WOMENâS BASKETBALL
SWIMMING & DIVING
Gophers fire Borton, move in new direction
Minnesota finishes 22nd at NCAA meet
Pam Borton went 236-152 in 12 years as the coach of the womenâs team.
Derek Toomey tied his career-best time in the 50-yard freestyle at the NCAAs.
u See PAGE 11
SHOWERS HIGH 58° LOW 26°
U OF M
u See PAGE 12
MINNEAPOLIS
CAMPUS & METRO
ST PAUL
MONDAY
MARCH 31, 2014
Science students back bonding request
Students from all five U campuses visited the capital to push for funding. u See PAGE 18
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
BOARD OF REGENTS
Board reps fight GPA conditions The Board of Regents will now require student representatives to hold a GPA of 2.5 or higher. BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com
Biology society and environment sophomore Matthew Cohen, left, and fisheries and wildlife junior Dan Dewey study at the Veterans Transition Center in Johnston Hall on March 7. Both are veterans and go to the VTC to study and hang out with other student veterans.
TRACKING MILLIONS A nontraditional educational path makes veteran students difficult to track. Words by Jeff Hargarten Photos by Chelsea Gortmaker
U
niversity of Minnesota student Zac Bair enlisted in the U.S. Army to help pay for college. After three deployments in Afghanistan with the 75th Ranger Regiment and his âfair shareâ of combat, Bair was honorably discharged. Soon after, he enrolled at the University. The Post-9/11 GI Bill completely covered his tuition and provided a $1,000 yearly stipend for books and an allowance for living costs. Without GI benefits, Bair said, he would likely be either working low-end jobs, living with his family, homeless or back in the military. âItâs been a huge load off my shoulders,â he said, as he sets his sights on becoming a high school biology teacher. Bair is among 1 million students aided in their academic ventures by the 2008 GI Bill, according to the U.S. Depar tment of Veterans Af fairs. The U.S. has spent more than $30 billion since 2009 in financial aid for veterans pursuing college degrees. But when it comes to finding out whether those
students graduate, answers can be hard to find. At the University, data compiled at the request of the Minnesota Daily showed the four-year graduation rate for student veterans has fallen, while the retention rate has jumped â suggesting that many are simply taking longer to graduate. This falls in line with national numbers released last week, of fering the most comprehensive look so far at veteransâ academic success. The Million Records Project, released by Student Veterans of America, shows about half of student veterans are graduating with degrees, and many are taking longer than the traditional four years to finish school â on average, veterans take about six years to complete a bachelorâs degree. âVeterans donât have a linear path to a degree,â said Dr. Chris Cate, vice president of research for Student Veterans of America. Student veterans may have jobs, families or militar y obligations, in addition to the challenges that come from having spent time on the battlefield. Any of these can interrupt or elongate their educational journeys, making it dif ficult to track their progress. This
A slight majority of student veterans have earned post-secondary degrees 3.25% CERTIFICATE
48.3% NO REPORTED COLLEGE DEGREE
15.08% ASSOCIATE
HIGHEST DEGREE EARNED 24.43% BACHELORâS 8.11% MASTERâS 0.83% DOCTORATE
means that, as a group of students who often need the most suppor t â and whose education is publicly funded â they can sometimes fall through the cracks.
See VETERANS page 6
The University of Minnesotaâs Board of Regents has made it a little tougher to become one of its student representatives â but students leaders say in doing so, the board is overstepping its role. Under policy revisions passed Friday by the board, only full-time students with a GPA of 2.5 or higher can be selected as representatives. While regents say itâs a fair expectation, some students oppose the measure, saying it weakens their voice in the selection process. âThe larger concern for me is the Board of Regents dictating who students can select for students,â said Matt Forstie, chairman of the Minnesota Student Legislative Coalition. â[The policy changes] really infringe on the decision-making rights that the students have.â The Minnesota Student Association and Graduate and Professional Student u See REGENTS Page 5
STUDENT LIFE
Mac Miller tapped for Spring Jam Earl Sweatshirt and local rapper Mod Sun fill out the bill for Saturdayâs headlining show. BY ANNE MILLERBERND amillerbernd@mndaily.com
This yearâs Spring Jam headliner will be Mac Miller, with Earl Sweatshirt, Mod Sun and the Spring Jam Battle of the Bands winner as supporting acts at Mariucci Arena on April 26. Student Unions and Activities predicted that this yearâs festival will be the biggest Spring Jam to date. Cost for the performers will total about $190,000, paid for mostly by sponsorships and ticket sales. Thatâs nearly triple what the University has spent in past years for fewer artists. The main concer t will be a ticketed event to help pay for a higher-profile artist, but some students say the lineup isnât worth the cost. Student tickets are $20 for general seating and $25 for floor seating. Tickets are available to the public for $35 in general seating and $45 for floor tickets. SUAâs Program Board marketing u See SPRING JAM Page 4
MENâS HOCKEY
Gophers headed to Philly Minnesota advanced to the Frozen Four with a 4-0 win over St. Cloud State. BY MEGAN RYAN mryan@mndaily.com
As far as celebrations go, the Gophersâ after winning the NCAA West Regional wasnât the most exuberant. Minnesota players skated leisurely to huddle around goaltender Adam Wilcox. Gloves, helmets and sticks werenât shed until the memorabilia hats appeared after the handshakes. That, paired with the fact that Wilcox, freshman for ward Justin Kloos and head coach Don Lucia barely cracked a smile in the postgame press conference, makes it clear how the Gophers treated this game â as business. A trip to the Frozen Four has been expected of this team for much of this season. The real celebration can wait another two
weeks â though Lucia did admit âgoing to the Frozen Four, it never gets old.â Minnesota thrashed Robert Morris 7-3 on Saturday before beating St. Cloud State 4-0 on Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota will face North Dakota on April 10 in Philadelphia. Union and Boston College round out the group competing for the national championship. While fans were already giving a standing ovation with eight minutes left on the clock and some even left early to beat the traf fic, the Gophersâ per formance this weekend was hardly worth missing. âI thought it was the two best games since Iâve been here in two years,â Wilcox said. The Gophers struck first about 11 minutes into the first period with a goal by Kloos, who took over his teamâs top-scoring honors. Kloos was joined in the scoring column about four minutes into the second period by junior forward Seth Ambroz. u See HOCKEY Page 11
PATTY GROVER, DAILY
The Gophers menâs hockey team beat St. Cloud State 4-0 Sunday evening at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Minnesota advanced to the Frozen Four for the second time in three years.
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 94