2012.09.13

‘Coexist’: Close, but no cigar The xx’s new album features flashy cover, falls short in musical luster

ARTS | 7

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969

UW refutes PETA claim Cogan Shneier Herald Contributor The University of Wisconsin denied a series of claims filed by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Wednesday morning that accuse two UW federal institutions of animal cruelty.

The allegations include multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act, specifically inadequate anesthesia vet care, Jeremy Beckham, research project manager for PETA’s Laboratory Investigations Department, said.

These accusations stem from photographs and records PETA released to the public Wednesday morning depicting a cat used for hearing experiments.

Beckham added PETA has been involved in a three-yearlong fight with UW to obtain the photos.

“The photographs depict a surgery in 2008 of a cat named Double Trouble,” Beckham said. “There are

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Thursday, September 13, 2012

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graphic details of how [Double Trouble] had a post in her head, steel coils in her eyes and electrodes in her brain.”

PETA had originally filed a lawsuit with a Dane County attorney in April 2010 under Wisconsin’s open records law to obtain the photos used, Beckham said.

Beckham alleged UW has had an extensive history of violating animal welfare that he said has been going on for decades. He added the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed to PETA that it already had an open investigation concerning UW before photos of the cat were released.

Beckham said records show the researchers failed to properly put the cat under anesthesia, as the anesthetic mask began to fall off during a surgery. Beckham added researchers noted in their report that she started to

PETA, page 4

Dress for success Students modeled their styles Wednesday night for the Dress for DAIS Fashion Show, held at the Overture Center for the Arts. The show, sponsored

by Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, helped to raise awareness for the group’s cause and show off Madisonians’ latest clothing style choices.

Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

Dems defend Capitol protesters Representatives send letter to police chief voicing constitutional concerns with regulations Jacob Kaczmarowski Herald Contributor

Courtesy of PETA

UW researchers allegedly inserted a steal post in Double Trouble’s head for hearing experiments.

Democratic state legislators from the Dane County area voiced concerns in a letter Wednesday to the Capitol Police chief after the newly hired leader began enforcing rules that police protesters inside the building in what legislators deemed “ridiculous” ways.

The legislators’ letter, addressed to Capitol Police Chief David Erwin, discussed one incident in which Capitol Police cited individuals for holding signs and balloons.

“We reiterate Rep. Taylor’s previous request for an explanation of what conduct and actions

you deem to be unlawful in the Capitol,” the letter read. “Refusing to delineate which specific behaviors are subject to arrest or citation, and saying the determination whether or not to arrest or cite people is made on a ‘case-by-case basis,’ seems to suggest that you are simply making things up as you go along.”

In the letter to Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch, the Democratic delegation from Dane County requested an immediate meeting to discuss their issues.

The Democrats cited the Capitol Police’s recent actions as “verging on ridiculous.”

Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, has been publicly voicing her concerns on the issue for several weeks.

“The public needs to know under what circumstances they are allowed and not allowed to do when they enter the Capitol,” Taylor said.

“The Capitol Police have been stretching their interpretations in order to cite people with no opportunity to right their wrongs.”

Taylor said the prior chief of the Capitol Police sought legislators’ input frequently and communicated with them concerning what was happening in the Capitol.

Taylor said all she and the other legislators seek is to

“know what is going on.”

Rep. Karl Van Roy, R-Green Bay, said he was pleased DOA and Capitol Police are “finally” enforcing the rules inside the Capitol. Van Roy said protesters in the Capitol have frequently harassed members of his staff.

“Our right to peaceably assemble is nonetheless framed by permits, appropriate parameters, laws and the universal understanding that when people behave badly, they face consequences,” Van Roy said. “Free speech does not give anyone the right to swear at people, yell at employees or visiting children, frighten citizens and disrupt a

DEMS, page 2

City committee approves later hours for State Street cabs McKenzi Higgins Herald Contributor After a threat of a change in the law this summer, a city committee voted Wednesday to allow taxicabs to continue cruising State Street for potential passengers through the evening and

early morning hours.

Under the new rules recommended to the City Council by the Transit and Parking Commission, taxicabs can freely cruise State Street between the hours of 7 p.m. and 4 a.m.

“We have many visitors coming to this city, cab drivers needing to make a living and people trying

to get home,” committee member Margaret Bergamini said. “People in this town eat dinner at 6, 7, or 8 p.m., and shows [on State Street] may get done at 10 p.m.”

Mayor Paul Soglin originally proposed taxicabs be allowed to cruise State Street from the hours of 12:00 a.m.

and 4:00 p.m., citing State Street’s minimal vehicular traffic as one of its important, unique aspects.

He added if taxicabs cruise State Street earlier than midnight, they might impede on buses and emergency vehicles using the roadway.

Mary Carbine, representative of

Madison’s Business Improvement District, testified that her staff supported the bid for taxis to respond to State Street hails between the hours of 7 p.m. and 4 a.m. Carbine said people expect to hail a cab in the city the size of Madison, and she added she has received more complaints about delivery

Soglin condemns Hulsey for disorderly allegations

INSIDE

Mayor: rep. should apologize to city officials, police officers

Trotter ready for new role as starting safety

Polo Rocha State Legislative Editor A disorderly conduct charge against Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, is yet again receiving public scrutiny after a strongly worded statement from Madison

Mayor Paul Soglin called for the representative to apologize to city employees.

Hulsey pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge after being cited on a local beach July 4. Police said Hulsey flipped a 9-yearold boy from an inner tube and took pictures of the boy after Hulsey was out of the water.

Hulsey told the Associated Press he did not touch the boy and took a picture of the

children while attempting to take a scenic picture of a sailboat on the water.

Hulsey also said he had told the boy to not splash the other children.

According to Soglin’s statement, the boy was related to a city employee, and Soglin has known about the issue since the day after the incident, although he only recently found out through media coverage that Hulsey had pleaded no contest to the

HULSEY, page 3 © 2012 BADGER HERALD

trucks blocking State Street than taxis.

Hawk Sullivan, owner of Hawk’s Bar and Grill on State Street, said he believes cabs should be able to cruise the road 24 hours per day. He said those unfamiliar with the Madison area often

CABS, page 2

Associated Press

Ryan runs twice Redshirt sophomore set to take over injured Shelton Johnson’s strong safety spot on defense.

SPORTS | 12

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s running mate isn’t just running for a chance at VP.

NEWS | 4

2

The Badger Herald | News | Thursday, September 13, 2012

Events today 9:30 a.m.

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Two injured in downtown house party Increase in campus area crime continues as alleged assault on woman sparks fight between multiple individuals

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Send an email to: editor@badgerherald.com

Molly McCall City Life Editor In the most recent incident in a series of crimes in the downtown and campus area, two men were beaten early Sunday morning after attempting to aid a woman who was being assaulted, according to Madison Police.

A MPD report said the incident occurred at a house party on the 600 block of East Johnson Street. The assault reportedly took place around 12:30 a.m.

According to the statement, the victims, aged 19 and 20, were taken to a hospital with brain injuries.

The 19-year-old victim

said he was knocked unconscious after he attempted to help a woman who he thought was being physically assaulted, the statement said.

“The blow knocked him down, and the next thing he saw was a boot coming toward his face,” MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said.

The second victim attempted to intervene after he was jumped by approximately four other men, the statement said.

DeSpain said when police arrived at the scene, the woman was nowhere to be found, and the suspects had already had fled the scene.

According to the

statement, witnesses said the safety of citizens and there were several underage students in response to the increase in downtown area people in attendance. crime.

“One officer Earlier this noted that summer, the many possible City Council witnesses were “With SAFEcab voted to add not completely now ending and $50,000 for cooperative or SAFEbus being police overtime forthcoming cutback, there funds.

Ald. with are fewer and Scott Resnick, information District 8, said that could fewer options police have aid in the for students to implemented investigation,” different the statement get home safely read. at an affordable policing strategies in Extra price.” the downtown precautions Mike Verveer area, including have recently Alder, District 4 utilizing gang been issued officers who by the city of Madison and MPD to ensure can help students become

UW moves up in national rankings

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The University of Wisconsin increased in rank throughout the past year, moving up in line as one of “America’s Best Colleges” in the eyes of U.S. News and World Report.

The magazine released its annual report Wednesday and listed UW up one spot from last year’s rankings. UW is currently tied for 41st place with University of California-Santa Barbara and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute out of a pool of 281 national doctoral universities, according to the report.

UW Provost Paul DeLuca said reports like this one have more of an effect on the university’s prestige as seen by people outside the state of Wisconsin, rather than prospective in-state students. He added he has found Wisconsin citizens are already fairly aware of the university’s achievements.

