CAMPUS & METRO
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
MEN’S HOCKEY
A U program is helping smokers quit before next year’s ban.
Players skated with youth with disabilites at Saturday’s pratice.
u See PAGE 4
The Board believes his smart leadership will help the U area face new development, student issues and community needs.
RAIN HIGH 45° LOW 32°
U OF M
Boynton helps students kick the habit
Editorial Board endorses Frey for Ward 3 seat u See PAGE 5
MINNEAPOLIS
ST PAUL
Minnesota uses bye week to give back to community u See PAGE 8
MONDAY
NOVEMBER 4, 2013
COURTS
Former student sues U A former medical student is alleging race- and disability-based discrimination. BY NICK STUDENSKI nstudenski@mndaily.com
A for mer University of Minnesota Medical School student is suing the University, alleging discrimination and dis-
missal based on her race and disabilities. According to a complaint filed Oct. 16 in Hennepin County district court, Preeti Rajpal’s wrongfully diagnosed depression hur t her aca-
demic per formance. The complaint also accuses the University Medical School of allowing racist comments to influence its decision to dismiss Rajpal in 2005 and again in 2010. The University denied the allegations in its answer filed Oct. 25. Rajpal received a bachelor’s degree in cellular
and molecular biology from the University of California-Berkeley before attending the University of Minnesota Medical School beginning in 2002. The complaint says a fourth-year medical student u See LAWSUIT Page 14 The complaint said another student diagnosed Rajpal in 2003.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
HIGHER ED
Med school hopefuls to see heftier MCAT The longer test, to start in spring 2015, has drawn mixed reactions. BY T YLER GIESEKE tgieseke@mndaily.com
FOOTBALL
Gophers squeak by Indiana
As patients complain of a shortage of primary care physicians, a new version of the Medical College Admission Test will be longer and test more material beginning spring 2015 — potentially making it more difficult for students to pass and go on to medical school. The Association of American Medical Colleges, which produces the MCAT, is adding three new topics and making the test longer. While more than 40 percent of medical school admissions officers say the new test could be
more challenging than the current version, students have mixed reactions to the changes. University of Minnesota psychology sophomore Lucy Zhou has to decide if she should take the MCAT before or after it’s revamped. “It doesn’t look good to take it more than once most of the time,” she said. Students who want to fully prepare for the material on the new MCAT will also have to take introductor y courses in biochemistry, psychology and sociology, according to the AAMC. These topics will be added to subjects the MCAT already tests — biology, chemistry, physics and verbal reasoning. Owen Farcy, Kaplan u See MCAT Page 14 Last year, 284 U students applied to U.S. medical schools.
NEIGHBORHOODS
Groups to divvy up $125K from Vikings CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY
Gophers linebacker Aaron Hill recovers a fumble against Indiana University in the closing seconds of Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. The Gophers won 42-39 and improved to 7-2 this season.
Linebacker Aaron Hill recovered a fumble to clinch the 42-39 victory. BY NATE GOTLIEB ngotlieb@mndaily.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The University of Minnesota football team led by 22 points midway through the third quarter Saturday, but it needed a late stop to beat Indiana at Memorial Stadium. The Gophers got just that as senior linebacker
Aaron Hill recovered a fumble with less than 30 seconds to play, and his team held on to defeat Indiana 4239 for its third-straight Big Ten win. “Our kids made plays when they needed to make plays,” head coach Jerr y Kill said after the game. “I’m very proud of them.” Minnesota (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) built a 35-13 lead midway through the third quarter in part because of three touchdown passes by quarterback Philip Nelson. But the Hoosiers (3-5, 1-3 Big Ten) scored 26 unanswered
points and took a 39-35 lead with 5:33 remaining in the game. Nelson promptly led the Gophers on a five-play, 75-yard drive and capped it with a 50-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman tight end Maxx Williams. Indiana got the ball back with 3:06 remaining and marched to the Gophers’ 9-yard line. Minnesota’s acting head coach and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys dialed up a blitz package that the Gophers practiced last week but hadn’t used yet in
the game. When they did implement the blitz, it worked nearly to perfection. Indiana quar terback Nate Sudfeld threw a lateral to running back Tevin Coleman that Coleman was unable to handle. Hill recovered the fumble to seal the victory. Minnesota finished with a season-high 573 yards on offense and appeared to have the game nearly wrapped up u See FOOTBALL Page 7 Cobb and Nelson both gave career-high performances.
The team will donate money and goods each year it plays at TCF. BY ALEX BITTER abitter@mndaily.com
As the Minnesota Vikings prepare to play at TCF Bank Stadium next year, the team is bringing along funds for surrounding neighborhoods. The football team will contribute $90,000 in cash and $35,000 in in-kind contributions per season for “high-visibility” projects in the neighborhoods around the University of Minnesota. University Community Relations outlined how it and the football team will grant the funds at a meeting Wednesday night in Southeast Como.
University Community Relations director Jan Morlock said the Good Neighbor Fund Management Committee, which will award the money, is looking for larger proposals that show collaboration between neighborhoods. “We thought that we might get more significant projects of more lasting impact if we encouraged the groups to work together in some way,” she said. But Southeast Como Improvement Association neighborhood coordinator Ricardo McCurley said the projects they’re considering are smaller in scope. “To implement them at a scale of $20,000 is taking a big risk for us,” he said. u See GROUPS Page 4 Marcy-Holmes is taking projects ideas from residents this week.
STUDENT GROUPS
Al-Madinah acts as mentor The Muslim student group is helping smaller organizations get on their feet. BY HAILEY COLWELL hcolwell@mndaily.com
Coming to the University of Minnesota as a Post Secondar y Enrollment Options student, Muhammad Islam joined the PSEO Student Association to meet other high school students attending the University and to feel more comfor table on campus. This fall, the computer science and mathematics freshman is working to revamp the Pakistani
Student Association so Pakistani students can feel more connected on campus and teach others about their culture. But it can be difficult to start out as a new group on campus, he said, because a lack of exposure, funding and resources can create bar riers when reaching out to students for events and recruitment. To help gr oups like PSA get off the ground, AlMadinah Cultural Center, a well-established Muslim student group, is sharing of fice space, volunteers, advice and other resources to help the groups educate students about the specific Muslim cultures
they represent. “You see that need for something to tie these groups together,” Al-Madinah President Adnan Khan said. Al-Madinah plans to connect with the Omani Student Union, the Saudi Student House, the Sudanese Student Union, the United Arab Emirates Students Association and others, Khan said. In working with these groups, Al-Madinah members hope to give them a str onger identity on campus, Khan said. u See AL-MADINAH Page 3 Al-Madinah is also encouraging students to start new groups.
HOLLY PETERSON, DAILY
Annis Nusseibeh, Omar Adam, Rami Shaker and Musse Hussein play Quoridor at the Al-Madinah Cultural Center on Coffman Union’s second floor Friday.
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 36
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Daily Review
Monday, November 4, 2013
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1956 A spontaneous national uprising that began 12 days before in Hungary is viciously crushed by Soviet tanks and troops. HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH
SLIDESHOW Vol. 115 Monday, November 4, 2013, No. 36
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Minnesota improved to 7-2 overall (3-2 Big Ten) with a 42-39 win over Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. The Gophers got strong performances from quarterback Philip Nelson, running back David Cobb and wide receiver Derrick Engel. Minnesota has now won three straight conference games. View this slideshow and others online at mndaily.com/multimedia/slideshows.
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WORLD BRIEFING
Kerry aims to calm tensions between U.S. and Saudis BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry moved Sunday to reassure America’s Arab friends that the United States will not allow them to be attacked “from outside,” in an apparent warning to Iran. Speaking in Egypt while en route to Saudi Arabia where he hopes to mend relations strained by Saudi unhappiness with U.S. actions in Syria, its tentative warming with Iran and stance on Egypt, Kerry acknowledged differences with some partners but stressed they shared common goals in each case. In addition, he said Saudi
Arabia and other U.S. allies in the Gulf could count on America’s support. “The United States will be there for the defense of our friends and our allies,” Kerry told reporters in Cairo. “We will not allow those countries to be attacked from outside. We will stand with them.” He specifically mentioned the Sunni majority states of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt as nations, along with unspecified “others.” Those others likely would include Israel, the strongest U.S. ally in the region. All have vested interests in seeing an end to the turmoil in Syria and are extremely wary of Shiite Iran’s regional intentions.
But Saudi officials have been the most vocal. They have complained that the United States did not follow through on its threat to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad with military strikes for his government’s use of chemical weapons. Last month, the Saudis won but turned down an elected seat on the U.N. Security Council, saying the body had proved itself largely meaningless because of its inability over two years to address the crisis in Syria. The Saudis also have watched with increasing ner vousness as President Barack Obama has approved a cautious opening with their archrival Iran. Kerry, who met late Sunday in Riyadh with Saudi
Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and will see King Abdullah on Monday, acknowledged U.S. divisions with Gulf nations over Syria and Iran, but he played down those differences. He said some countries do differ with U.S. “tactics” in Syria. “There may some differences on a tactic here and there,” he said. But he said they all agree on the goal of ending the fighting and forming an interim government. “We can have a difference on a policy, on the tactics of the policy,” he said. “For instance, there are some countries in the region that wanted the United States to do one thing with respect to Syria and we have done something else.”
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Iran leader backs Militant’s death brings nuclear program little joy in Pakistan talks with West BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Supreme Leader war ned Sunday against undermining negotiators engaged in talks with the West, a message directed apparently at hard-liners who have criticized Iran’s diplomacy over its nuclear program. The remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were his latest show of support for President Hassan Rouhani’s policy of outreach to the West. They come ahead of a new round of talks scheduled for Thursday in Geneva. Diplomats “are on a dif ficult mission and nobody should weaken those who are on assignment,” the of ficial IRNA news agency quoted Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state, as telling a group of students. “Nobody should consider our negotiators as compromise-seekers,” Khamenei said. Iranian officials maintain that the countr y will not concede what it considers to be its fundamental right to nuclear activity. Hard-liners have accused diplomats of being overly optimistic and keeping details of the talk’s secret. Khamenei said the nuclear talks with world powers, five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, will be limited to the nuclear issue. Hardliners have also criticized Rouhani for pursuing broader rapprochement, and took par ticular exception to a short September phone call between him and President Barack Obama aimed at ending over three decades of estrangement between the countries.
ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani Taliban leader killed in a recent U.S. drone strike was behind hotel bombings, assaults on political rallies, beheadings of policemen and suicide attacks on soldiers. But his death elicited little joy in the country where he wreaked most of his havoc and instead stirred widespread anger and suspicion. At the time of Friday’s strike targeting Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistani government was engaged in efforts to negotiate a peace deal with militants. Frustrated at years of military campaigns that have failed to end the bloodshed, many Pakistanis had high hopes for this latest peace effort and blame the U.S. for fouling it up. Mehsud “should have been given the chance to negotiate, and now the consequences have to be borne by Pakistan, not the U.S.,” said Syed Ahmed, a small business owner in the southern port city of Karachi. Also contributing to the anger are fears of a bloody backlash, plus a web of complex conspiracy theories, including the idea that militants such as Mehsud are American or Indian pawns intent on weakening Pakistan. For years, Pakistan has been fighting militants in the tribal areas that border neighboring Afghanistan, with thousands of civilians and security forces dying in bombings and shootings at the hands of militants. Mehsud, who had a reputation as an especially ruthless warrior, was the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan, as it calls itself. The TTP is an umbrella group encompassing militant organizations across the tribal areas. It has called for the overthrow of the Pakistani government, the implementation of hard-line Islamic law and an end to cooperation with the Americans in Afghanistan.
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Monday, November 4, 2013
3
MSA to relaunch ‘WTF UMN’ program The social mediabased suggestion program stalled last spring. BY KYLE STOWE kstowe@mndaily.com
After receiving criticism in the spring, the Minnesota Student Association will reintroduce its program to address University of Minnesota students’ concer ns over social media. Later this semester, MSA plans to relaunch its “What to Fix UMN” program, where students post changes they would like see at the University on Facebook and Twitter. “WTF UMN” debuted last semester but wasn’t as successful as MSA members had anticipated. It lapsed into inactivity when the school year ended. Now, members are improving how they communicate with students and defining members’ responsibilities so the program runs more efficiently, said MSA President Mike Schmit. “We want students to know where their concern is in the process, who’s talking about it and when they can expect to see a result,” said Joelle Stangler, MSA’s ranking representative to
the Board of Regents. In the first attempt to launch the program, MSA didn’t prepare adequately before the program went live and members weren’t able to keep up with responding to students, Schmit said. “There was a lot more activity than we anticipated,” Stangler said. “It turned out to be more complicated than we expected and got out of our control quickly.” Stangler said MSA members will be more transparent with students if they can’t solve their problem. This was a major criticism of “WTF UMN” when it first launched in April, when students claimed their posts were being “ignored.” “We didn’t have a system in place to handle the wide variety of things coming in to us,” Schmit said. Histor y and communications junior Alex Westad said MSA members overlooked posts last spring, specifically ones suggesting the University adopt a policy allowing students to carr y concealed guns on campus. “It seemed like MSA dismissed posts that had to do with controversial topics,” he said. “They just let those posts go by the wayside.” Westad said despite MSA’s promise to repost
the most popular student ideas each week, the group didn’t acknowledge conceal-and-carry posts with a high number of “likes” and “favorites.” Schmit said “WTF UMN” exists to fix “less controversial” problems around campus. “We can’t reasonably do anything about issues like
gun control without limiting ourselves in other areas that we find are important to more people,” Schmit said. He said addressing controversial issues like gun control would limit the time MSA has to meet other students’ needs. “We need to allocate our resources in the best way,” he said.
