Issuu

Q&A: FORMER “AMERICAN IDOL” STAR DAVID ARCHULETA PAGE 5

LATE WEEK THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019

MNDAILY.COM

SERVING THE UMN COMMUNITY SINCE 1900

ENVIRONMENT The amount of waste collected on campus has significantly decreased over the past decade. BY NATALIE RADEMACHER nrademacher@mndaily.com

As a result of efforts to be less wasteful, the University of Minnesota has decreased the amount of garbage generated on campus annually by about 1,000 tons over the past decade. In fiscal year 2019, the University’s Waste Recovery Services collected around 4,600 tons of trash on the Twin Cities campus. A decade ago, that number was around 5,700 tons, according to data obtained by the Minnesota Daily. This trash decrease equals the weight of approximately 500 U.S. cars. The University’s Waste Recovery Services attributes this change to several factors, including the implementation of organics collection, an increase in efforts around recycling and overall efforts to generate less waste, according to Todd Tanner, the University’s ReUse program coordinator. A changing market It is not just the University’s efforts that have contributed to the decrease in trash generated on campus. The way many common products are produced has also changed. Take a plastic water bottle, for example. The plastic used to make these bottles today is much lighter and more flimsy than the plastic used a decade ago, Tanner said. This is the result of societal efforts to create less waste. With items like plastic water bottles

Let’s

talk

trash

A crane picks up trash to be distributed in bins and transported to the incinerator at the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Dec. 4. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

weighing less, the overall weight of trash collected goes down. But aren’t these bottles recyclable? Yes, Tanner said, but recyclables are still ending up in the trash stream. So all this talk about trash, where does it go? Trash collected on campus is sent to the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), where it is burned and used to generate heat and electricity. Sending 4,600 tons of trash to this facility annually is not cheap. The University paid around $339,000 for that trash in fiscal year 2019.

In fiscal year 2019, the University’s Waste Recovery Services collected around 4,600 tons of trash. It cost the University

$339,000

FOOTBALL

The HERC facility, located near Target Field, collects around half the trash generated in Hennepin County. The other half goes to landfills. Burning trash in downtown Minneapolis seems like something more people would notice, but the facility has pollution control equipment in place that keeps most emissions from polluting the air and making downtown smell like burning trash. The garbage burned at the facility is used to create electricity and steam. The electricity is sent to Xcel Energy and the steam heats Target Field and around 100 buildings downtown.

Campus ef forts Although some recyclable material ends up in the trash, the University’s recycling program has been working to educate the community and take steps to get more items out of the trash. One effort is the implementation of organics collection bins around campus. This keeps a sizable amount of food waste from winding up in the trash stream. Despite efforts by the University and the City of Minneapolis to increase organics recycling, this kind of material is still a significant part of the county’s trash stream. Randy Kiser, administrative manager for HERC, said about one-third of the material in a 2017 audit of the HERC’s trash was organics, such as food waste. “If we could get more organics out of here, we’d be happy,” Kiser said. “Things like potatoes and apples don’t burn really well.” On campus, Tanner said the rate of recycling and organics collection is improving. Efforts from the University’s recycling program and student groups such as the Minnesota Student Association have helped educate people at the University about how to decrease waste. Megan Connor, MSA’s sustainability committee chair, said they are developing educational programs on how to use organics on campus and are exploring other resources to help increase how much material is composted. Currently about two-thirds of the waste on campus ends up in the trash. The goal is for that to be reduced to half, Tanner said. Megan Connor is a former Minnesota Daily employee.

EDUCATION

Felons 2.5 times more likely to be denied entry to college Gophers University stopped garner Big The using a broad criminal question on its Ten awards record application in fall 2017. P.J. Fleck and Antoine Winfield Jr. earned the top conference awards for each of their roles.

BY PAUL HODOWANIC phodowanic@mndaily.com

Following a historic 10-2 regular season, Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck, defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr., and wide receiver Rashod Bateman were rewarded by the Big Ten conference for their performances. Fleck was named HayesSchembechler Coach of the Year, Winfield was given Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year and Bateman won the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year award. This is the third time in Fleck’s seven-year head coaching career that he has won a conference coach of the year award, claiming both the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016 while at Western Michigan. He has helped turn around the Gophers program, leading them to seven Big Ten wins for the first time in school history. The award was voted on by fellow Big Ten coaches. “This is a tremendous honor, but it is one that belongs to our entire staff, team and administration,” Fleck told Gopher Sports. Bateman is the first Gophers receiver ever to be awarded the conference’s best receiver. Bateman finished the regular season with 57 catches for 1,170 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 1,170 yards is a single-season school record. Winfield’s seven interceptions this season is tied for most in program history by an individual and is fourth-most in the country. The defensive back added 83 total tackles, another team-high, and complied three sacks as well. “It’s humbling to receive this recognition, but I could not have done it without my teammates and coaches,” Winfield told Gopher Sports. “They have been with me every day and pushing me to change my best and become the best player I could be, so I am definitely looking forward to sharing this award with them.” A whole host of Gophers were awarded with All-Big Ten honors. Winfield and wide receivers Bateman and Tyler Johnson were named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Tanner Morgan, Rodney Smith and Carter Coughlin were named to the Second Team. Blaise Andries was named to the Third Team, while nine players were named honorable mentions.

BY DYLAN ANDERSON danderson@mndaily.com

Research from the University of Minnesota shows having a low-level felony conviction adds a significant barrier to accessing a higher education. The study, published in October, found applicants with a felony conviction, such as a robbery or burglary, were almost two-and-a-half times more likely to be denied admission to college. About 72 percent of colleges require criminal history information on applications, according to the study. The University of Minnesota limits the scope of the question on its application to academic dishonesty and offenses of a sexual nature. The research was conducted

by recruiting pairs of applicants, one with a felony conviction and one without. In each pair, the applicant with a felony conviction had a slightly better academic record. They then applied to schools across the country where they had a reasonable chance of being accepted. Those with no felony record were admitted 90 percent of the time. When the student had a conviction, it was about 75 percent. “The belief here is that this is actually going to produce more of a conservative estimate in terms of the effect of a criminal record,” said Robert Stewart, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology and author of the study. The main motivation behind asking these questions is to reduce campus crime, Stewart said. But he has yet to see any evidence backing up this notion. “A lot of people with criminal records, who in many cases

u See FELONY Page 3

ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH MAI, DAILY

NEIGHBORHOODS

RESEARCH

MN church, which owns campus coffee shop, responds to student concerns The church, which owns Seven Corners Coffee, says it opposes conversion therapy. BY FARRAH MINA fmina@mndaily.com

A bald eagle at the Gabbert Raptor Center as seen on Tuesday, Dec. 3. (Nur B. Adam / Minesota Daily)

Researchers seek to save raptor species often killed by turbines The federal government funded the research that aims to deter casualties using sound technology. BY EMILY SIZEN esizen@mndaily.com

University of Minnesota researchers are evaluating eagles’ auditory responses as part of an ongoing effort to prevent fatalities caused by wind turbine collisions.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the researchers tested a variety of sounds to determine what eagles can hear, with the ultimate goal of using their findings to add sounds to wind turbines to prevent casualties. Raptors that hunt during the day are among the most common species of bird killed by wind turbines, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Minnesota u See TURBINES Page 3