“I think it’s bigger outside Wisconsin,” DeLuca said. “People in the state already know, but people around the nation will then ask, gee, [I] wonder what this public institution on this list is.”

DeLuca said with the increased positive nationwide awareness provided by UW’s ranking, there will also be an effect on prospective students that may ultimately lead to an increase in applications.

The change in ranking, according to DeLuca, was largely as a result of the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, a program aimed at expanding need-based aid for students.

“Students are having success in their career paths, graduation rate is higher and student experience is better,” DeLuca said.

However, DeLuca said he is skeptical of similar university rankings in general. UW education professor Cliff Conrad agreed with DeLuca on that notion and said he has found rankings such

as these tell more about the resources than of the achievements made from these resources.

“What they tell us [is] who [are] the elite universities,” Conrad said. “They tell us a lot about reputation. These indicators are about inputs and outputs. If you have all these resources, then you are going to have a good reputation.”

In addition to focusing more on reputation rather than quality, Conrad said he also feels these rankings face limitations when combining both private and public institutions on the same list. Conrad cited financial differences as a major issue that “heightens the canyon” between the two types of universities.

DeLuca said because UW is a state public land grant university, it does not have the same selectivity as private universities hold, adding that it has less selectivity than even some public California schools.

Both DeLuca and Conrad asserted their accordance with UW’s ranking, despite the concerns they voiced with ranking reports. Conrad said he found UW to be a “good” institution, though he expressed concern for the difference between “good” and “great.”

Conrad noted schools like Stanford and Harvard have endowments several times larger than those of UW. “Most of us don’t have the financial resources,” Conrad said, referring to public universities. “I worry a little bit. Because of that, we may not have the human resources.”

According to Conrad, UW is at a disadvantaged position and is consequently losing faculty to the better benefits at other institutions.

However, he added the higher ranking will help maintain quality education at the university.

According to a university statement, UW was also ranked as one of the top 10 public universities in the nation for 2013.

said an oversaturation of bus traffic between the hours of 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. would make the presence of taxicabs problematic.

“Our concern is with Madison Metro,” Schmidt said. “That’s where the midnight thing came into play.”

Transit and Parking Commission Chairperson Gary Poulson said he could not support 7 p.m. start time, but would like to see the 10 p.m. amendment initially proposed by Ald. Mike

Verveer, District 4, implemented.

Union Cab Manager David Lee said the Union Cab management team supported the initial 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. amendment by Verveer, but will be supportive of the 7 p.m. start time as well.

Schmidt said he believed the debate may serve as a learning experience for the city. He said effects the taxicabs have on Madison Metro can be re-evaluated in six months to a year.

Tara Golshan

Editor-in-Chief Ryan Rainey Managing Editor Taylor Nye Editor-at-Large Pamela Selman News Katie Caron News Content Leah Linscheid Deputy News Elliot Hughes City Hall Camille Albert City Life Molly McCall State Politics Meghan Zernick State Legislative Polo Rocha Campus Life Julia Skulstad Higher Education Tara Golshan Multimedia Tim Hadick Assoc. Multimedia Kate Johnson Editorial Page Reginald Young Ed. Page Content Charles Godfrey Ed. Board Chair Adelaide Blanchard Sports Ian McCue Sports Content Nick Korger Associate Sports Sean Zak Nick Daniels Statistics Caroline Sage Extra Points Blog Spencer Smith ArtsEtc. Allegra Dimperio ArtsEtc. Content Joe Nistler Comics Noah Yuenkel Copy Chief Tom Guthrie Assoc. Copy Chief Kristin Prewitt Copy Editors Jared Borislow Jared Nelson Hannah LeDuc Kelsey Sorenson Photo Andy Fate Assoc. Photo Kelsey Fenton Jen Small Design Director Sigrid Hubertz Deputy Design Gus McNair Page Designers Katie Gaab Ali Sinkula Maddy Raff Alexis Blakey Web Director Adam Parkzer Web Consultant Charlie Gorichanaz

more aware of who is downtown and how to be safe.

More MPD officers have been patrolling the downtown area Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., he added.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the increase in crime is a main reason why he supported the allowance of cabs to cruise State Street at the Transit and Parking Commission meeting Wednesday.

“With SAFEcab now ending and SAFEbus being cutback, there are fewer and fewer options for students to get home safely at an affordable price,” he said.

Higher Education Editor

Taylor Frechette The Badger Herald

ASM Rep. Andrew Bulovsky weighs in on the Associated Students of Madison’s decision on whether to revamp its constitution.

ASM constitution fails vote, leaders look to compromise Reps say progress made, debate centers around power separations Tara Golshan Higher Education Editor A divide developed among the members of the Associated Students of Madison as they convened Wednesday to deliberate their new constitution, a contentious piece on their agenda that was ultimately not passed.

After releasing the new constitution to the legislative body back in February, ASM met last night to debate over amendments, whether or not the new constitution should be voted on by students and the overall existence of the constitution.

The new constitution, according to a statement released by ASM after the meeting, was centered around the governing body’s structure as well as encouraging further communication between ASM positions and University of Wisconsin students.

According to the Student Services Finance Committee Chair Ellie Bruecker, the point of this legislation was to create a further separation

of the powers in the ASM’s structure.

Proposing an amendment to ASM’s appropriations committee, which allocates funds to student organizations on campus, Breucker highlighted the issue of bureaucracy in the student government.

“There was a lot of bureaucracy that was not necessary,” Breucker said.

“This takes the Senate out of there.”

According to Breucker, in the current constitution, the added level of Senate power in the appropriation committee brought politics into financial decisions, as a result of legislative members’ ties with different student organizations.

Appropriations are an area where she said she believes politics should not exist.

In order to maintain a system of checks and balances, Breucker said that in the amendment the executive still held veto power, the Senate was able vote down nominees and the judiciary check would remain in place.

“There will still be Senate involvement, but just not an up and down vote,” Breucker said, adding that the judiciary check was fully sufficient at keeping politics out off the appropriations.

The discussion of

bureaucracy remained a trend throughout the debate as ASM continued talks about the powers of the executive branch.

According to ASM Legislative Affairs Chair Daniel Slatter, the executive branch’s power has been under a lot of critique, and the new constitution would address the complaints through amendments to reduce veto power of the president or chair and also take away the president’s power to appoint their own directors.

However, the amendments also garnered some negative reaction under the notion that the changes stripped the executive branch of too much power.

Slatter said he found the contradictory responses from the body as a sign of compromise.

“It looks like we have a good compromise,” Slatter said. “Some people think the president has too much power, and some people think the president doesn’t have enough power. That looks like a good compromise.”

Although all amendments to the constitution did pass during the meeting, the constitution’s existence itself was up for question. Needing a two-thirds majority, the new constitution did not pass with a 16-9-1 vote.

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DEMS, from 1 public space.”

Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D-Madison, one of the letter’s authors, said she is appalled at the policy against protesters and described it as unconstitutional.

“The Capitol is an important symbolic place and forcing people to go through a process of obtaining a permit before they can speak freely is wrong,” Roys said.

“Unfortunately, a really important public building that belongs to the people

is being treated as a private place by the Department of Administration.”

ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Chris Ahmuty said he disagreed with Erwin’s recent actions.

“He doesn’t seem to understand the importance of the clear meaning of the constitution. The way he is operating things is in an on-again, off-again enforcement scheme,” Amhuty said. “He needs to tell us what is lawful versus unlawful. It should be more clear what protesters can do according to law.”

CABS, from 1 prefer to hail a cab back to their hotels after dinner, but currently this is prohibited.

Madison Metro General Manager Chuck Kamp said he preferred taxicab restrictions closer to midnight. He said allowing taxicabs to cruise State Street closer to 7 p.m. poses a problem for buses trying to stay on schedule.

However, Ald. Chris Schmidt, District 11,

The Badger Herald | News | Thursday, September 13, 2012

3

UW receives grant to address suicide prevention UHS to use $306,000 from U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Dana Bossen Herald Contributor University Health Services hopes to soon be better equipped to address suicide prevention on campus after receiving a several thousand dollar national grant earmarked for prevention efforts.

UHS Director Sarah Van Orman said the department obtained a three-year Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant

totaling $306,000 from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to aid in suicide prevention.

The program helps identify gaps in the university’s current suicide prevention program and addresses ways to fill those gaps, Van Orman said.

UHS has outline a number of goals for its suicide prevention program and UHS Counseling and Consultation Services Director Danielle Oakley said the grant will hopefully help fulfill those goals.

“Our goal is to have every single person on campus able to recognize a student in distress, respond

appropriately and refer them to the right resources,” Oakley said.

