Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, there have been several anti-Israel protests at the University of Minnesota. 

Some of these protests have sparked fear in the University’s Jewish community, resulting in many students feeling unsafe on campus.

Paulina Frayman, a second-year student, said she was at Minnesota Hillel when anti-Israel protestors gathered outside the building on Oct. 7 during the centers’ memorial event for the 2023 attacks.

“We were just mourning the loss of our brothers and sisters, and they came and surrounded us while we were just standing there with posters of people who have been murdered,” Frayman said.

Hillel had to go into lockdown mode when police came to disperse the protestors, Frayman added. Attendees were told by the police to stay in the basement until it was safe to leave the building.

“I just was not feeling safe, and they were disrupting the peace when we were not doing anything but gathering together as a community,” Frayman said.

Yitzi Steiner, the rabbi and director of Chabad UofM, said since the protests began, there have been a number of students who have reported feeling unsafe and reached out to Chabad for guidance.

“These protests are trying to instill fear into the Jewish and broader University community,” Steiner said. “The reality is they are protesting against Israel, and Israel is a huge part of the Jewish people.”

Steiner said he equates antisemitism and anti-Zionism as the same idea.

Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism, the movement for the self-determination and statehood of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, which is the land of Israel, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

“Being that Israel is part and parcel of the Jewish people, automatically Jewish students are going to feel targeted,” Steiner said.

Steiner said there is a very small minority of the Jewish community that is anti-Israel, with most Jewish people recognizing Israel’s right to exist and defend themselves.

When people say Israel does not have the right to defend itself, Steiner said that demonstrates blatant antisemitism.

Steiner also pointed to some of the antisemitic rhetoric ingrained in some of these protests.

“Everybody knows what Intifada means,” Steiner said. “Intifada is where thousands of Israelis were blown up in bus stops and buses, in pizza parlors and so on. It is a call for violence against Israel.”

Steiner said calling for an Intifada is essentially asking to bring the violence here to the University.

Sami Rahamim, a University alumnus and director of communications and community affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said the mention of things like the Intifada sends a message that Jewish students should not feel safe on campus.

According to Steiner, the chant “From the river to the sea” means the geographical area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea should only be Palestine, wiping Israel from the map.

“This is blatantly antisemitic, and it is once again rhetoric that says Israel does not have the right to exist,” Steiner said.

Steiner also mentioned writing on SE Washington Ave, right behind the Coffman Union, that said things such as “Glory to Hamas” and “Glory to Hezbollah.”

“These people represent the killing of Jews,” Steiner said. “They butcher innocent civilians.”

Steiner added there have been few pro-Israel protests on campus because there is a very small Jewish community on campus.

“Most students have too much fear of their professors, of their friends, and of being labeled as ‘that Jew’ or that ‘pro-Zionist,” Steiner said. “Therefore, they stay away from it.”

Frayman also pointed to some instances where students have been targeted due to either their Jewish identity or support for Israel.

“One student had hot coffee thrown at them simply because people thought he was Jewish, and another person had their mezuzah taken off their door in their apartment,” Frayman said.

A mezuzah is a piece of parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah, which many Jewish people fix to the doorposts of their homes.

Frayman said neither she nor her friends in the Jewish community feel safe on campus.

“We don’t feel like our voices are being heard because we walk around and see chalk on the sidewalk that says things like ‘Divest from Israel’ and ‘Israel is committing genocide,’” Frayman said.

Frayman said she does not fully agree with Israel’s policies, but she does agree that both Israel and Palestine should be able to live freely.

Frayman said Chabad had to take down a video posted on their Instagram, in which students said “I love being Jewish,” due to a flood of antisemitic comments under the post.

Ryan Alberts, a fourth-year Jewish student, said in spring 2024, one of his professors canceled class because he encouraged students to attend the encampment rally.

“Professors at a public university should not be able to do that,” Alberts said.

Alberts said he was shocked when he heard about the protest at Morrill Hall on Oct. 21.

“There is kind of a sense of “When are they going to do something else?’ ‘Which building are they going to go into?’ and ‘What are they going to do?’” Alberts said.

