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CAMPUS

University fraternity member’s death was caused by alcohol poisoning Twenty-year-old junior Mitchell Hoenig died Feb. 25.

BY RILYN EISCHENS, RYAN FAIRCLOTH AND MIKE HENDRICKSON reischens@mndaily.com, rfaircloth@mndaily.com and mhendrickson@mndaily.com

Editor’s note: The family of Mitchell Hoenig and some University of Minnesota officials objected to the publication of this story.

It’s the duty of the Minnesota Daily to pursue the truth about important matters within the University community. We are committed to reporting this story with accuracy and fairness.

A 20-year-old University of Minnesota student’s death in late February was caused by drinking excessive amounts of alcohol during a night of partying that began at official sorority events and ended in a

Dinkytown apartment in the early morning hours.

Mitchell Hoenig, a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and a College of Biological Sciences Dean’s List honoree, was hospitalized Friday, Feb. 23 and died two days later from complications of alcohol poisoning, according to his public death certificate obtained by the Minnesota Daily last week. Cocaine use was a contributing factor.

Hoenig attended two Gamma Phi events — a preparty and a date party — the Thursday night before his cardiac arrest, and the Minnesota Daily could not confirm what he did after the two events. He was drinking at the preparty, one Gamma Phi member said, along with other minors, according to two members and a date party attendee. Hoenig also had access to alcohol at the date party, according to photos and a Gamma Phi member, but it’s unclear if he drank there.

An ambulance called to The Marshall apartment building in Dinkytown, 515 14th Ave. SE, at 5:18 a.m. transported Hoenig to the Hennepin County Medical Center.

The Minnesota Daily was unable to confirm Hoenig’s activities between the Greek events and ambulance call.

He was on life support for the next two days and was pronounced dead on Feb. 25 at 12:41 p.m.

Gamma Phi leadership instructed members to direct all requests for comment or thoughts on Hoenig’s death to the sorority’s international headquarters.

“The members of Gamma Phi Beta continue to mourn the loss of their friend Mitchell,” Maureen Walker, managing director of marketing and communications for Gamma Phi Beta international, said in an emailed statement. “Our prayers remain with his family as they navigate this sad time.”

Walker’s statement continued: “Gamma Phi Beta representatives spent time with our chapter to support them through their grief and to evaluate that Gamma Phi Beta policies were followed on the night of their event. The event followed our policies; however, we take every opportunity to provide further education and resources to our chapters to ensure optimal event management.”

The sorority’s bylaws explicitly prohibit underage consumption of alcohol at sorority events.

Walker did not respond to further requests for comment. Officers from the University’s chapter did not respond to multiple requests for information.

The University of Minnesota Police Department and Minneapolis Police Department had no reports on file related u See MITCHELL HOENIG Page 3

BOXING

HIGHER ED

UMN alumnus looks to defend belt

Falling interest plagues liberal arts programs The drop in graduation numbers for fields like English and history mirror national trends.

BY HELEN SABROWSKY hsabrowsky@mndaily.com

Caleb Truax, left, spars against Ronald Mixon during practice at Anoka Coon Rapids Boxing Gym on Tuesday, March, 20.

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

The 34-year-old has a new set of challenges as his body ages, but still brings confidence to fights.

BY ELLIE MARTIN emartin@mndaily.com

Caleb Truax went to Virginia State to play football until a lingering injury he first suffered at Osseo High School led him to give up the sport.

He transferred back to his home state, where he attended the University of Minnesota. That’s when he saw a newspaper advertisement for a “tough guy” tournament, a boxing competition in a sports bar.

He hasn’t stopped boxing since.

Truax, now a professional boxer, defeated James DeGale to win the IBF super middle-weight championship, handing DeGale his second professional defeat. Truax will encounter DeGale again in a rematch at the u See TRUAX Page 4

In line with national trends, the University of Minnesota’s arts and humanities majors have seen falling enrollment rates, leading the school to explore possible solutions.

Nationally, schools are discontinuing programs and struggling to find ways to maintain funding in response to the trend, and some say this reflects a change in attitudes toward the value of these majors.

At the University, declining enrollment and state funding have dealt dual blows to the College of Liberal Arts.

“There is a completely erroneous assumption that the major you have dictates the job you’ll get, and that is a fundamentally flawed idea,” said Jane Blocker, the College of Liberal Arts’ Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities. “Only about 50 percent of any undergraduates end up being employed in a field directly related to their major.”

She said some departments have seen declining enrollment since the Great Recession in 2008.

Nationally, nearly all disciplines in the humanities saw a drop in the number of degrees awarded from 2012, the recent enrollment peak, to 2015, according to research from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. u See LIBERAL ARTS Page 2

PUBLIC HEALTH

System-wide, UMN schools look to better adjust to disabilities EASTON GREEN, DAILY

Boxer Caleb Truax, center talks to his coaches in the break of a training practice on Tuesday, March, 20.

At UMN-Crookston and other coordinate campuses, letters of accomodation face setbacks.

BY ELIANA SCHREIBER eschreiber@mndaily.com

FASHION

U grad’s ‘Slate Collective’ takes inspiration from paintings

While on a trip in Paris, local fashion designer Allison Quinnell, a graduate of the University of Minnesota, visited the National Museum of Modern Art in the Centre Pompidou. When she walked past a painting by contemporary artist Joan Mitchell, Quinnell couldn’t take her eyes off the artwork.

“I sat there for 45 minutes … I was like, ‘Yes, this would be beautiful on the wall in my home, but I want it closer to me. I want it on my body,’” said Quinnell, who runs her own design consulting firm, Q&Co. “That’s when the ideas merged together.”

After a few years of work and planning, Quinnell is launching Slate Collective, a line

Disability resource staff at the University of Minnesota have felt the strain of increasing student needs — and leaders are calling for better data collection and more funding.

The annual student representatives’ report presented at last month’s Board of Regents meeting showed that many students felt disability services and education are lacking at the University.

At the Crookston campus, Disability Resource Center usage increased from 5 percent of the student population in 2014 to 12 percent in 2017. At the Morris and Rochester campuses, the DRC office is staffed by one person, where requests for appointments continue to rise.

The DRC at the Duluth campus was deemed “functional,” with room for improvement, and students reported dissatisfaction in disability accommodations.

On the Twin Cities campus specifically, student representatives found that staff at the DRC are overworked as more students request assistance from the center.

Additionally, some students complained that certain professors weren’t as willing to

u See SLATE COLLECTIVE Page 5

u See DISABILIT Y Page 2

A new fashion line by the group will have something for a wide range of body types.

BY MADDY FOLSTEIN mfolstein@mndaily.com

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

University of Minnesota graduate Allison Quinell goes through the inspirations for her collection in her apartment studio in the North Loop on Tuesday. Quinell’s Slate Collective debuts on April 23 at Le Méridien Chambers in downtown Minneapolis.

VOLUME 118 ISSUE 51

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Thursday, April 5, 2018 Vol. 118 No. 51

An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900.

2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 627-4080 Fax: (612) 435-5865 Copyright © 2018 The Minnesota Daily This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

1614 Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Indian confederacy, marries English tobacco planter John Rolfe in Jamestown, Virginia.

