Thursday, March 13, 2008 - The Daily Cardinal

iPOD BATTERY DEAD? Replace it in six steps SCIENCE

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

FIVE STARS FOR FIVE GUYS Burger joint earns approval for all-American fare FOOD

Complete campus coverage since 1892

National brands look to students for marketing

By Erin Banco THE DAILY CARDINAL

As some UW-Madison students frantically search for summer internships with national companies, others already represent some brands through a unique, peer-to-peer advertising agency.

RepNation, an advertising company known for finding creative ways to reach media consumer groups, currently employs UW-Madison students.

The company began as one of the media’s lead marketing agencies, Mr. Youth, but converted into RepNation in 2006.

Today, RepNation prides itself on using unconventional media tactics to reach consumers. It looks to college students to promote these companies through peer connections.

According to Eric Schoenberg, director of brand engagement at RepNation, the agency works with companies including Dell, Ford, MTV and JetBlue Airlines.

“We tend to work with fairly

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large, significant clients around the world who are looking to target students in college,” Schoenberg said. “They are looking to utilize how to promote to this target because audiences are challenging for them to reach. So, we offer promotions through nontraditional media, not with the television or radio, but through peer-to-peer connections.”

RepNation hires “brand ambassadors” to help promote these companies to students on campuses across the nation.

The experience of working for an agency like RepNation teaches college students things they can only learn in the work force, Shoenberg said.

“No matter what [a student’s] major, this opportunity is unique and gives them a real world experience to gain the skills that they need to move up in the ranks,” he said.

Schoenberg said some students might have the opportunity brand reps page 5

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By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL

Cheese makers, judges and dairy enthusiasts from around the globe gathered at the Monona Terrace for the 27th Biennial World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison from March 11 to 13.

Hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, the event is the largest international cheese contest in the world.

From string cheese to sweetened dessert cheese, there are 77 different categories of cheese dairy producers can enter. The competition also features two categories for butter producers.

A panel of 22 international judges from countries including France, Japan and South Africa inspects and tastes each product and critiques its flavor, texture, color, appearance and packaging. Charles Lindberg, a judge from Belfast, N.Y., said evaluators are looking for specific trait.

“We’re checking the body and texture of the cheese to make sure it’s as close to a perfect gouda as it can be,” Lindberg said.

Lindberg said each product begins with a score of 100 and cheese page 4

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Spring Break Issue 2008

World Stem Cell Summit set for Madison in 2008

CHRISTOPHER GUESS/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Madison will hold an international gathering of stem cell advocates and researchers this September.

Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday Wisconsin would continue to lead in stem-cell research.

THE DAILY CARDINAL

International cheese makers compete for championship

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Wisconsin Stem Cell Summit

By Sara Lieburn

Judges sample cheese at the 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest, the world’s largest international cheese contest.

SPORTS

dailycardinal.com

UW-Madison research institute to host gathering

CHRISTOPHER GUESS/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Badgers head to Big Ten Tournament as favorites

Gov. Jim Doyle announced Wednesday Madison will play host to the World Stem Cell Summit this September at the Alliant Energy Center. The event will be coordinated by UWMadison research organizations.

Bernard Siegel, executive director of the Genetics Policy Institute, the principal organizer of the event, said planning is well

under way. He said he anticipates around 1,000 visitors to attend, along with speakers and exhibiters from all over the world.

According to Siegel, the summit will have many opportunities for attendees to speak with experts in the areas of stem-cell research. Siegel said much of the program is related to public policy and advocacy.

Edward Fallone, president of Wisconsin Stem Cell Now, Inc. said the goal of the summit is to bring together leading researchers, business leaders and public policy officials and inform them of new developments in stemcell research.

Fallone said Wisconsin Stem

Cell Now will address stem-cell policy issues at the summit.

“What we’d like to do is participate in that discussion and do a presentation on some of the policy issues, some that are unique to Wisconsin and the situation here and some that are more national,” Fallone said.

He said having the summit in Wisconsin secures the state’s role in leading stem-cell research.

WiCell, a UW-Madison research institute on stem cells, and the University of Wisconsin Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center are hosting the event.

WiCell Operations Director summit page 4

‘Beloved’ UW art professor dies suddenly Gelsy Verna’s

By Amanda Hoffstrom THE DAILY CARDINAL

The UW-Madison Art Department is mourning the loss of one of their own.

The art department announced the sudden death of Gelsy Verna, a painting professor, in a letter posted Wednesday on its website.

“On Tuesday afternoon, March 11, Art Department staff learned that a beloved member of the department, Professor Gelsy Verna, VERNA passed away.

This was very unexpected, and the cause of her death is currently unknown,” the posting said.

Derrick Buisch, an associate professor who worked closely with Verna, said he was not sure when Verna passed away, but colleagues were worried after she did not show up for work.

“The most important thing is to understand what a deep loss it is to our department—how this is completely sudden,” he said.

“I think she was a really important paint teacher for a lot of people and she worked with students of all levels from beginning painting through graduate painting.”

Buisch said Verna was convinced to come to UW-Madison by art professor T. L. Solien in 2001 after having taught together at the University of Iowa.

“Our departments have a fairly good, healthy competition the

art on campus

Artwork displayed at Chazen A piece of Gelsy Verna’s work will be on display at the Chazen Museum of Art until March 30.

Her artwork with altered images of Martin Luther King Jr. is part of the 2008 Art Department Faculty Exhibition.

Artwork at Memorial Union Colleague Derrick Buisch said he and Verna worked together on sketchbooks for the ninth floor Memorial Union Special Collections Library.

professor page 3

“…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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Spring Break Issue 2008

An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892

dailycardinal.com/pagetwo

Matt joins Tony Fly at Stargate Nightclub

Volume 117, Issue 108

2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 l fax (608) 262-8100

News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Jill Klosterman Managing Editor Jamie McMahon Jillian Levy News Editor Campus Editor Amanda Hoffstrom City Editor Abby Sears State Editor Charles Brace Opinion Editors Rachel Sherman Mark Thompson Arts Editors Emma Condon Ryan Hebel Sports Editors Nate Carey Ryan Reszel Features Editor Sarah Nance Food Editor Marly Schuman Science Editor Jennifer Evans Photo Editors Jacob Ela Amanda Salm Graphics Editors Meg Anderson Matt Riley Copy Chiefs Andrew Dambeck Al Morrell Gabe Ubatuba Copy Editors Eunice Abraham Ben Breiner, Shea Furey-King Amanda Jutrzonka, Grace Kim Jacquee Lerner, Ryan Matthes Hannah McClung, Mario Puig Amanda Roberson, Rachel Waner

Business and Advertising

business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Babu Gounder Billing Manager Alex Kusters Advertising Manager Marissa Gallus Web Director Christopher Guess Natalie Kemp Account Executives Sarah Resimius, Tom Shield Marketing Director Sheila Phillips Assistant Marketing Director Jeff Grimyser Joe Farrell Creative Designer Accounts Receivable Manager Jonathan Prod Archivist Erin Schmidtke The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays and distributed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000.

The Daily Cardinal is a nonprofit organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales.

Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.

All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor in chief.

The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both.

Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager.

Letters Policy: Letters must be typewritten, double-spaced and no longer than 200 words, including contact information. Letters may be sent to letters@dailycardinal.com.

FRIDAY: partly cloudy hi 35º / lo 21º

TODAY: rain hi 39º / lo 26º

MATT HUNZIKER his dark matterials

B

efore entering the more self-serious time of early teenhood, my friends and I tuned in to Minneapolis’ Top 40 radio station after school most days of the week. While waiting to satisfy our fix for Third Eye Blind, we received the following message about every 15 minutes: “This is Tony Fly, inviting all the honeys down to the Stargate Nightclub, where every Wednesday ladies drink free until 10 p.m.!

Yeah! Gentlemen, that means these women are gonna need dance partners, and stick around on Thursdays for Stargate’s world-famous amateur bikini contest! It’s gonna be out of this wor-wor-wor-world!”

Apparently struggling to be heard over the deafening pulse of the club, Tony’s excitement built to a breathless exclamation over the course of

a 20-second spot; the robotic echo of the last syllable encouraging us to imagine the kind of futuristic thrills possible in a bikini contest in a distant galaxy.

At the time, the effect was very compelling. Here we were at nearly 4 p.m., clustering restlessly around the glow of the Super Nintendo like moths in hideous blue school uniforms, while the most recognizable celebrity we knew was extending to us a personal invitation to come and enjoy 2-for-1 tequila shots on this fine homework-free afternoon.

Had I actually been allowed into a night club at the age of 11, I have no idea what I would have done, aside from backing fearfully toward the exit and leaving to go play tag in the parking lot. When I first set foot inside a club more than a decade later, I discovered that this was still my first instinct.

Apart from an improvised flailing, which, when performed in public places, tends to draw the attention of security guards, I can’t really dance. When in a situation that calls for it I tend to oscillate

uncomfortably between a wallflower and a gyrating threat to the safety of others.

Through deep concentration, I can order my body to twist in an understated way that doesn’t upset other people’s mixed drinks.

Unfortunately, after 15 minutes of this, my limbs go slack and my eyes glaze over while I await further instructions like a member of a brainwashing cult. Judging by the fact that most lyrics in club music take either the form of direct commands or reminders of what you’re doing and why, I’d guess that I’m not alone.

To this end, an “Everybody dance now!” or “I like to move it, move it” would’ve been appreciated. But anything, even “Drink the Kool-Aid / Board the spaceship,” would’ve been less ominous and more helpful than what we were provided.

“Money money money money / Clowns clowns clowns clowns.”

The voice came and went without elaborating on either theme. Money was simple enough. Like hearing

a song about love, I could recall wanting it and having it. Now, after using the last of it to pay the cover charge, I wondered if there was a way I could get it back. But what clowns? Where? And what was the correlation between the two?

The chorus repeated itself with increased urgency: “MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY/ CLOWNS CLOWNS CLOWNS CLOWNS,” still neither a clear directive nor an affirmation, just an unpleasant taste of what might happen if 50 Cent were contractually obligated to record with the Insane Clown Posse.

Rather than contemplate this possibility, we decided to cut our losses for the night and leave. As far as I was concerned, we’d called Tony Fly’s bluff of 10 years prior.

Now we could get back to living our lives as we’d always lived them, but older and wise enough to ignore advertisements sandwiched between back-to-back Matchbox 20 songs.

Send 50 Cent/Insane Clown Posse mash-ups to hunziker@wisc.edu.

NEW BEER THURSDAY ~ SPRING BREAK EDITION Finnegans Irish Amber an Irish red ale

Finnegans, Inc. • St. Paul, Min. $7.99 at Riley’s Wines of the World For the record

To start out, we’ll mention that Finnegans Irish Amber donates 100 percent of its profits to Minneapolis charities, probably marking the first time in history that alcohol has reduced poverty.

While this may be a better strategy for alcohol than reducing awareness of poverty, Finnegans could have been a little more generous where flavor was concerned.

Brewed with potatoes, Finnegans is earthy and plain, with a simple, watery body. Weakwilled hops try to bite at the beer’s heel, but aren’t up to the task. Also, there’s enough carbonation in a bottle to fill a birthday balloon.

