If elected in November, Vice President Kamala Harris would make history in several ways as the 47th President of the United States — most notably as the first woman president, and a woman of color at that. So far in her campaign, however, that doesn’t seem like something she wants to talk about. 

At the Democratic National Convention, her closing speech didn’t mention making history at all. Rather, she spoke about how much all Americans have in common. 

In her Sept. 10 debate with former President Donald Trump, she was put on the spot about her mixed-race identity. True to the rest of her campaign, Harris shut down the conversation, instead focusing on unity. 

“All I can say is, I read where she was not Black, that she put out,” Trump said in the debate. “And, I’ll say that. And then I read that she was Black. And that’s okay. Either one was okay with me. That’s up to her.” 

In response, Harris said, “I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently over the course of his career attempted to use race to divide the American people. You know, I do believe that the vast majority of us know that we have so much more in common than what separates us.” 

Identity politics, which can be broadly defined as politics specifically pertaining to the identities of a specific group, such as race, gender or sexual orientation, is something Harris has effectively avoided in her campaign. 

Not only is Harris’ candidacy unprecedented, but so is this campaign strategy. In 2016, Hillary Clinton made history as the first woman presidential nominee for a major U.S. political party, and her campaign capitalized on that. One of Clinton’s campaign slogans was “I’m with her.” 

Dr. Wendy K. Z. Anderson, a communications lecturer and identity politics researcher at the University of Minnesota, said Harris’ strategy is reflective of her desire to be identified by her positions instead. 

“I think what is fascinating that we see that is different about identity politics with Kamala Harris is there is this recognition of not wanting to be defined by an identifier,” Anderson said. “Harris is making a move to be defined as a presidential candidate. If she’s defined as a presidential candidate, then we’re going to take different criteria to evaluate her.” 

Harris does not want to be seen as a woman or person of color first. She wants to be seen as a president.

“She’s really trying to make this become about being a presidential candidate and what that embodies, rather than what that looks like,” Anderson said. “To me, that’s the difference. Whenever I see what she’s doing, it’s always calling attention to actions instead.” 

Anderson said focusing on specific identities as a candidate can be counterproductive in winning over voters. 

“Splicing up of identities brings us to problematic generalizations where we’re voting because of that,” Anderson said. “I think she is a pioneer in that sense, as we try to get away from these demographics and reductive stereotypes.” 

Sarah Beck, a political science doctoral student at the University, said that although identities are paramount to modern voter behavior, Harris is leaping to embrace more nuance as well. 

“In recent years, partisanship has become a social identity of sorts,” Beck said. “With Kamala Harris, something that I think is interesting and different from, say, Hillary Clinton’s campaign, is that she is embracing more nuance in terms of identity, class, geographic location and occupation.” 

Identities are important, but almost every American possesses multiple. Campaigning on the back of just one can be divisive. 

Although Harris’ campaign differs from Clinton’s in this way, Beck said that it can be likened to other female political candidacies. Beck cited Rep. Angie Craig, a Democratic congresswoman representing Minnesota’s 2nd District, as an example.

Craig first ran for Congress in 2016 after the Republican incumbent John Kline retired. She lost to Republican Jason Lewis by a narrow margin of 6,665 votes. She then ran again in 2018 against Lewis, and with her win became the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Minnesota. 

“Rather than downplaying certain aspects of her identity, she really plays up her identity as a mother or Minnesota resident,” Beck said. “She is one of the few openly LGBTQ+ members of Congress, and so she can highlight that in certain spaces that are maybe more liberal. But also, when she is running in her district, which is super competitive, she can focus on issues that are broadly relatable and accessible to a lot of constituents, rather than what can be perceived as narrower identity tools.” 

Beck said Harris’ campaign tactics give agency and discernment back to the voters. 

“Kamala Harris herself has not necessarily engaged a lot in combating those identity critiques,” Beck said. “I think it’s really interesting that she’s letting it speak for herself. She knows that her constituents understand identity too.”

Another important strategic decision in Harris’ campaign was the selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Anderson spoke about how this was also a choice related to identity. 

“Walz has all these things that remind us that identities are not narrow when it comes to politics,” Anderson said. “Just because somebody is liberal doesn’t mean that they don’t own guns. He embodies an identity that doesn’t allow the reduction of the liberal to someone that can’t appeal across party lines.” 

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want to be seen as leaders for everybody. Not any singular group. 

Many voters don’t see Harris’ multiple diverse identities as important. So rather than emphasizing those, she is letting the history she is making speak for itself. In doing this, she is making another statement. 

Harris is showing us that American politics has moved past the point of having to defend our boxed-in identities. Perhaps we have moved past the point of having to box ourselves in at all.

