Emmet O’Connor
Allie Serterides
Hozier, Chris Botti, Still Woozy and
to Madison.
SEMESTER IN FOCUS:
Top stories from Spring 2024
by Brody Killoren Features Editor
Last spring, the University of Wisconsin campus – and surrounding areas were companions to some of the biggest headlines.
These stories were some of the most significant of the spring 2024 semester.
Campus ProPalestine Activism, encampment on UW Campus
A nationwide movement swept college campuses across the nation in April in response to the war in Gaza. The movement came to UW April 29 when, over the course of 12 days, thousands of members of the student body, city and larger community established an encampment on Library Mall. Student organization Students for Justice in Palestine organized most of the protests, demanding the university disclose all UW Foundation investments, divestment from occupation, call for an immediate ceasefire
in Gaza, reduce the police presence on campus and cut all ties with Israeli institutions.
The University of Wisconsin Police Department, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office entered the encampment on its third day, making 34 arrests.
In the preliminary hearings for arrested individuals, one officer testified a protester attempted to disarm him of his baton when the crowd pushed forward against the police.
After 12 days, University Administration and SJP reached an agreement which required the encampment be removed from Library Mall while further negotiations continued with SJP representatives toward their goals.
“Campus administration has repeatedly emphasized, and SJP representatives have acknowledged, campus administration’s limited authority over how our endowment is invested and whether
investment decisions made by others are disclosed,” the agreement read.
University Administration and students must continue to work together and better understand each other, according to a statement from Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin released May 10.
An SJP member later spoke with The Badger Herald about the agreement with University Administration.
“We have learned the importance of keeping our university accountable to the broader community, both locally and internationally,” the member said.
Mifflin Street Block Party leads to arrests, ongoing investigation of car flip
The Mifflin Street Block Party — one of the largest college parties in the U.S. — comes every year at the end of the spring semester. The party is unsanctioned, and has repeatedly drawn controversy from the city and police force due to its reputation for arrests, alcohol use and property damage. The Madison Police Department reported the 2024 party was the largest since the pandemic.
MPD Central District Captain Michael Hanson said safety at the event is always a top priority.
“The biggest thing for this unsanctioned event is to ensure there’s safety for the officers and the people attending,” Hanson said.
Party attendees flipped a car in a backyard along Mifflin Street’s 500 block. A GoFundMe campaign was started to raise funds to replace the car and has raised
over $7,500 since April. In May, MPD released 31 pictures of suspects, asking the community for help identifying them. The investigation is ongoing.
City Downtown shooting at apartment rooftop
The Lux Apartment building was the site of a shooting June 9 where at least 10 people were injured. Police were initially called for a large rooftop party. When they arrived, there were reports of shots fired. Officers reported several hundred people on the rooftop when the shooting occurred and people running from the building.
MPD Chief Shon Barnes said it was a miracle that no one was seriously injured.
“Whenever there’s someone who fires a gun indiscriminately like this, there’s always a threat to the community,” Barnes said. “We’re going to work to ensure that whoever is responsible for this is brought to justice, but we can only do that with the help of our community.”
UW said in a statement that nobody involved with the shooting is known to be affiliated with the university, according to UWPD.
A suspect has since been arrested June 28 in relation to the shooting while the investigation is ongoing.
City of Madison to enhance infrastructure and transport systems
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration released a statement March 11 claiming $118.1 million has been included in President Biden’s 2025 proposed budget for the Madison area’s second bus rapid transit line — Metro Rapid Route B. UW College of
Engineering professor David Noyce stated that the federally funded project will lead to greater accessibility, fewer stops and control of traffic for improved efficiency.
“The BRT system is being designed for each part of the city including the South side where transit may not always be well served and providing access and mobility for people who need transit to get jobs or to get to the other parts of the city where they need to be,” Noyce said.
More bus rapid transit stations have undergone construction on State Street and around Capitol Square during spring 2024. The new station platforms will have 13.5 inch full lengths similar to subways with new overhead shelters and ticket vending machines, allowing riders to pay fares before the arrival of the bus.
All-electric buses will additionally be available during peak hours and on busy lines to serve more passengers. The estimated date for the completion of the BRT upgrade is sometime in the fall.
Along with local Metro, the city is also discussing plans for a future passenger train station on the Isthmus. The future passenger rail station would extend the Amtrak Hiawatha service which currently connects Milwaukee and Chicago — other considered stops are between Eau Claire and the Twin Cities area. Potential locations for the station are the First Street corridor and Oscar Mayer corridor areas, City of Madison Transportation Planner Elizabeth Callin said. The City of Madison hopes to share plans soon this summer and have the train ready for service by 2031.
State Street recently underwent a makeover as the lower road section was fully converted to a pedestrian mall. The goal of the project is to encourage more planned activities and local entertainment in the iconic area according to Madison’s Central Business Improvement District Executive Director Matt Tramel.
“We really want to create a unique and engaging experience for the pedestrians on State Street,” Tramel said. “We
want to encourage people who don’t often come downtown to come back downtown again and again.”
