Issuu

ALSO IN THE SPORTS SECTION:

MEN’S HOCKEY TAKES TWO FROM NOTRE DAME PAGE 7

■■ Men’s basketball shows defensive potential

THE GOPHERS WON 4-2 ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

■■ Wrestling takes seven titles at Bison Open

The Gophers topped Minnesota-Duluth on Thursday. PAGE 6

The Gophers were in each weight-class title match. PAGE 7

SNOW HIGH 30° LOW 26°

LEGISLATURE

Split gov’t could cause gridlock

U OF M

MINNEAPOLIS

ST PAUL

MONDAY

NOVEMBER 10, 2014

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

FOOTBALL

The return of the pig

With the newly divided state Leg., the U’s proposed tuition freeze could face opposition. BY LOGAN WROGE lwroge@mndaily.com

Majority control of Minnesota’s Legislature will be split in 2015 for the first time in eight years, which could lead to gridlock in policymaking and higher education issues. Republicans took control of the state’s House of Representatives on Tuesday, while the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party held on to the Senate. To overcome possible political strife, experts and lawmakers have stressed that elected officials will need to compromise during this spring’s legislative session. Hamline University political science professor David Schultz described the differences between the parties as an “ideological gulf.” “I think that we will have a greater need to work across the par tisan divide and come together,” said Sen. Terri Bonof f, DFL-Minnetonka, who chairs the Senate’s higher education committee. u See DIVIDE Page 12

AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY

Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams, right, and defensive lineman Ben Perry hold the Floyd of Rosedale trophy after Minnesota defeated Iowa 51-14 on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota blew out Iowa in a 51-14 victory on Saturday, taking back the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry trophy.

HEALTH

Study has promise for Parkinson’s

BY GRANT DONALD gdonald@mndaily.com

U researchers will soon test a compound that may block the disease’s main contributor.

the race to the rivalr y trophy, there was

BY KELSEY CHRISTENSEN kchristensen@mndaily.com

Though new University of Minnesota research could break ground on treatment for Parkinson’s disease, Jackie Christensen, who was diagnosed with the illness 18 years ago, said she has a hard time imagining a fix for her daily struggles. “There’s not a shor t answer,” said Christensen, who is also the state of Minnesota’s director for the Parkinson’s Action Network. “I think it’s hard to find a cure because we don’t know what causes it in most cases.” But Liqiang Chen, assistant professor at the University’s Center for Drug Design, said he and his team of chemists have discovered powerful inhibitors that may be able to stop one of the disease’s leading contributors. The results of their work were published in the September Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Each year, U.S. doctors diagnose u See RESEARCH Page 3

After Minnesota extended its lead to 35 points early in the third quarter, there was

s the final seconds ticked of f the

little doubt as to which team was going to

clock, the Gophers sprinted across

take home Floyd this year.

the field to reclaim Floyd of Rosedale. Fans swarmed the new guest of honor, storming the field.

“Once we sort of knew that we had the game, ever yone lined up stretching, just having fun with it, getting ready to run

While there was no clear winner in

across the field as fast as we could,” redshirt sophomore Maxx Williams said.

a clear winner on the field. The Gophers

While the victor y may not have been

coasted to a 51-14 victory over Iowa on Sat-

surprising, the margin of victor y was as

urday, jumping into a tie atop the Big Ten

surprising as head coach Jerry Kill’s dance

West.

moves in the locker room after the game. u See FLOYD Page 5

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

GAPSA considering restructure with new council A new professional student assembly may be added for the 2014-15 academic year. BY HALEY HANSEN hhansen@mndaily.com

The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly may undergo major restructuring next year in an attempt to prevent overlap and to better ser ve students. Leaders within the group are proposing a new student gover nment

GREEK LIFE

organization that’s equivalent to the Council of Graduate Students to specifically focus on the needs of professional students. GAPSA President Alfonso Sintjago said with the proposed change, GAPSA would only meet a couple of times per year to discuss issues that cross between the groups. GAPSA’s executive committee would be composed of four COGS members and four members from the new professional student organization, he said. Sintjago said the potential change

would eliminate overlap during assembly meetings. “There were just too many similarities between COGS and GAPSA,” he said. “We think this solution will be better long term.” COGS President Andrew McNally said both groups will present the idea to their executive boards and assemblies in the coming weeks. Students will likely vote on the new structure at the end of this semester or the beginning of next semester. “This needs to be a decision that comes from all students,” he said.

Fighting ‘toxic masculinity’ Campus greeks met Thursday to discuss how stereotypes can perpetuate certain problems. BY SARAH CONNOR sconnor@mndaily.com

LIAM JAMES DOYLE, DAILY

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Vice President George Darvehn leads and mediates a discussion about masculinity within the greek community in Fraser Hall on Thursday evening.

Some University of Minnesota fraternity members say they’re faced with the tough decision of staying quiet or standing up and saying something — and potentially putting their reputation on the line — when their fellow brothers are harassing women at parties. And this type of internal conflict isn’t uncommon, members say. Brothers may feel pressured to conform to what they think is society’s view of masculinity, which in turn can perpetuate problems within the greek community, like sexual harassment and hazing.

