‘THE GREEKS’ A COLLABORATIVE SUCCESS Adaptive Greek drama features Madison Rep. players alongside UW theatre dept. actors ARTS University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Van Sistine: President-elect Obama could have significant effect on sports world SPORTS
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Tuesday, Novemer 11, 2008
Poor economy to affect UW student loans By Rory Linnane THE DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison professors said Monday the current state of the world economy will affect the future of students’ loans. Professors Howard Schweber, Edward Friedman, Jim Johannes and Timothy Riddiough served as panelists at the Students’ Economic Forum Monday night in Science Hall. Schweber started with a broad overview of how the U.S. economy has developed in the past decades, beginning with the conception of the American dream. According to Schweber, because higher education and home ownership
are large components of the “dream,” the government pressured banks to provide loans to Americans. Many of these loans come in amounts individuals cannot pay back. Riddiough used an analogy of a party, where the Federal Reserve was a bar tender who failed to regulate the heavy drinking of the investors. “Now we’re feeling the hangover,” he said. The professors agreed on the imminent collapse of the private student loan market. Schweber said he thought many universities would have to close in the next three years, including UWpanel page 3
LORENZO ZEMELLA DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison professors analyze Monday the national economic crisis and the impact it will have on student loans in the future. Several professors said they were optimistic about the future with Obama as president.
Democratic lawmakers hope to use majority to enact policies, despite budget shortfall By Sara Lieburn THE DAILY CARDINAL
NICK KOGOS/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Dr. Francisco Ayala spoke about the differences between Darwin and Copernicus’s theories of human existence.
DLS speaker stresses natural selection theory By Estephany Escobar THE DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison students and faculty members gathered at a lecture Monday to hear Dr. Francisco Ayala speak about revolutions in science and their effect on human nature. Ronald Numbers, a UW-Madison professor of the history of science and medicine, introduced Ayala, author of “Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion,” as one of the world’s bestknown and most distinguished scientists. Ayala started his lecture by explaining the two great scientific revolutions spurred by Nicolas Copernicus and Charles Darwin. “Copernicus changed the perception that we had of the earth of being the center of the universe … similar to Darwin that removed humans from
being the center of the real world,” he said. According to Ayala, Darwin’s theory is significant in explaining evolution but is also important because it solidified pre-existing theories. “Although Darwin is primarily known as the author of evolution, it was not his most important contribution to studies—it was that he completed the Copernican revolution by bringing the design of the universe organisms,” he said. Ayala emphasized Darwin’s theory of natural selection and how it better explains the theory of evolution in comparison to intelligent design. “[Darwin’s theory of natural selection] can prove reality that can be experienced by the senses, that can be lecture page 3
With Democrats now in control of both houses of the state Legislature, lawmakers disagree on the amount of change that will come at the state level in the next legislative session. State Rep. Spencer Black, DMadison, said while the projected state budget deficit will limit Democratic legislation in at least the first term, the Democrats will eventually be able to carry out their agenda. Black said he expects the smoking ban that failed in the Legislature last session to pass under Democratic control, and Healthy Wisconsin, a health care plan that also failed last session, could succeed depending on health care legislation on the national level. According to Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, Healthy
Wisconsin is “widely” unpopular and would require significant tax increases. Mikalsen said Democrats can “talk a good game,” but there will not be enough funds to carry out their policies. Ryan Murray, spokesperson for state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said while Democratic majorities will halt Republican BLACK legislation, the Democratic agenda will also be slowed by financial constraints. “I think they’re going to quickly realize it won’t be as easy as they thought,” Murray said. State Sen. Fred Risser, DMadison, said the Democrats will be able to pass a budget that will allow their legislation to move effi-
ciently. He said while constraints in state spending will force the Democrats to prioritize their agenda, the fact that their legislation will be the agenda in both houses is the most significant change. Black said the Democrats will be able to increase the state funds necessary for the changes they are aiming to make by first enacting laws to close corporate loopholes, a move he said would fund Democratic policies without raising income or property taxes. According to Mikalsen, conservative Democrats and Republicans will unite to form an alliance against raising taxes that will act as a check on the Democratic legislation. He said this will not only prevent increased spending but also slow progress of the Democrats’ agenda. “The Democrats will be forced legislature page 3
State elections board may perform disputed voter checks By Megan Orear THE DAILY CARDINAL
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s lawsuit over voter information checks drew controversy this fall, but the Government Accountability Board may decide Tuesday to perform the disputed checks anyway. Prior to the election, the Board chose not to crosscheck the information of voters registered before Aug. 6, 2008. Van Hollen claimed this decision was a violation of the Help America Vote Act, a law requiring registrations filed after Jan. 1, 2006, to go through the checking process. A Dane County
Circuit Court Judge dismissed Van Hollen’s case last month, but he filed to appeal the case Friday. According to GAB Elections Divisions Administrator Nat Robinson, the board intended to check voter registration databases all along. Robinson declined to comment how performing these checks may affect the lawsuit. “If you look back at the [GAB] minutes … you will see where they said that once the general election is over and the database has been corrected and brought up to date, they will determine what procedures for consistency they will implement to do
back checks,” Robinson said. Robinson said the GAB is asking staff members to develop a method to help local clerks make the checkup process uniform and consistent across the state. He said he did not know how long the HAVA checks would take. Van Hollen’s office declined to comment until the GAB determines its plan of action. After Tuesday’s meeting, the Board will consider the staff recommendations at its January 2009 meeting and advised clerks not to perform the checks prior to that date, according to a GAB memo.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”