One Bulldog’s pilgrimage from London to Duluth, B1
Prof Talks encourages campus community to be proactive, A5
When classes end, an adventure begins, B3
THE STATESMAN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH
WWW.UMDSTATESMAN.COM
Revamped neon 5K will light up the night Changes made by host Tau Beta Pi include the start time and a 2.5K walk BY CARL VAN CLEVE Statesman Correspondent
Hard work, sweat and perseverance: These are some of the things that might come to mind when considering running a 5K, but organizing a 5K also requires a great deal of effort. With the second annual Neon Night Run scheduled for April 26, UMD’s chap-
ter of Tau Beta Pi, a national engineering honor society, can attest that running a 5K might be the easier of the two jobs. President Jessica Morris and the rest of Tau Beta Pi have been busy the last two months making preparations for this year’s run, set to take place on Saturday at UMD. The event marks the third consecutive year that Tau Beta Pi has hosted a 5K, and according to
Morris, there have been some learning experiences along the way. “Three years ago was our first run; we called it the Pi Mile Run, so it was 3.14 miles,” Morris, who was not the president at the time, said. “We had 20 people show up, and it sucked.” After being appointed president in the spring of 2013, Morris decided to take the run in a slightly different direction. “I decided … I’m going to see NEON 5K, A3
Runners at last year’s race had to compete with rain and sleet. TAU BETA PI/SUBMITTED
Education students celebrate diversity, help needy families BY SAM STROM Staff Reporter
Students study and mingle in the Ven Den on April 15. It was announced last week that the space will receive a $250,000 renovation. SARAH STAUNER/STATESMAN
Study spot remodel sparks budget talk
Policy bars UMD from spending Ven Den money on programs or faculty as some students suggest
A whiteboard in front of the Kirby Information Desk became a forum for budget conversation last week when passersby left messages both criticizing and supporting UMD’s recently announced renovation of the Ven Den. Some of the messages on the whiteboard, which is intended for student input on the project, questioned the University’s spending priorities at a time when programs and jobs are being cut to offset a $9.4 million budget shortfall. Other messages argued that the budget does not allow money to be moved freely and instead offered suggestions for the $250,000 project.
One message read: “Move the budget to tuition to lower the annual rates, or renovate places to help our education: Smart Rooms, cheaper textbooks, etc.; rather than something fancy to show off during tours. We have a (unneeded) renovated student lounge. That’s plenty for fun: Now try something good for education.” A message written directly below read: “You obviously don’t understand how the school’s financial system works. You can’t just move money to tuition.” UMD’s Student Service Fee Committee will pay half of the renovation’s $125,000 projected cost. Dining Services has agreed to pay $55,000.
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BY KYLE FARRIS News Editor
see VEN DEN, A4
The renovation is directly tied to our students’ education.
One comment urged the University to focus on education and retaining faculty. KYLE FARRIS/STATESMAN
INDEX:
News: A1 - A4 |
- Lisa Erwin, vice chancellor for Student Life
Opinion: A5 - A6 | Sports: B1 - B2
| Student Life: B3 - B5
A cultural diversity celebration and servicelearning project will be held April 23 at Myers-Wilkins Elementary School, an event put on by the Education Minnesota Student Association (EMSA) and two education classes from UMD. The event, titled “It’s a Small World,” provides an opportunity for UMD students to connect with the Duluth community, and it also allows UMD education students to create lesson plans for the school of approximately 350 students. The event is sponsored by TCF Bank, Super One and Cub Foods.
“This event is important for many reasons,” said EMSA Secretary Jill Cotone. “It gives students in some of our education classes a chance to put the ideas and concepts they are learning in class to practice out in the field. It gives education students, as well as EMSA members, an opportunity to participate in service learning. It is also important to the families at Myers-Wilkins Elementary.” Myers-Wilkins Elementary is one of the most culturally diverse schools in Duluth. According to the “It’s a Small World” flyer, 52 percent of the students at Myers-Wilkins are students of color, 15 percent of the students are homeless and see ‘SMALL WORLD,’ A3
40 years later, the show goes on at MPAC BY PAIGE WALTER Staff Reporter
This April marks the 40th anniversary of the Marshall Performing Arts Center, a building that established UMD’s School of Fine Arts. Before the Marshall Performing Arts Center (MPAC) was built, fine arts classes were held in the Humanities building. The arrangement stood for a number of years, but in the late 1960s the University decided music, theater and dance needed their own location on campus. MPAC was built in 1974 and has since undergone some major changes, including a recent $3 million renovation that supplied new sound, light-
ing and rigging systems. “There were no computers in 1974, so to design a space back then and think that it would be able to handle all of that ‘stuff’ 40 years later is a little crazy,” said Mark Harvey, head of the Theatre Department. “They tear theaters down all the time, saying ‘We have to start from the ground up,’ but this facility has really managed new technology well.” Harvey is also an associate professor and a lighting designer with an extensive resume. He has been at UMD 31 years and has witnessed some significant changes in the MPAC, one being sound see MPAC, A3