April 25, 2019 by The Minnesota Daily

POLICE INCREASE PATROL FOR SPRING JAM PAGE 2 THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

LATE WEEK

OFFICIALS ARE WORKING TO PREVENT LARGE GATHERINGS

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STATE GOVT.

RENAMING UNIVERSITY REGENT MICHAEL HSU “I’ve looked at thousands of pages. I’ve probably looked at more pages and documents than the people on the task force have.”

UNIVERSITY REGENT ABDUL OMARI “What I have read and what I have seen certainly suggests there was overt racism and anti-Semitism taking place on campus from several members and likely more who are on buildings.”

UNIVERSITY REGENT DARRIN ROSHA “I have not seen a single document or anything of that variety, nor have I seen a single document that can be attributed to Dean Nicholson with any antiSemitic indication at all.”

Lawmakers ask for more transparency Officials seek improved dialogue between the Legislature and the University of Minnesota. BY ISABELLA MURRAY imurray@mndaily.com

ABBY ADAMSKI, DAILY

On renaming, regents pursue their own historical research Historians are skeptical of some of the University regents’ research approach. BY AUSTEN MACALUS AND JAKE STEINBERG amacalus@mndaily.com, jsteinberg@mndaily.com

The debate over building names at the University of Minnesota hinges on different approaches to interpreting the same historical archive. After a University task force recommended renaming four buildings on campus, some members of the Board of Regents went to local archives to do their own research. However, several historians familiar with contextualizing higher education archives and assessing the actions of historic figures see the regents’ approach to this historical debate as insufficient. On one hand, some historical experts say they take a broad view of archival documents and give more weight to contextual evidence. On the other, some members of the Board of Regents say they don’t see enough evidence in a University task force’s report to back up allegations of racism and anti-Semitism

against four former administrators. Several regents — including Michael Hsu and Darrin Rosha — have come to a different conclusion on the same historical record used to assess the thoughts and actions of former University administrators Lotus Coffman, Edward Nicholson, William Middlebrook and Walter Coffey. Hsu has said the University can’t move forward with renaming without the board understanding all of the evidence. He’s accused the task force of “academic dishonesty” and intentionally omitting evidence from its 125-page report. Both Hsu and Rosha said their criticisms of the report are rooted in analysis of evidence included by the task force, as well as documents left out of the report. “I have yet to take my focus off of the factual analysis,” Rosha said. “I haven’t gotten past getting clarification on the actual factual underpinnings. And once we have that, then I think we move to the next stage.” But Robert Cohen, a professor of higher education history at New York University, said the evidence has been there for years. Cohen studied Coffman and Nicholson’s attempts to surveil students while writing his first book in the 1980s. “As a scholar of this era, this stuff is not even controversial to me. Nothing in this

report surprises me at all,” he said. Cohen said a report this thorough is highly unusual. It’s impressive, he said, but its recommendations are daring. “Really the issue is what do you do about the building naming. That, to me, is really what the controversy is,” he said. “What do you do with this history? Not, ‘Is this history accurate?’ because it certainly is.” Stephen Kantrowitz, a history professor, was on a task force charged with considering the history of the Ku Klux Klan at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said delving into an archive can be complex. “Anybody is free to go into an archive and explore, and many people are good at it,” he said, but historians are trained to assess what they find in relationship to other archives and to what other scholars have found. They can sometimes see things others wouldn’t, he said. “It’s rarely the case that a single document tells you something so dramatically new that it upends everything else that you already knew,” he said. Rosha said he’s gone to the Minnesota Historical Society multiple times,

BY NORAH KLEVEN nkleven@mndaily.com

Keith Killian was walking down University Avenue when a member of the Students’ Alliance for Cooperative Living caught his eye in 2014. The University of Minnesota student said he’s always been — and dressed as — an expressive person, and knew he found his place when he met members of the cooperative. Students’ Alliance for Cooperative Living, a group on the University of

STUDENT GOVT.

Student leaders seek zero waste at Spring Jam After falling short last year, MSA wants to divert 90 percent of event’s waste from landfills. BY NIAMH COOMEY mcoomey@mndaily.com

benefits more than when living in a more traditional setting. According to Liam DelMain, an officer and resident of the co-op, cooperative living holds different meanings for different people. In addition, residents are considered “owners” of the house. Nan Feldis is a member of the cooperative and enjoys living at the co-op because Feldis pays dues rather than rent each month. These dues have a diverse use and cover expenditures to live in the house as well as the cost of food and other organization activities. “We have a responsibility to each other [and this space] to take our collective u See CO-OP Page 3

u See ZERO-WASTE Page 3

u See RENAMING Page 2

Bikes, kombucha and social justice: the co-op on U’s frat row Minnesota campus that’s been around for approximately 80 years, has long been a vocal advocate for social and environmental justice issues. By holding advocacy and social events, the co-op’s 26 members aim to provide a safe and supportive space for the residents of the house and for the University community. On Friday, the co-op will host a benefit to educate people about police brutality. Inside the house, rows of bikes greet visitors, inviting them into one of the house’s living rooms. The walls are adorned with various murals, all painted by residents of the cooperative over its years. Cooperative living is built on the idea that when people come together to share resources, knowledge and labor, everyone

u See TRANSPARENCY Page 3

After months of planning, the Minnesota Student Association and several groups on campus are collaborating to make Spring Jam 2019 a zero-waste event after falling short last year. MSA has been working with University of Minnesota’s Student Unions and Activities and University Recycling staff to get the event closer to “zero-waste.” Their work has involved communicating with Spring Jam vendors and preparing student volunteers to instruct attendees on how to dispose of their waste at the event. “Zero-waste” means 90 percent of all waste generated at the event was diverted from being placed in a landfill, according to University Reuse Program Coordinator Todd Tanner. The total rate of waste diverted from landfills was 74 percent last year, meaning that Spring Jam 2018 failed the zero-waste criteria. SUA and University Recycling signed an agreement with Spring Jam vendors such as El Burrito Mercado, Cookie Dough Bliss and Tot Boss that requires them to serve their food with only compostable or recyclable materials. ”If we have vendors come in and they bring in solo cups, for instance, that aren’t recyclable or compostable, we aren’t going to have a zero-waste event. We do have to be thoughtful about ensuring that the

STUDENT LIFE

The Students’ Alliance for Cooperative Living has been on campus for around 80 years.

The State of Minnesota had long intended to pay two-thirds of students’ public higher education costs; this is now a distant memory that resurfaces at the Legislature when lawmakers discuss college affordability. The gradual disinvestment is partly due to some lawmakers’ belief that the University of Minnesota isn’t operating efficiently or transparently. Many say that pushes for strategy and accountability for the University, along with shifts in leadership at the Capitol and upcoming changes to University administration, might be what it takes to establish trust with the Legislature. While state funding for the University has fallen behind rising tuition costs and inflation since the Great Recession around 2007, affordable college in Minnesota seems even more out of reach. “We’re trying hard, but we’re not [back to state funding levels before the recession],” said Sen. Jason Isaacson, DFL-Shoreview.

