2012.09.11

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THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIV, Issue 5

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

www.badgerherald.com

Freakfest fun Facts Freakfest reached it’s peak attendance in 1981 and 1982, when crowds hit 100,000

At the 2002 Freakfest, full-on riots broke out and Madison police used tear gas on the crowds

Matt Hintz The Badger Herald

A man dressed as Captain America smiles as he takes in the surroundings at Freakfest last year. This year, tickets will cost $8 in advance or $12 the day of, with the new option of $35 VIP tickets available for purchase online.

At one time, the student government tried to hold an alcohol-free Freakfest in the field house, although it was not successful.

Freakfest lineup announced Mac Miller, Big Gigantic among artists set to perform at event this fall; more money spent this year on talent Camille Albert City Hall Editor Halloween weekend is about six weeks away, and artists Mac Miller and Big Gigantic have been selected to

headline this year’s Freakfest on Oct. 27. Other bands that will be featured at the event include Nobody Beats the Drum, Prof, Roster McCabe, Kids These Days, Gentlemen Hall, Kyle & Keem, OYE!, A.N.T.

Biden, Ryan to visit this week

and The Lately, according to a statement from Frank Productions. The statement said all three stages will be occupied by national touring acts. “We spent a lot more money on talent, and it happens

to fall on the same day as homecoming so there’s going to be more people in town,” Frank Productions Promotions Manager Charlie Goldstone said. “We’re

Last year, chainsaws and bazookas were expressly forbidden at Freakfest by the city of Madison.

FREAKFEST, page 4

Belting it out Singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Memphibians Andrew Felts performs at The Frequency Monday night. Other bands performing that night included My Empty Phantom and Bell Monks. Andy Fate The Badger Herald

Vice President to rally in Eau Claire while Ryan holds town hall meeting in Green Bay Julia Van Susteren Herald Contributor The campaigns of Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan will each make stops in Wisconsin in the coming week, which is shaping up to be a key state in the upcoming national election and holds 10 electoral votes. Biden plans to host a rally at the University of WisconsinEau Claire this Thursday, while Ryan plans to visit Wisconsin for the third time to go to a town hall meeting in Green Bay this Wednesday. A representative of Wisconsin’s 1st congressional District since the late 1990s and a native of Janesville, Ryan is expected to have better resonance with the Wisconsin electorate. According to Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Nathan Conrad, Ryan’s visits through Wisconsin are energizing voters. “Each and every time that Representative Ryan is travelling throughout the Badger State, our support grows stronger and voters become more engaged and excited about the plan that he and Governor Romney are putting forward to get our

nation back on the right track,” Conrad said. Biden, while not a native of Wisconsin, is expected to resonate with the working families of Wisconsin, including the state’s Labor Union base. Graeme Zielinski, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said Biden has an edge over Ryan because of his family’s working background. “One thing about Biden that Ryan doesn’t share is that he has a background of coming from a working family,” Zielinski said. “He’s familiar with the challenges working families face and that helps him here to understand the needs of Wisconsin.” Since the last presidential election, Wisconsin has shifted politically to the right, but according to recent Public Policy Polling polls, President Obama was solidly ahead of Romney up until he appointed Ryan as his choice for vicepresidential candidate. The two newest PPP polls done in mid-August show Obama and Romney about even. Conrad said the Republican Party of Wisconsin has full faith in the “amazing ground

BIDEN , page 4

Rapid bus system plan moves along Molly McCall City Life Editor Three city organizations met in a public meeting Monday night to address the continued pursuit of a Bus Rapid Transit system in the city of Madison. Metropolitan Planning Organization, Capital Region Sustainable

Communities and Capital Area Regional Planning Commission presented its study on a new bus service and received feedback from the community for the first time on the prospects of the project. According to a MPO pamphlet, “BRT is highfrequency, limitedstop service that offers an improved rider experience on busy

streets and highways.” Joe Kern, Project Manager of SRF Consulting said the purpose of last night’s meeting was to perform an initial screening with the community, and the next step will be to define specific systemwide components of the proposed BRT system, including span and frequency, stop spacing

and stop amenities. The study done by the groups evaluated the possibility of an integrated transit project which would feature high-capacity transit with fewer obstacles than rail, MPO member Bill Schaefer said. “BRT has the potential to vastly improve transit

BUS, page 4

Glitches in Learn@UW create hassle for students, faculty Dana Bossen Herald Contributor Recent issues with the University of Wisconsin’s software platform for Learn@UW have made for a difficult transition into the fall semester for students and professors using the site

which can include readings, course information and other tools for courses at UW. University of Wisconsin System spokesperson David Giroux said Desire2Learn is the software platform used to run Learn@UW, which is the online course management system

accessed by professors and students at UW. “This platform serves a number of students, from online learning to traditional classes,” Giroux said. Giroux said currently they are experiencing issues with connectivity and slowness on the Learn@UW website. In terms of the

performance issues that arose during the summer and throughout last week, Giroux said they are working on understanding what is causing the problems and are attempting to remedy them. He encouraged students seeking more up to date information on the issues

© 2012 BADGER HERALD

with Learn@UW to take a look at bulletins posted on the website. He said the bulletins are updated periodically and address the website’s current difficulties. When the problems with the D2L system are solved, the university hopes to see an improved performance of both the navigation bar and

online bulletins, Giroux said. Division of Information Technology spokesperson Mary Evansen said while performance problems with the D2L system arose over the summer, issues have come up with the system in the past week and are much

GLITCHES, page 4


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2012.09.11 by The Badger Herald - Issuu