The political climate is more than a little toxic at the moment, and if you’re not someone already knee deep in the swamp, it can be hard to convince yourself that it is worth it to take the plunge. It can be even harder if you are not from a state with significant pull in the election. That said, this goes out to all of the out-of-state students who haven’t registered to vote and weren’t planning on doing so.

Minnesota has voted blue in every presidential election since 1976. This year, however, things are a little different. Hillary Clinton barely eked out a victory in the state in 2016, winning by a mere 1.5%, or roughly 44,000 votes. Minnesota was a somewhat overlooked member of the Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin coalition of strongly purple states that went more red than expected that year. And so, with a mere 10 electoral votes, Minnesota joins the ranks of the swing states.

The land of 10,000 lakes is far more crucial in this election than many of us have considered. Even if Joe Biden were to win back Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, losing Minnesota could lose him the election.

If you are one of the nearly 8,000 nonresident, nonreciprocity students (meaning that you are not from Minnesota, Wisconsin or one of the Dakotas) across the University of Minnesota system, you have the opportunity to influence one of the most contentious elections in our history. Thanks to Minnesota’s voting laws, attending the University of Minnesota basically makes you eligible to register to vote here. You can register online or in person on election day; all you need is your U Card and your student fee statement, which can be shown on an electronic device. If you live in on-campus housing, odds are all you need to provide is your ID. If you lost your U Card, you can even use a driver’s license from a different state. You don’t even have to register with a particular party.

In 2018, students at the University of Minnesota had the highest voter turnout rate of any other large, public, four-year university, with a systemwide voting rate of 56%. I challenge you to raise the bar even higher this election. College students are an untapped powerhouse of political pull. It’s time to show you care about your future, the future of your friends and family and the future of this nation.

It’s time to mask up and go vote.

For more information on how to register to vote, head to the Secretary of State’s website.

Pre-COVID, I was a foodie. I still am a foodie, but the idea of entering a new restaurant and spending time over a meal is a little more stress-inducing than it used to be. I miss the days of discussing the food, the ambiance and the service of various restaurants on the journey home from a cuisine excursion. The global pandemic lifestyle, however, is all about being flexible, adjusting to new norms and learning new, safe ways to do those things you were so accustomed to doing before. And while dining indoors is no longer an experience I can safely critique, I’ve found a solution: reviewing COVID-19 testing sites. While there is only one (rather expensive) item on the menu, and wait times tend to be long, not all testing sites are created equal. Boynton, despite the limitations on who they will test, seriously impressed me with the speed of both the test and my results.

Scheduling my COVID-19 test at Boynton was a breeze. There is an online portal for making appointments, which was very handy given my personal aversion to phone calls of any kind. I went to book my test on a Friday and snagged a time for the next business day. There are a few caveats, however. Boynton will not test asymptomatic patients unless they have been exposed or fall under the umbrella of “health care staff.” While this is not uncommon for testing sites, it is a little frustrating that the most accessible site for many students has such requirements.

Boynton has hopped on the outdoor dining trend, and all COVID-19 tests are offered from a walk-up window. While the morning of my test was pleasantly balmy, all I could think about was how wildly uncomfortable waiting outside in February will be.

Wait times were very short. There were several people in line in front of me when I first arrived, but I am chronically early to everything. When asking for my birthday to verify my identity, the nurse kindly remarked that it coincided with the day we went into lockdown. I would take points off for dredging up those memories, but how was she to know that I was randomly stranded in the middle of Mexico that day? I will say, however, getting an extra large Q-tip shoved into the deep recesses of your nasal cavity just isn’t my idea of an enjoyable morning. But accidentally infecting everyone I love with a potentially life-threatening disease is also not my idea of a good time. You win some, you lose some.

The area in which Boynton truly wowed was the speed with which I got my results back. I was tested at 9:40 a.m. on a Monday and had results in my inbox by 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Many places say it will take three to seven business days, so it was amazing to get results that quickly.

