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THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIV, Issue 90
Monday, March 11, 2013
www.badgerherald.com
Bill to allow bars to sue underagers Polo Rocha Senior Legislative Editor A Republican-sponsored bill introduced Thursday would allow bars and other alcohol vendors to sue underage patrons on their premises in an effort to reduce the number of underage drinkers at bars and target the state’s “drinking culture.”
The bill would allow bars to sue underage drinkers for $1,000 plus other legal fees. The bill’s author, Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, said such a bill would reduce underage drinkers at bars but also help protect bars that let them in unknowingly. Sen. Neal Kedzie, R-Elkhorn, who is sponsoring a companion bill in the state
Senate, echoed the sentiment. “The fact of the matter is, we have a drinking culture in this state,” Kedzie said. “This won’t stop somebody from drinking off premises in a dorm room or a house, but if they try to go out and defraud a legal operator, there are consequences.” Underage people in bars can currently only face
penalties from police, with fines anywhere between $250 and $1,000, according to a Legislative Reference Bureau analysis. As those with fewer offenses often pay less in fines, Kedzie characterized the current law as a “slap on the wrist.” The new bill, however, would let bars charge underage patrons $1,000 plus
currently defend themselves if someone younger lies about their age or shows a fake identification card. “There’s still responsibility [for bars] to do their best to determine when people are presenting false IDs and not letting people go past,” Kedzie said.
legal fees if they win in court, regardless of whether police cited the individual with an underage violation. If the person is under 18, bars would be able to sue the parent or legal guardian. Bar owners would remain responsible for ensuring they only let in 21-year-olds and older, Kedzie said. According to the bureau, bars can
UNDERAGE, page 4
Campus Arts College in early development Julia Skulstad Senior Campus Editor
Rain, rain go away Madison residents find creative ways to deal with the rainy weather, using cardboard boxes as makeshift umbrellas. Andy Fate The Badger Herald
University of Wisconsin administrators are in the early stages of developing a plan for a College of the Arts, which would provide a more cohesive and centralized home for the arts on campus. According to University Committee Chair Mark Cook, the arts are currently split between the School of Education, the College of Letters and Science and the School of Human Ecology. With the arts spread across multiple schools, Cook said the current structure presents a management problem, as a single dean does not represent the arts in their entirety In addition to many other benefits, the formation of a College of the Arts would address this issue, he said.
“It’s thought that creating a College of the Arts would be much more visible on campus instead of a structure divided through three colleges on campus,” Cook said. “There is not a unified arts structure [at UW] that is driving a core degree in arts.” Norma Saldivar, executive director of the UW Arts Institute and a theatre professor, said in an email to The Badger Herald the proposal for the college includes the unification of the School of Music, the Art Department, the Dance Department and the Department of Theatre and Drama. The college would have 110-120 faculty members and would be the sixth largest college at UW, Cook said. Saldivar said the college would have a student body
of approximately 1,100. A unified college would bring faculty, students, staff and curriculum closer together in order to reduce barriers and increase opportunities for connection and innovation, Saldivar said. Cook added having a central and unified College of the Arts would also have financial implications for the university’s programs as it would likely increase the philanthropic and grant funds used to support arts on campus. According to Saldivar, however, such a proposal is not new to UW and has been in discussion since the establishment of the UW Arts Consortium in 1976. Although efforts to improve coordination and advocacy for the arts on campus have been
ARTS COLLEGE, page 2
Walker’s signature ends two-year mining bill debate Noah Goetzel State Politics Editor A single vote in the state Senate ended a legislative debate spanning more than two years and paved the way for iron mining in Wisconsin to resume after a nearly 30year hiatus. The goal of the bill, originally introduced in December 2011, was to partner with other mining operations in the state and return environmentally sound mining to Wisconsin, according to Charlie Bellin, a spokesperson for Rep. Mary Williams, R–Medford. According to Bellin, while the state is a home to the nation’s only two mining
manufacturers, Wisconsin regulations prevented companies from receiving a mining permit. The bill passed through the Assembly in January 2011 with more than 60 percent of representatives voting to approve the bill. However, the Senate rejected the contentious bill by a vote of 17-16 that March. Sixty-two Republican state legislators reintroduced the bill in January 2013. After an expedited process of pushing the bill forward, the Joint Committee on Finance approved the mining legislation Feb. 25, which squeaked through the Senate by a vote of 17-16 for the bill.
