'Urban Wilderness' - Volume 55, Issue 6

URBAN WILDERNESS:

Local environmental efforts seek to harmonize human-wildlife relationship

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NEW BILL FOR CAMPAIGN ADS 7 EMOTIONS RESEARCH 9

A new bill introduced by Wisconsin legislators would require advertisers to disclose AI usage in campaign ads.

UW researchers lead the way with research on emotions and their impacts on longevity.

Emma Kozina

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13 organizations across the state of Wisconsin will receive grants as part of Wisconsin’s Juul settlement fund dispersion. Read about the grants, and efforts to quit nicotine.

Research shows stressors from online dating are common, but current results are equally positive for both forms of dating.

MENA students celebrate second consecutive Heritage Month

‘MENA in the Modern World’ theme acknowledges, affirms rich, vast cultural history

by Audrey Thibert Senior Reporter

The second consecutive Middle East North Africa Heritage Month has begun. Themed “MENA in the Modern World,” the month celebrates and unites the different countries, cultures and heritages in the MENA region and UW campus community.

Assistant director of the Multicultural Student Center Noreen Siddiqui said there was a grand effort to make space for all the diverse MENA identities in planning the month.

The kickoff event, “Night at the Bazaar” particularly showcased the diversity in the region. Over 300 people gathered at the MSC March 1, where students ran booths from MENA countries and regions. Each booth offered food from their respective country or region including Kurdish kibbeh, Moroccan sweets like chebakia, Turkish dürüm, Palestinian manakeesh and more. Attendees also participated in cultural activities like Arabic calligraphy, henna, glass mosaics and tatreez.

This year’s theme empowers MENA students to reclaim authorship of the MENA narrative, especially in the West, according to MENA Cultural Programming Intern Dana Tabaza.

“We wanted to highlight the fact we are not a static people,” Tabaza said. “We are people that have evolved and changed. We’ve had revolutions. We’ve had uprisings. We’ve had all these great things that have shaped our history just as much as every other place in the world has.”

The theme affirms the MENA region is dynamic, contemporary and diverse, but also appreciates its rich cultural history.

the horrors that are happening right now, but also looking for ways to still have this month be something that can be joyous.”

Tabaza, who is Palestinian-Jordanian, said she sees the month as a way to move away from negative perceptions of MENA people in the media.

“I want this to be a safe space where people can step away from how we are perceived, to remember the beauty in our cultures, to connect with people and to see the positive side of our culture again,” Tabaza said. “Because all we’ve been seeing is just so much darkness.”

A senior at UW, Tabaza spearheaded efforts on campus to revive MENA Heritage Month last year. She created the MENA Collective, a group of students and staff dedicated to planning events for

Student Association. There are currently 17 students in the Collective.

This year, different pockets of campus outside the Collective have planned events for MENA Heritage Month — something Tabaza has encouraged since last year. For example, the Disability Cultural Center is partnering with the Writing Center March 15 to host an activism writing workshop for MENA Heritage Month. Siddiqui said this widespread interest is encouraging.

“That wasn’t happening last year,” Siddiqui said. “It’s really showing the university and the campus community are recognizing this population and this community, and wanting to uplift and celebrate it.”

The MSC, which falls within Student Affairs, dedicated funding for the month of events and

PaliRoots incorporates traditional Palestinian fashion like tatreez — Palestinian embroidery — and Kuffiyehs — headscarves worn in solidarity with the Palestinian cause patterned with olive leaves, the historical trade routes and waves of the Mediterranean Sea — into modern styles. Through meal programs and charity projects, PaliRoots supports communities in the Palestinian territories, currently focusing a majority of their efforts on aid to Gaza.

Tabaza said she is excited to bring a young, female leader to campus.

“It’s going to be something that’s inspiring to people our age to see someone who’s done something to carry on their culture here,” Tabaza said. “It’s a big name for Arabs in the U.S., so people are going to be very excited.”

“Our history has often been the victim of foreign authorship,” the description of the theme said. “MENA Heritage Month is a blank page for us to reclaim our stories, liberating ourselves from stereotypes and challenging perspectives that have often overshadowed the depth and complexity of our identities. In this, we honor the resilience embedded in our cultural tapestry.”

Today, acknowledging MENA in the Modern World also includes addressing the war in Gaza. Over 30, 640 Palestinians have been killed in the five months of war in Gaza — surpassing any Arab loss in wars with Israel in the past 40 years, according to the New York Times. The MENA Collective, the group that organized the month and has several Palestinian members, was acutely aware of the war as they planned the events.

“The collective itself has several members who are Palestinian, so it has been obviously on the forefront of our community’s minds,” Siddiqui said. “We really tried to strike a balance of recognizing

Heritage Month.

While other heritage months on campus are organized by heritage month planning committees, MENA Heritage Month is organized by a Collective. Tabaza said the group still functions the same as the committee, but she opted to use the term “Collective” for MENA Heritage Month planning because it was more representative of MENA cultures.

“Our cultures are very collectivist cultures,” Tabaza said. “That’s the main difference our cultures have versus western cultures, where it’s a more individualistic society.”

The Collective has representation from a few independent students and seven student organizations — the Turkish Student Association, the Persian Student Society, the Muslim-interest sorority Alpha Lambda Rho, the Arab Student Association, Students for Justice in Palestine, the North African Student Association and the Somali

provided the Collective with additional staff support for the planning, vision and implementation of MENA Heritage Month.

This year, MENA Heritage Month significantly overlaps with Ramadan — the Islamic holy month of fasting from dawn until dusk. Ramadan 2024 begins March 10 and ends April 9 with Eid al-Fitr.

Many, though not all MENA students, identify as Muslim, and the Collective has intentionally programmed events to support those who observe Ramadan. MSC is collaborating with the North African Student Association to host an Iftar March 12, and other student organizations are supporting Iftars throughout the month. Iftar is the evening meal during Ramadan with which the fast is broken.

This year’s keynote speaker is Aminah Musa, CDO and co-founder of PaliRoots — a clothing brand grounded in Aminah’s Palestinian identity and created to spotlight Palestinian culture through unique clothing concepts.

Musa will give a talk in the form of a moderated Q&A March 18 at 8:30 pm in the Play Circle Theater.

In addition to the keynote event and Night at the Bazaar, the MENA Collective has organized five other events — Engineering Lunch March 5, Relief for Refugees March 7, NAS x MENAHM Iftar March 12, Craft Cafe March 13 and Thousand & One Nights March 21. All Heritage Month, including those not organized by the MSC, and can be found on the UW Events Calendar. All Heritage Month events are free.

Siddiqui said she is especially impressed by the Relief for Refugees event. Together with the North African Student Association, who fundraised well over $1,000, the Collective organized an event for students and volunteers to put together care packages for MENA refugees in the Madison area.

No other Heritage Month has touched on the topic of refugees as the focus of an event, Siddiqui said.

“But [the Collective] wanted to do something that was charity driven,” Siddiqui said. “It is a way that students can feel like they’re helping and doing something good. It’s really empowering for students.”

The month will conclude March 21 with Thousand & One Nights, a late-night celebration with game tournaments and food in the MSC. To respect the Ramadan fasting schedule, the event will be held after the last prayer — around 10 p.m. — and run until 1 a.m.

Siddiqui said MENA Heritage Month is about striking a delicate balance.

“We must acknowledge the really difficult, challenging and emotionally draining experience that our students are going through, but also finding that time and place for them to have joy,” Siddiqui said. “Because if we are not taking that time to pause for joy, that is that can be really harmful too.”

The Collective organized events throughout the month of March to honor, celebrate MENA heritage.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANA TABAZA.

Madison residents face difficulties as housing prices climb

Housing market contraction due to increase in population, cost of materials during pandemic may see relief soon, UW expert says

by Jones Millstone-Rivo News Associate Editor

A recent article in the New York Times chronicled the journey of a young couple looking to move from Chicago to Madison in search of a more spacious place to raise their two young children at a lower price. The family was able to find a roomy home in a walkable neighborhood near downtown for $350,000, according to the article.

In December 2023 the median sale price of a Madison property ballooned to $395,000, a more than 15% increase from the year before, according to realtor.com. By comparison, relator.com says the median sale price of a property in Chicago is $315,000 — a difference of $80,000.

Additionally, the median sale price of a Madison home is $230,000 more than in Milwaukee where the median sale price is $200,000 during the same time, according to the same site.

There is a growing trend of high-income homeowners relocating to Madison, leading to increased property and competition in the

4 • badgerherald.com • March 5, 2024

homeowner space, according to an article published by Isthmus.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows 47% of Madison’s residents own their home, compared with the national average of 65%. Despite this, Madison has been experiencing strong growth in homeownership, which has been outpacing increases in rental spaces since 2019, according to Madison’s 2023 Housing Snapshot Report. Homeownership rates among Black, Asian and Hispanic residents has also experienced growth, according to the report.

But, the report found that most of this growth is due to high-income earners and renters — creating an issue of supply and demand in the city.

District 8 Ald. MGR Govindarajan said he is calling on the City of Madison to address the lack of affordable housing available to students.

Most students’ incomes are below the federal poverty wage and the shortage of affordable housing in areas near campus has made it increasingly difficult for students to find places

to live, Govindarajan said.

Though Madison’s housing crisis could be alleviated by the construction of more units, it’s important to recognize that housing is not simply a supply and demand equation, Govindarajan said.

“What I’ve been really focused on beyond just building more housing is also ensuring that there is affordable and safe housing,” Govindarajan said.

During his term, which began in April 2023, the city has approved proposals for 2,000 new units of student-focused housing, totaling over 5,000 beds, Govindarajan said.

A household earning the median income in Madison is currently unable to afford a typical newly-constructed unit, according to the 2023 report.

The crisis has been developing for years as Madison’s population has grown by thousands without the necessary increase in housing units, University of Wisconsin professor of urban planning Kurt Paulsen said.

“Over the last 15 years in Madison and Dane County, we’ve added a lot more jobs and a lot more households than new units,” Paulsen said. “We haven’t built enough for all the people who are moving here.”

Estimates from the Wisconsin Department of Administration show Madison is now home to 286,785 residents, marking an almost 5% increase from 2020.

The shortage of housing in Madison has been exacerbated by the close proximity of the UW campus with the city’s business and commercial center, Paulsen said.

“We’ve under supplied our market by about 1,000 units per year, meaning that people keep moving to Madison and jobs are created, but we’re not building housing fast enough to keep up with demand,” Paulsen said.

University enrollment has also grown by hundreds of students without the construction of additional dorms, Paulsen said.

Further, the price of construction materials rose by more than 35% during the pandemic, Paulsen said, adding that the recent spike in mortgage interest rates has also discouraged people from putting their homes on the market.

“To put it in perspective, the long-run solution to expensive housing in high-demand places is to build more housing, but all the new housing we build is really expensive because of construction costs,” Paulsen said.

To solve the ongoing crisis Madison needs to invest in not just more housing, but also a wider variety of housing that meets a greater range of needs, Paulsen said.

Studio apartments for students, small starter homes for young families and condos for senior living are all examples of housing types that haven’t typically been seen in development proposals, Paulsen said.

