The University of Minnesota announced plans to create a not-for-profit health care organization in collaboration with Essentia Health in January, aiming to address rising costs, structural inequities and limited care access to benefit health care for “all Minnesotans.”

While a merger between organizations may seem insignificant to those outside the health care realm, this is one to pay attention to.

As this collaboration progresses, it is important for students and the University community to be aware of the potential impacts it could have on reproductive health care and training and demand transparency from the University.

Duluth-based Essentia Health has several Catholic facilities and a Catholic mission supporting its general mission and values. Essentia Health does not offer “elective reproductive procedures” at its Catholic facilities.

As you may imagine, Essentia Health’s connection to the Catholic faith raised concerns throughout the University community.

The entity created by this collaboration will continue “the University’s current practices and policies regarding women’s and other health issues,” according to a FAQ page.

“We envision that the new entity will continue to respect community choices, while at the same time, honoring our University values regarding the delivery of women’s health and reproductive care and other health care throughout the rest of the entity, including how physicians and other professionals are taught and trained at the University,” the statement said.

Clarification, further transparency and commitment to this statement are essential and deserve attention from the University community. The University must also clarify what these values are and address current barriers to reproductive care.

Riley Hetland, the University’s Undergraduate Student Government president-elect, said the lack of transparency and student consultation in the merger process so far is frustrating.

“A lot of what’s been going on has been kind of out of the public eye and out of the student eye,” Hetland said. “A lot of decisions are being made at the university level that haven’t been looping in key stakeholders, like women’s groups, like students, and it’s sort of frustrating to see.”

About 10% of student respondents to a USG fall survey reported struggling to access emergency contraceptives, birth control and other forms of reproductive care.

This statistic is concerning on its own, let alone heading into a merger that could potentially limit access to this care even more, Hetland added. It will be critical to see an indication from the University that they are prioritizing reproductive needs.

Grace Marchand, co-president of the University’s Students for Reproductive Freedom club, said the partnership can seem concerning for students relying on reproductive services because Essentia Health provides limited access to sterilization and abortion, even in life-threatening circumstances.

“I would advise students to just keep an eye on it and keep the University accountable for the promises they make with this merger,” Marchand said.

SFRF, which partners with Planned Parenthood, works to promote campus engagement and inform students on reproductive rights and the resources available.

“If there are concerns that arise in changes in language being used or standards being set for students on the U, I really think that we need to, as a University, make a lot of noise when those concerns come up,” Marchand said.

The impact this collaboration could have on the training of future health care professionals is also significant. The University trains more than 70% of Minnesota’s health care professionals and is a leading U.S. research university, making its commitment to protecting reproductive health care vital for state and national health care access.

Minnesota is also among the states that took actions to protect abortion access following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022. The decision ended the constitutional right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade and triggered abortion bans in states across the U.S.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the state’s statutory right to abortion into law Jan. 31, 2023, making it the first state to protect abortion via legislation following the Dobbs decision, according to MinnPost.

Minnesota’s role in protecting reproductive health care makes the uncertainty of future access at the University even more troubling. 

“Students are saying that they’re not able to access reproductive health care that meets their needs,” Hetland said. “It shouldn’t be a problem anyone is facing anywhere, but especially here in Minnesota.”

Hetland added that the University needs to be transparent about how students’ money is being used for this merger and how this will impact funding across the University. 

If access to reproductive care is limited following this partnership, this situation would not be unique. Access to reproductive care has been restricted in several blue states following mergers with Catholic health care systems, Mother Jones reported.

Whether it be through a club, advocacy group or student government position, it is important for students to voice concerns about this collaboration and access reproductive care in general, Marchand said.

While the details and timeline of this collaboration are unclear, it will impact students. It’s our responsibility to stay informed and hold the University accountable to ensure this impact is positive. 

“If something’s wrong, let us know at USG,” Hetland said. “Keep raising these questions, and keep an eye on what’s going on with the merger and stay educated.” 

As students who rely on the University’s resources and residents who rely on Minnesota’s health care, we must call for transparency from the University.

HEARD ISLAND — If you’ve been keeping up with our local news, you’ve likely heard about U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariff plan announced on April 2, or as Trump declared it, “Liberation Day,” which put a 10% tariff on all imports into the U.S. as well as higher tariffs on numerous countries. 

The penguins of Heard Island and McDonald Islands have not been spared from the U.S. president’s tactics, as the administration hit our islands with a 10% tariff on goods. 

While our islands make up an external territory of Australia and are some of the most remote places on Earth, this is not enough to escape Trump’s trade war. 

“Nowhere on Earth is safe,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Trump declined to visit our islands to discuss this serious incursion on our economic prosperity because he cannot make the two-week boat voyage from the west coast of Australia. 

The most recent visit by humans is believed to be nearly 10 years ago when a radio crew came to broadcast from our islands. This was an important step in furthering our global relations, though we had hoped for someone more prominent, such as former first lady Michelle Obama.

According to World Bank data that is suggested to be incorrect, the U.S. imported $1.4 million in goods from the islands in 2022, with most classified as “machinery and electrical” products. 

Trump’s trade war will have detrimental effects on the penguins of our islands and our ability to continue economic prosperity. 