State
UW System debt to increase, campus closures across state
The University of Wisconsin System has more than 160,000 students enrolled each year at 13 main campuses across the state, with an additional 11 branch campuses. Seven schools in the system are amassing debt. Green Bay, Oshkosh, Parkside, Platteville, River Falls, Superior and Whitewater will be $254.9 million in debt by the end of the 2028 fiscal year, according to the UW System 2023–28 Strategic Plan.
Due to this financial instability, many two-year branch campuses have closed, such as UW-Milwaukee’s Washington County campus and UW-Oshkosh’s in Fond du Lac. Along with closures, major campuses such as UW-Oshkosh are undergoing layoffs and workforce cuts, as they laid off 200 employees last October — the UW-Oshkosh Chancellor citing “challenging financial positions.”
“The closure of these two-year campuses is going to hit these communities very hard — not just now with the obvious loss of jobs and revenue — but long into the future when those educational opportunities have dried up for young people,” UW System President Jay Rothman said. Gov. Tony Evers released a statement April 12 claiming that UW’s financial troubles were due to the insufficient funding from the Wisconsin State Legislature. On March 6, Gov. Evers reached bipartisan support for funding for UW projects — the new Engineering building on the UW campus. Funding for the UW-System and raises for UW staff was froze in the Legislature for a period of time due to republican backed disagreements with DEI programs and staffing. As enrollment
numbers decline at other satellite campuses, the probability of additional staff cuts and restructuring may increase. Flagships such as UW will continue to grow their student populations and campus with government funding and tuition raises.
Biden speaks in Madison on student loan debt relief
President Joe Biden arrived at Madison College to speak April 8. His main points surrounded unveiling his new plan for widespread debt relief among college student loans. The action plan would cancel up to 20,000 in interest for borrowers, and also cancel debt for people who may be eligible for other plans such as the Saving on a Valuable Education Plan.
“That’s what this is all about … give everybody a fair shot, just a shot, the freedom to chase their dreams,” Biden said.
“How can we be the leading country in the world without the best education system and access to it?” Biden said.
Biden said he plans to cancel undergraduate and graduate loan debt
Biden returned to Madison July 5 at Sherwood Middle School after his June 27 debate against former president Donald Trump. He took time to address criticisms about his age and recent debate performance saying he would remain in the race.
for those who entered repayment at least 20 and 25 years ago, respectively. Another step in his plan will cancel debt for borrowers experiencing financial hardships, like struggles with childcare or healthcare.
“I’m not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three and a half years of work,” Biden said. “I and you are not finished yet.”
Judge allows Wisconsinites with disabilities to vote via email in November election
by Anna Kristoff Print News Editor
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Everett Mitchell issued a temporary injunction June 25 that permits municipal clerks to send absentee ballots via email to voters with print disabilities — voters who use assistance to read or mark a paper ballot — according to a Disability Rights Wisconsin press release.
The decision comes after DRW and the League of Women Voters sued the Wisconsin Elections Commission for prohibiting people with disabilities from receiving, marking and submitting absentee votes electronically, according to an April 16 press release.
The plaintiffs contend that certain voters with disabilities may only retain their constitutional right to a “secret ballot” if they can vote independently using assistive computer technology, rather than having someone else fill out their ballot, according to the press release.
Plaintiff on the case and voter of over 10 years Tyler Engel said as a person with a physical disability he uses assistance to mark the absentee ballot bubbles.
“My vote isn’t private,” Engel said. “I need someone else to do it for me. I’m lucky that I have people in my life that I trust to do it, but not everyone does, and it’s a major privacy issue.”
People with disabilities can face many other physical barriers to voting, Engel said. When delivering his absentee ballot in person to a polling place two years ago, Engel said the building’s ramps were too steep for his wheelchair, and the elevator did not allow him to exit without assistance.
Voters with disabilities may also encounter transportation challenges when trying to get to their assigned polling place, City of Madison disability rights and services specialist Rebecca Hoyt said.
“Some folks can just stop by a polling place after work and have what they need in order to vote independently and confidentially,” Hoyt said. “For people with disabilities, that often requires a lot more effort to figure out.”
Many people with disabilities must plan ahead to ensure they have all their necessary aids when leaving the house, arrange transportation and confirm if personal support will be there at the polling place, Hoyt said.
Madison’s Clerk’s Office has taken steps toward a more inclusive voting environment by providing detailed training to poll workers on how to operate
6 • badgerherald.com • July 24, 2024
people,” Hoyt said. “If something’s being read aloud to you it can really help with cognition, and it helps people who use English as a second language.”
It’s important that people with disabilities have a fair chance to exercise their vote because there are many political debates — such as transportation, reproductive rights, healthcare and employment — that affect the disability community, Hoyt said.
Hoyt would also like to see a greater representation of openly disabled people in the government.
Hoyt staffs the City of Madison’s Disability Rights Commission — a body of residents who elevate issues relevant to the city’s disability community and make accessibility recommendations to the city government, she said.
Up to 27% of adults in the U.S. have a disability, according to the CDC. But, in 2022, only one person who is openly disabled ran for either local, state or federal office in Wisconsin, according to a database from the National Council on Independent Living.