Alberts said he is dealing with this uncertainty by continuing to be around people in the Jewish community. He lives at the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi and goes to Hillel almost every day.

“I go to Hillel and Chabad for Shabbat dinner every Friday, seeing the same people and going about the same,” Alberts said. “A value of Judaism is tradition. No matter what the outside environment is, continuing the same practices and beliefs.”

Aiden Goldstein, a first-year student, said he feels safe on campus but is just more vigilant.

“I feel perfectly safe, and I feel as though the Jewish people around me provide me with that safe environment,” Goldstein said.

Steiner said Chabad is open 24 hours a day to support students.

“Students know that, whether it is two in the morning or 10 at night, they can call us and come here, whether it is a hug, to have a conversation or even for just a bowl of chicken soup,” Steiner said.

Steiner said Chabad has volunteers to walk with students who are afraid of walking alone to class and remains a place to come together with people who share the value that Israel has the right to exist.

Goldstein said the current campus climate has made his Jewish identity stronger.

“The day I feel the necessity to hide my Judaism is the day where I have wronged myself,” Goldstein said. “I believe that, and I hope that day will never come.”

Members of the University of Minnesota’s Project Dinkytown club aim to make Dinkytown a better place by promoting cleanliness and safety.

The club meets once a week on Fridays near the Dinkytown Target to pick up litter around the area. 

Elizabeth Overberg, a fourth-year student and the club’s vice president, said members go around the neighborhood for about an hour cleaning and talking to one another. 

“We usually go around Target, near Athletes Village, then back around near the Kollege Klub because that area gets really messy,” Overberg said.

Overberg said there is no set place where the club does its cleanups, and members pay attention throughout the week to what areas look messy.

“We just talk and pick up trash, which is kind of cathartic because it is a satisfying activity to do,” Overberg said. “You know you are helping, you see the difference and you get to do it with some friends, which is pretty awesome.” 

Sophia Boman, a fifth-year student and the club’s president, said she created the club in fall 2023 because she saw Dinkytown declining after the pandemic. 

“There’s a lot of businesses that are no longer running, and no one has really bought out the property,” Boman said. “I think since so many college students live there, it would be nice if it was a bit cleaner and safer.” 

Boman said the club works on safety initiatives during the winter. One of the club’s focuses going into this winter is implementing four-way stop signs in Dinkytown and surrounding neighborhoods. 

“There are mostly two-way stop signs, and it is impossible to see when you are driving,” Boman said.

Boman added the club has written directly to legislators about their initiatives. 

“We are also working on adding more street lights,” Boman said. “Some areas are pretty dark, even areas that are not directly within Dinkytown, but right next to it. Increasing the lighting would help a lot.”

Overberg said lighting allows people to feel safer and allows them to see where they are going at night, which may be particularly important for female students. 

“Especially as women, we often have to change our routes at night to go down streets that have more lights,” Overberg said. 

Zachary Ziegert, a fourth-year student and the club’s health and safety officer, said the club is also working on implementing crosswalks within the area. Ziegert said some locations near the Bierman Place Apartments, which is a common intersection for children to cross, may be an area the club is looking at improving.

Ziegert said his biggest task as the health and safety officer is ensuring the well-being of club members when they are picking up trash. 

“I am looking into protection from needles and namely fentanyl that could be scattered on the objects that we are picking up,” Ziegert said. “I just make sure that we have proper personal protective equipment like gloves and grabbers we use, so none of our members are harmed while trying to help out.” 

Ziegert said the club often picks up a variety of trash when cleaning the streets of Dinkytown, like CO2 cartridges, Galaxy Gas containers, beer cans and dead birds. 

Boman said some of the biggest challenges for the club have been securing funding for supplies and getting its safety proposals implemented. 

“With the city, there is a lot of bureaucratic activity that kind of slows us down, and there is not someone you can directly email to bring our ideas up,” Boman said. “It has been hard to figure out how to go about that.” 

Despite those challenges, Ziegert said he has made significant friendships and connections since joining the club. 

“I think just being able to bond over the common goal of making Dinkytown a better place, chatting about that and laughing about different things that we find has been super fulfilling and impactful,” Ziegert said. 

Overberg said the club allows members to see the difference they are making directly, which is unique. 

