2012.02.09 by The Badger Herald

EARLY DISCUSSION KEY TO MIFFLIN The Editorial Board suggests the city and students work together to prevent another disaster OPINION 5

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

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Ward requests local advisory boards Chancellors say System schools could approach unique situations Mike Kujak State Legislature Editor University of Wisconsin System chancellors asked for the creation of local advisory boards to improve communications with the Board of Regents at the third meeting of Special Task Force on

University of Wisconsin Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities yesterday. UW Interim Chancellor David Ward and UWMilwaukee Chancellor Michael Lovell said the creation of local advisory boards would allow campuses to deal with the unique sets of circumstances and complex revenue stream problems they face. “I hope this spring will be about how we can maximize individual advantages of each campus

to create new value,” Ward said. “Old systems have a one size fits all. Having a wide variety of institutions is critical, and while I’m not sure we got our hands around [this issue] last spring, I hope we can do it in this encounter.” Under their proposal, the boards would inform the chancellor about advocacy approaches and work with upper level management at the university in strategic planning efforts. Ward said the groups would not only consist of local advocacy members,

but also include Board of Regents members. He said this would enhance the relationship between what occurs at the campus level and what happens at the UW System and state level. “Both of us have thought of the idea of having two to three regents on the advisory board, which would allow internal governance groups to be exposed to the relationship between mission and revenues,” Ward said. “It doesn’t undermine the power of the regents and creates a richer

engagement with the campus.” JoAnne Brandes, copresident at the Center for Leadership Excellence in Milwaukee, questioned the amount of authority the proposed advisory boards would have. She said the creation of these local boards could cause a “paralysis of authority.” “In a company, a board of directors holds a CEO accountable,” Brandes said. “Where is the authority here? Why not a governing board instead of

an advisory board?” Ward said while a governing board could be helpful, it would be a much more difficult task than their current proposal. He also said that being chancellor was not like being a CEO, but instead the mayor of a “messy city.” Former UW Regent Fred Mohs also expressed concerns the proposed boards could create unnecessary conflicts and create an uneven balance

WARD, page 2

Vinehout unveils race intentions Julia Jacobson Herald Contributor Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, announced her run for governor Wednesday in a potential recall election against Gov. Scott Walker, becoming the second Democratic candidate to do so. “We need a fresh start and a new attitude in Vinehout Wisconsin politics and government. I have the experience and temperament necessary to lead,” Vinehout said in a statement. Vinehout said in the statement she has fought for affordable health insurance and fair funding of schools. She said while serving on the Joint

Committee on Audit, she uncovered problems with accountability in state programs. “We need a governor who will lead with selfrestraint, ... who will respect Wisconsin’s traditions of good government; who supports and takes pride in our schools; who values the skills workers bring to their jobs,” Vinehout. Vinehout has become the second candidate to announce for the Democratic nomination for governor, joining former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. Falk’s spokesperson Scot Ross said in an email to The Badger Herald Falk supports the right of other candidates to run. “Democrats will have the final say on who can best put together

the operation and who has the experience and provide the vision needed to go head to head with the extreme right-wing Walker agenda,” Ross said. In response to Vinehout’s candidacy announcement, Walker’s campaign spokesperson Tom Evenson said in an email to The Badger Herald Vinehout has shown Wisconsinites she avoids making tough decisions when she left the state during the spring protests. “Governor Walker is ready to contrast his positive record with the Democrats’ failed policies of the past and looks forward to hearing from Democrats like Kathleen Vinehout on how they would have balanced a $3.6 billion budget

deficit,” Evenson said. In an election against well-known politicians like Walker, name recognition may become a problem for Vinehout, University of Wisconsin political science Barry Burden said in an email. He said Vinehout may not be known in major metro areas like Madison and Milwaukee. UW political science professor John Coleman said a lack of name recognition could be beneficial to Vinehout. “The upside of that situation is that she doesn’t have to erase any negative impressions of her, so she starts as more of a blank slate for most potential voters,” Coleman said in an email. “The downside is that

VINEHOUT, page 4

Students arrested for sexual assault Katie Caron Higher Education Editor Officers from the University of Wisconsin Police Department arrested three UW students Wednesday in connection with a second degree sexual assault that took place on campus last semester. According to a UWPD statement, police arrested students Brian K. Allen, 18, of Menomonee Falls; Prentice A. Williams, 18, of Milwaukee; and Bruce H.

Beckley, 18, of Milwaukee in connection with an incident that occurred in Witte Hall Sept. 10, 2011. UWPD Sgt. Aaron Chapin said all three arrested students attend UW and the students have been detained in the Dane County Jail. All three of the arrested male subjects reportedly knew the adult female victim, who is not a student at UW, according to the UWPD statement. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said for

his district — which encompasses Witte Hall and is student-dominated — these types of incidents are not common. He said although he did not have any more details about the incident, ones like it generally are not normal in his district. “These incidents — although very unfortunate — do happen, but in general we live in a safe campus in comparison to the city we live in,” Resnick said. “UWPD and the Madison Police

Department work very hard and closely to make sure these cases are very few and far between.” Chapin said with this case in mind, he wanted to stress the importance of resources for students on campus, including the Rape Crisis Center and the Dean of Students Office. He said he encourages students who are facing these situations to reach out to the resources available.

ASSAULT, page 3

Just go with the flow... University of Wisconsin student Nika Taylor demonstrates her hoop skills at the Student Organization Fair Wednesday night. Taylor represents the Madison Flow Club on campus and used her talent to draw in new members. Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

Jill Peters The Badger Herald

Metro General Manager Chuck Kamp unveils the results of an investigation prompted by a fatal pedestrian-bus collision in August. Metro has since implemented new training policies for bus drivers.

Metro finds driver at fault in fatal collision Adrianna Viswanatha City Hall Editor Madison Metro will reform the way it trains and operates following the death of a pedestrian in a bus accident last summer. The pedestrian, Maureen Grant, died last June when a bus hit her at the corner of North Lake Street and University Avenue. Today, Metro announced the changes it has made to its buses and training procedures since the incident. Chuck Kamp, general manager of Metro, said the Technical Reconstruction Unit of the State Patrol reconstructed the accident. The State Patrol released a report of the reconstruction that said the driver’s side mirror was a “variable obstruction,” meaning the driver needed to move to see around it. Additionally, Kamp said an onboard video was shown at the conference. The footage ran for one minute until just before the moment of impact,

which showed the driver was in compliance with the company’s safety rules. However, according to the TRU report, driver Debra Foster’s failure to see Grant in the blind spot was a factor in the collision. “Blind spots and other view obstructions are commonly overcome in the normal operation of motor vehicles and even more frequently in the operation of oversized vehicles such as passenger buses,” the report said. “The failure to identify Ms. Grant as a pending hazard throughout the turning maneuver is a causal factor in this collision.” Kamp said safety changes began in 2007, when a new rule required the company’s buses to be equipped with high-mount mirrors instead of low-mount mirrors. He said most of the buses have been outfitted with the mirrors. Kamp said the highmount mirrors are designed to reduce the issue of a blind spot for bus drivers making

METRO, page 2

INSIDE Citizens United takes the stand Experts on the campaign finance decision argued both sides to the debate Wednesday.

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Mad about Madge? Scan the QR code to read The Beat Goes On’s take on Madonna’s half-time show

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Border Battle resumes Wisconsin men’s basketball looks to rebound from it’s loss to Ohio State on the road at Minnesota.

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Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

Rep. Michelle Litjens, R-Oshkosh, is the co-author of a bill that has created controversy among advocacy groups who believe the bill serves pro-life agendas.

Bill surfaces to set added provisions for abortions Proposal would outlaw webcam approval, enforce non-coercion law Sean Kirkby State Politics Editor

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The Assembly could take up a bill dealing with a wide range of abortion issues, including coercion, abortions approved by webcam and legal penalties for women who receive abortions. The bill was authored by Rep. Michelle Litjens, R-Oshkosh, and has three parts, Executive Director for Wisconsin Right to Life Barbara Lyons said. Lyons added the first part would make sure an abortion is not coerced. “The bill requires a doctor performing the abortion to pull aside the patient, make sure she is not being coerced,” Lyons said. “If she is being coerced, the doctor has to put her into contact with people who can help her.” According to the bill, doctors would have to inform a woman seeking an abortion 24 hours before the procedure that she has the right to refuse the abortion, her consent is not voluntary if anyone is forcing her, and that it is unlawful for a doctor to perform an abortion without her consent. The woman would also have a follow-up

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left-hand turns, like the turn the driver whose bus hit Grant made in June. “Some [employees] thought the new mirror was more problematic, but others saw an improvement,” Kamp said. “We had employee meetings for feedback and got the sense we should retrofit all the old buses to have high-mount mirrors.” Sixty-seven new buses purchased since 2007 have come with high-mount mirrors, Kamp said, and six of the older buses have been retrofitted with the new mirrors. He said Metro Transit plans to have the remaining buses from its fleet of 209 buses retrofitted with the high-mount mirrors by the end of the year. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said the changes to Metro Transit’s system are a step in the right direction. “Driving on campus can be a daunting challenge with the number of students

visit 12 to 18 days after the use of an abortioninducing drug to confirm the termination of the pregnancy and evaluate the woman’s condition, according to the bill. However, Lisa Subeck, executive director of National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League ProChoice Wisconsin, said in a statement these requirements impose unnecessary barriers for women who want to receive the abortion. “Our current law already requires that a woman give ‘voluntary and informed written consent’ … so we question the necessity of this provision of the bill,” Subeck said in a statement. “The requirements put forth here simply add to the already lengthy so-called counseling requirements, dictated and scripted by elected officials rather than trained counselors or medical professionals.” The second part of the bill would ban webcam abortions and require a doctor to administer an abortion pill, Lyons said. She said webcam abortions are when a woman, without physical examination by a doctor, speaks to a doctor over the webcam and receives a pill called RU-486. Lyons added RU-486 has been associated with a number of complications, and 14 women have died

crossing intersections at any given time of day,” Resnick said. He said he hopes Metro Transit drivers and other future drivers will learn from this incident and the changes Metro Transit plans to made. Regarding the incident last June, Resnick said the pedestrian was not at fault in the circumstances. Therefore, he doubts there will be any major change to daily campus life based on Metro Transit’s changes. Kamp said there has not been a decrease in ridership since the incident. Instead, he said ridership has increased 9.5 percent last year, a 40-year high for the company. In addition to retrofitting the buses with new mirrors, Kamp said the company is also improving the focus of its new-driver and refresher training for bus drivers. He said the incident from last June is a main point in adjusting refresher training to what has happened.

from using RU-486. However, Subeck said in a statement that NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin objected to this portion of the bill. She said the practice is not currently used in Wisconsin and no plans exist to bring it to the state. “We acknowledge that telemedicine is an emerging practice in the field of medicine, and holds promise for allowing women who otherwise have significant barriers to accessing their constitutionallyprotected right to choose abortion to do so with fewer hurdles,” Subeck said in a statement. The third part of the bill removes penalties for a woman who has an abortion. Lyons said current state law has two sections in conflict, in which a woman who receives an abortion simultaneously is and is not subject to penalties. At a public hearing about the bill Wednesday, Lyons said women who were coerced by partners into receiving abortions testified in favor of the bill. However, Subeck accused Wisconsin Right to Life of exploiting these women who she said had suffered from drug addiction. She said none of those testifying against the bill met the requirements the bill outlines.

