As rain poured down on campus Saturday, student protesters gathered at the McNamara Alumni Center plaza to call for the University of Minnesota’s support of abortion rights for students and faculty.

University student group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized the protest, presenting demands for University President Joan Gabel to provide abortions on campus and establish a center to provide reproductive services to students, among other measures. About 100 people marched down Washington Avenue to Morrill Hall, where Gabel’s office is located.

“Our primary campaign right now is pressuring the University to be on the frontlines leading the fight for more abortion access,” SDS member Olivia Crull said as she addressed the crowd. “It’s about the people in power actually prioritizing the needs of the people who are being affected by these issues.”

The protest on Saturday was the second protest that SDS organized in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, removing constitutional protection for abortion. The first protest organized by SDS condemning the ruling took place after the decision was announced on June 24, with about 10,000 protestors in attendance.

The goal of the protest Saturday was to carry on the momentum from the first protest and keep people passionate about the issue, said member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization Mira Altobell-Resendez, who graduated from the University in May.

“We just want to keep a spotlight on this issue,” Altobell-Resendez said. “We really just want to keep the ball rolling with that for as long as we can so that we can reach a victory for our demands.”

In front of the Alumni Center, SDS member Robyn Harbison spoke to the crowd and announced the student group’s demands for the University.

The demands include the creation of a reproductive health training module to be included in freshman orientation and a “reproductive health advocacy and education center” on campus, as well as the opening of an abortion clinic on campus.

The University of Minnesota operated an abortion clinic on campus that closed in 1975 because three members of the OB-GYN department quit, and “there were no other people to fill these positions,” according to record of a 1977 Board of Regents meeting. University President from 1974 to 1984, Peter Magrath, released a statement that year saying he supported keeping the clinic closed because “this was not a number one priority item,” and 10 to 15 other Twin Cities clinics and hospitals performed abortions at the time.

SDS also called for a boycott by the University of events and purchases from states with heartbeat bills, which prohibit abortion of a fetus once a heartbeat is detected, usually at about six weeks of pregnancy.

“Our final demand is for the University to boycott events or purchases or anything like that from states that have active heartbeat bills in order to bring down their economies so they know it’s not acceptable for them to restrict people’s rights to bodily autonomy,” Altobell-Resendez said.

The University was unable to release a statement addressing the demands of SDS before publication.

Eight abortion clinics currently operate in Minnesota. The closest to the University’s Twin Cities campuses is Planned Parenthood’s St. Paul Vandalia health center.

“We would love to see the addition of many more abortion clinics that are safe and are run by well educated doctors in order to provide the abortions that are needed for people in Minnesota,” Altobell-Resendez said. “If we’re going to be a sanctuary state for the surrounding states of the Midwest, for people who are coming to seek abortions, we need the capacity to serve them as well because they deserve that just as much as anyone else.”

Crull also stressed the importance of supporting abortion clinics on the other University campuses during her speech in front of Morrill Hall.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that you would have to travel three plus hours to access these resources,” Crull said.

Many of the activists were University students or alumni and expressed hope for change within the University system.

Sara Marshal graduated from University of Minnesota-Rochester in 2020 and said the University’s power within Minnesota’s healthcare system makes it necessary for them to “do a lot more” to protect abortion rights.

“They should take this opportunity to step up and be for the people instead of the state and corporations,” Marshal said.

Other activists say they came to continue protesting the overturn of Roe v. Wade, feeling the first protest the day of the ruling wasn’t enough to stand up against the Supreme Court ruling.

Many expressed their frustrations through signs with messages like “Abort the Supreme Court” and “We will not go back.” As they marched, organizers called out chants such as “Abortion is a human right. This is why we have to fight.”

“I want to decide to do what I want to do with my body and not the state,” protestor Selena McKnight said. “You have a right to choose. And what’s best for you is not always what’s best for me, and I get to decide that, so that’s what I’m fighting for.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman announced in a press conference on June 13 changes to the disciplinary and wellness policy for the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), as an attempt to improve accountability and transparency.

While some local activists see the reforms as positive steps toward ending police brutality against people of color, others are skeptical they will make a difference.

