Several Dinkytown buildings are under renovation this year, as many old houses were torn down to be replaced with new apartment complexes.

As new buildings pop up, developers and the community work together to create a better living environment for students and non-student residents. Developers aim to include student voices in their work, while locals hope to preserve Dinkytown’s history.

Historic Dinkytown

Different perspectives on the future of student living could mean less road traffic, more pedestrian-friendly streets, student art shows and the preservation of historic buildings. Preserve Historic Dinkytown (PHD), a nonprofit organization, aims to maintain the history of Dinkytown despite new construction.

PHD Founder Kristen Eide-Tollefson spoke about the role the organization plays in maintaining Dinkytown’s identity.

“Preserve Historic Dinkytown started with a fairly very simple effort: to try to preserve the legacies, the dignity, of Dinkytown for students across generations,” Eide-Tollefson said. “Dinkytown is a place for students to learn new ways of being in community and to learn new ways of being themselves while being safe and supported.”

Eide-Tollefson said she hopes to keep Dinkytown a safe place for students to grow and learn and thinks the best way to do this is to preserve the integrity of Dinkytown itself.

“The historic business district, the four inside blocks of Dinkytown, has served the city for 100 years. The city decided only to keep the buildings that were in the 1930s or earlier, and we are grateful for that historic designation,” Eide-Tollefson said. “It is challenging because there is so much density in those four blocks.”

Dinkytown has grown and changed over the years as the University’s enrollment has increased, leading to more students requiring nearby housing, according to Eide-Tollefson.

“It concerns [PHD] that student housing is so expensive,” Eide-Tollefson said. “The question is: how else could this housing be used if there are no students to fill it? We are very concerned about how these buildings can be used in the future.

Eide-Tollefson said she would love to see more co-op-style student housing rather than just apartments to allow students to have a larger role in governing how they live. She said co-ops allow students to engage with leadership and community.

“I think that is an empowering way to live because of the ability to shape policy and opportunities to participate in the governance of the co-op,” Eide-Tollefson said. “Our ideal at PHD is a community council that includes business owners and students in the governing of Dinkytown.”

A new vision

Eide-Tollefson is not the only one invested in a vision of student perspectives shaping the future of Dinkytown. Many developers are now looking at ways to tailor their construction to the needs of students.

Jack Boarman, senior design leader and CEO of BKV group, spoke about his role in the new Dinkytown construction. BKV Group owns the Marshall as well as two new Dinkytown projects, the Standard and Identity Dinkytown, done by Landmark Properties and CA Ventures respectively.

“The city planning guidelines are the starting point for project designs. We work with the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association as well,” Boarman said. “The blocks between the 14th and 15th [Avenues] have the highest density. This block is slated for all residential whereas blocks south of University are core for retail sights.”

The Standard will be Landmark Properties’ first development project in Minnesota. The apartment is a 1,021-bed student housing community within walking distance of the University. The Standard will offer several floor plans ranging from studios to five-bedroom units with 30 affordable housing units.

The Standard is currently under construction at the corner of 15th Avenue Sixth Street. Boarman said the Standard is being designed as a very student-specific living space made for those attending nearby colleges.

“Landmark is an experienced student housing creator. They are very student-centered. The amenities are all designed with students in mind,” Boarman said. “Security and overall safety are very important to students and we keep that in mind.”

Amenities will include an outdoor pool area with a jumbotron, sun deck, cabanas, outdoor grilling stations, rooftop hot tub, fitness center, clubhouse, gaming lounge, study lounge and Amazon package lockers. Construction is underway and estimated to be completed in the fall of 2025.

BKV’s other project, Identity, which will be located at the corner of 15th Avenue and Fourth Street, plans to start renting in fall 2023. There will again be options from studios to five-bedroom apartments available.

Identity amenities will include a fitness center, golf simulator, tanning beds and a study lounge. Identity will also bring back one of Dinkytown’s institutional names among University students.

“BKV includes retail into our residential communities as much as possible,” Boarman said. “The CA Ventures project will relocate the McDonald’s on the corner of the University as a part of the apartment building. This will include outdoor seating, which it did not before.”

Prices for both apartment complexes are not listed yet. Rent at other Standard locations in the Midwest is generally anywhere from $1,000-1,700 a month. Rent at CA Ventures’ other apartment complex near campus, HERE MN, is generally about $1,300-2,300.

Safety and security

Thomas Fisher, director of the Minnesota Design Center, works with urban development and housing. Although Fisher is not directly involved with any current Dinkytown construction, he said the University has asked him to look into increasing safety on 13th and 14th streets.

