November 27, 2019

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FOOTBALL

Seniors’ journey comes to a head Minnesota plays Wisconsin on senior day with Big Ten West title at stake.

BY NICK JUNGHEIM njungheim@mndaily.com

Over the past four seasons, the Gophers have won 30 games, but on Saturday, Minnesota’s seniors will try to win the biggest game yet.

This year’s senior day matchup will be the first time since 2004 that the Gophers enter a game against Wisconsin with ‘The Axe’ in their possession and this season’s border battle stakes are even higher than usual. Saturday’s winner will advance to the Big Ten Championship Game next weekend against Ohio State.

“It’s a huge game and it’s really exciting,” head coach P.J. Fleck said. “Our players are excited, I’m sure Wisconsin is excited and who would want it any other way... It’s a tremendous end to the story.”

Few outside of the program could have predicted the team would have a chance to earn its first conference title since 1967 during this senior class’ time in maroon and gold, although this year’s success has come as no sur-

prise to players and coaches.

“I remember telling everybody back in January, I really like this team,” Fleck said. “I can’t promise you what they’re going to do, I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I really like this football team.”

For Minnesota’s seniors, the road to this moment was no straight path, but rather a winding one. Under former head coach Tracy Claeys, the Gophers went 9-4 in 2016, the class’ first season together. The following spring, the program underwent massive change after Claeys was fired and Fleck became head coach. Fleck says his first job in charge was convincing the Gophers’ young core to stay and buy into his signature ‘Row The Boat’ culture.

“I still remember the first week I had the job,” Fleck said. “I literally didn’t go to bed for four to five days. It was just convincing people to stay, calling guys on their cell phones, getting to know them a little bit more. Everybody was just like, ‘Listen, I don’t know about this.’”

Among the most important players for Fleck was a trio of linebackers in Thomas Barber, Carter Coughlin and Kamal Martin, all three of whom are Minnesota natives. Barber,

Coughlin and Martin have combined for 587 tackles in their four seasons with the team. Coughlin ranks third in program history with 22.5 sacks, one shy of Lamanzer Williams, for second place.

For those three, playing in front of a national audience this year is a perfect end to their careers.

“This is what we came here for, to bring this type of attention to Minnesota,” Barber said. “We are all

Linebacker Carter Coughlin takes a sip of water on the sidelines at Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday, Sept.

28, 2019. The Gophers earned a 38-31 victory over Purdue.

(Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)

u See SENIORS Page 4

POLICE

CAMPUS

Forum marks student push to disarm UMN police

UMN works to increase access to lactation spaces on campus

The Humphrey Students of Color Association is the latest student group to join the movement.

BY FARRAH MINA fmina@mndaily.com

A University Services Committee is identifying gaps in lactation support on campus buildings.

BY JASMINE SNOW jsnow@mndaily.com

ILLUSTRATION BY HAILEE SCHIEVELBEIN, DAILY

A growing movement at the University of Minnesota is calling for campus police to give up their use of “deadly weapons.”

Various groups at the University have been a part of the “Disarm UMPD” movement for years, but the latest push has come from the Humphrey Students of Color Association, a group that plans to host “Disarm UMPD: A Campus and Community Forum

about Police Violence,” on Dec. 5.

HSOCA aims to establish a community at the Humphrey School for students of color and Indigenous students by creating space for those students to support each other. The group has achieved some of these goals through facilitating specialized study spaces, fostering networking relationships and initiating outreach to other groups.

Members say the event is another way the group intends to meet its goals.

“We had three goals when we started coming together to plan [the forum],” said HSOCA president Njoya Chomilo. “[We wanted to] really educate the students, faculty and staff at the U of M about the white supremacist u See DISARM Page 3

The University of Minnesota is defining new standards for lactation spaces that could create more resources for users, adding on to the minimum criteria required by state law.

Minnesota state law requires that a workplace lactation space be a private room with access to an electrical outlet near the mother’s workspace. The University, currently in the process of establishing additional criteria, will add that spaces must also be wheelchair accessible to be designated as an official University lactation space, said Lactation Advocacy Committee member

Mikaela Robertson.

“Space Management has been working to define what the University standard will be so that these spaces can be more consistent across campus, and people will know what to expect when they want to use a lactation space,” said Paige Rohman, chief of staff at University Services.

This effort comes in response to the development of a resolution that passed in the University Senate in May. Developed by the LAC, the resolution called on the University to create a comprehensive lactation support policy, asking for a plan to build a complete network of lactation spaces on campus. At a University Senate meeting earlier this month, the Office of the President shared recent efforts to tackle lactation gaps across campus.

University Services tasked a u See LACTATION Page 3

RESEARCH

BUSINESS

UMN researcher looks to advance early autism detection in children

CBD, hemp businesses blaze through campus

Professor Jed Elison says child autism can be detected much earlier than it currently is.

BY NATALIE CIERZAN ncierzan@mndaily.com

A University of Minnesota professor is trying to improve early detection of autism in children.

Jed Elison is part of two research studies attempting to enhance autism identification and screening in children. The first aims to improve population-based autism screening, and the second hopes to make better recommendations when children are younger to avoid waiting to diagnose.

“It’s critical that we improve early identification methods and strategies so more children can be enrolled in early intervention services,” said Elison, an associate professor at the Institute of Child Development. “The earlier you intervene, the better the outcome.”

The average diagnosis age for children with autism in Minnesota is about four years and nine months. However, Elison said autism can be detected in a child when they’re between 18 and 30

months old.

This difference in diagnosis time is for a lot of reasons, he said.

For one, access to expert clinicians who can do early assessments is low.

“Families are often on waiting lists of up to … a year long, sometimes longer,” Elison said. “Children who may show more subtle forms of autism are likely going to be diagnosed later.”

There’s also a lot of variability between autism symptoms in children. No pediatrician wants to recommend a child for screening if they do not need it, he said.

There is no single identifying marker for autism in children.

However, there are symptoms that may lead to an autism diagnosis, such as a child not responding to their name or not meeting language developmental milestones.

The Infant Brain Imaging study documents infant siblings at three points in time to determine which infants show signs of autism. Using MRIs and other assessments, the data suggest that researchers can predict with more than 80 percent accuracy which infant will receive a future u See AUTISM Page 3

Hemp production was legalized nearly a year ago, prompting an industry boom.

BY EMMA DILL edill@mndaily.com

CBD has surged in popularity over the past few years among students and at shops near the University of Minnesota campus, despite it being a legal “gray area.”

Dinkytown’s Cosmic Bean Dispensary sells CBD boosters for customers to mix into coffee and CBD-infused bath bombs. Next door, Hideaway smoke shop sells an array of CBD cigarettes, vape cartridges and oils.

In Prospect Park, CBD-infused baked goods line checkout aisles at Fresh Thyme grocery store. Convenience stores near the campus also carry CBD products. Mr. Santana in Marcy-Holmes sells CBD gum and smokable dried hemp flowers, while Adam’s Grocery and Tobacco in Como sells CBD gummies, lollipops and even dog treats.

