By: Meghan Holden

While walking down University Avenue Southeast on Saturday night, a group of men yelled at Colleen Jaskulski and her girlfriends.

Although shouting “cutie” at someone isn’t a crime, University of Minnesota students, professors and community members argue that it can lead to negative body image, emotional distress and sometimes violence.

“It starts with the cat-calling,” said Jaskulski, a theater freshman, “but you never know where it can lead.”

In a 2008 Stop Street Harassment online survey, 99 percent of women said they had experienced some form of street harassment.

“It can make the victim feel unsafe in their own body,” said Zenzele Isoke, an assistant professor in the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies.

Street harassment is “unwelcome words and actions by unknown persons in public which are motivated by gender and invade a person’s physical and emotional space in a disrespectful, creepy, startling, scary or insulting way,” according to nonprofit Stop Street

Harassment. As part of Anti-Street Harassment Week, several University groups held a panel  Monday to address the normality and dimensions of street harassment — and how to take action against it.

Isoke grew up in an urban area where she said she was harassed on a daily basis while walking to school. This is especially a problem for women who rely on public transportation, she said.

“For poor women, it’s a regular part of life,” said Isoke, adding that street harassment isn’t just restricted to urban areas.

University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said he frequently hears street harassment during weekends in Dinkytown.

Because it’s not a crime, Miner said the police don’t know how often it actually happens on campus.

Some female University students said they feel unsafe walking around campus at night, especially on the weekends.

“When I’m walking at night I don’t want anyone to notice me,” mathematics freshman Clare Lawrence said. “I just want to get to where I’m going.”

Emily Mickelson, a bioproducts and biosystems engineering sophomore, said she usually tries to walk in groups at night to avoid unwanted harassment.

“I’d be more vulnerable, especially as a female, if I’m walking around campus at night,” she said.

More than just an issue for women

Street harassment is most commonly thought of as a problem for women, but it doesn’t confine itself to one group, said Paridise Valentino, who works for the Trans Youth Support Network.

Valentino is a transgender woman and said she and others in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community experience street harassment frequently.

When riding the bus, a man once yelled discriminatory comments about Valentino’s gender after she asked him why he was looking at her strangely.

“A lot of times when the LGBT community goes out and express themselves, it kind of brings a panic to society because they think we’re trying to rebel,” she said.

More than half of all transgender and gender non-conforming respondents reported being “verbally harassed or disrespected” in public in a 2011 National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force report.

Because street harassment is common for members in the LGBT community, they’re not able to be themselves in public, Valentino said.

Katie Eichele, director of the Aurora Center for Advocacy and Education, said harassers often oppress people who are LGBT because they see them as a target to dehumanize.

“They have a need for power and control,” Eichele said.

Despite her negative experiences, Valentino is hopeful street harassment will end if people keep fighting it.

“Change is going to come one day,” she said.

By: Branden Largent

Today’s college students went through their teen years watching advertisements for the newly recommended Human Papillomavirus vaccine, but vaccination rates still aren’t as high as doctors would like.

Despite the medical community’s increased push for the vaccines, the percentage of parents who refused to let their children ages 13 to 17 get them rose 4 percentage points from 2008-10, according to a study published in Pediatrics last month.

University of Minnesota pediatrics professor Mark Schleiss said the increase is a “big concern” in the medical community.

Just under 35 percent of 13- to 17-year-old girls received all three necessary HPV vaccinations, according to 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Certain strains of HPV can lead to genital warts and different types of cancer in both men and women. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection among University of Minnesota students, according to the 2010 Boynton Health Service College Student Health Survey.

Most sexually active adults will come in contact with at least one strain of HPV in their lifetime, and the vaccine protects against cancer-causing strains, said Lisa Randall, a Minnesota Department of Health adolescent and adult immunization outreach coordinator.

The assumption that the vaccine will increase sexual activity is one reason some parents don’t allow their children to get it, Shleiss said.

But a study published in Pediatrics in October 2012 showed no significant difference in sexual activity between vaccinated and unvaccinated girls.

Shleiss said parents should consider that young children are also typically vaccinated against Hepatitis B, which he said was the most common STI before a vaccine was available.

“It’s about cancer,” Randall said. “It’s not about sex.”

