You probably saw, or at least heard about, President Barack Obama’s speech last week. You know, the one about the rising interest rates on student loans. You didn’t? Are you sure? It was the...

As news organizations try to adapt to the ever-changing media landscape and one-up competition with creative methods of breaking news, some of their contenders now have nowhere near the resources, training...

Baseball season is finally here. Fans were hardly removed from opening day before what is perhaps the next-most-grueling and seemingly never-ending American tradition: handling a public relations controversy....

Who knew that the statue of Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat into the air to the memorable “You’re gonna make it after all!” lyric would later apply as encouraging words to those trying...

Wandering around Thursday’s hoodie march for Trayvon Martin on campus, I saw many “Justice for Trayvon” signs. I found it peculiar that participants at a rally standing for equal treatment...

I sat, alone, in a bar on Friday night just waiting. I was meeting someone there for the first time, and they were running late. I was a little nervous, a little anxious, but also especially excited for...

Malaria and HIV are increasingly prevalent among its citizens. Stray dogs and criminals wander the streets with violence never too far behind. Furthermore, the currency is coming to be all but meaningless,...

When the Senate voted down the Blunt Amendment last week, which would’ve allowed institutions to opt out of providing birth control coverage for “moral reason,” we saw this was a clear-cut...

Over the weekend, while trying really hard to not do anything productive, I decided to go to the movies. Nothing special, nothing intense — just a fun, simple, entertaining movie. We took a peek...

Over the past year, one group has been on the wrong end of open attacks from uncompromising devotees to an ideological agenda. Disciples of this extreme cause insistently celebrate these acts. Worse yet,...

Violence, rape and cannibalism: These are things the student section cheers about at University of Minnesota sports games. I could list all our inappropriate chants, such as what weâÄôre shoving...

A week ago, Saturday Night Live had a sketch of a made-up talk show called âÄúYou Can Do Anything!âÄù On it, guests brimming with âÄúunearned confidenceâÄù performed useless...

The Internet is often compared to the Wild West due to its anything-goes, uncharted nature. As users, the occasionally unruly but excitingly unbound environment has pros and cons; we worry about its risks...

Probably the only event in 2011 that anyone could have projected is that it would eventually end. For those who believe that our impending day of reckoning will be in 2012, letâÄôs take a look...

Whenever an individual or a group is restricted from doing something that seems harmless, we wonder why the authorities canâÄôt just let it happen. Recent issues locally and globally have gained...

In their most recent seasons, for better or for worse, neither the Minnesota Vikings nor the Timberwolves have been in the headlines because of their play. For the past month or so, there has been an NBA...

"Why canâÄôt we be more like Europe? ItâÄôs such a pleasant way of life,âÄù students returning from abroad often grumble. Anything typically American, they sneer, is lowbrow. But...

Life somehow has gone on only a week after the Kim and Kris kibosh: Reality television socialite Kardashian filed for a divorce from occasional NBA game participant Humphries last week. This story currently...

In an environment with a nonstop and frenzied news cycle, our assessment of episodes like Occupy Wall Street can reach a dangerous stage in that it can become too fixed. The rolling pin of information...

At the risk of making myself vulnerable to late night heckling, eggings or other pranks, I will mention that I moved into a building about three blocks away from the Stone Arch Bridge in September. Seeing...

Friday will mark the 30th anniversary of Hosni MubarakâÄôs election to president of Egypt, a position he held until resigning in the midst of the Arab Spring. Looking to Tahrir Square as inspiration,...

    Recently, the debate over Rep. Hansen ClarkeâÄôs proposal to forgive student loan debt as a means of stimulating the economy has garnered more attention. The thinking goes that with...

Chances are youâÄôre skeptical about, if not opposed to, the title of this column. After all, the well-off are just that âÄî why do they need or deserve a break? A certain resentful impression...

In the retelling of history, we both evaluate and demonize individuals by current standards. With history always changing, so does its retelling, or at least what is emphasized. Minneapolis was the location...

With its global flair and wide-reaching variety, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival has found a presence on the University of Minnesota campus âÄî a presence some think could...

Owners and managers of restaurants around the University of Minnesota see a two-fold advantage to working with student groups: involving themselves in the community and, in turn, improving their clientele...

After two weeks of meetings and presentations, the Student Services Fees Appeals Committee made its final decisions Thursday morning. The appeals committee unanimously voted to grant the Black Student...

