Earlier this month, the University of Minnesota announced it will offer the opportunity for graduating seniors to walk across a stage in addition to a conferral ceremony at Huntington Bank Stadium in response to prior criticism from students and families.

In the fall, the University announced most college-specific graduation ceremonies would be combined into a joint ceremony in May due to renovations at 3M Arena at Mariucci, where ceremonies are typically held. The University said in its announcement that departments would be able to plan their own ceremonies in which students could be individually recognized.

The new opportunities to walk across a stage was added because students and parents were concerned about what the department ceremonies would include, according to University Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson.

“While some departments and colleges across the Twin Cities are still planning commencement celebrations, adding this activity ensures that all students will have the opportunity to cross a stage, have their name read, and capture photos and/or videos of this important moment, with their guests present in the front row,” Croson said in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

Students can sign up for an individual time slot to walk across the stage on a first come, first serve basis during stage crossing hours, which will take place in the University Recreation and Wellness Center Field House.

According to Croson, the stage crossings will not be specific to any college or departments, but students are encouraged to coordinate with friends and classmates if they would like to celebrate together. Students and their guests are asked to arrive within a 15-minute window to maintain a continuous flow of students.

The University released a schedule showing when representatives of various colleges will be available to congratulate students at the stage crossings.

While the University added the stage crossing opportunities to provide individual recognition, some students are unsure if they will actually sign up for a stage crossing.
Rowan Halm, a fourth-year student in the College of Science and Engineering, said they were not planning to attend a stage crossing and are still deciding whether to attend the conferral ceremony.

Halm said the opportunity to walk across the stage seems “kind of pathetic” and feels like the University only added them to “placate” students.

“If you look at [the plan], it’s like ‘you and your 10 best friends can walk across the stage together,’ and I could do that anywhere,” Halm said. “I don’t need to sign up and do it in the Field House.”

Halm said they would attend a ceremony organized by their department.

Morgan Michalkiewicz, a fourth-year student in the College of Biological Sciences (CBS), also said she would attend a ceremony put on by her department but was unlikely to attend a stage crossing.

Michalkiewicz said she does not feel the stage crossings allow students to be recognized by their colleges or their peers.

Michalkiewicz said she has not heard anything from CBS about college or department specific ceremonies and is “starting to get concerned.”

“Some colleges haven’t come out with that information yet, and it’s three months away,” Michalkiewicz said. “It’s getting a little close.”

On Feb. 1, Murphy Hall opened its basement to students after its first renovation in more than 20 years, improving classroom functionality and updating technology. The renovated lower-level at Murphy Hall, which is home to the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, now includes an updated library area, podcast studio and broadcast studio.

Administration began considering the renovation in summer 2018 after receiving complaints about the classroom setup and lack of gathering spaces for students. Murphy Hall’s last renovation was in 1999.

The main goals of the $4.34 million renovation were to create distinct classrooms, update the technology and add a space for students to congregate, according to Wally Swanson, the digital media studio coordinator at the journalism school.

“Back before the renovation, we had three classrooms with no walls between them,” Swanson said. “Needless to say, that was not very popular with instructors.”

Swanson also said the lack of walls separating the classrooms was distracting for students.

“We wanted to get segregation of the classrooms so there was actually some privacy and so that they were sound isolated,” Swanson said.

The newly renovated basement now has three separate classrooms. One of the classrooms is a multimedia studio room, which has lighting specifically suited for photography. The other two classrooms are labs, which can be combined, if needed, to create a space that seats 40 students.

“Teachers are able to teach in a way that wasn’t even possible in the old classrooms,” Director Elisia Cohen saidl.

The renovation also updated the broadcast studio. The studio was expanded to allow for three cameras from three different angles, a standing desk and a sit-down desk large enough for two anchors.

Scott Libin, who teaches a news casting production class, said he is eager to use the broadcast studio to prepare students for the workforce. In early March, students will begin producing their newscasts in the studio.

“All television stations are looking for newscast producers, and they want to know what we are doing to train more of them and get more of them into the workforce,” Libin said. “I feel like we are better equipped now to do that.”

Libin said he feels the renovations provide a better experience for students and better prepares them for their future careers.

The renovations also included a soundproof audio booth that can be used as a podcast studio. Cohen said the new studio spaces combined with the new classrooms opened up more opportunities for courses including podcasting and other photojournalism classes.

Additionally, the layout allows for a central hub, which includes the library and study spaces. There are now a variety of seating options for students to work either individually or with a group. There are also group study rooms students can rent out.

“I think one of the biggest issues [before the remodel] was that we had no study space or common areas that you could hang out in between classes,” said Madeline Susedik, a fourth-year student studying strategic communication. “Now we can meet up with a group here or study.”

About 20 students and community members marched from Coffman l Union to the University of Minnesota Transportation and Safety Building Friday to protest police brutality and call for community controlled policing. 

The “Justice for All Stolen Lives” protest, which was organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), was created after officers from three different police departments around the country killed three people in recent weeks. The protest’s goal was to renew calls for police reform.

“There has been, over the past month or so, just an absolutely tragic number of police killings across the country,” said Cal Mergendahl, a first-year University graduate student who attended the protest.

Keenan Anderson died on Jan. 3 of cardiac arrest less than five hours after Los Angeles Police Department officers repeatedly tasered him. Manuel Terán died on Jan. 18 after a confrontation with the Georgia State Patrol, during which police shot them at least 13 times. Tyre Nichols died on Jan. 10, three days after Memphis police officers brutally and repeatedly beat him. 

“We are here to demand justice for them as we have done for, unfortunately, so many people in the past and to amplify the calls for real police accountability,” Mergendahl said. 

Protestors called for charges to be brought against police officers involved in the deaths of Anderson, Terán and Nichols. They carried signs to honor each person, which included their photos and calls for justice. 

“We want them all charged for murder and a fair trial and a conviction as soon as possible,” SDS member and fourth-year University student Mira Altobell-Resendez said. 

The protest was part of “National Day of Action Against Police Terror,” a national initiative SDS chapters across the country participated in through organizing their own protest against police brutality.

The protest included speakers from various community and student organizations, such as White Coats for Black Lives, Students for Climate Justice and the Anti-War Committee. They spoke about the need for police accountability and the importance of community control of the police. 

A speaker from Twin City Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J), collected signatures for a petition for community control of policing. TCC4J has been advocating for community control of the Minneapolis Police Department since 2017 and has established draft legislation for a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). A CPAC would allow civilians to decide who polices the community and how. 

“I think the primary goal of this protest was to keep energy up around the struggle for community control of police,” SDS member and University student Sorcha Lona said. 

The protest ended with a march from Coffman Union to the Transportation and Safety Building, where the University of Minnesota Police Department is housed. Leading the march were protesters holding a banner that read “Convict Killer Cops.”

Despite having to brave below freezing temperatures, SDS members said they were pleased with the protest’s turnout.

“It’s just important to be out consistently, even though it’s really cold, even though we don’t get thousands of people,” Lona said. “It’s actions like these, staying consistent in our efforts, that really lead to change.”

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated Manuel Terán’s gender identity. Terán was nonbinary and used they/them pronouns.