Is it time to remove “Harlem” from “the shake?” Columnist Michael Penn argues yes
+ARTS, page 4 University of Wisconsin-Madison
An upset on the ice The Badgers fell to the Nittany Lions 3-2 in OT Monday, hurting the team’s chances at an NCAA Tournament bid.
Complete campus coverage since 1892
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Students lobby for tuition cap at Capitol By Cheyenne Langkamp the daily cardinal
Over 100 University of Wisconsin System students gathered in the Capitol Monday to lobby state legislators for a cap on tuition increases and a larger investment in financial aid. The United Council of UW Students, a statewide student advocacy organization, organized the Lobby Day where students met with more than 40 state legislators to discuss the impact of the state biennial budget on students. UC Vice President Beth Huang said it was a “great start” to the state budget campaign and the first event in an “advocacy heavy”
spring for United Council. UC President Geoff Murray began the day by outlining the groups goals, including a threeto-four percent cap on tuition increases, at a press conference. Murray said a tuition cap, which is not in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal, is important to give current and prospective students protection from unaffordable increases in tuition. UC Rep. Ian Reese also spoke about the importance of restoring the link between tuition increases and financial aid increases that had been in previous budgets. Reese said he believes every Wisconsin resident deserves the
opportunity to receive a quality, affordable education. “We need more financial aid dollars in the budget so that every student who has a need can have that need met,” Reese said. Throughout the rest of the day students split into groups by state district to lobby individual legislators, including a group who visited with state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison. UW-Madison student David Vines told Risser students are “highly concerned” that without a cap they could see a large increase in tuition next year. Vines cited the last
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TAA pursues pay increase, fee reduction Mark Kauzlarich/cardinal file photo
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Burlington, said he is confident the state Assembly will pass the mining bill when it is considered.
State Committee on Joint Finance passes mining legislation The state Joint Finance Committee passed a contentious mining bill on a partyline vote at its meeting Monday, meaning the bill will now move to the full state legislature for final passage.
“There is over 80 years of mining history in Northern Wisconsin, and the environment is as beautiful and pristine today as it was back then.” Alberta Darling and John Nygren co-chairs state Joint Finance Committee
The bill, which would make it easier for companies to secure a mining permit in Wisconsin, passed on a 12-to-4 vote. JFC co-chairs state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, and state Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, released a statement Monday supporting the bill, which they say will “protect the environment and create good paying jobs in an area that desperately needs them.” “There is over 80 years of mining history in northern Wisconsin, and
the environment is as beautiful and pristine today as it was back then,” the legislators said in the release. The bill is slated for consideration in both the state Senate and Assembly. Republicans hold the majority of seats in both houses of the legislature. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Burlington, expressed confidence the bill will pass in the Assembly next week in a Monday release. “This bill provides businesses a level of certainty that they need in order to invest in Wisconsin and our workforce,” Vos said in the statement. But state Sen. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, criticized the bill in a press release, saying Republican legislators “are determined to fast-track this flawed, open-pit mining bill,” with Senate consideration as early as Wednesday. “Rather than letting special interests write their own set of rules, we need to take a balanced and commonsense approach to protect taxpayers, local communities, and our natural resources,” Shilling said in the release. —Meghan Chua
The University of WisconsinMadison chapter of the Teaching Assistants’ Association recently launched a campaign to increase graduate students’ incomes to make UW-Madison a more attractive place for graduate students. TAA Member Michael Billeaux said he has “never seen a campaign get so popular so quickly,”
with over 400 letters sent to Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell requesting university officials initiate a segregated fee remission for graduate assistants since the “Pay Us Back” campaign launched Feb. 11. According to Billeaux, segregated fees, which he called a “long-standing issue” placing a
burden on graduate assistants, have increased even though graduate assistant incomes have remained stagnant since 2009. “A lot of people resonate with this issue very deeply,” Billeaux said, noting how balancing fees and wages has remained a top priority
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Mexican restaurant catches fire, owner plans to rebuild Popular Mexican restaurant Taqueria Guadalajara caught fire early Monday morning, and the building sustained interior damage, according to a Madison Fire Department press release. MFD firefighters arrived at the south side restaurant, located at 1033 S. Park St., at 7:16 a.m. and noticed smoke billowing from a vent on the side of the building from four blocks away, according to the release. MFD crews initially believed someone was in the building due to an early report but nobody was found during the search, according to the release. Firefighters extinguished the fire within 10 minutes and managed to keep it contained in the Grey Satterfield/the daily cardinal two-story restaurant, preMexican restaurant Taqueria Guadalajara caught fire Monday, venting damage to surdamaging the building’s interior. No one was injured in the fire. rounding structures. South Park Street remained closed to all traffic of the fire remains unknown. Taqueria Guadalajara, Josefa for more than an hour, according The Wisconsin State Journal Trejo, plans to repair and to the press release, and the cause reported the the owner of reopen the restaurant.
“…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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An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 122, Issue 92
2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 • fax (608) 262-8100
Managing Editor Alex DiTullio
News Team News Manager Taylor Harvey Campus Editor Sam Cusick College Editor Cheyenne Langkamp City Editor Melissa Howison State Editor Jack Casey Enterprise Editor Samy Moskol Associate News Editor Meghan Chua Features Editor Ben Siegel Opinion Editors David Ruiz • Nikki Stout Editorial Board Chair Matt Beaty Arts Editors Cameron Graff • Andy Holsteen Sports Editors Vince Huth • Matt Masterson Page Two Editors Rachel Schulze • Alex Tucker Life & Style Editor Rebecca Alt Photo Editors Grey Satterfield • Abigail Waldo Graphics Editors Angel Lee • Dylan Moriarty Multimedia Editors Dani Golub Science Editor Matthew Kleist Diversity Editor Aarushi Agni Copy Chiefs Brett Bachman • Molly Hayman Matthew Kleist • Rachel Wanat Copy Editors Neha Alluri • Katy Hertel Lexi Stutzman
Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Jacob Sattler Office Manager Emily Rosenbaum Advertising Managers Erin Aubrey • Dan Shanahan Senior Account Executives Philip Aciman • Jade Likely Account Executives Jordan Laeyendecker Elissa Hersh • Madi Fair Tessa Coan • Lyndsay Bloomfield Zachary Hanlon • Paulina Kovalo Hannah Klein • Danny Mahlum Eric O’Neil • Will Huberty Ali Syverson • Catherine Rashid Alyssa Boczkicwicz Web Director Eric Harris Public Relations Manager Alexis Vargas Marketing Manager Caitlin Furin Events Manager Andrew Straus Creative Director Claire Silverstein Copywriters Dustin Bui • Bob Sixsmith The Daily Cardinal is a nonprofit organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales. The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays and distributed at the University of WisconsinMadison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000. Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both. Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. Letters Policy: Letters must be word processed and must include contact information. No anonymous letters will be printed. All letters to the editor will be printed at the discretion of The Daily Cardinal. Letters may be sent to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.
