MEN’S BASKETBALL
Walker’s return strengthens frontcourt
A&E
CAMPUS & METRO
Vodka: 1, You: 0.
Also, a brawl broke out after bar close in Dinkytown on Saturday.
Man assaulted, robbed outside University Village
The fashionista is in: Dressing after drinking
Gophers center Mo Walker sat out the first six games due to a suspension.
u See PAGE 8
u See PAGE 12
u See PAGE 7
MINNEAPOLIS
A task force of professors and students is weighing the future of two University of Minnesota colleges — and it’s asking for input. The group is considering whether to combine the College of Biological Sciences and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. In the process, it will be listening to the concerns of students, faculty, staff and external stakeholders. The University first announced the possible merger in September. In January, the 19-member task force will send a report detailing the advantages and disadvantages of a combined college to Karen Hanson, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. Hanson and University President Eric Kaler will then make the final deci-
u See TASK FORCE Page 5 University members remain split on the possible merger.
A different kind of crime PERCENTAGE OF CRIMES THAT ARE ROBBERIES OR ASSAULTS 16.4% 14%
9% 7.7%
JULIET FARMER, DAILY
Business and education marketing sophomore Alex Granquist stands outside his home in Dinkytown on Sunday. Granquist was robbed at gunpoint on his porch at 3 a.m. on Nov. 20 after biking home from a friend’s house.
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Violent crime is down, but some say campus feels more dangerous. BY KIA FARHANG AND NICK STUDENSKI mfarhang@mndaily.com nstudenski@mndaily.com
Editor’s note: This is the second in a four-part series on perceptions of crime on campus. Look for the third and fourth installments next week. Crime is changing at the University of Minnesota. As police continue to
send alerts of violent incidents on and around campus, they say they’re seeing more out-of-town suspects come to the campus area to prey on students. Of ficials say it’s common for criminals to flock to populated areas, and the problem of out-of-town suspects is not unique to the University community. And though crimes described in email alerts are violent, they make up a small portion of total incidents around the University. But amid the overall downward trend in crime, some say they think the recent incidents seem more
FACULTY
Sources: U-Fed ties still intact The Mpls. Federal Reserve let two U economists go last month. BY ROY AKER raker@mndaily.com
The Federal Reser ve Bank of Minneapolis’ choice to sever ties with two University of Minnesota economists has stirred controversy, but some in the University’s Depar tment of Economics say it
won’t adversely affect the department’s long-standing relationship with the Minneapolis Fed. Economics professor Patrick Kehoe and adjunct associate professor Ellen McGrattan were both monetar y advisers for the Minneapolis Fed, but they were let go last month. Kehoe was removed immediately, and McGrattan will finish out her contract, which lasts until January. The Minneapolis Fed has shared research economists and graduate assis-
tants with the University for decades, said Christopher Phelan, chair of the University’s economics department. He said he expects no hiccups in the University’s relationship with the bank. Fabrizio Perri, another monetar y adviser at the Minneapolis Fed, is currently on leave from his job as a University economics professor. “Although many of us are bothered by these recent events, economic research is alive and well here
in Minnesota,” he said in an email. Most staf f members in the Minneapolis Fed’s research depar tment and the University’s economics department are working to move forward, he said. Edward Prescott, a Nobel Prize-winning economist at Arizona State University and senior monetar y adviser at the Minneapolis Fed, said he’s not u See FED Page 4 Prescott said the Fed president hasn’t been open with staff.
WRESTLING
Rangell trades paintball for the mat A former paintball pro, Conrad Rangell is a redshirt junior for the Gophers. BY NATE GOTLIEB ngotlieb@mndaily.com
Not many athletes can say they’ve embarked on a professional athletics career before college. Gophers wrestler Conrad Rangell can. Rangell spent five years playing professional paintball and returned to school in 2010. He won California community college state wrestling championships in 2010 and 2011 before transferring to Minnesota in fall 2012. At 26, Rangell is the Gophers’ oldest wrestler, even though he’s just a redshirt junior. “Sometimes I even forget how old I am with the
guys I’m hanging around with,” he said. “Sometimes they have to remind me with the old man jokes and stuff like that.” But Rangell’s coaches seem to appreciate his work ethic and maturity. “It’s always tough when you get to a D-I level,” head assistant coach Brandon Eggum said. “With him being more mature, he’s made that adjustment very well.”
From the mat to the field
Rangell star ted wrestling in four th grade and lost ever y match as the 63-pound starter at Clovis East High School. “I couldn’t handle losing,” he said. “So I had to keep trying.” Rangell steadily improved and ear ned four varsity letters before graduating in 2005. As a senior, he finished second at the
6% 6% DOWNTOWN
BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com
sion, though a date for that hasn’t been set, said Michael Sadowsky, the task force co-chair. Listening sessions facilitated by University-hired firm The Inventure Group begin Wednesday and continue through Dec. 18. In addition to the 11 listening sessions, the task force is reviewing more than 700 sur vey responses from students, staff, faculty and outside constituents, Sadowsky said. Honest feedback from all stakeholders is vital to the report, he said. “We want people to have the freedom to talk,” he said. The decision will have far-reaching effects. CFANS’ future is cr ucial to the state’s soybean production, said Paul Meints, research programs manager at the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. MSGA donates about $1 million annually to University research and extension activities, he said.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM
UNIVERSITY
Officials are inviting input on the possible CBS/ CFANS merger.
DECEMBER 3, 2013
PROSPECT PARK
Merger task force takes temp
CRIME
TUESDAY
MARCY-HOLMES
NEW COLLEGE
ST PAUL
COMO
U OF M
CEDAR-RIVERSIDE
RAIN/SNOW HIGH 37° LOW 19°
violent and bold than those in the past.
Crimes becoming more ‘brazen’
Crime across the University area is trending downward, and many of ficials say the recent crimes aren’t far of f from historical trends. But others say the recent incidents seem different. Ryan Allen, an assistant
professor in the Humphrey School of Public Af fairs, said recent crimes around campus appear more aggressive than past incidents during his six years at the University. Allen pointed specifically to the attempted armed robber y in Anderson Hall last month. In that incident, a u See CRIME Page 12 Local nightlife may draw criminals to the campus area.
GREEK LIFE
Multicultural sorority returns to campus Delta Sigma Theta is relaunching after low numbers closed it in 2008. BY MELISSA BERMAN mberman@mndaily.com
Delta Sigma Theta, a historically black sorority, returned to the University of Minnesota and Augsburg College this fall after an almost six-year absence. Now, seven founding members — six from the University and one from Augsburg — want to add to the University’s multicultural greek organizations and breathe new life into the restored Twin Cities chapter,
which folded in 2008 due to low membership. Danita Brown Young, the University’s vice provost for student af fairs and dean of students, was a member of Delta Sigma Theta while she attended Kent State University. She’s still active in the sorority’s Twin Cities alumnae chapter. When Br own Young took her post at the University this summer, she identified strengthening the campus’s greek community as one of her main goals. B r o w n Yo u n g s a i d greek life addresses issues u See SORORIT Y Page 4 Delta Sigma Theta is one of five multicultural sororities at the U.
HIGHER ED
Franken pushes for more open textbooks A bill he co-wrote could save students $1,200 per year on average. HOLLY PETERSON, DAILY
University of Minnesota wrestler Conrad Rangell spent five years playing professional paintball before returning to school in 2010.
2005 California Interscholastic Federation state wrestling championships in the 125-pound class. Rangell’s only scholarship offer was from Fresno State, which was about to cut its wrestling program. He instead pursued paintball, a sport he was intro-
duced to at a friend’s birthday party in seventh grade. “I just liked it so much,” Rangell said. “It was kind of like my break from wrestling.” u See WRESTLING Page 7 Rangell went 24-11 with the Gophers last season.
BY NATHANIEL RABUZZI AND JESSICA LEE nrabuzzi@mndaily.com jlee@mndaily.com
Congress is mulling a proposal that would promote the use of free online educational materials nationwide — an action higher education advocates say is crucial to combat the rising costs of textbooks. U.S. Sens. Al Franken,
D-Minn., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced a bill last month to implement opensource textbook programs, a move that follows the University of Minnesota’s increased use of the platform. T raditional textbook prices rose more than 80 percent from 2002 to 2012, according to a June report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The bill would establish a grant program to help develop open-source textbook programs at universities u See TEXTBOOKS Page 3 The bill and its counterpart in the House are both in committee.
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 52
2
Daily Review
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1947 Marlon Brando’s famous cry of “Stella!” first booms across a Broadway stage, electrifying the audience at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre during the first-ever performance of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire. HISTORYCHANNEL.COM/TDIH
VIDEO Vol. 115 Tuesday, December 3, 2013, No. 52
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Americans turn to mobile devices for Cyber Monday BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Power up and shop. Millions of Americans logged on to e-commerce sites Monday to take advantage of deals ranging from free shipping to hundreds of dollars off electronics and half-price clothing on what was expected to be the busiest Internet shopping day of the year. And many of those purchases were made using mobile devices. The spending surge associated with Cyber Monday came after a disappointing Thanksgiving holiday weekend in stores. It also showed that shoppers are increasingly comfortable buying on tablets and smartphones. Joel Anderson, president and CEO of Walmart.com, said 2013 would be the “tipping point” for mobile shopping. Early results indicated online shopping was up 17. 5 percent compared with the same time last year, according to figures by IBM Benchmark. Mobile devices accounted for more than 29
percent of all online traffic. Brandon Harris, 27, from Memphis, Tenn., star ted shopping at midnight Sunday and by Monday had spent around $300 and completed half of his Christmas shopping, including a Barbie doll for his niece and a TV for his mother. “I haven’t shopped for a Christmas present in a store in three years,” he said, making purchases from his iPad instead. “It’s a lot more convenient to be at home and shop.” The National Retail Federation, a trade group, predicted that more than 131 million people would shop online Monday, up about 2 percent from last year. Meanwhile, UPS expected to pick up more than 32 million packages on Monday, about a million more than on the same day last year. Research firm comScore forecast Cyber Monday sales of $2 billion, up from about $1.47 billion last year. Online sales account for about 10 percent of total holiday spending, which was projected to grow about 3.9 percent to
$602.1 billion for the months of November and December. Anderson predicted that Cyber Monday would be the site’s busiest day ever. More than half of Walmart.com’s traffic came from smartphones and tablets on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. He expected the same to be true on Monday. “2013 is the year online went mobile,” Anderson said. Arthur Baynes, 30, was checking out email deals on his smartphone. The travel insurance claims adjuster from Richmond, Va., was looking for a new TV and Blu-Ray games for his younger relatives. “When I’m looking for something, I’ll look it up on my phone and then use the Amazon app on my iPad to buy,” he said Monday. “It’s just easier. I don’t have to sit down where my computer is.” Cyber Monday comes after retailers failed to boost spending during the holiday weekend. They offered big discounts in early November, and several opened stores on Thanksgiving Day. But the NRF predicted that spending
fell for the first time, down 2.9 percent to $57.4 billion, during the four days that ended Sunday. About 81 percent of retailers planned to offer deals specifically for Cyber Monday, according to the NRF’s online arm, called Shop.org. The name Cyber Monday was coined in 2005 by Shop.org to encourage people to shop online. After retailers revved up deals for the day, it became the busiest online shopping day in 2010. But since then, retailers have expanded deals, stretching them into Cyber Week or even Cyber Month. This year, retailers such as Amazon and Wal-Mar t rolled out online deals beginning in November. Belus Capital management analyst Brian Sozzi said that will probably become typical of the start of the holiday shopping season. “The consumer has become immune to Cyber Monday and Cyber Week,” he said. “They just want the discounts continually once the calendar hits November.”
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United Nations Envoy says China has to fly drones over right to set air zone eastern Congo BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KINSHASA, Congo — A new fleet of drones will make their maiden voyage this week in Congo’s troubled east, where one rebel group was recently disarmed, but many more continue to occupy the area’s thick jungles. United Nations peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said the five drones will be “an essential tool” in the peacekeeping mission’s military plan. Now that the M23 rebel group has been defeated, he said the U.N. needs to turn its attention to other militias operating in eastern Congo. Among them are the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, started by extremist Hutus from Rwanda who took part in that country’s 1994 genocide, then fled across the border into Congo. “We need to take care of the FDLR, the ADF, the Mai Mai,” said Ladsous in French after arriving in Congo’s capital on Sunday. He is travelling to Goma for the launch of the drone program on Tuesday. “We are going to use these machines and they will have an important deterring effect.” The U.N. Security Council gave approval in January for the trial use of unarmed drones for intelligence gathering in eastern Congo. United Nations spokesman Martin Nesirky said last week that the world body’s peacekeeping division had chosen a model produced by Italian firm Selex ES, known as the Falco. It’s capable of carrying several types of high-resolution sensors, and will be used to monitor the movement of armed groups. After years of criticism for alleged inaction, the U.N. has recently taken a more aggressive role in Congo’s conflict, and a special U.N. intervention brigade created in March was instrumental in helping defeat the M23 rebel group last month.