HOUSING

Plans to renovate public housing in Minneapolis spark resident criticism The City Council approved tenant protections Friday in hopes of reassuring residents. BY EMMA DILL edill@mndaily.com

JACK RODGERS, DAILY

Ward 6 Minneapolis City Council member Abdi Warsame hears concerns about the memorandum of understanding at City Hall on Friday, April 19. The memorandum sets standards for using city funds to renovate public housing.

Amid criticism, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved protections for public housing residents Friday. The measure comes as the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority plans to use Rental Assistance Demonstration, a 2012 federal program meant to attract private or nonprofit investment to buildings in need of repair. MPHA has come under fire by public housing advocates after the Elliot Twins Apartments in the Elliot Park neighborhood became the city’s first public housing renovation approved to use RAD. Opponents say the program threatens to privatize the buildings. A memorandum of understanding passed Friday between the City of Minneapolis and MPHA. The memorandum gives tenants the right to return to their apartment building if

displaced by renovations and bans rent hikes when MPHA projects use City money. Ward 6 City Council member Abdi Warsame co-sponsored the memorandum. Warsame, whose ward is home to the most public housing units in the city, said the measure proactively protects tenant rights under private and nonprofit investments. “Our role as a City is to make sure that we create mechanisms that basically monitor and give confidence to the tenants,” he said. “It won’t solve the issue of fully funding public housing; that’s not within our power.” The need for alternative funding sources stems from the underfunding of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which supports local public housing authorities. MPHA estimates it needs nearly $140 million to repair its more than 6,000 units. In 2018, they received $14 million from HUD, said Jeff Horwich, MPHA’s director of policy and external affairs. Elliott Twins Apartments’ renovations will include improvements in heating and u See HOUSING Page 3

VOLUME 119 ISSUE 56

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

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Renaming u from Page 1

analyzing correspondence between Nicholson and former State Auditor Ray Chase. The task force report said Nicholson and Chase worked together to “identify groups and individual students as potentially dangerous based on their political leanings.” Rosha has criticized the task force’s “inferences” about Nicholson, saying the report mischaracterized Nicholson as an anti-Semite without sufficient evidence. “I have not seen a single document or anything of that variety, nor have I seen a single document that can be attributed to Dean Nicholson with any anti-Semitic indication at all,” Rosha said. “It’s absolutely stunning

for someone to put that allegation toward someone without any evidence that they held those views.” Deborah Dash Moore, a professor of Jewish history at the University of Michigan, said anti-Semitism at that time wasn’t so explicit. In the 1930s, “communist” was used as a stand-in for “Jew.” “If you have a guy like Nicholson spying on the left-wing students, he’s really spying on the Jewish students,” she said. If there is direct evidence to indicate Nicholson’s bigotry, “Show me,” Rosha said. He sees that as “moving the goal post” because there’s still lacking evidence about Nicholson’s beliefs. In Hsu’s view, the evidence shows that Coffman and other administrators only acted under their bosses’

guidance, pointing to minutes from the Board of Regents that show unanimous board support for a segregated housing policy. Hsu said he’s spent hours in the University’s Andersen Library archives analyzing historical documents, focusing on the file of former Regent Fred Beal Snyder, who was on the board during Coffman’s tenure. “I’ve looked at thousands of pages. I’ve probably looked at more pages and documents than the people on the task force have,” he said. But Moore said that’s not how a historian would assess that history. “You have to recognize when you’re doing history that the individuals that you’re studying have a certain amount of what historians call ‘agency.’ They have the possibilities of acting.

They’re not puppets.” Coffman was undoubtedly influenced by the regents and by the ideas of his time, Moore said. “And yet, you see when [Ford] comes in, he changes it. So, clearly, there wasn’t so much prejudice that a kind of moral leadership couldn’t have an effect.” James Farnsworth, a member of the Minnesota Student Association, also went to the Minnesota Historical Society to look at documents with Rosha and Hsu. But Farnsworth, who supports renaming, said the archives “didn’t really change anything that I was thinking so far.” “For me, I understand why the archives are being looked at. I certainly respect the regents right to take this governance question as

“Really the issue is what do you do about the building naming. That, to me, is really what the controversy is. What do you do with this history? Not, ‘Is this history accurate?’ because it certainly is.” ROBERT COHEN NYU professor and author

Copyright © 2019 The Minnesota Daily. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted. OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER Kelly Busche Editor-in-Chief kbusche@mndaily.com (612) 435-1575 Genevieve Locke Business Operations Officer glocke@mndaily.com (612) 435-2761 EDITORIAL STAFF Max Chao Managing Editor mchao@mndaily.com Christine Ha Managing Production Editor cha@mndaily.com Michelle Griffith Campus Activities Editor mgriffith@mndaily.com Madeline Deninger City Editor mdeninger@mndaily.com J.D. Duggan Campus Administration Editor jduggan@mndaily.com Cleo Krejci Features Editor ckrejci@mndaily.com Drew Cove Sports Editor dcove@mndaily.com Sophie Vilensky A&E Editor svilensky@mndaily.com Ellen Schmidt Multimedia Editor eschmidt@mndaily.com Courtney Deutz Assistant Multimedia Editor cdeutz@mndaily.com Molly Tynjala Copy Desk Chief mtynjala@mndaily.com Bailey Davis Assistant Copy Desk Chief bdavis@mndaily.com Desmond Kamas Chief Page Designer dkamas@mndaily.com Abby Adamski Visuals Editor aadamski@mndaily.com Morgan La Casse Visuals Editor mlacasse@mndaily.com =

they please,” he said. “But if I was a regent, I would really be focusing on process and conversations about how to move forward.”

Professor John Wright retires after 35 years

Professor Wright was involved in the 1969 Morrill Hall takeover at the U. BY KATIE SALAI ksalai@mndaily.com

“Savor these days, they won’t come again,” is the advice John Wright said he would have told his younger self — before overtaking Morrill Hall, before helping found an African studies department in the 60s, before coming to the University of Minnesota. After decades as a professor, Wright retired from his post this year. From his origins as a fourth-generation Minnesotan to a 35-year teaching tenure, Wright played an integral part in the formation of the Department of African American and African Studies at the University in 1969. The curriculum was created in part by his role in the Morrill Hall takeover, which was a response to the University administration’s lack of action on creating an African studies department. “It is what made these extraordinary people — that a lot of people don’t know about — extraordinary. And it’s how their lives change the course of history; he reminds me of those people,” Serena Wright, director of Alumni Relations, said of her husband. “What he has done here at this

TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY

Professor John Wright speaks on Wednesday, April 17 in Walter Library.

