At the University of Minnesota Board of Regents’ December meeting, the board unanimously approved the collective bargaining agreements of four University unions nearly two months after the University wrapped up negotiations with three American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME) as well as Teamsters Local 320.

“Thanks to both the unions and our administration team for a successful outcome in everything,” Chair Ken Powell said. “We’re very grateful.”

The agreement between the University and Teamsters Local 320 includes a 3% wage increase and establishes Juneteenth as a paid holiday for employees. AFSCME union employees will receive a 3.85% wage increase, a minimum pay floor of $20 an hour and election leave for tribal elections.

Following the votes, Regent Steve Sviggum raised a question to presenters Ken Horstman, the vice president for Human Resources, and Senior Director of Employee and Labor Relations Mani Vang. Sviggum inquired about the total cost of making Juneteenth a paid employee holiday and expressed concern over the total cost and loss of productivity.

“It’s not something that comes free,” Sviggum said. “There is a loss of productivity at some point or another.”

Vice chair election
The regents voted to elect a new vice chair of the board to fill Sviggum’s vacancy after his resignation in October.

Regent Tadd Johnson nominated Regent Janie Mayeron for the position and Regent James Farnsworth nominated himself. In a 9-3 vote, Mayeron was elected to the position. Regents Darrin Rosha, Farnsworth and Sviggum voted for Farnsworth.

This election comes nearly two months after Sviggum resigned from the position after public condemnation over his comments questioning the diversity of the University of Minnesota-Morris campus.

When Farnsworth announced his candidacy for vice chair, he cited the importance of having diverse board leadership as the main reason for running.

“I decided to place my name into nomination because I believe diversity, generation, ethnicity, race, experience and other elements are important for the leadership of this board,” Farnsworth said.

A majority of regents expressed their support for Mayeron before the vote, listing her experience as a federal magistrate judge and other government experience as their reasons for electing her.

“My history in governance, attachment to the University and my skill set that I bring would allow me to be the kind of leader that the University deserves in this position,” Mayeron said. “I will do my very best to serve to the best of my ability.”

The regents also discussed how the board should approach the nature of the vacancy and their next steps toward further fostering diversity at the University.

“The reason why we are in this special election is really this question of diversity,” Regent Bo Thao-Urabe said. “It is important that we not use the moment to talk about tokenizing and creating a seat because we are in a difficult position. It is a time to double down on our commitment to diversity.”

President Gabel’s external position on board of directors
The regents discussed and voted on approving Gabel’s conflict management plan for her new position on the Securian Financial Board of Directors.

Securian Financial is an insurance and retirement management company that is currently in a six-year contract with the University, where they oversee employee life insurance and retirement plans. They approached Gabel to serve on their Board of Directors and she would receive an annual salary of $130,000.

The board approved a new contract for Gabel in December 2021, which included an increase in salary. Including bonuses and benefits, Gabel’s total compensation could reach more than $1 million by 2026.

The company provided the board with its conflict management plan, which outlines procedures they will take to address potential conflicts of interest that arise in Gabel’s positions on their board.

According to the board’s “Institutional Conflict of Interest Policy,” they have the authority to review plans that aim at addressing conflicts of interest involving the University’s president.

The regents voted 9-3 to approve the plan, sharing varied views on Gabel’s new position.

Regents, including Rosha, Farnsworth and Mike Kenyanya expressed discomfort with Gabel serving on this board due to the potential conflicts of interest.

“This appears to be a step back. Our job is to always act in the best interest of the University,” Rosha said. “This impacts the fiduciary duty that the position of the president has to the University of Minnesota and from that standpoint, I don’t believe any member of this board can vote in favor of this.”

Other regents were on board with Gabel’s new position, explaining it would be beneficial to the University in terms of community outreach and strengthening the president’s governing experience.

“There are a lot of opportunities for oversight and if at some point we feel like it’s not efficient or is inserting itself into her administrative duties, then we can revisit it and require her to resign her position on the board,” Regent Kodi Verhalen said.

SDS interruption
During President Joan Gabel’s report to the board, members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) interrupted her presentation. They outlined their concerns regarding the University’s support of abortion access on campus and called for the establishment of a campus reproductive rights advocacy center.

“President Gabel, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, you made a statement outlining the resources available on campus, but you have on the whole remained unresponsive to the demands of students on this issue,” an SDS member said.

Powell called a board recess during the interruption.

SDS members held signs reading “Abortion Access Now” and chanted “When reproductive rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back,” as they left the conference room.

Purchase of Gray’s
The board unanimously approved the purchase of the former Gray’s Drugstore property on the corner of 4th Street SE in Dinkytown.

The popular Dinkytown restaurant, Gray’s, announced its closure in July after reopening at the end of 2020. Built in 1902, the building has served as a prominent piece of historic Dinkytown for more than a century.

For $2.8 million, the University plans to purchase the property to lease to food service businesses in hopes of establishing more stakes in Dinkytown, taking a more active role in the University’s surrounding areas and continuing to address off-campus safety.

“A cornerstone of our interest is in ensuring that Dinkytown remains vibrant,” Gabel said. “That will positively contribute to our overall efforts of safety in the adjacent neighborhoods.”