MANILA, Philippines — China has a sovereign right to establish a maritime air defense zone over another region as it did in the East China Sea, the Chinese envoy to the Philippines said Monday. The United States and key Asian allies have not honored the East China Sea zone, which was announced on Nov. 23 and is seen primarily as a bid to bolster China’s claim over uninhabited Japanese-controlled islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The Philippines is locked in a long territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. When asked to comment about concerns that China might set up a similar zone over the South China Sea, Ambassador Ma Keqing said in a news conference that it was within the right of the Chinese government to decide “where and when to set up the new air identification zone.” But she added she could not tell at this time if China would do so. Ma said that the East China Sea zone’s designation should not spark concerns. “I think the target is not to trigger a conflict but to prevent, to pre-empt any tension to be raised in these areas,” Ma said. “This will not hinder any normal freedom of flights within this area if they’ve notified the Chinese authorities.” The new U.S. ambassador to Manila, Philip Goldberg, described China’s move as dangerous. “We do not believe that this is a move intended to build confidence or, in any other way, improve the situation,” Goldberg told reporters. Instead, China’s new zone “will create tension and the possibility of miscalculations and that’s never good, especially in an area where we know that, whether it’s over the Senkakus or ... the South China Sea.”
EXTENDED WEATHER FORECAST WEDNESDAY HIGH 22° LOW 6° Snow
THURSDAY HIGH 11° LOW -9° Mostly cloudy
FRIDAY HIGH 5° LOW -11° Partly sunny
SATURDAY HIGH 4° LOW -10° Sunny
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errors@mndaily.com The Minnesota Daily strives for complete accuracy and corrects its errors immediately. Corrections and clarifications will always be printed in this space. If you believe the Daily has printed a factual error, please call the readers’ representative at (612) 627–4070, extension 3057, or email errors@mndaily.com immediately. THE MINNESOTA DAILY is a legally independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is a student-written and student-managed newspaper for the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus. The Daily’s mission is: 1) to provide coverage of news and events affecting the University community; 2) to provide a forum for the communication and exchange of ideas for the University community; 3) to provide educational training and experience to University students in all areas of newspaper operations; and 4) to operate a fiscally responsible organization to ensure its ability to serve the University in the future. The Daily is a member of the Minnesota News Council, the Minnesota Associated Press, the Associated Collegiate Press, The Minnesota Newspaper Association and other organizations. The Daily is published Monday through Thursday during the regular school year and weekly during the summer, and it is printed by ECM Publishers in Princeton, Minn. Midwest News Service distributes the 22,000 issues daily. All Minnesota Daily inserts are recyclable within the University of Minnesota program and are at least 6 percent consumer waste. One (1) copy of The Minnesota Daily per person is free at newsstands in and around the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. Additional copies may be purchased for 25 cents each. U.S. Postal Service: 351–480.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
TRIPOLI, Lebanon — The government authorized the army Monday to take charge of security in Lebanon’s second-largest city of Tripoli for six months following deadly sectarian clashes by rival sides stemming from the civil war in neighboring Syria. Many fear that the violence in Tripoli — only 18 miles from the Syrian border — could tip the rest of Lebanon back toward chaos. At least 12 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the latest fighting that broke out Saturday. The decision by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati after a high-level security meeting at the presidential palace is meant to allay fears that the fighting was spreading out of control in the northern port city. But the army is weak and has been largely unable to stop the violence. Dozens of soldiers have been killed and wounded in Tripoli this year, often caught in the crossfire between rival gunmen. Sectarian clashes linked to the war in Syria often flare in Tripoli between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanon is divided into a patchwork of sects, including Sunnis, Shiites and Christians. Syria’s rebels are dominated by its Sunni Muslim majority, and Lebanese Sunnis mostly support their brethren across the border, while Lebanese Shiites have staked their future with the Assad regime. The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah has played a critical role in recent battlefield victories for forces loyal to Assad. The fighting in Tripoli is concentrated between two impoverished, rival neighborhoods. The Bab Tabbaneh district is largely Sunni Muslim, as are most of the Syrian rebels fighting Assad’s rule. Residents of Jabal Mohsen, a neighborhood perched on a hill, are mostly from his Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. But the violence in recent days has taken a more ominous turn, spreading to include other parts of Tripoli as snipers took up positions on rooftops, and gunbattles and rocket fire raged out of control. On Monday, schools, universities and some businesses were mostly closed as occasional gunfire rang out. Tripoli’s landmark Abu Ali Square — usually packed with cars, pedestrians and shoppers — was largely deserted as ambulances took casualties to hospitals. Lebanese militar y armored vehicles patrolled, sometimes helping carr y terrified civilians to safe places. At one point, a brown BMW sped toward an army checkpoint near the square and screeched to a halt. The shaken driver jumped out and shouted to the troops, “I have two soldiers who were shot in the neck.” The officers ran toward him, looked at the wounded soldiers in the car and said, “Take them straight to the hospital.” The car sped away.
A soldier said the two wounded officers had been of f duty and were going home in the nor thern region of Akkar when they were hit by sniper fire. On Sunday night, announcements were made thr ough mosque loudspeakers for people to move to lower floors to avoid being hit by bullets or shells. “I am wor ried about Tripoli,” said Khaled Tutunji, who works at a construction material shop near Abu Ali Square. “In the past, we did not know who is a Sunni and who is Alawite,” he said as he stood beside an armored personnel carrier as cracks of gunfire echoed from a distance. Tensions soared in the city in August, following twin bombings outside Sunni mosques that killed 47 people and wounded scores. Authorities ar r ested several members of the pro-Assad Arab Democratic Par ty on suspicion they were involved and they summoned the group’s leader, Ali Eid, for questioning. He has refused to go to the police intelligence office, saying he did not trust them to be impartial. His son, Rifaat, said his father is ready to go to any security agency other than the police intelligence office, which many pro-Syrians accuse of being dominated by anti-Assad officers. Since he refused to show up for questioning, a wave of attacks against Alawites intensified and more than a dozen members of the sect have been shot in the legs in Sunni neighborhoods. An unknown group named “Families of the (mosque) Victims” claimed responsibility for the shootings. Saturday’s clashes er upted after an Alawite was shot in the leg while in a Sunni neighborhood. Following the security meeting that included President Michel Suleiman and army commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji, Mikati said the army was to take charge of security for six months. The army would carr y out patrols and implement ar rest war rants issued for fugitives in the city, he added. In Beirut, a security official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media said 600 policemen from dif ferent par ts of Lebanon will be sent to Tripoli to help improve security, working under the army’s command. Mazen Kotb, a cur tain maker in Tripoli, said his business has fallen by 70 percent because of the tensions. Many of his clients were Alawites who don’t dare to come to his shop, he said. “What is happening in Tripoli pains my hear t,” Kotb said as he checked his Facebook page on a computer screen on his desk. He said he wanted to ask for a new identity card that does not include his sect, adding he fears he might be shot in the leg if he goes into Alawite areas. The nearly 3-year-old civil war in Syria has killed more than 100,000 people.
Textbooks u from Page 1
across the countr y, similar to the University’s open textbook library created by the College of Education and Human Development. S i n c e l a s t y e a r, 1 1 CEHD faculty members have used open textbooks in their course curricula. The move saved students about $145,000 over three semesters, according to CEHD director of academic technology David Ernst. Minnesota Student Legislative Coalition Chairperson Matt Forstie said the University is on the forefront of the movement to deter textbook costs, but it should consider expanding open textbook libraries elsewhere. “This is the future of course content in higher education,” he said. Six states have passed legislation in the last four years to either create educational laptop programs or change the definition of a “textbook” to include digital content and the resources necessar y to utilize digital content. Minnesota State University Student Association Executive Director Elsbeth Howe said she plans to advocate next session to cut textbook prices in Minnesota and increase open enrollment resources. The bill is an encouraging step to help cut costs of textbooks nationwide, she said. U.S. Public Interest Re-
U.S. LEGISLATURES RECOGNIZE DIGITAL LEARNING States that have passed legislation in the last four years to either change the definition of a “textbook” to include digital content, and the resources necessary to utilize digital content, or create laptop programs for teaching
2010 2011 2011
2011 10
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Franken pushes for more free online textbooks
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Lebanese army taking over in crucial location
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2009
SOURCE: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
search Group higher education associate Ethan Senack, who worked with Durbin to create the bill, said it would lessen textbook publishers’ control on the market. “We really want to see publishers reform their practices and offer students a fair deal,” he said. University Bookstores Director Bob Crabb said about 82 percent of textbook sales go directly to publishers. Increasing open textbook use would lower overall prices as demand shifts, he said. Forstie said the open textbook legislation puts “competitive pressure” on publishers to change how they serve consumers.
According to a 2011 college student sur vey by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, about 70 percent of respondents said they had not purchased a textbook at least once due to cost. Ariel Diaz, founder and CEO of the open-textbook company Boundless Learning, wrote in an email statement that the legislation’s discussion is happening at the right time. “With the cost of higher education skyrocketing, it’s important that we usher in an affordable, digital, posttextbook era,” he said in the statement. Geography assistant professor Kurt Kipfmueller
said he’s considered removing required readings from his curriculum because of the cost. “Textbook costs are out of control as far as I’m concerned,” he said. If passed, the bill would direct the U.S. Department of Education to establish the grant program and determine which schools are eligible, Franken said in an email statement. The bill is sitting in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The bill’s House companion, authored by Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Texas, is in the committee on education and the workforce.
New Egypt charter sets powers for military BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAIRO — Extensive amendments of the constitution adopted under Egypt’s ousted Islamist president give the military more privileges, enshrining its place as the nation’s most powerful institution and the source of real power, while removing parts that liberals feared set the stage for the creation of an Islamic state. The new draft constitution is a key first step in implementing a political transition laid down by the military after it removed Mohammed Morsi from power. A 50 member panel declared the draft finished Monday, paving the way for a nationwide referendum within 30 days to ratify the document. The military-backed government has heralded the draft charter as a step toward democracy — seeking to prove the credentials of the post-Morsi system amid continuing protests by Islamists furious over the coup against the country’s first freely elected president. The amended document enshrines personal and political rights in stronger language than past constitutions. But rights experts express fears that the political power carved out for the military could leave those rights irrelevant. One key clause states that for the next two presidential terms, the armed forces will
enjoy the exclusive right of naming the defense minister, an arrangement that gives the military autonomy above any civilian oversight and leaves the power of the president uncertain. The charter does not say how the post will be filled following that eight-year transitional period. “This just paves the way for a bigger role for the army in becoming the main power broker,” said Hossam el-Hamalawy, a leading member of the Revolutionary Socialists movement, a key player in the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for 29 years. The run-up to the referendum is likely to be contentious. Egypt’s new leadership is pushing for the revised charter to win by a greater margin than the 2012 one, which was the country’s first post-Mubarak constitution and was largely drafted by Morsi’s Islamist allies. That document won a December 2012 referendum with about 64 percent of the vote, but with a low turnout of little more than 30 percent. A bigger margin and stronger turnout now could be touted as a show of the legitimacy of the post-coup system. Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and its followers, however, reject the new government and the entire transition process, demanding Morsi’s return — and they are likely to push ahead with protests
to try to derail the new document. Some secular activists will also likely campaign against the new charter because of the power it gives the military. The constitutional panel, appointed by the government and dominated by liberals, worked mainly behind closed doors. On Monday, with their work completed, the members praised the 67-page draft. “It is now the right of every Egyptian to declare that this is their constitution,” said Bishop Bola, the representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church on the panel. “I believe this is a constitution for a civic, modern and democratic state in 90 percent of its articles. It’s a leap in Egypt’s life and I hope people vote for it in large numbers,” said leftist politician and panel member Hussein Abdel-Razik. The one ultraconservative Islamist on the panel, Mohammed Ibrahim Mansour of the al-Nour Party, said the document struck a good balance between the teachings of Islam and civil freedoms. His support comes despite the removal of several provisions that ultraconservative Islamists had introduced into the Morsi-era charter, worrying liberals who feared they could be a prelude toward stricter implementation of Islamic law, or Shariah. The new version retains Article 2, which says the “principles” of Shariah are the
basis for legislation, a phrase that has been in all Egyptian constitutions since the 1970s. But it removes a Morsiera provision that gave a more precise definition for “principles” that could have been used to legislate stricter Islamic law. It also deletes a reference to a role for Al-Azhar, the countr y’s main Islamic institution, in overseeing legislation. The new char ter also goes further than its predecessors in guaranteeing freedom of expression and other rights. It criminalizes torture and ensures equality between men and women, as well as women’s and children’s rights. It guarantees the freedom of belief as “absolute.” It also empowers lawmakers to remove the president with a two-thirds majority, forces the president to declare his financial assets and bans political par ties founded on religion, sect or region. Artists, writers and filmmakers are guaranteed unbridled freedom to create. But the power of the military enshrined in the document raises concerns that those rights could be undermined. The new draft removes some loopholes that Mubarak’s military-backed regime used to get around rights guarantees — but there are fears that rights could be swept under the rug in the name of security.
