'Marching On' - Volume 50, Issue 6

STUDENT MEDIA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018 · VOL 50 Issue 6 · BADGERHERALD.COM

Retiring UW marching band director Michael Leckrone is defined not just by the army of red and white he leads on the field, but the colorful legacy he leaves behind after 50 years. pg. 12 Photo Courtesy of Gary Smith

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While downtown Madison sees an increase in business overall, the number retail stores decrease, forcing them to adapt to a changing market.

DERAY MCKESSON ON CAMPUS 10 Activist and author shares insight on racial injustices and need for prison reform.

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College Republicans and College Democrats endorse incumbent Brad Schimel, Josh Kaul respectively for attorney general.

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SPORTS

CROSS COUNTRY: BADGERS DAZZLE AT NUTTYCOMBE INVITATIONAL 21 Runners on both the men’s and women’s teams take home individual titles in a historic day for the program.

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Department of Civil Rights introduces changes to job referral program RaISE hopes to connect more individuals seeking employment with companies, combat Madison racial disparity

by Gabe Fishman Reporter

The Madison Department of Civil Rights recently announced changes to the Job Skills Bank, including renaming it the Referrals and Interviews for Sustainable Employment, introducing new partnerships and an online referral tool.

The program works to connect individuals seeking employment with companies under contract by the city of Madison.

According to the City of Madison Department of Civil Rights’ website, unemployment in Madison for those who identify as Black or African American is 10.1 percent, and it’s even higher for those who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, compared to the 3.8 percent unemployed who identify as white.

Norman Davis, Director of the Department of Civil Rights, said the RaISE program really focuses on combating these disparities.

“Each of the employers that are posting jobs to the RaISE program have an obligation to raise progress to the city’s goals to employ more people of color, women and people with disabilities,” Davis said.

The program, he said, makes connections between the county, its employers and the different communities that live within Madison.

Davis and his team at the Department for Civil Rights aim to positively change Madison’s workforce through the new RaISE job referral program.

But it isn’t just the DCR that is involved in this new program — the employers and partners are also excited to participate in it.

The Urban League of Greater Madison serves as a bridge for potential employees and those seeking employment through the RaISE program, said Edward Lee, senior vice president of the Urban League.

The Urban League works with recommending these potential employees to the employers through RaISE. Their

mission statement is to “ensure that African Americans and other community members are educated, employed and empowered to live well, advance professionally and contribute to the common good in the 21st Century,” according to their website.

Lee believes that the new job referral program will provide the Urban League and other partners with the resources to refer applicants to their potential employers.

Additionally, Lee said the program has the potential to allow for a more systemic and efficient way of providing new opportunities.

“I think that it’s going to be a great program. I think that what’s going to be great about the program is that the system itself is more streamlined and efficient to use,” Lee said. “It has been a pretty manual process up to this point that has involved a lot of pushing papers so the new online tools will make it a lot easier for staff.”

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Photo · RaISE program is focusing on employing more people of color, women and people with disabilities.

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Hot weather, heavy rainfall cause spike in mosquito population

City-monitored mosquito traps caught 15,000 mosquitos in one week in late September, compared to typical 20-500

by Lena Simon Reporter

A combination of hot weather and heavy rainfall has hit Dane County and other parts of Southern Wisconsin September, creating the perfect environment for pests like mosquitoes.

High rainfall has led to inland flooding from overflow in the rivers and lakes, according to WPR. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so Madison’s flooded streets haven’t just been roadblocks, they are also bug breeding hotbeds.

Susan Paskewitz, University of Wisconsin entomology professor and insect biology expert, said the city of Madison has been monitoring mosquito traps weekly and saw results ranging from 5,000 to 13,000 mosquitoes per trap.

On Sept. 21, the traps yielded record results: 15,000 mosquitoes were caught during the prior week.

“Typical numbers for this time of season are 20, 50, sometimes 500 at their worst,” Paskewitz said.

She anticipated that even more

“Until a complete freeze kills

enough moquitoes so the rest know that it’s time to get ready for winter, adult mosquitoes will keep laying eggs, and new adults will keep hatching.”

Jordan Gerth Expert on Wisconsin and Great Lakes weather

mosquitoes could come, as there is still standing water from the floods for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, coupled with the fact that this September has been unusually hot.

Jordan Gerth, an expert on Wisconsin and Great Lakes weather said a mid-September cool down is usually what causes mosquito populations to finally decline, but this year the month has been unusually hot due to the active hurricane season.

“Temperature patterns in Wisconsin are guided by tropical cyclones,” Gerth said.

“Typhoons in the Pacific and Atlantic extend Wisconsin summers — Hurricane 4 • badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018

Florence is just one example.” are typical during this time of the season, Paskewitz said.

Wisconsin rainfall was this highest in and long-term patterns must be studied Paskewitz said they use special traps that the country over two weeks in August to form links to climate change. But if the culex species are attracted to in order to according to the Post Crescent, which hurricanes become more and more frequent gauge the degree of threat. reflects larger trends in rainfall all over the as a result of climate change, then longer “There’s more than we’re used to Midwest. In the past 100 years, Minnesota summers, heavy rainfall, flooding and more seeing,” Paskewitz said. “We had a lot has also seen a sharp increase in megamosquitoes will be in Wisconsin’s forecast, of West Nile virus in mosquitoes in rain events, according to the Minnesota according to NPR. Milwaukee and Dane County, and we even Department of Natural Resources, which Mosquito-transmitted diseases are saw a case [of the disease] in Dane County.” are characterized by rain totals of six inches another common worry. According to the According to the Madison and Dane or more over 1000 square miles.

Cap Times, there is no risk for diseases County public health website, if numbers These events are accompanied by like Yellow Fever or Zika in Wisconsin, but were ever high enough to cause concern, potentially catastrophic flooding, which there are two species in our state that can the city would treat water on public lands has the potential to attract mosquitoes in carry West Nile virus. to reduce the mosquito population. large droves, Gerth said.

One is called culex tipiens, which can But for now, long sleeves, long pants “Even in the weeks of September where transmit the disease to humans, and the and EPA-approved bug spray are good no rain occurred, temperatures have still other species is culex restuans, which for keeping them at bay, Paskewitz said. been mild with no decrease in summertime prefers to feed on birds. The number of Heatworm medication is also a must-have weather,” Gerth said. “Until a complete culex tipiens in past years has been too for pet dogs, as mosquitoes have been freeze kills enough mosquitoes so the rest low to warrant concern of a West Nile known to transmit diseases to them. know that it’s time to get ready for winter, virus threat, but that has changed this year, adult mosquitoes will keep laying eggs, and new adults will keep hatching.”

Gerth said the temperature will start cooling down within the next couple of weeks.

But the mosquito bloom is still a cause for concern.

Brought on by climate change, warmer temperatures in temperate zones can extend mosquito season beyond what is typical, according to NPR. According to the Wisconsin Gazette, basic thermodynamics show that with each degree the air increases, 4 percent more water can be held, which means that the large amounts of water being dumped by recent hurricanes are, at the very least, exacerbated by climate change.

This link signifies that high levels of mosquitoes that breed in floodwaters are Photo · Madison, along with the rest of the Midwest, has seen sharp increases in participation. indirectly connected to the changing climate.

Photo courtesy of flickr user James Jordan Tropical activities like the recent hurricanes

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UW joins Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty

UW joins 25 other universities under program providing internship opportunities, coursework specifically oriented toward poverty studies

by Nuha Dolby Reporter

The University of Wisconsin announced Sept. 13 that it joined the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, a nonprofit cohort of 25 colleges and universities that provides internship opportunities and integrates coursework with community engagement, specifically oriented towards the study of poverty.

According to the SHECP website, the Consortium, created in 1998 as a collaboration between three universities, has rapidly grown in size to more than two dozen member bodies. The program entails a gateway course at each member school, followed by an eight-week service internship.

The internship, according to the website, involves working for one of 130 partner agencies or providers in a field that relates to both students majors and poverty studies.

Students end the internship with essays and an oral presentation, and are able to continue their poverty studies with relevant coursework from their institution, according to the SHECP website.

As a Consortium university, UW is able to offer a small group of students the

opportunity to participate in this internship.

Brett Morash, executive director at SHECP, heralded UW as a national leader in poverty studies. Prior to UW joining SHECP, UW already had a poverty studies focus which encompasses the presence of the Institute for Research on Poverty.

“We’re very excited to have [UW] within the Consortium ... It brings a whole different capacity to what we can do as a group,” Morash said. “We’re better together than as individual islands in the ocean — with a consortium, you kind of stitch together all the ideas floating around.”

UW professors Marcy Carlson, Joel Clark and Lawrence Berger will be administering UW’s membership in the Consortium.

Carlson, a professor of sociology and director of the Center for Demography and Ecology, was introduced to SHECP through a conference she had been invited to speak at.

Regarding her experience, she said she was immediately “amazed by their focus on undergraduate studies” and that she met many researchers who researchers “really care about these student experiences.”

In terms of these experiences, Morash talked about many students who had “really incredible” internships.

He cited one example of a student from the University of Notre Dame, an economics major who assisted a local provider in grant writing. Through his internship, the student wrote a grant that resulted in the local fire department in West Virginia receiving a new fire engine.

Morash also stressed that a variety of students, from a wide variety of majors and backgrounds, were involved in the program.

When students are selecting their preferred positions at the wide variety of partner agencies SHECP works with, he noted that they are matched appropriately and that there is a large spectrum of the kinds of work students can do.

“What’s really important is that they use their unique skills to help,” Morash said.

Another student, a computer science major from Berea University, was matched with a provider in Kentucky which was involved with assisting parents from underserved communities with their children, predominantly single mothers.

The student, Morash said, used her background to create games for the children that taught them basic logic coding skills using “if/then” statements.

These students also get very hands-on

with their internships, Morash said and can have real-world impacts through their work.

But short-term internships such as SHECP have brought concerns. When students leave, they leave behind communities or agencies that are newly understaffed or without enough instruction on how to continue without the students’ labor. source But Carlson said that due to this being UW’s first year of involvement, a chain of continuity will have to be developed, as students will continue to facilitate and organize in the positions they have as interns.

“Its very much about coming alongside those in the organization — not in a way that, when they’re gone, the work disappears,” Carlson said.

Morash said he looks forward to seeing UW and its students flourish.

Even if students do not end up doing work on poverty after graduation, Morash said the skills and philanthropic practice students gain will influence their lives forever.

“I firmly believe that education is the key to ending poverty in the United States,” Morash said. “At SHECP, our approach is going to help move that needle.”

New survey aims to address Madison concerns, plan for future of city Capital Area Regional Planning Commission looks to focus efforts in four categories including environmental change, population growth

by Grady Gibson City News Editor

The Capital Area Regional Planning Commission has released a survey to better understand the current values and opinions of Madison area residents.

The CARPC is a commission in Wisconsin formed to coordinate planning and development in the area’s municipalities.

In this case, it is focusing its efforts on planning for the future of the Madison area.

The CARPC polls on four different issues affecting the Madison area: population growth and change, environmental change, technology, and continued government and societal polarization.

Steve Steinhoff, director for community and regional development planning detailed the need for the survey in the first place and what they plan on doing with the information. “[The CARPC] has been looking at the issue of growth that is coming in our region — 150,000 people in our region, about the

equivalent of two Camp Randalls full of people or four or five Sun Prairies — and around the country, regions that face similar issues whose leaders come together and work together towards common goals are more successful in a lot of ways,” Steinhoff said.

