June 19, 2019

A&E’S GUIDE TO 2019 PRIDE IN MINNEAPOLIS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

SUMMER EDITION

THE PARADE ISN’T THE ONLY MUST-ATTEND EVENT.

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CRIME

A&E

Investigation continues on U wrestlers Two wrestlers were released Tuesday after being accused of criminal sexual conduct.

BY CLEO KREJCI AND PAUL HODOWANIC ckrejci@mndaily.com, phodowanic@mndaily.com

Two University of Minnesota wrestlers who were held on probable cause of criminal sexual conduct are not being charged pending further investigation.

The two athletes have been released from custody Tuesday after 36 hours of being held without charges, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s office.

The two men were booked into Hennepin County Jail between 9 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, but were held at different locations, according to jail records.

The investigation is still open, according to the same office, and those working on the case will continue to review evidence in the next 90 days.

The University’s athletic department issued a statement saying, “We are aware of a situation involving two of our student athletes and are in the process of gathering more information. These students have been suspended from all team activity pending further information. Federal and state law precludes any further details at this time.”

The University also has the ability to discipline the athletes through the University’s code of conduct. No indication has been made whether discipline will occur.

Although other news outlets have chosen to name the athletes, The Minnesota Daily is not naming the men because they have not been charged.

BUSINESS

Longtime Como bar to shut its doors in June Sporty’s Pub and Grill has been a part of Southeast Como’s scene since the ‘60s.

BY IMANI CRUZEN icruzen@mndaily.com

Sporty’s Pub and Grill, a longtime haunt in Southeast Como, is closing this summer to make way for a new restaurant.

The bar’s last day of operation will be June 30, said owner Chris Chistopherson. A new restaurant, Como Tap, is expected to open at the location of 22nd Avenue Southeast and Como Avenue Southeast in late August.

Christopherson’s lease for the bar, nicknamed Sporty’s for decades, will end in July after unsuccessful renewal negotiations. Renewing the lease would have included a substantial rent increase that Christopherson found unsustainable, he said.

During negotiations, Christopherson said he received a letter informing him the lease would not be renewed.

“This is not my intent, it breaks my heart. Because I feel like we’re allowing an institution to die,” Christopherson said.

“But I understand it, I understand business.

I understand maximizing profits and I don’t know that I’d have done anything different if I was in Joe’s spot, because he owns the building. He operated Sporty’s for 14 years.”

The building’s owner, Joe Radaich, operated Sporty’s from 1998 to 2012, when Christopherson bought the business.

Radaich will open Como Tap with former Sporty’s employee Jana Kern, who served at the location for about 16 years. Kern even u See SPORT Y’S Page 3

Marisol Herling gets ready for prom on Saturday, June 15 in Minneapolis.

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

‘Queer Prom’ reclaims tradition The eighth-annual dance gave LGBTQ locals a ‘second chance’ to experience prom.

BY BECCA MOST bmost@mndaily.com

Donning floral suit jackets, shimmering ball gowns and cropped tank tops, attendees of the eighth annual Queer Prom crowded the dance floor of The Bird bar on Saturday night.

Hosted by the 20% Theatre Company, which employs and produces plays by female, non-binary and transgender artists in the Twin Cities, the event offers a space for LGBTQ adults to experience prom in an entirely new way.

“The opportunity to dress up, to have photos, to have more of a ‘prom-themed’ evening just seemed like something that could really mean a lot to a lot of people who may have not had that opportunity when they were of the typical prom age,” said Claire Avitabile, artistic director and founder of the 20% Theatre Company. “It’s a celebration of community, of queer and trans people to be their true authentic selves [and] a safe space for folks to dress up the way they want to and be together.”

Complete with a DJ, a photo booth and live drag and burlesque performers, Queer Prom was a space where the queer community could recreate, and often redo, their high school prom experience.

Avitabile recounted her own high school prom night, where she was not out publicly and ended up attending prom

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

Marisol Herling and Taja Will show off their prom outfits on Saturday, June 15 in Minneapolis.

with a male date instead of female.

She said Queer Prom felt like a second chance. It was an opportunity for her to dress up with her partner and take photos with someone she wanted to be with, not someone she pretended to be with.

“For a number of people I think there’s a very similar story there,” she said. “It’s giving people the opportunity to have a doover and make the night their own, whether they’re doing it for the first time or the tenth time.”

20% Theatre Company curator Taja Will said Queer Prom was especially important

to her not only because it raised money for the company, but also brought queer people together.

“This type of fundraising event is really important because it does the dual job of bringing in the dollars and also community,” Will said. “I feel like there aren’t actually that many times the [queer] community gets to see each other [but] this [event] provides a larger space where we can meet each other.”

Marisol Herling, Will’s friend and u See PROM Page 5

NEIGHBORHOODS

Prospect Park’s ‘innovation district’ advances vision for neighborhood The district will drastically alter the landscape around the Prospect Park light rail.

BY J.D. DUGGAN jduggan@mndaily.com

A bold plan is underway to supplant a graveyard of industrial ruins and create a dynamic and dense neighborhood on the north side of University Avenue Southeast in Prospect Park.

Towerside Innovation District is the

first of its kind in the state and could pave the way for the redevelopment of similar underutilized areas around the city. The Metropolitan Council has awarded nearly $12 million for the region since 2004 for cleanup, site investigation and development.

‘Innovation districts’ are areas which typically connect anchor institutions — such as the University of Minnesota — with startups and incubator spaces for small businesses. They are population-dense with transit accessibility and an emphasis on walkability, typically offering a variety of mixeduse housing and amenities, according to

research from Brookings Institute.

The district has added 2,760 housing units since 2014, including 560 affordable units and 524 units geared toward senior citizens. Some of these projects are still in progress, such as the Malcolm Yards mixed-use housing and food hall development.

The estimated total investment to the region for housing, non-housing and infrastructure is around $1 billion, said Stephen Klimek, Towerside’s project manager.

“We think that’s part of building a u See INNOVATION Page 3

ADMINISTRATION

New student board reps look to the fall Four new students will voice student concerns to regents in the upcoming school year.

BY KATRINA PROSS kpross@mndaily.com

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

Austin Kraft, left, and Catalina Anampa Castro pose for portraits on Friday, June 14.

New student representatives to the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents will begin their terms this fall.

Student representatives to the board are responsible for attending regent meetings, where they serve as non-voting members on committees. The representatives speak on behalf of the student body and publish reports that include topics they want to bring to the regents’ attention.

Each year, eight students are chosen across the University’s five campuses to represent their school, four of which come from the Twin Cities campus. Two students

are chosen by the Minnesota Student Association, one by Professional Student Government and one from the Council of Graduate Students. The representatives for the 2019-2020 academic year were chosen near the end of spring semester and will begin their terms on September 1.

After controversy over the student representative selection process, student governments adopted a memorandum reducing confusion among the groups.

Catalina Anampa Castro and Austin Kraft — Minnesota Student Association

Anampa Castro and Kraft will both begin their senior year at the University this fall.

Kraft is studying mathematics, linguistics and computer science, and Anampa Castro is studying sociology of law, criminology and u See REPRESENTATIVES Page 3

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Regents approve new leadership Regent Ken Powell will be the chair of the University’s governing board.

BY KATRINA PROSS kpross@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents selected new leadership Friday.

Regent Ken Powell will be chair of the University’s governing board and Regent Steve Sviggum will be vice chair for the next two years. The board approved the new leaders at its Friday meeting following interviews conducted earlier by a nominating committee made up of several regents.

Powell and Sviggum will assume their new roles on July 1.

Powell was the sole applicant for chair, and the committee selected Sviggum over Regents Darrin Rosha and Janie Mayeron, who also applied for vice chair.

Powell was appointed chair by the board with a 11-0 vote and Sviggum was appointed with a 8-3 vote.

Sviggum was absent from the vote due to a family emergency.

