April 22, 2019

STUDENTS BRIDGE GAP BETWEEN CULTURES P 2 MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2019

EARLY WEEK

ADMINISTRATION

U faculty limits access to meetings

U Senate committee members say some meetings are closed by request of administration.

THE STUDENT GROUPS DISCUSSED STEREOTYPES ON FRIDAY

MNDAILY.COM

Day in the Life Every day, the multimedia staff at the Minnesota Daily covers art, news, sports and culture. At midnight on Friday, April 19, eight photographers set out to document 24 hours in the lives of those who attend class, make their living and spend their days on the University of Minnesota campus. See pages 4-5.

TONY SAUNDERS

12:49 AM

BY DYLAN ANDERSON danderson@mndaily.com

Actor Jack Lasecke, right, and artist James Allen play pinball at the Kitty Cat Klub.

With sensitive topics circling through University Senate committee meetings, some discussions are shuttered to the public and meeting minutes go unpublished for months.

These committees, composed of University of Minnesota faculty and staff, discuss campus issues and make policy recommendations to the University Senate.

Although these meetings are not legally required to remain open, unlike a Board of Regents meeting, some campus members are concerned by a lack of transparency.

The Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) closed parts of three meetings this academic year and the Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee (AF&T) closed parts of two meetings last semester.

Multiple AF&T members said if a meeting was not closed, often the person who came to speak would not talk candidly — if at all.

“That was the only way we were going to access the information,” said Jessica Larson, AF&T chair. “We did not offer [closing the meeting]. It was proposed to us in both cases u See MEETINGS Page 3

COURTNEY DEUTZ

NATION

Campus weighs in on Rep. Omar national debate

12:26 PM

People go through the stations of the cross in observance of Good Friday.

Allegations of anti-Semitism surrounding Ilhan Omar led to discussions on Islamophobia.

BY FARRAH MINA fmina@mndaily.com

JACK RODGERS

As controversy surrounding U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., grows, University of Minnesota students are participating in the debate surrounding the first SomaliAmerican elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In February, Omar tweeted her criticism of America’s support of Israel and implied it was motivated by money. This generated allegations of anti-Semitism and angered both sides of the aisle. On April 12, President Donald Trump spread a video on Twitter that purports to show Omar downplaying the 9/11 attacks. The video combined footage of the World Trade Center burning with Omar describing the attack as “Some people did something.”

Since then, Omar has reported an increase in death threats, and University students have staunchly defended her. Others have been more hesitant to show support, and some have called for the congresswoman’s resignation.

Asha Muse, a second-year sociology major, said she thinks Omar has been subjected to scrutiny to reinforce stereotypes about Muslims.

2:40 PM

Parker Smith walks across a slackline at Van Cleve Park.

JASMIN KEMP

10:55 PM

Claire Nash talks to Matt Hickmann in the hot tub at the Radius to relax after a long week.

u See OMAR Page 3

ENVIRONMENT

LOCAL GOVT.

A history of University students' Earth Day advocacy

Plans to charge fee on plastic bags underway in Mpls. City Council

UMN students have led the call for environmental action since Earth Day's inception.

BY NATALIE RADEMACHER AND CLEO KREJCI nrademacher@mndaily.com, ckrejci@mndaily.com

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

Barthollomew Presby makes environmentally friendly shirts at the Environmental Justice Earth Day celebration in Northrop Mall on Friday, April 19.

Students and community members filled the lawn outside Northrop Auditorium Friday afternoon to support environmental initiatives and celebrate nearly 50 years of Earth Day. Fighting climate change with social equality is at the forefront of University students’ efforts this year. But that has not always been the case with environmental activism at the University. Many said this illustrates the way the environmental movement has been changing with the times.

When student activists began celebrating Earth Day nearly 50 years ago, their aims were different than those of today's activists. Reducing nuclear energy and figuring out how to support a growing population were front and center among issues.

In the 1970s, “there was a myth that we u See EARTH DAY Page 3

The Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance would set a 5 cent fee on paper and plastic bags.

BY MIGUEL OCTAVIO moctavio@mndaily.com

Minneapolis is moving ahead with efforts that would require residents pay a fee on paper and plastic bags after previous pushback from the state.

Ward 2 City Council member Cam Gordon announced plans earlier this month to amend the Bring Your Own Bag ordinance, which the city had adopted in 2016 to ban single-use plastic in Minneapolis retailers but was shot down by state lawmakers. To comply with state laws, Gordon will propose an ordinance requiring retailers to charge a 5-cent fee on paper and plastic bags instead.

“The idea is that we start chipping away at this plastic waste that seems to be mounting up so much,” Gordon said. u See PLASTIC BAG Page 3

VOLUME 119 ISSUE 55

2

MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2019

MN DAILY

EXTENDED WEATHER FORECAST MONDAY TUESDAY 50° 63° 36° 44° Rain

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THURSDAY 69° 44° Mostly sunny

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1970 Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems, is celebrated in the United States for the first time.

HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH

U students bridge cultural gaps The Black Student Union and AsianAmerican Student Union met Friday.

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ABBY ADAMSKI, DAILY

refers to Asian-American communities and is a stereotypical, ideal minority lifestyle, according to the workshop. It was often used against black and other minority groups, dividing them and preventing unions or allyship, according to the presentation.

The workshop provided context on Asian-American and African-American history in the United States and introduced historic incidents that led to conflicts between black and Asian communities.

It also referred to pop culture examples, such as Nicki Minaj’s music video for “Chun Li,” which makes mul-

tiple references to traditional Asian culture. Presenters at the workshop said pop culture can reinforce stereotypes within black and Asian communities.

