2011.02.25

THE UNIVERSITY TY OF WISC WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

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STATE LEGISLATURE

Assembly approves budget repair bill After rushed procedure, vote, Democrats yell ‘Shame!’ at leaving Republican members Andrew Averill State Editor Republicans resorted to a surprise vote at 1:09 a.m.

Friday morning to pass the governor’s controversial budget repair bill as Democrats leapt out of their chairs shouting “Shame!

Shame!” at the exiting representatives.

Republicans had attempted the quick vote at least two other times earlier in the night, but Democrats, under the vocal leadership of Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, protested and demanded the speaker renounce the votes. The move comes after around 61 hours of debate had taken place, largely due to Democrats taking liberty with the length of their speeches.

Gov. Scott Walker introduced the bill two weeks ago today to address the $137 million budget shortfall.

Union leadership protesting around the Capitol and observing the rallies from across the state over the past two weeks have said they would accept the budget bill provision requiring them to pay more toward pensions and health care premiums, but would not accept losing collective bargaining rights for work conditions and benefits.

“Unions agreed to pay.

It’s obvious this isn’t about money. This is about union busting plain and simple,” Rep. Christina Sinicki, D-Milwaukee, said.

In a press conference, Walker said he spoke with a man who asked the governor why he would not just accept the unions’ concession for a 5.6 percent pension and

12 percent health care premium contribution rate and declare victory, leaving unions with the authority to collectively bargain.

“But if you look at the local level over the last two weeks since we’ve introduced this measure, it tells you exactly what is going to happen if we’d just take the five and the 12,” Walker said. “In the past few weeks we’ve seen in school districts, in cities, we’ve seen in technical schools and counties a rush to ram through employee contracts that have not had a five and 12 percent contribution but no additional contribution.

Some cases have an increase in a salary.”

Republicans never changed their positions on the bill, causing Democrats during the Assembly debate Thursday to claim Republicans would jump off a bridge if Walker

Malory GoldinThe Badger Herald

Longtime Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, speaks in opposition to the bill before it was passed early Friday morning. jumped first.

Rep. Robin Vos, R-Burlington, said that was not true, and mentioned the amendment containing 11 changes to the bill passed by the Joint Finance

Committee after 17 hours of public testimony — the longest joint finance hearing on record, he said.

However, thousands of citizens did not get a chance to testify in the 17 hours

provided so Democrats started an informal public hearing last Wednesday that still continued on Thursday.

ASSEMBLY, page 2

BUDGET BLUES

Madison schools prepare to give possible layoff notices Monday Governor spokesperson says job cuts could be avoided if budget repair bill would pass Pam Selman City Editor In line with an estimated 1,500 statewide job cuts expected to be announced within the coming weeks, the Madison Metropolitan School District is considering potentially delivering hundreds of preliminary layoff notices Monday.

Ken Syke, MMSD spokesperson, said the

district was still unaware of whether the notices would definitely be delivered because of a number of extenuating factors that have yet to be settled.

The district is also unsure of exactly how many notices would be issued, but Syke said the number is expected to be in the hundreds. The district will have a better grasp on numbers when Gov. Scott Walker reveals cuts from state aid in his budget March 1.

“We don’t know exactly how many cuts there

would be, and even once we issue the notices, we wouldn’t know for sure,” Syke said. “It’s basically an educated guess.”

Uncertainty also surrounded which specific staff members and what types of employees would be included in the cuts.

Syke said the decision would be based off of the different types of licenses teachers had — information that had not yet been compiled.

State law requires districts that do not have a different agreement with

the local teachers’ union to issue nonrenewal notices 15 days before March 15, making the deadline Monday, Syke said. He said all districts throughout the state would potentially be forced to make the same kinds of decisions by the deadline.

Individual districts can negotiate the state’s deadline with teachers’ unions, but no agreement has yet been reached between MMSD and local unions.

Syke said the district has been making cuts to the

budget and staff numbers almost every year for the past 18 years based on the school funding formula implemented in 1993.

“Anything we end up having to do is an additional cut that is in essence being piled on top of these cuts over the previous 18 years, so we are very concerned,” Syke said.

Walker said earlier this week that 1,500 public job cuts would be required by the end of this fiscal year if his budget repair bill did not pass through both legislative houses by

Friday. The bill is currently in limbo as the 14 Senate Democrats left the state last week to stall a vote.

The MMSD school board met in a closed meeting Friday morning to take up a negotiations strategy concerning successor Collective Bargaining Agreements for MMSD Bargaining Units. The board also conferred with legal counsel who provided advice for a strategy to be adopted with respect

LAYOFFS, page 2

CAPITOL RALLIES

Number of rallies across state grows as attendence in Madison dwindles Expert says maintaining 70K protester events impossible, enthusiasm may still be there Katherine Krueger Campus Editor As rallies at the Capitol enter their 12th day, unions are increasing efforts to coordinate acts of protest around the state, though numbers of protesters present have been in decline.

Teaching Assistants’ Association co-president Kevin Gibbons said a large number of rallies were held around the state Thursday in an expression of solidarity with activists who continue to occupy the Capitol in Madison.

Though numbers of Malory GoldinThe Badger Herald attendees have dipped While the number of protesters at the Capitol may be lower than the weekend, people still show up from all over the state. below levels from the

previous weekend and Capitol Police are not making active crowd estimations, Gibbons said events around the state would continue to fuel the protesters’ momentum.

Upwards of 20 events were scheduled Thursday by unions around the state, including the “Bridge to Compromise” rally in Green Bay, where 100 people gathered on a bridge to call for compromise.

Gibbons also said the rallies have had an impact in influencing opposition protests in Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and other states around the country.

“It goes to show this is a movement, not just a fringe of people in opposition,” he said. “There is a wide diversity of support against this bill.”

University of Wisconsin political science professor Charles Franklin said the declining numbers could be due to the near impossibility of sustaining the huge rallies, topping out around 70,000 day after day.

He said though this difficulty creates pressure for opponents of the budget repair bill and could be viewed as an advantage for Gov. Scott Walker; a decline in attendance does not necessarily indicate waning enthusiasm or public involvement.

A decline in physical presence at the Capitol does not mean pro-union forces have changed their stance or lost interest in the

RALLIES, page 2

CAPITOL RALLIES

Police restrict access to some areas of Capitol after security threats New measures force TAA to relocate headquarters, move vital wireless access point Andrew Averill State Editor Prompted by security concerns forwarded to law enforcement by Republican leadership, a joint committee approved a rule restricting access to certain areas of the Capitol building Wednesday, which could remove some

organizations from its headquarters.

The Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, made up of 10 lawmakers from both chambers, voted to restrict public access to Capitol building hearing rooms and legislative offices. Starting Saturday night, people would not be allowed to be in those areas between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 a.m unless they were legislative staff.

Protesters sleeping in

the rotunda and hallways would not be affected.

The Teaching Assistants’ Association, an organization advocating against the governor’s budget repair bill for its effects on unions, has made its home in one hearing room on the third floor and would have to move an entire wireless network to a new location outside the Capitol because of the new rule.

“We probably can’t

maintain that in a bunch of hallways,” Alex Hanna, TAA co-president, said.

“We have some spaces planned, and there are some people who are sympathetic to our cause, members who have apartments around the Capitol.”

He added that he was not aware of any other organizations using hearing rooms as headquarters, although people are sleeping

© 2011 BADGER HERALD

overnight in legislator offices.

Not many Republican offices have been open, Hanna said.

That may be due to security concerns among Republicans who are at odds with a majority of the protesters in and around the Capitol.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald’s, R-Juneau, spokesperson Andrew Welhouse said Fitzgerald had personally received a number of

threats to his safety that are currently being investigated by the authorities.

