Thursday, October 13, 2022 - The Daily Cardinal

Eight Wisconsin Legislature races to watch

By Erik Pfantz STAFF WRITER

Democrats are scram bling to defend key seats in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate as Republicans push for a supermajority in the Nov. 8 election.

Wisconsin Republicans currently hold a 21-12 major ity in the Senate and a 61-38 majority in the Assembly.

If Republicans net one more Senate seat and five more Assembly seats on Election Day, they will secure a twothirds supermajority that would allow them to override the governor’s legislative veto. This would also award them near-full control of the state, regardless of which party wins the governor’s election.

Republicans got a step clos er to a supermajority in April when the Wisconsin Supreme Court chose the Republicancontrolled Legislature’s proposal for redrawing Wisconsin’s legislative district lines over Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ plan, according to WPR. The state Supreme Court initially chose Evers’ map but reversed its decision after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his proposed map due to racial bias concerns.

A University of WisconsinMadison analysis of the new maps, which dictate election district boundaries through 2030, found it limited the potential for districts to change party representation in this year’s general election.

Though voting patterns in the new districts favor Republicans, Democrats hope to capitalize on Wisconsin’s abortion ban and other major federal legislation to prevent a Republican supermajority.

Here are eight Senate and Assembly races to watch:

Senate District 25 Superior, Ashland, Rice Lake

Republican Romaine Quinn and Democrat Kelly Westlund are facing off in Wisconsin’s geographically largest state senate district in northwest ern Wisconsin. Democrats have controlled this largely rural district in nine elec tions since 1987. However, with Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley (D-Mason) retir ing this year, Republicans are hoping to flip this seat by capitalizing on recent conser vative swings in Wisconsin’s rural areas. Senate District 25 leans Republican by 7.4 points, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and the new district maps furthered that tilt, putting Democrats in a precarious situation.

The Daily Cardinal

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.

All

the

Six candidates apply to fill District 17 alder seat vacated by former Oath Keeper

By Francesca Pica and Gavin Escott STAFF WRITERS

Six candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to be Madison’s next District 17 alder, filling the remain der of former Ald. Gary Halverson’s term. He resigned in late September.

District 17, which spans Madison’s far east side next to the Dane County Regional Airport, was represented by Halverson since April 2021 until his past association with the Oath Keepers — a right-wing extremist group — leaked early last month, drawing immediate and fierce back lash. A few weeks later, Halverson announced his resignation, e ective immediately, citing safety concerns for his family.

The Common Council will appoint someone to fill the rest of Halverson’s term, which ends in April 2023.

Applications for the seat closed last week, and on Oct. 20, the Common Council Executive Committee will interview the six candidates. District 8 Ald. Juliana Bennett, who serves on the executive committee, told the Daily Cardinal she was looking for candidates with lived experiences and who represent the values held by the council.

“[I want someone who] will be representative of the values that council has been moving towards,” Bennett said. “More racial equi ty [and] inclusion focused, more focused on increasing housing, cer tain issues like public safety, etc.”

Bennett, whose district comprises much of the University of WisconsinMadison campus, took aim at the council for a flawed appointment pro cess in the past, adding it was frus trating that previous appointments to fill seats had resulted in white people replacing an alder of color.

the escalation in residential breakins and vandalism throughout the city,” Clausius said in his applica tion for the seat. “Many residents are downright frightened to drive on city streets or walk in their neighbor hoods at night.”

Clausius said he does not intend to run for a full term in April.

“As a resident and former alder in District 17, I am applying to fill the alder vacancy in our district to the end of the term on April 18, 2023. I have no interest or plans to seek election after that date,” he said. “Hopefully by then, interested residents will have researched the alder position and run in the spring election.”

William Turnquest

William Turnquest works as a paramedic and EMT with Marshall and Cambridge EMS. He previ ously worked for the DeForest Fire Department as a firefighter and EMT.

Turnquest told the Cardinal one of his highest priorities is addressing rising housing prices.

“One of my focal points would be equity in housing and finding local, a ordable housing for all citi zens in this city,” Turnquest said. “Housing prices are skyrocketing across the country, and while we are not unique to these challenges, I feel we can do better to make housing a ordable and equitable to everyone despite income.”

Turnquest also named violence and accident prevention and educa tion as important issues. He said his experience in public service gives him a unique understanding of con stituents’ needs.

Turnquest has lived in the Madison area since 1988 and in District 17 since 2015. He did not say whether he would run for a full term.

been considering a run for alder for a couple years, but recent conver sations around the homeless men’s shelter that veered into fear-monger ing pushed her to run.

“I just started to feel like I’ve done a really good job at bridging the gap between people who may just dis agree around processes or [how] to go about solving some issues,” Madison said. “I felt like I can be a good community navigator [to] bring these opposing views together and try to find some common ground for the shelter.”

Madison believes relationships across the community will help her resolve problems and broker com promises as alder. She said she would continue engaging with community members and address concerns expressed to her, such as the lack of a community library, the proposed Imagination Center and a ordable housing in Madison.

Anne Murphy-Lom

Anne Murphy-Lom is the associ ate director of human resources for the UW-Madison General Library System. She has also served as an election o cial since 2004 and a chief inspector for the City of Madison since 2010.

Murphy-Lom told the Cardinal she would prioritize removing bar riers to voting while encouraging engagement with the community.

“If people have access to what they need to take care of themselves and their families, they can focus on their education, finding their own success and actively engaging in the commu nity through everything this city has to o er,” Murphy-Lom said. “I would do what I can to provide as much access and outreach as possible for people to vote.”

tor of volunteers on the Wisconsin Board of Aging and Long Term Care.

Before moving to Madison in 2015, Zabransky served as secretary of the City of Richfield, Minnesota. Additionally, she sat on the board of directors for a community action organization focused on low-income housing issues.

Zabransky identified a ordable housing, transportation, public safety and environmental preservation as important issues she would address as alder, but she said she would prior itize listening to the needs of District 17’s constituents.

“I want to bridge any gaps between my neighbors, city sta and special committees as we all work together to continue to make Madison a great place to live,” Zabransky told the Cardinal. “I bring a critically percep tive set of eyes and will work for my constituents to maintain high stan dards while maintaining fair play.”

Zabransky said she would decide whether to run in 2023 after the city’s budget is approved.

Blake J. Duren

Blake Duren serves on the board of the directors for the South Central Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service and considered running against Halverson in the past. With his resig nation, Duren “saw no reason not to throw [his] hat in the ring.”

Duren graduated from UW-Madison in 2005 and has lived in Madison for nearly nine years. He said his priority in o ce would be to make sure the costs and benefits of Madison’s growing economy are distributed equally across Madison.

and

The Daily Cardinal

advertising rep resenting a wide

of

This accep tance does not imply agreement with the

expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both.

News and editorial

should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager.

be

Letters Policy:

“What’s been frustrating to me is that council leadership [has] a strong opinion that we shouldn’t appoint people because we think they’ll be good for the job,” Bennett said, refer encing the previous appointments to the District 3, 11 and 20 seats. “That we should appoint someone [who is in] the middle, based o of what [the council] perceives the district wants.”

“I think that it’s important for us to look towards other options,” she said.

The Cardinal contacted the six candidates, a mix of former alders, local entrepreneurs and UW faculty to understand why they are seeking out the District 17 seat. Over email, candidates described their qualifica tions for the seat, what their priorities in o ce would be and whether they would run for a full term in April.

Joe Clausius

Joe Clausius previously served as District 17’s alder from 2007 to 2015. Before serving as an alder, he worked with the American Family Insurance group.

Clausius graduated from UW-Platteville with a degree in politi cal science and has been a District 17 resident since 1991.

In his application, Clausius expressed his support for the planned construction of a perma nent men’s shelter on Bartillon Drive, as well as the city’s proposed bus rapid transit lines connecting the east and west sides of the city. He also called to increase funding for police overtime for residential patrols and tra c control.

“I am deeply concerned over the unsafe driving on city streets and

Sabrina Madison Sabrina Madison, the founder and CEO of the Progress Center for Black Women, announced her intention to run for the seat a few days after Halverson resigned. The Progress Center is a co-working space that o ers a variety of specialized services and development opportunities for Black women.

Madison told the Cardinal she had

Murphy-Lom has lived in Madison since 1998 and said her experience working in Madison for over 20 years would give her a valuable perspective on the Common Council.

Murphy-Lom said she intends to run for a full term next year, but she does not have any higher political ambitions.

Amy Zabransky

Amy Zabransky is the coordina

“I think there is a tendency some times for districts with more econom ic pull than other districts to begin to accumulate the benefits of growth while pushing the costs and negative byproducts of that growth into other districts,” Duren said. “My priority in o ce would be to make sure that the costs and benefits of this rapid growth are shared equally amongst the various districts in the city.”

He told the Cardinal he would focus on transportation, a ordable housing and other quality of life issues facing District 17 if appointed.

What UW-Madison students need to know about FAFSA

By Emily Chin STAFF WRITER

As part of the U.S. Department of Education, the Federal Student Aid (FSA) is the largest provider of student financial aid in the United States. Each year, FSA helps make college educa tion accessible for more than 10 million students.

Oct. 1 marked the first official day of the free appli cation for federal student aid (FAFSA). Here is what University of WisconsinMadison students need to know about the FAFSA:

What is the FAFSA?

The FAFSA application uses prior tax information which includes tax forms, balances of savings and checking accounts to help determine a student’s eli gibility to receive financial aid. For the 2023-24 school year, FAFSA will use 2021 tax infor mation. Students who fill out the FAFSA can apply to receive fed eral grants, work-study and loans which can be used to help pay for college or career school.

Once the applicant completes the form, they will receive a stu dent aid report (SAR), which is used to calculate the level of finan cial need. In the SAR, there’s a number called the EFC — expect ed family contribution — which is the number used by applicants’ schools to calculate how much financial aid they are eligible for.

Which students are eligible for the FAFSA?

United States citizens and eli gible non-residents are able to apply for FAFSA. A non-resident can be defined as an individual who has a green card or is con sidered “a permanent resident alien,” according to the FSA.