Finding ways to help all at-risk students by educating community members on how to effectively reach out to people in trouble is a major goal of the program, she said.

Van Orman cited a strategy called “gatekeeper training” as an effective means to address depression.

The training involves providing necessary training to staff and student leaders.

Gatekeeper training is aimed at faculty, staff, students and anyone in the community who can touch a student, she said.

“We want them to have

the skills necessary to talk to someone who is struggling,” Van Orman said.

Another main goal of the grant is to form a council of people related to the campus, including students, parents, teachers, alumni, staff and community members, in order to better reach out to students considering suicide, Van Orman said.

“We want to make sure that everyone who is there can represent the best ways to meet their needs,” Oakley said.

Van Orman said the grant hopes to increase the number of struggling students that seek help.

This can be done through

methods such as marketing campaigns to reduce the stigma around suicide and encouraging help-seeking behavior, she added.

“One of the things that is always important is we want to understand from the students what works best,” Oakley said. “They are our best resource. The grant will help us look out for one another.”

Part of the grant money will go toward helping members of the LGBT community, minorities and immigrants who are at an elevated risk for suicide, Van Orman said. There will be special focus groups to understand the needs and gaps in these communities

with particular focus on looking for ways to reduce barriers, she added.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students, Oakley said. Nationwide, more than 1,000 students commit suicide each year, she added.

A common risk factor for suicide is depression, a mental illness that commonly affects collegeaged people, according to the National Institutes for Health website.

Almost 30 percent of college students reported being “so depressed it was difficult to function,” and 6 percent of college students seriously considered suicide, according to the website.

Wis. among leaders in nation for prescription drug safety DOJ, national DEA team up to safely dispose of expired meds across state Jake Ebben Herald Contributor Because of a program presented by the national Drug Enforcement Administration, Wisconsinites will have the opportunity to dispose of

HULSEY, from 1 charge.

The mayor said Hulsey has been making “reckless suggestions” that Soglin’s political interests might have played a part in Hulsey being charged.

Hulsey had previously said that his support of former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz was cause for what Hulsey said are politicized charges.

their old prescription drugs safely and effectively later this month.

On Sept. 29, the DEA will hold a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day during which those who wish to turn in old or expired prescription drugs can do so from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a statement said. In Wisconsin, the Department of Justice will collaborate with the DEA to ensure Wisconsinites have a chance to participate in the program as well.

During last year’s Take Back Day, Wisconsin ranked third in the donation of drugs to the program, according to David Spakowicz, eastern region director of Field Operations in the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation.

Wisconsin brought in 38,000 lbs. of prescription drugs, or approximately 13 tons, during last year’s event.

Wisconsin followed New

York and California in the number of drugs donated, a ranking Spakowicz said was satisfactory, considering the population of the two states.

“Though we’ve done these for a couple of years, from just a Take Back Day in October of 2011, the amount of prescription drugs the state has collected has risen 26 percent,” said Spakowicz.

Spakowicz said the process of disposing the drugs is efficient and simple because 125

“Brett Hulsey owes city employees, particularly the Madison employees, particularly the Madison Police Department, the City Attorney’s Office and my office an apology for suggesting that anyone would compromise their professional standards or integrity in order to see him cited,” Soglin said in the statement.

Soglin said Hulsey “neither merits nor deserves special

treatment.”

Soglin added a lifeguard told a city official in 2008 that the lifeguard was “uncomfortable with Hulsey’s presence at a city beach.”

Hulsey declined comment on Soglin’s statement.

Jonathan Dedering, a Green Party candidate and Hulsey’s opponent in his re-election race, said he believes the incident is an example of what

he called Hulsey’s “bad decision-making.”

He added he believes Soglin should apologize to the police for accusing them of corruption.

“I don’t see how a legislator could be so bold in trying to defend his actions,” Dedering said.

“This entire situation is absurd and really goes to show the type of person Rep. Hulsey really is.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

collection sites span the state run by different police departments. Once an individual takes the drugs to the site, police officers relay it to the Justice Department headquarters, where they are then taken by the National Guard to be destroyed.

Dana Brueck, spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Justice, said the program is crucial so people can dispose of their unwanted drugs in a conscientious

way, as many of these drugs can be “illegally distributed” for profit.

“It is important to be mindful of where the drugs are going so they aren’t improperly disposed of and inflict harm to humans and the environment,” Brueck said.

As Take Back Day approaches, Brueck said she is excited to see what sort of success the program will have this time around and added she wants to “keep up the momentum.”

4

The Badger Herald | News | Thursday, September 13, 2012

Immigration act yields contention Polo Rocha State Legislative Editor

Associated Press

VP candidate Paul Ryan released his first congressional advertisements Wednesday. According to Wisconsin law, Ryan is allowed to run for both political offices simultaneously.

Ryan’s congressional ads debut Romney’s vice presidential candidate can run in both House, VP elections Polo Rocha State Legislative Editor As President Barack Obama prepares to debut an ad buy in Wisconsin in the coming days, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, released Wednesday an ad for a different race: he reminded Wisconsin voters that he is still on the ballot for re-election to his congressional seat.

Ryan is allowed to run for re-election as well as keep his name on the Republican ticket for vice president under Wisconsin law. He is running against Kenosha County Board Supervisor Rob Zerban who will run under the Democratic Party.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Ryan for Congress campaign committee announced it was releasing a new ad for the congressional district in the Madison and Milwaukee areas.

In his ad, Ryan poses a

choice to his district’s voters between a “governmentcontrolled society” and a country with “limited government that is both efficient and effective.”

Zerban’s campaign manager, Karthik Ganapathy, responded to the advertisement, alleging the ad was “devoid on policy and real solutions.”

He said voters wanted a representative who would address problems the country faces.

“It seems like they’re trying to run the campaign on autopilot,” Ganapathy said. “They’re not spending any time in the district.

He’s been here a grand total of twice since he was announced.”

Ryan’s congressional campaign manager Kevin Seifert said his candidate’s campaign has remained consistent in advertising with what it has done in past races. He said the $2 million ad buy would ensure he remains in Milwaukee

and Madison television markets until Nov. 6.

“Paul runs ads every two years. It’s an important part of explaining what Paul has done and why he has earned their vote,” Seifert said.

Seifert said vice presidential nominees running ads in their local re-election race is also not unprecedented, giving the example of Vice President Joe Biden running ads in his Senate re-election campaign in Delaware.

Ganapathy said the Zerban campaign has attempted to set up debates with Ryan as it would under normal election circumstances, but said the campaign has yet to receive a response.

Seifert said the campaign is continuing to look for dates that Ryan can participate in a debate because Ryan’s schedule has been significantly busier since he became the Republican vice presidential nominee. Seifert added

neither Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., nor Biden did not do any debates for their local races when they were vice presidential nominees.

Seifert said the campaign has told the debate’s organizers that a response would be coming soon, and he added if dates were not available for Ryan to debate in person, alternate ways to debate, such as by video conference or written responses, would also be considered.

Ganapathy was certain the race was tight and pointed to a poll released by the campaign today.

The poll said after hearing statements from Zerban, 39 percent of respondents said they would vote for him, 47 percent said they would vote for Ryan and 11 percent said they were undecided.

“A recent survey shows Paul Ryan is not the overwhelming favorite in the 1st congressional district race,” the memo from the Zerban campaign said.

The Department of Homeland Security reported 72,000 immigrants so far have applied for the deferred action program announced by President Barack Obama in early June.

DHS began accepting applications for the program by mail Aug. 15, and after careful review of each case, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began sending decisions on some cases, DHS spokesperson Peter Boogard said in an email to The Badger Herald.

The program, which can be renewed, ensures accepted applicants do not get deported for periods of two years, according to Boogard.

The applicants must be under 31-years-old and must have come to the U.S. before they were 16, Boogard said. They cannot have a criminal record and must either be enrolled in school, have graduated high school or have been in the military. The immigration status allows them to apply for work authorization and other documents like drivers licenses.

“This action is the right thing to do,” Boogard said in the email. “Our nation’s immigration laws must be enforced in a strong and sensible manner, but they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case. These young people do not represent a risk to public safety or security.”

The 72,000 applicants came in under DHS expectations, according to University of WisconsinMilwaukee professor Enrique Figueroa, who is also the director of the Roberto Hernandez Center, a student institution at the

university.

Figueroa said he speculated potential applicants may be concerned about their information being utilized for alternative purposes.

As the application asks for family information, applicants’ family members may worry about whether that information is used, he said.

“People are a little worried and apprehensive about whether [the information] would be maintained anonymously,” Figueroa said. “People also don’t know what will happen if and when we have a new president so perhaps they are going to wait after the election to see what’s going on.”

