Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - The Daily Cardinal

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Doyle anticipates budget deficit to reach $5 billion

By Erin Banco THE DAILY CARDINAL

Gov. Jim Doyle announced a re-evaluation of the state budget shortfall Tuesday, projecting a deficit of $5 billion within the next 2 years.

Last month, Doyle said he expected the budget deficit to reach $3 billion because of the poor state of the economy.

Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, said there are many reasons why Doyle changed his prediction from the estimated $3 billion.

“The state law requires the governor or the administration to release information about state agency spending requests and revenue estimates for the coming years on Nov. 20,” Berry said.

He said it is “interesting” that Doyle decided to announce a bigger deficit after he had previously projected the budget hole to be smaller.

According to Berry, governors often raise the budget shortfall for political reasons.

“There is every reason to make budget difficulty sound as bad

as possible in November because then when they unveil it they have laid the ground work for extracting favorable decisions,” Berry said. “Having a big budget problem strengthens [Doyle’s] hand going into the budget development period.”

UW System spokesperson David Giroux said the $2 billion projected increase in the budget deficit would affect Wisconsin universities.

“If the state faces anything like that kind of shortfall it almost certainly will affect the universities … but how severe [the effects] are is a long way from being determined,” Giroux said.

Doyle will not present the next biennial budget, effective July 1, 2009, until February. Giroux said it is still too soon to tell how much the budget will affect tuition at UW System schools.

“It is uncertain how it will affect the university ... discussions are still a ways off,” he said. “Anything we talk about till [February] will be pure speculation.”

Calls to Doyle’s press office were not returned as of press time.

CHARLIE BAKER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the Madison Common Council launched city budget deliberations Tuesday, which will continue through Thursday.

Madison residents voice opposition to bus fare increase at initial budget debate

By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Common Council kicked off budget deliberations Tuesday, hearing public input from Madison residents on amendments in the proposed 2009 capital and operating budgets.

Among one of the most controversial items on the agenda of the operating budget was the proposed 50-cent increase in Madison Metro bus fares to $2, which all public speakers on the issue vehemently opposed.

Madison resident Ted Voth said he has a slogan for the proposed

increase: “More fare, same service.”

He argued increasing fares would be most detrimental to people who use public transportation as a necessity.

“Would any of you moderate business people sell your product that way?” Voth asked the council.

“I don’t think so.”

He also said the increase would create more traffic congestion and parking problems throughout the city. Echoing Voth’s opinions, Madison resident Tim Wong said consequences of a fare increase would appear to go against the city’s budget page 2

DANNY MARCHEWKA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Dean of Students Lori Berquam encourages students to voice their opinion on downtown safety issues. The university plans to continue discussions about recent armed robberies near campus.

Students offer solutions for UW, downtown safety

By Grace Kim THE DAILY CARDINAL

A forum held by the UW-Madison Greek community Tuesday brought students and administrators together to address issues and concerns regarding downtown safety.

UW-Madison student organizations, Dean of Students Lori Berquam, University of Wisconsin Police officers and community members offered potential solutions for recent armed crimes, especially in light of last week’s mugging on Langdon Street.

Berquam said she was interested in hearing student’s ideas and encouraged them to voice their opinions.

“My hope for tonight is actually to review and have some amazing ideas that you might want to bring to the surface so that we could actually take action on some of them,” Berquam said.

Today on the Web8 Wisconsin lawmaker aims to repeal state abortion law State Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, will work in the next legislative session to repeal an old Wisconsin law that makes abortions in the state illegal.

UW moves up in national ranking of Fulbright fellows The number of Fulbright fellows from the university places UW-Madison ninth in the country among research institutions.

Many students complained about the lack of lighting on Langdon Street as well as on other isolated areas from campus.

According to UW-Madison senior Maggie Molter, the issue of safety on campus has been a recurring theme and said a new lighting initiative, proposed by Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, for the 2009 city budget, is an important solution for a safer environment.

“Every week, you expect to see in the paper [a] mugging, sexual assault or robbery. It is happening every week,” she said. “Something needs to be done ... It needs to be stopped.”

Students also expressed concern about the time frame of late night bus schedules, the lack of WiscAlerts and the limited education of campus safety in the UW-Madison community.

Cecilia Nieves, a fifth-year UWMadison student, said she did not receive a WiscAlert when the mug-

ging occurred in the Greek community last week. “[People] have to realize that [they] need to take personal responsibilities,” Nieves said, adding she thinks education would lower safety risks.

According to UWPD Lt. Eric Holen, there is an environmental and procedural solution to increase safety on campus.

Holen said the number one procedural safety issue is to control the environment. He stressed students need to be more aware of their surroundings and need to avoid isolation.

Bob Holloway, president of Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., said speaking to elders and communicating with neighborhood associations can also make a difference.

“The issue here goes far beyond the campus,” Holloway said. “These are the issues that concern everybody downtown.”

Coalition urges Legislature to pass stricter alcohol laws

By Jessica Feld THE DAILY CARDINAL

UW Health announced Tuesday the launch of AWARE, a statewide coalition to combat Wisconsin’s alcohol abuse problem.

The All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education project was initiated by UW Health in response to statistics that place Wisconsin number one in the nation for binge drinking and drinking by high school students, but show’s the state trails in penalties for drunken driving.

AWARE, led by a team of

clinicians, researchers and educators, aims to fight drunk driving, decrease underage drinking and eliminate insurance practices that discourage reporting injuries caused by drunken driving.