While the penguins of Heard Island and McDonald Islands do not entirely depend on a trade relationship with the U.S., the current isolationist direction of the U.S. impacts everyone, even our penguin colonies. 

The International Monetary Fund decreased its outlook for the penguin’s economic growth in 2025 following Trump’s trade war escalation. New projections suggest the penguins’ annual output will be billions lower than expected. 

Similar to most of the world, we penguins of Heard and McDonald Islands didn’t appreciate getting hit with tariffs. Multiple penguins in prominent governmental positions spoke out against the tariffs, stating Trump’s actions were uncalled for, reckless and poorly calculated.

“Ca cawcaw ca a cawing ca caw,” one official of the Emperor said. “Caaw ca cacacacaca caw.”

Ordinary penguins have also responded in numbers. The penguins took to the glaciers on April 16 to voice their disapproval in the largest penguin protest in history. Penguins also built a substantial online resistance, using #PenguinsAgainstTrump to build a global following.

Photos from the protests show penguins holding signs reading “Tariffs hurt us all” and “Stop the tariffs.” Penguins could also be seen instructing seagulls on how to direct their waste at Tesla vehicles to show their objection to Trump and Elon Musk. Other photos show just how unprecedented the turnout was at the penguins’ protest.

The penguins’ director of global affairs met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance after the tariffs were announced, but the Heard Times’ coverage of the meeting suggested relations were still hostile. 

Take that, Trump, we the penguins are not to be messed with. 

These tariffs are more than just inspiration for protests and creative online campaigns. They could have detrimental effects on our economic growth and stability.

Preliminary analyses suggest many penguins could see an increase in prices for fish, squid and crustaceans, primarily impacting low-income penguin colonies and increasing inequities already present. Penguins should prepare by stocking up on essential supplies and supporting each other whenever possible. 

The global fallout of Trump’s tariffs could also affect job markets worldwide, and many penguins could be at risk of mass layoffs, with low-income colonies again being most impacted.

Trump’s trade war with China will also impact penguins indirectly. As the U.S. takes on an increasingly isolationist approach and ramps up tensions with China, general economic instability threatens to impact everyone. 

Trump announced a 90-day pause on the “reciprocal” tariffs a week after announcing his new plan, with the exception of tariffs on China, which he increased from 104% to 125% for U.S. goods, along with import taxes of 145%. 

Trump’s tariff plan is part of his ongoing attempt to put “America first” and address last year’s $1.2 trillion trade imbalance. 

While Trump said scaring countries and then backing off tariffs to force trade negotiations was his initial plan, the practicality of this plan is lacking. Leading penguin economists have expressed skepticism of Trump’s ability to complete trade deals in his 90-day timeframe and doubted the intentions behind his plan in general. 

Judging by the tense relations between the penguins and the administration, the likelihood of striking a deal is slim. 

Let this be a lesson to us all — tariffs and global trade instability impact all of us, even penguins. If “liberation” for America means tariffs for innocent penguins, may the penguins prevail. 

We must stand up for our islands’ sovereignty and our rights to economic prosperity.

As we embark on the final leg of the semester, I can’t help but feel the stress increasing in real time as I go over my extensive list of tasks I’ve yet to accomplish. 

My guess is I’m not alone.

Every class has a final project. Every final project has a surprise subset of smaller assignments. Every one of those smaller assignments has not been accounted for in the schedules that dictate our existence. 

The exam stress is in the air. Can you feel it too? 

The end of the semester is stressful, and while we can only mitigate the stress to an extent, taking time for self-care can help. In a time when self-care and mental health are often pushed to the side, they become even more important. 

Liza Meredith, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, said the key to managing stress during finals is finding what works best for you and creates the best balance for your life. 

While self-care looks different for everyone, here are some tips to help make the end of the semester less stressful. 

Set a sleep schedule and stick to it 

My parents remind me of this tip often, and you’ve probably heard it too, but at the end of the day, there is no substitute for sleep. Instead of ordering that extra coffee or cracking open another Red Bull to push through late-night studying, try getting the extra sleep and putting in a shorter session of focused work when you’re more rested. 

Getting enough sleep is especially important before an exam. Fewer than 10% of college students sleep for eight hours during finals week, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Few experiences in college are worse than feeling your brain stop working during an exam because you didn’t get enough sleep. Even if you can’t get eight hours, try to make it consistent. 

Don’t cram 

Yes, we’ve all crammed for an exam or two or three, but studying consistently over time can help reduce stress and make each study session more effective. 

Even if you only have three days, plan out specific study times each day while making time for self-care. This gives you the opportunity to identify how to best spend your time while also reducing burnout. 

Get to the root of your stress 

Often, when I feel stressed, I’m not exactly sure what I’m stressed about. All I know is everything feels extra overwhelming. 

Taking the time to step back and identify what is causing the stress can help, even if you’re short for time. 

“It can be really helpful just to spend three minutes journaling,” Meredith said. “Like, ‘What’s going through my brain right now?’ Put it on paper without any censorship.” 

Meredith said keeping a log of thoughts or feelings can also help get to the root of your stress. If you know why you’re feeling a certain way, it’s easier to figure out how to address it. When you have a stressful thought, take a moment to acknowledge what you’re saying in your head and try to change how you’re talking about it.