Students who believe they won’t qualify for any financial aid should still try to fill out the FAFSA.

“Oftentimes, there might be scholarships that look at the FAFSA or will need to have the FAFSA on file,” Financial Aid Security Track (FASTrack) and Badger Aid for Nonresidents (BANNER) Manager Joselyn Diaz-Valdes said. “The other thing is, you might not be able to qualify for grants or free money, but you might need a loan. A loan can help you cover some of your expenses and it’s better to apply earlier and have that set because if you decide you don’t want it, you don’t have to accept it.”

What types of financial aid do the FAFSA provide?

There are two different types of financial aid: needbased and non-need based. Need-based aid is calculated by the cost of attendance (COA) subtracted by your EFC, while non-need based is from all other sources like your school or private scholarships.

There are four federal needbased programs: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity

Grant (FSEOG), Direct Subsidized Loan and Federal Work-Study. A direct sub sidized loan is available for undergraduate students. With a subsidized loan, the U.S. Department of Education pays off the interest that accrues.

The Pell Grant on the other hand does not have to be repaid unless there are chang es in certain circumstances.

Federal non-need programs include Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Federal PLUS Loan, and the Teacher Education Access for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. Unlike a subsidized loan, an unsubsidized loan’s accrued interest will be paid by the stu dent. A Direct PLUS Loan is a loan for graduates, professional students or parents of under graduate students.

South Side grocery store plans expansion to serve food dessert

In addition, with the recent loan forgiveness plan Joe Biden announced in September, stu dents are able to claim up to $20,000 in relief. The forgive ness plan mainly affects those who took out loans in the past.

“Federal Pell Grant recipi ents may be eligible for up to $20,000 in debt relief, and other federal student loan borrow ers may be eligible for up to $10,000 in debt relief,” accord ing to Federal Student Aid.

Those who expect to receive relief have either been informed by the U.S. Department of Education if they qualify automatically or they will need to apply manu ally. According to the Biden Administration, applications for loan forgiveness will come out in early October.

What are some common myths about the FAFSA, and are they true?

According to Diaz-Valdes, one common myth from high school students is that high school grades will affect your FAFSA application.

“The FAFSA is not looking at your grades — you need good grades to get into the school you want to get into, but the FAFSA is not looking at your grades when you’re in high school,” Diaz-Valdes said. “Once you’re in college, the FAFSA is looking at your grades, so students have to maintain a certain GPA and completion to continue receiv ing that financial aid.”

Some high school and college students also think students with non-resident guardians can’t apply for the FAFSA.

“This is a very common

myth. ‘My parents are not from this country, they don’t have a social security number. But I am from this country, and I can’t fill out the FAFSA,’” said Diaz-Valdes. “If a student is a United States citizen or is an eligible resident, they can fill out the FAFSA and be eligible for financial aid regardless of their parent’s status.”

Where do students apply for the FAFSA?

Students or parents will need to create an account through studentaid.gov, where they can fill out the applica tion. Applications for the 202324 school year will close on June 30, 2023.

What additional resources are available to UW-Madison students?

UW-Madison offers students a resource called Purposity, a program that pairs a donor to a student’s needs. Students can go online to request an item, and then a donor will send them the basic necessity, which may include clothing, hygiene products or bed linens.

“Our office also has tons of different resources,” DiazValdez explained.“We have graduate students in the school of social work helping stu dents with basic needs, look ing for food pantry places in town or on campus, or are looking to apply for things like BadgerCare or food share — we can help with that.”

Students seeking addi tional help from a financialaid representative can make an appointment through Starfish. Students can also look through UW’s Basic Needs Resources website.

By Sarah Eichstadt STAFF WRITER

The owner of Luna’s Groceries plans to tackle another food des ert in Dane County.

Before Mariam Maldonado opened Luna’s Groceries in 2019, the Allied Drive neighborhood of Madison’s South Side was a food desert for almost 10 years. Maldonado lives in that neighbor hood. She said the nearest gro cery store was four miles from her house.

“What made it di cult is our neighborhood is isolated by high ways,” Maldonado said. “In order to go to the store, you had to get into your car. There was nothing

within walking distance.”

While planning Luna’s sec ond location, Maldonado is keeping the store’s mission “to integrate location, food and community through a grocery store” in mind.

Maldonado had the opportu nity to make Luna’s bigger but declined, feeling it would take away from the store’s connection to the community.

“My vision for Luna’s is to be in a place that we can replicate and be aware of who’s around us, what type of families come to the store,” Maldonado said. “We just didn’t see that happening in a big grocery store.”

Maldonado tries to make the foods Luna’s o ers reflect the community in Allied Drive.

“My neighborhood is mostly Hispanic. When you come to the store, everything that you’re going to see almost represents the countries that live in my neigh borhood,” Maldonado said.

Maldonado plans to continue this approach and tailor the new grocery store to the surrounding community. Maldonado is col lecting data to help pick a new location with the goal of serving another food desert in the Dane County area.

Luna’s Groceries is located at 2010 Red Arrow Trail in Madison.

Could Republicans win a legislative supermajority in Wisconsin?

State Journal.

Evers and the Republicancontrolled Legislature each sub mitted redrawn maps in 2020, but disagreement between the two parties led to a slew of court cases that resulted in a new map, which still heavily favored Republicans.

“Republicans took this ger rymander that’s been considered the worst in the country and made it even worse,” progressive col umnist and The Recombobulation Area founder Dan Shafer told The Daily Cardinal.

trict more competitive, according to Democratic Senate candidate Kelly Westlund.

Westlund is challenging Republican candidate Romaine Quinn in the race to succeed Bewley. With Republicans vying to flip two other vulnerable Democratic-held Assembly seats in the region, Westlund has no margin for error.

ly-funded schools from teaching about certain race and sex dis crimination topics. Schools that violated the policy would have received a 10% decrease in state aid. A separate bill, SB 409, would have applied similar restric tions to UW System schools and Wisconsin technical colleges.

By Tyler Katzenberger STATE NEWS EDITOR

Wisconsin loves nail-biter elections. Each of the last two winning presidential candidates carried the state by less than 1%, and the last gubernatorial elec tion in 2018 was decided by a razor-thin 30,000 votes.

Yet, most of Wisconsin’s Assembly and Senate races in the past decade have been Republican landslides, with more of the same expected in this year’s elections.

Republicans are within reach of a supermajority in both houses of the Legislature with less than a month to go before Election Day on Nov. 8. If Republicans win two-thirds of the seats in the Assembly and Senate, they would have near-total control over Wisconsin politics — even if Democratic Gov. Tony Evers wins reelection.

Currently, Republicans hold a 61-38 majority in the Assembly and a 21-12 majority in the Senate. If the party picks up five seats in the Assembly and just one in the Senate, it would secure the two-thirds supermajority it needs to craft policies that bypass the governor’s veto pen.

Gov. Evers vetoed 126 bills dur ing the most recent Legislative session, the most ever by any Wisconsin governor, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. The bills, nearly all proposed by Republicans, would have drasti cally altered election policy, edu cation funding, gun control regu lations and welfare eligibility.

Those bills could eas ily become law if Republicans secure a supermajority next month regardless of which party wins the governor’s race, accord ing to University of WisconsinMadison political science profes sor Ryan Owens.

“[Republicans] will be able to push a lot of bills they want ed to push recently but have seen vetoed by the governor,” Owens said.

Republican gerrymander

Ten years ago, a Republican supermajority was far from likely. In fact, Democrats controlled the state Senate heading into the 2012 elections after a series of preced ing recall elections handed them a slim 17-15 majority.

When the dust settled after the 2012 general election, Republicans held a 17-15 Senate majority despite Democrats receiving a 50.5% majority of all statewide Senate votes, accord ing to Wisconsin Watch. The results were even more lop sided in the Assembly, where Republicans still won a com manding 60-39 majority while earning roughly 200,000 fewer votes than Democrats.

Republicans’ overperformance stemmed from a favorable 2011 redistricting process. Because Republicans controlled the Legislature and Governor’s office at the time, they were able to draw district lines that disproportion ately benefited Republican candi dates, according to the Wisconsin

“The way the map breaks down and the fact that there’s even a chance for a Republican two-thirds supermajority in a 50/50 split state just goes to show you how absurd these maps are,” Shafer added.

Democrats on the defense

Republican leaders are hop ing to capitalize on the new maps and win a supermajority in the upcoming Nov. 8 election.

“If for some reason we are unsuccessful in defeating Evers, a veto-proof majority is the sec ond priority,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told the Associated Press on Monday. “Evers is a major stumbling block. It’s about being able to get things done that the people of Wisconsin want.”

Republicans are funneling money into battleground races across the state in hopes of securing a legislative superma jority. These include districts near Superior, Eau Claire, La Crosse, the Fox Valley and Milwaukee’s suburbs.

Their biggest pickup opportu nity is arguably Senate District 25 in far northwestern Wisconsin. Senate Minority Leader and cur rent Democratic incumbent Janet Bewley announced in February she would not seek re-election, sparking a highly-competitive race in a district that voted 51.9% for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Democrats have held the district since the late 1980s. However, recent rightward shifts in rural areas have made the dis

“If every person who voted in the last midterm voted the same way this time around, then the Democrat running for Senate would have only won by four votes total,” Westlund said.

“Every single vote matters, and we really have to work hard to turn out our base.”

What would a Republican supermajority look like?

If Republicans do secure a supermajority in the Legislature on Nov. 8, Wisconsinites can expect the state to take a sharp rightward turn.

Gov. Evers vetoed 146 Republican bills during his four years as governor, according to FOX6 News. Though a sizable number were part of disputes over COVID-19 pandemic policy and American Rescue Plan Act relief funding, others would have made widespread changes to edu cation, crime and voting policy, among other areas.

Evers compared his vetoes to playing “goalie” at a Milwaukee Press Club event Tuesday, add ing that Republicans’ bills would likely pass if he lost his veto pen.

“Wisconsin will be a different place,” Evers said.

