ARTS PAGE 5
FIRST WAVE prepares for final send-off
Bridging the divide: Parker Gabriel explores sports’ ability to transcend politics
UW’s hip-hop and spoken word program is about to say goodbye to its first graduating class
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Complete campus coverage since 1892
Martin, TAA talk UW split
l
dailycardinal.com
SPORTS
l
PAGE 8
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
bags on bascom
TAA, United Council, UW affiliates continue to criticize proposal
By Erin McGlynn The Daily Cardinal
The Teaching Assistant Association and United Council invited Chancellor Biddy Martin and 10 other University of Wisconsin affiliates to debate the controversial New Badger Partnership with them Tuesday. The TAA and UC denounced support of the NBP, including the proposal’s recent endorsements from the Wisconsin Business Council and UW-Madison’s Faculty Senate. Members of the TAA, including future UW-Madison TAA co-president Adrienne Pagac, criticized Martin for using the fiscal crisis to create the NBP and justify the privatization of the university. According to UW-Baraboo/ Sauk County Dean Tom Pleger, every UW system school would benefit from the flexibility and funding UW-Madison would gain from the NBP. Pagac conceded the univer-
sity’s best interests are at the heart of the proposed partnership, saying “the path to hell is paved with good intentions.” Dean of UW-Madison School of Education Julie Underwood defended the NBP saying it was “not a proposal to abandon our core ideas, values and accessibility but to deal with economic flexibility and independence.” Chancellor Martin said the NBP would help the university as the higher education system faces changes worldwide and would allow UW-Madison to hire and maintain premier faculty. Martin said she imagined “a future with the NBP and public authority where we can do well by students and faculty.” United Council Government Relations Director Michael Bell said the tuition increases from the NBP would create a bad relationship between the state and the university in terms of funding, “or as Lady Gaga might say, ‘a bad romance’.”
Matt Marheine/the daily cardinal
For its last meeting of the semester, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) celebrated a successful year with bags and other games atop Bascom Hill.
Walker proposes six year, $1.5 billion interstate project of U.S. Route 41 By Samy Moskol The Daily Cardinal
UHS celebrates 100 years of service, looks at past, future As University Health Services celebrates its 100th birthday with free massages and pet therapy this week, The Daily Cardinal spoke with Executive Director of UHS Sarah Van Orman about the history and future of the student service. UHS originally opened with a focus on treating medical conditions such as typhoid and the influenza panic of 1918, Orman said.
Its services have remained constant since it opened and the biggest changes in the last 100 years have been the kinds of illnesses UHS treats. According to Orman, treating mental health has been the main focus of UHS in recent years, marking the transition from primarily serving uhs page 3
Gov. Scott Walker announced his plans to invest $1.5 billion to make U.S. Route 41 into an interstate highway Tuesday, a project that would last until 2017. U.S. Route 41, which runs from Green Bay through the Fox Valley to the Mitchell Interchange in Milwaukee, had been designated as a future interstate highway in the 2005 federal transportation law introduced by U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis. Walker noted U.S. Route 41 connects crucial regions of Wisconsin to benefit local, regional and state economies. “Converting the corridor to an Interstate highway will provide enhanced safety, mobility and economic development potential,” he said in a statement. The project will undergo an Environmental Impact Statement to certify the construction will have limited effects on the sur-
rounding area. U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Wis., condoned Walker for deciding to upgrade the highway. “We need to invest in important infrastructure projects like this one, and this is a logical and wise use of taxpayer money,” Ribble said in a statement. This investment comes months after Walker lobbied the federal government to defer a federal grant worth $810 million designated for a Wisconsin highspeed rail project to other states. As Walker chose to invest in a stronger highway system, state legislators in the Joint Finance Committee voted to weaken local transit systems by repealing the law authorizing Regional Transportation Authorities. The four RTAs across the state, which were created in 2009 under Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration, have the authority to provide public transportation services like bus transit and commuter rail.
The Southeastern RTA, SERTA, had plans to create a commuter rail between Kenosha and Milwaukee counties. The RTAs have the authority to implement a .5 percent sales tax to create revenue. “Converting the corridor to an interstate highway will provide enhanced safety, mobility and economic development potential.” Scott Walker governor Wisconsin
However, the JFC voted 12 to 4 along party lines to support the proposal to eliminate RTAs and the commuter rail. Co-Chair of the Joint Finance Committee Robin Vos, R-Burlington, who called RTAs “undemocratic”, put forth the proposal.
Drunk man exposes genitalia, wets himself on State Street
Matt Marheine/the daily cardinal
UHS held a series of mental health activities on campus including yoga and massages to alleviate stress before finals.
Madison Police were called to State Street Monday afternoon after a concerned passerby walked past a man whose genitals were hanging from his trousers. Madison police arrested the suspect, Ronald Duell, 54, for depositing human waste and a violation for possessing or consuming open intoxicants on a street. The responding officer found the suspect on a bench on the 500 block of State Street.