“Maybe you have an exam coming up, you start to feel stressed, you can pinpoint the thought,” Meredith said. “‘I feel really overwhelmed, I need to get an A.’ Challenge that thought. ‘Do I absolutely have to get an A?” 

It’s important to keep things in perspective, especially during finals. Grades are important and sometimes the only option is to lock in and study, but do what’s best for you. If that’s prioritizing your mental health over a higher grade, there’s no shame in that.  

Having high expectations can be a significant source of stress, Meredith said. Sometimes it can help to challenge these expectations and make them more reasonable. 

Aiming high is great, but it’s also important to give yourself a break if these expectations are weighing on you too heavily. Taking some of the pressure off might even make studying easier and lead to better results. 

If you’re still struggling to sort through your feelings, talking with a professional therapist can also be helpful, Meredith said. 

Talk to your professors 

Most professors understand this is a stressful time, and it never hurts to ask for help. Chances are, they want to help you do your best. 

“A lot of times, professors are more accommodating than you might think,” Meredith said. 

The worst answer you can get is no. You’re better off asking than wondering and suffering in silence. 

Touch some grass 

Get outside, connect with the world beyond the library walls and try to keep everything in perspective. The weather is finally warming up and, assuming we are spared the April snowstorm, spring is in the air. 

Study outside, take a walk with friends and remember this is a short moment in time. Go for a run or walk to a new coffee shop and try to secure the coveted study spot by the window.

If all else fails, romanticize it 

When it comes to the end of the semester, there will inevitably be moments that are stressful and not fun. This is college, after all, and maybe the fact that we’re all in the same boat can help. 

Give yourself something to look forward to, whether it’s a road trip after finals or a simple study session with a friend, Meredith said. Even walking to the library with a friend can be a nice break and an opportunity to empathize with each other. 

The end of the semester is in sight and summer is on the horizon.

Let’s lock in.

Believe it or not, the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term have yet to conclude. It should come as no surprise that this is a stressful presidency to follow. 

It can be tempting to tune out and avoid the news, but I can’t stress enough how critical it is that we don’t look away. Generation Z, in particular, must not turn away from politics. 

Why? Because politics is our problem. 

Gen Z must view politics as something we should care about and something we can change. We must take it into our own hands. What we are seeing every day from this administration is not something to ignore. 

People rallied across the country at “Hands Off!” protests on Saturday, speaking out against Trump and Elon Musk, as well as the administration’s actions on numerous issues. 

Yet there was a notable absence in the photos from these demonstrations — young people. 

How can we expect our interests to be prioritized if we are not involved in politics? There are many Gen Zers who are out protesting, organizing and voting. Still, collectively, we need to up our game. 

Shae Horning, vice president of the Undergraduate Political Science Association at the University of Minnesota, said if we want to see our interests represented, we need to be involved. 

“There’s a lot of valid reasons for being checked out about politics, especially right now, but that just doesn’t lead to elected officials valuing our input or caring about us more,” Horning said. “If they know that we’re not going to show up to the polls and vote, if they know that we’re not going to hold them accountable for anything when they’re in office, we kind of just get discounted.” 

It takes time to build movements and collective voices, especially for young people learning to navigate the world. Yet, in our current moment, the stakes are too high to sit on the sidelines. 

Kathryn Pearson, a political science professor at the University, said young people generally vote in lower numbers than older generations, and Gen Z is no exception. However, the pressing issues of today, whether that be climate change, attacks on higher education or the state of democracy, will have profound impacts on Gen Z’s lives going forward. 

Gen Z should view these issues with attention and concern, Pearson said. 

It’s worth noting that Gen Z has a lot on their plate. Managing education, job hunting, work and just navigating society as young adults is difficult for any generation. 

Young people today are facing a looming recession, an unstable job market, increased housing prices and the future of higher education and academia is comparable to crossing a crumbling bridge over the Mississippi River. So it’s fair to say many of us have little time left over to worry about politics. 

That being said, politics is where we can address all of these issues. 

“We need Gen Z to be involved,” Pearson said. “Despite some understandable cynicism, we need Gen Z to be involved in the process and not just tune out, even though that’s easy to do and somewhat understandable.” 

Politics can be daunting and overwhelming, but getting involved can come in small steps. Political influence is also well within Gen Z’s reach. Just one vote can go a long way. 

Paul Goren, a political science professor at the University, said every vote has the power to influence tight elections at all levels of government. In our era of polarized politics and close elections, every person has influence over who is elected. 

“The claim that people can’t influence elections is not factually accurate,” Goren said. “When a few hundred or a few thousand votes in one state can make a difference between who wins and who loses, then every single vote counts.” 

Getting involved at the local level in campaigns and community involvement can show people the impact they can make, both on a local and national scale, Goren said. 

“I was working on a few different campaigns in the fall for state representatives, and one of the races, the candidate literally won by like six votes, and it had to go to a recount,” Horning said. “Especially in those smaller races, every vote really does matter. 

People can make the most direct impact on local elections and local elections, in turn, directly impact our daily lives. 