Chemistry and chemical engineering senior Jared Cohen, who suggested concealed carry on campus via “WTF UMN,” said MSA was only responding to “lowkey” concerns already on its agenda. “Even if they had told me it was a big issue that they couldn’t do anything about, I would’ve liked to have heard
WTFUMN RETWEETS
SOURCE: TWITTER.COM/WTFUMN
back from them,” he said. “Just something to acknowledge that they considered my post.” With the relaunch, Schmit said MSA will be more diligent in responding to all posts, even if they’re about something that the group will not address. “I’d like to respond to everything,” he said. “If it’s something we can’t work on or are uncomfortable with, then we should respond and explain why.” With the new system, Stangler said MSA members will be assigned to process specific posts depending on the issue. “We’re looking to gain more consistency in who handles certain posts and who follows up with them,” she said. Chemistr y and chemical engineering sophomore Jeremy Miller said the new program will be a “tremendous improvement” from the way “WTF UMN” was run previously. Students want to know they’re not communicating with a “blank wall” when they post their concerns, Miller said. “I think it’s a spectacular way to get students’ voices heard,” he said. “But communication needs to come from both ends.”
Gunman told police he acted alone in LAX shooting BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — The gunman charged in the deadly shooting at Los Angeles International Airport lay bloodied and handcuffed on the floor of Terminal 3 after being gunned down by police, but he replied to critical questions that helped authorities lock down the scene. Paul Ciancia, 23, was hauled away moments later on a stretcher and later heav-
ily sedated for medical reasons, but not before he told investigators he had acted alone when he opened fire in the terminal, a law enforcement official who has been briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Sunday. Ciancia, an unemployed motorcycle mechanic who recently moved to Los Angeles from the small, bluecollar town of Pennsville, N.J., also told police a friend had dropped him at LAX on Friday just moments before he
Al-Madinah helps other student groups get on their feet Al-Madinah u from Page 1
Al-Madinah is making an ef for t this semester to help these smaller cultural groups get their name out, Khan said. Individual groups can do a better job teaching about par ticular cultures than Al-Madinah, which ser ves as an umbrella group for all Muslim cultures, he said. The center will also encourage students to star t new groups for cultures that aren’t yet represented by a campus student group, Khan said.
“The best way to implement that idea of diversity is to be able to have a bunch of different cultural groups that can all bring out their respective cultures that they’re trying to represent.” MUHAMMAD ISLAM Computer science and mathematics freshman
Al-Madinah is urging the smaller groups to get creative to solve their funding and resource shortages, Khan said. One way Al-Madinah is sharing its of fice space is by hosting “Culture Vulture” events where dif ferent groups gather to educate students about their culture in whatever way they choose, Khan said. “It’s just kind of a full immersion,” he said. Sudanese Student Union board member
Mohamed Yousif said his group has collaborated with Al-Madinah during events and plans to use the cultural center’s space for its own gatherings. Though the SSU star ted three semesters ago, the group became more active this semester, Yousif said. Connecting with other groups has made it easier to get exposure as a young group, he said. “We help out the other student groups,” Yousif said, “and that turned out to be to our advantage.” Connecting with AlMadinah has been helpful, too. “We know we at least have a bigger brother to look up to,” he said.
Increasing diversity Islam, the fr eshman working to revamp the Pakistani Student Association, said he was told the University campus was culturally diverse when he came to freshman orientation. He said the University could become more visibly diverse if specific cultural groups like the Pakistani Student Association had more clout on campus. “The best way to implement that idea of diversity is to be able to have a bunch of different cultural groups that can all bring out their respective cultures that they’re tr ying to represent,” he said. It’s impor tant to have a cultural base on a large campus like the University, Yousif said. “It’s good to have that type of atmosphere where you can just talk with people that you know come from the same background as you and you can relate to,” he said. “It makes you feel more at home away from home.”
shot a Transportation Security Administration officer at point-blank range and wounded three other people, including two more TSA workers. Officials do not believe that the friend knew of the shooter’s plans. Ciancia arrived at the airport in a black Hyundai and was not a ticketed passenger. Ciancia was under 24-hour armed guard at the hospital Sunday after being shot four times, the official said. He was sedated for medical reasons, the official said, adding that
one gunshot to the mouth blew a molar out of his jaw. Ciancia is facing charges of murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport. The charges could qualify him for the death penalty. It wasn’t immediately clear when he would make a first court appearance given his medical condition. In court documents and interviews, authorities spelled out a chilling chain of events, saying Ciancia walked into the airport, pulled a .223-cali-
ber assault rifle from his duffel bag and fired repeatedly at 39-year-old TSA officer Gerardo I. Hernandez. He turned back to see Hernandez move and returned to finish him off, according to surveillance video reviewed by investigators. He then fired on two other uniformed TSA employees and an airline passenger, who all were wounded, as he moved methodically through the security checkpoint before airport police shot him as panicked travelers hid in
stores and restaurants. It wasn’t clear why Ciancia targeted TSA officers, but what he left behind indicated he was willing to kill any of them that crossed his path, authorities revealed. The shooter’s duffel bag contained a handwritten letter signed by Ciancia stating he’d “made the conscious decision to tr y to kill” multiple TSA employees and that he wanted to “instill fear in their traitorous minds,” FBI Agent in Charge David L. Bowdich said.
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Monday, November 4, 2013
Boynton helps students kick the habit An annual program is helping smokers quit before next year’s smoking ban. BY ROY AKER raker@mndaily.com
While the University of Minnesota is moving toward a smoking ban next fall, Boynton Health Ser vice is pushing all tobacco users to nix the habit this month. More than 200 University students, faculty and staff have signed on with Boynton Health Ser vice’s Quit and Win program, which incentivizes kicking tobacco use through free counseling, two weeks of nicotine patches and a chance to win gift cards by completing the program. Boynton has offered the program since the 200405 school year, director of public health and communications Dave Golden said. But this year, smokers aren’t required to take part in a study on quitting programs, and Golden said this has boosted the number
of participants. If par ticipants can remain tobacco-free for the entire month, they have a shot at winning $2,000, $1,000 or $500 in Amazon gift cards. Boynton employees will use a urine test to verify that par ticipants were tobacco users and have stopped for a month. Ferdinand Schlapper, Boynton’s director and chief health of ficer, said the program requires par ticipants to have a tobacco-free friend sponsor their quitting attempt. He said this has been the program’s most ef fective piece since it star ted nine years ago. The Quit and Win program coincides with the University’s goal of becoming a smoke-free campus next year, Golden said. “If you’re going to do something like go smokefree, you do want to make sure there’s plenty of oppor tunities for people to quit if they want to,” he said. Alex Bar r y, a philoso-
phy and histor y junior, said he’s tried to quit cigarettes “cold turkey” twice but couldn’t break the habit. Barr y, a program participant, said the free nicotine replacement therapy offered by Quit and Win is more of an incentive than the prizes. A two-week supply of patches can cost mor e than $40, he said, while
two weeks’ wor th of nicotine gum can total $30. Quitting without patches or gum is much harder because of the lack of nicotine intake, he said. “If you’re quitting without resources, you want to [smoke] 24/7, because you’re completely deprived of any nicotine,” he said. While using patches he got fr om Boynton,
SMOKERS ON CAMPUS ALL STUDENTS
MALES
FEMALES
30.5%
21.4% 18.1%
11.5% 9.3%
MONTHLY
8.5%
DAILY SOURCE: BOYNTON HEALTH SERVICE
Barr y said he hasn’t felt like he needed a cigarette for two days. Child psychology senior Justine Smith said smokers at the University get a bad rap and it’s impor tant to know most want to quit. “With tr ying to be a smoke-free campus, the school should be providing resources like this,” she said. “It’s a great program.” She said smokers she knows are often alone in their attempts to quit, so a program like Quit and Win could make their attempts more effective. Although smoking rates among adults in the U.S. have declined in the last decade, Smith said it’s still prevalent. “You go to a party, and people will sometimes still smoke,” she said. “It’s still a problem.” About 21 percent of Minnesota college students said they had used tobacco within the last month, while about 9 percent used it daily, according to Boynton’s 2012 College Student Health S u r v e y. O f t h o s e w h o
smoked within the last month, nearly 39 percent don’t consider themselves smokers. Golden said some people might have signed up for Quit and Win thinking they aren’t addicted and will be able to give up tobacco for a month, but smoking can “sneak up” on those who feel they aren’t addicted. “For some, it’s the first time they realize, ‘Wow, I really can’t make it for a month,’” he said. Golden said at least half of par ticipants have stopped using tobacco each year of Boynton’s program. Even if someone in the program doesn’t reach the goal of an entire tobaccofree month, Golden said, “multiple quit attempts are really important.” Golden said that by continually offering tobacco users ways to quit, they have an increased chance of breaking the habit. Final winners of the Quit and Win program will be announced Dec. 13.
Fighting alone, Afghans said to hold Taliban back BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — The Taliban failed to capture any ground from Afghan security forces fighting for the first time without foreign firepower this fighting season, U.S. of ficials say, but the insurgents
killed scores of soldiers, police and civilians in their campaign to weaken the government. American and NATO of ficials say the fledgling ar my and police aren’t ready to wage a sustained war against a determined insurgency. Coming just 13 months before most foreign forces
are to withdraw, the mixed results repor ted by U.S. militar y officials underline the unresolved question of whether some of those forces should stay. The assessment adds urgency to the need for the U.S. and Afghanistan to sign a much-delayed security agreement that will allow a residual foreign force
to stay on after the Dec. 31, 2014 withdrawal deadline. The U.S. says the one issue still to be decided is which cour ts — U.S. or Afghan — will prosecute crimes committed by American forces stationed here. Washington is expected to keep about 10,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2014, provided the security agree-
ment is signed and includes immunity from prosecution by Afghan courts. NATO allies would provide about 5,000 troops, but only if an American presence remains. Billions of dollars in funds for Afghan forces and development also would be jeopardized if no deal is reached. The 350,000-strong Af-
ghan National Security Forces, made up mostly of the army and police, assumed responsibility for security in June, freeing the foreign forces to focus on training. In so doing, it took the lead against an insurgency that had promised to recapture territor y it has lost in the 12 years since the U.S.-led invasion.
Neighborhood groups to divvy up $125K from Vikings Groups u from Page 1
“Many of these projects are more like $5,000 and $10,000 projects, and upscaling them without testing them in shallower waters is a risk.” The University’s contract with the V ikings stipulates the team must pay $90,000 and donate $35,000 in goods and services each year of its stint at TCF, which will likely last two seasons but could be up to four. Neighborhood and business organizations will be able to apply for a share of the money, collectively known as the Vikings Good Neighbor Partnership Fund, by submitting grant proposals to a board composed of community leaders and a representative from the Vikings. Kieron Frazier, Vikings associate counsel who is ser ving on the grant committee, said the in-kind donations could come from some of the many companies that sponsor the team. “We have a plethora of sponsors throughout the Twin Cities,” he said. “It’s really just as creative as you can be.” The University set up the Good Neighbor Fund in 2007 to benefit the communities around the stadium. This year, $41,000 from the general fund will be available for projects, in addition to the Vikings money. McCurley said many neighborhood organizations are small, and they’ll likely have to include funding for additional staf f in their grant applications, especially for larger interneighborhood projects. Morlock said she expects to see this in the applications. McCurley said Southeast Como would need to expand many of its potential projects or include other neighborhoods to fit the larger grants the money is meant to fuel. Southeast Como wants to use the money for smaller projects, like buying more equipment or garden
tools, creating a “food mobile” to distribute produce from the area’s community garden or upgrading Van Cleve Park. “It’s one of the few parks in the area that has major facilities and fields,” McCurley said. Southeast Como could also ask for additional funding for the Pack and Give Back program, which picks up reusable items students don’t want when they move out and redistributes them to the University’s ReUse Program Warehouse or the Salvation Army, McCurley said.
“Many of these projects are more like $5,000 and $10,000 projects, and up-scaling them without testing them in shallower waters is a risk.” RICARDO MCCURLEY SECIA coordinator
Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association President Cordelia Pierson said the neighborhood association is petitioning residents for project ideas this week. One proposal will likely attempt to improve trails and r ecr eational ar eas between Dinkytown and the Mississippi River, she said. “It is a transformative opportunity for our neighborhood to connect our thriving commercial area of Dinkytown to … the Mississippi River,” she said. Applicants must be part of the Stadium Area Advisor y Group to be eligible for funding, Morlock said. Members include neighbor hood organizations, business associations, cities and counties around the University. Proposals are due Jan. 31, 2014. The committee will review proposals next spring and announce recipients next July.
Editorials & Opinions www.mndaily.com/opinion
Monday, November 4, 2013
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The Editorials & Opinions department is independent of the newsroom. The editorial board prepares the editorials labeled “EDITORIALS,” which are the opinion of the Minnesota Daily as an institution but not representative of Daily employees’ opinions. Columnists’ opinions are their own.
NATIONAL POLITICS
EDITORIALS
Hunger as the solution
Ward 3 Editorial endorsement
Cutting SNAP benefits needlessly hurts millions of Americans.
