November 7, 2018

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018

LATE WEEK

SPECIAL ISSUE

MNDAILY.COM

ILHAN OMAR SWEEPS

Jen Zielinski

COURTNEY DEUTZ, DAILY

Ilhan Omar takes a selfie with attendees at her election party at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Following one term at the MN State Capitol, Omar will join the U.S. House of Reps.

BY MN DAILY STAFF

Minnesota made history by electing the first refugee and Somali-American woman to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, DFL-Minneapolis, is a rising star in the Democratic Party who has seen strong support from students and young voters. She won Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District seat Tuesday in a landslide victory, more than tripling the vote total of her GOP challenger Jen Zielinski.

Omar became the first Somali-American legislator in the United States in 2016, when she was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives District 60B, which encompasses the University of

Minnesota neighborhoods.

“You all know that I did not run to be a first — I ran because I came to this country, I heard of its promises. And when I looked around this district, [I saw] many who have never known the bounty of the American promise, the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Omar said.

Omar addressed key points she plans to address in Congress to a crowd brimming with supporters on Tuesday. She said she hopes to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, protect women’s and refugee rights and fight climate change.

Campaign workers say Omar’s ability to mobilize students and young voters bolstered her victory in the primaries this August.

“You’re seeing the really young millennial

21.6%

Ilhan Omar

78.4% *Results as of 11:30 P.M. publication time PHOTO OF JENNIFER ZIELINSKI COURTESY OF JEN4US.COM PHOTO OF ILHAN OMAR BY MN DAILY

u See OMAR Page 7

GOVERNOR

STATE HOUSE OF REPS.

DFL Tim Walz takes the governor’s office Democrat Tim Walz defeated Republican challenger Jeff Johnson on Tuesday night.

BY MN DAILY STAFF

Minnesota will keep a Democrat in the governor’s office for another term.

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who was reelected to his seat five times before running for governor, ran against Republican nominee Jeff Johnson. Walz will take over the seat when DFL Gov. Mark Dayton leaves office in January after serving for two terms.

Walz had around 55 percent of the vote while Johnson had around 42 percent.

“Our democracy is strong tonight,” Walz said in his victory speech.

Walz, a Nebraska native, moved to Mankato, Minnesota in 1996 where he worked as a social studies teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School.

Walz enlisted in the National Guard at 17-years-old and served for 24 years before retiring in 2005.

“There’s no future if we don’t have teachers,” said Sandy Thomson, who has worked as a campaign volunteer. “That was the first thing that got me with Tim. ... You don’t make a million bucks as a teacher, you do it because you believe in it. So, I thought, this is the guy.”

Johnson addressed supporters at the Minnesota GOP party Tuesday night.

“A lot of you put your heart and soul into this race, just like we did,” Johnson said in his concession speech.

JERUSA NYAKUNDI, DAILY

Democratic candidate Mohamud Noor at his election party on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at Mixed Blood Theatre on West Bank. He was elected to represent the Minnesota House of Representatives District 60B.

COURTESY OF LISA MILLER

Donna Bergstrom, Johnson’s running mate, also spoke.

“I want to thank Jeff Johnson for taking a chance ... for taking an ordinary citizen into politics.”

The impact of the gubernatorial race on the University of Minnesota is questionable, but a possible shift in the state House and Senate compositions will be influential for the institution, lawmakers say.

These bodies draft final budget and bonding bills before the governor signs off on their decisions. u See WALZ Page 3

Mohamud Noor takes MN state seat after multiple campaigns Noor easily took the seat over his GOP opponent Joe Patiño on election night.

BY EMMA DILL edill@mndaily.com

In his second bid for the office, prominent Cedar-Riverside figure Mohamud Noor won the Minnesota state House 60B seat Tuesday night, with 86 percent of the vote.

Noor, who currently serves as the executive director of the Confederation of Somali

Community in Minnesota, was elected to represent the district encompassing the University of Minnesota and Como, MarcyHolmes, Prospect Park and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods. After Rep. Ilhan Omar, DFLMinneapolis, defeated him for the seat in 2016, Noor said engaging the entire district would be a priority in his second campaign.

At Noor’s election night event at Mixed Blood Theatre, at which about 40 people gathered, campaign manager Nick Espinosa said the campaign is part of a push to engage the u See NOOR Page 3

VOLUME 119 ISSUE 20

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018

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Wednesday, November 7, 2018 Vol. 119 No. 20

An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900.

2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 450, Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 627-4080 Fax: (612) 435-5865

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1940 Only four months after its completion, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State suffers a spectacular collapse.

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

ELECTION DAY

EDITORIAL STAFF Max Chao Managing Editor mchao@mndaily.com Christine Ha Managing Production Editor cha@mndaily.com Natalie Rademacher Campus Activities Editor nrademacher@mndaily.com Madeline Deninger City Editor mdeninger@mndaily.com Katrina Pross Campus Administration Editor kpross@mndaily.com Drew Cove Sports Editor dcove@mndaily.com Sophie Vilensky A&E Editor svilensky@mndaily.com Ellen Schmidt Multimedia Editor eschmidt@mndaily.com Molly Tynjala Copy Desk Chief mtynjala@mndaily.com Desmond Kamas Chief Page Designer dkamas@mndaily.com Jane Borstad Visuals Editor jborstad@mndaily.com Hailee Schievelbein Visuals Editor hschievelbein@mndaily.com =

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ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

Vernon Coburn receives his “I Voted” sticker on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at Marcy Open School in Minneapolis. Coburn has been voting at the middle school since it has been a polling place.

Voters start early in UMN area Although polls were open until 8 p.m., some students voted early this morning.

BUSINESS Darya Karas Sales Manager dkaras@mndaily.com David Keane Controller dkeane@mndaily.com

BY AUSTEN MACALUS amacalus@mndaily.com

Paige Reno has a tradition on Election Day: she always goes to Al’s Breakfast before heading to the polls.

Today, she decided on the blueberry walnut pancakes, a coffee and mostly Democrats down the ballot.

The University of Minnesota senior headed to University Lutheran Church of Hope in the heart of Dinkytown right after polls opened at 7 a.m. A steady stream of University students like Reno braved the rain and cold to vote Tuesday morning, becoming among the first people to cast a ballot on Election Day near campus.

Reno, a self-described moderate, said she wanted more balance in government and was concerned about the Republican majority in Congress.

“Checks and balances is really really important to me,” she said.

She was most excited to vote for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the popular Democrat running for her third term.

“I love Amy. I’m so proud of everything she’s done,” Reno said.

Rishi Sharma, a thirdyear University student, voted early in the morning because he didn’t want to wait in lines at polls later in the day.

“I know they’re open until 8 p.m., but I figured [it would be] better to get it done now rather than wait for lines to get long,” he said. “I’m not the most politically active, but I figured it was the right thing to come out here and support the side I tend to support.”

Sharma said he tends to be more liberal. He voted for Democrat Tim Walz, the southern Minnesota congressman running for governor, who represented the area where Sharma grew up.

“I voted almost all blue today,” Sharma said.

Third-year student Matthew Pawlak wanted to vote before his classes started. He said climate change was the

EDITORIAL BOARD Ray Weishan Editorials & Opinions Editor rweishan@mndaily.com Ariana Wilson Editorial Board Member awilson@mndaily.com Hailey Almstead Editorial Board Member halmstead@mndaily.com Kelly Busche Editor-in-Chief kbusche@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.

Correction: A previous version of the article “Women-only workout space underway in Cedar-Riverside” misidentified one of the organizations working on the project. The Minneapolis Health Department is involved with the project.

Voters make their way into the gym on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at Marcy Open School in Minneapolis.

ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

“We need to have our voices heard right now. And I feel as though Washington and other levels of representation don’t represent many students or the majority of people.”

MATTHEW PAWLAK third-year student

ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

Bob Steller lines up stickers to give out after voters have submitted their ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at Marcy Open School in Minneapolis. Steller has been volunteering at the polls for five or six years as a retirement project. “It reinforces your feeling that the system is working,” he said about his volunteer position.

most important issue on his mind this election.

“If you look at all climate data right now, we’re at a tipping point,” Pawlak said.

“Some candidates, their ... ignorance, it’s kind of concern-

ing. We shouldn’t be letting those people make policy.”

Pawlak said the political environment of the last couple years should provide motivation for young people to turn out.

“We need to have our voices heard right now,” he said. “And I feel as though ...

Washington and other levels of representation don’t represent many students or the majority of people.”

Rose Slater, a junior at the University, echoed the importance of students voting.

“This is our country to inherit, so you got to make sure you’re voting for the people that align with your decision,” she said.