Many regents expressed their enthusiasm about the University’s step toward integrating itself into Dinkytown.

“Something about the University is that there are not enough student-centered spaces,” Student Representative to the Board of Regents Sara Davis said. “Our student community has felt the loss of that space very deeply and having the chance for us to gather is really thrilling.”

The University will start work immediately after officially closing on the property.

The Regent Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC) closed applications for 2023 University of Minnesota Board of Regents appointments on Tuesday. State Sen. Greg Clausen (DFL-57) is heading the RCAC as the committee’s chair this year.

Greg Clausen announced his appointment to the RCAC on Oct. 24. Clausen’s appointment raised concerns among some community members over potential conflict of interest in regent selections because Clausen has received campaign funding from the Maroon and Gold Rising Political Action Committee (PAC).

While not affiliated with the University, Maroon and Gold Rising is an organization composed of alumni, former regents and legislators. The PAC claims to lobby in the interests and advancement of the University through making campaign contributions to legislators on both sides of the aisle who are involved in the regent selection process.

Concerns have begun to rise though nearly two years after the University Student Government (USG) wrote a letter to the board denouncing the PAC and its involvement in the regent selection process after sitting regents donated a total of $8,500 to Maroon and Gold Rising in 2020.

The Regent Selection Process
The Minnesota State Legislature elected regents rather than the University itself. Through a multi-month process, candidates are selected, screened and voted on by various committees before their names make it to the House floor. Although this process has been around for more than 40 years, it has not always been this way.

After its founding in 1851, the Minnesota territorial legislature elected the University’s regents. The power of elections was shifted to the governor in 1860, two years after Minnesota gained statehood. This process shifted again in 1928 back to the state Legislature after the University sued the state over fears of excess gubernatorial oversight.

This system lasted until 1988 when the Legislature created the RCAC after University alumni pushed to make the process less political and more transparent.

The regent selection process starts in the RCAC, which is made up of 24 people, including state representatives, senators and two students. The committee recruits applicants, screens their application materials and makes candidate recommendations to the regent nomination joint committee by Jan. 15.

Senators and House members of the higher education budget and policy divisions in both chambers make up the regent nomination joint committee. They then make their recommendations at a joint convention of the House and Senate, where all 201 members vote on a candidate to be elected to the board.

When choosing who to recommend, the RCAC follows set criteria. These include experience serving on a governing body, ability to give time to the board and a commitment to the University’s values. Additionally, they also “seek for a balance as far as what their experiences are,” Clausen said.

While some see this system as an improvement from what it used to be, others claim these extra steps make the process more political than before. Both the council and the committee make recommendations, however, legislators can still nominate people who didn’t go through the process on the floor before the vote.

“It’s a game of Chutes and Ladders,” former University regent Michael Hsu said. “You could end up not making it through RCAC, but then you can be re-nominated or you can add your name to be brought up in the higher ed committee.”

The regent selection process spans from mid fall to late March and can sometimes run up to the end of the legislative session.

“It’s a painful process to go through, in part because it ends up being so political,” Regent Janie Mayeron said. “I think it discourages good candidates from applying because they don’t want to go through that process”

Maroon and Gold Rising
Over the last two years, donors of Maroon and Gold Rising as well as recipients of their funding have been accused of creating conflicts of interest by influencing the Legislature to vote for specific candidates.

In 2020, a group of regents, including Board Chair Ken Powell, Regent Mayeron and former regents Richard Beeson and David McMillian, came under fire by the USG after they donated a total of $8,500 to the PAC.

While some view these contributions as a conflict of interest, others see it as a way to support University interests at the Legislature.

“When I gave money to Maroon and Gold Rising, it was my understanding that the whole purpose was to contribute to members in the Legislature who the PAC felt would have been good supporters of the University and its mission,” Mayeron said. “I personally don’t see that as a conflict of interest, and the fact that somebody calls it a conflict of interest doesn’t make it one.”

Powell did not respond to the Daily’s request for comment.

Maroon and Gold Rising claims to lobby on behalf of the University and its interests, but these interests are not well defined, according to University Student Representative to the Board of Regents Gabriel Richardson.

“We need to look at what these interests are before we make an assumption,” Richardson said. “They [Maroon and Gold Rising] haven’t articulated their interests and that’s where the problem lies. Does it mean the interests of students, staff, faculty?

First started in 2020, Maroon and Gold Rising finds legislators who are specifically involved in the regent selection process. In 2020, they gave $49,500 to politicians and political committees and $13,800 in 2021.

The legislators who received funding include Clausen, who received $1,000 in 2020 and $500 in 2021.

“I’ve never felt that because a certain person or group contributes to my campaign that I have an allegiance to them or I owe them something,” Clausen said. “I have an open door policy that anyone that wants to have a meeting with me, I make sure that we schedule a meeting so it’s not like I’m giving certain people preferences.”

Other recipients include Rep. Connie Bernardy (DFL-41A), who is the chair of the Higher Education and Finance Committee, and Sen. Thomas Bakk (I-3), who is on the Rules and Administration Committee, which appoints members to the regent nomination joint committee.

Bernardy and Bakk did not respond to the Daily’s requests for comment.