During the last legislative session, Evers vetoed multiple bills that would have increased resources for state private and charter schools. Rejected Republican proposals included more funding for the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program and greater freedom for charter school authorization — both of which Evers claimed could lead to increased property taxes.

Another education bill, AB 411, would have banned public

A number of Republican proposals would have tight ened eligibility requirements for state welfare programs. These included new drug testing and employment requirements for Wisconsin’s FoodShare program as well as Medicaid enrollment requirements Evers said conflict ed with federal law.

Republicans also introduced a slew of elections administra tion legislation that aimed to restrict absentee voting practic es, including new requirements for seniors, poll workers and municipal clerks.

One bill, SB 941, would have created legislative oversight over the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which Evers claimed would have grant ed the Republican-controlled Legislature “unchecked [and] potentially unconstitutional” power over state elections.

“Elected officials should not be able to abuse their power to cheat or control the outcomes of our elections or to prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots,” Evers wrote when he vetoed the bill in April.

Kelly Westlund worries that if Republicans win a superma jority and gain full control over Wisconsin’s legislative pro cess, they may enact election laws that give the Legislature more influence over the 2024 presidential election.

She called it a “dangerous sce nario” for Wisconsin’s democracy.

“It’s not just what’s at stake in this election — it’s what’s at stake in the next presidential election,” Westlund said. “This is a piece of the puzzle that could kind of pave that way for somebody like Donald Trump to get the pres idency again, regardless of the popular vote outcome.”

New UW Health programs strive to address healthcare worker shortages

By Beth Shoop STAFF WRITER

Decreased numbers of health care workers following the pan demic led UnityPoint HealthMeriter and the University of Wisconsin health system to make changes and updates in hopes of recruiting more employees.

The University of Wisconsin introduced a new program in an attempt to increase the number of nurses working in the health system. The program will cover all educational fees for students working at UW Health. Students will be guided along in the pro cess to obtain a certified nurs ing assistant credential, associate degree in nursing and a bache lor’s degree in nursing, according

to UW Health.

The UW Health program is funded by a donation from the Verona-based electronic medical records maker Epic Systems Corp.

“Improving access to nurs ing careers not only bolsters our healthcare workforce but also extends career opportunities to people who might not con sider the profession an option today,” said Karina Rohrer-Meck, a nurse and clinical information leader at Epic, in an interview with UW Health.

According to an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, UnityPoint Health-Meriter aims to gain more workers with an updated training facility located

along the Beltline around Todd Drive. The $6.9 million project is funded by donations from Jeff Levy and the Meriter Foundation.

The number of opportunities for youth and adult apprentice ship programs in the medical field will also expand. Apprenticeship areas for adults include licensed practical nursing, paramedics, respiratory therapy, ophthalmol ogy positions, and dietetics and patient nutrition services.

The goal of the new programs is to target and encourage mar ginalized communities to be part of the healthcare system and positively influence the current system in place in those areas, according to UW Health.

“We need to inspire interest in the field, we need to diversify our workforce, we need to create pathways to a career and we need to provide the tools to support staff throughout their careers in healthcare,” UW Health CEO Dr. Alan Kaplan said in an interview with UW Health.

The effects of COVID-19 cre ated a heightened need for health care. Despite the low numbers of healthcare workers, it is neces sary for programs to recruit more employees. There are shortages in almost all healthcare positions, with nursing being at the top.

According to Rohrer-Meck,

by magnifying the accessibility of nursing programs to students, the hope is that more people will be interested in joining. With the programs covering educational fees, a wide range of people who might have never considered the healthcare field now have the ability to join.

UW Health previously imple mented programs to increase the number of healthcare workers. This year, UW Health designed an internal nurse traveler pro gram to keep more nurses in health facilities in the UW Health system.

The program asks willing nurses to pick up one extra shift per week for six weeks. These nurses are paid an additional $100 per hour above the starting pay for the shifts. The program has worked to increase the nurse retention rate in hospitals, but the new programs are in place to accelerate the process, according to UW Health.

“Not only did this program combat staffing issues we were seeing, but it also showed that leadership listened to nurses,” said Jonathan Milton, RN care team leader in the Cardiac ICU at University Hospital, in an inter view with UW Health.

Wisconsin is facing a deficit level of around 8,000 healthcare

jobs, with approximately 3,500 from the Madison area, accord ing to Bridgett Willey, director of Allied Health Education and Career Pathways at UW Health, in an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal.

Aspiring nurses and health care workers are facing difficul ties getting their licenses because of other labor shortages. The Wisconsin state licensing agency has faced severe understaffing since before the COVID-19 pan demic and the issue has grown progressively worse.

Currently, there are few employees available to read and approve applications to give licenses to practice. The problem was so severe that, at the begin ning of the year, the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health sent letters to the legislature request ing more employees according to an NBC interview.

UW Health employees believe with the addition of new pro grams and the updated nursing facility, stopping the healthcare worker shortage is within reach.

“Through generous philan thropic support, community partnerships and the innovative thinking Madison is known for, we can rise to this challenge that may define the next decade of healthcare,” Kaplan said.

UW-Madison professors research social media e ects on teens

By Maddie Gamburg STAFF WRITER

The rush of self-assurance and validation when your post is met with positive comments is a sensa tion anyone who ever posted on social media can relate to. However, there’s a self-deprecating feeling and sense of rejection that comes with a lack of praise, festering itself within the world of cyberbullying.

Teenagers live and breathe social media, and the negative e ects of these platforms can have a strong, long-term impact on teenagers’ mental and physical health. Chris Cascio, an assistant professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with an extensive background in neuro science, is hoping to learn more about teens’ experiences on social media platforms.

“I think the overall goal is to see that there’s mixed literature on whether social media is good for teens or bad for teens. And, I think research is really inconsistent,” Cascio said. “Is it harmful? Is it ben eficial? I don’t think we have a good answer to that yet. We’re hoping to better understand how people use it, and is it positive? Is it negative?”

Cascio, along with Dr. Megan Moreno and Dr. Ellen Selkie, professors of pediatrics in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, have been backed by a new five-year, $7.5 million research grant to navigate how the complex world of social media impacts adolescence.

“Social exclusion, inclusion and exclusion, seems to be a big com ponent of the social media envi ronment… people can feel isolated and by themselves if they post something and no one responds to it, particularly during teen years,” Cascio said. “Looking at the brain kind of gives us this objective mea sure of neural sensitivity to these things. And that’s what I’m hoping to be able to look at and see. Is there a connection between use, wellbe ing and health depending on how sensitive people are to these types of broader social experiences?”

Cascio said the team will recruit 400 teenagers and track the cohort’s social media use over a two-year period, focusing on the images and words teens are post ing and the types of feedback those posts receive. They will scan the brains of participants transitioning from middle to high school to mea sure how they react to the di erent situations they encounter on social media, Cascio explained.

The grant started in September, and the team is currently work ing to prepare for data collection, which they estimate will begin in January. According to Cascio, par ticipants will go through an initial appointment where he and his team collect baseline information about participants’ health and wellbeing. Six months later, the team will then scan participants to see if anything has changed in their response to social inclusion or exclusion depending on how they’ve been using social media

over the two year period. Cascio, Selkie and Moreno plan to con nect with participants on up to four social media accounts and collect data on everything they post, from their comments to peers’ reactions.

“We’re hoping our findings can help guide the way we talk to teens and their parents about healthy digital technology use,” Selkie said. “The research may also be useful for policymakers and people who design digital technology to make these platforms into better experi ences for the youth.”

Cascio and his team hope to use their research to understand how we can intervene for those who have bad experiences with social media and develop a negative well being or demonstrate unhealthy behaviors over time.

“What I’m really interested in is social exclusion– you know, the ‘you can’t sit with us’ kind of thing,” Cascio explained in a press release. “What does your online environment look like? Is it nurturing or is it isolating? Do kids have a supportive environ ment where, if they post some thing, they get lots of support from peers and family? How does social media isolation work and how do you navigate the nuances?”

Ultimately, Cascio said he is excited to take his research in a new direction — into an ever-evolving world of social media. He hopes to discover some positive ways to intervene when social media has a negative impact on teens’ wellbeing.

How Badgers can return to winning ways

By Donnie Slusher SPORTS EDITOR

In just his second year on the job, athletic director Chris McIntosh has already set the tone for the program.

“The expectations of our pro gram at Wisconsin are to win championships,” McIntosh said at a news conference following the decision to fire head coach Paul Chryst. “I felt that it was the right time to make a change to pursue those.”

The athletic director made it abundantly clear prior Wisconsin standards are no longer accept able. Despite inconsistencies for the past two seasons, a return to national viability in the near future doesn’t seem out of the question for the Badgers. McIntosh feels the same way, which is why a change had to be made.

Yet, Chryst was fired for a rea son. There were problems fester ing before the decision to can him was made, and his firing didn’t solve every issue either. A return to prominence is possible, but not until the Badgers solve some unavoidable questions.

Leadership

Most interim coaches are viewed as placeholders until a real hire is made in the o season. The remaining games in a season are typically ignored because of the belief the season is “lost” or “over.”

This situation is different. Leonhard has a true shot to win the job. Even if the Badgers aren’t able to contend for anything sig nificant, Leonhard has seven whole games — six remaining — to show Wisconsin decision mak ers he’s the right candidate.

Leonhard has been linked to greater job openings for years, and it’s not for nothing. He’s among the best and most consistent coor dinators in college football. In his five full seasons as coordinator, his defenses finished top five in total defense and top 10 in scoring defense a whopping four times.

Even if he’s not the favorite among Wisconsin decision mak ers, he has a much higher chance than other candidates based on loyalty to and familiarity with the program. Wisconsin deci sion makers are suckers for loy alty. Chryst was made Badger head coach after accumulating a mediocre 19-19 record at Pitt. Like Chryst, Leonhard has multiple years of valuable experience as both a player and assistant coach.

If Leonhard doesn’t get the job, he’s most likely leaving Madison. The risk of Leonhard finding suc cess elsewhere may be too fright ening and realistic for Wisconsin to let happen.