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OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER Mike Hendrickson Editor-in-Chief mhendrickson@mndaily.com (612) 435-1575 Kathryn Chlystek Business Operations Officer kchlystek@mndaily.com (612) 435-2761

PAWS

NEWS STAFF Nick Wicker Managing Editor nwicker@mndaily.com Cedar Thomas Managing Production Editor cthomas@mndaily.com Jack White Sports Editor jwhite@mndaily.com Gunthar Reising A&E Editor greising@mndaily.com Alex Tuthill-Preus Multimedia Editor atuthill-preus@mndaily.com Maddy Fox Assistant Multimedia Editor mfox@mndaily.com Sheridan Swee Copy Desk Chief sswee@mndaily.com Molly Tynjala Assistant Copy Desk Chief mtynjala@mndaily.com Harry Steffenhagen Visuals Editor hsteffenhagen@mndaily.com Jane Borstad Visuals Editor jborstad@mndaily.com Desmond Kamas Chief Page Designer dkamas@mndaily.com Rilyn Eischens Campus Editor reischens@mndaily.com Olivia Johnson Campus Editor ojohnson@mndaily.com Ryan Faircloth City Editor rfaircloth@mndaily.com David Clarey Features Editor dclarey@mndaily.com =

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ANANYA MISHRA, DAILY

Junior Melissa Foster interacts with the dogs brought in from PAWS before her test in BIOL 1003 on Monday. She said the dogs helped reduce her stress.

enrollment Disability resources Less in humanities strain with demand raises concerns Liberal arts u from Page 1

DAILY FILE PHOTO

The lobby of the Disability Resource Center as seen Dec. 5, 2017 at the McNamara Alumni Center.

Disability u from Page 1

support disability accommodations as others.

One section of the University policy on supporting disability accommodations states that faculty can refuse accommodations if they “fundamentally alter a course or program,” which many students have complained professors use as a loophole to not to honor accommodations, said Apoorva Malarvannan, student representative to the Board of Regents.

“There are certain people who don’t feel supported by their faculty,” Malarvannan said.

The student representatives met with students over the past year to determine what’s working and not working in terms of disability services, she said.

Additionally, the representatives are requesting that the University begin collecting data on student requests for disability resources, complaints against

faculty regarding accommodations and other issues.

Once data exists the representatives hope to use the information to form policy and funding suggestions, said Rochester student representative Lauren Anderson.

Anderson, who researched disability resources on all campuses the past year, said the services across the University system are overloaded, and students feel the burden.

She said part of the problem is the lack of data on disability services, so it’s hard to know how many students are struggling.

First-year student Amber Johnson said she’s had generally positive experiences when requesting disability resources, but did have trouble getting a letter from the DRC explaining her accommodations at the beginning of the school year.

Because the DRC requires students to meet with staff in person before receiving resources, it can take several weeks to set up an appointment.

“There were some professors that were more willing to accommodate it if I told them I didn’t have my letter yet,” Johnson said, who struggles with mental disabilities.

She added that it would be helpful if professors to had more education on lessvisible disabilities.

Johnson also said she would like to see professors adapt their curricula to accommodate student disabilities.

“This is the beginning of a conversation that needs to be continually had,” Malarvannan said. “I genuinely hope that this conversation doesn’t just stay within the report.”

“There are certain people who don’t feel supported by their faculty.”

APOORVA MALARVANNAN student representative to the Board of Regents

Blocker said since the ‘80s, arts and humanities have seen federal funding cuts, while sciences have not. She said the cuts point to a larger conversation surrounding the value of liberal arts degrees compared to STEM fields at all levels of schooling.

“There are various ways to make up for a lack in public funding, one of them is grant funding,” Blocker said. “But if the major grant funders are in sciences, it’s harder for the arts and humanities to compete with that.”

However, for some students, job placement is not a concern. Sam Gavin, a sophomore minoring in Japanese, said he chose to study the language because he thought that it was fun and that it complimented his computer science major.

Job placement didn’t influence his decision, Gavin said.

The University of St. Thomas has noticed similar decreases in enrollments in their Arts and Humanities p ro g r a m s , s a i d P a o l a Ehrmantraut, a Spanish associate professor at St. Thomas. Over the past ten years, enrollment in language majors at St. Thomas have dropped by almost 50 percent, she said.

“There is increased anxiety in job placement after graduation, which is heightened by the increasing cost of tuition,” Ehrmantraut said.

Declining enrollment rates in arts and humanities majors is raising concern within CLA, which receives about 70 percent of their funding through student enrollment and tuition, Blocker said. National trends and cutbacks to programs amplify these concerns, like at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, Blocker said.

The University of

“There is increased anxiety in job placement after graduation, which is heightened by the increasing cost of tuition.”

PAOLA EHRMANTRAUT Spanish associate professor at St. Thomas

Wisconsin - Stevens Point announced last month that it plans to discontinue a number of arts and humanities majors to address fiscal challenges, including English, history and political science.

At the University of Minnesota, those majors have also seen declines in degrees awarded over the last five years – 32 percent in English, 27 percent in history and 8 percent in political science.

To buck this trend, the University is trying to predict what future students will be interested in and what they will need to succeed in these majors, Blocker said. The CLA will continue to push its Undergraduate Career Readiness initiative, which aims to help students identify marketable skills they learn in each class, she said.

In the future, Ehrmantraut said Universities may need to change requirements to make majors more career-marketable.

Despite what the numbers say, Ehrmantraut hasn’t noticed many changes within the classroom.

“The numbers would paint a dull picture, but from the ground it looks a lot different,” Ehrmantraut said.

“The numbers don’t reflect the energy of the students in these courses.”

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EDITORIAL BOARD Aleezeh Hasan Editorial Board Member ahasan@mndaily.com Ray Weishan Editorial Board Member rweishan@mndaily.com Mike Hendrickson Editor-in-Chief mhendrickson@mndaily.com BUSINESS Genevieve Locke Sales Manager glocke@mndaily.com David Keane Controller dkeane@mndaily.com The Minnesota Daily strives for complete accuracy and corrects its errors immediately. Corrections and clarifications will always be printed in this space. If you believe the Daily has printed a factual error, please call the readers’ representative at (612) 627–4070, extension 3057, or email errors@mndaily.com immediately.

THE MINNESOTA DAILY is a legally independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is a student-written and student-managed newspaper for the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus.

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

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

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Thursday, April 5, 2018

3

Junior’s death caused by alcohol poisoning Mitchell Hoenig u from Page 1

to Hoenig’s death. The University is not investigating the incident.

“Our son Mitchell enjoyed life [to] its fullest. Unfortunately, excess alcohol resulted in his death. While this does not in any way define our son, our hope is that this incident reminds everyone to look out for one another,” Hoenig’s parents, Aaron Hoenig and Ann Hoenig, wrote in a February Facebook post sent to the Minnesota Daily by a University spokesperson.

Hoenig’s parents opposed the publication of this story in conversations with the Minnesota Daily.

“Mitchell was a valued member of our community and we join his family in continuing to mourn his loss.

It is disappointing that the Minnesota Daily is choosing to publish a story against the wishes of the Hoenig family, who we continue to support and work with as they grieve,” Maggie Towle, the University interim vice provost for student affairs and dean of students, said in an emailed statement through a University spokesperson.

“Per our standard practice, the University assisted

with an inquiry from Gamma Phi Beta International Headquarters. It is common for the Headquarters to take the lead in assessing a situation while the University reserves the right for additional attention if needed. In this case, we have received no information to warrant further exploration at this time,” the statement says.

When asked for further details about the inquiry, University spokesperson Steve Henneberry said in an email that the school “assisted with clarifying institutional policies and procedures regarding student group conduct and options for responding to allegations of misconduct [if] they occurred.”

Additionally, when asked if the University would pursue any policy violations, Henneberry referred the Minnesota Daily to Towle’s statement.

Thursday, Feb. 22 The night of Thursday, Feb. 22, Gamma Phi members hosted a preparty at 7 p.m. in a community room at The Bridges apartments.

A Gamma Phi member said Hoenig attended the party and drank alcohol. Party attendees said they and other minors drank alcohol at the preparty.

Underage drinking at Gamma Phi events is prohibited, according to the sorority’s bylaws. Gamma Phi events include “parties commonly referred to as ‘pre’ or ‘post’ parties surrounding a Gamma Phi Beta event,” according to the sorority’s bylaws and a presentation given to members on Monday.

The presentation specifies: “AKA the pregame.”

“No person under the legal age of drinking shall consume alcohol at a Gamma Phi Beta event,” according to the bylaws.