“We think it is imperative to address this issue by beginning a very public set of conversations and actions that respond to the health, cultural and financial impacts of alcohol abuse,” said Dr. Jeffrey Grossman, president and CEO of the UW Medical Foundation. health 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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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

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

It’s never too late to decide to live, seriously

Volume 118, Issue 52

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News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Alex Morrell Managing Editor Jamie McMahon News Editor Amanda Hoffstrom Campus Editor Erin Banco City Editor Abby Sears State Editor Megan Orear Opinion Editors Jon Spike Mark Thompson Arts Editors Emma Condon Ryan Hebel Sports Editors Ben Breiner Crystal Crowns Features Editor Sarah Nance Food Editor Marly Schuman Science Editor Bill Andrews Photo Editors Kyle Bursaw Lorenzo Zemella Graphics Editors Meg Anderson Matt Riley Copy Chiefs Jillian Levy Gabe Ubatuba Jake Victor Copy Editors Danny Marchewka Gena Rieger, Kevin Slane Todd Stevens, Claire Wiese

Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Babu Gounder Assistant Business Manager Alex Kusters Advertising Manager Sheila Phillips Eric Harris, Dan Hawk Web Directors Account Executives Katie Brown Natalie Kemp, Tom Shield Accounts Receivable Manager Cole Wenzel Marketing Director Andrew Gilbertson Assistant Marketing Director Perris Aufmuth 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.

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For the record The Daily Cardinal made a contextual error in the Nov. 11 article “Poor economy to affect UW student loans.” UW-Madison professor Howard Schweber is attributed as saying within the next three years, universities such as UW-Barron and UW-Stout would close due to the state of the current economy. The statement should have read that if the government does nothing to fix the economic situation, smaller private and state public schools may face closure. There is no such discussion underway about closing UW System schools as the aim of the system is to expand educational opportunities in Wisconsin. The Cardinal regrets the error.

THURSDAY: showers hi 50º / lo 38º

ASHLEY SPENCER back that ash up

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elieve it or not, I used to want to be a serious person, who did serious things, set serious goals and seriously kind of met them.

Instead, I seriously stare at the TV for eight hours a day. When you take 12 credits and only go to class two days a week, you have some serious time on your hands to seriously think. And seriously, if you think about it and say “seriously” over and over again, it seriously starts to sound weird. These are the things I seriously thought about this Sunday on my couch, as I reflected on the semester thus far.

When starting my second-to-last semester, I realized I didn’t have much time. I was diagnosed with a fatal form of Senioritis and I started to feel a sense of impending doom. I would walk to class and hand out cigarettes to homeless guys and smile, and all I could think about was the fact that I would be gone next year. And with my track record, possibly dead.

“Shit,” I’d say to myself. “A year from now, I’ll be gone and in hell. I’ll probably be stuck in an office, my eyes

stinging as they stare at a computer for eight hours a day before I go home to the room in my parents’ basement.”

But somehow, while I became more cynical about my future, the things around me started to become beautiful to me again. I didn’t mind the annoying construction barring me from Library Mall and making me walk an additional 83 or so steps, which in the past, would have really pissed me off. I didn’t mind the loud girl shouting into her cell phone walking up Bascom Hill about needing more money. I almost didn’t even care when American Apparel opened and someone decided that wearing shiny lubricated leggings was now, in fact, cool. I just laughed to myself. I just wanted to suck it all in and live a life like a film montage accompanied by a really good song—a collection of short shots of me laughing, looking thoughtfully at the Capitol and holding hands with beautiful homeless men who need cigarettes.

I decided to become serious about my time left, so I made a sort of bucket list. There are things I want to experience in Madison as a student before it all ends. So I decided to get a job.

I vowed to work on my writing, sign up for a ceramics class and take up African dancing. I also wanted to hang out in more coffee houses, befriend a

budget from page 1 environmentally friendly initiatives and harm bus riders during the nation’s current financial crisis.

“It seems like a 33 percent bus fare increase at a time when a lot of people are in lots of economic trouble is not a natural step and, in fact, certainly does nothing to promote sustainability,” Wong said.

After nearly three hours of public comment, the council moved on to voting on amendments in the 2009 capital budget. Among the items approved was an amendment to allot funds for improvements on downtown streets sponsored by Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, and Ald. Eli Judge, District 8.

modern-day poet, maybe even have a functional healthy relationship with someone who bathes, reads and has nice hair. I wanted to have time to become a real person, read historical fiction while eating tofu and seriously start thinking about the world, life post-graduation and, of course, myself.

Somehow all of these grand intentions on my bucket list turned into a fuckit list. All because I have OnDemand. Besides getting a job, my list had every box unchecked. Instead of finding poets and making sculptures, I lie on my couch and watch people live.

“Californication” satisfies my sex drive. “Iron Chef” makes me almost feel full, though that might be all the Cheez-Its. “Mad Men” replaces the historical reading I wanted to do, but I mean, it does take place in the ‘60s.

“Dirty Jobs” helps me think about my career path and I now know I am not cut out to do anything involving the ocean, running, blood, machinery or other people. I’ve seen this one TLC documentary 13 times about the world’s fattest man and this reminds me to go to the SERF or at least watch “Biggest Loser.” On a lonely day, reruns of “Sex and The City” almost make me feel like I went to lunch with four of my friends, and addition-

Verveer said the upgrades to portions of Gorham Street and Broom Street were in accordance with the State Street Design Project Plan to reconstruct State Street and adjacent areas. Judge urged the council to support the plan to replace existing pavement in the area, noting the deterioration of many downtown streets through his firsthand experience.