Fisher and his team are proposing making the University streets more pedestrian-focused to slow down traffic.

“The University is concerned about safety. One way urban areas can be safer is [to have] more eyes on the street but also to make it more difficult for people in vehicles to get away,” Fisher said. “We are looking at making the streets more bike and pedestrian friendly. Less vehicle-friendly [to] slow down traffic and make it more difficult for cars to get away.”

Outside of public safety, Fisher said he is also working with students and developers on a new public art piece.

He said the community would love more art in the area and developers would enjoy displaying students’ talent. Fisher said this could be in the form of a student-created mural for the Standard.

“We have been talking with the community about a more dynamic model of public art, maybe an art curation so there could be art around the building,” Fisher said. “There was recognition by that developer of the talent from students right next door, and they hope to leverage it in the public art process. I believe they will produce a public art piece that engages students in the process.”

Sweetgreen, a quick and healthy food option opened on Feb. 14 on the University of Minnesota campus near the Graduate Hotel. The restaurant offers a selection of bowls, salads and plates for students who are looking for a healthy meal on-the-go.

Sweetgreen differentiates itself from competing fast food and fast casual restaurants with its sustainably and locally sourced ingredients, said Amanda Katz, a representative for Sweetgreen, in an email sent to the Minnesota Daily

Sweetgreen made headlines in 2021 after the company’s CEO and co-founder Jonathan Neman wrote in a now-deleted LinkedIn post that vaccines and masks would not “save us” from COVID-19. He wrote Americans are too fat to survive the virus and that there should be “health mandates” to combat this.

Neman later apologized to Sweetgreen’s employees. According to Neman’s LinkedIn, he is still the company’s CEO and has been since 2007.

Sweetgreen at UMN 

Madeline Upson, a third-year student at the University, is an ambassador for Sweetgreen and visited the new location on opening day.

Upson said she loves the wide variety of bowls that Sweetgreen offers, which is why she decided to become an ambassador for the brand about a week before the new location opened. As an ambassador, she promotes the brand on social media, “especially when new stores open.”

“I think Sweetgreen is a great new option on campus for healthy meals – I love their food,” Upson said. “Sweetgreen offers a lot of hot options in addition to cold salads, which is really nice if I am not in the mood for a cold salad. I would definitely recommend students to visit.”

Katz said the brand decided to add a location on campus after opening multiple locations in the Twin Cities metro area.

“Sweetgreen is always looking to expand its footprint in an effort to connect more people to real food,” Katz said. “After its initial expansion into Minnesota, opening locations at Galleria Edina, on Grand Avenue and in the North Loop, Sweetgreen wanted to open up at the University of Minnesota to provide healthy food to the busy and hardworking students who are looking for real, fresh food options on campus.”

Sweetgreen was founded by two college students at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. in 2007 to provide convenient and healthy food options on college campuses.

“Sweetgreen is something that you could eat every day and something that makes people feel good. Sweetgreen’s goal is to make healthy food both satisfying and convenient,” Katz said. ”With nearly 40 fresh ingredients prepared every morning, there are endless options for students to feel fueled and nourished.”

In addition to offering healthy meals to students, Sweetgreen also aims to connect with the community and local vendors surrounding the campus, according to Katz.

“With every new restaurant opening, Sweetgreen aims to impact the community not only by serving healthy food but by working with a local impact partner and regional suppliers,” Katz said. “For every meal sold during the University of Minnesota’s opening day, Sweetgreen donated a meal to Urban Ventures to nourish Minnesotans experiencing food insecurity.”

Anna Hopper, a fourth-year student in the University’s nursing program, said she visited Sweetgreen before it even opened during their “sneak peak” week and she got a free bowl.

“I got the pesto salad bowl and it was so good,” Hopper said. “I could definitely compare it to CRISP & GREEN, but I would say it was better and a bit cheaper.”

Hopper said she enjoyed her Sweetgreen bowl in store at the new restaurant and noted the positive ambiance of the store overall.

“Everything was really fresh and the interior of the restaurant was so cool. They had all the ingredients they use in store on the wall and every ingredient was locally sourced. You could see where everything was from,” Hopper said. “I love the location because it is a healthy option right at the center of campus and near the gym, which is perfect. I would definitely go back.”

The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association (MHNA) started a program in January called “Leave a Light On,” with the goal to provide more street lighting for people walking in the neighborhood at night.