T
he government downsized the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, Friday. SNAP assists 47.6 million Americans in affording food. This decision was made in the name of “fiscal responsibility,” shaving $5 billion off the tables of America’s poor. Isn’t it an odd coincidence that “fiscal responsibility” never seems to mean raising taxes on massive corporations or the richest 1 percent of Americans? It never seems to mean ensuring that large companies, who use loopholes and deductions to pay a 12.6 percent tax rate, actually pay their mandatory 35 percent rate. Fiscal responsibility, if our politicians are to be believed, is not the burden of the rich; their wealth proves that they’ve been fiscally responsible. Instead, our politicians have told us time and time again that if we are a nation that is to truly be fiscally responsible, we need to stop coddling the poor.
MATT HOY columnist
You may remember comments made by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan during the 2012 presidential campaign about proposed cuts to food stamps and Medicaid: “We don’t want to turn the safety net into a hammock that lulls able-bodied people into lives of dependency and complacency, that drains them of their will and their incentive to make the most of their lives.” I’m sure you also remember former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s infamous “47 percent” speech. Referring to anyone who had received government assistance, Romney asserted that “my job is not to worr y about those people — I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” According to those on the
right who label themselves proponents of fiscal responsibility, this issue comes down to good Americans (the makers) versus bad Americans (the takers). I’ll let Paul Ryan sum it up: “About 60 percent of the American people get more benefits in dollar value from the federal government than they pay back in taxes. So, we’re going to a majority of takers versus makers in America, and that will be tough to come back from that. They’ll be dependent on the government for their livelihoods [rather] than themselves.” This framework caused our current food stamps debacle. It’s easy for our government to cut aid to the poorest Americans because those Americans do not have a voice in our government. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 87 percent of SNAP recipients live in households with children, seniors or people with disabilities. About two-thirds of those recipients are children, elderly or disabled themselves. Among SNAP recipients, 42 percent have gross incomes below half of the poverty line. There’s a reason SNAP is called the “na-
DEATHS IN IRAQ: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 4,802 — IRAQI CIVILIANS: 115,146- PLUS DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 3,383 — AFGHAN CIVILIANS: UNKNOWN
tion’s most important anti-hunger program.” And this program, responsible for keeping 4.7 million people out of poverty in 2011, is our go-to for budget slashing. According to many on the right, we’re effectively doing these people a favor by teaching them to lift themselves up by their boot straps. After all, each and every one of them is likely a “taker.” Except that “the overwhelming majority of SNAP recipients who can work do so,” according to the CBPP. More than half of all SNAP recipients were employed while receiving benefits; 82 percent were employed the previous or following year. The numbers just don’t support the right’s narrative. Neither does any legitimate theory of social justice. This situation is simply class warfare. It inflicts hunger on millions of Americans whose situations either in the workforce or in their personal lives dictate that they cannot afford to eat. Matt Hoy welcomes comments at mhoy@mndaily.com.
PRIVACY
The NSA’s (ir)relevance in our lives College students need not worry about the NSA’s collection of metadata.
Newcomer Jacob Frey shows great potential in running Ward 3.
A
s the Minnesota Daily Editorial Board announced in April, Jacob Frey is the best candidate for the Minneapolis City Council from Ward 3. His smart leadership will help the University area in facing new development, student issues and community needs. Ward 3 contains Marcy-Holmes, Northeast and other parts of downtown Minneapolis. Frey is friendly toward more sustainable development in Ward 3. Dinkytown cannot afford to deny smart development that adds to the University of Minnesota area, as incumbent council member Diane Hofstede’s proposed moratorium in Dinkytown’s business district may have. Though Frey lacks Hofstede’s long relationship with the University of Minnesota, he understands his student constituency’s problems. Frey plans to help students bridge the gap between graduation and the workforce through a new jobs program that would subsidize the income of University graduates as they look for work. Frey would also focus on outreach that works to specifically impact students. Frey plans to simplify city procedures, such as attaining licenses, to be more “process-oriented.” It’s this effective leadership that shows Frey’s potential for success in Ward 3. Accusations of ineffective leadership and a lack of responsiveness to constituents have followed Hofstede throughout her eight years on the City Council. Despite a lack of political experience, Frey has organized for diverse causes, including the Big Gay Race and outreach to Somali women. This election brought plenty of newcomers, and Frey is no exception. With a new mayor, Minneapolis faces the potential to become a true 21st centur y city. This requires a leader who must respond to community needs and support smart public policy. We suggest readers rank Frey as their No. 1 choice Tuesday.
Minnesota nice, Minnesota pretty The University of Minnesota lays claim to an exceptional campus.
RONALD DIXON columnist
Maxwell Smith welcomes comments at msmith@mndaily.com.
GUEST COLUMN The phantom reduction
It is now clear that President Eric Kaler’s promise to reduce the cost of administration by $90 million over six years will not produce any reduction in the University of Minnesota budget. The president intends instead to spend the $90 million on “mission and mission suppor t.” See his remarks to the faculty in the Sept. 26 Faculty Consultative Committee. So instead of making a decision to even slightly trim the more than $3 billion University annual budget, the administration will quite literally continue to pass the buck to beleagued students — and their parents — and to the citizens of our state. Moreover, there is no easy way to monitor whether the administration will even fulfill its promise to reduce spending on itself. Over six long years, who will even remember the promise? The administration should be required to provide the baseline of the current cost of administration and then to provide annual reports to verify the specific expenditures that have been reduced. There were variations in the level of state appropriations between 2002 and 2011. When state appropriations declined, the administration increased tuition by far more than the reduction in appropriations. When
state appropriations increased, the administration still increased tuition. The total cost of operations at the University soared from $2 billion per year to nearly $3 billion per year, as tuition skyrocketed. The administration accepted the current two-year tuition freeze — limited to undergraduate tuition for residents — only on the condition that the state increase appropriations. The total cost of administration now consumes about $850 million per year, or 28 percent of the cost of operations. This demonstrates a long-term failure on the par t of the administration to exercise any restraint on spending on itself. This also demonstrates a long-term failure on the par t of the Board of Regents to exercise any effective oversight. The regents are par t-time volunteers who rely on the administration to provide information for their decisions. The chair of Minnesota’s House Higher Education Finance Committee recently referred to the regents as “the House of Lords — they have nice titles, a nice place to meet and don’t do anything.” Like real estate developers, such as the owner of the Minnesota Vikings, University leaders spend other people’s money (OPM in real estate terminology). The highly paid se-
nior administrators and the Board of Regents are so far removed from the economic lives of students, parents and the public that they are seemingly oblivious to the financial hardship that results from their decisions to spend other people’s money. In the absence of any self-restraint on spending by the University administration, it may be necessary for the state Legislature to begin marking most of the state appropriations as special appropriations in which it designates the specific uses for the funds. Each biennium, the citizens of our state now invest more than $1 billion in the University in general appropriations. With that much at stake, the Legislature should appoint a qualified person to monitor on a continuing basis the operations of the University and its use of state appropriations. This legislative liaison — or watchdog — should have the responsibility to review the information produced by senior administrators; to collect additional information through his or her own independent research; and to meet with all groups at the University so that the perspectives of other wellinformed and thoughtful members of the University community are presented to the Legislature. Michael W. McNabb University alumnus
T
he National Security Agency launched itself into the limelight this year after its spying and data-collecting techniques surfaced. The findings further reduced the public’s trust in government, but do we actually need to worr y about the NSA? I have defended the constitutionality of the NSA’s actions before. But now I’d like to consider the NSA from young Americans’ perspective. The question: What impact does the NSA actually have on our lives? One of the controversial duties of the NSA is to collect large quantities of metadata. Metadata includes personal information published online. Considering that about 85 percent of college students are on Facebook and 20 percent of young people use Twitter daily, a lot of our information is out there, vulnerable for collection. What is the actual impact of the NSA’s bulk collection of your online information? The answer is none. The NSA collects roughly 1.6 percent of metadata online, and then it analyzes 0.025 percent of that collected data. Through this process, the agency only observes 0.00004 percent of Internet traffic. The data that the NSA takes time to read and interpret is the information that is integral to its duty to public safety. Of course, there are some isolated incidences of abuse, but, as a whole, the NSA’s job has no impact on most Americans. The government does not care about the political opinions that you post on Tumblr or the Halloween party pictures that you upload to Flickr. If you were communicating with a terrorist through Facebook or messaging German chancellor Angela Merkel, the NSA might take a peek at your data. However, retweeting Justin Bieber’s Twitter posts will not be on the NSA’s list of concerns. College students and, indeed, everyone should question government security efforts, but our online information is irrelevant to the objectives of the NSA. Ronald Dixon welcomes comments at rdixon@mndaily.com.
D
uring their time here, University of Minnesota students will become familiar with the “Minnesota nice” tradition, and many will leave the University having been instilled with values of generosity and politeness. But these traits will not prevent past and present University students from standing up for their school when it’s unfairly critiqued. Travel and Leisure Magazine placed the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota on its list of “America’s Ugliest College Campuses,” which was published in the magazine’s October issue. But from the short description of campus by Travel and Leisure writer Ivan Spencer, it seems as though he has never actually visited the University. His description of Coffman Union is set to a picture that displays only a small part of Coffman with the Malcolm Moos Health Sciences Tower in the background. Spencer calls the campus “Brutalist” and slams its industrial architecture. In fact, only a handful of campus buildings have any traits of Brutalism, and they give campus a modernist, diverse edge. Spencer fails to mention the unique artistr y of the Weisman Art Museum or the collegiate atmosphere of Northrop Mall. Not to mention a student favorite, the changing leaves during the fall along the Mississippi River — a breathtaking sight from the Washington Avenue Bridge. On behalf of roughly 52,000 “nice” students at the University, we invite Spencer to come take a look at this “ugly” campus for himself; if he doesn’t eat his words, maybe a slice of Mesa Pizza will keep him quiet.
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www.mndaily.com/opinion
Opinions FOOTBALL
Join the game-day bandwagon We have a unique opportunity to show the country how truly great our fan base is.
CHRIS IVERSON columnist
I
s your heart still pounding from Saturday’s football game? I know mine is, but not entirely for the reasons yours might
be. With three unexpected consecutive victories, the Gophers have the intrigue of not only the casual student fan but the country, as well. Any time a historically downtrodden team grabs a few consecutive victories, sports writers and outspoken pundits alike jump on the bandwagon and see how far it goes. Along with this, the image of the football team couples with the image of the campus. I would have no idea what Auburn’s Toomer’s Corner trees were if it weren’t for the school’s national championship run in 2011, nor the Boise State blue football field if it weren’t for their fun-towatch streakiness during our youth. These attributes are nice and all, but the nonfootball entity that the media focuses on the most when teams get hot is the student and the game-day experience. For the first time in most of our lives, we have the opportunity to show the nation a great fan base and, almost more importantly, a fantastic game-day experience. It is our turn to hop on the Gopher bandwagon, but it’s also our turn to enjoy all that the Saturday experience has to offer. To sports writers, the 2013 Minnesota story is journalism gold. Head coach Jerry Kill’s leave of absence coupled with the winning streak sprung the team and the University into the limelight. Although exciting, this can be a good or bad circumstance, depending on how the fan base treats it. This has happened with historically lackluster teams in the past. After decades of bad seasons, the 1993 Wisconsin football team went 10-1-1 and catapulted into an unexpected Rose Bowl bid. During this season, Wisconsin beat Michigan for the first time in 12 years. The chaotic and violent attempt to rush the field left 73 people injured. The Camp Randall Crush, as it would be deemed, illustrated a rowdy and overzealous student section. Due to the circumstances of the winning season, the Crush created a nationally recognized stigma that still holds today. At the same time, some longtime Gophers fans will show scars from years of irrelevancy and notorious game collapses, which have precipitated into a protective
negativity and fair-weather mindset about the team. Many don’t want to experience the pain of collapse, and who does? Nobody likes to lose, so casual fans will ride the waves of good times but jump ship when it falters. Holding a fan base and establishing a good game-day atmosphere is even harder to do with the University’s campus — the only true urban campus in the Big Ten. If the Gophers are doing poorly, weekend-goers will turn to the plethora of other activities to do in Minneapolis. The marketing and financing teams in the athletics department have tried to create that experience by coupling amenities galore with a general optimism about the team. “Build it and they will come” was a key motto when the University built TCF Bank Stadium, and ever since, it seems like the Gophers have added everything except wins to Saturday experiences. In my opinion, the best effort the marketing team has done was giving away nearly 6,000 tickets to all of you freshmen reading this. That giveaway certainly improved the situation temporarily. The game-day experience on the Thursday night against Nevada–Las Vegas was exactly what the team wanted to see: an active, enthused fan base utilizing the tailgating facilities, showing up early to the game and eventually welcoming the team out of the tunnel with huge applause. Still, killer losses to Iowa and Michigan gave many longtime followers a sinking feeling that the Gophers would once again fall to the collapse-after-getting-our-hopesup status quo. Even after the unexpected win against Nor thwestern, the student presence was low at the Nebraska game, as much of the upper-deck seats usually reserved for students were invaded with a sea of scarlet. This image of periodic apathy and doubtfulness has been the image of the Gophers for years, but this season, we can change that as the nation turns its head to Minnesota. Showing the college football world a solid Saturday experience has ramifications for bowl bids, funding strings, better recruits and better Big Ten appeal for prospective students. Minnesota could enter itself into a Flutie Ef fect, where a good sports team gathers a burst of national intrigue and application boosts. Time and time again, consistently good teams have created consistent fan bases. With three consecutive wins, there aren’t many excuses for a poor turnout Saturday. A winning team will naturally garner the bandwagon, but to establish that desired game-day experience, the historically negative mindset needs to go away. I encourage the student fan base to not only come to Saturday’s Penn State game, but to actually experience it. Don’t show up right at 11 a.m. at kickoff; instead, enjoy that Victor y tailgating lot. Watch the team’s TCF entr y at 8:30 a.m. in the plaza. Come into the stadium 20 minutes before kickoff to watch the band’s pregame show. Most importantly, stay positive like we have been most of the season. And then, only then, will we show the nation that our Saturdays are as legit as the team’s streak is. Chris Iverson welcomes comments at civerson@mndaily.com.
