THE ARTIST OF THE DECADE REVEALED
The Green Room questions Mother Nature’s willingness to nurture the American lifestyle in the future OPINION
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Hint: Backed by Satan and seven armies, there’s no arguing with this dynamic duo Complete campus coverage since 1892
Alders hope to boost tenant aid By Ryan Hebel The Daily Cardinal
Some city officials have a message for students as final exam week approaches: Procrastinate. At least when it comes to signing new leases. Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, said students are too eager to hit the housing market before winter break, despite a recent surge in supply fueled by high-rise apartments. Student demand may be driven up, she said, by student tenants having just three months to decide whether to renew their lease before landlords may legally put a property on the market. “It’s sort of an arms race,” said Maniaci, who proposed a city ordinance that would push the renewal date for most leases back to Feb. 15. Maniaci said she hopes the ordinance will help first-time renters, especially freshmen, avoid committing to a roommate they hardly know, and others from renewing before seeing a winter heating bill. According to Nancy Jensen, executive director of the Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin, landlords are just reacting to the demand. “The majority of students like to sign their leases before they go home for second semester, so our practices are driven by what our consumer wants.” It wasn’t always that way, according to Apex Property owner Bruce Bosben. “I started doing this in 1986, and at that time nobody was interested in renting any place until after spring break.” He said students have been asking to rent sooner and sooner ever since. “To me, it’s a nuisance. It’d be nice to have the rental season concentrated in a briefer period rather than having it effectively run all year. If Bridget wants to make this
proposal, it would be fine with me.” Brenda Konkel, director of Madison’s Tenant Resource Center, said students who wait out the rush can reap huge rewards, provided they are not dead set on the newest apartments. “We’ve seen apartments that could be 30 or 40 percent cheaper, and they may be right next to each other,” Konkel said, adding that spring offers more than just leftovers. “Some of the nicer apartments downtown try to rent to the young professionals … so they’ll hold them back until the student rush is over,” she said. Konkel said students are increasingly breaking their leases before they even move in, which can result in otherwise avoidable fees for advertising costs. Maniaci said the early renewal dates put intense pressure on recent and soon-to-be grads, like UW-Madison senior Luke Danzinger, who said he likes his apartment but did not renew his lease because he is not sure where he will be in nine months. New maintenance and mediation proposals Maniaci said she would also like to require rental properties to be unoccupied for two weeks once in every fiveyear period to address major repairs. “If you have a neighborhood of houses with quite a bit of deferred maintenance … needing upgrades and projects from bathrooms and kitchens to electrical systems and plumbing, that absolutely cannot be done in a 24-hour turnaround,” she said. Bosben said the new rule would be counterproductive and punish responsible landlords along with the bad. “I think that is a real deep reach into the rights of private property,” he renting page 3
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Weekend, December 11-13, 2009
Human rights awareness
danny marchewka/the daily cardinal
Hannah Cutts (left) and Perla Bernstein offer students a way to express their feelings about human rights through art in honor of International Human Rights Day at Memorial Union Thursday.
Martin says tuition hike was needed Chancellor says campus required higher rates to remain competitive By Kelsey Gunderson The Daily Cardinal
Chancellor Biddy Martin outlined how she thinks UW-Madison can remain a top public research university in her speech at the UW System Board of Regents meeting Thursday. According to Martin, UW-Madison currently ranks among the top research universities in the world. She cited the number of awards and amount of research dollars UW-Madison has received, as well as the num-
ber of start-up companies that stemmed from UW-Madison. Martin said for UW-Madison to retain this high ranking, it must focus on retaining and attracting excellent faculty and students. She said to do this UW-Madison needs to pay its faculty competitively and provide financial aid to more students, something she believes can be achieved. According to Martin, the tuition hikes instigated by the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates are necessary to achieve that goal. “We cannot afford to compete by keeping tuition low,” she said. Martin said UW-Madison not only has one of the lowest
tuition rates in the Big Ten, but also among all of the top public research universities in the world. “If you compare us to other global research universities, we’re so far at the bottom it’s almost amazing that we are what we are,” she said. Martin also said UW-Madison’s increasing reliance on private funding, as well as its reduced state funding, are also challenges deterring UW-Madison from continuing its top-notch public research status. “Some people worry that our public purposes will be threatened by this revenue mix, but this university has a long commitment to martin page 3
Tenants still have rights during cold weather TRC, Dane County give precautions during snow emergency By Caitlin Gath The Daily Cardinal
Danny marchewka and Isabel Álvarez/the daily cardinal
With temperatures rapidly dropping into the single digits Thursday and Friday, renters across the city should remember they still have tenant rights when it comes to making sure their house or apartment stays warm. Within Madison, the heating equipment of a residential building must be “capable of maintaining a minimum temperature of 67 degrees Fahrenheit at all times,” according to the Tenant
Resource Center. There is no specific date or month for the heat to be turned on, and if the temperature decreases to below 67 degrees inside, it is the landlord’s responsibility to do whatever is necessary to ensure the temperature returns to 67 degrees. Renters are also advised to check for damaged heating units, which can have the potential to release carbon monoxide gas. Ongoing problems with heat could qualify for a 10 to 95 percent reduction in rent until the issue is resolved. The TRC stated it has more information available for students who feel this applies to them. According to a statement released by the Dane County
Emergency Management Team, pavement and sidewalks are “dangerously slick.” If it is necessary to use a car, the Highway Division and sheriff ’s office encourage drivers to slow down and carry an emergency kit. Because the city also declared a snow emergency Thursday, residents have been advised to keep their cars off the streets for another day. Residents who experience issues with heat or snow removal should call City of Madison Building Inspection at (608) 266-4551. Storm-related problems can also be dealt with through United Way. They can be reached at (608) 246-HELP. They also offer food resources.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”