THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIII, Issue 128
Friday, April 20, 2012
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Student govt postpones MCSC vote Despite Ward’s deadline, ASM fails to make decision on funding controversy Katie Caron Higher Education Editor In the next step toward the culmination of a conflict that has spanned the entirety of the school year, members of a student organization presented on their funding eligibility Thursday evening in a meeting in which a decision on the matter was unexpectedly postponed. Members of the Multicultural Student Coalition presented on their eligibility for General Student Services Funds in the Associated Students of Madison Student Council meeting. The meeting was supposed to include both the presentation and the group’s eligibility decision, which comes after Interim Chancellor David Ward released a decision Sunday mandating that Student Council take up MCSC’s eligibility decision within five school days.
Before the group’s presentation, which stretched most of the meeting, members of Student Council voted to postpone the eligibility decision until the next meeting when Rep. Maria Giannopoulos motioned to do so. Chair Allie Gardner spoke to the motion and said new information, which she declined to describe in specific detail, was introduced before the meeting that could affect some of the process, but that it was unclear to her at that point. In an interview with The Badger Herald, Gardner said the new information could require a different process and that she was unsure of how to explain or talk about the change of events because it “literally happened two hours before the meeting.” She said despite this, the reasoning for postponing the eligibility decision had less to do with the new information and more to do with the fact that members were trained yesterday and wanted more time to look over the application and apply their training.
Megan McCormick The Badger Herald
Members of MCSC address ASM Thursday night during a special meeting called for the group’s funding hearing. While the group expressed needs for UW funding, a decision will not come out until ASM’s next meeting. “To rush a process in two days is ridiculous, and we also found out today that we could potentially have more time and that that timeline of five days isn’t so concrete,” she said. Gardner said she talked with members of Ward’s office Thursday, and they
said the timeline does not need to be strict to the fiveday timeline. Following MCSC’s presentation and some other items, Diversity Committee Chair Niko Magallon voiced his concern that the body “ignored the chancellor’s mandate.” He
DOJ appeals Voces maps
Sean Kirkby State Politics Editor
Rebecca Hovel The Badger Herald
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug La Follette sits down with The Badger Herald and expresses a need for change in Wisconsin government.
Environment, jobs, UW at forefront for La Follette Sean Kirkby State Politics Editor Secretary of State Doug La Follette is one of four Democrats running for the party’s nomination for governor in the upcoming recall. La Follette served as secretary of state between 1975 and 1979
and again during a second stint between 1982 and the present. A former University of Wisconsin-Parkside professor, La Follette sat down with The Badger Herald to discuss his candidacy. The Badger Herald: The UW System is currently facing major
funding cuts. How do you think the System should deal with them? And if you became governor, what would you do about them?
LA FOLLETTE, page 2
Voters may not need to show photo identification at the polls for the recall elections after a Dane County judge extended a court case on a challenge to the law Thursday. After hearing evidence for the past four days, Dane County Circuit Judge David Flanagan set a briefing schedule. Flanagan said because of the complexity of the case, he wanted to give attorneys time to formulate their arguments in briefs. He set June 18 for the last set of filings, extending the case beyond the recall elections for governor, lieutenant governor and some senators scheduled for June 5. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera brought the suit against the law, claiming it burdens voters who have to get state sponsored IDs. Flanagan issued a temporary injunction against the law in March. Department of Justice spokesperson Dana Brueck said in an email to The Badger Herald that the court
Union Council explores MUR impact on landmarks While artwork in Der Skiftskeller not historic, officials plan to preserve murals during upcoming construction Allison Johnson Herald Contributor The governing body of the Wisconsin Union evaluated the progress of the Memorial Union Reinvestment project and the impact upcoming redesigns could have on the area during a Thursday night meeting. MUR is currently in Phase 1, which includes renovations to the west wing of Memorial Union, particularly the fifth floor and several outdoor features. After the conclusion of
MCSC, page 3
State working to gain 2 stays overturned, hopeful law will be in effect for recalls
State Politics Editor
MAPS, page 4
64 percent of its time to direct services to students, surpassing the “50 plus one” requirement in ASM bylaws. She also addressed the group’s role on campus. “We believe there is systematic oppression that
Judge sets timeline in voter ID lawsuit
Sean Kirkby Democratic leaders are criticizing Wisconsin’s appeal to the federal Supreme Court against a recent redistricting decision to back plans for two Milwaukee Assembly districts. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said in a statement the redistricting laws that the Legislature passed over the past session were upheld by the courts in virtually all respects, and the state’s Department of Justice appealed Thursday the part of the court’s decision where the state did not prevail. “While some view the adverse portion of the district court decision as being inconsequential, I disagree,” Van Hollen said in the statement. “Any time a federal court rejects a state redistricting statute and decides to redraw or adjust a legislative district, it is a
said it was rude to MCSC to postpone the decision and he did not understand why the body could not take up the decision when it was supposed to. In the presentation to Student Council, MCSC representative Althea Miller said the group allots
Union Council’s Design Committee’s meetings last week, several new changes have been made to the design plans for the project. The council was given the opportunity to review these changes and clarify any questions. These changes include reducing the plans for increased deck access and altering the stairwell on the Hoofers side of the Memorial Union Terrace. Wendy von Below, a member of the design committee, said these changes also involved a “simplification of the brat
stand that would include a more code compliant brat space.” Von Below said these changes were intended to increase efficiency and reduce the scope of the project. She said with the alterations to the previously proposed plans, Union Council would have more certainty of the costs involved. In addition to the changes, the Union Council also reviewed updates on the impact of construction on the artwork adorning the walls of Der Skiftskeller.
Von Below said the Design Committee has been looking at what art would be impacted by construction. Union Council Treasurer Hank Walter said many of the artistic issues have already been addressed. “The murals in Der Rathskeller are staying, and the historical murals in the Paul Bunyan room are being preserved. We don’t want to downplay the significance of the murals in Der Skiftskeller because they have sentimental value, but they are not historic,” he said.
© 2012 BADGER HERALD
The Union Council also addressed a desire to see more students involved in the MUR project as it evolves. “The thing about this project is something is changing constantly,” said Colin Plunkett, student project manager. The body also heard an update on a new project that had been put in place last August, presented by Heidi Lang, the current Wisconsin Union Directorate director for the Distinguished Lecture
UNION, page 2
of appeals in the case could also remove the temporary injunction put in place. She said DOJ does not think the briefing schedule is going to be determinative of whether the voter ID law will be applied to the May primaries and June elections. She added another injunction exists in another case brought against the law by the League of Women Voters. “We don’t know if courts will stay the injunctions, as we have requested, before the upcoming elections,” Brueck said. “For the law to be reinstated, both courts of appeals would need to enter a stay. A single stay would leave the other injunction in place.” Barbara Becker, first vice president of the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP, said NAACP is confident the case will result in a permanent injunction. She said nearly 200,000 people could be disenfranchised because of the law. She said NAACP as well as the state presented their own expert witnesses, and Flanagan will have to weigh the testimony from both sides of the case. She said the law unfairly
VOTER ID, page 4
INSIDE Dinner and a movie. And another movie. And another. The Wisconsin Film Festival wraps up this weekend with dozens of movies for just $5.
ARTS | 6
Mosque resistance shows ignorance The backlash toward a recent proposed mosque shows residents of Waukesha don’t understand Islam.
OPINION | 5
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The Badger Herald | News | Friday, April 20, 2012
Events today 2:30 p.m. Global Health Film Series: How Safe Are We? L151 Education
7:30 p.m. UW Varsity Band Concert The Kohl Center
Events tomorrow 6 a.m. First outdoor farmers’ market of the season Capitol Square
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Non-profit leader inspires education abroad Speaker details time teaching young women in Tanzania, says experience will spiral through generations Jackie Allen Campus Life Editor A founder and director of an international, nonprofit charity that focuses on providing education and resources to young women in Tanzania addressed the benefits of serving abroad in a Distinguished Lecture Series spotlight series talk organized by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Thursday night. Co-founder and Executive Director of the IMAGE project Deb Pangerl said the initiative tries to create sustainable, local programs and educational opportunities for young women. One of the projects includes opening secondary schools in particularly rural communities where many women may have the chance
to attend higher education. With education required up to the sixth grade level, Pangerl said many women who do not receive an education often move to cities to try to find work but instead fall into poverty, prostitution and contract AIDS. Pangerl said the project has a budget of more than $50,000, with the total cost for a girl to go to school at $350 and less than 10 percent of their funds going to administrative costs. She added the project helps fund private schools, which function similar to boarding schools, hosting girls two to a bed, with four beds to a dormitory-like room with short breaks throughout the year. Pangerl added the IMAGE project partners with Tanzanian communities
more closely than other organizations, helping the areas achieve their goals rather than imposing their own views. “We think we’re different because we listen to people,” Pangerl said. “A lot of [nongovernment organizations] do great work, but lots of times it’s about what they think is important rather than what the people in the communities want.” She added she thinks educating women is the way to provide them with a voice, with research showing educating one woman can affect 50 lives when they move back to their local communities. Pangerl said she was inspired to create the project after travelling to the country twice — once to volunteer in an effort to renovate classrooms for preparation
for students to use and once to study international issues. “I thought, I have to do something,” Pangerl said. “You can’t just see this and continue on with your life.” She said to ensure the programs they were putting in place were selfsustainable, rather than creating a dependency, they provided resources the women could foster and develop themselves, such as goats and chickens that the women could raise without interference from men. When some women suggested opening a school, the project became an empowering one, Pangerl said. “Those women took ownership of it,” Pangerl said. “It was empowering to them; it was their idea. They invested in it, and it changed the whole dynamic.”