Democratic lawmakers and independent consumer advocacy groups began calls for redistricting reform after viewing recently-released public documents that reveal Republican legislators signed secrecy pacts when redrawing legislative districts. Voces de La Frontera filed a complaint Monday containing documents showing 58 Republican Assembly members and 17 Republican senators had signed secrecy pacts regarding the development of redistricting plans. The complaint also contains a talking points memo in which legislators were instructed to “ignore public comments” on redistricting plans. “I have never seen anything like this. In all my years in office, never has the redistricting process been faced with the secrecy and scandals that seems to consume state government under the Republican leadership,” Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said in a joint statement with Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison; and Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison. Hulsey said the redistricting plans were full of secrecy and ignored public comment. He said Democrats already have drafted a bill that would make redistricting the power of a non-partisan agent, and the bill is waiting on a hearing. “This is just a scandal that shows we need redistricting reform in Wisconsin,” Hulsey said in an interview with The Badger Herald. On Tuesday, Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Madison, sent a letter to Eric McLeod, an attorney for the Michael Best and Friedrich law firm who worked with the Republican Party to develop the redistricting map, asking to see the redistricting file he developed. He said in the letter that Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau had insisted the redistricting process

was not political, and that Fitzgerald denied Senate Democrats legal representation in this process by saying the Senate already had a law firm. “Therefore, it is my understanding, as the elected State Senator of the 27th Senate District, I am your client,” Erpenbach said in the letter. “As your client I would like to review the file regarding your firm’s work on redistricting.” Mike McCabe, executive director of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said in his 30 years of working with the Legislature he has never heard of anybody signing secrecy pacts. He said Senate President Mike Ellis, R-Neenah, who has been in office for 40 years, said this was the first he has ever heard of or signed a secrecy agreement. McCabe said it would be up to the judge involved with redistricting cases to decide whether the secrecy pledge was illegal. He said Voces de La Frontera has challenged the case on the process of violating open meeting rules. He added he believes the case amounts to a violation of the spirit and the letter of open records laws. “It just stinks to high heaven,” McCabe said. “This is a new low.” McCabe said the allegations should inspire review of the law, but he cannot imagine the current Legislature would change the law. He said Democratic lawmakers introduced redistricting legislation last July, but it still has not received a public hearing. He said the legislation faces a difficult route in the Legislature, but it would be a major improvement on the current system. “This is what you get when you let politicians do redistricting,” McCabe said. “Wisconsin deserves better.” The office of Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, declined to comment on the redistricting secrecy pacts. The office of Scott Fitzgerald could not be reached for comment.

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

Interim Chancellor David Ward argues creating local advisory boards at System universities would increase communication among campuses.

WARD, from 1 of power between the UW campuses. “I have trouble seeing how this would help very much,” Mohs said. “I can see problems where they’d be winners and losers.” A portion of the discussion was also spent talking about possible new flexibilities to grant UW-Milwaukee and UW. The Wisconsin

Student Lobby, a student organization at UW, released a statement Wednesday before the meeting supporting the additional flexibilities. The statement said the flexibilities could include loosening the regulations around the construction of new facilities, allowing UW to establish a pay plan for all of its employees and delegating the power to establish tuition and fee

rates to the campus. The statement said these newly approved powers should not rest with the chancellors or their designees, but instead a governing body should continue to control them. WSL encouraged the creation of a Board of Trustees for the Madison campus that would retain institutional connections to the current UW System Board of Trustees.

The Badger Herald | News | Thursday, February 9, 2012

Legislators push for tight concealed carry wording Dems claim current language yields loophole allowing guns in classrooms Camille Albert Herald Contributor Legislators have introduced a bill that would close a loophole in the concealed carry law that currently does not classify preschools and kindergartens as gun-free zones. Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo, said the current concealed carry law protects school buildings containing elementary and high school students, but it has overlooked kindergartens and pre-schools located in separate buildings. The bill, introduced Jan. 26, aims to establish all school buildings as equally gunfree. “The current law creates the concept known as a school zone and says that within 1,000 feet of a school, you aren’t allowed to carry guns,” Clark said. “The problem with that law is that the definition of the school has always been grades one through 12.” Rep. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, co-authored the bill and said she wants to have the laws in place to ensure all children are protected in gun-free

ASSAULT, from 1 Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment spokesperson Jacqueline O’Reilly said when cases like these come to light, it shows the prevalence of a pressing issue. She said one in four women will be a

schools. Roys said laws must be updated to be kept consistent within school districts. “The concealed carry law bans hidden weapons in and around schools, but this basically has to do with how the school is defined within the concealed carry law,” Roys said. “Schools are defined as grades one through 12, so any standalone kindergarten and pre-school classrooms are not included based on the definition of previous gun laws with gun-free school zones.” Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, said concerns about the loophole are “overblown.” According to Mikalsen, most kindergartens and preschools are located within school buildings also housing grades one through 12, indicating they are also protected under the gun-free zone. Mikalsen said kindergartens not housed within school buildings are often located on private property, such as daycare services. He added these buildings have the right to post signs prohibiting concealed carry, saying Clark’s proposed bill would therefore be redundant. “The reality is that under the current law, private property business owners have a right to post a sign on their property

that says no concealed weapons of any kind are permitted,” Mikalsen said. “They already have the ability to do that.” Mikalsen also said the proposed bill is an attempt by Clark to make a political statement, and its main purpose is to shed a negative light on the concealed carry law. Roys said she believes Republicans acted hastily in drafting and enacting the concealed carry law without including kindergartens and preschools in the exemption. “If first and seventh graders can go to school safely, we’d also want that for our kindergarteners,” Roys said. The bill was referred to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections a couple of weeks ago, according to Roys. Clark said he will ask for a hearing on the bill and may have to make revisions to the exact language of the bill, but he remains optimistic that it will be approved. “We just leave this to the common sense provision that it fills an unintentional loophole in the law,” Clark said. “We haven’t had a lot of people say it’s a bad idea, so I’m going to work hard to try to get this bill passed this year.” Leah Linscheid contributed to this report.

victim of rape or attempted rape at some point during her time on campus. “We also hope it will move people to action,” she said. “While this one case happened — and our condolences go out to the victim and their family — these cases are happening

constantly, and we can’t wait for a headline in the news to take action.” Chapin said no other details currently are available about the arrests or investigation but that follow-up with the suspects and continued investigation are underway.

The Badger Herald | News | Thursday, February 9, 2012

In Soglin’s medical absence, Cnare prepares to lead Cogan Schneier Herald Contributor While Mayor Paul Soglin takes a short leave of absence next week to undergo hip replacement surgery, the City Council president will take his place and perform Soglin the typical

mayoral duties. Ald. Lauren Cnare, District 3, will undertake Soglin’s duties as acting mayor while he is out of town, Soglin’s assistant Katie Crawley said. Cnare said she does not expect any significant hurdles. “The most often thing that will happen is that someone will need a document signed, like a contract or a 100th birthday proclamation, and I’ve signed a couple of those

before,” Cnare said. Cnare will continue to vote as a City Council member during city committee meetings. Cnare said both the mayor’s office and city staff will help her to fulfill mayoral duties as she steps in for Soglin next week. “We have a whole staff of people,” Cnare said. “I touch base with them every morning and every evening.

I don’t expect to have to make any dramatic decisions at all; there are some things that are kind of routine. It should be quiet, and frankly if something really big does happen, we have all of the mayor’s staff and a really talented city staff.” Soglin has often been called out of his office to participate in professional organizations, such as the United States Conference of Mayors, and

the protocol for his temporary replacement is neither new nor difficult, Cnare said. According to Crawley, Soglin left the office the week of Jan. 15 to attend several meetings. Cnare was also out of town, so President Pro Tempore, Ald. Shiva BidarSielaff, District 5, acted as mayor and attended events in that capacity. Soglin only plans to be out until the end of next week,

Cnare said. “He has set aside his surgery date and three or four days from that, and he will be available by phone,” Cnare said. “He’s very healthy. And it’s a thinking game, not a standing on your feet, physical game.” Crawley said the process of standing in for the mayor is very standard, and Soglin is very confident that everything will run smoothly.

Beloved engineering dean reveals plans for retirement Peercy says he will stay until new hire is found, set to leave UW after 13 years Lauren Tubbs Herald Contributor University of Wisconsin College of Engineering Dean Paul Peercy will leave a 13-year tenure at UW behind when he retires in the coming months, he announced Wednesday. As dean, Peercy developed various education programs, tutoring opportunities and study centers. Peercy, who has served as the dean since 1999, considers it a great responsibility to deliver high-quality education to engineering students, Associate Dean and Chief Financial Officer Barbara McPherson said. “Among other things, the engineering college has better labs, hands-on engineering opportunities, learning resources, instructional curricula and student services,” McPherson said in an email to The Badger Herald. “All because of Dean Peercy’s advocacies.” McPherson said she joined UW partly because her engineering collegues

and contacts in the Madison community praised Peercy. His work to improve the school and quality of its education was just a part of doing his job, Peercy said. “The job of a dean has two parts,” Peercy said. “One, you need to set a welldefined strategy and a clear vision of what you want to accomplish. Two, you need to recruit top-notch faculty and mentor them so they can reach their full potential.” The rate of student graduation from the UW School of Engineering has greatly increased since 1999. Peercy said he is most proud of this increase in graduation rates, as well as the everimproving quality of the faculty and students. He added one of his main goals as dean was to increase the quality of the engineering faculty with better mentoring, which helps raise the overall quality of education for students. Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Steven Cramer, who has worked with Peercy in the Engineering Department for six years, said Peercy is a forward thinker in preparing engineers for the global economy. “It has been a pleasure to work with him,” Cramer said in an email to the Herald. “I think you would

be hard-pressed to find an engineering dean at a major research university with a stronger dedication and interest in undergraduates and their education.” Despite his retirement announcement, Peercy has agreed to stay in his position until the Engineering Department is able to hire a new dean. Peercy has a doctorate in physics from UW and a large amount of professional experience through work with organizations like the National Academy of Engineering and the Global Engineering Council. “It came down to asking, ‘What is best for the school?’” Peercy said. “Since I have been here 13 years and am now in my 70s, it was time for me to go.” Although his departure is nearing, Peercy said he looks to the future of the Engineering School with great optimism. He said the department will continue to create programs to benefit the students as more technology becomes available, and interdisciplinary and cultural breadth will continue to be added as part of the curriculum. “The path of the department is well-set,” Peercy said. “It won’t change at all, and it will continue to improve.”

