Morgan Smith was a junior at the University of Minnesota when she went out to the Dinkytown bar Blarney Pub and Grill, just two blocks from campus, on what was supposed to be a fun night out. 

It was about 1 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2021, when she was washing her hands in the basement bathroom in front of a crowd of girls waiting in line for their turn. She looked up at herself in the dingy mirror when two muffled pops suddenly sounded from the upstairs level; everyone in the bathroom began to panic. 

“‘Turn the music off, everybody get down!’” she recalled hearing the DJ shout. “And everybody was on the ground.”

She and her friends asked a person at the bar what was going on. He told her somebody was getting kicked out because they pulled a gun on an employee.

Reports of shots fired in Minneapolis’ Marcy Holmes neighborhood hit a high in 2021; police responded to 91 reports of shots fired in the neighborhood.

In the past two years, many University students in the neighborhoods surrounding campus have experienced gun violence firsthand, whether that be at campus bars, walking home or looking out their windows.

“We hear about this stuff all the time, but it wouldn’t happen here,” Smith said she used to think to herself. 

‘Holy s***, I almost got shot.’

In the summer of 2021, Josh Klavins, a University student going into his junior year, was walking a friend home from Blarney around 3 a.m.

They were outside the Uncommon apartment building on 4th Street SE talking for a few minutes until they suddenly heard shots fired from a suppressed gun, a gun intended to be quieter than a normal gun. 

Because he was caught up in a conversation with his friend, he didn’t recognize what the sound was until he felt something fly past his leg; he turned around to see a car speeding away from them. Just one more turn and he found the window of the Uncommon was completely shattered behind him with one bullet hole in the center of it.

“‘Holy s***,’” he remembered thinking. “‘I almost just got shot.’”

He walked home in shock and told his roommates about the incident. He went to bed hardly believing it really happened.

Klavins said following the incident, he ensured he was always walking home in a group and did not stay out as late in Dinkytown. 

Klavins said even now, he feels less safe on campus. 

“It’s kind of sad,” he said.

National gun violence issues

While University students detailed experiences of gun violence occurring in neighborhoods just off of campus, college campus shootings are not nonexistent. Although college campus shootings are less common and there is less data available compared to K-12 shootings, the most recent incident took place on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus on Feb, 13.

A gunman opened fire in two different buildings on MSU’s campus, killing three students and critically injuring five others. Students, staff and faculty sheltered in place while police searched for the suspect, who later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

This is not the only recent shooting on a college campus. On Nov. 13, 2022, another shooting happened at the University of Virginia; three students died and two others were wounded. 

A trend over the past 15 years has enabled people in the U.S. to carry guns on campuses in 40 states, Northeastern University professor James Alan Fox, who maintains the longest-running data source on mass killings, said in an interview with Northeastern News. 

Students for Concealed Carry, a grassroots organization formed after the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 that left 33 people dead, lobbied for an increase from one to 20 states that permitted guns on all campuses. An additional 20 states allow colleges to decide whether to permit guns on campus and 10 ban carrying guns on their campuses.

University Board of Regents policy on possession and carrying of weapons prohibits anyone outside of law enforcement or military personnel from carrying a weapon while on University property. 

The definition of “mass shooting” is controversial, leading to different opinions on what the threshold is for how many fatalities need to occur, said University of Minnesota journalism professor Ruth DeFoster, who studies gun violence and mass shootings in correlation to mental health. However, she defines a mass shooting as a shooting that leads to three or more deaths, not including the shooter.

In 2022, there were 647 mass shootings in the U.S., according to Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks gun violence incidents. According to the archive, there have been more than 80 mass shootings since the beginning of 2023. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in 2020 more Americans died from gun-related injuries than in any other year. 

“The U.S. has more than one gun for every man, woman and child on the planet in the country, and that’s the highest per capita rate of gun ownership in any country,” DeFoster said.

When other countries like Australia put gun control policy in place, it proved to be extremely effective in preventing shootings, according to DeFoster. Mass shootings in Australia have significantly decreased since the 1996 National Firearms Agreement law was put in place.

According to DeFoster, because the U.S. has not passed similar gun legislation, the number of mass shootings is rising. She said gun legislation “is the only variable that sets us apart from other countries” in the number of shootings per year.

However, it has been difficult for government organizations such as the CDC to study gun violence due to a Republican effort to decrease their funding, DeFoster said.

“The thing that’s just so frustrating is we have the answer. It’s not rocket science. There are too many guns,” DeFoster said. “The data are very, very clear that when you introduce more guns into any space, whether that’s your home, your workplace, your school…the rates of gun violence commensurately go right up alongside it.”

‘I feel like I’ve told this story so much it’s just like ingrained.’