After accounting for construction materials, safety mechanisms and labor, the typical mutlifamily unit costs at least $360,000-$400,000 to build, as well as land, which is priced at $20-50 million an acre dowtown, Paulsen said.

So, when searching for off-campus housing, students face difficulties stemming from Madison’s unique geographic and geometric features, Paulsen said.

Though the current picture looks bleak, relief is coming in the next few years, Paulesen said. Several residential and mixeduse buildings including units earmarked as affordable housing are in the planning stages of development or are already under construction, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

“There’s thousands of units either under construction or being planned in the area,” Paulsen said. “But the challenge is that anything new is going to be more expensive because land and construction costs are high.”

Madison residents and students are left with fewer options when entering rental and home market as prices continue to rise.

PAIGE VALLEY. THE BADGER HERALD.

SCOTUS affirmative action decision to alter UW admissions process

Admissions officers can still consider how race affects individu al applicants, WILL attorney says

by Anna Kristoff News Associate Editor

University of Wisconsin’s class of 2028 will be the first class admitted after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned affirmative action last June in the Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College decision.

The court ruled that affirmative action in college admissions was unconstitutional and in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

But, the decision does allow for admissions offices to consider “an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.”

In a statement issued June 29, 2023, UW Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin shared insights into a growing body of research that suggests diverse groups tend to make stronger decisions. But, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling requires modifications to UW’s current admissions process in order to be in compliance to the law, according to the statement.

Over the past 10 years, the percentage of white students admitted to UW has decreased from 55.3% in 2014 to 41.2% in 2023, according to a trends report on UW freshmen enrollment. There have also been noticeable jumps in the admission of other races with the percentage of Black students admitted increasing from 29.5% to 50.8% during the same time period.

Removing affirmative action may limit diversity and promote unjust barriers against minority groups, Wisconsin Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison) said. Affirmative action policies help invest in the safety and future of all university graduates, Agard said.

“[Admissions without affirmative action] would be tragic,” Agard said. “We know that colleges and universities, because of the Supreme Court overturning affirmative action last June, are being negatively impacted in the fact that they can no longer consider race when admitting prospective students to their university.”

The Supreme Court’s decision will likely interfere with universities’ interest in diversity, equity and inclusion, Dan Lennington, who is deputy counsel at The Equality Under the Law Project, an initiative by the conservative law group Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. Universities will have to approach diversity from other perspectives, he said.

Lennington said universities can still provide opportunities to disadvantaged or underrepresented applicants by considering how their experiences have shaped their lives.

“I think what they can do is evaluate applicants as individuals,” Lennington said.

“To determine whether an individual has encountered a hardship in that person’s life might be due to racism or it might be due to economic factors or where they’re from or

Liberty has filed a lawsuit against the State of Wisconsin over race-based scholarships, which is currently pending in court, Lennington said.

This court order is especially important for future generations and college students specifically, Lennington said.

their families.”

Future lawsuits are likely if universities try to circumvent the ban using proxies for race in admissions, such as socioeconomic factors or zip codes, Lennington said. There have already been lawsuits against BIPOC scholarships at UW and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and

student population fell from 7% in 2006 to 4% in 2022, despite Michigan’s high school student population being 17% Black, according to an article from the NAACP.

Notably, affirmative action can include identities other than race, Agard said. It took into account whether applicants were veterans, single parents and first generation college students, Agard said.

Having people with different backgrounds on campus provides a more robust experience for both students and professional staff, Agard said. There’s a harmful narrative that people of color are only on campuses because of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — these stereotypes negatively impact the quality of life for students and staff of color who work on campus, Agard said.

Opinions on affirmative action among the public vary, with 50% of U.S. adults saying they disapprove of colleges and universities considering prospective students’ racial and ethnic backgrounds in admissions, according to the Pew Research Center. While 57% of white adults disapprove of racial consideration in admissions, only 29% of Black adults disapprove, the Pew Research Center reported.

It’s necessary that the public works to create a strong and supportive environment in the UW system so students on campuses believe they belong, Agard said.

“[We must make sure] that we’re providing opportunities for the best and the brightest to participate in and to be able to give those gifts back through their professional careers after they walk across the stage and accept their diploma,” Agard said.

Republican legislators in Wisconsin have already spoken out against certain DEI initiatives, Agard said. In January, Republican lawmakers proposed an amendment to the Wisconsin State Constitution that would to prohibit government entities, including the UW System, from discriminating against or giving preferential treatment based on race and ethnicity in public education or employment, according to Assembly Joint Resolution 109.

The resolution was adopted 62–35 and is now awaiting a decision from the Wisconsin State Senate.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told Inside Higher Ed in August 2023 that when individual states have banned affirmative action, fewer students of color applied and fewer were admitted. After Michigan banned affirmative action in 2006, the University of Michigan’s Black

Agard said Wisconsinites should vote for representatives that represent their values — including those related to DEI initiatives — in the upcoming spring 2024 election.

“2024 is going to be an unprecedented year for elections in Wisconsin and across the nation,” Agard said. “The number one thing is to vote your values, do your research … [if] the people on your ballot aren’t going to be held accountable then consider running for office.”

Class of 2028 to be first enrolled since overturning of affirmative action.

BENNETT WAARA. THE BADGER HERALD.

Ending of pandemic relief funding for schools to threaten programs

As COVID-19 relief funding runs out, students may lose critical support programs that aim to bridge achievement gaps

by Margaret Schreiner News Associate Editor

Federal funding for COVID-19 pandemic relief is set to end in September 2024 for U.S. public schools. This cut in funding for public school districts could end programs designed to support students’ learning and lessen achievement losses from the pandemic, according to WPR.

Education policy researchers at Harvard and Stanford released a report in January highlighting areas where school districts saw achievement loss in their students based on reading and math scores.

The report found that students from lower-income backgrounds experienced slower academic recovery from COVID-19 and increased achievement gaps compared to wealthier students since 2019.

Public schools in Milwaukee and Racine are a full-grade equivalent behind in math scores, according to WPR. By contrast, Howard-Suamico, Elmbrook and Appleton school districts are scoring above 2019 levels.

Based on data from the Education Recovery Scorecard, there is a larger loss in scores in poorer school districts and slower recovery compared to wealthier districts.

Without investment in public school

6 • badgerherald.com • March 5, 2024

programs designed to combat these losses, students are going to experience achievement gaps when they enter higher education institutions as well, University of Wisconsin assistant professor of educational leadership and policy analysis Christopher Saldaña said.

Saldaña said programs to support students, especially post-pandemic, provide students with the education and expertise they need to succeed in college. Without that support, students are more likely to struggle at the university level, Saldaña said.

“Unless we invest resources into educating students and supporting them with some of the challenges they have outside of just their education, then it is going to have an impact on who gets to go to college, what kind of colleges they go to and later in their careers,” Saldaña said.

School districts across Wisconsin have implemented summer learning programs, task forces and study teams to address achievement loss, according to WPR. School districts are concerned that programs may be unable to continue without additional funding, as federal relief is set to end in September 2024, according to WPR.

Most school districts will lose additional funding once the pandemic relief runs out, according to UW associate professor of educational policy studies

Erica Turner.

“Unfortunately, the funding that has been there to support school districts and recovery efforts is running out and in most places — there’s really no replacement for that funding,” Turner said.

While the pandemic exacerbated issues regarding public school funding and achievement gaps in K-12 education, these issues existed long before 2019, Saldaña said.

Generally, students in wealthier school districts have access to higher-quality educational resources like new textbooks, technology and extracurricular activities Saldaña said. Further, students from higher income backgrounds typically had more access to resources like internet and a computer during the pandemic, Saldaña said.

For economically disadvantaged students, schools also offer resources that expand beyond learning needs, such as food and medical services, Saldaña said.

“Schools were and continue to be a lifeline for [low-income students],” Saldaña said. “So when that got disrupted, there was both the learning aspect and the support aspect that was disrupted.”

Another challenge school districts in Wisconsin face is parent engagement with schools, according to WPR. Engagement can be difficult for low-income families especially because parents are often

working multiple jobs, but is critical for student success, Saldaña said.

State funding should also go a step further and focus on eliminating child poverty, which has a severe impact on student achievement, Turner said.

Saldaña supports the need to reduce socioeconomic gaps that interfere with a child’s education.

“Kids learn well when they have stable housing, when they have food, when their parents have economic support, when they have access to health care,” Saldaña said. “All of those things matter equally if not more so than what happens in a student’s school.”

Turner and Saldaña also encourage University of Wisconsin students to advocate for K-12 education through voting on legislation regarding public education funding and staying informed on education policy.

UW can also support public school districts by offering tutoring services to local K-12 students.

“You can volunteer and tutor — and that’s one of the most rewarding experiences,” Saldaña said. “I think schools just need a lot of help and they don’t have a lot of money, so if a UW–Madison student came up to them and said ‘I’d like to offer an hour a week or two hours a week,’ they would say, ‘Sure, we would love that.’”

Achievement gaps caused by pandemic may persist into higher ed without more funding, UW expert says.

JACOB DURAN. THE BADGER HERALD.

New bill requires advertisers to disclose AI use in campaign ads

by Anna Smith News Associate Editor

The Wisconsin State Assembly passed AB664 Feb.15 concerning the use of artificial intelligence in political campaign advertisements. The primary component of the bill requires a written disclaimer for any audio and video content that is manipulated or generated by artificial intellegence.

For instance, a candidate may use AIgenerated content such as a deepfake — synthetic media in which a person’s likeness is manipulated, according to AP News — may be used in political advertisements to depict an opponent. This is just one example of the many possible issues related to AI that have been causing concern for people across the political spectrum, according to State Rep. Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit), who introduced the bill at the end of 2023.

“We just want to make sure that people see things that are real,” Anderson said. “We also think that for things like deep fakes, it’s really hard to tell what is and what is not real and whether it’s positive or negative, we don’t want people to be misled.”

While this bill is a step forward for controlling the growing technology, it is still just one step in the broader implications of AI. The altering of images and videos is not a new occurrence. For instance, Time magazine edited a picture of OJ Simpson’s mug shot in 1994 to make his skin appear darker, according to reporting by The New York Times. This long-standing issue is only poised to grow with AI, as it facilitates more effortless, rapid and advanced modifications of images, videos and audio, University of Wisconsin expert in political communication Dietram Scheufele said.

AI is unique in comparison to other technologies because its content may be entirely indistinguishable from reality, Scheufele said. In the wrong hands, this can be used to spread disinformation — inaccurate information intentionally spread to manipulate people. Increased usage of AI will allow for advertisements created to potentially alter a campaign outcome, according to Scheufele.

Beyond that, Scheufele said AI advertisements could be used to derail the democratic process all together.

“[There are] tons of applications that we aren’t even thinking about and that allow tailoring from people that are not going to be regulated by the FEC, DNC or RNC, but they’re going to be nefarious actors that have an interest in derailing democracy or politics rather than getting a candidate elected,” Scheufele said.

It is especially difficult to create ethical regulations for AI, not only due to the complexities of the technology, but also because of evolution within social standards, according to

Pew Research Center. But, states across the U.S. have begun to enact legislation to monitor its usage. As of February 2024, there were thirty-one states that either enacted or proposed legislation aimed at AI, according to BLCP, a business consulting firm that tracks legislation relating to AI.