Even though the Badgers have the luxury of a great candidate already on their sta , they should look anywhere and everywhere if it means finding the right person to lead the program. Barry Alvarez didn’t have any Wisconsin experi ence before he was hired.

“I think I owe it to this program to do a full search when the time is right,” McIntosh told reporters.

Lance Leipold’s name created buzz this season as he brought the previously-disastrous Kansas Jayhawks into national rele vance and the AP Poll for the first time since 2013. Leipold is

a native of Jefferson, Wisconsin and coached at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for eight seasons. He will be considered for most major job openings — the Badgers should at least look his way, given his performance and Wisconsin roots.

There are other big names like Baylor’s Dave Aranda, who filled the defensive coordinator position for the Badgers in 2013 and 2014, although Baylor may be a good enough job for him to stay.

Regardless of who Wisconsin chooses, they will still likely play a similar brand of football and fol low the ground-and-pound phi losophy. The Badgers don’t need a massive overhaul. What’s most important is how this next coach handles details: fixing mistakes, sta decisions and any other solv able di erence-makers.

Talent

Wisconsin’s most glaring issue is their lack of talent — especially when compared to rivals like Ohio State or Michigan.

After finishing 16th in the country in recruiting in 2021, their best ranking during the Chryst era, the Badgers slid back down to 44 in 2022 and 55 in the current 2023 class. Wisconsin can’t make any major strides until they’re able to compete with their adver saries on a talent level. During the Chryst era, Wisconsin was 11-18 against teams that finished the year in the AP Poll. The Badgers crumble against better teams.

Wisconsin is known for maxi mizing their limited recruiting tal ent. But what if they could maxi mize four and five-stars instead of just three-stars?

The biggest step forward in recruiting must be actual invest ment. This starts with those in charge. Wisconsin must improve their operation behind-thescenes before the on-field product can improve.

In June 2021, Wisconsin direc

tor of player personnel Saeed Khalif left to lead recruiting at Michigan State. Khalif began at Wisconsin with four sta mem bers but was eventually only left with two because of budget cuts from the pandemic. In August 2021, Khalif had 12 sta members working for him while Penn State had 10. Wisconsin is compet ing with programs with scarce resources and personnel — imag ine if they were actually on a level playing field.

Identity

Wisconsin already figured out the hardest part of winning: find ing an identity.

The Badgers have looked the same for as long as anybody can remember. They’re going to run the football — a lot. That’s how they win, that’s how they lose.

Some of the best Badgers ever are Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon and Ron Dayne — run ning backs. They benefited from a revolving door of successful o en sive lineman, too — Joe Thomas, Travis Frederick and Ryan Ramczyk, to name a few.

may feel underwhelmed.

Nobody expects Wisconsin to become a pass-heavy program — in fact, they shouldn’t. However, if the Badgers hope to compete with any real college football powers, it cannot be accomplished with a one-dimensional o ense.

In 2011, with a competent quar terback in Wilson, the Badgers averaged over 44 points per game, a mark they have yet to surpass. It’s possible to remain a run-ori ented program while also having a great quarterback.

What’s working in Wisconsin’s favor is the transfer revolution. In the entire 2020-21 cycle, 2,654 players entered the transfer por tal. However, that number was surpassed only eight months into the 2021-22 cycle. Prior to this sea son, it was even reported that of the 131 quarterbacks playing in the FBS, 58 — or 44.3% — entered the transfer portal.

Wisconsin should look to Michigan State in 2021 as a prime example of the transfer portal’s potential. The Spartans went from 7-6 to 11-2 in two seasons from acquiring a few home-run transfers, like running back Kenneth Walker.

Luckily for Wisconsin, there is history of transfers succeed ing after moving to Madison. The ultimate example was Russell Wilson in 2011. After being told he was “too small” to play quar terback while at NC State, Wilson transferred to Wisconsin and had the best quarterback season in

“I’ve never seen so many big people in all my life as in Wisconsin,” Barry Alvarez said not long after arriving in Madison. “You shouldn’t have to go far to find linemen.”

There are plenty of viable runoriented teams in college football, but the sport is leaning towards passing. Of the past six national champions, every single start ing quarterback was selected in the first or second round of the NFL Draft — except for Stetson Bennett, who’s still in college. Talent is a minimum requirement.

However, a reliance on run ning may put Wisconsin at risk of growing stale and predictable. A quality quarterback is required to diversify an o ense. If there is no aerial threat, teams stack the box and collapse any pre-exist ing run-game — as the Badgers recently saw against Ohio State and Illinois.

Having a strong identity can be a double-edged sword when it comes to recruiting. O ensive linemen and running backs may see Wisconsin as paradise, where as quarterbacks and receivers

Signing current quarterback Graham Mertz, the highest-rated quarterback in Badger history, was a good start. Now, it’s time to ensure the rest of his tenure runs as smoothly as possible, so other quarterbacks can see the potential in Wisconsin’s o ense and maybe even follow Mertz’s example. It’s a two way street: Wisconsin must commit to expanding the quar terback position if they hope for a quarterback to commit to them.

Real national viability is not only possible for the Badgers — it’s in reach. There’s no telling how long it will take. However, one thing is certain: the “same old” results won’t cut it.

Badger history before entering the NFL and winning a Super Bowl. The Badgers should carry a poster of 2011 Russell Wilson to every transfer meeting — especially meetings with quarterbacks.

JADEN ROBERSON/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Chris McIntosh Athletic Director

“I think I owe it to this program to do a full search when the time is right.”

BY JENNIFER SCHALLER

special pages

Daily Cardinal Election Guide 2022

Voting Q&A

By Carson McGrath STAFF WRITER

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Here’s what you need to know before you vote:

Am I eligible to vote?

Any U.S. citizen who will be 18 years old by Election Day, has lived in Wisconsin for at least 28 consecutive days and is not currently serving a felony sentence — including probation or parole — is eligible to vote in the Nov. 8 midterms.

How can in-state students register to vote?

Wisconsin residents can register to vote online, by mail or by registering in person either at their local clerk’s office or at their polling place on the day of the election. Voters wishing to register online or by mail must do so by 5 p.m. on Oct. 19. Voters can still register at the Madison City Clerk’s office after Oct. 19, but registration must be completed by Friday, Nov. 4. All registrants must have a voter-compliant photo ID and proof of Wisconsin residence.

How can out-of-state students register to vote?

If you are registering to vote in Wisconsin but reside in another state, you must have resided in Wisconsin for at least 28 days leading up to the Nov. 8 election. You must also have a voter-compliant photo ID, which includes U.S. Passports but does not include Wiscards. If you don’t have a passport, you can get a UW-Madison voter-compliant student ID card at voterID.wisc.edu. Once you get your ID, you must still register to vote either in-person, online or by mail before or on election day.

How can I get an absentee ballot?

When applying for an absentee ballot online, you must provide proof of identification. Once you receive your absentee ballot in the mail, you must vote and have a witness sign your ballot. Your witness can be any U.S. citizen 18 years of age or older.

How do I change my voting address?

You can change your voting address by mail or in-person at the clerk’s office with an attached proof of residence document. Acceptable documents include utility bills, lease forms, bank statements, a government-issued check, a credit card or a valid Wisconsin driver’s license in electronic or paper form. Your name and current address must be included in your proof of residence.

How do I vote early?

You can vote early in Wisconsin at the clerk’s office or at a pop-up location designated by your municipal clerk’s office. Early voting starts two weeks before the election, and the last day to complete early voting is the Friday before the election. Early in-person absentee ballot voting is available Monday through Friday at Memorial Union and Union South from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., beginning on Oct. 25 and ending on Nov. 4.

How can I become a poll worker?

To become a poll worker in Wisconsin, you must have resided in your election district for 28 days, and you must be a U.S. citizen who is at least 18 years or older and capable of fluently reading and writing in English. Poll workers will receive training before Election Day. City of Madison poll workers currently earn $14.01 per hour.

Can I be excused from classes to work the polls?

Yes. According to UW-Madison policy, students who notify their instructors of their commitment to work as an election official at least two weeks prior to election day will not receive a grade deduction for missing class. Instructors are also required to keep election days free of major assignments when possible.

Where can I find my polling site?

You can find your polling site by searching your voting address at myvote.wi.gov/Find-My-Polling-Place.

What if I have a question that wasn’t answered?

Visit vote.wisc.edu to learn more about voting at UW-Madison.

Governor’s race preview:

By Reuben Berkowitz STAFF WRITER

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Wisconsin voters will go to the polls on a number of state and federal

on exceptions to the state’s 1849 abortion ban.

Among other key issues that separate Evers and Michels are school funding, marijuana

U.S. Senate race preview:

both chambers and a Republican governor – would allow Republicans to enforce strict rules on not only abortion, but also race education and gender identity and

By Gabriella Hartlaub STAFF WRITER

Two-term incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes of Wisconsin are

His challenger Barnes has served as Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor since 2019.

In many ways, he represents the antithesis to Johnson’s

7, where they reiterated their main talking points on abortion, crime and other issues. The two will debate again on Thursday.

Johnson has heavily attacked

Legislature races to watch:

By Erik Pfantz STAFF WRITER

Senate District 31

Eau Claire, Osseo, Ellsworth

Incumbent Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) faces Republican challenger David Estenson in this largely rural district in western Wisconsin. The district, which voted for Donald Trump by four points in the 2020 presidential election, is another Republican pickup target. However, Republicans face a long history of Democratic representation in the district, and the new maps did little to change its slim Republican lean since Smith’s last election. Estenson also faces an added election challenge from allegations of misconduct while serving as a police officer in the Village of Strum, according to WisPolitics.

Assembly District 13 Brookfield

Republican Tom Michalski and Democrat Sarah Harrison are competing for an Assembly district that’s changed drastically since 2020. Current incumbent Sara Rodriguez (D-Brookfield) flipped this suburban district west of Milwaukee in 2020, but with Rodriguez leaving to run for Lieutenant Governor as well as the district’s estimated vote margin swinging over 16 points towards Republicans, Democrats face an uphill climb. Harrison is a business logician and activist, while Michalski used to work in IT and is now a volunteer firefighter in Elm Grove, according to their respective campaign websites.