Updated healthcare.gov receives mixed reviews from users nationwide BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FOR T LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Counselors helping people use the federal government’s online health exchange are giving mixed reviews to the updated site, with some zipping through the application process while others are facing the same old sputters and even crashes. The Obama administration had promised a vastly improved shopping experience on healthcare.gov by the end of November, and Monday was the first business day since the date passed. Brokers and online assisters in Utah say three of every four people successfully signed up for health coverage on the online within an hour
of logging in. A state official overseeing North Dakota’s navigators said he had noticed improvements in the site, as did organizations helping people sign up in parts of Alabama and Wisconsin. But staffers at an organization in South Florida and a hospital group with locations in Iowa and Illinois said they have seen no major improvements from the federal website, which 36 states are relying on. Amanda Crowell, director of revenue cycle for UnityPoint Health-Trinity, which has four hospitals in Iowa and Illinois, said the organization’s 15 enrollment counselors did not see a marked improvement on the site. “We had very high hopes
for today, but those hopes were very much quashed,” said Crowell. She said out of a dozen attempts online only one person was able to get to the point of plan selection, though the person decided to wait. The site appeared to generally run smoothly early Monday morning before glitches began slowing people down. By 10 a.m., federal health officials deployed a new queue system that stalls new visitors on a waiting page so that those further along in the process can finish their application with fewer problems. About 750,000 had visited the site by Monday night — about double the traffic for a typical Monday, according
to figures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Roberta Vann, a certified application counselor at the Hamilton Health Center, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said the site worked well for her Monday morning but she became frustrated later when the site went down. “You can get to a point, but it does not allow you to select any plans, you can’t get eligibility (information). It stops there,” she said. “The thought of it working as well as it was didn’t last long.” In South Florida, John Foley and his team of navigators were only able to successfully enroll one of a handful of return applicants
who came to their office before glitches started, including wonky estimates for subsidy eligibility. He worried about how they would fare with the roughly 50 other appointments scheduled later in the week. Although frustrated, most were not deterred, he said. “These are people that have policies going away, who have health problems. These are people that are going to be very persistent,” said Foley, an attorney and certified counselor for Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County. Despite the Obama administration’s team of technicians working around the clock, it’s not clear if the site will be able to handle the
surge of applicants expected by the Dec. 23 deadline to enroll for coverage star ting at the beginning of the year. Many navigators also say they’re concerned the bad publicity plaguing the troubled website will prevent people from giving the system another try. Federal health officials acknowledged the website is still a work in progress. They’ve also acknowledged the impor tance of fixing back-end problems as insurers struggle to process applications because of incomplete or inaccurate data. Even when consumers think they’ve gone through the whole process, their information may not get to the insurer without problems.
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Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Panel calls for overhaul of Minn. sex offender law BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota must make it easier for sex offenders to finish a treatment program that for most has resulted in indefinite state custody, and should try to get politics out of the screening process, a task force said Monday. The 22-member panel r ecommended a major overhaul of the state’s sex offender laws, throwing the complex and contentious issue into the hands of state lawmakers ahead of the 2014 session. The task force recommended taking decisions about civil commitment of sex of fenders out of the hands of local judges, and giving them instead to a statewide panel of retired judges. The panel also proposes the creation of a state unit for screening individual offenders and the risk they present based on “the most current and accurate science.” That unit should be “insulated from political influence,” the task force report says. “We tried to make the process more rational,” said the task force’s chairman, former state Supreme Cour t Chief Justice Eric Magnuson. “Something that’s easier to understand, more objective and that
leaves politics out of it to the greatest extent possible in terms of both commitment and release.” The panel was convened by the state’s commissioner of human ser vices and charged with recommending legislative changes in the face of a federal class action lawsuit that has raised concerns about the constitutionality of the Minnesota Sex Of fender Program. Minnesota has more sex offenders in civil commitment per capita than any other state, and in the program’s 19 years only one person has ever been discharged from prisonlike treatment facilities in Moose Lake and St. Peter. “There is broad consensus that the current system of civil commitment of sex of fenders in Minnesota captures too many people and keeps many of them too long,” the report says. Still, even backers of sweeping changes acknowledged the politically explosive potential of any move that it likely to result in dozens of sex offenders being released back into communities with less supervision. Under current law, local prosecutors can pursue commitment for sex offenders without any independent evaluation of whether they pose a threat. The task force recommends that
prosecutors still be able to pursue commitment, but says r ecommendations from the proposed screening unit should be admissible as evidence. Further, instead of leaving commitment decisions to local judges, the task force recommends the creation of a statewide civil commitment court; the current state Supreme Cour t chief justice would choose retired judges to staf f its ranks. The task force also recommends that defense attorneys be hired to represent people in civil commitment proceedings, at state expense. The task force is recommending a “bifurcated” commitment process in which the court would first decide if a person belongs in the program; and if so, whether they should be confined in Moose Lake or St. Peter, or alternatively allowed to live in a less restrictive but still supervised setting. Anyone committed to the program would also automatically get a case review once every two years, under another task force recommendation. “Not ever ybody in the program is the same,” said Rep. Tina Liebling, DFLRochester, who ser ved on the task force. “We do need the highest security for some ver y dangerous
people. But there are others who don’t fit that category, and we need the flexibility to put them someplace that might not be behind razor wire.” Of the 698 people now enrolled in the program, 52 have never been convicted of an adult crime. “No person should be civilly committed based solely on behavior that occurred while that person was a juvenile,” the report said. Magnuson warned that if the Legislature failures to fix the program it risk having it dismantled by a federal judge. But the issue could get ensnared in election-year politics as November 2014 approaches. After facing criticism from a potential Republican opponent, Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton halted the provisional release of offenders until the Legislature has a chance to act. He also delayed a decision about where to place a new, less restrictive state treatment facility after a public outcr y from residents in Cambridge, where it was to be located. Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers have called for a political truce on the issue, even as some legislators have countered that the judicial threat to the program has been overblown.
Jesse Owens’ Olympic medal up for auction BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. — Amid the jerseys and baseball bats held in a secure room at SCP Auctions, there’s a piece of sports memorabilia that speaks to much more than athletic prowess: an Olympic medal won by track star Jesse Owens at the 1936 Games in Berlin. The medal — being auctioned online — recalls both the Nazi propaganda myths that Owens busted with his world record-setting 100-yard dash, and the American segregation that he came home to when he returned to the U.S. after the Games, which Adolf Hitler had orchestrated to showcase his ideas of Aryan supremacism. “Almost singlehandedly, Owens obliterated Hitler’s plans,” SCP Auctions partner Dan Imler said. “You’ve got an African American, son of a sharecropper, grandson of slaves who overcame these incredible circumstances and delivered a performance for the ages.” Owens won gold in the 100- and 200-meters, the 400 relay and the long jump. But when he returned from the Berlin Games, he struggled to provide for his family. His job options were limited by segregation and because he decided to return home instead of going on tour with the U.S. Olympic Team,
he was stripped of his amateur athletic status. “When they came back, the U.S. was just as it was when he left — segregated. Even though he came back an Olympic hero, he wasn’t offered opportunities that Olympic heroes of today are offered,” said his daughter, Marlene Owens Rankin, 74, of Chicago. “We lived well, a middle class life. We didn’t want for much. But like many black men of that era, he struggled to provide for his family.” Owens gave one of his four Olympic gold medals to dancer and movie star Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, another supremely talented African-American whose career was hemmed in by limited roles for black men, Imler said. Robinson befriended Owens after the athlete return from the Olympics. “They formed a friendship and also a professional relationship. Bojangles helped Owens get work in the entertainment field,” Imler said. “Owens gave him this medal out of gratitude and as a token of their friendship.” Owens worked for a short time as a band leader but eventually returned to his hometown of Cleveland where he worked for the parks department and eventually found his way into public speaking, his daughter said.
Biden visits Asia amid toxic ties 1 dead after altercation at KC stadium between Japan and South Korea BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEOUL, South Korea — When South Korean fans at a soccer game against Japan unfurled two massive banners honoring men considered national heroes for battling Japanese invaders, organizers took them down, Tokyo gr umbled — and South Koreans cheered yet another sign of defiance against their former colonizer. “It was childish. Still, a par t of me thought, well, it ser ves them right,” Shin Jong-Hoon, a 23-year-old biomedical engineering student, said in Seoul, noting that Japanese fans at the game this summer had also been waving flags associated with Japan’s wartime military. As U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Asia on Monday for a visit to Japan, China and South Korea, the relationship between America’s two biggest allies in Nor theast Asia isn’t merely bad, it’s toxic. This matters to Washington because it’s poisoning ef for ts to forge a unified front as China challenges U.S. militar y pre-eminence in the region. China recently alarmed its neighbors and Washington by announcing a new maritime air defense zone in the East China Sea par tly to asser t its claims over disputed islands controlled by Japan. South Korea and Japan, democratic neighbors in communist China’s backyard, share many things. Both worr y about Nor th Korea’s nuclear ambitions, express wariness about
Chinese assertiveness and count on Washington for their military defense. But the common interests lately have been overshadowed by an inability to reconcile a bitter, centuries-old histor y. This was on display last year when a planned Japan-South Korea intelligence-sharing pact fell apar t at the last minute amid a political outcry in Seoul. Things have gotten so bad that South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, both scions of powerful conser vative political families, won’t even talk to each other. Abe and Park have yet to hold a summit meeting in their first year in of fice, usually a high priority for both countries. When U.S. Defense Secretar y Chuck Hagel broached South KoreaJapan ties on a recent visit to both countries, he got an earful from Park on Japan’s alleged whitewashing of the past. Most exper ts don’t see South Korea moving into China’s camp. But a recent poll by a major South Korean think tank showed that South Koreans ranked China’s favorability ahead of Japan’s. Beijing is now a larger trading par tner for South Korea than Japan and recently agreed to erect a statue of a Korean nationalist who assassinated a senior Japanese of ficial on a visit to Manchuria in 1909 — the same man depicted on one of the banners at the South KoreaJapan soccer game. Biden will make clear on his Asia trip that Washington wants its allies to
resolve their dif ferences, U.S. of ficials say. But experts wonder what he can realistically do. “There has been a sense that the U.S. should just grab these two countries by their necks and bang their heads together to get them to work together,” said Terence Roehrig, a Korea expert at the U.S. Naval War College. “That’s not as easily done as folks say.” While the horrors of Japan’s 35-year colonization of the Korean Peninsula, which ended only with its World War II defeat in 1945, are ancient histor y for many Japanese and Americans, the memories remain fresh in South Korea, whose people were forced to work in militar y br othels and Japanese mines and factories. South Koreans’ feelings are shaped by a perception that Tokyo has never adequately addressed this histor y. Asia’s four th-biggest economy and a growing diplomatic power, South Korea is also now less willing to heed U.S. pressure and set aside its demands. Protesters here regularly call for compensation for Korean women forced into war time sex slaver y by the Japanese militar y and blast Tokyo’s claim to South Korean-occupied islets in the sea between the countries. “The South is now a successful modern society that has surpassed Japan in some areas. But this traumatic and humiliating past still casts a long shadow,” Rober t Dujar ric, an Asia specialist at Temple University’s Tokyo campus, wrote recently.
Sources: U-Fed relations still intact Fed u from Page 1
sure why Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota chose to sever the bank’s ties with Kehoe and McGrattan. Kocherlokota took his post in 2009. Since becoming president, Kocherlakota hasn’t often been open with the Minneapolis Fed staff, Prescott said. “He doesn’t talk to anybody — not the people he’s hired,” Prescott said.