“We didn’t necessarily delve into what those stereotypes are, but [it’s] like the reduction of a community into a specific set of traits instead of helping each other, promoting each other,” said ASU advocacy chair William Wang, a third-year biology and sociology student.

The presentation discussed how when someone borrows an item or symbol of cultural significance

without acknowledgment, attribution or permission, it leads to a lack of understanding and lack of overlap in experiences between the cultures.

The groups said they hope participants learn about the contexts of these stereotypes and attitudes in order to understand their power and privilege and use that to support the participants’ respective communities through solidarity and activism.

“I really enjoyed the event because it addressed and deconstructed why there is a separation between both communities, as well as

how all people of color can stand in solidarity with one another,” said Peter Stammers, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student.

Amy Ma, a second-year management information systems student, said the event was an amazing opportunity to facilitate discussion and build relationships across both communities.

“I’ve had the opportunity to talk about anti-blackness in Asian-American spaces before, but doing so in the presence of both ASU and BSU provided a sense of solidarity that was incredible to witness,” Ma said.

Tommy Keller and John Clancy talked about initiatives and goals for the future.

BY KAIT ECKER kecker@mndaily.com

The Minnesota Daily recently sat down with the incoming presidents of the Professional Student Government and the Council of Graduate Students to discuss their goals and planned initiatives.

Tommy Keller: incoming president of COGS

Are there any other things

EDITORIAL STAFF Max Chao Managing Editor mchao@mndaily.com Christine Ha Managing Production Editor cha@mndaily.com Michelle Griffith Campus Activities Editor mgriffith@mndaily.com Madeline Deninger City Editor mdeninger@mndaily.com J.D. Duggan Campus Administration Editor jduggan@mndaily.com Cleo Krejci Features Editor ckrejci@mndaily.com Drew Cove Sports Editor dcove@mndaily.com Sophie Vilensky A&E Editor svilensky@mndaily.com Ellen Schmidt Multimedia Editor eschmidt@mndaily.com Courtney Deutz Assistant Multimedia Editor cdeutz@mndaily.com Molly Tynjala Copy Desk Chief mtynjala@mndaily.com Bailey Davis Assistant Copy Desk Chief bdavis@mndaily.com Desmond Kamas Chief Page Designer dkamas@mndaily.com Abby Adamski Visuals Editor aadamski@mndaily.com Morgan La Casse Visuals Editor mlacasse@mndaily.com =

Incoming student presidents discuss goals

Why is this – the travel grants – something you’ve really taken up?

Part of being a graduate student is presenting your research, and that means going to where the conferences are. They don’t necessarily always come to you. ...

Being able to travel and support yourself is the crucial part in getting to those conferences to present your research. Because not only is it important for your own professional development, it’s also part of networking.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER Kelly Busche Editor-in-Chief kbusche@mndaily.com (612) 435-1575 Genevieve Locke Business Operations Officer glocke@mndaily.com (612) 435-2761

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BY GWIWON JASON NAM gnam@mndaily.com

How will you be fulfilling your campaign promises?

The travel grants is a big part of that. [Current President] Sean [Chen] and I have both been in contact with people involved in the [University of Minnesota’s] Graduate Assistant Health Plan, and we’re still waiting to hear back on certain questions that we have had, but hopefully that has a productive conclusion for everyone.

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Two University of Minnesota student groups held a discussion last week in hopes of bridging the gap between their cultures and seeking solidarity.

The Asian-American Student Union and the Black Student Union held a (POC)ulture workshop Friday examining stereotypes and attitudes within the black and Asian communities through the frames of pop culture and historical context.

“Through recognizing and acknowledging stereotypes and attitudes, we analyzed our privilege within the system and how to bridge the gap between two communities,” said second-year psychology student Georgina Simon, BSU’s grant and fundraising chair.

By discussing a variety of phrases, like “If you work really hard, you can get anywhere,” participants analyzed stereotypes and attitudes of both cultures.

“We went into the model minority [myth] and how [it] represented how the AsianAmerican immigrants just worked harder than everybody,” said Marcus JohnsonLuther, a third-year student studying strategic communication. “That is … the stereotype in ... the ‘American dream’ [is] that they pull themselves up by their bootstraps and if they can do it, anybody can do it.”

Created in post-World War II America, the “model minority” concept typically

Monday, April 22, 2019 Vol. 119 No. 55

COURTESY OF JOHN CLANCY

COURTESY OF TOMMY KELLER

Professional Student Government President-elect Josh Clancy.

The Council of Graduate Students President-elect Tommy Keller.

that you’ll be continuing from this leadership this next year?

Mental health is the perennial issue. It was brought up in the report to the Board of Regents from the student representatives. And I do think there is positive progress, and so it’s always a question of, ‘OK, now that we’ve done this, what’s the next step?’

Looking for ward, what are your hopes?

A deep commitment to equity for the Professional Student Government, I think that’s one of the things that ... is the most important to me is that we institute that cultural shift. Of having that run the breadth and the depth of the organization.

Are you ner vous about anything about taking on such a large leadership role?

I’ve been involved in student government for a number of years, so I think that’s helped a lot just in terms of knowing who the people are, the roles, who you go to if you have a certain question. ...

I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do this year …

and I’m looking forward to building off of that.

Joshua Clancy: incoming president of the PSG Mental health was a huge aspect of your campaign along with environmental sustainability. ... What kind of projects will you be working on?

The work that PSG has done around mental health in the past is phenomenal, and I’m looking forward to keep on championing that and working on some of the initiatives. ...

In terms of environmental sustainability goals of mine, it’s still something I’m working on formulating a plan for. But it’s something I think I’m going to try to keep PSG and student government in general involved in.

How specifically will you be continuing projects that ... PSG leadership have initiated?

