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Campus Digest
11/15/2002

Faculty Research
A look at recent University of Minnesota studies, research, discoveries, and rankings

Test Score Trends
A new University of Minnesota study analyzing changes in Minnesota Basic Skills Test scores finds significant trends over the 1996 to 2001 study period. Reading scores are improving and girls’ scores are remaining well ahead of boys’ scores. By contrast, math scores are about constant, but the achievement gap favoring boys had almost disappeared by the end of the study. National samples show that Minnesota gender differences are smaller than those in the nation as a whole. Performance gaps for minorities persist; even where they are closing, the differences are large and progress is slow. Minnesota ethnic differences are generally larger than national averages. The study also confirmed that special education students, students with limited English, and those eligible for free or reduced price lunches scored significantly lower on the tests. The report, "The Minnesota Basic Skills Test: Performance Gaps on the Reading and Mathematics Tests from 1996 to 2001, by Gender, Ethnicity, Limited English Proficiency, Individual Education Plans and Socio-Economic Status" was released by the University’s Office of Educational Accountability .

Painkillers and Cancer
Two University of Minnesota studies find good news and bad news in the effects common painkillers have on cancers. In a study with mice, morphine, often used to treat cancer pain, stimulated processes that prompt some tumors to grow. The study found that morphine activated signals that spur angiogenesis—the formation of new blood vessels—in breast tumors. The new blood vessels provided nutrients to existing tumors and could carry cancer cells to other parts of the body. If the findings are verified and are shown to hold true in humans, they could lead to new treatments for cancer pain or the development of drugs that relieve pain but do not spur angiogenesis. The findings were reported in the August 1 issue of Cancer Research (http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org).
In a second study, University public health researchers found that postmenopausal women who took aspirin had a significantly reduced risk of pancreatic cancer. Prior studies have indicated a link between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and reduced pancreatic cancers, but this seven-year study is the largest to date. The study also found that only two to five doses a week had a significant impact. Researchers stressed that people should consult their physicians before starting any new medicines. The study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Just Say No, Mom
In the latest finding from the massive national Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota pediatrician Dr. Robert Blum reports that teenage girls are less likely to start having sex if they feel close to their mothers and know that their mothers want them to wait. The results were drawn from questionnaires of teens and parents done a year apart. Patterns in which teens had begun having sex in the intervening year were studied. Other findings were that one-third of girls whose mothers "strongly disapprove" were not aware of those feelings, that about half of the mothers did not know their daughters had begun having sex, and that mothers were more willing to discuss birth control with sons while emphasizing the effects of pregnancy with daughters. Blum said that mother-daughter closeness has less to do with sharing family activities and more with taking an interest in all parts of a child’s life, asking about them, and listening to the answers. The study was published in the September issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health

State of the U: Momentum and Realism
When Bob Bruininks set out to deliver what might be his only State of the University speech in October, the interim U president faced a challenge: how to emphasize the need for money to continue the University’s progress while recognizing the state’s precarious financial status.

In the end, Bruininks emphasized the many things going right at the U, called on the people of Minnesota to increase their commitment to higher education, and offered a vow to legislators: a "reasoned, 50-50 partnership with the state," in which the University will fund half of its new needs through reallocations and tuition increases. "This will be our lowest biennial [increase] proposal in 10 years; it will respect the state’s economic challenges and reaffirm our internal commitment to setting priorities and cost savings," said Bruininks. "We have a responsibility to present our needs to the state, this is not a time to be shy . . . but we must also maintain a position of credibility and responsibility in today’s budget environment." Other highlights from the address:

- A service and productivity initiative is designed to find $5 million in internal savings and increased revenue.

- Bruininks vowed to invest in "programs that are on the cusp of prominence, build on recent strategic investments and extend those investments into niche areas of national significance, and sustain the programs and departments that have made us one of the top research universities."

- He stressed that although he is an interim president, he will press to continue recent gains in faculty compensation, infrastructure, and student experience. "We are in an increasingly competitive environment—for the best faculty and staff, for the best students, for limited state dollars, for sponsored research funding, and for private gifts," Bruininks said. "Truly, to mark time is to lose ground in higher education today."