Slater came out to vote early this morning before her full day of classes.

“I’m usually on campus from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” she said. “Really this is the only time to vote, so at least they open early.”

THE MINNESOTA DAILY is a legally independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is a student-written and student-managed 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.

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Wednesday, November 7, 2018

3

Long polling lines don’t deter students

ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

Saint Louis Park High School student Ellen Polter pours coffee for voters waiting in line at University Lutheran Church on Tuesday, Nov. 6 in Dinkytown. She came with the DFL party and said she was there to make sure people stayed in line. She said the party sent volunteers like her around to use their surplus of campaign donations to keep voters in long lines.

University students waited for about an hour and a half on Tuesday night.

BY NATALIE RADEMACHER nrademacher@mndaily.com

With coffee, conversation and music along the way, students were not deterred by the long lines at the Dinkytown polling location near the University

of Minnesota campus.

Some students remained in lines for approximately an hour and a half on Tuesday night at the University Lutheran Church of Hope. As of app ro x i m a t e l y 7 : 3 0 p . m . , 1,927 ballots were cast, according to an election official at the church. Polling place volunteers say they were not surprised by the turnout.

“I’m not surprised, but

I am very happy. It’s been great. It seems like the energy level is up. The line is long, but it doesn’t seem to have deterred anyone,” said Nina Cole, an election volunteer at the church.

Because of the long lines, Election Judge Hannah Burchill said she was called in from another polling place to help out at the Dinkytown location.

“I’m … making sure everyone is welcome and is

registered to vote or will be registered to vote when they hit those registration specialists,” she said.

Burchill said she noticed many first-time voters came with questions about how to register and fill out their ballots.

“I don’t think anyone would stand in a 90 minute line if they weren’t excited,” she said.

Although University junior Hans Adamsson said

he had been waiting in line for 50 minutes, he remained intent on voting.

“It definitely could have been way worse. We had coffee, we had conversations, we had beautiful artwork. Pianos to play along the way,” he said.

Minneapolis City Council Member Steve Fletcher visited the church Tuesday evening. He said he wasn’t surprised by the student turnout, citing

high student engagement leading up to Election Day. “[It] has my attention.

When I see this many young people voting, it tells me and everybody else: don’t ignore young people,” Fletcher said.

The free coffee and food handed out by volunteers was a pleasant surprise for Ellie Kattner, a junior biology major.

“It made standing in line a little bit better,” she said.

Noor

the number of people who voted in the presidential election, so this is significant for our district.”

Noor ran for the Ward 6 City Council seat in 2017. He is also a former board member of Minneapolis Public Schools.

Ahmed Farah, who attended Noor’s election night event at Mixed Blood Theatre, said the biggest issues for Noor to address in office are tuition costs and affordable housing in the district.

“College tuition relief and a way to help students, I think that’s one of the biggest issues because the future depends on the next generation and investing in students,” Farah said. “A lot of students are paying a lot of money right now. There’s got to be a way to fix that problem, and I believe he has

the opportunity to fix that problem.”

Noor’s opponent Joe Patiño told the Minnesota Daily in September that he would focus on tuition and housing if elected. Additionally, he said he wanted to reach out to the University’s Greek life community, which he said is often overlooked.

Noor will take office on Jan. 8 on the first day of session.

u from Page 1

JERUSA NYAKUNDI, DAILY

Democratic candidate Mohamud Noor at his election party on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at Mixed Blood Theatre on West Bank.

communities in the district.

“There’s a whole new wave of progressive Somali candidates that have been elected recently who are leading this community to be part of a broader progressive movement that unites with other communities, young people, students, folks from all walks of life,” he said.

Noor said student debt and access to education will be among his top issues at the Capitol. He said the district’s high voter turnout was a sign of increased political engagement in the area.

“In the entire district, this is a huge turnout compared to any midterm election,” Noor said. “This is not a presidential election, but according to what I saw, it almost mirrored

“In the entire district, this is a huge turnout compared to any midterm election.”

MOHAMUD NOOR newly-elected state representative

Women are elected to the House in record numbers

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tim Walz addresses the crowd at the Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Walz u from Page 1

In a University of Minnesota Alumni Association survey released in October, Walz stressed the importance of continued state investment in the University.

“The state should continue to invest in our institutions to ensure we live up to the promise of accessible, affordable and excellent higher education for all Minnesotans,” Walz’s response said.

At the Minnesota DFL state convention in June, candidate Rep. Erin

Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, and her running mate Rep Erin Maye Quade, DFLApple Valley, won the DFL endorsement for governor. Walz went up against Murphy in the August DFL primary and won the party’s nomination for governor.

Walz’s running mate,

WILL TOOKE, DAILY

Rep. Peggy Flanagan, DFL-St. Louis Park, has been a state representative since 2015. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2002.

Luke Diamond, Tif fany Bui, Isabella Murray and Helen Sabrowsky contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — Election Day. 12:20 a.m.

Women will break the current record of 84 serving at the same time in the U.S. House.

With ballots still being counted across the country, women have won 75 seats and are assured of victory in nine districts where women are the only major-party candidates.

F ro m t h e W o m e n ’ s March opposing President Donald Trump the day after he was inaugurated in January 2017 through a stream of sexual assault accusations later that year that sparked the #MeToo movement, outrage and organizing by women have defined Democratic Party politics this election cycle.

More than 230 women, many of them first-time candidates, were on the general-election ballots in House races.

Despite the gains, men will continue to hold the vast majority of

House seats.

12:15 a.m.

Democrats have picked up at least 23 House seats, putting them on track to reach the 218 needed to seize control from Republicans after eight years.

Democrats knocked off at least 17 GOP incumbents, picking up moderate, suburban districts across the country. Democrats won seats stretching from suburban Washington, New York and Philadelphia to outside Miami, Chicago and Denver. West Coast results were still coming.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger of Virginia defeated Republican incumbent Dave Brat in suburban Richmond to put Democrats over the top.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is hailing “a new day in America.”

11:30 p.m.

Republican Ron DeSantis will be Florida’s next governor, riding President Donald Trump’s support to a victory over Democrat Andrew Gillum.

4

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Rare books move to UMN archives The Wallin Center provides more space for storing various library collections.

BY MEGAN PALMER mpalmer@mndaily.com

COURTESY OF DJR ARCHITECTURE

A rendering of the 1101 Hennepin Ave. E. development.

Como development gains support despite concerns

The Southeast Como development will seek approval from the city next week.

BY IMANI CRUZEN icruzen@mndaily.com

A residential development in a Southeast Como commercial corridor has garnered resident support, despite safety and affordability concerns.

The 1101 Hennepin Ave. E. development includes five floors, consisting of 56 studio and one bedroom units, with a first floor dedicated to commercial space and amenities.

Residents and developers believe the project, which will seek approval from the City of Minneapolis next week, will add to a growing business district in the area.

North Bay Companies and DJR Architecture presented the proposal to the Southeast Como Improvement Association over the summer.

While resident feedback was

largely positive, some expressed concerns over pedestrian safety at the busy intersection and the affordability of the units.

Joan Menken, a SECIA board member, said the proposed rent of $1,200 may prohibit some individuals from living there. “Our only concern was ... that they look at their market. Are [the units] affordable for the market that they are targeting, which is people that worked in the area, we were told.”

The sight sits near the intersection of Hennepin and 11th Avenue SE and Interstate 35W. In a letter to city planner Mei-Ling Smith, the SECIA board brought up the concerns surrounding pedestrian safety, noting the area is often traversed by children.

“The corridor is probably the most heavily trafficked corner in our area, with a freeway exit at what would have been 10th or 11th and East Hennepin,” Menken said.

“Everything comes off the freeway to get to East Hennepin.”

In response, project architect with DJR Amanda Pederson said that by increasing the activity in the area, drivers might be more aware of pedestrians and slow down.

“I think right now, because it appears relatively uninhabited at that corner, it’s pretty easy to just drive by really fast,” Pederson said. “But if you’ve got some elements and more activity along that, it will make people more aware that people might be crossing there.”

Aside from these concerns, residents said the development presents continued opportunity for commercial growth in the area.

“We understand that East Hennepin now is a major corridor, it’s being developed.

It is our business corridor and we want to make sure that we protect business opportunities along there,” Menken said.

Developers are also looking to add green space and an artistic feature wall facing the street in response to resident feedback. The developers have requested a variance for 29 above-ground parking spaces, with four dedicated to the commercial space, three fewer than the City requires.

While the development is not aimed toward a specific demographic, Pederson said it will be a good place for workers in the area looking for a nearby place to live.