University, and also outside of the University, has changed the course of history.” Wright was familiar with the material presented in “A Campus Divided,” a University exhibit detailing Jim Crow laws in the 1930s. His father and aunt faced them on campus. However, his father instilled the importance of attending college in his home state. “[My father] said, ‘Regardless of what the University does that may be unjust or unfair, you have full right to go to that university and expect to be treated fairly and with respect and develop your talents as best you may,’” Wright said. John Wright is thoughtful. AAAS professor Rose Brewer said Wright often has “John Wright” moments — moments when he brings his

deep knowledge of an issue into a conversation. “To really understand the deep history of black studies, it didn’t just start in the late 1960s,” Brewer said. “I think when you look at some of the early framing of the mission of the department, it very much reflects his erudition — his knowledge around black studies itself.” He helped build the department by using his research in African American studies and literature to understand the global black experience. “The role he played in the department in ensuring that ... our survival as a unit, it’s imperative that we have covered the entire diaspora ... when we think of Africa and peoples of African descent,” said current department chair Tade Okediji. Josie Johnson, the first black woman to serve on the

Board of Regents, met Wright in 1967 when he was a student and she was a community activist. She describes him as bright, serious and deeply committed to his values. “I think he modeled the inspiration of our ancestors of education. Education was highly praised by our brothers and our ancestors from before slavery, after slavery, and today,” Johnson said. “John has maintained that kind of commitment to African American people, to our history, to our culture, to the value that so many black scholars have brought to various academies.” Wright said the AAAS department grew from an attempt to bridge the divide between the campus and the community long before the University officially adopted a community outreach agenda. On Jan. 14, 1969, the AfroAmerican Action Committee held a 24-hour sit-in inside Morrill Hall to advocate for an AAAS department, among other demands, which Wright authored for the group. On the day of the takeover, Wright said opposing protesters remained outside after the committee had already reached a resolution with the campus administration. The students used the tunnel system from Morrill Hall to Smith Hall to avoid confrontation. He recalls departing the basement tunnels on the

bright, sunny January day. “It had a kind of metaphorical resonance,” he said. He said they were jubilant as they crossed the bridge and reassembled in front of the student union. Wright’s former student Lou Bellamy, founding artistic director of the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, remembers a profound moment in one of Wright’s classes. He said a piece of folklore they studied was very similar to a story told by his grandparents growing up. “To have that kind of ownership of the printed page and the experience that I thought was unique only to me and my family — to find out this is what black people are ... I can’t describe for you how empowering that moment was,” Bellamy said. Wright’s attentiveness to students shows even to his last lecture day, Okediji said, who described how he and faculty had their own “Morrill Hall takeover” by walking in on his final class. Okediji said Wright still had a lesson prepared for his last day. After his retirement, Wright will continue as a professor emeritus in the AAAS department. “When I first met my husband, I asked him if he ever got bored,” said Serena Wright. “He said, ‘I have so many things and so many projects working in my head, I have never been bored in my life.’”

MPD, UMN to prevent large Spring Jam gatherings Outreach was done to provide students safety information before Spring Jam. BY IMANI CRUZEN icruzen@mndaily.com

The Minneapolis Police Department is working with local organizations to discourage large gatherings in Dinkytown during Spring Jam after activities in past years prompted concern. MPD, the University of Minnesota’s Office of OffCampus Living and the University of Minnesota Police Department have partnered to inform students about staying safe during the events and hosting safe parties. Officials also want to prevent dangerously large events on the 1300 block of 7th St. SE., which saw a gathering of around 2,000 people last year. “7th Street and 8th Street tend to be the locations that seem to attract the most attention,” said OCL Program Director Kendre Turonie. “I think the whole 2nd Precinct was just trying to get the word out that this is maybe not the place to go this year.” An email sent out by 2nd

Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist Nick Juarez provided tips for business owners, residents and property owners on how to secure their properties and communicate with others in the area when planning events. Staff of the 2nd Precinct also met with property owners earlier this month regarding Spring Jam safety. “There has been a long history of large gatherings ... on the 1300 block of 7th Street SE.,” MPD spokesperson John Elder wrote in an email. “[M]ore recently, the past 2 years there have been large gatherings of people, and both events caused significant damage to the personal property and to the rental properties as well as some fights, a sexual assault and people being over-intoxicated.” Spring Jam outreach aims to let students know what resources are available, said an OCL off-campus neighborhood liaison Cody Hoerning. “I think that’s mostly the goal of our outreach is just to kind of say that both the police department and regulatory services and our staff will be around kind of ensuring that things are staying

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Kinesiology senior Jared Antilla watches over the crowd from a balcony at the Sssdude-Fest Block Party on Saturday, April 22, 2017.

orderly,” Hoerning said. OCL will also door-knock in the area and hand out fliers about partying and traveling between locations safely. Hoerning said the door knocking will focus on Southeast Como, specifically the west end, and Dinkytown. “It’s just hitting the areas where there’s been issues historically,” Hoerning said. Besides pre-Spring Jam

outreach, the University’s Greek community is partnering with the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association and Minnesota Student Association initiative Greeks Go Green for cleanup the day after Spring Jam. University Interfraternity Council President Gerry Weber said the Greek community wanted to come together and do something more service-based.

“Every single sorority and fraternity is a part of it,” Weber said. “A lot of [presidents] said they wanted ... something that you can get volunteer hours for, but also goes back to impact the community that many of us are a part of.” Editor’s note: Kendre Turonie sits on the Minnesota Daily’s Board of Directors.

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Thursday, April 25, 2019

MORGAN LA CASSE, DAILY

Transparency u from Page 1

A need for strategy

Before providing more funding to the University, some members of the Legislature have requested a formal and strategic budget strategy from the school in order to hold the University accountable for its spending. The plan would help foster a better relationship between the University and the Legislature, said University Regent Michael Hsu. He said he has witnessed a disconnect while watching some University administrators interact with lawmakers. But a shared, strategic plan for the University might prove the school’s accountability when asking for money, Hsu said. University Vice President for Finance and Operations Brian Burnett told the Minnesota Daily in an email that strategic planning for the University is ongoing,

set for release after President-designate Joan Gabel takes office. “We’re all hoping that we can set the reset button, because the way [the] administration [has] run makes the legislature unhappy,” Hsu said. “They’re holding their noses and signing the checks. We need to make sure everyone recognizes we’re all on the same team.” Sen. Greg Clausen, DFLApple Valley, suggested a long-term, statewide strategic plan for higher education to direct discussions about college affordability and the student debt load. Clausen authored a bill that would fund a four year strategic plan, though it hasn’t been sponsored or heard in committee yet. He said lawmakers, the Office for Higher Education and some of the governor’s staff have shown interest in his plan. “I think we lack an overall higher education plan that can take into consideration both systems,” Clausen said. “There are

all kinds of issues we take a shotgun approach to versus a plan that we’re actually going to follow.” Rep. Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls, said he doesn’t think Clausen’s strategic plan proposal would help solve college affordability questions. He said the school should be responsible to run efficiently itself. “We’ll handle the money part and you’ll handle your part,” Nornes said. “We have high expectations in the end.”