Some parents believe there’s a connection between vaccines and autism, she said, but those concerns lack scientific basis.

“I think that it all starts with education,” Schleiss said. “I think one of the most important things that can be done is to educate people about the real risk-benefit ratios of vaccines.”

Randall said fainting is one of the only common side effects of the vaccine, and that’s common for most vaccines.

Physicians are ordering fewer HPV vaccines, she said, so the MDH sent out reminders and educational materials.

The department is also collecting adolescent HPV vaccine data from different clinics and sending each clinic a report of its own vaccine rates, Randall said.

“We’re serious about HPV,” Randall said. “It is every bit as important as the childhood vaccines and other adolescent vaccines.”

In 2011, the CDC started recommending the vaccine for males, so data for them won’t be available until later this year, Randall said.

HPV vaccines are recommended for women up to age 26 and men up to age 21 for the vaccines to be the most cost effective, Randall said.

“If you’re a college student and had some doses, it’s not too late,” Randall said.

Carleton College freshman Mollie Wetherall was skeptical of the vaccine as a teenager because of the pain the shot can cause and because it was recently developed.

“I haven’t considered it recently since I’m too old to be at my prime for the shot,” Wetherall said.

She said she’s still considering the vaccine and will talk with her doctor about it more in the future.

“My skepticism has dissipated over the years,” Wetherall said. “It’s also just a matter of getting motivated to go and do it.”

The effectiveness of the vaccine drops from 97 percent to 44 percent if the patient is already sexually active, said Boynton Women’s Clinic associate director Dr. Lisa Mattson .

“But that’s still better than nothing,” Mattson said.

Boynton has added a question to its 2013 student survey asking if students have received the HPV vaccine, Boynton spokesperson Dave Golden said.

“We’re hoping that most of our students have been vaccinated prior to coming to campus,” Golden said. “But it’s still a relatively new vaccine.”

Boynton’s Student Health Benefit Plan covers the cost of the vaccines for male and female students, Golden said.

Schleiss said the public has historically been resistant to new vaccines, so he’s optimistic the HPV vaccine will eventually become more popular.

“It’s a good, safe, effective vaccine,” Randall said. “People don’t need to be worried about it.”

By: Jessica Lee

A state Senate higher education committee voted to increase the University of Minnesota’s funding by $80 million Tuesday, despite some reservations from policymakers.

The Senate’s recommended allocation comes after both the House committee and Gov. Mark Dayton proposed increasing state funding, something the University said was crucial to freeze tuition for undergraduate in-state students in 2014 and 2015.

The bill splits higher education funding almost evenly between the University, state-funded colleges and universities and the Minnesota State Grant Program, which mirrors what the governor recommended in his initial budget proposal.

“We really did do what the governor requested,” said Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, who chairs the committee.

University Chief Financial Officer Richard Pfutzenreuter said the committee’s action is “terrific news” for Minnesota undergraduate students because it would hold tuition down for the next two years.

“We’re really thrilled that the Senate has agreed with the governor on that proposal,” he said.

While the House, Senate and governor each allocated $42.6 million to freeze tuition, the House gave $18 million less for research. It also proposed giving about $11 million to the state grant program, about $70 million less than the governor and Senate.

Although passed, several legislators proposed amendments and voiced concerns about the University’s request for increased state funds.

Bonoff said she “didn’t appreciate” the University’s approach.

 “We did actually meet the University’s request for funding, but I felt as though it was a … threat and wasn’t the way I like to work,” she said.

At the hearing, Sen. Kathy Sheran, DFL-Mankato, presented an amendment, which was defeated, to the bill that would have increased the Minnesota State Grant Program’s allocation by nearly $24 million — money that some legislators suggested would have come from the University’s portion.

She said she would rather have the state dollars go directly into the hands of students for financial aid instead of into the institutions to decide where to spend.

Some voiced concerns the state money set aside for tuition relief wouldn’t be used to offset the costs for students.

Sen. Julianne E. Ortman, R-Chanhassen, said she was concerned with where state appropriations would be going in light of the news concerning the University potentially buying Fairview Health Services.

“I don’t want this $80 million to be put into a pot” for expenses that don’t benefit the University’s students, she said.

