Monday, December 5, 2016 - The Daily Cardinal

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Monday, December 5, 2016

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Nittany Lions too much for Badgers in Indianapolis

+SPORTS, page 8

Students, community share Indian culture By Mason Muerhoff THE DAILY CARDINAL

While in an Uber driving across Madison, Ashish Shenoy, a graduate student at UW-Madison from Bangalore, was surprised when his driver asked if he’d heard of Diwali night, an event Shenoy organizes. Shenoy is the president of the Indian Graduate Student Association, which facilitates many events that students and community members—both of Indian heritage and not—cherish. “I was really happy to hear that people are looking forward

to the event,” Shenoy said. “That it’s not just the students, the Madison population in general.” According to Shenoy, IGSA celebrations are landmarks in many graduate students’ careers. “These events are actually essential for the graduate student experience over here, not just the Indian graduate students but every graduate student’s,” he said. Diwali is one of four main events the IGSA hosts each year, second to the celebration welcoming new members. Shenoy said in India it is the celebration of light over darkness

with a plurality of religious and cultural backstories, making it one of the most widely celebrated and highly anticipated holidays of the year. “Some people take [Diwali night] very very seriously,” he said. “The performers put in a lot of time and dedication towards it.” At the Diwali celebration this year, performances featured Kalaanjali, Aalok Nritya and Bhangra, all traditional Indian dance forms, as well as Bollywood dancers and several

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MASON MUERHOFF/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Three dancers performing Aalok Nritya, a dance for light, at the 2016 Conference for South Asia in Madison, for Diwali night.

Library display to ‘amplify’ voice of homeless students By Sammy Gibbons THE DAILY CARDINAL

BEN DAVIS/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Several UW-Madison student organizations protested the cancelled Dakota Access pipeline.

UW students respond to easement of Dakota Access pipeline project By Sammy Gibbons THE DAILY CARDINAL

UW-Madison students who participated in the activism against the Dakota Access pipeline say they are satisfied with The Army Corps of Engineers’ Sunday decision to look for alternative routes, but know that their jobs are not done. The construction of the pipeline drew thousands of protesters, who believed spills from the pipeline could contaminate the tribe’s drinking water, to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe land, a reservation that is half a mile from the pipeline. Members of the student organizations Climate Action 350 and the Sierra Student Coalition traveled to Standing Rock to help winterize the camp. They brought 10,000 pounds of food donations, which were collected in a drive organized by the groups.

Climate Action 350 also coordinated a rally on National Day of Action in solidarity with the Standing Rock protesters. Climate Action 350 coordinator Lauren Peretz said the group is going to continue working to assist the Water Protectors. “We are beyond ecstatic that the Obama administration finally stepped up and did the right thing by not granted the easement,” Peretz said. “While this is a huge victory for Standing Rock and the Water Protectors, it is important to realize that the fight is not over … when [Donald] Trump becomes president he could override Obama’s decision and allow the easement … we will continue our efforts to support the Water Protectors at Standing Rock.” Indigenous student organization Wunk Sheek contributed to the efforts at Standing Rock by

raising more than $2,000 to donate to the tribe through a GoFundMe page. They also raised awareness around UW-Madison about the issues at hand. Wunk Sheek Co-President Emily Nelis said the group, like Climate Action 350, is celebrating the news, but is aware that the pipeline is not completely denied. They have been told that protesters are not leaving the site until the decision is final, and Wunk Sheek will not stop their activism either. “The indigenous voice is often overlooked or unacknowledged in many cases, but it is necessary to have our voices heard,” Nelis said. “We hope that by spreading awareness and starting campaigns, we can help educate the UW-Madison community about the issues that affect our Native communities across Turtle Island.”

Brooke Evans, a scholaractivist at UW-Madison who has dealt with homelessness on several occasions during her college career, will have her story, and ones like hers, recognized in a display on campus. Evans, who is a sixth-year, non-traditional transfer student said she will “amplify the voices” of students like her. Her Glamour article will be displayed in College Library, where many students visit and where she spent much of her time. For six years, the first generation student has dealt with being considered low income and sleep-

ing in her car on numerous nights. “I used to sleep in College Library, so it’s almost like College Library is putting this story up on its refrigerator much like families do at their homes,” Evans said in an email. “I feel like College Library is taking a stance and tackling these social issues head on, and I feel supported by the one place on campus where I sought the most refuge.” Evans is working with Pamela O’Donnell, head of communications for College Library, to plan details for the exhibit, which will be displayed in early Spring 2017.

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Blocked overtime rule halts UW raises More than 3,000 UW-Madison employees will not receive proposed salary increases or switch to hourly positions following a federal judge’s recent block of President Barack Obama’s overtime pay rule. The changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act, struck down in court Nov. 22, would have modified regulations across the country that dictated overtime pay by requiring employers who paid salaried workers less than $47,500 per year to pay extra if those employees worked more than 40 hours in a week—a bump up from the previous benchmark of less than $23,660 per year. In response to those changes, UW-Madison administration had

planned to increase some employee salaries and move other employees from salaried to hourly positions Dec. 1. But with the rule blocked, the university has paused those plans. “UW-Madison does not have statutory authority to provide increases based on the new FLSA salary threshold if the modified regulations have not been implemented,” a university release said Thursday. School employees will still be eligible for raises based on merit or other common factors, and the campus still plans to move forward with its proposal to raise salaries for postdoctoral workers. — Madeline Heim

“…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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