“I get direct feedback that I am doing something, and that fills my need to help other people,” Overberg said. “It is just super satisfying that I have the power to do that right in my own community.” 

The University of Minnesota’s Scuba and Skin Diving class teaches scuba skills as well as the physics and physiology of scuba diving.

The class is divided between a classroom and a pool portion where students practice with scuba gear.

Students have the option to take one of two sections. One section meets once a week for four hours. The other section meets twice a week, one day for the two-hour classroom portion and another for the two-hour pool portion.

Robert Karl, class instructor and owner of Superior Expeditions, a Scuba Schools International dive center, said people should get scuba certified to eliminate diving risks.

According to Karl, the class teaches students half of what they need to get certified, though they need to complete four open-water dives, which they can complete at a scuba school like Super Expeditions.

“The classroom portion is just understanding what happens to your lungs when you are underwater, what happens to air when it gets compressed and expanded, how to deal with decompression and how to deal with dive planning in general,” Karl said.

Saaraa Aggarwal, a third-year student in the class, said students are taught how to put together and wear their gear on the first day. Students also complete a swim test where they swim a minimum of 400 yards.

“When you actually do it, you don’t quite realize how easy it is because you are paired with a buddy at all times, and that buddy can really help motivate you,” Aggarwal said.

Karl said the pool portion gives students hands-on experience learning how to breathe underwater with and without a mask, share air if someone runs out, get back to the surface and prepare for emergencies.

“It’s funny because you would think most problems would happen underwater when diving, and they don’t,” Karl said. “Most problems happen on the surface where you get people having heart attacks or drowning because they ran out of air too from the boat and try to swim back while swallowing water.”

Oliver Moore, a second-year student and assistant class instructor, said the class prepares students for other emergencies like how to restrain a diver who is in panic and helping an unconscious diver.

When they are done with the class, students are prepared for about 95% of the most common scuba injuries, according to Moore.

“After that, there’s a ton of progression you can do outside of the University like an actual rescue diver course, which goes way in-depth,” Moore said.

Moore said the most common challenge students face is learning how to dive without a mask on.

“A lot of people breathe water through their nose or panic and want to go to the surface,” Moore said. “It is important to learn this skill because water can get into your mask, and it can break or be ticked off by someone else, so you need to be prepared for that.”

Elizabeth Cremeans, a fourth-year student in the class, said she subconsciously breathes through her nose, even when focusing air through her mouth. Without the mask, she sometimes accidentally inhales water, which she is working on. 

Cremeans said she had no prior experience with scuba diving before taking the class, so it is cool to have the opportunity to do this.

“For me, it’s fun to be active in a different way instead of doing a typical workout,” Cremeans said. “I am still moving and lifting things, so it is fun to be active and not feel like I am actively working out.”

Cremeans said those interested in getting scuba certified can join Superior Expeditions on a January trip to Cozumel, Mexico. Students can complete their four open-water dives on this trip or just have fun diving.

Aggarwal said the way the class is instructed is also very convenient for students.

“There are basically four people to one instructor,” Aggarwal said. “With scuba, you really need to have somebody’s attention at all times, and you also work with a buddy, which is super nice.”

The instructors give students 15 minutes of free time at the end of each class, which helps them practice and explore how they want to, Aggarwal added.

Moore said the number one rule in diving is to keep breathing and have fun.

“Don’t stress,” Moore said. “If you can’t do something right now, we will do it later. Just swim around, pretend you’re a fish and have fun.”

The University of Minnesota’s Happy Badminton Club gives students a space to play badminton and engage with students who have similar interests.

The club provides an atmosphere for players of all skill levels to have fun playing the game and also improve their technique.

President Runyu Zhu, a third-year student, said he created the club in spring 2023 because there was no community for badminton players on campus.

“I found there were many people who share a similar interest in badminton, but there was no club for them to join and play with each other on campus,” Zhu said. “There was no community, and I wanted to create one.”

Zhu said the club usually meets for two hours each Saturday where students can practice their badminton skills and play games with each other.

According to Zhu, the club usually holds one formal competition a year between club members, which is optional and held on campus in the spring semester.