“His eyes were closed, his zipper was open and based on the totality of the situation, it was clear he had soiled himself,” Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said in a statement. The officer then told the man to put his privates back in his pants and zip-up. The officer said he observed a large pool of liquid under and around the suspect’s feet and
a large wet spot on his crotch, DeSpain said. After asking the suspect why he urinated on himself, Duell called the officer names and said multiple expletives, police said. The suspect was taken to jail with a blood alcohol content level of 0.29, police said. Once at jail, the suspect urinated on himself again while trying to fall asleep, DeSpain said. —Maggie DeGroot
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
page two 2
l
tODAY: sunny
hi 63º / lo 40º
I’m outta here—stay beautiful, Madison
Volume 120, Issue 137
2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 • fax (608) 262-8100
News and Editorial
Kathleen Brosnan ’leen back
edit@dailycardinal.com
Editor in Chief Emma Roller
Managing Editor Parker Gabriel
News Team Campus Editor Kayla Johnson City Editor Maggie DeGroot State Editor Ariel Shapiro Enterprise Editor Alison Dirr Associate News Editor Scott Girard Senior News Reporter Adam Wollner Opinion Editors Dan Tollefson • Samantha Witthuhn Editorial Board Chair Hannah Furfaro Arts Editors Jeremy Gartzke • Todd Stevens Sports Editors Mark Bennett • Ryan Evans Page Two Editor Victoria Statz Life & Style Editor Stephanie Rywak Features Editor Stephanie Lindholm Photo Editors Ben Pierson • Kathryn Weenig Graphics Editors Dylan Moriarty • Natasha Soglin Multimedia Editors Erin Banco • Eddy Cevilla • Briana Nava Page Designers Claire Silverstein • Joy Shin Copy Chiefs Margaret Raimann • Rachel Schulze Jacqueline O’Reilly • Nico Savidge Copy Editors Abbie Kriebs, Duwayne Sparks
Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Cole Wenzel Advertising Manager Nick Bruno Senior Account Executive Mara Greenwald Account Executives Matt Jablon • Anna Jeon Mitchell Keuer • Becca Krumholz Emily Rosenbaum • Daniel Rothberg Lizzie Stevenson • Shinong Wang Sun Yoon Web Director Eric Harris Public Relations Manager Becky Tucci Events Manager Bill Clifford Art Directors Jaime Flynn • 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.
Editorial Board Hannah Furfaro • Miles Kellerman Emma Roller • Samuel Todd Stevens Parker Gabriel • Dan Tollefson Samantha Witthuhn • Nico Savidge
Board of Directors Melissa Anderson, President Emma Roller • Cole Wenzel Parker Gabriel • Vince Filak Janet Larson • Nick Bruno Jenny Sereno • Chris Drosner Ron Luskin • Joan Herzing Jason Stein © 2011, 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 e-mail to edit@dailycardinal.com.
hi 58º / lo 43º
dailycardinal.com/page-two
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892
Thursday: chance o’ rain
T
his past weekend I took a brief trip to the Twin Cities to look for housing for next year. It’s bittersweet, but as they say, I am moving on to the next chapter in my life. Specifically, I’m moving to a state that apparently has a few more lakes than our dear ol’ Wisconsin. But, I’m calling shenanigans on the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” slogan; I was there for four days and the only water I saw was the puddle I clumsily stepped in on my way to a business conference. Ewww— business conference. Those adult sounding words have never been in my vocabulary, and now, shit, they are going to be part of my reality. Well, on the plane ride back to Madison I completely ignored my heartfelt, pre-trip intentions of getting reading done for finals. But the travel time was so short it seemed pretty futile to make the effort to dig through my backpack and pull out my books. That would require too much physical exertion. Seriously, getting situated on a plane is a sport. Plus, I was squished between a nine-year-old picking his nose and another kid eating McDonalds and attempting to squirt ketchup onto each of his fries individually. With that kind of combo going on, who could possibly concentrate and get any work done? Not I. So, instead of being productive,
I turned my iPod on shuffle. The first song that came on was Ben Folds’ “Bastard.” Actually, no, that’s a lie; the first song that came on was Sisqo’s “Thong Song.” Five seconds of that and I was done. Anyway, there are lyrics in “Bastard” that go, “They get nostalgic about the last 10 years / before the last 10 years have passed.” Back in high school I would say to myself, “Mr. Folds, that doesn’t make sense. How can you possibly be nostalgic about something that hasn’t even passed? Mr. Folds, please explain.” And then, in the midst of the one kid’s boogers streaking the plane’s window and with the aroma of a fatty Big Mac in the air, it all began to make sense. Even though I haven’t left Madison and still have a week of school left, I already miss Madison. I find myself lying in bed reminiscing about the “good old days” when, in fact, I am actually still living the good days. If my life were a movie and I were an old man (that would be weird), my current state of nostalgia would look something like me wearing tube socks with moccasins, sitting in a rocking chair on my front porch, smoking a cigar at dusk and peering out at a cornfield thinking about the days of yore. Does that make sense? Am I rambling? Is anyone even listening to me? To be frank with you guys, I don’t know where I’m going with this. Maybe that’s because I’ve always been bad with goodbyes. One of my more embarrassing goodbye failures happened last year when I turned in my final exam for a class. I never know how to say goodbye to professors/TAs: “Hey teach, thanks for
Here’s one final
Overheard in Madison
Speaking of
FINAL,
be sure to pick up our
SPRING FAREWELL ISSUE!
Coming to a newsstand near you this
Thursday!
a great year! Have a nice… life?” Well I thought this particular professor was exceptionally cool, and I thought we were pretty tight, so when it came time to say goodbye I didn’t really know what to do. In the spur of the moment I panicked and put out my fist to give knucks. He was apparently not on board. He just shook his head no, said, “Have a nice summer,” and went back to grading the exams. Ouch.
In the midst of the one kid’s boogers streaking the plane’s window and with the aroma of a fatty Big Mac in the air, it all began to make sense.
