2012.10.25

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THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIV, Issue 35

Thursday, October 25, 2012

www.badgerherald.com

Senate race attack ads focus on 9/11 Thompson says Baldwin voted against bill honoring victims; Baldwin calls ad “disgrace” Noah Goetzel Herald Contributor

Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

College Democrats Chair Chris Hoffman addresses the crowd and his opponents in a debate with College Republicans and others Wednesday night. The event drew a crowd of about 70.

Students spar in debate Tim Hadick Reporter Groups of University of Wisconsin student Democrats and Republicans clashed over several topics relating to the upcoming presidential election Wednesday night. Hosted by the Bipartisan Issues Group and the Alexander Hamilton Society, students were treated to pizza and politics as four representatives from each opposing organization argued for their respective presidential candidates. Moderated by UW political science professor Donald Downs, the debate allowed each side two minutes to explain its position on a set of topics,

followed by time for discussion across tables. Each side then answered related questions the audience tweeted at them during the event. College Republicans Chair Jeff Snow began the debate by questioning President Barack Obama’s leadership abilities and emphasizing the importance of the November election. “This election will say a lot about the country we are and the country we want to become,” Snow said shortly before endorsing former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass. Chair of College Democrats Chris Hoffman highlighted the progress Obama has made in his first term in his

introduction and said the president’s focus on directly influencing the middle class will help boost the economy. When a member of College Democrats criticized Romney for focusing on helping the top 10 percent of U.S. earners, College Republican Treasurer Dan Shanahan argued that cutting taxes on those earners would promote job growth. Shanahan said the middle class needs to first gain jobs before it can gain money to spend in the economy. The debate soon moved onto education, a hotbutton issue in this election cycle. College Democrats of Wisconsin Second Vice

Chair Zach Wood strongly opposed Romney’s promise to cut funding to education. “If you’re legitimately concerned about our children’s future, cutting education is the last thing to do,” Wood said. Both sides were able to voice their opinions on other topics, including health care, foreign policy, the deficit and the economy. Many points and discussion questions spurred factual disputes between the groups, often resulting in laughter from the audience of about 70. The chairs of both groups ended the debate by reiterating the importance of voting but remained

DEBATE, page 2

The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have become a new point of contention in Wisconsin’s heated U.S. Senate race, with both campaigns claiming in media advertisements their opponent does not care about those most impacted by the attack. Former Gov. Tommy Thompson’s campaign drew first blood Tuesday by attacking opponent Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, for voting against a 2006 bill to honor Sept. 11 victims. Baldwin’s campaign responded Wednesday with an attack ad of its own that calls Thompson’s ad a “disgrace.” The ad goes on to say Baldwin voted in support of Sept. 11 victims multiple times and accuses Thompson of profiting $3 million from a federal bill to provide health care to first responders from the attack. The Thompson campaign released a statement touting the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association’s support for him. “Tommy’s record as a governor speaks for itself,” MPFFA President Dave Seager said in the statement. “Tommy has always been consistent in his support for us during his tenure as governor and Health and Human Services Secretary, and I know he will be in the future as a U.S. Senator.” Thompson “would have

4:30-6:30 p.m. Design Summit II

H.F. DeLuca Forum Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery

Despite being below U.S. average, data shows increase in UW System women Herald Contributor Although the number of female faculty on University of Wisconsin campuses still hangs below the national average, their presence has been on the rise over the past several years, according to this year’s UW System Fact Book. According to the data, the percentage of women in UW System faculty has increased from 36.4 percent in the 2007-2008 academic year to 38.7 percent for the 2011-2012 academic year. The data also shows in 2011, the percentage of women represented in faculty as well as non-instructional staff, classified staff, graduate students and other administrators was at just more than 50 percent. UW System spokesperson David Giroux said although the longstanding history of inequality in higher education has not been completely solved, he believes the UW System has opened many doors for opportunity that are headed in the right direction. Giroux said as a father of three daughters, he is “encouraged” women are pursuing higher education. Teresa O’Halloran, an assistant to the chancellor for affirmative

