2012.04.30

Page 1

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIII, Issue 133

Monday, April 30, 2012

www.badgerherald.com

Tangled up in blue Rose Appleton rappels from Memorial Union, overlooking the new ‘Mendota Blue’ chairs just introduced at the Terrace. She was attending the Memorial Union Reinvestment Kickoff Party to celebrate the next 100 years of the Union. Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

SSFC alleges ASM breach 6 file petition amid viewpoint neutrality concerns regarding recent MCSC decision Katie Caron Higher Education Editor Following last week’s meeting of the 18th session of Associated Students of Madison Student Council last week where the Multicultural Student Coalition’s fight for funding came to a successful end, some members of student government have petitioned for a reconsideration of the approval of the group’s eligibility. Six members of the Student Services Finance Committee, the committee which originally denied MCSC’s funding, have petitioned the Student Judiciary to hear their allegations that several Student Council members committed viewpoint neutrality violations during last week’s meeting, where the MCSC’s funding eligibility was approved in a 10-9-4 vote split by Chair Allie Gardner. The petition calls for SJ to either negate the votes of several members who

allegedly made viewpoint neutrality violations and mandate a recount, remand the hearing back to Student Council so three members have to recuse themselves or mandate that all committee members mark “no” on the question of MCSC’s intentional policy violation. SSFC Rep. Cale Plamann, who filed the petition, said the situation is so unprecedented that he wanted to provide a few possible remedies, but that any of the suggestions would render Student Council’s decision void. SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart, one of the petitioners, said it was necessary to file the complaint to ensure that the decision made last week would be effectively null and void. “At the decision there were multiple viewpoint neutrality violations and much unbridled discretion was used by members of Student Council,” Neibart said.

SSFC, page 2

Cross-party line voting approved for recall primary Unprecedented decision prompts separation into 6 different elections Paige Costakos Reporter

Tori Thompson Herald Contributor The unprecedented nature of the upcoming recall primary elections has led a state board to determine that voting rules will differ

from past primaries, allowing voters to vote for both Democrats and Republicans instead of receiving a single party primary ballot. Normal primaries, like the one that will occur on August 14, are considered one election, Government Accountability Board spokesperson Reid Magney said. However, he said because of the upcoming recall election, there will be six primaries, one for governor, one for lieutenant governor and four for the state senators, which are legally separate but held on

the same day. Even though the elections are separate, there will only be one ballot, Magney said. Because there is also only one Republican primary election in the case of Gov. Scott Walker running against Madison citizen Arthur Kohl-Riggs, Magney said, those who wish to also participate can vote in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor and the four senators. However, voters will not be able to vote in both the Republican and the Democratic primary for

governor, Magney said. Still, Scot Ross, spokesperson for former Dane County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Falk, said crossover voting, in which a person who supports one primary votes in another party’s primary, will not affect the upcoming primary election, despite the unique conditions of these primaries. “It’s never been an issue before, and it won’t be one now,” Ross said. According to Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl,

the rules allow different voting rules for absentee ballots that prevent voters from changing their minds. “If you request an absentee ballot and return it to the clerk, you cannot go to the polling place to vote for a different candidate,” WitzelBehl said. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said Madison’s City Council has appropriated additional money in this year’s city budget for election administration to account for the cost of the contest. Witzel-Behl added that the city does not have the

figures to accurately say what the total cost of the recall election will be, citing the uncommon nature of the recalls. “We’ve never had an election like this before,” Witzel-Behl said. “We do not know anything of the consequences or the turnout.” The cost of the election will be paid for mostly by the Contingent Reserve Fund, a fund that sets aside about $1,000,000 per year for contingencies. However,

VOTING, page 4

Crazylegs raises crowd, money for UW Adrianna Viswanatha City Hall Editor Annual race and Madison tradition the Crazylegs Classic drew nearly 20,000 athletes and fundraisers Saturday, despite the gloomy weather. Crazylegs, held every spring in Madison, raises money for University of Wisconsin Athletics, and is put on by the National W Club organization and other contributors. According to the Crazylegs website, three UW enthusiasts, Tom Grantham, Ken Sparks and Rich Backus, came up

with the idea for the race in 1981 to raise money for UW Athletics. The first race was held in 1982 with 676 participants, the website said. National W Club Executive Director Terry Murawski said the race typically draws 20,000 people every year, this year with just under the norm. “I can’t say how many participants are students, but we market heavily to the university community,” Murawski said. He said the race for runners is around 8 kilometers long, just more than five miles. According

to the Crazylegs website, the running and wheelchair participants start at Pinckney Street and East Washington Street, while walkers start at State Street and Mifflin. All participants finish near Camp Randall Stadium. UW senior Bailey Ferdler said her participation in Crazylegs was her first race ever, as she just started running this past year. “It was definitely interesting to say the leas,” Ferdler said. “I never thought I would be doing this ever in my life. It made

CRAZYLEGS, page 5

Crazylegs by the numbers

12,408

Total runners who completed this year’s event

30

Number of runners over the age of 70

24:00

The time of Tyler Sigl, of Seymour, who finished first in this year’s race

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

Runners continue a longtime Madison tradition despite gloomy weather by taking off at the start of this year’s Crazylegs Classic, raising money for the UW Athletic Department.

Athletic Board approves Ryan INSIDE extension, talks Big Ten policy New conference standards being deliberated in light of Penn State saga Sean Kirkby State Politics Editor The University of Wisconsin Athletic Board approved one-year extensions for UW coaches Friday, including men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan,

as well as deliberated on developing new standards for institutional control of athletics. The UW Athletic Board approved extending Ryan’s contract through May 31, 2017. According to a statement, the Board also approved extending contracts for men’s hockey coach Mike Eaves and women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson through June 30, 2017. The board approved an extension for women’s basketball coach Bobbie

Kelsey through May 31, 2017, wrestling coach Barry Davis through May 31, 2015, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach Whitney Hite through June 14, 2013, the statement said. The board also discussed developing a new standard of institutional athletics and the possible role of the Big Ten Conference. Walter Dickey, UW senior associate athletic director, said in the wake of the Penn State sexual assault

“War on Women” backlash hits Capitol Hundreds of protesters turned out against legislation concerning women’s rights

NEWS | 2

FCC lets Super PACs be...too much

Springing forward

With the rise of PACs, television networks should be held to a higher standard for ads

Check out Herald Sports’ coverage of the Wisconsin football team’s 2012 spring game

OPINION | 6

SPORTS | 10

ATHLETIC BOARD, page 5 © 2012 BADGER HERALD


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