“If people don’t want to support policies that Gen Z really advocate for, they are counting on us to not pay attention,” Horning said. “There is a lot going on and it’s hard to keep up with and it’s exhausting to keep up with, but it’s really important to stay paying attention.” 

Luke Wittner, a fourth-year student at the University, said Gen Z plays an important role in making our voices heard, especially through social media, in order to address the issues we want to change. 

“I think a lot of us are just really, really, really fed up with everything that’s going on in the state of the world right now, and it’s exhausting for all of us,” Wittner said. “All of us just want everything to get better, politically wise, news-wise, economically, we just want things to get better and less hateful overall.” 

Gen Z is right to be frustrated with both parties, but withdrawal from politics is not the best solution, Goren said. Politics affects every generation, young voters included, in fundamental ways, but every generation also has the power to influence politics and how it affects them. 

“No voice is too small,” Wittner said. “There’ll always be someone that’ll listen to you. Whether it’s just you, your group of friends or hundreds of people, we need voices to be heard.” 

Not everything has to be about politics. It’s important to follow our passions, prioritize our values and seek the experiences that shape who we are and what we want to do with our lives. 

Politics is only part of that, but right now it’s the key to our future and the opportunities that may or may not be open to us all. 

It’s our challenge to take on.

When I entered the University of Minnesota for my freshman year in 2022, I didn’t expect to be running toward the finish line three years later as the future of our education system crumbles behind me with one year still left to go. For students across the country and around the world, the future of the U.S. education system does not seem promising. 

The fate of what is often regarded as a stable stepping stone to a successful career is now changing by the day. Academia is under attack. 

President Donald Trump’s administration is investigating more than 50 universities as a part of Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The administration also launched an investigation into 60 colleges over allegations of antisemitism and issued numerous cuts to funding and grants for health science research. 

Federal immigration authorities detained Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent resident of the U.S. who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in 2024. Book bans and attempts to reframe history continue to undermine the quality and integrity of education across the country. 

Trump is particularly hostile toward universities because they tend to support much of what he is against — critical thinking, scientific innovation, acknowledgment of history and questioning leadership with a critical eye. 

But these attacks run deeper.

Education is the key to change, whether that change moves a society forward or backward. Investment in education builds a future with an educated populace that can think for itself and make advancements. Restricting education leaves people vulnerable to deception and lies. 

If Trump and his supporters want to stay in power, attacking education is an important piece of the puzzle. 

These attacks also make education and career opportunities unstable for students looking to build a promising future, especially for students looking to go into fields currently under pressure from the administration. 

Larry Jacobs, founder and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University, said these attacks jeopardize the stable education students count on. 

“It is a deliberate attack on the higher education system,” Jacobs said. “It’s meant to discourage, deflate, dismantle, higher education and the reliance that so many students have on it for advancement, pursuing their dreams and their futures. A lot of that has been put on hold.” 

This paired with the current hostility of our politics could deter some students from getting involved, but it can also be a motivator for students to be the change they want to see. Activists and changemakers came out of pivotal points in history like the civil rights movement, Jacobs said. 

“There are certainly groups of students who are taking the challenge, feel mobilized and energized by this,” Jacobs said. “Fighting back is really the only recourse at this point.”

As students, we face an important decision about what we’re willing to do to fight for the future we want to build. This is not an easy place to be, but educational institutions aren’t facing anything less challenging. 

Daniel Myers, an associate professor of political science at the University, said the Trump administration’s use of funding to leverage universities puts them in a difficult position to deal with current challenges but also to anticipate future ones. 

“We’ve certainly seen controversy about how the U has regulated protests on campus,” Myers said. “But having that directive come down to the federal government and having the federal government say, ‘If you don’t shut down certain kinds of protests, we’re gonna cut off the funding for your cancer research,’ puts universities in an incredibly difficult position.”

Even if universities comply with Trump’s orders now, there’s no guarantee the administration won’t go after the same institutions later on.

“The real concern is not just that a particular kind of protest will be disallowed,” Myers said. “It’s that, then, universities are going to have to anticipate if other protests happen on campus that the Trump administration doesn’t like, are they going to come along and take away the funding for all of the vast array of things that happen on the university campus.”

What makes attacks on education so significant is that they don’t just destabilize education today. Cutting funding for cancer research, restricting dialogue about history and social issues, banning books and reducing opportunities for underrepresented groups will have consequences that play out for decades to come.

“This is a perilous moment and how students respond to it is going to be important for today, but also for moving forward,” Jacobs said. “Perilous moments are both disappointing, but they’re also opportunities.”

Trump and his administration have shown they don’t respect precedent or boundaries set by previous administrations. He will go after any and all institutions who challenge him if he has the power to do so, and it remains to be seen how effective any checks on his power will be.

Defending academic freedom isn’t just about addressing today’s chaos. What we do or don’t do now will determine the trajectory of our country and our ability to be educated participants in society.

So, what can we do?

First and foremost, we must educate ourselves through reliable sources of information, support credible journalism and talk with others in our communities about what we know. From there, communities can organize and fight back to protect education and academic freedom. 

In a society where leaders want you to be uneducated, educating yourself is an act of protest. 

For the sake of today and tomorrow, let’s do everything we can to make sure education is used to move us forward, not backward in time.