action at UW-Eau Claire, said UW-Eau Claire has a staff comprised 39.7 percent of women. However, she said this figure is still below the national average, which according to Catalyst, a nonprofit advocating for women in the workplace, is 45.5 percent at bachelor’s degree institutions. O’Halloran said UW-Eau Claire has a traditionally worse retention of female faculty over a period of 10 years in comparison with male faculty. Regarding the trend of poor female staff retention, O’Halloran said a campus climate survey on UW-Eau Claire’s website aiming to gauge opinions on the school’s atmosphere showed 18 percent of employees with children felt as though they were perceived as being less committed to their careers. O’Halloran said one of the missions of the survey is to explore whether the UW System is able to “serve the needs of women, minority, disadvantaged, disabled and non-traditional students and seek racial and ethnic diversification of the student body and the professional faculty and staff.” She said they also

FEMALE FACULTY, page 2

9/11 ADS, page 2

EVENTS today

Female-male split in faculty evening Alice Coyne

been the first in line” to sign the legislation in question if he had been presented it, Seager said. In the statement, Thompson said he was “honored” to have their endorsement and said he would always be a “vocal advocate” for public safety workers and ensure they have the proper resources. According to FactCheck. org, Baldwin did vote against the 2006 bill commemorating the attacks’s fifth anniversary, along with Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and 21 other Democrats in Congress. The site says both ads fail to note the GOP-drafted bill also “politicized” the anniversary by supporting the Patriot Act and antiimmigration legislation that many Democrats opposed. University of Wisconsin political science professor David Canon agreed with FactCheck.org’s description of Thompson’s ad as “false and vicious.” Canon said Baldwin was faced with a “Catch-22” when she voted against the 2006 bill. Cannon said the ad was completely inappropriate because it distorted why Baldwin voted against the bill. “It’s really a classic no-win situation when something is structured that way,” Canon said. “You have to be in the position of voting for something that you’re against when you combine things like that in a bill.”

6:30-8:30 p.m. Homecoming Trivia Night Great Hall Memorial Union

7:30 p.m. Fall Film Series on Colombia

Fall Fun

206 Ingraham Hall

As Halloween weekend approaches, students carve pumpkins on campus Wednesday afternoon. Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

University Affairs Committee to establish new safety forum ASM body unveils plans for formal meetings with UW, students, university Dana Bossen Reporter The Associated Students of Madison University Affairs Committee unveiled its plans to establish a regular forum to discuss students’ concerns about safety on campus at a meeting Wednesday night. An ASM statement said the body will begin holding formal meetings with campus police, the university, the press and student leaders to address campus safety. Madison Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, and Ald. Mike Verveer,

District 4, reached out to student government about involving student leaders in campus safety discussions following a campus safety forum in September. According to the statement, Resnick and Verveer both felt there should be an increase in regular discussions concerning campus safety in a manner similar to those held at the Campus Safety Forum. “Resnick and Verveer have reached out to make a partnership with ASM to ensure that campus safety will continuously be discussed,” ASM University Affairs Chair Becca Buell said. Buell said she met with Resnick Tuesday to discuss increasing communication between students on campus and city officials. She said they talked

© 2012 BADGER HERALD

about creating a shared governance group that would include both Resnick and Verveer, University of Wisconsin police, city police and “specific” representatives from student organizations. ASM Press Office Director David Gardner said after the campus safety forum, some stakeholders expressed concerns students were not always a part of the decisions made by campus safety officials. Gardner said as discussions of campus safety moved forward, people were also concerned the actions being taken regarding campus safety were very reactive. He said students worried actions were often being taken in reaction to something that had already happened.

SAFETY FORUM, page 2

9:30-11:30 p.m. WUD Film Presents: “Water for Elephants” The Marquee Union South

INSIDE Abstract city art finds home at UW UW MFA Candidate Galen GibsonCornell explores European scenes through mixed media in Union South

ARTS | 5

Burke finds home in Madison Women’s hockey writer Caroline Sage profiles stand-out freshman defender and her traveling youth

SPORTS | 10

Soglin sends the homeless packing A recently proposed and highly controversial travel fund would provide one-way bus tickets for homeless people

OPINION | 4


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