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raker@mndaily.com
As the merger of two
University of Minnesota
colleges undergoes consid-
eration, some faculty and
staf f are concerned about
preserving their colleges
identities.
A task force heard faculty
and staf f members reac-
tions at listening sessions
Monday and Tuesday to
the potential merger of the
College of Food, Agricul-
tural and Natural Resource
Sciences and the College of
Biological Sciences
Some CFANS faculty
said a merger would need
to maintain connections
with external stakeholders
like agricultural companies,
and some CBS faculty said
theyd want to maintain the
colleges higher admissions
standards. People from both
colleges also questioned the
Universitys reasoning be-
hind the merger talks.
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mrenault@mndaily.com
!
hortly after noon Friday, the
room fell into an intent, rever-
ent silence, interrupted only
by the padding of shoeless feet
on carpet and the occasional
creaking of a door as latecomers trick-
led in.
More than 150 Muslim University
of Minnesota students and employees
lled the conference room for weekly
community prayer on the third oor of
Coffman Union at 12:30 p.m.
Throughout the week, students
can be found spread across campus,
tucked in hallway corners or kneel-
ing in open courtyards for their daily
prayers.
On Fridays, that prayer is meant to
be shared. But many say the Coffman
space reserved by the Muslim Student
Association isnt enough to accommo-
date the Universitys Muslim popula-
tion.
When hundreds show up for Friday
prayer, they sometimes spill out into
the hallway, said biology freshman Zo-
ha Khatoon.
With a prayer ritual that involves re-
peated bowing and kneeling, Khatoon
said they have to stagger their move-
ments to deal with limited space. Most
of the time, she said, its simply uncom-
fortable.
It gets really hot, Khatoon said.
And when you bend over, theres not
enough room to put your whole body
down.
The conference room, which is
booked in advance for weekly use,
and the Al-Madinah Cultural Centers
space on Coffmans second floor are
the only two spaces on campus offered
specically for Muslim prayer.
Though the Mayo Memorial
Building on the Universitys East
Bank has a meditation room, there is
no ofcial nondenominational prayer
or meditation space on campus, said
University spokesman Steve Henne-
berry.
As a public institution, the Univer-
sity cannot make any special accom-
modations for religious groups, in ac-
cordance with the Board of Regents
policy for Equity, Diversity, Equal Op-
portunity and Afrmative Action.
But some say a nondenominational
prayer and meditation space could ben-
et the entire University community.
!" /&+( )*0,.&+*
dmizutani@mndaily.com
Connor Cosgrove has
the most impor tant day
of his life stenciled on a
sticker in his room. Its lost
some of its adhesive over
time, but the meaning has
never faded.
And now its only two
days away.
After a three-year battle
with leukemia, Cosgrove will
go through his nal chemo-
therapy treatment Friday.
Ive literally thought
about this day every single
day through this entire pro-
cess, he said.
Cosgrove, a business
and marketing education
junior, was diagnosed with
leukemia Sept. 14, 2010,
and Friday marks a new be-
ginning for the 22-year-old.
Ive heard that it can be
very anticlimactic for some,
but I dont think it will be
for me, he said. It signi-
es everything Ive accom-
plished and everything Ive
gone through.
I hope they at least give
me a sticker or lollipop or
something, he joked.
Its been a long, arduous
road for Cosgrove a road
that has forced him to grow
as a person.
It s been a gift in a
weird way because I want
more out of my life than I
did before, he said.
Cosgrove still remem-
bers the day of his initial
diagnosis down to the min-
ute details the clothes he
was wearing, the body lan-
guage and tone of his doc-
tors, and his parents places
in the hospital room.
!" 1(22*3& -((
jlee@mndaily.com
University of Minnesota
and law enforcement of fi-
cials met with state legisla-
tors Tuesday at the Capitol
to discuss campus safety
amid a series of violent
crimes in the area.
We feel targeted, and
we do not feel safe, senior
Sara Gottlieb said to the
panel of state legislators.
The Senat e Hi gher
Education and Workforce
Development Committee
held the meeting to hear
students concerns, allow
law enforcement of ficers
to share practices and en-
sure the state provides am-
ple resources to address
the issue.
Committee Chair Sen.
