Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - The Daily Cardinal

The Deer Cardinal rationalizes apathy and talks about that one great song

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Officials look back on results of Plan 2008 Part 1 of 2 in a series examining the university’s diversity programs

By Anna Discher The Daily Cardinal

With UW-Madison moving forward on a new diversity initiative, officials are examining the effectiveness of past efforts such as Plan 2008.

Defined as “educational quality through racial and ethnic diversity,” Plan 2008 attempted to increase the number of underrepresented minority students enrolling at UW-Madison.

According to UW-Madison’s Academic Planning and Analysis division, the plan was adopted in combination with a UW System-wide Plan 2008 that targeted four main ethnic groups: American Indians, African Americans, Hispanics and Southeast Asian Americans.

Damon Williams, vice provost for diversity and climate at UW-Madison, said the plan focused on a pipeline system, which encouraged partnerships that reach children and families at earlier ages to promote higher education in the future.

Along with increasing the number of qualified minority students at UW-Madison, another goal of Plan 2008 was to increase retention and graduation rates for students of color, and to bring these rates in line with those of the student body as a whole.

According to the APA, since the beginning of Plan 2008, retention and graduation rates of targeted minority students have increased. Southeast Asian enrollment increased at the most rapid rate, while Native American enrollment changed the least.

But was Plan 2008 successful overall? The results varied. The APA said although the plan saw an increase in minority students, it was not supported with an increase in financial aid. And although there was an increase in hired minority staff, their tenures were not established at a higher rate.

According to Vicki Washington, associate vice president for equity, diversity page 3

Hip-hop historian

Ben Pierson/the daily cardinal

Members of the City Plan Commission stressed affordable student housing at its meeting Monday.

City Downtown Plan Commission debates transportation, housing

By Anna Bukowski The Daily Cardinal

Members of the city planning department met with the City Plan Commission Monday to discuss an overview of the current downtown plan.

The meeting served as a discussion workshop to address concerns and questions the commission might have about the project.

According to Bill Fruhling, principal city planner, the meeting sought recommendations and other feedback from the commission before its next meeting in January, which will be open to the public.

Planning department member Rebecca Cnare said the department wants to “address conflict or major issues” with the commission before

making any detailed plans.

Transportation issues were the main topics covered Monday.

Both groups agreed easier movement throughout downtown is a top priority.

“I hope we can agree connectivity [of downtown] is a main goal,” plan commission member Tim Gruber said.

Commission members said it is necessary to look into changing one-way streets such as Johnson and Gorham into two-way streets.

Housing is also a major issue concerning the downtown plan.

Commission member Michael Basford said housing affordability is important for students.

“We need to provide and increase the quantity of good qual-

ity housing for students,” Ald. Julia Kerr, District 13, said.

A significant part of the current downtown plan addresses the arts and culture of the area.

Planning department member Archie Nicolette said the downtown area provides the “strongest sense of place” for Madison. “It is where we put our stamp of personality,” he said.

The plan to increase the arts and culture sector will focus on the area from Williamson Street to the UW campus. Nicolette said this will create a “stronger spine for the city.”

Members also said more green space for the city is a key aspect of the plan. Ald. Lauren Cnare, District 3, said the city needs “more places to play and be entertained with our natural features.”

UW System may receive grants via Jobs Act

By Hannah Furfaro The Daily Cardinal

Ben Pierson/the daily cardinal

William Jelani Cobb, a history professor from Spelman College in Atlanta, spoke Monday night as part of a series about hip-hop on campus.

UW-Madison and other UW System schools may receive grants or funding for job-related initiatives if a new bill introduced by Senate Democrats makes it to the floor in the next legislative session.

The bill, co-authored by state Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, and state Sen. Pat Kreitlow, D-Chippewa Falls, focuses on expanding tax credit opportunities to businesses and offering grants aimed at education and workforce training.

The Connecting, Opportunity, Research, and Entrepreneurship Jobs Act may offer grants to campuses within the UW System which intend to “commercialize new technologies faster,” according to a statement The C.O.R.E. Jobs Act also plans to model UW-Madison’s

G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition at other schools within the UW System. The business plan competition currently offers a $10,000 prize to the student with the top business plan.

UW System spokesperson David Giroux said he had not heard many details about the C.O.R.E. Jobs Act, but said it is “good news” that state lawmakers see the university system as a job creator.

“The fact that they are looking at the research we do and the outreach we do with the business community as part of this larger job creation package is affirmation that these are steps in the right direction,” Giroux said.

Giroux said because details on how the legislation would be funded are not yet clear, it is premature to state the university’s position on the act.

“We’ll be looking at it very closely and working with those offices to understand more about what the university can do to strengthen the state’s economic position,” Giroux said.

The act would also increase available tax credits for Accelerate Wisconsin, a program aimed at increasing investment in Wisconsin businesses, by $3 million for 2010.

The legislation also includes an employee education investment tax credit, which offers incentives to businesses who pay for technical or university education for employees.

Lassa said the job package was the result of consultation with the UW System, members of the business community and investors.

“We believe the result is a balanced jobs package that focuses on our state’s competitive advantages,” she said in a statement.

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892

TODAY: partly sunny hi 61º / lo 33º

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Coastie-Sconnie exchange ruled accidental

Volume 119, Issue 45

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News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Charles Brace Managing Editor Justin Stephani Campus Editor Kelsey Gunderson Caitlin Gath City Editor State Editor Hannah Furfaro Enterprise Editor Ryan Hebel Associate News Editor Grace Urban Opinion Editors Anthony Cefali Todd Stevens Editorial Board Editor Qi Gu Arts Editors Kevin Slane Kyle Sparks Sports Editors Scott Kellogg Nico Savidge Features Editor Diana Savage Food Editor Sara Barreau Science Editor Jigyasa Jyotika Photo Editors Isabel Alvarez Danny Marchewka Graphics Editors Amy Giffin Jenny Peek Copy Chiefs Kate Manegold Emma Roller Jake Victor Copy Editors Tessa Bisek, Jillian Levy Kevin Mack, Erin Kay Van Pay

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WEDNESDAY: partly sunny hi 57º / lo 35º

ERIN KAY VAN PAY hail to the v.p.