She said this area has now proclaimed themselves independent, with a fully functioning school at a total estimated cost of $700. University of Wisconsin senior Meghan Foley said she thought the project was inspirational, adding Pangerl’s work fits in will with other organizations students work with to serve abroad. “I really like that she focuses on education and women because if you educate men they tend to go abroad. Women stay in their community and teach their young girls and change the next generation,” Foley said. She added she is planning to participate in the IMAGE project, working to research and track what the women who receive the education do after their secondary education.
Police expect new arrests at Mifflin Andrea Choi Herald Contributor With the Mifflin Street Block Party on the horizon, city officials are anticipating and preparing for more alcohol-related crimes as police plan to increase their presence at the event. Mark Woulf, Madison’s alcohol policy coordinator, addressed concerns over next month’s block party at a meeting on Thursday night. Woulf said events including Freakfest and the Mifflin Street Block Party have always raised concerns from the community. With the Mifflin Street Block Party approaching, committee members are worried about the possible alcohol-related crimes and problems. Woulf said it is difficult to predict the number of people coming to attend the event. “We wanted our police department to clear out the streets if necessary,” he said. “Having food carts in that area is really going to inhibit that process.” He added although it is expected that people will flood Mifflin Street for the party, it is still important for officials to make it seem like there is not an event going on so less people will be attracted to the area spontaneously. He said the idea is to keep the street open as long as possible. Madison Police Capt. Carl Gloede said Mifflin Street does not serve as a good venue for the event. “We have been trying to create a positive environment on Mifflin Street, and we have not been having the desired success that we had hoped in maintaining the community,” he said. “The focus to the community is to look at ultimately moving the venue to a place that allows for more control. It will be great to limit [the party] to local students.” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said changing the venue of the party has been talked about for years but would only happen “in a perfect
world.” He said he was not optimistic that a sponsor would come forward because of the large costs involved. Verveer said an ideal plan would be changing the location of the party to a city park or a University of Wisconsin property to reduce disturbance to local neighborhoods. Gloede said this year there will be a higher police presence in the Mifflin area. He said MPD and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office will be there and the focus will be primarily on the campus area. He added the police will be in the area early that day to try to convey the message that all regulations and ordinances are in compliance. Some residents in the neighborhood are trying to post their properties as private properties with “no trespassing” signs, he said. “Hopefully we will be overpreparing,” Gloede said. “We will try to tell everybody we cannot have alcohol on the streets. We are anticipating more arrests; we are hoping for fewer.” Woulf also explained changes to the city’s Alcohol License Density Ordinance. ALDO, enacted in 2007, placed fines on bars with majority alcohol sales and inappropriate capacity levels, as well as restricting the opening of new bars or liquor stores to already-existing alcoholic establishments. City officials decided to implement a sunset clause to the ordinance to allow its regulations to make further impact. ALDO’s collection of data takes into account alcohol-related crimes and consumption, as well as “calls for services,” which city officials and police anticipate heavily at the Mifflin Street Block Party. One additional major change to ALDO includes increased time for property owners who hold alcohol licenses to find another tenant that is an alcohol establishment.
Jen Small The Badger Herald
Wendy von Below, member of the Memorial Union design committee, informs Union Council that she has started looking at what art will be impacted by MUR.
UNION, from 1 Series. The project is the Willis L. Jones Leadership Center, which Lang said is the Wisconsin Union’s contribution to campus conversations on leadership. She added the center is still in its beginning stages as an organization.
LA FOLLETTE, from 1 Doug La Follette: Well, the best way to deal with the cuts is for us to elect new legislators and a new governor who support the university. You know, I’ve said over and over again that university research is critical if we’re going to in fact have the innovation and the businesses and the jobs for the future. And there’s a lot of innovation that spins out of university research. I used to be a university professor; I understand that. So we need to fund education, not only the research, but also the tuition held for students. Not all very bright students are rich. A lot of students who should be going to the university can’t afford it anymore. So, I’ve always been a
WUD officer Martin Feehan said the purpose of the center is “to create a complete leadership role for students.” The Jones Leadership Center plans to accomplish this through workshop days, a coaching academy, leadership symposium and a leadership initiative, he said. The members of
the body unanimously expressed their support for this new project to continue forward in its expansion. Lang summarized the Union’s end of the year goals and said the committee has a desire to “inspire students to work together to positively transform their campus and beyond.”
strong supporter for a lot of help for tuition and more money for the universities.
election season. So, what I would do is first look at appointments. The governor can appoint many people. I would look for Wisconsin ideas. I call it Renew the Wisconsin Idea, something that Gov. [Bob] La Follette started many, many years ago to bring the university to the borders of the state with good ideas and many of the ideas that came out of our university system. And I would work with those people to come up with ways to deal with the economy, jobs, healthcare, the environment, etc. But during the election, I would work across the state with candidates, progressive Republicans — there are thoughtful Republicans who don’t like what is going on — Independents and Democrats and see if we can elect the majority of people in both Houses who would try to solve our problems and do it in a reasonable way. It’s not going to be easy. The budget will be tight and education, health care and the environment are important things. But I would work with all sides. I don’t represent this special interest or that special interest. That’s why I’ve said I’m running my campaign in a better way. I’m not taking special interest money. I’m not running negative attack ads. I’m going to be able to work with all sides, whether it be school boards or teachers, whether it be Republicans or Democrats. And that would be what a La Follette governorship would look like next year.
Where do you get that money? You raise taxes on the rich people. You stop all the loopholes that Walker gave for foreign corporations. BH: Job creation is a key issue on both sides of the aisle. What initiatives would you support to create more jobs in Wisconsin? DL: Well, the key first is education and environmental protection. People don’t often think about that, and good health care. Why do I say that? Because if businesses want to come to Wisconsin, they come here because they want to live here. And to live here they want good schools for their children; they want a good environment to recreate in, and they want health care possibilities. So, that may not sound like job creation, but that’s an important first step. I would also eliminate some of the tax loopholes created for out-of-state businesses, something called the “Las Vegas” loophole, and that money should be invested in the technical schools, particularly because those are the schools that can graduate people who are looking for jobs and the jobs are waiting for them. BH: Given the current partisanship in the state, how would you work with a potential Republican Legislature to accomplish your goals? DL: From July until next year, there wouldn’t be much going on. It’s an
The Badger Herald | News | Friday, April 20, 2012
MPD: city’s expansion warrants added station Officials say with 2022 annex, new district needed, but not funding priority Adrianna Viswanatha City Hall Editor The Madison Police Department has begun plans to expand its facilities as the city grows and incorporates more territory and population. MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said new facilities are needed to maintain an effective police presence in the city’s West and South Districts. “Both facilities are at capacity as far as the number of officers they can house,” DeSpain said. He said much development, particularly residential, is planned for the city’s West District in coming years. Additionally, the City of Madison has plans to annex the Town of Madison in the near future. That annexation would include part of the South District, he said. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said the annexation is scheduled to happen in 2022, after several decades of debate over boundaries. This would give the city of Madison administrative control over facilities like the fire department, police department, trash pickup,
MCSC, from 1 exists everywhere, and it is easy to see on this campus,” she said. “We tune into that, and we challenge it by using social justice … to coalition building and build relationships between our organization and other organizations.”
to me that we will need an additional police district because there is no doubt that the current West district is too large,” BidarSielaff said. Ald. Matt Phair, District 20, said there is good reason for MPD to feel the West District is too large. He said the population of the current West District is equivalent to the fifthlargest city in Wisconsin. He said he is in favor of MPD’s proposal to create
a new police district but is not sure when the city could incorporate the idea into its plans. “This isn’t proposed now or even in next year’s budget,” Phair said. “I think MPD is just letting the public know. We have tough decisions to make in the next year, and this won’t necessarily be a priority at the moment.” Phair said the potential district would be called the Midtown District and would serve the southwest side of Madison. This would provide six districts instead of five for the city. He said the project could become a reality within the next five years. DeSpain said there is not yet a timeline or a cost estimate for the project, and MPD must continue to gauge the ways in which the city is expanding. He said MPD used to be centrally oriented with all officers reporting to the Central District, but they found it was better to be decentralized and to station officers in the different districts. “The officers serve the areas of their district station, but we also have neighborhood officers and community police teams,” DeSpain said. “This way, officers become part of the community. The city’s grown a lot and it’s not feasible if we want to continue to build up trust with those communities.”
