THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIV, Issue 81
Thursday, February 21, 2013
www.badgerherald.com
Plan to replace bar disclosed Developer finalizes proposal for mixed use project at Stadium Bar location Allie Johnson City Life Editor
Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald
Gov. Scott Walker gave his biennial budget address Wednesday night, calling for a $343 million income tax cut, education reform and a $181 million investment in the UW System.
Walker unveils budget In address, governor asks for $343 million in income tax cuts, $181 million for UW System Polo Rocha Senior Legislative Editor Gov. Scott Walker called for a $343 million income tax cut, education reform and economic development initiatives in his biennial budget address Wednesday. Walker said his top priority remains improving
the economy, touting the differences from when he took office two years ago: a budget surplus this year after a $3.6 billion deficit in 2011 and a roughly one point drop in the unemployment rate. “Our tough but prudent decisions two years ago put us in the position to further reduce the tax burdens of our
citizens while still investing in all our priorities,” Walker said. Walker said his $630 million in total tax cuts, as well as his plan to keep property tax rates low, would “truly stimulate the economy.” But Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said Walker’s “definition of the middle class” was wrong, so
his income tax cuts are more beneficial to higher-income earners. Walker called for venture capital funding and increases in transportation and mental health funding. He also proposed that school aid be based more on performance
BUDGET, page 5
A Minneapolis-based real estate company released its final proposal for the apartment building slated to replace the Stadium Bar Wednesday. The Opus Group’s proposed apartment building is a mixed-use project that will be located at 1419 Monroe St., a space the Stadium Bar currently occupies, according to Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5. It will be a six-story building, with the first floor allocated for commercial space and the upper five stories for apartments, she said. According to BidarSielaff, the building will contain 72 apartment units in total, ranging from studio to four-bedroom apartments. The first floor will have two available retail spaces, one with outdoor seating, she said. Bidar-Sielaff said the building is particularly targeted towards students. “I think [the new building] will create more student rental units that are not available in that area right now,” BidarSielaff said. “I am also hopeful it will provide additional businesses on
the bottom floor that will be more student focused.” Ald. Sue Ellingson, District 13, said she believes the building seemed like a responsible and worthwhile proposal. She said the tight location of the building is particularly significant. In general, density is a good thing, Ellingson said. Density means there are more people living closer to work or school, so they can bike, bus or walk, instead of driving, she said. Ellingson added the inclusion of commercial space has the opportunity to create more jobs in the area. Supporting jobs is a positive thing, she said. However, Ellingson said her constituents expressed concern over the loss of the Stadium Bar when they first heard of the proposal. Students like the Stadium Bar and the sand volleyball courts, Ellingson said. However, students need to understand this is a private transaction, and the business is not objecting to the sale, she said. “It’s unfortunate that students will lose what is a pretty good gathering place, but the city doesn’t have any control over that,”
PLAN, page 4
University to offer first open, free online classes Noah Goetzel State Politcs Editor In an effort to keep pace with continuously advancing educational technology, the University of Wisconsin announced Wednesday it will offer four massive, open online courses, two of which
will start this fall. The experimental pilot program will be part of a higher education delivery system geared toward expanding courses to new spaces, according to Jeff Russell, vice provost of Lifelong Learning and dean of UW’s Division of Continuing Studies.
Wisconsin and 28 other other universities worldwide have partnered with Coursera, an online education provider that offers the massive open online courses, according to the statement. These four courses will be free to students, and an unlimited number of participants can enroll,
regardless of whether they are students, according to a UW statement. However, none of the classes will count for credit yet, Russell noted. These MOOCs will not inhibit funding for other educational innovations or campus initiatives, the UW statement added. Interim Chancellor
David Ward launched the university’s Education Innovation endeavor last year to evolve academic programming through cutting-edge technology to provide educational alternatives. “MOOCs are a means to increase the range of ways we can offer education to
learners,” Ward said in a statement. “The future of learning is connecting with people where they are at – increasingly, those places are online.” The statement added these new courses will include: “More than a High Score:
ONLINE CLASSES, page 4
MPD investigates wave of campus area robberies Woman reports fourth similar strongarmed incident on North Brooks Street Allie Johnson City Life Editor A string of strongarmed robberies near the University of Wisconsin campus continued with the robbery of a Madison woman Tuesday night. A 20-year-old female was walking down North Brooks Street at 10:43 p.m. when she noticed a dark-colored vehicle slowly driving behind her, according to a Madison Police Department statement. A man first approached the victim and asked for the date and time, the statement said. After giving the suspect the requested information, the victim continued walking, the statement said. According to the statement, the victim then reported hearing someone running up behind her and reaching into her pockets. After struggling with the first suspect, a second male appeared on the scene, pulled her to the ground and took her cell phone, the statement said. Three strong-armed robberies of a similar nature occurred Monday night on Dayton Street, Milton Street and Randall Street, according to
another MPD statement. No injuries were reported in any of the four incidents, the statement said. According to MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain, the description of the vehicle, the mode of operating, the time and proximity of the incidents link the cases to the same perpetrators. The victims in all four cases were targeted, DeSpain said. The three suspects were patrolling the off-campus housing areas looking for collegeage people walking alone at night, he said. The suspects were described by all victims as relatively tall males wearing dark clothing, according to the statement. The victims in the robberies on N. Brooks, Milton and Randall Streets reported one of the suspects had long, braided hair, the statement said. DeSpain also said the victims described the getaway car as a darkcolored, four door and older model vehicle slightly resembling an old police car. In one case, only one suspect
ROBBERY, page 4
Madison man robbed on W. Gilman Street Wednesday Allie Johnson City Life Editor A Madison resident was robbed at his apartment near the University of Wisconsin campus early Wednesday morning. The incident occurred at 2:14 a.m. in an apartment on the 100 block of W. Gilman Street, according to a Madison Police Department statement. A 20-year-old male reported a male suspect entered his apartment armed with a handgun, the statement said. The first suspect ordered the victim to the ground, while a second male suspect entered the apartment and took money and electronic equipment, the statement said. The victim did not sustain any injuries in the process of the robbery, the statement said. According to MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain, typically
GILMAN, page 4
Andy Fate The Badger Herald
Aron Ralston, who survived a canyoneering accident in 2003 in which he had to cut his right arm off, spoke to about 700 attendees at Union South. Ralston is portrayed by James Franco in the film “127 Hours,” and in his talk he jokingly apologized for not being the famous actor.
Man known for surviving 127 hours alone, cutting arm off speaks at UW Muge Niu Higher Education Editor A half-ton boulder had him in a death grip. For 127 hours, his only options were to sever his right arm with a dull pocketknife or to stand and wait on a three-foot-wide space in a remote canyon in southern Utah, on his grave.
© 2013 BADGER HERALD
Aron Ralston told his story about perseverance, courage and commitment to over 700 people at Union South’s Varsity Hall Wednesday, as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series program put on by the Wisconsin Union. “It’s a story that doesn’t need much embellishment,”
said Elana Orbuch, a University of Wisconsin junior who attended the event. Ralston became known for having survived a canyoneering accident in 2003 during which he had to cut off his right arm and
127 HOURS, page 4