Zilun Xiang, a graduate student and club member, said there will be a tournament in Chicago in March where club members will compete against different universities in the Midwest.

“We want to create an atmosphere for professional players to enjoy, and we also have normal practice and training for those who want to improve their skills,” Zhu said.

Jackie Wang, a third-year student and the club’s treasurer, said the club offers training to those who are just starting to learn the sport. The club answers questions about the sport and how it is played, with beginners usually in a group together.

Zhu said the club has two coaches. Zhu is the one coach who focuses on the beginner level, while the other coach focuses on the advanced level, which is another professional player in the club. For beginners, the club also provides information about how to heal from injuries.

Xiang added the club has allowed him to relax from the demands of graduate school.

According to Zhu, the more members play games with each other, the closer they become.

“The first time they play together, they know each other, but the second time they play together, they become friends,” Zhu said. “That is what I wanted when creating this club, and that is what I expected.” 

Wang said he appreciates the club has given him a space to play badminton with his friends and meet new people. 

“It has been a great experience,” Wang said. 

Zhu said club members are passionate about finding people with a similar interest in badminton and want to share the happiness of the sport with others. 

“The reason why I created this club is because I wanted to play badminton with my friends,” Zhu said. “We are happy playing badminton, and we want to share the happiness with other students.”

Open rehearsals for the performance “Battleground,” which were held outside the University of Minnesota’s Northrop Auditorium, concluded on Oct. 4 after a periodical practice schedule since May. 

The piece is performed by Black Label Movement, a Twin Cities contemporary professional dance company, and is scheduled to premiere at the American Dance Festival in North Carolina on Friday. 

“Battleground” demonstrates how the state of constant military alertness and conflict lives inside peoples’ bodies.

Black Label Movement Artistic Director Carl Flink said he has always had a fascination with the U.S. as a global superpower that has consistently been involved in military conflict since World War II. 

“Rather than describing that, we really have created specific tasks,” Flink said. “Sometimes (performers) are digging aggressively in the dirt, sometimes they’re plowing themselves into the dirt or throwing someone else and sometimes they might be in a place that might be recognized as a dance movement.”

Flink said rather than just describing the uncomfortable and challenging topics of war and violence, the performers show a level of effort they believe is needed to engage with such topics.

Within Black Label, Flink said members very consciously do not describe themselves as dancers. 

“Everybody in the company is a dance artist. They’re trained dancers, but we actually describe our members as movers,” Flink said.

Flink said it does not matter whether company members are doing athletic movement, labor or dance because all of these things fall under the umbrella of movement.

According to Flink, “Battleground” incorporates elements of Bodystorming, a concept he created with biomedical engineer David Odde using bodies, space and choreographic techniques to create models of Odde’s and other scientists’ research.

“There is a very violent, collisional nature of the interior of the cell,” Odde said. “Carl’s been able to help us convey that idea and what it means by bringing collisional elements to the choreography that we do when Bodystorming.” 

Flink said in both Bodystorming and dance-making, Black Label has developed a technique of impact, meaning they sometimes exhibit an athletic-level impact akin to contact sports like hockey, soccer or even football. 

“Bodystorming is a way to simulate biological behavior using human movement,” Odde said. “We often develop computer simulations in my research, but we find these human movement-based simulations are also helpful because they give us a better intuitive understanding of what is happening in a given system.” 

Odde added in “Battleground,” that he sees elements of his collaboration with Flink, specifically in terms of collisional encounters and how they happen in biological systems.

“Maybe the movements can be metaphorically related to collisions we have at the human scale of nations and other groups,” Odde said. 

Flink said there are different moments throughout “Battleground,” exploring intense themes of violence and war.

“There are some moments where the people get very quiet, serene and calm because in any human conflict, there are peaks and valleys, and it is important to capture those,” Flink said.

Black Label is not trying to be soldiers or fighters through this piece, Flink said. Rather, they are asking people how they think about and interact with concepts of violence.

“This piece doesn’t in any way try to ignore any of these crucial conflicts, but it’s taking a different perspective on the larger picture of how we engage in that world,” Flink said. “How do we affect that world? How do we participate directly?”

The University of Minnesota’s She’s the First club (STF) is part of a national organization creating scholarships to support education for women in low-income countries. 

