The Omani Student Union (OSU) celebrated on Saturday for the 54th annual National Omani Day featuring authentic Omani cuisine, traditional music and cultural displays.

The displays were through a booth exploration around the Mississippi Room in Coffman Union where students could learn about the culture and history of Oman, a small country in Western Asia. 

Booths included pictures, an Old Grocery set up, knfaeh served by Golden Nuts, a Palestine booth and a henna table. 

After attendees went around the different tables, an OSU member recited the Quran followed by traditional performances of the Omani sword dance and Omani poetry. 

The event ended with a presentation on Palestine by Students for Justice in Palestine on what students can do to help Gaza and a speech by OSU President Bashar Al Jashmi. 

The event had well over 100 attendees, according to Al Jashmi, and was sponsored by The Golden Nuts and Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. 

Al Jashmi said the booths and event served as a way to get visitors to experience Oman culture actively. He added he believes that not many people know about Oman. 

“If I want to let people know about Oman, I will tell them it’s neighbors to Dubai,” Al Jashmi said. “This is an issue and we need to solve it, and the way to solve it is to let everyone know about Oman and that it is a country in the Gulf.” 

Oman is a country occupying the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula at the confluence of the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.

OSU Event Coordinator Arwa Al-Busaidi said the event was a success and made her feel seen. 

“It makes me feel like people want to know more about other cultures, and that’s intriguing and interesting at the same time,” Al-Busaidi said. “I really want to represent my culture and country in a perfect image, but at the same time I don’t know what they’re perceiving from that.” 

Busaidi said while people know about many Middle Eastern countries, not many know about Oman. Union activities aim to celebrate the culture and spread awareness.

“I feel like we’re doing this just to get people’s attention and tell them more about Oman, our rich culture, because it’s the first independent state in the Middle East,” Al-Busaidi said.

OSU Vice President Tariq Al-Abri said he saw the Omani community at its fullest at the event, which made him feel proud to be from Oman. 

“I want people to know that we represent a full culture here, and I want them to know about Oman itself,” Al-Abri said. “I want them to know how different people come from different parts of the world.” 

Al-Abri said it is easy for students to lose their culture in the U.S., but the group is there to remind Omani students. 

Al-Abri said the Union put in a lot of hard work into the event and said seeing the event at its fullest made him proud to be Omani. 

Second-year student Isaac Chmieleski said he came to the event because he was invited by his friend and did not know much about Oman going into the event. 

“Everyone’s been so kind from the moment I stepped in here,” Chmieleski said. “Everyone’s been smiling and they’ve just been laughing and I’ve gotten nothing but kindness.” 

Chmieleski said his favorite part of the event was listening to the Omani national anthem and getting Baymax henna on his hand. 

Fourth-year student Maryam Ali-Daar said people should check out the event. 

“The vibes are amazing,” Ali-Daar said. “I mean it’s really a change of mood if you come in here, you’ll be satisfied.” 

Al Jashmi said students can expect to see more events next semester and hopes more students will continue to learn about Oman.

After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, the University of Minnesota’s Sudanese Student Union (SSU) returned in spring 2024 and has been throwing events since. 

The SSU has held five events and a bake sale since its revival, including the collaboration of the Welcome Back BBQ and the Shai and Summer events this semester. 

SSU President Abdul Eltigani said he and a group of other Sudanese students decided to bring the group back because there was a lack of Sudanese representation on campus.

On Thursday, the SSU held the Silence is Violence teach-in event to touch on the context behind the crisis in Sudan and talk about the modern history of Sudan and the events leading up to the war. 

During the event, Eltigani gave a presentation on the history of Sudan, focusing on different aspects of the Sudanese crisis. 

The teach-in also featured Sudanese American writer and editor Sara Elhassan as a guest speaker. Elhassan participated in a question-and-answer panel after. 

Etigani said he was very pleased with the event’s turnout. 

“We had a lot of people that didn’t know about Sudan or did want to learn more and how they could help,” Etigani said. “They pulled through and showed their support.” 

Etigani said students can expect to see more events next semester that are going to bring more Sudanese culture to Minneapolis. 

Fall 2021 was the last time the group was fully functioning, according to Eltigani. Graduating members and students’ conflicting commitments led to the group’s dissolvement. 

Eltigani said his uncle gave him the idea to bring the club back after making a passing comment wondering what happened to the club.