Hoenig then attended a Gamma Phi date party at Sawyers on 5th in the Lumber Exchange Event Center in downtown Minneapolis from about 9 to 11 p.m., according to sources and photos taken at the event.

Between the preparty and the date party, attendees were required to check in at the Gamma Phi sorority house. Those under 21 were supposed to receive black Xs on their hands, and those over 21 were supposed to receive wristbands, according to Gamma Phi members and date party attendees.

Photos appear to show Hoenig inside the venue without black Xs on his hands, despite being marked underage on the guest list. It

University’s HEAPR request highlights its infrastructure needs The U will prioritize its capital needs as lawmakers decide on final allocation.

BY MADELINE DENINGER mdeninger@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota is hoping to receive full funding for its 2018 capital request, but is prepared to prioritize critical projects if the final bill falls short.

The University of Minnesota’s Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement request, which aims to restore the University’s current infrastructure, is the primary aspect of its capital bonding bill this year. This focus on renewal has drawn support from lawmakers, but past years have seen the University receive only partial funding for its requests.

This year’s HEAPR request of $200 million would begin to address the University’s $4.2 billion in deferred maintenance over the next ten years, which would repair existing buildings on all of the University system campuses.

Mike Berthelsen, vice president of University Services, said the University is optimistic about the upcoming bill, but understands the University may not receive its request in full.

“It’s not unique to the University that we typically have not gotten 100 percent of what we ask for, but I think the University has had a very high success rate from the state with

regards to support for our capital needs,” Berthelsen said. “I haven’t heard anybody criticize the content of the request at all, it’s only a concern of how large the bill should be in total.”

He said the University is prepared to present a prioritized list of projects to the Legislature for any given amount.

Factors like risk assessment, how critical a building’s condition is and compliance with regulatory codes help the University p r i o r i t i z e i t s p ro j e c t s , Berthelsen said.

While some buildings on campus only need funding for one HEAPR project, other buildings require a long list of improvements.

As an example, Berthelsen pointed to the Andrew C. Boss Laboratory of Meat Science in St. Paul, which needs updated fire safety features, a new HVAC system and accessibility updates, totaling around $8 million in upgrades.

Other updates could include making restrooms disability accessible across the University’s campuses, including seven locations on the Twin Cities campus.

“We want the campus to be accessible and welcoming to everyone, regardless of their condition or capacities,” Berthelsen said.

Governor Mark Dayton recommended $50 million more in HEAPR than the University requested, though some lawmakers believe it is unlikely the state’s bonding bill will reach Dayton’s full $1.5 billion recommendation.

“I haven’t heard anybody criticize the content of the request at all, it’s only a concern of how large the bill should be in total.”

MIKE BERTHELSEN vice president of University Services

“The problem becomes about the the size of the bill because then you’re looking at a Republican majority and how big of a bill they’ll ultimately support,” said Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFLWinona. “This is going to have to be bipartisan, but [Republicans are] going to have to be the ones saying this is the target number.”

Larry Jacobs, professor of political science at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said the University was smart to market its capital request as a move to renew existing buildings, but the dynamic between the Legislature and University, along with the size of the bill, may limit how much funding the University receives.

“I know the University has been working very hard with Matt Kramer leading the charge,” he said.

Matt Kramer is the vice president of University Relations. “The question is, how far can that coalition go facing Republican Party leadership and limits put on spending?”

is unknown whether Hoenig drank alcohol at the Lumber Exchange. It is unclear when and where he used cocaine.

A coordinated response Ac c o r d i n g t o t h e University Student Conduct Code — which applies to all University students and student groups — the illegal or unauthorized possession of alcohol and drugs is a punishable offense.

A Gamma Phi chapter bylaws document adopted in 2012 and available on the chapter’s University student group information page states that “all members of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority Inc. will abide by all University of Minnesota policies and procedures as well as local, state, and federal laws and regulations.”

The University’s Office for Community Standards is responsible for investigating potential Student Conduct Code violations and only launches a disciplinary process in response to a report of a potential violation by a University student or student group. As of Wednesday, no reports involving Gamma Phi had been filed with the office.

The day after Hoenig’s death, signs were posted around the Gamma Phi

house reminding members to refer anyone asking for “any questions, thoughts, comments on the passing of our Greek community member” to a member of the sorority’s professional staff at its international headquarters. An email from the sorority’s chapter president, sent the day after Hoenig’s death, instructed members to refer media requests to the same staff person.

“An awesome friend” More than 100 of Hoenig’s friends, family and classmates attended his memorial at Coffman Union on Feb. 28.

After earning a National Merit Scholar designation as a high school student in Texas, Hoenig went on to make the Dean’s List in the College of Biological Sciences, which requires a GPA of at least 3.66. Hoenig’s MCAT score was in the 99.7th percentile, and he was planning on applying to Harvard University and Columbia University’s medical schools.

He also worked as a teaching assistant in CBS. “To be an effective biology teacher for a group of budding biologists is a big thing. But to be an effective biology teacher for a group of science-phobes, that’s

really something,” said CBS associate professor Sehoya Cotner, who worked with Hoenig, at the memorial.

“To do so with such joy and dedication, even at such a young age, is phenomenal.

Mitch, we all know, was phenomenal.”

Hoenig was described as outgoing, charismatic and funny at the memorial. He quickly made friends inside and outside of his fraternity after moving nearly 1,000 miles from Texas to Minnesota.

“He was an awesome friend, as evidenced by the number of friends showing up here tonight,” Dan Olson, Hoenig’s uncle, said at the memorial. “It’s a real tribute to his friendship knowing that Mitchell lived in Minnesota for less than two and a half years and can fill a room this size, while hundreds more are watching online.”

Hoenig was an organ donor, and at the end of the memorial, his sister read out loud who received his organs. A 67-year-old man received his heart, a 66-yearold man received his lungs, a 63-year-old man received his liver, a 44-year-old man received his pancreas and one of his kidneys and an 11-year-old girl received his other kidney.

U researchers develop bacteriakilling light to fight contamination The machine can kill over 99.99 percent of bacteria in powdered foods.

BY KATRINA PROSS kpross@mndaily.com

University of Minnesota researchers are using intense pulsed light to kill bacteria in powdered foods and prevent the potentially deadly risks of consuming them.

The federally funded project has created a machine that can reduce harmful bacteria contamination by up to 99.99999 percent in powdered foods. Powdered foods, like flour and baby formula, have frequently been recalled in recent years due to contamination by bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, which can be dangerous and even fatal.

France had to recall all Lactalis brand infant formula last December after salmonella contamination.

In 2016, General Mills had to recall several types of flour due to the presence of E. coli, and several products made with Valley Milk Products’ milk powders also had to be recalled because of salmonella.

Flour contamination is particularly dangerous because it can contaminate any foods that it is cooked or baked into, said David Baumler, a professor from the Department of Food Science and Nutrition and a lead microbiologist for the project.

The research team hopes their pulsed light technology will help food companies keep their foods safe.

“A lot of food companies have realized that they order dry ingredients and

JACK RODGERS, DAILY

Researcher Dongjie Chen begins the Intense Pulsed Light process which removes bacteria from powdered foods in the Food Science and Nutrition building on Tuesday.

assume that they are safe.

These companies now feel that they need to start treating dry ingredients before they start to make their final foods,” Baumler said.

It is much cheaper for companies to address contamination problems upfront rather than recall the food after it has gone to market, which is expensive and can harm the company’s reputation, said researcher Erik Anderson.

The team places contaminated food in the machine, which tumbles the food as it is beamed with intense pulsed light, said Roger Ruan a professor from the University’s Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering.

The machine uses light exposure to control oxygen and humidity levels to inactivate the bacteria, Anderson said.

“Powdered foods are not easily inactivated. It is very difficult to remove the bacteria as they can grow to a high level and are not easy to pasteurize,” Ruan said.

For example, the dry food may cake, which makes it difficult for the

bacteria to be exposed so they can be killed, he said.

