October 5, 2020

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2020

MNDAILY.COM

ADMINISTRATION

CRIME

Gabel hosts town hall on COVID-19

‘Prophet’ near UMN prompts policing discussions

The town hall also covered UMN’s finances, the hiring freeze and more.

By Hana Ikramuddin hikramuddin@mndaily.com

Social media posts and flyers prompted concern among area residents.

University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel and other administrators answered questions from students, faculty and staff in a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday.

The town hall covered topics including campus safety, the pandemic and University finances.

COVID-19 response One point of discussion was the University’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy Director of the University’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Jill DeBoer addressed the University’s plan to expand testing. Discipline for students, faculty and staff who fail to meet safety guidelines was also discussed.

“We are actively working with state partners and their testing vendor to explore access to selfcollected saliva-based testing for our students, staff and faculty. A proposal will be reviewed with our regents at the next meeting,” DeBoer said.

The University expects to use self-collected saliva-based testing in the case of an outbreak on campus, DeBoer added.

Most students have followed the standards set by the Maroon and Gold Sunrise Plan, Gabel said. However, any students who violate the University’s COVID-19 policies will go through the same processes used for other violations outlined in the student conduct code, said Maggie Towle, the interim vice provost for student affairs and dean of students.

“Depending on the violation, sanctions can range in severity from restorative justice to suspension or expulsion,” Towle said.

Safety and Policing University of Minnesota Police Department Chief Matt Clark also attended the meeting to address campus crime and safety.

Although overall crime in the area has dropped, robberies on and around campus have increased this summer and fall, Clark said.

UMPD plans to add patrols to See GABEL Page 2

By Samantha Hendrickson shendrickson@mndaily.com

Above, Second Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist Nick Juarez demonstrates how to use a handheld personal alarm system on Thursday, Sep. 24 in Dinkytown. Below, Lance King, middle left, and Darcell Jackson, middle right, react to information about recent criminal activity. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily)

For the last month, MarcyHolmes residents took to social media to warn fellow students and neighbors about a man who calls himself “the Prophet” — a masked individual in a van who claims he was sent by God to end the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jeremiah Olson, a 39-year-old University of Minnesota alum, drew attention for wearing a mask around Dinkytown, leaving flyers on cars with religious and racist rhetoric, threatening people over social media, driving a van with the word “racist” spray-painted across the side, taking pictures of people inside their homes and filming his confrontations with strangers in bars or other public places.

Speculation about Olson’s mental health popped up on Facebook comments and Reddit posts alongside confusion about

who should be handling the situation — mental health professionals or the police.

Last week, Hennepin County Community Outreach for Psychiatric Emergencies (COPE) put Olson on a 72-hour mental health hold, according to MPD crime specialists. His current whereabouts are unknown. He has not made any public posts on Facebook or YouTube since Sept. 22.

As more residents encountered Olson, worry grew among the University community. Olson’s YouTube channel has several videos of aggressive confrontations with strangers, rhetoric condemning BLM as a hate group and videos of him taping young women without their consent and following them at night.

“I feel worried for the young women out here,” said Lance King, a Marcy-Holmes resident who saw Olson’s van outside his home three days in a row but was unaware of who he was. “Me being a father ... it’s too much.”

The Minneapolis Police Department had not taken any proactive steps when Olson’s posts started gaining attention because he was not technically doing See CRIME Page 2

HOUSING

Half of UMN housing unnoccupied this fall Some students have opted to live at home or in offcampus housing.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com Residence halls and on-campus apartments at the University of Minnesota are at 57% occupancy as students find alternative housing options off campus.

As the University continues to make changes to campus life in response to COVID-19, many students have either canceled or deferred their housing contracts and made other living arrangements.

Some students say restrictions for

residence halls and the two-week move-in delay contributed to their choices to end or defer their housing contracts.

University-owned apartments are at 61% occupancy with dorms operating at approximately 56% occupancy. First-year residence halls typically sit at 89% occupancy, said University spokesperson Meagan Pierluissi in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

Rogan Isbell, a University firstyear student in the College of Liberal Arts, received a full refund for his housing contract when he decided to move into an off-campus apartment building.

Isbell decided to move into an apartment due to doubts about students’ adherence to the restrictions outlined in the Maroon and

First-year Rogan Isbell poses for a portrait outside the Link, an off campus residential building, on Tuesday, Sep. 29. Instead of living in a dorm as he intended, he signed a lease with The Link in August.

Gold Sunrise Plan, such as limits on guests and required “back home times.”

“As much as I would love to trust college kids and think they’re

all going to do the good things, I know that’s not going to happen,” Isbell said.

See HOUSING Page 2

COMMUNITY

INTERNATIONAL

International students face added challenges to online learning in quarantine and abroad

UROC: A community institution ten years in the making

Time differences have led to stress and complicated sleep schedules.

The University’s research and outreach center is rooted in North Minneapolis.

By Samantha Woodward awoodward@mndaily.com

By Katelyn Vue kvue@mndaily.com Every Tuesday and Wednesday, University of Minnesota student Mia Tran wakes up around 1 a.m. to attend her 1:25 p.m. Zoom discussion class. While taking classes from Vietnam, Tran struggles to balance a 12-hour time difference with her school work and personal life.

Like Tran, many international students have had to decide whether to stay in the U.S. or travel back home at the start of the pandemic.

In addition to navigating online learning, international students taking classes from their home countries have the added challenge of managing conflicting time zones with classes, routines and building connections.

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter The new normal for international students First-year student Clarisse Wihono is taking online classes from Indonesia. During the week, Wihono rarely has time to spend with family and friends. In an email, she said her eating times have become completely flipped.

To stay on track of her school work, she splits her sleeping schedule into two sessions and drinks

coffee. Most of her classes occur between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m.

“Because of the time difference, some of my exams are at 1 AM my time, and I’m not a night owl by nature, so it’s hard to even stay awake at that hour,” Wihono said in the email.

Sleep deprivation is common for many international students who See INTERNATIONAL Page 2

The University of Minnesota’s UROC has spent a decade bridging the gap between the campus and North Minneapolis from its office within the community.

In its ten years, the University’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) has been a space for community members to collaborate and conduct research across landscapes ranging from youth outreach to trauma recovery. This fall, UROC published a new research agenda to set a vision for the team to help support the North Minneapolis community in the era of the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest.

The research agenda is centered around addressing the three core themes of UROC: community healing, equity and financial well-being,

as part of tackling issues of systemic racism.

In 2019, UROC’s research team, led by the community and supported by local officials, identified topics to guide the focus of its efforts throughout the coming years.

UROC is now taking proposals from University faculty.

Makeda Zulu-Gillespie, a longtime resident of North Minneapolis who was named executive director of UROC last fall, said the demand to address issues of racism came as no surprise. She said these issues have been built into the system for decades.

“Of course, we have individual actors, but the individual actors don’t have as much power if there aren’t systems that support the behaviors or the actions,” Zulu-Gillespie said.

Redrawing the lines Housing laws have cornered Black residents into North Minneapolis, and Zulu-Gillespie said these community members have faced prejudice for decades.

See UROC Page 2 Volume 121 Issue 2

2 Monday, October 5, 2020

Crime page 1 anything illegal, according to MPD crime specialists. The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, alongside the MPD, hosted two crime walks in the area last week to alert the community about Olson.

“It’s a tough deal,” said Brody Hultman, a fourthyear student at the University who often visits his friends in Dinkytown. “It’s a confusing situation, and it’s hard when people are close to the boundaries but not breaking any laws like this.”

Mental health and law enforcement in Minneapolis COPE is a mental health emergency service that helps adults in Hennepin County if they or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis. For a person to be admitted for an involuntary 72-hour hold, they must meet a very narrow set of criteria. The hold is meant to allow mental health professionals to perform an evaluation for psychiatric distress.

Olson met those cri-

teria, according to MPD crime specialists.

COPE was not available for an interview regarding how it works alongside law enforcement or regarding Olson’s status.

Conversations surrounding police reform have been circulating nationwide. Reform suggestions include providing police further training on mental health crises or reallocating police funds to additional social services like social workers and mental health professionals.

In Minneapolis, most MPD officers take crisis intervention training, which is meant to provide a basic understanding of mental health crises and how to handle them following a 911 call.

“We’ve gone from being just a small unit ... now we’re at the point where our whole department is certified,” MPD Officer Adam Chard said.

In some precincts, social workers and mental health professionals are available to accompany police officers if they believe they are dealing with an “emotionally disturbed person,” said MPD Crime

Prevention Specialist Abdirashid Ali. “Honestly, I would say it’s been very successful.”

The program, however, was halted for COVID-19 safety, according to Ali. The community responds While nearby resident Hultman expressed his concern about the lack of legal action police can take, he also said he would rather keep mental health programs and police separate.

“I’d like to see more investment strictly in mental health professionals,” he said.

Eva Slattery, a teaching assistant and MarcyHolmes resident, said that while Olson’s presence makes her nervous, it does not necessarily change the way she approaches her personal safety, no matter what the police are doing. “[Being a woman] makes me an easier target,” Slattery said.

Slattery also said she has many concerns about mental health training for police, being a person with autism herself.

“I think having mental health responders alongside police officers

International page 1

University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel speaks at a virtual town hall meeting to address the University’s response to COVID-19 on Tuesday (Screenshot from Minnesota Daily)

Gabel page 1 increase police visibility on campus and to ensure they respond to calls quickly.

Additionally, detectives have been assigned to criminal investigations on campus, and campus security is focused on ensuring that services like 624-WALK are available as often as possible.

Clark advised students to take safety precautions, including walking in groups at night, being vigilant of surroundings and using transportation or safe walk services on campus.

Finances The town hall also covered the budget and actions the University is taking to reduce expenditures.

As a result of the hiring freeze, overall University hiring is expected to drop

UROC page 1 She finds that people within her community, specifically people of color, feel powerless from this cycle of self-defeat and systemic oppression. Zulu-Gillespie said many of the Northside residents she talks to feel ignored by local policy makers and politicians, especially on issues that directly impact their day to day.

Being overlooked and unheard in turn affects community members’ confidence, which can make them feel powerless to join in on new discussions or advocacy work. One of her goals with UROC is to break that cycle.

“You have this circle of people not turning out to vote because they think their vote doesn’t matter when it really does ... it’s something that is deeply entrenched,” ZuluGillespie said. “You need the documentation [and research] to actually change the system.”

Following the police killing of George Floyd and ongoing violence in Minneapolis, UROC has specifically focused on responding to community trauma. The work has revolved around traumas caused by gun vio-

by 41% compared to last year, said Ken Horstman, the interim vice president for Human Resources.

The budget office is working to re-evaluate the University’s financial situation for the current fiscal year, which may change spending plans for specific units going forward based on the office’s recommendations, said Julie Tonneson, the associate vice president of University Finance.

“We will also recommend to the president whether the furlough and temporary pay reduction program should continue past Dec. 20, whether or not to move available resources from one unit to another, how to distribute the available University central reserves and where there might be other financing options,” Tonneson said.

lence, drug use, mass imprisonment, mental health issues, domestic violence and more.

Shaunassey Johnson, a third-year anthropology student at the University and North Minneapolis resident, worked as a youth researcher and facilitator within UROC this past summer through its youth-focused group, YoUthROC. The group aims to act as a voice for young people during stakeholder meetings and address important issues that North Minneapolis youth face. Eight other members of color, ages 16-24 and from the University and Northside, comprise the team.

Following the protests and riots this summer, YoUthROC hosted a Northside cleanup where the team and a group of volunteers sought to restore the area and “foster community healing,” Johnson said. The group also participated in donating to food shelves in the area and participated in sit-ins and protests to fight police brutality.

Amplifying expression George Roberts, another Northside resident and former teacher, is on UROC’s stakeholder’s committee. He is one of many who helps connect the office to the com-

are living in different time zones. Prolonged screen time during odd hours to meet deadlines has students staying up late or waking up early.

“My sleep is not as good as it was before …” Tran said.

“The exposure to computer screens and having my brain be so active before I go to bed, it’s actually difficult to fall asleep ... so sleep deprivation has been a major issue for me.”

Typically, Tran said she would talk to her professors in between classes and walk with friends to class. But the loss of interacting with friends and peers has affected her sense of belonging at the University, she said.

“Back in my freshman year, I was such a big hugger,” Tran said. “I would hug my friends every time I met

Housing page 1 After the announcement of the plan on Aug. 21, 1,325 housing contracts were canceled. An additional 603 contracts were deferred to spring semester since Aug. 21.

However, some students canceled their contracts prior to this announcement, with 1,208 total contracts deferred to the second

Flyers passed out to residents of the Dinkytown area during a neighborhood safety walk put on by the Minneapolis Police Department, on Thursday, Sep. 24. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) is the best way to do it,” Slattery said. “As an autistic person ... if someone grabbed me during a meltdown, I might explode, but [mental health outbursts] can be hard to identify.”

Slattery’s roommate, Lucinda Carter, said that if Slattery encountered a police officer during an outburst, she would be more worried about Slattery than the officer. For that reason, Carter said having a mental health profes-

sional to evaluate the situation would be better for all involved.

In early September, a Salt Lake City police officer shot a 13-year-old boy with autism while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. His mother had called police to request a crisis intervention team to help transport him to a hospital for care.

Carter emphasized that it is not just police officers that need to change but law

enforcement’s approach to mental health as a whole.

