CAMPUS & METRO
CAMPUS & METRO
GYMNASTICS
Community members gathered to discuss their neighborhoods.
The senator outlined his plans to address college affordability issues.
Hanna Nordquist placed 16th on the balance beam after falling in the finals.
Public forum addresses area concerns
Franken, students talk college costs
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A.M. CLOUDS / P.M. SUN HIGH 68° LOW 38°
Mable finishes fifth on vault at NCAAs
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U OF M
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
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MONDAY
APRIL 21, 2014
CAMPUS
Rice lectures amid protests
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
POLICY
U objects to patent reform The University is one of many schools worried about a bill targeting “patent trolls.” BY JEFF HARGARTEN jhargarten@mndaily.com
PATRICIA GROVER, DAILY
Protesters stand outside Northrop Auditorium on Thursday holding signs, listening to guest speakers and chanting in protest of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to campus.
Hundreds picketed Condoleezza Rice’s visit to campus Thursday. BY ROY AKER AND ANNE MILLERBERND raker@mndaily.com amillerbernd@mndaily.com
A
fter weeks of controversy sur rounding former U.S. Secretar y of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the University of Minnesota, her appearance Thursday went ahead as scheduled. About 200 protesters chanted and waved signs while parading around the East Bank. But inside Northrop Auditorium, Rice spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,200. Some protesters were members of Students for a Democratic Society, which initially voiced its opposition to Rice’s visit last month. Opponents cited Rice’s involvement in controversial war time policies during George W. Bush’s presidency and her $150,000 price tag for the lecture. The protest lasted about two hours
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Democracy is only as strong as its weakest link.
HEALTH
Pollution has skewed impact
Condoleezza Rice and 20 University police of ficers monitored the situation, blocking Northrop’s front steps for the duration of Rice’s speech. Some protesters wore orange jumpsuits and black sacks over their heads to represent Guantanamo Bay prisoners, while others heckled lecture attendees as they exited the event. One protester dressed like a prisoner, Bjorn Johnson, sat in on Rice’s speech. “We felt it was important to have dissenting opinions in the room rather than just one person having the mic,” u See RICE Page 5
People of color are more likely to live in polluted areas and face the associated health risks. AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
atively new, but knowing more could help prevent them. “The more that we understand about the causes of the genocide in Rwanda, the more we’ll be able to prevent other genocides,” said Barbara Frey, who directs the University’s Human Rights Program. While there’s existing research that focuses on prevention measures and the aftermath of the tragedies, there’s still a need u See GENOCIDE Page 4
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To prevent genocide, researchers look to the past BY HALEY HANSEN hhansen@mndaily.com
On the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, University of Minnesota students and faculty are exploring ways to avoid future tragedies.
The Humphrey School of Public affairs hosted a conference last week in honor of the genocide’s anniversar y. Researchers shared their new ideas, and international leaders discussed the importance of knowing the root of the catastrophe. “I think the more students have an understanding of and appreciation of those issues, the better equipped they’ll be to deal with them,” said Humphrey School Dean Eric Schwartz. Research on genocide prevention is rel-
BY ALLISON KRONBERG akronberg@mndaily.com
In the U.S., people of color live, on average, in more polluted neighborhoods than whites, according to new University of Minnesota research. Researchers say thousands of deaths could be prevented each year if the racial disparity is reduced. The University study, released earlier this month, found that non-whites are more likely to live in areas with higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, which increases the risk of respiratory illness, heart disease and other diseases. The pollutant comes mostly from vehicle exhaust and power plants. Minnesota’s pollutant exposure gap between whites and non-whites is the 15th largest in the country, and researchers say the Twin Cities’ gap is wide as well. “Even cities without high pollution can still have large gaps between demographic
RESEARCH
Studying the genocide in Rwanda may reveal warning signs of future atrocities.
As Congress considers sweeping patent reform, research universities across the country are raising objections. The push for reform comes in response to the increased activities of “patent trolls,” firms that amass patents to make money from intellectual proper ty infringement lawsuits and licensing deals. Congress is aiming to level the playing field, promote transparency and take the teeth out of frivolous patent suits. But some Senate proposals have been met with resistance from intellectual proper ty lawyers, patent firms and research universities — including the University of Minnesota. The University, like many of its peer schools, supports patent reform in general and deems patent trolling practices unethical. But it’s concerned that the proposed Senate bill might restrict universities from enforcing their intellectual property claims.
STUDENT LIFE
A brisk run for charity About 50 students ran around campus in their underwear to support those with epilepsy. BY ANNE MILLERBERND amillerbernd@mndaily.com
Shivering in huddled groups as the sun set on the Northrop Plaza on Friday, more than 50 half-naked University of Minnesota students prepared to run a mile and a half around campus for charity. Many of the students on the plaza were attending their first Undie Run, an increasingly popular philanthropy event nationwide, to raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota. Five College of Science and Engineering students organized the event as part of a class project. Runners donated their clothes to the epilepsy foundation, which
will sell them and keep the proceeds. Before the run, participants shed their clothes and Gopher Laundr y workers stuffed the donations into large duffel bags before carrying them off to wash them. “We chose to do it because it’s a good cause, [it] seemed like a fun event and we get to interact with students,” said Gopher Laundry co-owner Justin Romer. After the run, organizers invited participants to the West Bank’s Corner Bar, which relaxed its dress code for the night to allow the runners inside. Biomedical engineering senior Anders Olmanson helped plan the event. His first attempt hosting a run last summer was less organized and drew fewer runners, Olmanson said. But this time, word of mouth among CSE students brought more participants — many of whom said they were just as u See UNDIES Page 5
HOLLY PETERSON, DAILY
Undie Run participants start the 1.5-mile race Friday. The participants stripped down to their underwear and donated their clothes to the Epilepsy Foundation.
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 106
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Daily Review
Monday, April 21, 2014
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
753 B.C. According to tradition, Romulus and his twin brother, Remus, found Rome on the site where they were suckled by a she-wolf as orphaned infants. HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH
CAMPUS Vol. 115 Monday, April 21, 2014, No. 106
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Ukraine, Russia trade blame for shootout that left three dead
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BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BYLBASIVKA, Ukraine — Within hours of an Easter mor ning shootout at a checkpoint manned by pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Ministr y issued a statement blaming militant Ukrainian nationalists and Russian state television stations aired pictures of supposed proof of their involvement in the attack that left at least three people dead. The Ukrainian Security Ser vice, however, said the attack was staged by provocateurs from outside the country. And the presented evidence — particularly a pristine business card said to have been left behind by the attackers — was met with widespread ridicule in Ukraine, where it soon had its own Twitter hashtag. The armed clash early Sunday near the city of Slovyansk appear ed to be the first since an international agreement was reached last week in Geneva to ease tensions in
easter n Ukraine, where armed pro-Russia activists have seized gover nment buildings in at least 10 cities. Ukraine’s new leaders and many in the West fear that such clashes could provide a pretext for Russia to seize more Ukrainian territory. Russia, which annexed the Crimean Peninsula last month, has tens of thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine. Russian of ficials, including President Vladimir Putin, originally said the troops were there for militar y exercises, but Putin’s spokesman on Saturday acknowledged that some were there because of instability in eastern Ukraine. The self-proclaimed mayor of Slovyansk appealed to Putin on Sunday to send in peacekeeping troops to protect Russian speakers from Ukrainian nationalists. “They want to make us slaves. They don’t talk to us, but simply kill us,”
Vyacheslav Ponomar yov said during a news conference in Slovyansk shown on Rossiya state television. Yuri Zhadobin, who coordinates the pro-Russia unit manning the checkpoint in the village of Bylbasivka, told The Associated Press he was with about 20 men celebrating Easter when unknown men drove up in four vehicles and opened fire about 3 a.m. “We began to shoot back from behind the barricades and we threw Molotov cocktails at them,” Zhadobin said. Two of the vehicles caught fire and the attackers fled in the other two, he said. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry’s office in the eastern Donetsk region said three people died in the attack and three others were wounded. The statement said some of the attackers were also killed or wounded, but the number wasn’t known. Russian state television reported that two of the attackers were killed. In Moscow, the Russian
Foreign Ministr y quickly blamed the clash on the Right Sector, a nationalist Ukrainian group that has supported the pro-Western interim government in Kiev, the capital. But a spokesman for R i g h t S e c t o r, A r t y o m Skoropatskiy, denied any involvement in Sunday’s shootout, which he called a provocation staged by Russian special services. Ukraine’s Security Service also called the attack a “cynical provocation” staged from “the outside.” Russian state and other Kremlin-friendly television channels showed pictures of items said to have been seized from the attackers and the two captured vehicles, which were pockmarked by bullets and gutted by fire. The items included weapons, ammunition, maps and the business card of Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh. This gave rise to a flood of humor ous posts on Ukrainian Twitter with the hashtag “VizitkaYarosha,” or Yarosh’s business card.
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Malaysia, Flight Syria’s president visits 370 relatives talk seized Maaloula village financial assistance BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PERTH, Australia — A Malaysian official met Sunday with relatives of passengers who were aboard the missing jetliner and discussed ways of providing them with financial assistance, as an unmanned submarine continued its search for any signs of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Hamzah Zainuddin met with the passengers’ relatives in Kuala Lumpur to talk about where to go next. Financial assistance was discussed and family members were urged to submit a plan for consideration. He declined to elaborate further, but said a fund could possibly be set up by the government or Malaysia Airlines. The relatives, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the meeting, saying in a statement that until “at least a tiny bit of concrete evidence” that the plane crashed is found, authorities should not try to settle the case with final payoffs. “No meaningful report on the progress of the investigation was given” at the meeting, the relatives said, adding that “not a single one” of their questions was answered. “We realize this is an excruciating time for the families of those on board,” said Zainuddin, who heads a committee overseeing the needs of the next of kin. “No words can describe the pain they must be going through. We understand the desperate need for information on behalf of the families and those watching around the world.” He added that he would soon visit Beijing to shore up bilateral relations between Malaysia and China. Two-thirds of the missing plane’s 227 passengers were Chinese, and many of their family members have been angered by Malaysia’s handling of the investigation.
BEIRUT — Syria’s embattled president marked Easter with a tour Sunday of an ancient Christian village recently recaptured by his forces, an important symbolic prize for his government ahead of coming presidential elections he appears poised to contest. President Bashar Assad’s visit to Maaloula, some 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Damascus, serves a propaganda victory for his government in its quest to be seen as protector of religious minorities as its civil war grinds on. Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl about allegations of recent poison gas attacks in the countr y, with French officials saying Sunday there were indications that Assad’s forces were behind them. Rebels, including fighters from the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front, seized Maaloula several times late last year, most recently in December. Government troops swept through the village on Monday, sending rebel fighters fleeing to nearby hills. Despite damage to holy sites in the village, Assad told Syrian state television: “Maaloula will remain steadfast in the face of barbarism of all those who are targeting the homeland.” “Nobody, regardless of the extent of their terror, can erase our cultural and human history,” the state news agency quoted Assad as saying as he surveyed damage to the Mar Takla Greek Orthodox monastery in the village. Assad promised to defend Christians — who make up about 10 percent of Syria’s prewar population of 23 million — and protect churches that he said were part of the countr y’s cultural heritage. Syria’s civil war has seen Islamic extremists and radical foreign fighters join the fight and target Christians and their houses of worship.
EXTENDED WEATHER FORECAST TUESDAY HIGH 55° LOW 43° Sunny
WEDNESDAY HIGH 57° LOW 43° Chance of rain
THURSDAY HIGH 63° LOW 39° Chance of rain
FRIDAY HIGH 57° LOW 43° Partly sunny
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A front-page story in Thursday’s Daily, “To fight off emerald ash borers, U turns to Leg.,” didn’t specify the source of direct quotes. Quotes were from the Minnesota Senate’s Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Division Committee hearing March 17. errors@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. The Daily is published Monday through Thursday during the regular school year and weekly during the summer, and it is printed by ECM Publishers in Princeton, Minn. Midwest News Service distributes the 22,000 issues daily. All Minnesota Daily inserts are recyclable within the University of Minnesota program and are at least 6 percent consumer waste. One (1) copy of The Minnesota Daily per person is free at newsstands in and around the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. Additional copies may be purchased for 25 cents each. U.S. Postal Service: 351–480.