W

hen Rachel S., 20, tripped on the sidewalk last Friday outside of the George L. Mosse Humanities building, she never would have guessed that her misstep could have been responsible for one of the few friendly Coastie-Sconnie gestures on the UWMadison campus since the Vietnam War protests in the late ’60s.

At approximately 2:15 p.m., Rachel, a native of Long Island was texting and walking from her Communication Arts class back to her residence on Langdon Street, when out of nowhere, tragedy struck.

Walking in the opposite direction on the sidewalk was 19-year-old Megan V., originally from Oostburg, Wis., was also texting. Happening upon a small indent in the sidewalk, Rachel said she remembers tripping and losing control of all body movement,

at which point she collided with Megan.

“I was like, literallay, so scared,” Rachel said of the incident. “In basicallay a second, I could have lost everything, including my phone and my like, dignitay.”

When Megan caught Rachel midair in an effort to prevent her from face-planting, confusion and astonishment followed. According to multiple eyewitnesses, the two appeared to be hugging, an action seemingly reaffirmed by the fact that both girls yelled, “Oh my God!” as they collapsed into each other’s arms, an intimate greeting common of female Coasties and Sconnies alike. Seconds later, the UW Police received numerous calls from horrified students concerned over the exchange.

“Ya know, she was fallin’, and I says to myself I says, catch that darn thing! So, ya know, I did,” Megan said. “I didn’t think anything of it at da time, but I guess I accidentally did a nice thing fir her.”

At the time, Megan was coming back from an agricultural sci-

ence lab at the Stock Pavilion and had sheep’s blood on her pants from a recent dissection, evidence that Rachel used in pleading her innocence when the campus police arrived two minutes later.

“I asked the police, ‘Do you for rel think, I would, like, have come within fortay feet of goat’s blood?’” Rachel said. “And then I said, ‘Hells no.’”

According to Megan’s friends, the incident almost cost her their friendship.

“Oh, ya. She’da been a goner,” said Kody W., 20, a long-time friend of Megan said. “Hoity-toity, dats what I say. Might as well have cheered for da Vikes, but I woulda forgave her fir that.”

After the scene was examined and declared safe and the girls were Breathalyzed, UW Police ruled the friendly encounter an accident and let the girls off with a warning.

“There just wasn’t any alcohol involved. That’s the largest contributing factor when we see this type of situation unfold,” said UW Police officer Michael Rannenbauer.

“For now, we can just be happy that

the Coastie-Sconnie exchange was a fluke. I mean, what would they have talked about?”

“Yeah, for real, the Packers?”

Rachel added.

Usually, the police are not so friendly toward Coastie-Sconnie encounters.

They understand the importance of isolating one’s own social group on one’s college campus and acknowledged the fact that the university simply could not function unless this separation occurred.

“Well, we get calls about 15 times a day dealing with what we call ‘crossovers,’” Rannenbauer said.

“Of course it’s always worse on gamedays, but complaints can consist of anything as simple as a hipster calling about abro showing up at their party or as serious as a freshman Sconnie realizing his roommate is a FIB. Those Wisconsinites have to put up with FIBs all summer, so how could they ever stand to live with one year-round?”

If you have any tips for preventing Coastie-Sconnie occurrences or crossovers of any kind, please e-mail VP at evanpay@wisc.edu.

ASK THE DEER CARDINAL Life is hard. The Deer Cardinal is here to help.

Deer Cardinal, Oh my God, midterms are killing me. How can I take the edge off of all this studying?

-Chris P. Chris Angel, Don’t freak about midterms, man.

They’re so irrelevant in the grand scheme of things! Worry about the big picture stuff, like what you’re going to do with that philosophy major of yours since you can’t afford law school after spending all your parent’s money on Grey Goose and a racecar bed. Sure, you get to make car noises as you sit drunkenly in bed on a Tuesday night, but that’s not going to cut it in the real world. So instead of studying for that midterm, check some job listings, update your resume and schedule an interview. That way, even if that midterm goes poorly, at least you have gainful employment.

Plus you’ll have a new way to pick up

girls, they love free french fries and McFlurrys.

Deer Cardinal, What’s the name of that song on the radio right now? You know, that one that’s like “doo-DAH-doo-doo DAHDAP-DA-doo-det”? You know, that one with that guy from that band who was in that video with that girl who was in that sex tape with that former member of Martha and the Muffins?

You know?

Wow, I’m hungry.

-Nathan B. Nasty Nate, I know exactly what you’re talking about! I love that band! That one time when they played that show in that town where those guys with the pockmarks and faux-hawks started that riot with that priest from that church where that kid had that accident with that unfortunately placed

urn? That was almost as cool as that time that same kid had that tricycle and that wallaby near that garbage truck and that professional dog-walker lost those French Bulldogs in the ensuing fracas? Man, I love peyote.

Deer Cardinal, Let’s be serious for a second here. It’s me, Julie. Why haven’t you returned my calls? It’s just... I waited at that restaurant for four hours. I’m fine, I just want to hear your voice again. WHY DO YOU HATE ME? -Julie H. Dear Julie, Thank you for your e-mail! We here at the Deer Cardinal try to respond to as many e-mails from our fans as possible. However, due to the sheer volume of mail we receive, combined with how busy the Deer Cardinal is sleeping with total babes and generally doing

hoodrat things, we are unable to personally respond to your inquiry.