Push for University accountability

Legislation has surfaced this session to hold the University more accountable for overlooked revenue in its budget. Senate higher education committee chair Sen. Paul Anderson, R-Plymouth, authored a bill included in the Senate’s higher education omnibus bill that requires the University and Minnesota State colleges and universities to report on how they will reduce

administrative costs in their schools by 10 percent to the Legislature by July 2020. The legislation aims to push the school to cut costs to free up funds and curb rising tuition rates. “[The Senate] feels the University has plenty of money and that it can squeeze more money out of what they do get because of administrative bloat,” said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. But University administration have expressed concern over what the bill would require of them. “In the upcoming fiscal year we anticipate adding to [administrative cut totals] with even more savings. Demonstrating to the Legislature, and all our stakeholders, our efficiency and our focus on effective cost management is a daily task and one that we take seriously,” Burnett said over email.

Shifts in party leadership

The University changed its strategy at the Capitol this year, emphasizing “prudent” needs by requesting around an $87 million increase to its biennial budget. That’s around $40 million less than what it asked for last year, which wasn’t a traditional budget allocation year. Looking to freeze tuition, the DFL-controlled House proposed $27 million more than the University’s request in its higher education committee omnibus bill, to be voted on before May 20. “What the house has done is pretty uncommon, I don’t recall it happening in the past,” Jacobs said. “The only thing that’s going to bring the University more money is a democratic legislature. I think the funding request is going to be shaped by the 2020 election.” A Republican-controlled Senate proposed an increase of the University’s

base appropriations by $24 million. DFL-Gov. Tim Walz proposal suggests the University receive $51 million over the next biennium in a revised budget, falling short of full funding for the school. University administration has said these short budget proposals would lead to further tuition hikes and program cuts, among other changes. The school’s original ask factored in a 2 percent tuition increase for resident students at the Twin Cities campus. Possible shifts in party leadership could lead to increased funding for the University, Isaacson said. “I’m not confident that this legislative session we’re going to find a solution [to the college affordability dilemma], but I do believe that if the majority’s change in a year and a half, we’re probably going to see some significant change to how we approach higher education,” Isaacson said.

Zero-waste

MSA sustainability committee chair Sai Powar said there will be 11 resource recovery stations located throughout the Spring Jam lot. SUA’s goal is to garner enough student volunteers to be able to place two at every station, Hackenmiller said. Despite the months of work and communication between vendors and SUA, there are still challenges to making such a large event zero-waste. One challenge is the inevitability that non-compostable waste will be generated by Spring Jam guests, as well as unintentionally by vendors, Hackenmiller said. “Obviously, there’s things that are going to happen. There’s always going to be something that maybe the vendors thought was compostable and then it ended up not being,” she said.

Ultimately, Powar said, the ability to host a zerowaste Spring Jam depends on individual commitments to sustainability. “Zero-waste is not this abstract idea that you can’t control; you can control it. It just requires your effort,” Powar said. Tanner stressed that with the University’s long term goal of becoming a zerowaste institution, working to make events like Spring Jam zero-waste is very important. ”As people become more aware of the damage that we’re causing to our planet, and the impact that we have on our planet, this becomes more important to more people,” Tanner said. “For us, it’s become very important to try to be sustainable and to move more towards zerowaste not just with single events like this, but with campus as a whole.”

u from Page 1

DAILY FILE PHOTO

The crowd waits for Lil Yachty at Spring Jam on Saturday, April 21, 2018 in Minneapolis.

Housing u from Page 1

cooling systems, boosting the building’s energy efficiency and redesigning gathering spaces and other architectural features. RAD establishes investment in public housing by offering tax subsidies to investors who make the needed renovations. Although the program invites private investment, it does not lead to private ownership, Horwich said. “We’re not talking about anything that resembles privatizing the buildings. We’re not selling the buildings, we’re not giving control of the buildings to anybody. There is no scenario in which anybody but MPHA has control over who lives in the building, rent, those sorts of things,” Horwich said. Public housing advocates, including the Defend Glendale and Public Housing Coalition, have been vocal

about their concerns. University of Minnesota graduate student Nate HartAndersen said he is concerned not all residents understand the renovations. “There’s quite a few residents at Elliott Twins who are not happy about what is happening, who are quite frightened about what is happening and who’ve been told different things by different people that have them in a place where they don’t know what their future housing is going to be,” Hart-Andersen said at an April 17 City-hosted listening session. Elliott Twins Apartments resident and Minneapolis Highrise Representative Council President Mary McGovern, said residents hold monthly meetings to discuss relocation options and support residents. “We’re trying to just reaffirm to the residents, especially the Somali community, that they’re not going to lose their housing. They never will lose their housing

and that’s their biggest fear,” McGovern said. In addition to the memorandum, the City should use other methods to help tenants, said Russ Adams, executive director of The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. “If we’re worried about a set of residents in one building or a set of buildings and that’s why you want to move this [memorandum] — a piece of paper passed by the City Council ... on Friday — [it] isn’t necessarily going to alleviate their fears,” Adams said at the meeting. Ed Goetz, director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University’s Humphrey School, said it might be too early to gauge the effects of RAD. “The fact of the matter is that the program is too new to have much of a track record. All you have if you’re a resident is the assurance of the federal government about how this program will operate,” Goetz said.

materials that we’re going to use are things that we can work with,” Tanner said. Holly Hackenmiller, a SUA program board director, said some of the planning for this year’s Spring Jam included discussing ways to improve things from last year. She hopes it becomes a norm for vendors to use compostable materials. ”A lot of events do create a lot of waste, even if you don’t think about it,” Hackenmiller said. One of the techniques MSA will be using to increase the diversion rate is establishing “resource recovery stations,” in which student volunteers will direct Spring Jam attendees to the proper bin to dispose of waste.