In late September, University of Minnesota LGBTQ+ student groups raised questions about the owner of West Bank’s Seven Corners Coffee, Wooddale Church, and its suspected ties to conversion therapy. OutLaw — the University Law School’s LGBTQ+ student association — sent an email to inform students about Seven Corners Coffee’s background and affiliation with Wooddale Church, an evangelical Christian megachurch. “The concerns expressed to us with regards to Seven Corners Coffee surround Wooddale Church’s stance on homosexuality, given that the coffee shop is financially linked to the Church,” the OutLaw email reads. The organization sent the email to those in the OutLaw community to “allow everyone to make an informed decision about whether or not they want to patronize Seven Corners Coffee.” The email said although

Wooddale Church did not have a public statement about its stance on homosexuality on its website, it listed various counseling groups, including Outpost Ministries. Outpost Ministries was stated to provide counseling to “those who struggle with same-sex attractions,” or what some characterize as conversion therapy. This was the main source of OutLaw’s concerns, said Morgan Alexander, the then-president of the group. However, the Church does not support conversion therapy, according to Kyle Robinson, the executive pastor at Wooddale. After hearing about students’ concerns, the Church removed the list of counseling groups from the website, he said. “When we heard there was a concern, we thought that we really need to take a good, long look at who’s on that list,” Robinson said. “So, I asked our team to do that — to do a full review on all the organizations … that were listed on there.” Robinson said it is important to “treat people in a really honoring way.” u See SEVEN CORNERS Page 3 VOLUME 120 ISSUE 28

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019

MN DAILY

Daily Review

MNDAILY.COM

CAMPUS EVENTS CALENDAR FRIDAY

Foosball Tournament

7-8 p.m. Goldy’s Gameroom Get a foosball team together and come test your skills!

SATURDAY

Cookie Decorating Contest

1-4 p.m. Coffman Great Hall The perfect break during finals season!

SUNDAY

Dance Collective Showcase

2 p.m. and 7 p.m. St. Paul Student Center Enjoy dance of all styles at this free event!

NOW PLAYING

“Vice”

Fri. and Sat. at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. at the Coffman Union Theater; Friday at 8 p.m. at the St. Paul Student Center

Thursday, December 5, 2019 Vol. 120 No. 28

An Independent Student Newspaper, Founded in 1900. 2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 450, Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 627-4080 Fax: (612) 435-5865

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1933 On December 5, 1933, Congress ratified the 21st Amendment and ended the Prohibition era. HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH

Website for free textbooks at UMN gains attention this fall A new unmediated version of the site is being launched fully next semester. BY NIAMH COOMEY ncoomey@mndaily.com From biology to design, faculty members in departments across the University of Minnesota are using a website to publish textbooks. Use of the Pressbooks website has spread among faculty in recent years, many of whom say they want to provide affordable textbook options for their students. A new, unmediated version of the site will allow faculty and students to publish content without the supervision of the University Libraries, making the platform more accessible. The more direct site was launched this summer and has been slowly rolled out over the course of this semester, with guidebooks for users completed in recent weeks. The libraries initially

began using Pressbooks at the University several years ago, said Shane Nackerud, co-interim director of content services and technology lead in library initiatives. This was in an effort to help faculty provide alternatives to high cost textbooks. Erin Malone, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, published several educational resources on the site and has encouraged her colleagues to do the same. “One professor started using the tool and then spread the word, and more professors are now using the tool and I kind of expect that kind of thing to start happening,” Nackerud said. Malone said because it takes several years to write and publish new editions of textbooks, they are often outdated as soon as they are published. This is particularly true for topics such as surgery, which is constantly changing, she said. “As our field is changing, that [textbook] doesn’t keep up because it’s a printed book, and it costs money and

students don’t have a lot of money,” she said. Pressbooks helps tackle this issue, as textbooks can be easily and frequently updated, she said. Malone added that she thinks the new, unmediated version of Pressbooks will eliminate some of the hurdles to creating materials for the site. Steel Wagstaff, an educational client manager for Pressbooks, previously worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to help faculty improve teaching with the use of technology and integrate Pressbooks into their classrooms. Many Big Ten schools use Pressbooks, he said, and there are varying levels of mediation a c ro s s t h e s e d i f f e r e n t universities. Wagstaff said he thinks having a more direct version of Pressbooks can make university education more accessible and equitable. He added that he hopes Pressbooks can have a life outside of the classroom.

ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH MAI, DAILY

“The University of Minnesota is … a public university that serves the citizens of Minnesota, and it does a good job at that, but there’s lots of people in Minnesota and further abroad who don’t have access to those courses,” Wagstaff said. Steven Manson, a University professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Society, published a mapping

Only students who pay the Student Service Fee can do intramural sports.

BY EMILY SIZEN esizen@mndaily.com

ILLUSTRATION BY HAILEE SCHIEVELBEIN, DAILY

half-semester membership. For the fall, a half-semester membership costs $95. Earlier this month, COGS passed a resolution requesting the Office for Student Affairs to change the eligibility, allowing non-fee-paying graduate students to play intramural sports. COGS representative Andrew Keller, who hopes

to become an advanced status graduate student in the future, said that in many graduate programs, building camaraderie with fellow students is important. Intramural sports is a way graduate students can form connections outside the classroom or lab. If some students cannot play, it hurts the overall experience, he said.

textbook on Pressbooks. This replaces two other books for his course that would cost more than $100 each, he said. The online textbook is also now being used at other universities. “This one source of information, this one program in the libraries is helping save students both here and elsewhere, you know, thousands upon thousands of dollars,” he said.

“Not only are you in the class with all applied economics people, all of the time, you’re also in the class with the same cohort,” Keller said. “As a fees paying student, it diminishes [our] experience when we can’t have our advanced status cohort join us ... it’s almost like a family.” The proposal is still under consideration from the Office

for Student Affairs, according to OSA spokesperson Steve Henneberry. “OSA and RecWell appreciate students bringing forward this issue. We are gathering additional information and actively exploring the best way to respond to the resolution. Once that is determined, we will follow up directly with COGS,” Henneberry wrote in an email. Glinski said he hopes the eligibility will be changed in the future to allow all graduate students to participate in intramural activities. “As we continue this team in the future ... as our cohort also goes into later stages or other people go into advanced status, we want to still have the opportunity for them to keep playing with us,” Glinski said. Applied economics student Lyle Anderson, who played on Glinski’s team, said even though they did not win a lot, he still had a great experience and would play again. “I think we just want to make sure that kind of opportunity is available as fairly as possible to whoever would want to have that kind of opportunity,” Anderson said.