She said “coalition building” might sound “all ‘kumbaya,’” but that it is more than that. She said the group provides many requestable and tailorable services to any groups that approach MCSC. She said this can range from providing media, planning for events, extensively
working on projects and diversity education. Gardner told The Badger Herald Student Council will be meeting both Tuesday and Wednesday but that it is unclear when they will hold MCSC’s eligibility hearing because she needs to work with the group on availability.
utility work and others. DeSpain said as the city continues to grow out, coupled with the annexation of the Town of Madison, there is the need for additional police service to those districts. City Council President Shiva Bidar-Sielaff said in an email to The Badger Herald the project proposal is still in its initial stages, and nothing will likely happen with the project for the next two to three years. “I can say that it is clear
“We have tough decisions to make in the next year, and this won’t necessarily be a priority at the moment.”
Matt Phair
District 20 Alder
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The Badger Herald | News | Friday, April 20, 2012
Parties divided on significance of lower unemployment Sean Kirkby State Politics Editor Democrats and Republicans clashed over the future and manner of job creation after a report released Thursday showed the state losing jobs during the month of March. According to a Department of Workforce Development statement, the state lost 4,300 private sector jobs throughout March. However, the state’s unemployment rate also dropped.
“Wisconsin’s March preliminary unemployment rate dropped to 6.8 percent, after holding at 6.9 percent for two months,” Secretary of Workforce Development Reggie Newson said in the statement. “A year ago, the rate was 7.6 percent. With unemployment rates not this low since 2008, Wisconsin’s economic picture continues to improve.” In a statement, Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said the job losses
show the Legislature must be more aggressive in advancing job creation. He also said Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican Legislature have led the state in the wrong direction. Still, Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, said Democrats are speaking out of “both sides of the mouth.” He said at the same time Democrats have expressed concern over jobs, they have fought tax cuts for companies.
“Part of the problem is they don’t understand government does not create jobs. The private sector creates jobs, and the government creates barriers and impediments,” Mikalsen said. Rep. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said Wisconsin has continually lost jobs over the past months while the country has gained jobs. She said a huge problem leading to the creation of jobs was cuts to the technical college system and said a
gap exists between the skills people have and the skills employers need. “Gov. Walker gave $2.3 billion in tax giveaways yet the state has one of the worst job records in the country. Corporate tax cuts are not the way to do it,” Roys said. “We’re doing something wrong when we are the outlier in the nation.” However, Jim Pugh, spokesperson for the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, said a survey
Barrett hints at reinstating bargaining rights Tara Golshan Reporter Gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett pledged Thursday that if elected governor in a June recall election, he would call a special session of the Legislature to reinstate collective bargaining rights for public employees. Joined at the Capitol by Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, Barrett emphasized job creation and economic growth in efforts to promote his self-proclaimed “multifaceted approach of restoring collective bargaining.” In his proposed strategy, Barrett offered multiple routes to achieving the restoration of collective
VOTER ID, from 1 disenfranchises people who were born at home who may have a birth certificate as well as immigrants. However, Brueck said she believes the law will, in the end, be upheld. “We believe the voter ID law is valid, will ultimately be upheld and we’ll continue to defend it,” Brueck said. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
bargaining, including a call for a special session of the Legislature and the introduction of a stand-alone bill. According to Barrett, Gov. Scott Walker’s reversal of 50 years of public sector labor laws has put Wisconsin in a state of “ideological civil war” with jobs as the victim. “As a result of this ideological war, there have been casualties, and there is no doubt that the first casualties that occurred were jobs,” Barrett said. “Gov. Walker said time and time again that he would create 250,000 jobs in the state of Wisconsin, but by putting his energy into creating a divisive state, this state has fallen further and further behind in the creation of jobs.” Taylor and Erpenbach said
Barrett’s strategy to restore collective bargaining would aid to reverse the job loss in the private sector, maximize flexibility, take advantage of the political momentum and provide multiple opportunities for success. Nonetheless, Barrett said he believes bringing forward a stand-alone bill for collective bargaining rights would put the spotlight on the Republican-controlled Assembly and raise support for collective bargaining rights. “I believe that now with a year under our belts, and knowing what this is all about, the Republican Assembly caucus will realize it is not worth taking away people’s collective bargaining rights,” Barrett said. “Everyone has recognized that public employees are
paying more for their health insurance and toward their pensions.” However, Walker spokesperson Tom Evenson said in an email to The Badger Herald he believes while Barrett stands with “big government special interests,” Walker’s actions with collective bargaining have consistently put the government back on the side of Wisconsin taxpayers. Evenson questioned what Barrett himself would have done had he been in Walker’s position. “Today, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett made a pledge to the big government union bosses to take Wisconsin back to the broken policies of the past, but he refuses to answer how he would have balanced a $3.6 billion budget deficit other than tax
increases on hard working Wisconsinites,” Evenson said. At an April Democratic gubernatorial debate, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said more than a special session is needed to reinstate collective bargaining and promised as governor to veto any budget that did not reinstate it. Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, said at the debate enough votes to restore collective bargaining might exist after recall elections but did not promise to veto or commit to a special session. Secretary of State Doug La Follette said at the debate that full control of the Legislature would be needed to reinstate collective bargaining rights and he would try to help elect Republican and Democrats who would vote for it.
Voter ID in retrospect Gov. Walker signs voter ID law
Dec. 13 2011
Judge Flanagan grants temporary injuction on law
ACLU files suit against the law in federal court
Judge Neiss issues permanent injuction on voter ID law
Last day to set case filings
Jun. 5
Mar. 12 Mar. 6
May 25 2011
Judge Flanagan sets briefing schedule for case
Apr. 19
Recall elections
Jun. 18
conducted and released by WMC Thursday show 87 percent of their members are confident they will create jobs in the state by the end of the year. He said the state should continue to push initiatives, such as passing a bill decreasing mining regulations or lowering the tax burden on companies. “The work’s not done, and there’s still plenty to do,” Pugh said. “We need to keep pushing those policies.”
MAPS, from 1 serious matter and appropriate for appellate review.” Bridget Esser, spokesperson for Senate Democratic Leader Mark Miller, D-Monona, said the decision to appeal will waste taxpayer money. She criticized Van Hollen for not giving a reason for the appeal and said Miller’s office would be interested in finding out the reasoning behind it. Peter Earle, attorney for Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant rights group and one of the groups represented in the case, also said he found it curious Van Hollen filed the appeal without naming the basis for it. “This appeal is a laughable political stunt,” Earle said. “I’ll go further. This is a laughable political stunt that has been undertaken for partisan reasons.” Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, said he was disappointed in the attorney general’s actions. He also said the case shows the need for developing a better way of redistricting in the state. He said he plans to reintroduce legislation next session placing redistricting in the control of independent body. “This shows why we shouldn’t have this political gerrymandering in a case which clearly took the right of minority voters away to be represented,” Hulsey said. “Gov. Walker and the Republicans are trying to pick their own voters rather than have the voters pick the politicians.”
Opinion
Editorial Page Editor Taylor Nye oped@badgerherald.com
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The Badger Herald | Opinion | Friday, April 20, 2012
Taxes necessary, benefit society
Herald Editorial A just solution Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser is facing a disciplinary hearing based on allegations that he placed his hands around the neck of Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Prosser filed two motions Thursday asking for Bradley and Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson to recuse themselves from presiding over the disciplinary hearing. And he is completely justified in doing so. In addition to the allegation of choking Bradley, Prosser has also raised eyebrows by reportedly calling the Chief Justice a “bitch.” His motions claim that Bradley should recuse herself because she was a witness to the incident and has a bias against him and
that Abrahamson should recuse herself because she has exhibited hostility toward him in the past. The court has several options for proceeding. Abrahamson and Bradley can recuse themselves, all justices but Justice Patrick Crooks, the only justice not present at the exchange under inquiry, can recuse themselves, or the court can find another body to preside over the hearings. While it may be hard to give credence to a man who calls a coworker a bitch, it is fair for Prosser to request recusals. Letting Bradley and Abrahamson preside would jeopardize the fairness of the hearings. But that would leave only conservative justices remaining, equally
threatening impartiality. Furthermore, all of the justices involved or present when the event under inquiry happened should rightly recuse themselves. But then only Crooks would remain, undeniably preventing a fair hearing. The only feasible path is to create a body independent of the Supreme Court to direct the proceedings. Although no statute or appellate decision mandates this to be the course of action, it has been the accepted solution in the past. Prosser certainly has garnered a contentious reputation that might make one skeptical, but on this issue he is completely justified in his request.