I’m considering continuing on especially collaborating with COGS and their incoming president Tommy Keller. He has some pretty strong ideas ... around mental health — you know the push for decreasing the stigma of mental health and increasing students knowledge of where they can access services when

they need to. ...

PSG in particular has been a strong stakeholder in the PIPSM, the President’s Initiative [to Prevent] Sexual Misconduct’s push, and that’s something I’m very interested in when I continue PSG’s commitment to being one of the drivers of change in that area.

Is there anything else you’d like to add to the conversation about your goals for the year?

It’s going to be a big change, you know, stepping into the role of presidency.

I hope that we can continue some of the initiatives that PSG has started, you know, and that I can put my own stamp of equity and environmental sustainability on the PSG organization as a whole.

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3

Monday, April 22, 2019

Meetings u from Page 1

… the individuals would only speak if it was a closed meeting, so they have their reasons.”

Larson said a meeting last November was closed at University President Eric Kaler’s request. At this meeting, the committee discussed a controversial reproductive health fellowship with the president and Medical School Dean Jakub Tolar, according to meeting minutes. The meeting was reopened when the administrators left the meeting, and the committee continued to discuss the fellowship.

“A university body doesn’t have privacy interests,” said Jane Kirtley, professor of media ethics and law. “If they’re going to close a meeting and keep people out, let’s call it what it is — it’s a secret meeting.”

Kirtley said it is best to operate in the sunshine and give the public the opportunity to see discussions that lead to decisions of public interest.

“Even if you agree with the policy, who debated it? What were the points?

What got argued down?

What got accepted? That’s the process,” Kirtley said.

“I think it’s something that the public has an interest in knowing.”

A March 28 FCC meeting was closed while discussing the next steps of renaming campus buildings.

FCC Chair Amy Pittenger said the meeting was closed so faculty could speak freely.

The FCC previously discussed renaming in two other meetings without shutting its doors, including one discussion with Kaler, according to meeting minutes.

Jerry Cohen, AF&T member, said they try to avoid closing meetings whenever possible, but the committee can’t compel administration to talk with them.

“I wanted to hear what the administration’s policy had been and whether it was reasonable or not,” Cohen said, referring to the reproductive health fellowship.

“The only way I was going to get that answer was if I agreed to close the meeting.”

Cohen said it is appropriate to close a meeting before presenting discussions to the Board of Regents or legislature.

“If it gets back to them that you’re doing this, that could poison the water before you even got sanity on the table,” Cohen said.

He said when a meeting is closed, the reason should be clear. When a meeting is closed, typically the reason is listed in the minutes and the discussion is not.

Minutes often take well over a month to be posted after the meetings conclude. An FCC meeting from last September did not have minutes posted for four months. Senate Consultative Committee minutes have not been posted in 19 months, the latest for a meeting occurring over two years ago.

“If the goal is transparency and accountability, at the very least, you ought to be posting your minutes promptly,” Kirtley said.

While many cite the ability to speak freely as a rationale for closed meetings, Kirtley said it cuts both ways.

“If you're in a meeting that's closed, there can be a lot of peer pressure or kind of a sense that the majority is going to rule no matter what and sometimes minority voices don’t feel comfortable speaking out,” Kirtley said. “It can actually stifle the very open debate they claim they’re trying to advance.”

Niamh Coomey contributed to this report.

Plastic Bag u from Page 1

Minneapolis backed off from the Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance one day before it was expected to go into effect after former Gov. Mark Dayton signed a budget bill forbidding any city to enact a ban on carryout bags. Gordon said the Legislature passed the bill to make bagging policies more consistent statewide after some businesses and shoppers felt their choices should not be limited.

Gordon introduced a similar measure establishing a bag fee in 2017, but the ordinance was tabled and never voted upon.

The ordinance is meant to encourage the use of reusable bags and reduce waste and processing issues at recycling facilities, Gordon said. A survey is currently being distributed to gather resident input.

“Part of why it got tabled in 2017 was there was staff direction asking for more community engagement in the process,” said Gordon.

“Early this year, I decided we should pick this up and do it again.”

A House bill would allow retailers to use paper, plastic or reusable bags, reversing the current prohibition. The bill passed the House local government subcommittee

MORGAN LA CASSE, DAILY

in March. Gordon said the bill’s outcome this session could impact the eventual language of an ordinance.

“I suppose if this passes, I’ll take a deep breath and think about it and consult a bit about what would make the most sense, but right now we could just proceed with what we’ve already passed,” Gordon said. “I think what we’ll do is let the session end and schedule a public hearing in early June and bring it forward to the Council.”

The proposal would exempt items like produce bags, restaurant take-outs or farmers’ market bags from the 5-cent fee. People under recognized food assistance programs would also be exempt.

Minneapolis would follow cities with similar laws, including Washington D.C., New York and Portland,

Maine, if the ordinance passes.

Dinkytown Business Alliance Vice President Randal Gast said the fee may not be enough to encourage the use of reusable bags.

“What you have here is some interesting environmental legislation,” Gast said. “But there are issues, kind of like the revenge of unintended consequences.”

University of Minnesota third-year student Paige DiSpirito said the ordinance should charge more than 5 cents per carryout bag. She said while the fee might not solve environmental problems, it can encourage more conversations.

“It might not make people happy, but it does start a conversation,” DiSpirito said. “I think it’s just more so about raising awareness and just trying to encourage people to try something new.”

Omar u from Page 1

“They’re using her identity against her,” Muse said.

“Just because they know that she is part of some marginalized group, they’re using those stereotypes to make her lesser than her counterparts ... even though she is a congresswoman.”

For Todd Green, an associate professor of religion at Luther College and author of multiple books addressing Islamophobia, Omar’s remarks speak more to Islamophobia than to anti-Semitism.