New MRI to advance surgery at U The new medical suite allows surgeons to see their procedures in real time. BY ABBEY MACHTIG amachtig@mndaily.com A new medical suite at the M Health Fairview Medical Center at the University of Minnesota features an MRI machine capable of improving patient outcomes and surgery success rates. The clinic officially utilized the new surgical suite in patient surgeries for the first time last month. The suite features three operating rooms and a fully movable MRI machine organized in a T-like shape, allowing doctors and medical staff to see the results of

their surgeries in real time. “The ability to check our work in real time gives us the ability to perform procedures we couldn’t otherwise perform. We are going to be able to help our patients in ways we previously weren’t. But we’re also going to be able to develop surgeries that we have not even [begun] to imagine,” said neurosurgery department head Clark Chen. The installation of the suite and corresponding MRI machine are a part of larger renovations at the M Health Fairview Medical Center. The construction officially broke ground more than a year ago, and the suite is now fully operational for patient surgeries, according to M Health spokesperson Krystle Barbour.

After a round of clinical surgery tests, the suite was used in a brain tumor removal surgery for the first time last month. However, the unique design of the suite makes it a suitable environment for a variety of medical surgeries, explained Chen. “Typically, there’s a big distance between the MRI and the procedure room and travel between the two points is time lost,” Chen said. “[The suite] could be used for vascular surgery and it has potential for trauma surgery. We started off with tumors, but the reality is this theater will impact every aspect of neurosurgery to the benefit of our patients.” The development and design of the suite required

EDITORIAL STAFF Max Chao Managing Editor mchao@mndaily.com Desmond Kamas Managing Production Editor dkamas@mndaily.com Michelle Griffith Campus Activities Editor mgriffith@mndaily.com Katrina Pross Campus Administration Editor kpross@mndaily.com Madeline Deninger City Editor mdeninger@mndaily.com Audrey Kennedy Features & Freelance Editor akennedy@mndaily.com Paul Hodowanic Sports Editor phodowanic@mndaily.com Nick Jungheim Assistant Sports Editor njungheim@mndaily.com Liv Martin A&E Editor lmartin@mndaily.com Jack Rodgers Multimedia Editor jrodgers@mndaily.com Emily Martens Copy Desk Chief emartens@mndaily.com Cate Tynjala Assistant Copy Desk Chief ctynjala@mndaily.com Creston Halstead Chief Page Designer chalstead@mndaily.com Morgan La Casse Visuals Editor mlacasse@mndaily.com =

Grad students want more intramural sports inclusion

When applied economics graduate student Ivan Glinski decided to form an intramural soccer team for his department, he found out that two of his teammates were ineligible to play. In order to play intramural sports at the University of Minnesota, students must pay the Student Services Fee, a rule which the Council of Graduate Students is looking to change. The issue Glinski’s team ran into was that some of the graduate students who wanted to be a part of the team are advanced status students. To have “advanced status,” masters or doctorate students must have finished their coursework but still be working full time on finishing their thesis or dissertation. Since advanced status students do not pay the Student Services Fee, they are unable to use the Recreation and Wellness Center or participate in an intramural sport without buying a semester or

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a mix of experts with knowledge in both neurosurgery and radiology to build on previous research performed at the University, said M Health Fairview Radiologist and Department of Radiology Chair Charles Dietz. Doctors involved in the suite’s creation used existing equipment within the radiology and neurosurgery departments as a basis for developing the technology, Dietz said. For developers like Chen and Dietz, the new combination of technology presented its own set of challenges, requiring hospital staff, resident doctors and leading researchers to be specially trained to operate the medical equipment. “The MRI is a very pow-

erful tool, but it’s also it presents challenges in terms of making sure that there’s no paramagnetic or metallic equipment in the area where MRI comes in. The holder that we use to hold the patient’s head steady has to fit the specific requirement of MRI and if you position it at the wrong distance, then it creates a lot of hazards,” Chen said. As a part of the M Health system, the suite will also be available to medical students and professionals outside of the University. “We have researchers who are eager to get actively involved. Dr. Chen and I are co-recruiting a Ph.D. [researcher] in order to help and to do things that other people aren’t doing across the country,” Dietz said.

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

Felony u from Page 1

are also people who come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly people of color, who could really benefit the most from college, are being restricted,” Stewart said. “What I would like colleges to do is consider whether or not this is effectively addressing their public safety goals, because my guess is it’s not.” Campaigns to “ban the box,” referring to the box applicants would check if they have a criminal record, have been pushed in higher education for years. The University stopped using a broad criminal record question on the fall 2017 application. Replacing that question, it now asks about discipline stemming from academic dishonesty or sexual misconduct. It also asks about someone being found legally responsible or having pending charges against the applicant for a sexual offense. At the time, University officials said the box could have a dampening effect on applications of African American males, who are disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system. Since then, they have not seen an increase

in applications from these students but can’t attribute it to anything on the application. “We didn’t know who chose not to apply when we asked a felony question,” said Heidi Meyer, executive director of the Office of Admissions, in an email to the Minnesota Daily. Advocates for banning the box say it creates a barrier for those with felony convictions, making their application seem doomed before completed. Leyla Martinez was incarcerated in the early 2000s and had this worry when she applied for Columbia University. She is now the executive director of Beyond the Box, an advocacy group helping formerly incarcerated people access higher education. When looking at the way the University asks the question, she said in an email she “would prefer for the question not to be on the application at all.” Stewart said he doesn’t have a position on how the University asks the question, adding he would need to do more research about how it is asked. Still, Stewart said he doesn’t think college administrators should be trying to make criminal justice decisions. “The point of the criminal justice system is to levy sanctions … it’s not the role of the University,” Stewart said.

A bald eagle at the Gabbert Raptor Center as seen on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Researchers are evaluating the auditory responses in eagles, which are among the most common species of bird killed by wind turbines, as part of an ongoing effort to prevent fatalities caused by collisions. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)

Turbines u from Page 1

has the largest bald eagle population in the continental United States, said Julia Ponder, executive director of the University’s Raptor Center. Investigators from the Raptor Center, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science (CATSS) collaborated to map the sounds bald eagles, golden eagles and redtailed hawks can hear. “[Eagles] are federally protected animals in this country, they have a special status and are obviously very powerful birds. They’re important in food webs, but also

important as symbols to different communities in the United States — native communities as well as nonnative,” said Jeff Marr, associate director of engineering and facilities at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. Using birds from the University’s Raptor Center, the investigators used technology from CATSS to send a variety of sounds with different levels and frequencies to the raptors while they were under anesthesia. Through their research, they were able to pinpoint the range of sounds these eagles and red-tailed hawks responded to the most. Going forward, Ponder said the hope is to use these findings to do further studies on eagle behavior

and see how the sounds deter eagles from flying into wind turbines. After that, she said she hopes their research will help develop technology that adds sound to wind turbines nationally. The United States has more than 60,000 wind turbines as of October, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. “There’s always the challenges of alternative energy, which we’re all for because it’s a huge issue for our country and the world,” Ponder said. “We need to make sure we’re doing it in an intelligent way and not having too much impact.” Right now, agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service work with a variety of industries,

including wind companies, in order to make sure they are mindful of wildlife. Biologist Mags Rheude, who specializes in eagles at the Minnesota Fish and Wildlife Service branch, said although eagle-turbine collisions do not happen as often as with other birds, it is important to take preemptive measures to protect these raptors. “The reason we’re concerned about eagles is because they are a very long-lived bird. If an eagle dies, it takes quite a while to replace that eagle in the population,” Rheude said. “We like to work with developers to minimize their impact, because really things that we do to help eagles will also help a lot of other wildlife.”