“He was really the spark that brought us all back into it, and I’m really thankful for it,” Eltigani said.

SSU is a place for everyone, regardless of their ethnic origin or where they come from, according to Eltigani. 

“It’s a place for you to intermingle with other cultures, not just Sudanese,” Eltigani said. “We just want you to know that it’s just a very comfortable place for you to have fun, make friends, learn a little bit about other people and a little bit about yourself in the process.”

SSU Vice President Mahmoud Elkhalifa was one of the students who brought SSU back to campus in the spring. 

Elkhalifa said it is incredibly important to have the SSU on campus because Sudanese culture is so unique. 

“I think it’s incredibly important that we have a space for incoming Sudanese students who are younger and need guidance,” Elkhalifa said. “A place for them to find mentors, friends, study buddies, whatever it may be to navigate the fun and sometimes painful transition period which is college.” 

Elkhalifa said he wants people to know that Sudanese people can be very happy, lively and friendly. 

“We take care of our loved ones and our loved ones aren’t just our family, it’s our friends, community, our university and it’s our city,” Elkhalifa said. “I feel like this group since it started last spring has only put positive energy into the environment.” 

SSU Public Relations Officer Shahd Hagelsafy runs its social media accounts. She said the group is a second family for her. 

“Something about Sudanese people is that when we meet each other, we click instantly, all of a sudden you’re getting invited to our weddings,” Hagelsafy said.

Hagelsafy said it is important to have SSU on campus because many people do not know much about Sudanese culture and it is the Union’s job to promote it and spread awareness of Sudanese issues.

The Multiracial Student Union (MRSU) presented its first-ever Cultural Gala Thursday to celebrate the diversity of the Twin Cities campus. 

The Gala featured cultural performances including dancing, spoken word, music and formal ethnic wear. The event had over 100 attendees and featured catered food from Dinkytown restaurant, Wally’s Falafel and Hummus.

Gala performers included creative community space Cinema UMN, University student music group Sentimental Sounds, Robbinsdale Armstrong high school dance group African Empire, student group MALCS and rapper Priest Jones. 

The event also featured round tables of other ethnic groups around campus to share their cultures with the campus. 

MRSU President Gabrielle Denniston said the driving factor for planning the Gala was to ensure there is a space for people who come from diverse backgrounds like her.

“It’s for people to not have to go through the struggles I went through to create something like this,” Denniston said. “People should be able to have a space where they can have growing, have food, meet new people and be able to share what they’re also passionate about.” 

Denniston said the event’s overall goal was to show the racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the Twin Cities community. 

“We had quite a few different groups around the U representing different cultures, different ethnicities and different aspects that are important to their own identity,” Denniston said. “What we really overall wanted to have was something big for once.” 

Denniston founded MRSU in October 2023. She said what truly matters is making a lasting connection with the community. 

MRSU Vice President Elliot Breazile said the performances at the event were “stunning.” 

“I felt just stunned and I’m running back and forth trying to manage other people,” Breazile said. “I’m just like watching, and I can’t stop watching.”

African Empire dancers Bintou Camara, Kenniee Jarpue and Manaseh Kpolar said they were honored to have been a part of the first Gala and were excited to share their culture. 

“I just think it’s really good to spread your culture around for the University,” Kpolar said. “Doing a gala is just one of the best ways to show culture.” 

Jarpue said she felt very accomplished, happy and relieved after she performed. 

“Once you’re on stage, this is a wonderful feeling,” Jarpue said. “You feel like you’re on top of the world, so I’m just happy to see that people enjoyed our dance and our culture, so I’m very excited about it.”

Second-year University student Soahcheht Chhuon volunteered to set up the event and said students should know about the Gala because it creates a great community. 

“It gives a chance for students from different backgrounds and communities to come together and just connect and get to know one another,” Chhuon said. 

Chhuon said the event served as a way to increase unity within the Twin Cities community through sharing diversity. Chhuon’s favorite part of the event was the performances and seeing all the different talents. 

One of the internal poster performers and MRSU member, Dante Rocío said they were happy the event was a way to represent people. 

“Just showing people like we are there and that you can come and see that there are people like you too and you can express yourself,” Rocío said. “Even if there are spaces on campus where you don’t feel you can, which makes it important.”

Rocío said it was important to be able to represent diverse identities and the Gala made them very happy because of its embrace of diversity. 

