Tuesday, February 11, 2014
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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State Assembly hears university-related bills Scholarship, classified-research bills discussed at public hearing By Eoin Cottrell and Siddharth Pandey THE DAILY CARDINAL
JESSIE GALLIMORE/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Director of Recreational Sports John Horn details the intended segregated fee increases under the proposed 2014-’15 budget, which would go toward facility improvements.
Rec Sports proposes student fee increase By Emmett Mottl THE DAILY CARDINAL
Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee heard a budget proposal from the Division of Recreational Sports and discussed a proposed segregated fees bill at a meeting Monday. SSFC is responsible for approving the allocation of student segregated fees to registered student organizations and nonacademic campus departments. Director of Recreational Sports John Horn presented a proposed student segregated fee increase of $6 per student, a total budget request of $3,291,900. According to Horn, this funding would cover immediate facility repair costs. The funding request stems largely from the aging nature of the facilities and relatively high costs for repairs and maintenance. The increase comes ahead of a student referendum to vote on a proposed funding request of $108 per student, as part of
the Rec Sports Master Plan. Horn said the current student segregated fee funding for Rec Sports is $36.78 per student, which is below the Big Ten average of $145.
“Where we are failing is in the facilities.”
John Horn director Rec Sports
According to Horn, Rec Sports has the ability to offer services similar to other universities, but is limited by the condition of the current units. “Where we are failing is in the facilities,” Horn said. Horn noted that Rec Sports facilities and programs recorded 1.7 million visits in the past fiscal year, emphasizing the division’s impact on student recruitment and retention. He stated
that even if the referendum fails, Rec Sports would still ensure that service is maintained on campus. The committee also voted unanimously to back the resolution from ASM members on a proposed state bill that would grant students the power to review all segregated fee usage. Currently, SSFC only has the power to make recommendations on the allocation of nonallocated funding. SSFC Chair David Vines spoke in favor of the resolution, highlighting the importance of student oversight over all student segregated fee usage. Vines highlighted current problems with funding procedures. “The process is very problematic and is really [kind of] reflective of the reason [segregated] fees have increased so significantly over the past,” Vines said. SSFC also voted unanimously to approve the University Health Services budget request of $13,154,240 for the next fiscal year.
The state Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities held a public hearing on two bills Monday that could affect research and scholarship funds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The first bill introduced at the hearing pertained to monetary value of academic excellence scholarships and the eligibility criteria used to award them to students. Currently, $2,250 scholarships are awarded to highachieving Wisconsin residents attending UW-Madison, according to a report from the Wisconsin
Department of Administration. State Rep. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, testified to raise the number of scholarships given and individual scholarship amount to $4,500. During the 2013-’14 academic year, 357 academic scholarships were declined, according to Stroebel. Stroebel said Wisconsin’s students have chosen to attend other schools with larger and more prolific scholarships as a result of a “bidding war.” Increasing scholarship money would make UW-Madison “more competitive to the academic excellent,” Stroebel said. The Assembly committee also heard testimonies on a bill that would provide a broad exception to the Open Records Law relating to research and encourage the UW System to expand classified research. State Rep. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, announced moments before the hearing the section containing the exception
bills page 3
UW-Madison alumna details reporting journey to Africa By Jackie Bannon THE DAILY CARDINAL
University of Wisconsin-Madison alumna Erin Luhmann discussed her experiences and newly gained insights after traveling abroad with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof at a lecture Monday. Kristof served as Luhmann’s guide through Mali, Niger and Chad as they practiced humani-
tarian reporting and helped raise awareness of global health issues, including food security, malnutrition and family planning. Luhmann secured her position as Kristof’s mentee through his 2013 Win-A-Trip contest. Luhmann owes her success in the journalism field to her ability to tell
alumna page 3
Local man reports attack on Spring Street Sunday A 23-year-old Madison man reported being attacked on the 900 block of Spring Street early Sunday morning, according to Madison Police Department Spokesperson Joel DeSpain. The man reported being punched in the head multiple times by several men and initially thought the attackers
took his cellphone at approximately 2:15 a.m. He later found the phone in a coat pocket, according to the report. The victim contacted the MPD at 10 a.m. Sunday to report the battery that had occurred hours earlier. According to the report, the victim said he was walking
home while intoxicated when the men confronted him. The man was unable to give MPD a detailed description of his assailants, but he did say they were Caucasian and in their early 20s. The report did not indicate if the victim was a University of Wisconsin-Madison student.
Dear ex-boyfriend from eighth grade...
V-Day cards for everyone in your life +VALENTINE’S DAY, page 4
DREW GILMORE/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Former UW-Madison journalism student Erin Luhmann traveled to Africa with The New York Times reporter Nick Kristof June 1-11, 2013.
Record Routine Reviews on Cibo Matto and Eric Church’s latest albums
+ARTS, page 5
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”