Figueroa said if presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the position, it may curb potential applicants from enlisting in the program. He added people should not reach the conclusion applicants do not like the program, as many might be waiting for groups who are providing help services with the application process.

UW communication arts professor Karma Chavez said another reason why the application numbers may not have met DHS expectations is because of a “schism” between immigrant rights groups.

“There have been significant movements among immigrant rights folks against applying for deferred action,” Chavez said.

Chavez gave the example of a recent drive in Chicago by an immigrant rights group to help applicants.

Another group resided outside the location and handed out information to people in an attempt to convince them against applying for the program, she said.

PETA, from 1 wake up but continued to cut into the cat’s head.

Eric Sandgren, UW’s animal research oversight director, said he has examined all the accusations but asserted PETA was making false interpretations and taking techniques out of context.

In response to the anesthesia accusations, Sandgren said there was a misunderstanding in procedure and ] the mask was taken off to use a different form of anesthesia that is inserted into the lungs.

Sandgren added he has asked university veterinarians to look at each claim made

by PETA and assess its validity. He said all claims have been false, and had any been true, they would address them and make changes accordingly.

“I don’t mind anybody pointing out things that we might be doing wrong,” Sandgren said. “[PETA is] just plain wrong in their facts.”

Beckham said PETA alleges the experimenters justified their actions to the Animal Use Committee by declaring the experiment kept up a “productive publication record to ensure constant funding.”

“That sounds like killing for cash to me,” Beckham said.

Sandgren said the university has changed how they look at justifications, as incidents in question date back to 2008. He said experiments have been funded by the National Institutes of Health for 30 years and provide excellent research.

However, Beckham noted PETA has asked NIH to cut funding for the experiments, as they feel there is no actual benefit to the taxpayers.

UW’s next step involves an investigation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which the university will prepare for, Sandgren said.

To place an ad in Classifieds: Elise Watson ewatson@badgerherald.com 257.4712 ext. 311

5

The Badger Herald | Classifieds | Thursday, September 13, 2012

EMPLOYMENT

PARKING

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No experience necessary. Training available. 800-965-6520 ext. 120

Outdoor parking and garages available all around campus.

Prices vary based upon location. tallardapartments.com for maps and availability. Call 250-0202!

Cook / House Help Needed ASAP! We are looking for an experienced cook for my family Mon-Fri only 4 hours each day. If you can flip eggs you are welcome. We pay $800 weekly. To learn more email Lucy: e.malox@live.com

Classifieds

2nd Chance to the HOT blonde guy named Sam who had the balls to approach me simply because he saw me reading “The Hobbit” at Gordons. Hi, it’s Sarah, and I really wish you would have taken me there and back again.

I’ll be at Gordons same time next Friday, and if you come I promise to show you my precious if you show me your fellowship. ;)

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SC to the guy in the blue shirt who sat across from me in the historical society to-

day. Idk if there were more seats but I’m glad you chose to sit by me you were cute and nice, girl with red hair and green dress SC to the boy with the white beats on by the door on 3rd floor college... was literally going to ask for your number on my way out SC to the sexy runner on Langdon this morning wearing a Sturgeon Bay Clipper shirt. I would love to have someone as fine as you to show me around Door County next

time I am there... SO to hoping to see you running again sometime soon SC to the girl in Merit who said, “Happens to the best of us” after I tripped on my own computer cord. As a 5th year, it was still pretty embarrassing, and I really appreciated it. Plus, u were cute. If I promise not to trip over your computer cord, study together sometime?

SC to the cute girl walking down Dayton

near the kohl center this morning with the VV bag. I would have stopped & talked, but I was late for a quiz!

Same time tomorrow?

SC to the cute girl at Walgreens that aided me in my battery dilemma.

If I ever see you out at the bars, I’ll buy you a round SC to the girl checking her fantasy team during lecture. SO to her team name being “Watch Me Scoregasm”... Ill watch anytime

NEWS

UW astronomy program provides insight into sky University hosts presentations in state parks for nearly 20 years Julia Skulstad Campus Life Editor For nearly two decades, University of Wisconsin students have explored mysteries in the sky via Universe in the Park programming hosted in state parks, which allow students of all ages to explore astronomy-based questions in real perspective.

Astronomy graduate student Paul Sell said he

has been involved with the program for five years now.

The programs begin with a PowerPoint presentation by a graduate student on a certain topic in astrology and end with the chance for visitors to look through a portable telescope focused on things like star clusters, planets or whatever is the most interesting and visible phenomena deep in the night sky that evening, he said. “[The presentations] are a great way to learn interesting facts and knowledge basics about astronomy,” Sell said.

Sell added graduate students from the UW Department of Astronomy take turns running each

event.

Each year, approximately 40 to 50 UITP programs take place in various Wisconsin state parks from the end of May through the beginning of October, and participation ranges from a handful of people to 100 or more in attendance, Sell said.

Sell said UITP programs started in 1996 under Karen Bjorkman, who at the time was involved with the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment in UW’s Space Astronomy Laboratory. Now however, UW astronomy professor and Dean of Natural Sciences Eric Wilcots is in charge of the program.

Sell said the event itself is free and geared toward people of all ages.

Graduate student Blakesley Burkhart said she has been involved with UITP programs for the past four years.

Burkhart said the dark skies of state parks serve as perfect locations to share astronomy with the public because they bring people away from city light pollution.

Burkhart said she tries to engage children specifically in her presentations to get them excited about studies in the field of science and really get them thinking out of the box about their place in the universe.

“I feel strongly that we

have to fill the gaps in public science education that are widening,” Burkhart said.

Burkhart added she likes to talk with children about topics like dark matter or star formation that are unknown and encourage young students to realize they could someday go out and solve these questions in the field of astronomy.

Burkhart said the department of astronomy at UW has many other yearround educational programs to offer to the public, even with the summer season winding down.

Burkhart has her own five-minute segment that deals with current interesting things happening in astronomy,

which takes place during the program “In Our Backyard,” broadcasted from 6:30-7 p.m.

Tuesdays on WORT 89.9 FM. Burkhart said people should also take advantage of public telescope viewings at the Washburn Observatory on campus or with UW Space Place outreach programs offered by the UW Department of Astronomy.

“We are really passionate and want to share that passion with people,” Burkhart said.

More information, including a schedule of times and locations of future events, can be found on the UW Department of Astronomy’s website.

Editorial Page Editor Reginald Young oped@badgerherald.com

6

The Badger Herald | Opinion | Thursday, September 13, 2012

Opinion

News section swamped, Opinion style stilted Jason Smathers Public Editor If you take anything away from this column, let it be this: If you have any interest in journalism or gaining writing experience, join the Herald. Now. They want and need you.

After seeing a few issues following last week’s registration issue, one looming issue is starting to present itself: The paper is getting sloppy early. But let me get specific, so I don’t give people the impression the paper is falling apart.

Sports’ coverage of the Badgers’ collapse is appropriately critical and arts’ attempt to run original columns and cover local events has been fairly steady, with the notable exception of the YouTube video rundown Tuesday.

In sum — Ian McCue, Allegra Dimperio and Joe Nistler are running their respective ships soundly.

There is criticism I could lob their way, but, frankly, news and opinion have far greater issues.

News on a skeleton staff The best way to sum

up news’s problems is to review a story written Monday. Higher Education Editor Tara Golshan wrote a story about the perception of a brain drain at UW and whether it actually has a basis in reality. Golshan said she was aiming more for a story about Madison’s ability to attract young people and the job prospects of the city.

But problems with the story were numerous: The two studies mentioned were out of date by about two years, and Wisconsin Public Research Institute was not marked as a right-leaning free-market think tank. The low percentage of out-of-state students that remain after graduation was presented without any critical analysis — most of the data was framed as positive, based on quotes from UW System spokesman David Giroux — and Epic Systems was characterized as a Madison business when it has actually been located in Verona since 2005. The biggest issue is the writer wanted to take a larger look at the brain drain issue and Madison’s draw to younger people. She admitted after the story she didn’t really have an opportunity or time to do that.

This is not an isolated incident. State Legislative Editor Polo Rocha had to write five stories for

Friday’s paper, and the strain showed. He had to cover a Student Services Finance Committee meeting as well, which isn’t his beat. That showed.

It’s understandable given the Herald’s situation. After last year, a surprisingly large amount of writers moved on to other jobs and activities and left the Herald with big holes to fill. So what happens is this: Beat editors, those charged with covering specific beats, don’t have reporters to cover events for them, and so they must do reporting on top of editing.