A new tax placed upon single-use plastic bags by the city council will charge customer 5 cents for each bag a customer takes. (Photo Illustration by Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

New plastic bag fee passes unamiously in Minneapolis. City officials say the policy will up reusable bag use among consumers. BY MOHAMED IBRAHIM mibrahim@mndaily.com

After lawmakers prevented cities from banning plastic bags, officials are taking another route to limit their impact on the environment. The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously late last month to pass an ordinance requiring retailers citywide to charge customers for single-use carry-out bags. City officials say the ordinance is an effort to reduce waste by incentivizing both retailers and customers to use reusable bags. The “Bring Your Own Bag” policy, authored by Ward 2 City Council member Cam Gordon, passed Nov. 22. This comes more than two years after an ordinance co-authored by Gordon would have banned single-use plastic and paper bags altogether. This ordinance was eventually halted when the state Legislature passed a Republican-led budget bill containing a provision preventing cities from passing such policies. “It’s hard to count how many bags that got distributed between when we would have prohibited it and ended up in the waste stream than if they hadn’t preempted it,” Gordon said. “We could have been implementing it all this time.” According to a city presentation, less than five percent of the 87,000 tons of plastic bags thrown away statewide every year are recycled. Recycling plastic bags require a special facility and can often go through store r\eturns. “If we are truly concerned about the greater biodiversity on our planet right now at a time when so much is being threatened, it behooves us to do this,” Cathy Geist, a biology professor at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, said at a public hearing for the ordinance on Nov. 18. Patrick Hanlon, the City’s director of environmental programs, said the city engaged with businesses to find

a compromise. The fee aims to reduce waste while also working as an incentive for businesses to encourage patrons to bring their own reusable bags, he said. The charge will be tax-exempt for retailers, who get to keep the fee. Individuals using food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Women, Infants, and Children Program will be exempt from paying the 5 cents. “We got a lot of feedback from retailers [and] from the business community and came to a good middle ground with this ordinance,” Hanlon said. “The rule is just that we have to ensure that they are charging customers for the bags and that they’re keeping track of that.” The City will spend the first six months after the policy goes into effect Jan. 1 educating businesses about the requirements and will not fine noncompliant retailers. After June 1, businesses who do not follow the regulation will receive a warning letter then a $200 fine after a second violation. Gordon said that while the fee is small, it will serve as a reminder to customers about the environmental impacts of single-use bags. “My hope is that it will make more people think about it twice and remember to bring their own bag when they’re shopping at the store to save a little money,” Gordon said. “But mostly … when they’re thinking about it and seeing the money, they’ll remember that ‘Oh, [plastic bags are] also damaging the environment.’”

Head coach P.J. Fleck high fives the players as they return to the sidelines at Ryan Field during the game against the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 23. The Gophers earned a 38-22 victory bringing their record to 10-1. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)

Seven Corners u from Page 1

“We never want to advocate for people to feel like they’re ever in an environment where they’re being tricked or coerced into something or anything along those lines.” When asked how Outpost Ministries ended up on Wooddale Church’s list

of resources, Robinson said he did not know. University graduate student Lindsay Sacco went to Seven Corners Coffee almost every day since its opening in September. But after reading the information in OutLaw’s email and seeing Outpost Ministries listed as a resource, she decided to take her business elsewhere.

The Church’s reevaluation of the counseling list is an important step, Sacco said, after learning they removed the list of counseling resources. She added that the Church’s leadership needs to be aware of what kinds of resources they are listing for people who might need them, and that she thinks they should provide a statement about their stance

on conversion therapy on their website. “I think the reputation of some churches and the LGBTQ community — there’s some turmoil there from long-standing persecution. So I think it’s hard when you’re a member of the LGBTQ community, to know that there could be a conflict, but not to necessarily hear it outright,” she said.

“My hope is that it will make more people think about it twice and remember to bring their own bag when they’re shopping at the store to save a little money.” CAM GORDON city council member

A crane picks up trash to be distributed in bins and transported to the incinerator at the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Dec. 4. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

Sports

SCOREBOARD DEC 2

Men’s Basketball Minnesota: 78 Clemson: 60

DEC 4

Women’s Basketball Minnesota: 75 Notre Dame: 67

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019

MEN’S BASKETBALL

New starters Carr and Willis add firepower to Gophers’ offense

UPCOMING DEC 5

Women’s Swim & Dive Minnesota Invitational 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Dec. 7

Men’s Swim & Dive Minnesota Invitational 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Dec. 7

DEC 6

Men’s Track & Field @ SDSU Holiday Invite through Dec. 7

Wrestling

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational through Dec. 7

Men’s Hockey @ Ohio State 7 p.m.

Volleyball vs. Fairfield 7 p.m.

DEC 7

Men’s Gymnastics Maroon vs. Gold

Women’s Hockey vs. Minnesota State 3:30 p.m.

Men’s Hockey @ Ohio State 7 p.m.

DEC 8

Women’s Basketball @ American 1 p.m.

Source: Gophers Athletics. Times and scores accurate as of time of publication.

Guard Marcus Carr brings the ball up the court at Williams Arena on Monday, Dec. 2. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)

The duo has helped bring the team to the top of the Big Ten in 3-pointers. BY NICK JUNGHEIM njungheim@mndaily.com With the departures of Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer, the Gophers knew they would need two new starters at guard for the 2019-20 season. Luckily, the replacements for the long-time starters have already spent a year with the program. For Minnesota’s season opener, both redshirt sophomore Marcus Carr and redshirt junior Payton Willis took the court in a competitive college basketball game for the first time in over a year. Carr, a transfer from Pittsburgh, and Willis, a transfer from Vanderbilt, had to sit out the 2018-19 season due to

NCAA transfer rules. In that first game against Cleveland State, the duo showed the new dynamic they would bring to the offense as Minnesota made 13 threes. “We’ve gotten used to each others’ games now,” Carr said. “The fact that we sat out last year and had the opportunity to be on scout team together a lot and watch away games at home a lot together and built that bond, it shows on the court.” Although Coffey and McBrayer were both accomplished players, they shot just 30.4% and 28.0% on 3-pointers last season. Having seen Willis and Carr in practice, head coach Richard Pitino correctly predicted the Gophers’ offense would focus more on outside shooting with those two starting. Last year, Minnesota ranked dead last in the Big Ten in 3-point shots made

and attempted. Through eight games this season, the Gophers lead the conference in those categories. “I feel like everybody on the court will be a 3-point threat this year,” Willis said before the season. “Other teams will have to respect that and come out there to guard the 3-point line.” Willis has led the charge from behind the arc, leading the team in 3-point shooting at 23-60 (.383). He has shot particularly accurately in home games, having made 18-37 (.486) threes at The Barn. The ability of Willis, as well as others, to shoot from the outside and space the floor has particularly helped sophomore Gabe Kalscheur, who made 77 3-pointers last season — 35 more than any other Gopher. Kalscheur says having other players like Willis who can make