The club holds fundraisers and weekly discussions where they discuss topics related to women’s empowerment and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Aparna Thiagarajan, a third-year student and the club’s treasurer, said each club member has the chance to hold a discussion. 

“We give everyone an opportunity to gain both leadership and teambuilding skills, but the main goal of our club is to advocate for women and get the word out about issues as much as possible,” Thiagarajan said.

Thiagarajan said the club tries to host at least three fundraisers each semester. The proceeds go directly to the national organization to create the scholarships.

“Our most successful fundraising events from the time that I have been involved with the club have been bake sales,” Thiagarajan said. “We try to do seasonal bake sales a lot during Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas because those just do so well.” 

Lydia Abels, a fourth-year student and co-president of the club, said the main issues affecting girls worldwide are access and cost of education, which is something the club focuses on through their fundraisers.

“A lot of times in low-income countries, there are traditions of child brides, and once you have your first period you are expected to bear children,” Abels said. “We try to help girls go against societal expectations by providing them with financial security.”

Thiagarajan said the club also holds tabling events where members hand out cards with statistics related to issues affecting women around the world. 

“We try to hold as many events like this as possible in order to spread information even if those people do not end up attending our general meetings,” Thiagarajan said. 

Areej Suri, a fourth-year student and the club’s other co-president, said spreading awareness is important to the club’s cause.

“We like to stay active on social media because we believe that, as college students, you don’t have a lot of money or time, but what you can do is spread awareness,” Suri said. 

Suri added issues surrounding women’s education are international.

“You have to be the one to make a change,” Suri said. “You can’t really expect someone else to do it.” 

The club brings in a broad range of speakers, from professors on campus to others who simply show interest, who share their experiences and raise awareness, Thiagarajan added.

“Sometimes our discussions only include four to five people,” Thiagarajan said. “The goal is not to have a bunch of people, but educating even one person can make a big difference in the future.” 

Thiagarajan said she wants students to learn more about the importance of activism and how they can contribute to gender equality efforts through small initiatives.  

In addition to the discussions and fundraising, Abels said the club also participates in leadership workshops and bonding events. 

Each year, the club’s executive team has the option to visit the nationwide STF Summit, Abels said. Here, they learn from the national chapter about organizing fundraisers and how to navigate their identities as women, people of color or first-generation students.

Suri said the club is careful in the language they use in order to make sure it is as inclusive as possible.

“We really do not want to have a white savior mentality, and we try to be really careful with our language,” Suri said. “We try not to say we sponsor girls or are doing charity work.” 

Once a chapter in STF raises $400, Suri said the chapter can get paired with a girl and communicate with her about the impact they made on her life.

“It is really inspiring to see girls writing back to us and expressing how thankful they are or how motivated they are to finish their studies,” Suri said. “That’s something that is really motivating to us.” 

Thiagarajan said STF allowed her to meet inspiring people who are very connected with what is important to them. 

“Sometimes we forget in the midst of being in college that going to class, doing homework and studying is a privilege we are able to afford,” Thiagarajan said.

The University of Minnesota’s CHAARG club empowers women to gain confidence in the gym and explore different forms of workouts by visiting fitness studios in the area.

The club, which is the local chapter of a nationwide organization, costs $63 a semester for membership with members engaging in new workouts every week both on campus and around the Twin Cities area.

Elena Wurst, a third-year student and one of the club’s event coordinators, said the group usually goes to studios around the Twin Cities, though a fitness instructor will occasionally come to campus. 

Wurst said the club has gone to various studios including Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping, Tangletown CrossFit and The Grind MPLS. 

Isabelle Silvola, UMN CHAARG’s Vice President of recruitment and a second-year student, said the club finds various ways to promote health and wellness for women. 

“We try to find new ways to feel fit, whether it is more high-intensity workouts like HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) or low intensity and just an opportunity to decompress like yoga,” Silvola said.

Wurst said she enjoys going to different workouts each week and has a lot of fun with them.

“Sometimes you will get on the email list for the different studios, and they will send you free workouts or deals,” Wurst said. “It’s nice to be able to experience those workouts with people my age.” 