The reforms and policy changes come after the Minnesota Department of Human Rights released the results of their investigation into MPD on April 27. The Department found that MPD engages in a pattern of race discrimination caused by an organizational culture of flawed training, deficient accountability systems and a lack of collective action from MPD and City of Minneapolis leadership.

The reforms include setting a maximum of 74 hours that police officers can work each week and clarifying levels of discipline for specific policy violations.

Reactions to disciplinary updates are mixed

Updates to the levels of discipline went into effect June 1, with policy violations categorized in five discipline levels classified in a matrix from A to E. The offenses and their assigned disciplinary action increase in seriousness with each level.

According to the discipline matrix, A-level violations result in “non-disciplinary corrective action,” like coaching, and apply to violations such as failure to appear in court and failure to properly inspect one’s vehicle.

E-level violations, which result in the officer’s termination, include acts of bias or discrimination and unnecessary use of force likely to cause serious injury or death. This specific outline of violations and the discipline to be enforced for each is meant to improve accountability for officers who cause harm, according to the City of Minneapolis’ June 13 press release.

Toshira Garraway Allen, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, said the updates to the discipline matrix represent positive change by outlining the consequences for unacceptable behavior on the part of officers.

“How else are you going to let [officers] know that this is not okay?” Garraway Allen said. “We have to do something to go forward, and the right thing to do is to remove people who are hurting others.”

Jae Yates, an activist from Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar said they were not as hopeful about the new measures.

“This is another example of the mayor’s office trying to placate people,” Yates said. “It sounds like this is not going to be enforced.”

Ward 3 Council Member Michael Rainville did not share this concern. He said when the new police chief is hired, they will be a “miracle worker.”

Trahern Crews, founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, said the changes represent a “baby step in the right direction” for police accountability, but he is concerned with the clarity of the levels of discipline outlined.

“I think the grading thing needs to be more clear and understood so that community members, activists and police all understand if you do this, this is what’s going to happen,” Crews said.

Department of Human Rights calls for organizational change

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights presented the results of their investigation of the MPD’s conduct, which started June 1, 2020 and was completed April 27, in front of Minneapolis City Council’s Committee of the Whole June 14. During the meeting, Department Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said supervisors approve “inappropriate and potentially unlawful behavior” of officers.

Lucero said during the meeting that in one instance, an officer hit a 14-year-old Black child with a flashlight and put him into an unconscious neck restraint because he didn’t “stand up fast enough” after the officer told him to stand up from the ground, where he was playing on his cell phone. The officer’s supervisor approved this behavior, Lucero said, so the officer was not punished.

Crews said the Department of Human Rights’ findings were “astounding,” and it felt good to have the knowledge and experiences of residents of color verified.

Yates said they were frustrated with how long it has taken city government officials to notice the problems laid out in the report.

“It’s frustrating that it takes a human rights report to realize the police force is racist,” Yates said.

Rainville said the Department of Human Rights’ report, along with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into MPD that is currently underway, will show the city where to go next with police reform and “make everyone safer.” The two investigations will lead to the creation of at least one consent decree, which is a court-enforceable document that identifies changes that need to be made and timelines for them.

“The DOJ is doing a much deeper dive [than the Department of Human Rights],” Rainville said. “We’ve turned a corner here.”

Lucero declined an interview with the Minnesota Daily, but in an email to the Minnesota Daily, pointed out that during their investigation, officers repeatedly expressed a desire for additional mental health and wellness support.

This type of support was announced along with the disciplinary updates, as the city is now pursuing trauma-informed mental health services for officers and will also create a health and wellness manager position, who will be expected to create a “robust wellness program” for MPD staff.

Officers can no longer work more than 16 consecutive hours, must take at least eight consecutive hours off for every 24 hours worked and have at least one 24-hour day off from work each week. During the June 13 press conference, Chief Huffman said these limits will affect a “relatively small group of officers.”

“Our folks need to be at their best when they come to work,” Huffman said during the press conference. “And that means having adequate time to rest and recharge.”

Huffman also said during the press conference that MPD has “significant staffing challenges at this point,” which creates a need to balance supporting officers’ well-being and providing public safety services.

Editor’s note: This article discusses sexual assault. If you or anyone you know has experienced abuse or assault, the Aurora Center’s 24-hour helpline can be reached at (612) 626-9111.