Monday, November 4, 2013
LITERATURE
The truth about fan fiction Fan fiction and the Internet have revolutionized literature.
BRIAN REINKEN columnist
I
say fan fiction, you say — what? Not long ago, there was a powerful stigma that surrounded fan fiction. Its writers were stereotyped as bizarre and introverted, and its products were considered to be, well, pornographic. But there’s far more to fan fiction than meets the eye, and popular opinion may finally be changing. From quizilla to fanpop, there are dozens of fan fiction websites. The largest and most recognizable, fanfiction.net, ranks as the 562nd most popular website in America. Relative to the population of other sites, an extremely high number of fanfiction.net users are women. A dispropor tionately high number of users are undergraduate students or lack a college education, reflecting the youth of the site’s audience. So what’s the big deal? First of all, a huge number of stories have been written about ever y conceivable topic. That these stories’ concepts aren’t wholly original shouldn’t be a cause for concern. Some of the greatest authors in histor y — Virgil, Dante and Shakespeare, to name a few — have drawn inspiration from previously written stories. Fan fiction is just a way of keeping that tradition alive. More impor tantly, the way we think about literature is being completely overhauled. Fan fiction is a perfectly competitive industr y into which anyone, regardless of age, sex, or economic status, can enter and in which anyone can prosper. The Inter net makes it possible to instantly share stories with anyone who’s online. Publishers and contracts can be eschewed, leveling the playing field. And of course, the stories written online have the potential to sur vive beyond their owners. Ours, then, will be the first generation in histor y to have a durable literature written by the common individual. Until extremely recently, authors were predominantly rich, educated males with leisure time to write and enough money to be published. Books and written texts, expensive and rare until modern times, were transmitted and preser ved only if they contained messages that would somehow benefit the status quo — the others were either forgotten or actively destroyed. This, combined with such narrow authorial qualifications, has stymied creative flow for centuries. Fan fiction, for better or worse, will
one day be studied alongside Homer and Dickens. The rise of cultural studies classes suggests a change in academic focus, but this is only the beginning. Historians will be able to look back on our time and see the interests of ever yone, not just a select minority. There are a few downsides to the proliferation of fan fiction, of course. The sheer quantity of stories online makes it dif ficult for any single text to stand out. Also, many of the texts are pornographic, which, when taken in conjunction with the availability of our writings to future historians, should make us all a little bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless, a few detriments should not outweigh the truly revolutionar y nature of fan fiction, which is rewriting — pardon the pun — the books on literature. With such abr upt and significant changes, it’s dif ficult to predict how the field will look in 10, or even five, years. Make no mistake: Fan fiction is becoming mainstream, and it isn’t going away any time soon. E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades” series was originally written as a fan fiction inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” franchise. When published as independent novels, the books shot to the top of best-seller lists in both the United States and the United Kingdom, where they stayed for months. So what comes next? A film version of “Fifty Shades of Grey” is in pre-production, and fanfiction.net is home to literally millions of original titles. Thanks to movies like “The Dark Knight” and “The Avengers,” what was formerly considered to be the realm of the geek has been opened to ever yone. Film, television and literature are beginning to blend, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between “high” and “low” art. Societal trends have a startling inertia. When something begins to pick up speed, it can be difficult to make it stop. Fan fiction might not be a perfect art, but nothing ever has. For the moment, we should embrace and celebrate its accessibility and its potential. November is National Novel Writing Month. What better time to grab a pencil — or a laptop — and get to work on what just might become the next best thing?
GENDER DISTRIBUTION OF FANFICTION.NET USERS
22% MALE
78%
FEMALE
SOURCE: FANFICTION.NET RESEARCH, 2010
Brian Reinken welcomes comments at breinken@mndaily.com.
PRIVACY
The Solomon Amendment and propaganda The University will not protect you from unsolicited military recruitment.
TRENT M. KAYS columnist
I
received an unclassified email a few days ago from the National Guard. The subject line read “(UNCLASSIFIED).” For some reason, I thought the National Guard must have needed a writing teacher, so I quickly opened it. However, all I found was a poorly written paragraph extoling the virtues of military service. Under normal circumstances, I would have just marked the email as spam and moved on. But, this time, I noticed a curious disclaimer at the bottom of the email that read: “The Solomon Amendment mandates that institutions of education must provide to military recruiters, upon request, access to names, addresses and phone numbers of students attending their institution.”
Beyond the syntactical issues, a lot of this disclaimer is vexing. Despite my dedication to education, I’m ashamed to admit that I wasn’t familiar with the Solomon Amendment. Enacted in 1996, the amendment allows the secretary of defense — currently Chuck Hagel — to deny federal grants to higher education institutions that prohibit or prevent military recruitment on their campuses. So, if a university accepts federal monies, they must allow military recruiters on their campuses. I suppose it’s perfectly reasonable that the government should be part beneficiary of the research carried out with its money. However, it seems the government expects more. Most disturbing, though, is that students have no choice. Since most universities accept federal monies, the Solomon Amendment operates more as government extortion than a survey of options. I find this intimacy of higher education and the government problematic and unseemly. I don’t think the government should force itself into the lives and goals of colleges and universities. The government should ensure regulation, but it shouldn’t hold higher education hostage. The issue of money in higher education walks a fine line, because there isn’t always enough money for universities to both educate and research. I feel like the government knows this, so it dangles money in front of institutions and put them in a position where it would be foolish not to bite. It’s a ghastly and completely disingenuous technique, but it isn’t completely unexpected.
The U.S. government — and, by extension, the military — is one of the greatest propaganda machines of the 21st century. I use military recruitment commercials to teach propaganda techniques to students. My favorite military recruitment commercials are for the Army. The Army has gone through many different commercials and mottos. Its current slogan is “Army Strong.” During the countless nights I lay awake with insomnia, I watch a lot of commercials. I’ve seen the “Army Strong” commercial so many times that I almost have it memorized. The apex of the commercial is the end, when actor Gary Sinise’s soothing voice says, “There’s strong, and then there’s Army strong.” As soon as I hear this line, I want to run out the door and join the military. Well, that might be a little hyperbolic. I don’t really want to join the military after its commercials. Instead, I feel revulsion. These commercials are so clearly propagandistic that I lament any person who is persuaded by them. These commercials show soldiers flying jets, in combat and even battling the enemies of the United States. What these commercials don’t show are the sanitation crews, the soldiers who need to account for every bullet and those who stand guard at gates. No one wants to defend America by cleaning latrines, right? The oft-glamorized vision of what it is to be in the military is nothing more than propaganda. The concept of propaganda is neither good nor bad. People have always tried to convince others to adopt their point of view. The rhetorical techniques it takes to convince people to do
something are as old as Aristotle. They are not unique, but the way in which military recruitment commercials employ them is clearly propagandistic. Consider the “Army Strong” commercial. It implies that while you may be strong, you will never be as strong as someone in the Army. There’s no way to prove this, and therefore, we must treat it as untrue. The commercial creates space where people are reminded of their inadequacies — not their strengths. It also creates a moralistic sense of duty to serve one’s country. That’s fine, but not everyone wants to do that. We have a volunteer military for a reason. Yet, we can’t escape the onslaught of messages or propaganda that oozes from the pores of the government. The invasion of privacy via the Solomon Amendment is just one more cannon ball hurled at unsuspecting people. We’re surrounded by military commercials, billboards, signs and now, for students, emails. We can’t escape. For me, it feels as though the University of Minnesota has broken its trust with students. Why must we choose between giving up federal funds and sacrificing students’ privacy in the name of military recruitment? Students know they can join the military. Do we really need another idealized commercial with fighter jets in the background or military recruiters evangelizing to us via email? I think not. Trent M. Kays welcomes comments at tkays@mndaily.com.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Sports
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@MNDAILYSPORTS
FOOTBALL
Gophers squeak past Hoosiers
QUICK HITTERS BY JACK SATZINGER jsatzinger@mndaily.com Minnesota 42, Indiana 39 Saturday, Nov. 2 Bloomington, Ind. RECAP Minnesota (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) jumped out to a 7-0 lead over Indiana (3-5, 1-3 Big Ten) on Saturday after its first play from scrimmage was a 40-yard flea flicker from Philip Nelson to Derrick Engel. The Gophers built a 35-13 lead, but the Hoosiers scored 26 unanswered points to take a 39-35 lead late in the fourth quarter. Then Minnesota answered. Nelson threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to tight end Maxx Williams to regain a 42-39 lead the team never surrendered. The Gophers won their seventh game with the win and have now improved their record in each year under Kill. IT WAS OVER WHEN: Gophers linebacker Aaron Hill recovered a fumble with less than a minute left in the game. Indiana was in scoring position, but Hill’s fumble recovery gave Minnesota the ball back. KEY PLAY Nelson’s 50-yard touchdown pass to Williams late in the fourth quarter. It helped the Gophers regain the lead after a 26-0 run by Indiana. FIVE OBSERVATIONS
CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY
Gophers running back David Cobb runs the ball against Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday.
Football u from Page 1
when r unning back David Cobb scored a 27-yard r ushing touchdown midway thr ough the thir d quarter. But Indiana scored touchdowns on its next four drives, including a 30-yard touchdown pass from Sudfeld to wide receiver Cody Latimer that gave the Hoosiers a 39-35 lead. Indiana found success utilizing the running game in the second half and finished with 267 r ushing yards. Coleman and r unning back Stephen Houston each finished with more than 100 rushing yards for the Hoosiers.
Cobb matched Indiana’s r ushing production with a career game of his own. The junior rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 48 yards. “It’s just been easy for me when you can make your cuts and the [offensive line] gets a great push,” he said. Nelson also had a car eer day, thr owing for 298 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore star ted the game with a big play — a 40-yard flea flicker to wide receiver Derrick Engel. “We were talking about it in the hotel [Saturday] morning,” Engel said. “We knew it was in the playbook [and were thinking]
we were going to open up with that.” Minnesota scored 21 unanswered points to close the first half and took a 28-13 lead into halftime. The Gophers lost starting center Jon Christenson to an apparent leg injur y in the second quarter. He did not return. Nelson sustained a hip injur y during the four th quar ter Saturday and was taken to the locker room. He returned to the game after getting a couple of shots. Kill confirmed to members of the media Sunday that Christenson is out for the season.
@DailyattheBank
2. Derrick Engel is much improved. Engel showed flashes of his speed against New Mexico State on Sept. 7 with a 48-yard reception. He pulled in a 33-yard touchdown catch last week against Nebraska. But Saturday, he was the go-to guy and scored two touchdowns.
SCORING SUMMARY SCORE BY QUARTER Minnesota Indiana
1 7 10
2 21 3
3 7 7
4 7 19
TOTAL 42 39
1ST QUARTER
MINN IND
MINN
TD
11:26
Derrick Engel, 10 yd pass from Philip Nelson (Hawthorne kick)
7
0
IND
FG
10:08
Mitch Ewald, 31 yd
7
3
IND
TD
7:05
Kofi Hughes, 18 yd pass from Tre Roberson (Ewald kick)
7
10
2ND QUARTER
MINN IND
IND
FG
13:40
Mitch Ewald, 21 yd
7
13
MINN
TD
10:39
Mitch Leidner, 5 yd run (Chris Hawthorne kick)
14
13
MINN
TD
6:11
Drew Goodger, 10 yd pass from Philip Nelson (Hawthorne kick)
21
13
MINN
TD
2:19
Derrick Engel, 33 yd pass from Phillip Nelson (Hawthorne kick)
28
13
3RD QUARTER
MINN IND
MINN
TD
6:24
David Cobb, 27 yd run (Chris Hawthorne kick)
35
13
IND
TD
5:13
Shane Wynn, 40 yd pass from Nate Sudfeld (Ewald kick)
35
20
4TH QUARTER
MINN IND
IND
TD
14:50
Tevin Coleman, 55 yd run (Mitch Ewald kick)
35
27
IND
TD
8:45
Stephen Houston, 4 yd run (Two-point conversion failed)
35
33
IND
TD
5:33
Cody Latimer, 30 yd pass from Nate Sudfeld (Two-point conversion failed)
35
39
MINN
TD
3:06
Maxx Williams, 50 yd pass from Philip Nelson (Hawthorne kick)
42
39
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
FOOTBALL
Hill hustles through the whistle in 42-39 win
The Hoosiers were in position to score when Aaron Hill recovered a fumble. BY JACK SATZINGER jsatzinger@mndaily.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The 2011 Gophers football pregame video featured head coach Jerry Kill yelling the words “Hustle through the whistle!” to his new team. Those words came to fruition two years later in Minnesota’s 42-39 victor y over Indiana on Saturday afternoon. With less than a minute left in the game, senior defensive back Brock Vereen
disrupted a backward pass, and senior linebacker Aaron Hill saw the football on the ground in front of him. Hill, hustling through the whistle, scooped up the ball to clinch the game. Minnesota improved to 7-2 with the win and earned its third Big Ten win in a row. “They say good things happen when you r un to the ball,” Hill said after the game. “I saw the ball on the ground, [and the] first reaction when you don’t hear a whistle is to just pick it up and run.” The Hoosiers had the ball on Minnesota’s 9-yard line with seconds to play and were easily in field-goal range, with a chance to tie
it up. Not content with a tie, they went for more. And it cost them. Gophers senior wide receiver Derrick Engel said he was ner vous before the play, just hoping his defense would hold Indiana to a field goal to give the of fense an oppor tunity to score in overtime. But over time wasn’t needed. “It was probably one of the longest minutes of my life,” junior running back David Cobb said after the game. “You’re crossing your fingers on ever y play. … [And] when the fumble goes behind him, the first thought is, ‘Was it a fumble, and can we get on it? Is the ball ours?’ ”
Indiana sophomore quar terback Nate Sudfeld threw a swing pass to sophomore running back Tevin Coleman, but the ball never crossed the line of scrimmage. Vereen hit Coleman, and Coleman stood there as Hill picked up the ball. Kill recruited Coleman, but he didn’t express much interest in the program. His talent was obvious Saturday, and he rushed for more than 100 yards — including a 55-yard touchdown run at the start of the fourth quarter. In di an a head coac h Kevin Wilson was clearly disappointed after the loss. He said in a close game like that, fundamentals are very
important. “It was poor execution,” he said, “… and because of it, we lost the game.”
