Communion: Round two
A trip down birthday lane Parties, pizza and pinatas University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Interviews with band members of Tennis and Building on Buildings
Complete campus coverage since 1892
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Tuesday, November 19, 2013
UW System launches Flex Degree Option
Jessie gallimore/the daily cardinal
Campus community members watch the live broadcast forum Monday at Union South.
UW forum highlights insurance options under Affordable Care Act By Adelina Yankova The Daily Cardinal
The University of WisconsinMadison hosted a statewide, multicampus forum Monday discussing insurance options for young people under the Affordable Care Act. The event was broadcast to
22 different college campuses across Wisconsin and attracted approximately 500 viewers around the state, representatives said at the forum. Among the speakers were health services executives, insurance specialists and outreach offi-
cers. Additionally, Kathleen Falk, Region Five director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was available on conference call to discuss the importance of insurance for young people.
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The University of Wisconsin System began accepting applications Monday for the Flexible Option Degree Program, a service that will help adult students receive college credit in nontraditional ways. The program was announced in June 2012 to help individuals learn new skills needed for the current job market by breaking down the traditional barriers of obtaining a UW college degree. Its self-paced, competencybased format will allow adults to obtain an online degree while still balancing work and family schedules, Ray Cross, the chancellor of UW Colleges and UW Extension said at a press conference Monday. Cross also explained the ongoing need for college degrees in the current workforce, noting only 30 percent of Wisconsin residents currently have college degrees, and by 2025, it is expected 60 percent of jobs will require them.
Obama’s economic adviser discusses US fiscal policy By Alex Bernell The Daily Cardinal
Jason Furman, President Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser, delivered a speech at the University of WisconsinMadison Monday, in which he discussed his three goals for achieving successful American fiscal policy. These goals include returning the economy to its full potential, expanding its competency more quickly and reducing the gap between the government’s spending and total revenue. Furman said his first order of business is bringing down the unemployment rate, which he noted is currently improving. The success of the economy growing more rapidly depends on economic inequality, Furman said. Inequality influences a slower productivity rate in the economy. He added the percentage of income wealthy United States citizens hold is the largest percentage share of income since 1928. Furman also said the national debt will stabilize over the next 75 years if the difference between government spending
and its total revenue is 1.7 percent of the gross domestic product. Attaining this percentage is more manageable than many people assume, according to Furman. He said there is a huge amount of uncertainty about this percentage, but regardless the outlook, it looks better than it has in the past. According to Furman, Obama’s policies are a good framework for reducing the fiscal gap. Furman said programs like the Affordable Care Act will help decrease the deficit. “The Recovery Act is a fiscal policy that helped make sure that the United States did not go into a second depression,” Furman said. Furman said the biggest challenge is not figuring out fiscal policies to help the United States economy, but actually getting them through Congress and Washington. However, Fanny Moffette, a Ph.D. candidate in UW-Madison’s Agriculture and Applied Economics Program, said she “expected much more
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According to Cross, although there are no direct relationships between students and professors, the Flexible Option Degree Program will be just as rigorous as a typical UW course. “Essentially, if you know it, and you can do it, and you can prove it, then you can earn a UW degree,” Cross said. The program will address skills that are lacking in the Wisconsin workforce, according to Barb Daley, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College Nursing professor and Dean for Academic Affairs. She said Information Technology, Business and Health Care are a few degrees the program will focus on. University of WisconsinMadison employee Aaron Apel submitted his application at the press conference, distinguishing himself as the first official applicant. — Jackie Bannon
John Lehman announces run for Lt. governor
jessie gallimore/the daily cardinal
James Furman, chief economic adviser to President Barack Obama, spoke to UW-Madison students on campus Monday.
Wisconsin Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, announced Monday he plans to run for lieutenant governor in the November 2014 election. Lehman said in a statement he is well-prepared to serve as lieutenant governor because of his more than 20 years of public leadership. He cited his extensive public service as a state representative and his two former chair positions in the state Senate. In the statement, Lehman also highlighted his progressive voting record, citing education as his most important issue. He also called himself an “environmental and pro-worker activist.” The senator called Gov. Scott Walker’s approach to governing “extreme,” and said he was confident in his campaign’s ability to expose the “glaring failures of Walker-Kleefisch.” “I know, as well as anyone, the need to defeat [Walker,]” Lehman said in the statement. According to the statement, Lehman is both excited by Mary Burke’s candidacy but recognizes there could be other Democratic challengers to declare for governor.
“…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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An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 123, Issue 53
News and Editorial
Editor-in-Chief Abigail Becker
Managing Editor Mara Jezior
News Team News Manager Sam Cusick Campus Editor Megan Stoebig College Editor Tamar Myers City Editor Melissa Howison State Editor Jack Casey Enterprise Editor Meghan Chua Associate News Editor Sarah Olson Features Editor Shannon Kelly Opinion Editors Haleigh Amant • Nikki Stout Editorial Board Chair Anna Duffin Arts Editors Cameron Graff • Andy Holsteen Sports Editors Brett Bachman • Jonah Beleckis Page Two Editors Rachel Schulze • Alex Tucker Photo Editors Courtney Kessler • Jane Thompson Graphics Editors Haley Henschel • Chrystel Paulson Multimedia Editor Grey Satterfield Science Editor Nia Sathiamoorthi Life & Style Editor Elana Charles Special Pages Editor Samy Moskol Social Media Manager Sam Garigliano Copy Chiefs Vince Huth • Maya Miller Kayla Schmidt • Rachel Wanat Copy Editor Ellisa Kosadi
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Board of Directors Herman Baumann, President Abigail Becker • Mara Jezior Jennifer Sereno • Stephen DiTullio Erin Aubrey • Dan Shanahan Jacob Sattler • Janet Larson Don Miner • Chris Drosner Jason Stein • Nancy Sandy Tina Zavoral
Editorial Board Haleigh Amant • Abigail Becker Riley Beggin • Anna Duffin Mara Jezior • Cheyenne Langkamp Tyler Nickerson • Michael Penn Nikki Stout © 2013, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398
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Recalling b-day parties past
2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 • fax (608) 262-8100
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wednesDAY: rain
scarring encounter in which the birthday’s emcee/schoolmarm accused me of eating too many M&Ms. SORRY I CAME TO PARTY, BRO.
