March 22, 2021

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

GRADUATION

CLA students to graduate virtually

MNDAILY.COM

BOARD OF REGENTS

New regents selected

COVID-19

In-person classes to start in fall

The dean said an inperson graduation is “not feasible” given pandemic protocols.

The U has decided it will be safe for students to return to on-campus classes.

By Ethan Fine efine@mndaily.com

By Emalyn Muzzy emuzzy@mndaily.com

In light of the uncertain public health conditions during the pandemic, the 2021 College of Liberal Arts commencement ceremony will be held virtually, CLA Dean John Coleman announced in an email Thursday.

Coleman said given the 6 feet of social distancing and cap on gatherings at event facilities required by the state, it would be difficult to conduct an in-person ceremony.

“With these parameters, it is not feasible for CLA to host our Commencement in person,” Coleman stated in the email. “We also know that even with an easing of travel restrictions by May, a great many of our graduating students and their families still would be unable to return to campus for Commencement.”

Last year, the University of Minnesota declared that all commencement ceremonies would be held virtually as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this year, the University’s provost has advised individual colleges to decide how to hold their respective ceremonies.

CLA is both the largest college at the University and the largest in the state of Minnesota. The college usually holds three ceremonies, two for

The University of Minnesota announced today that come fall 2021, in-person classes across all five campuses will resume.

As of right now, face masks and social distancing will be enforced.

The University will also continue to provide COVID-19 testing for all students. University community members should keep practicing regular handwashing and will be encouraged to stay home if feeling sick.

“Unforeseen changes in the pandemic may cause us to adjust our planning, but for now we are confident that this decision is supported by the trends related to pandemic, vaccination rates and the high degree of compliance that Minnesotans overall have shown to reduce the spread of the virus,” Joan Gabel said in a press release.

In the near term, whether commencement for graduating students will be virtual or in-person is up to the individual colleges. The College of Liberal Arts announced Thursday that the University’s largest college would one again hold commencement online this year.

Gabel’s announcement comes around the one-year anniversary of the University switching to remote learning indefinitely. The 2020-2021

See GRADUATION Page 2

The University’s Board of Regents convene at the McNamara Alumni Center on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019.

(Jack Rodgers / Minnestoa Daily)

The Minnesota State Legislature voted on the new board members Monday.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com The Minnesota State Legislature voted to elect four new regents to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents Monday evening.

Michael Hsu, who served on the board since 2015, was replaced

by Elk River attorney and engineer Kodi Verhalen for the Sixth District seat. Other new board members include doctor Ruth Johnson, University student James Farnsworth and Minnesota farmer

Doug Huebsch.

These new board members will replace current regents Tom Anderson and Richard Beeson, who did not run for reelection, and Randy Simonson, who withdrew from the race in January.

Each regent will serve a six-year term on the board where they vote on major decisions impacting the University like budget changes and tuition increases, and drive longterm initiatives like the University’s recently-announced collaboration with Google.

The unpaid board is made up of one member from each of the state’s eight congressional districts and four from the state at-large.

Four spots on the board were up for reelection this year.

Johnson, a doctor at the Mayo

JUSTICE

UMN student activists persist

Clinic, was elected to the First Congressional district seat. Johnson will take the place of Simonson.

Farnsworth, a fourth-year student at the University, will occupy the Fourth District seat. Board policy requires that one board member be a student at the time of election. Though Farnsworth is a current University student, he was not elected to the student seat on the board. Regent Mike Kenyanya, a University of Minnesota Duluth alum elected to the board in 2019, will occupy the student seat until 2025.

Huebsch will take the place of Anderson and occupy the Seventh District seat.

This is a breaking news report.

More information may be added as it becomes available.

See COVID-19 Page 2

CHEATING

Students continue to show up as the Derek Chauvin trial commences.

By Jasmine Snow jsnow@mndaily.com

After the police killing of George Floyd, student activists took to the streets almost immediately, relentlessly demanding justice and systemic reform throughout the summer months.

Now, as former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s trial begins almost a year later, activist groups have continued their efforts for justice this week, all while contending with full class schedules and residual trauma.

University of Minnesota philosophy student Amber Heider said it was not a hard decision to miss a class and a test on Monday

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter Protesters march by U.S. Bank Stadium as part of the Justice for George Floyd protest on Monday, March 8. Activist groups organized the protest for the first day of Derek Chauvin’s trial. (Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) to attend a protest outside of the Hennepin County Government Center on the first day of the Chauvin trial. She said she planned to continue going to as many protests as she could even with her class schedule.

“I have privilege, so I want to

do all that I can find for those who don’t,” she said. “I’m gonna be here every day. If I need to do a class, I’ll go to somewhere with WiFi, do it quickly, and then come back, but I’m going to be See JUSTICE Page 2

INTERNATIONAL

Only 28 students study abroad this spring Five programs now have students following a pause due to COVID-19.

By Sonja Kleven skleven@mndaily.com Sunlight peeks over the mountains surrounding the historic city of Toledo, Spain, illuminating the city as Emma Mulhern, a fourthyear student at the University of Minnesota, gets ready to start her day.

Once a 16th century convent, the large building has been renovated into the “San Juan de la Penitencia Residence,” the University’s study abroad center in the city.

The buildings of old Toledo bask in the morning sunlight as bells chime in a nearby church. Mulhern dons her mask and makes her way downstairs to eat breakfast, which starts promptly at 8:30 a.m., before

Official Spring 2021 Toledo program picture, courtesy of Lauren Huspeni her classes.

Mulhern is one of 28 students studying abroad from the University during the 2021 spring semester amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. She, along with her cohort of seven other students, is enrolled in the Study and Intern program in Toledo.

Last March, the Learning Abroad Center abruptly brought 1,075 students home from their spring semester learning abroad experiences at the onset of the pandemic. All programs remained suspended for the remainder of the

2020 spring semester, then the summer term and fall semester.

Other Big Ten schools, such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, chose to continue the suspension of all study abroad programs for the spring 2021 semester; the University of Minnesota’s learning abroad team took a different approach.

After reimagining how study abroad programs could operate safely during the pandemic, the See INTERNATIONAL Page 2

Increase in reported scholastic dishonesty prompts concern During the pandemic the University has found more students cheating in classes.

By Hana Ikramuddin hikramuddin@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota has seen an increase in reported instances of scholastic dishonesty over recent years, prompting concern among faculty and administrators that this academic year could see even more as a result of online-only learning.

The Office for Community Standards (OCS) has cited an increase in reported incidents of cheating during the last school year. Although this academic year has not topped the 2019-20 reports, as of Feb. 10, 2021, the amount has nearly met the total reported incidents for the entire 2017-18 academic year.

One major way students are cheating is through the use of tutoring websites, like Chegg and Course Hero, to find answers to tests and quizzes, said Sharon Dzik, director of the OCS. Dzik anticipates that the 202021 school year’s reported incidents will eventually exceed last academic year’s numbers.

Not all cheaters are necessarily being caught, however, said associate director of the OCS, Katie Koopmeiners.

“We know the real number is so much higher,” Koopmeiners said. “A

lot of times either faculty don’t report even though they’re supposed to, or they’re not catching it or they feel like they don’t have enough evidence, so they’re not reporting it. …

We know that incidents of scholastic dishonesty are being underreported on campus.”

The University has started working with Chegg to find students who are cheating online, which includes students sharing or taking information from tutoring websites, she said.

“Chegg will work with our office to identify students who are posting or looking at questions like exam questions when they’re not supposed to,” Koopmeiners said. “So, if a student is signing up with their U of M email, we get that information.

Or we can research their IP address.

We can work with IT security on campus to find out who the student is.”

When it comes to science and math courses, students who cheat often copy directly from online sites to find answers, Koopmeiners said.

Lecturers can find misconduct by noticing students who use methods on exams that were not covered in class or if multiple students have identical answers.

For students in writing classes, graders can sometimes spot cheating if they notice students turning in assignments with substantial quality differences. This can be the case when students pay someone else to See CHEATING Page 2 Volume 121 Issue 11

2 Monday, March 22, 2021

International page 1

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter

Graduation page 1 undergraduate students and one for graduate students. The college estimates that nearly 23,000 people gather for these ceremonies each year.

This year’s virtual ceremony will include both undergraduate and graduate

students. Following the live broadcast of the ceremony, a recording will be posted for those who could not attend.

Expected CLA graduates should keep an eye out for participation instructions for the ceremony.

Updates will continue to be posted to the CLA’s Commencement Information page.

Social distancing signs flag down seats in Hanson lecture halls on Tuesday, July 28 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. All classes during July-mester enforced social distance protocols. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)

COVID-19 page 1 school year saw a return to some normalcy with hybrid classes, but many remained remote.

The University will continue to watch COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates as well as talk to public health officials, but the

administration feels assured that it will be safer to resume in-person activities.

“We do this with deep appreciation for the enormous transitions that we have all endured in the past year and in recognition that our fall plans will restore a degree of normalcy for our community that so many seek,” Gabel said.

staff was able to launch five programs in two countries, France and Spain. These programs are center-based, meaning they have on-site staff to support University students and they allow for a greater degree of control over COVID-19 restrictions on campus. The tight pandemic protocols in France and Spain and high enrollment numbers also allowed for these programs to run this semester.

Students were also prepared to go to Denmark, but, one week before departure, the Danish government shut their borders to students due to new COVID-19 variants circulating. The students are taking remote classes through their study abroad program and will travel to Denmark as soon as the restrictions are lifted.

The learning abroad staff analyzed University’s COVID-19 guidelines, as well as those of the Minnesota Department of Health and the health departments of host countries, to redesign traditional study abroad programs. The University’s International Travel Risk Assessment and Advisory Committee needed to approve all programs before they launched.

“We’re trying to make sure that we cover all of the COVID precautions,” said Peggy Retka, the director of programs in Montpellier, Morocco and Senegal. “So everything that they’re doing on campus in Minnesota, and everything that they’re doing on campus in France, and taking the best of both worlds. You know, if one is more stringent than the other one, use the more strict process.”

Although students were able to reach their destinations, the programs look different than in years past. This semester, the University is not permitting homestays for any program in an effort to

Emma looks out the window of her dormitory in Toledo. (Emma Mulhern) limit COVID-19 exposure for American students and host families. Instead, all students are staying in apartments or dormitories that could be used to isolate if necessary.

Curfews are in place in Madrid, Toledo and Montpellier, and masks are mandated by law in all cities. Students are not permitted to travel outside of their host countries.

Class structure varies by location and program, but most students are taking all in-person classes. For some, large lectures are online-only.

Jenna Thorsett, a thirdyear student at the University studying English and French, is abroad in Montpellier, France. She is taking classes at a local university this semester while also taking classes at the University of Minnesota’s program center location. As someone studying languages, Thorsett said she sees her time abroad as an opportunity to make the most out of her academic semester.

“I think, French studies — or language studies — probably suffer a lot from the remote format,” Thorsett said.

“So I figured, ‘Even if stuff is closed here, even if there’s a

confinement, I’ll learn more French just being stuck in my apartment here, and, you know, immersing in the culture.’”

There is a 6 p.m. curfew in Montpellier right now.

The curfew has made building relationships challenging, Thorsett said. She said the highly populated city is “almost treated sort of like an interior,” where masks are required at all times, even outside.

“If there weren’t [a curfew], I’m sure I’d have had dinner with my entire cohort and the program directors at least several times by now.

But because of the curfew, going to restaurants isn’t a thing, people aren’t supposed to be gathering or packing into their little apartments.

So for me, it’s the social deprivation that happens as a result of the evening lockdown,” she said.

“And it’s also just the inability to … get sort of an ambient socialization just by, like, walking outside … the way the city gets really quiet after hours is sort of a sad thing to experience, especially if it’s like Friday or Saturday night or something.”

Other students have also

encountered pandemic-related challenges, such as masks making an already present language barrier more difficult to overcome without the ability to read lips.

“Learning Spanish and trying to hear people and communicate with masks in a second language has definitely been a difficulty for me,” Mulhern said.

Lauren Huspeni, another University student studying abroad in Toledo, agreed.

“So, definitely there are times I’m like, ‘What are you saying?’ because I just can’t see their mouth, and the mask subdues the sound,” Huspeni said.

Despite the curfews, the language barriers and the COVID-19 regulations, many students said they are glad that they decided to study abroad this semester.

“A lot of people think that we’re kind of crazy, or that we’re really brave, or a lot of different things,” Huspeni said. “But, for me, I wanted to go abroad no matter what.

It was already my plan to go abroad before COVID, and as long as I was able to go, I wanted to take any chance I could to go out, go abroad and have this experience.”

often setting a student up to … cheat. And sometimes the students, I don’t even think, realize that they’re sort of being duped into believing that it’s a study site versus a cheating site.”

Students who accept responsibility for cheating can choose to participate in the Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) program to change their disciplinary records.

The program can be different for each student but may include completing online time management modules or apologizing to their professors, said Koopmeiners, who coordinates the program.

According to Koopmeiners, AIM has seen an increase in students using the program this year. The program is on track to have 99 AIM meetings this year, up from 67 meetings last year.

“This pandemic has brought out a lot of stress. Students who may not have had a lot of experience with online courses are now forced to do all of their courses online.

We have students in different time zones who are getting up in the middle of the night to complete their classes,” Koopmeiners said. “So I think that there’s a lot of issues at play here, but I do think stress and pressure comes, you know, I think that’s probably the main reason.”