And that’s the way Finnegans wants it. It’s unsophisticated and endlessly drinkable. There are far worse beers to drink that don’t have any socially redeeming features.

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

Editorial Board Kyle Dropp Dave Heller Jill Klosterman John Leppanen Jamie McMahon Rachel Sherman Mark Thompson l

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Board of Directors Marissa Gallus Babu Gounder Nik Hawkins Tim Kelley Jill Klosterman Janet Larson Chris Long Benjamin Sayre Adam Schmidt Terry Shelton l

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SUNDAYS 7-9 pm

Acoustic Moon

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Jeff Smoller Jason Stein l

© 2008, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398

MONDAYS 7-9 pm

Michael Hanson Jazz Group TUESDAYS 7-9 pm

Saboroso WEDNESDAYS 7-9 pm

Gerri DiMaggio THURSDAYS 8 -10 pm

Tony Castaneda Now accepting reservations for graduation weekend! Open for lunch on Saturday 5/17 & Sunday 5/18 from 11 am-2 pm 240 West Gilman St. Madison Tel: 608.257.1111 Open 7 nights a week - 5pm to midnight Dinner Service 5 to 10 pm www.sambabraziliangrill.com

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Spring Break Issue 2008

St. Patrick’s Day

By Elizabeth Michaels THE DAILY CARDINAL

As Saint Patrick’s Day Weekend approaches, preparations for a variety of downtown events are in full swing.

“It’s a busy time, but a fun time of year too, everyone seems to be in a jolly mood around Saint Patrick’s Day,” said Cliff McDonald, operator of Brocach Irish Pub on 7 W. Main St.

“St. Patrick’s Day needed some more events in Madison.”

Megan Sisson Shamrock Shuffle founder Boys and Girls Club of Dane County

McDonald said Brocach will be opening early Sunday and Monday with a special menu of Irish specialties including corned beef and cabbage. The pub is also a co-chair of the Saint Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday, which begins at 1:30 p.m. on

Downtown Madison offers a variety of celebratory events over the weekend

Capitol Square.

The parade, now in its 11th year, will feature Irish music by the Madison Pipes and Drums and an Evansville band, Rising Gale. Floats will also travel on the parade route, including one featuring the McCarthy family, the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin’s Irish Family of the Year.

“This is really a community, grassroots type of event,” Cheryl Sullivan, an organizer on the parade committee said.

Sullivan said she expects attendance to be in the thousands if the weather is nice. Proceeds from the parade will go to the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“We gave $5,000 to the Cancer Center in November from last year’s parade. We really aim to equal or increase the amount we give to the Cancer Center,” Sullivan said.

Another charity event, the Shamrock Shuffle Run/Walk, will precede the parade. Proceeds from the five- or 10-kilometer run or two-mile walk will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County.

Megan Sisson, one of the race’s founders, said the event

started five years ago because of high demand for more community events on the Irish holiday.

“Saint Patrick’s Day needed some more events in Madison. People would go out of town to do a Saint Patrick’s Day run,” Sisson said.

She said she expects 2,000 people to participate in the run.

After the Shamrock Shuffle is the Irish Flag Ceremony at 12 p.m. on the Capitol Rotunda. The flag ceremony

is an annual tradition sponsored by the Dane County Shamrock Club.

“The Zor Shrine Drum and Pipe Corp will play, the Cashel Dennehy Dancers will do a few numbers,” Jim Bennett, president of the Shamrock Club, said.

“We’ll have the unfurling of the Irish flag, and while the flag is being unfurled the Solider Song will being played, which is the Irish national anthem.”

Sunday St. Patrick’s Day Events Shamrock Shuffle Run/Walk 10 a.m. at the Overture Center.

Proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County Annual Irish Flag Ceremony 12 p.m. at the Capitol Rotunda, second floor.

Featuring the Zor Shrine Drum and Pipe Corp and the Cashel Dennehy Dancers St. Patrick’s Day Parade 1:30 p.m. on the Capitol Square.

Raffle money and other proceeds go to the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center

THE DAILY CARDINAL

The state Supreme Court race between Justice Louis Butler and Judge Michael Gableman could be as shaped by special interest group donations as it was last year, state officials said Wednesday.

“The special interest big-money politics that infected our statewide and legislative races last year for the first time … now that trend is obviously continuing,” Jay Heck, executive director of watchdog group Common Cause in Wisconsin, said.

Last year, large donations from outside parties were used in the state Supreme Court race between Madison attorney Linda Clifford and Washington County Circuit Court Judge Annette Ziegler, Heck said.

He said the record amount of campaign donations in 2007 resulted in the state Senate Impartial Justice Bill.

The bill, which is waiting to receive a hearing in the state Assembly, provides $100,000 per candidate for state Supreme Court races. Heck said Gov.

Jim Doyle supports the legislation.

According to Heck, it is likely more money would be spent this year by candidates. Heck said the tone of the campaign is as negative as years past and could get worse closer to the election on April 1.

Heck said campaign finance reform would transform elections and would make officials “beholden to the public” and not special interest groups.

Tom Solberg, public relations coordinator for the State Bar of Wisconsin, said reports of legitimate campaign contributions for each candidate are between $100,000 and $300,000, excluding donations from special interest groups.

UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said since candidates are non-partisan, voters are provided a sense of a candidate’s public policy stance by seeing which interest groups donate to their campaigns.

On the other hand, if special interest money helps a candidate get elected, it can cause complications in later court cases, Franklin said.

same way as our football teams and basketball teams,” Buisch said. “So we were happy to steal Gelsy from them—she was an excellent addition to our faculty.”

Verna received her bachelors and masters degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her five-year-old daughter Clara is staying with close family friends who are also UW-Madison faculty members, according to Elaine Scheer, the chair of the art department.

“She was just a really wonderful teacher and she cared about every student individually,” Scheer said.

A public memorial is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday in Humanities 6265. Verna’s current and past students, colleagues and friends are encouraged to attend.

A piece of Verna’s work is currently at the Chazen Museum of Art as part of the 2008 Art Department Faculty Exhibition, which will be displayed until March 30. Scheer said Verna’s piece has altered images of Martin Luther King Jr. Additional artwork can be seen at http://www.hamlettdobbins.com/ studios.php.

CHRISTOPHER GUESS/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Students to participate in university engagement survey THE DAILY CARDINAL

CHRISTOPHER GUESS/THE DAILY CARDINAL

professor from page 1

Members from the Onalaska high school jazz band play at the Capitol Rotunda as part of Capitol Concerts. High school bands from around the state will play at the Capitol every Monday.

By Amanda Hoffstrom

Candidate for state Supreme Court, Judge Michael Gableman, is involved in a race that faces strong influence from special interest groups.

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A special session

Special interests likely to play role in Supreme Court race

By Kerry King

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news

A sample of UW-Madison freshmen and seniors were reminded to participate in the biennial National Survey of Student Engagement this week.

The national survey was sent to about 2,800 first-year students and 3,900 seniors, according to Margaret Harrigan, a UWMadison senior policy and planning analyst.

Harrigan said questions on the survey ask students to evaluate university experiences, weighing activities they engage in with what they think is beneficial to learning.

“The survey really was developed to provide a useful diagnostic tool to colleges and universities about the quality of undergraduate education,” Alex McCormick, NSSE director, said.

According to McCormick, the survey identifies five categories of

effective educational practices: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment.

McCormick said the survey was first implemented nationally in the year 2000, and that more colleges and universities were participating this year than ever before.

“A challenge for all of our participating institutions is getting students to complete the survey,” he said.

Harrigan said previous surveys have said students were more likely to say they would start over again at UW-Madison if they could redo their college experience than students at other universities.

“I think we all naturally want to think about … how did Madison do compared to other research universities, but one of the most

important findings that we have is that there’s much more variation in these quality of experiences within campuses than between campuses,” McCormick said.

After receiving survey results next fall, the university will use the findings in a report to the UW System Board of Regents with a list of goals to implement, Harrigan said.

“We also look at [the results] for our own purposes,” she said, adding the university will look to see what students said about their experience at UWMadison. She said the School of Nursing plans to use results from their students to consider curriculum changes.

Harrigan said the survey would be open until the end of the semester.

UW-Madison data from the last NSSE in 2006 can be found online at www.apa.wisc.edu.

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Spring Break Issue 2008

State prison funding skyrockets

By Megan Orear THE DAILY CARDINAL

Spending on Wisconsin correctional facilities increased by 251 percent between 1987 and 2007, while spending on higher education went up by a fraction of that growth, according to a report released Wednesday.

According to the report from the Economic Policy Institute, spending on prisons increased at six times the rate of spending on higher education nationally.

“Although we’re being tough on crime, we’re not being smart on crime.”

Lena Taylor state senator D-Milwaukee

State funding toward the Department of Corrections increased by 14.6 percent in the 2007 fiscal year alone, while funding for the UW-System and Wisconsin Technical College System increased by 3.5 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, according to budget documents.

Liana Fox, the author of the

summit

from page 1

Susan Carlson said the summit intends to focus on policy and advocacy.

“The summit is for business people, patient advocates,

EPI report, said the increase in prison spending resulted from population growth, an increase in the number of imprisonments and a higher cost of health care for prisoners.

According to a February report by the non-profit advocacy group Pew Center on the States, more than 1 in 100 U.S. adults are serving time, which puts a strain on state budgets across the country.

The influx of prisoners resulted partially from parole violators returning to prison for their violations, as well as criminals being sent to prison for non-violent crimes, according to Fox. Pamela Oliver, a UW-Madison professor of sociology, also said she believes non-violent crimes such as drug offenses have contributed to the increased prison population.

“If you examine why people go to prison, a lot of the reasons, especially for African Americans, are drug convictions, so we’re urging that they revisit the whole drug war issue,” Oliver said.

Fox said parole violators should not be automatically sent back to prison, but rather should have to experience alternate punishment. “[We need] intermediate steps patients, policy makers and similar groups who are working in areas around stem cells but not directly with the technology,” Carlson said.

UW-Madison scientist James Thomson will speak at the event.

to decrease the prison population without coming across as being soft on crime,” Fox said.

“[We need] intermediate steps to decrease the prison population without coming across as being soft on crime.”

Liana Fox author Economic Policy Institute report

Oliver said the Governor’s Commission has proposed several suggestions to fixing the problem, including avoiding sentencing those who have committed less serious offenses and not pulling parole violators directly back into prison.

State Sen. Lena Taylor, DMilwaukee, said in an e-mail she recognizes the need for the state to improve its imprisonment policies. “[I’m] saddened because we aren’t providing services before sentencing or while people are incarcerated, and we aren’t planning their re-entry to society,” Taylor said. “Although we’re being tough on crime, we’re not being smart on crime.”

2008 marks the 10-year anniversary of Thomson’s success in isolation and culture of human embryonic stem cells. Both Carlson and Fallone said they expect Thomson’s work to be one of the main topics discussed.

dailycardinal.com/news

City launches street maintenance plan Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced the launch of “Pothole Patrol” Wednesday, a citywide initiative aimed at improving the quality of Madison streets damaged by the effects of harsh weather.

