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Thursday, October 18, 2012
Poll shows Wisconsin up for grabs in election By Adam Wollner The Daily Cardinal
Grey Satterfield/the daily cardinal
University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department officials are enforcing a long-standing assigned seating policy in the student section this year, resulting in more students being ejected.
Student ejections up due to seating policy By Abby Becker The Daily Cardinal
A typical Badger home game experience includes walking with throngs of people through the Camp Randall arch, singing “Varsity” with thousands of other Badger fans, and shaking the stadium during “Jump Around.” But this year’s sudden enforcement of an assigned seating policy is leading to more students being ejected from one of their most anticipated traditions. University of WisconsinMadison Police Department and officials are enforcing the policy of sitting in assigned seats in the student section at Badger football games more this year despite the traditional first-come-first-serve method of seating most students currently follow. While the student section seating policy is not new,
Assistant Athletic Director Justin Doherty said the Athletics Department is placing a greater emphasis this year on enforcing the policy due to complaints from students who have not been able to sit in their designated seats. But UW-Madison junior Stephanie Covelli said this policy is not understood by the entire Camp Randall staff. At the Wisconsin v. Illinois game, Covelli said Camp Randall security officers directed her, her younger brother and his two friends to seats which did not match their tickets. “We didn’t know if they were exactly the right seats,” Covelli said. “They checked [our tickets] at the section.” She said with thirty seconds left before “Jump Around” at the end of the third quarter, UW-Madison
Police Department officers who were monitoring overcrowded rows approached her and her friends, demanding to see their tickets and IDs. The officers “yelled” and “screamed” in their faces before ejecting them from the stadium, according to Covelli. “Everything happened so quickly,” Covelli said. “It was so nerve-wracking.” UWPD Sgt. Aaron Chapin said officers will check tickets in sections that appear overcrowded. “If you’re not in that seat, you have the potential to be kicked out,” Chapin said. But according to a UW-Madison senior, who wished to remain anonymous, avoiding the overcrowded seating lead to her being ejected from the game.
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The presidential and U.S. Senate races in Wisconsin are both locked in a dead heat, according to the latest Marquette Law School poll released Wednesday, with the election 20 days away. The survey’s results show President Barack Obama holds a slight lead over Mitt Romney among likely voters in the state, 49 percent to 48 percent. Two weeks ago, Obama was ahead of his Republican challenger by 11 percentage points. Likewise, former Gov. Tommy Thompson has erased the lead of his Democratic opponent. 46 percent of Wisconsin voters now plan to vote for Thompson compared to 45 percent for U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. Baldwin held a four-point advantage over Thompson in the last Marquette poll.
The poll, which was conducted between two presidential debates, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent. The favorability ratings for both Baldwin and Thompson reflect what has been a largely negative campaign. 47 percent of those surveyed viewed Baldwin unfavorably compared to 32 percent who held positive opinions of her, while half of the respondents said they held negative views of Thompson compared to 37 percent who viewed him favorably. Overall, independent voters leaned toward the Republican candidates in the poll. 49 percent of independents preferred Romney compared to 45 percent for Obama. Thompson held an advantage of 44 percent to Baldwin’s 41 percent among swing voters. David Canon, a University
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SLAC, TAA urge UW to sever ties with Palermo’s By Sam Cusick The Daily Cardinal
In the midst of the controversy surrounding the Palermo’s Pizza workers’ strike, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Teaching Assistants’ Association and the Student Labor Action Coalition released a joint resolution calling for the university to cut all ties with Palermo’s. The issue began when workers at Palermo’s were fired from a Milwaukee factory after attempting to unionize. Workers also condemned poor working conditions and Palermo’s lack of effort to correct them. The university currently has a $200,000 sponsorship agree-
ment with Palermo’s, as well as an indirect licensing agreement through Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc., according to Co-President of the TAA Charity Schmidt. She also said some of the pizzas are marketed with pictures of Bucky Badger on them. SLAC member Lingran Kong said the purpose of the resolution is to pressure the university to sever all ties with the pizza company until it meets the workers’ demands. The resolution states, “allies are demanding that businesses and universities remove Palermo’s products and cut contracts until Palermo’s recognizes
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City Council members propose Overture funding increase By Taylor Harvey The Daily Cardinal
The Overture Center could see more funding from the city than originally proposed in the mayor’s 2013 operating budget after several Common Council members announced Wednesday an amendment that would double the funding currently allotted to the venue. 14 City Council members cosponsored the amendment, which would raise city funding allotted to Overture from the current $850,000 to $1.75 million, which is $100,000 less than Overture received in 2012.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said Council members who co-sponsored the amendment felt although this year they face a “difficult budget atmosphere,” they hope to stand by the city’s commitments of providing annual funding to the center. “It is especially gratifying for me to have this really significant show of support for the Overture Center from two-thirds of Common Council,” Verveer said. Overture Center Spokesperson Rob Chappell said it is “very satisfying” to know that several Council members understand Overture’s
value to the community. If the amendment is implemented, Chappell said Overture would be able to keep current staffing levels as well as continue to grow their community and education programs. According to Chappell, Overture brings approximately 400,000 people per year downtown who then spend money on dinner, parking and drinks at nearby restaurants and venues, which enhances Madison’s local economy. “[Council] understands these values and they are ready to support these values,” Chappell said.
Grey satterfield/the daily cardinal
City council officials proposed an amendment to Mayor Paul Soglin’s 2013 operating budget to increase Overture’s funding.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”