Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - The Daily Cardinal

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MALKMUS TALKS TRASH WITH THE DC

SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD: Boost funding for Pell Grant program

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Jicks’ frontman Stephen Malkmus talks about the band’s new album, Real Emotional Trash

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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Financial crises do not hurt Wis. student loans

By Solly Kane THE DAILY CARDINAL

MATT WISNIEWSKI/THE DAILY CARDINAL

University Committee Chair Robert Mathieu introduces a scholarship fundraising initiative Monday to help prospective low-income students.

UW faculty to launch fundraising campaign

By Shira Nanus THE DAILY CARDINAL

The UW-Madison Faculty Senate approved a resolution Monday to help support needbased financial-aid fundraising.

In recent years, access to the university by fully qualified students from average-income families has continued to decrease, while equally qualified students of low economic means rarely attempt to gain entry.

In response to the decreased funding, the UW-Madison Faculty Senate proposed a resolution advocating for faculty contributions toward need-based scholarships to ensure accessible education at UW-Madison for

qualified students.

Faculty members voted almost unanimously in favor of the resolution, and many further praised it as a rewarding opportunity. English professor Richard Knowles was one of a few who voted against the resolution, specifically questioning the language and how it would benefit faculty.

Robert Mathieu, chair of the University Committee, the executive body of the faculty, discussed two primary goals for the resolution.

First, it would enable students to come to UW-Madison who otherwise would not be able to

Despite rising costs at colleges across the country, a weak national economy and the imminent Wisconsin state budget shortfall, UW-Madison officials say most students will not see an impact on their student loans.

Susan Fischer, director of student financial services for UWMadison, said about 17,000 students receive Stafford loans and only 200 of them will have to find a different lender.

Fischer said this is a result of a handful of companies deciding not to be involved in the federal loan process because of recent changes by Congress that have made it less profitable.

“They were risky anyway, and

now they’re just a little too risky,” Fischer said.

Stafford loans are federal loans that give between $3,500 and $5,500 for undergraduates. The federal government pays interest on them in some instances.

Federal loans are governed by federal rules and regulations, and generally have a lower fixed interest rate. They rely on the private-loan sector to provide the capital.

Fischer also said some students choose to take out private loans, which tend to be more conservative in their lending.

These companies are not federally connected and often have higher interest rates.

Connie Hutchinson, the executive secretary of the Higher

Education Aids Board, which administers the state financial aid programs, said students are taking out more alternative loans than they have in the past.

“When money is difficult to come by, [students] resort to alternative methods,” she said.

According to Hutchinson, she is not expecting any cuts in the already appropriated money from the state for the 2008-’09 academic year.

“I think that all of the state programs will be affected when they set the budget,” she said, referring to the upcoming budget repair bill.

Gov. Jim Doyle is expected to propose a bill this week to repair the budget shortfall, possibly affecting funding to the UW System.

Right on cue

fundraising page 3

UW Pharmacy school student dies after Arkansas marathon

By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL

UW-Madison pharmacy student Adam Nickel died shortly after completing a marathon Sunday, according to race officials.

Officials said Nickel, 27, collapsed just after he crossed the finish line at the sixth-annual Little Rock Marathon.

“He truly cared more about everyone else than he ever did about himself.”

Molly Johannessen friend

“After collapsing at the finish line, the medical team addressed the needs of the runner,” race

director Gina Marchese-Pharis said in a statement.

According to race officials, emergency respondents attempted to revive Nickel using CPR and a defibrillator when paramedics arrived.

Marchese-Pharis said Nickel was taken to the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead.

Nickel, originally from Kaukauna, Wis., was in his thirdyear studying pharmacy at UWMadison. Jeannette Roberts, dean of the UW Pharmacy School, said Nickel was actively involved in Wisconsin Society of Pharmacy Students, a professional student organization.

As an undergraduate, Nickel attended Lawrence University in nickel page 3

GABRIEL SEHR/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Polina Pogo Syan takes a shot during “Bargain Billiards!,” which allows students to play pool for $3.25 from 6 p.m. to close on Mondays and from 8 p.m. to close on Saturdays at the Union South Games Room.

“…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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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

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WEDNESDAY: snow hi 29º / lo 16º dailycardinal.com/pagetwo

When life comes up moot, call Gus Shoe

Volume 117, Issue 101

2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497

TODAY: partly cloudy hi 29º / lo 17º

KEATON MILLER miller’s genuine drafts

I

t was a cloudy night. A single streetlamp illuminated the corner of Cynicism Street and Despair Boulevard where the dilapidated Noir Building stood.

Once a monument to prosperity, it now served to remind those wallowing at the bottom of the economic food chain just how far they had fallen.

My office was on the fourth floor, and, at the moment, I was panicked.

My case had consumed me. It invaded my brain and my brain had provided resistance in the classic French style: It folded like a wet paper towel.

It was a crossword puzzle. “No longer worth debating” was the clue. “Moot,” right? Every schmuck with half a brain could figure that out. But the puzzle had five spaces.

Five blank spaces staring back at me, laughing at me.

As I sat there, lost in thought, I remembered how this case had started, like these things always start,

with a beautiful damsel in distress.

She had knocked on my door and come into the room; my jaw dropped. She was a bombshell, packed from head-to-toe with curves that would make a mathematician drool with delight.

She wore a red dress that looked painted on, and her blonde hair cascaded in perfectly concordant angles from her well-formed head.

I drank in the beauty of life, and it tasted sweet.

“Are you Mr. Shoe?” she asked.

She had a voice like honey, colored by the naiveté of youth and tainted by the experience of heartbreak and sorrow. I needed to play it cool.

“That’s me, Gus M. Shoe, private investigator. What can I do for you?”

“Well, Mr. Shoe, I hear you’re a pretty smart man, and I’ve found myself in a pretty bad spot. I need someone strong and intelligent like you to get me out of it.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a crossword puzzle, half finished.

“I can’t figure out this clue: ‘No longer worth debating.’”

“Well that’s easy, try ‘moot.’”

“But there are five spaces, Mr. Shoe.”

