'Pushing the Needle' - Volume 51, Issue 20

STUDENT MEDIA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

TUESDAY, February 18, 2020 · VOL 51 Issue 20 · BADGERHERALD.COM

Pushing the Needle Young student candidates bring progressive new ideas to local politics. pg. 12

Illustration by Nuha Dolby

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UW Dance Department puts on spectacle of artistry as faculty, guest coreographers lead variety of contemporary dance performances.

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UW and DPI work to mitigate College Readiness gaps along racial lines reaveald by the ACT.

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SHOUTOUTS

POINT COUNTERPOINT: CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

15

College Democrats and Republicans discuss Trump justice and reforms regarding criminal justice.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: BADGERS STILL STRONG AFTER KING LOSS

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Kobe King’s decision to transfer from UW was undoubtedly a blow to the program, yet Badgers have continued to find success.

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Battle for Bascom

Photos by Ahmad Hamid, design by Caitlin Geurts

PHOTO

Students gathered from the far corners of the Southeast and Lakeshore sides of campus to hurl snowballs at one another in the annual Battle for Bascom snowball fight.

February 18, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 3

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Madison has potential to become techonolgy hub, report says Recent years have shown large increase in technology industry, technology occupations in Madison, surrounding area

by Marissa Triggiano Reporter

A report by Brookings Institution listed Madison as an area of high growth in the technology industry and said the city has the potential to become a highly innovative region with the help of federal funding.

The Brookings Institution report said Madison has seen a large number of new technologyrelated jobs and companies being created in the area. The report advocates for funding from the federal government for eight to 10 high technology growth cities in order to boost development and make the cities self-sustaining innovation hubs.

At the end of January, several staff members from the University of Wisconsin joined representatives from companies and universities across the country at a conference to discuss the potential of high technology growth cities and what can be done to help continue the positive trend of development in their area.

Director of Discovery to Product Andy Richards attended the Boosting Growth for America Conference.

“Right now it’s just a report, and if it’s to go anywhere we need to have the federal

government put rules in place and put funding in place in order to move it forward,” Richards said.

Richards said a big reason Madison made the list was because of UW. When identifying high growth sectors, the Brookings Institution looked for areas with lots of university research and development, and a high number of people with bachelor’s and doctoral degrees.

Additionally, growing companies in the area rely on the university for new talented employees and new innovation from research, Richards said.

“When you put these things together, it really does create a nice picture for why Madison is at the top of this list and the university is a big part of this ecosystem,” Richards said.

UW graduate and current Epic employee, Paul Urbanski, said the university’s connection to local technology companies helps students find jobs right out of college. The process can often be difficult, Urbanski said, so having young companies in the area looking for new employees helps to transition students away from college and into future careers.

Urbanski said many of the growing technology companies in the area look for young workers because they are more impressionable.

“Younger people are more adaptable [and] versatile … they may not have as much experience

as older people but they’ll be able to adapt better to the changing needs of a technological role,” Urbanski said.

Additionally, Urbanski said many students choose to work in these companies after graduation since Madison is still a growing area and rent is more affordable compared to technology hubs like Silicon Valley.

Urbanski said Madison is a good community to live in and that also makes students want to stay here after graduation.

“Places like California and Silicon Valley are really expensive because everyone already knows about them,” Urbanski said. “Madison is a young city where … even people who didn’t graduate from the university are attracted to.”

In order for Madison to become a technology innovation center for the country, Richards said it needs support from the federal government.

Funding is needed to foster more research and to create a stronger infrastructure for building and roadway development to support a larger population, Richards said.

Once Madison gets initial support from the government, the city will eventually be able to support itself as the technology industry grows, Richards said. Major innovation cities like Seattle and Boston all had help in the beginning,

Richards said, but now are able to support their growth on their own.

“If you think about a rocket, if you want to get it to space where it doesn’t take much fuel to speed up or keep it moving … it takes a considerable amount of fuel to get it to leave the atmosphere,” Richards said. “I think what the report is pointing out is that Madison and some of these areas just don’t have enough fuel at this point.”

Richards said the type of funding that Madison and other cities from the report are asking for can be considered a little controversial because they are asking that a large amount of funding only go to eight to 10 cities, rather than equally dividing the money across all the states.

But Richards said if that funding is distributed equally, none of the cities will get the amount they need to develop the city into a technology hub.

Giving funding to a few cities that have the most potential to begin with will have the most impact, Richards said.

“If you spread [fuel] out to 100 rockets, you may not get any of them out into the atmosphere,” Richards said. “You may get them a little higher, but you’re not going to get them all the way … but by focusing on eight to 10 rockets, you might have a good chance of getting them out there.”

City of Madison worked with UW on getting accurate count of students Census starts in March, students could submit responses in multiple ways, including by paper, phone or online

by Caroline Li Campus News Editor

As part of the nationwide 2020 Census, the City of Madison worked with the University of Wisconsin to get an accurate count of the student population in the city.

According to the United States Census 2020 website, the Census counts every person living in the 50 states, District of Columbia and five U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The count is constitutionally mandated and will be conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The count will be based on where people live on April 1, 2020, according to UW News. As a result, most UW students will be counted at their addresses on campus.

According to UW News, the count will begin in March, and each home will receive a mailed invitation to complete a short questionnaire online, by phone or by mail.

According to the Census 2020 website, the results of the census will help inform the allocation of federal funding to different states 4 • badgerherald.com • February 18, 2020

and communities.

Having an accurate count of the city’s population, students included, is especially important as the numbers will then be used to determine how much federal funding Madison could have access to, according to NBC15.

City of Madison Planning Division member, Ben Zellers, said a lot of federal programs are informed by information gathered through the census. These include programs that address affordable housing, childcare, healthcare, education, transit, roads and many more.

“The census is about representing the population of the country in terms of the people that are living here when the census is taken.

Whether it’s college students that move to Madison from somewhere else in the state or country or college students that are attending internationally,” Zellers said. “We need to know what the population in the area is to make sure that the city, [and] the county gets its fair share of funding to be able to provide necessary services for everybody that’s living in the city.”

In an interview with NBC15 Zellers further emphasized the importance of conducting such census as accurately as possible, as the results

will impact not only 2021 but also the next 10 years until the next census is taken.

Besides helping the federal government allocate resources, census results will also be used to determine the number of seats each state will have in the House of Representatives and be used in drawing congressional and state legislative districts, the Census 2020 website stated.

To ensure greater accuracy of the census results, the Complete Count Committee was set up to help include hard-to-count populations in the census. According to NBC15, the student body is one such example of the hard-to-count population.

Zellers said the high mobility of students makes the counting more difficult.

“They’re moving every year, sometimes they’ll be in different places in the summertime,” Zellers said in an interview with NBC15.

To help ensure all students get counted, the City of Madison is working together with UW to raise awareness of the census among students, according to NBC15.

One approach is through cooperating with UW Housing. According to NBC15, House Fellows working at UW residence halls will help

inform their residents of the upcoming census and provide them with assistance on how to get involved.

Zellers said there are two different ways UW students could participate based on where they live. For students who are living in residence halls, they will receive paper forms distributed through the university. They will then respond to the census by submitting the forms within their dorms.

Students living in apartments and off-campus houses, Zellers said, will be treated like other residents in the city. They will receive direct invitation mailed to their addresses and respond online, by phone or by mail.

UW senior Kennedy Krause, who is not from Madison, said it is important to have an accurate count of students at the university even though many of them are not from Wisconsin and only live on campus during school semesters. Krause said this is because they make up an important portion of the student body, and thus should not be overlooked.

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State officials, UW combat disparities in ACT college readiness in WI Early educational experiences shape readiness for higher education, leaving African American student disadvangated, UW expert says

by Erin Gretzinger City News Editor

As a new analysis captures persisting disparities in Wisconsin’s ACT scores for college readiness, state officials and researchers work to understand and combat issues within the educational achievement gap.

In a recent analysis conducted by the Wisconsin Policy Forum on Wisconsin ACT data from the past few years, researchers found “areas of concern” with declining and stagnant college readiness scores of high school juniors.

While the study noted Wisconsin is doing relatively better compared to other states, the WPF said Wisconsin’s decreasing working-age population and rising demand for occupations requiring higher education pose a threat to the state’s economic climate.

Another cause for concern — the glaring socioeconomic and racial disparities present in ACT data.

“It’s important to note Wisconsin high schoolers still fare better on their overall ACT scores than nearly all other states that require all students to take the test,” the WPF study stated. “But within those statewide scores are gaping disparities, particularly on the basis of race, that demand urgent attention.”

While the state’s overall ACT dropped slightly from 2018 to 2019, the WPF’s analysis said the decline in levels of college readiness for math, english and science are of greater concern. These benchmark levels serve as indicators for how students will fare in college courses.

The gaps in the college readiness benchmarks are most prominent among racial lines, especially in english, where there was over a 43% gap between white students with 57% at the benchmark level compared to only 13.3% of Black students. Similar trends were found between economically disadvantaged students and other racial minorities across other subject areas.

“Few policy challenges are more critical to Wisconsin’s economic health than meeting the growing demand for college-educated workers,” the WPF stated. “At the same time, few policy solutions are as obvious as the need to boost the pipeline of high school graduates from within the state, particularly among minority and economically disadvantaged populations.”

University of Wisconsin Professor of Sociology and Educational Policy Studies Eric Grodsky said many of the inequalities in secondary and higher education can be contributed to shortcomings that take place

early in the education route.

Grodsky said students are screened for literacy knowledge and skills when they come into kindergarten, and these results reveal earlier trends of disparate educational impacts, creating the gaps that grow into the high school and college years. Another significant factor is connected to Wisconsin’s disproportionate poverty rates among African Americans and other minority students, according to Grodsky.

“Wisconsin is also home to some of the biggest disparities in child poverty by race, ethnicity and median family income,” Grodsky said. “A lot going on outside the schools sets the stage for what we see inside the schools.”

Grodsky said these early educational experiences shape students’ levels of preparation for higher education, leaving African American students at a disadvantage to their non-Hispanic white peers.

Grodsky said higher education institutions play a large role in closing these gaps by reaching out to minority students. At UW, Grodsky said the admissions’ comprehensive review of applicants’ files gives students who have experienced disadvantageous situations in their education the chance to level the playing field.

“It entails looking at test scores and grades, but also looking at the totality of students, opportunities and circumstances around those test scores and grades,” Grodsky said. “I think that enables places like Madison and many others to be more nimble in trying to extend opportunities to students who may not have fared as well in primary or secondary school.”

Secretary Deputy of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Mike Thompson said while Wisconsin ranks nationally, the stagnant scores and lack of improvement are cause for concern.

Thompson said the DPI is working to address the readiness gaps among minority students with key programs in early education and beyond to encourage equity at all stages of education.

“Quite frankly, our whole effort here is around equity, which means you give kids what they need, when they need it in order to achieve,” Thompson said. “We have a lot of kids that come to school ... that face a lot of challenges, and schools are trying to meet those particular challenges kids face.”

Thompson said the DPI is working on raising awareness at the local level in school districts to address different needs of students in early education. For students

coming into the school system behind their peers, Thompson said providing the resources they need in the vital time between kindergarten and second grade proves pivotal in making a difference.

The programs the DPI is implementing include english efficiency programs, additional training for early education teachers and after school programs to extend learning opportunities outside the classroom. Thompson said another core aspect of programming is identifying outside factors influencing students’ performance.

“Another huge area that we’re focusing on is additional resources for school districts to meet some of the other challenges that impede kids’ learning, such as trauma that they have come to school with,” Thompson said. “We know that a large number of kids, because of those particular issues, can’t really concentrate on learning and the learning environment.”

Thompson said other options include

diversifying the workforce to provide role models, developing programs fostering soft skills and independence, and “early alarm” systems to identify struggling students.

Additionally, Grodsky said focusing on financing higher education for lower-income students is another huge piece of the puzzle to leveling the playing field.

Grodsky is working on research with the DPI, looking at application patterns to institutions of higher education. While there are no clear cut solutions, Grodsky said educational reform holds a lot of promise to close gaps across the spectrum of disparities in Wisconsin.