“Voting is a very fundamental right,” Hoyt said. “I think the idea that people with disabilities don’t have a voice in government should be very concerning for all of us.
On the University of Wisconsin campus, Engel, an alum, said the school could work toward becoming more accessible. Engel said it’s most helpful if students are aware and accepting of people with disabilities.
UW’s BadgersVote and the Disability Cultural Center are student organizations who aim to increase appreciation of the disability community on campus and hold events educating students on voting rights and accessibility, according to the UW website.
“It’s a human right to vote and have your voice heard in elections,” Engel said. “If everyone’s voice isn’t heard equally, then we don’t have a strong democracy — and anyone’s rights can be taken away with that. Also, this may not affect you today, but … at any moment you can become disabled.”
accessible voting machines, Hoyt said. The machines are often made available to the public at events before election day so people can become familiar with them in advance.
In the future, Hoyt said she hopes accessible voting machines will become more normalized outside of the disability community. By regularly using these machines, the general public can help secure their need and availability in polling places.
The temporary injunction allowing electronic voting will remain in place for the general election in November, but the case is still open to consider the plaintiffs’ other demands, including allowing voters with disabilities to submit their completed ballots electronically, according to the press release.
“Anyone can use them, and a lot of times they’re really convenient for a variety of
Court order to ensure greater accessibility, right to private ballot, plaintiff said
The Badger Herald archival photo of Wisconsin Capitol Building. March 25, 2024.
BENNETT WAARA. THE BADGER HERALD.
New immigration policy creates pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants
Wisconsin dairy farm, DACA recipients expected to benefit from policies
by Anna Smith Digital Editor
Immigration policies announced by President Joe Biden June 17 may provide people living in the U.S. without proper documentation a pathway to gain legal permanent residence if their spouse is a U.S. citizen, according to a fact sheet released by The White House.
Across the country, approximately half a million non-citizen immigrants will be affected by these policies, according to the fact sheet.
In Wisconsin, there are an estimated 70,000 people without proper documentation, according to the Migration Policy Institute. These policies are particularly impactful in Wisconsin because of the state’s economic reliance on dairy farms, according to Wisconsin Farm Bureau Executive Director of Government Relations Jason Mugnaini.
To be eligible for this program, non-citizen immigrants must have resided in the country for at least 10 years, be married to a U.S. citizen, not pose a security threat and meet all other legal requirements. The most suitable immigrants for this program have resided in the country for about 23 years as of June 17, 2024, according to the fact sheet.
The program may also benefit Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and other Dreamers, according to the fact sheet. If a DACA recipient or Dreamer has earned a degree from an accredited U.S. institution of higher education and has received a job offer in the country, they may use these policies to obtain a work visa more easily.
This program utilizes a policy called parole-in-place to facilitate a smoother transition for those pursuing citizenship or work visas, according to lead project attorney at the Community Immigration Law Center Natalia Lucak.
Currently, there are limited ways a noncitizen immigrant can reach this goal, according to Director of Immigration Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School Erin Barbato.
“Even though they are not leaving and reentering, it allows for them to almost apply for an entry while they remain in the U.S.,” Lucak said. “While they remain here, they’re able to be paroled and then they’re able to apply for a green card.”
Before an immigrant may apply for citizenship status, they must first obtain an immigrant visa which authorizes them to travel into the U.S. to gain legal permanent residence — denoted by a green card. While the possession of a green card signifies approval to live and work in the country indefinitely, it does not define an immigrant
as a citizen and thus green card holders may not reap the benefits of being a citizen. For instance, non-citizen immigrants could still be at risk for deportation, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
Before an immigrant may apply for citizenship, they must first obtain an
benefits of citizenship. For instance, noncitizen immigrants could still be at risk for deportation, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
If an immigrant enters the country without authorization and then marries a U.S. citizen, they have two options to receive
immigrant visa, which authorizes them to travel to the U.S. to gain legal permanent residence, denoted by a green card. While possessing a green card signifies approval to live and work in the country indefinitely, it does not define an immigrant as a citizen. Thus, green card holders may not reap the
legal permanent residence. First, they may choose to face the immigration bars set by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. According to this act, any immigrant who resides in the country illegally for more than a year must return to their home country for 10 years before they
become eligible for an immigrant visa.
The other option is to apply for a waiver to avoid the 10-year inadmissibility bar. But this process is often complicated, costly and time-consuming, Barbato said, and many applicants do not meet the requirements.
“Even if you’re going through that waiver process right now, that process is taking like three to four years,” Barbato said. “It’s incredibly backlogged, expensive and really tough on families.”
This parole-in-place policy creates a pathway for people without proper documentation to pursue citizenship or work visas without facing these bars. Rather than being forced to return to their home country for 10 years, an immigrant may remain in the country while undergoing steps to have a lawful entry.