“Well, let me take a look at it.”

That was three days ago. The dame had left the crossword with me with promises to return and reward me once I had finished it.

My nostrils still tingled with the pleasant sensation of her perfume.

But the case left me scratching my head and searching through thesauruses, dictionaries, even Alex Trebek’s “Almanac of Useless Trivia That You Should Know Already.”

As I sat there, lost in thought, I remembered how this case had started, like these things always start, with a beautiful damsel in distress.

I was feeling the pangs of exhaustion, so I went down to my favorite coffee shop. Caffeine and Desperation, open 24 hours. The caffeine cost a couple bucks, but the whipped desperation on top was always free of charge. It was a private eye’s dream. I ordered my coffee black. Black like the night.

Black like my soul.

The barista, Stan, came over to my end of the bar.

“How’s it going, Gus?”

“Not so well, Stan. I can’t solve this dame’s crossword puzzle.

Twenty-six down. ‘No longer worth debating.’ Should be ‘moot,’ right?

But there are five letters.”

“Let me take a look at it.”

I slid the crossword puzzle to him and he peered down at the indecipherable mix of letters and blank spaces. His eyes widened.

When he spoke, it was with the hushed voice of a man who has seen the light.

“You’re looking at the wrong clue! ‘No longer worth debating’ is 26-across!”

He was right. The truth crashed down onto my brain like a tidal wave, obliterating the past and leaving a single line of text—the new clue—etched into my mind like a cattle brand: “Walken co-star in ‘Balls of Fury.’”

The dame would be upset that she misread the clue. But now that was all moot, like this case was moot.

Like my life was moot. Because now I had a bigger problem. I had to find someone, somewhere, who had watched that movie.

And I knew that would be next to impossible.

If you also have watched a few too many film noir movies, e-mail Keaton at keatonmiller@wisc.edu.

DISTINGUISHED.

Pregnant or know someone who is?

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For the record Corrections or clarifications?

Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an e-mail to edit@dailycardinal.com.

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Van Vleck Hall power outage cancels class

GABRIEL SEHR/THE DAILY CARDINAL

The university canceled classes at Van Vleck Hall Monday after a flood caused an early morning power outage in the building.

A power outage Monday at Van Vleck Hall forced the university to cancel classes in the building for the day.

Numerous buildings on campus experienced a power outage after a roof drain failed and water flooded the basement of Van Vleck.

Faramarz Vakili, associate director of UW-Madison’s Physical Plant, said water dripped onto the transformer in Van Vleck and caused a chain reaction in a few buildings.

A transformer is an electrical unit that reduces high voltage electricity down to a level that can be used by the buildings.

“When the transformer gets damaged, there is no way to use the power that is coming into the building,” Vakili said.

The outage also caused irregular network problems in central

campus areas.

Affected buildings included the Law Building, Music Hall, Chadbourne Hall, Lathrop Hall, Birge Hall, Sterling Hall and Van Vleck, Vakili said.

Van Vleck was the only building forced to close and cancel classes. All other buildings were back up and running by 6:30 a.m.

“Right now we are in the process of replacing the transformer,” Vakili said. “We hope to have it operational by tonight and open for classes [Tuesday].”

Van Vleck’s power was restored Monday evening and will be open for work and classes Tuesday.

For information on future outages and repairs, visit UWMadison’s Division of Information Technology’s help desk at http://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/index.php.

—Jen McMahon

Top Wis. Dem. endorses Obama before Texas, Ohio primaries

By Britney Tripp THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman and superdelegate Joe Wineke endorsed U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president Saturday, though it is unclear if superdelegates will decide the eventual nominee.

Wineke said in a statement he gave his endorsement because Obama won the majority of counties in the state primary.

“I believe that Senator Obama’s convincing win in the Badger state should be rewarded. Therefore, I pledge my support for his campaign,”

Wineke said.

Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont have primaries Tuesday.

State Sen. Lena Taylor, DMilwaukee, is also a superdelegate and currently has not endorsed a candidate. Taylor said she has been busy running for Milwaukee County Executive, which has kept her from becoming involved in the primary process.

Taylor said superdelegates would not ultimately decide the Democratic nominee unless the number of superdelegates supporting each candidate is very close.

Taylor said after Tuesday’s primaries it will become clearer whether the superdelegates will have an effect on the election.

However, she said it is important to respect how the public votes in the process.

“Doing what the people want is an important component of what I do as a superdelegate,” Taylor said.

DPW Communications Director Rachel Strauch-Nelson said it is too early to say if superdelegates will play a large role in nominating the Democratic candidate as many states are still undecided.

Many superdelegates in the state have already endorsed Obama or U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, DN.Y. Gov. Jim Doyle, along with U.S. Reps. Dave Obey, D-Wis., and Steve Kagen, D-Wis., have all endorsed Obama.

U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, DWis., and state Sen. Tim Carpenter, DMilwaukee, have endorsed Clinton.

Obama and Clinton are close in numbers of pledged delegates, though news agencies disagree on the exact total each candidate has.

The two are within 100 delegates of one another.

Lawmakers push bill to require mental health background checks for gun purchases

By Jen Winter THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin lawmakers will debate a bill Tuesday that would legislate background checks for people with a history of mental illness who try to purchase firearms.

The bill would require mental health information, under special circumstances, to be given to a federal database for background checks.

Under current federal law, people involuntarily committed to mental hospitals are prohibited from owning firearms.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice currently receives infor-

mation on mental illness from courts but does not share it with the National Instant Background Check System, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Only 23 states currently submit this information.

John Hogan, spokesperson for the bill’s co-author state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, said the “loopholes” in the information reported to the NICS became a real concern after the Virginia Tech shootings last spring.

The Virginia Tech shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, had a history of mental illness.

“This bill does not create any new prohibitions for gun purchases; rather, it simply makes new information available to DOJ and NICS that is required under law,” said the bill’s co-author, state Rep. Scott Gunderson, RWaterford.

Hogan said the National Rifle Association supports this bill.