We hope you can accept this form letter as a token of our appreciation, and a sign that you should probably take a hint before the restraining order comes through.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely, Deer Cardinal P.S.: I slept with your sister.

Sorry :) If you have any urgent questions, e-mail deercardinal@dailycardinal. com, but he’s currently swamped, so make it good if you want more than a form response.

© 2009, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398

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Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an e-mail to edit@dailycardinal.com.

The Sixties plus 50: War, racism and sexism ignited campus demonstrations in the decade that began a half-century ago. Space was the new frontier and worries about the earth gave birth to the environmental movement. How far have we come, how far do we have to go in 2010 and beyond?

DEADLINE: Nov. 30, 2009. E-mail editor@dailycardinal.com

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

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Zimmermann scholarship awarded to UW freshman

Danny Marchewka/the daily cardinal

SSFC Secretary Matthew Manes discusses the Multi-Cultural Student Coalition’s budget propsal Monday. MCSC’s decision was postponed until Thursday’s meeting.

SSFC postpones decision for MCSC’s budget, hears MEChA

By Kayla Torgerson The Daily Cardinal

The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee voted to postpone their decision on the Multi-Cultural Student Coalition’s budget of over $200,000 at its meeting Monday.

Monday’s debate was a continuation of last Thursday’s meeting, where committee members also voted to postpone the decision.

SSFC members made additions to funding for supplies that MCSC members said SSFC had uninten-

tionally cut in their previous meeting last week.

SSFC members also debated major cuts to MCSC’s budget for the number of paid staff in the organization.

SSFC representative Carl Fergus said MCSC has five times more paid staff than any other student organization on campus.

“I would like to remind other committee members that the SSFC is meant to provide staff in order to carry out direct services, not provide staff so that …

[organizations] can carry out all the events and things they want to do,” Fergus said.

Committee members also voted not to fund advertising for MCSC’s cultural parade, an event they decided not to fund at last Thursay’s meeting as well.

The SSFC will make its decision about MCSC at its meeting Thursday, when it will also decide the budget for MEChA, a UW-Madison organization aimed at educating the campus community on Hispanic-related issues.

Madison ranked 8th healthiest city in U.S. for women In its November 2009 issue, SELF Magazine ranked Madison among the top 10 healthiest places for women to live in the U.S. According to the article, 85 percent of women in Madison said they exercise regularly, making it the eighth healthiest city for women in the U.S. In addition to having the highest percentage of women who exercise in

diversity from page 1 diversity and inclusion for the UW System, a large problem with Plan 2008 was the fact that there was not a systematic widespread engagement by all academic departments across the UW System.

“For that type of plan to be successful, we have to really look at ways to ensure more shared responsibility for working towards those results and having more engagement and deeper engagement by all members of the university community in different ways,” Washington said.

Steven Olikara, chair of the Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee, said though the ethnic climate was different 10 years ago, he felt the plan’s focus was too narrow.

He said he felt the plan should

the U.S., Madison is reported to have one of the lowest body mass indexes of the areas analyzed in the study.

To rank the cities, SELF analyzed 7,700 pieces of data in almost 50 categories, and employed an “expert panel.”

The study indicated cancer and heart disease mortality rates in Madison were approximately 15 per-

cent lower than average.

The survey also reported women living in Madison are 250 percent more likely to bike to work than women elsewhere.

SELF also noted these exercise rates were achieved despite Madison having nearly a month fewer days of sunshine than the survey average.

have done more to include all institutions in the university to improve the campus climate rather than just focusing on increasing the number of specific ethnic groups.

“Catering to such a small group of students and expecting the entire campus to support that really doesn’t make sense,” Olikara said.

Williams, on the other hand, said he was very optimistic about the results of Plan 2008.

“Just recently [we] enrolled the largest group of underrepresented minority students in the history of the university,” he said. “Also we’re very pleased that we’ve built a really strong partnership with the K-12 community, which I think really is fundamental to the Wisconsin experience.”

According to Williams, there is still work to do to increase the graduation rate and to increase the number of minority students that have been

enrolled since Plan 2008 began.

“The University of Wisconsin is a public institution and so as a public institution we have a responsibility to the state of Wisconsin,” Williams said. “We should be a university that is reflective of that state.”

Olikara said he feels the way for the campus to move forward is to focus on including diversity at all levels of the campus, not to simply focus on increasing numbers.

“The key to moving forward is to create campus-wide engagement and reshape this discussion to include more students,” Olikara said.

With mixed results from Plan 2008, a new strategy called Inclusive Excellence aims to improve campus diversity as a follow-up to Plan 2008.

Look for part two in this series later this week, which will focus on the goals and expectations of Inclusive Excellence.

The family of Brittany Zimmermann, the UW-Madison student who was killed last year in her off-campus apartment, has presented a scholarship in her name to a UW-Madison freshman.

According to a statement, the scholarship decision coincides with what would have been Zimmermann’s 23rd birthday, Nov. 15.

UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas said the scholarship went to a UW-Madison freshman from Zimmermann’s hometown of Marshfield, Wis. Lucas said the chosen student has similar career goals to those of Zimmermann and shares her love of education.

“I can think of no better way to memorialize Brittany and her love of UW-Madison and education than her family assisting a fellow student from her hometown,” Dean of Students Lori

Berquam said in a statement.

Lucas said UW-Madison officials and Zimmerman’s family presented the scholarship to ensure Zimmermann’s memory is not forgotten on campus.

“It is a really great way to keep her memory alive in Madison,” Lucas said.

Zimmermann was killed on April 2, 2008 in her apartment on West Doty Street. The Madison Police Department is still investigating the case.