“It’s nice that I can show myself and that other people can do that as well and that this way we can celebrate ourselves, instead of feeling like we just have to, like, hide ourselves,” RocÍo said. 

Breazile hopes the Gala can become a yearly event. 

“I want to see this become a bigger thing,” Breazile said. “I want to see that all students know about this and are excited about this as much as we are.”

The University of Minnesota Institute of Linguistics and Department of American Indian Studies hosted Anangong Migaading: Star Wars a New Hope Ojibwe Thursday to connect pop culture with Indigenous traditions.

The event premiered the movie “Star Wars: A New Hope,” dubbed and subtitled in Ojibwe. The event had over 100 attendees and featured a panel discussion with the voice actors after the showing.

Panel members included University alum Aandeg Muldrew, who played Luke Skywalker, and current linguistics PhD candidate Dustin Morrow who played Obi-Wan Kenobi.  

Outreach coordinator for the University’s American Indian Studies department Nicholas DeShaw was one of the event’s organizers and said he hopes people’s biggest takeaway from the event is the understanding that Indigenous languages should be relevant for everyone.

“Indigenous languages have a place everywhere, and we need to see it everywhere,” DeShaw said. “We need to make them relevant to everybody, native and non-native, so I would really like to see this be just the beginning of something much bigger.”

The event was a way to offer a new generation of Indigenous people the chance to watch Star Wars in a way that resonates deeply with their cultural identity.

Morrow said it was really beautiful to see his work and language celebrated through the event. 

“I love seeing the passion that people have for it,” Morrow said. “Whether it be just from being Star Wars fans or being language nerds, the intersection is pretty awesome.”

Morrow, who moved to Minneapolis in 2018, said seeing the closeness of the Native American community was meaningful to him.

Muldrew said this event raises awareness on the profile of what is possible for the Ojibwe community. 

“Star Wars is this fantasy adventure, like, now you can imagine, like, what’s the future with Ojibwe being spoken in the stars, which is cool to think about,” Muldrew said. 

Muldrew said the event was a great way to connect with his community and it was great to see the engagement and people with the university.

Institute of Linguistics Director Claire Halpert was another event organizer. She said she knew about the project well before the film’s release as Morrow was one of her students. 

“We got a date and started talking to American Indian Studies and circle the distinctions because we wanted it to be a partnership and to also have community outreach,” Halpert said. 

Halpert said the event was not just for people on campus but for the greater Twin Cities community as well.

“Events like this are just a really good opportunity to get to know these different corners and to be exposed to what’s going on the whole breadth of all of the really special stuff that we do,” Halpert said.

Event attendee and second-year student Kate Johnsen said the event was amazing and that the movie was awesome to see. 

“I think it gives a big boost in language revitalization,” Johnsen said. “There’s been a big fear that the language is going away and we’re not able to save it. So I think this was a good community boost.”

Johnsen also said language revitalization is important, and it was amazing to have an event like this given the University’s history with the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes. 

The University campus occupies Ojibwe and Dakota Homelands, which were stolen by Minnesota settlers through many forms of settler violence. 

Muldrew and Morrow both hope they can act in the last two Star Wars Films of the original series and believe they need people from their community to learn film skills. 

“We need people from our community, making these kinds of new projects, all that kind of stuff,” Muldrew said. “We need that in the language, so University is one of the main places you can get that.”

Students for Justice in Palestine, Building Brotherhood and the Muslim Students Association hosted One Ummah: United in Liberation Friday to unite Muslim communities around issues on campus affecting the University’s Muslim students.

The event had over 300 attendees and discussed Palestinian liberation, Islamophobia on campus and the University’s divestment from Israel. The event included a panel discussion and a catered dinner aimed to unite campus community members.

Panel members included University graduate student Taher Herzallah and a Gazan couple, Minnesota State University, Mankato professor Dr. Jehad Adwan and Minneapolis teacher Fatma Abumousa. 

Food was provided for attendees by Football Pizza, The Golden Nuts and Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. 

Event organizer Ali Abu-Atieh said the event was a way for Muslim students to connect after recent incidents of Islamophobia on the University’s campus and to discuss the conflict in Gaza.

“This is a way that we can come together and rejoice in our Islamic faith and in our cultural identity,” Abu-Atieh said. “We wanted to bring light to what’s been happening in Palestine and get more people aware.” 

Ummah is an Arabic word meaning, “the whole community of Muslims bound together by ties of religion.” 

