As a Wisconsinite from the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, I have always kept myself knowledgeable of political issues surrounding both states, as they were both always relevant to my life. Despite living primarily in Minnesota for the past few years as a student, I have continually voted in Wisconsin, as it is a swing state, and every vote counts in major elections. Now, after living in Minneapolis for a few years, the issues that voters are deciding have become important to me, despite not directly having a voice in the matter.

Being politically active has always been an important part of my life even before I could vote, and especially now that I can vote. Not being able to vote in the Minneapolis election was devastating for me because the issues at hand were huge. However, discussing these issues with people who do have a vote made up for that. Even when we cannot physically vote, we always have the opportunity to inform, educate and make our voices heard.

Citizens of Minneapolis just voted in one of the most prominent elections we have seen in a while. Not only were citizens voting for the mayor, but they were also voting on three crucial ballot measures: the “Mayoral Control” charter amendment, creating a new department of public safety and authorizing the city council to enact rent control.

The issues at hand were instrumental for the state of Minnesota, and will continue to be regardless of the election results. It is necessary to explore and understand the consequences of the election outcome and what this means for the future of Minneapolis. Honestly, before going into detail of the election itself, the results of this election were a devastating loss for achieving necessary change in Minneapolis, especially after the tragic past couple years this city has seen.

The passage of the Executive Mayor-Legislative Council could be extremely harmful to the power of democracy for the simple fact that the amendment limits the power of the legislature and increases the power of the mayor. Weakening the power of elected officials in Minneapolis is extremely harmful to the people who live here. It also limits the potential for these elected officials to fulfil the needs of their constituents and pass their policy agendas.

In my mind, the most devastating loss on this ballot was on question two: the issue of public safety. In Minneapolis, we have witnessed a devastating amount of police brutality throughout the city’s history, and 2020 truly exemplified the need for a new public safety system. For far too long, the Minneapolis Police Department has been unrestrained in their authority. The racist systems and laws that MPD is built upon continues to enable this unjust behavior with zero accountability. The initiative to create a new department of public safety in the city of Minneapolis would have been monumental and had the potential to put an end to the abusive system currently in place.

However, the third question on the ballot, which allows the city council to enact rent control, passed. This was a major step in the right direction to promote affordable housing in Minneapolis, as it allows the city to take measures to stabilize rent and combat the major increase in rent. In recent years, Minneapolis has become extremely unaffordable and has made homelessness one of the most pressing issues within the city.

This election was quite devastating. I believe that if there was any time for major change in Minneapolis, it is now, especially considering the recent events we have all witnessed. However, at the end of the day, Minneapolis citizens spoke and made their decision, and all we can do now is to continue to advocate for meaningful and necessary changes within this city.

For far too long, our calls for change have been ignored — particularly, those relating to the climate crisis. Time after time, those who have called for change have been ridiculed and ignored. Now is no different. The damage done is already irreversible, but it is not too late to limit the impact that greenhouse gases and other toxic emissions have had on our planet. However, that window for change is rapidly closing.

On Oct. 11, thousands of climate activists began protesting in D.C. for President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency and to end the use of fossil fuels. The event began on Indigenous Peoples Day, and many Indigenous leaders were among the protesters. Thousands traveled from all over the country to join the protest in hopes of finally forcing the government to take action on this world-wide issue, and for President Biden to hold true to his campaign promise to protect our planet. Protestors were not afraid to point out these clear flaws within the Biden administration and demanded more action.

Over 100 protestors, including Indigenous leaders, were arrested in front of the White House that day.

The cries for help have been ignored for years, and as the issue worsens every single day, the government continues to fail to make the necessary changes. Pipelines are continually being built, oil spills continue to kill our marine life (notably the recent 25,000 gallon oil spill in Southern California in early October), natural disasters continue to reach extremes and our planet continues to suffer for the careless nature of humanity. Not to mention the fact that climate change disproportionately affects those who are subject to socioeconomic inequalities, oftentimes leaving communities of color victim to environmental hazards, opening the issue of environmental racism.

Environmental racism is the oppression of low-income and communities of color through environmental practices and policies that place these communities near polluting facilities, pipelines or major highways. As a result, communities of color are victim to harmful pollutants at a much higher rate than white and wealthier communities. These practices have disproportionately affected the overall health and well-being of communities of color at a much higher rate than white communities. We need to ensure that our government is fighting to achieve environmental justice and protecting all communities, granting everyone the right to a clean and healthy environment.