According to the release, Zimmermann was 21 at the time of her death and was pursuing a major in medical biology and immunology in hopes of becoming a doctor.

Anyone interested in donating to Zimmermann’s scholarship can contact the Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union at 715-387-8686.

—Kelsey Gunderson

Wisconsin to receive 47,000 temporary jobs for 2010 census data collection Wisconsin is positioned to receive close to 47,000 jobs as part of a temporary U.S. Census Bureau workforce that will help collect data for the 2010 census.

The Wisconsin recruitment goal includes recruiting 4,200 temporary employees from the Madison area.

According to a statement from the U.S. Census Bureau, most positions will run two to six weeks. Average pay will be between $11 and $15 per hour.

Timothy Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty, said the influx of jobs is aimed at fighting the recession.

“This is very helpful given the high unemployment rate … and it will tide some people over for

a short period of time,” he said.

Smeeding said although he does not know if the temporary jobs will serve as a model for job creation in other areas, he said the jobs will benefit those hired.

“There are going to be people really hungry for these benefits,” Smeeding said. “There’ll be lots of people applying, and [the jobs] will really help people in a tight pinch.”

Those hired will work a parttime schedule of 20 to 40 hours per week. Most of the temporary employees will work in field operations and will collect data from households that did not respond to census questionnaires given in mid-March.

—Hannah Furfaro

Columbus woman robbed on Pinckney A 47-year-old Columbus woman was robbed on her way home from work Friday, the Madison Police Department reported.

The robbery occurred on the 500 block of North Pinckney Street at approximately 4:30 p.m. as the victim was walking to her car.

According to the police report, the woman turned around after she heard footsteps behind her. A man

then grabbed her purse strap, put an object to her throat and demanded she give him the purse.

Once the suspect had the purse, he jumped into the passenger side of what is described as a silver Chevrolet Malibu hatchback that had no license plate.

An MPD officer found a screwdriver at the scene.

The suspect is described as a 5'6"-5'10" black male in his thirties.

Man arrested after attempted break-in The Madison Police Department arrested a man early Saturday morning after an attempted break-in on the 100 block of East Johnson Street.

Eighteen-year-old suspect Zachary Schmidlkofer of Verona was tentatively charged with criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct.

The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning. The 24-yearold victim loudly screamed as the suspect kicked in the front door of her apartment building.

According to the police report, the suspect fled as the victim yelled.

Officers found Schmidlkofer, who matched the description the victim

gave, lying down underneath a balcony of a nearby home.

Schmidlkofer denies trying to force entry into the building.

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arts Madison music scene prevents big riders dailycardinal.com/arts

By Brett Wisnewski THE DAILY CARDINAL

The rock ’n’ roll scriptures have told of the artists’ backstage as a magical place—a mythical landscape of long-legged bombshell groupies where rail liquor is laughed at and personal caterers lay out feasts for the greater good of Mick Jagger. So that raises the question, where do all these festive items of rock revelry come from?

At the base of this backstage circus is the “concert rider,” a document containing the list of items needed by the artist and crew for the show. It is the task of the hosting production company to fulfill this list of needs, which always goes beyond dinner and a bottle of wine.

“I’ve seen artists ask for four cartons of Marb Reds, two oxygen tanks, local lottery tickets and a garden gnome.”

Perry Blanchard production manager Perry P.M. Productions

Perhaps the holy grail of all riders, Van Halen’s 1982 tour, featured a 53-page rider that demanded brown M&Ms be discarded from the rest of their bite-sized candies.

The rider also requested four cases of Schlitz malt liquor and one large tube of KY jelly. Clearly, this was rock ’n’ roll gluttony at its finest.

The hip-hop scene also boasts many noteworthy riders listed on theSmokingGun.com, a celebrity news site that hosts a library of concert riders from big-name acts.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

DMX requested all the key props to a legendary rap video.

Among the backstage desires, some highlights included one gallon of Hennessey cognac, a carton of Newport cigarettes and three boxes of condoms, Trojan only.

Eminem’s 2003 tour with 50 Cent featured nine pages of action-packed requirements, including an arcade game room and a blueprint for his backstage furniture arrangement.

Other artists have taken themselves less seriously, providing riders that poke fun at rock-star excess. In 2006, Iggy Pop’s crew provided an 18-page rider filled with a comical list of requests and irrelevant rants.

Only about half of those pages included information pertinent to the show’s production. One specific statement explained the need for two heavyset fans, noting, “So that I can wear a scarf and pretend to be in a Bon Jovi video.”

“I’ve seen artists ask for four cartons of Marb Reds, two oxygen tanks, local lottery tickets and a garden gnome,” said Perry Blanchard, an independent production manager based in Madison.

Blanchard, who has worked with national touring acts Fall Out Boy, OK Go and Motion City Soundtrack, explained that artists will add minute details just to make sure readers are paying attention.

On the local level, Madison attracts a more level-headed group of artists, as the city’s venues are too small to host megastar head-cases and their laundry lists of gimme-gimmes.

With a capacity of 600, the Majestic Theatre isn’t booking artists looking for world domination.

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Surprisingly, it is the smaller rock acts that tend to cause messes at their after-parties at the Majestic, according to co-owner Scott Leslie, in part because more experienced bands know better.

Co-owner Scott Leslie explained that touring acts at this performance level simply do not have the credentials to ask for big-ticket items.

“At this level, we just tell them no.

Touring acts respect our backstage area. It’s the local bands that have trashed the green room,” Leslie said.

For many local bands, it’s their first chance to soak up the splendor of the backstage revelry. They try to live up to the legacy of behavior written in the rock ’n’ roll scriptures, taking full advantage of their first rider.

