothing selection is standard. If you want a visually and aesthetically pleasing hype experience though, Sozo is the spot.
ART
First Giordanos, Portillos. Now, Mia brings “Art from Chicago” Chicago’s art scene is neglected no more thanks to new exhibit. BY LIV MARTIN lmartin@mndaily.com
As the Patrick and Aimee Butler Curator of Paintings at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, creating an exhibit championing artists from Chicago had been on Robert Cozzolino’s mind for a long time. A native of the windy city, Cozzolino said he first discovered the world of Chicago art in high school during a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago. “I came into this room that had a huge number of works by this artist named Ivan Albright on view. I had never seen anybody make paintings that looked like his,” Cozzolino said. “I couldn’t tell how they were made. They were utterly mysterious. ... I think that sort of feeling of not really understanding things and being fascinated is something that I’ve tried to recapture over and over again.” This love for Chicago’s unique art scene, which Cozzolino describes as “alternative,” is what inspired Mia’s new exhibit, “Art from
Chicago.” The exhibit opened in the museum’s Cargill Gallery on Aug. 25. The gallery space, located on the first floor opposite the cafe, is smaller than others at Mia. It was purposefully chosen as the intimate setting for the exhibit’s 30 art pieces. A constant goal of Cozzolino’s is to showcase art from broader perspectives. He said he believes the intense focus on New York City’s art scene has often left Chicago on the sidelines. Cozzolino also strives to include a more diverse array of work from women and people of color in the galleries he curates. “Mia’s collection needs a lot more work by women, and I’m very much interested in building a feminist collection here. The more diverse styles and approaches and ways of thinking about imagery and the world that we can present to [our audience], the better,” he said. “Art from Chicago” features works dating from around the 1940s through the 1980s. When you walk into the gallery, Roger Brown’s 1971 work, “Skyscraper,” is in full view. According to Cozzolino, Brown’s primary influences included comic books, film noir and his Chicago neighborhood. All three can be found in “Skyscraper,”
which illustrates a tall, art deco building at night with all its lights on. Through the building’s windows, you can see black silhouettes of people in addition to spotlighted empty beds and bags of money. “I like the symmetry and I like the use of color — especially on the right side of the building. It makes it seem almost 3D,” said Bronte Stewart-New, a staff member at the University of Minnesota’s Aurora Center. Another standout is Wadsworth Jarrell’s 1972 screenprint, “Revolutionary (Angela Davis),” a portrait of the political activist bursting with color. Upon closer look, the piece features quotes from Davis that combine to create her image. “I like this one a lot,” said museum-goer Joshua Edwards. “I love all of the words [Jarrell] used to describe being black.” Suellen Rocca’s “Ring Girl” (1965) is what Cozzolino described as surrealism, deliberately going against the grain of past artists’ styles. In the late 1960s, Rocca was one of two female artists who participated in the Chicago-based exhibition group the Hairy Who, a group created by six artists who rejected mainstream galleries in favor
COURTESY OF MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART
The painting, “Jardin Man,” 1970, by Gladys Nilsson, is displayed at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ exhibit, “Art from Chicago.”
of creating their own. Karl Wirsum, another member of the Hairy Who project, has a work titled “Streetwalker” (1984) featured in the exhibit. Wirsum was influenced by blues clubs and music in Chicago, and “Streetwalker” exudes movement. Cozzolino said he wonders if Wirsum was trying to evoke supermodel Grace Jones in his work. However, one museum visitor had a different interpretation. “Immediately when I look at it I’m reminded of a character from Powerpuff Girls,” said Bayliss Hall.
Though visitors may be more familiar with Monet and Van Gogh than with Brown, Jarrell, Rocca or Wirsum, Cozzolino said he hopes museum-goers viewing “Art from Chicago” will “get excited about artists they haven’t heard of before.” “I feel very strongly that Chicago’s art history has been overlooked,” Cozzolino said. Not for long. What: “Art from Chicago” When: Aug. 25 - Jan. 6 Where: Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Cargill Gallery Cost: Free
Thursday, September 6, 2018
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MUSIC
Enter “Doomtree Forest” this weekend The local legends will explore new territory with Friday’s festival. BY SAMIR FEDOWSKI sfedowski@mndaily.com
Waking from hibernation after a year filled with solo projects, beloved Minnesota rap crew Doomtree is getting back together this Friday, Sept. 7. for Doomtree Forest, a night of everything local — from the food trucks to the Familia Skateshop HQ venue to, of course, the music. “The idea behind Doomtree Forest felt like a celebration of the family tree, hence the forest,” Doomtree CEO Lazerbeak said. “I love getting the crew together at least once a year. It’s a celebration of what we’ve all been up to.” W i t h a s e t f ro m a l mighty queen of the north
Dessa and more, the lineup is a delish hot dish of tunes. Its main ingredient? Solo and collab acts from Doomtree members. “We’re getting back to the individuals of the crew and what they have going on at this very moment in time,” Lazerbeak said. “We’re celebrating that and giving them a platform.” Paper Tiger will debut a new project, the age-old duo of P.O.S. and Astronautalis will get down and Shredders will … well, shred. The event will end with the rarest animal of them all: a full-member, 45-minute long Doomtree collective rager. “ A f u l l - c r e w p e r f o rmance is so rare because it will actually be the only time the seven of us are on stage together this year,” Lazerbeak said. “So it’s kind of a big deal.”