If the beat editors are overworked, the top news editors are overworked to help them out. With everyone’s time in news occupied with day-to-day business, the paper loses the ability to work on longterm stories and in-depths.

Usually, this gets sorted out after a week or two, but the new writers meeting did not bring in as many writers as expected. Editorin-Chief Ryan Rainey said the Herald will send out a mass email this weekend to attract writers, and he has been flyering at the Student Org Fair. These are helpful steps, but the Herald needs to rebuild organizationally before the systemic problems of the news department can be fixed. It needs to do it soon, or else an overextended

news section will cost the paper dearly in the long run.

Issues in opinion Opinion has had its problems over the years, including a definite lack of writers. Folks like Content Editor Charles Godfrey should be praised for their efforts at crafting hyperlocal content — I’m not that interested in articles on the new chemistry building, but I understand many people are tired of that building and would like the muchneeded upgrade. Given the need to approve the building at the state level, it’s pertinent to write on.

But other writers keep focusing on national issues.

There is a reason why The Onion did an article making fun of a college newspaper endorsing Obama — because the commentary is largely repetitive and without any real proximity or authority to the issue. This doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be spoken, but when your writing sounds like that of a pundit, you have to have something unique to say, or at the very least articulate your point well.

That becomes very hard to do when opinion writers cite the Wisconsin State Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for things that are obvious.

Take the opinion column on Tammy Baldwin’s framing of Tommy Thompson in the U.S. Senate campaign.

Anyone who has seen the ads on television or YouTube knows Thompson is being portrayed as a Washington insider by the campaign, and the footage of Thompson refusing to release his tax returns is online for all to view. So why does the article cite a news source when the writer could have just asserted it? It’s independently verifiable — there’s no reason to lean on other news organizations for a reference. When I talked to Godfrey last week about it, he seemed to still be trying to decide how to deal with the citing issue.

Instead, have the writers list their citations along with the copy, but don’t leave in the attribution unless it can’t be independently verified.

If it’s a MJS exclusive, cite it, by all means. But if you personally can scrutinize Paul Ryan’s comments, why rely on The Washington Post to say they raised eyebrows? You can and should say it yourself, as long as you are right on the facts.

The memes are another, but smaller, issue. Don’t get me wrong — they’re funny, occasionally incisive alternate representations of opinion that are well suited

to a college newspaper. But they’re unsigned, without attribution to anyone and usually take up space when there is a lack of it. Overuse of those memes and the snarky responses to reader comments could turn the opinion page into a drifting comics page.

Plaudits To give a doom and gloom to opinion neglects the good work done by those at the paper.

Notable to mention are the efforts of both Sigrid Hubertz and Gus McNair.

Their special designs have been, for the most part, clean and enticing.

I especially enjoyed the arts “Choose Your Own Adverture” design spread.

Nice concept from arts, nice execution from Sigrid.

McNair’s special design for the reg issue should also be mentioned. In addition, the photos from Andy Fate for the Montee Ball profile were quite well done, especially the photo of him spread out against the brick wall — it provided a nice backdrop for the sports special design.

Jason Smathers (smathers@outlook.com smathers@outlook.com)) is a reporter for WisPolitics. com and a former editor-inchief for The Badger Herald.

Feel free to email him your questions and concerns with coverage.

Organic food serves up Seg Fees benefi t students facade of healthier eating LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Consumers pay double price for meaningless USDA labels Jared Mehre Columnist In this week’s arts section of The Badger Herald, I came across an article that claimed, in spite of concrete evidence, that organic food was somehow beneficial to one’s health. Now, for those of you who buy organic food for its unique taste, I have no problem with your logic — I myself enjoy some organic products just for their flavor. However, for those of you who buy organic food because you believe it is better for your health, I want to let you know that you have given into one of the biggest scams since bottled water.

The article cites a recent study done by Stanford University doctors who found organic food is neither healthier nor more nutritious than food grown from traditional methods — it is only more expensive. Low-Fat Tuesday Columnist Rachel Werts spends much of the article trying to discredit the study and blames the media for over-indulging in it.

Stanford, Oxford and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have all done studies or made claims that organic food is no more beneficial to one’s health than food grown by traditional methods. So, this Stanford University study should not be shocking information, as for years now many studies have found organic food is no better than food

grown with pesticides and antibiotics — I think it’s about time we listened to them.

After growing up and living my entire life on a small dairy farm in rural Wisconsin, I know firsthand the safety and efficiency that comes with using approved pesticides and antibiotics on plants and animals. I remember finding myself extremely annoyed when people would come around and press us or our neighbors to grow organic. Heads up: Without any pesticides or antibiotics, no food source can be self-sustaining.

That being said, for those of you who actually believe there are absolutely no pesticides or antibiotics used in the cultivation of your organic produce, meat or dairy, you would be wrong. Organic food growers use pesticides on their food — the U.S. Department of Agriculture only states the pesticides cannot be derived from unnatural sources. The Stanford University study found organic food, while containing less detectable pesticides, still contained pesticides. Ironically, there was evidence in one study suggesting the pesticides detected in organic food may have come from household sources, not the food.

Now, in spite of all this evidence, many people will still say organic food is better for them, which I am fine with since I support the agriculturist — but I feel it’s my duty to just clue people in on how the scam of organic food works. Producers and I know many people believe organic food is healthier for them, and it is this connotation associated with the word

“organic” that producers are after. In fact, USDA gives out an organic seal of approval to products that use 95 percent organic ingredients in their products. This makes me laugh as it reminds me of a moment in the movie “Tommy Boy” when Tommy says, “Hey, If you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I’ve got spare time.”

But beyond the USDA, many foods claim to be organic without actually being organic.

For example, it is nearly impossible to get organic meat, milk or any other products that come from animals, since animals will at some point need an antibiotic to live or come into contact with feed treated with pesticides.

But producers know if they can market their products with the label “organic” on them, they will be able to sell their produce for 50-100 percent higher prices — which people will blissfully still pay for.

Wisconsin is a state built on agriculture. By buying organic food, people are making it more difficult on the farms that are billed with the challenge of efficiently sustaining the population at a reasonable price while still managing to financially support themselves. So by all means, continue to buy organic food, continue to support the business of the local co-op, but please don’t try to justify your smug attitude by trying to convince everybody you didn’t just waste a whole bunch of money on something ordinary.

Jared Mehre (mehre@ wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in political science.

I’d like to think this could be the most important thing you read all year. If it helps you and you’re reading this on the Internet, do me a favor and share this letter on Facebook or Twitter.

It could help someone else, too.

My name is Joe Vanden Avond, and I am the vice chair of the Student Services Finance Committee. Part of that job includes outreach, and I think this is the best way I can spread the good word without paying $100 to send a campuswide email. I speak only on behalf of myself, and not the Associated Students of Madison as a whole.

If you’re a full-time student, you paid, or are scheduled to pay, more than $550 in segregated fees this semester. They are not a part of tuition — they’re a supplement of tuition, and they’re on the same bill. This is very important.

Five hundred and fifty dollars could literally get you a Bucky burger at Union South for every day of class, four dozen pitchers of Spotted Cow at Memorial Union or your ticket to every Badger home game for every sport for the entire year. For $550, you could rent Bucky to just hang out with you for four hours — or twelve hours if you have a Registered Student Organization.

None of those are exaggerations. Think about it.

Pool all that student money together, and we’re talking about more than $40 million, and how that money is spent has already been decided.

Now, please don’t

confuse my tone with a certain attitude toward segregated fees. The amount of good that can come from what you pay in segregated fees is endless. My goals are to make sure everyone on this campus knows what they’re paying for and to make sure they know how to get their money’s worth.

“The amount of good that can come from what you paid in segregated fees is endless. My goals are to make sure everyone on campus knows what they’re paying for and to make sure they know how to get their money’s worth.”

Here are a handful of examples: Go to Memorial Union and Union South. There are free events there nearly every day, and there’s something for everybody. You could probably get $550 worth of movies alone. www. union.wisc.edu Go to the gym. Your Recreational Sports membership is already paid for. All you need to get into their facilities is your Wiscard. Get buff, play intramurals, go to Zumba — it doesn’t matter to me. The battle against those 15 pounds doesn’t end freshman year.

www.recsports.wisc.edu Get your ASM Bus Pass. It can take you anywhere you need to go on campus and in Madison. You can stop buying $15 cartons of eggs at the 7-Eleven and take a bus ride to Woodman’s. Ay, caramba! www.asm.wisc.edu/asmbus-pass.html Stay healthy. When your roommate gives you pink eye or you think you broke something in your foot, University Health Services can take care of you. All you’ll have to pay for is the eye drops. www. uhs.wisc.edu/about-uhs/ new-students.sthml There is so much more.

