The Wake

Illustration by Elle Attinella

College is stressful. Nervous tension is a part of life that inevitably gets more complex with increasing maturity and responsibility. A knack for multitasking is practically perfected during these years of juggling activities outside of class, deciding what career path to take, paying bills, having a social life, maintaining strong family relations, staying in shape, and probably over a dozen other things in addition to academic work. With midterm exams to prepare for again, university students are reminded of just how stressful school can be.

Aerospace Engineering major, member of the NROTC (Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps), leader of a drill team, and campus jobholder Dan Efinger plainly says “I know all about stress!” He attributes most …

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When I was in middle school there was a foreign exchange student named Alan. He was from Lebanon, and he was the kind of kid that invited teasing; he wore high water pants and he sang “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi ever so gently in his falsetto voice. One of the many horrible running jokes surrounding the kid was that Lebanon’s national cuisine was hot dogs roasted over garbage fires.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Zakia Deli, a Lebanese-American joint on Kennedy St. and Stinson Blvd, presents food far from my 7th grade stereotype.

Lebanese food is similar to other traditional Mediterranean cuisine; there are olives, vegetarian dishes, cheeses, and various spiced meats. Additionally, because of its history of foreign rule and invasions, there are subtle Middle Eastern influences in many of the offerings. …

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Illustration by Dixon Bordiano

College freshmen tend to bring something familiar along with them to campus, to keep in touch with their roots. Some people bring favorite movies or a warm pair of slippers. Travis Lee brought hip-hop. In the 1980s, the University of Minnesota was an important place in the Twin Cities’ budding hip-hop scene for Lee and others.

In 1981, the young Brooklyn native moved to Minnesota to attend his first year of college at the U of M. But it was more than a large metropolis he left behind for the Midwest. Hip- hop culture, including rapping, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti, had been born in the Bronx half a decade earlier and was an exciting way …

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On the surface, Ole Hovde looks like any other university student killing time at a café. Although he’s indoors, he keeps a beanie on his head, perhaps as a way to cope with the constant scrambling that accompanies everyday college life. Resting beside him is a sociology textbook thats been temporarily swapped for the latest issue of The Onion. His concentration is frequently interrupted by text messages on his Blackberry from his friends, family and professors. Yet one thing separates the political science junior from the rest of his college-age peers: he’s the latest student to oppose Rep. Phyllis Kahn for the District 59B seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

A tall, blond, modestly-built 21-year-old, Hovde bases his political campaign on a mantra of fiscal responsibility. …

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Bobby Seale the co-founder of the Black Panther Party For Self Defense recently spoke at the University of Minnesota. Here is a clip in the midst of the civil rights movement.

Photo by Ben Lansky

The Cedar-Riverside intersection has tons of authentic ethnic restaurants to offer, so what makes K Wok stand above and beyond the others? Well, nothing in particular, except for maybe its towering blue sign that makes it an easy spot to target.

The Vietnamese/Chinese eatery is a family-owned joint that, in the spirit of its Hard Times and Wienery neighbors, dimly resembles a do-it-yourself diner. The décor is a muddled mish-mash of Chinese regalia and out-of-place pieces like a painting of rich white people and wooden monkey statues. The space features two dining areas, one of which is a larger room, and the other seems like a dining car with booths. If you take away …

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As the calendar rolled from February to March a year ago, things looked awfully glum for the Gopher men’s basketball team. Holding a 9-21 record, the Gophers were still adjusting from a mid-season coaching change, and looking towards a very uncertain future.

What a difference a year makes. With new head coach Tubby Smith at the helm, the Gophers have returned to respectability. His Gophers entered this March with a 17-10 record (7-8 in the Big Ten) and as outside contenders for a spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament.

The effect that Smith has had on the fan base has been remarkable. Students are once again filing enthusiastically into Williams Arena for each home game. Judging by the promotions at the games and the t-shirts worn …

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Photo by Ben Lansky

This is the second installment in a two part article on religion. It was originally going to involve just one student group, Campus Crusade for Christ. However, a trail of misinformation left me with a second to consider. Last issue, I wrote about a Dinkytown house that proclaimed, “Jesus Christ is the Lord of the University of Minnesota.” I also told of a candy-filled table in Coffman Union which led me to the owners of the house. They defended their offensive and blatantly inaccurate claim proudly, casually denigrating campus Muslims in the process.

My association of them with Cru stemmed from two specific experiences. First, I had purchased a swivel chair from that house on the …

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Photo by Joey Peters

As part of a speech at the Coffman Union Theater, Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale called for a broader and more profound progressive movement. In the voice of a veteran revolutionary, he brought up a wide range of issues, many of them on the current national radar.

On Iraq: “We need to end this damn war.” On global warming: “It’s interconnected to every civil rights issue.” On the upcoming Presidential election: “Obama is a very progressive brother. I like sister Hillary Clinton too, although she’s not going to win this one.” On racist crappy politicians: “They categorize you and pin you as something you’re not.”

He talked about filmmaker Carl Franklin’s proposal to …

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Driving down Washington Avenue the other day I noticed that part of the street was closed, but didn’t realize that a major fire had just occurred. The entire building is a surreal sculpture of dripping icicles, while part of the neighboring building somehow survived. Its close proximity to the 35W bridge added something very familiar and unsettling. Well here are some photos of the building and the masses that came to photograph the historic building. Luckily no one was injured in the fire, though a cat was lost.

Maxwell’s After the Fire

Growing up, Beth Novak always loved to dance. When she first came to the University of Minnesota back in the autumn of 2004, she wanted to keep dancing. When she didn’t make the university’s prestigious Dance Team, she found that there were no options for a person in her position short of becoming a dance major. So she created one.

Now a senior in the Carlson School of Management, Novak has watched the dance team she and a pair of high school friends created grow and flourish over the past three years. What started out as a student organization consisting only of an informal dance clinic has now developed into Premier Dance Team (PDT), an established club team that competes against other regional dance squads.

In its first year, the program was simply a spring …

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Illustration by Alice Vislova

As defined by the Mercy for Animals Vegan Starter Kit a vegan is an individual who chooses, for health, environmental, ethical, or religious reasons, to abstain from the consumption of all animal products. This includes animal flesh, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, fur, leather, and other goods that cause suffering to animals. The University of Minnesota, along with members of the surrounding community, has taken part in vegan/vegetarianism with Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA), which will celebrate its 10th year anniversary in April.

Becca Mcdougle, a freshman at the U who became a vegan about a year and a half ago after viewing the YouTube video “Meet Your Meat,” says that joining the group was “one step …

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Photo by Ben Lansky

Initially when someone told me there was a new restaurant on campus that only served chicken fingers I was like, “Wow, that’s ballsy.” Devoting an entire joint to a kids’ meal entrée seemed not so much like an adventure dining spot, but a foray into adventure restaurateur-ing. When I showed up and found out it was a chain I was supremely disappointed.

I can imagine that walking into Raising Cane’s (the name is a hackneyed homage to the owner’s dog) in Minneapolis is like walking into one anywhere in the country. The ambiance is a kind of sub-standard marginalized Americana that makes kitsch-peddlers like Applebee’s and T.G.I. Friday’s look like the Tavern on the Green. The wall …

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When I left my small mid-western town to attend the U of M Twin Cites, it was for the greener pastures of cultural diversity and open-minded discussion. This objective was largely achieved. I’ve made new friends of varied upbringings and beliefs, and I feel a more well-rounded and educated person for it.

Gov. Pawlenty has warned the University of Minnesosta that the Central Corridor has to come down in price. The tunnel that would go under Washington Avenue would cost $250 Million. So, should the proposed Central Corridor go straight down Washington Avenue, go under Washington, or skirt pass Dinkytown in the current rail trench and rejoin University near TCF Bank Stadium?