A student–run publication
October 2015
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CONTENTS
Fox Times | OCTOBER 2015 2 4 12 13 16 20 21 22 24 27 28 32
From the Editor Club Spotlight Ask Foxy Halloween Fun Facts Cheers and Jeers Eve of Destruction My Fitness Journey Graduation: The Light at the End of the tunnel Faces of FVTC Foxy at the Wellness Center Wellness Center Grand Opening Random Questions My Trip to Europe Wisconsin joins national push to curb solitary confinement
37 Making friends with a fly: One man’s story of solitary confinement 38 From ‘isolation panic’ to ‘social death’: Going crazy in solitary 39 President Obama: Solitary confinement ‘not smart’ and ‘not going to make us safer’ Billionaire Charles Koch: ‘Reversing overcriminalization and mass incarceration will improve societal well-being’ 40 Hundreds hurt, killed when Wisconsin teens get guns 44 Child gun laws in Wisconsin By the numbers: Teen gun violence in Wisconsin 45 Comics by Phil Hands
Advisor Shannon Gerke Corrigan gerkecor@fvtc.edu Fox Times Staff Members Rich Weber – Editor In Chief William Miller – Layout & Design Editor Contributors Christiana Coakley
Elizabeth Jeffers
Dianne Tyler
Dee J. Hall
Mai Yang
Sean Kirkby
Richard Evers
Brenda Winkler
Angelica Komarek
William Miller
Sadie Enders
Ezra Kizewski
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F rom The Edit or
Whew! Did the first 4-5 weeks of the semester just fly by for you too? My goodness time flies when you are having fun. I hope everyone is having a great semester so far and your homework has been a breeze! ;)
Well, it is Halloween month, the end of the first mini semester and the beginning of the second, and we will have hit the midpoint of the semester this month. October truly is a month filled with horror and dread. On a lighter note, how many of you will be trick or treating this year? My wife and I go yearly with our daughter, this year she will be a Queen Bee and the dog is her “worker bee”. He really dislikes the bee costume, but it is so funny. If you were to go out among the ghouls and goblins, what would you dress up as? Click here to answer. Walktober has begun for everyone that signed up with Brandy Hankey, the Wellness Coordinator. November will see Maintain Don’t Gain, with another event planned for December. More clubs responded this issue with their updates and reports, thank you for that. The Fox Times is by students for students, so the more input from students the better the paper is. The cut off for November is October 15th, and that is a hard cut off as my layout guru Bill is leaving the country for 2 weeks on vacation. The SGA elections have been completed. Your new Student Government Association Executive Board is: President: Rich Weber, Professional Communications Vice President: Megan Kososki, Printing and Publishing
The Fox Times is a student run publication. Any questions, concerns, complaints, or praise should be directed to the students that run the organization. I or other Fox Times staff are easily found as we are always in the building it seems, or you can email me directly at fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com. As is my usual custom, I will take full responsibility for any errors or bad things in the paper, and properly credit my staff and fellow editorial board members for any praise we may receive. As an editorial board we make the decisions about the direction of the paper, the articles within it, the photos within it, and whether or not we choose to be friendly, incendiary, or a bit of both. Yes we have an Advisor, an amazing Advisor to be clear. She does what a good Advisor is supposed to do and advises the Editorial Board on where the line is, but she doesn’t tell us whether to cross it or not. That decision lies completely with the Editorial Board. An Advisor simply advises the students on proper procedures, what the student organization has done in the past, and answers questions that the current student members may have. Advisors do not run the student organizations. Students do. Do I care if people are offended by what appears within our pages? Of course I do. However, I am not about to count how many cartoons are for or against which political party, nor am I going to count how many articles there are. I have more important things to worry about, like ensuring that clubs get their articles into me on time, editing articles, recruiting students to take over for me, or making sure the cover shoot goes well and we have usable pictures.
Secretary: Susan Reed, Interior Design
With all of that being said, again, ALL feedback is welcome and we truly look forward to hearing from our readers of which we have many.
Parliamentarian: Christiana Coakley, Natural Resources
Have a great October!
Treasurer: Rae Derks, Accounting
Member at Large General: Kristin Geary, Medical Billing and Coding Member at Large Clubs: Terrence Mncube, Information Technology Congratulations to everyone that ran for office, and congratulations to the winners! Now I have to address the subject of feedback. 99% of the feedback I hear about the Fox Times is positive and 100% of it is welcome. No one likes to be in a vacuum, speaking into the void. I have only heard from two, yes count them, two people that they did not like what they read or saw within the Fox Times. I have heard that others have been upset, though they have chosen to not speak to me regarding this issue, instead taking it up with the Administration, or with the Fox Times Advisor. This really is not the most effective means of expressing displeasure with the Fox Times.
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Fox Times is looking for photographers willing to take random pictures, attend sports events, and attend school events. Email foxtimes@fvtc.edu if interested!
What Makes You Different from Other Graduates? We can help you develop skills that will change how you view the world. The educational experiences we offer will prepare you for today’s global workforce. We help develop skills to give you a competitive advantage in your career or career search. ¿Hablas español?
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Czy mówisz po polsku?
Travel with FVTC to Ireland, Panama, Jamaica, and Germany
Earn elective credits as you expand your world view and immerse yourself in study abroad, or language immersion programs. Choose from 8-14 day programs or longer. For more information, contact Aaron Gorenc: gorenc@fvtc.edu.
NEW Certificate — Intercultural Relations — By earning this certificate, you will
develop intercultural skills – a demand in today’s global business environment. Explore the impact of culture on work behavior, and advance your knowledge and understanding of other cultures. Parlez vous français?
日本語が話せますか。
Did you know that FVTC offers 12 world languages and you can earn elective credit? Find our spring 2016 schedule at: www.fvtc.edu/Global (Some online language options are also available.)
Você fala português?
Вы говорите по-русски?
Experience the World with Fox Valley Technical College www.fvtc.edu/Global Contact us: Globaled@fvtc.edu | 920-735-4810 | G130 Follow us on Twitter: @FVTCGlobalEd
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PHI THETA K APPA HONOR SOCIET Y
©
– BETA EPSI LON OM ICRON – By Dianne Tyler
PTK Co-Vice President and Public Relations officer Phi Theta Kappa has been off to an over whelming start this fall semester and we couldn’t be more pleased. We have many new faces joining our weekly meetings and staying active reading our online minutes. It has been exciting mingling and meeting the new members and we are stoked to have sent 9 of them to the Leadership Conference during the first weekend of October 2015. We are expecting many new changes (positive of course) with another successful year upon us. Our officer team continued to hold meetings and researched many ideas and topics over the past summer so we could remain efficient and stay focused on our goals. We achieved many tasks and have learned a great deal about our upcoming projects that will be taking place this year. We hope you are as excited as we are to get the ball rolling. We can’t wait to present to you our efforts supporting the students and our community. If you’re interested in more information on our projects, be sure to stop by a meeting and ask us about them. Typically we meet on Wednesday’s with alternating times, either 8:30 a.m. or 3:30 p.m. and gather in a reserved meeting room in the Student Success Center. Please “like” our Facebook page to stay current on meetings, events,
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and other announcements https://www.facebook.com/ FvtcPTK. As our chapter continues to grow, we will be looking for interested members to become a part of our officer team and our leadership team. Many new positions will be available and current positions will also having some openings. Stay tuned for further announcements regarding these positions and openings. With the year off to a great start, we want to thank those who have already stepped in and helped out with the Drive-in, and with our first Bake Sale. Both of these events contributed to our loyalty and dedication to the school, the students, the community, and our chapter. Not to mention, our chapter also raised a good amount of funds. We will have many more volunteer opportunities and events this school year, so please don’t think you’re missing all the fun. Our Officers feel that the fun is just beginning! Remember to “like” our Facebook page and don’t be afraid to contact us for partnering/fund-raising ideas, or for more information.
Hmong Student Union by Mai Yang
Nyob zoo! I am Mai Yang. I’ve only been residing in Appleton for two years. I am originally from Manitowoc, Wisconsin and moved here in 2013. This year, I am President of Hmong Student Union. I love to meet new people. I have a passion for blogging and am a planner addict at heart. I am studying Administrative Professional and currently work in the Multicultural Student Services as a Work Study Student. I hope to build a great foundation for fellow HSU members to be able to gain the knowledge and experiences as I have. Nyob Zoo, my name is Panar Vang and I’m 19 years old. This is my second year in college, majoring in Associate Nursing Degree. Last year I joined the club as a member, as the year came to an end I thought I would challenge myself. This year I became the Vice-President for Hmong Student Union. With the challenge of being a Vice-President I hope to gain knowledge, confidence, and experience. All things considered I will do my best to help accomplish goals we have set out as a club.
G’jachua (Josh) Buckley – My name is Josh! I am the Secretary of the Hmong Student Union. I am 21 years old, a second year student and majoring in Culinary Arts. I was born and raised in Mississippi, then moved to Wisconsin in June of 2012 after graduating high school. I work at Jimmy Johns on College Avenue and also at American Eagle located in the Fox River Mall. I love being at school, doing different activities, and meeting new people. If you see me walking around don’t be afraid to say hi and introduce yourself! Hello there! Nyob Zoo! My name is Lao Xiong, I am the Public Relations officer in the Hmong Student Union club. I am currently majoring in the Business Management program. This fall is my second semester in the program. Being a part of Hmong Student Union club was a great way for me to open up, not just to Hmong Student Union members, but to many other people (students/teachers). The club helped me to believe in myself and have more confidence in myself. Also it improved my leadership skills, work ethics, and education.
Bruce Xiong, 22 years old. I was the former Secretary but now I am the new Treasurer of Hmong Student Union. I was born in Fresno, California but raised in Appleton, Wisconsin. I am majoring in Criminal Justice Law Enforcement and also a member of the Criminal Justice Student Association. This is my last semester here at the tech and will be graduating in December 2015. Being a part of Hmong Student Union has given me the opportunity to enhance my leadership skills through hard work and education.