When I entered the University of Minnesota for my freshman year in 2022, I didn’t expect to be running toward the finish line three years later as the future of our education system crumbles behind me with one year still left to go. For students across the country and around the world, the future of the U.S. education system does not seem promising. 

The fate of what is often regarded as a stable stepping stone to a successful career is now changing by the day. Academia is under attack. 

President Donald Trump’s administration is investigating more than 50 universities as a part of Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The administration also launched an investigation into 60 colleges over allegations of antisemitism and issued numerous cuts to funding and grants for health science research. 

Federal immigration authorities detained Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent resident of the U.S. who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in 2024. Book bans and attempts to reframe history continue to undermine the quality and integrity of education across the country. 

Trump is particularly hostile toward universities because they tend to support much of what he is against — critical thinking, scientific innovation, acknowledgment of history and questioning leadership with a critical eye. 

But these attacks run deeper.

Education is the key to change, whether that change moves a society forward or backward. Investment in education builds a future with an educated populace that can think for itself and make advancements. Restricting education leaves people vulnerable to deception and lies. 

If Trump and his supporters want to stay in power, attacking education is an important piece of the puzzle. 

These attacks also make education and career opportunities unstable for students looking to build a promising future, especially for students looking to go into fields currently under pressure from the administration. 

Larry Jacobs, founder and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University, said these attacks jeopardize the stable education students count on. 

“It is a deliberate attack on the higher education system,” Jacobs said. “It’s meant to discourage, deflate, dismantle, higher education and the reliance that so many students have on it for advancement, pursuing their dreams and their futures. A lot of that has been put on hold.” 

This paired with the current hostility of our politics could deter some students from getting involved, but it can also be a motivator for students to be the change they want to see. Activists and changemakers came out of pivotal points in history like the civil rights movement, Jacobs said. 

“There are certainly groups of students who are taking the challenge, feel mobilized and energized by this,” Jacobs said. “Fighting back is really the only recourse at this point.”

As students, we face an important decision about what we’re willing to do to fight for the future we want to build. This is not an easy place to be, but educational institutions aren’t facing anything less challenging. 

Daniel Myers, an associate professor of political science at the University, said the Trump administration’s use of funding to leverage universities puts them in a difficult position to deal with current challenges but also to anticipate future ones. 

“We’ve certainly seen controversy about how the U has regulated protests on campus,” Myers said. “But having that directive come down to the federal government and having the federal government say, ‘If you don’t shut down certain kinds of protests, we’re gonna cut off the funding for your cancer research,’ puts universities in an incredibly difficult position.”

Even if universities comply with Trump’s orders now, there’s no guarantee the administration won’t go after the same institutions later on.

“The real concern is not just that a particular kind of protest will be disallowed,” Myers said. “It’s that, then, universities are going to have to anticipate if other protests happen on campus that the Trump administration doesn’t like, are they going to come along and take away the funding for all of the vast array of things that happen on the university campus.”

What makes attacks on education so significant is that they don’t just destabilize education today. Cutting funding for cancer research, restricting dialogue about history and social issues, banning books and reducing opportunities for underrepresented groups will have consequences that play out for decades to come.

“This is a perilous moment and how students respond to it is going to be important for today, but also for moving forward,” Jacobs said. “Perilous moments are both disappointing, but they’re also opportunities.”

Trump and his administration have shown they don’t respect precedent or boundaries set by previous administrations. He will go after any and all institutions who challenge him if he has the power to do so, and it remains to be seen how effective any checks on his power will be.

Defending academic freedom isn’t just about addressing today’s chaos. What we do or don’t do now will determine the trajectory of our country and our ability to be educated participants in society.

So, what can we do?

First and foremost, we must educate ourselves through reliable sources of information, support credible journalism and talk with others in our communities about what we know. From there, communities can organize and fight back to protect education and academic freedom. 

In a society where leaders want you to be uneducated, educating yourself is an act of protest. 

For the sake of today and tomorrow, let’s do everything we can to make sure education is used to move us forward, not backward in time.

Burnout is a staple of the college experience and accompanies me through each spring semester with an unfortunate level of reliability. This year, the news is making it worse. 

Our never-ending assignment lists are joined by a barrage of news about the Trump administration and daily catastrophes, making life feel particularly chaotic and overwhelming. 

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance verbally accosted President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in a televised Oval Office meeting Friday, prompting European leaders to put support behind Ukraine. 

“The free world needs a new leader,” said European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas.

Trump temporarily suspended all U.S. military aid to Ukraine on Monday, following the Friday meeting. Trump imposed or increased tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on Tuesday, prompting retaliation from America’s three biggest trading partners.  

It’s difficult to know what will greet you in the news each day. Trump has a knack for one-upping his actions. 

Jaye Hautamaki-Shaw, a first-year student at the University of Minnesota, said she tries to keep up with the news as much as she can, but it can be overwhelming. 

“Just hearing the news and what’s going on in the world, and especially our country, takes so much energy out of me and makes it so much harder to find the worth in doing things,” Hautamaki-Shaw said. 

College is already a time of uncertainty and that alone can be daunting, not to mention the uncertainty of our politics under the Trump administration. 