The collective continues to push and redefine their “stage.” The last two crew-concerts exhibited something far from the burned-out, hydraulic and pyrotechnical platforms most rappers tour with nowadays. “Music will be the forefront, but we’re transforming Familia into something nothing like a music venue,” Lazerbeak said. ”We’re creating an alternate dimension … that sounds really high, but we’re just mixing things up.” As is the trend in underground hip-hop culture recently, Doomtree opted out of a hype train for the concert. “We wanted to go back to basics with this one,” Lazerbeak said. “We loved the idea of throwing as much of a pop-up as you can on this scale. Like, we didn’t even announce it until a couple weeks before-
hand.” With this hint of grassroots mentality and the rap crew-skate park spore, the Forest encompasses what “Minnesota hip-hop” has become — with Doomtree leading the charge. Doomtree has put together other, semi-similar events in the past. In 2015 there was “Doomtree Zoo,” and the group is obviously no stranger to group performances. This year’s concert plans to grow, with hopes of blossoming into an entirely new experience for attendees. “It’s just dope, the whole place felt like a mini festival put on for each one of us there,” said Ian Boyles, high school senior and Doomtree Zoo attendee. “The community vibes were insane.” The Forest will be hosted by Red Bull Sound Select, a promoter known for bringing under-the-radar
“We wanted to go back to basics with this one. We loved the idea of throwing as much of a pop-up as you can on this scale. Like, we didn’t even announce it until a couple weeks beforehand.” LASERBEAK Doomtree member
MC’s to the 612. “Visually and artistically, it’s a different vibe for us,” said Sims, a Doomtree member. “Red Bull national was like, ‘are you sure you all can do this?’ The fact that we sold out in hours showed them that Minneapolis is a market where people do wild things and support.” Sims predicts this sort of backing will give wings to more acts and give the promoter confidence in
sending other artists Minneapolis’s way. “This was nationwide. The gratitude we feel towards the Twin Cities for this kind of support is amazing.” What: Doomtree Forest When: Friday Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m. Where: Familia HQ, 835 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis How much: $15 - $20, 18+
MAX OSTENSO, DAILY
Mayor Jacob Frey speaks about affordable housing at a community event at the University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center in North Minneapolis.
Frey’s task force seeks to curb opioid crisis Opioids u from Page 1
which includes many members of the Minneapolis Native American community, has broad representation from affected groups. “It’s been a pretty rewarding experience as far as really helping people, kind of the most underserved of all people,” Kelly said. Frey’s proposed $50,000 for 2019 will support the
work of the subcommittees, who will have input in the 2020 budget allocations. Randy Anderson, an overdose prevention manager who recently resigned from the Treatment, Recovery, and Peer Support subcommittee, expressed skepticism about the task force having lasting effects. “I really hope that the City is serious about addressing the opioid crisis and they’re really going to devote some time, energy and resources to that, not
just saying they’re going to do it,” he said. “I hope to God that it’s not another politician just giving us lip service.” Heidi Ritchie, Frey’s policy director, said this is the most the City has ever spent to combat the opioid problem. But she acknowledged past efforts have not always been substantive. “We hear that [skepticism] a lot, and I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the fact that a lot of these communities, in
particular the Native community, [have] had that happen to them more than one time,” Ritchie said. The proposed budget allows for experts to create a funding plan instead of simply increasing health department allocations. “Once [the task force’s] work is done, the Mayor is committed to funding those items that we’re able to find success in,” she said. Subcommittees will start writing policies and submitting proposals
before the larger task force reconvenes in January. Action plans and recommendations will be taken into account in the 2020 budget. “One of the basic tenets of dealing with any kind of substance abuse or mental health issues is that it’s not a criminal issue at all,” Ritchie said. “It’s a social issue, it’s a mental health issue, it’s a resource issue, it’s a historical trauma and racism issue, and ... it’s definitely not a criminal issue.”
“I really hope that the City is serious about addressing the opioid crisis ... not just saying they’re going to do it.” RANDY ANDERSON overdose prevention manager
18-year-old doctoral student recovering after crash Recovering u from Page 1
After the accident, a GoFundMe fundraising page was created that has raised over $4,500 in about two weeks. “I had some friends who told me about what happened after the accident,” said Kevin Norberg, who is running the GoFundMe and a CaringBridge page for Lucas Kramer despite having never met him. “I had heard about him when he started attending
the [University]. I thought, ‘what an incredible young man,’” Norberg said. Norberg reached out to Angela Kramer, asking to help by creating fundraising pages so he could follow the progress of Kramer’s condition and raise awareness. “I felt like they were absolutely so caught up in all the rehab and taking care of him that they weren’t going to be able to get to that, at least until they got back to Minnesota,” Norberg said. The funds raised are
“Obviously it’s a huge financial burden. With emergency plane tickets, to rental cars, to caring for him [in California], to the insurance.” ANGELA KRAMER Lucas Kramer’s mother
going toward Kramer’s hospital fees. Despite having insurance, Lucas Kramer’s medical bills have already exceeded over $70,000
and will likely add $50,000 more in surgery over the next couple of years, according to Angela Kramer. “Obviously it’s a huge financial burden,” Angela
Kramer said. “With emergency plane tickets, to rental cars, to caring for him [in California], to the insurance.” Aside from the financial battle, Angela Kramer is hopeful about her son’s recovery. “He’s motivated and excited to start back at the [University], at least with one class. He wants to do it on campus, so we’re going to try it,” Angela Kramer said. Lucas Kramer was back online days after his accident helping with software
efforts his research group was making. Kramer said he simply got bored and knew it was time to start stretching his “brain muscles.” “I wanted to do something else for a bit,” Lucas Kramer said. “I find my work interesting, so might as well.” According to Angela Kramer, her son has a couple years before he will be fully recovered. “We’re just taking it one day at a time and counting all our blessings,” Angela Kramer said.
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Regent Steve Sviggum asks Provost Karen Hanson a question at the Board of Regents meeting on Friday, June 8 at McNamara Alumni Center.
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TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY
Regents unaware of search firm history Regents u from Page 1
Board Vice Chair Powell, who chose the search firm along with Chair David McMillan, said that while he was not aware of the firm’s involvement in placing Studham, many firms have failed searches. “Any firm that we talked to, especially the big ones, all have searches that didn’t work out ... it kind of goes with the territory,” Powell said. “It’s something that would have been true for any of the firms we looked at.” Simonson said the Uni-
versity will continue working with the firm in the search for the next president. “Well it’s certainly interesting why we didn’t hear about [the Studham search] before, but we have a signed document that we have to honor now.” Simonson said. “That is something that we have to be aware of.” Simonson said he is comfortable moving forward with the search because the search is a “team effort.” In addition to working closely with University regents, the firm will also work alongside a Search Advisory Committee made up of University personnel.