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Oshkosh FVTC Campus Events October 2015 October 1
Walktober begins
October 8
David Jackson Waupaca- 7pm Coffee, Juice & Donuts 7:30am AMTC & Spanbauer
October 9
October 20
Lip Sync Battle: 11am & 5pm Appleton Commons One-On-One Wellness Sign-Ups 8:00-9:30 am, PSTC Pizza Night - 5:30 pm, AMTC
October 21
Falling for Wellness ends
Josh Schweitzer 11:30am E130
October 9 & 10
Pizza Night - 5:30 pm, Spanbauer
WSG Conference
Tundra Lodge Trip
SGA Leadership Retreat
October 23
October 13
October 27
Karaoke Slam: Oshkosh
October 28
Palm Reader: Barbara Meyer 10am-2pm Commons
October 14
SLICE 11:30am A170 & SRC One-On-One Wellness Sign-Ups 11:30-12:30 pm, Entrance 10 Student Government Association Meeting 3:30 PM, C140
October 15
Homeless Awareness Event Oshkosh Room 133
October 17
Great America Fright Fest Trip 6 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | OCTOBER 2015
Ping Pong Tournament- 11am SLC Speaker: Rich Graham – SR-71 Pilot Spanbauer Campus, 11:30 am Student Government Association Meeting 3:30 pm, E130
October 30
Thriller Dance Lessons
October 31
Halloween Party, Appleton Commons Walktober Ends Halloween Party 10:00 am, Oshkosh Riverside Commons
Culinary Club Thai Fried Bananas Yield: 4 Serving size: 4 pieces Ingredients 2 Tablespoons Butter 4 each fresh, firm bananas, peeled and cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces 1/4 cup Brown sugar 1 teaspoon Black sesame seeds 1 Lime, juiced Procedure 1. Heat a wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter. 2. Once melted, toss in bananas and add 1/4 cup of sugar. 3. Cook down sugar and add the sesame seeds and juice. 4. Stir together and serve.
Sweet Potato Pudding (kanome maw gaeng) Yield: 16 small squares Serving size: 4 pieces Ingredients 3 large Eggs 1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk 1 1/4 cups Sugar 1 1/4 cups Cooked & mashed Sweet Potatoes 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 2 Tablespoons Shallots Procedure 1. Stir together eggs and coconut milk. 2. Mix in sugar. 3. Mix in potatoes. 4. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and custard thickens (4-5 min.). 5. Pour custard into greased 8 or 9” square pan and bake 30-40 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. At 350-375 degrees (a knife inserted into the center should come out clean) 6. Heat oil and add shallots. 7. Fry until golden brown and crisp (3-5 min.) 8. Reserve a tablespoon of oil and transfer it and shallots to a bowl to cool. 9. Sprinkle the shallots over the warm custard and allow it to cool. 10. Serve at room temperature, cut into small squares.
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Natural Resources Club My name is Luke AlSaadi this is my second year in the natural resource program and I am the newly elected club President. I love being outside and being active. I enjoy sports such as basketball and lacrosse. Pizza is my favorite food. I also love Nintendo since Sega no longer makes counsels. Hi, I am Angelica Komarek and I am the Vice President of the Natural Resources Club. This is my third semester at Fox Valley and I plan to graduate in May. I absolutely love the outdoors. Withier its 100 degrees or 20 degrees below zero I will be outside. I enjoy hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling. I hope to have a fun and active year in the Natural Resources Club.
My name is Laura Kromm. This is my second semester as the Natural Resources Club Secretary. I am in my 5th Semester in the program. I have a lot of passion for being outdoors as well as teaching others about an important resource. Life is an Adventure so go get it and see what you can while you can. I am Christiana Coakley. I am the Treasurer of the Natural Resources Club. I was member at Large Clubs last year for SGA and am running for Parliamentarian. I am currently in my 5th semester in the program. Some of the things I like to do in my free time are biking, skiing, fishing, reading, video games, softball, and bowling.
F x Times Articles Wanted Do you like what you see do it. If you need article within these pages? Then suggestions, let me know. join us. Do you think Email me at you can do better? Then fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com get up off your duff and 8 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | OCTOBER 2015
Thursday, October 1
SAC Meeting Rm. G113E (Appleton Campus) 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Tuesday, October 6
SAC Meeting Rm. G113E (Appleton Campus) 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Tuesday, October 13
Palm Reader Barbara Meyer Outside Student Life (E137, Appleton Campus) 10:00 am – 2:00 pm FREE
Tuesday, October 20
Lip Sync Battle Appleton Commons 11:00 am & 4:00 pm Sign up in the Student Life Office (E137, Appleton Campus)
Thursday, October 22
SAC Meeting Rm. G113E (Appleton Campus) 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Thursday, October 29
SAC Meeting Rm. G113E (Appleton Campus) 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Thursday, October 15
SAC Meeting Rm. G113E (Appleton Campus) 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
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Sixth Annual Candlelight Vigil by Sadie Enders
Addiction Awareness and Prevention Club (AA&P Club) The Addiction Awareness and Prevention Club hosted its sixth annual Candlelight Vigil. The event brought together a collection of people, from FVTC students and staff to members of the surrounding community, for the common reason of shining a light on addiction. The evening featured two guest speakers, Wendy Steward and Steve Hahn, who shared their personal conflicts with addiction. The former whose daughter died recently of a heroin overdose and her struggle to cope with the after affects. And the latter, who battled his use of drugs and alcohol to later graduate from the FVTC Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counseling Program. An acoustic musical intermission was provided graciously by Tyler Shea and Adam Racette of FACE Entertainment. The event was concluded by stepping outside of the DJ Bordini Center to light candles. The candles recognize the ongoing battle being faced by those still struggling with their addiction, celebrate those who have found recovery, and offer respect for those who have lost their lives to this vicious disease. A moment of silence was paid followed by the repeating of the Serenity Prayer, “(God), grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
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When FVTC alumni and Candlelight Vigil guest speaker, Steve Hahn, was asked how it felt to return to FVTC to share his story, he responded, “My thoughts are of gratitude and my feelings, humility. FVTC has helped me grow as a person. The facility and my student peers have helped to design my counseling skills. I present my story to show the truth. There is hope, many people can and do recover from addictions. Events like this help the community. There is a positive energy that is infused into the community. This can only benefit our community because it is given with the goal to enrich lives, and it does.” __________________________________________ The Addiction Awareness and Prevention Club meets biweekly on Tuesdays in room HS305 from 5:30-6 p.m.. Follow us on Facebook at ‘Fox Valley Technical College Addiction Awareness and Prevention Club’ for more information including: how you can get involved and join our e-mail list, meeting dates/times, plus all of our upcoming events! __________________________________________ DID YOU KNOW? In 2007, alcohol was a factor in approximately one-third of all reported suicides in the United States. This fact was brought to you by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
Where: Solutions Recovery Club 621 Evans St. Oshkosh, WI 54901 When: October 14th, 2015 7:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. This meeting will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. Where: Mooring House 607 W. 7th St. Appleton, WI 54911 When: October 28th, 2015 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This meeting will be held on the 4th Wednesday of every month. Giving parents, who have lost a child to the disease of addiction, the opportunity to share, support and connect. “Where there is deep grief, there was great love” – Unknown
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Submit comments or questions for Foxy at fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com. Dear Foxy, I know that this is a student publication, so why is it that just because “people” feel offended by something it has to be switched or taken off the shelf. I feel that people get butthurt from the smallest of things and it is really annoying. I mean grow up. If you don’t like it then stop reading it and skip over to the next page. We are free to say and write what we want. Let us do that. Damn. Sincerely, Getting it off my chest
Dear Foxy, I have noticed a drop in quality of the food in the cafeteria. A big drop. Last year most of the food was great and I didn’t hear a single complaint. This year my friends and I find it is awful and the selections are very few. I have tried a few things and they were totally gross. Have the prices gone up too? It looks like they are charging more for less food this year than last. Thank You, Food Critic
Dear Getting, Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it a great deal.
Dear Food, I have heard some grumblings about the food offerings this year as well. I think it is wise to remember that the students making the food are in their first or second semesters in the Culinary Program, so their skills may not be up to par yet. I do agree with the portion sizes though, it looks like less than last year for the same if not a little more of a price. I’ll check into it and report back!
Dear Foxy, I saw the Super Smash Bros gamers are back in Student Life. Why? They are too loud and rowdy, other students would like to use that area sometimes. Now gamers have taken over Spectators too! Where are us non-gaming students supposed to go? Angrily Yours, TV Lounger Hey TV, A lot of students have expressed their displeasure that Smash Bros has been reinstated as a playable game. It is only on Monday and Wednesdays though. Spectators however seems to be owned by the gamers as there are no restrictions on playing time there. I will pass along the displeasure and let you know what happens.
Dear Foxy, Halloween is fast approaching, what is your costume going to be this year? Sweet Dreams, Freddy Krueger Hey Freddy! I have several options this year, I could be a Fireman, one of the Village People, McGruff the Crime Dog, or the San Diego Chicken. Suggestions are welcome!
by Christiana Coakley
•
The Celtic calendar consisted of a lighter half and a darker half.
•
Samhain was a precursor to our Halloween celebrated by the Celtics about 3,000 years ago and was the beginning of the darker half of their calendar.
•
In the middle ages on All Souls Day, priests told Christians to pray for people trapped in purgatory. (Purgatory is not hell but it is still pretty fiery, if enough prayers are offered the person would go to heaven.)
•
Children would also go around souling from house to house eating soul cakes in return they would offer prayers for people in purgatory.
•
In the early 20th century in the U.S., usually adolescent boys would do pranks on Halloween such as remove farm fences so that the animals were let loose, smashing
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windows, putting soap on the rails so that the trains would derail, removing steps from people’s doorways so that they’d fall and get hurt, etc. •
The phrase “trick or treat” is from the early 20th century when homeowners would bribe the kids with homemade treats to avoid getting pranked.