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Matt Beaty • Alex DiTullio Anna Duffin • Nick Fritz • Scott Girard David Ruiz • Nikki Stout
Board of Directors Jenny Sereno, President Scott Girard • Alex DiTullio Emily Rosenbaum • John Surdyk Erin Aubrey • Dan Shanahan Jacob Sattler • Melissa Anderson Stephen DiTullio • Herman Baumann Don Miner • Chris Drosner Jason Stein • Nancy Sandy Tina Zavoral © 2013, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398
For the record Corrections or clarifications? Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an email to edit@dailycardinal.com.
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dailycardinal.com
A behind-stall-doors look at the good, the bad and the ugly
News and Editorial Editor in Chief Scott Girard
wednesday: chance of snow
The UW bathroom awards
edit@dailycardinal.com
tODAY: chance of snow
samy moskol sam yams
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ere-yee! Here-yee! It is with great pleasure that I present to you the first annual Daily Cardinal Bathroom Awards. Whether you are a nervous pooer or more of a free spirit, here you will find details on the standout spots to do your business, whatever business that may be.
Best in Show: Nancy Nicholas Hall This semester I have an obnoxious number of classes that jump between Van Hise and Ag Hall, or what I like to call “Agricvltvre.” Between the two buildings is a gem that I have grown to appreciate more than I will appreciate any man. Within its walls are bathroom wonders. I wish I had gastrointestinal issues so I had a legitimate excuse to use those bathrooms more often. No time spent in any other campus building compares to the 10 minutes I spend using the Nancy Nicholas women’s bathrooms Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. A round of applause! The first floor: It’s supposed to feel like a forest. It’s art, really. You hear birds chirping, streams rustling, maybe there is an owl in the distance? Fireflies? Look up to the night sky; the stars glisten and fade. Need to wash your hands? Go to the rock bed where water juts out of a stream. You are alone in the wilderness, with the convenience of modern, simplistic Kohler appliances. The second and third floors: You are in a children’s book— Snow White meets Harold and the Purple Crayon. The mirrors are exquisitely detailed, and on
the wall by the entrance there is a chalkboard wall with everywhich color of chalk you could possibly desire. “<3 wish I was a human ecology student so I could use this b-room every day! <3 <3 [scribbles] <3.” In pink. Upon entering Nancy Nicholas Hall (home of the School of Human Ecology), everyone must answer an unavoidable question: “Which exquisite bathroom experience do I want today?” The choice is yours. Well done, SoHE, well done. Honorable Mention: Memorial Union, Second Floor The Memorial Union’s second-floor bathroom near the East Corridor makes you feel like a visitor in a country club, circa 1997. Extra counters to throw your belongings on, extra mirrors that you can look at yourself in for longer than is acceptable, pretty colors... Solid work. Great effort.
For the Self-conscious Shitter: Memorial Library, South Stacks The label applies to those who, after dropping the big one, wait an extra five minutes to exit the stall, until the “excessive hand-washer” finally leaves. There are bathrooms on every floor of Memorial Library’s South Stacks, ready for you and the four other people in the South Stacks at that moment. The bathroom itself is mediocre, with just two stalls and an industrial finish. But if you are ever interrupted doing your business, write me a complaint. South Stacks, while underappreciated, provide a service to those who are self-conscious shitters. No. 1 Shit Hole: Social Sciences The Social Sciences Building would be cleaner and more hygienic if its bathrooms were removed. The ratio of stalls to the number of students in
the building at once is appalling, and during passing time I am afraid to contract pink eye when I walk inside. The bathroom smells of what I imagine to be lemon citrus mixed with ammonia, a quick fix to cover up the bacteria that has been building since 1962, when Social Sciences was erected. Could use improvement. Bathroom Your Greatgrandma Used: Wisconsin Historical Society The bathroom on the Wisconsin Historical Society second floor near the reading room has the look, feel and plumbing of a 113-year-old building. If you’d like to take a step back in time, the stalls are for 1905-sized women, when average height was 4-foot11 and the average weight was 115 pounds. They can be a tight fit today. The bathroom is mostly ivory with a robin-egg-blue finish, and it comes with a closet, where I like to stash historical documents, my typewriter, some moldy bread… One of the two stalls is usually out-of-order, and the entrance door does not latch. (Not open Sundays.) Full disclosure: As a social sciences kid, apologies to the real science folks who were hoping for bathroom insights on buildings like Microbiochemistry or Agrichemical Engineering. Ag Hall is the farthest westward I have walked on campus. These reviews reflect my experience using these buildings’ women’s bathrooms. For those who do not use women’s bathrooms, please let me know how their counterparts stand.
graphic by angel lee
What top-notch toilets did Samy leave out? Email at moskol@wisc.edu next time you’re appreciating the ambiance on the john.