The University is not alone. Other schools nationwide have reported increases

in student cheating, including Texas A&M University.

The chair of the Student Academic Integrity Committee (SAIC), Kenneth Leopold, said he was not surprised to see an increase in cheating during the pandemic. SAIC is a group of students, faculty and staff who advise the University administration on academic integrity.

“The pandemic has been difficult for everyone. By saying so, I certainly do not mean to condone or justify cheating. I’m just saying that unfortunately, hard times can sometimes make people compromise their own principles,” Leopold said in an email to the Daily.

For students struggling with course material, there are resources available at the University, including Student Academic Success Services and Student Writing Support.

“A university degree ought to be backed by substance.

Cheating undermines learning and therefore dilutes the substance. Some may say that they only cheat in courses they’re required to take but don’t care about,” Leopold said in the email. “As someone who has been in academic settings since the 1970s, I can tell you that you never know what facts or ideas from your past will pop up and become significant. Cheating just reduces the depth of knowledge and experiences one has to draw from later on.”

Activists at the front of a march in downtown Minneapolis peer over a banner on Monday, march 8. (Shannon Doyle / Minnesota Daily)

Justice page 1 here no matter what.”

A protest on Friday bookended the week with about 100 demonstrators gathering outside the University of Minnesota’s Morrill Hall, organized by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Both protests centered around a similar grievance: police accountability. Friday’s gathering also demanded the removal of the University’s police department from campus and for an acknowledgment from President Joan Gabel of the 646 protesters arrested on Interstate 94 in November.

Activists said it feels like the University does not support their efforts toward racial equity and accountability.

“We have waited,” said Sean Lim, a University student and speaker from the Minnesota Youth Collective. “We have marched and protested. … We have emailed and all of our organizing has been met with a bunch of nothing. It feels like we’re in an echo chamber.”

Friday’s protest also called for Chauvin’s conviction, and organizers said they were standing in solidarity with Floyd’s family and Black students

across campus. This especially included Musab Hussein, a Carlson student who recently recorded Carlson School of Management staff racially profiling him and his brother, who also spoke at the event.

“We wanted to come back to campus and be clear that we’re not letting [Gabel] off the hook,” said SDS member Mira Altobell-Resendez. “We just want the demands that the students heard.”

But student activists are stressing the importance of maintaining momentum and pacing themselves during a taxing year.

Beyond the stress of their academics, many student activists — especially Black students and other students of color — have said that intense feelings of trauma and exhaustion have begun to intensify as Chauvin’s trial draws near.

Jae-Lah Lymon, a member of SDS, said feelings she had this summer have already begun to surface and affect her day-to-day life. She said she has struggled to come to terms with the intensity of the feelings. It has become about more than just time management.

“Being busy isn’t the problem for me,” Lymon said. “I feel the most productive when I’m busy. It’s

just being able to emotionally and mentally be in the moment.”

Lymon is one of several activists who have talked about struggling with the ability to sustain their energy as they contend with the threat of burnout.

“Being Black, we don’t have the choice to just choose to show up at a protest,” Lymon said. “The trauma that comes with literally pleading for your life to matter … It’s frustrating, and it’s triggering, and it’s part of me.”

Black Student Union (BSU) president Samiat Ajibola said while some group members have attended protests so far, the organization is putting a special emphasis on selfcare during the beginning of the trial.

A protest and other possible events are in the works for the coming weeks, Ajibola said. However, self-preservation is BSU’s top priority right now and the group is preparing for a Black Mental Health discussion this Thursday.

“Our leaders do a lot of ‘talking the talk’ when it comes to mental health, but now we want to walk the walk,” she said. “We want people to know it’s okay to take a break. Like, the revolution is not going to leave without you.”

Cheating page 1 write an essay for them, an available function on some tutoring websites.

Students who post their materials onto online tutoring websites can also face consequences if others use their posts to cheat on exams, essays or quizzes.

“I would certainly say the pandemic contributed to the rise in scholastic dishonesty.

I also think the word has gotten out about … these ‘tutorial sites’ and more students are accessing prohibited materials which has also played a role,” Dzik said in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

Students may not even realize they are taking part in cheating by sharing their past exam and quiz materials online, Dzik said.

Under University policy, most professors tend to own the material they develop for a course, according to an emailed statement from the University. Members of the administration, including Dzik, are creating messaging to inform students about this policy and the rules around spreading material online.

Regardless of a student’s intent, copying materials from these sites violate the University’s conduct code.

“I think they’re really deceptive,” Dzik said regarding the tutoring sites. “What they’re essentially doing is

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3 Monday, March 22, 2021

U researchers discuss new ethical dilemmas during the pandemic

Research Ethics Week ran from March 1 to 5.

By Izzy Teitelbaum iteitelbaum@mndaily.com The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new ethical dilemmas for research at the University of Minnesota, prompting conversations among faculty.

This year the University’s annual Research Ethics Week focused on maintaining and promoting ethics amid the impacts of COVID-19. One of the presentations included in ethics week focused on how the pandemic affected research design and conduction.

“I think [the pandemic] will shape ethics in research by really clarifying ‘How do we weigh competing benefits for patients when resources are limited?’

And that’s exactly what COVID brought to the healthcare system in

Illustration by Motasem Kadadah general,” medicine and pharmacology professor Dr. Douglas Yee said.

When the pandemic hit, there was a scramble to obtain enough personal protective equipment among researchers in hospitals and labs, he said. The onset of the pandemic also affected clinical trials; University human trials and clinics were put on hold. While some were able to go virtual or restart after a few months, others are still waiting to resume, Yee said.

“The pandemic has shown us where all the cracks are,” he said.

The largest ethical questions being discussed among researchers are how to address inequities in health care and find the best way to care for patients quickly, according to Susan Wolf, a professor in the Department of Medicine and Law School.

“A pandemic like this one really forces us to think about how to combine research, clinical care and public health practice,” she said. “Normally those are the three distinct areas of law and policy but in a pandemic, we really need to combine them.”

With a large portion of hospital space and resources

going toward the treatment of COVID-19 patients, there is less space for clinical trials.

Epidemiology and community health professor Dr. Michael Oakes said the biggest decision for research at the University was to hibernate or halt in-person research. The University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), which reviews research proposals to sufficiently protect trial participants, created a fivetier system to categorize studies by weighing their risks and rewards.

Tier one research deals with the most life-saving and urgent trials and tier five reflects the least urgent research. If researchers disagree with their study’s categorization, they can explain to the IRB why they believe the work belongs in a more pressing tier.

When the Federal Drug Administration approved convalescent plasma for treating COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, researchers at the University wanted to continue with their research to test the

treatment’s efficacy or harm before using it to treat patients, Oakes said.

Once the FDA approved this treatment, researchers encountered a moral dilemma of conducting a trial where they were withholding an approved treatment that could potentially benefit patients, said Dr. Claudia Cohn, an associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.

“Morally and ethically a lot of people are saying we need to figure out how to be more like the United Kingdom or Canada,” she said. Both countries have centralized systems that were designed to implement convalescent plasma trials while trying to understand its benefits. Each trial had a set question to answer.

Whereas, in the United States significantly fewer patients were enrolled and several different tests were used, making it hard to compare results.

“It’s been a mess,” Cohn said.

U School of Public Health establishes new center for anti-racism research The center will use grants to advance racial health equity.

By Katelyn Vue kvue@mndaily.com In February, the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health received a $5 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to create the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity.

The vision behind the center was formed by Dr. Rachel Hardeman, a tenured associate professor in the School of Public Health Division of Health Policy and Management. She will be the founding director of the center to advance racial health equity through research and communitycentered action.

Hardeman said in an email to the Minnesota Daily that during middle school and high school, she spent evenings and weekends going to doctors’ appointments with her grandmother, who suffered from kidney failure.

She added that her grandmother experienced discrimination and indifference from her medical providers.

Eventually she decided to stop treatment that was keeping her alive.

“At age 16, I lost my grandmother because she was tired of dealing with a health care system that didn’t seem to care about her,” she said in her email. “This is why I went to school at the University of Minnesota and

now work here: to influence our systems to do better by our communities of color.”

Hardeman was born and raised in Minneapolis. She is starting new projects to examine the impact of police violence and over-policing on maternal-infant health as well as working with doctoral students in her research lab titled “Measuring and Operationalizing Racism to Achieve Health Equity.”

Her career has focused on researching racial health inequities and reproductive health equity, including the effects of structural racism in health.

“The center is a natural evolution of my life and career. I have deep roots in Minnesota and our communities of color, and I strive to have my research directly connect back to communities,” Hardeman said in the email. “My vision for the center is manifested from my commitment to achieve racial justice and optimal health for Black communities and other communities of color.”

To Hardeman, “structural racism is a solvable problem, and we all have a role to play in confronting it.”

The center will focus on five areas, including developing antiracist research on the impact of racism on health, serving as a trusted resource to outside organizations on issues related to racism and health equity and changing the narrative about race so whiteness is not the “ideal standard for human beings.”

At this time, the center’s timeline and development is

in the planning process.

“In the next several years, we hope that the Center will have established strong community partnerships, be actively conducting community-based research, and be a trusted source of information and innovation,” Hardeman said in her email.

In July, she became the first Blue Cross Endowed Professor of Health and Racial Equity as part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota’s mission to end racial and health inequities.

The donation gift is the largest ever received to a center at the School of Public Health.

Dr. Mark Steffen, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota’s chief medical officer and vice president, said in the future the organization will continue to collaborate with the University as a whole and learn from Hardeman’s work.

“More importantly, [the center will] help us think about what are going to be those important strategies that we, as a health plan, can deploy that improves the health equity for the members in the communities that we serve,” he added.

Around six years ago, J’Mag Karbeah met Hardeman when she applied to be a teaching assistant for one of Hardeman’s classes. While pursuing her master’s degree in maternal and child health, Karbeah said the lack of discussion around racial health disparities in reproductive health and institutional barriers made her training

Courtesy of Dr. Rachel Hardeman feel incomplete.

“I honestly applied to But when she met Minnesota’s Ph.D. program Hardeman, Karbeah said because I knew there was the her experience at the possibility [Hardeman] could school changed. be my adviser and we’ve “It was the first time worked together ever since,” that I felt my ideas had a Karbeah said. place within public health Hardeman’s passion to and that these larger ideas advance racial health equity about systems and history stems from her personal could really be incorporated journey. She said she is into current public health determined to continue practice,” she said. doing what she loves.

At a meeting almost five “Advancing racial years ago, Karbeah said health equity is advancing she had whispered about the health, dignity, and possibly pursuing a Ph.D. opportunity for people I program. When Hardeman love most. By doing my heard, Karbeah said she fully research, I honor my parents, supported and encouraged grandparents, and ancestors, her. Now, as a Ph.D. student, and I build a better future Karbeah has Hardeman as for my daughter,” Hardeman her academic adviser. said in her email.

Community leaders promote COVID-19 vaccines in Cedar-Riverside The Brian Coyle Center will host vaccine clinics.

By Lydia Morrell lmorrell@mndaily.com Television crews crowded around radio host Abdirizak Bihi Friday as a nurse injected him with a COVID-19 vaccine.

Bihi, a community leader in Cedar-Riverside, said it was important for him to show his neighbors that the inoculation is safe.

Bihi was a key figure in a clinic hosted by the Brian Coyle Center to help promote the vaccine to the

East African community.

Several community leaders, including an assistant imam, received vaccinations and talked about it on local TV programs to encourage others to do the same.

“If [East African neighbors] are anxious about something, and they actually see the leaders and if the leaders or the imams do it, then it’s okay to do it.

It’s safe,” Bihi said.

Nurses from CedarRiverside’s People’s Center clinic vaccinated 40 neighbors from 1-4 p.m., and they will come back every Friday to distribute vaccinations at the Coyle Center “as long as we see

Nurse Carol Gilbert administers a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, March 12. (Emily Urfer / Minnesota Daily) the need,” said Paula Guinn, chief advancement officer with the People’s Center.

Residents can call the Coyle Center or come in person to set up an

appointment to receive the vaccine. Vaccines are good for six hours after the bottle is opened, so Guinn said she needs to bring the exact amount

that they will use to make sure none go to waste.

Guinn said that in a typical day they distribute about a hundred doses.

After a lot of success with testing at the Coyle Center in the summer and fall, they felt the community hub would also draw in many neighbors for vaccinations, she said.

“Testing over here went well,” Brian Coyle Center director Amano Dube said. “And let’s now do the vaccine … and make it easy for the community to walk over to the place they go all the time.”

See COMMUNITY Page 4

Daily Review

4 Monday, March 22, 2021

Community page 3 Dube added that some members of the East African community are hesitant to receive a vaccine because of negative misinformation circulated through social media and word-of-mouth.

He said as they hear good things from neighbors and relatives that receive it, they become more willing to get a dose themselves.

Some of the hesitancy also comes from “the history of treating BIPOC folks poorly

in the field of medicine,” said Dave Alderson, co-executive director of the Cedar-Riverside Community Council (CRCC).

He added that access is also an issue, but setting up a clinic in the Coyle Center helped make the vaccine available in a familiar location.

The CRCC went doorto-door, made flyers and called residents to advertise the event. Alderson said he hired two people to increase promotion for the weekly clinics this spring.

“The focus for us right now is on working

in collaboration with People’s Center and Coyle to fill up the available slots that the People’s Center Clinic can accommodate,” Alderson said.