•
Dennison made books to get kids away from mischief and suggested things like games, costume contests, and parties. Their books are the foundation for our traditions here in the U.S.
•
November 2nd was All Souls Day which was a church sanctioned holiday to honor the departed.
•
The Irish today have a section in the cemetery dedicated to still borns/miscarriages and children up to the age of 7.
Cheers
Jeers
Cheers to the newly elected SGA Board! Congrats and good luck this year! Cheers to all of the students that voted! Wonderful turnout and so many more than last year! Three cheers to all of you! Cheers to the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams! Good luck this season! Cheers to Halloween! Cheers to all of the students that attended the Rise Together event in Oshkosh. Jeers to people that commit senseless violence and murder random people. Jeers to the delayed road work in Milwaukee, Madison, and Appleton/Menasha/Neenah. Weren’t we told there was a budget surplus? Jeers to people without a sense of humor. Lighten up my friends. Jeers to Domestic Violence.
If you wish to submit a cheer or jeer, send an email to fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com with cheers and jeers in the subject line.
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14 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | OCTOBER 2015
An FVTC and Goodwill/FISC Partnership
Want financial
peace of mind? Discover options to make your money go further! Many responsible students go through financial challenges. We can help you make informed decisions and take control of your finances. It’s confidential and free. Get assistance with: • budgeting • using credit wisely • managing debt • credit reports We offer a variety of services to meet the individual needs of each student. Options include one-on-one counseling and regularly scheduled group workshops. Feel free to call or stop by Room E121 at FVTC’s Appleton Campus if you have a question or would like to schedule an appointment. Located at: Fox Valley Technical College Counseling Services — Room E121 1825 N. Bluemound Drive, Appleton (920) 735-4855 Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday-Tuesday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday
www.fvtc.edu/financialwellness
The Workshops: “Build and Keep a Good Credit Score” Your credit score affects your interest rate on loans, your insurance premiums, and even your ability to secure some jobs. This workshop takes the mystery out of credit scores. “Planning for Financial Freedom” A budget is a proven way to help you gain control over money, manage debt, and meet monthly expenses. This workshop explains how to build a practical budget that really works. “Credit Tricks and Traps” Used wisely, credit can help us live richer lives. But if we overuse credit, debt can build up and feel unmanageable. This workshop explains, how to make credit work for you, avoid credit traps, and reduce debt. To register, call (920) 735-4855 or stop in Counseling Services.
The FISC Counselor helps you:
• Understand financial options open to you • Reduce financial stress • Develoop a plan to make the most of your money • Manage debt and use credit wisely
.............................................................
Supported by a grant from the Basic Needs Giving Partnership Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.
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Eve of Destruction Pumpkin trailer gets smashed during Trailer Race at the Eve of
Megasaurus picks up and eats a car.
Destruction, WIR in Kaukauna, September 11, 2015.
by William Miller
A few weeks ago my wife asked if I wanted to go to the Eve of Destruction in Kaukauna. She told me it was more like a demolition derby. She knows I’m not much into racing, unless you count Gran Tourismo. She did a real good sell job, telling me they use a jet engine to incinerate a car at the end. Who wouldn’t want to see that? I do enjoy violence and destruction. When we arrived at 5pm it was already packed. A huge crowd was gathered in front of the gates. Did I mention how much I love crowds? Not! Reminds me of the cows on the farm I grew up on, in such a hurry, pushing and shoving, but having no idea where they are really going. Some friends saved us a nice spot in the bleachers right on the front straight-way. Calling them bleachers is a big compliment and quite misleading. If you ever go there make sure you have something, a blanket or your own chair, to sit on to protect yourself. And slivers weren’t even the biggest threat. The loose gravel and dirt on a 30 degree angle beneath them is far more treacherous. One of our friends went down and nearly broke his leg. Everyone laughed and asked how much he had been drinking. He hadn’t. I’m just saying, the place isn’t quite the Taj Mahal, but what do you expect in rural Wisconsin? As for the festivities, I would say the highlights were the singing of the National Anthem and the Fireworks at the very end. The rest of it was alright but, to be generous, amateurish. I know my hearing ain’t what it used to be but the speaker system was terrible, I could hardly understand the announcer, so it was impossible to know what was happening. Right after the beautiful rendition of the National Anthem there was a lull in the action, people were milling around on the track when unexpectedly there was a huge explosion in front of the bleachers next to us. Flames shot at least
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50 feet in the air. I put my arm up to cover my face but it still burned. It seemed like a mistake and everyone was confused about what was going on. Before we came to our senses there was a second eruption right in front of our bleachers. I put my arm up again but this one really burned. It felt like I was about to burst into flames. I heard people around us complaining about their eyebrows being singed. The next day my wife’s face looked very sunburned. I guess she didn’t get her arms up in time. There were plenty of races but since they were on the figure-8 track it seemed like the cars were all going in slow motion. In most of the races the racers were being very courteous, slowing down or stopping to avoid collisions. I thought there would be more crashes. The only good race, in my opinion, was the Trailer Race. The object was to be the last car moving under it’s own power with it’s trailer still attached. So, the drivers had a vested interest in knocking the trailers off the other cars. That’s the kind of mayhem I can get into. One of the trailers had a giant pumpkin, one of those 1,000 pounders. When another car slammed into it at full speed the crowd screamed in approval. The pumpkin exploded into thousands of pieces littering the track and the field. Ya! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. Between the slow, cordial races they had all sorts of amateur entertainment. They had guys showing off on motorcycles, burning the rubber off their tires until they burst from the abuse. Did I mention I don’t care for the smell of burning rubber? They played football with cars. Destructive but really kinda boring. They had the Demo Devil, Megasaurus, Benny the Bomb and some guy who was really into jet engines. As unsophisticated as they might have been, they were more entertaining than most of the races. At least they made a nice mess.
Demo Devil was kind of a stunt man, I guess, a bad, not very daring one. He did a couple of jumps. Well, one anyway. The first was either a missed jump or an intentional barrel roll. It was hard to tell if he simply missed the ramp or if it was on purpose, probably because I couldn’t hear the announcer clearly. The second jump was on the front straight-away right in front of us. It looked like he was going to try jumping several cars. He didn’t make it. Instead he nose-dived right into them and landed upside down on top of them. Not exactly Evel Knievel. Megasaurus was pretty neat. It came out and ate a car. I think there was a sound track playing along with the show but again I couldn’t really hear it. Benny the Bomb getting blown up in a Porta Potty.
Benny the Bomb was this old guy who seemed nervous about his show. The announcer talked to him, I couldn’t hear it, and then left the infield. A helper was assisting him into his car when Benny suddenly had to go to the rest room. Funny enough, there was a conveniently located porta-potty right next to him. The assistant helped him into it and then started running away. The porta-potty blew up. Firefighters rushed in to put out the flames. Benny was OK. At this point, I overheard someone near us say, “So this is what they call white-trash entertainment.” I was thinking just about the same thing. Benny’s kinka like a sad imitation of Super Dave Osborne, but he was funny. The guy who liked jets had a smart car with a jet engine and drove out in front of the crowd, going back and forth a few times, roaring and blasting flames behind him. It was pretty impressive. Later he came out in a Lazy Boy with a jet engine. Didn’t quite make sense but pretty cool anyway. Near the end of the night they stacked two cars on top of each other and incinerated them with a jet engine. It was sort of like watching my dad and brother start a bonfire. We actually call them bomb-fires. Lot’s of standing around not doing much and then, suddenly, a way too big fire. Not quite what I had imagined. Kinda dull and stinky. The very last thing was the fireworks and they were good, real good, almost as good as any I’ve ever seen. Then it was time for the real fun. Getting out of there. The cops were directing traffic in a specific way which left us stuck, waiting for everyone to leave before we could even move. After half an hour sitting there my wife had
Smart Car with jet engine blasting flames as he roars by the crowd.
enough, she turned around, went the opposite direction and basically ran a roadblock. When a cop stopped us she played stupid and he let us go. I would call him a sucker but he saved us at least an hour. So, instead I will just say – nice guy, thank you officer. There was plenty of destruction but it seemed chaotic and disorganized. If they fix the speakers and the bleachers I think the show would be much more enjoyable. Overall I would say it was alright but if you don’t like having your eyebrows seared off by unexpected explosions; if you don’t enjoy raucous, drunken crowds, deafening noise, the stench of burning rubber, oil and metal or breathing the toxic fumes; if you don’t like seeing cars being smashed, burned and eaten, you might want to just stay home.
WALK–IN FLU SHOT Clinic
Room A164–A166 Health Service October 5th
10:00am — 3:30pm
October 6th
1:00pm — 3:30pm
Price: $5.00 credits $16.00
Students carrying at least 6 Employees or students carrying less than 6 credits
Clinic Information: • Blood Pressure check upon request • No pre-registration
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18 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | OCTOBER 2015
17 th Annual
Halloween Costume Party Benefiting Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin - Fox Valley
Children’s
Friday, Oct 30, 2015 WAVERLY BEACH N8770 Firelane 1, Menasha
Hospital of Wisconsin
Kids deserve the best.
7 p.m. - 1 a.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. First band starts at 7 p.m. featuring Vic Ferrari 1st, 2nd, 3rd place costume prizes
FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 19
My Fitness Journey October Edition by Rich Weber
My daughter is demanding a monthly update on my journey so here it is. I am officially down 6, yes, count them, 6 pounds. I have not spent as much time in the Wellness Center as I need to so in the coming weeks I must buckle down and get it done.
My daughter is challenging me to cut down on candy. Yes, candy is also one of my as it turns out, many weaknesses. M & M’s are simply evil and know that they have me wrapped in their twisted little shells. I shall advise how that goes in the coming months.