The University of Minnesota’s Deputy Associate Dean for the Global Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program was accused of actively working to undermine his student after she was sexually assaulted, in a memorandum by the student’s legal team released June 16.

The alleged assault took place in August 2018 by Richard Liu, billionaire and founder of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. He was attending the residency portion of the Global DBA program, which is a degree the Carlson School of Management offers in partnership with the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in China.

The program is tailored for top-level executives working full-time in China and teaches students to better face business challenges and innovate with a global mindset, according to the Carlson School website.

Haitao (Tony) Cui has been a Carlson School faculty member since 2005 and invited the alleged victim, who was a University undergraduate student in 2018, to join the DBA China program as a volunteer. The alleged victim was told she would have the opportunity to “interact and network with top-level business executives,” according to the civil complaint filed by the victim against Liu in April 2019.

Liu allegedly assaulted the student after a dinner in Minneapolis that she had been told was to celebrate volunteers of the program, according to the complaint.

The alleged victim was the only volunteer present, according to the complaint. Instead, several DBA China program executives attended the dinner as a business networking event on behalf of JD.com.

According to the complaint, the student felt uncomfortable when she learned she had been singled out for an invitation but did not want to insult the powerful business executive who invited her on Liu’s behalf by not attending the dinner.

Liu coerced the student to drink alcohol at the dinner, according to the complaint. When the student tried to arrange for a ride home, she was instead directed into a limousine with Liu, who allegedly groped her and tried to remove her clothing despite her repeatedly asking him to stop.

Upon arriving to the student’s apartment, Liu allegedly followed her upstairs and raped her in her room, according to the complaint. The student messaged another volunteer in the program about the assault, and he called the police, who subsequently entered the building and arrested Liu.

The student is suing Liu and his company, JD.com, in excess of $50,000, according to the complaint. She is seeking punitive damages to punish Liu for harmful conduct.

The lawsuit is expected to go to trial in September.

Cui allegedly acts against his student after assault

After the alleged incident, Cui acted as a liaison between Liu and his legal counsel, which was confirmed during deposition by Liu’s lawyer, Jill Brisbois, according to the June 16 memorandum.

Brisbois initiated a series of phone calls to the alleged victim, which were made while Cui and a JD.com employee were on speakerphone. Cui recorded the phone conversations without the student knowing he was on the call, Brisbois said during deposition, according to the memorandum.

Cui’s conduct in the aftermath of the alleged assault led University Corporate Law Professor Richard Painter to question whether Cui violated University policy on sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking and relationship violence through acting against his student’s best interests after she claimed to have been raped by a participant in the Global DBA program.

“The University can do what the University thinks is appropriate,” Painter said. “The University has had two years to conduct an EOAA [Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action] investigation. We have not heard anything about it.”

In an email to the Minnesota Daily, the University stated that it is legally prohibited from releasing information about specific allegations or investigations.

“The University fully and appropriately responded to this situation when it arose in 2018, and we disagree with any allegations to the contrary,” according to a statement from the Director of Public Relations Jake Ricker. “The University’s response was consistent with the rights of victim-survivors, due process and all applicable University policies.”

Cui’s attorney, , wrote a statement on behalf of Cui in an email to the Minnesota Daily. Wallace-Jackson said Cui is “constrained” in what he can say about his involvement with the case and wanted to clarify that much of the information offered in the memorandum is “significantly disputed.”

“Once he was alerted to the situation, Dr. Cui joined others at the University who did their exhausted best to work tirelessly that night and the next day to support the plaintiff and the defendant as they followed University policies while trying to safeguard the respective rights of both parties,” Wallace-Jackson said. “Dr. Cui has cooperated fully in answering questions … And he is not aware of any finding that his actions violated the law or any University policy.”

Investigator’s actions were “particularly troubling,” plaintiff’s lawyers say

The day after the arrest, Sept. 1, 2018, former Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) Investigator Matt Wente became involved in the case, leading to a “woefully inadequate” criminal investigation, according to the memorandum.

While a Hennepin County judge had determined there was probable cause to arrest Liu and hold him without bail, Wente disagreed, saying in the deposition that he would not have arrested Liu because there was no probable cause, according to the memorandum. Liu was released the afternoon Wente became involved, according to a May 25 memorandum.