Co-op u from Page 1

possibility and make sure that we’re doing something for the community,” Feldis said. In addition to organizing against police brutality, the cooperative has been active about other issues, including preventing sexual assault, advocating for housing equality and speaking against capitalism. “I think the relationships you form here are something pretty special,” said Aidan Sponheim, a member and officer in the co-op. “For me, I feel like I have grown in the past year and a half more than I have in my entire life ... because it’s very unique from any other living situation, especially in college.” Killian is the plant steward of the house, caring for the community gardens and the plethora of plants living inside the house. Each member has a position in

ELLEN SCHMIDT, DAILY

An 80-year-old student co-op house on University Avenue SE.

the house, which rotates throughout the year and helps maintain democracy among members. Members often tackle tasks together, such as making kombucha or preparing Sunday dinners. Sponheim said his personal and interpersonal growth achieved in the cooperative would have been difficult to obtain outside of the alternative living space. To find new members,

the cooperative largely relies on word of mouth and events hosted by the group. Potential members submit applications that are voted on by members in the house. Applicants are not required to be University students to live in the house. “For the most part, I think it really lifts me up,” Killian said of the cooperative. “It really is a place where you can be yourself and not feel judgement.”

Sports

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Merzbacher eyes coaching beyond senior season The tennis veteran will travel to Europe to coach up-andcoming players. BY DAVID MULLEN dmullen@mndaily.com

After the end of her collegiate career, tennis will still be an active part of senior Caitlyn Merzbacher’s life. Merzbacher’s next chapter in her lifelong tennis journey will just be starting as she prepares to embark on a monthlong trip in Europe coaching youths from the United States. “You know you can have a desk job and be behind a computer all day, and you don’t really get to impact people’s lives,” Merzbacher said. “I think as a college tennis coach you can really impact the lives of each student athlete.” Merzbacher has only instructed private and group lessons before, so coaching a team traveling to Spain, Amsterdam and Prague will be a new experience for her. She hopes it will be a defining moment in choosing what she does next. Tennis has been a part of Merzbacher’s life practically from birth. Her father Chuck, a former Gophers women’s tennis coach and a Minnesota alumnus, has been coaching at the collegiate level for 30 years. Caitlyn Merzbacher said that the influence her father and all of her coaches have had on people’s lives influenced her decision. “You can have a huge influence on students not only on the court, but off. And I’ve seen that play out, not only

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Senior Caitlyn Merzbacher returns the ball during her singles match against the University of Montana at the Baseline Tennis Center on Saturday, Feb. 2.

in my dad and the players he coached, but also with [coaches] Catrina [Thompson] and Brian [Ward],” Merzbacher said. Junior Tina Kreinis, who has built a relationship with Caitlyn Merzbacher over the last three years, said Merzbacher carries some key qualities that will make her a great coach. She especially noted her practical thinking

behind tough decisions. “I think that being as levelheaded [as Caitlyn is,] she’s a great mediator and she can assess a situation from different angles and take in a lot of information before making a decision,” Kreinis said. “She doesn’t take sides or pick favorites, and that’s what you need to do as a coach because you have to look at

the whole team and know what everybody needs.” Her father, Chuck, said Caitlyn’s knowledge of different coaching styles and the tennis lifestyle will allow her to succeed as a coach. “She’s always had great people around her giving her advice and showing her the different avenues of tennis,” he said. “So I think

that if she wants to go [coach] it’d be fun for her and, you know, is it going to be a career? Who knows, but I think she should try it.” As Caitlyn Merzbacher’s collegiate playing career winds down — and before her potential coaching career can start — she is focused on the Big Ten tournament this weekend.

She is 12-11 in duals this year. “I mean, honestly, I’ve been having a pretty good season for myself,” Caitlyn Merzbacher said. “[I’m] just focusing on each match one by one. ... But I’ll definitely be soaking it in a lot, like the locker room and different traditions that we have and, you know, just trying to slow it down a little bit.”

MEN’S GOLF

Men’s golf hopes to reclaim greatness A new indoor facility sparks enthusiasm among the Gophers’ men’s golf team. BY NICK JUNGHEIM njungheim@mndaily.com

In April 2002, the University of Minnesota announced plans to cut the school’s golf and gymnastics programs in an effort to offset the athletic department’s $21 million deficit. Over the following months, the men’s golf program completed one of the most improbable championship runs in Minnesota history. The Gophers went on to win their first Big Ten Championship since 1972 and finished fourth at the Western Regional Championships to qualify for the NCAA Championships. There, they surged up the leader board from 16th place after the second round to win the national title. In that tournament, sophomore Justin Smith led Minnesota in scoring, propelling the team to the

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Junior Thomas Longbella lines up a shot on the putting green in the new indoor golf training facility on Monday, April 1. The facility borders the Les Bolstad Golf Course.

championship. Seventeen years later, Smith is again leading the program, now as associate head coach. During that improbable title run, the team had to block out an uncertain future and focus on taking things one step at a time,

something Smith believes his current team can learn from. “Sometimes as a coach, it’s easy to put a lot of emphasis on one tournament or one situation,” Smith said. “So we try to bring the same energy and same ef-

fort as much as we can every day and then those big situations just kind of take care of themselves.” Following the national title, private donors raised over $2.8 million dollars to save the programs the University originally in-

tended to discontinue. The golf programs’ new training facility opened in early 2019, which is also largely funded by private donations. The new complex proves that support for the golf programs is strong and showcases the team’s history for the next generation of Minnesota golfers. “Recruits, they love the banners in the facility, they can see the tradition of Gophers golf,” said director of men’s golf John Carlson. “They can also see our commitment from our administration to make Gopher golf as strong as it’s ever been.” With the regular season now completed, it seems as though having a facility to call their own has provided tremendous benefits, as both the men’s and women’s teams showed signs of improvement this spring. The men have placed top six in three consecutive tournaments. Sophomore Angus Flanagan said the facility has made a big difference in his development as a player. “I hadn’t spent a winter indoors practicing before,” said Flanagan, a native of

Woking, England. “I spent basically 365 days of the year outside back home, so I didn’t really know what it was like. I learned a lot from last year and especially having a facility this year, it’s helped me a lot to get to where I am right now with my game. It’s 100 times better than it was last year, I’ll put it that way.” Like when Smith led the team to a national title as a sophomore in 2002, it’s once again underclassmen like Flanagan who are leading the program toward a bright future. The next order of business is hanging another banner at the facility, something they’ll have a chance to do for the first time this weekend. “I think it’s, as I said, easy at times to put too much pressure on some of these big tournaments,” Smith said. “But it is the Big Ten Championships, it’s as prideful as anything knowing the history and t r a d i t i o n o u r p ro g r a m has had. I know we have a bunch of banners in our facility — these guys want to raise another one.”

TRACK AND FIELD

Minnesota’s captains lead the way, many as fifth-year students The team’s older players have seen it all during their time at the U of M. BY BABATUNDE JINADU bjinadu@mndaily.com

Upperclassmen Temi Ogunrinde and Rachel Schow are leading by example for this year’s Minn e s o t a t r a c k a n d f iel d team. Both captured event titles recently at the Stanford Invitational meet, and they’re making an impact on the team in other ways alongside other leaders.

