2011.09.13

Page 1

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER APER SIN SINCE NCE 1 1969 969 Tuesday, September 13, 2011

www.badgerherald.com

Volume Vo V ollu um um mee XLIII, Issue 6

NEWS | LOCAL FOOD

OPINION | COLUMN

ARTS | CD REVIEW

Expo highlights local food

A flawed referendum and vague plans are truly to blame for the Terrace brouhaha; it’s time to think outside the ‘glass box’ | 4

Strange times with Era Extraña ña

An effort from the Dane County executive aims to push tasty local grub to big spenders | 3

Neon Indian’s synthy, shiny sophomore release reminds minds you why you love and hate glittery indie pop so much

Report spurs UW students to action Organization says campus admission policies promote racial inequality Adelaide Blanchard News Editor Two reports released today allege the University of Wisconsin discriminates against whites and Asian applicants and have electrified both UW administration and some student leaders. A crowd of more than 150 students filled the Multicultural Student Center in the Red Gym on Monday after an ominous message from UW Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate Damon Williams claimed a threat had been made against the diversity

efforts in the campus community. The reports were released at midnight on Tuesday from the Center for Equal Opportunity in conjunction with a press conference CEO President Roger Clegg will hold at the Double Tree Inn at 11 a.m. today. Clegg will also be at a debate on the future of Affirmative Action at the UW Law School at 7 p.m. this evening. Williams said the timing of the events is no coincidence. In an interview with The Badger Herald, Clegg said the reports show how a heavy preference is given to blacks and Latinos over whites and Asians in the admissions process for undergraduate programs and in the law school. Williams and Dean of Students Lori Berquam

said CEO had filed an open records request on the UW admissions process for both undergraduates and law school applicants and had already set the wheels in motion to orchestrate a “coordinated attack” against the campus. Student reaction to the reports has been swift and intense, and a joint statement from a group of student leaders said the reports are an attack on the entire UW campus. But Clegg said Affirmative Action is just a way for admissions processes to discriminate. “[CEO applauds] laws on the books banning discrimination. We don’t think it makes sense to layer politically correct discrimination […] and think it’s going to work,” he said. The reports looked at

Malory Goldin The Badger Herald

Damon Williams, UW vice provost for diversity and climate, addresses students and the campus community in an emergency meeting held Monday night in the Red Gym. Williams said a group is preparing to launch an attack on campus diversity efforts with allegations of discriminatory admissions practices. ACT and SAT scores as well as LSAT scores, retention rates and probability of admission based on ethnicity. UW sociology professor Sara Goldrick-Rab said the use of percentages of students versus actual numbers is an inherent problem with the way Clegg’s data is presented. Percentages conceal

the actual nature of the numbers, she said, which show white students as the clear majority. Williams and Berquam both said they will not shy away from the admissions process, which looks at a student from a holistic perspective, taking into account many factors, including test scores, grades, extracurriculars and

ethnicity. “We believe in what we’re doing. We believe it to our toes,” Williams said. UW is not the first school to face similar claims from Clegg and CEO. A similar set of reports was released at the University of Nebraska and Arizona State University in 2008,

REPORT, page 2

Board rules student IDs with sticker valid at polls GAB rules student cards fit law with proof of enrollment Leopoldo Rocha News Reporter The controversial law that requires voters to provide photo identification at the polls will now allow schoolissued IDs as proper identification, provided they meet the required specifications. On Monday,

the Government Accountability Board released the decision to allow colleges and universities to issue stickers that can be placed on student identification cards to be used to vote in elections. Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Legislature passed the controversial Voter ID law, which requires photo identification to be used by all voters in future elections. The law allows for a Wisconsin university or

college ID to be used as identification by students as long as the student provides a secondary proof of enrollment issued by the university, according to a report from GAB. This separate documentation may be a tuition fee receipt, a certified housing list from the school or another acceptable form or letter provided by the school. The report also states the ID can only be used if it does not expire later than two years after the date it was issued. Prior to the new rules drafted

by the GAB, universities and colleges asked the organization if they could place stickers on the IDs that would show the expiration date in an effort to reduce the costs the schools would incur by printing new cards for students. The board ruled the institutions can place a sticker with their logo on the IDs that shows a date of issuance and expiration, the report said. Once the cards expire, the school can place another sticker on top of the existing one to make

the ID valid throughout the student’s career at the school. The report said the student IDs can only be used if they come from an institution that gives an associate degree or higher. This decision came from the state Legislature, Reid Magney, spokesperson for the GAB, said in an email to The Badger Herald. “[The decision] was up to the Legislature, which specifically excluded technical college IDs,” Magney said. Andrew Welhouse,

spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), said the specifics of the bill were drafted by the Republicans in order to best keep voter fraud out of elections in the state. “The standard that we used [in crafting the Voter ID Law] was to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat,” Welhouse said. Jordan Weibel, chair of the University of Wisconsin College Democrats, said the organization considers