Although security concerns are real, law enforcement at the Capitol has complimented protesters and TAA members, Hanna said.

“All we’ve heard from police when we see them is about the great behavior

THREATS, page 2

Page 2, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

CORRECTION Due to a reporting error, the Feb. 24 story “Law School forum on budget repair bill included a paragraph saying UW political science professor Donald Downs alluded to possible negative long term effects of the budget repair bill on taxes and the cost of higher education.

Downs did not make any such claims. We regret the error.

• •

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MPD asks Walker FORWARD! about crowd plants After governor mentions idea of placing people in protests to stir up fights, police question safety, responsibility of reported plan Pam Selman Following Gov. Scott Walker’s statement during a hoax phone call Wednesday that he considered placing instigators in with the crowd of Capitol protesters this week, city officials are asking for an explanation and justification.

Madison Police Department Chief Noble Wray and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz both said Walker’s statement was troubling on the surface and its potential implications need to be further explored.

“I would like to hear more of an explanation from Governor Walker as to what exactly was being considered, and to what degree it was discussed by his cabinet members,” Wray said in a statement.

“I find it very unsettling and troubling that anyone would consider creating safety risks for our citizens and law enforecemnt officers.”

Wray said MPD has been working throughout the past several days to ensure its officers are doing everything possible to enable protesters on both sides of the issue to demonstrate safely.

Wray said he was concerned anyone would attempt to undermine the relationships established during the course of the protest.

“I have a responsibility to the community, and to the men and women of this department — who are working long hours protecting and serving this community — to find out more about what was being considered by state leaders,” Wray said.

Joel DeSpain, MPD spokesperson, said it was important to consider the initial statement came as part of a hoax call and urged Wisconsinites to tentatively take what was said with somewhat of a grain of salt.

DeSpain said the department is looking for the governor to provide some broader context to the remarks and is trying to give Walker the chance to further explain himself.

“We don’t know if this

LAYOFFS, from 1

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to litigation in which the board might be likely to become involved, a document from the district said.

Teachers are not considered state employees, Cullen Werwie, Walker’s spokesperson, said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald. He said any layoff notices sent out to MMSD teachers or other employees from around the state came from their respective school boards without any influence from Walker’s administration.

Though they are not

was something [Walker] considered strongly or if this was a passing comment, but we are hoping that any talk of adding an agitator into a crowd of peaceful protesters is something the governor would denounce, and that it is something that would not be tolerated,” DeSpain said.

DeSpain said the protests so far have been completely peaceful and MPD officers have been staffed only to maintain a safe environment where democracy can take place.

He said though 120 officers were available on Saturday when a group of tea party protesters joined the scene, no arrests have been made outside the Capitol.

Cieslewicz said it was disturbing that Walker allegedly considered disrupting the protests. He said Walker’s statement was deeply troubling especially because of the way the governor followed up by “brushing it off.”

“The governor of Wisconsin actually thought about planting people in the crowds who might turn these peaceful protests into something ugly?” Cieslewicz asked in a statement. “For the governor of our state to suggest that he even considered disrupting these peaceful protests is a serious thing.”

Cieslewicz said he was unaware of whether an official investigation might pursue Walker’s actions because it was not yet clear whether there were any criminal issues to debate. He said he was not suggesting an investigation was needed, but said Walker needed to be “very clear” with Wisconsinites.

Cieslewciz said he continues to be very proud of Madison citizens and the half a million people he estimates have come through the city since the protests began.

“We have not had a single arrest and the credit for that goes to our police officers, other police officers from around the state and the protesters themselves,” Cieslewicz said. “And that is the spirit of Wisconsin and that is they way we need to go.” state employees, Werwie said the layoffs still could have been avoided through the repair bill.

“We don’t know exactly how many cuts there would be...”

Ken Syke Spokesperson MMSD

“If the AWOL Senate Dems came back to work, many teacher layoffs could be avoided by the reforms contained in the budget repair bill,” Werwie said.

Malory Goldin The Badger Herald

Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., spoke at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Thursday about the possible benefits for University of Wisconsin researchers under new patent reform legislation. Kohl said UW is a hub of innovation for the rest of the nation and it is crucial for inventors to be able to rely on the patents. The legislation bill has already passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee and will likely be taken up by the Senate in the coming week. He also said patent reform is vital to maximizing every research dollar awarded and will help create jobs in Wisconsin.

UW System officials gear up to meet on Madison’s separation Spokespeople question why flexibility of split not offered to all Wisconsin state campuses Katherine Krueger Campus Editor In the wake of the University of Wisconsin chancellor detailing the separation of the Madison campus from the UW System, Board of Regents members have voiced concerns about how the split could negatively affect the other campuses.

Under Chancellor Biddy Martin’s proposal, the flagstaff campus would continue to receive state funding and remain a public institution but would no longer operate as a part of the UW System.

According to the documents released Wednesday, UW would retain all revenue received instead of pooling funds received in the State Treasury.

This would allow UW greater control in setting tuition, addressing personnel matters and directing new construction projects on campus while remaining a state entity.

A 21-member Board of Trustees composed of 11 appointees by the governor and 10 faculty appointed members would govern the university, a condition that some officials have said will likely draw

ASSEMBLY, from 1 Democrats during the Assembly debate Thursday repeatedly referenced the hours of public testimony they heard and the personal stories people told them in an attempt to convince Republicans they were wrong. But Republican leadership did not budge.

contentious debate at the special Board of Regents meeting scheduled for this morning.

UW System spokesperson David Giroux said the meeting would be informational and would mark the first public discussion among members of the governing on the potential separation.

He said no specific actions or votes would be taken, but rather Board of Regents represented would learn more about the logistics of the Partnership.

Giroux also said the most basic concerns he hopes to address will include what the split would do to the rest of the UW System campuses and whether it is a good thing for Wisconsin to have multiple governing bodies for the public universities.

Increased competition between UW and the rest of the system is also a cause for concern, he said, but possible effects of Gov. Scott Walker ’s budget announcement on the whole system present a pressing financial reality.

“Providing UW with flexibility and managerial freedom makes perfect sense,” Giroux said. “But the question arises, why doesn’t it make sense for all other schools in the system?”

Associated Students of Madison Legal Advisor

Tyler Junger said the planned separation would provide the system with a fresh approach on university structure and would not prove harmful to other system schools.

Junger said though time will tell, a split would promote duplication among schools.

Competition for funding between the various universities already exists at a system level as campuses compete for state appropriations to meet needs.

The decision to remove UW from the system is a decision made by Walker, he said, and UW must act to maintain its reputation as a worldclass university in the event of a split.

He added the seven alumni representatives on the Board of Trustees will have the best interest of the campus at heart and there are already Board of Regents members appointed by the state.

Junger also said tuition will likely increase regardless of a separation from the UW System, and there is no valid connection between the split and tuition hikes.

“We’re facing a state budget crisis, and we need to step up to maintain the quality of UW,” he said. “Students will be asked to play a part in that.”

Teachers across the state, including Senate Majority Leader Sen. Scott Fitzgerald’s, R-Juneau, wife, have already started receiving preliminary layoff notifications districts said are being sent out in anticipation of massive cuts in Walker’s budget.

The budget repair bill would not prevent the cuts, but would prevent greater

cuts, Walker said.

Now passed by the assembly, the bill still needs to be taken up and passed in the Senate. At least one Democratic senator has to come back for the Senate to proceed, though none of the missing senators have said they are coming back until the provision limiting collective bargaining is removed.