I give Boynton four out of five stars. The process was quick, easy and relatively painless. It definitely felt geared toward students and was very accessible. The fact that I didn’t have to speak to anyone other than the nurse who performed the test was very appealing. And, while many other services at Boynton have a decent wait time, the entire process took maybe 10 minutes out of my day.

How old were you when you first heard of the “freshman 15”? This harmful myth is just one of many insidious ways college culture primes students nationwide for disordered eating habits. Approximately 40% of incoming first-year college students across the United States will develop or already have an unhealthy relationship with eating. The prevalence of eating disorders has only increased over time. College creates an environment in which meal skipping and “pulling trig” are normalized in the name of binge drinking. It is critical that we discuss where the University of Minnesota falls short in catering to students’ mental health needs, especially when it comes to eating disorders. Students with severe eating disorders are redirected to third-party organizations, while many others are left unaware of just how destructive their habits are.

Students seeking treatment at Boynton Health are frequently referred to Melrose Center or another third-party organization. This relatively new practice began in 2015, according to Dr. Jennifer Krzmarzick, interim chief medical officer at Boynton Health. Because anorexia has the highest mortality rate out of any psychiatric illness, there are times when patients require specialized attention Boynton can’t adequately provide. Most of Boynton’s services are subsidized by the student services fee, but the third-party referral creates the possibility of financial insecurity for some students. In previous years, a grant partnership between Melrose and Boynton covered out-of-pocket expenses. Krzmarzick said that because of COVID-19, Boynton was unable to contribute to that grant partnership this year.

Receiving treatment at a third-party location, while necessary at times, solidifies a second barrier: transportation and accessibility. Despite having the Minnesota Center for Eating Disorders Research housed on campus, the closest treatment center affiliated with the University is roughly 10 minutes away by car. For the large majority of carless students, this trip could take upwards of 30 minutes, one way, on public transportation. While this is better than not having these services available to students at all, a mental health issue that is so prevalent among students deserves greater attention.

Higher education loves to talk about mental health, but too often eating disorders are left out of that dialogue. There are ways for the University to raise awareness and provide support for students without bringing treatment fully on campus. Keeping dining halls open an extra hour or two on weekends would encourage students to eat before going out and help combat the harmful rhetoric of “saving calories.” Incoming students already partake in several informational courses. Using that space to educate students on disordered eating habits would give students the tools to recognize unhealthy behaviors in themselves and their peers. Small changes like these could keep a mild fear of the “freshman 15” from escalating drastically.

On the day of her inauguration, President Gabel made it clear that she would prioritize student mental health. Her administration has now been in place for over a year. What, if anything, has changed?

The West Coast is currently experiencing the worst fire season in recorded history with 3.2 million acres burned in California in 2020 alone. For context, that’s roughly the same size as the entire state of Connecticut. It’s no secret that fire season has grown increasingly deadly. Hotter, drier summers mean fires begin earlier and burn for longer periods of time each year, doing more than raze forests. Smoke and ash render the air unbreathable, homes and businesses are destroyed and thousands of people are displaced. Life as people know it is brutally disrupted for months at a time, with only a few months to recover before it begins all over again.

But why should Minnesotans care? By all accounts, this state is one of the best places to be as the climate shifts. Duluth has even been named a climate refuge. Increased rainfall and proximity to Lake Superior makes for abundant access to fresh water — a luxury in most of the world. The state’s inland location lowers the risk of sea level rise significantly. And, those brutally cold winters will work in Minnesota’s favor: Even as carbon emissions raise global temperatures, the region is likely to remain relatively cool.