A panel of University officials and greek leaders met with about 50 students and alumni on campus Thursday to discuss “toxic masculinity” — the idea that men have to be unemotional, sexually aggressive and violent — and how the greek community can break down that stereotype. “A lot of the issues that arise from the greek community — like sexual assault, hazing, gender-based discrimination — all are causes of toxic masculinity,” said George Darvehn, vice president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and moderator of the event. Dar vehn’s fraternity hosted the event, which educated students about the dangers of “toxic masculinity” and its harmful effects on the campus environment. “We wanted to have a discussion about masculinity [on campus], and we saw the u See PANEL Page 12

VOLUME 116 ISSUE 40

Daily Review

Monday, November 10, 2014

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1969 “Sesame Street,” a pioneering TV show that would teach generations of young children the alphabet and how to count, makes its broadcast debut. HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH

FOOTBALL Vol. 116 Monday, November 10, 2014, No. 40

An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900. 2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 627-4080 Fax: (612) 435-5865 Copyright © 2014 The Minnesota Daily This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted. OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER Cody Nelson cnelson1@mndaily.com Co-Publisher and Editor-in-Chief (612) 435-1575 Andreas Quinn aquinn@mndaily.com Co-Publisher and President Megan Hernick mhernick@mndaily.com Co-Publisher and Business Operations Officer =

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ALEX TUTHILL-PREUS, DAILY

Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock passes the ball on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers defeated Iowa 51-14.

STATE BRIEFING

For GOP and Dems, elections are a lesson in geography BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PAUL — Tuesday’s election exposed electoral challenges for both Democrats and Republicans moving forward. Democrats suf fered all but one of their majoritycosting statehouse losses in districts outside the Twin Cities and their suburbs. Republicans were shut out again in statewide races, primarily because they were unable to chip into huge Democratic margins in the urban core. To be successful in future campaigns, each par ty has to figure out how to negate the other’s advantage. Republicans last won statewide of fice in 2006, and since then Democrats have steadily grown their margins of victor y in Minnesota’s urban core while cutting down the GOP’s edge in suburban counties, according to an Associated Press analysis of election results.

That’s resulted in a 3-to8 percentage point bump, if not more, on Election Day that has kept constitutional offices and U.S. Senate seats out of the GOP’s reach. Lots of factors decide elections — third par ties that peel of f votes, policy measures that succeed or backfire, candidates that don’t inspire — and that makes it difficult to pinpoint a single solution to Republicans’ urban voter problem. Republican strategist Brian McClung, an adviser to former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, said his par ty’s ability to compete in statewide races depends on regaining a stronger footing in suburban areas like Edina and Eden Prairie, where Democrats have gained in recent years. McClung said the par ty also has to attract more urban voters so Democrats won’t run up lopsided margins that are tough for GOP candidates to overcome.

For example, Republican Jeff Johnson beat Gov. Mark Dayton in more than half of the state’s 87 counties but trailed by 9 points in Minnesota’s largest counties — including a whopping 25 points in massive Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Compare that to Pawlenty’s 2006 recipe for a second term — winning suburban counties handily while limiting his urban deficit to 12 points. Johnson barely won those suburban counties, but his heavy losses in the urban areas meant Dayton coasted to victor y by 5.6 points. At the same time, Republicans claimed the House majority with 72 wins. But the new Republican House majority has more greater Minnesotan members than those from the suburbs, so the policy aims might not match up with the political goals. “A lot of these greater Minnesota Republicans won because they tied their

DFL opponents to votes they took that suppor ted Minneapolis and St. Paul,” McClung said. “Republicans do have to be cautious not to exacerbate the wide margins that DFLers win by in the core cities by just gratuitously taking shots at Minneapolis and St. Paul.” One dynamic to watch in the GOP House revolves around borrowing for construction projects. Greater Minnesota members have generally been more inclined to support bonding bills because of financing for projects vital to their areas. But as a party, Republicans stress fiscal restraint and have argued the state has too readily taken on debt for public works. The same goes for local government aid, a prime GOP target for bringing down state spending when they were in charge before. It is lifeblood for many greater Minnesota communities and could be tough to scale back.

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Woman who gives free meals charged with felony theft BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PAUL — A woman who provides free Thanksgiving meals to people in the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin has been charged with felony theft from her former workplace. Tracy Turner, 40, is accused of embezzling funds from a title company where she used to work in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. According to a criminal complaint, an audit revealed about $27,000 missing from the Hudson branch of All American Title. Investigators allege more than $12,000 was traced to Turner’s home mortgage account. Turner, who lives in Somerset, Wisconsin, says she is confident they’ll be dismissed. “I managed the title company and my name was on everything,” Turner said. “So when they started doing audits, of course my name is on everything. ... Of course they’re going to hunt me first.” Turner said there were questionable processes for finalizing policies at the office, which are at the root of the audit and s partly why she quit in 2013. She also said the accusations that money was deposited into her personal accounts is not true. “If I make a home mortgage payment, it goes through the exact same service,” she said. The questionable transactions occurred in 2010 and 2011 but weren’t flagged until 2012, when a customer called the title company and complained that a refund check for escrowed taxes never arrived, the complaint said. The company owner told police he discovered “there were approximately 10 occasions at the Hudson branch in the past two years that refunds had not been sent where they should have.” The owner then hired an outside firm to perform an audit.