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THREATS, from 1 of the protesters and the non-violence,” Hanna said. “There have been no reports of vandalism and very little complaints. In my own experience, police have been overwhelmingly positive about what we’re doing.”

The Fitzgerald brothers have sealed of a lot of the rooms to make sure labor and protesters do not reserve any of them, he said.

Welhouse said the new rule is not a restriction but a return to the Capitol’s standard operating hours.

“The building opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m.

— that’s the rule of the Capitol, and it hasn’t been adhered to over the past two weeks,” Welhouse said.

“This ballot makes sure Megan McCormickThe Badger Herald file photo people aren’t using these Occupants of the rotunda will not be affected by the new Capitol security rules. rooms for purposes other

than they are intended.”

Restrictions in the Capitol have increased starting Saturday, when law enforcement allowed protesters to enter the building through only two entrances. Entire wings were restricted on Tuesday, and Assembly gallery onlookers were required to empty their pockets and walk through metal detectors before being allowed up.

The escalating of restrictions has not gone unnoticed and could be leading to a showdown between protesters sleeping overnight and law enforcement within the Capitol, Hanna said.

Gov. Scott Walker’s spokesperson, Cullen Werwie, told reporters after a press conference that no decision had been made on closing the building Saturday.

RALLIES, from 1 cause, he added.

Franklin also said rallies in states facing similar legislature to place limits on union collective bargaining demonstrate the issue is a concern outside of the state, adding the budget repair bill would prove a major state issue in terms of policy and the upcoming 2012 legislative elections.

“What’s going to matter is the balance of mobilization of voters on both sides of the issues going into elections,” he said. “Clearly this is a Wisconsin issue.”

Franklin added Walker and the Republicans have characterized protesters as outside agitators as a way to diminish the relevance of citizens engaged in opposing the bill.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

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Editorial Page Editors: ALLEGRA DIMPERIO & KYLE MIANULLI, OPED@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 143

page 4

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

THE BADGER HERALD

BAD GER v.t. 1. to annoy persistently through panoply of efforts HER ALD v.t. 1. to introduce, or give tidings of, as by a herald 2. to proclaim; to announce; to foretell; to usher

A letter to WI from Compromise necessary to end impasse Gov. Scott Walker The budget repair bill is now in the hands of the Legislature.

Although it is getting a lot more attention than most bills, it is still just a bill working its way through the process. In our state, budget bills are introduced by the governor, reviewed by the Joint Finance Committee and then brought before the State Assembly and State Senate.

Legislators can debate budget bills in committee and on the floor of their respective houses and offer amendments. Most importantly, they have the responsibility to vote, much like citizens do at the ballot box during elections.

The public offered suggestions and we made changes to the bill because of their participation in the public process. I also applaud Assembly Democrats for publicly debating the budget repair bill I introduced two weeks ago.

In contrast, their counterparts in the Senate fled the state in an effort to prevent democracy from working, stifle debate and ultimately try to negate the results of the election that took place last November.

The reason Senate Democrats claimed they left the state was because citizens needed more time to debate the issue. This is ironic because 12 of the 14 missing Senate Democrats passed Governor Doyle’s budget repair bill, which raised taxes by $1 billion dollars within 24 hours of introduction and without a public hearing in February 2009. Senate Republicans vehemently disagreed with the bill and the process Democrats used to ram it through; however they

stayed in Wisconsin, debated the legislation and made the choice to participate in democracy by casting their vote in opposition.

The Legislation has been public for two weeks and the Joint Finance Committee listened to more than 17 hours of public testimony on the budget repair bill.

Yet Senate Democrats still remain out of state, holding endless media interviews.

In one interview Senator Larson said, “iIt’s almost like a reality TV show.”

I have a message for Senator Larson: No it isn’t. This isn’t for entertainment, this is real.

We have a deficit for the remainder of this fiscal year and a $3.6 billion deficit for the next budget that starts on July 1. Our budget repair bill allows us to save $300 million from state government workers and gives local units of government the tools to save $1.44 billion in the next state budget.

In addition, it gives local governments the tools to save even more in order to protect jobs and vital services. To achieve these savings, we need to pass our repair bill. That’s why the Senate Democrats need to come home.

I go to work every day to defend the plan I laid out to make the tough decisions needed to balance Wisconsin’s budget.

It’s clear Senate Democrats disagree with the bill I put forward. I understand and respect that. I’ll always be willing to cooperate and communicate with the Democrats, but that has to happen at the State Capitol in Madison.

-Governor Scott Walker

Elise Swanson Columnist

The world appears to be in a state of utter disarray right about now.

From the democratic revolutions roiling the Middle East to legislative battles here in the state, it’s hard to concentrate on the more mundane matters of homework and midterms. I’ll willingly admit to spending too much time protesting at the Capitol instead of preparing for classes.

With all of the tense excitement here in Madison, it’s easy to lose sight of other legislative battles being waged across the country. But to turn from the intense world of state politics for one moment, the federal budget process is quickly turning into a pitched battle waged in the halls of Congress.

President Obama released his 2012 budget on February 14. In his Budget Message, President Obama laid out the main tenets of the budget, and defended the fiscal choices he is advocating.

The budget is ambitious, calling for tax reform, spending freezes, reformation of the Benefit Guaranty Corporation and Federal Housing Administration, and investments in education, innovation and infrastructure. The goal of budget is to put the country back on a sustainable fiscal track, which is really a rather daunting task given Americans’ (and our government’s) propensity to spend beyond their means.

Immediately following the release of the budget,

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Republicans began lambasting the bill for going far enough or cutting deep enough to satisfy the fiscal needs of the country and the will of the American people. Republicans control the House of Representatives, but the Senate remains in the hands of Democrats, meaning that any budget is stalled in Congress.

The result has been an incredibly polarized debate, one in which both sides bear culpability for not reaching a compromise.

Speaker of the House John Boehner, appearing on 60 Minutes in December of last year said he “rejected the word compromise” and is now backing up that sentiment with actions.

If a budget is not passed by March 4, all non-essential federal agencies will shut down.

That means veterans couldn’t receive benefits, people couldn’t apply for Social Security, museums and national parks would close and federal employees would be forced out of their places of work. It happened in 1995, and it cost the government 750 billion dollars. That’s not exactly what we need when we’re facing a looming deficit threat.

Obama’s budget freezes all nondiscretionary funding for five years. Republicans want all nondiscretionary funding frozen at pre-recession levels for 5 years.

Obama wants to let those controversial Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans to expire in 2012. Republicans, well, that debate just wrapped up in December.

Obama also wants to invest in education through programs such as the American Opportunity Tax Cut and Pell grants, but Republicans vehemently

oppose such increases in spending. The points of conflict run as long as the 216 page document.

So far, however, both Democrats and Republicans seem more willing to push their own agendas rather than try to reach a compromise on these issues. Obstinacy will get us nowhere.

Investments in education, research and development for technology and clean energy, high-speed rail and high-speed Internet access are just that — investments. Investments, by definition, are upfront costs you willingly pay in order to reap later benefits.

Yes, the United States is facing a massive budget deficit, and yes, that needs to be addressed.

So too do long-term concerns about the competitiveness of the American economy.

These investments will help us move forward and put the United States in a better economic position in the future.

A concomitant concern with investing in those sectors is the problem of the government actually benefiting from those investments. Americans will benefit quickly, both tangibly and normatively, but the government will benefit in a more indirect fashion through increased revenues.

To take full advantage of increased revenues, Obama has also proposed a series of tax reforms.

The budget proposes to simultaneously close loopholes in the corporate tax code and reduce the corporate tax rate. It also limits the itemized deductions the wealthiest Americans could claim on their taxes.

Tax reform is a necessary component of addressing any budget debate in this country.