University senior Jack Menzies said during his sophomore year, he lived in the 4th Street Co-op apartments in Dinkytown above Frank and Andrea’s pizza with three of his close friends. 

They had their windows cracked open for some fresh air around 11 p.m. one night when they heard the sound of a gunshot. As they made their way toward the window, they heard a multitude of additional gunshots (six more if he had to guess). 

That is when they ran the remainder of the distance to the window. They saw two men running away from each other right outside the patio gates of the Kollege Klub just across the street.

One of the men was wobbling down the street and screaming for help.

Menzies said from their fifth-floor apartment, they could see the other man’s blood start to “pool out of his leg” while he was sitting against a wall outside of the Kollege Klub. 

The man who was still running down the street was making his way toward the Marshall apartment complex and kept falling down every few strides, until after one fall when he did not get back up.

The man who was sitting down initially was taken into an ambulance by paramedics as Menzies and his roommates saw a white sheet pulled over the other man’s body after a failed attempt at CPR.

“I walked just about every day where that guy ended up dying,” Menzies said.

Tyler Rife, who is also a senior at the University, said he heard many gunshots from his window during his sophomore year when he lived at the Marshall in Dinkytown.

Rife said he saw the same man lying on the ground after being shot. Since he said it was common for him to witness shootings in the area, he does not recall many details about that night or any other shots he heard or saw fired.

“I’ve seen like three other shootings as well, just in that one year I lived there,” he said. “It just seems pretty violent.”

How students feel about their safety: ‘In general, it’s kind of sad’

DeFoster said it is highly unlikely for a shooting to happen on a college campus; however, she has heard a lot of chatter among University students and local Twin Cities residents who don’t feel safe and feel they need to buy a gun to protect themselves. 

“That is the worst possible thing you can do…There’s only been one mass shooting that I’m aware of ever in the U.S. that’s been stopped by a civilian with a gun out of thousands.” DeFoster said.

Most students said to an extent they have been wary of going out in Dinkytown at night after witnessing or hearing about incidents; however, they do not think much of it after a year or more passes.

Menzies said his perspective of going out in Minneapolis has shifted, and he now takes warnings from others that the city can be dangerous into consideration more than he used to. 

“It’s something you do have to think about here, and that kind of sucks,” he said. “In general, it’s just kind of sad that it has to be like that here.”

He said he is envious of his friends who live on other campuses such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they have not had the same experiences of worrying about going out. Menzies said he feels the dangers are most present at night, so he has never felt unsafe on his walks to campus during the day.

Some students said they felt less safe on campus in general and are concerned shooting incidents could happen on campus.

Smith said in terms of campus safety, she does worry about how shooting incidents have happened so close to campus because “they could just walk across the street and be on campus.” 

Smith said she now avoids going to Blarney and is more aware of her surroundings out of fear for her safety. However, she said her experience has not impacted her decisions to stay out late in Dinkytown in general. 

Menzies said although he does feel more unsafe on campus knowing it is a possibility that violent crime can happen anywhere, he does not necessarily think about his safety as often as he believes he should.  

Since his friends have similar stories about their encounters with shootings in Dinkytown, he said he is not as worried about his safety when going out in a group since it has become a normalized experience for him and his friends.

Rife said his parents worry about his safety on and off campus more than he does.

“I know my parents read the news, and they’ve been pretty livid with the University of Minnesota’s campus safety,” he said.

Rife said he believes the University has a lot of power to put more effort into preventative measures to protect students.

What the University of Minnesota is doing

“Emergency preparedness is critically important to campus operations system-wide, and we have protocols in place to respond to shootings or other large-scale public safety threats,” the University’s Director of Public Relations Jake Ricker said in an email.

The protocols and resources provided to understand roles and responsibilities if something like a shooting were to happen on campus are ever-changing. The University has these in place to address potential threats to neutralize situations before they escalate, Ricker said.

The University offers online trainings primarily to University community members through the Training Hub. The University’s Health and Safety team offers more than 60 annual safety courses, some online and others in person. Typically, between 35,000 and 40,000 people utilize the safety courses each year, Ricker said. 

In 2022, the University held four exercises dealing with scenarios involving hostile intruders, active shooters or other emergency events. These exercises involved various departments including the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD), campus EMT services and outside agencies like the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). 

In 2022, one of the exercises was an active shooter scenario in a University building. Gopher Athletics’ annual exercise in 2022 presented a scenario for responding to reports of noises similar to gunshots during a major stadium event, Ricker said.

Additionally, all campus buildings are required to have a Building Emergency Plan (BEP) that outlines the steps to take during an emergency like an active shooter. A designated faculty lead maintains a building’s BEP, and they are responsible for informing building occupants of those response procedures. 