Major winter storm bears down on Minn. BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS — A broad swath across Minnesota’s midsection was gearing up Sunday for its first major winter storm of the season. The National Weather Ser vice said the snow was expected to start falling in western Minnesota after midnight and make driving difficult for the Monday morning commute in the Twin Cities. And it warned that the drive home Monday evening will be “severely impacted.” The snowfall is forecast to be the most intense in the early afternoon in the metro area with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour. The Tuesday morning commute could also be difficult. Andy Lahr, a meteorologist with the weather service office in Chanhassen, said it should be “the most significant fall storm since Halloween in 1991.” Winter storm warnings were out from northern South Dakota starting Sunday evening, then across central Minnesota from early Monday, and on into northern Wisconsin through Tuesday evening. Six to 12 inches of snow are forecast across much of the area, including the Twin Cities, with some locally heavier amounts possible, and up to 14 to 16 inches possible in parts of western and northern Wisconsin. Hardware, outdoor gear and tire stores reported brisk business this weekend. “After last year’s hard winter, people don’t seem to be messing around this year,” David Lansing, assistant manager at Frattallone’s Ace Hardware in Burnsville, told the Star Tribune. “We’re selling a few shovels here and there, but they’re mostly going right for the snowblowers.” Delta Air Lines issued a winter weather waiver, allowing travelers to avoid change fees if they reschedule flights that are scheduled for Monday to and from Minneapolis and Rochester in Minnesota, as well as Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Rebooked trips must begin no later than Wednesday, or a fare difference may apply.

EXTENDED WEATHER FORECAST TUESDAY HIGH 28° LOW 10° A.M. snow

WEDNESDAY HIGH 25° LOW 11° Mostly sunny

THURSDAY HIGH 27° LOW 4° Cloudy

FRIDAY HIGH 22° LOW 0° Mostly sunny

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errors@mndaily.com The Minnesota Daily strives for complete accuracy and corrects its errors immediately. Corrections and clarifications will always be printed in this space. If you believe the Daily has printed a factual error, please call the readers’ representative at (612) 627–4070, extension 3057, or email errors@mndaily.com immediately. THE MINNESOTA DAILY is a legally independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is a student-written and student-managed newspaper for the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus. The Daily’s mission is: 1) to provide coverage of news and events affecting the University community; 2) to provide a forum for the communication and exchange of ideas for the University community; 3) to provide educational training and experience to University students in all areas of newspaper operations; and 4) to operate a fiscally responsible organization to ensure its ability to serve the University in the future. The Daily is a member of the Minnesota News Council, the Minnesota Associated Press, the Associated Collegiate Press, The Minnesota Newspaper Association and other organizations. The Daily is published Monday through Thursday during the regular school year and weekly during the summer, and it is printed by ECM Publishers in Princeton, Minn. Midwest News Service distributes the 22,000 issues daily. All Minnesota Daily inserts are recyclable within the University of Minnesota program and are at least 6 percent consumer waste. One (1) copy of The Minnesota Daily per person is free at newsstands in and around the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. Additional copies may be purchased for 25 cents each. U.S. Postal Service: 351–480.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Cave fish genes to help research U researchers led a collaborative effort between 10 universities. BY HALEY MADDEROM hmadderom@mndaily.com

An international team of researchers hopes to use its study on a species of translucent, eyeless cave fish to better understand human conditions like degenerative eye diseases, albinism and sleep disorders. The first-ever genomic sequence of the blind cave fish species, and the resulting study published late last month, provides context for a field of research where knowing species’ exact genetic makeup is valuable. Researchers say the most distinctive trait highlighted in the study — which is the complex genetics of eye degeneration — could have major implications for humans, like helping with the development of gene therapies for patients with retinitis or macular degeneration. Geneticists have long been fascinated by Astyanax mexicanus because populations of the blind cave fish species vary greatly between water surface and cave populations — the latter of which has independently evolved traits of blindness and lack of pigment, said Suzanne McGaugh, the study’s lead researcher and an ecology, evolution, and behavior associate professor. “It’s really powerful to have a very closely related relative that you can compare sequenced DNA to and say what’s different between these two [types of populations],” she said. McGaugh said the work was not aimed at developing potential therapies for particular human ailments. Instead, researchers located specific genes that affect traits related to various diseases to bolster continuing medical and evolutionary research. In particular, they focused on the genetics behind retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited retinal disease that leads to tunnel vision and night blindness, as well as total blindness in severe cases. To counteract the human