Much of the deficit is due to underlying

structural issue — that is, even if revenues were at their maximum level, there would still be a deficit — and those structural problems must be addressed. Cutting program spending alone is not the solution.

Federal programs provide vital services that enrich the lives of millions — there are better solutions to our current fiscal problems than hacking away at our country’s social infrastructure.

Although the budget freezes all nondiscretionary spending for 5 years, it does not do the same for military spending. It does, however, attempt to achieve zero real growth in the Department of Defense’s budget over the next 5 years, meaning no increases above inflation. This is an important measure, but in a country that spent 4.9 percent of its GDP on the military in 2009, when the world average was 2.6 percent, we can afford to back away from the military-industrial complex a tad. We can remain safe without extravagance.

With Harry Reid having proposed a 30 day stopgap measure in the Senate (which Boehner rejected), and Boehner apparently considering proposing a two week extension bill in the House, the divided government in Washington is at an impasse.

Although there are significant rifts between the two parties and their fiscal agendas, they should not be afraid to work together. At the least, it will result in a better outcome for the American people.

Elise Swanson (ehswanson@wisc.edu) is a second-year majoring in political science and English.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BITCHY A roundup of some of the more thought-provoking (or thoughtless) comments left on badgerherald.com

In response to the 2/23 editorial: To the Governor and Legislature: We, the undersigned faculty and staff of the University of WisconsinMadison’s School of Library and Information Studies, oppose the abolition of most collective bargaining rights by the budget repair bill now being pushed through the Wisconsin Legislature by Governor Scott Walker. We believe this will grievously harm the University of Wisconsin, its undergraduates, graduate students, employees, and, not least, all of the people of the state.

As a small University department that has faced cuts for years, we are more than familiar with budget cutting and belt-tightening. We are willing to do our part to assist the state in developing a budget that is balanced, even if it means paying more for benefits, but any budget plan must be based on thoughtful debate and must respect the rights of the workers of this state.

The University of WisconsinMadison brings much more money into the state of Wisconsin than it receives from the legislature. The income-generating creativity of the University is a direct result of the effort of thousands of UW faculty, staff and students. And it is that very

creativity that is directly threatened by the abrogation of bargaining rights and proposed salary cuts.

The majority of our graduates go on to employment in all levels of the public sector, particularly in K-12 schools, universities and colleges and city and county public libraries in Wisconsin. We are concerned about our graduates’ future in this state. Under this bill, many of our excellently trained graduates may choose to go to other states with more favorable public sector rights.

We stand in solidarity with our sister universities throughout the state, and with the teachers, teaching assistants, office workers and many others who clear our roads, guard our prisons, keep us safe, and educate our children. We want a Wisconsin that looks forward, toward a bright future in a 21st century economy.

And we also want a civil Wisconsin, where critical decisions concerning hundreds of thousands of citizens aren’t made overnight by fiat. We have real problems in our state; to solve them, we must sit down together. We call on the governor and the legislature to take a step back, to listen to all of the state’s citizens, and to work together to build a common future.

Dissent: Dems must return to state

by Michael Bleach

“It’s the tyranny of the majority, an “Attack on UW,” and a real-life remake of Emperor Palpatine’s Empire, the pro-labor protesters” Dude, did you even watch Star Wars?

-----------------------------PALPATINE: . . . and the Jedi Rebellion has been foiled.

BAIL ORGANA: I was held up. What’s happening?

PADME: The Chancellor has been elaborating on a plot by the Jedi, to overthrow the Senate.

BAIL ORGANA: That’s not true!

PADME: He’s been presenting evidence all afternoon.

BAIL ORGANA: And the Senate will go along with it, just like they always do.

PALPATINE: The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated. (applause) Any collaborators will suffer the same fate. (applause) These have been trying times, but we have passed the test.

------------------------------Yes, you are exactly right. Walker’s attempt to accuse the Union of a government takeover is completely analogous to the Palpatine accusing the Jedi of a

Catherine Arnott Smith

Christine Pawley

Michele Besant

Jane Pearlmutter

Tanya Cobb

Omar Poler

Greg Downey

Greg Putnam

Kristin Eschenfelder

Louise Robbins

Sheilah Harrington

Sarah Roberts

What a load of cowardice. Compromise is the refuge of people with no principles,

Madge Klais

Alan Rubel

of people that are willing to vote for anything as long as it gives the impression that

Kyung-Sun “Sunny” Kim

Debra Shapiro

Anna Palmer

government takeover. Thank you for pointing that out.

-Koch In response to the 2/23 editorial:

...And stay out!

by The Badger Herald Editorial Board

“Compromise is an important part of our system”

“something is getting done”. We should not compromise on slavery. Saying, “ok, you can be enslaved for 30% of the time and free the rest” is not a good thing.

- Guest

Your Opinion · Send your letters to the editor and guest columns to oped@badgerherald.com oped@badgerherald.com.. Publication is based on space and takes into account relevance and quality. Letters should be sent exclusively to the Herald. Unsigned letters will not be published. All submissions may be edited by the Herald for length and style. Reader feedback on all articles and columns can be posted at badgerherald.com badgerherald.com,, where all print content is archived.

Comics

Continue Fighting the Good Fight NOAH YUENKEL, COMICS@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 161

page 5

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011 WHAT IS THIS

SUDOKU

HERALD COMICS

PRESENTS

S

U

D

O

K

THE BADGER HERALD

U WHITE BREAD & TOAST

toast@badgerherald.com

MIKE BERG

NONSENSE? Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

What? You still don’t get it? Come, on, really? It’s not calculus or anything. Honestly, if you don’t know how to do a sudoku by now, you’ve probably got more issues than this newspaper.

TWENTY POUND BABY

DIFFICULTY RATING: Protesting for days on end

HERALD COMICS

PRESENTS

K

A

K

U

R

O

baby@badgerherald.com

STEPHEN TYLER CONRAD

YOURMOMETER

LAURA “HOBBES” LEGAULT

C’EST LA MORT

PARAGON

yourmom@badgerherald.com

HOW DO I

KAKURO?

I know, I know. Kakuro.

Looks crazy, right?

This ain’t no time to panic, friend, so keep it cool and I’ll walk you through. Here’s the low down: each clue tells you what the sum of the numbers to the right or down must add up to.

Repeating numbers?

Not in this part of town.

And that’s that, slick.

paragon@badgerherald.com

The Kakuro Unique Sum Chart Cells Clue 2 3 2 4 2 16 2 17

DIFFICULTY RATING: Getting anyone to listen

CLASSIC TOTAL PANIC MATH CHAOS

Possibilities { 1, 2 } { 1, 3 } { 7, 9 } { 8, 9 }

3 3 3 3

6 7 23 24

{ 1, 2, 3 } { 1, 2, 4 } { 6, 8, 9 } { 7, 8, 9 }

4 4 4 4

10 11 29 30

{ 1, 2, 3, 4 } { 1, 2, 3, 5 } { 5, 7, 8, 9 } { 6, 7, 8, 9 }

5 5 5 5

15 16 34 35

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 } { 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

6 6 6 6

21 22 38 39

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 } { 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

7 7 7 7

28 29 41 42

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 } { 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

comics@badgerherald.com

ASPIRE

HERALD COMICS 1

2

3

4

15

19 22

pascle@badgerherald.com

RYAN PAGELOW

32

33

34

35

38 42 46 49 57

58

63

RANDOM DOODLES

random@badgerherald.com

ERICA LOPPNOW

66 68

PRIMAL URGES

primal@badgerherald.com

ANDREW MEGOW

MODERN CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT

THE SKY PIRATES

COLLIN LA FLEUR

DENIS HART

mcm@badgerherald.com

skypirate@badgerherald.com

5

PRESENTS 6

7

8

9

10

11

Across 1 Aflac ad figure, facetiously 11 Omegas represent them 15 She played Appassionata von Climax in Broadway’s “Li’l Abner” 16 Janus-faced 17 Chinchillas and boas, e.g.