As a former regent who has been through regent elections, Hsu said he believes Maroon and Gold Rising’s involvement in the regent selection process creates conflicts of interest.

“For Clausen to become the chair of that and to be a person who clearly was related to Maroon and Gold through a donation in a previous year, I think he should not have accepted the chair,” Hsu said.

During the 2021 regent elections, Hsu lost his seat and claimed he was knocked out of the process due to targeting by Maroon and Gold Rising. Hsu was known for being one of the most outspoken members on the Board, raising significantly more questions about agenda materials than other regents in the majority.

“I don’t know all the reasons why they didn’t want me on the board anymore, but it’s probably because I couldn’t be controlled by other people,” Hsu said.

Hsu announced Tuesday he applied for the open at-large seat.

Although some actors are entrenched in the regent selection process, many students don’t even know how regents are elected, according to Richardson. Although a lot of the decision may seem out of students’ control, Richardson still encourages them to become involved in the process.

“A lot of students don’t even know who the regents are,” Richardson said. “Ultimately, they are voted in by those who we vote in. Getting students to vote can factor into the regent selection process.”

Former University of Minnesota Regent Michael Hsu announced he applied to the University’s Board of Regents on Tuesday after submitting his application to the Regent Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC).

Hsu applied for the At-Large seat currently held by the board’s chair, Regent Ken Powell. If Hsu wins, he will be the first person of color re-elected to the board.

Hsu was a University graduate and was initially elected to the board in 2015. He represented Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District until he lost his seat to Regent Kodi Verhalen in 2021.

“I submitted my application to the Regent Candidate Advisory Council,” Hsu said on Twitter. “Some won’t like it, but I’m giving it the old college try!”

While serving on the board, Hsu was known for being outspoken against University administration. He has said he believes the involvement of the Maroon and Gold Rising Political Action Committee (PAC) influenced the election process, causing him to lose his seat.

Although it is not affiliated with the University, Maroon and Gold Rising lobbies on behalf of the University’s interests at the state Legislature. Hsu has criticized the PAC for influencing regent elections in the past.

Regent elections are a multi-step process at the Minnesota State Legislature that start with applying to the RCAC. The RCAC screens applicants and recommends names to the regent nomination joint committee, which can bring names to the floor for the vote.

The Minnesota Legislature elected regents during a joint session of all 201 members of the House and Senate in the spring.

The other seats up for re-election in 2023 are Congressional Districts 2, 3 and 8, held respectively by regents Steve Sviggum, Darrin Rosha and Tadd Johnson.

University of Minnesota Board of Regents votes compiled over the last year show voting trends among regents, the differences in members’ voting styles and how often the board has agreed unanimously.

The Board of Regents consists of 12 members who serve six-year terms and oversee the functions and decisions of the University. The members represent all eight congressional districts as well as four at large positions and are elected by the Minnesota State Legislature.

At its monthly meetings, the board votes on actions ranging from University presidential compensation to the Annual Operating Budget. While these votes are made public through meeting minutes, there is no formal compilation of this information. The Minnesota Daily collected votes from June 2021 through July 2022 to present a clearer picture of the board’s decisions.

At the time of these votes, David McMillian served on the board before becoming the interim chancellor of the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The newly elected Regent Tadd Johnson began his term in September and will not be represented in the data.

Breaking down the trends
Within Board decision making, regents tend to vote the same a majority of the time. From June 2021 to July 2022, the board took 109 votes, 81 of which were unanimous and 28 that were split among regents. These split votes occur about 26% of the time, however, there are trends in which regents stray from the majority vote.

While many regents including Chair Ken Powell, Regent Ruth Johnson and Regent Doug Huebsch are in the majority 100% of the time, others follow closely behind, including regents Steve Sviggum and Kodi Verhalen both at 96.43% and Bo Thao-Urabe at 94.12%.

Before he became Duluth’s interim chancellor, McMillian served on the Board for 11 years. His appointment as interim chancellor was surrounded by controversy because President Joan Gabel, whose salary increase he voted on in December 2021, was supposed to appoint the position. After community members voiced concern, Gabel deferred the decision to the board.

McMillan voted with the board majority 100% of the time from 2021-22.

Regents James Farnsworth and Mike Kenyanya fall in the middle, voting 35.71% and 69.23% of the time with the majority in split votes.

“It's clear on our Board how the votes are going to line up,” Farnsworth said. “I think it's unfortunate that perhaps we have something that's characterized as the majority, although I know that's common for governing boards.”

One member of the board who stands out as the outlier is Regent Darrin Rosha. Voting with the majority in split votes 7.14% of the time, Rosha almost always deviates from the rest of the group when the vote is not unanimous.

Known for being one of the most vocal members on the board, Rosha often raises many questions before they take votes. According to the data, Rosha proposed 14 amendments or resolutions to board votes, being the only board member in the last year to do so.

Rosha raises these resolutions to gain a better understanding of the subject matter, ensure the Board knows what they are voting on and to show outside members how other regents will vote on specific issues, he said. Some board members discuss materials before the meetings, but Rosha is typically not involved in these discussions, according to Rosha.

“Usually, my first opportunity to engage is at the meetings,” Rosha said. “I am fully dedicated to being an honest broker.”