President Biden called for the support of communities of color to be elected into office, and while there seems to have been an effort, he still has a long way to go in staying true to his promises. It is our job, as citizens, to hold him accountable and ensure that he assumes responsibility to uphold his promise to combat both environmental racism and the climate crisis at large.

At the end of October, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP26) will meet for two weeks to discuss the issue of climate change, and hopefully set forward a plan to aggressively address the issue by cutting greenhouse gases and emissions to preserve the planet. Due to the pandemic, the meeting did not take place last year. In order to “preserve” Earth, the only option is to take rapid measures to decrease toxic emissions, cutting emissions in half worldwide by 2030. If that goal is not achieved, we will likely be too far gone to avoid the worst of climate change’s impacts.

While we are moving forward on a bumpy path plagued by the industrialization of the world, it is of utmost importance to advocate for environmental justice. We have such a short time to make such a major change, and we need all hands on deck. To get involved, reach out to local legislators, get involved to put an end to projects in our communities that contribute to this rapidly growing issue and do your research to learn more about this crisis. The only way we put an end to climate change is if we do it together. No more excuses. We need to make a change, and we need to do it now.

The first half of this semester has flown by, and we are already nearing the second most dreaded time of the year: midterm season. Midterms are never easy for anyone, and with the first round of in-person midterms since before the pandemic quickly approaching, who knows what we are in for. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am not prepared whatsoever, and on top of nervously watching deadlines get closer and closer, I have contracted the dreadful cold going around campus. So, not only do I have countless papers to write and exams to study for, but I also have had the energy completely sucked out of me due to this illness. This combination has definitely taken a toll on my mental health, and I am sure that I am not alone in feeling this way.

The transition back to in-person has not been the smoothest process for me, and one of my biggest fears has been taking a real, in-person exam. The idea of having to actually study and prepare for a closed-book, closed-note exam is, for some reason, mind-boggling. I threw my positive study habits out the window when the pandemic began and we transitioned to online classes, and they have remained dormant, until now. So here I am, scrambling to figure out a new system that works for me and combats my terrible pandemic-born study habits.

To combat my growing anxieties — and sickness — I have been taking measures to ensure that I am in the best physical and mental state to succeed, and here is how I am doing it. Firstly, I am ensuring that I am sleeping a solid 8 hours every night, because I know that without proper sleep, I will not be able to complete everything I need to do, and even if I do complete my work, it will not be good quality. With a full night’s sleep, I know that my brain will be attentive and prepared to get work done. Secondly, I am keeping distractions away. As I discussed last week, I deleted TikTok, and my productivity improved drastically. Without TikTok, I have nothing keeping me from getting my work done, and I have been completing my assignments twice as fast as usual. Lastly, I have been doing whatever I can to study with friends over coffee, so I am able to socialize productively and prevent myself from becoming lonely at a time when we are all struggling with a mutual problem.

I think during a time like this, reaching out to the people you are close with is extremely important, and in my experience, can improve your mental health drastically. For me, studying with my friends can go either way — it can be super productive, or it can be the most distracting thing in the world. For me, I tend to thrive in coffee shops, so I often camp out inside the nearest Caribou until my work is done. This satisfies my social needs (even if I am alone) and puts me in a productive environment that helps me get my work done. In order to survive midterms, find a system that works for you, and stick to it — but make sure that you are taking care of yourself and your needs.

While your priorities may be focused on school, do not neglect your other needs. Remember that it is okay to take breaks. Reach out to friends and family, or even to mental health providers as needed. This midterm season is bound to be a stressful experience for most, but remember that you are not alone. Take care of yourself, and nail these midterms. We’ve got this, Gophers!

When I downloaded TikTok back in 2019, I saw it as a casual pastime. It was a harmless, comedic app that I didn’t really care for all too much. However, once the algorithm took hold, it was game over … for me. The app quickly consumed every moment of my life. Why would I do homework when I could be on TikTok? I may have a final to study for or a paper to write, but what if I miss something hilarious on my For You page? I guess you could say I had developed an addiction — and when the pandemic began, it only got worse.

As the pandemic began, TikTok became a form of comfort for me — something that would always be there whenever I needed a little escape (that and Animal Crossing, of course). Now, it has grown into an addiction that occupies all of my time, constantly misguiding me into an endless montage of the same thing over and over — and I cannot stop. No matter how hard I try to be a good student and focus on getting my work done, I am somehow always catching myself taking numerous hour-long breaks to complete a simple assignment that should take no longer than an hour. As someone who struggles with procrastination, TikTok has been both my best friend and my worst enemy. The app knows me so well, as any best friend should, but they also whisper in my ear, convincing me to do all the wrong things.

