Wednesday, February 5, 2014
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Since 1892
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Senate to vote on student-led drinking bill UW junior leads charge to change alcohol policies By Emily Gerber THE DAILY CARDINAL
Few college-aged students have the opportunity, much less the ambition, to tackle the daunting task of changing state legislature. But University of Wisconsin-Madison junior Morgan Rae will get the chance to see a bill that she initiated, which targets underage drinking laws, presented before a Senate committee Wednesday. Rae, the Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee chair, created the Responsible Action Bill, which is sponsored by state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, and
will allow legal immunity for underage drinkers who call for help for their peers in emergency situations involving alcohol. UW-Madison currently has responsible-action guidelines protecting students from punishment when emergency situations involving alcohol occur on campus. Rae said it became apparent to her in her first year at Madison that, even with these guidelines in place, students were still facing uncertainty with jumping into action, as many times they would be outside campus boundaries. “My freshman year, when the [university] policy was first put in place, we realized that a lot of the really, really dangerous drinking situations don’t happen on campus property, so UW police don’t have jurisdic-
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City approves liquor licenses for downtown businesses By Patricia Johnson THE DAILY CARDINAL
Madison’s Common Council approved numerous downtown liquor licenses and one entertainment license to restaurants near the campus area at its meeting Tuesday. Dragon I restaurant and Short Stack Eatery received approval from Common Council to serve alcohol within the conditions of the Alcohol License Review Committee. Under the conditions, the two establish-
ments must fit the legal definition of a restaurant and stop serving alcohol at midnight daily. Dragon I, located at 422 State St., serves Asian cuisine inspired by various eastern countries including Vietnam, Thailand and Korea. Short Stack Eatery is a breakfast diner at 301 W. Johnson St. that serves customers 24 hours a day from Thursday to Sunday.
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ON CAMPUS
We built this city
Despite a recurring polar vortex and arctic temperatures, the city of Madison’s 77 square miles and surrounding lakes retain their historic and picturesque charm. + Photo by Wil Gibb
WARF files lawsuit against Apple for willful patent infringement By Bri Maas THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation filed a lawsuit against Apple, Inc., Friday for alleged infringement of a U.S. patent on computer technology developed in a University of WisconsinMadison research lab, according to a WARF press release. According to WARF General Counsel Michael Falk, U.S. Patent No. 5, 781,752 (“752 patent”) covers microprocessor advancements invented in the research laboratory of professor Guri Sohi of UW-Madison’s computer sciences department. These advancements reduce energy consumption and improve computer chip processing speeds, according
to the release. The complaint filed by WARF sues Apple for willful infringement, meaning the company was aware it unlawfully reproduced technology that belonged to UW-Madison. WARF claims Apple incorporated this technology into its new A7 processor, which is used in the iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad Mini with retina display. If WARF wins the lawsuit, the judgment would prevent Apple from future infringements. WARF also asks for payment of monetary damages and court fees plus interest. WARF, the primary management organization of patents at UW-Madison, defines its mission as one of aiding scientific investigation and research at
the university, according to its official website. Since its founding in 1925, the private, non-profit foundation has obtained over 1,900 U.S. patents on UW-Madison inventions. These government licenses give their holders the exclusive right to make, use or sell an invention, with the revenue gained from patents used to fund ongoing research and educational programs, according to the website. To date, WARF has amassed over $800 million in patent revenues and has returned more than $1.25 billion to the university. Andreas Moshovos, Scott Breach and Terani
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Audit Bureau finds weaknesses in UW System’s payroll
TOMMY YONASH/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Mayor Paul Soglin and members of city Council approved liquor licenses for Dragon I and Short Stack Eatery on State Street.
The Legislative Audit Bureau released a 2012-’13 audit Tuesday indicating the University of Wisconsin System’s payroll reporting is not secure. The UW System uses the Human Resources System to process and record employee payroll. The bureau reviewed the UW System’s progress in addressing security concerns. The bureau found a “material weakness” in how much control employees have in the payroll system, meaning there is a “reasonable possibility” the UW System could not prevent nor detect financial misstatements. A material weakness is more severe than the 2010-’11 status of
Smart technology, smarter children?
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“significant deficiency.” In 2011, the bureau recommended UW System Administration take measures to prevent anyone from creating a fake payroll account or processing “inappropriate” payments. The UW System indicated it would begin the security role review early in 2013 in response to the 2012 recommendation. However, the bureau again found incompatible access in this audit. According to the report, HRS security concerns remained largely unresolved by the UW System. The bureau recommended the UW System Administration report to the Joint Legislative
Audit Committee by July 1, 2014, on the status of efforts to resolve security concerns. The bureau also reviewed the UW System’s program revenue balances for the fiscal year. UW System revenue increased by 3.9 percent, from $4.9 billion in the fiscal year 2011-’12 to $5.1 billion in 2012-’13. The largest revenue came from student tuition and fees, and the largest expense went to salary and fringe benefits, totaling nearly $2.9 billion. The audit follows a previous report indicating the UW System made $33 million in overpayments. —Dana Kampa
Badgers fight in win against Illini
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”