May 6, 2019

U RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY NEW DISTANT STAR PAGE 2 MONDAY, MAY 6, 2019

EARLY WEEK

THE NEWLY DISCOVERED STAR IS 6 BILLION YEARS OLD

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STUDENT LIFE

UMN Muslim students brace for intersection of Ramadan, finals

RENAMING

How efforts to rename failed at U Several factors not faced by other schools influenced the University’s renaming debate. BY AUSTEN MACALUS AND JAKE STEINBERG amacalus@mndaily.com, jsteinberg@mndaily.com

The University of Minnesota has not renamed a building on campus since its founding in 1851, a record kept after the Board of Regents meeting last month. In spite of more than a year of student advocacy, a faculty task force report and President Eric Kaler’s recommendations, the unprecedented efforts to rename buildings failed. That begs the question: why did the University’s efforts fall short? The University followed other schools’ lead with its renaming process. However, the University’s attempt to rename four buildings at one fell swoop was unique in higher education. Though many other schools have successfully renamed buildings in recent years, the University faced a unique set of challenges, from taking on multiple namesakes to a contentious dispute about the underlying historical record — factors that u See RENAMING Page 3

STATE GOVT.

ABBY ADAMSKI AND MORGAN LA CASSE, DAILY

UMN Muslim groups jointly drafted an accommodations letter for students’ requests. BY FARRAH MINA fmina@mndaily.com

In addition to juggling final exams and managing stress, many Muslim students at the University of Minnesota will be fasting without food and drink from dawn to dusk as they observe the holy month of Ramadan, starting this week. Although University policy recognizes religious observances as legitimate circumstances for making up coursework, many students have said they are hesitant to request accommodations

for religious purposes. With this in mind, the Muslim Students Association and AlMadinah Cultural Center partnered to draft a letter template to help Muslim students request accommodations from their instructors during Ramadan. “What we wanted is a way for [Muslim students] to have everything written down and take it to their instructors so that they are able to ask for accommodations comfortably and so their instructors can understand the validity of it,” said Sagal Mohammed, a fourth-year student who helped draft the document. The letter provides background information about the religious significance of fasting during Ramadan, including a description of the process of fasting in Islam. It also includes requests for arranging final exams

between noon and 6 p.m. and providing time for prayer and breaking fast, or iftar, which occurs at sunset. Because many Muslims attend night prayers, called tarawih, and eat suhoor, the last meal eaten at 4 a.m. before fasting begins, Mohammed said the midday time frame for exams seemed to be the most convenient for students. But in the event that exams cannot be arranged ahead of time, allowing students time to eat and pray is important. Many students find it difficult to concentrate on finals while experiencing the hunger and fatigue that come with fasting. “Food is honestly my break from

BY DYLAN ANDERSON danderson@mndaily.com

The proposed policy on gender identity passed in the University of Minnesota Senate Thursday. The vast majority of senators supported the motion with a voice vote, with a handful voting against it. The policy,

BY ISABELLA MURRAY imurray@mndaily.com

Policy Committee in September. Each committee will have the opportunity to provide feedback and make changes to the policy. “[In the past] they’ve had really good feedback, so I imagine there could be changes that are intended to clarify provisions of the policy or add more detail,” Marisam said. “We’re always looking for that kind of feedback. If we can make it a stronger, clearer policy, then we’ll try to do that.” If the policy passes each of these u See PRONOUNS Page 3

u See REGENTS Page 3

u See RAMADAN Page 3

Gender equity policy clears University Senate hurdle Thursday Equity and Access: Gender Identity, Gender Expressions, Names and Pronouns, has worked its way through University governance for over a year. The policy states that University members can use names or pronouns without requiring documentation, and sets forth expectations for other University members to use those identifiers, except as legally required. Tina Marisam, director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at the University, said she anticipates the policy will be presented to the Policy Advisory Committee in August and the President’s

Further delays to U regent selections could render a student candidate ineligible.

There’s growing pressure for the legislature to elect new University of Minnesota regents as the end of session nears. Senate majority leader, Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, said a date should be set for the joint committee to vote on four regent seats this week. Any further delay in regent selection could affect the eligibility of current candidates and future recruitment, officials say. If the joint committee doesn’t meet by the time the session ends on May 20, Gov. Tim Walz, DFL, will select candidates as two-year board appointments. “The Senate, both Republicans and Democrats, want a date set. We want a joint session rather than kicking it to the governor. I’m working on it. I hope that we’ll agree to pick a date, but that’s what we’re waiting for,” Gazelka said. Mike Kenyanya, student body president for the Duluth campus, is the student regent candidate recommended by House and Senate higher education committees. Eligibility to become a student regent requires enrollment at the time of selection. Kenyanya, who graduates on May 11, earlier than the end of session, said he’s worried

ADMINISTRATION

Under the policy, University members can set pronouns and names without documentation.

Regent election setbacks could affect eligibility

ENVIRONMENT

U researchers lead international study of human impact on ecosystems The project has enlisted 30 researchers around the world to assess ecosystem recovery. BY NATALIE RADEMACHER nrademacher@mndaily.com

A new research project announced late last month will study the effects of human impact on the planet, which includes the disturbance of ecosystems and their ability to recover. T h e g o a l o f t h e p ro j e c t , c a l l e d Disturbance and Resources Across Global Grasslands (DRAGNet), is to help understand how humans influence global change. Part of the project involves researchers disturbing plots of land by introducing nutrients and removing vegetation to see how the areas respond and recover. This helps reflect

how clearing land for agriculture use affects grassland ecosystems. The project is managed by three University of Minnesota researchers, but investigators across the globe will be conducting identical research experiments for the project. The research builds off another global network the University researchers launched over decade ago that shows ecological research can be done on a global scale. The managers took to Twitter last month in hopes of enlisting support for the project. In the first week, more than 30 researchers signed up to help. Elizabeth Borer, who helps lead the research, said she was not expecting such a high turnout this quickly. The sign-up period for the project is open for the next six months. Each site will spend the next year rolling out research or

CHRIS MCNAMARA, DAILY

Elizabeth Borer’s ecological research plots are nested against the forest line on a protected portion of research facility land on Friday, May 3.

u See ECOSYSTEMS Page 3

VOLUME 119 ISSUE 59

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Monday, May 6, 2019 Vol. 119 No. 59

An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900. 2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 450, Minneapolis, MN 55414

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

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1937 The German airship Hindenburg, the largest dirigible ever built, explodes as it arrives in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Copyright © 2019 The Minnesota Daily. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

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Another one bites the stardust Researchers at the U have discovered the farthest star from Earth, again.

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 =

BY KATIE SALAI ksalai@mndaily.com

After University of Minnesota researchers found the farthest star from Earth ever rec o r ded l a s t y e ar , t h ey recently found a second star to add to their “xray image” of distant galaxies. The star recorded last year, named Icarus, remains the oldest recorded star at over 9 billion years old. In a paper submitted in February, the newly discovered star named Warhol is estimated to be around 6 billion years old. The team who discovered the two blue supergiants are studying them to gain insights into further star observation, dark matter and the universe’s rate of expansion. “The models we’re constructing now and the tests of magnification will allow us to basically use galaxy clusters as more powerful tools, so we can learn more about stars floating around in them,” said Patrick Kelly, a University astrophysics professor who discovered Icarus. The researchers are using the galaxy clusters, described as “natural magnifying glasses,” to pioneer their own set of gravitational lensing techniques for continued analysis of stars. Gravitational lensing is when the gravity of space matter bends light, and researchers use it to more closely view other stars. “We do not expect to directly detect a single star. But if we have this lensing that we have got the cluster in between the source and us, then we have the chance to see this extremely magnified event,” said postdoctorate astrophysics researcher Wenlei Chen, who discovered Warhol. Evan Skillman, director of the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, said discoveries like these could create a new field by inspir-

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MORGAN LA CASSE, DAILY

ing new questions from the research community. The team hopes the data they will collect from observing the galaxy clusters will help further discussion about the expansion rate of the universe, which is currently under debate because of recent data from the Hubble Space Telescope. “The contrast that it’s highlighting is between the measurement of the cosmic expansion rate from nearby supernovae and from that measured from the cosmic microwave background,” Kelly said. “And so this measurement, which we’re working on now, will complement those because it’s

entirely independent, a completely different kind of technique.” After less than a year working with the team, Chen discovered Warhol in December — possibly opening a new window into the cosmic search for dark matter. While current methods can observe dark matter through events such as two merging black holes releasing gravitational waves, the discovery of stars such as Warhol points to their ability to more acutely observe isolated black holes. Researchers believe this could lead to improved dark matter discovery in ths future.