“We had 10 endorsements from 10 different Muslim student groups,” Abu-Atieh said. “To bring us all together under the banner of one Ummah is basically an embodiment of what the idea is, the idea of community and coming together.” 

The event was sponsored by groups including the University’s Al-Madinah Cultural Center, the Arab Student Association and many others.

Herzallah said he decided to speak at the event because he is deeply impacted by the situation in Gaza. 

“I thought it was a very motivational event,” Herzallah said. “It was inspirational hearing different speakers talk about the experience, and I thought that was very important for the community and what needs to be done next.” 

Herzallah said nothing should stop students from participating in advocacy work for Palestine as it is rooted in their beliefs. 

“Fighting for justice and enjoining the good and forbidding the evil is part of our duty as Muslims,” Herzallah said. “That for me is the crux of the message we’re trying to send today.” 

Herzallah said events like these are the most crucial element of the continuation of pro-Palestinian advocacy on campus. 

Mohamid Hagi and Mohammed Al-madani are the co-owners of Qamaria Coffee Co. in Little Canada, Minnesota, another caterer for the event. Hagi and Al-madani said they loved to sponsor this event because they love Palestinians and getting more connected with their community. 

Graduate student Mohamad Asmar’s family owns the Palestinian store The Golden Nuts and said catering the event was the simplest thing his family could do for Palestine. 

“It means a lot that people still care about the situation going on in Palestine,” Asmar said. “I hope this brings peace and keeps us together as a community and an Ummah.” 

Event attendee and second-year University student Maira Shah said she came to the event because she is passionate about Palestine. 

“Just listening to the speakers the first time was so powerful and emotionally evoking,” Shah said. “I felt so many things that I really haven’t felt for a long time just hearing these speakers talk about their own experiences.”

Omar Elkhateeb, another attendee and first-year University student, said it was great to see so many different communities come together in support of a common cause.

“I love the diversity in speakers and how we got multiple different opinions,” Elkhateeb said. “We have viewpoints talking about what we could possibly do so that we ourselves can help out over here 6,000 miles away.

Since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Muslim students at the University of Minnesota have reported incidents of Islamophobia against them.

On Oct. 17, a man approached a group of pro-Palestinian protesters, calling them terrorists outside of Coffman Union.

The incident was caught on video, posted to the Students for Justice for Palestine’s Instagram page and reposted on Al Jazeera’s Instagram page.

“All you f—ing Muslim terrorists,” the man in the video said.

On Oct. 22, one day after the Morrill Hall takeover, a man in a crowd of a pro-Palestinian protest in front of Coffman Union yelled calling speakers and them terrorists.

“Every time a speaker stopped talking, the man yelled terrorists,” Abouhekel said.

Abouhekel did not report the incident to University administration or the University of Minnesota Police Department.

University of Minnesota spokesperson Jake Ricker said the safety of students, faculty and staff is the University’s top priority. 

“Acts of harassment, intimidation or bias — including these two incidents — are entirely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Ricker said. “We have and will respond promptly and fully to any reports of this behavior on campus.”

Fourth-year student Shahd Abouhekel took the Oct. 17 video.

“I feared for my safety and feared this guy would like physically attack us,” Abouhekel said. “He kept saying, “You guys are terrorists, all of you are terrorists, effing Muslims.’”

Abouhekel did not report the incident to the University of Minnesota Police Department but said she sent a direct email to Heather McGinnis, senior assistant to the vice president for Student Affairs, reporting the incident.

McGinnis responded to Abouhekel’s email and provided links for reporting bias concerns and additional resources for support.

“I told them the rundown of what happened, and they decided to turn a blind eye,” Abouhekel said.

Abouhekel said the University’s response raises concerns for the Muslim community.

“There has been a rise of Islamophobia in the past year, and especially the past few months,” Abouhekel said. “The University decided to just not bring it to light, and they don’t want to address it, and they’re just ignoring it.”

President of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) Ibraheem Fannoun said he wants to see more accountability from the University.

“When they hear about these things, they don’t do anything about it,” Fannoun said. “The administration is making a big show of listening, but not taking action.”

Abouhekel said being called a terrorist is nothing new to her, and she has faced discrimination for wearing the hijab at the University this semester.

“I was sitting with my friend and we were studying, and the student comes next to us and throws a crumpled piece of paper at me,” Abouhekel said. “We open it up and it says, ‘Your hijab is a disgrace to women.’”