“In my experience, touring bands treat the dressing room as a dressing room. Local bands have a tendency to bring friends back, show up and party,” Blanchard added.

While local bands may sporadically break a lamp in the Majestic’s green room, it’s the bigger acts that ultimately launch the runaround on production crews.

“I’ve seen some pretty impressive riders for arena shows. We’re talking $1,500 worth of food just for breakfast,” said Blanchard, who recently handled the rider

for Trans Siberian Orchestra at the Kohl Center.

Madison’s small-scale music venues offer some positives to fans with closer seats and lower ticket prices. But on the downside, Madison is passed up by many superstar acts traveling between the bigger markets of Milwaukee and Minneapolis. While Madison residents may miss out on some legends of rock, its music scene stays pure and its concert riders remain untainted by the unholy excess of rock-star gluttony.

Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago a positive cultural experience JUSTIN J. STEPHANI j.j. dilla

S

o last week’s decrying of Lil Jon was fun, but a ranting column like that is not very productive without alternatives and guidance, so running it concerned me and got me thinking.

What is a recently productive listen to match and counter Lil Jon’s unproductivity? What can unite as many people while being personally, socially and artistically gratifying/appealing?

The Black Album? Even after watching “Fade to Black” and seeing the impressive way Jay-Z works, it is not the artistically stirring answer I’m looking for. It’s too technical here rather than personal.

Something Animal Collective?

Something White Stripes? Again, neither group is as unifying nor as intimately engaging.

After writing last week’s column, however, the answer came quicker than expected: Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. I’ve always felt the proper definition for the weighty significance of the album eluded me, but go figure, Lil Jon was all I needed to find it.

What always intrigued me with For Emma, Forever Ago was the inability of anybody to properly criticize it, but why should we criticize such an intimate expression of personal struggle that clearly everybody should be able to connect to at

some point?

On this much deeper level, it matches the unifying power of any other party or catchy pop tunes.

If you don’t like this album, you have a heart of stone and probably an engineering major. All critics and casual listeners I’ve encountered have lauded this album as undeniably gripping, chilling, soothing, genuine and so on.

But perhaps the real reason for its universal appeal is its background; even if you don’t like the musical aesthetics, the background story will win you over, especially if you’re a Wisconsin native. (Justin Vernon moved to Raleigh with four bandmates to try out a new music scene when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis, his girlfriend broke up with him and the friends he moved there with broke up the band and formed Megafaun without him; the result found Vernon isolated in a cabin in northern Wisconsin for several months recording this album with his guitar, simple recording gear and whatever he could find around the cabin.)

It can’t help but ooze authenticity, raw feeling and utter catharsis; after all, if anybody needed an emotional outlet, it’s Vernon. This makes it sympathetic in the most affecting ways, as it never breaks eye contact with the listener.

This is how music is artistically meant to be made: from the heart.

Yeah, it’s as cliché as “sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll,” but that doesn’t mean either statement isn’t true.

And again, whether or not you care for the musical style and techniques,

it is absolute in its uniqueness as it paints a picture of his inner turmoil, which gives it an authenticity making the work artistically inspiring as well as unifying.

This grounding realism also lends the listener all of the catharsis and empathy Vernon poured into it. And though these descriptions might give you the impression it’s a dark listen for a dreary day,

it is surprisingly adaptable to all social situations. This attribute— aside from reinforcing its ability to unify—along with its intensely emotional nature, makes it a gratifying personal listen as well.

Add it all up and socially, personally and artistically For Emma, Forever Ago is a positive cultural influence. I know I just spent an entire column ranting again, but it

serves as a productive counter to Lil Jon; if you take anything out of this, whether or not you already have or not, just go listen to it. It represents what’s good about music.

Would you rather hang out in a cabin with Bon Iver and make an album for a year, or share a bunk bed with Lil Jon and drink crunk juice all day? Let Justin know at jstephani@wisc.edu.

PHOTO COURTESY JAGJAGUWAR

After moving to Raleigh, Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, came down with mono and lost his girlfriend and his band. And yet, For Emma, Forever Ago is amazingly not that depressing of an album.

comics 6

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Milkin’ it! Today, one cow can produce the milk that it once took 10 cows to produce. dailycardinal.com/comics

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Floozy

Today’s Sudoku

Evil Bird Classic

By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu

© Puzzles by Pappocom

Angel Hair Pasta

By Todd Stevens ststevens@wisc.edu

Sid and Phil

By Alex Lewein alex@sidandphil.com

Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

The Daily Dot

gotta connect ‘em all

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

The Graph Giraffe

By Yosef Lerner ilerner@wisc.edu

Charlie and Boomer

By Natasha Soglin soglin@wisc.edu

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com

weather watch 1 5 9 14 5 1 16 17 18 9 1 20 22 24 26 27 9 2 31 36 37 39 40 42 3 4 44 45

ACROSS Spread, as seeds Hindu noblewoman Singing syllables “... fifteen miles on the ___ Canal” Stylish elegance Second largest Great Lake Endangered goose that’s Hawaii’s state bird “___ Las Vegas” (1964 Elvis movie) ___ Jack (British flag) Beginner’s walk Lengthen Securing laces Young fellow Squishee seller on “The Simpsons” Swallow with gusto “Neon” fish Bigwig in D.C. Took testimony from Wince or flinch, e.g. ___ Work (road repair sign) Arthur Conan Doyle’s title African capital Arranged a dinner at home Summer Olympics site

47 Matchstick counting game 48 Texas border city 50 Without the band 51 Pharmaceuticalapproving org.

52 Beak 54 Demoted planet 56 Cuddles 61 Thought the world of 64 Word with “society” or “roll” 65 Branch bit 67 Certain drop 68 101 class, briefly 69 Gutter’s spot 70 To be, in old Rome 71 Used a Jersey expression?