Wente told Brisbois there would be no charges against Liu and provided her with the full name and phone number of the alleged victim. This is not typical protocol, according to the June memorandum.

Wente said in the deposition that this was the only time he could remember giving the victim’s phone number to the perpetrator’s criminal defense lawyer, and he was aware that the alleged victim was a “young student from a foreign country [who] did not have legal representation at that time” when he provided the defense that information, according to the June memorandum.

According to the memorandum, the day after the alleged incident took place, Wente ignored the alleged victim’s calls for his help and instructed Brisbois to do the same.

The memorandum states these actions on the part of Wente indicate the MPD was “impacted” and “intimidated” by the defendant’s status as an influential and wealthy businessperson.

The Minnesota Daily was unable to reach Matt Wente for comment ahead of publication. The Minneapolis Police Department said Wente is no longer an employee of the MPD.

Minnesota Daily policy is to not name individuals who claim they have been sexually assaulted, unless given permission.

The omnibus higher education bill that included $3 million for the University of Minnesota passed the House on May 20, but failed to come to a vote in the Senate before the end of the legislative session on May 23.

If passed by the Senate, the bill would grant $20 million to Minnesota higher education, taken from the state’s record-breaking budget surplus of $9.25 billion. Unless a special session is called, the bill will not come to a vote and no funding will be granted until next year’s session.

The University originally requested $936 million for investments such as a new chemistry building and security upgrades. Of the $3 million granted, $2 million would go to the Natural Resources Research Institute and $1 million would go to the Promise Scholarship Program.

Vice Chair of the University’s Board of Regents Steve Sviggum said he was not expecting the legislature to grant the University’s full request but was hoping for a larger investment.

“It was needed to serve our mission as a University of research and education,” Sviggum said. “[The legislature] need[s] to support performance, and I think the University’s performance has warranted some additional investments.”

The University usually submits budget requests during odd-numbered years, but the budget surplus presented the opportunity for regents to request more funding this year.

Some representatives said the funding was not as great as they had hoped. Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL) said the legislature has been “systematically underinvesting” in the University for years.

“That cannot continue and have higher education be affordable,” Klevorn said. “We have to meet our students where they are.”

In the House debate over the bill, Rep. Jon Koznick (R) said he did not support the bill because it failed to make college more affordable for all students. He said he would like to “apologize” to University students who may face a 3.5% tuition increase next fall.

“Never was it a consideration to help freeze tuition,” Koznick said during the meeting. “We started out with misplaced priorities, and we need to have a tax agreement for long term permanent tax reform.”

The higher education bill was not the only omnibus spending bill that failed to pass by the May 23 deadline. The bipartisan agreement for spending the budget surplus included $4 billion in tax relief and $4 billion for new spending, but neither the tax bills nor most spending bills made it over the finish line.

Health and human services, E-12 education and public safety are among the omnibus spending bills that will not be passed unless government leaders call a special session.

Chair of the Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee Rep. Connie Bernardy (DFL) said she does not believe a special session will be called unless a deal is struck among Democrat and Republican leaders to pass both the tax bill and the spending bills.

Sviggum said he believed it is unlikely that legislators would reconvene for a special session unless an agreement was made “very soon.”

“With the money we had, we think we made some good investments,” Bernardy said. “We came up with a compromise bill, and unfortunately [Republican senators] didn’t see the value of investing in our students and killed it.”

After COVID-19 hardships, brewery owners in the University area are looking to change Minnesota’s liquor laws to expand how breweries can sell liquor.

Starting in early 2022, the House Commerce Finance Policy committee will determine which of 26 proposed liquor bills will be included in an omnibus package to go to a vote. One particularly controversial bill is HF 1192 – the “Drink Local” bill – which would allow brewers to sell liquor on-site in smaller containers.

Rep. Zack Stephenson, chair of the Commerce committee, is currently reviewing the proposals and talking to businesses that would be impacted. Stephenson said his top priority is helping small craft breweries.

“My focus is really going to be advancing the proposals that help the smallest of the small distributors,” Stephenson said.

Breweries struggle to make ends meet during pandemic

An University of Minnesota Extension study published in April found that COVID-19 caused an 18% drop in craft breweries’ economic activity, a large blow to an industry in “high-growth mode.”