BEPs are not publicly available because they contain individuals’ personal information, Ricker said. The University is looking into ways to publicly post building-specific plans without divulging any personal information. 

Posters that outline general emergency procedures are posted in buildings and online, Ricker said.

In addition to University exercises, second-year physical therapy student Tierra Prescott worked with the Department of Safety to create an ongoing monthly self-defense class. Prescott said she felt that providing it solely on an as “needed basis” at the University was not effective enough.

“I offer an optional anonymous survey after every class so they can take it if they want to and from responses that I’ve seen, they say it’s effective and they learn about situational awareness,” Prescott said. “It’s more coming to the awareness of what people’s bodies can do and just giving them that empowerment like ‘yes, I can take my personal safety into my own hands.’” 

Board of Regents members weigh in

“I think the University always needs to be prepared for any large-scale crisis event to happen on-campus, and that includes a mass shooting,” University Regent James Farnsworth said.

Farnsworth said gun violence prevention efforts should be done through the partnership between the UMPD and the MPD to have a sufficient police presence in off-campus areas.

“I think the University should support the Minneapolis Police Department’s initiatives when it comes to how to deal with gun violence crimes in our off-campus areas, which should be the jurisdiction of the Minneapolis Police Department,” he said.

Farnsworth said he believes the University needs to continue to make strategic safety planning a priority, include it in budgeting plans and inform the community to prevent reactive crimes, such as shootings, from happening on and near campus.

“We need to continue making sure we’re keeping our eyes on the ball,” he said.

Regent Mike Kenyanya said in an emai “off-campus activity can be a bellwether for campus,” and public safety has been a board priority lately. Regents have been in close contact with the UMPD and the board has conducted public listening forums regarding shootings.

Parents and students have provided feedback that they do not see a practical distinction between on and off campus on the University maps due to students living and working in both areas, Kenyanya said. Therefore, the University prioritizes crime both on campus and in its surrounding areas, he said.

Kenyanya said he believes the University needs to continue enhancing early intervention programs and promoting more ways for people to share concerns about community members’ safety.

“Anytime I read or watch coverage regarding a tragedy like [the University of Virginia shooting], you always hear people say things like ‘we never thought this could happen here.’ As leaders, that’s not a mindset we can afford to have,” Kenyanya said. “That wouldn’t be fair to everyone who works at, studies at or visits any of our campuses.”

With the fifth semester of teaching during COVID-19 coming to a close on May 2, University of Minnesota faculty looked back on their experiences and lessons learned from the past two years.

Classes shifted from online to in-person for the majority of students in fall 2021, in addition to changing mask requirements in the spring. Students and faculty also accommodated vaccine mandates and overcame case numbers amid the surge of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in January.

“I can’t stop thinking about how difficult it’s been for everybody,” said Matthew Hadley, a cultural studies and comparative literature professor. “I think we’ve all had to be creative and we’ve all had to make sacrifices and shift the ways that we traditionally would teach.”

Hadley said he thought the pandemic taught professors to be more empathetic toward students’ mental health and personal situations.

“I think that we just need to be more aware of the challenges in everyone’s lives, I think the pandemic just exacerbated it,” Hadley said. “I wish the University had more support for mental health, but I’m really glad that they’re at least acknowledging it and asking professors to pay more attention to it.”

Corey Nelson, a marketing professor, said the pandemic helped him understand what other things may be impacting students’ lives in the background. Courses taught online made this more noticeable, he said.

“People would email me at the end of the semester and be like, ‘Corey, I didn’t leave my bed for a month, but I came to class every day,’ and that scared me,” Nelson said. “You just see a black box [online] and you don’t understand what people are going through in their lives, so it made me realize that a lot more.”

Christopher Kauffman, a computer science professor, said professors struggled with mental health issues of their own during the pandemic, making it more difficult to provide students with the help and encouragement they need.

According to a 2020 study from the Carlson School of Management, California Polytechnic and the University of Washington, nearly 20% of the more than 1,000 University faculty who took the survey reported a high level of burnout.

“As much as many of us tried, it was impossible to provide as many accommodations and to be as sensitive to the mental health of students, when our own mental health was really suffering pretty badly too,” Kauffman said.

Although many classes were taught in-person for the 2021-22 academic year, some faculty continued to offer courses in remote or hybrid modalities. Utilizing technology for online teaching and engaging students outside of the classroom continued to be challenges for professors during this time, according to Ned Patterson, chair of the Faculty Consultative Committee.
Echoing sentiments from fall semester, some faculty also said they desired more choice on the modality in which their classes would be taught.
Patterson said continued online teaching during the pandemic has offered some silver linings, like collaborating with other universities for a class or allowing students located off-campus to enroll and take a class.