“There is a stereotype ... which is the notion of the Jewhating Muslim, that Muslims by default hate Jews and are hostile towards Jews,” Green said. “Therefore, anything they say [that is] critical about Israel is going to be taken with extra amounts of hostility.”

Although many University students condemned Trump’s tweet, the line was less clear-cut for some when it came to discussing Omar’s comments about Israel.

“I found some of her comments problematic,” said third-year student Megan Robbins. “But I like the fact that she came out and acknowledged that.”

Though critical of Omar’s language, Robbins said there is a place for Omar to make comments about Israel. “I think she can talk about the government as a whole ... without using language that is offensive to Jewish people,” Robbins said.

However, Muse said it is important not to conflate

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Rep. Ilhan Omar enters her election party with her family on Tuesday, Nov. 6 in Minneapolis.

criticisms of the Israeli government with anti-Semitic sentiment.

“People have made that equivalent, calling out the Israeli government and hating Jews, which doesn’t make sense. You can call out a government because that’s a system that is oppressing and violating human rights,” Muse said.

Fourth-year physics major Dawson Kimyon also said Omar’s words tend to be subjected to skepticism because she is Muslim. Omar is called out for comments that would typically be dismissed if other left-wing Congress members said them, he said.

“As a black Muslim woman, everything she says is scrutinized and heard ... in a way that already assumes inherently that because she’s a Muslim, she must be anti-Semitic,” Green said.

“Her remarks are being interpreted in the worst possible way, and that’s part of what’s going on.”

Second-year student

“They’re using her identity against her ... they're using those stereotypes to make her lesser than her counterparts ... even though she's a congresswoman.”

ASHA MUSE second-year sociology major at the U

Ramla Mohamud said the attacks Omar has received for her opinions show people have only accepted Omar as a token.

“They would love for her to ... make us all feel good that we live in a progressive country — that someone can come and be a refugee and make it to the halls of Congress. And we would love for her at that point not to say anything controversial,” Kimyon said.

Earth Day u from Page 1

needed to protect the environment from people," said Sam Grant, who teaches an environmental sustainability program for the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA).

Now, Grant said, people are beginning to understand that people are part of the environment.

“We don’t know how to heal the earth, heal each other and co-create, but that’s the challenge of this particular generation of environmental activism ... to really focus on intersectional healing,” Grant said.

Almost 50 years later, students still lead the charge For this year’s Earth Day, student organizers are honing in on how climate change impacts people differently. This highlights the importance of merging environmental and social justice to help fight climate change.

A diverse group of students gathered on the Northrop lawn on Friday to show support for environmental change, which they say requires justice and crosscultural communication.

University student group Voices for Environmental Justice, which facilitated this year's event, created a petition asking for environmental justice topics to be integrated into University curriculum through coursework and the creation of a major and minor, said Sara de Sobrino, a member of the student group.

“We want to inspire people to continue this,” said Dania Marin-Gavilan, another facilitator for the student group.

A ro u n d 2 0 s t u d e n t groups, cultural groups and grassroots entities came together this year to lead a week of Earth Day initiatives on campus, including workshops, said Nick Knighton, a facilitator for Voices for Environmental Justice.

“We realize in order to get people involved in a movement, it should be fun,” Knighton said. “We are doing justice work and building a better world.”

When did students start celebrating earth day at the U? Since Earth Day was established on April 22, 1970 by former Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wis., students have been at the forefront of Earth Day initiatives at the University of Minnesota.

To commemorate two decades of Earth Day celebrations, Aron Pilhofer and

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

Students plant their own succulents at the Environmental Justice Earth Day celebration in Northrop Mall on Friday, April 19.

other University students organized a campus-wide event in 1990 on the lawn between Coffman Union and Northrop.

During the Earthfest event, coordinators arranged to have props regarding environmental issues put on the mall, including a trailer-sized wind turbine to promote alternative energy sources.

“It was a weird event; we put environmental stuff all over the mall,” Pilhofer said.

He remembers being unable to sleep the night before because everything came together so quickly.

The same year, Owen Byrd, a national campus coordinator for Earth Day 1990, set out to encourage universities to work on environmental justice initiatives.

He encouraged student organizations to look at how their campus was doing with recycling and energy conservation, which were the issues students were advocating for in 1990, he said.

The University of Minnesota was ahead of its time and established a recycling program in 1984. Byrd said the University was good at engaging with local communities to work on environmental initiatives.

“If you look at the history of successful social change, it is almost always driven by young people,” Byrd said.

Earth Day circa 1972 Louis Alemayehu remembers attending demonstrations advocating for the environment at the University as a graduate student in the 1970s. He said Earth Day and environmental initiatives were largely white-led movements then, but that is changing.

“All the movements that have happened between then and now have made this possible,” he said during Friday’s demonstration at Northrop. “It hasn’t been easy.”

Based on a 1972 United Nations environmental manifesto, the push to help the environment back then was

“We realize in order to get people involved in a movement, it should be fun. We are doing justice work and building a better world.”

NICK KNIGHTON Voices for Environmental Justice facilitator

mainly focused on the harm of nuclear energy and a fear of not having enough food and other resources to support a growing population.

Climate change was not a mainstream concept at the time.

Two years after the first Earth Day, University students organized a week full of speakers, musicians and a bike ride to the State Capitol to raise awareness of environmental issues.

During one Earth Week event, attendance was so high for a speaker at Coffman Union that students spilled out onto the mall.

Demonstrations against the Vietnam War overlapped with Earth Week celebrations that year.

Students used several Earth Week banners to create a barricade during an antiwar demonstration, said Ed Finklea, a University student who helped organize the 1972 Earth Week celebration.

