By: Hailey Colwell

In the last five years, the University of Minnesota Archives has digitized about one million pages of records.

But that’s only one percent of its total content.

Despite increases in technology use, the University’s archives and special collections have continued to grow — with and without being scanned and put online.

The University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections Department houses 16 collections of rare and unique research material. Thirteen of these are stored in an underground cavern the size of two football fields stacked on top of each other, located beneath the Elmer L. Andersen Library and the University Law School.

There’s a common misconception that when content comes to the archives, it’s immediately digitized and put online, said Erik Moore, head of the University Archives — a collection that preserves items related to the University’s history.

“The majority of the material we have is in paper and always will be,” Moore said.

Although the Internet has opened doors for people to do research on their own, he said, material from the archives is still what they turn to after an initial Google search.

Developing research ideas online before coming to the archives can make for a more informed and specific search process, Moore said. Because of the Internet, researchers often come to the archives more prepared than before.

“It certainly changes the way we interact with people,” he said.

But even with the help the Internet provides, the material in the archives maintains its value.

The research process is richer when researchers can look at original items, said Linnea Anderson, archivist for the University’s Social Welfare History Archives.

“You’re actually looking at the raw material,” she said. “It’s your responsibility to … form your own critical interpretation of it.”

Rather than replacing traditional archives, technology is supplementing them by giving archivists new ways to do their work, Anderson said. And as time passes, the need for archives is growing rather than shrinking — as more content is created, she said, there are more opportunities to preserve history.

‘You have to love it’

Many of the University’s archivists stumbled into the profession and realized they had a passion for it.

As a research assistant at the University with a master’s degree in history, Moore said he never planned to go into archiving.

He “just kind of came across it,” he said, while working on a grant project for the Immigration History Research Center more than a decade ago. He’s been in the business ever since.

“You have to love it,” said Anderson, who discovered her passion for “digging in boxes” as a student at St. Olaf College. 

“You will not get rich doing this,” she said.

Anderson said she especially likes teaching classes to help others hone their information-gathering skills.

Kate Dietrick, who heads the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives, said she loves archives because of the intimate way people engage with them. 

“With a book, there’s a story that’s there,” she said, “but with archives, you get to figure out the story.”

By: Emma Nelson

University of Minnesota graduate students on a summer internship in Egypt decided to leave the country last week, amid escalating violence and unrest.

The four Humphrey School of Public Affairs students arrived in Egypt in mid-May, and were interning for a non-governmental organization that works with Egyptian youth. The students left the country about two weeks earlier than planned.

University professor Ragui Assaad, who organized the internship, left Egypt in late June.

Last month, protests began against Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who took office in June 2012. According to the Associated Press, Morsi was replaced July 4 by interim president Adly Mansour, Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court Chief Justice.

In recent days, clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi groups have left dozens dead. On July 8, more than 50 were killed when the Egyptian military opened fire on a demonstration by the Muslim Brotherhood — of which Morsi is a part — in front of a Cairo military base, according to the Associated Press.

One American student, 21-year-old Andrew Pochter, died June 28 photographing a protest in Alexandria. According to the Associated Press, Pochter, a religious studies major at Kenyon College in Ohio, was interning for a nonprofit education organization in Egypt.

–The Associated Press and Branden Largent contributed to this report.

By: Janice Bitters

The Minnesota Daily sat down with University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler on Monday for its monthly Kickin’ It With Kaler interview.

Kaler talked about his recent trip to China, new administrators, the effect of the recent DOMA ruling on the University and more.

You visited China at the beginning of this month. Can you talk about what you did or some of the highlights?

It was an amazing trip. I’m still recovering, but a great opportunity to meet a lot of our partners in China. I visited many research universities … [I] also met a group of entering students who will make their way to Minnesota in the fall and their parents, so that was fun to hear some of their concerns and just feel some of the excitement that they have for their trip to Minnesota.

… There are students and faculty that are coming here, so the faculty who I met at various places on the trip were also working with their colleagues and collaborators, identifying some opportunities for joint research. So really the full range.