According to the World Population Review, Madison is the fastest growing municipality in the entire state. From 2011 to 2012, it had a growth rate a 3 percent, and from 2000 to 2008, its population grew by 11 percent. Madison’s population in 2030 is projected to be 270,000, about a 20,000 increase.

This growth is significant when compared to the population growth of other upand-coming cities such Portland, whose population only grew 10 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Even with an increasing population, Madison still faces a few smallerscale issues, Mike Rupiper, director for environmental resources planning said.

“Within the greater region, we have a

number of water quality issues related to phosphorus and the impact it has on the lakes … at the top of everybody’s mind, also, is the impact of flooding has had on our communities,” Rupiper said. “And then from a bigger perspective, as our region grows, we have to plan not only for more housing and roadway capacity and transportation, but also we want to make sure we maintain our access to park-land and bike paths, those kind of things.”

Rupiper said the purpose of the survey is to get a better sense for what everyone in the region would like to see for the future, and then the CARPC can use that to devise a better regional plan for the future.

After the CARPC has processed the information, it can inform the local community plans, Rupiper said.

“The idea is that this broader regional plan that everybody hopefully has consensus on will trickle down into more local community plans and the plan implementation ultimately, which is done by the private and public sector,” Rupiper

said.

The survey is currently aiming for a minimum of 10,000 respondents, though the more people contribute, the more support the CARPC will be able to provide, Steinhoff said.

When the survey is completed, a steering committee will use the information to look at the top priorities for the region.

The steering committee and the CARPC, after the survey is completed, will use the information to work with local communities and businesses as they update their plans to incorporate these broad regional goals, Steinhoff said.

“The power of the plan will really be in the degree to which leaders and people want to see it happen,” Steinhoff said. “That is why the amount of participation will be more important for carrying it out.”

The Greater Madison Vision Survey is currently live and will continue to be available to be filled out through October.

October 2, 2018 • badgerherald.com • 5

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New UW ad campaign ‘Mythbusters’ aims to correct misconceptions Campaign released during football game focuses on addressing misinformation about admissions, affordability, state funds

by Azul Kothari Reporter

“Unattainable, unaffordable, a misuse of state funds.”

This fall, the University of Wisconsin will be running a televised ad campaign during Badger football games that seeks to correct these, and other common misconceptions surrounding the university.

The ad campaign, known as “Mythbusters,” is made up of six different advertisements that each focuses on a way in which UW serves the state of Wisconsin.

The first four ads, titled “Getting In,” “Affordability,” “Finish in Four” and “Employment” hone in on misconceptions that often prevent qualified students from applying to UW. The last two ads, titled “Stay in Wisconsin” and “Return on Investment” focus on how the university gives back to the state.

Executive Director of University Marketing Tricia Nolan said the campaign was mainly based on listening to others’ perceptions of the university.

“ I think people just heard that

narrative over and over on a national level and thought that it must be true for their home state university.”

Tricia Nolan Executive Director of University Marketing

“What we were hearing anecdotally around the state, from citizens, and from prospective students and parents and even sometimes from alumni, was sort of this whole related series of misperceptions,” Nolan said.

Nolan attributed part of the blame for those misconceptions surrounding UW on the national narrative surrounding college education.

According to a College Board report, from 1987 to 2017, tuition costs at public four-year institutions rose by 213 percent. Furthermore, the last few years have seen a drastic decline in acceptance rates at elite institutions. College students are graduating with more debt than ever before from institutions that are increasingly difficult to gain admission to.

6 • badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018

“I think people just heard that narrative over and over on a national level and thought that it must be true for their home state university,” Nolan said.

These misconceptions often prevent high school seniors from applying to UW, Nolan said. First, students fear they will be rejected.

Next, they think that even if they are accepted, they will not be able to afford tuition. Finally, they worry that even if are accepted and can afford tuition, it will take longer than four years to graduate and be very difficult to find a job after graduation.

Freshman Veronica Kuffle recalled similar thoughts when applying to UW. At her Minnesota high school, teachers and counselors would praise UW as one of the most prestigious public schools in the Midwest. Kuffle’s counselors advised her that her score of 27 on the ACT would likely not be enough to gain acceptance.

“It was crazy that I got in,” Kuffle said. “I didn’t realize that UW-Madison really looks at your entire application.”

This is one of the misperceptions the advertising campaign aims to end. Each of the ads uses simple statistics to point out facts that people were previously unaware of.

The first ad informs viewers that more than two-thirds of in-state applicants are accepted. The second points out that financial aid has increased more than 157 percent during the last 10 years.

Speaking to students concerned about the time it takes to earn a degree and securing employment after graduation, the third and fourth ads show that most students finish in four years, with 60 percent of them having job offers before they even graduate.

Dhavan Shah, a UW professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, looked further into the advertisements and believes they are about more than correcting false information.

“It’s about really highlighting changes that have been made to the kind of rates at which students are able to get in, the kind of debt load they carry and how much it actually costs to attend the school,” Shah said. “I think all of those are huge factors in shaping whether someone thinks about applying or not.

The last two ads focus on how UW serves the citizens of Wisconsin, even those who do not directly interact with the university. Many Wisconsin residents hold the misconception that most students leave the state for employment after graduation, when in fact around 80 percent of UW graduates stay in Wisconsin,

according to the ad campaign.

The last points out that for every tax dollar put into UW, 24 are generated, resulting in a return investment of $15 billion annually. It

the University of Wisconsin, it pays huge dividends to the state,” Shah said. “We end up with a more educated population, we end up with new innovations, we end up with companies that hire people and we end up with a more culturally rich community.”

“ I didn’t realize UW-Madison

Since the ads are appearing during Badger football games, it may seem as though those who view the ads might already agree with the message the ads are sending. After all, Badger fans form an important part of the UW community.

Shah said, however, Badger fans just might be the perfect audience to target the ads towards.

“There are a lot of taxpaying Wisconsin residents who might not tune into university lectures but are still fans of the Badgers and have deep roots in the state,” Shah said. “They certainly get a message that corrects their misperception, and that’s exactly the audience to go for.”

really looks at your entire application.”

Veronica Kuffle UW Freshman

goes on to say that the university supports just under 200,000 jobs and has played a role in the founding of hundreds of startup companies.

“When you make an investment to

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PHOTO

the sylvee’s grand opening

Photo · Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats performed Thursday in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison’s newest venue, the Sylvee.

Quinn Beaupre The Badger Herald

Photo · Shakey Graves shares soulful sounds at The Sylvee’s grand opening.

Ashley Evers The Badger Herald

October 2, 2018 • badgerherald.com • 7

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Changing downtown market impacts livelihood of local business

Small businesses still capable of succeeding, but it requires more effort than ever before, Little Luxuries owner says

by James Strebe Campus News Editor

succeed.

“It takes much more effort to succeed in retail than ever before,” Moore said. “But I think if you’re really setting your numbers, setting your demographic and paying attention to the negotiations that you need to make to be successful, I think you can still continue to succeed.”

Moore remodeled Little Luxuries over the

Business Resources for the City of Madison said the city is working to address the change in the downtown’s retail market.

Last year, the city implemented a State Street retail grant program which he said provided financing for about 11 businesses undergoing renovation, including Little Luxuries. Kennelly said the allure of State Street is more than just shopping.

Individuals used to walk by it every day, whether they were just strolling by or on their way to class. They may have thought, “I should check that place out,” and maybe they did.

But one day they walk by and the storefront is empty. No employees work the register and no customers mill around inside. The handwritten sign on the door thanking customers for their support might be the only clue that a store was ever there.

Such is the life of a business in downtown Madison— especially State Street: Here today, gone tomorrow.

But Michelle SomesBooher, the director of the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center says the sky is not falling for small businesses on State Street.

“We have a great, robust ecosystem with a lot of younger people who want to try new things,” SomesBooher said. “Businesses pop up. Sometimes they make it and sometimes they don’t.”

That’s not to say the climate of downtown businesses hasn’t evolved.

According to the 2018 State of the Downtown study, the number of downtown businesses has risen from 212 to 405. But over the same amount of time, the number of retail businesses in the downtown area has shrunk.

While retail Photo · Downtown businesses have risen from 212 to 405, but in the same time frame, retail businesses in the area have shrunk. used to account for half of all businesses in the Elliot Moorman downtown area, it now The Badger Herald represents only about 22 percent. past winter to give the space a more modern “Stores like Little Luxuries, Anthology Amy Moore, who owns Little Luxuries on feel, she said. She also said she closely and Soap Opera are great locally owned State Street, said she recently has noticed a monitors the products she puts out on the businesses with products that are really general decline in the number of brick and shelves so that she can quickly increase stock unique to Madison and experiences that you mortar retail stores across Madison. Despite if a new product does well, or liquidate her can’t get anywhere else,” Kennelly said. “If recent struggles for the retail industry, supply of a product that doesn’t resonate. traditional brick and mortar retail is going to Moore said an evolving business can still Dan Kennelly, manager of the Office of survive, that’s how they are going to do it .”

8 • badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018

The graying of businesses, Somes-Booher said, is another significant factor behind closing businesses. As the largest living adult population, retiring baby boomers simply don’t have a large enough population to hand their business over to. When the owner of a longstanding business in Madison decides to retire, they may not have a successor to take over operations.

Kennelly said the city is attempting to address this problem through the Co-operative Enterprises for Job Creation and Business Development program, where the city assists existing businesses that are transitioning into employee-owned co-operatives.

That way, Kennelly said, if employees are interested in continuing a business after the owner retires, they have the opportunity to do so, even if no line of succession exists.

The importance of small businesses, Somes-Booher said, is the character and unique local charm they bring to the downtown area. They are a big reason why State Street is a huge attraction for visitors.

“You can go to a mall and see everything that you can see at every other town,” Somes-Booher said. “But when you go to an area that really drives small business, it’s unique and special.”

For new startup businesses that come to the SBDC, doing an appropriate amount of planning mitigates the risk for small businesses looking for success in downtown Madison, Somes-Booher said.

Moore said she is paying closer attention to Little Luxuries to assure that her business is staying on the ball. She said her job isn’t easy, but it’s fun and she’s passionate about her work, which makes all the difference.

“It’s a child,” Moore said. “You have to feed it, watch over it and take care of it. So the job never really does stop.”

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Valentia Coffee provides quality coffee, perfect study spot for students Serving as replacement for Coffeebytes, new business hopes to ‘pour over’ Madison students while striving toward goal to ‘build our palate together’

by Morgan Grunow ArtsEtc. Staff Writer

Coffee on a college campus is essential for most students to make it through long days and late nights.

This past summer, Coffeebytes on East Campus Mall announced its closing, only to be replaced by a new venue, Valentia Coffee, shortly after.

Valentia Coffee’s mission is to “serve coffee that is beautifully sourced and prepared,” which can be seen from the shop’s local coffee roaster and tea supplier, Rusty Dog Coffee.

Rusty Dog is new to Madison and has helped make Valentia’s dream become a reality through its locally roasted craft coffee beans, one of its owners David Hale said.

Hale’s dream started when he was working for a volunteer-run coffee shop in 2012. The missionbased organization focused on craft coffee, which inspired him to see the beauty in coffee when it is served on its own. Hale now has roasted his own beans for five years and has used the pour over method ever since, claiming the technique is a peaceful way to start the day.