Okay whatever, I’m bad with goodbyes, but I’m pretty awesome at giving thanks. Just a few days ago when I was doing homework with my roommate, I sneezed and said thank you. Then she started laughing. Turns out the bitch didn’t even say bless you. So sometimes I say thanks when people don’t even deserve it. Annnnnd, I don’t know if I just shared that tidbit to showcase my point of being good at saying thanks, or if I shared that just to announce that my roommate is a brat. Anyway, at an early age my mother instilled in me that a sincere thank you could go a long way. So here it is, chumps… Thank you to everyone who has put up with my profuse references to “Billy Madison.” I think I have finally gotten it out of my system. I have a feeling when I’m teaching
elementary kids next year, they will have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about if, after a student got an answer correct, I turned around from the blackboard and said, “I think Crazy Carl is right.” Thank you for putting up with my constant anecdotes about food. I’m sorry if I ever made you say to yourself, “I get it, Kathleen—you like to eat. Now shut up.” Thank you Daily Cardinal for giving me waaaaaay too much page space. Thank you to two young gents by the names of Kyle and Kevin for encouraging me to write for the paper. And thank you to my editor, Victoria, for helping me streamline and edit all the ideas that sounded “good” in my head but sounded like crap on paper. Thank you to my parents and brothers for, well, everything. This one could take awhile, so instead I’ll just thank you guys in person when I see you next. For fellow graduating seniors: If you ever find yourself yearning for those college days, just go with it. Show up to a tailgate uninvited, act like all the students there are your buddies, be sure to wear your Badger gear, chug a beer or two and start singing “On Wisconsin.” Because as Conan O’Brien, a human much smarter, wittier, taller and thinner than I, once said, “When all else fails, you always have delusion.” Thanks, Madison, it’s been a real joy. No, Kathleen actually does like her roommate. But that was pretty rude of her not to say, “Bless you,” don’t you think? Please share any of your early onset nostalgia stories at kqbrosnan@wisc.edu.
Guy 1 to another at the urinals in the Memorial Union, referring to each other’s penises: Whoa, look who’s got the Prius. Guy 2: I like it, it has better milage. Guy 1: Well, I got the Cadillac.
dailycardinal.com/news
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
l
news
3
Voter ID bill criticized by head of GAB for deterring student voters By Patrick Tricker The Daily Cardinal
As the Assembly Committee on Election and Campaign Reform passed the Voter ID bill on partisan lines, Government Accountability Board Director Kevin Kennedy criticized it for creating administrative hassle and deterring student voters. The latest draft of the Voter ID bill allows the use of a student ID from an accredited university or college to vote provided that it has a current address, date of birth and signature on it. Few student IDs meet these requirements. In his letter to the Assembly Committee on Election and Campaign Reform, Kennedy said allowing student IDs would do nothing to help out-ofstate students vote since university IDs do not meet the bill’s requirements.
He also argued eliminating the use of certified lists of addresses for oncampus students would deter voters. “This is a demographic that has the lowest voter participation rate of all age groups,” Kennedy said in the letter. “In order to cultivate engaged, active citizens, we need to facilitate voting among our youth rather than imposing artificial barriers to participation.” Kennedy also said the bill conflicts with the MOVE Act, which helps military personnel and citizens overseas vote. Since the bill would move the partisan primary to August, there is not enough time for the 45-day transit needed between the date absentee votes are filed by these groups and the date of the primary. “If this is not corrected, Wisconsin will undoubtedly face another law-
suit by the federal government to ensure compliance with the MOVE Act,” he said. Kennedy called the identification requirements for people voting by absentee ballot “unnecessarily cumbersome” and recommended expanding the time frame for in-person absentee voting by two weeks. Kennedy finished the letter by noting the GAB has not had time to thoroughly examine how the bill would affect their operations. “There are numerous other provisions in the bill which will significantly alter the administration of elections and put additional stress on an already overburdened system,” Kennedy said. The bill will move to the Joint Finance Committee before heading to the Senate and Assembly. Matt Marheine/the daily cardinal
Mayor Paul Soglin spoke to city alders about delaying plans for a public market in order to meet with the project’s planning staff.
City council postpones plans for downtown public market By Taylor Harvey The Daily Cardinal
Ben Pierson/the daily cardinal
Author David Callahan detailed reasons why employees commit money fraud, including business environment and threat of outsourcing to other countries, as part of an ethics symposium Tuesday.
Business exec says money fraud tempting in U.S. businesses David Callahan explained the forces that drive business people to take advantage of “the land of opportunity” by committing money fraud at an ethics symposium hosted by the Department of Accounting Tuesday. Callahan, co-founder of the public policy center Demos said people in every environment are susceptible to fraud, but especially those in business. “[Business people] are ordinary people exposed to extraordinary temptation,” he said. UW-Madison Accounting Professor Larry Rittenberg disagreed, saying fast-paced environments such as New York City create increased temp-
tation for people to commit money fraud as opposed to the slower environment of Madison. Callahan said another reason top CEOs and CFOs act unethically is because of the high payoff money fraud often brings. The threat of outsourcing often motivates employees to strive for a higher level of performance so that their job will be safe, but this can sometimes result in unethical behavior. When given the choice between financial security and moral values, Callahan said most people would choose security. However, certain people to prac-
tice ethical business, making Callahan optimistic that more companies will regulate immoral conduct in the future. “This is America,” he said. “We are fantastic at reform when we set our mind to it.” At the event was Vice President of Human Resources at American Family Insurance Dan Kelly, who explained his workplace was leading the way to ethical norms. The company takes into consideration customer satisfaction ratings when giving bonuses and promotions instead of just relying on an employee’s potentially fabricated account of how he does his job.
Teacher to run against Sen. Harsdorf in recall election High school teacher Shelly Moore announced her candidacy Tuesday against current State Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, one of six Republicans up for recall. Around 23,000 people signed the recall petition against Harsdorf, over 8,000 more signatures than necessary. Moore criticized Harsdorf for hurting middle class families by supporting Gov. Scott Walker’s policies.
“Instead of consensus and common ground, Harsdorf and her allies prefer divisive, extreme policies,” Moore said in a statement. “This is the time to unify under a common cause to find solutions.” Harsdorf criticized special interests for finding the “most outspoken” and “anti-reform” spokesperson to represent their interests. “The special interests simply get to
choose their candidate in an attempt to keep the status quo that taxpayers can’t afford and is bankrupting our state,” Harsdorf said in a statement. Harsdorf accused those special interests of perpetuating a “mutual agenda of spend first, tax more and continued use of the credit card.” The recall election, along with the other eight, will likely take place July 12.