I had my first soda today in many weeks, I have no excuse other than an utter lack of will power. Soda is my addiction, it is my craving, the substance that owns me. Rather, it is sugar that owns me. Pepsi has always been my drug of choice. I never smoked anything, I might sniff the cap of an alcoholic beverage here and there, then go straight to bed. (I have no tolerance for alcohol at all) Soda rules me above all.
I have been walking quite a bit though. I have hit my walking goal 57% of the time in the past month, and some days I have shattered it. My goal for the past month was 5,000 steps a day, some days that has been a challenge. Again, no excuse for not being 100% compliant. That is the goal for October, to be 100% walking goal compliant.
Walktober is fast approaching and I have challenged all student organizations to the Walktober challenge. Brandy Hankey in the Wellness Center runs a different program each month, so see her for details.
That is my update for October. If you see me in the Wellness Center, say hi, and join in. You will find me in the Wellness Center typically Monday mornings between 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Tuesday evenings between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., Wednesday evenings after 6 p.m., and Friday mornings between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. I encourage everyone to join me! Until next month.
Graduation: The Light at the End of the Tunnel by Elizabeth Jeffers
When I first started here at FVTC in, graduation day was the furthest thing from my mind. I tried not to think about it because why would I need to? Graduation was light years away. Now it seems that graduation is a mere hop, skip, and a jump away. It has become similar to the objects I see in my car’s side mirrors – closer than it appears. When I discovered that I would be graduating in December of 2015 instead of May of 2016 as was my original plan, I was hit with a sudden rush of excitement followed by sheer panic. Was I ready to graduate? Had I learned enough? What would I do with myself with no homework to do? How would I find a job? That last question is probably the one that goes through my mind the most. It’s all well and good to think about my future job while I’m a student, but when I was hit with the task of actually going out and using the skills I’ve acquired to find a real “grown-up” job, I suddenly felt that I have learned nothing and have absolutely nothing to offer employers. I am sure that I am not alone in thinking that once I’ve graduated, I’ll never find a job and that all of this was for nothing. All of the hard work, all of the late nights, all the cups of coffee, all of the frustration will all have been a colossal waste of time. I remember the first time I heard another person voice that they were a little scared to graduate because they felt they hadn’t learned enough to work in the real world. It was like I had finally come up for air after spending several months slowly drowning. It was such a relief to hear someone else voice the same concerns I had. Suddenly I wasn’t as alone as I thought I was. After that I started hearing those
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same concerns all around me and I was able to talk about what I can do help myself not feel so panicked about my life after graduation. I reminded myself that the teachers and other members of staff at FVTC don’t just send you into the world unprepared like a parent who throws their child into the deep end and says, “Now swim”, without so much as one lesson. They spend the time on you to make sure that you are as ready as possible; they genuinely want you to succeed. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with 4-year schools, but in the year and a half I spent at UWMilwaukee, I don’t remember ever walking down the hall and having teachers and/or staff call you by name and stop and say hello like they do at FVTC. It’s those little exchanges that I have with various people throughout the day that make me feel like a person, not a number. Those exchanges also make me feel that FVTC sincerely wants me to succeed and be the best that I can be out in the “real world”. Even though those feelings of complete and utter panic about graduating and entering the workforce still crop up, I feel them a little less when I think of all the resources at FVTC that are available to help me thrive after graduation; the 92% employment rate of FVTC graduates doesn’t hurt either! So even though I don’t currently know where I am going after graduation, I am learning to become excited about walking across that stage in December. From hereon-out, I plan on walking towards that light at the end of the tunnel, not fearful of the future, but ready to face it head-on with confidence.
Faces of FVTC FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 21
Foxy tests out the Wellness Center
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WELLNESS CENTER GRAND OPENING 24 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | OCTOBER 2015
EVERYTHING WELLNESS
SAVE THE DATE
Oct. 6– Community Open House, 3:00-7:00pm Oct. 8- Plank Challenge, 11:30am -12:30pm, Commons Oct. 14- 1 on 1 Wellness Sign Up, 11:30am-12:30pm, Entrance 15 Oct. 20- 1 on 1 Wellness Sign Up, 8:00-9:30am, PSTC
1 ON 1 WELLNESS
WALKTOBER
SESSION OPTIONS FITNESS ASSESSMENT
October 1st– 31st
Track your steps daily to earn points. The person with the most points will receive the grand prize. The first 50 students to register will receive a free pedometer. Sign up with the Wellness Center today!
Find your starting point with this quick and easy session and come back each month to reassess your fitness progress!
FREE GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES
All classes are held in the Wellness Center– E170. August 31st– December 11th
BODY COMPOSITION ASSESSMENT
Classes include Yoga, Kickboxing, Latin Cardio Fusion, and TRX! Check our facebook page for a current schedule, www.facebook.com/FVTCwellness
MAINTAIN DON’T GAIN
October 26th– December 4th This challenge encourages you to focus on maintaining your weight through Halloween and Thanksgiving. Pre and post weighins will be held in the Wellness Center. For more information, please see Brandy.
LIVESTRONG AT THE YMCA
LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is coming to FVTC! This is a free 12-week exercise based program for cancer survivors. Participation includes a 3 month YMCA membership. Email fitnesscenter@fvtc.edu for more information.
LEARN THE “THRILLER” DANCE
October 30th , 3:00pm Join Brandy in the Group Exercise Room to learn the dance from Michael Jackson’s Thriller! Come prepared to have fun and get a great workout.
“Like” us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/fvtcwellness
Height, weight, multi-site measurements, body fat check, blood pressure. Knowing you numbers is a great way to start any lifestyle improvement.
NUTRITION CONSULTATION
Come to this appointment with a 3 day food log recording your eating habits and together we will create a realistic nutrition plan.
ORIENTATION
Want to learn how to use the equipment in the Wellness Center – E170? Come to this appointment and learn proper form and how to set the machines up.
PERSONAL TRAINING
Students get two free 45-minute personal training sessions per semester.
Wellness Check
Find out your BMI, body fat percentage, weight, blood pressure, and resting heart rate.
FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 25
26 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | OCTOBER 2015
Random Questions If you wish to answer any of the November questions, click the link and respond in the Google Doc. Your responses will be published in a subsequent issue. https://docs.google. com/forms/d/1uyvDcBx8KKCpflhuzmjaOG-JIAFAXy_ vR0AT1LtWmrs/viewform
October questions and answers.
November questions
2. Would you rather die saving 10,000 strangers from death knowing no one would ever know it was you or live knowing everyone would know you decided not to save 10,000 people’s lives?
1. What are you most thankful for? • Family • Friends • Money • Good Looks • Intelligence • Sense of Humor
1. In a zombie apocalypse what would be your of weapon of choice?
Answers: 3 Sword, 1 Gun, 2 Crossbow
2. What does Thanksgiving mean to you?
Talk about Sophie’s choice! I guess I would hope that I’d choose to die for 10,000 people. It really depends on the people I’m saving. If it’s a bunch of people who have committed horrible crimes, then I’d probably let them die.
Answers: 6 die
3. Will you be participating in the Black Friday festivities this year?
3. Would you rather have your S/O look through all your text/chat/email history or your employer?
• Yes • No
I’m assuming S/O means significant other. I would choose significant other because I should be able to share that kind of thing with him/her. It’s none of my employers business. Unless of course my employer IS my significant other.
Answers: 5 S/O, 1 They can do it together
4. National Novel Writing Month is November. (NaNoWriMo)Will you be gracing the world with your prose? • Yes, J.K. Rowling should fear me! • No, E.L. James is a better writer than I am. • Maybe, if Stephanie Meyer can do it…
4. You are given the opportunity to become a vampire. The catch is that you can never change anything about yourself, you will always look the same. Would you do it?
Answers: 5 no, 1 yes, 1 neither I’m a vegetarian
Lace ‘Em Up!
2015 Fox Cities Heart Walk
Saturday, October 10 | Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton
Let's Walk!
Life is why! Why do you walk?
http://heartwalk.kintera.org/appletonwi/fvtc Every year we would like to feature a family member or friend of any FVTC employee and/or student. This year we are featuring my daughter McKenah. Click/go to the link to see HER story and join our team! The American Heart Association is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to defeating heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Our mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke — the nation’s No.1 and No.5 killers. Thank you, our walkers, donors and volunteers who help fight heart disease and stroke.
FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 27
MY TRIP TO EUROPE by Christiana Coakley
This summer I visited Europe with my family. We started in Italy, and I went to the World’s fair with my dad and some friends. The focus was on how to feed the planet with a growing population. When we were riding by on the bus, the guide pointed out Marble Mountain. This is where the Romans got their marble
from. There is still plenty of marble in the Mountain, and it is the most expensive marble in the world. While we were in Italy my dad’s choir had a concert in Volterra, this was their coolest concert. You definitely felt like you were in a fantasy novel. Our last stop was Rome, altogether we spent 7 days in Italy.
Mountain of marble, Italy
Volterra
Volterra
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Rome
German castle
German castle
Plauen
Our next stop was Germany, where we met up with my mom and my brother and then went to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and we were there for four days. We drove to Lichtenstein, went to Neuschwanstein and went to the top of the Zugspitze. After we left Garmisch-Partenkirchen, we drove to Erlangen and visited our relatives. One of them gave us tours around town and of the castle. The next stop was Plauen in East Germany where my family visited with more friends and relatives. Plauen is one of two towns where the wall removal revolution began. We visited the lace museum, had a cookout, and grilled cheese on the grill. The last day we went on a hike at the bottom of a big railroad bridge and it started raining. By the time we were to the car it stopped.
Rainy hike
The next stop was The Czech Republic. We spent for four days there. In Prague, we went to the Jewish Quarters, the Prague Castle and also saw the horoscope clock. After Prague, we went to Pilsen and toured the beer factory. The final stop was Ireland. A couple of the things we saw in Ireland were Bunratty Castle and Craggaunowen. Bunratty Castle was probably the best castle of the trip. The way it was built and how it was only for defense and not a palace. Craggaunowen is just like Heritage Hills where they have actors portraying people from the past. Over all it was an amazing trip.