Third-year student and President of the Undergraduate Student Government Rahma Ali said she does not feel safe on campus.

“It’s not easy being a Muslim woman,” Ali said. “It’s not easy being a woman, and on top of that, a Black hijabi woman too.”

Ali said the issue goes beyond being called a terrorist. Islamophobia affects both the individual it is targeted towards and the community as a whole, negatively contributing to one’s mental health and identity, she added.

There have been issues with verbal harassment against Muslim women in the University community, especially since the Oct. 7 attacks, Fannoun said.

According to Fannoun, Islamophobia on campus has increased since the Oct. 7 attacks due to a misunderstanding of pro-Palestinian messaging.

“People see it as a show of hatred toward other groups,” Fannoun said. “It’s not accurate, and because of that, we see Islamophobia from other student organizations and even random individuals on campus.”

Fannoun said his primary goal as MSA president is to prioritize his community and encourage people to do their research on Islam and Muslims.

“Look for somebody Muslim in your classes,” Fannoun said. “Ask them, and tell them to ask those who know, at the end of the day supporting Palestine is something we believe in and our religion is part of our beliefs.”

The University of Minnesota hosted a free Barbershop/Salon Talk event at Appleby Hall on Monday, allowing students to get free haircuts and other treatments.

The event, part of the First Generation College Student Celebration Week running from Monday to Friday, was a collaboration between the University and Privilege Barber Lounge in St. Paul. In addition to haircuts, students could also get their locs freshened, mustache and beard trims, fade cleanups, and basic manicures.

The event, which provided free haircuts to over 20 students, was first come first served with free pizza provided.

The event’s main organizers were Alexander Hines, the Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the University’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Program, and Chong Vang, the Program’s Program and Project Specialist.

“Alex and I had been talking about this for a bit of time,” Vang said. “Understanding that barber shops were a big part of black communities, as well as just general community culture wise, just because cutting hair is such a sense of sacred space.”

Vang, a first-generation student, said he always connects with first-generation students and was looking forward to this event.

“I’m a huge fan of it,” Vang said. “I really knew it would be a good success just because free haircuts. I mean, haircuts nowadays are pretty outrageous right now. It’s like 40 plus dollars.”

The barbershop is a place where you can feel safe and have conversations you never thought you could have.  Different races and ethnicities came together to have a good time at the barbershop. 

For Hines, the event is about the culture.

“Culture is rights, traditions, norms, values, artifacts and symbols are stories that should be passed down from generation to generation,” Hines said. “Especially the culture in the black barbershop.”

Hines said he has hosted similar events at other institutions, and hosting such events brings back memories of his dad taking him to the barbershop when he was young.

“It was a way to engage because, in my culture back then, older people said children need to be seen and not heard,” Hines said. “But when you’re seen, you’re respected and valued by that individual.”

Privilege Barber Lounge owner Brandon Cole, who gave haircuts at the event, has been Hines’ barber for 15 years. Cole said being at the event meant a lot to him because he likes giving back.

“I like giving back, and I like helping people,” Cole said. “If I can offer services that people need or can use, why not?”

Cole said the first person he gave a haircut to at the event was a student from China receiving his first haircut in America.

“For me, it felt good to be the first person to give him a service at that magnitude,” Cole said. “We’re human, and sometimes people need to give back to people and their peers.”

First-year student and first-generation immigrant Ugochukwu Oyefia received a haircut at the event, his first in Minnesota.

“I felt welcomed,” said Oyefia. “It just felt like a good community of regular people. It was pretty cool.”

Oyefia came to Minnesota from Kansas and said he never saw people of color when he went to the barbershop. 

“It just makes me feel like I’m back home in Nigeria,” Oyefia said.

Oyefia said he was glad he came and encouraged others to do the same.

“I think it was a very meaningful event, and it was worth the time,” Oyefia said. “People should come if they genuinely do need a haircut, and also if they just want a sense of community with, you know, other people of color, or just other people in general.”

Privilege Barber Walter Thomas, who was also giving haircuts, said giving back to the community in whatever way he can is very important to him.

“If I can make somebody smile with what I can do just based off talent, that’s enough for me,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the event was heartwarming for him and that students do not always have access to this.

“Some people can’t get haircuts, so I might give out some to people,” Thomas said.