MINING BILL TIMELINE March 6, 2012 Senate rejects original bill by just one vote, due to a crucial vote of opposition from Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, the sole legislator to vote across party lines.
December 14, 2011 Committee on Jobs, Economy and Small Business introduces mining bill.
January 26, 2012 Assembly passes mining bill by a vote of 60-36 after representatives propose eight amendments.
January 8, 2013 Fifty-three representatives and nine senators, all Republicans, introduce a new version of the mining bill with amendments they said would increase environmental protection.
November 6, 2012 Republican Party takes control of one more seat in state Senate. Lead author of newly approved mining bill Tom Tiffany, R– Hazelhurst, fills vacant seat.
MINING, page 2
February 27, 2013 The Senate approves bill by a vote of 17-6. March 7, 2013 Assembly votes in favor of bill 58-39.
Campus continues safe nighttime transportation search Groups promote SAFEwalk, city ordinance allowing cabs on State Street after SAFEcab program ends Allie Johnson City Life Editor After the decision was made to end the SAFEcab program last year, groups across campus are promoting a new city ordinance that allows private cabs more access to the State Street area late at night. The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee voted to cut the SAFEcab service at the end of last spring semester. The service was funded partly through segregated fees and partly through UW Transportation Services, she said. Shared Governance Committee Britt Moes
said ASM felt the cab service was expensive and underutilized. The committee had to pick services to cut and chose those not generating as much use from students. Darwin Ward, manager of UW Transportation Services commuter solutions, said the cab program was always a “last resort” option. “The number of cabs allowed per semester per student was very limited, so it never could have formed the main portion of nighttime transportation for an individual,” he said. To make up for the loss of SAFEcab, the Madison city council passed an ordinance early last semester allowing taxi cabs to provide service
on the 500 block of State Street between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. City council members felt it was in the best interest of the city to allow cabs to cruise specific parts of the street during prime night life hours to provide a safe alternative mode of transportation for students, Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said. Resnick said the ordinance has made it easier to diffuse late night situations on State Street and clear out the area after bars close. The ordinance also allows for students to get home immediately after they leave the bars in the same way SAFEcab did, he said. “[The ordinance] allows
students greater access to cabs,” Resnick said. “I believe downtown is safer with the ordinance in place.” Moes said many students were initially unhappy with the decision to eliminate the service, although it is a less frequently discussed issue now. In response to student concerns about eliminating SAFEcab, ASM began working with UW Transportation Services to reincorporate the service into the budget during last semester. However, progress has been stagnant on making this a reality, Moes said. According to Ward, it is up to the discretion of the student government to
© 2013 BADGER HERALD
decide whether to reinstate the service or not. “I don’t foresee [SAFEcab] happening,” Moes said. “Seg fees would have to increase in order for it to be put in the budget.” As for the future of nighttime transportation, Moes said ASM is working to ensure other late night options for students are not also cut from the budget. Lighted walkways and campus buses are main priorities for ASM, she added. She said it is important to keep the buses running because they are the mode of transportation most frequently used by students to get home. More students
SAFECAB, page 2
March 11, 2013 Gov. Scott Walker signs bill into law.
INSIDE Brew it in your bedroom Homebrewing, an inexpensive way to create delicious beer at home, finds community roots in Madison.
ARTS | 6
Shakura, Shakura: her hips don’t lie Henry Vilas Zoo adds a new resident, a two-year-old lion cub, to their popular exhibit.
NEWS | 2