Monday, April 21, 2014
3
Public forum addresses area concerns Community members gathered to discuss concerns about their neighborhoods at a University District Alliance meeting. BY MEARA CUMMINGS mcummings@mndaily.com
City of ficials were on hand as community members discussed ways to make the University of Minnesota area more livable Thursday. At a forum hosted by the University District Alliance and Minneapolis Regulatory Services, residents and one student hashed out longtime issues, like absentee landlords and upkeep, and new ones, like preser ving the area’s reputation after last week’s riot in Dinkytown. Regulatory Services director Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde said she hoped the event would be the first of many conversations about improving University-area neighborhoods. Regulatory Services handles housing and fire inspections, traffic control and problem properties for the city. Community members discussed their most pressing concerns in small groups and then shared them with the larger group so Regulatory Services representatives could respond with ideas for how to fix them. Issues that the attendees brought up included poor caretaking of rental properties, absentee landlord problems and the tenuous relationship between students and the
surrounding neighborhoods. Katie Fournier, primary UDA representative from the Southeast Como Improvement Association, said her most pressing concern is the decline in owner-occupied homes. Nearly half of all properties are rentals in the Southeast Como neighborhood, according to UDA data. Others echoed this sentiment, including the sole University student in attendance, who said she was most concerned about the lack of connection between students and the community. Fournier said she’s seen long-term residents move out of the neighborhoods and few move in to replace them because of concerns about living near notoriously rowdy students. While the number of noisy assemblies receiving tickets has decreased by more than half in Universityarea neighborhoods since 2009, residents said they were concerned about recent events like last week’s riotous gatherings in Dinkytown. Minnesota Student Association representative to the UDA and political science senior Jerod Greenisen, who didn’t attend Thursday’s forum, said he wishes that students were more informed about neighborhood happenings. He helped for m the Student Board of Commu-
nity Engagement, which connects students with volunteer opportunities in the surrounding areas, in order to help foster a positive relationship between students and the neighborhoods. “Most people tend to think of students as riotous and drunk and more of a burden than anything,” he said. “But there are a lot of smart, talented people that go to college, too, and they’re looking for stuff to do.” At the forum, Rivera-Vandermyde shared what Regulatory Services is doing to try to address problems. She talked about the “All Together Now!” initiative, which brings together community associations and Minneapolis businesses to encourage home improvement. Regulator y Ser vices is also working to give the community “open data” on the number of rental properties, housing violations, housing flags and notable housing issue properties, she said.
The evolution of the UDA
The UDA formed in 2007 in response to a report that the Minnesota Legislature commissioned to assess the impact of the University on the surrounding community. The report found a major concern was the long-term
HOLLY PETERSON, DAILY
Como resident and property owner Mary Kay Dooley expresses concerns and ideas for the neighborhood Thursday at a forum at the Van Cleve Community Center.
effect of the University on the neighborhoods, including a decrease in owner-occupied homes and an increase in deteriorating student housing. The Legislature then funded the creation of the UDA, a group of stakeholders from the University, Augsburg College, the Dinkytown Business Association and neighborhoods including Southeast Como, Prospect Park and Marcy-Holmes. Greenisen said the UDA is like a roundtable, where leaders from areas around the University can come together and have conversations about improvement.
“The Alliance was founded to create a forum to have better conversations about how the community can be a more cohesive environment — serving both the students who come and leave, as well as the people who are there to stay and work and live,” he said. The goal of Thursday’s forum, Rivera-Vandermyde said, was to highlight the par tnership between the UDA and Regulator y Services and to ensure that community members are aware of what her depar tment can do for the area.
Rivera-Vandermyde said she was excited about the progress made at the forum and reinforced the idea that the forum was just the beginning of a relationship that would continue. Greenisen said he hopes to see more students learning about the UDA and getting engaged in the community. “The Alliance is here to ser ve the University district, so it star ts with students realizing that they’re a part of that,” he said. “They’re just as much a part of this area and the environment.”
University objects to crackdown on patent trolls Patent u from Page 1
Patent reform advocates and researchers have said that this stance places research universities in the unfortunate bind of being on the same side of the debate as patent trolls — companies that some schools, including the University, have been tied to financially. “They appear to be feeding the trolls,” said Robin Feldman, a University of California, Hastings law professor. The main sticking point is fee-shifting, where a judge could make one side of a lawsuit — usually the loser — pay the attorneys’ fees for the other. While this is meant to deter patent trolls from threatening or filing frivolous patent suits, universities are worried it could take the bite out of their own ability to enforce their intellectual property rights. Fee-shifting “might introduce some uncer tainties” over the costs of tr ying to defend intellectual property, said Eric Hockert, assistant business development specialist for the University’s Office of Technology Commercialization. He said the University is also concerned fee-shifting might deter people from investing in a startup unable to effectively enforce its patents. The bipartisan bill was recently delayed, in par t due to debates over these concerns. But the Senate Committee on the Judiciary is slated to pick it up again early next week. The University has made its concerns known to Minnesota Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, both of whom sit on the Judiciary Committee.
University ties to patent trolls
The University of Minnesota is one of several research schools that have been linked financially to the controversial firm Intellectual Ventures, which many have labeled as a patent troll. In 2012, the Minnesota Daily repor ted that the University invested about $100,000 in Intellectual Ventures through the financial firm Charles River Ventures — a small sum compared to its other holdings. The University of Minnesota Foundation, the school’s legally separate fundraising organization, also invested some of its roughly $1.3 billion endowment in Intellectual Ventures as part of its many portfolios. Knowing who does business with patent trolls can
SCHOOLS WITH CONNECTIONS TO “PATENT TROLL” INTELLECTUAL VENTURES University of British Columbia
University of Strathclyde Brunel University of Oulu University University Helsinki University of Technology University of Manitoba of Stirling Technical University McMaster University of Ottawa University of of Darmstadt Westminster University University Ramot at Tel Aviv University City University of Bristol London
Hiroshima University Kyushu University Polytechnic University Hong Kong University
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay National University of Singapore Campinas State University University of Western Sydney Monash University
University of New South Wales
Cornell University University of Rochester Stevens Institute of Technology Brown University Rochester Institute University of Minnesota of Technology Rhode Island University University of Pennsylvania University of Northwestern University Rutgers Brigham Young University Connecticut University New Jersey Institute Leland Stanford Junior University Duke of Technology Vanderbilt University University of California Institute University North Carolina University of Oklahoma of Technology at Charlotte University of Clemson University of New Mexico The Regents of Southern California University the University of University of Alabama California University of California University of Southern Mississippi San Diego University of Texas Texas State University system, Board of Regents
University of Florida Florida Institute of Technology SOURCE: LEGAL DOCUMENTS, “THE GIANTS AMONG US”
be difficult due to a lack of transparency about their holdings. But in 2011, nine universities were named in court documents as investors in Intellectual Ventures, while 45 other schools worldwide were listed as having connections to the firm in a Stanford Technology Law Review paper. The University of Minnesota doesn’t sell its intellectual property to patent trolls, but some schools do. Feldman said there’s tremendous pressure on universities to bring in revenue, and mass aggregating patent firms are “tempting sources.” Selling patents to trolls is “an awful route for universities to go down,” said Adi Kamdar of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Given that universities only file a small fraction of patent lawsuits, Feldman said the proposed legislation in Congress shouldn’t affect them. “If state and federally funded innovation is ending up as schemes that serve as a tax on innovation or schemes that harm consumers,” Feldman said, “that’s troubling.”
Tech transfer offices struggle
Kamdar said universities’ opposition to proposed patent reform is “a curious case” and a touchy issue for the academic community, especially as many tech transfer offices struggle to make ends meet. The secondar y patent market and the promise of lucrative returns are tempting, Feldman said. The University of Minnesota’s Office for Technology Commercialization, which handles the University’s patents and startups, has traditionally been quite successful, ranking among the top schools nationally. The OTC took in $39.4 million in gross revenues last year, and the number of new patent licenses has risen over the last five fiscal years, with 91 in 2013. But nationally, schools are struggling. Of 155 universities sur veyed by the Brookings Institution, 130 did not earn enough licensing income in 2012 to cover technology transfer office staff wages and the legal costs attached to patent filing. “University technology transfer ought to have as its
goal maximizing the social impact of technology, not merely maximizing the university’s licensing revenue,” said a 2008 paper by Mark A. Lemley of Stanford Law School. But he wrote that universities are not necessarily patent trolls themselves: “Universities will sometimes be bad actors. So will non-manufacturing patent owners. So will manufacturing patent owners. Instead of singling out bad actors, we should focus on the bad acts and the laws that make them possible.” Though some universities may find themselves on the same side of the patent reform fight as lawyers and trolls, their stated reasons for opposing proposed legislation differ. “Nobody thinks this is how the patent system should work,” Kamdar said. “We have a system that promotes abuse.”
Promoting effective patent reform
Universities do want to see the patent system reformed yet have taken issue with certain specifics, lobbying heav-
ily on Capitol Hill to strike controversial provisions like fee-shifting from the proposed bill. A joint statement by several university coalitions pointed out similar concerns with the “overbroad scope” of the House’s version of the reform passed in December. Hocker t said there is agreement among universities that patent trolling practices need to be curbed, but there needs to be a balance between deterring abusive patent practices and allowing universities freedom to defend their intellectual property. Experts and advocates say there are several elements to good patent reform, including patent quality and identifying patent trolls. Kamdar said the market is being flooded with broad software patents that could apply to any idea or innovation and then be used as legal weapons by patent trolls to extort licensing fees from businesses. “If you have a good patent, you have nothing to worry about with these reforms,” Kamdar said.
What is a ‘patent troll’? So-called “patent trolls” are companies that own patents on ideas they did not produce and do not turn into commercial products, which is why they’re also sometimes called “non-practicing entities.” These companies often buy up as many patents as possible and attempt to force other companies or individuals to purchase patent licenses through them, usually under threat of lawsuit. Much of their money is made from licensing fees rather than commercialized innovation. The choice between buying a $50,000 license or absorbing a multimilliondollar lawsuit puts companies in a tough spot, said Adi Kamdar of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Patent troll lawsuits have tripled in the past few years, according to a 2013 White House report, rising from 29 percent of all infringement suits to 62 percent. Also, very little of the money paid to mass patent aggregators returns to the original inventors, about 20 percent, said Robin Feldman, a University of California-Hastings law professor, something economists call the “leaky bucket.” “These are not good numbers for innovation,” Feldman said. The White House has taken a firm stance against patent trolling. President Barack Obama talked about the issue in a 2013 interview. “[Patent trolls] don’t actually produce anything themselves,” he said. “They’re just trying to essentially leverage and hijack somebody else’s idea and see if they can extort some money out of them.”
Identifying patent trolls has been another challenge, Kamdar said, as they are known to use shell corporations to hide the true sources of lawsuits. Feldman said there is no “silver bullet” when it comes to patent reform, and it will take many initiatives to get the problem under control. Action against patent troll activity is also being taken at the state level. Attorneys general from 42 states, including Minnesota’s Lori Swanson, signed a February letter advocating for patent reforms, and Minnesota went after a patent troll last year. “Not many people like patent trolls,” Kamdar said.
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Monday, April 21, 2014
Franken, students talk college costs The senator outlined his plans to address college affordability issues while hearing students’ stories. BY TAYLOR NACHTIGAL tnachtigal@mndaily.com
When Will Dammann’s mother needed multiple surgeries, the costs were so high that his family nearly lost their house and car to pay for them. To keep that from happening, the University of Minnesota human resources and marketing freshman took money out of his college fund. “Living in your house is much more important than anything you wanted,” he said. Dammann was one of six University and high school students who attended a college af fordability roundtable with Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., at Cof fman Union on Friday. Franken, who has been a major advocate for college af fordability, listened to students’ stories and talked about his ideas for bringing down higher education costs. Some of Franken’s major proposals focus on
making college costs more transparent — things requiring institutions to give students more accurate cost estimates before applying. For some students, Franken said, there’s a lack of financial knowledge that needs to be addressed. “A lot of students really don’t know the price of their school until after they’ve applied,” he said. Franken said many colleges already use a net price calculator — which allows students to estimate the cost of schools they’re considering — but he said he hopes to make the tool more accessible and require that more institutions use it. University Pr esident Eric Kaler joined Friday’s roundtable, where conversation stemmed largely from students’ stories of balancing school, jobs, internships and family concerns — all while tr ying to pay for school. Attendees said many of their peers juggle multiple
jobs and internships while attending school full time, and it has a negative impact on their schoolwork. “I have a 3.0. I know I could be a 4.0 student, but I don’t have time to be a 4.0 student,” said nutrition senior Rylee Ahnen. And even after graduation, students aren’t expecting the stress of college costs to go away. Despite being a Pell Grant recipient, Dammann said, he’s facing thousands of dollars of debt. Franken said the cost of college has become a greater family concer n and individual burden than it was in the past. He said decreasing state funding places financial burdens on students and their families. “I think it’s really impor tant for us to remember that college af fordability is generations deep, and that it’s really impacting us now, but it has compiled of f of past generations of problems,” said incoming student body President Joelle Stangler.
Eve of Boston marathon includes festivities and tight security BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — In many ways, it felt like any other pre-marathon Sunday in Boston. Families celebrated Easter, diners enjoyed the spring weather at sidewalk cafes, and runners — easily identified by their trim builds and colorful jackets — picked up last-minute supplies for what will be the second-largest field in the race’s history. But even as runners focused on the exhilaration of crossing the finish line, the festive atmosphere was inevitably tinged with sorrow, as runners, family members and spectators recalled the double bombings at last year’s race that killed three people and injured 260. Marathon runners were blessed at an emotional church service that celebrated Easter and remembered the victims, while heightened security measures, including bag checks, were in place at marathon events. “It’s dif ferent, coming back,” said Gisele Goldstein,
55, of Germantown, Tenn., who planned to run her 12th Boston Marathon this year. “It’s not just me — there’s a sadness.” Her friend Nanette Farris, 46, of Memphis, added that people were surprised she wanted to return for her second Boston Marathon. The doubters were all nonr unners, however — the runners she knew felt differently. “If you’re a runner, you want to show them — no one’s going to take that away from us,” Farris said. “Once this occurred, everyone wanted to qualify for Boston.” Still, there have been tense moments — such as when an alarm went off on Friday, during the Runners’ Expo at the Hynes Convention Center. People were spooked, Goldstein said, even though it turned out to have been a test. Ricardo Corral, 53, of New York, who planned to race in the hand-cycle division of the wheelchair race on Monday — his eighth marathon — said he was re-
assured by the heightened security. “We are not ner vous,” he said. “We know the police will be here to protect people.” Corral added that it was especially important to him and his teammates to return this year, to support Boston and each other. “As the signs say, ‘Boston Strong,’” he said. “That’s why we come back.” That determination was echoed by many runners, including Scott Johnson, 54, of Atlanta. He is the executive director of the Scott Rigsby Foundation, a nonprofit that supports people who have lost limbs. The organization has raised money for last year’s bombing victims, and this year Johnson was planning to run with Team MR8, a team formed in honor of Martin Richard, the 8-yearold Dorchester boy who was killed in the 2013 bombing. “There’s a sense of resiliency,” Johnson said. “It’s sadness, but it’s also a kind of fortitude. Two people created the violence, but millions counter it with love and support. I like those odds!”