“I think it’s welcomed into the neighborhood because it’s a different kind of model than what we’ve been seeing,” said Cody Hoerning, a SECIA board member and University of Minnesota graduate student. “It’s been a lot of student-oriented housing ... so this is a little different than that.”

North Bay Companies and DJR Architecture will present the development to the City Planning Commission on Nov. 13.

A new research center consisting of two underground vaults in Andersen Library aims to expand reading space at the University of Minnesota.

Over the summer, collections from Wilson Library were moved to the Maxine Houghton Wallin Special Collections Research Center — a new home for the University’s primary rare books collection. The space is also home to the James Ford Bell Library, which comprises rare books and maps focusing on global trade prior to 1800.

A feature of the center is a large reading room with natural light that allows users to look through the University’s collections, as well as a classroom for faculty. The Wallin family donated $1.5 million for the new space to honor their mother Maxine Houghton Wallin, a former librarian who cataloged rare books in the

University’s collections.

Kris Kiesling, director of Library Archives and Special Collections, said the space was made to serve as a functional space for those who use the collections. Another reason for the move was to properly preserve the rare books collection and the James Ford Bell Library.

“Wilson Library was getting old, and maintaining the climate controls that are necessary for our rare collection were becoming more difficult,” said Marguerite Ragnow, curator of the James Ford Bell Library.

The Wallin Center has vaults that ensure optimal climate control for book preservation.

The planning process spanned about three years before the Wallin Center was completed earlier this year, Kiesling said.

Elijah Blackman, an archives and special collections student assistant in Andersen Library, helped move materials from Wilson Library.

“It took a long time, about four months,” Blackman said. “I like it a lot better here ... [there’s] more open [space].”

Democrats take back control of the House

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The party needed a net gain of 23 seats to break the Republicans’ eight-year hold on the House that began with the tea party revolt of 2010. By late evening, as the polls on the West Coast closed, the Democrats had picked up at least 18 seats GOP-held seats in one of the most volatile midterm elections in modern U.S. history.

While the Republican Party maintained control of the Senate, a win for the Democrats in the House would end the GOP monopoly on power in Washington and open a new

era of divided government.

“Tomorrow will be a new day in America,” Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said at a victory party in Washington.

Democratic candidates for the House flipped seats in several suburban districts outside of Washington, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago and Denver.

Democrats were increasingly confident, predicting a House majority on the strength of voter enthusiasm and unusually fresh candidates. More women than ever were running, along with veterans and minorities, many of them motivated by Trump’s rise.

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MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018

ART

CULTURE TO CONSUME

BY SOPHIE VILENSKY

Rolling through Minneapolis’ forgotten art alleys

Read this:

The “Kit Kat” article

As The New Yorker’s Jia Tolentino put it on Twitter, “I’ve been saving this story to read bc I knew it would feel like a little heaven & you know what it really did.” For the New York Times Magazine’s “Candy” issue, food critic Tejal Rao dove into Japan’s obsession with the Kit Kat. An oldie by news cycle standards, but a goodie — about goodies!

Listen to this:

“Thank U, Next”

As if you haven’t already.

Released as a surprise last Saturday, minutes before “Saturday Night Live” (we all know what that means), Ariana Grande’s newest single is nothing short of wonderful.

Everything in our lives offer a learning experience, and ex-partners are no exception.

Thank u, Ari! Now please tell us what’s next?

Unpack this: A winter jacket I don’t want to say it’ll be bitterly cold soon. I don’t even want to think it. But the truth of the matter is … it’s important that we’re prepared. You can throw your down jacket in the back of your closet and pretend you don’t remember what it feels like to need it, but when the temperatures drop you’ll be thankful to have it near.

CULTURE COMPASS

BY SOPHIE VILENSKY

Friday: Rush “The Book of Mormon” Remember when “The Book of Mormon” was the biggest thing, and it was impossible to get local tour-stop tickets?

The fever has more-or-less passed, which means one very important thing — student rush tickets are available. The venue begins selling the tickets 90 minutes before the show, so get in line early. You can snag two rush tickets with a valid student ID.

Where: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis Hours: 8 p.m.

Cost: $40 rush tickets

Saturday: “Indoor Winter Market” Now that farmer’s market season is essentially over, fan favorite “Indoor Winter Market” season can officially begin. It’s basically the Mill City Farmers Market but indoors, with produce to match the time of year: spinach, root vegetables, beans and squash.

Regardless of natural lighting, we bet the event is still cutesy enough for a “look how I spend my Saturday mornings” social media post too.

Where: Mill City Museum, 704 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis Hours: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cost: Free

Sunday: “Family Day: Exploring Egypt” The word on the street is that Mia’s newest exhibit “Egypt’s Sunken Cities” is remarkable.

At Sunday’s free family day, a host of activities inspired by the exhibit will be set up for all ages. Step away from homework and enjoy a little excavation. They say the day is for the “young and young at heart.” We’re both, right?

Where: Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 S. 3rd Ave., Minneapolis Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: Free

JACK RODGERS, DAILY

Bikers pass by a piece of alley art on Sunday, Nov. 4. The ride, hosted by the Minneapolis Alley Initiative for Neighborhood Stimulation, features public art in the Longfellow & Powderhorn neighborhoods. The organization keeps a map online for others for follow on their own time.

A&E joined fellow Minneapolitans on an art bike ride down roads less traveled.

BY SAMIR FERDOWSI sferdowsi@mndaily.com

Some of Minneapolis’ most iconic art isn’t in a museum, or even inside at all.

Rather, it’s down alleyways.

Throughout the Powderhorn and Longfellow neighborhoods, magnificent murals overlay garages, sides of stores and backing panels. Created by a plethora of Minneapolis artists ranging from graffiti gurus to professional sign makers, the “alley art tour” is a stellar way to take a turn out of the ordinary and discover something new.

“I’m trying to turn the block inside out,” Minneapolis Alley Initiative for Neighborhood Stimulation founder Christian Huelsman said. “There’s just so

much cool space all around us, people just need to get out and see it.”

A victim of crime in an alley in 2011, Huelsman said he decided to dedicate his time to revamping alleyways in hopes of catalyzing neglected areas within cities.

According to him, change starts from the inside.

“Really, we create the spaces that we neglect most in the city,” Huelesman said.

“But some of our darkest places have the most beautiful art — it’s time people realize that.”

The founder and only official member of the Minneapolis Alley Initiative for Neighborhood Stimulation, Huelsman has been partnering with local street artists to help raise awareness for the alley revamp initiative.

By leading walking and biking tours all across Minneapolis, Huelsman is slowly but surely getting the wheel turning in the right direction.

“My stuff is known for kind of just being all over the place around the city,” professional artist and MAINS ally Phil Vandervaart said. “I love doing this in Minneapolis, I just can’t work for other people.”

With work at the Hub Bike Co-Op on West Bank, Moon Palace Books on Minnehaha and even the towering mural of F. Scott Fitzgerald atop the Fitzgerald theatre in St. Paul, Vandervaart has put his mark across the Twin Cities.

“I’m kind of a reuse artist. Dumpster diving and whatnot,” Vandervaart said.

“I have to be making art, it’s what I do.”

As nonchalant as the genius sounds working out of his backyard shop, the Minneapolis native’s work isn’t just local — it’s featured across the world.

From painting storefronts for the “Mighty Ducks” set to working with The Cohen Brothers, there is

much more to Vandervaart than meets first glance.

As Sunday’s tour winded from neighborhood to neighborhood on a chilly, damp November morning, cyclists were fully engrossed in the art. There was simply so much to look at.

With eye-warming murals of rising suns, stoic city scenes with piquant pops of color and a mural of a giraffe spitting out a rainbow with birds and some extraterrestrial species, this urban art museum was certainly off the beaten path. But there was so much of it. Really, it was astounding.

“I’ve lived in Minneapolis my entire life and I’ve never seen half of these,” said bike tour participant Rob Stepaniak. “It’s incredible to view all of these pieces together in one go like this.”

A truly unique experience, this two-wheeled excursion is a fantastic alternative for anyone in search of a break from the clas-

sic art joints around town.

From graffiti to graphic design, you never know what you might find around the corner when it comes to Minneapolis art.

Directions: For anyone looking to repeat the route, start at Peace Coffee and wander through surrounding alleys (they almost all have at least one mural) until you reach 35th Street. Then make your way to 42nd Street. Eventually, you’ll want to end up across Highway 52.

From this point, pedal north to the Corcoran neighborhood, staging yourself roughly parallel to Bloomington Avenue on your right. Lastly, make a large loop around Powderhorn, reaching Portland Avenue and making your way to East Lake Street. End at the Hi-Lo diner.