The Score on a New Stadium

Not long after Memorial Stadium was demolished a decade ago, Gopher football fans began talking about bringing a stadium back to campus. Over the past two years, the stadium discussion has broadened to include a possible Gopher-Vikings football stadium on the site of the University-owned parking lots near Mariucci Arena. The University is engaged in discussions with the Minnesota Vikings, local public agencies, University and neighborhood communities, and numerous consultants on the feasibility of a joint stadium.

At the end of the 2002 session, the Minnesota Legislature directed the University to work with the Vikings toward an agreement for the construction of a joint Gopher-Vikings stadium on campus. The legislature appropriated $500,000 to the University to complete two specific tasks: the development of a "memorandum of understanding" between the University and the Vikings that would specify the details of the stadium’s operation, and a comprehensive "predesign" study on the size, scope, and cost of a joint stadium.

At its September meeting, the Board of Regents discussed six principles to guide the completion of the memorandum agreement and predesign study. The regents insist that any joint Gopher-Vikings stadium advance the U’s fundamental academic mission, ensure a financial benefit to the U, enhance the campus and surrounding community, assure that the U control all aspects of stadium development and management, increase community enthusiasm for Gopher football and enhance the game-day experience, and assure that project design and construction meet the highest standards of fairness, integrity, and sound business practice.

The regents will discuss the stadium project at their November meeting and are expected to take action at their December meeting. A report on the memorandum agreement and predesign study will be made to the legislature after the regents meet in December.

For updated information, visit the Web site.

Minnesota a Leader in Sports
In yet another variation on the rankings theme, Sports Illustrated has named the University of Minnesota the seventh best sports college or university in the nation. Minnesota ranked first among Big Ten schools, ahead of Michigan (10th), Ohio State (12th), and Illinois (22nd). Texas edged Stanford as the number one-school in the SI poll. Of the top 10 teams, only the Gophers and the Wolverines are outside the southern or western United States.

Factors in ranking Division I schools included the 2001–02 finishes in the big-five sports (baseball, football, hockey, and men’s and women’s basketball). Other factors included the 2001–02 all-sports standings; the number of varsity, club, and intramural sports; the range of recreational facilities; and whether or not spirit-boosting events like "Midnight Madness" were held.

SI noted the 12 national top-25 teams at Minnesota. There are also 26 registered sports clubs at the U, including fencing, ballroom dance, rugby, and seven forms of martial arts. The U’s recreational facilities include fitness centers on both the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses with pools and various courts, access to some intercollegiate athletics facilities like the indoor track and Mariucci Arena, a climbing wall, and a handful of outdoor spaces. A 2001 student interest survey found that 66 percent of Twin Cities students—about 27,000—use the facilities and programs regularly. "It seems the college-age student is expecting more today and they want to be more active," says Jim Turman, director of recreational sports. Although there are parking and crowding problem at some facilities, Turman adds, "our goal is to get every student active in some way."

Twin Cities Campus Fall 2002 Snapshot
Enrollment
Undergraduate 28,103 (up from 27,699 in 2001)
Graduate/Professional 14,685 (up from 12,927)
Non-degree 5,889 (down from 5,971)
Total 48,677 (up from 46,597)

Average credit load 13.9 (up from 13.3)
Average freshman credit load 15.3 (up from 14.9)

Students of color 6,311 (up from 5,945)
International students 3,801 (up from 3,628)

Source: Office of Institutional Research and Reporting

Web Hit
A Web site created by the Science Museum of Minnesota and University of Minnesota researchers, Discover Chimpanzees, features work of the Jane Goodall Institute’s Center for Primate Studies at the University of Minnesota. For anyone interested in chimpanzees or the research at Gombe National Park—or just wanting to hear a chimpanzee scream out of a computer—this multimedia site is well worth the visit.

The site introduces viewers to the chimpanzees of Gombe, where Jane Goodall has directed 40 years of chimp studies. Profiles of the researchers, most of them U of M graduate students or faculty, reveal the goals of much of the research. A virtual tour of the park includes views from space. Activities for individuals and classrooms teach about chimp facial expressions; explain the significance of various hoots, screams, and other calls; and even offer the chance to pretend to be a chimp and explore chimp activities by gender and age. The site also links viewers to information on Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees, a documentary produced by the Science Museum of Minnesota, playing at giant-screen theaters around North America and Europe this fall and winter.

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