DOMA was recently struck down in the Supreme Court of the United States. How will this impact the University, in terms of faculty, staff and students?

To be honest with you, I don’t know what impact that’s going to bring, and our HR people are looking carefully to be sure that what we do is completely in line … A) with the law and B) is in the interest of our faculty, staff and students.

So we will be looking at what the impact of that is, and if we need to make changes we will communicate them and take as much feedback as we need to move those policies, but I don’t have a specific knowledge of what changes we will need to make.

As we move into your third year in office, you will be working with fully three-quarters new administration, according to the Board of Regents. I’m interested in knowing the ‘whys.’ Was this strategic at all?

I think it’s just sort of a natural thing that happens. President [Bob] Bruininks had been in office for a reasonably long period of time, and his senior leaders had reached opportunities or times in their careers to either move elsewhere — as the provost did — or to separate from the University. … I’m very happy with the new people that we’ve hired. I think they are doing a tremendous job. There is, of course, a loss of institutional memory when you have senior leaders depart, but we also have a core of people who have been with the University for a long time.

Many are happy with the resident tuition freeze, but some are wondering about non-resident tuition. How much of a priority will non-resident tuition be in the future?

Well, I think when you look at non-resident tuition, even with the increase that we have, it is still well below non-resident tuition for many of our peer institutions and it represents still a good value for students who want to come the University of Minnesota. I do believe that it is important that the University be affordable to all students, but I think it’s also fair to have a differential between the [in-state] and out-of-state students.

So in coming years do you anticipate more increases? Would you say probably not a freeze for out-of-state students?

I don’t think we will be able to freeze out-of-state tuition, so I would anticipate that it would continue to increase but at as modest a rate as we can manage.

Read Wednesday’s Daily for the full interview, including readers’ questions from Twitter.

By: Hailey Colwell

Tim Lodge and Steve Polasky hold rare positions at the University of Minnesota — they’re both tenured professors in two departments.

And now, they share another uncommon experience — last month, they were both named Regents Professors. 

Established in 1965, the Regents Professorship is the highest honor given to faculty members at the University. Professors are nominated and then selected by the University president.

The award comes with a $50,000 annual stipend — a $20,000 salary increase and $30,000 to fund the research of their choice. There are only 30 Regents Professors at the University, including Lodge and Polasky.

The Minnesota Daily sat down with both professors to talk about their research, interests and plans for the new distinction.

‘A fantastic career’

Growing up in Manchester, England, with a math and engineering professor for a father, Tim Lodge knew from an early age what it was like to be a professor.

He said his father never complained about his work.

“He enjoyed what he was doing; it wasn’t work,” he said. “I found it to be the same thing.”

Now a professor in the chemistry and chemical engineering and materials science departments, Lodge said being a professor is “a fantastic career.”

“No one’s telling you what to do,” he said. “You get to do research on things that interest you, and you get to work with great students who are interested in all kinds of things.”

Lodge’s research focuses on block copolymers, which are molecules made of two or more chemical units. With a team of graduate and post-doctoral students, he’s experimenting with ways to combine properties of different man-made materials like plastic and rubber to better understand how they can be used in technology.

Lodge said he enjoys working with his research team and collaborating with other professors to advise students. He said his research stipend will save time because he’ll no longer have to apply for grants before starting a new project.

“If there’s a student … who comes up with a new idea, we can jump on it right away,” he said. “It’s a really wonderful opportunity to branch out in new directions.”

It’s “very appropriate” that Lodge was given the Regents Professorship, said Frank Bates, a current Regents Professor and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Sciences.

 “He’s an intellectual leader,” Bates said. “He’s somebody that has set the pace of advancement in the field.”

A ‘really interesting juncture’

Applied economics and ecology, evolution and behavior professor Steve Polasky was always interested in the environment.

A self-proclaimed math nerd, Polasky found economics to be useful in thinking about environmental issues.