Common Council unanimously decided Tuesday to postpone its discussion concerning the implementation of a public market after agreeing the project should be approached and conducted with more time to consider the decisions involved. The plans call for a public market, which would provide citizens with year-round access to farmers market stalls, shops and restaurants, in addition to underground parking ramp, bicycle center and hotel to accompany the current spot of the Madison Municipal Building. Mayor Paul Soglin said he would like to have more time to meet with the planning staff before Common Council moves further with such a big change for the future of the city. “I want to assure we completely covered the issues necessary to examine the circumstances and that we are in fact making the right purchase in regards to what we are requesting through these contracts,” Soglin said. Soglin said the question should not be whether or not to implement a public market, but what the best uses are for the site. The city council must consider where the best location for a public market is, he said. According to Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway, District 12, there is a lot of work going on in Madison and Dane County to
uhs from page 1 medical illnesses to mental illnesses. Orman said the complexities of the medical and mental illnesses on campus have changed drastically, because as medicine has advanced, the service is willing and able to treat illnesses it they previously could not. This made it possible for students to attend the university who were previously unable, such as students suffering from Chrome’s disease and Asperger’s disease. “There are many more students now on campus who have serious ongoing medical conditions,” Orman said. “They’re able to come to campus
build a local food system. Rhodes-Conway said she could see a public market “in fact becoming an integral part of promoting local food and the local economy,” but worried about the strength of a possible connection between the public market and Madison’s local food system. “We are technically a new council with new members. Ideas can shift due to new budget decisions.” Larry Palm alder district 15
Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, voiced some hesitation about spending $250,000 on the public market after putting nearly that much toward a similar project in the East Washington district. According to Ald. Larry Palm, District 15, reviewing discussions that took place without the newly elected members is appropriate, especially given the large size of the project. “We are technically a new council with new members,” Palm said. “Ideas can shift due to new budget decisions.” Common Council will discuss the market at its June 7 meeting. because of better treatment.” According to Orman, future budget cuts will do little to suppress the success of UHS. To help offset the cuts, UHS will drop their sports medicine specialist and dermatology clinic for next year. Orman said the changes in programming allow UHS to keep other core services for years to come. Despite minor changes over the years, UHS maintains a similar goal to when they first opened. “By hopefully meeting health and wellbeing need we really contribute to the university, and I think this is UHS’s goal all along,” Orman said. —Alex DiTullio
arts Hip-hop group propels students to success dailycardinal.com/arts
photo courtesy first wave
The First Wave program will send off its first graduating class. The program boasts a 95 percent retention rate and full employment for its graduates. By Riley Beggin Senior music reporter
Underneath the gobs of decadent ice cream and hoards of screaming sports fans lies another fervent community of cultural energy, bringing urban art forms to the forefront of the UW-Madison music scene and revolutionizing the way academia and hip-hop intersect. Herein lies First Wave, a cutting-edge academic, artistic and communal learning program unique to Madison. “First Wave is really revolutionary and innovative in that it is able to implement hip-hop in academia and put spoke word into pedagogy,” said Gabriel De Los Reyes, a junior in the program. Students participating in First Wave are given a scholarship and an academic and living-learning community in which they can pursue their degrees as well as build upon their art forms during their four years at UW-Madison. The Daily Cardinal also got the chance to speak with Willie Ney, the Executive Director of First Wave. “Students have the opportunity to really advance their art in a unique way under the leadership of artistic director Chris Walker,” Ney said. “[He] pulls the best, most creative elements out of them and makes them a more wellrounded artist. They leave as multitalented artists practicing at a high level.” The supplemental program, in addition to the already rigorous UW curricula, has a 95 percent retention rate and is preparing to send off its first graduating class—all going into the workforce with full employment.
In addition to these numbers, the First Wave program’s most valuable contribution to this campus, besides first-rate urban art, is its contribution to UW’s cultural and racial diversity, as well as the outlet it provides for seemingly isolated students of color. “[First Wave] is definitely helping to bridge the gap between cultures,” De Los Reyes said, “Art is a meeting ground, it takes away the shyness and fear of talking to the person next to you and speaking up in a discussion because you’re the only minority. “There are different parts of the world, and through the art you’re able to reach them more fully. Art is vulnerable, but at the same time it’s like a shield too. You’re up there and you’re strong, and they get it.” Ney also discussed the importance of urban art forms in crossing cultural barriers. “[Urban art forms] reflect the next generation, the hip hop generation is
the most multiracial and creative component of our culture,” he said. “It’s a global culture. By embracing it and celebrating it and giving it due position, we are just recognizing its validity. By excluding it and marginalizing it, it just shows people’s lack of understanding of what is vital and important.” Reflecting on his role as an upperclassman and a mentor in the program, De Los Reyes said the program helps students build a better selfunderstanding as well. “It’s important to know that you’re valuable, that your self worth gets more valuable and valuable as long as you treat yourself as such,” he said. “There are no easy shortcuts to getting what you want.” The relatively new program doesn’t show signs of slowing down any time soon—with the full support of the new Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate Damon Williams and other upperlevel administration, First Wave promises to become even more academically competitive and culturally pervasive. “It’s already accomplished far more than we ever thought,” Ney said, “It’s fertile territory for new programs— partly a legacy of the Wisconsin idea.” First Wave is a selective program that gathers the best and the brightest hip-hop and spoken word artists from around the nation, so it is no wonder its artistic practice is not limited to Madison city borders. Students in the program have had the opportunity to taken their talents to Broadway as well as venues across Europe. Lucky for us, local performances are not few and far between—you can catch First Wave students’ final show of the academic year, Just Bust, May 6 on the Memorial Union Terrace.
