Author Archives | Emalyn Muzzy

Council member Cam Gordon helps lay framework to reduce homelessness

Since the pandemic, the city of Minneapolis has seen an increasing number of homeless encampments, an issue Ward 2 Council member Cam Gordon has vowed to tackle head on.

Working with Hennepin County and community members, Gordon has repeatedly carved out policies aimed to support people experiencing homelessness. Last month, he spearheaded an ordinance that offers flexibility in constructing new homeless shelters and lets residents stay longer.

“[Gordon] always looks at what regulatory barriers are in the way that prevent people from doing innovative projects,” said Sheila Delaney, an advocate for people experiencing homelessness.

Previously, an emergency shelter had to be at least 1,000 feet from another shelter and people could live there for less than 30 days. With the new definition, shelters can be built within 350 feet of each other and people can stay for up to six months.

This ordinance has made it easier for the city to explore various housing options and remove uncertainty around housing, said Gordon’s policy aide Robin Garwood.

“Cam listens to shelter providers and the community about what’s blocking shelters,” Garwood said.

Gordon helped approve funding for Avivo Indoor Villages, which opened as the ordinance was in its final stages of adoption. Instead of an overnight shelter in a large communal space, Avivo built single units within a warehouse in Minneapolis’ North Loop to give people more privacy.

With Gordon’s order, Avivo is able to house people for longer.

The Indoor Villages act as a transition toward single-room occupancies (SROs) and rooming houses, two forms of stable shelter that Gordon is pushing for. The shelter is currently able to house 16 people and Avivo is constructing more rooms to open in 2021.

Gordon’s efforts come on the heels of a broader visibility of homelessness throughout the past year.

During the George Floyd protests, a hotel housed hundreds of people experiencing homelessness before Minneapolis police shut the sanctuary down. After that, a summer of park encampments and evictions gained public attention and put pressure on government officials to find immediate and supportive solutions.

People that normally spent their nights under highways and bridges pitched tents in neighborhood parks, said Katie Topinka, Minneapolis’s housing policy coordinator.

Throughout the year, Gordon advocated for more housing options and reducing barriers toward permanent housing, including limiting security deposit costs, incentivizing public affordable housing buildings and supporting anti-displacement policies.

Moving forward into 2021, more work is planned to create affordable permanent housing, including Gordon’s efforts to find funding and meet with stakeholders to begin building SROs within the first half of the year.

SROs would work as alternatives to traditional housing for people who need more support for issues like substance abuse and mental illness. Many people experiencing homelessness deal with these at much higher rates than the general population, according to a large body of research.

SROs are stable housing that allow people to have their own space while also having a support network behind them, Garwood said. “It would be one of the ways to get towards ‘housing first,’” he said, referring to a model that prioritizes finding permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness.

In 2020, Gordon worked alongside the community to create solutions that proactively help the people experiencing homelessness, Delaney said, adding that instead of coming up with solutions for them, he figured out solutions with them.

“It’s undeniable to say that our city has the most investment in affordable housing and doing a better job with emergency shelters,” Delaney said.

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Council member Cam Gordon helps lay framework to reduce homelessness

New East Bank art installation creates “Dialogue” through sculptures

The University of Minnesota put up two new sculptures outside of the Health Sciences Education Center (HSEC) over the summer, bringing a bit more beauty to campus.

The set of sculptures showcases the idea of dialogue, a cornerstone in both medicine and our everyday lives.

Barbara Grygutis, an Arizona-based sculptor, designed the sculptures, titled “Dialogue,” after spending several months talking to employees within the HSEC. She said their meetings always came back to the idea of conversation.

“I think a dialogue is very important. It is the most basic thing in terms of your health,” Grygutis said.

She said that there has always been a conversation between doctors and patients, doctors and medical students and doctors and, well, other doctors. She sees dialogue as a necessity within the medical field.

“We asked people from the academic health community to describe to Barbara what they will be doing in the [Health Sciences Education Center],” said Craig Amundsen, the University of Minnesota public art curator. “That gave Barbara insight into how she wanted to reflect that in her art.”

Grygutis attempts to make her pieces of art timeless. She said that while she began working on this project almost four years ago, she believes the message rings true today.

Grygutis sees her sculptures as simply human heads without a race, age or gender. She wants them to be seen as people and nothing more.