Assembly District 51

Dodgeville, Mineral Point

Incumbent Republican Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) faces a tough challenge from restaurant owner and Town of Clyde clerk Leah Spicer in southwest Wisconsin. The 51st district has seen close elections in recent years and is a target for Democrats to flip, with the expected vote margin favoring Democrats by 2.2 points. Novak also serves as the mayor of Dodgeville and is the first openly gay Republican elected to the Legislature, according to the Cap Times.

Assembly District 94 Onalaska, Holmen

Incumbent Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska) has held his seat since 2011 despite the district’s slight Republican lean. Doyle’s Republican challenger Ryan Huebsch is a former legislative aide and the son of former Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, according to WisPolitics. The district, which encompasses most of rural La Crosse county, is another area prone to a Republican flip.

Senate District 5

New Berlin, Brookfield, West Allis

Secretary of state race preview:Attorney General’s race preview:

By Matthew Dubin STAFF WRITER

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, the next attorney general will be elected along with other state positions. The Democratic candidate is incumbent Josh Kaul, who has been in office since 2018, while the Republican counterpart is Eric Toney, Fond du Lac County prosecutor.

Josh Kaul aims to combat the drug epidemic and make abortions available and safe.

He also hopes to pursue justice for sexual assault survivors and support law enforcement and safer schools if reelected.

Eric Toney primarily discussed reducing crime and instantiating laws pertaining to election integrity in his bid for attorney general. Toney also aims to uphold the previously instituted ban on abortions.

If Tim Michels is elected as governor and Amy Loudenbeck as secretary of state, the elections community could be dissolved. This would give Wisconsin’s secretary of state more control over the state’s election process, as the attorney general works closely with the election administration and many

Republican representatives believe the 2020 presidential election was “stolen,” according to POLITICO.

Given the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade, if Kaul is elected, he is slated to push to make abortion safe and legal, while Toney looks to uphold the current ruling according to WPR.

The future of legal issues such as abortion, election laws, law enforcement and the second amendment in Wisconsin will be determined by the Nov. 8 midterm election.

By Michael Babcock STAFF WRITER

Longtime Democratic incumbent Doug La Follette and Republican challenger Rep. Amy Loudenbeck are vying for Wisconsin’s Secretary of State office in an unusually high-stakes election that could drastically reshape future state elections.

La Follette, who has held the office for 44 years, is currently tasked with few official responsibilities. His duties include maintaining state records, authenticating documents and serving on the state’s public lands board.

However, Rep. Loudenbeck

announced at the start of her campaign that she wants to add overseeing Wisconsin elections to the Secretary’s responsibility, a task currently handled by the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

“WEC is broken and must be replaced,” Rep. Loundenbeck wrote in her campaign mission statement.

“No one in the WEC office is accountable to the voters and that needs to change.”

Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature created the nonpartisan WEC in 2016 to administer state elections. But Republicans,

including Sen. Ron Johnson and gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels, questioned the WEC’s legitimacy based on unsupported claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 elections.

La Follette told the Daily Cardinal in September that he believes Republicans may dismantle the WEC if they win.

If it’s a close election … [Republicans] can void the results and allow the legislature to make the decision, who could then change the election in favor of a different candidate,”

La Follette said.

Democrat Jessica Katzenmeyer and Republican Rob Hutton are vying to replace outgoing Sen. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield), who announced he would not run for re-election after redistricting left him outside the 5th Assembly District. Though nationwide trends suggest a suburban pickup opportunity for Democrats, redistricting swung the district’s expected vote margin rightward from a near-even split to more than a 7-point Republican lean. Hutton is a business owner coming off an unsuccessful 2020 bid for Assembly District 13, while Katzenmeyer is a union leader and activist who would become the first openly transgender state lawmaker if she wins in November.

Assembly District 33

Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Milton

Rep. Don Vruwink (D-Milton) is running against Republican Scott Johnson after redistricting drew Vruwink out of his current Assembly district north of Janesville. District 33 swung nearly 20 points to the left during redistricting but still maintains a roughly 4-point expected vote margin in favor of Republicans.

Senate District 19 Appleton, Neenah

Current state Rep. Rachael Cabral-Guevara is taking on Democratic Appleton City Council member Kristin Alfheim in a hotly-contested state Senate race. The district, which contains Appleton, Neenah and rural areas west of the two cities, opened up after incumbent Roger Roth (R-Appleton) announced his campaign for Lieutenant Governor in February. Though Republicans have controlled this seat for nearly 40 years, the district has a slight lean towards Republicans and voted for Donald Trump by just 2 points in the 2020 presidential election — giving Democrats a rare potential pickup opportunity.

MMoCA announces ‘truth and reconciliation project’ in response to Triennial artist concerns, distrust

By Je rey Brown ARTS EDITOR

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) continues to receive criticism regarding their response to the vandalism and theft of an art piece in the 2022 Wisconsin Triennial entitled “Ain’t I A Woman?” The artists involved do not feel the museum is paying attention to their calls for change.

“It seemed like this resolved multiple times, but that’s just not the case,” said Triennial artist Emily Leach. “This seems like a reaction to press coverage.”

This exhibition — which ran for six months and ended on Sunday, Oct. 9 — was the first in the museum’s history to be curated by an external party and feature all work from Wisconsin artists who identify as Black women, femmes and gender nonconforming individuals. After the museum went months without events such as panels with the artists, and neglected to promote the triennial on their social media at the same rate as other exhibits, the artwork of Lilada Gee was defaced for over 15 minutes before being taken from the museum premises.

While the artwork was returned, it was the last straw for many artists featured in the exhibition. Many removed their work from the museum, and some compiled a list of their complaints under the label FWD: Truth.

MMoCA published “A state ment on moving forward” in mid-September as an amend ment to their original statement.

The statement first apologizes and takes responsibility for the damage to the artwork. From there, the museum provides their plan for moving forward in “truth and reconciliation.”

The truth and reconciliation project is led by board members Leslie Smith III, Chele Isaac and Tina Virgil. It will bring “a visu al anthropologist in residence [who] will listen for a shared nar rative around the pain that was prompted by the incidents that occurred during the Wisconsin Triennial presentation of ‘Ain’t I A Woman?’” at MMoCA.

“We believe a shared narra tive – one based on interviews, investigation, and interrogation of assumptions – is an important step toward reconciliation for all stakeholders,” the museum said. “We are hopeful that an indepth journey of listening, learn ing, and engaging with museum and community stakeholders in Madison will spark healing opportunities among artists, sta , museum attendees, and the board that allow us all to build an anti-racist museum.”

When asked about their com munication with the artists in their e orts toward reconcilia tion, MMoCA said, “two desig nated MMoCA Board of Trustees

members reached out to the col lective via email on August 11, 2022, inviting the collective to meet to discuss their concerns.”

This email the MMoCA Board of Trustees members sent to artists over two months ago has not been enough for the Triennial partici pants, according to the three who spoke with the Daily Cardinal.

“In order for you to move for ward, you have to get the truth of those involved in the situation … I asked [other triennial artists] — no one had been contacted [more recently than the Aug. 11 email],” said Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes, a Milwaukee artist featured in the “Ain’t I A Woman?” exhibition.

At least 16 of the 23 total art ists involved in the exhibition removed their work from the exhibition before it concluded. Gatlin-Hayes was one of the last to do so.

“This is really significant for artists — to choose not to show their work — and is indicative of massive institutional failure and harm,” Leach said.

In a previous conversation, Gatlin-Hayes said the reasons she stayed were her principle of keep ing her word as well as the belief in the statement made by con tinuing her presence in a space that she was not welcome. But Gatlin-Hayes went on to share another factor in her decision to keep her art on display was the hope someone from the museum would reach out to her to get her feedback on the situation.

“I’m just disappointed they did not reach inward [to the art ists who remained] to try to heal some wounds and go about this project transparently,” GatlinHayes added. “I don’t think they’re being transparent.”

MMoCA has not publicly stated the name of the visual anthropologist consultant they brought in to conduct the “truth and reconciliation” project.

When asked why they had not publicly stated the anthro pologist’s name and if they could do so, MMoCA said “[t]he best person to reach out to is Board of Trustees member Tina Virgil.”

Virgil was not available for com ment at the time of publication.

The Triennial artists who spoke with the Daily Cardinal believe the visual anthropolo gist and artist consultant to be Marlon Hall.

Hall’s Instagram bio defines him as an artist, visual anthro pologist, salon dinner cura tor, yogi, Tulsa artist fellow

and Fulbright Specialist — in that order. His education in anthropology seems to be a joint Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Political Science in 1996. The American Anthropological Association does not include Marlon Hall among its over 7,800 members. While not having any anthro pological publications, in Hall’s book, “Unearthing You: Discover the Rituals, Values and Practices that Make You, You,” he prom ises a 21-day “journey” to “help you learn to become an anthro pologist of you.”

As an artist, he has worked multiple times with the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, where MMoCA Director Christina Brungardt was Deputy Director from 2016 to 2020.

Neither the museum nor Virgil were available to comment on how the above qualifies Hall to address concerns of institu tional racism within MMoCA. Hall also did not respond to a request to learn about his pro cess as a consultant.

“There’s this idea in the com munity that we’ve overblown the situation or that we’re mak ing it up or that we’re mak ing [MMoCA] out to be like the KKK,” shared “Ain’t I A Woman?” artist and organizer of the Oct. 9 protest, Portia Cobb. “But we’re trying to get them to be accountable not just to us but to any artist going into that space going forward. That means there has to be a com plete diversity, equity and inclu sion review of that space and not be a cultural anthropologist artist that already has a rela tionship with the director.”

The Triennial artists are not alone in this e ort toward accountability from the museum.

Wisconsin State Assembly Rep. Francesca Hong appeared in support at the protest outside

MMoCA on Sunday, Oct. 9.