“Minority student or not, education is key. And higher education is playing an important role in providing economic opportunities to young people entering the workforce,” Grodsky said. “A stepping stone to success in the graduate and professional fields is success in college.”

Photo -There was a 57% gap between white students and Black students in english for college readiness Breilly The Badger Herald February 18 2020 • badgerherald.com • 5

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Oscar Mayer Special Area Plan tries to find equity in jobs, housing

Project seeks to balance area housing with three different types of housing for varying income levels, according to project manager

by Sophie Wimmel City News Editor

The Oscar Mayer redevelopment project sought to provide Madison residents with various housing and job opportunities while also protecting the area’s environment.

Started in 2018, the project has culminated in the Oscar Mayer Special Area Plan. The plans to redevelop the land into an area of housing and employment for everyone, while also providing the best in Madison transportation are laid out in the document.

Dan McAuliffe, the plan’s project manager from the City of Madison, believes that this is an opportunity to provide for everyone in Madison.

The Oscar Mayer Special Area Plan showcased that a large portion of the redevelopment will be made into an area available for offices and manufacturing, among other commercial uses. McAuliffe said that one of the primary focuses for the redevelopment was making an area that could provide jobs for a variety of experiences.

“Making sure that the site supports economically the north side as it has in the past, but also does so in a way that provides a diversity of jobs,” McAuliffe said. “So not just college-educated people, really trying to make sure that the vast majority of

Madison residents could find employment there or find a role that they could do.”

Before it’s closure, the Oscar Mayer facility provided thousands of jobs for residents in Madison, according to the Special Area Plan. The plan intends to make up for that loss and Alderman Sayed Abbas was excited about the prospect. Ald. Abbas said he is hopeful the redevelopment will create 4,000 jobs within the area.

McAuliffe said equity was a major focal point for the project. Planners want to make an area that has a variety of job opportunities, and on top of that, a variety of housing options.

“Kind of talking again about that range of jobs but also how we think about housing,” McAuliffe said. “Making sure that there is a range of housing types both in terms of scale affordability and character.”

McAuliffe said that the development will have a range of housing options, including options for lower-income households. Because the plan was still in the developmental stages, McAuliffe was not certain exactly what housing would look like.

The Special Area Plan described three different types of housing — low-medium residential, medium residential and high residential. Each housing type serves a variety of different incomes and lifestyles. Housing for lower-income residents

will be interspersed throughout the development McAuliffe said.

“Making sure that we are not concentrating poverty in any existing areas,” McAuliffe said.

“So, we are trying to make sure that the income distribution in the neighborhood is balanced.”

Ald. Abbas said the community wants to see various forms of housing within the development.

Residents did not want to see only high-rise buildings within the development, but different housing styles, prices and locations, Ald. Abbas said.

While the plan hopes to provide housing and jobs for a myriad of people, it is also taking into account environmental factors in the redevelopment. On the Hartmeyer Estate lay wetlands that both the city and residents are hoping to protect.

“All the plans we’ve looked at would preserve the wetlands,” McAuliffe said. “They have critical ecological value and certainly we would work to preserve those.”

Ald. Abbas said that protecting the ecological wetlands that sit on the Hartmeyer Estate was important to the area’s residents. Residents were hoping that the entire 31-acre area could be bought and protected, according to Ald. Abbas. The city decided that despite public protest, it would not purchase the land because of the Bus Rapid Transit

system, according to McAuliffe.

Ald. Abbas was a strong proponent of protecting the area. As a result, Ald. Abbas said that once the Special Area Plan has passed through the Madison Common Council, Ald. Abbas will ask for an environmental assessment.

“I proposed an amendment in the budget, in which I proposed $20,000 allocated money to do an environmental assessment of [the] 31-acre land and see how much contamination is there, [and] what is the value of the land,” Ald. Abbas said. “So, if tomorrow the city wants to purchase that to protect this land then we know the value.”

There were other areas within the plan that residents of District 12 were concerned about, especially the plan to open Coolidge Street into a four-way intersection, Ald. Abbas said.

Ald. Abbas said residents were concerned about opening the community to increased traffic flow because of the strong presence of families and children.

“A lot of residents have a lot of concerns with opening Coolidge Street for automobile traffic, [it] will change the whole look of the neighborhood,” Ald. Abbas said.

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WI receives failing grades in 4 of 5 categories on state of tobacco use Wisconsin has done little since passing Smoke-Free Air Laws, according to Director of Public Policy and Communications

by Azul Kothari Reporter

The American Lung Association’s annual report card on tobacco use and control gave Wisconsin failing grades in four out of five categories. Wisconsin, however, did receive an A for its Smoke-Free Air Law. It has been almost 10 years since Wisconsin’s smoke-free air laws took effect, which banned smoking in all public places and workplaces.

Since then, the state has taken few steps to tackle smoking, Director of Public Policy and Communications for ALA in Wisconsin Dona Wininsky said.

“As other states are doing more, Wisconsin is doing nothing, and that doesn’t reflect well in our grades,” Wininsky said.

In other states, such legislation has taken the form of increased taxes, incorporating vapes and e-cigarettes into smoke-free air laws and raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco, according to Winisky.

Program Coordinator for the Tobacco-Free Columbia-Dane County Coalition Ryan Sheahan said that adding e-cigarettes to smoke-free air laws would help change social norms around the use of e-cigarettes, especially among youth and young adults.

Among other failing categories, Wisconsin received an F for not having a state law prohibiting tobacco sales to those under 21.

While the federal smoking age is 21, state law puts it at 18, creating confusion for retailers, Wininsky said.

“Local law enforcement is still only enforcing the 18 age,” Winisky said. “The law is there, it’s illegal for them to sell, but local law enforcement can not enforce the 21.”

According to a Department of Health fact sheet, close to 90% of adult smokers had their first cigarette by age 18. Delaying the onset of smoking significantly reduces the likelihood of future addiction, Winisky said.

In August, Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, introduced a bill with a broad coalition of bipartisan support that would raise the smoking age to 21. While the bill has received a hearing in the assembly, it has yet to receive one in the senate and no further action has been taken, leaving it’s future uncertain, Wininsky said. “[These bills] get introduced, they get assigned to committee and nothing happens,” Winisky said. “It’s an issue of political will.”

In a Jan. 10 press release, Marklein wrote because of the new federal law setting the smoking age to 21, his bill was no longer necessary. Although the law has taken effect, the FDA is still working to implement a framework for enforcement.

The state also received two Fs for its lack of

funding for tobacco prevention programs and for the limited access Wisconsin smokers have to cession services. According to the report card, the state’s 2020 budget allocates $8 million for smoking prevention programs — far below the $57 million the CDC recommends for Wisconsin.

The last failing grade on the report card was the D Wisconsin received for the state of its tobacco taxes. While Wisconsin’s tax on a pack of cigarettes is $2.52, this does not include e-cigarette products, Winisky said.

E-cigarettes are currently taxed at 5 cents per milliliter of fluid. But according to the Juul website, a Juul pod contains roughly the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes in just 0.7 mL of fluid, which is only taxed at 3.5 cents.

However, the local government is restricted in how it can regulate nicotine products

because of a legal situation called preemption, according to Sheahan.

“Locals don’t have control over any tobacco policy that has to do with the point of sale at a store,” Sheahan said.

But, that does not mean that the local government has no power to tackle tobacco use.

Madison is among the communities in Wisconsin that have added e-cigarettes to smoke-free air laws, Sheahan said.

At the University of Wisconsin, student organizations like SPARK work to implement a tobacco-free policy on campus, the organization’s president, Adeline Sii said. A recent campus survey of students, faculty and staff found eight of 10 are in favor of such a policy.

“My dad struggled with tobacco addiction as

a Tkid, so that really drives me to educate my peers before they actually try the product,” Sii said.

SPARK also runs outreach events that seek to educate the student body on tobacco-related issues. On Halloween, the group handed out candy and pamphlets with statistics on tobacco prevention and e-cigarette use.

Though cigarette use among youth has declined, e-cigarette use has increased sharply.

Winisky said that has created a whole new problem.

“There’s a sentiment that the tobacco problem has gone away because smoking rates for traditional cigarettes have gone down so dramatically,” Winisky said. “But now we’re talking about a whole new generation of addiction to vaping products.”

Photo - E-cigarettes and vaping are bringing challenges to the current smoke-free air legislation in Wisconsin, which was passed nearly 10 years ago with little change since.

Emily Hamer The Badger Herald February 18, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 7

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City, local activists work to alleviate persisting racial disparities Closing educational achievement gaps for minorities in Madison is key, according to local NAACP chapter president

by Erin Gretzinger City News Editor

of focus,” Jones said. “But at the same time, we know that each community has some In the midst of ongoing racial disparities unique issues that it faces.” across the state, city officials and activists One of the key areas Jones talked about continue to work to close racial disparity was educational achievement gaps for gaps in Dane County. minorities in the Madison area. Jones said According to a recent study by job the NAACP local chapter is working with resource site Zippia, Wisconsin was ranked both the school districts to attend meetings number one in the nation for the worst and committees to advocate for youth racial disparities, especially among Black facing the achievement gap reality.

Americans. The report ranked states based Jones said the NAACP local chapter on the income gap, education gap, home is raising awareness about achievement ownership disparity, and Black Americans gap issues in an upcoming forum for incarceration rate. the Madison Metropolitan School Board Greg Jones, the President of the Dane members. In an effort to create an equitable County Branch of the NAACP, said the environment for students of color, Jones local chapter is working to create equal said the forum will also address school opportunity across the spectrum of safety issues and the roles of resource racial disparity issues in Madison. In the officers. upcoming election year, Jones said it is “One of the things that we think we are supposed to be doing is just looking at the landscape of the education industry in Dane County and Madison and identify those [policies] that we can get behind and support,” Jones said.

Education is extremely important in the ways it translates into other achievement gaps in racial disparities, according to Jones. Jones said there is an overwhelming portion of students who are getting stuck in a “poverty pusher.”

Jones said within the education system, there are changes that can be made to ensure certain students’ needs are being met.

“Not just the disparities in terms of the academic gap, reading, and language … but also the education outcome for graduation,” Jones said. “You have a growing number of people of color who are not getting to that level. Those things are systematic and need to Photo - Racial disparity was rated by income gab, home ownership disparity and Black Americans incarceration rate be looked at.”

Lauren Henning

The Badger Herald

8 • badgerherald.com • February 18, 2020

more important than ever to put the key issues minority communities are facing in the forefront for the future.

“I don’t know if we measure the change specifically in an election year, but what we do is we get [the issues] on the agenda of the candidates running for office,” Jones said.

Jones said in regard to racial disparities in Madison, the areas his local team holds at highest priority are education, criminal justice, health, economic development and job development.

While these main goals reflect some of the major principles of the NAACP nationwide, Jones said there are unique issues that face Madison and other communities the local chapter works towards addressing.

“We tend to follow our national guidelines as far as the game-changer areas

Norman Davis, The Director of Civil Rights, said the city was mobilized to take action in light of studies revealing high levels of racial disparities in Wisconsin over the past few years.

Davis said the city is confronting racial disparities with a “much more productive look” at what they are doing since around 2013. The city’s role has evolved to be much more active in recent years, according to Davis.

“The city has participated in discrimination in some way, shape or form, whether actively or passively,” Davis said.

“We wanted to make sure that we stand any future opportunities so that the city would incorporate racial equity strategies with all the plans and policies and the decisions that we’re making.”

Davis said the city’s top priority is to address disparate impacts of Madison’s ongoing housing crisis. Davis said the city’s Equal Opportunities Commission has been working over the past few years to hear the stories from the community and the hardships community members have experienced.

These interactions with the community help inform policy decisions as the Civil Rights Department, the mayor, and other departments across the city as they try to address these issues among marginalized groups. “[We] are very focused on making sure that our communities of color and other marginalized groups have a strong sense of belonging as residents here in Madison,” Davis said.

Davis said the Civil Rights Department’s partnerships at the local, state and federal level are key to addressing overall racial disparities in the city. Through working with other institutions, the city can be more effective in dealing with discrimination issues. Davis provided the example of the city’s partnership with Madison College to create a free legal clinic to assist with disparities in the criminal justice system Davis said through continuing to foster partnerships and increasing training to other local agencies, the city can take a comprehensive approach to fight racial disparities in Madison.