Another aspect that makes the contamination of dry foods particularly dangerous is that the age groups that are already more susceptible to illness, including elderly people and infants, are those most likely to come into contact with this bacteria, such as those infants who drink baby formula, Baumler said.

“This is a major problem in the food industry and for public health. Through this project we can help as many people as possible from getting sick,” Anderson said.

The project has been in progress for two years, and is funded through 2020.

The researchers hope to improve the project to be effective against bacteria on a larger scale and to kill different types of bacteria, Ruan said.

“For our intense pulsed light system, we can treat milk powder as high as 6 kg/hour for the current system,” said researcher Dongjie Chen. “So it is feasible to scale up to apply in a commercial scale.”

4

Sports

THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

BOXING

Minnesota alumnus looks to keep belt Truax u from Page 1

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Saturday at 9 p.m.

Truax said he has to do better when he faces DeGale the second time around.

“I have to try that much harder, be in that much better of shape and that much more prepared to go out and get the job done,” Truax said.

“I took his belt, so he is going to want to come get that back.”

Truax won his first amateur tournament in 2005, amid a crowd sitting in chairs and bleachers of a basketball gym. Now, Truax’s fight against DeGale is cofeatured as the main fight in the April event and will be broadcast on Showtime.

Rob Southerling said he has been Truax’s friend since the late ‘90s. The two started boxing at the same time. Southerling still supports Truax, going to his matches whenever he can.

“It’s just crazy to see him go from boxing in a little basement or a little armory, and now he’s in Vegas,” Southerling said. “It just shows how his dedication and persistence has pushed him to this level.”

Truax defeated DeGale in December of 2017 at the Copper Box Arena in London, the first match in the U.K. for DeGale in three years. Truax won the match with scores of 116-112, 115112, 114-114.

“I feel very positive about the match,” said Michelle Stocke, Truax’s longtime girlfriend. “When he is very confident, it makes me very confident in him. It’s nice to know that he has already fought this guy, so he knows what he is going to get himself into.”

Truax graduated from Minnesota with a major in sociology and a double minor in political science and African American studies. The boxer said he has always been interested in how people

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

ABOVE: Ron Lyke, right, helps boxer Caleb Truax put on his gloves before sparring against Ronald Mixon at Anoka Coon Rapids Boxing Gym on Tuesday, March 20. BELOW: After sparring two opponents during practice, Caleb finishes his night of practice with a Tebata training routine.

WRESTLING PREVIEW

CALEB TRUAX

VS JAMES DEGALE

WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM

EASTON GREEN, DAILY

Minnesota super-middleweight professional boxer Caleb Truax poses in the locker for a portrait after a night of practice for his upcoming boxing match on Saturday.

interact, which aligns with his interest in the history of civilizations.

After he graduated, Truax needed a way to pay off his student loans. He did so by competing in boxing matches. It took him until 2016 to finish his final payment.

“I was finally able to do that,” Truax said of the 2016 accomplishment. “Boxing

has had a huge impact on my life in general and obviously being able to pay off student loans at a fairly young age is huge, especially when so many people are drowning in loans after college.”

Truax’s victory over DeGale for the 2017 title was considered an upset.

DeGale, a British Boxer, held the IBF super middleweight title from 2015-2017.

He also represented Great Britain in the 2008 Olympics, leaving with a gold medal in the middle-weight division.

After claiming the IBF title in 2015, DeGale became the first British boxer ever to win both a gold and a professional world title, with 23 victories, two loses, one tie. Truax (29-3-2) heads into his matchup against DeGale with 18 victories via

Knockout. DeGale has 14. “[He] was recognized as the best super middleweight boxer in the world prior to [Truax] beating him, so I expect the best James Degale to show up,” Truax’s promoter, Tony Grygelko said. “[Truax] is the type of guy when you give him rounds, the more he is going to figure you out, and that’s going to spell a lot of trouble for DeGale.”

Truax is the oldest boxer in the ESPN top-10 rankings for the super middleweight division. He is ranked No. 6,

and started boxing when he was 19.

After the age of 30, aspects of the typical body begin to decline, such as bone density and muscle flexibility. Additionally, the metabolism slows and the ability to gain and retain muscle mass decreases. Truax sticks to a rigorous workout and nutrition plan to combat these effects. In recent years, Truax paired with Body Evolution owner Josh Hutton to work on staying fit.

Truax said it has become difficult to stay in shape as he gets older. Stocke said she isn’t worried.

“I know that he started later, so I know he doesn’t have as many years of wear and tear on his body, compared to someone who started much younger who would have a lot more damage to their body,” she said.

STUDENT ATHLETES

SOFTBALL

Business school a popular venture

Gophers freshman feels at home with Minnesota

Of the 787 listed student athletes, 87 are enrolled in a business major.

Ellee Jensen leads the U with a .371 batting average as a freshman in 2018.

BY ERIK NELSON enelson2@mndaily.com

For many student-athletes, it’s business as usual — now and in the future.

Of the 787 student-athletes listed on the Gophers Sports roster page, 87 are enrolled in business majors.

J.T. Bruett, director of the Lindahl Academic Center, said student athletes have an academic advisor in the athletics department in addition to their regular advisor.

“Our academic advisors in athletics work with campus advisors and the studentathlete to help them find the major that they’re interested in,” Bruett. “Usually, we can find them something that interests them that best fits what they want to do after their student-athlete career.”

Thirty five studentathletes are majoring in kinesiology, according to the roster pages of teams.

Nicole LaVoi, a lecturer in Minnesota’s kinesiology department, said that people assume her students are athletes, because kinesiology is sports related.

“We don’t have as many student-athletes as people would assume, which surprises some people,” LaVoi said.

Senior Sydney Dwyer, an infielder for the women’s softball team, majors in kinesiology. She said the material she learns in her classes is useful when she’s on the field.

“I want to go into coaching and strength and conditioning,” Dwyer said. “It’s good to know about your body and how it works

BY DREW COVE dcove@mndaily.com

ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

Junior Sydney Dwyer anticipates a catch during a game against South Dakota on Tuesday.

with certain training and practices.”

Senior Ellie Cowger, an outfielder for the women’s softball team, majors in human resources and industrial relations. She said that being an employee of a large corporation is like being a softball player.

“Employees are your team’s greatest asset. On the field, that’s the exact same thing,” Cowger said. “You can’t get anything done if there’s only four people on the field. It has to be all nine and even the entire team, not just the nine on the field but the other 12 in the dugout that are working together and pushing the rock up the hill.”

According to Lydia Bell, associate director of the NCAA’s research division, business-related majors are the most popular major for student-athletes nationwide, with more than one-fourth of Division I male athletes and more than one-fifth of

Division I athletes majoring in a business-related field.

During the 2016-17 academic year, 92 percent of Minnesota’s student-athletes graduated, which is a school record. The women’s teams with 100 percent graduation rates were volleyball, gymnastics, hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis.

The men’s team that posted a perfect graduation rating were golf, cross county/ track and field, gymnastics and tennis.

Bruett said student-athletes have to manage their time between academics, athletics, and their personal lives.

“The biggest thing we work with them on is time management skills and the ability to carve out time for both their academic and their athletic pursuits,” Bruett said. “They have a lot on their plate to deal with, from practice and competition, traveling for competition, a full academic course

TOP FOUR SPORTS MAJORS

1 KINESIOLOGY 2 BUSINESS 3 PSYCHOLOGY 4 BIOLOGY

41%

UNKOWN OR UNDECIDED SOURCE: MN DAILY REPORTING

load. They do a lot of community service as well.”

Cowger said she is fortunate to have enough time to manage her schedule as a student and as a softball player.

“My school schedule has not conflicted with softball.

That’s been huge,” Cowger said. “Everyone is busy.

Everyone has things outside of school that are important to them. Mine just happens to be softball.”

Since its last season, Minnesota’s softball team has remained relatively the same.

One of the team’s additions stands out, though.