“As someone who walks the street almost every day, that state of disrepair is almost at a dangerous level to the point where it’s something of a tripping hazard,” Judge said.

With the capital budget amended and approved, the council will continue their discussion of the operating budget Wednesday night and go into Thursday if needed.

ally serves to remind me to write my column without using any rhetorical questions.

At first, when I watched the entire fourth season of “Weeds” for the second time, I was mad at myself, but I can never stay mad at me for too long.

I decided to go through my drawers and find the list. It’s the only piece of paper in my desk that’s unwrinkled and undoodled on because I never bothered looking at it. I’m just too busy these days. Re-reading it, I began to feel the same enthusiasm I had in September. I felt better about myself, when I saw that “watching classic movies” was number 16. I figure, hey, TV was pretty close. This motivated me enough to put on gym shoes, walk to the SERF and run on the treadmill while simultaneously watching “Jeopardy.” When I got home and made a dinner that didn’t need to be microwaved, I seriously felt good. And I decided that this was enough—this semester I could study the art of feeling good—and the good news is I seriously don’t even need Adderall to get through this class’s material. Just a TV changer and a few small steps in the direction toward a real, serious life.

If you’d like to watch TV with Ashley, provided you bring boxed wine and Cheez-Its, e-mail her at aaspencer@wisc.edu.

dailycardinal.com/news

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Fire alarms create apathy among UW dorm residents

By Kelsey Gunderson THE DAILY CARDINAL

Within the past nine months, university residence halls have experienced false fire alarms, which officials say put students at risk and cost the Madison Fire Department valuable resources.

Although University Housing Director Paul Evans said false alarms do not occur frequently and do not cost UW-Madison money directly, they do hinder residents’ safety.

“The concern is that when you have false fire alarms, you desensitize students

to the alarm,” Evans said, adding students have begun to disregard them. “When there is an actual fire, they won’t leave thinking it’s another false alarm.”

Those living in residence halls said they do not take the alarms seriously because the alarms are usually false.

“I have started to ignore the alarms because I feel like they will just be false,” Reema Kavoti, a UW-Madison Sellery Hall resident said. “[Right now] it is cold out, so I don’t want to go outside for no reason.”

Sophomore Shannon Ervin, a former Witte Hall resident, said the fire alarm went off several times last year.

“After constantly being evacuated in the middle of the night people just start staying in,” Ervin said. “If there was a real fire people won’t leave, which definitely has an impact on their safety.”

Lori Wirth, a public information officer for the Madison Fire Department, said false fire alarms in residence halls use resources that are needed in actual emergencies.

“We have to be careful how we are spending our resources throughout the city,” she said.

“If we are sending [teams] to false calls, which involves an engine as well as a full rescue

crew, these are resources that can’t respond to other emergencies in the city.”

According to Wirth, any time firefighters leave the station they are at risk by simply driving on the road.

“We don’t want people leaving to respond to an emergency if it isn’t real,” she said.

Mike Kinderman, assistant director for University Housing, said Housing does not record the actual frequency of false fire alarms, but they are working to reduce the incidences. He said most false fire alarms occur because students trigger the alarms.

“In high traffic areas we put covers on the [fire] alarms that actually have their own alarm, so when somebody lifts the box the alarm goes off draws attention, this usually prevents them from pulling it,” Evans said.

Housing officials said they enforce strict punishment for those students who pull alarms, which helps decrease the incidents.

The dean of students’ office has particularly stressed fire prevention within the last year after three incidents at off-campus residences, including a fatal house fire, one at an apartment complex and another at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house.

Students are encouraged to test fire alarms monthly and evacuate at the sound of an alarm.

ASM Constitution to propose new president requirements

By Cassie Holman THE DAILY CARDINAL

After gathering student feedback from three listening sessions, the Associated Students of Madison Constitutional Committee proposed a twosemester minimum term for future presidents running in the organization.

“We identified themes within the feedback and used that to debate making changes to the draft constitution,” said Jeff Wright, chair of the committee.

“One big concern people had was that the [proposed] president position does not have any qualifications attached to it.”

The committee debated whether previous leadership and extracurricular experience on or off campus should also be a requirement for future presi-

health from page 1 Currently, Wisconsin is one of two states that do not issue a felony charge until the fifth drunken driving conviction.

Project leaders are pressuring state lawmakers to pass a “three hits and you’re out” type of penalty that charges drunken drivers with a felony after their third offense, according to Donna Katen-Bahensky, president and CEO of UW Hospital and Clinics.

Further, AWARE encourages lawmakers to pass legislation mandating license suspension for underage consumption or possession of alcohol.

“Instead of leading the country

dents.

Members of the committee did not reach a consensus. Wright said they plan to address the presidential qualifications issue in the next round of feedback sessions, which start next week.

“It will be the same format but there will be more give and take,” Wright said of the future sessions. “This could arguably be the last chance we get to speak to students directly before putting it before Student Council.”

According to Wright, the committee will make final revisions to the constitutional draft within the next few months and place it up for approval in early December.

ASM aims to have the student body vote on the constitution in February.

The committee also discussed

duties and powers of the government branches, the ASM internship program and implementing constraints on executive orders.