disease, specialized gene therapies would have to address the more than 80 different genes associated with the illness, some of which have not been located yet, said ophthalmology assistant professor Sandra Montezuma. Ophthalmology assistant professor Dara Koozekanani, who was not a part of the international effort, said the cave fish study could play a pivotal role in eye disease research. “Any addition to our knowledge of these degenerations can hopefully help us to develop effective treatments,” he said. McGaugh said the genomic sequencing work could apply to more than just patients with eye diseases and help with identifying genes related to changes in sleep patterns, pigment loss, feeding behaviors and aggression. The October study also gives geneticists insight into the evolutionar y process, she said. The study was a joint effort from 10 institutions both in the U.S. and in Europe, each of which contributed results of their own work. “It’s by far not just my lab,” McGaugh said. “In fact, this is a really new part of research for me.” Bethany Stahl, a doctoral biology student at the University of Cincinnati, was part of the effort. She said she is using the results of the cave fish study for her dissertation on pigment loss. “I’m getting close to uncovering some additional genes that are involved in pigmentation variation,” Stahl said. Her lab’s contribution to the research involved using RNA sequencing to map out the rate of gene expression in fish during early stages of development. The lab also performed a common “knock out” test that turned of f par ticular genes in an organism to understand the effects of the genes’ absences. The test could help understand pigmentation, sleep and behavioral changes, and jaw bone formation. “I feel very fortunate to be involved in such a very forthcoming and exciting project,” Stahl said.

American freed from North Korea: ‘I learned a lot’ BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JOINT BASE LEWISMcCHORD, Wash. — Kenneth Bae arrived home after years of imprisonment in North Korea, expressing his gratitude to the U.S. government for securing his release and revealing that his time there offered lessons. “It’s been an amazing two years, I learned a lot, I grew a lot, I lost a lot of weight,” said Bae, a Korean-American missionary with health problems. Asked how he was feeling, he said, “I’m recovering at this time.” He is one of the last two Americans held captive by the reclusive Communist countr y to return home. Bae and Matthew Miller landed Saturday night at a Washington state militar y base after a top U.S. intelligence official secured their release. Bae, surrounded by family members, spoke briefly to the media after the plane carr ying him and Miller landed. He thanked President Barack Obama and the people who supported him and his family. He also thanked the North Korean government for releasing him. “I just want to say thank you all for suppor ting me and standing by me,” Bae said. His family has said he suf fers from diabetes, an enlarged heart, liver problems and back pain. Members of Bae’s family, who live near the sprawling militar y base south of Seattle, met him when he landed. His mother hugged him after he got of f the plane. Miller stepped of f the U.S. government air-

craft a short time later and also was greeted with hugs. U.S. officials said Miller of Bakersfield, California, and Bae of L ynnwood, Washington, flew back with James Clapper, the director of national intelligence. Clapper was the highestranking American to visit Pyongyang in more than a decade. Their release was the latest twist in the fitful relationship between the Obama administration and the young Nor th Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, whose approach to the U.S. has shifted back and forth from defiance to occasional conciliation. “It’s a wonderful day for them and their families,” Obama said. “Obviously, we are ver y grateful for their safe return.” A senior Obama administration of ficial said the president approved the mission last week and U.S. officials spent the next several days planning the trip. Clapper spent roughly a day on the ground and met with Nor th Korean security officials — but not with Kim, the official said aboard Air Force One as Obama prepared to head to Beijing. Clapper went with the sole purpose of bringing home the two detainees, although the U.S. anticipated that other issues of concern to the Nor th would come up during Clapper’s discussions, the of ficial said. “It was not to pursue any other diplomatic opening,” said the official, who wasn’t authorized to comment by name and demanded anonymity.

Campaign finances affect voter knowledge, not trust Research by CLA Dean John Coleman gives insight into campaign spending. BY MORGAN WOLFE mwolfe@mndaily.com

A new University of Minnesota dean has played a key role in the decades-long conversation surrounding spending in political campaigns. College of Liberal Arts Dean John Coleman is a pioneer in political campaign finance research. He helped establish positive relationships between spending and voter knowledge when he began his work on the subject 15 years ago. In recent years, the discussion about limits to corporate political spending has pushed him to continue exploring the topic. Coleman, who was a political science professor at the University of WisconsinMadison before taking his post as CLA’s dean earlier this year, said political and campaign spending receive widespread disdain but play an impor tant role in elections. “Hardly anyone says that they like campaign spending,” Coleman said. “It’s just one of those things that they like to dislike.” Coleman’s research, which examined public

opinion data from surveys, shows that voters are more accurate in their knowledge of candidates’ political ideologies when campaigns spend more on advertising and outreach. There was also no evidence in the data to suggest that voters were more distrustful of campaigns with higher spending, Coleman said. In the 2010 Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the court equated political spending with free speech and held that the federal government could not restrict this spending for a corporation or union. In recent months, the U.S. Senate has debated a constitutional amendment that would allow the government to regulate campaign spending. Almost 80 percent of Americans would support limiting the amounts congressional candidates can raise and spend in a campaign, according to a June 2013 Gallup poll. Research shows that voters with low incomes and education levels benefit the most from campaign spending, Coleman said, which could be a downside of limiting spending. “If you star t thinking about reducing the amount of spending … it may have this negative effect of knowl-