As much as I enjoy watching thousands of videos of people making Emily Mariko’s viral salmon rice recipe or whatever other trends are on TikTok, I’ve decided that enough is enough. This app has taken over my life for far too long, and something needs to change. So, I have decided, with a heavy heart, that I must part ways with an algorithm that knows my every thought before I even have them myself. TikTok has made up more of my personality than I would like to admit. And, of course, it has provided me with videos that have demolished my sleep schedule for yet another semester.

While writing this, I have checked TikTok three separate times. As much as I’d like to argue that it’s just because I am writing this, that is definitely not the case. Even when I am not thinking about TikTok, it has become routine to check the app, because what better way to procrastinate on yet another task? I have tried everything. I have put timers on the app and even put my phone across the room when I need to get something done. Somehow, my phone always ends up back in my hand and I am back in bed scrolling through for hours on end.

I have been telling myself I would delete TikTok for months, and now I am finally holding myself accountable. I will no longer allow myself to be consumed by an app that has become the first thing I open when I wake up and the last thing I close out of before I go to sleep at night. As we quickly begin to near the end of 2021, and as midterms begin, I want to hold myself accountable and make positive, healthy changes in my life — and I think this is a good first step in the right direction. So with that being said, I have officially deleted TikTok from my phone. Hopefully, I am strong enough to resist temptation and keep it this way, because suddenly, I feel relieved.

Since this past summer, when everything felt like it might finally be returning to normal, I feel that many people forgot about the dangers that COVID-19 possesses and became careless. Now, I totally understand the desire to make the most of your college experience — I mean, my freshman year of college ended early because of the pandemic, and my sophomore year was completely virtual. Fast forward to now, I am in my junior and final year of undergrad. As much as I wish I could partake in a number of activities that are definitely not COVID-19 safe, I continue to tell myself that the risk of getting sick is not worth it. I do not want to lose everything that we have finally regained. I already feel as though I am learning so much more, and am actually enjoying my classes now that we are not attending Zoom University. However, if we are not careful, we could lose this privilege in an instant.

Perhaps I am more nervous than most about losing our in-class experiences because of my job. I work at a restaurant near campus and many students, along with non-students, are consistently passing through. While some people are very proactive about wearing their masks, many are not. I worked during the homecoming football game and served upwards of a thousand people within the span of my 8-hour shift. People were crammed together, waiting in line and the mass majority of people that came through the line were without a mask. Ever since, I have become extremely wary of the likelihood that our classes continue in-person for the entirety of the semester.

The University’s vaccination requirements have definitely eased my mind to some degree, but that does not mean the fear is not there. I am sure that I am not alone when I say that when sitting in a lecture and someone sneezes, coughs or shows any other symptom of sickness, I cannot help but look over in a state of mild fear. Every day, I continue to check the COVID-19 cases at the University and throughout the Twin Cities. With Halloween and other holidays quickly approaching, I fear we could have a similar situation to last fall, when there were 78 positive cases among students the week following Halloween and 254 positive cases the week after that — both with one clear connection: Halloween. So far, this fall is not as bad in terms of cases on campus, and I think that is largely due to the mask mandate and vaccination requirement for campus buildings. However, it’s what happens off-campus that causes these numbers to rise exponentially, and with in-person classes, what happens off-campus makes its way into classrooms if people are not cautious.

I cannot stop you from attending parties, or from going out to the bars on a Friday night, but I can and will ask that you are mindful of everyone around you and recognize the danger that you could be putting yourselves and others in by doing so. Please, wear a mask, get vaccinated and if you feel sick, stay home and get tested. It is not worth endangering the lives of others for one night of fun.

At the young age of six years old, my mother got me hooked on reality television, especially my all-time favorite show, “Big Brother.” First airing in the summer of 2000, “Big Brother” has been a staple of American reality television and was my first exposure to it. I will always cherish the memories I made watching this show with my mother three nights a week, our eyes glued to the screen. For as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with this show — from the drama, to the competitiveness, to the endless underdog stories, it was the perfect show in my mind. However, looking back now, I fear that love came from a place of ignorance. Now, with a much greater understanding of the world around me and the ability to recognize the flaws within the show’s history, it has become hard for me to enjoy watching it like I once did.