Ellee Jensen, the Gophers’ freshman left fielder, leads the team in batting average, .371. Now roughly halfway through her first season, she will look to continue her play when the team faces off against Michigan State this weekend from East Lansing, Michigan.

Jensen said her biggest passion besides softball is family, and while she’s from Wisconsin, she weighed those values when deciding to come to Minnesota.

“This team here is so unique ... everybody is so caring and they want the best for everyone,” Jensen said.

“That’s not something you find on every team.”

Jensen is reaping the benefits of the choice to venture from Watertown, Wisconsin.

Her passion for family back home has helped her get to where she is now, playing Division I softball.

The origins of her time on the field go back to her home.

Jensen said her dad, Tim, coached her from when she was six years old almost until high school, when she was 12. Ellee — who got her nickname by combining her first name, Elizabeth, with her middle name, Lee — eventually said she wanted to go play on more competitive teams so she could make it to the collegiate ranks.

Her father played

baseball for a few years, and Jensen credits him with all of her knowledge about softball until she came to Minnesota.

Aside from softball, Jensen also played volleyball in high school. She received All-State honors in Wisconsin three times for both volleyball and softball, and was a four-time letter winner in each sport.

“Volleyball is a huge team sport and I think softball is as well,” Jensen said. “How to play with individuals on the court and on the field [was important to learn].”

Now that she is on the field with the Gophers, Jensen has adjusted to playing in every game for Minnesota this season. She has played alongside plenty of people with experience in the outfield, with junior Maddie Houlihan in right field and senior Dani Wagner in center.

Wagner hasn’t played as much this season due to injury, but she sees the value Jensen brings to the field.

“She’s just someone who will go out and do whatever we need,” Wagner said of her teammate. “She’s learned a lot in the short time she’s been here.”

The freshman has taken control of the Minnesota offense this season. She has 33 hits and three RBIs, plus four stolen bases on five attempts.

Beyond the offense, though, head coach Jamie Trachsel said Jensen’s commitment to the defensive side of the game and getting better overall is noticeable.

“Every day, that kid shows up, and her mentality never changes,” Trachsel said. “There’s nothing different about her approach, her mentality, how she sees something and her commitment to every single play.”

5

THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

FASHION

MAX OSTENSO, DAILY

University of Minnesota graduate Allison Quinell poses for portraits in her apartment studio in the North Loop on Tuesday, April 3. Quinell’s Slate Collective debuts on April 23 at Le Méridien Chambers in downtown Minneapolis.

UMN alumna combines art and fashion in new clothing line Slate Collective u from Page 1

dedicated to the intersection of art and fashion. Slate Collective is based in three black dress silhouettes (shift, swing and slip dresses). Each season, Quinnell will collaborate with an artist to develop prints for those three silhouettes, and Quinnell also plans to include scarves in the collection. The line will launch on April 23 as a part of Fashion Week MN. “I know what I like. I know what silhouettes look good on my body at this point in my life, and so for me, Slate Collective is not going to be everything under the sun,” Quinnell said. “It’s an incredibly focused silhouette selection, and that really covers the

gamut of body types and personality types.”

Slate Collective: Session 01 features artist Kim Kei, whose work Quinnell first connected with at a gallery in San Francisco. In order to create the first installment of Slate Collective, the collaborators drew from Kei’s existing works to find prints, which were manipulated to suit the dress forms.

“For me, her artwork is incredibly soulful. Even before I met her, I could just tell that the person behind it just had a lot of dimension and layers to them,” Quinnell said. “Knowing her now, it’s just so interesting because she’s this sweet, soft-spoken person, but then her artwork is just so intense and very beautiful.”

To create the prints Quinnell and Kei used for the collection, Kei begins

with abstract sculptures.

“I take the form and wrap it up in … skins [of] dried paint and found objects. … Those get inked and then put through a printing press so the pressure creates an impression on the paper [and] becomes a way of drawing. It’s mimicking a skin-like surface,” Kei said.

“I hope that they’re really addressing the body and the figure without [it] being an identifiable form.”

Quinnell herself favors simplicity in her wardrobe — she likes a daily uniform and has high expectations for what she buys. The last item she bought and loved?

“A twill trench coat that matches the color of [her] eyes.”

As simple as Slate Collective may seem, this simplicity reflects Quinnell’s own style and

lets her designs appeal to a wide variety of customers who can style the designs to their liking.

“I’m most excited about … the slip dress,” said Lauretta Jaye, a graduate of the University and friend of Quinnell who helped to produce Slate Collective’s first photoshoot. “It fits my body the best, and it’s a dress I see myself wearing all summer long.”

Slate Collective’s first show will break away from the formality and structure of traditional runway shows by including performances and an exhibition of Kei’s work.

“This show is absolutely the most ambitious thing I’ve ever taken on. … It’s not a traditional runway show. You will see models, but you’re going to be immersed in some different

experiences. So, you’ll be able to see the collection differently and through different lenses, and hopefully have a really good time,” Quinnell said.

Beyond collaboration with Kei to produce the prints for the first installment of Slate Collective, Quinnell has worked with photographer Eliesa Johnson, who shot the first installment of Slate Collective.

“Allison is a person who has so much positive energy, and she and I work really well together in a creative space,” Johnson said.

“It was just kind of this magical little collaboration, to be honest.”

So, along with displaying the connection between art and fashion, Slate Collective is a celebration of women and their work that

went in to producing the collection.

“I think that it’s important because everyone should be able to shop the line, with the inclusivity of silhouettes and sizes. …

It is coming from a place of intention with women in mind and a place of collaboration,” Johnson said. “[Slate Collective] highlights how women can work together to create something really amazing. … From point A to point B, it’s Allison’s vision for sure, but she’s collaborated with other women to bring it out into the world.”

What: Slate Collective: Session 01 When: 6-9 p.m. (general admission at 7 p.m.), April 23 Where: Le Méridien Chambers, 901 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis Cost: $15-50

DANCE

Dance professor takes his talents underground The University professor has moves on and off the dance floor.

BY MARAYA KING mking@mndaily.com

A

t the age of 13, Herb Johnson III began to take his dancing seriously after a classmate challenged the power of his moves.

Johnson, now 25, is a graduate of the Perpich Center for the Arts and a dance professor at the University of Minnesota with knowledge and experience spanning various styles. “[Johnson] makes everything relatable; he includes not only the physical characteristics, but the emotional characteristics in dancing,” said Shaun Lee Andler Pascual, a student of Johnson’s and president of student group UBreak.

This weekend, he and Johnson will compete in the same battle — a challenge Andler Pascual says he looks forward to.

Although he is still an amateur, Pascual said he uses the battles as checkpoints

to see how he measures up with other competitors, like his professor.

Hip Hop Movement (DNCE 1343) is taught by Johnson and Jason Noer, a current doctoral student who has been teaching in the dance department for five years.

The two professors will be the disciplinary heads of a new dance track coming to the University next fall.

“We wrote the syllabi and proposals to teach several levels of hip hop and incorporate dance theory along with dance writing,” Noer said.

Johnson is a particularly strong leader in the dance community, Noer said.

Johnson has been known to frequent dance battles — both underground and above — but says he spends a lot of time in sessions with his fellow dancers.

“A bunch of people get together and freestyle, have fun, chill, work on stuff, share energy,” Johnson said of the sessions.

WILL TOOKE, DAILY

Herb Johnson is a dance professor at the University of Minnesota and a regular competitor in local dance battles.

Johnson currently teaches Urban & Street Dance Forms.

Krump —an energetic and expressive freestyle street dance— is his current favorite style of dance, but his expertise spans break, pop, house, lock and ‘90s party dancing.

Professors Johnson and Noer find themselves competing in the same dance battles, but never as a team.

“That would probably be a bit unfair,” Noer added with a chuckle.

Last June, Johnson was one of three dancers awarded the McKnight grant.

Most of the recipients

pay off student loans, buy a new car or something along those lines with their winnings, Johnson said.