CHALLENGER SPENDING HELPS VOTERS IDENTIFY CANDIDATES’ IDEOLOGIES* $500,000

$180,000

$1M

0.85 0.66 0.53

0.49 0.31 0.20

PROBABILITY OF CORRECTLY PLACING CHALLENGER ON IDEOLOGY SCALE, POST-ELECTION

PROBABILITY OF BEING CERTAIN ABOUT THE PLACEMENT

*spending figures based on campaigns from the late ’90s and early ’00s SOURCE: COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS DEAN JOHN COLEMAN

edge for these types of people,” Coleman said. Although Coleman’s research shows that campaign spending helps voters’ knowledge of candidates, some students say political ads aren’t as helpful. “They appease the voters and bash the other parties,” junior Jenna Housley said. State Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, who was re-elected Tuesday to serve her 22nd term in office, spent more than $55,000 on her campaign. She raised nearly $66,000, which she said was the most money she has

received for a campaign. Still, she said she’s found that campaign spending plays only a limited role in winning elections. “Campaigns that are dependent on people power are much better than campaigns that are dependent on money,” Kahn said. She thinks reversing the Citizens United decision would be helpful, and she supports the disclosure of campaign finances. “One of the ways to get rid of the influences in campaign spending is by getting people out to vote,” Kahn said.

Ebola nurse remains against quarantines BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

POR TLAND, Maine — The Maine nurse who defied quarantine attempts after treating Ebola patients in West Africa is looking forward to stepping out her front door — “like normal people.” Kaci Hickox’s plans for the end of the deadly disease’s 21-day incubation period include a dinner out with her boyfriend, but she told The Associated Press she’s worried about what type of a reception she’ll get after being hailed by some and vilified by others after battling state-ordered quarantines in New Jersey and Maine. Most people have been supportive, she said, but others have been hateful. She

received a letter from one person who said he hoped she would catch Ebola and die. “We’re still thankful we’ve had a lot of great support in this community but I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t make me a little bit nervous thinking about people from the other side of the debate and how they might react to me,” she said. Monday will mark the 21st day since Hickox’s last exposure to an Ebola patient, a 10-year-old girl who suffered seizures before dying alone without family. On Tuesday, Hickox will no longer require daily monitoring for Ebola symptoms, and even those who sought to isolate her agree that she will no longer be a threat.

Hickox she said she doesn’t intend to stop speaking out on behalf of public health workers, nor would she let her experience deter her from returning to West Africa. “Something like quarantine is not going to scare me from doing the work that I love,” she said from her home in Fort Kent in northernmost Maine. “I would return to Sierra Leone in a heartbeat.” The Texas native never intended to become the public face of a fierce debate over how U.S. health care workers volunteering in West Africa are treated upon their return. Volunteering for Doctors Without Borders, she spent a month at a hospital where

there were never enough beds for all of the Ebola patients who needed help. It was so hot that volunteers could only spend about an hour at a time treating patients in their protective suits. They were drenched in sweat when they finished their shifts, she said. On the morning she left Sierra Leone, the wear y nurse learned that the girl she’d treated hours earlier had died. She was debriefed by Doctors Without Borders in Brussels before flying to the U.S. It was after three hours of questioning at the Newark Liberty International Airport that she resolved that she’d have to make a stand on behalf of all returning health care workers.

New study shows promise for Parkinson’s disease

Rui Ding performs experiments Friday in a lab in the Phillips Wangensteen Building.

Research u from Page 1

between 50,000 and 60,000 people with Parkinson’s — in addition to the country’s existing 1 million cases. Chen said because the disease stems from the nervous system, it’s necessary for treatments to cross the barrier between the brain and the circulatory system — but he said only about 2 percent of all FDA-approved drugs do so. In order to be effective, Chen said, the pill needs to

cross the blood-brain barrier. A drug currently on the market named Levodopa increases the brain’s dopamine levels, but it only treats some of Parkinson’s symptoms, such as tremors, stiffness and slow movements. Christensen, who has sporadic Parkinson’s, said while most other patients have tremors, she doesn’t suffer from that particular symptom. “I tend to move fairly slowly, which is often very annoying,” she said. Chen said an overwhelming 90 percent of Parkinson’s cases are sporadic, while

only about 10 percent are genetic. He said the illness’s common variety is more difficult to correctly treat. But he said he hopes the potent and selective compounds his team discovered could of fer a solution for those patients. His team used a threestep process of linking, merging and growing compounds to examine their drug-like proper ties. The researchers found the successful compounds — or Sir tuin 2 inhibitors — by piecing together combinations of hundreds of those compounds until the correct

ZACH BIELINSKI, DAILY

ones fit together, according to the study. Daniel W ilson, a research fellow at the Center for Drug Design who approved and aided the proposal for Chen’s compound research, said the discovery will not necessarily spawn a cure, but rather a treatment for the disease. Chen recently applied for NIH funding to support the drug’s next steps, which include animal, and then human, testing. “We need to make sure it behaves well in animals,” he said. “I hope it is a beginning of big things.”

