University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Tuesday, April 8, 2014
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Legal group challenges UW admissions policy By Sam Cusick THE DAILY CARDINAL
The University of Wisconsin-Madison could face legal action against its “holistic” admissions policy from Project on Fair Representation, the Virginia-based legal group behind the June 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case, Fisher vs. University of Texas-Austin. POFR announced Monday it is seeking applicants that believe they were rejected admission to UW-Madison because of their race to join potential legal action against the university. The group started similar campaigns to UWnotfair.org at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Harvard University. The new initiative is similar to the Fisher case, which focused on UT-Austin applicant Abigail Fisher who sued the university after being
denied admission, which she felt was because of her race. POFR Director Edward Blum said the group targets universities with admissions policies that classify applicants based on race and then treat people differently based on race. “If [UW-Madison] wants to lower the bar in order to create a diverse student body, we think that that bar should be lowered for everyone who comes from a disadvantaged background, or a lower socioeconomic environment,” Blum said. Paul DeLuca, UW-Madison’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, defended the university’s admissions policy in a statement, saying the “holistic” policy takes many factors into account to admit applicants, including academic credentials, which he deems as the most important factor. However, he also said
academic credentials do not always predict “classroom success,” which he said is the reason UW-Madison reviews an applicant’s entire record when deciding upon admission. “No student is accepted solely due to any non-academic factor. Every student offered a place at this university is judged to be capable of success,” DeLuca said in the statement. “We have reviewed our policies in the wake of the Fisher, Gratz and Grutter decisions and believe this approach is appropriate and consistent with the law.” Blum disagrees, claiming UW-Madison’s “holistic” approach violated the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 Fisher decision. He added the group will “likely bring a legal challenge” to the university’s policy once they have collected a “a reasonable pool of credible applicants.”
RED GYM
Stomp the stigma
Jenna Schmitt with the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin attempted to combat common myths and rumors about HIV/ AIDS in a talk at the Red Gym Monday. + Photo by Emily Buck
Woman sexually assaulted Sunday
Final Four game brings increase in alcohol-related incidents to UW
Police say incident is not related to dormitory assault A man sexually assaulted a woman while she was walking with a group on Conklin Place early Sunday morning, according to an incident report. The man pulled the victim toward him, kissing her as he touched her inappropriately, according to a statement by Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain. The man then asked for a “sexual encounter” with the woman, DeSpain said in the report. She shouted for him to stop, and another woman pulled her from the man. The woman did not know the suspect or people in the group accompanying her, according to the report. Police describe the suspect as a white male in his early 20s with shoulder-length wavy, brown hair. Witnesses last saw him wearing a black, Wisconsin T-shirt with dark jeans, according to the report. Police could not confirm that the incident correlated with the sexual assault occurring the same morning in a University of WisconsinMadison residence hall.
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Chancellor Rebecca Blank stresses the importance of dividing the responsibilities of a current university leadership position at a Faculty Senate meeting Monday.
Faculty Senate sparks further debate on leadership structure evaluation By Emily Gerber THE DAILY CARDINAL
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty Senate approved a report by a working group Monday that examines the possibility of dividing two university leadership positions. The group was charged
The Smelly Bird +ALMANAC page 2
with determining the efficacy of dividing the vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school into two separate roles, a task requested by the University Committee over three months ago. Martin Cadwallader currently serves in the singular position with both responsi-
bilities. Chancellor Rebecca Blank said in order to serve both areas’ expanding natures, the duties would be better fulfilled by two separate individuals. “I want someone who is going to focus full time,”
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Against Me! plays the show for you at Majestic +ARTS page 5
The University of WisconsinMadison Police Department saw an increase in alcoholrelated incidents on campus over the gameday weekend as the Wisconsin men’s basketball team entered the Final Four, according to a UWPD statement. UWPD transported 10 people, seven of whom were UW-Madison students, to detox between Friday and 1 a.m. Sunday, according to the statement. One of several people taken to detox prior to the start of the Wisconsin-Kentucky game was a 21-year-old male student who officers found unconscious in a Gordon Commons restroom Saturday. Police reported it took longer than a minute to wake him. Upon regaining consciousness, the student remained unaware of his whereabouts, the time and date, responding only with “a.m.” when questioned what day it was. UWPD reported he had a preliminary blood alcohol content of 0.37. UWPD also issued 13 tickets for underage drinking and arrested an individual not associated with UW-Madison for operating while intoxicated. Police said many of the alcohol-related incidents that transpired over the weekend were extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening.
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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.”