Becky Haddad, an agricultural education professor, said she is inspired by the resilience of faculty and students through the pandemic and is excited to move forward with positivity.

“How do we take what we’ve learned over the last three years, how do we really embrace that for what it was and how do we take those lessons and now really start to go forward with rebuilding attitude?” Haddad said.

With in-person classes, Kauffman said he thought students have put effort into forming a community by reaching out to people in classes and being more sensitive and accommodating to each other.

Patterson said building a community on campus is an important step for moving forward toward a post COVID-19 environment at the University.

“People want community so that’s what we need to search for going forward,” Patterson said. “More in-person so you can establish a students, staff and faculty community again.”

The University of Minnesota is seeking input from students, faculty and other stakeholders as it develops a modified set of course requirements for all students as part of a curriculum review.

To begin this review and gather recommendations, the Core Curriculum 2025 Committee is hosting online forums throughout April and May. Student forums were held April 18 and 20 and a forum for employers was also held on April 20.

Although curriculum requirements are typically revisited every 10 to 15 years, the general format has remained the same since 1991. Any changes to curriculum implemented by the committee would impact students beginning at the University in 2025.

The goal of the curriculum review is to better prepare students for post-graduation, said University President Joan Gabel in an interview with the Minnesota Daily.

“I think it’s important because there’s a very broad discussion in society as a whole about the value of being educated and what it means to be educated,” Gabel said. “As a University, we think about what you need in order to be prepared for work. We also think about what you need to be prepared for life, and they are not necessarily the same thing.”

The current curriculum for undergraduate students on the Twin Cities campus requires students to take classes that fall under four themes and seven diversified cores, like historical perspectives or mathematical thinking. Writing intensive courses are also mandatory.

A common curriculum for all students creates exposure to skills outside of their major requirements, Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education Robert McMaster said.

“The idea is that we think all of our U of M undergraduates should have some common curricular experience,” McMaster said. “Even if you’re a theater major, we want you to go out with some knowledge of mathematics.”

McMaster said he thinks the model for writing classes could be reviewed and a public speaking requirement could be added to the curriculum, although these changes are not certain.

The last curriculum review was in 2005, where the committee at the time added technology and society to the list of required themes. In 2021, the University Senate approved the addition of a race, power and justice theme.

This is the first time a review committee is including two student representatives, McMaster said.

Committee student representative Zeke Jackson said one of his main goals is to ensure “students aren’t being overburdened by liberal education requirements.”

Jackson is also the Academic Affairs Committee director for the Minnesota Student Association, which is gathering its own feedback from students on the curriculum with a survey.

So far, 17 students have taken the survey and generally have shown interest in learning more about student finances. Respondents also generally said they appreciated having a variety of curriculum requirements set in place.

Jackson said he hopes the curriculum will equip students with skills that will prepare them for their future endeavors.

During the student forum on Monday, some students said they feel like they need to “check off the boxes” in order to graduate with current requirements, according to Jackson.

Students at the forum also expressed interest in learning more about how to connect their general education to real-world topics, committee chair Will Durfee said.

“One of the most common comments that I hear from students across all majors is, ‘How do I make my education relevant to the world that I’m a part of now or will be going into in the near future?” Durfee said.

With many viewpoints on what should be updated in the curriculum, it may be challenging to make changes that please everyone or apply to all areas of study, Durfee said.

“We’re never going to get everyone to agree,” Durfee said. “But if we can come up with some general principles and then codify that into an education program that ultimately people are excited about … I think that would be a real win for our University.”
The committee is aiming not to have preconceptions about what should be changed in the curriculum and to listen to common trends and ideas coming from students, faculty and other stakeholders, Durfee said.
Committee faculty representative Lee-Ann Kastman Breuch said curriculum requirements will only be changed or updated if that is the general consensus on campus.
“I don’t think this committee is seeking to change things,” Breuch said. “We are really trying to figure out from the University community if change is desired, and then, if so, what that is.”

University community members can leave comments on a form or email any committee member if they have suggestions or concerns about future curriculum requirements, Durfee said.

“You don’t always like that you have to go in and find these courses and find social science that’s also an environment course,” McMaster said. “It’s a bit of a checklist, but in the end you realize the importance as a graduate from a world-class university, that you are exposed to many areas of knowledge, not narrowly, but broadly.”

Correction: A previous version of the story misstated a paraphrase by Joan Gabel. 

The Minnesota Daily is preparing for a transition in leadership at the start of the summer, with Maia Irvin stepping into the editor-in-chief position and Bella Carpentier filling the managing editor role.

The Daily’s Board of Directors selected Irvin as editor-in-chief on April 2. In this position, Irvin will be responsible for overseeing and organizing all staff in the newsroom and ensuring proper training and quality of news.