BIG TEN STANDINGS Legends Division Team Michigan State Nebraska Minnesota Michigan Iowa Northwestern
Conference Record 5-0 3-1 3-2 2-2 2-3 0-5
Overall
% Record % 1.000 8-1 .889 .750 6-2 .750 .600 7-2 .778 .500 6-2 .750 .400 5-4 .556 .000 4-5 .444
Leaders Division Team Ohio State Wisconsin Penn State Indiana Illinois Purdue
Conference Record 5-0 4-1 2-2 1-3 0-4 0-4
1. The Gophers can throw, too. Nelson had a career-high 298 passing yards Saturday and also recorded four touchdowns.
3. The Gophers’ offensive line is deep. Offensive tackles Ed Olson and Ben Lauer have rotated minutes for much of the past few weeks, but the center position has remained relatively consistent. That changed Saturday when Jon Christenson went down with an injury. Tommy Olson filled in and helped create holes that made it possible for David Cobb to run for a career-high 188 yards. 4. A lead is never safe. Minnesota was dominating the game and led by 22 points in the second half. But Indiana took the lead late in the game and could have won had Hill not recovered the fumble with seconds left. 5. Minnesota’s defense has to make plays for it to win. In the 20-17 win at Northwestern, the defense had two interceptions and forced a fumble. Last week against Nebraska, it forced a fumble, had a crucial sack late in the game and capped the win off with an interception. Against Indiana, the Minnesota defense failed to make a play until it needed to most. QUOTE OF THE GAME
If you look back on these last two years and so many missed plays — two years ago we aren’t winning these games. … It’s time to be greedy. Brock Vereen, Gophers safety TWEET OF THE GAME
“Sunday Ruminations #Gophers Has there ever been a ‘coach of the year’ award given to a staff instead of just the head coach?”
Overall
% Record % 1.000 9-0 1.000 .800 6-2 .750 .500 5-3 .625 .250 3-5 .375 .000 3-5 .375 .000 1-7 .125
SOURCE: BIGTEN.ORG
Gerry DiNardo, college football analyst for the Big Ten Network UP NEXT The Gophers host Penn State (5-3, 2-2 Big Ten) at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday.
VIKINGS
Vikings lose to Cowboys late, plummet to 1-7 this season BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARLINGTON, Texas — Tony Romo got another chance after throwing a lategame interception at home. This time, he came through. Romo threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score to Dwayne Harris with 35 seconds left, and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-23 Sunday. Romo’s 7-yard pass to Harris answered an 11-yard touchdown by Adrian Peter-
son that had given Minnesota a 23-20 lead. The East Texas kid raised on the Cowboys had 140 yards rushing in his first game at their $1.2 billion stadium. The Cowboys (5-4) bounced back from a devastating loss at Detroit by avoiding what probably would have been a more damaging defeat. “We just have to keep the belief throughout the whole football game,” said Romo, who was 34 of 51. “I never doubted that we would find a way to win this
game, and we did it.” Christian Ponder threw for a touchdown and ran for another score against his hometown team, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a fourth straight loss for the Vikings (1-7). Romo’s first attempt to answer Peterson’s go-ahead score was intercepted on a great play along the sideline by A.J. Jefferson — and was a reminder of the late pick he threw in Dallas’ only home loss this year. Dallas didn’t get another shot after that play, with Pey-
ton Manning and the Denver Broncos running out the clock and winning 51-48 on a field goal on the final play. But the Vikings couldn’t convert this late Romo mistake into points and gave him the ball back at the Dallas 10 with 2:44 remaining. Dez Bryant had a 34-yard catch that put Dallas in position for at least a tying field goal, which was possible because Blair Walsh missed wide right on the extra point after Peterson’s touchdown. But Romo kept pushing. He threw 9 yards to Cole
Beasley and 5 to Jason Witten, who led Dallas with eight catches for 102 yards. On the next play, Romo found Harris cutting between defenders in the middle of the field, and Harris dived over the goal line. “I think if you pull back and you really look at Tony Romo’s career, people want to talk about some of these plays where things didn’t work out,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “But if you really look at his body of work and you look at it objectively, he’s done this kind of stuff a lot.”
Peterson got Minnesota’s go-ahead drive earlier in the quarter going with a 52-yard run, then went the final 11 on fourth-and-1. He easily got the first down and carried safety Jeff Heath the last few yards, with Heath trying to strip the ball as Peterson crossed the goal line. “I don’t really care about the yards,” said Peterson, who had 25 carries and another 37 yards receiving. “I want to get some Ws. I don’t want to rush for 2,000 yards and be sitting at home watching others play.”
8
Monday, November 4, 2013
MEN’S HOCKEY
Minnesota uses bye to give back WITH SAM GORDON
I
ICHIGO TAKIKAWA, DAILY
Minnesota defenseman Brady Skjei pushes Elliott Harding, a member of the Minnesota Special Hockey team, around the rink at Mariucci Arena on Saturday. The Hendrickson Foundation worked with the University of Minnesota to pair the men’s hockey team with local sled hockey and special hockey teams.
Minnesota players skated with youth with disabilities at Saturday’s practice. BY MEGAN RYAN mryan@mndaily.com
A usual Saturday morning at Mariucci Arena involves the Gophers men’s hockey team practicing hard or preparing for an upcoming game. But last Saturday, sophomore defenseman Mike Reilly skated with a youth player from a special hockey team who held onto his stick for guidance, indicating that this mor ning practice was tamer than normal. Fellow sophomore defenseman Brady Skjei pushed kids around the ice in a metal folding chair, a scene that starkly contrasts the usual smashing
of bodies into the boards. Minnesota could have spent its bye week resting, focusing on its health or practicing its special teams. Instead, the Gophers took some time after practice to skate with youth hockey players with disabilities at Mariucci Arena. “They’ve had some tough draws in their lives,” junior for ward Seth Ambroz said. “It’s really nice to get them out here … because you can tell they’re having fun.” The Gophers teamed up with the Hendrickson Foundation last year for the first skate and continued the now-annual event this season. Lar r y Hendrickson, the foundation’s executive director, has strong connections to the Gophers hockey program. His son Darby is now an assistant
coach with the Minnesota W ild, and his son Dan played for the Gophers in the 1990s. The foundation is an affiliate of Minnesota Hockey and USA Hockey, Hendrickson said. It has three main divisions — a special team for injured veterans, adult and youth sled teams for those with ambulator y disabilities, and a special team for people with cognitive disabilities. “It’s fairly well organized,” Hendrickson said, “but mostly kids play for fun.” Wyatt Willand is one of those kids who plays for fun. The 9-year-old first saw the adult sled team when it played a game in his hometown Waseca, Minn. “I brought my son, and he got to skate, and that’s all it took,” his mother, Jill Willand, said. “You should
have saw his face when he put on that Wild jersey for the first time.” His father Wayde Willand said Wyatt loves skating, especially on equal footing with his teammates. “It’s one of the few things where he gets to compete with people of the same ability,” Wayde Willand said. “He’s a ver y competitive person.” His son doesn’t deny his aggressive streak. “I like the action,” Wyatt Willand said. “And like, sometimes I like to check people.” While the kids lear n from the best with the Gophers, Hendrickson said they aren’t the only ones enjoying this opportunity. “The kids have so much fun,” he said, “but it means so much for their family.” And the Gophers also take this experience to heart.
Junior for ward Christian Isackson said it is fun to make the kids smile. Junior defenseman Ben Marshall said skating with the kids reminds him how for tunate he is to be a Division I hockey player. In fact, the kids might have been more inspiring to the Gophers than the other way around. “Some of these things they are doing out here is really impressive,” Ambroz said. Junior for ward Travis Boyd said these events are really special, because it is impor tant for his team to give back — to the community and its young fans. “They just want to come out here and kind of just forget about things for a little bit,” Boyd said. “And play hockey.”
@DailyontheIce
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
Gophers dominate in sweep of Mavericks
Minnesota moved to 10-0-0 this year with a pair of wins over the weekend. BY DANE MIZUTANI dmizutani@mndaily.com
After a rough series with Bemidji State last weekend, Minnesota head coach Brad Frost said he wanted his team to play with more passion. His squad responded with a dominant series sweep against Minnesota State-Mankato this weekend. The Gophers won 4-1 Friday night and followed it up with a 7-0 win Saturday after noon. They improved to 10-0-0 with the pair of victories. “I thought that this was one of our best weekends all season,” Frost said. “I look at our whole team as a group that’s stepping up right now.” Senior assistant captain
WOMEN’S HOCKEY RESULTS FRIDAY MSU-Mankato Minnesota
1 2 3 1 0 0 1 2 1
FINAL 1 4
SATURDAY 1 2 3 1 2 4 Minnesota MSU-Mankato 0 0 0
FINAL 7 0
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
Kelly Ter r y led all scorers with seven points in the series and recorded a hat trick in Saturday’s win. She defer red credit to her teammates for her hat trick and said she was impressed with the way they rebounded this weekend. “We really needed to pick it up from last weekend, and on Friday night, we thought we had one of our best games,” Ter r y said. “We really wanted to carr y that over, and instead of making it one of our best games, make it one of our best weekends. And I think we did just that.” Minnesota was originally scheduled to host both games in the series. But with the addition of Januar y’s outdoor game, the teams decided to implement a home-and-home series. The Gophers played the first game of the series at home and the second on the road. Ter r y said the setup was a little dif ferent but said she knew the homeand-home series was for a good cause. “We’re super excited for the outdoor game, so if we had to sacrifice a strange weekend for that, we’re definitely willing to do that,” she said. Still, that strange setup didn’t appear to have much effect on Minnesota.
JULIET FARMER, DAILY
Minnesota forward Kelly Terry controls the puck against Minnesota State-Mankato on Friday at Ridder Arena.
The Gophers held a massive advantage in the shots column over the weekend and outshot the Mavericks 99-38. “ We w e r e r e a l l y f o cused on shooting a lot this weekend, and we did that,” sophomore center Hannah Brandt said. “And they were quality shots. We weren’t just throwing them on net to get shots.” Those shots led to a bevy of scoring chances, and Minnesota capitalized all across the board. It got points from 11 dif fer-
ent players in Saturday’s contest, which Brandt said was a good sign moving for ward. “That’s huge because teams can’t really focus on one line, and when ever yone is scoring, we just feed of f of each other in games,” she said. Brandt poured in four points on the weekend and appears to be hitting her stride at this point in the season. The Gophers didn’t trail in the series and were clearly the far superior team.
Frost seemed ver y pleased with his team’s efforts over the weekend but said he wants it to focus on consistency as the season progresses. Terr y said she saw few areas in which her team could improve, but she said the weekend was a success overall. “Nothing is too broken on our team right now,” she said. “But we can always continue to get better even if it’s not broken. And we’re going to continue to do that.”
n the Glen Mason era, the Gophers lose that game. In the Tim Brewster era, the Gophers lose that game. But in the Jerr y Kill era, it’s becoming increasingly clear as the weeks pass and the wins pile up that there’s something different about this season. Good teams catch breaks, and for years, Minnesota was on the wrong end of those types of breaks. But on Saturday, after blowing a three-touchdown lead in the second half, the Gophers cashed in on Indiana’s poor execution. “It was crazy. I was just sitting there, praying that somebody would step up,” quar terback Philip Nelson said. “The Lord was good to us.” It certainly seems that way — especially after a decade and a half of heartbreaking losses in similar situations. By overcoming Saturday’s Brewster-esque collapse, Minnesota showcased hear t and guts it hasn’t had in years past. When Indiana nabbed the lead late in the fourth quar ter, the Gophers promptly responded with a touchdown drive of their own. Nelson, who’s been almost flawless the last three weeks, was as poised as they come in completing a key thirddown pass to Donovahn Jones during the goahead drive. Nelson is a different quarterback now than he was at the beginning of the season. He’s careful in his decision-making and accurate in his delivery. And guys around Nelson are performing at an All-Big Ten level, too. David Cobb has morphed into one of the best running backs in the Big Ten. At 5 feet 11 inches and 225 pounds, he’s built like an NFL running back, and his br uising running style has helped him gain 429 yards the last three games. As Kill hinted Sunday, confidence breeds confidence. He said positive energy is festering in the locker room this season the same way negativity did in the past. “Kids are just believing in each other, and as long as they keep believing in each other, then we’ll have a chance to win,” defensive coordinator and acting head coach Tracy Claeys said after the win. The Gophers, underdogs in their last three games, should be favored this week at home against Penn State. And if they win that game, the Wisconsin game on Nov. 23 will be the biggest in TCF Bank Stadium’s lifetime. It’s November, and Minnesota has nothing but meaningful football left on the schedule — unfamiliar territor y for the program. Senior defensive back Brock Vereen said it best after the game. “Two years ago, we aren’t winning these games,” he said. This season, the Gophers are winning those games. And being a factor in the Big Ten is something this team should get used to. At least for the rest of this season. Ya feel me? Sam Gordon welcomes comments at sgordan@mndaily.com or on Twitter.