An obsessive fan’s take on Tegan and Sara jacklin bolduan a bold move
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K, so this weekend I experienced a completely different, incredibly more acceptable and meaningful kind of fandom that has nothing to do with television. I imagine you are shocked that I have any real interests at all. You guys, I’m a real person, not a delirious crabfisher like you might have thought. I was lucky enough to snag tickets (meaning I set four different alarms to make sure I was awake and on my computer the moment tickets went on sale) to see my most giant-est heartthrobs and most loved lovers, Tegan and Sara. The concert was Sunday night; I’m sure some of you were there, and if you were, then “OMG HEY!” And if you weren’t, that’s OK. I understand (I guess). I feel kind of blasphemous
writing a “humor” column about a topic that is oh-so sacred to me, but you know what, I have to write a column, and right now the only things available in my brain are their faces and their words and their hair and their leather jackets, so this is what you’re getting. And when I say “humor,” I mean me crying and clutching an empty PBR can as I scream every word to every song that has ever meant anything to me. Don’t think I can’t hear you laughing at me already. Side note: If you have any desire to pick up chicks, run out right this very moment and get your hair cut like Tegan or Sara Quin. Don’t ask, don’t Google it, just run. I spent the whole weekend at a retreat, which was pretty exhausting (hence the word “retreat”), so by the time I got home, I was feeling like I mostly just wanted to sleep for a zillion years. I had about an hour to shower and pick out the most incredible, yet “Oh-I just-threwthis-on-and-then-dumpsterdived-in-it” outfit I could find.
My room looked like a scene from a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie, which is always a good sign. I decided to get there at least an hour early, so I could get close enough to at least see the wrinkles in Tegan’s face when she sings (OMG WHY AM I SO CREEPY? I’M SORRY, TEGAN). My plan worked, and as my bestest buddies and I struggled through the opener (you know what I’m saying), we dreamed of seeing our favorite twins—besides Tia and Tamara— sing their little Canadian hearts out and maybe, just maybe, looking deep into our souls and asking to be our BFFs and serenade us forever and always. I could go into the details of what I might have looked like as I screamed or sang or cried or danced, but I might as quickly refer you to a picture of a pug dog waiting for a Beggin’ Strip, plus red lipstick and tights. I hope many of you know this feeling. Screaming every single word of every song of the band that you listened to on repeat for years in your car during high school, that band
that told you who you were, who you wanted to be and everything you couldn’t afford to be. Yeah, I have emotional depth. Get over it.
I decided to get there at least an hour early, so I could get close enough to at least see the wrinkles on Tegan’s face when she sings. As I write this, I sit in my bed, ruined in a coma that is so glorious I would like to sit in it forever, except then I would not be able to go to another Tegan and Sara concert, so that would be a bad idea. Also, I think this column ended up being mostly about twins. Were you at the Tegan and Sarah concert? OMG TALK TO JACKIE ABOUT IT!!! Email her at jacklin.bolduan@gmail.com.
news Man enters house on Langdon Street, takes backpack An intruder entered a woman’s apartment on Langdon Street Saturday night through an unlocked door, according to a police report, drawing similarities to previous burglaries in the area earlier this semester. According to the police report, the 22-year-old woman said she was leaving the bathroom when she noticed the intruder, who fled when she screamed. The victim described the suspect as an AfricanAmerican man in his late teens or early twenties. The burglar managed to get away with the backpack of the woman’s roommate, which contained a laptop, an iPhone and a wallet, according to the report.
Homeless man maces woman on State Street A 21-year-old Madison woman was attacked on State Street after she left a downtown bar early Saturday morning, according to a police report. The victim was walking on the 500 block of State Street when Jason Bogen, a 27-yearold homeless man, used a squirt gun to spray a substance similar to mace in her eyes. The report said the victim told police her face felt like it “was on fire,” and officers used snow to wash the chemicals off. Police were not able to locate the squirt gun but found a “police-type” baton on Bogen when they arrested him. He is being charged with causing bodily harm, carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct, according to the report.
Downtown thief steals phone from passerby A female Madison resident was physically assaulted and robbed Friday while walking downtown with friends, according to a police report. The 19-year-old victim passed a group of three men and one woman near the North Henry Street and Langdon Street intersection and was mugged shortly after by the woman. According to the report, the suspect knocked the victim to the ground and punched her before stealing her phone. The victim, with help from her friends, chased the suspect down and retrieved the stolen phone, but the police were not called until half an hour after the incident, Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said in a statement. The report states one witness told police it appeared the mugging was a result of a dare from the suspect’s male peers.
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Walker aide discusses budget with ASM Gov. Scott Walker’s Education Policy Assistant Michael Brickman met with student leaders Monday to discuss the implications of the recently released state biennial budget, which granted the University of Wisconsin System $181 million in new investments. In an Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs meeting, Brickman highlighted Walker’s goals for the UW System, which include financial flexibility and incentives-based funding for innovative UW projects. However, student leaders expressed concerns that the governor’s budget did not include more need-based financial aid and a tuition cap to limit tuition increases. Brickman said affordability is important to the governor but one potential negative of a tuition cap is that it could be seen as a standard amount to increase tuition by every year. Instead, he emphasized that allowing the uni-
versity more flexibility in deciding where funding goes will hopefully increase efficiency and prevent tuition from rising too much. “We’re giving the university system … some of the flexibilities they were requesting,” Brickman said. “If they get the flexibilities we’re giving, they can help keep the cost down.” Legislative Affairs Chair Dan Statter said the committee will continue to lobby to keep tuition affordable. “UW having more flexibility is good for UW, but that doesn’t help a student, and ultimately, we are all here because of the students,” Statter said. Brickman also said that $90 million would go to Wisconsin universities to be used as a flexible funding option for the creation of new programs, the improvement of existing ones and awards to top faculty and staff based on their performance. —Mara Jezior
Diversity committee shares student roundtable findings The Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee released four common themes that stemmed from student input at a recent roundtable event which focused on the future of the ethnic studies requirement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Ethnic Studies Roundtable, held Feb. 18, facilitated discussion and debate on the university’s ethnic studies class requirement, which currently requires students to take one three-credit class from a list of approved ethnic studies classes. ASM Diversity Committee Chair Mia Akers said the committee will present its findings to other committees working on the campus diversity plan to show students’ perspectives. “I’m just really excited that we got great feedback and we came away with tangible things that students want,” Akers said. “Hopefully the university will listen to us and really take our considerations to thought.” According to Diversity
Committee Vice Chair Hannah Kinsella, one of the most common themes involved raising the requirement to six credits instead of three, and requiring students to take two classes about different areas of diversity, such as gender and women’s studies. Another common theme participants requested was requiring students to take one of two required classes in their first two years on campus and the other in their next two years. Students also showed interest in creating smaller discussion sections for ethnic studies classes, which Akers said could facilitate better discussion on sensitive topics. The fourth common theme students at the roundtable supported was incorporating a service learning requirement for students enrolled in ethnic studies classes, which would require students to participate in campus and community events and volunteer opportunities involving diversity. —Sam Cusick
Grey Satterfield/the daily cardinal
ASM Diversity Committee Vice Chair Hannah Kinsella shares students’ input from last week’s Ethnic Studies Roundtable.
