4
Monday, October 10, 2016
Liason spot At U, slump in high-risk drinking opened to the public
less because of national prevention programs, which delay the age people start using the drug. “Delaying is good,” Johnson said. “Ever y year you can delay use … is preventing future substance abuse.” ThanhVan Vu, a Boynton drug counselor, said she’s seen cases where a social drinking environment triggers a student to try marijuana for the first time, which could lead to future use. “I would suspect that we’re going to see more and more cases of marijuana … and I think my colleagues would agree with that,” she said. Most students sent to counseling have violations, Vu said. But those sent for marijuana use often don’t see it as a problem and often consider it a solution to personal distress.
MARIJUANA USE IN THE LAST 30 DAYS, UNIVERSITY VS NATIONAL
UMPD CITATIONS RELATED TO MARIJUANA USE
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
19.8
7.0
17.2
19.1
7.4
19.1
7.1
15.5
18.7
7.2
19.0
7.9
20
University Nation, ages 12-17 Nation, ages 18-25
18.5
Breaking a 20-year tradition, the University of Minnesota has decided to make applications for two vacant spots, which facilitate faculty-legislator communication, open to the public. The role of the position — faculty legislative liaison — is meant to share faculty concerns with state of ficials when the Minnesota legislature is in session. Traditionally, applicants learned about an opening for the position from other faculty members and the University’s Faculty Consultative Committee, but leaders decided to cast a wider net and publicly petition to fill the influential position. Vickie Courtney, the director of the University Senate office, said the opening was advertised to faculty on the president’s website. “It [was] impor tant to make sure that the faculty in the University community are aware of [the position] and to really open it up so that more people know about it,” she said. The deadline to apply was Sept. 30, and the positions will be filled by the end of the month, she said, adding that interviews are currently being scheduled. University pr esident Mark Yudof created the faculty legislative liaison to connect the faculty with the state legislature. Applicants are inter viewed by the FCC and the president’s office, then appointed by the president. Previously, the position
7.4
BY OLIVIA JOHNSON ojohnson@mndaily.com
was filled by word-ofmouth within FCC. The group would then make recommendations to the president, Courtney said. Colin Campbell, chair of the FCC and pharmacology professor, said they wanted to diversify the position and get faculty more involved. “There are terrific people that we were word-ofmouthing with, but there are ter rific people that we weren’t aware of and we didn’t know them, we didn’t know they had an interest,” he said. At Thursday’s FCC meeting, vice chair Joe Konstan said many of the schools in the Big 10 do not have a faculty legislative liaison and that the University is unique in how it communicates with the state. “The faculty voice is critically important for the students, and the student voice is critically important for the faculty,” Campbell said. Michael Kyba, a member of the FCC and pediatrics professor, said that, though he is newer to the FCC, he’s seen the importance of having liaisons to the legislature. “It’s important that the legislatur e understand what’s going on at the University. What our strengths are, what our concerns are, because they are the ones who fund the University,” he said. “Having a dedicated couple of legislative liaisons is one way in which that function is achieved.” Campbell said the job is a big commitment that requires faculty to make known their perspective to the state legislature. “It’s something ver y different than what professors do,” he said. “I think it’s just one of those things … I think it is unusual.”
15.1
The school advertised the position in hopes of diversifying it.
program on alcohol use required for new students — there are few to no prevention efforts on campus, but some groups like Student Legal Services are looking to start new programs. There is no punishment for students who don’t complete the AlcoholEdu program, Golden said. He said, to his knowledge, that there are no campus programs specifically targeting drugs other than alcohol. But if a student is caught violating a drug policy, they are placed in a program designed to help them rather than punish them. Any student who gets a checkup at Boynton is given a series of questions which
He said SLS and the University of Minnesota Police Department have educated University community advisors in residence halls on medical amnesty during their training. Meanwhile, marijuana use has risen since 2007 both nationally and at the University. While fewer people under 18 smoke marijuana, total use has grown, with more than an estimated 22.2 million people using the drug in the last 30 days. Researchers are unsure if marijuana affects alcohol trends, said Kimberly Johnson, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration director. Some studies show marijuana replaces alcohol use, but others show they are used together, Johnson said. She said she thinks young people are using marijuana
17
u from Page 1
can cause them to be sent to a drug counselor, Golden said. Alcohol prevention efforts at the University are directed by the Alcohol Abuse and Prevention Committee. The University tries to help students in trouble with alcohol or marijuana use after the fact. SLS refers students to alternative punishment methods — like community service — that don’t leave a mark on their permanent record, said Mark Karon, the University SLS director and APAP committee member. Citations for underage drinking have also dropped over the past few years, Karon said, but this is likely due to 2013’s medical amnesty law, which grants immunity to those who call 911 for alcohol overdoses, rather than a drop in drinking.