Bonoff said she plans to schedule a committee hearing in the upcoming weeks to evaluate the University’s role in the Fairview talks.

Sen. Eric Pratt, DFL-Prior Lake, offered an amendment, which was later withdrawn, that would have required the at least 50 percent of the University’s portion of the state funds go toward academics.

“I don’t think it’s our role, the Legislature’s role specifically, to numerate ways the University spends money down to the percentage,” Sen. Branden Peterson, R-Andover, said. “But I do in some respect blame the University for their approach in particular this biennium” as to why legislators are proposing these regulations.

Julie Tonneson, associate vice president for budget and finance at the University said the institution would need time to evaluate Pratt’s proposal to “gauge what it really means.”

Pratt said the amendment will get another look when the bill moves to the House Finance Committee next week.

The $80 million allocated in the bill for the University would freeze undergraduate resident tuition for the next two years and aid in funding research initiatives.

The legislation would save families thousands of dollars and help relieve the financial burdens students face, Bonoff said.

Not just yet

Like in past years, the University must meet three of five performance goals in order to get all of its funding. But this year, 5 percent of money for operations and maintenance could be withheld — not 1 percent.

One of the goals aims to decrease the University’s budget on administrative oversight — an action following criticism of alleged administrative bloat.

Bonoff said at Tuesday’s hearing that reports analyzing administrative costs, similar to the March analysis, must continue throughout the year.

Other goals pertain to increasing graduation rates and the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees awarded at the University.

Other stipulations attached to the University’s funding require it to improve health care in rural communities, show progress in specific agricultural initiatives and improve its mental health centers by increasing the number of professionals.

The House Higher Education and Finance Committee, chaired by Rep. Gene Pelowski Jr., DFL-Winona, is scheduled to vote on its omnibus higher education bill Monday April 15.

Pfutzenreuter said the University will keep “making their case” until the session adjourns in May.

By: Rebecca Harrington

From sequencing entire genomes to designing sustainable buildings, the University of Minnesota offers a wealth of resources and services for researchers and industry.

With decreased federal research funding and high technology costs, each lab at the University can’t afford its own equipment or tools needed for complex scientific tests and processes.

Many research centers at the University have turned to businesses to garner more revenue, which can subsidize the cost for researchers to use the equipment.

Navigating the dozens of centers, institutes and technology offerings can be a challenge. In 2006, upon recommendation from businesses and lawmakers in the area, the Office of Business Relations began to act as a “front door” to the University, helping businesses find what they need.

But University centers don’t have to work on whatever project businesses tell them to, said John Merritt, Office of the Vice President for Research spokesman.

“It really has to be a match between what the business is looking for in terms of a research project and the researcher’s interests,” he said.

Some of the more than 30 centers offering services to industry earn up to 80 percent of their funding from businesses, while others receive almost none.

University policy dictates strict rules for offering services.

When working internally with University researchers, centers have to charge for services at a break-even cost, so a profit isn’t made.

For external businesses, centers charge a fair price, including direct and indirect costs for the resource, according to University policy.

Because federal funding has decreased in recent years, Merritt said, business and industry partnerships will continue to increase.

“Not that sponsored research from industry will ever replace federal funding,” he said, “but it’s certainly an area that President [Eric] Kaler really wants to encourage faculty to get engaged in.”

A step between lab and factory

Large tanks and beakers fill the Biotechnology Resource Center carrying out fermentation and tests with microorganisms like bacteria and yeast.

The BRC is a point in between the lab and the factory for businesses and researchers to test out their biological processes in larger batches. The center recently ramped up its industry offerings, which now comprise 80 percent of its projects.

Business revenues can help “self-fund” the center by lowering the prices for University users, paying for preventative maintenance of the large, expensive equipment and even subsidizing the purchase of new machinery.

Director Tim Tripp said the BRC was founded more than 20 years ago, mainly to provide a resource for faculty members to test their research. Its expansion to industry was mostly because University graduates spread the word.

“All of these highly skilled, highly trained graduates who come out of here … remember the capabilities are here,” he said, “and are able, when they go out to their companies, to make connections back to the University.”

The center’s staff — five full-time employees and five undergraduate work-study students — has to plan projects carefully, Tripp said, because “microorganisms really don’t go home at the end of the night.”