“I think it is one of very few avenues to probe the population of this single, compact dark matter object,” he said. The examination of distant stars can be used for comparing the mass distribution of stars in the universe from over 9 billion years ago to today. “We can learn about how stars may have formed differently in different environments when the universe was a lot younger,” Kelly said. “In some galaxies, you can see now there seems to be far more really low-mass stars than there are in other environments. And so it’s kind of a big mystery at the moment.”

University researchers recently received a National Science Foundation award worth more than $400,000, which will allow them to use the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory in Arizona this fall to better study the stars they discovered. The researchers did not expect to find a similar star in the galaxy cluster as quickly as they did. “This is enabling us to have a much more detailed view of the stars. You know, hopefully, eventually, most of the way back to the Big Bang,” Kelly said. “So it’s kind of an entirely new window on the universe.”

K-pop student group performs at MOA K-Move performed a high-energy dance routine at the Pan Asian Arts Festival.

“I’m really thankful for K-pop for having showed me this really wonderful world of dance and culture.”

BY NORAH KLEVEN nkleven@mndaily.com

K-Move, the University of Minnesota’s Korean pop cover dance group, garnered cheers and applause from a vast audience at the Pan Asian Arts Festival on Saturday afternoon at the Mall of America. K-Move’s appearance at the festival, which is a celebration of Pan Asian Heritage Month, is a milestone for the group. It was the first time the group performed at the festival and in front of a crowd that large. The student performance group specializes in K-pop cover dancing, a form of dance that recreates the high-energy choreography paired with Korean pop music. It is influenced by break dancing, street style dancing and modern dance. The group was founded to provide a place for students to gather around a shared interest in Korean dance and culture. Saturday’s festival was the largest event the group has appeared at, as it mainly performs at University

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

SHANNON THAO junior at the University and Kpop style dancer

Members of K-Move, a K-pop dance group, perform on Saturday, May 4.

events and has made appearances at nearby schools like Augsburg University and St. Catherine University. “It’s just a big next step,” said Wei Kian (Ken) Lim, a member of the dance troop. Lim has been a member of K-Move since it began in early 2016. He graduated last year, but remains involved with the organization and performed with K-Move on Saturday. Lim said the group’s ap-

pearance at MOA will help solidify its status as a performing group and also help K-Move gain recognition. He said he hopes the performance will illustrate that the group is there for all students who are interested in K-pop culture. Angel Hernandez, a student in the College of Liberal Arts and a senior member of the group, said the group practices weeks and sometimes up to months

CHRIS MCNAMARA, DAILY

in advance of a performance. They perform up to seven times per year. The group currently has 20 to 30 members, 11 of which performed at MOA Saturday. The group is open to people with all levels of dance experience and backgrounds, as well as to those who are not University students. Several members of the group are graduates of the University or graduated from other nearby colleges.

In addition to performing for events, the group maintains social media pages to spread awareness and appreciation for the genre and hosts dance workshops. According to Shannon Thao, a junior at the University who has been dancing the K-pop style since middle school, the style of dance has heavy Western influences. Other defining elements of K-pop include colorful and coordinated outfits that range from traditional Korean dress to urban street-style clothes. “I don’t think I ever would have found dance, or my love for it, if it wasn’t for K-pop,” Thao said. “I’m really thankful for K-pop for having showed me this really wonderful world of dance and culture.”

EDITORIAL BOARD Ellen Schneider Editorials & Opinions Editor eschneider@mndaily.com Ariana Wilson Editorial Board Member awilson@mndaily.com Hailey Almsted Editorial Board Member halmsted@mndaily.com Kelly Busche Editor-in-Chief kbusche@mndaily.com BUSINESS Kyle Stumpf Sales Manager kstumpf@mndaily.com David Keane Controller dkeane@mndaily.com =

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Monday, May 6, 2019

Renaming u from Page 1

ultimately doomed the final decision.

A recent histor y

Compared to other institutions, the University of Minnesota sought to redress a relatively recent and proximate history: discrimination by University administrators in the 1930s and ‘40s. Stanford University had an easier time in 2018 when the school went forward with renaming several features named after Roman Catholic missionary Father Junipero Serra. That is in part because Serra was not closely connected to Stanford; he was around more than a hundred years before Stanford was founded. “There was not strong opposition and there was very strong support,” said Paul Brest, who chaired two committees that handled Stanford’s process. That is much different than former president Lotus Coffman and other former administrators who had direct roles at the University only a few generations ago. Many of the building namesakes have direct descendants living today, and renaming critics on the Board of Regents said they weren’t given a chance to defend their family members. William Middlebrook was a part of Coffman’s administration, but his grandson Chris Middlebrook said Middlebrook was unfairly roped into the debate. “He’s like an extra periphery character that shouldn’t have been a part of this in the first place,” Chris Middlebrook said. At the University of

Pronouns u from Page 1

committees, it will begin a 30day public comment period. Marisam said comments could include suggestions for changes, clarification, requests for more detail or questions about how to apply the policy. After the comment period, it would be reviewed by the president’s chief of staff, who could then implement the policy. Student Senator Austin Berger said passing this policy was a “historic” step, but supporters need to look ahead. Administrative policies do not typically require approval from the Board of Regents. Board policy allows them to step in “when unusual circumstances suggest the advisability of Board ratification.” An official in the University Policy Program said this practice is “so unusual,” but speculated it

Regents u from Page 1

about his eligibility as he won’t be a student for much longer. “It’s not really clear when you stop being a student,” he said. “Most people think [it’s] graduation. I tend to disagree; half of your grades haven’t even been put in by graduation, and you still have to go to the registrar and still have to be given a degree. I understand why graduation would seem like a cutoff, though it’s unclear from conversations I’ve had from people. Kenyanya said he’s frequented the Capitol in recent weeks to push for a vote before he graduates. “I would be getting the short end of the stick,” he said. A delay in voting is going to make recruitment more difficult going forward, according to Regent Candidate Advisory Council Chair Dan Wolter. RCAC spearheads initial recruitment for regents before making recommendations to the Legislature. “Our recruitment efforts have always been the bizarre nature of this process. We’ve got a lot of people who would love to be a regent, but when they look at this process they say it’s not really worth it,” Wolter said. “A lot of candidates are frustrated because they thought this would be a two to three-month process, not a five-month process. And

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Professor John Wright faces the Board of Regents after receiving support from the crowd during the special session on Friday, April 26.