Courtney Kessler/the daily cardinal
Gov. Scott Walker’s Education Policy Assitant Michael Brickman speaks with students about the state biennial budget Monday.
taa from page 1 of the TAA for the past decade. According to data from an Association of American Universities Data Exchange report Billeaux emailed to The Daily Cardinal, UW-Madison ranks the third lowest in graduate student compensation when compared to other Big 10 universities. Additionally, UW-Madison graduate assistants have faced increases in healthcare contri-
bution due to Act 10 in recent years, according to Billeaux. “It’s been a struggle,” Billeaux said. “But it’s what inspired the campaign.” TAA representatives will continue to meet with university administration about wages and fee issues, according to Billeaux. He also said the organization hopes to work with other organizations on campus, such as the Faculty Senate, to accomplish its goals. —Taylor Harvey
State fiscal agency analyzes effects of proposed tax cuts The Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a report Monday detailing how Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed tax cuts would affect people at different income levels. Walker’s biennial budget, proposed last Wednesday, included lowering income taxes in an attempt to spur economic development. The tax rate reductions that would take place affect the lowest three of Wisconsin’s five tax brackets beginning in the 2013 tax year. The report estimated these decreases would affect over two million Wisconsin taxpayers. In his budget address, Walker said such a reduction would “truly stimulate the economy.” “This will ensure a tax cut for everyone with the focus on making Wisconsin more competitive for middle class taxpayers and small businesses,” he said last Wednesday. According to the report, individual income tax revenue would decrease by roughly $343
million between 2013 and 2015 under the cuts. In response to the LFB report, state Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said in a statement the data made it clear Walker’s proposed tax cuts favored higher-income families. “A true middle-class budget would balance real middle-class income tax relief with investments in important areas such as public education and access to affordable health care,” Barca said in the statement. Individuals with taxable incomes greater than $100,000, who make up just under 20 percent of those who would be affected by the cuts, would receive almost half of the $170.1 million total decrease in 2014, the report said. Almost $42 million of the total decrease would go those with incomes between $100,000 and $150,000. —Meghan Chua
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a majority of jobs in Wisconsin now require a college degree. “For students like me it’s actually a matter of job and no job,” Van Cleave said. Risser said while he supported the proposals, he felt they would be difficult given the partisan nature of the budget. “Education is our biggest business,” Risser said. “What we’ll do is we’ll do our best.”
time the cap was removed, when students saw a 15 percent tuition increase in 2003, as an example. Kayla Van Cleave, also a UW-Madison student, spoke to Risser in support of increased financial aid, saying she would not be here without the grants funding her Wisconsin education. Van Cleave pointed out that
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Ra Ra Riot set to ro ro rock UW campus By Brian Weidy The daily cardinal
The Daily Cardinal recently spoke with Ra Ra Riot bassist Mathieu Santos, as he waited in line at Coop’s Place in New Orleans for some jambalaya. In 2006, Santos, along with Wes Miles, Milo Bonacci and Rebecca Zeller, started Ra Ra Riot at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. While the band is now a polished touring outfit, they started as just another college band. “It was kind of almost like an accident,” Santos said. “When we formed in college, we just expected to be together for the semester and then after graduation, we figured everyone would go their separate ways.”
While the story could have ended there, the band was picking up on a groundswell. So they decided to ride out their building wave of momentum. “We had so much fun that first semester and things were going relatively well,” Santos said. “That summer we decided to put together a small tour of the northeast and we did that, and that seemed to be going well… we just had a tiny bit of momentum and no one has any real jobs yet.” Shortly after that, Ra Ra Riot went into the studio for the first time, still a freshly minted band. “It was like a big decision to make,” Santos said. “We all had to pitch in like $40 each to cover the cost of the demo and we were like
‘I don’t know, this is a lot of money, is it worth it?’ But we went up to Buffalo [New York] one weekend and just recorded the demo just to have something to give to people because people kept asking us.” The next year, Ra Ra Riot recorded their first EP and all of a sudden, they took off. “Being in the studio was thrilling,” Santos said. “I had never been in a proper recording studio before or anything like that. Every step of the way, it was just a really exciting type of surprise.” While their first two albums could be easily classified as “Baroque Pop” by the Pitchfork enthusiast, with their third album, the band decided to shift gears considerably. “It was more of just like an
attitude adjustment that we knew we needed to make,” Santos said. “With our second record, The Orchard, which we are proud of anyway, I think we had some issues with it, especially in terms of overthinking things or just treating things as if they were too precious. We sort of just got locked into our methods of writing and arranging.” On their latest album, Beta Love, the band opted to move into a more electronic sound, adding in synthesizers to change things up. “If something sounds good, or feels good immediately, we can’t be scared of it and think it is too goofy or too weird,” Santos said. Though the band has produced some impressive studio outputs, they have also toured relentlessly, not only domestical-
ly, but also internationally. “There [are] a lot of good places. Playing in college towns is always a lot of fun,” Santos said. “You know, the crowds are younger and more energetic. Every town has a different vibe, but it is always fun connecting with people all over the place.” While the band has played around the world, there is still something special about Madison. “I think Madison is one of those college kind of towns where people are going to come out,” Santos said. “You get a really young, kind of positive energy… I remember those shows getting pretty energetic and a little rowdy too.” Ra Ra Riot will take the stage at Great Hall at Memorial Union for free at 9 p.m. March 2.