“We have some really fruitful initiatives here in Madison,” Davis said. “But we want to have an impact on our surrounding region also, so we have some projects in the works to do a better job reaching out … and getting our messaging out to more of our neighboring communities.”

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City of Milwaukee sues opioid manufacturers and distributors Drug manufacturers knowingly oversupplied the market with addictive, dangerous narcotics, according to city officials

by Rex Wenger Reporter

The American Lung Association’s annual report card on tobacco use and control gave Wisconsin failing grades in four out of five categories. Wisconsin, however, did receive an A for its Smoke-Free Air Law. It has been almost 10 years since Wisconsin’s smoke-free air laws took effect, which banned smoking in all public places and workplaces. Since then, the state has taken few steps to tackle smoking, Director of Public Policy and Communications for ALA in Wisconsin Dona Wininsky said.

“As other states are doing more, Wisconsin is doing nothing, and that doesn’t reflect well in our grades,” Wininsky said.

In other states, such legislation has taken the form of increased taxes, incorporating vapes and e-cigarettes into smoke-free air laws and raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco, according to Winisky.

Program Coordinator for the TobaccoFree Columbia-Dane County Coalition Ryan Sheahan said that adding e-cigarettes to smoke-free air laws would help change social norms around the use of e-cigarettes, especially among youth and young adults.

Among other failing categories, Wisconsin received an F for not having a state law prohibiting tobacco sales to those under 21.

While the federal smoking age is 21, state law puts it at 18, creating confusion for retailers, Wininsky said.

“Local law enforcement is still only enforcing the 18 age,” Winisky said. “The law is there, it’s illegal for them to sell, but local law enforcement can not enforce the 21.”

According to a Department of Health fact sheet, close to 90% of adult smokers had their first cigarette by age 18. Delaying the onset of smoking significantly reduces the likelihood of future addiction, Winisky said.

In August, Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, introduced a bill with a broad coalition of bipartisan support that would raise the smoking age to 21. While the bill has received a hearing in the assembly, it has yet to receive one in the senate and no further action has been taken, leaving it’s future uncertain, Wininsky said. “[These bills] get introduced, they get assigned to committee and nothing happens,” Winisky said. “It’s an issue of political will.”

In a Jan. 10 press release, Marklein wrote because of the new federal law setting the smoking age to 21, his bill was no longer necessary. Although the law has taken effect, the FDA is still working to implement a framework for enforcement.

The state also received two Fs for its lack

of funding for tobacco prevention programs and for the limited access Wisconsin smokers have to cession services. According to the report card, the state’s 2020 budget allocates $8 million for smoking prevention programs — far below the $57 million the CDC recommends for Wisconsin.

The last failing grade on the report card was the D Wisconsin received for the state of its tobacco taxes. While Wisconsin’s tax on a pack of cigarettes is $2.52, this does not include e-cigarette products, Winisky said.

E-cigarettes are currently taxed at 5 cents per milliliter of fluid. But according to the Juul website, a Juul pod contains roughly the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes in just 0.7 mL of fluid, which is only taxed at 3.5 cents.

However, the local government is restricted in how it can regulate nicotine products because of a legal situation called preemption, according to Sheahan.

“Locals don’t have control over any tobacco policy that has to do with the point of sale at a store,” Sheahan said.

But, that does not mean that the local government has no power to tackle tobacco use. Madison is among the communities in Wisconsin that have added e-cigarettes to smoke-free air laws, Sheahan said.

At the University of Wisconsin, student organizations like SPARK work to implement a tobacco-free policy on campus, the organization’s president, Adeline Sii said. A recent campus survey of students, faculty and staff found eight of 10 are in favor of such a policy.

“My dad struggled with tobacco addiction as a kid, so that really drives me to educate my peers before they actually try the product,” Sii said.

SPARK also runs outreach events that seek to educate the student body on tobacco-related issues. On Halloween, the group handed out candy and pamphlets with statistics on tobacco prevention and e-cigarette use.

Though cigarette use among youth has declined, e-cigarette use has increased sharply.

Winisky said that has created a whole new problem.

“There’s a sentiment that the tobacco problem has gone away because smoking rates for traditional cigarettes have gone down so dramatically,” Winisky said. “But now we’re talking about a whole new generation of addiction to vaping products.”

City of Milwaukee sues opioid manufacturers and distributors Milwaukee sues opioid manufacturers Milwaukee sues drug companies behind opioid crisis Milwaukee joins growing list of counties

suing opioid manufacturers and distributors City officials claim drug manufacturers knowingly flooded the market with addictive narcotics Media Credit: Courtesy of Flickr User Pavement Pieces Jan. 30, The City of Milwaukee announced it will be joining a federal suit against opioid manufacturers and distributors on the grounds that they were aware of their products’ inherent danger and put profits over people.

Milwaukee is following in the steps of other municipalities around Wisconsin, including Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha, Walworth Co., Waukesha Co. and Dane Co — all of which have been impacted by the opioid epidemic.

These suits are all part of a larger trend, as many states and municipalities around the country have seen cases brought to settlement, notably when the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson was ordered to Pay $572 Million to the state of Oklahoma on similar grounds in August of 2019.

Milwaukee District 10 Alderman Michael J. Murphy said his city took action to combat both the financial damage and loss of life brought on by opioids.

“I believe that the impact on our city is devastating ... the impact just to the loss of human life is devastating enough, but the economic consequences have been significant,” Murphy said.

In 2019 alone the Milwaukee opioid-related death toll rose to 327, over 200 of which were tied to fentanyl, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office. As of 2017 opioid-related deaths have become the dominant cause of unnatural deaths in Milwaukee county, with opioids making up 84% of all drug-related deaths as reported by the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

Fentanyl is a prescription synthetic opioid pain reliever. The CDC states it is between 50 and 100 times more potent than morphine and has a high risk of addiction and dependence.

It can cause respiratory distress and death when taken in high doses or when combined with other substances, a common practice among drug addicts. Usually prescribed under the brand names Duragesic, Abstral, Ionsys and Subsys, this drug has been marketed to physicians as a method to treat pain since the 1960s.

Murphy said the law firm Napoli Shkolnik, which will be representing Milwaukee in its upcoming lawsuit, has been working closely with the city’s police and health departments, and has assessed the economic damage done by opioid manufacturers.

“We can fairly well document the cost to taxpayers in the city of Milwaukee in dealing with the opioid crisis,” Murphy said.

Milwaukee faces an uphill battle against a powerful industry and intends to focus on the marketing strategy of opioid manufacturers.

University of Wisconsin Associate Professor Kathleen Culver said Milwaukee is looking to capitalize on what it views as a violation of public nuisance laws, aimed at protecting the well-being of the general public.

“What these suits are claiming is that opioid manufacturers, through their marketing tactics, created a false market,” Culver said.

“They essentially flooded the market, they oversupplied a market and that prompted people to engage in abuse. That created what’s called a public nuisance.”

Public nuisance laws have been historically used when an entity interferes with the peace of the general public, typically exercised in cases involving roads, waterways and other public areas, as explained by Cornell Law School.

In more recent years, these laws have been applied in cases involving guns or water and air pollution. Professor Culver said in the 1990s the city of Chicago argued gun manufacturers oversupplied the market and gun dealers violated Chicago’s gun laws, thus contributing to a public nuisance. Chicago pushed the suit until a federal legislative decision sided with the gun industry and ended Chicago’s legal battle.

Professor Culver voiced skepticism of Milwaukee’s lawsuit, however, claiming simply attacking opioid suppliers will do little to prevent addiction.

“When you addict millions of people to painkillers and you do not have properly funded recovery programs, you do not have properly funded mental health — particularly in rural areas of the country like a lot of Wisconsin — this isn’t something that goes away when the suppliers decide that now’s the time to be responsible,” said Culver.

If the case were to end in a settlement, the debate on how best to allocate funds would arise. Some feel Milwaukee must plug existing budget holes, while others, such as Murphy, believe the city should focus on addressing addiction.

Murphy said he intends to introduce legislation that would ensure settlement funds are used to provide services to recovering opioid addicts.

“Any settlement dollars that are derived would in fact go into dealing with the issue of treatment, responding to the overtime cost, the Narcan training [and] the emergency care that we spend money already currently on,” Murphy said.

Milwaukee is now among the twothirds of Wisconsin counties to sue opioid manufacturers.

February 18, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 9

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LEGAL NOTICE

UW Dance Department holds Faculty Concert Faculty, guest choreographers brought most out of dancers through expert instruction

by William Lundquist ArtsEtc Associate

Fans of contemporary dance were treated to a wonderful spectacle two weeks in a row, as the University of Wisconsin’s Dance Department closed out their second weekend of the 2020 Faculty Concert on Saturday, Feb. 15.

The show featured choreography from university dance faculty, as well as guest choreographer Sean Curran, and performances from a variety of students.

The Dance Department consistently filled the 240 seats of the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space in Lathrop Hall. The audience was a good mix of students, professionals and parents.

The show opened with a premier of one of the larger and lengthier contemporary pieces, “Said and Done,” choreographed

by Dr. Jin-Wen Yu, with music from composer/pianist Nils Frahm.

The piece was an exploration of nonverbal communication with motifs including the mimicking of shouting, whispering, and blowing people away — literally. The performers wore different cuts of custom made blue organza fabric, designed by Amy Panganiban.

Julianna Hom, one of the performers in “Said and Done,” spoke to the process of working with choreographer Jin-Wen Yu. “He was really able to customize the movements of the dance to fit my strengths as a dancer,” Hom said. “He did a good job highlighting our skill-sets because he had worked with many of us for a long time.”

Next up was my personal favorite piece — “Heartbreak Hotel,” a mix of contemporary, hip-hop and African dance.

The number was choreographed by HipHop scholar Duane Lee Holland Jr. and featured a more popular selection of music from Gnarls Barkley and Kanye West.

The dancers wore black jeans and dark toned blazers and unleashed a variety of moves displaying effortless athleticism.

The piece seemed to have three sections, with a different pace for each, beginning with contemplative movements, progressing to a more intense section of self-discovery and finishing with a flourish of exuberance and elation.

Veda Manly, a junior in the dance department, said she was really challenged

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by the process of learning the piece, but said it also provided an invaluable learning experience.

“I personally don’t have a strong hip-hop background, so it took a lot of personal courage to learn moves I wasn’t super comfortable with,” Manly said. “He [Holland Jr.] was able to explain everything and add historical context for each move, which made it even more interesting.”

The final performance before intermission was a premier of “Dirt,” a contemporary community-based piece choreographed by Li Chiao-Ping in collaboration with the dancers. The piece featured a mash-up of songs, including “Hang on Little Tomato” by Pink Martini, “Let’s Call the While Thing Off” by George and Ira Gershwin, and “The Girl That I Marry” by Irving Berlin, among others.

Cassie Last opened the number with a solo in a green jumpsuit, and was soon joined by a flurry of dancers wearing earthy, colonial garb which gave the movements a gritty feel.

The first half of the show closed with the striking and disturbing image of the dancers rubbing tomatoes on each other, which Last said was, “up for interpretation,” but also said that she viewed it was a way to “initiate and welcome younger dancers into the cast.”

Following a short intermission, dancers once again took the stage for the premier of “The Bend,” choreographed by Chris Walker and featuring music composed by Tim Russell.

Dancers wore jogger material overalls and the piece created tension between two soloists, emphasized by their facial expressions, which was eventually resolved by a stunning visual of the illumination of water falling from the ceiling.

Many of the movements employed in the piece used the Horton Technique, which, according to Dance Spirit, emphasizes “dynamic and dramatic [movements], develops both strength and flexibility, and works with an energy that is constantly in motion.”

Dancer Lauren Forest spoke to her enjoyment of seeing the piece come together and working with choreographer Chris Walker. Walker stuck with a lot of phrase work, which is a group or combination of movements.

“He didn’t structure it until two weeks before the show,” Forest said. “I really enjoyed the vibe of the piece and the tension created with facial expressions.

