THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIV, Issue 24
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
www.badgerherald.com
Walker aide makes deal Polo Rocha State Legislative Editor A second former staffer of Gov. Scott Walker has reached a guilty plea deal with prosecutors that would be finalized Thursday in court pending approval from the judge. Kelly Rindfleisch, Walker’s deputy chief of staff when he was Milwaukee County
executive, agreed with the prosecution she would plead guilty to four felony counts of illegally campaigning on state time. Milwaukee County Court records show Rindfleisch was scheduled to appear in a jury trial Monday, but those records are now updated to show a plea hearing at 1:30
WALKER, page 4
Freshman class breaks size record Despite enrollment decrease across UW System, Madison sees increased Class of ‘16 Lauren Tubbs Reporter While the University of Wisconsin System experienced a minor decline in overall enrollment this fall, the University of Wisconsin saw an increase in its enrollment from the 201112 school year. According to a UW statement, the 2012-13 freshman class added to this enrollment increase by qualifying as UW’s largest incoming class ever with 6,279 new students. Provost Paul DeLuca said the large size of the freshman class can be attributed to two main causes, the first being improved graduation programs that help students
graduate from the university faster. “The overall graduation environment here has improved,” DeLuca said. “This allows us to admit more applicants.” DeLuca added the second reason for a larger freshman class is UW and the city of Madison are attractive to students looking for the right place to go to college. According to DeLuca, Madison’s status as an appealing city for students and UW’s competitive admission process keeps the university’s enrollment level. “We are a very attractive place with a very competitive admission process so we tend to deal
FRESHMAN, page 4
Jen Small The Badger Herald
A recent Madison ordinance has outlawed panhandling, specifically on the 500 block of State Street. ACLU alleges the measure is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment.
ACLU fights panhandling ban Members allege city ordinance restricts speech, violates the Constitution Camille Albert City Hall Editor The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin urged Madison to repeal an ordinance banning panhandling on State Street and around the Capitol Square on constitutional grounds. Madison’s City Council passed an ordinance Sept. 18 that banned panhandling within 25 feet of ATMs, sidewalk
cafés, intersections, alcohol establishments and the downtown business district. This ordinance was targeted specifically at State Street and received support from all but one member of the City Council. ACLU of Wisconsin Senior Staff Attorney Karyn Rotker said in a letter to Mayor Paul Soglin and City Council members if officials refuse to repeal the ordinance, ACLU will
consider all its legal options to move forward. ACLU spokesperson Stacy Harbaugh said the ordinance is unconstitutional because it bans a certain form of speech. Furthermore, Harbaugh said, panhandlers are not the only ones impacted by this ordinance. Salvation Army bellringers and other similar organizations will be prohibited from asking
for donations in the downtown area. “What’s important to remember is the First Amendment is one of our strongest protections for free speech, and what the government has to do is weigh the interest of the government to maintain order and the right of people to have free speech,” Harbaugh said. The main reason the ordinance violates free
ACLU, page 5
Pulitzer winner speaks on campus Tara Golshan Campus Hall Editor Journalist, activist and Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas spoke to his “double coming out” as part of a lecture series in commemoration to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month. Vargas, an openly gay man and undocumented immigrant, shared his own story of self-acceptance to a crowd at the Pyle Center Tuesday in an effort to show the parallels between the two identity questions. According to Gabriel
Javier, assistant dean of students and director of the LGBT Campus Center, the complexity of stories like Vargas’ shows the spectrum of identity questions and ultimately strengthen the LGBT community. Vargas, who said he was very drawn to the idea of the “American identity,” moved from the Philippines to California in 1993 and did not know of his “undocumented” status until 1997, when he was 16. According to Vargas, reconciling this “identity intersection” of being both gay and undocumented proved to be difficult.
He added the Defense of Marriage Act, a Clinton-era law that the government no longer enforces, made being undocumented more burdensome. “My whole life I have looked, felt and internalized being an outsider,” Vargas said. “Because of all of this baggage, feeling [of] sense of pride and owning who I am and everything I am has always been a challenge.” Today, Vargas, as an openly undocumented immigrant and acclaimed journalist who has worked for such publications as the Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Rolling
Stone and The New York Times Magazine, said he has decided to use his network to raise awareness and educate the nation about immigration. According to Vargas, the discussion on immigration and race has barely started in the U.S. and is one with questions rooted deeply in the nation history. Vargas said the topic goes back to the basic terminology of “undocumented immigrant” versus “illegal alien.” “It is a pejorative and
VARGAS, page 2
Jen Small The Badger Herald
Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Vargas spoke to a packed room Tuesday evening, discussing LGBT and immigrants’ rights.
Open Mic Night spices up Each Tuesday night at 8 p.m., Memorial Union’s Rathskeller hosts Open Mic Night for amateur singers and musicians to take a stab at the music scene. Brooke Curry jams on a guitar to a small crowd, channeling her inner Spice Girl during the event. Jen Small The Badger Herald
INSIDE Campaigns heat up across the country as Election Day nears Both presidential and Senate races intensify in barrages of advertisements that attack the opposition on issues like college affordability.
NEWS | 5
Battle of the Bands storms Madison, UW campus The city of Madison and Freakfest producers host a competition whose winner will take the stage alongside Halloween’s musical lineup.
NEWS | 2
Really clever, edgy costume ideas everyone will love. While most news sources will tell you what costumes to wear this year, we’ll tell you which ones not to wear. Thank us later; we’re here to help.
ARTS | 10 © 2012 BADGER HERALD