“A lot of times over the years, those girls start to really understand what success is, they own it, they push to achieve it and they kind of know how to get there. So that’s what I feel like they’re doing now,” said head coach Matt Bingle. Fifth-year senior Kiley Sabin said that between the nine captains from the men’s and women’s side, they all push each other to get better and work together as leaders. While age does not entirely determine leadership, it does help establish that role. “That’s something that’s

really been different this year, when we think of leadership, they’re really looking to the older kids even more than last year,” Ogunrinde said. “That was a new role to take on that I’m really grateful for.” Ogunrinde said that when she began on the team, her freshman class was 26 members strong. It’s now down to four women in the group’s fifth and final year. “It’s kind of bittersweet with the girls we have now — we’ve come such a long way,” Ogunrinde said. “The fifth year is different because we’re missing ... a

lot of the girls we started with.” Ogunrinde is not the only fifth-year senior captain for this program. Sabin is also in her fifth year and is completing a degree in human physiology. “I wanted to have my fifth year as a year that I could focus a little bit more on track,” Sabin said. “Physiology has been a very rigorous major, so it’s been a lot to carry both the major and do track.” Similarly, captain Patty O’Brien came back for a fifth year because she said she had unfinished business. While she finished her

undergraduate degree and her master’s program in four years, O’Brien said she wanted to return to the team because it’s special to her. She received a degree in elementary education and her teaching license and was ready to start teaching. But, she said, there was limited time she could compete athletically in college. “Being a freshman, I would always look up to all of the captains. I never pictured myself in a captain position for the track team just because it is such a large team and there are so many great people who can lead this team,” O’Brien said.

“It’s a great privilege and an honor to be named a captain because there are so many hard workers and dedicated athletes that strive to be the best that they can be.” With an abundance of experience leading the way, the Gophers hope they will be able to lean on their captains and win big at the outdoor Big Ten Championships meet from May 10-12. “The goal is always to keep improving and do better, and since this is my last year, the phrase ‘last one, best one’ really applies here,” Ogunrinde said. “I’m just hoping this can be my best one yet.”

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

CULTURE

TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY

ABOVE: An instructor jumps backwards into the water on Wednesday, April 17 during scuba diving class in Cooke Hall. LEFT: Instructors Shawn Jones, left, and Bob Karl, center, help C.J. Kenney with his air tank.

TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY

LEFT: Students remove their tanks and work together to lift the gear out of the pool during scuba diving class on Wednesday, April 17 in Cooke Hall. ABOVE: Students practice somersaults into the water.

POETRY

Blythe Baird has more to slam Baird’s collection of poems was released by Button Poetry in February this year. BY KSENIA GORINSHTEYN kgorinshteyn@mndaily.com

She is dressed in pastel pinks and purples. Lace is draped across her arms. The image is gentle — but the story she tells is candid and cutthroat. Her words invoke a processing of emotions and exclamations of survivorship. Blythe Baird writes her poems to aid understanding within herself, and to help others understand what it’s like to have the experiences she’s had. Baird began writing and performing spoken word poetry at a slam poetry camp when she was 16 years old. She found the camp through slam poet Sierra DeMulder,

who was a counselor at the time. “I had never had a room full of people listening to me for three minutes straight about something that I had written,” Baird said. “It made me feel seen and it made me feel understood, it made me feel empowered.” This is where she still derives her motivation. In high school, Baird didn’t particularly like the poetry they read in class. It was hard to understand and made her feel as though she was missing the point. She wanted her poetry to have the opposite effect. “I wanted people who related to [the poems] to relate, and people who didn’t relate to be able to understand,” Baird said. “I didn’t want there to be a whole lot of room for misinterpretation.” Following slam poetry camp, she realized that she wanted to do more. Baird

started participating in Young Chicago Authors before entering the adult poetry slam scene. Then she found Lethal Poetry, another Chicago organization that allowed her to compete under the age of 18. “I wanted to do the adult scene because I wanted to go to nationals,” Baird said. “People are traveling the U.S. and the world to do poetry and I was like, ‘I want to get involved in whatever that’s about.’” Baird’s desire to give her poems life in a room full of strangers was one she knew she had to pursue. She didn’t want them to exclusively live inside her head, which she said is “very lonely.” “There is spirituality in being in a room and having it be live and having it be something that you can’t turn away from,” Baird said. “I always liked the power in

that because it just felt more impactful for me.” Baird moved to Minnesota in 2014 to join the ranks of Button Poetry and attend college. That same year, her poem “Girl Code 101” went viral on Button Poetry’s YouTube channel. This was followed by “When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny” in 2015 and “Pocket-Sized Feminism” in 2016. The latter is a piece that still resonates with her every time she performs it. “It feels like I’m releasing something again,” Baird said. “Especially after being told not to speak for so long, it’s really helpful to be able to [perform] that poem.” The poem is a narration of experiences that are familiar to many women. In it, she says “once, I told a boy I was powerful and he told me to mind my own business.” “Pocket-Sized Feminism” and a number of her viral

poems are featured in her book “If My Body Could Speak,” which was released in February. Published through Button Poetry, the book is a collection of her collegiate work that she wrote while attending Hamline University. “I had developed a reputation of being a prodigy, of being a wunderkind young poet who was doing all of these things while being really young,” Baird said. “It’s difficult not wanting to disappoint anyone. My worst fear was to have people think, ‘Oh she’s gone downhill,’ or ‘She’s already peaked.’” But Baird has plans in mind: she wants to finish another book within the next year and a half, she wants to perform with a dance troupe to one of her own spoken word poems and she wants to tour.

“It’s difficult not wanting to disappoint anyone. My worst fear was to have people think, ‘Oh she’s gone downhill,’ or ‘She’s already peaked.’” BLY THE BAIRD poet

Baird also loves teaching. She’ll be teaching slam poetry classes at The Loft Literary Center this summer. “I never thought that two-thirds of the things that I’ve done would be reachable. [But] they were,” Baird said.