Ter ri Bonof f, DFL- Min-
netonka, said while higher
education institutions in
metro areas have deal t
wi t h f l uct uat i ng cri me
trends for decades, the
recent uptick is unique
because of the criminals
boldness.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM U OF M MINNEAPOLIS ST PAUL WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 11, 2013 MOSTLY SUNNY HIGH 2 LOW -6
State Leg.
chimes in
on U crime
Cosgrove nishes chemo
U rallies behind
alum in prison
Staffers wary of lost character
Como takes on problem properties
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Cosgrove will have his tnal ohemotherapy treatment lriday.
&)/!"( Q /+,15
Kaler talks Marking-
son case, bowl game
The president also discussed the
potential CBS-CFANS merger.
See 4&5( 6
) Q +
Bloomers beatboxing
blossoms
Bjorn Hunstad, aka Bloomer, approaches
the top of the new-school beatboxing scene.
See 4&5( 7
*55,#)$$
Gophers get opportunity
to recruit Texas players
Minnesota is going back to the Texas
Bowl for the second straight season.
See 4&5( 88
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 57
$(-&.(/ 3%+.(+.
St. Paul students have also
joined the safety discussion.
See Page 16
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The U has invested $15 million
in campus security since 2004.
Senators met with
law enforcement,
students and U
ofcials Tuesday.
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tgieseke@mndaily.com
Tuesday marked Univer-
sity of Minnesota alumnus
Shezanne Cassims 247th
day in foreign custody. Hes
sitting in a maximum secu-
rity prison, and his future
remains unclear.
Tuesday was also Hu-
man Rights Day a day
when students and faculty
members again called on
the government of the Unit-
ed Arab Emirates to release
Cassim. His next cour t
date is Monday, but it has
already been rescheduled
ve times, his familys law-
yer said.
We are constantly wor-
ried about Shez, Cassims
sister, Shalali Cassim, said
at a Tuesday news confer-
ence. Shalali Cassim is also
a University alumna.
All we want is for him to
come home, she said.
Cassi m s suppor ters
stood holding #freeshez
signs at the news confer-
ence and read letters of sup-
port from elected of ficials
like Gov. Mark Dayton and
!" &-(9 !*..($
abitter@mndaily.com
A new initiative by the
Southeast Como Improve-
ment Association to iden-
tify absentee landlords in
the neighborhood is yield-
ing results, but residents
and community leaders
say the issue is still preva-
lent.
SECIA members said
they hope their efforts will
make landlords more ac-
countable to both the com-
munity and the city.
Katie Fournier, chair
of the SECIA Livability
Committee, said she and
others on the team began
using resident complaints
and property sale records
published in local news-
papers to identify houses
t hat may l ack pr oper
rental licenses. The com-
mittee then checked the
proper ties against Hen-
nepin County records to
determi ne whether the
See 3&22*) Page 5
Cassim was arrested after
posting a satirical video online.
See )($5($ Page 3
Some are concerned about the
colleges differing selectivity.
See 3%)% Page 4
The issue has come up in focus
groups for the Como Blueprint.
See 3%25$%:( Page 11
Cosgrove said the cancer has
become part of his identity.
Shezanne Cassim
has been behind
bars in the UAE
since April.
Faculty and staff
expressed concerns
during listening
sessions this week.
The neighborhood
association is
cracking down on
absentee landlords.
Diagnosed with
leukemia in 2010,
Connor Cosgrove
is starting fresh.
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Five times a day, observant Muslims
wash their faces, hands and feet before be-
ginning their prayer and its series of pros-
trations. The whole process takes only ve
minutes.
Its a very informal thing but a very per-
sonal thing, said Nabil Matar, an English
professor who teaches a course on Islam
each spring.
Because each prayer is meant to occur
in a certain window of time, Matar said
hell shift the breaks in his lectures so his
Muslim students can leave the classroom
to pray.
But daily prayers are rarely integrated
so easily into a students hectic schedule,
said psychology junior and Muslim Student
Association Vice President Rima Ali.
Though she tries to make use of Al-
Madinahs Cof fman space, Ali said she
normally prays in hallways and stairwells.
When one of her classes in Folwell Hall last
year coincided with a prayer time, Ali said
she tucked herself away in a space near the
elevators during the few minutes she had
before class.