“Potholes are a challenge to any community that deals with winter weather, but by taking a comprehensive approach, we can work to reduce their impact on our streets,” Cieslewicz said in a statement.

The plan includes shortterm maintenance projects like patching potholes as well as long-term developments such

as street reconstruction efforts, which could take a number of years.

“Despite the best efforts of Mother Nature, we will continue to find ways to improve the quality of our streets at a price that taxpayers can afford,” Cieslewicz said.

The program also includes a website where residents can report specific pothole problems and find out more about Madison’s plan to improve damaged streets. The Pothole Patrol website is available at www.cityofmadison.com/pot holepatrol.

cheese from page 1

and they can take up to 35 points off,” Liebetrau said.

After judges score the products, entries earning the highest average score are awarded gold, silver or bronze medals.

Products receiving gold medals are then judged a second time and entries with the highest average score in each category are recognized as the world champion.

The judging period ends Thursday, and an awards banquet is scheduled for April.

According to Mike Ely, a Madison native volunteering at the contest, some of the leftover cheese from the competition is sold to local food companies such as Brennan’s Market for retail sale.

Additionally, the top cheeses in each category are auctioned off for scholarship funds. Ely said championship cheeses can sell for $100 to $300.

points are deducted for negative characteristics. For Eric Liebetrau, president of Fond du Lac-based Park Cheese Company, Inc., and a volunteer at the contest, taste is the one of the most crucial elements in the judging process.

“We’re checking the body and texture of the cheese to make sure it’s as close to a perfect gouda as it can be” Charles Lindberg judge World Championship Cheese Contest

“[The judges] have an idea in their mind what the product should taste like, and any deviations from that they categorize

news

dailycardinal.com/news

Spring Break Issue 2008

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Doyle pushes for special session on Great Lakes bill in Assembly Although the Great Lakes Compact failed to move out of the state Assembly Tuesday, Gov. Jim Doyle recently said he would call a special legislative session to pass the bill.

The GLC is a proposed agreement between areas surrounding the Great Lakes and aims to conserve the water in the region and reduce future depletions.

Doyle spokesperson Carla Vigue said the governor hoped the GLC would pass earlier in the Assembly, but would call a special session once he was sure there

were enough votes to pass it.

Mike Bruhn, spokesperson for state Rep. Scott Gunderson, RWaterford, the chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, said Assembly Republicans wanted to protect the state’s best interests.

“We want to make sure whatever we pass, it does not put Wisconsin at an economic disadvantage to the rest of the [Great Lakes] basin,” Bruhn said.

Bruhn said Gunderson is concerned about the GLC changing groundwater laws and adversely affecting property owners, along with other states having too much authority over

future Wisconsin water projects.

Melissa Malott, water program director at the environmental group Clean Wisconsin, said the Assembly Republicans are debating “red herrings.”

Malott said the Senate version of the bill, which recently passed 26-6, would give Wisconsin more authority in future regional water projects than under current law.

She said the GLC compact does not change existing water laws, and negotiations over a special session are already going on.

—Charles Brace

PHOTO COURTESY JENNY COOPER

UW-Madison junior Jenny Cooper coordinates a Ford Drives U promotional event at University House Towers last semester.

brand reps from page 1

BAG ON BREAK

SAMPL Grand P E: rize Winner

Show us how creative you can get with our red drawstring or handle University Book Store bags.

1) Take our bag with you on Spring Break.

2) Take a photo of the bag in an exotic setting, doing something fun or in a unique situation.

3) Submit the photo.

4) Win stuff ($100 gift card/etc.)

Top 4 Entries Will Win Prizes!

Deadline: 4/15/08 (submit photo & entry form) to promotions@uwbookstore.com or drop off at the Book Store/Attn: Marketing.

Entry forms available at the store or uwbookstore.com.

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Spring Break 08 - DC

SPRING BREAK CHECKLIST...

Digital Camera?

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Camera Case?

MP3 Player/iPod Accessories?

Extra Headphones?

Extra Batteries?

Portable DVD Player?

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to start a career with the brands they represent.

UW-Madison junior Jenny Cooper is one of the many brand ambassadors for RepNation on campus. Cooper works for Ford, one of two campaigns on the UW-Madison campus this semester, but 1 out of 25 in the entire nation.

As a brand ambassador on the “Ford Drives U” campaign, Cooper plans events specifically designed to promote Ford products. She started working for RepNation last semester and said she has learned a lot about the marketing world.

“It teaches you to be creative with your networking. It forces you to take who you know and what you know and put it to working on making deals and compromises,” she said.

Josh Cummins, a UW-Madison senior and Dell’s lead campus representative at UW-Madison, said he understands the importance of companies’ search for college brand ambassadors.

“I think students really like being spoken to by one of their peers rather than some middleaged business person. Campus reps are just like the rest of the student body—we understand where you are coming from,” Cummins said.

Kevin Blair, a junior and former Mountain Dew brand ambassador on campus, said he thought working for RepNation was a great opportunity to use skills learned in classes in real life situations.

“I think that these companies are looking to college students to market on campus because we know our own market the best,” Blair said. “As fast as trends change these days, the only ones who can keep up with college lifestyle is college students themselves.”

Irvin Chen, a UW-Madison junior and Microsoft brand ambassador, works with local businesses and organizations in the Madison area to promote a program that sets up a professional, fully functional website quickly and easily.

“I think businesses are looking to college students for employees because it’s really the students that run college campuses,” Chen said.

“We know the ins and outs of our respective cities. And when a business wants its product to be promoted in a campus town, there’s really no better choice than going to the students.”

Students who are interested in working for RepNation can log on to www.repnation.com or search “RepNation” on Facebook for more details.

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Spring Break Issue 2008

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to ta king charg e of

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By Chad Bucholtz

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AMANDA SALM/THE DAILY CARDINAL

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What you’ll need: Insert the prying device between the plastic and metal casing of the iPod, starting at a place away from the headphone jack, and slowly pry the two halves apart. Carefully separate the two halves by laying them next to each other as to not rip the ribbon cable.

Remove the ribbon cable nearest the battery; then proceed to carefully remove the main board as to not damage the LCD ribbon cable.

UR iPOD YO

Six ste ps

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f your iPod recently celebrated its third birthday and you listen to it regularly, chances are its battery life may be quickly waning. But have no fear, there are several ways to fix the problem—it just depends on how much you’re willing to spend.

There are three ways to fix a dead battery once the iPod is out of warranty: buy a new iPod, have Apple fix it or replace the battery. A new iPod would cost roughly $250, and if an iPod is sent to Apple for out-of-warranty repair on a battery,

Replacement battery

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Small prying device

On the main board—the largest circuit board in the iPod—at the top right corner is the square bracket making a connection to the headphone board. Gently pop this up from the main board and set the metal shell to the side.

There will be a jack containing red, black and white wiring connecting the battery to the main board; disconnect the jack from the main board. Unscrew the main board from the white casing.

it will cost $65.95.

However, the do-it-yourself approach to replacing the battery of your iPod can run as low as $18 (which includes battery and tools) and have your iPod up and running in as little as 20 to 30 minutes. The tools can usually be found at almost any local hardware store. A replacement battery can be found via eBay or a simple Google search for $10-$30.

If you’re on a budget like many students, check out these six easy, do-it-yourself replacement steps.

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Torx Screwdriver size #6

3 6

Remove the piece of black tape from the ribbon cable connecting the hard drive to the main board. Gently wiggle the hard drive ribbon cable from the main board and set the hard drive aside.

The battery is glued to the white casing. Note its position and use the prying device to extract the battery. Place the new battery in the same place as the old one. Use steps 1-3 in reverse order to put the iPod back together. It may take a little work getting the case back together at the end; this is normal, but the cases should close together completely without excessive force.

PHOTOS BY JACOB ELA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

featuresfood Five Guys serves up quality American fare dailycardinal.com/food

By Ariel Kraut THE DAILY CARDINAL

Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 517 State St., is the campus’ newest hotspot for greasy and delicious comfort food. As the name of the restaurant suggests, Five Guys specializes in burgers and fries and not much else. But, despite the limited variety, this place does it right.

Upon walking under the bright red awning and entering Five Guys, anyone can tell the owners pride themselves on their high-quality food and great-tasting menu items.

Awards and quotations adorn the white- and red-tiled walls, which serve as good reading material for the long line. While waiting, patrons can also grab some peanuts, free of charge, to hold them over until their food comes.

The food at Five Guys is the real deal. Five Guys prides itself on fresh, never frozen ingredients, making this place a not-so-average fast food locale. The hot dogs are 100 percent kosher, giving them a refreshing, non-mystery meat appeal.

Burgers at Five Guys are perfectly juicy and almost impossible to beat. The regular size, $4.21,

Spring Break Issue 2008

consists of two patties, and the small size, $2.95, consists of just one.

Both are great depending on your appetite.

The ratio of sesame seed bun to patty is almost equal and not too bready at all. The cheese is melted just enough, and those ordering the bacon variety will get the satisfying spice and crunch they need.

The two options of french fries available are traditional and Cajun. Cajun style packs a lot of heat in a great way, but the traditional fries are anything but bland. The fries are thicker than McDonald’s, but thinner than a steak fry. They are also soft and not very crispy in a good way, making them some of the best fries around.

Sacks of potatoes line the restaurant’s walls and employees take them as they need to make more, showing off to the whole Five Guys crowd how fresh these fries really are. An order of fries ,$2.10, comes in a Styrofoam cup, complete with an extra scoop to top it off, so finishing an entire order can be difficult. Patrons might want to share an order with a friend if their

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KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL

After waiting in the long dinnertime line at Five Guys, a customer finally receives his order. appetite is less than raging.

Vegetarians might be the only people who are not as enthusiastic as the masses about Five Guys.

They will not be pleased with the

menu, seeing as their only option is a veggie sandwich ,$2.63, with or without cheese.

This sandwich is virtually mushrooms or onions on a hamburger

KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Five Guys Burgers and Fries has a limited menu, but everything the restaurant offers gives it its well-deserved reputation as a high-quality fast food joint. Both the Cajun and traditional fries are some of the best in all of Madison.

bun with the traditional toppings, which is definitely not as satisfying as a normal veggie burger. The bun on this sandwich is way too thick to balance out the thin layer of vegetables that it comes with, so leave your herbivorous friend at home.

Five Guys’ prices also add to the great experience of dining at this joint.

Students will be pleased to know the prices are strategically figured for the average broke college coed. Plus, all sandwich toppings are free.

The relaxed Five Guys experience is made possible thanks to its many friendly workers. The knowledgeable staff never rushes patrons to order, even if the line is growing rapidly. All of the Five Guys workers seem to want the customers to enjoy the food as much as they do, making that clear when they get on the microphone to congratulate people on their orders being ready.

If you’re in the mood for classic American food without breaking the bank, Five Guys Burgers and Fries is definitely the place to go.

This type of restaurant is exactly what State Street needed and ultimately proves that whoever these five guys may be, they’ve got the recipe for success.

Peanut butter taste test results in sticky but smooth finish ated by man. I hated Skippy and anything natural.

