By: Meritte Dahl

Hennepin County has taken the first step toward potentially relocating the public library in Dinkytown.

The county is assessing whether to remodel or relocate the Southeast Library, said Hennepin County Capital Projects project manager Kelli Koob. In the fall, the county will discuss the decision with community members after examining the condition of the 50-year-old building.

The library is used mostly by Marcy-Holmes, Como and Prospect Park residents, but about a third of visitors are University students, said librarian Eric Heideman.

 “We’re the only general library on the East Bank,” Heideman said. “We’re known in particular for our science-fiction collection.”

Todd Mulloy of Roseville checked out a few graphic novels Saturday. He said he visits the library every 10 days.

The Southeast Library has more graphic novels than the libraries near his home, Mulloy said.

Materials science graduate student Sam Blass said he requests books from other Minneapolis libraries and picks them up at the Dinkytown location, which is close to his home.

Besides books, the Southeast Library offers a gathering place for students and campus’ surrounding residents.

The library regularly hosts community events and is getting ready to start its summer reading program, Heideman said.

A group of University students came in for knitting sessions several times this past year, he said, and a Mandarin-Chinese conversation circle meets weekly.

The library’s walls regularly feature artwork by students from Marcy Open School and community artists, Heideman said.

“The brick walls seem to go well with just about any kind of artwork,” he said.

The library’s building was designed by Ralph Rapson — who headed the University’s School of Architecture from 1954-84 — as a State Capitol Credit Union office in 1963. Four years later, the building was renovated and opened as the Southeast Library.

Former Dinkytown resident Nick Zabitchuck said he comes to the library to read the paper in a quiet location.

The library doesn’t do a great job of getting non-fiction books anymore, Zabitchuck said. He noticed a change after Hennepin County Library merged with Minneapolis Public Libraries in 2008.

 “It’s kind of a poorly stocked library,” said Seward resident Nicholas Costello.

He said he checks out books at the Southeast Library two to three times a month, and the Internet there is faster than at other libraries in the city, he said.

Hennepin County is forming a group, Friends of the Southeast Library, in the fall to encourage neighborhood involvement with the library. There are similar groups across the county that aid in fundraising and volunteer recruitment for libraries.

University students are encouraged to lend their voice to the relocation discussion.

“Right now, we’re not sure what students are looking for in a public library,” Koob said.

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved a $12 million capital budget for remodeling or relocating the library.

The county’s building analysis should be completed by mid- to late summer, Koob said, and a relocation decision will be made in early 2014, following discussions in the fall.

 “The process is really just beginning,” she said.

By: Jessica Lee

Minnesota legislators have five weeks to decide if they want to repeal the state’s law banning same-sex marriages — an action supporters say will help the economy, but opponents say isn’t right for the state.

Many opponents of the bill to allow same-sex couples to marry in the state say it reflects the beliefs of metro-area Minnesotans but not those from greater Minnesota.

The two Democratic-Famer-Labor Party legislators who proposed the bill are from Minneapolis, and support to repeal the state law in the metro area far exceeds greater Minnesota.

The rift between metro and rural Minnesotans has also caused difficulty for DFL legislators whose party largely supports same-sex marriage but whose constituents have made clear they do not.

Same-sex marriage proponents have rallied in the Twin Cities recently to gather support while opponents have headed to all corners of the state.

On Thursday, nearly a thousand people cheered in the April snow, urging state legislators to vote in favor of the bills that would allow same-sex marriage starting in August.

Hosted by Minnesotans United for All Families and OutFront Minnesota, the event on the Capitol’s mall attracted students, families and couples.

“It was a huge crowd despite the sleet and bad weather,” said Minnesotans United spokesman Jake Loesch. “That’s just a testament to how much people want this.”

The bill would allow religious institutions to marry same-sex couples but wouldn’t require it.

“Under the Constitution of the United States, as an American citizen, you have a right to the same guarantees and protections as anyone else,” said Gov. Mark Dayton. “Fundamental to our way of life and society is the freedom to marry the person you love.”

A recent study by the Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law found 43 percent of people in Minnesota are in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.

A Star Tribune poll in February found 38 percent of Minnesotans support the measure.

Autumn Leva, spokeswoman for Minnesota for Marriage, said those percentages decrease further away from the metro area.

The Star Tribune poll found 57 percent of people in Hennepin and Ramsey counties support same-sex marriage while only 19 percent said the same in outstate Minnesota.