“All in all, we were part of the same thing,” Finklea said of the Earth Week celebration and anti-war protests. “The whole idea was that it was positive change.”

Finklea credits a few professors, including Dean Abrahamson of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, to leading the environmental movement at the time by encouraging students to pursue initiatives.

“They made us young people think about the environment,” he said.

4

Monday, April 22, 2019 COURTNEY DEUTZ

1:57 AM

t Metropolitan State

University student Brooke Wadzinski laughs with friends after getting Mesa Pizza.

3:30 AM

WILL TOOKE

2:15 AM

q Corey Hanson smokes a cigarette across from McDonald’s in Dinkytown.

TONY SAUNDERS

q Marketing student Abi Nesbitt works from

2 to 4 a.m. as a DJ at Radio K, the campus radio station. Nesbitt will go home to sleep before her 11 a.m. shift starts.

6:55 AM

ELLEN SCHMIDT

p Two anonymous students wait for Hideaway

to open so they can take advantage of the 4/20 holiday sales a day early.

8:25 AM

ELLEN SCHMIDT

q Finance senior Angela Harkman and alumnus

Drew Harkman chat through their meal at Al’s Breakfast. The siblings have been eating at the joint since Angela Harkman was in third grade.

ELLEN SCHMIDT

9:34 AM t Earth sciences

freshman James Symanski works out behind Pioneer Hall.

TONY SAUNDERS

10:24 AM

q Squash teacher

John Stever warms up his students before class in the University Recreation and Wellness Center.

12:11 PM

JASMIN KEMP

q Mae Rudeen poses with Goldy the

Gopher at the Bell Museum’s Destination Discovery event in St. Paul.

CHRIS MCNAMARA

1:09 PM

t Mortuary science

freshman Bekkah Cunningham listens to music during her commute.

JASMIN KEMP

2:44 PM

u Josie Blake pets a cow

during a tour of the St. Paul dairy barns.

5

Monday, April 22, 2019 JACK RODGERS

3:22 PM t Rogers Junior, left, Mike Toth, Mason Wylie and Tony Landucci play a game of Spikeball outside Northrop.

JACK RODGERS

5:11 PM

u Madeline McMaster and Celia Ramsey take part in the spring Lettuce Club meeting.

The person who can eat an entire head of lettuce the fastest is deemed the president of the club for the next year.

6:19 PM

JACK RODGERS

4:08 PM

q Mathew Freeman, left, Ben Tyrell and Dan Black work on a project in the Anderson Innovation Lab.

ELLEN SCHMIDT

q Akari Nanno, 7, giggles after missing the golf ball in the foreground as her little brother Haruki Nanno, 3, eyes his shot in the background at the driving range at Les Bolstad Golf Course.

JACK RODGERS

8:05 PM

ELLEN SCHMIDT

9:44 PM

p A game of beer darts is played outside Zeta Psi on University Avenue SE.

t Computer engineering junior Owen Hoffend leans into a song he composed as he plays on the piano at Coffman Union.

JASMIN KEMP

9:33 PM

u Senior students in the B.F.A. acting program at the University perform the play “Boudica” at the Guthrie Theater.

ELLEN SCHMIDT

11:59 PM

p The full moon glows just before the night becomes the morning of April 21, 2019.

11:37 PM

JACK RODGERS

t Dave De Jong and Marie Lundgren hold hands while walking home after a night of board games.

u View the full Day in the Life gallery at mndaily.com

6 MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2019

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions

COLUMN

Fans and critics consider whether ‘Avengers: Endgame’ deserves to be three hours long arvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” is one of the few movies that I’m willing to sit in a movie theater to watch for three straight hours.

The film, which premieres this Friday, is arguPALMER HAASCH ably the most ancolumnist ticipated mainstream film of 2019. However, “Endgame” outstrips its genre predecessors by being one of the longest and arguably most ambitious superhero films to date. While “Endgame” certainly isn’t the first three-hour movie to draw crowds and generate buzz (think “Titanic” or “The Wolf of Wall Street”), it’s fair to say that few other summer blockbusters could get away with a three-hour run time.

As the 22nd installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Endgame” has a lot to live up to. First, there’s the Herculean task of keeping straight the film’s still massive cast of characters — spoiler alert — half of them got snapped in what’s referred to in-universe as the “Decimation.” (If you haven’t seen “Avengers: Infinity War” by now, that’s your own fault.) Past the basic expectation of a cohesive plot despite such a large cast, fans expect not just entertainment, but also emotional payoff from “Endgame” — especially after investing so much time into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, fans are preparing. “People are ready,” E Oropeza, a University of Minnesota student, longtime Marvel fan and Hawkeye enthusiast told me over text. “But [they’re] not really ready and preparing through memes. … I swear there’s a joke on my timeline every day or two about Steve and/or Tony’s funeral lmao.”

It’s impossible not to speculate about who will and will not survive “Endgame” or how the Avengers will manage to defeat Thanos. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark seem to be characters likely to retire, especially given that both Chris Evans’ and Robert Downey Jr.’s contracts only run through “Endgame.”

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

EDITORIAL

“Endgame” needs to satisfy fans’ many emotional demands even as it successfully delivers on plot.

M

Eliminating counseling waitlist is a priority following Daily article I would like to thank author and reporter Michelle Griffith and the students she interviewed for sharing their feelings in last week’s Minnesota Daily article, “‘I am not alone’: UMN students’ silent grief.” I think the article pointed out a position on the spectrum of student mental health that we don’t think about very often — grief.

I felt compelled to write not only because I served as a funeral director for 35 years and have a basic understanding of grief, but 42 years ago on Easter weekend my father suffered a fatal heart attack during my freshman year on the University of Minnesota campus. I could feel myself in your article.