Guinn said People’s Center representatives will visit nearby mosques and partner with the imams to further encourage vaccinations.

Throughout the state, vaccinations for Black Minnesotans and other racial minorities trail behind those of the white population, according

to the state’s March 6 vaccine data.

Black or African American residents make up 6% of the population but account for 3.5% of vaccinations. In comparison, about 82% of Minnesotans are white, but they received nearly 91% of the vaccinations.

Hennepin County officials have relied on new strategies such as working with about 25 “trusted messengers” — residents who are well respected within their community — to reach BIPOC and immigrant populations.

“You want an engagement team that is reflective of the community that we’re trying to reach,” said Kelsey Dawson Walton, division manager of the county’s engagement services.

Dawson Walton said the county has worked with trusted messengers and various media outlets to distribute health information and more than 360,000 face masks in the county within the past year.

Bihi and Imam Sharif Mohamed, from the nearby Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque,

are trusted messengers in Cedar-Riverside.

They help estimate the neighborhood’s need for things like masks and hand sanitizer, said Zam Zam Ali, Hennepin County engagement lead for the East African community.

“We’re very involved over there. Sometimes people will be like, ‘Oh, there’s a lot of focus on that area,’” Ali said.

“But it’s because there’s a lot of people that live over there and … there’s a lot of leaders that are reaching out to us and asking for the resources.”

New fee for international alumni in STEM to be delayed after pushback The fee would go to a program that keeps alum in US to work.

By Nathanael Ashton-Piper nashtonpiper@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota’s International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) department will delay a new $300 fee for some international graduates in STEM careers applying to extend their U.S. work authorization through Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Previously set to go into effect on March 15, the fee will now be implemented in the fall 2021 semester after pushback and conversations with student senators and representatives from the University’s Council of Graduate Students (COGS).

OPT is a temporary employment authorization that allows international graduates to stay in the U.S. and work in a field directly related to their major for up to one year after completing their degree. The STEM OPT extension adds 24 months for students who graduated from and found employment in science, technology, engineering or math fields.

Many students became aware of the new fee after receiving a weekly update email from ISSS on Feb. 15, which contained information about the fee’s upcoming implementation.

Barbara Kappler, the assistant dean and assistant director of ISSS, said that ISSS did not consult with students in the process of coming up with the fee because the $300 charge

would apply to graduates who are already employed rather than current students.

Many students were shocked and outraged that a new fee was set to be charged so soon without any prior conversations, said Sarani Millican, a second-year law student and student senator. “[ISSS] thought that since this was an alumnibased matter that current students or current student government leaders would not be too proactive in still advocating for past students,” said Briggs Tople, the chair of the student senate. “But even then, [ISSS] stated that they had not consulted with anybody from the alumni association either. So it was not just a failure to consult with student leaders but also the alumni association as well.”

Millican, Tople and COGS leaders met with Kappler and other ISSS staff to discuss the fee on March 5. “[ISSS] regrets that some international students feel surprised by the fee,” Kappler said. “Several of our staff met with student leaders on [March 5], and we genuinely appreciated that

Illustration by Motasem Kadadah meeting and the opportunity for the University’s Global to talk with students.”

Programs and Strategy Alliance office.

Reason for the new fee After prolonging the Response from students STEM OPT extension period Even more than from 17 to 24 months in 2016, potentially having to pay United States Citizenship an extra $300, students and Immigration Services and graduates are (USCIS) began mandating worried about the lack of more ongoing reporting communication from ISSS requirements for recipients before notifying students of of STEM OPT extensions. the new fee, Millican said, According to Kappler, the adding that ISSS was happy proposed fee would ensure to engage with student that ISSS, which reviews representatives after they and manages STEM OPT reached out about the fee. extensions, could adapt “I left the conversation to the increased reporting with ISSS feeling that it requirements without had gone well,” Tople said. compromising its services “I think it was a frank to current international conversation, and we came students and scholars. to an understanding of a ISSS had considered need for more consultation the fee several times on these issues in the future.” as it grappled with the As a former international “time-intensive nature” student and now a student of the additional ongoing senator, Millican said reporting mandated by she felt it was her duty to USCIS, Kappler added. figure out what she could ISSS settled on the new do to speak up for the $300 fee after analyzing international community. the number of STEM ISSS charges an OPT-eligible alumni and additional student services assessing the workload fee of $175 per semester to created by additional USCIS international students on requirements, said Missy temporary nonimmigrant Peterson, the director of visas, including F-1 finance and operations holders. The fee covers

immigration advising, academic support and other services for students.

“ISSS charges fees that are at the high end of similar fees for peer institutions, and the lack of additional fees to process OPT on the back end has been cited in the past by ISSS to justify their regular fees being so high,” said Scott Petty, the president of COGS. In response to a COGS resolution on international graduate student fees in 2019, Kappler said that peer institutions charged a similar fee ranging from $70 to $250.

“When comparing fees [at other universities], it is important to note that each ISSS office and institutional funding model differ in the percentage of central funds it receives, how institutions cover personnel costs, the amount of revenue from ISSS administrative fees and additional fees assessed for international graduates and undergraduates,” Peterson said.

As of 2019, fees covered 87% of all ISSS expenses, said Kappler.

“It is our wanting to make sure we have the resources to meet the mandated [USCIS] functions, so revenue generated [from the fee] would go toward covering the costs for the advising and reporting that we have outlined,” Kappler said.

Many international students feel uncomfortable speaking up for themselves, and this makes them particularly vulnerable as a community, Millican said.

“When I was an international student, I lived in mortal fear of accidentally losing [immigration] status — and that is even with following

all the rules and being an ‘exemplary’ person,” Millican said. “When you live in that world of never wanting to take the slightest risk that could result in your losing of education or employment, that does not make for the kind of person who will be willing to speak about what they feel is an injustice. They are more likely to swallow it and move on.”

International students and graduates are anxious about additional fees that this process may create down the line, Tople said.

“There was concern around the precedent this may set for the future,” Tople said. “That if the U.S. government was to add additional measures around how to handle policy with international students, that it might set the precedent of ISSS simply raising fees continuously.”

ISSS needs to be able to work with student advocates to ensure that the University understands its value and how adequate ISSS funding can help past, current and future international students, Tople added.

While stressing the importance of ISSS’s work, Millican said this situation could have been mitigated had relevant stakeholders been looped in from the beginning.

“Talking to people is valuable even if it slows things down,” Millican said. “And even if there is resistance, the final product is always better when you involve relevant stakeholders and talk to them. Sometimes you will hear things you do not want to hear, and sometimes that will help you make a better solution.”

U archives the oldest Jewish newspaper in Minnesota Archivists hope to preserve a part of Midwest Jewish history.

By Becca Most bmost@mndaily.com In the basement of Elmer L. Andersen Library on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota campus, third-year math and computer science student Nhung Pham carefully places a yellowed sheet of newspaper on the base of a large scanning machine. Pressing down on the crease in the center, she spreads the page open and crops the image on the computer to ensure the scan includes the entire sheet.

Beside her is a stack of other issues from the 1964 editions of the American Jewish World, the oldest Jewish newspaper in Minnesota, which has run from 1912 to the present.

Pham is part of an effort to digitize the entirety of the paper’s print editions by hand, a labor-intensive task undertaken by University librarians and undergraduate students as part of Andersen Library’s Upper Midwest

Jewish Archives.

Almost half of the archival work is finished so far, said Jennifer Claybourne, the digital projects specialist at the University and an overseer of the project. The archived issues of the American Jewish World Newspaper are available for view on the library’s website.

Digitizing the collection will not only make the information in these articles more accessible to historians and researchers, but will also help people find information about the Jewish people who lived in Minnesota, said University archivist Kate Dietrick, who is leading the project.

Dietrick said she will often get anywhere from 20 to 40 questions a month about Jewish history in the state. Some are from people who are curious about their family history; others ask her about how people in the Midwest reacted to and perceived events like the Holocaust at the time it happened.

With this information available online, people will no longer have to visit the collection in person, which will give the collection a broader audience, she said.

Pages of the American Jewish World await scanning on Tuesday, March 16. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) “When we think of Jewish Americans, we might think of places like New York. We don’t necessarily think of the Jewish community in Duluth,” Dietrick said. “So by digitizing this, we are kind of breaking open this story to anyone, to remind them that Jewish communities do exist in Minnesota and have existed in Minnesota, and here’s their story.”

Housed in these yellowed pages are news stories and editorials, but also extensive personal sections that detail marriages, bar and bat mitzvahs, and births, as well as other personal stories about trips people went on and visitors who came to the Twin Cities.

One of Dietrick’s favorite

postings was a personal advertisement where a woman implored the public to help her find a cameo pin she had lost at a dance.

Another favorite was a 1933 advertisement for an underground nightclub in the Wabasha Street Caves during Prohibition. In lieu of an address, the directions to the club told the reader to cross the Wabasha Bridge to Fillmore Street, turn right and follow until they got to a skull and crossbones sign, Dietrick said.

“There’s all sorts of really fun personal stories in there. It’s very easy to get lost in those pages,” she said.

Although now many people think of larger papers

like the New York Times and the Star Tribune, Dietrick said at this time there were thousands of smaller hyperlocal newspapers around the country catering to different communities, especially ethnic and religious minorities.

“You might not get Jewish voices in the Star Tribune in 1912, you might not get Black voices. So, if you aren’t getting those in these larger newspapers, looking at these smaller community papers is even more valuable,” she said.

“This is where you’re going to find these stories. And that’s why I think paying attention to smaller publications can be important, because why did these publications pop up in the first place?

Probably because they were being ignored.”

In 2018, Dietrick reached out to Mordecai Specktor, the current editor of the American Jewish World, to see if the paper would be interested in donating their collections to be archived at the University. A year later she remembers that it took two trips to fit 70 bound volumes of the newspaper into the back of her car, many sections of which were physically

crumbling with age.

“Some of the early volumes [from the early 1900s] were kind of crumbling to pieces. And when people have come in the past to look at those old volumes, they’d leave paper crumbs all over the floor. We had to vacuum up afterward,” Specktor said. “Time wasn’t on our side — we had to get this done before they literally crumbled to dust.”

Dietrick started fundraising for the digitization work in September and raised $25,000 in three weeks, a task she thought would take nearly a year. The team started the digitization process in earnest in October.

Specktor said the history of the Jewish people in the Midwest is incredible and complex, and that many Jewish people settled in cities around the country and landed in farming colonies in North Dakota.

“There’s not much left of that except for the cemeteries,” he said. “Jews made lives for themselves all around Minnesota, all over the North Country.

And you find those stories in the Jewish World.”

5 Monday, March 22, 2021

PROTESTS

What you need to know before you protest Protests will occur in the Twin Cities during the Chauvin trial.

By Emalyn Muzzy emuzzy@mndaily.com

As Derek Chauvin’s court trial starts, Black justice coalitions and community groups are preparing to protest.

Knowing that students will likely be part of the activism, the Minnesota Daily spoke to some experts and community groups to help you best prepare for protesting safely and conscientiously.

Before the protest Find a protest: Start on Facebook, said Ben Pettee, an intern at Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The two biggest groups to look at are Reclaim the Block and Black Visions, but also check out CAIR, Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, local Black Lives Matter groups and the Anti-War

Committee, just to name a few. These groups often make Facebook events with details like dates and locations.

Johnathon McClellan, president of the Minnesota Justice Coalition, also said to start showing up to protests and start talking to people.

“If you ask, ‘Where is the next protest?’ people will tell you, ‘We’ll let you know,’ or, ‘We’ll be at this place at this time,’” McClellan said.

What to bring and what to do: • Fully charged phone • Comfortable running shoes • Multiple masks • Water • First aid kit • Ballistic-rated goggles • Snacks Zaynab Mohamed, the CAIR community advocacy manager, said she likes having a first aid kit and snacks because you never know what will happen.

“Moral of the story: Be prepared,” Pettee said.

Make sure to share your location with someone and tell someone that you’re going to protest. Designate

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter someone to bail you out of jail if needed, and either memorize or write their phone number somewhere on your body.

Also, don’t forget to layer clothing.

At the protest If you are a white person: Mohamed said to remember that this is not your movement and to not make it about yourself.

“Listen to the stories and let people of color speak and share their truth,” McClellan said.

You don’t need to understand or agree with everything, but give Black people the space they need,

Mohamed said.

Mohamed also said white people should use their bodies to form human barriers or act as shields, if necessary.

For example, if police are harassing a Black person, she said it would be smart to help de-escalate the situation until the police stop.

If it gets violent: Protesters are almost always peaceful, but McClellan said police officers may not be. Organizations set out with the intent of a peaceful demonstration, but that can go awry when white supremacists and police officers in military gear begin antagonizing protesters, he said. Don’t leave because police officers

are there, but be mindful of where they are and what they are doing.

If tear gas or rubber bullets are shot: leave. There isn’t always a clear path out, so be creative if you can, Pettee said. When you arrive, check out the area and be aware of possible escape routes. Be mindful of kettling — when police officers surround protesters.

If tear gas gets in your eye, water, not milk, is best to clean it out, Pettee added.

If you or someone else is shot with a rubber bullet, first move to a secure location and then inspect the wound to make sure it’s not serious.

Also note that if you are wearing nonballistic-rated goggles to protect your eyes from tear gas, take them off if rubber bullets are fired. If a rubber bullet hits the goggles, they can shatter and get plastic in your eye. At least three people lost function of an eye during the protests in Minnesota over the summer because of police shooting less-lethal rounds at their faces. One reporter was blinded in one eye after a foam bullet broke her goggles.