Now on the University of Wisconsin campus, Hale and his wife Sarah hope to bring the idea of simple coffee to students. So far, he has been stressing the idea of quality over quantity and receiving positive feedback from the community.

“We’ve had a really good response to the simplicity of craft coffee,” Hale said.

He said his goal is to “build our palate together” to drink coffee with less cream and sugar. Hale also stressed the importance of recognizing the beauty in a higher grade specialty bean.

Hale said the traditional espresso-based drinks, such as lattes and cappuccinos have been popular, as well as the alternative milk options.

Specifically, the oat and coconut milk seems to be in high demand, a positive aspect because of their lessened effect on the environment, he said.

While some businesses sometimes need to do a lot of promoting and advertising when they are new to an area, Valentia Coffee simply needed to open its doors, Hale said.

“So far, things have been a lot busier than expected and we’ve had a much higher turnout than we thought,” Hale said.

To some students, it has even become a regular stop for them, especially because of the quality of espresso-made drinks, UW student Annie McGrail said.

“Valentia Coffee has turned into my goto coffee spot on campus, especially with its fabulous flat whites,” McGrail said.

A flat white is an espresso drink similar to a latte, but with a higher proportion of espresso to steamed milk.

Similar to the coffee, the interior of the coffee shop has also reflected a simple atmosphere, with

plain white walls, minimal decorations and subdued colors for the furniture within the space.

This is something often missed within the coffee shop, yet ideal for those trying to study or accomplish other work. The simplicity within the space minimizes distractions, something we always seem to have too much of.

Valentia’s capitalizes well on the quality of customer service and passion for the industry. Kieran O’Connor, a Photo · How many coffee shops do you know have a mission?

UW student, recently visited Valentia Coffee and reflected on her customer service Morgan Grunow experience.

The Badger Herald “The management was really personable and I could to organize a public cupping event for students tell that the workers are very passionate and community members. about their business and craft coffee,” O’Connor Most cupping events revolve around a coffee said.

Hale is invited to speak at the Wisconsin Union tasting, where attendees are able to see the Directorate Cuisine Committee meeting at Union differences between coffees in terms of roast South Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. He will be discussing and other flavors and learn to appreciate certain qualities in coffee. his passion and “philosophy of coffee,” as well as Valentia Coffee hopes UW students will the recent opening of Valentia Coffee on campus. appreciate the effort they’ve put into the shop.

Later this semester, Hale said he was planning They’ll find out one cup at a time.

After four month wait, Ha Long Bay is back and stronger than ever Family support system at local Southeast Asian restaurant returns to serve authentic Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian dishes after unexpected car accident

by Eleanor Bogart-Stuart ArtsEtc. Staff Writer

After a shocking car accident shut down neighborhood favorite Ha Long Bay for four months, the restaurant has reopened late September much to the delight of Madison

Photo · Family has helped Ha Long Bay overcome unique adversity.

Eleanor Bogart-Stewart The Badger Herald

locals.

Ha Long Bay, located at 1353 Williamson St., is a traditional Southeast Asian restaurant, serving a diverse selection of Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian dishes.

Not long ago, on May 4, a car struck the side of the Southeast Asian restaurant and partially destroyed its wall. While neither the driver or any customers were hurt, server Alex Thairuammit said the event was more than a little unsettling.

“I was serving, and in just one second I turned around and saw the glass shatter. I thought maybe a table fell or something. But then I saw the car and a woman screaming,” Thairuammit said. “Luckily it was a slow time of the day, so there was maybe only three tables seated in the restaurant. I just had to calm everybody down, get everybody out and call 911.”

The restaurant itself is located on a quiet intersection of Madison, situated next to a bevy of clothing boutiques and small bars.

The unassuming exterior doesn’t hint at the fact that it’s a hidden gem of the city.

What you find behind the doors is exactly what you want out of a comfort food restaurant — cushy, comfortable seating, eager waiters and heaps of food brought out on plates that you’ll wish you could finish eating, but probably can’t. It’s no wonder that Ha Long Bay is such a beloved Madison eatery.

Since the accident, the staff has been working

diligently to get the restaurant back up and running. While they initially thought it would take a couple of weeks to return to normal, it ended up taking far longer than expected, server Jacqueline Le said.

“We didn’t delay opening at all, but it’s a historical building so it took longer to get approvals. Everything is a process,” Le said.

“They were literally finishing things up last week, we had the health inspection, and then we opened.”

The unexpected benefit of the hiatus was the staff finally being able to have some quality time together, considering the restaurant is only closed three days a year.

The owners, manager and most of the staff are family members. Even the staff who aren’t blood-related are considered family. The restaurant’s menu itself was actually inspired by Le family recipes.

“It’s recipes that my aunt has had, and has made in collaboration with her sisters,” Le said.

“Her sisters in general have a lot of influence with her. Our family is very much a matriarchy.”

Every night after Ha Long Bay shuts its doors, the staff that worked that night all eat dinner together. This surprising bond between members of the Ha Long Bay team is not only very special, but also very hard to find when it comes to any place of work. It’s clear this bond has translated into the restaurant’s idolized food.

Le said the most popular dishes are the dumplings, spring rolls, crab meat wontons,

pho, pad thai and most of the curries. She also said the drunken noodles are a favorite amongst locals. But if you wanted to try something a little different, and perhaps a little bit more authentic, Le recommended the Nam Khao.

“It’s a little more unique. It’s a crispy rice dish, not a normal stir fried noodle. You’re not going to see it on everyone’s menu,” Le said. “We really can’t take anything off the menu at this point because people really order everything.

It’s all really well received. Not to toot our own horn, but we have done a good job at having a large menu and executing it well.”

The Tran family has been making delicious food for the public long before Ha Long Bay opened its doors. Jean and Chris Tran ran a successful Chinese restaurant in nearby Beaverdam for 20 years before making their way to Madison.

The staff and the Tran family were very eager to get the restaurant up and running again after the accident, yet there were some initial hesitations.

“They were thinking that they wanted to retire, but they’re workaholics,” Le laughed.

The restaurant is essentially a member of the Tran family itself, so for the staff, it was unnatural to be away from it.

With Ha Long Bay up and running again, the Tran family can get back to doing what they do best, and the residents of Madison can get back to eating the wide variety of dishes they have to offer. badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018 • 9

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Activist, author educate Madison about prison reform, police brutality ‘What does the other side of freedom look like to you?’: Deray McKesson says collaboration with others is essential in reforming key issues

by Tolu Igun ArtsEtc. Editor

As I walked into the Orpheum Theater Thursday evening, I was handed a note card with the statement, “What does the other side of freedom look like to you?” This thought-provoking question set the tone remarkably for what inquisitions came next.

I arrived rather early in anticipation of beating the rush who would follow not long after I found my seat. Around 7:30 p.m., the theater grew louder and fuller as audience members arrived, excited to witness Deray McKesson and Piper Kerman, author of “Orange is the New Black,” engage in conversation.

Beginning at the start of September, McKesson’s “On the Other Side of Freedom” tour has included numerous activists, authors and awe-inspiring individuals who want to make a difference in this world.

McKesson’s talks hone in on the subject of police brutality as this is the leading force of the protests in Ferguson. His stop in Madison focused largely on this issue, prison policy and reform.

The show opened right at 8 p.m. with a video about McKesson and his past in activism, leading to his first book release and arrival in Madison. McKesson then walked out with Kerman and welcomed the crowd warmly.

McKesson and Kerman began the talk seated in front of the stage, but stood up almost instantly after numerous members in the crowd had noted they could not see the duo. Initially scattered across the theater, most of the audience quickly rose from their seats and moved closer to the stage and one another.

Throughout the discussion, Kerman asked McKesson several personal and political questions relating to his new book. “On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope,” released in 2018, highlights the perilous journey McKesson undergoes in order to unintentionally become one of the leading faces of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Upon hearing about the death of Michael Brown, McKesson quit his job as an educator and drove down to Ferguson to join already existing forces on the streets.

“It was one of those moments where I was willing to risk it all,” McKesson said.

He wrote the book after moving beyond the pain he experienced during his time in Ferguson as a peaceful protestor. St. Louis County, Mo. has the highest rate of police violence in the country, McKesson said. Over the course of 400 days with the presence of 1000 protesters, McKesson spent much of his time walking around to keep himself moving because simply standing still was forbidden.

After seeing the impact McKesson had created with fellow protesters, he took the 10 • October 2, 2018 • badgerherald.com

work back to his hometown of Baltimore.

McKesson wanted to go home, but he also wanted to do more about the dire state of police brutality in the U.S. For example, citizens in the state of Maryland can file any complaint against an officer with the exception of brutality, he said.

In an interview prior to the event, McKesson explained how the more privileged can help others if they are not comfortable joining forces in the streets.

“If you grew up with the governor, go to his house and complain all night at dinner about it, that is more impactful than you probably standing next to me out here next,” McKesson said. “How do you use all of the access that you have to demand equity for everyone?”

It seems the system is often set up against us, but to change it, we have to understand how it works. McKesson discussed the crucial balance between reform and revolution in order to help audience members understand the movement is not only about the physical fight.

The amount of work necessary to fix such issues affecting Black lives and other Americans relates well to a question asked

by Kerman: “Where has the progress we thought we have made gone?”

Kerman also wrote a book about her own experiences with the prison system and reform. In “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison,” Kerman focused heavily on her privilege and cognitive dissonance that stemmed from being a college-educated white woman in prison.

Now, Kerman uses her privilege to help others who are facing injustices within the prison system.

McKesson noted that a large part of adjusting dissonance is naming it.

“People tell me that the end to mass incarceration is like a 300-year solution.

Why do we have to accept that? We don’t,” McKesson said. “If they can rewrite the tax bill on the back of paper towels and napkins, then we can do all of this in a generation.”

Though the content of McKesson and Kerman’s discussion wasn’t necessarily pleasant, it was easy for the pair to make the crowd laugh and feel comfortable with the difficult conversation at hand.

The goal of McKesson’s discussion with Kerman was to leave audience members not only with more information that they entered with but also more skills.

Their conversation was followed by a handful of questions from audience members, accompanied by high praised to Pod Save the People, a podcast started

by McKesson and fellow activists Brittany Packnett and Samuel Sinyangwe.

One audience member, Shauna Washington, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin asked about the role higher education ought to play in social

justice work.

“There are all of these people who have actually done incredible studies, things that could help us with the work immeasurably,” McKesson said. “How do we figure out how to link directly with the academic community because they are doing things and just thinking about things in ways we don’t know. And we are thinking about things in ways they wouldn’t think about.”

In conclusion, collaboration is key — a long-running theme throughout the discussion.

Copies of “On the Other Side of Freedom” were sold at the venue all signed personally

by McKesson. As I walked out of the theater inspired and ready to learn more, I came to find myself staring at a nearly empty table with one book remaining and a faster fan within its reach.

Since the event was in partnership with A Room of One’s Own, the book can be purchased at 315 W. Gorham St. while supplies last, or online at any major bookselling outlet.

Following the talk, McKesson and Freedom provided the opportunity to each and every individual who attended the show to get a picture and speak with the pair personally. Their ingenuity shone through bright until the final moments of the night when the last person in line got their chance at a personal connection.

“The world is not a gruesome place — we can all win. We can live in a world where every single kid eats breakfast, lunch and dinner, and nobody loses in that scenario,” McKesson said. “Truth comes before the reconciliation.”