Regents Randy Simonson, Michael Hsu and Rosha himself voted for Rosha as vice chair after Simonson nominated him during the meeting.

“I’m confident this team will be effective in

leading the board,” said current board chair David McMillan at Friday’s meeting.

New board leadership Powell and Sviggum said they hope to work closely with President-designate Joan Gabel as she enters her new position this summer.

“Our immediate goal is to help President Gabel to settle into her role and get off to a really strong start … we also want to help her build relationships that she will need across the state whether it’s students, faculty, business communities or the legislature,” Powell said.

The new chair and vice chair will work with the full board and Gabel to identify several priorities that they want to focus on and address.

“I look forward to supporting [Powell] and especially our new president coming in … and working with them to enhance the best interests of the University. I think if we enhance the best interests of the University we’re enhancing the best interests of the state of Minnesota,” Sviggum said.

Powell and Sviggum said that they were satisfied with University President Eric Kaler’s leadership, but that there is always room for improvement.

“The University has performed well, but we have some headroom and we’re looking to [Gabel] and her team to capitalize on that headroom,” Sviggum said.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER Cleo Krejci Editor-in-Chief ckrejci@mndaily.com (612)-227-5914 Kyle Stumpf Business Operations Officer kstumpf@mndaily.com (612)-435-5772 EDITORIAL STAFF Max Chao Managing Editor mchao@mndaily.com Christine Ha Managing Production Editor cha@mndaily.com Michelle Griffith Campus Editor mgriffith@mndaily.com Madeline Deninger City Editor mdeninger@mndaily.com Paul Hodowanic Sports Editor phodowanic@mndaily.com Madeline Folstein A&E Editor mfolstein@mndaily.com Liv Martin Assistant A&E Editor omartin@mndaily.com Courtney Deutz Multimedia Editor cdeutz@mndaily.com Bailey Davis Copy Desk Chief bdavis@mndaily.com Emily Martens Assistant Copy Desk Chief emartens@mndaily.com Desmond Kamas Chief Page Designer dkamas@mndaily.com Morgan La Casse Visuals Editor mlacasse@mndaily.com =

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DAILY FILE PHOTO

Regent Ken Powell speaks during the University’s Board of Regents meeting on Friday, Feb. 8.

Role of the chair and vice chair The chair and vice chair work together to lead the board and ensure that it’s functioning properly.

McMillan said it’s important to note that the regents don’t run the University, but rather oversee the president.

The board instead has an oversight role and approves or denies the president’s recommendations.

“That doesn’t mean we’re not curious,” McMillan said.

All 12 members of the board give input in decisions, and the board often works with University stakeholders like the

legislature and business communities to get input.

The chair has extra responsibilities, such as leading and moderating regent meetings, establishing which committees the board will have and appointing the chairs of those committees.

Further, it’s the chair’s responsibility to work with the board office to call special board meetings, such as the special meetings called during the presidential search process last fall.

As chair, McMillan also helped Kaler present his Driven campaign to the University.

The vice chair’s main

responsibility is to step in if the chair is unavailable, and to work together with the chair in leading the board.

It’s common for the vice chair to later become chair, McMillan said. McMillan served as vice chair from 2015-2017 prior to becoming chair and said that it’s “almost always” the case that the chair was vice chair at some point.

For example, Dean Johnson, whose regent term just ended this year, was the board chair before McMillan, and also served as vice chair prior to becoming chair.

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EDITORIAL BOARD Ariana Wilson Editorials & Opinions Editor awilson@mndaily.com Joshua Jordan Editorial Board Member Cleo Krejci Editor-in-Chief ckrejci@mndaily.com BUSINESS Jacob Kenyon Sales Manager jkenyon@mndaily.com David Keane Controller dkeane@mndaily.com =

New program for leaders in food systems The program is designed to build skills in all aspects of the food system.

BY GWIWON JASON NAM gnam@mndaily.com

Three University of Minnesota colleges have developed a new program to help develop professionals who can effectively navigate the complex global food system.

The Integrated Food Systems Leadership program is a new graduate-certification program for leaders working in the food system. The program is designed to build leadership skills for employees in all aspects of the food system, like food production, food marketing and regulation.

IFSL will begin in the fall and it aims to train leaders in the food system to solve growing challenges, such as rising food safety incidents, food waste and feeding a fastgrowing population.

“Our global food system needs real change if we are going to feed the growing

HARRY STEFFENHAGEN, DAILY

population while preserving the planet’s ecosystems,” said Jennifer van de Ligt, director of IFSL and associate director of the University’s Food Protection and Defense Institute. “We need people who can think broadly and are empowered to impact and improve the food system.”

The program will also have advisers from various food system industries to help students in the program.

“In my years of experience in multiple roles within the food industry ... I have

come to realize that to truly exercise leadership in food systems, besides having a solid technical background, it is important to be able to think critically and [be] oriented towards solutions to problems in a global context,” said Rolando González, an advisor to the program and the vice president of public health at a global food safety consulting group.

Most professionals in the food system are hired for their knowledge in a specific area, van de Ligt said.

However, many current programs are either too narrow or too general in focus to tackle the complexities of the entire food system, according to Tamara Nelsen, an advisor to the program and executive director of Minnesota AgriGrowth. Minnesota AgriGrowth is a nonprofit which represents the agriculture and food system industry.

“By focusing on building knowledge and understanding of linkages within the food chain, the IFSL

program uniquely qualifies participants to actively apply that knowledge across the food system, thereby improving their ability to provide strategic leadership on issues,” Nelsen said.

Van de Ligt said professionals need to think about the whole food production system in order to be leaders. They also need to know how all decisions made in the system affect people and the environment.

For example, consumers have become increasingly aware and sensitive to the activities of food companies, van de Ligt said, and they’re demanding new levels of transparency.

“Food and beverage companies must change the way they do business to provide [customers] with the information they are demanding,” van de Ligt said.

She said she believes the next generation of leaders will need to understand these relationships and think about how all these pieces, from production to marketing and sales, work together.

Egg rolls, burgers and fries will add some flavor to Como New restaurants will be opening in Southeast Como in the coming August.

BY IMANI CRUZEN icruzen@mndaily.com

Two new restaurants are opening in Southeast Como this summer, bringing Thai and pub food to the busy, student-filled neighborhood.

Family-owned Thai Cuisine Xpress is expected to open in early July in Football Pizza’s former location on the corner of Como and 15th Avenue Southeast. Como Tap is expected to open in Sporty’s Pub & Grill’s cur-

rent location on Como and 22nd Avenue Southeast in August.

Football Pizza announced its May closure and transfer to Eden Prairie on its Facebook page after more than 10 years in Southeast Como.

Thai Cuisine Xpress will offer Thai cuisine, such as pork egg rolls, beef and seafood salads, curries and pad thai, along with alcoholic beverages. It will also offer catering, co-owner Pa Pra said, and they are considering a discount for students.

“We care about food, delicious food,” said coowner Mu Win. “We do everything, almost everything, out of scratch, so that’s a little different than

other restaurants.”

The business has a location in Coon Rapids and a Chili Thai Cuisine location in Lino Lakes. Their pad thai and egg rolls have been popular, Win said.

“It’s a type of food that we don’t have in the neighborhood, and it’s the type of food that a lot of people love,” said Southeast Como Improvement Association board member and resident Joan Menken. “It just adds a variety that we’ve not seen before.”

Former Sporty’s Pub & Grill owner Joe Radaich and former server Jana Kern will be opening Como Tap in August after Sporty’s current lease ends.

“We’re going to be doing some of the renovations over the summer and so we’re hoping to be open by the time school starts,” Kern said.

Como Tap will feature local and craft beer on tap, Kern said, and items made from scratch, like burgers, fresh-fried chicken, salads and fresh-cut fries. There will also be nighttime entertainment, such as karaoke, trivia and bingo.

“We definitely want to have a comfortable atmosphere, a place where people can feel that they can bring someone, that they can still have a conversation within our dining area,” Kern said.

