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Thursday, March 22, 2018
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Big Ten student elections face lower turnouts By Maggie Chandler and Bremen Keasey THE DAILY CARDINAL
Attempts to encourage UW-Madison’s student body to have a say in choosing their student representatives proved mostly futile last week after just 6 percent voted in the Associated Students of Madison student election — the lowest turnout in 10 years. Before the election, Kate Wehrman, Student Elections Commission Chair, said ASM increased their social media presence and used an email campaign which included an informational graphic showing the number of representatives from each school. Of the 41,522 students enrolled this spring, this means that there were only 2,411 completed ballots. But this is not just UW-Madison’s problem. Other Big Ten schools have also been struggling with lower turnout. University of Illinois Illinois saw a campus-wide participation rate of 11.78 percent.
It’s an increase from the 2015 election, where 10.6 percent voted, but according to Katrina Rbeiz, press secretary for the Illinois Student Government, there’s still been a drop in the overall voting trend. Through social media posts, free food on the quad and leaflets and posters containing information about elections, the student government tried to drum up support for the election. Critics of student government often claim there is a disconnect between the students and their government, with many left feeling their vote doesn’t matter. But Rbeiz disagrees. Voting helps the student government by making sure officials are held accountable and that those elected represent the majority of students, she said. “Not only would a low turnout hurt student government, but it would also hurt the student body,” Rbeiz said. University of MinnesotaTwin Cities Voter turnout also decreased
UW women’s health course turns 50 years old this term By Robyn Cawley STAFF WRITER
Minnesota Daily writer Max Chao told The Daily Cardinal. Even with a controversial divestment referendum — similar to legislation that ASM passed last spring — during the University of Minnesota’s election, the voter turnout still decreased from last election.
In 1968, the feminist movement was the leading force in introducing the Gender & Women’s Studies class “Women and Their Bodies in Health and Disease” into UW-Madison’s curriculum. Fifty years later, the class has become imperative to the department, according to Professor Jenny Higgins. The class offers an introduction to health, ill health and the social influences and inequities that mold the female-assigned health systems. It creates a dialogue about contraceptive services, defines consent and provides information on menstruation and pregnancy, according to Kendall Oehler, a UW-Madison student. Oehler said the class taught her things she “deserved to know as a developing young person,” something she did not learn growing up in Stevens Point. “I considered it to be the sex ed I never had,” Oehler said. “It’s incredibly comprehensive in a way that high school sex ed class is not.” The class also offers a discus-
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IMAGE BY CAMERON LANE -FLEHINGER
Other Big Ten schools have also seen decreased voting turnout over time. at the University of MinnesotaTwin Cities by 3 percent from 2017 to 2018. Before that, it had been increasing every year, according to the Minnesota Daily. Only one candidate running for president and vice president was a part of the student government beforehand, making the election uncompetitive,
Dane County Circuit court elections: Where do the two candidates stand? By Max Bayer CITY NEWS EDITOR
CAMERON LANE -FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Both MeChA and Wunk Sheek thought their houses would be torn down in 2020 to clear way for university plans.
Students of color hear development rumors By Sydney Widell SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On a vibrant blue sign propped up against the porch of the MeChA House — the university community center for the Chicanx and Latinx community — the words “Don’t tear us down” are written in thick, block lettering over an image of
the state Capitol. Students who spend time at that house and at the American Indian Cultural Center on Brooks Street understand that sign’s sentiment. They believed the university had plans to replace their houses with a green space and parking lot by 2020. “We haven’t heard much,
only that it’s happening in 2020,” said MeChA coordinator Lucero Serna. “We’ve heard rumors, but we’re not sure where they’re coming from.” But Campus Planning and Architecture Director Gary Brown said rumors that both houses will
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On April 3, voters around the state will decide not just who will sit on the state Supreme Court but also who will win a variety of local city and county elections. Here in Dane County, those local races include positions for Dane County Supervisor and Dane County Circuit Judge. Of the three elections for circuit judge, only the race for Branch 1 is contested, as Judge Marilyn Townsend faces attorney Susan Crawford. With both candidates touting strong endorsements and splitting hairs on crucial issues, it’s difficult to pinpoint a favorite heading into the election. Racial Disparities One of the main issues that both candidates have addressed are racial disparities in Dane County. Ever since the Race to Equity report published in 2013,
which found disparities between black and white residents along 40 “life-status measures,” many elected officials have — at least publicly — vocalized support in closing the gaps. Townsend, who currently serves as a municipal judge and has overseen 3000 cases, has touted her support for delaying sentences in order to allow defendants to seek medical treatment or addiction services if necessary. She also supports restorative justice programs and innovative bail reforms. Susan Crawford, a partner at the Madison law firm Pines Bach, shares similar policy stances as Townsend, noting that judges should have access to data tracking information regarding sentencing disparities combined with implicit bias training. Crawford spent years working under Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration both as an execu-
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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.”