Prescott said he thinks the staf fing changes had more to do with differences in personality than dif ferences in economic policy. Because staf fing changes like this are rare, Prescott said, some Federal Reser ve Bank presidents he has spoken with were “shocked” by the changes in Minneapolis. “I don’t think [Kocherlakota is] playing optimally from his own perspective,” Prescott said. Kocherlakota has yet to comment publicly on the matter. But Mary Brainerd,
chair of the Minneapolis Fed Board of Directors, released a statement supporting the president’s vision. She said in the statement that Kocherlakota has expanded the Minneapolis Fed’s research department. “The bank has an exceptional histor y of contributions in economic research and a valued relationship with the University of Minnesota,” she said, “and we are confident that President Kocherlakota’s strategy will build on that tradition.”
K A N S A S C I T Y, M o . — A man died and three people were taken in for questioning after an altercation that happened Sunday in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium as the Kansas City Chiefs played the Denver Broncos. Kansas City police spokesman Darin Snapp told The Associated Press that the incident was being treated as a homicide but that no arrests had been made. Snapp said the man who died was found inside someone else’s vehicle and a struggle ensued. When paramedics arrived, the man, who was in his 20s, was found lying unconscious on the pavement, Snapp said. Paramedics began administering first aid before he was transpor ted to a hospital, where he died. His name was not immediately released. “Talking to several witnesses that were out here in the parking lots, there was an individual who came back to his vehicle, saw someone inside the vehicle that did not belong. A str uggle ensued
Sorority u from Page 1
impor tant to the AfricanAmerican community — issues like education, political awareness and health. Cher yl Cooper Boyd, the sorority’s Minnesota coordinator and a member of its Twin Cities alumnae chapter, said she hopes Brown Young’s position as a high-level administrator and her involvement with greek life will help Delta Sigma Theta and other University greek organizations grow. “The positive benefits of par ticipating in greek life are really important to [Brown Young] in terms of bonding — and a network and public service, which is what we stand for,” Cooper Boyd said. Delta Sigma Theta is one of five multicultural sororities on campus. Matt Levine, program director for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, said he hopes to see that community continue to grow. “Our multicultural greek organizations have an incredible histor y on this campus. We want to see those groups continue to
between the two. That’s when the individual (who had been inside the vehicle) collapsed,” Snapp said. Snapp said the man who had returned to the vehicle had his son with him, and the boy —whose age was not immediately known — ran for help when the struggle began. Snapp said there were no obvious indications of how the death occurred. “We don’t know if the person had a health condition, had a hear t attack. We don’t know,” Snapp said. “We’re going to investigate this as a homicide until we hear dif ferently. Right now it’s a suspicious death but we are going to investigate it as a homicide.” Chiefs spokesman Ted Crews said the team is aware of the incident but cannot comment fur ther because of the police investigation. Flashing lights from ambulances and police cars were visible across the Ar rowhead Stadium parking lot as cars tried to leave after the game. The death came one year to the day after
succeed,” he said. “They’re another way for students to find their niche.” Marketing and international business sophomore Yasmine Mohammed Nur is a founding member of Delta Sigma Theta. She said she joined in part because of her admiration for the sorority’s members. “A huge factor that attracted me to this sorority was I saw how women [in the sorority] carr y themselves — the way they talk, the way they walk, the way they dress,” she said. “I just knew it was for me.” Mohammed Nur said she knew Delta Sigma Theta was a successful sorority, but its emphasis on philanthropy persuaded her to join. “It’s an organization that actually truly impacts lives,” she said. “I liked how its standards are so high with its GPA and public ser vice requirements, its sisterhood aspect and how unified ever yone is. I just wanted to be a part of it.” The founding members are now finishing recruitment of new members and beginning to plan ser vice events. Members said they hope to have their
Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, on Dec. 1, 2012, at a home not far from the stadium. Belcher then drove to the team’s practice facility and fatally shot himself in front of thencoach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli. In September 2012, a gunman attacked a Kansas City Royals employee in the same parking lot, which ser vices Kauf fman Stadium as well. The gunman shot the employee once in the abdomen and then returned to his vehicle and committed suicide. Snapp said police were speaking to several witnesses after Sunday’s fatal incident, and that three people had been taken to the Kansas City Police Depar tment’s headquar ters for questioning. “Right now they’re persons of interest,” Snapp said. “Like I said, until we find out exactly how this person passed away, we’re going to investigate it as a homicide. They’re not suspects right now until we find out exactly what happened.”
DELTA SIGMA THETA TIMELINE Jan. 1913
Mar. 1913
May 1976
2008
Winter 2012 Sept. 2013
Fall 2013
Twenty-two women at Howard University found the first chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. Sorority members participate in the Women’s Suffrage March in Washington, D.C., as their first public event. The sorority’s first University of Minnesota chapter begins. Low membership numbers force the University chapter to fold. Talks about revamping the University chapter begin. The sorority finalizes its decision to return to the University. Delta Sigma Theta officially returns and begins recruiting new members at the University and at Augsburg College.
SOURCE: MATT LEVINE, CHERYL COOPER BOYD, DELTASIGMATHETA.ORG
first philanthropic event this month, which isn’t a surprise to Brown Young. “It’s so fitting that when these ladies finished [ m e e t i n g ] o n S u n d a y, the first thing they were scheduling was their first public ser vice event,” she said. “They are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work to ser ve our community.”
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
5
Doctors aim to lower rate of twin births BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — In the five years since the “Octomom” case, big multiple bir ths have gone way down but the twin rate has barely budged. Now fer tility exper ts are pushing a new goal: One. A growing number of couples are attempting pregnancy with just a single embr yo, helped by new ways to pick the ones most likely to succeed. New guidelines urge doctors to stress this approach. T wins ar en’t always twice as nice; they have much higher risks of prematurity and serious health problems. Nearly half of all babies born with advanced fer tility help are multiple bir ths, new federal numbers show. Abigail and Ken Ernst of Oldwick, N.J., used the one-embr yo approach to conceive Lucy, a daughter born in September. It “just seemed the most normal, the most natural way” to conceive and avoid a highrisk twin pregnancy, the new mom said. Not all couples feel that
Task force u from Page 1
A combined college could be beneficial for students and the state, Meints said, provided it continues its extension service, through which CFANS gives research findings to the state. “We want to make sure that the research we rely on continues to be excellent,” Meints said. “We need them to stay strong on our behalf.” At the University, students, staff and faculty remain split on the possibility of a combined college. Karen Sprengeler, CFANS student services coordinator, said students’ opinions within the college are “all over the board.” Some students were concerned about access to courses, the school’s relationship
way, though. Some can only afford one tr y with in vitro fertilization, or IVF, so they insist that at least two embryos be used to boost their odds, and view twins as two for the price of one. Many patients “are telling their physicians ‘I want twins,’” said Barbara Collura, president of Resolve, a suppor t and advocacy group. “We as a society think twins are healthy and always come out great. There’s ver y little reality” about the increased medical risks for babies and moms, she said. The 2009 case of a California woman who had octuplets using IVF focused attention on the issue of big multiple births, and the numbers have dropped, except for twins. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent numbers show that 46 percent of IVF babies are multiples— mostly twins —and 37 percent are born premature. By comparison, only 3 percent of babies born without fertility help are twins and about 12 percent are preterm. It’s mostly an American
with outside stakeholders and the continuance of certain CFANS majors, she said. Sprengeler said she doesn’t have a set opinion on the combined college yet but will listen to other staff members’ thoughts at one of the designated listening sessions this month. “It’s really pretty up in the air at this point,” she said. Neuroscience senior Carly Dahl, who plans to attend a student listening session, said although she’s graduating, the future of CBS is important to her. She said she’s worried that a new college could hurt CBS students when applying for jobs or to professional schools. “They know your curriculum is very rigorous and it’s hard to get in, so you excelling in [CBS] means a lot,” she said. “I think that needs to be maintained.”
problem — some European countries that pay for fertility treatments require using one embryo at a time. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine is tr ying to make it the norm in the U.S., too. Its guidelines, updated earlier this year, say that for women with reasonable medical odds of success, those under 35 should be offered single embryo transfer and no more than two at a time. The number rises with age, to two or three embryos for women up to 40, since older women have more trouble conceiving. To add heft to the advice, the guidelines say women should be counseled on the risks of multiple births and embr yo transfers and that this discussion should be noted in their medical records. “In 2014, our goal is really to minimize twins,” said Dr. Alan Copperman, medical director of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, a Manhattan fertility clinic. “This year I’m talking about two versus one. Several years ago I was talking about three versus
two” embryos. The one-at-a-time idea is catching on. Only 4 percent of women under 35 used single embr yos in 2007 but nearly 12 percent did in 2011. It’s less common among older women, who account for fewer IVF pregnancies, but it is gaining among them, too. “Patients don’t really want multiples. What they want is high delivery rates,” said Dr. Richard T. Scott Jr., scientific director for Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey, which has seven clinics in that state. Better ways to screen embryos can make success rates for single embr yos nearly as good as when two or more are used, he contends. The new techniques include maturing the embr yos a few days longer. That improves viability and allows cells to be sampled for chromosome screening. Embr yos can be frozen to allow test results to come back and more precisely time the transfer to the womb. Taking these steps with single embr yos results in
fewer miscar riages and tubal pregnancies, healthier babies with fewer genetic defects and lower hospital bills from bir th complications, many fertility specialists say. Multiple studies back this up. In May, doctors from the New Jersey clinics did the kind of research considered a gold standard. They randomly assigned 175 women to have either a single embr yo transferred after chromosome screening or two embr yos with no screening, as is done in most IVF attempts now. Deliver y rates were roughly equivalent — 61 percent with single embryos and 65 percent with doubles. More than half of the double transfers produced twins but none of the single ones did. Babies from double transfers were more likely to be premature; more than one-third spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit versus 8 percent of the others. Chromosome testing and freezing embryos adds about $4,000 to the roughly $14,000 cost for IVF, “but the pregnancy rates go up
dramatically,” and that saves money because fewer IVF attempts are needed, Scott said. Using two or more embryos carries a much higher risk of twins and much higher rates of cerebral palsy and other disorders. After explaining the risks, “this is the easiest thing in the world to convince patients to do,” Scott said of screening and using single embryos. But Dr. Fady Sharara of the Virginia Center for Reproductive Medicine in Reston, Va., found otherwise. For a study, he offered 48 couples free medications and embr yo freezing if they would agree to transfer one at a time instead of two. Eighteen couples refused, including one-quar ter of those whose insurance was covering the treatment. Some who r efused said they viewed twins as two for the price of one. “I tell my patients twins are not twice the fun,” Shahara said. “One is hard enough. Two at a time is a killer for some people. Some marriages don’t survive this.”
NH hospital worker sentenced 39 years in hepatitis, drug theft case BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CONCORD, N.H. — A traveling medical technician who stole painkillers and infected dozens of patients in multiple states with hepatitis C through tainted syringes was sentenced Monday to 39 years in prison. “I don’t blame the families for hating me,” David Kwiatkowski said after hearing about 20 statements from people he infected and their relatives. “I hate myself.” Kwiatkowski, 34, was a cardiac technologist in 18 hospitals in seven states before being hired at New
Hampshire’s Exeter Hospital in 2011. He had moved from job to job despite being fired at least four times over allegations of drug use and theft. Since his arrest last year, 46 people have been diagnosed with the same strain of hepatitis C he carries. U.S. Attorney John Kacavas said the sentence “ensures that this serial infector no longer is in a position to do harm to innocent and vulnerable people.” Kwiatkowski admitted stealing painkillers and replacing them with salinefilled syringes tainted with his blood. He pleaded guilty
in August to 16 federal drug charges. Befor e he was sentenced, Kwiatkowski stood and faced his victims, saying he was ver y sorr y and that his crimes were caused by an addiction to painkillers and alcohol. He told investigators he had been stealing drugs since at least 2003 and swapping syringes since at least 2008. “There’s no excuse for what I’ve done,” he said. “I know the pain and suffering I have caused.” Prosecutors asked for a 40-year sentence. Judge Joseph Laplante said he cut the last year as a reminder
that some people have the capacity for mercy and compassion. “It’s impor tant for you to recognize and remember as you spend the next 39 years in prison to focus on the one year you didn’t get and tr y to develop that capacity in yourself,” Laplante said. The victims spoke angrily and tear fully of the pain that Kwiatkowski had inflicted by giving them hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that can cause liver disease and chronic health problems. Authorities say the disease played a role in one woman’s death.