“There needs to be a buffer between being aggressive and forceful,” Carter said. “The amount of people who are incarcerated right now who really just need a doctor, just need support but instead are just in jail because of their reaction to something ... it’s not just that it wasn’t okay, it’s that they didn’t get the support they need.”

them, and it was the most comforting thing of my days during my freshman year.”

Creating community among other international students Since the start of the school year, the Minnesota International Student Association has had low attendance of international students at their virtual events and meetings, according to Daniel Garamvolgyi, MISA’s finance director. MISA is a student group that represents international students at the University and bridges the gap between international and local students.

“It was so devastating to see that actually no one showed up ... it’s usually about 20 to 25 people during the day who visit our office,” Garamvolgyi said. “It was just so sad to walk into the room and have no one.”

MISA is still active online

and planning more virtual events for international students who want to be involved.

Some international students also deal with expenses, like housing, even though they are living in a different country. Despite no longer needing an apartment near campus, some University students were unable to end their housing leases with their landlords. “[Rent] was one of the reasons I actually moved back [to the U.S.]. So if I pay for my rent, I actually live here too,” said Garamvolgyi, who is from Budapest, Hungary.

The Vietnamese International Student Association held an online event in mid-September but because of the time zone difference in Vietnam, there were not many international students who could attend. VISA is a student group that aims to create a community for Viet-

namese international students on campus.

Anh Vo, VISA’s secretary, said attendance was low, but students were still able to have fun and bond. Vo is on campus and has some family, but she has not seen her parents in Vietnam for more than a year. She said she often feels homesick.

Though international students are finding ways for professors to accommodate the challenges of online learning, many still want more resources to support them.

“I think that’s important for people to just be aware of the problems that international students might face during this time, especially the time zone difference issue that most of us have to deal with,” Tran said. “Like other students, we do share some of the unsettling feeling about the pandemic.”

semester since June 25.

“I started looking into the UMN housing group on Facebook, and I’m lucky because I found a guy, there were three of them, and they needed one more person for the apartment,” Isbell said.

“So I messaged them I was interested. We ended up accepting, and I got the lease filled out and everything.”

Nicholas Chloros, a firstyear student at the University studying architecture,

also deferred his housing contract and has chosen to live at home following the announcement of the Maroon and Gold Sunrise Plan.

Chloros, who was originally assigned to live in the 17th Avenue residence hall, received a refund after deferring his contract to spring semester.

In order to cancel or defer a housing contract, the University required students to notify Housing and

Residential Life.

“There’s just a link that you would go to that would allow you to cancel your contract. You essentially would just list the reason, and then you had to send in some paperwork,” Isbell said.

“I just sent them the copy of my lease that I had done online. Once I did that, I just had to wait a day or two, then they came back and accepted it.”

“UROC has been important in fostering that vision and using the power of University research to give us the tools,” Roberts said.

like UROC is invaluable to “let people know that it’s going to be okay and that we’re going to make it through it.”

The Lincoln School playground project and Seeds to Harvest are just a few of many community initiatives that UROC will continue to work on in the coming years.

Buckner said Zulu-Gillespie’s approach to her new position leading UROC is turning the office into a community-driven center for success rather than just an institution.

Zulu-Gillespie hopes the team will help create a “thriving urban core” in its future, which she defines as a place where people feel supported and valued as individuals while striving for further education.

She added that everybody is a part of undoing systemic racism, and her work as the head of this communitybased research team is a key part of that undoing. She said while she values protesting, she takes a different approach to creating change.

“My way will be working with the research and residents and community organizations to impact the institutions in that way, and that’s also valuable,” Zulu-Gillespie said.

From left, Student Shaunassey Johnson and UROC Executive Director Makeda Zulu-Gillespie pose for a portrait outside of the UROC building on Tuesday, Sep. 22. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily) munity.

Years ago, Roberts said he saw that a rundown convenience store on Plymouth Avenue North had become a place where adults sold cigarettes and liquor to children.

He knew he had to do something.

Roberts and his wife purchased the building and opened up Homewood Studios, a community art center and gallery. The space is home to art workshops and exhibitions of local creators to help support their passions.

“We wanted to create something in thanks to this community for letting us raise our children here,” Roberts said.

Homewood Studios hosted a UROC-sponsored exhibit, “Art is My Weapon,” centered around sparking a conversation about gun violence in urban communities.

The pieces were made from retired guns from a gun buyback program from the Minneapolis Police Department.

After seeing the positive impact that holding a space for artists had on his community, he asked for UROC’s help for another proposal.

The old Lincoln Community School’s playground was in shambles, and Roberts has been working with UROC to try to rehabilitate the park for kids and neighbors. They are still working to bring that vision to reality.

Resilience Last week, UROC faculty members and volunteers finished up a day of service projects by dancing in the parking lot of the UROC building and enjoying the warm weather together.

Brett Buckner, managing director of One Minnesota, a racially diverse coalition geared toward policy engagement, described the scene as “surreal” as COVID-19 and social unrest has made it difficult to maintain some type of normalcy.

Buckner, who graduated from Minneapolis’ North High School, partnered with UROC and other local organizations to start up Seeds to Harvest Service Coalition, a community-based service group.

Seeds to Harvest coordinated events that happened throughout July of this summer, including neighborhood cleanups, food and mask distribution, gardening projects, voter registration and census outreach.

Through recent challenges, Buckner said a group

Daily Review Monday, September 21, 2020 Vol. 121 No.2 An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900.

2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 450, Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 627-4080 Fax: (612) 435-5865 Copyright © 2020 The Minnesota Daily. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER DYLAN MIETTINEN Editor-in-Chief eic@mndaily.com 612-435-1575 Tiffany Welty Business Operations Officer twelty@mndaily.com (612)-435-2748 Charlie Weaver General Manager gm@mndaily.com (612)-435-5657 EDITORIAL STAFF Tiffany Bui Managing Editor tbui@mndaily.com Creston Halstead Managing Production Editor chalstead@mndaily.com Farrah Mina Campus Activities Editor fmina@mndaily.com Niamh Coomey Campus Administration Editor ncoomey@mndaily.com J.D. Duggan City Editor jduggan@mndaily.com Nolan O’Hara Sports Editor nohara@mndaily.com Sammy Caldwell Opinions Editor scaldwell@mndaily.com Alex Strangman A&E Editor astrngman@mndaily.com Kamaan Richards Multimedia Editor krichards@mndaily.com Jonas Dominguez Copy Desk Chief jdominguez@mndaily.com Elana Warren Assistant Copy Desk Chief ewarren@mndaily.com Mary Ellen Ritter Visuals Editor mritter@mndaily.com =

3 Monday, October 5, 2020

Dinkytown McDonald’s will be razed after committee approval The Dinkytown McDonald’s is slated to be replaced.

By Samantha Hendrickson shendrickson@mndaily.com After over two years of community engagement and careful planning, the housing development set to raze Dinkytown McDonald’s is moving forward — but with a few more changes.

The new structure, which would include seven stories of mixed-use housing with just over 300 units and 834 bedrooms, was approved by the Minneapolis Planning Commission on Sept. 8. It will eventually go to the City Council before construction is expected to be officially set into motion. “[The project] will be moving forward without an anticipated problem with finalization,” said Chris Lautenschlager, executive director of the MarcyHolmes Neighborhood Association.

CA Ventures, the developer in charge of the project, expanded the building’s footprint to three-fourths of

the block from the previous one-half. It will encompass the corner of Fourth Street Southeast and Fifteenth Avenue Southeast, plus parts of Fifth Street.

This new plan includes redevelopment of the building that Pizza Hut, Subway and TCF Bank occupy, plus the Dinkytown McDonald’s, the Five Guys and Pagoda restaurants, Dinkytown Wine and Spirits and storage space owned by the Book House.

The housing structure, primarily catered toward students attending the University of Minnesota, was shortened due to community feedback. It will now be seven stories, but was initially proposed at 25 stories, then cut to ten.

The Dinkytown McDonald’s will be replaced with a new McDonald’s on the bottom floor of the complex.

The City Council stalled the project in Feb. 2020 due to the density of the apartment. Several appeals were filed at the time by community members over lack of minimum required parking spaces and the

structure’s height. However, the deadline for appeals has now passed, with no clear objections to the development moving forward.

Despite many obstacles, Director of Development of CA Ventures Ryan Sadowy called the project a “flagship asset” for the company.

“It’s something that we can be very proud of,” Sadowy said. “Sometimes the hardest ones, though, are the most rewarding.”

Kristen Eide-Tollefson, owner of the Book House and member of the group Preserve Historic Dinkytown, said that while she is mostly content with the changes to the development plan, it is imperative that students living in the area are not taken advantage of with high prices and limited housing or retail options.

“The spirit of Dinkytown is not exploiting students,” Eide-Tollefson said, adding that the real “spirit of Dinkytown” is to “support and serve,” which is why one thing she would like to see is a grocery store.

Over the past two years, many students voiced their

A proposed rendering of the Dinkytown McDonald’s redevelopment. (Courtesy of BKV Group) concerns about what would replace what many considered beloved Dinkytown staples, such as the liquor store and the McDonald’s. Some students pushed for a full grocery store to be made available in the neighborhood, citing worries about student food insecurity and lack of access to resources without transportation.

CA Ventures is trying to provide that, according to Sadowy, and has been trying to find a grocer interested in working with them for a significant amount of time.

Sadowy also said that the project is committed to affordability, not only for student housing, but also for retail, in order to promote and support small local businesses rather than larger chain companies.

“I think at the end of the day, that what we’re going to have out of [the project] is going to be well received from all, and that’s more important than a couple of sleepless nights,” Sadowy said.

Construction is expected to begin in summer of 2021.

=

BUSINESS Nathan Bidinger Sales Manager nbidinger@mndaily.com Jennifer Harley Director of Marketing Strategy jharley@mndaily.com Miranda Hynnek Digital Media Strategist mhynnek@mndaily.com Elissa Keane Controller ekeane@mndaily.com =

=

The Minnesota Daily strives for complete accuracy and corrects its errors immediately. Corrections and clarifications will always be printed in this space. If you believe the Daily has printed a factual error, please call the readers’ representative at (612) 627–4070, extension 3057, or email errors@mndaily.com immediately.

The Minnesota Daily is a legally independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is a student-written and studentmanaged newspaper for the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus.

The Daily’s mission is: 1) to provide coverage of news and events affecting the University community; 2) to provide a forum for the communication and exchange of ideas for the University community; 3) to provide educational training and experience to University students in all areas of newspaper operations; and 4) to operate a fiscally responsible organization to ensure its ability to serve the University in the future.

The Daily is a member of the Minnesota News Council, the Minnesota Associated Press, the Associated Collegiate Press, The Minnesota Newspaper Association and other organizations.

The Daily is published every other Monday during the regular school year.

All Minnesota Daily inserts are recyclable within the University of Minnesota program and are at least 6 percent consumer waste.

U.S. Postal Service: 351–480.

Student Counseling Services expands group counseling to include affinity groups

New counseling services support LGBTQ+ and students of color.

By Katelyn Vue kvue@mndaily.com

Student Counseling Services at the University of Minnesota has added new counseling affinity groups to support LGBTQ+ students and students of color navigating their identities amid the pandemic and increased social upheaval.

The new counseling affinity groups will meet virtually this fall on a weekly basis to bring together students with shared identities to foster connection and empowerment.

The first affinity group, titled “Coping, Supporting, & Healing in the Face of AntiAsian Discrimination,” was designed to support Asian and Asian American students amid rising anti-Asian racism and xenophobia in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Facilitators later decided to expand the services and include more affinity groups that are specific to students of color.

Illustration by Hailee Schievelbein “We’re dedicating some of these affinity spaces to specific BIPOC student communities in particular, because we know that a core component of health and wellness is feeling that our identities are acknowledged, affirmed, valued, and celebrated,” Alexa Fetzer, groups coordinator and staff psychologist for Student Counseling Services, said in an email.

The new affinity groups include spaces for Black and African American students, LGBTQ+ students, Asian and Asian American students and mixed race students. Facilitators helped in the early stages of the process to envision and help create partnerships for the new groups.

Counseling services

|collaborated with a variety of programs at the University, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Program, the Aurora Center for Advocacy & Education, TRIO Student Support Services, the Asian Pacific American Resource Center and Boynton Mental Health.

Staff from these programs with shared identities corresponding to each group fill the role of facilitators.

“It has been inexplicably beautiful to bear witness to moments of aliveness that come to someone’s eyes in hearing another share how they feel or a story about their life and respond with ‘Wow, I’ve felt that way too!’”

Alex Montes, an affinity

group facilitator and clinical social work therapist, said in an email. “To be witness to unspoken connection and affirmation is like nothing else.”

Third-year student Justine Mattson regularly attended a counseling group last spring and summer. As a mixedrace woman, Mattson said she has dealt with racial impostor syndrome, the feeling of not fully belonging to her race or heritage.

“I definitely walked away with a lot more confidence in what my place is in the LGBTQ community and the BIPOC community,” Mattson said. “It was really a sense of belonging and understanding.”

Mattson stopped attending group counseling due to scheduling conflicts but also to open up another opportunity for a student to join after getting the support she needed.

“Group therapy ... it’s not what you’re picturing in your head. It’s a positive space to talk about your day, roommate drama, big societal stuff. It can be anything from your anxiety and racial identity,” Mattson said. “I would just hope people walk away a little more open towards

the idea.”

Existing virtually, the groups have also been more accessible to students, Fetzer said in the email.