“But yet, still, we have the separate bar area for those

who want to play the jukebox and kind of listen to music and that sort of a thing.”

Radaich owned Sporty’s Pub & Grill from 1998 to 2012 and currently owns the building. Sporty’s Pub & Grill is expected to close at the end of June after its liquor license expires, said owner Chris Christopherson. The building opened its bar in 1963, according to Christopherson.

“Restaurants are very competitive,” Menken said.

“There are so many of them, and you see this all over the place, coming and going.

Basically, it’s the quality of the product, whether people like it. If they do, they’ll support it.”

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Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Sporty’s

Representatives

u from Page 1

u from Page 1

served Christopherson and his family when they visited before he purchased the business.

“The way the server operated towards us, to the food that we had, to the music, so just the whole atmosphere kind of came together,” Christopherson said. “I was just like, ‘I could hang out here all day.’”

The building carries a history dating back to the early 1900s, when it was the Como Inn. The location’s first bar opened in 1963, eventually absorbing the neighboring grocery store and barbershop — changing hands and names several times.

Multiple staff have worked at Sporty’s for years, including Kern and other staffers who worked there before Christopherson acquired the business. The bar is frequented by many regular customers, including a man who always sits at the same spot, Christopherson said.

“I’ve met people from so many walks of life, in so

deviance.

Both Anampa Castro and Kraft have been involved in student government for the majority of their time as students at the University.

Kraft served as a student representative to the board last year, and prior to that served as MSA’s infrastructure committee director.

Anampa Castro served as the chair of the University Student Senate and was on the search committee that was tasked to find the next University president last year. She was the only undergraduate student on the 23-member committee.

“One of my goals in this role is to continue to advocate for the University of Minnesota system … to use our advocacy to transform the University to a [place] where student voices are always uplifted,” Anampa Castro said.

A n a m p a C a s t ro a n d Kraft hope to bring student issues up to the highest level of governance, and focus not just on undergraduate students but to include graduate and professional students in conversations.

Looking to next year, Anampa Castro and Kraft want to prioritize the annual report that will be presented to the regents by the student representatives in the spring. The report is presented to the regents each year and includes topics that the representatives want the regents to discuss.

The representatives will work together to decide which topics they want to include, and Kraft said that they hope to continue to build off of reports presented in previous years.

“The topics that go into the report are ones that resonate … these are very unifying topics,” he said.

A n a m p a C a s t ro a n d Kraft also hope to continue a shadowing program that was piloted by Twin Cities campus representatives to the board two years ago.

The program enables a regent to follow a student around for a day to see what a typical day in the life of a student at the University looks like.

With President-designate Joan Gabel stepping

Innovation u from Page 1

healthy, sustainable, diverse community, is providing a range of housing options, providing a range of job opportunities, ideally, as well,” Klimek said.

Over $700,000 of a Metropolitan Council grant is currently passing through the city of Minneapolis. The funds will create pedestrian improvements around the Prospect Park Green Line light rail station and the nearby developments, such as the Green Fourth Street project, which Towerside leaders say exemplifies part of their vision.

“It all kind of comes together in this idea of what Green Fourth Street is as a pedestrian-friendly cartolerated public space,” Klimek said. “[It] is really kind of lush, well-planted, has placemaking elements and things to do on the street.”

Since the 2014 opening

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

A sign for the Sportsmen’s Inn hangs inside of Sporty’s Pub and Grill on Como Avenue in Minneapolis on Monday, June 17.

many places. I’ll be wearing my Sporty’s hoodie in other states, and have people be like, ‘Hey, Sporty’s, yeah,’” Christopherson said.

Former University of Minnesota student Seth Campbell said Sporty’s has been a “social hub” for him where he has met friends while playing trivia.

“It’s the first bar that I ever really felt like, ‘that’s my neighborhood bar.’ And so it hurts to see that it’s not going to be there for me anymore,” Campbell said. “I hope that the new place is able to still fill that niche,

of the Prospect Park light rail station, the 370-acre district has drawn greater attention from developers and a variety of stakeholders.

More concentrated development requires less land and can use resources more efficiently, leading to environmentally sustainable growth and greater fiscal efficiency, said Jennifer Vey, a senior fellow with Brooking Institute’s Metropolitan Policy Program.

“It also promotes better opportunities for economic growth and, ideally, more inclusive economic growth,” Vey said.

Minneapolis passed a 2015 resolution recognizing Towerside and the concept of other innovation districts. The work in Towerside may influence other underutilized parts of the Twin Cities, such as Upper Harbor Terminal in North Minneapolis or the Ford site in St. Paul.

Some of their work has already laid the foundation for nearby projects.

but new things are weird.

People don’t like change, myself included.”

While Sporty’s wasn’t former University student Michael Fogarty’s first bar choice when hanging out in Como, he said it had a positive reputation among college students.

“It was kind of that beloved Como dive bar and so, it’s definitely sad to see it go,” Fogarty said. “But I’m hoping the new place that opens up can hopefully stand on its own and add a new dimension to the bar scene in the area.”

The Towerside District Stormwater System is a collaboration between multiple landowners — a firstof-its-kind system of private owners sharing a piece of infrastructure — which helped set the legal framework for Allianz Field’s stormwater system in St. Paul.

Vince Netz, a member of Towerside’s board of directors, said the vision is gaining momentum with recent developments. The team is currently considering how to bring more jobs and greater investment to the area, and he said they’re constantly exploring what ‘community’ means for Towerside.

“There’s a housing crisis, there’s a climate crisis, there’s an equity crisis going on in Minneapolis right now … how can Towerside help address that in terms of community?” Netz said.

“There are a lot of people that live outside of this that are going to be moving here in the next 10 years. How do we engage with that?”

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

Blanca Martinez Gaviña, student representative for the Council of Graduate Students, poses for a portrait on Friday, June 14.

into the role as president in a matter of weeks and four new elected regents, the two hope to use this time of change in University leadership to make an impact. “[We’re] acknowledging this time of very consequential change for the University and leveraging that to ensure … student voices and representation of the diversity of student experiences are incorporated at an early stage of these new eras of the University,” Kraft said.

Blanca Martinez Gavina — Professional Student Government

Martinez Gavina is a professional student who just finished her first year in the Master of Public Affairs Mid-Career program at the Humphrey School and is the student representative for PSG. She has participated in PSG meetings in the past, but this is her first time in an official role representing the organization and the student body.

As a student representative to the board, she hopes to advocate for students from underrepresented communities and prioritize equity and inclusion at the highest level of governance at the University.

“I want to get a better understanding of the dynamics and culture of the board.

Who are the regents? How are they uplifting underrepresented students?” she said.

Martinez Gavina also wants the board to address student mental health, hoping to make sure students have access to the resources

PHOTO COURTESY OF AGLESKA COHEN-RENCOUNTRE

Agleska Cohen-Rencountre, student representative for the Professional Student Government.

they need to succeed despite any mental health barrier.

“Mental health can be a daily struggle that can impact many aspects of a student’s life and we need awareness, resources and services to alleviate this burden,” she said.

Representing professional students and making sure their opinions and concerns are brought to the table is also a priority for Martinez Gavina.

Agléška CohenRencountre — Council of Graduate Students

Cohen-Rencountre is a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in the American studies program, studying contemporary Native American history and indigenous gender and sexuality.

Cohen-Rencountre served as a student representative for the board last year, also representing COGS. “I saw the role description as a unique and powerful way of engaging with service-minded people from many areas within the institution,” she said in an email.

Cohen-Rencountre said the student representatives to the board play an important role in increasing student engagement and dialogue.

“As a Dakota person, I take my role as a student rep to heart. I believe together as students we are taking steps to be the change we want to be. We are bound to world politics, the realities of war, and to our future generations on this land,” CohenRencountre said in an email.