Monday, November 10, 2014

Editorials & Opinions POLITICS

The damage of progressive groupthink The Bill Maher controversy demonstrates this narrowminded mentalty in action.

n my experience door-knocking for Democratic Farmer-Labor party political candidates, I have often come across individuals who may agree with progressive political, economic or social views but decide not to cast their ballot and have a say in elections. At first, it’s easy to blame these individuals. In fact, I sometimes vent to my friends that these are the people handing elections to the Republicans. If more progressives had voted last Tuesday, then the DFL may have retained the Minnesota House. The concerns of the politically disillusioned, though, seem to stem from their legitimate antipathy for “groupthink.” This concept, popularized in George Orwell’s influential, best-selling dystopian novel “1984,” can be attributed to the following types of individuals. People who defer most or all of their opinions to the group consensus place an overwhelming amount of faith in the group. They also push for ideological uniformity and may viciously lambast those who may associate with the group but sometimes disagree with its prevailing views.

RONALD DIXON columnist

Unfortunately, groupthink is prevalent in progressive circles. For example, progressive and secular HBO host Bill Maher, who has based part of his career on critiquing religion, recently landed in hot water for making seemingly harsh claims against the Islamic faith. Some students at the University of California-Berkeley have started a signature drive to uninvite Maher from serving as a commencement speaker in December because of this controversy. Shortly after these efforts began, Maher openly defended himself, saying that even his most critical guest, Reza Aslan — who is a Muslim — believes that he is not a bigot. Fur thermore, he said the Berkeley protests are ironic because the university is about to celebrate the 50th anniversar y of its own Free Speech Movement. While some progressives, including myself, agree with Maher’s critiques of religion and support his right to free speech

People who defer most or all of their opinions to the group consensus place an overwhelming amount of faith in the group. without obstructionism caused by political correctness, there are many left-wing news and blog websites that have openly criticized Maher for his arguments against the Islamic religion. It’s curious, though, that these same websites glorify Maher whenever he makes a claim that neatly aligns with the current progressive zeitgeist. In fact, they will run pieces, not too far from each other, that both raise him onto a high pedestal and attack him for being bigoted, narrow-minded, sexist and Islamophobic. This is the type of behavior that causes well-meaning, educated individuals to disengage from politics. Indeed, it is the groupthink mentality that stifles intellectual inquiry and harms democracy. Ronald Dixon welcomes comments at rdixon@mndaily.com.

DAILY DISCUSSION

Response to ‘A refreshing view from the pope’

The portrayal of the Roman Catholic Church over the past week by the Minnesota Daily has been extremely frustrating. On Monday, the Daily ran a cartoon saying that Pope Francis is “bringing the Roman Catholic Church into the 21st century” by endorsing evolution. However, as Dario Valdebenito pointed out in Tuesday’s letter to the editor, this portrayal is completely inaccurate. Since 1950, the Church has held that evolution and faith are in no way contradictory. While this should have been the end of the issue, it sadly was not. The same ignorance was showcased in Wednesday’s column, “A refreshing view from the pope.” The piece also made the incorrect assertion that Pope Francis is going against the “traditional Roman Catholic teachings of strict creationism.” If Pope Francis is merely reaffirming what ever y pope has said for the past six decades, why is ever yone making a big deal out of it? Simply put, the media has been successful in creating a false narrative that society has subscribed to: The Catholic Church is backwards, and Pope Francis is a radical who is going to change all that. Neither of these assertions is true. Catholicism is not a religion of ignorance. In the faith, science and religion are thought of as complementary rather than contradictory. As Pope John Paul II most eloquently wrote in the Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” One without the other yields an incomplete view of the world. In light of this, Pope Francis becomes far less radical. Indeed, while exhibiting saintly humility and compassion, he has not once radically changed Church doctrine. What he has done, however, is explain the values of the Catholic Church in everyday language. So, while it may seem strange for the pope to talk about God not being a magician, baptizing extraterrestrials and not judging gays, the only novel thing about these statements is their folksy deliver y, not their content. Collin Bradley University student CONTACT THE EDITOR Martin Jaakola mjaakola@mndaily.com @mjaakola1

The recent election results have put a different light on funding for highways and transit service across the nation and in Minnesota. Nationally, 10 new governors were elected. The GOP also took control of the U.S. Senate, so there’s a new dynamic facing a growing problem around road funding. Congress has failed to adopt a new longterm surface transportation bill since 2009, and a stopgap measure expires next May. The gas tax, which hasn’t been raised since 1993, traditionally funds the Highway Trust Fund, which has not been able to keep up with demand. With states relying on more than half of their road money to come from federal dollars, the recent change in leadership puts even more pressure on some bipartisan resolution.