Local breweries reported major layoffs at the start of the pandemic and some said they rehired only a handful of their original employees. According to the study, the brewing industry experienced about 10% job loss.

Pete Rifakes owns Town Hall Brewing in Cedar-Riverside along with three other brewpubs and a cocktail lounge that opened this year. He said without government support during the pandemic, his businesses likely would not have reopened.

Now, minimum wage increases and the nationwide labor shortage are a challenge as Rifakes struggles to hire.

“I think the biggest thing currently today is finding qualified people,” Rifakes said. “And that’s been very difficult.”

“Drink Local” supported by campus breweries

The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild’s legislative committee is strategizing for their lobbying campaign for the bill, also called the “Drink Local Economic Recovery Act.”

Legislative committee chair Megan Park owns Unmapped Brewing Co. with her husband. Park said the committee is working to build a grassroots coalition of stakeholders to ask their legislators to support Drink Local.

The University study found that craft breweries generated about $1 billion in economic activity in 2019 and supported 8,345 jobs.

“There’s an economic impact breweries bring to the table … a lot of tourism dollars with tax dollars built into that,” Park said.

Breweries can only distribute their beer on-site if it is packaged in 64-ounce growlers or 750 milliliter bottles.

Brewers hope this will change with the possible passage of the bill which would allow them to sell product in containers up to 64 ounces and get rid of the limit on growler sales. Bars and restaurants could also sell take-out liquor.

Neil Miller, owner of HeadFlyer Brewing in Marcy-Holmes, said this would have positive impacts on both brewers and consumers.

“As a consumer myself, most of the time, I’m not purchasing growlers,” Miller said. “I’m purchasing a four-pack or a six-pack.”

Rifakes has been in the industry for almost 25 years and said while he supports fewer restrictions on breweries, he is no longer willing to advocate for them at the Capitol.

“Quite frankly, I’m sick of fighting that battle,” Rifakes said. “We’ve kind of carved out a little niche for ourselves, and we’re pretty happy.”

Liquor distributors and retailers oppose changes

Between 2012 and 2019, there was about a 370% increase in craft breweries in Minnesota.

The industry’s rapid growth is largely attributed to the passing of the “Surly bill” in 2011, which opened the door for breweries to be able to sell growlers on-site, with a limit of 20,000 barrels per year.

Omar Ansari, owner of Prospect Park’s Surly Brewing Company, lobbied heavily for these changes.

“That was really one big step to help get [Minnesota] laws a little more in line with the rest of the country,” Ansari said. “There are now brewery models that … sell most of their product right there at the brewery, and that wasn’t an option for us.”

Limits on breweries’ direct sales help outside distributors, like bars, restaurants and liquor stores as customers have to buy liquor from them.

The Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association represents beer distributors who drive across the state to deliver products, said Vice President Brandt Erwin. He said if customers were able to buy all products straight from breweries their businesses would be harmed.

“We don’t want the legislature to be able to say they’re going to give additional exemptions that are going to benefit breweries and work to retailers’ detriment,” Erwin said.

Park said the goal of the Drink Local bill is to update outdated laws and help the craft brewing industry, but not to make breweries independent distributors.

“Our breweries in the state have really great partnerships and depend on these wholesalers and distributors to move their product, and we don’t want to destroy any of those relationships,” Park said.

Dah-ye Lee, 21, had struggled with substances since she was 12 years old but did not fully commit to becoming sober until she started at the University of Minnesota in 2018.

“I was very upfront with my academic advisor,” Lee said. “I said, ‘I would really appreciate it if you could redirect me to some resources for sober students.’ And she was like, ‘Oh yeah, here’s a link to a group,’ and I visited the link and it was dead.”

As Lee found out, the recommended student group SOBER disbanded and Lee said she was shocked by the lack of resources at the University. However, later that semester, she said she saw a flyer advertising the new, rebranded student group called Recovery On Campus (ROC).

“I did not know that was a thing, and apparently my advisor didn’t know either,” Lee said. “It was there that I … met a lot of young people who were also getting a degree and navigating college and recovery. And that was a really important experience.”

Lee and other students and alumni have criticized the University for lacking resources and failing to build awareness for available options. While University officials made improvements since 2018, students said the University still lacks comprehensive support for sober students.