“My academic load is already a lot,” Hautamaki-Shaw said. “On top of it, hearing about the condition of the world that I’m growing up to live in and that I’m going to be an adult in and have power in is just exhausting.”

Liza Meredith, an assistant professor of psychology at the University, said burnout is common among college students because of the number of responsibilities they have. The uncertainty within politics and the news has also been impacting students. 

“Both ahead of the election and after the election, I had more students come forward than normal about the amount of stress that they were experiencing,” Meredith said. “Some express feeling fearful about the direction the world is going. Others feeling like they wanted to make a difference in the world, but not really sure where and how they can help with things.”

Meredith said fewer students reached out to her recently than shortly after the election. She said this could indicate students are more burnt out and isolating rather than reaching out for help. 

College students also balance many different aspects of their lives simultaneously, such as academics, relationships, finances and jobs, which can be overwhelming, Meredith said. 

On top of this, what’s going on in society can add an additional layer of stress. The more these aspects of life feel off concurrently, the more overwhelming they can be.

“If your academics are going poorly, but you feel like more generally, things in the world are feeling okay, you’re not going to feel as stressed out because it doesn’t feel like everything is stressful simultaneously,” Meredith said. “But when multiple areas of your life feel overwhelming, it can make people feel that much more powerless because they don’t necessarily feel like they can change or improve in multiple areas at once.”

The Trump administration’s policy decisions are impacting career and research fields firsthand. Diversity, equity and inclusion programs, as well as research funding and grants, remain uncertain as the administration targets educational institutions. 

“It’s even more stressful if you’re seeing that political changes might impact future directions that you as a student are considering,” Meredith said. 

Benjamin Toff, an associate professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of the Minnesota Journalism Center, said the instability within politics paired with the volume of information available online can be overwhelming and draining, especially for busy college students. The instability of federal funding within universities is another added source of stress stemming from the Trump administration’s actions.

The Trump administration’s actions are hitting certain groups on campus particularly hard, making not only future career paths uncertain but also their future well-being, Toff said. These actions impact many groups differently and to varying degrees

Maxwell B., a first-year student at the University, said the election and political events that followed made life as a transgender first-generation student feel uncertain, dangerous and, at times, hopeless. 

“I’m a trans man, so the different policies that come through, it’s just a threat to my identity,” Maxwell said. “I wasn’t able to be open and out until I came to university in the fall, and it’s been wonderful getting to live as myself, and now it feels under threat and under fire.”  

Threats to DEI initiatives and federal funding also put educational opportunities in jeopardy, Maxwell said. 

College is difficult enough. Students should not have to fear for their safety, future well-being and the stability of their education. 

Only so much of this stress and anxiety can be mitigated, but it’s important to focus on what we can control, according to Meredith. It can also be helpful to connect with others who share these worries to realize you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed or burnt out. These connections can also help students realize they’re not alone in wanting to fight for a better future. 

“There’s evidence showing that right after reading the news, people can feel more depressed and anxious,” Meredith said. “If you’re already feeling burnt out and kind of low in your mood, maybe limiting news to particular times of the day that feel like when you can take that on.”

Reading the news can feel even more discouraging when you don’t know what to do about it. 

“I’ve heard from a lot of people who feel this way is a kind of sense of resignation, like that there’s nothing you can do about any of these terrible things happening in the world,” Toff said. 

To manage this, students can take intentional breaks from the news, talk with others about current events and explore different mediums of news consumption that work best for them, according to Toff. It can also be helpful to get involved at a local level, such as in community organizations that help groups most affected by the Trump administration’s policies. 

“On the local level, that’s where you actually can make a more meaningful impact,” Toff said. “I think it also makes them feel better that they’re actually able to take action and respond to some of what’s happening.” 

It’s easy to feel hopeless and overwhelmed right now, especially as more of Trump’s policies impact students and universities across the country. 

It’s important to stay informed because that is the only way people can begin to make a difference and hold leaders accountable. In the effort to follow the news, we also must take care of ourselves and know that the simple act of staying informed is making a better future possible.

To make the world a better place, we must understand it first.

Whether it’s voting, dating or just making friends, Generation Z is polarized based on gender more than older generations. Gen Z collectively experienced a pandemic, school lockdown drills and increased political chaos, but these shared experiences haven’t entirely united us.

Gen Z has a notable social isolation problem and many Gen Zers are reluctant to date or make friends with people across the aisle. People ages 15-24 spend 70% less time socializing in-person with friends than the same age group did in 2003, according to a 2023 U.S. surgeon general’s advisory.

To address political polarization and Gen Zers’ reluctance to interact with opposing viewpoints, we need to get better at having difficult conversations and finding common ground.

Sofía Gandía, a third-year student at the University of Minnesota, said social isolation is easy for students to fall into, especially on a large campus.

Social isolation can also contribute to political polarization because isolated people don’t get as much exposure to different perspectives, Gandía said.

“It’s an echo chamber of what you believe in, what you think is right,” Gandía said. “Nothing’s ever going to get done in an isolated vacuum, and you also don’t grow or change in an isolated vacuum.”

Online spaces also make it easy to filter out information that contradicts your current viewpoints. While it’s important to look out for misinformation, it’s also important to seek out new perspectives.