Decision making considerations
Though the trends show broad unanimity among the regents, many of them bring different values and experiences to the table and make their decisions based on various factors. Some remain more loyal to the administration, while others tend to raise more questions in the process.

Regent Janie Mayeron’s experience prior to her election in 2019 includes serving as the president of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association and being a United States magistrate judge. She said she evaluates the priorities of the University in her decision making and votes to help support the institution.

"Whatever bias or personal stake in the outcome I may have, I have to review all the materials, listen to what everybody says, ask good questions and remind myself that I am not the manager," Mayeron said. “My role in governance is to set policy, manage policy and make sure our mission is being fulfilled.”

One block of regents that includes Powell, Johnson, Huebsch and Mayeron vote with University administration goals every time, while regents Mary Davenport, Steve Sviggum, Thao-Urabe and Verhalen vote close to this.

Regents Rosha and Farnsworth don’t vote with this group as often \during split votes, taking various approaches to how they arrive at their decisions.

As a former University student and member of the University Student Government (formerly known as the Minnesota Student Association), Farnsworth has experience with the board as both a student and a regent.

“My recent affiliation with the University certainly has shaped my way that I look at these particular issues, maintaining connections with current students and having an experience as a student in the pandemic,” Farnsworth said. “What that felt like certainly enhances my view now as a policymaker and figuring out how to best approach the decisions that are in front of the board.”

Initially joining the Board in 1989, Rosha is the longest serving regent out of the 12 members.
Rosha has expressed concern about the increasing unanimity of the board and questioned the rising administrative salaries.

“We talk about these decisions being market-based, and yet our board is not, it's a public service,” Rosha said. “Their [other regents] decision making is based solely on what they are given by the administration and to be supportive of it.”

A possible expansion of public engagement opportunities 
Typically, public university governance boards include opportunities for public comment and engagement, which can directly expose board members to other ideas or concerns. The University only accepts public comments through requests approved by the chair or during a one-hour slot during the annual budget forum every May. Public access to the University Board of Regents is currently being reviewed, but some members are hesitant.

In the board’s meeting on Oct. 14, the Office of the Board of Regents gave a presentation on public engagement in comparison to the University’s peer institutions. Most of the institutions the office decided to compare do not have open public comment opportunities, but four – University of Michigan, Michigan State, University of Nebraska and UCLA – allow for open public commentary with advanced sign-up.

The board discussed the current policy and whether it should be expanded.

“I wouldn't be opposed to expanding public forums for specific issues,” Huebsch said at the October meeting. “Having an open mic would not be a good policy because we don’t have the counterpoints.”

Other members, including Farnsworth and Kenyanya, are advocating for a more open system of public engagement.

“In my nascent days in public leadership [in the UMN student government], as you lean into leadership more, you find yourself maybe a little more removed from the people you're leading or representing,” Kenyanya said at the October meeting.

The board will continue to discuss potential changes to public engagement at their upcoming meeting on Dec. 16.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated when James Farnsworth attended the University. He is a former student. 

In an interview with the Minnesota Daily on Tuesday, University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel spoke on the Halloween fireworks, the graduate student wage raise petition and University Regent Steve Sviggum’s comments questioning the diversity of the University of Minnesota Morris.

Gabel also explained the confusion around spring commencement, union negotiations and the St. Paul campus’s active shooter threat last October.

At the October Board of Regents meeting, Regent Steve Sviggum made comments questioning the diversity of the University of Minnesota-Morris. Sviggum resigned from his vice chair position and announced he will not be seeking another term after many people spoke out against his comments. Do you think his resignation was the best course of action? What do you have to say to the members of the University community who were impacted by Sviggum’s statement?

“The Board of Regents is a publicly elected body and serves by virtue of a selection process. Administration of the University has no role in how they [regents] govern themselves. It was a difficult time for our entire community, and especially in Morris. I’m glad that action was taken, and I think the totality of effort that’s been undertaken is meaningful and productive.

And so what we do as an institution is double down when moments like this happen, on training, the availability of support and the assurance of quality leadership in the DEI space. The board has committed to this training and is working directly with the Morris community. There’s no finish line to this; we are always working on this.”

On Halloween weekend, multiple students were harmed by fireworks being thrown and set off near campus in Dinkytown, causing concerns among students, business owners and parents. In response, the University launched Operation Gopher Guardian to crack down on these crimes, receiving mixed reviews questioning the increased police presence near campus. Now that the program has ended, how does the University administration plan to move forward to ensure safety for all members of the University community?

“There’s nothing more upsetting than learning of members of our community, student, faculty or staff experiencing an emergency or a crime like the one that you described. It is frustrating when it happens near but off campus because that limits our ability to take the lead in the response. What you saw with Operation Gopher Guardian was a shared response given this particular set of events and the uptick was in adjacent neighborhoods, a very partnered response between the University and Minneapolis police who have the primary responsibility for that jurisdiction.

But we know that increasing police presence, while helpful, is not a perfect solution, especially given that many members of our community don’t feel safe under that circumstance. We’re addressing this through the MSafe process, which has been going on now for a couple of years, with deep consultation and listening, while at the same time looking at the expertise of law enforcement on how to minimize the risk of crime. We are not perfect, and there’s still more work to do.”