“I’m at this really interesting juncture between economics and ecology,” he said.

Since coming to the University in 1999, Polasky has done research on sustainable development issues. He said he’s most proud of his recent collaboration with the Natural Capital Project, which works to bring environmental thinking into everyday consumer, government and business decisions.

“It’ s not just an add-on or a feel-good thing at the end,” he said, but part of the central decision-making process.

Polasky said he appreciates the visibility that comes with being a Regents Professor and hopes to use the stipend to hire administrative help for his office so he can spend more time doing research and working with students. 

‘An all-star’

Being a Regents Professor makes it easier to communicate with people outside the University, Bates said. Regents Professors also have better access to the Board of Regents and University administration.

Though the distinction doesn’t change professors’ everyday responsibilities, they’re expected to perform at a high level and are looked on as leaders, he said.

“It’s like being named an all-star on a baseball team,” Bates said. “It’s a great distinction to be on the all-star team, but you still have to go back to your home team; you still have to get up and swing the bat.”

By: Branden Largent

For her new position as vice president for equity and diversity at the University of Minnesota, Katrice Albert brought from Louisiana her warmest clothing, her favorite artwork and her infectious laugh.

“When I first heard about the position, I said to myself ‘Minnesota?’” Albert said with a big laugh. “'Not a southern girl in Minnesota.’”

But after talking with her colleagues and mentors at Louisiana State University — where she served as vice provost for equity, diversity and community outreach — Albert heard nothing but encouragement to head up north.

When Albert approached LSU School of Social Work professor Pamela Monroe with concerns about moving to a colder climate, Monroe said she told Albert to drop what she was doing and take the opportunity.

“I’m sorry that we lost her,” Monroe said, “but she definitely made a good move.”

In her short time at the University – she arrived in June – Albert has been busy meeting community members and other University administrators to talk about both their diversity successes and concerns.

Albert said her top priorities for the University include increasing the number of underrepresented students in undergraduate and graduate populations and recruiting and retaining diverse faculty – a goal that includes hiring more women in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

“I’m really working with the team to hear about their visioning for each of the areas that report to equity and diversity,” Albert said, “and then offering a global vision for the office.”

During her final months at LSU, Albert was instrumental in opening a new home for the university’s Women’s Center and its African American Cultural Center, said Carolyn Hargrave, LSU’s vice president for academic affairs and technology transfer.

“Her leadership was key in making that happen,” Hargrave said. “If you want a job done…she will not give up.”

By: Roy Aker

Larry Ballard was a University of Minnesota student in 1964 when he saw an ad for Stadium Village Church in the Minnesota Daily and started attending.

That same year, he met and married his wife at the church. On Sunday, the couple attended the church’s 125-year anniversary celebration with other former and current members and church leaders.

For the two-day celebration, current pastors Kathleen Macosko and Lowell Busman organized the event, which included a cruise on the Mississippi River, a historic walking tour and a performance by the church’s alumni choir.

The weekend’s festivities also featured a presentation of the church’s history and a visiting hour for former members.

“We hope to hear stories from the past and celebrate who we’ve become, which is a little different than what it was before,” Macosko said.   

Stadium Village Church, formerly known as Bethany Presbyterian, was founded in 1888 as a small Sunday school for the working-class families who called the neighborhood home.

Today, the church is surrounded by University development and student housing — an evolution that’s changed the congregation’s demographic.

Since an influx of Korean students became church members in the 1950s, Macosko said a number of cultural groups and international students have left their mark on the church.

Of the 120 regular parishioners, a majority are University students from China, Japan and South Korea, or American students with “a global perspective,” she said.

“It’s a great place for people who want to interact with the rest of the world,” Macosko said.

Macosko, who became one of the church’s pastors in 2002, said its message has always been the same.

“We don’t care so much about labels, just about where [members] want to go with Jesus,” she said.

Ballard said he was amazed at the evolution of the church community and Stadium Village.

“It looks so much different than it once did,” he said, “but it’ll always feel like home.”