6 THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions

COLUMN

Minneapolis’ ambitious 2050 climate change goal already shows signs of procrastination It looks like Minneapolis will do its part in reducing climate change, but won’t be doing so very soon.

illionaire Michael Bloomberg, a special envoy on climate change for the United Nations and the former mayor of New York City, came to Minneapolis with an announcement last JONATHAN ABABIY fall. With Mincolumnist neapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter on each side, he announced that Minneapolis and St. Paul had joined a climate initiative, American Cities Climate Challenge, of Bloomberg’s philanthropic foundation, according to MPR reporting. The two cities would join 18 others in

tackling climate change through carbon reduction. Each city would receive $2.5 million from Bloomberg’s foundation over two years to develop a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to reduce them by at least 80 percent by 2050. It’s an ambitious goal, which I’m quite proud that the Twin Cities undertook and that Bloomberg funded. Minneapolis’ participation in the challenge is a wonderful thing, but 2050 is a long time away. As everyone on the University of Minnesota campus knows, that means one thing: procrastination. The year 2050 is so far away that it looks like we’re putting off meeting our carbon reduction goal. The trouble is that climate change is a serious issue and we can’t put off our part in solving it. It appears that procrastination has already begun downtown. Right now, the Minneapolis branch of the Federal Reserve Bank sits in the North Loop of Downtown, right at the base of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge. It’s a pleasant looking building that feels like a gateway to the Mississippi River — an improvement from its neighbor across Hennepin Avenue, the U.S. Postal Service building, which cuts off the view of the river from

downtown like a brick wall. The Federal Reserve wants to add a wall of its own: a 800-stall, above-ground parking garage where its surface parking lot currently sits. It wants more parking, enough for other visitors to use. This is where the procrastination comes in. In the city’s most recent report on emissions, 26 percent of Minneapolis’ emissions came from road transportation, the city’s twhird highest source of emissions. This was behind electricity and natural gas consumption, which create 36 percent and 35 percent of greenhouse gases in Minneapolis, respectively. Zipping around town in a car creates a surprising amount of greenhouse gas. This project actually has some steam. Earlier this week, the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission went against the city planning staff recommendation and approved the project, which still needs to go through the City Planning Commission. Bloomberg, in his announcement with Fray and Carter, said that reduced emissions will increase resident quality of life by reducing traffic congestion and adding biking and walking opportunities.

To reduce emissions and traffic congestion and bring increased quality of life, you have to reduce the amount of cars on the road. It’s as simple as that. Sure, that parking garage may be full of electric cars someday. But today, we have to fight climate change and reduce our emissions. Building a parking garage for 800 cars in a bustling neighborhood next to the riverfront doesn’t get us there. It confirms that we aren’t serious about confronting climate change. We say one thing then do another. With climate change, we can’t do that. The reduction of emissions isn’t a homework assignment we can do the night before. Things feel different now in Minneapolis. There’s an exciting buzz in the air. We have momentum and support in City Hall and our communities to address issues like climate change and affordable housing. Will we use Bloomberg’s money to actually do anything or will we just twiddle our thumbs? So far, the parking garage isn’t a good sign.

and discrimination, and we stand firmly in support of un-naming these four buildings. So, we are organizing a silent sit-in at this special Board of Regents meeting, and we’re asking all of you to show up. The effort to un-name and reclaim our campus spaces has been in the making for almost two years. MSA has already raised its voice on this issue with our resolution, petition, pledge, statement of support and response to the Board of Regents. We must now ensure that the board hears us. So far, the student voice has not been at the forefront of this conversation. Kaler has offered his recommendation to the Board of Regents to un-name Coffman Union, Coffey Hall, Nicholson Hall and

Middlebrook Hall. His recommendation stemmed from the findings of the Task Force on Building Names and Institutional History, co-chaired by College of Liberal Arts Dean John Coleman and Professor Susanna Blumenthal. Coleman and Blumenthal presented on the guiding principles, the academic process and the conclusions of their 125-page report. The discussion that ensued between members of the Board of Regents was deeply disappointing. Many Regents expressed sentiments that disregarded the work and academic integrity of University faculty members, the serious charges of anti-Semitism and racism levied against the administrators in question and the wishes of the student

body as a whole. The full discussion can be found here. So show up. Sit in. Let’s write this new chapter of our institution’s history together. And this time, let’s get it right.

Jonathan Ababiy welcomes comments at jababiy@mndaily.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR The time to rename Coffman is now The Board of Regents announced that they will be holding a last-minute special meeting this Friday in McNamara Alumni Center at 1 p.m. to discuss and, more than likely, act on President Eric Kaler’s recommendations to un-name Coffman Union, Coffey Hall, Nicholson Hall and Middlebrook Hall. And now, it’s time to take action into our own hands and collectively stand up to injustice. As students who are aware of the deeply hurtful, racist and anti-Semitic legacy of the administrators that these buildings are named after, we need to let the Board of Regents know that we reject memorializing any legacy of exclusion

Tala Alfoqaha is Diversity and Inclusion Director for the Minnesota Student Association. This letter to the editor has been lightly edited for clarity and style.

EDITORIAL

The value of student publications We stand with student papers across the country in the Save Student Newsrooms initaitive.

Robert McGrady welcomes comments at rmcgrady@mndaily.com.

Since 1900, the Minnesota Daily has served the University of Minnesota and surrounding areas by publishing news that matters. Today, we stand strong as one of the largest independent student-run publications in the country. However, many college newsrooms across the country are not as fortunate. Some are not independent or financially supported by their campuses or communities. You have likely never heard about First Amendment issues at numerous college campus papers. The Daily Campus at Southern Methodist University announced its re-affiliation with its university in 2018, making it the most recent newspaper to combine with its journalism school due to lack of funding. Since then, The Independent Florida Alligator at the University of Florida spearheaded Save Student Newsrooms, an organization that brings attention to the challenges student newsrooms face. The initiative calls on student-run news organizations to publish editorials for the Save Student Newsroom initiative on April 25, stressing the importance of student media and shedding light on the fight to remain independent from universities and colleges. When student publications lack

COLUMN

Pressure to be perfect for Instagram Influencers’ perfectionism can be toxic, cause bullying, lead to racist trends and worse.

very day when I open Instagram, I scroll through stories and pictures of friends, family and classmates, as well as some random people I met one time. While I enjoy Instagram and ALEEZEH HASAN view it as an excolumnist cellent resource for entertainment and connecting with friends, it is also clear the use of the app leads to many feeling external pressures to look or be a certain way. Instagram influencers, models and celebrities post heavily edited photos. They create unnatural appearances that can lead others to body dysmorphia. This approach has existed for years, with magazines often heavily editing photos of models. Now,

apps like Facetune have made it possible for everyone to make themselves look better. The constant presence of perfection creates a dangerous standard and causes young people to feel insecure about their own looks. To counter some of these pressures, an alternate “finsta” culture has emerged. Some college students use a “fake-insta” to post pictures that may not be appropriate for their family members or future employers to see. That being said, many people do not realize that, when posting on the internet, the consequences can be very real. Finstas have normalized outing people through social media. People will discuss their frustrations by naming those that have wronged them. This normalization leads to casual cyberbullying without the bullies giving it a second thought. Recently, Instagram proposed the idea of removing users’ ability to see likes on a post altogether. This move could be a step in the right direction and shows the company acknowledged that its site can be toxic at times. While hiding the number of likes is a start, it is also up to users to allow themselves to show the truth. Some celebrities like Jameela Jamil have begun to call out airbrushing on their own Instagrams. Jamil posted an image of her and showed how it contrasted with the

original. Recently, Zendaya did the same and explained that she didn’t want to create an unrealistic ideal for beauty. Besides minor airbrushing and editing, some Instagram users have taken their looks to an extreme level to impress followers. White women have recently begun to color their skin to extremely dark levels, to the point where they look to be of another race. This trend is called n*****fishing and is essentially the glorification of black face. Instagram influencers have even gone beyond just darkening their skin tone. They have gotten lip and face injections to look like other races. This trend is rooted in the outright fetishization of women of color. While Instagram is a valuable resource, we need to be able to use it correctly. We should uphold an awareness that what we see on Instagram might not always be the truth.