“We hope the creation of these affinity group spaces can be a flexible way to address these challenges ... students who are located outside of MN may still access these affinity groups, at a time when they are likely really needing increased social support,” she said.

The Aurora Center also offers virtual support groups for students to meet and talk about trauma, recovery and healing after relationship violence, according to its website.

There is a high number of students who expressed interest by signing up for group counseling, said Vesna Hampel-Kozar, director of Student Counseling Services.

“Ensuring that BIPOC students have access to these spaces and messages is always important and always needed- and this access is especially important and especially needed for BIPOC communities now, in the face of increased and acute experiences of racism, racial violence, and injustice,” Fetzer said in the email.

MSA initiative aims to increase student voter turnout for 2020 election Row the Vote ambassadors push voter reigristration.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com The Minnesota Student Association’s new Row the Vote initiative is recruiting student ambassadors to increase voter turnout on campus for the November election.

Since the beginning of August, MSA has recruited 54 student ambassadors across campus to participate in the initiative. Ambassadors dedicate one hour a week to nonpartisan voter registration initiatives by sharing social media posts, contacting their personal networks, and answering questions about the voting process. Before the election, MSA hopes to have up to 75 ambassadors.

In past years, MSA’s VoterPalooza event helped register students to vote in-person, but the pandemic reshaped

voter outreach strategies.

With the help of other University of Minnesota students, MSA hopes to reach as many students as possible before the November election.

“People are kind of scared about the status of the USPS, whether or not their vote is going to be counted or whether or not it’s safe to be voting in person,” said Rose Lloyd, MSA’s deputy government and legislative affairs director. “These pieces of information get kind of lost for students who aren’t in political science or who aren’t really plugged in with the ways that voting works.”

Row the Vote ambassadors are trained through a 20-minute presentation on Minnesota voter registration and given a brief voting rights history. Ambassadors are then given a script and asked to virtually reach out to 50-100 people in their network.

“We give a brief history of voting rights and who has historically not had access

to the ballot because that’s very important for us to educate voting ambassadors on,” Lloyd said.

Sanju Sivaan, who is a current Row the Vote ambassador, said that she has reached out to her friends, roommates and classmates. She eventually wants to reach out to student groups on campus and her connections on Instagram.

“I think that a lot of people seemed to appreciate [my reaching out] actually, which was surprising to me,” Sivaan said.

The Multicultural Undergraduate Political Science Coalition is a student group on campus that plans to work with MSA in getting students registered to vote.

The president of MUPSC, Rielle Miguel, says she hopes to diversify the leadership within the broader initiative.

“We don’t want ambassadors to only be social science students. We want to expand it to even STEM majors and design majors. But, along

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter. with that, we also want to make sure that more people of color are the ones who are leading this,” Miguel said.

The University ranked second out of 76 campuses listed as top voting campuses in the U.S. based on data from the 2016 presidential election, according to WhoWhatWhy, a nonprofit news organization. The University showed a 65% student voter turnout rate. The WhoWhatWhy report considered accessibility to voting polls on campus, whether students can use a student ID to vote, if schools

ran voter registration drives and if there was early voting on campus.

Nationally, college student voter turnout more than doubled from 2014, going from 19% to 40% in 2018, according to the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education.

Lloyd said she wants to continue to see those numbers rise.

“We just hope to see those numbers go up even more this year. We would love a record high voter registration and voting rate,” she said.

Daily Review

4 Monday, October 5, 2020

Restaurants around campus remain closed as students return Some stay closed or rely on online orders for sales.

By Lydia Morrell lmorrell@mndaily.com As students trickle back to campus, many local restaurants are stuck deciding between expanding their services or staying closed.

Some restaurants around the University of Minnesota have remained closed long past the governor’s lockdown order. Others have turned to online ordering methods and a greater focus on takeout to adapt to the market amid the pandemic.

Some Stadium Village restaurants have stayed closed, including Roti Modern Mediterranean and Naf Naf Grill. Sprout Salad Company did not answer phone calls and the doors were locked during listed hours. Dinkytown restaurants that have remained closed include The Purple Onion Cafe, Kitty Cat Club and Burrigato.

These businesses could not be reached for comment.

Many restaurants around the East Bank of the University of Minnesota have struggled throughout the pandemic. Restaurants like Al’s Breakfast, Avocadish and Pho Mai have maintained high hopes while businesses like Erbert and Gerbert’s and Wonders Ice Cream closed in recent months.

For Umami Fries, challenges came quickly after the grand opening of their Dinkytown location in January. Two months later, an order from the governor shuttered restaurants throughout the state.

“The timing couldn’t have been worse,” said Samon Xiong, owner and co-founder of Umami Fries. “But we stomached the ride because we had a lot of family helping.”

Xiong said he chose Dinkytown for the restaurant because he knew students would be interested in the menu.

“I think our food represents a lot of our upbringing as first-generation

Asian Americans, which is partly why we have a lot of support from family, friends and students,” Xiong said. “It’s like if you were from Philly and you are eating that cheesesteak, it just hits that spot.”

The restaurant reopened with limited hours in late June and contracted with delivery apps to help serve more customers.

Umami Fries expanded to be open seven days a week a few days ago.

“We’re hoping for a good fall, but we’re worried the restaurant industry will not come back to that complete circle until next spring,” Xiong said.

Simpls, a soup restaurant and convenience store, closed their three locations, including their Stadium Village shop, due to the pandemic. The stores have no reopening dates set because of the uncertainty and reduced customers.

“On campus, there is a large amount of uncertainty being expressed about the safety of students being on

Umami Fries, seen here on Thursday, Oct. 1 on 14th Ave SE in Dinkytown, is open only for takeout. It is one of the many businesses that has changed their service options due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) campus with the level of coronavirus community spread,” Ryan Rosenthal, owner of Simpls, said in an email. “A shift to fully online seems to be a real possibility.”

Simpls adapted their model by instead offering scratch-made soups online for delivery to people’s doorsteps. For every quart of soup purchased, Simpls donates a bowl to healthcare workers or

community members facing food insecurity, Rosenthal said.

Typically, restaurants depend on football crowds and high student traffic to spike customer turnout.

But crowds are thin this year.

With pandemic-driven losses from the spring season, it can be difficult to keep doors open, said Kent Kramp, Dinkytown Business Alliance

President and owner of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers in Dinkytown. His location is open, but does not receive as much business as it has in previous years.

“We want people to open up businesses in Dinkytown and it’s just a tough climate to open,” Kramp said. “Especially with the shortened semester, it will be hard to be in a good place by winter.”

New app encourages studying, connecting with other students across UMN virtually The StudyU app aims to ease the search for study groups at the U.

By Srilekha Garishakurti sgarishakurti@mndaily.com An app founded by two University of Minnesota students launched in August to help streamline the process of creating study groups and meeting new people in college classes.

Amin Halimah, the app developer, co-founded the StudyU app in January 2020 with Amy Shah, the app designer. The StudyU app allows students to search for a study group or create their own group.

“The issue we wanted to fix was that at larger universities like the U of M where there are tens of thousands of students, it can be hard to meet people in lectures containing 100-plus students,” Halimah said.

StudyU for Shah and Halimah became a way to help students ease the stress of being at a large university where students do not interact with each other unless they are purposefully put in groups.

In her own classes, Shah said she struggled to make friends in her classes that were beyond acquaintances.

“It can be difficult to meet new people if you’re a freshman, transfer student or you don’t know

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter. a lot of people, so this is Management, plans to intean easy way to connect with grate StudyU in her classes. people,” Halimah said.

She said she felt that during Since the launch, the the pandemic it is difficult application, which is avail- for student engagement to able on iOS and Android, occur over Zoom or other has gained almost 700 us- online platforms. ers in 116 different study “In my Introduction to groups.

Entrepreneurship class, Jiao Luo, a professor there are students from in the Carlson School of various schools such as

Carlson, CLA, CFANS, etc., and we want to best support them to find their own study groups outside of the classroom,” Luo said.

With most classes online, the application provides students an outlet to meet other students without any social anxiety.

“We created this app as a way for students to connect with each other in certain classes where it’s difficult to do so. It’s just a place where people can feel comfortable meeting others without that anxiety of having to create a group with strangers,” Shah said.

Alex Wallace, a University student studying communications, uses the app for his psychology course.

“It does a really good job of suggesting which study groups you should join. Other similar apps require you to get the contact information from the other person, but this app is more userfriendly because it limits that interaction,” he said.

Since the launch, the app has mainly evolved to allow users to input feedback and share academic and mental health resources on campus.

Co-founders Shah and Halimah said they hope to expand the app to more users in the Twin Cities area and eventually to larger universities across the country.

UMN researchers say invasive fungus threatening oak trees is spreading New research into Oak Wilts allows for better treatments.

By Becca Most bmost@mndaily.com With the help of a new grant, a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota researchers are studying oak wilt, an invasive fungus that is threatening Minnesota’s oak tree population.

Sometimes characterized by browning or golden leaves at the top of the tree and a dark bluish-gray discoloration in the bark, oak wilt kills thousands of trees each year, and the disease is present in about a third of oak habitats in Minnesota. Using new spectral technology, the team can better identify which trees are infected and analyze how they respond to the fungus.

Jeannine CavenderBares is a University researcher who has been studying oak trees in the Americas for the past 20 years.

Studying oak wilt in the past has been labor-intensive and expensive, and the fact that the fungus spreads mostly underground has made it nearly impossible to detect at a broader scale until now, she said.

Because the fungus spreads primarily by the

tree’s roots, oak wilt can be difficult to detect. Monitoring forest health by foot has been expensive and time consuming. But new technology like satellite imaging and spectral technology can analyze a tree’s vitals even before it shows physical signs of sickness.

Using handheld devices, drones and airborne hyperspectral sensors, University researchers have been gathering the light reflecting off forest canopies. This light contains information about the species of tree, its physiological condition and health and the degree of stress it is under.

Cavender-Bares said this technology will give researchers an advantage.

And with oak wilt, timing is everything.

“The whole key to treating it effectively is to find it quickly before it spreads to other trees,” she said. “Being able to detect where patches are emerging can give [forest] managers a leg up on knowing where to go to treat it.”

Oak trees make up a third of deciduous forests in the U.S. and are one of the most important tree lineages, said Gerard Sapes, a University researcher on the project. Not only do oaks store and filter carbon out of the atmosphere, oak trees are essential in preventing run-off, preserving habitat and even foster the economy through the export

University of Minnesota Researcher Cathleen Lapadat smells a piece of bark from a Red Oak within Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in Bethel, Minn. on Wednesday, Sept. 23. If a Red Oak is infected by Oak Wilt, the inner layers of bark have a “sweet” smell due to the fungal mats. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily)

A Red Oak in the University of Minnesota’s Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in Bethel, Minnesota suffers from Oak Wilt on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Researchers are able to find trees with Oak Wilt by cutting into small sections of the bark to check for the “sweet” smell associated with Oak Wilt fungal mats. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily)

of lumber.

Without oaks, there are more greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change and could have disastrous consequences, he said.

Oak wilt is highly contagious and spreads most commonly from infected trees to other oaks through a series of interlocking root systems below ground. In more advanced stages of infection, oaks generate spores that are then spread over longer distances by sap beetles.

Once infected, the fungus travels through water vessels in the tree’s trunk, causing the tree to block the vessels in order to prevent the infection from spreading. Some types of

Once a tree is sick, scientists can prevent the spread of oak wilt by severing the root systems of infected trees and those around it with a vibratory plow vibratory plow. Other solutions include uprooting and removing the tree, or, in most expensive circumstances, treating the tree with a fungicidal treatment, which is time consuming and requires repeated application.

Anna Yang, a University graduate student on the project, is studying whether the fungus lingers in sites that have infected tree roots still remaining in the ground. She is also looking into what plants grow in the space a removed oak tree leaves behind. Anecdotally, she has noticed a

oak fare better than others. White oaks are able to delay the fungus for longer, but red oaks are especially susceptible to the disease and can die from oak wilt within a month. Too many blocked vessels will cause the tree to die from lack of water and nutrients.

Now, with the help of a new U.S. Forest Service grant, University researcher Jesús Pinto-Ledezma will be using satellite data to develop a software modeling system that will help the Department of Natural Resources track and detect oak wilt over larger areas.

With this technology, people like forest rangers will be able to generate maps that predict where oak wilt will spread so they can get ahead of the curve, he said.

lot of invasive buckthorn, which can be worrying because buckthorn has few predators and often pushes out native plants.

Losing so many oaks will have lasting impacts on Minnesota wildlife, especially for the animals who rely on acorns as a food source and oak branches for nesting sites, said Val Cervenka, the forest health program consultant for the Minnesota DNR. Even Minnesotans who enjoy the aesthetics of forests will notice a change.

“We’re not in immediate danger of having all our oak trees lost to oak wilt,” she said. “But … there are ways to control oak wilt so that we can snuff out those pockets of disease if they’re caught soon enough.”

5 Monday, October 5, 2020

BAND

No field, no problem: UMN marching band recounts online ‘spat camp’ The University Marching Band reflects on virtual learning.

By Emalyn Muzzy emuzzy@mndaily.com Imagine all the facets of creating a new sports team — getting everyone acquainted, learning and practicing plays, forming a team dynamic. Now imagine trying to do all of that via Zoom.

Well, this year, that’s exactly what COVID-19 forced the University of Minnesota marching band to do.

Due to a Board of Regents’ decision in late August, the marching band played music, learned marches and created a community all online.