When asked about the sculptures, Chinar Singhal, a second-year masters of public health student, said, “It’s nice to see something different.”
As a health student, she spends a lot of time within HSEC and is appreciative that there’s a new piece of artwork to enjoy.

Grygutis said she loves creating public art pieces. “It’s very democratic. … Your audience is everybody,” she said.

Amundsen also shares a passion for public art. As a public art curator, he makes sure the University of Minnesota community is heavily involved with art projects. By including the community, he knows that the art will be relevant to campus.

“All of [the public art pieces] reflect the education, research activities or the geographic setting and history of the university,” Amundsen said.

Both Amundsen and Grygutis enjoy the fact that public art is a part of everyday life. People are able to see sculptures and appreciate art on a daily basis.

Public art is also more accessible as people don’t need to pay money, travel or spend hours inside in order to see art.

“In the age of COVID, [public art] is something you can go look at anytime since it’s outside,” Grygutis said. “The perspective of having a large audience is very important to me as a sculptor.”

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on New East Bank art installation creates “Dialogue” through sculptures

Heat of the Week: Imposters, shawarma and haunted hair

The long-awaited Halloweek is finally here. While carving pumpkins, drinking apple cider and gathering en masse to celebrate Halloween is traditional, it’s not all practical during a pandemic. Here’s a few ideas on how to keep yourself safely entertained this spooky week.

Something to do:

Instead of throwing an in-person Halloween party, try having a virtual one complete with costumes, drinks and an “Among Us” drinking game. Gather your friends on Zoom with your drink of choice and play with whatever rules you choose to include. Whether you’re drinking regular or hard apple cider, everyone can have fun while trying to avoid being voted out.

Rules:
Take a drink when someone finds a body or calls an emergency meeting.
Take two drinks if they call an emergency meeting for no reason.
Take a drink if you die within the first round.
Chug your drink if you get voted off and are not the imposter.
Take a drink if you voted for someone who wasn’t the imposter.
Take two drinks if you finish your tasks.
Take a drink for every kill you make as an imposter.

Something to try:

Maxwell’s Cafe and Grill is a late-night eatery on Fourth Street Southeast in Marcy-Holmes. Just off campus, the cozy restaurant serves Middle Eastern and American food, perfect for lunch, dinner or a late-night order.

If you’re looking for a warm Middle Eastern meal, the chicken shawarma with a side of fries is the way to go. It’s under $15 and very filling. But if it’s midnight and you’re craving some greasy comfort food, the “Maxwell’s Mix” is the best option. It’s a pound of fries with a handful of cheese curds, onion rings and chicken tenders, giving you all the best options for only $9.99.

Maxwell’s is open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. You can order through UberEats or call the restaurant to place a pickup order at 612-331-4585

Something to watch:

“The Witches” is a brand-new whimsical movie on HBO, released Oct. 22. Based on the Roald Dahl novel, “The Witches” stars Octavia Spencer as a cunning witch-hunting grandmother trying to turn her grandson back into a human after a conference of witches turns him into a mouse. The witches are led by the Grand High Witch, played by Anne Hathaway, who is the leader of all the witches in the world. Grab a blanket and some candy corn and watch as this heart-warming and spooktacular family tries to reunite.

If you’d rather watch a horror movie, check out “Bad Hair” on Hulu. Set in 1989, Anna, played by Elle Lorraine, is an aspiring video jockey who gets a weave per her supervisor’s request. In a strange turn of events, the wig comes to life and begins killing people around her. The chilling film is a dark satire about Black women’s hair and their struggle to keep up with appearances in a Eurocentric world.

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Heat of the Week: Imposters, shawarma and haunted hair

No field, no problem: UMN marching band recounts online “spat camp”

Imagine all the facets of creating a new sports team — getting everyone acquainted, learning and practicing plays, forming a team dynamic. Now imagine trying to do all of that via Zoom.

Well, this year, that’s exactly what COVID-19 forced the University of Minnesota marching band to do.

Due to a Board of Regents’ decision in late August, the marching band played music, learned marches and created a community all online.

Band director Betsy McCann said that two days before the marching band was supposed to begin spat camp, the Board of Regents announced all undergraduate classes would be online for at least the first two weeks. McCann had one day to collaborate with student leaders about converting the in-person band boot camp to a virtual format.

Despite the quick switch, they were able to teach marching fundamentals and keep spirits high among students.

Typically, spat camp — named after the rubber “spat” students wear on their marching shoes — starts two weeks before school. According to fourth-year drum major Chamberlain Gregg, band members meet every day for an intense 12-hour rehearsal.