PATRICIA GROVER, DAILY
Adama Dieng, the United Nations secretary-general’s special adviser for the prevention of genocide, gives a keynote address Wednesday in Cowles Auditorium during a conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.
Researchers look to the past to prevent genocide Genocide
RWANDAN GENOCIDE TIMELINE
u from Page 1
for consolidating the studies and finding predictable patterns. “Through research, we can learn more about why [genocide] happens and then be better ready to respond to it,” sociology Ph.D. candidate Hollie Nyseth Brehm said. Nyseth is studying the causes of genocide for her disser tation. Until this point, Brehm said, many previous scholars didn’t study the warning signs of genocide. In her research, Brehm said she found that international leaders often disagree on how they should intervene, which complicates the issue and delays peace. For example, Brehm said some leaders use militar y power, while others prefer enacting economic sanctions. The Rwandan genocide began on April 6, 1994, when tension between Hutu and Tutsi groups peaked. It lasted until mid-July, when the Tutsi rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, overthrew the Hutu regime.
1962
Rwanda gains its independence from Belgium.
1988
Rwandan Patriot Front is created in Uganda. Civil war begins in Rwanda.
1990 April 6, 1994 July 4, 1994
Genocide begins. Rwandan Patriot Front gains control of Rwanda, and the genocide ends. SOURCE: UN.ORG
Nearly 14 percent of the countr y’s population died during the genocide. Adama Dieng, who is the special adviser on the prevention of genocide for the United Nations, spoke at the conference Wednesday. He said it’s impor tant to understand the root of why the tragedy occurred, citing long-term discrimination and hate-speech. “To have close to a million people murdered within 100 days, we have to be sure we remember what happened,” said Gregor y Gordon, director for the Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies at the University of North Dakota.
Gordon was a panelist at the event. The three-day conference also included elementary through college educator training, in which teachers learned from University faculty members about how to create effective lessons about genocide. Learning about Rwanda can help students understand other complex situations that involve human rights violations, Schwartz said. Frey echoed him, saying the conference sparked discussion on how to overcome human rights violations in the present. Now Rwanda is arguably a safe state, Frey said, noting criticism surrounding its authoritarian government and the general consensus that learning from the past will help prevent future genocides. It takes a shared effor t worldwide to prevent a genocide, Gordon said, which stems from awareness and education on the issue. “If anything good can come from that in terms of lessons learned, then that’s the only silver lining that there could be,” Gordon said.
Only two in race for Egyptian election BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAIRO — Egypt’s election commission said Sunday only two presidential hopefuls, one of them the power ful former militar y chief who nine months ago ousted the countr y’s first democratically elected leader, have submitted their papers to run in next month’s polls. With only two people — former army chief AbdelFattah el-Sissi and leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi — vying for the countr y’s top post, the race is certain to be dramatically different from Egypt’s 2012 presidential vote, when 13 candidates of all political stripes competed in a heated campaign. Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist from the Muslim Brotherhood, won that race, defeating a former general in a r unof f to become Egypt’s first democratically elected president. Just over a year later, the militar y removed Morsi from of fice following mass protests calling for his ouster. El-Sissi, the man who led the militar y’s move against Morsi, is riding a wave of popular suppor t and is the clear fr ontrunner in this year’s vote. Since Morsi’s ouster, elSissi has achieved a near cult-of-personality. His picture is plastered in posters around the countr y; songs about the militar y and him ring out in weddings and private cafes, and he has been hailed in state and private media as a national savior. Election commission spokesman Abdel-Aziz Salman said el-Sissi garnered 188,930 signatures of suppor t. That’s nearly eight times the required 25, 000 signatures from at least 15 of Egypt’s 27 provinces that a would-be candidate needs in order to run.
El-Sissi’s only rival is Sabahi, a leftist politician who came in third in the 2012 elections after receiving around 5 million votes and largely appealing to Egypt’s secular youth and working class. Salman said Sabahi submitted 31,555 signatures. Sabahi’s staf f has complained of intimidation tactics during the signature collection period and of bias by state of ficials in favor of el-Sissi. They blamed officials with links to former autocrat Hosni Mubarak. On Sunday, Sabahi’s of fice said militar y troops detained a campaign worker in nor th Sinai because of his political activities. It was not clear why he was taken into custody. The army is waging a campaign against militants in the restive region. Some in Egypt have urged Sabahi to withdraw from the race to avoid providing what they say would be a democratic facade to el-Sissi’s likely victor y. A yman Nour, a liberal politician and 2005 presidential candidate who opposed Morsi’s ouster, said he had appealed to Sabahi to withdraw. “I hope that my friend Sabahi doesn’t become an extra,” Nour told AlJazeera Mubasher Misr from Lebanon where he has resided since the summer. “This is farcical theater.” Over the next two weeks, the election commission will review the documents while also allowing the hopefuls to challenge their rival’s nomination on legal grounds. The campaign of ficially begins May 2, when the commission will announce a final list of candidates. The May 26 and 27 presidential elections are pivotal to the post-Morsi political plan, and are to be
followed by parliamentar y vote. Morsi supporters reject the plan, and continue to hold near daily protests against the militar ybacked authorities. Turnout in the vote will be a key test of el-Sissi’s popularity and the ability of Islamists and other critics of the militar y chief to impact the race — either by boycotting or suppor ting Sabahi. In the 2012 elections, nearly 50 percent of the voters took part in both rounds. There are 53 million registered voters this year. Alr eady buf feted by waves of political turmoil since the 2011 ouster of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Egypt has been wrestling with a surge in political violence since Morsi’s over thr own in July. Security forces have killed more than 1,300 Morsi suppor ters and detained another 16,000 — including the ousted leader himself — in a sweeping crackdown on Islamists. The crackdown has also widened to include secular critics of the militar y-backed gover nment and the crackdown on Islamists. Suspected militants, meanwhile, have killed more than 450 police and soldiers in clashes and attacks, the gover nment says. On Sunday, gunmen killed a police captain and a conscript in a firefight on a deser t road outside Cairo, the Interior Ministr y said, in the second such attack in three days to target Egypt’s security ser vices. The two security men were killed early Sunday while taking part in a joint security patrol that tried to stop a suspicious vehicle on the road to the canal city of Suez, the Interior Ministr y said. The vehicle’s occupants opened fire before speeding off.
Monday, April 21, 2014
5
Rice visits campus amid protests Rice u from Page 1
Johnson said. In addition to SDS’s opposition, more than 200 University faculty members signed a petition objecting to the lecture’s topic. The letter says Rice has ever y right to speak at the University but claims she’s unfit to speak about human rights because of her alleged role in approving the use of inter rogation methods, like waterboarding, in her time in the Bush administration. “One ver y impor tant civil right that we’ve always respected in this countr y in the past has been the civil right of all people to be free from torture,” said Kathryn Sikkink, a political science professor emeritus who signed the faculty letter. Both the faculty letter and the protesters took issue with Rice’s payment for the speech. “It’s unfair and unjust to pay someone $150,000 to speak on human rights when there are better options,” said global studies senior Leah Pr udent, who pr otested outside Northrop. A spokeswoman for the Carlson Family Foundation, which sponsored Rice’s speech, previously told the Minnesota Daily that Rice’s cost is typical for a speaker of her caliber. Rice didn’t shy away from acknowledging criticism of her actions during the Bush administration. During a question-andanswer session with Humphrey School Dean Eric Schwartz after her speech, Rice said there were many things she would do differently regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Ver y often, things that look good on that day look
pretty bad in retrospect, and vice versa,” she said. “We did a miserable job, after the initial war, of rebuilding [Iraq].” The U.S. was involved in some “controversial things” after 9/11, Rice said, but she added that the public needs to understand the government was put in a tough position following the attacks. Before her speech, Rice led a small group session in which about 60 students from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs asked her about issues ranging from foreign af fairs to gender and racial equality. Humphrey School graduate student George Shardlow said students felt comfortable during the session and spoke candidly with Rice. “I was really glad it was an open discussion like that,” he said. Carly L ykes Frostman, another graduate student in the small group meeting, said Rice was receptive to the students’ questions, but she hoped that more students would have challenged views Rice expressed as secretar y of state. Rice’s lecture was a part of the Humphrey School’s Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series, an annual event that brings in prestigious speakers. Rice’s visit parallels with this year’s series celebrating the 50th anniversar y of the Civil Rights Act. The Humphrey School has hosted many distinguished speakers in the past, including Hillar y Clinton, Anita Hill and the Dalai Lama. Board of Regents Chair Richard Beeson attended the lecture and said he was pleased with how it went. Facilitating the large event would have been dif ficult without the newly renovated Northrop, he said. “I think it brings the
AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks to University of Minnesota graduate students and faculty during a small group discussion Thursday afternoon in Northrop Auditorium.
soul back to the University,” Beeson said. Minnesota Student Association member W ill Dammann said he would have liked to see more students at Rice’s presentation, but the new Northrop will likely attract more students with high-profile speakers in the future. The University of Minnesota Sociology Association, SDS and other groups will host a colloquium inspired by Rice’s visit and subsequent protests Wednesday. The event will center on human rights, civil rights and American foreign policy. Sociology professor David Pellow, who spoke at Friday’s protest, said organizers hope to have both sides of the debate present at Wednesday’s forum.
CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY
A protester resembling a Guantanamo Bay prisoner kneels among others rallying outside Northrop Auditorium in protest of Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the University on Thursday.
Students strip down for charity Undies u from Page 1
excited to run half-naked in public as they were to donate to charity. “I’m a senior this year, so I figured it’s probably my last chance. Might as well jump in and tr y something new,” said biomedical engineering senior Alyssa Hennen. This isn’t the first time
that students have stripped down for charity. The University held a similar event three years ago, and a national Undie Run across 17 U.S. cities last year, including Minneapolis, raised more than $1.3 million for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Olmanson said he hopes to make the run an annual event at the University, and his sister, a freshman, wants to continue it after he
graduates. Organizers planned for up to 150 attendees, but biomedical engineering senior and run organizer Jonathan Hong said he was still pleased with the lowerthan-expected turnout of 54. The chilly weather on Friday evening may have deter red some r unners. Those who did attend jumped up and down for warmth before the race
while a DJ played club music. Hong said the event cost only $100 to coordinate. It’s not clear yet how much money was raised. Hong said the run was a liberating and novel experience. “Who in their right mind, on a normal day, is going to run around in their underwear?” he said. Kia Farhang contributed to this report.
Ferry radio transcript reveals confusion BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JINDO, South Korea — The South Korean ferry that sank was crippled by confusion and indecision well after it began listing, a radio transcript released Sunday showed, suggesting the chaotic situation may have added to a death toll that could eventually exceed 300. About 30 minutes after the Sewol began tilting, a crew member asked a marine traffic controller whether passengers would be rescued if they abandoned ship off South Korea’s southern coast. The crew member posed the question three times in succession. That followed several statements from the ship that people aboard could not move and another in which someone declared that it was “impossible to broadcast” instructions. Many people followed the captain’s initial order to stay below deck, where it is feared they remain trapped. Sixty-one bodies have been recovered, and about 240 people are still missing. “Even if it’s impossible to broadcast, please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing,” an unidentified official at Jindo Vessel Traffic Ser vices Center urged at 9:24 a.m. Wednesday, 29 minutes after the ferry first reported trouble, according to the transcript released by South Korea’s coast guard.