3-pointers has helped support him this year. “It’s nice having a lot more versatile shooters on the court,” Kalscheur said. “If they close out on me, I can give it to Payton or Marcus or any other shooter on the court because I know they are going to make the shot. I feel confident with the guys around me getting shots up and making them.” Playing an instrum e nt al ro le in find ing those open shooters has been Carr, who leads the Gophers with 53 of their 131 assists. Like Kalscheur, Carr’s game appears to be turning a corner. In the team’s last game, a 78-60 victory over Clemson, Carr shot 8-16 from the floor to lead Minnesota with a careerhigh 24 points, going along with nine assists. “[Pitino] talked about me using my change of speed,” Carr said. “He’d

seen me use it before, and he thought that I wasn’t doing it the past few games, so he was emphasizing that I get back to that and look for stuff in transition.” Gophers fans may have only gotten their first look at Willis and Carr over the past month, but those with the team knew they were adding two talented contributors to the starting lineup. Pitino got a good look at both on the scout team last season, crediting them for helping prepare and push teammates during the run to the NCAA Tournament. “Payton and Marcus are two very important guys for us,” Pitino said. “I don’t look at them like young guys, I look at them like veterans.” Up next for Carr and Willis is their first Big Ten game, as Minnesota will travel south to play Iowa on Monday, Dec. 9.

FOOTBALL

Gophers await bowl game announcement The Gophers are poised to play in their highest-profile bowl game in years. JOHN MILLER jmiller@mndaily.com

While the Gophers are focused on their upcoming bowl game, which will be announced on Sunday, there has been much talk about how Minnesota’s best regular season in decades ended with a loss against Wisconsin. Over the last few days, pundits and fans have continually brought up the Gophers’ lack of aggressiveness and inability to shine in the spotlight. However, head coach P.J. Fleck and the Gophers want fans to know this won’t be the last time the Gophers are in a big game. “We’re doing everything we can to set a new standard and an expectation here of what Minnesota Golden Gopher football looks like,” Fleck said. “We’re going to have some more of these.” The national media and College Football Playoff committee didn’t look kindly upon the team after the loss. Although they only dropped six spots in the AP poll, from No. 9 to No. 15, the playoff committee dropped them 10 spots, from No. 8 to No. 18, on Tuesday. While the justification of dropping the Gophers 10 spots has been a hot-button discussion, the actual ranking doesn’t mean much. Minnesota’s fate is now in the hands of the the bowls themselves, who pick which teams play in

Running back Mohamed Ibrahim runs the ball during the Gophers’ game against the Badgers at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30. (Sydni Rose / Minnesota Daily)

their games. With the loss to Wisconsin last weekend, the Gophers lost any realistic shot of going to the Rose Bowl, which is normally reserved for the second-best team in the Big Ten. No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 10 Penn State and No. 16 Iowa all rank ahead of Minnesota in the College Football Playoff ranking. Playing a Jan. 1 bowl game is still a possibility for the program. The Citrus Bowl is one of them, according to CBS senior sports writer Jerry Palm, while other predictions have the

Gophers in the Outback Bowl. The Citrus Bowl is played in Orlando, Florida and the Outback Bowl is played in Tampa Bay, Florida. Despite the possibility of playing in the “Sunshine State,” the Gophers could also be facing a very tough SEC opponent such as Auburn or Alabama in either bowl. Either of those matchups would pose a huge test for Minnesota but would also be a reward for the team’s progress this year. “I feel like from this year forward everybody’s going

to know the Minnesota is a force to be reckoned with,” redshirt senior defensive lineman Winston DeLattiboudere said after the Wisconsin game. No matter what bowl the Gophers make it into, the graduating seniors are going to use the next month or so to learn and get better. “I get the last push at developing guys,” DeLattiboudere said. “Just instilling everything that I can instill to them before my time runs out. So if I want to see this program go where it needs to go, I need to spend this time instilling

values and morals and work ethic into the younger guys because they’re going to be the guys changing the page next year.” The loss against the Badgers left a bad taste in the mouths of the team and fans, but make no doubt about it: the Gophers will not let it define them. “Our team will respond, I can guarantee you that,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Tanner Morgan said. “This team will respond from this and take the next right step as a program in doing so.”

MNDAILY.COM

MN DAILY

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019

MUSIC

Q&A: David Archuleta talks songwriting, authenticity and Christmas Archuleta will play a show at the Cedar Cultural Center Dec. 14 following the release of his deluxe Christmas album. BY KSENIA GORINSHTEYN kgorinshteyn@mndaily.com

Almost any Generation Z person’s middle school years would have been incomplete without David Archuleta’s 2008 hit “Crush.” Flash forward over a decade later, and it’s still a go-to car karaoke jam. A&E sat down with the 28-year-old American Idol star to talk about his life post-”Crush” and the joy of Christmas. What has it been like to grow up with your fans? It’s pretty funny because at my shows now, a lot of the fans will be like, “I just graduated college,” or “I just got my masters” or they’re bringing their kids. They’re like, “I loved you when I was 15” and I’m like, “Oh my god.” Or like, “This is my

Courtesy of Cyrus Pamganiban.

10-year-old dream coming true,” and they’re like entering college now. It’s just funny. I didn’t know that I wouldn’t have a career that would withstand that long — that people would grow up and still be coming to my shows like when they were little. It does make me feel kind of old, but it’s also really

cool. A lot of them would be like, “I watched ‘American Idol’ in high school,” and I’m like, Oh, wait a second. I was in high school, too. So that means we’re the same age. When I first heard “Crush” and recorded it, I was like, “This is a really cool song.” I really liked it. But I didn’t imagine that it would

be as successful as it was. Even now, ten years later, people are still listening to it. How do you create meaning through your songwriting? When I first started the songwriting sessions would just be like, “This sounds catchy. Yeah, make a song out of it.” It worked, I guess.

Sometimes people just want to hear something fun and that makes them feel good and carefree. But I’m not really that kind of singer. I would be like, “Oh, I don’t like this. And if this is what my music is. I don’t want it to be heard.” I love expressing myself through music and if I can’t do that, it feels like really pointless. People are connecting to you for something. Suddenly it feels not really genuine, and you’re really disconnected from everyone if it’s not what you want to put out there. There’s some value in catchy songs, too. But I think just as an expressive person, I was just like, “I want people to connect to me when it comes from a real place.” What made you want to record a Christmas album? Christmas is something I can always totally get into because I love it. It’s my kind of thing. I love being with my family. I love Christmas memories. I love the cheer and good vibes. It’s music that can be light and fun like

FASHION

David Archuleta

Dec. 14, 8 p.m. The Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis $25-$125 (VIP)

“Holly Jolly Christmas.” It’s nice to see people smiling and feeling like a weight off of their shoulders. They can just sit back and relax and sing along. They don’t have to be fans. They don’t even have to know my music or my name to come to a Christmas show, enjoy it and sing along. And it’s interesting because as I’m learning the songs and practicing them in my car, I’m blasting it and I don’t know if people can hear me. Or if I’m with a friend and driving and I have Christmas music playing, they think it’s kind of funny that I’m listening to Christmas music in the summer. But I don’t mind it. It gets me in a good mood. This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