Band director Betsy McCann said that two days before the marching band was supposed to begin spat camp, the Board of Regents announced all undergraduate classes would be online for at least the first two weeks.

McCann had one day to

Photo Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Marching Band. collaborate with student leaders about converting the in-person band boot camp to a virtual format.

Despite the quick switch, they were able to teach marching fundamentals and keep spirits high among students.

Typically, spat camp — named after the rubber “spat” students wear on their marching shoes — starts two weeks before school.

According to

fourth-year drum major Chamberlain Gregg, band members meet every day for an intense 12-hour rehearsal.

In those two weeks, members taught rookies the band basics, learned a pregame and halftime show and bonded over their mutual fatigue.

“I know that us teaching looks completely different right now being over Zoom,” fourth-year block

captain Bethany Mestelle said, “but we’re still teaching fundamentally the same way, and we’re teaching the same things.”

In order to make online learning easier for the 300-plus band members, leaders took advantage of breakout rooms.

During the Zoom rehearsals, which had been shortened to six hours, McCann said Mestelle or Gregg would teach

a concept to the entire band, then move them into breakout rooms. In smaller groups, band leaders could give a more comprehensive explanation, allowing students to practice and receive feedback right away.

“It was so cool,” said Andrew Bremner, a firstyear baritone player. “I felt like I improved and got a lot of useful information about music.”

After the virtual rehearsals, they had virtual hangouts.

“We’ve been having so many events in our free time and on the weekends that we never would have had if we were in person just because we would all be exhausted and busy all the time,” Mestelle said.

Across the band, there have been game nights, movie nights and meals with other sections.

Bremner said he appreciated these events as they helped him assimilate into the band.

“I got really accepted into the group right away,” he said. “I really didn’t feel a divide.”

Mestelle said she felt more connected to the band than in years prior because of their Zoom activities.

She said normally she wouldn’t interact with people outside of her own section, but now she talks to them regularly.

Starting this week, the band resumed in-person instruction. McCann said she split the band into two performing groups.

Each group will learn a pregame show and a halftime show. A video of each performance will be posted on Facebook later this semester.

She said members are marching six feet apart, have cut slits into their masks so they can play while wearing a mask and have special instrument covers.

While the marching band was able to accomplish its goals over Zoom, fourth-year mellophone team leader Molly Lampone says she’s ready to be back in person.

“It’s just a certain energy that comes when we’re all together,” she said. “This is like my family, my home.”

NONPROFIT

UMN student raises thousands of dollars for charity by capturing “Portraits for a Purpose” Halawiesh’s business means more than just pictures.

By Emalyn Muzzy emuzzy@mndaily.com When third-year biology major Hossam Halaweish started Portraits for a Purpose last spring, he expected it to be a fun summer project and hoped to raise $100 for charity.

Four months later, the project shows no signs of stopping, and, as of Sept.

28, has raised over $2,200.

Halaweish spent the summer in his hometown of Brookings, South Dakota. In May, he was photographing his friends for fun and realized he had the skills to start his own

photography business.

Halaweish said he was financially stable and felt that the money could be spent better somewhere else.

“At the time, I wasn’t paying for rent. I was living with my dad. I wasn’t paying for groceries, I wasn’t paying bills,” Halaweish said. “As much as $50 would be amazing, I knew that it wouldn’t change my life. But I knew that even $1 could change someone else’s.”

After doing his research, Halaweish decided to donate his money to Feed the Children, a nonprofit that distributes food to kids in need.

“I wanted to donate to Feed the Children specifically because they have an amazing outreach

program,” he said.

In order to get word out to others, Halaweish made an Instagram and a website and started advertising his company through social media and word-of-mouth.

He started off small, photographing his friends and their families, but after getting media exposure in Brookings, more people started reaching out to him.

Kimberly Miller, a resident of Brookings, said she read about him in the local newspaper and hired him to take pictures of her and her family.

She loved that she was able to help out an amatuer photographer who was taking pictures for a cause.

“I think that makes it a fun and low pressure experience,” Miller said.

While Halaweish has

accomplished a lot in the past couple of months, he says he couldn’t have done it alone.

After having the idea to start his own business, Halaweish reached out to his sister-in-law Nama Khalil, who has a background in professional photography, for help.

Khalil said she talked to Halaweish about pricing, helped him edit photos and talked through his goals for Portraits for a Purpose.

Recent University of Minnesota graduate and friend of Halaweish Omar Shaarawi also helped kickstart Portraits for a Purpose by creating and paying for the website.

“One of the things he kind of struggled with was having a place to showcase his pictures,” Shaarawi

Founder Hossam Halaweish takes a photo of Connor Corsini on Friday, Sept. 25. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) said.

When Halaweish reached out to Shaarawi to design a website, Shaarawi said, “It was a no brainer to me that I would help him out.”

Halaweish said he’s enjoyed developing this project and that he’s felt

incredibly lucky to have a community that supports him.

“As much as I like to think this is such a great idea, I think I just got lucky,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m really trying to do the best with what I have.”

FOOD

Sharing Food: Ful Medames “Sharing Food,” a series by A&E, lets no meal go unshared.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com Many dishes tell stories, and Ful Medames, a fava bean dish considered the national dish of Sudan and South Sudan, is no different.

When asked why the Sudanese Student Union decided to share this particular dish, Saja Osman, SSU’s president, said that it connects both Sudan and South Sudan.

“We were trying to find a dish that incorporated both of our cultures,” said Osman.

Pronounced “full mudammas,” this comforting fava bean dish is fulfilling, vegetarian, customizable and a perfect

entranceway into Sudanese cooking. Sudanese people eat this dish all the time, and once you cook it, you’ll understand why.

“Since we’re in America and there’s not a lot of Sudanese restaurants, it’s kind of just our own little dish that we have to remind us … and you really can’t find it at restaurants or anything like that,” said Osman.

Fava beans, available at different halal markets around the Twin Cities, are simmered in water for around two hours then topped with various vegetables, feta cheese and hard boiled eggs, drizzled with oil and eaten with pita bread. The dish comes together with all its differing flavors to create a hearty and satisfying meal.

The dry fava beans are soaked overnight and simmered for a few hours, so this is a “convenient”

dish, in Osman’s words, that takes minimal effort in the kitchen. dFul Medames 2 cups dry Fava beans 2 tsp. salt or to taste 2 tsp. cumin or to taste 2 medium tomatoes, diced 1 medium red onion, diced 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled 1 cup Arugula 2 Hard-boiled eggs, optional 2 Tbsp Sesame oil or olive oil 1. In a large bowl, soak the dry fava beans in water for at least 8 hours or overnight. The beans will double in size, so make sure your bowl is large enough. Drain.

2. In a large pot, add in the soaked fava beans and cover with four cups of water.

3. Bring beans to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for about two hours

Minnesota Daily A&E Reporter Nina Raemont plates Ful Medames, a Sudanese dish using fava beans, in her apartment on Sunday, Sep. 27. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) or until the beans are soft.

In the meantime, catch up on some homework, watch a show or two on Netflix or register to vote.

4. The beans will be ready once you can squish them easily with a fork. They should have developed a softer, creamier texture. Add fava

beans and some broth to a separate bowl and mash until a paste has developed.

In Sudan, people mash the beans using a Coke bottle.

5. Add in the salt and cumin to taste. Feel free to add other spices and seasonings as you wish.

6. Scoop your beans into a bowl, crumble some feta

on top, add fresh herbs as you like, some lemon juice, arugula, red onions, hard-boiled eggs, sesame or olive oil, or any other beloved toppings.

7. Enjoy with some hibiscus tea, Kerkede, a Sudanese staple that many drink to reduce blood pressure.

6 Monday, October 5, 2020

POP CULTURE

Heat of the week: Wings, former kings and a sad little frog

Need some pop culture inspiration for your week?

By Alex Strangman astrangman@mndaily.com Something to watch: “Feels Good Man”: This Sundance award-winning documentary from artist Arthur Jones follows Pepe the Frog on his journey from lovable cartoon frog to Anti Defamation League-registered hate symbol.

While centered around creator Matt Furie’s attempt to regain control of his character as it became an icon first for a legion of basement-

dwelling “4chan-ers,” then a horde of alt-right bigots, “Feels Good Man” also touches on the power of memes in swaying modern-day elections, the pervasiveness of online content theft and most of all how the internet fell in and out of love with a sad little frog.

Throughout, the documentary remains generally lighthearted and at times outright comical. Best of all, they avoided including a closeup of Furie looking at the camera saying, in relation to his work, “Feels bad, man.”

Something to tap your foot to: “From King to A GOD”

by Conway the Machine: If you consider yourself a fan of old school, New Yorkstyle hip-hop, but haven’t been bumping any music from Buffalo’s hottest rap crew, Griselda, it’s time to reconsider. Conway the Machine, brother of Griselda general Westside Gunn, recently dropped his proper debut album, “From King to A GOD.” The album comes as an “appetizer” to Conway’s upcoming Shady Records debut, “GOD DON’T MAKE MISTAKES.” But, if “FKTAG” is an appetizer, then it’s some extremely loaded nachos, because there’s no finishing the whole thing in one sitting.

Conway’s third project of the year, “FKTAG” features

his signature slur-like enunciation — the result of a 2012 shooting which left the right side of his face paralyzed — as well as brazen lyrics about his come up in the drug game, a Griselda staple.

He raps on “Spurs 3”: “I had an outstandin’ warrant for a short / Turned myself in rockin’ Louis and all my jewelry, I wore to court / Huh, Cop pulled me over in my imported Porsche / He said, ‘This car must be a hundred K,’ I said, ‘You forty short.”

With features from Freddie Gibbs and a plethora of Griselda associates including Armani Caesar, Benny the Butcher and Flee Lord, “FKTAG” is one of this

year’s must listen hip-hop albums.

Something to try: Ray J’s American Grill: Located on the corner of Fifth Street Southeast and Central Avenue Southeast, in the far northwest side of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, Ray J’s has lots of great food, but more importantly they have some killer chicken wings.

Open 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Sunday - Thursday and 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Friday Saturday, for both dine-in and takeout, Ray J’s is the perfect spot to pick up some wings right before kickoff or your favorite film.

Pro tip: For maximum

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter flavor, they will coat the wings in a delicious smokey ranch dry rub, then toss it in buffalo sauce upon request.

FILM

‘Undergrads:’ College life is like a movie Three college students aim to depict modern college life.

By Meg Bishop mbishop@mndaily.com It seems like a movie comes out almost every year with the “college kid plot:” a narrative filled with Greek life escapades and ceaseless partying. Those tropes have long defined college students in film, but now a few studentfilmmakers are ready to set the record straight.

A group of college seniors took on a film endeavor for the ages. Their film “Undergrads” is based on an eight-person friend group maneuvering college life throughout a weekend.

The film was created in part by two University of Minnesota fourth-year students, John Cronin and Andrew Zuckerman, along with Dillon Orth, a fourthyear student at DePaul University.

“It was cool for me to shoot something in the Twin Cities. Growing up

watching movies, you don’t see the Twin Cities in popular films often,” said Cronin, “Undergrads” co-producer. Some more notable places include Capital View Cafe, the St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop, Bogey’s Lounge and Stacked Deck Brewing.

All three met while attending Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights.

Zuckerman and Orth wrote shorter screenplays in their teen years, but “Undergrads” is their biggest screenplay and most ambitious project to date.

“The intent was to do something that captured our generation as best as possible. Done by people our age and not like 50-yearolds,” said Zuckerman, the co-director, co-producer and co-writer.

Zuckerman attended New York University in 2018 before transferring to the University of Minnesota his third year. While in New York, he met Ali Rosenthal, a student from Stanford University. She contributed to the film by bringing theater majors from Stanford into the project.

The Bogey’s Lounge stands in St. Paul on Monday Sep. 27th. The business was one of several shooting locations for “Undergrads.” (Parker Johnson / Minneosta Daily) The students also used the site Backstage, which works as a database for profiles of movie actors trying to find work.

“Nobody really had much experience,” said Zuckerman. “It was all these young people who are trying to make it, trying to come up in the industry.”

Filming started in August 2019 and pre-production finished at the end of August

this year. Fund collection for post production is still underway, after which the crew will be able to edit and finalize the film. “It’s finding the pieces to finish it off at this point,” said Orth, co-writer, co-producer and an actor for “Undergrads.

Many obstacles popped up throughout the filming process. Given the project was initially fully funded by the college students themselves,

financial obstacles hit first.

The film budget was $28,000 “The three of us put in and drained our savings,” Cronin said. Funding for the film then came from family and friends, and later the trio decided to launch a kickstarter campaign. Thus far, the campaign has been their best asset for earning funding. They are now in search of local donors to finish post production.

Once the money got sorted, the COVID-19 virus became the next hurdle for the film trio. “[COVID-19] was on our radar as soon as it started and it just became a major focus in pre-production and everyday stepping on set,” Orth said. “It was an added stressor for sure.”

Fortunately for the crew, prices for rental venues and Airbnb’s were falling due to COVID-19. Suddenly, the filming budget was able to cover filming set costs because every get-away or party location marked down its fees.

Completing the filming gave the cast higher hopes for the project’s future. But the producers don’t yet have a timeline for the film’s release date, according to Zuckerman.

“It depends on the film festivals and stuff. It kind of depends on distribution, which would be the best case scenario, whether it’s a streaming service or whatever it is.”

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified an “Undergrads” filming location.

THEATER

Twin Cities theater company brings stage to stereo

Theater prepares for the opening of a new audioplay.