EMILY BISEK ‘em,‘em good

T

o celebrate National Peanut Butter Month, I recently went on a quest through marketing jungles, advertising and catchy slogans to find my favorite peanut butter.

I tossed aside previous bias, put on a blindfold and delved into the creamy paste many college students can live on for days at a time. Peanut butter tastes great on toast, bagels, crackers, ice cream or, my personal favorite, right out of the jar. It’s a poor college kid’s dream come true in a jar.

In this experiment, I judged strictly on taste. Calories, price, nutritional value and all other factors were not considered.

I entered this taste test with a few biases. Before, I swore Peter Pan was the best peanut butter cre-

Some things are not meant to be completely natural, a fact Pamela Anderson understands well.

Here is what I found on a second examination of seven very different peanut butter brands.

Let’s start with the worst.

Coming in a very distant last is Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter. I absolutely hated this peanut butter. First off, the texture is like sand mixed in glue. After one nibble I gagged.

Then the aftertaste made me gag again. I never want to smell, taste or look at this product again.

Some things are not meant to be completely natural, a fact Pamela Anderson understands well.

Number six on the list is

Our Family Crunchy. Anything crunchy does not please me. I thought it might, because sometimes you just crave a little crunch in your life. But it had a bland taste and an awkward aftertaste. I reached for a glass of water right afterward and did not even consider taking a second bite.

Reeling in at number five is the second crunchy flavor tested.

Great Value Crunchy is not a bad peanut butter. It had a thin taste, and the peanuts tasted like they just came out of the shell. Overall, it was not as rich as I expected.

Let’s just face it—creamy rocks and crunchy doesn’t.

Now things start to get really sticky in the rankings.

Surprisingly, Jif came in fourth.

I expected more from the brand moms like best, but it had an odd taste compared to others.

Jif has a rich taste, but it stuck to every part of my mouth.

I had to smack my lips like Chevy Chase eating dry turkey in “Christmas Vacation” to get it all down my throat. Jif ’s initial taste

was quite good, but the aftertaste was weird. Others out-performed this old family favorite.

Third place goes to my beloved Peter Pan brand. I really like the taste of Peter Pan because it is distinct from all the rest. It is much lighter, almost whipped and much smoother. I could tell it was Peter Pan right away with its creamy smoothness. It’s almost silky, yet has a very strong peanut taste. It’s a great overall product.

I had to smack my lips like Chevy Chase eating dry turkey in “Christmas Vacation.”

Skippy earned second place in my taste test. As I said before, I normally despise Skippy. It can sit on my shelf for months before being finished, but its rich taste really delivered. Skippy has a very differ-

ent, smoky taste. I am now a fan.

Now the big moment has arrived. Skippy, Jif and Peter Pan have already been mentioned. So what’s left?

The best overall peanut butter is Great Value Creamy Peanut Butter. This generic brand kicked all the other brands’ butts. It battled Skippy for the number one spot, but in the end I could not deny the great balance of flavor in Great Value. While reaching for a second bite, I could picture someone sitting down, grinding up the peanuts and putting it into a generic bottle.

Sometimes you get what you pay for. This is usually true with prostitutes and hitmen. But Great Value shattered this common belief with its huge success and is now officially the best-tasting peanut butter in the world of Emily Bisek.

If you don’t have any plans this Spring Break and want to help Emily finish off the extra peanut butter she has from her taste test, e-mail her at bisek@wisc.edu.

featuresstudent life 8 Spring Break Issue 2008

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Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but what about the rest of the year?

The story behind why students stay—or stray—from their cultural backgrounds.

Story by Diana Savage

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W-Madison senior Erin Ellison and her friends Katie Dionne and Jeff Olson were all Irish dancers together at the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance before they formed the band Rising Gael. Four years ago, the three dancers teamed up with fourth member, Peter Tissot, to start the Celtic band.

“Since we’re all Irish dancers, we really became interested in the music through the dance,” Ellison said.

Ellison considers playing in the band her favorite activity outside of academics.

“All of my fellow band members are my best friends,” Ellison said. “It’s such a fun thing to do on the side, [to] share Irish music with other people who enjoy it.”

Irish music has always been a bigger part of her life than American pop culture, and, by playing in the band, Ellison connects with her Irish ethnicity.

Most UW-Madison students create a balance between their different cultural identities in order to retain family ties while forming connections with peers.

However, some students drop their cultural identities completely or isolate themselves from the typical “American” identity to avoid judgment from other students or connect more easily with their peers.

For UW-Madison freshman and Brazilian native Pati Mo, U.S. and Brazilian cultures are kept completely separate. At home, she is Brazilian. On campus, she is a U.S. citizen.

“I don’t think it is advisable for students to isolate themselves culturally.”

Aparna Dharwadker associate professor UW-Madison

Unlike the split identity Mo creates, fifth-year UW senior Tope Awe identifies more with her Nigerian heritage, both on and off campus. She was born in Nigeria but grew up in the United States.

Flory Olson, UW-Madison sophomore, identifies more with the U.S. culture than her Irish

ethn i c i t y.

However, she does Irish dancing to maintain a connection with her Irish heritage.

According to Aparna Dharwadker, associate professor of theatre and drama and English, students who blend their individual cultures with U.S. culture will ultimately feel more comfortable on campus.

“Part of the process of emigrating to another country is that you ‘fit in’ with the host culture,” Dharwadker said. “I don’t think that it is advisable for students to isolate themselves culturally.”

Even so, Mo practices Brazilian customs on campus in a private, individual manner.

“My Brazilian practices on campus don’t affect how I deal with people or anything,” Mo said. “I do things and it’s mostly individual.”

Students may also “Americanize” themselves in order to feel welcome on campus.

“The news I read from Brazil or the Brazilian music I listen

to, I just keep to myself because I know if I share it with people they are going to feel uninterested,” Mo said. “When I meet new people on campus, I’m as American as I can be, so people feel less different from me.”

According to Dharwadker, it is not unusual for students to have difficulty assimilating two cultural backgrounds.

“It is difficult to retain one’s native culture in a foreign country unless there is a larger community that supports the effort,” Dharwadker said.

Through her participation in Irish dancing, Olson keeps in touch with traditional Irish music.

“You hear lots of different Irish music, which isn’t so readily available in mainstream America,” she

said.

A balance is simpler for Olson than Mo; Olson easily blends her Irish culture with U.S. culture because both her Irish and U.S. friends appreciate her cultural practices.

“Everybody in America that I know is accepting of Irish dance,” Olson said. “They just want to know what it is.”

According to Awe, students share their culture with peers out of pride and to set an example.

Awe shares her African culture with her friends because it makes them more willing to share their own cultures.

“I always put [my culture] out there because it is such a big

Navigating cultural lines

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PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED GRAPHICS BY MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

featuresstudent life dailycardinal.com/features

culture from page 8 part of myself,” Awe said. “The people that end up being friends would be the ones that accept it, whether or not they identified that way.”

Although most of Awe’s friends do not identify with her culturally, they are open about discussing cultural topics like tradition.

“I become friends with those people that embrace their own identities as well,” Awe said.

“The group of friends I have in pharmacy school will always talk about their own culture.”

For Mo, however, students with fewer people in their ethnic group may inevitably feel isolated.

“Some students keep their nationality because they have their own social network [and] construct a little country in their community,” Mo said.

“My problem is that there is no Brazil on campus. I don’t see another Brazilian so I have to be Americanized.”

According to Awe, students find a balance between their cultures by finding clubs and orga-

nizations that connect with their cultural identities.

“Whether or not you actively participate in the club or give your all to the club, just finding other people that have that same upbringing and same belief system ... is a way of retaining it or balancing it,” Awe said.

Awe’s African culture has allowed her to find a smaller community at UW-Madison.

“The size of the campus never seemed daunting to me or overwhelming because I didn’t associate with the campus at large,” Awe said. “I definitely appreciated that there was an intercommunity on campus.”

According to Dharwadker, students maintain their cultural identity to different degrees based on the kind of family a student grows up in and where they were born.

He uses Indian students on campus as an example.

“Some Indian immigrants to the U.S. put in a great deal of effort into keeping up their language, rituals, traditions and customs, while others choose to assimilate

Serving green beer all week! $2 Guinness pints $3 Feckin Irish Whiskey drinks $3 Jameson shots $2 pints/$5 pitchers of green beer

Spring Break Issue 2008 more fully into the dominant culture,” Dharwadker said.

Awe said Nigerian students who do not continue practicing the customs of their Nigerian ethnicity are not necessarily abandoning their identities, since some, for instance, have parents who raised them with American traditions.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say they ‘abandoned’ [their culture] if they legitimately were not raised that way.”

Tope Awe fifth-year senior UW-Madison

“I don’t think it’s fair to say they ‘abandoned’ it if they legitimately were not raised that way,” Awe said.

Mo connects more to her Brazilian cultural background because she was born in Brazil.

However, to avoid discrimination from people on campus, she suppresses her Brazilian customs

to connect more with her peers.

“I identify more with the Brazilian culture, but I do not share that with my American friends,” Mo said. “I don’t feel racism against me, but I think that is because I’m completely Americanized now.”

According to Ruth Turley, assistant professor of sociology, Mo has experienced “ethnic switching.” This occurs when people who previously identified with one ethnicity now identify with another.

Although some students “switch” cultures, others may resist assimilating into the U.S. culture because they feel a culture clash.

Mo sometimes faces a conflict when it comes to the discrepancy in social issues between U.S. and Brazilian culture.

“Teenagers in Brazil have more of a connection with their families than we do here,” Mo said. “They are more likely than Americans to be friends with their relatives.”

Another social issue Mo struggles with is Americans’ seeming lack of perseverance.

“Knowing that I’m from a third-

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world country where most people don’t have the opportunity to finish high school, I’m aware of how I need to work to get what I want,” Mo said. “That gives me motivation that some students lack.”

According to Mo, she has felt pressure to conform to American culture.

“In Brazil, we’re never categorized by color and race,” Mo said. “In college, since I’m now Americanized, I’ve learned the language, I act like an American and I feel like I blend more with the American culture. Language is a huge barrier to me still.”

However, others, like Olson, find UW to be very accommodating to students balancing two distinct cultures.

“On this campus, it’s possible to find people of similar backgrounds to be able to communicate with and share thoughts and memories of childhoods and cultural traditions,” Olson said.

“I find it’s nice to be able to step into an Irish dancing world and have fun listening to the music and enjoying the fellow Irish company.”

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Spring Break Issue 2008

Short stories should not be minimized ANNA WILLIAMS williams shakespeare

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Through ‘Killing’ eyes PHOTO COURTESY IFC FILMS

With the recent shootings at Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech, “The Killing of John Lennon” resonates as more than a historical look at Mark David Chapman, Lennon’s assassin. It also raises issues of gun control in the United States, since Chapman’s weapon was a legally purchased handgun.

Film reveals perspective of Lennon’s assassin, stirs past & present political issues

By Oren Rosenberg THE DAILY CARDINAL

What goes through the mind of a murderer when he pulls the trigger? In this age of saturated communication, there is definitely a niche for movies like “The Killing of John Lennon,” the story of psychotic murderer Mark David Chapman.