“Maia emerged as a really strong candidate, what we look for in an editor is good journalistic skills and instincts,” Board Secretary and Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication faculty member Gayle Golden said. “She just understands what a story is and what news values are, so she’ll be positioned to help the Daily continue to grow, which is really important.”

The managing editor is responsible for supervising and managing operations of the newsroom.

This position also works with the editor-in-chief to manage staffing, hiring and scheduling and to develop training programs and serve as a motivator to staff.

Irvin and Carpentier will start in these roles at the end of May and occupy these positions until the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

The Board of Directors is also working to fill the Business Operations Officer position over the summer, according to Board Chair Drew Geraets in an emailed statement.

Editor-in-chief
Maia Irvin is a third-year student at the University of Minnesota studying both journalism and anthropology. Irvin began working at the Minnesota Daily as a reporter in May 2021.

“When I was a freshman, I remember going to the activities fair and … going to the Daily booth, I liked the vibes when I met them,” Irvin said. “Just seeing that it’s an actual publication that students put together I’m like, ‘Okay, this seems like a legit thing that would be good for me to try.’”

As a reporter, Irvin wrote about staff and faculty at the University of Minnesota and the Board of Regents. Outside of these areas, Irvin said she enjoys writing obituaries and stories on scientific research.

Irvin said working for the Minnesota Daily taught her foundational journalism skills. Irvin has also published work with the Star Tribune and Castilla-La Mancha Media, and edited work for the College of Liberal Arts Office of Institutional Advancement.

As editor-in-chief, Irvin said she wants to emphasize the Minnesota Daily’s role as a learning institution for student journalists and to ensure reporters have necessary resources needed to be successful.

“If you do want to be a journalist, working at the Daily is a really good step to learn a lot of skills and to be able to graduate and say, ‘oh, I can do this job and I can do it well.’” Irvin said.

Irvin said she hopes to provide more specific training to staff in the newsroom in specific areas, like data journalism.

“[Acquiring various skills] gives you a leg up in trying to find a job in the industry,” Irvin said. “That’s what we’re here for is to help students get experiences that will get them a job hopefully after graduation.”

Managing editor
Third-year student Bella Carpentier will be working alongside Irvin as managing editor for the upcoming year.

Carpentier is currently studying journalism at the University and started working for the Daily in August 2021 as a reporter covering student issues and student activism on campus.

Carpentier said she will bring open collaboration and communication to the table as managing editor. She said she hopes to see “more bonds and relationships between people and their work” form at the Minnesota Daily by meeting in-person.

Carpentier said she wants to increase outreach to the student body to learn more about the kind of stories they would like to see published by the Minnesota Daily.

Carpentier also said her experiences as a reporter will inform her role as managing editor.

“I just would like to add how excited I am to work with Maia, because my first ever article that I wrote for the Daily I wrote with her,” Carpentier said. “She kind of took me under her wing and showed me what to do as a reporter.”

Being able to see people’s faces on campus is nice for second-year student Nick Johnson because getting to know his classmates is easier.

​​”I feel like a lot of the times you have classes with people and outside the class you’d have no idea,” Johnson said. “You could see them in public and have no idea you sit right across from them.”

Johnson is able to see his classmate’s faces as a result of the lifted mask requirements in some areas on the University of Minnesota campus, which took effect March 21. Although masks are still required in classrooms, they are no longer mandatory in common areas, dining settings, offices and entertainment and sporting events.

At the March 31 University Senate meeting, President Joan Gabel said administration will reevaluate masking requirements and consider making further changes at the end of the semester.

University staff and faculty have voiced concerns over the updated mask requirements and have expressed worry over the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

Gabel said the University could have lifted the mask mandate in classrooms, but opted not to in order to stay consistent with previous University guidance put into place at the beginning of the semester.

“From a public health point of view in terms of our consistent decision making around following CDC guidance, which I know not everyone agrees with, and I appreciate that, [this] has been how we have been making our decisions all along,” Gabel said at the meeting.

Some students said they generally feel comfortable with the changes in policy.

“Masks can be annoying,” first-year student Teresa Campbell said. “It’s nice after such a long time of having to wear them to be able to not while inside and also [being able to] see other people.”

Third-year student Siddarth Iyer said it doesn’t make sense to require masks in classrooms, when students can sit in Coffman Union, for example, for multiple hours without wearing a mask.

“I’m comfortable with [the update],” Iyer said. “Obviously, it’s a privilege to be able to say that because as a person with a vaccine and the booster, I’m not too concerned about getting COVID anymore.”

