October 13, 2016

Page 1

TOP HEADLINES INSIDE:

KANYE WEST’S SAINT PABLO TOUR STOPS AT XCEL CENTER PAGE 4

■■ A brief history of U’s faculty union pushes

KANYE RECOUNTED THE ‘LIFE OF PABLO’ ON MONDAY.

■■ Regents will vote on six-year capital projects

The University’s first unionization effort began in 1978. PG 3

The Board will approve funding the requests this week. PG 10

SUNNY HIGH 57° LOW 43°

U OF M

MINNEAPOLIS

LATE WEEK

OCT. 13-15 2015

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

TECHNOLOGY

ADMINISTRATION

University names new senior VP

ST PAUL

Rewiring sound Though some in the deaf community worry about the cultural impact of cochlear implants, hearing technology continues to advance at the U.

Brian Burnett will assume the new vice president role pending regent approval on Thursday. BY OLIVIA JOHNSON ojohnson@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota has named its senior vice president for finance and operations — a new position created in March by University President Eric Kaler. Brian Bur nett, pending appr oval from the Board of Regents at its Thursday meeting, will begin on Nov. 17 after a months-long search, said University spokesman Steve Henneberr y. He said he thinks there won’t be debate about approving Burnett for the position. “Along with the right set of experiences and skills, Brian’s commitment to public ser vice and an understanding of the support role that operating units provide to the academic, research and outreach missions of the University are apparent,” u See BURNETT Page 2

CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY

First year Psychology Ph.D student Erin O’Neill shows her cochlear implants on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at her office in Elliott Hall. O’Neill conducted research about cochlear implants that will be released later this month.

LEGISLATURE

Lawmakers’ pay could be determined by voters An amendment on November’s ballot could change the state’s rules on legislative salaries.

BY MELISSA STEINKEN msteinken@mndaily.com

A

s she woke one morning in her early twenties, Erin O’Neill found she’d lost hearing in her right ear. Six months later, she awoke unable to hear at all. Though she originally planned to be a Spanish interpreter, O’Neill now studies cognitive brain sciences, helping psychology Professor Andrew Oxenham research ways to improve pitch and acoustics in cochlear implants. Their research, which they plan to publish next month, is one of many projects at the University’s Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science, which opened last fall. Despite research to advance hearing technology, the deaf community is still divided on the use of cochlear implants and other hearing aids.

CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY

First year Psychology Ph.D student Erin O’Neill poses for a portrait on Tuesdayoutside her office in Elliott Hall.

u See IMPLANTS Page 3

BY RYAN FAIRCLOTH rfaircloth@mndaily.com

Come November, Minnesota citizens could snatch control of state legislators’ salaries. If passed, a ballot measure in the upcoming election would shift the decision to raise lawmakers’ salaries to a 16-person independent council. Gov. Mark Dayton and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea would each pick one person from each of the state’s eight congressional districts. Currently, Minnesota state legislators set their own salaries — about $31,000 per year. They also receive compensation for living and travel expenses during the legislative session. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, u See BALLOT Page 3

HEALTH

MSA, University collaboration tackles tampon scarcity A new initiative aims to resolve frustrations around menstrual product accessibility on campus. BY RILYN EISCHENS reischens@mndaily.com

In response to accessibility complaints, menstrual care products will now be more accessible in University of Minnesota restrooms. University Facilities Management will

stock the school’s gender-neutral restrooms with pads and tampons, as well as add new informational signs to restrooms about where to find menstrual supplies. The changes come after a push by the Minnesota Student Association (MSA). MSA members noticed the sparse availability of menstrual products and began discussing ways to deal with the issue, said MSA President Abeer Syedah. “We had countless encounters with people … [walking] into the MSA of fice and asking if we had tampons,” she said.

MSA Infrastructure Committee Director Erin Deal said she wanted to work on the project because she’s experienced the lack of supplies herself. “At the University, I’ve heard a lot of stories about people needing [pads or tampons] and not being able to find [them],” she said. “I’ve personally stopped people in the restroom … and been like, ‘Can you help me out?’” Physiology senior Melissa Hiniker u See PRODUCTS Page 2

STUDENT GROUPS

New club augments reality Augmented Reality Collective hopes to develop partnerships with technology companies. BY DAVID CLAREY dclarey@mndaily.com

MADDY FOX, DAILY

Brandon Bogdalek, an officer for the University’s Augmented Reality Collective, demonstrates how to use a HoloLens, an augmented reality device, at a group meeting on Oct. 9.

A new campus club was recently outfitted with thousands of dollars in futuristic gear by Microsoft. The Augmented Reality Collective (ARC), which first met Monday night, is where students got a chance to see the $3,000 headset in action. As they gathered to watch demos of the gear, ARC President Dan Yao told the group augmented reality is the future, and this was their chance to get on board. That future will include seamless integration of technology into ever yday life, said Brandon Bogdalek, biology senior

and ARC’s corporate relations officer. At the meeting, Bogdalek showcased how the Microsoft HoloLens can show users anything from a Netflix movie to a model of the solar system on a wall or in the air before them. “AR [augmented reality] is something you can do in the daily sense,“ Yao said. “I wanted to bring AR to campus … and bring this field to the University.” At the meeting, Bogdalek said AR is predicted to reach a value of $120 billion as a field by 2020, making it exciting even for those not involved in its technical side. “That’s a lot of money, and to be able to to use such a cool technology and to maybe have a piece of that — I think anybody would be excited about those numbers,” he said. u See ARC Page 10

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 12


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