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Editorials & Opinions www.mndaily.com/opinion
Tuesday, December 3, 2013 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.
FILM INDUSTRY
EDITORIALS
MPAA must not censor female sexuality
COGS splits from GAPSA
The board’s powerful ratings system may harm the portrayal of women in film.
A
ctress Evan Rachel Wood condemned the Motion Picture Association of America on Twitter last week for altering a sex scene in her new film “Charlie Countryman.” Wood claims the MPAA altered the scene because someone on the ratings board was uncomfortable with a man-on-woman oral sex scene. Wood isn’t the first to criticize the ubiquitous ratings system. The MPAA recently defended its system after an Annenberg Public Policy Center and Ohio State University study found gun violence has tripled in the most popular PG-13 releases since 1985. The study hinted at potential issues in the ratings system. M PA A r a t i n g s b o a r d head Joan Graves defended the system in an Associated Press inter view, saying it ser ves its purpose of repre-
SAM JASENOSKY columnist
senting American parents. Kirby Dick, director of the documentar y “This Film is Not Yet Rated,” said in the film that the MPAA’s ratings board is controversial within the film industr y. According to the film, the MPAA said board members’ identities are kept secret from the public to deter any outside influences. However, during the film’s investigation, Dick said he learned that there are holes in the MPAA’s claims. Most notably, Dick’s investigator found that some of the board’s members don’t even have children, contrary to the ratings board’s claim that it exists to represent American parents. This lack of transparency
is an issue due to the MPAA’s power over the film industry. Since its founding in 1968, the MPAA has grown in popularity after replacing the former moral censorship guidelines for films, or the Hays Code. In 1984, the ratings board created the PG-13 rating that expanded the rating system. Throughout Dick’s film, many filmmakers argue that movie theater chains respect the system so much that most theaters refuse to carr y films with NC-17 ratings. Thus, films with that rating will likely perform poorly. According to “This Film is Not Yet Rated,” the issue with the MPAA’s power began to surface when films containing scenes of women experiencing sexual pleasure became more likely to receive a rating of NC-17 than films depicting violence or male sexual pleasure. Although no film distributors have a legal obligation to follow the MPAA’s ratings, some feel its power is a form of censorship. Theaters want to appeal to the largest audience possible, and carry-
DEATHS IN IRAQ: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 4,802 — IRAQI CIVILIANS: 115,503- PLUS DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN: U.S. & COALITION TROOPS: 3,386 — AFGHAN CIVILIANS: UNKNOWN
ing films with NC-17 ratings could alienate parents from the theaters altogether. The MPAA doesn’t actively acknowledge its influence over the industry. “This Film is Not Yet Rated” cited a USA Today inter view in which a ratings board spokesperson said, “We don’t create standards; we just follow them.” Wood’s criticism of the MPAA’s ratings board emphasizes the system’s problematic nature in society. Wood argued that altering a sex scene in which a woman is being sexually pleasured “is a symptom of a society that wants to shame women and put them down for enjoying sex.” If this mysterious board decides what movies are widely available, the public deserves transparency. Censoring the sexual enjoyment of half of the American population only perpetuates the stereotype that women shouldn’t expect to enjoy sex. Sam Jasenosky welcomes comments at sjasenosky@mndaily.com.
CONGRESS
More filibuster reform needed The Senate blue slip rule still allows too much obstructionism.
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Collin Randolph welcomes comments at crandolph@mndaily.com.
GUEST COLUMN The U should avoid victim blaming
While finishing up work last Monday, I was dismayed to read the University of Minnesota’s latest response to the recent increase in crime on campus. University Services Vice President Pam Wheelock sent students, staff and faculty a public safety update similar to those that University police Chief Greg Hestness sends out. In it, she stated she will be providing regular updates to the University community. However, if last Monday’s email is any indication of what those reports will be like, I fervently hope she doesn’t. In her email, Wheelock wrote that “in too many instances, the actions of students give criminals the advantage they need.” Now, this is a pretty callous thing to say about any crime victim, but consider that Wheelock sent this email less than a day after the University community received an alert about a University student who was sexually assaulted by a man posing as a police officer. I tried to get on with finishing my work, but as a rape survivor myself, Wheelock’s words left me shaken. I ultimately wound up leaving for the day without completing my work. In hopes of lifting my spirits, I decided I would go for a quick swim at the gym before heading home. However, as I approached the intersection in front of the gym, I realized a trio of female students was animatedly talking about the recent assault. Their conversation consisted of self-righteously shrieking about how stupid somebody
would have to be to fall for a police impersonator — and blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I hurriedly crossed the street to get away from their smug superiority conference, although I could still hear them from the other side of the street. What University administrators and students like that trio seem unable to comprehend is that violence is a public health issue, and victim blaming enables it. Rapists often get away with rape because the jury determines the victim’s actions were partly to blame. Research has shown that rapists plan their attacks to take advantage of society’s prejudices against rape victims and cer tain groups of people. Therefore, the homeless, transgender women, sex workers and others are dispropor tionately targeted. What will happen if the man who impersonated a police officer is caught and tried, but the jur y has absorbed ideas such as Wheelock’s and decides to give him a lighter sentence or let him off because, you know, the student was also to blame? This is a regular occurrence in courtrooms nationwide. The University needs to think before disseminating crime alerts that include victim blaming. Rape survivors and other survivors of violence often don’t report the crime, because they are afraid of the attitude found in Wheelock’s email. I didn’t report my rape for precisely that reason. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, 60 percent of sexual assaults are not reported, and 97 percent of rapists will never spend a
day in jail. This doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how victim blaming will affect a survivor’s life when they hear other victims being blamed. For me, it opens old wounds up all over again. I would imagine sur vivors of all types of violence at the University are having a difficult time in their classes or at work as they listen to administrators and students callously depersonalize and judge their experience. The University can disseminate safety tips without Wheelock’s unnecessar y editorializing. The University should be offering counseling and support to all students who’ve recently been robbed, raped or otherwise assaulted — not blaming them. I understand that the University wants to make students aware of how to staysafe, but Hestness’ emails already give safety tips, and ever y student is likely already aware that walking alone at night isn’t an ideal situation. However, there are many reasons people walk alone at night, and in some cases, a student may have simply decided that walking alone is safer or better than the alternatives. The fact is that staying out late (or working late) is a huge part of college life, and students shouldn’t be required to isolate themselves from normal college experiences. If this is what the University expects, it should be prepared for students to choose other universities, where they can engage in normal behavior without being shamed. Amy Horst University alumna
en. Harr y Reid and o t h e r Senate Democrats r ecently reformed the filibuster in an effor t to limit Republicans from blocking rouRONALD DIXON tine appointee columnist confirmations. However, Democrats should go further and get rid of a dated loophole that could still slow appointee confirmation. Congressional Democrats eliminated the ability to use filibusters to block most judicial and executive branch appointment nominees, because Republicans consistently dragged their feet in debate. The changes came after the GOP blocked a string of Obama’s nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last month. The reform is necessar y due to the filibuster’s rising popularity. Legislators filibustered executive and judicial appointees 168 times since the first filibuster in 1837. Half of these filibusters have happened during the Obama administration. These filibusters make the process of filling vacant government positions an inef ficient debacle. “My judicial nominees have waited three times longer to receive confir mation votes than those of my Republican predecessor,” Obama said in a speech at the White House last month. Although the reform mitigates Republicans’ intransience on appointees, the GOP could still utilize a loophole to prevent Obama from filling government positions. The loophole, or blue slip rule, dates back to 1917 and allows senators to block judicial appointees in their home state. If, for example, a Republican senator disapproved of an appointee, they would simply have to withhold support to derail the process. A Brookings Institute study showed that Republican senators disproportionately represent states with vacancies and without nominees. The study’s author wrote these senators are “objecting to nominees floated by the administration, insisting on nominees unacceptable to the administration or simply slow-walking the process.” Congressional Democrats must take initiative and strip the blue slip rule from law in order to improve government efficiency and help fill vacancies. Ronald Dixon welcomes comments at rdixon@mndaily.com.
The split assures COGS greater control over fees requests and more independence to represent graduate students.
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he Council of Graduate Students, a governing body composed of University of Minnesota graduate students, voted overwhelmingly Nov. 18 to separate itself from the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. COGS President Andrew McNally told the Minnesota Daily the group’s primary motivation was wanting more direct influence over its own funding requests. McNally also said COGS did not receive the correct fees appropriation from GAPSA last year. COGS’ website states its primary focus is representing graduate students seeking a research degree. There are other graduate student councils like COGS currently affiliated with GAPSA, including the Law Council, the Medical School Student Council, the Nursing College Board and several other student councils that represent the incredible diversity of programs and graduate departments at the University. In recent years, GAPSA has met increasing criticism from students and campus groups. These include councils like COGS, which is unhappy with fees appropriations. They also include GAPSA members’ disappointment with previous leadership, such as impeachment charges brought up — and then dropped — against former GAPSA President Abou Amara, who later resigned. We believe COGS separating from GAPSA will promote a better and more direct funding appropriation process — as well as foster greater organizational efficiency in its efforts to advocate for graduate students. Councils should find the best way to represent their students, and if severing financial ties with GAPSA is a means of doing so, greater independence among councils should be encouraged.
Minn. should support ethanol reduction Ethanol reduction should be seen as a win for the environment, not a victory for “Big Oil.”
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ast month, the Obama administration proposed to reduce the required ethanol content of U.S. fuel, a move that would cut the amount of biofuels to be blended into gas by nearly 3 billion gallons in 2014. While interest groups have argued for ethanol and for the Renewable Fuel Standard to mandate an environmentally friendly alternative to oil and gas, environmental groups are skeptical, citing concerns about increased corn production and use of cropland. Various studies have shown ethanol is actually worse for the climate than gasoline. A recent University of Minnesota-assisted study found E85 corn ethanol has a 23 percent greater negative environmental impact than gasoline. Both the Environmental Working Group and Sierra Club now oppose biofuels. Concerns about the rise in food prices have also surfaced. In 2009, the Congressional Budget Office found the increase in the use of ethanol was responsible for roughly 10 to 15 percent of the rise in food costs from 2007 to 2008. Minnesota lawmakers, including Democrat U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and U.S. Reps. Tim Walz and Collin Peterson, oppose the reduction. Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said the RFS program is “vital to rural America’s economic strength,” the Associated Press reported Nov. 15. The support from Minnesota’s delegation isn’t surprising given the industry’s strong presence in the state. Though various interest groups and rural communities rely on the emerging biofuels market, it’s become clear that ethanol is not a good investment. Farmers may see the ethanol reduction as a win for “Big Oil,” but those interested in curbing climate change should see it otherwise. Minnesota’s congressional delegation should support the proposed rule and work to repeal the ethanol mandate in its entirety.
LETTERS AND GUEST COLUMNS
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TONY WAGNER = EDITORIALS & OPINIONS EDITOR ERIC BEST = SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER WILLIAM BORNHOFT = BOARD MEMBER CASSANDRA SUNDARAM
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Sports
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@MNDAILYSPORTS
WRESTLING
In mid-20s, Rangell joins Gophers Wrestling u from Page 1
WITH SAM GORDON
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CHA or Big Ten? It didn’t seem to make much difference this past weekend. Minnesota versus Wisconsin is still Minnesota versus Wisconsin. Last weekend’s series between the rivals was the first for both teams in the new Big Ten hockey conference. “I don’t think it’ll really hit us until we play Ohio State or Michigan State,” Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said of Big Ten play. In 2011, the Big Ten announced it would form a hockey conference, triggering a domino effect that led to the disbanding of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association as we knew it. That conference featured top rivalries in college hockey, and naturally, there was disdain toward the decision to dissolve. But in the long run, the shift to the Big Ten will be good for the Gophers. Minnesota will benefit from the Big Ten’s national brand without abandoning the long-time rivalries that made the WCHA special. The Gophers have already played former WCHA counterparts Bemidji State, Minnesota StateMankato and MinnesotaDuluth this season. And later in the season, they’ll play in the inaugural North Star College Cup — an annual four-team tournament that will feature Minnesota’s Division I programs. While fans might point to the absence of archenemy North Dakota, even it will be back on the schedule in 2016-17. And the three-year hiatus could intensify the rivalry. But the WCHA is history, and this season in the Big Ten, the points mean a little bit more. There are 20 Big Ten conference games this year, as opposed to the 28 each team had in the WCHA last year. “There are only six teams [in the Big Ten] right now,” junior forward Seth Ambroz said. “They’re all good teams. There’s some depth in the league. … [So] every point counts now.” That increased competition could help to forge new rivalries parallel to those that the conference’s schools have in other sports. But for now, old rivalries are still in full swing — and that was obvious Saturday at the MinnesotaWisconsin game. Gophers junior captain Kyle Rau said he couldn’t tell the difference from playing in the Big Ten, because both teams were in the WCHA last year. While Thanksgiving break subdued the student section, the rest of the crowd was as raucous as ever — especially in the third period. Both teams traded scores and penalties before Ambroz’s late gamewinner clinched a sweep and six points in the conference standings. “We can be in any conference,” head coach Don Lucia said Saturday. “It doesn’t matter. We’re playing for our rivalry. Now that we left the WCHA, I’m sure this rivalry will start to heat back up.” Well said, coach. Ya feel me? Sam Gordon welcomes comments at sgordon@mndaily.com or on Twitter.