By: Hailey Colwell

In the University of Minnesota dairy barns on the St. Paul campus, it’s almost as hot inside as it is outside.

With 106 cows and a few calves to milk, feed and clean up after every day, assistant barn manager Nate McDonald said working in and around the barns — which are part of  the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center — is heat and labor-intensive.

“You’ve got to suck it up and drink a lot of water,” he said.

McDonald is one of many University employees coping with rising temperatures as he works outside during the summer. Some areas of the University — including Facilities Management — offer heat safety training to employees, but no institution-wide protocol exists.

Doing physical work outside in high temperatures and humidity puts workers at risk of heat stress, heat exhaustion and heat stroke — a serious condition that occurs when the body can’t regulate its temperature.

McDonald and the barn manager make sure their employees get breaks from being out in the sun and drink plenty of liquids to stay safe on hot days, McDonald said. They also try to do the most intense labor — like shoveling — themselves.

McDonald, who works outside year-round, said he prefers winter because cows can get heat-stressed in summer.

“Cows do better in winter; we do better in winter,” he said.

University Landcare gardener Steve Chichester said though he’s worked outside for six years building irrigation systems, he’s never seen anyone get heat stroke.

To avoid heat-related injuries, Chichester said his team does more difficult jobs in the morning when it’s cooler.

Genetics and cell biology junior Joey Krenz drives a golf cart around campus for his summer Landcare job, which he said is a nice change from working in a lab during the school year.

Krenz said stays cool on the job by sprinkling water on himself as he waters flowers.

“It’s not as bad as you’d think,” he said.

To stay hydrated, Krenz said he fills a thermos with coffee and drinks it until his first break at 9 a.m., when he fills the thermos with water for the rest of the day. 

Working in the heat has been an “adjustment,” said architecture sophomore Nathan Tripp, who started working for Landcare at the beginning of the summer.

To avoid overheating, Tripp said he orders his daily tasks depending on the heat. He’ll do work requiring a heat-generating backpack blower during the cooler part of the day, for example, and save smaller jobs like pruning for the afternoon.

“It’s just a lot of common sense,” he said.

During the summer, Landcare supervisors hold weekly “toolbox talks” and in-depth safety meetings every other month to remind employees of the risks of being outside and how to avoid injury.

In addition to drinking lots of water, employees can stay hydrated by avoiding caffeine and large amounts of sugar, said Landcare supervisor Jason Grode.

Not drinking alcohol the night before work can also decrease the risk of heat illnesses, he said.

In the last eight years, Landcare has had no reports of heat-related injuries, Grode said.

Landcare work crews are given the option of starting an hour earlier on particularly hot days — which is healthy for employees and the landscape, he said. Laying turf, for example, is more effective when the ground is cool.

“It’s kind of a win-win situation when we can come in early,” he said.

Other risks of working outside

As a graduate student in the late 1970s, horticultural science professor Tom Michaels said he really enjoyed doing research outside.

“Back then, less was known [about skin cancer], and one of the great things about this field work was you could get a fantastic tan,” he said. “Now, I’m the guy with the big floppy hat.”

Working outside in the summer to plant beans for his research, Michaels said he worries more about the sun than the heat and reminds his research crew to wear long sleeves and put on sunscreen.

A constant reminder of the importance of staying safe in the sun is Bud Markhart, Michaels said, a University professor who died in 2012 from complications of melanoma.

Markhart always reminded faculty members to take care of themselves, Michaels said.

“Across the department, that had quite a big impact,” he said. “He certainly made us really aware of covering up.”

Although there is no uniform safety training for researchers like Michaels who spend long hours outside, he said he might look into it because having another reminder to take precautions can only help.

“Even though we practice common sense,” he said, “it’s easy to do dumb things.”

By: Roy Aker

With only five Greek houses open at the University of Minnesota over the summer, Arkeo will remain dormant for the season, but with plans to make changes before starting up again in the fall.