In the past decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of immigrants entering Wisconsin which has greatly increased the state’s Latinx population — from 93,000 to 447,290, according to a Dairy Workers Study conducted by the School for Workers at UW. Many of these new immigrants are drawn to working in dairy farms for multiple factors. Farms often provide housing that allows for workers to avoid the three-to-five-year rental history requirement needed for renting. Additionally, the study found immigration status is rarely discussed by farm employers and is treated like an “open secret.” This is especially alluring considering approximately 75% of immigrants working on dairy farms have an unauthorized immigration status, according to the Dairy Workers Study.
These new policies will help aid obstacles employees encounter while working without proper documentation. For instance, working on rural farms often requires an employee to drive far distances without a proper drivers license, which could put someone at high risk of deportation. Furthermore, these workers will be able to access healthcare benefits rather than paying for services out of pocket, according to Mugnaini.
“They’re valuable members of the farm,” Mugnaini said. “I think that there are some really interesting opportunities for revitalization in rural communities from foreign workers coming to Wisconsin.”
While this program has yet to open for applications, there is a high chance it will be challenged by Congress since it was announced as an executive order, according to Barbato. Additionally, this program, similar to DACA, is threatened by any future president’s stance on immigration — just as it was created, it can be overturned through executive action.
The Badger Herald archival photo of grocery store. February 20, 2021.
YONAH DAVIS. THE BADGER HERALD.
Wisconsin among states experiencing summer heat wave
Irregular weather may worsen mental health issues, expert says
by Addie Sax Science News Editor
Since July 14, Wisconsin and several other states have endured a heat wave sweeping from the Southwest to the East Coast. Executive Director of The National Alliance of Mental Illness Wisconsin Mary Kay Battaglia, advised rising temperatures may heighten stress and isolation among students and other groups, emphasizing the importance of practicing self-care during high temperatures.
NAMI is a grassroots organization focused on providing resources and help to individuals experiencing mental illness.
NAMI, originally formed in Wisconsin, has expanded to 45 states, Battaglia said. The organization operates through three pillars — education, support and advocacy. To support these pillars, NAMI offers various classes and support groups and advocates for legislative action, Battaglia said.
“We help with legislation to help improve the way we treat people with mental illness and the systems change and things that go on at the legislative level and also personal advocacy,” Battaglia said. “We teach people how to advocate for themselves through a training called NAMI smarts, where we teach people how to talk about their mental illness and advocate for themselves.”
While Wisconsin is experiencing higherthan-normal temperatures, the current heatwave is not considered extreme, Battaglia said. Nevertheless, irregular temperatures, both hot and cold, can impact individuals with mental illness.
This often occurs in people with seasonal affective issues or seasonal affective disorder, Battaglia said.
“People respond to not having enough sunlight,” Battaglia said. “People respond to excessive cold temperatures and people do respond to excessive heat, temperatures and it creates stress, it can create anxiety. I think the most concerning issue for any of those temperature or seasonal affective issues for people who are the most vulnerable in our community are those with serious mental illness, living with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.”
Individuals experiencing mental illness are often already isolated in their communities due to homelessness or social exclusion, Battaglia said. Many do not
8 • badgerherald.com • July 24, 2024
understand their condition and cannot treat it properly, a situation known as anosognosia. During extreme weather conditions, those who are unhoused may struggle to find safe places to stay, according Battaglia said.
People with mental illness who are being treated may react differently to extreme heat due to side effects of antipsychotic or antidepressant medication, according to a 2022 study from the National Library of Medicine. The heatwave may bring additional challenges for these individuals, Battaglia said.
The most crucial way extreme temperatures can impact individuals experiencing mental illness is through social isolation, Battaglia said.
“You know, if it’s extremely hot, you can’t go about your day, you’re encouraged to stay inside,” Battaglia said. “You don’t feel comfortable getting out into nature. You don’t feel comfortable socializing. And the more you isolate folks, the more depression and anxiety can increase … extreme heat [will] probably exhaust people more than extreme cold, so people can be more exhausted again, it can have a seasonal, effective issue with people who aren’t used to being in common heat environments.”
Individuals living in areas not typically warm may be shocked by extreme heat, worsening individuals’ tendencies to isolate themselves during extreme temperatures, Battaglia said.
Resources are available for individuals grappling with extreme temperatures and their impact on mental health, Battaglia said. In Madison, those without housing can seek assistance at PorchLight or The Salvation Army.
“Studies and studies show that the greatest way to satisfy mental health is to have connections and relationships, as well as the support you need from a mental health or prescriber provider,” Battaglia said. “Just having those same resources will be really important.”
The Badger herald archival photo of Wisconsin capitol. March 8, 2021.
What is going on in the world of UW athletics?
Badger athletes to be featured in Paris Olympics, College Football 25, new UW Athletic Hall of Fame class announced
by Julien Payen Sports Editor
While many students at the University of Wisconsin use their summer to vacation, bolster their resume with an internship or take an extra course, there’s still plenty going on in the world of UW athletics.
Between the imminent release of College Football 25, the roster list being announced for the Paris 2024 Olympics, the reveal of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 and much more, there’s something for everyone to catch up on at UW.
College Football 25
One of the most famous college sports video games franchises of all time, fans were delighted to hear that College Football would be making a comeback with College Football 25, set to release July 19. After an 11-year hiatus since the release of the previous College Football game, Badger fans will once again be able to lead their team to a national championship.