“Our office is disappointed that instead of uplifting and honoring the power of Black artists, harm was done during the Triennial Exhibit,” Hong said in a statement “We urge those accountable to internal ly and publically hold them selves to the right standards in ensuring BIPOC artists are protected with a strong sense of belonging, respect and proper compensation.”

Local artist TetraPAKMAN is working on the ground in support of the Triennial artists. He first distributed lollipops labeled “MMoCA sucks” then hung flyers saying “I [heart] MMoCA.” Both of these con tained a QR code linking to a petition for a “real apology” from MMoCA.

“I cannot see something going wrong in my community

continued. “That’s the problem with white privilege and rac ism. There are people protected in this situation and those who aren’t. There’s a lot more artists keeping quiet. They like justice when it’s convenient for them.”

Despite saying he was “welltreated” when he worked with MMoCA in the past, PAKMAN said he no longer feels comfort able submitting his work there.

“Why can’t we have account ability from those in power?”

PAKMAN asked. “There’s no crime, but what they did was unacceptable … What MMoCA is showing is they care about themselves … They have a right to do what they’re doing but then don’t say you’re here for the community.”

Portia Cobb noted, “I think [MMoCA] believes because they will continue to program Black artists that they are solving the problem in some way or that they never had a problem.”

“This is breaking a lot of people apart very quickly,” PAKMAN added. “My small art community is being hurt by this.”

and ignore it,” PAKMAN told the Daily Cardinal. “My work in all directions is about justice. Whether it’s about reproductive rights, women’s rights, environ mental rights — I’m there. It’s the same justice.”

When asked why his fly ers that link to a petition for accountability from the muse um state love for MMoCA, PAKMAN said, first and fore most, they stay up longer on State Street than when they said “MMoCA Sucks.”

Second, he said, “I love the museum; I hate what they are doing. The people there are not the museum.”

“You cannot think of justice just when it’s convenient,” he

The Triennial artists remain hopeful the museum will eventually do what it takes to restore the museum to what it could mean for the Madison art community.

“If you look at our response as something that is destruc tive and not constructive, you will not [grow from this],” said Leach. “It’s something that can be addressed and lead to a healthier institution that MMoCA and Madison deserve.”

“In order to get the truth, you have to talk directly to the person [affected],” Gatlin-Hayes concluded. “If they wanted to move forward in trying to eradicate this type of behavior, they would have reached out to at least one person … but they didn’t reach out.”

CARDINAL

Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes Wisconsin Triennial Artist

“In order for you to move forward, you have to get the truth of those involved in the situation.”

TetraPAKMAN Madison Artist

“My small art community is being hurt by this.”

STEM Nobel Prize roundup

By Peter Waples and Julia Wiessing

Physiology

Winner: Svante Pääbo

Svante Pääbo revealed when he first heard he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology he thought it was “an elaborate prank on [his] research group,” he said in a press conference. Far from an elaborate prank, the Nobel Assembly awarded Paabo with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for “his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct homi nins and human evolution.”

Pääbo is a pioneer in the field of ancient DNA, and his methods advanced the field exponentially. In his work, Paabo overcame the chal lenges of extracting DNA from prehistoric bones. Over time, DNA becomes chemically modified and degrades into short segments, leaving only trace amounts of DNA which have been contaminated with bacteria and DNA from con temporary humans.

In 1997, Pääbo became the first person to successfully retrieve and sequence ancient DNA from Neanderthals. Paabo relied on mitochondri al DNA, which is preserved in larger amounts than other types of DNA, from over 50,000 year old bones. His team continued to work with Neanderthal DNA, culminat ing in being able to sequence the entire genome. This research led to the discovery that Neanderthals and ana tomically modern humans interbred more than 100,000 years ago, and that individu als in Europe and Asia today derive between one and four percent of their ancestry from Neanderthals.

Not only were Pääbo and his team able to derive a genome of a known hominid, but they were able to discover a previously unknown human population from a fragment of a finger bone. This ances tral population, now known as Denisovans, were the first hominid species to be classi fied by genes alone, instead of fossils.

“Svante’s insights … inspired a generation of sci entists and established pale ogenomics as a rigorous field of research,” evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro said in an interview with Science. “Svante brought together teams of scientists who, thanks to his leadership, tenacity, and rigor, established a field that has since allowed unexpected insights into human evolutions, paleon tology, ecology, and so many other disciplines.”

Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless Chemistry is complicated. Building complex molecules is di cult, time consuming and expensive. The winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry, however, developed a way to construct complex molecules easily, by snapping them together like legos.

Chemists Carolyn Bertozzi from Stanford University, Morten Meldal from the University of Copenhagen and Barry Sharpless of the Scripps Research institute will evenly split this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their develop ment of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.

Sharpless coined the con cept of click chemistry about 20 years ago, identifying it as a simple and reliable form of chemistry, involving quick reactions and avoid ing unwanted byproducts. Molecules could, essential ly, click together like lego bricks, making them easier to work with.

Independently of each other, Sharpless and Meldal devel oped a way of easily snapping small azide and alkyne mol ecules together into a multipart ring using a copper catalyst. Meldal found the copper is what controlled this reaction, whereas Sharpless demon strated it is essentially a loaded spring released by the copper, allowing it to jump forward and snap into the alkyne. This reaction, the copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, is the crown jewel of click chem istry. It is utilized in pharma ceutical development, DNA and mapping.

Copper, however, is toxic in living cells and will disrupt biological processes. Click mol ecules could not be used inside living cells until Bertozzi devel oped bioorthogonal chemistry. By changing the shape of the alkyne, Bertozzi was able to attach fluorescent substances to the surface of cells, allow ing researchers to explore cells and track biological processes.

Bertozzi, Meldal and Sharpless will share the prize of over $900,000 equally. This is Sharpless’ second Nobel prize, and Bertozzi will be the eighth woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Physics

Winners: Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger

In the super tiny, subatomic realm of our universe, phys ics gets weird. Phenomena that violate every known intuition of our macroscopic understanding seem to be the norm in the quantum world. It’s no surprise then that this year’s Nobel prize in physics was connected to one of the strangest of these phenomena: quantum entanglement.

In recognition of their

groundbreaking series of exper iments on quantum entangle ment, physicists Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger were announced as the winners of this year’s esteemed physics award.

Since its conceptualization in the late 1930s by Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen, quan tum entanglement has been enveloped in controversy. Consisting of two non-inter acting particles inexplicably having linked quantum states, quantum entanglement was almost too strange to be true.

As a result, many scientists argued there must be a set of hidden variables involved in connecting the two particles.

It wasn’t until the 1960s when physicist John S. Bell mathematically debunked the idea of hidden variables through a series of inequali ties. Ten years later, Clauser, a postdoc at the University of California-Berkeley, used these inequalities to develop the first of this year’s Nobel prize-winning experiments.

Clauser created an instru ment that would collide two entangled photons at a central polarization filter. The par ticles would then either stop or continue to a detector. If the hidden variable theory were to be valid, Clauser’s instrument would only make detections that could statisti cally be chalked up as mere random chance. Surprisingly, the data Clauser produced seemed to indicate quantum entanglement was anything but a coincidence.

This was exciting first evi dence for quantum entangle ment, however, issues per sisted. Fixing these problems, later coined as “loopholes,” became the focus of Aspect and his team in the 1980s.

One of the biggest loop holes lies with the possibility that hidden variables could be introduced by the instru ment itself. To fix this, Aspect improved Clauser’s original design by upgrading its vari ous components. With this new device, Aspect was able to change the settings on the emitter while the photons were mid-flight. This elimi nated the possibility of the instrument introducing any hidden variables — effectively closing the loophole.

Zeilinger was able to use the work of Clauser and Aspect to demonstrate a fascinating characteristic of entanglement called quantum teleportation. This teleportation allows for information to be spontane ously transmitted between two entangled particles at arbitrary distances. Commercially, this could lead to the development of a super-secure quantum communication network.

Aspect, Clauser and Zeilinger will each receive a third of the prize money.

How plants wield knives, talk to eachother

By Julia Wiessing SCIENCE EDITOR

In a new art installa tion, artist David Bowen gave plants a new defense against human tyranny: a knife wielding robotic arm. In order to grant a humble philodendron the power of manslaughter, he utilized the plant’s natural ability to sense information and com municate with others.

While it may not look like it on the outside, plants are able to com municate with one anoth er using a couple differ ent methods, chief among them being volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, and electrical signals.

VOCs are gaseous com pounds that can be found in many man-made prod ucts, including paint, clean ing supplies, glue and even printers. Plants release VOCs to attract pollinators, deter predators and signal other plants. These signals often act as a warning for other plants, letting them activate their defense mech anisms. Researchers can use VOCs to regulate pho tosynthesis and other meta bolic processes, improving plant growth and health in the process.

The robot arm, however,

is not controlled by VOCs. Instead, it is regulated by the electrical signals cours ing through the plant’s leaves. These signals transmit infor mation about the environ ment around it and aid in everyday life. They can be sent to other plants they’re in contact with, including plants of other species.

Using these electrical sig nals, we can translate and even communicate with plants. While it’s not a full blown conversation, researchers at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore were able to communicate with a venus fly trap using elec trodes. This electrode allowed researchers to study how plants responded to their environments and transmit signals to cue the plant to open or close its leaves.

These same signals allow Bowen’s philodendron to con trol its robot arm and machete. Electrodes stuck to the leaves pick up on electrical signals, which are then interpreted by a software program and trans lated into commands for the robot arm. While the plant is not deliberately piloting the robot arm, and you couldn’t take it to court for manslaugh ter, it is a charismatic example of the complex behavior plants exhibit behind the scenes.

life & style

UW student haircuts draw buzz

By Zach Kaplan STAFF WRITER

When Josh “J” Braverman arrived at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this year, he immediately knew he wanted to make a statement.

So, he decided to do what he’s been doing for years — cut hair.

“I got to Wisconsin and was like, ‘I wanna keep cutting hair,’” Braverman said. “It’s a good way to put money in my pocket and network while doing something [I] like to do.”