I remember returning to campus after the funeral and having a hard time concentrating during the final month of the school calendar. I understand how difficult it can be to function at a high level under the emotion of grief.

I am delighted to hear that the Student Counseling Services now provides facilitators for weekly group counseling sessions, although I also understand that there is a waiting list for many to get into these groups. Because this article brought this issue to my attention, one of my first items of business when I return to campus will be talking to my colleagues about how we can eliminate this waitlist and discuss what other options we may be able to provide for grieving students.

Thomas Anderson is a member of the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents.

This letter has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

There’s also been quite a bit of gravitas lent toward the somewhat outlandish, but now mainstream, “Thanus” theory. This essentially involves, uh, Ant-Man shrinking, climbing into Thanos’ anus and then expanding, therefore killing him.

All of the buzz — even wild theories — leading up to the premiere are testament to cultural capital and fans’ emotional (and intellectual and financial) investment in “Endgame.” Even getting tickets to the premiere was a hassle. “I waited in the digital ‘line’ [to get tickets] for about five hours,” Oropeza wrote. They eventually were able to get seats for premiere night. “I love the energy around movie premieres,” they said. “I also work the entire weekend after the premiere so I wanna see it before [it] get[s] spoiled [for me] like ... ‘Infinity War’ lol.”

Ultimately, it is the fans’ investment in the narrative, legacy and experience of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that justifies — or perhaps, necessitates — this long of a movie.

When people flock to theaters this Thursday for the movie’s earliest screenings, finding time to pee or stretch during the film won’t be their primary concern. Rather, it will be a three-hour battle for “Endgame” to live up to fans’ high expectations. As the closing

If the Minnesota House cannot decide on regent appointments, Gov. Tim Walz will decide for us.

State legislators are dragging their feet deciding who will fill the four open seats for the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents — an entity responsible for carrying out some of the most pressing problems facing the University. If the House cannot decide on the four new regents soon, decision-making power falls to Gov. Tim Walz, according to reporting from the Minnesota Daily. Appointed regents would only serve a two-year term, as opposed to the typical six-year term.

Some lawmakers have raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of handpicked regents, which includes their ability serve the University’s best interest. The lack of an election could make the terms of appointed regents less effective than others in the past, especially because they have four fewer years to serve. This would also set a dangerous precedent for future elections.

Will divided politics continue being the main influencer of who is appointed to serve the University in bipartisan positions?

The often-overbearing politics sur-

rounding the University isn’t new — higher education administration has become increasingly political in recent years.

We saw this politicalization in March 2018, when the Legislature voted Randy Simonson to the board. Several lawmakers told the Daily that Simonson’s stance on a reproductive health care fellowship, which included abortion training, helped him gain votes.

As legislators try to further their own interests and slow decisions, members of the University are stuck in the midst of a highly-polarized, ineffective and futile election process. We urge legislators to do their job and choose regents who can be constructive leaders for the University.

Going through the normal regent election process ensures one of Minnesota’s largest institutions is sufficiently governed.

New regents and the individuals selecting them must make a conscious commitment to the board’s diversity. According to a MinnPost interview Daniel Wolter, the chair of the Regent Candidate Advisory Council, the group of candidates up for debate is one of the most diverse in history.

If the legislature continues dragging its feet in selecting regents, it will ultimately show its lack of commitment to the board’s diversity and de-prioritize student and University needs. This should always be

Zuckerberg’s electronic education may harm students more than it helps them

I

n France, around the years 1890-1910, a group of artists produced a series of cartoons called “En l’an 2000” depicting French life as imagined in UMA VENKATA the year 2000. columnist The artists went beyond the typical futuristic ideas regarding transportation, like flying cars or jet packs. These things do show up, and there’s an additional emphasis on human habitation undersea. This was just after the publication of Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, after whose heyday, I think, we largely moved on from seahorse races.

I vividly remembered a particular En l’an 2000 cartoon this weekend while reading a story about automated educational software. In the cartoon, a teacher pours books into a basin and an assistant grinds them with a crank. Wires travel from the bottom of the machine to headsets worn by rows of students. They listen and twiddle their thumbs.

In an unsurprising turn of events, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan — husband and wife, tech executive and pediatrician — are hopping on electronic education real estate. They funded a program called “Summit Learning,” which is “a personalized approach to teaching and learning,” according to its website. “It is a way for students to unlock the power within themselves to live

number of an 11-year era, “Endgame” will hopefully be the payoff that fans desire and deserve.

Palmer Haasch welcomes comments at phaasch@mndaily.com.

Minnesota State Legislature should go through the traditional regent election process for the U

COLUMN

Increasing the use of technology in classrooms doesn’t necessarily create better learning outcomes.

All of the buzz — even wild theories — leading up to the premiere are testament to cultural capital and fans’ emotional (and intellectual and financial) investment in “Endgame.”

fulfilled and successful lives.” Big plans.

Summit supplies an online learning platform where students learn everything — history, English, math, science and world languages — online. The argument is that, without the need for teachers to teach, they now have time to “mentor students,” according to a Facebook post from Zuckerberg. Summit also intends for students to have group projects and dialogue between other students, and stipulates that students should have weekly 10-minute meetings with the teacher. It sounds like regular school, but made artificially worse.

After getting its start in 2015, Summit is used in around 380 schools across the country. In some Kansas schools, buckling under the effects of Summit, students say that the 10-minute meeting either lasted around two minutes or didn’t happen at all, according to reporting from the New York Times. This is probably the antithesis of teaching.

Links in Summit have brought students to sexual content in the Daily Mail or evangelicalism on a Christian conversion site.

Long hours at the computer have caused physical pain in children and have caused more frequent seizures in epileptic students.