Third-year student, Nikhil Kumaran, said he is surprised the University changes were only made for some areas on campus, such as in dining halls, but not in classrooms.

Although most students said they prefer not wearing a mask, they do not have an issue with wearing a mask in spaces where they are still required or to protect the safety of others.

“I would obviously wear one if someone had asked me to or there were people who were uncomfortable around me,” Campbell said.

Third-year student Anoushka Sunkum said her decision on whether to wear a mask or not is dependent on avoiding feeling like an outcast in the room, even in spaces where they are not mandatory.

“If you were in a space that didn’t require masks, and you’re the only person wearing a mask, people would look at you funny and vice versa,” Sunkum said.

Some students said they would be open to mask requirements being lifted in classes in the future. Iyer said he believes it is a step in the direction of lifting mask requirements completely.

“I don’t think it would make me uncomfortable and I know that there’s probably plenty of people that would still wear masks and that’s completely their choice, and I’m totally fine with that,” Campbell said.

Although most students said they feel comfortable with the update, there are still concerns about the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

“I’m a little bit nervous that since everybody has their mask off, there could be more risk of COVID spreading,” Sunkum said. “But to be completely honest, I feel like from what I know, the cases on campus here seem pretty under control, so I’m supportive of the new policy.”

Minnesota universities and colleges are taking different approaches to COVID-19 policies and mask mandates as case numbers and transmission rates have decreased over the last few months.

Many universities loosened their masking requirements in the past month with recent changes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in how the risk level of COVID-19 is measured. The University of Minnesota lifted masking requirements March 21 in some indoor spaces on campus, but masks are still required in classrooms, public transportation and healthcare settings.

Other schools are taking a different approach, with some lifting masking requirements completely. All included universities said they followed guidance from the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) when making decisions.

The city of Minneapolis also lifted its mask mandate for public indoor spaces, including restaurants, schools and recreational facilities, on Feb. 24.

University of Minnesota

In a campus-wide email sent March 11, University President Joan Gabel announced masks would no longer be required in dining settings, common areas, office spaces, sporting events or entertainment venues.

In addition to guidance from the CDC and the MDH, Gabel said the University decided to change their policy after monitoring COVID-19 cases, transmission rates and hospitalizations.

“We continue to work with our community stakeholders on this measured approach to shifting mask decision-making to individuals, and you should anticipate further updates,” University spokesperson Jake Ricker said in an email.

Ricker said the University is continuing to require masks in classrooms and instructional settings because they tend to be “higher density” than other settings.

“With key data points trending downward and most of Minnesota entering the ‘low’ risk category – in addition to the University community’s high rate of vaccination – the decision was made to no longer require masks in many University settings,” Ricker said.

Minnesota State University Mankato

On March 7, Minnesota State University Mankato (MSU) announced masks were no longer required in indoor spaces on campus, including in classrooms.

David Jones, MSU vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, said the decision was made after the Minnesota State Chancellor announced schools located in counties with low to moderate COVID-19 transmission levels could lift their mask mandate.

“That was the benchmark,” Jones said. “So any county that was in the moderate or high was required to have masking.”

Masking is still required in locations that offer healthcare services, including their dental health clinic and student health center.

Although masking requirements have been lifted, many people at MSU are choosing to wear masks for their own health and safety, Jones said.

Jones said he is excited to be in a stage of the pandemic where there can be higher levels of communication and MSU’s facilities can open to the general public again.

“[MSU’s] behavior and their choices allowed us to get to the point we are now where we are hopefully moving beyond in going to be able to return to so many of the activities with full participation like we did before,” Jones said.

Saint Cloud State University
Masking requirements shifted for Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) beginning March 15. As of this date, masks were no longer required on campus, apart from in healthcare facilities. SCSU’s proof of vaccination requirement was also lifted on campus.

Steve South, SCSU interim assistant vice president of safety and risk management, said they decided to lift masking requirements due to cases declining on campus and in the surrounding community.

SCSU has not reported any COVID-19 cases on campus since the beginning of March, South said.

“We have an on-site testing facility on campus and that allows us to monitor data coming in and as to how many people are testing positive on campus,” South said. “Those case numbers have plummeted.”

Brent Nielsen, medical director of the SCSU medical clinic, said that although they collaborate and meet with other Minnesota universities, these outside responses did not influence SCSU’s masking decisions.

Nielsen said SCSU’s location in a part of the state with lower COVID-19 transmission rates was an important factor.

“COVID decision-making has to be very dynamic because things have changed throughout this whole pandemic,” Nielsen said. “Right now we have a change that is positive where we have enough evidence that we don’t need to be doing masking, but that could certainly change.”