Why now is the time to separate ‘Harlem’ from ‘the shake’ Michael Penn II Pen(n) game stressful
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f Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” is one thing, it is a damn sure success. Though it took an entire year, Harry Rodrigues has singlehandedly dethroned “Gangnam Style,” reached number one on the Billboard and created a single that rose from the ashes of SoundCloud obscurity into being purchased over 250,000 times in a week. And the arguments… so… many… damn… arguments. With the journalistic hip-hop head power vested in me, I solemnly swear that I shall not reappropriate (giggle) the endless amount of columns written on this damn song already. With that said, there’s some clarity to be shed that on what we’re all missing. I initially felt like white people essentially hijacked yet another cultural staple from black people. I am black. Where I’m from, Harlem shaking looks not a goddamn thing like what I have seen these past few weeks. There is a technique to it—a coordinated flair that originates in basements at the age of six or seven. I’m sickened by the thought of yet another piece of my culture, no matter how miniscule or insignificant in pop culture, being snatched in the name of good fun. I called it a byproduct of the new context of “trap music” spawned from the depths of EDM hell. No matter how damn good the song is, or the music from this new wave, it feels like black folk are, once again, the center of another joke. But wait, there’s more to it. A specific debate through text message last week spawned my best friend’s assertion that the Harlem shake isn’t that much of a cultural staple. It is credited as our parents’ generation’s “Soulja Boy,” and that no one actually cares about the cultural appropriation of a dance that lived and died in the ’90s. All of the anger spawned from this argument is essentially rooted in the fact that Harlem is included; if this wasn’t the case, no one would care and it would essentially Kanye shrug its way back to acceptance. I argued him down about what I summarized in that last paragraph… but my best friend is right
about a lot. Would anyone have given a crap in the world if it was all named something else random and inconspicuous? As I contemplate it now, white people definitely shot videos of themselves collectively SouljaBoying (is that a verb?) across schoolyards and fast-food parking lots and no one moved a single character in protest. Granted, I couldn’t spell “appropriation” in seventh grade, but I digress. I sure enough wasn’t mad. If the Harlem shake circa 2013 was merely named “The Shake”, it would mean absolutely nothing and appropriation wouldn’t even be in the forefront. Also, I’m sure Soulja Boy is just as much of a black cultural icon as Jesus is to America. Yeah, I said it. The issue at hand is much more than the fear of white kids in dorm rooms pelvic-thrusting their way to millions of views at a time. It is the fear that the African-American platform of hip-hop culture is currently under siege at the hands of these white kids in dorm rooms. This is only justifiable on a limited level once we explore the exploitation of common tropes such as masculinity, stereotypes and other monolithic ideas behind the genre. Once one reconsiders perspective on how this fear applies in the frame of the fad’s surge, it is simple to conclude that the new breed of Harlem shake has absolutely nothing to do with it at all.
Harlem is an epicenter of blackness. Hip-hop is an epicenter of blackness.
This immediate and immense criticism of its track and involuntary meme attests to the reactionary variable within hip-hop spheres that immediately damns anything to hell if it dares come near even the most obscure components of the genre. With this said, anyone within the culture of the oppressed can sample the dominant culture ceaselessly without penalty or threat because of what has been culturally established. Simply put, J. Cole or J Dilla can sample anything from any culture and never be charged with
appropriating cultures like anthem rock or country, but the inverse applies to Baauer or anyone making a video in his image. Harlem is an epicenter of blackness. Hip-hop is an epicenter of blackness. Baauer, by monolithic standards, does not fit these criteria, thus continuing the struggle for acceptance of white artists in all genres and subgenres spawned from hip-hop. White fans are subject to challenge as well, with their authenticity being brought into question. This is a reactionary principle in motion no matter what the art may be or how harmless it actually is. Hip-hop heads like me have been bred to reinforce it. And the disconnect continues. I met Baauer backstage when
he came to Madison a short while ago, (that best friend I mentioned previously was the opening act for the show.) He stood alone with his Macbook in a jacket and beanie, quietly surveying the drink bar and using his words sparingly with us. We asked him about his Ableton set and how his Boiler Room performance left the Internet frenzied about the death of DJ culture and how laptops are the culprit. He smirked at how people gave him a lot of trouble for it. I wonder if he smirks now when he reads columns about how he doesn’t belong, how he’s forwarding the zeitgeist of white people destroying hip-hop. All I hope for is that he doesn’t read this one the same way. It is time
to bury the impulse to react in the shadow of racism and appropriation in a culture that is supposedly founded with the intention of being purely open for anyone to remix, recreate and prosper. However, the subjectivity must stay for when artists like Baauer actually cross the line and violate upon the culture in ways that transcend audio or 30-second clips of people in sleeping bags gyrating underwater with a college swimmer on a table. I don’t see the harm in that anymore. Not on this one. Still not convinced on Penn’s argument about taking “Harlem” out of the “Harlem Shake?” Let him know at mdpenn@wisc.edu.
opinion Segregated Milwaukee disadvantageous 6
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Mike Brost opinion columnist
W
ith the effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker last summer, Wisconsin’s political divisions have captivated the nation recently. But other divisions in Wisconsin merit far more attention. According to an analysis of the 2010 United States Census Bureau data by William H. Frey, a demographer and sociologist at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Milwaukee—the state’s largest city—is the most racially segregated major metropolitan area in the United States. To some extent, Milwaukee is not unique in its segregation; a myriad of cities across the nation still face issues of de facto segregation, and Milwaukee is just marginally more segregated than the second most segregated metro area, New York City. But Milwaukee’s segregation is unique in at least one respect— its persistence. In 1965, 90 percent of Milwaukee-area blacks lived in
the inner city. Today, that figure remains steady at 90 percent, while whites—as in many metro areas—have flocked to suburban and exurban enclaves in droves. As a member of the Midwestern Rust Belt, Milwaukee’s economy has struggled as manufacturing jobs have been lost to automation, outsourcing or elimination resulting from firms going out of business. In fact, Milwaukee has seen a 40 percent drop in manufacturing jobs since 1970.