They show that you’re performing to the other dancers, not just the audience.”

The only solo-piece of the show featured recent graduate Lauren John in a premier of “DrRobinPuck,” choreographed by Marlene Skong and featuring music from Timothy Russell, with vocals from Rodolfo Cordova.

According to the concert’s program, the work “imagines a sci-fi version of Shakespeare’s Puck.” The number was an inventive exploration of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” through dance — something I was not expecting in the slightest.

The concert ended with a bang in the form of excerpts from “Social Discourse,” the only piece which had been previously performed, though not by UW dance students.

Curran worked with multiple casts performing on different nights, and the piece featured music written and performed by Thom Yorke. Each performer in the piece wore a different colored bright leotard and pair of black shorts, which drew attention to the individuality of the respective dancers.

Mariel Schneider, one of the performers, spoke to the message of the dance and the importance of the costumes in the performance. “[The dance] is very much about people, personalities, and the ways individuals interact with one another,” Schneider said. “The distinct colors bring excitement when the dancers start engaging one another, and the contrast makes for a very engaging experience.”

Following the performance, I left Lathrop Hall with a newfound appreciation for the athleticism and dedication the best dancers display in their craft. In the modern era of the internet, with websites like TikTok growing in popularity, it is easier to forget that truly artistic and impactful dance still exists.

While you may have missed out on your opportunity to see UW’s Dance Department in action, don’t fret — they have more shows this year. You can check their website here to see when they’ll be performing next.

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Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Assessment: Notice of Public Meeting School of Veterinary Medicine Addition and Renovation DFDM Project # 18H2H University of Wisconsin – Madison 2015 Linden Drive, Parking Lot 62, and 5801 Mineral Point Road A public meeting to present the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) for the proposed University of Wisconsin - Madison (UW-Madison) School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) Addition and Renovation project will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at Conference Room 132 of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) Building located at 610 Walnut Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53726 on the UW-Madison campus. Parking is available free of charge after 4:30 p.m. in adjacent parking Lot #64. Bicycle parking is available directly northeast of the WARF Building, accessible from Observatory Drive/Walnut Street. A description of the project and potential environmental impacts will be presented, and all persons will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to identify both orally and in writing any support, issues, or concerns they believe should be addressed during the EIA process for this proposed project. The EIA will be prepared in accordance with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA), Wisconsin Statutes 1.11, and UWSA guidelines (Board of Regents’ Resolution 2508, November 6, 1981). University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW-Madison) Facilities Planning and Management has retained Ayres Associates on behalf of the University of Wisconsin System Administration (UWSA) to prepare this EIA. The SVM has a growing program which requires meeting the needs of the additional client base, roster of specialties, and student needs. The proposed project includes construction of a new four-story building on Lot 62, north of the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) between Observatory and Linden Drives, renovation of the existing facility on Linden Drive, and demolition of three buildings at the Charmany Farms Site on Mineral Point Road. This project was enumerated in the 2019-21 UW System and State of Wisconsin capital budget with an authorized budget of $128,103,000.

The purpose of the Draft EIA is to identify potential impacts of the project on the physical, biological, social, and economic environments. The Draft EIA describing these potential impacts is being made available to the public and to appropriate federal, State, and local agencies for a 15-day review period, which begins February 24, 2020, and concludes March 10, 2020. Copies of the document will be available for review at the UW-Madison’s Helen C. White Library and Madison Public (Central Branch) Library, or on the following project website: http://ayresprojectinfo.com/UW-Madison-School-Vet-Medicine-EIA/ default.html If you are interested in this project or have any information relevant to it, we welcome your comments, suggestions, or other input. For consideration in the Final EIA, please submit your comments at the meeting or in writing by March 10, 2020. Comments in writing can be sent to: Ben Peotter, PE Ayres Associates 5201 E. Terrace Drive, Suite 200 Madison, WI 53718 PeotterB@AyresAssociates.com Comment forms are available via the project website.

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Three anticipated movies coming out in 2020 you have to check out With the Oscars behind us, it’s now time to start looking at the most promising, award-circuit potential movies coming to theatres in 2020

by Zach Lutz ArtsEtc Editor

2019 proved to be an extraordinary year for film — one of the best in a while — so how does 2020 look to be shaping up?

The Oscars are political, no doubt. Independent productions and smaller artistic films are usually left out of the ceremony, despite their emerging popularity and critical acclaim. Thus, there were a few films this year that deserved to be a part of the major award categories, but were completely snubbed. In saying this, however, the Oscars also got a lot right this year with a deep Best Picture selection — creating more unpredictability in many categories besides acting.

Hopefully, the 2021 Oscars will build on “Parasite’s” massive night by including and letting the very best movies win — despite who produced and made them.

Now, it’s time to forecast the movies with the highest potential this coming year, regardless of whether or not they will be a part of the Oscars in 2021.

Here are my most anticipated movies coming out this year.

“Dune” might be the consensus’ most anticipated movie of the year. With a Dec. 18 release date set, the movie is placed both in the thick of awards season and winter blockbuster season. The movie looks to satisfy both markets.

Denis Villeneuve continues to pump out movie gems, and with his last two films being “Arrival”

and “Blade Runner 2049,” he has proven he can handle the science fiction genre with grace and ambitious, immersive vision — and it’s about time he earns an award for Best Director.

“Dune” gains a lot of its buzz as an adaptation to the highly successful Frank Herbert novel. With a couple of adaptations mostly failing, this will likely be the beloved story’s final chance at a major production. Thankfully, the buzz is well-warranted with Villeneuve helming the project.

The film gains wide appeal with the casting of young heartthrob prodigies, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, in the leading roles. They are supported

by Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Charlotte Rampling, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård and Javier Bardem.

With a star-studded, deep cast and Villeneuve’s direction, the movie seems to be in wonderful storytelling hands. As for the technical aspects, the crew includes a lot of Villeneuve usuals who have been nominated for multiple Oscars. New to the crew is Oscar-nominated Director of Photography Greig Fraser and the holy Hans Zimmer composing the score. Yes, we wish Roger Deakins was reteaming with Villeneuve to combine groundbreaking visuals with Zimmer’s score, but nonetheless, we have all the confidence in Fraser to get the job done.

For those who have not read “Dune,” and do not know anything about it, here is the brief plot synopsis from IMDb. “The French Dispatch” has already begun making waves with the release of its first official trailer on Feb. 12.

Any time Wes Anderson makes a movie, his fans

expect it to be great and people expect it to play a key role in awards season.

Anderson is a true auteur with characteristics unlike any other filmmaker, and that’s why people love him.

“The French Dispatch” has garnered wellearned hype considering it will be Anderson’s first live-action film since his masterpiece “The Grand Budapest Hotel” in 2014.

From the trailer, the new film seems to share a similar vibe. The same awkward humor, unbelievably symmetry in every shot and a deep, talented cast with a group of actors who always appear in his movies.

The movie takes place in a fictional 20th century French city, bringing to life multiple stories and characters. So, the movie will be a collection of shorter movies in a way.

Headlining the cast are Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet (again), Elizabeth Moss, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Benicio Del Toro and so, so many more recognized stars. I could go on and on just listing stars in this movie.

Chalamet continues to catch the eye of the industry’s best directors. As a young actor who continues to cover a wide range of roles, his commitment to his craft makes him a strong candidate to lead any movie.

Wes Anderson is not for everyone — he is an acquired, mature taste — but everyone should understand that this movie will likely follow suit in being an objectively good film.

“The French Dispatch” comes out July 24, which is a real treat considering Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet”

comes out the very same month.

My last pick for my most anticipated movies this coming year is David Lowery’s “The Green Knight.”

This is another movie that just came out with its first trailer, and it looks mighty ambitious and artistic in its re-telling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

David Lowery is an underrated director. Critics have loved his work, but many people have shied away from his unconventional style.

Lowery’s deeply sad and emotional “A Ghost Story” is my personal favorite film of all time, so I cannot wait to see what he does here.

The trailer is quite eerie and the mood of the film seems dark and tense. Its fantasy elements look to play out in thrilling, creepy fashion. The trailer lacks story content and dialogue, and is instead filled with a series of gorgeous visuals.

The movie is anchored by a strong cast consisting of Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris and Barry Keoghan. Patel will play the protagonist, Sir Gawain.

Lowery will look to dazzle wide audiences with a unique execution of fantasy. While the film shows a lot of promise, its May 29 release and A24 label may limit its possibility for major awards. The Oscars have been known to snub many great films that have come from A24.

We can’t wait for the weather to get a little warmer because it means these three movies are closer to coming out. There are so many promising projects set to come out in 2020, so stay tuned for Matt Fraga’s picks for more movies to watch for, next week.

Great fictional African American movies for Black History Month Commentary on how African American cinema in the last decade depicts reality with fiction, Jordan Peele provides leading example of proof

by Veronica Kuffel ArtsEtc Editor

As we find ourselves in the middle of Black History Month 2020, we come to remember a decade which brimmed with social change.

We also remember a decade filled with incredible fictional movies which broke box office records and worked, through metaphor, to communicate modern African American struggles.

It’s important to know that for these movies, we’re only going over fictional accounts. There are many great movies, like “42” and “Selma,” which didn’t make the piece because they were real accounts, while the fictional gives us insight on the perception of life as an African American citizen.

Some of these movies are “Get Out” and “Black Panther,” both featuring talented cast and crew who moved the stories from the screen to our minds.

Others, like “Queen and Slim” and “Moonlight,” addressed the worlds and fears Black people face every day.

Of course, the circumstances in “Get Out” and

“Us” don’t happen in real life. Jordan Peele didn’t write and direct these stories to depict real life.

Rather, Peele created them because they reflect or amplify real-world circumstances.

“Get Out” is a rich and eerie satire which symbolizes how white America has profited from the manipulation of African Americans. It’s a horror movie about white people taking control of bodies they don’t own, which illustrates a powerful analogy of the way older white America identified people who weren’t like themselves and then profited from those labels.

“Us” extends this narrative, but includes all races of lower-class stature. The duplicates were tired of obeying the laws of those above — enough was enough.

This same idea is portrayed in director Melina Matsoukas’ “Queen and Slim.” We look at the scary reality we live in, with racial profiling and assaults from people sworn to protect, and then we turn to this story and see a gritty, real depiction of it. It communicates the same message — enough is enough.

And then we recognize to movies like “Black

Panther,” which celebrate the African identity, but arguably the white person’s depiction of it. It’s a movie in a series which features many white male protagonists, but while it’s clear the studio pulled back to create this washed depiction, it’s still a great movie. It speaks a lot to a rise in power, honor and Black recognition, as well as the cost of each one.

Michael B. Jordan plays a man who’s struggled all his life to find power, and how America taught him through his rough upbringing that the only way to do it is through violence.

At the end of the movie, when T’Challa defeats the villain — as per the status quo of a Marvel film — Jordan’s character says, “Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors, who jumped from slave ships because they knew that death was better than a life of bondage.”

This list only reflects Hollywood’s stories. There are so many movies and shows you can stream on any platform, depicting the beautiful stories of struggle, heritage and identity. “When They See Us” and “Pose” are only a few of the options which offer diverse and contemporary depictions.

And, of course, the past is chock-full of brilliant

African American cinema. The reason we focused on present-day films, however, was to address how Black life is depicted and perceived in the United States.

The last film, or short film, I’ll mention is this little Sony Pictures Animation production called “Hair Love.”

The story is about a young African American girl who wakes up one morning and wants to do something with her hair. Her father offers her a hat to cover it, but she skims through DIY videos looking for the perfect updo which shows off her curls.

While “enough is enough” is an important theme, films like these teach us that even when faced with adversity, be yourself and press on. Find comfort in your family and those who can truly appreciate who you are and where you come from.

Because, at the end of the day, “enough is enough” is not a phrase of defeat — it’s a call to action. Do whatever you can to hold on to who you are and what you believe in.

And I think these stories, Black History Month and the stands we make to end racial inequality will get us there.

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Pushing the Needle

UW students running for office present progressive platforms, discuss how life experience, being young makes them unique

by Molly DeVore Digital News Editor

Elena Haasl’s apartment is crammed with students, talking over bowls of Oreos and posing for photos. It’s a typical college gathering — only the students are talking political strategy and there are “Elena Haasl for District 5” signs everywhere. This is a launch party.