Key point: Be careful.

If you are arrested: Act calm, and follow the police’s orders, McClellan said. Do not say anything because it can and will be held against you in court. “The time to dispute things and argue with the police are in a courtroom,” he added.

When big white vans or other large vehicles, like buses, start showing up, be aware that police may be planning a mass arrest, Pettee said. Once in jail, call someone that can come pick you up or bail you out of jail.

Remember that protesting is your First Amendment right and that organizations will always want your support. Protesters organize with the full intention of staying peaceful — but that is not always how it works out, Mohamed said.

“We want to encourage people to come out and protest and exercise our First Amendment right. But we also want to encourage people to be lawful about it. And to be engaged,” McClellan said. “Keep your eyes open, and be conscious about the reality of what it is that [the police are] doing.”

POP CULTURE

A year in review of COVID-19 pop culture memes Throughout a crazy year, the internet spiced up each day.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com A year has passed since COVID-19 took over our world, and we were all encouraged to shelter in place.

With more time at home came more time on the internet, and if it wasn’t already weird enough, the internet got even weirder.

A&E has rounded up the funniest and most memorable moments that took over the last 365 socially-distanced days to commemorate this crazy year.

1. Internet-influenced eating habits: whipped coffee, bread baking, tomato feta pasta, “nature’s cereal.”

In however many years, when I will think back to this weird point in time, the first thing that I’ll remember is the internet’s obsession with dalgona coffee, the first TikTok food trend of the pandemic. Just like every other food trend, this quarantine

staple originated on TikTok, but soon enough, everyone, including New York Times cooking contributors, was offering their own recipes, and it immediately became the coffee recipe the internet needed to try.

This past year, the internet influenced our eating habits, so much so that — once quarantine began — grocery stores began running out of flour after the great sourdough craze of 2020; everyone flocked to stores for feta and cherry tomatoes for that viral pasta dish; and now, people are putting berries in a bowl, covering it with coconut water and ice and calling it “nature’s cereal.” Needless to say, 2020 put a lot on our plates, and the internet made whatever was on it taste a whole lot better.

2. “Tiger King” We may never know what happened to Carole Baskin’s husband, but we do know that “Tiger King” united the nation for a hot minute.

Everyone and their mother was tuning in to watch the docuseries about the life of felon Joe Exotic and his feline friends. The show sparked

online conversation, and a Carole Baskin reference even made its way into another hit song of the year, “Body” by Megan Thee Stallion.

3. “Gossip Girl” Anagrams The meme rearranging the letters of “Gossip Girl” was all over Twitter feeds way back last April. One anagram featuring Blair telling Serena she had to pee, to which she responds, “Go piss girl.”

4. Everything is cake This absurd trend made you question what is real and what is cake. The internet erupted over videos of rats, water glasses, Crocs and human arms being sliced into to reveal their true identity: cake. The food artist and chef behind this project, Tuba Geçkil of Red Rose Cake, posted these videos in July, and since then, we haven’t been able to tell man from cake.

5. WAP and Ben Shapiro’s subsequent reaction The Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion song of the summer — and Pitchfork’s song of the year — took over our playlists and public discourse. The TikTok dance,

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter a complex combination of happiness. That came in requiring the dancer to per- the form of a man named form a jump kick, a ground Nathan Podaca, also known twerk and a kick split fol- as @420doggface208, glidlowed by a booty pop, was ing down the street on a just as impressively executed skateboard, Ocean Spray in as the song’s lyrics itself. hand and optimism in his Even Ben Shapiro had some eyes as he sang “Dreams” by questions and comments; he Fleetwood Mac. uncomfortably read out the Podaca posted the video lyrics on camera explaining on TikTok, and within a few to the audience that “p-word days, it blew up on every is female genitalia,” and platform imaginable, leading detailing the song’s vulgar- him to Internet fame (the vidity. The music video has 365 eo now has over 80 million million views and features views and 12 million likes on Kylie Jenner, Normani and TikTok) and a slew of videos Rosalía. copying Podaca’s — one from 6. Cranberry juice dude Mick Fleetwood himself.

In a year of uncertainty, 7. Mike Pence’s fly we all needed a little boost The fly that vibed on top

of Mike Pence’s head during the 2020 Vice Presidential Debate distracted the nation from whatever political point Pence was making and became a character in SNL sketches and a topic on Twitter feeds.

8. Bean Dad It was the first week of 2021, and John Roderick decided to document on Twitter his experience teaching his daughter how to open a can of beans. Through his 23 tweets, we learned that Roderick withheld food from his daughter for six hours until she learned how to open a can. Of course, the internet had a lot to say about it.

9. Bernie Sanders memes Most people didn’t watch the inauguration with the intention of seeing Bernie Sanders cocooned in his down jacket and knit mittens, but sure enough, the internet took those images and ran with them. Since then, the internet has cropped Bernie minding his business at the inauguration into every setting imaginable, from iconic movie scenes like Forrest Gump to New York City street corners.

MUSIC

UMN alum prepares to release ambient EP “Aibai”

Artist Aibai Tarrant will drop her debut on March 27.

By Frankie Carlson fcarlson@mndaily.com

Local producer and recent University of Minnesota graduate, Aibai Tarrant, artist name Aibai, is putting the final touches on her debut EP, “Aibai.”

Working with ambient, floaty and environmental styles, Aibai has created a stand-out sound within the indie-electronic genre.

With several singles under her belt, Aibai has her self-titled EP slated to release on March 27, the one-year anniversary of the release of her first song. The first single off the EP, “Glow,” a pleasing, ethereal track to drive around to, is a showcase of Aibai’s progression in both production and songwriting.

Though she had some musical training at a young age, Aibai has become more devoted to music in the past few years. She first got into producing as a sophomore in college at the University.

“At the beginning, I just really didn’t know what I was going for, and I feel like I was copying other people’s sounds, which I think isn’t bad at the beginning because it helps me learn how to produce,” Aibai said. “But now I’m starting to figure out what I want to be, like my signature or like my style.”

While taking inspiration from the likes of Odessa, Flume and Rex Orange County, Aibai is simultaneously working to create a musical direction that is all her own.

Alternative indie-pop musician, Colby Hansen, is a featured singer, guitarist and bassist on “Aibai.”

Hansen finds that Aibai has found a way to create

a unique experience for listeners.

“Her music is very dreamy,” Hansen said. “It really makes you feel like you’re in a different place, and to me that different place feels kind of like a dream world. I find it to be so relaxing to listen to.”

Aibai first met Hansen while they worked together at Blaze Pizza in Stadium Village. Blaze was also where Aibai first came in contact with local artist Swims.

The St. Paul-based musician Desmond Lawrence, aka Swims, is a featured singer, guitarist and bassist on two tracks off the EP. Lawrence also provided some lyrical work on a few of the tracks.

“I feel like I’m physically in a different place when I listen to it,” Lawrence said. “So when writing lyrics I tried to grab onto different images that came to mind when thinking about the space that the

Artist Aibai Tarrant poses for a portrait in Dinkytown on Monday, March 8. Tarrant’s first EP entitled “Glow” mixes indie and lo-fi music. (Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) music creates.”

Having released her first song right after the pandemic-related closures, Aibai has yet to take her music to a live setting.

As COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift, however, she

is excited about the idea of playing her songs for an inperson audience once it is safe to do so.

Aibai is looking forward to sharing her new songs and continuing to grow and develop her music.

“I’m just excited to see how the music makes people feel,” Aibai said.

“I want to make sure when people listen to it, it makes them feel good or sad or just some sort of emotion.”

6 Monday, March 22, 2021

GRAFFITI

Indigenous Roots presents new “Reclaimed Spaces” graffiti exhibit

In April the art will be at the Indigenous Roots Cultural.

By Megan Phillips mphillips@mndaily.com

Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center has a new exhibit coming out on April 3 called “Reclaimed Spaces” that features graffiti from Native artists.

The exhibit is a partnership between Indigenous Roots and City Mischief Murals, a collective of BIPOC artists that creates murals in the Twin Cities.

“Reclaimed Spaces” reflects on what it means to reclaim land, sovereignty and what the future looks like for Indigenous artists within the modern graffiti subculture.

Thomasina Topbear, the curator of the exhibition, said she hopes to educate people about Indigenous graffiti art because its history is often unknown. Topbear’s tribal affiliation is Oglala Lakota/Santee Dakota.

She said graffiti is especially important to Native youth experiencing homelessness and other circumstances because it “gives them an outlet and tools to take up space on their stolen homelands.”

Topbear said she made the theme broad because she didn’t want to limit artists’ experiences, allowing them to take up space in their own way.

The art featured focuses on a variety of issues including Land Back, genocide and loss of culture, among others.

Miskitoos, whose tribal affiliation is Marten Falls Anishinaabe First Nation and Constance Lake OjiCree First Nation and who asked to be referred only by her Native name for privacy reasons, is a member of City Mischief Murals who will be featured in the exhibit. She said Indigenous folx have a long history of marking the land to tell their stories.

Her ancestors used to paint on rocks and caves to preserve their history and graffiti is a modern version of this practice.

Thomasina Topbear poses for a portrait in front of her mural in the Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center in St. Paul on Monday, March 15. Topbear is a part of City Mischief Murals, a BIPOC artist collective that plans and creates murals in the Twin Cities area. (Emily Pofahl / Minnesota Daily) The exhibit creates a safe space to portray the struggles of Indigenous people while also highlighting the resilience and beauty of their culture, she said.

“Art and graffiti are healing,” Miskitoos said. “It has been used by many of

us as a coping skill to deal with all of the historical and generational trauma.”

To her, the theme of reclaiming land means her generation reuniting with their languages, songs, ceremonies, clan systems, healing and medicine after years of the U.S.

government attempting to assimilate their people.

Maryanne Quiroz, the co-director of Indigenous Roots, said their partnership with City Mischief is like a “village friendship” with each organization willing to help each other in whatever

way they can, such as providing funding and other resources.

“We highlight and elevate each others’ work,” Quiroz said.

The event will take place in the area known as Imniza Ska, or “white cliffs,” by the Dakota people.

There will be a limited number of people allowed in the gallery space at a time and social distancing and the use of masks are required. While waiting outside, guests can enjoy live painting and music from DJ Micah Prairie Chicken.

Artist tribal affiliations include the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, MenomineeA&E Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, HoChunk Nation, St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, Oglala Sioux Tribe and Santee Dakota, among others.

What: Reclaimed Spaces Exhibit When: April 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: 788 E. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55106 Cost: Free

LEISURE

Daily Day Guide: Wander around West Bank A&E plans your perfect day in a Twin Cities neighborhood.

By Nina Raemont nraemont@mndaily.com To some University students, West Bank is where we go to school: We study at Wilson Library and learn in Willey Hall.

But go beyond the classroom, and you’ll find that the West Bank and the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood have an indescribable charm that makes the place a hub of great food and an underrated atmosphere.

One cup of joe for the day: Hard Times Cafe: Begin your day with a cup of cheap coffee and a tasty pastry. This classic, grunge

diner spot is currently operating takeout and will slowly but surely open its patio and reopen its indoor dining room. Until then, order the vegan donuts to go.

Three places to shop/ window shop: May Day Books: This progressive bookstore hasn’t been making a profit since 1975, and that’s reason enough to check it out.

May Day Books, a no-profit shop, offers left-wing literature at discounted rates.

Before the pandemic, it held political and educational gatherings, but not too much gathering has been taking place recently. Visit the bookshop, and find a reason to be radicalized.

Midwest Mountaineering: Feeling the sudden urge to rent a canoe?

Head over to Midwest

Illustration by Mary Ellen Ritter Mountaineering for outdoor gear that will have you covered if you ever feel ambitious enough to kayak on the mighty Mississippi.

Or check out the selection of reliable outdoor apparel if you need some warm socks.

The Annex by Opitz Outlet – Riverside: This clothing shop offers designer apparel at a reduced

price. Find the newest shoes, dresses and spring looks from your favorite designers while staying on budget.

Four places to eat/order takeout: Dilla’s Ethiopian Restaurant: A stop at Dilla’s for some savory injera will leave you feeling nourished and whole.

Try the Ethiopian-style

collard greens, sauteed with warm spices and enough onion and garlic to make your heart sing, or the yebeg tibs, lamb marinated in wine and herbs and sauteed in tomatoes, onions and jalapeños.

B a a r a k a l l a h Restaurant Somali Cuisine: Load up your plate with signature Somali dishes from Baarakallah. Try the chicken suqaar, cubed chicken and vegetables, or the isbeeso, stewed goat meat.

The Wienery: We’re nearly 410 miles away from the windy city and the famous Chicago dog, but luckily there’s a spot on West Bank that has you covered until you make your way to Chi-town. The Wienery offers 18 hot dog options that would even please the vegan in your life — it has a tofu dog on

the menu. Travel the country with its dogs, from Chicago to California and all the way back to Minneapolis. An interesting point to note: The Minneapolis-style hot do g is just a Chicago dog covered in slaw. That begs the question: Is Minneapolis just Chicago covered in slaw? Food for thought.

Keefer Court: This authentic Hong Kong-style kitchen offers a slew of tasty bakery items, from its new red bean sticky rice cakes to more traditional Chinese dinner options like roast duck noodle soup or congee. The shop is currently operating takeout and curbside pickup only, but we’re yearning for the day we can get back to the shop and huddle together with some warm tea in hand and black sesame balls on our plates.