Wisconsin-Madison, people worried about alienating descendants when debating renaming rooms in its student union named after members of the Ku Klux Klan. The student union board gave descendants the opportunity to speak for their family members. A faculty committee’s report concluded the KKK was a symptom, not a cause, of the exclusionary culture at Madison. It recommended no name changes. However, students successfully pushed renaming through last year. “I think, at the end of the day, one of the families acknowledged the students had good reason to feel the way they did,” said Stephen Kantrowitz, who co-chaired the committee. “It’s understandably hard for people to get past membership in the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s.” Similarly, Georgetown University renamed buildings

could happen in this instance due to the policy’s visibility. “If the regents have concerns about this policy and if any of them would like to nullify it, I think we will have to organize some direct action efforts to ensure this is respected,” Berger said. “It’s a pretty loud message when civil service [professional and administrative staff], faculty and students all come together and endorse something like this by an overwhelming majority.” Flyers at the meeting from activist group Women for Political Change implored University senators to send emails to regents soliciting support for the policy. Student Senator Ian Smith, who wrote an op-ed about the policy for the Star Tribune last summer, was one of the few who voted against the policy. “We can all agree that there are things that we shouldn’t be able to say here at the University. We don’t want students harassed,”

then all their work could go out the door.” Beyond his potential ineligibility, Kenyanya said a delayed or canceled vote would lead to recruitment shortfalls for the University. “It will be a tough sell for people. You do your research; I know I did. I looked at past elections. If you’re a future candidate looking at it, you’re going to see you might have to give up half a year to maybe get a vote?” Kenyanya said. The holdup in setting a date to vote on regents is due to the House minority caucus’ displeasure with the slate of candidates chosen at a joint higher education committee meeting in February. At the meeting, current Regent Abdul Omari was among the candidates selected by the People of Color and Indigenous caucus, but he was not forwarded for a seat. Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFLMinneapolis, a member of the House higher education committee and the POCI DFL caucus, told the Minnesota Daily she is comfortable with Walz selecting regents. Though not nominated by the Legislature as a candidate, the caucus could still see its candidate on the board. “Omari is a really talented guy, and if he gets nominated and elected on the floor, that’s great, and that’s how the process should work,” said Senate higher education committee chair Sen. Paul Anderson, R-Plymouth. “It’s one of those situations where you’ve got to allow the vote to happen and so we’ll see how it goes.”

in 2015 after studentled campaigns drove the school to investigate ties to slavery. “We had the advantage of history being very well-documented and the wrongs being very explicitly wrong,” said David Collins, who chaired a group charged with examining the school’s relationship with slavery. He said they didn’t even have to do any research before recommending renaming two buildings on campus named for administrators involved in the 1838 sale of 272 people. “We heard we were ‘erasing history,’ and we heard we were ‘applying 21st-century morality to the 19th century,’” he said. “But even at the time, slavery was controversial.” Proponents of renaming at the University contended that segregation was controversial in the ‘30s and

‘40s too. However, a dispute over the historical record — which led to controversial allegations of academic misconduct — ultimately broke the momentum of the renaming push.

A Campus Divided

The University’s approach to renaming also departed from other schools in another significant way: participants in the discussion could not agree on several pieces of the University’s history. Once renaming efforts reached the Board of Regents, they were plagued by an ongoing dispute about the historical record. Several regents sharply criticized the task force’s 125-page report that outlined the actions of former administrators, diverting discussion about whether to rename buildings into quarrels over faculty’s work. Regent Darrin Rosha

said the report mischaracterized former administrators who were acting against powerful regents at the time. He said there isn’t evidence of racism and anti-Semitism by Coffman and former Dean of Student Affairs Edward Nicholson, citing misleading quotes in the report. Regent Michael Hsu accused the task force of academic dishonesty, claiming members had intentionally omitted evidence. At the University of Maryland, renaming the school’s football stadium also faced pushback. But Bonnie Thornton Dill, who chaired the school’s committee that provided pros and cons for renaming, said most people didn’t dispute historical facts, even if they disagreed about whether to rename. Former Maryland President Harry “Curley” Byrd, for whom the stadium is named, served as president during the 1930s-50s and was a well-known segregationist. But he was also a revered figure to many in Maryland, Dill said. “It was controversial because I think people who had been in the state for a long time ... understood [Byrd] had built up the university and felt that the university owed a great debt to him,” Dill said. The school eventually went forward with renaming the stadium in 2015.

What’s next?

Other schools have taken different approaches to reckoning with their racist histories, whether or not they renamed a building. Georgetown decided to give priority admission to descendants of slaves that the school owned. Last month, Georgetown

students approved paying reparations to descendants of slaves sold in 1838, which was funded by a $27.20 charge to students. At Princeton University, the board of trustees decided in 2016 not to remove the name of former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from several buildings on campus, despite a push by black students. Instead, a campus committee took other steps to address “larger concerns about the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity.” Efforts included pledging to increase minority students in doctoral programs and supporting other educational initiatives about Princeton’s history. While voting against renaming, the Board of Regents passed a resolution directing incoming President Joan Gabel to develop “ongoing commemorations, educational activities, and/or permanent educational displays.” In addition, Kaler told the Minnesota Daily that he hopes to establish a permanent advisory committee on the University’s history before he leaves this July. The group would develop ways to reckon with the University’s past going forward, he said. Regents Professor of American Studies Elaine Tyler May, chair of the History Department, said the renaming debate was an important first step in addressing the University’s history. But she said there is more to be done and the committee is key. She said whether the regents and Kaler honor their commitments to continuing discussion about the University’s history “remains to be seen in what happens going forward.”

Smith said. “But there is a nuanced distinction between things we can’t say to students and forcing a student to say something.”

The policy reads, “University members and units are expected to use the names, gender identities, and pronouns

specified to them by other University members, except as legally required.” Smith said he supports the intent of the policy, but

takes issue with the word “expected.” “The University is not in the business of expecting students to say anything,” he said. “It’s not about gendernonconforming students or trans students, it’s about refusing to let the University compel a student to say something.” While an early draft of the policy included a section outlining potential punishment if someone harassed another in relation to gender identity or expression, this language was removed from the policy in January. Such harassment is addressed by an existing Board of Regents policy. Student Senator Kelly Wallin said the policy should include specific language about punishment. “I’ve never experienced a situation where someone misgendered another person and it wasn’t clear if it was or was not a mistake,” Wallin said. “I’m glad that it finally passed, I wish it was more aggressive.”

Ramadan

The email read: “As such, you may choose to communicate to your students with an in-class announcement or other means indicating your awareness of the overlap between classes and some holidays, and encouraging students to contact you individually if accommodations are needed.” Jennifer Reckner, the chief of staff in the Office of Undergraduate Education, said this communication was intended to initiate early conversations about accommodations. However, many students said their instructors did not mention anything about it, in class or otherwise. Beyond Ramadan, Mohamud said she has never asked for prayer accommodations.

“Asking for extra accommodations if you’re the only person there makes it scarier,” Mohamud said. Mohammed also said requesting certain conditions from instructors can be daunting. “Some instructors, inevitably, are not as approachable as others,” she said. “Especially in those cases, you don’t want to go through the hassle of even bothering to ask them.” For Rafat Solaiman, a first-year student, the real problem will be accessing food from the dining hall during the month-long observance. All dining halls are closed by suhoor and most are closed during iftar. “It won’t be as much of a problem when you’re not a freshman and you get to stay

in an apartment,” Solaiman said. “But as a freshman, I’m going to have to find my own food.” Because Ramadan begins 10 days earlier every year, starting next year it will coincide with classes. Both Mohammed and Mohamud said when this happens, the most important thing is to create a mutual understanding between students and instructors about eating and praying. “When you’re sick, you’re not afraid to ask somebody. If you’re on a sports team, you’re not going to be afraid to ask your professor because you know it’s your right to miss class, and you’re allowed to that, so this should be like that as well,” Mohammed said.

same researchers called the Nutrient Network, one of the first ecological research projects done on a global scale. The work shows how the world is changing over time and provides a view of what it may look like in the future. “It was completely crazy then, it still is now,” Borer said of successfully running such a large project. Some researchers who have signed up to participate in the new project also conduct work on a site for the Nutrient Network. The first project began over a decade ago, and now 130 research sites spanning every continent except

Antarctica participate. “What they have done is really spectacular,” said Dan Reed, lead principal investigator for Santa Barbara Coastal LongTerm Ecological Research. Researchers in his field are trying to replicate the model, but he said it is much harder for research to be done on a global scale with marine ecology. “[The Nutrient Network] started with people getting together wanting to do something. … It is scientists driven by interests and excitement rather than dollar figures, and it really speaks to the characters of the people involved and their passion

to do science and learn,” Reed said. Both of the projects are designed so sites funds their own work. Most large-scale research projects like this have a large donor funding them, said Andrew MacDougall, an associate professor at the University of Guelph who helped design DRAGNet and is an advisory team member for the Nutrient Network. MacDougall said one of the most fun parts of conducting this kind of work is that the people involved are good friends. “There is a lot of really positive energy with this whole thing,” he said.