CBS’ “Big Brother” and “Survivor” both have questionable histories, largely regarding their casting techniques or the cast themselves. Both series have historically struggled with achieving proportional representation in terms of diversity. One of the most prominent controversies is easily “Survivor: Cook Islands.” This was a season that was completely divided along racial lines, featuring four tribes all segregated based on their ethnicities. Ironically, this season was the second most diverse season within the entire franchise, despite the overwhelming controversy surrounding this season’s format. “Big Brother 15” and “Big Brother 21” faced major controversies due to countless racist, homophobic and other discriminatory actions that the cast exhibited. The scandals and controversies surrounding these seasons were endless, and honestly, I don’t think any recent season has gone by without producing numerous scandals. The contestants are on live feeds 24/7, so people are watching their every move and listening to every word they say. They do not seem to care about that, because a number of them have lost their jobs and slandered their name because of their completely offensive words and actions while on the show.

Even without these scandals, the casting measures that CBS takes for these shows are horrendous, with a complete lack of diversity in the mass majority of them. Within this issue lies a plethora of cast members with microaggressions, and a number making completely racially insensitive, and even ableist comments. By continuing to cast people like this, it has ruined countless seasons. Every season of “Big Brother” has featured a maximum of 1-2 members of the LGBTQ+ community, a handful of non-white individuals — and if we’re lucky, they won’t be the first targets of the “white majority” alliances or groups — and very few people above the age of 30 in many seasons. However, starting this year, everything has seemingly begun to change. CBS has vowed that all future casts within these franchises will be at least 50 percent Black, Indigenous, and people of color. This commitment was honored, and the “Big Brother 23” cast this summer consisted of 8 non-white cast members and 4 LGBTQ+ cast members — making history within the series. I was extremely impressed with the diversity within the cast as a whole, and at that point, the only thing that could make this cast any better is if the first Black winner would come from this season. To my delight, this season’s final six consisted of the six Black people within the cast, guaranteeing the first Black person to win in the franchise’s history. After 23 seasons, there would finally be a Black winner.

While the new “Survivor 41” cast looks promising and lives up to the show’s commitment to diversity, I am excited to see if the new season (and new era) lives up to the hype that its counterpart, “Big Brother,” created for it. I think that the media has a lot of work to do in terms of diversifying content. While I appreciate the steps that CBS and other producers have taken, I do believe that this is an area they always should improve upon. Despite improvements, I feel that reality TV shows can diversify their casts further when it comes to featuring more cultural and ethnic diversity, LGBTQ+ representation, and a wider range of age groups. When people watch television, many want someone they can connect and relate to, and without programs that are inclusive to everyone, that will never be truly achievable.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, I have been extremely cautious and skeptical of public events, and have restrained myself from going out into the public unless absolutely necessary. We all have different definitions of necessary. Even when the pandemic was at its worst, bars were still overcrowded, parties still happened and nightclubs stayed open (without a mask in sight, might I add). For me, when I saw the tour dates for Phoebe Bridger’s “Punisher” tour, I knew that, for me, it was a necessity. This was my first “big” event since the pandemic began and honestly, I was really nervous. I hadn’t been to a concert in years, and with COVID-19 remaining a very prevalent issue, I felt a plethora of conflicting emotions and feelings. I felt nervous, excited, but most of all, I felt guilty. I felt guilty because even though I am fully vaccinated and wear a mask wherever I go, I could still be putting myself and others at risk. Furthermore, I felt hypocritical for buying tickets, but at the time, the COVID-19 pandemic had appeared to be heading in a positive direction (which was very short-lived).

However, when the venue of the concert changed and the entry rules improved, I felt much more comfortable going. The concert was originally at the Palace Theater in St. Paul, but due to COVID-19 and other health issues, all shows were moved to an outdoor venue, and later required vaccinations and masks. Suddenly, my worries were lessened, and I could finally focus on the matter at hand: I was seeing Phoebe Bridgers. I have been obsessed with her music for the longest time, and when she released Punisher in the summer of 2020, I was hooked. It easily became one of my favorite albums of all time. So, to finally have the chance to see her live, I could not be more excited.

My friends and I arrived at the Surly Brewing Field at around 2:30 p.m with plenty of time to kill, considering Phoebe was set to perform at 8 p.m. We sat on the sidewalk outside the venue in the scorching sun and chatted with the surrounding people who had flown all the way from Wyoming for the concert and quickly became friends. When the gates opened at 5 p.m., we all swarmed in like bees drawn to honey. Some of us were running one way to get merchandise, the rest of us running toward the stage to get the best view possible of the show, and I was running to the nearest port-a-potty before it was too late to change my mind. Regardless, we ended up around the fifth row and excitedly awaited the opening act, MUNA, to perform in a few hours.