“They’ll bring candidates to us, but ultimately they aren’t going to decide,” Simonson said. Finding the firm Out of the seven firms that were initially interviewed, Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates was chosen to serve as the independent search firm, Powell said. Other regents say they were not consulted in the process. Sviggum said the full board met with the firm at its July board retreat in Red Wing. The regents discussed the firm; however, there was no vote on whether the University should use the firm, he said.
“They presented themselves very well at our retreat in Red Wing,” he said. “They seemed very confident and very knowledgeable about higher education across the country and we seemed comfortable with them.” Vetting candidates and performing background checks is a responsibility of the search firm, which will present a list of candidates suitable for the job to the regents for consideration. Powell said that Pimentel has expressed confidence in Storbeck/ Pimentel & Associates’ ability to screen candidates. “We had a conversation
on that topic with Pimentel and that is a capability they bring,” he said. “I think [the firm has] an approach and a process, but we will be closely involved in that process.” Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates recently ran a search for the chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, which ran for two years. The search was ultimately unsuccessful. “We weren’t really told, actually we weren’t told at all, we read in the Star Tribune that they were involved in the failed search at Minnesota State,” Hsu said. “That was kind of a
concern to me, that nobody seemed to know [about it] until [the firm was] hired, so I looked at that as a failure on our part to not properly vet this firm,” he said. The Minnesota State search was briefly discussed at the board’s special meeting in August. Alberto Pimentel, who will serve as a Storbeck/ Pimentel & Associates consultant in the University’s presidential search, did not comment at the meeting on the failed Minnesota State System search, citing that he did not directly work on it. Pimentel declined to comment on this story.
MSA creates task force to support immigrant students Task force u from Page 1
“Things that are happening on a national scale are definitely affecting lives of University of Minnesota students,” HillDongre said. The group is trying to create an umbrella for all student culture groups where they have an accessible support system, said task force director Oliver Zheng. Some non-citizen immigrant students are most comfortable with those from their own country or of the same cultural experience, he said. “People can feel not necessarily a part of the [University], or maybe not understood depending on where you’re from as well
— like if you’re from a lesser-known place,” Udita Goel, MSA’s external engagement coordinator. The task force is planning to educate non-citizen immigrant students of their working visa rights and leasing legal rights so they are not exploited, Zheng said. They also hope to involve the students in the midterm election process through canvassing and expressing their voices. The task force plans to promote its mission to students through coordination with student cultural groups, Zheng said. The University currently provides resources to non-citizen immigrant students — the students are required to attend the University’s Immigration Check-In and are given
resources to help them be successful students. However, Goel said she does not feel like the check-in is personal enough. “The University kind of limits themselves to the professional aspect. … [It] does more to kind of provide resources instead of actively … being like, ‘this is what it is and how you do do it,’” Goel said. Mishra said MSA wants to do more to retain these students. “We want to make sure that our university for example has such a great and strong population of [international, immigrant and non-citizen] students. We’d never want to see that decline, or we never want to lose that because that brings so many perspectives,” Mishra said.
Scooters swoop onto campus, leaving University of Minnesota to play catch up Scooters u from Page 1
lane rather than sidewalks. Birds and Limes move about 15 mph, which classifies them similarly to bikes in state statute. The City currently forwards any grievances to the companies, but Johnson said complaints have not been unmanageable and the positive feedback has generally outweighed the negative. Ward 3 Council member Steve Fletcher said the scooters serve an important function for traversing the
city and could reduce traffic congestion and parking issues. “The only time we’ve gotten complaints is when people are riding too fast to be safe around pedestrians on the sidewalk,” Fletcher said. The City and University hope the companies will be proactive in educating the public on safe usage and local laws regarding the scooters, and they’ve expressed excitement for the innovation and novelty of a new form of transportation. Because the City initially limited the number of scooters, the reliability of finding
one for commuting is slim. Fletcher hopes more scooters will be available in the spring if the initial trial is successful. “I think that it’s good for us as a city to be expanding our vision for different ways to get around the city,” Fletcher said. “We really want, especially the area around the U, to feel like a place that you can live without a car and get where you need to go. So we really want to encourage people to embrace these [alternative] modes of transportation … so we can get some cars off the street.”
Thursday, September 6, 2018
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Research roundup: childhood cancer rates, cholesterol and new batteries
The University of Minnesota recently published several studies on cancer. BY LEW BLANK lblank@mndaily.com
Recent studies published by University of Minnesota researchers examined childhood cancer rates, cholesterol in children and a new technology that increases battery life. Racial and socioeco nomic status and childhood cancer sur vival rates. University researchers investigated why AfricanAmerican and Hispanic children experience lower survival rates for certain cancers. “It has been known for some time that Black and Hispanic kids have lower survival rates for many types of cancer compared
to non-Hispanic whites,” said Rebecca Kehm, a University researcher. “But the reasons for those disparities is not really understood.” Kehm explored the extent to which childhood poverty levels fueled these differences in mortality rates. The research found that differences in socioeconomic status are root causes for these racial disparities for some forms of childhood cancer, but not for others. For non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and some forms of leukemia, socioeconomic status accounted for 28-73 percent of the racial disparity. However, it had no significant effect on some tumors and Hodgkins lymphoma. This link between race and class demonstrated that physicians need to consider ethnicity and socioeconomic status when
w o rki ng w i t h ch i ldr e n with cancer, Kehm said. “We need to have social factors on our radar when we’re treating children with cancer,” she said. “It’s important that physicians are aware of ... the context that the child is living in.”