Since its inception and takeover by the University’s Interfraternity Council, Arkeo — a volunteer-based self-policing organization for the Greek community— has been evolving. This fall will be no different.

Spencer Olson, IFC’s president, said there wasn’t a need for Arkeo in the summer because of fewer social events and fraternity members living in Greek housing.

“I’m sure some stuff goes on, but most houses have half their capacity — if not a quarter of it — living there,” Olson said.

After a string of sexual assault allegations in 2010, the Greek self-policing system was put into place to better monitor activity in fraternity houses on Friday and Saturday nights.

Arkeo volunteers patrol registered events on those nights, observing party infractions and reporting back to IFC’s judicial board.

Olson said changes for fall 2013 will include increased training for volunteers to handle emergency situations.

In addition, a more “quantitative numbers system” will overhaul Arkeo’s current checklist system. Under that system, fraternities either passed or failed checks for compliance with rules like not serving hard alcohol at parties and having set guest lists for events.

The new system will be score compliance on a spectrum. Reports to the IFC will include an average score for each fraternity.

In addition, Arkeo volunteers will be outfitted in group apparel starting this fall, making them more recognizable to partygoers.

Olson said he expects Arkeo’s success will increase over time because of the changes, and Greek members will get used to the rules and what the IFC expects from fraternities.

“I’d love to live in a world where we don’t even have to have Arkeo, and chapters will follow the rules,” he said. “I think we’ve gotten better, so maybe we can be there in five or 10 years.”

By: Janice Bitters

Whether it’s alumni-owned microbreweries or agricultural research on hops and barley, the University of Minnesota has a rich relationship with brewing.

This relationship was celebrated Thursday at the University’s second annual U and Brew event, which included seven local, alumni-owned breweries

“We came here to drink beer and to celebrate the University of Minnesota’s research programs in hops and in barley,” said Phil Platt, marketing and membership director at the University’s Campus Club.

Each brewery offered samplings of their craft beers, but beer wasn’t the only thing on display.

A lone stand at the event showcased some of the University’s research efforts in the production of hops — a main beer ingredient — including information as detailed as the chemical makeup of the plant.

Josh Havill is an undergraduate research assistant in horticultural science. He has been working on the Saint Paul campus collecting data about the plant, which could be used to increase hops production in Minnesota, where factors like unpredictable weather can make hops difficult to grow.

Gathering data is a long and intensive process, Havill said, but is rewarding.

Brewers want locally grown ingredients, he said, and University research may help more brewers get their hands on hops grown in the state.

The number of brewers in Minnesota is growing, according to the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. Many credit a 2011 law passed by the Minnesota Legislature for the growth.

The “Surly Bill,” named for a Minnesota craft brewing company, allows microbrewers to sell the beer they produce in onsite taprooms.

By: Hailey Colwell

In an unstable job market, many students are turning to majors that assure job security after college.

But it’s still important for colleges to make the case for a liberal arts education, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Although the public has progressively placed more value on training for a specific career, colleges and universities have a duty to defend the skills gained from a humanities education, according to the report. These “broader” skills — like understanding other cultures and social situations — may make it easier for students to adapt to an ever-changing workforce. 

A liberal arts education may not always point to a specific job, but in the current economy it’s not the only type of degree with uncertain employment prospects, said University of Minnesota creative writing assistant professor Peter Campion. 

“Everybody has trouble finding jobs right now,” he said.

In the University’s College of Liberal Arts, “[I]t’s budget cut after budget cut,” Campion said, so now is an important time to justify supporting the University’s humanities programs.

“It’s going to take a team effort of teachers, students and administrators who really care,” he said.

CLA is transitioning from longtime dean James Parente , who announced in March his plans to step down at the end of June. Raymond Duvall, a political science professor, will serve as interim dean until a permanent replacement is selected.

The transition is a crucial time for securing the future of the liberal arts at the University, Campion said, and the new dean could head this effort.

“We have a good opportunity right now to use this search for a new dean,” he said, “and that can make a difference.”