'Coded Access' - Volume 50, Issue 16

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2019 · VOL 50 Issue 16 · BADGERHERALD.COM

Coded Access Bathroom usage policies and restrictive building codes slow the already arduous process of constructing gender-neutral bathrooms on UW’s campus, leaving students searching for access.

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Government shutdown adversley impacts Wisconsin women and children due to loss of funding.

FUTURE OF THE ARTS

Several mayoral candidates discussed the future of Madison’s arts community as it relates to transportation and affordable housing.

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Wisconsin taxpayers will fork over $850,000 in legal fees to defend gerrymandered districts, but the details of the contract are unknown.

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Wisconsin’s upset of No. 2 Michigan Saturday may be just the spark they need ahead of a tough Big Ten schedule before March.

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Government shutdown puts WIC food program, funding at risk Wisconsin women, children could be adversely affected by lack of funding from federal government for WIC program

by Nuha Dolby State Editor

As the government shutdown persists, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, a food program funded by the federal government, is placed at risk.

The WIC program receives funding from the federal government to provide supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education to low-income women and mothers, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. But because of the shutdown, WIC will not receive the funding they need.

All members must be identified as lowincome, and the program targets pregnant women, breastfeeding women, infants up until their first birthday and children up until their fifth birthday.

The program is delivered by the federal government through grants. Due to its lack of status as an entitlement program, Congress is required to authorize a specific budget for WIC each year.

State WIC Director at the Department of Health Services, Lisa Murphy said the program is open for business despite the government shutdown. “[WIC] has sufficient funds to remain fully operational with no changes in services or benefits for at least several weeks,” Murphy said. “All 98,000 participants can redeem their benefits and all retailers will be paid.”

Sue Marshall, director of Dane County’s sect of the program, said the National Advocacy arm of WIC had recently informed her that the USDA, at the federal level, had identified $600 million in funding for programs such as WIC, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other food advocacy programs.

This funding, she said, can keep WIC stable until early February.

But as the government shutdown continues, with presidential threats of it continuing potentially indefinitely, growing concerns over how federally funded programs will continue postfunding has grown. The WIC, being one of those programs, is no exception.

Typically, WIC receives about $90 million federally in the state of Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

Marshall stressed the significance of the program, highlighting the state’s reliance 4 • badgerherald.com • January 22, 2019

on it. local alternatives. This, Marshall said, will shutdown, local partnerships could face “Statewide, we’re seeing about 91,000 increase the stress on these resources. serious losses. people,” Marshall said. “Families make up Marshall said, however, that WIC would Through partnerships with WIC, about 55,000 of that. In Dane County, we actively try to make sure recipients would Marshall said $2.7 million went back serve about 4,300 people on the program receive benefits as soon as funding is into the local economy last year in Dane right now per month. So we’re seeing reinstated.

County. She expressed concern about typically 90 people a day at our clinics. It’s “The way that WIC works is we certify the blow to these local partners, and the a lot of people that were serving.” clients for a year: Pregnant women during local economies will face in light of this Marshall also stressed the significance pregnancy and then recertification postpotentially lost income. of the population WIC serves, noting the partum,” Marshall said. “For those coming Most importantly, she said, she wants focus on mothers, low-income households, up for recertification, we would try to people to know that until funding runs infants, and young children as vulnerable maintain their certification —once [WIC] out, WIC is working to make sure every populations. is back open we could issue benefits and recipient receives.

Marshall pointed to the importance of they’d be active right away.”

“Right now, I want people to know WIC these programs to these populations.

These benefits, she said, often come in is open,” Marshall said. “We’re still serving “In our supplemental nutrition program, the form of funding loaded on a debit card, people and they can redeem their benefits. we do provide certain foods,” Marshall designed to be used to purchase particular We want everyone who needs help to get said. “When the program rolled out in items, potentially from local partners. it.”

1974, it was based on studies of these But as the government continues to be vulnerable populations in the 1960s. Studies found that they were deficient in calcium, iron, vitamin C. When you’re not food secure, your foods don’t always have these nutrients.”

She said to combat this, WIC provides foods that has these nutrients, such as milk, eggs, cereals and produce.

Additionally, WIC can provide infant formula and baby foods for those who require it and meet criteria.

Marshall said as funding ceases, so do benefits from the program.

“In Madison, we’re super resource-rich,” Marshall said. “We’ll try referring people to food pantries, but it’s already very well utilized. It’s also important to note that, because of the shutdown, a lot of federal employees aren’t getting paid. They may start utilizing those resources, too, and that’s a lot of new people turning to a system that is already being used.”

She added that SNAP had the potential to be Photo · All WIC members must be identified as low-income, as the program targets pregnant women, breastfeeding women, impacted as well: As SNAP infants up until their first birthday and children up until their fifth birthday. runs low on funding, those impacted will also Riley Steinbrenner turn to food banks and The Badger Herald

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After Walker’s midterm election loss, experts look to the future

Despite past tensions with Trump, former governor says he will assist president in upcoming 2020 reelection campaign

by Reina Werth Copy Chief

After Gov. Tony Evers defeated former incumbent Gov. Scott Walker in a neck-andneck race, questions of what would be made of Walker’s future lingered.

Walker told his supporters in an email sent on Jan. 1 that he plans to continue living in Wisconsin, but will travel around the country working for a speakers’ bureau and a number of unnamed companies, and assist President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in their 2020 reelection campaign, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Before this email was sent, Walker told reporters that he had no plans to accept a position in the Trump administration, according to CBS58. University of Wisconsin political science professor John Witte said if Walker did take a position in Washington, there would be nothing odd about it, though Witte was unsure if Walker would.

“Does he want to go to Washington, does his family want to go to Washington?” Witte said.

“I think he’s really devoted to his family, and his kids are in college now, and his wife is here and I don’t think she’s given any indication that she

wants to move to Washington.”

Walker told supporters he and his wife would help Trump and Pence in their bid for reelection in 2020, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, despite some tension between Trump and Walker during the 2016 presidential race.

When Walker dropped out of the race, he urged fellow Republicans to do the same “so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive conservative alternative to the current front-runner,” Walker said in his withdrawal speech, according to the Journal Sentinel.

Just two months before Walker dropped out of the presidential race, Trump attacked Walker on Twitter.

“When people find out how bad a job Scott Walker has done in WI, they won’t be voting for him. Massive deficit, bad jobs forecast, a mess,” Trump tweeted.

According to Business Insider, Trump told his supporters the feud started after one of Walker’s fundraiser’s called Trump “dumb-dumb.”

Trump also told attendees that he and Walker had left each other alone for a while, but now that someone on Walker’s side had started it, he could insult Walker.

But three years later, Trump tweeted his

endorsement of Walker in the 2018 gubernatorial Republican primary, calling him a “tremendous” governor, and applauding the number of jobs bringing Foxconn to the area created.

Walker does not plan to run in the 2024 election according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. UW College Republicans’ spokesperson Alec Bukowiec said Walker wants to continue to work towards his goals for Wisconsin.

“He’s looking to continue his work to move Wisconsin forward,” Bukowiec said. “[Walker plans on] continuing to do what he has for the last eight years and doing the best for Wisconsin.”

But some constituents are unsure if some of Walker’s political moves were in the interest of all Wisconsinites, such as UW College Democrats’ spokesperson Cecilia McDermott.

For McDermott, one thing that solidified this was Walker signing three bills into law during the time between Evers’ election and inauguration, commonly known as the “lame-duck period.”

The controversial pieces of legislation, which weaken the incoming governor and attorney general and restrict early voting periods, were called a partisan power grab which Walker enabled, according to Politico.

Witte said even if the legislation weakens the attorney general and governor, Wisconsin’s

governor still holds an enormous amount of power, having the ability to veto line items in the budget. McDermott, however, sees a more negative side of the legislation.

“It was more about remaining in control even though the people of Wisconsin voted for a different party,” McDermott said. “It feels like they’re kind of undermining our democracy.”

Whether or not the legislation had the aim of empowering Republicans, McDermott said the people of Wisconsin will remember not only the lame-duck legislation, but that Walker was voted out of office should he decide to run for another public office, which Walker is considering doing in four years, according to the Associated Press.

Witte, however, said he didn’t think the lameduck legislation Walker signed would severely impact him in any future endeavors, saying the legislation was “complicated” and people will forget in a few years.

Bukowiec said Walker would be remembered more for everything else he did in office, regardless of the possible public perception of the lame-duck legislation.

“The constituents of Wisconsin will remember Scott Walker for his legacy, for his eight years of success as governor,” Bukowiec said.

Growth in co-ops reflective of wider social, economic pressures

Said to provide community stability, Madison home to high concentration of cooperative businesses compared to national numbers

by Molly DeVore City Editor

Thirty-seven years ago, Madison businessman Jerry Chernow sought out the cooperative model because he never wanted to be a “boss.” But while his business, Lakeside Printing Cooperative, closes this month, many Madison entrepreneurs are still turning to the co-op model to fill community needs in collaborative ways.

Lakeside, which was founded in 1981, is one of over 100 cooperatives in Madison alone. In comparison, Milwaukee has just over 70. Madison’s co-op population is on the rise, as $3 million was allocated for the development of worker co-ops through the development of the Madison Cooperative Development Coalition in 2016.

With the imminent closing of his own store, Chernow has already joined a new coop, Common Good Bookkeeping, which received assistance from MCDC during its development, according to the MCDC website.

Mark Frick, the director of lending at Shared Capital Cooperative, said that although Madison has had a long history of cooperatives, this renewed focus on their development may actually be part of a bigger economic picture.

“Historically, the growth in co-ops has often happened when the greater economy is failing,”

Frick said.

Frick also said co-ops often survive economic downturns more than other small businesses because of contributions from members and help from other co-ops.

Brendon Smith, a spokesperson for Willy Street Co-Op, said co-ops can be beneficial to their surrounding community, as they are all governed by the Seven Cooperative Principles.

The Willy Street Co-Op, Smith said, emphasizes the seventh principle in particular — concern for communities. This emphasis led the co-op to donate more than $500,000 to local non-profits last year alone, Smith said.

Courtney Berner, the executive director of the UW Center for Cooperatives, said the sense of community that accompany co-ops contributes to their popularity. She also said traditional social institutions, such as the Elks Lodge and church groups, are seeing reductions in members.

Berner said co-ops provide stability within communities, as they are established by community members who are unlikely to sell out to larger companies.

Berner said co-ops’ renewed popularity is reflective of prevalent societal issues, such as social and economic tensions.

“Co-ops come to be because a group of people identifies a need that they share and say, ‘We can meet this need better together than we can on our

own,’ … so it’s not surprising to me that the co-ops that are emerging now are in direct response to the ways people are feeling socially and economically stressed,” Berner said.

Smith echoed that sentiment, and said the Willy Street C-Op experiences growth in community engagement whenever there is a food safety concern.

However, despite a resurgent popularity, Berner stressed that many co-ops struggle once participation decreases.

“Often co-ops emerge because of this market failure or a need that a group has, and once that need is being met people sort of forget about what life was like before the co-op,” Berner said. “So in order for co-ops to thrive, they require that people participate and that they patronize their co-ops.”

Frick elaborated that while the collaborative nature of co-ops spreads the benefits further, it also requires more community engagement.

Chernow cited this decline in community participation as a contributing factor in the closing of Lakeside.

“The last several years of our print shop, we got a lot of our jobs via the Internet, so we weren’t even dealing face-to-face with customers,” Chernow said. “We used to be like a community center. People would stop by sometimes not even to bring a job in but to just talk about things going on in the neighborhood, and that doesn’t happen

very much anymore.”

While food co-op members have traditionally been predominantly white, Shared Capital, among others, is working to diversify Madison’s co-ops.

Shared Capital was able to direct 95 percent of lending to co-ops by and for women, people of color and low-income communities, Frick said.

Frick stressed the importance that the co-op model plays in helping communities that have traditionally been excluded from alternative business models.

“Marginalized communities — people that do not have easy access to the economy, or to credit, or to assets — historically have found the co-op model to be a way to make up for that,” Frick said.

Frick said Shared Capital is seeing growth aong worker co-ops. Because of what Frick described as exploitation in the service sector, he said workers are seeking alternative ways to gain representation. One new development strategy employed by Shared Capital involves buying and then converting existing businesses into worker co-ops, rather than starting from scratch.

While the co-op model is constantly evolving to accommodate new market pressures, the need for co-ops will remain constant, Smith said.

“Anytime you have a need that is not being met, a co-op can start up and people can join together and work together to solve that need,” Smith said.

January 22, 2019 • badgerherald.com • 5

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UW students advance through first round of ‘Smart Cities’ competition Foxconn-sponsored challenge encourages technological innovation, collaboration to create ‘Smart City’ in Mount Pleasant

by Mary Magnuson Campus Editor

Foxconn Technology Group announced the first round winners of their “Smart Cities, Smart Futures” competition, which encourages innovation and collaboration between Wisconsin institutions, Dec. 14.

The competition consists of three rounds, the first of which included a $500 cash reward to go toward improving the winning teams’ projects. Fourteen of the 88 teams passing this round and claiming the $500 are students from the University of Wisconsin.

The second round will be complete Jan. 31. Up to 50 winners will be selected from the 88 remaining, and the third round — from March 1-March 31 — will decide the winners of a $5,000 grant called the “President’s Award.”

PhD candidate Michael Schlicting studies transportation administration and community development. His project proposed a smart, centralized transportation hub centered around a rail station in Mount Pleasant, the city in which Foxconn is building its Wisconsin plant.

Upon advancing through the first round of the competition with his team, he expressed excitement and some surprise.

“I think they were looking more for smart devices,” Schlicting said. “We didn’t think they were going to like the idea. We imagined they expected a little gadget or some phone app. And here we were, saying that we want to build a whole rail station, as well as a high-speed rail or a hyperloop. So when the email came in, I got really excited.”

Schlicting’s project proposed turning Mount Pleasant into a smart city. That would involve building a high-speed rail station, geographically feasible given the city lies about one and a half miles off the Milwaukee to Chicago route, which Schliting says is a potential high-speed rail route.

His team traveled around the world studying smart cities — Schlicting spent a summer in Japan — and they used some of the environments they visited as inspiration for their project. Then, they partnered with the Badger Rail Society and BadgerLoop, two UW institutions, to develop their ideas.

“When we saw the Smart Cities competition, we said ‘let’s build a smart city in Mount Pleasant, using what we already researched.’ It’s a new project, but the research is already done,” Schlicting said.

While Schlicting’s team devised a system for connecting large groups of people, other projects focused on helping individuals retain their

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Biomedical engineering PhD candidate Terry Lee proposed an emergency transport AI system to provide care to individuals hampered by health conditions. If the system detects a weakening heartbeat or vital signals, it sends a signal to an AI, which can help deliver care.

“Even in urbanization … people want independent living,” Lee said.

The Smart Futures competition was open to Wisconsin college students, faculty and staff of all levels and experiences, and while many of the winners were graduates or professionals, some were undergraduate students as well. One was electrical engineering senior Yuchen Gu. Gu’s project uses RFID tags, or Radio-Frequency Identification tags, which can track the location of an object or person. He designed smart technology that can alert traffic of potential accidents with bikes or pedestrians using warning lights, or signals sent to cars. He worked closely with the electrical engineering department, as well as the civil engineering department to develop his project.

“If you really want to do something that can change someone’s life, you really have to think about it, make it work,” Gu said.

When Gu heard that he’d made it through,

he said he wasn’t actually that excited. He was confident in his project — his design had won a competition done by Triple E, an electrical engineering society he’s a part of.

Schlicting said competitions like this are important because they present an exciting opportunity to bring people together, within and between departments and organizations.

“A competition will bring everyone together, but with a sense of urgency … it focuses the energy,” Schlicting said. “Our team motto is ‘go faster.’”

University spokesperson Meredith McGlone issued a statement examining the intersection of the competition and the Wisconsin Idea.

The Wisconsin Idea, a UW philosophy beginning with former President Charles Van Hise’s address encouraging academic outreach, emphasizes the importance of using the knowledge students gain from their classes and experiences at UW for positive change across the state.

“The great thing about the Wisconsin Idea is that it encourages us to think not only about innovation but about how we can use what we learn and develop to help others, whether here in Wisconsin or around the world,” McGlone said in a statement. “That’s really powerful and we want to congratulate all of our first-round winners.”

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Study finds student athletes report better mental health than peers

Researchers hope study will prompt review, reassessment of mental health programs at universities nationwide

by Abby Doeden Print News Editor

Competing athletically at collegiate levels while maintaining a full class load and living independently for the first time causes high stress and anxiety for many. A new study, however, at the University of Wisconsin found that student athletes enjoy high levels of physical and mental health, exceeding even that of their non-athlete classmates.

Dr. Traci Snedden, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, led the study and worked with her colleagues from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Athletics. Together, they examined and compared the role of sports and physical activity to health-related quality of life, Snedden said.

“This project provided an opportunity to learn more about the quality of life — in both physical and mental health — in D1 student-athletes and general undergraduates,” Snedden said.

The study comes after previous research examining smaller groups of international, elite or college students offered mixed findings on the correlation between mental health and physical activity. Snedden said her study was the first to use D1 athletes and general undergraduates to show a distinct relationship between athletes and general students.

Throughout the study, the general undergraduate scores were lower in mental health, and trended lower as their selfreported physical activity decreased. These undergraduate results are also lower than the population norms for mental health, Snedden said.

“Most importantly, [these results] emphasize the positive relationship between physical activity and overall mental health,” Snedden said. “It’s good for students to be active, to engage in physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior.”

Snedden said the study shows that UW students need to have continued and expanded opportunities to be active and to be part of a team. Snedden cited the recent improvements to campus Rec Sports programs as one way UW students can keep active.

Snedden said the study’s results are important because they identify disparities in resources available or access to those resources between UW athletes and general students.

Photo · Researchers believe mental health programs and services offered exclusively to student athletes may have played some role in their findings.

The Badger Herald archives “Perhaps the disparities are linked to lack of general undergraduate student knowledge regarding the multitude of resources available for those with mental health concerns, including University Health Services and their commitment to student mental health,” Snedden said.

While it is unclear what exactly contributed to the study’s results, Snedden speculated that a number of services available to student athletes, but not to the general student body — such as academic support and tutors, nutrition, strength training, medical care and mental health resources — could have played some role.

“It’s possible that the general undergraduates do not have access or are unaware of comparable services and support,” Snedden said. “Additionally, they may be without medical insurance or are unaware of UHS or don’t know how to navigate receipt of services.”

While Dr. Claudia Reardon, a UW School of Medicine and Public Health associate professor and a consulting sports psychiatrist for Badger Athletics, said the study is a step in the right direction, she stressed that athletes are not immune to

mental health issues.

Reardon, who works closely with UW athletes, said depression and mental health issues affect all people and athletes are just as, if not more, likely to be affected.

While exercise is helpful to mental health, high-level competition brings a number of stressors for student athletes, Reardon says.

“It’s interesting because, on the one hand, we know exercise has antidepressant effects, but at the same time there’s other research that shows that athletes are just as susceptible to depression as non-athletes,” Reardon said. “So, kinda hard to integrate those two findings.”

Reardon said exercise brings benefits to mental health and prescribes it for all people struggling from mental health issues. The social benefits of exercise, such as the team mentality, are a large part of why it improves mental health.

Reardon said the study’s results will be used in many ways, but primarily as a baseline for future research. Reardon hopes this study will serve as motivation.

“I hope this study helps campuses really look at different public health

approaches to how physical activity can be increased among their students, across all physical activity levels,” Reardon says.

“Really looking at how [campuses] can address this in a comprehensive public health type of way.”

Snedden said there is a need for future research examining contributing factors to these results and mental health data on other campuses. Snedden said its important for future qualitative studies to engage with students, rather than just survey them.

While it is unclear how these results will be used around campus, Snedden hopes this study will prompt universities across the country to take a closer look at their mental health services — including access to exercise and sports.

“I’m confident that the results are prompting others to assess and ensure student mental health, coupled with appropriate support services,” Snedden said. “Mental health is an important topic and this paper represents the first study comparing D1 student-athletes to general undergraduates.”

January 22, 2019 • badgerherald.com • 5

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Madison mayoral race sparks conversations about diversity

Mayor Paul Soglin faces four challengers in February who say they will bring new opportunities, ideas to city government

by Maddy Phillips City Editor

There are four challengers filed to run against mayoral incumbent Paul Soglin in the 2019 Madison mayoral primaries.

The challengers include three-term Ald. Mo Cheeks, District 9, former Ald. Satya RhodesConway, chair of the Sustainable Madison Committee Raj Shukla, and comedian Nick Hart.

Soglin has held the office since 2011 after two terms served from 1973-79 and 1989-97. Soglin previously announced last year he would not seek re-election, however, changed his tune as of October.

“I am running for re-election because we have significant opportunities in Madison to make a great city, which we are, even better for all our residents,” Soglin said in an email to The Badger Herald. “I bring the right combination of skills — experience, vision, expertise in managing a complex municipality and a well-established passion for improving the lives of Madisonians and for social justice.”

Soglin asserts his “more than 20 years of experience” as mayor as part of his campaign for

Madison voters to keep him in office, while the other candidates push for change. Shukla said he fears there aren’t any current city leaders willing to take advantage of the new leadership in the capitol.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said to the Isthmus that some have asserted with half the city council seats being new this spring, that a new face of leadership might be due. Cheeks expressed new leadership is needed with Madison’s continuous growth and increasing diversity.

“We need new leadership, with a sense of urgency, along with an ability to collaborate and to bring people together, in order to take on [Madison’s] pressing challenges and I’m ready for that challenge,” Cheeks said.

Shukla has also discussed the importance of issues such as climate change and equity in his campaign. The idea that current city leadership has not and will not accomplish enough, is shared by candidate Rhodes-Conway, who said the city needs leaders prepared to take on the issues and challenges of Madison.

Rhodes-Conway said Soglin hasn’t completed enough of the tasks he set out to as mayor, and her leadership style will increase the implementation of

her ideas for Madison.

“We as a city invest a ton of capital — both people and money — in developing new progressive policy solutions to address the challenges we face, but we often fail to implement them,” Rhodes-Conway said in an email to The Herald.

Rhodes-Conway cited her “collaborative leadership style” as one of her strengths she plans to offer the city of Madison. As the director of the Mayor’s Innovation Project at the Wisconsin Center on Strategy, working with mayors around the country to “develop and implement progressive policies for their cities.”

Both the lack of bus rapid transit and expanded affordable housing are challenges Rhodes-Conway said she wants to tackle. She described her vision for Madison as “a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”

“I moved to this community 20 years ago for an internship and was able to find a job and I was able to find an affordable apartment and ultimately buy a home — unfortunately, those things aren’t true for all Madisonians today,” Rhodes-Conway said.

“As mayor, I’ll work to make Bus Rapid Transit a

reality, increase access to affordable housing, and mitigate the impacts of climate change — and I’ll do all of those things with racial equity in mind.”

Racial equity and diversity have been incorporated in some form into nearly every candidate’s campaign. The 2018 midterms showed a surge of diversity across state and national elections and Madison’s mayoral election has reflected this trend.

Candidates have expressed the importance of diversity as a part of Madison’s politics as well as the Madison community as a whole.

As Madison grows and diversifies, Cheeks said he wants to work to reduce inequality. This election will be important in determining where the city is headed in the future, he said.

“Madison has become a tale of two cities,” Cheeks said. “A city that works well for some people and poorly for others. In order for us to really change the trajectory and ensure this city is becoming a place where more people feel ownership for this city and hope for this city.”

Hart’s campaign did not respond for comment.

The primary elections for mayor will be held Feb. 19, followed by the general election April 2.

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Mayoral candidates spark discussion over future of arts community Incumbent Mayor Paul Soglin absent from discussion about solutions for problems facing Madison arts community

by Tolu Igun ArtsEtc. Staff Writer

When recommending places to visit in Madison to a friend that has never been to town, what suggestions come to mind? Do you tell them to head to the local farmers market?

Explore a museum or two? Check out Curdfest or one of the many other food and drink festivals held over the summer?

There are so many things to see and do here all year round, but without the arts and the support it needs, the city as we know it would not exist.

Madison mayoral candidates Satya RhodesConway, Mo Cheeks, Nick Hart, Raj Shukla and Toriana Pettaway came together Wednesday on the east side to address how the city should focus on the arts in terms of social and economic growth as well as current policy.

Most of the individuals running were in attendance for “Madison’s Arts Future: A Mayoral Candidate Forum on the Arts, Culture and Creativity” except for incumbent Mayor Paul Soglin, who has held the position for 22 years.

The event was presented at the Barrymore Theatre with collaborative efforts from Arts and Literature Laboratory, Tone Madison and a variety of other sponsors and volunteers. Brian Standing and Kate Hutchinson from local radio station WORT were moderators.

“If we are going to attract the talent we need for a rapidly growing economy, we are going to need to be a place that embraces art in all of its forms.”

Raj Shukla Madison mayoral candidate

Several topics surrounding the future of arts in the city were addressed by each candidate, including the promotion of equity in the arts, accessible transportation, and affordable housing and venue spaces.

“If we are going to attract the talent that we need for a rapidly growing economy, we are going to need to be a place that embraces art in all of its forms,” Shukla said. “Whether it’s hip-hop or country western music or murals — whatever it is, we need to embrace it because it 10 • badgerherald.com • January 22 2018

has a direct economic impact on this city.”

Hart focused on the importance of supporting artists’ works as a community instead of focusing on policy. As a stand-up comedian himself, Hart said he sees many of the problems facing Madison’s artistic community as stemming from a lack of audiences.

“ If you can’t afford to live here,

if you don’t have a place to work as an artist, if you don’t have literally the space to perform in or produce or store — it’s going to be really hard to be successful.”

Satya Rhodes-Conway Madison mayoral candidate

On the other hand, Rhodes-Conway took a more pragmatic approach to the question by asking, “What do artists need?” Not only is affordable housing, transit in the evenings and venues and artists space essential — an economy that accommodates and understands the arts must be present too.

“Because if you can’t afford to live here, if you don’t have a place to work as an artist, if you don’t have literally the space to perform in or produce or store — it’s going to be really hard to be successful,” Rhodes-Conway said.

Nonetheless, the problems behind forming spaces for artists to live is not only an economic issue.

The repercussions behind some individuals not having a space they are able to create in can be viewed from a social perspective, which was Cheeks addressed.

“As someone who has really fallen in love with this city, one of the most disappointing things to me is watching friends chose not to stay here, and often times those are friends of color,” Cheeks said. “It has more to do with cultural space than it does with economic opportunity.

And so, as mayor, one of the things I am going to be focused on is making sure our city feels welcoming and feels culturally relevant and inviting to everyone.”

It’s clear that many of the candidates present at the forum have a connection to the arts in some way or another and have also had to deal with some of the issues brought up during the forum as Madison citizens alike. Perhaps this will allow

Photo · Kate Hutchinson and Brian Standing moderated the discussion with Satya Rhodes-Conway, Mo Cheeks, Nick Hart, Raj Shukla and Toriana Pettaway.

Angela Peterson The Badger Herald voters to relate to whomever they deem fit to elect.

Pettaway, Madison’s racial equity coordinator, is the only candidate from the forum running as a write-in.

“I want to lead a more inclusive Madison,” Pettaway said. “We are all Madison.”

Primary elections will be held next month Feb. 19 followed by the spring election April 2.

Polling places can be found at vote.wisc.edu.

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Sublime with Rome brings diverse sound, laid-back grooves to Sylvee

Euphoric atmosphere combines with band’s signature array of mellow styles to create stellar show kicking off spring semester

by Angela Peterson ArtsEtc. Editor

Up until yesterday, I had yet to be at a raucously full standing-room-only crowd in Madison. Before The Sylvee’s emergence as a venue, no place in town really had the capacity to allow for one. Yes, there are many outstanding music venues in Madison, yet typically I have no problem finding a little spot of refuge with a venue to work on my critique.

Sublime with Rome’s show changed that, as the sold-out crowd at the large venue did not allow for the layer of separation I’ve come to expect from this lively audience. I found myself right in the middle of the fray, right where one can best take in Sublime with Rome’s music. Fraught with a diverse mix of sound linked together by a common chill vibe, Sublime with Rome provided a great evening of music Saturday night at The Sylvee.

A quick word on the Sylvee is in order since there seems to be new details in the building to discover. The bathrooms have the potential to strike fear into any person

attempting to use one. This is not because of cleanliness, rather the creative labeling system used. On the second floor, I debated whether I was a “Herbie” or a “Sylvee,” while the main floor ’s mix of cymbals and trombones to label the entryways had me staring at the wall for a good thirty seconds trying to determine what they meant.

Additionally, between the fog regularly being pumped into the crowd and unregulated vaping in the audience, it was easy to fall into a trance-like and slightly dazed state.

Since the doors opened an hour and a half before Tropidelic, Sublime with Rome’s opener, took the stage, there was plenty of time for this confusion before the evening’s music marathon commenced.

The Cleveland-based group was a fun introduction to Sublime with Rome’s music, alluding to their origin with lyrics alluding to Sandusky and I-90. A brightly colored sousaphone was a bit of a surprise when it was marched onto the stage, but wasn’t too far outside of the expectations set forth by the group after a copious mix of trombone playing, guitar riffing and speedy rapping.

With the venue filled, Sublime with Rome finally hit the stage, kicking off the evening with a cover of “Smoke Two Joints” by The Toyes. Perfectly setting the tone for the evening’s experience, lead vocalist Rome Ramirez consistently asked the crowd to confirm they were agreeing with his smokeinduced sentiments. In front of an artsy mural depicting skulls and marijuana leaves and through the green tinted lights, most in the audience agreed.

The group, composed of Ramirez, bassist Eric Wilson, drummer Carlos Verdugo and new trombonist Gabriel McNair, are gearing up for their June 2019 album Blessings with the tour. While still making new tunes, most of the evening’s music came from the original Sublime catalog.

One of these original tunes was Ramirez’s favorite song to perform that evening.

“My favorite song to perform changes pretty often,” Ramirez said. “At the moment, my favorite song to perform is ‘Burritos’ just because it has such a good guitar solo in it.”

The distinction between Sublime and Sublime with Rome, for those confused

Photo · Rome Ramirez performs “Smoke Two Joints” at The Sylvee.

Photo · Tropidelic rocks the opening set.

Courtesy of Andreas Ramirez

Angela Peterson The Badger Herald

which may or may not have included a few members of the audience, lies in the lead vocalist. After original lead vocalist Bradley Newell’s passing in 1996, the group disbanded and did not return until Ramirez joined the original members in 2009.

Prior to joining the band, Ramirez was a huge fan of Sublime’s music and was elated when Wilson asked him to join the group about 10 years ago.

“It’s very surreal,” Ramirez said. “You spend so much of your formative years of your life idolizing this band ... being in the band and traveling the world has changed my life for the better.”

Fans waited until the end of the night for well-known hits “What I Got” and “Santeria,” classics which were well worth the wait.

Ultimately, the euphoric and carefree vibe was a great warm feeling to have in Madison to kick off the spring semester ’s slate of concerts. Sublime with Rome is set to release a new track, “Spider Web,” Jan. 25, and the full release of Blessings is scheduled for June 7.

January 22, 2019 • badgerherald.com • 11

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New restaurant The Globe brings mix of world flavors to Madison With a large menu drawing from international influences, Madison fixture lives up to its name with excellent service, variety of options

by Veronia Kuffel ArtsEtc. Staff Writer

After six years spent perfecting his menu, Ashim Malla opened The Globe Restaurant in Oct. 2018. While the venue is on the smaller side, the restaurant’s diverse range of food will take you on a trip across the world.

Originally from Nepal, Malla earned his associates degree in culinary arts from Madison Area Technical College. He’s traveled far and wide, learning how to prepare cuisine from more than 10 countries.

With his skill in the kitchen and the help of both his wife and mother, The Globe has the potential to become one of the best restaurants in Madison.

My friend and I walked into the tile-plated restaurant last Friday to investigate. The small, square interior hosted a few tables and minimal, yet intriguing cultural artwork. As we approached the register, Malla walked out and greeted us, explaining how to order and the popular options.

There’s an option between one of the two soups with any order and the prices of dishes vary from $4-$15.

My friend ordered the Tibetan chicken dumplings, while I braved the unknown with a daily special bento box, a signature combination of foods that changes every day. We shared the two soup options, Himalayan 15 bean and coconut cauliflower, which both surprised us with their wonderful taste. We especially loved the coconut cauliflower and could not believe how the little sprinkle of coconut shavings added such amazing depth.

It’s only one of many details Malla adds to his dishes which make them so unique. After dinner, I discovered the wide selection of gluten-free and

vegan/vegetarian options on the menu. Most of the entrees have a decent portion of vegetables cooked in a wide array of spices. The selection of drinks also takes influence in The Globe’s multicultural atmosphere, giving customers options from Jarritos and Mexican Coca-Cola to a variety of lassi, an Indian yogurt-based drink.

While my friend chose a Tamarind Jarritos, I decided on a yerba mate drink traditionally consumed in South America. It didn’t take long for our food to arrive, and the presentation was clean and organized. Malla gave us an option for sauce with a spice scale from one to five, we chose three just to be safe.

The chicken dumplings were served with sautéed peppers and onions and combined with the sauce. The bento box was a combination of different Nepali foods with one piece of naan-like bread meant to mix the selection together. The diverse range of spices and flavors was enough to entertain the tongue and not too overwhelming.

The Globe features more than what’s shown on the in-store menu. While the more popular dishes are found in the restaurant, Malla prepares a larger menu for takeout orders, which, according to the Wisconsin State Journal, is responsible for almost half of business. He’s hoping to add more to the menu as The Globe garners more attention, and even plans to expand the map of cuisines he now serves.

The core character of the restaurant shown through when dessert was served. While The Globe does not currently have a sweet menu, Malla asked if we wanted to try his experimental coconut ice cream. We agreed, and he brought it out with sliced mango and coconut shavings. What happened is why The Globe offers an experience like no other.

Malla returned to our table five minutes later and asked for our critique.

Together, we exchanged stories and experiences with cooking and created a comfortable conversation.

“I like to take suggestions from customers and see what they like,” said Malla. “If there’s something I can do for them to make their experience better, I try to work with them.”

We felt comfortable the entire time we were there.

Malla made sure customers understood the menu and talked as if we were friends invited to his home. He listened to our opinions on the food and took serious note, something most restaurants fail to do because their size makes

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it utterly impossible.

Malla takes advantage of the small space by developing relationships with his customers and really catering to their needs.

In a world that grows smaller every day, The Globe embodies this idea with its small location and diverse assortment of food. The Globe’s homey and creative vibe establishes a comfortable environment for people of all ages to enjoy. And as every dish he serves has a story, Malla caters the variety of experiences we share at his small shop on Henry Street. My advice? Stop by and hear one — you will be very glad you did.

Photo · A plate of chickpea-battered vegetables and shrimp from The Globe.

Angela Peterson The Badger Herald

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Heisenberg performance a brutal reality of modern romance

Heisenberg serves as a metaphor used to describe the quantum mechanics of love, loss between an unusual pair in London

by Emilie Burditt ArtsEtc. Editor

After being famed for its performances in New York, Forward Theater Company’s Heisenberg opened in Madison for the first time Jan. 17.

When the show began, the stage was set with a simple London train station bench.

The set is simple, but the characters bring the show to life. In the talkback following the show, director Laura Gordon said the set was something she felt needed to be changed per scene by the characters themselves, rather than the crew. Even so, the New York performances of Heisenberg were produced with a more elaborate set. It was up to Gordon to choose a simpler one.

Gordon felt the scene changes help tell a story within the transitions, which they do. Even during the simple act of moving a table, the personalities of Alex and Georgie are clearly noted by the audience.

The only two characters in the show are Alex, played by James Pickering, and Georgie, played by Colleen Madden.

Georgie is a dreamer and Alex is a giver. The two have lived different lives, but both have experienced the hardship of loving those whom they have loved. As they try to piece together their lives and find acceptance in what they have, the characters cross paths and start a whole new adventure.

The show starts as Georgie kisses the back of Alex’s neck, which she claims an accident, excusing herself for misunderstanding him as her deceased husband. Alex, who is taken aback by Georgie’s bubbly and straightforward personality, leaves the train station despite Georgie’s requests for him to stay.

What continues on to be a friendship quickly turns into an unusual romance.

With almost a 30-year age difference, Georgie and Alex bond over the stories of those they’ve lost. A lot of the time, Georgie’s elaborate stories are met with silence or a short response from Alex, who remains calm throughout most of Georgie’s hyper explanations.

The show is named after the German physicist Werner Heisenberg, who discovered the theory of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics discusses the physical properties of nature and energy.

Gordon explained the title is a metaphor to show the relationship between Alex and Georgie. She said a person cannot simultaneously know where a particle

is in space and where it is moving. She describes the quantum mechanics metaphor as an “ally” to human relationships.

The two characters end up hurting each other on separate occasions, but they still can’t be apart. While they chase each other across a series of emotions, the audience learns more about the characters and how their past evolved their personalities.

In the talkback, the actors expressed their feelings about the show and the characters they played.

“I love[d] the play as soon as I read it,” Pickering said. “It’s just so damn good.”

Madden, on the other hand, wasn’t fond of the script and her character when she

initially read it.

Madden felt like Georgie was not a character she could emphasize with until she dove more deeply into the script.

“I realized how broken she was…and how much she got from [Alex], and not just how much he got from her,” Madden said.

Madden felt her character evolved a lot throughout the show, as did Pickering.

Pickering also said the actors learn from the audience based on the audience’s response to the scenes, like laughter and sighs of “aw,” as the audience did multiple times.

Pickering said the show is not one that has completion, even in the last scene. He said the show constantly reveals something new,

and he said one must keep doing things until they cannot.

The show gives the honest and brutal reality of having loved and lost, and the struggle of falling into and out of love.

The stunning performance by Pickering, Madden and Gordon takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster of happiness and heartache that may leave them in tears.

It should be warned that profanity is used during the show and that ages 15 and above are suggested for attendance. The show, which was written by playwright Simon Stephens, will be playing at the Overture Center until Feb. 3.

Photo ·The actors put on an emotional performance of Heisenberg that leaves the audience feeling both happy and heartbroken.

Emilie Burditt The Badger Herald

January 22, 2019 • badgerherald.com • 13

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Lack of visibility surrounding gender-neutral bathrooms punctuated by lack of safe space for transgender, non-binary students Transgender and non-binary students seek access to inclusive bathrooms as UW administration deliberates usage policy, works around strict building code

by Aly Niehans Print Features Editor

There are almost 400 buildings on the 936 acres covered by the University of Wisconsin. It is in these 400 buildings that students live, study, work, rehearse, research. And it is in these buildings that students, inevitably, use the bathroom.

Aside from their obvious functions, bathrooms also serve as a place to collect yourself prior to an exam, a place to reapply makeup or fix your hair, a place to splash water on your face during an all-night study session or a place to change clothes after a shift at work.

For students and faculty who are cisgender, or someone who exclusively identifies as their sex assigned at birth, restrooms are a second thought — access and availability are guaranteed. For transgender or gender non-conforming students, both access and availability — as well as feelings of safety in the bathroom — are not promised.

A transgender person is one whose gender identity or expression is not aligned with the gender they were assigned at birth, while a gender non-conforming person is one whose gender expression differs from stereotypical expectations of the gender.

Of the 400 buildings on campus, approximately 60 have gender-neutral bathrooms. Typically, these are single-stall, locking facilities and are often far from the unisex bathrooms.

Instead, they are found on separate floors, in the basement or in other less accessible spots in a building.

Take the Red Gym for example. An iconic building on campus, it is home to university offices and student centers. Hundreds of people access the building every day, both employees and students.

The Red Gym has three main floors, with only an old, slow elevator connecting them. On a good day, the elevator takes about two minutes to meander between floors. On a bad day, two minutes seems like the blink of an eye. While there are bathrooms on each floor, the only gender-neutral restroom is tucked away in a back corner of the first floor.

Compared to many buildings on campus that lack even one gender-neutral bathroom, the Red Gym is an improvement.

However, the existence of a single gender-neutral bathroom does not immediately signal equal accessibility.

A person looking to use this bathroom must jump through hoops to use the restroom — in this case the hoops being a slow elevator and a trek through the halls of the Red Gym — that people who use gender-specific bathrooms do not have to jump through.

Bathroom break In Wisconsin, hoops such as Assembly Bill 469 require public school bathrooms to be designated for exclusive use of students of one sex only. However, the bill includes a clause allowing for a school board to provide reasonable accommodations for transgender students who wish to use a single-occupancy restroom.

In 2018, the Madison public school district pledged to include all-gender bathrooms in every public school. The school district also ended the practice of keeping the single-stall bathrooms locked, requiring students who wanted to use one to obtain the key from the front office. This effort is meant to normalize the use 14 • badgerherald.com • January 22, 2019

of the single-stall restrooms by any student, not just transgender students.

Although the Madison public school district’s pledge is promising for a more LGBTQ-inclusive environment in K-12 schools, a study by UW communication arts professor Sara McKinnon and Maurice Gattis of the University of Louisville found that there appears to be a disconnect between existing policies intended to protect transgender students and the knowledge of said policies among school employees and administrators.

“Even a lot of really well-intentioned educators have had to go through their own education about what it means to be a transgender or non-binary student,” Brian Juchems, co-director of the Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools said.

McKinnon and Gattis interviewed 21 transgender and gender non-conforming students from Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Racine in what has been heralded as a “groundbreaking study” by transgender advocates for its level of detail and specificity.

Alongside this disconnect, the study found that a lack of access to gender-neutral or appropriate bathrooms and locker rooms remains a large problem in Wisconsin schools.

As Madison public schools have turned their attention to creating more inclusive environments for LGBTQ students, in part with new and improved bathroom usage policies and the inclusion of gender-neutral restrooms, so too has the focus shifted on the UW campus.

In response to the Trump administration’s policy change regarding protections of transgender students under Title IX in 2017, UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank co-penned a letter with university officials from Rutgers University and Princeton University to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos expressing concern with the rollback of federal protections for transgender students on university campuses.

In addition to the letter, Blank issued a statement in support of the LGBTQ members of the UW community, in which the university administration wrote that “UW-Madison welcomes, values and supports students, faculty and staff of all gender identities, including transgender, gender non-conforming, intersex and non-binary individuals.”

The university statement also outlined current efforts to make campus more safe, equal and inclusive for LGBTQ students.

Part of this effort has been the creation of a campus map, complete with documentation of known gender-neutral and ADA-accessible bathrooms.

Letters, maps and statements, however, do not build new facilities or effect policy change. Although almost 400 buildings comprise campus, there are only around 60 that have at least one gender-neutral bathroom.

“We don’t have an actual number of [gender-neutral bathrooms] on campus, but there are buildings that we know [have them]. And we know that this [number] isn’t going to be complete, because it’s crowd-sourced,” Katherine Charek Briggs, assistant director of the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, said.

Rena Yehuda Newman is a junior at UW, and identifies as nonbinary. They believe 60 gender-neutral bathrooms on campus is far too few, especially when it comes to fostering an environment conducive to learning and studying in campus buildings.

“I identify as non-binary, which means I’m neither a man nor

a woman. That ends up meaning that entering into gendered bathrooms on a personal level is uncomfortable and on a social level can expose me to harassment and violence,” Newman said.

“In general, the majority of campus buildings that are for classes are not fitted with gender-neutral bathrooms, including the more modern ones. The SoHE building’s bathrooms are really funky — they have bird noises in them — which would be cool if they were accessible.”

As someone who is studying history, Newman spends countless hours in the George L. Mosse Humanities Building.

For Newman, the building some students refer to only semijokingly as “riot proof” and freshmen regard as immensely confusing is inaccessible for a different reason: There’s only one gender-neutral bathroom in the entire building.

“There’s only one gender-neutral bathroom, and that bathroom is located inside the history department office and is not advertised,” Newman said. “So if I wanted to go to the restroom and I couldn’t use the one in the history office, that would mean I would have to physically leave the building, go to the Elvehjem building or Memorial Union.”

Not only are campus buildings largely inaccessible to transgender and non-binary students, University Housing creates another hoop for these individuals to jump through.

According to University Housing policy, bathrooms may be designated as single or mixed-gender facilities within residence halls.

“Individuals should use bathrooms that correspond to their sex or gender identity, depending on which option they feel is safer, or utilize bathrooms that are designated gender-neutral/ gender-inclusive,” the policy reads.

Brendon Dybdahl, a spokesperson with University Housing, reiterated this sentiment, adding that the housing assignment office works closely with students who contact them with questions regarding living in residence halls as LGBTQ individuals.

“We work to assign these students to an environment that will be comfortable for them. Students can be assigned by their identified gender rather than their biological gender if they prefer,” Dybdahl said. “Bathrooms on most resident floors are gender-specific. Trans students are encouraged to use the bathroom that is most comfortable for them.”

Dybdahl also highlighted newly constructed and renovated buildings in which gender-inclusive bathrooms have been added.

Dejope, Leopold, Ogg and Smith residence halls all have separate gender-inclusive full bathrooms on each floor. Renovation plans for Witte Residence Hall, scheduled to be done in August 2019, also include one gender-neutral full bathroom per floor.

While newly built or renovated residence halls are constructed to include gender-neutral bathrooms, Dybdahl said the older buildings or buildings that have not been renovated oftentimes only have gender-specific bathrooms on each floor.

Problems with progress Progress toward a more inclusive and safe campus community has been slow moving.

In spring 2017, the Committee for LGBTQ People in the University developed a two-phase project which aims to create appropriate signage for bathrooms and craft a usage policy for gendered restrooms. “[The policy came out of a] shared governance body …

a taskforce from each of the four governance groups on campus: faculty, academic staff, university staff and students.

I believe right now it’s kind of sitting in facilities planning and management, and they’ll be looking at logistics because they’re the ones that manage the buildings and renovations,” Kelly Krien, assistant staff director of the Associated Students of Madison, said.

To realize phase one of the project— providing appropriate signage for already existing bathrooms on campus — the manager of the building in question must be on board with the required space study. This normally requires the support of an administrator or high-ranking official in the building.

But it is nearly impossible for individual students to request a space study.

“Something I would ask every cisgender student is to make a list of gender-neutral bathrooms they can think of on campus. The list would be kind of short.”

Rena Yahuda Newman

“What [the request] is essentially saying is, ‘If you do the space study and the study says that you’ll need to do construction, you’re committing money to that project,’” Briggs said. “So an individual student could not submit that request.”

Once a request is made, the space study itself has two phases.

The first is a fixtures study, and is conducted by looking through old building blueprints, finding the restrooms, and counting every toilet, urinal and sink in each one, and how each is labeled.

“It is not easy,” Briggs said. “It takes forever.”

The second stage of the space study is called the occupancy study, which involves estimating how many people could use a particular building by counting the number of chairs and categorizing rooms by function.

“They use the fixture and occupancy studies and mash them together, and see if you’re allowed to take these other restrooms offline [and change their signage],” Briggs said.

These studies are not only time-consuming but also incredibly costly.

UW administration approved funding for the committee to hire outside agencies to conduct the space and occupancy studies for 50 of the 400 buildings on campus, but Briggs said funding ran out after just 32.

“It falls upon the department [to fund studies and update bathrooms], and this sets us up for a situation of the ‘have versus have-nots,’” Krien said. “The departments that can afford it are able to do these upgrades and renovations, but not all departments have that funding available.”

In addition to funding, departments or buildings wishing to update bathrooms must ensure that any renovations or

construction meets the requirements of the international building code.

The international building code stipulates how many genderspecific bathrooms a building must have after considering its maximum occupancy. In other words, buildings do not have an incentive to include gender-neutral bathrooms because they do not count toward the overall bathroom total needed to meet code.

If a building chooses to relabel bathrooms as gender-neutral, those bathrooms become “offline” and, if the relabeling results in the total number of gender-specific restrooms falling below the number required by the international building code, the building is no longer up to code.

“I think the largest challenge through this process has just been logistical, it’s been a big learning curve. There are international building codes and restrictions as far as what people cannot actually do in buildings. The fact that there’s hundreds of buildings on campus and nobody quite knows where the restrooms are [also makes it difficult],” Krien said.

While the shared-governance committee is working on a usage policy, the second stage of the project proposed last spring, the policy remains in draft form. It is unclear when the policy will be approved.

“Advocates on the shared governance committee would like to see the policy approved as quickly as possible. This work should have been done a long time ago,” Briggs said. “We’re excited to get it rolling from the place we are, and, remembering that there are a lot of campuses who benchmarked this a long time ago, we know it’s the responsible thing to do.”

With policies and renovations stalled by a lack of funding, building codes and university bureaucracy, Newman laments what they characterized as lackluster attempts at reform.

“I’ve seen sort of half-hearted gestures … making new restrooms or saying renovations are coming. We’re spending millions of dollars renovating sports facilities,” Newman said.

“I just want a place I can go to the bathroom regularly, it’s not really that much to ask. So frankly, I think that hypothetically it’s something the administration says it cares about. I think if they were serious about it, there would have been changes made a long time ago.”

Safe and comfortable Critics of gender-neutral bathrooms nationwide often bemoan the perceived safety hazards of allowing transgender or nonbinary individuals to use the bathroom of their choice.

Newman argued that this critique ignores the reality of the situation: these individuals just want to use the restroom.

“People who are cisgender critics of creating multi-stall gender-neutral bathrooms will say, ‘Well it might be less safe for people.’” Newman said. “There are sort of two ways I address that: one, there are a lot of other public spaces in which people of all genders are interacting. It also ignores the reality of samegender violence that occurs in single-gender restrooms as well.”

Gender-neutral bathrooms, whether single stall or multi-stall, benefit everyone on campus and in the community. In a study conducted by Rutgers University, gender-neutral bathrooms were found to make other minority groups feel safer and more included at their organization, signaling fairness across identity dimensions.

Gender-neutral bathrooms also communicate to transgender

and gender non-binary students and individuals they are welcome on campus.

“When we talk about what kind of impact that has on the psyche of a student, in terms of the physical institution and structures they’re exposed to each day telling them whether or not they feel welcome, institutional cultures and physical spaces really do have a lot to tell us about whether or not a student is wanted,” Newman said.

Released in 2017, the campus climate survey recorded student’s answers to numerous questions evaluating UW. The survey revealed that just 35 percent of transgender and nonbinary students felt they belong on campus, compared to a 69 percent overall rate.

Fifty-five percent of transgender and non-binary students reported feeling safe on campus, compared to a 78 percent overall rate.

Thirty-three percent of transgender and non-binary students report experiencing incidents of hostile, harassing or intimidating behavior directed at them personally, compared to an 11 percent overall rate.

While numerous factors affect the overwhelmingly less positive responses recorded for transgender and non-binary students, Briggs identified two as particularly prominent.

“The reason I think there’s such a disparity… is that trans and non-binary students are met by both a social impact and a facilities impact. Not only are there social challenges in the classroom and with people on the street and being misgendered, but there’s all the facility pieces where if you don’t have somewhere to live you can’t be on campus, if you don’t have somewhere to use the restroom you can’t healthily be on campus,” Briggs said.

Gender-neutral bathrooms are also heralded as part of universal design, meaning that a building or an environment is constructed so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their identity, age, size, ability or disability.

A large part of universal design, Briggs explained, is redundancy, or having a variety of ways to access facilities where everyone feels safe and comfortable in all buildings.

“Right now, there’s a disparity in who gets access to [facilities]. So it could be folks with mobility devices, folks who are caretakers or have children, folks who need to change clothes … there’s a whole number of reasons why single-stall locking bathrooms meet the needs of different people.”

For the majority of cisgender students at UW, access to bathrooms is not the first thing that crosses their mind when entering a building for class or when choosing a residence hall freshman year. It probably doesn’t even make the top ten.

But everyone needs to go to the bathroom, and without consistent access to appropriate facilities, this becomes far more challenging.

As UW continues to work toward approving a usage policy and finding funding for renovations to work around the prohibitive international building code, transgender and nonbinary individuals are left without consistency in access to appropriate facilities campus-wide.

“Something I would ask every cisgender student is to make a list of how many gender-neutral bathrooms they can think of on campus,” Newman said. “The list would be kind of short.”

January 22, 2019 • badgerherald.com • 15

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Madison must seek multifaceted strategy to mitigate traffic congestion New study advocates for affordable housing, bicycle facilities, ridesharing, building less roads to decrease vehicular traffic

by Lianna Schwalenberg Columnist

A recent study from the State Smart Transportation Initiative, a think tank jointly operated by the University of Wisconsin and Smart Growth America, found one way to reduce traffic congestion is by, counterintuitively, building fewer roads. The idea, according to SSTI Director Eric Sundquist, is “When we add capacity [build more roads], we induce more driving … So there’s sort of a vicious cycle ...”

The long-term benefits of “reducing the amount of cars are nearly innumerable, from the increased safety, reduced costs of driving and parking, to the increased land value ...

”

To their unassuming demise, local, regional and state governments tend to treat transportation as a supply problem of their auto-infrastructure. Ironically, they make great accommodations for the increased vehicular presence. This emphasis on accommodation very predictably exacerbates the traffic issue, placing incredible costs on the taxpayer, travelers, neighborhoods and the environment.

The researchers present the study as a guide to the modern mitigation approach.

The modern mitigation approach centers around the long-standing, typically employer-based, practice of transportation demand management, which seeks to reduce the amount of cars on the road.

They also briefly offer and evaluate an array of currently-implemented solutions from this demand-side approach. As a response to this study, the city of Madison should consider its own auto-infrastructure issue, understand what has been proven to be successful and use the current mitigation programs already set up in the city as a springboard for further reducing the amount of vehicles on the roads.

There are generally two different approaches to traffic congestion — a supply side and a demand side. Demand side approaches are long-term solutions which seek to decrease the consumer ’s demand for transportation by promoting ride shares and 16 • badgerherald.com • January 22, 2019

Photo · Though it seems counterintuitive, building fewer roads discourages driving and mitigates traffic congestion. This demand-side approach is more beneficial than building more roads.

Marissa Haegele The Badger Herald telecommuting. Supply side approaches are short-term, relieve congestion and allow for a high capacity of consumers to drive into a city.

The problem is the sustainability of this benefit. Over time, the demand exceeds the supply of infrastructure back to its original levels. A clear demonstration of this short-run advantage but long-run disadvantage of supply-side remedies is the I-10 Katy Freeway expansion project in Houston, a $2.8 billion investment intended to relieve severe traffic congestion. At its widest, Katy Freeway is 26 lanes across and has a maximum of nine undivided, single-direction lanes. A behemoth of autoinfrastructure and an incredible feat of traffic engineering, the freeway expansion only led to a 30 percent increase in commute times during the morning and 55 percent in the afternoon.

The long-term benefits of reducing the amount of the cars are nearly innumerable,

from the increased safety, reduced costs of driving and parking, to the increased land value, better air quality, decreased noise and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.

On the other hand, those who favor supply side approaches believe these type of plans generally apply costs more fairly to those who cause the congestion, such as developers, and if applicable, tollway users.

These consumers generally foot the bill for construction projects. One way to overcome this while still decreasing the number of cars on the road is to create something similar in nature to an impact fee, such as a system where obligations are based on parking capacity and produce a comparable fair distribution of costs.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, the city measures various transportation indicators such as subsidized transit passes, shuttle services, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, preferential parking for lowemission vehicles, and can charge $10

extra per parking space per day if certain requirements are not met.

While the study focuses itself as a guidebook to policymakers stuck in the old form of mitigation, they highlight a few specific elements, several of which Madison has already deeply invested itself in — such as affordable housing (Madison has a $25 million Affordable Housing Fund), bicycle facilities (the city greatly accommodates) and ridesharing (the Department of Administration’s VanPool program for those commuting into Madison is an excellent example here). Madison is further along the modern mitigation process than many other cities. We just need to be reminded that a little bit can go a long way when it comes to developing our ever-growing city.

Lianna Schwalenberg (lschwalenber@wisc. edu) is a recent graduate with degrees in communication arts and philosophy.

OPINION

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Vos’ lack of transparency disrespects citizens, corrodes democracy Despite open records laws, Vos refuses to release details of $850,000 legal contract regarding gerrymandering lawsuit

by Abigail Steinberg Opinion Editor

There are but two certainties in life — death and taxes.

This timelessly sardonic take originated in the days of Benjamin Franklin and still holds troubling truths and paradoxes.

The presence of each — death and taxes — is undoubtable, but there are still many uncertainties about these two phenomena.

Death and what comes after is not the most pressing issue of the moment — but taxes are a part of everyone’s life, and likely inspire more dread than the former.

There is a great certainty to taxes.

Wisconsinites can be sure they’ll pay at least 5 percent in sales tax, depending on where they shop. Taxpayers across the state can be certain $34.62 billion of general purpose revenue generated by their taxes is going towards the Department of Health Services, Department of Public Instruction, the UW System and other departments.

The certainty of taxes lies in the comfort of knowing where our money is going.

Certainty relies on transparency — and fair, responsible government does as well.

Wisconsinites can be certain $850,000 of taxpayer money will go towards Chicagobased law firm Bartlit Beck to defend Wisconsin’s GOP-drawn legislative districts from the revived federal lawsuit — but the details of that contract remain largely uncertain to anyone outside the government. Despite state open records laws, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, will not make the legal contract public. Given that Wisconsin taxpayers have already paid more than $2 million in legal fees regarding this lawsuit, this withholding of information is met with great scrutiny and even greater backlash.

public access not only breaks open records laws, but it is also not in line with similar litigation. The Assembly has made other contracts regarding redistricting public, and former Govs. Jim Doyle and Scott Walker — Democrat and Republican, respectively — made their contracts with legal firms public as well. No one is sure why Vos’ contract with Bartlit Beck is any different.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Wisconsin State Journal both reported that spokespeople from Vos’ office declined to share the contract and answer questions regarding it. With that in mind, barring any substantial differences in this contract from other redistricting litigation that has been made public, there is no reason for Vos to keep this contract under wraps. Taxpayers are footing the $850,000 bill to defend gerrymandered districts that have already cost $2 billion. Wisconsinites deserve to know the details of the contract we are paying for.

Openness and transparency are of crucial importance to a healthy, functioning democracy. Public records — whether they involve taxes, litigation or one’s criminal record — are made public on the principle of accountability, so that, in a perfect world, citizens can make sure they are being treated fairly under the law. It is only fair that taxpayers are informed on how their money is being spent.

This isn’t the first time Vos, now arguably the most powerful Republican in the state, sought to stamp out transparency in Wisconsin’s government.

In early July 2015, Vos helped lead an effort to limit access to public records by adding a short addition to the state budget, which was passed by the Joint Finance Committee on a party-line vote. The proposal was briefly adopted, then dropped because of severe public resentment, and then reopened again to no avail. Though the recent breach in transparency regarding

the Bartlit Beck contract is not nearly as severe as a total gut to open records laws, the premise is still the same — disregarding transparency transfers power from the people to politicians. Without public information, citizens have no idea whether they are being treated fairly under the law.

And whether it’s 2015, 2019 or 2050, this principle is as timeless and certain as death and taxes.

Recent history has shown the right to public information is a constant fight between a certain type of politician and their constituents. The people have been victorious in their fights so far, but one thing is certain — the fight is never over and Wisconsinites must remain passionate about their right to know the truth.

Abigail Steinberg (asteinberg@badgerherald. com) is a sophomore majoring in political science and journalism.

Photo · Vos’ disregard of freedom of information detracts from a functional democracy and makes the government less accountable as an institution overall.

Dana Kampa The Badger Herald

records ... are made public “onPublic the principle of accountability

... so citizens can make sure they are being treated fairly under the law.

”

Open records laws ensure government records are accessible to the public.

If documents include confidential information, officials commonly redact that information and release the rest of the document so the public can have as much information as possible.

The withholding of this contract from

January 22, 2019 • badgerherald.com • 17

OPINION

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Collateral damage: Children of incarcerated parents deserve better Camp Reunite offers many benefits to incarcerated mothers, their children and society, should encourage a nationwide pattern

by Cait Gibbons Opinion Editor

For Wisconsin elementary school student Kavon, summer camp was never financially feasible. That is, until this past summer.

Kavon’s mother Keana is incarcerated at Taycheedah Correctional Institution, Wisconsin’s only maximum security prison for women, which means the two have had limited contact since Keana’s incarceration in January 2018. But fortunately, the pair qualified for participation in Camp Reunite, a first-of-its-kind program which aims to foster the relationship between incarcerated mothers and their children.

At Camp Reunite, the children spend time at a campsite about 30 miles from Taycheedah, participating in regular camp activities like swimming, climbing, archery and kayaking. Then, the children board a bus to Taycheedah, where they enjoy time with their mothers playing games, sharing a meal and doing arts and crafts.

The goal of Camp Reunite is to “nurture a healthy bond between mothers and children,” and to give children of incarcerated mothers the opportunity to connect with other children contending the same challenges.

“It gives them an opportunity to meet other friends that are in the same situation as them and they can speak their feelings and not just keep a secret from the kids at school,” Kavon explained.

For 29-year-old Adriana, Camp Reunite gave her daughter an opportunity she never had. Adriana’s mother was incarcerated while she was growing up and Adriana recognizes the significant impact it had on her childhood.

“You can’t talk to them when you’re going through something,” Adriana said. “You can’t see them whenever you want to.”

Adriana’s daughter, 10-year-old Tiana, now faces the same reality while Adriana serves her sentence at Taycheedah, but through Camp Reunite’s trauma-informed approach, Tiana has the opportunity to break the cycle of violence and incarceration.

“A Shared Sentence: the devastating toll of parental incarceration on kids, families and communities” is a 2016 report compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation which explains the impact that having incarcerated parents can have on a child’s life and suggests several courses of action to alleviate the impacts.

One such suggestion is “Ensure children are supported while parents are incarcerated and after they return.” Camp Reunite is a unique way to support children, because they are being 18 • January 22, 2019 • badgerherald.com

Photo · Programs like Camp Reunite foster rehabilitation of inmates and their families, leading to a healthier, more cohesive dynamic. These programs transform the prison system to one of reformation rather than punishment.

Lily Oberstein The Badger Herald supported by their own families, and they gain access to a unique community of children who share similar experiences. 37-year-old Xiomara explained that Camp Reunite has helped her son open up emotionally about her incarceration — a drastic improvement from his naturally shy tendencies.

We’ve all heard the saying, do the crime, do the time — a concept that has led to abhorrent treatment of incarcerated persons, higher rates of incarceration of people of color, and recidivism. But one often forgotten consequence of our nation’s flawed incarceration system is that millions of children are suffering the consequences of their parents’ sentences and America’s tough-on-crime practices.

Programs like Camp Reunite are vital to the transformation of the prison system into what it should be, which is a reformatory system.

Taycheedah warden Sarah Cooper highlighted this perspective as vital to the work at Taycheedah.

“People that are incarcerated in our system are still human and certainly their children have never done anything to be punished,” Cooper said. “So our job within the system is to provide them with every opportunity possible to improve upon themselves so they can be successful.”

The goal of the prison system must be to help people learn from mistakes and work to do better going forward. Programs which facilitate healthy intra-family dynamics and establish

support systems for post-incarceration life are vital to this goal.

Furthermore, this goal should not only apply to the incarcerated person, but also to their future generations. One study suggests that children of incarcerated parents are six times as likely to be incarcerated in adulthood than other children, with children of incarcerated mothers even more likely. By supporting programs like Camp Reunite, current and future generations are far more likely to lead better lives going forward, and that is something that we must make space for in our communities.

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

ED BOARD

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stories to watch UW freshmen run for Madison’s Common Council In a democracy, citizens elect officials to represent them in political decisions. After years of struggle, our elected officials are finally starting to resemble the constituents they represent. The 2018 midterm elections brought a surge of candidates from diverse demographics — people of color, LGBTQ+ identifying individuals and women — all of which are great milestones towards representation in government. While this movement is finally seeing prominence on a national front, it is a pattern in Madison city government — a pattern which will repeat itself in the race for Madison’s eighth aldermanic district.

Given that District 8 covers most of the University of Wisconsin’s campus and nearly all of its student housing, it only makes sense that two UW freshmen are running for alder this coming April. Avra Reddy, 19, and Matthew Mitnick, 18, both announced their candidacies

Nov. 16 and kicked off their campaigns within days of each other.

Reddy is no stranger to Madison’s political scene. At age 16, she moved to Madison for the summer to work with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin during the 2016 presidential primaries and continued her work with them through the 2018 midterm elections. Her campaign focuses on affordable housing, sustainability, public safety and decreasing homelessness.

Mitnick, the son of public servants, was raised attending city council and county board meetings, giving him a great perspective on the importance of local government. He also has experience working with the Associated Students of Madison and the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters. Mitnick’s campaign centers on issues particular to students, like transportation, public safety and affordable housing.

This is not the first time District 8 will be represented by the same age demographic as its constituents. The current alder, Zach Wood, was elected as a UW senior. Though he is now only 25, Wood believes he is no longer the right person to serve District 8 and decided against seeking reelection so young leaders have a chance to step forward. But they didn’t just step — they charged forward with the passion and vigor only this generation can bring.

Regardless of which candidate ends up representing District 8, UW students can be confident their interests will be accurately represented on Madison’s Common Council.

More importantly, this election continues a Madison precedent — civically active young people — and will hopefully usher in a new one for American youth at large. This election challenges the foundation of civic engagement and is one to watch closely this semester.

It appears that election year never truly ends, as Madison will be host to a primary race in February and a general election in April. At the top of the ballot will be a slate of candidates vying to be Madison’s next mayor, including current Mayor Paul Soglin.

The mayoral election season began with Soglin’s surprising announcement that he would not run for another term. However, last fall, he reversed his position and said he would be seeking another term as Madison’s mayor. In the interim, several candidates announced their intention to run and later did not withdraw from the race despite Soglin’s entry.

Facing Soglin is a slate of self-proclaimed progressives true to the city’s left-of-center ideological profile. Among them are Ald. Mo Cheeks, former Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway, River Alliance of Wisconsin Executive Director Raj Shukla and local comedian Nick Hart.

The lengthy list of challengers has made this race a local rendition of what Americans have seen elsewhere — the contest of a longserving, established incumbent against political upstarts. Soglin, who has served as mayor for a total of 22 non-consecutive years since his first election in 1972, has been a force in city politics since the 1960s — but this year

broaden Medicaid eligibility, while the second charges three state agencies with developing plans to protect insurance coverage for those with preexisting conditions and working to make insurance more affordable and costs more transparent. Even as Wisconsin Republicans moved to make Evers’ time in office challenging from the start, the governor has demonstrated resilience in pursuing promised statewide change.

Evers wasn’t expected to defeat Walker and faced unprecedented legislative action before being sworn in, but he won and is working tirelessly to deliver for Wisconsin in the face of Republicans bent on seeing him fail.

Evers’ first few months in office will

center around bipartisanship given Republican control of the state Assembly, but both the governor and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, have spoken out in support of finding common ground in areas of partisan contention.

Whether those sentiments are genuine or empty will be a test of time, but the beginning stages of Evers’ administration may set a valuable precedent in good governance rooted in cooperation.

2019 Madison mayoral election may prove to be a tough challenge for his political future.

Watch out for how all of the candidates — Soglin included — differentiate themselves despite strikingly similar policy platforms and plans for the city. Homelessness and affordable housing, issues which have long been prevalent in Madison and a thorn in Soglin’s side, are bound to be major issues in this election, along with public transportation and public safety.

The primary is set for Feb. 19, with the general election following on April 2.

Gov. Tony Evers’ first months in office Evers issued an executive order protecting state employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in his first day as governor, prioritizing equal treatment. He has also made plans to develop a model anti-discrimination policy to be administered to all state employees. In short, the order makes sure state employees are evaluated based solely on their work performance, upholding standards of excellence and dismantling the potential for unchecked oppression.

Accompanying Evers’ equal opportunity initiatives were two executive orders expanding access to healthcare, another campaign promise. The first mandates state health departments to

The Editorial Board serves to represent the voice of The Badger Herald editorial department, distinct from the newsroom and does not necessarily reflect the views of each staff member.

January 22, 2019 • badgerherald.com • 19

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Softball: Badgers pursue third straight NCAA tournament berth Young core poised to step up in place of five key graduated seniors, including all time run-leader Kelsey Jenkins

by Vicki Dombeck Sports Editor

After making the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row in 2018, the University of Wisconsin softball team enters the 2019 season with an identical goal of returning to the big dance.

The Badgers managed a 29-23 record last season, earning the seventh seed in a tough Big Ten tournament field. They advanced to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament before being eliminated by powerhouse Minnesota.

In the NCAA tournament, Wisconsin played in the Tuscaloosa regional where they faced No. 12 Alabama, Oregon St. and Middle Tennessee. The Badgers went 1-2 in the tournament, including an exciting, eight-inning comeback win against Oregon State, but ultimately failed to advance to the College World Series.

This season, Head Coach Yvette Healy and the Badgers are seeking to return to the NCAA tournament three years in a row for the first time in program history. In order to do so, however,

they’ll have to make up for some key offseason losses.

The Badgers lost five seniors, including starting shortstop and Second-Team All-Big Ten selection Brooke Wyderski, along with infielder Sam Arents.

Perhaps the greatest subtraction from the team, however, comes with the graduation of Kelsey Jenkins.

Jenkins, an infield utility player, was a runproducing machine throughout her Badger career. Jenkins earned an array of honors for UW, including multiple Big Ten Player of the Week awards and was also unanimously named to the First-Team All-Big Ten team. Jenkins is the all-time runs leader in UW history with 146 and is the only player in school history to be named First Team All-Big Ten three times.

The central concern for the Badgers heading into 2019 after such consequential departures is how to replace them, and who will step up to make up for the loss in production. Luckily for Healy, both of her powerhouse pitchers from 2018 will return to the mound this spring.

Sophomore Haley Hestekin, who was named to

the Big Ten All-Freshman team and Second-Team All-Big Ten after her dominant freshman season on the mound, will look to pick up right where she left off. She held a 2.05 ERA and a 17-7 record in 33 appearances.

The second half of the dynamic Badger pitching duo is junior Kaitlyn Menz, who was named AllBig Ten Defensive Team with a 3.30 ERA in 30 appearances and a 12-14 record last season. Older and more experienced than Hestekin, Menz was tasked with carrying the team at times last season — most notably, she pitched in all three NCAA Tournament games for the Badgers last spring.

The new-look Badgers were able to play four games this fall to give Healy a look at the team.

Wisconsin managed a 3-1 record after defeating the University of Illinois-Chicago and DePaul, and splitting a doubleheader against Iowa State.

UW kicks off their season Feb. 8 in Houston where they will compete in the Scrapyard Tournament against Omaha, Lamar and Texas Tech. This is the first of their five warm-weather tournaments until the Badgers return home in March and the Wisconsin cold becomes a factor.

Big Ten play will start for the Badgers March 22 with a three-game series at Illinois. While the Big Ten conference is sometimes overshadowed in rankings by conferences such as the SEC or the Pac-12, Big Ten teams are not to be taken lightly in 2019, as Wisconsin will look to compete for the Big Ten title and cement their name into the NCAA tournament mix.

Wisconsin’s home opener at the Goodman Complex is scheduled after the Illinois series March 26 against Northern Iowa.

With key seniors gone, but experience returning to the diamond, it remains to be seen who will comprise the next generation of great players at Wisconsin. This year’s team has five incoming freshmen from the Class of 2022 — outfielders Tyra Turner and Ally Miklesh, infielders Jolie Fish and Savanna Rainey — who also plays catcher — and pitcher Maddie Schwartz.

A wide range of skill and talent from this freshmen class are sure to contribute to a Badger team in pursuit of making school history by becoming the first Wisconsin Softball team to make the NCAA Tournament three years in a row.

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Men’s Basketball: Streaky Badgers seek consistency before March Despite recent struggles, plenty of opportunity lays ahead in second half of season before Wednesday’s game at Illinois

by Justin Mielke Associate Sports Editor

The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team (12-6, 4-3), fresh off a dramatic upset of No. 2 Michigan, is getting set to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini Wednesday night in their first game back from the winter recess. After handing the Wolverines their first loss of the season, the Badgers currently sit at sixth in the Big Ten with a 4-3 conference record and look poised to make a late-season run into the NCAA Tournament picture.

After nearly a month of inconsistent play from several marquee Badgers, UW finally found its stroke Saturday morning at the Kohl Center.

Per usual, Ethan Happ put on a show in front of a soldout crowd in Madison that seemingly gave the Badgers more energy as the game played out. He finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds to go with seven assists and two steals, giving him 12 double-doubles on the season and 42 for his historic career.

But Happ received plenty of help from his teammates, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Wisconsin forced 16 turnovers from a typically careful Michigan offense. More surprising, however, was the Badgers free-throw efficiency, as the team shot 78 percent from the stripe.

Looking ahead to Wednesday’s game, the Illinois Fighting Illini are 4-13 on the season and sport a 0-6 conference record thus far. Nine of the Illini’s 12 losses have come by 10 points or fewer, including a sixpoint loss to No. 3 Gonzaga, an eight-point loss to No. 21 Indiana and two 10-point losses to No. 19 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan.

The Illini have played most of their games with grit, but they have yet to put together a complete performance and earn a quality victory. Though they are loaded with talent, they are also young, with two sophomores and two freshmen in their starting lineup. Illinois likes to run and gun, so the Badgers will have to do what they do best — slow the game down — to frustrate the Illini offense.

As for the Badgers, they have cooled down after a red-hot start to the season.

Wisconsin started 10-2 while picking up marquee wins against No. 20 Oklahoma and No. 17 North Carolina State and two Big Ten victories against No. 22 Iowa and Rutgers. In that 12-game stretch, 22 • badgerherald.com • Janaury 22, 2019

Wisconsin’s two losses came in a sevenpoint defeat against No. 4 Virginia and an overtime loss on the road to in-state rival No. 15 Marquette.

The Badgers were as high No. 6 in the NET rankings this season, but have struggled since the fall semester ended.

Wisconsin dropped four of their previous five games prior to Saturday’s upset, with their lone win in Happy Valley against Penn State.

The skid was highlighted by a loss on the road against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, where Ethan Happ fouled out while shooting just nine for 23 from the field. Additionally, the Badgers put up a 14-point first half at home against Minnesota and a 15-point first half on the road at Maryland, both of which resulted in losses.

Even with six losses, the Badgers have yet to embarrass themselves, as the greatest margin of defeat falls at just seven points. Even with their lackadaisical offensive performances in the first half against Minnesota and Maryland, the Badgers turned it around and mounted impressive, albeit insufficient, comebacks in the second half of each game. The Badgers also fell to Purdue by only five points in overtime after mounting a late comeback thanks to D’Mitrik Trice’s two three-pointers in the final 30 seconds of regulation.

“There’s no moral victory attitude in that locker room,” Head Coach Greg Gard told reporters after the loss to Maryland, which holds true in the minds of this year ’s talented roster. The goals lie much higher than simply moral victories.

Despite their cold streak, it is not time to panic. One factor to consider is time — it is only January, and there are still 12 games remaining before the Big Ten tournament.

Wisconsin is also still sitting at No. 22 in the NET rankings, even though they dropped out of the AP top 25, and should move up considerably after beating Michigan.

While Ethan Happ has had difficulty turning over the ball, and much has been said about his shooting woes, the statistics tell a somewhat different story. Happ is still averaging 20 points per game and shooting 57 percent from the field. The efficiency might be down because of turnovers and missed free throws, but all the production is still there. Happ just needs to focus on taking better care of the ball.

Brad Davison has also broken free and re-discovered his role on the team after Trice, who returned this season after

Photo · Ethan Happ goes for a reverse layup over a Michigan defender. He finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds Saturday, his 12th double-double of the season.

Jon Yoon The Badger Herald

“‘There’s no moral victory attitude

in that locker room,’ Head Coach Greg Gard told reporters after the loss to Maryland, which holds true in the minds of this year’s talented roster. The goals lie much higher than simply moral victories.

”

missing most of last year, took over at point guard. Davison was inconsistent in the early going of the season, but he has found his groove, averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting over 50 percent from beyond the arc in the last five games.

Another Badger producing is Nate Reuvers, who recently put up an 18-point second half performance on the road against the Terrapins. Reuvers is continuing

to be a defensive presence in the low block, averaging 1.7 blocks per game this season.

It seems as though the most potent absence from this young team is consistent bench production. The four Badgers coming off the bench — Kobe King, Brevin Pritzl, Charles Thomas IV and Aleem Ford — have not produced enough on a consistent basis for a team that desperately needs it. That puts too much pressure and attention on Wisconsin’s starters and makes the Badgers too predictable an offense for opposing defenses.

Despite the joy that comes from taking down the No. 2 team in the country, the Badgers must not lose focus and remain on track this Wednesday as they travel down to Champaign, Ill. The game will be aired on the Big Ten Network starting at 8 p.m. or you can listen live on The Badger Radio Network, 100.9 FM.

BANTER

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Women’s Basketball: Badgers look to repair rocky start to 2019 Team has gone winless since Dec. 31 victory over Purdue

by Vicki Dombeck Sports Editor

The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team entered 2019 with a respectable 10–4 record, including wins against Pittsburgh and Purdue. As the season picks up, the Badgers (10-8, 1-5 Big Ten) will look to improve upon their last-place record in the Big Ten. So far, however, Wisconsin has been off to a cold start in 2019.

After defeating Purdue at home on New Year ’s Eve, the Badgers have now dropped four straight games to begin the new year, falling to Big Ten foes Penn State, No. 22 Iowa, No. 25 Indiana and Border Battle rival No. 23 Minnesota. Wisconsin has now lost eight of its last 12 games following a promising 6-0 start to the season.

The Badgers 28-point loss to the Golden Gophers (13-4, 2-4) this past Thursday was its worst of the season, as Minnesota dominated a sluggish Wisconsin team from start to finish. The Gophers shot 49 percent from the field, knocking down six of 10 three-pointers in the process. In contrast, UW shot just 38.5 percent from the field and went 2-9 from beyond the arch, a season-low in both three-pointers made and attempted.

Wisconsin’s usually stout defense could not contain Minnesota guard Kenisha Bell, who dominated with 25 points to lead all scorers. Minnesota out-rebounded the Badgers 37-28, and garnered 18 assists compared to Wisconsin’s eight.

Perhaps most daunting from Thursday’s game is the reality that the Badgers shot better from the field than they did from the free throw line (38.1 percent).

Nevertheless, UW will look to get its season back on track when it hosts Penn State (9-8, 2-4) Jan. 24 at the Kohl Center.

The last time these two teams met was Jan. 3 in Happy Valley, Pa., where the Badgers fell 71–64. Though it feels like a quick turnaround to play the same team again, Head Coach Johnathan Tsipis and his team will look to use this to their advantage with that tough loss still fresh in their minds.

Senior forward Marsha Howard led the Badgers in scoring in their first matchup.

However, it was Penn State’s Teniya Page who led all scorers with 23 points, and who led the Nittany Lions to victory. Wisconsin will have to pay extra attention to Page — the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer — come Thursday.

For the Badgers to redeem themselves, they will have to do a better job limiting

the Nittany Lions’ second-chance opportunities. Penn State hauled in 17 offensive rebounds and scored 14 second-chance points in the teams’ first meeting. Forcing Penn State into oneshot possessions could prove to be a deciding factor.

The Badgers should also aim to limit their fouls and not allow Penn State too many trips to the foul line. The Nittany Lions have the third-best free throw shooting percentage in the Big Ten. Limiting points in the paint and forcing Penn State into outside shots will also be critical for the Badger defense, as Penn State made only five three-pointers in their first meeting at a 25 percent clip.

Despite boasting one of the Big Ten’s top rebounding duos in Howard and freshman forward Imani Lewis, as well as one of the conference’s

“Wisconsin has now lost eight

EVENING OF STORYTELLING

of its last 12 games following a promising 6-0 start to the season.

”

premier defenses, the Badger offense has struggled mightily this season.

Wisconsin ranks 13th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and turnover margin.

Though this team identifies with their defensive play, Wisconsin cannot expect to win games without consistent offensive production. As the season moves along, the Badgers have to shoot the ball better and improve their free throw shooting, which currently ranks dead-last in the Big Ten at a skimpy 53 percent.

Entering the second half of the season on a four-game losing streak is certainly not what the Badgers or Tsipis had hoped for, but with only Big Ten games remaining on their schedule, Wisconsin will look to boost its stock in hopes of a postseason run and its first NCAA Tournament since 2010. Some key games to watch for: Jan. 31 at No. 9 Maryland, Feb. 14 vs. No. 17 Michigan State and Feb. 25 at No. 20 Rutgers.

Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. on Thursday Jan. 24 the Kohl Center. The game can be viewed on BTN plus or listened to on 100.9 FM.

FEBRUARY 1, 2019 7:00PM-9:30PM

SPORTS

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Women’s Hockey: Badgers maintain No. 1 ranking as season nears end After splitting tough road series against Ohio State, here’s what the Badgers face in the final third of their season

by John Spengler Associate Sports Editor

The top-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team (20-2-0, 10-2-0 WCHA) fell to the No. 5 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (15-70, 9-5-0) in Columbus Jan. 11. A 1–0 loss, the Badgers were shutout for only the second time this season, with the first coming at the hands of No. 2 Minnesota on Oct. 27.

Despite the uncharacteristic loss, last Saturday’s showing against the Buckeyes was certainly not representative of the season the Badgers have had thus far, nor the season that could lay ahead. In fact, Saturday’s game was actually a relatively strong offensive showing for the Badgers.

The Badgers rattled off twelve more shots on goal than OSU — all of which were saved by Buckeye goalie Andrea Braendli.

Wisconsin put up numbers consistent with their offensive production all season, but simply fell victim to Braendli’s superb goaltending in the first of a two-game road series.

Perhaps being shutout was merely a symptom of any lingering rust after the month-long sabbatical from competitive hockey. No matter the reason for their performance, the series’ second installment proved to be business as usual for the topranked Badgers.

In a 5–2 win, Wisconsin once again saw its offense distance itself from their opponent in tandem with a sturdy showing from the Badger defense. It served as no surprise to see UW put up impressive offensive numbers against a top-ranked opponent, something they have done all season long.

Securing a high seed for the WCHA “tournament will be crucial for the Badgers as they seek to cap off a remarkable season with a Frozen Four appearance.

”

The Badgers needed just 52 seconds to find the net, as freshman Britta Curl notched her eleventh goal of the season off passes form Abby Roque and Sophie Shirley. Curl would later tack on her second goal of the game after goals from Shirley, Sophia Shaver and team-leading goal scorer Annie Pankowski. In total, Wisconsin outshot the Buckeyes 46-14 in an impressive rebound victory.

The shutout loss to begin the second leg 24 • badgerherald.com • Janaury 22, 2019

of their season served as a shock to the system to the Badgers — yet, they were able to persevere in the second game of the series and ultimately maintain their long-held No. 1 national ranking.

Perhaps more important moving forward, however, is the team’s stance within the WCHA — the Badgers have been unable to regain the top spot in the conference after their loss to Minnesota in October.

Despite the Badgers and the Gophers both having two losses, one to each other and one to Ohio State, Minnesota remains ahead in the WCHA standings having played more conference games.

The Badgers will have a chance to make up this difference with ten WCHA games remaining in their season compared to the Gophers’ eight.

Securing a high seed for the WCHA tournament will be crucial for the Badgers as they seek to cap off a remarkable season with a Frozen Four appearance and, ultimately, another national title. With a high seed in the conference tournament, the Badgers would face an easier path to a WCHA title that guarantees a berth into the highly selective eight-team NCAA playoff.

Without this guaranteed berth, Wisconsin would have to rely on their Photo · After dropping the first match of their two-game series against Ohio State, Wisconsin responded with a dominant 5–2 perfornational ranking at the mance in which they outshot the Buckeyes 46-14. end of the season to carry Daniel Yun them to the tournament.

The Badger Herald Wisconsin has consistently made the NCAA tournament and securing a conference title and a high seed face no new teams over the next 10 games. advanced to the Frozen Four even when they in the following NCAA tournament seems Some familiar foes should help the team did not win the WCHA. But each title that to aid the Badgers in achieving the ultimate finish the season strong, as they search the Badgers have won since the inception of goal of a national title. for yet another deep run into the WCHA the NCAA Women’s Hockey tournament has Looking to the remainder of the regular playoffs, which kick off Mar. 1 and the coincided with a WCHA title in the same season, each of the Badgers remaining NCAA Tournament, which begins Mar. 16 year. There is certainly no necessary link matchups are against conference opponents, with the NCAA Quarterfinal. between winning the two tournaments, but with the upside being that the Badgers will

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Spresolutions: The Badger Herald’s goals for spring semester

Already failed your New Year’s resolutions? Don’t despair! See if you can keep these up past the Add/Drop deadline instead

by Angela Peterson ArtsEtc. Editor

Already broke your New Year ’s Resolution? Have no fear, there’s still an entire semester of improvement to be had. Here are 19 goals for the 2019 spring semester that will help every student live their best life.

1. Work up the motivation to get on the bus to go to the Nat. 2. Use your stove at least once a week for meals beyond mac and cheese.

3. Read a book per week. No, of course this doesn’t count textbooks.

4. Go to office hours.

5. Wake up an hour before the first class of the day.

6. Okay, maybe half an hour.

7. 15 minutes?

8. Keep Handshake up to date.

9. Thank the bus driver every time.

10. Actually talk to the person next to you in lecture instead of staring awkwardly at Snapchat.

11. Use more life hacks.

12. Learn to yodel to become a campus sensation.

13. Debut yodeling, or any other skill, at Open Mic Night.

14. Remember every Canvas quiz.

15. Unsubscribe from those student organization e-mails that lured you with free candy.

16. Never cry in the same place twice.

17. Walk up Bascom instead of taking the 80.

18. Determine the difference between Rathskeller and Sett sauce.

19. Convince Bucky to wear a different sweater.

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