University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Wednesday, February 11, 2015
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Student resigns from labor codes committee By Ellie Herman THE DAILY CARDINAL
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Diversity Committee Chair Dolly Wang suggests members come up with innovative ideas for the upcoming Diversity Day.
UW committee plans second Diversity Day By Ellie Herman THE DAILY CARDINAL
With a strong foundation after a turnout of nearly 150 students at the first annual Diversity Day last February, members of the Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee planned out this year’s event Tuesday. With influence from various multi-cultural student organizations, the Feb. 24 Diversity Day will involve workshops, discussions and performances to spread diversity awareness throughout campus. “They [student organizations] will all be coming to this event to talk about diversity and
show students different performances to salvage diversity,” Diversity Committee Chair Dolly Wang said. This year’s event workshops will feature multicultural dances and calligraphy classes, along with possible lectures on diversity. Although Wang worked with Interim Vice Provost of Diversity and Climate Patrick Sims in the past, Diversity Day is not related to the Diversity Framework, a campus-wide initiative introduced this fall. Wang said she did not formally invite Sims and his colleagues and that each assumed Diversity
The Labor Codes and Licensing Advisory Committee dealt with more changes when UW-Madison senior Melanie Meyer resigned Jan. 30 due to structural changes and administrative intervention. Meyer’s discontent first began over the summer when UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank requested a selection of students from which she could choose representatives to sit on LCLAC. This broke with a tradition where Associated Students of Madison appointed three representatives. “She really wants this slating so she can really hand pick the students that are on the committee,” Meyer said. “And to make sure that those activists and those people who will have dissenting opinions are not put on the committee in the first place.” Often these “dissenting opinions” came from members of UW-Madison’s Student Action Labor Coalition who also serve on LCLAC, a committee consisting of represen-
tatives from the student body, academic staff, faculty and classified staff. Meyer wrote in a resignation letter dated Jan. 27 she believes the chancellor views SLAC members as “radical,” which is an attitude Blank seeks to limit, although SLAC members’ involvement adds “knowledge, resources and understanding of the issues at hand” to LCLAC. Director of Community Relations Everett Mitchell countered Meyer and explained Blank’s actions as driven by a desire to create a more varied LCLAC membership. “She was looking for a diversified student org,” Mitchell said. “You can have [representations from] undergrad, grad, professional schools. There’s a diversity of different types of students.” Meyer also took issue with a change in the LCLAC bylaws that does not allow for a student to hold a leadership position higher than vice chair. LCLAC members created a subcommittee to address specific concerns surrounding bylaw changes, which has since
been dissolved, Meyer said. Blank requested a meeting with this subcommittee Dec. 3 to discuss their concerns surrounding the structural changes, which require LCLAC to operate as an advisory committee rather than a shared governance group protected by state statute. “She’s always been willing to meet,” Mitchell said. “She met with the chair, she met with the subcommittee that was looking at some changes for the structure.” In her resignation letter, Meyer challenged several statements Blank made during the Dec. 3 meeting. Meyer quoted Blank as saying she had problems contacting former LCLAC Chair and UW-Madison student Lingran Kong and that Kong had “no interest in those conversations.” Meyer wrote that she later reached out to Kong, who said Blank never tried to reach out to her, apart from one meeting at the beginning of the year. Mitchell said the chancellor was disappointed in Meyer’s decision to resign and will continue to seek SLAC members’ and other students’ voices on LCLAC.
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Panel promotes education, empowerment for women By Laura Grulke THE DAILY CARDINAL
A panel of librarians and others dedicated to informational studies spoke Tuesday at Memorial Library about the need to educate women and girls around the globe, a theme in this year’s Go Big Read novel. The book, “I Am Malala,” tells the story of Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan who was the victim of Taliban violence against women and education. The panel, comprised of guest speakers from programs promoting empowerment of women through education, expressed disdain toward such oppression. Office of the UW System Gender and Women’s Studies
Librarian Karla Strand began by speaking about how librarians in particular can act as ambassadors for progressive thinking in educating women, girls and children worldwide. Strand said research she conducts at UW-Madison and in South Africa focuses on educating women on obtaining information. Her studies aim to lessen information inequality she believes disempowers women. “When we empower and educate women and girls, we empower a society,” Strand said. She said lack of information leads to problems related to health, something Araceli Alonso,
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A ruling on judicial elections
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GREY SATTERFIELD/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank (left) and former LCLAC member Melanie Meyer (right) disagreed over student and Student Labor Action Coalition involvement in LCLAC.
Gov. Scott Walker opens campaign field office in Iowa Gov. Scott Walker became the first contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination to open office space in Iowa on Tuesday. Our American Revival, the campaign organization Walker created last month, has leased office space in suburban Des Moines, the Des Moines Register reported. An adviser with Our American
Revival told the Register that the office is designed “to engage with the citizens of Iowa.” The move isn’t Walker’s first foray into the key battleground state, as it comes on the heels of his speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit last month. State Democrats criticized the announcement, with Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike
Tate accusing Walker of ignoring problems in Wisconsin while running for president. “Scott Walker has spent more time and effort making plans to talk to Iowans than Wisconsinites,” Tate said in a statement. “Walker is a perpetual candidate for office and master political opportunist who doesn’t care about the mess he leaves behind.”
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New student organization looks to update basketball cheers
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”