EA Sports, the company behind College Football 25 announced the top-100 players by rating, with two Badgers — cornerback Ricardo Hallman and strong safety Hunter Wohler — both making the cut.
Hallman came in at No. 62 on the list with a 91 overall rating. Most notably, Hallman has 93 speed and 95 acceleration, making him one of the quickest corners in the country. Wohler came in at No. 84 with a 90 overall rating.
Paris 2024 Olympics
UW fans are lucky to be seeing Badgers compete in a wide range of events at the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris, including volleyball, rowing, swimming, athletics, rugby, soccer, basketball and more.
Some current Badgers with tickets booked to Paris include sophomore Taiko Torepe-Ormsby and senior Phoebe Bacon for swimming and redshirt sophomore Adam Spencer for the 1,500-meter run.
Torepe-Ormsby will be representing New Zealand at his first Games after setting the fastest ever 50m freestyle swim for a New Zealander at 21.86 seconds. This year as a Badger, Torepe-Ormsby won the Big Ten Championship at the 50m freestyle with a time of 18.76 while also finishing in second place at the 100m freestyle with a time of 41.20. As if his season couldn’t get more impressive, he set a school record at the 2024 NCAA Championships with a 50-meter freestyle time of 18.81, earning him a 10th place finish in the country.
Bacon has also enjoyed an illustrious career at UW, finishing this past season as the 200m backstroke Big Ten and NCAA
champion after setting a personal best of 1:48.23 during the NCAA championships. During the Olympic Trials, Bacon finished in 6th place in the 100m backstroke with a time of 59.37 and in 2nd place in the 200m
Spencer, a Melbourne native, will compete for Team Australia in his Olympic Games debut after winning the Big Ten Championship in the 800-meter run this past year. During the Games, Spencer will
backstroke at 2:06.27.
This will be Bacon’s second Olympic appearance after she competed in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — where she finished in 5th place — a mere 0.01 seconds behind her teammate Rhyan Elizabeth White.
compete in the outdoor 1500-meter run, where he finished as the 2024 Australian national champion and the 2022 Big Ten Champion, as well as the 2024 NCAA 3rd place finisher.
UW Athletic Hall of Fame 2024
The UW Athletic Department announced
the 12 inductees to the Class of 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame on May 29, 2024.
The inductees represent the long and storied history of UW athletics, from Adam Burish, who captained the Badgers to a men’s hockey National Championship in 2006 to James Dunkleberger, who helped the Badgers to six consecutive indoor and outdoor track and field titles between 1995-1997.
Also on the list is the legendary John Jagger, who was UW’s first All-American in men’s hockey in 1970, former U.S. Senator and namesake of the Kohl Center Herb Kohl and Mark LaPorte, a part of the No. 1 defense in the country during the 1981 NCAA men’s soccer tournament, which was also UW’s first NCAA tournament appearance.
Marija Neubauer, a part of UW’s firstever tennis All-American doubles team, as well as the second of three Badgers to be a four-time First-Team All-Big Ten women’s tennis selection was admitted alongside Gina Panighetti, the first individual to receive All-American honors for women’s swimming, as well as having set Big Ten records in the 100yd and 200yd butterfly events.
Meaghan Reid was admitted as a twotime Olympic gold medalist in women’s hockey and two-time NCAA champion with UW. Alex Rigsby Cavallini, another women’s hockey legend, was admitted as the career wins leader for women’s hockey with 100 while also having the most saves in program history with 3,126.
Tarek Saleh and Donnel Thompson are the only football players among the nominees, and both put up astonishing numbers during their time at UW. Saleh is the program leader in tackles for loss and quarterback sacks with 58 and 33, respectively. Thompson began his UW career as a walk-on, eventually playing in four consecutive bowl games between 1996-1999 and holding the record for most tackles in a season with 141.
Pete Waite — the final inductee — is the only coach on the list. Waite led the UW volleyball team to nine NCAA tournament appearances in 13 years, including a runner-up finish in 2000, while also leading the team to back-to-back Big Ten Championships in 2000 and 2001.
UW athletics will be back before you know it, and before long Camp Randall, the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena will be jam-packed with fans like yourself cheering the Badgers to victory.
The Badger Herald archival photo of swimming pool. April 27, 2016.
MARISSA HAEGELE. THE BADGER HERALD.
Electrify your summer with upcoming Madison concerts
by Julia Vetsch Arts Etc. Editor
Still Woozy
Still Woozy is performing at The Sylvee Friday, July 26. Still Woozy is the solo project of singersongwriter Sven Gamsky, known for a musical style described by New Musical Express as ‘psychedelic bedroom pop’. Still Woozy charms audiences by turning his mellow songs into lively performances. Still Woozy’s most popular songs include “Goodie Bag”, “Window”, “Shotput”, “Lemon” and “Again”. Tickets start at $64.95 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.