At 20 years old, Haasl is a University of Wisconsin sophomore, double majoring in community and environmental sociology and political science, along with a certificate in gender and women’s studies. She is also a candidate for the District 5 County Board.

While this may be Haasl’s launch party, she is not the only student candidate present — next to her stands Jacob Taylor, a junior at UW and candidate for the District 16 Rock County Board. Max Prestigiacomo, a UW sophomore and the uncontested District 8 Alder candidate, is hurrying Nada Elmikashfi, a UW super-senior and candidate for the District 26 State Senate, to the door — they’re running late to their Sustainable Madison Committee meeting.

These four student candidates vary in age, experience, background and major, but are nonetheless all seeking to be elected. Their interests all align in being deeply passionate about bettering their community through civic engagement.

THE POWER OF LIVED EXPERIENCE

Haasl, discussing her bid for the District 5 County Board seat, said it is important that a student fill the chair because it’s the only district made up of mostly students. She said that as a student, she knows the issues her constituents face because she has class with them, rides the bus with them and even lives with them.

“I know the issues because I am active in it all the time,” Haasl said. “People talk about the issues that are important to them when I’m sitting in class. I come home to constituents of District 5 that are my roommates. Having that kind of unique experience also allows you to speak honestly on situations, and it also opens up conversations and potential policy platforms.”

Haasl also has direct experience with many of Madison’s most pressing issues and how they often coalesce. She said that as a biracial, queer woman, intersectionality is something she has to think about everyday.

This kind of direct experience with the issues is part of what makes younger candidates so impactful, according to Elmikashfi.

Elmikashfi immigrated to Madison’s West side from Sudan

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at the age of six. As a low income black family in what is now the most segregated state in the country — according to a Wallethub ranking — her family had to move around a lot. She was not aware this was a systemic problem until she found a word for her experience — gentrification.

This lived experience of being displaced helped Elmikashfi realize affordable housing has to be a priority. She said many addressable issues have only gotten worse under the current leadership, and she added that part of this inaction comes from a lack of lived experience.

“If you look at bills for years, how many of these little changes have we missed?” Elmikashfi said. “That’s why I think someone with lived experience needs to be in the Capitol, and not someone … who hasn’t connected with the working class for a very long time. Maybe that’s shady, but it’s the truth.”

This lived experience is also what makes addressing climate change so important to young voters, according to Prestigiacomo. He said young people have a vested interest in the environment because it directly impacts their future.

Prestigiacomo said his experience as a climate activist has taught him the importance of engaging with young people in a meaningful way. He said after attending the United Nations Climate Summit, he thought a lot of these governmentorganized events boiled down to just photo-ops.

Prestigiacomo said at the Climate Summit, youth were excluded from certain rooms and nothing got done. His experience showed him the importance of coalition building and letting young people lead the discussions.

“Young people are the ones with the ideas that can take us from point A to point B,” Prestigiacomo said. “City government is pretty pessimistic a lot of the time … But, the young people in the room, being very vocal, being very loud about the injustices and what’s going to be the future will help remind them of that urgency.”

And as all the candidates would agree — one way to include the youth is to have them in office.

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT

Youth civic engagement is on the rise across the country with UW’s student voter turnout jumping from 35.6% in 2014 to 52.9% in 2018. National voter turnout among 18 to 29 year olds followed the local upward trend, going from 20% in 2014 to 36% in 2018.

Despite this increase, young people remain largely uninvolved in local government. District 8, which encompasses UW’s campus, has the lowest

voter count out of all 20 districts, according to Wisconsin Elections Commission. This is despite having the fifth largest population, according to a report from the City of Madison Planning Commission.

This participation in local government is key, as it allows constituents to be more engaged with their elected officials, according to Haasl.

“I think it kind of sets the mark for new ideas and new conversations to really take off from,” Haasl said. “I love how centric to the community local politics is.”

Taylor said in his hometown of Beloit, local government can be difficult to engage with. Taylor’s opponent, current District 16 Rock County Board Supervisor Phil Owens, was actually appointed to the board in 2015 because no one else ran, Taylor said. Taylor added that in Rock County, this is fairly common. In Rock County, 11 out of the 29 board members were appointed, not elected.

Taylor said throughout the course of his campaign, he has knocked a few hundred doors and has yet to meet someone who knows who Owens is. Taylor attributed this to Owens lack of contest — he’s never had to form a specific platform because he has yet to compete with someone for his role. The only way for constituents to know how Owens votes is to attend the county board meetings, read the minutes or listen to them online, Taylor said.

Even if constituents do follow the decisions of the board, there are few opportunities for direct participation, as Rock County has not utilized many referendums.

In Fall 2018, Rock County did in fact put a marijuana advisory referendum on the ballot. But, when the majority of residents said they supported legalization, nothing was ever done with the information, nor have steps been taken towards legalization, Taylor said.

Community members not feeling heard by local officials is not unique to Rock County. Elmikashfi said when she spoke with the elders in Madison’s Sudanese community, she found that none of them could remember meeting a single senator.

Elmikashfi said it is important for elected officials to actively engage with all constituents in an accessible way.

The incumbent District 26 State Senator Fred Risser, was first elected in 1962, making him the longest serving state legislator in the United States. Elmikashfi noted that Risser has not updated his Twitter since last spring.

“If that is one of the ways that you’re supposed to connect with your constituency and you’re not doing that, how else are you gonna do that?” Elmikashfi said. “I think people should understand [the state senate seat is] not [only] a career, it’s literally the livelihood of Madison.”

Infographic by Anna Walters

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Prestigiacomo said one way to empower a larger proportion of the community is to lower the voting age, and he would push for it as an important step in re-enfranchising young people. He said it should be lowered, if not for city elections, then for school board elections, because candidates should be accountable to the people they hope to represent.

In the meantime, Prestigiacomo is working with current District 8 alder and UW grad student Sally Roher on establishing a campus neighborhood association.

Elmikashfi said providing these platforms for all members of the Madison community is essential to making good policies.

“It’s the people’s platform … people that are actually affected by these are the people that are writing these,” Elmikashfi said. “The constituency has the solution. It’s not me, I’m just a vessel for that in the Capitol.”

with acne,” he thinks he will bring a fresh new perspective to the council “It’s important for the young district alder to keep your eye on the prize, and keep that uncompromised opinion of what the future looks like and what young people want, which is more progressive policies at the city level,” Prestigiacomo said.

Taylor said he believes his young age is an advantage

GOVERNMENTAL GATEKEEPING

Engaging with constituents as a candidate may be key to creating equitable platforms, but getting these platforms into the Capitol may be difficult due to the state government’s many gatekeeping mechanisms, according to Elmikashfi.

Some of this gatekeeping is centered around identity, Elmikashfi said. A representative Elmikashfi had looked up to said she thought Elmikashfi would face a lot of pushback during her campaign because she is a young woman of color. She then urged Elmikashfi not to run.

Elmikashfi said this diluted her entire candidacy, disregarding her qualifications and platform and implying she wouldn’t be as productive in the Senate because she is young and black.

“That just reminded me that my blackness, I’m not running in spite of it,” Elmikashfi said. “My skin color has given me challenges that I’ve learned to work very creatively around. And I think that’s not something that’s going to hinder me but inform the way I legislate.”

Haasl said she has had similar experiences. She said people have tried to erase parts of her identity, likely because she is not running on identity alone.

Working around the Capitol’s gatekeeping has brought these young candidates together, as they are running without an institutional network backing them, Elmikashfi said. Elmikashfi is managing Haasl’s campaign and all four have attended each other’s campaign events.

Elmikashfi said what they are doing is unprecedented and because they are running grassroots campaigns without institutional support, they are forming their own. Through collaboration and learning from one another they have formed their own coalition of sorts, one that has a shared vision for UW students, Elmikashfi said.

Being less entrenched in traditional governmental institutions is an advantage to Prestigiacomo, who said politics is inherently inaccessible to a lot of people because it is so rooted in complicated theory.

Prestigiacomo joked that, while he will “be the only alder

Illustration by Nuha Dolby

because a lot of people want a younger demographic to go after these opportunities.

The data, too, suggests there might seem to be a push for more youth in elected office. A recent poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV found that 79% of Americans ages 15 to 34 thought leaders from their generation would do a better job running the country.

Ensuring this support for young candidates goes beyond just a photo-op can be difficult, as Elmikashfi said elected officials often call her an “inspiration,” whilst telling her she is not experienced enough to run.

Haasl said a lot of this support for young candidates stops

once they begin campaigning.

“People always want young people to run for office, and say that they’ll support them until it’s actually time for them to run for office,” Haasl said.

SHOCKING THE SYSTEM

Despite the barriers, these candidates are determined to make real change. All four of them cited frustrations with current government when explaining how they got into politics.

Haasl said racism should not still be an ongoing issue at UW in 2020, and college should be a place everyone feels welcome. She expressed frustration at the idea that diversity being positive isn’t something innate to campus culture yet.

Prestigiacomo echoed this frustration with the pace of change in Madison. After a year of unsuccessfully trying to work with the council on climate action, he said, he decided to become an alder himself.

Elmikashfi said some of this inaction is due to pessimism within the Capitol, saying the parties clash heavily and view the other as inherently negative.

But she said Wisconsin has passed a lot of important bipartisan bills in the past, and that representatives need to have the intention and willingness to go after change.

With Wisconsin becoming steadily more segregated, Elmikashfi said this inaction cannot continue.

“If someone had had the intention years ago, to not get us where we are now, we wouldn’t be, four more years of leadership, or advocacy that doesn’t come from someone that knows what it feels like to be marginalized, you’re going to miss being able to change the system,” Elmikashfi said. “Four more generations of our children will grow up in socio-economic disenfranchisement.”

These candidates are ready to end this inaction and engage with constituents in modern ways. Elmikashfi said she frequently lays out her platform to Uber drivers.

Prestigiacomo said he will go to where students are — their phones, using digital platforms to communicate with his constituents. Taylor said he wants to start live streaming County Board meetings so more people can know what’s going on.

While each candidate may have different innovative approaches to spreading their platform, they all want to reach more people. With the primary on Feb. 18, the general election on April 7 and the state senate primary on Aug. 11, campaigning efforts have ramped up.

Regardless of the election results, the students say they will continue to push for progressive change. Elmikashfi said it is time for someone extreme, someone who will ask for a lot and, even if they don’t get all of it, will push the needle a little further in the right direction.

“I think that repeating the same methods over and over that clearly haven’t worked is insanity,” Elmikashfi said.

“So you need someone to shock the system a little bit, to show them that your constituency is very diverse … and you have to be held accountable for that.

February 18. 2020 • badgerherald.com • 13

OPINION

@badgerherald

Proposed Wisconsin bills must pass in order to extend privacy rights

Individuals have a right to their personal data, and Internet users must consent to their data being collected

by Anne Isman Columnist

State Rep. Shannon Zimmerman, R-River Falls, has proposed three bills to protect the personal data of Wisconsin consumers from tech companies. The three bills are largely modeled after the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that became EU law in 2018. They would give Wisconsin residents the right to their personal information as collected by online data collectors and would allow them to see whether their information has been sold to third-party companies.

Under these bills, data collectors would also be legally required to stop collecting data upon the consumer ’s request and could face up to $20 million in fines for violating these laws. According to Zimmerman, the bills have gained bipartisan support.

The proposed bills would be some of the first of their kind in the U.S. regarding individuals’ rights to their personal data, with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) having recently gone into effect Jan. 1. Both the proposed Wisconsin bills and the CCPA share legislative characteristics with the GDPR, which so far comprises the most comprehensive personal data collection regulations to date.

The GDPR explicitly states individuals have a fundamental right to their personal data, and that Internet users must consent to their data being collected. Websites and tech companies also must fully inform users of how their data is being used by third-party collectors.

Whereas the CCPA only applies to companies that earn over $25 million per year or collect the data of over 50,000 people, the GDPR requires that all companies with an Internet presence within

the EU comply.