SHOPPING

Give the perfect gifts and shop local this holiday season, on a student budget The Weisman Art Museum Shop, Time Bomb Vintage and Patina are all easy stops for students. BY NORAH KLEVEN • nkleven@mndaily.com

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3 Keyshawn Jokhoo, a second-year finance student, poses with Yeezys that he plans to resell to customers on Wednesday, Dec. 4. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)

Resale U: Life as a student and professional reseller University of Minnesota student Keyshawn Jokhoo resells apparel and shoes as a source of income. BY ALEX STRANGMAN astrangman@mndaily.com

Jordan, Yeezy and Nike — for most people these are just brand names, but for others they’re a way of life. For Keyshawn Jokhoo, a second-year finance student at the University of Minnesota, these brand names mean opportunity. As a reseller — someone who buys clothes or shoes in order to resell them for profit — Jokhoo has turned his love for sneakers into a profitable business. When Jokhoo (known as @reseller_central on Instagram) first got into shoes in 2014, it was all about collecting the best pairs he could get his hands on. Two years later, he noticed his friends rocking the hottest sneakers and asked them how they managed to afford such expensive limited edition items. Their answer: resale. “I realized like, wow, you can actually just buy it, not wear it, hold onto it for a little bit, and make more than if

you were to wear it. It’s one of the very few things that actually appreciates in value as time goes on,” Jokhoo said. Breaking into the resale market isn’t as easy as simply buying and selling. Jokhoo said he only made $2 off his first pair of sneakers, a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Protro ‘Draft Day.’ For a while, Jokhoo said he dabbled in high-end streetwear like Supreme but switched his focus to sneakers after deciding that between fakes and intense competition for drops, sneaker resale was more manageable. Now, almost four years later, Jokhoo has honed his reselling skills and perfected his process. He uses a “cook group,” a member-only online group which provides him with early links and special information about drops, to ensure he’s one of the first people in line when sneakers are released. To set his prices, Jokhoo uses sites like Stock X and GOAT but says pricing is still risky as no one really knows what will or won’t resell. According to Danny Erickson, store manager at Piff, a high-end streetwear retailer in Minneapolis, resellers need to be on their A-game if they want to make a profit.

“You have to be very particular and very smart on your purchases as a seller. Customers today are more price conscious and productsavvy as ever. You need to keep up with popular trends and have products that are desirable to the current market,” Erickson said. In addition to reselling, Jokhoo also works as a delivery driver, rounding up all his tips at the end of the week to buy the latest sneakers. As a full-time student, Jokhoo says finding a balance between work, school and reselling can be quite a challenge. “There’s been nights where I’m up at like 11, 12 taking pictures of shoes and it’s just like, ‘What am I doing?’” he said. While resale is only his side hustle now, Jokhoo says he sees it as something that could turn into a sustainable career. He hopes to expand his business beyond just local sneaker resale, looking to break into the European market, where, according to Jokhoo, there’s a high demand for sneakers, as many of the most coveted shoes, like Jordans, don’t drop overseas. Jokhoo is also looking into app development. Bots, software that expedite the checkout process and make

I realized like, wow, you can actually just buy it, not wear it, hold onto it for a little bit, and make more than if you were to wear it. It’s one of the very few things that actually appreciates in value as time goes on.” KEYSHAWN JOKHOO second-year finance student

it easier to get shoes before they sell out, can resell for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. In addition to app development and breaking into the European resale market, Jokhoo wants to create informational videos to teach others the art of resale. “I don’t see Nike ever stopping production of limited shoes, so I think there will always be people hustling, making a couple bucks here and there. But I think where the big money is, is teaching people how to get consistent pairs [of shoes],” he said.

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2 1. Weisman Art Museum Among the most accessible shopping options for University of Minnesota students is the Weisman Art Museum Shop. The shop sells unique knick-knacks, ceramics, stationery and much more. Much of their inventory corresponds with current museum exhibits. The selection currently coincides with “The Great Lakes Cycle” exhibit, a collection of works that illustrate the past, present and future of the watershed. The exhibit’s merchandise includes books penned by Native American authors of the Great Lakes region. Native American foods and jams are also on sale. Kate Linden is a freshman at the University and WAM Shop employee. For students looking for quick and easy gifting options, she recommends checking out the scarves, lip glosses and household items. 2. Time Bomb Vintage Looking for gifts the vintage or vinyl connoisseur in your life would enjoy? Time Bomb Vintage is a great option. South of the University’s East Bank campus in the Longfellow neighborhood, Time Bomb Vintage opened in February 2015 on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Dallas Poague, the shop owner, described the store’s offering as half clothing,

half pop culture items. Popular products include vintage toys, comic books, games, lunch boxes, vinyl albums and houseware, he said. Poague also said the store most often sees shoppers who are looking for clothing from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Their items range from 50 cent trinkets to highly sought-after pieces that go for $200. But don’t let that number scare you — most of their stock lies around the $40 mark. 3. Patina Self-described as an “art project in progress,” Patina originally opened its doors at a location in South Minneapolis in the 1990s. The boutique has since expanded, with eight brickand-mortar stores across the Twin Cities. Patina sells home goods, seasonal decor, jewelry, fragrances and more. Their prices range from $1.50 for lip glosses and candy to $300 for the store’s finest jewelry. Jill Ahlquist, a sales associate at the Northeast branch, said students will have no trouble finding gifts in the $10 to $40 range. Patina is a one-stop-shop for everyone on your gift list, with ornaments, candles, bath and body items, accessories and a special section dedicated to men. Patina on 1009 W Franklin Ave. is only a few stops from campus on Route 2.

6 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019

MN DAILY

MNDAILY.COM

Editorials & Opinions

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Response to ‘Historical literature, timeless value’

Racist and sexist historic books still provide value in the modern age.

n Sidney Clarke’s last column discussing the value of older literature in University courses, there is a lack of a strong stance on whether old literature is worth reading in college courses. I was left with this question: is it worthwhile to slog through racist/sexist/ homophobic old books? The answer to me is a very obvious YES. I take issue with the idea that we must not read old books because they are “politically incorrect” by today’s standards. While “political correctness” isn’t a term we should concern ourselves with at the University (we are after all not politicians, but educators and students) racism, sexism and homophobia are issues that we should take very seriously in literature. And I will not deny Sidney’s claim that many older books are rife with racism and sexism, any critical reading will show you that much. But

it is still vitally important for the intellectual health of students that these texts be read and criticized. Of course there is the historical value of reading old books: they introduce you to times and places that we can no longer experience. But that’s only a surface level value and perhaps not that important overall. What’s more important is that students learn to not trust authors. It’s easy to assume that because an author has written very many good books that we should trust their assumptions. In fact, I feel that it’s the prevailing notion. Who hasn’t had a conversation with their Mom about a book that is deemed a “classic” and been told that it’s such a good representation of the world? But the true value of literature courses is that we (should) learn many respectable people were also racist and sexist because they lived in a time and place where it was natural to them to

be racist and sexist. Epistemic racism and sexism haven’t gone away either, they have only become hidden to us because we are now the people who have grown up with assumptions that perhaps are racist and sexist. But unless we learn to question our own perceptions we will never be able to progress past our basic assumptions. And we cannot learn to question our basic assumptions unless we practice. Classic literature is our practice. By reading old books in college classes, we learn how to be critical of authors, and by extension, authority. The most important skill for college students to learn is healthy skepticism, and there is no better way to learn to be a skeptic than to read racist old literature. Geoffrey Ayers is an English major at the University of Minnesota.