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

Members of the UW community gather Wednesday evening to hear experts provide opinions and facts on the landmark Citizens United decision.

Citizens United debate shows divide among finance experts Jackie Allen Campus Editor Two campaign finance experts led a forum hosted by the Federalist Society in the University of Wisconsin Law School Wednesday night on the Citizens United case and its potential implications for political campaigns. In the 2010 Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the First Amendment prohibits the government from limiting expenditures for political purposes by corporations and unions. Allison Hayward, vice president of policy at the Center for Competitive Politics, said the Supreme Court’s decision on the Citizens United case was correct, as well as modest and overdue. “I think it was correct because it’s not a radical departure from the way expressive activities were treated generally under the First Amendment,” Hayward said. “Citizens United … brought corporate political expression into the same family of protected speech that everything else was in.” She added the Citizens United decision restored

VINEHOUT, from 1 getting known around the state takes resources and sufficient organization, and those can take time to materialize when there are better known candidates in the field.” Organizations are already endorsing

campaign finance law back to its previous state decades ago, before the use of general treasury funds for campaign expenditures was outlawed to ban labor unions from contributing to political campaigns after World War II. However, Executive Director for Common Cause Wisconsin Jay Heck attributed the Citizens United decision to changes in the Supreme Court’s composition. He also said the fear over money’s potential to corrupt politics or show an appearance of corruption previously restricted the Supreme Court from repealing campaign finance regulations. “To suggest that a corporation should have the same rights as an individual, seems to me, not to follow,” Heck said. Heck added these decisions could have a powerful effect on Wisconsin politics and the presidential election over the next year. “In the recall election that will involve Gov. Walker and a yet to be determined Democratic opponent, and certainly in the general election in Wisconsin, we will have outside groups

outspending the candidates themselves,” Heck said. “And these outside groups will not be disclosing where that money comes from.” Hayward also said the recent illustration of corporations as people is a misrepresentation of the Citizens United decision. “The notion that the problem is the court has said corporations are people is a red herring,” Hayward said. “Corporations are not people … but the Constitution was written in the negative to restrict abridging freedom of expression … nowhere are those rights limited to human beings.” However, Hayward and Heck both agreed one potential way to resolve some of the issues arising from the Citizens United decision would be to allow political parties, candidates and politicians to play a larger role in their own campaign financing. UW journalism professor Robert Drechsel also questioned how the decision might impact media outlets, adding the law in question in the Citizens United case may allow Congress to interpret the media as falling under corporations, which could be regulated.

candidates for the Democratic nomination. In a statement following Vinehout’s announcement, Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell endorsed Falk for governor. “There have been many strong advocates for

Wisconsin families who have stepped forward as potential candidates, but we believe in the democratic process guided by the issues our members care deeply about, and that’s what this recommendation represents,” Bell said in a statement.

Opinion

Editorial Page Editor Taylor Nye oped@badgerherald.com

The Badger Herald | Opinion | Thursday, February 9, 2012

Law unfairly targets UW

Herald Editorial Miﬄand of opportunity The Mifflin Street Block Party always has been one of the most tense of all conflicts between the University of Wisconsin student body and the rest of Madison’s citizens. But with the right dialogue, it does not have to be such a point of division forever. Students rightfully love the event, which allows them to enjoy the last of Madison’s lovely spring weather and more than a little alcohol before retreating into the libraries for finals. But city officials almost never endorse Mifflin’s value to the city. After last year’s particularly disastrous party, which ended in several stabbings, Mayor Paul Soglin threatened to end the event. In a meeting earlier this week, Soglin’s tone with us differed greatly from his statements in May. Despite

inserting some of his trademark 66-year-old man rhetoric, he said he was interested in hearing the student perspective on Mifflin and keeping the event safe and alive. For the last several years, students, the student government, the press, the university’s administration and the municipal government have avoided beginning an early conversation about Mifflin’s culture and proper safety measures at the event. Instead, all involved parties wait until immediately before to seriously consider the important questions and variables. This must change. Beginning this month, students and the city need to work collaboratively to initiate a semester-long campus discussion about what practices are necessary to make this year’s Mifflin

successful. For this reason, we recommend Soglin establish an adhoc committee composed of student and non-student Mifflin residents, downtown alders, student leaders and Madison police. Although student representatives currently are engaged in a dialogue with Soglin, its current unofficial standing could lead to stagnancy and a continuation of Mifflin’s current divisiveness. Establishing this committee long before the actual block party will allow a more multilateral and student-focused response to last year’s events. The city has no choice but to continue one of Madison’s most famous annual events — a unilateral reaction would only serve to anger different constituencies and perpetuate Mifflin’s most serious problems.

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Editorial Board Member

Weekly non-voting Community Member Sam Clegg | Former Editorial Board Chairman Ed i t o r i a l B o a r d o p i n i o n s a r e c r a f t e d i n d e p e n d e n t l y o f n e w s c o v e r a g e .

Lessons learned from Calif. recall Spencer Lindsay Staff Writer As we all know, last month groups supporting the recall effort announced that they had collected enough signatures to force Gov. Scott Walker to face a recall election. Critics have said this effort is a cheap political ploy to unseat a democratically-elected leader that did what he said he was going to do. Supporters say it is a unique show of democracy in the state that gave birth to modern progressivism. Regardless of your personal views on it, the recall is going to happen, and there are lessons to be learned from California’s 2003 recall election. Wisconsin’s recall may look to be a show of democracy right now, but the recall of then-Gov. Gray Davis turned into a disgraceful show of media sensationalism and a stain on democracy. The recall petition began in February of 2003 largely because of a costly and

inconvenient energy crisis. Congressman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., announced that he would fund the recall and tried to position himself to be Davis’ challenger. There were no primaries, the requirements to get on the ballot were low — something to the effect of 35 signatures and $100 —and as the year went on the race turned into more and more of a circus. By the time the election came around, there were 135 candidates on the ballot with backgrounds in every field from politics to porn. Only four of these candidates received more than one percent of the vote. It is fair to say that Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor more for the novelty he brought to the race than any substantive reason. Luckily, Schwarzenegger turned out to be a fairly good governor. He went on to pursue universal healthcare, sign the legalization of gay marriage (and later not build a case against a challenge to the ban in court), implement environmental regulations, increase the state’s minimum wage, and had at least a good vision for the state. He

was, however, met by paralysis in the state Legislature. California is one of a few states that requires two-thirds of the state’s Legislature to vote for a budget rather than a simple majority. The state is gerrymandered such that the Democrats will be close, but never reach a two-thirds majority. During Schwarzenegger’s entire tenure as governor, the budget was not on time once. Every year seemed to get worse and worse; some years the budget was not passed until two to three months after the deadline. Because of the budget crisis, the California higher education and K-12 systems became dangerously underfunded. Police forces got cut, and much of the state suffered. Because Schwarzenegger was a novice with no political experience, he was unable to negotiate effectively, and he quickly became a non-factor. Later we learned that much of the electricity crisis was due to wrongdoings by Enron. There are many lessons to be learned from all this. One is to make sure that the recall is not a stain on democracy. The primary process is key.

Both parties must choose the right candidate. Voters must also make sure they are voting for someone who can actually lead rather than just an alternative to what they don’t want. It is important not to let the recall get more hype than it’s worth; it is the process by which we will choose our governor, not a game show. It is very important not to let the third party groups influence our democracy the way Enron did in California. If you do not feel that Walker has egregiously violated his authority as governor, then vote for Walker in the recall, but if you do, make sure to vote wisely. The most important thing we learned from California is how easy it is for our democracy to become a show of novelty rather than the expression of the people’s will. The people should be certain that the recall was the expression of the public’s will and the public’s will alone, rather than a cheap show of novelty or business or any other factor that could cloud our good judgment. Spencer Lindsay (sclindsay@wisc.edu) is freshman majoring in political science.

Ryan Plesh Columnist There have been a number of changes to the proposed Madison Nuisance Party Ordinance, a piece of legislation which, if passed, would hold landlords accountable by issuing them fines when their lessees throw “nuisance” parties. These fines will almost certainly be passed on to lessees, but even aside from that, the Nuisance Ordinance seems like another obvious excuse for cops to raid parties in order to issue fines. Furthermore, pieces of the bill seem to be part of a preemptive attack on the Mifflin Street Block Party. The previous version of the bill listed an impressive nine ways for a party to qualify as a “nuisance.” However, at least four of the provisions had to be met in order for a party to qualify as a nuisance. Now, there is an outstanding 17 different ways for a party to qualify as a nuisance, and yet, only one needs to be met in order for a party to be a nuisance. The provisions of this bill are asinine. Local legislators cannot affect change at the federal level. There is nothing they can do to change, for example, the absurd drinking age of 21, but Madison can control how laws are enforced within its jurisdiction by its officers. Of the 17 potential nuisance-qualifiers, one requires that party hosts specifically take action to prevent “minors” from consuming alcohol. Leaving aside the absurdity that one is, at 18, old enough to be drafted but not old enough to drink alcohol, this is completely unenforceable. You know it, I know it, Madison officials know it. Other qualifiers include such generalities as “The production or creation of noises disturbing the peace” and “disorderly conduct.” It’s fine for bars to play loud music until late into the night, but when students want to have a party at their house, this is totally unacceptable and disturbs the imaginary peace on campus. My favorite nuisancequalifier, so important that it gets a provision all to itself, permits police to deem a party a nuisance if at any time an open keg is visible to the public. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this at all. Save the children? We wouldn’t want them to see drunk people,