The Student Services Fees Appeals Committee met Tuesday night to finalize its decisions on the remaining two student groups that sought more funding, the Queer Student Cultural Center and the Black Student...

When student groups applied for fees money earlier this year, no group asked for more than Campus People Watchers. Its $1 trillion request was intended to serve as a statement about the Student Services...

Though one week has passed since the scheduled end date for appeals, two student groups have yet to get a chance to make their cases before the Student Services Fees Appeals Committee âÄî the next...

Even though the Hispanic population is the fastest-growing group in the state, the number of Hispanic students at the University of Minnesota hasnâÄôt followed suit, and is the lowest in the Big...

After her husband accepted a position at the University of Minnesota last spring, Dan Zheng was faced with moving to the Twin Cities. Both she and her husband, Jianyu Zhang, were strangers to the area...

A state senator introduced legislation Tuesday to reduce spending on administrative costs by 10 percent at the University of Minnesota. Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, introduced the bill as a step in restructuring...

The Nice Ride Minnesota bicycle-sharing program has received approval for a $1 million expansion project in Minneapolis and into St. Paul. Nice Ride Executive Director Bill Dossett said the new funding...

Accessibility to alcohol is often associated with the college experience, but a national trend finds that this is no longer the case for incoming first years, including those at the University of Minnesota. A...

Nancy Sims sees a lot of similarities between students and faculty concerned about using other peopleâÄôs work. The University of MinnesotaâÄôs copyright program librarian said she often...

The achievement gap between white students and students of color in Minnesota is so dramatic that it recently got the attention of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. On Monday, education advocates...

The University of Minnesota outlined upcoming Washington Avenue Bridge closures Monday for when construction on the Central Corridor light-rail line begins at the end of February. Washington Avenue Southeast...

The Riverside Plaza housing complex is now a historic structure, opening the door to the use of tax credits to help fund renovation projects. Located on the West Bank on Riverside Avenue, the 15-building...

Last year, Minnesota Vikings fans grieved over their teamâÄôs lost chance at a Super Bowl appearance. This year, Packers fans are celebrating the opposite. Despite being just miles from the site...

The University of Minnesota is looking to tap into prospective students beyond the stateâÄôs borders. Nearly 70 percent of University undergraduates are from Minnesota, and Office of Admissions...

When it comes to final exams, most students have their test prep down. But late postings and miscommunications left some eager students looking for a study guide just to get their final fall semester grades. In...

As windchills dipped below zero for the first time this winter, two bundled masses huddled around a fire Monday night at the Grace University Lutheran Church in Stadium Village. The two cold and hungry...

A Sri Lankan mother and child sit in prison awaiting asylum, crying, unable to speak English and with little ability to obtain proper legal representation. They must wait there, possibly for months, until...

Students who voted yesterday afternoon at the University Lutheran Church on 13th Avenue in Dinkytown saw many voters marking their ballots on stairs, up against a wall or sitting at a desk. The voting...

On the brink of another winter in the Minnesota hinterland, the Pakistani Student Association staged a night of traditional dance and festivity Saturday to celebrate the University's 150th anniversary. While...

St. Paul native Cass Gilbert has returned to area bookstores in the new book, "Inventing the Skyline," published by Columbia University Press. The book highlights the 20th century architect's past influences...

The University's total business with minority-owned companies increased more than 50 percent from last year, according to the University's Office on Community Economic Development. Out of $706 million...

The possessor of a great analytic mind that served his work well, former University Medical School professor Dr. Kenneth A. Osterberg died early last week. He was 68 years old. Formerly a student trained...

Forty years after the Cuban revolution, Consuelo Elba Alvarez and Katia de Llano discussed their experiences within the communist guerrilla movement at Willey Hall on Saturday. "Cuba: From Two Perspectives"...

The Minneapolis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has a new home on the West Bank after a four-year nomadic existence caused by the closing of its former Loring Park location. Motria Ramos, spokeswoman...

Campaign Minnesota had raised $903 million as of Aug. 31 University of Minnesota Foundation officials announced, late last week. The second major fund-raising drive in University history, officials hope...

A sign underneath the elevator buttons cautioned those entering the basement offices of 720 Washington Ave. of "asthma, mold allergies ... reduced lung function." The ominous warning suggested those sensitive...