Although a limited number of people have participated in previous feedback sessions, ASM leaders are looking for future involvement from the student body.

“Changes to this government, regardless of whether or not they are involved in ASM right now, will affect students’ lives in some way,” Wright said. “If there is an incentive to get involved now, it’s that this process is fundamentally directed around making a structure work better for students.”

For more information about ASM’s constitutional committee, visit ASMconstitution.wordpress.com.

in alcohol abuse, we should lead in progressive reform—as we have in so many areas—and address this serious problem with wisdom, compassion and dedication,” said Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

According to Katen-Bahensky, the annual economic impact of alcoholrelated health and social problems in Wisconsin is nearly $5 billion, which places a burden on hospitals and taxpayers.

“Wisconsin is wasting millions of dollars every month on drunk driving accidents, which drain precious economic resources,” Grossman said.

Because Wisconsin law allows

health insurance companies to deny coverage for the impaired driver’s hospital bill, health-care providers often resort to charity funds to cover medical costs, Katen-Bahensky said.

“The result is a health-care catastrophe where clinicians are discouraged from screening patients for addictive disorders and care is uncompensated,” she said. “This catastrophe means stretching already thin resources.”

Initial efforts of AWARE will focus on the development of laws that increase penalties for drunken drivers, particularly first time offenders.

“It is essential for public policy to address this problem in our state,” Golden said. “Our current laws are enablers. This must stop.”

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Honoring the fallen

ISABEL ALVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Soldiers march at the state Capitol Tuesday at a Veterans Day ceremony. Politicians and spectators gathered to recognize the sacrifices veterans have made for the country. Speakers included Gov. Jim Doyle and U.S. Rep Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

Accountability board decides to require voter registration checks

By Megan Orear THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in Wisconsin, decided Tuesday to require clerks to perform retroactive checks on the information on voter registration forms.

Voter registrations have been the topic of a controversial lawsuit Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed against the GAB this fall.

Van Hollen claimed that by failing to make clerks check registrations dating back to Jan. 1, 2006, the GAB is violating the Help America Vote Act. After losing in the Dane County Circuit Court, Van Hollen chose to continue his case and filed for appeal Friday.

The Board’s decision Tuesday may result in the execution of Van Hollen’s request for registration checks.

According to Bill Cosh, communications director for Van Hollen, the attorney general is happy the Accountability Board is taking steps to perform these checks and comply with the law, but their actions do not mean the lawsuit is resolved.

He said until the voter checks are performed, the GAB is still not in compliance with HAVA. “We will pay close attention to the next steps the GAB takes, but

as of this time, the lawsuit is not moot by [Tuesday’s] decision,” Cosh said. “At a minimum, the checks still must be performed, and that has not happened.”

“We wish it had been done prior to the election, but it still is a win for people who want to see clean and fair elections.”

Kirsten Kukowski communications director Republican Party of Wisconsin

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Joe Wineke said in a statement the GAB has the authority to decide when and how to perform the checks, and Van Hollen was wrong to bring the suit against them.

“The GAB’s decision does not validate Van Hollen’s lawsuit but instead proves that his hyper-partisan attacks on the non-partisan GAB were unfounded,” Wineke said.

Kirsten Kukowski, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said the RPW is happy with the Board’s decision.

“We wish it had been done prior to the election, but it still is a win for people who want to see clean and fair elections here in Wisconsin, so we think it’s a step in the right direction,” she said.

Police arrest man after alleged chase of ex-girlfriend with knife, hammer Madison Police arrested a 52year-old man Monday morning for reportedly chasing his ex-girlfriend with a knife and hammer on a downtown area street.

According to a police report, police responded to North Mills Street after reports of a man, armed with a hammer and a knife, chasing a 19-year-old woman around 3:30 a.m. The victim, who police said was not a UW-Madison student, told police that she used to date the suspect.

The victim was able to escape into a residence in the 100 block of North Mills Street. According to police, the victim dropped her cell phone, some money and her cigarettes while being chased by the suspect.

Police arrested the suspect, Derrick J. McCradic, at gunpoint a short distance away. McCradic is tentatively charged with disorderly conduct while armed, and theft for reportedly picking up items dropped by the victim as she fled.

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

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

van hollen suit worth dropping

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ast August, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen initially filed a lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board for not properly defending against voter fraud. Now that the Government Accountability Board has said it will check the identities of every registered voter since 2006, something the Help America Vote Act requires, there is no need for Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to continue his lawsuit against GAB. Because of the GAB’s inability to properly implement the HAVA voter registration standards before the 2008 election, Van Hollen initially filed a lawsuit in grievance to what he said was a violation of federal law under HAVA. The election is over, and now the GAB has ample time to make the proper checks to ensure that all new registrations are legal.

Considering the wide margin

of this year’s election, there is no legitimate gripe that illegally registered voters helped sway the election, taking away any argument Van Hollen may have toward continuing his appeal after his lawsuit was dismissed.

As a state employee, Van Hollen has an obligation to make the best use of his time; spending another minute on a moot issue such as this is a minute wasted.

It is unfortunate the GAB could not execute the identity checks in the time necessary for the recent elections, but considering their concern of completing the checks within the two-month period afforded by the delay of the years-late voter database, this was the most reasonable course of action.

Hopefully, Van Hollen will see how inconsequential and wasteful his continued efforts against the GAB are and concentrate his efforts toward his employer—the state.