19
Drugs
2015
2013
2014
2015
SOURCE: BOYTON HEALTH SERVICES & SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Regent credits U with saving his life
Israel: Palestinian shooter in Jerusalem kills 2, wounds 5 BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Palestinian militant car ried out a drive-by shooting near the national headquar ters of the Israeli police in Jer usalem Sunday, killing two people and wounding five others before being shot dead following a frenzied chase through the streets of the holy city, Israeli police and emergency services said. The attack, carried out in broad daylight by a member of the Hamas militant group with a long police record, was one of the bloodiest during a yearlong spate of Palestinian assaults. Israel had beefed up security in recent weeks, warning that the potential for violence could rise during the current Jewish high holiday season. “This past year has not been easy,” President Reuven Rivlin said in a statement calling for national unity. “Time after time, just as today, the civilian home front found itself to be the front line.” In Washington, the State Depar tment condemned the shooting in the “strongest possible terms.” Spokesman Mark Toner said there is “absolutely no justification for the taking of innocent lives.” He also condemned statements “glorifying this reprehensible and cowardly attack.” The police headquarters has been a frequent location of attacks, both because of the large number of officers in the vicinity and because of its location along the invisible line between predominantly Jewish west Jerusalem and the Palestinian neighborhoods of east Jerusalem. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the
attacker sped toward a busy stop of the city’s light rail and opened fire, hitting a 60-year-old woman. He continued driving and shot another woman who was seated in her car before speeding off toward an Arab neighborhood in east Jerusalem. Samri said police of ficers on motorcycles chased the assailant, who eventually stepped out of his vehicle and opened fire at them. A separate police force ultimately shot and killed the attacker, Samri said. The Israeli national rescue ser vice, Mada, said two people were killed. Police identified one of the dead as a 29-year-old of ficer, Yosef Kirma. The 60-year-old woman, identified as Levanah Malichi, also died. Police said the shooter was a 39-year-old man from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. They did not release his name. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the shooter had used a .556-caliber automatic rifle, in contrast to the crude, homemade firearms typically used in past attacks. He said police were tr ying to determine how the shooter had obtained the weapon. Israeli media repor ted the man had previously ser ved multiple sentences for violent acts and was due to repor t to prison Sunday for another sentence over assaulting a police officer. The Hamas militant group stopped shor t of claiming responsibility for the attack. But in a statement issued in the Gaza Strip, it identified the shooter as Musbah Abu Sbaih, an activist known as the “Lion of Al Aqsa.”
Regent Thomas Anderson poses for a portrait on Thursday at the McNamara Alumni Center.
Anderson u from Page 1
Anderson decided to study mortuar y science at the University following the death of his father, who owned a small funeral home in Alexandria. He said he wanted to take up the family business so it didn’t have to be sold. “I had frankly never dreamed of being a funeral director at that time,” he said. “But out of family commitment, my hand went up, and I said, ‘I’ll do it.’” As a student, Anderson would be on campus from Sunday night to Thursday night and go home on the weekends to help at the mortuary. After running the family business for over three decades, Anderson wanted to become more involved with the University community. “I said, ‘I need to be part of this again,’” he said. Anderson was elected to the Board of Regents in 2015 and quickly developed a reputation among the University’s leadership and other regents as a friendly and engaged board member. “Tom Anderson is so friendly, he would talk to a fence post,” said board chair Dean Johnson. “He is engaged, and he listens to the procedures and the protocols of how the Board of Regents operates. He gains credibility with the leadership, with the administration as well as other
regents. He takes each issue on its merits. I have a great deal of respect for Tom.” Johnson said witnessing Anderson’s conversations with the Minnesota State Legislature while he was running for a seat on the board resonated with him. “I remember his statement, ‘I want to give something back,’” Johnson said. “That’s the right attitude to have about being a regent.” Anderson has ser ved on a number of corporate, community and civic boards, including the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, Douglas County’s Health Care Foundation and the Board of Directors for Knute Nelson Health Care, where he was board chair for three years. “Tom was ver y much a servant-leader,” said Knute Nelson’s president and CEO, Mark Anderson. “He really cared about the people we were ser ving. You can just sense Tom has a genuine affection for spending time with people.” Douglas Machine CFO Tom Wosepka first met Anderson when their sons played hockey together. As a new member of the Alexandria community, Wosepka said Anderson was a valuable friend to have. “One of the things I’ve really come to appreciate about Tom is his knowledge and his care and concern for the community he lives in,” Wosepka said. “He’s one of those guys who just knows everybody.”
The Daily recently met with Anderson for a shor t Q&A about his time on the board so far. Since getting elected to the Board, what have been some of your priorities for the University? I really have no priorities other than when I say I want to make the University the best it can possibly be. … I want ever yday Minnesotans to understand how the University of Minnesota is relevant in their lives and how it can help them. … I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the University of Minnesota. … I have no agenda other than I study ever ything, I study ever y issue. What might be some of the issues the board is handling this year that could show that relevance to Minnesotans? I think what we’re doing with M Health and the initiative to have a brand of health … we don’t necessarily know where that is going, but I think getting a handle of where M Health will be in the Af fordable Care Act is one thing that we have to talk about. … We’re well-positioned with our exper ts at the University with creating ter tiar y and quater nar y care, and we just need to know where that fits with the Fair view system. I’ve got great confidence in the leadership at the University of Minnesota Physicians and the Medical
CHRIS DANG, DAILY
School that we’ll figure out where that exact fit is. … I think MnDRIVE and what we’re doing in research in all phases of technology will be huge in creating more job opportunities and business opportunities. … I think we have to always look at what is the student experience at the University of Minnesota. … I think teaching the grand challenges of the world to our kids and giving this liberalbased education … those things are the things I enjoy working on. Is there anything you’re looking for ward to for the rest of the year? I’m learning so much. My take is I’ve just scratched the sur face of what’s happening there. I’m excited about what kind of par tnerships we can have with our legislators. … I think another issue where we’ve partnered with legislators to create a better Minnesota is our Bell Museum of Natural Histor y going up on the St. Paul campus. We’ve been able to co-fund that together. I’m excited about what can be done. I think that if we work together — the people of the state of Minnesota, the Board of Regents, the talent we have on research and the state legislators — we can really fulfill our land-grant mission fabulously. Editor’s note: This Q&A was edited for clarity and length.