A higher employment rate among African-Americans would likely lead to greater income equality among all cohorts and foster a stronger middle class.
Consequently, Milwaukee’s middle class has been significantly narrowed, from 37 percent of the area’s population in 1970 to just 24 percent today. AfricanAmericans have been particularly adversely affected by the loss of manufacturing jobs. In 1970, blacks and whites had similar
rates of employment, but by 2012 there was a 32 percent gap in employment. As the manufacturing jobs that once kept working-class whites in the city have been eliminated, white residents have moved out of the city, exacerbating de facto segregation in the metropolitan area. What will the confluence of Milwaukee’s segregation and its manufacturing decline mean for the future of the state’s largest city? The short answer: We can’t be certain. But as M.I.T. economist Daron Acemoglu and Harvard political scientist James A. Robinson noted in their book “Why Nations Fail,” exclusive economic institutions—like those in Milwaukee, where many blacks can’t find employment—have lower rates of economic growth and overall productivity. For instance, hypothetically alienating all men from the workplace—half the potential labor force—would mean capturing just half of the ideas, innovations and productivity possible. Similarly, Milwaukee’s economy loses when members of any demographic cohort are unemployed or haven’t been pro-
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vided the tools to reach their full potential. What’s more, according to Acemoglu and Robinson, “Inclusive economic institutions lead to a more equitable distribution of resources than extractive institutions,” meaning a higher employment rate among AfricanAmericans would likely lead to greater income equality among all cohorts and foster a stronger middle class.
Milwaukee has seen a 40 percent drop in manufacturing jobs since 1970.
To be sure, the solutions to Milwaukee’s segregation and economic challenges are beyond the purview of this column, and for that matter any single piece of public policy. But the factors contributing to Milwaukee’s segregation are manifold, and the solutions are, too. Strengthening efforts to integrate schools
would be a step in the right direction. Mitigating poverty, especially in the inner city, would surely help. And making inner city volunteer work compulsory for high school graduation at urban and suburban high schools would help integrate the metropolitan area. Most important, policy makers must work to improve the perennially underperforming Milwaukee Public School System, which is imperative to spurring growth and, in turn, abating segregation. The fact is that elected officials have failed to remedy Milwaukee’s deep-seated, longlasting segregation problem for decades now and, as a result, de facto segregation in Milwaukee remains. Similarly, policy makers have failed to pay adequate attention to the city’s deficient economic development. America has made immense social and economic progress in past decades, but segregation and the decline of the middle class in Milwaukee illustrate the dire need for greater progress. What do you think of income equality? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
MTV’s ‘Catfish’ damaging and exploitative to participants Eli Bovarnick opinion columnist
P
hilosopher Karl Marx urged his supporters to understand that someone is always benefitting from every bad situation. This ideal is applicable to the Manti Te’o hoax. Te’o, the college football star, allegedly deceived the nation by making up a girlfriend who succumbed to leukemia in order to bolster his image. As it turned out, Te’o was just supremely naïve and did not intentionally deceive the public. The entire situation became a waste of time for everyone involved, but as Marx taught, there were a few who benefitted. As a result of Te’o’s scandal, MTV’s controversial show, “Catfish,” which deals with many of the same themes found in Te’o’s case, has become increasingly popular among young viewers. In addition, like the Te’o scandal, “Catfish” proved to be a waste of time for the public, as it is unethical and amoral.
As viewers of TV in this country, it is our responsibility to censor ourselves from watching content that not only lacks value, but exists solely to single out and humiliate fragile people.
“Catfish” is a reality-based docudrama series about the truth and lies of online dating. The show’s creator, Nev Schulman, became famous after releasing a documentary at the Sundance Film Festival (under the same name as the show) about his own experience of being duped by an online acquaintance that mislead him about her true iden-
tity. In the TV version, people who have heard of Nev’s story enlist his help to uncover the truth of the people whom they have developed an online relationship with. The show always features a person who has fallen in love with someone online, but is suspicious of his or her true identity. That individual calls on Nev to come save the day and help the two people connect in reality. Then, Nev sets up a Jerry Springer-style forced meeting between the two parties. Eventually, the two people meet and almost always, you guessed it, the other person was faking their identity. Nev then awkwardly makes them tell the heartbroken person who was “catfished” why they chose to hide their identity. This often ends up becoming an uncomfortable televised admission of the person’s lifelong selfesteem and confidence issues. After watching several episodes of “Catfish” a few things become clear. First, the show is all about Nev and Nev’s catfish sized ego. Nev believes that because of his experience of being deceived and having a camera there to document it, that he has somehow become the expert of Internet love hoaxes. Just five minutes in, it is clear that Nev is more interested in using these people who are about to be crushed by the fact that they have been deceived for his own fame rather than their own peace of mind. This factor takes the focus away from any educational value the show might have. Next, the show is only truly benefitting a few people while harming the majority of viewers. MTV has achieved high ratings from airing “Catfish” and many people find it entertaining as well as a way to gain
insight into the current issue of online relationship hoaxes. However, while the show has been tagged as a way for the public to understand the trials and tribulations that people involved in anonymous online relationships experience, the way the episodes are directed makes it into more of a mockery of the people it features, rather than having any educational value. The main reason people tune in is to look down upon certain individuals having a tough time finding love.
As viewers of TV in this country, it is our responsibility to censor ourselves from watching content that not only lacks value, but exists solely to single out and humiliate fragile people. There is nothing to be gained from shows like “Catfish” if we strive to treat everyone equally. “Catfish” exploits people to make them look foolish, weak and crushed in their most vulnerable moments, allowing the audience to look down upon them and feel better about them-
selves. As Marx taught us, it is crucial to look for who benefits from every situation. In this case, the show benefits only a few people while negatively affecting everyone else. Has your experience with online relationships been similar to the stories told on “Catfish?” What do you think about the exploitation through reality television? Tell us your thoughts! Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com and visit our website dailycardinal. com for more content.
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Today’s Sudoku
Don’t let it leave the house! There is actually an alarm clock that will leap off your nightstand, run away and hide until you get out of bed. Tuesday, February 26, 2013 • 7
Free donuts and coffee for all
Eatin’ Cake
Classic
By Dylan Moriarty www.EatinCake.com
© Puzzles by Pappocom
Classic
By Melanie Shibley shibley@wisc.edu
Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
First In Twenty By Angel Lee alee23@wisc.edu
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com
HAD A NICE MEAL LATELY? ACROSS 1 Young whale 5 Gab 9 Betrayer of Christ 14 A future one is judged on TV 15 Place for an ace? 16 Bolshoi Theatre offering 17 Baltic capital 18 Something ___ (extraordinary thing) 19 What are you driving at? 20 Muppet with quite an appetite 23 Place a value on 24 Outmoded 27 Ship’s navigational route 31 Solitaire quorum 32 Use intense light on 35 Pants-maker Strauss 36 ___ forth (proposes) 37 Items on a modern dairy farm 40 “I’m ___ human” 41 Tubers 42 Partner of ifs and buts 43 “Without further ___ ...” 44 Like a tuxedo shirt 46 Drawing upon someone?
48 Repeat signs, in music 53 Insomniac’s repast 57 What’s hot 59 16-Across highlight 60 Bay ___ (San Francisco’s locale) 61 Gate swinger 62 Float alternative 63 Some improvised singing 64 Chose (to) 65 It doesn’t take long to process 66 Give an edge to? DOWN 1 Word used to approximate dates 2 Tijuana “ta-ta” 3 Symbols on company letterheads 4 Snow unit 5 What Packers fans wear on their heads 6 Oscar-winner Celeste 7 Word with “ran” 8 Ump chaser? 9 Push and shove 10 Took higher 11 Large dog bred for hunting 12 “Chances ___” (Johnny Mathis hit) 13 Plaintive
21 American of Japanese birth 22 ___ the Hedgehog (Sega mascot) 25 Poker pot builders 26 Lass in a Hardy tale 28 Aquarium buildup 29 Assumption for the sake of argument 30 “Stop!” to a sailor 32 Evans or Ronstadt 33 Ration 34 Limitless limit 36 Safety or rolling 37 Fortress barrier 38 Fishing line material 39 Hellish place 44 Encased, as peas 45 High-priced spread 47 Just a trace 49 Grind, as one’s teeth 50 Drug agent, slangily 51 SpongeBob’s home 52 Go rollerblading 54 Literary foot 55 He of the aging portrait 56 Handle of a sword 57 Despite that, informally 58 Critique harshly
Caved In
By Nick Kryshak nkryshak@wisc.edu
By Steven Wishau wishau@wisc.edu
Sports
tuesday february 26, 2013 DailyCardinal.com
Men’s Hockey
Badgers fall in overtime to Penn State By Matt Masterson The daily cardinal
While it was not lacking in chances, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team could not take advantage of them as they fell to Penn State 3-2 in overtime. The Badgers (10-7-7 WCHA, 14-11-7 overall) took a 2-0 lead in the third period, but the Nittany Lions (13-14) fought back with two goals of their own to force the extra frame. With 34 seconds left in overtime, Penn State junior forward Taylor Holstrom scored his second goal of the game to seal the victory in the team’s last game of the season. “I wouldn’t say momentum has been lost, but yes it’s devastating, especially after what kind of happened around college hockey last night,” junior center Mark Zengerle said. “You can’t do anything about it now, we still control our fate as far as getting home ice and going from there.” Coming off a 5-0 victory over the Nittany Lions Sunday, the Badgers were hoping to maintain their position in the Pairwise rankings, where they had jumped into a tie for 17th place, with another win. Following the loss however, the team falls back down into a tie for 28th, effectively killing their hopes for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. “I think what it does… it just squeezes the importance of our last four games,” head coach
shoaib altaf/the daily cardinal
Junior center Mark Zengerle put the Badgers on the scoreboard first in the second period with his sixth goal of the season, but it was not enough as Wisconsin fell 3-2 to Penn State in overtime. Mike Eaves said. “We have to primarily win out.” During a power play in the first period, senior center Derek Lee left the ice with an apparent lower body injury, and did not return to the game. Lee has been the team’s power play quarterback this season, recording a team-high 18 assists on the year.