after all; that could damage them. Madison officials want to keep drinking out of the public eye, so that the aforementioned minors in addition to us old fogies who are 21 and over will instead get drunk in dark basements and frat houses. Yeah, that’ll probably work. Another of the 17 nuisance-qualifiers is peculiar in that it could specifically be used as an excuse to break up any party at the Mifflin Street Block Party. One of the stipulations permits police to call any party which obstructs streets or sidewalks a nuisance party. This has obvious and serious repercussions for the Block Party, seeing as every single party on the street would fall under this provision. This whole bill is arguably an attack on the Block Party, and frankly, whether to have the party should not even be an issue. I don’t know how the city plans on stopping the party to begin with, but it shouldn’t be and doesn’t need to be stopped. It’s a Madison tradition. It has roots going back to the ‘60s as a celebration in remembrance of the protests for democratic reforms in France. Mayor Paul Soglin himself was involved in them. Some have criticized Soglin for coming out in opposition to the party after having been so involved in its early years. I’m not going to do that; the party has indeed changed an awful lot since the days of Soglin, but that doesn’t mean it has become vacuous. What began as a legitimate protest, with celebrations largely fueled by marijuana, has become a more lighthearted celebration of springtime and the end of the academic year, fueled mostly by alcohol. Still, it is an expression of that which is Madison. That being said, as such, it reflects poorly on the UW community when the party gets out of hand, like last year. It doesn’t matter that most of the perpetrators are not from Madison. We own Mifflin. It’s ours, and we’re responsible, good or bad, for what happens there. Madison has long had a reputation across the nation and especially in the Midwest for excellent academic programs in addition to having a reputation for excellent parties. There’s nothing wrong with that. Many students are proud of it. However, if we want to keep both of these reputations intact, as well as the Block Party itself, we need to take it upon ourselves to do better. Ryan Plesh (rplesh@wisc. edu) is a senior majoring in philosophy and physics.

City’s handling of parlor raises concern about employees Taylor Nye Editorial Page Editor Yesterday, I was going to make the Opinion page’s quote of the day, “It’s all BS.” Reported on Feb. 7 by the Wisconsin State Journal, this quote comes from Charles Prindiville, owner of Rising Sun Massage Parlor located on West Main Street, who was denying allegations, and now a police investigation, that his business is a brothel. “It’s a bathhouse,” he further said. “[Customers] get a back rub.” In the space beneath Prindiville’s statement, I

simply planned to type, “Riiiiight.” But the more I thought about the story, the more I realized that whether or not your massage has a happy ending is not the real issue the the city should be worried about. Their recent actions show that it is more interested in marking a tally on the side of “morality” than protecting those who most need it — Rising Sun’s employees. Although not formally recognized as a house of ill repute, Rising Sun seems to be associated with prostitution in the minds of most Madisonians. “I think everybody realizes [it’s] kind of [a] brothel in a way,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said in a 2008 Badger Herald interview. “It doesn’t seem to have any impact on the quality of life of my constituents.” This is where

Verveer is most wrong. What if the workers behind the doors of the bathhouse are his constituents? The point is: No one is trying to find out anything about those working there unless it’s to convict the owners on prostitution. And how they’ve tried. Madison Police Department has gone to great lengths to garner evidence against the proprietors. The State Journal has reported that this includes a June 2010 sting operation that involved a Madison Police detective wearing a wire and propositioning an employee. The state administratively dissolved another one of the Prindiville’s holdings, Butterfly Tub and Sauna, in 2008 and then again in 2011. It conducted a raid of the building in October 2010 and August 2011. During the second raid, it confiscated

the owner’s car from a storage facility in Middleton. And that’s not all. According to Assistant Madison City Attorney Jennifer Zilavy, who represents the city in the case, “several search warrants” have been executed. I deeply question whether or not this money was well spent. In the 2008 Herald feature, South District officer Susan Krause and former Sergeant Charles Weiss “noted that local police don’t have the resources to investigate prostitution behind closed doors, and Krause said such enforcement doesn’t fall under their jurisdiction.” Four years later and with a new set of officials, the city has decided to make it their business. Unlike highway busts or West Badger Road vice operations, trying to

convict Rising Sun owners of prostitution is a legal quagmire. And obviously it hasn’t been done yet: The business has been around nearly 40 years, much to the chagrin of the city. The money and time spent prosecuting the owners would be of much better use making sure the establishment was safe. As reported by the Herald, from 2007-2008 56 different calls had been placed to police from the Rising Sun, and only one was related to prostitution. If 56 calls were placed from my apartment in one year, you can be sure there’d be a police car parked across the street every weekend night. Furthermore, the money spent criminalizing the acts that take place at 117 W. Main St. could be used to offer social services to the employees there, such as

rehabilitation if they suffer from drug addiction, child care or incentives to go back to school. Even if the city did not want to directly fund such activities for fear of seeming soft on crime, it could donate the money to programs like the Madison non-profit Project Respect. The saddest part of this story is that the city of Madison so badly wants the business shut down that it doesn’t care about the lives and livelihoods of those inside. Just because these employees are behind closed doors rather than walking the street doesn’t mean it’s any less of a pressing issue that they be protected and productive Madisonians. Taylor Nye (tnye@ badgerherald.com) is a junior majoring in evolutionary biology, archaeology and Latin American studies.

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 Lin Weeks arts@badgerherald.com

The Badger Herald | Arts | Thursday, February 9, 2012

All about perspective for Minnesota-born musician Guitarist Todd Clouser brings his passion for music to A Love Electric Amanda Connors ArtsEtc. Staff Writer It started with a love between a boy and a guitar and bloomed into A Love Electric. Todd Clouser, a Minneapolis-born musician, comes to the High Noon Saloon Feb. 21 to show Madison exactly how his love for music led him to become one of the big names in the country’s jazz scene. “When I was 11, I got my first guitar. It was like finding my soul mate. That’s really corny, but … it made complete sense to me. Even though I didn’t have any training on it right away, I could make sound and noises,” Clouser said. Clouser always knew he was meant for something creative. As a child, he was the one chosen for the creative contests in school, or the “oddity of the minds” tasks, as he called them. He wrote a lot because it was something he felt like he needed to do to get his

brain in order. “For me it’s really like maintenance. Everything is about perspective, so I constantly try to change my perspective. I write every morning and never read it back. I always do maintenance — just practice on my guitar every day, little things like that,” Clouser said. Clouser continued to study guitar throughout his childhood, attending Berklee College of Music in Boston after high school. He admitted that he was very reclusive in college but thinks that his reclusiveness might have saved him from getting caught up in the hyper-competitive nature of the school. He went to class, practiced and learned. A few years after college, Clouser ended up living in Mexico. Originally, after graduating from college, he moved back to Minneapolis and started up a rock band, but he felt like his life was not going where he wanted it to. “It was pretty stagnating. I was just playing music and partying. I could see what I was going to be in 10 or 15 years if I didn’t make a drastic change. Kind of that point that I think everybody reaches, you

know? You can feel yourself getting further and further dug into something that could be great or it could be negative. To me it was negative. I ran out of there and got a teaching job down in Mexico as a general music teacher,” Clouser said. In Mexico, Clouser’s passion for music blossomed. He created “Arts Day Out,” a free day in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, and now in Mexico City, where kids can participate in free workshops with professional musicians. The workshops also include free craft making and painting, areas in which Clouser admits he lacks talent. “It was very inspiring and very centering being around kids and inspiring kids. Very circular, the relationship. You play something simple for kids that you’d forgotten, you’d lost any perspective on finding joy in, like playing a three-chord blues, but to these kids, it’s awesome and it reawakens something inside me,” Clouser said. Clouser moved from Los Cabos to Mexico City to create and perform, but he still continues Arts Day Out as a way to keep himself grounded.

Soon he began touring throughout the U.S. with his band A Love Electric. Along with Clouser, the band includes Greg Schutte on drums, Adam Meckler on trumpet and James Buckley on bass. “The idea of A Love Electric as a band is not to try to be anything in particular, but to try to just emote from who we are and what we’ve absorbed. And that’s a lot of ‘70s rock stuff, a lot of jazz music, a lot of Monk,” he said. “When I was in middle school, I loved hip-hop. I think some influences are more obvious than others in music; obviously there’s a lot of improvisation going on so people use the word jazz a lot, which is kind of a scary word because we’re not really playing jazz music. … We’ve all been influenced by jazz a lot, but I think it’s really more of a rock band in terms of when we’re performing live,” Clouser said. “We approach it more that way as opposed to a jazz concert.” Clouser is excited to return to Madison; when he was younger, he would go to the High Noon Saloon to see artists perform and is thrilled to get the chance to be the one performing this

Photo courtesy of Royal Potato Family Records

Todd Clouser performs with A Love Electric. The guitarist will travel from his home in Baja California, Mexico to tour with the band, who will stop in Madison Feb. 21. time around. He says the show will be very energetic and encourages people to turn out, despite the Tuesday night time-slot. “Come,” he said. “Leave [the concert] with a kind of burning sensation of wanting to go out and do whatever you do. Create or protest or something along

those lines. Or take a nap. I don’t know, something you don’t normally do. Hopefully it really engages you.” A Love Electric will play Feb. 21 at the High Noon Saloon. Doors open at 6 p.m., and tickets are $5 at the door. For more information, go to www.high-noon.com.

THE BADGER HERALD PRESENTS PAPER RADIO

Active versus passive listening: Chapter One Photo courtesy of Alliance Films

Actor Daniel Radcliffe takes on horror films with the lead role of Arthur Kipps in James Watkins’ “The Woman in Black.”