In September, the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards aired and reached the highest viewership in the last four years. The Emmys saw a decrease in ratings almost every year since 2013, with the delayed 2023 ceremony that aired in January hitting an all-time record low. 

I have also not tuned in since 2013. Or ever, for really any film award show. Not that I haven’t kept up with what’s important, though. I could tell you all about the Will Smith slap incident or how “Moonlight” was able to overcome “La La Land” for Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards. 

Outside of the missteps and mistakes, there are also several more monumental moments I have kept up with throughout the years. Michelle Yeoh’s acceptance speech as the first Asian woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress and Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda’s recent Emmy win for Outstanding Hard News Feature Story for her documentary covering the Israeli invasion of the Gaza strip. 

What made these wins memorable for me as someone who doesn’t keep up with these award shows was not the nominations themselves, but what they meant in a broader mainstream context. 

Xavier Greene, a fourth-year University of Minnesota student and co-president of the UMN Film Club, said this year’s nominations provided a balance of mainstream appeal that many more casual viewers could appreciate. 

“I think this year’s awards were a great example of finding the balance between more niche films and more wide audience appeal in terms of nominations,” Greene said. “But then there’s been years prior where there are so many films no one’s heard of.”

Greene said some of the cultural “firsts” that award shows have are exciting for audiences to see, but they shouldn’t still be happening in the year 2024. 

“There’s a certain point where the first ‘XYZ’ nomination shouldn’t be happening anymore,” Greene said. “I think those types of statistics are outdated, or they should be outdated. It shouldn’t be like this grandiose thing anymore, but unfortunately, it’s just not the reality that we live in.”

As Greene noted, if the relevancy of the awards for many is the new disruption of the exclusivity they have held for so long, that’s a problem. 

Kelly Nathe, programmer and publicist for MSP Film Society as well as Emmy award-winning producer for her work on the television show, “The Zimmern List,” spoke about how these awards hold a lot of cultural significance because they are about industry peers recognizing each other.

“When it comes to the Oscars and the Emmys, peers are the ones awarding their peers,” Nathe said. “I think if I were to go back to work in production, yes, having an Emmy looks good on your resume. Particularly, if I were in LA or New York, it would probably be quite helpful, because there’s also member organizations I would probably be eligible to join that could help advance my career in those communities.” 

Nathe said this aspect of the nominations contributes to the lack of diversity we have often seen.

“A lot of people don’t know what it is like to get into the Academy,” Nathe said. “If you’re nominated for an Academy Award, you’re usually invited to join the Academy. Then, you can only nominate in your own category. So it’s been this old, white boys club for a really long time because they made each other and they invite each other.” 

Perhaps this is a reason why award shows have lost traction in the last decade. The boys club is boring. 

Nathe cited streaming platforms and social media as two reasons viewership has decreased but said these aren’t necessarily bad things. 

“The old school world of Hollywood and the old guard kind of grumbles about all these films getting nominated that are produced for Netflix or Amazon Prime, and only do one week in a movie theater just to qualify,” Nathe said. 

Compared to the old guard, younger audiences simply don’t consume content in the same way either. 

“The television and the film academies know that the younger generations aren’t sitting through a three-hour televised award show. That’s not the way they get their entertainment,” Nathe said. “(The academies) are certainly becoming more and more active on TikTok and other platforms to have the viral moments ready to upload immediately.” 

Like I mentioned earlier, why would I sit through a three-hour television program airing on a cable network I don’t have if I can watch Will Smith slap Chris Rock for free on TikTok? 

Film as an art form is a reflection of society and its artists. Society isn’t made up of one singular cultural, age or income demographic. These awards may have been originally designed for peers to give each other, but their significance has morphed into something more.

To continue this evolution, film and television academies should recognize the new audiences they could have, and lean into efforts to diversify nominations and content accessibility.

After I finished watching the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, I almost immediately opened social media. I was mostly looking for the eating dogs and cats jokes. 

The first thing I saw when I opened Instagram was Taylor Swift’s endorsement of the Harris-Walz campaign.

Swift wrote in her caption, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for (Harris) because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.” 

What struck me most about this post was not the caption itself, but the number of people I knew that had already liked it, seconds after it was posted. Opening Instagram again the next morning, several more people had reposted it to their Instagram stories. 

Swift’s endorsement also provided a link to vote.gov, a voter registration website, and following her post, more than 400,000 users visited the link, according to the New York Times. 

This is an example of the kind of power and platform Swift holds. However, her widespread impact is not just because of who she is, but rather, who her fans are. 

According to The Harris Poll, 52% of American women surveyed identify themselves as Taylor Swift fans, along with 66% of Millennials and 56% of Generation Z’ers. 

Ayan Mohamed, a second-year political science student at the University of Minnesota, said the type of reaction Swift received for her endorsement has a lot to do with her fan base demographics. 

