Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/tag/university-of-minnesota/page/10/)
A group of prominent economics professors were known as the “four horsemen” during their time at the University of Minnesota, and all except one have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for economics.
Not only has the world changed – universities presses are used to that – but the cosmos has shifted, calling into question the place of presses not just in the university – again, a familiar dilemma – but in a far more diverse, fast-moving, and increasingly decentered system of scholarly communications. The issue at hand isn’t simply print vs. electronic nor even “Open” vs proprietary, copy-left vs. copy-right. These are economic and thus solvable problems. It is, to my mind, the emergence of more informal, iterative, and collaborative scholarly communications vs. formal, fixed, and author centered-literally: authorized-scholarly publishing. ~~ Doug Armato, Director of U of M Press. Continue Reading
University of Minnesota researchers collaborated with an international research team to classify and catalog the galaxies using a website called Galaxy Zoo.
Hundreds rallied against proposed changes to the employee health care plan in front of the University of Minnesota’s main administrative building Thursday.Clerical, technical and health care union members and supporters wielded signs with the slogan “Stop cost shifting to employees” while speakers stood on the steps of Morrill Hall and spoke out against health plan changes.To avoid a $48 million excise tax from the Affordable Care Act, the University plans to increase copays for primary and secondary care and add a deductible to its employee health care plan, the UPlan. The changes would begin in 2014, according to a memo sent to UPlan members in July.Although the tax wouldn’t take effect until 2018, Vice President for Human Resources Kathy Brown said in the memo that the University needs time to ensure health plan changes have the desired effect to avoid the tax.The University is unable to comment further because it’s currently in mediation with AFSCME, University spokeswoman Brooke Dillon said.Some employees belonging to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees unions, are proposing a sliding scale health care model in which employees pay premiums that are tied to their income.Cherrene Horazuk, president of AFSCME Local 3800, which represents clerical workers at the University, said the unions will continue mediation on Tuesday.“We need a health care model at the University that doesn’t harm the lowest-paid workers,” Horazuk said.Under the union’s proposal, all employees would pay an equal percentage of their income for health care, Horazuk said. She said this would ensure that workers on the lower end of the wage scale wouldn’t have such a burden.In a previous Minnesota Daily article, University Employee Benefits Director Dann Chapman said the UPlan changes won’t have a huge impact.“For most of our employee population, these changes are not that significant,” he said in July. “They are not going to cause most employees or their dependents to defer necessary care.”The University’s Office of Human Resources said the UPlan changes are intended to reduce the harm to its most vulnerable employees.“We strive to minimize the impact of potential changes on those employees with serious and chronic health conditions,” Chapman said in a statement last week.Horazuk said she thinks the University’s administration won’t discuss the sliding scale plan because those with large salaries would have to pay more. She said their rationale was unclear.“They won’t talk about any reasons that they oppose it,” she said.Associate gender, women and sexuality studies professor Eden Torres, who spoke at the rally, said she was dismayed at the University’s unwillingness to discuss the sliding scale plan.She said the University is “stepping on” its workers.Although she was happy with the turnout at the rally, which included a surprise performance by musician Billy Bragg, Torres said she wished more students had come.Brian Schmidt, a graduate teaching assistant who attended the rally, said he appreciated the widespread support from students, faculty and staff.Ongoing negotiations Horazuk said the University is “shutting down” discussion on the sliding scale issue.During the summer, Horazuk said AFSCME proposed the plan at the Benefits Advisory Committee, which deals with benefits for employees across the University. Continue Reading
AFSCME members at the University of Minnesota will lead a rally Thursday for affordable and accessible health care for all.The rally will run from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, on Northrop Plaza, 100 Church St. SE, on the University’s Minneapolis campus.“Using the excuse of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), the U of M administration wants to take $1.8 million a year out of workers’ pockets and put it in the general fund,” AFSCME Local 3800 said in announcing the rally. “These take-backs would increase every employee’s out of pocket health care costs and punish the lowest paid workers and those with chronic conditions.“AFSCME workers are leading the charge in our collective bargaining sessions to stop these horrible changes, and are proposing a sliding scale plan that is equitable and doesn’t punish the lowest paid workers.”Local 3800 and the University are currently in contract negotiations. In addition to the sliding scale plan for health care, the union wants the administration to stop the cost-shifting to employees and the institution of deductibles and higher copays. Continue Reading
The University of Minnesota announced Wednesday that its College of Education and Human Development will partner with Teach For America to create an alternative teacher training program beginning this summer.
While studying law at the University of Medellín in Antioquia, Colombia, Juliana Velez worked on a human rights case about a flooding river — called La Picacha — that displaced families living near the water.
Thousands of Minneapolis honey bees began dying off late last week due to apparent pesticide poisoning.
As global leaders continue to weigh action in Syria, University of Minnesota professors and students are adding their voices to the debate.
Many Minnesotans who need health care the most are unfamiliar with how the Affordable Care Act will change their insurance, according to a University of Minnesota study published Monday.