@SamuelEGordon
He attended an open tryout with the Sacramentobased professional paintball team XSV and made the team. XSV coach Rich Telford said typically 20 to 30 people attend open tryouts, but none make it. “Conrad was one of the few exceptions,” Telford said. Rangell and his teammates traveled across the country — and once to Malaysia — for tournaments. Rangell slept on Telford’s couch for most of his paintball career,. “I loved it,” Rangell said. “I’d never trade [the experience] for anything. It was the best decision for me at the time.” Telford said Rangell was a smar t, aggressive and well-conditioned player. “He was one of our best players,” he said. “He definitely had the best work ethic.”
Back on the mat Rangell stayed in wrestling shape and coached wrestling at Clovis East during his paintball career. But he said his interest in pursuing college wrestling was piqued when he watched a friend wrestle at a freestyle tournament in April 2010. “I hadn’t seen a lot of college wrestling matches, just because there was no program in my hometown,” he said. “When I saw it, I just thought I could compete at that level.” Rangell started practicing on his own that summer at Fresno City College, a community college in Fresno, Calif. Fresno City coach Paul Keysaw noticed him early that fall and encouraged him to sign up for classes and wrestle on the college team. Keysaw said the first thing he noticed was Rangell’s work ethic and
HOLLY PETERSON, DAILY
Conrad Rangell warms up for Gophers wrestling practice at Bierman Field Athletic Building on Monday. Rangell is a 26-year-old redshirt junior.
demeanor in the wrestling room. “He showed up one day — it was probably two weeks after school started — and he just kind of wanted to roll around and train,” Keysaw said. Rangell had a successful run at Fresno City, winning back-to-back state titles at 149 pounds and helping his team go undefeated both seasons. He carried a 3.8 GPA and graduated with an associate degree in recreational leadership. “He was always the guy you wanted to compare yourself to,” said Spencer Hill, Rangell’s Fresno City teammate and former practice partner. “He didn’t talk
a lot. He just kind of showed by example.” While Rangell excelled on the mat at the community college level, his goal was to land at a Division I program. He found a suitor in Minnesota last spring, thanks to a connection between a Clovis East coach and Eggum. Rangell started his Gophers career in fall 2012. He was 25 years old and lived in a single dorm room in Sanford Hall among 18- and 19-year-olds. Gophers redshirt freshman Brett Pfarr lived near Rangell in Sanford last year and said the age difference didn’t matter. “We’d more just tease him about being really old, saying
he’s over the hill and whatnot” Pfarr said. “That’s kind of a running gag between us.” Rangell went 24-11 last season at 149 pounds and won a title at the Finn Grinaker Cobber Open in November 2012. He has appeared in two tour naments this season but hasn’t cracked the Gophers’ starting lineup — largely because redshirt junior Nick Dardanes has established himself as the team’s top 149-pound wrestler. But Rangell’s teammates have taken notice of his work ethic. Redshirt junior Scott Schiller said that Rangell is always in the wrestling room and that his dedication rubs off on other
wrestlers. Pfarr said Rangell is a leader and a vocal member in practice, though he’s quiet away from the mat. “He’s really competitive in everything he does, and it really shows when he wrestles,” Pfarr said. Rangell is scheduled to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sport management next spring. He said he’s hoping to intern with the Minnesota Twins and pursue a career marketing wrestling. But he’s enjoying his ride with the Gophers for now. “It’s just been a really fun and extraordinar y experience,” Rangell said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Walker’s return strengthens thin frontcourt Gophers center Mo Walker sat out the first six games due to a suspension. BY JACE FREDERICK jfrederick@mndaily.com
Elliott Eliason came in like a wrecking ball in the Gophers’ matchup with No. 8 Syracuse on Nov. 25. He recorded six points, nine rebounds and five blocks in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. When Eliason sat out with foul trouble, Minnesota had no answer for the Orange’s big men down low. Gophers head coach Richard Pitino was forced to play forwards Oto Osenieks and Joey King at center, but both were undersized and overmatched as Syracuse wore down Minnesota’s front line en route to a 75-67 victory. And all 6-foot-10-inch junior center Mo Walker could do was watch from the bench. Walker was in street clothes as he served the final game of his six-game suspension for a violation of University policy. “I know the Syracuse game ate him up,” senior guard Malik Smith said. “Because he knew he could have helped us out.” Walker was suspended just before the Gophers’ regular-season opener against Lehigh on Nov. 8. The suspension came on the heels of Walker’s 17-point, 13-rebound effort in a 101-67 win over Concordia-St. Paul in Minnesota’s exhibition finale.
MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
VS MINNESOTA
FLORIDA STATE
8:30 p.m., Tuesday at Williams Arena
MINNESOTA: Tuesday marks the Gophers’ (6-2) first game on the mainland since their 1-2 performance at the Maui Invitational a week ago. Senior guard Malik Smith has produced at a high level lately. Smith scored 47 points in Minnesota’s three games in Hawaii and has been a valuable spark plug off of the bench early this season. The Gophers and Seminoles met a year ago in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Minnesota won the matchup 77-68 in Tallahassee, Fla. FLORIDA STATE: The Seminoles (5-2) feature a win against thenNo. 10 Virginia Commonwealth in the young season. Florida State’s only losses have come to Michigan and Florida — both ranked teams — by a combined three points. The Seminoles are led by senior guard Ian Miller. Miller is averaging 15.1 points per game. Florida State has lost five consecutive Big Ten/ACC Challenge games. SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
The big man lost 60 pounds in the offseason and was in much better shape physically at the start of the season. “He was disappointed,” Pitino said. “He’s a prideful kid and a good kid [who] knows he made a mistake.” Walker said it was tough to deal with the suspension right away and his first practice after it was given did not go well. But he said he had great suppor t from his teammates, coaches, family and friends. Smith said players texted Walker after they found out about the suspension. “We’re all a family here,” Smith said. Walker said coaches put him through extra workouts to keep his conditioning up during the suspension. He
also used some extra time to do individual drills. Walker said he tried to help his team however he could in practice and from the bench during games. “That’s what I put all my time, energy and effort into,” he said. Walker’s return to the lineup in the Gophers’ second game of the Maui Invitational against Arkansas was much anticipated, but it didn’t amount to much. He finished with just one point and one rebound in 11 minutes as Minnesota fell 8773 to the Razorbacks. Walker said Pitino told him before the game that he’d probably be rusty and shouldn’t let it get to him. “He was pretty much spoton,” Walker said. “I felt pretty rusty. I was pretty disappointed with my performance.”
AMANDA SNYDER, DAILY FILE PHOTO
Gophers forward Mo Walker makes a shot during the home game against Cardinal Stritch University on Nov. 1.
Walker shook some of that rust in the Gophers’ 83-68 victory over Chaminade the next game. He had 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes. “Mo’s just got to continue to get in great shape, but he’s going to help us. There’s no doubt about that,” Pitino said. “In a thin frontcourt, we needed him.” Walker said he still feels in sync with the team because he’s been able to practice with them, but he said he’s still lacking in-game experience. That should improve as each game passes and he continues to accumulate minutes on the floor.
He’ll keep knocking off the rust Tuesday as the Gophers take on a lengthy Florida State squad at Williams Arena. “It’s going to be a good test, I think — a pretty big one, too,” he said. Walker said he’s excited to be back on the floor and to help his teammates. His presence is a welcome addition to a thin and relatively small Gophers front line. “He’s fought back pretty hard for us,” Smith said. “We’re just happy to have him back. He’s a hard worker, a big body, and we need him.”
@DailyintheBarn
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Tuesday, December 3, 2013
A&E EDITOR
RADIO K TOP 7
ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR
1. William Onyeabor “Good Name” 2. Of Montreal “Hegira Emigre” 3. Volcano Choir “Dancepack” 4. Fuzz “What’s In My Head” 5. Brendan Canning “New Zealand Tap Dancing Finals” 6. Sky Ferreira “Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)” 7. Marijuana Deathsquads “Sunglasses and Bail Money”
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FASHION
The fashionista is in: Dressing after drinking Vodka: 1, You: 0. BY MELANIE RICHTMAN mrichtman@mndaily.com
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t’s a common phenomenon. You go out with the intention of “taking it easy,” and next thing you know, you’ve had three vodka tonics, two tequila shots and a wine bong and are bragging about how you invented the high five. Sound familiar? Fast-for ward six hours, and you find yourself on the floor of your bathroom. With any luck, you aren’t hungover yet, and you might have enough time to eat some Taco Bell and take a shower (the closest thing to an of ficial hangover cure). Don’t worry — your desire to live will soon be extinguished once the headache and ver tigo set in. If you don’t have anything to do the next day, you should stay in that oversized Welcome Week Tshirt, barricade yourself in your room and rejoice over the fact that you’re alive enough to throw things at your judgmental, chipper roommate who won’t stop singing. If you’re one of the unfortunate souls who have a social life or work and actually have to be seen in public, there are some easy things you can do to trick everyone into thinking you’re a wellrested adult with self-control — just as soon as the bathroom floor tile imprint fades from your face. The most impor tant thing to do the morning after a night of drinking — besides consuming copious amounts of water — is get rid of your leftover makeup. You can’t fool anyone with a residual smoky eye (or a lingering hand stamp from
BRIDGET BENNETT, DAILY
Slouchy boyfriend jeans and ankle booties are easy to throw on after a night of drinking.
Burrito Loco, for that matter). Wash your face and apply some lotion to your dehydrated skin. When it comes to makeup, this is not the time to put on more than the essentials. All you’re really going to want to apply is concealer to hide the dark circles under your eyes. A coat of mascara — or at least curling your eyelashes — will make you look more awake. Spritz your hair with dry shampoo (a lifesaver), and throw it up into a pretty-yetfunctional topknot. Now reward yourself with a break-
fast sandwich for completing step one without throwing up. It’s time to get dressed. This is often the most difficult part of getting ready, and it’s not any easier when you’re suffering from a hangover. You’re going to want an outfit that looks nice — it shouldn’t look like you just rolled out of bed. There are a couple of tried-and-true looks that achieve this delicate balance. Push yourself to get out of sweatpants. There are several other pant options that will make you look much more put together. Leggings, boy-
friend jeans and harem pants are your new best friends — embrace them. That tiki cocktail from Psycho Suzi’s may let you down, but leggings never will. Leggings, boots and a flannel or chambray shirt will be easy to throw on after a night of drinking. Add some accessories — a scarf and earrings will look nice with your topknot — and you might be able to fool everyone into thinking you got a solid eight hours of sleep. Hungover people can’t put on pants, let alone jewelry, so you’re already a step ahead.
If you’re going to work and really want to look like a stylish adult, start with a pair of boyfriend jeans. They are slouchy and unbelievably comfor table, not to mention chic. Wear them with a V-neck T-shirt and a pair of ankle booties to complete the look. Adding a blazer and a statement necklace will really take it to the next level — you might even get some compliments, if you don’t fall asleep at your desk. The third and final option (aside from the ugly, uncomfortable clothes you wear every day) is to pre-emptively
buy a pair of harem pants in preparation for a horrible day like this. If your softest pajama pants and yoga pants had fashionable offspring, the result would be harem pants. If you‘re going for “stylishly sober,” wear them with a cropped sweater. Otherwise, a plain loose tee or tank top will be just as flattering and comfortable. My final piece of advice? Take some aspirin, drink some coffee and pray for death, because this day is going to suck, even though you look great.