72 Certain hydroxides 73 Beef and vegetable dish DOWN 1 Dropped in the mail 2 White- centered cookie 3 Plane-testing chamber 4 Impoverished 5 Money coming in 6 ___ Baba 7 Approach to the altar 8 Total 9 Billowy boomer 10 Notch on the ladder 11 Opera staple

2 Haul from a heist 1 13 “Breathing Lessons” author Tyler 21 Conductor, but not of music 23 Cereal grain 25 Tumbler material, often 27 Comparable to a hornet or a hatter 28 Calvin of the PGA 30 Uses a crowbar 32 Crumpets go-with 33 Endangered Amazon area 34 Strong and pungent, as an odor 35 Leaf’s breathing orifice 38 Hang downward 41 Snorkeler’s intake 46 Containers’ fall-short amounts 49 Alaska resource 53 Tropical nut or palm 55 Gift bags from pledge drives 56 Adjust with a wedge 57 Baby’s taboo 58 “Do ___ others as you would ...”

59 Wound from a bullfight 60 Dance romantically 62 Cushiness 63 “The ___ Carey Show” 66 “___ seen worse”

Washington and the Bear

By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com

opinion dailycardinal.com/opinion

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

My name is Bryon Eagon— and no, my first name isn’t misspelled. In addition to being a student at UW-Madison, I have the privilege of representing the 8th District as an alder on the City Council here in Madison. Technically, we call it the Common Council, but that’s just semantics. Students are the economic, social and cultural engine of Madison, so our opinions and ideas are vital to shaping the future of this great city. But my voice is just one among tens of thousands of young people here in Madison; that’s where you come in. I want to know your thoughts, complaints, suggestions and ideas to help inform my priorities and decisions.

Why should students care about the micro of micro levels of government when there are more attractive and flashy issues at the state or national level? Let me try to explain.

Have you ever tried crossing Langdon Street at the intersection on Frances? If so, you’ve probably let out a few obscenities over the blind spots and nonresponsive traffic. That intersection sucks for pedestrians. So who is responsible for making changes to such a vital public safety issue? The U.S. Congress? The Wisconsin Legislature? Actually, it is the city’s responsibility. While issues at the city level may not garner the appeal of soaring state or national policies, city government makes decisions that affect our day-to-day lives oftentimes much more than higher levels of government.

From trash pickup to public safety, alcohol regulation to stop signs, we see and experience the decisions made in City Hall every day.

You may have read a few

days ago that the city is adding a member to the alcohol licensing committee (ALRC), and because of students’ engagement and participation, the council recommended, and the mayor committed to, appointing a student voting member to that committee.

So what does this mean for students?

A voting student member can promote the kinds of establishments that we, as young people, want in the future of campus and downtown. While there are plenty of places for vertical drinking (where people stand around, down drinks and just hit repeat), there are not nearly enough fun, safe, interactive late-night places for students of all ages. During debates on adding a student to the committee, dozens of students came to the council meeting and demonstrated how informed, engaged and passionate students can make a difference in city government.

We saw a coalition of the Herald and Cardinal, College Democrats and Republicans, as well as ASM stepping up to the plate to get involved. I don’t know what part of that last list is more encouraging/ historic—the papers working together, campus politicos from both sides of the aisle coming together or the student government renewing interest in local issues. The council, mayor, and the Madison community at-large took notice and were impressed. But this student participation should not and cannot stop with this one meeting.

Student engagement on the ALRC student voting member issue can and should serve as a catalyst for student participation on even more issues.

Although issues of alcohol are what unite students the most, so many of us have a greater passion for and are better informed about many more issues than just those surrounding alcohol. The city also deals with issues that involve the environment, transportation, business development, public safety, community services, youth programs, homelessness, parks, pools, tenant and landlord regulations, and much more. If you want to make a difference on any of these issues, or have a niche idea of your own, let your voice be heard.

The future of Madison rests on the ideas and priorities of young people. If we, as students, do not speak up, contribute and participate in local government, the future of our campus, downtown and city will be decided for us. So e-mail your member of Congress, call your state legislator, and then come testify before or serve on a committee over at City Hall, 210 MLK Jr. Blvd. Who knows, maybe if enough students get involved, we can get a four-way stop at Langdon and Frances.

—Bryon Eagon Madison Common Council District 8 district8@cityofmadison.com 608-335-5091 Office hours: Mondays from 10-11am at Lakefront on Langdon in Memorial Union and Thursdays from 1-2 p.m. at Pop’s Club in Gordon Commons.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Energetic student voices shape city policies beyond ALRC vote

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Cardinal View editorials represent The Daily Cardinal’s organizational opinion. Each editorial is crafted independent of news coverage.

original jurisdiction denial justified

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ast week the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided not to hear the case of Appling v. Doyle, involving the constitutionality of domestic partner benefits.

Wisconsin Family Action CEO Julaine Appling filed a petition stating the domestic partner benefits instituted in Gov. Jim Doyle’s 2009-11 biennium budget were in direct violation of the 2006 constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Wisconsin.

Appling filed using original jurisdiction, which brings the case directly to the state Supreme Court instead of beginning in the lower courts.

The Supreme Court rarely exercises original jurisdiction, according to attorneys Richard Esenberg and Michael Dean, two lawyers who are working with Wisconsin Family Action.

The organization chose to use original jurisdiction to ensure quick action.

The court was right to dismiss such an issue, and gave good reason to do so. The issue was not pressing enough to sidestep lower courts, according to the Supreme Court.

The issue of domestic partners may soon enough make its way back to the highest court in the state by way of the other side of the debate.