University of Saint Thomas
Similar to the University of Minnesota’s approach, the University of St. Thomas (UST) announced masking requirements were lifted in various indoor spaces, but still required in classrooms, the campus shuttle and the Center for Well-Being on Feb. 26.

“Our case numbers on campus are low, they’ve been trending downward and we’ve seen no evidence of cases in labs or classrooms,” UST spokesperson Andy Ybarra said.

In addition to guidance from the CDC and MDH, Ybarra said high vaccination rates, local public guidance and declining cases factored into their decision.

Although it was not a priority in their decision making process, UST monitored and followed the University of Minnesota’s COVID-19 response as well, Ybarra said.

All four universities are still encouraging their campus populations to get vaccinated and receive the booster in addition to staying home when feeling sick to help stop the spread of COVID-19, according to announcements from each college.

“Having lived through this for the last two years, I think too many people focus on was a decision right or wrong,” Nielsen said. “You don’t really know, in a thing like COVID, what’s the right decision all the time but we try to use all the best data you can to make a good decision.”

Staff and faculty are responding to changes to the University of Minnesota’s COVID-19 policy, with most communicating unease about the lifting of masking requirements in some places on campus that took effect on March 21.

Although masks are still required in classrooms, public transportation and healthcare settings, staff and faculty said they are concerned about the change in mask requirements in office spaces and crowded public areas on campus. In a campus-wide email sent March 11 announcing the update, President Joan Gabel said this change is aligned with public health recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding masking.

The city of Minneapolis lifted its mask mandate on Feb. 24, and other universities in the area have eased restrictions as COVID-19 cases have recently declined.

“Individuals may continue to wear masks at any time and in any location, as a matter of personal protection,” Gabel said in the email. “We will continue to respect and honor the choices of all individuals who feel more comfortable wearing a mask.”

This is not the first time staff and faculty have voiced concern over the University’s COVID-19 response. In October 2021, University staff and faculty sent a formal resolution to administration requesting increased COVID-19 protocols, including stricter masking requirements.

“I’m disappointed,” said Ruth Shaw, an ecology, evolution and behavior professor. “I have not seen a clear rationale that justifies the changes … It puts many individuals and our broader community at a much greater risk than makes sense.”

Although Shaw said these changes do not pose a direct threat to her health because she can avoid areas where masks are no longer required, she added she is concerned for those who do not have that flexibility, like people who need to work and eat in dining halls.

“For my personal status I’m not very concerned, but I am concerned for many other individuals and for our community and of course, as our community incurs greater COVID, each one of us is individually at greater risk,” Shaw said.

Cherrene Horazuk, executive administrative and office specialist in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and President of the UMN American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3800, said her greatest concern is about spaces open to the general public on campus and office spaces.

“We’ve heard from a lot of clerical workers and other technical workers and other support staff that are part of AFSCME who have real concerns about the way that the [masking] rules are laid out,” Horazuk said. “There are clear protections in place within the classroom setting but not within office settings or public spaces.”

Amanda Greenhart is a principal office and administrative specialist and AFSCME local 3800 Treasurer who works in a clinic on campus. She said having masks required in some indoor areas, but not others on campus has been confusing.

“We still get lots of people coming through without masks and then I have to say, ‘Hi, can I get you a mask?’” Greenhart said. “People do not like that.”

Some staff and faculty said they are satisfied with how the University has communicated the decision making process that led up to this announcement, while others said they are not.

“I think that it’s a failure of leadership when we don’t just say ‘this is the rule and we’re all going to do it,’” Greenhart said. “When we say ‘Oh, if you feel comfortable, then you do it,’ it’s not as effective.”
Sumanth Gopinath, associate professor of music theory, said he hoped to see a more cautious approach to protect vulnerable members of the campus community. Gopinath is on sabbatical leave this year, but has been on campus throughout the pandemic and will return in the fall.
“It just seems like masking is a relatively easy thing for most people to do and I’m glad that they’re keeping it in classrooms,” Gopinath said.
Gopinath said he believes it would have been more logical to continue requiring masks in all areas until the end of the semester.
Cynthia Lee, an executive administrative and office specialist and chair of the local 3800 AFSCME Health and Safety Committee, said in an email she believes masking and distancing is still the most effective way to control the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

Lee also said she is concerned the new BA.2 Omicron variant may spread with the more relaxed masking requirements in place.

“You can’t put the science aside,” Lee said. “That’s why this public health crisis keeps dragging on … with more [people] stuck with lifelong health issues from long COVID, and post-COVID.”

Since the University’s campus is open to the general public, loosening mask requirements could pose a greater risk, Horazuk said.

“To think that we can be safe, without there being more rigorous masking protocols, I think doesn’t take into account the reality that we’re in a large urban environment,” Horazuk said. “It is not walled off. The University is part of a much bigger community with a lot of people on campus for various reasons, and that’s concerning to people.”