Alex Brousseau
Signe Brewster
Ryan Rainey
Editorial Board Chairman
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Adelaide Blanchard
Taylor Nye
Reginald Young
Ryan Rainey
Editor-at-Large
Editorial Page Editor
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Mosque responses ignorant Ryan Plesh Columnist Last Saturday, hundreds of people attended a rally in Waukesha in opposition to a proposal by the Islamic Society of Milwaukee to build a mosque in the city, as reported by the Brookfield Patch. Anti-Islam sentiment has been seen across the United States over the last decade, but that this type of reaction would manifest in Waukesha is disappointing. There are only two reasons to possibly oppose the construction of the mosque in Waukesha. The first is the idea that Islam is a terrorist religion and therefore Muslims should not have the same religious freedom as everyone else. The second is simply the classic fear of that which is not well understood. Neither is a sound reason to oppose the mosque. Many Americans have not had the privilege of being friends with or neighbors of Muslims, and as a result, it is an unfortunate reality that when they think of Islam, they associate it with 9/11. We know that on September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers killed thousands of innocent people in the name of Islam. However,
merely claiming that their actions were done in the name of Islam does not make these killers Muslims. They were not Muslims any more than members of the Ku Klux Klan were Christians. We as a country need to move beyond associating Islam with 9/11; I do not want my children to grow up in a country where they are told that Muslims are fascists hell-bent on commandeering America. It is pretty obvious that most of the recent anti-Islamic sentiment is a product largely, if not wholly, of Americans’ misguided linking of 9/11 and Islam. However, Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in America, and it may be that the people of Waukesha are simply afraid of that which they do not understand. If this is true, it is of course not as damaging as the false perception that all Muslims are terrorists, but it is ridiculous nevertheless. Muslims are not here to try to take over the United States; they or their parents or grandparents came here from the Middle East for the same reason that my greatgrandparents came here from Italy and Ireland: they wanted to have the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families. What do a great number of them get in return for being good, law-abiding, taxpaying, peaceful citizens?
Not unlike the Italian and Irish immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they get bigotry and intolerance. By discriminating against Islam, we carelessly perpetuate the same transgressions committed by or against many of our forefathers. It is time we move forward. Pastor David Ball of New Berlin tries to make the case against Islam on political grounds, claiming that it is, as a political system as well as religion, incompatible with the Constitution of the United States. I am a supporter of secular government, or more ideally, an allinclusive government, and there are undeniably legitimate criticisms of Islam as a system of government. That is a discussion to be had, but it has absolutely nothing to do with whether the Muslims of Waukesha should be allowed to build a place of worship. They are not seeking whatsoever to impose Islam as a political system on the United States. Some residents of Waukesha expressed concern that the Muslims may want to follow sharia. This demonstrates a grave misunderstanding of what sharia even is. Many Americans think that sharia is solely the law that governs Islamic nations, largely as a consequence of superfluous and ignorant legislation banning the practice or application of
sharia law. First, it is unclear to me why integrating parts of sharia law into our legal system would necessarily be a bad thing. Ours has significant influence from other legal systems including, among others, the English, the French and even the Romans — who was it that crucified Christ again? I think we would do well to broaden our legal system by incorporating parts of Islamic law that promote the good of society. Second, sharia is not just about the laws of nations; it is the ethical code of all of Islam. Islam does not exist without sharia. Muslims abiding by sharia are no more harmful to America than Jews choosing to be kosher or Christians choosing to follow a certain dogma; in fact, if anything they are probably even less harmful, given the current blend of politics and religion in the United States. There is no legitimate objection whatsoever to the proposed Waukesha mosque on principled grounds. The Muslims seeking to build a place of worship are not terrorists. They are only trying to exercise their freedom of religion that they are guaranteed, just like everyone else, by the First Amendment. What could be more American than that? Ryan Plesh (rplesh@wisc. edu) is a senior majoring in math and physics.
Hannah Sleznikow Columnist “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Two centuries later, Benjamin Franklin’s evaluation of taxation in America remains astonishingly relevant. Our nation began as, and continues to represent, a land of freedom and opportunity. The popular notion of the American Dream as an iconic national symbol of prosperity and upward social mobility has served, and will continue to serve, as a model of what Americans hope to achieve. However, the rights and liberties bestowed upon us do not come without a cost. The success of any nation is predicated on the presence, or lack of, money. As blunt as this assertion may seem, it is a clear-cut statement of fact. Social security, national defense, health insurance, safety net programs, education, transportation and more cannot continue to exist without a steady flow of capital. And where does this money come from? It comes from the tax dollars paid by the American people. According to Business Insider, the annual federal budget is $3.5 trillion. Although this is a staggering statistic, one must bear in mind the fact that the estimated U.S. population in 2012, U.S. News reports, is 312.8 million people. Based on this, the total federal budget would allow for $11,189.26 of allocated spending for each American. Certainly, there are many caveats in drawing such a conclusion; the most significant being that tax allocation is primarily aimed at providing for the greater good, meaning that its effect on individual citizens will inevitably vary. However, for the sake of deconstructing abstract data, understanding where each American citizen factors into the ostensibly abstract bureaucratic system of taxation is important. Due to the considerable burden that taxes impose on the majority of Americans, it is very apparent why taxation perennially remains an extremely contentious issue. Money, by its very nature, is a sensitive topic regardless of one’s social class. Perhaps the only entity more likely to inspire controversy among Americans is the federal government itself. Bearing this in mind, placing tax dollars in the hands of the U.S. government is arguably the most contended requisite of American citizenship. Public apprehension surrounding taxation is undoubtedly warranted. Having faith in our national governing body to appropriately and pragmatically allocate the hard-earned dollars of the
American people is deeply rooted in the presence or absence of trust. More often than not, there exists a balance between trust and doubt that preserves stability between the government and the governed by holding both parties accountable. In other words, citizens fulfill the obligations of citizenry by paying taxes with the expectation that the government will spend their money mindfully and altruistically. Although certain issues are consistently divided along partisan lines, there are many problems that should not be perceived as partisan at all, but rather universal. For example, poverty is an issue that directly or indirectly affects all Americans. For those that live in poverty, fundamental resources necessary for achieving a basic quality of life such as food, health care and employment are often out of reach. As a result, a significant portion of American tax dollars are channeled toward alleviating many of the symptoms of poverty. According to Business Insider, $732 billion of the $3.5 trillion of the annual federal budget is spent on health insurance, with roughly two-thirds of that quantity going directly to Medicaid. In addition, $496 billion of the budget is used to fund safety net programs including food stamps, housing assistance, school meals, et cetera. At first glance, these contributions seem disproportionately large. However with 46.2 million Americans living beneath the official poverty line as of 2010, as reported by The New York Times, quite the opposite is true. This nation needs to channel money toward improving the quality of life for all Americans in order to improve the nation as a whole. Only through increased spending on critical areas including social welfare, health insurance and education can this be achieved. The money for this must come from American taxpayers. As American citizens, we must accept the immeasurable importance of taxation. Although it often seems as though tax dollars flow into a misguided stream that never reaches the areas and people that need it most, it is critical to recognize that the course of this money stream is driven by the powerful currents of partisanship. As with all government issues, the nature of a multi-party system dictates that the nation will never reach a perfect consensus on how best to apportion taxpayer dollars. However, a certain level of compromise is absolutely necessary. We must collectively accept the reality that the progress of the nation is predicated on sufficient funding via taxation. As the idiom goes, “money doesn’t grow on trees,” and neither does prosperity. Hannah Sleznikow (hsleznikow@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in political science.
Law’s repeal could increase workplace discrimination Jared Mehre Staff Writer The Equal Pay Enforcement Act became law in Wisconsin in July 2009 and was written much in response to the Supreme Court decision of Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. In this court case, Lilly Ledbetter, a Goodyear employee, was being paid less than her male coworkers and decided to sue Goodyear in a case that proceeded to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., stating that the statute of limitations,
or the time frame in which Ledbetter could sue for compensation, had ended. This court case decision was the driving force behind the Equal Pay Enforcement Act, which allowed for quicker court dates to take place in the Wisconsin State Circuit Court rather than wait longer for a federal court date. Recently, Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill into law that repealed and amended certain provisions of the act in Wisconsin. One such effect of this repeal does make it more difficult for workers who feel discriminated against to get their day in court. Also, this new legislation
states that persons who have been discriminated against in employment are no longer entitled to be awarded compensatory and punitive damages. If the defendant were found guilty of discrimination, the circuit court would be allowed to decide how much in compensatory and punitive damages the employer must pay. This would be at maximum between $50,000 and $300,000 depending on the number of employees the defendant employed. The concept of having defendants pay compensatory and punitive damages to a plaintiff is traditionally done to first
compensate the plaintiff for any loss they may have suffered in the past,
This provision of the act was repealed, which now makes it less financially damaging for companies to engage in discriminatory acts. and second, to deter the defendant and others from engaging in similar behavior. This provision of the act was repealed, which now makes it less financially damaging for
companies to engage in discriminatory acts. An interesting study that was conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows what effect the Equal Pay Enforcement Act may have had on the progression of equal pay for women. The study shows how much women made in a week compared with men in the United States and then compared those national numbers to Wisconsin. The study found that Wisconsin women made less than the average American woman every year until 2010, the first full year in which the Equal Pay Enforcement Act took effect.