In those two weeks, members taught rookies the band basics, learned a pregame and halftime show and bonded over their mutual fatigue.

“I know that us teaching looks completely different right now being over Zoom,” fourth-year block captain Bethany Mestelle said, “but we’re still teaching fundamentally the same way, and we’re teaching the same things.”

In order to make online learning easier for the 300-plus band members, leaders took advantage of breakout rooms.

During the Zoom rehearsals, which had been shortened to six hours, McCann said Mestelle or Gregg would teach a concept to the entire band, then move them into breakout rooms. In smaller groups, band leaders could give a more comprehensive explanation, allowing students to practice and receive feedback right away.

“It was so cool,” said Andrew Bremner, a first-year baritone player. “I felt like I improved and got a lot of useful information about music.”

After the virtual rehearsals, they had virtual hangouts.

“We’ve been having so many events in our free time and on the weekends that we never would have had if we were in person just because we would all be exhausted and busy all the time,” Mestelle said.

Across the band, there have been game nights, movie nights and meals with other sections.

Bremner said he appreciated these events as they helped him assimilate into the band.

“I got really accepted into the group right away,” he said. “I really didn’t feel a divide.”

Mestelle said she felt more connected to the band than in years prior because of their Zoom activities. She said normally she wouldn’t interact with people outside of her own section, but now she talks to them regularly.

Starting this week, the band resumed in-person instruction. McCann said she split the band into two performing groups. Each group will learn a pregame show and a halftime show. A video of each performance will be posted on Facebook later this semester.

She said members are marching six feet apart, have cut slits into their masks so they can play while wearing a mask and have special instrument covers.

While the marching band was able to accomplish its goals over Zoom, fourth-year mellophone team leader Molly Lampone says she’s ready to be back in person.

“It’s just a certain energy that comes when we’re all together,” she said. “This is like my family, my home.”

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on No field, no problem: UMN marching band recounts online “spat camp”

‘Zoomed in’: A guide to staying engaged during an untraditional semester

Between roommates, poor study spaces and unlimited access to cell phones, it’s become tough for students to stay attentive during online classes. Despite these challenges, some University of Minnesota students have discovered tricks for staying “Zoomed in” to lectures.

When learning from home, it’s difficult to minimize distractions and pay attention to Zoom lectures. But, according to University psychology professor Thomas Brothen, changing routines and using different strategies will help things go a bit smoother.

Brothen recommends isolating yourself from any distractions, including your phone, the TV and talkative roommates.

“The killer is multitasking,” Brothen said. “You just can’t keep track of everything going on at once.”

Abigail Chiaokhiao, a second-year bioproducts and biosystems engineering major, said she tries to turn off her phone and alerts her family when she’s about to start a lecture.

“If I don’t tell my family that I have, like, a meeting or an event or something, then they’ll just barge in, and then suddenly I’m talking to them instead of writing down notes,” she said.

Skip Seegert, a fourth-year fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology major, said in order to block out unnecessary background noise, he wears noise-canceling headphones during Zoom classes. He added that he struggles with his short attention span the most.

“I have a hard time focusing on lectures for extended periods of time,” said Seegert. “I can pay attention for maybe, like, 10 to 15 minutes before I start to get distracted.”

Brothen suggested students work with their attention spans rather than against them.

“Instead of an hour lecture … I put my lecture material in short segments,” Brothen said. He said by breaking information up into 10-15 minute long videos, students get attention breaks.

If professors post asynchronous lectures, Brothen recommended students stop the lecture video when they start to lose focus, take a short break and then start the video again. He also advised professors to provide breaks during synchronous Zoom lectures.

If you’re like Seegert, who describes himself as a hands-on learner who prefers labs to lectures, it’s important to keep those hands busy. To keep himself listening during class, he likes to crochet.

“I have something called my never-ending scarf,” Seegert said. “It’s just a single stitch crochet type of thing. It’s very basic, just something to keep my hands going.”

Fourth-year math major Teresa Fisher said she concentrates best by taking notes.

She takes handwritten notes because it helps her retain the class information better.

When Fisher starts zoning out, she said she understands that, like Brothen recommends, she needs a short break.

Fisher said, “Sometimes I’ll kind of just sit back for a minute, take a drink of water and kind of check in where they are in the notes.”

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on ‘Zoomed in’: A guide to staying engaged during an untraditional semester