18 Words before expert or fool 19 “The Gene Krupa Story” title role player 20 Pamplona pronoun 21 Bygone N.Y.C. punk club 22 Handles 24 Literary inits.

26 Chocolate ___ 27 Ace pitcher’s reward?

30 Epoch when

12

13

14

CROSSWORD

32 High-fat dish with greens 18 33 Sit on the 20 21 bench 34 Assembly 23 24 25 26 places 27 28 29 30 31 35 “___ Should Ever Leave 36 37 You” (Tom Jones song) 39 40 41 37 High-tech 43 44 45 transmission 39 Trustworthy 47 48 43 Motion 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 approval 44 “That’s what 59 60 61 62 I’m talkin’ about!”

64 65 48 Bag in a 67 trunk 51 Make last, 69 maybe 53 Crayfish Puzzle by Pete Mitchell claw bats first 66 Clarifying 12 Crow 54 Wankel appeared words 13 Iron’s engine part 32 Starbucks 67 Bad blood preceder on 55 Jagged offering 68 Totally not the periodic 56 Secretaries’ charges: 36 Homebuyer’s happening table Abbr. “bargain” 69 Make a 14 Acted like 58 Item used by 38 Quiche spectacle of a baby, in a a 2-Down ingrédients oneself, say way 60 One of 40 “___ 23 Palooka Swoosie’s Ferienreisen” Down 25 Introductory co-stars on (Strauss 1 Watch things course?

“Sisters” polka) 2 User of a 28 Many an 61 Shoulder-to41 Cool 58-Down interrogee shoulder 42 Result of a 3 When a 29 Radiate 65 Th ey often permanent quick snap 31 Navy hang around failure? may happen equivalents sports bars 45 Basis of 4 Bush and of S.F.C.’s growth Jackson 46 Jockey wear 5 Writer Rocky the Herald Comics Raccoon™ 47 Ones known as concerned Old Possum, White, with custody and his dark or 49 Put down a family spiced? can?

6 Lib. arts 50 Telecom major Look pal, techies 7 Suck in I don’t see 52 Profanable 8 They’re hung color.

57 “___ on across roads the Line” 9 ___ Optics I just see (Thomas the (telescope rum.

Tank Engine maker) story) 10 Laura Bush 59 Residencia biographer 62 Bit of a grind Ronald 63 Byron poem 11 Like some 64 Outrageous poetry 16

17

BUNI

madcaps@badgerherald.com

MOLLY MALONEY

Get today’s puzzle solutions at badgerherald.com

ArtsEtc. Editor:

ANN RIVALL, ARTS@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 141

page 6

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

Smith Westerns

The Bodeans

Baths, Braids and Houses

Friday 10 p.m. $ $10 The Frequency

Friday 8 p.m. $ $35 B Barrymore Theater

Friday 9 p.m.

Free! $ Fr Der Rathskeller De

WEEKEND CONCERT PREVIEW

ArtsEtc. THE BADGER HERALD

All Tiny Creatures Saturday 7:30 p.m. $ $6 pl Project Lodge

Conspirator Sunday 9 p.m.

$ $16

The Majestic

MTV’s “The Real World” non-concert casting call!

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

State Street Brats Must bring a recent photo and photo ID.

Getting ready for a date with Oscar: Award show fashions already pay for to get the ordered directly from perfect complexion. the designer. The reason Why go through all a stylist wants a look this effort? HDTV, which straight off the runway picks up any impurity, or custom made is so the Gina Jensen is becoming increasingly dress is one of a kind. It Fabulous & Broke Columnist would be their client’s popular around the worst nightmare, and their nation, and is putting By next Monday even more pressure on head, to see another star morning, every morning stars to look flawless for wearing the same dress. show on TV will be their fans.

Each dress can range buzzing about who wore Surprisingly enough, anywhere from $5,000 to what at the Oscars. Award with how high-end, shows are a parade of much money couture fabulous designer dresses, celebrities are looks for tuxedos and dripping making, they more than The reason a stylist diamond jewelry that pay $15,000. will make any fashionista wants a look straight usually for very little From these giddy with excitement to off the runway or of what they pieces, a see. actually wear. few are The Oscars are the custom made is so Who’s footing chosen to Super Bowl of the fashion the bill? be tailored the dress is one of and entertainment The to the industry. Each person a kind. It would be gorgeous client’s looks gorgeous and their client’s worst jewelry worn body, from perfect. The stars make nightmare, and their is usually which they it seem easy to look so can choose head, to see another rented or beautiful, but behind borrowed for to wear to that flawless look is an free due to the Kodak star wearing the entourage of professional the valuable theater. help, rows of designer same dress. publicity the No red gowns and a whole jewelers get carpet boatload of money spent. for their pieces. Some of dress is complete without One of the most the dresses are also given a stunning pair of important positions in to the celebrity, just to heels to go with it. Two their entourage is the advertise the designer’s common phrases heard celebrity’s stylist. This is name and promote their when it comes to the feet the person in charge of lower priced perfumes, are “Jimmy Choo” and creating their image for handbags and accessories. the night and coordinating “Christian Louboutins.”

Sometimes even the These shoes are well all the activities needed movie studios that work worth the price tag of to get the right dress and with the celebrity will around $700 when being accessories. Usually this fund the look to increase interviewed by many person has a longstanding awareness of their different entertainment relationship with the upcoming film. They channels and posing celeb and will have a consider it a part of their for the good sense marketing budget and paparazzi. of what their even provide transport for Think client will be the star to and from the all the looking to HDTV, which picks theater. stars do wear come Honestly, whatever you their own Oscar night. up any impurity...is see on that red carpet is hair and This person putting even more just a publicity stunt to will cost pressure on stars to make-up? promote something so I didn’t anywhere look flawless... someone can make money. think from $1,500 If celebrities did buy their so. Take to $6,000 entire look it could cost Sam Leonardi, the hair dollars a day, celebrity over $750,000 — much stylist who has worked stylist Phillip Bloch said more than my parents’ on celebrities like Lindsay in a video interview with home.

Lohan, Cher and Anne Thethread.com. They are It looks like being under Hathaway. He has clients paid by the day, due to America’s magnifying dish out $2,000 - $4,000 their clients having so glass comes with a for an award winning do. many events in a short hefty price tag. Lucky Usually the price depends period of time. Most for me, come Sunday I on how high profile the celebrities also need more will be watching it with actor or actress is. than one outfit on Oscar my roommates, a bowl The week before, stars night, depending on the of popcorn and in my will make sure to prep amount of after parties sweatpants without their faces at spas such as they decide to attend. spending a penny.

Ole Henriksen Day Spa First, for the dress and The Four Seasons fitting, a stylist will Gina Jensen is a senior Hotel where facials will usually bring at least 50majoring in retail and is a cost over $300. Add this 100 dresses for a big name wannabe Carrie Bradshaw. in to the price of make-up, client to see and try on.

Send her fashion faux teeth whitening, spray Each of these have been tans, botox, chemical peels pas and column ideas to hunted down at fashion gmjensen@wisc.edu. and laser touch ups they week by the stylist and

A backstage view of stars’ red carpet images reveals not-so glamorous realities

Photo courtesy of Matt Younkle

Matt Younkle, a UW-Madison graduate and entrepreneur, started an online program to reduce the clutter of physical CDs.