IDENTITY

Q&A: Local artist Anika Schneider talks racial identity, intimacy and her relationship with her Chinese heritage You can view “Chinese-ish,” at the Soo Visual Arts Center.

By Grace Davis

gdavis@mndaily.com

Local artist Anika Schneider is preparing for the opening of her new multimedia exhibition “Chinese-ish,” which showcases Chinese imagery through monoprint etchings, ceramics and paintings. The works translate the visual influences she grew up with into her own story, which Schneider uses as a way to connect with her culture.

A&E sat down with Schneider to talk about work that went into this exhibition, delving into love, loss and memories.

When did you start making art?

I think I have been making art in some form my whole life. I was not seriously interested in

pursuing a life in the arts until my undergraduate studies. Until taking undergraduate art courses, I don’t think I really understood what being a contemporary artist meant. My art became focused on family and memory during my time in graduate school.

I started graduate school soon after my grandmother passed away. I began making figurative paintings that explore her dying process and that series of paintings naturally transitioned into work that delved into greater themes of both family and memory.

Do you have a specific piece of art in the exhibition that is the most important to you?

Honestly, I think kind of the whole thing [is important] because I think that as an artist I’m really like a narrative artist. I’m always also trying to tell stories and experiences with my work. So even though I have specific pieces, I’m really thinking about the show all

together as a whole, and how all the pieces are going to resonate together and then resonate with the audience. So, in some ways it’s also kind of like the whole show is kind of one installation or one piece.

Where does the name “Chinese-ish” come from?

I was working on something, like, a year or two ago which was completely separate from this project, and the name was kind of bouncing around my head.

My family, being an immigrant family, we change the way we use [Chinese]. We primarily speak English at home, but we’ll throw in some Chinese words sometimes too. I was writing my artist statement and then “Chinese-ish” kind of popped back into my head and I put it at the top of my artist’s statement with a question mark. Then my friend was like, “Wait, was Chinese-ish an idea for a title?” She told me, “I really like that,” and I just didn’t know if it fit this work. I

think it does, but for some reason, I was stuck on the fact at first that I didn’t know if it sounded too edgy for my work.

How do you feel your art connects you to your Chinese heritage?

I think the processes I am using in my art now help me to think about and understand my Chinese heritage in new ways. Since I am a mixed-race Chinese American, being Chinese at once feels very integral to who I am, but also very foreign. Print-making has become incredibly important to my new work because the process itself creates metaphors that I use to connect to and understand my heritage.

With my print-making, the print itself is a translation of the original, always with unexpected variances, that both change the meaning and create new meaning. I also build layers on my prints and reuse my “ghost prints” as the ground for other prints.

Anika Schneider poses for a portrait with a painting of an old family photo on Thursday, March 18 at the Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis. Schneider often uses old family photos as references and inspiration for her own paintings, etchings and collage pieces. (Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) Through this process, I am connecting to my heritage by creating a personal translation of it which allows for a renewed understanding of how my Chinese heritage shapes me.

These methods of making that involve translation and layering provide me with visual metaphors that I use to re-understand my relationship with my

Chinese heritage.

What: “Chinese-ish” Multimedia Exhibition When: March 27 – May 9, 2021 Where: Soo Visual Arts Center Cost: Free Ages: All Ages This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

Editorials & Opinions

7 Monday, March 22, 2021

COLUMN

Sarah Everard is not alone Text me when you get home.

I

never write my colEmily Eaton columnist umns from home.

Quite frankly, I do very little work from home, preferring instead to seek out abandoned classrooms across campus or hide away in those dark caves Wilson Library calls study rooms. But I got a late start on this one. By the time I was ready to sit down and crank it out, the sun had already set. I considered my options: I could stay home and write my column very, very slowly, or I could step outside, keys between my fingers and pepper spray in my pocket, and pray that no one felt like plucking a young woman off the streets.

I stayed home.

Women have an unspoken curfew.

Once the sun goes down and the streetlights flicker on, the illusion of safety dissipates. Sarah Everard knew that.

She had 33 years of tricks and techniques to stay alive, 33 years of living in a world that is not just unfriendly to

women but actively hunts them down.

It wasn’t enough.

She tried to do something that no man would think twice about: She walked home after dark. She told her boyfriend she was leaving, and she took the well-lit path, even though it was the longer route. She even passed up heels in favor of flats, in case she had to run.

Everard was found dead a week later.

She followed every rule, and — despite her diligence — she was killed.

As much as I wish it were, Everard’s story is not unique.

Women are not safe. Women are not safe because of the society men have created. And yes, you’re right; not all men murder women. Men are also the victims of societal violence. But it isn’t a competition. When women are murdered, it is uniquely entrenched in societal oppression. Men are murdered primarily by gang violence or random crimes and generally at the hands of other men. Women are murdered by their husbands, partners, family and friends. Men pay their way through the world with money, intelligence and connections. Women are forced to pay with their looks and what they can do for men and must hope that they do not end up paying with their lives for it.

Femicide is an epidemic that goes largely unnoticed in the Western world. We seem to think that just because women can go to college, vote and open bank accounts, we have ended sexism for all eternity.

In the U.K., 97% of women have experienced sexual harassment. In 2019, a survey found that one in four undergraduate women at the University of Minnesota said they had been sexually assaulted on campus. Yet, women who

speak up on behalf of themselves are often punished for it, told feminism is dead or even labeled “feminazis” and “man-haters.” I could write an entire column on how disgusting it is that pushing for equal treatment gets women grouped with the orchestrators of the Holocaust.

But sexism is not without consequence. Misogyny is systemic; we are born into a society that tells women we are to be dainty, timid and grateful for every opportunity we receive, no matter how unequal. Women are to be kept and taken care of, like pets. Misogyny exists in every facet of our society. Misandry, however, is cultivated. Our society frames men as strong and capable. Not only does that marketing strategy negatively impact the mental health of men, but it also blinds them to the sexism of everyday life. Misandry — the dislike or contempt for men — is not generally a conscious choice but a response cultivated by years of suppression and mistreatment. Men create misandry among women, steeping us in resentment and anger until we no longer have room for complacency. If men choose not to address misogyny, women become entitled to misandry. Who among the oppressed remains sympathetic to the oppressor?

Misogyny is only amplified for women of color and trans women, who are left to navigate the intersections of sexism, racism and homophobia with little support. Black and Indigenous women experience the highest homicide rates among all women, and 55.3% of women who are murder victims die due to intimate partner violence. In 2020, at least 44 trans or gender non-conforming people were murder victims in the U.S. and

Puerto Rico. We cannot properly discuss this issue without acknowledging that though it impacts all women, even violence is not experienced equally.

You want an easy way to put some cracks in the walls of misogyny? Stop calling women “bitches.” Bitch is a gendered slur, and I’m telling you right now that it carries a different weight when it comes from a man’s mouth. Associating femininity with a derogatory and offensive word reinforces sexism, even in casual use. If women can wake up every day and devote significant energy to navigating a world meant to break them down, you can eliminate one word from your vocabulary.

What more must a woman do to stay alive? Walking outside is one of the few COVID-19-safe activities we can engage in these days. Sarah Everard’s story shows us that while we might not catch COVID-19, simple freedom is not without its consequences.

If you think I’m taking this to the extreme, please, call your sister. Call your daughter. Call your mother or your aunt or your wife. Ask her if she feels safe walking alone at night. Ask her how old she was the first time she got catcalled.

Ask her if she checks her back seat before climbing into her car and if she’s ever had a stranger get angry with her because she turned them down. Ask her if she knows women who have experienced violence at the hands of a man.

This isn’t one woman out of every thousand. This is happening to every woman that you care about, too.

Emily Eaton welcomes comments at eeaton@mndaily.com

COLUMN

Will lights, camera, Zoom be the new norm?

Technology has saved performing arts, but when COVID is old news, I hope digital performing is, too.

L

et me make my- Henry Kueppers self abundantly columnist clear: I appreciate Zoom and its ability to save plays, musicals and stand-up comedy by bringing together an audience of people safely and remotely. And by no means do I think anyone who has used Zoom or other telecommunication tools to broadcast these events is dumb or foolish for doing so. For Pete’s sake, we are not left with many safe options, okay? We clear on that,

friend? Great. Now that I’ve said that … I hate Zoom performances and I really hope they become old news once the pandemic is over and done with.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Henry, don’t be your usual annoying, dumb self. Of course, we won’t be using Zoom once people can gather safely in society again.” Yet, I’m not so convinced.

Think of it like this: Over the course of this entire pandemic, companies and employees have shifted their mindsets from never working from home to possibly working remotely for the rest of their lives. What’s to say this can’t happen in the arts? All I’m saying is, people have gotten used to being able to call into an otherwise live performance and watch from the comfort of their homes. Who’s to say people won’t want that after this pandemic is over? Not me!

Let’s also discuss the changing landscape of the theater industry as a whole.

According to Forbes, Broadway is going to do some major overhaul if they don’t want to end up a thing of the past. For example, New York has always been a cultural hub for all things culture. Yet, in the aftermath of the pandemic, theaters and creatives alike have had to migrate to different cities in order to continue their work. So, even if live performances return, will tickets cost $100 more because of this huge setback? And speaking of accessibility, will

Broadway and the in-person entertainment experience become even more exclusive, forcing out a large demographic of folks who can no longer afford to see a show? Will there be a similar effect on local theatres?

Or what about the fact that we’re seeing the emergence of musicals and plays migrating over to streaming platforms? Hamilton took Disney+ by storm over the holidays. Movies that were once blockbuster hits opening weekends are no longer given the chance to debut at the theater. Instead, films like “Wonder Woman 1984” or “Just Mercy” are going straight to streaming platforms and not through their usual studio routes to movie theaters. Will this new phenomenon completely eliminate the movie theater industry and further boost this Zoom era of receiving all our entertainment inside our own homes?

Of course, I assume that people will want to return to live shows. We all miss sitting in plush theater seats, acting like we understand art and culture and fighting for a spot in overcrowded bathrooms during intermission. I assume we all miss this, but you know what they say about assuming. It just makes an ass out of “u” and only you — yeah, that’s right. I’ll never be made to look like an ass, unless of course more people like Zoom entertainment than I thought.

So, do I have a proposal or action plan lined up for you? Absolutely not! I’m a

hot-headed, red-blooded American who doesn’t know how to use the word “acquiesce” properly in a sentence. But will that stop me from giving you my opinion? Hell to the acquiesce no. Here is what I believe: For the time being, Zoom has been awesome. It’s probably brought lots of people joy because they’ve been able to either watch or perform meaningful acts that they otherwise thought would be impossible in the world of coronavirus. However, nothing can beat the experience of live theatre and performance. Therefore, I don’t want anyone getting any wise ideas and thinking it’ll be okay to keep Zoom around for these purposes.

Zoom, you’ve been a great substitute for the last year, and honestly, I don’t think the world should just quit Zoom cold turkey.

Obviously, it does have a lot of advantages and can maybe be utilized to help shows reach a wider audience in the future and help lessen some accessibility issues facing performers and audiences. That all being said, when the day comes when Zoom is no longer needed, all I can say is I hope the door doesn’t hit its ass on the way out.

Henry Kueppers welcomes comments at hkueppers@mndaily.com.

CARTOON BY NATALIA POTERYAKHIN

I just love the weather right now, don’t you?

an open letter to

Ilhan omar

From the Ad Hoc Committee to Free the Slaves of Nigeria Pictured : Leah Sharibu, kidnapped and enslaved by Boko Haram terrorists February 19, 2018.

(Photo Credit: Sharibu Family)

slavery you can help end

In afrIca visit FreeNigerianSlaves.org for more info

We reach out to you to help free our brothers and sisters currently enslaved and trafficked in Nigeria. Many, like the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram — which inspired Michelle Obama’s “#BringBack- OurGirls” hashtag — are Christians, but some are also Muslim. A large percentage are young women and girls taken and trafficked as slave concubines, like 17-year-old Leah Sharibu (pictured), kidnapped from her school in Dapchi. They endure horrendous abuse and physical mistreatment. The Christian girls are forced to convert to a religion not their own; Leah, for example, is still a slave because she chooses to remain a Christian.

We appeal to your commitment to fight for human rights for all peoples. We appeal to you because all black lives truly do matter.

We believe that adding your voice to ours can help free those of our people who are in bondage and in fear for their lives. contact: Pastor Yakubu Bakfwash Ad Hoc Committee to Free the Slaves of Nigeria yaksbakfwash009@gmail.com

1

2

3

we therefore ask you to:

Issue a public statement decrying the capture and enslavement of black Africans, whether Muslim or Christian, by jihadists in Nigeria.

Discuss with us plans to employ the power of the United States — by force or diplomacy — to emancipate these slaves.

Help us educate the American public about the plight of blacks in Nigeria, both Muslim and Christian, who are being slaughtered, enslaved, and trafficked by religious supremacists.

Pastor Ayo Adedoyin

Mark Lipdo

Dr. Oluwasayo Ajiboye

The Venerable Dr. Samuel Orimogunje and Deborah Orimogunje

International Organisation for Peace-building and Social Justice (UK) President, Mission Africa International

Stephen Enada

Co-Founder, International Committee on Nigeria

Dr. Gloria Puldu

President, Leah Foundation

CEO and President, Stefanos Foundation

Archdeacon for Long Island in the Anglican Archdeac Diocese of the Living Word

Suleman A. D. Sukukum

Conference of Autochthonous Ethnic Nationalities Community Development Association

Sports

9 Monday, March 22, 2021

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Jamal Mashburn Jr. enters transfer portal

Season hindered by pandemic and injuries

By Nolan O’Hara nohara@mndaily.com

By Brendan O’Brien bobrien@mndaily.com

Gophers freshman guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. has entered the transfer portal, ESPN insider Jeff Borzello confirmed on Twitter Wednesday.