Although the American audience has a small contingent ready to take pleasure in stories of the dark byproducts of our society, there is a wider message take from the movie. As is sometimes the case with works of art however, the events surrounding the release of “The Killing of John Lennon” have given it a message Director Andrew Piddington might never have intended.

Piddington portrays Chapman’s killing of Lennon as a senseless act of violence.

The movie begins in Hawaii, where Chapman is like sandpaper to everything he touches. In the voiceover narration (taken directly from the writings of Chapman) he talks about his difficult childhood, his violent,

sociopathic tendencies and his frequent inability to interact normally with the world around him.

He is obsessed with J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” relating to the book’s main character, Holden Caulfield. Like Caulfield, Chapman abhors phonies, and chief among them, according to Chapman, was Lennon, who sang of abandoning possessions despite incredible wealth.

Piddington portrays Chapman’s killing of Lennon as a senseless act of violence, which is the widely accepted interpretation of Lennon’s assassination. However, a few times throughout the film, it appears Piddington is trying to broaden the context of the film, pitting Ronald Reagan’s optimism against Chapman’s paranoid fatalism. It may not be a stretch to suggest that Piddington’s use of Reaganisms serves double duty— showing the extent to which Chapman represented a perversion of the American ideal, and also how Reagan’s ideal is the product of violent rhetoric.

More important are the events surrounding the release of the film.

On March 5, Eve Carson—the student body president of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill—was killed in what was called a “random act of violence.” Less than a month earlier, six were killed at a Northern Illinois University shooting. Less than a year before that, 32 were killed

at Virginia Tech. The list continues.

No one can refute that gunrelated deaths in the United States dwarf those of any other nation not suffering from severe political turmoil or civil war. It is easy to see why there has been strong opposition to gun control in the past, since this country was founded as a nation of warrior-citizens, exercising their constitutional right to turn suburban split-levels into fortified compounds. However, we have come a long way from the age of the militia, and our laws should reflect that. We have evolved a bit from the time of Chapman who, though he spent part of his life in a mental

institution, could still easily acquire a handgun. But, if the endless shootings on college campuses are any indication, gun ownership is not keeping the American people safe.

We need to focus on individuals like Mark David Chapman, to keep ourselves safe. We should do more to mitigate the violent tendencies of men like Chapman instead of forcing innocent Americans to enter into a sort of small-scale arms race with the criminally violent.

It’s our job to demand protection from our elected officials. After all, most of us (even John Lennon) don’t have a secret service detail to protect us.

PHOTO COURTESY IFC FILMS

Piddington’s film portrays Chapman as a traumatized sociopath with a sharp vendetta against Lennon and his peaceful message.

ver the course of the school year, I’ve discovered a delightful little thing—the short story. Strangely, I’ve always stayed away from them. I was raised on novels and was never introduced to short stories in high school. When I did try reading them, I was always disappointed—I’d just start to get attached to the characters and plots, and it would be over. But earlier this year, I happened upon several short stories that made me realize what I was missing.

After reading a multitude of short stories, I finally understand the genre.

Before, I had been expecting short fiction to be like a mini-novel, a full-fledged representation and exploration of life. Once I realized short stories showed a slice of life—a small moment of significance—I started to appreciate them. I also found that unlike novels, they fit well into the life of a college student.

Novels are very time-consuming and absorbing. Once I start reading them, I can’t stop. Whenever I start a novel during the school year, I find that I skimp on my homework, go to bed too late and even skip class, just so I can keep reading. Short stories, however, besides only taking about half an hour to read, are self-contained.

When I put them down, I don’t have to stay awake all night wondering what will happen. Short stories fulfill my reading needs without distracting me from school.

However, just because short stories are, you know, short, that doesn’t mean they don’t pack a big punch. One of my original objections to the short story was that I didn’t think anything meaningful or moving could be conveyed in about 20 pages. But once I dove into them, I realized this was far from true: Perhaps the reader doesn’t have the same attachment to the characters as in a novel, but, instead, the short story form allows writers to magnify small moments from life that resonate with the reader.

For instance, in Sherwood Anderson’s spine-tingling, eerie story “Death in the Woods,” the grim, plain facts of old rural woman’s life become incredibly heart-wrenching because of short stories page 11

‘Rachel Corrie,’ UW student honor activist with performance

By Ben Pierson THE DAILY CARDINAL

Any time the Israeli Government is questioned publicly in the United States, controversies are bound to arise and charges of anti-Semitism and terrorist conspiracies are destined to follow. No matter how damning the evidence against the government, or how compelling the Palestinian people’s stories of persecution, it will be met with some degree of disbelief.

Braving this controversy, the play “My Name is Rachel Corrie” opened in Madison Friday night.

It politely asked its audience to take a hard look at Israeli actions in Palestine.

The play is based on the diaries and e-mails of Corrie, an American

peace activist who lived in Gaza before being killed by an Israel Defense Force bulldozer while peacefully resisting on March 16, 2003. While in Gaza, Corrie sent scores of e-mails home depicting houses, wells, greenhouses, orchards and gardens being razed by Israeli bulldozers. She wrote about innocent families forced to hide in the center of their houses as the IDF tanks drove by and fired, and about children who lived mere miles from the ocean that were walled off from ever seeing it.

Rachel’s parents were in Madison recently and discussed their daughter and the play. “We have to get Rachel’s words out, because she had wanted people to see this,” said Rachel’s mother, Cindy.

Corrie wrote of the solemn but peaceful attitudes of the hospitable Palestinians she met, calling their reactions to the IDF occupation “Ghandian non-violence.”

Jordt embodies Rachel’s wanderlust as well as her compassion and vigor for marginalized people.

Her story is overwhelming, but the play is more charming than angry. Editors Alan Rickman (“Dogma,” “Harry Potter”) and Katherine Viner have organized the

writings of Rachel Corrie into a surprisingly optimistic 90-minute play that reads like any whimsical American girl’s diary. “Rachel Corrie” is designed to give the audience a look into Corrie’s life and tell the story of how a normal girl born to midwestern, middle class parents became a fearless activist. By the end of the play the audience sees Corrie as someone they could have known and liked.

It is important to note that Corrie and the organization she worked for, International Solidarity Movement, believed in Israel’s right to exist, but disagreed with the severity of their recent actions. They were not adamantly anti-Semitic, but supported all oppressed peoples in the world.

The people involved with the pro-

duction don’t give much credence to the perceived controversy. They believe that, after watching the play, any honest, informed and objective person will at least think that something might be wrong with some of Israel’s decisions. “The process of this play is to get people to talk to each other,” director Carl Vitale said.

To keep the play focused on Corrie, the lead actress and UW student Brittany Jordt—the role is performed by a local performer in each of the play’s international stops—chose not to be interviewed.

The set is simple. There is a bed, a desk and two shelled out walls. There is one actress and occasionally, recordings of Rachel’s parcorrie page 11

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Spring Break Issue 2008

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Geometric exhibit reshapes, ‘alters’ sculpture norms

By Alison Eiler THE DAILY CARDINAL

“Altered Geometry,” the newly opened exhibit at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, is not for the faint of heart when it comes to modern art. The exhibit boasts eight sculptures from the MMoCA’s permanent collection, each demonstrating the quintessential ideals of what contemporary sculpture should look like: abstract, large and minimal. The pieces, all created within the past two decades, were purchased following an exhibit that featured the artist, showing the museum’s dedication to supporting living

PHOTO COURTESY MMOCA

“Clark Unum” is another example of artistic rebellion in “Altered Geometry.”

short stories

from page 10

the care Anderson takes in portraying them. Simple details often become beautiful and elegant in the short story, and this makes them as moving as an epic, sweeping novel.

Once I realized short stories showed a slice of life—a small moment of significance—I started to appreciate them.

The story, “In the Gloaming,” by Alice Elliott Dark, moved me as much as any novel and nearly took my breath away, and Jhumpa Lahiri’s stories are sensual and relatable as well. Short stories can be refreshing bursts of humor, too. Lorrie Moore, a professor at UWMadison, writes funny, quirky stories, and John Updike’s “The Christian Roommates” made me laugh out loud.

When I don’t know what I’m in the mood to read, I’ll often pick up the annual “Best American Short Stories” collection and page through it until something catches my eye.

I’ll always be a novel girl at heart.

Yet, over the past year, the world of the short story has opened up for me, and what an exciting world it is. But, in the immortal words of LeVar Burton, you don’t have to take my word for it. Pick one up and see for yourself!

Disagree with Anna? Think bigger is always better with books? Send her a novelsized response at akwilliams1@wisc.edu.

artists.

Each of the eight pieces concern form and elementary geometric shape, touching upon a minimalistic appearance, but differentiating themselves through manipulation of materials, methods and treatments.

A large and commanding piece is “Untitled (Cone with Semicircle)” by Erik Levine. This wooden piece looks similar to a child’s spinning top that has been balanced perfectly on its side. The piece seems to possess machine-like precision because of its seemingly unbalanced weight and exact lines. However, upon closer inspection, it has an unfinished surface that shows the artist’s craftsmanship and handiwork, creating a pull between machine and hand—a theme present throughout the show.

A large piece that stands out and provokes curiosity is Donald Lipski’s “The East.” Lipski’s piece draws viewers in and leaves them puzzled, because the enormous, perfectly shaped ball of plastic pallet wrap contains something inside.

The object, a metal buoy, is only visible by the two odd-shaped protrusions at each side of the ball. The wrap, while protecting the buoy, also obscures and distorts its visibility.

Another peculiar sculpture, the culmination of two separate pieces, is “Untitled” by John Hughes.

The bottom piece is a rounded dish with an opening in the center. The top piece is suspended from the ceiling and cylindrical, with a tapered end that seems to fit almost perfectly in the opening of the rounded dish. This sculpture melds together geometric and

corrie from page 10 ents playing in the background.

It is a setup that seems like it could drag on, but the story is so compelling and the acting so intimate that anything extra would have taken away from the connection the actress built with the audience. Jordt embodies Rachel’s wanderlust as well as her compassion and vigor for marginalized people.

This is a sad play at times, but mostly it is fun and full of great self-deprecating humor.

The audience sees Rachel not as a radical, but a quirky girl who loves list making, chasing boys, painting, poetry, nature, her family and, most of all, justice. She makes fun of the fact that she started smoking when an IDF bullet pierced her tent and how an elderly Palestinian woman acted as her surrogate mother, chiding her for smoking and not calling home enough.

“My Name is Rachel Corrie” shows Corrie as a human being, not a radical anti-Semite as some publications have depicted her.

‘My Name is Rachel Corrie’ where: Overture Center when: March 15 cost: Free, donations will be accepted

PHOTO COURTESY MADISON MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Created by David Nash, “Cracking Box” is just one of the many sculptures in “Altered Geometry” an exhibit that takes minimalist concepts, like the cube, and warps them into something far more complex. biomorphic forms and different types of woods and metals to create a piece that reveals a careful and poignant sense of rhythm and balance. Just like Levine’s sculpture, the piece contains an opening that allows the viewer to see the craftsmanship, allowing for this paradox of precision and balance and the look and feel of hand craftsmanship.