Greater Minnesota is “very, very much opposed to the metro area’s attempt to force gay marriage on the rest of the state,” she said.

After spending two weekends sponsoring rallies in Duluth, Rochester and other cities, Leva said people in those areas are telling their legislators: “‘No, please don’t do this; that’s not what I sent you to St. Paul to do.’”

Various groups have weighed in on the divisive issue, citing different effects of passing the legislation.

A week before Minnesotans United rallied at the Capitol on Thursday, several prominent state businessmen and women wrote a letter sponsored by Minnesotans United advising the governor and Legislature to pass the bills, arguing it would help the state’s economy.

“Discrimination is bad for business,” it said. “A welcoming state is essential to recruiting and retaining the best young talent.”

Authors of the letter said allowing same-sex marriage in Minnesota would lead to “economic prosperity.”

According to another report by the Williams Institute, same-sex marriages could boost Minnesota’s economy by $42 million.

The weddings and tourism activity would create new jobs and also add $3 million in tax revenue within the first three years of its implementation, according to the report.

While same-sex marriage seems to be a divisive issue for some proponents and opponents of the bills, others said they don’t have anything against it because it doesn’t affect them.

“We shouldn’t be holding them back from having the same opportunities,” said Emilee Engler, a park recreation and leisure studies freshman.

She said although her religion doesn’t agree with the marriages, she doesn’t think the law should prohibit the weddings from happening just because her beliefs don’t match.

“It wouldn’t harm me,” Engler said.

Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, sponsor of the House’s version, said the Legislature is close to having enough votes to pass same-sex marriage, but there are still some legislators who are undecided or haven’t voiced their opinions.

Thursday’s rally came a day after Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing, announced he would amend his civil unions bill — which is yet to receive its first hearing — to omit the word “marriage” from state law entirely and put “civil union” in its place.

Kelly’s proposal, amended or not, has received heavy criticism from same-sex marriage supporters.

Dayton said at the rally that people don’t want to have civil unions — they want to be married.

Opponents of same-sex marriage don’t agree with passing the civil unions bill either, Leva said.

“We believe marriage is the best policy for the state,” she said. “We believe it is the only policy we have that uniquely and purposely connects kids with their parents. That’s something worth keeping.”

By: Branden Largent

Samantha Smith treated a patient with congestive heart failure in a large hospital room Thursday afternoon.

The University of Minnesota nursing senior administered medication on her patient using a syringe pump as a teaching assistant observed.

She was careful to give steady doses at a safe rate to avoid side effects like hearing loss.

But that wasn’t actually a concern — Smith’s patient was a mannequin, and the hospital room was part of the Bentson Healthy Communities Innovation Center, a new educational simulation lab for nursing students that the University School of Nursing showed off at a grand opening event Thursday.

Students can work with new lab equipment in rooms replicating hospital, intensive-care, nursing home, clinical and home-care environments, School of Nursing Dean Connie Delaney said.

The $7.8 million project was privately funded.

Nursing students treat each other as well as mannequins that simulate breathing, heartbeats, wheezing and even bowel sounds, school spokeswoman Barbara Schlaefer said.

Instructors can control how the mannequins respond to the nurses’ treatment and can make them “die” if the students make mistakes, Schlaefer said.

Annette Schwendinger, a family nurse practitioner faculty member, said the simulated environments are important because students learn more in realistic scenarios.

“Being in here is so much more lifelike,” Schwendinger said.

The 11,000-square-foot simulation lab triples the size of the previous lab space, which was more than 25 years old and had outdated equipment, Delaney said.

“It wasn’t in tune with contemporary health delivery,” Delaney said.

For example, nursing students had to raise and lower hospital beds with a crank, although modern beds are operated electronically, said Eunice Areba, a teaching assistant and doctoral candidate.

Marissa Lill, a doctorate of nursing practice student, said the space helps students become comfortable in realistic nursing environments.

“If we can tackle that part of it before we’re actually out in real practice, it’s just one less thing to worry about,” said Lill, who was giving Areba a physical exam after she came in with “lower back pain.”

She then walked into the next room to examine Mrs. Robinson, a patient with a cough and swollen legs — but who was actually a nursing student in a gray wig.

The lab introduces new equipment that nurses will likely see in real working environments, said Sarah Hoffman, a teaching assistant in the skills lab.