photo courtesy First Wave
First Wave attracts poets from all over, including Phonetic ONE from Minneapolis and Jasmine Mans from Newark, N.J.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Arts are not leaving Madison this summer Kyrie Caldwell wud columnist
S
ummer time: Warm breezes, cool drinks, friends and free time. It’s the perfect reward for an exhausting semester and a cold spring. Summer is when I actually get around to finishing that one book I didn’t have time for, or watching that movie I meant to see. Like others staying in Madison, it means going to work or an internship, then coming home to nothing—that is, no piles of homework or the stress of impending exams. But perhaps even better than that is the reclaimed ability to explore the city without feeling like I’m skipping out on some important assignment. Countless concerts, gallery tours, new music, theatrical productions and movie theater trips have taken a back seat to schoolwork during the semester. Yet, sweet summer arrives! There are fewer excuses to stay home and wait for the arts to come inside when the city bustles with artistic expression and the warmth of pleasant Wisconsin weather. The calm after the semester’s storm is the perfect time to support and contribute to the Madison arts scene. The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art will be holding its annual Art Fair on the Square July 9-10, an event always filled with fun, food and fantastic art made by dedicated, talented artists. Nearby in Spring Green, the renowned American Players Theatre will be putting on productions such as “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Blithe Spirit,” “Of Mice and Men” and “Crime and Punishment” with bus service to some performances. The Overture Centre will be overflowing with musical theatre, including shows as famous as “Les Miserables” and orchestra concerts for more sophisticated nights on the town. On casual evenings, the Majestic Theatre and the Orpheum Theatre will be featuring myriad concerts (including California rock band CAKE), DJ sets and themed parties, with much of the season not yet announced—and thus holding immense potential to provide a
spontaneous and danceable summer. And it all begins early with the city-wide Gallery Night May 6, including venues on both sides of the Capitol filled with varied but equally fascinating works. The art doesn’t stop there, however. It’s as simple as going to local record stores, local concerts and local artist galleries. Madison’s vibrancy is tied inextricably to the arts, as a trip to Williamson Street or Monroe Street will prove. Thus, it is crucial to try to experience locally produced art as much as one’s imports or national artists. One such artist, local musician Mr. Squirrel, will be releasing selfproduced electronic records May 5, obtainable at the online music shop Bandcamp. The ambient sounds of Waking Dreams and Counterpoints are sure to fill quiet days with a hazy backdrop of resonant beats, atmospheric echoes and a glow to complement the sun-warmed evenings. Also, while the albums will first be available digitally, Mr. Squirrel, in reclamation of the classic record feel, will be pressing physical copies, with vivid artwork created in collaboration with local visual artists. Of course, these suggestions are not to usurp the warmer months or to look down upon an easy day spent in front of the Playstation or on the Memorial Union Terrace playing cards with friends. But when the depths of the long break threaten boredom, the arts are a perfect place to experience something new and stave off midsummer restlessness. Art is not just for snobs or arts majors: The incorporation of music, theater, visual art and film into daily summer living might lead to a new perspective for the fall semester or whatever might come next. Whether you intend to live in Madison this summer or not, learn about your local arts scene—it could make an otherwise uneventful break into the most memorable one yet. Are you planning on partaking of the festivities that will be going on in Madison this summer? Email Kyrie at kcaldwell@wisc.edu.
l
5
opinion Daniels GOP’s only hope 6
l
matt beaty
opinion columnist
T
he Republicans have a problem. For the last two years, they have let reality stars take the de facto leadership role in their party. The 2008 election saw Sarah Palin emerge as a spokesperson for the GOP, and this was after she quit her governorship in Alaska and went on to get a show on TLC. In the past month, Donald Trump jumped in and took all the media attention away from any serious conversation occurring in our nation. His biggest claims to fame: He has the “most popular show on NBC.”
Indiana is dealing with issues shared by the entire nation, and Daniels has dealt with them maturely and effectively.
Needless to say, it’s time for the Republicans to put serious candidates on the campaign trail. With President Barack Obama beginning what many speculate will be the first $1 billion campaign, the Republicans and the nation need a strong, conservative GOP to put his or her hat in the race. Perhaps nobody embodies this character better than Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. Daniels may not be as spectacular a public speaker as our current president. He may not have written any memoirs or novels. He may not be a “transformative” politician. But he has experience, and in as tough of times as these, that is what the Republicans should be seeking out
in a candidate. Daniels flew under the radar until recently. He spent time in the Reagan administration, national security think tank the Hudson Institute, pharmaceutical corporation Eli Lilly and Company, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Security Council and is currently in his second term as Indiana governor. With unemployment at an unacceptable level and the deficit approaching $15 trillion, these credentials should appeal to a nation becoming too accustomed to simply accepting big personalities. Indiana is dealing with issues shared by the entire nation, and Daniels has dealt with them maturely and effectively. To me, the most impressive action from Daniels was maintaining a balanced budget throughout the recession. In his second year as governor he passed a balanced budget for his state, something that had not been done in Indiana in eight years. This happened in tandem with creating a health care assistance program that helps underprivileged Indianans. Unlike many of the Republican candidates and Obama, Daniels has actual results in his public service. Daniels has also kept a strong face when dealing with education reform. Like many states, Indiana has faced resistance when trying to enact any reform, especially from teachers’ unions. When the Democratic legislators walked out of the Indiana Capitol, Daniels and his Republican colleagues compromised, taking some of the controversial right-towork legislation off the table. But he made sure that key education reforms, including a state voucher system and teacher merit pay, were still passed, much to the chagrin of Indiana teachers’ unions and joy of education reformers.