David Nash’s “Cracking Box” is a wooden cube made up of smaller cubes that are held together and supported by wooden pegs. The piece, however, has

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been treated and created in a way that lends its wood to warping and cracking, creating an imperfect cube that seems like it could fall apart at any minute. While the cube is a staple of minimalist sculptures, this piece shies away from traditionalism through its use of non-industrial materials and its destruction of precision and craftsmanship.

Overall, “Altered Geometry” portrays the archetypal elements of contemporary and minimalist sculpture but strives for more than that. The featured sculp-

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tures play on the side of paradox through their rejection of minimalism, and the conflict between the look and feel of the geometric objects’ machine-like precision hints at the artist’s hand at work.

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comics 12

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dailycardinal.com/comics

Spring Break Issue 2008

Goin’ to Mexico

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.

Bubble Bobble.

Dwarfhead and Narwhal

By James Dietrich jbdietrich@wisc.edu

The world record for people inside one bubble is 19.

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

The Crackles I just got done watching The Empire Strikes Back. Han Solo is frozen and then...it ends!

I hate that so much!

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com DINNER IS SERVED ACROSS

1 Animal’s abode 5 Erupts, in a way 10 Confused 14 Novelist Rice 15 Sultan’s group 16 Frosty’s eyes 17 This puzzle’s theme 19 Auto-body woe 20 Airport approximation, briefly 21 Container or craft 22 “Exodus’’ director Preminger 23 Convertible couch 25 Backside 27 Not achieving 33 Judo gyms 36 San Diego athlete 37 Hematite, e.g.

38 “Fine by me” 39 Boat to Staten Island 40 10 million of them equal a joule 41 Tolkien creature 42 ___ Domingo 43 “For goodness ___!’’

44 Get by 47 Monetary unit in Myanmar 48 Appearance 52 “Stand By Me’’ singer ___ King 54 Capital of Texas

58 It might be the word 59 Seed envelope 60 “Let me sew you to your sheet,” e.g.

62 ’50s audiophile’s purchase 63 Alternative to Corinthian 64 Opening stake 65 Ready to be driven 66 Hidden motive 67 “Alas, ___ Yorick!’’

DOWN

1 Cut with a light beam 2 Santa ___ Park (racetrack) 3 Bit of dental work 4 Abbr. for Jesse Jackson 5 Utilizes a certain office machine 6 Bear feet 7 “-zoic’’ time periods 8 “As you ___!’’

9 Place of refinement 10 Like many crossword clues 11 Ewing ranch 12 It may be Near, Middle or Far 13 Chorus part 18 Balances 24 Bay bobber 26 “For Official ___ Only’’ 28 Turn topsyturvy

29 Dessert trays 30 Kind of drive 31 Hard-toresist yen 32 “In 25 words or ___ ...’’

33 Adverse fate 34 Gumbo staple 35 Fancy dive 39 1940 Disney classic 40 Enjoys dinner 42 Coral, for one 43 It runs through Paris 45 A flirt may bat one 46 Show proof of 49 Acid head?

50 Enthusiasm 51 Wheat used as forage 52 Money of Thailand 53 It’s inferior to Superior 55 “Once ___ a time ...”

56 Composer’s output 57 “... ___ and trouble’’ (“Macbeth’’) 61 50 Cent piece

Anthro-apology

By Simon Dick srdick@wisc.edu

Woah! What is that!?

To Be Continued ...

By Eric Wigdahl wigdahl@wisc.edu

opinion dailycardinal.com/opinion

Spring Break Issue 2008

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

firearm bill not specific enough

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s of late, Wisconsin Republicans have been quite fond of attempting to undermine and overturn the state’s existing gun laws. In many cases, conservative leadership has eagerly echoed the nationwide claims of the NRA, placing firearms on equal footing as democracy and free speech in defining what it means to truly be American.

In some cases, the right has acted with sincerity, citing statistics to back specific positions and making a decent case for lightened restrictions. Far too often, however, they have revealed a nihilistic goal, pushing for the abandonment of as much legal control as possible in order to open the door for an idyllic Wild West scenario in which nobody acts up for fear that they might get shot.

That appears to be precisely the case with the Republicans’ latest effort, which also enjoys a fair amount of support among Democrats at the moment.

Assembly Bill 581, which would essentially strip state and local government of any power to restrict gun use and gun purchases during an emergency, is the latest incarnation of a broader school of thought: guns for everyone.

In addition, the bill itself is too categorical, outlawing controls on “the possession, transfer, sale, transport, storage, display or use of firearms or ammunition during an emergency.” The idea that

armed citizens should join police and guardsmen in sorting out a disaster is foolish, and the belief that the key to preventing unnecessary suffering is to let people do whatever they want with their guns is a bad one as well.

So far, proponents of the legislation have couched the issue in unrealistic terms. For example, supporters paint the picture of a peaceful gun owner who has his door kicked down and his rifle confiscated by the government as an imagined beneficiary of the bill.

To be sure, an emergency should not mean giving the green light to oppressive tactics. But why should we also do away with restrictions on gun and ammunition sales? Why should the “display” of firearms no longer be governed?

As usual, the legislation smacks of a backdoor effort to get rid of gun control in any form. If the first step is in emergencies, so be it. It would just be nice if those behind the bill were open about their broader intentions.

For their part, critics have labeled the proposal as too broad, specifically citing the need in some emergencies for police to be the only ones with guns and for the rest of us to follow orders. To the anti-government crowd, the concept is repulsive. Hopefully, Gov. Jim Doyle will be more inclined to nitpick this bill if he has a say in the matter.

SOUNDBITES: ASSEMBLY BILL 581 “Someone does not buy a car with the intent to drink and drive. It is the action that creates the crime, not what they choose to use.”

—state Sen. Robin Vos, R-Racine “[This bill] is unnecessarily broad. We are simply asking to narrow it down. Law enforcement officers could end up getting in trouble for doing their job. It will make them hesitate.”

—Jeri Bonavia executive director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Source: The Journal Times

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Free market health care best choice Ryan Dashek’s March 10th article says that some people argue for socialized medicine while opponents think what we have now is best. This misrepresents the alternatives.

Our current health-care system is one form of government-controlled health care.

Government dictates what services must be covered (such as the recent bills mandating coverage for autism and other mental illnesses), forces hospitals to provide certain services regardless of whether they expect to be paid, and dumps huge sums

of taxpayer money into the system via Medicare and Medicaid.

Such interventions, and many more like them, are the cause of spiraling health-care costs.

Advocating further government involvement in health care is just asking for more of the same disease. The real alternative is free-market health care; the same (relatively) free market that continually produces computers and other electronic devices at lower cost and higher quality.

—Jim Allard UW-Madison senior

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For Healthy Wisconsin, it’s time to get serious

MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

ERIK OPSAL opinion columnist

T

hink back to last summer. The state Senate Democrats had a budget with $1.7 million in tax increases and the Republicans hated it. Then they snuck Healthy Wisconsin—that little $15 billion tax increase—into the budget and all hell broke loose. Long story short: We didn’t get a budget until October. Well folks, Healthy Wisconsin is back, but don’t expect it to go anywhere any time soon.

Introduced last week by state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, DWaunakee, many critics claim the Senate Democrats are only bringing it back up for political reasons.

Since the legislative session ends today, there just wasn’t enough time to fully consider the bill, which made many Republicans cry afoul, saying it was nothing more than a campaign wedge issue. It probably didn’t help that Erpenbach alluded to this in his press release.

Although Healthy Wisconsin does amount to a huge tax increase, it also saves money by replacing existing medical costs.

“This issue doesn’t go away when we walk off the Capitol steps,” he said. “Every legislator in this building that does doors this summer will hear about health care. I want people to ask them

what they are going to do about this epidemic, and I want the answer to be Healthy Wisconsin.”

Luckily, the senate Democrats didn’t push for a vote on the bill, so instead of saying, “Republicans voted against health care,” all they can say is, “Here’s our plan, now vote for us.” According to Julie Laundrie, campaign spokesperson for Erpenbach, health care will be a campaign issue in the fall no matter what, which is why “Healthy Wisconsin will be waiting on their desk when they come back,” according to the release.

Yes, it’s waiting for them— that $15 billion tax increase.

Of course, Healthy Wisconsin’s detractors are only saying that to scare you, just as they did last summer. The truth is, although it does amount to a huge tax increase, it also saves money by replacing existing medical costs.

With an estimated savings of $1,300 per family annually and $1.3 billion per year overall—half of which will go toward a property tax cut—Healthy Wisconsin definitely deserves our consideration in the next session.

There are also a few changes to the plan this time around, which is why it took so long to come to the floor.

The original plan had no provision to safeguard small businesses, which are less likely to provide insurance for their employees.

Critics rightly argued the 10.5 percent tax Healthy Wisconsin adds to employers for health care would severely hurt small businesses.

To address this, the bill now includes a phase-in program, which requires small businesses—defined as employers with 10 or fewer employees—to pay just one-third of the cost the first year, two-thirds the second and the full cost in the third. The AFL-CIO,

which testified in favor of the bill at a hearing Monday, called this addition “especially important.”

The new bill also addresses a major concern from the employee side. In addition to the 10.5 percent tax on employers, Healthy Wisconsin puts a 4 percent tax on workers’ Social Security wages.

Again, critics rightly argued this would put added stress on dualincome households. The new version fixes this by capping it at 4 percent per household rather than per individual.

This bill deserves extensive consideration and examination to make it the best it can be.

Democrats will run on Healthy Wisconsin in the fall and, just like they did last summer, the two sides will spar, often repeating the same old talking points. But we don’t need any more talking points.

Health-care costs are spiraling out of control and Healthy Wisconsin has a way to change that.

In January 2009, when the next legislative session starts, I urge Erpenbach to make this Senate Bill 1. It deserves extensive consideration and examination to make it the best it can possibly be. If he were to procrastinate and, I don’t know, stick it into the budget at the last minute again, it’d only serve to prove the critics right. No more politics—let’s get serious about Healthy Wisconsin next January.

Erik Opsal is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

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sports

Spring Break Issue 2008

dailycardinal.com/sports

Young tight ends get shot to star Underclassmen also compete for receiver spots

By Tom Lea THE DAILY CARDINAL

With the start of spring practice comes an opportunity for underclassmen to show coaches what they can bring to the table. That is exactly how the second day of practice played out for the UW football team early Tuesday morning.

At no position was there a better opportunity to impress coaches than at tight end. Both starters from last year’s squad, senior Travis BIELEMA Beckum and junior Garrett Graham, were sidelined with injuries during practice. Because they were not on the field, many of the younger tight ends took more snaps than usual.

“This is a great opportunity with Garrett and Travis out of the lineup to see where they are,” head coach

Bret Bielema said following practice. “I think Mickey [Turner] and Lance [Kendricks] in particular are taking full advantage of it.”

Sophomore Lance Kendricks, who many compare to a young Beckum, originally came to UW to play wide receiver. Much like Beckum, once Kendricks was integrated into the system, the coaches felt he would make a better tight end. However, that is where the comparisons stop.