“If this ferr y evacuates passengers, will you be able to rescue them?” the unidentified crew member asked. “At least make them wear life rings and make them escape!” the traffic-center official responded. “If this ferr y evacuates passengers, will they be rescued right away?” the crew member asked again. “Don’t let them go bare — at least make them wear life rings and make them escape!” the traffic official repeated. “The rescue of human lives from the Sewol ferry ... the captain should make his own decision and evacuate them. We don’t know the situation very well. The captain should make the final decision and decide whether you’re going to evacuate passengers or not.” “I’m not talking about that,” the crew member said. “I asked, if they evacuate now, can they be rescued right away?” The traffic official then said patrol boats would arrive in 10 minutes, though another civilian ship was already nearby and had told controllers that it would rescue anyone who went overboard. The ferry sank with 476 people on board, many of them students from a single high school. The cause of the disaster is not yet known, but prosecutors have said the ship made a sharp turn before it began to list. Several crew members, including the
captain, have been arrested on suspicion of negligence and abandoning passengers. More than 170 people survived the sinking of the Sewol, which had been on its way from the South Korean port city of Incheon to the southern island of Jeju. The captain took more than half an hour to issue an evacuation order, which several passengers have said they never heard. The confirmed death toll jumped over the weekend after divers finally found a way inside the sunken vessel and quickly discovered more than a dozen bodies. They had been hampered for days by strong currents, bad weather and low visibility. The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that another body was recovered early Monday near the sunken ship. Families of the missing are staying on Jindo Island, where information sheets taped to the walls of a gymnasium offered details to help identify any corpses, including gender, height, length of hair and clothing. It was too little for Lee Joung-hwa, a friend of a crew member who is among the missing. “If only they could have made some kind of image of the person’s face. Who can tell who this person is just by height and weight?” Lee said. A woman with a blue baseball cap shouted at government officials who were
seated nearby, working at their desks. “I can’t live like this! I’m so anxious!” she yelled. “How can I trust the police?” Anguished families, fearful they might be left without even their loved ones’ bodies, vented rage Sunday over the government’s handling of the crisis. About 100 relatives attempted a long protest march to the presidential Blue House in Seoul, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) to the north, saying they wanted to voice their complaints to President Park Geun-hye. They walked for about six hours before police officers in neon jackets blocked a main road. “The government is the killer,” they shouted as they pushed against a police barricade. “We want an answer from the person in charge about why orders are not going through and nothing is being done,” said Lee Woon-geun, father of 17-year-old missing passenger Lee Jung-in. “They are clearly lying and kicking the responsibility to others.” Earlier Sunday, relatives of the missing blocked the car of Prime Minister Chung Hong-won and demanded a meeting with Park as Chung made a visit to Jindo. Chung later returned to the gymnasium, but met only with a number of representatives of the family members in a side office.
6
Editorials & Opinions www.mndaily.com/opinion
Monday, April 21, 2014 The Editorials & Opinions department is independent of the newsroom. The editorial board prepares the editorials labeled “EDITORIALS,” which are the opinion of the Minnesota Daily as an institution but not representative of Daily employees’ opinions. Columnists’ opinions are their own.
EDITORIALS
HIGHER ED
Science classes should be for everyone Congress should look to housing act The University should offer more science courses geared toward humanities students.
A
s a College of Liberal Ar ts student, I advocate for the University of Minnesota to of fer more science classes for non-science students to fulfill their biological and physical science requirements. This view stems from my experience on both ends of the difficulty spectrum. When I first began my academic career at the University, I dreaded the fact that I had to take multiple science courses. I never excelled in science courses during high school, and I typically avoided upper-level science classes prior to college. During my first semester at the University, I was relieved to find Exploring Our Universe, a class that, according to the course description, is geared toward non-science majors. When I took the class, however, I discovered that it was far more difficult than I anticipated.
RONALD DIXON columnist
After dropping the course, I began to research alternatives, and while discussing various options with my peers, I found some classes that not only fulfilled my science requirements, but weren’t too difficult. For example, now I’m taking Sehoya Cotner’s Evolution and Biology of Sex course. Cotner and the other educators present the material in a way that is easily palatable for non-science students, and Cotner links the material to societal issues in the quest to make the class relevant to our ever yday lives. Course topics include non-heterosexuality, diseases, gender dif ferences and societal normativity. I’ve also taken Geology
and Cinema. Professor Justin Revenaugh teaches the rudimentar y knowledge and science behind geology, while also screening action movies and pointing out the fallacious geological phenomena in the process. The University should promote this kind of coursework to students tr ying to fulfill their liberal education requirements. There are too few of these courses, and even worse, many students may not know their options. This kind of course, however, has its critics. Emory University English professor Mark Bauerlein argues in his book “The Dumbest Generation” that relatively easy college courses are a part of the “progressive dumbification of the college curriculum,” where universities offer easy classes to attract more students to their school and to reduce dropout rates. The central problem with Bauerlein’s ar gument is that he appears to be only relying upon introductor y courses to forge his conclusion. These courses don’t of-
DEATHS IN IRAQ: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 4,802 — IRAQI CIVILIANS: 122,821- PLUS DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 3,418 — AFGHAN CIVILIANS: UNKNOWN
fer a complete snapshot of a student’s credit load. Many CLA students may simply want to prioritize dif ficult coursework related to their degree rather than getting bogged down in degree requirements. As a political science and communication studies major, for example, I take upper-division classes that require rigorous tests and long, in-depth essays. Am I dumb for taking an easier — or simply more interdisciplinar y — science class? Should we require CLA and business students to take advanced calculus or genetics classes that do not apply to their fields? The University should do what is in the best interest of students and plan more science classes for non-science majors. These classes fulfill the goals of an enriching liberal arts education, while also preventing unnecessar y strain on students’ busy lives.
Ronald Dixon welcomes comments at rdixon@mndaily.com.
GUEST COLUMN
MSA is losing credibility The University’s undergraduate student government body has a hasty voting style.
W
Maxwell Smith welcomes comments at msmith@mndaily.com.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Peer education, not pepper spray, can reduce sexual assault at the U In our fairytale-ridden culture, we grow up surrounded by stories in which men are burdened by the responsibility to protect and women are the auspicious recipients of their bravery. But these representations produce negative beliefs about the role of women, and they are a catalyst for sexual violence. While gender-based violence affects women of all ages, it disproportionately affects college-age girls. At present, approximately one in four women will be raped during her college experience, which means that about 6,160 women on this campus face the possibility of falling victim to sexual assault by the time they cross the stage at graduation. Most rapes that occur on college campuses don’t fit the traditional image of violent rapes by complete strangers lurking in deserted areas — which means the traditional means that women utilize to protect themselves (walking on welllit streets, carrying pepper spray, etc.) may be futile. Acquaintance rape is more prevalent on college campuses than stranger rape; however, this stranger-acquaintance dichotomy disregards a third type of rape known as “par ty rape,” in which women meet men at a party or other event that’s part of the traditional college scene and end up coerced or forced into having sex. This type of incident is more like stranger
rape than acquaintance rape, except that a certain degree of trust exists between the perpetrator and victim as a result of them being part of the same social network. The role of alcohol in party rape on college campuses also bears scrutiny. Fraternities and house parties control every aspect of their par ties: themes, admission and access to alcohol. Women are, in turn, expected to be gracious and deferential, which increases their vulnerability to rape. However, this vulnerability precedes assault only if people are willing to exploit it (and many, but not all, are). Many sexual assault awareness programs teach women physical self-defense and safety tactics to protect themselves against sexual violence. Efforts to educate women on how to avoid assault will not work if colleges remain non-interventionist in arrangements that allow sexual violence to continue. The University of Minnesota must do more to address this issue. Education concerning sexual assault must change from emphasizing preventive measures to addressing both men and women in what constitutes coercive behavior and how victim blaming allows sexual violence to persist. Colleges and universities across the United States have utilized peer education groups to address gender-based violence. One in Four is a national organization that focuses on decreasing both adherence to “rape myths” and sexually-coercive behavior among men. To date, it has
successfully accomplished these objectives. Sisters Standing Together at the University of Redlands was founded to help female sexual assault victims better understand the reporting system, but it has since broadened its mission to address gender representations that are implicit in a culture permissive of sexual violence. The latter aspect makes this organization unique. Campus Advocates Respond and Educate at the University of Mar yland strives to empower the campus community to act in ways that will reduce sexual violence, with a special focus on the LGBT community. The University is more comparable to the University of Maryland in terms of the mixed-residential status of students, proximity to bars and clubs, as well as greek life. Thus, the CARE model may be the most natural to follow in the development of a peer education program here. The recognition of organizational and social arrangements that perpetuate sexual violence leveraged by Sisters Standing Together should not, however, be overlooked in its importance. It is unacceptable for institutions of higher education to be places where women are predictably victimized. Whether a peer education program will be enough to mitigate sexual assault rates remains to be seen, but at present, it is the University’s best chance for addressing this issue. Laura Pickrell University student
hen a student group dubs itself the voice of University of Minnesota students in conversation with the school and government, it’s important that the voice is credible. Through the lack of research and passivity regarding issues brought up in the Minnesota Student Association’s forum, MSA is losing its credibility as a reliable and trustworthy student voice. At every forum I have attended, one thing has remained consistent: the passivity of voting members. This has held true on landmark resolutions regarding the University’s stance on eliminating the use of fossil fuels on campus and, most recently, increasing the hours of operation for the new Green Line that will run through campus. While I am not arguing the validity of these resolutions, it is extremely important for members of student government to be aware of any negative implications that endorsing these stances might have for students at the University. When looking at local, state and national governments and the research they do before voting on a bill, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few years for a bill to go from discussion to vote. This lengthy process is to ensure that the bill has been thoroughly vetted and to ensure that any relevant research or repercussions are available to the representatives voting on the bill. This does not happen in MSA.
When looking at local, state and national governments and the research they do before voting on a bill, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few years for a bill to go from discussions to vote. MSA has continued to r ush through the passing of resolutions that have not been thoroughly vetted by members or even those involved in the presentation of the resolution. When the members of MSA do not do the research or discussion before voting on resolutions, the credibility and impact of those resolutions diminishes. I strongly encourage the members of MSA to consider dropping their hasty voting styles in favor of education and critical thinking. Ehren Minkema MSA student group representative
Editor’s note: Ehren Minkema worked at the Minnesota Daily in an unpaid marketing position in spring 2013. He had no hand in news or editorial/opinion content.
Legislation would incentivize much-needed donations to greek organizations with housing issues.
O
ne of the oldest and most iconic parts of the University of Minnesota campus is “fraternity row” on University Avenue Southeast, home to some greek organizations that have been on campus for more than a century. Fraternity Chi Psi has owned its space on University Avenue since 1884, President Jacob Lutz told the Minnesota Daily, and the fraternity’s current house, a historic landmark, was built in 1930. Old houses often present various challenges in terms of upkeep, but University fraternities also face the predicament of following the strict rules of their historical landmark status. Some University fraternities rely on donations from alumni to partially fund upkeep, but current tax laws prevent more money from coming in. Those who donate to greek housing funds cannot use their donations as tax write-offs. This would change if Congress passes the Collegiate Housing Infrastructure Act, a bill that would amend the Internal Revenue Service code so that donations to not-for-profit housing would be taxdeductible. A House committee report found that found that these tax breaks would total $148 million in the next decade, the Minnesota Daily reported. The report also estimated that the greek community nationwide needs more than $1 billion in housing improvements. It makes sense to allow donations to not-forprofit housing to be tax-deductible. The IRS already allows donations to similar groups to be taxdeductible, and there is a clear need among the nation’s fraternities and sororities for upkeep funding. At the University alone, the Greek Community Strategic Task Force Report estimated that $13 million to $20 million is needed to ensure greek housing is safe and up to code. The government has an interest in incentivizing housing donations for historic landmarks, and it should reflect this interest in the tax code.
Warnings aren’t needed in class Excessive warnings conflict with the goals of higher education.
A
t the University of California-Santa Barbara, students have advised teachers to excuse students from class if they feel course material might cause them emotional or psychological distress. The Santa Barbara student senate passed a resolution that advises professors to preface lectures with “trigger warnings” that would warn students of any material that could potentially result in feelings of discomfort or stress. It’s important to note that the resolution is only advisory. According to the student senate website, the triggers include “rape, sexual assault, abuse, self-injurious behavior, suicide, graphic violence, pornography, kidnapping and graphic depictions of gore.” The proposal seems to focus on protecting students who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. A student involved with drafting of the proposal confirmed these intentions to Santa Barbara’s student newspaper, The Daily Nexus. We fully acknowledge the small percentage of students at colleges that suffer from stress disorders that make them more sensitive to certain material. For students suffering with PTSD or other psychological disorders, trigger warnings make sense. But there’s an important difference between trigger warnings for diagnosed illnesses (i.e., epilepsy) and trigger warnings that allow any student to skip class when the material in lecture includes discontenting or graphic material. It makes little sense to allow students to excuse themselves simply because they don’t want to cover uncomfortable material. Colleges and universities are not safe houses for students, and they should not protect students from uncomfortable or emotionally provocative lessons. This student-driven proposal seeks to shield other students from duress, and though it may be well-intentioned, it has no place in a community of intellectual growth.
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Opinions LGBT
We need human examples of transgender people The U.S. should emulate a court decision in India that allowed for a third gender identity.