He decided to launch his own clothing line: 4MXST. Pronounced ‘foremost,’ 4MXST is a brand created “for anyone who moves in an athletic way,” he said.

Johnson is still learning the process of being a designer, and although he wears many hats, he said he is a dancer first.

When it comes to personal fitness, Johnson said his dancing keeps him in good

shape ... but he admits he is flawed.

“I am really into baked goods, like oatmeal cookies.

There are some nights I eat like 12 of those.”

Stars, they’re just like us!

Whether performing solo, with 40 of his friends or the group iLuminate, as seen on America’s Got Talent, Johnson said he brings everything he’s learned into the classroom.

“As a dancer, you know your body will not move the way you want it to forever,” Johnson said, “and that is

“I am really into baked goods, like oatmeal cookies.

There are some nights I eat like 12 of those.”

HERB JOHNSON III University dance professor

why I choose to teach, to pass it on so that even when I’m gone there is still the knowledge.”

6 THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions

COLUMN

EDITORIAL

Don’t let social media dictate your actual life

Fact-checking is very important with all media

The need for social media is influencing the things that we do, and our reasons for doing them. was one of the few preteens barred from using Facebook by their parents when it started to gain popularity. They worried it would distract me from school ELLEN SCHNEIDER work and that I’d columnist share personal information. I, of course, ignored their concerns and checked my profile on my Dad’s desktop when no one was home, clueless to just how right they would be.

Social media has truly engulfed and defined our generation to a degree I doubt anyone could’ve foreseen. It’s gone from beyond a mode of communication and connectivity. There is a clear cultural premium placed on sharing your life online, and failure to do so renders you irrelevant. As such, the way we view the world and each other is fundamentally different than previous generations.

Our newsfeeds are filled with life accomplishments and adventures of our friends, not posts of the mundane or authentic. However, what I find frightening is not the bragging or slight narcissism, it’s that often the image we create for ourselves online begins to dictate our actual lives. It’s no secret that social media can

have a darkening effect on mental health and self-perception, but what people don’t consider is that this may not only be affecting the way that we think, but also the way that we act.

Our motivations are now rooted in our visibility and the attention we receive.

The point of a social media presence is no longer to communicate, but to create extensive evidence of your own existence. I can’t say that I’ve never used social media to seek validation when it was lacking in other areas of my life. I invariably post more often when I’m feeling sad or empty, in an attempt to fish for the recognition I’m craving. As if to say, ‘like me, please.’

These aren’t habits I’m proud of, but I know that I’m not alone in them. The social media landscape places a greater pressure on our shoulders, particularly in college when so many of us are striving for social, academic and professional perfection. Or at least, the virtual reflection of it. High levels of social media use is intrinsically linked with higher levels of anxiety and depression. This has left college students in worst mental states than ever before.

However, social media has begun to creep into our actual lives, and has become the reason we do what we do. Simply experiencing things is not enough for us. We must document it. In fact, we do things not for the experience of it, but the opportunity to capture, post and share it.

There’s rarely a night out where every photo opportunity is not jumped upon. Think of all the videos we see every weekend as people document their entire night, from the inside of their Uber to a

DAILY DISCUSSION

COLUMN

Climate is always changing, but not this fast

Bail bonds and what they mean

I

Everyone has heard of the ice ages, so we know that our climate has changed over time. In fact, if we go back 700 million years, ocean ice extended all the way to the tropics, creating what are known as the snowball Earth episodes. The paleoclimate record is derived from ice cores, tree rings, ocean and lake sediments, rocks and other sources. Mass extinctions have been associated with some of these ancient climate shifts. Over the past 500 million years, five major and many smaller extinction events have been identified.

Today, few would deny our climate is changing rapidly. But how do we know that today’s climate changes are not a natural event?

To shed some light on this, let’s look at climate fluctuations in the more recent past.

A dozen or so episodes of glacial expansion have occurred within the past 1 million years. The warming that followed the ice ages was on the order of 7 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit and usually occurred over a period of about 5,000 years.

It is thought that periodic changes in Earth’s elliptical orbit around the sun are responsible for these climate fluctuations. The cycles, known as Milankovitch cycles, are of three interacting types, and each occurs on a different time frame.

Human populations expanded significantly during the last ice age, which reached a peak about 25,000 years ago and finally gave way to the most recent interglacial period about 12,000 years ago.

More rapid periods of heating and cooling have been documented over periods of 200 to 2,000 years and are associated with solar cycles or even with magnetic reversals of the Earth’s poles. Solar cycles have been ruled out as a cause of today’s warming for numerous reasons.

So when scientists speak of climate changes in the past, they typically are referring to global changes that occurred over periods of thousands of years.

To return to the present, carbon dioxide has increased more than 40 percent since the industrial revolution, and today warming is occurring about 10 times faster than the average temperature recovery following the ice ages. The predicted rate of warming over the next 100 years is as much as 20 times faster.

Whether or not this is so, we do know that 90 percent of all large ocean fish have disappeared since 1950, that nearly 60 percent of wildlife has vanished since 1970, and that severe bleaching of coral reefs, so important for ocean biodiversity, has increased fivefold since the 1980s.

The loss of biodiversity is a serious issue for human survival because healthy ecosystems provide us with vital services such as oxygen, clean air, water purification, pollination, foods and medicines.

Can these trends be reversed? The obstacles are significant, but we still have a window for taking meaningful restorative measures. Motivated citizens are starting to realize what is at stake and are convincing individuals, governments and corporations to do the right thing.

This letter has been lightly edited for clarity and style.

This letter was originally published in the Duluth News Tribune.

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

If you get arrested, a bail bond may seem appealing, but be warned of their exploitation.

O

ne of the things that surprised me most when I moved to Minneapolis was the sheer number of bailbond storefronts downtown. And now that bail bonds have quietly ballooned into a UMA VENKATA $2 billion industry, columnist that’s all the more important.

Many of us haven’t heard of bail bonds, even though its industry is poisonous and predatory. I’d like to put all of us on the same page.

Say you get arrested. (The circumstances of the arrest are important, but there’s no room here; reasons for arrest and motivations for a crime or misdemeanor are not only topics for another column, but many volumes of books.) So, upon your arrest, in police custody, you receive a court date, where you can either remain in custody until the court date or pay your assigned bail amount — that is, you could post bail — and go home. And when you return to court on your correct date, the sum of bail will be returned to you.

Even though the money will get back to you in full, many defendants don’t have it ready at a moment’s notice. As of 2017, a stunning 57 percent of Americans have under $1,000 in savings at any given time.

Among the cheapest average bail for a felony is forgery, around $20,000.

Considering this, you may not be able to pull bail money out of thin air — especially if you’re from a marginalized community.

Our motivations are now rooted in our visibility and the attention we receive. The point of a social media presence is no longer to communicate, but to create extensive evidence of your own existence. bar’s bathroom stalls. Our reasons for doing things are intimately intertwined with our ability to share them. Never mind the music at a concert, just make sure you get a blurry video of the crowd, so you can say, “Look! I was here!”

So much of the experiences we have today feel incredibly unauthentic to me, as they seem to driven by this primal need to plaster them on every virtual newsfeed of any relevance. I hardly think a constant need to document your life will allow you to live a genuine one. As one of the first generations whose interactions were dominated by social media, we should be cognizant of how this has begun to stipulate our lives offline. Life does not happen within the confines of a finely executed Instagram aesthetic, and we should stop expecting it too.

Ellen Schneider welcomes comments at eschneider@mndaily.com.

Choosing between pretrial jail or posting bail, you may understand why defendants and their families take bail bonds instead. Also, consider how much money there is to lose when a defendant is in jail instead of going to work and taking care of dependents. This is where bail bondsmen come in.