Horoscope clock
Bunratty Castle
Pilsen beer factory
FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 29
30 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | OCTOBER 2015
We’re on a Mission to...
Save Members $40 Million!
“
t looks Community Firsther it’s out for me, whehecking my auto loan, ccard!” or my credit r/Owner g, Membe Chelsy Lingenha
Pat at Community First’s FVTC branch is here to help students and staff find financial stability by refinancing high rate credit cards, car and home loans from other financials to better loans with Community First. We’re on a mission to help you save! Just stop by our Appleton Campus branch at Entrance 10 today to see how we can save you on your car loan, home loan and even credit cards!
Bring all your loans to Community First: Mortgage • Car Loans • Credit Cards Boat, RV, Motorcycle; even your ATV loan!
Now it’s your turn to save!
(920) 830-7200 www.communityfirstcu.com
Visit our full service branch on FVTC Appleton campus at Entrance 10 Convenient on-campus location open 48 hours every week. Mon-Thurs 8:00 am - 6:00 pm • Fri 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Pat Schilcher
Branch Manager
3
Easy Ways To Get Started!
Visit our FVTC Branch or any of our 21 branches
Call Us
Log Online 24/7
FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 31
M.P. King/Wisconsin State Journal
Attendees at a rally against solitary confinement spend time inside a mock solitary confinement cell outside the state Capitol in Madison in October. The cell, built by the statewide group Wisdom, is based in part on drawings made by former inmate Talib Akbar during one nearly yearlong stint in isolation.
Wisconsin joins national push to curb solitary confinement Prisoner advocates praise new policies but continue to push for ending severe isolation, which many liken to torture By Dee J. Hall
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Wisconsin has made a “culture shift” in its use of solitary confinement in prisons, eliminating it as punishment for minor rule infractions and cutting the time inmates spend in isolation for more serious offenses, Department of Corrections officials say. In most cases, the state prison system will no longer discipline inmates for self-harm or suicide attempts by sentencing them to time in solitary confinement. And mitigating factors such as mental illness will be considered in meting out punishment, two top DOC officials said in an interview granted as part of a legal settlement with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. The changes in so-called restrictive status housing at DOC come as powerful voices ranging from Democratic President Barack Obama to conservative billionaire Charles Koch are calling for less incarceration and more rehabilitation. Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has, for most of his political career, gone in the opposite direction. As a lawmaker, he spearheaded passage of the “truth-insentencing” law enacted in 1999 that vastly increased the
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length of sentences for Wisconsin prisoners. In 2011, his first year as governor, Walker signed a bill that he had championed ending the early-release program launched under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. Walker has refused all pardon requests. Since he took office, releases granted by the Walker-appointed Parole Commission have nearly ground to a halt, a 2014 Wisconsin State Journal investigation found. But on this topic — reducing the use of solitary confinement — Walker told the Center in December that he was supportive of Corrections Secretary Edward Wall’s push to rethink its use in Wisconsin prisons. His spokeswoman declined this month to say whether Walker approves of the new policies. Major policy shift Solitary confinement in Wisconsin involves placing inmates in small concrete cells with little natural light and minimal human contact for nearly 24 hours a day. Food is passed through a slot in a solid door. Prisoners are generally allowed few possessions in solitary
Kallas said under the old policy, a prisoner could be isolated for up to 360 days for many offenses. They included such infractions as assault, lying about employees and possession of tobacco. The new policy states that restrictive housing is to be used only for offenses that “create a serious threat to life, property, staff, or other inmates, or to the security or orderly operation of the institution.” The new rules set a maximum initial term of 90 days for the most serious offenses, including aggravated assault on staff or hostage-taking. The sentence can be adjusted
Wisconsin Department of Corrections So-called restrictive status housing cells at Waupun Correctional Institution are just over 6 feet wide. Some Wisconsin prisoners have spent months or years in isolation as punishment for violating prison rules. New policies enacted by the state Department of Corrections have already reduced the number of inmates and length of time spent in isolation.
confinement. In some instances, inmates can be left for hours or days with no bedding, except for a mattress, or clothes, except perhaps a paper gown. Any movement outside of the cell is done in shackles. Inmates also can be strip searched. Dr. Kevin Kallas, DOC’s director of mental health, told the Center the agency intends to “change our attitudes and our culture about restrictive housing, how we use it and who we use it for.”
Abigail Becker / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Cathy Jess, administrator of the Department of Corrections’ Division of Adult Institutions, and Dr. Kevin Kallas, mental health director for the DOC, discuss major changes made to the agency’s use of “restrictive status housing” or solitary confinement. Jess said the policy marks a “culture shift” by the department.
“We want to make the experience to be as constructive, instructive, rehabilitative as possible, and obviously that’s a work in progress,” Kallas said. “We have a ways to go with that. But that’s our clear direction.”
downward for mitigating factors, such as mental illness, or upward for aggravating factors, such as whether an inmate is a serial violator. All sentences of 120 days or more must be reviewed by the DOC secretary.
In addition, correctional officers are now being rotated through restrictive housing units after 14 weeks to reduce staff burnout, said Cathy Jess, administrator of the Division of Adult Institutions.
“As a department ... we have continued to make changes and we will continue to make changes,” Jess said. “It is somewhat of, I would say, a culture shift for staff. I’ve been in the department for 29 years. Things change, the pendulum swings with corrections, and depending on the public’s opinion and how laws get passed and different things.”
Advocates said the move could lead to fewer allegations of abuse such as those documented last year by a Center investigation of Waupun Correctional Institution’s solitary confinement unit. That investigation found 40 alleged incidents of serious physical or psychological abuse of inmates by staff in the solitary confinement unit, formerly known as the segregation unit, two-thirds of them tied to a single guard, Joseph Beahm. Beahm remains at the prison and continues to work in the unit; officials have said prisoners complaining of abuse were lying. The Rev. Jerry Hancock of Wisdom, the faith-based group that has been pushing to end solitary confinement in Wisconsin prisons, said the organization’s three-year campaign — and years of legal challenges by state prisoners — appear to be paying off.
The Rev. Kate Edwards, an ordained Buddhist chaplain who volunteers in the state prisons and leads Wisdom’s anti-solitary effort, said the changes, if implemented as written, would be “huge.” But she is concerned about the lack of a specified maximum period of confinement for rule violations involving “aggravating” circumstances. Under the new policy, correctional officers also are now encouraged to work with inmates to devise mutually agreeable disciplinary sanctions for minor offenses, Jess said. And in a major policy shift, Kallas said inmates will no longer be punished just for harming themselves, unless they are “disruptive or disrespectful or assaultive.” continued on next page
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“So if an inmate is cutting themselves, for example, they should not get a conduct report for disfigurement, for example. Or if they take an overdose, they should not get a conduct report for misuse of medication,” Kallas said. “We want to take the approach of treating for that behavior rather than disciplining for that behavior.”
what they call it — to be torture.” DOC tightlipped on changes Earlier this year, DOC officials failed to release records related to the policy changes under discussion, prompting the Center to file a lawsuit against the agency in January. Under a settlement reached in June, the department turned over the records, made Jess and Kallas available to explain the changes and paid the $4,500 legal bill for the Center’s attorney, Christa Westerberg of McGillivray, Westerberg & Bender in Madison.
Kallas told the Center that the DOC had already begun rolling out some of the new policies last year and quickly began to see results. As of June 7, Jess said, the number of Wisconsin prisoners being held in segregated housing had dropped by about 22 percent to about 995 prisoners, down from 1,268 prisoners a year earlier. Asked if the changes had resulted in more security problems in the prisons, Jess said it has been the opposite. “We are not hearing there is any more disruption than before these policies were put in place,” Jess said. “We are hearing there are less disciplinary reports.”
Abigail Becker / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Cathy Jess, administrator of the Wisconsin
Department of Corrections’ Division of Adult Institutions, holds a copy of the agency’s new policy that calls for less time in isolation for inmates
The new policies, which officially took effect June 1, seek to more closely match the nature and severity of an offender’s conduct with the punishment, Kallas said. For example, minor prisoner misbehavior may be handled by loss of privileges, confinement to a regular cell or loss of recreation rather than solitary confinement.
who break prison rules. The Wisconsin Center for
“We have found just in the last year or so since we’ve started year to gain access to records about the new policy. to implement some of these changes that our overall numbers in restrictive housing have gone down and that we’re More changes may be on the way. using more of these alternative dispositions, rather than restrictive housing,” Kallas said. According to documents obtained by the Center under an open records request and settlement, DOC is considering “That, I think, is a really important piece of this. Because changes to a policy that allows prison officials to keep the issues and the problems that we run into with inmates in solitary confinement indefinitely until their restrictive housing all become easier to manage and easier behavior improves. A federal appeals court found in to solve if we have fewer people in restrictive housing.” 2014 that conditions endured by a mentally ill Green Bay Correctional Institution inmate while under such a plan But Hancock, a former prosecutor who heads the may have violated the U.S. Prison Ministry Project Constitution’s ban on cruel at Madison’s First and unusual punishment. Congregational United Church of Christ, questioned Edwards noted some the DOC’s claim that the infractions that in the past number of prisoners in landed prisoners in solitary restrictive housing has confinement for months may shrunk. He said corrections now, under the new policies, officials have repeatedly told be handled with little to no Wisdom they do not keep time in isolation. such statistics. “I’m very grateful to see that they have made this much progress, but I feel that we still have a pretty long way to go,” Edwards said. “Also, there is a very deep conviction in me that any amount of torture is not acceptable on any count, and I consider isolated confinement — no matter
Investigative Journalism filed a lawsuit earlier this
“I don’t know where they’re getting their numbers,” he said. M.P. King / Wisconsin State Journal The Rev. Jerry Hancock of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Madison tells a crowd at the state Capitol in October that solitary confinement is torturous, costly and ineffective. The rally was organized by Wisdom, a faith-based group that has been pushing to eliminate solitary confinement. Wisconsin is one of 10 states that is cutting back on use of isolation to punish prisoners.