UW-Oshkosh professor Bill McConkey is claiming the gay marriage and civil union ban amendment, which passed in a referendum by 59 percent in November 2008, is invalid. The ballot contained two questions,

one defining what marriage is and one defining what marriage is not, according to McConkey and, a referendum measure may only ask one question at a time.

Wisconsin Family Action argues that the question involved only one issue: marriage. It has also said McConkey cannot raise this issue in the courts as he is not gay, therefore not affected by it.

The court was right to dismiss such an issue, and gave good reason to do so.

By just reading the question as it appeared on the ballot, it is clearly two issues, separated by not only a period, but also differing ideas.

“Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state.”

We hope that the momentum garnered from the recent domestic partner benefits registry will carry over to the Supreme Court evaluating the gay marriage ban.

It took far too long for Doyle to provide domestic partner benefits, and it is reassuring to see the courts support the decision rather than give Wisconsin Family Action preferential treatment as they promote their own exclusionary agenda.

New note system will help personalize campus advising QI GU opinion columnist

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he discussions of advising services here on campus have not yet cooled off.

But for years, most suggestions have been limited to increasing the number of advisors, and not changing how the program is run itself. While the student-to-advisor ratio is certainly a factor in quality advising, mere statistical improvements would not guarantee better services for students. Last week, a novel advising plan got funding from the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates. After wandering aimlessly for so long, we may be approaching a solution to this advising problem.

Proposed by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the reform is called the CampusWide Shared Advisor Notes System. According to CALS, it would allow advisors to maintain and share information about

students electronically. Since this system sprawls across the entire campus, advisors could access the complete note records of students even when they transfer to other departments. Currently, the quality of advising notes varies greatly. Some advisors save notes about their advisees in electronic databases, some scribble their evaluations of students on paper and others don’t even bother to take notes. A big part of the plan is to unify the advising code so notes can be readily available for advisors from any college and school to use.

The new system encourages advisors to take a more personal approach to their students.

A key idea here is that every student will eventually have individual advising portfolios instead of random evaluation sheets.

Right now, the only consistent way advisors know about their students and their academic history is through their DARS report. The credit matrix does not tell anything about a student’s interests and extracurricular activities that may substantially influence their academic performance. A lot of advising appointments boil down to frustrating calculations within each graduation requirement.

The new system encourages advisors to take a more personal approach to their students.

Advisors will have a more comprehensive record of their students so they can have a better understanding of us even before we go to an advising session. If you are struggling between class choices, your advisor could immediately offer some suggestions. Under this more personalized system, it’s easy to see how much time and energy can be saved. For career advising services, records obtained from the electronic notes are especially valuable. What you have done in the past gives a good clue about what you can do in the near future. A complete record

of advisees reflects one’s progress and potential much better than merely longer transcripts.

For students with multiple

Many of us find it intolerably hard to get timely suggestions from advisors.

majors, the cross-college note sharing service would make advising a lot easier. If you are in drastically different majors, such as history and math, you may have to explain your capabilities and skills in both fields for a good part of your advising appointments. And sometimes you may even receive conflicting advice. Your history advisor will always be cautious about taking on advanced-level science, while the math advisor intuitively hands out a list of easy humanities classes every time he sees you. Both may easily forget that

you are a double major; you are the special one who has multiple majors. Once advisors start sharing electronic notes, they could coordinate their efforts to curb mistakes and misunderstandings.

There are still some things that would help to improve the program further. One improvement is that students should be given access to their own advising records. As everyone knows, each semester is bracketed by surges of advising requests. Many of us find it intolerably hard to get timely suggestions from advisors.

Notes of their previous appointments could offer students helpful references when they resort to self advising.

The initiative needs a funding of $150,000 through May 2010, with test runs scheduled for next semester. Even though more funding is needed later, the system could still be a gold plan, considering the 40,000 students it might benefit.

Qi Gu is a junior majoring in journalism. We welcome all feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

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dailycardinal.com/sports

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Football

Bielema reflects on close call with IU with 535 on the year.

Perhaps Toon’s most important reception of the season thus far came with just over two minutes left against Indiana with the Badgers needing a first down.

His 17-yard reception allowed Wisconsin to run down the clock and seal the victory.

“Nick Toon probably played his most complete game since becoming a Badger.”

Bret Bielema head coach UW football

ISABEL ÁLVAREZ/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Sophomore wide receiver Nick Toon is 12th in the Big Ten in receptions with 37 and 13th in the conference in receiving yards with 535. Toon also has two receiving touchdowns this season.

By Mark Bennett THE DAILY CARDINAL

Coming off its most complete team performance and most impressive win of the season a week ago against Purdue, the Wisconsin football team had to squeak out a victory against Indiana Saturday. Although the running attack for the Badgers was dominant throughout, Wisconsin

BADGER BITS Women’s Soccer The Badgers’ strong regular season was rewarded Monday night with an atlarge bid to the 2009 Women’s Soccer NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin (9-5-5) lost only one Big Ten contest, and will return to the event for the first time since 2005. Wisconsin is slated to face Arizona State (9-7-3) in Madison Friday. Should Wisconsin advance, it would face the winner of the UCFMilwaukee matchup on Sunday, also in Madison.

Men’s Soccer After finishing the Big Ten season with a 3-3 conference record, the Badgers were awarded the No. 5 seed for the Big Ten Tournament. The event begins Thursday in Bloomington, Ind., when the Badgers face host school Indiana, the No. 4 seed. The Badgers were defeated 1-0 by Indiana earlier this season at the McClimon Soccer Complex. If Wisconsin defeats Indiana it will face Ohio State Friday.

had trouble at times on defense, especially containing big plays.

Head coach Bret Bielema acknowledged his team was aware of its sloppy performance against the Hoosiers.

“They had to watch a game [on film that] they knew they weren’t clean at,” Bielema said.

