WHICH DORM DECOR FITS YOU?
Remembering the most exciting and the most heartbreaking UW sporting events of 2007-’08
Room organization should be an extension of one’s (and one’s roommate’s) self STUDENT LIFE
University of Wisconsin-Madison
l
SPORTS
PAGE 8
Complete campus coverage since 1892
l
l
PAGE 20
dailycardinal.com
New Student Issue 2008
Fire destroys Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL
A late night fire destroyed the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house at 237 Langdon St. during finals week, but all of the house’s 28 residents were safe and accounted for. Around midnight on May 13, Madison Police Department officer Angie Dyhr was on patrol in the Langdon Street neighborhood when she noticed smoke coming from the back of the house. She notified a dispatcher to send fire officials to the location and discovered the entire back of the house was in flames. Dyhr pounded on the fraternity house’s door and yelled for the residents to evacuate. Dozens of firefighters and police surrounded the house to fight the blaze, as hundreds of Langdon Street
residents and onlookers flooded the street to watch the firefighters attempt to contain the fire. Officials confirmed the fire started at the back of the house, but Madison Fire Department spokesperson Bernadette Galvez said the cause of the fire is yet to be determined. MFD finally extinguished the fire at 2:28 a.m., according to the MFD statement, but the house sustained major damage. “It’s pretty much lost,” Galvez said of the house. An MFD statement estimated the damages to total $750,000. Three firefighters were injured at the scene, two of which were transported to UW Hospital and one to Meriter Hospital with minor injuries. Dean of Students Lori Berquam, fire page 6
KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL
KRIS UGARIZZA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
May 13 the Sigma Phi Epsilon house was englufed in flames. All house residents were safely evacuated and given temporary housing.
Chancellor candidate finalists ‘meet and greet’ on UW-Madison campus By Erin Banco THE DAILY CARDINAL
One internal and three external chancellor candidates visited UW-Madison the week of May 12 to answer questions about improving different aspects of the university as finalists to succeed Chancellor John Wiley, who will step down in September. The search for a new chancellor began after Wiley announced his resignation in early December. Wiley has held the position of chancellor since 2001. “For a whole variety of reasons, this is a perfect time for the transition—Sept. 1 is the perfect time,” Wiley said at a news conference in December. UW System Board of Regents President Mark Bradley named Regent David Walsh to chair a special regents committee that will provide the final recommendation this summer for Wiley’s successor. Finalists Gary Sandefur, Biddy Martin, Rebecca Blank and
Meet the candidates KURT ENGELBRECHT/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Freakfest, Madison’s annual Halloween celebration on State Street, draws a large number of students to the downtown area.
Freakfest, Mifflin Street Block Party undergo transformation By Abby Sears Gary Sandefur
Timothy Mulcahy
Rebecca Blank
Biddy Martin PHOTOS BY KRIS UGARIZZA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
chancellor page 5
UW-Madison student superdelegate announces endorsement By Charles Brace THE DAILY CARDINAL
Awais Khaleel is a graduate fresh out of UW-Madison, and he is also one of a few Wisconsin superdelegates who could determine the Democratic nominee for President. “Superdelegates,” unlike the majority of the 92 Democrat delegates in the Wisconsin primary, can vote any way they want.
The 16 superdelegates include Gov. Jim Doyle, U.S. Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, DWis., members of Congress from Wisconsin and several Democratic National Committee members. Khaleel and Lauren Wolfe, the vice president and president of the College Democrats of America respectively, posted a YouTube video April 28 asking college students to
send them feedback to help them decide how to vote at the Democratic National Convention. On May 13, after receiving over 5,000 e-mails, over 1,000 Facebook messages and wall posts and hundreds of video responses, they posted a second video announcing each would endorse U.S. Sen. Barack superdelegate page 5
THE DAILY CARDINAL
Two of Madison’s most popular downtown parties, the weekend Halloween celebration known as “Freakfest” and spring’s Mifflin Street Block Party, are undergoing transformations to decrease arrest numbers and rowdy crowds at the events. After alcoholfueled riots and tear gas marred the infamous 2002 Halloween party on State Street, the Madison Police Department has made numerous strides in lowering violence and arrests at the gathering in recent years. In 2006, the city officials allowed corporate sponsorship of the event, with participating companies including Pepsi and Milio’s. For a ticket fee of $7 at Freakfest 2007, partygoers gained
admission to State Street and three different music stages. Although the Halloween celebration was free prior to sponsorships, police said last year’s parties page 6
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”