Murfie makes music sharing legal, environmentally sound UW grad uses TurboTap smarts on another project, this time for a CD to digital conversional tool Stephen Dixon

ArtsEtc. Staff Writer The 21st century has not been kind to CDs. Formerly the cash crop for record companies, these days the silver donuts are not only outmoded but also, for many, a pain in the ass. They take up space, cost money, the jewel cases are flimsy at best…if you have an iPod, you get the idea.

But then along comes Murfie, an entrepreneurial venture spearheaded

by UW Alum Matthew Younkle. Murfie (www. murfie.com) seeks to lift the dust off your old CDs (or, more likely, your parents’) by offering a cheap and green method to get rid of them while getting more music in return.

In essence, Murfie is an account-based exchange that allows fans to trade or sell their old CDs online. Users can mail in their physical discs, have them stored digitally on their Murfie account, and purchase or barter with other users for their collections. Per a user’s request, Murfie will recycle the old jewel cases — the name is derived from the acronym MRF, for material recycling facility.

Younkle graduated in 1997 with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science.

Before he started Murfie, his claim to fame was an engineering feat that ought

to make Badgers proud: The TurboTap, a keg-to-cup apparatus that pours beer three to four times faster and with less waste than your standard issue rental from Riley’s.

Although TurboTap hasn’t made its way into sketchy Madison basements — no more “house cup!” shenanigans — it has been sold to various sporting event venues nationwide.

Younkle sold most of his stake in the company in 2007 and since then has focused his efforts on Murfie.

Don’t confuse it with a peer-to-peer application, though. Murfie users can sell their CDs only once.

In other words, if you sign up, you won’t be able to sell your dad’s old Pablo Cruise CDs over and over again (not that you’d be able to sell one of them in the first place).

“This isn’t a system for infringing on copyrights,” Younkle said. “You own [your CDs] on Murfie, and we’re allowing you to receive digital files that correspond to those discs.”

In a post-Napster world, any new platform is bound to raise a few red flags in entertainment and copyright law. But Murfie’s business model relies on two well-established rights for the sale and distribution of copyrighted materials; the first is that consumers are allowed to digitally convert their music, and the second is the basic right to sell music that you’ve purchased.

“We’re being very careful to stay in the mainstream

with respect to copyright law,” Younkle said. “This is not a file sharing service; this is a way for you to sell and trade your music.”

And getting music for cheap, too. No album is priced more than $8, but many are much cheaper (Kanye West’s Graduation is only a dollar, for instance).

Digital downloads are also coded with all the correct album information and metadata, meaning no more entering track numbers or correcting misspellings for the hardcore iTunes library sticklers.

Murfie also charges a one dollar CD-to-digital conversion fee and takes a 30 percent cut out of album sales, unless you use that money to spend on other Murfie music. So while single-track downloads aren’t available, Murfie users can get entire albums for about the price of a single song on iTunes without the potential for torrent-fueled free music guilt.

With only 300 members, Murfie might not be poised to become the next behemoth e-platform for digital music, but it makes a lot of sense for a consumer who takes pride in music ownership — without having to devote an entire part of their room to a music collection or spend ten clams for a record on iTunes.

Hardcore, snobbish audiophiles might scoff at the idea of owning music in exclusively digital formats but, more than likely, Murfie is on to something.

Poetry ‘crosshatxhes’ art into community Educator Laurel Bastian exposes students, inmates to written, spoken word, brings consolidated venue to Madison Selby Rodriguez

ArtsEtc. Staff Writer In a city as large and involved in the arts as Madison, it is not all that surprising to find a thriving poetry community. It is surprising, however, to find a poetry reading series that incorporates elements from every poetry reading this city has to offer.

This is where the Crosshatxh Poetry Series comes in.

Curated by Laurel Bastian, the current Halls Emerging Artist Fellow at the WI Institute for Creative Writing, the Crosshatxh Poetry Series crosses the line between academia and community — creating performances that can range from sonnet material to spoken word and everything in between.

Crosshatxh devotes itself to finding new writers as well as those immersed in their community, and gives voice not only to poets who are familiar to Madison’s scene but also those who have never performed before.

Bastian recently sat

down with The Badger project.”

Crossover is just the Herald to talk about her current project. Full of beginning of where this energetic hand gestures, series differs, however. an intent gaze and a voice In addition to being full of animation, to say able to boast shows that Bastian is passionate about incorporate aspects from the Crosshatxh Series is an all sub-genres of poetry performance, Crosshatxh understatement.

Starting out in brings dead poets “back Milwaukee as a slam poet to life” every couple of and eventually owning her months. Last semester, own venue, Bastian is no Emily Dickinson graced the stage and stranger to the last night’s poetry scene, performance at on either ‘...many of the Avol’s Bookstore side of the featured the stage. While men have been deceased Anne attending in there longer Sexton. several than I’ve been “We’re always readings alive.’ influenced throughout deeply by those the Madison who came before community, one thing in particular us. We don’t always have stood out to her: How access to the spark of life fractured and in their own belonging to that one world each performance original voice, but when somebody is embodying was.

“I thought, ‘That’s what the poet it allows us to I’m hungry for,’” Bastian access their work in that said, “I’m hungry for way. So it’s just like a fun going to a show where reorientation to these folks there’s at least two people who have been really I’ve never heard before important in our art,” and where there’s going Bastian said.

Crosshatxh’s break from to be something for everybody…That was how the traditional is further I started conceiving the intensified by the second

dynamic Bastian stated as different from other series.

Active in the community, Bastian is the founder/ coordinator of the Writers in Prisons project and teaches a weekly poetry/ spoken word class at the men’s prison in Oregon, Wis. “When you’re in academia, you want to be able to have an impact on folks who aren’t necessarily inside of an institution or [are] in a different kind of institution,” Bastian said, “So it felt like my work there was in some ways more real than my work with students here as many of the men have been in there longer than I’ve been alive.”

Bastian’s involvement with the prison transcends prison walls, as students of hers are all welcome to perform at readings upon release and removal from parole.

“Some of the most skilled writers that I’ve heard are these guys behind bars, and it would be really nice for them to be re-welcomed into their community or seen in a

Photo courtesy of Laurel Bastian

Established and novice poets alike have found refuge ever since Laurel Bastian brought ‘Crosshatxh’ to Madison, a unique collective poetry series. different way than they have in the past 10 or 20 years,” Bastian said.

All proceeds from the performances benefit the Wisconsin Books to Prisoners project, which sends books to prisoners in the state free of charge.

So far, Crosshatxh has raised almost $500 for the program.

While the next Crosshatxh Poetry Series reading is not until March 17, Bastian will continue to be busy generating even more unique performances and audiences willing to give Crosshatxh a listen.

“The one thing that’s been most exciting to me

— besides listening to great readers — over the past six months has been the audience shift. In the beginning, the audience was whoever I could heckle from my friends and colleagues to come,” Bastian said. “I get really excited when people come who I’ve never seen before and who don’t know any of the readers.”

The Crosshatxh Poetry Series performs monthly at Avol’s Bookstore.

Performances are free, though donations are welcome.

More information can be found at Crosshatxh’s blog: crosshatxh.blogspot.com.

Classifieds

To place an ad in Classifieds: MARY CULLEN, MCULLEN@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 311

page 7

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

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SPORTS

With playoff opener, new season begins for Badgers With 29 more wins than St. Cloud, Wisconsin still wary of facing Huskies in Verona Kelly Erickson Associate Sports Editor Win or go home.

Postseason has begun for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team.

The Badgers host the St. Cloud State Huskies this weekend at the Eagle’s Nest in Verona, and the squad is heading into the weekend knowing it has to win to move on.