The ride is approximately 14 miles and takes about one and a half hours.

Q&A

Nels Cline of Wilco and countertenor Ryland Angel on the premiere of ‘The Call’ Cline and Angel came together as old friends and collaborators for the contemporary choral work, which also features the University Singers.

BY LIV MARTIN omartin@mndaily.com

On Sunday, Oct. 28, musician-composers Nels Cline and Ryland Angel premiered their project “The Call” at Ted Mann Concert Hall.

In preparation for the performance, Cline and Angel spent a week working with the University Singers, a choral ensemble made up of University of Minnesota students.

The pair sat down with A&E to talk meet-cutes, Scandinavian influences and loon calls.

How did you two first meet?

NC: Oh, I love to tell this story.

RA: [singing his version of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”] You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.

NC: [laughing] RA: Sorry, a little aside. It just went through my mind.

NC: My wife and I were living in a brownstone. [Angel] came around looking for our roommate, who was the man of the house. He wasn’t home, so I went out to see who was at the door.

It was a security situation

with a camera in the West Village, and here was this guy on a bicycle looking for our roommate. We just started chatting. He lived about two blocks away.

R A : We became fast friends … just hanging out.

Why did you choose Ted Mann Concert Hall at the University as the location to premiere this work?

RA: I realized this was the perfect place to put on “The Call” – and it’s because, you know, obviously the Twin Cities and Minnesota are the choral capital of America. I was going through different possibilities with different choirs and it sort of made sense that it would be in a workshop setting as we were developing this piece. This was the perfect setting for it … developing it and letting our own ideas meld.

What was the inspiration behind “The Call”?

N C : It was basically [Angel]’s idea that was very general: to use the inspiration from what he had heard in Sweden, which turned out to be a singer utilizing a lot of content that stems from a tradition of communication, of

singing the news from village to village.

[Angel] wanted to expand on this idea as inspiration for a broader, more contemporary suite. I thought it was a cool idea, and I had never written choral music before.

RA: It’s beautiful by the way. His music is absolutely stunning.

NC: The idea about singing and communicating from village to village led us to thinking about why someone would do that in a small village. Well, someone would do that to be civil … to report news, not just for news’ sake, but also to give warnings or impressions about impending weather changes.

This idea of community led us to the idea of cooperation. What is cooperation?

What is a society? How does this figure into our contemporary world? That’s what these pieces are. Some are poetic and maybe just inspirational ideas about the things we encounter and the things we aspire to in daily life. That could be spiritual ideas, simple joy, grief, anger, prejudice and all the different foibles of the human race.

RA: The other thing that inspired me was trips to

White Earth Lake in Minnesota over a period of summers. In the morning, I’d wake up and go fishing. As I would walk down to the lakeside, I’d hear ... the beauty of a loon call. And the fact that it’s not just us … it’s different types of wildlife.

How did you come up with this unconventional ensemble … the combination of a countertenor, a chorus and a lot of instrumentalists?

RA: It’s choral central. I wanted to do it with a choir.

And I can sing a bit. I sing tenor and countertenor. [Cline] is co-producing it with me, and he’s a guitarist. And then we love a piano. There’s nothing wrong with a string quintet either, and a flute and a bit of clarinet.

NC: When [Angel] first came up with this idea, I thought it was an orchestral piece. As time went on, I found myself unable to write the music because I was so daunted. I started reducing the instrumentation in my mind and thinking about this Scandinavian aspect of it. I’ve visited there many times and I have some Scandinavian blood.

I started re-reading [Scandinavian] poets and pondering the lifestyle and architecture of the domiciles and churches of Scandinavia. I thought, ‘Well, I really want to have some organ on this, but not church organ.’

We’re not using one in this piece, but that very thought enabled me to think of this as more of something that could be sung in church, or at home, in a tavern. Somehow this became freeing.

What has it been like to collaborate with the University Singers?

NC: It blew my mind, and it continues to blow my mind.

I’m amazed that this is actually finally happening. We’re really grateful to [professor and University Singers conductor] Kathy Romey and the students here. They aren’t even just being patient, they’re being enthusiastic.

I think that that’s remarkable. This is really special, what we’re doing here. I’m very thankful.

RA: Me too … very, very thankful. Without Kathy, we wouldn’t be doing this.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

6

Sports

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018

VOLLEYBALL

Outside hitter Alexis Hart surpasses 1,000 kills while keeping the team energized No junior Gopher had surpassed 1000 kills since Daly Santana in 2014.

BY DAVID MULLEN dmullen@mndaily.com

When outside hitter Alexis Hart is not enjoying ribs and sausage from Big T’s Barbeque back home in Kansas City, Missouri, she is spending her time as a dominant hitter for the Gophers volleyball team.

Last season as a sophomore, Hart was named an AVCA Third-Team AllAmerican. One could assume she would set a personal goal to become an AllAmerican for the second straight year, but for her this is just not the case.

“I didn’t really see it as I’m an All-American, so I just want to be one again,” Hart said. “It’s more of just how can I be the best version of myself at the end of the season.”

This past Saturday against Michigan State, Hart surpassed the 1,000 kill mark for her career.

Such an achievement has not been accomplished by a junior since Daly Santana in 2014.

Hart had no idea she had accomplished the feat until a member of the Gophers’ Athletics communication staff told her. “I didn’t know until she told me and I was just like ‘Oh, OK, sweet,’” Hart said. She added that it reminds her of how blessed she is with the opportunity she has and how great of environment she plays in.

“She brings a lot of heat, she hits it hard and jumps high,” head coach Hugh McCutcheon said. He

Junior Alexis Hart hits the ball at Maturi Pavillon on Saturday, Nov. 3. The Gophers won 3-2 against Michigan State.

added that her range has improved throughout her time at the University.

Outside of the 1,000-kill achievement, Hart has been one of the most consistent players for the Gophers, as she’s second on the team with 197 kills in this season alone. She’s had at least 10 kills in 12 matches to this point as well.

She credits her consis-

tency to her adding more range to her hits, and to her setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson.

“I’m really trying to make sure I have more range and not just stuck to one shot,” Hart said. “Also, I get a lot of one-on-one [play] because Sam has the middle blocker and they hold pretty well, so that’s also helping my success too.”

Although most spectators just see her powerful kills and electric energy that she brings to the team after each point, former libero Dalianliz Rosado said Hart’s humor helps.

“Lexi’s funny … she’s a funny girl. Her humor makes us laugh. But also as a volleyball player, she works hard every day,” Rosado said.

CROSS COUNTRY

Hart acknowledged her greatest skill is making her teammates and everyone she encounters smile.

“I try to keep a smile on everyone’s face,” Hart said.

“Even when we’re down by a lot, I just try and find the positive out of everything and bring a smile to everyone.”

Although the season is more than halfway

TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY

through, Hart still has big time goals for herself and her team.

“I just want to continue to get better every day and become the best version of me for this team that I can,” Hart said. “Team-wise, we obviously have a goal of winning the Big 10 and national championship, so just to have that goal in mind and hopefully achieve it.”

SWIM AND DIVE

All-star swimmers from Big Ten take on the best of the ACC The Gophers head to Purdue University to represent the best of the Big Ten.

BY DANIELLE PEDERSON dpederson@mndaily.com

TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY

Molly Eastman crosses the finish line at the Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Golf Course on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Gophers show off fall season depth Besides two stars, Minnesota relied on support from other runners.

BY BABATUNDE JINADU bjinadu@mndaily.com

Six captains have provided the Minnesota women’s cross country team with valuable leadership this season. Among these leaders, first-year captain and fifth-year senior Molly Eastman has been especially impactful.

“She’s been having an awesome year. I think she, being a fifth-year, has definitely gone through this quite a few times. It’s really cool seeing her improve so much this year,” said teammate Abby Kohut-Jackson.

“From my perspective, it looks like she’s been able to really just step up into a

leadership role as a captain.”

Kohut-Jackson has consistently been a contributor in 2018 herself. The team has dominant athletes in Megan and Bethany Hasz; however, behind these sisters the roles of the remainder of Minnesota’s runners has been less clear.

On any given day, it is up in the air as to which runners on the team finish between third and ninth place.

Upperclassmen like Kohut-Jackson and Eastman have been depended on to step up and take charge.

For instance, Kohut-Jackson finished fourth among the Gophers at the Big Ten Championships meet after finishing eighth among them just two races prior at the Roy Griak Invitational.

Through it all, the girls have been exceptionally supportive of one another.

“I was super excited to

see her up there in fourth place at Big Tens. That was really exciting, she really had a break-through race,” Eastman said. “I’m excited to see how that helps our team moving forward into regionals, because we do have such a tight pack between the third and about seventh runners. It’s kind of anyone’s game, and it was really cool to see her step up in that race.”