University adds resources after student reports

During the spring semester of 2018, a group of University journalism students reported on students facing or in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and the University’s environment. They published their findings on their class website AccessU. The students compared the 14 Big Ten universities with letter grades.

The University ranked in 13th place with a C- grade because they lacked resources such as housing for people in recovery, support groups and membership to the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE).

The students created a forum to facilitate conversations between community members and faculty, which made shortcomings in the University’s services visible, according to a MinnPost article.

Boynton Health staff promised to build a stronger culture for those in recovery and partnered with students to create ROC and enlisted the University in ARHE.

In October, Boynton hired Sam Worthington as a Recovery Navigator, who was trained through Minnesota Recovery Corps and is in long-term recovery himself. He said he hopes to offer wisdom from his journey and help University staff, students and alumni explore their relationships with substances.

“I can offer people support and conversation,” Worthington said. “Maybe a little motivation. As someone who’s walking the same path.”

Worthington’s contract ends in July but depending on the program’s success he said his services could be extended. So far, he said he’s seen a handful of different participants, some of whom have returned for further sessions.

“I hope that more students, staff and faculty take advantage of it and hopefully find benefits in the service,” Worthington said. “And I hope that campus partners who deal with alcohol- and drug-related issues … will become aware of me and use me to help students in those situations.”

COVID-19 complicates recovery

Despite the improvements the University made, students said there are limitations to the services available.

ROC director Sarah Kopp-Reddy said time and geographic barriers prevent some students from coming to the group’s meetings, which are housed in Coffey Hall on the St. Paul campus on Friday evenings. She said this year, about five to 10 people come to each meeting, which is a decrease of about one-third from past years.

“When there are already enough deterrents to being sober on a huge campus community, I’m sure it can feel impossible,” Kopp-Reddy said. “There isn’t any structure here, it’s literally one meeting a week. You can come and you can hang out and meet some people, but it’s all self-driven.”

Kopp-Reddy said a supportive community is necessary for success in sobriety during college. She said last year was hard on ROC members, whose meetings were exclusively over Zoom, and many students stopped participating.

“I know a lot of people that have relapsed,” Kopp-Reddy said. “I know a lot of people that really white-knuckled it because of losing that community … It was really not a good time.”

From April 2020 to April 2021, the highest number of Americans in recorded history died of drug overdoses, according to a New York Times report. Minnesota experienced over 40% increase in drug overdose-related deaths.
“To have people be isolated … can be troublesome especially for people in recovery or for people who are actively using,” said Mark Thomas, director of the University’s Medical Discovery Team on Addiction.

Students hope to see more recovery resources in the future

Pete McNabb, 24, is a former ROC member who graduated in 2020. He said before the pandemic, ROC had asked the University for all-day access to a space on campus. He said looking forward, a living community and a clubhouse-type area could help students in recovery form deeper connections with their peers.

“There looked like there was a little bit of momentum, and then COVID happened,” McNabb said. “I would’ve loved to have had a place on campus that belonged to me.”

Students and alumni in recovery said they wished the University would hire employees trained in substance abuse treatment to secure ROC’s future.

“To have a recovery space fully dependent on student leadership is very precarious,” former ROC member Lee said. “It can fall apart, just like SOBER did.”

Boynton Director of Health Promotion Julie Sanem said students can schedule an appointment for a substance use assessment. Counselors will then talk with students about their relationship with substances and recommend treatment options.

Lee said treatment outside the University is not accessible to everyone. By the time she came to the University, she said she experienced inpatient and outpatient treatment and stayed sober through college.

“It makes me wonder how we could’ve better supported the people who were new to sobriety and didn’t have the resources I had,” Lee said. “I was extremely privileged to have access to treatment and insurance to cover that.”

Fourth-year student Nicholas Metzman, 26, said he moved from Washington three years ago to seek treatment from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, but decided to stay after building community in the Twin Cities.

He has been sober almost two years and said he wants to see a change in stigma and stereotyping. He said the University could better educate people by inviting students to speak about sobriety.

“I believed stereotypes of drug addicts when I was active in my addiction,” Metzman said. “I can’t be an addict, addicts are x, y and z. But in reality, addiction doesn’t discriminate and it doesn’t care about your age, skin color, socioeconomic standing.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, substance use assessments and consultations are available on Boynton Health’s website.