KSTP’s report merits criticism

hen KSTP-TV aired a report accusing Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges of flashing a gang sign with a convicted felon, it sparked indignation from people across the political spectrum. The stor y originated with a photo of Hodges posing with Navell Gordon, a Neighborhoods Organizing for Change canvasser. In the picture, both are making a hand gesture that Hodges’ critics, including Minneapolis Police Federation President John Delmonico, have branded as a gang sign. “[Hodges] is legitimizing gangs who are killing our children in Minneapolis,” retired Minneapolis police officer Michael Quinn told KSTP. Hodges’ defenders, however, obser ve that Gordon and the mayor are merely pointing at each other. Since KSTP’s stor y aired, hundreds of people have posted photos under the hashtag #Pointergate of famous cultural figures making the same hand gesture as Hodges. The posts sarcastically ask whether these figures — including Uncle Sam, Oprah Winfrey and the Cookie Monster — are also involved in gang activities. More seriously, many people have accused KSTP’s story of harboring racist sentiments. On Friday, University of St. Thomas law professor Nekima Levy-Pounds published a piece in the Star Tribune in which she lambasted KSTP’s coverage and explained how news media influence public prejudices against black men. We’re extremely disappointed with KSTP’s report, which we feel was sloppy and unprofessional. In the best-case scenario, it was a lazy news story. In the worst, it was a deliberately biased piece. In either case, the public deserves better, and those who have criticized KSTP have done so rightly.

Impersonation by FBI unwarranted

T Paige Holgate welcomes comments at pholgate@mndaily.com.

POLITICS

Leaders come out, inspire others

n the flurry of election news, two other important proclamations seem to have been forgotten. In the past two weeks, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics both publicly came out as gay. The actions of these two men demonstrate that the power to make a dif ference isn’t limited to large policy changes. Fearlessly living your own truth can be more powerful than a dozen laws. Learning that the head of a successful company and a popular politician take pride in their sexuality can be a source of hope for many people, especially when that sexuality could still get you fired in 29 states. For Rinkevics and other Latvians, a constitutional amendment bans same-sex marriage. But plenty of high-profile figures have come out as gay, and Cook and Rinkevics are surely not the last to do so. However, their actions are less important than the motivation behind them. “I don’t consider myself an activist,” wrote Cook in an essay published by Bloomberg Businessweek. “I’m doing my part, however small, to help others.” Rinkevics’ contribution is arguably even smaller than an essay — his announcement came in just a simple tweet. But by doing what it takes to establish

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Bipartisan focus should be on roads, bridges

EDITORIALS

In Minnesota, Gov. Mark Dayton early in the campaign said he wanted to explore all methods — including raising the gas tax — to fund what analysts have been saying was a $6.5 billion infrastructure need. The state has more than 140,000 miles of roads — 50 percent of state highways are more than 50 years old. And 40 percent of the more than 20,000 bridges are more than 40 years old. So the need has been documented. Early in the debate, there was discussion around a 5 percent sales tax on wholesale fuel in the state which could bring in an extra $360 million annually, which hardly addresses the overall need at present. Organizations such as MNMove have been arguing for a comprehensive transportation package that encompasses not only roads and bridges but light transit, bike paths and “walking oppor tunities.”

THE EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS DEPARTMENT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE NEWSROOM

CAMILLE GALLES columnist

personal honesty and integrity for themselves, Cook and Rinkevics encourage others to do the same. It’s impossible to take care of others without first taking care of yourself. Both men exemplify the fact that you don’t have to consider yourself an activist to make a positive impact on the world. Not every gay person has the security, means or desire to publicly come out the way Cook or Rinkevics did. That’s OK. Despite the publicity, neither man’s actions are likely to result in a drastic policy change. That’s OK, too. Sometimes small acts of good that take care of us are the only thing we can do. It’s vital that we continue to do them. Small, courageous actions accumulate and take on a life larger than ourselves, which is more powerful than any policy. Camille Galles welcomes comments at cgalles@mndaily.com.

This pushes the ticket price up even higher without a clear funding path being agreed upon. The leaders who emerged from the November election have stressed the need to hammer out a long-term transpor tation plan to at least deal with the backlog of road and bridge projects. If there is one area where compromise can be beneficial, it would be to focus solely on those two critical areas immediately and to determine how to fund them. Tying any funding package to increased funding for light rail, for instance — especially in light of the national election results denying any hope of federal bailout — is not prudent at this point. If both parties are sincere about working in a bipartisan manner to solve our state problems, a focused program on roads and bridges with some tax increases seems the best opportunity to move us along, at least in the short term.

he FBI admitted last week that it impersonated an Associated Press reporter to track down a suspect. The bureau’s director, James Comey, outlined the 2007 incident in a letter to The New York Times on Friday, attempting to provide a blanket defense for the FBI’s use of deception. The FBI agent involved in the incident lied to the suspect — who was believed to be responsible for a string of bomb threats and cyberattacks on a high school — and asked him to review a purported AP article about the incident. After the suspect agreed and viewed the article, Comey says the FBI used legal means to find the suspect and eventually solve the case. The AP’s executive editor and the Repor ters Committee for Freedom of the Press have since condemned the impersonation, but the FBI director defended it. Comey’s letter used the incident as an anecdote showing how deception in the field can work. However, without dipping further into questionable law enforcement activities, it’s clear that this incident has had a chilling effect on news media. The Associated Press is arguably the most trusted and respected news organization in the world. In many ways, it embodies what the “free press” is meant to be. When the government feels it has the right to abuse an entity like the AP, it undermines the agency’s credibility and the integrity of journalism. If the FBI wants to seem as though it supports the First Amendment, it must apologize for this behavior and rethink some of its deceptive practices. EDITORIALS & OPINIONS DEPARTMENT Editorials represent the voice of the Minnesota Daily as an institution and are prepared by the editorial board.