We have an amazing Student Activity Center, there’s WSUM Student Radio, the Rape Crisis Center and more than a dozen student groups that provide services for everyone on campus.

Learn as much as you can about what you’re paying for, and get your money’s worth. www.asm. wisc.edu/ssfc-segfees. html If you have any questions, you can contact me or find me at Jordan’s Big Ten Pub (Monday nights) or at The Church Key (Thursday nights), … after the SSFC meetings are finished, of course.

If you actually read this whole thing, you deserve an answer, and I’ll get it to you.

Catch you all further on down the trail.

Joe Vanden Avond (vandenavond@wisc.edu) is a senior and is vice chair of the Student Services Finance Committee.

have an opinion? well than i have an opinion. write for the badger herald!

Your Opinion · Send your letters to the editor and guest columns to oped@badgerherald.com. Publication is based on space and takes into account relevance and quality. Letters should be sent exclusively to the Herald. Unsigned letters will not be published. All submissions may be edited by the Herald for length and style. Reader feedback on all articles and columns can be posted at badgerherald.com, where all print content is archived.

ArtsEtc.

ArtsEtc. Editor Allegra Dimperio arts@badgerherald.com

7

The Badger Herald | Arts | Thursday, September 13, 2012

LEDs, custom software illuminate MMoCA exhibit

Artist Villareal uses spectrums of light and technology in unique art exhibit Julia Van Susteren ArtsEtc. Writer When one tries to envision a “lights display,” images of lasers, smoke and show lights of different colors come to mind, blinking in a repetitive, automated, lifeless pattern.

But for many visitors to the Madison Museum of Modern Art, the New Yorkbased artist Leo Villareal introduces a new way to conceptualize the nature of light and machines in his ongoing eponymous exhibit.

The installation, which features work that exemplifies his artistic evolution over the past decade, focuses poignantly on the idea of the imbuement of life-like qualities in artificial installments and

environments. Although his medium of expression consists of light displays, the soul of his art is found in the computational code with which he animates his work.

The intellectual and visual inspiration of his work was inspired by an experience he had in 1994, when he worked on projects involving virtual reality at Paul Allen’s Interval Research Corporation in Palo Alto, California. This was his first opportunity to attend the Burning Man Festival.

It was at this festival where he became lost in the desert after a night of celebration. Knowing nothing about his unfamiliar surroundings, he described being permeated with a child-like sense of fear and wonder.

Amid the featureless surroundings, he imagined the landscape was something not dissimilar to the virtual environments programmed into a computer.

Directed by

programming code, his sculptures are inspired by his fascination with the underlying laws that govern reality. The handcoded programming replicates the “Game of Life” model done by British mathematician John Conway, which simulates the way cells live, die and reproduce.

Using computer technology to bring his work to life, Villareal validates the aptitude of logically defined systems to express randomness and unpredictability. Upon first entering the installation, soft glows of multicolored light flit among the darkened halls of the room in a way evocative of a nebulous campfire.

The first visible installation, “Hive,” features rhythmically pulsating orange LEDs sculpted to resemble the installation’s namesake.

The themes evident in this work are reminiscent of “Stobe Matrix,” another Villareal piece that produces insect-like clicks

with each rapid flicker of light.

Among his more aweinspiring works is “Star,” which calls to mind a great iris imbued with flowing light, spilling like a liquid over the bounds of the installation. Another such is “Big Bang,” a beautiful dance of hypnotizing light and color.

His larger installations are even more impressive.

Emphasizing color effects in the vein of the abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, Villareal draws the viewer into a dreamlike vision of Arcadian peace in “Amancer,” evoking a brilliant field of flowers. A particularly stand-out piece Sis “Diamond Sea,” which is essentially a grand mirror fixed with pulsating lights that seem to hint at a vague portrait of a mysterious face.

With light sculptures ranging from peaceful, rippling rhythms to restless, dynamic expressions, Villareal’s incandescent art creates an impressive surrounding

The xx ‘coexists’ with melodrama Intriguing rhythms and call/return vocals sound great for first half hour Erik Sateren ArtsEtc. Writer The cover of The xx’s sophomore album, Coexist, flaunts a brilliant “X.” This letter frames a beautiful, multicolored oil sheen, the result of two similar but fundamentally different liquids — oil and water — mixing into a whole but flawed assemblage doomed to never fully coalesce.

Coexist isn’t quite a breakup album, but it is a meditation on the difficulties two separate entities face when they attempt a life of coexistence.

Coexist is an album about love slowly falling apart. When the passion between two people begins to wither and wane, it’s often difficult to identify such subtle emotional changes. In “Unfold,” Oliver Sim wearily sings, “You move your hand away from mine / I take it as a sign,” as a reverberated guitar strums restrained chords in the distance.

Every phrase is subdued.

Sim and Romy Croft’s songwriting never expounds the act of breaking up. Instead, it paints a portrait of lovers heartbreakingly unable to comprehend the disintegration of their relationship.

“You leave with the tide and I can’t stop you leaving / I can see it in your eyes some things that lost their meaning,” sing Sim and

Croft in “Tides,” while nearly indiscernible percussion gives their observational lyrics a cold, ominous undertone.

The subtleties are worth noting: The subdued emotions expressed verbally are only accented by the minimal instrumentation that ebbs and flows throughout each song. At times, the instrumentation drops out completely, adding dire poignancy to the lyrics. This technique realized effectively in “Missing” when Sim concludes, “Now there’s no hope for you and me,” a statement followed by five seconds of goosebumpinducing silence before a guitar howls desperately and the song lurches on.

Given the subject matter, the effectiveness of Croft and Sim’s vocals is staggering. The two discuss heartache in a call-and-response exchange, like a man and woman in a relationship speaking to each other, confessing their suffering.

Yet the album remains awfully boring. The songs build no tension — strictly atmosphere. Subdued, minimalist music about disintegrating relationships isn’t always inherently boring, but The xx seem so intent on delving into their misery that their

Photo courtesy of Young Turks

Oliver Sim strikes a chord with his bass and fans, producing soft, minimalist grooves to dance and cry to. Check out the trademark “xx” stands in back. depressive introspection engulfs every song. As a result, listening to this album is like watching Jason Segel’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” cry through boxes of Kleenex after his girlfriend dumps him. His despair is so excessive it’s hilarious.

Coexist features The xx wallowing so gratuitously in their self-pity that what results is cringe-worthy melodrama and outright monotony. The album is the musical equivalent of listening to a teary friend explain their breakup: At first, you care and console; after 37 minutes of listening, you couldn’t be more bored.

What Coexist needs is a broader emotional spectrum. The group could learn from Beck, who created perhaps the greatest breakup album of all time with 2002’s Sea Change. On that album, songs such as “Sunday Sun” and “Guess I’m Doing Fine” created a powerful contrast to “Lonesome Tears” and “Already Dead.”

Sea Change is a horribly depressing album,

mostly because the more optimistic numbers work to make the depressing songs even more depressing.

The closest The xx get to upbeat is the funky guitar/ bass groove that ignites briefly into “Tides” — but Croft and Sim’s monotone vocals soon stagger over the top, negating any legitimate emotional dynamics. I admire Coexist for what it tries to be: a fusion of lovelorn music and lyrics meant to induce sadness.

But as a whole, the album is humdrum. If you’re a fan expecting xx part two or another “Crystalized,” look elsewhere. If you’re a fan of “Days of Our Lives,” then — just maybe — this album might be for you.

½

Coexist The xx

Photos courtesy of Leo Villareal and San Jose Museum of Art

Artist Leo Villareal examines his own works above, but may be viewing its thencurrent state for the last time. His art renders a unique composition for each viewer. that probes the foundational limits between perception and reality. If you have never been to MMoCA, I would implore you to visit this fantastic exhibit before Dec. 30, 2012, when the dreamy

lights of this exhibit shine for the last time.

Leo Villareal’s art and installations will be on display at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art through Dec. 30.

Comics

The Yahoo! Mail of News Reportage Noah J. Yuenkel comics@badgerherald.com

8

The Badger Herald | Comics | Thursday, September 13, 2012

WHAT IS THIS

SUDOKU

HERALD COMICS

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 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E and F. What? You still don’t get it? 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: The Exxon-Mobil of web publishing

HERALD COMICS

MADCAPS PRESENTS

K

A

K

U

R

O

baby@badgerherald.com

STEPHEN TYLER CONRAD

madcaps@badgerherald.com

MOLLY MALONEY

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.