Obama election brings promising new policies

By Ryan Seib THE DAILY CARDINAL

Along with most of the world, Madison is a place in high spirits after the recent election. The realization that, come January, America will have a new president and a mandate for policy change helps enforce the positive spin many of us are experiencing.

Politics seem to have really changed in our times. After the dust clears we will be set to base several new reforms on the heads of the Bush Administration’s past efforts.

The most glaring issue Presidentelect Barack Obama is going to have to deal with is the looming threat of expanding economic crises nationwide. Good news for the economy, though: the President-elect has made fixing it his top priority, along with middle-class tax relief.

Undoubtedly, the new Washington approach to economic concerns built around the idea of the power of middle class spending. Obama has currently pledged to continue the Bush tax cuts to the middle class that are set to extend until 2010. In addition, he will be pushing for more tax cuts for family making under $200,000 annually, while increasing the taxes on those making above $250,000.

This plan was criticized by the entire McCain campaign and by the Maverick himself as “spreading the wealth around”—further connecting it with socialism. In one rather hilarious line of questioning on WFTV-Channel 9, Barbara West asked Vice-President elect Joe Biden about the relation of Obama’s economic approach to those of Karl Marx. “Is that a real question?” asked Biden. “That’s a ridiculous comparison ... I don’t know who’s writing your questions.”

Despite his denial, Obama plans to make things easier for the economy by reversing the tax trends of the Bush Administration to replace the middle-class as the power base instead of relying on the massive spending powers of big corporations and wealthy Americans. This fundamental change marks an advancement of the way that our economy will function in the coming years.

After the credit crises and recession forecasted by Merrill Lynch economist David Rosenberg in March, there are going to be some changes in the way that business is held accountable. Regulators tend to become more risk-adverse in the era of job losses and shrinking import/exports and they consequently write the rules to favor greater transparency in business practices—which costs money.

Finally, the problems that began with a stunning collapse of housing markets and then morphed to creditors, insurance and overseas is feared to begin affecting other types of loaning institutions, such as those that loan money to students. Fortunately, the federal government shows signs of support for its student interests by expanding its purchases of them in order to head off a shortfall.

However, it comes back to being in high spirits and the relative “honeymoon state” our country feels with Obama over the election results.

As students, we should be able to look forward to new driving forces of the coming era: Obama’s promised changes to politics, elevation of lower-class rights and a hopefully positively evolving market are going to make our blossoming relationship to the future seem bright indeed.

Ryan Seib is a senior majoring in English. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Power Vote exemplifies active efforts for change DAN JOSEPHSON opinion columnist

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ith the intensity and controversy of the presidential election finally coming to a halt, it is important to remember the issues of the economy, energy, health and security that swayed our votes. As was expressed in last week’s column, the efforts made and the goal reached of producing such impressive young voter turnout is something to be inestimably proud of. We voted with the hope and faith that our leader would win. And, if that did occur, it would be through our voting decisions that, ideally, our ideas and issues would be implemented through the voice we elected.

For many of us, this preference was achieved, which is all the more reason why we cannot allow such hard work to go to waste. This is merely the beginning, and now that we have a credible leader in office, we must do all that we can to attain the “change” that we have been waiting for.

To even think of the environment our children or even grandchildren will have to face is—in an understatement—frightening.

A main organization already exemplifying this path to change is

Power Vote. They were one of the featured groups in last week’s edition because of their hard work leading up to Election Day. Power Vote is an organization dedicated to the Green generation and a 100 percent clean energy economy that we can live and work under. In such a crucial period that now sees a ray of confidence in environmental improvement—our future president actually believes that global warming exists—Power Vote is not wasting any time, campaigning to have 5,000 petitions signed by Nov. 18 that demand clean and just energy.

Although countless environmental organizations across the country and around the world preach much of the same, after meeting with organizer Susan Hildebrand, it is more than evident Power Vote can and will make the difference, as they have already gathered over 3,400 of these Power Vote pledges. Hildebrand did not hesitate to assure me, “As hard as [they] worked to mobilize young voters these past few months, [they] will work even harder to make sure politicians enact our vision by investing in a clean energy economy and putting us on the pathway toward 100 percent clean, just energy.”

With that said, do not be a stranger to Power Vote this year.

Keep your eyes and ears open while walking around campus, for you can make a difference in not only the world that we live in, but for the world that someone in your future bloodline will live in. In the next days, weeks, months and years, Power Vote is drawing members to urge leaders and representatives to innovate millions of green jobs,

invest in 100 percent clean energy, and implement sensible climate policy. On Nov. 18, Madison college students will partner with community groups to visit Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, welcome her into the next Congress and remind her to be a leader on these environmental issues. Within the first 100 days of the Obama Administration, Power Vote will unite with over 10,000 young people in Washington, D.C., for three days of training and action called Power Shift. ��

Power Vote is urging leaders to innovate green jobs, invest in clean energy and implement sensible climate policy.

The future of the environment holds a fate none of us can truly predict. To even think of the environment our children or even grandchildren will have to face is—in an understatement—frightening. The climate is rapidly changing, and the earth’s everlasting existence is looking increasingly uncertain.

We can be scared, we can pretend not to care, we can leave it up to somebody else—or we can actively improve the situation.

For more information on Power Vote or to get involved, please contact Kaley at ingenito@wisc.edu.

Dan Josephson is a senior majoring in political science and legal studies. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Context distorts quotation’s meaning regarding danger for smaller UW schools [Editor’s note: The story in question is “Poor economy to affect UW student loans” from Nov. 11. The correction is on today’s page 2.]

In a story in Tuesday’s Daily Cardinal I am quoted as saying that because of the problems in the private student loan market, UW Stout and UW Barron will likely close within the next three years.

This is not an accurate quotation, and I am writing to request that you publish a retraction, and the following explanation.

The context of the quotation was a panel discussion about the current financial crisis in the housing and credit markets. A questioner asked how bad things could get if the government did nothing and simply allowed the crisis to run its course. I responded by saying that the consequences could be disastrous, including business failures and loss of employment. In order to sharpen the point, I particularly singled out higher education. Small private schools and smaller public colleges and universities depend on student loans, public money for scholarships, bond issues, and credit in order to remain in operation. If nothing is done, I suggested, many of those schools would close, and as examples I mentioned that while I do not think there are any circum-

stances under which UW-Madison would be shuttered I could easily see that fate befalling some of the smaller campuses such as Barron and Stout. I also pointed out that recent articles—including one in the New York Times of the preceding day—recounted ways in which colleges are already cutting back by firing instructors, instituting hiring freezes, and cutting back on financial aid.

The context of those comments was further clarified later in the discussion when I talked about what I see as the enormity of the threat to higher education. Today in the United States we have the highest rates of home ownership and post-secondary education in our history. There has been great public attention paid to the risks to home ownership; I do not feel that the public has focused nearly enough on the threat to young Americans’ access to higher education. When I and the other panelists were asked for specific recommendations for future actions, I called for the federal government to develop a plan specifically aimed at preserving the public system of higher education.

In explaining the importance of such intervention I made the observation that a decline in access to higher education would have pro-

found consequences for American society, reversing a trend that began after World War II with the GI Bill, the expansion of the public higher education system, and the creation of student loans and related funding mechanisms.

All of the preceding are comments that I made yesterday evening. I would add that there is a great need to bring the risks to American higher education to the attention of the public. Our system of colleges is far more important to our nation’s future than our automotive industry, but is receiving far less attention. To reiterate, I did not predict that public colleges in Wisconsin would be closed in the next three years. (For that matter, it was another panelist—not me— who proposed that the private student loan industry faces imminent collapse.) I did attempt to raise a warning about the dangers of the present crisis to American higher education, a warning that I would hope all of us who are involved in that system will do everything to bring to the attention of the public and our governmental leaders.

—Howard Schweber Associate Professor of Political Science and Law UW-Madison

arts ‘Happy’ audiences view upside of life dailycardinal.com/arts

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

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Mike Leigh’s new film ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ shows how unwavering optimism still exists in the real world

By Katie Foran-McHale THE DAILY CARDINAL

“Happy-Go-Lucky” is a lighthearted comedy that explores the life of Pauline “Poppy” Cross (Sally Hawkins) and her perpetual cheery attitude toward life in modern day North London.

Hawkins, a primary schoolteacher, lives with her sarcastic but loving best friend Zoe (Alexis Zegerman) and faces with infinite happiness situations such as flamenco lessons, a fight with her pregnant sister and a love affair with a social worker.

Character development is the most prominent strength of the film, as the plot is not overwhelmingly action packed.

As the title reveals, Hawkins goes about her life in a carefree manner.

She is idealistic—even giddy—about the most mundane activities, including having her back prodded after a trampoline-related injury. Her undying optimism is endearing, especially in the opening scene when she discovers her bike has been stolen. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” she observes, and then happily skips away. And even when she is in pain, she can’t help but laugh; it seems as if it is impossible for her not to attempt to spread her joyfulness.

Unfortunately, those around her don’t always see her optimism in a positive light. An antisocial bookseller raises an eyebrow at her enthusiastic interjections and her driver’s ed teacher Scott (Eddie Marsan) berates her for her quirky behavior. “You’re distracted by squirrels, schoolchildren and senior citizens in surgical pants ... you celebrate chaos,” he says in criticism.

Character development is the most prominent strength of the film, as the plot is not overwhelmingly action-packed. The most exciting plot developments occur when Hawkins encounters a mentally ill homeless man and when she gets

PHOTO COURTESY MIRAMAX FILMS

As audiences leave the theater, they will find themselves smiling and mimicking Hawkins’ quirky behaviors and upbeat, positive attitude. into fights with Marsan over their clashing philosophies. But as the relationship between Hawkins and Marsan develops, the outcome becomes harder to predict. Hawkins’ regular positivity is tested as Marsan’s anger issues begin to take over.

Instead of having the typical conflict and resolution, the plot is essencially a character study of Hawkins.

The film’s structure is unusual, at the very least. Instead of having the typical conflict and resolution, it is essentially a character study of Hawkins—how she interacts with those around her and how those around her react to her behavior. It is

a refreshing approach to observe how the world responds to unwavering optimism and friendliness.

Gary Yershon’s musical score also adds to the film’s positive vibes and vivacity. It is a sure complement to Hawkins’ quirkiness. A brisk waltz acts as the film’s prevalent theme, mimicking her bubbly, bouncy attitude.

“Happy-Go-Lucky” is the epitome of the adage “life is what you make it.” One can be happy (like Hawkins), or angry (like Marsan), but the only thing that will change is the amount of fun one will have in life along the way. As Hawkins illustrates through her everyday eccentricities, true beauty and happiness can come out of the little things in life. There are only a few times in the movie where there are laugh-out-loud moments, but there’s no doubt that its lightheartedness and Hawkins’ poignancy is bound to put a smile on your face.

