Thursday, February 1, 2018 - The Daily Cardinal

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Thursday, February 1, 2018

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+SPORTS page 8

110% in 45 seconds: Short Shifts in Hockey

How to stick to your goals this year

+L&S page 2

ASM looks to move forward after past distrust

Faculty-student interaction is underutilized at UW, poll shows By Kayla Huynh SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department is also well above the national average in terms of female employment. Of its full-time employees, 37 percent are women. Moreover, 29 percent of UWPD’s leadership — which includes Chief of Police Kristen Roman and Assistant Chief Kari Sasso — are women. Chief Roman is one of the few woman police chiefs in Wisconsin. According to UWPD Communications Director Marc Lovicott, Roman is “constantly in the minority” when she attends statewide

A recent student poll revealed that student interaction with faculty and teaching assistants is seen as a beneficial yet underutilized resource by students at UW-Madison. Just over 33 percent of the student respondents claimed they think these interactions are underused and over nine percent said the same about support from campus staff. This is often because students feel intimidated by instructors even though they are “there to help,” according to Director of Undergraduate Advising Wren Singer. “One of our most amazing resources here is our faculty,” Singer said. “It’s such a missed opportunity when students are too intimidated to talk to them, because that’s what they’re there for.” According to Singer, the reluctance to meet with faculty is sometimes caused by academic struggles, something she said UW-Madison students may not have experienced before college. “Many [UW-Madison] students did really well in high school, so they might not have the experience of asking for help or they might be embarrassed about it,” she said. UW-Madison’s recent campus climate survey results revealed that underrepresented groups also reported that they felt uncomfortable approaching instructors with questions and concerns. Singer said these findings were no surprise to her. “Underrepresented students who are excluded from our campus culture may feel uncomfortable [talking to faculty] because they might think they’ll have the same experiences that they do in other spaces,” Singer said. The campus climate plays a

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By Lauren Sorensen STAFF WRITER

Following what many hailed as a turbulent 23rd session of ASM, representatives in the 24th session identified feelings of distrust, ineffectiveness and discomfort among its members. ASM members were given a survey in November of 2017, asking them to either agree, disagree or remain neutral about statements regarding council climate. The survey was administered, “in an effort to gauge where [council is] because of the tumultuous 23rd session and what ramifications still existed in the 24th session,” ASM Chair Katrina Morrison said. One finding revealed that 50 percent of members feel neutral toward their effectiveness within the group, something Morrison called “worrisome.” Morrison posited that these feelings are the result of a lack of comfort or familiarity between council members. Rep. Dylan Resch recalled uneasy feelings other members may have harbored upon his election. Endorsed by conservative group Turning Point USA, Resch said that ”when people got to know me, I would like to think that they realized [partisan politics] weren’t my intentions.” However Morrison believes partisan issues play less of a role in council climate and don’t explain why 30 percent of representatives reported feeling uncomfortable voicing unpopular opinions.

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THOMAS YONASH/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Twenty-nine percent of UWPD’s leadership, which includes the current police chief, are women.

No caution tape for women in Madison’s police departments By Lawrence Andrea CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

When it comes to women’s presence in law enforcement, Madison sticks out. While women hold just 15 percent of federal law enforcement jobs across the country, over 30 percent of the staffs of both the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department and the Madison Police Department are made up of women. This is no coincidence. With approximately 30 percent of the department’s 471 officers identifying as women, MPD is better able to represent the demographics of the city of Madison. This police-to-citizen demographic

mirror builds trust and comfort between the groups, officials said. According to Madison Assistant Chief of Police Susan Williams, having a gender makeup that somewhat resembles that of the city allows law enforcement to break down communication barriers — like relaying detailed information about sexual assault — that exist and show the community that there are police who understand their experiences. “[A diverse staff] is very important,” Williams said. “It is important so that our community, especially women, can feel comfortable with the department that comes when they call.”

Dane County working to divert those with mental illnesses away from jail By Max Bayer CITY NEWS EDITOR

Between Jan. 16 and 17, Dane County criminal justice leaders met to answer this question: How can we best direct people with mental illness away from the criminal justice system? The workshop, a first of its kind for this subject matter, involved a variety of individuals like behavioral and mental health officials, the clerk of courts, Madison firefighters and local law enforcement.

The solution centered on the Sequential Intercept Model, a sixpoint plan that establishes distinct points where officials and individuals interact with those considered mentally ill. The model explains how best to divert these individuals depending on their point of interaction. Local agencies have already begun to undertake this effort. In February 2015, the Madison Police Department created five full-time Mental Health Officers who work to direct those who have come

in contact with law enforcement toward health resources instead of the criminal justice system. In 2016, these officers handled 71 emergency detentions — incidents where an individual must be detained not for a crime, but for safety reasons. That same year, the department found that out of the more than 45,000 cases investigated by the city, 8.6 percent were mental health-related. Additionally, a December 2016 study of the Dane County Jail found

that out of the 66,373 people in the data file, four percent were classified as having a mental health issue. The average length of stay for those individuals was 58 percent higher than the total population. Racial disparities also exist among inmates suffering from mental illness, with the median average length of stay for black inmates being 10 days compared to six for white.

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GRAPHIC BY CAMILLE PASKIND

Dane County officials are planning to address issues of mental illness.

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”


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