Regan McCracken Paper Radio Columnist

Eerie filming but tired plot in ghostly ‘The Woman in Black’ Daniel Radcliffe braves thumping noises and blurry ghosts in new film Jenny Slattery ArtsEtc. Reporter “The Woman in Black,” a shadowy supernatural tale of a ghost who haunts and terrorizes a small English town, doesn’t scream Oscar material, but does make for some face-hiding, seatsquirming fun. Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II”) plays the more mature role of Arthur Kipps, a lawyer and a widower. Kipps travels to the town of Crythin Gifford to settle the affairs of the deceased Mrs. Alice Drablow as an effort to prove his commitment to his job. Leaving his son behind, he embarks on the trip of a lifetime. The town of Crythin Gifford truly sets the tone for the thriller’s screenplay. Kipps finds himself in a whirlwind of mystery and eeriness. The town exemplifies the feeling of uneasiness: The children of the town, locked up inside their homes, stare at Kipps through windows as he passes by; many of the adults treat him as an alien and push him to leave immediately, knowing he has business at Drablow’s residence. Anyone else would have done what the townspeople asked, but not Kipps, who’s determined to perform his duties to keep his job and provide for his family. However, Kipps doesn’t realize what all the fuss is about, until he reaches Mrs. Drablow’s estate, Eel Marsh

House. Located atop a hill thick with trees and brush, Mrs. Drablow’s old, vine-covered mansion fits in perfectly with the strange and spinechilling townspeople. The home is also an ideal spot for all the supernatural action that occurs later on. The mansion is a product of incredible set design — decked with mirrors, long darkened hallways and more china dolls than anyone could handle. The gothic interior and spooky graveyard that produces the first sighting of the woman in black add to the already disturbing manor. As Kipps spends hours each day going through Mrs. Drablow’s paperwork, he begins to hear footsteps and other strange noises, such as some fear-inducing thumping coming from the upstairs nursery. He sees objects moving by themselves, and the shadowy figure of the woman dressed in black, who pops in and out of the frame at just the right moments to produce faint screeches and screams in the audience. As he continues to go through more and more paperwork, he starts to uncover the woman’s past and how she connects to the townspeople. What he discovers in a series of threatening and disconcerting letters causes great discomfort and gives background information explaining the ghost’s unfinished business. Although much of the movie consists of Radcliffe sitting around in the estate, the moments of silence and wonderfully-shot screenplay generate a handful of suspenseful scenes. The director James Watkins (“The Descent 2”) presents images of death

and violence that are sure to make an impression. Many of these sequences include mind-controlled children committing suicide under the powers of the woman in black. A warning: Many of the scenes are pretty intense and cringe-inducing. However, because the woman only targets children, Radcliffe’s character never truly enters any real danger when exploring the mansion or coming in contact with the ghost. This makes the bone-chilling scenes less frightening as the film progresses. While the down-right creepy English town and townspeople give the film the perfect sense of mystery, the plot lacks a little bit of interest. A ghost stalking whoever dares enter a certain house in order to get out a message seems to be a pretty tired plot. Radcliffe’s character also lacks something. His character suffers from the loss of his wife but doesn’t quite show a profound sense of grief. His character also has very little dialogue but spends most of his time tiptoeing around with a weapon and candle in hand. However, Radcliffe mostly manages to separate himself from his role as Harry Potter. His curiosity, adventuresome fervor and braveness, however, are qualities shared between the two roles. “The Woman in Black” gets an “A” for effort providing quality spooks, suspense and an impeccable set but lacks some real depth and development in its characters and overall scheme.

The Woman in Black

With the extreme ease of availability of music — thanks largely to the Internet, and to a lesser degree television, commercials, movies and of course MTV and its cronies — it is easy for the average listener to become complacent with what he or she chooses to listen to. Thanks to these easily and frequently traveled avenues to music, to many music is nothing more than background noise for studying, working out, walking to class, parties and the like. This act of taking music for granted is a travesty, and it not only has negative effects on the listener, but also on the health of the industry as a whole. It is probably difficult to imagine how not really listening to music could negatively impact the listener, but this is a sad truth of what is known as passive listening. Passive listening is a term that is most often associated with verbal communication and may be what some students are familiar with doing during lectures. Sometimes the phrase, “In one ear and out the other” is used to describe the act. Clearly this activity (or, perhaps more correctly labeled, passivity) is applicable to the act of listening to music. Surely everyone is guilty of this from time to time, perhaps because listeners have something else on their minds. But the unfortunate truth is that passive listening to music happens far more than it should. Passively listening is useless when applied to music because listeners don’t get to truly experience every aspect of the music as the artist intended. In a way, this insults the artist without that artist realizing he or she has been insulted; worse still, the listener misses out on the amazing transformative and lifechanging power that

music can have. Listening to music should be like putting yourself knee-deep in a great novel. A great composition of music is incredibly similar to a literary work of art. True literature is crafted with incredible care by the author in order to tell a singular story. However, underneath the initial story there are many more levels to be discovered, be it through symbolism, repetition of images or impressive literary techniques such as alliteration, subtle rhyme or satire. All of these aspects, in addition to plot and writing style, combine to form literary masterpieces that will continue to bear new fruit after each new reading. This is the hallmark of great pieces of literature. The same aspects that create a standout reading experience also, with a bit of tweaking, apply to great music for those listeners who apply a technique known as active listening (again, typically associated with verbal communication). It is obvious how these literary concepts apply to the lyrics of a great song, since they are essentially a story set to music. Great lyric writers use exactly the same techniques to craft their stories as great authors do. Unfortunately, due to passive listening, many listeners either don’t go to the trouble of learning the lyrics, or, equally as egregious, don’t bother giving serious (or any) thought to what the singer is trying to say with his or her carefully selected words. Of course, the rest of the meat of music lies in is the tunes themselves. Actively listening to music, contrary to popular belief, does not require a degree in music theory or any real theory background at all: As redundant as it sounds, actively listening to music is the best way to educate yourself on actively listening to music. Upon repeated listens, an active listener discovers nuances in the composition, such as harmonies that he or she never noticed that contribute to a certain mood; repeated rhythms or melodies (perhaps in

a different key or with different harmonies); polyrhythms; influences from other genres of music that have been applied for a specific reason; interesting juxtapositions of lyrics with certain parts of the composition and more. The easiest way to actively listen to music is simply to read the lyrics along with the song. It certainly helps to have a stellar sound system/pair of headphones, as higher quality listening devices enhance the listening experience, allowing the listener to hear elements of the music he or she may otherwise not have heard. Additionally, mp3 files are not the preferred way to listen to music. Though better quality file types such as FLAC, ALAC and WMA take up more memory, their advantages in sound quality make up for the increase in size. The main idea to keep in mind when actively listening is to give music the full and undivided attention that it deserves. The artist worked hard to create the art that the listener is enjoying, and the listener should respect that by actively engaging in the material — again, much like literature. However contradictory this may sound, not all music necessarily begs to be listened to actively, especially in the sad state that the industry is in today. Much of music these days is created with the express purpose of making money. This music does not need close analysis and repeated listens and should only be enjoyed on a very base “fun” level. The question is: How did the industry get so flooded with music that is all style and no substance? Could it be that it is a direct result of passive listening? Could these two phenomena be linked in some sort of vicious circle? For the sureto-be-dramatic conclusion, check back Feb. 22. Regen McCracken (mccracken@wisc.edu) is a junior intending to major in journalism. He has a love for video games, metal, jazz and all things that make one think. He also writes and performs his own music while not writing these ever-interesting columns or studying himself to sleep.

Comics

God is Dead. Ted Is in Charge. Noah J. Yuenkel comics@badgerherald.com

The Badger Herald | Comics | Thursday, February 9, 2012

WHAT IS THIS

SUDOKU

HERALD COMICS

PRESENTS

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. 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: Ted’s whole beer rain thing? Yeah. Ruined the ecosystem. All of them.

HERALD COMICS

PRESENTS

baby@badgerherald.com

STEPHEN TYLER CONRAD

YOURMOMETER

LAURA “HOBBES” LEGAULT

C’EST LA MORT

PARAGON

yourmom@badgerherald.com

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.

paragon@badgerherald.com

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

DIFFICULTY: Praying to Ted to save you from Ted just upsets Ted

MOUSELY & FLOYD

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 }

ehmandeff.tumblr.com

MADCAPS

HERALD COMICS 1

madcaps@badgerherald.com

MOLLY MALONEY

PRESENTS 5

pascle@badgerherald.com

primal@badgerherald.com

MODERN CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT

THE SKY PIRATES

COLLIN LA FLEUR

DENIS HART

mcm@badgerherald.com

skypirate@badgerherald.com

36 39

41 46

60 62

Puzzle by Dan Schmiedeler

ANDREW MEGOW

PRIMAL URGES

random@badgerherald.com

CROSSWORD

ERICA LOPPNOW

RANDOM DOODLES

RYAN PAGELOW

BUNI

Across 1 Year in a voyage by Amerigo Vespucci 4 Business card abbr. 7 Top of a ladder, maybe 12 Resident of Mayberry 14 “That was funny!” 17 Results of some cuts 18 Turkey’s home 19 ___ B. Parker, Theodore Roosevelt’s 1904 opponent for president 20 What you might break into 22 Medical drips 23 Ending 24 Captivates 27 Biddy 28 Figure of a Spanish

count? 29 White 30 “The ___ of March are come” 32 Gut reaction? 33 Grammy winner Elliott 34 With 21-Down, catchphrase that provides a hint to eight answers in this puzzle 37 Org. featured in 1983’s “WarGames” 39 Actor Stephen 40 Marshal ___, cold war leader 44 French city near the Belgian border 45 Swedish manufacturer of the 90, 900 and 9000 46 Early gangsta rap group fea-

13 Spanish uncles 15 Spirited 16 It may be thrown in a ring 21 See 34-Across 25 Picnic spoiler 26 Opening 28 Ratted 31 Singer/ songwriter McLachlan 33 Kingdom in ancient Jordan 35 Retreat 36 Move to a new position 37 “You’re doing it completely wrong!” 38 Get too big for 41 Fixed 42 Plucks, in a way 43 Cereal grain 44 Clean up, as a program 45 Some jungle gym exits 48 Alter 49 Certain steak 50 Part of a Caesarean trio 55 Trouble 56 As well 58 “Prob’ly not”

turing Dr. Dre game 47 Crowns 5 Time o’ day 49 Zenith 6 ___ two evils product 7 00s, e.g. 51 Quagmire 8 “Deal with it!” 52 Minuscule 9 Rocky peak lengths 10 Suffragist ___ 53 Quick snacks B. Wells 54 Like some 11 Shells of shells movie versions 57 Stupefied Rocky the Herald Comics Raccoon™ 59 Jane who wrote “In I wouldn’t the Shadow recommend of Man” going out onto 60 Much of the lakes for northern Israel ice fishing right 61 It’s nice to be now unless your out of them intention is to 62 Blues org. take them fish on 63 Acid Down 1 Book after Zechariah 2 Fought à la the Three Musketeers 3 Set up, as software 4 Schoolyard

Get today’s puzzle solutions at badgerherald.com

in their natural habitat.