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Sports

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

STADIUMS

DAILY FILE PHOTOS

Williams Arena, left, as seen on Monday, June 17 and 3M Arena at Mariucci, right, as seen on Monday, June 17 in Minneapolis.

Regents approve alcohol sales in Williams, 3M Arena Sales are expected to create up to an additional $250,000 in annual revenue.

BY CHAD FAUST cfaust@mndaily.com

Gophers fans can expect to see more changes inside Williams Arena and 3M Arena at Mariucci this upcoming year, as the University of Minnesota will now be allowed to sell beer and wine during home games.

The University’s Board of Regents voted Friday to allow the arenas to sell alcohol during games starting in the 2019-2020 season.

The Athletic Department expects that selling beer and wine at the new venues will create an extra $250,000 in annual revenue after $70,000 is invested to get the venues prepared to sell alcohol.

Prior to this resolution, alcohol was only sold in premium seating at both Williams and 3M at Mariucci; the new change allows fans in all seating areas to purchase alcohol.

Additionally, fans who have access to the club room in Maturi Pavilion for wrestling and volleyball games will also be able to purchase beer and wine. Hard alcohol is not authorized to be sold at

any venue.

However, the change doesn’t extend to women’s hockey games at Ridder Arena, as the facility does not have a liquor license.

Minnesota State Statute prohibits the Board of Regents from holding liquor licenses for events at more than seven locations within University property, excluding TCF Bank Stadium and Northop Auditorium.

Along with Williams Arena and 3M Arena at Mariucci, Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul holds a liquor license. The rest of licenses are dispersed between student centers on the Morris and Duluth campuses as well as at the Minnesota

Landscape Arboretum.

The regents discussed the proposal last month but didn’t come to a decision about the potential change until Friday. The proposal passed unanimously.

Alcohol sales at hockey games and basketball games will be similar to operations at TCF Bank Stadium, with sales cut off at halftime for basketball and during the second intermission of hockey games.

Fans will be limited to two beverages per transaction.

“Our number one goal will always remain to provide a safe and fan-friendly environment, but we also need to continue to be competitive in the amenities

we offer our fans,” Athletic Director Mark Coyle said.

The shift in selling alcohol at various venues comes with a number of other changes as the Gophers try to combat decreased attendance across sporting events. In 2018, Gophers football games had the lowest average attendance since the team moved into TCF Bank Stadium in 2009.

Subsequently, the University decided to lower the season-ticket price for both men’s basketball and men’s hockey games in an attempt to make sporting events more affordable for their fans, with the hope that a declining sporting

attendance in the past few years could rise.

The board approved alcohol sales for general seating at TCF Bank Stadium in 2012. It had been offered in premium seating since the stadium opened.

However, the Gophers didn’t see a significant increase in attendance in the following years.

Two years ago, Minnesota added the Gopher Loyalty Program which gives fans perks like stadium concession discounts and access to exclusive events.

The Gophers also established a fan advisory board in 2017 to give fans the more of a voice in how to improve the fan experience.

SOFTBALL

Historic season leads to accolades for U Junior Amber Fiser was named a finalist for the Honda Sports Award for softball.

BY JOHN MILLER jmiller@mndaily.com

The Gophers softball team had its most successful season in school history in 2019.

Despite losing in the Women’s College World Series to UCLA and the University of Washington, weeks later they are still being recognized for what they accomplished during the season.

Pitcher Amber Fiser was nominated for the Honda Sport Award for softball earlier this month. The four finalists are considered the top women’s college softball players in the nation. Fiser had her best the season in her Gophers career, finishing with 346 strikeouts, a 1.27 ERA and a 31-9 record.

“She had a tremendous year and she was one of the biggest reasons that we

were as successful as we were,” said head coach Jamie Trachsel. “Every time she had the ball, she gave us a chance to win. There’s not a lot of pitchers that could do what she did and I think that’s why she’s being honored and being recognized the way that she is on the national stage.”

Fiser, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, lost out on the Honda award to UCLA’s Rachel Garcia, who has won it two years in a row.

Despite not winning, Fiser was proud to be nominated.

“It’s just absolutely incredible. I have worked my whole life to try and get where I am today,” Fiser said. “Like I have said a thousand times, I would not be able to do that without the team I have behind me.”

Although Fiser has always wanted to win the award, it’s not on the forefront of her mind as she heads into the offseason.

“I think more about the team than I do of myself.

I just want nothing more than the team to go back to

the World Series again next year,” said Fiser.

The team will return seven of its nine starters in the field and Fiser on the mound.

To prepare for next season, Fiser plans to get into one of her passions, taekwondo. Although she has taken a few years off from the martial art, she feels it will be something that will help her get even better going into next year. She said it helps her last further into games and throw more pitches and more innings. It also aids her mentally.

“Just kind of getting away from it the past few years, I have noticed a difference in myself,” said Fiser.

“I’m not as flexible, or I maybe let some things get to me more than I used to when I was in taekwondo. I think it just helps me respect the game a lot more, respect other people.”

Fiser wasn’t the only one to be rewarded for a terrific season. Coach Trachsel and her staff were named the NFCA Great Lakes Regional Coaching Staff of

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

Members of the Gopher softball team celebrate after winning the game on Saturday, May 25 at the Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. The team won the NCAA Super Regional.

the Year. In her second season as head coach, Traschel led her team to a 46-14 record. The NFCA Coaches Poll had the Gophers ranked at the eighth spot to end the season.

“I just think that it’s a byproduct of what our team

was able to accomplish together and as a coaching staff,” said Trachsel.

The coaching staff is currently nominated for NFCA’s Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year award. The winner will be announced June 26.

“There’s great company when you look at the candidates,” said Trachsel. “We tell our kids, you get awards, recognition and honors when you’re on a successful team and this is not different. We’re proud to represent Minnesota in any way.”

WRESTLING

Former Gopher “in the driver’s seat” for Olympic qualification Alum Pat Smith will wrestle in the World Championships for Team USA this year.

“He has a chance to beat anyone with his style. He’s hard to score on, and can go on a high pace.”

BY CHAD FAUST cfaust@mndaily.com

After falling to Kamal Bey 11-2 in the first of the best-of-three matchup on June 8, former Gophers wrestling standout Pat Smith was on the brink.

Smith, who graduated from Minnesota in 2015, needed to win his next two matches at the U.S. Open against Bey to qualify for the World Championships.

Smith rose to the occasion, taking the second bout 2-1 and the decisive third match 6-3.

The win secured Smith a spot on Team USA for the World Championships for the second time in his career.

The first came in 2017.

“It was really good, especially after not making it

BRANDON PAULSEN wrestling coach and 1996 Olympic silver medalist

PAUL HODOWANIC, DAILY

Former Gopher wrestler Pat Smith talks to the press about Olympic qualifications on Friday, June 14 at Bierman Field Athletic Building in Minneapolis.

last year,’’ said Smith, who Greco-Roman wrestles at 77kg. “I moved up a weight this year so there were a lot of question marks with that. It felt good because a lot of the hard work and uncertainty ended up being for good.”

For Smith, his first experience at the World Championships in 2017 was all about making it over the hump. While he was excited, he felt he didn’t have a great gauge on the process, or how quick the experience would go.

“You lose in a tournament like that, and then you’re out, and it’s like ‘oh wow, I just trained for all this time, and now it’s over,’” he said.

There are only 16 wrestlers per weight class at the Olympics, and the World Championships is the first qualifier to make it there.

“I’m in the driver’s seat,” he said. “It’s more pressure, obviously, but I’d rather have it in my hand than someone else’s.”

Dating back to the 1968,

at least one Minnesotan has been on every Greco-Roman Olympic team. Smith hopes to carry on that legacy.

“Oh, we know,” Smith said when asked about continuing the streak.

Between now and the World Championships in September, Smith will be splitting his time between being home in Minnesota, training in Michigan with former U.S Olympic team member Andy Bisek, and spending time at the PanAmerican games in Peru.