For the most part, the CCPA protects online consumers, as one of the main tenets of the act is that tech companies cannot discriminate against web users based on their data preferences. In fact, the overall purpose of the bill is to give residents more freedom over the information they choose to make available to companies while imposing penalties on data collectors that don’t cooperate.

Many sites the CCPA applies to in California are extending the new privacy rights across the U.S., proof that this legislation is already attracting national attention to how personal data collection is regulated online.

Still, there has been pushback — mainly from lobbyists and the tech industry — against the CCPA and the GDPR. One main point of contention is the cost incurred by both tech companies and users under these

Photo - When new laws past, consumers will be able to stop comapnies collecting their data with violaring companies being fined up to $20 million Marissa Haegele The Badger Herald

14 • badgerherald.com •February 18, 2020

regulations.

According to Sheila Colclasure, chief data ethics officer at data broker Acxiom, this is because the data industry is the foundation of free content and knowledge online.

Given how valuable our personal data has become — it’s estimated that American companies spent roughly $19 billion in 2018 on consumer data acquisition and analysis — websites usually offer ad-supported free use. This, Colclasure explains, is the preferred alternative to hitting a paywall each time you browse. Others argue that GDPR punishes smaller companies that cannot afford to manage and protect all user data, ultimately giving larger tech companies greater market power.

Again, much of the criticism of the GDPR and CCPA is from within the tech industry.

Consumers are largely supportive of laws that protect their personal information online, as evidenced by the global rise of ad-blockers.

Ad blockers are detrimental to Facebook’s business in particular, as its model relies on using information such as an individual’s location and website use to create targeted advertising.

Facebook is not the only tech giant that cares so deeply about its users’ personal data. A Washington Post writer found 974 apps and websites shared his online activity. While it may be obvious location is tracked through various apps and websites, it’s intentionally less apparent that another business may buy that location data to analyze retail behavior.

The majority of the websites we use, like Google Maps and Gmail, are free and do not require a subscription. Instead of money, users pay with personal data, which then helps these websites post targeted ads.

This is why legislation like the GDPR, CCPA and proposed Wisconsin bills are so important. Personal data is constantly tracked, mined and sold without the individual’s knowledge to profit online ad agencies and tech companies that survey anyone and everyone wherever they may scroll.

There is no telling what personal information may be used for in the future unless users can be informed and have control over how they are being tracked online and for what purpose.

Anne Isman (isman@wisc.edu) is a freshman studying economics.

OPINION

The state of criminal justice reform in the States College Republicans: Trump has delivered his promise of reform

College Democrats: Justice system stands to protect the powerful

In 1997, Alice Marie Johnson was sentenced to life imprisonment as a first time, non-violent drug offender in Memphis, Tennessee. Over the course of the next 22 years in prison, Alice became a prison minister, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, and an inspirational advocate for second chances.

In 2016, Alice wrote a powerful op-ed for CNN pleading for forgiveness and a second chance at life. Alice’s daughter started a petition to President Obama asking for him to grant her clemency. Her application was denied by the Obama administration.

In May 2018, prison reform activist Kim Kardashian West and White House senior official Jared Kushner met with President Trump in the Oval Office to share Alice Johnson’s story with the President. Less than one month later, President Trump commuted Alice Johnson’s sentence and she was released from prison. At the 2019 State of the Union address, Alice was a guest of the President and received a standing ovation from Congress.

As Americans, we have the power to shape our own destiny — and thanks to the leadership of President Trump, Alice Johnson was given a second chance at life. Just weeks ago, over 100 million Americans tuned into the Super Bowl, which featured a powerful TV commercial aired by the Trump 2020 re-election campaign telling the story of Alice Johnson.

Previous presidents have talked about passing criminal justice reform — President Trump got it done.

In late 2018, President Trump made history signing the First Step Act into law. This piece of legislation has not only helped to reduce sentences for non-violent criminals, but it has also increased the number of inmates eligible for drug addiction programs. Aside from the First Step Act, the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2020 budget proposal includes over $500 million to help decrease recidivism rates in the form of reentry programs and occupational training programs. Thousands of families just like Alice’s are being reunited thanks to this historic legislation.

As a result of the First Step Act, the Department of Justice reported that 3,100 inmates were released in July of 2019 from the

The Constitution — the bedrock of America’s democracy — was not America’s first shot at creating a government. Just as one of our nation’s most important founding documents, one of its purposes being to “establish justice,” replaced an earlier and more flawed model. Just as the University of Wisconsin searches for the truth through the long and difficult process of sifting and winnowing, the Democratic Party knows that the status quo is not good enough for Americans seeking recourse in their nation’s justice system.

The Democratic Party sees these imperfections with clear eyes and pushes for important reforms to end the unequal treatment of citizens by the justice system and put an end to cruelty towards prisoners.

One reform the Democratic Party is committed to is reducing or eliminating the use of solitary confinement in prisons.

In 2016, the Obama administration banned juvenile solitary confinement, a practice United Nations Special Rapporteur Juan E. Méndez described as amounting to torture. While a 2016 special report from the UN found that on any given day, between 80,000 to 100,000 people are held in solitary confinement in the United States.

The Democratic party believes that the goal of incarceration in America should be rehabilitation and social safety, rather than cruelty or degradation. This stands in stark contrast to Republican President Donald Trump, who pardoned and protected a sheriff convicted of illegally detaining immigrants in the absence of criminal charges and who bragged on camera about running a “concentration camp.”

Only one party in America celebrates and protects criminals who abuse and torment detainees — and it’s not the Democratic party.

The Democratic party also supports reducing or eliminating mandatory minimums.

In 2017, President Trump’s then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo requiring federal prosecutors to seek the most severe penalties possible, depriving these lawyers of the discretion that allows them to give accused Americans opportunity for reform or growth.

While President Trump signed the bipartisan First Step Act in 2018, which made some reductions to these mandatory minimums, it was a very small step. The Democratic

Designed by Greta Zimmerman

Bureau of Prisons as a result of the increase in good conduct time. Additionally, the First Step Act has retroactively applied the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which has reduced the disparity between powder and crack cocaine mandatory minimum sentences. This resulted in 1,691 sentence reductions.

The First Step Act also looks to improve the effects of the justice system on juveniles and families. It ended solitary confinement for juveniles and established new practices which allowed for those in prison to improve themselves, stay connected with their families and have an easy transition back into society.

President Trump has been able to support both law enforcement officials and honor the rights of criminals. The president’s “smart on crime” approach has decreased violent crime across the country, making communities safe again while also protecting our brave police officers. The president signed the first commission on law enforcement in half a century to study key issues facing law enforcement and our criminal justice system.

Since 2016, the violent crime rate in America has dropped 4.6%, meaning the number of robberies, murder rate and property crime have all decreased since the President took office. Taking preventative measures on crime keeps our communities safe, protects our law enforcement officials and keeps people out of the prison system. Under this President, America is safe again.

One month ago, Senior White House Official Jared Kushner and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis, were in Milwaukee participating in a roundtable discussion for the Joseph Project, a program that helps ex-convicts find employment.

The First Step Act was signed into law with massive bipartisan support. All Americans can be proud of this “first step” in reforming the American justice system, and be optimistic for more to come under four more years of President Trump.

Ryan Christens is a junior studying business management and marketing. He is also chairman of the College Republicans of UW-Madison.

Party is ready to take a bigger step, with an overwhelming majority of its presidential primary candidates advocating for eliminating mandatory minimums in some or all cases.

Furthermore, all of the candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination are in support of eliminating the death penalty.

While the Republican Party — ostensibly both “pro-life” and an advocate for limited government — defends the right of the state to murder its citizens in its official platform. The 2016 Democratic platform recognized that the costs to this country, both in terms of the fees taxpayers cover for lengthy trials and the moral cost when “exonerations show a dangerous lack of reliability for … an irreversible punishment,” are far too high to continue a practice that disproportionately targets people of color and the mentally ill.

The Republican Party asks the public to believe that it’s tough on crime, while in the meanwhile prosecutors from the administration’s Justice Department resign to protest the president’s Attorney General interceding personally to protect the criminals who support the President politically.

A vote for the Democratic Party is a vote in favor of morals — for a party that won’t crack down on impoverished drug offenders but instead is willing to hold the powerful accountable.

Only one party in America currently stands for the rule of law — that all people are equally protected by it and accountable under it. While the Republicans are the party of partisan acquittals, pardons for political allies, and protection for the powerful, the Democratic Party stands for reforms that will improve the lives of all Americans.

When voting this year, Americans should all remember the words spoken by Senate Judiciary Chairman Adam Schiff — “Right Matters.”

Ethan Carpenter (emcarpenter2@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in political science. He is the press secretary for the College Democrats of UWMadison.

Editor’s note: Ethan is a columnist for The Badger Herald. Here, his views strictly represent those of the College Democrats and do not represent the Herald.

February 18, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 15

OPINION

@badgerherald

The rule of law mustn’t move with the times, or democracy will be forfeit

The role of the judicial system is not to create policy, it is to uphold the Constitution, policymaking should be left to policymakers

by Tripp Grebe Columnist

Jan. 29, during a forum at the Milwaukee Bar Association, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Jill Karofsky accused incumbent Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly of being corrupt, using his consistent conservative rulings as evidence. Kelly and his campaign accused Karofsky of slander and demanded an immediate apology — one Karofsky has not made.

One of the cases Karofsky is referring to is from 2017, when the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty sued the town of Eau Claire for creating an illegal tax to fund a public project. The facts of the case show in 2014 the city of Eau Claire planned and constructed a residence hall before implementing the tax. WILL argued this broke tax law since the tax wasn’t necessary for the construction of the building.

The case made it to the Wisconsin Supreme Court where a 5-2 majority opinion dismissed the case. Kelly was one of the two judges who dissented.

“Our court (and the court of appeals) sidestepped the complex substantive issues, incorrectly applied the law, and deprived Plaintiffs of their rights,” Kelly said in his dissenting opinion.

Karofsky alleges Kelly’s corruption stems from the fact that he has received campaign contributions from members of WILL, and that’s why he ruled in their favor. But this argument falls apart when one considers liberal Justice Anne Walsh Bradley joined him in dissent. Not only did Walsh Bradley vote with Kelly, but she also came out and said she agreed with Kelly’s decision to stay on the case. Kelly’s ruling on this case was ideological, not partisan.

This public spat illustrates an unfortunate truth — courts have become inherently more partisan. This is due to conservatives and liberals interpreting the Constitution differently.

Conservative justices tend to be originalists, meaning they limit judicial interpretation in favor of applying the rule of law as it was written.

Liberal justices tend to be loose constructionists, meaning they use modern judicial interpretation and believe the rule of law must evolve with the times. Liberal justices who believe in loose construction believe their modern judicial interpretation is essential in developing policy and precedent.

This begs the question — is the role of the judicial system to create policy or uphold the Constitution?

One of the nation’s founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, expressed his concern over the emergence of loose constructionists on the court.

“On every question of construction, let us 16 • badgerherald.com • February 18, 2020

carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed,” Jefferson wrote.

The idea that loose constructionists make decisions determined by public opinion rather than law should be a cause of concern to anyone who believes in the protection of the Constitution.

Selfgovernance is the foundation of the American nation.

This foundation is why the Constitution can be amended. But when justices decide to embrace judicial activism instead of judicial restraint, the U.S. nation is robbed of its ability to selfgovern.

Many advocates of the living Constitution want policies to be determined by the courts so they can be enacted broadly across the country.

Photo - Policymaking should be left to elected policymakers, not through court rulings that are ultimately decided by a small group of That’s not the people and not the electorate way government Marissa Haegele works. Justice Scalia The Badger Herald frequently talked about how one cannot for liberal justices while Republicans campaign Scalia knew the importance of maintaining selfbelieve the Constitution is a living document. for conservative justices. That’s why Karofsky’s governance. He famously stated his concern for It is a legal document. If citizens want rights or attacks on Kelly — and Kelly’s attacks on Karofsky the increasingly active role of the courts. protections that are not explicitly stated in the law — should not come as a surprise to anyone.