@SamuelEGordon
Monday, November 4, 2013
9
CROSS COUNTRY
Minnesota performs well at Big Tens
Laura Docherty paced her team to a third-place finish at the Big Ten race.
just phenomenal,” Hopkins said. Junior Molly Kayfes placed second for the Gophers and eighth overall, and senior Maggie Bollig was 13th overall. Docher ty’s per formance ear ned her firstteam All-Big Ten honors, and Kayfes and Bollig were named second team All-Big Ten. Minnesota had seven finishers in the top 31 spots, good for 68 team points. “I told them beforehand we could run really, really well and be third, and I think that kind of came to fruition a little bit today,” Hopkins said. No. 15 Minnesota entered the meet third in the Big Ten behind Michigan State and Michigan, which finished first and second, respectively. Michigan State, Michigan and Minnesota finished well ahead of the rest of the competition. The next-closest finisher, Penn State, had 143 team points — 75 points behind third place. “We were closer to first than we were to four th, so obviously we’re doing something right,” Hopkins said. Hopkins said the team’s top four r unners — Docher ty, Kayfes, Bollig and senior Kelli Budd — were
BY BETSY HELFAND bhelfand@mndaily.com
B e f o r e t h e B i g Te n championships, senior Laura Docher ty said she wanted to finish in the top 10 and best last year’s result. Docher ty did just that over the weekend, leading the Gophers to a thirdplace overall finish and placing third individually. “To go out with my best finish for cross countr y was really exciting,” she said. Docher ty finished with a time of 21:03.9, narrowly edging out Ohio State’s Michelle Thomas and Michigan State’s Katie Landwehr. “I could hear people cheering, and I knew there were girls closing in on me quick,” Docherty said. “Pretty much right at the line, they almost passed me, but I was a chest in front of them.” Gophers head coach Sarah Hopkins called Docherty’s performance “unbelievable.” “To be top three in this conference — it’s one of the best distance conferences in the countr y — it’s
close to where she needed them to be, but the team str uggled with its fifth spot. She said she believes the team could have finished second if it had made up some of those points.
Men place fourth The Gophers put a disappointing result at the Oct. 19 Wisconsin Adidas Invitational behind them and earned a four th-place team finish at the Big Ten championships. “Coming of f a subpar race for almost ever ybody on the squad down in Madison, a lot of these guys responded well today,” head coach Steve Plasencia said. Plasencia said the team wanted to be in the top three before the race, but it wound up behind Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, respectively. It was the first time since 1998 that Wisconsin didn’t win the Big Ten championships. “I think the position that we finished in, if you drew it up on paper — that probably would have been where we were,” Plasencia said. The Gophers, however, didn’t do it the way Plasencia thought they would. “We thought [senior John Simons] would be able to get back to form. That didn’t happen yet
ANTHONY KWAN, DAILY FILE PHOTO
Minnesota senior Laura Docherty runs at the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 29, 2012, at Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul, Minn.
today,” Plasencia said. “Some of the other guys picked up some slack there.” Simons finished 88th, and Plasencia said there was a little bit of concern, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Senior Derek Storkel led the Gophers for the second consecutive meet and finished in 16th place. Storkel was followed by senior Andrew Larsen and sophomore Adam Zutz, who finished 18th and 25th, respectively.
CROSS COUNTRY TOP FINISHERS
MEN’S 8K CHAMPIONSHIPS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
TEAM Indiana Michigan Wisconsin Minnesota Illinois Purdue Michigan State Ohio State Penn State Iowa Nebraska
POINTS 51 66 71 136 140 163 170 182 209 275 314
WOMEN’S 6K CHAMPIONSHIPS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
TEAM Michigan State Michigan Minnesota Penn State Ohio State Indiana Wisconsin Purdue Illinois Northwestern Nebraska Iowa
POINTS 43 55 68 143 157 158 158 221 241 264 320 369
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Gophers play fast in Pitino’s unofficial coaching debut season opener on Friday. “We’ve got a lot of things to work on,” senior guard Austin Hollins said after Friday’s win. “I think we did a good job tonight, but we’re going to keep on improving.” The Gophers’ fast start was sparked by a relentless full-court press. They forced 17 turnovers on the night. “I liked our press early better than late,” Pitino said. “I thought we did some good things on defense, [and] 11 steals is pretty good.” Sophomore forward Joey King was a key cog in the Gophers’ press and used his length to make it tough for opposing guards to find open passing lanes. That defense sparked various chances in transition, including a ferocious one-handed slam from Hollins early in the first half. He
Minnesota looked impressive in the first half, but fell off after halftime. BY JACE FREDERICK jfrederick@mndaily.com
The Gophers’ of fense was fast, fluid and efficient in the first half of their seasonopening 79-57 exhibition win over Cardinal Stritch on Friday night. Minnesota’s defense forced numerous turnovers that led to easy buckets in head coach Richard Pitino’s unofficial debut. The Gophers dominated the first half but were outscored 38-33 after the break. Minnesota battles Concordia-St. Paul in its final exhibition Monday night and faces Lehigh in its true
MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
VS MINNESOTA
CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
7 p.m. Friday in Minneapolis, Minn.
MINNESOTA: The Gophers look to put in a full 40-minute performance in their final exhibition tune-up on Monday night against Concordia-St. Paul. Minnesota looks to improve its rebounding effort from Friday, when it was outdone 40-34 by Cardinal-Stritch on the boards. The Gophers need to improve on a pitiful performance from the free-throw line on Friday. They went 11-for-30 from the charity stripe, which was attributed more to opening-season nerves. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: The Golden Bears’ roster features a familiar name: former Gophers walk-on Chris Halvorsen. The senior forward from St. Paul, Minn., played in 16 games in two seasons for the maroon and gold. Concordia-St. Paul last played the Gophers in 2008, when the Golden Bears suffered a 76-51 exhibition loss at the Barn. SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM, CUGOLDENBEARS.COM
added a second impressive flush in the half court in the second half and led the team with 17 points. “I just try to bring energy,” he said after the game. Minnesota also took care of the ball Friday, something it struggled to do last season. Pitino said the Gophers’ 23 assists, compared to just seven turnovers, was a positive. Junior guard DeAndre Mathieu was efficient leading the break. He finished with seven points and nine assists and didn’t turn the
MEN’S BASKETBALL RESULTS
MINNESOTA 79, CARDINAL STRITCH 57 Cardinal Stritch Minnesota
19 38 — 57 46 33 — 79
CARDINAL STRITCH Player Morgunov Semenas, D. Owayed Smit Mazur Semenas, T. Borgrud VerVelde Anderson Reinke Grahic Fair Eichman Lewis Total
FT Reb FG Min M-A M-A O-T Ast PF Pts 16 2-3 0-0 1-5 0 4 4 36 9-15 8-9 0-5 2 4 29 19 2-9 0-0 1-2 0 1 4 31 0-6 0-0 0-5 8 5 0 20 3-5 0-0 0-3 0 0 8 21 0-3 0-0 0-3 1 3 0 17 3-6 1-1 2-4 0 4 7 13 0-3 0-0 0-1 1 1 0 8 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 3 0 14 1-4 0-0 0-1 1 1 3 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 2 1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 200 21-58 9-10 11-40 14 27 57
MINNESOTA FG FT Player Min M-A M-A Osenieks 17 0-6 0-2 Eliason 20 2-2 1-2 Hollins, Au. 23 6-10 2-4 Mathieu 21 2-6 3-4 Hollins, An. 24 5-9 0-0 Ahanmisi 15 2-4 1-2 King 18 6-8 2-4 Walker 16 4-5 1-4 Ellenson 13 2-2 1-2 Smith 21 2-4 0-2 McNeil 4 0-0 0-0 Buggs 6 0-0 0-0 Shell 2 0-1 0-2 Total 200 31-57 11-30
Reb O-T Ast PF 1-3 1 2 1-5 0 0 0-0 1 3 0-3 9 3 0-1 3 1 1-2 2 1 0-1 5 0 1-5 0 0 1-3 1 0 1-6 1 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 1 0-1 0 0 7-34 23 11
Pts 0 5 17 7 11 5 14 9 6 5 0 0 0 79
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
ball over in 21 minutes. “He’s an extremely fast guard, and he fits the way that we want to play,” Pitino said. The Gophers’ intensity dipped in the final 20 minutes, but junior guard Andre Hollins said he didn’t think fatigue was a factor. No Gophers player played more than 24 minutes Friday. “We’ve got to keep our focus and intensity up the entire game,” Andre Hollins said. “We want to be one of the hardest-working teams in America.” That drop in intensity showed as Minnesota was outrebounded 40-34. “We’ve got to work on that,” redshir t junior center Elliott Eliason said. “We need to be a better rebounding team if we’re going to compete.” The Gophers also shot a meager 11-for-30 from the free throw line, but Pitino wasn’t concerned with the struggles from the charity stripe. “We’re a good free-throw shooting team,” he said. “We’re a good shooting team. That’s why you play these exhibition games — to get the nerves out. That’s probably one of the least of my concerns, to be honest.”
Halvorsen returns to the Barn
Concordia-St. Paul senior forward Chris Halvorsen will return to a familiar stomping ground Monday when his Golden Bears visit the Barn. Halvorsen ser ved as a Gophers walk-on during the
LISA PERSSON, DAILY
Minnesota guard DeAndre Mathieu looks to pass during the Gophers’ exhibition home game against Cardinal Stritch on Friday.
past two seasons, playing in 16 games for Minnesota. “It’s going to be interesting going up against those guys,” he said. “It’ll be kind of like going up against your brothers in the backyard.” Halvorsen will likely be matched up against his former roommate Oto Osenieks in the post. Halvorsen said he’s still close with some of the Gophers players, and he said there’s been some playful banter in the weeks leading up to the team.
Halvorsen graduated from Minnesota with a biomedical engineering degree and is starting his MBA at Concordia. He said his decision to transfer to Concordia in the offseason was based on playing time. “I wanted to get a little bit more of a chance to play,” he said. “I never really got the chance [with the Gophers]. I felt like I wanted to play one more year.”
@DailyintheBarn
VOLLEYBALL
Women travel to Indiana, leave with a pair of wins The Gophers beat Purdue in five sets and beat Indiana in three this weekend. BY DAVID NELSON dnelson@mndaily.com
On Friday and Saturday night, the Gophers volleyball team traveled to two separate schools in Indiana and knocked off both opponents. With six other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 20 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and five of those on the Gophers’ schedule for the last eight games of the conference season, the road wins were
crucial. “Any win on the road in the Big Ten is really awesome,” junior outside hitter Adrianna Nora said. “And getting two in a row definitely helps out our confidence.” The Gophers’ first match was a five-set marathon against No. 16 Purdue. Minnesota came out sluggish in the first set, failing to produce against a stout Purdue defense. “It felt a little bit like we were letting them dictate what’s going on in the match,” head coach Hugh McCutcheon said. “And we just talked about how we needed to take more control of the things that we could. The athletes
chose to get in that mode.” That mode helped turn an early deficit into a 2-1 lead. Then, the Boilermakers went on a run of their own and tied up the match with a win in the fourth set. The Gophers rallied, however, hitting an impressive 55.6 percent in the final set, and cruised to a 3-2 win in five sets. “I feel ever y team has ups and downs,” sophomore outside hitter Daly Santana said. “It’s part of the game. So I think the difference was that we didn’t think about the first set. We just made some changes and kept going.” The weekend was uphill from there against Indiana.
“We got into a good rhythm as a team. We just kept going after the ball.” DALY SANTANA sophomore outside hitter
Minnesota swept the Hoosiers in a three-set rout, winning the last set by 13 points. The Gophers’ average winning margin per set was just less than nine points, due in large part to their 41 percent hitting percentage. “I think we’re just practicing really hard to do that
in the game,” Santana said. “We got into a good rhythm as a team. We just kept going after the ball, and I think that was good.” While the road weekend was a success, McCutcheon said he was impressed with the progress his team continues to show on a week-toweek basis. “That’s always the goal for us,” he said. The Gophers return to action Friday at home against Iowa. Though players are happy to be home next weekend, they understand the importance of these road trips. “[It’s important], especially when thinking about moving in the [NCAA] tour-
nament and how a lot of the weekends we have to play back-to-back games,” Nora said. “So having today as a feeling for it and a taste of it really helps us, but getting two wins on top of it is awesome.”