THEATER
Variations on a theme: Creating new holiday traditions The Twin Cities offer a variety of holidaythemed shows with surprising twists — from an action-packed Christmas musical to an improv show about your family’s dirty secrets. BY CALLIE SACARELOS csacarelos@mndaily.com
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atch i n g w i n t e r holiday specials, like “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” on TV and making the annual outing to the Guthrie Theater to see “A Christmas Carol” are time-honored traditions. But while doing the same thing year after year is sentimental and sweet, it can also get old. A&E has selected a few alternative holiday shows for new holiday traditions. They drift far enough away from Tiny Tim and Santa Claus to feel fresh and intriguing but still include enough Christmas tradition to keep you from feeling like a total Scrooge. What: “A Ver y Die Hard Christmas” When: 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 9 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 6-22 Where: Br yant-Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis Cost: $13 in advance, $15 day of show The original “Die Hard” movie has all the tropes of a classic Christmas movie. At the heart of the actionpacked thriller is a man tr ying to get home to his family for the holidays — instead, he gets stuck overcoming obstacles and fighting villains to save Christmas. Josh Carson, the writer and star of “A Ver y Die Hard Christmas,” said he gets into serious debates ever y year about whether
“Die Hard” should be considered a Christmas classic. Carson said he wrote the play to “put the argument to bed for the rest of eternity.” To beef up the Christmas element, the show features characters from “Die Hard” recast as popular Christmas icons like the snowman and Hermey the Elf in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and holiday crooner Bing Crosby. “A Ver y Die Hard Christmas” is also a musical, featuring a dozen classic Christmas songs. The production takes up ever y inch of the tiny BLB space — sometimes spilling out onto Lake Street — and uses as many special ef fects as the lowbudget theater can handle. If you still don’t agree after seeing the show that “Die Hard” deser ves a place between “Home Alone” and “It’s a Wonder ful Life,” you probably “need to reevaluate your life,” Carson said.
What: “Family Dinner” When: 8 p.m. Saturdays, Nov. 2–Dec. 28 Where: HUGE Improv Theater, 3037 S. L yndale Ave., Minneapolis Cost: $10 Spending the holidays with family is awkward and stressful for a lot of people, as proven by the implementation of Dranksgiving. Holidays also ser ve as opportune times to break big secrets face to face, especially if the family gets together only a few times a year. In “Family Dinner,” each actor plays a family member who has a secret they haven’t shared with anyone. Audience members suggest secrets before the show, and the actors don’t find out what their personal secret is until moments before they go on stage. Butch Roy, the executive director of HUGE Improv Theater, said the show is a form of improvised realism, which means he’s looking for suggestions for secrets that real people would have, rather than those including aliens and time travel. When it comes to improv theater, Roy said there’s a “shocking” number of audi-
ence suggestions revolving around poop and incest. “It might seem funny to write that the mother and father characters find out they’re actually brother and sister,” he said. “But no one really wants to see that played out on stage.” Some of the suggestions stay true to improv, while others lend touching moments to the show. So look to your own family for inspiration, and get your tickets in advance, because this year, the shows have been selling out. What: “A Christmas Pudding” When: Nov. 29–Dec. 29, days and times vary Where: Open Window Theatre, 1313 Chestnut Ave. Suite 102, Minneapolis Cost: Students $18, adults $24 If you’re looking for a family-friendly show with traditional Christmas music but don’t want the sugar-coated holiday sap, “A Christmas Pudding” is your best bet. Director Greta Grosch has an extensive background in sketch comedy. She wrote the “Church
Basement Ladies” play series and is a prominent Twin Cities comic actress. “The most impor tant thing was for me to tell the producer that my background is faster, louder, funnier,” she said. “That’s what I’ve been taught my whole life. You don’t want the audience to feel like they’re coming to another s en ti m en tal Chri s tm as show.” To combat that possibility, the play mixes 17 different Christmas carols with contemporar y and classic text. Four actors play all the roles and sing all the par ts, sometimes while on roller skates or shaking tambourines. The show does have slower moments, like when the spotlight shines on an actress while she sings “What Child is This?” Grosch said the moment comes of f as tender and lovely because it’s special, rather than “yet another moment in a long evening of Christmas cheer.” What: “A Tuna Christmas” When: 7 p.m. Thursday– Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday; Dec. 5–28
Where: Cabaret Theater at Camp Bar, 490 N. Rober t St., St. Paul Cost: $29.50 It’s the night before Christmas, and the entire town of Tuna, Texas, is preparing for the annual yarddisplay contest. But a menacing phantom is running around town, destroying reindeer, Santa and snowman decorations. Because residents put their identities and reputations on the line for the contest, the vandalism causes town-wide hysteria. ”A Tuna Christmas” is a slapstick comedy riot, with two actors playing 24 characters, including a bed-wetting sheriff, a used-weapon store owner, a crew of mischievous old ladies and a disc jockey for OKKK radio. Actors Scott Jorgenson and Charles Hubbell have done the show together for the last three years. Hubbell said their lifelong friendship complements their onstage chemistry. Tuna, Texas, is the focal point of a series of plays about the fictional small town. But Hubbell said Christmas Tuna is arguably the best Tuna.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ACTORS THEATER, JOSH CARSON AND STEVE CAMPBELL (Left to right) “A Tuna Christmas,” “A Very Die Hard Christmas” and “A Christmas Pudding” are three of many local alternative holiday shows to choose from.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Classifieds
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EMPLOYMENT $13/hr Full time/part time RECEPTIONISTS for office bldg DT Mpls next to the Metrodome. Greet visitors, handle in-coming calls, must have good customer service, and have excellent fluent English speaking skills. between 7:30am-5:30pm M-F. Call Veena 612-321-0000
PT Receptionist for Morries Mazda in Minnetonka has an immediate position opening for evenings & Saturdays. Responsibilities are answering phones promptly & professionally w/ light office duties. Please send resume to Jennifer.zuniga@morries.com or stop in to complete an application.
EMPLOYMENT
HOUSING
HOUSING
CHILD CARE SERVICES
DINKYTOWN
DINKYTOWN
Afterschool nanny for 8 y/o girl. Tu/Th 4-6 PM. Car required. Uptown Mpls. Spring 2014. melliott@umn.edu
CLASSIC CITY APARTMENTS In Dinkytown/Stadium Village Now Accepting Applications for 2014 Rooms, Studios 1 BR, 2 BR, 5 BR Units
PROFESSIONAL Development Associate (30 hrs/wk)Assist to grow Friends of the Mississippi River’s member base & raise a $1.6M annual budget.For more info & how to apply: http://www.fmr.org/about/development_associate_position
OPEN HOUSES for 5 bedrooms Dates & Times 11/22, 11/23 10am-3pm 12/6, 12/7 10am-3pm Brownstones: 5Bedroom/2 Bath Lofts Includes 46 in. TV Starting at $2800/mo Plus other 5 bedroom locations Call 612-623-1888 for appt. or Email: info@classiccityapartments.com Check out all properties at www.classiccityapartments.com
*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 Whatever you’re looking for, big or small, we should have it here. 2014 should be quite a year! 612-378-2413 dinkytownrentals.com
ST. PAUL 1 BR for rent for F in 2BR 1B Craftsmanstyle Duplex for student or faculty. $550/ mo. Fireplace, cable, washer/dryer. Util. incl. Near Macalester, St. Thomas, St. Kates & EZ access to buslines serving UofM Mpls. & St. Paul campuses. Garage avail @ small xtra charge. No inside smoking. F Housemate works FT & finishing degree @ UofM. Avail. 12/15, could be earlier if needed.
WHY share a room when you can stay in an apt for around the same price???
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UPCOMING EVENTS What: Julfest: College Christmas Party Who: American Swedish Institute When: 5:30–8 p.m., Wednesday Where: American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Ave., Minneapolis Price: Free Take a well-deserved study break, and join ASI for our annual Julfest College Christmas Party with students from local schools, including the University of Minnesota and Gustavus Adolphus College. Learn Nordic holiday crafts and enjoy music and refreshments in a laid-back setting that’s perfect as an end-of-semester pause from your studies. RSVP to ingridnl@ASImn.org.
What: Light Up The Bridge Ceremony Who: University Suicide Awareness and Prevention When: 7–8:30 p.m., Thursday Where: Washington Avenue Bridge Price: Free Dedicate a candle to those affected by suicide and to show support for suicide awareness on campus by lighting up the Washington Avenue Bridge!
What: Find a Good Company with a Strong Culture Who: Bob Adkinson, former MN Business executive When: Noon–1 p.m., Friday Where: Room 2-219, Carlson School of Management, West Bank, Minneapolis Price: Free (and lunch provided!) Bob Adkinson will discuss how to spot the best companies to work for by finding companies with cultures designed to help employees succeed!
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Tuesday, December 3, 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.
12/3/2013
Yesterday’s solution © 2013 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
Today’s Birthday (12/3): Love is this year’s holy grail. Embark on an adventure for spiritual, philosophical and financial growth. Capture springtime creativity on paper and screen.
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 an 8 — Today could mark the beginning of something wonderful. Push beyond old limits. Your brave acts may also push someone else’s buttons.
Libra (9/23 - 10/22): Today is a 7 — Your mate helps you get your message out. Give a final mighty push. Discover another fringe benefit.
Taurus (4/20 - 5/20): Today is a 7 — From the ashes, the phoenix rises. New opportunities open up in your education. Do the homework to succeed.
Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21): Today is a 9 — You want to be finished. Do the research so you’ll know the best path. You’re making money for others.
Gemini (5/21 - 6/21): Today is an 8 — Tackle a renovation or makeover project. Do what you promised, even if it seems impossible. A friend or partner would love to tell you how.
Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21): Today is a 9 — A dream reveals a completion and a new beginning. Work a little magic; believe you will succeed, even without proof.
Cancer (6/22 - 7/22): Today is a 9 — Show your appreciation to someone. Start a new phase this week by completing an old one. Get rid of the dead wood and discover forgotten treasures.
Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19): Today is a 6 — True love’s worth the cost. Compromise and take action. Begin a new course of study, or pursue a passion. New skills look good on you.
Leo (7/23 - 8/22): Today is a 7 — Get into the competition. You’re learning quickly. Write down what a wealthy, older person told you. Respect the advice you receive.
Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18): Today is a 7 — You’ve been contemplating the future. List desired domestic improvements; the odds are good to accomplish them.
Virgo (8/23 - 9/22): Today is a 6 — Keep longterm goals in mind. Each ending allows a new beginning. Your team is making advances quickly, and your applause is greatly appreciated.
Pisces (2/19 - 3/20): Today is a 7 — Bring out your secret power. Talk about how it can be applied to a work project for long-lasting results.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
overheard “I don’t see what’s so great about Black Friday. I’m black every day, and it’s not that great.”
—St. Paul Student Center
Professor: “Do you guys know what a Bloody Mary is?”
—Unknown
Professor: “We will have the last midterm on Dec. 11.” Student: “Professor, I have two other tests on that day.” Professor: “Life is hard.”
—Vincent Hall
“I’ve been waiting for my group for half an hour, and no one has shown up — like, no one.”
—Unknown
Professor: “So remember that, ladies, the next time you get a Brazil!”
—Ruttan Hall
Guy: “Who wants to experience the most amazing tissue in your whole life?” Girl: “Yeah, it’s so cool!”
—Middlebrook Hall
Girl: “I’m not a big pan of Fanda Express.”
—FloCo Fusion apartments
Girl 1: “Have you ever taken the stairs to the second floor?” Girl 2: “No?” Girl 1: “OMG, me neither!”
—Unknown
“You might as well try to make some money off pack rats.”
—Unknown
Professor: “Guess what I’m thinking in the back of my head — my magic thought?”
—Carlson School of Management Guy: “DUDE, purple is THE BEST color!”