Cholester ol found in children Heather Zierhut, a University genetics professor, also examined diseases in children. Her study looked into familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic form of high cholesterol, and why families sometimes fail to communicate information about the disease to other family members. According to Zierhut’s survey of children with FH, 76 percent of their grandparents and 71 percent of their aunts and uncles were notified of their condition. Since about half of the family members of
children with FH are also at risk of having this disease, putting them at risk of heart disease and stroke, this lack of communication could turn lethal. Zierhut delved into the reasons for why this information doesn’t always spread to family members. She found that the two primary reasons were fears that their family members wouldn’t understand the disease and a lack of information about the condition. “People really had a lack of information [and] ... resources to be able to communicate with their family members,” Zierhut said. “We need to do a better job educating and providing resources to these families.” New technology that expands batter y life Another study released by University researchers
Fraternity Phi Delta Theta returns to campus this year The fraternity had to disband in 2016 due to issues with their recruitment.
BY JORDAN WILLAUER jwillauer@mndaily.com After a brief stint off campus, a fraternity is currently in the process of reestablishing itself at the University of Minnesota. The Phi Delta Theta fraternity will return to the University this year after being shut down in 2016 due to low membership. The fraternity currently has one member and is working on recruiting new members at the same time that many existing fraternities and sororities at the University are in the midst of their own recruitment processes. Jacob Skraba, a senior
studying architecture, is aiding the launch of the fraternity as the founding member of the chapter. “To be able to join something and start it and impact the future members and organization really interested me,” Skraba said of why he wanted to
“This is a founding father experience, it’s not your typical fraternity experience.” LANDON KILLION expansion consultant from Phi Delta Theta national chapter
join the fraternity. Landon Killion and Andrew Norrie are two expansion consultants
from the fraternity’s national chapter who are working at the University as coaches and mentors in hopes of reinvigorating the fraternity. Norrie said he hopes energy from new recruits, support from alumni and learning from past years’ mistakes will make the fraternity more successful in its new life on campus. “We learned what to do [and] what not to do,” Norrie said. The national chapter wanted to reestablish the fraternity at the University in 2017, but decided to wait until 2018 to provide additional recruitment support from the national chapter, said Alex Atkinson, director of expansion for the fraternity’s national chapter. “[Phi Delta Theta] is going to be new on campus, so it’s going to have
that new car smell,” Killion said. Killion said he hopes the opportunity for members to offer input regarding building their own fraternity will boost recruitment. “This is a founding father experience, it’s not your typical fraternity experience,” he said. Phi Delta Theta was established at the University in 1881. The fraternity was shut down in the 1990s, partly because many members left the University to fight in the Gulf War, according to previous MinnesotaDaily coverage. The chapter was reestablished in 2008 before closing again in 2016. “Our legacy and longstanding history at the University of Minnesota is one that we are very excited to reinvigorate,” Atkinson said.
Nike unveils controversial Kaepernick ad to air during NFL season opener BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nike has unveiled its first “Just Do It” ad narrated by Colin Kaepernick, a spot scheduled to air during the NFL season opener Thursday night as well as during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and other major sporting events. The two-minute spot released Wednesday highlights superstar athletes LeBron James, Serena Williams and others, and touches on the controversy of NFL players protesting racial inequality, police brutality and other issues by demonstrating during the national anthem. Kaepernick narrates the full spot but first physically appears midway through. As a camera pans to reveal Kaepernick’s face, a reflection of a United States flag is visible on the facade of a building behind him. Kaepernick says: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” At the start of the ad, Kaepernick says: “If people say your dreams are crazy,
if they laugh at what you think you can do, good. Stay that way, because what nonbelievers fail to understand is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult, it’s a compliment.” The former 49ers quarterback is revealed as the narrator toward the end of the spot. The commercial’s universal theme is about athletes pushing for bigger dreams. It features young athletes who compete amid various challenges, touching on issues of gender, disabilities and weight loss, among others. Kaepernick says at the end: “Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they are crazy enough.” The spot is expected to air this week during college football and MLB games, and stream on various music, gaming and other platforms, Nike spokeswoman Sandra Carreon-John said. Kaepernick hasn’t spoken to the media publicly since opting out of his contract with San Francisco and becoming a free agent in 2017. He scored a legal victory last week in his grievance
against the NFL and its 32 teams when an arbitrator allowed his case to continue to trial. The quarterback claims NFL team owners conspired to keep him out of the league because of his protests. His case hinges on whether owners worked together rather than decided individually to not sign Kaepernick. A similar grievance is still pending by former San Francisco teammate Eric Reid, a Pro Bowl safety who joined in the protests. Kaepernick already had a deal with Nike that was set to expire, but it was renegotiated into a multiyear agreement to make him one of the faces of Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the detail had not been revealed publicly. The campaign includes video ads and billboards, like one displayed atop a Nike store in downtown San Francisco on Wednesday. Nike also will create an apparel line for Kaepernick, including a signature shoe,
and contribute to his Know Your Rights charity, the person said. The deal puts Kaepernick in the top bracket of NFL players with Nike. The endorsement deal between Nike and Kaepernick prompted a flood of debate Tuesday. It was a trending topic on Twitter and other social networks, with some fans urging a boycott of the company’s clothes and sneakers — even burning and cutting out the signature swoosh logos on their gear. “I stand for anybody that believes in change. I stand for anybody that believes in a positive attitude,” LeBron James said Tuesday night at a Nike fashion show and awards ceremony in New York. “I stand with Nike, every day, all day.” Nike also provides all NFL teams with game day uniforms and sideline apparel, a partnership that was extended in March to run through 2028. President Donald Trump, a frequent critic of protesting NFL players, tweeted Wednesdaythat Nike is getting “killed” over the endorsement deal.
“We need to have social factors on our radar when we’re treating children with cancer. It’s important that physicians are aware of ... the context that the child is living in.” REBECCA KEHM University Researcher
involved a new technology that could greatly extend the battery lifetimes of phones and computers. Jianping Wang, a University professor of electrical and computer engineering, helped develop a new style of topological insulators that are 18 times more efficient at computer processing and memory than standard materials. The research team used a technique called sputtering to deposit a thin layer of material onto
an insulator made of a material called bismuth selenide. This process results in an energy transfer that erodes the insulator material, which Wang found to make the semiconductors more energy efficient. This increase in efficiency would be noticeable if it were applied to someone’s phone, Wang said. “You would know the difference. It will actually prolong the lifetime of your battery,” he said.
