EAST SIDE ‘SECTOR’ HOSTS HACKERS
UW grads program anything and everything at nondescript warehouse. ARTS, ETC. | 6
THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIII, Issue 75
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
www.badgerherald.com
Heroin epidemic spurs county summit Madison, Dane County join forces in brainstorming initiatives for safety Sam Schmitt Staff Reporter City officials and local organizations are working to break the habit of increasing heroin addiction in the Dane County area through a cooperative community effort. According to a statement from the offices of Mayor
Paul Soglin and County Executive Joe Parisi, heroin and prescription drug abuse has been on the rise in recent years, making poison-related deaths mainly caused by drug overdoses the number one cause of death in Dane County. The Opiates Action Plan, discussed during a countywide summit held Monday, aims to reduce the access to drugs, monitor prescription drug addiction, offer better resources to those suffering from addiction and decrease the number of overdose deaths, the statement said. “This is a devastating issue
that affects individuals and families throughout the city and the county,” Mayor Paul Soglin said in the statement. “I am pleased that the effort to address this problem continues. The city is proud to be a partner in this project.” Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said Safe Communities, an organization that regularly coordinates campaigns in public safety, facilitated this summit with the hopes of addressing the addiction issue across the board, including health care professionals, law
enforcement, city officials and drug abuse prevention groups in the discussion. According to the Safe Communities website, the organization has improved the personal safety of more than 35,000 Dane County residents since 1999. The statement said these professionals from various backgrounds have been divided into “workgroups,” which Soglin said will collaborate and propose solutions and plans of action as a unified council. From here the workgroups that offered their ideas during the summit will be involved
in a taskforce that will continue to have connections to the outcome in one way or another, Soglin said. Oftentimes physicians recognize a patient’s addiction to prescription pain medications and cut them off,” Soglin said in an interview with The Badger Herald. “Folks that are unable to deal with the problem head down the path of acquiring drugs on the street and then turn to heroin [because it is easier to access].” The coordination between Safe Communities and the various workgroups is the beginning of a yearlong
commitment to address the problem, Soglin said. DeSpain said the new focus on the issue is in part a result of encouragement from the police department to produce greater involvement in the community, with help from city officials, to address the heroin epidemic. “Heroin, by far, has been driving a lot of crime in our area, as people rely on theft and sometimes armed robbery to get money to buy the drug,” DeSpain said. “Arresting people isn’t going to solve the dependence on
HEROIN, page 3
Landowner, UW clash on proposed student housing City hears plans for 14-unit apartment building on campus, university wants land Vanessa Benton Herald Contributor City and campus leaders explored outstanding issues regarding the construction of a 14unit student apartment building on the University of Wisconsin campus at a meeting Tuesday night. The Joint Southeast Campus Area Committee dealt with two main items Monday surrounding various constructions connected to campus streets and buildings. The committee heard a presentation for a new private student housing apartment designed by architects Joe Reed and Joe McCormick. McCormick is the
owner of the current property, residing where the proposed apartment building would be. McCormick’s property is almost directly across from the Educational Sciences Building on West Johnson Street. McCormick presented a design for a five story, 14unit apartment structure on the grounds between 202 and 206 N. Brooks St., which would provide additional living space for approximately 43 or more students. The primary reason for proposing a new apartment structure is because of the state of the current property that lies on McCormick’s land, he said. Currently, the three living flats on his plot are approaching 100-yearsold, housing about 16-18 students. “My current [property] is in seriously bad shape, and I knew that it needed to be redeveloped”,
Mapping courtesy of Google
McCormick said at the beginning of his presentation. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, also said the state of the current property could only be described as “dilapidated.” “This project is right in line with other up-andcoming modern high-rise structures,” Resnick said. “This is not a run-of-themill-type structure.” Still, some members of the Madison community expressed uncertainty about the proposal. UW Transportation Planner Rob Kennedy raised the argument that the university wanted to use this space for academic research. Kennedy also brought up the university’s plan to use the plot of land as a “green space.” “If the university cannot afford to buy this land at the time, and it’s just sitting there rotting … it seems that the best option would be a new apartment,” Laura Gutknecht, the committee’s co-chair, said. No final decision was reached on the issue. The committee also took up potential renovations around the south campus and Kohl Center area. Kennedy recounted up and coming construction for the 20112012 school year along with the 2012-2013 term. Kennedy commented on the completion of the new Gordon Commons, which officials plan to open in June. The university will demolish the building later this year. Kennedy
HOUSING, page 2
Taylor Frenchette The Badger Herald
MPD responds to the explosion in the Chemistry Building Monday. Aside from the room the explosion occurred in, no one was evacuated.
Chemistry student sustains minor injuries in explosion Department says incident shows need to improve response efforts Jackie Allen Campus Life Editor A postdoctoral student sustained minor lacerations to the fingers and neck after an explosion and a small fire in the University of Wisconsin Chemistry Building Monday morning. The student, who is also a chemistry department employee, was working on a distillation when an air-sensitive compound ignited. The ignition caused glass to break and started a small fire, Robert McClain, chair of the chemistry department’s Safety Committee, said. Department officials
effectively extinguished the small fire in the laboratory before the Madison Fire Department arrived. While MFD ensured the fire was put out, police assisted with medical treatment and blocked off the area. However, Matt Sanders, assistant academic program director, said none of the other students were aware of what the injured student’s research involved or what he was working on at the time, besides the specific chemical compound. It is also normal for many of the students in the lab to not be informed of these specifics, Sanders said. McClain said these details will be included in the investigation from UWPD, MFD and the chemistry department, which will provide
said they were unsure what the student’s experiment involved, but the research is conducted under a vacuum to prevent explosions and fires. UW Police Department Sgt. Aaron Chapin said the student is in stable condition and being treated for non-life threatening injuries. They should be released in the near future and make a full recovery, Chapin said. “At this point, the incident is under investigation to determine what exactly happened and where we go from here,” Chapin said. Other students in the lab at the time of the accident helped treat the injured individual as well as extinguish the fire and alert authorities. McClain said the students acted in accordance with standard safety procedure. The students also
CHEM, page 2
Lasee exits US Senate race, INSIDE apparent underdog in funding Jacob Kaczmarowski Herald Contributor
Next stop: Happy Valley, B1G dreams
Campaign funds raised
Pere, announced Sunday he will drop out of the race for Herb Kohl’s Senate seat in Washington, saying it was not the right time to run. “After much consideration and prayer with my wife, Amy and I have determined this is not the right time to run for the U.S. Congress,” Lasee said in a statement Sunday. “We thank everyone that has
$ (millions)
As the race for U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl’s seat tightens with Sen. Frank U.S. Senate candidate Lasee’s withdrawal, the remaining candidates have stepped up their Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De fundraising efforts. These numbers were reported in the fourth quarter.
LASEE, page 2
SOURCE: Campaign Finance Reports
Badgers look for sixth consecutive win, hope to continue climb up Big Ten ladder at Penn State
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The first lady addresses UW students
Megan McCormick The Badger Herald
Michelle Obama hosts a call-in session with members of Young Progressives Monday. She spoke with students in an effort to engage them in the upcoming presidential campaign. Baldwin (D)
Thompson (R)
Neumann (R)
NEWS | 3 © 2012 BADGER HERALD