By Frankie Carlson fcarlson@mndaily.com

Way back in October of 2018 — seemingly an eternity ago — the Twin Cities theater company Trademark Theater took to Soma Studios in the historic Grain Belt building for the world premiere performance of their original production, “Understood.” The twoperson show ran for four weeks with the plot centering around a young married couple struggling with communication and personal differences.

As Trademark enters its fourth season of operation this fall, the company is making final preparations for the opening of a reimagined version of the production: “Understood,” the audioplay.

Streaming Oct. 1 - Nov. 4, audioplay tickets are now available for purchase following a pay-what-youcan business model.

Illustration by Motasem Kadadah The show’s writer, Tyler Mills, sees “Understood” as a relevant reflection on current events. With themes largely centering around political and ideological division, the Trademark team initially planned to put on a second live performance of “Understood” this fall leading up to the presidential election. But, due to the restrictions of COVID-19, the group made the decision to pursue an

audio-recorded version.

“The show originally really came out of reaction to the 2016 presidential election and kind of the idea that, regardless of what the outcome was, about half the people were going to be really upset and afraid for their futures at the end of that election,” Mills said.

“In my small way, [“Understood”] felt like a way for me to examine that. And to say, ‘Why is it

so difficult to communicate with people that we disagree with and … what can happen if we do take that step?

The transition to an audio play proved to be a learning experience from a technical standpoint.

Sound designer and composer for “Understood,” Katharine Horowitz, found herself in somewhat new territory being in charge of recording, editing,

mastering and music composition for the project, but was excited to take on the task.

“I’ve never really done anything like this before, and it turns out that creating an audio play — like mastering it and editing it — is very much like scoring a film,” Horowitz said. ”When you are doing an actual stage play, you have a whole team of other people who are helping you, and you’re helping them. You know you have the lights, you have the costumes, the main set and props. For an audio play, it’s [ just] audio.

It’s a lot of the sound to help create the environment and create that emotion.”

The adaptation of “Understood” to an auditory medium proved to be an uphill battle from a performance standpoint as well. Co-lead actor Sasha Andreev saw the possible challenges as well as appealing opportunities in his now voice-over role of Chris, the male lead struggling in his relationship.

“Translating it into an audio format took the intimacy level to a whole

new level,” Andreev said.

“We had to really adjust in the way we listen to each other, the timing of certain scenes or moments.”

Although Trademark was able to put this show together, the artistic director of Trademark Theater and director of “Understood,” Tyler Michaels King, recognizes the difficult situation that performing artists find themselves in during the pandemic.

“I think all of us are still trying to figure out how best to move forward,” Michaels King said. “Even though we’re doing this audio play project, we’re all still struggling to find work and jobs and support ourselves through our artmaking.

Despite harsh restrictions from COVID-19 and the forced pivot from their intended autumn live performance, the folks at Trademark look forward to sharing “Understood” in its latest format.

“It’s really thrilling for a young company to have the opportunity to just try something that’s sort of out of the theater box,” said Michaels King.

Editorials & Opinions

7 Monday, October 5, 2020

COLUMN

An entirely (un)presidential debate Undecided voters might have chosen if not for the interruptions and insults.

I

f you are among the Emily Eaton m a ny A m e r i c a n s columnist wh o b a s e d t h e i r presidential debate drinking games around the number of times Trump said China and yelled about building a wall, I’m sorry – you endured a sober evening. The event was reminiscent of a third grader’s birthday party gone awry, with President Trump playing the role of the petulant younger brother. It was a chaotic and unprecedented evening, reaffirming that Trump is strongest when playing offense.

The critical takeaways from the night

came not from what was said, but what wasn’t. The sixth segment of the debate focused on the integrity of the election, a growing issue due to concerns regarding vote by mail, which, in case you were wondering, is actually a completely secure way to vote. In one of his more powerful moments, Chris Wallace asked the candidates to affirm their willingness to wait to declare victory on election night until the election is independently certified. Biden agreed. Trump, after spending significant time and energy preemptively framing the election as a fraudulent one, declared he would only do so if he knew it was a fair election. A peaceful transfer of power is a pillar of American democracy. To have a sitting president refuse to commit to upholding that basic standard of a democratic society is deeply troubling to hear. Trump would be the first president since the election of 1800 (yes, like the Hamilton song) to refuse a peaceful transfer of power between parties. President Trump also refused to condemn white supremacists and equated racial sensitivity training with anti-whiteness.

Biden, on the other hand, pulled out a side of him I’m not sure many o f u s we re awa re e x i s t e d . He worked to address the American people directly, related issues l i ke ra c i a l i n e q u i t i e s b a ck t o t h e COVID-19 pandemic and encouraged viewers to ensure that their vote gets counted. However, he also missed opportunities to drive his point home.

Instead of focusing on the recent revelations regarding Trump’s tax payments, he pivoted to discussing tax code and how his plan would benefit citizens, not corporations. While Biden was clearly focused on communicating his platform to audiences, President Donald Trump could, and should, have been made to answer for his fraudulent taxes. Biden also made a strong appeal to liberal and moderate voters, calling for mental health professionals to accompany police and systemic change without advocating for abolishment of law enforcement entirely.

The real star of the show, however, was the moderator: Chris Wallace.

Standing up to a mercurial leader prone to spouting vitriol with little regard to who is on the receiving end takes considerable courage. Like any good parent during the aforementioned birthday party, he (tried) to control bickering between candidates, worked to hold them to the time limit and even reprimanded President Trump for interrupting Biden. My main complaint following political debates tends to be that the moderators don’t push the candidates for legitimate answers to the questions asked, and that certainly cannot be said about Wallace. He drilled both candidates with specific, pointed questions on white supremacy and election integrity, and refused to drop the subject until an answer had been given.

Though he struggled, Wallace did an allaround commendable job of keeping

the ball rolling.

Personally, my favorite part of the debate was when it ended. This was a deeply unsettling 90 minute reminder of the stark divisions in our country, and frankly the only good part was that it wasn’t on Zoom. The goal of these debates is to let undecided voters get to know the candidates and their stance on issues, and between the interrupting, name calling, and incomplete sentences, that was difficult to accomplish.

Moving forward, I suggest you add “Biden referring to Trump as a clown” to your debate night bingo, and make a plan to vote.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

Tuesday night’s utter disgrace Shock and awe don’t even scratch the surface of Tuesday’s “shitshow.”

I

am not a fan of ei- Henry Kueppers ther of these men. columnist Maybe that is what has allowed me to almost be nonpartisan in this analysis of the first presidential debate of 2020. In fact, I think I am so nonpartisan, I’m not sure I could possibly speak a single word of positivity or encouragement for either party. Because this was a joke.

The first debate was a disgrace, because it was reflective of the current state of our country, and it resembles a flaming bag of poop left on the doorsteps of Lady Liberty. We are in disarray. We are in madness. Democracy is on the cliff edge, and I have no solace to offer you. (Sorry, um, I guess I am the goofy guy. Trump is so dumb he tried to alphabetize M&M’s? Joe Biden looks like a golf tee wearing a toupee? Is that good enough for you?)

The topics of the debate included

the future of the Supreme Court and the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, COVID-19, race relations, the economy, the candidates records and health care, among many other things. But you wouldn’t really know that if you watched the debate live, because it felt less like a civilized, intelligible conversation and more like a “yo mama” schoolyard showdown. Both candidates displayed weird and alarming responses to several of the aforementioned topics and it left many viewers wondering, “Wait, what?”

In regards to the Supreme Court, President Trump praised Amy Coney Barrett, saying she was an excellent scholar and a great candidate. Former Vice President Biden did not discredit any of Barrett’s accomplishments, but he argued that we should be waiting until the end of the election to decide on the empty Supreme Court seat. However, that was all we were really able to hear on the topic, because it quickly dissolved into a shouting match over the Affordable Care Act, and Chris Wallace was left trying to moderate two grown men who were arguing like kids.

Oh, speaking of which, Chris Wallace. A terrible moderator, as he clearly showed partisan favor towards the Republican Party and Trump throughout the debate through his wording of questions and his allowal of Trump to interrupt Biden (for several minutes at a time). Yet, even without the bias of Wallace, the debate was destined to take a very contentious road, as neither candidate wanted to yield any of their allotted time.

On COVID-19 and the economy, Biden claimed Trump was a disgrace and was irresponsible in his response to the virus, and was too naive in pushing the country to try and reopen.

Me a nwh i l e, Tr u m p t o l d t h e Vi c e President that he was unintelligent and that he could not do a better job.

This debate was increasingly less of a coherent discussion and more of a crazy episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” where you feel like everyone is just sort of yelling at each other and we’re just supposed to be amused by it all. Some key takeaways from the debate were that Biden encouraged the American people to vote and not pay mind to the lies that President Trump is spreading. He told the world not to be bullied by Trump, a man who could not stop interrupting him throughout the entire 90 minutes of the debate (which prompted Joe Biden to tell Trump to “Shut up, man”). Vice President Biden also acknowledged the presence of systemic racism in our country and the need to hold people and protestors accountable, and that violence is never the answer. Biden also said that he does not support the Green New Deal, a policy being pushed by progressive Democrats in the party, and that it is time to remove the clown that is Trump from office.

Meanwhile, President Trump executed a strategy of throwing Biden off and holding him back from speaking for too long by interrupting nearly every one of his answers. It proved to be a quasi-efficient strategy, as Biden did falter a few times and struggled to keep momentum in response to Trump’s insistent blabbering. Trump argued that the economy will come back better than ever and that he is in full support of wearing masks and social distancing. He even mentioned that a vaccine for COVID-19 was on the near horizon.

Pe r h ap s t h e m o s t n o t a b l e m o ment for President Trump came when moderator Chris Wallace gave Trump

the opportunity to openly condemn white supremacists. However, rather than publicly condemn white supremacists, Trump simply turned the conversation towards Antifa and refused to make any comment on the racist group.

Finally, there was climate change, a topic thousands of Americans desperately argued to be included into the topics for the candidates. While climate change did not make the original roster, the two candidates burned through their other questions so quickly, Chris Wallace found they actually ended up having time to discuss climate change.

Unfortunately, neither candidate had a satisfactory stance on the issue. Trump claims the wildfires in California are the result of “poor forest management,” and Joe Biden ended up going on an unusual tangent about the science of coal and how we need to be switching over to renewable energy.

There are no clear winners from this debate. Both probably appealed to their constituents, and both probably deterred many viewers. But the fact that we’ve reached the point where our presidential debates are basically no more than a competition of who can yell the loudest and argue the longest is not a good sign for our democracy and the fate of our country.

Henry Kueppers welcomes comments at hkueppers@mndaily.com.

Editorials & Opinions

8 Monday, October 5, 2020

COLUMN

Don’t forget Planned Parenthood We can’t ignore the endangerment of Planned Parenthood.

Tara Brankin columnist

J

ust when it seemed like things couldn’t get any worse, another terrible thing happened: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg passed away at 87 on Sept. 19. She was an undeniably incredible woman who remained a champion for women’s rights throughout her entire life and exemplified perseverance and poise in the face of rampant sexism. Her death was not only heartbreaking to many Americans, but it also created a sense of impending doom. I will be the first to admit that I am scared for my reproductive rights.

While the Supreme Court case Roe v.

Wade made it legal for women to receive abortions in the United States in 1973, opposition to abortion continued to linger in Congress and throughout the country as a whole. Ironically, it seems like the politicians who are most against the

legalization of abortion are old, mostly white men who will never have to face scrutiny for wanting to get an abortion. Threatened by women having any sort of autonomy over their bodies, these politicians have consistently sought to defund Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit organization that provides contraception to millions of women, as well as safe abortions and breast cancer screenings.

If Planned Parenthood is defunded, millions of women will run out of options for birth control, and the women who need safe, affordable abortions will have very few places to go. Women will be forced to have babies they cannot afford or take care of, and in some cases, might be legally required to birth the child of their attacker. Some might even risk their life by performing the abortion themselves or seek out other

unsafe methods. This is horrifying to think about, and it is why we must not forget to stand up and fight for Planned Parenthood.

Wo m e n d e s e r v e t o h a v e t h e fundamental right to choose when or if they want to have children. Choosing to use birth control should not have political undertones. It is infuriating that with so many awful things happening in the world, some politicians are choosing to focus on defunding a healthcare service that allows women to be in control of their sex lives and the decision of whether they want to start a family.

In the wake of RBG’s death, we must fight for Planned Parenthood. We must fight to keep control of our bodies. We must fight for our right to choose.

Tara Brankin welcomes comments at tbrankin@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

An unenthusiastic vote for democracy This year, rational thought outweighs centrism’s shortcomings.

A

llow me to be Sidney Clarke columnist candid: Joe Biden is not the democratic nominee I had hoped for. His lackluster centrist policies invite debate into decisions where its welcome is long overstayed. If his conventional stance on

health care wasn’t enough to lose my support, his policies regarding criminal justice certainly would. In short, he looks far too much like the rich, old, white men who have been running this country since my knowledge of its history begins.

However, my personal reservations pale in comparison to the acute, catastrophic possibility of the Trump administration winning a second term. In the past four years, Trump has done fine work undermining the civil liberties of the American people and little else. His hypocrisy began with the Muslim travel ban, which barred refugees in 11 countries from entering the United States and reared its ugly head again in his choice to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.

Trump has used his first term as president to systematically eradicate whatever semblance of social responsibility the federal government once held. This he has done to “fulfill [his] solemn duty to protect America and its citizens.”