“It’s crucial to also choose to go outside of your algorithms, you have to get news from other sources, you have to get perspectives from other sources,” Gandía said. “Media is targeting you on purpose for more engagement, and negativity garners more engagement.”

Howard Lavine, a political science professor at the University, said polarization has become more about the distinction between social groups rather than ideological issues.

“The groups that are associated with the Democratic Party and the groups that are associated with the Republican Party now seem to be more distinctive,” Lavine said.

College-educated, non-religious people living in urban areas, for example, line up with the Democratic Party, while non-college-educated evangelicals living in rural areas mostly identify with the Republican Party, Lavine said. These characteristics have become strongly associated with political party identification.

“Those social tensions have now crossed the boundary into becoming political tensions,” Lavine said. “Those social groups, which were not aligned with party, now have become aligned with party.”

Among these social groups are young men, many of which found a home with President Donald Trump and alt-right influencers. Isolation among Gen Z men also drives many of them to online conservative echo chambers.

Women are having increased career and educational success compared to men, which may contribute to men feeling left behind, Lavine said.

“They’re more likely to go to college, they’re more likely to graduate from college, they’re more likely to become doctors, more likely to become lawyers,” Lavine said. “Women are less likely to want to be with a man who does not have the same cultural preferences and the same financial prospects that they have.”

Right-wing influencers and politicians are enforcing the idea that men are being left behind and mistreated by women, Lavine said.

“There has become a resentful dynamic in the manosphere that women are rejecting them, and they’re angry about that,” Lavine said.

Moral of the story? Women are winning and it’s challenging the patriarchy.

But this makes meaningful political conversations even more important. If we don’t talk about these tensions and changing social norms, polarization will only increase.

Gandía said young men may be avoiding difficult political discussions out of fear of being perceived as ignorant when discussing topics they are unfamiliar with.

“Rather than discussing things badly, things aren’t getting discussed at all,” Gandía said. “I think there’s a huge fear in all of Gen Z, but especially men, of showing vulnerability, and ignorance is vulnerability, especially when things can go so wrong so quickly and permanently when it comes to things being recorded or on social media or just a reputation.”

Angie Hurtado Rivera, a third-year student at the University, said men who occupy conservative online echo chambers face barriers to relationships beyond romantic partners because of the hate and violence perpetrated in these spaces.

“They have these beliefs that are so steeped in violence and domination and power play that it makes it hard for them to even have a friendship relationship,” Hurtado Rivera said. “I do think the loneliness epidemic is being sustained by men themselves.”

The more isolated and polarized we are, the easier it is for politicians to pit us against each other with an us-versus-them narrative. We are more likely to see the other party as the enemy when we don’t interact with people across the aisle.

It becomes easier to forget we’re all real people with complex perspectives.

In the face of an administration that feeds off fear and polarization, one of the most powerful things we can do is find common ground.

This will take compromise and respect from all sides.

We won’t find common ground by listening to politicians who say some people should have rights while others should not. We won’t find common ground by labeling each other as the problem.

We’ll find common ground by talking and seeking understanding in a more equitable world.

Throughout his first term, three campaigns and his second term thus far, President Donald Trump has not been the biggest proponent of civil rights, and he doesn’t pretend to be.

Trump attacked voting rights and the validity of fair elections, banned diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and took steps to reverse LGBTQ+ rights for workers and students. 

Given this stellar disregard for civil rights, it is utterly hypocritical that the investigation into five universities, including the University of Minnesota, over allegations of antisemitism stemmed from the Justice Department using its power to launch a civil rights review. This method is less common, as most investigations the department launches stem from complaints, according to the Associated Press (AP). 

The investigation is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to address antisemitism illustrated in a Jan. 29 order. This investigation follows the 2024 protests on college campuses across the country protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza and multiple reported instances of hostility toward Jewish students.

Creating a safe campus environment must be a top priority for the University. No one should feel threatened or in danger on campus, and the violence and threats Jewish students experienced should not be tolerated.

Student safety, however, is not a top concern of the Trump administration. 

If Trump cared about making campuses safe for all students, he would not threaten to withdraw federal funding from universities with DEI programs that provide opportunities for students who, historically, have not been welcomed on campus. He would not enable immigration enforcement on campuses. He would not threaten to deport international students who protest. 

This investigation is about suppressing and discouraging student protests, not creating a safe environment for students. 

Trump’s order has prompted criticism that it violates political speech protected under the First Amendment, according to AP. 

The order also advocates for institutions to monitor and report activities of international students that could violate federal law prohibiting support of terrorist organizations. These students could then be investigated and potentially deported. 

This order walks a dangerous line by giving institutions and the government an excuse to monitor the actions of students and investigate speech the government simply does not like. 

Creating an environment that enables surveillance and potential deportation of international students does not make campuses safer. If anything, it makes them less safe and discourages students from using their voices out of fear of repercussions and deportation. 

The University responded to the Feb. 3 notification of this investigation from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights by emphasizing a commitment to make campus a safe space for all students. 

“We are confident in our approach to combating hate and bias on our campus and will fully cooperate with this investigation,” University spokesperson Jake Ricker said in an email statement. “The University continues to stand firmly against antisemitism. We have and will continue to respond promptly and fully to any reports of harassment, intimidation, or bias against Jewish students — or any other members of our University community — in accordance with our University values, our own policies, and our responsibility under the law.” 