CHRIS MCNAMARA, DAILY

Dr. Saby Labor, director of the Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life, listens during a University Senate meeting on Thursday, May 2 at Mondale Hall.

u from Page 1

things,” said second-year Ramla Mohamud, adding that studying for final exams will be extra difficult for her. “I’ll be especially thinking about food, and I’ll be really hungry in the library.” In hope of facilitating accommodation requests, the University sent an email to instructors in mid-March reminding them of the potential need to provide accommodations for upcoming religious holidays and observances, including Good Friday, Passover and Ramadan. The email noted in particular that Ramadan would fall during finals week.

Ecosystems u from Page 1

collecting data as part of an observational study. Investigators at the sites will conduct treatments on their plots, take measurements and then enter the data using a standard protocol into a spreadsheet used by all the project sites. The data is organized, managed and analyzed back at the University by Ashley Asmus, a post-doctoral researcher for the project. The DRAGNet project builds from another global collaboration run by the

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Sports

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MN DAILY

MONDAY, MAY 6, 2019

BASEBALL

JACK RODGERS, DAILY

Noah Berghammer explains his music production setup in 17th Avenue Residence Hall on Wednesday, May 1. Berghammer sees music as a complimentary hobby to baseball, noting that one doesn’t detract from the other.

U infielder finds second life in music Berghammer has used his redshirt season to work on music and writing. BY JACK WARRICK jwarrick@mndaily.com

Gopher baseball’s Noah Berghammer gets his reps in on a Wednesday afternoon. He tirelessly works on his craft. It’s a passion that’s been a big part of his life since he was 4 years old. But he’s not on Siebert Field’s turf, in the batting cages or in the weight room. He has two keyboards, a laptop and mixing software set up in a study room in 17th Avenue Residence Hall. “It’s kind of my release,” Berghammer said. “To get away from baseball and to get away from academics a little bit.” His top priority, he says, is baseball. But with s u r g e r i e s h o l d i n g him back from seeing any real practice time in his first

year on campus, he’s had enough time to work on his music and a book he’s writing. “It’s probably been good for him to venture into that space and fill his athletic space up with some of his creative artistic space,” Gophers head coach John Anderson said about Berghammer. “It’s always good to be diverse and be able to have some other passions that you can go to, and not just be passionate about one thing.” The freshman released his debut single, “Self Destruct” on April 18. He calls it a “vulnerable” track, but he said his 34 teammates have been supportive of his other passion since the single was released. He has also been working on a non-fiction book about his experience after graduating high school titled, “The Push and Pull.” “I haven’t got any negative feedback like, ‘you’re a baseball player, don’t do music,’” Berghammer said.

Berghammer, a Janesville, Wisconsin native, tries to make a song a day, recording the tracks with his guitar, keyboards, beat pads and microphone. He puts them together himself using the software on his laptop, though he also records in The Pearl Recording Studio in Minneapolis to work with a professional technician. He said he tries to stay as unstructured as possible, and he comes up with music by sitting at the keyboard pounding away until something comes out of it. Some of the artists he uses as inspiration are Jon Bellion, Andrew McMahon, Khalid, Chelsea Cutler and Maggie Rogers. When he’s writing music, he tries to think of themes that resonate with the masses. His songs often have emotional themes, and he said he’s reached back into his life to find things that people could relate with. He’s even thought about making himself or his teammates a walk-up

song, though he’s worried about potential backlash from the NCAA. “I like to keep it separate where it’s like they’re listening to my music because it’s good music, and then they like how I play baseball,” Berghammer said. “I don’t like to intertwine them in that way because I don’t want to lose any credibility.” Berghammer, who is a business and marketing major, said his end goal when the time comes to turn in the jersey, cleats and cap is to run a record label and sign new musicians. Two of Berghammer’s teammates, senior pitcher Nick Lackney and senior outfielder Ben Mezzenga have gotten into music as well. Lackney said he enjoys cooking to take his mind off the baseball grind, though he’s also tried his hand in music, putting a southern country twang on Christmas songs in a December 2016 album he

released on SoundCloud titled “A Nick Lackney Christmas.” “If I focus on baseball too much, then my whole life is going to be out of wack,” Lackney said. “For some guys like Ben Mezzenga and Noah Berghammer, music is their outlet and kind of helps them balance.” Mezzenga has gotten into modeling, blog posts, videography and other types of expressive art forms. And though he’s majoring in communications, he said he hopes to be an actor someday. Mezzenga’s nearly 13,000 Instagram followers make him one of the most followed athletes at the University. “I’ve never had really anyone on a team of mine have passions that are so out of the box, like art-type passions,” Mezzenga said. “I have a lot of those kinds, but I’ve kind of kept them hidden because I feel like in the sports world a lot of people are like, ‘you’ve got

to stay within your sport.’” Berghammer, who was ranked as the No. 3 infielder out of Wisconsin by Prep Baseball Report last season, had a surgery on April 23 that will keep him out of training for a couple more months. He’s planning to play in the Northwoods League for the Willmar Stingers in the summer to get ready for a hopeful first year of playing. Berghammer plans to release an extended play album around July — around when he’ll get back into playing. “I don’t want to ever be known as one-faceted,” Berghammer said. “Even though it might not be a career one day, maybe I’m not ever a recording artist that gets paid ‘X’ amount of dollars to make music and stuff like that. But if I can do it as a hobby for the rest of my life, and still release it to people, even if it’s 100 people, it’s good enough for me.”

MEN’S TENNIS

Gophers’ season ends in first round of NCAAs Sophomore Vlad Lobak scored the Gophers’ sole point in its 4-1 defeat. BY DAVID MULLEN dmullen@mndaily.com

It was uncertain how far the Gophers men’s tennis team would go this year after losing their top two players last season. Despite the losses, the Gophers qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, competing against the University of San Diego. Although Minnesota (16-10, 4-7) put forth a strong effort, the Toreros were too much to handle as they won 4-1, eliminating the Gophers from the NCAA Tournament. “I’m incredibly proud of the group of guys we had this year,” senior Josip Krstanovic said. “We had our ups and downs as expected, but if you look at the season overall and what we achieved, it was really good.”

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Senior Marino Alpeza competes in his singles match on Friday, March 22 at the Baseline Tennis Center.

The Gophers have been eliminated in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three years, but last year they advanced all the

way to the Sweet Sixteen. The lone point for the Gophers this time around came from sophomore Vlad Lobak in the No. 5 singles spot, who sailed to a two-set

victory: 6-4, 6-4. Lobak finished the year 22-7 and improved throughout the season. “He’s a very good player who, throughout the year,

got better and better at playing under pressure and going for his shots,” head coach Geoff Young said. “The results on paper ... were that he racked up a lot of wins, and that’s what we want, but I’m more concerned with his level of play and truly maximizing his potential.” As the match got underway with doubles, the T o r e ro s o v e r m a t c h e d Minnesota and got the point as they breezed through the No. 1 doubles spot 6-2 and won 6-3 at the No. 2 spot. In singles, San Diego gained its second point of the match at No. 6 singles when freshman Sebastian Vile fell in his NCAA Tournament debut 6-4, 6-3. Lobak’s victory looked to sway the momentum in favor of the Gophers, but San Diego took hold and won the final two matches. Senior Marino Alpeza fell in three sets in the No. 3 role after fighting back down early in the match: 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Krstanovic lost his match in the No. 1 spot to

San Diego’s Gui Osorio: 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-1. “I thought we were missing a little bit more than we were used to,” Young said. “We weren’t hitting our aggressive balls that we normally get to.” Even though the Gophers’ four seniors ended their collegiate careers on a loss, Young said the team has shown growth over time. “Their freshman year, we did not have a very good season,” Young said. “For the next three years to make the NCAA Tournament each year just speaks about their motivation ... and that’s their legacy, how much they figured out college tennis and how much they improved.” Although the loss of the seniors is a hit on the team, Krstanovic is not worried about the future of the program. “They have a lot of guys that can really lead and maybe be even better than us when they are seniors, there is a lot of good potential,” Krstanovic said.