On Oct. 25, many University students and faculty received shelter in place notifications, warning them about a homicide suspect at large. Afterward, it was revealed they were not in proximity of the suspect, but this raised concerns about safety procedures after students and faculty experienced confusion in figuring out what to do in that moment. What do you think about the University’s current emergency response plans for active shooters? After hearing that some students are not well aware of these procedures, will the University consider increasing awareness and training?

“That was a very strange moment, since the alert was an error. The training that the University does around active shooter preparation has been in place for a while. Many of us have gone through it, but it’s voluntary, so not everybody has.We re-announced to the community via an email from Senior Vice President Myron Frans, the availability of that training and how to access it. And we’ll do a few reminders on that, so that people who want to understand how to be prepared and what to do can learn how to do it. I’ve done it myself, and I strongly encourage everyone to do it.”

It was announced last month that commencement for the whole class of 2023 will be held in a joint ceremony at Huntington Bank Stadium, compared to separate ceremonies. Although plans are still in the works, how is the University planning to ensure graduates will be appropriately recognized for their accomplishments?

“The provost has apologized for the confusion from early communication around this and I add my apology for the confusion on that too. I know how important commencement is to every member of our community. It bears repeating a logistical issue because most of those individual ceremonies were in Mariucci and it has to go through maintenance in order to fulfill its core purpose, which is to be the home of gopher hockey. There’s a whole planning committee of students, faculty, staff and alums working on this. They know that their charge is to create an experience that acknowledges the accomplishment of graduating students. Exactly how that’s going to happen is still in the works.”

Do you think graduates will be missing out in any way due to this modality of commencement?

“I don’t think so. There are a lot of different ways to celebrate this accomplishment. It will be a little different from how we usually do it. There are lots of examples of institutions who engage in ceremonies that are different from ours but are still really wonderful, fun and appropriate for the accomplishment that we’re recognizing.”

After multiple University unions voted to go on strike or spoke out about frustrations with contract negotiations earlier this fall, the University reached deals with both the Teamsters Local 320 and AFSCME 3800 unions through negotiations. Although the wage increases offered by the University are the highest in 26 years, many workers are still unsatisfied, citing it doesn’t keep up with rising inflation. How does the University plan to prioritize University workers moving forward after they raised widespread concern over their working conditions?

“These negotiations are not easy, but we know both sides came to the table wanting what was best for our workers in the communities that they represent. Our collective bargaining agreements are voted into effect by those unions and they agreed to the terms and they will go to the Board of Regents for approval in December. Those get at pay increases and an effort to do a variety of other things that go into the quality of life of being employed at the University of Minnesota.

We’re in a very challenging time with inflation. It has hit a lot of people really hard, particularly many of our employees who are represented, so we want to make sure they earn enough. We continuously evaluate every year as we do for our employees who are not in unions to make sure that people are paid fairly.”

Last spring, a petition calling for increases in graduate student pay received more than 120 pages of signatures, including ones from 50% of the graduate student body. In response, the University raised the minimum pay stipend for part-time workers by 3.85%. Many graduate students say this is not enough to help them stay financially stable and keep up with the rising cost of living in the Twin Cities. Do you think graduate students play an important role at the University, and if so, in what ways? How does the University plan to support graduate students moving forward?

“Graduate students play a critical role at the University. We’re very proud of both the quality of the work that they do and the kind of graduate students that we attract. Everyone is struggling right now in this inflationary environment, and we fully acknowledge that, and we’re doing a really robust set of work to try to get things as close as we can to where they need to be. We work really closely with the Council of Graduate Students and have made a set of improvements last year, and we’ll make another set of improvements this year.”

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated information about union strikes. Multiple unions at the University voted to go on strike or spoke out about frustrations with contract negotiations before reaching deals with the University. The unions did not go on strike. 

University of Minnesota Regent James Farnsworth announced that he is running for the vice chair position on the Board of Regents on Monday evening.

Farnsworth’s bid for candidacy comes about a month after Regent Steve Sviggum resigned from the position following comments he made at an October board meeting questioning whether the diversity of the University of Minnesota-Morris student body correlated to lower enrollment numbers. The comment sparked outrage among the University community.

“The diversity of an institution like the University of Minnesota should never be seen as a liability,” Farnswoth stated in his announcement letter. “Representation matters and diverse representation should absolutely be reflected within the leadership of the highest level of the University.”

Following Sviggum’s resignation, many people called on the board to elect a regent of color to the vice chair position. There are currently four regents of color – Farnsworth, Tadd Johnson, Mike Kenyanya and Bo Thao-Urabe – on the 12-member board.

Farnsworth started his term on the board in 2021 and represents Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District. As a student, he was a member of the Minnesota Student Association and on University Senate committees.

“I’m putting my name forward to serve in transitional leadership because I’m uniquely positioned to address relationship rebuilding and to reflect a commitment to diversity at all levels of the University,” Farnsworth said in the letter.

The board will elect the new vice chair at their meeting on Dec. 16.

The University of Minnesota will be conducting a nationwide search for a new vice president of University Services, Myron Frans, senior vice president for finance and operations, said in an email to the University community on Tuesday.  