The center’s 38 remotely controlled cameras allow students to record themselves working so they can review their performance later, she said.

“You get to practice and make mistakes before anything ever reaches a patient,” Hoffman said.

Nursing students can also work on case studies with students in other health professions, like medical and pharmacy students, Delaney said.

Megan Lifto, a first-year doctorate of nursing practice student, helps teach nursing students how to operate lifting equipment they would use in nursing home environments or on patients with spinal cord injuries.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to practice with the equipment that they’re going to see,” Lifto said.

Molly Huggins, a junior nursing student, spent her afternoon in the intensive care unit treating a mannequin with severe pneumonia.

Huggins said she wishes the lab had opened a year earlier so she could have used it as a sophomore, which is the year students work in lab simulations once a week.

“We’re jealous,” she said.

By: Jessica Lee

The Minnesota House and Senate are split on how much to give the University of Minnesota for new construction projects and building upkeep.

On Thursday, the Senate released its preliminary $750 million bonding proposal, which mirrors Gov. Mark Dayton’s $72 million recommendation to renovate the Tate Laboratory of Physics and update aging University infrastructure.

The proposal, which suggests $57 million to renovate Tate on the East Bank and $15 million for the upkeep of buildings and facilities on all five campuses, is roughly $30 million less than the House version and most notably doesn’t include money to renovate the Bell Museum of Natural History and Planetarium.

The University only requested $6 million to design a new Tate Lab, but the governor and Senate recommended funding the entire construction.

The Senate proposal hasn’t yet been heard in committee. Last week, the Senate higher education committee heard additional bonding proposals.

Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, DFL-Plummer, who’s responsible for creating the Senate bonding bill, brought bills to the Senate higher education committee that would allocate $75 million for Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement at the University and $2.5 million for a wellness center at the Crookston campus.

The two proposals are separate from the Senate Capital Investment committee’s omnibus bonding proposal.

Funding for the Bell Museum relocation, a project spearheaded by Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, wasn’t included in the University’s 2013 capital budget request.

Pam Wheelock, vice president for University Services, said Thursday at the hearing it was left out because the University has tried and failed to get the money for years.

The University shifted its request this year to fit with its mission and commitment to research, Wheelock said.

“Decisions were advanced tied to the academic priorities,” she said.

The University’s $170 million request outlines money to renovate Eddy Hall — an idea absent from the Senate and governor’s recommendations as well.

The University’s first priority is receiving HEAPR funding, which funds building construction and maintenance projects on the school’s five campuses.

Wheelock said a quarter of University buildings are more than 70 years old, and the renovation money from the state would ease the burden on students to offset construction costs through fees and increased tuition.

University Chief Financial Officer Richard Pfutzenreuter said although the bonding proposals fall short of their request, the University is thankful for what the state has allocated.

“We always submit to the state our most critical needs,” he said, “but we know that the governor and the elected officials in both the House and the Senate have to set priorities among lots of competing interests around the state of Minnesota.”

Stumpf’s proposals for more HEAPR and the Crookston Wellness Center were passed to the Finance Committee, as was the Senate Bonding Bill.

Hausman’s bonding bill in the House, which passed the Ways and Means Committee last week, has been referred to the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee.

Pfutzenreuter said the University will be lobbying to increase money for construction projects and upkeep as the bills move forward.

Also at the Capitol this week, the bill that increases funding for the University passed its last checkpoint before it hits the House floor.

Legislators, while passing the bill forward, again raised concerns over transparency and spending at the University. Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, said he wants the Legislature to have a bigger say in how the University spends

By: Samuel Gordon

The Gophers are tied for first place in the Big Ten with a 7-2 record.

But that mark doesn’t mean a lot to head coach John Anderson, whose Gophers have five conference series left on their schedule.

“I hope we’re not watching the standings,” he said. “I’m more worried about us and where we’re at right now. We’ve got to get ourselves in a good place before Friday.”

The Gophers beat Augsburg 4-1 on Tuesday, but Anderson said he got the sense that some of his players are trying too hard.

“Too focused on the results,” he said. “We’ve got to get back to enjoying the game and not worrying so much about results.”

Minnesota has won four games in a row and seven of its past eight. It swept Northwestern on the road in its last Big Ten series.

Freshman relief pitcher Dalton Sawyer said he thinks the Gophers have a legitimate chance to win the conference, and the numbers back that up.