Smith’s wrestling coach Brandon Paulsen, who won the silver medal for Greco-Roman at the 1996 Olympics, knows that this is a big deal for the young wrestler, and notes that he’s worked hard and traveled a great deal to get to this point in his career.

Smith is already a three-time Pan-American Champion and was a silver medalist at the University Worlds competition in 2014.

“At his level, that’s what you go for every year,’’ Paulsen said. “In between the Olympics you want to make that world team, and try to win a world medal. The Greco team has had a rough trend the last few years, and hopefully it’s time for them to step up and win some medals for Team USA.” Paulsen has had a chance to coach Smith for the past few years, and has seen him transition from just a wrestler to a true student of the sport.

“He has a chance to beat anyone with his style. He’s hard to score on, and can go on a high pace. Techniquewise he’s always been a brawler and wrestled really hard, but his technical part of the game and his understanding of the sport has reached a point where he can coach himself,” Paulsen said. “He’s willing to put the work in ... and do whatever he can to be the best he can.”

5

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

EVENT

DIGGING IN

‘Queer Prom’ is a new way to celebrate for the LGBTQ community

Fig + Farro makes food to fuel the climate change resistance

Prom u from Page 1

roommate, said it can be difficult to find an inclusive space like Queer Prom because many gay bars cater to specific demographics, which can be exclusive to people that don’t identify as gay or lesbian.

“Sometimes it is hard for some people to find their pocket where they feel more comfortable,” she said. “To have a space [where] people who don’t feel like they fit into any of those [categories] … it’s just somewhere where people can be unapologetically queer and have fun and know that they can bring whoever they want or be themselves.”

The event was 18+ with many attendees in their 30s or 40s.

It’s a celebration of community, of queer and trans people to be their true authentic selves [and] a safe space for folks to dress up the way they want to and be together.”

CLAIRE AVITABILE 20% Theatre Company artistic director & founder

COURTNEY DEUTZ, DAILY

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: (1) Customers sit in Fig + Farro on Saturday, June 8 in Uptown. (2) Head bartender Tyler Allen prepares one of his signature drink “Dinner at Olguita’s” on Saturday, June 8 in Uptown. (3) Fig + Farro head chef Andrew Vuong prepares an acai bowl on Saturday, June 8 in Uptown.

Meet Fig + Farro, where chefs save the earth one vegan meal at a time.

BY LIV MARTIN omartin@mndaily.com

Avitabile said younger people, especially in metropolitan areas, may now be more comfortable bringing whomever they want to their high school proms, but many of the older attendees weren’t able to do so until now.

While prom-goers sipped cocktails at the bar, posed for photographs and hit the dance floor, it was clear the event wasn’t focused on being the best-dressed or about electing a prom king or queen.

“I think [Queer Prom’s] a good opportunity for reclamation,” said Will. “As adults, doing it and redoing it the right way, and being okay with redoing it— I think that’s important for us.”

On a recent Saturday afternoon at Fig + Farro in Calhoun Square, customers conversed in the large dining area, with its contemporary, mismatched wooden tables and chairs, warm lighting fixtures, cozy booths and sprawling bar.

Now a year-and-a-half old, the restaurant, which began as a vegetarian establishment, serves a vibrant and much-loved vegan menu. The switch is part of the restaurant’s larger mission: fighting climate change.

“Dairy is actually one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas. We just felt as a restaurant with the mission of climate change that we just couldn’t do that anymore.

We just couldn’t offer dairy,” said Michelle Courtright,

the restaurant’s founder and proprietor.

From the kitchen to the bar to the decor, Fig + Farro gives its diners the tools to learn about and combat climate change. Most wines are on tap and spirits and beer are made locally, said Tyler Allen, the head bartender. In lieu of egg whites, aquafaba (the left-over liquid from a can of chickpeas) is used to create froth on some of Allen’s signature cocktails.

Among the many potted plants lining the shelves of the dining area sit books about veganism and climate change. More reading and discussion — or “vegucation” as Fig + Farro’s website calls it – takes place during bi-monthly book club meetings (some past assignments include “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “Eating Animals,” and “Diet for a Small Planet”).

A monthly “Climate Series Salon + Supper Club” featuring a guest speaker also ignites conversation.

“The more I read about climate over the last two years

and livestock agriculture and its effect on climate change, I realized that food has to be a part of the solution,” Courtright said. “So, it was really important to me to make sure that we’re always talking about climate change with our guests.”

In 2018, Courtright was chosen to attend the COP24 United Nations conference in Poland and was inspired by the “Trillion Tree Campaign,” the only viable plan, she said, that could reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent.

So, starting in December 2018, Fig + Farro began planting one tree for each guest by donating to Trees.org. So far, the tree count is over 21,000.

With the help of head chef Andrew Vuong, the restaurant has also conceived creative ways to decrease food waste. One solution: deep frying leftover vegetable stems, “like carrot tops and the tops of eggplants and things like that,” Courtright said. “That was really fun and tasty. Like really, really good.”

Some menu favorites include the patty melt (a Beyond Meat burger on marble rye, with vegan smoked gouda, caramelized onions, roasted tomato) and buffalo cauliflower (a play on buffalo wings) – proof, says Vuong, that vegetables can be delicious.

“Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, we ate everything… bitter melon, every animal, but many vegetables. I feel like in American culture, vegetables are something you eat in small portions that do not have very much flavor. And people just pick at them,” Vuong said. “I believe vegetables need to be full-flavored, eaten as a dish on their own.”

But, the restaurant makes it clear: meat lovers are especially welcome.

“Providing a safe place for vegans to come and eat is fantastic,” Allen said. “But, we’re also trying to provide a place where meat-eaters can come and eat a plant-based diet and feel satisfied.”

Lead server Philip Grazulis

has noticed a change in opinions surrounding veganism.

“Working here, I get to hear everyone’s unique stories,” he said. “There is a stigma for vegans, that is kind of going away but that’s been bad in the past… like [that we are] pretentious people.”

The restaurant’s large Friday and Saturday crowds suggest that for many diners, there is no stigma at all. Fig + Farro’s menu is specially crafted to serve tried-and-true favorites, just in a more “conscientious” way, Vuong said.

Take the “universallyloved” patty melt for example. “Everybody has this experience of like, ‘Oh my god, it does not taste bad at all, it tastes exactly like a hamburger,’” Courtright said. “People don’t want to destroy the environment. They want to be helpful but they just need to know what is the solution.”

This is the first article in “Digging In,” a series about the stories behind beloved Twin Cities restaurants.

PRIDE

A&E’s guide to celebrating Twin Cities Pride

BY BECCA MOST bmost@mndaily.com

As Pride month comes to a close, what better way to celebrate the LGBTQ community than to attend events that highlight (and financially support) local queer artists in the Twin Cities?

Here’s A&E’s guide to a handful of events happening this week.

WEDNESDAY: SCIPRIDE AT THE BELL MUSEUM The Bell Museum is celebrating SciPride this Wednesday to recognize the contributions of LGBTQ scientists. Through a handful of Lightning

Talks hosted by University students, postdoctoral researchers and research staff, museum-goers can learn about topics ranging from gene-edited tomatoes to climate-smart foraging.

Where: Bell Museum, 2088 Larpenteur Ave. W., St. Paul When: 5-8:30 p.m.

Cost: free for UMN students and Bell members, $9 for ages 3-21, $12 for 21+; additional fees apply for planetarium show THURSDAY: NEWBIE DRAG NIGHT AT HONEY MPLS Ever wanted to try drag performance but maybe haven’t because you’re not

really sure how it works?

This is the event for you.

Hosted by Stacy Layne Matthews, a drag queen who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2011, the event is designed to be a welcoming and loving environment for drag performers who have never done a paid gig.

Where: honey mpls, 205 E. Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis When: 9-10 p.m.