Mashburn is a former four-star recruit and was expected to transfer after the Gophers parted ways with men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino on Monday. He was the team’s fifth-leading scorer this season, averaging 8.2 points per game. Mashburn played in all 29 of the team’s games this year. Mashburn is the second Gopher to announce his transfer since Pitino was fired by the University’s athletics department. On Tuesday, forward Jarvis Omersa told

Before starting the 2021 season, Gophers volleyball head coach Hugh McCutcheon couldn’t describe what coaching during the pandemic is like.

At this point, Minnesota had not played any matches and only practiced in the fall. McCutcheon did not want to project how he and his team would handle the challenges of playing this season until they had to face them.

Other than three consecutive weeks of play against ranked opponents Purdue, Penn State and Nebraska, the Gophers did not appear to have any major issues due to COVID-19 in their first 10 matches of the season. Things were looking up, as Minnesota had not missed a match, had a 9-1 record and the AVCA Coaches Poll ranked the team in the top-five.

From that point, however, McCutcheon has come to better understand the oddness and frustration that comes with playing this season, as COVID-19 has reared its ugly head. In the last 26 days, Minnesota has only played two of its seven scheduled matches, while health and safety concerns for the Gophers or their opponents postponed the other five. The most recent postponement came this week when the Gophers were set to take on Wisconsin.

“It’s a weird time, and this is just another manifestation of just how clunky [playing a season in a pandemic] is.

Everyone’s trying to do the best they can. As much we want to compete, you have to respect what the medical professionals tell you,” McCutcheon said.

Minnesota’s medical team advised Thursday’s match be postponed for two main reasons: ongoing

Mashburn enters portal as program parted with coach.

Jamal Mashburn Jr. walks to the other end of the court during the second period against Illinois at Williams Arena on Saturday, Feb. 20. Illinois beat the Gophers with a final score of 94-63. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily) the Star Tribune that he entered his name in the transfer portal as well.

Omersa played in seven games this season and averaged 1.7 points per game before opting out in December amid

pandemic concerns.

Whoever steps in as the next coach for Minnesota will have a void to fill with the departures of Mashburn and Omersa.

Mashburn was a promising freshman on the team

and Omersa’s athleticism is second to none on the roster. Star point guard Marcus Carr will most likely depart the team as well, as he is expected to focus his attention on the NBA draft.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Gophers star guard Marcus Carr enters transfer portal Dominos fall as men’s basketball program and coach separate.

By AJ Condon acondon@mndaily.com Gophers’ redshirt junior guard Marcus Carr has entered the transfer portal, basketball analyst Jeff Goodman reported on Twitter Friday.

Carr was the backbone of this Gophers team that went through so much this season. After transferring from Pittsburgh following his freshman year, Carr averaged 15.4 and 19.4 points per game in his two seasons at Minnesota, respectively.

While the team ran into the injury bug over the course of the end of the season, Carr was able to remain healthy and tried to get the Gophers back on track. Carr went through some rough patches himself, but he showed just how good he can be. On top of his 19.4 points per game, Carr averaged just under five assists per game and four rebounds.

Whatever team he ends up on, they’ll be getting one of the harder workers in the league, something former Gophers coach Richard Pitino never failed to mention about Carr’s game.

This marks the third departure from the team

Marcus Carr shoots through the opponents at Williams Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 28. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily) in under a week since athletics director Mark Coyle fired Pitino.

As players continue to depart, the job becomes less desirable. Whoever

is at the helm next season will have a completely different team. It is likely that Carr’s decision isn’t the last one to come for these Gopher players.

The volleyball team has been hampered by canceled games.

COVID-19 restrictions and injuries. While the Gophers had no new COVID-19 cases, some players were still in the COVID protocol and unable to compete. Pair that with players who had sustained injuries, and the Gophers would have had to play with a condensed roster with some players in different positions.

“If someone got hurt [Thursday], I’m not sure we would have been able to make substitutions. [The roster] was pretty lean,” McCutcheon said.

Thursday’s matchup against the top-ranked Badgers was supposed to entail major implications regarding the Big Ten regular-season championship. The fourthranked Gophers would have had the chance to knock Wisconsin from its spot atop the conference at 10-0, while the Badgers would have been able to significantly increase their odds of a second consecutive conference championship with a win.

McCutcheon said the team was disappointed with the news of another postponement but acknowledged this was something the players were prepared for coming into 2021.

“It’s frustrating and atypical. We discussed at the beginning of the year that this wasn’t going to be linear, so this is just another bump in the road,” McCutcheon said. “The group was disappointed, but they understand and appreciate the concern for their safety and wellbeing. We’re in a pandemic, and we’re trying to manage a lot of variables.”

At the time of this article’s publication, Sunday’s match against Wisconsin at Maturi Pavilion is still on as scheduled. The Gophers are interested in playing any of their postponed matches if an opportunity arises; While nothing has been set in stone, McCutcheon said making up the match against the Badgers could be possible based on the distance between the schools.

BASEBALL

Minnesota baseball drops series, wins finale A defensive effort helped ignite offense to avoid a sweep.

By AJ Condon acondon@mndaily.com Gophers fall 6-1 in pitching duel Friday after 10th inning Illini breakout Gophers’ starter Sam Ireland had a much better outing than his 2021 debut.

Ireland got the action going with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings before running into trouble with the bottom of the lineup. After loading the bases, Ireland worked around the trouble and got out of the jam.

He continued to deal through six innings striking out two and allowing just four hits. With one out, in the seventh inning, Illini catcher Ryan Hampe took a ball to left field to break the scoreless tie.

Ireland finished off his night with a quality start going seven and a third innings, giving up just one run on five hits while striking out three. He walked two, but was able to strand five runners. “[Ireland] had good fastball command, I thought he had his best slider and changeup mix he’s had since he got here. I was just

impressed with his ability to locate three pitches and get out there and execute them,” Gophers head coach John Anderson said.

On the offensive end, Minnesota ran into some issues with Illinois pitcher Andrew Hoffman. Hoffman was dealing in the series opener and sent down nine Gophers while allowing just three hits.

Late into Hoffman’s outing, the Gophers were finally able to get a runner across.

First baseman Ronald Sweeny drew a twoout walk and right fielder Jack Kelly singled and drove him around on an error by the shortstop. That was enough to get the Fighting Illini to pull Hoffman and go to their bullpen.

Even with Hoffman out, the Gophers still struggled to get things going on offense for the rest of the night. They finished with just seven hits and one run. Second baseman Zack Raabe accounted for three hits while third baseman Jack Wassel accounted for two.

Pitcher Ryan Duffy replaced Ireland and coasted through the eighth and ninth. Unfortunately, he ran into some trouble in the 10th, which ultimately was the difference in the game. After surrendering

just two hits while striking out four, Duffy struggled in the 10th and Illinois pushed five runs across the plate, taking the series opener 6-1.

Gophers drop both in doubleheader Saturday The Gophers baseball team lost the first of Saturday’s doubleheader 118, despite having an early lead.

The offense finally clicked in the first matchup of the doubleheader.

Minnesota put up eight runs but failed to hold onto an early lead despite having its ace on the bump. Pitcher J.P. Massey hasn’t got off to a hot start to the 2021 season and ran into some trouble once again.

A two-run cushion in the first inning was quickly erased as Illinois answered with a run in three straight innings to take the lead in the fourth. That would end Massey’s day after Illinois scored three runs on three hits and four walks.

The game broke open in the fifth inning when the Fighting Illini put up six spot to extend their lead to 9-2.

From then on, Minnesota was trying to fight its way back into the game.

In the seventh inning, the Gophers put together a rally that included four walks and three hit-by-pitches, and the score got within three.

Illinois was able to close out the inning without further damage and took game one.

Game two of the doubleheader wasn’t too favorable for Minnesota, who saw an early deficit continue to grow.

Back-to-back home runs in the second inning gave a 3-0 lead to the Fighting Illini, who didn’t stop there.

The Gophers got one back in the third inning, which turned out to be their lone run.

Illinois answered right back to extend its lead to four, which ultimately was increased to six. The Fighting Illini took game two 7-1, in a full nineinning contest to secure the series win. They dropped Minnesota to 1-6 while getting above .500 themselves.

Gophers win series finale Sunday The Gophers managed to avoid the sweep on Sunday, beating the Illini 5-3 in the series finale.

The Gophers used their momentum in the field to get their bats going. After scoring two runs or less in five of its first seven games, Minnesota came alive in the series finale. It started in the field with the first of three double-play balls and continued for the next two innings.

Gophers pitcher Jack Liffrig induced three separate double plays in three straight innings.

The Gophers used that momentum in the batter’s box and scored in the preceding three half innings. The three-inning stretch was capped by a crooked number inning highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Raabe and Wassel.

“I think that’s been one of our problems so far this year is having long, long innings,” Anderson said.

“It’s harder to perform on offense when you’re on your feet that long, so I thought Liffrig did a good job getting us on and off the field. The defense was able to make some good plays, they weren’t on the back of their heels, there was action, and it was quick action.”

Liffrig didn’t have his best outing, but he was picking up outs at the right time.

Liffrig was able to avoid any damage in the next four innings after allowing a run in the first inning, though he constantly ran into trouble.

It wasn’t until a twoout, two-strike ball was taken to left-center field for a two-run homer that Liffrig’s night came to an end. Anderson turned to his bullpen for the remainder of the game and they got the

job done.

The bullpen picked up the final 10 outs while allowing just four hits and striking out five. Duffy capped it off by striking out the side in the ninth inning to close out the game.

The mid-game offensive spurt was enough to pick up a win in the series finale.

Raabe had an outstanding series, and Illinois finally gave him the respect he deserved. In his final two at-bats, Raabe was intentionally walked in order to keep the damage minimal. In both cases, it worked out for the Fighting Illini, but it was a little too late. Raabe finished with two hits, two RBIs and three walks to lead Minnesota to its second win of the season. “[Raabe] is a leader. They follow along with him, they learn a lot from him, he’s helped a lot of the younger players. Both him and Jack Wassel have a significant number of at-bats in this league and they’ve been great, both of them. Zack has picked right where he left off last season,” Anderson said.

Minnesota is back in action at US Bank Stadium again next weekend, but will play as the away team when Northwestern comes to town for a three-game series.

Sports

10 Monday, March 22, 2021

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gophers women’s basketball builds a foundation throughout their season

Inexperienced roster showed potential this season.

By Tony Liebert tliebert@mndaily.com

The Golden Gophers women’s basketball team concluded its 2020-21 campaign with a record of 8-13, following a March 10 loss to Nebraska in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

There were very few expectations for Minnesota entering this season. It was without 49.1% of its scoring from the previous year and senior guard Gadiva Hubbard was the lone returning upperclassman who contributed to the 201920 season. A roster of nine underclassmen and two incoming transfers gave the Gophers a serious challenge entering a season in the middle of a pandemic.

Minnesota’s challenges grew, as its first game of the season began with four rotational players on the

Gophers forward Kadi Sissoko blocks Eastern Illinois’ Karle Pace at Williams Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 2. (Shannon Doyle / Minnesota Daily) sideline due to either injury or illness. As players began to work back into their rhythm and grow with their unfamiliar teammates, the Gophers finished 1-1 in nonconference play and went on to win only one of their first seven Big Ten games.

Most teams might have packed it in for the season given the circumstances,

but Gophers head coach Lindsay Whalen rallied the troops, reeling off wins in five of their next seven games. The Gophers season had completely turned around and their young players seemed to finally be comfortable in their roles.

“We’ve had more time playing together,” Whalen said after the team’s win

against Nebraska on Jan. 19. “I told our team today, this is our 10th game and we’ve had five or six where everyone is able to play, so I think it’s just about the time together in the gym.”

Right when things started to look up, sophomore point guard Jasmine Powell suffered an ankle injury against

Maryland, an injury that would put her on the shelf for the season. Things only got worse, as “COVID-19 related issues” within the team on top of injuries to sophomore guard Sara Scalia and redshirt sophomore forward Kadi Sissoko left Minnesota’s roster decimated heading into the Big Ten tournament. The Gophers’ hopes of a Cinderella-run in the postseason were shattered.

“Not every day is going to be 75 and sunny and living in Minnesota, we just literally had a stretch where it was minus 20,” Whalen said after the team’s final game. “Today was a day where we obviously had adversity.”

Throughout the season, Whalen had used the popular game Jenga as a motivational tactic for her team. The blocks exemplify building a foundation and getting better every day — something that certainly resonated with the group, as they continued to improve week in and week out no

matter what challenges they faced.

“We gotta just keep building every day to get better,” Scalia said. “We have to keep building the foundation, and we have started to do that.”

On the surface, it might be hard to pull any positives from an 8-13 season, but Whalen learned a lot about her team over the last four months.

The Gophers’ three leading scorers all have at least two years of college eligibility remaining, while every player on the team appeared in at least five games. Looking ahead to next season, they will likely return 80% of their scoring production with a chance to return it all, as redshirt senior Gadiva Hubbard and graduate student Laura Bagwell Katalinich have yet to announce whether they will utilize their extra season of eligibility.