However, it is now impossible to completely verify that the Act was the sole reason for women becoming closer to earning the same as men in Wisconsin. The timing of this Act and the results that followed after its passage set the stage for this argument to be made. Without harsher penalties in the workplace to deter employers from discriminating, we will likely see a decrease in equal pay between men and women and an increase in discriminatory practices. Jared Mehre (mehre@ wisc.edu) is a freshman majoring in political science.
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ArtsEtc.
ArtsEtc. Editor Lin Weeks arts@badgerherald.com
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The Badger Herald | Arts | Friday, April 20, 2012
A Guide to the 2012 Wisconsin Film Fest Former UW faculty member Sabine Gruffat debuts new documentary at festival Saturday
SEUNG PARK ArtsEtc. Writer Some of the world’s finest filmmakers, films and documentaries have come together at the University of Wisconsin this week to celebrate the 14th annual Wisconsin Film Festival. Presented by UW’s Arts Institute and the Department of Communication Arts, the Wisconsin Film Festival gathers together the latest efforts in cinematography, writing and restoration to showcase these works for the public to see and enjoy. More than 150 films are presented in just a five-day period, including several rare restorations — such as Milos Forman’s first American film, “Taking Off” — as well as special celebrity events. One of the films in the running, celebrating its world premiere, is a documentary travelogue by Sabine Gruffat, a former UW Communication Arts faculty member who took some time to talk to The Badger Herald. The film, titled “I Have Always Been a Dreamer,” compares two urban areas — Detroit and Dubai— and seeks to “question the collective ideologies that shape the physical landscape and impact local communities,” according to the the official festival page. Gruffat’s travelogue is the latest in a long series of films
and documentaries that bear her name. She estimates that she’s created at least 15 short films, in her career, the majority of which have been screened at festivals. Gruffat’s latest work was created to satisfy her curiosity with the outside world, she said. As a resident of Detroit, the world outside the United States fascinated her. “There was this notion of the United States being a first world country,” she said. “Meanwhile, the global money is completely shored up in small independent states in the Middle East.” The world economy was in the middle of an all-time high in 2007 — when Gruffat started planning her documentary — but she had yet to see the effects in her hometown of Detroit, which provided an inspiration. “I was reading the New York Times and seeing how it was affecting the other parts of the world,” she recounted. “Especially in Dubai — this new place where everything was being built and highly developed. Some of the things they were building seemed to be just fantasies.” Although the film started out as an idea to compare and contrast the two economies, global circumstances forced her to change the theme several times, she said. “The film actually changed a lot while shooting it,” she said. “It was kind of unusual.”
Lin and Allegra's picks for the weekend
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Credits: Directed by David Redmon, Ashley Sabin Location: Sundance Cinema 2 Time: Friday, April 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Sabine Gruffat
Director Sabine Gruffat in Detroit, one of the locations featured in her travelogue. She also traveled to Dubai to compare the economies of the two cities in her film. One of the biggest changes she was forced to make had to do with the popping of the economic bubble late last decade. “In 2009, [the world economy] went bust,” Gruffat said. “Because of all that, the film takes a different shape as changes occur.” “I went into [the project] thinking that Dubai was the flip side of the same coin,” she confessed. “Somehow they’re very similar in that they’re both boom and bust economies.They’re not diversified — they have one thing that makes it run, and if that moves away they don’t have other things they can fall back on.” Now “I Have Always Been a Dreamer” focuses on the theme
of economic monocultures, with Dubai’s tourism industry and Detroit’s industrial economy compared to each other. Although she was forced to change the meaning of the documentary several times during production, she maintained that in the end, it was a benefit: “It’s interesting to me now, to take a look at a period I was shooting and track the entire economic recession,” Gruffat explained. “It’s not what I intended when I first started making that movie.” “I Have Always Been a Dreamer” is just one of several dozen films to be presented during the Wisconsin Film Festival, which runs until Sunday,
SAM BERG ArtsEtc. Reporter “Keyhole” opens with a bullet-ridden credit sequence that suggests an intense story, but it never quite shows. The experimental film noir is Canadian director Guy Maddin’s first story in five years, but most audience members will struggle to find any clear narrative structure throughout the movie’s 93 minutes. While the film offers beautiful black-and-white visuals and a few whimpering laughs, it falls flat as a piece of entertainment. “Keyhole,” whose protagonist is slapped suggestively with the name Ulysses, delivers a journey that is unclear to most of its characters — as well as the lucky audience members who consulted a summary in advance. It begins with a band of 1930s-era thugs seeking refuge from the police. After some hemming and hawing we see Ulysses (Jason Patric, “My Sister’s Keeper”) enter a house and order, “Anyone who’s dead, turn and face the wall. Anyone who’s alive, turn and face me.” The two men who had been shot by the police sullenly turn toward the wall and are ordered to leave. This was most engaging scene in the film. The humor and interest only go downhill from there. The film follows gang leader Ulysses as he
Exploration of Sebald novel pits director’s views against inverviewees’
LIN WEEKS ArtsEtc. Editor Smart cinema is an admirable endeavor. It’s an idea that pervades more than just plot — there are plenty of cinematography and production tricks that, when carefully considered, can complement or even add to whatever surface material is on screen, adding a layer of complexity that begs to be sussed out by viewers. “Patience (After Sebald)” has just that goal in mind. It’s obvious in every shot that director Grant Gee (“Joy Division”) is trying his utmost to match the tone of the images onscreen to the feeling of his subject’s work. Unfortunately, just as with
embarks on a journey through his old house, retrieving lost memories from a life the audience barely has a chance to piece together. Unfortunately, once the pieces are assembled the outcome of the film never satisfies or inspires. That said, there are still many points of interest in the film. For one, it is impossible to put a finger on the genre of “Keyhole.” At times it is humorous, yet sometimes dramatic, even disturbing. The film also contains an array of arresting images that are frequently powerful and memorable. Although the bulk of the film’s action occurs in a single building, Maddin’s creativity behind the lens draws plenty of material from the limited setting. Bright flashes of lightning in one scene and police spotlights in another filter through gothic windows to give the interior of the house a smattering of visual interest. There are some fascinating visuals and delightfully quirky audio clips of an old man’s deranged laughter and commanding voiceovers from Ulysses’s wife Hyacinth (Isabella Rossellini, “Late Bloomers”). But the plot that transpires is so opaque that it is hard to notice. Many film buffs would argue that the point of a film is not necessarily to present an cogent story. But the average filmgoer would disagree, which is why this film is not for everyone. “Keyhole” incites important questions about film and any other art that does not simply “entertain” viewers. The thing is, even when taken on a basic aesthetic level, the absurdity of the characters in “Keyhole” and its heavyhanded symbolism make it hard to take seriously. If one takes the film as a piece of satire, it
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Credits: Directed by Celine Sciamma Location: Orpheum Theatre Time: Sunday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m.
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began cranking out truly unique literature. Part travel guide, part memoir, part history, part parable, the seven books (with two more published posthumously) comprising his body of work were supposedly under heavy consideration by the Nobel Committee at the time of Sebald’s death in 2001. “Patience” limits its focus to “The Rings of Saturn,” Sebald’s fourth book, which he completed in 1995. That work’s story is ostensibly about a man out for a walk in Suffolk, symbolic for its placement of the Isle of the Southeast coast of the UK, miles from the European continent. Gee creates a filmscape in which precisely-framed, high-grain, slow moving, black-and-white landscapes are backed by interview after interview about “The Rings of Saturn” with experts, friends, professors and researchers of Sebald. The shots are gloomy looks
Location: Monona Terrace Time: Friday, April 20 at 10:30 p.m.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
4 Strompolos
Location: Orpheum Theatre Time: Saturday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m.
still falls flat. Aside from a few moments of tepid humor, the film rarely incites anything but confused stares. There is a running gag showing a shot of one of Ulysses’ sons “playing Yahtzee” suggestively over his genitals. He is sometimes in a chair alone in a closet shaking the dice furiously with a look of crazed pleasure. But the humor never reaches beyond the level of an artsy “American Pie.” While walking through a dark hallway filled with the various symbolic fetishes, including an arm sprouting from the ground and an erect penis poking out of the woodwork, Ulysses flatly notes, “That penis is getting dusty.” Script aside, it is hard to know whether to take anything seriously when confronted with the irreverent performances of the cast. No one takes his or her role seriously except for Denny (Brooke Palsson, “Eye of the Beast”), an absurdly sentimental damsel in distress who is supposedly drowning throughout the film and spits up water while wearing a softly depressed expression whenever she is in a scene. Take it as a comedy; take it as noir. It does not matter. This film doesn’t do much for the funny bone or the imagination. To take it as a visual journey or an introduction to some cool filming effects is your best bet to get any enjoyment out of “Keyhole.” For those who are in need of some inspiration for some new art project or poetic masterpiece, “Keyhole” offers a jolt to the imagination few films achieve. But if you’re interested in sitting down and taking a pleasant ride through a clear narrative and sympathetic characters, look elsewhere for a fix. “Keyhole” will be showing again tonight
into places mentioned in the book, and they’re only occasionally interrupted by a fade into a talking head, or a color image being dropped screen-within-a-screen style into the middle of the frame. These breaks are just one of several clues scattered throughout “Patience” that Gee wants his audience to consider more than just the locations named in “Rings,” and, parallel more than just Sebald’s work. To name a few: An anecdote from an interview subject about a failed attempt to recreate the walk in Suffolk; a microphone left on to capture the jarringly realworld “left-turn ahead” from a car’s navigation system; an error made by a woman that diligently catalogued every single place mentioned in “Rings” as part of a larger project. It is in the film’s treatment of that woman (the British director Katie Mitchell) in which the film’s already
Kill List
Credits: Directed by Ben Wheatley
Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters
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Credits: Directed by Adam Cornelius Location: Orpheum Theatre Time: Sunday, April 22 at 3:30 p.m.