“She’s been around for a really long time, so people have grown up with her,” Mohamed said. “She has been involved in feminist circles for a long time now, and her voice throughout those involvements has shown that.” 

I am not saying that Swift’s post will be the deciding factor for the election, but it carries much more weight than other celebrity endorsements because of who her audience is largely composed of: young women. 

Taylor Swift’s celebrity status seems almost transcendental of the time she is in, similar to artists such as Elvis, Frank Sinatra and The Beatles. The thing these figures all have in common is that their stardom was popularized by their largely young female fan bases. 

Whether you like it or not, women have played significant roles in giving the “greats” the reputations they have today. 

This significance also carries over into political participation. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, in almost every presidential election since 1980, women have voted at a higher rate than men. In every election since 1994, presidential and not, women have voted at higher rates specifically in the age demographic of 18 to 44. 

Jenna Monday, a fourth-year political science student, said the reason for this is simply because women have a lot more at stake. 

“I think definitely the MeToo movement and abortion rights are two big factors of why young female voters are getting involved and have kind of increased in activity in the past few years,” Monday said. “That’s their future, and something they are most likely going to want.” 

Mohamed added that female voters may have been inspired more recently by seeing the loss of a female presidential candidate in 2016.

“We saw the huge defeat that Hillary suffered in the 2016 election,” Mohamed said. “And we just saw how she’s been treated in general. So I feel like that really mobilized women to be like, ‘Oh, we have to vote for our rights.’”

Mohamed said this election is particularly significant for members of Gen Z. 

“I think this is the first election cycle, maybe the second, where a lot of us are of age to vote,” Mohamed said. “We’re very excited because we know now our vote matters. We have the numbers.” 

I may be biased, but as a young woman, we are by far the most important demographic in almost every arena. 

We care, and we show up. 

Elvis and The Beatles were before my time, but I would like to take a small amount of credit for One Direction’s rise to fame throughout the 2010s. 

We cannot be ignored, and you need us to be successful.

Editor’s note: The use of the word “scam” in this column is meant hyperbolically. We are not implying that the University is engaged in large-scale fraud against its students.

For returning students, getting course materials and textbooks for the semester should be a seamless process. However, in between SAFE-U alerts and other back-to-school emails, we were notified of the new textbook system the University of Minnesota was implementing for the semester, Course Works. 

As opposed to the previous method of ordering your textbooks individually from the bookstore and picking them up, Course Works provides a flat $279 fee for all your required materials for the semester. All undergraduate students, regardless of the number of textbooks they required, were automatically enrolled in the $279 fee Course Works Complete option and notified of this via email. 

From there, you had three options. 

You could do nothing and pay $279 for all your materials, whether that was one book or six. You could change your preference to Course Works Select and choose to pay individually for which required materials you wanted to purchase. Or, you could opt out completely and acquire your materials on your own. 

Your Course Works choice had to be submitted by Sept. 16, the last day to drop classes. So unfortunately, if you are reading this, it is most likely too late to opt out. Maybe look into a tax write-off?

In a recent poll put out by the Opinions Desk, 50 students and University community members shared how well they think this new system worked out and what Course Works choice they went with. We also created a one to ten scale for our respondents to rate it with. Scam to bam. 

As a disclaimer, we are more than aware that 50 respondents are not enough to declare true statistical scam to bam validity, but if you take issue with this, I would encourage you to check your emails more vigilantly so that you can contribute to important polls and opt-out of $279 fees ahead of time. 

Of our respondents, only 24% chose to maintain their opt-in to the Course Works program. For a system that has an automatic opt-in, I would hope more than 24% of students are actually sticking with this option. 

When asked about the choice to opt out, Jonathan, a third-year student who asked for his last name to be omitted as to avoid incrimination said, “$279 is a lot of money, especially if you can already pirate at least 20-50% of your books.” 

Fair play, Jonathan. 

Julia Nicklawske, a third-year family social science student, also had concerns about the way the system was set up. 

“I only have three required reading materials this semester,” Nicklawske said. “So I don’t think I should automatically be opted-in. I only paid $75 for my materials, whereas the flat rate was $270. Being automatically opted-in feels like a money grab, but alas, this is a public university.”

Similarly, Ash Smith, a fourth-year student, suggested the $279 could be better used for several other things. 

“I had zero textbooks/inclusive access this semester and if I had not opted out, I would’ve been scammed out of $270 that can be used for literally anything else a student needs,” said Smith. 

Crow Wilkins, a second-year animal science student, raised an important question about where this Course Works money was actually going. 

“Another money grab from the University,” Wilkins said. “Auto enrolling you and charging you $270 plus unless you opt-out. My textbooks and workbooks this year cost a total of $0, so where would that money go?”

Ashley Myers, a fourth-year history student, chose to opt into the program but still admitted that it had its shortcomings. 