5

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MN DAILY

MONDAY, MAY 6, 2019

LITERATURE

Judging a book by more than the cover Rare book sellers and collectors look to preserve our past and present. BY KSENIA GORINSHTEYN kgorinshteyn@mndaily.com

The sight and smell of an old book is distinct. Its pages, now yellowed, are crisp and fragile. At one point, it may have been someone’s favorite book — the past obvious in its dog-eared pages. Or it could have sat on a shelf merely for decoration. Whatever its past life, you never know when that book might be worth hundreds. Rare book sellers and collectors have created a culture where the copy-specific story of a book is what gives it value, not just what is written in the pages. “It is ultimately a treasure hunt,” said Kristen Eide-Tollefson, founding partner at the Book House in Dinkytown. “It’s a matter of accumulating enough experience and general knowledge to be able to recognize when something is not just old, but important. Or not just rare, but meaningful.” Eide-Tollefson and Book House co-owner Matt Hawbaker see themselves as the middlemen of the rare book world. They make house calls to dig through books in attics or help clean out a professor’s office in order to keep their own collection growing. The rare book room at the shop houses prominent works, such as the complete first-edition of Voltaire’s writings and books signed by Richard Dawkins. The room is small, and in this you can feel how important these copies are. Of course, beloved collections also vary in size. Rob Rulon-Miller is a member of the Antiquarian

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

Matt Hawker, co-owner and manger of The Book House, poses for a photo on Thursday, May 2. Hawker wants to encourage diversity in books distributed in Dinkytown.

Booksellers’ Association of America and sells books out of his home in St. Paul. Here, almost every wall has disappeared behind shelves filled with books available for sale. “I like selling a $50 book because someone is going to get it [and] appreciate it,” Rulon-Miller said. “God knows what that might spur them on to do as far as books go in the future.” Rulon-Miller has been collecting and selling books for 50 years, handling about one million books by his estimate. What motivates him to keep seeking, researching and discovering

is what these old books represent. “It’s the story of human history,” Rulon-Miller said. “Even before printing, before Gutenberg, there are manuscripts that go back four or five hundred years. It’s the account of who we are, and we’re all enriched by knowing about them.” Whether it houses the history of who shot President James Garfield or has simply been passed down through a family, value can be found in every book. “If a first-edition of some novel is important, why isn’t a first edition of an important philosophy

book just as valid in terms of value and scarcity? Everybody’s got different interests,” Hawbaker said. This seemingly niche interest begins with a common feeling, though. “I think people are still pretty reluctant to get rid of books,” Hawbaker said. “Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I still see people my age and younger that are like, ‘This looks like it could be something.’” Hawbaker admits that more often than not, the book may not be worth a lot of money. Still, it can inform us about the past in an intimate way and inform

those in the future about our own interests. “Some of the stuff that I like to get my hands on are books where only one hundred copies were printed,” said Kevin Sell, the local collector behind the Instagram account @rarebooksleuth. “A lot of these things are being lost so it’s almost like an act of cultural preservation.” In the same way that we look to the past to learn about our present, rare book collectors and sellers protect what they find now for future generations to study. “We’ve always encour-

aged people to collect what they love,” Eide-Tollefson said. “Not to collect books just because they’re valuable, but to collect books because they’re meaningful to them as well.” Formal training through Rare Book School and the Antiquarian Book Seminars are available for experienced and amateur collectors alike. The will to continue the endeavor just comes with finding joy in the practice. “We’re lucky to be able to do it,” Rulon-Miller said. “It takes a lot of dedication, but I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

CUISINE

Wally’s brings Middle Eastern flavor to Dinkytown

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

JASMIN KEMP, DAILY

Wally Sakallah poses for a portrait inside Wally’s Falafel and Hummus, one of the businesses he owns, on Wednesday, May 1. “It’s all the about the family business,” he said.

Michael Caballes, Jack McGuinness and Von Huynh enjoy an authentic Palestinian lunch at Wally’s Falafel and Hummus in Dinkytown on Wednesday, May 1.

Wally’s, a local foodie favorite, celebrates Palestinian identity and cultural cuisine.

of the family’s hard work is in every detail. The restaurant’s handmade stained-glass windows welcome customers as they walk through the door, and paintings of Middle Eastern town squares and marketplaces adorn the walls. Each tabletop is laminated with photographs of different cities in Palestine, complete with handwritten labels in Arabic. Wally Sakallah said a lot of people make negative assumptions about Middle Easterners or Muslims, especially today. He hopes his food will allow people to see him as a Palestinian rather than reduce him to his religion. “I think food’s the easiest way to really share your culture because who doesn’t like to eat?” said Zak

BY BECCA MOST bmost@mndaily.com

The air hums with conversation as friends and families chat over chicken shawarma sandwiches and round plates of hummus. To the left of the register, customers gaze into a glass display case, mulling over plastic containers of stuffed grape leaves, rice pudding and bottles of mango juice. Open since 2009, Wally’s has become a restaurant unique for its ability to celebrate Palestinian culture through homemade food and good company. The restaurant’s owner,

Wally Sakallah, who owns a number of other businesses in the Twin Cities including a new CBD coffee shop in Dinkytown, emigrated to Minnesota from Palestine in 1997 after finding it difficult to start his own business in Gaza. Although he has eaten at many Middle Eastern restaurants in the Twin Cities, Wally Sakallah said none of their dishes tasted close to the food he remembered eating in his own country. “You can find a lot of Palestinian people [in Minnesota], but you can hardly find anyone from Gaza,” he said. “So I decided to open a restaurant close to the taste to what I had experienced back home.” The restaurant is run by two of his sisters, Amany Sakallah and Dana Saqallah,

who work hard to make the menu as authentic as possible. The family orders spices that are shipped to the U.S. from countries like Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, mash chickpeas by hand to make their homemade hummus and even buy specific tahini cheese that comes delivered in pallets from California — all so dishes will taste exactly as they would in Palestine. Amany Sakallah said few restaurants are able to afford these imported ingredients, but she believes they are worth the cost. “This is our own recipe [from] our own city [of] Gaza,” she said. “There is a specific place where [my siblings and I] grew up eating falafel every morning. I want my falafel … to taste exactly like the taste I have in my mouth from back home.” Inside Wally’s, evidence

Khan, who enjoyed dinner at Wally’s on Wednesday. “It doesn’t take that much effort to sit down and consume a meal, and if you get to do it from another culture, you’re already learning more about them and getting to make that exchange.” Wally’s customer base is unique in that the same people stop by the restaurant every week, some even multiple times a day. Nader Almutairi is a computer science major at the University of St. Thomas. Originally from Saudi Arabia, he said he was worried he would miss eating Arabian food while studying abroad in Minnesota. But after Almutairi’s friends brought him to Wally’s a couple months ago, he said the food is even better than the food

back home. Now he makes the trek to Wally’s three times a week, sometimes more. Wally Sakallah said he understands why Middle Easterners frequent his restaurant. The food reminds them of where they’re from, as does the style of eating together as a large group. He fears that families with children born and raised in the U.S. will become immersed in American culture and forget about their heritage. For Wally Sakallah, his restaurant is a place where he can share his identity and find pride in his roots. “The money is not the motive for me to open a restaurant as much as [it is] to show I exist. To show my name exists. A Palestinian guy and Palestinian food — why not?”

6 MONDAY, MAY 6, 2019

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions

COLUMN

Group chats can provide members with strong support structures, guidance for their careers Having people who understand the unique anxieties of a job helps us navigate it more successfully.