One student in the Times article said she “missed talking to teachers and students in class.” Summit is grinding up books and feeding them to children, who must learn it passively.

Kids are not taking well to Summit.

There have been walkouts, protests and ultimately terminations of Summit across the country. The Kansas district is experiencing a showdown between a pro-Summit administration and the true bearers of the brunt: children and their parents.

As a recent product of grammar school and high school, I can confirm that education is vulnerable to fads. I can also confirm that teachers work incredibly hard; the sheer volume of their obligations puts them under a high amount of stress for a low amount of compensation.

Happiness involves relationships with other people. This is diminished when you put your eighth-grader behind a computer for an entire school day.

More technology being poured into schools is done in an overused, wrong direction. Happiness involves relationships with other people. This is diminished when you put your eighth-grader behind a computer for an entire school day. And most importantly, that’s what the eighth-grader is trying to tell you.

In a final cathartic wrinkle: Summit is a product of Silicon Valley, where tech engineers and programmers know firsthand the detrimental effects that too much technology exposure can have on kids. They send their kids to tech-free schools and have nannies sign no-phone contracts. Yet, grants are being awarded for Summit to be implemented in struggling districts. “En l’an 2000” was predicting some crazy stuff. Just wait until “l’an 2019.”

Uma Venkata welcomes comments at uvenkata@mndaily.com.

We urge legislators to do their job and choose regents who can be constructive leaders for the University.

at the forefront of the House and Senate when making decisions regarding the University, as a stronger University betters the state of Minnesota.

The legislature should ensure that the Board of Regents more accurately reflects our student body and state.

It’s the duty of those deciding who will fill the regent seats to make decisions with timeliness and diversity in mind.

Doing so won’t only help promote diversity and strong, careful decision-making this year, but it sends a necessary message about the University’s commitment to bettering its community and state.

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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THE EDIT ORIALS AND OPINIONS DEPAR TMENT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE NEW SROOM

7

MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2019

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

HOROSCOPES

Today’s Birthday (4/22): Strategize for shared gain this year.

Lay careful plans to advance your education and travels.

Creative communications flower this summer, revealing a different fork in the road. Travel and studies especially flourish next winter, shifting your research and writing. Keep an open mind and heart.

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

Written by Nancy Black

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is a 7 — Handle practical details before dashing off. Create back up plans and review alternate routes to your destination. Explore options and research.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 7 — Do the research before making a statement. Things may not be as they appear. Don’t fall for a trick.

Stick to reliable news sources.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is an 8 — Review financial agreements, and handle obligations.

Postpone buying treats. Decide in favor of good structure. Build solid foundations for future goals.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 7 — Figure out what your ideal customer or client wants.

Polish marketing materials, and articulate your brand. Plan and prepare for a powerful launch.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 7 — Talk to work out practical details with your partner.

Schedule actions for later, after determining what needs doing and who will do what.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 9 — Follow your intuition. A trickster is at work. Don’t respond automatically. Consider your personal priorities before choosing your direction.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is an 8 — Keep to your health, fitness and work routines. Guard against impulsive behavior or sudden moves.

Avoid accidents or injury. Keep a steady pace.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 5 — Wait to see what develops. Anticipate chaos, controversy or resistance. Lay low, and reformulate plans. Complications could arise.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is a 7 — Discuss the finer aspects of the game. Plot your moves in advance. Postpone a major reveal. Talk gets farther than action now.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 7 — Voice your views to your team. Illuminate a shadowy area. Passions could get intense. Listen to all perspectives.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is a 6 — Avoid unnecessary arguments at home. Adapt to changes as illusions evaporate. Stick to practical priorities, don’t worry about the small stuff.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 7 — Find sweet little escapes. Take a walk outside. Try new flavors or views. Avoid traffic or hassle.

Discover treasure in your own backyard.

DR. DATE Dr. Date,

Every so often, my ex will contact me — even though we broke up two years ago. I always try to keep things short and brusque with him, but in a way, I hate when he contacts me because then I start thinking about him and how much I wish we would’ve worked out and how I know that, deep down, I still have feelings for him despite some rather serious character flaws. I know it was not the right relationship for me and that a better man will come along.

When the heart and mind are in conflict, it only makes sense to follow the mind.

So what can I do to make my heart stop feeling little pangs when my ex tries to contact me?

—Forget Me Now

Dear Forget Me Now,

Time heals all wounds, but it’s hard to leave the past in the past when the past keeps Facebook messaging you.

I would keep doing what you’re doing. You’re being polite but not inviting the ex factor to invade your life or rekindle old flames.

The pangs may never stop, but the more you move forward with your own life, the fainter they will become.

Cut ties if things are too painful. If you can manage having a polite but not intrusive relationship, keeping in communication can be healthy.

— Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

One of my best female friends (and roommate) is bisexual and recently told me that she’s had feelings for me all throughout college. I’ve always thought I was straight and have been consistently dating and/or in a relationship during college but have been single for the past six months or so. It caught me by complete surprise.

But, my friend and I are very close.

Like often-sleep-in-the-same bed and casually hold hands and sometimeseven-cuddle-during-movies close. Just gal pal stuff. I mean, I’ve never thought of her as anything more than a super close friend and I’ve always dated and been attracted to guys, but now that she has confessed her feelings, I find myself at a loss.

What if we are more than friends?

Being with her makes me so happy, and she’s one of the few people I feel

truly comfortable with. This may sound damning, but I definitely want her to be in my life, for the long term. But is that as a friend, or something more?

I didn’t want to get her hopes up though, so I told her I needed to process it, and so I said we should talk more about it later.

It’s been a few days, and I still have no idea what to tell her. I’m very worried about losing her friendship or changing it irrevocably, but I just know I don’t want to make a mistake. What should I do?