C’EST LA MORT

paragon@badgerherald.com

PARAGON

The Kakuro Unique Sum Chart Cells Clue 2 3 2 4 2 16 2 17

DIFFICULTY RATING: The Wikipedia... of love

MOUSELY & FLOYD

NOAH J. YUENKEL

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 }

nyuenkel@badgerherald.com

BUNI

HERALD COMICS 1

pascle@badgerherald.com

RYAN PAGELOW

2

3

4

PRESENTS 5

6

7

8

9

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13

CROSSWORD medalist in

14

15

16

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21

gymnastics 21 Dog command

22

23

25 Playmakers?

24

26 Independent 25

RANDOM DOODLES

ERICA LOPPNOW

random@badgerherald.com

26

27

28

33

29

30

31

34

skypirate@badgerherald.com

actress 28 Tear apart,

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

old-style 29 In distress

44

30 Gulf moguls

46

47

COLLIN LA FLEUR

27 “Fame”

35

36

45

THE SKY PIRATES

32

48

49

50

51

31 “You betcha!”

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64

54

55

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YOUR COMIC

YOUR NAME

comics@badgerherald.com

32 Salmon variety 33 Spoil

47 Mini-terrors 49 Handle online

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test

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point 15 Caravan parking spot?

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specification 39 Be blue

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perhaps

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49 They usually park feature

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5 Rain man?

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6 Skateboard

add-ons

Get today’s puzzle solutions at badgerherald.com

Rocky the Herald Comics Raccoon™

While that wasn’t the most conventional of interior decorating methods, the fresh coat of vomit sure brightens up the place.

The Badger Herald | Sports | Thursday, September 13, 2012

FOOTBALL, from 10 people [have been] texting and saying ‘Michael this is your chance’ — I’m not trying to let it get to me.

But I’m excited, I’ve been waiting for this for a while.”

Secondary coach Ben Strickland said Trotter’s solid performance last week comes from the safety’s dedication to preparation before the game, specifically his study of film.

“Michael’s done a great job preparing, he always has,” Strickland said. “I think that’s why it was a kind of seamless transition for him to step into the game because he’s prepared for this for a long time. He’s one of the guys you always see in the film room, always see studying the game, so I think it comes easier to him and he uses that strength to his advantage.”

There are other reasons to believe Trotter could be a talented replacement.

Besides showing his intellect on and off the field — he was named academic all-Big Ten in 2011 — Trotter seriously competed during fall camp for the starting free safety spot and was a standout prep player at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, Wis., named the Wisconsin

VOLLEYBALL, from 10 wanted to shore that up defensively,” Waite said.

Senior middle blocker Mary Ording has led the pesky Badger defensive effort as she was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 1.44 blocks per set this past weekend as the team swept all three opponents to claim the InnTower Invitational.

Ording ranks fourth in the conference contributing 1.37 blocks per set, leading Wisconsin with six blocks against Drake and four stuffs against North Dakota State over the weekend.

The 6-foot 3-inch Ording admitted that middle blocker is a new position for her, and she relies on the support of her teammates as well as constant communication to boost her play.

“When we go up and swing, the back row is going to talk to us, give us shots, give us how many blockers [and] where the seam is,” Ording said. “The more talking, the better.”

Junior libero Annemarie Hickey also attributes the team’s defensive prowess to communication.

She currently tops the conference in digs per set with 5.17. She led the Big Ten in the same category last season and has recorded double-figure digs in 13 consecutive matches.

Hickey said adjusting to the opposing team’s offense combined with talking with the front row

ERICKSON, from 10 Sunday night when he fired offensive line coach Mike Markuson. Rather than continue to worry about Wisconsin’s play against Oregon State, it’s time to focus on the positives.

The Badgers gave up an unfortunate 354 yards of offense, but only 78 of those yards came on the ground and the defensive line put up a stout run defenses.

In fact, Wisconsin’s rushing defense is ranked 14th in the nation allowing an average of 59.5 rushing yards per game. That average also places them third in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (51 yards per game) and Michigan State (54.5 yards per game).

Purdue, who rounds out the top four, allows an average of 78.5 yards per game.

Once again, Wisconsin is among the Big Ten’s elite — but not in the way fans have grown used to over the past two years.

There’s plenty of season left for the Badgers to turn their offense around, but the rush defense’s current standing is a vast improvement over last year’s when it finished sixth in the conference.

Now the defensive line has yet to make good on its promise for more sacks this year (not a single d-lineman has collected one yet), but it

Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.

But there will still be a large void to fill with the injury to Johnson.

Besides being the fourth leading tackler on the team, Johnson also brought veteran leadership and experience with him to the secondary. Without their redshirt senior captain in the lineup, Southward will have to step in and become the new leader of the defensive backs.

“You have to take on that leadership,” Southward said. “It’s the next man in, you know? And I definitely look at myself as a guy who can take on that role. We like to call our safeties the ‘generals of the defense,’ mostly because the calls come from us on down to everyone else. I’m completely confident with that role because it’s something I prepare for — it’s something I know and I embrace and look forward to going out and being that guy.”

While Southward steps into the role of veteran and Trotter adjusts to life as a starter, the Badgers’ defense still remains desperately in need of a playmaker within their secondary. Wisconsin’s defense only gave up one touchdown to Oregon State

last weekend but has already allowed 541 passing yards.

On top of that, so far this season, each score through the air the defense has allowed has been a result of miscommunication.

Strickland hopes his two starting safeties understand the importance of the increased responsibilities they have now been given.

“With Michael and Dez, once you step into that role you have nine other guys counting on you,” Strickland said. “So you have to do your job. And I think that shared accountability is something all those guys feel and know that they have to make sure they hold up their end of the bargain.”

And even though he’s not physically able to play, Johnson has shown why he’s one of the captains of this team and a leader of the secondary, even when injured.

“I’m actually supposed to watch film with him right now,” Trotter said. “We’re going to meet today and tomorrow. He’s been really helpful. Yesterday I had a great practice, and today, they threw new stuff out there that I didn’t expect, so we’re going to meet right now and go over it and get it fixed. So, he’s really been helping out.”

can help strengthen the team’s defense as a whole.

“If you read the hitter well, you know where to go,” Hickey said. “If you have a good block setup, [that helps]. We had a great block over the past weekend, so that’s been really nice to work with.”

The defensive specialist earned all-tournament honors in the InnTower Invitational, amassing a total of 41 digs in nine sets. The Badgers as a team rank second in the conference with 16.87 digs per set.

Waite commented Hickey has never shied away from the opportunity to protect her side of the court.

“She’s gritty — nothing bothers her,” Waite said.

“She’s not afraid to sit there against the toughest attacker on any team.

She’s also very athletic. …

I think from last year to this year she’s becoming more disciplined, and she’s making more plays to both her right and her left and covering a lot of areas on the court.”

The Badgers have been balanced in their duty of digging the ball. Behind Hickey, sophomore defensive specialist Caroline Workman has contributed 2.38 digs per set, while sophomore defensive specialist Deme Morales has added 1.67 blocks per set.

According to Waite, versatility on defense has been an area of improvement for Wisconsin.

“We’re trying to get everybody really

comfortable going to the floor, making moves in seems, in what we call between players on defense, so they’re comfortable and aggressive in all of their playing,” Waite said.

Wisconsin have been able to keep its opponents to a lowly .144 hitting percentage this season compared to a .190 percentage last season.

The Badgers have a flawless 8-0 record this season when they have a higher hitting percentage than their opponent and haven’t lost a match this season when opponents hit under .200.

Hickey explained giving full effort in recovering balls has been crucial for giving opposing teams a difficult time orchestrating its offense.

“I don’t think ever that we have one person looking at another person to go for a ball,” Hickey said. “We’re all going for the ball at the same time.”

The leadership of upperclassmen has also factored into Wisconsin’s current six-match winning streak. Three of the Badger’s top four blockers are seniors combining for 3.21 blocks per set.

Ording said the chemistry of the front line has grown over the past four years, enabling the blockers to become more effective as a unit.

“It’s definitely clicking now because we know each other a little bit better, everybody has a little bit more experience with each other,” Ording said.

has a total of three tackles for loss so far this year for a total 20 yards. Of the defense’s 125 tackles so far this season, the defensive line has accounted for 22.

Oregon State’s offense manhandled Wisconsin — gaining an average 4.6 yards per play compared to UW’s 3.4 yards per play.

OSU also ran 77 plays to UW’s 61, equating to 35:35 to 24:25 advantage in time of possession.

But Oregon State only managed to score twice and once again, a credit to the defense for strong redzone play anchored by the defensive line.

And the plus side at this point in the season — with plenty of schedule time left, the defensive line can only expect to get better as they gain more experience.