Id put my coat on the ground and pray
on my coat, basically, she said.
But Ali said having to pray in public
doesnt bother her or most other Muslim
students.
We dont like to complain, she said. If
we have to pray in a hallway, well pray in a
hallway.
Some say non-Muslim students might
not be used to seeing others pray in public.
Sometimes its uncomfortable for you
and for others because they dont know
what youre doing, and you dont want to
disturb the peace, said graduate nursing
student Amran Ahmed. The tricky part is
that you have to do your prayers. You have
to choose whats more important, and for
me, its obviously the prayer.
Mathematics senior Azhar Abdusebur
said he sometimes feels the gazes of other
students when he prays in public.
If I pray in an awkward place, people
might stare, he said. You kind of get used
to it after a while. Its just that people really
dont know what youre doing.
MSA President Amer Sassila said he
prays every day at a specific spot in Rap-
son Hall, where all his architecture class-
es are housed.
Although praying in a group is more re-
warding in the Muslim faith, Sassila said,
hes come to nd peace in his corner of the
Rapson basement.
I made myself a little sanctuary, he said.
Thats the nice part about being a Muslim:
The whole world is a place to pray.
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In the Islamic tradition, men are re-
quired and women are encouraged to pray
as a congregation on Fridays. But the room
MSA currently reserves seats only 54, ac-
cording to the Coffman website.
We have so many mosques all over
Minneapolis that you can go to, Ali said.
But on campus, thats the only Friday
prayer thats provided.
Thats what draws hundreds of Muslim
students and University employees to the
weekly prayer hosted by MSA, she said.
The group now provides two times for
prayer one at 12:30 p.m. and one at 1:15
p.m. to accommodate the crowd.
Sassila said hes had many requests from
students for a bigger space for Friday prayer.
It can be dif ficult to make the most
of the space they do have, Ali said. While
praying, Muslims need to face the direction
of Mecca, which happens to be a corner of
the rectangular room, so diagonal rows of
people dont ll it efciently.
The fact that men and women need to be
separated for prayer aggravates the prob-
lem, she said.
[Its] really narrow, so the guys and
girls are really close together, Ali said. A
lot of girls arent coming to this room be-
cause they dont feel comfortable.
MSA has been attempting to address
these needs as it secures space for the up-
coming semester.
The conference room is already booked
for 10 of 14 weeks next semester, Sassila
said, so MSA will instead rent out Grace
University Lutheran Church on Harvard
Street Southeast.
The group will pay about $50 per week
to use the church for Friday prayer. The
Coffman space was free.
Because of that extra expense, on top of
upcoming events that Sassila said will be
costly, MSA will request $10,000 in the next
student services fees cycle.
Weve done it before, he said, but it
hasnt been done in a while.
Mechanical engineering senior Omar
Alamy said space wasnt such an issue
when he began attending Friday prayers as
a freshman.
Its getting really tight, he said. I feel
like four years ago it wasnt as bad, but peo-
ple keep coming.
Sassila said space will always be an issue
for practicing Muslims at the University.
Its always going to be full, he said.
Even if we got a bigger space, more people
would show up, and its eventually going to
overcrowd.
A 08 I0I N00I8I00 !800
Some say an on-campus nondenomina-
tional prayer and meditation space would
benet people of all beliefs.
Gary Sands, a bioproducts and biosys-
tems engineering professor, said hed like
to see a nondenominational space on the St.
Paul campus to complement the East Bank
prayer space.
As faculty, I have the luxury of my own
ofce [for prayer], he said, but its not so
easy for students of all faiths.
Between her nursing courses, gradu-
ate student Ahmed said she often uses
the Mayo Memorial Buildings meditation
room for her Islamic prayer.
Ahmed said she thinks having spaces open
to all prayer and meditation has benets, like
learning from others about their faith.
When its a meditation room, you
bring dif ferent people all in one space,
she said. Its a platform for many conver-
sations to happen.
Ahmed said shed like to see a medita-
tion room on campus, even just for students
who want a quiet space to think.
That space can be shared by so many
dif ferent people, so many dif ferent reli-
gious backgrounds, she said. You have a
place that is secluded yet open.
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