A&E: DUA SALEH BENDS GENRES PAGE 4
EARLY WEEK MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020
MNDAILY.COM
SERVING THE UMN COMMUNITY SINCE 1900
GREEK LIFE
UMN fraternities wrestle with hard alcohol ban After two years, some question the ban’s efficacy and implementation.
BY PARKER TOYNE ptoyne@mndaily.com
Nearly two years after the majority of University of Minnesota fraternities banned hard alcohol, some question how the policy is enforced. In 2018, fraternities part of the North American Interfraternity Conference, which includes the majority of University fraternities, implemented a ban on all alcohol with an alcohol by volume of 15 percent or higher from all chapter parties and events. Following multiple publicized deaths of fraternity pledges around the country, the conference’s more than 6,100 chapters on 800 campuses were forced to re-examine their relationship with hard alcohol. According to the NIC, 90 percent of all students living in fraternity houses are under 21. Here on the University campus, there are conflicting views on the ban’s efficacy and questions about how it is actually enforced. Many fraternity members and presidents stand by their claims of upholding the ban, applauding its ability to maintain safe environments at all fraternity-sponsored events, which is done through self-monitoring and the use of “sober monitors.”
But others say the ban is not enforced at all. For NIC-affiliated fraternities on campus, the repercussions of not abiding by the ban range anywhere from not being able to host events to being barred from recruiting new pledges. Tau Kappa Epsilon, Kappa Sigma and Phi Delta Theta are the only fraternities at the University that are not affected by the ban. For fraternity member Jackie Tan, the ban has done a good job of maintaining order. “It has mitigated a lot of people from binge-drinking on hard-alcohol, at least in my own chapter,” Tan said, adding that reducing binge-drinking hard alcohol at parties has been a priority for his chapter. Yet, the presence of hard alcohol is known by many who throw and attend fraternity parties. The ban may be efficient in keeping outside alcohol out of the events, but when it comes to the consumption of hard alcohol by certain chapter members themselves, the difficulty lies in enacting measures to not get caught. “We do take some measures to make sure we don’t get caught, that’s the biggest thing,” said a University fraternity member who prefers to remain anonymous and not name his chapter in fear of repercussions for himself or his fraternity. However, many fraternities self-enforce their own alcohol policy and hide hard alcohol from those who oversee the ban, the fraternity member said. “We definitely haven’t
enforced it at all. We don’t go out of our way to confiscate it from people who have it in the house,” the University fraternity member said. Current IFC President Andrew LaFortune acknowledged alcohol is prevalent at many parties, and the ban’s current enforcement lacks practicality. “You can’t really limit every single thing. The purpose of it is to make it less prevalent as much as you can,” LaFortune said. Conor Hogan, the current President of Phi Gamma Delta, said his fraternity members know not to have hard alcohol, and have sober monitors at every party. The monitors ensure that no outside hard alcohol is brought onto the premises by anyone seeking to attend. “If we see any hard alcohol at our parties we take it, dump it out outside or take it away. For the people that bring it in we kick them out usually,” Hogan said. He said he thinks the ban is well enforced and respected. LaFortune stated that there is an open line of communication between chapter presidents and the IFC and that moving forward steps will be taken to better enforce the ban. “Something that a couple of the chapter presidents have talked to me about is how to go about actually enforcing it. We want to create an environment where it is not readily available to everybody,” LaFortune said.
“We definitely haven’t enforced it at all”
Illustration by Hailee Schievelbein / Minnesota Daily
ACADEMICS
PUBLIC HEALTH
U suspends Certificate in Native American health debuts at UMN say there has China study Experts been a lack of knowledge services for the abroad plans and Indigenous community.
The suspension is in compliance with the CDC’s measures to contain the coronavirus. BY NIAMH COOMEY ncoomey@mndaily.com
The University of Minnesota has suspended all student travel and study abroad programs in China for the spring semester due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to an email sent to staff and faculty on Thursday. “The health and wellbeing of the U of M community is paramount. With this in mind, we are continuing to monitor the 2019 Novel Coronavirus and implement precautions as necessary,” the email read. The alert was sent to employees by Campus Public Health Officer Jakub Tolar, and encouraged staff and faculty to re-evaluate travel plans to China. “This decision is in accordance with recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. State Department,” the email read. In a statement emailed to the Minnesota Daily, the University’s Director of International Health, Safety and Compliance Kevin Dostal Dauer said the decision to suspend student travel and study abroad programs to China was made on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Students were not in China when the University made the decision. The timeline for when students planned to depart to China varied depending on the program, Dauer explained in the statement. Some students who were enrolled in programs that spanned the full academic year were in China for fall semester but returned to Minnesota for winter break. The University has been in contact with all students enrolled in these programs to help them determine their next steps. This is being handled on a case-by-case basis, according to the statement. In response to the suspension, some students have chosen a different study abroad location while others are deferring their program to a different semester, the statement read. Other students are working with advisers to enroll in available courses at the University. In order for the suspension to be lifted, the institutions in China that receive University students will need to reopen, the statement read. Additionally, the University will conu See CORONAVIRUS Page 3
BY NATALIE CIERZAN ncierzan@mndaily.com
The University of Minnesota began offering its first American Indian Public Health and Wellness Certificate this semester. The certificate provides information about Native American tribes across the country and state, from tribal laws to the health issues that tribes experience disproportionately. The program, offered through the School of Public Health, examines how
laws and health protocols within tribes differ from state public health services. “[It’s] basically a lack of knowledge and services provided for the first Americans,” said Linda Frizzell, the certificate director and an assistant professor in the School of Public Health. Native Americans are often left out of conversations due to a lack of protocol, she said. “People use the excuse, ‘oh, well, we don’t know’ … just humble yourself and ask. People are reluctant to do that. The state of Minnesota was [reluctant] back in the mid-90s,” Frizzell said. Frizzell created this certificate u See NATIVE HEALTH Page 3
STAFF
Illustration by Eva Berezovsky / Minnesota Daily
NEIGHBORHOODS
UMN-area representation a key piece of census outreach Officials hope translation and hiring efforts will lead to a more accurate count on Census Day.
Community members gather at Prospect Park United Methodist Church to go over census information on Monday, Jan. 27. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)
As one union reaches an agreement with the U, another waits in limbo The clerical workers union pushed for higher wages and less steps to the top of the pay scale. BY NIAMH COOMEY AND HANA IKRAMUDDIN ncoomey@mndaily.com, hikramuddin@ mndaily.com
After months of contract negotiations and demonstrations, unionized clerical workers have reached an agreement with the University of Minnesota. After pushing for wage increases and a reduced number of steps to reach the top of the pay scale for workers, AFSCME Lo-
cal 3800 members voted in favor of a tentative contract agreement with the University last week. The Board of Regents is now set to vote on the contract at their February meeting. The Teamsters Local 320, another union on campus, has been unsuccessful in negotiations, members said. The University declined to comment on the AFSCME and Teamsters negotiations. AFSCME demonstrated at several University events last fall, such as a protest during President Joan Gabel’s inauguration and a walk-in during a regents meeting. These actions, as well as the u See UNIONS Page 3
BY J.D. DUGGAN jduggan@mndaily.com As Census Day nears, local officials and community members are ramping up engagement efforts in University of Minnesota areas. Students, who usually live in transition, along with the predominantly East African Cedar-Riverside community, are often undercounted. In fact, neighborhoods around the University are among the most unlikely in Minneapolis to respond to the census, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Some officials hope translation and local outreach will help lead to a more accurate count. Andrew Virden, Minnesota’s director of census operations and engagement, said student and immigrant communities have some shared characteristics that make an accurate count more difficult: They’re often renters, they may have more people living in a dwelling than the lease allows and they may be less likely to answer the call of a census enumerator. Virden said recruiting census workers from these communities is the best way to combat disparities in census responses. “I’m in my mid-40s, I’m probably not the right person to go hit frat row,” Virden said. “Ditto with the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
They need someone who’s culturally competent … ideally, who actually speak Somali or Oromo or another language.” The official physical census form — a federal document that cannot be altered — is only offered in English and Spanish. The census form is offered in 12 languages online, not including Somali or Hmong, two predominant languages in the Twin Cities. But supporting documents are offered in 59 non-English languages, including Somali and Hmong. While city officials are touring neighborhoods to promote the census, including a presentation in Prospect Park last week, grassroots efforts have bubbled up. A Complete Count Committee, made up of local residents and community leaders that can help with outreach, was recently formed in Cedar-Riverside. “We invited leaders of organizations or leaders of these neighborhood that people are very familiar with,” said Ahmed Mussa, a community health coordinator at the Brian Coyle Center, who was involved in forming the CCC. To spread the word, Mussa is utilizing social media, visiting local organizations and making announcements at mosques. He also interacts with residents one-on-one to answer questions more directly. Besides influencing political districts and government funding, businesses may use census information to identify areas that need services like u See CENSUS Page 3 VOLUME 120 ISSUE 35