As the defensive line showed consistent play, so too did the special teams, specifically freshman punter Drew Meyer.

Meyer has punted 11 times so far this season, seven of which occurred Saturday. Over those seven punts, Meyer averaged 39.9 yards a punt and six of those punts were waved off for a fair catch.

On the season, Meyer is averaging 40.5 yards per punt and has had one punt for more than 50 yards (51).

A season ago, senior punter Brad Nortman

punted only 48 times and averaged 40.5 yards per punt. This year, Meyer’s performance has earned the Badgers second place in the Big Ten, behind Purdue.

After years of Brad Nortman controlling Wisconsin’s punting game with such solid consistency, of course there was initial concern when a freshman was pegged to take over the job, even a redshirt freshman with zero game experience. But Meyer has confidently taken over the position and thrived in a position the Badgers’ offense would rather keep off the field.

Last year at this time, Russell Wilson was excelling under center and the Badgers looked unstoppable. Right now, last year is looking to be the exception rather than the rule in recent program history, including this year.

The Badgers certainly aren’t performing where they should be yet, but these few positives are the one bright spot going forward. Those bright spots may be small in number, but it’s better than nothing at all.

Kelly is a senior majoring in journalism. Still have high hopes for the Badgers? Let her know at kerickson@ badgerherald.com or send her a tweet @kellymerickson.

9

O’Bryan provides UW golf with youthful boost Reid Magnum Sports Writer Wisconsin men’s golf standout Thomas O’Bryan has the classic golf story.

He first picked up a club at the age of five and went out with his father and grandfather to learn the game.

His father, who played at Tennessee, has always been there for him.

“My grandpa, my dad and I have always played together, and those are some of my best memories, playing with those two guys,” O’Bryan said.

He credits his dad for helping him not only learn the game, but also helping him with many of the decisions he has made involving golf.

O’Bryan started playing competitively around the age of 10 and went on to a great high school career.

He was the first four-year golf letter winner at his high school and a threetime team MVP. He grabbed AllConference honors in 2010, and his high school career culminated with winning the 2011 Illinois State Class 3A Boy’s State Golf Individual Championship in a twohole playoff against his friend Nick Robles, who now plays at Illinois.

“It was so nervewracking, but for some reason I had this unusual calmness about me the whole time,” O’Bryan said.

Now a sophomore at UW, he has a strong ability to keep things in perspective to deal with the pressure. After losing a friend before his final high school season, the nerves before a big tournament were no longer so daunting.

“Every time I felt a little nervous, I was thinking about how I was going to

do it for him,” he said. “He was there walking around with me, so I owe a lot to him.”

O’Bryan had offers to play golf at other colleges, but he ultimately chose Wisconsin, allured by the beauty and vibe of the campus. And once he checked out the facilities and met head coach Michael Burcin and assistant coach Bryant Odom, it was an easy choice.

At UW, O’Bryan found success almost immediately.

As a freshman last year, he led the Badgers in scoring in two tournaments.

“As far as buying in to what we want to do, Thomas has been spectacular,” Burcin said.

“The difference in his game from a year ago … you can’t imagine how much different it was.”

But it’s not all about scorecards with O’Bryan, who says he wants to play the game the right way and last year won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Each team nominates a player from their team to be chosen for the award.

Since the nomination is made by the players and coaches, O’Bryan said he was surprised he received it as a freshman. But it also showed his coach and teammates took notice of how he carried himself.

“I just try to go out there and … be as respectful as possible at every tournament,” O’Bryan said. “I think any one of the guys on the team could have had it just because we have such a great group of guys. I was really honored to be representing the team.”

“He is just a great guy, a good human being,” teammate and fifth-year senior Chris Meyer said.

“He is a great teammate, a

great guy to be around. He is one of those guys that you want to see make it, and cheer for.”

The Badgers’ season gets underway this Saturday at Wolf Run Golf Club in Zionsville, Ind., and according to O’Bryan, the team’s goals are clear. Foremost among those goals is making the NCAA regionals, and O’Bryan says “anything can happen” if they reach that stage.

While the Aurora, Ill., native still has two years of eligibility left after this season, there are still times when he can’t help but think about life after college.

“One of my teammates, Chris Meyer, is going to turn pro after this year, and just listening to the way he’s talking about it just gets me really excited,” O’Bryan said.

“Maybe one day I can do that too.”

And Meyer certainly believes in him.

“He has a lot of potential more than anything, and he is a young guy and has a good work ethic and that’s always a good combination,” Meyer, who had the third-lowest stroke average on the team last season, said. “He has a good amount of time to get ready [for the pros], and I think it will be a good move for him as long as he keeps working hard, which I’m sure he will.”

The future looks bright for O’Bryan, but he is quick to share the credit — particularly with his older, more experienced teammates who extended a guiding hand in his first year playing for Wisconsin. “[The older players] really took me under their wing, and I don’t think I could have done any of this without them,” he said.

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Sports Editor Ian McCue sports@badgerherald.com

10 | Sports | Thursday, September 13, 2012

SPORTS

Safeties ready for increased roles Trotter replaces injured Johnson, Southward eyes leadership role Nick Korger Sports Content Editor One play.

That’s all it took this past Saturday for redshirt sophomore Michael Trotter to go from backup to starting strong safety on the Wisconsin defense.

While battling in the third quarter of last week’s loss to Oregon State, starting strong safety Shelton Johnson went to fill in on a run play, but was struck in the arm by a teammate’s helmet on the tackle, breaking Johnson’s arm in the process.

Trotter, the backup to both starting safeties, was suddenly thrust into Johnson’s spot in the secondary. But Trotter took the event in stride, mainly because he was prepared to play for another safety before Johnson went down.

“Actually, [starting free safety Dezmen Southward] kind of banged up his ankle so they told me I might get in,” Trotter said. “So I was like, oh, this is my chance. …

I was just excited to get out there.”

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

With starting strong saftey and redshirt senior captain Shelton Johnson out of the starting lineup because of a broken hand, free saftey Dezmen Southward (12) is focused on stepping into an increased leadership role.

And even though it wasn’t Southward he ended up replacing, Trotter made the most of his chance as a starter. Showing a good burst of speed on a called safety blitz, Trotter showed

off his athleticism and recorded a key sack on third down — all within his first minutes of playing time.

Not bad for a player who only played 25 total snaps a season ago.

While some young players may have come into a hostile road game with big eyes, Trotter was able to tune out any nerves he had.

Now the starting strong safety for the immediate

future — Johnson is projected to be out up to six weeks — the Badgers’ newest starter is just happy to have a chance to show his talents.

“Against Oregon State,

when it was my first time going out there, I didn’t go out there like ‘oh my god,’” Trotter said. “It wasn’t like that. Obviously a lot of

FOOTBALL, page 9

Despite loss, it’s not all bad Kelly Erickson Erickson the Red

Jen Small The Badger Herald

Wisconsin has been a considerable boost in the blocks by the solid play of senior Mary Ording (13), who currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 1.37 blocks per set.

Defense spurs UW to fast start Lee Gordon Volleyball Writer Although it is often overshadowed by the visually stunning blows of the offensive sluggers on the front line, the

defense of the Wisconsin volleyball team has been a substantial reason for the team’s strong start to the season.

Defense hasn’t always been the Badgers’ forte (8-1 this season). Last year,

the team posted just 2.4 blocks per set, while this year it has accrued 2.98, leading the Big Ten in that category.

Head coach Pete Waite has credited the team’s improvement to a

renewed sense of focus and effort on defense.

“Our blocking is something that in the past we’ve had some deficiencies, and we

VOLLEYBALL, page 9

When it comes to the sports I cover, I never like to make predictions.

People will ask me my thoughts on how the team looks for the coming season, and while I readily give an answer, once they start asking where I think that team will finish, I immediately refuse to answer or give a very conservative answer at the very least.

During the summer, when the football season was quickly approaching, I started to get such questions, and I always maintained the Badgers should at least get to the Big Ten Championship game. But now even those thoughts may be just out of reach.

There’s no looking past it: The Badgers trip to Corvallis, Ore., wasn’t pretty.

With the offense stalling and ugly play after ugly play, Wisconsin simply looked lost and completely unWisconsin like.

The Badgers certainly can’t give such a poor performance again — otherwise they won’t make it to the Big Ten Championship Game, much less survive the season. So while I was already predicting the potential pitfalls that await Wisconsin Football further down the schedule, the play of the defensive line and the special teams left a little bit of hope inside the Pandora’s box that Wisconsin transformed into last Saturday.

Us media members can easily blow a situation like Saturday out of proportion — but I think head coach Bret Bielema took care of that

ERICKSON, page 9