I

am in this group chat. There are 15 of us: all young, female journalists working (or in my case, very much hoping to work) in digital media covering beats ranging from technology policy to fandom PALMER HAASCH to marijuana to columnist cybersecurity. What started out as a group Twitter direct message with only six of us has flourished into a thriving Slack workspace for networking and chatting (but frankly, mostly shitposting). I’m the youngest and least experienced. Despite feeling somewhat out of place sometimes, the impression that I have friends willing to help guide me into the

workforce is extremely reassuring. As I prepare to graduate, I’m plagued by common fears like moving (permanently, this time) away from my friends, finding a long-term job and being wholly in command of my finances. Coupled with day-to-day life anxieties are fears about my future job security: I’m going into digital media (and looking for culture reporter positions in New York City — hit me up). The volatility of the industry terrifies me. I’ve previously written about my emotional reactions to massive layoffs at companies like Verizon Media and BuzzFeed. Back in January, I didn’t have an answer for how to deal with anxiety about things like job security in digital media or coordinated, targeted online harassment. My only solution at the time was to subscribe to news sites that matter to you and tell your friends that you support them. Now, four months later and on the cusp of my graduation, my answer is this: get yourself a group chat. Will the group chat prevent you from being laid off? Probably not. Will it be able to spare you from harassment based on something that you wrote? Unfortunately, that answer is also “no.” However, it does provide

you with a support structure comprising people who absolutely get it and can help you parse through what’s going on in your life and your career. While it’s certainly not a replacement for therapy, it’s a net to fall back on when things get choppy, stressful or incomprehensible. It’s also a great place to send ephemera like bad internet takes. Ultimately, it comes down to having friends in your industry. Every vocation comes with particular concerns and anxieties, and having people who automatically get it without extensive explanation is invaluable. It’s also somewhere to celebrate victories in a way that feels genuine with people who care (i.e. none of that typical LinkedIn “honored and humbled” talk). Dropping the pretenses with people you care about isn’t valuable in a transactional sense — it’s necessary and healthy. This is my last column ever at the Minnesota Daily. I graduate in just under two weeks and move away in just under four. I reluctantly leave the community I’ve had the privilege to be a part of here. If you’ve stuck with me through columns about PETA’s weirdly horny tweets or electric scooters, I am immeasurably grateful to you.

My last official opinion for the Daily is this: seek out the friends, support and happiness that you need. You deserve it.

And to the group chat — I am immeasurably grateful for you as well, for everything. My last official opinion for the Daily is this: seek out the friends, support and happiness that you need. You deserve it.

Palmer Haasch welcomes comments at phaasch@mndaily.com.

EDITORIAL

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Daily Editorial Board reviews the task force report on renaming buildings at the University

Dear campus community, We deserve better on-campus food options. Students who observe kosher or halal should not need to wait 25 to 30 minutes to receive food. Vegan and vegetarian students deserve to eat more than just salad every night. Students should not need to fear salmonella or E. coli because of runny eggs or undercooked meats. Students deserve to eat without fear of allergic reactions due to mislabeling. The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities has contracted with Aramark Corporation for more than 20 years to provide food service to the campus through residential dining halls, on-campus restaurants, coffee shops and other venues. After two decades of subpar performance, the Minnesota Student Association is disappointed to see the University seriously consider renewing its contract with Aramark. Not only has Aramark consistently failed in delivering quality, nutritious and dietary-accessible food, it also has a long history of engaging in labor violations, not meeting food safety standards and providing services to for-profit prisons, as well as the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Thus far, University administration has failed to engage the student voice in its decisionmaking. However, students, staff, faculty and other community members are the biggest stakeholders in this decision and deserve to have their feedback heard. In light of Aramark’s past performance and actions, we urge the University to discontinue its current contract and choose another option, such as transitioning to self-operated dining. Self-operated dining (i.e. dining managed and operated by the University) could open up possibilities to work with local vendors, use more responsibly-sourced foods and reinvest any profits back into the University. We acknowledge that self-operated dining has its own unique challenges surrounding food quality, sustainability and accessibility, but we believe it is a better option than renewing our contract with Aramark, a company that has a proven track record of prioritizing profits over students’ experiences.

Thoroughly reviewing the report and its sources revealed some of the research was questionable. The renaming process at the University of Minnesota has been a long, contentious and oftentimes confusing affair. We at the Minnesota Daily have struggled to grapple with the integrity of the University and its complex histories, as we believe many students and faculty have also. The prevailing opinions of students and faculty on campus have been at odds with University administrators who have been working without guidelines to make informed decisions that leave a lasting mark on this University. It was hard to understand why so many people in leadership positions seemed to hold opinions that were opposite to what students wanted — and what seemed right. After an attempt to better understand this position, it was brought to our attention that some of the research that went into the Task Force Report on Renaming Buildings was questionable. We took it upon ourselves to review the entirety of the report, as well as each of its cited sources and documents. Below we will detail findings we found troubling and contrary to claims made in the Task Force Report. Our intention is not to dismiss the entire report. Instead, we seek to further contribute to the renaming conversations.

No one on the Daily’s Editorial Board is a trained historian. We are journalists with a responsibility to check facts. On page 52 of the report, the task force discusses Dean Nicholson being “incensed” by the appointment of Elmer Austin Benson, a Jewish man, to the Board of Regents. There is little evidence of that in the letter cited. In the letter, Nicholson discusses the ways in which they ought to avoid the Regents being subject to party politics. On page 105 of the report, the task force details efforts to encourage black students to find off-campus housing instead of being permitted in dorms. However, in citation 280, the task force points out that several African American women had lived in the dorms. It also notes that Walter Coffey encouraged William Middlebrook to allow the women to live in the dorms. On page 49 of the report, the task force explains the experience of some Jewish women in the dental hygiene program being asked to “leave the program.” Upon reviewing the document, University officials at that time made it clear that these women were not only permitted to continue the program, but that they encouraged them to do so. However, the University did warn the women about possible obstacles to being employed — which is a matter separate from the University. On page 51 of the report, the task force outlines the “political alliance” between Nicholson and Ray Chase, which they

We encourage the University to have the report checked by thirdparty historians for its objectivity and accuracy.

describe as being rooted in racism and anti-Semitism. They assert that Chase and Nicholson worked together to expose “aliens” and “radicals” on campus, who were often Jewish students. However, the citation used for that paragraph is a letter from Cornell University discussing an entirely different matter that mentions neither Chase nor Nicholson. We encourage the University to have the report checked by third-party historians for its objectivity and accuracy. We want to acknowledge the tough burden that was put on faculty who conducted the research and wrote the report. We found some concerning discrepancies in our review. We hope to encourage a longer conversation on renaming and the histories of these figures.

COLUMN

The American Legislative Exchange Council successfully remains obscure Despite remarkable legislative success, the American Legislative Exchange Council lacks publicity.

T

he American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of senators and lobbyists in Washington, D.C. dedicated to the “principles of UMA VENKATA limited governcolumnist ment, free markets and federalism.” Its goal is to facilitate policy with advice from the private sector. ALEC is quite effective, as it turns out. A study from the Brookings Institute in 2013 found that actually determining ALEC’s impact — the bills it drafts that are introduced and passed in American statehouses — is nebulous and guarded. The study’s author referred to a third-party watchdog, “ALEC Exposed,” to help her find them. ALEC does not make that easy. It is an intensely private organization, keen to keep its proceedings and communications away from public scrutiny. That same Brookings study found an appreciable number of ALEC model bills that are introduced to state legislatures frequently and have a greater rate of being passed into law than most other legislation. These bills are famous for being brought to legislature floors word-for-word and for being passed that way. This is not something that ALEC necessarily advertises. Transparency in this organization is certainly a concern. For

example, ALEC invited the news media to attend its 2013 annual meeting on policy in Washington D.C. — a great step for them. But subcommittee, task force and business meetings were not actually open to the press. These meetings included a task force on international relations, headed by Philip Morris International; commerce and insurance, headed by State Farm; environment and energy, by private-sector firm American Electric Power. But ALEC’s statement to a Washington Post reporter at the time was still that ALEC is fully legislator-driven. Stating the obvious so we don’t have to read between the lines: if any organization is doing good things, it is in its own interest to promote them. We have to wonder why ALEC does not. Like any other actionoriented group, ALEC runs on recruitment and network. Its successes should, theoretically, be public. ALEC needs engaged and associated lawmakers to achieve its goals, which, again to be clear, are private-sector interests. The point of all this is that those interests should always align with the interests of the general American public. But if the interests did align, there would be no need for ALEC. ALEC’s veneer of untouchability was dented in 2012 after the death of Trayvon Martin, a teenager shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Florida. In 2005, Florida (and multiple other states) had passed a “standyour-ground” law, adopted as a model bill from ALEC and the National Rifle Association. ALEC lost the membership of 400 legislators and 60 core corporations over two years due to the public relations fiasco. Not to worry, ALEC is doing fine. Its full membership list is not public, but its cheerleader Mick Mulvaney is currently White House chief of staff. ALEC and its corporate relations are doing fine. American corporate tax rates are pretty scanty this

