VOLUME 45, ISSUE 47
Thursday, April 3, 2014
UW widens city segregation
Kirby Wright
Highly-educated workforce, upscale housing boom foster disparties for low-income residents Chantal Cowie
Herald Contributor While universities often boost commerce in an area, having a concentrated, highlyeducated workforce in a city can also cause stark economic segregation, an effect a recent study found shapes life in Madison. In a recent study from The Atlantic Cities, Madison was listed as a city that suffers from high levels of poverty segregation. The report looked at different factors in cities throughout the country that contribute to economic segregation, focusing on average wages, per capita incomes and economic output per capita. The report found the poor face higher segregation in
more highly-educated cities, and segregation connected directly with the percentage of adults with college degrees. The share of those employed in knowledge, professional and creative jobs, as well as the concentration of technology industries, were figures factored into the study. Many of the cities that were found to have such segregation were university towns, home to Penn State, University of Michigan, University of Colorado, University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin. Housing prices are often indicative of income levels, so higher prices may leave little choice in where to live for poorer residents, reinforcing higher levels of segregation, Richard Florida, the report’s
author, said. Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, said the economic influence UW has on Madison cannot be overemphasized. Within the past decade, the city has seen the construction of an abundance of new student high rises at the higher end scale of housing, he said. Dawn Crim, associate dean for external relations at the UW School of Education, said many apartments are looking to students as the target renting population, and the rates are often out of reach for average working families. The changes in the housing situation are too new to fully predict what the effects of it will be, she said. “The affordable housing is really concentrated in several different areas throughout
the city, so if you’re trying to stretch your housing dollar, you’re trying to find one of these locations,” Crim said. She also said the significant impact of having a university in a city is a condensed level of people who possess degrees in comparison to other cities. As a result, Crim said when positions are posted for job offerings, regardless of the level of education required, there are many more individuals with degrees applying for the positions. This leads to economic segregation in the city because it reduces the opportunities for those types of employment for individuals without degrees, and meanwhile, hired professionals are often overqualified, she said. This economic segregation
becomes a negative barrier for the city in catering to all of its citizens, Crim said. It prevents diversity from growing in the city because there are few opportunities for many people without degrees to have selfsustaining jobs and to sustain their families. Jim O’Keefe, director of the city’s Community Development Office, said Madison looks to create initiatives to connect people with jobs in underserved sectors, especially construction. “There’s an acute shortage of labor in those areas and its getting worse, and those tend to be good family-supporting jobs so that’s another very specific initiative we’re about to work on,” O’Keefe said. There are definite barriers,
including basic educational skills, access to adequate transportation and access to child care, that prevent certain groups of people from reaching full employment and overcoming economic segregation, he said. Despite the report’s findings, Crim said the economic benefits of UW in Madison is overwhelmingly positive because of outreach to the local community with things like the Wisconsin Film Festival, the UW Geology Museum and the many speakers that come to town and give speeches that are free or low cost to attend. “The more the university breaks down the barriers and creates a more open campus, the more people will feel welcome,” she said.
Burke endorsed by labor unions Nyal Mueenuddin Print State Editor
Kirby Wright The Badger Herald The University Bookstore has added 20 different Final Four items, almost triple what was available when the team made it in 2000.
Final Four boosts local stores Sales skyrocket on State Street; owners prepare for large crowds, higher demand Margaret Rotter Herald Contributor
March Madness has consumed the city of Madison, and as Badgers prepare for their first Final Four game in 14 years, State Street businesses have seen sales skyrocket. Madison Sweets, a local shop that sells cupcakes, truffles and a variety of other sweet treats, is one business that has seen an increase in sales. Lee Zeuner, assistant manager of Madison Sweets, said the shop usually does well after local sporting events. Many Badger supporters take to wandering up and down State Street, particularly when Madison wins, Zeuner said. Business was well above average last Saturday, and he said he estimated almost a 30 percent increase in sales. Certain products have
been particularly popular this season, such as the candied popcorn called the Badger Mix, he said. “We do an assortment of Badger-themed candies and popcorns. Any time we do things like that on game days, we basically sell out,” Zeuner said. The University Bookstore has been extremely busy as well. Angie Maniaci, the store’s collegiate clothing buyer, said the store has updated its merchandise for the big game, adding 20 different Final Four items. The number is almost triple what it was when the Badgers made it this far in 2000, she said. Maniaci said their most popular item by far seems to be Nike’s “Net Worthy” shirt. She said there has been a huge spike in interest for this product because it was the style worn by the Badger players after their Elite Eight win.