“The court makes an amazing amount of now, then they must persuade others to adopt an If anything is to be taken away from their public decisions that ought to be made by the people,” amendment, and then the court will protect them. feud, it should be the inaccuracy of Karofsky’s Scalia said.

America should have more originalist justices claims. Kelly is not partisan. He is judicially The United States should not look to the courts and less loose constructionists who believe their conservative. He has ruled conservatively, and if to solve its problems — it should look to the duty is to engage in judicial activism in an attempt re-elected, will continue to rule conservatively. The legislative process. to create policies they believe aligns with public United States need justices in its courts like Kelly, opinion. who will exhibit judicial restraint and ensure the Tripp Grebe (mgrebe@wisc.edu) is a freshman Inevitably, this ideological divide has caused U.S. and Wisconsin’s ability to self-govern is not studying political science. the court to become partisan. Democrats campaign undermined.

OPINION

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Badger$ense— breaking down a job offer to the essentials

Anyone recieving a job offer has far more to consider than salary, including insurance, retirement and other benefits

Letter to the Editor

Receiving a job offer can be exciting!

But reading one can be a bit intimidating.

Job offers can be long, consisting of what seems like endless pages filled with complex vocabulary and jargon. Or they can be short, with the new hiree expected to simply learn about these items on day one of the job, when it’s too late to negotiate.

Either way, individuals often focus on just one number — the salary. This figure can be important in weighing job offers, but total compensation is about so much more.

Keep reading to see how exactly to break down a job offer or ask details about it, and to learn some benefits offered by companies.

Salary

Though it shouldn’t be the only factor, as noted above, any conversation on job offers cannot be complete without discussing the salary. First, the number on paper will not be the number received in a paycheck. A portion of the salary will go towards Medicare, Social Security and income taxes — state, federal and possibly city.

The salary figure can mean different things to different people, depending on how much debt they are in, the cost of living in the area they reside, their family obligations and other factors. These are important considerations when deciding if the salary will support a certain lifestyle.

It’s essential not to get wrapped up in just the number, but to evaluate the bigger picture.

Insurance

One of the best parts of a job with benefits is the employer helping pay for insurance. Insurance is essential, and many companies will offer employer-sponsored plans for health, dental and vision coverage. This means they either share or fully cover the cost of these for employees and sometimes their immediate families.

These rates are much more affordable than if an individual was to seek insurance out on their own in the marketplace. Coverage details and out-of-pocket expenses that will affect total take-home pay should always be assessed — especially for those with recurring health costs. It’s important to evaluate the coverage offered and the costs that come along with it.

Photo - Today’s job market is competitive, and some employers have gotten creative to lure great candidates to their companies.

Harry Quick The Badger Herald

Retirement

A retirement package can be another crucial financial benefit in addition to the salary. Saving for retirement can seem far off in the future when accepting an offer, but any help from an employer will boost anyone’s financial future.

Most corporations offer 401(k) or 403(b) plans where employees can automatically contribute a part of their paycheck into different investment vehicles. The type of plan could differ for those working for the government or a nonprofit, but the basic concept of starting to save is the same.

There are tax benefits to these accounts and contributions made to them can be deducted from tax returns, lowering gross income.

Many employers offer an incentive program where they will match employee contributions up to a certain percentage.

Do not leave this money on the table! It’s part of the compensation that should be taken advantage of. Regardless of the

specific package, retirement should be on everyone’s mind when evaluating an offer.

Other Perks

Perks can make any job offer come to life. Though traditional benefits like vacation and paid time off are often very important to employees, the perks may not stop here.

Today’s job market is competitive, and some employers have gotten creative to lure great candidates to their companies.

Having opportunities for advancement and being able to grow both professionally and personally should be a priority.

Some companies will provide a housing stipend to subsidize rent. Employers may provide childcare or offer a credit towards its funding. Education credits are also becoming increasingly more available. This could be funding for graduate education or helping employees pay back student loans.

In both small and large cities, employees may be eligible to enroll in commuter

benefit programs where they can deduct pre-tax money out of their paycheck to pay for public transportation. Some companies will even offer money or incentives for a gym membership to encourage an active lifestyle among employees. Each employer is different based on what the company values. These added bonuses should not be overlooked.

When evaluating any job offer, prospective employees should keep in mind they are investing in the company and the company is investing in you. Read and comprehend all job offers in their entirety, and ask questions if anything is unclear. Happy job searching!

Elizabeth Templeton is a senior majoring in personal finance. She is a peer educator with the Badger$ense Financial Life Skills Program in the School of Human Ecology. Learn about Badger$ense courses, workshops, and other opportunities at sohe.wisc.edu/badgersense.

February 18, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 17

SPORTS

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Men’s Basketball: Respect Kobe King’s decision to leave UW Following years of failed development of highly-touted recruits, King’s choice to leave UW is certainly understandable

by Danny Ziolkowski Staff Writer

University of Wisconsin men’s basketball fans, before you read this, I need you to understand — I get it. It sucks when you truly believe someone can come in and help a program, and they decide the team you love just isn’t for them.

But slandering teenagers for making a decision they believe will better their chances at multi-million dollar contracts is not a good look for Wisconsin sports. Ultimately, it only hurts our chances at getting top-tier recruits down the road.

This is not to say the way former Badger and current transfer-portal-player Kobe King went about leaving the program was perfect. He was arguably the team’s best player and left midway through an up-and-down season to pursue other options for personal reasons.

Yes, it left a gaping hole in the program — but at the same time, kids don’t grow up dreaming of missing the tournament two of their first three years in college.

Simply put, if a program isn’t making runs deep into March, top-tier talent just sees their NCAA days as a stepping stone to the NBA. The Kaminsky-Dekker days gave King reason to believe in that success, but he clearly felt the standards of that era weren’t being lived up to anymore.

King is as naturally gifted as any recruit to come out of Wisconsin in the last decade, aside from maybe a few guys in high school right now. He was, and may still be, a player with a legitimate shot at the NBA. With that in mind, let’s try to understand what King has seen growing up from fellow Wisconsin natives with that same potential pro status.

Back in 2011, Sam Dekker was the No. 12 recruit in the country, according to 247 Sports.

He came to Wisconsin, spent three years here and was selected as the No. 18 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

But just four years later, Dekker is suiting up for Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia — hoping to earn a shot at the big leagues again.

Just a year after the recruitment of Dekker, Wisconsin landed 4-star guard Bronson Koenig, who had amazing success here at UW, but has yet to get the chance to play in the NBA. That same year, Matt Thomas of Onalaska, Wisconsin headed off to Iowa State en route to becoming a 3-point specialist for the Toronto Raptors.

In 2013, King watched as Milwaukee native Kevon Looney headed to California to play for blue-blood University of California, Los Angeles. Looney has now won two championships with the Golden State Warriors and recently signed a $15 million contract extension.

2015 comes along and both Diamond Stone and Henry Ellenson go alternative routes and become first-rounders after one year in college.

Meanwhile, Brevin Pritzl is finally seeing real playing time in his fifth year at Wisconsin in 18 • badgerherald.com • February 18, 2020

2020.

So King commits in 2017, holding onto the belief that the program he grew up loving can do at least one of two things — give him the time of his life playing college basketball, or help him make millions of dollars in the NBA. But neither happens. Even worse, King has to sit back and watch while guys younger than him make major moves.

He sees five-star Milwaukee guard Tyler Herro decommit from Wisconsin to hone his skills for the next level with Head Coach John Calipari at Kentucky.

Now after being selected with the No. 13 pick in last year’s draft, Herro is already a key player in the running for NBA Rookie of the Year with

the Miami Heat at just 20 years old.

Tyrese Haliburton of Oshkosh has blossomed into a projected top ten pick in his time at Iowa State, and he was considered to be such a longterm project coming out of high school that UW didn’t even offer him.

So don’t take to Twitter and say stuff like, “Quitter. Even worse is the Twitter people who support him leaving. You’re not real Badger fans,” as one fan, who I’ll keep anonymous, did.

Don’t support former Badger Zak Showalter for coming at King, saying, “Some play for the name on the back, some play for the name on the front.”

No one knows the true facts of King’s transfer, and he’s had no history of any sort of poor

character. So don’t drag him for doing what he believes is best for his future.

If someone studying business at Madison College transferred to UW because they felt it better equipped them with the skill for life after school, you wouldn’t call them a “quitter,” so why say it to Kobe King?

Doing so will just hurt our chances at landing homegrown top-tier talent. We’ve already seen two elite in-state recruits, the No. 11 ranked recruit in 2020, Jalen Johnson, and the No. 3 ranked recruit in 2021, Patrick Baldwin Jr., shy away from the Badgers.

There will be plenty more recruits like King, Herro, Johnson and Baldwin. And if nothing changes, they’ll leave too.

Photo · Kobe King is latest of highly sought after recruits to either leave UW or pursue opportunities outside of Wisconsin Bea Frank The Badger Herald

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SPORTS

Men’s Hockey: Experience gained in turbulent season remains crucial With freshman stars in Turcotte, Caufield, Badgers have bright future despite relatively dissapointing regular season record

by Logan Erlich Staff Writer

Going into the 2019-2020 season, the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team (1017-1, 5-14-1-1 Big Ten) faced high expectations from the college hockey world and Badger hockey fans.

For a program that hasn’t made an appearance in the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament since 2014, many thought this season would serve as a year to catapult the Badgers back into the national spotlight, and ultimately the NCAA Tournament.

Now, with Big Ten play and the regular season wrapping up, Wisconsin finds itself sitting on the outside of the national conversation with a sub .500 record overall and in conference play.

Though the NCAA tournament is seemingly out of reach, the young Badgers will still look to use the final weeks of the season to gain muchneeded experience and improve in the long term.

For a team with seven freshmen on the roster and only three seniors, lack of experience has been a glaring issue for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team throughout the season.

Though the freshman class is loaded with talent, including four NHL Draft picks and two first-rounders, the Badgers learned the hard way this season that winning Big Ten hockey games down the stretch requires more than just talent alone.

Included in this young batch of players were two of the most anticipated incoming freshmen in Wisconsin men’s hockey history, Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield.

Turcotte and Caufield both came to Madison fresh off being selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, with Turcotte going to the Los Angeles Kings with the No. 5 pick and Caufield getting snagged by the Montreal Canadiens with the No. 15 pick.

Despite the Badgers’ struggles this season, Turcotte and Caufield have not disappointed with their individual play, which leaves Badger hockey fans salivating at what they are capable of accomplishing in the future, if they choose to stay at Wisconsin for at least another year before jumping to the NHL. With Caufield more likely to stay at Wisconsin for another season, more experience to complement his impressive talents could lead him into the Hobey Baker Award conversation as the nation’s top college hockey player for the

2020-2021 season.

As for another freshman on the roster and former U.S. National Team Development Program teammate of Turcotte and Caufield, Owen Lindmark has shown flashes of potential as a dominant two-way center for the Badgers in the coming years.

Lindmark contributes solid minutes on the penalty kill, with two short-handed goals on the season so far, and he has shown a devoted work ethic during his freshman season. Considering the young talent hasn’t reached their full potential to this point, there is certainly a silver lining on what has been a disappointing season so far for Wisconsin.

Even though a spot in the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament is a highly unlikely destination for this Wisconsin team come late March, the Badgers still have some postseason hockey to participate in with the Big Ten Tournament, which begins March 6. Currently sitting in last place in the Big Ten regular season standings leaves the Badgers in an unfavorable position to win the tournament, but it can serve as added experience for a young team that needs it.

After losing their second consecutive game to Michigan at Yost Ice Arena Feb. 8, Head Coach

Tony Granato expressed his belief that the Badgers would be ready for the postseason.

“We will be ready for playoffs. We will finish the season the right way to get ready for it,” Granato said, according to UW Athletics.

Though many are not giving Wisconsin much of a chance to get out of the first round of the tournament, Coach Granato sees an opportunity for his team to do some damage and finish off the season in a way that can provide a much-needed confidence boost heading into the long off-season. The team has nothing to lose and can empty the tank come Big Ten Tournament time.

In the end, most will remember this season as a massive let down for the Wisconsin men’s hockey program. While this might be true with regard to their record so far this season, the experience that the young talent on this team has acquired throughout the year must not be overlooked.