“This is just a two week season,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “It’s nothing more and nothing less than what happens in the next two weeks. You can make it two weeks if you win two games this weekend.”

Finishing with 30 wins on the season, the Badgers take on a struggling Huskies squad that only managed one win through 33 games.

Regardless of what happened during the regular season, Wisconsin isn’t going to overlook St. Cloud by any means.

“Everyone is zero-zero right now,” Johnson said.

“The regular season is over. Whether you had a great season, an average

ST. CLOUD, from 8 1-4-3 stretch.

Huskies head coach Bob Motzko was forced to remove senior co-captain Tony Mosey from the team in early January and defenseman Chris Hepp left the team for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. While not as drastic, UW head coach Mike Eaves made some changes to his own lineup, temporarily mixing up his defensive pairings and sliding some players between lines.

Senior forward Patrick Johnson was moved to

HIGH NOTE, from 8 Barring foul trouble, Zastrow will be forced to play every second that Lavender is on the floor, which could expose the depth Wisconsin lost when senior forward Tara Steinbauer went down with a torn ACL. “You just want to play the best you can and limit [Lavender ’s] shots, limit her touches,” Zastrow

season, or a bad season, it doesn’t matter right now. [It] certainly gives everybody new life that maybe didn’t have the year that they wanted to.

We just have to continue to do what we’re doing.”

Still, considering the last time these two teams met, the Badgers posted a total of 16 goals on the weekend while also shutting out St. Cloud both nights.

Junior forward Hilary Knight netted a hat trick the first night and followed up with two more goals the next game.

In a 10-goal rout Friday night, seven different Badgers found the back of the net.

The Badgers offense hasn’t let up all season, averaging almost 40 shots per game. UW hasn’t had any issues creating scoring opportunities all year long, giving the squad a lot of confidence heading into its postseason schedule.

Wisconsin knows it needs to create the same kind of offense if it wants to extend its playoff run.

“They have a really good goaltender, so shooting the puck and capitalize when we get chances, don’t try

and play individually,” freshman forward Madison Packer said when asked about UW’s keys for the weekend.

“Obviously, just play our game.”

But for Wisconsin, the No. 1 team in the nation, the playoffs aren’t anything to get too worked up about.

The seasoned Badger squad is going to approach this weekend just like any other one.

“I think we’re just going to do what we’ve done all year, continue to work hard in practice and review video,” Knight said. “It’s a playoff game, we’re only guaranteed one more week, we’ve got to beat them in order to get another week.”

As they’ve done all season long, the Badgers just need to create as many scoring opportunities as they can, hopefully finding the back of the net when they need it most.

“They haven’t lost a game yet in the postseason and neither have we,” Johnson said.

“It brings new life into a team that hasn’t had a very good season. Friday night will dictate a lot how the series will go.

the fourth line to provide some veteran leadership and offensive skill, while sophomore Keegan Meuer took his spot on Sean Dolan’s defensive-minded line.

“Just in terms of the energy [Meuer] brings,” Eaves said of the move.

“He knows in his head what to do, it’s a matter of getting it done. Our trust has been built up with him.”

The moves were made in hopes of freshening up a team that allowed a nation-best 2.00 goals per game before the bye week,

but has since given up 4.00 goals per game in four games since.

said. “You can’t stop her. She is too good of a player.”

Ohio State also brings three other players who average over 10 points per game and will force Wisconsin to make a collective defensive effort to stop the Buckeyes, and it is that effort that leads senior guard Alyssa Karel to believe in a victory.

“I think that if they could take any one of

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

Forward Hillary Knight netted five goals in two blowouts against the St. Cloud Huskies this season.

If they come out here like we did in the most recent three or four weekends and play with that intensity level we’ve been able to do for a long period of time, we should create chances. They’ve got a good goaltender who can make a lot of

saves.”

Despite the recent success Wisconsin has had and the struggles St. Cloud has faced all season, the squad knows it can’t overlook anyone, especially during the WCHA playoffs.

“For one thing, this

time of year, you can’t look past anyone,” Johnson said. “You don’t look anything past this weekend because we’ve seen a lot of strange things happen in this business, and plenty of things happen when you get in the playoffs.”

playing at home or on the road in the WCHA playoffs, the changes need to work. Wisconsin is in fifth place, just one point ahead of Minnesota with 25 points, and two ahead of Colorado College. The top six teams get home ice for the postseason.

“You try not to think about how tight the race is when you’re on the ice,” Murray said. “Everyone’s asking, the media, everyone knows, but we’re all aware of it. We’re aware that every game is huge for us from here on out.”

ERICKSON, from 8

And after playing in Saturday’s 3-3 tie with

Minnnesota, senior goaltender Brett Bennett will be starting in net for Friday’s game against St. Cloud State, supplanting Scott Gudmandson, who has made the majority of starts this season.

However, Gudmandson struggled after the bye week in three consecutive losses.

“Every time, when you’re kind of in a rut like we are right now, it’s nice to switch things up,” Murray said.

And with points on the line that could be the difference between

us 1-on-1, they would probably win, but it is the fact that we’re going to play team defense, we are going to stop them as a team,” Karel said.

The biggest advantage the Buckeyes seem to have is its past. Ohio State has won 17 consecutive games against Wisconsin, but that statistic rings on deaf ears.

“It’s less about the history and more about

the fact that we are playing the bodies and the uniforms, not the name on the jersey. They are good, and they are good for a reason,” Stone said, also making sure to point out that Wisconsin has never been ahead of Ohio State in the conference standings at this point in the season, either.

The Badgers are hoping that a sloppy performance

that produced 20 turnovers against Indiana Wednesday night will help them be ready for the showdown with the Buckeyes.

“We played ugly but still won [Wednesday] night, and we will be sharper and focused [because of it], and we know the magnitude of this game…we stay focused on that,” Stone said.

“Every time, when you’re kind of in a rut like we are right now, it’s nice to switch things up.”

Jordy Murray Forward UW Men’s Hockey

and Minnesota — who both finished the season with 18 conference wins — Wisconsin ended the regular season with a solid 19-point lead.

So what’s the point?

Combined with their depth and offensive domination, the Badgers seem unstoppable.

With the team head coach Mark Johnson has put together this season, there’s no foreseeable reason Wisconsin shouldn’t be skating in yet another national championship game.

Yet, that’s not even on the squad’s radar yet.

Right now, they’re just focused on the weekend at hand.

“I think we’re confident, but we’re not overly confident or cocky,” Packer said.

Sure they have every reason to be confident — 30 wins in one season is no easy feat — but with their talent and ability to bombard the net, Wisconsin has no reason to fear this playoff run.

Kelly is a sophomore intending to major in journalism. Do you think the Badgers’ talented depth sets them apart, or is it something else? Let her know at kerickson@ badgerherald.com.

Sports Editor:

MAX HENSON, SPORTS@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 131

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

SPORTS page 8

THE BADGER HERALD

UW hopes to ease woes in St. Cloud Men’s hockey needs points at National Hockey Center, which hasn’t been friendly Adam Holt

Managing Editor Ask the members of the Wisconsin men’s hockey team where their favorite places to play outside of the Kohl Center are, and more than a few will point out the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

Road trips can be brutal in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and trips to face St. Cloud State have been especially fruitless for Wisconsin since 2008, as the Badgers are just 3-5 on the Huskies’ home ice since 2008. UW has been outscored by

seven goals in those eight games and outscored 20-8 in the losses.

Yet, the Badgers still enjoy the atmosphere inside those gray concrete walls.

“It’s a fun rink to play in,” junior defenseman Jake Gardiner said.