“They really are kind of two different beasts,” Bielema said. “Lance is very athletic and competitive but probably not as natural an athlete as Travis. On the same account, Lance has got good speed when he gets in the open field.”

Several players also have the opportunity to shine at the wide receiver position. After losing Paul Hubbard and Luke Swan to graduation, the Badgers are relatively young and inexperienced at the position. Sophomores Kyle Jefferson and David Gilreath would likely jump into the starters role, but Bielema believes this will be an open competition until fall camp.

“I think all receiver positions are wide open,” he said. “Kyle has the natural position just cause he fin-

ished the season there, he was able to do some certain things. But there really isn’t anybody in that program right now that has established themselves as an ever down player at the wide receiver position.”

Other players not participating in the non-contact practice were senior and sophomore cornerbacks Allen Langford and Aaron Henry, as they both are still recovering from ACL injuries. Senior defensive tackles Jason Chapman, also recovering from an ACL injury, and Mike Newkirk were inactive as well.

Newkirk re-aggravated a shoulder injury that may have occurred last season, and team officials are waiting to see if it will require surgery. If surgery is needed, Newkirk would likely return in time for summer conditioning.

“What I’ve really been pleased with these first two days is the way the guys who aren’t involved are staying involved,” Bielema said regarding injured players.

“That’s a hard thing to do, but, especially with certain kids, you want to turn negatives into positives. The one thing I emphasized to the coaches is give your kids a plan for the guys who can’t play and make them coach and educate those other guys.”

AMANDA SALM/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Sophomore Kyle Jefferson has the most experience on Wisconsin’s young receiving corps. Yet, he is not guaranteed to start this fall.

It’s no vacation: Wisconsin softball embarks on difficult stretch

By Scott Kellogg THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin’s softball team will not have much time off during Spring Break, as it prepares for a full slate of games.

The Badgers (7-12) will spend their spring recess on the road, participating in two events and 12 games in 10 days.

The Badgers’ first tournament is the Tiger Invite in Columbia, Mo. During this event, Wisconsin will play five games in three days. Friday and Saturday evening Wisconsin will play a doubleheader against Missouri and North Dakota State, and Sunday morning the Badgers will play Missouri.

Host-school Missouri will be a tough opponent for Wisconsin.

The Tigers are 20-6 on the season and undefeated thus far at home. After starting the season with a 9-6 record, Missouri has been scalding hot. The Tigers went without a loss during their last two tournaments, the Tiger Invitational and the USF Under

brawl from page 16 Penn State has also been devastated by injuries. Both senior swingman Geary Claxton and junior forward Jamelle Cornley will sit out the remainder of the season. However, Penn State did finish its season on a high note, winning three out of its last four contests, including a stunning overtime victory over the Hoosiers. The Nittany Lions have a favorable first round matchup against struggling Illinois, but will need another miracle to beat surging Purdue in second round action.

No. 8 Iowa (6-12, 13-18) The Hawkeyes have been a consistent contender in the Big Ten for the last several years, but the loss of their two top scoring forwards from last season—senior Adam Haluska to graduation and sophomore Tyler Smith, who transferred—proved too much for Iowa to handle. The Hawkeyes struggled in non-conference play and were never able to put

Armour Invitational, and are now riding an 11-game win streak.

Missouri’s recent success is capturing national attention. The Tigers just missed out on making the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 this week. After Virginia Tech, Missouri received the most votes without cracking the top 25.

Wisconsin may have a hard time getting the bats going against Missouri and its pitching staff.

Junior Stacy Delany and sophomore Jana Hainey have a 1.33 and 1.73 ERA, respectively. They have combined for a 18-3 record this season.

For Wisconsin, North Dakota State will not be much easier. The Bison are 19-6 this season. North Dakota State won its first nine games but has cooled off of late, losing three of its last five. The Bison have faced just one ranked opponent thus far, losing to No. 9 Stanford, 3-0. Nonetheless, the weekend should be a challenge for the Badgers.

After the Tiger Invite, Wisconsin will head west for road games against Pacific in Stockton, Calif., and Sacramento State in Sacramento, Calif.

Pacific, who the Badgers face on March 18, is 11-14 this season. The Tigers’ last competition was the Diamond Devil Invite, in which they lost three out of five games.

However, the Tigers were able to defeat No. 17 San Diego State.

Pacific also faced the No. 1 team in the nation, Arizona State, and lost 10-3.

The next day, Wisconsin will face Sacramento State. The Hornets are 10-10 this season and on a fourgame losing streak.

Wisconsin will then get an offday before heading south to participate in the Stanford Invitation II in Palo Alto, Calif, March 21-23.

The Badgers will play a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday against Princeton and Stanford, and East Carolina and BYU, respectively. Then Wisconsin will wrap up the long week by playing Princeton

again Sunday.

Stanford will be Wisconsin’s most difficult matchup. The Cardinal are 27-2 this season and ranked No. 6 in the nation. Stanford won its first 15 games of the season before falling to Texas Feb. 24.

Junior pitcher Missy Penna has stood out this season for the Cardinal. The right-hander is 172 with a 0.97 ERA. Offensively, sophomore catcher Rosey Neill leads the Cardinal with 10 home runs and 31 runs batted in, and is second on the squad with a .398 batting average.

Wisconsin will look to pick up a couple victories against Princeton.

The unseasoned Tigers are 2-5 this year. BYU and East Carolina are 12-10 and 19-9, respectively.

The Badgers won just one of five games in the Texas Classic two weekends ago, which was their last event. Eager to pick up some victories, Wisconsin will have plenty of opportunities next week.

—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.

together consecutive victories against Big Ten opponents.

Iowa is led by a pair of guards: senior Tony Freeman and junior Justin Johnson, who lead the team in scoring at 14 and 12 points per game, respectively. Iowa faces a fairly evenly matched team in Michigan in the first round, followed by regular season Big Ten champion Wisconsin if they advance.

Michigan could certainly challenge No. 8 Iowa in the first round but will need a spectacular performance to take down the top-ranked Badgers in the second round.

No. 11 Northwestern (1-17, 8-21) The 2007-’08 campaign has been a season Wildcat fans would like to forget. After a 14 start in non-conference play, Northwestern managed to rattle off four straight wins to finish above .500 going into Big Ten competition. But Northwestern’s play since January has been nothing short of disastrous. Its lone victory in the Big Ten was a twopoint win at Michigan, and, overall, the Wildcats won just three of their last 19 games.

One of the few bright spots for Northwestern has been the play of sophomore forward Kevin Coble, who is among the Big Ten’s scoring leaders and registered 34 and 37 points, respectively, in matchups against Michigan and Indiana.

Coble will likely need to be at his best once again for the Wildcats to defeat Minnesota in the first round.

No. 9 Michigan (5-13, 9-21) It has been a rebuilding year for the Wolverines, who returned no starters from last year’s underachieving squad. Michigan’s roster includes just four upperclassmen, and their lack of leadership showed during a difficult stretch where they faced four ranked opponents in non-conference play.

Freshman guard Manny Harris has shown tremendous potential, averaging 16 points per game to lead the Wolverines. He has scored 25 points or more in four games.

No. 10 Illinois (5-13, 13-18) Perhaps the most disappointing team in the conference is the Fighting Illini, who played inconsistently throughout the year despite returning several key components from last season’s squad. Illinois routed Minnesota by 23 points, yet lost to Michigan by six points two weeks later in a game where they scored just 43 points.

The Fighting Illini are strong up front with senior big men Warren Carter and Shaun Pruitt, who lead Illinois in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. Illinois could cash in on its first-round matchup against an injury-plagued Penn State team but will likely have its hands full if it faces Purdue’s balanced scoring attack in the second round.

break from page 15 the men’s squad travels to St. Cloud State for the first round of the WCHA Playoffs.

The following weekend will showcase the WCHA Final Five, and soon after, the NCAA Tournament. Whether the Badgers can recapture the momentum of two years ago when they won the NCAA Championship is uncertain, and somewhat doubtful. But stranger things have happened.

Don’t forget the NHL. As the season winds down—most teams have only 11-14 games left— nothing beats end-of-the-season and playoff NHL hockey.

There are enough sports to watch over Spring Break to warrant the complete avoidance of school work.

Hockey will be tougher to see, as basketball will dominate the airwaves, but if that rare gem of a game is found while channel-flipping, enjoy it. No one will judge you for it.

Along with baseball, basketball and hockey, there is always golf and arena football. Say what you want about the Arena Football League, but there are some talented players and the games are entertaining.

Golf has Pro-Am and PGA Tour events over break, and should be on television over the weekend enough to elicit some viewing.

Just watch five minutes, you will see more than John Daly.

There are more than enough sports to see over Spring Break.

So, while studying calls and that 10-page paper screams to be written, take a moment and enjoy all the sports world has to offer.

If you would like to watch sports with Nate instead of going to Cancun, e-mail him at ncarey@dailycardinal.com.

sports

dailycardinal.com/sports

Spring Break Issue 2008

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15

UW confident it can win at St. Cloud again

By Jon Bortin THE DAILY CARDINAL

Inside the Wisconsin men’s hockey team’s locker room, one of the goals listed in white lettering against red backdrop is “WCHA Final Five.” To get there, the Badgers will have to advance past a first-round, best-of-three series on the road this weekend against St. Cloud State.

“A week off, we’re rested, and we’ve had success against St. Cloud. So I like our chances of getting into the playoffs.”

Shane Connelly junior goaltender UW men’s hockey

Coming off a bye week in which the Badgers were overtaken by the Huskies and Minnesota State for home ice in round one of the conference postseason, Wisconsin is feeling fresh for its second visit to the National Hockey Center in three weeks. In its last series of the regular season, UW split with St. Cloud State, leaving the possibility that the Badgers would open on the road.

Wisconsin finished one point behind the Huskies but has had success against them, scoring three wins in four games.

Regarding that run of success against the Badgers’ upcoming opponent, junior goaltender Shane Connelly said it was a matter of coming out ready to play.

“I don’t think it’s anything that they do,” he said after practice this week. “I just think that we executed a little bit more in three of the four games. It’s an interesting matchup.

“They’re a more high-end, skilled type of team and we’re more get-it-in-the corners and kind of grind-it-out a little bit. So it’s a little contrast. And it’s whoever

brings their best that day has won the game. We’ve come out ahead.”

Not by much, though. Each game against the Huskies has been closely contested. None of the games have been decided by more than one goal.

“We know what they like to do and they know what we like to do,” said Connelly, who will be making his first postseason start. “So, no surprises on either side. It’s just down to execution and discipline.”

The Badgers came to practice Monday somewhat glum because they would not be playing the first round at the Kohl Center, where they were 10-6-2 this season. But, according to the players and head coach Mike Eaves, the mood has swung and the team is fully focused.

“Their attention level is pretty acute right now,” Eaves said.

For its quote of the week, UW has chosen, “Playoffs. It’s the best time to play,” because, as Eaves told the team Tuesday, “Everything is right in front of you.”

For the Badgers, all that matters at the moment is their showdown with St. Cloud State. Should the Badgers win the series on the road—where they are a vastlyimproved 4-3-3 since their threeweek break in December—they will advance to the Final Five in St. Paul, Minn.

“We have lots to play for and this is the fun time of the year,” Eaves said.

St. Cloud State put up some of the best offensive numbers in the WCHA this season, finishing third in total offense with three goals per game, and first in power play conversion rate, at 23 percent.

Indicative of their offensive firepower, the Huskies have the top three point scorers in the conference. Sophomore forward Ryan Lasch finished the regular season with 48 points. Freshman Garrett Roe and sophomore Andreas Nodl each had 41.

“They’re a really skilled, transi-

NATE CAREY sports mag-nate

Forget the books, watch more sports

A

LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Freshman forward Kyle Turris has compiled a team-high 31 points this year, but he will need help if the Badgers are to beat the Huskies. tional team,” said freshman forward Kyle Turris, the Badgers’ own leader in points this season with 31.

Even though the Badgers will not be hosting in the league playoffs, they still have a chance to play another game at the Kohl Center this season. One of the four regional brackets in the NCAA Tournament will be played in Madison. UW has two different ways of getting into the tournament.

The winner of the WCHA Final Five gets an automatic bid.

Otherwise, the Badgers would have to be chosen by the NCAA Selection Committee. USCHO.com’s PairWise

system, which uses virtually the same criteria as the committee to determine the 16 qualifiers, has the Badgers ranked No. 13.

UW knows two wins on the road against St. Cloud State can only improve its standing and help its chances.

“I like our chances,” Connelly said when asked whether he thought the Badgers would make the NCAA Tournament. “I like this team, especially for the playoffs. A week off, we’re rested, and we’ve had success against St. Cloud. So I like our chances of getting into the playoffs.”

Three-peat within Badgers’ reach, but road will not be easy

By Eric Levine THE DAILY CARDINAL

Only three games separate the Wisconsin women’s hockey team from a national championship threepeat as it heads into the NCAA Quarterfinals Saturday. However, the Badgers must get through a slew of tough opponents to accomplish that feat, starting with Minnesota in Minneapolis.

“The team put themselves in a

position that they’re only three games away from a national championship, and that’s all you can ask,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “It’s a journey to get here, they’ve done what they’ve needed, and now they have an opportunity, and that’s the bottom line.”

The journey was a roller-coaster, which featured a 1-5-1 stretch from Nov. 3 to Dec. 1, bottoming out with a heartbreaking overtime loss to eventual WCHA regular-sea-

JACOB ELA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

UW head coach Mark Johnson is once again counting on Jessie Vetter to block the net and keep the Badgers close in every tournament game.

son and Final Face-Off champion Minnesota-Duluth.

“Sometimes with defeat, people are a little more attentive and work a little bit harder because they don’t like what happened to them, and certainly our leaders felt that way,” Johnson said.

As a result, the Badgers bounced back, boasting a 17-2-1 record since that point. They will now face a familiar foe.

Wisconsin and Minnesota have battled five times this season and have played as recently as last Saturday, when Wisconsin prevailed 4-3 to move onto the conference finals. The Badgers hold the season edge 3-1-1 and have had even more success on the road at Ridder Arena in recent years, going 7-0-1 in the last eight games at the Gophers’ home.

“I love Ridder Arena, and I’m sure like many people have said, it’s kind of like a second home for us,” senior forward Jinelle Zaugg said. “No matter who ends up winning, it’s a huge rivalry ... it’s going to be awesome.”

Badger junior goaltender Jessie Vetter claims the rivalry with Minnesota is not at the same level as it is between the men’s hockey teams. Vetter is friendly with some of the Minnesota players because she has represented the United States in hockey tournaments with Gophers such as senior defenseman Anya Miller and junior forward Gigi Marvin, who played with Vetter this

past November in Sweden at the Four Nations Cup. “It’s definitely less intense,” Vetter said. “I think with the guys there’s more of hatred toward each other.

We’ll go out to dinner on Friday with them before we play them Saturday.”

This season, Vetter heads into the NCAA Tournament knowing she’ll be the starting netminder. In each of the last two campaigns, head coach Mark Johnson ended a senior goalie’s career—Meghan Horras in 2006 and Christine Dufour in 2007—in favor of Vetter, who has a 0.26 goals-against average and .988 save percentage in her six national tournament games.

“It definitely helps me relax a little bit,” Vetter said. “It’s just nice knowing that I will have that opportunity to play.”

The Gophers face a similar decision this weekend, with junior Kim Hanlon and freshman Jenny Lura putting up nearly identical stats this season. Hanlon is 0-2 on the season against Wisconsin, while Lura is 11-1 facing the Badgers.

“We’ve been in that [situation] before,” Johnson said “If you win you made the right choice, if you lose you second guess yourself.”

When the choice to start a goalie like Vetter pays off for a coach like it has for Johnson—he’s 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament with the junior—there is no need for second guessing.

s students finish up the last two days of class, the atmosphere around campus is vibrant. The changing weather welcomes a warmer outlook on life—until there is a sleet storm in April—and the thought of a week off to fully procrastinate is something every college student dreams of.

While St. Patrick’s Day should dominate the first few days of break, some students may eventually head back to their books in preparation for the second half of the semester. However, a few brave students will break this stream of conformity and dissatisfaction, and will enjoy every second of their free time.

There are enough sports to watch over Spring Break to warrant the complete avoidance of school work.

So, while that 10-page paper screams to be written, take a moment and enjoy all the sports world has to offer.

First off, Spring Training is in full swing. Although most people have lost interest in the month prior to Opening Day, true baseball fans still manage to stay informed. Whether you follow the Brewers, Twins, White Sox or Cubs, there is always a way to follow the latest news.

While Fox Sports Network North isn’t airing any Brewers games, there are multiple channels and stations that are showcasing split squads for a majority of teams in the MLB. But Spring Training is a double-edged sword. It is easy to get excited when the rookie from nowhere hits four home runs, and just as easy to dismiss the veteran pitcher who gives up eight hits in two innings.

Along with baseball, there is, of course, college basketball.

This weekend features conference tournaments, where underdog eighth seeds often manage to win the tournament, messing up every computer system in the nation.

And don’t forget—actually CBS won’t let you forget— that this Sunday is “Selection Sunday.” Most Wisconsinites will be watching to see where their beloved Badgers fall. Some brackets have Wisconsin landing a two-seed, while others have them limping in as a four-seed. Either way, the Badgers will be a strong presence in the tournament, and could be the first Wisconsin team to make the Final Four since the 2000 season.

College hockey is also on the docket. Women’s college hockey is heading into the NCAA Tournament, where the Badgers will look to make it three-straight national championships, while break page 14

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POLITICIANS HONOR ANDERSON.. Senior women’s basketball player Jolene Anderson was honored by the Wisconsin state Assembly Wednesday with a joint resolution praising her athletic accomplishments. dailycardinal.com/sports

Spring Break Issue 2008

Big Ten brawls in Indianapolis

MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

By Adam Hoge and Matt Fox THE DAILY CARDINAL

Big Ten March Madness officially begins Thursday. With that in mind, The Daily Cardinal presents a comprehensive team-by-team breakdown of all the action to come in Indy.

No. 1 Wisconsin (16-2, 26-4) For the Badgers, the biggest thing at stake this weekend, other than the tournament title, is NCAA Tournament seeding. A weekend sweep would likely mean a No. 2 seed, while a loss to Michigan or Iowa Friday could result in a No. 4 seed.

Head coach Bo Ryan said Monday it is impossible to pick an MVP on this team, but if UW wins the conference tournament, one will have to be awarded. Watch out for Brian Butch this weekend. He is averaging 13.7 points over his last three games, and the senior knows his collegiate career is nearing an end. Also, look for sophomore Jason Bohannon, who has scored at least nine points in eight of the last nine games.

He has yet to receive national recognition, and this could be his breakout weekend.

No. 2 Purdue (15-3, 24-7) The Boilermakers will also look to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding this weekend, but they will also be looking for respect and revenge if they face Indiana in the semifinals Saturday. The Hoosiers won the only meeting between the two teams this season, and, with the tournament being held in Indianapolis, Conseco Fieldhouse is likely to be split between those wearing black and those wearing crimson.

Opponents cannot focus on one specific Purdue player, but freshman Robbie Hummel was a first team all-conference selection after averaging 11.7 points this season and could get some national recognition in the coming weeks.

No. 3 Indiana (14-4, 25-6) This weekend is about getting the entire

team back on track for Indiana. The Hoosiers have the conference’s two best players—senior forward D.J. White and freshman guard Eric Gordon—but Sunday’s loss at Penn State showed that IU is far from where it needs to be heading into the postseason.

Indiana is slipping in the polls and in potential NCAA Tournament seeding. The Hoosiers will have the home crowd and badly need some momentum. Watch Gordon, who hasn’t been the same since injuring his non-shooting hand Jan. 31 against Wisconsin. He gets his points whether he plays well or not, but if he turns the ball over and takes bad shots, Indiana could be one-and-done this weekend.

No. 4 Michigan State (12-6, 24-7) It’s been an up-and-down season for the preseason Big Ten favorites. They are a lock for the NCAA Tournament and will be playing for seeding. Who knows which team will show up—the team that put up 103 points at home against Indiana or the team that was 2-6 on the road in conference play? The Spartans’ near-November upset of UCLA in Kansas City is the only indication of how they might play on a neutral floor.

Preseason player of the year Drew Neitzel was so inconsistent this season that the media didn’t put him on their first-team All-Big Ten Team.

However, he is still averaging 13.4 points per game, and this team will go as far as he takes them.

No. 5 Ohio State (10-8, 19-12) The Buckeyes are the Big Ten’s lone bubble team right now, and their work isn’t done even though they beat Purdue and Michigan State at home last weekend—their only résumé wins of the season. OSU’s best road win? Take your pick between Cleveland State, Illinois and Penn State.

It’s likely the Bucks will need to beat Michigan State for the second time this week if they want to get into the NCAA Tournament.

With that said, senior forward Othello Hunter might be the guy who gets them there. He’s only

the third leading scorer on the team at 9.5 points per game, but Hunter was a huge spark for Ohio State in its last two wins, scoring 15 against Purdue and 13 against the Spartans.

No. 6 Minnesota (8-10, 18-12) The Gophers almost put themselves back in NCAA Tournament talk when they nearly upset Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., but a late collapse made the loss look worse than it really was, and they followed it up with a 67-58 loss at Illinois.

If there is a team not headed to the NCAA Tournament with a chance to win the conference tournament, Minnesota is it, but that would be a lot to ask. If Tubby Smith’s squad gets past 11th seeded Northwestern Thursday, an upset over

Indiana on Friday would not be out of the question if senior Spencer Tollackson can stay out of foul trouble and have a big game.

No. 7 Penn State (7-11, 15-15) After a disappointing season last year, the Nittany Lions started their 2007-’08 campaign strong, compiling a 10-4 record and going on an impressive seven-game winning streak. However, Penn State went into a complete downward spiral as its Big Ten schedule got tougher. The Nittany Lions followed their win streak with a six-game losing streak and were never able to get back on track. brawl page 14

MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL