U of M regents’ properties spray-painted amid concerns about land sale to aerospace company
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Several members of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents said their properties were vandalized Thursday with spray-painted messages apparently protesting the sale of university land to an aerospace company, according to a university spokesperson.
The Minnesota Daily reported that several regents found spray-painted phrases such as “No missiles” on walkways outside their houses.
Students have protested a plan to sell a 60-acre parcel of land at the university’s UMore Park in Rosemount to North Wind, an aerospace company. Regents approved the sale in a closed-door committee meeting in May.
According to Board of Regents documents on the sale, North Wind will pay about $8.1 million for the site, and cover the costs of an environmental cleanup of known hazardous material contamination there. Plans for the site wind tunnel testing facilities and offices, and a research lab for the university’s College of Science and Engineering.
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Students are raising concerns over North Wind’s work with the U.S. Department of Defense; they say the land could be used for military weapons development.
North Wind did not immediately respond to a request for information on its plans for the project.
A group of student protesters interrupted a Board of Regents meeting Friday. Students waved banners and signs, and led chants of “money for schools, not for war.”
Isaac Stets is an undergraduate student in the College of Science and Engineering. He protested at the Friday board meeting.
”It's kind of shameful to see the college that I worked so hard to get into, and am looking forward to pursuing a career in, putting all of its effort and student labor and things like that into these like extremely deadly technologies,” Stets said.
Student protesters wanted the board to reconsider the sale. Board members did not acknowledge the protest or discuss the issue; they resumed their regular agenda after protesters marched out of the meeting following their interruption.
Members of the campus group Students for a Democratic Society organized the Friday protest. A spokesperson for the group said their organization had “no knowledge or comment” on the vandalism.
U of M President Rebecca Cunningham said in a Board of Regents committee meeting Thursday that law enforcement is working to identify the vandals.
“Those who disagree with the university have many lawful avenues by which to express their views,” Cunningham said. “The behavior exhibited not only undermines the principles of public discourse and respect for others, but also jeopardizes the safety and wellbeing of our community.”
The board isn’t slated to take up the issue again, but student organizer Shae Ross said students are keeping up research and protest plans.
“This is one of many public protests and statements that we'll continue to be making as this deal continues,” Ross said.