—Nicholson Hall
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 DECEMBER 3, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Cathedral area 5 Tons 10 Reps: Abbr. 14 Garden center supply 15 Dot in the ocean 16 Circus performer? 17 Tune 18 Thin, decorative metal 20 What a 63Across may speak 21 The last Mrs. Chaplin 22 Grand Rapids-toDetroit dir. 23 Gets married 27 This, to Michelle 28 Morose 29 Geometric suffix 30 Like potato chips 32 Lulus 36 Mass transit carrier 37 Dangerous things to risk 39 Retirement destination? 40 Wimps 41 Underworld group 43 Printer’s widths 44 Cookie container 47 Renoir output 48 Equestrian’s supply box 53 Spoil 54 Alabama, but not Kansas? 55 “Picnic” playwright 56 One, to one, e.g. 60 “Ain’t Misbehavin’” Tony winner Carter 61 Throw hard 62 Hero’s quality 63 Hebrides native 64 Desires 65 Burning desire? 66 Chop __: Chinese American dish DOWN 1 Valuables 2 Illinois city that symbolizes Middle America
12/3/13
By Mike Peluso
3 Had a hunch 4 Barely beats 5 Member of the fam 6 CBS drama with two spin-offs 7 “Everything’s fine” 8 Exeter’s county 9 Dictation whiz 10 The K.C. Chiefs represented it in Super Bowl I 11 High school choral group 12 Dollhouse cups, saucers, etc. 13 Protected condition 19 Pied Piper followers 24 End-of-theworkweek cry 25 Pebble Beach’s 18 26 China’s Zhou __ 31 SALT concerns 32 “__ say something wrong?” 33 Elected ones 34 ’50s automotive failure 35 Goo
Monday’s Puzzle Solved
(c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
37 There’s a lane for one at many intersections 38 Superlative suffix 39 Like Bach’s music 41 Boggy 42 Solar system sci. 44 Alaskan capital 45 “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” director
12/3/13
46 “I Believe I Can Fly” singer 49 Stadium 50 More desperate, as circumstances 51 Some portals 52 Adornments for noses and toes 57 Gore and Green 58 Lacto-__ vegetarian 59 Years in a decade
dr. date Dr. Date,
I went on a first date with this guy recently. He seemed really cool, but 1) he chose the movie, and he chose “The Best Man Holiday,” and 2) he cried through the whole movie. It was so awkward, and now he won’t stop texting me. What should I do?
—Wearing The Pants
Nice Pants,
What, pray tell, is so offensive to your sensibilities about an emotional man? And what is the matter with “The Best Man Holiday,” a long-overdue revisiting of a Taye Diggs/Terrence Howard classic? When those men walk on screen in the company of such fine thespians as Regina Hall and Nia Long, even the most stoic among us ought to shed a tear during their equally heart-wrenching and heart-warming antics. Hah! But really, ignore this weirdo. He doesn’t know first-date protocol, let alone how to pick up on a hint (i.e. your lack of response). Next time you’re on a firstie, pick the flick. Hopefully your date won’t cry through “Anchorman 2” or “American Hustle.”
—Dr. Date
Dr. Date,
I’ve been friends with this guy since freshman year. Earlier this semester, we went dancing with a few friends, and he started dancing with me and then kissed me. I didn’t really want to make anything of it, because it was a harmless kiss, and I don’t want to seem crazy. After that night, we became increasingly flirtier. We went out on Halloween with a few friends, and at the end of the night, he kissed me again — but really romantically. He recently decided to bring the whole thing up over the phone just to let me know he’s not looking for a relationship. I guess I’m not really either, but I’m also not completely opposed. We decided we would be “cuddle buddies,” but literally all we do is cuddle! The other
night, things were getting all hot and clothes were coming off, but he stopped and said he didn’t want to go further. He said it would change the way he feels about me and the whole situation. When I asked him what exactly would change, he said that he would want a relationship. I think it’s really sweet that he considers sex to be so meaningful, but now that I know he’s not just hanging out with me to get some, I’ve realized I have real serious feelings for him. We’re both nervous to start a relationship so close to being done with college, so I don’t bring it up. Like, if he had just slept with me, I probably wouldn’t have these crazy feelings, but now I actually like him, and I’m scared of being hurt. I’m scared to tell him that I want more than what we are, because I do really like the way things are between us. I guess I just don’t know where to go from here.
—Anonymous
Confused,
Wow, your brain revs pretty hard in idle, huh? Sounds like you two are simply doing your damnedest to deny what’s meant to be. Your excessively long description betrays your innermost desire: You want him to want you, nothing else. Telling you to do something other than pursue your interest in him would be bad for your psyche and would leave you wondering if you missed out on a great relationship. Unless he’s a real jerk — which it doesn’t sound like he is — he’s probably just afraid of being hurt, too. Really, your problem is that you two are both indecisive enough to leave this in a frustrating “cuddle” stalemate. Tell him that you want more. You gotta get over the fear; it’s the only thing worthy of itself. (And quit describing smooching in weird ways. Kissin’ is kissin’. Stop inferring all these degrees of romanticism in every instance.)
—Dr. Date
Need relationship advice? Email Dr. Date at drdate@mndaily.com.
11
12
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Man assaulted, robbed outside UV Just after bar close Saturday, a brawl broke out on 14th Avenue Southeast, according to a Minneapolis police report. Jonathan King, 22, said he was with a large group of friends outside Blarney Pub and Grill waiting for another friend early Saturday morning. Though King is not a student, he said he and his friends were planning to return to a student’s house near campus. King said he’s not sure how the fight star ted; he saw a man hit one of his friends. He then saw his friend get hit by another man after she stepped into the street. King said someone then hit him in the face as he went to help his friend. King said he isn’t sure whether he was hit by a bare fist or brass knuckles, but the punch left two gauges in his head and broke his glasses. King said he tried to run away but was only able to “wobble.” He curled up on the ground, he said, but the man continued to kick him.
P ol i c e a r r es t ed on e man near the scene shortly after the brawl, the repor t said. However, King said he and his friends were attacked by a group. King said the incident has changed the way he feels on campus. “I’m never going back down there again,” King said. “I almost died — screw that.”
Attempted kidnapping near stadium
A University student was the victim of an attempted kidnapping near TCF Bank Stadium early Wednesday mor ning, according to a Minneapolis police report. Taylor Denlinger, 18, said she was walking from the bus stop near the intersection of University Avenue Southeast and Oak Str eet Southeast when two men in a car pulled up alongside her and asked if she needed help. Denlinger said she ignored the men, but one of them got out of the car, grabbed her arm and tried to force her inside. Denlinger said she
OTHER CRIMES NEAR CAMPUS Crime: When: Where: Info:
Damage to property Tuesday Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs Police were called to the building on a report that two vending machines had been tampered with over the weekend. A coffee machine and a sandwich machine had pry marks near the money slot. The loss was approximately $10 in product and $300 in damage to the machines.
Crime: When: Where: Info:
Theft Wednesday Moos Tower A student was taking an exam in a lecture hall. The student left her backpack and North Face jacket at the back of the room at the instruction of the professor. When the student went to get her jacket after the exam, her coat was missing. The student’s phone and wallet were in the pockets of the jacket.
Crime: When: Where: Info:
Damage to a motor vehicle Wednesday 17th Avenue Southeast While a student’s car was parked outside their house overnight, someone threw a large rock through the driver’s window. Nothing was missing from the vehicle.
Crime: When: Where: Info:
Motor vehicle theft Thursday 13th Avenue Southeast A woman left her car locked and legally parked near her apartment overnight. When she returned in the morning, the car was missing. There was no broken glass at the scene. SOURCE: MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, UMPD
tried to defend herself with pepper spray, but the man pushed her to the ground and used the pepper spray against her. She screamed, and the men
drove away. Hestness sent an email crime aler t about the incident to the University community Wednesday evening.
Crime is down, but criminals are bolder Crime u from Page 1
man approached a student, displayed a handgun and caused a West Bank lockdown in the middle of the afternoon. “If you wer e a riskaverse criminal, you probably wouldn’t have picked [the after noon] as your time,“ Allen said. An armed robber y at the bus stop outside University Village apartments Saturday followed a similar pattern. The suspects showed the victim a gun before punching him and stealing his wallet, cellphone and backpack, according to the Minneapolis police report. And despite police advice that it’s safer to walk in a group, suspects also seem to be targeting larger groups of people, which Miner said is “a cause for concern.“ In eight of the 19 incidents recorded in this semester’s crime aler ts, the victims were in groups of two or more people. Several of the crimes that triggered aler ts this s e m e s t e r, i n c l u d i n g a sexual assault in Southeast Como, have involved groups of suspects. And suspects in eight of the crime aler ts sent so far this semester have been armed. In one case last month, business and marketing education sophomore Alex Granquist was robbed at gunpoint early in the morning outside his house in Marcy-Holmes. Granquist said he still feels relatively safe around campus. Since 2008, University police have recorded an almost 28 percent drop in
Par t I crimes — the categor y that includes the most serious offenses like homicide and rape. Robberies and assaults have triggered almost all of the campus crime alerts this school year. They made up an average of about 9 percent of all Part I crimes in the five University neighborhoods during the first 10 months of this year, according to Minneapolis police statistics. By comparison, those crimes made up about 14 percent of all crime in the downtown area in the same time span. Architecture senior Ashley Pethan said she thinks the amount of crime is about the same as it was her freshman year, but the crimes seem to be getting more violent. Pethan said she tries to be attentive when walking late at night but hasn’t significantly changed her behavior in spite of the recent crime wave. “I still feel pretty safe on campus,“ she said.
Coming from afar Many of the suspects involved in crimes on and around campus that police do catch aren’t from around the University area. It makes sense for suspects to head out of town to commit crimes, be cause they r un a higher risk of being identified in their own neighborhoods, said Ricardo McCurley, neighborhood coordinator for the Southeast Como Improvement Association. Criminals may also be coming to the area because students make good targets, said John Elder, acting public information of ficer for Minneapolis
police. Students are sometimes unfamiliar with how to live safely in a big city, Elder said, which can make them easy prey. Targeting students may not have been profitable in the past, because they rarely car r y cash, said University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner, but many students now carr y expensive phones that can be stolen and easily sold. Kathy Waite, inspector for the Minneapolis police 2nd Precinct — which includes most University neighbor hoods — said students may be targets simply because they’re out late at night. “Students are accessible,“ she said. “You don’t have a family of four out walking the dog at that time of day.“ Waite said most other residential neighborhoods across the city are quiet late at night, but for criminals, the active nightlife in the campus area means a pool of potential victims. Crimes often occur in
residential neighborhoods like Southeast Como and Marcy-Holmes as students make their way home or to parties after bars close, said Nick Juarez, Minneapolis police crime prevention specialist for the 2nd Precinct. Par ties and other latenight activities are good targets for committing crimes, Waite said. But suspects may not be coming to the area for the sole purpose of committing a crime — the nightlife itself might draw some, she said. Waite said she doesn’t fault University students for the crimes but said it’s impor tant for them to be aware of their sur roundings. “I could send out all sorts of officers, but if people continue to not take care of their own safety … we’ll still see the crimes continue,“ she said. Ultimately, Juarez said, criminals target an area where there’s an oppor tunity to commit crime. “We’re tr ying to reduce that opportunity,“ he said.
VIOLENT CRIMES ARE DECREASING MORE THAN TOTAL CRIMES AROUND CAMPUS 13.1% decrease since 2008 (Jan.–Oct.) recorded by UMPD
27.9% decrease since 2008 (Jan.–Oct.) recorded by UMPD
PART I CRIME
TOTAL CRIME
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT
544
Jan.–Oct. 2008 Jan.–Oct. 2009 Jan.–Oct. 2010 Jan.–Oct. 2011 Jan.–Oct. 2012 Jan.–Oct. 2013
436
473
502
537
561
563
274
MARCY-HOLMES
CEDAR-RIVERSIDE
COMO
PROSPECT PARK
90
104 71
95
ALL UMPD DATA
79
259
272 243
264 232
222
202
240
248 200
245
240
277
278
304
306
329
406
*Part I crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.
95
547
PART I CRIME* DECREASES ACROSS UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOODS 535
Minneapolis Institute of Ar ts student Zechariah Jones was waiting for the bus outside University V illage apar tments Saturday mor ning when two men robbed and assaulted him, accor ding to a Minneapolis police repor t. Jones said the two men approached him and asked for the time. When Jones tried to respond, he said, one of the suspects showed him a gun and said, “We know what time it is; it’s time for you to give us all your stuff.” One of the men then punched Jones in the face, he said, and the men took his wallet, phone and backpack. Jones said he typically feels safe in the area, and he was surprised to be the victim of a crime during the day. “I didn’t expect it,” he said.
Brawl outside Blarney
563
BY NICK STUDENSKI nstudenski@mndaily.com
Jones said he doesn’t think he’ll get his things back, but he’s glad he didn’t sustain any severe injuries. In response to the incident, University police Chief Greg Hestness sent an email crime alert to the University of Minnesota community Monday afternoon — the 13th aler t of fall semester. In accordance with federal law, the University sends email alerts for all crimes on and around campus that may pose a threat to the University community. University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said this incident is uncommon because it happened in a well-populated area during the day. “This one is more difficult to prevent,” he said. Miner advised students to use the University security escor t ser vice if they feel unsafe. Police have also advised students to give up their valuables in armed robberies to avoid getting hurt and to contact police as soon as possible to increase the chances of catching the suspect.
558
Also, a brawl broke out after bar close in Dinkytown on Saturday.
UNIVERSITY (MPD DATA)
SOURCE: MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT