University of Wisconsin-Madison
Since 1892 dailycardinal.com
Thursday, October 11, 2018
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Sex Out Loud:
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ANSWERING YOUR Q’s ABOUT QUEER SEX INTERVIEW WITH A BROADWAY STAR
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A year later, we’re still saying “Me Too” By Channing Smith PHOTO EDITOR
Me Too. These two small words, coined by Tarana Burke in 2006 and brought into the public sphere nearly a year ago by actress Alyssa Milano on Twitter, have since sparked a widespread campaign for women’s rights. In the days following the first post, 24,722 people tweeted the hashtag. A year later, sexual assault is still a prominent topic at UW-Madison, where 1 in 4 women report being sexually assaulted during college. On the same day as Milano’s tweet, an anonymous female college student reported being sexually assaulted at a house on Langdon Street. The investigation that followed was one of 11 sexual assault investigations at UW-Madison in 2017. The assault was one of 318 reported in that year, according to the UW Division of Student Life. Total sexual assaults reported on campus increased since 2011. Though the increase means more assaults are occurring, it also
means students feel an increased level of comfort in coming forward. “There are many reasons why survivors may not feel it’s safe, emotionally and/or physically, to speak out about or report what’s happened,” University Health Services Violence Prevention Manager Molly Zemke said. 60 percent of UW-Madison students said they believed it is very unlikely that a student making a report would be supported by other students, according to a Campus Climate Survey administered by the American Association of Universities in 2015. More than 70 percent of students said it is very unlikely a report would be taken seriously by campus officials. But the #MeToo movement has changed the conversation, according to UW-Madison students. “I know so many women, and even some men, that opened up about their experiences by posting about the #MeToo movement,” UW-Madison senior Naomi Venezia said. “It really fueled discussion and made it a
GRAPHIC BY CHANNING SMITH
A year after #MeToo flooded social media, sexual assault remains a prevalent issue at UW-Madison. more visible topic.” Venezia has been an outspoken advocate of sexual assault prevention, leading campus support group K(No)W More in which women on campus, many
Students share their coming out stories on national LGBT holiday By Sarah Jensen STAFF WRITER
In light of National Coming Out Day, UW-Madison students reflect on their coming out experience, describing their identities as journies. On October 11, people around the world celebrate the day of LGBT awareness. The day, which falls during LGBT History Month, was originally celebrated in 1988 to highlight feminist and gay liberation. People around campus may come out to families and friends, embarking on what students like Molly Davis say is a “journey,” and others emphasize requires support. UW-Madison student Molly Davis highlighted identity as a changing idea that isn’t easily found. “When people talk about their identity, they say it takes them a long time to find their home in a named identity,” Davis said. “I feel like I’m still on that journey. But a part of me wants to wait to figure out where my home is with my identity so I can articulate it well to others.” When asking if there was a specific time or place that she discovered her sexuality, she
said, “It was in the works for a really long time, I was just able to open up to the idea, … instead of just brushing it off and not really addressing it.” Davis also discussed the hardships involved with her coming out experience, explaining the
expectations and implications of defining oneself to others. “You’re always gonna get people that ask you to put yourself in a box and quickly define yourself,” she said. “All I really
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CAMERON LANE-FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
In honor of National Coming Out Day as part of LGBT History Month, students reflect on their coming out experiences. One student found it’s not one moment, it’s a continuous journey.
of whom are involved with Greek life, share their stories. A disproportionate number of sexual assaults take place in fraternities, according to UW-Madison Title
IX Coordinator Lauren Hasselbacher. Fraternity men are three times more likely to commit rape than their non-
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UW System continues search for methods to reconcile their budget losses throughout year By Robyn Cawley COLLEGE NEWS EDITOR
UW System universities have been grappling with how to manage decreased funding for years, while still trying to offer reliable programs and ignite successful job creation. Let’s see how they’ve done. Earlier this year, the Board of Regents piloted restructuring of system universities to merge twoyear with four-year campuses. Along with this, university leaders have undergone faculty consolidation and threatened cuts to humanities programs. Concerns about managing stretched budgets have continued to plague the system as less students graduate high school and university enrollment rates drop at universities. “UW campuses need to review their low-enrollment degree programs, but they shouldn’t eliminate those without understanding why there is low enrollment,” said Noel Radomski, director and associate researcher at the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education. As part of the 2017-’19 biannual budget, Gov. Scott Walker extended the tuition freeze into its fifth year and announced plans to cut tuition
by five percent in the fall of 2018. The missing tuition funds would be alleviated by $35 million in taxpayer dollars. The freeze was carried into a sixth year at the start of the semester. This follows Walker’s decision to cut the UW System budget by $250 million over a two-year period in 2015. With the upcoming gubernatorial election, the status of the UW System budget could change, but the only way to do that is to have an honest conversation, according to Radomski. “[I wish to see] a candid discussion and tough decisions about a realistic sharing of costs between student tuition, state grants and state government funding to UW System to the campuses,” Radomski said. Aside from the budget cuts, a prosperous economy may be the key to declining enrollment, according to Gene Dalhoff, Vice President of Talent and Education of the Madison Regional Economic Partnership. “When the economy is good, and jobs are plentiful, college enrollment tends to decline. Conversely, when the economy is poor, college enrollment tends to increase,” he said. The regents decided on the 2018-’19 annual budget earlier
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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.”