Grade: AB

PHOTO COURTESY MIRAMAX FILMS

Sally Hawkins portrays enthusiastic Pauline “Poppy” Cross, a primary schoolteacher with a perpetually cheery attitude about life.

Zombies fight horror movie stereotypes by watching TV ALI ROTHSCHILD season fin-ali

F

or all five of you that have been following this column, perhaps you’ve noticed some sort of trend that I’ve been attempting to express in my 500 words every two weeks regarding America’s leasttrusted art form. I keep bringing up this universality of television, the fact that no matter who we are, what our major is or what our value system is, we’re for the most part watching the same crap on a box in our living space, maybe briefly between classes, maybe non-stop throughout the week. We can brag about the quality of the shows we watch until we’re blue in the face, but there’s still that one thing that none of us (unless you watch only pay cable, which

would make you a tool) can escape, the thing that makes television America’s least trusted art form: commercials.

They’re online now as well, so there’s really no way out of them. We are all slaves to the corporations and must deal with them in five-minute intervals until our show returns. So let us take a second and mull over this shared phenomenon.

But something else happens when the program cuts to a commercial—we’re on a whole other level of brain-dead.

It’s safe to say that the act of TV-program watching is in itself pretty passive and brainless. Not a lot is required to do it; it’s a half-conscious form of relaxation. Sometimes we actually watch people on televi-

sion watching television, in a sort of comforting reflexivity. A moment on “Friends” comes to mind when Joey and Chandler watch TV nonstop for days.

The show ends with the two watching Beavis and Butthead cackle incoherently as Joey and Chandler, now zombies, laugh in a similar fashion. This was brilliant because the audience was most likely laughing too, creating three tiers of calming stupidity.

But something else happens when the program cuts to a commercial—we’re on a whole other level of brain-dead.

I mean, our brains are shut off.

Take away any deep discussions you’re having with your friends about the quality of acting on “CSI.” If you are just straight up watching a commercial, you are a zombie. Deal with it. The one fascinating exception is the Super Bowl, when people seem to focus on commercials and tune out the game, but more on that come February.

I tried for the sake of this column to closely analyze commercials between breaks of “Scrubs,” but I found I’ve been so used to commercials for the entirety of my life that it felt like full-scale labor to actually concentrate on the Almay Pure Blends ad or Jennifer Garner trying to sell Maybelline with that stupid worried look she always has on her face. That was it—analyzing Jennifer Garner’s facial expression was the most intelligent thing I could extract from my television commercial experience. But it somehow seemed so right, and I felt this therapeutic release, giving in to television’s most manipulative facet.

With all this, I’m putting TV in its worst possible light.

Formatted reality shows followed by commercials are what many insist makes America a wasteland, but the truth is sometimes necessary. My mom always complains about how the format of “What Not To Wear” has got-

ten so tedious and repetitive, yet admits at the end of the work week, zoning out to it is the most relaxing thing imaginable.

I felt this therapeutic release, giving in to television’s most manipulative facet.

And maybe there’s some truth to that. After an incredibly harried week, watching commercials was my unexpected savoir.

I recommend it to anyone.

If you want to relax in front of the TV and morph into your zombie state while discussing the philosophy behind Jennifer Garner’s facial expressions or predicting what new brilliance the upcoming Super Bowl commercials will present, e-mail Ali at rothschild@wisc.edu

comics 6

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Stig-pounce!

Almonds are members of the peach family. dailycardinal.com/comics

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Circle of Life

Today’s Sudoku

Anthro-apology

By Eric Wigdahl wigdahl@wisc.edu

© Puzzles by Pappocom

Angel Hair Pasta

By Todd Stevens ststevens@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.

The Daily Code

Alala

a b c d e f g h i

j

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

v

w

x

y

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Sid and Phil

By Alex Lewein lewein@wisc.edu

The Graph Giraffe

By Yosef Lerner ilerner@wisc.edu

“T hlyyl mp esle otcejqtyrpc lyo std dti mtenspd.”

CSS lyrics Yesterday’s Code:

“What are you drinking? Nyquil on the rocks, for when you’re feeling sick but sociable.”

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

Evil Bird

By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu

Classic Mega Dude Squad

By Stephen Guzetta and Ryan Lynch

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com THINKING GREEN ACROSS

1 Phone button below 7 5 Scrubs for surgery 10 Auction utterance 14 Crest holder 15 Usher’s territory 16 Declare confidently 17 “(Sittin’On) The Dock of the Bay” singer Redding 18 Map feature 19 Box-office backup 20 Trying to look important 23 Blast furnace input 24 Ten below?

25 Sports palace 28 Word of possibility 30 Get a grin out of 34 Tom, Dick and Harry 35 Abe’s role in “The Godfather” 36 They are current 37 Brilliant idea 41 As a result of this 42 Prefix with “classic” or “natal” 43 Words with “shoestring” or “roll” 44 Counterpart of substance 45 Whodunit hero Archer 46 Sneeze need 48 Balmy getaway

50 Taro output 51 Make a person crazy 59 Calcutta queen 60 Where to find the world in two dimensions 61 ___ fixe (obsessive thought) 62 Big name in cosmetics 63 Wooded valleys 64 Ardor 65 Museum extension 66 Moccasin without laces 67 Twisted rope?