Though it may be possible to unravel four years of executive damage, experts are saying eight might be insurmountable. The 2020 election holds historic value, and Trump’s supposed second term in of-

fice will have a longer-lasting impact than his first.

Among other things, the stakes of this election entail the possibility of a 7-2 conservative majority on the Supreme Court. In his first term, Trump won a 5-4 conservative majority through the additions of Kavanaugh and Gorsuch. In the next four years, he may have the opportunity to replace both Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away last week, and 82-year-old Stephen Breyer.

Trump’s history of inaction and ineptitude regarding the pandemic further makes the 2020 election critically important. For the first time in 175 years, the “Scientific American” has endorsed a presidential candidate: Joe Biden. In their own words, “The evidence and science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people — because he rejects evidence and science.” Other countries in Europe and Asia have responded to the virus through adequate testing and tracing.

Trump, on the other hand, continued to oppose a $25 billion bill for that very purpose through this July. President Trump displayed hostility toward even the simplest safety precautions. Although widespread mask

wearing might save the lives of upwards of 66,000 Americans, Trump mocked the idea.

He intentionally opted not to wear a mask at local events and goaded anti-mask governors in Florida, Arizona and Texas.

Biden hasn’t yet earned the adoration of some younger voters. In fact, it wouldn’t appear that our specific concerns are of great importance to his campaign. His leanings have gradually embraced Medicare for All and student debt cancellation, but still a large number of 20- to 30-yearolds are discouraged from voting at all.

However, in this case, apathy is not only unacceptable but a blatant display of unrecognized privilege. In theory, elections broadly impact our country, but the 2020 election in particular will shock members of less advantaged communities. For the sake of those most vulnerable to the whim and folly of executive powers, for the next four years and for the future, vote Biden.

Sidney Clarke welcomes comments at sclarke@mndaily.com.

COLUMN

West coast, best coast? Climate change says otherwise California is burning, but Minnesota can take the heat.

T

he West Coast is cur- Emily Eaton rently experiencing columnist the worst fire season in recorded history with 3.2 million acres burned in California in 2020 alone. For context, that’s roughly the same size as the entire state of Connecticut. It’s no secret that

fire season has grown increasingly deadly.

Hotter, drier summers mean fires begin earlier and burn for longer periods of time each year, doing more than raze forests. Smoke and ash render the air unbreathable, homes and businesses are destroyed and thousands of people are displaced. Life as people know it is brutally disrupted for months at a time, with only a few months to recover before it begins all over again.

But why should Minnesotans care? By all accounts, this state is one of the best places to be as the climate shifts. Duluth has even been named a climate refuge. Increased rainfall and proximity to Lake Superior makes for abundant access to fresh water — a luxury in most of the world. The state’s inland location lowers the risk of sea level rise significantly. And, those brutally cold winters will work in Minnesota’s favor: Even as carbon emissions raise global temperatures, the region is likely to remain relatively cool.

Before you pack your car for the drive north, consider other possibilities.

Minnesota has the luxury of not being in a brutal race against time, making it the

perfect testing grounds for the switch to a carbon-free society. The state derives a majority of its electricity from coal-fired power plants and a mere quarter of electricity from renewable resources. Governor Tim Walz proposed a deadline of 2050 for eliminating carbon emissions in electricity production in the state, but 2020’s brutal fire and hurricane seasons have shown that the rest of the country may not have 30 years. As the planet warms, climate migrants seeking refuge from rising sea levels and scorching summers will move inland. These vulnerable populations will likely be seeking employment, and Minnesota needs to be prepared.

Jobs in renewable energy are creating an employment boom for blue-collar workers across the country. Investing in clean energy and climate change research allows the state to be at the forefront of the coming crisis, both technologically and economically.

We are one of the only states to generate significant energy from wind power, utilize the often villainized nuclear power and possess the geography to benefit from hydroelectric power. Minnesota also has influence

on the petroleum industry with 30% of the United State’s crude oil entering the state via Canada. Should the state take a hard pivot to renewable energy, the economic effects of the decision could reverberate throughout the country. The wide range of energy sources, combined with a progressive policy agenda and the buffer against climate change, makes the state of 10,000 lakes the perfect location for an environmental revolution in this deadly race against time.

As a native Californian, it’s difficult to acknowledge that behind the perpetual sunshine and coastal cliffs is a deeply unsustainable way of life. However, I would rather endure a year of long Minnesota winter than sit and watch the West Coast burn. The timer has started, and we are one of few states with the possibility of beating the clock.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com.

Sports

9 Monday, October 5, 2020

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Basketball will have new faces Transfers and underclassmen look to fill the starter gaps.

By AJ Condon acondon@mndaily.com The Gophers’ basketball team’s roster looks quite different than just a season ago.

The team’s starting lineup will be without three of the starters from last season. Most notably, center Daniel Oturu declared for the NBA Draft in late March.

The Cretin-Derham Hall alum will look to be the first Gopher drafted since Kris Humphries back in 2004.

Guard Payton Willis graduated and transferred to the College of Charleston to use his last year of eligibility. The last change in the starting lineup is at the four spot as Alihan Demir was in his last season last year.

That leaves a lot of holes on a team that went just 1516 with an 8-12 conference record a year ago.

Point Guard After declaring for the draft over the offseason,

redshirt junior Marcus Carr will indeed return for his third season. He averaged 15.4 points per game, 6.7 assists per game and 5.3 rebounds per game, all of which increased from his freshman year.

He had to step up in his role after the Gophers lost Amir Coffey, and help take away pressure Oturu was receiving. Carr will again be in the spotlight on this team and will need to continue to be a threat to defenses, as he will once again likely be on the court most of the game.

Shooting Guard The shooting guard position is one of the questions going into the season.

Sophomore Tre’ Williams is an option head coach Richard Pitino could go with, but there’s also the hope that junior transfer Both Gach will be granted a waiver to play this season.

Williams didn’t see much playing time in his freshman year as Willis was playing the majority of the game. He shot just 28.2% from the field and 27% from three in limited action, but if Gach isn’t granted a waiver, Williams

should get to see a lot more of the court.

Gach, a transfer from Utah, could play a big part in Pitino’s offense if given the chance. He’s shot 42.6% from the field and 27.9% from three in his career.

Small Forward Though junior Gabe Kalscheur is only 6’4”, he played the role of small forward last season when Willis was at the two. Depending on what happens with Gach, Kalscheur could very easily play the three again this season.

After a very impressive season his first year with the team, Kalscheur’s production went down in what was hoped to be another growing season. His field goal percentage dropped to 37.6% from 41.7% the year previous while his three point dropped to 34.1% from 41% in 2018-19. Those numbers don’t tell the full story. His field goal attempts increased from 7.9 to 10.9 per game, while he also was taking two more three pointers per game.

It’s hard to find the direct reason for his struggles in his sophomore sea-

son, but it could stem from Coffey not being with the team and drawing defensive pressure. Kalscheur will most likely draw more attention from defenses this season with Oturu’s departure, and will need to get back on track for Pitino.

Power Forward Even before Demir left, Gophers saw a glimpse of the future big guy in Minnesota.

Sophomore Isaiah Ihnen showcased what he is capable of in his limited playing time. Ihnen is a 6’9” forward who has a three point shot in his arsenal. He led the team last year with a 37.8% shooting from three.

Ihnen is primed to see an increase in minutes this season, especially with redshirt senior Eric Curry’s injury history. Fellow redshirt senior Brandon Johnson will also be an important part in the four spot after he transferred from Western Michigan. The grad transfer will be eligible immediately and will give Ihnen experience to learn from.

Johnson missed the 2018-2019 season due to a

Players on the Gophers bench observe those on the court at Williams Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Minnesota defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 75-69. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily) knee injury but has a career 48% from the field while averaging 10.9 points per game over that time.

Last season his presence was felt defensively as he averaged one block per game while pulling down 8.1 rebounds.

Center Just like the point guard position, there shouldn’t be many questions revolving around the center position. The Gophers got a big transfer from Drake and

junior Liam Robbins was granted immediate eligibility from the NCAA. It’s not going to be easy by any means to replicate what Oturu brought to the Gophers game in and game out, but Robbins can give Pitino hope. It’s a big get on the defensive side as he adds height to the roster coming in at 7’0” and brings his 2.9 blocks per game last season. He also shot 49.9% from the field while putting up 14.1 points per game.

BUDGET

Athletics cuts women’s roster spots Developments have arisen in the fight for the men’s cut sports.

By Matthew Kennedy mkennedy@mndaily.com On Sept. 10, Minnesota athletics director Mark Coyle announced plans to cut three men’s sports in indoor and outdoor track and field, tennis and gymnastics starting in the 2021 academic year. On Oct. 9, the Board of Regents will vote on this decision, either pushing it through or starting from square one.

The department cited financial and Title IX concerns in making its decision.

The department projected a $75 million loss in revenue if no sports were played this fall. The University has also seen growth among women in its undergraduate enrollment, forcing the department to cut men’s roster spots to meet Title IX compliance.

However, after cutting three

men’s sports, the department expects to cut 41 spots in women’s sports to fall back into compliance. The U expects to cut 57 men’s roster spots with the elimination of the three sports.

Cutting three men’s programs put the roster spots at 59% women and 41% men.

The U needs 54% women and 46% men to respect current gender percentages who attend the University to allow equal opportunities and meet Title IX compliance.

The cuts on the women’s side include cross country losing 14 members, rowing losing 15, swimming and diving losing 8 and the track teams losing 18. Other sports like softball, golf, and gymnastics will also lose a few roster spots as well.

One of the coaches affected by this proposal was Mike Burns of the men’s gymnastics team. Burns has had a long successful career as the head coach of the program, including a tremendous season last year, where the

Regent Michael D. Hsu attends a scheduled Board of Regents meeting on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily) Gophers finished second at the NCAA championships for the fourth time in program history, and the best team finish since 1990. He’s been in favor of rethinking this plan. If there has to be cuts for sports, don’t kill the entire program, cut roster spots to reduce scholarship money given out to student-athletes.

“If you have skin cancer on someone’s face, you don’t cut the whole head off altogether,” Burns said.

The Gophers are one of 15 remaining collegiate gymnastics clubs for current and future Olympic athletes to practice and compete for.

Former members of these programs have voiced their opinions and are coming up with mathematical solutions to fix the issue. Don Carper, an alum of the men’s gymnastics program who has a background in data science and business intelligence, has proposed a popular

solution. This plan would add eight women’s spots while reducing 38 roster spots for men. This could save 24 roster spots for men’s sports while still letting prestigious programs stay afloat and continue to give kids opportunities to continue their athletic careers at the University and stay on the team if already committed to Minnesota.

“You can always trim the fat. Don’t punish the students, you can always make cuts internally. I know that they did 10% pay cuts/headcount reductions but there is a lot of more frivolous spending if you look into the meat of the U’s financial decisions,” Carper said. “For example, no knock on this team but the football program spent $1 million on just to feed the team last season.

I’m not quite sure what they are eating, and that’s much more than 115 of me would consume in a year.”

Another wrinkle in this predicament is the return of the biggest revenue booster

for the University’s athletics department. Football is back. So, this announcement

by Coyle and a vote in the October Board of Regents meeting before the season starts on Oct. 24 may be premature from a budgetary standpoint. According to former women’s cross country coach Gary Wilson, it’s a “whole new ballgame.”

Michael Hsu, a member of the Minnesota Board of Regents who is in favor of a new plan is also not sure why this decision is happening before the football season commences.

Michael Hsu, a member of the Minnesota Board of Regents who is in favor of a new plan is also not sure why this decision is happening before the football season commences.

Michael Hsu, a member of the Minnesota Board of Regents who is in favor of a new plan is also not sure why this decision is happening before the football season commences.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

Moran and Wiskus won’t give up The two have struggled with the idea of the program ending.

By AJ Condon acondon@mndaily.com It hasn’t been the easiest time for gymnasts following the decision by athletics director Mark Coyle to discontinue the men’s gymnastics program.

Senior Shane Wiskus and junior Mike Moran have been through a lot since the season’s premature end last season until now.

“I thought right away that was the end of collegiate men’s gymnastics. If we go down the rest of the Big Ten is gonna collapse, and after that it’s gonna spiral out of control,” Wiskus said. “At first I was devastated and just thinking about the worst of the worst that can happen.”

However, Wiskus took a step back and reevaluated the decision and how he would move forward.

“My personality is just wired to make me find the best in every circumstance, so I just tried to think to myself, ‘What is the best outcome that can happen through all of this?’” Wiskus said.

“That outcome is gymnastics being reinstated.”

Moran’s initial reaction was similar. However, he said he might have jumped too far too early.

“I got very angry, then five minutes later very upset, then five minutes later just trying to be rational about it. It was just too many thoughts in my head at the same time that it was pretty difficult to process that,” Moran said. “And even now still, I have not accepted that as a legitimate thing that has happened to me.”

Wiskus hasn’t given up hope that there won’t be another season of Gophers’ men’s gymnastics. Like his coach Mike Burns, he has been proactive in communicating with the gymnastics community on social media. He’s connected with alumni and gymnasts across the country to figure out a

game plan.

“The thing that’s keeping me going is the possibility of the vote not going through,” Wiskus said, referring to the Board of Regents’ scheduled October vote on whether to cut men’s gymnastics and two other men’s sports. “We’re trying to work out another solution with Mark Coyle and the Board of Regents, and I’m not losing hope till the day you tell me I’m not allowed to go back in.”