BRIAN REINKEN columnist
I
n a landmark decision, India’s Supreme Court recently recognized transgender rights as human rights, allowing people to legally identify as a third gender: transgender. Declaring that every human being has the right to choose his or her gender, the court ordered state governments to launch awareness campaigns to destigmatize transgenderism in India. Moreover, it ordered the states to construct transgender public restrooms and form health departments designed especially for the needs of transgender people. In the United States, transgender rights vary on a state-by-state basis. Although the U.S. does not legally recognize a third gender, many states allow individuals to alter the sex on their birth certificates. To that end, the three most restrictive states — Idaho, Tennessee and Ohio — absolutely prohibit individuals from changing their birth certificates. Many other states, including Wisconsin and North Dakota, require individuals to complete sex reassignment surger y before altering their birth certificates. Finally, states such as Minnesota and California allow individuals to alter their birth certificates without reassignment surgery. In terms of employment, federal law prohibits discrimination against transgender individuals. To support this, 17 states — including Minnesota — have enacted laws prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Despite these laws, however, transgenderism remains largely misunderstood in American society. Transgender rights, furthermore, receive far less attention than other LGBT campaigns, such as same-sex marriage. There may be several reasons for this. The transgender population is low, even in comparison to other LGBT groups. Transgenderism’s relative rarity has prevented much discussion on transgender issues. It was only last year that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders removed “gender identity disorder” from its catalogue of mental illnesses. Homosexuality, for comparison, was removed more than 40 years ago. Despite the removal of gender identity disorder, it still remains common to frame transgenderism as something inherently medical. Laverne Cox, a prominent transgender
actress, hypothesizes that sexual reassignment surger y contributes to the stigma against transgenderism. This surgery, along with the question of genitals that it presents, often shifts a discussion of transgenderism to biological rather than humanitarian concerns. From a humanitarian perspective, however, it’s clear the transgender population faces severe discrimination. For example, transgender people are nearly 50 percent more likely than gay people to be murdered. Levels of transgender unemployment and poverty, meanwhile, are twice as high as the U.S. average; transgender people of color report unemployment rates four times as high. In order to address discrimination against transgender people, it is first necessary to promote these issues as an urgent topic for discussion. For this, in turn, to occur, the media must help represent the transgender population as a legitimate and sizable body with human rights and interests equally important as those of anybody else. Media representation is critical to the strength of any sociopolitical movement. People generally react positively to what they see represented every day, and a more inclusive media atmosphere can help to promote policy change in real life. Of course, the media doesn’t create representation equally. Hollywood often reduces transgender people to punchlines: For example, see (but don’t watch) “The Hangover Part II.” Such jokes usually portray a man’s horror when he discovers the woman with whom he’s been flirting is transgender. They ignore the transgender person’s perspective. Aware of this reality, transgender celebrities like Cox often double as political activists. But a complicated, relatable transgender character whose personality is not defined by his or her transgenderism is a powerful political statement in itself. Cox’s character on “Orange is the New Black” strengthens her political campaign as much as anything else she could say or do. LGBT rights campaigns rightly remain a center of political attention. However, it’s important to remember that same-sex marriage is not the only LGBT cause worth fighting for. Although India’s Supreme Court decision probably won’t wholly eradicate discrimination against transgender people, it’s a critical step toward fostering awareness of a marginalized group. It is a first step worth emulating.
EMPLOYMENT NONDISCRIMINATION LAWS BY THE NUMBERS
17 states AND WASHINGTON, D.C., BAN EMPLOYMENT
DISCRIMINATION BASED ON GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION.
4BANstates EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION BASED ON
SEXUAL ORIENTATION BUT NOT GENDER IDENTITY.
30 states DO NOT BAN EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY.
SOURCE: MOVEMENT ADVANCEMENT PROJECT
Brian Reinken welcomes comments at breinken@mndaily.com.
Monday, April 21, 2014
7
DEVELOPMENT
Close roads for more pedestrians Streets near campus could be pedestrian routes in the future.
CHRIS IVERSON columnist
T
he increasing number of options to live near the University of Minnesota campus means that more people are in the area at all times. And with more people, there’s more demand for space to live, study, shop, work and eat happily. Pedestrian and bicycle counts continue to increase, illustrating the increased population in the area. Compared to the 201213 academic year, the University noted an increase of more than 1,000 bicycle commuters to campus this year, a 13 percent increase. In an interview with the advocate group Bike Walk Twin Cities, the University of Minnesota Campus Bicycle Coordinator Steve Sander noted large, sometimes double-digit bike and pedestrian percentage increases in the several decades he has been at the University. The percentage of bikes and the percentage of pedestrians on 15th Avenue, north of University Avenue, increased by 68 percent and 35 percent from 2007 and 2013, respectively. Parallel with this trend is the infrastructure around campus, which caters toward vehicles. Since the 1960s, the University had been a commuter campus with many students driving from outlying neighborhoods and suburbs. According to the Office for Student Affairs, approximately 75 percent of students commute from off campus. The infrastructure in the campus’s proximity historically matched this mode share, with a majority of road space and land use catering toward vehicles. The three one-way traffic lanes on University and Fourth avenues southeast and the large parking lots near TCF Bank Stadium illustrate the continuing desire for vehicle priority. Recently, this car-centric trend has started to reverse, and in my opinion, this is for the better. Sanders said the University is constantly tr ying to reduce the singleoccupant vehicle mode share from its current 30 percent stake. Taking space away from vehicles is one way to encourage this, and the University has made strides in this regard. The implementation of the Green Line permanently closed off a major vehicle artery in Washington Avenue after construction began. It is difficult to describe the former road situation circa 2011 to a current freshman. What was once a terrifying and painful four-lane highway blockade between the Superblock and the majority of campus
is now an amenity for the pedestrians, bikers and bus riders (the somewhat poorly timed stoplights aside). Other non-motorized infrastructures near campus, such as the green bike lanes and greater sidewalk space in Northrop Mall, reaffirm this trend. As the trend to add space for nonmotorized traffic continues, I still see potential for a reduction in vehicle access in a couple commercial areas near campus. These streets contain low enough vehicle traffic that a project wouldn’t disrupt drivers. Creating a non-automobile strip, much like Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, would give more desirable space to walkers, bikers and transit. It would also give the University of Minnesota a competitive stake in commercial-based pedestrian malls, rivaling the likes of State Street in Madison, Wis., Pearl Street in Boulder, Colo., and College Street in Iowa City, Iowa.
Stadium Village ped mall Currently, the Washington Avenue pedestrian mall stretches from Pleasant Avenue near Coffman Union to Walnut Street. Since Washington Avenue closed, most businesses between Harvard Street and Walnut Street have stayed open and reaped the benefits of the local population boom, even with the Washington closure. Extending this pedestrian mall all the way to the Huron Street and University Avenue triangle intersection near the WaHu apar tment construction would create a unique, relaxing and attractive space for all visitors. Currently, only two vehicle lanes, one for each direction, traverse along Washington Avenue. All businesses in this stretch would still have delivery access through alleyways or through the cross streets on Oak Street and Ontario Street. Since the Green Line chokes pavement space through the roadway, there is no on-street parking. Closing the road to vehicles would not affect parking. Of all the places near campus, I find the closure of Washington Avenue the most attractive option.
Dinkytown ped mall The density of hockey fans that caused the riots earlier this month was a sign that there isn’t enough space for pedestrians in the area. Closing 14th Avenue Southeast between Fourth and Fifth streets could help alleviate the lack of walkable space. This specific block does not carry large amounts of rush hour traffic, unlike the one between University Avenue and Fourth Street. This block also contains many storefronts that could warrant a pedestrian-only space. The biggest issue through this block is the amount of meter parking that would have to go. There are a couple dozen spaces in this block alone, so attempting to remove vehicle access to this block would be a tough, politically unfeasible sell. As space for vehicles consolidates to major arterials, the University community should continue its progressive approach and create beautiful spaces that the increasing pedestrian and biking population will be able to luxuriate. Shifting these blocks to pedestrian-only spaces would be a vital landmark in that movement. Chris Iverson welcomes comments at civerson@mndaily.com.
EDUCATION
TEDxUMN’s passivity, lineup do a poor job of educating These lectures don’t facilitate effective learning efforts.
TRENT M. KAYS columnist
I
attended the TEDx event at the University of Minnesota last year. A student committee organized TEDxUMN with the goal of providing the university community with an opportunity to participate in the glor y of TED. For those unfamiliar, TED is an international lecture series that runs under the banner “ideas worth spreading.” A TEDx is an independently organized TED event that adopts the str ucture of the international organization but operates in a quasi-outside way. Last year’s event was perfunctor y and banal at best. I tweeted away the event, most often wondering if the organizers understood the immense privilege they exhibited by the lineup of speakers. This year’s event will be no dif ferent. Last week, I received my TEDxUMN email touting an awesome lineup for this
year’s theme, “Mapping Our Potential.” TEDxUMN is on April 27 this year, and yes, you do need to buy a ticket. Unlike the TED tickets that will cost you about $7,500, all TEDxUMN tickets are less than $40. Despite the accessible price, the “ideas wor th spreading” will still only spread to those who pay. Not ever ything about TED and its related events are suspicious. Occasionally, there are great TED talks, and I even show a few in the classes I teach. However, TED talks are often sold as a space for idea generation and discussion. This is not the case. The basic elements of a TED talk are simple and value one thing: the speaker. The TEDxUMN event is nothing radical. One chosen speaker stands on a lit stage and pontificates to a darkened audience. There is no engagement, there is no discussion and there is no excitement. The only chance for excitement is in the speakers. I can’t speak to the excitement of this year’s TEDxUMN speakers; however, the lineup highlights a privileged few. This year’s TEDxUMN has nine speakers, and only two are people of color. Even more flummoxing is that all of the speakers are University faculty. There are no student speakers or community speakers this year. So, in many ways, going to TEDxUMN this year will be like taking a class and sitting in a lecture hall. At least the tuition cost for this single lecture is low, though the seats might be uncomfortable. This type of lineup is typical of all TED
talks: a primarily white lineup that speaks to a passive and silent audience. This is the same type of presentation in college classrooms all over the globe. It’s a type of presentation that, in the 21st centur y, receives criticism — and for good reason. Such pr esentations and teaching styles place more value on those with knowledge than those willing to learn. The student becomes a vessel, and the lecturer becomes the pitcher. This is an antiquated form of learning and knowledge attainment. Learning is most successful through dialogue or discussion. Through discussion, we can understand new knowledge. Still, this isn’t even the most damning aspect of TED and TEDx talks. Such talks allow for no spontaneity and no authenticity. Organizers choreograph ever y minute detail. What is wrong with this? On the sur face, nothing is wrong, but what this planning suggests is that learning is contained within a finite planned structure and time frame. In addition, that finite learning is expensive. As I mentioned previously, the TEDxUMN cost is manageable, but there are other costs: ones of inclusion. TED is known for its exclusion of non-privileged voices from class structures other than the upper class. TEDxUMN is similar in many ways. This year’s event is about “mapping our potential.” Whose potential, exactly? From the lineup of speakers, the only potential wor th mapping is that of academics and college professionals. Are these the only voices that matter? I’m more
interested in the potential of those struggling to succeed, those who are destitute and those in need of support. The question shouldn’t be, “Did you see the TEDxUMN talks about potential?” The question should be, “How does TEDxUMN — or any TED talk — assist those in the most need of help?” Otherwise, what’s the point of any TED or TEDx event? Without a clear and direct path for helping the unprivileged, the impoverished and the enslaved, a TED or TEDx event is nothing more than intellectual masturbation. For the organizers, it’s an event they can put on their resume, and that means something to some people. However, what it doesn’t mean is that critical inquir y happened. Critical inquir y can never happen with a passive audience. Inquir y is a social ef for t, and we need to organize around this idea. Unfortunately, most TED talks, which may start as well-intentioned, end up being nothing more than a speaker regurgitating a Wikipedia page for a hostage group of people yearning for something to change. I’m sure TEDxUMN will have a sizable audience, and attendees will mix with people at the after party, where they will discuss the grandiose ideas they’ve heard or not heard. They will ingest the corporate speak and jargon prone to such talks. The speaker will lecture, the audience will listen and, more than likely, nothing will happen. Trent M. Kays welcomes comments at tkays@mndaily.com.
8
Monday, April 21, 2014
Sports
@MNDAILYSPORTS
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
Mable finishes fifth on vault at NCAAs
CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY FILE PHOTO
CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY FILE PHOTO
Minnesota gymnast Hanna Nordquist executes her balance beam routine at the NCAA regional competition April 5 at the Sports Pavilion.
Minnesota gymnast Lindsay Mable executes her balance beam routine at the NCAA regional competition April 5 at the Sports Pavilion.
Hanna Nordquist placed 16th on the balance beam after falling in the finals.
after scoring a 9.225 in last year’s qualifying round. Mable scored a 9.8 on the event this time around. “I think my biggest goal this year on bars was have a little bit of redemption from last year,” Mable said. “I think star ting on bars and feeling good about my routine really helped me just keep in the positive mindset.” Her all-around title hopes were crushed, however, after she fell of f the balance beam and scored a 9.25. “That was a little bit disappointing,” Mable said. “A little bit of a letdown.” Nordquist didn’t have any trouble with her beam routine Friday night, scoring a
BY DAVID NELSON dnelson@mndaily.com
A 9.933 would be an impressive score during the regular season, but it ear ned sophomore Lindsay Mable a fifth-place finish on vault at the NCAA meet. Mable and fellow sophomore Hanna Nordquist represented the Gophers at the NCAA individual finals in Birmingham, Ala., this weekend. They both qualified for the finals after a successful outing Friday
night but came up a bit short Sunday afternoon. “There were some amazing vaulters and competitors,” Mable said. “I was proud to be among them. And just being out there was an awesome experience for me. I’m ver y content with fifth.” Nordquist — who tied for second on balance beam at the NCAA meet last season — str uggled during this year’s competition and finished 16th overall. Nordquist fell during her balance beam routine, costing her a shot at the NCAA title. “I was ver y frustrated,” Nordquist said, “[but] ever ything happens for a reason.”