Both Eastman and Kohut-Jackson have been important for their team’s success. However, athletes competing in their roles can often receive less recognition because the middle of the pack can be overlooked.

“I think we’ve kind of shown that we have a good intermixing of our three through 10 spots. It’s sort of like we can all be together, we can all be mixed around — there’s no order of who

needs to be before or after who,” Kohut-Jackson said.

“This year is a little bit of a ‘see what happens and do our best’ kind of year, but I think we’re in a pretty good spot going into the end of the season.”

Minnesota will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet next, on Friday at 11 a.m.

“Every meet, you can see them getting closer and closer. I think going into the regional they have a good team dynamic and team bond,” said women’s team head coach Sarah Hopkins.

“Molly and Abby have done a great job this year, we’ve had a lot of interchangeable parts. ... You can be a decent team with a solid one and two, but you can’t be a great team without a three, four and five, and that’s what those guys really provide for us.”

For the first time ever, the Big Ten conference, as a whole, will compete against the teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference. On Nov. 10 and 11, the best swimmers and divers from each Big Ten college will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to compete against the best of the ACC. Representing the ACC will be 12 schools, 84 swimmers and 20 divers. The Big Ten will be represented by 13 schools, 76 swimmers and 20 divers.

“I’m really excited for our student athletes. They have been given an incredible opportunity to participate and to be Big Ten all-stars and represent the conference here,” said Kelly Kremer, the head coach of men’s and women’s swimming and diving. “I’m excited to see them compete in a meet that is going to get this much attention. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

Senior Chantal Nack said she looks forward to competing with the athletes she normally competes against.

“I’m very excited to meet and cheer for some of the other swimmers and divers from other teams in the Big Ten that we’re normally competing against,” said Nack, “I’m excited to maybe be on some relays with them and get to know them.”

Nack said she’s excited to spend time with Michigan’s swim and dive team in Indiana, as well as race with them.

“We’ve always had a good relationship,” said Nack, “Even at Big Ten’s, we always do a cheer together

and I’m excited to be on a team with them, because I know we have a lot of fun together and there’s a positive atmosphere between both of our teams.”

The Gophers await this weekend with excitement and expect consistency when the chance to get in the pool presents itself.

“This is a two day dualmeet. More than anything, I’d like to see us have two great days of competition.

There should be consistency,” said Kremer.

Across all sports, on all levels of competition, coaches and players strive to perform consistently well.

Heading into this weekend’s challenge, the expectations are no different from Kremer and his athletes.

“My expectation going into this meet is to help out the Big Ten any way that I can,” said senior diver Alan LeBlang. “Since I’m not working on any new dives in this competition, I’m going to be really focused on my consistency.”

This meet will generate a larger audience than swimming and diving is used to receiving. It also allows the Gophers an opportunity to view their Big Ten competitors before the peak of their season.

“Our biggest meets of the year are in February and March so this is very early season for us,” said LeBlang, “We have the opportunity to see the best divers [and swimmers] in the Big Ten and the ACC, see what kind of dives they’re working on, how they’re progressing, and try to get a feel for what’s to come later in the season.”

The challenge, hosted

by Purdue, can be viewed on Big Ten Network beginning Saturday at 5 p.m.

ET and again on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.

7

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Tina Smith wins contested senate seat Tina Smith will join Amy Klobuchar in a Senate that gained a stronger Republican control on election night.

BY MN DAILY STAFF

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., won Minnesota’s special Senate election on Tuesday, reaffirming Democrat control of both Senate seats.

Smith defeated Republican candidate Rep. Karin Housley, R-St. Mary’s Point, on election night, and will join Minnesota’s other senator, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DMinn., whose re-election race was called early Tuesday night.

“Minnesotans tell me they want Washington to get to work and to work for us. You are tired of the

Omar u from Page 1

people excited, and the students excited, and the elders excited — so it’s really rare that a candidate can capture the hearts of all of these people,” said Sarah Senseman, who volunteered for Omar’s campaign. “Ilhan is deeply engaged ... she engages across generations, she engages across cultures, and it’s just very clear that she cares.”

Miski Omar, a high school senior who attended Omar’s election night party, said she thinks Omar’s election is inspirational for young women of color.

“Having [Omar] up there being the first Muslim refugee woman of color in Congress is going to inspire so many young Muslim women, and I couldn’t be happier,” she said. “I think about my younger siblings — they have people to look up to.”

As an 8-year-old, Omar and her family fled Somalia, first living in a Kenyan refugee camp for four years before coming to the United States and moving to Cedar-Riverside in 1997.

During her campaign

games and the politics of blame,” Smith said in a speech after her victory was called Tuesday night. “I am grateful to everyone in Minnesota who has put their faith in me.”

The special election follows the resignation of former Sen. Al Franken in 2017 after allegations of groping and sexual misconduct. Smith previously served as an executive for Planned Parenthood. For the past three years, she served as lieutenant governor under Gov. Mark Dayton before assuming the role of interim senator.

The DFL’s effort to mobilize young voters played a role in their success in retaining the Senate, said Jen Aulweys from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

“We spent about $2 million in the state in order to reach young voters,” Aulweys said. “Those are the folks that are really going to make a difference in a non-presidential year.”

Aulweys said that Planned Parenthood in Minnesota invested more into the special senate election than in any other election.

“If she were elected tonight to her Senate seat, she

WASHINGTON D.C. — Democrats were on track to gain House control Tuesday night, but Republicans held their Senate majority as voters rendered a mixed verdict in the first nationwide election of Donald Trump’s turbulent presidency.

The Democrats picked up the 23 seats they would need to take from the GOP, but were still short of the 218 total to wrest control with more races still undecided.

The results allowed both parties to claim partial victory, and highlighted an extraordinary realignment of U.S. voters by race, sex and education. Republicans maintained their strength in conservative, rural states, while Democrats made inroads across America’s suburbs.

Women were assured of 85 seats in the House, a record.

With control of Congress, statehouses and the president’s agenda at stake, some of the nation’s top elections were too close to call.

Yet Democrats’ dreams of the Senate majority as part of a “blue wave” were shattered after losses in many of the top Senate battlegrounds: Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, North Dakota and Texas. They also suffered a stinging loss in Florida, where Trump-backed Republican Ron DeSantis ended Democrat Andrew Gillum’s bid to become the state’s first African-American governor.

“I want to encourage you to stick to the fight,” said Gillum, who was thought to be a rising star with national ambitions.

In the broader fight for control in the Trump era, the political and practical stakes on Tuesday were sky high.

Democrats could derail Trump’s legislative agenda for the next two years should they win control of the House. And they would

Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar won her third U.S. Senate term Tuesday, defeating State Rep. Jim Newberger, R-Becker.

She was first elected into the Senate in 2006, after serving as the Hennepin County Attorney. Klobuchar was also the first elected female U.S. senator from Minnesota, and serves on several Senate committees including the Senate Judicia-

ry Committee, Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

Klobuchar and Smith will return to a U.S. Senate that gained stronger Republican control on Election Day. Some who came to the Minnesota DFL election night party expressed support for Klobuchar.

Karen Hannah, who came to the party dressed as a suffragette, said she approved of Klobuchar’s questioning of Supreme Court judge Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing

in front of the Senate in September.

“She questioned him right on,” she said.

Mary Markwardt, who also attended the DFL party, said she doesn’t want Klobuchar to run for U.S. president in 2020 because she is an asset to the Senate.

“We need our senator … she’s just too hard to lose.

She has a strong voice,” she said.

Maraya King, Michelle Grif fith, Nikki Pederson, Caitlin Anderson, Megan Palmer and Lew Blank contributed to this report.

“You all know that I did not run to be a first — I ran because I came to this country, I heard of its promises.”

ILHAN OMAR newly-elected House Representative

and time in the Minnesota Legislature, Omar supported curbing student debt, improving student housing, dismantling ICE and opening up immigration policy.

Omar announced her bid for Congress shortly after Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., vacated the seat to run for Minnesota Attorney General in June. Omar won the DFL primary in August with more than 48 percent of the vote. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Mark Dayton endorsed Omar’s congressional bid.

Omar defeated Republican Jen Zielinski, who ran on a platform of education, cutting taxes and enforcing immigration laws.

“I like a lot of her

COURTNEY DEUTZ, DAILY

Ilhan Omar smiles with her husband at her election party at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday Nov. 6.

talking points and her stances,” said Cory Oberfoell, who doorknocked for Zielinski and attended the Minnesota GOP’s election

Dems on track to take House control, but GOP retains Senate

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

would be in recent history possibly the first Planned Parenthood [alumna] to be elected to the U.S. Senate,” Aulweys said.

claim subpoena power to investigate Trump’s personal and professional shortcomings.