Silvola said the club also hosts social events each semester to give members a chance to get to know each other since it can be difficult during the weekly workouts. The group has held charm bracelet-making events, movie nights and casual hangouts in the past, Silvola said.

The club’s Vice President of Media, Julia Miller, said the club offers eight different small groups of five to 10 girls, who meet on a weekly basis for workouts, socials and bonding. 

“It is definitely a good way to get closer to people,” Wurst said. “Each small group has a coordinator, which personalizes the events they do to the interests of the group they have because people join CHAARG for different reasons.”

Wurst said many people join the club to participate in workouts but also to expand their community on campus. 

“The small groups help people who are more introverted open up to a smaller group of people, which is a little more comfortable,” Silvola said. “Everyone in the club can find their place, whether it is at our weekly workouts or in our small groups or socials.”  

Miller added the club also has a mental health focus.

“Sometimes during the semester I am so stressed that maybe I don’t even want to go to a CHAARG workout,” Wurst said. “But when I do go, it forces me to step away for a second, which can be really helpful.”

Wurst said she believes physical health is tied to mental health, and working out can be a great way to relieve stress. 

“We have an entire CHAARG Mental Health Month in May, which is focused on making sure our members are doing well mentally and giving them the opportunity to do what makes them happy,” Silvola said. 

Silvola added that the club has its own Instagram circle where members make profiles, follow each other and post more casually, which discourages the need to have a so-called “perfect image” on social media.

“I think it’s really beneficial because I know social media can be so hard on people’s mental health at times, and I think having that little community where people can post what they want instead of posting what they think other people want is great,” Silvola said. 

CHAARG is very informal and all are welcome to join, Miller said. 

“It is a place where you feel included and do not feel embarrassed,” Wurst said. “Everybody is very encouraging, and we have a large executive team who tries to branch out as much as possible during events to avoid any cliquey feelings.” 

Wurst said the club’s primary goal is to make everyone feel included and comfortable working out.

“It’s just a different type of connection you can get that connects people in all grade levels,” Miller said. “It becomes more like a family than just a club.”

Over the past 10 years, there has been a dramatic increase in school shootings nationwide. In 2014, there were 47 school shootings compared to 229 in 2024, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database.

The database includes any act of gun violence on K-12 public, private and charter school campuses, including mass shootings, gang shootings, domestic violence, shootings at sports games, after-hours school events, suicides and other incidents, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. 

Megan Walsh, director of the University of Minnesota’s Gun Violence Prevention Law Clinic, said people think their children will be subject to gun violence at school more now than decades ago. 

“Gun violence has become so commonplace that every teacher in America is thinking about how they are going to protect their children every year that they are in school,” Walsh said. 

A shooting on Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, left two teachers and two students dead. The suspected shooter was a 14-year-old boy who was able to access an AR-15.

“What we are really seeing is just a tremendous amount of confusion from most Americans about why anybody needs an AR-15,” Walsh said. “They don’t need it for hunting. They don’t need it to defend themselves. They are primarily in the news because they are being used in mass shootings and harming people who are innocent.” 

Chad Nowlan, a 2024 graduate who participated in the Gun Violence Prevention Clinic, said there are a number of states working on voluntary surrender laws that would allow licensed firearm dealers to surrender their guns temporarily when they believe someone in their household may become a threat to safety. 

“It angers me because it reminds me that there are solutions people are working on that they have put on the table, yet legislatures don’t act on them,” Nowlan said.

Nowlan said it is getting harder and harder to find a group of people who have not been impacted by gun violence in some way.

“Often, you hear survivors of gun violence share their story about how they are unable to be in public spaces, they have a hard time leaving their homes, every time they hear a loud noise they panic,” Nowlan said. “There are so many things that stick with people and ways that trauma manifests itself.” 

Luke Rexing, a fourth-year student, said there is a concern about gun violence on and around campus unrelated to school shootings. 

Rexing said he was walking in Dinkytown the night of a double homicide at Royal Cigar & Tobacco in December. The experience made him realize how close the danger could be, even though it was not directed at him, he said.

When it comes to who is able to access a gun, Rexing said there needs to be stricter regulations. 