Tripp said he likes the diversity of projects because the center gets to perform tests for different disciplines, from alternative fuels to drug supplements.

“Biotechnology is really a diverse endeavor,” he said. “It affects so many things different ways, and it’s really interesting to see how you can use microorganisms to … help solve problems.”

Making Minnesota buildings sustainable

When state officials are planning building remodels or new construction, they call the University’s Center for Sustainable Building Research to consult.

The Minnesota Legislature passed a bill in 2008 to make every state and publically funded building have zero carbon emissions by 2030, and it identified the CSBR as a resource to accomplish this.

Center Director John Carmody said this consultant status allows CSBR staff and researchers to advise University Facilities Management on constructing sustainable buildings at no cost to the University.

The CSBR receives most of its funding from state and federal grants, Carmody said, but a small portion of it comes from foundations or businesses.

Carmody said the center is advising Prospect Park residents about new construction and remodels, making them more sustainable.

“There’s a lot of benefits related to looking at a neighborhood as a whole,” he said, “that you don’t necessarily get if you’re just looking at individual buildings.”

The CSBR also works to make affordable housing more sustainable, a venture which is primarily funded by the McKnight Foundation.

“Our mission is really to make sure that the built environment is more sustainable,” Carmody said, “and we really do it by hitting all three of the elements of the University, which is research, teaching and outreach.”

By: Meghan Holden

Growing up, Sanjeev Mishra went to a Catholic school but never really believed the things he was taught in religion class.

Mishra is one of an increasing number of Millennials who no longer are religiously affiliated or believe in the existence of a god.

At the University of Minnesota, more than a quarter of students identified as agnostic, atheist or “not particularly spiritual” in spring 2012, according to the Student Experience in the Research University Project.

University student group Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists  held a “SkepTech” conference on campus during the weekend to show how new technologies — especially the Internet — are giving the Millennial generation an outlet to express their ideas and find others who share their beliefs.

The event, a collaboration between CASH and the Secular Student Alliance at St. Cloud State University, focused on education and featured more than a dozen speakers.

Campus groups throughout the nation, like the Secular Student Alliance, act as a support group for secular students and raise awareness for their movement, said Nick Stancato, resource specialist for the national Secular Student Alliance.

There are currently about 400 SSA affiliate groups across the nation, including CASH.

“We’ve been exploding over the past few years,” Stancato said. “The growth is really remarkable.”

With the rise of SSA groups throughout the nation, more events and conferences have been taking place to bring the secular community together.

The Internet is also contributing to this sense of community.

“They’re able to find a community of like-mind people to feel comfortable with,” said Joshua Brose, event coordinator for CASH.

No longer taboo

After leaving his Catholic school, Mishra said he found more friends who were atheists.

“It’s definitely not as taboo as it used to be,” Mishra said.

In a 2012 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, about a third of adults under the age of 30 said they’re religiously unaffiliated — the highest percentage ever recorded in Pew polling.

In the past five years, the percentage of religiously unaffiliated U.S. adults increased by more than 4 percentage points, according to the poll.

This might be caused by a generational attitude, Mishra said.

“We don’t like being told what to do or to be given a book and told ‘This is the things that you believe,’” he said.

‘Where religions go to die’

The Internet has had a profound effect on the secular movement of Millennials, Brose said.

Brose first went to school to become a youth minister, but after looking up things that didn’t make sense to him about his religion on the Internet, he said he changed his perspective on faith.

Reddit, a social news and entertainment website popular among college students, automatically subscribes its new users to the atheism link, Mishra said. There are more than 1.8 million “godless Redditors” on the site.

The atheism Reddit offers atheists a place to share ideas and build a community, Mishra said.

Stancato said he often hears the Internet referred to as “a place where religions go to die.”

He said he wouldn’t go so far as to say that but agreed that people may be more likely to be secular after being exposed to evidence and facts on the Internet.

“It’s not about believing,” Brose said, “it’s about being right.”

By: Alexi Gusso

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

This month, Kaler also fielded questions from students and Daily sports reporters.

Kaler discussed Tubby Smith’s firing — a nearly $3 million buyout — in-state tuition for undocumented students and his final budgetary expectations.

The University fired Tubby Smith last Monday. What was your initial reaction?

First, to thank him for what he’s done for the program. He’s certainly made important contributions, but I also think that the program was a little bit stuck and not as competitive in the Big Ten as our fan base would like to see. I wish him luck in what comes next for him.

Who was involved in the decision to fire Tubby Smith?

The athletic director makes the decisions on coaches, but [athletics director Norwood Teague] certainly consulted with me before making the final decision.

How does the University justify paying more than $3 million to fire a coach?

Well, the buyouts in big-time college athletics are unfortunately part of the business. I think it’s a challenge for institutions to pay these, but unfortunately they’re a fact of life.

The University’s athletics department recently shared nine contract extensions it gave to coaches privately last summer. What was your role in these extensions?

I had approved all of those extensions. Again, they were recommended by the athletic department, and I OK’d them. And again, the report was that these were done privately, and what happened was that the transition of leadership in the athletics department fell between the cracks and weren’t publicized as they normally are done, but there was no intention to hide them. It’s kind of silly to think that you could hide a coach extension contract because a coach shows up to coach. People will notice.

What are your thoughts that the athletics department must pay him more than $3 million when the department already has to borrow from the University general fund to balance its budget?

The University’s athletic budget is about $80 million. It receives about $25 million a year from the Big Ten. … It receives substantial revenue from ticket sales and other medium. So the athletics budget is able to support expenditures for athletics. If there’s a cash flow issue, they can borrow money from central funds, but it’s a loan that is paid back.

Last week, Rep. Gene Pelowski, [DFL-Winona], said that Tubby’s buyout could hurt the U’s chances of receiving state funds for athletics facilities in the future. What do you think about this?

The amount of state money and tuition money that flows to athletics is $1.6 million. It’s decreased from $6.8 million in fiscal year 2003, so the amount of money that flows to athletics from the central budget has decreased dramatically in the last 10 years.

It’s dedicated to help support athletics facilities, and again, the great bulk of athletics revenue comes from sources that aren’t state or tuition.

It was recently reported that the University lost $16,000 in alcohol sales in its first season at TCF Bank Stadium. Did this surprise you?

I thought we were on target to break even. We wound up a little bit negative. There were lots of startup costs associated with the alcohol sales; obviously those costs will not reoccur next year. Again, when you start doing something like that, the startup costs can limit your ability to make money in the first period, but you’ll do better in later years.

Do those numbers change how the University approaches alcohol sales at Mariucci and Williams?

We’ve asked the Legislature to let us complete our two-year experiment at TCF, which was our original agreement with them. Then we’ll evaluate how that works — both the pros and cons in terms of fan experience, and then we’ll evaluate what we might do in Mariucci and Williams.

Gov. Mark Dayton and two legislators have proposals to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition and receive grants and scholarships. As you know, the Legislature can’t force the University to act, but the bills suggest the University adopt a policy. What do you think about it?

I’m in favor of that policy, and if that law is passed, I will recommend to the regents that we do that. But as you noted, it is a regents decision.

What challenges could the University possibly face in adopting this policy?

I don’t think we’d have any challenges. Should we decide to do it, we could implement it.

Rep. Ryan Winkler, [DFL-Golden Valley], has suggested the state should be allowed to make funds to the University contingent on certain conditions. What are your thoughts on the Legislature wanting more say in how the University operates?

An important foundation of the University is that we are constitutionally autonomous. We have existed longer than the state of Minnesota has existed. So that limits what the state can require us to do. Having said that, I’m certain that the legislators and I have the same goals in holding the University accountable and having the University run efficiently and be as effective as it can be at what it does.

This week and next, the House Higher Education committee will discuss and decide how much money to appropriate to the University. After months of lobbying, what are your final expectations?

I think we’re in pretty good shape. In both the House and the Senate we’ve had good hearings, and we’ve been as open and transparent as we can be. We’ve given them a ton of information about the value of the University, and I’m optimistic that we’ll come out in good shape.

How is the University prepared to respond if it doesn’t receive the full amount requested?

Unfortunately, the public disinvestment in higher ed has caused costs to increase for students and families, and we’ve been pretty clear with the policy makers about that connection. But I still remain hopeful that the state will support us.

From the students:

The University’s presence influences so much development in the surrounding area. How are you involved in ensuring there is good development for the campus community and surrounding neighborhoods?

We start with having high standards for our own development. We’re careful about where we build things and how we build them. We’re active in community engagement — we have two people in community relations whose job is to represent the University in all the communities that we neighbor. We’re key partners in the University District Alliance, which is developing a vision for the University district.

We’re one player, but the students who live nearby are citizens of those neighborhoods, and I hope they are engaged as well.

After 15 years without a grocery store in the University District, would you consider supporting a student co-op that a coalition of student groups is currently trying to put together?

I certainly would support the creation of a grocery store in the U district. I think that would make the quality of life better. But I’d look carefully at the business plans. Grocery stores are tough businesses economically, and you want to be sure that even as a co-op or a nonprofit that you have a robust business plan; making sure you have the population density and the customer base to meet your business needs is important.

Anything else to add?

I started my office hours for students last week, which was great. I had several groups come by to see me, and I’ll take this chance to advertise … if you’d like to talk to me, you can find my office hours schedule on my website.

By: Marjorie Otto

Sixteen Minneapolis college students will intern with the city this summer as it works to close one of the biggest racial unemployment gaps in the nation.

The Urban Scholars program, which began last year, takes 14 undergraduate and two graduate students from diverse racial backgrounds and places them in one of 16 city departments.

Karen Francois, director of employment equity for the City of Minneapolis, said the paid internship program started in light of a 2011 study that found Minneapolis had one of the biggest racial unemployment disparities in the country.

While the overall unemployment for the city is 5 percent, the rate is 18 percent for African-American residents and 25 percent for American Indians, according to the city.

After the report, Francois said the city created One Minneapolis Equity in Employment, an initiative aimed at reducing the racial disparity in the city, which included the Urban Scholars program.

This summer, the city will offer twice as many positions to students looking to intern with the city.

Past students said the program gave them a taste of working in the public sector.

“It allowed me to grow … from a student to a professional,” said Ahmed Abdulle, an urban studies sophomore at the University of Minnesota who interned with the city last summer.

“I learned a lot about how the city actually works from the inside,” he said.

Apart from the city’s unemployment gap, Francois said the internship could also bring more young people and people of color into city government.

Francois said people of color make up about a quarter of the city workforce, but according to the 2010 U.S. Census, they make up about 36 percent of the city’s population.

In 2016, about a fifth of city workers will be able to retire, Francois said.

“We call that the ‘Silver Tsunami.’”

She said because of that, the city wants to bring a younger workforce into Minneapolis government.

Urban Scholars students work in one of 16 departments within the city’s government, ranging from the fire department to the civil rights department. Occasionally students also get to work closely with the mayor.

“It opened some doors for me,” Abdulle said. “I am now a little bit interested in obtaining maybe a degree in urban studies.”

By the end of the internship, Francois said students develop a strong network with city officials, which can lead to future employment opportunities.

 “I felt part of the city, not just a citizen, not just a resident, but part of it,” Abdulle said.

Applications for the internship are due April 8.

By: Marion Renault

As a middle school student in the late ’70s, Roger Cummings’ field trips took him to Dinkytown.

He rode the bus with Marshall University High School students and frequented its record shops and pizza places.

He also spent time in Dinkytown as a University of Minnesota student.

Now, 30 years later, Cummings is one of a handful of local artists teaming up with Minneapolis city planners as part of the Creative CityMaking initiative to apply a creative approach to city planning — and engage students in the process.

The artist-planner teams, which include actors and graphic and urban designers, will collaborate on five different planning projects throughout the city in 2014.

Among those projects is Dinkytown’s upcoming small area plan, which in part aims to preserve the town’s character and guide future developers of the area.

The small area plan, which would need Minneapolis City Council approval before becoming city policy, would define Dinkytown’s stance on issues like land use, transportation and parking.

Developing a small area plan involves lengthy discourse between residents, business owners and the city, city planner Haila Maze said.

Not all important stakeholders take part in that conversation, said Gülgün Kayim, director of arts, culture and creative economy for Minneapolis.

“In the past, planning has utilized straightforward meetings as the way to gather information,” she said. “Because of this previous formula of meetings, what has ended up happening in the past is that some people just don’t show up.”

Because students are living in the area transitorily, Cummings said there’s little incentive for them to get involved with the neighborhood.

“To take time out to create or give input on a plan that you might not be here in its implementation in the next three, five to 10 years doesn’t seem tangible,” he said. “We have to make that angle relevant.”

Doug Carlson, president of the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, said he’s had trouble getting students involved, although MHNA offers a board seat for students.

“A lot of times our board seats are empty for sometimes a year at a time because we can’t find anyone to come to meetings,” he said. “So even though we’ve tried valiantly, we haven’t had much success.”

Now a team of artists and planners is looking to find creative ways to engage students in those discussions through Creative CityMaking.

“This is the attempt to get as many different voices in the planning process as possible so that it’s not all the usual suspects saying all the usual things,” Kayim said.

Artist Samuel Ero-Phillips, who will be working on the small area plan, said those ideas include partnering with students from student organizations and surveying the University’s College of Design.

He’s also working on plans to create mobile art that would travel around campus and raise awareness about the small area plan discussions.

Kayim said using social media, photography and mobile units to interview residents are other methods being devised by artists.

Modern art’s practicality

After receiving a $325,000 grant from ArtPlace America, Intermedia Arts approached Kayim, and together they established Creative CityMaking, she said.

Four teams of artists were chosen from 60 applicants to work with planners.

Maze said collaborating with the local artists proved to be a natural fit.

“A lot of artists … [are] looking for ways to engage folks and to tell important stories and to address important issues, and we do that too, in a very different way,” she said. “Even though there’s different media, there’s some common interest.”

For Cummings, it’s just an example of modern art’s practicality.

“When you think of art, you think about a painting on a wall at the Walker somewhere,” he said. “[This] is the potential to transform society, neighborhoods, youth and environment.”

This will mark the pilot year of a program Kayim said she hopes to see expand to other city departments in coming years.

“We have our goals and our ideas of what will happen,” she said, “but this kind of thing hasn’t really ever happened before.”

By: Cali Owings

Candidates to replace Vice Provost for Student Affairs Jerry Rinehart, who is on a recess appointment as of Monday, were announced that day.

The four candidates — who currently fulfill similar roles at colleges across the country — will speak at public forums April 8-12.

The vice provost for student affairs and dean of students oversees the Office for Student Affairs and is primarily responsible for the University’s student services. Many student programming initiatives, like Student Unions and Activities and the Department of Recreational Sports, fall under the vice provost’s umbrella.

Rinehart will continue to work through late May, although not full time, said Amelious Whyte, assistant dean of student affairs.

An exact date is not set for Rinehart’s retirement, he said, but the reduced appointment is meant to be a transition into full retirement.

Each candidate will deliver a presentation discussing the role of student affairs at public research universities. All sessions will be held in Keller Hall, Room 3-180, and will be streamed live and posted on the OSA website.

Three University of Minnesota students, including the presidents of the undergraduate and graduate student governments, served on the search committee for Rinehart’s replacement.

Brittany Edwards, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, said students can get involved in the selection process by meeting the candidates at the presentations, asking questions and filling out an evaluation form online.

“Of all the different administrators that have been hired over the past few semesters,” she said, “this is really one that directly affects student life.”

Danita Brown, dean of students at Purdue University

3-4:30 p.m., April 8

Danita Brown, who has served in her current role since March 2011, is the only candidate who is currently part of a Big Ten school administration.

Brown has also been involved in student affairs at West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Ohio University and Loyola University Chicago.

She has extensive experience as an adviser for greek chapters, which she would oversee at Minnesota. When Brown earned her Ph.D. in higher education at Ohio University, she wrote her dissertation on sorority and fraternity leadership behaviors.

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

8-9:30 a.m., April 9

John Saddlemire, who has held his current role since June 2003, has worked in student affairs for nearly 30 years. He started as an assistant residence hall director at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn.

At Hartford, he oversees many of the same departments he would at Minnesota, like student health services.

Saddlemire also has Big Ten experience in student affairs at Penn State University, where he earned his doctorate in higher education administration.

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

3-4:30 p.m., April 10

Michael Gilbert has held his present post since July 2007.

Previously, Gilbert bounced around the Big Ten, filling positions in student affairs at three Big Ten institutions since 1979.