Leave a Light On offers to reimburse homeowners in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood for lighting on their front patios to increase lights on the streets and sidewalks. Home owners can apply online and get fully reimbursed for installing additional new lighting.

MHNA President Vic Thorstenson created the Leave a Light On campaign to increase the amount of lighting in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, specifically on sidewalks since most of the current lights are positioned over the streets.

“This is for the safety of people walking on sidewalks,” Thorstenson said. “Neighborhood groups pooled money together to create $250,000 to encourage property owners in Marcy-Holmes to put up lighting on their properties and we would reimburse them for that.”

Thorstenson said Marcy-Holmes has a poor street lighting plan because it is the oldest neighborhood in the city. The MHNA is working with the city as part of Leave a Light On to improve lighting on the sidewalks by installing low-powered string lights primarily on darker streets.

“There are very few homeowners in Marcy-Holmes because they are mostly college houses,” Thorstenson said. “The landlords, most of whom don’t live locally, have not paid much attention. It can help if tenants reach out to landlords and request string lights for their patios, and the landlord can get reimbursed.”

“I don’t feel safe walking home”

The Marcy-Holmes neighborhood is divided into two sections: Dinkytown, which is mostly populated by students, and Marcy-Holmes.

The difference between the two areas can be distinguished by the amount of lighting on the sidewalks. The sidewalks of Dinkytown are well-lit compared to Marcy-Holmes, which lacks a proper amount of street lighting. This creates a less safe environment, especially at night, according to some residents.

Celia Brokaw, a Marcy-Holmes resident and fourth-year student at the University of Minnesota, noticed an immediate shift from the lighting in Dinkytown on campus versus Marcy-Holmes off campus when walking home at night.

Brokaw lives on 11th Avenue and Sixth Street and said there is a three-block radius near her house that gets very dark at night.

“Walking home with no light feels dangerous, and no one is going to see if something were to happen to me,” Brokaw said. “One time, I was walking home by myself and across the street, I saw someone, so I crossed and he followed, and then I did it again, and he continued to follow me. I basically ran home after that.”

Brokaw said she even changed her class schedule to accommodate her safety walking home.

“I had the option to do a night class for an elective I wanted, but I decided not to do it because I didn’t feel safe walking home or even taking the bus home,” Brokaw said.

Sam Matuseski, a fourth-year student at the University living in Marcy-Holmes, said he also noticed a huge difference in the lighting on campus versus off campus.

“In general, on the U of M campus there is really good lighting, but off campus, the lighting gets spotty and sometimes you can’t see a few blocks ahead of you and who is around you,” Matuseski said.

Matuseski said he has lived both in Dinkytown and Marcy-Holmes and noticed a big shift in his perception of safety while walking home at night when he moved further from campus.

“When I lived on University Avenue, walking home from the bar I felt pretty safe and not concerned because there is such good lighting,” Matuseski said. “Now living more off campus, I am more on edge for sure. There are no blue emergency lights and a lot less lighting in the area where I live.”

Efflorescence, an interactive art exhibit at the Coffman Art Gallery, opened on Jan. 26 to give students an opportunity to create their own art while walking around the gallery.

Being shown until March 19, Efflorescence features the work of artists Laura Ahola-Young and Umbreen Hasan. The gallery provided students who attended the opening reception with paint pens and canvases to express themselves through their own art as they took in the exhibits.

Focusing on the connection between art and healing, the exhibit aims to inspire students much like how the featured artists have been inspired.

Hasan said nature “inspires her pieces,” and art has become a therapy for her.

“All of my art is derived from nature with bright colors to spark joy,” Hasan said. “Nature has so many beautiful colors and that inspires me, and that is what this collection is all about.”

Hasan is a rheumatologist and works with patients that have arthritis. She had never painted a day in her life until she was in a car accident in 2016.

“After my car accident, I was depressed and wasn’t working, so I went to Michaels and by chance ended up in front of paints. I began to paint every day as it helped with my depression,” Hasan said. “When I am surrounded by color, I am separated from the world and lose all track of time.”

Hasan said painting helped improve her mental health, so she wanted to share her gift with others.

“I used to donate my art to charities, and people really loved seeing my paintings first thing in the morning; they said it gave them joy,” Hasan said. “I want to make a center for people who struggle with arthritis or depression, or anything where I help them develop paintings.”

Hasan said she hopes to spread a mission of joy through her artwork.

“Painting is for yourself; your emotions are conveyed on the canvas. Whatever is on your mind you can put on the canvas,” Hasan said.