Sting operation recovered Dorothy’s stolen ruby slippers BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A pair of ruby slippers used in “The Wizard of Oz” and later stolen from a Minnesota museum were recovered in a sting operation after a man approached the shoes’ insurer and said he could help get them back, the FBI said Tuesday. The slippers were on loan to the Judy Garland Museum in the late actress’ hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, when they were taken in 2005 by someone who climbed through a window and broke into a small display case. The shoes were insured for $1 million. The FBI said a man approached the insurer in summer 2017 and said he could help get them back. Grand Rapids police asked for the FBI’s help and after a nearly year-long investigation, the slippers were recovered in July during a sting operation in Minneapolis. The FBI said no one has yet been arrested or charged in the case, but they have “multiple suspects” and continue to investigate. As they unveiled the recovered slippers at a news conference Tuesday, they asked anyone with information about the theft to contact them. “We’re not done. We have a lot of work to do,” Christopher Myers, the U.S. attorney for North Dakota, said. Myers said he would handle any prosecution. The North Dakota link to the case wasn’t evident and authorities declined to explain it. The slippers had been on loan to the Garland museum from Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw. Three other pairs that Garland wore in the movie are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian and a private collector. The stolen slippers’ authenticity was verified by comparing them with the pair at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History in Washington. The ruby slippers are key in the 1939 movie.
After mysteriously landing in the colorful Land of Oz after a tornado hit her farm in Kansas, Garland’s character, Dorothy, has to click the heels of her slippers three times and repeat “there’s no place like home” to return. Rhys Thomas, author of “The Ruby Slippers of Oz,” called the slippers “the Holy Grail of Hollywood memorabilia.” “They are maybe the most iconic cinematic prop or costume in movie history, and in fact, in cultural history,” Thomas said. “They are a cultural icon.” Thomas estimated that this particular pair could be worth between $2 million to $7 million. He said it’s not clear in which scenes they were used, but he was “99 percent” sure that they appeared in the film. Thomas said the slippers then went unseen for 30 years until Shaw, acting as a middleman, bought them for someone who intended to sell them to the late actress Debbie Reynolds, but Shaw ended up keeping them and often loaned them for exhibits. Law enforcement offered a $250,000 reward early in the case, and a fan in Arizona offered another $1 million in 2015. The shoes are made from about a dozen different materials, including wood pulp, silk thread, gelatin, plastic and glass. Most of the ruby color comes from sequins but the bows of the shoes contain red glass beads. The genre-busting Wizard of Oz — presented in black and white, and color — was a box office smash and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, with wins for Best Song and Best Original Score. Garland, who was born Frances Gumm, lived in Grand Rapids, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Minneapolis, until she was 4, when her family moved to Los Angeles. She died of a barbiturate overdose in 1969. The Judy Garland Museum , which opened in 1975 in the house where she lived, says it has the world’s largest collection of Garland and Wizard of Oz memorabilia.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
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10 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
MN DAILY
MNDAILY.COM
Editorials & Opinions
COLUMN
EDITORIAL
Students should take more responsibility for questioning and changing society
Minnesota needs to try banning single-use plastics
Education and a vigilant society have the ability to help check and change society for good.
The State and the U of M should follow other U.S. cities that are regulating and banning single-use plastic.
L
ast fall, when orange leaves started to make their gentle tumble out of the trees, I visited the office of a favorite professor to discuss an assignment I was having JONATHAN ABABIY trouble with. I took columnist my place in the spare chair next to the door of his office and, after lifting some papers off the seat, he sat in the worn leather lounging chair next to his bookcase. We chatted for some time. The class we had together was a freshman seminar on the topic of higher education. I was doing most of the talking, explaining possible approaches to an essay prompt that was stumping me. After one of my proposals, the professor leaned back in the scholarly chair of his and gave me the kind of nod that only a professor who has spent years nestled deep in the stacks of a dusty library can give. He turned his face away from me and scanned
the wall of books to his right. He pulled out a blue course packet from an old class, then flipped through some pages until an essay titled “A Talk to Teachers” by James Baldwin appeared somewhere in the middle of the packet he handed me. He said, “You need to read this.” I did read it, and it completely changed how I thought about education and what effect scribbling my professors’ words into notebooks – for 9 months, a year, four years – would have on me. In the essay, Baldwin demonstrates his brilliance by arguing that even though the societal purpose of education is to provide us a “social framework” that ensures the aims of society will be perpetuated, education can have a reverse, paradoxical effect. He writes, “the paradox of education is precisely this – that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.” We begin to see how we fit in the bigger picture – even if we aren’t in it at all and there’s someone pushing us out of it. In 1963, Baldwin was writing in a storm of a time. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X offered competing visions to a burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Nuclear war loomed as Soviets loaded up the Cuban island with nuclear weapons. The possibility of an unfavorable result in the
Vietnam War began to enter the American consciousness. In retrospect, solutions or responses to many of the problems of Baldwin’s era seem common sense, but they came about as part of education’s paradoxical effect. The visionaries and change-makers of his era asked the questions no one else was. The paradox still exists in our time. What we learn in our classrooms still calls into question what we seem to regard as normal and fine in our society and on campus. As another year of school begins, we must stay aware and nourish education’s interrogative effect. Things still make little sense in America or on campus, just like in 1963. There is still so much that remains unjust, whether it be on campus or in our governments. Jailing children was a federal policy for much of 2018. The dates have changed, but much of the scenery remains. Baldwin wrote, “It is your responsibility to change society if you think of yourself as an educated person.” Now, as our backpacks sag once more with books and our campus fills with people, his directive remains as true in 2018 as it did in 1963. Jonathan Ababiy welcomes comments at jababiy@mndaily.com.