Maren Morris
Calling all country fans! Maren Morris is coming to The Sylvee July 27 for her RSVP Redux Tour. Maren Morris’ music, rooted in country with elements of pop, R&B and Hip Hop, showcases her incredible songwriting, vibrant stage presence and powerhouse vocals, establishing her as one of today’s most well known country artists. She has won five ACM Awards, five CMA Awards, and three Billboard Music Awards, among other accolades. Some of Morris’ biggest hits include “The Middle”, “The Bones”, “My Church”, “Chasing After You” and “cut!”. Doors for the Maren Morris show open at 6:30 pm and the performance begins at 8 pm. General admission tickets start at $56 and can be purchased on The Sylvee’s website.
Cage the Elephant
Alternative rock band Cage the Elephant will visit Breese Stevens Field Aug 8 following an opening performance by Young the Giant. Cage the Elephant, visiting Madison for their Neon Pill Tour, is composed of members Matt Shultz, Brad Schulz, Jared Champion, Daniel Tichenor, Matthan Minster and Nick Bockrath. Some of their top hits are “Cigarette Daydreams”, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”, “Come a Little Closer”, “Trouble”, and “Cold Cold Cold”. Their stirring indie rock sound combined with the band’s electric live performance style is sure to leave you with a new appreciation for the alternative genre. The performance will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the show start at $59.50 and can be purchased here.
Hozier
Nothing awakens the spirit of summer like live music. With the many genres and venues Madison’s music scene offers, there’s sure to be a concert for everyone this summer. To decide which performance suits your taste, consult this cohesive calendar of summer concerts in Madison.
Chris Botti
Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti will perform in Madison July 18. Botti, a Grammy Award winner for best Best Pop Instrumental Album, has been a leading instrumental artist for nearly three
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• badgerherald.com • July 24, 2024
decades. Botti has collaborated with musical icons such as Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, and Steven Tyler, among others. Botti has earned several Gold and Platinum records and topped the jazz charts with various albums. This July, Botti will take the stage at the Orpheum Theater. This performance is sure to leave you awestruck by Botti’s artistry and undeniable talent. The show will begin at 8 pm and tickets start at $39.
Madison Jazz Orchestra
If you’re a fan of jazz, visit Cafe Coda at 7 p.m. every third Thursday of the month for a performance by the Madison Jazz Trio. The nineteen piece jazz orchestra brings the swing to top hits from some of the biggest jazz bands — Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, Thad Jones, Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Duke Ellington and more. The Madison Jazz Orchestra’s summer dates are July 18 and Aug. 15 and tickets are only $15. This is a great option if you’re looking for a good time that won’t break the bank.
Beloved Irish musician Hozier will grace the stage at Breese Stevens Field Aug 16 for his Unreal Unearth Tour. Hozier draws from folk, soul and blues genres and is known for moving audiences and listeners with his strikingly poetic lyrics, many times drawing on religious or literary references. Some well-known songs by Hozier are “Too Sweet”, “Take Me to Church”, “Work Song”, “Almost (Sweet Music)” and “Would That I”. The Breese Stevens Field show begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets for the performance are sold out but can be purchased for resale on sites like StubHub and Vivid Seats, with tickets starting at $268.
Madison music scene brings much to the table this summer with Hozier, Cage the Elephant
The Badger Herald archival photo of The Orpheum. Sep 5, 2023.
Abigail Leavins. THE BADGER HERALD.
Your guide to Madison’s summer festivals
Make your perfect summer outing with family and friends and join Madison as it celebrates its 188th summer
by Akhilesh Peddi Arts Etc. Editor
You don’t need a reason to celebrate, but summertime is the best time of the year to experience Madison’s cultures, traditions and people. This is your guide to some of the festivals happening in Madison over the rest of the summer.
Bring friends and family to enjoy Madison at the end of July with Atwood Fest July 27 and 28. Over 30 bands will be performing on Atwood Ave.
Madison-Chicago based funk and soul band
The Funkee JBeez will kick off the fest at noon July 27. The band is helmed by 2-time Grammy award nominated and five-time recipient of the Madison Area Music Association Drummer of
the Year Joey B. Banks.
Also performing on the first day of the Fest is University of Wisconsin a cappella group The Madhatters.
The Southern rock-n-roll band Parker Barrow will finish off the fest at 5:30 p.m. July 28. The group gets their name from notorious couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and is headlined by singer Megan Kane and her husband and drummer Drew Turner.
Ever wonder where to go with the one friend who has the complete opposite interests of you? Or someone who likes motorcycle shows but you want something different? WaunaFest is the perfect event.
Covering an entire long weekend from July 25 to 28, WaunaFest brings a rollercoaster of fun from an arts and craft fair, a car, truck and motorcycle show and a cornhole tournament. It is the ideal outing to find everything you want to do in Wisconsin over the summer, from classic pastimes to activities which are harder to come by.
Ceramics, jewelry, paintings, artisanal food, sculptures, you name it — Mount Horeb’s Art Fair has it all.
The Art Basel of Wisconsin, Mount Horeb’s Art Fair is bringing handmade art from all over Wisconsin and the country to Main Street in
Mount Horeb July 27 and 28.