“Everyone needs a barber,” he added.

Braverman is from Milwaukee and started working in a barber

shop when he was a sophomore in high school.

At UW, he usually charges $30 a haircut in the second floor bath room in Witte Residence Hall or elsewhere on campus.

He uses Snapchat and other social media platforms to spread the word about his Witte-based barber business, showing off his process and results.

He has a “barber workshop” trav el bag with clippers, sprays, combs and other tools to take his show on the road if needed as well.

However, Braverman is not the only UW-Madison student who’s made a buzzing business for Badgers. Abdul-Rasheed Flythe, a

first-year student from Washington, D.C., started cutting hair following his high school graduation in May 2022 and knew he wanted to contin ue doing it when he got to campus.

“There are people sitting in chairs waiting, talking like ‘I want to get a haircut from this guy,’” said Nicolás Rovira, a first-year student from Puerto Rico who is also Flythe’s roommate. “It’s an event — some 18-year-old cutting students’ hair.

“Barbering is a profession. It’s not something people usually do on the side, but this guy’s got it down to an art,” he noted.

Flythe said this experience has helped him establish entrepreneur ial skills, while also gaining him a

little extra cash.

“When I got here I focused on the business side of being a barber, and it turned into something really entrepreneurial,” Flythe said.

“What you need to do to get cli ents and have your own business is literally my major: managing peo ple’s time and complying with their schedule, and being able to give them a great service.”

But, for Flythe, the on-campus haircutting operation is more than just a business endeavor.

“I love seeing the glow up, that’s what keeps me going,” said Flythe.

“I want to see people coming out looking better than when they came into my shop.”

A review of Le C’s on State

By Gabriella Hartlaub STAFF WRITER

I recently went to a new boba tea place called Le C’s on State Street. T

There are many fla vors and options avail able at Le C’s, from green to oolong tea, smoothies and, of course, their sig nature pastries.

Whether you’re look ing for an after class snack or something to treat yourself to after finishing one assignment, Le C’s has all kinds of options.

While I have primar ily enjoyed the take out option, the inside atmosphere of the shop makes for a nice study or relaxation location.

The lighting is soft, and the small tables leave the space feeling open but not lonely.

ent kinds of tea, smooth ies and even just warmed milk.

It’s not a place you can go to only once because there are so many differ ent flavors, combinations and toppings to try.

I’m partial to iced green tea. It’s a small side effect of my deep love for the peach green tea lemonade at Starbucks, but Le C’s manages to do it better.

Order a green tea with fruit inclusions, and added to the tea itself are full slices of oranges as well as pieces of straw berry and blueberry.

The fruit gives the green tea a nice sweet fla vor, but if you’re still look ing for the tang of lemon, they also have a green tea with peach, rosewater and lemon.

resounding 5/5, while the fruit green tea with straw berry popping bubbles is a solid 4/5.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what is arguably the crown jewel of Le C’s: the pastries.

What sets them apart from the rest is a surpris ing lack of sugar.

Their baked goods focus more on the flavors, whether it’s chocolate, strawberry or taro.

My personal favor ite is the chocolate chip milk bread, which has chocolate to bring in more sweetness to bal ance out the flavor of the milk bread.

Of the cakes, the straw berry shortcake comes in at 3.5/5, and the vanilla at 4/5.

Battling the winter blues

By Lucy Parry STAFF WRITER

You know that feeling when the cold weather first begins to set in? It looks a little like this: The leaves start to change color, the days get shorter and shorter and you can no longer step outside in a t-shirt. For some, their favorite part of the year is just around the corner, but for others, this is not quite the case.

Maybe it’s the knowl edge that summer has come and gone yet again, or the fact that grabbing a towel and heading to the dock to tan by Memorial Union will no longer be in question.

Ice cream being out of season could definitely take a toll on one’s mental health. Whatever it may be, seasonal depression can get the best of us.

There is a scientific reason to validate these feelings. Scientists have found that those with seasonal depression,

or Seasonal Affective Disorder, all share one thing in common. This variable is a sensitivity to the scarcity of light, espe cially during the morn ing hours. Waking up to a bleak, dark scene outside of your window and hav ing the sun set before you eat dinner can be tough. Trust me, I get it.

As fall creeps up on us and the lengthy win ter (thanks, Wisconsin!) approaches, one should be equipped with the necessary tools to com bat this unfortunate, yet inevitable state of mind.

First, it’s okay to mourn the loss of sum mer, just don’t get too car ried away. A look through the ol’ camera roll every once in a while won’t hurt. You can appreciate the past without dwelling on it.

The logical solution would be to get outside, especially when sun light is present, as often as possible.

After all, scientists say less sunlight cor relates with increased winter blues.

Staying on top of things could help you avoid one subgroup of winter depression, our good friend the “Sunday Scaries.”

There’s nothing like waking up midday on a Sunday with nothing but endless homework waiting for you. So, keep an agenda of some sort — online or physical — and break your work up throughout the week. Your future self will thank you.

Finally, dspite an ini tial reluctance, it might be helpful to embrace the cold.

Make some tea, throw on your favorite fall TV show or pop your head phones in and listen to some winter tunes.

It doesn’t have to be your favorite season, but you don’t need to hold a grudge against winter.

What you should remember about Le C’s is that they have many options, and it can be a bit overwhelming — differ

Both of these options can be customized. The lemon, peach, rose water green tea with brown sugar tapioca is a

Le C’s offered a cozy environment along with well priced items.

It is a little bit of a walk from campus, but nothing not manageable.

Residence hall bathrooms seem to be a popular place for makeshift barber shops.

PHOTO BY DRAKE WHITE-BERGEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

opinion

The mental health epidemic in college

By Wade Vellky STAFF WRITER

Picture this: you pass by someone in a hallway or on a sidewalk. You may know them vaguely, or not at all. You ask them how they’re doing. Ninety percent of the time they respond by saying “fine,” “pretty good” or something along that line. A pretty typical response, right?

Seriously though, there’s absolutely no way 90% of peo ple you meet are doing well. Yet, that’s the go-to response. You could be having the worst day of your life. If someone walks by you and casually asks how you’re doing, how do you think you’ll respond? If I’m being honest, I’d probably say I’m “doing fine.”

Why? Because that’s what everyone else says. Very few people will provide a truthful response. Very few people will tell you something other than “fine” or “okay.” That needs to end because many college stu dents are not “fine” or “okay.”

A study conducted by ActiveMinds concluded that nearly 40% of college students surveyed su er from a mental illness, and this number could be higher depending on the sam ple. In a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, 44% of students surveyed experienced symp toms of depression and anxiety.

Two out of five college stu dents suffering from some form of mental illness or dis tress is concerning enough. However, the most alarming statistic from these studies

isn’t the 44%. It’s that of the 44% who suffer from depres sion or anxiety, the vast major ity are reluctant to seek help or be open about their strug gles. The same study from ActiveMinds showed about two out of three college stu dents of the nearly 40% suf fering from a mental illness refuse or are reluctant to seek treatment. If they do tell any one about their mental health struggles, most college stu dents only tell a close friend.

This is a result of the envi ronment and attitudes sur rounding mental health.

Mental health research and acknowledgement have always been directly correlat ed with stigma. People with serious mental health strug gles were quickly labeled as crazy, insane and dangerous to the public. Until the 1950s, individuals who suffered from mental health disorders were locked up in mental asylums, treated as insane and crazy, and lived in dangerous and frightening conditions.

Over the years, individuals such as Dorothea Dix, an activ ist nurse who changed the med ical field during the 19th cen tury, helped bring awareness to the horrifying conditions mental health patients experi enced in these mental asylums. She was critical in passing laws addressing these conditions.

Despite this step forward, stigma surrounding mental health still exists. Even though this stigma doesn’t appear to be

as prominent now compared to the 1930s, that doesn’t mean stigma no longer exists or that it doesn’t impact individuals with mental disorders on a daily basis.

According to a study from the Mental Health Foundation, roughly 90% of those sur

the likelihood that the indi vidual is willing to be open and honest about their mental health struggles. If someone called you crazy or insane for experiencing mental distress or mental struggles, would you want to be open about having a mental disorder? No, probably

that the stigma doesn’t have to exist. We as a campus and as a greater community must work together to reduce this stigma through conversations about mental health.

Sure, there is some conver sation around mental health, from commercials to public ser vice announcements. However, when I say conversation, I mean in your day-to-day life — with friends, family and even acquaintances. We need to cre ate a community that is open to mental health conversations without fear.

You don’t have to ask someone about every single detail of their struggles — some aspects of men tal health can be too personal.

veyed experiencing a mental illness said they are negatively impacted by the stigma and discrimination associated with having a mental disor der. The stigma resulted in increased low self-worth and depression-related symptoms. Stigma doesn’t just impact the symptoms the individual may experience. It also affects

not. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), only 34% of college students diagnosed with a mental disorder sought treatment in the past year, and the main reason cited for such a low percentage was the stigma and general attitude towards mental health.

What’s most frustrating is

However, the next time you sit down in a lecture hall, look at the person on your left and the person on your right. Statistically, one of those two people is experiencing some sort of mental health struggle. Don’t be afraid to get to know them better. Don’t be scared to ask them how they’re doing. Don’t be afraid to tell that per son they’re in an open and com fortable environment in case they need to get something off their chest or simply be open about their mental health expe riences and struggles.

Wade Vellky is a fresh man staff writer studying Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Do you believe that the stigma sur rounding mental health needs to change? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com

How political polarization is driving us apart

By Joe Gonzalez STAFF WRITER

Millions across America will soon be voting in this years’ mid term elections. With hot issues such as abortion, inflation and the Ukraine-Russia conflict still looming in voters’ minds, there’s a lot that has to be weighed when choosing a candidate on Nov. 8.

For many, finding someone they completely agree with will be a struggle, leaving many voters to decide which policies and issues matter the most to them. This results in voters choosing relatively extremist candidates on both sides of the political spectrum.