Cost: $15 for show ticket and meet and greet with Stacy Layne Matthews after show Age: 18+ FRIDAY: BRYANT LAKE BOWL PRIDE BLOCK PARTY The Bryant Lake Bowl

Pride Block Party is a free event featuring a handful of punk rock bands and burlesque performers. The event is zerowaste and a percentage of the proceeds generated will be donated to OutFront Minnesota, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization.

Where: Bryant-Lake Bowl and Theater, 810 West Lake St., Minneapolis When: 6-10:30 p.m., rain or shine Cost: Free SATURDAY: QUEERTOPIA ART PERFORMANCE AND EXHIBITION Queertopia, an annual queer art performance and

exhibition, is curated by LGBTQ artists of all races and identities with the intent of highlighting and celebrating queer artists in the Twin Cities. This year’s exhibition addresses a conversation about crisis and response with care and adaptability in a time of emergency. Queertopia is sponsored by the 20% Theatre Company, which promotes the work of female and transgender performance artists and writers in Minnesota.

Where: In the Heart of the Be a s t Pu p p e t an d Ma s k T heatre, 1500 East Lake St., Minneapolis When: doors open at 7 p.m., show is 7:30-9:30 pm

Cost: $15 in advance, $20 at the door SUNDAY: GAGA VS. MADONNA DRAG BRUNCH AT UNION ROOFTOP What would Pride weekend be without a drag brunch ... for dinner? Because what’s better than sitting in a covered glass patio overlooking the city while drag queens sing and dance around you to Lady Gaga and Madonna?

Not much. Better grab your tickets soon, because this is the only time slot that isn’t sold out already!

Where: Union Rooftop, 731 Hennepin, Minneapolis When: 4-6 p.m.

Cost: about $14 per person, not including entree

6 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Stepping up to create a carbon-free future Written by Tina Smith, who represents Minnesota in the U.S. Senate.

T

he science is clear: carbon emissions sent into the atmosphere from a variety of human sources threaten to upend our economy, our health, our national security, and our very way of life.

At a recent conference at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, I joined local and state leaders, as well as energy and environmental experts from Minnesota and around the world as we shared our ideas for addressing climate change, which I consider the most urgent and existential challenge of our time.Those ideas - and the action they spur can’t come soon enough.

We’ve already seen the impact of warming temperatures, rising sea levels and extreme weather. The growing prevalence of hurricanes, wildfires, flooding and tornadoes has already cost this country billions of dollars as communities are devastated, families are uprooted, and farmers are prevented from even getting into their fields.

The science tells us the clock is ticking and that these worsening extremes will become the new normal unless we get to net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury.

Younger generations get it. In a recent poll, half of Americans age 18 to 29 describe climate change as a “crisis that demands urgent action.”

The good news is that they’re already leading on this issue because they understand that they’ll have to live with climate change’s disastrous consequences. We need to listen.

U.S. Ceding Leadership on Climate Change Unfortunately, at the national level, the United States has ceded leadership at the very time it’s needed most. As a member of a Special Senate Committee on the Climate Crisis, I’m frustrated that the Trump Administration has taken a deliberate head-in-the-sand approach to this urgent problem. And, I’ve seen how addressing climate change has become more difficult since President Trump pulled our country out of the international Paris Climate Agreement and later reversed policies that reduced carbon emissions from cars and our electric grid.

His actions will also have environmental and economic consequences into the future. As U.S. leadership wavers, China and other competitors have seized the opportunity to surpass the United States in creating new wind and solar energy projects. As a result, clean energy jobs that could be created here, are now are being created elsewhere.

Fortunately, there is a groundswell of support for clean energy at the local level. In response to President Trump’s move against the Paris Agreement, churches, tribes, local

officials, and campus leaders have all responded with the “We are still in” campaign.

In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz has a plan for 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2050. It even passed the House during the recently-completed legislative session, only to be blocked by the State Senate. St. Paul, Minneapolis, Rochester and Duluth, along with smaller Minnesota cities have made similar commitments to cut carbon emissions.

Around the country, more than 100 cities have committed to completely clean or renewable energy. Four states and the District of Columbia have policies to eliminate emissions by midcentury, and others are moving in that direction.

A National Push for Net-Zero Electricity Emissions by Midcentury These actions on the local and state levels have put momentum behind my push for much-needed national policies to cut and eliminate carbon emissions.

One of the largest emitters of greenhouse gas is our electricity grid. In May, I introduced legislation that puts the U.S. on a path to achieve net-zero electricity emissions by midcentury, and by 2035 it would cut emissions by nearly 80 percent compared to 2005 levels.

Under my plan, every company selling retail electricity would be asked to increase the amount of clean energy provided to its customers, with the recognition that utilities in different regions of the country will start from different places as they make the clean energy transition.

My bill also encourages companies to bring cost-effective, emission-free technologies to market by incentivizing the development and deployment of those technologies. This includes long-term electricity storage, that can be turned on or off at any time to balance our electric grid.

In 2019, none of us knows what a reliable, affordable, net-zero emissions electricity system will look like in 2050. What we do know is that we need to create clear clean-energy incentives and then let all technologies compete in the marketplace. This means a resilient, reliable electric grid will be built on a combination of not only renewables like wind and solar, but also hydropower, nuclear power, long-term energy storage, and even fossil fuels that use carbon capture technologies. My bill allows for that.

Addressing climate change isn’t easy, and there is no one solution. We need to be open to all ideas, and all approaches that cut carbon emissions. Putting those ideas into action is what my legislation is about, and it’s what I’ll continue to push into the future.

COLUMN

Anti-abortion legislation perpetuating poverty Low-income and communities of color are among the most affected by recent legislation that jeopardizes Reproductive Justice.

W

hen disCAROLINE SKOOG cussing columnist the proposed restrictions on abortion, “pro-choice” and “abortion rights” provide a limited framework for assessing the matter at large. Abortion accessibility is only a slice of the conversation surrounding reproductive health.

Even the Roe v. Wade decision didn’t supply “choice” equally; under the current system of healthcare, “choice” is a reproductive luxury afforded to bodies in specific tax brackets.

Reproductive Justice, a concept created by women of color who recognized the representational insufficiencies of the women’s rights movement, offers a framework that recognizes access to reproductive care. Those in the movement believe that reproductive care is a human right and that certain social, political and economic disparities prevent women from having accessibility to reproductive care.

In 2016, 75 percent of abortion patients lived below the poverty line, and 59 percent of them were already caring for a child.

When restrictive legislation is put in place, which some also refer to as backdoor bans on abortion, the government mandated requirements for healthcare providers who offer abortion services are often times ridiculous.

For example, in 9 states there are specific rules surrounding the dimensions for procedure rooms. It demonstrates the line between something being legal versus accessible.

These restrictions condemn women and families who are already financially struggling to a lifetime of poverty.

As federally funded resources narrow, low income communities face tremendous consequences. Through the lens of Reproductive Justice, the pending restrictions on abortion and revisions to Title X are weaponized policies that target communities in poverty.

Removing one’s reproductive autonomy and access to sexual education perpetuates cycles of disadvantage.

“Maybe if she can’t get an abortion, she’ll be more responsible about sex.”

Outside of the religious anti-abortion arguments, pro-abortion reasoning seems to focus on the responsibility of the individual, a ‘pull yourself up by the uterus-straps’ mentality. Of course, this bananas resentment implies governing sex altogether and has no actual logic, but for the sake of argument let’s say state governments are attempting to ‘promote responsibility.’

As federal funding to sexual education shifted from evidence-based programs and increased funding to abstinence education

(rebranded as Sexual Risk Avoidance) in 2016, I have a hard time believing the government is acting in the youth’s best interest. Each state can choose how much funding they accept or decline for their abstinence-only sexual education programs. For example, if you accept a grant from the Sexual Risk Avoidance program, it is strongly discouraged to teach about condoms or other contraceptives. That leaves gaps in sexual education across the country.