To place an ad in Classifieds: Roshni Nedungadi rnedungadi@badgerherald.com 257.4712 ext. 311

The Badger Herald | Classifieds | Thursday, February 9, 2012

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

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Classifieds

FOR RENT

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EMPLOYMENT

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FOR RENT

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2nd Chance to the girl with crazy green shoes I saw at the SERF on Friday and should’ve said Hi to: Hi!

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SC to John who works the deli at the Madison Market. My friend may have met SC to the girl I saw Tuesday you first, but you seem so SC to the girl who sat next night getting on the elevasweet and you are so cute. to me in Comm Arts, I would tor at the Regent. It looked So what do you say... let’s love to see you again in/ out like you were just working take a chance? of class. I’ll be in ‘my seat’ out and you looked great. see you Tuesday? Hopefully our workouts will

Sports

Wurtz leading charge for Wisconsin Sean Zak Sports Writer From the start, Taylor Wurtz was bound for success on the basketball court. The daughter of a former hoops standout at Ripon College and herself a basketball standout at Ripon High School, athletic success at the collegiate level looked to be in the cards for Wurtz. In

her junior year at Wisconsin, it looks like her card has finally been drawn. After averaging just eight points a game as a sophomore, Wurtz has flourished in her first year under Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey. The junior currently averages 15.6 points per game, good for the seventh-highest total in the Big Ten. Complementing Wurtz’s offensive game has been her presence on the

boards for the Badgers, as the guard averages 7.6 a contest, good for fifth best in the conference. Posting career highs in just about every statistic, Wurtz is definitely in line for all-Big Ten recognition as the season comes to a close — although personal recognition could not be further from her mind. “Nothing really matters unless you get the ‘W’ at the end of the night,” Wurtz said.

“I realize that a lot of my success is because of my teammates and coaches. It’s because of them that I am able to get open shots, create and be a huge presence down low.” In addition to her teammates, Wurtz’s faith has helped aid her in the push to become the best player possible. “A lot of my motivation comes from my faith in God,” Wurtz said. “He has given me the challenge to play this game, and I just want to make the most of the gift he has given me.” Likewise, she specifically values the relationship she shares with her father through the game of basketball. “I credit my dad for basically all my skills in basketball,” Wurtz said. “He was always shooting with me, always putting in the extra work. He’s the reason I’m at the University of Wisconsin.” Head coach Bobbie Kelsey can appreciate that fact. In just her first year managing the sidelines, she has certainly noticed the unique skill set Wurtz brings to the floor for the Badgers, labeling Wurtz’s offensive creation as her biggest asset. “She has a scorer’s mentality that sometimes she may try to do too much,

but she learns from it,” Kelsey said. “She has a nice step-back that is really hard to stop, almost impossible when she is hitting it.” Wurtz has also been a model of offensive consistency for a Wisconsin team ranked 11th in the Big Ten in offensive points per game. Beside leading the team in scoring and rebounding, Wurtz gives the Badgers the fourth best three point threat in the conference, shooting on average close to 40 percent. For Wurtz, elevating her game before this season came from the extra work she put in and the hours spent practicing. “I definitely have to give credit to the offseason,” Wurtz said. “You have to get in and get up shots and really work on your game because during the season, it gets hard.” Amid the glaring statistics, it may be difficult to notice that Wurtz can do more than just excel on the hardwood, but her demeanor reflects upon her teammates. Forward Anya Covington shares the floor with Wurtz more than any other Badger and has a good idea of what Wurtz represents for the Badgers. “That’s my girl,” Covington said. “She’s an awesome player, but she’s an

awesome person too. She’s hilarious; she’s such a goofy person. She’ll make anyone laugh, but she also has such a caring heart.” Being labeled as a “goofy person” while leading the team offensively perhaps leads to the expectation that Wurtz is outspoken and forthright like many of the dynamic offensive players we see today in sports. Even though she was additionally voted as a tri-captain to begin the season, the junior decides to let her body of work on the floor speak for itself. “She’s not very vocal; she’s not going to say a lot,” Kelsey said. “Taylor leads by example.” Covington agreed with the “leader by example” adage and, as a senior, has been able to witness Wurtz’s progression from year to year. “She was no longer just bringing herself to the gym, but she was inviting others and showing others how they can improve their game, and that’s key,” Covington said. “She’s not your typical floor manager, but she’s going to show you how to get it done.” “When she beasts a rebound down, I just get excited. When she hits a timely three, I just get excited and the whole team gets excited.”

TALL ORDER, from 10

“They’ve got some depth worked into the lineup now,” Ryan said. “So it hasn’t surprised any of us that they’re doing well, especially in a league that you just

don’t know. There are some years you can have a team that would go 15-3 in the Big Ten, and that same team in another year could go .500, the way things are this year.”

time. On the season, 10 different players are averaging at least 10 minutes per game.

CLEAN, from 10 kept the Cardinal and White in the game, but an inside-out game will be essential to picking up a victory against the No. 3 squad in the Big Ten. As the Badgers continue to play through a stretch that includes matchups with three ranked teams in four games, all on the road, players point out the schedule would be even more difficult earlier in the year. While pleased with the progress it has made, Wisconsin understands it needs the ‘W’ to regain momentum. “I’m glad we face these teams at the end, because I think we’ve come a long way from where we have been in the beginning of the season,” Rochel said. “Anything that we faced in the beginning, I think we’ve really come a long way since then. We’re a different team now and we continue to get better and better.”

Hoops America Editor: Brett Sommers | sports@badgerherald.com

The Badger Herald | Sports | February 9, 2012

THIS WEEK'S TOP GAMES No. 6 Baylor at No. 4 Missouri

Illinois at No. 23 Indiana

Sat., Feb. 11, 1:30 p.m.

Thurs., Feb. 9, 8 p.m. In its last six games the Fighting Illini are 2-4 with wins over Ohio State and Michigan State. Curious. They will look to right the ship against a similarly struggling Hoosier squad that is 3-5 in its last eight games. Should be entertaining.

Last time these two teams met, Missouri won on Baylor’s home floor 89-88. Expect this matchup to be another high-scoring affair, but if Baylor hopes to reverse its fortunes, it will have to slow the play of the Tigers’ Ricardo Ratliffe who scored 27 points. last time.

No 11. Michigan State at No. 3 Ohio State Sat., Feb. 11, 6 p.m. Ohio State will look to defend its home floor and get its fourth consecutive win over a top 25 team. For Michigan State, Saturday is critical in determining if they have a shot to win the Big Ten conference and steal a No. 1 seed in March.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

The number of consecutive wins for the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Kentucky. The Wildcats throttled No. 7 Florida Tuesday 78-58, to cement itself atop the SEC.

NATIONAL RANKINGS Associated Press Top 25 1. Kentucky (63) 2. Syracuse (2) 3. Ohio State 4. Missouri 5. UNC 6. Baylor 7. Kansas 8. Florida 9. Murray State 10. Duke 11. Michigan St. 12. Georgetown 13. SDSU

14. UNLV 15. Florida State 16. Saint Mary’s 17. Creighton 18. Marquette 19. Virginia 20. Miss. State 21. Wisconsin 22. Michigan 23. Indiana 24. Louisville 25. Harvard

TEAM OF THE WEEK

ACC

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Associated Press

With pro-caliber players like Anthony Davis (right), Kentucky is a program that recruits and thrives with the “one-and-done” player in college hoops.

Exodus of underclassmen leaving mark on college hoops, Madness

Jared Sullinger Ohio State Buckeyes

NAISMITH WATCH 1. Thomas Robinson, F, Kansas 18.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg 2. Anthony Davis, F, Kentucky 14.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 4.8 bpg 3. Kevin Jones, F, W. Virginia 20.8 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 1.1 bpg 4. Jared Sullinger, F, Ohio State 17.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 58.1 FG% 5. Doug McDermott, F, Crei. 23.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 61.6 FG%

CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS

Big Ten — The Big Ten still holds this week’s top spot in the conference rankings. In the latest round of projections, the Big Ten holds a No. 1, No. 2 and three No. 4 seeds for the looming tournament. Nobody else comes close.

Big 12 — The biggest reason the Big 12 sits in second place? The league is so top heavy. Three good teams, three average teams and four teams below .500. The depth just doesn’t compare to the Big Ten.

Big East — What is up with UConn, Pittsburgh and West Virginia? Three of the perennial powers of the Big East and all are meandering in the middle of the conference. As for Syracuse, Marquette and Georgetown, kudos.

ACC — Duke has had two stunning losses at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Florida State is in position to be alone in first place in the ACC and the verdict is still out on a massively talented UNC. Never saw any of this coming.

SEC — Kentucky deserves to be ranked No. 1, but the Wildcats are blowing the rest of the conference away in head-to-head competition. Thus the early conclusion is that the SEC as a whole isn’t that great.

Team

Conf.

Overall

UNC Florida St. Duke NC State Virginia Miami Maryland Clemson Va. Tech WF Ga. Tech BC

7-1 7-1 6-2 6-3 5-3 5-3 4-5 3-6 2-6 2-7 2-7 2-7

20-3 16-6 19-4 17-7 18-4 14-7 14-9 11-12 13-10 11-12 9-14 7-16

BIG EAST

Thomas Robinson Kansas Jayhawks

Without Sullinger, Ohio State seemed incapable of beating Wisconsin on Saturday. The 6-foot-9 sophomore dominated the paint against the Badgers and made his free throws. Sullinger finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and was 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.

14. SDSU 15. Creighton 16. UNLV 17. Florida State 18. Miss. State 19. Marquette 20. Virginia 21. Harvard 22. Wisconsin 23. Indiana 24. Louisville 25. Michigan

STANDINGS

When unranked FSU beat UNC on Jan. 14, most thought it was a fluke. The Seminoles were only 5-6 in their last 11 games, but now the Noles have won seven straight and risen to No. 15 in the country after earning another quality win over No. 18 Virginia on Saturday.

TOP PERFORMANCE

1. Kentucky (31) 2. Syracuse 3. Ohio State 4. Missouri 5. UNC 6. Baylor T7. Florida T7. Murray State 9. Duke 10. Kansas 11. Georgetown 12. Michigan St. 13. Saint Mary’s

All Standings and Stats are up to date as of Feb. 8, 6 p.m.

Florida State Seminoles

Player of the Year candidate Thomas Robinson had himself one heck of a week. Feb. 1, Robinson had 20 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Oklahoma and followed that up with 25 points and 13 boards in the Jayhawks three-point loss at No. 4 Missouri on Saturday. If he keeps it up, it will be hard to keep the Naismith trophy out of his hands.