Aleezah Hasan welcomes comments at ahasan@mndaily.com.

editorial freedom, they cannot properly inform the communities they serve. Moreover, some student newsrooms are forced to write and report under the watchful eyes of universities and their content must go through review before publication. This is in direct conflict with the role of the press. And, sometimes, student journalists are prohibited from publishing information. This challenges and damages democracy. Supporting your local student newsroom is simple: read the paper. Be a religious reader of your its work, follow it on social media, send feedback to the publication if you have any. You can also reach out to the newsroom. Find out what they need, hear about the issues they face and determine how they need support. Many student-run newsrooms face challenges due to lack of funding; therefore, donating is always a viable option. Whether financially supporting or simply sharing media, all student journalists can use your support. We stand by our colleagues at student newsrooms across the country. We also ask that everyone, including students, staff and universities around the country reflect on the importance of student journalism. The work we do is just as valid as the work taking place at well-known organizations like The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Star Tribune. Student journalism is real journalism. Help save student newsrooms.

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

letters@mndaily.com Fax: (612) 435-5865 Phone: (612) 435-1578 Letters and columns to the editor 2221 University Ave. SE Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414

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

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

MN DAILY

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HOROSCOPES

Today’s Birthday (4/25): Benefits flow through shared accounts this year. Careful planning saves time and money. Discover a new enthusiasm. Launch a creative project this summer, leading to changing travel plans. Expand your boundaries next winter, inspiring a shift in your artistic direction. Express what is in your heart.

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

Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is an 8 — Keep practicing. Discipline with your work builds the infrastructure for a successful career. Take new territory. A revelation illuminates new possibilities.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 7 — Take care of domestic chores and responsibilities. Take out the trash, and do the dishes. Clean bathrooms and floors. Plan the upgrades you’d love.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 7 — Anticipate an educational change. The completion of a project opens time for something more fun. Learn the rules before attempting to break them.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 7 — The dynamics of a conversation change. Context is decisive. Keep your word, and stay respectful. Exchange resources with friends and allies.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is an 8 — Financial discipline pays off. Collaborate for a shared venture. Review budgets and plans together. Put your money where your heart is.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is an 8 — Stick to tested and reliable suppliers, methods and partners. Profit through providing excellent service. Deliver on time and on budget.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is a 9 — Coordinate efforts with your partner. Keep your side of the bargain. Take care of practical priorities and then celebrate the results together.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 9 — Rely on your own talents and efforts. Take charge, and do what it takes. Use best quality materials. Selfdiscipline serves you well. You’re growing stronger.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is a 9 — Practice with mental as well as physical discipline. Build and strengthen foundational basics before advancing to more difficult moves. Your work is in demand.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 5 — You’re especially sensitive. Take quiet time for yourself. Recharge and rest. Review plans to increase ease and comfort.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — Experience is the best teacher. Listen to elders and young people. Learn about love. Creativity flowers with disciplined practice.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is an 8 — Your team’s discipline is admirable. Together, you’re formidable. Integrity provides optimal workability. Play your part with all your heart.

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Breaking Down the U’s News

DR. DATE Dr. Date,

When your ex breaks up with you after six months because “other girls are pretty hot too,” you start looking for revenge. He had just met my family before he decided to play the field for the rest of college. Yeah, I’m bitter. I blocked him on everything and reeeeally didn’t want to see him, so I arranged a time with his roommate to pick up my stuff. And when I got there … well, I couldn’t help but take a few extra items, too. Nothing big enough for him to notice right away. I grabbed some things that would definitely make his life more annoying. All of the chargers for his electronics, the screws from his TV stand, every piece of silverware I could find and, most importantly, his key ring. See, if there’s one thing my ex loves more than sleeping with other women, it’s his moped. Not only does he need the key to get it started, he has the moped locked to a pole outside his apartment through some fancy device. I figured not having the key would just be a pain for him to find a way to unlock it. Instead, it apparently rendered his moped useless. I still wouldn’t care that much, but his roommate slipped up and told my ex I took it. He’s been showing up to my classes, harassing me on Instagram and banging on my apartment door for the past week telling me to give it back! As much as I love to spite him, I kind of feel like an ass. What should I do?

—Not That Evil (Maybe)

Dear Not That Evil,

I would get it if he was texting you incessantly, but hanging around your apartment? Showing up to your classes?! He’s super pissed. You should probably return his keys. It sounds like you already know what you did was wrong, and from the looks of it, his behavior won’t stop. If you really don’t want to see him again, mail the keys to his place or have a friend drop them off. No one said anything about the chargers, though. ...

— Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

I’m in college for chemical engineering, but my true passion is photography. I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the past five years on

equipment, and I try and shoot at least once a week. I love capturing portraits more than anything else, so I enlist friends or random students to serve as my models fairly often. I’m really proud of some of the work I’ve done and think it makes great decor. My room is covered in pictures I’ve taken. I have a variety, but the majority of my photos are of people, mostly women (they tend to be more willing models). They’ve been up since I moved in a year ago and I had no plans to take them down — until recently. My girlfriend likes my work, but she isn’t a fan of the photos in my room. She thinks it’s “weird” that I have a ton of photos of other women hanging above my bed. I’ve tried to explain that it’s because I like the shot, not the girl, but she doesn’t understand. She’s insisting I take them down or she won’t sleep over anymore. Dr. Date, I love my photos, but I don’t know if they’re worth losing my girlfriend. What can I do?

—It’s Not You, It’s the Apartment

Dear It’s Not You, It’s the Apartment,

If the photos were lingerie shoots (which I’m assuming they aren’t), I would understand where your girlfriend is coming from. But getting nervous about decor is kind of extreme. While I don’t agree with her, she may have another reason they make her uncomfortable. (Was an ex a photographer who slept with his models?) I’m assuming the girl in your bed means more than the girls in the photos, so I’d compromise on this one and take down a few (not all) to replace with other pictures. Sounds like you have plenty of others you could put up instead and you’re still not giving up on all the shots. And if you haven’t already, use her as a model. I’m sure it would mean more to both of you if they were replaced with pictures of her.

— Dr. Date

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

SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

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

4/25/19

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

Last issue’s solution

Thursday, April 25, 2019