It’s up to you to decide how much influence you want corporations to have on tax money that would otherwise go to you. And if not taxes, then other social or economic policy.

year, even for our friend Amazon and its $0 in taxes for 2018, (its second tax-free year). I say all this because it’s important for us to know. It’s up to you to decide how much influence you want corporations to have on tax money that would otherwise go to you. And if not taxes, then other social or economic policy. Though it’s hard to find, it’s all there and it all matters.

Christina Busche serves as the MSA Campus Life Director, and Simran Mishra serves as the MSA President. This letter to the editor has been lightly edited for style and clarity. 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 EDITORIALS & OPINIONS DEPARTMENT Editorials represent the voice of the Minnesota Daily as an institution and are prepared by the editorial board.

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

Uma Venkata welcomes comments at uvenkata@mndaily.com.

7

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MN DAILY

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HOROSCOPES

Today’s Birthday (5/6): Grab lucrative opportunities this year. Follow careful plans with steady action for success. Win through communications this summer, before your journey takes a different tack. By next winter your exploration yields satisfying gifts, inspiring a change in your writing or creative expression. Share your story.

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 — You’re going through a financially savvy phase over three weeks with Mercury in Taurus. You’re a smart shopper. Profitable ideas abound.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is an 8 — Practice financial practicality with Mercury in Taurus. Pay bills and review your budget. Shared accounts grow with communication.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 9 — Profits can flower today. You’re especially practical and clever with Mercury in your sign for several weeks. Express yourself.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is an 8 — Compromise comes easier with your partner, with Mercury in Taurus over three weeks. Communication flowers.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 7 — You’re especially practical, introspective and quiet for a few weeks with Mercury in Taurus. Clean old messes. Notice your dreams.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is an 8 — Your health, fitness and labors benefit from communication with Mercury in Taurus for three weeks. Practice for excellent value and service.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is an 8 — Communication and collaboration comes easily with Mercury in Taurus. You work especially effectively with groups.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 7 — Passion surges over three weeks with Mercury in Taurus. Express your love. Communicate feelings through art and craft.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is a 9 — Take on more responsibility with Mercury in Taurus for three weeks. Communication skills advance your career. Discuss dreams, visions and goals.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is an 8 — Resolve a family issue. Over three weeks, with Mercury in Taurus, fix up your place. Work out a home vision that works for everyone.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — Explore distant lands. Pursue higher education. Fall in love with a fascinating subject over three weeks with Mercury in Taurus.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is an 8 — You’re especially brilliant with Mercury in Taurus. Concentration and focus come easier. Write reports, posts and articles. Share the news.

IN THE

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Breaking Down the U’s News

DR. DATE Dr. Date,

I have a problem that comes in the form of a 35-year-old father — or, as some may call him, a daddy. We met in a downtown sports bar during the weekend the Final Four was in town and hit it off instantly. He’s a recruiter for a basketball team and lives on the East coast. Despite having absolutely nothing in common, we spent several hours talking, dancing and drinking. The few hours we spent together were wonderful — so wonderful that I didn’t even notice a ring on his finger. That’s right, a GOSH DARN ring. In my state of inebriation, I failed to notice it. There was one more thing I should have seen coming: a child. That’s right, a child — his child, straight from his loins. He revealed this to me by saying “look what’s on my phone background,” and, bam, there it was — a picture of his kid. I’m no homewrecker, but I can’t help but consider risking it all for him. And he seems to feel the same. We continued to talk after the weekend, and he’s now offered to fly me out to the East Coast for a long weekend — on his dime. My questions for you are: Is this a scam? Will I be kidnapped if I fly out? What should I pack? Will I find out that I’m this kid’s next mother? Is it summer there yet?

—Desiring a Daddy

Dear Desiring a Daddy,

Well, you’re clearly not studying journalism. Those questions are awful. You need to think of who matters here: this poor man’s family. Although this man will likely still cheat — even if it’s not with you — don’t let it be you! This man is pure scum. No way around this; it’s despicable. He clearly has no clue how to be a functioning adult with a family. First, there’s no way in HELL you should go out there. The East coast is full of pretentious pricks anyway. This would be a recipe for disaster. This is either going to end up on an episode of Dr. Phil or be something much worse. Second, this man is out at a bar flirting it up with some wholesome Midwestern girls, while his family is at home with no clue where this man is. Instead of being a degenerate in a cheap suit, he should be at home

spending time with his kid, making sure the kid grows up to be a better person than himself. In short, he obviously believes his child and wife to be objects and only has them because of the optics for his job. What a loser. Stay as far away from this man as humanly possible.

— Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

I have a thing for musicians. Many of my exes are musicians, or, at least, are trying to be. This weekend, I got a notification that I had a new Instagram follower, which turned out to be one of my exes’ new bands. As a music fiend, I got over my grudge (from our messy breakup) and listened to his band’s first single on SoundCloud. It kind of slaps. It slaps so hard that I’m interested in crawling back to him. It already had 13 listens and it only came out last week. I can see him quickly rising to the top. What girl doesn’t want to be attached to an up-and-coming SoundCloud artist? Should I go crawling back?

—Musician’s Muse

Dear Musician’s Muse,

It looks like you might be going through a rough patch right now, and don’t worry, it happens to everyone. SoundCloud rappers are pretty much the ideal partner nowadays, so it makes sense. But you have self respect because you’re a strong, independent woman who doesn’t need no man, even if he is a soon-to-be SoundCloud superstar. My best advice, don’t go back. I know it will get even more tempting when he announces he’s opening for a relatively noteworthy Minneapolis indie band at Fine Line or Honey. But don’t do it.You left him for a reason. Return to him only if your heart is telling you to do so.

— 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.

5/6/19

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

Last issue’s solution

© 2019 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

8

Monday, May 6, 2019

Remembering women the world forgot Members became more vocal about unsolved murders and disappearances. BY DYLAN MIETTINEN dmiettinen@mndaily.com

Walter Goodwin remembers the joy he felt when his cousin, Ricarda TillmanLocket, was born. He also remembers the fear and anguish he felt upon hearing she disappeared. It was 2007 in Memphis, Tennessee when Tillman-Locket dropped her 7-month-old off at a friend’s house before heading to work. From there, people can only speculate what happened to her. Both Goodwin, an assistant director for student support within the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts, and his cousin are members of the Winnebago tribe. That day, Goodwin said he became part of a vast network of families across the United States and Canada: those who have been impacted by the epidemic of unsolved cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women. “It has been more than a decade ... the feeling of hopelessness never really goes away,” Goodwin said. He is not alone. According to a report released last May by the Urban Indian Health Institute, there are more than 5,700 cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in the U.S. Of those, only 116 are logged in the Department of Justice’s missing persons database. Although approximately 1 percent of Minnesotans identify as Native American, many still feel the effects of these disappearances. Some Native American communities have been aware of unsolved murders and disappearances for centuries. However, recognition of this issue across the nation has only just recently come to light, and University members are becoming part of the conversation surrounding this hidden epidemic. “It’s like an open wound that refuses to heal,” Goodwin said. “These unanswered, lingering questions ... this is our reality.” Generations of abuse factor into disappearances of Native women Unsolved cases related to murdered and missing indigenous women are impacted by a number of factors Native American communities face. Some counties across the nation comprising tribal lands have murder rates 10 times the national average, according to the DOJ. “Its kind of been like

Nancy Swanson prepares to place a handful of tobacco in the Mississippi River as part of a sunrise ceremony on Wednesday, May 1.