EDITORIAL
Achievement gap is not prioritized in new school ratings Minnesota’s K-12 education system is one of the state’s largest investments. The new Minnesota school rating system offers a broader view of school performance than in the past but seems to de-emphasize the critical issue of the achievement gap between white students and students of color. For years, the achievement gap was a top concern among Minnesota educators and education policymakers at the Capitol, so an about face on this issue should be troubling to education stakeholders including the business community. Measuring the achievement gap won’t go away, but the new system calls on education officials to re-frame the issue to one of supporting the problem rather than calling attention to it. The new system will still measure test scores of different groups, like students of color and English language learners, but it won’t compare them to white student scores. It sounds like a “rebranding” of the issue that ultimately will soften the approach to solving it. Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius says the new rating system moves from a “shame-based punishment” system to one of “continuous improvement.” It’s also important to keep in mind that the state was required by federal law to change its evaluation approach based on the “Every Student Succeeds Act.” But in 2012, Minnesota had a goal of closing the achievement gap by half by 2017. That didn’t happen. In fact, the achievement gap hardly budged from 2012 to 2017. And there appears to be no such goal with the new measuring system. There has been better news on graduation rates, where achievement gaps between black students and white students narrowed by about 3 percent last year, but there remains an 18 percentage point difference between students of color and white students. The new “North Star” accountability system measures Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment test scores, improvement in test scores, progress in English Learning students in proficiency, graduation rates and regular attendance at school. Attendance should be a given that’s mostly controlled by parents, and it seems out of place as an academic performance measure. We all remember people who showed up to school, but didn’t get much out of it. The new system also seems to create more support for schools at varying levels of success and rewards schools for high achievement by giving them a badge for their website. Education leaders say the new North Star system was a product of listening sessions around the state from various stakeholder groups, including the 11 Native American sovereign communities. The education leaders say the new assessment also changes a previously “misguided” heavy focus on test scores and as schools move away from that fixation all students will have broader opportunities for a more well-rounded education. That’s all well and good, but it seems proficiency in math, reading and sciences will continue to be critical to the workforce of the future. Much of that workforce, we know, will be people of color and new immigrants. Minnesota’s Constitution calls for an equal education for all and that doesn’t seem to be kept in mind as we de-emphasize the achievement gap. We owe it to students of color to support their growth in achieving competitive skills in an increasingly competitive workforce and we should be able to tell the taxpayers how their $15 billion a year is achieving that. Editor’s Note: This editorial was originally published in the Mankato Free Press.
Robert McGrady welcomes comments at rmcgrady@mndaily.com.
COLUMN
Recording accurate mass shooting and disaster statistics Misrepresenting statistics related gun violence can lead to governmental inaction.
O
n April 20, 1999, the Columbine High School shooting became the deadliest in U.S. history thus far when two shooters claimed UMA VENKATA the lives of 13 people columnist and then their own, injuring 23 more. Since then, shootings and their death tolls being broadcast by the news cycle have become commonplace. The deadliest mass shooting to date has been the Las Vegas concert shooting on Oct. 1, 2017, killing 58 and injuring nearly 500. There are plenty of news outlets covering shootings. But ProPublica’s Lois Beckett pointed out in a 2015 column that the complication of coverage comes from which type of shooting they are. That year, 355 mass shootings were reported by The Washington Post, a figure that, according to Beckett, comes from “a crowdsourced Reddit initiative that gathers media reports of shootings in which four or more people were shot.” The number 355 has been refuted by various other news outlets because it includes instances other than indiscriminate shooting sprees. These instances, which conventionally aren’t counted as mass shootings, can be robberies, gang fights or point-blank murders. The number of dead victims to shootings can also increase over time because victims can die of wound complications. The Redditors are right — documenting deaths due to gun violence is absolutely necessary and should be followed more closely. A reliable and easily accessible database — which is instinctively the responsibility of a newspaper — should make the public aware of all lives lost to gun violence, including
more descriptive names for the circumstances of the deaths. But presenting a gang fight as a mass shooting is arguably misleading because its motives and reasons are entirely different. When we miscategorize deaths like that, we point ourselves in the wrong direction in pursuit of a solution. Nebulous reports of death are not restricted to guns — two months after Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico, the island’s government reported 64 dead on Dec. 9, 2017. But as of Aug. 29, 2018, the official deathtoll estimate had risen to 2,975. To put that into perspective: around 1,800 people in New Orleans died due to Hurricane Katrina, and around 2,977 people died due to the attacks on September 11, 2001. The reason for documenting death is important. Documenting deaths tells us exactly which problems we need to solve. For Puerto Rico or New Orleans, where the death toll and the wealth of the local community had an inverse relationship, the problem is usually solved by allocating aid and proper evacuation prior to the natural disaster. Michael Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during Hurricane Katrina, maintains that if we were able to evacuate the residents the way he wanted, there would have been no such death toll. But government drags its feet to supply the aid because of the sheer money it requires. The same goes for death counts. We need to solve the problem by limiting access to guns, as well as finding resources — yes, money — to protect and improve the lives of our citizens who die as a result of gun violence. My liberty ends where it impedes on the life of my neighbors. My tax dollars should go toward helping them, not just a select few.
Uma Venkata welcomes comments at uvenkata@mndaily.com.