The search committee is composed of deans, professors and administrators from across the University system. Laura Molgaard, the College of Veterinary Medicine dean, and Bernie Gulacheck, the vice president of information technology and the chief information officer, are the committee’s co-chairs. 

The new vice president will take over for the current Interim Vice President of University Services Matt Kramer. Kramer has also served as the Vice President of University and Government relations since 2017. 

University Services manages multiple University departments, including facilities, sustainability, real estate and auxiliary services, which include housing and residential life. The vice president of University Services oversees systemwide services of all of these departments. 

Listening sessions with campus stakeholders will begin in the coming weeks, according to Frans, and the University plans to announce the new vice president before the end of spring semester.  

A group of University of Minnesota researchers is leading a global study to research the impacts of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on the human body, aiming to compile one of the largest datasets of VNS functional effects.

The National Institutes of Health awarded the group $21 million for the Research Evaluating Vagal Excitation and Anatomical Links (REVEAL) project in October. Led by faculty from the University’s Medical School, the College of Science and Engineering and the School of Public Health, REVEAL will examine how VNS impacts multiple functions of the human body.

Aside from gaining popularity as a trendy nerve on social media due to its ability to help quell anxiety, the vagus nerve serves other purposes in the body.

Meaning “wandering” in latin, the vagus nerve is part of the autonomic nervous system, which controls basic functions, including heart rate and digestion. Emerging from the brainstem and running down each side of the body, the vagus nerve transmits information between the brain and most organs.

VNS uses a device similar to a pacemaker to transmit electrical impulses that stimulate the left vagus nerve. While VNS is a Food and Drug Administration approved treatment for epilepsy and depression, scientists know little about its other potential impacts on human health. Through the study, researchers will examine VNS’s impacts across the body.

“The activity of this nerve is important to health,” University Medical School professor and REVEAL principle investigator John Osborn said. “Potentially, this [VNS] can be used for treating metabolic diseases like diabetes, obesity, hypertension and inflammatory diseases, but it hasn’t been studied in humans.”

Over the course of three years, the clinical study will examine 144 participants with implanted VNS devices in four-month windows. Two-thirds of these participants will be newly implanted with the devices, according to University Medical School professor and REVEAL principle investigator Ziad Nahas.

Researchers will observe multiple bodily responses to VNS and monitor various factors, including participants’ immune systems, metabolisms and cardiovascular activity.

After the research is finished, the data will be compiled and publicly shared in hopes that other researchers can build off of it to develop cures and treatments using VNS for other diseases and health issues.

“There is no data set at all that exists like this, so this will be the first and largest,” Osborn said. “It’ll be a landmark study that will generate a lot of interest and ability to develop these new therapies.”

The five University principal investigators of the project come from multiple departments, including Osborn and Nahas from the University’s Medical School as well as professors from the School of Public Health and the College of Science and Engineering. Professor Vaughan Macefield of Monash University in Australia will also help lead REVEAL.

“The University of Minnesota is really different in the sense that people are eager to collaborate,” Nahas said. “People get excited about thinking a little bit outside of their own field while bringing their own knowledge. That’s the uniqueness of this grant is that each one of us is going in with renowned expertise.”

In collaboration with researchers at Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of South Carolina, Sheppard Pratt in Maryland and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy, project workers will collect and analyze the data from participants.

“It could be a century-long quest to find out what the vagus is doing and how we can stimulate it for different conditions, but we have to start somewhere,” University graduate student and REVEAL coordinator Roman Tyshynsky said. “This is a first step, but it’s a huge step.”

University of Minnesota graduate student workers are advocating for a wage increase to keep up with the high cost of living, increasing inflation and pay decreases during the pandemic.

Last March, a petition calling for the University to increase graduate student worker wages received 120 pages of signatures. Shortly after, the University proposed a slight pay increase, but many graduate students said this is not enough.

The University Council of Graduate Students (COGS) voted unanimously on Oct. 27 for the University to raise graduate student worker wages at their general assembly meeting. Although this is a significant step toward a pay increase, the University has yet to address the issue further.

The petition

Although the most recent push for increased graduate student worker pay started last spring, students have been pushing for increased benefits and pay over the last 10 years. In 2015, the University raised graduate student worker pay 2% after COGS unanimously passed a resolution calling for wage increases. Since then, there has been a continual push for the University to pay graduate students more.

Last March, COGS backed a petition authorized by the UMN Graduate Labor Coalition and sent it out to the University community. The petition calls for a minimum stipend of $35,000 for graduate student workers, guaranteed annual raises and a covering of student fees as a benefit of employment. More than 3,500 people signed it, including 50% of the graduate student body, according to COGS.

University administration responded to the petition in a letter sent to COGS on May 26. The letter stated the University would raise the minimum pay stipend for part-time workers by 3.85%. The administration also stated it will provide a report on graduate assistant stipends in collaboration with peer institutions to COGS in 2023. While the University said this wage raise will offset the fee increases of health insurance and the universal transit pass, many graduate students think it is an inadequate response.

“These raises are a band-aid, and I think a lot of graduate students are really tired of band-aid approaches,” University graduate student Mary Kate Wolken said. “The administration has been dragging its feet on these issues for years and continues to fail to meet the moment.”