The business of bondsmen is to cover the expense of the bail, and the defendant pays the company back. Bondsmen are largely unmonitored, charging staggering prices and exercising exorbitant power over their clients. According to The New York Times, bondsmen “can also go far beyond the demands of other creditors by requiring their clients to check in regularly, keep a curfew, allow searches of their car or home at any time and open their medical, Social Security and phone records to inspection.” Bondsmen may imprison their clients because of a missed payment, unlike other creditors. Their clients accept responsibility to pay their excessive fees because they don’t know that the fees are often illegal, and after more harrowing details, bondsmen drive, and sometimes even directly encourage, their clients to commit even more crimes.

It’s nearly impossible to escape this cycle of debt and rebuild a life.

Bail bonds are a pervasive problem because people can’t afford bail; to avoid it, they need to avoid arrest, but it’s not that simple. The vast majority of people don’t get up in the morning for the express purpose of committing a crime and getting arrested. Certain factors will drive any human to break the law, from driving with a broken taillight to dealing drugs.

The way we fix the bail-bond problem is to bring the lives of our marginalized citizens to parity with our own.

Uma Venkata welcomes comments at uvenkata@mndaily.com.

DAILY DISCUSSION King was killed for his belief in justice

During his last days, friends say the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was haunted by death.

In a new HBO documentary on King’s final year, his personal attorney says, “The most difficult time in his life was the 18 months before the assassination.” For a man who had bravely faced a lifetime of challenges — racism, violence, death threats, government intimidation — that’s saying a lot.

King was exhausted and being challenged from all sides. The nonviolent civil rights movement he’d led from the 1950s to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 had begun to come apart.

His method and goals were being questioned and criticized by other African-American leaders. He was speaking more about economic justice, worker rights and opposing the Vietnam War. The war was bleeding into every other issue of the day.

At Riverside Church in New York on this date in 1967, King gave a searing speech about a “far deeper malady” in American society, the economic injustice that kept the poor, minority citizens and the dispossessed in their place. American society was “on the side of the wealthy, and the secure, while we create a hell for the poor,” he said. According to a story in the New Yorker magazine last year, King in his last year “warned of a time of endless war, when the U.S. would be trapped in one overseas entanglement after another, while the gap at home between the rich and poor grew ever larger.”

His opposition to the war put him at odds

with President Lyndon Johnson, who had been an ally in the fight for civil rights, as well as with conservatives who called him a traitor. The FBI was monitoring his every move and Director J. Edgar Hoover called him an “immoral opportunist.”

Democratic Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, of New York, said 50 years ago last month, “I don’t call for violence or riots, but the day of Martin Luther King has come to an end.” The New York Times faulted King for “linking these hard, complex problems” such as Vietnam and racial justice, which will “lead not to solutions but to deeper confusion.” A Chicago Tribune editorial, 50 years ago last week, said, “We think the time has arrived when the country must ask itself how much more it is going to put up with this incendiarist.”

It’s easy to think of King as a plaster saint. Who would disagree with the “I Have a Dream” speech, especially 50 years later, when it’s easy to give lip service to what at the time was a radical challenge to the America of 1963? That might have been the high point of King’s public career, but most of his life was spent in the trenches, challenging authority. Doing time in jail. Fighting for the rights of the powerless and disenfranchised.

Being fearless and human — making mistakes at times, finding the perfect words and actions at others. Preaching the Gospel from the pulpit. Fighting for human rights.

This letter has been lightly edited for clarity and style.

This letter was originally published in the Rochester Post Bulletin.

L

ast week, a video showing hundreds of local television news anchors reciting the same script was edited together and released, sending the general public into a panic. The recited script warned against “biased and false” news, a message President Donald J. Trump has been shouting since he first started to run for the GOP nomination. The script, which hundreds of local news stations and anchors stated word for word on-air, was dispersed and mandated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the owner of more than 190 television stations nationwide. The words were seemingly ordinary; however, upon seeing hundreds of anchors reciting the same message that has been propagated by the 45th President of the United States, panic set in.

A message like this is eerily similar to messages by state sponsored media in nondemocratic nations, given the generic mandatory script announcing a message aligning with the leading coalition and the one of the President’s most propagated messages. People are worried this could start to happen more often, and with Sinclair’s largest catalogue of television stations, it may become a reality. TASS is the largest media company in Russia, the fourth largest media outlet in the world and is owned by the Russian Federation. The Korean Central News Agency is the only news agency in North Korea and is owned by the state. This is the fear if the largest owner of local television stations is allowed to spread messages through a script. Overall, the unknown is frightening, and sharing a likeness to Russia and North Korea regarding United States media is unwanted and unprecedented.

Although crowdsourcing information is an efficient and easy way to receive updates, not every piece of information is true.

The unveiling of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s methods and motives is a great opportunity to remind the general public that media diversity is incredibly important, regardless of ideology.

Unfortunately, this incident is evidence that some media may be biased to a fault, and incorporating news from several sources, platforms and media has never been more necessary. Only digesting local television news is not enough. Adding additional news sources reduces circumstances in which one might find themselves being influenced heavily by covert media operations, such as the information dissemination methods utilized by Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Self fact-checking is also an incredibly important process, and one that everyone needs to engage in when consuming all types of news media. This importance is never more evident than on the University of Minnesota campus. During the Graduate Hotel situation, many accounts of the incident were spread across the University, often accompanied by little validity. Additionally, rumor spread through social media in December 2017 that an active shooter appeared in Moos Tower, something that was found to be entirely untrue. Although crowdsourcing information is an efficient and easy way to receive updates, not every piece of information is true. Assumption is a dangerous thing, and taking the time to fact check is an important aspect of being a responsible University of Minnesota student.

Through diversifying media consumption and fact-checking, hopefully everyone can achieve a better understanding of political and nonpolitical issues and the general public can become an increasingly responsible consumer.

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

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

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7

THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM FOR RELEASE APRIL 5, 2018

HOROSCOPES Today’s Birthday (4/5): Family assets rise this year. Focus on career for a powerful boost. Renovation or relocation this summer delivers a cozier nest for expanding love. Provide team leadership for shared passions, values and commitments. Winter career opportunities sparkle. Collaborate for love.

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is an 8 — Plan a trip without overspending. Decline an expensive invitation. Keep written records, as communication glitches may arise. Imagine total success, without relying on fantasy.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): TToday is a 7 — Collaborate with your team for shared gain.

Profits are available; coordinate actions, and stay in communication. Misunderstandings spark easily. Slow for considerations.

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle CROSSWORD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

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

Written by Nancy Black

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 7 — You’re especially clever with words and ideas. Craft and develop plot twists and revelations. Keep ‘em guessing! Capture your visions or risk forgetting.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 7 — The next two days can be profitable, although distractions abound. Avoid controversy. Doubts or stresses would interfere with progress. Adjust conditions for peaceful productivity.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is an 8 — Stick to practical objectives with your partner. Fantasies dissolve in the daylight. Hold off on travel for now. Manage basic priorities together.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 9 — Talk about personal dreams can dissipate and evaporate unless you take notes and schedule actions. Fantasies fade; realize a vision through careful organization and tracking.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is a 9 — Your energy is in demand. Follow your health and fitness routines despite chaos or unexpected circumstances. Stability soothes when things feel shaky.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 6 — Relax, and wait for developments. Make plans, and adjust for current affairs. Avoid travel, loud public places or overstimulation. Get quiet, and think.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is a 7 — Let go of a scheme that lacks soul. Keep practicing your game. Notice what you love about it. Small changes can reap big rewards.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 7 — Help your team focus. Ease up on imaginative suggestions. Prioritize one achievable objective at a time.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is a 6 — It’s easy to get overly elaborate with domestic projects.

Go for simplicity and practicality. Take one step toward a goal you’ve long wanted.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 7 — Discuss what could be possible for your home with family today and tomorrow. Invest in efficiency.

Share ideas and solutions.