STUDENT ID, page 2

City board weighs impact of cuts Madison departments present to Board of Estimates, say building projects lack key funding Adelaide Blanchard News Editor The City of Madison’s capital budget took the first step toward approval Monday night when a few city departments presented part of their 2012 budget to the Board of Estimates. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin set the tone for budgets earlier this month when he said deep cuts would be necessary, and parts of the budget presentations from the fire department, the library board and others who have a hand in city finances were evidence to the tough Taylor Frechette The Badger Herald economic times. Ald. Lauren Cnare, District 3, said the meeting was not a venue for airing discontent on Madison Fire Department Edgewater funding as Madison city departments square up for a year of budget cuts. Chief Debra Amesqua

presented her department’s 2012 capital budget, totaling $1,610,000, down from the capital budget in 2011, which totaled $2,012,360. Amesqua said she was very willing to work with the mayor to make the necessary budget cuts, even if it meant holding back on the building of a new fire station on the eastern edge of Madison. Ald. Lauren Cnare, District 3, said the fire station would have benefited the community because response times to fires in that area of Madison are high. One thing Amesqua said she would not compromise on was her staff levels. She said she would rather

postpone buildings and other projects to keep her staff intact. “We clearly need a station at that location, but looking at the budget, at some point the economy has to turn around,” Amesqua said. Members of the Library Board told the board they had hit a bit of a snag with their funding plan for the Central Library. Library Board President Tripp Widder told the board the Central Library project did not receive a competitive $4.5 million tax credit. The board agreed to fund $4 million with the understanding the remaining $500,000 would be fundraised. The grant is competitive,

Widder reinforced to the board, and there is a decent chance the library may be able to reapply and receive the funds necessary. He said generating jobs and economic vitality makes projects more attractive to those awarding grants, and this time around, Madison missed out. Members of the Library Board said the Central Library should open its doors to patrons in midNovember with construction set for completion in the summer of 2013. Aaron Olver, a member of the city’s Economic Development Committee,

BOE, page 2

State legislators to tackle job creation after summer recalls Senate and Assembly to weigh capital bill, mining in only joint meeting this month Matt Huppert State Editor The first legislative meeting to be held since the hotly contested recall elections of the summer will be the only time legislators will sit together at the Capitol this month.

Today’s Senate and Assembly meetings will be the only time the Legislature will meet in September, Andrew Welhouse, spokesperson for Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said. Welhouse said several Republican-endorsed bills created to improve the employment and economic situation in the state will be introduced in the Senate. This includes a bill involving the creation of mining jobs in northern Wisconsin and a bill which aims to bring more

venture capital into the state. “We’re trying to find ways to help small business and starter businesses capture more venture capital dollars to build up their businesses and create jobs,” Welhouse said. Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Graeme Zielinski said the Legislature’s decision to meet only once this month is an insult to those in the state who are handling multiple jobs. Zielinski said

Republicans are only claiming to focus on protecting the middle class this session and said the work of the Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker last session propelled the unemployment rate in the state. “They passed the tax breaks for the very rich, and I guess [they decided] that’s all they think they need to do,” Zielinski said. “They have not done anything for the middle class of Wisconsin.”

© 2011 BADGER HERALD

The summer break in both houses of the state Legislature will make certain legislative measures necessary at today’s meeting in the Senate, Welhouse said. Welhouse added several resolutions and pieces of legislation involving the creation of jobs will be presented for the first time at the meeting. Sens. Jessica King (D-Oshkosh) and Jennifer Schilling (D-La Crosse), who defeated incumbent senators Randy Hopper

(R-Oshkosh) and Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse) respectively, will be sworn into office on the Senate floor during Tuesday’s meeting. The Republicans in the Senate, Welhouse said, have pledged to focus on creating jobs and improving the economy. He said the recall of Hopper, who previously authored several jobs bills and was chairman of the jobs committee, has contributed to the

LEGISLATIVE, page 2


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
2011.09.13 by The Badger Herald - Issuu