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In a survey released in 2013, the Association of State Correctional Administrators reported that between Dec. 1, 2011 and Dec. 1, 2012, there were 4,327 male prisoners in Wisconsin — or
roughly 20 percent of the total inmate population — placed in solitary confinement at some point that year. The survey found 14 inmates had spent more than 10 years in isolation. Jess said DOC has begun tracking how many prisoners are in restrictive housing at any one time but still does not keep statistics on the length of time inmates spend there. Lawsuits prompt improvements Solitary confinement has come under increasing criticism as studies have shown it can cause lasting mental damage and does not improve prison safety. Wisconsin is among at least 10 states that have adopted changes related to solitary confinement in recent years as controversy and the number of lawsuits over the practice have grown. President Obama in July announced he had ordered the Department of Justice to study the overuse of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons. Some prisoners and their advocates say any prolonged use of solitary confinement amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, which is prohibited under the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In June, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy essentially invited plaintiffs to bring a case so the high court can decide the question once and for all. Over the past 12 years, the state Department of Corrections has eased conditions for prisoners in solitary confinement, some in response to lawsuits, according to a 2014 DOC report released to the Center as part of its settlement. Some changes in the early and mid-2000s were prompted by an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit alleging inhumane conditions at the so-called “Supermax” prison — now known as the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility — in Boscobel. The changes included providing clocks, dimming lights and improving treatment of mental and physical health. Other changes included improving library services, allowing recreation items such as puzzles and word searches and “changing radio stations on a regular basis.” About five years ago, also in response to litigation, DOC replaced frosted glass with clear glass at some prisons, reduced the glow of night lights, allowed inmates “to cover their eyes,” provided warmer clothes and equipment including Hacky Sacks and basketballs for outside recreation and offered some out-of-cell programming to prisoners in restrictive housing, according to the DOC report. In 2014, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals covering Wisconsin found that at times, the conditions under which John Townsend, a mentally ill Green Bay Correctional Institution inmate, was held in the prison’s restrictive housing unit “did not meet the Eighth Amendment’s standard for the minimal civilized measures of life’s necessities.” According to meeting agendas of the DOC’s Restrictive Housing Workgroup obtained by the Center, Townsend’s case and one brought by inmate Joseph Jiles are forcing
Kate Golden / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Talib Akbar’s drawing of his cell at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel is a model for the mock solitary confinement cell created by Wisdom, a statewide faith-based group that has been pushing to end solitary confinement. Akbar, who served 20 years for sexual assault, spent 360 days in solitary, including several months at the Boscobel prison, for allegedly filing a false report with state regulators complaining that a prison nurse had neglected his medical needs. Akbar insists the report was true.
the DOC to reconsider behavior action plans in which disruptive inmates can be kept indefinitely in isolation until they behave. Townsend, who has post-traumatic stress disorder and was suicidal, said he was confined for months in isolation during which “his possessions were limited to a blanket, a smock and a book.” He told the court that for most of his 259 days in solitary, he was not allowed sheets or a pillow. Townsend told the judges that cold air forced him to walk nonstop around his cell to keep warm. According to his lawsuit, Townsend was allowed just one hour per week outside his cell to read mail and write letters, and he was often denied necessities including toilet paper, soap, toothpaste and a toothbrush. Access to writing and reading materials was “severely restricted” and “for a period of weeks (he does not specify how many), Townsend was entirely naked and provided with no clothing, bedding, linen, mattress or shoes,” the court wrote. Although the 7th Circuit found the conditions at Green Bay at times violated the Eighth Amendment, Townsend’s lawsuit will not be the test case sought by Justice Kennedy. The DOC agreed to pay Townsend $26,875 as part of a settlement reached in December in which the agency denied any wrongdoing. Milwaukee attorney Dillon Ambrose said his firm handled the case for free. The Jiles lawsuit, brought in 2014, is still pending. Jiles charges in his handwritten complaint in the U.S. District Court in Milwaukee that he potentially suffered from “acuted (sic) psychosis” in 2005 and was repeatedly “shuffled” among solitary confinement units at Green Bay, Columbia and Waupun correctional institutions as a “problematic inmate,” engaging in numerous acts of self-harm and “bizarre behaviors.” He alleges prison officials did not treat him for his mental illness and instead continued on next page
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employed increasingly severe disciplinary measures to bring him into line. In the lawsuit, the conditions he describes during a stint at Green Bay are extreme — and similar to those described by Townsend, who was also confined at Green Bay. “Often, rather than treat plaintiffs (sic) mental illnesses, defendants would confine him, naked, to in (sic) empty cells where, for days and weeks, he would be left with no property, no reading materials, no mail, visits, telephone calls, forced to eat items ranging from oatmeal to jello with his finger and from a wet soiled bag,” according to the lawsuit. “Consequently, because of the enforced monotony and lack of treatment, plaintiff would further decompensate and commit more self-harm.” Many inmate lawsuits, especially those filed without a lawyer, are dismissed. In the Jiles case, however, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa has ordered that he be represented by an attorney, and Randa has offered to find one to work on Jiles’ case for free. According to the court docket, no attorney has yet been located for Jiles, now held at the Wisconsin Resource Center, a prison for the mentally ill. Tide turning against solitary The harsh treatment described by Townsend, Jiles and in the Center’s 2014 investigation of the Waupun segregation unit appears to be losing support from the public — and the Department of Corrections. In a 2014 memo, Secretary Wall told DOC staff he was launching an effort to retool how the agency uses isolation. Wall wrote that simply locking inmates in segregation without providing corrective or rehabilitative programming “may really just be helping to create a worse behavior problem and habitual threat.” In another sign of change, the Boscobel institution, opened in 1999 and previously dubbed “Supermax,” has been converted from an all-solitary confinement prison for the “worst of the worst” to one having half general population beds. The original purpose of the prison, Jess said, “is not there anymore.” Edwards said she remains skeptical that DOC will be able to change its approach so quickly or dramatically. But over the past year, Edwards said she has heard from prisoners who felt correctional officers were less likely to seek harsh punishment for infractions. She recalled an incident in which a prisoner she knows well resorted to holding another inmate down to avoid a fistfight. Both were pepper-sprayed, Edwards said, and “hauled off to seg.” Prison videotape backed up her contact’s side of the story. “In the past, both men would have gotten an automatic 360 for fighting,” Edwards said. “In this case, he was only given 30 days loss of rec, and his comment to me was, ‘They’ve never shown me that kind of love.’ ”
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Lauren Fuhrmann / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism The statewide faith-based group, Wisdom, commissioned construction of this mock-up of an isolation cell for its campaign against solitary confinement. Here, Wisdom volunteer Jane Miller talks with students visiting the cell at Marquette University in March.
The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s reporting on criminal justice issues is supported by a grant from the Vital Projects Fund. The nonprofit Center (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UWMadison or any of its affiliates.
Fox Times is looking for photographers willing to take random pictures, attend sports events, and attend school events. Email foxtimes@fvtc.edu if interested!
Kate Golden/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
Former Wisconsin inmate Talib Akbar, seen here in the RV that he now calls home, discusses the psychological toll that spending years in isolation can have on a prisoner. He said he doesn’t mind living in his 1981 Dodge Country Squire. “I’m free to go. So I’m happy.”
Making friends with a fly: One man’s story of solitary confinement Talib Akbar spent much time in the ‘hole’; during a 360-day stint spent mostly at the prison in Boscobel, his behavior deteriorated By Dee J. Hall
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Former inmate Talib Akbar says years spent in segregation in the Wisconsin prison system took a toll on his mind. Akbar now lives alone in a small RV that he parks around Madison while volunteering for Wisdom, a statewide faithbased group that campaigns against solitary confinement.
alleged threats and filing what prison officials deemed a false report with state regulators about the care he received from a prison nurse. (Under the new DOC policy, that offense — lying about an employee — carries a maximum term of 60 days in restrictive housing.)
The drawing Akbar made while confined in a cell at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel was used to help make a mock-up of a typical 6-foot-2-wide, 12-footlong segregation cell that Wisdom takes to public events to raise awareness about solitary confinement.
“They said I was fabricating a false statement,” Akbar said. “But that wasn’t the case.”
Akbar, 62, served a 20-year sentence for sexual assault until his release in 2013. He said he has never added up the exact amount of time he spent in solitary. But Department of Corrections records show Akbar — a serial prison litigator who went on several hunger strikes to protest prison conditions — served at least 10 stints there. In 2006 and 2007, he was confined in solitary for 360 days initially at the Green Bay Correctional Institution, later Boscobel and finally Waupun Correctional Institution for
Akbar said during his time in solitary, inmates would sometimes make game boards using pen inserts and writing paper to pass the time. “If they (correctional officers) saw that stuff, they would destroy it. It’s considered contraband,” he said. “It’s about control. They want to make your life as miserable as they can.” Akbar said as the isolation continued, including severely limited access to sunlight, his behavior deteriorated. He described the cell as cold and dusty and the cellblock noisy. continued on next page
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and I said, ‘My friend!’ “I had a fly that was my friend,” Akbar said with a laugh. “A frickin’ fly.” Akbar was frequently cited for disobeying orders and rules or complaining about prison conditions, according to 81 pages of disciplinary reports released to the Center. Several times, he was punished with days or weeks of lost recreation or confinement to his regular cell for possessing “contraband,” including a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Kate Golden / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Former Wisconsin inmate Talib Akbar has not counted up the total time he spent in solitary confinement, but Department of Corrections records show at least 10 stints. New DOC regulations call for much shorter stints in so-called restrictive status housing for rule violations.
“I would walk around wearing underwear on my head,” he recalled, “or it would be a pillowcase, and wrap it around my head to look like a sheik or something.” Akbar said he became obsessed by minute challenges, such as removing hair or pieces of lint from his bed sheet. When an insect would make its way into his room, he said, “Nine times out of 10 you’d play with it because it was something to do.” He recalls a particular fly that came into his cell. After a while, “I thought the fly was dead … (then) he popped up,
The records indicate Akbar was disciplined for loudly complaining about a lack of computer access to file a legal challenge and objecting when he was not served breakfast at the appropriate time during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which includes fasting from dawn to sunset. Multiple times he was disciplined for refusing to be doublecelled, including with gang members. In 2005, Akbar received six months of solitary confinement for “threats” for telling a staff member “you’ll be getting your ass whooped” for refusing to provide tape to fix a torn envelope. Today, Akbar shakes his head and chuckles about all the times he landed in “the hole” — usually related to the fact that “I don’t take orders very good.” But he acknowledged his time in solitary changed him. “It made me strong … (but) I feel like my best friend is loneliness. Being by myself — I’m just used to being alone.”
___________________________________________________________ From ‘isolation panic’ to ‘social death’: Going crazy in solitary Psychologist Craig Haney has studied the effects of isolation on hundreds of prisoners; the findings are grim Craig Haney is a University of California-Santa Cruz psychologist who for more than two decades has studied the effects of solitary confinement on inmates. During a 2013 interview for PBS’ Frontline program, Haney described what happens to people held under such deprivation. “Some prisoners react very negatively very quickly. They experience what has been termed ‘isolation panic,’ ” Haney told Frontline. “The experience of being in a cell by oneself, isolated in a place where other prisoners are isolated, facing the deprivation of social contact, is overwhelming for people, and some people react with extreme anxiety reactions in the very beginning of this process. “If a prisoner gets past that initial period and begins to settle in the environment, oftentimes the next thing that envelops them is depression. They begin to feel hopeless. They’re denied the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities, not just social interaction but typically meaningful activities of any kind, and they begin to lose a sense of purpose. Some prisoners begin to lose contact with reality.”
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Beyond that, Haney said, prisoners can become prone to overreaction and rage. They sometimes try to harm themselves or do “outrageous things … just to prove that they’re still there.” Dr. Kevin Kallas, mental health director for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, said there are a “sizeable number” of prisoners who refuse to leave restrictive housing when they get the chance, and they commit additional offenses to remain there. He said DOC is piloting a program at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel to help ease prisoners back into the general population by allowing them to socialize with one or more other inmates. But in his Frontline interview, Haney said it is not that prisoners like solitary confinement. They just do not know how to interact with people anymore. He calls it “social atrophy.” “They don’t come out of their cell,” he said. “I’ve had prisoners tell me that they’ve lost control of their bladder because they’re so anxious. They’re frightened by a simple thing like having an interaction with another person where they’re not in restraints.”
In a New York Times interview published in August, Haney talked about his new research into the effects of such isolation on prisoners held between 10 and 28 years in solitary confinement in California’s Pelican Bay State Prison. Haney was quoted as saying some of those prisoners had experienced “social death.”
“They had lost who they were,” Haney told the newspaper, “and weren’t sure of who they had become.” — By Dee J. Hall
___________________________________________________________ President Obama: Solitary confinement ‘not smart’ and ‘not going to make us safer’ President Barack Obama called for reduction of solitary confinement during a July 14 address to the NAACP National Convention in Philadelphia:
“I’ve asked my Attorney General to start a review of the overuse of solitary confinement across American prisons. “The social science shows that an environment like that is often more likely to make inmates more alienated, more hostile, potentially more violent. Do we really think it
makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for 23 hours a day, for months, sometimes for years at a time? That is not going to make us safer. That’s not going to make us stronger. And if those individuals are ultimately released, how are they ever going to adapt? It’s not smart. “Our prisons should be a place where we can train people for skills that can help them find a job, not train them to become more hardened criminals.”
___________________________________________________________ Billionaire Charles Koch: ‘Reversing overcriminalization and mass incarceration will improve societal well-being’ In a Jan. 7 column for Politico Magazine, billionaire Charles Koch said the United States is paying a “heavy price” for leading the world in incarceration, driving a large number of people into poverty and harming the national economy.
Charles Koch Foundation Charles Koch
Used with permission
“Reversing overcriminalization and mass incarceration will improve societal well-being in many respects, most notably by decreasing poverty,” Koch wrote in the column co-authored with Koch Industries general counsel Mark Holden. “Fixing our criminal system could reduce the overall poverty rate as much as 30 percent, dramatically improving the quality of life throughout society — especially for the disadvantaged.”
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Katie Klann/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Arifah Akbar, Nazir Akbar and Katraile Scott stand together during a vigil for Tariq Akbar, on July 7. Tariq was shot to death July 3 in Milwaukee, after watching a fireworks display with his friends.
Hundreds hurt, killed when Wisconsin teens get guns Experts say most firearms come from friends or family. ‘Guns don’t drop from the sky ... They come and they start in legal commerce.’ By Sean Kirkby
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Outside of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County in Fitchburg, children swing on a playground. Inside the club’s Allied Drive neighborhood location, teenagers dribble basketballs. In the doorway are metal detectors, keeping weapons out of the building. But the danger of firearms still permeates the community. When asked what exposure they had to guns, a group of children talked about their friend, former Boys and Girls Club member Eric Gutierrez, an 11-year-old accidentally shot to death in Walworth County on July 9, 2014, a few months after his family moved there from Madison. “His friends were playing with it,” Keara Jones, 11, recalled during an April interview. “I guess they pulled the trigger and then they shot him. And they left him there.” Police discovered that Eric and a 14-year-old friend were playing with a handgun in the woods behind the friend’s home in Sharon, a village of 1,600, when Gutierrez was shot in the head. He died the next day. The gun came from the friend’s father, who kept about 20 firearms in the home. According to police, all of the weapons were accessible, including some stored in an unlocked safe in the teenager’s bedroom. The father was sentenced to a year of probation and has agreed to pay $5,000 in restitution to Eric’s family. The teenager got a year of supervision.
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“I feel the justice system has completely failed me and my family,” Rebecca Orick, Gutierrez’s mother, told the Janesville Gazette in April. “I feel like basically that’s saying my son’s life is worth a year.” It is illegal for anyone younger than 18 in Wisconsin to possess a firearm except for target practice, training or hunting, and then in most cases only under adult supervision. Nevertheless, hundreds or perhaps thousands of teenagers each year illegally carry firearms — for protection or to hurt themselves or others. Guns and teens can be a lethal mix. Immaturity and impulsiveness, combined with weapons that can kill with the squeeze of a trigger, have caused death and devastating injuries to Wisconsin children and adults. For example, more than 250 children were suspects in nonfatal shootings in Milwaukee alone during the past decade. Public health and gun experts say teens get their hands on guns from people they know, often friends or family — not primarily by stealing or buying them illegally. They say more needs to be done to keep firearms out of the hands of minors. In Milwaukee, about 6 percent of public high school students surveyed in 2013 said they had carried a gun in the previous month, with roughly a third of those saying they had carried on four or more days. The survey did not specify where students carried the guns.
That would mean of the approximately 21,000 high-school students enrolled in fall 2012, roughly 1,300 were armed during the previous 30 days. The rate is similar to those in other large cities including Chicago, Houston and Seattle, Milwaukee Public Schools spokesman Tony Tagliavia said. As of Aug. 24, 41 children under the age of 17 had been wounded and seven killed by gunfire in Milwaukee this year, according to the city’s police department. That includes a 14-year-old boy shot to death during Fourth of July weekend, a few days before a 13-year-old was charged in the shooting death of another boy his same age.
• A 17-year-old from Fitchburg is suspected of a July 15 shooting at a Fleet Farm parking lot in Beaver Dam, 40 miles northeast of Madison. The teen, who was suspected of shoplifting ammunition, allegedly wounded a store manager who was trying to detain him. • In February, Dean Sutcliffe, 17, allegedly killed his exgirlfriend’s sister and her mother’s boyfriend. Sutcliffe lived in Mazomanie, a village of about 1,700 roughly 25
On July 19, a 17-year-old Milwaukee girl was shot to death while standing on her front porch; the shooting was the city’s 86th homicide of the year, tying the total for all of 2014. Children also were suspects in hundreds of homicides and nonfatal shootings in Milwaukee over the previous decade. Between 2005 and 2014, 109 children in Milwaukee were suspected of homicide, many involving guns. Minors accounted for roughly 10 percent of all shooting suspects in 2014, according to the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission. Statewide problem Statewide, 109 children ages 17 and under were killed by firearms between 2003 and 2012. An additional 15 young people died of accidental shootings in the same decade, according to the Department of Health Services’ injury mortality database. A 2013 survey of public high school students on risky behaviors found that 14 percent reported carrying a weapon, such as a club, knife or firearm in the previous 30 days.
Amber Arnold / Wisconsin State Journal Dean Sutcliffe, 17, of Mazomanie, right, who was charged with the shooting deaths of Ariyl Brady, 16, and Chris Schwichtenberg, 39, is led into his initial appearance at the Dane County Public Safety Building in Madison on Feb. 12.
miles west of Madison. He used his father’s revolver, which he had obtained after finding a key to the gun’s safe. • Ashlee Martinson, 17, allegedly killed her stepfather with a rifle and her mother with a knife in March. They lived in Piehl, a town with fewer than 100 residents, located about 20 miles east of Rhinelander. • In September, a 17-year-old was charged in Superior with felony murder after he shot and killed a man in a robbery. He pleaded guilty in early June to the crime. • Last summer in Racine, a 15-year-old reportedly shot and killed a 19-year-old, who was also armed, later bragging about the murder in a rap video. • In late December, a 14-year-old was shot and sent to the hospital after he and others were playing with a .22 caliber revolver in Madison. Police said Elliot Johnson, 18, accidentally shot his cousin in the chest. Johnson was sentenced to four years of probation Aug. 21 after pleading guilty to charges including first-degree reckless injury. Many children also have used guns to harm themselves.