Gophers head coach Meg Stephenson said that regardless of the results, she was proud of the way both athletes competed. “They both did really well,” Stephenson said. Though Mable and Nordquist didn’t necessarily finish the NCAA meet in style Sunday afternoon, both opened competition on the right foot Friday night. “Hanna rocked her routine on Friday,” Stephenson said. “It was absolutely gorgeous. Then [Lindsay] stuck her vault.” Mable competed in all four events, hitting a 9.8 or higher in three of four. She said she wanted to redeem herself on the uneven bars
9.9 on the event. It was a much dif ferent stor y Sunday for both Mable and Nordquist, as the two gymnasts couldn’t match their qualifyinground performances. “It was a lear ning experience for both of us,” Mable said. “We’re both … walking away with more knowledge of ourselves and the competition we face. There is a lot of excitement for what’s to come.” Mable and Nordquist still have two years of eligibility left with the Gophers. And Nordquist said she thinks the last two years of NCAA experience will help the gymnasts in their final two seasons
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS RESULTS
FRIDAY NIGHT QUALIFIER Vault Uneven bars Floor exercise Balance beam
SUNDAY FINALS Vault Balance beam
SCORE Mable, 9.900 Mable, 9.800 Mable, 9.250 Mable, 9.900 Nordquist, 9.900 SCORE Mable, 9.933 Nordquist, 9.300
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
with the team. “We’ve still got two more years to come back and do what we truly want to do,” Nordquist said. “I just hope they’ll be better [results].”
MEN’S GOLF
Mendez, Gophers take top spot at Rutherford Invite Minnesota appears confident with the Big Ten tournament two weeks away. BY DAVID NELSON dnelson@mndaily.com
CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY FILE PHOTO
Minnesota’s Jose Mendez plays at the season-opening Gopher Invitational on Sept. 8 at Windsong Farm Golf Club.
Not even a 90-minute frost delay Sunday could cool off the Gophers men’s golf team, as it won the Rutherford Invitational after an impressive two-day performance. In the team’s final contest of the regular season, head coach John Carlson watched as his players dominate, winning the tournament by 12 strokes. “It was total team effort from star t to finish this week,” Carlson said. Not only did the Gophers win the team competition, but freshman Jose Mendez’s 6-under-par won the individual competition. This marks the first time in his collegiate career that he’s placed first overall outright. He tied for first at the Duck Invitational last month.
“I think our confidence is at an all-time high. ... You just see guys walking with their heads up, shoulders back.” ALEX GAUGERT Gophers senior
“It means a lot for me,” Mendez said. “It feels awesome. It’s really good for me and for the [program].” The Gophers star ted strong Saturday, ending their first day of competition atop the leaderboard. “We dominated the field yesterday, and it’s a great feeling,” Carlson said Sunday. “We were expected to win, and we got the job done.” Mendez and senior Alex Gaugert helped pace Minnesota, finishing their opening rounds in first and tied for third place, respectively. “I drove the ball the first day really well,” Gauger t said. “It was probably some of the best driving I’ve had in a long while.” Mendez and Gauger t remained consistent during
their weekend and each finished in the top 10. The course in State College, Pa., was a challenge for most competitors, with only three finishing the tournament with scores under par. Gophers senior Jon Trasamar felt the ef fects of the course early in the tournament, tying for 45th to star t his weekend. He battled back Sunday and finished in the top 20 for the fourth time this spring. “He’s one of the huge reasons that we’ve made strides in our program,” Carlson said. “His leadership as a captain and also leading on the golf course today certainly is a big help to us.” This is the Gophers’ fourth top-three finish in a row, and the team’s morale
MEN’S GOLF RESULTS
GOLFER Mendez Gaugert Trasamar DuToit Rachey
RD1 68 71 72 75 75
RD2 65 69 77 71 73
RD3 74 75 71 76 76
TOTAL 207 215 220 222 224
TEAM 1 Minnesota 2 Seton Hall T3 Connecticut T3 Rutgers 5 Maryland
RD1 286 295 292 289 299
RD2 278 293 294 284 285
RD3 296 284 290 303 294
TOTAL 860 872 876 876 878
*out of 14 teams
SOURCE: GOLFSTATRESULTS.COM
is soaring. “I think our confidence is at an all-time high,” Gaugert said. “You just see guys walking with their heads up, shoulders back.” And with the way Minnesota has played, the team is prepared for the Big Ten championships in just two weeks. “We know anything is possible at that tour nament,” Carlson said. “It’s going to be one of the better Big Ten [tournaments] in the last decade.”
Monday, April 21, 2014
9
TENNIS
Minnesota falls twice in final weekend The Gophers also lost two matches on the men’s side over the weekend. BY JACE FREDERICK jfrederick@mndaily.com
It wasn’t exactly the weekend that the Gophers women’s tennis team was hoping for to wrap up the regular season. No. 59 Minnesota (16-8, 6-5) lost 4-3 to No. 43 Illinois on Friday night before losing 7-0 to No. 13 Northwestern on Sunday afternoon. But the Gophers were far from discouraged, despite the sweep. Minnesota players held their heads high Sunday as they look ahead to next week’s Big Ten tournament. “We’re going into the Big Ten tour nament really positively and ready to battle,” junior Julia Courter said. “I feel like ever yone is in a great place with tennis. And we have a mindset where we’re ready to go … and do big things there.” Gophers head coach Chuck Merzbacher said even though the team would have liked to win both matches over the weekend, the close scores in the individual matches were encouraging. “We’re fighting hard, and we’re playing well,” he said. “We just don’t go away.” Minnesota senior Natallia Pintusava said the matches this weekend, both against higher-ranked opponents, provided a good mental experience in preparation for next weekend. “I mean, losing is never fun,” she said, “[but] we all played tough.” Minnesota finished the regular season with six Big Ten victories — the highest mark achieved since the 2003 season. Merzbacher said this team has established a culture in which every player believes in themself on the court. That mental toughness and togetherness pushed
Minnesota’s Julia Courter plays against Illinois on Friday afternoon at the Baseline Tennis Center. The Gophers lost 4-3 to the Illini.
the team to results not seen in the program for more than a decade. Now, the Gophers are hoping it translates to postseason success — starting with the Big Ten tournament next weekend in Evanston, Ill. “We’re not going to go just show up,” Merzbacher said. “We really want to go there and stay.” Minnesota played Sunday without junior Tereza Brichacova, who traditionally fills the No. 1 singles slot. She missed the match with a wrist injury. Merzbacher said he held Brichacova out in hopes of getting her rested for the Big Ten tournament. “We’re hoping that some rest will give her a chance to play,” he said. “I’m counting on her to be there.”
“I feel like everyone is in a great place with tennis. And we have a mindset where we’re ready to go … and do big things [at the Big Ten tournament].” JULIA COURTER Gophers junior
Men’s team loses two matches Minnesota’s men’s tennis team (11-12, 5-6) likely has some work to do at the Big Ten tournament if it wants to qualify for the NCAA tournament. No. 51 Minnesota lost both its matches on the road this weekend, falling 5-1 to No. 10 Illinois on Friday and 7-0 to No. 35
Northwestern on Sunday. Leandro Toledo’s individual NCAA tournament hopes also took a bit of a hit over the weekend. Toledo, the 39th-ranked player in the NCAA rankings, lost two matches at the No. 1 singles position. Toledo likely needs to finish in the top 50 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s rankings to qualify for the postseason.
MEN’S TENNIS RESULTS
NORTHWESTERN Singles Toledo Weber Hamburg Froment Frueh Ramirez Doubles Hamburg/Froment Toledo/Frueh Ramirez/Sydow
7, MINNESOTA 0 L L L L L L
6-7, 6-0, 6-7 3-6, 1-6 7-6, 3-6, 0-1 2-6, 7-5, 3-6 6-7, 2-6 3-6, 2-6
L 5-8 W 8-6 L 4-8
ILLINOIS 5, MINNESOTA 1 Singles L 6-4, 6-4 Toledo L 6-4, 6-3 Weber L 6-2, 6-3 Hamburg 4-6, 5-4 unfinished Froment L 7-5, 6-3 Frueh L 6-3, 6-2 Ramirez Doubles Hamburg/Froment Toledo/Frueh Ramirez/Sydow
W 8-5 W 8-7 (10) L 8-2
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
LISA PERSSON, DAILY
WOMEN’S TENNIS RESULTS
ILLINOIS 4, MINNESOTA 3 Singles W 6-7 (5), 6-3, Brichacova 1-0 (7) L 6-2, 7-5 Pintusava L 6-0, 7-5 Mozia L 6-4, 6-4 Courter W 6-3, 6-4 Lambert W 7-6 (6), 6-4 Vujic Doubles Brichacova/Mozia Pintusava/Courter Lambert/Otero
L 8-5 unfinished L 8-3
NORTHWESTERN 7, MINNESOTA 0 Singles L 6-7 (4), 6-3, Pintusava 1-0 (8) L 6-0, 6-0 Mozia L 6-4, 6-3 Lambert L 6-4, 6-3 Courter L 6-4, 6-2 Vujic L 6-3, 6-2 Otero Doubles Pintusava/Courter Lambert/Otero Umanets/Heitzner
L 8-1 unfinished L 8-2
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
10
Monday, April 21, 2014
SOFTBALL
TRACK & FIELD
Gophers men leave local relays with five titles This was the final competition before the Drake Relays next weekend.
TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS
GOPHERS’ EVENT WINNERS
BY MEGAN RYAN mryan@mndaily.com
JAAK JENSEN, DAILY FILE PHOTO
Minnesota pitcher Sara Moulton winds up to throw a pitch against Indiana on May 4, 2013, at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
Gophers win one in Mich. Minnesota scored only four runs in a three-game series against the No. 3 Wolverines. BY JARED CHRISTENSEN jchristensen@mndaily.com
No. 13 Minnesota traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., over the weekend and pulled off an upset victor y over third-ranked Michigan on Friday before falling Saturday and Sunday. The Gophers won 1-0 in the first game of the threegame set but lost 3-1 and 7-2, respectively, in the final two games. Minnesota’s lone win came as a result of stellar pitching from senior Sara Moulton, who star ted the game, and freshman Sara Groenewegen, who struck out four batters in 2.2 innings of relief. The Gophers’ pitching staff could only do so much, though — the struggling offense totaled just four runs in the three-game series. Still, the Friday win over Michigan — which snapped t h e B i g Te n l e a d e r ’ s 20-game winning streak — was huge for Minnesota’s confidence.
SOFTBALL RESULTS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Minnesota Michigan
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
Minnesota Michigan
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
4
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
X
3
4
1
Minnesota Michigan
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
0
0
1
0
6
0
X
7
8
0
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
Gophers head coach Jessica Allister said she was happy with the way her team played during the first two games but was disappointed it didn’t pull out another win. “It was a bit disappointing not to come away with the series win,” Allister said, “but I think we showed we can play softball at a ver y high level.” Moulton collected the win in the first game, her 20th of the season, and Groenewegen was awarded the save for her relief work. Groenewegen, who was named a finalist for the National Freshman of the Year award last week, suffered the first loss of her college career Saturday. Moulton said she felt
good about the weekend as a whole, and now her focus is shifting toward making improvements for the rest of the year. “We’r e feeling good about the weekend,” she said, “but there are still some things we have to fix up and improve on.” Those improvements will star t at the plate as Michigan’s tough-to-hit pitching staff quieted Minnesota’s bats all weekend. The Gophers’ four runs this weekend pale in comparison to the 25 they produced in their previous three games. Allister credited Michigan’s pitchers but said her team didn’t do itself any favors. “We helped them out,” she said. “We left seven
runners on base Saturday and just couldn’t come up with the big hit to blow it open.” Michigan, on the other hand, came away with the big hit when oppor tunity knocked. Sunday’s game started as a pitchers’ duel, but the Wolverines blew the game open with a six-run fifth inning. That big inning came just after Gophers freshman infielder Sam Macken blasted a solo home run to level the score at 1-1. Macken said she was excited to give her team the offensive boost but was disappointed it didn’t win the game. “It obviously didn’t finish the way we wanted it to,” she said. The Gophers’ two losses drop them to 11-5 in the Big Ten, but their 33 wins overall are tied for second-most in the conference. Now, with 10 games left in the regular season, Moulton said the focus is on finishing strong and building momentum toward the postseason. “Now we have seven games in a row at home, and we’re playing great softball,” she said. “That should all help to finish the year strong.”
MEN Capek Hechsel Bartnik Wieland Markuson
The Gophers men’s track and field team placed second at the Carleton Relays on Saturday in Northfield, Minn., even without its full roster. Carleton took home the meet title with 103 team points to Minnesota’s 90. The Gophers won five events en route to their silver finish. Minnesota senior Jacob Capek crossed first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.72 seconds — barely a second ahead of teammate freshman Nate Roese, who finished second. Gophers freshman Mitch Hechsel won the 800-meter run title, finishing the race in 1:52.65, and sophomore Aaron Bar tnik won the 1,500-meter run in 3:55.09. Minnesota freshman Luca Wieland led a top-two sweep in the 110-meter hurdles at 14.52 with teammate freshman Ben Holcomb in second. In the field, junior Logan Markuson cleared a height of 4.72 meters to win the pole vault. A smaller group of competitors traveled to the Mt. SAC Multi-Events in California.