“It needs to be drilled into people’s minds that this is a weapon that can kill someone and can take someone’s life, so you need to keep it safe and use it responsibly,” Rexing said. 

Rexing said he understands training all teachers to use guns may not be realistic, but it would be interesting to see how that could work.  

“I know there have been conversations about stationing more police in schools and things like that, but I think giving more power to the people is generally a good thing,” Rexing said.

Walsh said teachers do not want to bear the responsibility of shooting anyone and having more people armed in schools is not going to solve the problem.

“Guns are not making us safer,” Walsh said. “They are making people die, and they do not belong in schools.” 

Walsh said gun control is a decisive issue for voters with Second Amendment rights, and causes tremendous polarization. 

“You have Republicans wearing AR-15 pins in Congress, and you have Democrats calling for an AR-15 ban,” Walsh said. “It’s a pretty big dichotomy.” 

Walsh said having a national party focus on the issue of gun violence on the last and most important day of the Democratic National Convention shows how important the issue is to voters. She added that 15 years ago, this would never have been a focus. 

Walsh said Democrats are calling for things to keep people safer. 

“They are not trying to take guns from hunters, they are not trying to take handguns from legally responsible owners,” Walsh said. “They are trying to make sure that 14-year-olds don’t get an AR-15 and kill their fellow students.” 

Nowlan said the country has to maintain hope that things can change.

“I think we can all collectively agree regardless of political affiliation that we should at least try to do better and leave the world better than we found it for our kids and the next generations to come,” Nowlan said.

The University of Minnesota introduced several new dining options to campus at the beginning of September to better satisfy student preferences. 

King’s Hawaiian Grill and Global Kitchen replace Chick-fil-A in Coffman Union, and Tiny Footprint Coffee in the University’s Minnesota Mug locations replace Starbucks.

Chris Elrod, the senior director of marketing and communications for M Food Co., said M Food Co. sent a dining satisfaction survey to students in fall 2023 where students selected up to three types of cuisine they would like to see more of on campus.

29% of students said they would like to see bubble tea as a preferred addition on campus, 13% said Indian cuisine and 11% said Mediterranean cuisine, according to Elrod.

Elrod said Global Kitchen offers three to four cuisines in one location, with the goal to cross-utilize a variety of ingredients to minimize food waste and overproduction. 

“It’s a way to utilize space, resources, labor and ingredients in a more efficient and effective way,” Elrod said. 

The Global Kitchen will include a Mediterranean concept, an Indian-inspired concept and traditional comfort foods like mac and cheese, Elrod added.

Chuck Gibbons, executive chef of Chartwells, which is operated by M Food Co., said Global Kitchen will incorporate both halal and vegan options, which cater to the dietary and religious needs of students on campus. 

King’s Hawaiian Grill, which opened in Chick-fil-A’s previous location at Coffman, is only the third location to open in the world, Gibbons said.

“We needed a burger and fry place on campus,” Gibbons said. “So we decided to go with a smashburger concept. You can do anything from doubles and singles, fries with cheese sauce and a chocolate vanilla shake.”

Gibbons said the location offers an Impossible smash burger and an unbreaded Impossible chicken breast, plus its ground beef is halal. 

“The only requirement King’s has for us is that we are using their bread and their product in that space,” Gibbons said. “What the menu looks like outside of that is entirely up to us, so we have the ability to change and really pivot if we need to.” 

Elrod said the Minnesota Mug locations previously served under the moniker, “We proudly serve Starbucks,” but made the switch to Tiny Footprint Coffee, a local business focused on sustainability.

Elrod added Tiny Footprint offers premium coffee with a focus on being carbon-negative. 

“They essentially plant more trees to offset the carbon they produce as a company,” Elrod said. 

Gibbons said when using the moniker, “We proudly serve Starbucks,” Minnesota Mug locations had to use Starbucks recipes. With Tiny Footprint, they are able to create their own drinks and recipes. 

“We are able to tailor what our offerings are to what the student desires are on this campus,” Gibbons said. “It gives us a flexibility we did not have when serving Starbucks.” 

Lydia Liljenquist, a fourth-year student at the University, said she thinks changing up the dining options at Coffman is going to attract less business.