So, the federal government cut funding for accessible reproductive care and sexual education in states with the highest teen birth rates in the country, the majority of which are in the south. They also significantly reduced access to family planning services under Title X by disqualifying any provider that might refer or recommend abortion to an individual. If the government truly cared about healthy youth sexual activity they would fund comprehensive sexual education that informs teens, rather than strategically withholds information.

The anti-abortion argument also contradicts itself as the states imposing these restrictions have exceptionally high infant mortality rates. Alabama, for example, has had the highest infant mortality rate in the country twice in the past five years. It also has alarmingly high maternal mortality rates that disproportionately affect women of color, low-income, and uninsured women.

Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy or birth complications than white women, according to the national partnership for women and families.

Uninsured women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy or birth complications than insured women.

This blatant disparity of quality in care foregrounds the mentality of the healthcare system: poor people deserve to die.

How exactly does compromising sexual education, impeding access to contraceptives and overall reproductive care, and removing sanctions that provide essential medical care demonstrate responsibility?

It doesn’t. It’s reckless and embarrassing.

If these restrictions on abortion go into effect and funds to reproductive care and family planning programs dwindle as planned, there is virtually no infrastructure to prevent and protect low-income communities.

Caroline Skoog welcomes comments at cskoog@mndaily.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Whitewashing the MN Daily’s April ‘defend public housing’ column

I

am a student who actively reads the MN Daily. The column about the Elliot Twins public housing units being under threat of privatization stuck out to me, as prior to this column I had not heard of this issue. News like this from the Daily keeps me informed of issues that affect members of the community beyond the student body, and I value having the resources to learn about something so relevant (and detrimental) to community members in Minneapolis.

Revoking a topic like this is a statement of the MN Daily’s values and target audience, which is already oriented toward

white readers. Journalism is a key piece of activism, and it is so important for news like this to be accessible in order for a movement to begin. Not to mention, the residents of this unit are a vulnerable population. Many are refugees of war, experiencing trauma among the many other challenges that come with being a person of color and an immigrant in the U.S., are not fluent in English, and are already experiencing poverty. The barriers that this community faces go far beyond housing, but at the bare minimum it is our responsibility to protect community members from becoming victims of homelessness due

to privatization of public housing.

By cooperating with the threats of the MPHA and whitewashing the original column, the Daily is taking a stance that they would prefer to appease the powerful instead of stand up for the powerless. This stance has direct consequences for this community in that they are at risk of homelessness, and no one will be there to fight for them if no one receives the news that this is happening to begin with.

Journalism is a key aspect of our democracy, and the only way for accountability to exist is for journalists to publicize the human

COLUMN

The U community is effectively a food desert The city of Minneapolis needs to address this issue to support the campus community.

W

hen we LEW BLANK think of columnist food deserts, we typically think of low-income neighborhoods left behind by the modern economy, not college campuses stacked with a mecca of ethnic eateries and upscale dining venues. But for students living on or near the campus of the University of Minnesota — including in Dinkytown, Como and Stadium Village — finding affordable, accessible groceries can be nearly impossible.

When I first arrived at the University of Minnesota as a freshman, I popped into the Target in Dinkytown to buy a small fan. I immediately assumed that the store served as one of many grocery options for students, a quick, convenient shop in a sea of competing enterprises with fresh produce and student prices. I would never have guessed that this small Target was the only grocery store within a mile’s reach for tens of thousands of students.

Although there’s no universal definition for what constitutes a “food desert,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified that, broadly, a food desert is “an area where consumers are ‘limited in their ability to access affordable, nutritious foods because they live far from a supermarket or large grocery store and do not have easy access to transportation.’”

The United States Department of Agriculture concurs, defining communities as having low food access when a supermarket or large grocery store is more than one mile away from at least 500 people or one third of residents in a given census tract.

Under both of these definitions, those residing on or near the University of Minnesota campus are living in a food desert. The small Dinkytown Target is the only conveniently located grocery within a mile of the Twin Cities campus, but at about one-sixth of the size of a traditional Target outlet. Having a small Target on campus is convenient for select items in a pinch, but, with a limited supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, the Dinkytown branch was never intended to serve as an all-encompassing food provider for students.

Beyond the Target, grocery options are still few and far between. The nearest hub of supermarkets — The Quarry shopping center, featuring a Cub Foods and a normal-sized Target — is more than two miles from campus. There is no direct public transportation route from the University’s Twin Cities campus to The Quarry, which requires many students to lug grocery bags on two separate buses.

Alternatively, students could frequent Fresh Thyme — located a paltry 1.2 miles from campus — but only if they expect to fork over an arm and a leg for the store’s Whole Foods-style prices. Additional larger grocers like Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Lunds in NE and the Seward Community Co-op can be a 15 minute bus ride away, which is difficult when buying enough groceries to sustain yourself for a couple of weeks.

For those with a University dining plan, personal access to a car or stable economic wherewithal, this may not be a huge issue. But for others, it can be a fiscal and nutritional nightmare.

According to the University of Minnesota’s College Student Health Survey, 11.7 percent of students reported running out of food and not having enough money to buy more within the past 12 months. These alimentary ailments had a significant impact on

their academic achievement, according to the report.

It’s clear that the Dinkytown Target is not enough and that students need a large grocery store with sufficient fresh produce near campus. And it’s on our city government to make it happen.

There are a variety of policies that the Minneapolis government can implement to help students access affordable healthy food. One option is changing the city’s zoning laws to incentivize full-service grocery stores, something that was highly successful when piloted in Philadelphia, Pa. The city can also use its budget to make a down payment on new grocery options and alter its bus routes to provide direct access for students to existing supermarkets, something that Duluth exemplified with its “Grocery Express” bus routes.

The University also has the authority to address students’ food insecurity. The University could add a campus bus route to The Quarry, for instance, or use its budget to create additional community garden spaces for the student population.

It’s undeniable that the Dinkytown Target is an inadequate grocery store for the student population. The City of Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota both need to make a bold and necessary investment to provide affordable and healthy food options near campus.

Lew Blank welcomes comments at lblank@mndaily.com.

rights violations that public and private actors conduct in our communities. This column is crucial to unifying our community to fight for the protection of these residents, and by choosing to whitewash the original article, you are sending a message that you do not care about the victims of this story, and the reader has no reason to either.

Written by University of Minnesota student Brittany Becker.

This letter to the editor has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

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.

letters@mndaily.com Fax: (612) 435-5865 Phone: (612) 435-1578 Letters and columns to the editor 2221 University Ave. SE Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414 EDITORIALS & OPINIONS DEPARTMENT Editorials represent the voice of the Minnesota Daily as an institution and are prepared by the editorial board.

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

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

MN DAILY

HOROSCOPES

Today’s Birthday (6/19): Partnership and collaboration flourishes this year. Coordinate efforts for shared benefit.

You’re financially flush this summer, before navigating family financial changes. Collaborative efforts pay off next winter, before you shift to a new income path. Support each other for prosperity, ease and happiness.

MNDAILY.COM

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 — Can you go play with friends? Talk and move together.

Exercise dissipates pent-up energy. Favor team building over productivity. Have some fun.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 7 — Relax, and talk things over with loved ones. The answer may seem elusive. A structural barrier impedes your game. Wait for developments.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is an 8 — Focus to manage a structural breakdown at work. A barrier challenges your responsibilities, duties and obligations. Look sharp.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 6 — You’ve got the confidence to pull off your idea.

Stifle rebellious tendencies for now. Clarifying misunderstandings could get time-consuming.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 7 — An old dream for exploration and adventure shines again.

Slow down on the road to avoid accidents from unforeseen obstacles. Watch where you’re going.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 7 — Listen first before advancing to avoid a communications breakdown. Follow your emotions as well as your intellect. Distractions can cause mistakes.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is a 7 — Patiently work out the numbers before committing funds.