Hasan’s work features her distinctive style rooted in bright colors, modeled after different scenes in nature and painted with items such as hammers and compressed air to create unique textures.

Clarice Vrambout is a fourth-year student majoring in art at the University. Vrambout said she often visits art galleries and liked that the exhibit connected to nature.

“Whether the piece is geometric or flowy, it focuses on repetition and patterns in nature. It makes me think almost of divine symbols and how nature is divine in a way,” Vrambout said.

Vrambout said the exhibit inspired her to paint more and experiment with different media she did not use as often, such as acrylic.

“I have liked both of the exhibits I have visited, so I will probably come back,” Vrambout said. “It is nice that they have the space for this in buildings that aren’t just art-focused.”.

Anika Byrne, the arts and culture events planner for the Student Unions and Activities, planned the exhibits. Byrne oversees and manages all three art galleries at the University and said having galleries with exhibits like this one on campus are good opportunities for students to engage with art.

“I think it’s so important for the arts to have a place at the University. Even just these exhibits add so much culture to the student center,” Byrne said. “Many students don’t get to visit art galleries often, and Coffman has become a hub for those experiences. From a student-employee perspective, these galleries give art students an opportunity to experience professional art settings.”

The final year of college represents a multitude of new beginnings, and with them, new anxieties. For many, stressing about grades or attending class becomes eclipsed by post-graduation plans.

Liza Meredith, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, spoke about how “senioritis” can affect college students’ mental health during their final year.

“College seniors struggle with mental health due to searching for a new work environment, planning where they want to live, navigating romantic relationships, all at the same time,” Meredith said.

In addition to teaching Introduction to Psychology at the University, Meredith conducts research on the mental health of college students.

Meredith said the final year of school can be especially draining because motivation can often stem from anxiety.

“A lot of academic motivation comes from anxiety, and as you progress as a student, you figure out what you have to do to get by,” Meredith said. “Towards the end, it can get easy to lose an internal motivation to do well in school.”

As academic motivations decrease, anxieties about the future can take priority over class, Meredith said.

“Even though people are often excited for school to end, it’s also hard to kind of lose familiarity,” Meredith said. “Every senior is struggling with one thing or another, whether that is school, relationships or the future.”

Meredith suggested finding motivation in future goals for students who are struggling with juggling different things as their time in college comes to an end.

“If motivation is the struggle, it can be helpful to break down bigger goals into smaller pieces that require less motivation,” Meredith said. “This is the time to figure out your values for this stage of life.”

Annie Bonde, a fourth-year student studying computer science, said she has experienced a huge shift in her priorities this semester.

“I am reframing my attitude towards what I want my life to look like after college rather than just my individual classes,” Bonde said. “Bonding with my roommates and setting myself up for my future career is top of mind.”

On top of maintaining her classes, Bonde is also interviewing with companies in Chicago, where she hopes to move post-graduation.

“Senior year is scary and overwhelming but also really exciting,” Bonde said. “Finding a career where I feel I am making a difference in the world is really important to me. My classes do not challenge me as they used to, and I want a career that brings a challenge.”

Katey Van Vooren, a recent graduate, felt a similar sense of anxiety during her last semester of college. Van Vooren graduated from the University in December 2022 and is currently searching for a job in advertising.

“My last semester of college was the most challenging in workload and obligations, and I was burned out. It was stressful working on job applications and school work,” Van Vooren said. “I felt a lot of pressure to get a job right after graduation, but I wanted to enjoy my last semester. I had anxiety that I have never had before.”

Van Vooren defined senioritis as a “stage at the end of schooling when you are burned out and you feel too independent to be sitting in a classroom. You’re just over it.”

Since graduation, Van Vooren has been applying for summer internships and working part-time to save money for her next steps.

“I have been allowing myself to relax a bit because I still feel burned out from my last semester,” Van Vooren said.“I am still living on campus because my lease goes until August. All of my friends are here and my life is still here. I would like to see where a job takes me.”

Both Bonde and Van Vooren advised current seniors to be more present and enjoy their final year of schooling.

“Embrace change as opposed to fearing it,” Van Vooren said “It is a scary time, but take it one day at a time. Be grateful that you’ve made it this far and be proud that you are graduating soon.”

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act in March 2022. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent beginning in November. However, it was never voted on in the House.

The Minnesota Legislature has looked at passing its own similar legislation, like in 2021 when legislators passed a law to make daylight saving time permanent. However, this was contingent on Congress passing the Sunshine Protection Act because federal action is required by law before states can act on their own. If the feds want to try to pass it again this session, both the Senate and the House would have to take a new vote.