At Delaware, Gilbert developed a residential plan which will result in 1,500 new beds for students. He oversees 12 departments, including new student orientation and the university’s student center.

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

 8-9:30 a.m., April 12

Ratcliff has served in student affairs roles at the University of California-San Diego since 2000, after working as director of the student union at the University of Montana and as an assistant at Penn State — the Big Ten school where he also earned his doctorate in higher education.

At California, Ratcliff is chair of a coalition leading the assessment of students’ needs through surveys and focus groups.

He also coordinated a $70 million renovation of two of the school’s student union facilities.

By: Janice Bitters

Six years ago, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed over the Mississippi River.

Thirteen people died and about 100 were injured while steel and concrete beams lay strewn about the river and its banks.

Now, what remains of the bridge sits in storage facilities in the east metro and could soon be distributed to serve as reminders to one of the worst bridge collapses in state history.

A bill working its way through the state Legislature would allow those affected by the collapse and those hoping to learn from it — like university engineering departments — to keep a piece of the bridge.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation, which is heading the initiative, contacted the University of Minnesota in January to see if the school was interested.

 Joseph Labuz, interim director of the civil engineering department, said the University accepted in hopes of creating an educational display.

“We are seeing that as an opportunity to remind ourselves and our students of the importance of our work,” he said.

Tentatively, the department plans to display the bridge remnants with research papers and books written by University faculty about the collapse.

Because of the University’s proximity to the bridge, the collapse has had a notable impact on the community and the school’s curriculum.

Professors have taught classes solely focused on the collapse, and civil engineering professors often use the incident to show the importance of accuracy.

“If you think about a mechanical engineer or a chemical engineer, if their designs go wrong — like your iPhone or a cleaning product — those are things you can generally live without,” said Nathan Warner, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers at the University. “But if a civil engineer makes a mistake, then that can result in a significant loss.”

Under state law, remnants from the bridge are required to be melted down and sold, and the money would be returned to the state general fund.

The proposed bill would create an exception so the state could honor the requests from survivors — who make up the bulk of requests — and others, like the University. 

But not everyone’s request will be filled, and the proposed bill creates a priority list of people and organizations that can receive a piece.

The first and second tiers are reserved for the Minnesota Historical Society and survivors, while higher education institutions are fourth, behind certain government agencies.

“The intent is to give it to people who have some connection with the structure or the collapse, or people who might use it for instruction and education,” said MnDOT spokesperson Kevin Gutknecht.

Pat Nunnally, the coordinator for the University’s River Life Program, said the incident affected more than just those on the bridge.

“Nearly everybody had some kind of story where they knew someone who had that ‘there, but by the grace of God,’ moment,” he said, “or had been directly involved, or had been part of the aftermath — the response teams and cleanup and things like that.”

Nunnally helped edit a book, “The City, the River, the Bridge,” on the collapse and taught a one-time class at the University studying the impact of the incident.

Civil engineering professor Roberto Ballarini uses the bridge in his lessons at the University.

“I use [the bridge] to describe how materials behave and how structures behave and how structures collapse,” he said.

Ballarini, whose work appeared in “The City, the River, the Bridge,” researched the collapse for two years. Because of his involvement, he said he would appreciate having a bridge piece for his office and to use in class.

Currently, approximately 9 million pounds of the bridge are being stored in Oakdale and Afton, Minn., Gutknecht said. If the legislation passes, MnDOT will have six months to fill requests, but preparing the steel for distribution may not be easy, Gutknecht said.

“We know there will be some organizations who will want a larger piece to set up as a monument, and there will be other people who will want a smaller piece as a memento on a book shelf,” Gutknecht said, “But the steel right now is in great big pieces.”

The civil engineering department hasn’t decided the details of their MnDOT request — like the size and where it’ll be displayed at the University — but Labuz knows the limitations.

“Steel is a very high unit weight, so it doesn’t take much to make it heavy,” he said. “So we have to be able to have it mounted safely.”

Labuz said the installation will be “respectful of the tragedy that occurred” and will primarily serve an educational purpose on campus.

“Some people may be using it as an opportunity to set up a memorial, but that is not the case from our perspective,” he said. “It’s more about a lesson learned — a reminder of this tragedy and the importance of good analysis and design.”