For a short time, I was skeptical if Daniels could make it out of the Republican primaries, especially when he said conservatives should declare a “truce” on social issues. While issues like abortion and gay marriage are not my top political priorities, they are for a large amount of the Republican base. But Daniels may have rectified this with recent laws that banned synthesized marijuana and diminished funding for Planned Parenthood. These actions will not be popular with the rising libertarian faction of the GOP, but it will surely play in his favor by attracting votes from the party’s larger, socially conservative base.
Unlike many of the Republican candidates and Obama, Daniels has actual results in his public service.
It definitely seems Daniels has what the Republicans want as a candidate, but he still has to officially make the decision. With people like Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump taking the Republican spotlight, it is time for a more experienced, more credible leader to step up. The GOP’s problem is its failure to have truly legitimate candidates running, and Daniels is its solution. Though the 2012 election is still more than a year away, Gov. Daniels’ self-declared May deadline to make a decision is here now. And based on his experience and results as Indiana governor, he is who the GOP needs to challenge Obama to get America back on track. So please, Mr. Daniels, just run. Matt Beaty is a sophomore majoring in math and computer sciences. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
dailycardinal.com/opinion
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Reply to nuclear energy
A
fter I read Michael Podgers’ article “Nuclear power is wasteful,” I began to wonder if Podgers had done the research needed to know how a nuclear power plant works before forming his opinion. He brought up nuclear accidents such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl without actually explaining what happened. I want to clarify some very important details Podgers left out. First, it’s important to understand how modern nuclear power plants work. The uranium must first be processed in order to enrich it with uranium-235, an element that splits, creating energy. After the enrichment process the element gets manufactured into pellets about the size of a pencil eraser. They’re are grouped together and loaded into the reactor. A pressurized thick steel vessel surrounds the reactor. On the outside is a 4-5 foot thick case made of steel and concrete. According to nei.org, the reactors are constructed to survive anything. In Podgers’ article, he mentions two accidents, TMI and Chernobyl, without explaining what happened. Chernobyl was an awful accident, but this could never happen with the nuclear power plants in the U.S. Russian reactors like Chernobyl use graphite to moderate the chain reaction to make sure there isn’t a runaway reaction. Graphite is considered a positive moderator coefficient, meaning it’s more unstable as a moderator and coolant where as water is more stable and efficient. All nuclear power plants in the U.S. are either boiling water reactors or pressurized reactors. The energy from splitting uranium-235 atoms creates steam to turn a turbine creating electrical energy. In addition, Chernobyl didn’t have the second thick containment shell, which all western style nuclear power plants have. The second accident, TMI, is considered the most dangerous nuclear accidents in U.S. history “even though it led to no deaths or injuries to plant
workers or members of the nearby community,” according to nrc.gov. At TMI, the water stopped cooling the reactor and it got too hot and began to melt the reactor. The containment shells were never breached and no massive amounts of radiation leaked out into the environment. When nuclear power plant accidents happen or something doesn’t work quite right, the U.S. NRC does not just shrug their shoulders hoping it won’t happen again. They change how power plants run so it doesn’t happen again. As the NRC concluded, “There is no doubt that the accident at Three Mile Island permanently changed both the nuclear industry and the NRC.” Nuclear power in the U.S. and globally is something that should not be ignored nor pushed aside. The U.S already gets 20 percent of it’s electricity from nuclear while France gets 78 percent of its electricity from nuclear power. Before the earthquake and tsunami, 24 percent of Japan’s electricity came from nuclear power according to the World Nuclear Association. What happened in Japan was horrendous, but the plant survived the 5th largest earthquake ever recorded. That is an amazing architectural feat! The ultimate damage at Fukushima Daiichi appears to have been caused by the tsunami, which obviously had not ever been envisioned since it literally swept over a mile inland pulling thousands of humans to their deaths. The damage done at Fukushima will not be ignored and will only lead to improvements of plants in Japan and the U.S. From nei.org, “Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission as the government on April 28 to review the ability of the country’s nuclear power plants to withstand earthquakes.” This isn’t the time to be pushing away nuclear power; it’s time countries start investing in this source of emission-free electricity. —Britta Gjermo
Violence on Mifflin Street shines bad light on UW-Madison Nick fritz
opinion columnist
T
his year’s Mifflin Street Block party was ultimately a disappointment. Not because there wasn’t enough alcohol, not because of the weather, not because of over-bearing police, but because of the unnecessary violence. On the 500 block of West Mifflin Street around 5 p.m. a UW-Madison student was stabbed, and suffered life-threatening injuries. He was rushed to the emergency room where he underwent surgery and is now in stable condition. Another victim was stabbed later that night who was so drunk that he didn’t realize that he had been stabbed. What the hell? This is infuriating. The block party is supposed to be a celebration of the end of the semester and now it is in jeopardy of happening at all because of a few stupid individuals. I see two aspects of the weekend that made it so terrible; one being the new open container rules and the other being an excessive influx of “out-of-towners.” First, let’s take a look at the open container rules. The new rules allowed people who are over 21 years old the ability to take open containers of
alcohol out on the street which was forbidden in previous years. The idea was to reduce the amount of arrests and tickets handed out. I guess you could say it worked in that the amount of citations and arrests were down from last year, but the severity of the arrests were far worse. Allowing open containers led to increased violence as people got more and more intoxicated. Next, let’s discuss out-of-towners. I want to be very clear in that I don’t at all think we can fully blame visiting people for the increase in violence, since Madison residents had their fair share of citations. With that said, as I read through Saturday’s police reports, I could not believe the amount and severity of crimes committed by outof-towners. Some examples include battery to a police officer, possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver marijuana and one incident in which the victim was punched in the face and given a broken knee when his assailants, who were from Illinois, smashed it in with a baseball bat. As a resident of Mifflin Street, I was particularly worried about my safety and that of myself, my friends and my home. We were fortunate enough to only sustain two broken windows and a broken chair. Of course it could have been much worse, since these damages were sustained due to one angry party-goer
Ben pierson/the daily cardinal
A rowdiness unseen in previous years tainted Saturday’s Mifflin Street Block Party. who ran into the house throwing punches. Thankfully, he didn’t injure anyone and was ultimately arrested. Needless to say, out-of-towners need to stay out of town. This block party is not a time for you to come to Madison, get completely trashed and then ruin our good time because you can’t hold your shit. I implore UW-Madison students to minimize the amount of people they invite for
Mifflin next year, if it even happens. I would like to see this tradition continue in the future and I think by reducing the amount of out-of-towners we can party in peace. I can guarantee that nothing like Saturday will happen ever again. Mayor Paul Soglin showed his utter disgust with the events that transpired at the block party telling the Wisconsin State Journal, “All I’m interested in is
ending this thing.” We will never again get the privilege of open containers and you can count on an increased police presence on future block parties. The city gave us a chance to show that we could control ourselves and we showed it otherwise. Nick Fritz is a sophomore majoring in marketing. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
comics
Prince Admiral Emmerson Darcey McQuackers III, I presume... Queen Elizabeth II has a rubber duck in her private bath with an inflatable crown.