Last Day at Lambeau
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Credits: Directed by Michael Neelsen Location: Monona Terrace Time: Saturday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
at 10 p.m. at Sundance Cinema in Hilldale Mall. Tickets are $8 or $5 with a student ID. The Wisconsin Film Festival recommends arriving at least 15 minutes before show time to guarantee seating. Time: 10 p.m. Theatre: Sundance Cinema 1 Date: Friday, April 20
Little ‘Patience’ in condescending film smart people, intelligence does not give a pass from basic social courtesy. Despite its interesting content and presentation, “Patience” condescends, and in fact is downright rude in its treatment of one of its interview subjects. Like a patronizingly smug grad school student, the result is that the film’s motives are drawn into question. If Gee’s judgment of Sebald’s work is the only one he will consider, why bother asking what anybody else thinks? In a way, it’s fitting that “Patience” is given a presentation with layers of meaning worth unpacking, because structurally, so did W. G. Maxwell Sebald’s work. The film essay’s main subject, viewers learn, was born in Germany in the 1940s. He moved to England later in his life, and took a post as an academician, writing scholarly papers until a creative urge took hold. At that point, Sebald
Tomboy
Credits: Directed by Eric Zala, Chris
Don’t peek into this ‘Keyhole’ House of bizarre horrors reveals too few answers too late in disjointed, deranged film noir
Girl Model
permanently raised eyebrow gives way to a much uglier curled lip. As a side project, Mitchell created Google Earth-style maps of every locational reference contained in “The Rings of Saturn,” and connected them with flight plan vectors. The lines span the globe, neatly illustrating Sebald’s tendency to mention far-flung locales in his writing. As Miller describes her project, she explains how any of the locations might be clicked for a close-up and a bit of info. She chooses two at random, and the first works perfectly, but the camera lingers as she embarrassingly chooses a second that doesn’t. “Patience” uses screenshots of her maps during an extended, silent introduction. Although they’re functional, the images aren’t pretty — thick, colored lines over satellite images of the earth. This prologue continues just long enough so that viewers exhale in
relief when Gee’s framed black and whites start. In this case and with the inclusion of Miller’s mistake, “Patience” is gleefully pointing out what it sees as the sheer folly of trying to understand Sebald’s genius through hard work and modern technology. It is condescending, especially when the nature of those black-and-white shots are taken into account, since at their cores they too are simply another way of listing places Sebald mentions in his book. “Patience (After Sebald)” is interesting enough to overcome some measure of pretension, especially given a particularly well-orchestrated (if ultimately empty) reveal toward its end. Still, it would have done better to stick to enlightening viewers and omit the lecture. Time: 7:30 p.m. Theatre: Sundance Cinema 2 Date: Friday, April 20
The Badger Herald | Friday, April 20, 2012
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Comics
Have You Ever, Like, Really Thought About the Comics, Man? Noah J. Yuenkel comics@badgerherald.com
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The Badger Herald | Comics | Friday, Four 20, 2012
HERALD COMICS
WHAT IS THIS
SUDOKU
PRESENTS
S
U
D
O
K
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: Ha ha, what the fuck are all these numbers, dude?
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: Taco Bell now tastiest, most frightening place imaginable
CLASSIC MOUSELY & FLOYD
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 }
ehmandeff.tumblr.com
CLASSIC MADCAPS
HERALD COMICS 1
2
3
4
5
PRESENTS 6
16
17
18
30
24
31
54
55
38
13
14
46
27
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39
42 45
49
random@badgerherald.com
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34 37
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ERICA LOPPNOW
11
26
33
36
40
RANDOM DOODLES
10
25
32
35
53
9
22 23
pascle@badgerherald.com
8
20 21
RYAN PAGELOW
7
15
19
CLASSIC BUNI
madcaps@badgerherald.com
MOLLY MALONEY
43 47
48
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51
56
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62
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52 58
Puzzle by Joel Fagliano
PRIMAL URGES
primal@badgerherald.com
ANDREW MEGOW
MODERN CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT
THE SKY PIRATES
COLLIN LA FLEUR
DENIS HART
mcm@badgerherald.com
skypirate@badgerherald.com
Across 1 It operates under a royal charter 7 1996 movie starring Michael Jordan 15 Swank in Hollywood 16 Popular mixer 17 Low 90s, say 18 “I get your point!” 19 Many a first-time voter in 1920 20 Hilarious 21 Bald person’s envy, maybe 22 “Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism” writer 23 Born yesterday 25 Balrog slayer, in fiction 30 Errs 32 Case worker’s org.? 34 Stand for something 35 Grind
36 Expert with computers 39 Kudzu, e.g. 40 Per ___ 42 With 49-Across, figure skating practice 43 Well-being 44 Novelty shop purchase 47 Dish often served with soy sauce or miso 49 See 42-Across 51 Neighborhood vandalism ammo 53 Super item? 57 Hardly closemouthed 59 It breaks the “I before E” rule 60 Lack of vitality 61 Many a role in the Jason Bourne films 62 Frank 63 Brandy brand 64 Pigpens
Down 1 Springtime period 2 Stadium shout-out 3 M.V.P. of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI 4 U.C. Santa Cruz athlete 5 It borders the South China Sea 6 Young and others 7 Movie component 8 Contacting via Facebook, in a way 9 Whistling thorn, e.g. 10 Ingredient in Buffalo wings 11 Bionomics: Abbr. 12 Part of a routine 13 Interjection that comes from the Latin for “weary” 14 Billy famous for
Get today’s puzzle solutions at badgerherald.com
infomercials 20 Rite of passage participant, often 24 Industrial container 26 “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” author 27 Quadrennial sporting event 28 See-through
CROSSWORD object 29 Fugitate 30 Buck 31 Liberal arts college 20 minutes north of Manhattan 33 Charade 37 Merry-goround fixture, to a tot 38 ___ high (about that tall) 41 Sales rep’s reimbursement, maybe 45 Big list maker 46 “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” hitmakers, with “the” 48 Bowser in the Super Mario series, e.g. 50 Inconsequential 52 10-Down, e.g. 53 Physicist Ernst who studied shock waves 54 “___ told often enough …” 55 Range 56 Common conjunction 58 Chow 60 Nelson, e.g.: Abbr.
Rocky the Herald Comics Raccoon™
I think your drug dealer must be Italian because I’m pretty sure he sold you oregano.