Some Democrats have already vowed to force the release of his tax returns.

Others have pledged to pursue impeachment, although removal from office is unlikely so long as the GOP controls the Senate.

The road to a House majority ran through two dozen suburban districts Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

Democrats flipped seats in suburban districts outside of Washington, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago and Denver.

The results were more mixed deeper into Trump country.

In Kansas, Democrat Sharice Davids beat a GOP incumbent to become the first Native American and gay woman elected to the House. But in Kentucky, one of the top Democratic recruits, retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, lost her bid to oust to three-term Rep. Andy Barr.

Trump sought to take credit for retaining the GOP’s Senate majority, even as the party’s foothold in the more competitive House battlefield appeared to be slipping.

“Tremendous success tonight. Thank you to all!”

Trump tweeted.

History was working against the president in the Senate: 2002 was the only midterm election in the past three decades when the party holding the White House gained Senate seats.

Nearly 40 percent of voters cast their ballots to express opposition to the president, according to AP VoteCast, the national survey of the electorate, while one-in-four said they voted to express support for Trump.

Overall, 6 in 10 voters said the country was headed in the wrong direction, but roughly that same number described the national economy as excellent or

good. Twenty-five percent described health care and immigration as the most important issues in the election.

Nearly two-thirds said Trump was a reason for their vote.

Trump encouraged voters to view the first nationwide election of his presidency as a referendum on his leadership, pointing proudly to the surging economy at recent rallies.

He bet big on a xenophobic closing message, warning of an immigrant “invasion” that promised to spread violent crime and drugs across the nation.

Several television networks, including the president’s favorite Fox News Channel, yanked a Trump campaign advertisement off the air on the eve of the election, determining that its portrayal of a murderous immigrant went too far.

One of Trump’s most vocal defenders on immigration, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, lost his bid for governor. Kobach had built a national profile as an advocate of tough immigration policies and strict voter photo ID laws. He served as vice chairman of Trump’s now-defunct commission on voter fraud.

The president’s current job approval, set at 40 percent by Gallup, was the lowest at this point of any first-term president in the modern era. Both Barack Obama’s and Bill Clinton’s numbers were 5 points higher, and both suffered major midterm losses of 63 and 54 House seats respectively.

Democrats, whose very relevance in the Trump era depended on winning at least one chamber of Congress, were laser-focused on health care as they predicted victories that would break up the GOP’s monopoly in Washington and state governments.

Yet Trump’s party will maintain Senate control for the next two years, at least.

night party.

Abdiaziz Dhoore, 35, who attended Omar’s election night event, said Tuesday’s results will help

fight President Donald Trump’s “bullying toward immigrants.”

“It feels like the whole nation is watching,”

Dhoore said.

J.D. Duggan, Jordan Willauer and Niamh Coomey contributed to this report.

Out of many, several firsts elected across country

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON D.C. — The first two Native American and Muslim congresswomen are headed to the U.S. House, and Massachusetts is getting its first black congresswoman, while Arizona and Tennessee are getting their first female senators in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

The high-profile midterm cycle that produced a record number of women contenders and candidates of color meant a number of winners will take office as trailblazers, marking firsts for their race and gender.

What is already the most diverse Congress ever will become even more so after Tuesday’s elections.

The inclusive midterm victories bode well for fu-

ture election cycles, said Kimberly Peeler-Allen, cofounder of Higher Heights for America, a national organization focused on galvanizing black women voters and electing black women as candidates.

“This is going to be a long process to get us to a point of proportionate representation, but tonight is a giant step forward for what leadership can and will eventually look like in this country,” Peeler-Allen said. She added that even women of color who were unsuccessful will inspire a new crop of candidates, similar to the white women encouraged to run after Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential election loss.

Some of Tuesday’s black female pioneers, like Illinois Democrat Lauren Underwood, were

first-time candidates. Others, like Massachusetts’ Ayanna Pressley, were political veterans. Most were considered longshots.

Some will represent districts that are majority white and that have been historically conservative, their victories a rejection of conventional wisdom on electability and the effects of gerrymandering that have historically assigned elected officials of color to represent minority communities.

Pressley, a Boston city councilwoman, will represent Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District in the next Congress. Pressley stunned the political establishment in September, defeating a 10-term incumbent in the Democratic primary, and ran unopposed in the general.

8 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions

COLUMN

Happiness comes from our relationships, not from screens Our increasing attachment to cell phones is putting a strain on our familial relationships.

N

ot every kid is umbilically and emotionally attached to their cell phone, and not every parent makes a habit out of scrolling mindUMA VENKATA lessly through an columnist iPhone through a toddler’s tantrum. But there is enough to make this into a general developmental concern.

There are two sides of the problem here, kids’ usage and parents’ usage of cell phones.

Kids’ usage boils down to parenting decisions, anyway. It’s easy to pacify a child with a phone

or tablet, but it gets progressively harder, on an exponential curve, to keep it from becoming a dependence.

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund released a report in 2017 that thankfully indicates that it’s unfair to classify screen dependence as an addiction, and it won’t be until children or adults are “so dependent on their devices that they experience severe impairment in a major area of life.”

That is addiction in all but name; adolescents who howl for screens without compromise, bully others or get bullied online, generally have a less active, more lonely quality of life may not technically be addicted, but they are in a bad place. We owe our children more than that.

Kids may not be able to say this in words, but what they truly need is attention and connection with their parents. Being ignored by my mom was the worst punishment I could get.

That was reserved for when I was really bad, and it hurt to the core. But now, I see parents ignoring children all the time. Parents stare

EDITORIAL

deep into their phones, then snap at their kids for pulling all kinds of loud, obnoxious antics, which seem like the only recourse kids have to grab their parents’ attention.

A couple months ago, I was trying to board a severely delayed flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. We had been waiting in a miserable, defeated line for an hour or so. In front of me were a father and two kindergarten-age children. It was early afternoon, and the kids were in a pretty good mood, all things considered. But their dad stared at his phone for the whole time I was there, totally uninterrupted except for when he stopped — sometimes, without even looking up — to yell at the kids to stop jumping around and being loud. The kids weren’t even being very disruptive. Every once in a while, one would tug on his pant leg or call for him, which he ignored.

To me, that would be a bit soul-crushing.

But these kids didn’t seem as fazed; they must have been used to it. I wonder what kind of person this will produce if it’s our status quo; will basic manners change? Will people not know

when they’re hurting others? I think it won’t be that dire, but it’s not impossible.

Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood have been screen staples for decades, and that kind of children’s show should stay right where it is. However, endless tablet and phone games for children are not the same.

The former are about other people and our relationships with them; the latter are generally not.

My mom is always telling me that happiness in life is happiness in relationships: friends, family, spouses, co-workers, acquaintances and everyone. There are plenty of reasons not to let human connection slide. If we want our children to be happy, we have to raise them that way. Among the host of other reasons to keep close tabs on our children’s relationships to screens, this is one that stands out to me.

COLUMN

EDITORIAL

Robust slate of candidates Protect MN bodes well for democracy waterways Democracies need candidates who are prepared to represent and lead their communities.

Thumbs up to all those civic-minded citizens who put forth their best effort to be a candidate in this year’s election. And kudos to their supporters too.

Democracy doesn’t function without candidates willing to lead for their communities as they aim to make our world a better place. The more candidates we have, the better.

That’s certainly true this year. Six people started out running for Mankato mayor. Seven are on the ballot for two North Mankato City Council seats, and there’s a competitive race for mayor in that town as well.

People who have never run for office are seeking seats from county board to small-town mayors.

And the participation among average people has grown as they stump and door-knock and fund raise for their candidates.

Candidates are sometimes a target for the hyper-partisan and mean-spirited. It is to their credit they continue on for the greater good.

Workforce housing a plus Thumbs up to the opening of Dublin Crossing apartments in Mankato.

The apartments, located behind Madison East Center, are “workforce housing,” with monthly rents lower than the typical market rate apartments in Mankato and North Mankato.

The cities are in desperate need of housing that is affordable to working residents who earn less than the median income. The 50-units are aimed at those earning 60 percent of the local median wage, with rent on a two bedroom at $830 per month.

Mankato’s economy has been growing rapidly with job increases far higher than the rest of the state for the past 18 months. Mankato is in need of more workers, but if they can’t afford a place to live, economic growth could falter.

Building more affordable housing relies almost entirely on projects getting federal tax credits, which is another example of why federal support is so important for states and cities

around the country.

Special ed paperwork Thumbs up to the New Ulm School District for lobbying to change the burdensome demands on special education departments.

District officials appeared before the Senate Education Policy Committee at the State Capitol on Thursday with a proposal to reduce some state special education reporting requirements that go above and beyond federal mandates.

They said the six changes could save teachers between 32 and 61 hours per student per year.

Using an average of 15 students per teacher, they calculated the measures would save teachers a total of 480 to 915 hours a year that could instead be spent working with students.

The proposals would require changes to state law.

The fact the New Ulm group presented solutions to the problem impressed the panel.

Hopefully that’s a sign that changes can be made for special ed so that teachers can spend more time with the students rather than trying to complete reams of paperwork.

attention to get the gist of the other person’s point so you can prepare your rebuttal. I mean radically compassionate listening: without judgment, without response,” Liu wrote. Such listening allows “chords of connection (to) emerge among dissimilar people who (find they were) shaped by similar experiences.

“Serving” refers to “doing stuff together,” Liu continued — “not to work on you or me but on a third thing (like) cleaning an abandoned lot. ... It brings people together across lines of race, class, and politics; it will bring to the fore our common humanity.”

Then, “If we listen more and serve more we’ll be ready for ... arguing more,” Liu said. “We don’t need fewer arguments today; we need less stupid ones. The arguments in American politics today are ... stuck in a decaying two-party institutional framework; they fail to challenge foundational assumptions. ... (They) focus excessively on style and surface.

“Americans can do better,” Liu wrote. “Remember: America doesn’t just have arguments; America is an argument.”

We certainly can do better than our campaign seasons have become, the one just completed no exception, disappointingly. We can all commit — this morning, right now — to healing, reunifying, and working together. For our shared well-being. And for the good of us all.

This editorial was originally published in the Duluth News Tribune.

Jonathan Ababiy welcomes comments at jababiy@mndaily.com.

The satellite that could Thumbs up to the Kepler Space Telescope, which is nearing the end of its fuel. NASA announced Tuesday that the spacecraft will be shut down in the next couple of weeks and left to orbit in perpetuity.

In nine years in orbit, Kepler found more than 2,600 planets outside our solar system. We now know that there are more planets in the Milky Way galaxy (which includes our solar system) than stars. Before Kepler, says NASA’s Paul Hertz, “we didn’t know if planets are common or rare.”

Most of us have gazed into the night sky and contemplated the vastness of the universe.

Kepler gave us greater insight to that vastness.

While Kepler itself will tell us no more, NASA has already put its successor in place.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, launched earlier this year, is expected to find as many as 10,000 exoplanets around the stars closest to our sun. Humanity’s curiosity will never be fully sated.

This editorial was originally published in the Mankato Free Press.

We can be better than our elections Now comes the hard part. As much as we maybe don’t want to, after weeks and months of divisive politics and down-in-the-mud campaigning, we need to find a way to come back together anyway, to start thinking again of our shared well-being rather than our red- and bluetainted divides.

For the good of all Minnesotans, and all Americans — and of every political stripe or of no bent whatsoever — we need to get back to working together for the good of us all.

The morning after Election Day is a chance to reset. It’s a call to stop the vilifying and demonizing that drowned out so much else during the recent campaigns. This moment is a plea for finding common ground and for working together toward common solutions. Our shared future depends on it.

As President Donald Trump said in his victory speech in 2016: “It’s time for America to bind the wounds of division.”

As Hillary Clinton said in her concession speech: “It’s time for us to come together.”

And as President Barack Obama said at that same moment: “We all go forward with a presumption of good faith in our fellow citizens.

That’s how this country has moved forward for 240 years.”

But how?

How about through “more listening, more serving, and — perhaps counterintuitively — more arguing?” Eric Liu, executive director of the Aspen Institute Program on Citizenship and American Identity, argued for that approach in the Atlantic, also after the 2016 election, the last time there was a concerted call for bridge-building and unity “When I say listening, I don’t mean ‘debater’s listening,’ in which you pay only enough

O

n the map, the Minnesota River, our state’s namesake river, makes a slow and steady descent southeast through the farmland of JONATHAN ABABIY southern Mincolumnist nesota. At the Mankato, the river rises sharply north towards the Twin Cities, reversing the southern course it took away from Big Stone Lake, the long, thin border lake between South Dakota and Minnesota. As the river climbs towards the Twin Cities, barges full of grain chug in the direction of St. Paul and the Mississippi.

The confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers at Fort Snelling is visually striking. By the time the Minnesota River reaches the Mississippi, it has become an impenetrable green. The northwoods-turned-urban Mississippi River that you would never dare to swim in looks almost clean next to the Minnesota.

Why? A recent report from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found that although there is slightly less pollution in the Minnesota River, overall flow has increased — meaning total pollution is still high. The river’s aquatic life is struggling and its high levels of pollution have made Mankato’s drinking water vulnerable.

So it is disappointing that both of Minnesota gubernatorial candidates plan to weaken Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature water buffer laws, which placed a mandate on landowners to plant vegetation buffers on all public lakes, rivers and ditches. According to the MPCA, the buffers are natural filters that are critical to making waterways healthy again.

The Minnesota River has an extensive watershed in some of the most prime agricultural land in the state. The crops that grow here drive lower Minnesota’s economy and feed the world. However, the innumerable streams, ditches and rivers that snake through this farmland are susceptible to the runoff from this agricultural production. Rain often washes phosphorus, nitrates and sediment from farmland into waterways. These increases in pollutants can quickly ruin water quality. Furthermore, much of the wetlands along waterways have been replaced with farmland, so water has begun to flow faster than streams and rivers can healthily handle.

Buffers provide a way of preventing these pollutants from entering our water system. Research from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a federal agency that works with farmers, shows that vegetated buffers can remove more than 50 percent of the nutrients and pesticides in runoff and 75 percent or more of sediment. The implementation of buffers can greatly improve the health of a waterway.

The positive changes these buffers can make have downstream effects. The Mississippi absorbs the pollution and sediment that we see at its confluence with the Minnesota River, so much so that it lightens the Mississippi to a green color as well. Eighty percent of the sediment at the Mississippi’s confluence with the St. Croix is from the Minnesota River. Simply through the natural flow of the river, the pollutants of western Minnesotan farms can make their way into the Twin Cities, then down into Southeastern Minnesota and the lower Midwest.

The health of these rivers should not be jeopardized. Whoever is our next governor must ensure that our buffer laws stay in place.

While the law could allow for more flexibility, its beneficial core environmental protections must remain. Buffers may be small, but they have a large impact on the health and quality of our water.

The name Minnesota is derived from the Dakota phrase, “Mni Sota Makoce,” which means “Land Where the Waters Reflect the Clouds.”

Our new governor should make sure our state’s water remains that way.

EDITORIAL

Democracies need candidates who are prepared to represent and lead their communities.

Gubernatorial candidates in MN may weaken some of the more vital environmental protections.

As President Donald Trump said in his victory speech in 2016: “It’s time for America to bind the wounds of division.”

Uma Venkata welcomes comments at uvenkata@mndaily.com.

Presidents don’t get to decide it all President Trump wants to abolish birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the Constitution.

It’s bad enough that an American president claims the right to unilaterally override a constitutional amendment, as Donald Trump did this week in pledging to abolish birthright citizenship.

It will be worse if Trump’s intent, voiced in an interview released Tuesday by Axios, is seriously attempted — and worse yet if his partisan colleagues in Congress meekly acquiesce in such an unconstitutional maneuver.

The 14th Amendment — one of the Reconstruction Amendments ratified in the wake of the Civil War — opens with an unambiguous sentence: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. (The exception clause refers to the children of foreign diplomats, who have legal immunity from U.S. laws.)

This sentence overrode the Dred Scott decision, that blot on American history and jurisprudence in which the Supreme Court declared that blacks have “no rights that the white man was obliged to respect.”

Trump, as is his wont, lies about the subject, claiming that the United States is unique in granting citizenship to all born in its territory.

The truth is that 33 nations, mostly in the western hemisphere, follow the practice.

The president is far from the only Republican who dislikes birthright citizenship, but the likes of Sens. Lindsay Graham and Mitch McConnell have always recognized that changing it requires a constitutional amendment. Trump now claims that not only is an amendment unnecessary, he doesn’t need Congress to act either.

This is several bridges too far.

Republican tolerance of this dangerous nonsense undermines their oft-stated claim of insisting on strict judicial interpretation of the Constitution. To redefine the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment by executive fiat would be precisely the opposite. It should not be attempted, and if attempted should not be tolerated.

This editorial was originally published in the Mankato Free Press.

EDITORIALS & OPINIONS DEPARTMENT Editorials represent the voice of the Minnesota Daily as an institution and are prepared by the editorial board.

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9

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

HOROSCOPES Today’s Birthday (11/7): Communication profits this year.

Share your affection and kindness steadily. Study to unveil a mystery. Summer glory for your crew comes before physical obstacles alert you to stop and smell the roses. Follow your heart this winter. Express your creativity and passion.

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

Written by Nancy Black

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is an 8 — Grow your family’s nest egg. A lucrative phase dawns with this New Moon. Adapt to new terrain as Uranus retrograde re-enters your sign.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 7 — Surprises arise between partners as Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries. Flexibility and humor make a difference.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 7 — Support each other. Partnership blossoms under this New Moon. Strategize and establish back-up plans with changes.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is an 8 — Nurture your health and work over four months as Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries. Practice your talents, capacities and skills.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 9 — Pull together with your community as Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries for four months.

Energy floods your work, health and vitality.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is an 8 — Expect the unexpected with love, romance and family as Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries for four months.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is an 8 — Your profession is undergoing a revolution as Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries for four months.

Upgrade skills for new markets.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is an 8 — Household changes require adaptation as Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries. Make home upgrades over four months.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is an 8 — Big changes shift your destinations or objectives as Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries for four months (and not again for 80 years).

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is an 8 — Unexpected news buzzes with Uranus retrograde re-entering Aries. Adapt to changes.

Fast-breaking stories catch fire.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — Conditions shift with family finances. Strategize to increase savings and reduce risk as Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries. Profit through communications.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is an 8 — Financial fluctuations could interrupt over four months with Uranus retrograde re-entering Aries. Education, travels and exploration sprout.

DR. DATE Dear Dr. Date,

On Saturday, my group of friends and I went out. We were having a few drinks and getting our dance on.

At one point, one of the guys in the group, let’s call him “Chris,” started dancing with a girl at the bar. Before long, they slipped out of the bar and headed home together.

One of the girls in our group, Katie, ended up getting really drunk — existential crisis drunk. We got her home and were force feeding her water when all of her innermost secrets started spilling out.

Remember the “Chris” I mentioned earlier? Yeah, she has a HUGE crush on him and was pretty upset about him going home with some rando.

After much consoling, we got her to bed, but she still doesn’t know what to do about the boy situation.

I don’t think that girl “Chris” went home with will be anything more than a one night stand, but she doesn’t know if she should pursue him anymore.

—Sitcom Situation Dear Sitcom,

It doesn’t sound like Katie has ever talked to “Chris” about her feelings before, especially if none of you knew about her infatuation.

If she is still interested in dating him, she should go after him.

He isn’t a mind reader and he probably didn’t know how she felt about him, so it isn’t fair for her to be upset at him.

Nevertheless, if it bothers her too much, then she may have to give up on him. The one-night stand isn’t going away and that might be a deal breaker for her.

She needs to sit down and examine her feelings for him and decide what is best for her.

the weather is almost always cold, and I often find myself wanting somebody to snuggle up with to feel better. I’m not in any kind of relationship right now, but if I’m being honest with myself, I would really like someone who could help me be more comfortable in the cold months ahead. I don’t necessarily need anything serious, just somebody who can provide a bunch of human comfort over the next few seasons. Do you know any ways I can get a cuddle buddy ASAP?

—Where U At Cuddle Bug? Dear Cuddle Bug,

Homie, the only things that deserve to be called “cuddle bug” by me (at least out loud) are my cat and the Chipotle employee who always opens the patio umbrellas for me when I can’t do it myself (side note: not all angels have wings).

I’ll start off by saying that a consistent cuddle bug is a very understandable thing to want; I’m pretty sure it’s the reason early humans started living in groups. In the hierarchy of relationship-based currency, cuddles definitely rank pretty highly — lower than butts but definitely higher than foot massages.

If you’re really just looking for some human warmth for the cold times as you say, then you’re in luck. Cuddling season is a very real thing, so you know plenty of people are instinctively on the lookout for the same thing as you. But if you can find it in your heart, consider going on a date with someone you care about. You don’t have to be a doctor to know that.

—Dr. Date

—Dr. Date

Dear Dr. Date,

It’s getting to be that time of year when

Want advice from the love doctor?

Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com

SUDOKU CROSSWORD

Last Issue’s Puzzle Solved

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

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

Last issue’s solution

11/7/18

© 2018 Michael Mepham. Distributed

by Tribune Media Services.

All rights reserved.

10

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

New VP of research addresses funding Chris Cramer will take over on Nov. 12 as the next VP of research at UMN.

BY AUSTEN MACALUS amacalus@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota’s next vice president of research, slated to start next week, will face a challenging environment for funding.

Chris Cramer will lead the Office of the Vice President for Research, which oversees the University’s $900 million of research spending. Cramer said the University remains a prime location for research. The University has a budget among the top 10 public research institutions in the country, according to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development survey.

“The University of Minnesota is one of the jewels in public research institutions in the United States, in part because we do absolutely everything,” Cramer said.

Cramer, now a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in chemistry, joined the University in 1992. He has since served in a variety of academic and administrative roles, most recently as the associate dean of research and planning for the College of Science and Engineering.

University President Eric Kaler named Cramer vice president of research last month, following the departure of Allen Levine. Levine led the OVPR for nearly two years.

“In many ways, the work comes to you,” Levine said about the position. “What we’re really do[ing] … is we’re spending a lot of time advocating and helping investigators do their work.”

However, Levine said it can be challenging to ensure there is enough funding for researchers on campus.

Federal funding for

research and development at universities, which had steadily risen since the 1970s, has decreased in the past several years. Federal research funding in fiscal year 2016 marked the end of a four-year decline.

“There’s always the issue of funding,” Levine said. “The budget keeps on shrinking in terms of availability of flexible funds for things like research.”

At the University, external research awards — which amounted to around $744.5 million in fiscal year 2017 — dropped 5.5 percent from fiscal year 2016. Federal funding is close to 60 percent of the University’s awards and has decreased by approximately 7 percent since fiscal year 2013.

“Our faculty do very well in competing for national funds. That said, it is a very competitive business,” said Tucker LeBien, vice dean of research for the Medical School, which receives the most external research awards at the University. “You can’t support every good idea that comes along.”

Cramer said the University is looking for new ways to cover expenses, including making it easier for business and industry partners to collaborate on research with the University.

“There’s been a big push in the last 10 or 15 years to make the University an attractive place for business to potentially make research investment,” Cramer said.

Historically, some businesses have been reluctant to work with the University because of complex agreements and tedious negotiations regarding patents, royalties and commercialization of research, Cramer said. He said the Minnesota Innovation Partnerships program has helped simplify the process, opening the door for greater collaboration between businesses and the University.

“It’s really streamlined

COURTESY OF EILEEN HARVALA

Incoming Vice President of Research Chris Cramer.

t h e p ro c e s s a n d m a d e us an attractive place to make those investments” Cramer said.

Research awards from business and industry, which make up 11 percent of external funding, have increased 76 percent since fiscal year 2013. Cramer said he hopes to continue working with business and industry partners for research funding.

Additionally, Cramer said there’s an opportunity for more collaborative and interdisciplinary research on campus. The OVPR oversees several interdisciplinary programs, such as the Center for Transportation Studies and the Institute on

the Environment.

Cramer said traditional disciplinary research remains important, but there are more efforts to promote research projects targeted at real-world problems.

One of those efforts is the University Grand Challenges Research Initiative, launched by the Provost’s Office in 2016, which aims to support interdisciplinary research projects in key issues areas for the state, like clean water and sustainable ecosystems.

“The toughest problems are tough because you do need ... perspectives of lots of different disciplines brought to bear simultaneously,” Cramer said.

LeBien said interdisciplinary research, especially in the medical field, is becoming more important for researchers to receive funding.

“There’s no easy source of national or federal funding,” LeBien said. “What’s evolved in the last number of years is that the most competitive applications are the ones that involve teams of scientists and are multidisciplinary in nature.”

Levine said Cramer is set up for success in his new role.

As vice president of research, Cramer has a wide range of responsibilities, including managing

processing for research p ro p o s a l s a n d a w a r d s , overseeing regulations, ensuring safe treatment of subjects and handling economic development and commercialization.

Cramer described his feelings as ”somewhere between excited and apprehensive.”

But he said the position comes down to a simple mission: fostering the work of others on campus.

“The primacy of the research expertise is in the faculty and the staff who do research,” Cramer said. “I really see my role as supporting faculty in accomplishing the things we hired them to do.”