Minneapolis tends to be a consumerfriendly city. Compared to its large urban counterparts, the city ranks as the most bikeable, the second healthiest and the fourth most vegan-friendly in the nation. Not only does the city care for the health and well-being of its residents, but being environmentally friendly should be a top priority for such a progressive metropolitan area. However, when it comes to implementing policies on single-use plastic, Minneapolis sure has its work cut out for itself. Around two years ago, an ordinance banning plastic bags was passed in Minneapolis but not put into effect due to a budget bill signed by Gov. Mark Dayton that prohibits cities from banning any type of bag. Adding to the questionable disagreement, one year ago the City Council declined to vote on an ordinance implementing a 5 cent plastic bag fee. Though city officials seem to be against implementing environmental policies, Andrea Siegel, leader of No Straws of Minneapolis, believes that approaching businesses with the damaging facts about straws will create change. While utilizing a single plastic straw may not seem detrimental to the environment, it’s been estimated that 500 million straws are used and then thrown away each day. This makes straws the 7th largest category of waste, following other plastic items such as water bottles, plastic bags and plastic utensils. The movement to ban plastic straws has been rapidly gaining attention, and large cities such as Seattle and Miami have already taken action. Local Minneapolis businesses are already on board with the movement, with many implementing their own policies. While consumers at First Avenue can request a straw with their beverage, drinks are no longer automatically served with them. HopCat, a Minneapolis bar, now serves compostable straws, which are designed to break down quickly and turn into soil mere months later. If Minneapolis were to implement a plastic straw ban across the city, there would be a significant impact on the University of Minnesota campus. For example, the University has 12 coffee shops spanning throughout campus, including three Starbucks. While Starbucks has vowed to remove all plastic straw use from their stores by 2020, the shops are still using plastic straws in the meantime, creating an immense amount of irreparable environmental damage. To put the amount of harm in perspective, 500 million straws is enough to completely fill over 125 school buses every day, which is nearly 47,000 buses per year. Among these startling statistics is the fact that each American is estimated to use an average of 1.6 straws every day. While it’s important to realize that not all straws can be banned, as near perfect conformity presents difficulties for some people with disabilities who may need to use straws, Minneapolis and local businesses should consider using alternatives, such as paper or compostable straws. The City should quickly follow the footsteps of its counterparts and begin with banning the use of plastic straws. Furthermore, Minneapolis and other cities need to expand their focus to the banning of all single-use plastic items. 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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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
MN DAILY
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HOROSCOPES Today’s Birthday (9/6): Communication profits this year. Share your affection and kindness steadily. Study to unveil a mystery. Summer glory for your crew comes before physical obstacles alert you to stop and smell the roses. Follow your heart this winter. Express your creativity and passion.
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle CROSSWORD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Written by Nancy Black
Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is an 8 — Professional challenges seem to dissolve, with Capricorn Saturn direct now, and advancement progresses in great strides. Set your sights high.
Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 7 — Home projects surge ahead, with Saturn direct. Elbow grease gets you farther. Disciplined, steady actions get results.
Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 7 — Avoid impulsive distractions. Travels and studies go farther with less effort now that Saturn is direct. Plan your schedule and coordinate.
Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is an 8 — Get the word out! Communication channels flow with greater velocity and ease, with Saturn direct.
Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is an 8 — Focus to grow your shared assets. It’s easier to handle money, with Saturn direct. Review legal, insurance and tax matters.
Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 9 — Discipline with money contributes to rising cash flow. You can make solid gains, with Saturn direct.
Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is an 8 — Partnership comes easier now that Saturn is direct. Embark on bold new collaborative ventures. Work together for a bigger impact.
Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 9 — Expand your territory, with Saturn direct in your sign. It’s easier to get farther. Consistent focus develops your studies and travels.
Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is an 8 — Your physical labors, services and work flourish, with Saturn direct now. Discipline with fitness and health goals produces extraordinary results.
Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 7 — Many hands lighten a load. Teamwork provides satisfying results. Show up for your friends, and they show up for you.
Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — Pursue a passion with all your heart. Your game thrives on discipline, with Saturn direct now. Persistence pays off.
Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is an 8 — Watch the road ahead. Teamwork surges ahead, with Saturn direct. Persistent practice takes you to new heights together.
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I’ve kinda sorta been seeing this guy for about a week, and things are already starting off on a weird foot. We hooked up at a party and I spent the night, but nothing sexual happened between us because he refused to use a condom. So that was an immediate pass for me because I’m not trying to get pregnant. When we woke up the next morning and went for breakfast, things got weird. We were just casually eating, and things felt normal. Then out of nowhere, he drops the bomb that he’s a deeply religious person, who doesn’t believe in using birth control or accepting homosexuality — basically a whole gamut of things that I personally support with a passion. I straight-up told him how deeply his beliefs go against mine, but to be honest, I still wanted the ‘D,’ so I’ve continued to hang out with him in the hopes of maybe slightly adjusting his stance on a few things. Mainly, I’m just seeing if I can get him to wear a condom, so we can get it on. So far, though, he’s not budging, so I’m in a tough spot. I have the issue of hanging out with someone with fundamentally different beliefs, so is it even worth it to keep seeing him? Keep in mind, though, this guy is a 10-out-of-10 hottie, so try to sympathize with me a little here.
—Conflicted Conflicted,
Listen, I feel you on this one. A hottie’s a hottie’s a hottie, end of story. That booty math is always gonna be foolproof. But you know what’s really not hot? Having totally incompatible beliefs about things that are important. This dude could be literally the finest guy around, but I guarantee you that after doing it, like, maybe five times, you’ll realize that you can catch a D-sesh just about anywhere without the added baggage of dealing with someone who is the opposite of you. And while we’re on the subject of the act of sex itself, let’s talk about how damn important it is to use some kind of protection. I know, I know — some belief systems reject any kind of birth control. It’s not my place to say what’s right and wrong, but you gotta do what is right for you, which is not getting preggo and not catching any kind of diseases. I don’t care how dope he is; if you’re tryna hit, then you gotta make
DOWN 1 Work up
By Jeffrey Wechsler
2 Risky proposition 3 Turow biographical title 4 Not working 5 Fleur-de-__: Quebec flag image 6 Poolside chair 7 Debate equipment 8 Get under one’s skin 9 Small songbird 10 Letters on a Qantas baggage tag 11 Like many tees 12 Greek 13 “... et cetera” 14 How some tickets may be sorted 21 Scented pouch 22 Put on 24 Plant in many Road Runner cartoons 25 Dunderhead 27 What Marcie calls Peppermint Patty 29 Distance runners 31 Cultivates 33 Monastic figures 35 Golden State team
9/6/18
Last Issue’s Puzzle Solved Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
36 Christ the __: Rio landmark 37 Crime show with several spin-offs 38 “You obviously can’t depend on me” 39 Fetches 43 Most junk mail 45 Comic book personnel 47 Change symbols, in math
9/6/18
48 Opera with Desdemona 49 Alters with a light touch? 51 48-Down composer 54 “__ told”: “That’s the rumor” 55 Designer Wang 56 Name in boxy cars? 58 Higher ed. test 59 Cardinal’s letters
SUDOKU
DR. DATE Dear Dr. Date,
ACROSS 1 Seething 6 Jaguar weapons 11 Half a dance 14 Stinger ingredient 15 Superman player Cavill 16 “The Last Jedi” villain Kylo 17 Alpine airs 18 Broken out, in a way 19 Days gone by, in days gone by 20 Capital on the Volga 21 Suppress, as a story 22 Punching tools 23 Suffix with fruct24 Hall of Fame manager Stengel 25 Sal of “Exodus” 26 Waters down 28 Taiwanese PC brand 29 Rita awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom 30 Hankering 32 Depilatory cream 34 Historic span: Abbr. 35 Impediment to creativity ... and each set of puzzle circles 38 Big letters in family-owned supermarkets 40 Troubadour’s strings 41 Uncle __ 42 Codes of conduct 44 Christian with style 46 Venerated one 50 Adorkable types 51 Lets off steam 52 JFK posting 53 “Psych” finale? 54 Is after 55 Field mice 57 Area 51 craft 58 Singer with Lawrence 59 Accept, with “for” 60 Greek org. 61 Lyft passenger 62 Difficult tasks 63 Hosp. parts 64 Mideast bigwigs 65 Will Rogers prop
sure you don’t wind up with some unintended consequences. Getting some ‘D’ can be a great thing, but even better is maintaining some SR — self-respect (aw).