Moran struggled with the news, especially as the team was prepping for the upcoming season. But he enjoyed the time off with the “leave of absence this summer,” as he put it.

“Me personally, [I] just tried to enjoy that time off because this is the first time — as much as it was very hard to get over that fact — I have ever gone more than a week without going to the gym,” Moran said.

It wasn’t a normal hiatus, by any means, for these gymnasts. Moran saw his stints in a local gym vary due to COVID-19 outbreaks, while

Wiskus was doing just about any workout he could to stay in shape.

“About halfway through the summer I found a club gym nearby, but it just got too hectic. It would be week in, week out, someone would be exposed [to COVID-19], and everyone goes into the whole 14 days [quarantine] and everyone would get tested again,” Moran said. “It was like a never-ending cycle and even when I had a gym, I don’t think I ever was in the gym for more than a week.”

None of the gymnasts could’ve expected they were going to have such a long absence from Cooke Hall, but being back felt just as good.

“You step foot in that gym, it smells bad and it’s super hot and there’s about a million reasons why it sucks. But, when you’re back in there, it is the perfect place to grind,” Wiskus said. “Even though our gym isn’t the prettiest, we definitely put in enough work there to make things work.”

As they’ve returned to Cooke Hall, Moran thinks about the possibility this

Junior Shane Wiskus performs on the rings during the meet against the Fighting Illini at the Maturi Pavilion on Friday, Jan. 24. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily) could be his last season, or even his last career in gymnastics.

“I’m still slightly in denial with the fact that this could be the last season and this could be the last year that I ever do gymnastics in my entire life,” Moran said. “It’s definitely a tough time, and there’s a general consensus that we were all just mourning and in grief.”

Gymnasts saw support from fans, students and other athletes when they gath-

ered at Athletes Village and marched to Morrill Hall to protest the decision.

“It was really cool to see all the support from the community. On social media there have already been close to 10,000 signatures on a petition to help save gymnastics.

There has already been a lot of money raised to help fund this year,” Wiskus said. “It’s reassuring to me that I’m in a strong community that will fight to the end to keep [gymnastics] around.”

Sports

10 Monday, October 5, 2020

FOOTBALL

Gophers look to fill defense Gophers football lost a number of key defensive end contributors.

By Brendan O’Brien bobrien@mndaily.com With kickoff at TCF Bank Stadium less than a month away, the Gophers will use the remaining time to make final decisions on what the defensive lineup will look like for the 2020 season.

New faces will definitely play a significant role from the start, as the Gophers lost a total of eight primary contributors from the 2019 squad, four of whom were selected in the NFL draft this April. And as head coach P.J. Fleck said, this unique season could lead to anyone leaping up the depth chart into a starting role.

Here is what the depth chart could look like come Oct. 24 in the season opener against Michigan.

Defensive Line After losing key contributors Carter Coughlin, Winston DeLattiboudere and Sam Renner, the Gophers will turn to returning players to step up on the defensive line. Redshirt juniors Esezi Otomewo and Boye Mafe look to be the starting defensive ends after both were second on the depth chart last season. Both played in every game last season, with Otomewo finishing with 22 tackles, five of which were for loss, and Mafe added 14 tackles and three sacks.

At defensive tackle, the Gophers bring back three players who contributed in 2019, two of whom transferred into the program.

Senior Keonte Schad started his career at Ellsworth Community College and recorded 21 tackles last season with the Gophers, while graduate transfer Micah Dew-Treadway had 13 tackles throughout the season. Junior Jamaal Teague also should be a factor on the defensive line as he played in

all 13 games and had 16 tackles last season.

Linebackers For the past few seasons, the Gophers have had great continuity at the linebacker position with Kamal Martin and Thomas Barber. Replacing the defensive production from Martin and Barber will be challenging, as the two combined for 451 career tackles in the past four seasons.

Juniors Mariano Sori-Marin and Thomas Rush both saw playing time last season, with Sori-Marin starting seven games and finishing with 42 tackles.

Redshirt sophomore Braelen Oliver also should see some more snaps at the position, after recording 22 tackles in 2019.

Defensive Backs The Gophers lose arguably their most valuable defensive player from 2019 in Antoine Winfield Jr. along with another key contributor in Chris Williamson but

Gophers defensive end Benjamin St-Juste leaps for an Auburn pass at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 1. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily) return plenty of experienced players to rotate through the defensive backfield.

Redshirt senior Coney Durr will look to continue the individual success he had last season, recording 33 tackles and tying the team lead with 10 pass breakups. Durr also

had a 72-yard interception return for a touchdown against Maryland. Graduate student Benjamin St-Juste also had 10 pass breakups and added 45 tackles.

Minnesota also has a trio of juniors in Jordan Howden, Terell Smith and Benny Sapp

III, who all saw game action throughout the season. Howden had the biggest impact of the three, recording 57 tackles and breaking up six passes with one interception. Redshirt seniors Calvin Swenson and Phillip Howard also look to play roles on the team.

SWIM AND DIVE

Swim and dive is back in the pool Swimming and diving teams are begining practices.

By Brendan O’Brien bobrien@mndaily.com Like many collegiate athletics programs, the Minnesota swimming and diving teams were not immune to the effects COVID-19 had on sports competition.

That is why studentathletes are excited to be jumping back into the pool at the beginning of this fall semester as the teams have resumed practices once again.

“It just helps your mental state to stay focused and have a schedule,” senior captain Brittany Horn said.

“It’s great to have the social interaction at the prac-

tice because these are my friends, my second family.”

Competition in the winter is looking more likely to happen as time progresses, but it still has been a long, challenging road to get to this point. Competition and training immediately halted with the spread of COVID-19, forcing some student-athletes to figure out what they should do and where they should go.

Senior captain Eitan Yudashkin of the men’s team was unable to go to his home country of Israel until the end of spring semester, so he had to arrange other plans that balanced training with staying safe as cases were rising in Israel.

“It still wasn’t normal training, but it was something more consistent and more close to [normal],” Yudashkin said. “That kind

of helped me get back into things.”

When he got back to Minnesota in August, Yudashkin also joined a local club team with some others on the team to swim once a day as the Gophers were still unable to train together as a team. For Yudashkin and others, being able to have a fairly regular training routine again has been a blessing. Many of the student-athletes see it as a means of stress relief in addition to high-level competition.

“In late May, I got into one of the lakes to swim because it was warm enough, and I remember just having so much fun because I’ve been swimming consistently for 20 years, and it just became part of my life,” Yudashkin said.

On the women’s side, Horn is very thankful the

team has been able to begin practicing with all of the student-athletes and coaches again but noted there are still noticeable differences — like starting practices later than usual and not having the incoming freshmen at the first practices.

“This year has been just so different for everyone, and we’re just really grateful to still have practice and be with one another,” Horn said. “I think that’s one of the things we tend to forget is there [are] parts to be thankful about.”

Horn has had a unique experience while at Minnesota. From Appleton North High School in Wisconsin, Horn was recruited to be a freestyle sprinter and backstroker for the Gophers. But once she got to the program, coaches began to notice she would be able to swim long

Sophomore Evan Yoder prepares to enter the water to compete against the University of Florida at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on Friday, Oct. 11. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily) distance races.

During the shortened season last winter, Horn recorded personal best times in the 500, 1000 and 1650 yard freestyle. She also continued to compete in the 100 yard backstroke. While Horn has enjoyed the tran-

sition, she said sprints will always have a special place in her heart.

At this point, the status of competitive meets has not been confirmed, but Horn and Yudashkin are hopeful meets will take place in January 2021.

FOOTBALL

Gophers’ projected roster: Offense New faces may need to step up at a moment’s notice for 2020.

By Brendan O’Brien bobrien@mndaily.com “Next man up” is a cliché mentality for many football teams to adopt over the course of a season when players get injured.

But Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck said Tuesday that this could be more important than ever in a season with COVID-19.

Fleck acknowledged that any player who’s low on the depth chart could be thrust into a starting role at any time given the circumstances.

With that in mind, here is what the Gophers offense is projected to look like when the team kicks off against Michigan at TCF Bank Stadium on Oct. 24.

Quarterback Tanner Morgan will be playing his second full season as the starter under center, the first Gophers quarterback to start consecutive seasons since Mitch Leidner from 2014-16. The redshirt junior is coming off a record-setting 2019 season

in which he set several single season records at Minnesota, including passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage.

Morgan and the other Gophers’ quarterbacks used the extended offseason to focus on details specific to the position, like recognizing defensive fronts and coverages as well as improving footwork. If he takes another step forward, Morgan and the Gophers could be in for another explosive season on offense.

Redshirt sophomore Zack Annexstad projects to be the backup while redshirt senior Seth Green adds a unique element to the Gophers offense as the goalline and short-yardage wildcat quarterback.

Running Backs A running game that gained yardage and controlled the clock was a key component to the Gophers’ success in 2019.

Minnesota rotated between Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks and Mohamed Ibrahim throughout the season to form a powerful threeheaded backfield. Losing Smith and Brooks to graduation, Ibrahim returns as the leader in the running back room and is al-

ready 24th on Minnesota’s rushing list with 1,764 career rushing yards after playing in 21 games.

Plenty of carries are up for grabs now following the departure of Smith and Brooks. Redshirt sophomore Bryce Williams appears to be a prime candidate to get part of the workload after playing a significant role in 2018. Williams played in all 13 games two seasons ago, running the ball 117 times for 502 yards and four touchdowns. He only played in two games before being redshirted last season.

If the Gophers are to use the same approach as previous seasons, the team will rely on someone with little or no game experience in college to fill that third spot in the backfield rotation. The player could come from a trio of redshirt freshmen in Cam Wiley, Treyson Potts or Jason Williamson.

Wide Receivers Of course, one of the biggest questions remaining for the Gophers is whether junior Rashod Bateman will be able to return to play. Shortly after the Big Ten announced the conference would be starting in October, Bateman decided he want-

ed to return to the Gophers, after originally deciding to forgo the season due to health concerns over COVID-19. If Bateman is able to suit up for the maroon and gold, the 2019 Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year will be a dynamic option for Morgan on the outside.

With the departure of Tyler Johnson and with or without Bateman, redshirt juniors Chris Autman-Bell and Demetrius Douglas are two receivers poised for more work this season. Autman-Bell caught 28 passes in each of the last two seasons and contributed 371 yards with five touchdowns last season. Douglas has spent some time on the field as a receiver and made his mark as a return specialist. The Gophers have some youth at the position as well, with five redshirt freshmen.

Offensive Line An integral role in Minnesota’s rushing attack and protecting Morgan, the Gophers should be stout again up front with all five primary starters returning. Continuity at the line of scrimmage could be key for the Gophers to continue to have offensive success in a shortened season as

Wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell raises his arms in celebration of a touchdown at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9. The Gophers defeated Penn State 3126 to bring their record to 9-0, a first since 1904. (Liam Armstrong / Minnesota Daily) the running backs and linemen are all familiar with each other and the scheme.

Junior right tackle Daniel Faalele will continue to be a staple in the run game with redshirt senior Sam Schlueter protecting the left side at tackle.

Redshirt senior Conner Olson and redshirt junior Blaise Andries both are able to move around with Olson playing nine games at center and three at left guard while Andries played 10 at left guard, two at right tackle and one at left tackle.

Redshirt sophomore Curtis Dunlap Jr. entered the transfer portal this offseason but quickly returned to the Gophers and

will continue to play right guard. Redshirt juniors John Michael Schmitz and Axel Ruschmeyer are two reserves Morgan mentioned as players who will also be important to the offensive line.

Tight Ends An extension of the offensive line for much of last season, Minnesota returns most of its primary contributors at this position. Redshirt junior Jake Paulson returns after missing four games to injury in 2019. Redshirt seniors Bryce Witham and Ko Kieft, along with redshirt sophomore Brevyn Spann-Ford, look to play significant snaps and add depth at tight end.

11 Monday, October 5, 2020

Pharmacy student alumni launch state’s first medical repository

By redistributing unused medication, RoundtableRx addresses systematic waste in medicine

By Becca Most bmost@mndaily.com As someone who works in health care, University of Minnesota alum Rowan Mahon was used to hearing about a lot of waste, especially when it came to medications.

When taking her pharmacy college admissions exam, she read a story about a nurse who spent an entire day popping unused pills out of their packaging and throwing them away. Months later as a pharmacy student in the emergency room, Mahon saw the other side of medication surplus. Part of her day-to-day involved seeing patients admitted to the ER because they could not afford to take their medications.

Now, to redirect the supply, Mahon has been working on creating Minnesota’s first comprehensive medical repository.

The nonprofit RoundtableRx, which officially launched in September, will accept unused, unexpired and unopened medication from places like long-term care facili-

ties and distribute them to clinics that primarily help underserved communities. Her long-term goal is to start a mail-order system, which will allow the nonprofit to send medication to patients directly and reach Minnesotans in rural areas as well.

RoundtableRx only accepts medications in tamper-proof, clear packaging. Mahon said the nonprofit will also accept unused inhalers and EpiPens but no controlled substances like opioids.

“It can be a misconception that only individuals who are really low-income are the ones that are struggling, and that’s not the case. This is really an issue for most people,” she said.

“One third of Americans are struggling to afford the medications they need — and that’s people with insurance.”

Changing health in the state In order to establish this repository, Mahon had to get a Minnesota law changed.

In the U.S., 21 other

states have medical repositories. The original Minnesota drug repository law was focused on only collecting cancer medication. Along with fellow student Hannah Van Ochten, Mahon advocated for the change beginning in 2017.

