2012.02.22

Page 1

Your guide to the 2012 Academy Awards ArtsEtc. presents an in-depth look at the biggest, most glamorous night of the year in entertainment ARTS | 8

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIII, Issue 91

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

www.badgerherald.com

Voter ID sees primary debut During first elections since new law, reports suggest longer processing times at precincts, few problems Katie Slavin Herald Contributor With expectations of low voter turnout for the statewide spring primary, the first election requiring photo identification from voters at polling places was held Tuesday in a primary for an open Dane County Circuit Court seat. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, voter ID forms accepted at polls on Tuesday included not only a state-issued driver’s license or identification card, but also receipts of purchase for either form. Andrea Kaminski, chair of the Madison Election Advisory Committee, said few problems were projected with accepting IDs at the polls, but the process was slowed significantly. “I don’t expect there will be many problems,” Kaminski said. “But I noticed when I went in to vote this morning, the voter ID process certainly slowed things down. It took me longer to check in than it did to vote.” Municipal Clerk Thomas Lund said provisional ballots for the primary election, provided to voters who forgot to bring identification to the polls with

them, were issued only three times. Provisional ballots are not counted the day of the election and instead are returned to the city clerk’s office. Voters have until Friday to present identification to the office for their ballot to be counted in the election, Lund said. Kaminski, who is also the executive director of the League of Women Voters in Wisconsin, added the list of acceptable IDs for voting in Wisconsin is the most restrictive in the country, and therefore it may be possible for some voters to come in with some sort of photo ID that is not acceptable at the polls. The primary election was called because there are three candidates running for the same seat on the court, Kaminski said. The three candidates, Roger Allen, Ellen Berz and Francis Sullivan, are running for the position on the circuit court. “The two candidates that get the most votes Tuesday will be the winners of the primary, and they will be the two candidates on the ballot on April 3,” Kaminski said. According to University of Wisconsin political science professor Barry Burden, turnout in February

Matt Hintz The Badger Herald

While the spring primary race was generally projected for low turnout, city officials had the chance to implement Wisconsin’s voter ID law during a period of little voter traffic. Despite low numbers on campus and at downtown polling areas, one Madison official said verifying a correct ID is still a lengthy process. primary elections is usually quite low. There are not many “names of interest” to voters on the ballot, and the elections are non-partisan, so party politics only play a small role, he said.

Associated Students of Madison Legislative Chair Hannah Somers said student turnout is expected to be low as well. “I voted at 10:30 this morning, and

I was the first voter,” Somers said. “No voting place has been above about 10 [students] right now, so I’m guessing

VOTER ID, page 2

Dane Co. unveils plan with unions

UHS will expand to Lakeshore area

Parisi says agreement will save citizens tax dollars by lowering wages for employees

Herald Contributor

Officials announce plans for satellite clinic in new dorm, set to provide basic services Alyssa Smith When students return to school in fall, they will find a new University Health Services clinic in place, which would accommodate students in the university’s Lakeshore residence hall neighborhood. The new UHS satellite clinic will be located within the new Lakeshore residence hall, Brendon Dybdahl, director of marketing and communications for university housing, said. He said the clinic will be one of many new services, offices and resources housed there. UHS executive director Sarah Van Orman said UHS facilities have historically been located inside residence halls, and the closing of the Sellery Hall clinic led UHS to move its full laboratory services from one side of campus to a more central location.

Leah Linschied City Life Editor After a tumultuous year of union relations at the state level, Dane County officials approved an agreement with county workers Tuesday that will alter a union contract to diminish wages and thus save the county nearly $2 million next year. Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees stood behind Dane County Executive Joe Parisi as he signed a resolution that would alter an existing union contract to temporarily reduce workers’ wages and require them to contribute toward their retirement in 2013, among other provisions. Under a legislative provision, existing union contracts can be negotiated within a 90-day window to allow concessions or changes within the contract, Parisi said in a news conference. Once the time period has ended Feb. 28, any changes made to the contract would render the entire document void. Parisi cited issues such as severe cuts to the Dane County budget by the state Legislature and an ailing economy that has consequentially raised the need for public services to justify the need for the resolution. “By sitting down and problem solving together, the county and its public employees have negotiated agreements that will save county taxpayers nearly $2 million, protect vital public services and help out workers and their families adjust to the ill-advised actions of our state

UNIONS, page 3

“We always envisioned we would have another location,” Van Orman said. Van Orman said with the current location at 333 East Campus Mall, UHS does receive a lot of traffic from students, but students on the west side of campus have a long haul to make -- especially when sick. Adding a clinic location to the Lakeshore residence hall will provide students with more access to UHS, Van Orman said. She also said the idea has been in the works for a while. Open to all students, the added clinic will also help with the rising need for UHS services, according to Van Orman. “We have seen a significant growth in student demand for services,” Van Orman said. The proposal for the clinic

UHS, page 2

University of Wisconsin

Reps criticize shuffling costs for INSIDE building bus shelters onto students Transportation board proposes budgets for new amenities, SAFEride Katie Caron Higher Education Editor Members of the student government evaluated budgeting for transportation services at the University of Wisconsin in a meeting Tuesday night. During last night’s Student Transportation Board meeting, representatives of UW Transportation Services presented their proposed 2013 fiscal year budget to the board.

A main point addressed during the meeting focused on the inclusion of paying for new bus shelters in the overall bus budget of about $1,777,299. Commuter Solutions Manager for Transportation Services Dar Ward said over an eight year period, all bus shelters on campus will be replaced with new ones. She said the $40,000 amount for the item in the budget reflects how Transportation Services has been budgeting for four shelters each year, with each costing about $10,000 to allow for building new cases and benches. She the current year is the fourth or fifth year of the eight-year period. © 2012 BADGER HERALD

Student Transportation Board member Laura Checovich asked about the inclusion, and said she wondered if it would be appropriate to make students pay for a capital purchase item. “My concern was only because students were not part of the decision-making process to even renew them, and it seems unusual that we would be asked to pay for something we were not consulted on,” she said. Transportation Administrator Gordon Graham said in the past there has not been a hard and fast policy for who pays for the bus shelters, since some end up being negotiated so as to be a

BUS SHELTERS, page 2

A local liquor store has seen a rash of thefts MPD reports thieves took more than $2000 in merchandise from University Avenue store

NEWS | 2

All the world’s a stage ... But should the UW have a separate School for the Arts? Ryan Rainey and Adelaide Blanchard weigh in.

OPINION | 4


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.
2012.02.22 by The Badger Herald - Issuu