“I think a lot of people really enjoyed the fact that there was a Chick-fil-A there,” Liljenquist said. “I think people would rather just walk over to the Graduate and get Chick-fil-A than wait in the crazy lines at Coffman for something they aren’t familiar with.” 

Amy Keran, the director of Contract Administration at the University, said the University could not keep up with what Chick-fil-A was asking for and its brand requirements. 

“It makes it challenging because we want to offer things that students want to have on campus,” Keran said. “However, at the same time, when you can walk down a block and get it on Washington Avenue, it makes it challenging because we are competing against each other.”

Keran said the University is always trying to find a new and different brand to keep things fresh and make sure students have different choices. She added the University is currently looking to add another national brand.

“It’s really important for M Food Co. to deliver on the promise of providing students with diverse options, ensuring that there’s options that meet a variety of tastes, preferences and dietary needs all across campus,” Elrod said. “We are excited to have these new concepts, and we look forward to what the next round might be.”

The University of Minnesota’s Compassionate Action for Animals club encourages people to empathize with farm animals and move toward a plant-based, vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. 

The club, which is the local chapter of a broader statewide nonprofit organization, provides a campus community for vegan students by conducting outreach to bring in new members and teaching people what it means to be vegan. 

Ryan Sauers, a fourth-year student and the club’s president, said it is important to have conversations about animal rights with students on campus.

“They are going to be the future leaders of the world, and it would be a tragedy if a conversation about how we should treat animals never happened with the people who could become mayors or leaders in the government,” Sauers said. 

Sauers said the club often does outreach on campus by giving out vegan food to campus community members. 

During its tabling events, the club also gives people a dollar in exchange for watching a short video about standard practices in the animal agriculture industry, Sauers said.

“They are quite graphic and show a lot of animal suffering,” Sauers said.

After an individual watches the video, Sauers said club members talk to the individual about how the video made them feel. Most said they felt quite angry and sad. 

Vaagishwaran Sivakumar, a fourth-year student and club treasurer, said most people think of animals like cows, pigs, chickens and fish, they see them solely as food.

“We just don’t see them with the same lens as we do our own pets that we love,” Sivakumar said. “I think that’s a complete shame.” 

The club also provides support to those who want to become vegan, according to Sivakumar. 

Sivakumar, who became vegan about four months ago, said the club helped him with the transition through conversations about their values and how to make vegan food. 

“The more I learned about how viable being vegan was, how easily it can be done, and how creative you can get with it, I was all in,” Sivakumar said. 

Sivakumar said he is proud he became vegan and grateful for the help he received from the club. 

“There is a sense of pride in converting one of your favorite childhood dishes into a vegan one,” Sivakumar said. “One of the reasons I only recently became vegan was because of the childhood memories I had, which were associated with non-vegan dishes.” 

Sivakumar said he successfully challenged himself to recreate several dishes, making them vegan. 

“I learned I do not have to hurt animals to get the same taste I usually do, and even when I don’t achieve that same taste, my creativity can help me bridge that gap,” Sivakumar said. 

The club also created a “Veg Guide” in 2023, which shows vegan dining options locally both on and off campus, Sauers said.

“I found that about 63% of restaurants on campus have a plant-based entrée on the menu,” Sauers said. “So that is super helpful for people to know if they are going out to eat with friends.” 

Ronan Magnus, a third-year student and club vice president, said the Veg Guide is a great resource for anyone who wants to eat vegan on campus.

People who become vegan often worry they will not get enough supplements like omega or iron, Magnus said. The Veg Guide points these people toward articles and studies, which debunk these myths. 

“Being vegan is hugely good for the environment and for greenhouse gas emissions,” Magnus said. “It is also good for your health and for empathy reasons in relation to the animals who are harmed.” 

During the week of Oct. 14, the club will be hosting several events as part of its VegWeek where they will encourage people to sign a pledge to go vegan for a week. Events will include a grocery run, cookie decorating, bake sale, dine-out, career panel and movie screening.

Sauers said anyone is welcome to the club’s events, and people are encouraged to bring their friends who are not vegan or vegetarian.

“We are all in this together,” Sauers said. “No matter what your reason is, we all have the same belief that plant-based eating is beneficial.”