“I think the system has its benefits,” Myers said.  “A student’s required course materials are piled together in one convenient and easy-to-access location, but the cost of the program is often too much for the amount of materials needed. Why am I overpaying for a system which doesn’t even let me choose my options?”

Beyond the cost and logistics of Course Works, respondents also had gripes about the way the system was advertised. 

When asked about how they heard of the system, Seyram Agudu, a third-year student who opted out, wrote, “I was scrolling on MyU and I saw a post about it.” 

This is a message to anyone who’s ever told you scrolling kills your brain. It just saved someone $279. 

Lee Penn, a chemistry professor who only heard of Course Works through “student complaints” said, “Many students have asked me why they aren’t able to find what they need using it.” 

Brayden Rothe, a second-year history PhD student, said he first heard of the program through word of mouth. 

“I heard someone say ‘Course Works’ and just thought it was another random button or feature,” Rothe said. “Then, I found out later via an email.”

I will never knock word-of-mouth advertisements, but there is a time and a place. A $279 automatic purchase doesn’t seem like the place. 

Maggie Ireland, a fourth-year astrophysics student who chose to opt-in wrote, “It took a while to understand how it works. There are emails and posters and not much information outside of the actual Course Works shelf.”

Kylie Faber, a second-year communications student, said the automatic opt-in was alarming at first. 

“I was confused why I was opted into something without doing the action myself,” said Faber. “I had to call because I was worried someone logged into my account when I got an email from the bookstore telling me to pick up books.” 

To contextualize all of our responses with the scam to bam, one to ten scale, the average rating of Course Works according to the poll was about 3.5. So, maybe scam was too harsh of an assessment, but it seems like the system definitely wasn’t a bam either. 

Perhaps… a sham?

A concept originally coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, a third place is a place separate from the home, your first place, and work or school, your second place. It is where you spend time in community, gather and foster relationships, and try new things. 

A place to just be. 

Some common examples include coffee shops, libraries, public parks, malls and community centers. 

Historically, these third places have been easy to come by. However, in today’s America, they are less and less commonplace. We seem to opt for individual and personalized experiences instead. 

Coffee shops allow you to mobile order, keeping social interaction to the bare minimum. Food delivery services allow you to forgo going somewhere completely. E-readers and cloud libraries make going to the library unnecessary. Online shopping makes malls and shopping centers feel outdated. Public parks and playgrounds have been replaced by the backyards of suburbia. Parents may see this as a safer option. 

We started bringing these services to us, rather than going to meet them. 

While none of these changes are inherently bad on their own, it is also important to acknowledge what we are giving up — our communities. 

The pandemic did not help the issue either, with many third places becoming unsafe for a period of time. 

Another key part of Oldenburg’s definition is that third places should have little to no barrier to entry. While gyms and restaurants can be great places to foster relationships and connection, membership costs and pricey meals can limit the demographics of people who can participate. 

To look at Dinkytown as an example, there are several inexpensive food options. However, not many of these places have ample seating for large numbers of people to stay and eat. Like many metropolitan neighborhoods, the grab-and-go restaurant style seems to be the most popular. 

Lingering is not an option. 

Nora Swingen, a third-year urban studies and sustainability studies student at the University of Minnesota, said she sees third places as something essential to physical and mental health. 

“I think our way of living is like no one ever takes a pause,” Swingen said. “And I think that’s just an unsustainable way of living. Third places are places where you can decompress from all that.” 

Swingen cited Van Cleve Park, a nearby campus park, as a third place she often enjoys. 

“I am obsessed with Van Cleve,” Swingen said. “That is always my example for perfect community engagement. They have a basketball court, and they host yoga classes every week that are free. They even have movies in the park. I go there all the time.” 

Swingen said routine-based third places are of great importance. 

“If you go somewhere multiple times a week, you start to see the same kind of people and build relationships,” Swingen said. “It’s good to have set times and dates as well.” 

The University quadball team (formerly quidditch) uses East River Flats Park weekly as their third place for both practices and community building, according to Anna Nelson, a fourth-year student and president of the group. Nelson spoke about how important this space is to the quadball team both practically and symbolically. 

“We have to have a certain amount of space to gather and play,” Nelson said. “The park is large enough so that we can have practices with a large number of people, and other groups can be there without any issue. On campus, our options are fairly limited for that.” 

Beyond logistics, Nelson said East River Flats Park has come to mean a lot more to the team than just an open space.

“I have a lot of fond college memories from being down at the flats and spending time there,” Nelson said. “I’ve met so many people and done so many things down there. It’s nice to be able to have that space to hold as a memory keepsake almost.” 

Not only does the space have an impact on the quadball community, but the community is able to impact the space too.

“We practice on the field all season long, and by the end, the ground is completely dilapidated,” Nelson said. “It’s interesting that we get to have an impact on the landscape too.” 