In Wisconsin, AB664 builds upon these previously passed legislations, but is unique in the way that this bill is content neutral, according to Anderson. This bill will require a disclaimer for all AI in political ads regardless of the message that is being displayed, rather than focusing solely on ads that are deemed as harmful or negative. Instead of placing the responsibility of determining which ads are considered positive or negative, this bill ensures that all information created from AI is disclosed, Anderson said.

Anderson also said the bill may act as model legislation for other states to modify to their particular needs so it is crucial that it continues through the legislative process.

The bill was introduced and supported by legislators on both sides of the political aisle and was passed unanimously by the Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.

“This is the best approach we had. Some people wanted to ban [AI use in political advertising], but we wanted to make sure there was something that could withstand a court challenge,” Anderson said.

Scheufele said that in the long run, AI has the opportunity to cause harm to the credibility of information not only related to political campaigns, but for all online content.

The information environment may become overwhelmingly saturated with AI-generated content in the forms of writing, audio and video that makes facts and evidence indistinguishable from completely artificial content.

In the same way society depends on the internet, AI will proliferate all aspects of life.

Soon this technological growth will gain a sense of normalcy. While it will take time, people — especially younger generations — will grow accustomed to and expect to see AI-generated content appearing throughout their life, Scheufele said.

AB664’s companion bill in the Wisconsin State Senate SB644 is currently available for scheduling. Anderson predicts that strong bipartisan support for the bill indicates it will pass and become law.

Wisconsin lawmakers act to combat AI manipulation in campaign ads.

PAIGE VALLEY. THE BADGER HERALD.

Wisconsin receives ‘F’ on Child and Youth Sex Trafficking report card

32 U.S. states receive failing grades, but Shared Hope International policy expert urges states to take grade as ‘call to action’

by Tarun Vedula Print News Editor

Wisconsin received an “F” on the 2023 Shared Hope International Report Card, which grades all U.S. states on their legislative efforts related to child and youth sex trafficking, scoring a 49 out of 100 — a 3.5 point increase from 2021.

The report card uses a legislative framework that analyzes six issue areas, including criminal provisions, identification of and response to victims, to create a final letter grade that reflects the overall effectiveness and comprehensiveness of a state’s legal framework in addressing child and youth sex trafficking.

In total, the report card issued 32 “F” grades with the only “A” being assigned to Tennessee. This is due to Tennessee’s continuous push for new legislation, and the prohibition of criminalization of childsex trafficking victims for prostitution offenses, Shared Hope International Director of Policy Research Sarah Roberts said.

But, Roberts said the report cards are a fairly new initiative and should be interpreted as a “starting point” for states who received a failing grade.

“Grades are low across the country, so that’s not necessarily an indictment of Wisconsin in particular, it’s just it’s a new starting point,” Robert said. “It’s a new starting point, hopefully a call to action to legislators to close some of the gaps in the laws.”

Tennessee also stands out in its emphasis on education and training regarding the identification and intervention in child sex trafficking, Roberts said.

“There are strong laws on training that ensure that all of those stakeholders that may interact with child sex trafficking victims … [individuals] are trained so that they can identify trafficking victimization,” Roberts said.

One of the primary reasons for Wisconsin’s low grade has to do with the lack of Safe Harbor laws provided to victims of sex-trafficking, according to the Wisconsin Report Card. Wisconsin is one of 21 states that does not provide Safe Harbor for sex-trafficked victims, which in turn allows individuals under the age of 18 to be arrested and prosecuted for prostitution offenses.

Gaps in training for child-welfare groups in contact with potential child sextrafficking victims such as teachers, law enforcement, and juvenile justice agencies also contributed to the low score.

8 • badgerherald.com • March 5, 2024

Roberts said aside from legislation and training, one of the largest combatants to sex trafficking is providing more awareness of the issue to the general

Local groups like Awaken Wisconsin aim to fill the service gaps and advocate for change through education about commercial sexual exploitation. Awaken

public. When individuals are able to identify victimization in peers or those around them, they can take appropriate next steps, Roberts said.

Wisconsin Executive Director Kasia Klaus said talking to victims of trafficking helps find gaps in the current system and identify effective prevention strategies.

“I think a lot of that is getting lived experience by talking to survivors who have been trafficked in our state to see where we have failed them,” Klaus said. “If we can prevent this from happening, we don’t have to focus as much on [restoration], which is a lot harder and a lot more intense.”

Though the University of Wisconsin facilitates the 4W Initiative, which aims to foster social transformations to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation through the Social Transformations to End Exploitation and Trafficking for Sex Project, UW does not currently offer specific services for sex trafficking on campus, 4W STREETS Initiative Director of Research Lara Gerassi said in an email statement to The Badger Herald.

Gerassi’s work focuses on exploring the dynamics of sex trading for compensation among minors and adults, aiming to understand the motivations, circumstances, and potential harms involved. By dissecting the conditions that may lead to violence or exploitation within this context, her research aims to illuminate pathways for harm reduction and prevention.

Gerassi agreed that Safe Harbor laws are critical to protect sex-trafficked youth, and said survivors, especially those from marginalized communities, such as people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals, may experience additional barriers due to increased law enforcement involvement and the lack of inclusive support services. Because of this, Gerassi said it is crucial to create inclusive and representative services and educational programs that cater to the diverse experiences of all survivors.

While UW does not offer trafficking specific services, Gerassi said some university students are trading sex but are not trafficked, and could benefit from UW services related to information on trading sex for compensation.

The Wisconsin Report Card said attempts to pass Safe Harbor legislation has been unsuccessful in the past, but a recent legislative package recently passed through the Wisconsin State Assembly that targets human trafficking in Wisconsin.

Feb. 15, the latest package of legislation aimed at combating human trafficking was passed, according to press release by Rep. Jon Plumer (R-Lodi), who was on the task force developing this legislation over the last six months.

For human trafficking help from the 24/7 National Human Trafficking Hotline, call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.

Report reveals gap in resources in Wisconsin, across nation.

SOREN GOLDSMITH. THE BADGER HERALD.

Study finds having purpose in life may increase emotional resilience

UW’s pioneering research investigates well-being, feeling of belonging, emotional response time

by Kiesen Williams Science News Reporter

The U.S. has seen increased cases of mental illness, raising public and academic discourse about mental health — some of which is being addressed at the University of Wisconsin with initiatives like the Midlife in the United States study and the Emotion and Wellness study. Project leader of MIDUS Stacey Schaefer said these projects will continue the evolution of research on emotional wellbeing — a relatively new field with much to uncover.

More than one in five adults in the U.S. live with a mental illness and more than 60% of college students in the U.S. meet the criteria for at least one mental illness, underscoring the urgent need for action and research in the field of mental health, according to the American Psychological Association.

“People thought that depression and anxiety are really just about negative emotions, but what’s been coming out more and more in our field is really how important positive emotion is,” Schaefer said.

While the immediate effects of mental illnesses and emotion have been thoroughly researched, the long-term health effects remain ambiguous, Schaeffer said. Projects like MIDUS and the Emotion and Wellness study aim to answer these mysteries, delving into how emotional responses shape psychophysiological health over time.

In MIDUS, participants experience various non-invasive tests, including exposure to positive and negative stimuli, monitored through techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging and facial muscle movements analysis, Schaefer said.

fMRI is a scanning tool used to map the brain’s activity. Researchers used fMRI to examine brain activity in regions like the amygdala — the region in the brain responsible for regulating anxiety, fear conditioning and emotional memory, according to NIH.

By examining brain activity in regions like the amygdala, researchers aim to understand how emotions are processed and how they influence physiological responses developing spatial patterns, Schaefer said.

The spatial patterns identified in the fMRI scans were cross-referenced with participants’ facial muscle responses, focusing on the corrugator supercilii muscles, which lie along the inner brow, according to Schaefer. This muscle tends to activate more strongly in response to emotional stimuli.

The researcher’s analysis revealed a clear correlation between corrugator activity and the perception of negativity — heightened corrugator activity corresponds with negative stimuli, highlighting the link between physiological reactions and emotional

responses.

According to Schaefer, similar methodologies were employed in the Emotion and Wellness study. Through affective chronometry — the emotional experiences recorded over a period of time — researchers

front of a set of unresponsive and intimidating judges, Schaefer said. Afterward, researchers collected several saliva samples over a period of time to measure cortisol, the stress hormone, levels and its regulation and reactivity.

The analysis of the Emotion and Wellness

examined how quickly or slowly a person responds to emotional stimuli, particularly in times of stress.

One of the experiment’s participants took part in a social stress test in which they performed advanced mental math, delivered a speech and completed a job interview in

student Michelle Marji is at the forefront of research conducted at the Niedenthal Emotions Lab. In collaboration with her colleagues, Marji worked on the “Marching in Sync: Large Group Coordination and Social Connection” study, an investigation into the UW marching band’s synchronized movements and their impact on emotional bonding.

Researchers recorded movement and spatial positioning during the band’s practice, measuring how coordinated and how synchronous the band performed, Marji said. The results were then compared to responses from band members on specific social connections within the band.

In her exploration, Marji uncovered a profound link between group synchrony and feelings of belonging among band members. The study emphasizes the pivotal role of belonging in shaping mental well-being and its possible implications on academic performance and social connections, Marji said.

“In general, it’s a stressful time we’re in right now … and I think feelings of belonging can permeate all avenues of our life,” Marji said.

Reflecting on the broader context of her work, Marji said there are psychological implications to the pervasive stressors of contemporary life and the transformative power of belonging across various facets of existence.

Exploring purpose in life is a quintessential human experience with a direct impact on emotional responses, Schaefer said. In a comprehensive study conducted as part of the MIDUS project, participants were presented with statements probing their outlook on life, ranging from ‘I live life one day at a time and don’t really think about the future,’ to ‘I have a sense of direction and purpose in life.’

The longitudinal analysis yielded compelling findings — individuals lacking a strong sense of purpose, regardless of their current age, faced an increased likelihood of death in the next 10 years, according to Schaefer. It became evident that nurturing a sense of purpose in life holds the potential to modulate the brain’s response to emotional stimuli, thereby influencing emotional regulation.

“Purpose in life is a wellbeing factor has been shown to be helpful for so many things,” Schaefer said. “We see better emotion regulation and its ties to longevity.”

study is ongoing, but the research has the potential to shed light on why certain individuals are susceptible to mood disorders while others display resilience in the face of adversity, according to the Center for Healthy Minds.

In a separate endeavor, UW graduate

As the U.S. grapples with rising rates of mental illness, these research endeavors offer insight to longevity and well-being, Schaefer said. By deepening their understanding of emotions and social dynamics, scientists inch closer to cultivating the grounds for a society where mental well-being is prioritized and supported for all.

Studying the amygdala region in the brain can help researchers understand emotion processing.

JOEY REUTEMAN. THE BADGER HERALD.