Without permanent daylight saving time, winter days end sooner, resulting in less sunlight exposure. For some, this can result in seasonal affective disorder, or seasonal depression, which is a type of depression related to seasonal changes, according to Mayo Clinic.

Fourth-year student Natalie Trupke said, referring to seasonal depression, that as the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, the thought of going outside becomes repulsive.

“When it gets to be winter time, and it’s cold out and there’s less vitamin D, you start to feel unwell,” Trupke said. “You start to feel a little sadder than you were when the sun was shining. I get seasonal depression every winter season; November through March is the worst.”

Trupke said it is essential to “keep a mental note that it is the weather, not you, that is the problem, and seasonal depression is a common, treatable and very real disorder.”

More serious than “just feeling down”
Seasonal depression is more than feeling down when the gloomy weather comes, according to Dr. Sabine Schmid, director of psychology education and assistant professor at the University in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

“Seasonal depression, seasonal affective disorder, is a type of depression with a yearly pattern … and is more serious than just feeling down,” Schmid said.

Schmid said seasonal depression is a medical condition with symptoms and may require medical attention.
Schmid said some symptoms of seasonal depression are similar to those of major depression, including trouble concentrating and initiating activities as well as deregulated sleep and eating.

“More typical symptoms of seasonal depression are feeling more sleepy and sluggish, social withdrawal and craving carbs, which can lead to weight gain,” Schmid said. “These symptoms of hibernation create a vicious cycle in which you don’t leave the house, exercise less, eat poorly, take in less sunlight, have less energy, sleep more and feel frustrated about yourself for not leaving the house.”

Schmid shed some light on what creates these side effects and the best ways to treat them.

“The most evidence for seasonal depression’s cause is the length of daylight being cut short,” Schmid said. “In Minnesota, we have seven hours less of daylight in the winter than in spring. The brain tends to send the wrong signals when it gets dark so early, creating an overproduction of melatonin, which is a hormone used to regulate the sleep cycle.”

Schmid said one common treatment for seasonal depression is antidepressants, prescribed by a therapist or primary care physician to help balance serotonin levels in the brain. Vitamin D supplements can also be helpful to replace the vitamin D lost from lack of sunlight.

Trupke said she takes vitamin D supplements and notices a difference during the winter months.

Schmid said another common way to treat seasonal depression is psychotherapy, a cognitive behavioral therapy that can help prepare for winter depression and address emotional symptoms.

Light therapy, or using sunlight lamps or bright-colored lights, is another effective tool to combat the winter blues, according to Schmid. She also advised lifestyle changes such as a regular bedtime routine and daily exercise.

“All of these things [and] having a strong routine can build your energy and create an upward cycle,” Schmid said.

Fourth-year student Molly Bowen said she has experienced seasonal depression because she enjoys spending time outside but cannot in the winter because the cold weather makes having enough energy to go outside difficult. To combat this, Bowen said she has her own coping mechanisms, like using a sunlight lamp, to stay positive during the colder months.

“I definitely have low energy and it is hard to stay motivated, to even get out of bed when the days are so short,” Bowen said. “It feels suffocating to be in one area for a long time when it is dark outside, so I try to get outside as much as possible while it is light out.”

“When people ask me how I am feeling, I tell them that I’m not getting much better physically, but I’m getting better at being sick.”

Savannah Brooks, an adjunct professor in the University of Minnesota English department, contracted COVID-19 in April and said Long-COVID has changed her everyday life.

“I was a boxing instructor and an elite athlete,” Brooks said. “Now, the most I can do is nine minutes of extremely light exercise at a time”

Brooks was fully vaccinated and boosted when she contracted a seemingly normal case of COVID-19. Most of her symptoms faded, but after fainting on a walk in April, she began her journey to a Long-COVID diagnosis.

Brooks worked with Fairview UMN for about a month before being told she had a hyperfunctioning central nervous system, which caused fainting, blacking out, extreme dizziness and losing balance due to heart and blood issues.

With the doctor’s guidance, Brooks said she decreased her hours at work, started daily meditation, cut out alcohol and began a vegetarian diet to try to reduce stress in her life.

It wasn’t until she met with a cardiologist in July that she was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that causes fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue when transitioning from lying down to standing up. POTS currently has no cure and prevents the body from keeping blood pressure steady and stable.