USA Today Top 25

Nick Korger Associate Sports Editor When it comes to picking a bracket come March Madness this year, many participants in office pools, school classrooms and social networks will probably be scratching their heads. Why? Once again, this season has not even remotely revealed a sure-fire pick to win it all. Usually when looking into the crystal ball of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament there are at least a few favorites to pick from. But, like last year, my grandmother’s guess on who will win it all is probably just as good as anyone’s (she picked a Duke-Butler rematch last year). Top ten teams this year have been dropping like students in organic chemistry after the first test. North Carolina looked to be better than Duke for almost an entire game, but a late Duke run and an Austin Rivers three changed that perception. Wednesday night Baylor got proverbially curb-stomped against Kansas...at home. Our last undefeated team this season is a mid-major program. The Badgers were once ranked in the top 10. Yeah, it’s been that kind of season. Once again, college basketball is mired in uncertainty with no clearcut, dominant team. So what’s the biggest difference in the last two years of college basketball compared to the past? Well for one thing, major programs are getting younger and younger every year. Thanks to the NBA’s rule forcing players to wait at least one year after graduation from high school to enter the draft, college

basketball has received a bigger boost of individual talent than ever before. However, it makes it extremely difficult to maintain teams with young talent in the long run, resulting in the instability of many programs’ ability to create a truly dominant team. But even so, select coaches thrive from the “one-and-done” mentality, especially Kentucky’s John Calipari, who has recruited entire rosters of young talent knowing full well they will leave the following year for the NBA. Coach Cal has has put together some extremely talented young teams, like a Memphis squad led by current Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose and a Kentucky team with current Washington Wizards point guard John Wall. But he is one of the few exceptions, somehow managing to turn a competitive squad year after year even among yearly mass exoduses of his players to the pros. In years past, high school prospects with NBA potential were usually found forgoing college basketball entirely. There were players such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James and Dwight Howard who all skipped the college game for a direct integration into the league. Yet for every success story of high school prodigies, there are the failures like former No.1 pick Kwame Brown. While the path directly to the pros weighs many risks, it essentially protected the collegiate game. With talented individuals like LeBron James staying away from college hoops in past years, teams had to worry less about losing their best talent before their junior or senior years. Now, however, with many NBA-ready prospects forced to pursue at least a year of basketball elsewhere, young talented players play in college for the required year and leave soon after, robbing teams of their talent and their strength. Last year alone, the first eight picks of the NBA draft were

either international players or underclassmen. Overall, 13 underclassmen were picked in the 2011 draft, while in the 2010 NBA draft 22 players drafted were underclassmen. With a trend of talented players leaving earlier, college basketball lacks truly elite teams. In this writer’s opinion, to be a truly elite team, a group of players must have terrific chemistry on the court, something that takes longer than one or two seasons to accomplish. Perhaps one of the best supporting crutches I lean on with this view is the mid-major surge of recent years. Nobody would have thought that VCU and Butler would be two of the last four teams standing a year ago. These two Cinderellas hitched a pumpkin ride to the dance (as long as a commute from Langdon Street to Highway 151 on a Friday at rush hour) because of rosters loaded with upper-class leadership. Right now Murray State, the last undefeated team in college basketball, benefits from having a starting lineup made entirely of upperclassmen and a bench loaded with veterans. When looking at teams built entirely of one-and-done talent like Kentucky, it’s hard to imagine such a young team will ever win the Big Dance when many of them are still not entirely polished players. Without proven veterans who have experienced the tough games down the stretch, it’s hard to predict how a team will play come crunch time on the biggest stage of them all. With mid-majors keeping their players for multiple years and larger teams losing talent faster than ever before, it seems as long as the NBA eligibility rules remain in place, the college game is barred from longterm stability on its rosters. Without older, veteran teams and mid-majors retaining their players, it seems the long-term picture of predicting the NCAA tournament more difficult than ever.

3 POINTERS

The Memphis Tigers have finally broken free of Conference USA after having officially become the newest member of the Big East beginning in 2013-14. Memphis basketball in particular has been a perennial frontrunner in Conference USA and will now have the opportunity to play in a league that has been among the deepest and most talented in the country in recent years.

With Memphis’ move to the Big East comes talk of more college landscape shifting. The latest report from ESPN.com’s Andy Katz, says that a full-scale merger of Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference could occur. Following recent moves in and out of both conference, projections view the new conference as potentially having 15 teams in all sports except football, which would have 16.

The University of Connecticut is trying to barter with the NCAA in order to be granted eligibility to play in the 2013 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The team is currently banned from play next year thanks to below-standard academic performance. In exchange for eligibility, UConn is willing to play fewer games next season. Play less regular season games to play more postseason games? Not sure the NCAA is going to buy into that proposal.

Team Syracuse Marquette G’Town ND Louisville Cincinnati S. Florida WVU UConn Seton Hall Pittsburgh Rutgers St. John’s Villanova DePaul Prov.

Conf. 10-1 9-3 8-3 7-3 7-4 6-4 6-4 6-5 5-6 4-7 4-7 4-7 4-7 4-8 2-9 2-10

Overall 23-1 20-5 18-4 15-8 19-5 16-7 13-10 16-8 15-8 15-8 15-9 12-12 10-13 11-13 11-12 13-12

BIG TEN Team

Conf.

Overall

Ohio State Mich. St. Wisconsin Michigan Indiana Illinois Minnesota Purdue Iowa NW Nebraska Penn State

9-2 7-3 7-4 7-4 6-6 5-5 5-6 5-6 5-6 4-6 3-8 2-9

21-3 18-5 18-6 17-7 18-6 16-7 17-7 15-9 13-11 14-8 11-11 10-14

BIG XII Team Missouri Baylor Kansas Iowa State Kansas St. Texas Ok State Oklahoma A&M Texas Tech

Conf. 9-2 8-2 8-2 7-4 6-5 5-6 5-6 3-8 3-8 0-11

Overall 22-2 21-2 18-5 17-7 17-6 15-9 12-12 13-10 12-11 7-16

PAC-12 Team

Conf.

Overall

Wash. California Colorado Oregon Arizona Stanford UCLA Oregon St. Wash. St. Ariz. State Utah USC

9-2 8-3 8-3 7-4 7-4 6-5 6-5 5-6 4-7 3-8 2-9 1-10

16-7 18-6 16-7 16-7 16-8 16-7 13-10 15-8 12-11 7-16 5-18 6-18

Team

Conf.

SEC Kentucky 10-0 Florida 7-2 Miss. State 5-3 Vandy 5-3 Alabama 5-4 Arkansas 4-4 Ole Miss 4-4 LSU 3-5 Tennessee 3-5 Auburn 3-7 Georgia 1-7 S. Carolina 1-7

Overall 24-1 19-5 18-5 16-7 16-7 16-7 14-8 13-9 11-12 13-11 10-12 9-13

NATIONAL LEADERS Points 1. Damian Lillard, WEB 2. Reggie Hamilton, OAK 3. Doug McDermott, CREI 4. Terrell Stoglin, MD 5. Gerardo Suero, ALBY

25.5 24.3 23.3 22.0 21.8

Rebounds 1. O.D. Anosike, SIE 2. Thomas Robinson, KU 3. Mike Moser, UNLV 4. Kevin Jones, WVU 5. Andre Roberson, COLO

13.3 12.0 11.5 11.2 11.2

Assists 1. Scott Machado, IONA 2. Kendall Marshall, UNC 3. Jesse Sanders, LIB 4. Vincent Council, PROV 5. Lorenzo Brown, NCST

10.0 9.8 8.0 7.6 6.8

Blocks 1. Anthony Davis, UK 2. William Mosley, NWST 3. Damian Eargle, YSU 4. C.J. Aiken, JOES 5. Darrius Garrett, RICH

4.8 4.2 4.2 4.0 3.4

S PORTS UW faces tall order Sports Editor

Elliot Hughes sports@badgerherald.com

The Badger Herald | Sports | Thursday, February 9, 2012

Minnesota’s long, athletic, shot-block-happy frontcourt stands in Wisconsin’s way Mike Fiammetta Senior Sports Writer Perhaps if the Big Ten weren’t so tight this season, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team could afford more time for rivalry talk. But even with a border battle pending with the Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-7, 5-6) Thursday night at Williams Arena, the No. 21 Badgers (18-6, 7-4) are focused singularly on rebounding from a weekend loss that snapped their six-game winning streak. No. 3 Ohio State came to the Kohl Center intent on avenging last year’s loss to the Badgers in Madison and did just that with a 58-52 win. So even with the familiarity Wisconsin and Minnesota have — four Badgers hail from the North Star State — not much time will be spent dwelling on the rivalry. With the loss to OSU, UW fell to fourth place in the conference. “We’ve got to bounce back,” forward and Minnesota native Mike Bruesewitz said. “We’ve got to make sure we come out strong and not hang our heads, because that was

last week, we lost, whatever. Credit Ohio State; they made some plays down the stretch.” On the court, frontcourt play figures to be the most noteworthy. Against Ohio State, forward/center Jared Berggren, forward Ryan Evans and Bruesewitz all took turns trying to defend Jared Sullinger, the Buckeyes’ AllAmerican forward. Sullinger finished with 24 points, and after Berggren was unable to contain him in the first half, Bruesewitz and Evans spent much of the second attempting to guard him. Against the Gophers, the Badgers’ frontcourt trio will be tasked with defending Minnesota’s leading scorer, forward Rodney Williams (10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game). Listed at 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, Williams doesn’t necessarily pose a mismatch to the Badgers, though his athleticism around the basket makes UM fairly dangerous inside. Along with 6-foot-11, 230-pound forward/ center Ralph Sampson III (8.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game), Williams will be a central focus for Wisconsin’s post players.