The future’s looking bright in Dinkytown, as Minnesota’s talented young roster continues to add blocks to its Jenga tower.

MEN’S HOCKEY

Gophers win Big Ten Championship over Badgers

The second period fueled the Gophers past Wisconsin.

By Julianna Landis jlandis@mndaily.com After coming from behind to win in its first two rounds of tournament play, Minnesota’s role was reversed in the Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin, where they fended off a comeback from the rival Badgers to win the title — for the first time since 2015.

Clawing its way back from trailing 4-1 at second intermission, Wisconsin scored two quick thirdperiod goals, halving Minnesota’s lead to 5-3.

But just as in their quarter and semifinal games, the Gophers kept their cool, even when Badger forward Cole Caufield scored one more to cut Minnesota’s lead to just one goal with two minutes left in play.

An empty-net goal by Blake McLaughlin sealed the deal for Minnesota to win it, with a final score of 6-4 over the Badgers.

Playing in his first postseason for Minnesota,

defenseman Mike Koster kicked off their secondperiod scoring run just 1:47 into the middle frame. Unfazed by a goal from Caufield, Minnesota tallied three more goals from Brannon McManus, Scott Reedy and Jaxon Nelson.

In the opening period, Minnesota had a chance on the power play early after killing off a penalty called on Sampo Ranta.

In the last seconds of that kill, Caufield was called for high-sticking, which sent Minnesota to its own power play after a brief 4-on-4.

Gopher’s Ben Meyers skates past Notre Dame’s Jake Pivonka toward Notre Dame’s goal in the first period of the match on Saturday, Jan. 19 at the 3M Arena at Mariucci.

(Audrey Rauth / Minnesota Daily) Just after the power play expired, McLaughlin scored the first goal of

the game with assists from Scott Reedy and Jackson LaCombe.

Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said postgame that he couldn’t be more proud of his team for their performance in the tournament.

“Couldn’t be more proud of our guys. I mean, I’m tellin’ ya, three games in three nights, you know, they don’t do that in the National Hockey League. … we couldn’t have played any better the entire weekend,” Motzko said.

“We ran out of a little gas in the third, those were a couple mental mistakes but overall, I think we came in here and earned that championship.”

WOMEN’S GYMNASTIC

Gophers men’s basketball begins coaching search

Mark Coyle has begun a coaching search.

By AJ Condon acondon@mndaily.com On Monday, the Gophers athletics department announced it will be parting ways with men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino, citing the need for new leadership.

With Pitino officially out the door and on his way to New Mexico, Minnesota will look for its next coach to try and turn around the men’s basketball team. It’s an enticing opening with many capable candidates to take over. Many of the candidates who have been floated have ties to Minnesota, which could help in-state recruiting, something Pitino was often criticized for not doing enough of.

“I’m excited about our search process as we begin that process. I feel like we have a very attractive job, we play in the best conference in America — in the Big Ten, a very competitive conference.

I feel like we have great opportunities in front of us and we look forward to starting our national search,” University athletics director Mark Coyle said.

Another factor in Minnesota’s coaching search is diversity. As

first reported by the Star Tribune, the University is the only school in the Big Ten that is without a person of color in the role of athletics director, head coach or president. When Pitino was still at the helm of the men’s basketball program, all 19 Minnesota head coaches were white.

It has been 14 years since the last person of color was hired by Minnesota as a head coach, which was when Tubby Smith joined the men’s basketball team.

Coyle hopes to increase diversity within the school’s coaching staff and told the Star Tribune that his athletics department is “the most diverse group on campus” in terms of its athletes and staff.

As Coyle and the athletics department begin their search for the next head coach of the program, the Minnesota Daily came up with a list of six possible candidates who are likely on Coyle’s list.

Niko Medved, Colorado State Niko Medved is in his third season as the Rams’ head coach and has been able to increase Colorado’s win total in his first two seasons. After coming into an 11-win team, Medved led the Rams to a 12-win season in 2018 and a 20-win season in 2019.

This season, Medved led Colorado State to an 18-win season, including a 14-4 record in conference play.

Medved has ties to the Gophers’ basketball team as well as the state of Minnesota. Medved was born in Minneapolis and attended the University of Minnesota where he earned his B.S. in kinesiology and master’s in sports management.

Between his first coaching position and his current team, Medved spent one season as the assistant head coach in Minnesota under Dan Monson.

Ryan Saunders, Minnesota Minnesota fans are all too familiar with Ryan Saunders, as his most recent position was the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Saunders was named the interim head coach on Jan. 6, 2019, and was fired Feb. 21, 2021 after a 43-94 record over the two-plus seasons.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Saunders played for the Gophers from 2004-08 where he was a two-time captain.

After his playing career, Saunders went back to Minnesota and spent time under former coach Tubby Smith on the coaching staff.

Saunders has experience with the Gophers and could help Minnesota with its struggles to keep high school recruits in-state.

Eric Musselman, Arkansas Another tie to Minnesota is Eric Musselman, who’s led

the Razorbacks to a 22-6 record, sitting just behind Alabama in the SEC rankings. Bill Musselman, Eric’s father, coached the men’s basketball team at Minnesota from 1971-75 with a 69-32 record.

Later, Bill was the head coach of the Timberwolves from 1988-91 while his son, Eric, helped on the coaching staff. Musselman has been impressive in his two years at Arkansas with over 30 years of coaching experience, including at the NBA and college level.

In his five years at the collegiate level, Eric has accumulated at least 20 wins in each season. He holds the ninth-best active record among Division I coaches with at least four years as head coach. Going 20-12 in his first season, and 22-6 this past season, Musselman holds a 130-45 record as a head coach in college basketball.

Brian Dutcher, SDSU Brian Dutcher is in his fourth year as the Aztecs head coach with two Mountain West titles under his belt, as well as leading SDSU to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015.

During his fourth season, Dutcher led the Aztecs to a 23-4 record with a 14-3 conference record. On top of his track record, Dutcher also has ties to the Gophers basketball team.

His dad, Jim Dutcher, coached the Gophers

men’s basketball team for 11 seasons from the 1975 season to the 1985 season, where he was fired midway through the season.

Other candidates; Non-Minnesota ties Dennis Gates, Ohio Current Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates is quickly rising as a potential candidate for the job at Minnesota.

Gates is in his second season with the Vikings and has led them to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 200809 season. After an 11-21 record in his first season, Gates turned things around and held a 19-7 record overall with a 17-4 conference record.

Gates has also won back-to-back Horizon League Coach of the Year awards. He came into his second season picked to finish seventh in the conference, and instead followed it up by finishing first to earn his second Coach of the Year award.

Gates and the Vikings will face off against Houston in the first round of the NCAA tournament March 19.

Anthony Grant, Ohio Another potential candidate is current Dayton head coach Anthony Grant. Grant is in his fourth season with the Flyers and is coming off a historic year. They finished the season 29-2, before the pandemic hit —

the most wins in a season in school history.

Grant won the National Coach of the Year award while leading the Flyers to their third regular-season conference title in the last five years. In the 2020 NBA draft, the New York Knicks selected former Dayton forward Obi Toppin with the eighth overall pick after a stellar season with the Flyers.

In Grant’s most recent season, he was unable to replicate last season’s success and missed out on the NCAA tournament.

Dayton went 14-9 overall, and the Flyers earned a No. 4 seed in the NIT tournament.

More to come These are likely just a few of the candidates on Coyle’s list, with many others being considered for the position. Whoever steps in as the team’s next coach will have young talent to work with in a competitive conference and top-notch facilities.

Coyle believes whoever steps in will be poised to succeed in the near future.

“I think it’s very important that we cast a wide net and we be very broad as we start to look at candidates. I’m getting lots of phone calls, there’s lots of interest in this opportunity,” Coyle said. “I think we need to find someone who has competitive success and can help us build this program.”

11 Monday, March 22, 2021

UMN Climate Strike puts fossil fuel disclosure referendum on all-campus elections ballot Students will vote on disclosure of University investments.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota student group UMN Climate Strike added a referendum on the all-campus elections ballot that asks the University to disclose its investments in fossil fuel companies.

The group received over 1,000 eligible student signatures supporting the referendum, passing the 800 signature threshold to get the referendum on the ballot. The question

on the ballot will read: “Should the University of Minnesota publicly disclose all of the University’s endowment holdings and investments, including those in companies and investment firms that profit off the fossil fuel industrial complex?” Students can vote in the allcampus elections from March 22 to March 26.

Last year, the University confirmed that it indirectly invests in several fossil fuel companies, including oil company Chevron and gas company ExxonMobil.

UMN Climate Strike presented two referendums last year asking the University to begin divesting from fossil fuel companies and declare a

Graduate student Savannah Wery poses for a portrait outside of McNamara Alumni Center on Sunday, March 14. climate emergency. Both passed with large support.

The group has reassessed its priorities due

to the pandemic’s financial strain on the University and instead opted to advocate for something more achievable in the

short term.

“I think we sort of shifted our focus away from divesting immediately because I know last spring we were trying to do divestment, but we realized that [it’s] a much bigger hill to climb than we thought it was going to be,” UMN Climate Strike member Melissa Fellrath said.

Savannah Wery, copresident of UMN Climate Strike, said that she believes the University should fully disclose these investments to the University community.

“One reason that the University is opposed to disclosure is if they don’t tell us where the money is, students can’t really get mad and fired up

about it,” Wery said.

The Minnesota Student Association is working with UMN Climate Strike to pass a resolution asking the University to release a report disclosing the University’s investment in fossil fuel companies.

The resolution will be presented at MSA’s forum in the coming weeks.

“It’s not just about the climate. It’s about so many things beyond that because climate justice is tied to racial justice/ injustice for Indigenous and immigrant communities,” Fellrath said.

“Knowing what we’re investing in is a step in the direction of mitigating the harms against all of these communities.”

Park board approves student-focused Marcy Park overhaul Changes come as part of project to renovate parks.

By Samantha Hendrickson shendrickson@mndaily.com University of Minnesota students living in the MarcyHolmes neighborhood will start to see significant changes to Marcy Park after the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) approved major renovations Wednesday.

The overhaul is a part of the “East of the River Park Master Plan,” which seeks to renovate and add parks in Minneapolis’ northeast and southeast neighborhoods over the next 20 years. The proposed

changes to Marcy Park include a new basketball court, a small dog park and areas for bouldering and setting up hammocks.

“This project would provide new amenities that would serve the population around [Marcy- Holmes] better,” said MPRB District 1 Commissioner Chris Meyer.

Meyer also said the park board received plenty of feedback from University students after sending out surveys about the park changes and that the planned changes are primarily with students in mind.

Marcy-Holmes has one of the highest percentages of residents ranging from 18 to 25 years old in Minneapolis. While

students attending the nearby University are usually short-term renters, these demographics rarely see much change from year to year.

However, one of Marcy Park’s defining features is its playground, even though Marcy-Holmes has one of the lowest percentages of families with small children in northeast and southeast Minneapolis.

“It’s really important to have more amenities for college adults rather than toddlers,” Meyer said.

Chris Lautenschlager, executive director of the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association (MHNA), said he hopes the remodeling of the park will encourage more

unity between the western and eastern sides of the neighborhood.

“There’s kind of a strong division with I-35W smack in the middle of the neighborhood, and we’re hoping that this brings the two sides closer together,” Lautenschlager said.

Lautenschlager said that the renovations have the blessing of the MHNA. Bill Huntzicker, a Dinkytown historian and member of MHNA, was unhappy with the changes to what he said the park was originally designed for.

“The park was designed for relaxation, green space and small children.

Please preserve these goals as much as possible,” Huntzicker said in an email to the park board. In the

The redevelopment plan for Marcy Park aims to accommodate the needs and wants of college-aged residents.

Marcy-Holmes has one of the highest percentages of residents ranging from 18 to 25 years old in Minneapolis. note, he recalled seeing renovations will happen children playing in the over the 20 years outlined park during the winter and in the masterplan, Meyer local day cares near the said the first project park. on the agenda is the While many of the basketball court.

Students weigh in on board priorities, raise ethical issues with regents election The Board also discussed COVID-19 response.

By Abbey Machtig and Hana Ikramuddin amachtig@mndaily.com, hikramuddin@mndaily.com Student representatives brought concerns and priorities to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents in a virtual meeting Friday, such as hiring diverse faculty and staff and renaming campus buildings, as well as ethical concerns with the ongoing regent election.

The board also discussed the University’s future response to the COVID-19 pandemic and plans for developing the Rochester campus.

Student representative priorities The elected student representatives to the board

shared feedback with the regents on topics they would like the administration to address. Among these were requests to hire more diverse faculty and staff and for the University to declare racism as a public health crisis.

The students also requested that regents revisit the discussion about renaming campus buildings due to their namesakes’ racist history, including Coffman Union. This topic was highly debated in 2019 when the board voted against renaming four buildings on the Twin Cities campus.

Jael Kerandi, the chair of the student representatives to the board, and vice chair Abdulla Ali also proposed the board begin an audit process to evaluate how much the board considers the student body when making decisions.

“The frequency of engagement with the student representatives is simply not enough. While the

student representatives appreciate the role and opportunity we have been given, for the wealth of students represented, we would like to see more parallel engagement,” Kerandi said at the meeting.

Regents election concerns Kerandi raised concerns about several board members’ financial contributions to the Maroon and Gold Political Action Committee, an organization working to elect certain regent candidates to the board by lobbying the Minnesota State Legislature.