7 By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu
dailycardinal.com/comics
Having a politically neutural Facebook feed
Today’s Sudoku
Evil Bird
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
l
© Puzzles by Pappocom
Eatin’ Cake
By Dylan Moriarty EatinCake@gmail.com
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.
The Pipesmokers
By Joseph Diedrich jsdiedrich@wisc.edu
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
Angel Hair Pasta Classic
By Todd Stevens graphics@dailycardinal.com
By Angel Lee alee23@wisc.edu
First in Twenty Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com Reel em’ in!
ACROSS 1 Bistro 5 Bacteria culture medium 9 Kindergarten stickum 14 Hawaiian dance 15 “Monday NightFootball” feature 16 Composition for eight 17 Pupil surrounder 18 Tennis star Steffi 19 Pick up at school? 20 “Peter Pan” pirate 23 Uplifting undergarment 24 Spelling competition 25 Jungle sound 27 Buckwheat porridge 31 Us vs. ___ 33 Vile <00AD> anagram? 37 Basements’ opposites 39 Means of Cleopatra’s demise 40 Cornmeal bread 41 Speaks candidly 44 Troubles and misfortunes 45 Woman in Eden 46 Tiler’s gap-filler 47 Make a break for it 48 South-of-the-border simoleon 50 Some court hearings
1 Cowboy boot feature 5 53 Snow White’s bespectacled friend 55 U.K. business name ender 58 “Spoil the child” front 64 Susan Lucci’s role on “All My Children” 66 In need of a map 67 Worked on a loom 68 Like some ships 69 Shake, as a tail? 70 Vigorous style 71 Excessive flattery 72 Movie reviewer’s unit 73 Depend (on) DOWN 1 Fashionably smart 2 Subtle quality 3 Toss, as a coin 4 Ninety degrees right of north 5 Texas A&M athlete 6 Deep-red gem 7 Asian nanny 8 Plant trees again 9 Oktoberfest dance 10 Winning service in tennis 11 Wild guess 12 Guam, for one (Abbr.) 13 Volcano in Italy 21 Old-style calculators 22 Weightlifting sounds 26 It’s often in slo-mo
27 Religiousleader of a Muslim state (Var.) 28 In any way 29 Mode 30 Sounds from a snake pit 32 Michael Jordan’s underwear brand 34 ___-over (narrator’s job) 35 Word with “city” or “circle” 36 Sidelong glances 38 Increase, as production 42 Jed Clampett’s wear 43 Noteworthy period of history 49 West Texas oil town 52 One of a Biblical 150 54 Water-loving mammal 55 Telephoto or contact 56 Transport on rails 57 Temperamental performer 59 Underground plant part 60 Still-life subject 61 Eli, for Denzel 62 White House office shape 63 Say it isn’t so 65 Turnpike traveler
Washington and the Bear
By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com
sports 8
l
dailycardinal.com/sports
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Sports play a special role in bridging the divides of our country Parker gabriel
parks and rec
I
’m not the most outwardly patriotic dude in the room. Don’t get me wrong, my love for this country is intense, but it revolves more around intricacies, subtleties and diversities in government, sports, relationships and conversation and not so much on chest-thumping, brash, in-yourface proclamations of superiority. I get it, and I’m not saying a little woofing about the stars and stripes or the occasional, “America, Fuck yeah!” is a bad thing—not at all, I’m just saying that’s not how I usually go about it. Sunday night, though, when the Twitter universe exploded with news that Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. troops, the sheer, unbridled emotion on display in places like Ground Zero, the White House gates and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where fans started a spontaneous chant of “USA! USA! USA!” sort of got the best of me as well. With a couple days to reflect, I’m not even sure it was for the obvious reasons. Yes, it was a tremendous effort by U.S. forces and it just might stand as the symbolic closing point to the worst act against American civilians on American soil. Even more, though, it brought people together. The interesting thing is that the only other time it seems like we can get past partisanship and divisiveness these days is through sports. I noticed a strange similarity between the way I sit on the couch with my roommates and watch the Packers and the way we took in the news coverage Sunday evening. It’s not too often the news is on and we’re all cheering for the same side. Now, I am not in any way drawing any sort of similarities between the importance of sport and the importance of national security. Not even close. But I do think sports can provide a fascinating look at how American exceptionalism is played out in a sort of idealistic setting.
The interesting thing is that the only other time we can get past partisianship and divisiveness these days is through sports.