The event will also have a generous number of food vendors, live music and silent auctions, giving you the chance to enjoy food and music while you spot handmade antiques and decorations for friends or yourself.
Do you want to try a new dish this summer? Experience a new culture? Food is one of the best ways to explore the world — including places you are already familiar with — and Madison is no exception.
Taste of Madison is an annual event which brings the restaurants of Madison together in one place — surrounding Capitol Square. It is the ultimate melting pot of the Madison food scene. Find all your favorite local dishes or try items from bars and restaurants you haven’t yet been to at the Square Aug. 31 and Sep. 1.
Around 80 vendors are expected to be present, according to the Taste of Madison’s website. Sellers will bring everything from barbeque, to tacos, to pizza and steak on the Square. If you have a sweet tooth, ice cream, donuts and any baked goods you could want will be available.
While Madison has countless restaurants offering different international cuisines, Sun Prarie’s Sweet Corn Festival illustrates all that can be done with the yellow vegetable grown in areas surrounding Madison. Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival offers 80 tons of corn served with slabs of butter and as much salt as one likes.
An annual festival, it happens every third weekend of Aug., this year from Aug. 14 to 18. This is the 71st year of the event. The festival also includes a parade, a corn hole tournament, racing, a carnival and many other fun activities, making it a great spot to enjoy time with family and friends.
If the Sweet Corn Festival can offer all the corn Wisconsin can produce, the Great Taste of the Midwest is here to offer all the beer Wisconsin can brew.
The Great Taste of the Midwest brings together over 200 brewers from the Midwest, giving you the opportunity to taste and experience all of the varieties of beer produced in Wisconsin and surrounding states. It will happen at Olin Park from 1-6 p.m. on August 10 — a great way to taste the summer through the lens of finely brewed beer.
Wisconsin summer is not really a Wisconsin summer without some famous Wisconsin cheese curds. Happening right next to UW campus on East Mifflin Street, Curd Fest will give visitors the opportunity to try Wisconsin’s famous cheese curds and more.
You can try almost every kind of cheese curd there is at this event. An annual event, the Curd Fest is returning this summer for the 11th time to surprise its visitors with more cheese curds than they could imagine.
Badger Herald archival photo of Taste of Madison. September 4, 2017.
SARAH GODFREY. THE BADGER HERALD.
ASM must overcome communication failures to address low voter turnout
To boost engagement, ASM should enhance leverage hot-button issues, better utilize social media
by Aiden Mellon Opinion Editor
Voter turnout in the last two Associated Students of Madison elections has been a measly 3%. In the Spring 2024 election, just 1,273 students out of the University of Wisconsin’s 48,557 total student body cast a vote via ASM’s online voting platform.
Historically, voter turnout for ASM elections has been much higher. Average voter turnout for ASM elections from 2012 to 2022 was 10.6%. Even during peak COVID-19 years turnout was about 7%. The disengagement of the student body in these recent elections warrants corrective action from ASM.
There are three major parties in ASM elections — the student body, ASM itself and the university. Ideally, ASM and the university would work together to promote elections and facilitate voting, and the student body would want to engage with their student government out of a sense of civic duty. In reality, the interests of these three parties are often in conflict.
The work of ASM often challenges university administrators, as increased ASM influence requires more student input in governance decisions. In Spring 2024, former Shared Governance Chair AJ Butler and former Chair Kevin Jacobson sponsored legislation to reclaim shared governance rights, allowing students to actively participate in policy formulation and review, thus giving them more say in university decisions.
While it’s in students’ best interest to engage with ASM and vote, many are too occupied with academics and extracurriculars to do so.
Similarly, though members of ASM have a duty to their position and their constituents, they are primarily focused on their own academics and what time they carve out for ASM activities is realistically only what they can manage after taking care of their own academic commitments.
Thus, to increase voter turnout for student government elections, ASM leaders will have to overcome a kind of three-pronged inertia — the university’s desire to be uninhibited by student government, the student’s rational ignorance regarding ASM activity and elections and the ASM member’s primary goal to succeed as a student.
Though it is understandable ASM faces significant challenges in convincing UW students to vote, it is nevertheless unacceptable that voter turnout numbers have been allowed to slip to as low as 3% for two consecutive years now.
One way ASM can increase voter turnout is by promoting the changing structure of Registered Student Organizations (RSOs). In April 2024, the Center for Leadership
12 • badgerherald.com • July 24, 2024
Involvement introduced a tier system for RSOs based on accreditations. RSOs would be ranked
Similarly, past elections with hot topic referendums have generated enough
from one to three, with higher tiers requiring additional training and advisor involvement but offering more benefits like grants and early access to event tables. These changes significantly impact students, and ASM should better advertise them to boost engagement and input.
excitement to significantly increase voter turnout. The 2014 ASM election contained a referendum to renovate the Nicholas Recreation Facility and Natatorium and improve the Near West and Near East playing fields and ended up having 34.4% voter turnout. Another method to increase voter turnout
would be to include a hot topic referendum on the ballot every year. Most policy recommendations and budget decisions made by ASM are largely shrouded in the administrative process and are too complex to be easily understood and championed by the student body, but a significant change like updating recreational facilities is a proven way to drive interest in ASM elections.
There are, however, two significant problems with this strategy. The first and most direct problem: students bear the financial brunt of referendums. The referendum to update campus recreational facilities ended up costing the average student an additional $71 in segregated fees per semester, according to UW News.
A simpler way of increasing voter turnout could be for ASM to communicate more with the student body. ASM maintains a monthly newsletter which students can subscribe to via the ASM knowledge base, and this must be promoted more through the ASM website’s home page.
Students can also subscribe to email updates from multiple ASM committees and access ASM social media. ASM’s Instagram account — their most active social media platform — only has 1,943 followers, and their Facebook account, which has 2,000 followers, has not posted since April 2023. ASM should be more actively promoting their social media accounts to reach a larger portion of the student body.
University officials and members of the student body should not be satisfied with the conditions on campus that have led to 3% voter turnout in the 2023 and 2024 ASM elections. The university could be doing more to promote ASM during university required events like SOAR, and students should take the time to make small changes like signing up for and reading the ASM newsletter.
But if ASM wants to act as an independent, decision making body, they cannot rely on the university to help them improve student engagement and voter turnout. It is up to ASM to better advance their existing methods of outreach and communication.
The university should also do more to point students in the direction of ASM resources. ASM should also do more to publicize hotbutton issues that students should know and care about.
The bigger problem, it seems, is that their channels of communication themselves are not widely known or used. The average UW student knows nearly nothing about the operations or work of ASM, and it is difficult to blame a student for not making the time to dig through ASM archives to try to piece together what the student government is up to and find out how they are being represented.
Associated Students of Madison meet at the Student Activity Center. February 7, 2024.
BENNET WAARA. THE BADGER HERALD.
Satire: An open letter to all UW professors
If you’re a professor, find out what the student body wants you to know
by Cody Koeppel Banter Editor
Dear professors at the University of Wisconsin. It’s summer, we miss you. How are you doing? We love you. Everybody knows how hard and committed you are to giving the pretty girls in class better grades than everyone else. It must be a very difficult job having to discriminate like that all of the time. I know I wouldn’t wanna do that. There’s most definitely a lot on your mind given the upcoming semester. Which is why the entire student body has contributed to composing this letter just for you.
We’re getting too many emails
You’re being super clingy, we’re talking to other people. We’ve got tinder, bumble, hinge, Facebook dating, grindr, Christian mingle and FarmersD messages to answer. Point is, we don’t have time for your yapping. If you’re not going to help us bag the baddies (gender-neutral) we don’t want to hear about it. We know you’re
emailing 50 other people at the same time and we crave individualized attention. Work harder for us.
Lecture halls
We find the number of identical projectors in the large lecture halls to be pointless. We think it would be much more viewer friendly if the primary lecture content was the center focus of the room, but supplemented with entertainment on surrounding screens. Brief clips of the Joe Rogan Experience, perhaps a Family Guy 24/7 livestream, Kai Cenat react compilations. Science has shown that the brain works best while multitasking and hyperstimulated and yet lecture remains the dullest part of our day.
Can we be friends
Our friendship means more to me than our C- in your class. We’re much more interested in you as a person than we are in books or knowledge. This whole
student-professor disconnect really bugs us. Weren’t you also birthed by a woman at the end of being in-utero for 9 months? What makes you so different from us? Why can’t we just be friends? What’s stopping you from changing our shit from a D- to an AB because we’re cool like that? Why can’t we hang out with you when we see each other at the bars? Why do you avoid our eye contact in lecture when we give our many nods of approval?
Professors can be pretty and students like kissing people who are pretty
We have beef with the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents for cockblocking. Sex and power dynamics go hand in hand. Right now we’re Kanye and Big Sean but we could be Meek and Diddy. We should be allowed to date you and it’s oppressive and cowardly to deny us this right. That being said, we respect the sanctity of marriage. But if you’re not wearing a ring, we will make a move on you.
Why you should accept our obscure medical-induced excuses for skipping class
My cousin is a flat earther, yes that is a disease. They won’t stop talking about it at family dinners, and we swear, the flat earther hangover is real.
I woke up and there was a little-baby tickle in my throat, we’re concerned it
could be way more? Last thing we want to do is give our precious professors littlebaby throat tickles.
My-dog-ate-my-homework-avirus. This happens way more often than you might think. Dorm flooded but just in one room so you won’t hear about it from the University. Again, this happens way more often than you think. Especially in fucking Slichter for some reason. Bunch of wet people over there.
I am experiencing the stigmata. Terrible business this stuff is. Or great? Depends on who you ask. Either way we’re definitely not coming to class and it’s unethical to demand otherwise.
You haven’t made us recite the pledge of allegiance once, so attending is against my religion. This speaks for itself.
I accidentally stepped on a crack in the sidewalk on the way to class so now I need to check in on my extended family members.
PS a message to TAs
Shoutout TAs for actually giving us grades before we graduate. Also for looking hot while lecturing about the most boring shit in the world. You’re the reason we come to class.
