University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Monday, November 13, 2017
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UW System two- and four-year colleges to merge after approval By Nina Bertelsen and Noah Habenstreit THE DAILY CARDINAL
CAMERON LANE -FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
One resident remains in the Audre Lorde House following a series of events impacted the co-op.
Transgender, people of color leave co-op after issues surface By Grace K. Wallner STAFF WRITER
The Audre Lorde Housing Co-op — a tall, pale green house on North Frances Street — stands like a lonely relic of its former self, now home to only one person rather than the 15 members that it holds when at full capacity. The 11 housing co-ops that make up Madison Community Cooperative offer an affordable housing option to UW-Madison students and community members. However, in the past few months, alleged abuses and general discontent among members led to a dramatic drop in membership at the Audre Lorde co-op. While all MCC co-ops aim to be inclusive, Audre Lorde is specifically intended to be a home for people of color, queer and transgender people. Katherine Charek Briggs, the assistant dean and director of the LGBT Campus Center, estimated that 1.9 percent of UW-Madison students identify as both people of
color, queer or transgender. Without Audre Lorde as a housing option, students who identify with these underrepresented categories have one less safe space and affordable housing option on a campus many already find unwelcoming. A chain of events going back several years sparked Audre Lorde’s collapse, highlighting problems within the MCC organization. In 2013, a fire at the Lothlorien co-op sparked an argument over whether MCC would make repairs or sell the property. Steve Vig, who has been MCC’s membership officer for five months, said the dispute “caused quite a schism in the organization as a whole.” In response to this unrest, many houses in MCC went on strike and members refused to pay rent. At Audre Lorde, the rent strike prompted residents to question a different organizational problem — that of MCC’s openness towards people of color. Consequently, Audre Lorde
began to disengage from the overarching organization of MCC. “MCC is a very white organization, with very few people of color. This can lead to issues of ignorance, white privilege and white liberalism,” said UW-Madison junior Betty Nen, who described herself as a woman of color. She has lived in International Cooperative House, another MCC co-op, since August of 2016. According to Vig and Jonah Welch, a former Audre Lorde co-op member who identifies as transgender, many members came forward with accounts of misconduct from fellow members in the house. The specific accounts could not be disclosed, but by the summer of 2017 seven people had moved out of Audre Lorde because of the incidents and tension with the organization’s handling of them. Welch, who lived in the co-op from 2011 to 2014, said there has
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UW-Madison faculty calls for support of a plan to reduce campus carbon emissions By Kayla Huynh STAFF WRITER
UW-Madison faculty members adopted a measure last week calling for campus administrators to take action on climate change and limit the university’s carbon emissions. The UW-Madison Faculty Senate passed a resolution
to encourage funding and the implementation of a policy to help campus become carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner. The plan, if enacted, will increase efforts to eliminate climate disruptions by attaining net zero emissions of carbon into the atmosphere, according to the resolution. The faculty is
currently seeking administrative support. In addition to efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the proposed program would hold the university accountable by reporting the progress of its sustainability goals to the UW-Madison
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The UW System will move forward with its “most significant re-organization” in over 45 years — a sweeping merge of the system’s two-year and four-year colleges — even though many questions remain unanswered. Although many regents had concerns about parts of the proposal, the Board accepted the plan, leaving the details for later. While a few regents asked for the vote to be postponed, others countered that accepting the plan would allow more time to figure out specifics. Students, System faculty and
some regents criticized administrators’ lack of planning and failure to consult with stakeholders early on. Some stressed the need for more study before enacting such a drastic change. But ultimately, the plan will now be implemented. UW System President Ray Cross’s plan will merge the state’s two-year campuses with fouryear schools next summer: Each two-year school will become a branch of a nearby four-year institution, rather than remaining a stand-alone college. The system’s two-year colleges have seen a decline in enrollment
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JON YOON/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
The Board of Regents voted in favor of UW System President Ray Cross’s plan to merge two-year and four-year universities.
MPD conducts search for suspect in downtown attempted murder By Katie Kalvelage STAFF WRITER
Police are searching for a man suspected of stabbing a female acquaintance he was traveling with in a car along John Nolen Drive Friday. Tony M. Mason, a 63-year-old Madison resident, is the suspect, according to a Madison Police Department incident report. Police said Mason’s whereabouts remain unknown and warned that he may still be armed. The incident took place at approximately 12:15 in the afternoon at the intersection with Broom Street. The victim called the police after escaping Mason’s car and she was admitted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the report. Mason was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident and escaped the scene in his four-door 2010 Nissan Sentra before MPD officers arrived. The vehicle is reported to have a broken right rear window and a decal on the right-hand door. Mason has a warrant out for his arrest and is wanted by
detectives. The alleged perpetrator is 6’2” and approximately 165 pounds, police said. The Madison Violent Crimes Department advises anyone who sees Mason or has any information on the suspect to call 9-1-1 and not to approach him. Individuals can also call Crime Stoppers at (608) 2666014 or text “Dane” and their message to CRIMES to reach the police.
PHOTO COURTESTY OF MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Tony Mason, 63, is wanted by MPD for attempted homicide.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”