Rachel schulze schulzey says
Coolest/most genius activity: trampoline party
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his Tuesday, I’m joining the big kids and turning 21. While I have a pretty good idea of what I’m going to do to mark the milestone, it’s proven surprisingly complicated to coordinate a night out on a Tuesday in the midst of a pre-Thanksgiving exam onslaught. My experience figuring out my plans got me thinking about birthdays past. A few highlights from my own parties as well as my friends’ came to mind. So, I’ve made a list of some memories I wanted to share this week. Alright, let’s get this party started!
What do kids love to do more than anything? Expel energy until they reach exhaustion then eat a bunch of sugary snacks to recharge. What was on the itinerary for this particular party? Just that. While the rest of us were still lobbying our parents for sleepovers, my friend, who was a gymnast, had her 11th at the gym. Instead of spending the night running in circles around her living room, we got to bounce off the walls (almost literally) and then call it a day. Her parents let us do exactly what we wanted without having to house a bunch of rowdy kids for a sleepover. Genius.
Craziest party: Rachel’s fifth
For my fifth, my mom packed family, friends and a whole lot of five-year-olds into our house for what proved to be an eventful afternoon. Think cut-throat musical chairs, a glitter-confetti explosion and a fiercely competitive scavenger hunt that resulted in many tears. During the height of chaos, one kindergarten classmate accidentally locked herself in the bathroom—where she stayed, sobbing until my mom rescued her. Because I was so young, I remember the party in flashbacks, with the most vivid being one of my dad beating open the stubborn pinata with a chair leg. Needless to say, we scaled it back for my sixth.
The standby: slumber party
Around age eight, anyone who was anyone on the third-
graphic by chrystel paulson
grade scene brought down the house by inviting over a posse of 10 friends for a good-old-fashioned slumber party. The term “slumber” could be pretty misleading, though, because a night typically involved setting up sleeping bags then running around wreaking havoc all over the host’s basement until the pizzasoda-cake rush finally wore off. At that point, we’d settle down with that one kid who seemed to conk out before nine at every sleepover and watch 15 minutes of a Mary Kate and Ashley movie before passing out ourselves. Just as the night finally quieted down, homesickness would strike, prompting the
party guests to wake the beleaguered parents to send someone home early.
Most unfun party theme: manners and etiquette
For a friend’s seventh birthday, her family rented out a dimly lit room at our YMCA to throw a party where we celebrated our friend by learning how to behave at other parties. Imagine everything that’s enjoyable at a kid’s birthday—platters of junk food, semi-competitive games, a general sense of carefree fun—and replace it with a lesson in manners and etiquette. Activities included an informative session on the use of the phrase “excuse me” and a
Tastiest menu: grandpa’s retirement home
What kind of food? All-youcan-eat brunch. That’s right. The most delicious meal possible. Before my grandpa moved down to Florida, he lived just a few miles away from me in a swanky retirement home that offered a killer Sunday brunch buffet. Thus, during my teen years, on the Sunday closest to my birthday, the family headed over to Bedford Court senior living community for create-yourown omelets and endless waffles. How would you fare in a game of cut-throat musical chairs? Tell Rachel about it over some endless waffles with Grandpa or email rmschulze@ dailycardinal.com.
The hard truths about attending a big school Daniella Emanuel daniella distresses
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hen I first came to UW-Madison, I kind of had the habit of bragging to my friends who attend smaller schools about the benefits of going to a big school. “Dude, in a school of 40,000 kids, I could streak, join the juggling club and bring a rancid garlic-onion-chicken medley to the library all in one day without ruining my reputation as a normal human being,” I would tell them. “If something goes wrong with my current group of college friends, I can discard them and find a batch of new ones. And what if I have an awkward hookup over the weekend? No worries, I’ll never see them again! Did I mention the 47 student organizations I’ll be joining, and the thousands of friends I’ll be saying hi to on the street each day?” This, of course, was before I discovered a series of hard truths about big schools; one of which was my hidden talent, a phenomenon I like to call “supreme facial recognition.” It’s a blessing and a curse. A blessing because, although I may
not remember your name, I will remember meeting you for those three drunken seconds at a football pregame and will give you a friendly greeting if I ever see you again. It’s a curse because chances are, you don’t remember me and I’m going to be the one doing the awkward half hand raise and, “Hey what’s u—” to a person looking straight past me. Sadly, in the latter situation most of the time the person probably remembers me but just chooses not to acknowledge this.
After two hours, I’d signed up for 31 clubs, including the Cheese Club, which works out really well with my lactose intolerance. I also experienced some struggles when it came to campus involvement. Let’s assess the whole “I’m gonna join every club and become an active member of the college community” fantasy. It ended the second I walked into the Kohl Center for the student-org fair. I’ve never experienced such sen-
sory overload in my entire life. One moment I’m signing up for some obscure charity club like “Help Stop Animal Hoarding in Nepal,” and two seconds later I’m being tug-of-warred between two different Jewish orgs trying to get me to go on birthright. After two hours, I’d signed up for 31 clubs, including the Cheese Club, which works out really well with my lactose intolerance. After sorting through billions of emails over the next week, I decided to give two clubs a chance: WUD Film and Hoofers. At the WUD Film meeting, I felt, metaphorically speaking, like the one person who shows up to the Halloween party without a costume. Or, to be more literal, the only one who hadn’t seen the weird-ass Jeff Goldblum cult film from the ’80s. I was not eccentric or cultured enough, so I parted ways. Disclaimer: Make sure that if you join Hoofers outdoors club you’re not doing it solely to make friends; you actually have to enjoy doing outdoorsy athletic things. And you shouldn’t sign up for indoor rock climbing like I did. I ended up almost killing a very nice med school resident that I was belaying and left with a cable burn a Mt. Everest climber couldn’t beat.