You can see the way people come together and cheer for the U.S. in the Olympics. With all do respect to the athletes that spend their lives training to make the summer or winter games, the vast majority of events are in fields most Americans don’t generally care about. Even so, it’s not likely you’re going to cheer for the big Swiss guy to win the discus. It’s not that easy to pick sides in poli-
tics because winners and losers aren’t usually so obvious. A little closer to home, think about popularity from sport to sport in the U.S. The vast majority of Americans put football, basketball and baseball—in no particular order— above all else. It makes sense because those three sports originated in America. Don’t try to convince me you don’t like soccer because it’s boring or because players dive. Have you watched basketball? Those guys flop and complain to refs just like Cristiano Ronaldo does. And if you think soccer is boring, don’t try to tell me baseball holds your attention for three hours. Part of it, of course, is that football, baseball and basketball have been staples here longer than other sports. However, I would bet part of the reason soccer and hockey have had such a tough time holding the attention span of people here is because they’re competing for prominence in America with inherently American sports.
We like football because we started it and over the years we’ve transformed it into a game we continue to enjoy.
Here’s the thing about exceptionalism that I don’t think some people get—both in regards to sports and politics. Exceptionalism isn’t about being better than somebody else. The first Europeans didn’t come to America because it was better, they came because it was different. They came because they had the chance to mold a society to their liking. It’s the same with sports. We don’t prefer football because it’s objectively better than soccer. We like it because we started it and over the years we’ve transformed it into a game that we continue to enjoy. I’ve come to realize that a big part of the reason I enjoy watching, talking and covering sports is because it lends itself to some common ground in a day in age where we look to turn the most innocent conversations into rhetorical bullshit. That’s what was so amazing about Sunday night. On the most important stage in the world, with ramifications no contest, match, round or game could ever come close to, the raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan boiled down to a beautiful simplicity generally applicable only in casual competition. The good guys beat the bad guys. How did you react upon hearing the news of Osama bin Laden’s death? What role do you think sports play in this country? Why do you refuse to turn on a hockey game during the most exciting playoff season in all of sports? E-mail Parker at pjgabriel@dailycardinal.com
Softball
Photos courtesy of Matt marheine
Shannel Blackshear (left), Jennifer Krueger (right) and the rest of the Wisconsin softball team face what head coach Yvette Healy calls a test of the team’s focus in a doubleheader against the Phoenix.
Badgers host Phoenix in an in-state grudge match By Hayley Kuepers The Daily Cardinal
The Wisconsin softball team is hoping to take advantage of a struggling UW-Green Bay team while adding a pair of wins to its resume when the Badgers face the Phoenix in Madison Wednesday. Despite sitting at the bottom half of their conference, the Phoenix (7-13 Horizon League, 20-21 overall), are coming off one of their best stretches of the season. UW-Green Bay closed out an eight-game homestand Sunday, where it went 5-3, with a 10-5 loss against first place Valparaiso. The Badgers (6-10 Big Ten, 26-21 overall) are also coming off a weekend series with one of the frontrunners in their conference. Over the weekend, No. 2 Michigan came into Madison and swept the Badgers. Erase two costly innings in the field for the Badgers, however, and the outcome of the series could have easily given UW the wins. Despite suffering the sweep, sophomore third baseman Shannel Blackshear believes her team’s competitive play with Michigan has boosted the team’s confidence. “We’re just looking to keep the momentum going,” Blackshear said. “We might’ve lost, but it was nice to see that we could stick with the No. 2 team in the nation. It really helped our confidence a lot.” Although UW-Green Bay may not be the most statistically threatening team the Badgers have faced this season, coming up with wins against the in-state rivals will be no easy task, according to UW head coach Yvette Healy: “This will be a big test of how focused they are,” Healy said. “We were talking to them [Tuesday] about how these are the two biggest games of the year.” The Badgers split the twin bill with the Phoenix in last season’s meeting in Green Bay. The Phoenix edged Wisconsin in a 12-11 slugfest in game one, before the Badgers topped Green Bay, 13-4 in
game two. In Wisconsin’s last four meetings with UW-Green Bay, the Badgers’ offense was explosive. In those games, Wisconsin’s bats erupted and drove in 35 runs. Senior center fielder Jennifer Krueger expects tomorrow’s games to be no different.
“We’re just looking to keep the momentum going.”
Shannel Blackshear sophomore third baseman Wisconsin softbball
“Our hitters have been pretty hot lately,” she said. “Hopefully we can keep it up.” Krueger is one of the hottesthitting Badgers. On Monday, Krueger was named Big Ten Player of the Week after going 7-11 over a four game stretch
last week. She also scored the Badgers’ only two runs in the Michigan series. “I was pretty excited about it,” Krueger said. “I didn’t really know it was coming. I’ve been trying to win it my whole career, so it’s a big accomplish.” Krueger is the first Badger to be named Big Ten Player of the Week since Samantha Polito received the honor in 2007. Healy said she’s excited for Krueger and is still hoping for more Badgers to be recognized later this season. “We’ve been talking to the players all year about having really elite weeks and lighting it up,” Healy said. “Seeing her do that is great and I hope it starts some momentum. Maybe we can get a couple more before the year ends.” First pitch is set for 3 p.m. Wednesday at Goodman Diamond with the second game beginning approximately 20 minutes after game one ends.
CONGRATULATIONS
NICO SAVIDGE! Following two years of offending small American cities, getting called “everything that is wrong with America” and championing the Canadian pastime of ice hockey, the Society of Professional Journalists honored The Daily Cardinal’s own Nico Savidge with the mark of excellence for sports column writing at a student newspaper for 2010. Nico will be moving into the managing editor’s chair in the fall, and we know he will bring his tradition of excellence along with him as he takes the helm.
Nico Savidge: Just putting a little hay in the barn. Ryan Evans/the daily cardinal