—Dr. Date Dr. Date,
I’m in a really weird position that I didn’t ask for. You see, my roommate has been seeing this guy for the better part of six months. I’ll call him Jeff. Even though they’re definitely not an exclusive item, they are pretty involved. So the other night, I was just chatting with Jeff while a bunch of us were hanging out in my apartment kitchen, and things seemed normal. We were just talking about normal stuff, and then I left because I was going to meet up with a friend. Not five minutes after I left the house, Jeff texts me and asks if I’ll go see a movie with him the next day. I know that doesn’t have to mean a date, but my intuition was kicking in, so I asked him if it was a date, and he said, “Maybe [wink emoji].” What is that all about? First of all, he’s seeing the girl who lives in the room directly next to mine. Second, I’m definitely not interested, and now I have this weird situation on my hands. Do I tell my housemate, or should I just pretend like this never happened?
—Sliding In
Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk. 9/4/2018
Sliding In,
This guy’s going deep for some kind of perverse roommate double bingo. I respect the hustle, but I also kind of hate it, just like my relationship with Tom Cruise. I would say I have no idea what this guy is aiming at, but unfortunately, both you and I probably know exactly what he has in mind. Like what’d he expect? He could hit it up with your housemate and then just slide in to your room reeking of sweat, hoping for round two? Silly boy. My advice is to let this slide for now since telling your housemate could just make things weird. But if this dude keeps hitting you up, then bring the hammer down and make his whole boning fantasy blow up in his face.
Last issue’s solution
—Dr. Date
Want advice from the love d o c to r ? E m a i l D r. D a t e a t drdate@mndaily.com
© 2018 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
12
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Noor looks to up student engagement
Mohammed Noor speaks during a forum for candidates for the 60B Senate seat formerly held by Ilhan Omar on Monday, July 16 at Cowles Auditorium.
Mohamud Noor has said he wants to focus on affordable higher education. BY ISABELLA MURRAY imurray@mndaily.com
Mohamud Noor spent the first day of class at the University of Minnesota engaging with students at Coffman Memorial Union. The Minnesota House 60B candidate said it was important for him to be on campus for the start of the academic year. Noor’s path to public office is paved with his past campaign experience and own life in Minneapolis. “I don’t have all the solutions but I want to listen to
the students, I want to listen to the people who came before me and do better,” Noor said. The d ist rict , w hich includes the University of Minnesota, Augsburg University, Prospect Park, Seward, Como and CedarRiverside, has been represented at the state Capitol by Ilhan Omar since 2016. Omar recently left her 60B seat to run for the Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District seat. Noor’s emphasis on student issues comes from his experience running for the 60B seat in 2016 against Omar. Seeing her campaign’s success encouraged him to shift his strategy within the district. “It’s all about bringing a
coalition of the students, the long-term residents and the East African community,” Noor said. “Omar said the only candidate that can win the race has to bring this coalition together.” To do this, Noor said he plans to increasingly involve students in his campaign and position if elected by mentoring liaisons in his office. He said engaging students in politics can bring their perspectives into policymaking and provide them legislative experience. “For me, I’ve always believed in giving others hope and opportunity,” he said. “It’s a two-way street.” If he wins the seat, Noor said he’d like to be involved in the University’s search for a new president.
“I’m looking forward to supporting someone who will be focused on reducing the student tuition,” Noor said. “Someone who is driven by the mission of the U, someone who is willing to collaborate with others, someone who is willing to have an open office for the students.” A computer science graduate of Metropolitan State University, Noor dreamt of attending the University of Minnesota for graduate school. A lack of financial backing prevented him from attending, but evoked a belief in affordable higher education. Noor supports reforming the Minnesota College Affordability Act, a law that would make two and four-
year public college programs free for families making less than $125,000 per year. Noor, the executive director at the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota, is a former board member of Minneapolis Public Schools. “He always took the time to make sure I was welcomed and acknowledged at school board meetings,” said Kenneth Eban, a University graduate who met Noor through the school board. “He’s always someone who recognizes me and goes out of his way to say hi.” Angelo Jaramillo, a former candidate for the 60B seat and a second-year graduate student studying public policy at the University, dropped out three weeks
EASTON GREEN, DAILY
ahead of the primary election. Jaramillo now focuses on voter outreach for Noor’s campaign. “This isn’t his first rodeo running for political office. I think what he’s really gained from those experiences is the understanding of all the people in the district,” Jaramillo said. “He’s really a fighter for the whole community.” Noor will face Republican candidate Joseph Patiño in the upcoming election. Noor said he looks forward to increasing his presence at the University in the meantime. “From safety to funding to education to housing, and policy initiatives and research and development, I’ll be an asset to the U,” Noor said.