Avoid frivolous spending. Make repairs and pay debts, step by step.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is an 8 — Potential profits may require more time than anticipated. Watch for hidden complications with something that seems a bargain.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is an 8 — Navigate an obstacle with your partner. Avoid arguing, and it could get romantic. Listen generously and patiently. Learn what another wants.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 7 — Wear something you feel powerful and strong in. If you doubt your own ability, practice the part until you learn it. Pamper yourself with kindness.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is a 7 — Keep making improvements to your physical performance. Don’t push or force an outcome. Avoid risky moves. Rest and good food are as important as practice.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 6 — Decrease stress by reducing stimulation. Spend time in nature. Notice birdsong and cloud patterns. Let your mind wander.

Real experience. Real world. Real opportunity.

DR. DATE Dr. Date,

I think I’m addicted to relationships.

Every time I get out of a relationship, I find myself getting into another a month later. It’s not like I am complaining about my luck in finding fantastic people that I find romantically enticing, but more that I feel like I’m losing myself in the process. I keep telling myself that I am a strong, independent girl who doesn’t need a companion, but, like clockwork, I’m back in the same situation.

I’ve overheard some people in my life saying that I use people to feel happy. That’s not a fun thing to hear, nor do I feel like it accurately represents the person that I am. I truly want to be happy and I just keep flitting back and forth on how to get there.

I need advice. Preferably from someone who won’t hold it against me.

—Hopeless Love-Slut

Dear Hopeful Love-Seeker,

RED FLAG: the “people in your life” that talk about you behind your back are definitely a bigger concern than the relationship-hopping you’re describing.

But honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to fall in love, even if you try different avenues and the time between them might not be all that long. There’s a whole damn tv show where there are literal seconds between dates and Hannah Beast manages to look fierce and maintain her autonomy regardless. How does she (and the other billions of people out there looking for love) do it? Confidence. Selflove. And taking time for yourself.

You are the captain of your own seas … or however the heck that one goes.

If you think you need time or to take things slow, communicate that. If you’re happy searching for love, freaking do it!

You deserve “that real good real” that Hannah B. talks about, and if a writer at a student newspaper supports you more than the people around you, drop them and do what makes you happy.

— Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

MN DAILY MEDIA is hiring account executives for its sales department.

Apply online today mndailymedia.org/jobs

So college is all about trying new things and meeting new people, right?

Well, I had the ingenious idea of going to the extreme and became pen pals with a girl from Poland. Yes, 4,732 miles away, 7 hours apart.

At first, I didn’t give much thought to her at all. But life has its cruel way of toying with me, and now I’m missing my pen pal like I have known her for my entire life. We FaceTime almost every day for hours.

A lot of people tell me I’m an idiot for believing that such a childish fantasy will ever be realized between us, but everything we have told each other, all the things we talk about, it just seems too perfect to ever fall apart. I know we’re in love, though we never sat down and talked about it. But the worst feeling ever is that I can’t be with her in person until I finish grad school in three years.

I just want to know how the hell to stop missing her because that’s all I think about these days.

—A Very Polish Problem

Dear #PolishProblem,

Even in this globalized world of digital pen pals, your case feels extreme. I can see feeling very close to this woman, but you use the word “missing,” as if you once were with her and now you’re separated. Are you really missing her? Or are you just choosing to fixate on this as a distraction from other problems or anxieties in your life?

I mean, heck, how functional can you be on a day-to-day basis when you’re so obsessed with someone you’ve never met? In order to regain control of your heart, dick and life, you have to confirm that she feels the same way you do — for all we know, she thinks of you as a very expressive American friend who makes masturbation more fun.

Idea 1: Save up for a quick visit to Poland. I know you’re busy and have a three-year plan, but how about a little jaunt the summer before grad school?

Idea 2: You say you’ve never said “I love you.” Test that out. Idea 3: Help her fly out here.

Last resort? A chill pill the size of a horse tranquilizer. Maybe just take a horse tranquilizer. Or relax naturally by thinking about the fact that, if this is meant to be, then it will be, and three years of waiting will seem like nothing in the long run ... especially if you keep doing the extreme FaceTime stuff, lol.

— 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.

6/19/19

For strategies on how to solve sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk.

Last issue’s solution

© 2019 Michael Mepham. Distributed

by Tribune Media Services.

All rights reserved.

8

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Asian language department renamed The newly-named department better reflects the courses offered on campus.

BY FARRAH MINA fmina@mndaily.com

The name of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Asian Languages and Literatures has changed to the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies to provide a more accurate description of what the department teaches.

The push for the name change, which was approved by the Board of Regents last month, was intended to better capture the interdisciplinary work and faculty expertise available, AMES Department Chair Christine Marran said. The department, which teaches courses that span topics such as cinema, history, gender and sexuality, found that ‘languages and literatures’ did not adequately describe the department’s curricula. By using the word ‘studies,’ the department hopes to reflect the diversity of courses offered, Marran said.

Given the increase in Arabic language classes and courses covering the Middle East over the past five years, the department’s name also sought to highlight the instruction and resources available concerning the region. Because Middle Eastern studies is not typically associated with Asian languages and literatures, the new name will help students interested in Arabic and the Middle East identify the department as the University’s primary site for studying the region, said Joseph Farag, the department’s director of undergraduate studies and assistant professor of modern Arab studies.

“Although much of the Arabic-speaking world rests in Asia, Arabic is rarely thought of as an ‘Asian’ language, and the Middle East rarely thought of as part

MORGAN LA CASSE, DAILY

of ‘Asia’ — and indeed transcends Asia to include North Africa,” Farag said in an email. “This created confusion and a lack of visibility for our teaching and faculty expertise in Arabic and Middle East Studies.”

The name also responds to departmental concerns regarding employability

for students who choose to specialize in the Middle East region. With other universities offering Middle Eastern studies programs, Farag said University of Minnesota students pursuing this area of study worried they would be at a disadvantage.

“We wanted to show students that we teach

Arabic and courses on the Middle East,” Marran said.

“We want those students to have that name in their degree.”

Nicole Robinson, a University graduate, said she experienced difficulties with the department’s previous name as she applied for jobs.

“I had to explain why my major was Asian languages and literatures when I speak Arabic,” Robinson said, which often resulted in confusion. “The name change is great, and has been a long time coming,” she said.

The change corresponds to department names already employed at many

other universities, such as Duke University and the College of William and Mary.

“I think one positive impact that we hope to make is that we want students to know the [College of Liberal Arts] supports the study of the Middle East,” Marran said.

SCAN HERE TO START LISTENING

Episode 1 - UMN President Eric Kaler's resignation announcement Episode 2 - Financial Aid and Scholarship Distribution Episode 3 - Proposed Gender Expression Policy at the University of Minnesota Episode 4 - Campus-area crime and WAM art rentals Episode 5 - UMN class designs clothes for girls in Uganda Episode 6 - Bug diets and Morris' tuition waivers Episode 7 - Conservative group's bridge mural vandalized Episode 8 - Women in STEM Episode 9 - Exploring the University's myth, legends and tall tales Episode 10 - Midterm Elections Roundup Episode 11 - UMN responds to football lawsuit, student tenant rights Episode 12 - Gen Z is the most stressed-out generation, study shows Episode 13 - How did the U bring home 'the axe' Episode 14 - Striving for diversity in CFANS Episode 15 - Living with diabetes as a student Episode 16 - The government showdown Episode 17 - Continued tuition hikes at UMN Episode 18 - The bittersweet life of UMN sugar babies Episode 19 - Connecting in Cedar-Riverside over free tea and pizza Episode 20 - The renaming of Coffman Episode 21 - Legacy taking over Morrill Hall Episode 22 - A fierce push for student data privacy Episode 23 - What to do with, how to manage all of the snow Episode 24 - Understanding eating disorders at UMN Episode 25 - Supporting students serving mandatory military time Episode 26 - Cedar-Riverside weighs safety priorities Episode 27 - Where does the U's water come from?

Episode 28 - Students run free clinic for Minneapolis Episode 29 - How renaming was rejected Episode 30 - Controversy over pregnancy centers near campus