Before you pack your car for the drive north, consider other possibilities. Minnesota has the luxury of not being in a brutal race against time, making it the perfect testing grounds for the switch to a carbon-free society. The state derives a majority of its electricity from coal-fired power plants and a mere quarter of electricity from renewable resources. Governor Tim Walz proposed a deadline of 2050 for eliminating carbon emissions in electricity production in the state, but 2020’s brutal fire and hurricane seasons have shown that the rest of the country may not have 30 years. As the planet warms, climate migrants seeking refuge from rising sea levels and scorching summers will move inland. These vulnerable populations will likely be seeking employment, and Minnesota needs to be prepared. Jobs in renewable energy are creating an employment boom for blue-collar workers across the country. Investing in clean energy and climate change research allows the state to be at the forefront of the coming crisis, both technologically and economically.

We are one of the only states to generate significant energy from wind power, utilize the often villainized nuclear power and possess the geography to benefit from hydroelectric power. Minnesota also has influence on the petroleum industry with 30% of the United State’s crude oil entering the state via Canada. Should the state take a hard pivot to renewable energy, the economic effects of the decision could reverberate throughout the country. The wide range of energy sources, combined with a progressive policy agenda and the buffer against climate change, makes the state of 10,000 lakes the perfect location for an environmental revolution in this deadly race against time.

As a native Californian, it’s difficult to acknowledge that behind the perpetual sunshine and coastal cliffs is a deeply unsustainable way of life. However, I would rather endure a year of long Minnesota winter than sit and watch the West Coast burn. The timer has started, and we are one of few states with the possibility of beating the clock.

The Instagram account @bipoc.umn published a letter on Aug. 30 written by the Panhellenic Council (PHC) to the Interfraternity Council (IFC) severing formal ties for the semester. The letter, which cited IFC’s disregard for social change, among other concerns, as the reason behind ending the affiliation, is well-intentioned. It is also deeply performative; a Band-Aid for the damage Greek life causes for the greater community.

The concerns addressed in the letter are serious and legitimate. Greek life perpetuates a culture of discrimination and violence, and PHC has begun the long journey of acknowledging that. What it lacks, however, is a system of accountability. What is stopping the next council, which will be elected in a mere four months, from ignoring this decision completely? Who will keep individual women and chapters from maintaining connections with fraternity men despite this decision?

An on-campus social moratorium is momentarily in place, moving all IFC events with more than 10 people to a virtual format. During a “normal” semester, the choice to end social partnerships with fraternities would have been a radical decision, changing the face of events like Frat Friday and Homecoming Week significantly. However, this is obviously not a normal semester. Homecoming was unlikely to be its normal week-long bacchanal, and I doubt Zoom frat parties will have people lining up in virtual waiting rooms. The social moratorium, combined with the upcoming turnover of the PHC, makes it clear that this decision is neither groundbreaking nor long-term.

Moreover, the demands laid out by PHC lack specificity and are difficult to quantify, a common problem in ensuring that advocacy is more than surface deep. For example, reposting a “So You Want To Talk About” Instagram story might make an organization look “woke,” but it doesn’t change the racist, classist system the organization perpetuates. But when fraternities are simply asked to “[increase] support for the Black Lives Matter movement,” that simple Instagram story could theoretically land them back in PHC’s good graces.

To be fair, Greek organizations tend to be secretive, keeping only active members and advisers informed on internal initiatives. I contacted the PHC President, hoping to better understand which chapters are working with the council and if a system of accountability had been established. She declined to comment.

As a former member of Greek Life, I believe that the chance of legitimate, structural change being made in these organizations is minimal. There’s a hierarchy of power stretching far beyond the executive boards of each chapter, an obsession with secrecy and tradition and a stigma against speaking critically of the organizations. The reality is that Greek life, at its core, is meant to be exclusive. Ending the IFC/PHC partnership could turn the tide, but only if chapters are held accountable for their actions, and legitimate, quantifiable criteria for re-association of the councils are established. Though PHC’s letter to IFC shows a genuine desire to create a more inclusive community, for every barrier that is successfully taken down, there are a thousand more waiting to be confronted. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try, but it does mean that change will only truly occur in the form of an unmovable, non-negotiable system of accountability.