Examples of young people within the past two years using guns to harm others can be found around Wisconsin: • In early June, an 11-year-old boy was shot in the face when he and his 15-year-old cousin were playing with a .22-caliber rifle in Reid, a town of 1,200 in Marathon County, after a day of target shooting with an adult.
Between 2003 and 2012, the most recent years with available data, 108 Wisconsinites ages 17 and younger died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Shooting was the second most common means of committing suicide among young people in Wisconsin. Among them was a 15-year-old high school student who fatally shot himself in 2010 at Marinette High School after holding his teacher and classmates hostage. continued on next page
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Policies controversial Dr. Stephen Hargarten, director of the Injury Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, said restricting access to guns for young people would be an important step in curbing youth gun violence.
strongly opposed by gun-rights groups, and there are no current proposals to require permits before Wisconsin’s Legislature. Jeff Nass, executive director of Wisconsin Firearm Owners, Ranges, Clubs and Educators Inc., said background checks and permits also penalize lawful gun owners. “The whole problem with the permission thing is that the law-abiding citizen has to get permission to exercise their rights,” said Nass, whose group is the state’s National Rifle Association-chartered organization. “We should put this onus onto the people who lost their rights (such as felons), not the people who have them.”
Mike DeSisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Stephen Hargarten, director of the Injury Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, said restricting access to guns for young people would be an important step in curbing youth gun violence.
Hargarten acknowledges there is a lot of political disagreement over gun control but said, “This is, I think, an area of common ground. Nobody wants unauthorized access of these products to youth.” Background checks for all gun purchases would cut access to firearms by young people, he and other experts say. Democratic lawmakers have proposed requiring that all gun purchases, except to family members, occur through federally licensed firearms dealers who are required to conduct background checks. Currently, unlicensed dealers can sell online, in private transactions or at gun shows without background checks. Gun advocates say such regulation burdens law-abiding citizens who have a constitutional right to own weapons.
Broader efforts needed But changing laws and policies must be coupled with educating young people “to see firearms as a bad way to resolve conflict,” said John Rakowski, program coordinator for the medical college’s Violence Prevention Initiative, which ended this summer. He called for a focused community-wide effort to “engage people in conversation about the lethal nature of firearms and find a way to deter them from wanting to pick them up.” Rakowski also backs stiffer penalties for those caught carrying firearms illegally. A bipartisan bill imposing mandatory minimum sentences on violent felons possessing a weapon and using a firearm in a crime is making its way through the Legislature. Locking up guns when not in use — which is not required in Wisconsin — would be another good way to keep them out of the hands of children, Hargarten and others say. Some also call for beefing up gun safety courses to include training on how to recognize and prevent suicide. Technology also may be an answer, said Stephen Teret, a Johns Hopkins professor of health policy. Some guns have mechanisms making them usable only to their owners,
A similar effort in the past legislative session died. Despite a March 2013 Marquette Law School poll that found 81 percent of Wisconsinites said they support such a policy, top GOP lawmakers who control the Legislature remain opposed. In June, Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed into a law a bill repealing the state’s 48-hour waiting period to purchase a handgun. Bill author Rep. Romaine Quinn, R-Rice Lake, called the waiting period “an unnecessary burden.” Professor Daniel Webster, director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at Johns Hopkins University, proposes an additional safeguard: having police issue a permit to buy any handgun. Enactment of such a law led to a 40 percent drop in gun homicides in Connecticut, according to a study published in June authored by Webster. But such laws are
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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Stephen Teret, a Johns Hopkins University professor of health policy, said technology such as so-called smart guns could help cut teen violence by ensuring that only legal owners of weapons can fire them.
which Teret called the “best bet” to reduce teenage suicides, violence and accidental shootings. ‘Guns don’t drop from the sky’ Webster, the gun-policy researcher from Johns Hopkins, has analyzed data from a federal nationwide survey of inmates younger than 20 years of age. He said 36 percent of the young offenders who used guns in crimes got them from friends and family.
Locking up firearms Research shows that having a gun in the home is associated with an overall higher risk of suicide. Dr. David Grossman, a pediatrician and researcher at Group Health Cooperative in Washington, said storing a gun reduces the overall risk of teenage suicide and accidental gun injuries.
“Our study showed you can achieve rather Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel substantial benefit from Police tape marks the scene where 13-year old Giovonnie G. Cameron was shot and just locking the gun in a killed near Lincoln Park in Milwaukee on July 8. safe or lockbox without An additional 47 necessarily having percent of inmates said they had gotten their guns from to unload it,” said Grossman, an expert in gun storage “the street.” Webster said his research has shown that techniques research. those young people often got guns from people who are not strangers. According to the Harvard study, about two-thirds of the guns used by minors who took their own lives were stored “Guns don’t drop from the sky, they don’t sprout from unlocked. When a gun was locked away, the young person the ground,” he said. “They come and they start in legal found the key, learned the combination or broke in, the commerce.” study found. Rakowski, of the medical college, said researchers do not fully know where teens get guns. “We are not really well-informed about where they’re getting access to guns or why they’re getting access,” he said. “Therefore it’s really hard to make effective strategies and solutions when we don’t really understand the problem.” Guns common in suicide According to a 2005 study by Hargarten, 323 people in Wisconsin younger than 25 between the year 2000 and 2002 used firearms to kill themselves. In cases where the young person used someone else’s firearm, about half of the time it came from a family member or guardian. A Harvard study of four states, including Wisconsin, as well as two counties out of state found 82 percent of teens used a gun belonging to a family member to take their own lives. Catherine Barber, a Harvard researcher and director of the Means Matters campaign, said one study found that among people who survived a suicide attempt, just under half said the thought of killing themselves came to them within 10 minutes of their attempt — making easy access to a firearm even more dangerous. Barber added that shooting is the most deadly type of suicide attempt. “A lot of people’s suicidal intent peaks at a crisis and then ebbs,” Barber said. “When you’re in just a frenzy of despair over a relationship break up on Saturday, by Monday you might still be unhappy but not in the same fever pitch frenzy.”
Cable gun locks, which work by running a cable through the gun to prevent it from being fired, have been offered through Prevent Suicide Kenosha County, a partnership between the Medical College of Wisconsin, the county and others. The locks have been offered in 22 counties since 2006, said Debbie Rueber, chairwoman of the partnership. Nass also has provided cable gun locks for some of the courses he teaches in gun safety. He said such mechanisms can reduce theft. He also credited the state’s concealed carry law, which requires gun safety classes, with helping improve safety around firearms. Nass added that children, who are naturally curious, must be taught not to touch guns. “The best safety of the firearm is the operator,” Nass said. “Education is the key, no question.” Smart guns, safe guns Johns Hopkins professor Teret said outreach on gun safety and storage techniques should be coupled with design changes in guns. Teret sees smart guns or childproof guns, which can only be operated by authorized users, as the future. Currently, just one smart gun is on the market in the United States with others in development, Teret said. The Armatix iP1 operates with the use of a wristwatch that sends radio signals to the firearm. Hargarten said such technology is initially relatively expensive, but would likely become cheaper in the future when market conditions change. continued on next page
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“This is a significant public health problem, and elements of attacking this are behavioral, regulatory and technological in nature,” Hargarten said. “And it’s important that people come together and talk about it in that way.” The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates. Armatix The Armatix iP1 is a so-called smart or childproof gun. It is activated by a person wearing a wristwatch that emits a radio frequency. Currently, the Armatix is the only such gun available in the nation, says John Hopkins University professor Stephen Teret.
Child gun laws in Wisconsin
Wisconsin gun laws prohibit children from possessing firearms, with few exceptions. And adults who leave firearms easily accessible to children could face jail time. Highlights include: • Allowing a child younger than 14 access to a firearm without permission of a parent or guardian is a misdemeanor if the child uses that gun to harm anyone or to show it off in a public place, unless that gun was safely stored. • Firearm retailers are required to provide each buyer with a written statement warning that if they leave a loaded firearm within reach of a child they could be fined or imprisoned. • Possession of a gun by anyone under 18 is a misdemeanor, unless that gun is being used for target practice, hunting or the child is a member of the armed forces. • No one under the age of 12 is allowed to hunt with a gun.
This report was produced in collaboration with Precious Lives, a two-year project investigating the problem of gun violence among young people, its causes and potential solutions in the Milwaukee area and statewide. The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s coverage is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
• Giving, loaning or selling a dangerous weapon to someone under 18 is a felony and carries a sentence of up to 3½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine unless the firearm is used for target practice or hunting. If that gun is used in a homicide or suicide, the person can be charged with a felony carrying up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. • Students who bring a firearm to school are expelled for one year and may have their driver’s license suspended for two years. • Anyone except a law enforcement officer who carries a firearm on school grounds is guilty of a felony, punishable by 3 ½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The Assembly and the Senate have approved a bill that would allow off-duty and former police officers to carry weapons on school grounds. • Firing a gun in a school zone can result in a felony, with a maximum $25,000 fine or 10 years in prison. — By Sean Kirkby
By the numbers: Teen gun violence in Wisconsin 108
109
109
41/7
82
SOURCES: State Department of Health Services’ Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health; Harvard Injury Control Research Center, 2002; 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of Milwaukee high school students; Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission, Milwaukee Police Department.
People 17 and younger who died as a result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds from 2003 to 2012. People 17 and younger who were killed by guns from 2003 to 2012. Percentage of young people who killed themselves using a gun from a parent or family member, according to a Harvard University study.
1,300
Milwaukee public high school students who reported arming themselves with a gun at least once in the previous month, estimating from a 2013 survey.
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Children suspected of homicide, including shooting deaths, in Milwaukee between 2005 and 2014. People 17 and younger wounded/killed by gunfire in Milwaukee this year, as of Aug. 24.
— By Dee J. Hall
Used with permission
Comics by Phil Hands
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