Minnesota is third in the conference in team ERA, and its pitchers lead the league in strikeouts.

“We definitely have the pitching to [win the conference],” Sawyer said. “Anybody at the top probably thinks that.”

Offensively, the Gophers are ranked ninth in batting average. But their timely hitting has improved lately, and they’re winning close games as a result. Five of Minnesota’s Big Ten wins have come by three runs or less.

“We’re staying relaxed,” sophomore utility player Mark Tatera said. “Work your counts, work your game. That’s a big part of why we’re having

success.”

Rec sports dome creates distracting glare

The Student Recreational Sports Dome behind the left-center field fence at Siebert Field creates a distracting glare on sunny days.

Anderson said the glare off the white Teflon dome was giving players trouble during batting practice.

The sun was out during Minnesota’s 1-0 win over Ohio State on April 7, during which the teams combined for four hits.

By: Drew Claussen

The Gophers have a chance to redeem themselves at home this weekend after a disappointing midweek doubleheader on the road.

Minnesota (26-15, 9-5 Big Ten) will welcome Michigan State, the team directly behind them in the Big Ten standings, to the Jane Sage Cowles Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday.

The Gophers have been working toward offensive consistency all season, but Tuesday’s doubleheader losses at Nebraska showed there is work to be done.

Minnesota failed to get a hit after the third inning of the first game in Lincoln, and it was shut down by Huskers’ pitcher Tatum Edwards in the second game.

Head coach Jessica Allister said the Gophers need to perform better at the plate and improve at making adjustments.

She also said she wasn’t planning to focus on anything specific in the limited amount of practice time the team had before the series with Michigan State.

“It’s just continuing to improve on different areas,” Allister said. “Get a little bit better at everything, and get back on the field.”

The two teams are on the opposite side of the spectrum in terms of fielding. Minnesota leads the Big Ten with a .969 fielding percentage, and Michigan State was second-to-last entering Wednesday’s games with a .953 percentage.

Fielding percentage is calculated by taking the number of putouts and assists and dividing that number by total chances (putouts, assists and errors).

Pitching will be equally important this weekend.

Michigan State is near the bottom of the conference in most offensive categories, so Minnesota’s offense shouldn’t need a lot of runs if junior ace Sara Moulton and the rest of the Gophers’ staff can shut down the Spartans’ bats.

Moulton (22-9) is coming off her first average outing in recent memory. She pitched five innings and gave up three earned runs on eight hits while striking out four in the first game at Nebraska.

By: Nickalas Tabbert

Jon DuToit knows he only needs one tournament to get his consistency back.

The freshman on the Gophers men’s golf team inserted himself in the Gophers lineup this year, but he’s missed much of the spring season due to injury.

DuToit developed tendinitis in his wrist during spring break when the Gophers competed in the Linger Longer Invitational in Georgia. He returned to the lineup last weekend at the Hawkeye Invitational.

When the Chaska, Minn., native makes the lineup, he plays well. And only senior Erik Van Rooyen and junior Alex Gaugert have competed in more rounds this school year.

DuToit said competing against six upperclassmen made him wonder early in the season how he would fit in the lineup.

“I knew it was going to be kind of tough to get in the lineup right away,” he said.

Once he made it, he wasn’t surprised to become one of the Gophers’ best and most consistent contributors. Head coach John Carlson has shown high praise for DuToit throughout the season.

But dealing with an injury was a new experience for DuToit. He said he wondered how much pain would exist each time he swung.

“It was a battle both mentally and physically,” he said.

The pain wore him down during the second of two 18-hole rounds last Saturday, he said. His score Sunday reflected that fatigue, as he finished with the team’s worst score in the third round.

That hasn’t been the case for most of the year. DuToit tied Van Rooyen for the best score at the season-opening Gopher Invitational and finished third or better on the team in every other tournament prior to his injury.

DuToit said his health should be back to normal now, though he said he hasn’t had many opportunities to “get the rust off” and fully swing a golf club.

The driver has been DuToit’s best club this year. He said he’s driven the ball straight and put himself in good positions off the tee.

But he said his other clubs in the bag are more important for shooting a low score.

“My iron game and my putting is what it comes down to,” he said.

DuToit said it is “extremely important” to hit quality shots and shoot good scores this weekend as it is his last chance to develop a rhythm before the Big Ten championships April 26-28.