Hines hopes they can do this every year and, as a first-generation college student himself, he said it is important for first-generation college students to know they belong.

“Hopefully we can continue this, and we’ll see what happens in the future,” Hines said.

The Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota kicked off its annual International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE) on Friday and Saturday, allowing students to participate in a mock international crisis.

The main objective of ISCNE is to expose participants to international strategic negotiations and team dynamics. This year’s exercise had a record 53 student participants.

This year’s scenario featured real crises in Central Asia over border disputes between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and shared water resources.

Student participants were randomly separated and placed into groups to represent seven countries: China, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The ISCNE is an annual event and one-credit course facilitated by the Humphrey School and the Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College, according to Jon Olson, an adjunct faculty member in the Humphrey School.

ISCNE Director Ed Zukowski said the mock crisis allows students to enhance their curriculum by applying what they learn in class to real-life scenarios, albeit simulated.

“They’re going to take things that they learn in the classroom about working for a non-governmental organization or maybe working for the state department,” Zukowski said. “Now they get to put it into practice.”

Zukowski said the second day of the event is his favorite day because participants start to understand the exercise.

“Honestly, it’s visible for most students where you go. They’re getting it, and they’re understanding how to do this,” Zukowski said. “And so that’s my favorite part of the exercise is watching that transformation.”

On top of the 53 students involved, the ISCNE had mentors involved, helping each country. There was a wide variety of professional mentor experiences, including those from the United Nations, military and professors.

One mentor, Eric Schwartz, is a professor at the Humphrey School and chairs its global policy area. Schwartz helped start the ISCNE at the University in 2016.

Even though he helped start the ISCNE at the University, Schwartz said this year was a full circle moment, as it was his first year as a mentor.

“Every student I’ve ever spoken to about this negotiation says to me that it’s the coolest thing they’ve done or one of the coolest things they’ve done at the Humphrey School,” Schwartz said.

One such student is Morgan Coleman, a second-year graduate student. In this year’s crisis, Coleman’s second year participating, she was the head of delegation for the Republic of Tajikistan.

“Honestly, it’s the most fun I have during my time here at Humphrey,” Coleman said. “Last year, I had an absolute blast getting to hone and develop my negotiation skills, presentation skills, my speech writing and speech making.”

Coleman said the ISCNE is important to students because they can make connections with foreign policy professionals and former ambassadors.

“It can turn into long-lasting relationships,” Coleman said. “If they continue to foster, they will be able to support their career aspirations.”

First-year graduate student Lia Messinger served as a delegate for Tajikistan and said it gives people a good opportunity to be in a simulation not typically accessible.

“It gives you a good idea of whether you’re interested in maybe doing diplomacy work,” Messinger said. “It’s also a good opportunity to just meet other people, socialize and have access to different mentors and other things. So I think you don’t need to be someone within international relations to do it.”

Messinger said she encourages students to participate and have an open mind.

“If you’re low on credits and you’re interested in a new opportunity, I would say it’s a great opportunity,” Messinger said. “If you have any interest in diplomacy or international relations or just want to do something different, I think it’s a great opportunity.”

Canada’s Consul General for the Midwest Beth Richardson served as the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Asia in the ISCNE and said that it is important for young people to get more exposure to how diplomacy works in practice.

“They should know this is real-life exposure to how countries negotiate conflict,” Richardson said. “Those are lessons that you can learn and bring into your own life, regardless of what you’re studying.”

Next year’s event will take place on Oct.17 and 18, 2025. 

Editor’s Note: A source in this story has been granted anonymity for reasons of personal safety and the ability to travel to Palestine.

The University of Minnesota administration has verbally committed to sponsoring tuition for three Gazan students for the spring 2025 semester, according to an Instagram post by the UMN Divest Coalition on Oct. 7.

The UMN Divest Coalition said Provosts Harvey Charles and Raj Singh are fully committed to covering the cost of full tuition, but students will have to apply for separate grants and scholarships to cover their travel costs, living expenses, and room and board.

The decision came on the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel where the Israeli government estimated 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 hostages were taken. Since Oct. 7, Israeli defense forces have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in its war in Gaza, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians homeless and injured.

University spokesperson Jake Ricker said the University already has an existing program administered through the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.

Originally created by the University’s Board of Regents as early as 1941, the program provides financial aid support in the form of a tuition waiver to international students experiencing significant hardships, according to Ricker.