Kenneth J. Herrmann, an assistant clinical professor of social work at UW-Madison, said the bill could possibly perpetuate a stereotypical view of people with mental illnesses.

Attorney General J.B. Van

Multicultural dinner Global and ethnic diversity was the main focus of a dinner and dialogue among international students at the Red Gym Monday evening.

LORENZO ZEMELLA THE DAILY CARDINAL

Hollen said he supports the bill because only those placed involuntarily into treatment are affected, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The full Assembly will vote on the bill this Wednesday, and a Senate committee will hold a hearing of the companion bill Tuesday.

Hogan said there should be time to get the bill passed before lawmakers conclude work on March 13.

“It is a common sense thing that needs to get done and should get done,” Hogan said.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

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fundraising from page 1 attend the university. Second, Mathieu emphasized “the leverage that will come from our inspiration and leadership,” such as other contributions from alumni and the state, which in the end would increase the amount of scholarships available to students.

“What it’s really all about is laying out the case,” Chancellor John Wiley said. “Our faculty are in the best position to explain what’s going on in our students’ lives and what they see in the classroom.”

In addition, the University of Wisconsin Foundation will match all faculty contributions dollar for dollar. The money will then create unrestricted need-based scholarships for freshmen and sophomores.

When asked how many scholarships will be created or about the sustainability of the faculty donations, Mathieu said many details have not been finalized and it all depends on the percentage of faculty participation.

Although an official name, specific length of time or start date has not yet been chosen for the scholarship committee, Mathieu said “substantially more than two students but not enough for everyone who needs it” will receive aid.

“This is an opportunity for us to make a statement,” said University Committee member Ann Hoyt. “We want that opportunity to be open for all students who are qualified to be here and study here [so] they would not be restricted economically.”

nickel from page 1 Appleton, where he graduated in 2003. Molly Johannessen, Nickel’s friend and classmate at Lawrence, said he was a passionate runner and described him as her “running buddy.”

“Every time I saw him, he wanted to know what I was training for and how it was going,” Johannessen said, adding Nickel seemed “addicted” to running.

“He truly cared more about everyone else than he ever did about himself.”

According to Nickel’s “Team in Training” website, he ran marathons to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of his grandmother, Laurine Schmidt, who died of lymphoma in 2002.

“She has always inspired me to help others, and I am finally ready to share her spirit,” Nickel wrote on the website.

Members of the pharmacy school plan to work with Nickel’s family to organize a formal way to honor his memory, according to Roberts. She said the outpouring of support among students and faculty in the wake of Nickel’s death has been touching.

“I think it’s kind of amazing to see people pull together and be more worried about comforting each other and honoring Adam’s memory as opposed to their own problems,” Roberts said.

“It’s really heartening to see that.”

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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

view Cardinal View editorials represent The Daily Cardinal’s organizational opinion. Each editorial is crafted independent of news coverage.

compassionate care bill a victory

A

fter six years of debate and several incidents of unnecessary stalling in the state Senate, the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims bill has passed in the Wisconsin state Senate.

The passage of the bill, AB-377, will finally mandate that all hospitals in Wisconsin provide rape victims with access to emergency contraceptives.

The bill passed with a 25-6 vote and awaits a signature by Gov. Jim Doyle—an avid supporter of the bill. As a bill that demands nothing more than to offer assistance to victims of a malicious crime, it’s about time it passed.

This comes after months of waiting and an attempted amendment from the Republican-controlled Assembly Judiciary and Ethics Committee that supporters claimed “gut-

ted” the bill. Fortunately, these amendments were defeated in December 2007 and the original bill passed.

Many hospitals already provided this service, but no victim of a crime as heinous as rape deserves to be rejected access to treatment or constantly reminded of sexual assault from an unwanted pregnancy. The trauma one is likely to experience from such an occurrence is troubling enough.

Though the instances in which this bill was stalled proved both nonsensical and troubling, lawmakers finally showed there are still instances where partisan politics do not take precedence over the wellbeing of Wisconsin residents and general common sense. It is very pleasing to see choice still matters in Wisconsin.

TIMELINE: COMPASSIONATE CARE January 2002: Bill first introduced in both state Assembly and state Legislature. Bill died because no action was taken.

March, April 2003: Bill reintroduced in both houses, but no action was taken and bill died again.

March 3, 2007: Compassionate Care introduced in state Senate as SB-129.

May 16, 2007: Bill passed in state Senate by 27-6 vote.

May 31, 2007: Bill introduced in state Assembly.

Jan. 23, 2008: Bills passes state Assembly with 61-35 vote but delayed state Senate vote until next session.

Feb. 28, 2008: Compassionate Care passes in state Senate with 25-6 vote.

Source: Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin

American news media need to broaden focus EMILY HOUTLER opinion columnist

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urn on any morning news program and the top three stories of the day will be the weather, a feel good human-interest story and the very latest on the 2008 presidential campaign.

There is nothing wrong with discussing the weather. After all, it is a favorite small-talk topic, especially for those stuck trekking around the UW-Madison campus every single day.

Even the fluffy time fillers, such as how a gerbil saved an infant from a burning trailer park, are tolerable. They offer a bright speck in the darkness of daily existence. The presidential campaigns are a different story.

Fellow Wisconsinites, we have had the chance to cast our ballots and voice our opinions. Little can be done until the official candidates are announced. It is time we and our news media move on from scrutinizing the race to see who has the possibility of becoming president.

This has been the longest presidential campaign in recent memory. Some may even say it unofficially began as soon as President George Bush was sworn in for another glorious term. Four years is a ridiculously long time.

Candidates ran out of interesting talking points and unique policies months ago. They have begun to repeat themselves and, sometimes, repeat each other.

So why do people continue to hang upon their every hackneyed phrase?

There must be something else occurring in the world besides the Democratic debate in some remote mountain village. What about the recession currently conquering the U.S. economy? A $100 rebate check is like throwing a sink sponge onto the Exxon Valdez oil spill and hoping everything will be just fine. How about

MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Kosovo declaring independence from Serbia? This event caused quite a stir everywhere but the United States. Come to think of it, when was the last time a major news story emerged about the troops in Iraq? American citizens are dying while we are discussing Hillary’s cleavage.

Political campaigns will still continue if no one is watching them every moment of the day.

Contrary to what some may believe, the United States is not the center of the universe. The world continues to spin while U.S. newscasters agonize over the latest political survey.

Similarly, political campaigns would continue to churn even if no one was watching them every moment of the day. After all, most of the candidates are reasonable adults who can handle their business without the “Today

Show’s” cameras hovering over their shoulders.

Take a look at any other nation’s news coverage. Granted, there may be a small note about the United States, but the headlines and the bulk of the space is dedicated to international affairs, scientific breakthroughs and entertainment news.

The United States should follow this example: give equal space to politics, world affairs and other topics of general interest. It seems that in the United States it is now more important to discuss presidential candidates rather than foreclosure rates or the production capabilities of the Chinese.

This is not to say that the race for president is not significant.

Yes, the candidates are important. Yes, their messages should be heard by the general public. Yes, I have visions of Ron Paul before I fall asleep at night. However, it is time that the media’s 24/7 contender count ends.

Emily Houtler is a sophomore majoring in environmental science and math. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Pell Grant funding boost will strengthen Wis. higher education

By Russ Feingold SPECIAL TO THE DAILY CARDINAL

In many ways, higher education has changed for the better since I made my way up Bascom Hill for classes more than 30 years ago. At UW-Madison there is more worldrenowned research being done than ever before, not to mention the dramatic increase we have seen in Badger football’s winning percentage.

But one aspect of attending college—in Wisconsin, and across the counFEINGOLD try—has changed for the worse: the burden on students to scrap together enough funds for an education.

When I received my undergrad diploma from UW-Madison

in 1975, the maximum Pell Grant award covered approximately 80 percent of the cost of attending a four-year public college. Now, the maximum Pell Grant award only covers approximately 33 percent of those costs.

Pell Grants provide need-based aid to over five million undergraduate students, opening the doors of higher education to those who otherwise might not have been able to attend college because of financial constraints.

As the support that Pell Grants provide diminishes, large numbers of students have been forced to forgo attending college all together or obtain costly student loans to pay for college. These barriers preventing access to higher education must be removed to give every American access to higher education. Every time a young American is turned away from higher education by soar-

ing costs our nation is worse off.

Because Pell Grants are one of the most important tools to help more Americans attend college, I am again leading an effort to urge the Senate Budget Committee, of which I am a member, to boost funding for the Pell Grant program.

Last week, a number of senators from both parties signed onto a letter I sent to the Budget Committee calling for the highest fiscally responsible increase in the maximum Pell Grant award for 2009.

Strengthening the Pell Grant program has strong support from both political parties and many of us agree that increasing access to a college education is important for the future of our nation.

I joined U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., U.S. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.,

in leading this particular effort to increase funding for the Pell Grant program. I have worked closely with these senators for years to strengthen the Pell Grant program and I look forward to continuing to work with them as the 2009 budget process unfolds.

Because students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid in order to receive Pell Grants and other need-based federal aid, I want to take this opportunity to encourage students to fill out the FAFSA form at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

I understand applying for financial aid can be a confusing and timeconsuming process, but I am hopeful that we in Congress can soon make that process easier for you.

Congress is currently working on re-authorizing the Higher Education Act which will simplify the FAFSA process as well help to add transparency to the student loan industry

and re-authorize many important higher education programs including Pell Grants and the TRIO programs. The Senate and House have both passed HEA re-authorization bills by overwhelming margins and I hope that we can get a bill to the president for his signature soon.

Wisconsin has a rich tradition of higher education. Graduates of Wisconsin universities and colleges are given the tools and resources to start successful businesses, become respected community leaders, pursue groundbreaking research and innovation in their fields and much more.

We can continue and strengthen this tradition by boosting Pell Grant funding, and starting to make access to higher education a higher priority in Congress.

Russ Feingold is the junior senator from Wisconsin and is a member of the Democratic Party.

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Malkmus keeping it ‘Real’ on new album

The DC caught up with the Jicks’ frontman in a recent conference call to discuss his new release

PHOTOS COURTESY MATADOR RECORDS

Although he’s often singled out for his Pavement fame, Stephen Malkmus has put those days behind him, preferring to focus on his new album with his new band, the Jicks.

By Emma Condon THE DAILY CARDINAL

Most children of the ’90s remember Stephen Malkmus as the subdued and casual voice of lowfi mavericks Pavement. His frank renderings of simple melodies set the tone of alternative rock for the decade. Now, almost a decade from the band’s 1999 hiatus, people are still holding Malkmus to an old standard. Although his new project, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, takes their music in a different direction on their latest album, Real Emotional Trash, Malkmus is prepared for the comparisons.

“I don’t really mind people comparing old and new. I mean, it’s sort of inevitable,” Malkmust said over the phone from his Portland home. “If you are just glazing over a review or some text about the Jicks, Pavement is gonna come up.

You make connections.”

Besides boasting Malkmus’ illustrious history, the Jicks have also recently added Sleater-Kinney alum Janet Weiss, just in time for

the foursome’s new album.

Malkmus said the album really benefited from the addition of Weiss, who changed the dynamics of the process.

“It sort of happens in the moment. You play what you play and it can’t exactly be repeated ever again.”

Stephen Malkmus Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

“She’s [Weiss] kind of a rumbling, clattering, rocking drummer,” Malkmus said. “It’s like rolling down a hill playing with her, and it gathers some momentum as you go down, more things get added to the ball.”

This approach seems wellsuited to the band’s performanceoriented albums and fosters their organic approach to songwriting.

“It sort of happens in the

moment. You play what you play and it can’t exactly be repeated ever again,” Malkmus said of the band’s approach to Real Emotional Trash, due on shelves Tuesday.

Luckily, Real Emotional Trash was caught on tape and every listener is free to run through the album’s 10 tracks over and over again, though recording them just right was a struggle.

The band trekked to Montana to lay down basic tracks in an unfamiliar studio whose untested technology raised questions about how the material would really sound.

“We were a little nervous about the listening conditions and how we recorded it,” Malkmus said of the first recoding in the Montana facility. “Then, within that time, the tape we were recording on shredded and wasn’t working right, so we had to put it on a computer.”

True to his low-hi, low-fi roots, converting to digital worried Malkmus, though it is a standard practice these days.

The trials of Emotional Trash did not end there, and when the crew’s Portland mixing studio fell through, they ended up mixing in New York. But for all the trouble he faced producing the album, Malkmus wasn’t phased when it was leaked well before its release date.

“It doesn’t really make me feel anything except I just guess it’s cool people wanted to hear it already,” Malkmus said, adding that he thinks it’s a bad idea to be angry about it. “I hope that people would want to buy the CDs occasionally, because it enables us to record our stuff in a nice studio and enables us to have a quality experience ourselves and therefore a better experience for the listeners.”

The album stays true to the Jicks’ sound but refines it in what Malkmus says people are calling “a nice crystallization of trends in other music we’ve been making.”

There’s nothing out of bounds on the album, Malkmus said, add-

ing that old fans may see a more aggressive twist.

In light of success with the Jicks, Malkmus says there is little chance of a Pavement reunion anytime soon.

“I haven’t moved on,” Malkmus said. “It’s not really a priority to me, but it could become one if there was nothing else going on in my life.”

So, unfortunately, the indie children of the ’90s will have to keep their tattered copies of Slanted and Enchanted tucked away with their “Texas is the Reason” T-shirts and spend their time with some Real Emotional Trash and the Jicks instead.

New CD released today Amped to hear the Jicks’ ‘refined’ new sound? Check out their new album, Real Emotional Truth, which hits stores Tuesday.

Digital revolution ‘bytes’ CD sales, industry slowly adjusting BEN PETERSON ben caught stealing

A

nyone who’s got an ear turned to the behind-thescenes turmoil of the music industry knows that it’s been nudged to a precipice of uncertainty; perhaps it’s even been pushed over the edge. The heart of the matter is that people are consuming more music now than ever, but instead of walking out of stores with CDs, most are stuffing hard drives with the modern culmination of what CDs first introduced—digital music in the form of binary bits and bytes.

The thing is, those hard drives can be filled up through a variety of different means, whether it be downloading music for free, buying it online, ripping CDs or simply

dumping a whole pile of it from one computer to the next. In other words, determining exactly where people are getting music is difficult to pinpoint, which means there’s no easy solution for fixing the sales slump because there’s no one thing to target. Amidst all the vagueness, the only real certainty is that the implications of this seismic shift in music consumption are sure to be substantial. In a sea of change, nothing is safe.

Some music industry folks are putting forth the notion that CD production will cease within 10 to 15 years if digital music continues on its current course. Interestingly, those same people are predicting that vinyl records will survive long after CDs are gone, maybe becoming even more popular than they have been recently. Their argument, quite reasonably, is why would people hang onto CDs when all they really are is an outmoded stopgap

of sorts, a technology awkwardly situated halfway between records and MP3s? Vinyl is bound to always have a niche, no matter how far the cutting edge migrates.

Last week, iTunes officially became the second largest music retailer in the country, surpassing Best Buy and Amazon to become subordinate only to Wal-Mart.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, that announcement arrived on the same day that more than 500 leaders from all walks of the music industry met in New York for a Digital Music Forum, concerned precisely with the same trend of growing digital dominance.

The main thrust of the forum was to discuss the transitional phase record labels have been forced into.

To survive in an age of waning sales figures and the Internet, they’re finding it necessary to make concessions to the digital marketplace that would have been anathema even

a few short years ago, including a more open-minded approach to music licensing, doing away with Digital Rights Management limitations and supporting ad-based online radio stations.

Some music industry folks are putting forth the notion that CDs will cease to be produced within 10 to 15 years.

The fact that labels are waking up to the need for a more progressive approach is promising news, since it’s bound to balance things out a bit more as a side effect—if the major labels have no choice but to relinquish a bit of the monopoly they’ve held for ages in the interest of self preservation,

it may lead to more freedom for both artists and audiences.

Consider for a moment that 30 percent of all music sold right now is coming from artists on independent labels. With this in mind, it’s easy to imagine why major labels are so concerned: They’re quickly becoming outmoded by the little guys because the indies are much more in touch with the current climate of the music business. They’re also the ones more willing and readily able to adapt to change.

So how will labels cope with music’s changing tide? One thing’s for sure: The answer doesn’t lie in cold lawsuits or increased limitations—something the industry finally seems to be catching on to, one step at a time.

Need some advice on where to get some pristine vinyls to replace your outdated CDs? Ask Ben where to look at bpeterson1@wisc.edu.

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Tuesday, February 4, 2008

Jackie Moon

Today’s Sudoku

Beeramid

By Ryan Matthes beeramid_comic@yahoo.com

© Puzzles by Pappocom

Mega Dude Squad

By Stephen Guzetta and Ryan Lynch rplynch@wisc.edu

Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Dwarfhead and Narwhal

By James Dietrich jbdietrich@wisc.edu

One Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish, Blue Fish The correct pronunciation of Dr. “Seuss” is to rhyme with “voice” not “loose.”

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

The Crackles

Anthro-apology

By Simon Dick srdick@wisc.edu

By Eric Wigdahl wigdahl@wisc.edu

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com BYE-BYE ACROSS

1 Grp. that awards the Spingarn Medal 6 Georgia city on the Ocmulgee 11 Place with curative waters 14 Prenatal exam, briefly 15 Caribbean resort island 16 Consumed 17 Diet-breaking dessert 19 Scandalous suffix 20 “Ain’t ___ Sweet’’ 21 Certain Balkan native 22 Group guarded by a eunuch 24 Goatee locale 25 Origami need 26 Newsman Charles 29 “Hospital smell” chemical 31 Throat clearing sounds 32 Tight as a drum 33 Have the appearance of 36 Crime category 37 Wishy-washy answer 38 Push “record’’ 39 “Nope’’ 40 Spring blossom or part of an eye 41 Graceland idol 42 Man or woman

44 Presidential delivery 45 Stable occupants 46 New Mexico art colony 47 Sharpened 48 Squirrel treat 50 Balaam’s rebuker 53 Like an unmatched sock 54 Off ramp 57 Relay segment 58 Indian, for one 59 Mediterranean republic 60 “Don’t Bring Me Down’’ rock group 61 Doctor’s barrage 62 Corralled animal DOWN

1 Apprehends 2 Chinese nursemaid 3 “Ella Enchanted’’ star Hathaway 4 American equivalent of Britain’s MI6 5 Rain gear 6 Gardner’s fictional attorney 7 It’s plucked in Roma 8 Extremist religious group 9 “Shogun’’ sash 10 Lane of “The Producers’’ 11 Tar’s time off 12 More ashen

13 Comic Sandler 18 Drought-stricken 23 Last Supper attendees 24 Words of praise while flexing a finger 25 Guitarist Townshend 26 Hawaiian island 27 Ex-Iranian VIP 28 Vim and vigor 29 ___ full (satisfy a debt) 30 Centers of activity 32 Poi-making tuber 34 Kind of proportions 35 Screen material 37 Fail to make contact with 41 Words derived from people’s names 43 In great demand 44 Teasdale the poet 45 Runway figure 46 Some municipalities 47 Bagel’s center 48 Years on end 49 Cyberspace conversation 50 Car bar 51 Something to build on 52 Marquee performer 55 Berg composition 56 What one must do to be a gourmand

Square and Cone

By Andrew Dambeck and Andrew Peck dambeck@wisc.edu

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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

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Ryan praises seniors as team readies for Penn State

By Ryan Reszel THE DAILY CARDINAL

CHRISTOPHER GUESS/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Senior center Greg Stiemsma is one of four players who will say goodbye to the Grateful Red Wednesday against Penn State.

With four Wisconsin seniors playing in their final game at the Kohl Center Wednesday night, Badger head coach Bo Ryan spent several minutes talking about the class of 2008 during his press conference Monday.

“I just think this class has done an unbelievable job coming together collectively,” Ryan said. “Early in the year, we said this team would have to do it with the numbers [as] a group, and, for the most part, they’ve done that.”

Ryan also listed the individual accomplishments of seniors Tanner Bronson, Greg Stiemsma, Brian Butch and Michael Flowers.

According to Ryan, if he had to pick an all-time scout team captain for the UW teams he has coached, it would be Bronson.

“During the game, you think I kneel down just for whatever, but I actually try to kneel in front of Tanner and have him tell me who to put in and what the other team is going to run,” Ryan said.

Although he said he was only

kidding about letting Bronson dictate his substitution patterns, Ryan said the former walk-on is like another coach on the bench, shouting out the opponent’s plays as they run them.

Ryan commended Stiemsma for growing as basketball player and as a person since arriving on the UW campus. Both his ability to recover from injury and his handling of personal problems off the court impressed Ryan.

When talking about Butch, Ryan echoed several of his statements about Stiemsma. He noted how Butch was resilient when responding to adversity and injuries.

Ryan commented on Flowers’ impressive work ethic while working at practice, running “the Hill” in the off-season and playing during games.

“I still have yet to see the day when Mike doesn’t go all-out,” Ryan said.

Praise for Penn State When asked how he felt about the way the Nittany Lions recovered from the season-ending injury to Geary Claxton, Ryan said PSU has found ways to stay competitive.

“To their credit they’ve done some things offensively,” Ryan said. “They have quickness now which they didn’t have in the last few years.”

Ryan also said Penn State had the ability to shoot 3-pointers as good as any team in the conference when they are on.

Helping around the house Ryan said one of the greatest coaches of all time fell and broke a leg last weekend, but it was not UCLA legend John Wooden.

Kelly Ryan, Bo’s wife and onetime youth soccer coach, slipped and broke her fibula while brushing snow off her daughter’s car.

Ryan said he was lucky that his wife had so many friends dropping off meals so he did not have to cook.

He also said his wife has a rolling office chair to get around the house so all he had to do was “keep the wheels oiled.”

Moving on up The Badgers are currently No. 8 and No. 10 in the polls, respectively.

—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.

Forward flourishes in senior season for Badger basketball despite voice of critics Bob Probst, a UW Law student and graduate of Appleton West, gives an inside look at the career of fellow Appleton West graduate and men’s basketball senior forward Brian Butch.

Much has been said about Brian Butch over the past five years. For a time, a large part of it was negative, from talking heads like Doug Gottlieb to UW fans and students with the expectations that come from

BRAD FEDIE/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Senior forward Brian Butch has always carried the burden of being a McDonald’s All-American at Wisconsin.

finally landing a vaunted McDonald’s All-American. But to those who have known Brian Butch for longer than his time at the UW, his struggle to play up to those expectations comes as no surprise.

It was back in the summer of 2003 when Butch, then a recent high school graduate, arrived on campus.

Having gone to Appleton West with Brian, I chatted briefly with him as he headed toward the Kohl Center one afternoon. And, even though I didn’t know him all that well, he confided in me the anxiety and homesickness he felt adjusting to his new surroundings. What is typical of most freshmen was only magnified by the albatross of expectations that seemed to hang around his thin frame. I could remember a time when Brian was even thinner, dating back to his high school freshman days when the only chant we had for him was “He’s tall!”

And it wasn’t easy being a muchheralded recruit. It came as a surprise to some when he decided to red-shirt his first year, but to those who’d seen him play in high school it seemed like the opportunity to bulk up to play in the Big Ten was too good to pass up.

Four years later, Butch is an integral part of a championship-caliber team; an essential ingredient which casual fans probably underestimate. It’s no secret that when Butch went down with a horrific elbow injury last year, UW and its postseason aspirations were never quite the same.

0 FEDIE/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Brian Butch may not have been what Badger faithful expected, but has become an important part of Wisconsin basketball.

Butch’s value is underestimated because a lot of fans only see him for what he’s not: A big, intimidating presence who can dunk, rebound, block and alter shots. But in doing so, fans often miss what he is: A talented veteran player who can shoot from distance while maintaining the ability to score in the paint on a bevy of post moves he’s developed. He’s become a leader on a team that wasn’t supposed to do much this year. But, as is typical of head coach Bo Ryan’s squad, the Badgers have been able to find a way to win against teams that have any number of the kind of players Butch

track from page 8

softball from page 8

madness from page 8

fifth in the triple jump.

Carly Ducharme and Lindsey Biel came in fifth and sixth in the pentathlon, scoring 3,753 and 3,692 points, respectively.

Finally, in the high jump, junior Megan Seidl placed fifth with a 57 jump. Carrie Woltman jumped 5-5 1⁄4 to tie with Indiana’s Ashley Rhoades for eighth place to score a half point and prevent UW from earning an even 69 points.

Athletes that have yet to make an NCAA nationals qualifying mark will get one more shot at the “last chance meet” in Notre Dame March 14-15.

—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.

twice in the final three innings, Utah failed to tie the game.

Olivarez threw 3.1 innings and gave up two runs, only one of them earned, to secure the win. Vanevenhoven entered the game in relief and allowed just one hit, no walks and no runs in 3.2 innings to seal the win for Wisconsin. Ashley Smuda allowed three runs in four innings to take the loss for Utah.

Before the elimination round, Wisconsin lost 9-1 to Utah, 7-4 to Wichita State Friday and 5-1 to Texas Saturday in round robin play.

—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.

Michigan State’s offense Thursday night at the Kohl Center the Spartans looked like one-year-olds trying to feed themselves mashed peas. Try as they might, nothing was going in, and the end result looked pretty messy.

Senior point guard Drew Neitzel had a season-low three points on 1-of-10 shooting.

Leading scorer Raymar Morgan only tallied seven points, and MSU scored 42 as a team.

Sunday afternoon against Indiana MSU looked like a totally different team. The Spartans scored 17 more points in the first half than they did the

entire game against Wisconsin.

Neitzel and Morgan combined for 37. Overall, Michigan State made more than 60 percent of its shots and cruised to a 10374 win.

Bob Knight’s contract The former head at Indiana and Texas Tech once said the profession of journalism was “one step above prostitution.” Well, Mr. Knight, I hope you don’t sell yourself short at ESPN. Obviously, the winningest coach in college basketball history is not going to be traveling to press conferences across the country fishing for quotes.

Nevertheless, it is crazy to think of the king of post-game freak-

was “supposed” to be.

So to those fans who will be in attendance on Senior Night, I hope you’ll appreciate all that Butch has come to mean to this team, because the Badgers’ success may well ride on his shoulders come tournament time.

It’s a position Brian is familiar with by now, and has grown to accept and relish. No longer the timid freshman, Brian’s college career has come a long way since a wiry high school graduate stepped onto campus in 2003. Here’s to hoping his long journey takes him and the Badgers to San Antonio before all is said and done. outs working for the “Worldwide leader in sports.”

Personally, I’ll be looking forward to the first time he throws a chair at Doug Gottlieb.

Northwestern’s win For those of you who missed it, the Mildcats finally won a Big Ten game after 20 consecutive conference losses. The 62-60 victory over Michigan won’t save head coach Bill Carmody’s job. But a win over Wisconsin might.

Now that would be true madness.

E-mail Ryan at reszel@dailycardinal.com to contribute your most wacky and crazy events from this year’s NCAA basketball season.

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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

UW softball beats the heat, finishes second at Texas Classic RYAN RESZEL high reszel-ution

Madness not reserved for March

W

hile some might argue that “March Madness” does not truly begin until Selection Sunday, when Greg Gumbel and company announce the pairings of the NCAA’s top 65 teams, several signs indicate the madness is already upon us. In the spirit of the tournament, I present the Final Four craziest college basketball occurrences in recent weeks.

Marquette’s schedule Although most teams gear up for tournament competition by playing conference opponents, the Marquette Golden Eagles decided to take a different approach.

Tuesday night, MU will host the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at the Bradley Center.

Yes, that’s right. Florida Gulf Coast University. Somebody please stop the insanity.

Nothing screams, “Give me a higher seed,” quite like playing a 10-20 team from the Atlantic Sun Conference at home in March.

Cupcakes are nothing new for the Golden Eagles—who seem to believe the longer a team’s name is, the more impressive a 40-point victory will look to the selection committee. At least most of the time they have the common sense to devour their pastries in November and December.

MU is already in the tournament. Beating FGCU is not going to bump them from a No. 4 seed to a No. 3 seed. Nobody wants to pay to see that game, nobody wants to listen to it on the radio and how stupid is the Marquette athletic department going to look if Dominique James or another Golden Eagle gets seriously injured.

In the history of the world there have been some bad ideas.

Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, the Ford Pinto and the Chiapet represent just a few. But Marquette playing Florida Gulf Coast in March takes the cake, or cupcake if you will. madness page 7

By Scott Kellogg

Badgers in an early hole. Wichita State tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning off Olivarez.

Wisconsin misplayed a ball off the bat of left fielder Katie McGinny that scored right fielder Kiersten Dixon. An RBI single by shortstop Britnee Barnett scored a third run for the Shockers.

Wisconsin’s best chance to put some runs on the board came in the fourth inning. Down 3-0, senior shortstop Lynn Anderson and junior first baseman Alexis Garcia led off with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and third with no outs. But Shocker pitcher Brianna Smet retired the next three batters

THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin softball finished second in the Texas Classic in Austin, Texas, last weekend. The Badgers lost all three games in round-robin play, but defeated Utah in an elimination game before falling to Wichita State in the championship game.

Despite going winless in roundrobin play, Wisconsin took the field Sunday against the Shockers, with a chance to win the tournament.

But Wichita State got on the board early and silenced Wisconsin’s bats to coast to victory.

Sophomore pitcher Letty Olivarez surrendered a run in the second inning to put the

to end the inning, keeping the shutout alive.

Olivarez pitched 5.1 innings, allowing eight hits and three runs, none of which were earned, to take the loss and fall to 3-7 on the season. Smet went 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and no runs to earn her third victory of the season.

The only win for Wisconsin this weekend came against Utah in the tournament semifinals on Saturday. The odds were stacked against the Badgers, as they were already 0-2 against the Utes this season and failed to win a single game in round-robin play.

But the Badgers were able to get their bats going, with Olivarez and

junior pitcher Leah Vanevenhoven combining for a solid effort to give Wisconsin the win.

With the Badgers down 1-0 in the fourth inning, Anderson hit a two-run home run and put Wisconsin ahead 2-1. Later in the inning, junior left fielder Valyncia Raphael also went yard to make the score 3-1.

The Utes closed the gap in the bottom of the inning, as right fielder Kelly Matthews connected with an RBI single.

Wisconsin added a fourth run in the fifth inning on a Utah error.

Despite loading the bases softball page 7

Women’s track finishes fourth

By Scott Allen THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Wisconsin women’s track team earned its highest finish since 2000, placing fourth with 69 1⁄2 points, and senior Katrina Rundhaug captured the individual title in the 5000 meters this weekend in Minneapolis.

Minnesota won the meet at home with 136 points, and Michigan came in a close second with 128 points followed

by Penn State at 121 points.

“We’re making some progress in a lot of different areas, and we’re scoring in a lot of different areas,” head coach Jim Stintzi said. “It’s a step in the right direction. I think it means we’re doing some things right; our athletes are competing really well over two days.”

For her conference win, Rundhaug cracked the 16-minute barrier in the 5k, running a time of 15:57. This time puts her third in the NCAA and third all-time for Wisconsin.

“She led almost start to finish and just kind of laid the gauntlet down and forced everybody to go with her,” Stintzi said. “She ran a great race, and I think it’s just a little taste of what she can do.”

Rundhaug put up an additional two points for Wisconsin by placing seventh in the 3,000 meters, running 9:24.

Junior Jenny Soceka tied with Purdue’s Mallory Peck for Big Ten runner-up in the pole vault,

clearing an NCAA provisional height of 13 feet, 3 1⁄2 inches.

Senior Ann Detmer also medaled, placing third in the mile in 4:44. Junior Gwen Jorgensen finished seventh in 4:48.50. Both times were fast enough to make the NCAA provisional cutoff.

The distance medley relay consisting of Sarah Hurley, Caitlin Dodge, Detmer and Jorgensen finished third with an NCAA provisional time of 11:30.11, just two-tenths of a second behind Minnesota.

In the 20-pound weight throw, junior Amanda Hoeppner earned fourth place and topped her own school record by over two feet, throwing 59 feet, 11 1⁄4 inches.

Hoeppner also threw 49-0 1/4 in the shot put for sixth place, with senior teammate Kayla Shultz close behind at seventh for throwing 48-6 3/4.

Junior Nicole Slaby scored three points for Wisconsin in the 600 meters by running 1:32.46 for sixth place.

Kaitlyn Marsolek, Akaila Cabell, Dodge and Egle Staisiunaite went 3:50.29 together in the 4-by-400-meter relay for sixth place.

Junior Chavon Robinson placed fourth in the long jump with a mark of 19 feet 9 3⁄4 inches and jumped 40-11 for track page 7

GABRIEL SEHR/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Senior Katrina Rundhaug is now No. 3 all-time at Wisconsin in the 5,000 meter run with her time of 15:57 at Minnesota.

Johnson says Badgers are ready for next round of playoffs Play of Lawler, Duggan key to Badger success

By Ben Breiner THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin women’s hockey head coach Mark Johnson discussed the play of Junior Erika Lawler and the upcoming Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Faceoff when he addressed the media Monday.

The Badger’s next game will be a conference tournament semifinal Saturday against Minnesota. If they win, the Badgers will play the winner of the other semifinal which pits St. Cloud State against the host team, Minnesota Duluth.

“[The WCHA Final Faceoff ] has been at Ridder since I’ve been around, and so this year Duluth wanted to take a run at it.”

Johnson said. “They felt they were going to have strong attendance at this weekend’s games and we’ll take it from there.”

The last Final Faceoff held outside of Minneapolis was in 2003 in North Dakota.

Johnson praised Lawler’s competitiveness and the energy she brings to the ice. She has a teamhigh 26 assists on the season and has scored four game-winning goals.

“When you watch us play, she’ll be the first person you notice,” Johnson said. “She’s 5-foot-nothing, but yet she’s got a gigantic heart, [is] very competitive and likes to win.”

He even said he used her as a role model for his own daughter in her hockey career.

“It’s funny, when I go to my daughter’s games, I always sort of use the phrase, ‘now go play like Erika, be Erika Lawler out there,’ just because she’s tenacious,” Johnson said.

“From a coaching standpoint, when you can put her on the ice, whether it be a power play, killing a penalty, trying to win a LAWLER faceoff at the end of a period, she does a lot of things that as a coach you’re very proud of.”

Lawler’s small stature was later brought up, but Johnson said that

her fearlessness and willingness to battle bigger players in the corners is what sets her apart on the ice.

“The first thing you’ll notice is she’s not very big,” Johnson said.

“But in our sport, where checking isn’t allowed, it gives that player that’s got a skill level like she has ... quickness, great speed, lots of energy ... an opportunity to shine in our game.”

Sophomore forward Meghan Duggan’s shift from wing to center might become permanent according to Johnson. The move resulted from an injury on her line but the coach felt that “it opened up a whole new avenue for her.”

Johnson also dispelled the notion that his squad is thinking about having a target on their backs, instead insisting that they

are focusing solely on Minnesota.

“The scenario right now for us is you get one game, and that’s Saturday afternoon against Minnesota,” Johnson said.

“If you win that game, you get an opportunity to play for the playoff championship on Sunday.

If you don’t, you’re back on the bus coming back to Madison ... whether we’re hunted or hunter or whatever you want to call it, I just look at JOHNSON it as one game, a great opportunity, a lot of fun. You throw everything but the kitchen sink into the game Saturday and hope you’re victorious.”