University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014
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Panel of professors explains ISIS, tensions in Middle East to students By Negassi Tesfamichael THE DAILY CARDINAL
As tensions in the Middle East grow ever more complex, professors are putting in the effort to foster understanding among students. A panel of four professors, organized by The Alexander Hamilton Society and WUD Society & Politics, explained to students at Union South Tuesday the goals of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and the Levant, also known as ISIS and ISIL. UW-Madison professor Andrew Kydd described the
broad history of the war in Iraq, from the initial disbanding of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath party through al-Qaeda in Iraq’s proliferation of religious divisions. Kydd also presented possible courses of action, either fighting ISIL more actively or not intervening at all. “[ISIL is] much stronger than al-Qaeda ever was,” Kydd said. “They control territory where they get oil revenues, and they attract recruits worldwide.” Uli Schamiloglu, a professor of languages and cultures of Asia,
then explained the roots of fundamentalist thinking, emphasizing that they did not at all fall in line with Islamic belief and thought. “Though many people will say that it’s all about religion, ISIL’s motives may move beyond that ... [ISIL members] also want monetary gains and have criminal intent,” Schamiloglu said. Professor John Hall, a military historian, discussed the U.S.’s military option. Hall said he believes President Barack Obama’s
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City Council deliberates over police body camera funding and alder salaries By Irene Burski THE DAILY CARDINAL
Madison residents may see police body cameras and possible structural changes to Common Council in the near future, with alders approving amendments to increase police body camera funding and aldermanic salaries during 2015 Capital and Operating Budget deliberations Tuesday. The approved amendments to the Operating Budget stipulate an additional $30,000 to the Madison Police Department budget and an additional $2,000 per year for Council member salaries. The proposed police body camera program, although considered almost universally necessary to alders, caused tensions to run high between members of the community giving testimony on opposing sides at the public hearing. “The police don’t need more money,” one speaker said. “There is strong police distrust,
but that will not be solved by adding more surveillance.” City officials tried to balance resident fears by articulating during Council debate the logistics and feasibility of the program, which will provide each officer with a pointof-view body camera and is expected to protect both police and residents alike. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, characterized the program as a “big win on transparency.” MPD Chief Mike Koval addressed privacy concerns and allegations of distrust in his report to the Council. “I’ve heard from constituents from underrepresented communities in our midst. There is sort of a manifest distrust based on what they have previously heard. And obviously there are privacy issues and I think yes, privacy is everybody’s concern,” Koval said. “[But] I really don’t think we have the same sort of mani-
fest distrust that a lot of other communities have.” During debate regarding whether or not alder salaries should be raised, some Council members expressed concerns about the “optics” of the situation to their constituents. “I look at our city staff and worry about what their raises are going to be. I do worry about what message it sends,” Ald. Lisa Subeck, District 1, said. “There are certainly times when optics matter, and this is one of those times [but] I think this [salary increase] is a much needed move in the right direction.” The idea behind increased salaries is to hopefully diversify the background of candidates able to run for Council, according to Ald. Steve King, District 7. But structural changes to the institution as a whole, in particular making the position of Council president a full-
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EMILY BUCK/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff cautions against structural changes to Common Council’s set-up.
The critical voice of Brother Ali At High Noon Saloon Thursday, Nov. 13 +ARTS, page 7
EMILY BUCK/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Maj. Gen. Marcia Anderson says the military must strive to promote diversity during a speech on campus Tuesday.
UW campus convenes to talk diversity By Emily Gerber and Nicole Hurley THE DAILY CARDINAL
Pursuing a diverse, collaborative future was the focus of UW-Madison’s 16th annual campus Diversity Forum, held Nov. 10 and 11. “Diversity makes things stronger,” UW-Madison Police Department Chief Sue Riseling said in a conversation with The Daily Cardinal Tuesday. “I always think about it as thread: You could have a single thread that runs through, but you can snap that pretty easily. But, if you take different threads of different types of materials and you bind them together and interweave them, it makes [the string] stronger.” The forum focused on adapting to the changing interpretations of diversity, especially honing in on how diversity affects different areas of campus life. “We care about diversity, because it is an absolutely essential part of any education in the 21st century,” UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said Tuesday. “We’ve made some real progress on diversity at the University of Wisconsin. But we’re not where we need to be and there is plenty of work to
be done.” Amid a variety of diversitycentric programs, the 2014 forum aimed to tackle contemporary issues, including the changing role of law enforcement and appreciating diversity’s place in one’s upbringing.
Law Enforcement
Riseling, who sat among city and campus community members like Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval in a law enforcement town hall meeting Monday, said it is important to note the changing interpretations of diversity. “We need to move past the idea that we’re sensitive to race, sensitive to gender in it of itself,” Riseling said. “What that does is make it sound that everyone of that gender is going to feel the same way and everyone of that race is going to feel the same way.” Fifty years ago, Riseling said, assumptions and decisions were made solely by acting on isolated areas of antiquated ideas of diversity, most notably regarding race and gender. “There’s diversity within race, there’s diversity within religion,
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Bringing down the house An influx of fans brings new prospects for UW Field House +SPORTS, page 8
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”