—Is Blue the Warmest Color?

Dear Is Blue the Warmest Color?,

First off, I want to say, I can understand why you’re concerned with what is happening. There’s a lot going on for you right now, and I feel for you, girl.

Sometimes, the lines between friendship and love are thin and blurry.

It’s obvious you two are very close and that you care a lot for her. But you have to consider what it means to have a friend, and what it means to be something more.

I can’t tell you what to feel and I can’t promise you that you’ll make the right choice. But from what I’ve learned in love — and I’ve learned a lot — you should always go with your gut for this kind of thing. Does the thought of being with her feel “right”? Can you picture owning a dog together? Sometimes, you find love in the most unexpected places.

Why do you think the whole “finding your true love was beside you all along” is a such a common movie trope?

However, it is a big jump, and you should definitely take your time with coming to a conclusion. Just assure her that you still care a lot for her and that you just need more time to think. I know she’ll understand.

Everything will work out one way or another. Good luck!

— Dr. Date

Want advice from the love doctor? Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com

SUDOKU CROSSWORD

Last Issue’s Puzzle Solved 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.

Last issue’s solution

4/22/19

© 2019 Michael Mepham. Distributed

by Tribune Media Services.

All rights reserved.

8

Monday, April 22, 2019

U professor works to save Egyptian history Bob Blanchette’s work is guiding the remains of a death god to immortality.

BY JAKE STEINBERG jsteinberg@mndaily.com

Two hundred miles south of Cairo, in an old part of Egypt west of the river Nile, there is life in the city of the dead.

Wood-decaying fungi have been feasting in the tombs of Abydos for millennia, leaving the ornate caskets and hand-carved statues so weak they disintegrate at the touch.

There is little research on how to conserve the archaeological relics looted by these fungal bandits. But what little research there is has mostly been done by Bob Blanchette.

Blanchette, a wood pathologist at the University of Minnesota, has been at the forefront of the study of wood decay fungi for over four decades. His work has taken him to far-flung corners of the world and positioned him as the bridge between archaeology and mycology.

Blanchette’s ability to assess the biodegradation of wood in ancient objects has often been the key to saving them. It’s earned him international renown, said Jim Bradeen, head of the Department of Plant Pathology. “Bob really has an Indiana Jones quality to him,” he said.

Abundant, strong and lightweight, wood has been a building material of choice as long as humans have been around. From the tombs of ancient Egypt to the roof of Notre Dame, wood is culture.

And it’s a part of culture perpetually under siege. Human heritage is irresistible to decomposers like fungi.

“We need them,” Blanchette said, “but they’re going to attack everything. Even our priceless oldest wooden objects. If you put wood in any environment, something is going to attack it.”

That includes a cemetery in the ruins of Abydos, burial place of Osiris, god of the underworld. Entombed under the desert, hundreds of Egyptians lie in painted coffins of cedar, juniper and acacia — woods naturally resistant to decay, but not infinitely so.

A team led by researchers at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology were excavating the site with permission from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, but something got to the graves first.

Each group of fungi leaves a signature, and Blanchette had seen this one before. The wood cells were filled with holes, as if riddled by bullets from a microscopic machine gun.

“When you go to excavate it, the whole thing just disintegrates into powder.

It’s a horrible thing when you have some of the world’s oldest objects just poof, gone,” Blanchette said.

This was the work of a particularly pernicious group of fungi known as the soft rots.

They are well adapted to extreme environments, able to go dormant until conditions are right. They can wait for hundreds, even thousands, of years. Abydos is lucky to get more than a millimeter of rain a year, but the fungi reactivate at the slightest moisture, forming cavities in the wood with their tendril-like hypha and degrading artifacts from the inside out.

“It’s just like Swiss cheese what this fungus does,” Blanchette said.

Blanchette has encountered soft rots at all ends of the Earth. He found the fungus aboard the USS Monitor, a Civil War-era battleship 230 feet under the Atlantic.

They thrive in Antarctica, where they’re feeding on the shacks built by Ernest Shackleton, an early pioneer of polar exploration.

The soft rots thoroughly colonized the tomb of King Midas, who ruled western Turkey around 700 B.C. The tomb held no gold, but lots of wood. Embedded in what

ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

ABOVE: Robert Blanchette, a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, poses for a portrait on Wednesday, April 17 in his office in Stakman Hall on the St. Paul campus.

RIGHT: Maria Tricas examines a specimen after Diseases of Forest and Shade Trees class on Wednesday, April 17 in Stakman Hall.

was left of the king’s furniture, floorboards and coffin, Blanchette identified traces of fungi absolutely loaded with nitrogen. There was only one place they could’ve gotten that many nutrients — the fungi had been feeding on King Midas himself.

“He works in a field that not many other people work in. He’s established an incredible niche,” said Mike Wingfield, a forest pathologist at the University of Pretoria and Blanchette’s first Ph.D. student. “Nobody else has done this stuff.”

He’s become the person to call in an archaeological field that is increasingly mu ltidisciplinary, said Janet

Richards, who led the Abydos project. The level of decay in some archaeological woods makes excavating them impossible.

“When you find the wood, it often looks like what it used to be,” said Suzanne Davis, head of conservation for the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. “But you’re

just looking at a shell of paint.

You can’t really pick it up.”

The team’s analysis detailing the decay was published last month. After mapping an artifact’s decay, conservators can use chemical consolidants to fill voids in the wood. “You can actually save these objects that would have disintegrated,”

said Blanchette. “It used to be that you would just lose this stuff.”

The strengthened objects can then be excavated, studied and displayed in a museum — moving treasures crafted by humans thousands of years ago to honor the god of death one step closer to immortality.