With presumably most of the roster from this year staying intact for the 2020-21 season, the adversity the Badgers have faced can serve as a positive for the core group going forward as they attempt to bring the Wisconsin men’s hockey program back to the top of the college hockey world.

February 4, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 19

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Men’s Basketball: Badgers remains strong after loss of Kobe King

Following unexpected transfer of King in late January, Badgers have shown signs of life in wins over top ranked opponents MSU, OSU

by Charlie Dern Staff Writer

First day of class in the fall semester, I got to class with a few minutes until the professor would begin his lecture. As I sat down in the already crowded hall, I noticed I had even less legroom than I normally have.

Uncomfortable yet curious, I looked around to see why I was so squished into the seat. I immediately noticed a red Wisconsin backpack that is issued to student athletes on campus with the name tag “King #23” on it. I was sitting next to Kobe King, the six-foot-four-inch guard for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team.

As the professor loosened up the room by having us all talk to our peers around us, I quickly started to get to know King, asking him as many questions as he could answer. What I

noticed right away about King was his basketball IQ. Personally, I would consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable in basketball — however, listening to King talk about the sport blew me away.

King’s overall enthusiasm for the upcoming season was next to none. He told me about how their new coaching staff was changing the way their fast-break offense would develop during games and how their offense would be so much better than last year’s.

As each lecture passed on, I noticed how quickly King would sprint out of the lecture hall and I never knew what he had to get to.

One day, he told me each day during our Tuesday/Thursday 2:30 p.m. lecture, King would miss a shootaround and team lift for the class, yet he still came just about every day. The days he would not come, he would reach out to me

and ask for the notes so he could do the given assignments.

King works hard when it comes to school, and all the stories about him as an athlete prove he works even harder at his game.

All King’s enthusiasm and excitement for the season ahead confused me greatly when I initially read the report that King announced he would be leaving the team to seek a transfer away from the school.

As it turned out, for almost the entire time King was on campus as a Badger, he had been feuding with the coaching staff and he had reached his breaking point. He felt as though Head Coach Greg Gard and staff only appreciated him for his basketball abilities and didn’t show him that same appreciation off the court.

Soft, quitter, coward. All of these words and plenty more were used to attack King regarding

Photo · Badgers have continued to secure wins over top conference opponents despite inconsistent record, loss of key contributor in Kobe King

Daniel Yun The Badger Herald 20 • badgerherald.com • February 18 2020

his decision to leave the team. As it was a surprise to all who follow the team, shock was the universal feeling regarding the decision, though some fans were brought to rage when they didn’t completely understand the situation.

King did not travel with the team or even meet at the Kohl Center with the coaching staff after his announcement. He felt he needed the time away from basketball to fully comprehend everything that was going on. After speaking with teammates, he arrived at his decision and officially left the team. The Kobe King era in Madison was over.

The men’s basketball team was faced with a big gap to fill, with one of their leading scorers departing via the transfer portal.

Feb. 1, the Badgers were faced with a steep task — beating a ranked Michigan State Spartans team. In a hard fought game in which Wisconsin took a massive first half lead, the Spartans proved to be just as tough as the scouting report, mounting a massive comeback and drawing the game close. Led by Nate Reuvers, the Badgers showed great resilience in what had been a brutal week for the program, holding on to beat the Spartans, 64–63.

This game meant a lot more for Gard and his staff than it seemed in the loud and sold-out Kohl Center. The win proved Gard hadn’t lost his locker room as initial reports had thought. It proved his team still wanted to fight for not only him and his staff, but also for each other.

Following the win, a flat-footed Badger team showed up to play the Minnesota Golden Gophers, not carrying any of the momentum they gained with their win over the Spartans. Losing handily to the Gophers, the Badgers looked to try and find their stride once again in another Big Ten battle against The Ohio State University.

In a 70–57 blowout victory over the Buckeyes, the Badgers showed their continued resilience following the loss of King. With only seven games remaining on their schedule, the Badgers must continue to play hard, Wisconsin brand basketball and win as many games as possible if they want to maintain their hopes of making the March Madness tournament.

Currently sitting at seventh place in the Big Ten, the Badgers play only one team that is currently ranked higher than them in the standings — Rutgers. If the Badgers can get hot and continue to learn how to play together following the loss of their star player, look for them to make a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament and hopefully secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament come March.

A lot can be taken away from the loss of King, but one thing remains certain — if Greg Gard is unable to make the NCAA Tournament this season, or even make a splash in the Big Ten Tournament, there may be a coaching controversy on the way.

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Women’s Hockey: Tracking Watts’ chance at second Kazmaier Award

Given her stastical performances in 2017-2018 award winning season, Watts is well on track to capturing award for second time in career

by John Spengler Sports Editor

The Patty Kazmaier Award is arguably the most coveted individual award in all of NCAA women’s hockey. Since its inception in 1998, it has served as the premier award for those considered to be the best individual player in the respective season it is awarded. With yet another historic season on the books, junior forward Daryl Watts is well on her way to yet another Patty Kazmaier award.

If Watts were to capture the 2020 award, she would become just one of two players ever to receive it twice in their career. The only other to achieve this feat is Jennifer Botterill, a Harvard forward that went on to be an implemental part of the Canadian national team’s win over the United States for the 2010 gold medal.

Capturing her second ever Patty

Kazmaier award would certainly put Daryl Watts up there with the greats of collegiate hockey. Yet, the NCAA is jam packed with talent, and doing so is no easy task. So the question remains — does Watts have what it takes to go the distance for a second time in three years?

Before we get into the gritty details, it’s important to remember that, as a forward, Watts is at a distinct advantage in the race for this title. Since 1998 only one defensive player won the award — Angela Ruggiero in 2004. Outside of 2004, the award has been given to solely forwards and goalkeepers.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the first year Watts won the Patty Kazmaier award — 2018.

Through mid-February of her freshman season in 2018, Watts jumped out to the front of the nation in both total points scored and points per game.

Watts managed to average an astounding 2.32 points per game — nearly a full 0.3 points per game over the nearest contender.

For context, the second and third ranked players on this list had just 0.03 average points per game separating them.

On top of this, Watts dominated the league in goals and assists up to this point in the season in 2018. She accumulated a nation-best 40 total goals with a secondbest 39 assists to match. In fact, Victoria Bach of Virginia Tech was the only other player to come anywhere close to her goal total with 36. Behind her were Loren Gabel and Caitrin Lonergan with just 29 total goals.

It is clear that Watts earned her way to becoming the first ever freshman to capture the Patty Kazmaier award. Unfortunately, she would follow that incredible career opener with what could colloquially be considered a “sophomore slump.”

Photo · Daryl Watts is performing at top of her game, as she leads nation in overall all offensive performance, total assists on season

Watts’ slump was so severe that she average just 1.15 points per game through mid-February — less than half the average she accrued in her initial season with Boston College. This average was good for only a No. 24 ranking in the nation in this statistical category.

Furthermore, Watts’ goal and assist totals saw marked declines from her 20172018 season totals. Up to this point in the season, Watts totaled just 19 goals and 19 assists. Both of these totals are less than half of the total she accrued the previous season.

While not all offensive utility can be described by these three narrow statistics, they do provide a useful lens through which her overall production can be viewed. The story these statistics tell is not just a failure to improve, but a failure to come even close to her freshman performance. It is no surprise that Watts was not considered for a second straight Patty Kazmaier award, as her performance was nowhere near the requirements to be named the best player in NCAA women’s hockey.

Luckily for both Watts and the Badgers, her junior season is a convincing return to form that reflects her true talent. In returning to her freshman year form, Watts has effectively cemented herself as a front-runner to become the second player ever to win two Patty Kazmaier awards.

Watts again stands alone at the top of the nation in points per game with an average of 2.20. Coincidentally, she leads by nearly 0.3 points per game over her nearest contender just as she did in 2018.

While Watts does not lead the country in goals, she is dominating it in total assists.

Up to this point in the season, Watts leads the nation with 44 total assists. The next closest competitors, Alina Mueller and Jaycee Gebhard, have just 34 on the season. With a plethora of offensive weapons surrounding her, Watts has successfully adapted her game to better fit with the Badgers.

While there is certainly no guarantee that Watts will capture her second Patty Kazmaier award, it is no question that she is a clear front-runner. Using the metrics that propelled her to victory in her freshman year, Watts is perfectly on track to repeat her award performance.

It is always possible that a dark horse pick could snag the award, such as a goalie or defensive player. But if recent trends continue, the nation’s standout forward will capture the Patty Kazmaier award yet again. In the case of the 20192020 season, that standout forward is undeniably Daryl Watts.

Ahmad Hamid The Badger Herald February 18, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 21

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Girl fails test because she’s an Aries, puts life in hands of horoscope Student efficiency in college could be determined by horoscope, take weight off students blaming mistakes on themselves

by Keagan Schlosser Banter Contributor

Several stressors can prohibit students from doing well in school, but people can easily overlook more uncontrollable factors — such as one’s zodiac sign.

Roughly three to four weeks into the semester, professors at the University of Wisconsin feel as though it is appropriate to administer exams and test students on the vast wealth of knowledge said students have absorbed.

It can be a fairly stressful time, as many college kids are dwelling on other life choices — Should I be applying for summer internships? How hungover can I be in my 8:50 tomorrow? and What phase is the moon in tonight?

For many students, zodiac signs can dramatically affect school work. Junior Megan Lloyd studies marketing and is an Aries (moon in Virgo, ascending in Libra).

“I was having, like, a really hard time studying for my exam,” Lloyd said.

“Seriously, I was five Bubbl’rs deep and only five pages into my textbook, and then Co-Star sent me a message.”

Co-Star is a zodi-app which sends users personalized horoscopes once a day. Megan relies on Co-Star to provide her life insight, as she possesses no selfawareness or self-agency.

“It literally all made sense. The app told me ‘stay away from toxicity today,’” Lloyd said. “And then I knew — College Library? Toxic. Textbooks?

Toxic. Sure, my exam was a day away, but I couldn’t not listen to the stars. They literally rule the planet or something like that.”

As an Aries, Megan is extremely impulsive. This trait greatly affects at least half of the zodiac signs, which can pose a problem come crunch time.

“Last Monday night, I had an essay due in an hour,” Lucas Runkens, a Leo, said.

“Instead of submitting it, I shotgunned a few Natties and watched the Aaron Hernandez documentary. I don’t know what came over me.”

While this behavior may seem careless for those pursuing an education, there is plenty of science behind this phenomenon.

Each of the twelve signs are ruled by a celestial body, so for example, when Mars is feeling icky or unmotivated, an Aries might feel the same.

Though no one can really tell you how zodiac signs work, they’re an easy scapegoat to blame crappy personality traits on.

“When the exam rolled around, I actually did bad. Like, really bad,” 22 • badgerherald.com • February 18, 2020

Photo · UW Professors don’t take horoscopes as a serious reason for excused absence, students feel upset as it is out of their hands. photo courtesy of Numerology Signs on flickr Lloyd said. “So, I emailed my professor, explaining the whole thing.”

Lloyd’s professor, however, was not responsive. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma around star signs in academia. For this reason, there are very few campus resources for those struggling with a lousy daily or weekly horoscope.

“It just sucked,” Lloyd said. “Because I would have studied otherwise, but being an Aries got in the way.”

Fire signs, like Lloyd, can become extremely testy come test-time. Because

her professors show little empathy, she proposes the University Health Services offer counseling during specific moon phases and zodiac seasons.

Lucas Runkens also acknowledges faults within UW’s faculty.

“I can’t really vibe with a prof who’s a Scorpio,” Runkens said. “I can immediately tell that their energy is off.”

Something as simple as his professor ’s sign might affect Runken’s entire academic semester.

Like moon phases, sun sign afflictions

come and go. When a professor schedules an exam during Taurus season, it is going to either disproportionately benefit or disadvantage a person. A student shouldn’t have to fight against their inner sign just to do better than an overachieving Pisces.

Professors and the university must become more mindful when considering individual zodiac signs and how they affect students’ ability to study. Don’t take responsibility for your actions — read your horoscope.

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