Nelson added that the team contributes to the East River Flats community, outside of their own, by utilizing that space. 

“There’s usually other people down there, and they will often stop and ask us what we are doing,” said Nelson. “It’s cool that we get to share our sport with them and chat for a second.” 

While loitering is typically frowned upon, it may be time that we change that narrative. Perhaps in the future, we should order and eat our food in person, we should browse amongst physical clothing racks instead of scrolling on a website and we should opt to spend time in outdoor areas that are publicly accessible. 

Simply put, let’s go to more places where we can all stay for a while.

This past month, content creator Jools Lebron went viral for her TikTok explaining her work-appropriate hair and makeup, describing her appearance as “very demure and very mindful.” The words “demure” and “mindful” quickly took off, and many viewers began making their own videos using these words as descriptors for different self-aware and modest actions. 

These words followed the trend of other self-descriptors that went viral this summer, but almost in a contrasting way.

Earlier in the summer, singer-songwriter Charli XCX released a studio album entitled “BRAT,” popularizing the term “brat” to mean an effortless it-girl quality or general unapologeticness. 

For anyone still lost, I will break it down. Holding the door for multiple classmates after our lecture finishes? Very demure and very mindful. Walking straight through as someone else holds the door for me? That is brat. 

As an avid TikTok consumer, these words were quickly added to my vocabulary along with the slew of other TikTok-popularized phrases I use as a woman to self-identify. Some of my most used examples of these are “girl math,” “girl dinner” and being “just a girl.”

Again, let me provide context for these terms. “Girl math” is a playful way I justify my poor financial choices as a girl — i.e. buying coffee for no reason multiple times a week. I use “girl dinner” to describe a meal I have hastily thrown together, usually a combination of different small snacks. I say I am “just a girl” when something is ridiculously overwhelming to me.

Since these terms have infiltrated many young people’s everyday vocabulary, I have started to see some questions raised about the potential reductiveness of these terms. Through this, I started to have some of my own internal battles.

Is labeling myself as just demure or brat restricting? Does “girl math” perpetuate the stereotype that women are bad at math? Does “girl dinner” imply that women should only be light eaters? Does calling myself “just a girl” insinuate that girls cannot handle certain things? 

Does using these words make me a bad feminist? 

Heidi Johnson, a second-year University of Minnesota student, said she often uses some of these social media buzzwords as a fun way to justify day-to-day purchases. 

“When I bought my drink today, I already had money on my app, so it was basically free,” Johnson said. “That’s girl math.” 

For Johnson, she does not see using these words as making a statement about her value or intelligence as a girl, it is just something fun. Feminism is not even a thought. 

“It’s mostly something I just say when I’m joking around with my friends,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t mean much. It’s really not that deep.” 

Emerson Elle, a third-year student, said, the terms are far from offensive. 

“I don’t see it as derogatory at all,” Elle said. “It’s more of a self-aware thing, like making fun of yourself.” 

For Ellery Bazley, a third-year student, the “girl” part of it is interchangeable. The terms are more relevant to a certain age, rather than gender. 

“I feel like I hear boys using the words too, like ‘boy math’ or ‘I’m just a boy,’” Bazely said. “It’s more about joking about being young and not quite an adult yet rather than about being a girl.” 

So to answer my initial question, no. I do not think my usage of these words is anti-feminist. On one hand, as Johnson said earlier, it is not that deep. But to unpack it further, my self-identification through these words is also empowering. And as Elle stated, it is really about self-awareness. 

When I call myself “demure” or “brat,” I am aware that I am a multi-faceted person beyond those two monikers. It is not reductive when I use the term “girl math,” because I am more than aware that women and girls are just as good at math, and as a woman, I am actually great at math. When I label a meal I just threw together as “girl dinner,” I am not implying that women should strictly be light eaters, because, again, as a woman, I typically eat a lot. 

I do not see using these phrases as giving power to stereotypes about women. I use these phrases in a light-hearted way to take that power back. 

Implying that saying the label of “girl” is demeaning suggests that being a girl is not sufficient. I hold several identities, but girlhood might be my favorite. I am just a girl, and being just a girl is more than enough.

I have a book-buying problem. 

There are countless times I have stopped in bookstores, promising myself I would not buy anything, and walked out with two or three books in hand. I would like to say I have read all of the books I bought, but this is simply not the case. Even so, they are still some of my most prized possessions. 

The thing about physical books is they could be seen as somewhat obsolete. With e-readers and audiobook apps, the need for physical books as a means to read is long gone. 

Even for physical books, we have websites like Amazon and even Target aisles for us to buy books, compared to stores that are solely devoted to them. 

We do not need bookstores to buy books, and we do not even need physical books to read them. 