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This article originally appeared in the Mankato Free Press on Saturday.

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Monday, November 10, 2014

Sports

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FOOTBALL

Minnesota rolls over Hawkeyes

QUICK HITTERS BY GRANT DONALD gdonald@mndaily.com Minnesota 51, Iowa 14 Saturday, Nov. 8 TCF Bank Stadium

RECAP

After Iowa scored a touchdown on its opening drive, Minnesota scored 51 consecutive points and ended up winning the game 51-14. The Gophers’ defense forced three turnovers in the first half, allowing Minnesota to score 28 second-quarter points. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Mitch Leidner led the way, passing for 138 yards and four touchdowns. Fellow redshirt sophomore Maxx Williams finished with 46 receiving yards, three touchdowns and one highlight-reel catch as he was diving out of bounds. IT WAS OVER WHEN:

Williams caught his third touchdown pass to start the second half, extending the Gophers’ lead to 42-7. KEY PLAY AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY

Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams runs the ball on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Floyd u from Page 1

“I thought it was going to be a back-and-forth battle all day, so it was cool to see that scoreboard at the end of the game,” redshirt sophomore Mitch Leidner said. Leidner put together one of his best collegiate games on Saturday, throwing for 138 yards and four touchdowns, three of which came in a 28-point second quarter. “Our quar terback did a great job because when they took [the pass] away, he ran the ball,” Kill said. “I don’t know if the kid missed a read.” Leidner seemed to miss a wide-open Williams in the second quar ter when the Gophers’ lead was only seven points. But instead, Williams stretched out and was able to get the tip of his toe in bounds to complete the catch. Four plays later, Leidner found Williams again for a 9-yard touchdown, this time with a smaller degree of difficulty. “To be honest with you, I thought [Williams’ catch] was out of bounds,” Kill said. “He is unreal. I’ve coached this game for 31

years and coached a lot of great players, but I’ve never seen anyone catch the ball like that kid. I’m glad he is on our team.” Williams finished the day with five catches for 46 yards and three touchdowns, breaking Minnesota’s single-season record for most touchdowns by a tight end in the process. “Those [sideline catches are] plays you just kind of have to feel,” Williams said. “I had to make a play, and it just kind of happened so quick. You just tr y to get your feet down and go with it.” While the of fense was putting up points in a hurry, the Gophers’ defense was having no trouble stopping Iowa’s prolific r unning attack. Iowa racked up 246 yards on the ground against Minnesota last year. This year, the Gophers held Iowa to 84 r ushing yards. “You go to the last three years, and [Iowa] has run it up out tail end,” Kill said. “We did a great job defending the run [today]. Guys played in their gap, did their job; the linebackers filled when needed. We played ver y disciplined defense.”

Iowa scored on its opening drive of the game, putting the Gophers down early, which has been a recurring theme in recent weeks. However, the defense didn’t panic, instead turning the small deficit into a sizeable lead. “We’ve hear d about [the slow starts]. I’ve been asked about it,” Kill said. “I think you just emphasize it and just keep plugging along.” At the beginning of the game, Minnesota plugged along without star senior linebacker Damien Wilson. Kill said Wilson sat out the first two series because of “minor” disciplinar y issues before coming in near the end of the first quarter. “Maybe a little leadership was lacking [without Wilson in the huddle],” redshirt junior Briean Boddy-Calhoun said. “Damien, when he is missing, you can tell.” Boddy-Calhoun provided the game-changing play when he intercepted Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock’s pass in the first quarter to halt a threatening Hawkeyes drive. The Gophers forced three tur novers in the game, including freshman Steven Richardson’s second-quarter forced fumble.

SCORING SUMMARY SCORE BY QUARTER iowa Minnesota

BY BETSY HELFAND bhelfand@mndaily.com

Floyd of Rosedale has a new home. The traveling trophy is now in Minnesota’s possession after a 51-14 walloping of Iowa on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. The Hawkeyes blew out Minnesota the past two seasons but got a taste of their own medicine Saturday. As the game ended, the Gophers raced across the field, ready to reclaim Floyd. “Once we sor t of knew that we had the game, ever yone lined up … just having fun with it, getting ready to r un across the field as fast as we could,” redshir t sophomore tight end Maxx Williams said. Throngs of fans stormed the field to cel-

4 7 9

FIVE OBSERVATIONS

TOTAL 14 51 IOWA

MINN

09:13

Mark Weisman 1 yd run (Marshall Koehn kick)

MINN

05:38

KJ Maye 9 yd run (Ryan Santoso kick)

IOWA

MINN

2ND QUARTER MINN