EVENT 400-meter dash 800-meter run 1,500-meter run 110-meter hurdles Pole vault
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
Middle-distance runners compete A group of mostly middle-distance runners from the women’s track and field team competed at the Carleton Relays. Gophers redshirt freshman Taylor Mikkalson and sophomore Jamie Piepenburg finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,500-meter run. Minnesota senior Maggie Bollig finished third in the 800-meter run at 2:16.28. The Gophers didn’t win any titles at the Carleton Relays, but their 4x400meter relay team placed second to add to the team’s moderate success at the meet. Minnesota’s men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete with their full rosters next weekend at several meets, with the highlight being the Drake Relays in Iowa.
MLB
Hughes leads Twins to 8-3 victory over Royals in 18 outings, a span that included eight losses. “I knew it had been a long time,” said Hughes, who signed a $24 million, three-year deal with Minnesota in December. “It’s good to get that one out of the way, and hopefully go on a good run here and continue to pitch some quality games. But my first one with a new team, it’s special.” He could have done without the ball, though. “We had a little fun with him,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “It’s his first win since way back, and first win as a Twin, too, so we gave him a little grief about that.”
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It is customar y in baseball for a pitcher to be awarded a commemorative baseball after his first big league win, a nice keepsake to reflect upon years down the road. The Twins’ Phil Hughes did not earn his first win on Sunday. It only felt like it. His jokester teammates gave him a ball anyway. Hughes pitched into the seventh inning to win for the first time since last July, helping Minnesota to an 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals that also avoided a three-game sweep. It was Hughes’ first win
BASEBALL
Minnesota stumbles in finale with Hawkeyes, sits eighth in Big Ten The Gophers gave up six runs in the seventh inning Sunday afternoon.
BASEBALL RESULTS
BY BETSY HELFAND bhelfand@mndaily.com
The Gophers appeared on track for a crucial series victor y over Iowa on Sunday until an ugly inning threw them off course. Minnesota won 4-3 in the first game Friday and dropped the second game 11-5 Saturday afternoon. That left the r ubber match on Sunday. Minnesota led 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, and then its bullpen imploded. The Gophers gave up six runs and eventually fell 7-6 at the hands of the Hawkeyes. “We’d like to have this one back,” center fielder Dan Motl said. “You’re not going to win a lot of ballgames giving up six runs in an inning,” Neal Kunik made his first career star t for Minnesota on Sunday and was in line for the win until the implosion in the bullpen. Minnesota head coach John Anderson decided to switch up his starting rotation for the first time this year and turned to Kunik in lieu of starter Jordan Jess, who entered the weekend with an 0-6 record and a 5.05 ERA.
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Minnesota Iowa
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Minnesota Iowa
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SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY FILE PHOTO
Minnesota shortstop Michael Handel prepares to swing against Ohio State on April 5, 2013, at Siebert Field.
Kunik said he found out earlier in the week that he’d be pitching against Iowa. “I think going out for the first start, I definitely had some ner ves initially, but those quickly calmed down once I got out of that first inning,” Kunik said. He pitched six innings and gave up three hits and no runs. His stellar outing was spoiled in the seventh inning after relievers Kevin Kray and Dalton Sawyer struggled to record outs. Kray and Sawyer, two of Minnesota’s most dependable options out of the
bullpen, each gave up three runs. Sawyer gave up another run in the eighth, but the Gophers rallied in their last at-bat. Motl singled with one out in the ninth inning to start the comeback bid. “I knew if we got someone on, there were a lot of guys behind me … that could definitely do some damage, and that’s what they did,” Motl said. The Gophers scored three runs in the inning, but it wasn’t enough. “The thing we’ve been stressing is being able to
close out games, and it’s something we haven’t been doing lately,” Motl said. “That goes with pitching and hitting.” Anderson said Kunik will start again next weekend. He said Jess, who came in and struck out the only batter he faced, looked comfortable in his role out of the bullpen. Jess is one of two lefthanded pitchers on the roster, and Anderson said moving him to the bullpen will give Sawyer, the other lefty on the team, a bit of a break.
“We’ll try not to use Dalton as much as we have,” Anderson said. “I think it caught up to him here today.” Minnesota and Iowa came into the series with the same conference record, but the loss puts the Gophers eighth in the Big Ten. “It was a big series being tied with them, to start trying to separate ourselves from that part of the pack,” Motl said. “So losing two out of three hurts, but we’re still right there.” Though the Gophers ended the series with a loss, they started it with a quality start from Alec Crawford on Friday. Crawford gave up three runs in 7.1 innings of work in a no-decision. The Gophers scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning on an error, and Sawyer, who pitched 1.2 innings, got the win. Minnesota dropped the
contest on Saturday, despite scoring four r uns in the first inning. Gophers freshman Brian Glowicki, who came on in relief of Ben Meyer, gave up six runs, five earned, and took the loss. Minnesota shor tstop Michael Handel, who hit a home run Friday, went 3-for-5 with a run scored and three r uns driven in Saturday. Handel’s offensive outburst was overshadowed as he pulled his hamstring. Anderson said he was unsure when Handel would return. “He was in the middle of our lineup doing a good job, and now he’s out, and [we’re] back to square one,” Anderson said. “It never ends.” The Gophers will get back to Big Ten play next weekend at home against Penn State, but first, they will host Hamline on Wednesday.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Classifieds
11
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UPCOMING EVENTS WHAT: Earth Day screening of Do the Math: The Movie WHO: Fossil Free Minnesota, Students for Sustainability & MPIRG WHEN: 6:30-8-30 p.m. Tuesday WHERE: Coffman Union Theater PRICE: Free Concerned about climate? Want to be part of the solution? Come watch the movie that sparked the largest youth climate movement in history.
WHAT: Taste of Stadium Village WHEN: 4 p.m. Thursday WHERE: Stadium Village PRICE: $1 food, $2 beers This is a big event we put on twice a year in Stadium Village. Idea is to get people to try some of the many food options that the area has to offer and let them know what businesses are in the area. We have 14 restaurants participating in the $1 food items, with things ranging from pulled pork sliders to mini blizzards. Thousands of dollars in prizes will be handed out, and there are seven bars that will be offering $2 summit beers from 4 p.m. to close.
WHAT: The Deaf Duckling WHO: Mixed Blood Theatre at the Parkway Theatre WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday WHERE: Parkway Theatre, 4814 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis PRICE: $8 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under The Deaf Duckling offers a warm and insightful look at how one family bridges deaf and hearing cultures.
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12
Monday, April 21, 2014
BACKTALK
horoscopes
sudoku
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.
4/21/2014
Thursday’s solution © 2013 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
Today’s Birthday (4/21): Career and finances boom this year. Enjoy extra birthday relaxation this week. Communications, travel and intellectual studies increase profit during spring and summer.
To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Written By Linda C. Black
Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is a 6 — Find what you need nearby. Challenges at work require your full attention. Watch for hidden dangers. Be very careful, and do the basic work.
Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 5 — Things don’t go according to plan, but having a plan sure helps. Maintain objectivity, and adapt to changing circumstances.
Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 5 — Setting priorities becomes newly important with unexpected circumstances. Hold onto your valuables, and plan your next move.
Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 5 — Watch your stinger ... someone could get hurt. Practice restraint. Listen to a loved one’s considerations. Hold onto your money.
Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 5 — You have more to manage at home than you may realize. It’s not a good time to travel. Circumstances have changed, and it works out for the better.
Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 5 — The momentum short-circuits, and you discover a dead end. Curtail your enthusiasm. Don’t fall for an expensive trick.
Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is a 5 — You may discover breakdowns with a partnership. Postpone expansion and travel for now. Others vie for your attention.
Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 6 — Friends help you advance. Exceptional patience is required. A theory doesn’t pan out. Go beyond the minimum required.
Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is a 5 — Don’t try a new idea yet. Lay low and keep your head down. Breakdowns in an alliance distract. Stay close to home and handle deadlines and urgencies.
Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 5 — Don’t over-extend or push yourself too hard. Support (and be supported by) your friends. Collaborate with responsibilities.
Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is a 5 — Stand up for your commitments. Add spice. It could get fun, if you view it as a game. Avoid an intense argument by refusing to get hooked.
Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 5 — With the support of your friends, you can get through anything. Stash valuables in a safe place.
Monday, April 21, 2014
crossword
from the archive
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
BACKTALK
19
FOR RELEASE APRIL 18, 21, 2014
DAILY CROSSWORD Los
will not seem so tough for you. Net: Really not planning on dating, eh?
Well Networkia, we hope you all had a pleasant 4/20. Some people felt we should have made a bigger deal about that. But come on, who really finds veiled references to marijuana funny? Stoners? Of course, but this column is not written for them. We don’t cast our pearls before swine. BTW, what are those idiots thinking when they plaster a big “US Hwy 420” bumpersticker on their VW bus? It’s nothing more than an invitation for every cop from here to Wichita to stop you and search the car. Dumbass stoners.
From D-Man
Now, normally I take up a whole chunk of Net going off on some cynical tangent. This time, I’d simply like to say that I agree with Dwnwitfatties and dumbfounded. I agree like so many Spaniards spinnin’ ass and fleeing from a dozen toothless Iraqi militants. And I’m no misogynist, mind you. I love women … just not as much as I do when they are sleeping with me, cooking my meals, and making sure my chinos are lightly starched. Toodles. Net: What you need is a rentboy.
From Chauvinistic_View
Attention all girls! All of you girls that are complaining about the objectification of the female on campus, get used to it. It is not our fault that girls “boombolatties” protrude so gracefully from their body. When you ladies catch us staring at your girls downstairs, realize that it is because they are speaking to us and naturally we are being polite and giving them the attention they deserve. Net: Delusional sexists! What’s next? And to Sk8erzsister, us guys can get through a conversation without staring at a girl’s bodacious tatas, all we do is resort to the ass or legs. These two features also do the trick at getting the testosterone flowing. Net: Umm, yeah, it’s a pretty good bet that she knew that already. And Pick_the_Tulips, we will not shave our armpits! I am sick of all this metrosexual bullNUTT. If you want us guys to act and dress like girls so much, then go rock the casaba with a girl. Net: “Rock the casaba?” Shouldn’t there be more like four casabas? At least? We won’t complain because we enjoy seeing girls getting freaky together. It is time for you to realize that we are the dominating gender in society. No matter how hard you girls try there will always be a guy out there that is better than you. So stop being so bitter and accept your role in society as the cooking, cleaning sex objects that you are, because once you do that everything HEY! SEND YOUR ENTRY, NAME & PHONE TO:
From femme fatale
I would like to extend my most personal gratitude towards Dwnwitfatties and dumbfounded for reminding me why I am pro-choice; so that hateful, mysoginistic NUTTS like them can be aborted and save us all the agony of reading such tripe. Believe it or not, and I’m sure you won’t, Dwnwitfatties, women’s main goals in getting dressed every morning are NOT, in fact, attracting your sexual attentions. In fact, very few, if any, of us actually care what our cleavage does or does not do for your penis. Furthermore, as for “fat chicks in tank tops,” I think I can safely assert that there is more to a female than her dress size. Although I’m sure any woman who would be caught dead seeking your attention isn’t the most modern in her ideals, most females these days have personalities, which tend to reflect a beauty that a naturally slim or larger frame may not. Net: That may be too optimistic. See Sally’s on a Friday night for proof. Please stop embarrassing your entire sex by encompassing every male stereotype in one compact little email. Net: That’s probably not the only thing that’s little and compact about those guys, right? Oh, whoops, guess we’re doing it too now.