Photo · After death of Michael Brown, McKesson quit his job and drove to Ferguson to join protestors. Since then, McKesson has become one of the leading faces of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Tolu Igun The Badger Herald

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Does Madison poke trend offer adequate options or is it overkill?

Within five months, three new poke shops have made their arrival, opened their doors practically next door to each other with various selections

by Emily Penn ArtsEtc. Staff Writer

Food trends come and go almost as quickly as the latest fashion. For Madison, that trend is a boom in poke restaurants.

We already saw a short-lived french fry trend starting with Mad City Frites in 2016, and more recently the closing of Disco Fries, which, like Mad City Frites, also only survived a little after a year of their opening. In its place arrived the first of three poke restaurants near campus this past April: Poke Plus & Teriyaki.

Why the sudden poke boom? Is this trend here to stay?

Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish. It is generally comprised of a base of rice which is topped with cubes of raw fish, a mix of vegetables and fruits and customized with a variety of sauces.

In simpler terms, think of poke as a raw fish salad.

Each of the three poke locations serves the bowls with their own unique spin.

At Poke Plus & Teriyaki, customers create their bowls from scratch. The order counter allows diners to pick from a long list of toppings all displayed in front of them. After picking the base and fish, countless combinations can be made from the toppings and sauce choices.

Staff member Yan Zeng admits some people are overwhelmed by the amount of options.

“Here, you pick what you want, get it, and are off to class,” Zeng said.

Poke Plus & Teriyaki focuses on speed. As they are located on the always-bustling State Street, Zeng isn’t too bothered by the competition.

In addition to speed, this State Street poke shop offers a ten percent off student discount. They have a chalkboard sign on the sidewalk featuring this discount to anyone who passes by.

“State Street is the perfect place for a quick bite for students,” Zeng said. “People don’t go to the other [downtown poke locations] anyways.”

A couple weeks after Poke Plus & Teriyaki opened, Poke It Up arrived at 540 University Ave, just a short walk off of State Street. David Wartham, co-owner of the restaurant, admitted he had no idea another poke restaurant was opening at the same time as his.

Warthman has a friend who opened up a Poke It Up in Arlington, Virginia. He saw how many people liked poke and felt there was a need in Madison for a healthy food option like this.

Inspired by his friend, Warthman opened up a restaurant with the same name.

At Poke It Up, diners fill out an order form when they first walk in. The chefs prepare their food behind a counter and it’s ready for pick-up

moments after paying.

While Warthman agrees with Zeng that competition is good, he has created a poke burrito on their menu to stand out, similar to large sushi roll. All of the contents of the bowl are simply wrapped into a burrito shape.

“People have no idea what it is until they order it and they are just like ‘wow’,” Warthman said.

Sophomore Hannah Newman, however, was not a fan of the burrito.

“The burrito ended up falling apart,” Newman said.

Newman has been to all three campus poke locations. Her personal favorite is FreshFin, located at 502 University Ave. Andrew Foster, one of the owners of FreshFin, is a recent MBA graduate from the University of Wisconsin. FreshFin already has two Milwaukee locations — one in Brookfield and one in the Milwaukee Bucks’ Fiserv Forum.

Foster said he has a soft spot in his heart for Madison, which led to wanting to open up shop near campus.

“We’ve built a great following in Milwaukee and wanted to try and get that out here,” Foster said.

Their choice to stay away from State Street was intentional, Foster said. They wanted to try and expand beyond college students to attract the young business professionals and others in the downtown Madison area.

Although FreshFin arrived on campus months after Poke Plus & Teriyaki and Poke It Up, Foster started negotiations for their retail space back in August of 2017. He was fairly surprised by the number of poke shops that arrived in the time frame it took FreshFin to get

on their feet.

At FreshFin, diners order at the counter and wait for their food while it is prepared out of their view.

Unlike the other two poke shops who serve their toppings like slices of a pizza on top of their bowls, FreshFin mixes up the toppings for you.

Foster believes the quality of their ingredients and service make them stand out.

“We focus on high-quality customer service,” Foster said. “A lot of restaurants say that the customers come first, but we really mean it.”

Another unique aspect to FreshFin is their loyalty program: “Earn a Bowl, Give a Bowl.”

With this initiative, every time a customer earns a free bowl, FreshFin will also donate a bowl to a local charity or shelter. Their Madison location has chosen to donate to Porchlight, a Dane Country homeless shelter.

Newman likes that FreshFin not only tastes fresh, but offers the best environment and toppings she loves.

UW senior Sammi Golbert agrees about the quality of freshness and also loves the shop’s aesthetically pleasing interior.

While Newman sees having three poke places on campus as an advantage because people have options eliminating crowds or lines, Golbert thinks it is overkill.

“Two is okay if there is a major difference in price but three is just silly,” Golbert said. “One is bound to go out of business.”

Golbert believes poke is just starting to spread as a trend and thinks the business will continue to grow or even keep changing as time progresses.

Does downtown have space for all three of these restaurants to survive? Only time will tell.

Photo - Poke Plus & Teriyaki, Poke It Up and FreshFin all have moved in within a few block radius of each other.

Emily Penn The Badger Herald badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018 • 11

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community, dedication, music: retiring Uw band director Michael Leckrone’s LEgacy lives on

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Fifty years after leading the UW band for the first time, Leckrone reminisces about the influence of his father, late wife and education on his music career

by Angela Peterson Banter Editor

“Right, left, pivot.” 83 year-old band director Professor Michael Leckrone hollered at the University of Wisconsin Marching Band as they rehearsed for their Sept. 30 performance at Lambeau Field.

The band followed Leckrone’s directions, and their shoes made a “slosh” sound against the wet turf as they stepped into their next position. There was a deluge of rain, but Leckrone and the band continued to strive for crisp, accented moves.

The band played the song “Sing, sing, sing” as they trudged through the rain to perform their newest halftime show. Leckrone stayed on the field with them although he was drenched in rain.

Because the show was new to the band, many band members struggled to perform the moves exactly as Leckrone had envisioned.

The driving rain blurred out most things in sight, but Leckrone managed to find imperfections in the band’s formation with ease.

A month earlier, at a practice like today’s but much drier, Leckrone announced to the “Badger Band” that this season, his 50th at UW, would be his last.

“I insisted to the university that you’d be the first ones to know.

I wanted you to be the first ones because you’re special,” Leckrone told the band members. “I don’t care whether it’s because you’re in the band for the first time or have never been in the band until you walked on this field last week, but it’s special. This band is special.”

While Leckrone is usually spotted conducting the band’s

performances — including the football halftime shows, the fifth quarter and the annual spring Varsity Band Show — his home away from his hometown North Manchester, Indiana lies elsewhere on campus.

Leckrone’s office offered a stark contrast from the bleak reality of the Humanities Building. Warm wood paneling replaced harsh grey cement walls; knick knacks and plaques lined Leckrone’s desk and walls, each with a story begging to be told.

Leckrone and I shared a few laughs over an invoice from Tresona, a music licensing company that recently made the licensing process for educational bands and choirs more expensive and complicated.

He notes that while some aspects of the job have become simpler and more efficient with time, such as his flying rigs for the annual Varsity Band Show, others have become more complicated.

One thing, though, has remained simple and pure: Leckrone’s love and passion for music.

First steps While Leckrone has inspired many UW students throughout his career, Leckrone himself was heavily influenced by his father’s love of music.

“I grew up knowing nothing else than music,” Leckrone said. “I don’t have any memory of life without music being there.”

His father was the local high school band director. He kept a large record collection which Leckrone inherited. Leckrone still

owns every record by Bix Beiderbecke, a jazz trumpeter who he remembers listening to with particular fondness.

Leckrone and his father would often put on shows in the local community. There, Leckrone experimented with instruments like the trombone and the clarinet. While Leckrone considers himself primarily a trumpet player, he learned he could trick audiences into believing he had mastered all instruments by learning to play simple tunes on each one.

The thrill of performing, Leckrone said, drove him to pursue music.

“I don’t know that I set out to direct marching bands; I set out to be in music,” Leckrone said. “I think what made me decide was that nothing else had the appeal. It came down to the fact that [music is] what I felt happiest doing.”

Rising through the ranks Tucked away behind his computer and multiple stacks of papers, a mug from Leckrone’s alma mater Butler University stands out among a room full of red and white.

While at Butler, Leckrone continued his streak as a “jack of all trades” when he received the unusual opportunity to play simultaneously in their classical, jazz and marching bands; musicians normally have to pick a genre to focus on at this time in their career.

Butler’s band director retired just as Leckrone finished his training. Inspired by his director’s mentorship, Leckrone started directing the Butler marching band program the fall of 1966. For three years, he directed not only the band but also other musical projects, including the men’s glee club for a period of time.

The UW band director position opened up in 1969, when the UW band was lost in a transitional period. UW’s football program was not performing well, so the band did not have an active performance schedule. Leckrone, however, saw a program with immense potential waiting to be unlocked.

“What I saw in Wisconsin was a band that had a great tradition and a great history,” Leckrone said. “ I saw it as a sleeping giant.

It was something that had great potential but it hadn’t really been realized because no one more or less said, ‘Well, we’re going to try this.’”

Fine tuning When Leckrone first took charge of the Badger Band in the fall of 1969, he sought to change the band’s character and bolster its confidence by asking its members to perfect drills and performance practices.

While he knew it was impossible to perfect a band overnight, he was determined to train the corps to have the most attentive readyto-play position — “horns up,” in band speak — in the nation. This helped instill a greater sense of pride in the band members.

Leckrone also invented Wisconsin’s signature “stop at the top” style of marching, which was modified based on the standard “chair step” style adopted by most Big Ten bands at the time he became UW’s director.

“I wanted to keep that [higher] step, but as I saw the band in the stadium I wanted more energy.” Leckrone noted. “You have to march with that sense of energy, that sense of dedication. I wasn’t seeing it. I felt that if you put a little hesitation as one brings the foot up before they bring it down, it will appear to the eye that the step has more energy. People noticed it.”

These two improvements together brought attention to the band.

Soon, interest to join the band increased. Leckrone, too, sought to turn the marching band from a seasonal activity to a year-long involvement.

12 • badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018

The show sold out its first venue, Mills Hall, in 1976. The show then moved to bigger venues to accommodate its growing audience, eventually finding its home at the Kohl Center.

If you want to be a Badger At the heart of the band’s growing success was Leckrone and the band’s dedication to preserving its spirit and integrity — their ability to “eat a rock.”

“When you go out tomorrow to do the show, you’ve got to be a lot tougher. You’ve got to be tough enough to chew nails,” Leckrone recalled saying in an after-rehearsal speech. “No, you got to be tough enough to eat a rock.”

As soon as the words came out of Leckrone’s mouth, the band started chanting “eat a rock.” Bands throughout the years have understood the meaning of this phrase.

The same pride and dedication underscoring the phrase “eat a rock” also carried through Leckrone and his band until they finally came across the chance to perform at the Rose Bowl in 1994, halfway through Leckrone’s tenure.

“It took me 25 years, that’s a career in itself. I thought it was never going to happen.” Leckrone reminisced. A picture of the band on the field at the first Rose Bowl hung on the wall behind him. “I felt like I had trained the band to believe that they were worthy of that performance. Then suddenly it did, almost without warning.

Everybody jumped in as they never did before and frankly haven’t done since … It was so special.”