“Between here, NoDak and there, those are probably the three best fan-wise.

Overall, it’s pretty cool up there.”

“That’s actually one of my favorite rinks to play in,” junior forward Jordy Murray said. “Just the way it’s built… the way it echoes, the tin roof or whatever. The student section is really loud, you can’t even hear on the ice, it’s a great place to play.”

Yet the Badgers’ last two trips resulted in splits, with the Friday games decisive Huskies victories and the Badgers coming back in game two to earn wins.

“Yeah, I don’t know what it is, it’s been kind of weird,” Murray admitted.

“I remember the last two times we were up there… we ended up losing the first one real bad then came back and played really good games in the second one.”

Wisconsin (19-11-4, 1110-3 WCHA) will need a more consistent effort in this trip if it hopes to end a four-game winless streak.

The Badgers had won 12 of 13 entering a bye week, but proceeded to get swept

Zhao Lim The Badger Herald

Jordy Murray and the Wisconsin men’s hockey team are just 3-5 at St. Cloud’s home since 2008. at Nebraska-Omaha and earn just one point at home against Minnesota.

St. Cloud State (1215-5, 8-12-4) might look on paper like a team Wisconsin should handle, given

the Badgers’ tendency this season to roll over teams below it in the standings. The Huskies were picked in the preseason to finish near the top of the WCHA, but aside from a six-game

winning streak from December to January, they have struggled to find momentum. SCSU currently comes in on a

ST. CLOUD, page 7

Women’s hoops looks to end on high note Wisconsin heads to Ohio State in final regular season game; Big Ten Tournament 1st round bye at stake Brett Sommers

Women’s Basketball Writer No home games are left to be played, and the Wisconsin women’s basketball team is hoping Sunday’s contest against the Ohio State Buckeyes will be the start of a lengthy road trip heading into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

The matchup of these two teams is the first this season, and there is a prize to be won. If Wisconsin (15-12, 105) wins, it will receive a very important firstround bye in the Big Ten Tournament. If Ohio Laura Hill The Badger Herald State (18-9, 9-6) wins, Point guard Alyssa Karel is contributing 15 points, 3.6 rebounds there could still be a lot of and 2.8 assists per game for the Wisconsin Badgers (15-12, 10-5). shuffling to be done in the

top five of the conference to determine who gets the byes.

The tournament implications don’t stop with the Big Ten Tournament, either.

They continue with the bracketology of the NCAA Tournament.

Currently, Wisconsin is not receiving much love from the projections, despite being third place in the Big Ten. ESPN. com’s latest women’s basketball bracket has six Big Ten teams in, and Wisconsin is not one of them.

A win against Ohio State on the road could do wonders for Wisconsin’s tournament dreams.

“Ohio State has a very

strong, solid strength of schedule and RPI, so this, along with every game we play down the stretch right now is like a tournament game,” head coach Lisa Stone said. “The strength of Ohio State…to be able to be victorious over them would bode well for our resume.”

After a road win over No. 8/10 Michigan State Thursday, Ohio State is playing well heading into the matchup with Wisconsin. The Buckeyes also boast the consensus top player in the Big Ten — and arguably the country — in senior forward Jantel Lavender.

Lavender is leading the Big Ten with 22.7 points

and 10.7 rebounds per game and has never failed to get 10 points in a single game her entire career — an NCAA-record 129 consecutive games.

Much of the responsibility for shutting down Lavender will fall on the shoulders of Badger senior forward Lin Zastrow, and she has had experience battling some of the top post players in the country.

Zastrow allowed the country’s eighth leading scorer, Northwestern’s Amy Jaeschke (22.3 ppg), to score only 25 total points in two games this season.

HIGH NOTE, page 7

Depth sets Badgers apart from competition The Badgers ended the regular season with an impressive 30-2-2, 24-22-2 WCHA record. In the WCHA — afinal rguably the nation’s toughest conference in both men’s and women’s hockey — Kelly Erickson 24 wins is hard to come Erickson the Red by, facing some of the nation’s top teams week in and week out. Think of An undefeated season it as the SEC of hockey. is the ultimate dream. But Without the talented when you have a 30-plus depth UW has, it’s hard game season, not losing to imagine the Badgers a single game isn’t the being such the dominant easiest feat. force they’ve turned into Playing a total of 34 this season. games and losing only The Badgers have at a couple certainly isn’t least 10 goals from seven something to take for players and 10 or more granted, though.

So, when’s the last time a assists from 12 players. hockey team only lost two Overall, 14 players have at least 10 points on the games in a season?

Well, let’s make this easy. season. On a current roster of 23 forwards and In case the answer didn’t jump out of the recesses of defensemen, only five your brain, it’s Wisconsin’s haven’t put up a single point, and of those five, very own women’s team. only two see ice time regularly.

Simply put, the Badgers like to share the wealth.

While the forwards have scored 166 goals this season, defensemen have scored a combined total of 15. Without a doubt, Wisconsin has the No. 1 offense in the nation, averaging 5.32 goals a game.

Now, enough statistics.

Every Badger seems to be getting in on the fun, and not just by scoring.

While the defensemen have had their fair share of fun scoring goals, they also do their job on the other side of the puck, and do it well. Every defender has found extensive time on the ice while also making big stops and momentumshifting blocks.

Even the goaltenders are splitting time and posting their own number of shutouts.

With a 20-1-2 record on the season, freshman Alex Rigsby has posted six shutouts, while sophomore Becca Ruegseggar has three

with a 10-1-0 record.

Rigsby may be minding the net more, but Ruegseggar also provides experience and strength in the net when the squad needs it.

With a standard starting lineup of forwards Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker and Brooke Ammerman, and defensemen Stef McKeough and Alev Kelter, the Badgers have 78 goals in that group alone.

While the defensemen have had their fair share of fun scoring goals, they also do their job on the other side of the puck, and do it well. Every defender has found extensive time on the ice while also making big stops and momentumshifting blocks.

With the likes of forward Hilary Knight, Madison Packer and Brittany Ammerman coming off the bench, not to mention Mallory Deluce or Carolyne Prevost, Wisconsin has an intimidating squad at all levels.

Sure, Duggan, Knight and Decker normally make headlines — all three were recently nominated for the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award (women’s hockey’s top individual honor). But the impressive numbers UW has recorded this season makes it truly a team effort.

In the last week of the regular season,

the Badgers lost both Ammerman sisters to injuries after losing forward Kelly Nash the previous week. Wisconsin essentially lost an entire line of forwards heading into its final games against Mankato.

In a testament to its depth and talent, UW didn’t seem phased at all after losing their fourthand fifth-leading scorers, proceeding to crush MSU 4-0 and 9-1.

Even without some of their top players, three skaters — Decker, Knight and Packer — notched hat tricks against the Mavericks.

Not only did the squad combine for an “Ovechtrick” but Duggan also scored her 101st goal in her career at Wisconsin and broke a UW program record of 220 career points. Duggan’s record breaking points came off assists — further solidifying Wisconsin’s team-effort mentality.

“I think we’re a very talented team,” Knight said. “We’ve got a lot of depth and that definitely differentiates us from any other team. We’ve got some of the top forwards in the U.S. and some of the top [defense] and forwards from the Canadian pool, as well.

We mesh well together off the ice and that leads to great chemistry on the ice. As long as we’re having fun, working hard, we’re going to do well.”

Sure, most successful teams have really great team chemistry. But as Knight suggests, Wisconsin’s depth helps it stand apart.

In national rankings, the Badgers have four more regular season wins than both No. 2 Cornell and No. 3 Mercyhurst.

Also, with six more wins than Minnesota Duluth

ERICKSON, page 7