The show did not disappoint whatsoever. MUNA was beyond impressive and engaging. As always, Phoebe astounded me with her passionate vocals and lyricism that took on a whole new form live. I will say, I was disappointed that I did not get to hear her songs “Funeral” or “Me & My Dog” live, but I will forgive her because her performance of “I Know The End” was life changing. I am pretty sure that performance physically picked me up and set me down into a new life in a matter of six minutes. Needless to say, it was a beautiful and breathtaking performance all around, and a day that I will cherish forever.

Nevertheless, it posed the question in my mind: what will public events look like in the future, and how will the “re-introduction” of these events play out with the new variants of COVID-19 running rampant? I see pictures of people attending college football games without a mask in sight and those same people going to bars and clubs every weekend. I can only imagine how these activities will influence the COVID-19 rates, especially as the new school year begins with in-person classes. What can we expect from here? I feel that at the current rate, I am expecting the worst, but maybe I will be in for a pleasant surprise.

I’ve been a fan of Lorde since the second I heard her single “Royals” on the radio for the first time. Something about her freshman album “Pure Heroine” just drew me in more than any album had before. Maybe it was the teenage hormones, or just the fact that every song on that album is pop-perfection to this day, but “Pure Heroine” really resonated with me. However, it was her second album, “Melodrama” that truly absorbed me. “Melodrama” secured my belief that Lorde is truly one of the best artists of this generation and could create musical masterpieces one after another. Never before had I listened to an album that told such a cohesive and beautifully devastating story within 12 tracks. After five years of anticipation building for Lorde’s junior album, I finally knew it was coming when I saw her on the performer’s list for Primavera Sound 2022. What had felt like a lifetime of waiting had finally ended, and I was ready for Lorde to shatter my heart into a million pieces once again.

When her first single, “Solar Power” dropped on June 11, I was overwhelmed with joy. My favorite artist was finally making her official return. However, I was not expecting THIS. I was ready to hop right back into my “sad girl” era, and bawl my eyes out to another lyrical stab to the heart that was just a little too relatable. That was not what she delivered. This song felt… happy? Was I supposed to be happy now? Lorde is supposed to tells me how to feel, so I guess I am happy now. The music video told a completely different story from her previous work, with a clear message about climate change and humanity’s impact on this once beautiful world. The video, in my mind, also resembled a very “cult-like” image. While this is arguably one of my least favorite songs on the album, I will say that this song and music video was the perfect way to reveal the theme of “Solar Power”.

The next two singles, “Stoned at the Nail Salon” and “Mood Ring” did not disappoint. “Stoned at the Nail Salon” scratched that sad spot with a relatable reflection on her teen years. She completely reeled me in with lyrics revolving around her existential dilemma of getting older. “Mood Ring” on the other hand was a completely different experience. The lyrics were completely satirical and discussed the trend of this generation’s sense of pseudo-spirituality and pseudo-wellness and appropriation of many indigenous and eastern practices. This song did muster up some controversy because of the subtlety surrounding the appropriation within the song, leaving fans wondering whether this is truly satire or an offensive impersonation of a character.

I stayed up all night, excitedly waiting for the album to be released in the United States and truly analyze the album as a whole. Upon my first listen, I realized the concept behind the album as a whole was very clear: climate change. The world is dying and as a result, we are too. The album contains an extensive amount of self-reflection, and subtle jabs at past generations for killing this planet with their pollutive tendencies and disregard for maintaining the state of the earth (and in a sense, their children), all for wealth and material goods has led to the destruction of our planet. One song in particular that truly captured this energy was “Fallen Fruit”. In my opinion, this is one of the most meaningful songs on the album.

As a result of the state of the earth that our parents have left us to live in, Lorde asks: “Do you know what you’ve done? How could you have left us with this?”. Due to the growth of capitalism and industrialization, many ecosystems have been completely killed off, and it seems as though all of our generation’s dreams are meaningless because it’s very unlikely that the majority of us will live long enough to fulfill them because of the irreparable damage they have caused.

Despite what the critics have said about this album, with Pitchfork rating “Solar Power” a 6.8, as opposed to “Pure Heroine” being ranked 7.3 and “Melodrama” being ranked 8.8, this album is easily one of my favorite albums of the year. I appreciate the laid-back production, the beautiful lyricism discussing her fear of growing older and what the future of the world holds for our generation, if anything at all. I feel that the reason this album has received such criticism is due to the fact it had a lot to live up to following the masterpiece that is “Melodrama,” especially after Lorde’s five-year hiatus. While I was not disappointed with this album in the slightest, I do believe that it will be hard to ever come close to topping “Melodrama.”