By: Nickalas Tabbert

Jim and Meg Stephenson sat between the stacked tumbling mats and the spring-loaded floor apparatus in Peik Gymnasium on campus Saturday afternoon.

Gymnastics practice had just ended, and the excited cheers and laughter from the women on the team had fallen silent. Only the sound of the air vents surrounded the coaches.

The gymnasts were preparing for their first trip to the NCAA championships this weekend in Los Angeles. Meg and Jim were preparing for their third trip in 21 years at Minnesota.

This season marked the 32nd that Jim and Meg have been coaching together. They have helped build the women’s gymnastics program from the ground up using trust in each other and a shared passion for gymnastics.

Their accomplishments speak for themselves — 18 consecutive NCAA regional meets, two Big Ten championships, a share of the first-ever regular-season title earlier this year and the program’s only three appearances at the NCAA championships.

“This is a team we built,” Meg said. “When we took over, we were on a mission, and we have just been literally blessed with athletes and their families over the 20-plus years.”

Both Stephensons have spent time as head coach of the program. Jim served as head coach for 17 years beginning in 1993, when the couple first moved to Minnesota. Meg joined him as co-head coach in 1997, a title they shared for 13 seasons.

When health problems forced Jim to become a volunteer assistant prior to the 2010 season, Meg took the sole title of head coach. Jim primarily helps out in practice now.

A call, a ring and a title

Jim and Meg were successful gymnasts at Iowa State but not at the same time. Jim was a two-time national champion and earned All-America honors in 1973. Meg later was a team captain for two years.

They met over the phone in 1981. Jim was looking to add a coach to the gym where he worked in California. Meg had just graduated from college and was looking for a summer job.

She planned to work at a club in Wisconsin that Jim’s friends from Iowa State owned and managed. But when Jim called looking for a coach, Meg shifted her plans to go to California.

The two decided to open their own gymnastics club, the Pantheon School of Gymnastics, a year later. They coached 98 individual state champions, two national Junior Olympic champions and seven state team champions in six years.

Jim and Meg married in 1984. Jim said he realized she was his best friend while working side-by-side with her.

“It just seemed like the perfect situation,” he said. “We saw the world from the same vantage point on so many things.”

Meg said she originally planned to marry her college boyfriend but changed her mind when she met Jim in person.

They sold the Pantheon in 1987 when they decided they wanted to have kids.

“We just knew the time commitment of owning your own club made it really tough to spend enough time with your kids,” Meg said.

Their plan was to both apply for the head coaching job at Minnesota in 1993 and then split the title. Meg said multiple programs had used spouses as coaches, but none shared the title of head coach.

“Most of our experience had been sharing that role and getting our parts of that role identified,” Jim said. “We’re better like that, and we wanted that again.”

The plan failed because the University administration feared another husband and wife coaching combination. The job had become available that year because the previous head coach and her husband reportedly gave the team a video tape that contained sexual activity.

Jim was given the head coaching job, and Meg settled for a job as an assistant coach.

Shortly afterward, Jim told then-women’s AD Chris Voelz she picked the wrong Stephenson for the job.

Within five years at Minnesota, the Stephensons transformed a weak Big Ten gymnastics program into an NCAA championship contender. Minnesota qualified for its first-ever NCAA championships in 1997 and finished 10th.

Following that season, Oregon State offered the Stephensons the co-head coaching job they wanted.

The Stephensons returned to Voelz to ask for the same at Minnesota.

The request worked, and although Minnesota offered less money than Oregon State, the Stephensons wanted to stay with the program they had built.

On the same page

Jim and Meg make a suitable husband-wife coaching team because they complement each other. Jim is specialized in the power and strength of tumbling and vaulting, while Meg is better with the dance presentation and artistic part of performing.

Assistant coach Jenny Hansen said the Stephensons are good coaches because they know each other’s strengths.

They also know what each other is going to say or think.

“I think as coaches we really trust each other,” Meg said. “We really kind of feel like we came through the same mold, so to speak, mentored the same way in our coaching.”

That pays off when the Stephensons recruit athletes on the University campus.

“We have used our husband-and-wife relationship to make it a family atmosphere,” Meg said. “We’ve done that on purpose.”

Jim can no longer recruit off-campus since he is a volunteer coach. Meg travels with assistant coaches Hansen and Louie Johnson.

Meg often includes her entire staff in program decisions, from recruiting to managing the team’s budget, to reinforce her coaching methods.