The store has seen much more business than it has in past March Madness years, and Maniaci said they have had a difficult time keeping up with demand. The store is beginning to increase the store’s staff, and Maniaci is responsible for keeping up with the onslaught of customers. “I keep reordering shirts and then they are gone right away. Some of the things we have not even been able to take out of the boxes,” Maniaci said. “We just put them on the ground and people dig in them.” The shops of State Street are not the only ones affected by this sudden surge of customers. Many restaurants and bars in particular have also seen a huge spike in patrons. Seth Blackstone, assistant general manager of State Street Brats, said the restaurant is busier
than he has seen it since football season. This past weekend, Blackstone said the bar was almost entirely full and he thinks they nearly hit the fire capacity of 450 people. He said they anticipate seeing a similar crowd size for this coming weekend. The increase in business has also created a need for additional staff in the restaurant, he added. “We also have more guys around for busing and stuff. We have to deal with the increase in demand,” Blackstone said. With the great increase of crowds on Saturday, Blackstone said the environment becomes more rowdy at the bar. However, he said fans were in good spirits last weekend because of the game and he expects a similarly positive crowd at the next game, especially if the Badgers bring home another win.
© 2014 BADGER HERALD
As the race for governor draws closer, three of Wisconsin’s top public employee labor unions endorsed Democrat Mary Burke in her challenge against Gov. Scott Walker. Shortly after the unions’ announcement, the Republican Party of Wisconsin pointed out the unions now endorsing the candidate, which include the Wisconsin Education Association Council, AFL-CIO and Madison Teachers Inc., have criticized Burke in the past. Burke’s stance differed from the unions in their total opposition to Act 10, a controversial law Walker enacted that all but eliminated many unions’ collective bargaining powers. But the unions said Burke is the candidate that best represents unions members and that she supports collective bargaining. Wisconsin AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Stephanie Bloomingdale said Burke has made it clear she believes in the right for labor groups to bargain collectively for their interests. “Burke has been very clear that she supports collective bargaining rights and she has said she will work to rework the parts of Act 10 that deal with workers having the ability to have a voice in the workplace through collective bargaining,” Bloomingdale said. John Matthews, executive director of MTI, said following several meetings with union officials and the completion of an extensive survey regarding her positions on public sector labor relations, MTI decided Burke was their candidate of choice. Walker ignored invitations to meet and take the survey, he said. Although Burke has not highlighted the issue of collective bargaining rights as a central focus of her campaign,
Matthews said he understands this and said it should not be the focus of her campaign. “She didn’t say she would make collective bargaining rights a cornerstone of her campaign, and I completely understand that,” Matthews said. “I would not make it a cornerstone of my campaign either, and the reason is the right wing has proven to be successful in convincing the general public that public employees have it better than private employees.” The Republican Party of Wisconsin noted in a statement the sudden “change of heart” among labor groups in regards to Burke. Burke, a former Trek Bicycle executive, won a seat to the Madison School Board in 2012. In that race, Matthews’ union backed Burke’s opponents, and Matthews called Burke a “1-percenter” who could not relate to low-income students in a Wisconsin State Journal story, the state Republican Party pointed out. Joe Fadness, executive director of the party, said the unions’ change of heart could mean Burke is making private deals with them regarding Act 10. “Big labor bosses have opposed millionaire Mary Burke from the start, which can only mean that she is making backroom promises on Act 10 and leaving voters in the dark,” Fadness said in the statement. “Democrats are conceding their efforts by endorsing a candidate with a weak public stance on a signature issue.” During the gubernatorial recall elections, many Wisconsin unions backed former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk in the Democratic primary, as she had pledged a full repeal of Act 10, unlike the eventual Democratic nominee, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who lost in 2010 and 2012 against Walker.