Brooks went from teaching martial arts to living with a potentially permanent condition that makes it difficult to stand without becoming lightheaded in a matter of months. The root of her declining health was Long-COVID.

Dr. Gulin Oz, a professor in radiology and part of the graduate program in neuroscience at the University, is currently working on a clinical trial through the University to learn more about the long-term effects of Long-COVID.

According to Oz, Long-COVID refers to ongoing symptoms associated with COVID-19 acute infection that continue for more than four weeks, whether the symptoms subsided and returned or started after the month of infection.

“Extreme fatigue, respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, brain fog, memory issues, severe headaches and psychosis are some but not all symptoms of Long-COVID,” Oz said.

Oz and her team are currently working to understand the biology of Long-COVID using advanced imaging technology.

“We go beyond routine imaging, we measure chemicals and blood flow and connectivity in the brain, how different parts of the brain talk to each other,” Oz said. “We get advanced imaging data, and we hope to analyze this data to gain insight.”

The research trial is part of imaging research being conducted in five sites across the United States. Oz said they are still seeking participants and urged students to seek treatment if they experience lingering effects from COVID-19.

Oz said from the research she and her team have conducted so far, there is data that prove vaccination reduces the risk of Long-COVID.

Michelle Trumpy, director of public health at Boynton Health, said there are COVID-19 prevention and treatment resources available on campus at Boynton, such as free vaccination for COVID-19 and influenza for students until Jan. 12, 2023.

“Boynton offers walk-in urgent care, primary care by appointment and the Gopher quick clinic for fast and reliable testing and vaccinations,” Trumpy said. “Boynton also offers COVID take-home test kits and complimentary K-95 masks upon request.”

Trumpy also said the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has funding for a two-year health equity grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to help understand the impact of COVID-19 on the lungs and heart. She said the University is in alignment with MDH and CDC.

“This disease messes with your central nervous system and cardiovascular system. It is a huge risk and completely changes your whole life. There is so much unknown about this disease, but it could be your new normal,” Brooks said. “I changed my life to fit Long-COVID in as a permanent disability. I am really lucky to have a medical team and a great therapist.”

Ashley Krom, a senior at the University of Minnesota, woke up on the morning of Sept. 29 to discover her Ford Escape was missing. After a month without her car, Krom’s friend stumbled upon it in a guest parking lot of The Bridges on Oct. 31, It had a shattered windshield, new license plates, a missing battery and was stripped of all 15 bumper stickers. The intruder also scrawled the word “hoes” on her dashboard in permanent marker.

Everything that had been inside the car in September was missing. In place of Krom’s belongings were Ziploc baggies of what she said appeared to be stolen goods.

“My life was in my car and everything was gone,” Krom said.

Stolen vehicles and car break-ins are increasing in Dinkytown. According to Garret Parten, spokesperson for Minneapolis Police Department, about 16 cars are broken into or stolen per day across the city.

Some students reported having their cars broken into with no harm done to their vehicle.

Atlee Tomasoski, a senior at the University, said his car was broken into and rummaged through on Sept. 22, but the intruder broke into the car without damaging it. In each case, the robber found a way into the vehicle by forcing a window down, manipulating a hatchback or tampering with the lock on the car.

Caitlyn Verhasselt, a senior at the University, said her car was broken into on Oct. 31 and she discovered the break-in the next morning.

“Everything had been rooted through, all of my consoles were open, and I noticed there was a black mask left on the seat that wasn’t mine,” Verhasselt said.

In the Dinkytown area, multiple break-ins have occurred in the same week from the same neighborhoods and driveways. Parten said people can take small steps to help prevent someone from attempting to steal their vehicles.

“So often, the smallest deterrent will cause the robber to move on and leave your car alone,” Parten said.

Parten provided several preventative actions vehicle owners should take to avoid their cars being stolen or broken into. Avoid leaving your car running and empty, do not keep any valuables inside of your car and if possible, park in a garage or a well-lit area.

Additionally, Parten suggested owners purchase a tracking device, like an Airtag, as well as a steering wheel lock in the case of an attempted theft.

“A stolen vehicle has a great effect on people and it is a very important issue, and we will do what we can,” Parten said. “However, prevention is key here. It’s always speculation, but the facts are telling me that the ease of stealing these cars is leading to the increase.”

Parten also said Kia and Hyundai cars comprise one-third of the vehicles that get broken into due to flaws in the design.

“We need the community to step up,” Parten said. “If you see someone tampering with a car, breaking a window, walking around pulling on door handles, call 911. Report that behavior. Keep your eyes out for each other.”