NETWORK@MNDAILY.COM
1 6 11 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 29 30 31 33 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 45 47 49 50 51 54 55 58 59 60 61 62 63 1 2 3 4
Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
ACROSS Up to this point Culture media Money mgr. ACROSS Make laugh 1 Famiglia Campusnickname drilling Turning point gp. language Run smoothly6 Celtic News 115 Base enforcers, Repairs, as a syndication lawn’s bare spot "Exodus" hero briefly Porky's pen14 9 Menu On thelistings higher Made an 15 Muse side with a lyre attempt inlab a forest Plots of land16 14 Bugler Fictional Clears of water 17 Fish-derived assistant Pictures in the supplement 15 Be certain mind Leave empty 19 16 Behold Garbo of the Distinctive Club silver screen elegance 20 Diners Duck past 17 Man-made competitor Red Rose 21 Binding organic promise pump Chills not for 20 Tool Takethat’s care of Categorize 22 Malarkey 21 Start crosscuts of Caesar’s "Fame" star 24 Prince Charles’ incredulous Irene Garr of closetful question "Tootsie" stuffed bear 22 Title GI rations Turner and 27 Say again Clanton in a5 2012 film 23 1040 publisher: 6 Month of "__ and Bess" 28 Valley where Abbr. showers Make void Hercules slew meaning 7 Provides with a Formulated 25 Prefix 8 Enthusiastic beliefs lion “high” 9 Fierce mythical Hermits the Alaska 27 Site Dishof not made bird Apertures 29 10 Very Pretentious Purchase transfer from theerotic reptile 11 Plastic money Indian soldier it’s12named for Pulped veggies under British ceremony 13 Out of kilter command 33 home: 34 Blues Kissing pair 18 Port city of 1978 musical Abbr.__ 35 Out limb Pennsylvania (with "The") 36 Cellular Get feeling 23 a Tricolored __ Mahal 34 felines Bargain-mall messengers about 24 Downs tenant 37 Leaving Feed bagthe morsel 25 Gossip-column Ike's domain couple Labor group38 Like jurisdiction, a soloist on 26 Sleeveless Proprietor perhaps a dark stage garment CSA soldier Soothing Wrongful acts 41 Brest pals Fill27up on plant 28 Resume Untrue! 42 Of Mice and sect __ 41 Barn-raising 43 section 43 Fame 44 Hall Electrified particle 29 of Erwin and DOWN Gilliam Old adages45 Falls umpire Conlan 44 behind 31 Slammer Leave out writermanage 45 46 App Pseudonym 32 Barely Unchecked 44 34 Cogito anger 46 against asum __ 50 “... “The Lord__of theof 35 Speaks out Peer Gynt's troubles”: Hamlet 46 Rings,” 47 37 Charte.g. toppers mother
48 Joan Jett & 51 1982 Encouragement the “on Blackhearts the back” hit fuel 52 Bog 54 55 Luxury Caponewatch nemesis 55 Bailed-out Eliot insurance co. 58 Triangular Greek 56 Mislead letter 58 Prague 62 “The Finger-pointing Cemetery” perjury novelist 65 Sing like Bing 59 66 Literary 50+ org.orphan ... and what 17-, 67 Company with24-, 3748bell and ringers Across 68 Shell outeach contains? 69 Zebras, to lions 62 It mayHackman be fresh or 70 Actor stale 63 MilkDOWN source 64 1 Sculled Narrow inlets 65 2 House Folkloreand monster Howser with 3 Carryall 66 Bygone handles monarchs 4 They give films 67 Winemaking tool stars
Minnesota Daily Volume 105, Issue 135 April 21, 2004
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
4/18/14 4/21/14 DOWN 5 Slalom item Thursday’s Saturday’s Puzzle Solved 1 found in 6 Mineral It may be enough sheets 7 “Just __”: Nike 2 Basic sloganmatter 3 Vengeful 8 Try to whack, as 48 Unseals Victimizes sorceress of Mix myth a flyfrom a 50 up Remove 51 Established tight spot, 4 9 Appomattox “Gross!” custom perhaps bicentennial year states 10 Logical Blood formation 52 Angry 53 Love of tennis Some time 5 Faulkner’s “__ proposition 56 One in after Lay Dying” 11 Apple relativeBarcelona Speak 6 To Didserf lawn work 12 be, to Brigitte 57 Pair count Spartan 7 “Peanuts” Proofer’s find 13 8 Thai native phooey 9 Tuning Last words 18 __ in a drink recipe, 19 Break in the action perhaps 24 Break in the 10 “Total actionpatient” treatment 26 Word with tube or 11 Like one expected pattern to deliver? 27 Florida metropolis 12 fold 28 Fabric Vision-related (c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 4/18/14 4/21/14 13 29 Slants Game with Skip 49 35 56 Understandable Mark from a 43 Hunky-dory Cowboy’s hat 18 Revolting cards 50 Underground 36 surgical 45 __-cone Reason for an 23 Rico 30 __ Mathematical worker 38 Taurus procedure ump’s safe call 25 Angled ltrs. comparison 51 Tzu’s birthstones, 57 Sun Having no “The doubt 47 Emmy winner 26 31 Not Weemisled hr. by Art __” as you perhaps 59 Occurring Fey 29 to get 32 Where Grammarian’s Florida’s __ Beach 52 Longest watch it river in 48 Arctic expanse wraps and scrubs 39 concern France 40 of a jamb? 60 Huckleberry 49 Out It means nothing 30 youand going?” 33 “Are Lizards 53 Gets knocked Hound, for oneoff to Juan response snakes, for some 45 Pious 57 Fords 46 on 61 Old Songstress 52 They’re Inferiorsoften of cpls. 31 and 34 French Do nothing 60 Gilbert a slippery slope Murray and 53 Tombstone Italian flags 38 Use FedEx Sullivan 47 MIT grad, often 63 Conclusion lawman 32 Balkan 39 Disputed Comical Costello princess 48 64 Plant gathering 54 Construction Burn-soothing republic 40 Clouseau’s rank: 61 Part of an inning 33 Vice girder information substance Abbr.principle By Peter David Koetters W. Cromer
dr. date Dr. Date,
Earn Up to $30 per hour this Summer! Become a bartender
So I’ve been seeing this guy for about a year, although he still won’t fully commit to me. He has been in an addiction recovery program for a few years, and due to his program, he’s very self-aware, knows what he wants and needs and is very good at communicating his needs to me — so I try my best to be aware of them. I seem to mess up with fulfilling his needs every single time we’re together, which sends him into a rage or we have an incredibly long, draining discussion about it. He’s taken on a counselor role with me, trying to “help” me be more selfaware. He says he won’t commit to me until I do counseling, group work, spiritual work and take some online personality tests for my own issues (which I don’t think are very big problems — everyone could stand to be self-aware and work on themselves in some way). I’ve been open to suggestions and have done a lot of things that he’s suggested and found them beneficial, but it always seems that what I’m doing is never enough for him — there’s always another hoop to jump through. It creates a lot of self-doubt in me. My friends who don’t know about his program have observed that he always wants things his way no matter what. I’m not sure if I can ever meet his needs. What can I do in a relationship like this?
—Exhausted
Exhausted,
April Tuition Special: $250 (reg. $595) “I paid my way through 4 years
• 1-on-1 training (No classes)
of college bartending with no student loans”
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-Mitch, Mpls
It seems like this dude is just trying to help, but it’s weird to me that he won’t commit after a year. How much do you really need to change before he is going to want to date you exclusively? It’s cool that he’s “self-aware” and all, but counseling, spiritual work, etc. need to be a personal decision, not something you do to please your quasi-boyfriend.
It might be time to dump this guy in favor of someone who likes you the way you are, self-aware or not. A year is too long to waste on someone who can’t accept you.
—Dr. Date
Dr. Date,
One of my best female friends is gay and recently told me that she’s had feelings for me throughout college (we’re both seniors). I’m straight and have been consistently dating/in a relationship during college but have been single for the past six months or so. My friend and I are very close, but I’ve never been attracted to her. I’ve had the feeling in the past that she might be attracted to me but didn’t expect her to act on it because she knows I’m straight. When she told me that she has feelings for me, I was really surprised. I told her I don’t feel the same way but needed to process it, and so I said we should talk more about it later. It’s been a few days, and I still have no idea what to tell her. I’m very worried about losing her friendship, but I know I’ve already hurt her feelings. What should I do?
—Anonymous
Anonymous,
Unless you want to switch teams, there isn’t really much you can do except talk to her. She can’t exactly be mad at you for being straight — you were born that way, just like she was born gay. But keep in mind that she just put herself in a very vulnerable situation, so I bet she’s more worried that you won’t want to be friends after her confession. Just talk to her, and let her know that you are cool with it (assuming you are) and that her friendship means a lot to you. Everything will be fine.
—Dr. Date
Our
One mile east of the U of M! MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF BARTENDING, INC. (612) 333-6692 www.mnschoolofbartending.com
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Need relationship advice? Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com.
13
14
Monday, April 21, 2014
Study: Air pollution has disproportionate impact
MN town copes with commercial flights grounded
Pollution
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
u from Page 1
AVERAGE NO2 EXPOSURE DIFFERENCE IN PARTS PER BILLION BETWEEN WHITES AND NONWHITES 0 OR LESS
groups, and Minneapolis is one of those cities,” said Julian Marshall, environmental engineering associate professor and senior author of the study. Researchers found that non-white Americans’ nitrogen dioxide exposure levels are 38 percent higher than whites’. About 7,000 people of color die of heart disease annually, according to the study. While past studies have examined pollution disparities on regional levels, the new research was the first to look at the issue on a national scale. It also examined national pollution disparities for income, but it found that race-based gaps were much wider.
Measuring disparities in Minneapolis
The city of Minneapolis recently partnered with the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy, a research center, to analyze air pollution levels in different neighborhoods. “The disparity between whites and people of color is definitely an issue in Minneapolis, and it’s something that we’re working to address,” said Patrick Hanlon, the Minneapolis Health Department’s environmental initiatives supervisor. The two-year study will track 72 different chemicals in 120 locations throughout
0-1 4-5
1-2 5-6
2-3
3-4
6 OR MORE
SOURCE: MARSHALL RESEARCH GROUP, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Minneapolis to assess the problematic areas, Hanlon said. With this information, he said, the city can increase its community outreach and education initiatives in the affected areas. He also said businesses in areas with low pollutant levels could advertise their ranking for marketing purposes.
A wide-reaching problem
About 131 million Americans — almost half of the nation’s population — live in
areas with air pollution, according to the National Resources Defense Council. Worldwide, about 3.7 million people died in 2012 from exposure to outdoor air pollution, according to the World Health Organization. The University researchers chose to monitor nitrogen dioxide because the chemical’s concentration level varies widely throughout the country. It’s also one of six pollutants that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency examines and regulates. The University research-
ers drew demographic information from the U.S. Census and paired it with pollution data from a University-developed pollution estimate model, which used satellite and land usage measurements. Graduate student and researcher Lara Clark said they plan to study whether racial disparities change over time. “Hopefully, this is a useful baseline so that we can compare these things over time to see where they’re getting better and where they’re getting worse,” Marshall said.
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. — Heather Borgen’s in limbo. After working 40-plus hours a week for five years at Hertz Car Rental in this northern Minnesota town, Borgen was laid off when the airport’s only commercial airline was grounded in Februar y. If and when the airline returns, she plans to do the same — but that means she’s out of work for at least four months. “You have no idea how you’re supposed to act, what you’re supposed to be doing — you know, you try to find work and nobody’s going to hire you for two or three months at max,” she said. “They know you’re going to go back to the job that you like; the job that you know.” Great Lakes Airlines, a small regional car rier, suspended its ser vice in Febr uar y to Thief River Falls, where employees and employers said the air ser vice was a crucial link to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and beyond. The airline also suspended service to other small towns across the Midwest such as Jamestown and Devils Lake, N.D., Ironwood, Mich., and Fort Dodge, Iowa. Many others, including Pierre and Watertown, S.D., have seen diminished service as cancellation rates soared. The regional airline industr y blames new fed-
eral regulations for pilots aimed at increasing airline safety. In Thief River Falls, the airline’s suspension has cost a handful of residents their jobs and hindered businesses. The city of 9,000 is home to inter national companies like Arctic Cat and Digi-Key Corp., an Amazon-like distributor with 2,800 employees in an operation that sends electronic components to half a million customers in 145 countries. “As a global, $1.5 billion business, travel is essential, especially since we’re here in the middle of nowhere,” said Digi-Key’s corporate communications director Michelle Gjerde. Clients fly in from around the world on any given day, she said. Great Lakes Airlines and the regional airline industr y have said the regulations that require all commercial pilots have 1,500 hours of flying time combined with record retirements of long-time pilots are leaving them without enough people to fly their planes. Exper ts said Great Lakes, which did not return repeated calls for comment, has been hit the hardest by the new regulations but also say its low star ting pay has contributed. Regional airlines had more than 40,000 cancelled flights nationwide in the first quarter of 2014 — up from 14,000 in 2012, according to MasFlight, which tracks industr y statistics. The industr y has said a harsh winter also increased cancellations. Jim Higgins, an aviation professor at the University of Nor th Dakota, said the time it takes to get new pilots through the system — and now to accrue 1,500 hours of flight time — means problems at regional airlines will probably persist through the decade. “Unfortunately, I think most of small-town America is going to have to get used to the idea there’s going to be some longer-term disruptions in their service, and it’s a sad thing,” he said. Great Lakes’ suspension comes as Thief River Falls is thriving. The school system recently spent $56 million upgrading its buildings. The annual home show drew record crowds. A new 55-room hotel opened across the street from the 800,000-squarefeet Digi-Key plant. But without a fully functioning airline, the area can be a tough sell. “You fly candidates into another city, have them rent a car and come in, and then tell them how great it is to live here when it’s so inconvenient for them to come and inter view,” said Ryan Walseth, who owns a travel agency in town. Although about 80 percent of the bookings out of Thief River Falls were for business travel, Pat Braaten, the Great Lakes station manager in town, said she had frequent flyers that relied on the airport to get medical treatment in the Minneapolis area every week. And the snowbirds who move south for the winter now have to travel at least to Grand Forks, which is 60 miles away on a two-lane road that’s often treacherous in the winter. Braaten and another full-time employee at Great Lakes have been out of work while the airline has been grounded, and eight other part-time employees stopped working as well. “I understand why the regulations went in,” she said, “but it’s hard to take, because it’s really, really affecting a lot of people.” Great Lakes of ficials have said they plan to return as early as June, but with reduced ser vice that will allow flights with only nine passengers. And if the company does return, some have said it will take a long time to regain the trust of passengers and rebuild their customer base.