To place an ad in Classifieds: Roshni Nedungadi rnedungadi@badgerherald.com 257.4712 ext. 311
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The Badger Herald | Classifieds | Friday, April 20, 2012
EMPLOYMENT
FOR RENT
Classifieds
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Sports
Men’s tennis readies for Big Ten foes Badgers take on Iowa at home, travel to Lincoln to face off with Huskers Erin Barney Men’s Tennis Writer The Wisconsin men’s tennis team will look to finish the season better than it started during this weekend’s final regular season matches against opponents also sitting in the lower half of the conference standings. The Badgers will first host the Iowa Hawkeyes and then travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on the Big Ten’s newest addition, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. All three teams dwell in the lower end of the Big Ten this season with Nebraska at eighth, Wisconsin at 10th and Iowa in last with just one win all season in a non-conference
match. According to head coach Greg Van Emburgh, despite the losing season, the Hawkeyes are not a team that can be overlooked. “We are definitely taking every conference match with a lot of pride and a lot of heart,” Van Emburgh said. “We don’t have the luxury of looking past any team.” Iowa has recently shown its resilience, especially on the doubles court. In their most recent match against Michigan, the Hawkeyes lost 6-1 as a team but there were several individual noteworthy victories. One such win came from the No. 1 doubles pairing of Garret Dunn and Michael Swank, who defeated the No. 13 doubles team in the nation of Evan King and Shaun Bernstein. The 8-7 win marked just the second of the season for Dunn and Swank and also marks the highest-ranked doubles win since head coach Steve
Houghton arrived at Iowa. Dunn also excelled on the singles court as he has done all year. He tallied the only Hawkeye singles win of the day with a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (5) victory over Michigan’s Barrett Franks at the No. 4 singles position. Dunn extended his conference winning streak to three matches and currently leads the Hawkeyes with a 9-9 record on the season. “Iowa has a great doubles spot,” Van Emburgh said. “Overall, they haven’t been playing the best results-wise, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have solid tennis players on their team.” In last season’s match against the Hawkeyes, the Badgers commanded both the singles and doubles courts in a 5-2 victory. However, Wisconsin will be facing a rather unfamiliar roster this time around as three out of the six Iowa singles players
from last year’s lineup have since graduated, leaving the Hawkeyes — much like the Badgers — with a very young team. Iowa’s youth have competed through a tough season, facing 12 ranked opponents in their last 13 matches. On paper, the only difference between the Badgers and the Hawkeyes is their season record. Similar to Wisconsin, Iowa players remain persistent, pushing many singles matches to three sets and usually losing doubles matches by four games or less. A young leader for Wisconsin, sophomore Petr Satral recognizes the importance of preparing for each team equally regardless of record. “This year, Iowa is not that strong, but we still need to play well to win because our teams are playing very similar,” Satral said. “It will not be an easy match, so we still need to be prepared to get our
win.” Wisconsin will finish up the regular season with a trip to Nebraska to try its luck against the Cornhuskers Sunday. Nebraska is just below .500 at 10-12 overall and is currently on a three-game slide, leaving them at 3-6 in conference play. The No. 71 Cornhuskers will be celebrating Senior Night for three graduates in their match against the Badgers, including cocaptain and singles leader Benedikt Lindheim. The senior from Germany’s 63 career singles wins have earned him the No. 4 spot on Nebraska’s alltime wins list. Lindheim has split time in the No. 1 singles position with fellow senior and co-captain Christopher Aumueller, who has 52 career wins. Wisconsin has not had the chance to play Nebraska in past seasons since the team is new to the Big Ten. However,
the Badgers can expect a similar level of play from the Cornhuskers, as they too have had close matches against tough opponents all season. In its match against Iowa earlier this year, Nebraska came out on top in a 6-1 victory, but not without a fight from the Hawkeyes. The Huskers won the doubles point despite only winning each match by two or three games. Singles proved to be less of a challenge, as Nebraska only dropped one match at the No. 4 singles spot. Van Emburgh and the Badgers are preparing for their final Big Ten regular season matches just as they have all season: by refusing to overlook a team based on record. “You look at their results, and you don’t see wins,” Van Emburgh said. “But if you get a couple of guys to step up on a particular day, then all of a sudden the results happen.”
Badgers look to end on positive note Wisconsin to finish regular season slate this weekend with Iowa, Nebraska Spencer Smith Women’s Tennis Writer Riding the momentum from a big upset win over then No. 47 Indiana, the Wisconsin women’s tennis team hopes its confidence will carry it to more wins in the last weekend of the regular season. On Friday, Wisconsin (1110, 2-7 Big Ten) will travel to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa (8-12, 2-7 Big Ten) is coming off a loss at No.
FIAMMETTA, from 10 quarterbacks who are always in need of a solid backup given their injury histories. Other teams are stuck in more precarious positions, having recently drafted young quarterback prospects that have yet to prove successful. The Minnesota Vikings had mixed results with rookie Christian Ponder last season, while the Jacksonville Jaguars fared even worse with Blaine Gabbert. The Cleveland Browns can also be thrown into the mix here with the inconsistent Colt McCoy, who they have yet to
14 Michigan and are losers of four out of its last five matches. Head coach Brian Fleishman can sense the confidence that his team has from the win over Indiana last Sunday and hopes that will factor into strong play from the team this weekend. “For coaching girls, confidence is everything, momentum is everything,” Fleishman said. “So I think us having that big win on Sunday, the girls are going to go against Iowa thinking that we did a great job against a quality team in Indiana, let’s go out and do the same thing against Iowa.” Wisconsin beat the Hawkeyes last year in a
close 4-3 match. This year Iowa features Sonja Molnar, who is ranked No. 65 in the ITA rankings in singles play. Molnar is coming off of a huge singles win over No. 11 Emina Bektas of Michigan. Fifth-year senior Alaina Trgovich is coming off an important singles win of her own after taking down then No. 65 Leslie Hureau of Indiana last weekend. Trgovich knows that the win over Indiana will help them as they ready for a matchup with Iowa Friday. “We are going to go in there with a lot of confidence,” Trgovich said. “That was a huge win against Indiana. We are going to go in there with a lot of momentum and
reward with a sign of real commitment. The four remaining quarterback-needy teams find themselves in similar situations — they have veteran quarterbacks either on the tail end of their careers or on the brink of losing their starting jobs. The Arizona Cardinals have yet to see enough from Kevin Kolb to warrant full-fledged support, while Carson Palmer seems to be on borrowed time as an Oakland Raider. The same can be said for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Matt Cassell, while the Miami Dolphins somehow continue to
search for a post-Dan Marino quarterback with Matt Moore as the latest underwhelming option. The Dolphins do, however, have the No. 8 overall pick, situating them nicely to select Tannehill. Whether any of these teams pick Wilson remains to be seen. But should he end up on a team willing and able to give him a shot at eventually seizing the starting job, Wilson will be a fascinating prospect to watch. Mike is a senior majoring in journalism. Where do you think Wilson will end up? Let him know on Twitter @ mikefiammetta.
expecting to win. They are a good team; they have kind of been struggling a little bit like us, so I think it is going to be a good match.” Sunday the Badgers wrap up the regular season at home against No. 18 Nebraska (21-3, 7-2 Big Ten). The upcoming matchup with the Cornhuskers marks the end of the regular season and senior day for the Badgers’ veterans. Nebraska is the No. 4 team in the Big Ten and is coming off a win at Michigan State last weekend. Although Sunday’s match marks the first Big Ten meeting between Nebraska and Wisconsin, the Badgers did play the Cornhuskers
last season, losing 6-1. While the Badgers lost last year’s matchup, Wisconsin still leads the all-time series 4-2. Fleishman knows Nebraska is going to be a major test for his team but is looking forward to it. “Nebraska is a great team. They had made the Big Ten that much tougher,” Fleishman said. “It’s going to be a tough match, but if we can use the home court to our advantage that will sort of be an equalizer. If the girls compete well it will be a good match.” The Cornhuskers have two players ranked in the top 100 in singles play, with No. 45 Mary Weatherholt as their top threat.
ROLLING, from 10 has been very impressed with the freshman, noting that even when she is at the bottom of the lineup, Van Abel can still play a big role offensively. “She’s been our nine [batter] for the last 10 games or so, and she’s done a great job,” Healy noted. “She’s almost like our second leadoff, so if she gets on it really starts a lot of offense for us.”
TRANSFER, from 10 to the release of their scholarship.
Nebraska also boasts a doubles pair in the ITA rankings with Madeleine Geibert and Stefanie Weinstein coming in at No. 53. The duo has only lost five matches this season. Junior Hannah Berner is looking forward to the matchup with the Cornhuskers but is sad to see the end of the season so near. “I can’t believe the season is ending already,” Berner said. “I’m so excited [to play Nebraska]. We played them last year, fortunately, so we got a little scouting from that. They are a very tough team, but I feel like we have played better and better as the season has gone on so I think it’s going to be our best match so far.”
With the team’s best hitter, statistically speaking, in the No. 9 spot, offense is sure to build around her. The last spot can be thought of as a demotion or an intrinsic position. Van Abel prefers the latter, embracing the role she has been given. “I just try to put the ball in play a lot and make the defense make plays,” Van Abel said. “I just try to be a nuisance for the defense every time I get
up.” In just her first stint as a Badger, Van Abel may still be learning the insand-outs of the Big Ten, but she still understands the team goals for each weekend in conference play. “We have been really hungry this year,” Van Abel said. “We’ve got to keep pushing that little bit extra at the end of the season to come out on top.”
Uthoff originally told the Wisconsin State Journal he felt that he didn’t fit well in
Wisconsin’s system. He has scheduled a visit with Creighton at the end of April.
Sports Editor Elliot Hughes sports@badgerherald.com
10 | Sports | Friday, April 20, 2012
SPORTS
What defense? Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have combined for a total of 45 goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Ryan explains transfer restrictions Head coach clears Uthoff to talk with any school outside Badgers’ conference Elliot Hughes Sports Editor Amid a rising tide of negative reactions across the national media, Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Bo Ryan defended his decision to place restrictions on Jarrod Uthoff ’s transfer requests Thursday, saying he used them as a means to get Uthoff to speak with athletics administrators. Earlier Thursday, the UW Athletic Department announced in a statement that Uthoff had been cleared to contact any schools outside the Big Ten, a decision reached by Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, Associate Athletic Director Justin Doherty Megan McCormick The Badger Herald and Ryan. Jarrod Uthoff redshirted his freshman season and was expected to be a key player off the In media reports prior bench next season for the Badgers before officially deciding to transfer schools last week. to the statement’s release,
it had been reported that Ryan blocked Uthoff from contacting 25 schools. According to UW’s statement, Uthoff originally requested permission to contact 16 schools, to which four were denied. He appealed three of the four blocks. Uthoff, a 6-foot-8 freshman who redshirted last season, informed Ryan he wanted to leave UW’s program last week. He was expected to be a key player off the bench next year and a starting forward by the 2013-14 season. He was named Iowa’s Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year while in high school. Ryan said he never intended to prevent Uthoff from joining any school outside the Big Ten, but wanted Uthoff to first explain his reasoning for wanting to talk to such schools. To do that, Ryan said he placed the blocks on Uthoff figuring he would appeal, thereby forcing him to speak to UW administrators.