“She is constantly getting their input, which I think is a really healthy leadership technique,” Jim said.

Any one of the four staff members could do a full interview of a recruit, Jim said, because they’re all on the same page.

“We’ve been very committed to laying our philosophies out on the table,” he said. “Our expectations, our own personal accountability — everything’s out on the table. And everybody on the team knows all of that stuff.”

The recruits know that, too, he said, which produces a comforting environment for development inside and outside of the gym.

“They’re more than just gymnastics coaches,” said Hansen, who competed for Jim and Meg from 2000-03. “They’re kind of like your second parents.”

A continued commitment

Jim had to step down as head coach prior to his 18th season. Years of performing and spotting gymnastics tore both of his biceps and weakened his upper body.

“Both shoulders were just trashed,” Jim said.

He had three surgeries performed within six months, effectively ending his ability to catch gymnasts flying through the air.

“I was really worried about him when we first did it because when you’re the spotter, you have a relationship with the athlete,” Meg said. “You’re very involved in the learning because you’re [physically moving gymnasts].”

Jim said it was tough to leave the spotter’s role because it was “a nice responsibility” and he was everyone’s security blanket.

But backing away allowed him to talk with multiple gymnasts about multiple skills.

“I’m a lot more effective now,” he said.

Jim also was able to dedicate more of his time outside of the gym. He provided illustrations for the best-selling book “Championship Gymnastics: Biomechanical Techniques for Shaping Winners” by Dr. Gerald George, which focuses on performance techniques.

“I felt then I was also contributing internationally to the sport as well as still being in here for the part of the job that I really enjoyed so much,” Jim said.

Johnson took over for Jim as the team’s primary spotter. He said the transition has been smooth for both men.

“Jim has taken me under his wing,” he said. “Jim is really easy to work with.”

Jim and Meg plan to finish their careers at Minnesota. They’ve had a few interesting offers throughout the years but nothing appealing enough to take them away from the Gophers.

Meg said they’ve received support from the families of past gymnasts since qualifying for the 2013 NCAA championships. That support has made them want to keep working hard to maintain the program’s success, she said.

“It makes you feel like, ‘why would you want to do this anywhere else?’”

By: Tyler Gieseke

The five candidates to replace Jerry Rinehart as vice provost for student affairs and dean of students presented their visions for student affairs at the University of Minnesota during public forums this month.

Candidates discussed the importance of measuring the success of student affairs goals, working with limited resources and creating an open and inclusive campus.

Two of the five candidates currently hold positions at Big Ten universities.

The vice provost for student affairs and dean of students is primarily responsible for student services, overseeing Student Unions and Activities and the Department of Recreational Sports. Rinehart will continue to work through May, although he went on a recess appointment April 1.

Each candidate was required to give a public presentation on student affairs at a public land-grant research university.

The presentations were open to the public, streamed live on the Web and were posted on the search website, where students can also submit evaluation forms through the end of the week.

Danita Brown, dean of students at Purdue University

Brown focused on assessment, leadership and technology during her presentation.

“Assessment, for me, is a pretty big piece,” she said. “We are in a data-driven society.”

She said it’s important to track whether students are meeting the goals student affairs administrators have set for them and to justify the value of a university education.

Brown also said she believes every student should have at least one leadership experience during college. She cited a “4-3-2-1” program that student affairs is pushing at Purdue, which encourages students to graduate in four years, shoot for at least a 3.0 GPA, complete two hours of work for every credit hour they’re enrolled in and to have at least one leadership opportunity.

Taking a closer look at how technology can streamline processes, she said, is also important.

“We have to become friends with our partners in technology,” Brown said.

John Saddlemire, vice president for student affairs at the University of Connecticut

Saddlemire currently works at a land-grant institution like the University, but as he pointed out, it’s much less urban.

He said every search he has been involved in before has asked candidates to be visionary.

“That bothers me,” he said, adding that any sort of vision must be grounded in the institution’s context. “Context is everything.”

The essence of student affairs, Saddlemire said, involves identifying needs, looking for opportunities to address those needs and finding the resources to do it. And that must occur within the proper context.

For example, with the financial challenges universities are experiencing, it’s important to be pragmatic, he said, and have the courage to end certain unnecessary practices and redirect resources.

It’s also important to be able to measure the success of student affairs work, Saddlemire said, and promote coordinated action.