VOLLEYBALL RESULTS FRIDAY Minnesota Purdue
1 2 3 4 5 FINAL 17 25 25 21 15 3 25 18 23 25 10 2
SATURDAY Minnesota Indiana
1 2 3 FINAL 25 25 25 3 18 19 12 0
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
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Monday, November 4, 2013
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Banham leads Minnesota in exhibition
Rachel Banham had 21 points, and Amanda Zahui B. scored 14 points. BY DANE MIZUTANI dmizutani@mndaily.com
Minnesota’s women’s basketball team finished up its exhibition slate Saturday with a 69-54 win over Minnesota State-Moorhead at Williams Arena. After a hotly contested first half, the Gophers pulled away in the second en route to the 15-point win. “I thought we played better the other night,” head coach Pam Borton said in a press release. “This was a little bit of a reality check. I thought our players faced adversity out there, but I thought we did some good things.” Unsurprisingly, junior point guard Rachel Banham led Minnesota with 21 points. She wasn’t highly efficient in the game, shooting 5-for-12 from the field, but she made 10 of 11 free throw attempts. Banham has been the Gophers’ best player since she arrived on campus, and the team will continue to rely on her.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RESULTS
MINNESOTA 69, MSU-MOORHEAD 54 MSU-Moorhead Minnesota
34 20 — 54 35 34 — 69
MINNESOTA Player Riche Zahui B. Banham Mullaney Noga Hirt Hedstrom Bailey Johnson McDaniel Total
Min 26 24 27 26 28 8 19 9 20 13 200
FG FT M-A M-A 4-9 2-2 7-14 0-0 5-12 10-11 1-3 0-0 3-4 2-2 1-2 0-0 1-2 0-0 0-2 0-0 1-3 1-3 1-2 2-2 24-53 17-20
Reb O-T Ast PF 1-6 0 2 4-12 1 3 0-4 5 3 0-2 3 0 0-3 1 2 0-3 0 2 0-2 1 0 0-0 0 1 0-4 1 2 0-0 0 2 6-41 12 17
Pts 10 14 21 2 11 2 2 0 3 4 69
MSU-MOORHEAD Player Zabel Strese Handevidt Banasik Thomforde Van Wyhe Roehrich Miller Sannes Strese Rynda Noreen Wixo Total
Min 36 34 19 20 28 18 16 8 11 3 3 2 2 200
FG M-A 5-14 7-14 3-5 2-6 2-17 0-1 2-5 0-1 0-3 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-0 21-69
FT Reb M-A O-T Ast PF 3-4 4-4 2 0 2-2 4-8 0 2 0-1 1-3 1 4 0-2 0-1 1 2 1-2 1-7 4 1 0-0 0-6 2 3 2-3 1-1 1 1 0-0 1-2 0 1 0-0 2-4 0 3 1-2 1-1 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-1 0 0 9-16 18-43 11 17
Pts 14 16 7 4 6 0 6 0 0 1 0 0 0 54
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
She might have a little more help this season, though. While the team’s active roster lists only 10 players, it returns almost everyone from last year’s team. And 6-foot-5-inch center Amanda Zahui B. is in the mix this season.
Minnesota guard Rachel Banham pushes through Illinois’ defense Jan. 28 at Williams Arena.
Zahui B. redshirted last season but has already made an impact in two exhibition games. She had her second straight double-double against MSU-Moorhead and scored 14 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Zahui B. played alongside
senior power for ward Micaëlla Riché for the first time this year. Riché missed the first exhibition with a bum ankle but added 10 points Saturday. Though the Gophers got good minutes from both of their bigs, they were out-
rebounded 43-41 in the game. That’s an area of Minnesota’s game that needs improvement before the official season opener Saturday. “I think we were exposed in some areas,” Borton said in the release, “but it’s a good
EMILY DUNKER, DAILY FILE PHOTO
thing it happened now so that we have a whole week to work on it and get better.” The Gophers of ficially open the regular season at Northern Iowa on Saturday. They return to the Barn for their home opener against Charlotte on Nov. 13.
SWIMMING & DIVING
Gophers swim past Iowa in convincing fashion
BY DAVID NELSON dnelson@mndaily.com
Entering matchups with Iowa over the weekend, the Gophers men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams had a combined 5-1
SWIMMING AND DIVING RESULTS MEN’S Minnesota Iowa
FINAL 174 126
WOMEN’S Minnesota Iowa
FINAL 194 101
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
record. Both teams continued their hot starts to the season against the Hawkeyes. The men’s team won 174-126, and the women’s team won 194-101. Senior co-captain Luke Bushman turned in a solid performance for the men’s team, winning both the 200-meter backstroke and the 400-meter individual medley. “I think this was a meet that proves he’s turned a corner,” head coach Kelly Kremer said. “He’s better now than he’s ever been.” Junior CJ Smith continued his dominance in the distance freestyle, taking home first place in both
the 500- and 1,000-meter events. “He’s really grown a lot, even in the last month,” Kremer said. “He’s become a much better athlete, and it’s been noticeable day-to-day.” In the women’s match, the Gophers were far and away the better team in the pool and won 15 of 16 events. A 16-event sweep would have been an unlikely feat, especially in the Big Ten. “ We b o t h h a v e t h e [same] number of scholarships, and all of us have a lot of great athletes,” Kremer said, “[so] when you have a Big Ten team facing off against another Big Ten team, [a sweep is] pretty
ICHIGO TAKIKAWA, DAILY FILE PHOTO
CJ Smith talks with a teammate after placing first in the 1,000-yard freestyle Oct. 26, 2012. Smith finished in 9:10.98.
rare.” A win in the 100-meter breaststroke saved the Hawkeyes from the sweep. The Gophers will head to Grand Forks, N.D., on
Saturday. For now, though, they’re enjoying their earlyseason success. “It’s the kind of start we wanted to have, so it feels really good,” Kremer said.
“We’ve [got] a long way to go, but we’re definitely doing the things we need to and taking the steps we need to take to have the kind of year we want to have.”
SOCCER
Minnesota falls to Illinois in final game of regular season The Gophers got on the board first, then allowed three consecutive goals. BY JACE FREDERICK jfrederick@mndaily.com
Illinois’ three-goal spurt in eight minutes of the second half doomed the Gophers to a 3-1 loss in the final game of the regular season. The first half of Thursday’s game featured chances for both teams, but none of those chances came to fr uition, and the teams went into the locker room in a scoreless tie. Sophomore for ward Haley Helverson put the Gophers on the board first with a goal in the 54th minute. But redshirt junior forward Jannelle Flaws, the Big Ten’s leading goal scorer, responded in the 69th minute to knot the game up at 1-1. The Gophers committed an own goal in the 77th minute, just a minute after an Illini goal from freshman defender Casey Conine. That made it 3-1, and Minnesota never caught up. The Gophers were outshot 15-5. Freshman keeper Tarah Hobbs tried to keep her team in it with six saves in the contest, but it wasn’t enough. The loss put Minnesota’s Big Ten tour nament hopes in danger for
College students may purchase a lower level ticket on select nights
FOR JUST
$40
UPCOMING GAMES: CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY FILE PHOTO
Minnesota goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs sets up for a kick against Louisiana State on Sept. 6 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.
a moment, but Ohio State lost to Michigan on Saturday night, and Minnesota clinched its spot. The Gophers ear ned the No. 8 seed and will take on top-seeded Nebraska on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in Champaign, Ill. They lost to the Cornhuskers 1-0 on Oct. 20 but outshot Nebraska 20-16 in that game.
Minnesota head coach Stefanie Golan was not available for comment after the loss to Illinois.
SOCCER RESULTS
Minnesota Illinois
1 0 0
2 1 3
FINAL 1 3
SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
Wed. 11/13 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Wed. 11/27 vs. Phoenix Coyotes Visit wild.com/collegenights
Monday, November 4, 2013
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DINKYTOWN
STADUIM VILLAGE
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*It’s Time To Rock and Roll and Get This Show On The Road* Dinkytown Rentals Showcase of Homes, New Lodges, Houses, Duplexes available for 2014 Register today at www.dinkytownrentals.com
CLASSIC CITY APARTMENTS In Dinkytown/Stadium Village Now Accepting Applications for 2014 Rooms, Studios 1 BR, 2 BR, 5 BR Units
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Hair Acute Shampoo Benefits Comprehensive Research Group We are currently looking for 240 Caucasian Females, ages 18-50 to participate in a shampoo study. This study will consist of 2 visits to the Clinical Site. You will be compensated $200 for your participation if you qualify, comply and complete both study visits. Visit 1 (1.5-2 hrs) dates are: November 11, 12 OR 13 Visit 2 (2.5-3 hrs) Dates are: November 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, December 2, 3, 4, OR 5.If you would like to see if you qualify to participate in this study, please call us at 612-781-3400 and ask for the Shampoo Study.
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WHAT: Chicano and Latino Studies Open House WHO: Department of Chicano and Latino Studies WHEN: Noon–1:30 p.m., Wednesday WHERE: 105 Scott Hall, East Bank, Minneapolis PRICE: Free Come and meet our faculty and staff as you learn about our spring courses over a free lunch!
WHAT: Paying the Price for Climate Change: Economic Policy Insights WHO: Heller-Hurwicz Economics Institute WHEN: 5:30 p.m., Thursday WHERE: Indoor Club Room, TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis PRICE: Free Just how much do our climate-changing behaviors cost future generations? What will it take to harness the power of markets and create economic incentives to protect our environment? How can the economics of climate change inform policymakers and the general public? Hear how world-renowned economists answer these questions (and ask your own!) at this Heller-Hurwicz Economics Institute policy roundtable.
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Monday, November 4, 2013
BACKTALK sudoku
horoscopes
Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk. Visit mndaily.com to see the solution to today’s puzzle.
11/04/2013
Thursday’s solution © 2013 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
Today’s Birthday (11/04): You’re the star, and opportunities abound this year. Fix up your home over the next five months. Expect a boost in creativity, partnership and romance during autumn and again in spring.
To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Written By Linda C. Black
Aries (3/21 - 4/19): Today is a 7 — Consider traveling to areas that you’ve been itching to explore, physically or figuratively. The work you’re doing now leads to higher status, especially long
Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 8 — Adventurous communications tempt, and could either distract or further your aim, which is achievable.
Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 9 — Explore what would make your partnerships thrive. Balance play with work. Count wins and losses. There’s plenty to go around.
Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 9 — You’re surrounded by money-making opportunities and by love. Don’t close the door on opportunities.
Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is a 8 — You play and work well with others, and that makes for a pretty fun, productive Monday. Compromise is part of the equation.
Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is an 8 — You’re getting stronger (and more impatient). Even though your self-confidence is on the rise, you can use the encouragement, so don’t dismiss it.
Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is a 7 — A new creative project demands your attention. Put off procrastination until Wednesday. There’s gold in what’s being said, if you listen.
Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 7 — Focus on keeping old commitments. Don’t take the situation or yourself too seriously. Set lofty goals.
Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is an 8 — You may have to take an idea back to the drawing board. Discipline is the key to your radiance. Complete an old project.
Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 9 — Part of you wants to work and be productive; another part wants to play. Figure out how to do both for the most value.
Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is a 9 — Consider family in all decisions. Be loving and kind all around, and magical and unexpected miracles show up. Your creative efforts get quite profitable.
Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 9 — Taking risks can be a good thing. Your ideas get generated with new twists in the face of adversity. Reinvent, imagine and create.
Monday, November 4, 2013
overheard [A guy wipes out and tumbles endover-end on his bike] Old man: “Good thing the young bounce! I would have broke!”
—In front of Johnston Hall
“The girl sent me an invite on ‘Candy Crush,’ and then she came into my work and didn’t even acknowledge me. Clearly she just wanted me for my tickets.”
—The Whole in Coffman Union
Professor: “I don’t get why this class always references America.” Student: “Are you a communist?”
“Hipsters scares me.” “Happy Halloween.”
—Coffman Union
Professor: “Use good social media tonight for Halloween. Let’s just say, thank goodness Facebook wasn’t around when I was in college.”
—St. Paul campus
Looking at Halloween candy: “Diabetes, here I come!!”
—Unknown
—Lind Hall
Professor: “I thought it was going to be snowy and chilly today! It is just mild. If I start stripping up here, don’t get all excited — not very pretty, anyway.” [Silence from the class] Professor: “Oh come on!! I was trying to make you all relax before the test!”
—Unknown
Professor: “Aren’t you glad you’re not a math major? Engineers don’t do that. Engineers don’t fall out of windows.”
—Keller Hall
“Ahh, the backhanded tit slap. Gets me every time.”
—Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering building
What did you overhear? 4Post submissions on the “Overheard at U of M” Facebook group. 4Visit mndaily.com and look for the “Connect with the Daily” box on the homepage. 4Email submissions to overheards@mndaily.com.
crossword
FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 4, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Credit card choice 5 Woman’s address 10 Nosegay 14 Blogger’s “That’s what I think” 15 Like beer in a cooler 16 Vogue rival 17 Mathematician’s “Stay cool!”? 19 Radiant look 20 Signed up for, as a contest 21 Bacon hunks 22 Corrida cry 23 Hors d’oeuvres liver spread 25 Waist-tied kitchen protectors 29 Golfer’s “Stay cool!”? 33 Pinot __: red wine 34 Remove wool from 35 Half of the word “inning” 36 Diver’s “Stay cool!”? 40 “Ewww!” 41 Whistlestop places 42 Former Sony brand 43 Refrigeration mechanic’s “Stay cool!”? 45 Take out a loan 47 Senior advocacy gp. 48 Help out 49 Roller coaster segments 52 Bedroom shoe 57 “If __ a Hammer” 58 Realtor’s “Stay cool!”? 61 Arty NYC section 62 Last new Olds 63 Vicinity 64 Ruffian 65 Black __ spider 66 Legis. meeting DOWN 1 ’80s TV’s “Miami __” 2 “That’s my cue!” 3 Closed 4 Top-shelf 5 Refuges for overnighters
11/4/13
By Marti DuGuay-Carpenter
6 Battery terminal 7 Morse code character 8 Stretchy bandage brand 9 “All the President’s __” 10 Limb for Ahab 11 Spanish stewpot 12 Dinner’s often on him 13 Conifers with pliable wood 18 1982 Disney sci-fi flick 21 Drummer Ringo 23 Chirps from chicks 24 Run __: get credit at the pub 25 Bit of foolishness 26 Cook by simmering 27 Kipling’s “__Tikki-Tavi” 28 Mined find 29 Treaty of __: War of 1812 ender 30 Show again 31 Halved 32 “Horsefeathers!” 34 Clinch, as a deal 37 Sky holder of myth
Thursday’s Saturday’s Puzzle Solved
(c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
38 “Let’s Make a Deal” choice 39 Listening organ 44 What 46-Down totally isn’t 45 Puff up in the wind, as a sail 46 “Garfield” pooch 48 Houston baseballer 49 Shopper’s aid 50 “This can’t be good”
11/4/13
51 Waikiki’s island 53 High-tech handheld gadgets, briefly 54 Go (over) in detail 55 Baaing mas 56 Genetic messengers 58 Espied 59 Yalie 60 Turner of broadcasting
Visit mndaily.com to see the solution to today’s puzzle.
dr. date Dear Doctor Of Love,
When one’s heart and mind are in conflict, which should we ultimately rely on to make a final decision?
—Doctor Of Confusion
Nurse N00b,
Forget the head and the heart duality — it’s all about the gut. The heart is impulsive. It wants you to quit your job and run off to Italy, where you’ll marry your Prince Charming and feed each other spaghetti and meatballs. The glory and glamour will only last a few weeks, and before you know it, you’ll be begging mom and dad for a ticket home. Nothing is ever good enough for the head — it will scrutinize to no end. In the same situation, your head will tell you to stay in the same town working the same job and hanging out with the same friends on the weekend to avoid danger. There are positives and negatives to both, but you can’t go wrong with their oft-avoided counterpart, the gut. The gut won’t feed you lies. It won’t tell you to pack your bags and skip town, but it does know when it’s time to make changes. It takes practice, but you’ll learn to identify your gut feelings in time. Ask yourself what you want, and wait for the corresponding feeling. Don’t jump to impulsivity or obsession — wait for what feels right.
—Dr. Date
Dr. Date,
I’ve known this girl since the first day of college — she’s one of my best friends — and I’ve always had feelings for her. We’re both graduating in the spring and are both unsure of where we’ll end up, so I decided to take a
chance and tell her how I feel. It didn’t go well. She was very sweet about it, but she basically put me in the permanent friend zone. The problem is it’s hard for me to be around her now without feeling sad. What can I do? We have a lot of mutual friends, so I see her and hear about her a lot.
—Anonymous
In The Zone,
I’m sorry. That’s a terrible position to be in, and I feel your pain. We’ve all been there — excluding, perhaps, James Franco — and it never ceases to feel like crap. I know that minor expletive barely encompasses your current situation, but there’s only so much I can say in a school newspaper. If you really care about this girl and she cares about you, your friendship can be just as cool as a relationship. Don’t shake your head. I’m not just saying that. Relationships complicate things and, at our age, can be expected to end within a few years. Friendships, on the other hand, can last infinitely, assuming you don’t do something totally insane. And no, what you did was not insane. You were honest with her, which was the right thing to do. If you hadn’t said anything, the feeling probably would have grown bigger and bigger until it turned into a giant crush monster and love-bit both of your heads off. I hope things don’t stay awkward between you. Give yourself some space for now, but don’t give up on the idea of remaining friends. Sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish between romantic love and friend love. Just because she doesn’t want to date you doesn’t mean the love isn’t there.
—Dr. Date
Need relationship advice? Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com.
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Monday, November 4, 2013
Affordable Care Act takes serious toll BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — Dean Griffin liked the health insurance he purchased for himself and his wife three years ago and thought he’d be able to keep the plan even after the federal Affordable Care Act took effect. But the 64-year-old recently received a letter notifying him the plan was being canceled because it didn’t cover certain benefits required under the law. The Griffins, who live near Philadelphia on the Delaware border, pay $770 monthly for their soon-to-be-terminated health care plan with a $2,500 deductible. The cheapest plan they found on their state insurance exchange was a socalled bronze plan charging a $1,275 monthly premium
with deductibles totaling $12,700. It covers only providers in Pennsylvania, so the couple wouldn’t be able to see the doctors in Delaware whom they’ve used for more than a decade. “We’re buying insurance that we will never use and can’t possibly ever benefit from. We’re basically passing on a benefit to other people who are not otherwise able to buy basic insurance,” said Griffin, who is retired from running an information technology company. The Griffins are among millions of people nationwide who buy individual insurance policies and are receiving notices that those policies are being discontinued because they don’t meet the higher benefit requirements of the new law. They can buy different
policies directly from insurers for 2014 or sign up for plans on state insurance exchanges. While lower-income people could see lower costs because of government subsidies, many in the middle class may get rude awakenings when they access the websites and realize they’ll have to pay significantly more. Those not eligible for subsidies generally receive more comprehensive coverage than they had under their soon-to-be-canceled policies, but they’ll have to pay a lot more. Because of the higher cost, the Griffins are considering paying the federal penalty — about $100 or 1 percent of income next year — rather than buying health insurance. They say they are healthy and don’t typi-
cally run up large health care costs. Dean Griffin said that will be cheaper because it’s unlikely they will get past the nearly $13,000 deductible for the coverage to kick in. Individual health insurance policies are being canceled because the Affordable Care Act requires plans to cover certain benefits, such as maternity care, hospital visits and mental illness. The law also caps annual out-ofpocket costs consumers will pay each year. In the past, consumers could get relatively inexpensive, bare-bones coverage, but those plans will no longer be available. Many consumers are frustrated by what they call forced upgrades as they’re pushed into plans with coverage options they don’t necessarily want. Ken Davis, who manages
a fast food restaurant in Austin, Texas, is recovering from sticker shock after the smallbusiness policy offered by his employer was canceled for the same reasons individual policies are being discontinued. His company pays about $100 monthly for his basic health plan. He said he’ll now have to pay $600 monthly for a mid-tier silver plan on the state exchange. The family policy also covers his 8-yearold son. Even though the federal government is contributing a $500 subsidy, he said the $600 he’s left to pay is too high. He’s considering the penalty. “I feel like they’re forcing me to do something that I don’t want to do or need to do,” Davis, 40, said. Owners of canceled policies have a few options. They
can stay in the same plan for the same price for one more year if they have one of the few plans that were grandfathered in. They can buy a similar plan with upgraded benefits that meets the new standards — likely at a significant cost increase. Or, if they make less than $45,960 for a single adult or $94,200 for a family of four, they may qualify for subsidies. Just because a policy doesn’t comply with the law doesn’t mean consumers will get cancellation letters. They may get notices saying existing policies are being amended with new benefits and will come with higher premiums. Some states, including Virginia and Kentucky, required insurers to cancel old policies and start from scratch instead of beefing up existing ones.
Med school hopefuls will soon see heftier MCAT MCAT u from Page 1
Test Prep pre-health programs director, said becoming familiar with social science material will help potential physicians better understand aspects of their patients’ behavior and overall health. Some pre-med students applauded the new requirements in the social sciences. “We’re treating a society, and we really should know how our society works,” said biochemistr y junior Christopher Jennen, who plans to take the current version of the MCAT. Jennen said it’s important for future medical professionals to be able to relate to people and understand them — two skills that courses in the social sciences will help develop. Zhou agreed. Because doctors deal with people, she said, they should be
personable. “You need to know how to talk to people in a way that will make them feel comfor table around you,” Zhou said. Zhou said she wasn’t overly worried about the change. She said she thought most pre-med students would consider some of the introductory psychology and sociology classes to be less rigorous than some of the hard science courses. Besides extra preparatory work, students who take the new MCAT should expect a long day in the testing room. The 2015 exam will last about 6.5 hours — about two hours longer than the current MCAT, according to the AAMC. Before the transition from paper to the current computer-administered test in 2006, the length was similar. Biology senior Amelia Black, who took the MCAT last spring, said she
thought the current test was long already and she wouldn’t be interested in taking a longer one. “[It] doesn’t sound fun to me,” she said.
Physician shortage The MCAT changes come at a time when the number of primar y care physicians is at a low. Patients are complaining about long wait times and doctors who don’t have as much time for individual patients, Farcy said, because there aren’t enough doctors to go around. Because the baby boomer generation is growing older and will need more medical care, he said, there could be an even greater shortage going forward. But Farcy said he doesn’t expect the changes in the MCAT to deter potential primary care physicians from applying to medical school. Some of the main reasons for the physician
shor tage are a limited number of seats in medical schools and residencies, Farcy said. The AAMC is working with schools to increase the number of seats available, he said. Last year, 284 University students applied to U.S. medical schools, according to the AAMC. Farcy said Kaplan consulted with potential medical students and found that almost none of them said the MCAT changes would discourage them from becoming physicians. Potential medical students are “really a ver y driven, highly motivated group,” he said, and they likely won’t abandon their goals because of a long, rigorous exam. But that doesn’t mean students will enjoy the new MCAT. “I feel bad for the students that are going to have to take it,” Jennen, the biochemistry junior, said. “It is a long test already.”
MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS OFFICERS’ OPINIONS ON THE NEW 2015 MCAT
90%
Support the 2015 changes in the MCAT
75%
The new MCAT will better prepare students for medical school The revamped MCAT will have a similar level of difficulty compared to the current one The revamped MCAT will be more difficult than the current one
55%
43% Of those who visited a social networking site, this percentage found something that negatively impacted the applicant’s chances of admission
Percentage of officers who have Googled an applicant to learn more about him or her Percentage of officers who have visited an applicant’s social networking site to learn more about him or her The revamped MCAT will be easier than the current one
42%
32%
22%
2% SOURCE: KAPLAN TEST PREP 2013 SURVEY
Former Medical School student sues U for discrimination Lawsuit u from Page 1
informally diagnosed Rajpal with depression in 2003, and she entered a depression treatment program at the suggestion of Dr. Shelia Specker, then-chair of the Committee on Student Scholastic Standing. Rajpal also attended therapy sessions and took medication prescribed for her depression, the complaint said.
“I think most medical students would take a suggestion from COSSS as an effective requirement. … It’s not somebody you say no to.” RICHARD WYLIE Defendant’s attorney
University interim general counsel William Donohue did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In its answer to the complaint, the University denied that Rajpal was diagnosed by a student and that Specker recommended treatment. The complaint says Rajpal then sought advice from another physician, who determined she suffered from a sleep disorder, not depression. Rajpal’s attorney, Richard Wylie, said Specker recommended depression treatment in a COSSS hearing. “Dr. Specker was not my client’s choice of a treating doctor,” he said. “I think most medical students would take a suggestion from COSSS as an ef fective requirement. … It’s not somebody you say no to.” The Medical School dismissed Rajpal for poor academic per formance in December 2005, but she
appealed the decision, and the school readmitted her in 2007. The complaint said Rajpal’s medication and other depression treatments caused her poor per formance, which the University denied. Rajpal passed all of her classes for the next two years, according to the complaint. During the 2008-09 school year, Rajpal failed a class and clerkship but subsequently passed them. After Rajpal failed a clerkship in spring 2010, a doctor from Boynton Health Ser vice diagnosed her with an anxiety disorder and recommended she receive test-taking accommodations. At the conclusion of a separate clerkship in summer 2010, the course director told Rajpal she would receive a passing grade for the course but a poor review, according to the complaint. The complaint added that the director also made a racist comment toward Rajpal. In its answer, the University denied these allegations. The Medical School again dismissed Rajpal about a week later for poor academic performance. Wylie said the alleged racist r emarks demonstrate that the University considered Rajpal’s ethnicity in the decision to dismiss her. “I think at the ver y least, it means that her ethnic background was on their minds,” he said. The complaint said Rajpal would have passed her classes if she had been given recommended testtaking accommodations. According to the complaint and answer, Disability Ser vices told the Medical School about these accommodations in 2010, in accordance with University policy. The University recog-
RAJPAL V. U OF M TIMELINE 2002
Preeti Rajpal begins attending the University of Minnesota Medical School
2003
Rajpal is diagnosed with and begins treatment for depression
2005
Medical school dismisses Rajpal for poor academic performance
2007
Summer: Rajpal readmitted to Medical School on appeal
2010
May: Comittee on Student Scholastic Standing proposes to dismiss Rajpal for poor academic performance
2010
July: Physician diagnoses Rajpal with anxiety and reccommends the University give her testing accommodations
2010
August: COSSS dismisses Rajpal from Medical School
2010
December: Rajpal appeals dismissal decision
2011
January: COSSS denies Rajpal’s appeal
2011
February: Rajpal appeals University decision
2012
August: Rajpal appeals decision to Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Vice Provost
2012
August: Provost denies Rajpal’s appeal
2013
October: Rajpal files civil complaint
2013
October: University files answer to complaint
SOURCE: COURT DOCUMENTS
nizes anxiety and depression as disabilities and offers testing accommodations like more time and a private space, according to Disability Services. Wylie said he can’t speculate whether the case will go to trial but cited the fact that fewer than 5 percent of cases go to trial. He wouldn’t say the dollar amount of damages Rajpal is seeking.