Graduate student pay varies depending on the department and job position. After the University’s most recent raise, the current minimum annual salary for half-time graduate assistant appointments is $16,177.

Compared to other large public universities, the University has lower wages for graduate students. For example, Iowa State has a minimum salary of $20,708 for the academic year, and the University of Michigan pays graduate students a minimum of $24,055 per term.

While the University raised the pay floor last summer, it is readjusting pay to where it was before 2020. According to data collected by COGS from University salary records, graduate student wages fell by 3% across all colleges from 2020 to 2021.

“This has been a perennial problem for a long time,” University graduate student Emily Gresbrink said. “It’s really disrespectful at this point that we’re not being listened to. We do quality work for the University and that should be reflected in our pay as well.”

Gresbrink said it is hard to make ends meet on a graduate student salary, especially with dependents.

“I love what I do and free tuition is a great benefit, but I can’t put a stipend for tuition towards rent,” Gresbrink said. “It doesn’t contribute towards putting food in my kids’ lunch boxes; it’s really hard.”

Along with pay for their work, graduate students receive full tuition reimbursement as well as reduced healthcare. Although many people consider these benefits as part of graduate students’ salary packages, students say it is not enough to help them maintain financial stability.

“The lack of charging tuition and the benefit of good health care doesn’t put food on the table, it doesn’t pay rent,” University graduate student, Tom Eichlersmith said. “These are the things that people are struggling to do right now.”

Working overtime

While there are some full-time positions for graduate students, a majority of positions are half-time, capping work at 20 hours a week. Many positions are paid above the Minneapolis minimum wage, but a majority of graduate students find themselves working 30 to 40 hours a week while receiving part-time pay, according to some graduate students.

To make ends meet, some graduate students take on other part-time jobs to keep up with the cost of living in Minneapolis. Currently, the average cost of living in Hennepin County for a single person is $36, 367, compared to the average University graduate student salary of $20,000.

“I have never met another graduate student who was able to take another 20-hour-a-week job in order to make ends meet because of all the other requirements upon them,” Eichlersmith said. “It’s very much a full-time job. The University treats graduate workers like students when it is beneficial to them, and like workers when it is beneficial to them.”

Some University departments require students to sign waivers before they begin a program stating they will not take a second job. Departments use this to advise against graduate students working more than one job, however, there are no formal mechanisms to enforce it, according to University Director of Public Relations Jake Ricker.

For international students, restrictions on where they can work make it more difficult for them to pay the bills. While other graduate students have the option to take off-campus jobs, international students cannot.

“There is not a lot of time to take another job on campus,” University graduate student Wanjiang Zhou said. “I don’t think I should take a job because as a graduate student, you want to be productive in research, academics and take responsibility for your work.”

The backbone

University graduate students attend the institution to further their education, but they also serve many roles in the University from conducting research to teaching classes.

“A lot of these STEM research groups are completely reliant on graduate worker labor,” Eichlersmith said. “Without graduate workers in their groups, they wouldn’t be able to produce any research with the University of Minnesota seal on it.”

Working in the physics department, Eichlersmith has taught classes and conducted research throughout his graduate degree. Although he is still in the program, he has seen a large amount of burnout and loss of passion among his peers.

“The saddest thing is the loss of love for the field. I’ve seen that in myself. And I’ve seen my friends who have stayed or left,” Eichlersmith said. “The financial hardship wears on people and prevents them from being everything that they could be.”

Along with sitting in on lectures and grading assignments, TAs hold office hours, act as liaisons between students and professors and in some cases, teach the bulk of class material.

“We’re teaching, recruiting, doing our dissertation research, going to conferences, doing presentations, navigating job markets and a lot of us are preparing to have a life in academia,” Gresbrink said. “It’s truly like a full-time job. A lot of us are on campus hours and hours a day, even if you only see us in class for 40 minutes.”

Next steps

Although the University has presented its solutions for the original petition, graduate students are still standing behind the original action items.

“[The University] needs to raise the floor substantially and offer more consistent wages and raises that are at least somewhat pegged to cost of living,” University graduate student Noah Wexler said. “At the very least, they can guarantee every grad assistant more money year after year, which they don’t do.”

The University has yet to announce further action on graduate student pay since the wage increase in July. University administration made a statement regarding a graduate student fee resolution at the September University Senate meeting.

“We appreciate the University Senate’s thoughtful consideration of these motions and attention to our graduate student community, many of whom are not only our students, but who also
contribute to our dynamic academic environment through teaching, research and outreach,” University administration said in the statement.

“Am I really grateful to get to study and research and teach in these things and get to be part of this community of people? Absolutely. Am I content? No,” Wolken said. “My fellow grad students and I absolutely deserve more. We are considered junior colleagues in the field, but we are not compensated as such.”

Regent Steve Sviggum’s resignation last week as the vice chair on the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents became a focal point in the University’s ongoing conversations around institutional diversity and the role of board members.

Sviggum’s resignation came after multiple groups, including student organizations, staff members, University unions and fellow regents called for his resignation following his comments questioning if the University of Minnesota-Morris is becoming too diverse. While some believe it is a good first step, others remain skeptical of his beliefs on diversity and equity.

