THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Separating the art from the artist While some famous artists seem to ask for it, we need to stop focusing so much on their actions and instead judge them based on the quality of their work.
ARTS 7 Monday, January 27 2014 | Volume 45, Issue 1
College Democrats and Republicans face off on Walker’s address Campus Democrats say the State of State sugarcoated issues, while Republicans say the governor showed confidence in a new Wisconsin during his speech.
OPINION 5
Campus assaults focus of initiative Obama creates national task force to reduce sexual violence Tara Brennan Herald Contributor With rape and sexual assault cases prevalent on campuses across the nation, President Barack Obama is spearheading a memorandum to better protect students and prevent incidents at universities like University of Wisconsin. The White House released a report, “Rape and Sexual Assault: A Renewed Call to Action,” which recognized that
college-aged women are more at risk of being sexually assaulted than any other demographic. According to the report, almost 22 million American women and 1.6 million men are raped in their lifetime. On Jan. 15, Obama signed a presidential memorandum designating a task force of administration officials 90 days to devise a new plan. The memorandum aims to help colleges respond to and curb sexual assault, expand public awareness of each school’s statistics and improve the ability of the federal government to hold schools that do not address the problem
accountable. Additionally, the report presents the White House’s role through harsher criminal justice by increasing arrest, prosecution and conviction for sexual assault perpetrators, as well as working to reduce sexual assault that occurs within the military. Chair of UW’s End Violence on Campus, Carmen Hotvedt said one in five American women are sexually touched during college without having given consent, according to the American College Health Association. UW participates in an assessment every four
Flashing Lights
Chris Lotten The Badger Herald
Zeds Dead took to the Orpheum Friday, offering a sweaty alternative to the cold outdoors.
ASSAULTS, page 2
Partisan split on Walker’s Blueprint for Prosperity Legislators react to proposed return of $977 million state net surplus to taxpayers Nyal Mueenuddin Print State Editor Gov. Scott Walker’s “Blueprint for Prosperity,” a plan to return much of the state’s $977 million net surplus to Wisconsin’s taxpayers in the form of tax
cuts, is sparking a range of responses from both sides of the Legislature. If Walker’s plan to redistribute the state’s unexpected $977 million surplus is passed, Wisconsin taxpayers can expect to see the surplus returns in several major areas. Walker’s plan proposes a $406 million reduction in property taxes; a $101 million reduction in income taxes for families
making less than $40,000; and a $322.6 million reduction in withholding taxes on income taxes. In addition, the plan aims to deposit $100 million into the state’s rainy day fund and $35 million into the state’s technical schools, dual enrollment programs and programs to assist disabled people find jobs in the workforce. Walker’s administration and many House
Republicans have said the ‘Blueprint for Prosperity’ will boost the economy by putting money back into the hands of consumers. However, some believe the proposal is nothing more than a re-election stunt. In the Democratic response to Walker’s address, Minority Leader Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said Walker painted a “rosy picture” of the state’s current economic situation,
and that his plan for massive tax cuts was an “imbalanced approach” to continuing job growth while ensuring the future of the state’s economy. Barca said if Wisconsin wants to continue its tradition of an outstanding education system, Republicans cannot continue to target public schools and colleges for massive tax cuts during deficits and then neglect to reinvest in education
during times of surplus. Rep. Andy Jorgensen, D-Fort Atkinson, said he wanted to see Walker use the money to reinvest in the state’s public schools, pay down the state’s outstanding debt and work on providing meaningful tax breaks for the middle class. “You’ve got to be very careful on how you spend this money and
BLUEPRINT, page 3
Minimum wage target of debate Despite Democratic efforts, bill unlikely to pass Republican-controlled Senate in Wis. Nyal Mueenuddin Print State Editor
Chris Lotten The Badger Herald Madison Gas and Electric’s average consumers paid 40 percent more in December 2013 than in December 2012 due to frigid cold.
Bills rise as temperatures fall Students see increase in electricity costs amidst continuing extreme weather Katie Hicks Herald Contributor As the polar vortex continues its reign over the Midwest, Madison residents are facing dramatic spikes in energy costs. Because of the dangerously frigid temperatures, people are using more gas and electricity to keep their houses and apartments warm. With such high demand and limited
supply, prices have risen significantly, according to Madison Gas and Electric’s Energywise newsletter. “Our average consumer in December of 2013 paid 40 percent more than they did in December 2012,” Steve Kraus, manager of media relations at MG&E, said. Kraus said customers can expect to see even higher costs by the end of January due to this
month’s more frequent subzero temperatures. According to the MG&E newsletter, customers could also see higher costs in January stemming from longer nights requiring more light usage, people being home and using appliances more often while on break, and things like holiday decorations and space heaters. The extra costs have
become a burden to many, specifically students. University of Wisconsin sophomore Kate Hayes said her bills have gone from $36 a month to upwards of $200 a month. “I’m definitely not pleased about paying so much, especially since it took us by surprise. What’s even more frustrating is our apartment is miserably
ENERGY, page 2
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Democratic lawmakers have proposed a new piece of legislation that would increase the current minimum wage of $7.25 to $10.10 over the next three years. Gov. Scott Walker and other Republican legislators have spoken out against the proposed legislation. Proving to be an issue of major partisan disagreement, the bill, introduced with 46 Democratic co-sponsors, lacked a single Republican cosponsor. “Wisconsin’s working families deserve a raise,” Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, said in a statement. “More and more of our nation’s wealth is going to the richest few, while the cost of gas and groceries increases, and family income stagnates. It is long past time for those at the bottom of our economic ladder to get a raise.” According to a Sheboygan Press article, Walker spoke out against the legislation calling it a “political grandstanding stunt.” He said artificially boosting the minimum wage would hurt the same people the legislation is intended to help, as well as hold back the state’s economic recovery by causing business-owners to cut back on worker-hours in addition to laying off employees.
Chip Hunter, an associate professor of Management and Human Resources at the UW School of Business, said a loss of jobs along with a raised minimum wage is far from a given. “The evidence on what happens to the number of people working when you actually raise the minimum wage is extremely mixed, but there is no evidence that you’re going to throw lots of people out of work if you raise the minimum wage,” Hunter said. Hunter said increasing the minimum wage is a crude way of helping lowincome people in need of financial help because of the additional, sometimes unintentional, consequences of raising the minimum wage. This includes an upward pressure on wages right above the current minimum wage, he said. The $3 increase in minimum wage would take place over a three-year period, increasing by more than a dollar a year to allow businesses to slowly adjust to the change, Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, said. Sargent said she believed that increasing wages would ultimately end up saving the state money, as it would decrease people’s need for government subsidies such as food stamps, healthcare and
MIN WAGE, page 2