They garnered support from University faculty, legislators and the state Board of Pharmacy to broaden the law to include other medications, while still maintaining the same safety standards. They succeeded in changing the law in 2019.

Earlier in September, Mahon placed second in the student division of 2020 MN Cup, a community-led business competition that supports entrepreneurs with tools and resources to launch and develop their new ventures. On Sept. 22, Mahon won first place for her business pitch for RoundtableRx, receiving a total of $6,000 despite it being her first year participating in the competition.

“This startup has the

Illustration By Motasem Kadadah potential to change health care throughout the state,” said Mary MacCarthy, who advises Mahon and serves as chair of the RoundtableRx board of directors.

Not only will the nonprofit help redirect medications to those who can use them, it will eliminate the number of prescriptions entering the waste stream, she said.

When people flush medications down the drain, the chemicals that were supposed to metabolize in the body are now entering lakes, streams and rivers, said Mark Ferrey, an environmental scientist who monitors chemicals in surface water for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Some of these chemicals can disrupt the reproductive cycles of fish and wildlife and have a noticeable impact on their behavior, he said. Even though his studies have shown the chemicals are present in small concentrations, even trace amounts can have a significant impact.

He recommends people dispose of medications in one of these collection sites instead.

Why the medication surplus happens Medication surpluses originate from two sources: when supply chains overproduce and overorder prescription drugs and when patients no longer need or use their medications, said Kiah Williams, co-founder and director of SIRUM, a partner of RoundtableRx. This nonprofit creates the networks necessary to distribute medication from places like long-term care facilities to charitable clinics and pharmacies.

Williams said places like hospitals and pharmacies often overorder medications to ensure they have it on hand when they need it. The second source of surplus is patient-driven. Various circumstances — like a change in medication, a patient’s death or a patient forgetting to pick up their medication — create surplus waste that could be incinerated or flushed.

In the U.S., about 10 million people who have one or more chronic conditions have trouble affording the medication they need, Williams said.

Sudanese Student Union raises awareness about Sudanese floods

From left, Vice President Duaa Ibrahim, Treasurer Mazzin Khidir and Secretary Sansan Kong of the Sudanese Student Union pose for a portrait on Monday, Sept.

28. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)

The newly reunited SSU is holding the “Gophers for Sudan” fundraiser with other Sundanese college student groups to raise funds and awareness about the ongoing Sudanese flood emergency.

By Srilekha Garishakurti sgarishakurti@mndaily.com The Sudanese Student Union at the University of Minnesota is holding a virtual fundraiser to provide essential aid to communities and families in Sudan affected by the current flood crisis.

In September, the Blue Nile River reached a record flooding level of over 17 meters, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and destroying more than 100,000 homes. As a result, Sudan has declared a three-month state of emergency.

The fundraiser is in collaboration with the Yale Students for Sudan and Johns Hopkins University Sudanese Student Union. The funds are collected through their Venmo @ ssu-umn and will be donated

to Nafeer, a youth-led group, to provide food, medical aid and shelter to those affected by the floods.

Disbanded in 2015, the University’s Sudanese Student Union has re-registered as an official active organization this past spring semester in order to create a collective Sudanese community on campus.

“The Sudanese people in Minnesota don’t have a huge community, and the people that are here are super disconnected with each other ... that was the main driving factor and all of us were really invested in the idea of having a Sudanese community at the U,” said Duaa Ibrahim, vice president of SSU. The leaders of SSU said they wanted to bring the North and South Sudanese

people together to create a more inclusive community. “[The former president of Sudan] fueled a lot of division between the North, which is mainly Muslim and the South being mainly AngloChristians ... he tried to do a lot of ethnic cleansing and genocide,” said Saja Osman, president of SSU. Because of the conflict, South Sudanese people have been treated as second class citizens, she said.

“We are not separated in our views, but on campus, there are clear divisions between North Sudanese and South Sudanese students, and we don’t interact as much as a lot of us wish we would,” Ibrahim said.

Despite their differences, the leaders of SSU are coming together to create the com-

And when medication is so expensive and this level of waste exists, the medical system is not being efficient, she said.

“We have the highest health care costs of any developed nation per capita. And it’s not sustainable,” she said. “What’s really important here is the cost that we’re expecting people to bear out of their pocket, and I think medications are where this really comes to [a] head.”

SIRUM has set up distribution sites in states like California, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Georgia and North Carolina and has prevented over $78 million worth of medication from being wasted. Williams anticipates within the next five years, the nonprofit will save over $772 million of waste.

“These repository programs are important because it shows a path forward in health care where we can improve our results, provide dignity to the people who deserve it — which is everyone,” Williams said. “And we can show that we can do this with the existing resources that we have.

munity they said they wish they had growing up.

“I see [South Sudan] as a place with positive experiences with other people rather than a place of trauma where my parents have come from since many of the stories they told me were about fighting.

I want to see it as the beautiful place that it is rather than a place of guns and warfare,” said Sansan Kong, secretary of SSU. Mazzin Khidir, the treasurer of SSU, said he hopes to find more Sudanese students to create a sense of community at the University while also contributing to social justice causes during such a turbulent year as 2020.

“We have privileged lives

being Americans, but we want to help our community as much as we can and doing a lot of the work here so they can receive help over there is really powerful,” Osman said.

The flood crisis in Sudan is still ongoing, and SSU hopes to reach a greater audience in order to help more people within their community in Sudan.

“Especially to the youth, we want to let them know that we didn’t just leave them by the wayside and come here to have a better life for ourselves. We want to let them know that we still see you, we’re still here for you, we still are a part of you guys, and we will not leave you there to drown within the

floods,” Kong said.

This past summer, SSU has been posting on social media to raise awareness about the Black Lives Matter movement, Sudanese specific issues including the Darfur conflict in Sudan, and sexual assault and domestic violence resources near campus.

SSU’s vision for the current school year includes finding more people within the Sudanese community while simultaneously participating in advocacy-oriented initiatives.

“No one is advocating for Sudan, so the Sudanese people need to do it,” Ibrahim said.

Jasmine Snow contributed to this report.

New MSA task force to focus on student basic needs

MSA is currently recruiting students to join the Basic Needs Task Force to address student housing and food insecurity.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota undergraduate student government is recruiting students to join a new task force that will focus on addressing necessities like student housing and food insecurity.

The Minnesota Student Association Basic Needs Task Force launched last spring in response to growing food and housing challenges among students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial development of the task force was supposed to be done last spring but was put on hold

when students left campus due to COVID-19. The task force will begin its work within the next week.

Amy Ma, the student body president, put food insecurity at the forefront of her presidential agenda when she was elected last spring. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, around 17% of students reported worrying about whether their food would run out before they had money to buy more, according to the 2018 Boynton College Student Health Survey.

“If you are going to school, you should have the basic necessities to achieve your academic goals without having to stress about, ‘Am I going to be able to afford rent? Am I going to be able to afford food? And am I going to be in a place that’s safe for me to attain my education?’” said Kyle Sorbe, chair of the Basic Needs Task Force.

COVID-19 highlights the need for a centralized form of advocacy within MSA, he said.

The task force’s first

project is to develop a resource guide for students on campus who are struggling with food and housing insecurity. MSA plans to send out a newsletter next week with the task force’s official launch and an application for students.

The task force also plans to partner with organizations on campus, like the Nutritious U Food Pantry.

“There’s things that students can do that staff can’t always do,” said Rebecca Leighton, the founder of

the Nutritious U Food Pantry and a Boynton Health promotion specialist.

“I’m excited just to have a stronger relationship with [Sorbe] and MSA, and to see what the students can accomplish that will complement our work and how we can share resources with them.”

Leighton, along with her colleague Mikaela Robertson, also co-leads the Thrive: Basic Needs Coalition, a group that addresses food and housing insecurities at the University.

12 Monday, October 5, 2020

Twin Cities protesters voice opposition to charges in Breonna Taylor case

O

n Sept. 23, a Kentucky grand jury announced that the officers who killed Breonna Taylor would

not be directly charged in her death; instead, the state’s Attorney General announced three wanton endangerment

charges against one former officer. In response, protesters across the nation rallied in opposition to the decision,

including in the Twin Cities. On Oct. 2, recordings from the grand jury investigation were publicly released.

Demonstrators gather outside of the State Capitol to protest on Wednesday, Sep. 23. The protest, which began on the State Capitol mall and ended on Interstate 94, was in response to the recent decision in Louisville, Kentucky not to charge the officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s killing. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily)

University students lead a driving force for food sovereignty Uprooted and Rising Minneapolis is demanding the University of Minnesota cut ties with Cargill and Aramark.

By Srilekha Garishakurti sgarishakurti@mndaily.com A new group of students and community members launched two campaigns to organize against the University of Minnesota’s relationship with two big food corporations: Cargill and Aramark.

Uprooted and Rising Minneapolis’ main two campaigns, #CancelCargill and #RealMeals, seek to highlight the ties between the food companies and the University — and advocate they be cut.

The group is a chapter of a national organization that aims to end the support for big food corporations in higher education. The Minneapolis chapter started in August to advocate for food sovereignty, the right for people to access healthy and culturally appropriate foods through sustainable methods.

The recently-established group is hoping to build momentum with two initial campaigns around food sovereignty, and they plan to use social media and rallies to get the word out.

After a summer virtual retreat led by the national Uprooted and Rising organization, University student Meredith Song said she reached out to students she knew were passionate about food sovereignty and started a chapter in Minneapolis.

“Part of the [#CancelCargill] campaign is changing perception around Cargill

and revealing that, first of all, the influence they have over our food system, [and] how this system is fueling ecosystem destruction abroad,” Song said.

The #CancelCargill campaign and its connections to the University Cargill is the nation’s largest privately-owned company by revenue, and is headquartered in Minnesota. It operates internationally to produce and distribute agricultural products like grain, oil and meat. The company also provides services like transportation and risk management.

Cargill has been accused by environmental activists of polluting the environment and exploiting workers and Indigenous land. It has been under scrutiny for deforestation, pollution and human rights abuses and the theft of Indigenous land. Though the company has made efforts towards reducing its environmental impact, activists continue to push for more accountability.

In 1999, Cargill Inc. gave $10 million dollars to the University to create the Cargill building located on the St. Paul campus for expanding agricultural research.

The building houses the Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute and 15 University Cargill-based faculty that conduct research while teaching students.

Since then, the College of Biological Sciences and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource

Sciences have continued to receive funding from Cargill, according to public records.

The #CancelCargill campaign also aims to address the company’s presence on campus, said Edward Cruz, a fourth-year student studying environmental policy planning and management.

“We really want to focus on shifting the narrative of what is a reputable or desirable company to work for, within the larger culture at the U and specifically within CFANS,” Cruz said.

Cruz joined Uprooted and Rising Minneapolis as a colead to the #CancelCargill campaign. He said the University facilitates a pipeline of students, specifically students from CFANS, to work for the Cargill company by coaching them on how to approach the company at job fairs.

“The U takes students, specifically in CFANS, and teaches them to do agricultural business or how to do other business practices, and then funnels them through Cargill… to steal [Indigenous land] further, just in a different place now,” said Cruz.

The #RealMeals campaign and its connection to the University The #RealMeals campaign sparked after the University made a proposal to extend its contract with Aramark, the University’s food contractor. Through this campaign, Uprooted and Rising Minneapolis is pushing the University to cut ties with Aramark and bring in

Uprooted and Rising Campaign Co-Lead Meredith Song poses for a portrait at Northrop on Sunday Sep. 20. Uprooted and Rising is a group striving to promote food sovereignty within the University of Minnesota system. By Parker Johnson local vendors and producers that are Black, Indigenous or people of color to provide healthy food for students.

In 2008, the University signed a 20-year contract with Aramark that was set to end in June, but was later extended to 2022. The Minnesota Student Association, among other student groups, led initiatives to end the University’s contract with Aramark. Due to COVID-19 and other reasons, the office of University Services proposed to extend the contract until 2023.

“Cargill and Aramark, we see them as players within the big food sphere. And so [Uprooted and Rising] Minneapolis is also doing some work to take on Aramark’s contract with the University,” said Mina Aria, the midwest coordinator at the national Uprooted and Rising. “[Uprooted and Rising Minneapolis] see both of those players as enemies that

have no place on campus.”

What Uprooted and Rising Minneapolis is doing now On Monday, Uprooted and Rising Minneapolis hosted a #CancelCargill virtual teach-in to discuss the company’s role in land-grab universities, deforestation and its presence at the University. At the virtual teachin, the group discussed finalizing the list of demands for Cargill and the University.

“I’m doing work to not only take down corporations like Cargill who are perpetuating injustice and violence throughout the world,” Aria said. “But also I want to contribute towards building something in its place.

And that being local food systems, food sovereignty and reclaiming power as uprooted communities and people displaced from our homelands.”

In addition, Uprooted

and Rising Minneapolis is planning to collaborate with student organizations at the University to continue involving students and spreading awareness about the two campaigns. The group is not a registered student organization out of concern that the University would stifle their movement, Cruz said.

Uprooted and Rising Minneapolis’ Instagram platform has more information about the #CancelCargill and #RealMeals campaigns, including ways to get involved.

The group has weekly meetings on Mondays.

“I hope folks know they can join [Uprooted and Rising] and be involved in the campaign as much as they want,” Aria said. “[And] folks know that people in the university community... are fed up with the University putting corporations over students, over workers, over staff on campus and that there’s a wave coming.”