‘open season’ on Native women for about 500 years,” said Chris Stark, a woman of indigenous and European heritage who co-authored a 2011 report on sex trafficking of Native American women in the state of Minnesota. Stark said the sex trafficking of indigenous women is a symptom of generational trauma. Starting with the mass murder of Native Americans during the time of colonization and westward expansion, abuse of Natives was then translated into resettling, taking land and establishing boarding schools, which forced assimilation on Native children, she said. It’s now an epidemic of missing and murdered women. The fact that most reservations are jurisdictional voids is another factor that helps the epidemic grow, said Shane Plumer, a University alumnus who specializes in Native and tribal law. Reservations, which act as sovereign nations, are allocated limited freedoms by the U.S. government, including the ability to set up Native police forces and a Native judiciary system. Yet Native Americans, with a few exceptions, are unable to charge a non-Native who commits a crime against a Native person on tribal land. These cases are then left to federal or state jurisdiction.

“A tribe can make their own law, their own court system, their own police force. But not every tribe has their own legal system or it may not be very developed,” Plumer said. “Say it’s a non-American Indian male — he can kind of just be on the reservation, commit a crime and almost be immune from the law. The state has almost no incentive to prosecute this person for what they did on the reservation.” Plumer said there can often be a “Las Vegas mindset” about committing crimes on reservations: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, consequences included. Despite practicing Native and tribal law for nearly 10 years, Plumer said he has never taken a case involving missing or murdered indigenous women. Even though Goodwin’s cousin’s disappearance likely took place off tribal land, the investigation led to no arrests. When TillmanLocket disappeared in February 2007, coworkers state that her estranged husband, Lou Locket, a non-Native, picked up Tillman-Locket from work. Though Locket said he is the last one to have seen her alive, what happened to Tillman-Locket from there is unknown. According to a 2018 National Congress of American Indians report, more than four out of five indigenous women have experienced

some sort of violence in their lifetimes. The report found 96 percent of indigenous women experienced violence at the hands of a non-Native. These cases lead to few prosecutions. In addition, Native American and Alaska Native women are at least two times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women of any other racial group, according to the NCAI. While Minnesota has the ninth highest number of cases open in the U.S. of murdered and missing indigenous women, according to the UIHI, Stark said there is a data shortage. Currently, there is no formalized database for missing and murdered indigenous women at the state level. According to Stark, many Native communities require more culturally appropriate resources that address the issues of violence against women. She added that addressing this issue shouldn’t just fall on the shoulders of Native women. “If men decided … to stop sexually assaulting and raping and beating Native women, it could all end tomorrow,” she said. ‘We just want people to recognize this as an issue’ On May 1, to mark the beginning of “Indian Month,” the University’s Circle of Indigenous Nations held two ceremonies along the muddy banks of the Mississippi Riv-

er below Coffman Union. Nelda Goodman muttered a prayer alongside Native community members and students to participate in a small ceremony remembering the indigenous women who have disappeared or been murdered. Goodman, the wellness and recovery case manager and elder in residence for the University’s American Indian Family Center, said indigenous communities used to respect the river as a lifegiving source. Now, the river acts as a harbinger of death. “Many of our women have been found in the Mississippi. Their bodies have been tossed in and later found ... even children,” Goodman said. She threw a dried flower into the river for the lost and stolen loved ones; others threw in tobacco, which is often seen as sacred by the Native community. While Goodman turned to tradition as an outlet for her grief, others like Angela Two Stars, have opted for a more artistic expression of their emotion. Two Stars is the curator of the “Bring Her Home: Stolen Daughters of Turtle Island,” an art exhibit located at All My Relations art gallery. It features 20 indigenous artists and highlights the ongoing epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women, Two Stars said.

JACK RODGERS, DAILY

“What I wanted the audience to take away from the show is not that we’re victims, but that, in spite of these staggering statistics that we face, Native women are strong in their power,” Two Stars said. “Families are continuing to suffer … and they deserve to have a voice for that.” Goodwin said questions still linger for his family. His aunt is now raising TillmanLocket’s son. They haven’t told him what happened to his mother, not just because they don’t want to hurt him, but because they don’t have the answers. Two Stars said the topic of murdered and missing indigenous women is coming to the forefront of conversation through art, activism and legislation at both state and national levels. In Minnesota, a bill making its way through the House allocates funds for a task force to investigate the prevalence of missing and murdered indigenous women in the state. Though Two Stars said she is thankful for the attention being brought to this issue, she said that it may be too little too late. “We aren’t these princesses in need of saving,” Two Stars said. “Look at who is at the forefront of this movement – Native women are the ones saving ourselves. We just want people to recognize this as an issue.”

MN lawmakers look to make insulin more affordable A bill passed in the House that would create an insulin assistance program. BY ERIN WILSON ewilson@mndaily.com

A new insulin assistance program aimed at easing rising insulin costs passed the Minnesota House floor late last month. The Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act, named after the 26-year-old Minnesotan who died from lack of insulin after aging off of his mother’s insurance, would create an emergency supply to help diabetics afford their insulin. The House passed the bill on April 25 as part of its health and human services omnibus bill. Rep. Michael Howard, DFL-Richfield, authored the bill. He said it targets Minnesotans in situations similar to Alec’s, earning too little to afford their insulin but too much to be eligible for public programs. “Really the premise of the bill is to make sure that no Minnesotan loses their life because they can’t afford the insulin they need to survive,” Howard said. Minnesotans who qualify have access to a 90-day supply of insulin at a significantly

ABBY ADAMSKI, DAILY

reduced price. Applicants who are either uninsured or face out-of-pocket costs of $5,000 or more qualify for the program. The emergency supply would be funded by a fee paid by the three largest insulin manufacturers controlling over 90 percent of the U.S. market, Howard said.

“Over the last ten years, the price of insulin has tripled, and meanwhile the manufacturers of insulin have made hundreds of millions of dollars of profit, and so we think that the insulin manufacturers should share in solving a crisis that they have profited from greatly,” Howard said.

Amy Felegy, a University of Minnesota senior with Type 1 diabetes, said while she likes certain parts of the bill, she is concerned healthcare providers could find ways around the program. “My first thought is that I’m kind of skeptical of it, only because I feel like there could

potentially be loopholes with this bill,” Felegy said. “There’s a lot of kinks that I think they still need to work out, because it’s not a simple issue, and I don’t think it ever will be.” Kaila Kemnetz, a University senior with Type 1 diabetes, said she also has concerns about gaps in the bill, but likes

that it holds insulin manufacturers accountable. She said she is worried about the wait time for applicants to hear back about their eligibility. “It’s definitely a lot better than nothing,” Kemnetz said. “In regards to insulin specifically, I do think that a lot of the ... financial burden is being caused by the manufacturer companies.” Nathan Shippee, associate professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University’s School of Public Health, said he sees the bill as a state response to systemic issues with health care in the U.S. These issues are largely driven by a profit motive, he said. “When Alec Smith or other individuals are rationing insulin, ... they’re not choosing to do that; that’s because of a broken way that we have of paying for health care where ... a lot of gaps exist,” Shippee said. Nicole Smith-Holt, mother of Alec Smith, said her son would still be alive if Minnesota had established The Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act. “He died because he could not afford the current list price for his life. ... No one prepares a parent for hearing the words, ‘I’m sorry ma’am but your son is dead,’” Smith-Holt said in a testimony for the bill in March.