Students who commit acts of violence and vandalism should be held accountable, but the students exercising their right to peacefully protest should not be targeted. 

The minute the administration seeks to punish peaceful student protesters, it launches an attack on universities and students everywhere. 

Setting the details of the investigation aside, Trump’s rhetoric that the intent behind this investigation is to create a safer environment for students is not backed up by his actions. 

If Trump cared about student safety, he would take measures to improve gun control as firearms remain the leading cause of death for minors in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins. He would not ban DEI, and he would not threaten to deport students or villainize the educational system. 

A president cannot choose to protect some rights but not others and retain integrity. Infringing on rights in the name of protecting rights should be seen as a dangerous contradiction. 

Civil rights are not selective. Once one right is compromised, the rest stand in danger of the domino effect.

This Valentine’s Day, as I rush to finish my assignment due at midnight, I can’t help but wonder why I’m still single. Shouldn’t I be able to easily find a kind, funny and ambitious man my age who shares my liberal ideologies and understands that he will inevitably be my third priority after my two cats? 

In our politically divided world, politics play a significant role in dating for many people. 

Of Democrats who are single and looking for a relationship, more than 70% said they would not consider dating someone who voted for President Donald Trump, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center poll. 

In the era of Trump and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, politics increasingly became a question of who has rights and who doesn’t. For many of the people whose rights are in question, that is, understandably, a deal breaker. 

Emma Mielke, a second-year student at the University of Minnesota, said finding a partner with similar values goes beyond surface-level political views. 

“How educated somebody is and how open-minded and understanding and empathetic somebody is plays a lot into their political beliefs,” Mielke said. “A lot of the time, those things just don’t match up in the dating world.” 

Mielke said while she is open to dating men and women, it is particularly challenging to find men who align with her political beliefs. The political gender gap among Gen Z illustrates this challenge and contributes to conflicts between young men and women, Mielke said. 

“It’s a self-repeating cycle where men are feeling lonely and left out and like no woman will ever love them or something,” Mielke said. “They resort to taking that out and hating women essentially, and that just drives them further down this pit and inspires more young men to follow suit.” 

During the 2024 election season, women and men ages 18 to 29 were separated by a 51-point gender gap, with women favoring former Vice President Kamala Harris by 38 points and men favoring Trump by 13 points, according to polls conducted by The New York Times and Siena College polls in six swing states over the summer. 

Ashleigh Brown, a first-year student at the University, said the gender gap among Gen Z voters is relevant in dating experiences because both politics and Gen Z-ers’ lives are at a pivotal point.  

“It’s one of the most important things going on in our time, probably the period of time where the most change is going to happen in our lives,” Brown said. “It’s probably a really important topic when going on dates, now more than ever.”

Dru Collins, a first-year student, said having opposing political views can be a deal breaker in relationships, especially when it comes to potentially raising children in the future. 

“My ex, he started saying some offensive things about trans people,” Collins said. “What if our child ended up being trans?”

Collins said the women she knows are more likely to share this view because differing political views can cause disagreements over their rights and bodily autonomy. 

“I think that it can be a deal breaker if they find out a man’s opinion doesn’t align with their beliefs,” Collins said. “But for most men that I know, it seems like they don’t give it as much thought and I’m not sure if it would be a deal breaker for them.”

David Lipset, an anthropology professor at the University, said dating apps are impacting how people present themselves online and give rise to a form of personal branding on dating platforms. 

“It’s become almost a form of advertising,” Lipset said. “People have to become very deliberate and careful about what they say and how they define their tastes and their likes and their dislikes in their online representation of themselves on apps.”

It’s debatable whether people’s listed political affiliations on dating apps are representative of their true beliefs, but judging a book by its cover is not always the best practice. Making assumptions about a person based on a handful of attributes can also take the intimacy out of a personal process.  

“It’s as if people are representing themselves as if they’re job hunting instead of looking to meet somebody socially,” Lipset said. 

While limited in how much they typically say about someone’s character, online dating profiles can help people dodge unwanted political conversations. 

“It’s a very touchy subject and especially with the radicalization we’re seeing of MAGA,” Mielke said. “I definitely can see how people would be scared to have those conversations in person without meeting the other person before.” 

For those who do have political conversations on a first date, the answer you get could be misleading. Some women are asking questions that are not political on the surface, but still allow them to infer political leanings from their date’s answer. 

Politics can be difficult to talk about, especially as we grow more polarized and comfortable in our ideological filter bubbles.  

People want to share their experiences, personal preferences and viewpoints with others who share the same interests and experiences in society, Lipset said. 

“What kind of art they like, what kind of music they like,” Lipset said. “People like to share all that with somebody who is kind of similar, shares their tastes and so politics is part of that.” 

At the end of the day, we’re all looking to be understood by those closest to us, but we can’t do that if we don’t listen to each other and seek to understand our differences. That being said, we should draw the line when disagreements cross over into disrespect. 

Even in our digital and divided world, we should look for people who respect and encourage us to have an open mind. 

But that’s too philosophical for a dating app bio.