Thirteen out of 50 centrist senators bowed out or lost their political primary this election cycle, a staggering number in today’s political atmosphere. In past years, only one out of eight centrist members made the same move, showing a trend that if continued may cause further political polarization.

Because of political polar ization, many voters are left lost without any candidate or party to turn to. “I admit that political polarization may bring it all to an end, we’re going to have a hung election and a civil war,” Bill Gates said in a recent interview.

While civil war might not quite be the most accurate prediction, it brings upon a

troubling scenario where both sides have too extreme of can didates for the common voter to choose from. Being driven farther and farther from a com mon ground, many are left with political homelessness.

It’s not just Bill Gates point ing out this growing problem.

Several former secretaries of defense and former officials penned an open letter recently condemning the “extremely adverse” political environ ment. They cited the recent presidential election and recent geopolitical issues as the main drivers of our new reality. If not curbed, more and more Americans will struggle to find a candidate as the situation continues to exacerbate.

Within the Republican party, those with liberal views have argued that “right-wing parties in western Europe and the US are likely to become more rau cously extreme.” Europe is cur rently seeing a right-wing shift in their elections while the U.S is facing serious concerns regard ing the economy and inflation.

Others point to former President Donald Trump as the driving factor in this dividing of the country. With his election denials and continued belief the 2020 election was stolen, some argue the former presi dent bears most responsibility for just how far apart the right

is from the left.

In a speech last month, President Joe Biden claimed Donald Trump has started a movement resembling “semifascism.” In response, some from the right side of the aisle have condemned the presi dent for calling his opponent a “facist,” which — in their eyes — continue to rip the country farther apart.

Additionally, Republicans have noted that Democrats are feeding into this extremism. Recently, Democrats have been funding candidates who share more extreme views within the Republican party in hopes of

having a better chance of defeat ing a far-right candidate rather than a moderate right-leaner.

“Well, the strategy is clear, which is: the candidate that is more extreme in the Republican primary is ulti mately going to be easier for the Democrat to beat in the general election,” a Democratic strategist claimed.

If this strategy is the way to go from the Democrats point of view, it may open the door to far-right candidates being elect ed, according to some. Pressing Vice President Kamala Harris on this, NBC’s Chuck Todd asked: “‘Is the Democratic party

making a mistake here? You know, those people could win if you’re not careful.’”

For the average voter, it’s hard to know what to believe. There appears to be two truths — depending on which party you support. This further dis agreement only cuts the wound of polarization deeper, and it makes one wonder just how much blood will spill out.

Joe Gonzalez is a freshman staff writer majoring in Political Science. Do you believe that politicalpolarizationinAmerica has become a worse problem today?

all comments

TAYLOR

beet

Putin only ordered latest Ukrainian strike to ‘stay on brand,’ say insiders (note: satire)

By Mackenzie Moore THE BEET EDITOR

On the morning of Oct. 10, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered a strike on 10 Ukrainian cities, including the capital city of Kiev. This followed the explosion of the Crimea Bridge two days prior, which dealt a considerable blow to Russia’s supply chain.

Though the world isn’t surprised by the retaliatory strike, those who spend time around Putin say he no longer actually feels the burning desire to maim and destroy like he has been known to. Rather, the latest show of brutality is the first act of violence ordered by Putin simply to ensure he “stays on brand.”

“He’s really softened as he’s aged. He’s transformed from a strong, vio lent man who will have you killed for brushing past him in the hallway into a man that’s scared of butterflies and has the physical integrity of a pudding cup,” said an anonymous Russian

Bus Stop

By Anupras Mohapatra CONTRIBUTOR

Young man in a suit and tie

With a smile that could mesmerize Stood at a bus stop

Headed to the chip shop

Sat there’s young Kylie and Marty Locking lips after a drunken party Old Bobby’s under the wooden seat

A blanket covering his cold feet

o cial of the former KGB member.

Given that Putin clearly has no consideration for others, it seems strange that he would order an attack just to keep up appearances. However, there’s only one thing Putin cares about more than he once cared about absolutely annihilating the innocent — attention.

Putin reportedly caught on to his own rapid emotional and physical gelatinizing, prompting him to look for new ways to have people watch his every move. His latest plan alleg edly included a ballet performance set to the score of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” Unfortunately for him, the delivery truck carrying his new tutu was on the Crimean Bridge at the time of the explosion.

“I think he’s worried about not having a ‘thing.’ He’s spent all these years being treated like the boogey man and now he can tell that he’s starting to be perceived more like a five gallon bucket full of micro

waved scrambled eggs instead,” said another insider.

The first stop in Putin’s “Don’t worry, I’m still an asshole” tour was one he likely would’ve been proud of had he carried it out months sooner. However, some thing strange happened when

word got to him that at least 14 people were killed and 97 injured as a result of Monday’s attack on Ukraine — he wasn’t ecstatic

“I walked by President Putin’s bedroom and noticed him sitting cross-legged by a window in his mother’s old bathrobe. He was sip

ping on some Earl Grey and staring at the birds in his garden almost as though he, too, wished he could fly away — far from the burden of being one of the most dangerous people on the planet,” said Putin’s servant, Aleksandr Volkov.

Providing the names of those who take the risk of leaking infor mation about Vladimir Putin is typically bad journalistic form. It’s okay in this case, as Putin already had Volkov executed via being lowered into a 12-feet-tall vat of rose-scented candle wax. Kind of like Han Solo at the end of Empire Strikes Back, but with a touch of Putin’s newfound grace.

At this time, there is no clear indi cation as to whether or not Putin will continue to “stay on brand” until he no longer holds power. What can be said for certain is that Putin is a soft little baby man with the intelligence and brawn of a worm that’s dried to the sidewalk.

Recovering alcoholic priest just using cinnamon raisin bread now

Another night in the cold for Bobby The city’s done him dirty Young man in a suit and tie Gives them lot a brief side eye Bobby whispers quietly “Son, Don’t forget to have some fun. You won’t get on these buses forever, please remember.”

Young man in a suit and tie Shrugs his shoulders and looks at the sky More people flock to the stop Pot-smoking Joes and alcoholic cops Marty’s putting his hands in all the right places

The first bus saves the youngins’ blushes Everyone’s on their feet Scurrying to get to the empty seats

The driver gives Bobby a glare Bobby doesn’t give him so much as a stare

He knows what is to come

While the young man twiddles his thumbs Arms are flung and kicks are thrown

By both children and people grown Everyone wants a seat on the bus No one’s afraid to kick up a fuss Young man in a suit and tie Finds himself at the end of the line Marty and Kylie find a spot They pick up right where they left o The rest fight each other blow for blow

The door slams shut; it’s time to go Young man in a suit and tie Chases after the bus for his dear life

This happens again, and again Bus after bus, ending in vain Young man in a suit and tie Lets out a blood curdling cry

The chip shop closes at nine It’s cold outside; he’s run out of time He turns around and looks at old Bobby Bobby says, “another young man let down by the city.”

for more funny and

well! Any and all

Beet

By Mackenzie Moore

It’s one of the most iconic images in Catholicism — a priest blessing and eating bread before washing it down with red wine. A tradition as old as the religion itself, the ritual can be seen at thousands of church es around the world on any given Sunday.

This is not the case at Waunakee’s St. Leo’s Catholic Church. Rather than the classic bread and wine, the church kills two birds with one stone by using cinnamon raisin bread.

Father Richard, who has been with the church for 20 years, instituted the change after beginning treatment for alcoholism last month.

“Once I realized I had a problem, I stopped cold tur key with the exception of wine during mass. But once the

bottle was open, I didn’t want to let it breathe too long, so I’d polish it o . It clicked that I was still drinking too much when I noticed I was getting cheaper wine to cut costs,” said Father Richard.

Previously, the bread used for communion was made by nuns. Now, Father Richard simply rips apart pieces of Sun-Maid Raisin Cinnamon Swirl Bread and feeds it to the congregation like they’re birds at a park.

“At first, it all felt a little sacreligious. I’m pretty sure the Bible wouldn’t support using pre-sliced bread straight from the shelf at Piggly Wiggly to cre ate the body and blood of Jesus Christ. But I’m also pretty sure that the Bible wouldn’t sup port all of the kid diddling that priests seem to have a penchant for, so I decided that this is not

the hill to die on,” said church goer Mark Lohrie of the switch.

The other priests at St. Leo’s are also supportive of Father Richard’s new fight.

“I know that the Heavenly Father would want me to sup port my brother in battling his demons,” said Father Dominic.

“That being said, am I a little irritated that this has made it so I also can’t drink wine dur ing mass? Yes. I’m a little irri tated. But you know, it’s all God’s plan,” said the priest as though he low-key disagreed with said plan.

So far, Father Richard has successfully remained sober. On the down side, however, he is reportedly eating six loaves of bread each day. However, there’s no cause for concern — the priest claims that it’s sim ply his way of getting closer to Jesus.

news.

accept and

are more than welcome. You can send your submissions and any comments or questions to

They are fully intended as such and should not be taken seriously as news.

satirical and/or

BEET EDITOR

Dane County Farmers’ Market 50th anniversary in photos

Local farmers, producers and growers surround the Capitol on Saturdays to showcase and sell their goods at the Dane County Farmers' Market.

An assortment of apples on display at the market.

Fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers aren't the only things for sale at the market. Baked goods and other foodstuffs

such as those pictured

are also available.

The Dane County Farmers' Market takes place around the Capitol every Saturday between April and November.

Performers showcase "traditional English dances" in celebration of the Dane County Farmers' Market 50th anniversary.

By Drake White-Bergey, Irena Clarkowski and Alexa Coleman

photo feature

IRENA CLARKOWSKI/THE DAILY CARDINAL

ALEXA

DRAKE WHITE-BERGEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

DRAKE

A display of flowers at the market.

Hmong dancers perform in celebration of the Dane County Farmers' Market anniversary.

An assortment of vegetables on display at the market.

Performers wearing bells, sticks and cloth perform "traditional English dances" during the anniversary celebrations.

A man overlooks a display of flowers for sale at the market.

A display of peppers at the market.