University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Lawmakers hear testimony from UW-Madison students on debt bill By Andrew Bahl the daily cardinal
UW-Madison students packed a Senate hearing Wednesday to support a bill that would allow them to refinance student loans at a lower interest rate. The “Higher Ed, Lower Debt” bill, authored by state Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, and state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, would create a state agency charged with helping Wisconsin college students refinance their loans at the lowest possible interest rate. It would also give a tax break to students with loans and provide financial counseling for students.
Courtney Kessler/cardinal FilE Photo
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank is calling for an increase on the nonresident enrollment cap starting this winter.
Regents to vote on nonresident enrollment cap By Ellie Herman the daily cardinal
The UW System and UW-Madison will present a proposal to the Board of Regents Thursday that would increase the nonresident student enrollment cap for the next four years. UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank first announced the idea at a campus-wide budget discussion in February, requesting to raise the cap from where it currently stands at 27.5 percent to 30 percent.
“If the university enrolls more students, we are highly concerned that the quality of education will not remain the same.” ASM representatives open letter to administration Associated Students of Madison
Blank said in an Oct. 2 online post that this proposal will draw high school graduates into Wisconsin, compensating for the decline of high school graduates within the state. “In the face of declining numbers of high school graduates, our commitment to enroll at least
3,500 Wisconsin freshmen is a commitment to this state,” Blank said in the post. The UW System is working with industry leaders throughout the state to encourage recent UW-Madison graduates to start their careers within Wisconsin. Blank said increasing the outof-state tuition cap will not change the school’s enrollment profile. “We estimate that with our current classroom and housing capacity we can accommodate a few hundred more non-resident students per year,” Blank said in the post. The Associated Students of Madison voiced its concerns of the potential changes the proposal could bring in an open letter to Blank and UW System President Ray Cross. “If the university enrolls more students, we are highly concerned that the quality of education will not remain the same,” ASM members said in the letter. “We already have consolidation of resources across campus from the last budget cycle, and we cannot accommodate a larger student population.” ASM members questioned how admitting additional out-of-
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The bill received a public hearing last session, but failed to pass the Republican controlled Legislature. UW-Madison sophomore Nehemiah Siyoum said student governing body the Associated Students of Madison joined with other student groups to push the bill toward passage. “We formed this coalition because the reason the bill didn’t succeed last time is because there was a lack of student support,” Siyoum said. “The key factor this time is pressuring the administration and UW System to support this bill.” Their voices were represented by the dozens of students who
proceeded to testify about their experience with student debt, urging passage of the bill. “Like many of my peers I have begun my job search with the understanding of my burden of student debt,” UW-Madison senior Lizzy Schounard said in her testimony. “This bill … may keep students like me living and working in this great state … it seems like a win-win.” Hansen echoed these sentiments in his testimony, noting that total student debt in Wisconsin is over $19 billion. “There are many people
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Bill would require transgender students to use bathrooms of their biological sex By Andrew Bahl the daily cardinal
Transgender students would be required to use the bathroom or locker rooms that correspond to their biological sex under a bill circulated for co-sponsorship late Tuesday. Under the proposal, authored by state Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, and Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, school boards would be required to designate each bathroom and locker room for “the exclusive use of pupils of only one sex,” according to the bill’s text. It would allow students who are transgender to use a single occupancy room if that student’s parents submit a request. If a school board receives a complaint from a student or parent that a transgender student has violated this provision, the bill requires the body to investigate and resolve the complaint within 30 days. The bill does not specify what type of punishment violators would receive and Kremer told the Wisconsin
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kaitlyn veto/the daily cardinal
Two lawmakers are introducing a bill that would require transgender K-12 students to use the bathrooms assigned to their biological sex.
Violent altercation at Wando’s Bar & Grill leads to arrest After a violent exchange at Wando’s Bar & Grill early Wednesday morning, Madison police arrested a 21-year-old Madison woman on two counts of battery, along with disorderly conduct and damage to property. The suspect, Skyler L. Cage, punched a 26-year-old Madison woman in the face after mistakenly believing that the victim had attempted to take a Snapchat photograph of Cage, according to an incident report written by
Madison Police Department Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain. In reality, the victim said she was trying to record a video of some stand-up comedians whom she had seen perform before Kevin Hart at the Kohl Center earlier in the night. Cage also struck a 28-yearold Madison woman several times in the face after the victim attempted to stop the assault on her friend, according to an incident report.
Along with physical damage, one of the victims’ iPhone shattered in the altercation after it was knocked to the ground by her intoxicated assailant. Witnesses told police that Cage made vulgar statements about the race of the victims in addition to screaming profanities at them as the victims left Wando’s. Police did not pursue hate crime charges in addition to the battery charges. —Adam Kuborn
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”