Still, despite the average overall team performance, many Badgers

turned in their best performances of the season, and for some, their careers.

Team Offensive Player of the Game honors went to sophomore wide receiver Nick Toon.

For the first time in his career, Toon surpassed 100 receiving yards in a game, collecting 123 on five receptions.

Toon leads the Badgers in receptions with 37 and receiving yards

“Nick Toon probably played his most complete game since becoming a Badger,” Bielema said.

Additionally, freshman linebacker Chris Borland continued to impress Bielema and was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Week after his stellar performance Saturday.

Just a week after being awarded Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Borland harassed the Indiana offense throughout the game, collecting one tackle for a loss, and recording his first career interception.

Bielema also addressed the issue of the battered sophomore running back John Clay. Clay suffered a minor concussion, and was sick to his stomach during Saturday’s contest.

Despite his limited playing time, however, Clay managed to rush for 134 yards and one touchdown against Indiana. Clay currently leads the Big Ten in rushing yards with 973 and rushing touch-

downs with 11.

Bielema expects Clay to return to practice Tuesday and noted that leaving the running back out for the majority of the game against Indiana was mostly precautionary.

“If we had to, he probably could have played the second half,” Bielema said.

This Saturday, Wisconsin will play its final home game of the season against the ever-threatening Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan enters this week’s contest just 1-5 in the Big Ten, but Bielema admitted this game has been on the Badgers’ radar since their loss to the Wolverines last season.

The game will also mark Senior Day for the Badgers as they honor their 16 seniors.

Always an emotional event, this senior class is particularly meaningful to Bielema, as many of the graduating seniors were freshmen when Bielema took over the team in 2006. Although his affection for this class is evident, Bielema sees a bright future for his team after these players move on.

“Tradition never graduates, only seniors,” Bielema said.

Big Ten Standings Iowa Ohio State Penn State Wisconsin Northwestern Michigan State Purdue Minnesota Illinois Michigan Indiana

5-1 5-1 4-2 4-2 3-3 3-3 3-3 3-4 2-5 1-5 1-5

Wisconsin makes right call with discipline issues NICO SAVIDGE savidge nation

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n Saturday afternoon, junior wide receiver Maurice Moore had one kickoff return for three yards against Indiana, which could have been more if not for an illegal block in the back committed on Moore’s return.

By early Sunday morning, Moore was in custody for drunk driving after crashing his car on Regent Street. And when Wisconsin football head coach Bret Bielema addressed the media Monday afternoon it became clear Moore’s performance against Indiana could have been his last.

This is not the first time Moore has run into discipline issues while at Wisconsin, as he was suspended for the Champs Sports Bowl last year. Given his earlier problems, Bielema said the team will give Moore academic support, but indicated the wide receiver’s career as a Badger could be over.

“At different times, he and I have had discussions,” Bielema said. “I made him very aware that every day was going to be monitored from here on out, and obviously after Saturday’s incident, he’s indefinitely suspended. He won’t be with us.”

Although it is frustrating to see Wisconsin lose another player, the Athletic Department’s attitude toward rule violations, especially in the face of recent actions by studentathletes, is admirable. In the past few months, UW student-athletes have been involved in a number of incidents, which have gone swiftly and properly punished.

When freshman basketball players Diamond Taylor and Jeremy Glover were arrested and accused of stealing money and items from dorm rooms in Sellery Hall, the two were immediately suspended from the team and kicked out of the university.

Senior safeties Aubrey Pleasant and Shane Carter were both suspended indefinitely earlier this year, and though the reason for their suspensions was never made clear (something that angered the players’ families), we must assume there was a serious violation. Granted, the Athletic Department’s stranglehold on information might have made things worse for the team, but two solid players have been suspended indefinitely since August—something was clearly wrong.

Unlike schools that let minor and, at times, major discipline violations slide, the Wisconsin Athletic Department has come down hard on players who flout the rules. I don’t want to sound like I’m worshipping at the altar of Barry Alvarez

and think everything he does is genius—I’ve already outlined one issue where I think the Department needs to improve—but we should appreciate the harsh and fair standards of discipline at Wisconsin.

But even the best punishment threats still require preventive action, and that is the next step in making better student-athletes. It’s one thing to properly discipline those who break the rules, but educating athletes on how to make the right choices means punishment never becomes an issue in the first place.

We should appreciate the harsh and fair standards of discipline at Wisconsin.

Sure, Diamond Taylor and Jordan Glover probably knew burglary was a bad idea before they came to Wisconsin. But if their coaches had made it clear to them that it would get them kicked off the team and out of school, would they still have broken into Sellery Hall as police say they did?

Bielema said he told Moore he would be monitored, but if he made it clear that Moore’s next slip up

would be his last, would Moore have driven drunk Sunday morning?

This is not to say Bo Ryan, Bret Bielema or their coaching staffs are in any way responsible for Glover, Taylor and Moore’s alleged actions.

But if the Athletic Department puts more emphasis on student-athlete responsibility with incoming freshmen and returning players, maybe it can keep incidents like those from happening again.

In the past couple of years, the NFL has had a number of problems with its players being involved in major scandals, most notably Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, Donte Stallworth and Adam “Pacman” Jones. That’s why the most recent class of new players had to take part in a “Rookie Symposium” during the offseason, where they learned how to avoid making the poor decisions that got those infamous players thrown in jail.

Yes, the Wisconsin Athletic Department does a great job disciplining its players when they mess up. But if it took steps similar to the NFL’s, perhaps we would see fewer players engaging in the risky, and at times downright stupid, behaviors that can earn them prison time and a one-way ticket out of Madison.

Does Wisconsin’s Athletic Department do enough to discipline its players? E-mail Nico at savidgewilki@dailycardinal.com.