“They’ve got some guys that aren’t trying to do too much,” head coach Bo Ryan said of the Gophers. “Rodney Williams was as good as any player in the country coming out of high school. Ralph Sampson III, those guys have been around.” Ryan also added that Williams, Sampson III and the Gophers’ other frontcourt players can get after teams because of their athleticism. Minnesota leads the Big Ten in blocked shots per game (5.4) and also ranks No. 18 in the country. Before the Gophers lost their best player, forward Trevor Mbakwe, to a season-ending knee injury Nov. 27, Minnesota had a third player that blocked at least 1.3 shots per game. In the seven games before his injury, Mbakwe led UM with 14 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. “They’re pretty springy,” Bruesewitz said. “If you watched a few of their highlights — and I know [Williams], [Williams is] probably one of the best dunkers I’ve seen in the country, in my opinion. He’s real long and athletic — he

gets tip-dunks off of free throws. He has some bounce in his step.” Fortunately for the Badgers, Berggren, Evans and Bruesewitz have displayed improved shooting abilities this season that should diminish the Gophers’ shotblocking prowess. Evans has made the largest statistical improvement, shooting 43.8 percent from the field, up from 31.1 last season. The 6-6, 210-pound Phoenix native is third on Wisconsin with 10.0 points per game, behind only point guard Jordan Taylor (a Bloomington, Minn., native) and Berggren. “I’m able to use pump fakes and get my shot off when I want to,” Evans said. “I wouldn’t say [UM’s shotblocking] poses a problem for me, just being able to recognize and play off what they’re doing. I’ve played with athletic players all my life, so it’s not going to pose that much of a difficulty for me.” Despite losing Mbakwe, Minnesota entered the Big Ten season primed to be a surprise contender after finishing the non-conference slate 12-1. However, the

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

Junior Ryan Evans is confident he’ll be able to create shots for himself against the Gophers, who top the Big Ten in blocks per game. Evans has connected on 43.8 percent of his shots this year. Gophers lost their first four conference games. Since then, they’ve won five of their last seven. Most recently, Minnesota toppled Nebraska Key defensive statistics for the on the road Sunday afternoon Golden Gophers* in a 69-61 win that saw the Gophers make more than *Conference ranks in parentheses half (54 percent) of their shot attempts from the field. Points allowed 63.3 (6) The victory also highlighted Minnesota’s depth, as the 41.4 (5) Gophers’ rotation can be up Field goal pct. to 11 players deep. Against Blocks 5.4 (1) Nebraska, nine players saw at least 16 minutes of playing Steals 8.0 (2)

Minnesota defensive

TALL ORDER, page 8

Meyer’s hire helps strengthen Big Ten Nick Korger Korger’s Korner Noah Willman The Badger Herald

Sophomore Cassie Rochel (right) has been forced to pick up her pace due to the absence of Anya Covington over the past two games.

UW pursues clean play against Lions After sloppy play against Buckeyes, Wisconsin looks to polish offense Ian McCue Associate Sports Editor After dropping two straight, the schedule certainly isn’t lightening up for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team as it travels to State College, Pa., Thursday night to face the No. 18/21 Penn State Nittany Lions. Monday saw Wisconsin fall to No. 10/11 Ohio State in Columbus, in a game that remained competitive for much of the second half, largely due to the Badgers’ hot shooting from beyond the arc. Although UW emerged with another loss, the performance against one of the conference’s most talented squads left the Badgers with a renewed confidence in their shot. Despite their impressive shooting — including sinking a school record 12 threepointers — turnovers mauled any chance at a comeback. “Our shooting is good; we just have to shore up some other areas — don’t turn the ball over, and understand our defensive assignments,” Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey said. “That’s what’s hurting us right now, people just not recognizing who’s doing what on who; that takes a lot of

concentration.” Handing the ball over to the Buckeyes 22 times was UW’s highest turnover total since Dec. 23, and players and coaches alike said the turnovers were of a different variety than those that plagued the team earlier this year. At the start of the season, the adjustment to Kelsey’s fast-paced offensive system led to mistakes that offered the opponent extra possessions, but the turnovers at the Value City Arena came as a result of sloppy ball-handling and miscommunication. When Wisconsin last shared the court with Penn State, the Nittany Lions routed the Badgers by 33 points as they shot better than 52 percent from the field and knocked in 36.4 percent of their shots from threepoint land. As UW looks for redemption on the road, it understands victory can’t come without slowing down PSU’s talented backcourt. “Last time we played them, they really got a lot of whatever they wanted off the dribble and they were able to create shots for each other as a guard group,” sophomore guard Morgan Paige said. “We have improved in the one-on-one containment a little bit, so hopefully that comes through in play.” A trio of guards power the Nittany Lions’ attack, with young sophomore Maggie Lucas leading the team

with 19.6 points per game. A sharpshooter who sinks 45.2 percent of her shots from the floor and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc, Lucas is the foundation of Penn State’s dangerous offense. The Nittany Lions proved in their first game against Wisconsin that if their offense can push the ball down the floor, it can quickly take over the game. “We got to stop them in transition first of all. They run, they get that ball out quick, and they are gone,” Kelsey said. “If you’re not back and matched up, they’re going to score. The threepoint line, they’ll spot up, or they’ll run the post right to the block … so that’s half the battle right there.” Although PSU’s guards often grab the headlines, the Nittany Lions also boast a serious post presence in junior forward Nikki Greene. Grabbing a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game and also scoring 9.7 points per, Greene poses a serious challenge for a Badger squad that is still without its top post player, Anya Covington. Covington, who has missed two straight games due to an illness, has put the pressure on fellow forwards Ashley Thomas and Cassie Rochel to prove they can help fill the senior’s strong defensive presence and consistent scoring. In its recent loss to Ohio State, Wisconsin’s shooting

CLEAN, page 8

In one of the final scenes of “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,” Darth Vader’s spacecraft is shot by Han Solo and spins out of control into the bleakness of space. Ohio State football was largely in that same situation of an out-of-control ride this past year, quickly trying to right ship after a year in which the school recorded its highest total of losses since 1897 and faced scrutiny amid NCAA investigations. The Buckeyes have answered the turmoil of the recent year with wrath, righting the ship like Vader did in “The Empire Strikes Back” to strike back at the rebels. All nerdy Star Wars references aside, one of the historical dominant powers in the Big Ten is very much basking in the sunlight after a year shrouded in darkness. Recovering from a 6-7 season, athletic director Gene Smith generated a whirlwind of change at Ohio State and in the conference with the hiring of Meyer as the new head coach. If trends hold true, it looks certain that Meyer will lead the Buckeyes to success. Meyer took two lower-tier programs in Bowling Green and Utah at the start of his career and turned them around instantly. In a sport where winning is everything, Meyer’s combined 104-23 coaching record speaks for itself, including two wins in the national championship game and a 4-0 record in BCS bowls overall. An immeasurable part of Meyer’s aura as a recruiter and coach is the amount of NFL players he turns out every year. While Tim Tebow may be his most famous alum to date, Meyer has coached more than 30 players that currently play on Sundays. With a resume like that leading a program, it’s understandable why the Big Ten is recovering in shock from an odd set of recruiting circumstances. Meyer first played the role of vulture in his recruiting timeline after his hire, scooping up recruits out of the turmoil at Penn State, including one-time PSU commit defensive tackle Tommy Schutt (ranked No. 9 at his position by ESPN) and 5-star defensive end

Noah Spence, who was once considered a lock to go to the Nittany Lions as well. Meyer ended up stealing away four potential PSU commits, but the Meyer effect wasn’t felt just in University Park, Pa. Wisconsin, unfortunately, felt the bumps and bruises of Ohio State’s new coaching addition with the decommitment of four-star recruit Kyle Dodson. The 6-foot-6 offensive tackle originally gave a verbal commitment to Wisconsin, turning down an offer from Ohio State in June of 2011, before Meyer was announced as the new leader of the Buckeyes. Now, Dodson is just one of many recruits to spurn a former commitment to join the Meyer wagon train. The talk about Meyer violating some “gentlemen’s agreement” pertaining to recruiting in the Big Ten is irrelevant. Even if there is some unwritten rule in the conference about ceasing to pursue players after they verbally commit, it’s probably broken time and time again behind the scenes. It also doesn’t fit the situation of this year’s recruiting period. Many of the kids Meyer “recruited” had committed to other programs before major events occurred, i.e. Meyer’s signing as head coach. It’s hard to blame kids who didn’t want to play at Ohio State before he was hired; the Buckeyes had an interim head coach, ongoing NCAA investigations and a shabby record. Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema was upset about the style of recruiting Meyer brought to the Big Ten this offseason, which is understandable. In a span where the Badgers looked to finally have a recruiting edge in the conference, Bielema endured a hectic recruiting stretch mired in uncertainty due to an exodus of assistant coaches and Meyer’s aggressive recruiting tactics. But eventually, far more aggressive recruiting tactics like that experienced in Meyer’s heyday in the SEC was bound to spill over into the Big Ten. The only reason it was so public was because of the large scale of commitment switches by recruits to Ohio State after Meyer’s signing and the media’s widespread publication of Bielema’s comments. Barry Alvarez went on record saying to ESPN, “Recruiting is recruiting until they sign. If we had somebody who changed their mind and came to us, that’s

OK. Urban (Meyer) was very aggressive, but there is no pact within the conference not to continue to recruit. It’s open season until they sign.” It seems that any unspoken agreement on recruiting in the Big Ten has evaporated for the time being, especially since Bielema claiming the situation with Meyer was rectified. Meyer’s negative effect on recruiting for the rest of the Big Ten may yield fruits for the conference in the long haul. While the regional pull of Ohio State suddenly has become magnetic, the national recruiting appeal of a coach like Meyer could elevate the overall strength and prestige of the conference. For multiple years it has gone without question that the SEC is the dominant conference in college football. But if Meyer can rebuild Ohio State into the Ohio State University, the best players in the nation will come to play in the Big Ten, eventually bringing an exodus of talent away from the South and toward the Midwest and the conference as a whole. Conferences may rise and fall in power, but one of the best things for the Big Ten is the rebirth of Michigan and Ohio State from their ashes to solidify and increase the competition and overall strength of the conference. And playing the best players and coaches in the country can only make a team better. As for Wisconsin, the Badgers will have plenty of chances to prove their own prestige in the upcoming years against a premier coach like Meyer. The Badgers, and Bielema, need to focus on building their program to a level that will cast a large shadow on the Buckeyes and Meyer. The first step will come Nov. 17, when Meyer will get his first taste of Wisconsin and the Saturday hell-house that is Camp Randall. Is Wisconsin the new perennial power in the Big Ten, or will Ohio State unseat them to reclaim the throne and title it once held? Only time will tell, but it’s an offseason story line so thick and exciting that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg could make a movie out of it … or at least a teaser for ESPN to play before the game. Nick is a senior majoring in history and English. What do you think about Urban Meyer in the Big Ten? Let him know at nkorger@badgerherald.com.