Oh, and that whole thing about never having to see an awkward hookup again? I needed to bite my tongue on that one. Surprisingly, on occasion my interactions with guys go beyond asking them what the homework is. One instance resulted in me feeling the need to avoid this person probably for as long as humanly possible. After never having seen him in the daylight before (was I sure he wasn’t a vampire?), the next day I saw him twice within a five-hour period on the same street. I guess this school has turned my life into a sitcom. When it comes to my closest friends, they’re really awesome, but I think the only reason we’re still friends is that we live together so they physically can’t get rid of me. After some of the embarrassing shit I’ve done in front of them, the idea of finding people to start fresh with so I can discard my shame has absolutely crossed my mind. Obviously, I am too lazy to do this, so I’ll just wade in my pool of shame for now. Go Big Ten! Do you also experience supreme facial recognition? Tell Daniella about it at emanuel2@wisc.edu. ...Unless she’s avoiding you.
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Committee considers bike commuter reimbursement By Patricia Johnson the daily cardinal
Sustainable Madison Committee members met Monday to discuss plans to implement a reimbursement program for city employees who bike, walk or use other forms of noncarbon-emitting transportation. The committee develops plans to augment Madison’s environmentally friendly policies, including its plan to reduce carbon emissions from city transit. The reimbursement program aims to reduce emissions and promote healthy lifestyles among city employees while also saving them money on parking costs. Committee member Rajan Shukla, who presented the plan, said employees would be rewarded ten cents per mile, which should keep the city’s budget for the program under $1,000 per year. Ideally, the committee would
like to develop a successful wellness program like ones in Oregon or Washington that reward employees $30 a month for walking or biking to work. “In the work that I do, which is behavior change based around climate change,” Shukla said, “the single most important thing to do is not just provide a financial incentive, it’s to create a social norm.” Additional plans the committee discussed included adding more bicycle racks in the city and making showers more accessible to employees. The committee also suggested having a “Bike User Group” to incorporate social support for educating and familiarizing employees with bicycle safety. The committee also discussed ways of encouraging the use of public transit among city employees. Statistics show only
27 percent of city workers obtain their free bus passes from Metro Transit and approximately 15 percent actually use them. One significant issue the committee evaluated was the “fivemile barrier,” which is the idea that the likelihood of employees biking to work from beyond five miles drops significantly. Childcare and unexpected weather issues could also cause problems for commuters. Although the committee has not finalized a solution, it is focused on implementing small changes and tracking the progress employees make to further expand the wellness program. Committee member Arthur Ross said, “This is where we want to go and we’ll start rationing our trajectory in line with where we want to be in the future.”
on campus
Transcending perspectives
UW-Madison professor Finn Enke speaks about transgender issues Monday at the LGBT Campus Center as part of the Trans Visibility Week series. + Photo by Nick Monfeli
Former ASM chair disputes Varsity Day fund change
Department of Justice settles multistate Google Internet case Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen announced Wednesday that Wisconsin, along with 36 other states, has entered into a $17 million settlement with Google in a lawsuit over the company’s tracking of Internet consumers. States alleged Google misled users of Apple’s web browser Safari, by recommending they install a plug-in that Google promised would block all cookies, which store and send users’ browsing information. Google later used the plug-in to track users. amy gruntner/the daily cardinal
“Consumers using the Internet are entitled to accurate information about the privacy of their Internet browsing.” J.B. Van Hollen attorney general Wisconsin
Google halted this process in February 2012 after it was made public, according to the release from the state Department of Justice. “Consumers using the Internet are entitled to accurate information about the privacy of their Internet browsing, including the tracking of their activity through the placement of cookies or otherwise,” Van Hollen said in the statement. Google has agreed to pay Wisconsin approximately $336,000 of the $17 million. The money is set to be used for attorney’s fees and consumer protection initiatives.
speech from page 1 from the lecture.” “The inequality issue [in the United States] is more than a matter of productivity, it is a matter of creating less poor people and a bigger middle class,” Moffette said.
Andrew Mangham, co-director of the Greater University Tutoring Service, speaks Monday in open forum and explains certain parts of its 2014-’15 budget. The budget was approved 8-0.
Student Services Finance Committee approves Greater University Tutoring Service’s 2014-’15 budget The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee approved the Greater University Tutoring Service’s 2014-’15 budget in a unanimous decision Monday. According to its website, GUTS is a student organization that provides free tutors to help students with academic work, study skills and intercultural communication. “I am pretty comfortable with most of this budget,” Representative Devon Maier said. “They thought it through quite a bit.” SSFC approved the $148,762.06 budget 8-0 with one abstention. SSFC heard a funding request
from Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán. MEChA is an organization that believes political involvement and education is the way to change the Chicano society, according to the MEChA website. The group sponsors many events such as La Bienvenida, a welcome event for students, organizations and staff at the beginning of the year. Numerous MEChA facilitators and coordinators presented a budget of $95,219, which is $64,000 less than last year. MEChA members faced many issues, such as relocation and renovations within their new location due to asbestos. SSFC members were concerned that these issues
could impact the functionality of programs. According to MEChA presenters, the programs are still running smoothly. SSFC will decide on MEChA’s final budget Thursday. SSFC members also passed the Campus Services Process Legislation, which will provide a student-directed, professional staff-supported organization that “helps students address problems facing our society,” according to the legislation. SSFC Chair David Vines will appoint a procurement board compiled of ASM representatives that will evaluate the next steps for the request. —Maija Inveiss
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for students include remaining insured under their parents’ plans until age 26, seeking coverage through BadgerCare Plus or Medicaid and buying individual insurance plans. Director of Covering Kids and Families Molly Bandt said it is important young people are protected under the ACA because they are statistically more likely to visit the emergency room due to injury-relat-
ed causes. She said having an insurance plan casts a safety net for these kind of situations. Bandt encourages students to become more knowledgeable about health care options because they may not be as expensive as many imagine. “This is a really dynamic period in health insurance nationally and in Wisconsin and I just think it’s really important for everybody to pay attention,” she said.
“I worry about the 200,000 young people in Wisconsin between the ages of 19 and 35 who have no insurance at all,” Falk said. Caroline Gomez, a health care outreach specialist with Covering Kids and Families, said ACA strives to insure young adults to combat this statistic. Current health care options
A former Student Council chair filed a complaint Monday about a proposed budget amendment that would transfer money out of the Varsity Day fund. Former Chair Andrew Bulovsky’s 2012-’13 student council session passed Varsity Day in this year’s internal budget. The day is intended to be devoted to spirit-promoting activities such as a speaker and campus pride events. In a complaint to Associated Students of Madison Student Judiciary, Bulovsky said the Varsity Day line item came with clear guidelines about dispensing the funds. “It’s a slippery slope if you start changing the entire budget,” Bulovsky said. He asked the judiciary to prohibit the removal of Varsity Day funds and outline a precedent where current sessions should defer to the previous session’s budget decision. The amendment, set for discussion at a Wednesday ASM meeting, would transfer $6,800 from the $60,000 Varsity Day fund to two sources: ASM office supplies and Registered Student Organization printing and supply grants. The amendment states the full $60,000 is no longer needed because the Chancellor’s Office has agreed to dedicate funds to Varsity Day, but Bulovsky said the money could still be useful. Current Chair David Gardner declined to comment. On Monday, the judiciary ruled that the Student Services Finance Committee did not commit violations in their decision to deny the MultiCultural Student Coalition funding eligibility. MCSC had claimed SSFC violated due process and viewpoint neutrality guidelines, but the judiciary ruled in SSFC’s favor. However, the judiciary instructed SSFC to remedy issues with hearing recordings and discrepancies about the appeals process, two issues highlighted by MCSC. —Tamar Myers
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Demystifying the stigmatic ‘gamer’ tag Adam Paris SEGA WHAT!?!
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et’s play a game. Imagine I walk up to you, a typical 20-year-old college student, and introduce myself. Moving past the niceties of introductions you inquire what my interests are. “I’m a gamer,” I reply casually. How do you respond? Do you think of me as childish? The word “gamer” has acquired a vile connotation in most people’s vernacular nowadays. I hate being embarrassed to associate myself with my passion. I recognize my depiction of gamers in this article is not even close to indicative of the majority of players out there. It’s mainly in response to the annoyingly inappropriate perception portrayed in mainstream media. I shout gamer ironically
when a video game ad comes on television. Last week Ubisoft used Drake’s “Started from the Bottom” in their “Assassin’s Creed IV” trailer. Video game advertisements are so ridiculously dumb. Why must they keep feeding this garbage that perpetuates the childish stereotypes associated with the medium?
The stigma behind “gamer” will hopefully change. Right now it’s more a matter of understanding the different degrees of the word.
The worst part is that gaming is arguably the most connected medium in the world. The industry has never had a more diverse fanbase. Its very foundation is built on making connections and creating competition. It’s about taking four Xboxes to a “Halo” LAN party
and realizing you forgot the ethernet. It’s about stuffing your mouth with Mountain Dewritos and sometimes being okay with that. Then I remember every joke lambasting Mountain Dew Game Fuel online. When did drinking soda and eating chips become social suicide? I probably care too much about my public persona. I try to dress up most days, but when I see someone wearing some mainstream video game shirt, I cringe. You keep that stuff hidden away! Then I realize I want to compliment them on their “Portal” shirt and invite them over to play the co-op campaign for the fifth time. My anxiety is only perpetuating the problem. I go to great lengths to hide my passion from people. I try to only get “tasteful” game posters or shirts that hide their subject so well people may not understand they’re about a video game. It just feels safer that way. They ask what my shirt’s about and I tell them it’s “‘Star Fox’ with real animals.” “Oh,” they
reply. Video games. Gaming is so ubiquitous at this point, when saying I write about video games, I know I relate to the majority of the people. They ask if I played the new “Nazi Zombies” maps yet and I calmly reply, “No,” while groaning in my head. Even among other gamers I shun the idea of appealing to anything associated with the manufactured “gamer” persona. When people ask me my favorite game I’ve played this year, I would probably say “MirrorMoon EP,” a game where you casually discover new planets while soaking in the gorgeous collage of colors assaulting your eyes. My most anticipated game wasn’t “Grand Theft Auto V,” it’s something called “Burrito Galaxy.” I guess it’s mainly sobering to realize I hit a point where I can feel embarrassed by my passion. It’s like having your parents show baby pictures to all your friends, except it happens literally every time I tell someone what I write about for a living.
I remember when I could innocently crawl up to my room over winter break to play “Halo” for hours on end. Now I have to think about the glut of annoying voices casually throwing racist remarks around online. I get to see the most vile comment boards on the Internet. I hear every indie developer complaining about the tiring infighting that happens far too often. I liked when I could just drink hot chocolate and play “Viewtiful Joe.” The stigma behind “gamer” will hopefully change. Right now it’s more a matter of understanding the different degrees of the word. I could chat your ear off about obscure video game analysis; it’s one of the few things I legitimately enjoy debating. I probably won’t though. If you need me, I’ll be the gamer in the back, hiding my profession behind a skinny tie and dress socks. Want to know the true essence of a “gamer?” Email Adam at arparis@wisc.edu.
More concert venues need to allow all-ages audiences Brian Weidy weid-ing out the noise
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ate last week, Sullivan Hall, a venue in New York City’s Greenwich Village, closed unexpectedly after a 17 year run. While never my favorite venue, I visited the sans-frills joint numerous times due to its location—namely its proximity to my favorite pizza place—and consistent booking. Furthermore, they had one feature that set them apart in my book, which is they let in 18-year-olds. The venue was exactly what you look for when it comes to national touring acts and big-ish local bands. Upon walking in, you were met with a bar on the left, a merchandise table to the right and a stage at the front. That’s it. The real issue with Sullivan Hall closing is the dearth of all-ages venues, or at least venues that will let in minors. New York City has hundreds of venues, with each catering to a particular niche by and large. Some, like Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center, are giant arenas. Those, by virtue of generating their revenue from ticket sales and food, do not rely on solely alcohol sales to turn a profit on a show. To continue further down the chain, with the closure of the Roseland Ballroom—which I hated, and thus, does not get it’s own column for closing down— leaves just Terminal 5 and Radio City Music Hall in terms of largecapacity theaters. Terminal 5, with the closure of the Roseland, finds itself with the undisputed crown of “Worst Venue in New York.” Scratch that, the world. I clearly have not been to every venue in the world; however, it really does not get much worse than trekking to 56th street and vir-
tually the Hudson River to not be able to see, move or breathe. Without running through every venue in New York City, one hits a certain point, at about 500 to 600 people, where ticket sales alone will not allow a venue to turn a profit. The 250-capacity Mercury Lounge, which books some of the best bands around—including a number of bands who should be playing venues two or three times larger—is 21 and up. The Bell House, which is booked by Todd Abramson, the person who used to book Maxwell’s, the legendary club in
Hoboken, also finds the majority of their shows 21 and up. My personal favorite venue in New York City, the Brooklyn Bowl, is 21 and up save for the rarest of occasions. But what happened to the great all ages venues of yesteryear? The Brooklyn Bowl is currently owned and operated by Pete Shapiro, a man who is as much responsible for the jam music scene as anyone, used to own the legendary Wetlands Preserve. What separated the Wetlands from its counterparts was putting the music first, last and everywhere in between. Nearly all of
my favorite bands, from Phish to Pearl Jam to Rage Against the Machine played the 500-capacity venue (although likely hundreds more poured in for a number of shows). The best part of the venue—it was all ages. The club unfortunately closed in 2001, with its final show coming right on the heels of 9/11; however, it left an infallible reputation as arguably the most important venue for a giant number of bands. The venue also left a stark impression on a number of kids (kids meaning anyone under 21 for this definition), as they were able to see a band at a reasonable price
Graphic by Chrystel Paulson
and before they made it “big”— with “big” being a relative term for a number of the bands that played the Wetlands. As someone who considers himself to be somewhat of a concert junkie, my 21st birthday cannot come soon enough for a world of musical options to become available to me. Additionally, I’ve been told that once you turn 21, you don’t want drunken minors ruining your musical experience.
Madison has the benefit of the Majestic, which in recent years has brought in great national touring acts while letting in those under 21.
But with that being said, I’ll think back to the time when I was 17 and all I wanted to do was see Soulive play any of their 10 shows at the Brooklyn Bowl but being shut out of each and every one. I’ll think back to when The National played the Mercury Lounge the day before they played the 60-times-larger Barclays Center. To wrap this up, why one goes to a concert is different for everyone. For some, it’s the music. For others, it’s the party. But at the end of the day, while from a dollars and sense perspective, I understand why a venue wouldn’t want to let in minors. However, I just wish more places would let kids go see live music. Madison has the benefit of the Majestic, which in recent years has brought in great national touring acts while letting in those under 21. If only every city was so progressive to have this kind of mid-size venue let in minors. Want to start an all-ages venue with Brian? Start the planning process by emailing him at weidy@wisc.edu.
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Communion bounces back to Madison with headliner Tennis By Jonny Shapiro the daily cardinal
One month is up, and Communion is back for its second installment in Madison. With it comes Tennis, the nostalgic, pop-rock duo from Colorado. Although their home is in the mountains, the married couple’s first album was conceived on a trip that helped give the band national attention: an eight-month sailing trip down the eastern seaboard. I spoke with lead singer Alaina Moore about the trip, as well as their newest release, Small Sound. Tennis is as much a love story as a rock band. Moore and husband Patrick Riley met each other in college and decided to make music together. Not long after this, they ditched the every day for a fairy tale journey on the sea to pen love songs. No, this is not a Garry Marshall flick. It’s not a Hans Christian Andersen story. It’s simply the life we all dream about. “We had led the most normal, unimaginative lives,” Moore said. “After finishing college, Patrick and I felt like all of our life had just been read about in books and not manifested in any way. It was something Patrick had wanted to do his whole life, so we started sailing together. We just decided to connect through it even though it’s a little absurd, because we were obviously land locked in Colorado. I had actually never been to the ocean before. I told everyone that I knew that in six months we were selling everything and moving away. The more people we told, the more committed we were. I couldn’t back out of it because I would look like a huge dick. We just made it real. We sold all of our possessions as soon as we graduated, bought one way tickets to Florida and left.” Upon their return, the dream continued. The personal songs they wrote at sea turned into Cape Dory, their 2011 debut album, which gained positive reviews and a feature on NPR. “It was a really transformative time. It felt magical. The lives we were leading had been so isolated, and the fact that something we did connected with a lot of people was really weird,” Moore said. “The was the number one compelling reason to start pursuing a career in music. We ended up sharing what would be universal emotions even though our experience was so unique. Once you have that, it’s kind of like a drug. You don’t want to give it up.” The band enlisted The Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney to produce their 2012 album, Young & Old. Tennis doesn’t rock the same hard-nosed grunge sound as The Black Keys, but Moore insisted that the pairing could not have been better. “The learning curve was really high, almost painfully so. We didn’t know a lot about making a record, but Carney was a lot more experienced with it.
We were huge Black Keys fans; that kind of gritty rock ‘n’ roll edge is something that we really like,”Moore said. “Even though our music came out differently, we consider ourselves born out of the lo-fi movement. Wavves’ first album changed my life, just pure distortion. Even though it seemed like an unusual pairing, to us it made a lot of sense. He seemed like the only person we could bring on board to get the sound we wanted.” Tennis spent time in Nashville this summer working on their EP Small Sound. The first single, “Mean Streets,” was released a few weeks ago, and it sounds like the band picked up a cool groove down south. “I wish I could tell you what our new album will sound like. Our taste keeps evolving. The more we play live, the wider net I want to cast. I lose interest if I do the same thing night after night,” Moore said. “After we play a show, I want to write a song that’s more and more different from anything I’ve ever played before. I’m not sure where we’ll land by the time we finish a full length record, but I hope it will push us in the furthest reaches of pop music.” Joining Tennis at Communion this month will be University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire product Building on Buildings. The four-piece band, which formed in early 2013, goes in a few genre directions with their self-titled three-song EP, or as they like to call it, a “3P.” “Connie, Shawn and I were all in a band called Thieves on Holiday, but hadn’t done anything musically for a while,” lead singer Erin Fuller explained. “I took a lot of time off of playing music to be a mom and sort out some bigger life stuff. Once I moved back to Madison, the clouds kind of lifted and I started songwriting again. To light a fire under our ass, Connie and I decided to book a small tour, a winter respite, to points south as a duo in late March. The collective started practicing in February, went on tour in late March and released our little ‘3P’ just before our first full band show at the High Noon this past June.” With just three songs on the EP, the band certainly shows their chops. Fuller can break your heart with her voice and put it back together with magnetic melodies and lyrics. You can hear in it the indie folk shades of Florence + the Machine and fellow Eau Claire musician Justin Vernon, along with the lo-fi rock sounds of Pavement and Wilco. If you look at their Facebook page, they list themselves as mercurial rock. “Our sound is a confluence of our individual influences, which overlap and diverge. Whoever is writing any given song usually takes the lead,” Fuller said. “We’re all music junkies with broad collections spanning decades of great music, so we
Some things we really, really like this week: 1. Emo Revival Music: It’s the point of the semester when everything is piling up and you need a release. Check out Small Leaks Sink Ships or Pianos Become the Teeth if you’re feeling sunk. 2. “Roundabout” by Yes: Though it can be hard to swallow due to its length, if you can get through this proggy opus, you will be in a Yes mood. 3. The movies of Wes Anderson: One of the quirkiest directors of all time, Anderson and his films offer a comedic release from what’s supposed to be the happiest time of the year. “The Royal Tenenbaums” is a personal favorite.
album art courtesy of Building on Buildings
Madison-area band Building on Buildings will play the second Communion at The Frequency along with Tennis and On An On. like to sprinkle in a bit of any and everything that trips our trigger. Indie, but not too precious.” Fuller and the rest of the band just finished recording in Eau Claire for their first LP, which will be released in February or March 2014. “We had a fantastic experience recording with the brilliant Jaime Hansen at April Base! Just got the first pass at rough mixes and it sounds amazing,” Fuller said. “Since we all have stupid busy lives, this was really the first time since inception that we’ve been in one place to just concentrate on music. It was like band camp.” It isn’t easy for Fuller to juggle the senior designer position at Planet Propaganda, a Madisonbased design and advertising
agency, with being a single parent to a busy 5-year-old boy. Still, she’s happy to squeeze music into her hectic schedule. “An idle mind is not my friend. I started out as a flute major in school, but discovered I didn’t want to be locked in a practice room for most of my college career,” Fuller said. “So, I fell into the design field and pursued musical endeavors outside of school. Music always played a huge part in my life. It’s my therapy, my constant, my motivation. Music is my boyfriend.” Tennis and Building on Buildings will take the stage at The Frequency for Communion Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. You can also catch Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, On and On, Savoir Adore and Brandon Beebe.
4. “Myra Breckinridge” by Gore Vidal: One of the most clever writers, “Breckinridge” is his quintessential novel. 5. “Let Her Go” by The Passenger: The melody is emotional and easy to listen to. For repeated listens, check out the bass line. 6. The music of Counting Crows: Because come on. They’re the Counting Crows. What’s not to like? 7. “The Breakfast Club”: This John Hughes classic will warm your heart and make you wonder whatever happened to Molly Ringwald. Don’t you forget about it.
comics
Stay off the street. Trypophobia is the fear of clusters of small holes.
6 • Tuesday, November 19, 2013
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By Nick Kryshak nkryshak@wisc.edu
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Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com
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# 36 1 5 8 4 3 2 1 9 6 7 5 6 2 7 5 8 9 1 4 3 4 1 demegan2@wisc.edu 3 9 7 6 4 2 8 5 By Dillard M.F. Egan 7 3 6 8 2 1 7 4 5 9 6 9 1 2 6 4 5 3 7 8 8 7 4 5 8 9 3 6 2 1 2 8 5 6 9 3 2 7 1 4 3 4 7 3 1 5 6 8 9 2 9 2 9 1 4 7 8 5 3 6
24 Jul 05
opinion House should not impeach Eric Holder Spencer lindsay opinion columnist
R
euters reports that House Republicans are planning to introduce articles of impeachment against Attorney General Eric Holder. While this plan is politically unfeasible, given that the Democrats control the Senate and Republicans don’t have anywhere near the twothirds majority required to actually pass the articles in the House, it does speak volumes about our political discourse and the recent paralysis of the Legislative Branch. While the grounds of impeachment are not entirely unfounded, they blow a minor administrative mishap way out of proportion and are based more on politics than any serious misdeeds. People in Congress are not stupid; they know these measures will not pass. They are not doing this to realistically pursue justice and the protection of our democracy, but rather to publicly shame a political rival. This illustrates how divided and ineffective our legislature
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
is. Rather than dealing with serious issues that require their attention, they are spending their time on ideological measures to say mean things about their opponents. If we want an effective government we have to stop our the men and women in Congress from doing things like this.
It is clear House Republicans are using these articles as an act of public humiliation.
The first article of impeachment is actually based on wrongdoing, and something the attorney general should be held accountable for. It is based on ‘Operation Fast and Furious’ in which the Justice Department sold guns to Mexican drug cartels with the intention of tracking the guns and catching high-up violent criminals in the cartel. In actuality the U.S. just sold 2,000
Influence people.
guns to low-level traffickers. This policy initiative was a massive failure, and Holder should bear some responsibility for it. Holder is accused of trying to cover up the program’s failures by refusing to give Congress documents they subpoenaed. While this may be illegal, it does not warrant impeachment. In the late ’80s, President Ronald Reagan continued to support Nicaraguan Contras in secret after Congress had passed legislation ordering him to stop doing so. While this was clearly illegal, Reagan did not face impeachment for it. While both programs were illegal, they were massive policy blunders that should never have happened. They were administrative errors rather than intentional invocations of harm upon the nation. There should be measures taken to prevent anything like this from ever happening again, but that doesn’t mean we should impeach someone over it. Subsequent articles of impeachment are ideologically driven and clearly based more on politics than any breach of the law. One takes aim at
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next semester for The Daily Cardinal? Come to our Opinion Writers’ Meeting this Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7:00P.M. in 2142 Vilas Hall to meet the opinion editors and tell them your ideas!
constantly hear that my generation is going to be socially stunted because of our incessant use of social media. I feel as though I am frequently listening to people tell me that we won’t be able to pick up on social cues or react in real world situations because we have become socialized in a cyber-world. However, I’m not convinced that social media and this new age of technology are wholly detrimental to social development. As with anything, there are obvious positives and negatives. There is a huge issue with cyberbullying. It’s much easier to sit back behind a computer screen and type a derogatory comment than it is to bully in person. However, the effects of the cyberbullying are just as detrimental as any type of bullying to the victim. In a similar vein, at the end of almost every online article, I’m appalled by how vicious the comments are. Oftentimes, the comments not only attack the content of the article, but also the writing of the author or other commentators. I believe a lot of that willingness to comment so strongly comes from the ability to write behind a username as well as a computer screen. Of course that’s not always the case, but I think it contributes to it. Additionally, social media sites obviously open up our lives to the public and to the hundreds of people that we allow to be our friends. This often creates an obsessive desire within us to have our lives look as cool and as fun
as possible by picking the right profile picture, uploading the right pictures or making an appearance on others’ pages. Social media has caused us to become more self-conscious. Similarly, we are also much too open on social media sites. My biggest problem with Facebook right now is that I don’t care about the majority of posted status updates. Users are posting useless information that would most likely seem irrelevant if they were telling a group of hundreds of people in person rather than over the Internet. Undoubtedly, social media is a time-waster for many of its users. I know plenty of individuals who delete their Facebook or Twitter accounts during finals week, just to ensure that they don’t end up spending hours sucked into a site they can’t afford to spend time on. However, with all those negatives aside, there are some enormous benefits to social media use. For example, and most importantly, communication is becoming much easier for my generation. Although I attend a different university than most of my high school friends, it’s incredibly easy to check up on them, to see their posts on my newsfeed, to write on their Facebook wall or to send them a chat. I understand that many people are worried about kids’ ability to interact face-to-face and pick up on different social cues. However, I think that the way we communicate through this new-found technology and social media can absolutely relay our personalities; it’s simply in a different manner. We are talented at deciphering the writing styles
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laws disproportionately affect minorities. Like the article samesex marriage laws this is clearly based on House Republican’s disagreement with his policy rather than any misdeeds. One other article focuses on his decision not to prosecute an IRS administrator who decided to over-scrutinize a conservative political activist. This may require further investigation, but given what we know about the situation right now, it is not grounds for impeachment as Holder is not implicated in the controversy whatsoever. While Eric Holder has made some mistakes, these mistakes do not warrant impeachment. If House Speaker John Boehner knows what’s good for him and for the party he will not allow the articles to be introduced, and even if he does, they stand virtually no chance of passing. It is clear House Republicans are using these articles as an act of public humiliation. Frankly, the House has better things to do than whine about how much they don’t like someone. Do you think Holder should be impeached? Please send feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Millennials are not socially stunted by social media usage Alex Swanson opinion columnist
Want to be an opinion columnist
Holders choice not to enforce same sex marriage laws that have since been ruled unconstitutional. As a member of the Executive Branch he has the right to prioritize certain cases, and choosing not to prioritize same sex marriage cases is well within his right. I find it admirable that he chose to stand up for the rights of same-sex couples rather than continue to discriminate against them. Holder was acting within the law by not enforcing laws that clearly violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The Supreme Court agreed with his objection. Another article takes aim at his decision to not enforce mandatory minimums for prison sentences on non-violent drug offenses. This is another case in which he has the right to prioritize and deprioritize the enforcement of certain laws. Non-violent drug offenders do not deserve to go to jail for making mistakes in their personal lives, and I commend the attorney general for recognizing this. Mandatory minimums also carry racial undertones and are partly responsible for why drug
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of our friends. It’s easy for us to tell when a friend is upset over Facebook or text simply by the way they use punctuation or by their word choice. We post videos, pictures and statuses that we think our friends will like. It’s very personal communication; it’s just not face to face. The role of news on social media is critical. The most important news stories are inescapable to most social media users simply because the information will be tweeted or shared multiple times. With social media’s huge audience, it’s easy to keep up with the most popular current events. Social media is also ideal for organization. Students use Facebook groups for class projects, for extracurricular activities and as an entire class resource site. Organizations use social media to post important information about their service or product. Artists are constantly using social media to publicize their work and gain support. Finally, I think there is a way to handle this technological age while becoming perfectly socially adept. The vast majority of people still prefer in-person contact to technological contact, and of course kids are still learning important social cues by being together in person. However, social media allows us to keep in contact with friends and family who we can’t see face-to-face. I think the technological age has major advantages, and of course some issues that need to be worked through. But, I can’t agree with those who think the world is undoubtedly moving to become too technologically based. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Sports
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2013 DAILYCARDINAL.COM
Press Conference
Seasons finishing and beginning for UW By Claire Lancaster THE DAILY CARDINAL
Football
Wisconsin’s (5-1 Big Ten, 8-2 overall) blowout against Indiana last weekend elongated its now five-game win streak. Head coach Gary Andersen, however, didn’t celebrate long before directing his attention to this week’s battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe against Minnesota (4-2, 8-2). The border battle rivalry will continue this Saturday in the Land of Lakes, while Wisconsin looks to extend its nine-game win streak over the Gophers. Andersen thinks the matchup between the teams, who have the same overall record, will come down to staying level and managing turnovers. “Turnovers are going to be a huge factor, just like they are every single week. You saw what a couple of early turnovers could do in the game last week,” Andersen said. “We’ve played very well on offense. I think that will be a key.” Andersen thinks Minnesota’s
strengths are its sound scheme and respected coaching. Unlike many of the teams the Badgers have recently played, Minnesota won’t go for the fast break, but their fly sweep-oriented offense will be able to run the ball in a similar way to Wisconsin. “Down those lines, we’re very much the same team when it comes to a theory or, I guess, an identity,” Andersen said.
Men’s Basketball
Wisconsin (3-0) anticipates a demanding three-game week at home. After three previous triumphs against solid teams, the players have proven their potential. “The only thing we know for certain is that we’re 3-0, and what we’ve taken from it remains to be seen,” head coach Bo Ryan said. “They’ve answered the bell. Each of the teams we played definitely had the potential to put us on the right hand side.” Ryan was pleasantly surprised with the playing of his freshmen, especially forward Nigel Hayes and guard Bronson Koenig. “[Koenig] has got a lot of basketball skill, a lot of moxy, just
knows how to play, can get things done, and he’s learning how to play defense the way we need him to,” Ryan said. Though Ryan expressed that he would like to have more than a day to prepare for games, the way the schedule was made means Wisconsin will have to recover quickly from its games against North Dakota, Bowling Green and Oral Roberts this week. “Three different opponents in five and a half days, it better be about what you’re trying to get done, more so than what your opponent brings,” Ryan said. “Even though we do like days to prepare.”
Women’s Volleyball
The Badgers (9-7 Big Ten, 20-8) closed out the last of their home games this season with a loss to No. 2 Penn State and a victory over Ohio State. They will conclude the regular season with four games on the road. Head coach Kelly Sheffield said he expects to be a seeded team after the Badgers complete next week’s road trip to Michigan and Michigan State. Despite their loss against Penn State, Sheffield was happy with how his team played. “[The] two times we played Penn State, I think we held them to their two lowest hitting percentages of the year in conference,” Sheffield said. “We just haven’t been able to generate enough offense.” Sheffield says the next two games will be a battle to win, improve and be a seeded team, which he believes is attainable with the improvement of junior outside hitter Ellen Chapman and junior outside hitter Deme Morales. “Chapman is getting a lot better out there,” Sheffield said “Deme’s ball control is getting a lot better. Our connection with our middles is getting a lot better.”
Women’s Basketball WIL GIBB/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
Bo Ryan is impressed with Nigel Hayes’ play early this season.
Wisconsin looks to continue its undefeated season against
WIL GIBB/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year junior AJ Cochran and the Badgers will host Milwaukee in the NCAA tournament Thursday. Alabama this Thursday and extend their first 3-0 start since 2009. Head coach Bobbie Kelsey admitted they still have a long way to go, even after the earlyseason success. “I know the last two years we struggled in the beginning, but we finally have some pieces there that we need to compete on the level that we are expecting ourselves to compete on,” Kelsey said. Kelsey is also anticipating the chemistry between sisters redshirt junior forward Michala Johnson and freshman forward Malayna Johnson to be explosive once Malayna has more practice under her belt. In contrast to last year when the team led the Big Ten in turnovers, according to Kelsey, the Badgers are handling the ball well with the help of sophomore guard Dakota Whyte. “I think we really made a concerted effort to not make plays that just aren’t there,” Kelsey said. “I think some of our turnovers last year was just trying to force things. Some of it was just we were tired. We didn’t have a sub last year.”
The BCS’s major flaw is adding human biases to computers JACK BAER baer necessities Wisconsin is the fifth best football team in the country. At least they are in the numbers of Jeff Sagarin, creator of one of the six BCS computer polls. According to Sagarin’s preferred rating system, only four teams lie ahead of the Badgers and that’s counting the “loss” to Arizona State, who are sixth in these rankings. But when Sagarin submits his rankings to the BCS, he will register the Badgers as the 20th best team in the country. This is because Sagarin is forced by a BCS restriction to not use margin of victory in his rankings, even if it makes the rankings less accurate (and he admits this, on the masthead of his rankings). Yes, you read that correctly. The BCS decreed that stop-
ping teams like Wisconsin from destroying the UMass’s of the world was more important than accurately ranking teams. This is just one step in a long tradition of the BCS altering its computer polls for political reasons. A quality win bonus was installed after Miami missed out on the national championship despite a wealth of perceived quality wins. The edict to eliminate margin of victory in computer polls came in 2002 after Nebraska reached the national championship thanks to beating down inferior teams. After the 2003 split-championship fiasco, the BCS was reorganized and the computer rankings lost much of their weight, since they were the ones who locked out USC from the title game. In all of these incidents, the computers were deemed incorrect and altered to fit the human polls idea of how teams should be evaluated. That is really, really stupid.
Any student who has ever paid attention in a chemistry or statistics class knows that you do not change your procedures to get the data you want. That flies in the face of the entire reason you do experiments and calculations in the first place. Altering the computers to match human opinion completely defeats their purpose. This is all just another reason why no tears will be shed when the BCS finally gives way to the badly named, but better constructed College Football Playoff next season. The BCS deemed political correctness and similarities to human polls as more important than supposed objective accuracy, because accuracy might be divergent from what they expected. Also, it’s not like teams really cared much about political correctness. Ohio State beat a team 76-0 earlier this season. Guys, maybe
teams just like destroying things. Because of this fear of divergent accuracy, the polls we use to objectively rank teams and eliminate bias now have built in bias, because they have been altered to be like the very thing they were supposed to oppose. Maybe the BCS should have just stopped using computer polls. Anytime the computer polls did what they were added to the BCS to do, offer an opinion that opposed the human polls, the BCS just altered the computer polls to make sure that it would never happen again. If they were afraid of something doing what it was supposed to do, why did they keep that thing around? Will you miss the BCS system? How long have you been looking forward to the College Football Playoff? Let Jack know what you think by emailing jfbaer@wisc.edu.
Men’s Soccer
For the first time since 1995, Wisconsin (4-2-0, 13-4-2) qualified for the NCAA tournament. They will play their first game at the McClimon Soccer Complex this Thursday against Milwaukee (5-2 Horizon League, 15-2-2), and hope to add to their perfect home season. Though not surprised, head coach John Trask expressed his excitement for his team’s success, and for them to be put to the test. “I think we’re right about where we were hoping to be,” Trask said. “I know our guys are really looking forward to playing at least one more game in Madison.” Trask said he expects Milwaukee to be a tough challenge, and that at this point in the season his ultimate goal is to advance. He also asserted that the team’s best playing has yet to be seen. “There’s always a little bit of worry on our end as coaches to make sure that we’re locked in, we’re dialed in for what’s next,” Trask said. “I think there’s more in this team.”
Men’s soccer in NCAA tourney The Wisconsin men’s soccer team made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995. Coincidentally, the Badgers won the championship that season. In the NCAA Selection Show yesterday, the team and fans alike were informed that instate rival Milwaukee (5-2 Horizon League, 15-2-2 overall) would be coming to Madison for their first round showdown Thursday at 7 p.m. Wisconsin travelled to play the Panthers Oct. 23 and the game ended in a 1-1 (2OT) tie. The McClimon Soccer Complex has given the Badgers a true home field advantage this season. They are a perfect 9-0-0 at home this season. The winner of this game will travel to play the No. 3 overall seed Notre Dame. JONAH BELECKIS