“I’m big on making sure that we’re building relationships,” he said.

Michael Gilbert, vice president for student life at the University of Delaware

Gilbert said his vision for student affairs includes creating a vibrant and engaging campus that meets parents’ expectations in terms of education and safety.

Administrators also have a responsibility to create a welcoming and inclusive campus environment, he said.

Referring to the University’s status as a land-grant institution, Gilbert said the Morrill Act was intended to democratize higher education in order to create better people and better communities faster.

This means administrators must hold students to the highest possible expectations, he said, and encourage them to learn about leadership and become responsible citizens.

“We’re building better communities; we’re supporting students achieving their goals; we’re preparing people for leadership,” he said, “… and we’re creating the kind of campus that promotes learning on both sides of the campus door and is vibrant and exciting.”

Denise Maybank, interim vice president for student affairs and services at Michigan State University

Maybank highlighted the importance of access, affordability and attainability in higher education during her presentation.

Rather than money or resources, Maybank said the main thing a student affairs administrator needs to pay attention to is relevance.

“Student affairs must be relevant within the college environment, within … society and definitely within the context of students,” she said.

It’s important to learn about those students just entering high school rather than focusing on freshmen, she said. To remain accessible to all, she said it’s necessary to first know who the “all” is. In terms of affordability, Maybank described how she and a colleague raised $1.2 million for student affairs through donations to lessen the burden on the general fund.

Finally, she discussed how student affairs must “wrap enough around [students] that they can bounce back” from difficult situations.

Gary Ratcliff, assistant vice chancellor of student life at the University of California-San Diego

A student affairs vision for a large land-grant institution should capitalize on the diversity of students and programs available, Ratcliff said, but also address possible shortcomings, like being impersonal or bureaucratic.

The most basic need to address, he said, is making sure it’s convenient to access campus. It’s

important to encourage living on campus, but the University should also be commuter-friendly, he said.

Ratcliff said students also need a sense of well-being and the ability to manage stress. It’s important for students to be able to speak with a counselor in a timely manner if they feel it’s necessary, he said.

“My vision would be that we offer an integrative set of services related to counseling, recreation and well-being,” he said.

Students from all backgrounds should feel supported on campus, Ratcliff said.

At his current university, he said, he’s been involved with forming six identity-resource centers, including a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender center and a women’s center.

By: Meghan Holden

Erin Syverson, president of the University of Minnesota’s Society of Women Engineers, first considered studying engineering in high school after attending an outreach seminar for women in science.

Every fall and spring, the group brings 70 to 80 high school girls to campus to try to increase the percentage of female engineers at the University, Syverson said.

The group also takes trips to local high schools to talk about their experiences as women in science and engineering majors. Syverson said a high percentage of the girls who work with the group are admitted to the College of Science and Engineering.

SWE is one example of CSE students reaching out as mentors to local elementary, middle and high school students to promote careers in science. The school’s more than 40 student groups all participate in outreach to high school students, Science and Engineering Student Board Vice President Evan Symons said.

“We’re here in college, and we really have an opportunity to do great things,” Symons said. “We like to see change happen.”

CSE student groups have made efforts to increase their outreach throughout the past few years, an initiative the board is passionate about, Symons said.

Nick Hammes does his outreach through GOFIRST — a student group that builds robots and mentors robotic teams in Minnesota.

“Aside from building our own robots, that’s a big part of our mission,” he said.

For every student enrolled in CSE each semester, $1 is given to the student board, and a portion of that money goes to outreach activities, said Susan Kubitschek, director of CSE Collegiate Life.

Multiple outside donors also fund CSE outreach programs, Kubitschek said.

“They want to instill a passion and love for STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] education, something that might be close to a donor’s background,” she said.

Chris Nolting, secretary of the Society of Physics Students, said his group also reaches out to students in the community regularly.

In the past two weeks, SPS held two different events for young students in the metro area, and members hope to increase the number of outreach events in the future, Nolting said.

“It’s very important for us to get younger students interested in sciences,” Nolting said. “We’re always on the lookout to do more outreach and help out more.”

GOFIRST has also made it a priority in recent years by helping more middle and high school robotic teams, Hammes said.

Last year, Hammes started a summer robotic seminar program for high schoolers — a program he hopes to continue when he is president of the group next year, he said.

“They are our future,” Hammes said. “The younger they build their skills, the more they can contribute to the world.”