But against the odds, bookstores remain standing, supported fiercely by their surrounding neighborhoods and constantly adjusting to ever-changing needs. 

Just a few blocks off campus, The Book House in Dinkytown is one example of an independent bookstore working to serve its community.

Matt Hawbaker, co-owner of The Book House, said as an independent bookstore, the store can adapt to the needs around it. 

“It’s really about the connection to the community,” Hawbaker said. “The used bookstore situation is a great example because our customers are also our suppliers. It’s a reciprocal relationship that we have with them.” 

Hawbaker said The Book House’s book curation differs from other independent bookstores because of its proximity to campus. 

“We have a very academic focus,” Hawbaker said. “We probably have a larger philosophy section than most places, especially in the Twin Cities. At other stores, it would probably be hard to sustain that.”

The thing about local bookstores, compared to websites or even larger chains, is that their curation and their provided space is truly a reflection of their patrons. 

Wild Rumpus is another Twin Cities independent bookstore, with a specific focus on children and young adults, as well as animals. Timothy Otte, co-owner and bookseller, said one of the store’s guiding principles is accessibility for their community.

“Our big thing is really access and supporting young readers in discovering the world around them,” Otte said. “Helping them learn to live in such a way that is kind and generous and whimsical and fun.” 

Otte emphasized how Wild Rumpus works to provide a safe space for young readers, regardless of what they purchase. 

“We are a bookstore and our goal is retail and commerce,” Otte said. “But the really good bookstore is kind of more than that. We do all sorts of community-facing things, whether that is bringing authors to schools when they’re on tour, to doing story times and author events in our store. Our goal is never to pressure that person into buying something, but just being a place where someone can come and feel safe and seen for a little while.” 

For Otte, the appeal of physical books is the ownership you get with them.

“The thing about a book is that once you buy it, it’s yours,” Otte said. “There’s no major corporation that can take it out of your library, and I think that that’s really important in an era of streaming. Buying physical books, that’s mine. I can write in it. I can throw it outside in the rain. I can do whatever, and no one can stop me. And I think that is an argument for physical media generally.” 

When you own a book, you can go back to it again and again. The story can grow and change along with you. 

Located in the Mill City neighborhood, Milkweed Books is a Twin Cities independent bookstore that acts as an extension of its independent publishing house, Milkweed Editions. 

Zoey Gulden, the manager of Milkweed Books, said their goal is to provide a community around the books they sell. 

“Our mission is, formally, to publish transformative literature and then create an engaged community around it,” Gulden said. “So having a brick-and-mortar store means that our engaged community is specifically in this space.” 

As an independent bookstore and publisher, Milkweed may not drive as much traffic as the typical Barnes and Noble store, but Gulden said their role in the bookselling community should not be understated. 

“Without independent booksellers, books would not be sold,” Gulden said. “It’s the main way to drive sales for authors. So publishers, of course, put the money into the production and the distribution, and they pay the authors royalties for their work. But if you don’t have independent booksellers who are independently championing books with no real attachment to how it’s going to do otherwise, books would not get into the hands of readers.” 

Gulden added that the sale of physical books is about much more than just their writers. 

“The fact of the physical books is that it takes a lot of people to make a beautiful book,” Gulden said. “It’s not just the writer, it’s also the copy editor, the fact checker, everybody in production, all the printing houses, the art people get paid to put their art on our covers. There’s a very robust economy that is working for a book.” 

Even for bestsellers, the amount of people who work on a book may be greater than the people who read it. By this logic, the making and selling of physical books is a largely inefficient process. 

In saying this, I am not trying to dissuade you from books and bookstores, but rather, show in spite of this inefficiency, how remarkable they are.

Bookstores are places holding an infinite number of stories, along with their physical and tangible representations. They provide an invitation to the world that any number of these stories could be yours to keep.

For some, it may be of little significance, but like myself, many people have strong opinions about where they use the bathroom. Bathrooms on campus can hold some of our most vulnerable moments — both emotionally and physically. It is only natural we poll the greater community on what spots they do and do not recommend. 

The Opinions Desk put out a poll to determine once and for all what the best and worst bathrooms on campus are. Thirty-four respondents weighed in with their opinions and experiences. I am well aware this may not be a large enough sample size to make any official scientific conclusions, so consider these unofficial if you must.

Coming in strong with the most votes of five for the best bathrooms on campus is the Northrop Auditorium. I have to admit, although I did not vote in this poll, these bathrooms are by far my number one choice. I love that they came out on top so I can further promote my agenda. 

I often plan my campus routes around stopping at Northrop for a bathroom break. 

Clean, spacious and inviting, the Northrop bathrooms are the perfect location for a midday intermission. They have lights bright enough to see how bad your under-eye circles actually are, and enough room to take some outfit pictures if the day calls for it. 

If the Northrop bathrooms have no fans or supporters, particularly the ones on the third floor, then I am dead. 

With a close second, the McNamara Alumni Center came in with three votes. I Cannot say I have ever been invited to an event fancy enough to be held here, but I will take your word for it. 

Other bathroom mentions include Folwell Hall, Tate Hall and Ford Hall. 

Kalybe Vanwatermeulen, a third-year student, described the Ford bathrooms as “quiet, private and great to cry in.”

Noted. 

Now onto the real controversy. Which building has the worst bathrooms?

The votes for this answer were a lot less evenly distributed and I do not know if that is a good or bad thing. 

At number one for worst bathrooms on campus, we have Coffman Memorial Union reigning strong with seven votes. I personally have not used those bathrooms since Welcome Week freshman year, and for good reason. Based on my only experience, they smelled funky and never seemed to be at a normal temperature. Unfortunately, it seems like not much has changed. 

Tied for second with two votes each, we have Keller Hall and Blegen Hall. I have a 9 a.m. statistics class in Keller next semester, so I will definitely make sure to avoid it while I am learning more about sample sizes. 

Eleanor Kelly, a second-year student, described the Blegen bathrooms as either “literally at the entrance or at random floors of the building that you have to climb one or two flights of stairs for.” 

Another specific honorable mention goes to the bathrooms in the Mayo Building. 

One graduate student said, “A specific bathroom in Mayo Building D hallway has a ten-inch wide gap when the stall door is closed.”

Both of these sound like some major design flaws. However, Rapson Hall, the center for the University’s College of Design, received a vote for worst bathrooms. I cannot really defend you there, Rapson. 

On a more serious note, third-year student Neil Standerwick brought up an important point when thinking about bathrooms on campus. 

When asked which building has the worst bathrooms, Standerwick responded, “Almost all of them. We need more gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. There are many buildings that don’t even have one.” 

This is perhaps the most significant concern about campus bathrooms. Public restrooms are always a hit-or-miss experience in terms of pleasantness, but all members of the University community should feel safe to use them. 

Students, staff and faculty of all identities should be able to see how incredible the Northrop bathrooms are.

Very few people have Renaissance art, fossils, historic documents or famous sculptures in their homes. 

With museums, you can see these things whenever you want. Museums allow people to have access to such artifacts without owning them. 

Not only do museums hold knowledge, culture and history, but they are also windows into a single person’s unfiltered view of the universe at that point in time. Just for the short time we view the exhibit, we can experience the world as someone else has experienced it. 

A trip to a museum can act as a trip around the world. Most people do not have the means to travel around the world, but everyone should have access to a local museum. 

These are not experiences that should be behind a paywall. 

Beyond this, museums should be something that disabled people should all have access to. 

Located on the University of Minnesota campus, the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) acts as a free space for students and community members to consume and interact with art. 

Katie Covey Spanier, WAM’s director of public engagement and learning, said the campus museum allows students to experience art through their own individual disciplines. 

“I think the Weisman is a really special and unique place on campus for all different types of students to come and have a museum experience,” Covey Spanier said. “To learn about art, the history of art making and to have conversations about the objects on view through their own lens of their studies. We don’t live within any one department, we really are for the entire campus community.” 

The WAM is unique in that it is an academic museum, specifically designed to be a part of campus life and academics. It is a member of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, which has over 680 member museums across the country, the majority of which have free entry. 

Covey Spanier also spoke about the value of museums as a whole to society. 

“I think museums are important to society because they tell us a lot about what we value, and they also open up conversations for people to have with each other who have different opinions,” Covey Spanier said. “What is so important about art museums, and specifically free art museums, is that they are accessible to everybody to be able to have that experience, especially when you look at how tough the economy is.”

At the WAM, accessibility does not end with free entry. Part of Covey Spanier’s role as director of public engagement and learning is to ensure the museum experience is one that anyone can take part in. 

“All visitors, regardless of their physical, sensory, cognitive or emotional abilities, should be able (to) participate in and enjoy the offerings that the Weisman has,” Covey Spanier said. “We offer things like sensory bags that you can check out for free at the front desk, special headphones, glasses and fidget toys that would help to support people with different processing sensitivities.” 

Coming this fall, the WAM is also set to be prototyping a new digital program where museum labels will be available to read in over 100 different languages, and with different font styles and audio recordings, according to Covey Spanier. 

Located in the Whittier neighborhood, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) is another example of a free and accessible museum. 

Virajita Singh, the MIA’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, said one of its missions is to lower barriers for different communities.  

“I think museums as cultural institutions are not familiar to many diverse communities,” Singh said. “Perhaps not everyone has grown up going to a museum. So I think it’s really important that we invite people in. If we were not free, that immediately creates barriers.”

Singh also explained how much weight museums like the MIA can hold. 

“Museums are really important because they hold cultural artifacts of traditions,” Singh said. “Art is so important. Museums have the spirit of empathy and connection to beauty. It is a place where you can really find space in many different ways.” 

Similar to the WAM, the MIA also works to be accessible to all patrons of all different needs through their customizable experiences. 

“Anyone can send us an email or call to say that they are coming in and need special accommodations,” Singh said. “We do customized tours that will take into account what the needs are, and if anyone needs some access assistance. We have an incredible visitor experience team that works one-on-one with this.” 

Although we have two free and accessible museums located in the Twin Cities, this is not a luxury every city or museum has. Museums require upkeep and maintenance, which costs money. 

The cost of museum entry is not necessarily always the ownness of the museum itself, but rather the funding it receives. 

The WAM, as an academic museum, is largely funded by appropriations from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Arts Board. The MIA, as a public museum, is funded by the government, as well as other grants and donations. 

In areas where there is no strong local governmental support or grants available, museums rely heavily on earned profit or donor support. 

In these areas, free entry may not be a possibility. 

Museums cost money to run, but the return on their investment is priceless. They are able to bring the world closer together while simultaneously making our individual worlds that much larger. 

Museums are vital to the public good and should be funded and curated as such. Consume the ones you can, and slip some bills in the donation box next time you get the chance. 

As a student of color, I have often felt an added pressure to be the one to broach issues of diversity and equity. 

It can feel like it is my responsibility to speak up, my responsibility to lead the way and my responsibility to present these concerns in a way that makes everyone else feel comfortable. 

Especially in spaces where I am the minority. 

This feeling can also be defined as “respectability politics,” the idea that those with marginalized identities need to present themselves and their demands to fit within the norms and culture of the dominant or majority group. 

However, this should not just be on me, or any other student with a diverse identity. 

Simply relying on individuals from marginalized groups to carry this responsibility is unfair, can create extra labor and eventually lead to burnout. 

At the University of Minnesota, several cultural student organizations work to provide space for students of that culture and promote diversity and awareness campus-wide. 

Adella Mulawarman, a second-year student and the advocacy chair for the Chinese American Student Association (CASA), spoke about how difficult it can be for students of diverse backgrounds to call out problems.

“I think a lot of people of color find themselves in situations where they feel like they are supposed to take charge,” Mulawarman said. “We have to defend our identities as something that is worthwhile and worthy of being acknowledged.”

Mulawarman said this sole responsibility can take a toll and should be shared amongst the whole University community.

“I think it can feel really degrading in these social situations, where, as a person of color, you have to bring up things in a respectable way,” Mulawarman said. “When it comes to things like talking about diversity or initiatives about diversity, I don’t think it should be limited to just people of color or other people who identify with marginalized groups or identities.”

As advocacy chair for CASA, Mulawarman makes it a point that all students feel included in their initiatives. She said she believes university is the time for students to learn about and explore different cultures.

“No cultural student group or organization I’ve ever attended ever made me feel ostracized in any way,” Muluwarman said. “I feel like, especially just here at a university campus, now is really the time to kind of practice getting out of your comfort zone and also recognize the importance of it.”

Baanee Singh, a third-year student and the president of the Sikh Student Association, said their organization’s goals provide a space for Sikh students while also raising awareness and sharing their culture.

“Our goal is to just have a place for Sikh students on campus,” Singh said. “But also, all our events are open to anyone. We actually make it a point to invite as many people as we can, from diverse backgrounds.”

Singh said although cultural student organizations do their part, it should not be solely their duty to lead diversity and inclusion efforts. 

“Achieving any kind of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University is more of a concerted effort between everyone,” Singh said. “It’s not just the cultural student organizations’ part. It’s not just the colleges’ part. It is everyone’s duty and everyone’s effort to provide that help and provide that community.”

It is no secret that the University is a predominantly white institution. Although many cultural and minority groups exist here, there can be a difference between feeling allowed to exist and feeling unequivocally supported and uplifted. 

It is one thing to be allowed to take up space, but ideally, you would be encouraged to take up space. 

From her experience with CASA, Mulawarman recommended several ways she feels the University could better support its cultural student organizations outside of what the Student Unions and Activities Department currently provides. 

“I think a lot of cultural groups have to rely on our own marketing to get anything out there,” Mulawarman said. “I think it would be really helpful if there was even a webpage or something that the University could then broadcast all the different events and initiatives that are going on. This would help boost the platform of these student organizations that aren’t directly controlled and heralded by the University.”

It is a lot easier to create a “call to action” when you are the one the action is affecting. Diversity should not just be my responsibility or the responsibility of student cultural organizations. 

Diversity is the responsibility of everybody, and this responsibility not only includes creating change but also celebrating and uplifting the cultures of those around you.