Though he has since been able to conduct at five more Rose Bowls, he said none of them matched his first outing.

While the band’s Rose Bowl performances are Leckrone’s proudest professional accomplishments, Leckrone himself is perhaps best known for reinventing the repertoire of the UW marching band.

Among his legacies is the shortened version of the song “On Wisconsin,” which he created by removing earlier verses to lead the band directly into the iconic “On Wisconsin” chorus that fans continue to sing along with every touchdown.

Leckrone wanted to program tunes that everyone would know and enjoy, so he incorporated rock-and-roll style beats into classic songs to appeal to both the older and younger crowds.

“Each act has to have its own identity, [but] I think it’s also important that you have segments of shows that can appeal to a lot of people,” Leckrone said. “I’ve said many times to people, ‘If you don’t like what we’re playing right now wait a minute, because we’ll be playing something completely different.’”

The band today has a diverse repertoire. While “All Night Long”

by Lionel Richie may not be a traditional choice for a marching band

set, the UW marching band plays it alongside other classics such as George Gershwin’s “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. Songs from Broadway shows Jesus Christ Superstar and The Music Man are also featured in the current season.

A different love Broadway holds a particularly dear place in Leckrone’s heart. He fondly remembers watching different shows at the Great White Way in New York City with his late wife, Phyllis.

Tate Warren, a recent UW graduate and Badger Band alumnus, witnessed this love firsthand when a Nor’easter storm grounded a portion of the band in New York City this past spring. Warren was one of many band members who won tickets to see the Spongebob Squarepants musical on the trip. Whereas most lottery winners in the band invited their friends to the show, Warren invited Leckrone.

“Before the show started he explained to me that he used to go to Broadway every year with his wife before she passed away, and that it brought back a lot of memories for him to be there,” Warren said.

“It made me reflect on how many different performances Mike has seen and conducted and that I was lucky to be able to sit next to him to watch one.”

Professional accomplishments aside, Leckrone insisted his proudest personal accomplishments stem from the love of his life, his late wife Phyllis. The pair began dating in the seventh grade and were married for 62 years until her passing last August. Leckrone said she has always assured him that he could pursue his passions with the band, even if that meant he couldn’t be at home as much as some husbands could.

When Phyllis passed, Leckrone’s children gave him a ring with her fingerprint engraved on it, which he wears on his right ring finger. On his left ring finger is his wedding band.

Hitting the right notes Unlike his memory for Phyllis, Leckrone believes people’s memory of him will pass quickly because he typically is involved in only four years of people’s lives.

But freshman Kristen Schill said she decided to keep marching in college only after hearing about Leckrone’s leadership from her high school band director, Kurt Dobbeck, a Badger Band alumnus who attended UW in the early 80s upon Leckrone’s encouragement.

“The thing I remember most is that he pushed us to do excellent work all the time,” Dobbeck said. “One day in particular, we were at practice, and he ran out and came right in front of me. I knew all he wanted me to do was work as hard as I possibly could. From then on, I did it.”

Throughout his career, Leckrone’s work ethic has been guided by

“I try to avoid using the word perfection because I don’t think perfection is obtainable.

I’ve seen many different types of performances, from marching band shows to Broadway, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen perfection ... I hope my passion of searching for that perfection gets passed down.”

– Michael Leckrone, retiring UW band director

excellence. Although humble about his legacy, Leckrone hopes that the band will carry on his relentless pursuit of perfection.

“I try to avoid using the word perfection because I don’t think perfection is obtainable. I’ve seen many different types of performances, from marching band shows to Broadway, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen perfection,” Leckrone said. “I hope my passion of searching for that perfection gets passed down.”

For Leckrone, the key to perfection lies perhaps in the band’s confidence and dedication.

But for UW senior CJ Zabat, the band’s drum major, this perfection comes in the form of “moments of happiness” Leckrone has inspired Zabat to pursue on and off the field.

“Mike can’t promise you complete happiness, but he wants to promise you moments of happiness,” Zabat said. “Those are those moments where something is so awesome you feel so happy that you have to hold on to those moments throughout the bad moments … As I got further and further along [in college], I had to find the things that gave me those ‘moments of happiness’ and made me want to work hard.”

The beat goes on Back on the field, the skies began to clear up. The back of the band began to perform to Leckrone’s choreography, which few marching band directors today can say they create by themselves.

After running the routine again, Leckrone determined the band was in good shape and dismissed them to hear drum major Zabat’s final message for the day.

After practice, members went up to Leckrone to ask questions about spacing in the formation. Another went up to return a bracelet Leckrone had lost on the field. A friend had given the bracelet to Leckrone to help reduce his arthritis. And although Leckrone believes the healing power of the bracelet to be purely psychological, he cherishes it for its sentimental value.

The drumline stayed behind to conduct a sectional practice after an already grueling two hours of rehearsal. Their beats can be heard from the bus stop a quarter mile away.

Even with Leckrone off the field, his music keeps marching on. badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018 • 13

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After Great Recession, Wisconsin’s recovery hindered by racial inequalities Wisconsin economy has finally returned to pre-recession levels a decade later, but several racial disparities still remain

by Sammy Fogel Columnist

Roughly a decade after the 2008 financial crisis, Wisconsin’s economy has finally recovered. Sort of. The state’s GDP is growing steadily again, the unemployment rate has reached record lows and according to a new report from the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, income has finally returned to pre-recession levels. Sounds great, right? It certainly doesn’t sound so bad for Gov. Scott Walker. After all, the bulk of this recovery has occurred under his tenure.

But looking deeper at the numbers, it’s easy to see what has been called an “economic miracle” may not have been so miraculous after all. Upon comparing Wisconsin’s numbers to that of its neighbors, it’s evident that its recovery has been roughly middle of the pack. From 2008 to present, GDP growth looks unspectacular, as does employment and income, according to graphs generated by the U.S. Bureau

of Economic Activity’s online data tool.

And though most economists agree that governors have a minimal effect on their state’s economy, the results of a new study from economist Bruce Thompson show that Walker’s policies have cost Wisconsin about 80,000 jobs.

It could be said that 80,000 is an insignificant figure given the state’s 2.9 percent unemployment rate, and that’s fair enough. A slowed recovery is better than no recovery. But the recovery has not been distributed equally. Economists have found current income inequality levels akin to those of the Great Depression, with the top 1 percent of earners making nineteen times what the average worker does. One in five workers earns $12 or less per hour. And, in spite of the job growth, by most estimates, the poverty rate has remained stagnant.

This is where Walker ’s record becomes harder to defend. Legislation introduced and passed by his administration have upped requirements needed to be met in order to qualify for poverty

assistance programs, making it harder for impoverished and starving Wisconsinites to put food on the table for their families.

In order to qualify for food stamps, ablebodied adults must be working or in job training for 30 hours per week (a 10hour increase), and they may not own a home worth more than $321,000 nor a car worth more than $20,000. Public housing recipients must pass a drug test. Operating under the implicit logic that “poor people are lazy,” the aim of bolstering these requirements is to force Wisconsinites who might “leech off of taxpayer money” to go and find jobs.

And then there’s Wisconsin’s racial inequality. White residents of Wisconsin benefit from one of the nation’s five largest gaps over their black counterparts in income, unemployment rate, poverty rate and child poverty rate. Wisconsin has been named the “worst state for black Americans,” and the “worst state to raise a black child,” along with Milwaukee as one of America’s most segregated cities. White

households in Wisconsin earn roughly double what black households do and 41 percent of black and Latino households earn wages placing them at or below the poverty rate.

To Scott Walker ’s credit, he did not create these disparities. They have existed for many years, but he certainly wasn’t clamoring to fix them. Instead, he was fighting for the passage of policies disproportionately minorities, such as the voter ID law that deterred roughly 17,000 people from voting in the 2016 election, a disproportionate number of whom are black and/or low-income, and the aforementioned bolstering of welfare requirements.

So, under Walker, is Wisconsin “working and winning?” On one hand, certainly. But on numerous other hands, not quite.

Sammy Fogel (shfogel@wisc.edu) is a freshman majoring in political science and Spanish.

To make future elections more fair, everyone needs to vote in November While more people feel excited to participate in upcoming election, individuals are simultaneously losing faith in voter systems

by Cait Gibbons Columnist

Voting is an incredibly important part of American society. And with companies and even professional sports teams around the country taking an active role in encouraging people to vote, it seems that more and more people are recognizing its importance.

But while more people feel galvanized to participate in elections, people are simultaneously losing faith in the voter systems. The integrity of elections is, in fact, under attack from voter registration to vote submission and everything in between.

Computers are supposed to make our lives easier. But with voting, we haven’t quite figured out how to utilize technology to make it easier for people to vote, while still protecting the integrity of elections. As online voter registration and voting machines become more popular for their convenience, it becomes easier for unwanted parties to influence the elections.

Recently, groups like Wisconsin Election Integrity, a Madison-based grassroots electoral integrity advocacy group, have taken action against the voting machines that many districts use to conduct their elections. According to The Cap Times, while voting machines are certified by the state, there aren’t “federal standards 14 • October, 2, 2018 • badgerherald.com

for security, operation or hiring processes at companies that provide hardware and software for voting. The state does not scrutinize the security practices of such private vendors.”

According to Karen McKim, a coordinator for Wisconsin Election Integrity and former Legislative Audit Bureau manager, many election officials in Wisconsin fail to realize “... how very much is completely out of their control.” McKim continued, “They really, truly, do believe that if they keep the individual voting machines unconnected from the internet and do pre-election testing, that the software is safe.”

Experts have made it clear: hacking a U.S. electronic voting booth is too easy, as are the voter registration websites. In 2016, Russian government agents allegedly attempted to hack into voter registration information from 21 states. In July of 2016, a California District Attorney claimed that someone with access to registered voters’ personal information used the voter registration website to change voters’ party affiliations. Hacking into voter registration can make it difficult for people once they get to the polls — if their registration is rendered ineligible because of a security breach, then they may not be able to count their vote.

The quintessential question then is how do we design a secure, but modern and accessible

system?

An article in The Conversation suggests four measures: provisional ballots, same-day registration, paper ballots and post-election audits. The article acknowledges that these all would take more effort and more paperwork, but election officials need to be willing to accept that burden because the very integrity of our democracy is at stake.

In a discussion about Wisconsin’s use of private vendors for voting hardware and software, Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesperson Reid Magney said, “While [outsourcing pre-election programming] may introduce a vulnerability, the more important question is whether that vulnerability is acceptable.”

From the perspective of voters, whose lives will potentially be influenced by that vulnerability, there shouldn’t even be a question here. That vulnerability is not acceptable.

Magney says that the agency is doing “almost everything [The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine] recommends” to preserve election security, but Wisconsin needs to do more, and so does the federal government.

Voters don’t have confidence in the current voting system and that is understandable. But despite flaws in the system and vulnerabilities

in the process, voting still has an immeasurable impact.

On Sept. 25, the University of Wisconsin hosted a panel at Memorial Union about the impact of voting. Among the panelists were UW political science Professor Barry Burden and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Craig Gilbert, who both emphasized that voting is more important than ever before, despite an increased amount of mistrust in the U.S. voting system.

Let’s go one step further. Not only is casting a vote important despite distrust in the voting system but casting a vote is important because of distrust in the system. Affirming our commitment to the voting system by casting a ballot on election day makes imploration to strengthen voting security all that more meaningful. Officials won’t fix something that nobody cares about.

Following the Parkland shooting on Feb. 14, voter registration among young people around Wisconsin and the entire country surged. And it’s because voting matters. Voting can make changes. So when election day comes around, make sure your voice is heard because your very ability to do so is at stake.

Cait Gibbons (cgibbons@badgerherald.com) is a junior studying math and Chinese.

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Point Counterpoint: Schimel vs. Kaul for Wisconsin Attorney General College Republicans: Schimel clear choice for attorney general

College Democrats: Josh Kaul impeccably qualified for AG

For the past 30 years, Wisconsin has been blessed enough to have Brad Schimel serving our communities in the courtroom and now at the Department of Justice. Schimel has dedicated his life to the rule of law and ensuring that Wisconsin is a safe place to live, work and raise a family. Schimel is running for re-election for a second term this year, and it is of the utmost importance that we re-elect him to the office of Attorney General for Wisconsin.

Brad Schimel started his career in the Waukesha County District Attorney’s office where he worked with law enforcement to advocate for victims and keep his community safe. He was later elected as District Attorney of Waukesha County where he continued his work as a prosecutor and led other attorneys in the third largest county in the state to continue that same mission.

Since taking office as Wisconsin’s Attorney General four years ago, Schimel has worked tirelessly to fight the opioid crisis, make school safety a priority, solve problems within the Department of Justice and always put Wisconsin interests first.

To fight the opioid crisis, Schimel has worked with local law enforcement and led statewide initiatives to raise awareness and put a stop to the spread of dangerous and illegal drugs.

Schimel led the charge for Wisconsin to develop the “Dose of Reality” campaign to combat opioid use, a program that other states are beginning to adopt. In fact, this program collected 63,531 pounds of unused prescription drugs in 2018 which were then properly disposed of.

Additionally, Schimel has worked with local law enforcement to see how the campaign can be tailored to the needs of individual communities.

Schimel has also recently worked with school districts to guarantee safe school environments by administering $100 million in school safety grants. The grants are administered to schools that train teachers, professional support staff, counselors and administrators on adverse childhood experiences and trauma-informed care. The grant also requires schools to partner with local law enforcement to enact other policy

The College Democrats of the University of Wisconsin are extremely pleased to present our excellent Democratic candidate for attorney general, Josh Kaul.

Josh Kaul was raised in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. As a child, he attended Wisconsin public schools. Kaul attended Yale as an undergraduate and then Stanford Law School, where he was President of the Stanford Law Review.

Since entering the legal world, Kaul has proven his commitment to keeping families safe as well as protecting citizen’s right to vote. As a federal prosecutor in Baltimore, Kaul worked closely with law enforcement to prosecute a multitude of violent criminals in one of America’s most dangerous cities.

In Wisconsin, Kaul fought against unfair voting restrictions imposed by the state legislature, such as reductions in early voting and the elimination of options for voting registration. It is clear that Kaul shares our goals of keeping Wisconsin safe and ensuring the right to vote for Wisconsinites.

We see it as vital that Kaul is elected due to the negligence shown by his opponent, incumbent Brad Schimel. During his time as attorney general, Schimel has overseen a massive backlog of untested rape kits and delayed DNA and toxicology tests that have accumulated in evidence rooms and hospital storage areas across the state of Wisconsin. Although the backlog is not complete, the extensive amount of time it took to test them meant that a potentially staggering amount of criminals who should be facing justice continue to roam freely under Schimel’s watch.

In 2015, the Department of Justice was given $4 million to undergo the testing of rape kits. Yet despite receiving such a generous grant, only nine rape kits had been tested in the first two years after the grant. In a television interview, Schimel asserted there was no backlog,

changes to ensure safe practices in schools.

During his tenure, Schimel also ended the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, which had been accumulating for several decades.

Schimel stands in stark contrast to his opponent, Josh Kaul. Schimel’s opponent has never prosecuted a single case in Wisconsin.

Ever. Additionally, he has refused to break with other Democrats on key issues that impact all Wisconsinites, including a reckless proposal to cut the prison population in half that would release dangerous criminals back into Wisconsin communities. More recently, Kaul has not been visible to the public, his campaign sightings few and far between.

In addition to his dedication to the people of Wisconsin as a prosecutor and police officer, Schimel is a husband, father and a man of faith.

He is also a member of a band, Four on the Floor, a lector at his local parish and a HarleyDavidson enthusiast. Brad Schimel is a man of integrity who is deeply committed to his faith, family and the entire state of Wisconsin.

Through his work at the Department of Justice, Brad Schimel is ensuring the safety and well-being of the people of Wisconsin.

The support for Schimel is not just among Republicans: Democrats have also lined up to support him. Sixty-three county sheriffs in the State of Wisconsin have endorsed Schimel, including 12 Democrats.

The choice for Wisconsin is clear; Brad Schimel consistently has stood up to fight crime and keep our communities safe. We need his continued leadership as our attorney general.

To find out more information about Brad, you can visit his website. To find out about early voting, absentee voting, voter registration, your polling place or what else is on your ballot, visit myvote.wi.gov.

Alesha Guenther is a junior studying journalism and mass communications. She is also the Communications Director for College Republicans.

a claim that was given a “pants on fire” rating by Politifact. We find Schimel’s negligence on this important issue to be both embarrassing and dangerous for Wisconsinites.

Kaul has made it clear he will direct the DOJ to begin aggressively investigating rape kits on day one instead of waiting for an election cycle when it is politically convenient. College Democrats of UW stand with survivors of sexual assault, and that is why we urge voters to choose Josh Kaul Nov. 6.

Across the board, it is no secret that Kaul’s priorities differ greatly in comparison to our current attorney general. We believe Kaul will stand up to corporate interests for the sake of working Wisconsin families, unlike Schimel, who settled a case in which a major airpolluting corporation paid zero dollars in fines. We believe it is time for an attorney general with the guts to stand up to corporations for the sake of our cherished natural resources.

Josh Kaul has proven to be an outstanding citizen and an impeccably qualified candidate to lead Wisconsin’s Department of Justice as attorney general.

The College Democrats of UW urges voters to support Josh Kaul for attorney general because he will make up for years of failed leadership, stand up to big corporations and get Wisconsin’s DOJ moving forward once again.

Sam Schwab (sschwab2@wisc.edu) is a senior junior majoring in political science and English. He is also Press Secretary for the College Democrats of UW.

badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018 • 15

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UW can’t preach diversity with a Christian-centered calendar

UW’s academic calendar forces students of minority faith traditions to choose between academics, religious observance

by Julia Brunson Columnist

Wednesday, Sept. 19 was a normal day. Despite the gray skies and pouring rain, students filed toward their classes, distracted by deadlines and the fastapproaching midterm season. It was less than two weeks into the semester; everyone was, in more ways than one, still getting the hang of things.

That very same Wednesday, if one wasn’t watching carefully, they might not have noticed the absence of Jewish students from classes and discussions. But for those who observed Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, Sept. 19 posed a twofold challenge: first, how does one deal with an absence so early in the semester?

That, combined with staying on top of homework during a 25-hour period of fasting, reflection and prayer is a struggle Jewish students know all too well.

The obvious answer — and one received by many observant students — is simply to plan ahead. The University of Wisconsin’s absence policy asks students to notify professors of a potential religious observance conflict no less than two weeks into the semester. Professors are also requested not to schedule “mandatory academic requirements” on days during which a large portion of students might be observing a religious event.

And yet, in all its specifications, UW’s religious absence policies offer a convenient option for students to miss class, makeup exams, but not much else. As every overworked, stressed-out student can tell you, getting permission to skip lecture isn’t the same thing as making up lecture.

More often than not, attending lecture on a holiday is easier than trying to get notes, attending office hours and piecing together the lesson on your own, painstakingly, in the few hours before class.

For some Jews on Yom Kippur, spending Wednesday doing homework and catching up on lectures in time for Thursday can be impossible. Fasting and prayer services take up the majority of the day. At sunset, there are a scant few hours after breaking the fast to prepare for the next day. Asking for another day off from classes would only multiply the work left to complete.

UW’s academic year, like many of the calendars in the U.S., is geared towards Christian holidays. Semesters are split by Christmas and New Years and exams are carefully scheduled to end with enough time for students to return home by Dec. 25.

It would be inconceivable to ask 16 • October, 2, 2018 • badgerherald.com

Photo · Though professors ask students to disclose religious observances well in advance, they ask students to catch up on their own, religious time. This policy ignores the privilege Christian students hold who never needed to utilize this system in the first place.

Ella Guo The Badger Herald Christian students to make up work on Christmas, yet, last May, Muslim students at UW and around the world celebrated Ramadan during final exams. In January, Hindu students were denied their request to make Diwali a school holiday in Coppell, Texas, despite accommodations for holidays such as Good Friday in the school calendar.

Almost two years ago, the controversial Associated Students of Madison divestment resolution regarding Israel was discussed

by ASM during the holiday of Passover, when many Jewish students returned home to celebrate with their families.

When accommodations for religious observances are made, students from nonChristian religions still, despite guidance on measures of flexibility, bear the brunt of the absence. Muslim and Jewish students might have to navigate homework and makeup exams around fasting schedules and specific prayer times; Hindu students might find themselves trying to justify all five days of Diwali’s observance to a professor who might not know how to approach that kind of absence beyond what is outlined in

university policy.

At its core, the religious absence policy ignores one key issue: accommodation is not the same thing as never missing class in the first place. Accommodation is not flexible.

It is, at best, a permission to miss class. At worst, it forces students to seriously weigh their personal faith against their education.

Holidays differ widely across the religious spectrum, just as much as those who observe them and the methods they choose to do so. One Jewish student may take off multiple days for Sukkot, less than a week after Yom Kippur. Another might have attended all of their classes anyway.

Neither is wrong nor a model for Jewish students as a whole.

By asking students to clearly dictate their religious observances well in advance, and promise to catch up on their own — religious — time, current policy ignores the privilege of Christian students who never needed to utilize this system in the first place. It assumes that non-Christian holidays are inconveniences to the educational calendar, instead of seasonal,

diverse events held very dear by thousands of different students.

By providing more than just an absence excuse for students observing religious events, UW has the potential to further education and tolerance toward nonChristian and non-Abrahamic religions.

Professors should work closely with students on a case-by-case basis, and remain flexible when an absence — or even several — aren’t enough to be caught up. In return, students should be given opportunities to catch up and makeup assignments that don’t occur during their holidays.

Most importantly, students should be given the opportunity to fully celebrate their holiday or observance, wherever it happens to fall on the calendar. Religion — dynamic, interpretive and individual in so many ways — is not an inconvenience. For every student at UW, it never should be.

Julia Brunson (julia.r.brunson@gmail.com) is a senior majoring in history.

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Wisconsin’s 2016 election results can’t predict 2018 midterms

To regain government control, public trust, Wisconsin Democrats need to bring new, positive approach to table

by Sam Palmer Columnist

thrives on brutal hierarchy.

So what does that mean? It means Wisconsin is not yet lost. Michael Reading political analyses of Wisconsin O’Donnell touches on this subject in his can sometimes feel like reading about review of Dan Kaufman’s “The Fall of cold-case murders — it’s all the more Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest horrifying because no one has the slightest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future idea what’s going on. For almost two years of American Politics.” He argues that now, journalists from around the country the progressivism that so characterized have stepped up to play detective and try Wisconsin for much of the twentieth to suss out what made this glorious bastion wcentury is a relic of the past, and that of progressive values flip may be true. conservative in a presidential Candidates may not get election for the first time in much traction by appealing to over three decades. the legacy of La Follette or even Even the most convinced of appealing to the Wisconsin these analyses tend to use a Idea. But these movements hesitant tone. Donald Trump’s — and they were movements, 2016 victory in Wisconsin is not just ideas — didn’t garner close in the rearview mirror their strength from their lofty — the words “likely to vote principles anyway. They were Democrat” still linger in the strong because they actually air. Very little can be taken for made life better for people in granted. The situation is all this state. Milwaukee elected the more opaque because, as socialists for decades not Craig Gilbert of the Milwaukee necessarily because of their Journal-Sentinel pointed out ideology so much as their just four days after Trump’s praxis — they ran the city victory, his margin of less than in such a way that regular one point makes it difficult to people’s lives got better. decipher which electoral trend O’Donnell talks about was ultimately responsible for the deft way Walker and the outcome. the Wisconsin GOP exposed There are several things we fractures in Wisconsin’s know for sure. Trump did not left-wing coalition, pitting forge some new alliance of construction unions against conservative voters — broadly environmentalists, teachers speaking, the same people who against private workers and voted Republican in the past so forth. It may be a lesson in did so again. Same thing for crafty politicking, but it also Democrats. But poor turnout speaks to the complacency of in some areas combined with the left-liberal establishment. trends like a swing towards None of those contradictions Trump for rural voters are new or unsolvable. worked to give Trump a tiny Photo · Wisconsin won’t be red forever, but if Democrats want the state to change, the left needs to bring something more to But their solutions require advantage. the table. rhetorical and political work As an aside, one should also to create an encompassing and be highly suspicious of the Jason Rueteman positive vision for the future — narrative with Trump (and to The Badger Herald something that pretty much no a lesser extent his small-time one running on the Democratic predecessor, Walker) that he ballot line in Wisconsin has won on a white working-class wave. It is second term, the country experienced a that recovery fairly agonizing for the true that Trump dominated among people horrific economic recession. Nearly two Wisconsin working class. Trump seems succeeded at, or even tried, for decades now. without college degrees, but that doesn’t years later, on the eve of Walker ’s election, uninterested in undertaking any sort of Wisconsin won’t be red forever. It might mean working class. The lower end of the Wisconsin’s recovery was slow. Doyle had grand Reagan-esque economics plan, not even be red by December. But if the left income spectrum, the actual working-class, failed to invest in any meaningful way something we should all be grateful for. did as it usually does and stayed home. outside of education since the recession. Neither has succeeded or will succeed wants to keep it that way, they’re going to have to bring something more to the table.

There is an understandable tendency to Half of its counties still had unemployment in incubating some sort of conservative assume that Trump’s election, combined with GOP control over the state since 2011, indicate a seismic ideological shift in Wisconsin. But that is the wrong lesson to

take. There is very little to indicate that the average Wisconsinite has been poring over Friedmanite economic texts or polishing framed photos of William F. Buckley. It is far more reasonable to assume that they are simply responding to their material conditions and the options put before them.

Wisconsin had eight years of Jim Doyle, a Democrat, as governor before it voted Scott Walker in. Midway through Doyle’s

economic recovery under Obama (despite what the NASDAQ says) and wins. The lesson should be simple: If a recession or an unsatisfactory recovery happens during a politician’s term, they’re probably going to get voted out.

Walker and Trump don’t have the panacea for Wisconsin, obviously. The economy has stabilized under Walker, which it might have done regardless.

Walker ’s ideological stamp has also made

rates at or above ten percent. Walker made jobs a cornerstone of his campaign, and he won. Six years later, Trump strikes a similar tone after eight years of lukewarm

market utopia. The Republican playbook for economic hardship — public spending cuts and tax breaks — is manifestly cruel and only works insofar as our economy

Sam Palmer (spalmer4@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in biology.

badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018 • 17

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Football: Which Power Five conference reigns supreme this season?

Big Ten teams have been notably absent from College Football Playoff, with exception of Ohio State and Michigan State

by Ben Kenney Sports Writer

For years the SEC has dominated the college football landscape, ruling the AP poll and sending one or two teams to the National Championship almost every year.

In the past few years, however, the power has appeared to be shifting.

Leading up to the 2017 season, the Big Ten was improving rapidly due to new coaching hires and an expanding recruiting landscape. Sports Illustrated even listed them as the No.1 conference in college football coming into that season. This was specifically due to the emergence of the Big Ten East as one of the strongest divisions in the country, and to the regression of the SEC in 2016. For the first time since 2005, the conference had a losing record against other power five schools.

During the 2017 season, the Big Ten lived up to the preseason hype, going 14-6 against other power five conferences, the

only conference with a winning record in out of conference play against power five teams. The Big Ten ended that year with three teams in the top 10, five in the top 25, and earned a nationwide consensus that the conference was quickly improving.

Since the end of the 2017 season, however, the power has returned to the south.

Entering the 2018 season, the Big Ten had five teams in the AP top 25, including three in the top 10 and Wisconsin as No. 4. [three including Wisconsin or four in total?] Alternatively, the SEC also sported five teams in the top 25, three in the top 10, but had two in the top five with Alabama as the No.1 team in the nation. Entering the season, it’s fair to say that the two conferences were as close to even as it could get, as they had the same number of top 25 and top 10 teams, and each had their share of bad teams sitting at the bottom of the conference.

The two big wild cards coming into the year whose success, or lack thereof, would

go far towards putting separation between the conferences were Nebraska, with new head coach Scott Frost coming off an undefeated season at UCF, and Wisconsin, who began the year with a legitimate shot at the College Football Playoff. If Nebraska and Wisconsin were to impress in 2018, it was likely that the Big Ten would overcome the SEC as the nation’s top conference, but four weeks into the season, the opposite has happened.

Nebraska started the season playing as bad as a team can play. Their 33-28 loss to PAC 12 team Colorado, 24-19 loss to Sun Belt team Troy and 56-10 loss to fellow Big Ten School Michigan not only shows that they aren’t improving under first year head coach Scott Frost, but it also shows they have regressed significantly — a bad result for the success of the Big Ten. The other wild card, Wisconsin, has been arguably more disappointing. Wisconsin is known to schedule easy out of conference games to begin the year and dominate the

weak Big Ten West during the season, often leading them to the Big Ten Championship.

Coming into week three of the season at 2-0, all was going as planned with BYU getting ready to visit Madison. BYU won the week three game 24-21, putting a gash in the Badgers’ playoff hopes and setting the Big Ten back significantly.

While Wisconsin won the next week in Iowa, their playoff chances remained slim, a trend opposite to that of many SEC schools.

Since beginning the year with five top 25 teams, three top 10, and two top five teams, the SEC has dominated across the board. Four weeks removed from the preseason poll, the conference now has six teams in the top 25, four in the top 10, and three in the top five, including both No. 1 and No. 2. These numbers all best those of the Big Ten, showing that the SEC remains the nation’s best conference, though the Big Ten still follows closely behind.

CCing SSn To

Photo · With poor performances in the first few games for Wisconsin and over-hyped Nebraska, the Big Ten is not living up to expectations over the past few years.

Talen Elizabeth The Badger Herald

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Football: Is Taylor’s start to season strong enough for a Heisman?

Last season, Taylor set a new record for most rushing yards for freshman in season, topping Adrian Peterson’s mark

by Will Stern Sports Editor

The University of Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor has been a victim of his own excellence.

After submitting one of the greatest true freshman seasons in the history of College Football, Taylor has followed up this season thus far with four performances that by any measure should be considered dynamite, however, as a result of his growing hype and Heisman expectations, his elite start to the season has widely been dismissed as routine.

Entering the bye week, Taylor sits second among all rushers in the nation with 628 yards in four games, an average that paces out to 157 yards per game. He’s also the most utilized rusher in the nation with 102 attempts.

Perhaps some of the comparatively

lacking recognition stems from the recent touchdown drought Taylor ’s gone through over the last two games. After beginning the year with five scores in two games, his goal line absence has been noticeable in his two games since without crossing into the end zone.

Part of the reason for his underutilization deep in the red zone has been his propensity for the fumble, and his habit of doing so deep in opponent territory, which has led the Badgers to go with running back Taiwan Deal in those situations. Deal had two touchdowns against Brigham Young University.

Despite this, Taylor remains on track for an even better season than his rookie campaign. Through four games last season, Taylor had accounted for 518 yards on the ground, 110 yards less than his current total. This is also a yards per game average of almost 30 less than he currently holds.

Photo · Jonathan Taylor has a chance to be the greatest college running back of all time if he continues on his trajectory.

Grace Colvin The Badger Herald

20 • badgerherald.com • October 2, 2018

His statistics clearly depict a back that is building on a strong start to his collegiate career, however, they don’t tell the whole

“ Taylor remains on track for

an even better season than his rookie campaign.” story.

The Wisconsin offensive line, which in years past has seemingly been the infallible cornerstone of the Badger brand of Big Ten, smash-mouth football, is looking increasingly vulnerable. We haven’t seen as many explosive attempts from Taylor this season, and it looks like it is partly due

to the lack of large holes being created for him by the interior linemen.

In the loss against BYU, Head Coach Paul Chryst spoke after the game about his decision to pull most the starting offensive linemen in favor of the second team for a drive in the middle of a tight game. He attributed the decision completely to the heat, saying he wanted to give them a break.

Taylor had trouble bursting through the line of scrimmage for large gains the entire game.

Now, these criticisms are like the man who complains because his golden shoes are too tight. Taylor ’s record is still impeccable, and the offensive linemen are still likely one of the strongest units in the country. But if Taylor is pushing for an invitation to the Heisman this season, and a shot to take home the trophy, any blemish is fair game.

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Cross Country: Badgers finish strong at Nuttycombe Invitational

Monson, McDonald both set career marks during a historic meet for men’s, women’s cross country program last week

by Danny Farber Sports Editor

The University of Wisconsin men’s and women’s cross country teams enjoyed successful finishes to Friday’s Nuttycombe Invitational.

The event took place at the Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Course in Madison.

As a team, the men finished No. 2 in the 8k meet while the women placed No. 6 in their 5k race. But individually, Morgan McDonald won the title for the men’s team while Alicia Monson took first for the women’s side.

In the men’s 8k, the top five places rounded out with Northern Arizona coming in first with 46 points followed by Wisconsin at 135, Portland at 140, Iowa State at 152 and Boise State at 160. For those that are unfamiliar with cross country, scoring points are assigned based on the finishing places of a team’s top five runners meaning a lower score is better.

Though McDonald and the Badgers won the race individually, Northern Arizona still dominated the contest. McDonald was the only Badger to finish within the top ten while Northern Arizona had four runners finish

with such marks. Tyler Day finished third, Luis Grijalva fifth, Peter Lomong seventh and Blaise Ferro eighth. Their fifth runner Geordie Beamish still finished impressively at No. 23 in the race.

Led by McDonald’s astonishing 23 minute 17 second and six millisecond time the Badgers finished with an impressive day overall. McDonald won first, barely edging out Iowa State’s Edwin Kurgat by nine milliseconds. But the rest of the team also held their own with Oliver Hoare placing No. 13, Olin Hacker No. 17, Ben Eidenschink No. 31 and Tyson Miehe No. 73. *copy: can we check if the bold is how we do these numbers?* After the race, Mcdonald had a conversation with UW Athletics about the victory and keeping ahead of the group from Northern Arizona.

“I was just trying to stay relaxed for as long as possible,” McDonald said. “I knew those NAU boys were good, so I was just trying to stick with them and wait for the kick at the end. I felt like someone else was going to make the move earlier, but I felt really good running up that last hill, so I just went for it,

and it worked out pretty well.”

This success comes as no giant surprise though as the men’s team was ranked No. 9 in the nation coming into the meet. This is the men’s best performance since the Nuttycombe

“ I knew those NAU boys were

good, so I was just trying to stick with them and wait for the kick at the end” Morgan McDonald

Invitational began back in 2016 with the team improving on their No. 25 finish last season.

The women’s team has also never finished higher than this year’s No. 6 mark in their 5k.

Before the race, the Badgers were pinned as the No. 9 team in the country.

The results concluded with Colorado at 80 points, Boise State at 91, New Mexico at 130, Villanova at 156 and Wisconsin 192.

Monson’s first-place finish came several seconds ahead of the favorites from New Mexico-All-American Weini Kelati and reigning NCAA champion Ednah Kurgat.

Rounding out the rest of the Badger’s top five were Amy Davis at No. 25, Shaelyn Sorensen at No. 27, Alissa Niggemann at No. 69 and Lucinda Crouch at No. 70.

In her conversation with UW Athletics Monson was admittedly surprised by the upset finish but was content she accomplished the feat on her home course.

“I wasn’t quite expecting it but I knew to just stay patient and stick with some of the best girls out there,” Monson said. “It feels pretty great to be out on the home course and seeing everyone from my team do so well. It was just an amazing day.”

Wisconsin will look to continue this momentum into their Big Ten and NCAA Championship endeavors in the coming weeks. Both the men’s and women’s next challenge will be Pre-Nationals at the Zimmer Championship Course next Saturday.

Football: This week holds huge implications for Big Ten Title fight

Badgers have been to two straight Big Ten Championships, have fallen in both contests against Penn State, Ohio State Last week will prove to be pivotal as Big Ten teams jockeyed for position in the wide-open conference.

While the slate of games answered questions about the strength of The Ohio State University Buckeyes it left much to be desired when it comes to figuring out who the next tier of teams will be.

but it was not quite enough to hold off Ohio State, who managed to recover from a 12 point deficit.

Ohio State’s offensive attack was led by their quarterback Dwayne Haskins who threw 270 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the final 6:42 to pull off the comeback. This result means that if Wisconsin were to win the Big Ten West for the third year in a row, they would likely face a rematch with Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship for the third time since 2014.

No. 4 Ohio State beats No. 9 Penn State 27-26 In what will likely be the highest ranked matchup of the regular season amongst Big Ten teams, Ohio State snuck out a 27–26 victory against Penn State in State College in front of the largest crowd (110,889) in Beaver Stadium history. This was Penn State’s first loss of the season and puts Ohio State as the heavy favorite to win the Big Ten East. Penn State would now need Ohio State to drop two Big Ten games in order to have a chance at the Big Ten East, which seems unlikely.

Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley put up a school record 461 yards of total offense, which included 286 in the air and 175 on the ground,

No. 14 Michigan beats Northwestern 20-17 Despite being down 10–0 early in the game, Michigan remained patient and stuck with their ground attack led by running back Karan Higdon, who had 30 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with four minutes to go. Michigan improved to 4-1 and 2-0 in the conference, which keeps them very much alive for the Big Ten East title.

They’ll need to earn that distinction, though as they have four regular season games remaining against ranked opponents, including one versus Ohio State to close out their regular season.

Meanwhile, Northwestern dropped to 1-3 and 1-1 in the conference and will need a big

by Matt Ernst Associate Sports Editor

turnaround if they want to qualify for a bowl game.

Indiana beats Rutgers 24-17 Indiana continued their strong start and improved to 4-1 with a victory at Rutgers Saturday. Rutgers had a 7-0 lead but Indiana quickly knotted up the score. Indiana’s offense was mainly led by quarterback Peyton Ramsey, who threw for 288 yards and a touchdown as well as running for 50 yards another touchdown.

Rutgers dropped to 1-4 and 0-2 in the conference and looks like they are in for yet another long season since joining the Big Ten. Purdue beats Nebraska 42-28 In what has been already a rough start of a season for Nebraska, they have dropped yet another game and are now 0-4 and 0-2 in the conference. Despite outgaining Purdue in total yards after impressive performances from quarterback Adrian Martinez and running back Devine Ozigbo, they were unable to use those yard totals to their advantage.

With the help of running back D.J Knox, who had 87 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback David Blough, who had 328 yards,

Purdue had more success in reaching the endzone.

Purdue had no trouble scoring and managed to do so in all four quarters of the game. They improved to 2-3 on the year and 1-1 in the Big Ten. No. 21 Michigan State beats Central Michigan 30-21 Despite falling to a quick three points deficit, Michigan State had no problem bouncing back and besting their in-state opponent Central Michigan. This game was largely won on the ground for the Spartans utilizing a wide variety of running backs. Three different players for Michigan State scored touchdowns, including two from their quarterback Brian Lewerke.

It was not a very pretty victory for the Spartans, but a win is a win and they remain in competition for Ohio State for the Big Ten East Title. They will have plenty of chances to prove themselves against the premier competition in the Big Ten later in the season.

Wisconsin will return from their bye to face off against Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday at Camp Randall.

October 2, 2018 • badgerherald.com • 21

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Signs it’s time to buy your textbook

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Honestly I haven’t bought my textbooks either so I shouldn’t preach

by Angela Peterson Banter Editor

I don’t think I will ever understand people who buy all of their textbooks before classes begin.

I work under the assumption that resources to buy textbooks are scarce, and I usually choose to take the money that was supposed to be my behavioral neuroscience textbook and use it to buy five bowls of poke.

But working under the assumption that one will never need to buy their textbooks is frivolous, as there is usually a moment when the need arises. Here are a couple of the potential situations that will make you spring for the University Bookstore faster than you can say, “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”

You figure out your professor wrote the textbook OK, syllabus week is rough. Sometimes in the midst of having very little work to do, one neglects to notice that the author of the textbook’s name is the same as the lecturer’s name. While it could be the stunning accident of

two Jimmy Johnson’s having a profound interest in microeconomics, chances are the professor will constantly refer to this textbook because they wrote it themselves. When the first inside joke is made about how glorious and truthful the textbook must be because of who wrote it is told, it’s a good indicator to buy the textbook and then find cool quotes to interject in class from it. This helps establish “street cred” with one’s professor.

There’s An Open-Book Quiz The open-book quiz was practically invented to check to see if students have purchased their textbooks. There is usually very little value to the open book quiz, as most questions look for specific details that are of little consequence to the big pictures of units and topics. This is especially evident when professors include the exact sections of the textbook where one can find the answer, creating a quick divide between students who have made the textbook investment and those who have woefully spent their last $17 on a snow cone machine.

Regardless, this textbook purchase will mostly sit unused as a nice paperweight on one’s shelf until the next Canvas quiz is released.

You learn there’s an e-book The second worst part about having a textbook is the weight of the beast. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if the physical weight of a textbook is killing me more than the psychological weight of trying to deal with 16 credits, extracurriculars and two jobs all at once! There’s a sigh of relief when one realizes there’s a version of the book available that will not break their back, especially as these options are at the minimum $20 cheaper than a used physical copy. Think about it, that’s three burritos waiting to be had.

One additionally can become that cool kid in the discussion that pulls out their laptop instead of a paperback when their section does a close reading and causes half of the class to trip on their charger.

The Midterm Just Happened Okay, so question one didn’t go so hot. Or two. Or 57. When one makes it to the midterm coasting on lecture notes, sometimes the moons do not align in one’s favor and one would have to sing the alphabet song for a few seconds in order to get to their grade. This jolt of, “Oh my gosh, that was 20 percent of my grade,” provides motivation to purchase a textbook like no other.

It’s as though one believes their motivation to study will kick in after spending $100 to get a hardcover edition shipped to their apartment through Amazon Prime. Unfortunately, the cost of motivation is not included in the purchase price, and the textbook will likely remain unopened until it needs to be returned to the rental service.

The horrifying, scary tale of the filled lecture seat: Part one The first in a series of tragic events, spooky times for a student who just wants to learn about taking care of turtles

by Angela Peterson Banter Editor

It was a dark and stormy day in 3650 humanities. Suzy Snowden, wary of the dark spooks, just wanted to slump down in her seat. Suzy always sat in the fourth seat in from the right in the third row of center section of the lecture hall since the first day of “Biology and Appreciating Companion Animals.” Suzy liked this spot because it made her stay studious and not check her twitter feed but it wasn’t close enough to the front of the hall for her to be labeled as a nerd by the cool kids.

Yet when Suzy arrived at her seat, someone was seated there. Suzy did not recognize this being, thinking perhaps they were from a different discussion section. The being seemed spooky though, as they wore a jolly orange Halloween sweater that fell below their presumed waistline.

“Excuse me, pal,” Suzy said. “But I sit here every day for lecture and I would love to sit here again. This gives me the best possible spot to learn about the possible bacterial and

spooky story corner viral infections turtles can get.”

The seat-stealer did not budge, not even to acknowledge Suzy’s concerned words. Suzy tried again to regain her rightful spot in her broken wooden throne.

“Please, uh classmate of mine, I really need to sit here,” Suzy urged.

The unknown student turned their head a full 180 degrees to meet Suzy’s teary eyeballs.

Swirling spirals of black tar spat out of their Halloween sweater, yet no other students could view this spooky scene. The student’s face turned an oozy, slimy green color, their lips melting into the marled shape of a halfeaten orange smile and the student’s voice shrieked like the sounds of the millions of chalkboards left on campus that have yet to be replaced by whiteboards.

“Shame, oh shame upon you, you

cursed wretch!” The beyond-spooky figure exclaimed. “It is I, the Ghost of Midterms past. I sit in this seat year in and year out, watching the masses suffer through the months of the semester with a sick sense of glee. Until now, I have had no problem sitting in this seat with humans atop my celestial form. It wasn’t until they put this natural science class in here that I have had a wretched human as YOU sit upon my lap.

The time has come to take you, mere mortal, into the world of your greatest nightmares, for you must pay for taking my seat.”

“Um that’s cool and all but I have to go to rowing practice after lecture,” Suzy begged.

Before she could say anything, the apparition grasped Suzy and carried her down through a portal in the cement floor of the hall.

Suddenly, the duo found themselves in an abyss surrounded by floating failed midterms and missed Canvas quizzes. The wails and moans from past students echoed throughout the dark chamber, warning of nights spent playing boom cup that should have been spent studying for the cumulative final.

Suzy wailed in horror as she contemplated her destiny. There seemed to be no way out of this gross, terrifying lair. The apparition began to speak.

“Welcome to the depths of your terrified soul,” the ghost said. “This is where those who missed the drop deadline go to suffer.

You must now suffer alongside them until your punishment is complete.”

Suzy, overcome with despair, attempted to fall to the ground and weep.

Breaking her fall, another mysterious figure stared back at her, this time with a much more sinister face.

Who is this face that will haunt Suzy for years to come? Will she ever make it out of this dark abyss? Tune in next week to Spooky Story Corner to see what happens next in Suzy’s journey into her worst nightmares.

October 2, 2018 • badgerherald.com • 23

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