Masking requirements have been lifted in some indoor settings on the University of Minnesota campus beginning March 21, according to a campus-wide email sent Friday.

Masks will no longer be required in dining settings, common areas, sporting and entertainment events, according to an email from the University Office of the President. Masks will not be required at spring commencement events.

Students will not be required to wear a mask in libraries, student unions and recreation facilities. Masks are still required in classrooms, healthcare and transit settings on campus.

The decision to lift the mask mandate was made after monitoring COVID-19 transmission rates, cases and hospitalizations, according to the email. Guidance also came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Minnesota Department of Health.

“We will continue to monitor public health data and, in consultation with our experts, will adjust our guidance as necessary,” President Joan Gabel said in the email.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Minnesota’s administration has made many decisions to ensure the health and safety of students, faculty and staff.

From testing, vaccination and mask mandates to updates around University finances, many of these decisions were made by the Board of Regents, the University’s governing board. As the second anniversary of the first COVID-19 case in Minnesota approaches on March 6, some regents looked back at key decisions made throughout the pandemic.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the date that the University announced students could switch the grading scale for classes. The University announced that students could switch the grading scales to S/N for classes on March 20, 2022. 

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved new updates to a policy that allows campus buildings and other University entities to be renamed on Feb. 11.

The new amendment allows buildings to be considered for renaming after 75 years of their establishment. Regardless of the period of time, if controversial information comes up that raises the question of whether their name should continue to be honored, the building could also be renamed, said President Joan Gabel in an interview with the Minnesota Daily on Monday.

For the last several years, students have pushed for buildings on campus to be renamed due to past problematic or racist actions by their namesakes. Past activism and conversations centered on renaming Coffman Union, Nicholson Hall, Coffey Hall and Middlebrook Hall. When an amendment to rename these buildings was brought before the board in 2019, it failed in a 10-1 vote.

After this vote, the board began the process of establishing a protocol to guide future decisions around renaming buildings on campus.

Regent James Farnsworth said when the name changes were presented to the board in 2019, it was difficult to make a decision without an official policy in place.

“It was very clear that [in the April 2019 meeting] the board was in an impossible spot without clear and concise policy to go off of and that’s why there was so much chaos that happened that hurt feelings,” Farnsworth said.

Under the policy updates approved earlier this month, anyone from the University is allowed to propose a name change request if they believe the namesake of a building does not reflect the University’s mission. These proposals must be approved by the University President and the All-University Honors Committee, before being voted on by the Board of Regents.

The Honor’s Committee is responsible for recommending and reviewing nominations for numerous University honors awards and namings.

Mark DiStefano, chair of the Honors Committee, said the group is developing the criteria needed to approve a renaming, with the goal of having these finalized by the end of the semester. DiStefano said he hopes to begin the process of renaming at least one building this summer, with final action by the board in Fall 2022.

Regent Darrin Rosha said he believes 75 years is a good marker for allowing campus buildings to be renamed.

“50 [years] seemed a little short to folks because that was within my time,” Rosha said. “The President came back with 75 and I thought that that was a reasonable place to land for allowing renewal and allowing the campus to reflect a more current history.”

After researching the controversial names of campus buildings, Rosha said it is difficult to make decisions because buildings were often named within different social and political contexts or time periods. The renaming process is also difficult because many of the buildings’ namesakes are no longer alive to give further insight into some of their past actions, he said.

“I really believe that we should have a display in each of the buildings when it’s renamed recognizing the history of the building and why it was maybe initially named,” Rosha said.

The Minnesota Student Association’s (MSA) student representative to the Board of Regents, Flora Yang, said the policy updates are a step forward in highlighting the wrongdoings and mistakes of people with the University’s past.

MSA has advocated for a renaming policy through ongoing discussions dating back to 2019.

“[Although] we’re nowhere near where we ultimately want to be, we do want to acknowledge the steps that the University has taken in order to try to remedy things of the past and make things right,” Yang said.

According to Yang, changes to University leadership in both the President’s position and several seats of the Board of Regents helped get the policy approved. Gabel has brought a new perspective and dedicated time and effort to the policy, Yang said.

MSA is now determining the best way to consult with Gabel and regents during the renaming process, Yang said.
“We’re having discussions about how can we better assist that process,” Yang said. “I feel like what we are trying to do right now is make sure that we have an active voice in that conversation and that it’s accessible for students that want to express their opinions and that they have the ability to do so.”
Yang said she believes there needs to be a continuous conversation to create an inclusive University.

“It’s definitely not fully over,” Yang said. “We are glad that we are at least taking a step in the right direction to lay out the groundwork for these changes.”