The pace would pick up in the second period, with Wisconsin recording 20 shots on net en route to taking a 1-0 lead. With just under four minutes left in the period, Zengerle found himself on a twoman break with freshman forward Nic Kerdiles. The two passed back and forth before Zengerle buried a wrist shot past Penn State fresh-
NFL combine coverage getting out of hand matt masterson master’s degree
W
hen it comes to overhyped sporting events, nothing takes the cake quite like the NFL scouting combine. What began as simply a series of physical tests for NFL-bound athletes has been transformed by the 24-hour news cycle of the sports media world and their talking heads, desperate for a discussion point. In the 81-day void between the Super Bowl and the Draft, NFL fans and media, desperate for some football, turn to the “Underwear Olympics” and end up making a much bigger deal out of it than is necessary. It’s ridiculous to try and project a players’ pro future based on how many reps of 225 pounds they can bench press or how fast they can run 40 yards with no pads on. Run a 4.3 forty and all of a sudden, three years of inconsistent play is forgotten. Put up just 20 reps on the bench, and suddenly being one of the most consistent offensive lineman in the country over a four-year span isn’t so important. That is the case for Auburn running back Onterio McCalebb and Wisconsin center/guard Travis Frederick. After running a 4.34 forty, McCalebb— once seen as a late round pick at best—is now in the discussion for the middle rounds of the draft. Frederick, on the other
hand, the same guy who squats an inhuman 770 pounds, is now having his strength questioned after his admittedly disappointing performance. That is just how fickle the draft process can be. One good test and you’re on top of the world. One misstep, and you could lose out on millions. ESPN, the NFL Network and countless other media outlets expound for hours over every tenth of a second in a dash and every quarter inch in a broad jump. But for what? It’s funny to look back over the years and see draftniks gawk over a player’s eye-popping workout. In 2007, LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell was the talk of the town. “I can’t remember being in such awe of a quarterback in my decade of attending combines and pro days,” NFL Draft expert Todd McShay said prior to the 2007 draft. “Russell’s passing session was the most impressive of all the pro days I’ve been to.” Russell went No. 1 overall to the Raiders and was out of the NFL three years later. Now weighing over 300 pounds, Russell is attempting to break back into the league. A year later, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston became the poster child for not talking combine results too literally. Gholston blew the pants off scouts in Indianapolis when he ran a 4.58 forty and put up 37 reps on the bench press while weighing just 225 pounds. The New York Jets scooped up Gholston with the sixth overall pick in 2008 and in three
years with the team, he recorded just 42 tackles before being released in 2011. To put that number in truly pathetic perspective, Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis was credited with 51 tackles in just four playoff games this season. “What can you say? We’re human,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a 2011 interview with the New York Post. “We’ve all been guilty. It’s a situation where you sometimes forget that these guys aren’t going to play football on Sundays in shorts.” Yes, there are obviously stories of players who made names for themselves at the combine and rode that to a successful pro career, but they are not nearly as common. In 2008, little-known East Carolina running back Chris Johnson ran a record 4.24 forty and pushed his draft stock into the first round where he was selected by the Tennessee Titans. In his second professional season, Johnson would go on to become the sixth rusher to ever record a 2,000-yard season in NFL history. This however, is hardly the norm. For every one success story like Johnson’s, there are ten Aaron Maybins or Matt Joneses. For an event that is no more indicative of future success than the Senior Bowl or team pro days, it should not warrant the media coverage that it receivers. The combine is in no way the only determining factor when it comes to teams’ evaluations, but the way it’s covered, you’d think that it was the end-all, be-all for the future of NFL draft picks.
man goalie Matthew Skoff. Wisconsin would see its lead grow to two in the third period when sophomore forward Joseph LaBate found the back of the net, but the celebration would be short lived. Just seven seconds after the goal, Holmstrom beat sophomore goaltender Landon Peterson to
cut the lead back down to one. With less than eight minutes left in regulation, the Nittany Lions would strike again, this time on the power play. After a faceoff in the UW zone, the puck drifted in front of Peterson, who misplayed it, allowing PSU freshman forward Casey Bailey to put the puck between the goalie’s legs for the goal. “For the most part I thought it was pretty good,” Eaves said of Peterson’s play. “On the second [goal] [Peterson] took a chance and tried to poke check it and got beat there.” Wisconsin controlled much of the play in overtime, but after a faceoff in the Badger zone, Kerdiles could not clear the puck, which eventually ended up in front of Peterson, and eventually in the back of the Wisconsin net. “We’re going to look back at this game and say it was a game of missed opportunities,” Eaves said. “We’re going to probably look at the film and say we out-chanced them 2-to-1 and we didn’t score enough to put out of the game in regulation.” The Badgers recorded 44 shots on goal, but they failed to score on any of their four power play opportunities, and only had four shots with the man advantage. The Badgers will have a chance to bounce back on the road next weekend when they travel to Nebraska-Omaha.
Men’s Basketball
Badgers host Huskers in Big Ten matchup senior guard Dylan Talley (14 points per game), junior guard Nebraska (4-10 Big Ten, 13-14 Ray Gallegos (12.5) and senior overall) has been more competitive forward Brandon Ubel (11.4) this season than its four confer- have combined for 65 percent of ence wins would suggest. While Nebraska’s scoring this season. the Cornhuskers have yet to come Although the Cornhuskers’ away with a win against statistics would not lend the Big Ten’s upper echmany to believe they elon, they have certainly could knock off UW made things interesting in Tuesday—they rank a handful of such games. either at or near the Average Back in the early bottom of most notable points per stages of conference play, statistical categories in game for Wisconsin. Nebraska was within one the Big Ten—Nebraska possession of Wisconsin comes into town having (10-4, 19-8) in the final won two of its last four Average minute of the game before games, including its possessions the Badgers pulled away biggest win of the seaper game by with a 47-41 victory. son, a 64-60 win over Badgers and Since then, the Iowa Saturday. Huskers. Huskers have been comWisconsin’s coaches petitive in the second half and players have said, of games with Michigan, Michigan dating back to Big Ten media State (twice) and Ohio State. day back in October, that any Both teams will likely be team in the conference could comfortable with the pace of beat another. While it is not play when the Cornhuskers visit uncommon to hear coaches and Madison Tuesday—they average players tout the toughness or an identical 63.7 possessions per parity of their conference, that game. It will be key for Wisconsin kind of talk is perhaps no more to contain Nebraska’s top three appropriate than this year in scorers, each of whom averages in the Big Ten. double figures. Head coach Bo Ryan said at It isn’t the Cornhuskers’ his Monday press conference number of double-digit scorers that, while this season hasn’t that makes them a heavy focal exactly been “unpredictable,” it point however, as more than certainly has to have been enterhalf of the teams in the Big Ten taining for the fans. have at least three guys averag“Results are unpredictable,” ing at least 10 points per game. Ryan said. “So to me, it would What makes Nebraska’s top seem like it would be something three a point of emphasis is that that fans would relish.”
By Vince Huth the daily cardinal
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