EDITORIAL

Romanticizing reality If not handled correctly, the retelling of past tragedies and experiences can be dangerous for today’s society.

etflix’s original drama, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” stars the once teen heartthrob Zac Efron. The network also produced a docuseries titled, “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.” Both follow the life and

murders of the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy. But when you picture Efron’s tanned face, sparkling eyes and killer smile, do you think of a serial killer who took the lives of over 30 women throughout the 1970s? While most people think that these productions are just a retelling of a horrific era in history, people have started to romanticize these figures based on how they are portrayed today. During the 1960s, America saw a surge in serial killers targeting everyday citizens. At the time it sent shock and fear into the homes of every American. Being over 50 years ago, this era of fear may seem far away and detached from our minds. Today, our fear is not rooted in serial killings, but different kinds of senseless acts. We are more accustomed to mass shootings and acts of terror rather than individual, vengeful crimes against other humans. But while scrolling through our Tumblr dashboards, we are bombarded by pictures of poodle skirts and milkshakes that are supposed to remind us of the “happier days” of the 1950s.

Thinking of aesthetically pleasing images and idealistic forms of life are an easy eraser of the abundance of racism and sexism at the time. Scott Stroud, a researcher for the University of Texas’ Center for Media Engagement, found that romanticizing people of this era, specifically nefarious killers like Bundy, may have irreparable effects on our society. In her piece “The Problem with Romanticizing Serial Killers,” Suzanne Moore explains how dangerous it is for us to fall into this falsely romanticized world. Based off of her conclusion, Stroud writes, “...romanticizing the egregious serial killer Bundy in the new biopic might be dangerous for women and how it could demean what it means to be a victim.” It is ridiculous to assume people need to be reminded not to idolize murderers and previous decades, but it’s evident that young people today are fascinated by these romanticized depictions. Twitter and other social media platforms alike have become home to a new community of fan accounts about serial killers and terrorists throughout history.

Thomas Hobbs from New StatesMan America reasons that some fans of true crime find it interesting to deduce what drove these people to commit these crimes, while others play the role of devil’s advocate. People have created profiles depicting themselves as “fans” of Jeffery Dahmer, Charles Manson and Ted Bundy himself. In a tweet from @Theblackpinkwak, they post “Charles Manson started a social revolution. Your fave could never.” We need to look at history and see people, behavior, and incidents for what they actually were and not attribute them as pop-culture icons that we’ve seen on late-night crime television or in history books. If one day the generation after us paid homage to Jeffrey Epstein or any recent mass shooters, we’d be abhorred. These crimes may have been committed over 30 years ago, but it does not remove the significance of the heinous actions committed — nor does it mean that it is okay for us to humanize these people in ways that make us forget about the survivors and victims.

COLUMN

Years in Review: What I wish I knew, and maybe you do too.

Uma Venkata columnist

s I’m approaching the hiatus from my fourth year at the University, like all other seniors, I’ve learned more about things I hadn’t even considered even three years ago. I’ve cooled down and stopped worrying about everything, which makes menopause even more exciting. My 18-year-old personality was a shadow of my current self. And there’s no way I could have sped up that growth — there’s no substitute for time. But if I could have told myself anything the day I moved into my Superblock dorm room, it’s the following. Maybe it’s something that’s been rumbling around in your head, too, and you might have more

time to implement than me. Something that spooks a lot of people their first year is which major to choose. A lot of work and one major later, I can now swear to you that it doesn’t really matter. If you’re not entirely sure, just go with something that’s in the general vicinity of what you think you want to do. Then find the project that drives you with a passion that school won’t deliver. That’s your baby. What matters astronomically more than any coursework you do is what you do with your time outside of it. And your baby is your extracurricular first priority. I know we have Netflix and Instagram and parties in Como, but we can’t forget that even the U’s most martyred chemical engineering students have time for that top priority. It could be entirely unrelated to your major. It could be related in its premise, but the work you do is unrelated. It doesn’t matter. Find the project you love to support, then if the gods smiled on you, you’ll have both a degree and practical experience that draw out the strengths you dreamed of having. I’ve learned that some people are school people, and some people are not. If you’re not a school person, you’ll be just as valuable in the working world. Especially because you’ve found the extracurricular fire that drives you further than school did. Most lessons I learned, however, were completely social. The first was that people are different. Consciously, we know that. But

without meaning to, we usually expect people to have the same social norms, expectations of community and terms of friendship that we had where we grow up. It takes a few blows to the head for us to realize that people are, indeed, different. Be appropriately open-minded in your friendships. And remember that in a dorm, the sample size is small. Extra credit if you join student groups that scare you and meet all kinds of students and non-students who open up your world even more. As my mother says, happiness is your relationships with other people. She’s right a lot. Take care of those relationships. First, be kind. Always and forever. If you did something you can’t hold your head high about, there are two steps. Apologize sincerely, then honestly address the problem in your own head that caused you to do the bad thing in the first place. If that means talking it out in a difficult conversation, believe me when I tell you, that is a life skill that most people hobble through without. But on the other hand, if someone is your friend but keeps doing things that feel more not-yourfriend, it’s okay if one day the other shoe drops. You can always forgive people, and you should. But everyone retains the right to choose their friends, and if they don’t remain courteous and polite, un-choose them. Second, romantic relationships are a little different than normal friendships, as we all know, and the quality-over-quantity rule

applies much more heavily. If someone was interested in the past, but no longer is, it is so not cool to keep hounding in some new, creative way once every few months for about four years. And for consensual situations, go on as many first dates as you want, but please don’t have sex if you don’t feel wholly safe and secure having sex. I’ve seen too many compounding insecurities because of that. If you want commitment, commit, and expect commitment in return. Don’t be afraid to respect your own time and decline people who prove they can’t give what they get. Every single relationship matters and shapes you. And slowly, eventually, you will become the person you want to be and know who the person you want to have is. This process takes much longer than a fouryear degree. And that’s totally cool. Learn from the way you found yourself acting in past relationships. Figure out why you snapped that one time when everyone else was playing very spirited charades in the other room. It’s okay to have to reroute your emotions, and it all matters! And lastly, respond to emails and texts. Please.

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.

EDITORIALS & OPINIONS DEPARTMENT Editorials represent the voice of the Minnesota Daily as an institution and are prepared by the editorial board.

Uma Venkata welcomes comments at uvenkata@mndaily.com.

THE EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS DEPARTMENT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE NEWSROOM

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

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019

MN DAILY

HOROSCOPES

Today’s Birthday (12/5): Take advantage of power and confidence for positive change this year. Prosperity grows with regular, disciplined attention. Reap a nice winter harvest before a shift in family finances. A personal barrier redirects you, leading to a lucrative shared venture. Use your influence for good.

MNDAILY.COM

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 — Travel could interfere with personal routines, although new views inspire. Avoid expensive missteps. Consider long-term dreams and ambitions. Pamper yourself.

Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 9 — Support your partner and be supported. Resolve a challenge, navigate a change or overcome an obstacle together. Clean up and lend a helping hand.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 7 — Change is inevitable. Believe you can prosper. It’s easier to finish old projects now. Generosity looks good on you. Contemplate your next move before taking it.

Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 7 — Slow down to avoid missteps or accidents. The action could seem intense. Resist impulses and clean up messes immediately. Focus on physical health.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is an 8 — Connect with neighbors, friends and community groups. Contribute to a team effort. A goal may seem distant or blocked. Lay plans and coordinate together.

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 7 — Romantic ideals and fantasies may not match the current reality. Things don’t go as planned. You can maintain a mystery without being dishonest.

Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is a 7 — Keep your wits about you to handle a mess at work. Take charge for the results you want. The action is behind the scenes. See behind the curtain.

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 7 — Family comes first. Expect messes or disruption at your house. Don’t divulge secrets. Keep your objective in mind. Create beauty from simple ingredients.

Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is an 8 — Your travels and studies could include obstacles or barriers to advancement. An unexpected expense could disrupt. Keep calm and carry on. Take a creative track.

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is an 8 — Share the news and clear up any miscommunications immediately. A controversy could have a silver lining. Keep your tone polite and respectful.

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is an 8 — Rely on trusted teammates. Do the homework behind a financial decision. Consider costs and consequences. Unscheduled expenses may affect your budget.

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 9 — Don’t spend your income before you get it. Look for hidden opportunities in a chaotic situation. Monitor cash flow carefully to avoid shortfalls.

DR. DATE Dr. Date,

When my new girlfriend confessed her side job was freelancing for people who had a sexy taste in books, I was thrilled. What’s better than having a super hot girlfriend? A super hot girlfriend who writes erotic novels. After some urging, she told me her pen name, and I looked her up online. Not only is she fairly successful on Amazon charts, her writing is ridiculously hot — I couldn’t pull myself away, and I’m not exactly a Fifty Shades of Grey fan. After reading her most recent book (something about a muscular firefighter who does a little more than rescue a damsel in distress), I was ready to put words into action. When I went to her apartment the next day, I was prepared to get naughty — until she opened the door and gasped at my sexy firefighter costume leftover from Halloween. I thought it was out of surprise, but she slammed the door in my face! After I pounded on the door for a while as her neighbors awkwardly walked by, she let me in. She said just because she writes those things doesn’t mean she actually wants to do them. Apparently, she does it for the money and has no interest in recreating the fantasy. Dr. Date, I’m devastated. How can I convince her that real-life action will make her books even better?

–Checking Her Out

Dear Checking Her Out,

You said she’s a freelancer, which means she is most likely paid by someone who has a specific thing they’re into. Just because she’s great at writing BDSM doesn’t mean she’s secretly wanting someone to tie her up with a fire hose. If she trusted you enough to give you her pen name, she trusted you enough to not surprise her with something so drastic — at least put on the costume after you’re in her apartment! Ask if any of her novels stemmed from personal fantasies, then you both can consider buying some outfits. Until then, lay off her erotica — it’ll make your sexual FOMO even worse. (And... any idea how much she makes per book? Dating advice columnists have tuition to pay and writing experience...)

–Dr. Date

Dr. Date,

I went on a date with this guy that WAS going well — until he asked me my shoe size. At first, I was taken aback, but then I got uncomfortable. He brought it up so casually and then pretended he never asked me. It was weird because it was the first time we had talked, and it seemed like an odd question. The night ended well, and we kept seeing each other for the next month. He never asked about my shoe size again. BUT, last night we were watching a movie, and he asked me to take my socks off. Weird right? But I did anyway because I like him, and I was a bit curious where it would go. Nothing happened after that but now I am confused. Does my man have a foot fetish, or am I just overreacting?

–Foot for Thought

Dear Foot for Thought,

You know how girls sometimes have height requirements for men? Maybe he has a shoe size requirement. Are your feet larger than average? If you were a few months into dating, I’d think he wanted to surprise you with a pair of shoes (which is still a little weird ... ever heard of a gift card?) If your feet were on his lap while watching a movie, he might have thought the socks were smelly or scratchy. But if everything was normal, bring it up next time he mentions something foot-related. Hopefully he doesn’t buy you a toe ring for Christmas, right?

–Dr. Date

Dr. Date is a satirical advice column dissecting real-world situations. Want advice from the love doctor? Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com

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12/5/19

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Prospect Park green space takes shape

The site of a developing public park, which the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board plans on buying, located in Prospect Park, as seen on Wednesday, Dec. 4. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)

The park will be the area’s first public green space north of University Avenue. BY EMMA DILL email@mndaily.com A new park taking shape in Prospect Park will help bring much-needed green space to the area. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board plans to purchase the site, located near the Prospect Park light rail stop at the corner of 4th Street Southeast and 29th Avenue Southeast, later this week. The park will be the neighborhood’s first public green space located north of University Avenue

Southeast. This area is home to several apartment buildings with large student populations. As the area planned for recent developments over the past decade, stakeholders including the Prospect Park Association, MPRB and community members recognized the need for green space in the area, said Carrie Ann Christensen, a senior planner with MPRB. “This district, as it grows, is going to be in need of an additional parkland because it will bring new residents to this area,” Christensen said. The area north of University Avenue, known as the Towerside Innovation

District, was identified as having a “park gap” in an MPRB master plan. This means residents have to walk more than about 10 minutes to access the nearest park, Christensen said. Currently, Luxton Park and Tower Hill Park are the closest green spaces. Local developer Prospect Park Properties owns the roughly half-acre of land that the park will sit on and has developed the area according to MPRB designs. The park features picnic tables, a shade structure and about 50 community garden beds. Christensen said MPRB wanted to balance these features with the area’s community garden tradition in

the new design. The community’s desire for a public space prompted Prospect ParkProperties to turn it into a park instead of building a commercial or residential property on the site, said Prospect Park Properties President Jeff Barnhart. “It’s a very valuable piece of real estate off the light rail stop. We obviously could have developed it into something more profitable to us,” he said. “But we thought the best thing to do for the community … [was to be] willing partners with the neighborhood, the city and the park board to make that a permanent park.” The group also collaborated with the Mississippi

Watershed Management Organization. MWMO constructed a “stormwater park” on an adjacent plot. The park’s infrastructure collects and filters water into an underground storage tank. The water will then be pumped into the new park’s shade structure an ultraviolet light will kill any remaining bacteria, said Marcy Bean, a capital projects and stewardship specialist at MWMO. The water will be used to irrigate the community gardens and landscaping. Four apartment buildings in the area also have access to the treated water for landscaping irrigation. As the Towerside Innovation Dis-

trict grows, B e a n s a i d more developments will be welcome to reuse the stormwater. “There’s a lot more water in the tank than we currently have uses for,” she said. “So we’re hoping that there might be some other use that comes along down the road that could use that water.” The park will offer many benefits to students and others living in Prospect Park, including a place to wait for the light rail, walk their dogs, garden and meet others in the community, Barnhart said. “This is a legacy that’s going to be a great asset for the neighborhood for a long time to come,” he said.