The ongoing regent elections process is expected to conclude when the legislature fills four open seats on the Board in coming weeks.

Because the University is not supposed to be involved in the regent elections, the student representatives said they were concerned that regents were attempting to influ-

ence the outcome by donating to the PAC. “The process itself is far from perfect and, in fact, holds many flaws and barriers. One of the things that provides legitimacy and integrity to this process is its independence from the institution,” Kerandi said at the meeting. “It is therefore imperative that regent candidates be independent and not beholden to any special interest of this group. Unfortunately, this is not what has happened.”

Kerandi specifically named Regent Kendall Powell, Regent David McMillan, Regent Janie Mayeron and Regent Richard Beeson as donors to the PAC. “Current members to the Board of Regents do not and should not have any role in selecting potential colleagues,” Kerandi said. “The existing of these financial relationships between members of this body and the PAC undermines

Minnesota’s constitutional sovereignty.”

Kerandi, a former Minnesota Student Association president, asked regents to “do better” and end their contributions to the committee.

Powell did not directly respond to Kerandi’s statement and instead moved on to the rest of the meeting.

University’s COVID-19 response At the meeting, Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert and director of the University’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, updated the board on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the continued impact on the University.

Osterholm pointed toward variant strains in the disease as a concern for the University. As COVID-19 variants tend to be more contagious, they can cause more severe illness and can evade vaccines in

some scenarios.

Although the number of new COVID-19 cases is declining and vaccine distribution is increasing in Minnesota, Osterholm described the current situation as the “eye of the hurricane,” meaning that cases may spike again due to the variant strains.

“The case numbers right now would give you the sense that everything is fine,” Osterholm said at the meeting.

Vaccine distribution is not the only challenge, Osterholm said. Another large concern is fighting misinformation to encourage people to get the vaccine.

“If they don’t [get the vaccine], that’s going to be a dramatic challenge for us,” he said.

Osterholm is predicting that college students will be able to receive vaccines

by May. The next board meeting is scheduled for May 13 and 14.

University considered for state funding to reduce student hunger

UMN could get funds under the Hunger Free Campus act.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com

The Minnesota State Senate is considering adding University of Minnesota campuses to the revised “Hunger Free Campus” designation after a Senate Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee hearing last Tuesday.

Originally passed in 2019, the bill provides a designation recognizing Minnesota community and technical colleges for reducing student hunger and food insecurity. State senators revised the bill’s

language last year to include four-year colleges and universities in addition to financial benefits.

To be designated a “hunger-free campus,” a college has to meet several criteria, including establishing an emergency assistance grant; providing regular, on-campus food distributions; and providing information to students about programs that reduce food insecurity.

According to the author of the bill, Sen. Aric Putnam, DFL-St. Cloud, the bill asked that the State Office of Higher Education allocate $100,000 for use in a grant program at universities and colleges. Awards range from $2,000 to $3,000 per action a college or university takes to reduce

Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on Friday, June 13, 2020. (Minnesota Daily / Jasmin Kemp) student hunger and food funding discussed would insecurity. be incubating grants to “If a school wanted help universities start to establish a food bank, delivering resources and for example, they could sustaining grants for uniapply for some grants to versities with resources help do that. The school already. According to the itself would have to come revised bill, priority will up with 25% matching go to campuses with the funds,” Putnam said. highest number of enThe two types of grant rolled students eligible

for the Pell grant and initial grant applications.

Rebecca Leighton, founder of the Nutritious U Food Pantry, was consulted in the process of revising the bill. Leighton said the funding could help universities that do not have the resources to address food insecurity and assist universities that have initiatives in place.

“I think that funding would just be helpful for both groups to help them get started or to help fill in gaps that some schools have within their current programs,” Leighton said.

“And I think overall, the bill and that kind of funding is really just hopefully seen as a first step.”

California, which has invested roughly $54 million toward food

insecurity, and New Jersey, which invested $3 million, passed the Hunger Free Campus act.

Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts and North Carolina also introduced the bill.

Gabe Hafemann, a member of the Minnesota Student Association’s Government and Legislative Affairs team, testified at the bill’s hearing on March 2. As a former restaurant and grocery store worker, they said food insecurity is a personal issue.

“Life costs more, especially for students from low socioeconomic standing. I’m one of them,” Hafemann said. “My parents told me early and often that I would be paying for college myself.”

12 Monday, March 22, 2021

Meet the candidates for undergraduate student body president and vice president

Only one pair of candidates announced their campaign.

By Ava Thompson athompson@mndaily.com Aspiring to emphasize the needs of students on campus, Abdulaziz Mohamed and Samiat Ajibola announced their candidacy for student body president and vice president in the upcoming undergraduate student government elections.

Mohamed, a secondyear student and presidential candidate, is currently the federal government coordinator for the Minnesota Student Association (MSA) Government and Legislative Affairs Committee. Ajibola, a third-year student and vice presidential candidate, is the president of the Black Student Union and the MSA forum liaison of the African Student Association.

Mohamed and Ajibola are the only candidates running for the two positions.

Last year, four pairs of candidates ran campaigns for the leadership roles.

Students can vote in the undergraduate student government elections between March 22 and March 26.

As a central part of their campaign, Mohamed and Ajibola said they will focus on addressing student food and housing insecurity, mental health and police accountability within their first semester.

“Ultimately we decided to run because we believe that the University, and MSA in particular, can do better and be better for students,” Mohamed said. “Our University quite frankly has fallen short in meeting the basic needs of students.”

Mohamed and Ajibola said that they will hold the University accountable for meeting these needs.

“We don’t want to end with just having a conversation, but to provide concrete steps to put an action plan in place and ensure that the voices of students are not only heard but that it’s taken into account to change a lot of the systems that this University has been living in for the past hundreds of years,” Ajibola said.

Police accountability is another important component to Mohamed and Ajibola’s campaign.

They plan to create equitable campus safety infrastructure to address campus safety concerns while holding the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD) accountable.

Their platform includes advocating for a full demilitarization of UMPD and the implementation of a Civilian Police Accountability Council, composed of University community members with oversight over University

Courtesy of Abdulaziz Mohamed and Samiat Ajibola police.

“I think when it comes to UMPD in particular, understanding and finding solutions to the current [policing] structure of UMPD requires recognizing systemic failures embedded within the institution of policing,” Mohamed said.

When asked why students should vote for them, Mohamed and Ajibola cited their previous leadership experience

and willingness to step up to the role of president and vice president during challenging times.

“We believe that [students’] voices are essential to the change on this campus and in order to create that change,” Ajibola said. “We would like to collaborate with [students] to ensure that this is a campus that is equitable for each and every one of [students].”

Meet the candidates for the graduate and professional student government election All candidates in the election are running unopposed.

By Nathanael Ashton-Piper nashtonpiper@mndaily.com With the approach of the all-campus elections, the University of Minnesota’s graduate and professional student government president and vice president candidates are running unopposed.

Students can vote in the all-campus elections between March 22 and March 26.

Rielle Perttu Swanson, candidate for COGS president Rielle Perttu Swanson is the current Council of Graduate Students (COGS) representative to the Board of Regents. Now, in her second year as a Ph.D. candidate in the animal science department, Swanson is running to become the next president of COGS. “I am really passionate about graduate student advocacy,” Swanson said.

“This year I have stayed true to COGS advocacy [objectives] in my current role, and I feel like I would continue to do a good job in that role as president.”

This year Swanson has focused on holes in University health insurance

plans and how the pandemic has affected students’ health benefits.

“As of right now, all University of Minnesota students that are on University health insurance do not have dental benefits outside of Boynton [Health] or any vision benefits,” Swanson said. “Students that no longer live in Minnesota during COVID cannot see any health care providers because everything is innetwork in Minnesota through Blue Cross Blue Shield.”

If elected, Swanson said she hopes to continue COGS efforts to advocate for graduate students with abusive faculty and continue combating discriminatory policies and institutional racism at the University.

Federico Facciolo, candidate for COGS vice president Federico Facciolo is a first-year Ph.D. student in the College of Pharmacy.

Facciolo is also the current vice president of COGS — a role in which having some experience is a benefit, he said.

“This is a big school with many things going on, and it takes some time to understand how the administration works and how COGS tries to address problems. I can help with that,” Facciolo said. “I can provide some feedback and suggestions to new COGS members based on what

From left to right: Rielle Perttu Swanson, candidate for COGS president; Federico Facciolo, candidate for COGS vice president; U.J. Bhowmik, candidate for PSG president; and Victoria Anderson, candidate for PSG vice president. happened this year.”

As an international student from Italy, Facciolo said he helped to provide insight on COGS’ advocacy efforts to address issues affecting international students at the University.

If reelected, Facciolo said he would like to continue to advocate for graduate students, which make up 24% of the University’s student population.

“I really would like to help to make a good culture at the University where everyone feels welcome, important and that their contributions will be acknowledged,” Facciolo said. “That is why it is important to advocate for graduate students because they do a lot for research and teaching, and they should be acknowledged for being a great success to this University.”

U.J. Bhowmik, candidate for PSG president U.J. Bhowmik is no stranger to student government at the University.

As an undergraduate student, Bhowmik served on the communications team for the Minnesota Student Association.

Now as a first-year law student, Bhowmik serves as a representative for first-year students in the Law School as a law school representative in Professional Student Government (PSG). She is also the current vice chair of the University Recreation and Wellness board.

“I really love this school,” Bhowmik said. “I have lived in five countries, and Minnesota has truly helped me discover who I am, so I have spent a lot of my time wanting to give back via student government — I

want to make sure everyone is represented.”

Bhowmik wants to make school more accessible for students, which would mean using what the University has learned since many classes went virtual last spring, she said.

“I think that the [online school] format really allows for flexibility for students to stay in school when dealing with other issues,” Bhowmik said. “Maybe a student would not have to drop out for a semester if they could instead go home. I think this would increase accessibility to so many students.”

Victoria Anderson, candidate for PSG vice president Victoria Anderson is in two master’s programs in the School of Public Health.

With students returning to in-person classes in

the fall, Anderson wants to emphasize student engagement as the PSG vice president.

“We want to include community engagement in making sure our students are happy, especially with coming back to school during the pandemic,” Anderson said. “Coming back to an in-person environment that you have not been in for a while can be difficult.”

Anderson currently serves in the University Student Senate as a representative for one of her programs, the Master of Public Health. As a public health student, Anderson said she wants to make sure that students in all programs have access to mental health resources — especially during a pandemic.

UMN creates new position to advise on American Indian affairs and tribal relations The adviser will serve in the president’s cabinet.

By Abbey Machtig amachtig@mndaily.com The University of Minnesota is creating a new position to advise President Joan Gabel on American Indian affairs policy and strengthen the University’s relationship with the tribal nations of Minnesota.

In a March 1 interview with the Minnesota Daily, Gabel said advocacy from students, faculty and staff and the need for more focused leadership led to creating this position. The senior adviser will serve in Gabel’s cabinet and develop strategies for increasing

retention rates for American Indian students, faculty and staff and strengthening the University’s commitment to the tribal nations in their role as a land-grant institution.

Applications for the position, which the Board of Regents announced at the February meeting, are open, with the goal of filling the position within the next several months.

“I want to create a team of people that go to bed at night and wake up in the morning thinking about this. It deserves that level of attention, and I can’t do that by myself,” Gabel said.

“I am investing in this, even in our constrained financial resource times, because I think it’s that important.”

A large part of the senior adviser’s responsibilities will be coordinating with Minnesota’s tribal nations

and ensuring that policy decisions acknowledge the University’s status and history as a land-grant institution.

A federal government grant helped build the University on Dakota tribal lands ceded due to U.S. violence against the Dakota tribe and given to universities.

“This person, we think, will help the president sort of shift the relationship on behalf of the whole University towards native communities and advise on specific actions,” said Dr. Kat Hayes, a University professor in the anthropology and American Indian studies departments and chair of the search committee for the position.

Student advocates have requested that each campus at the University operate an American Indian advisory board, as dictated within

board policy. Currently, Morris is the only campus with an active advisory board.

“The Twin Cities campus has not had an active board,” Hayes said. “It is supposed to be something that the campus does at the request of students, and students have been requesting it. And so far, it has not happened.”

Since January, the University has been working with the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) to create a historical report that analyzes the University’s relationship with the tribal nations. Findings from the report may be used to identify areas that the new senior adviser will work on, said Tadd Johnson, senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations at the University.

Johnson’s position

focuses on facilitating communication between the tribal nations in Minnesota and the University, whereas the new position will advise Gabel on possible actions and changes to University policy regarding American Indian affairs. The two positions will work closely together.

The search committee is looking for candidates with national experience to fill the position, Johnson said.

To attract these candidates, the University is advertising the position at large organizations like MIAC and the National Congress of American Indians.

“It’s not an uncomplicated thing to understand both tribal sovereignty but also the workings of a large state university system and how they articulate in terms of creating equitable relations,” Hayes said.

Positions like the new senior adviser to the president for Indian affairs are relatively uncommon at universities around the country, Johnson said, though Arizona State University has a comparable role.

After reviewing the applications for the position, the search committee will make several recommendations to Gabel, who will ultimately select a candidate.

“Putting somebody directly in the president’s office will create visibility, and the president wants somebody whose name everyone will recognize, not just in Minnesota but nationwide,” Johnson said.

“We’re hoping that this will make a large national impression when a person gets hired.”