“If somebody wants to transfer, my thought process has always been, ‘Can you tell us [why]?’ That’s all I would ask,” Ryan said. “That is the only way a coach could get somebody to say ‘This is why I want to go to this school.’ “By blocking, you get the athlete to talk to somebody at the university.” Ryan has frequently been charged as “petty” by sports commentators over the past two days. After being involved in a heated interview on ESPN’s radio show, “Mike and Mike in the Morning,” earlier Thursday, Ryan expressed frustration with the media’s apparent lack of understanding of his explanation for the blocks. “The block is not, and never was, meant to say you cannot go to that school,” Ryan said, before addressing a reporter directly, “and you will not ever seem to get that point across. I can’t get it across to people.” As part of the appeal process, Uthoff met with
Alvarez and Doherty Thursday morning. Ryan later met with the latter two, whereupon it was decided to lift the block on schools outside the Big Ten. According to the statement, Uthoff has been notified of the decisions. “If Uthoff wishes to further appeal the ‘permission to contact’ denial to any Big Ten university, he may request a hearing to the Chair of the Athletic Board within eight business days,” the statement reads. Because the appeal process remains confidential between administrators and the appellant, Ryan said he does not know what was said between Uthoff, Alvarez and Doherty. Speaking in general terms, Ryan said he would want to know why a player would transfer in case it was for personal matters or if, perhaps, that player had been “tampered with” by another school prior
TRANSFER, page 9
Rolling UW hosts rejuvenated PSU Wisconsin not taking Penn State lightly despite disappointing record Sean Zak Softball Writer Whether it’s hitting the ball out of the park, rallying from large deficits or shutting out opponents, the Wisconsin softball team continues to find various avenues for success. The Badgers (24-13, 8-4 Big Ten) have reached the halfway mark on their Big Ten calendar and are sitting in a very favorable position, tied for third place in the conference. They will look to continue their success and improve their rank this weekend as conference foe Penn State journeys into Madison. Wisconsin has won in about every way possible lately, triumphing in 10 of its last 11 games. This past weekend started out with a complete game shutout against Illinois by pitcher Cassandra Darrah, which was followed by a near
miraculous comeback that fell one run short in the second game. The final game witnessed the Badgers breaking a school record by hitting six home runs as a team and prevailing 10-7. Winning with a surplus of long balls has not been the typical formula of victory for Wisconsin this season, but head coach Yvette Healy figures it is a product of steady commitment to team hitting. “We haven’t traditionally been a long ball team this year,” Healy said. “But our bats have really been carrying us. Coach [Randy] Schneider has done a great job with the hitters, and they’re really swinging the bats right now.” Leadoff hitter Mary Massei owns quite a stake in the recent team hitting success, putting together a memorable performance last Sunday. Entering the game, Massei had hit only one home run on the season and only three in her career. She matched that career total in just one game, with each of her three hits landing over the outfield fence.
Her three home runs were good for another school record, while her five RBIs now stand as a career high. For Massei, the team effort and recognition are all that matter. “It was great to be able to contribute our six home runs and beat a school record as a team,” Massei said. “It was amazing as a team that we came together and that we’re making a difference.” This Badger team is definitely making a difference. They recently set a school record with nine straight victories, and are making a push for their first top-three conference finish ever. Their obstacle this weekend is the Nittany Lions. Wisconsin and Penn State will meet for two games Saturday, followed by a third Sunday afternoon. Penn State holds a 5-7 record in the Big Ten, but has won five of its last six after starting the season at 0-6. Its record may not stand up to the strength displayed by the Big Ten’s elite teams, but Wisconsin will not be taking Penn State lightly.
Megan McCormick The Badger Herald
Mary Massei hit three home runs last weekend in a single outing against Illinois — matching her career total at the time. She also knocked in five RBIs. “We see them as a very good team,” Healy described. “It will be a big matchup for us to see just how far we have come as a team, so we’ve really challenged the group to get excited about this series.” Traditionally considered a solid Big Ten squad, Penn State is looking to make its second NCAA tournament appearance in a row, but is just 13-23 on the season. The Nittany Lions are headlined by junior outfielder Cassidy Bell, who paces the team with a .356 batting average. If not for
a midseason injury, and the fact that Penn State started the Big Ten schedule against juggernauts Michigan and Purdue, its record would likely look considerably better. Nonetheless, they will be travelling more than 700 miles to face a Badger offense that has been a dangerous machine from top to bottom lately. While the likes of Massei and Whitney Massey may provide the brawn at the top of the lineup, an unheralded freshman at the bottom of the order
is actually leading the Badgers in hitting. Maria Van Abel jumped onto the scene at the beginning of the season as she claimed a starting spot in the Badger outfield. She began the season hitting above .400, grabbing the second spot on coach Healy’s lineup card. While she has since cooled down from her torrid pace, Van Abel has sustained her average at .360, doing so now from the last spot in the order. Healy
ROLLING, page 9
Sizing up Russell Wilson’s NFL Draft prospects Mike Fiammetta Mike’d Up Less than a week before the NFL Draft, we already know how the top two picks will shake out. League sources have confirmed two of the worst kept secrets in recent memory, that Andrew Luck will be heading to Indianapolis and Robert Griffin III will be Washington-bound at No. 2. Smart money also has Matt Kalil going to Minnesota at No. 3., and depending who you talk to, there’s a fair amount of predictability to the next three or four picks. Well, what’s the fun in that? Here in Wisconsin, draft week holds an extra twist of intrigue given the number of former Badgers
eligible to be drafted. Eight former UW players attended the NFL Scouting Combine in late February, and one more, safety Aaron Henry, also could hear his name called next weekend. The biggest name of the bunch is Russell Wilson, the recordsetting quarterback who transferred to Wisconsin from N.C. State and led the Badgers to their second consecutive Rose Bowl berth. In his one year as a Badger, Wilson brought a largely unprecedented level of explosiveness to Wisconsin’s offense with his mobility and heady decision-making. Wilson also set school records for career completion percentage (72.8) and pass efficiency (191.8). While Montee Ball’s stunning emergence as a touchdown-scoring dynamo catapulted him into national prominence as an eventual Heisman Trophy finalist (Wilson did finish ninth overall in the race), it might have been Wilson who was ultimately
the most valuable Badger, coming to Madison in the middle of the summer to solidify a previously muddy quarterback picture. Months later, it should all be culminating in Wilson being mentioned as one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. This year’s class of signal callers has the potential to be one of the greatest, alongside the 1983 trio of John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, or more recently the 2004 class of Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. Luck and Griffin are the undisputed top dogs this year, but behind them are remarkably talented products in Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill, Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden and Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins. Consensus among scouts and draft aficionados seems to place Wilson next on that list, though many — not the least of which are Badger fans —
might place him ahead of Cousins. Either way, Wilson’s not ranked as highly as his production and skill would suggest, and there’s a clear-cut reason for it. At just 5-foot-11, Wilson finds himself on the shorter end of quarterbacks. Even though he played behind the mammoth Wisconsin offensive line — one larger than many NFL lines — Wilson has battled questions about his height ever since he emerged as a viable pro prospect. The archetype of the tall (between 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-5) NFL quarterback with a rocket arm and enough mobility to, at the very least, keep plays alive in the face of a persistent pass rush is well established, and while Wilson has the arm and undoubtedly the mobility, that dogged height question won’t fade until he finds sustained success in the NFL. How much success he finds, as it does with
essentially all quarterback prospects, depends on where he ends up. Wilson is widely perceived as a third through fifthround prospect, a range predominately designated for developmental quarterback prospects. An ideal situation for a midround quarterback is to be drafted by a relatively stable franchise and coaching staff that can keep him on the sidelines, where he’ll be groomed as the eventual successor while being allowed ample time to learn the offensive schemes. Of course, the ideal situation is far from likely or even feasible, but remember this — Wilson came from an entirely different system at N.C. State, learned Paul Chryst’s notoriously complex pro-style offense here at Wisconsin over the course of an abbreviated summer and dominated from Week 1 against UNLV. Wilson was essentially a complete stranger to his new Badger teammates when he came
to Madison, yet they were the ones who voted him a captain at the end of fall camp. So where will he end up? Any draftnik from Mel Kiper Jr. to a range of football bloggers will tell you first round picks alone are hard enough to predict. For the middle rounds? Who knows where teams want to go and whom they’re targeting. But taking a rough look at the league, roughly 10 of 32 teams are in need of a quarterback. Some of these needs are more for a backup or quarterbackof-the-future type, such as the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. These three teams are all contenders and likely won’t be targeting a quarterback in the top rounds. Denver believes it has a few great years left in Peyton Manning, while Philadelphia and Dallas are set with Michael Vick and Tony Romo — two
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