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DOWN 1 Southeastern Iraqi port 2 Dealer’s requests

PRINT RATE: $2.70 PER LINE/DAY ONLINE RATE: $20 PER 15 DAYS

DR. DATE Dr. Date, I’ve dated this guy on and off for about three years. Our relationship was pretty good at first but quickly turned sour. We kept hooking up, though — at first because we thought our relationship might still have a shot, and later because we gave up and admitted that the sex was just really, really good. So, here’s my question: If literally everything about this guy drives me insane, but we still have amazing sex, is it OK to keep hooking up with him? We have one more year of college, so the temptation won’t be going away any time soon.

—Just Can’t Get Enough When Enough Is Enough, Is it “OK”? How am I supposed to answer that? “OK” is a pseudo-ambivalent state of mind I can’t dictate. YOU need to reflect on this by considering these questions: Does the great sex outweigh the crazy? If you just focus on the sex, is the crazy less of a facet in the relationship? Because if you only get together for sex and remove any time for insanity, I see no problem with having meaningless sex, especially when it’s excellent. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that if you’re writing in to a dating columnist, the sex, no matter its order of magnitude on the greatness scale, will not outweigh the parts of this dude’s personality that drive you nuts. Really, you need to find some other person to replace him in your phonebook as your go-to lay. No matter what you tell yourself — and no matter how much you avoid him — if there’s no one else on your radar, you will end up with him on some late, drunken night.

—Dr. Date

ACROSS 1 Farm unit 5 “Uh, don’t forget about me ... ” 9 Selling point 14 Soon, quaintly 15 Diamond corner 16 Busch Gardens city 17 USAF plane for small runways 18 Word of proof?

19 Video game based on a film, e.g.

20 Meal owed to President Clinton?

23 Help 24 __ bran 25 PC-to-PC system 28 Employing echo in audio?

32 River to the North Sea 36 “Blue Bloods” rank: Abbr.

37 Devotee 38 Northeast gubernatorial family name 40 Paris café brew 42 African antelope 43 Get in 45 “__ Believer”: Monkees hit 47 __-bitty 48 Rules for righting wrongs?

51 WWII general 52 Map abbr.

53 Bun, for one 58 Mail about system improvements?

62 Like gymnasts 64 Camping stuff 65 Every which way 66 Wash cycle 67 One-named supermodel 68 Nutrition bar with a crescent moon in its logo 69 Like pet hamsters 70 Conciliatory gestures 71 North Sea feeder

4/5/18

By Winston Emmons

3 Circuitous routes 4 Zhou of China 5 Helped in a job, perhaps 6 Difficult 7 Biblical brother 8 Comet fragment, perhaps 9 State of mind 10 Proceed easily (through) 11 Sense something’s amiss 12 Prefix with center 13 “The Joy Luck Club” novelist 21 Georgia, once: Abbr.

22 Syrup-soaked cake 26 Ticket __ 27 Dweebish 29 Pro with a tabletop scale 30 System of moral values 31 Most piano sonatas 32 Bluemountain.com product 33 Drew 34 Adjacent to

Last Issue’s Puzzle Wednesday’s PuzzleSolved Solved

©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

35 Mideast potentate 39 Stuff at mealtime 41 My Chemical Romance genre 44 __ perpetua: Idaho motto 46 Sticks 49 Worsted fabrics 50 Consume 54 Amalfi Coast country 55 Romulus’ twin

4/5/18

56 Source of some overhead footage 57 Heroic Schindler 59 “What __ could it be?”

60 Brief reminder 61 “__ Unto My Feet”: longtime CBS religious program 62 Circle part 63 Italian actress Scala

SUDOKU Dr. Date, I went out on a couple dates with this girl, and things were going really well. Then, she told me she’s a Mormon. Don’t get me wrong — I don’t have anything against Mormons. I’m just not sure about dating someone whose beliefs completely clash with mine (I’m an atheist). Also (and this might be kind of petty, but I’m saying it anyway), I just don’t get the no coffee, no alcohol thing. I just don’t. Would it be bad to break up with her because of this? Am I being stupid?

—Not So Sure Hey Stupid, No, you’re not being stupid.

Religion (or lack thereof) is an extremely common source of relationship turbulence and a frequent reason for breakups.

While I do believe that something does irk you about Mormons or Mormonism despite your caveat, a schism as wide as religion can be a huge hurdle in developing a functional relationship. If you feel like it isn’t worth the work, go ahead and break up. But why do you feel obligated to bring up the caffeine and alcohol thing? Why was that necessary? Do you shake your head when you hear someone ask if something is kosher? Do you bitch about Muslims not eating bacon? What’s the deal, man?

Different strokes for different folks. If this girl has a kind, caring soul and is funny and nice, can’t you set aside some differences? I mean, relationships are about compromise.

—Dr. Date

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

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

4/5/2018

Last issue’s solution

Want advice from the love doctor? Email Dr. Date at drdate@ mndaily. com

© 2018 Michael Mepham. Distributed

by Tribune Media Services.

All rights reserved.

8

Thursday, April 5, 2018

New legislation for free online textbooks TEXTBOOK COSTS IN DOLLARS FROM 2006-2016

147.3 139.9 133.7 124.6 115.9 107.1

159

183.5 175.6 163.4

100

06 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 016 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

20

SOURCE: BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

HARRY STEFFENHAGEN, DAILY

Students at the U of M have saved over $3 million with open textbook programs.

BY MAX CHAO mchao@mndaily.com

A new federal bill could expand the University of Minnesota’s already growing open textbook program.

On March 23, the federal government approved a spending bill that includes $5 million for fiscal year 2018 to help universities integrate free online textbooks.

The bill will create a federal pilot program that offers grants to institutions that apply, allowing them to use and invest in free educational materials.

Open textbooks are

often created by college and university faculty with the intent to make them free to access, said David Ernst, executive director of the Open Textbook Network and a University administrator. “[Universities] just decided that this is something that they should do for the good of students. Collectively, they’ve created quite a few, and now there’s enough to make a pretty big dent in textbook costs,” Ernst said.

Textbook prices have been climbing nationwide for years, and rose by 63 percent between 2006 and 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Currently, a bill is making its way through the Minnesota state legislature that would require at least 15 percent of all courses at Minnesota state schools

to use affordable and open textbooks. Open textbook programs have been funded on a state level in the past, but never on the federal level.

Although the allotted money from the federal government is relatively small, the bill’s impact could be significant, Ernst said.

“The fact that the federal government is funding this work, in some ways, could bring a lot of attention and legitimize [open textbooks],” he said.

Open textbooks at the University At the University of Minnesota, students spend an average of $1,000 on textbooks per year, according to data from the University libraries. Of students surveyed in 2016

at the University, 49 percent said they take fewer classes because of the cost of textbooks.

The University is “absolutely” interested in applying for these grants to supplement its existing program, said University Dean of Libraries Wendy Pradt Lougee.

The University libraries system started the Partnership for Affordable Content in 2015. PFAC spreads awareness of open textbooks and gives grants to faculty members to create textbooks and other free online resources.

Since the program launched in 2015, 30 textbooks have been published, amassing readers across the U.S. and in countries like the U.K. and India.

PFAC has saved University students an estimated total of $3.5 million dollars on

textbook fees, Lougee said.

Ernst’s Open Textbook Network also hosts around 450 works in its Open Textbook Library, which launched in 2012.

The Association of Big Ten Students had open t e x t b o o k p ro g r a m s o n its legislative platform for more than a year, coordinating social media and outreach campaigns between its member campuses to advocate for them, said University student Max Hurst, legislative director for ABTS and the Minnesota Student Association.

“We all thought that this would be a good move to make textbooks more affordable as one of the leading costs in college lives,” Hurst said.

ABTS plans to push for $10 million in program funding from the federal

“We all thought that this would be a good move to make textbooks more affordable as one of the leading costs in college lives.”

MAX HURST legislative director for ABTS and the Minnesota Student Association

government for fiscal year 2019 — doubling the current allotment, Hurst said.

“There’s still a long way to go,” said Ernst. “But I think in the past year or two, there’s been more and more awareness that [open textbooks] do exist and they are an option.”