“This program has offered resources to students from many countries affected by conflict in the past,” Ricker said. “Like all international students, those who qualify for this program must also apply and be accepted academically to the U of M and apply for a student visa from the U.S. government.”

The three prospective international students have applied to the University and can receive support through the program if they are eligible for admission, according to Ricker.

Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) Vice President of Media said the UMN Divest Coalition originally asked for 14 students to be sponsored, including full tuition and board. He said he was disappointed but excited with the progress being made.

“This is our first kind of hope for the future in the University of Minnesota sponsoring dozens of students and supporting the Palestinian students on their campus,” he said.

In a Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) meeting on Oct. 19, 2023, Provost Rachel Croson allowed Israeli students planning to serve in the Israeli military to take a leave of absence and receive reimbursement for tuition, which pro-Palestinian organizations were unaware of until recently, according to the SJP Vice President of Media.

According to FCC meeting minutes written by Amber Bathke, “Students who want to return home to the affected region to serve in the military will be able to receive a tuition refund, and students who are struggling to focus on their academic work can reach out for flexibility in changing to S/N grading or dropping classes late.”

The SJP Vice President of Media said he was frustrated by this decision.

“It’s quite shocking to see that they’re able to so easily fund these students,” he said. “So we ask for at least a matching of the amount of students that went and fought for the IDF or more than what was already implemented.”

The UMN Divest Coalition groups, which includes Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and SJP, continued protests the week of Oct. 7 and on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks. SJP called its week of action in an Oct. 3 Instagram post.

On Oct. 7, a group of around 20 student protesters gathered outside of Minnesota Hillel, a center for Jewish students at the University to commemorate Oct. 7.

The UMN Divest Coalition planned a  “One Year of Genocide” walkout and protested in front of Coffman Union, protesting for six hours on Oct. 7.

The SJP Vice President of Media said the UMN Divest Coalition will keep fighting for the University to admit and sponsor more Gazan students.

“We’re gonna keep pushing for more and more students to at least try and counteract the complete destruction of the four main universities in Gaza,” he said.

The exhibit, “Converging of Times,” opened Oct. 1 in the Coffman Art Gallery at the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Union, showcasing an artistic representation of the complexities of human life. 

The exhibit, set to run until Feb. 2, 2025, features work from artists Charvis Harrell, Debanjana Chatterjee and Len Davis. 

Teagan Londo, the building arts student lead and gallery manager for the Larson Gallery, housed in the University’s St. Paul Student Center, described the gallery as a “hidden gem” within Coffman Union. 

“It’s a way to understand communities that are not your own and be able to appreciate the art that happens in our area and nationally,” Londo said.

With the opening reception held at the Coffman Art Gallery on Oct. 3, the exhibit does not see many visitors, a gallery worker said.

Second-year civil engineering student Ayan Ahmed said she believes every campus should have an art gallery because it allows people to tell a story without telling a story. 

“I think it shows the campus diversity,” Ahmed said. “I think a lot of the art here is kind of focused on people’s cultural identities, and in a way that’s like showing that the school is open to everybody.” 

Second-year University student Haneen Muraweh said she stumbled upon the gallery and is happy campus has a space like it. 

“The first thing that popped into my head when I saw it was that I wish I had known about it,” Muraweh said. “I wish that other people knew that it was here.” 

Londo said students should check out the exhibit because it is in a big space where students have easy access to art. 

“We have so many cool people around the area that show their art through this,” Londo said. “It’s a way to understand communities that are not your own and be able to appreciate the art that happens in our area and nationally.

Londo said planning for the gallery took six to seven months, with planning beginning in March 2024. Londo and the other organizers picked out the artists in March and instantly began planning from there. 

Once the artists sent their work to Londo and her team, Londo said they began to organize and put everything together in the Coffman Art Gallery. 

Londo could not be there for the show opening but said she was very pleased with the turnout. 

“People were really interested in the art,” Londo said. “It was a really awesome opportunity to see a bunch of cool different things.” 

Londo said her favorite part of the process was the math to get artwork to fit in the cases. 

“I think there were 36 pieces or something like that,” said Londo. “They all have different styles, but making it look collected and curated is a really cool feat.”

Londo said she hopes all students visit the gallery and other spaces on campus to engage with art and understand different perspectives.

“There are two spaces, there’s a second floor in Coffman,” said Londo. “Just checking back and making sure they see what’s newest is really cool.”