Businesses have catered to the popularity of CBD by introducing new products in recent months.

Although growing hemp, a plant containing CBD, was legalized nearly a year ago, some state officials say selling CBD products is not necessarily legal under current

Wally Sakallah grows hemp in a greenhouse in order to produce CBD oil on Thursday, Nov. 21. Sakallah owns the Hideaway and Cosmic Bean Dispensary in Dinkytown, which are two main places he sells CBD oil. (Sydni Rose / Minnesota Daily) regulations. But neither state or plants. Different varieties of hemp, federal officials have the resourc- a type of cannabis plant, have vares to regulate the growing indus- ied levels of CBD and THC, or try. tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is the A state law will go into effect at chemical compound in cannabis the beginning of 2020 to legalize plants that produces a “high” when the sale of some CBD products as smoked or ingested. long as they meet certain requireCBD, like THC, attaches to rements. ceptors in the body’s endocannabinoid system. If injured or in pain, What is CBD? filling these receptors helps the Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a chemical compound found in cannabis u See CBD Page 3 VOLUME 120 ISSUE 26

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY Wednesday, November 27, 2019

1942 Guitar legend Jimi Hendrix is born in Seattle, Washington.

Vol. 120 No. 26

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Researchers protect MN moose Researchers identified brainworm as their primary cause of death.

BY NIAMH COOMEY ncoomey@mndaily.com

This year, the University of Minnesota expanded an initiative aiming to assess faculty engagement with outside communities.

The Review Committee on Community-Engaged Scholarship, an initiative by the Office for Public Engagement and the Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs, is in its second year. It allows faculty up for tenure or promotion to be reviewed on whether their community-engaged scholarship meets certain criteria. The project has been opened up to faculty on all University system campuses this academic year.

Courtesy of Seth Moore, Director of Biology and Environment for the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa.

partnership to work out really well.”

Tiffany Wolf, a researcher in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine who studies wildlife health, said the research allows the University and the Band to combine each of their strengths.

The research has shown that while predatory factors — like an increase in wolves — has an impact on moose, about a quarter of deaths come from brainworm. Because so many moose deaths are health related, Wolf’s expertise allows her to design studies to understand how their health is compromised and what factors are contributing. “[Moore’s] department has a lot of the infrastruc-

ture on the ground that really facilitates this work and helps us get out into the field,” Wolf said.

One potential way to reduce the prevalence of brainworm is to study where moose and deer are both present and where they are apart. While both prefer similar environments, moose tend to require larger areas of young forest, whereas deer prefer more fragmented ones.

Moore said altering the natural environment could be one way of limiting the spread of brainworm, reducing the amount of habitat where deer and moose cross paths. Generally, ecologists try not to manage nature in this way, believing that nature can be resilient and come to equilibrium. Moore

said in this case, he believes climate change and other human drivers have had such an impact on the ecosystem that they need to step in.

“It gives us that responsibility for us to try to address the problems that we make,” Moore said. “We are trying to manage the landscape now because we have constantly damaged it, and it can’t naturally come back to a healthy ecosystem.”

Wolf said because a lot of what they are doing is so new, they often must have pilot data when applying for grants to demonstrate they can actually do what they are proposing. Crowdfunding has been important to making this work possible.

“The crowdfunding is that little nest egg that lets

us launch this research,” Wolf said.

The University hosts Wolf’s crowdfunding campaign through a University of Minnesota Foundation website. In total, the crowdfunding program has raised more than $3.4 million to support various causes since its launch in 2014.

Robyn White, director of digital marketing for the Foundation, said the platform doesn’t have to be just for research, but also raising money for student groups, athletic teams and scholarships, among other things.

“Research is way more competitive than it used to be,” White said. “One thing that crowdfunding offers is a way to get some of that feed funding to start.”

Community-engaged scholarship is faculty work that engages with or benefits communities outside of the University.

The committee, made up of tenured faculty, is split into smaller groups who review faculty that request this assessment. Faculty can choose whether they want their research, teaching or entire portfolio reviewed.

This review is sent in a letter to promotion and tenure committees to be considered among other materials.

Associate Vice President for Public Engagement Andrew Furco said in recent years there has been a movement toward more community-engaged scholarship.

“I think universities are being committed more towards their public purposes, especially at a University like ours which is a public university and a land grant university,” he said.

Furco added that groups that fund research for the University are increasingly seeking “higher impact research,” or research that matters to and benefits communities. ”Part of it is really identifying important standards of quality scholarship that’s impactful both for the discipline in which the faculty member works … and also for the community,” he said.

“That’s something that’s expected of high quality community-engaged scholarship.”

Gwendolyn Anderson, a professor in the College of Education and Human Service Professions at the Duluth campus, researches sexual violence and child welfare topics through community-engaged work.

Community-engaged scholarship is especially relevant in the social work field, Anderson said.

Practitioners often have to be very focused on their jobs and may not always have time to engage with articles and research done in their field. This is where community-engaged scholarship can help, she said.

“As an academic I can kind of bridge some of that, providing some of those resources and tools and time and expertise to help them move forward in their work,” Anderson said.

Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Rebecca Ropers noted that this review won’t be necessary for departments or faculty who are more familiar with community-engaged scholarship. ”For other units where it’s perhaps less typical or the unit might be in transition in terms of the kind of scholarship that they recognize, I think it will be a really helpful mechanism

to advance and maybe speed up that awareness,” she said.

Anderson noted that reviewing faculty on community-engaged scholarship can be important in the tenure and promotion process because often this work tends to be less linear and more time consuming, so it can be less clear on paper.

She said communityengaged scholarship also holds an important place in the classroom. Anderson said she often brings in guest speakers from the research she is doing and involves her students in her work.

“It’s just kind of a cool mix that I think really enhances the quality and experiences that our students get as well through those connections,” she said.

There will be an informational session for faculty interested in this review process in February.

New interactive dashboard organizes health metrics The dashboard will launch in March of 2020 for high-rise residents.

BY TAYLOR SCHROEDER tschroeder@mndaily.com

City officials are developing a new online interactive data dashboard to organize health metrics of Minneapolis high-rise residents.

The City Council passed the dashboard in the form of grant money from the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority to the City’s Health Department last week. It was approved by Mayor Jacob Frey on Monday. The project aims to better residents’ understanding of their health needs and encourage public agencies to assess areas of improvement. With the grant

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BY DYLAN ANDERSON danderson@mndaily.com

Minnesota is one of the few states that have moose, and researchers are trying to ensure the population stays stable.

A partnership between the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the University of Minnesota has been studying moose for about 10 years.

The research identified brainworm, a parasite transmitted by white-tailed deer, as a primary cause of death among Minnesota’s largest animal. The research is partially crowdfunded — with a campaign currently raising money — allowing researchers to test new ideas and illustrating the method’s viability to fund the population study.

Historically, the Band has subsisted off moose, and they remain very important culturally. Seth Moore, director of biology and environment for the Band, said the decline of moose is concerning and a driver of the Band’s investment in this research.

The Band has funded the collaring of more than 100 moose, allowing researchers to track where they may be coming in contact with deer and study the moose after they die.

“We provide the infrastructure of our natural resources management agency,” Moore said. “And [the University] provides some of the academic infrastructure, some of the genetic testing that requires fancy research labs. It allows this

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money, totaling $13,260, the Minneapolis Health Department plans to provide an intern to assist with the project.

“We really want [the highrise residents’] voices to be the ones front and center,” said Mageen Caines, a public health data scientist at MHD. “The story is really about how the residents are using data that is their own, that we have collected on their behalf essentially, and empowering them to continue their advocacy and community engagement work.”

The dashboard will include data from 42 high-rises and over 5,000 residents under MPHA jurisdiction, said Kelly Zelkenka, assistant director of human services at MPHA. MPHA is collaborating with the Minneapolis Highrise

Representative Council, a non-profit, to gain input from high-rise residents.

Modeled after Seattle and King County’s housing authorities’ online health profile, MPHA and MHD documents data such as rates of heart disease, emergency room visits and the number of times older residents fall.

“The data has already been collected by the city, the state of Minnesota and MPHA. We will combine that to create a picture of what is happening in our public housing,” said Luisa Pessoa-Brandão, manager of research and evaluation at MHD. The agencies utilize government vital statistics on causes of death, data collected from 911 calls and medical claims data. Other requests made by MHRC, such

as the number of high-rises with community gardens, will be supplied by residents.

In addition to serving residents’ interests, the information collected will help MPHA and MHD determine public needs and connect residents to proper resources.

“We talk to residents directly to see what their lived experience is, what they’re managing well and where they might need support,” Zelkenka said. “At a bigger level, how can we understand what the community needs might be? ... This is where our partnership with the Health Department comes in.”

Although the grant was approved this week, the work for the dashboard is already underway. An initial iteration of the project is set to launch in March 2020.

“The grant passing

through City Council is essentially this partnership [between MPHA, MDH and MHRC] in writing,” PessoaBrandão said. “We’re hoping to have something — that may not be the final product because we may continue to add to it — but that is usable by the end of March.”

“At a bigger level, how can we understand what the community needs might be?”

KELLY ZELKENKA assitant director of human services at MPHA

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Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Disarm u from Page 1

roots of policing. With that, we would then move on to … a dialogue to kind of move towards community action around those issues.”

According to Chomilo, the group wishes to shift the discourse surrounding policing from procedure reforms, such as the use of body cameras, to larger structural reforms, which the event is intended to confront.

Members say that disarming UMPD is important to the group’s work due to the disproportionate impact police brutality and an armed police force on campus has on students of color and Indigenous students.

“A lot of lives have been lost in situations that we don’t believe that should have been deadly,” said first-year representative Vanesa Mercado Diaz. “We are trying to look at differ-

ent models where we don’t necessarily need deadly weapons. … We aren’t completely closing off to what the police force believes they should enforce the law with, but that’s why I wanted to bring in our stories of community people.”

Diaz said that dialogue between members of the movement is important because many of them come from different backgrounds and have varying levels of experience interacting with police.

“I can only speak for myself and my experiences with police and police violence,” Diaz said. “I grew up in an immigrant community, and I’m a first-generation Mexican-American.

My parents are both from Mexico, so our experiences and interactions with police were never positive, I should say.”

HSOCA is not the first group on campus to take a stand on disarming UMPD. Students for a Democratic Society has hosted several disarm events in the

last year, from a 15-person protest in April 2018 to a “study-in” at President Joan Gabel’s office earlier this semester. According to SDS member Olivia Crull, University administration has not been receptive to their efforts.

HSOCA, whose members differentiate their efforts as being more community-based and more dialogue-focused than SDS’s, is partnering with SDS to host the forum.

In an email statement to the Minnesota Daily, UMPD Chief Matt Clark said while the department is focusing on crisis intervention and de-escalation tactics, its officers’ firearms are important to the department’s active shooter response plan.

“I understand the concern with firearms, but believe they are a necessary part of our emergency practices and response protocols. There are no plans to discontinue their use,” Clark said in the statement.

ILLUSTRATION BY ABBY ADAMSKI, DAILY

Autism u from Page 1

diagnosis, Elison said.

The other research study focuses on improving the questionnaire that parents fill out to screen their children for autism. Elison said the current yes-or-no questionnaire can inaccurately estimate the number of children at risk for autism.

Because of this, doctors often choose to wait for a diagnosis, he said.

In their study, Elison said they are asking for more information about the child than the questionnaire to hopefully make better follow-up recommendations.

Eric Ringgenberg, director of education programs at the Autism Society of Minnesota, said early intervention is important to begin to address the skills autism impacts as someone develops and should be tailored individually.

“You need to intervene in a way that addresses the individual challenges that the person is facing,” Ringgenberg said. “Early intervention programs shouldn’t just be a one-size-fits-all.”

Additionally, if a child is older than how they behave, that can make it difficult to connect with peers their own age, he said.

“That minimizes their ability to access their peers and to be a part of the

natural environment, and can lead to exclusion,” Ringgenberg said.

Amy Esler, an associate professor in the University’s Department of Pediatrics, has been involved in improving autism detection for more than a decade.

One way to improve is to increase awareness of the signs of autism, she said.

“If parents and general practitioners don’t know the signs of autism, then they can’t ask for help,” she said.

In order to lower the age of diagnosis, there needs to be additional communitylevel work, Esler said.

“State, university, school districts — we’re all really trying,” she said.

Breast pumps and bottles sit on the counter in a lactation space in the McNamara Alumni Center on Saturday, Nov. 23. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)

Lactation u from Page 1

cross-departmental committee over the summer with addressing lactation space deserts at the University. The committee is composed of staff from several offices including the Women’s Center, the Office for Equity and Diversity, Facilities Management, Space Management Department and the Office of Human Resources.

In addition to establishing a universal standard for the spaces, the committee will identify gaps in lactation rooms and make recommendations for potential areas of investment.

To do this, Space Management mapped lactation spaces on campus, using a five-minute walk radius as a geographic tool to assess where lactation spaces were lacking, Rohman said.

The Minnesota

Department of Health recommends lactation rooms be within a fiveminute walk from places of work or study.

Facilities Management will then look at potential buildings to determine what spaces can be converted to lactation space, Rohman said.

The process of adding new lactation spaces to campus buildings has always been a grassroots effort, Robertson said.

New lactation spaces are often responses to individual requests in specific departments and are often on a case-by-case basis.

As lactation programs become centrally managed

by Facilities Management, the placement of lactation spaces can be more intentional.

“There’s much more stability with a centrally managed lactation program,” Robertson said. “For someone who’s breastfeeding, a lactation room is just like a

bathroom for everybody else. It’s a biological need, and when you need it, you need it. We don’t think that lactation spaces should be treated any differently.”

“For someone who’s breastfeeding, a lactation room is just like a bathroom for everybody else.

It’s a biological need, and when you need it, you need it. We don’t think that lactation spaces should be treated any differently.”

MIKAELA ROBERTSON advocacy committee member

Wally Sakallah grows hemp in a greenhouse in order to produce CBD oil on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Sakallah owns the Hideaway and Cosmic Bean Dispensary in Dinkytown, which are two of the main places he sells CBD oil. (Sydni Rose / Minnesota Daily)

CBD u from Page 1

body return to its natural state, said Ann Philbrick, an associate professor in the University’s Department of Pharmaceutical Care and Health Systems.

“It’s going to kind of slow [the pain] down and tell your body, ‘Hey, everything is going to be okay. It doesn’t hurt that bad. You can relax,’” Philbrick said.

A Legal Debate Nearly a year ago, Congress legalized commercial hemp production after including it in the 2018 Farm Bill following years of state pilot programs.

“After that bill passed, [growing hemp] basically exploded in popularity,” said Margaret Wiatrowski, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s industrial hemp program coordinator.

To legally grow hemp in Minnesota, the THC content must test at 0.3 percent or below. If hemp tests above this level, the grower must destroy the crop.

Growers purchase seeds that promise low levels of THC. But without many years of experience and a lack of research, some farmers accidentally grow crops that exceed the legal limit, said Joe Radinovich, executive director of the Minnesota Hemp Association.

Even though CBD products are hemp-derived, they could be considered illegal because they meet the FDA’s qualifications for a drug, said Cody Wiberg, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy.

CBD’s packaging often makes health claims and can be perceived by consumers to have health benefits.

Drugs sold in the U.S. must be approved by the FDA, said Wiberg. CBD has not been FDA-approved.

But federal and state regulators don’t have the time or manpower to enforce the law within this growing industry. Instead, they only respond to product complaints,

Wiberg said.

“The proverbial genie is out of the bottle. There’s no way that even the FDA has the resources to shut down every entity that is out there that is manufacturing or selling the products,” he said.

A law passed at the state Legislature earlier this year will make some CBD drugs and dietary supplements legal to sell as long as they meet certain labeling and testing requirements.

“Partially because we realize this industry’s here to stay, we’re not trying to shut it down.

We are trying to work with legislators so that the products that are out there are safer,” said Wiberg, who helped draft the legislation.

An industry “boom” The number of state-issued hemp growing licenses increased by nearly 700 percent between 2018 and 2019. Minnesotans in 80 of the state’s 87 counties currently hold licenses, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

“People want to be at the front end of a boom,” Radinovich said. “There’s a real niche for this product going forward and a lot of people recognize that.”

One of these growers is Wally Sakallah, owner of Hideaway and Cosmic Bean Dispensary. Since receiving his license in January, Sakallah has grown hemp at an indoor greenhouse in Northeast Minneapolis. Sakallah uses harvested hemp flowers to make some of the CBD products he sells.

“For me, I have a unique situation because I’m the grower, the manufacturer and the retailer, so there is no middle people in between,” Sakallah said.

Taylor Cook, a University sophomore, said she occasionally uses CBD oil to help relieve soreness and tight muscles.

When she goes to Cosmic Bean Dispensary, she usually gets 10 or 15 milligrams of CBD in her coffee.

“I come here to study so it just kind of like helps me relax,” she said.

Sakallah waited until hemp

was legalized to begin selling the product. But, he says he saw a demand for the product a few years ago.

Sakallah will respond to increasing interest in CBD products by opening a CBD yoga studio in Dinkytown next month. He plans to hold the first class on Dec. 15.

Despite encountering legal problems before opening Cosmic Bean Dispensary, the Minneapolis Health Department eventually told Sakallah he could sell CBD products and food if they are kept separate.

CBD regulations are constantly changing as officials try to catch up with its popularity.

“It’s really kind of like a gamble every single day because there’s nothing really clear cut until there are more rules and regulations written,” said Stella Chalik, the founder of CBD Infused Edibles, a Chicago-based company that makes the CBD-infused baked goods sold at Fresh Thyme in Prospect Park.

Concerns for consumers Chalik started her company three years ago after she began using CBD to relieve chronic back pain. Since entering the industry, Chalik has seen a flood of new products, but that can come at a cost.

Peter Morrell, associate professor in the University’s Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, said consumers need to be wary about the products they buy. Morrell coteaches a course on cannabis that debuted this fall.

CBD products could have high amounts of THC or something else entirely, he said.

Packaging for CBD Infused Edibles features a QR code that allows customers to see lab results, detailing the amount of CBD and THC in the product.

Hideaway in Dinkytown offers free CBD testing.

“If you go to the convenience store on the corner and buy something that says CBD, it may have anything from zero CBD to really large amounts of THC in it,” Morrell said. “There’s no guarantee of what you’re getting.”

4

Sports

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

College GameDay:

Here’s all you need to know The show will air live from Northrop Mall at 8:00 a.m.

BY PAUL HODOWANIC phodowanic@mndaily.com Saturday marks College GameDay’s maiden voyage to the University of Minnesota ahead of the pivotal Big Ten West matchup between the Golden Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers. The longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football has a little extra on the line this time around. The winner will not only get The Axe for another year, but will take the Big Ten West crown.

So here’s what Gophers fans need to know about the ESPN’s flagship pregame show: Where: Northrop Mall W h e n : The show runs from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Nov. 30. The gates that will allow fans into the College GameDay area open at 5:00 a.m. Tailgate lots, which normally open at 8:00 a.m. will now be open beginning at 6:00 a.m. Increased traffic is expected, so the University is advising fans to arrive early.

Who: The show is hosted

by Rece Davis and features college football analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard. It will also feature several prominent Minnesota figures that have yet to be announced. The guest picker, who will give predictions of the college football games happening on Saturday, including the Gophers game, also has not been announced.

After the pregame show is finished, Maturi Pavilion will open up an indoor tailgate, which will last until the game begins.

TCF Bank Stadium doors open at 1:00 p.m.

Running back Shannon Brooks carries the ball at Ryan Field during the game against the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 23. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)

Seniors u from Page 1

Barber said. “We are all proud to be a part of it and now we have to show what we can do.”

Another Minnesotaraised senior, receiver Tyler Johnson, headlines the offense. Johnson has flourished in Fleck’s system, setting program singleseason records last year for receiving yards (1,169) and touchdowns (12). He has a chance to break a pair of Gophers records on Saturday, sitting one receiving touchdown short of Ron Johnson’s record of 31 and 107 yards behind Eric Decker for most receiving yards in a career (3,119).

“I just think he has a good feel for the game,” sophomore Rashod Bateman said of Johnson. “He studies, he watches film a lot and he works hard. Me, being behind him, I want to run my routes just like Tyler.”

Of the team’s 13 seniors, none have been around longer than running backs Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks. In fact, both played for Claeys’ predecessor, Jerry Kill. The duo has battled back from seasonending injuries in 2018 to power a Minnesota running game averaging 184.7 yards per game. Smith has rushed for 1,063 yards this season and ranks second on the program’s all-time rushing list.

The other seniors who will be honored before Saturday’s game are defensive linemen Winston DeLattiboudere, Tai’yon Devers and Sam Renner, cornerback Chris Williamson, kicker Michael Tarbutt and punters Jacob Herbers and Alex Melvin. If Minnesota can win two more games this season, this year’s seniors will match the class of 2005’s 32 victories, the program’s modern record.

“When you look back years from now about what Minnesota is, you will think

about those guys,” quarterback Tanner Morgan said.

“You’ll look at guys like Thomas Barber, Carter Coughlin, Tyler Johnson, Rodney Smith and those will be the guys that started it all.”

It is clear that Minnesota has come a long way since the last time they hosted the Badgers, a 31-0 blowout loss in 2017 which ended a 5-7 campaign. With ESPN’s “College GameDay” in town for the first time ever, the college football world will have its eyes squarely on Minneapolis as the Gophers’ seniors run out of TCF Bank Stadium’s tunnel for the last time.

“What a way to go out at TCF Bank Stadium,” Morgan said. “Those guys probably wouldn’t want to go out any other way. Just to be around those guys, the leadership they’ve had for the program, what they have done is absolutely huge and will never go unnoticed.”

Wide receiver Tyler Johnson makes a catch at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9. The Gophers defeated Penn State 31-26 to bring their record to 9-0, a first since 1904.

(Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily)

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gophers land three recruits for 2020-21 season The recruiting class includes five-star Alexia Smith, a guard from Ohio.

BY BRENDAN O’BRIEN bobrien@mndaily.com Head coach Lindsay Whalen and the Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball team have plenty to be thankful for during Thanksgiving.

Not only has Minnesota played well after completing over half of their nonconference schedule, but the Gophers also had a successful recruiting class sign National Letters of Intent earlier this month for the 2020-21 season. In fact, the class was ranked as high No. 18 in the nation according to ESPN. The 18th-ranked class was the highest ranking for the Gophers since 2012, but fell two spots as other teams continued to sign players.

The class includes three players: five-star guard Alexia Smith, three-star guard Caroline Strande and four-star post player Erin Hedman.

Whalen, a former point guard herself, continues to add depth at the point guard position for Minnesota by recruiting Smith and Strande. While the Gophers will be losing senior guard Jasmine Brunson at the end of this season, they will add Smith and Strande to the mix with a returning pair of freshmen guards in Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia.

Smith is from Columbus, Ohio and was ranked as the 15th-best guard in the country in this class. Like Brunson and Powell, Smith is able to navigate to the basket and finish through contact. As a junior at

Guard Jasmine Powell raises her hands in celebration of a 3-point shot at Williams Arena on Sunday, Nov. 10. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)

Columbus Africentric Early College, Smith totaled an impressive stat line, averaging 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks per game. She has also helped lead her high school to two state championships. Smith is the first fivestar recruit for either basketball program since 2011.

A native of Racine, Wisconsin, Strande is a guard who can score in bunches. She averaged 29 points last season and is the all-time leader in points at Racine Lutheran High

School. But what Whalen really appreciates about Strande’s style of play is her ability to rebound as a guard, averaging 10 rebounds per game last season. With the depth at guard for Minnesota, Whalen said she plans on having Strande rotate through multiple positions for the Gophers.

“She’ll play one through three for us,” Whalen said of Strande. “I think she prefers one but she’s the type of kid who’s going to play any of the positions we ask her to. She’s going to be

somebody who can [shoot] a little mid-range, a little three and run the team which I’m really excited about.”

Hedman, a native of New Berlin, Wisconsin, looks to help fill the void that will be left by senior forward Taiye Bello.

Bello has been the leading rebounder for the Gophers while being both dominant inside and a shot blocker. Whalen thinks Hedman will bring a different element to the Gophers’ offense.

“She’s a big kid and I don’t think she’s done growing either,” Whalen said of Hedman. “She can shoot the ball. She’s a kid who I would love to have at stretch-five who can shoot the three and then you’ve got a lot of kids who can space the floor and shoot it and some fun lineup options we could have.”

While fans will have to wait until 2020 to see the trio on the court, the women continue their non-conference schedule on Dec. 8 against American.

“She’s going to be somebody who can [shoot] a little mid-range, a little three and run the team which I’m really excited about.”

LINDSAY WHALEN Head Coach

5

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

COLLEGE KITCHEN

Thanksgiving on a student budget

A Thanksgiving meal doesn’t have to take all day to prepare — and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Try out these recipes for a quick and easy taste of the classics from your own college kitchen.

BY NORAH KLEVEN | nkleven@mndaily.com

Cornbread

Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Cornbread is a Thanksgiving staple and among the most affordable and least timeconsuming tastes of the holiday.

Turkey is the centerpiece of the classic Thanksgiving dinner and often the most timeconsuming and expensive part of the meal.

This dish can be easily made by purchasing a cook-in-bag option, available at Target and other grocery stores. You won’t need to worry about thawing the meat, but make sure you still start early, as the turkey takes an estimated three hours to cook in the oven.

No Thanksgiving feast is complete without mashed potatoes. Potatoes are easy to cook, filling and affordable. And the pre-seasoned, cook-in-bag turkey comes with gravy included, so it wouldn’t make sense not to have mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS: • One box of corn muffin mix • One egg • 1/3 cup of milk • 1/4 cup of honey INSTRUCTIONS: • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Mix together all ingredients.

• Pour into a small bread pan or muffin tin.

• Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

INGREDIENTS: • Cook-in-bag turkey INSTRUCTIONS: • Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Remove turkey from plastic wrapping and place on a roasting pan. Sprinkle the turkey with salt, pepper, and other desired spices.

• Bake the turkey until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. (Generally directions say to expect the turkey to take three hours to cook, but I found it was ready in less.) Make sure to check the temperature often in the final hour so as to not overcook the bird.

• Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 10-20 minutes.

• Prepare packaged gravy.

INGREDIENTS: • A bag of potatoes (of your preferred variety) • 1/2 cup of milk • 4 tablespoons of butter • 3 teaspoons of salt • 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper • 2 tablespoons of chives, chopped INSTRUCTIONS: • Boil potatoes until tender.

• Drain the potatoes.

• Combine milk and butter in a saucepan and cook until the butter melts and the combination is mixed. Remove from heat.

• In a large bowl or pan, mash potatoes together with the butter-milk combination.

• Add salt, pepper and chives after the potatoes are thoroughly mashed.

FASHION

Common Apparel is anything but ordinary The Duluth-based streetwear company keeps its Minnesota roots as it branches out across the globe.

BY ALEX STRANGMAN astrangman@mndaily.com

Tucked away between a tobacco store and a tattoo parlor on University Avenue in St. Paul, Common Apparel is a modern streetwear brand in the truest sense.

Street-style murals adorn the walls, a mounted TV plays the hottest rap videos and a few small racks display the brand’s latest offerings.

What started as a high school market research project for founder and CEO Nate Blomquist has now developed into a global streetwear brand, sold in stores across the U.S., as well as select locations in Canada, Japan and South Korea.

While Common got its start back in 2010, the brand took off in 2014. After returning from Oregon, where he worked as a skateboard videographer at Windells Ski Camp on Mt. Hood, Blomquist set up his base of operations in a warehouse in Duluth.

Nicknamed “The Carter,” a reference to the apartment complex in the 1991 film “New Jack City,” the warehouse operated as the brand’s original headquarters in Duluth.

According to Blomquist, “The Carter” served as a sort of incubator for the art and skate scene in Duluth. It was home to a photography business, a printing company and Common Apparel.

The building also housed a skate bowl, which

Nate Blomquist, left, and Colton Allen, who own the apparel shop “Common Apparel,” pose for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 22. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

Blomquist and Common’s CFO Colton Allen used to cover rent, charging skaters $50 a month for their own key for unlimited access to the skate the bowl.

It’s stories like this that display Common’s credibility as a rider-operated brand.

The people behind the clothes are the same ones in the skate parks and on the slopes.

After being kicked out of the warehouse by the Duluth fire marshal — who was

unaware anyone was using the warehouse, much less operating three businesses and a small skatepark out of it — Common moved down the road to Superior Street, where it set up its first storefront.

However, it wasn’t long before the storefront was converted into stock space due to the growing demand of business.

After deciding there was more opportunity for Common in a bigger city, it made

the move to its current location in St. Paul this year.

Rather than move to a streetwear mecca like Los Angeles or New York City, Blomquist and Allen said they want to stay in Minnesota to give back to the community that fostered them.

“We’re trying to give back to our roots [and] hook up our homies who helped us out since day one. The brand is the people behind it and all the people that represent it,” Blomquist said.

With their fall/winter line already on the shelves and their spring/summer collection slated to drop in the late spring of 2020, Blomquist and Allen are working on Common’s next big milestone: its ten year anniversary collection.

With plans to revive some original designs for a “reflection line,” the anniversary collection, which they’ve named “Common X,” will be its 2020 fall/ winter line.

Blomquist and Allen hope to go all out for their brand’s “tin” anniversary, with plans in the works for a huge party and a unique runway show.

Even almost ten years later, it’s still surreal for the guys behind Common to be where they are.

“It’s crazy to see a sketch in a notebook, and then it’s on a store, and then in the mall,” Allen said. “It’s pretty cool to drive down the street and see a hoodie you designed on a random person you don’t know.”

6 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions

EDITORIAL

Our college applications should not be an open invitation for bearing our trauma We should not ask our students to use their deepest and darkest moments as leverage to get into college.

C

ompetition among our peers has been a concept ingrained in our brains since the early days of our high school careers. Being pit against one another for scholarships, spots on varsity teams and acceptance letters to colleges has led to toxic environments in which we are supposed to learn and thrive.

At times, writing an essay for your college application seems comparable to

Moses’ parting of the Red Sea: what makes you worthy of crossing to the other side?

For some schools, like here at the University of Minnesota, these essay prompts are optional. However, students take advantage of this offer to make up for lower grades or ACT scores — or for extenuating circumstances that inhibited them from performing to their normal ability.

Jordan Pharris, a freshman studying child psychology here at the U, found this optional essay as an opportunity to make up for her high school GPA. She suffered from severe generalized anxiety throughout her high school career. She found it somewhat uncomfortable to express this struggle to the University as she did not think they would understand it. Pharris felt as though her mental health struggle did not fit the traditional mold of adversity—“it’s kind of a personal...to have to explain something so deep and personal to yourself on your application just so they understand why you didn’t have like a 4.0 or why you didn’t do all of these extracurriculars.”

Writing about your personal experiences in an optional essay topic is not omething to feel ashamed of. Nor should

CARTOON BY ROBERT MCGRADY

it be deemed luck for “uniqueness” on an application. Those who face adversity, whether that be due to their socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality or age should not feel as though their experiences have to be their one-way ticket to college.

Deena ElGenaidi, a writer for Electric Literature, explains the presence of a societal pressure on minority groups to express their adversity in a marketable way in order to seem appealing to institutions of higher education, in her 2019 article.

This pressure on minority groups and students who have experienced unfortunate situations aids in the campus culture of competition. The tailoring of questions on essay applications that encourage candidates to tout their oppression has become an obstacle for incoming freshmen wanting to attend universities. This problem is also present when applying for graduate programs and scholarships.

The disadvantages of students should never be viewed as a leg up. These are problems that real people face, and by encouraging prospective students to capitalize on their strife, it can feel like you are being reduced to just your pain. Institutions and programs offer the option of

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Students at the U should stand up for the climate

University investment in fossil fuels is contributing to irreversible planetary damage.

O

ur planet is in a state of climate emergency. Climate change is killing the planet and all of us on it, including the University of Minnesota community. Despite this enormous threat, the University of Minnesota is actively contributing to climate change by investing millions of dollars in fossil fuels. University leaders need to immediately divest from fossil fuels and enact more sustainable policies to truly make a difference. We, as students, need to come together and let the University know that we will not be complicit in their violence any longer.

In 2011, President Kaler implemented the Climate Action Plan with goals of reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2020 and net zero emissions by 2050.

He supported sustainability on campus, but he did not support Fossil Free Minnesota’s divestment campaign. Divestment movements like this one demand that university

COLUMN

The war on pedestrians

Cars are safe. Unless you are walking or biking.

Jonathan Ababiy columnist

A

few weeks ago, a controversy erupted on the University-area app Nextdoor. I hate to admit that I use it, but it’s a nice way to gauge what the 50+ yr old demographic is thinking about the neighborhood right now.

A contributor, who I will not name, posted about jaywalking in the University area, saying “Please do not walk across traffic where not marked to walk and you stop the flow of traffic or walk across streets where there is no walking marked.”

The comments then became chaotic. Everyone had an opinion about the lack of safety for pedestrians. A number of solutions were proposed to make roads safer: bright yellow winter jackets, wrapping yourself in lights from a running store, car horns and defensive driving skills.

But no one had a real solution related to actually changing what our streets

look like, besides adding more formal crosswalks. Although it was a bottom-ofthe-barrel Nextdoor street fight, it was emblematic of the collective collusion that people and governments have about pedestrian and cyclist safety. Bright clothing won’t make walking in Minneapolis safer; only redesigned streets and rethinking urban transportation will.

Last week a cyclist was hit and killed by a truck in downtown Minneapolis, just a month after a pedestrian was killed while crossing Lyndale Avenue, a Hennepin County road, in South Minneapolis. The cyclist was the 13th to die this year in Minnesota — the highest count since 2015.

All across the country, and especially here in the Twin Cities, newspaper editorialists and letters-to-the-editor have lamented a supposed “war on cars.” But only one person is in control of a two ton steel box. A car or its driver won’t get hurt if I ran into it, only I would. However, that same car could kill me if it ran into me. That’s apparent in the data: 6,227 pedestrians were killed by motor vehicles last year--the highest in 28 years.

The threat of pedestrian collision is increasingly becoming more important because cars are becoming more dangerous for walkers and bikers. SUV’s are now America’s best selling car, and their high grills and blunt front ends create catastrophic results for pedestrians.

A 2015 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) examined 12 independent studies about injury data. They found that pedestrians are two to three times more likely to die if struck by an SUV and pickup truck.

essays to help assess the individual’s knowledge and experience at the time of application.

The University of Minnesota is a campus that doesn’t follow the trend of other universities that require an essay with each college application. Our campus is an example of how other universities should approach their admissions process. We should embrace who we are before we arrive and not be forced to bare our souls as we apply.

The NHTSA recommended overhauling its vehicle-safety rating program by adding a pedestrian safety score, but it never made the addition once the Trump administration took office.

The responsibility then falls on our cities, counties, and states to do the right thing and make our roads safer and reduce crashes. Their goal should be to not have a pedestrian safety score matter at all.

But they’ve dropped the ball.

On Sept. 20, 2017 the Minneapolis City Council adopted a Vision Zero resolution.

It’s part of a national movement to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries, but as we’ve seen pedestrians and cyclists keep dying. The state of Minnesota has a similar plan called Toward Zero Deaths (TZD), but this year’s count of 326 traffic fatalities is above the goal of 300 by 2020.

In Hennepin County, state’s largest county and the manager of many of the city’s busiest roads like University Avenue and Lyndale Avenue, has no such plan.

There’s been very little commitment from anyone about safety. No government is making pedestrians and cyclists a priority over the cars that so often hurt them. By doing so, our streets would be safer. But until then, our streets will continue to be unsafe.

administrations immediately freeze any new investment in the Carbon Underground 200 and to divest their endowment from these companies within five years. However, the University has an investment strategy that fails to respect the urgency of climate justice.

As students, we do respect the urgency of climate justice. We understand that University investment in fossil fuels is contributing to serious, irreversible planetary damage and is endangering the health and lives of our own student body. Our University policies must reflect our values and priorities.

Climate change will not be stopped by stickers on light switches or organics recycling.

We need systemic change at the highest level to truly make a difference. Fossil fuel divestment attacks climate change systemically and will prevent devastating future consequences. To make change happen, students must come together and collectively demand action from our University leaders.

Climate change strikes hard, but we strike harder.

On Dec. 6, we are holding a campus strike to demand divestment from destruction. We invite you to check out our Facebook event, like our Facebook page and follow our Instagram @umnclimatestrike for updates on our Dec. 6 strike and future movements. Reach out to umnclimatestrike@gmail.com with any questions or to join our team.

Written by students from the University of Minnesota Climate Strike.

This letter has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

SHARE YOUR VIEWS The Minnesota Daily welcomes letters and guest columns from readers. All letters must include the writer’s name, address and phone number for verification. The Daily reserves the right to edit all letters for style, space, libel and grammar. Letters to the editor should be no more than 500 words in length. Guest columns should be approximately 350 words. The Daily reserves the right to print any submission as a letter or guest column. Submission does not guarantee publication.

letters@mndaily.com Fax: (612) 435-5865 Phone: (612) 435-1578 Letters and columns to the editor 2221 University Ave. SE Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414

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

THE EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS DEPARTMENT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE NEWSROOM

Jonathan Ababiy welcomes comments at jababiy@mndaily.com.

7

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

MN DAILY

HOROSCOPES

Today’s Birthday (11/27): Experience a personal flowering this year. Rising income comes with consistent value and reliable results. A cash-flow surge this winter helps you adjust to family transitions. Give up a personal habit that no longer serves you next summer, inspiring new collaborative profits.

MNDAILY.COM

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

Written by Nancy Black

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is a 10 — As your fantasies are clarified, they get more tangible and achievable. With Neptune direct, you can see the way forward. Dreams provide valuable insight.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 10 — It’s getting easier to tell fact from fantasy with Neptune direct.

Streamline routines and chores. A health barrier dissolves. Put your talents to work.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is an 8 — A group project gains forward momentum with Neptune direct. Strange powers of attraction are at work in your life. Previously hidden connections grow.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 9 — Romantic fantasies are becoming more achievable now that Neptune’s direct. Express your heart to someone who makes it beat stronger. Creativity flows.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 9 — It’s easier to increase your authority now that Neptune’s direct.

Career decisions gel and your professional dreams advance. Opportunities once illusive are in reach.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is an 8 — Nebulous home improvements solidify. Domestic desires and visions clarify. Increase your household beauty and comfort level with Neptune direct.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is an 8 — A barrier to travel is dissolving now that Neptune’s direct.

Adventures beckon, and the road to take becomes clear. Discover the missing puzzle pieces.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is an 8 — Things start to make sense. With Neptune direct, abstract subjects become easier. You can see the hidden machinery. Communication gives clarity.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is a 9 — Sign contracts and firm up the numbers. Financial confusion or vagueness solidifies into a working budget with Neptune direct. It’s easier to save money.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 9 — A fantastical source of income actually materializes.

Now that Neptune is direct, it’s easier to collect on promises and increase your financial strength.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — Work together for common dreams. Partnerships strengthen and solidify with Neptune direct. Previously unavailable collaborations come together.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is an 8 — Gain clarity on personal goals with Neptune direct in your sign.

Things come together naturally. What seemed impossible takes shape. A fantasy approaches reality.

DR. DATE Dr. Date,

My boyfriend and I have been having some relationship problems, including him flirting with other girls in front of me. I know it wasn’t the best idea, but I decided to go through his phone while he was in the shower yesterday to see if he was texting other girls. I opened his Snapchat just to check past texts, but I accidentally opened a Snap. I was panicking at first (now he’ll be able to tell I was on his phone!), until I saw what it was — a nude from a girl!

I confronted him about it as soon as he was done, and he asked “who sent it.” Suspicious enough (are there multiple girls?!) until I read the name off, and he said it was his COUSIN. He’s claiming it was an accident on her part, and she would be humiliated. But I checked her out on Facebook, and she seemingly has no relation to him. However, she does work at his same job, and he’s never mentioned a family member at work.

Dr. Date, I don’t know what’s worse — is my boyfriend cheating on me, or is his cousin trying to make a move? Help!!

–Cousin Lovin’

Dear Cousin Lovin’,

Yeah, your boyfriend is cheating. I would entertain the cousin idea (even though oh my god that’s so gross) if you didn’t already check her out on social media. If you really need proof, maybe ask a family member of his if they know who this girl is, but assume the cheating thing.

I don’t think going through his phone was the right thing to do, but it’s over and done now. And seriously — break up with him. Please don’t stay with a blatant cheater and liar, especially one who uses incest as an excuse?!

–Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

I recently started dating a guy I met on Tinder. In his Tinder profile, he said “let’s go to the movies and chill,” so I thought he might actually want to go see a movie instead of “watch Netflix.» I’m a huge film nerd and love seeing anything and everything, especially with someone by my side. On our first date, he took me to a movie I had already seen, so I didn’t mind when we got a little busy in the back of the theater.

Since then, we’ve gone out a few more times before ending up at his place to watch movies. But now, he thinks I don’t actually want to see the film! We’ve ended up making out on the couch while I crane my head to see what I’m missing, and he still hasn’t noticed. I’ve had to rewatch Ex Machina three times just to find out what actually happened!

He seems great, and I don’t want it to seem like I don’t want to move to the bedroom after the movie. How do I let him know I actually want to Netflix THEN chill?

–Hulu and Relax

Dear Hulu and Relax,

Ahh, the downside of inviting a date over to watch TV. If you really don’t want to confront him, you can always suggest movies you’ve already seen so you’re not missing much. This has the added bonus of making you sound really smart when you discuss what you think happened, even if your ideas really came from articles and film forums.

However, if you think it might turn into a relationship, talk to him before you head over to his place. Tell him as much as you enjoy spending time in other rooms of the house, you’d rather the couch stay a makeout-free zone. It’s not anything against him — it’s because you love movies, so he should understand.

Who knows, you might convert him to your side and have a theater partner for life. Just make sure you’re firm on this rule for a while — cuddling together on a couch is seriously underrated, so focus on that instead!

–Dr. Date

Dr. Date is a satirical advice column dissecting real-world situations. 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.

11/27/19

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

Last issue’s solution

© 2019 Michael Mepham. Distributed

by Tribune Media Services.

All rights reserved.

8

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Turkeys mill about outside the East River Road Garage on Friday, Nov. 22.

(Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)

Who gives a flying flock about turkeys on campus?

Minnesota is home to more than 70,000 wild turkeys. They thrive on the University of Minnesota campus, which has ideal green spaces for the turkeys to find food and shelter.

BY CLEO KREJCI ckrejci@mndaily.com Much like students, 3-feet tall eastern gobblers peruse campus in flocks, searching for food and friendship at the University of Minnesota.

Many call Minnesota’s h e a l t h y, 7 0 , 0 0 0 - s t r o n g population of Eastern Wild Turkeys a “conser vation success story.” After being reintroduced to the state because of low populations decades ago, the birds made their way to the Cities — making a home in the metro, where they thrive in the city’s green spaces and near the University.

Most of the turkeys were reintroduced in rural areas across the state. But, following a “turkey highway,” or green spaces bordering rivers that converge in the metro, they made their way into the Cities with the help of the rivers’ tree cover and untouched natural spaces.

T urkeys have had a healthy population in the Metro for the last decade or so, said Scott Noland, an area wildlife specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“They kind of found an oasis for them to sur vive,” he said.

Green spaces in the city make an ideal home,

providing amenities like an abundance of food, trees mingled with open spaces to forage and roost, and a lack of predators, said Sushma Reddy, a professor and researcher at the University studying the evolution of birds.

Here, they survive the winter as “opportunistic feeders” — prepared to consume foods from worms and insects to invertebrates and snakes. In the colder months, turkeys flock together in groups of about 15 birds, because in groups it is easier to search out food and places to sleep.

Reddy says turkeys are one of many species that make wildlife in the

city unique.

“It’s wonderful to be so close to the city and be able to see these scenes that are out of Bambi. … Being in Minnesota, everyone’s much more aware of their natural world,” said Reddy, who recently moved to the state.

Seeing a turkey on campus isn’t rare: it’s actually very common, especially near the Mississippi, where open green spaces provide an ideal playground for the turkeys.

For preschoolers at the University’s Shirley G. Moore Lab School, turkeys are part of the curriculum.

Lab School Director Sheila Williams Ridge, a specialist

in nature education, often asks the children what they wonder about the turkeys.

They have a lot of questions. “‘Do eagles eat turkeys?’

‘Where do they sleep?’ ‘How come they haven’t been by our school in a long time?’

They try to investigate them as much as possible,” Williams Ridge said.

But for the preschoolers, remembering that the turkeys share a world with humans is just as important.

“We try to use [them] as a teaching tool,” Williams Ridge said. “As well as just acknowledging that we share the space, and that this is their home.”

“It’s wonderful to be so close to the city and be able to see these scenes that are out of Bambi. ... Being in Minnesota, everyone’s much more aware of their natural world.”

SUSHMA REDDY Professor, researcher at University of Minnesota

Students who commute to class need more tolerant attendance policies for unsafe weather conditions, MSA says ILLUSTRATION BY HAILEE SCHIEVELBEIN

BY SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON shendrickson@mndaily.com In the interest of student safety during harsh Minnesota winters, the Minnesota Student Association is drafting a resolution to change class attendance policies for students who commute to the University of Minnesota.

Though in the early stages of drafting this resolution, the undergraduate student gover nment is seeking to add a clause to the current University attendance policy to increase leniency for students who drive to campus.

By creating the clause, MSA hopes to reduce pressure on students to come to class in “dangerous conditions.” In addition, if attendance is mandator y and a par t of the class’s grade percentage, the resolution asks that students are not penalized, according to MSA

Academic Af fairs Committee Director Calista Mateuszczyk.

H o w e v e r, t h e O f fice of Undergraduate Education said it is not considering altering the attendance policy at this time.

The policy, which contains exemptions fr om penalty for missing class like illness, jur y duty and ber eavement, does not take into account transportation in severe weather, according to MSA members.

For commuter students, this can mean choosing between their personal safety and their grades.

“It’s unfair that students are weighing their life and safety with their grades,” said Victoria Nikonov, an MSA academic affairs committee member.

As a former commuter student, Nikonov remembers the stresses

that come with driving to class in severe weather.

She said she thinks the University does not consider commuter students enough.

“It’s a significant population, and the stress and danger isn’t wor th it,” Nikonov said.

The OUE, which oversees the attendance policy, said that during severe weather, it consults with many groups across campus, as well as the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, in determining whether to cancel classes across the University.

In the interest of equity, OUE said changing the policy would not be fair to all students.

“If we exempted students from having to come to class when other students are having class, these are dif ferent standards for students being here or not being here,” said Jennifer Reckner, the OUE chief of staff.

Under special circumstances, professors can determine on a case-bycase basis if an absence by a student is “unavoidable” or “legitimate,” as stated in University policy.

Karl Penaz, who commutes about 20 miles to campus from Maple Grove and is a chair member of the student group Commuter Connection, said he has to make it a point to meet with his professors at the beginning of each semester specifically on this issue.

“It really is up to the instructor’s discretion,” Assistant to the Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education Jessica Kuecker Grotjohn said. “There is a huge range where students are coming from and what their specific situations are.”

As MSA pushes its advocacy, Nikonov said they plan to narrow the definition of an of f-campus student or commuter student

The undergraduate student government hopes to reduce pressure on students who commute to class in “dangerous conditions.” to those who have to drive a cer tain amount of time by car to campus.

Second-year student Faith Ochwangi, who commutes from Brooklyn Park, about 15 miles from campus, said that while she understands why attendance policies are in place, driving in severe weather impacts her

mental health.

“It takes a lot out of you, because you can’t really focus on class, you’re focusing on the weather for the most par t,” Ochwangi said. “People are in the ditches, but I have to go to school ... My grade comes before my own mental health, my personal safety.”