Diversity at Morris

Regent Sviggum’s resignation came two weeks after he made comments at the October Board of Regents meeting that drew a wave of attention toward his words and actions.

The comments arose during Interim Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen’s presentation about Morris’s MPact 2025 goal as she discussed the campus’s declining enrollment numbers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to the low enrollment numbers, Sviggum said at the meeting, “Is it possible that at Morris we’ve become too diverse?”

Sviggum said he asked this question based on a letter and a phone call from parents concerned their children will not want to attend Morris due to the increased diversity.

“I understand, at 72 years old, I say things that I would never have thought when I was 52, but it gives you a little freedom to do that,” Sviggum said.

In the following week, these words drew widespread attention, leading students, faculty and staff to denounce the regent’s comments.

According to fall 2022 enrollment reports, Morris’ student body is 54% white and about 32% Native American, while each of the other ethnicities represent 4% or less of the student body.

Before the University was established in Morris, a Native American boarding school established in 1887 stood on the same site. The Morris Industrial School was run by the U.S. government and Sisters of Mercy community of the Catholic Church and separated Native American children from their families in an attempt to eliminate their Indigenous culture and language.

Dylan Young is the president of the Morris Campus Student Association as well as a member of the Circle of Nations Indigenous Association and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

“Being a part of this vibrant diverse community is very important and that’s why I find Sviggum’s comments to be so bizarre,” Young said. “I, like many other students at the University of Minnesota-Morris, chose this campus because of the diversity.”

In a letter to Sviggum on Oct.18, Young denounced the regent’s comments and invited him to visit the Morris campus before the board’s December meeting to talk in person. Sviggum is expected to visit Morris sometime in early November.

“I thought that it was important to keep a level head, to be mature, to draw contrasts between our statements,” Young said. “Bad policymaking certainly ruins lives, and I’m worried that there’s going to be a base of people who believe in this narrative that Sviggum was sending out.”

Along with the Morris Campus Student Association, the University of Minnesota-Morris staff and faculty wrote a letter highlighting the campus’ diversity and calling out Sviggum’s actions.

“To our students of color and other marginalized groups: we want you to know that your teachers and supporters at UMN Morris are paying attention,” the letter stated. “Although we know there is still more work needed to advance equity, we care about your wellbeing as well as your irreplaceable contributions to this community.”

Stepping down

In the week leading up to the regent’s resignation from his leadership position, many student groups, staff members and other regents at the University called for his resignation as vice chair and member of the board entirely.

In a letter, the University’s clerical workers union — the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3800 — requested that Sviggum resign from the board completely.

“There is a deep commitment to real diversity on the Morris campus in making sure that Black, brown and Indigenous students are welcome at the University,” AFSCME Local 3800 President Cherrene Horazuk said. “For a regent to then say that the diversity of a campus is a problem is absolutely unacceptable.”

Sviggum announced his resignation as the Board of Regent’s vice chair on Oct. 25 in a letter addressed to Board Chair Ken Powell. He will continue the rest of his term as a member of the board. His seat will be up for reelection in the spring.

“I owe that position to my colleagues who have shown disapproval in my actions,” Sviggum said in the letter. “I do so humbly and thoughtfully, with knowledge that the success of the University of Minnesota is the most important focus and is much more important than any one person or position.”

Role as a regent

After Sviggum’s resignation as vice chair, many people continue to call for his resignation from the board entirely, questioning his ability to make decisions on behalf of students from marginalized communities.

“It’s terrible for him to say that and stay on the board,” former regent Michael Hsu said. “It is not in line with what the University represents, and he doesn’t agree with the direction the University is going in.”

Prior to his comments at the October meeting, concerns were raised about certain viewpoints Sviggum holds.

University graduate student Ella Eaton met with Sviggum in September to discuss graduate student pay at the University. During their discussion, Sviggum mentioned he does not believe in privilege.

“It started out as a conversation about graduate student pay, but it took a turn when he said, ‘between you and me, I don’t believe in privilege,’” Eaton said in an email to the Minnesota Daily. “I was hoping he might take a minute to consider my points, but it seems that as soon as privilege was brought up, he didn’t want to hear anything I said.”

After their meeting, Eaton followed up with Sviggum via email, expressing her concerns regarding his statement about privilege and Sviggum replied, “sorry for your disappointment over ‘privilege,’ but that disappointment does not change my views and values and beliefs.”

Eaton reached out to the University’s Office for Equity and Diversity with her concerns and they told her they contacted the Office of the Board of Regents as well as offered to talk to Sviggum about how his comments were conveyed.

Moving forward

Although Sviggum resigned from his position as vice chair, he will still finish out the rest of his term, which ends in 2023.

Aside from this resignation, there are no formal plans from the Board regarding Sviggum’s actions.

In a letter released on Oct. 20, Regent Mike Kenyanya responded to Sviggum’s comments, criticizing the board’s “inadequate” response to the situation and calling for more accountability on Sviggum’s part.

Kenyanya said he believes the right next step would be for Sviggum to resign from the board.

“I think that’s the best course of action for the University,” Kenyanya said. “It’s a conversation the full board will have to have and whatever steps we take will just be a start. We’ll have to collectively figure out what’s next.”