BIPOC mentorship program supports science, agriculture students

MOSAIC redefines mentoring for marginalized students, supports representation in academia

by Sarah Belin Science News Reporter

Mentorship Opportunities in Science & Agriculture for Individuals of Color is a campus organization that nurtures community by connecting Black, Indigenous and graduate students, postdocs and mentors of color in science and agriculture departments at the University of Wisconsin.

Following the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man from Georgia, thengraduate student Korede Olugbenle hoped to bring the lack of Black representation in Moore Hall-Agronomy at UW to light, according to the MOSAIC website. With fellow graduate students, Jenyne Loarca and Becca Honeyball, Olugbenle developed a solution — MOSAIC.

According to the UW 2022–23 data digest, 59.9% of the whole student body and 47.9% of the graduate student body identify as white.

A report from the National Student Clearinghouse analyzed the persistence and retention rates at public four-year institutions,

10 • badgerherald.com • March 5, 2024

finding the rates for Asian and white students have consistently remained higher than their Latinx and Black counterparts. These rates in early post-secondary education translate to continued disparities at higher levels.

According to Director of the Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology Graduate Program and MOSAIC mentor Dr. Lauren Hernandez, this may be related to the lack of diverse representation in the higher levels of academia.

The student-led organization works with faculty in the College of Agricultural Life Sciences as allies in their mission. Hernandez was a member of the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee when the organization started.

“Issues were being brought up about equity and diversity and inclusion in general, but it was really obvious that we had a major gap in graduate students’ support,” Hernandez said.

MOSAIC offers professional mentorship, graduate peer support networks and community

events to create a space for Black, Indigenous and graduate students of color to connect on campus. Ph.D. candidates Ana María VázquezCatoni and Daniela Orjuela Díaz are the MOSAIC mentorship program co-coordinators.

MOSAIC’s professional mentorship program is a free, convenient and time-efficient opportunity for students to gain support and guidance through academic endeavors, Vázquez-Catoni said. In addition to the professional mentorship program, MOSAIC offers the Graduate Peer Support Network and community events, which strengthen connections between the students in the organization.

“Even though we come from different backgrounds and different experiences, we share a common goal of getting through grad school,” Díaz said. “So being able to help other grad students going through that path is really important.”

The MOSAIC team facilitates an anonymous matching process followed by a meeting with the prospective mentees and mentors to discuss both of their expectations before the match is official. Ph.D. candidate and admin board member Francisco Campos-Arguedas said these relationships are very valuable.

It’s not always comfortable speaking with advisors about future aspirations or personal struggles because of interpersonal expectations generated by the academic hierarchy. Former MOSAIC mentee and current admin board member Ophelia Tsai said relationships with a MOSAIC mentor extend beyond professional relationships to create a feeling of community.

“There’s an extra support, an extra pair of ears that are listening to you,” Tsai. “They care about your personal life, about your feelings, about what you’re struggling with.”

In addition to fostering community, MOSAIC stands to redefine mentorship norms and demonstrate that representation matters in higher education and academia. Vázquez-Catoni said many students have experienced toxic or difficult mentoring situations.

As an administrator, Vázquez-Catoni is responsible for finding ways to redefine mentoring to facilitate a proper, positive mentorship experience and the environment in which it can occur.

Originally from Costa Rica, CamposArguedas did not see a lot of representation in the UW student body. He connected with a faculty member from Guatemala through MOSAIC, and while they came from different countries, they bonded over shared roots and experiences, Campos-Arguedas said.

“She helped me so much to develop a sense of belonging and feeling that there is a possibility of something like her,” Campos-Arguedas said. “I see her example and that there is someone here who represents what I have. That’s similar skin color, the same language, and she also has an accent. It’s like … it’s possible to do these things.”

Last year, MOSAIC collaborated with UW’s Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources & Related Sciences and the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee to organize a summit called Beyond the Table, which gave students a space to connect and build on their understanding of food justice.

MOSAIC plans to continue expanding its network in the future, collaborate with other allies on campus and find ways to reach an even larger audience, Vázquez-Catoni said. Tsai hopes to eventually see MOSAIC as a system that is a part of every department at UW.

“Identity really matters and being able to see yourself in a spot is what I think often leads to success … not seeing yourself there is a really big uphill battle,” Hernandez said.

MOSAIC, a student-led organization, offers professional mentorship for Black, Indigenous and graduate students of color.

OPHELIA TSAI. MOSAIC.

FEATURES

People of UW: President of Divine 9 sorority Zeta Phi Beta

Stories of students: Read about students making a difference on campus

by Emily Otten SMPR Associate

Editor’s note: People of UW is a human interest series produced by Badger Herald staff members. The series aims to highlight a student or student group at the University of Wisconsin making an impact on the campus community. These Q&As are lightly edited for clarity and style.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is J’Khayla Johnson, I’m a junior studying information sciences and I have certificates in digital studies, African American studies and video game design. I am a house fellow in Sellery Residence Hall and have been for about a year and a half. I have a lot of passion for media and media literacy and helping people from different areas have access to the internet and everything. Right now I’m doing a research project on TikTok and how it can help Black students find different forms of representation when it comes to formal and informal learning. I also work as a programming assistant for the Center for Cultural Enrichment, so I plan out a lot of different events that help promote our university and housing value.

What is the Divine Nine?

I am a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated and I serve as chapter president. The Divine Nine are a group of elite Black organizations that were founded in order to create spaces for Black people during times where it was hard for us to find spaces on college campuses. The first D9 organization to be founded was the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. They were founded in 1906 at Cornell University. My organization was founded at Howard University on January 16, 1920 and our principles are scholarship, service, sisterhood and finer womanhood. We put a big emphasis on who we are as people and making sure that we do a lot of service that impacts our communities.

What are your responsibilities as President?

I’m a very busy person, I’m president, and I work two jobs, I have three minors and I’m in STEM. As president, I’m in charge of all membership, and I’m also in charge of meeting with people. If someone wants to collaborate with us, they come and talk with me. Or, if we need to say something to regionals or nationals or a graduate chapter, I’m the person that handles all of that. I also serve as one of the faces of the sorority. Even though we’re a smaller chapter, we still have to make sure that everything we do, we’re always holding ourselves to a high standard. So when people see me around I like to let them know you can ask me anything, you can always come and chat with me and everything.

What are some of your goals for the organization?

I know that after I graduate, Zeta has youth auxiliary groups, and one of those youth auxiliary groups is a group of girls called Archonettes, they’re ages 14–18. After I graduate, I want to become an

advisor to one of these groups, it’s similar to Girl Scouts but it’s under that Zeta umbrella. As far as my chapter, I’m going to help us expand and grow and just do as much for the campus as we can. We

womanhood.

What’s your favorite part of being President?

have some events coming up that I’m very excited for, we have different community service things coming up and we also have our upcoming finer womanhood week which I’m very excited for. So, I would say in general I want to help the people who will eventually be coming into my chapter to grow as people and to truly embrace the principle of finer

I’m president and I also serve as secretary, it is the most wonderful combination because I’m the one who writes up all of the notes and all of the documents so immediately, if someone asks “Hey, can we collab with you on this on this date,” I already know I can look back at my notes and have it right there. Just the way it has pushed me to

become very organized, my calendars are planned all the way to July and are color coordinated.

Why is the Divine Nine important to the Madison community in particular?

I would say it’s really important especially because Madison has a very small Black population. The [undergraduate] student body is only 2% Black, so there’s not a lot of us and it can be really hard for us to find community and know where to go. I know my freshman year, I was the only African American girl in my dorm, and I came from Chicago where everyone’s Black, so it was really hard for me. Having these D9 organizations can really help students to see, “okay here’s another Black person who is doing everything I want to do, this is someone I can look up to.” It also is because our Black organizations, we really care about service. So we’re giving back to our community and supporting our fellow Black students and students in general. I would say D9 organizations on campuses serve as role models, places for community and also places to receive a different level of support that students don’t get in their day-to-day.

What is your favorite part of Zeta Phi Beta?

Besides my role, I would say really the sisterhood. Me and one of my sorors are extremely close, like you see her you see me, that’s my twin and she really pushes me to do different things. For example, there’s a Zeta scholarship that was going around and I didn’t want to apply to it because I was scared that I wouldn’t get it and she pushed me to apply to it and I did actually get the scholarship.

What advice would you give for students who want to be more involved in a Divine Nine?

I would say, first, get to know us as people, come up and talk to us. I know it may be intimidating, but just come and talk to us. You have to be discreet, you can’t say, “Oh, I want to be a Zeta” you have to be discreet, not everyone needs to know what you want to do. I will also say it’s exciting, but make sure you take your time and really get to know everybody. Don’t get your sights so set on one organization that you don’t see all of your possible options. And save money, because once you get into the D9 you’re gonna want that hat and shirt and have to pay for it.

What are your career goals post-grad?

I want to become a video game designer and have my own video game studio. One of my goals is to have my own video game studio that creates games that can be used as a form of therapy and games that can be used for virtual learning because I was a part of the COVID group of kids. I graduated during COVID and it really just changed the way I thought about learning in general. I also want to do just more research into how Black people, specifically African Americans, interact with media.

Zeta Phi Beta president talks about balancing student, leadership, extracurricular responsibilities.

PHOTO COURTESY OF J’KHAYLA JOHNSON.

URBAN WILDERNESS:

Local environmental efforts seek to harmonize human-wildlife relationship

by Soren Goldsmith Photo Director

In the heart of Madison, two red tailed hawks have turned the Wisconsin State Capitol into their hunting ground.

This pair of birds is frequently spotted flying around the stone building and perching on its rooftops. Their acute vision allows them to easily spot prey on the surrounding lawns — rats and squirrels are their food of choice.

and in the spring, it is vibrant with life. One can find kingfishers diving for food in the water, herons stalking their prey, and over 30 species of warblers singing songs in the trees.

Characteristics of the city life, such as abundance of food, high perches, and lack of competition help these birds excel. But there’s more to the story of wildlife in Madison’s urban environment.

The Lakeshore Path acts as a small wildlife refuge within the city landscape,

As winter rolls in, the absence of migratory birds can make Madison feel dead, but a closer look reveals that it’s just as alive as ever. Red foxes are spotted walking through Camp Randall, muskrats are seen huddled on the frozen lake, and raccoons are found all over the city searching for food.

Animals like these didn’t evolve to live in cities, and while some may be thriving, others are not. As cities encroach upon animals’ natural habitats, it becomes more difficult for many to survive in a landscape with busy roads, thousands of people and disruptive construction projects.

The scarcity of continuous wilderness exacerbates this struggle for survival.

As human civilization expands, our wildlife is given a choice: either adapt to urban life or move out.

Urbanization and adaptation

Professor of climate change ecology at the University of Wisconsin Benjamin Zuckerberg focuses his research on how wildlife adapts to environmental changes. Rather than considering urban wildlife just to be what remains after human development, Zuckerberg has a different mindset.

said. “Some studies have suggested they actually do better in urban areas than in non-urban areas.”

Garbage disposed of by humans provides a food source that supports rodent populations, so Cooper’s hawks can very easily find prey. Cooper’s hawks are synanthropic, meaning they benefit from living close to people and human activities. The ability to find shelter in urban environments, be active at night, and take advantage of supplemental food are all common traits of city dwellers.

The UW Urban Canid Project

“There’s been a push in some ways to actually value biodiversity within human areas in of itself, not necessarily thinking about it as some sort of subset of what is the broader biodiversity,” Zuckerberg said.

The group of urban dwellers that live in Madison represent their own city-based ecosystem that is unique to what is found inside any forest or national park.

Zuckerberg said that some species are not only surviving, but prospering in urban areas.

One example of this prosperity can be found in Cooper’s hawks. These raptors are frequently spotted perched atop Madison buildings and have seen a significant rise in population in urban landscapes over the past several decades, according to UW News.

“These are what would be normally thought about as forced adapted birds,” Zuckerberg

Amongst the most elusive of these synanthropic animals are coyotes and foxes, according to the scientific journal Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space. Even though their ranges cover nearly every city in the United States, surprisingly little is known about their habits, according to the Public Library of Science.

Urban wildlife researcher and professor of wildlife ecology David Drake created the UW Urban Canid Project in January 2014 after sightings of red foxes and coyotes were reported on the UW campus.

The study — which aims to understand behaviors of foxes and coyotes to reduce human-wildlife conflict proactively — revealed the two types of canids were active

2. The small owl had been roosting in a nearby tree for months prior to the event and was well-loved by students, according to members of the UW–Madison Audubon

at the same times of day, but in different habitats.

“Coyotes live in the cities, but they typically will concentrate their areas in urban green spaces like UW Arboretum or Lakeshore Nature Preserve,” Drake said.

Another finding of the study is that urban landscapes offer such an abundance of food that the two canid species do not need to compete in the same way they do in rural areas, Drake said. This means urban coyotes have no reason to kill foxes to limit competition, so they can coexist fairly successfully.

While many animals have been successful adapting to an urban lifestyle, many others have not.

Urban hazards

A gray eastern screech owl was found dead in the courtyard of Adams Residence Hall Feb.

Society. Members of the group concluded the cause of death to be a recent window collision.

Glass windows are one part of human built environments that pose threats to aviary wildlife, according to the National Audubon Society. Between 365 and 988 million birds are killed every year due to building collisions in the U.S., according to a systematic analysis from Ornithological Applications. Busy roads and fast cars are also hard for animals to adapt to, and are a primary reason why large mammals like cougars and wolves avoid urban areas, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Predators like these rely on large, contiguous stretches of wilderness to travel and find food, according to the Public Library of

Science — a lifestyle that is not conducive to growing urban landscapes.

Though many urban hazards pose threats to wildlife, there are ways to create city infrastructure that supports biodiversity. And work is already underway to make Madison and the UW campus more wildlife friendly.

A wildlife-friendly future

In the recently constructed Bakke Recreation Center, along with many other new buildings, the windows are covered in small dots so they are more visible to birds.

Last year, the City of Madison announced it would remove over 50 miles of roads from its winter salt route to protect clean water and aquatic life, according to previous reporting from The Badger Herald.

habitat in urban areas,” Drake said. “Typically, if you have ribbons of green space that are moving through a city, […] coyotes will move along that green corridor.”

Green corridors — which contribute to the contiguous wilderness areas that large predators need to survive — are certainly lacking in Madison. But they are not impossible to attain. In fact, the Capital

Additionally, some UW buildings now have green roofs — vegetative surfaces that help manage stormwater and provide habitat for urban wildlife, among other environmental benefits.

These improvements all help make Madison a better home for wildlife. But, there is more to be done to create an ecosystem that better considers the needs of wildlife in an increasingly urbanized world.

“There’s a lot of unmet potential in creating and enhancing and managing

Area Regional Planning Commission has mapped out corridors in the Dane County Area based on both human developments and natural features.

With growing human populations living in urban or urbanizing areas, focused efforts to protect wildlife have to become a priority in order to preserve the integrity of broader ecosystems, according to Zuckerberg.

“There’s no doubt that we will become an increasingly urbanized world,” Zuckerberg said. “And because of that, we should value that biodiversity within our cityscapes as well.”

PHOTOS BY SOREN GOLDSMITH. THE BADGER HERALD.

Juul settlement funds support nicotine recovery efforts for young adults

Grant funds will help study, address ongoing impacts of Juul’s targeted advertising toward Wisconsin’s youth

by Celia Hiorns Editor-in-Chief

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services awarded $830,000 in Vaping Prevention and Treatment Initiative grants to 13 organizations across the state. The grants are intended to address impacts of vaping in teens and young adults over the next two years, according to a Feb. 15 press release.

The funding comes from Wisconsin’s $14.7 million settlement with Juul Labs to be disbursed over five to 10 years, according to the Department of Health Services. Wisconsin’s settlement with Juul, on the basis of targeted marketing of e-cigarette products to underage consumers, was originally announced September 2022.

14 • badgerherald.com • March 5, 2024

DHS Tobacco Prevention and Control Program spokesperson Gina Larsen said much of Wisconsin’s focus in the next few years will focus on this cohort of 18 to 24 year olds, who may be in college, starting to work or beginning family lives while addicted to nicotine.

“This … young adult group between ages of 18 and 24 is distinctive in their need for vaping prevention and cessation services because they were the first cohort to be specifically targeted by these big tobacco, big vaping companies,” Larsen said.

Since the founding of Juul Labs, Inc. in 2015, e-cigarette use among Wisconsin teens

more than doubled. Compared to 7.9% of Wisconsin high school students in 2014, 20.1% of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2018, according to the Youth Tobacco Survey.

E-cigarette use for Wisconsin high school students was most recently measured at 10.5% in 2022, and vaping rates are decreasing first-year students at the University of Wisconsin, according to 2022 AlcoholEdu data.

But people who were in middle and high school during the peak of Juul’s prevalence in 2018 are still experiencing its impacts.

Data from the 2021 National College

Health Assessment showed 1 in 3 UW–Madison undergraduates and 1 in 7 ofprofessional and graduate students have used tobacco or nicotine delivery products at least once, according to University Health Services.

“Young people should know that vapes do not contain the same amount of nicotine as, let’s say, their grandpa’s old fashioned cigarettes,” Larsen said. “It is a much higher dose and it’s specifically designed to get young people addicted and to spend their money on vapes and stay addicted for the long term.”

“The perfect storm”

Short-term research finds vaping poses serious risks, long-term affects unknown, according to the American Heart Association.

ABIGAIL LEAVINS. THE BADGER HERALD.

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The Northwest Wisconsin Lung Health Alliance, which covers six counties in northwest Wisconsin, is one of the organizations that received settlement funding based on the goal to support young adults. NWLHA coordinator Charmaine Swan said the founding of Juul created unprecedented conditions for teens to become addicted to nicotine.

Compared to combustible cigarettes, which are odorous and more difficult to mask, the proliferation of e-cigarettes made nicotine use overly convenient for young consumers. Juul products also have a high nicotine solution that has been specifically marketed toward youth, Swan said.

“What’s unfortunate about it — and why I call it the perfect storm — is not only are the devices intended to be made appealing to us, they come in thousands of flavors, they’re ‘disposable,’” Swan said. “It’s created this perfect storm for addiction.”

High rates of nicotine addiction among American teens have created a need to study how nicotine use impacts the adolescent brain.

The University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention was a recipient of 2023 Juul settlement funds. UW-CTRI used its grant money to conduct research about the practices and beliefs of youth and young adults related to e-cigarette use, according to UW-CTRI project manager Karen Conner.

UW-CTRI’s research revealed strong associations between nicotine use early on in life and the onset of mental illness, Conner said.

“We know that nicotine alters the adolescent brain,” Conner said. “The more nicotine youth are using increases the likelihood of mood disorders, stunted learning, sleep problems — and all of these issues can exacerbate feelings of anxiety or depression.”

Largely, scientists studying the risks of vaping have to rely on shorter-term research, since e-cigarette devices have only been prevalent in the United States for the past 15 years, according to a 2023 report from the American Heart Association.

But existing research decidedly demonstrates e-cigarette use poses health risks. Future clinical studies will help determine long-term impacts on the heart, blood vessels and lungs, according to the American Heart Association, but health experts continue to emphasize that there is no safe amount of vaping.

“Just because we don’t know how unhealthy it is yet doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy,” Swan said. “The thing we should all be breathing is clear air, period.”

Recovery efforts on campus

Given these known risks and the particular vulnerabilities of 18 to 24 year olds, Public Health of Madison and Dane

County identified an opportunity to utilize its partnership with UW’s University Health Services, according to PHMDC public health specialist Myranda Phelps.

After receiving Juul settlement funds in 2023, PHMDC subcontracted UHS to provide vaping education, prevention and cessation efforts on campus, Phelps said in an email statement to The Badger Herald.

UHS assistant director for high-risk drinking prevention Jenny Damask said Juul settlement funding helped provide groundwork for prevention and cessation services at UW.

“The Juul settlement money was huge in us taking a better look at the landscape around nicotine on campus, and was a catalyst for us even applying [for additional grant money],” Damask said. “We had a lot of support to do that.”

Based on these findings, UHS implemented a media campaign and campus events to help make behavioral health services more accessible to those looking to reduce or quit nicotine use.

UHS’ “No Nicotine November” campaign in November 2023 combined social media outreach, quit kit distribution and a Bascom Hill display for the “Great American Smokeout,” according to previous reporting from The Badger Herald. The theme of the campaign was “A no to nicotine is a yes to yourself” to positively frame quitting, based on motivations students expressed in surveys and interviews.

Feedback from the “No Nicotine November” campaign and other initiatives coupled with outdated campus policies allowed UHS to apply for a Truth Initiative grant to support the development of tobaccoand nicotine-free policies on campus. Under current policy, UW is smoke-free in indoor spaces and near building entrances, with some exceptions. UW was selected to receive funding from February 2024 through June 2025.

“It’s going to be a challenge in a lot of ways to review that policy, but it’s been up for review for quite a while, we just haven’t pulled a group together to look at it,” Damask said. “So this gives us the excuse to bring a bunch of people together to look at this policy and make it stronger and also make it actionable.”

The positive side of quitting

Policymaking aside, UHS is looking for other ways to engage students in the issue of nicotine cessation. Part of the Truth Initiative grant will fund positions for two nicotine free student ambassadors for UHS, Damask said. These student employees will take part in community engagement and outreach efforts to hear from their peers and distribute resources.

“I think that a lot of the things we think might happen by changing a policy may or may not be true, and so hearing from

students will be really powerful,” Damask said.

In addition to new initiatives, UHS will continue to offer free, confidential counseling to help students quit nicotine, tobacco and vape products. Health providers work with students to create personalized plans which may include behavioral strategies, nicotine replacement products and medication assistance.

Quitting nicotine is challenging. Often, people who try to quit undergo multiple attempts before succeeding, but it’s important to keep trying, Damask said. The more attempts it takes to quit, the more likely people are to quit forever.

This is because people who quit nicotine build “quit confidence,” which helps them build resilience and self-efficacy, according to Larsen.

“It’s a life skill,” Larsen said. “It might be unfortunate that they become addicted to nicotine, but using resources to quit is actually something that can affect them positively in all other parts of their lives.”

This holistic approach is reflected in the kinds of organizations that received 2024 settlement funding from DHS. Grantees are not only those involved in commercial tobacco prevention and control, Larsen said. Instead, settlement funds have been used to address a variety of needs, including mental health, education and general life skills training.

The more health experts understand about nicotine and how impacted young adults are finding resilience, the greater effort there is to adapt to shifting support landscapes to “meet them where they’re at,” Larsen said.

“It’s following that larger vision of meeting young people where they’re at, where they already gather, where they’re already interacting with others, and delivering these prevention and cessation services to them, in the life they’re currently living,” Larsen said. “I think that shows respect for the young people who’ve been targeted by big tobacco.” Resources regarding nicotine cessation:

• Students can schedule an appointment through UHS by calling 608-265-5600.

• UW’s Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention provides a free service to help people quit smoking, vaping or other tobacco use through the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. Call 800-QUITNOW. For a limited time, participants may receive 8 weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy. Text READY to 34191.

• This is Quitting Text Line is a free and anonymous text messaging program from Truth Initiative designed to help young people quit vaping. Text DITCHVAPE to 88709.

• American Indian Quit Line offers culturally tailored cessation programs. Call 888-7AI-QUIT.

FEATURES

Lax campaign laws allow for dishonest ads. AI could make things worse.

New

bipartisan bill regulates AI-generated content in political ads, but door remains open for disinformation

by Jack Rogers Opinion Editor

ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence tools have flooded college campuses in recent months, challenging pedagogical practices and raising ethical concerns over the role of AI in higher education.

For students, papers that previously took days and weeks to write can now be generated with a few keyboard strokes. University of Wisconsin administration has responded to these technological developments with a set of guidelines for AI usage to increase transparency and ensure academic integrity. In classrooms, professors have adopted wildly different approaches to the usage of AI tools — some allow the use with proper citation, others prohibit the tools entirely.

Generative AI, however, has more sinister potential beyond freshman plagiarism in English 100. In the realm of local, state and federal elections, the use of AI in political communication is somewhat of a wild west with very little regulation, as characterized by Bloomberg.

A bipartisan effort in the state legislature now seeks to establish a regulatory framework policing generative AI in political advertisements before the upcoming elections in the fall.

In mid-February, state Republicans and Democrats crossed political lines to pass a bill that would require disclaimers in campaign ads that use AI-generated content. The high level of political cooperation signals a shared understanding between politicians of both parties that AI represents a fundamental threat to honest and fair political campaigning.

As the 2024 election cycle heats up, AI has already begun to impact campaigns and featured political advertisements. Last summer, the former campaign of Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis used an AI-generated voice of Donald Trump in a television ad.

Beyond voice generative technology, AI can also be used to create deepfakes — highly convincing yet fabricated images and videos, according to the University of Virginia. These deepfakes often have malicious intent in the political realm, with goals of voter suppression or spreading disinformation, as described by the University of New South Wales.

Many of the same issues with non-AIgenerative political ads are now being exacerbated and exploited with the help of AI technologies. The way federal courts have interpreted the First Amendment’s

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• badgerherald.com • March 5, 2024

limited application to political speech makes regulating content, even when not verifiably true, difficult. The stakes are now much higher with AI.

While the bill passed in the Wisconsin State

Political ads in Wisconsin can now legally broadcast AI-generated disinformation, albeit with the addition of a content warning. With an inundation of disinformation and deepfakes, whether acknowledged

Legislature was sorely needed, the lack of regulations beyond simple content disclaimers does not go far enough in regulating AI usage in political communications.

Standards concerning verity, timeliness and transparency are noticeably absent in this new legislation.

candidates in a highly controversial light. Analysts were quickly able to label the audio as a fake, but the widely-circulated recording is still believed to have a substantial impact on the election results, according to Brookings.

In the absence of regulatory policies concerning proximity limits to elections and fabricated disinformation, elections in Wisconsin also face similar high-stakes risks.

Nearly three-fourths of all U.S. adults report hearing little or no information about AI, according to a 2023 poll from Pew Research Center. Older populations, especially, are less informed.

Given the lack of exposure and education voters have about AI, further legislative overhaul becomes a necessity.

Current campaign laws are rather confusing, and it is not clear how AI fits into existing frameworks. Wisconsin’s 1973 State Statute 12.05 prohibits deliberate false representations of candidates to influence elections.

These standards are even more vague in practice. They certainly didn’t stop Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) from attacking his Democratic opponent, Mandela Barnes, with verifiably false claims about Barnes’ alleged support for “defunding the police.” Johnson went on to win the election.

The development of AI technologies now allows these attacks to reach new heights. Rather than lying about political opponents in traditional ads, candidates can now use even more subtle, believable tactics — using AI to fake an opponent’s voice or image to sway public opinion.

Elections for state and local governments are even more at risk from deceptive AIgenerated campaign ads than elections with national attention, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Outside of the state’s urban areas, local newspapers are fast in decline. Fewer fact checkers exist to monitor local campaign races, raising concerns AI usage will go largely unchecked.

The 2024 elections are quickly approaching and AI development is outpacing relevant legislation. Requiring content disclaimers for campaign ads featuring AI-generated content is a necessary first step, but laws need to be more comprehensive to secure integrity in local and state elections.

as AI-generated or not, it seems doubtful disclaimers can prevent AI from substantially influencing elections.

These dangers came to fruition in Slovakia’s parliamentary election last year. Two days before voters went to the polls, an AI-generated audio cast one of the leading

If traditional political ads are messy, a campaign landscape dominated by AI is even more threatening. Broader reforms to campaign laws, generally, are in order. State lawmakers need to act fast.

Jack Rogers (jrogers@badgerherald.com) is a sophomore studying Chinese, economics and political science.

The use of AI technology — which is widespread in classrooms — has now entered the political arena.

PAIGE VALLEY. THE BADGER HERALD.

UW Law DEI training necessary to educate future lawyers

Though mandatory DEI training has been attacked by conservative groups, it must not be removed

by Emily Otten Opinion Editor

The University of Wisconsin Law School is under fire by a conservative legal firm for their mandatory “Re-Orientation” training meant to educate first-year law students, as detailed in an article published by the National Review. The legal firm with the largest complaints, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, obtained documents related to this mandatory training, of which there was a specific diversity, equity and inclusion section.

This DEI section of the training is what has drawn the most attention from news outlets and conservative groups alike. While DEI has been attacked in the past few months, it is crucial. DEI education must remain across institutions, but especially at law schools like UW to educate students of the racial biases and systemic prejudices that underlie the U.S. legal system.

The DEI section in this “Re-Orientation” training included statements that argued colorblindness, rugged individualism, seeing beyond race and the idea that people of color can be racist are all forms of racism that students should question. Before the training, students were asked to read a document titled “28 common racist attitudes and behaviors,” which included these ideas of different forms of racism in addition to other statements the document states are inherently racist.

WILL obtained documents related to this training and put out a press release in which they stated the training documents were themselves racist by calling out these forms of racism and demanded UW Law School remove these trainings and documents. WILL claims by not seeing past race and acknowledging race at every

turn, UW Law are themselves being racist.

“By pushing racist ideology on law students, the University is defying federal law, creating a racially hostile environment, and harming individual student dignity,” the press release published by WILL states.

But as UW Law states in these training documents cited by the National Review, the DEI section of the mandatory Re-Orientation is aimed at promoting racial literacy and deconstructing racism among students. These are important lessons for this group of individuals in particular.

The legal system in the U.S. for centuries has been built upon racial prejudices and has continually disadvantaged people of color.

Just one example of these biases involves pretrial case processing, in which before a trial has even begun, people of color are more likely

to be detained pretrial because they lack the resources to pay fines or fees and are more likely to be assessed as a “flight risk,” according to an overview published by the Urban Institute.

Additionally, one of the most obvious instances of racial and ethnic disparities within the legal system is while Black and Latinx individuals make up approximately 30% of the U.S. population, they are 51% of the jail population nationally, as cited by the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge website.

Racial biases and inequalities affect every aspect of the criminal legal system from policing to prosecution to incarceration to sentencing and even to parole, according to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Thus, it is important that first-year law students do not hold racial prejudices and understand the racial biases the legal system in the U.S. inherently holds.

Though WILL argues these trainings encourage students to see the world in a racialized way, which they argue is a negative way to perceive the world as it focuses on an individual’s appearance instead of their thoughts, for a law student and future lawyer, this could be incredibly important.

It is important for students, especially law students, to understand an individual’s race is intricately tied to their life experiences and way of seeing the world. It is also especially important for students to acknowledge their privilege if they are white and understand how their whiteness affects not only their lives but the lives of others, such as future clients.

Acknowledging one’s race and privilege or lack thereof may be uncomfortable, but, especially for those who are going into the legal field, it is crucial.

It will take time to determine if this program is effective for students and if UW Law students find this program helpful. But it cannot be stated enough how important DEI is, especially when helping to educate future lawyers who will see the racial inequalities in the legal system almost every day.

Ultimately, the success or failure of this training will take time to evaluate, but unless the program proves to be entirely unsuccessful in promoting the ideas of racial literacy and the dismantling of racial prejudices, it should remain at UW Law. If this program is helpful and education to students, it should be further expanded to best educate future lawyers about not only their own racial biases but the racial biases built into the U.S. legal system.

DEI is important and should be protected across all institutions, but especially at law schools.

Emily Otten (elotten@wisc.edu) is a senior studying journalism.

Diversity, equity and inclusion training is necessary for equitable legal outcomes in racially biased justice system.

MEGAN EDWARDS. THE BADGER HERALD.

Badger Club Tennis creates family, fun through exercise

Program exhibits specialty in building relationships through extracurriculars

by Maddox Durst Sports Editor

As many students unwind after a long day of classes by relaxing in their places of residence, around 120 make their way to the Nielsen Tennis Stadium about twice a week. The environment provides one of relaxation, but it’s paired with physical exercise and friendly competition — a couple of characteristics that can get lost in the bustling schedules of college students.

It’s not the case for the folks that are a part of Badger Club Tennis at the University of Wisconsin, a program that has enjoyed a long, successful stretch of play.

The group is divided into two teams — the Red and White Team. Both programs travel, with the Red Team hitting the road a couple of times more than the White — including competition in the Midwest Sectionals and a Nationals meet.

It’s the camaraderie the program has created though, which has made it special. In a casual conversation with Red Team President Logan Homberg — a senior at UW — he buzzed with excitement at being back at the Nielsen, as he had a lot to be happy about.

It was that past weekend where the Red Team took on numerous universities in a battle for a berth to the Nationals competition down in Rome, Georgia in a month. The top eight teams advance to Nationals, hosted by the United States Tennis Association’s Tennis on Campus branch. This year, the Red Team came out victorious, earning the TOC Midwest Championship title and a national bid.

The Red Team’s future representatives in Georgia consists of nine student-athletes who have continued to put UW on the map when it comes to club tennis.

Alex Sviatoslavsky is a junior at UW and one of the members of the Red Team who will be competing in Georgia between April 4–6. He is also currently the Vice President of the club — taking on an executive role in his third year as a Badger.

For Sviatoslavsky, being a part of this club serves more than having the ability to play the game he loves.

“There’s a strong social aspect to it,” Sviatoslavsky said about the co-ed club. “The team is very close.”

Hailey Munz is another contributing member of the Red Team, a senior from the Madison area. In addition to being one of their social media coordinators, she helped take down rival University of Michigan on their home court during the Midwest Sectional — paving the way for a trip to Nationals in the upcoming weeks.

Munz provided a similar sentiment about the club’s atmosphere and the social circle the group created for her when she joined, a staple of the college environment.

“I would say that out of all of our tournaments we’ve done, it brings our team together, closer,”

March 5, 2024

Munz said. “I’d say those were some of the best parts of my college experiences was getting to travel, but it was more laid back and we get to do things that are fun outside of tennis.”

The team’s travels are not just limited to the Nielsen Tennis Stadium, as the Red Team has journeyed throughout the nation to compete against fellow universities in weekend tournaments.

While there isn’t a set schedule for matches, the program has hit the road numerous times to compete as a unit. The list includes a couple of trips to Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina, Florida and others, according to Sviatoslavsky and Munz.

It isn’t necessary to play in all of the tournaments or any at all. That factor proves to be part of the appeal for students at the university.

Playing Division 1 tennis differs in that sense, where practices are required and it becomes an individual’s job to perform in the sport. For the club tennis crew though, they personalize everyone’s experience to get the best out of each individual.

“It gives people an option,” Munz said about the club tennis routine. “Whereas if you’re playing at the college level, sometimes you don’t have that option to be that flexible in your schedule.”

The group has one big event every year that encourages team members to show up and that’s

earning them a spot in the Nationals competition come April.

Location shifts yearly for the tournament, as the nine members of the qualifying Red Team will fly down to Georgia to compete for a national championship. In the two years prior, the meet has been conducted in Surprise, Arizona, and Orlando, Florida, Munz noted. The Badgers have represented well in both events and look to continue to do the same in Georgia.

“We have a lot of depth on our team, so we can be a lot more focused this year and hopefully do well,” Munz said.

Club sports continue to have a positive impact

High temperatures are key for these matches, Munz said with a smile. It is part of the warm, relaxed foundation that club tennis has built for students at UW. While the competitiveness remains at a high level throughout the makeshift season for the group, the schedule remains flexible.

“You can make club tennis what you want out of it,” Munz said.

to the Badger Classic. The club tennis program hosts the tournament annually, which has proven to be one of the largest of the season, according to Sviatoslavsky.

The round robin competition sets up the Midwest Sectional — which also takes place on the 12 courts of the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. UW continues to excel against its competitors —

on UW’s community and its students who are looking for an escape from the academic stress of college. The chemistry throughout the club was noteworthy in the end, as Munz and Sviatoslavsky wasted no time jumping back into a doubles match to enjoy their final practice of the week on a brisk Wednesday night on the west side of UW’s campus.

Badger Club Tennis finishes successful season, with Red Team earning the Tennis on Campus Midwest Championship title.

ALLIE SERTERIDES. THE BADGER HERALD.

Skating to success: Laila Edwards shines on women’s hockey team

From

youth MVP to collegiate sensation, follow Edwards’ journey to hockey stardom

by Dani Savin Sports Editor

In the dynamic realm of women’s hockey, Laila Edwards emerges as a formidable force embodying resilience, skill and an unwavering commitment to excellence both on and off the ice.

Early Years

Edwards’ journey to hockey stardom began long before she stepped foot on the ice at the University of Wisconsin. Hailing from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Edwards’ love for the sport was ignited at a young age, inspired by her father’s passion for hockey and the physical nature of the sport.

At the young age of 11, Edwards realized hockey gave her an opportunity to earn a college degree.

“If I can have college paid for and play at the highest level that’d be amazing,” Edwards said.

Edwards honed her craft at Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, New York, where she left an indisputable mark on the program. Throughout her high school career, Edwards amassed a staggering 413 points, showcasing her prowess as both a goal scorer and playmaker with 147 goals in 287 games from 2018 to 2022. During the 2021-22 season, Edwards’ dominance reached new heights as she recorded an astounding 97 points, tallying 38 goals and 59 assists for the under-19 team at Bishop Kearney.

As a testament to her exceptional skill and leadership on the ice, Edwards was named MVP at the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship, where she played an instrumental role in leading the U.S. team to a silver medal, amassing an impressive eight points throughout the tournament.

Exceptional Talent

Since arriving at UW, Edwards has swiftly made her mark, showcasing her exceptional talent and earning recognition as a finalist for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year in 2023. Her prowess on the rink has been evident, securing her a spot on the WCHA AllRookie Team and landing her on the radar as a contender for the Hockey Commissioners Association Rookie of the Year.

These accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without a great deal of hard work. Edwards, amidst her burgeoning hockey career and academic pursuits, maintains a meticulously structured weekly schedule.

“A class or two before practice, 8 a.m./11

a.m., then straight to the rink and workout then practice, then afterward eat and then another class Monday through Wednesday.”

This disciplined routine underscores her unwavering commitment to balancing her athletic and educational endeavors.

Edwards’ regimen extends beyond the confines of campus, particularly during

game weeks, as she explained traveling weekends involve being away Thursday through Saturday. This adherence to a wellorganized schedule not only emphasizes Edwards’ dedication but also highlights her appreciation for the structure that enables her to excel both on the ice and in the classroom.

Dominating the Game

In the 2023-24 season, Edwards has left spectators in awe, showcasing her expertise on the ice in every matchup. With a remarkable 18 points amassed in just 12 games, she stands as a beacon of offensive excellence for the Wisconsin team. Her ability to navigate the complexities of the game with finesse is unparalleled, evident in her five goals and 13 assists, a testament to her versatility and skill.

Edwards’ contributions extend beyond mere statistics; she possesses an innate ability to rise to the occasion when the pressure is at its peak. This was exemplified in her standout performances, such as her exceptional outing against St. Cloud State, where she notched a memorable two-goal game, leaving an indelible mark on the match.

Her consistency is highlighted by the fact that she’s tallied six multi-point games, underscoring her reliability as a key offensive catalyst for her team. Additionally, her defensive prowess is equally commendable, as evidenced by her role in tying for the team lead in plus/minus with an impressive +21 rating, further solidifying her status as a well-rounded player whose impact reverberates throughout every facet of the game.

Balancing Act

Beyond her athletic feats, Edwards navigates the demanding landscape of student-athlete life with grace and determination. Juggling academic responsibilities with the rigors of training and competition, she exemplifies resilience in the face of adversity. Despite the challenges of managing a packed schedule, Edwards remains steadfast in her pursuit of excellence, driven by a deep-seated desire to excel both on the ice and in the classroom.

Championing Mental Health

In addition to her athletic abilities, Laila is a vocal advocate for mental health awareness within the realm of collegiate athletics. Drawing from her own experiences, Edwards emphasized the importance of fostering a supportive environment that prioritizes the well-being of student-athletes. Her vision for the future is one characterized by open dialogue, destigmatization and increased support for those facing mental health challenges.

Edwards stands as a shining beacon of talent, resilience and advocacy, leaving an indelible mark on the world of collegiate hockey and inspiring those around her to strive for greatness — both on and off the ice.

2023 WCHA Rookie of the Year Finalist makes waves on the women’s hockey team.

BENNETT WAARA. THE BADGER HERALD.

Spiking interest: Volleyball’s soaring popularity, future trajectory

Unveiling what’s behind volleyball’s spectacular surge in popularity, promising path forward

by Max Kappel Sports Associate Editor

Enthusiasm for volleyball is reaching new heights. With viewership records broken every year, increased numbers of televised games and a host of professional leagues starting up in America, volleyball attracts new eyes every day. The University of Wisconsin and the City of Madison are no stranger to volleyball’s growth.

The Badgers have reached the NCAA tournament every year since 2013, the first year under head coach Kelly Sheffield of Dayton, Ohio. In that time, UW has won a national championship, made it to four other Final Fours and finished as Big Ten Champions four times.

A then-record 1.19 million viewers tuned in to see the 2021 championship, only for the Badgers to co-break their own record with 1.66 million viewers during the Border Battle in October. Fans are being drawn to more than just big matches, too. The number of televised games has more than doubled since 2015, with large social media promotions helping attract fans.

The road to this point has been long, but volleyball as a whole is building a strong foundation for its players and fans. There have been a couple key points in volleyball’s growth, including having matches televised in the first place.

“TV is a really big reason as to why leagues do well and flourish,” Big Ten and ESPN broadcaster Emily Ehman said.

UW has embraced its volleyball team, but TV allows for the sport to grow nationally and globally.

That’s why Senior Coordinating Producer at BTN Sue Maryott has pushed for more of those televised games, and why ESPN Coordinating Producer Ericka Galbraith spearheaded the development of “The 5th Set,” a whip-around show that provides analysis and updates of NCAA tournament games. Volleyball isn’t done growing, with the coverage of other sports serving as examples of where to go next.

“Volleyball, and women’s sports in general, isn’t talked about enough,” Ehman said. “It’s mentioned during tournament time, but not talked about enough during the regular season.”

ESPN’s March Madness and College Gameday programming has helped generate buzz around basketball. These sorts of TV shows are a way to increase activity and viewership within the sport, but it has also helped fans recognize individual athletes. Volleyball already has the viewership, it’s just a matter of creating supplementary coverage.

Both Ehman and Badgers associate head coach Gary White agreed volleyball and the media could do a better job at highlighting athletes, something basketball has been

successful with.

“You think of sports like basketball and you can rattle off names that are really big in their sport,” White said. “Like [Caitlin] Clark, [Angel] Reese, and [Paige] Bueckers in basketball. They’ve got great teams but they’ve also been able to champion individual athletes.”

recognizing names. While athletes can promote themselves on social media, it will be important for players to gain exposure beyond their stellar play or their successful programs.

“You’re trying to continue to build your base of knowing programs but start to tug at people’s connection to individuals,” White said.

It’s a two-sided connection between athletes and the media. As of now, many volleyball players must create their own personas on social media. It’s more difficult for fans to relate to or connect with their favorite volleyball players than in other sports.

The coverage can extend deeper than simply

athletes tougher, it’s something League One Volleyball, stylized LOVB, is trying to do. LOVB, a professional league set to debut in November, creates teams with one or more “Founding Athletes.” Madison will have its own team, along with five other “volleyball communities.”

LOVB is not the first professional volleyball league in America. The most recently created leagues include Athletes United in 2021 and the Pro Volleyball Federation in 2024, in which former Badgers Grace Loberg, Temi Thomas-Ailara, Sydney Hilley and Danielle Hart currently compete in. In fact, Loberg and Thomas-Ailara’s San Diego Mojo just squared off against Hilley and Hart’s Omaha Supernovas Feb. 3. LOVB is special for Madison, though, as it is giving the city its own professional team.

LOVB Madison’s Founding Athlete and 20132015 Badger superstar Lauren Carlini returns to Madison after playing at the Olympic level and internationally. As a founding athlete, Carlini is returning to a community that will embrace her in a league that will help celebrate her as a person and player.

The importance of hometown teams cannot be overstated. Many college athletes continue their careers abroad, often in European countries like Italy, Turkey and Poland. Domestic teams allow for college athletes to have a level of comfort and familiarity not found elsewhere.

There are often language barriers, where it’s likely few teammates speak English. Familiar faces can be thousands of miles away. Players must balance their profession and new adult lives in a foreign place.

“It’s very isolating for a lot of these players,” Ehman said. “It’s only volleyball all the time, but it’s hard to develop relationships when you can’t speak to teammates.”

LOVB will not only allow players to be surrounded by people that have molded them, but also fans that watched them grow up and will support them in their next stages of life. Fans themselves, particularly youth players, will be able look up to LOVB athletes the way other fans of other professional leagues can.

“How can we tell that story better?”

Part of the issue has been the nature of volleyball. It’s easier for a basketball player to demand attention. It’s not that basketball isn’t a team sport, but individual players can garner more attention.

While this may make promoting individual

High school volleyball participation is the highest ever, being the most participated sport for girls in America and one of the fastest growing boys’ sports. LOVB itself is directly connected to youth clubs, with more than 12,000 athletes competing with LOVB-sponsored clubs, including Madison’s Madtown Juniors. American youths will be able to aspire to be like a LOVB player, such as Carlini.

Madison is a perfect place for volleyball to expand its reach. Players from the youth level, through high school, college and now professional will both contribute to and enjoy the sports’ growth.

Wisconsin volleyball team strives for greatness in widening athletic spolight.

MADDOX DURST. THE BADGER HERALD.

Dating apps introduce new behaviors, challenges to college relationships

As efficacy of dating daps is legally challenged, researchers weigh pros, cons

by Maria Brunetta ArtsEtc. Editor

On Valentine’s Day of this year, a lawsuit was filed against Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge — some of the most popular apps among online daters — according to the AP News.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in a northern district in California claims Match Group intentionally designs its apps to seem gamelike, prioritizing profit over helping people find relationships.

Tinder seems to be the popular choice with Wisco Chicks, a popular Instagram account affiliated with Badger Barstool, having an entire Instagram post series around Tinder messages. In the weekly series, “Tinder Tuesday,” girls can anonymously send in the messages they received on the app.

According to data from the Pew Research Center, 79% of online dating users aged 18 to 29 have used Tinder.

Before matching with potential partners on Tinder, users create their profile with pictures and information like location, job, age, height, relationship preferences, interests and information about their lifestyle behaviors like physical activity and drinking habits. Users also add their gender, sexual orientation and age preferences.

But are these profiles authentic? Not necessarily, according to Catalina Toma, a professor in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin, who studies social and psychological processes that happen on new communication technologies like social media and online dating.

“When we construct profiles of ourselves, we get to edit them and we get to think about them for as long as we want, which is a luxury that we don’t have if we’re on a date in person for the first time,” Toma said. “We also can focus all of our attention and mental resources into creating our profiles and even the privacy of our personal space.”

What researchers have seen is not flat-out lies on dating profiles, but rather a small amount of deception, known as selective self-presentation.

Selective self-presentation can manifest in small embellishments to a profile like a different height or weight. These small lies are things daters believe will make them stand out to potential matches.

“We don’t lie just because we can, we lie in strategic ways,” Toma said. “At the end of the day, the goal of online dating is to establish a relationship in person — and nobody wants to date a liar, right? This lying a lot is actually selfsabotaging in this context. So we found that people took advantage of the opportunity to give themselves a boost.”

Toma also points to the difference between

being accurate and being authentic. Authenticity is a lot more complex than being accurate, which simply means telling the truth. Being authentic means conveying your characteristics in a way that allows a stranger looking at your profile to understand parts of who you are, Toma said.

But this is not an easy process. Many online daters resort to friends and family for help

in neutral observers to look for the difference. Daters were asked to pose in a similar way to their profile photo to take a new photo.

After having observers look at the photos side by side they noted there were a lot of inaccuracies, especially in the women’s photographs.

There could be a lot of reasons for this

creating an authentic profile. Research showed the most deceptive element of a person’s profile was their photos.

People tend to choose older photos of themselves to capture a younger and presumably more attractive version of themselves, Toma said. For men, photos were on average six months old, while for women photos were about 14 months old.

Interestingly, the people whose profiles researchers were studying thought their older photos were accurate representations of themselves. To test this, researchers brought

discrepancy. One is that we are delusional about how attractive we are, thinking we look the same as our best photograph. Another could be that a dater does not show up to the lab the same way they would on a date.

“The third possibility is that there was quite a bit of deception in profile photographs,” Toma said. “So people really do put their best face forward in that space.”

After creating the profile, daters are faced with the stress of swiping and looking at different profiles. On Tinder, users scroll through people in their area, anywhere from one to 100 miles away.

Mutual interests, similar photos and whether or not someone likes you are all factors that contribute to the swiping algorithm, according to the Tinder website.

But if you’ve found yourself scrolling on Tinder on your college campus, you may have experienced the familiar, overwhelming sense of too many choices. With that feeling of bountiful choices comes the thought there doesn’t need to be as much consideration given to the people on the other side of the screen.

“We call it the grass is always greener phenomenon,” Toma said. “We’ve heard this from a lot of daters, where if you have a lot of choices, you feel the need to explore them. So you’re not going to give those choices as much attention or importance as you would if you had fewer choices.”

In a study done with college students, researchers looked at how the amount of choices changed the satisfaction of the participants. Researchers created a fake dating app, giving a group of participants six choices and another group those same six choices plus 18 more.

The participants with 24 choices were less satisfied and less willing to go out with the person they had chosen than the participants who only had six choices.

The ongoing challenge of choice can be a stressful part of online dating compared to traditional, in-person dating, but the stressors don’t end there. Other anxiety-inducing challenges that can come from online dating are fatigue, the inability to gauge chemistry and “ghosting.”

Ghosting is defined as abruptly ending a relationship by not responding, but also it can refer to being ignored after sending the first messages to a match.

“This happens for men a lot, you send a lot of messages to try to initiate conversations and nobody responds,” Toma said.. “It’s an unpleasant experience.”

With so many unique challenges of dating in a contemporary world, you may be asking yourself: “If I met my partner online, should I be worried that I am destined to be more dissatisfied than if I had met them in person?”

While there has not been much in-depth research, as longitudinal studies take place over many years, current results are equally positive for both forms of dating.

“My general takeaway from these studies is that there’s not really a difference between people who met their partners online versus people who met their partners in more traditional ways,”

Toma said. “Some studies even find a small benefit of meeting online, just a little bit more of relationship satisfaction.”

The way a couple meets is not as important. So whether you choose to meet on- or offline, what’s more important is the connection you build.

Study shows dating apps with too many choices leave daters less satisfied, study finds.

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Newman Civic Drag Show takes Varsity Hall stage Wednesday

by Vonny Barnett ArtsEtc. Reporter

Madison’s drag lovers are in for a treat as we welcome professional drag queen and host of the Newman Civic Drag Show Cynthia Mooseknuckle and several other drag queens to Varsity Hall. Enjoy an evening full of diverse performances from a wide range of stunning performers. Admission is free for all and mocktails will be available for purchase.

Upon arrival at the Newman Civic Drag Show, attendees can expect a brief and painless lesson about drag show etiquette followed by a magical evening of diverse performances from local drag queens, Mooseknuckle said.

“I think they’re just going to be surprised by the amount of diverse performances that will be there,” Mooseknuckle said. “This is a very talented, very diverse crowd of performers.”

The lineup certainly has no shortage of

22 • badgerherald.com • March 5, 2024

talent.

The performers Mooseknuckle mentioned include ZZ Topz, Lavender Jones, Will X. ULV, Risk E. Bismuth, Melee The Queen, Dee Dee Purr, Bimbo Dinero and A.D.H.D.

Mooseknuckle is excited to work with a number of local performers and praised Madison’s underappreciated scene of diversity.

“I’m really glad how local we went with this, because Madison ha≠s a huge, talented drag scene,” Mooseknuckle said.

Drag shows are certainly not new to Madison. You can often find drag events happening downtown, whether it’s a Drag Brunch or a Drag Bingo. According to Radio Milwaukee, drag in Wisconsin dates all the way back to the 1880s, possibly even earlier.

While drag culture in America was chiefly popularized by the rise of the famed TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” created in 2009, drag

can actually be traced back to the Potawatomi, Winnebago and Ojibwe tribes indigenous to Wisconsin. These cultures recognize and celebrate particular tribe members called the “M’netokwe” or two-spirit beings, a term for Native individuals who possess both male and female spirits. These individuals are highly respected and looked up to within tribal communities for their extensive knowledge and wisdom.

For many members of the drag community, whether it’s performers or viewers, drag is a way to let yourself live the fantasy you’ve always wanted to live.

“[Drag is] an escape from the real world [where] everything falls away for a couple hours,” Mooseknuckle described.

For Mooseknuckle, it isn’t just about the singing, dancing, jokes and glam. Drag also acts as a way for individuals to briefly experience a life outside of their own — on or

off stage.

“I have tried very hard to keep them separate,” Mooseknuckle said about the overlapping of drag and non-drag identities

While some drag performers may choose to intersect certain aspects of their drag and everyday personas, Mooseknuckle prefers to keep the two identities away from each other to maintain a balance of attention between the two and prevents the development of a sort of false identity. But, there is one notable exception.

“I will say that the confidence from being Cynthia has overlapped,” Mooseknuckle said. “I used to have more self-worth as Cynthia, but I would say that aspect has mixed in with my everyday life now.”

A typical drag queen adorns a vibrant, glamorous outfit complete with faux, voluminous locks and intense, eye-catching makeup that exaggerates and glamorizes the drag queen’s natural features.

Mooseknuckle gathers a lot of inspiration from theater and cosplay, as well as pop culture — especially the famous pop singer P!nk. But when it comes to performance, Mooseknuckle noted late drag queen Danielle Avalon, a Madison performer who passed away June 2019.

“Her essence of just being unapologetically herself was a great inspiration to me,” Mooseknuckle said.

Drag events act as a middle ground for drag queens and drag fans to express love and appreciation for the culture in an exciting and welcoming environment. Performers extend and challenge the different ideals of what it means to be a man, a woman and simply a human being.

As a drag queen who did not make any money from drag in the first three years, Mooseknuckle has advice for those looking to enter the drag stage, or new performers who may feel lost.

“Remember why you’re really there,” Mooseknuckle said. “You’re not there to just entertain, you’re there for you.”

Mooseknuckle said the audience has a particular sort of empathetic reaction with performers when it comes to drag shows, and the energy of both groups is equally important.

If you hope to catch Mooseknuckle March 6, there is just one condition.

“Rule number one — come to have fun,” Mooseknuckle said.

The Newman Civic Drag Show will take place on March 6, 2024 at 7 p.m. in Varsity Hall at Union South. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free for all guests.

Madison’s Cynthia Mooseknuckle talks performance, identity ahead of March 6 show

Cynthia Mooseknuckle to join local Madison performers at free event.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CYNTHIA MOOSEKNUCKLE.

ADRIAN ALESSANDRO CARMOSINO. THE BADGER HERALD.