DOWN

1 What you should do when you see red 2 Tarlatan garment 3 “Isn’t that ___ much?”

4 Be content (with “one’s laurels”) 5 “Common Sense” guy 6 Symbol of troth 7 Exxon predecessor, in the U.S. 8 More than sufficient 9 Altercation 10 Certain vendors 11 Love poet 12 Lanternjawed Jay 13 Vestige 21 “Of Thee I Sing” lyricist Gershwin

22 ___-ho 25 Indian maids 26 Roll back to zero 27 It may require a fee 28 Actress Busch of many Laurel and Hardy films 29 In isolation 31 It’s divided into chapters 32 Was atrocious 33 Calvin Trillin piece 35 Firmament 36 Something to stroke 38 Experiencing again 39 Beyond zaftig 40 Sprinkling 45 Of the pre-Easter season 46 Mortar trough 47 Better ventilated 49 Prepares a cannon 50 Deputized group 51 Take a card 52 Musician Shankar 53 Look ___ (visit briefly) 54 First name in scat 55 Kind of radio 56 Between gigs 57 Minimumrange tide 58 Vegas game

sports

dailycardinal.com/sports

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

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Lorenz leads the Badgers into postseason action

By James Adams THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin junior forward Scott Lorenz has been the offensive sparkplug for the men’s soccer team all season. With the Big Ten Tournament scheduled to start

Thursday, Lorenz enters as the third-leading point scorer in the conference. His 10 goals and three assists—23 points on the season— make him one of the most dangerous scoring threats in the Big Ten. However, Lorenz has not always

played this role for the Badgers.

After redshirting his freshman season with Wisconsin, Lorenz’s first two seasons of action were at left back—a defensive position. From the standpoint of the coaching staff, this was the plan all along.

NICK KOGOS/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Wisconsin junior forward Scott Lorenz has three assists and a team-high 10 goals this season for the Badgers.

recap from page 8

analysis from page 8

Senior guard Myles McKay led the Warhawks with 16 points and six rebounds. Fellow senior guard and preseason All-American Matt Goodwin was limited to just 10 points, seven below his average from last year.

Senior forward Joe Krabbenhoft led the Badgers with 12 points to go along with six rebounds, but shot just 4-of-14 from the field. Sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil added eight points and seven rebounds.

UW-Whitewater’s intense play forced the Badgers into an uncharacteristic number of turnovers with 14, leading to 12 Warhawk points.

They also committed 19 fouls, leading to 23 Warhawk free-throw attempts.

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said his players will need to adjust to limit these mistakes in regular season play.

“We just got caught in some situations where we need to get better on our balance,” Ryan said. “Our guys are just going to have to learn to adjust to how the game is being called as far as on penetration, contact and hands.”

The Badgers will have their chance to show improvement when they kick off their regular season at home Sunday against Long Beach State.

“There’s no ceiling for this team,” Krabbenhoft said. “We’re gonna get back to the basics like we always do, break down this game like we would any other game and improve, starting on Thursday’s practice.”

bowl games from page 8 Ten team would have to finish at the top of its conference. As SI.com sports writer Stewart Mandel points out in his book “Bowls, Polls & Tattered Souls,” there were only 11 bowl games in the entire nation at this time. Qualifying for a bowl game was the biggest accomplishment any college football team could hope for. Now, making it to a bowl game seems more like a chore most average Division I-A teams have to worry about, unless of course they make it to the Rose, Orange, Sugar

Smaller lineup Against a Whitewater team that had one player taller than 6'8" and no players taller than 6'9", Ryan opted for a smaller quicker lineup.

Three of the four tallest players on Wisconsin never left the bench, while the fourth, sophomore forward Jon Leuer, played only two minutes in the second half.

Ryan pointed to the need for quickness while explaining his decisions with playing time.

“Feet are something that really the bigs have to work on,” Ryan said.

“You’re not the No. 1 defensive team in the country because the bigs aren’t moving their feet … these younger guys have to learn how to do this with their feet and it’s going to take some time.”

Instead senior forward Marcus Landry (6'7") and sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil (6'8") or Fiesta Bowl or even the Bowl Championship Game. If you are a major college team, it is actually more of an embarrassment to not be bowl eligible than it is an accomplishment to earn a bid.

Returning back to the way things used to be would make bowl games more prestigious and actually worth watching. Only the nation’s best teams would qualify for these games.

As a viewer, smaller bowl games seem more like an easy way for brands and companies to reach a national audience. I feel more like I’m being sold something by tuning into these

“We knew Scott would be someone that was going to move farther up the field,” assistant coach Jon Szczepanski said. “He started in the back for us ... and we always knew as he got more mature and he started reading the game a lot better, he’d be farther up the field.”

Lorenz’s increased maturity is evident both through his production at his new position and his new role as a team leader.

“Being an upperclassman, you take more of a leadership role by helping the younger kids learn and adjust to college soccer,” Lorenz said.

Playing an offensive-minded game is no new task for Lorenz.

Prior to playing for Wisconsin, he tallied 19 goals in his senior year for Barrington High School (Illinois).

Even at UW, Szczepanski characterized him as an “attacking left back” with offensive ability.

“The workload and the scoring are more on your shoulders,” Lorenz said of his new role on the team. “You just have to take it and run with it.”

Lorenz has certainly done that this season. His 10 goals this season gave him the most by a Badger since Nick Van Sicklen tallied 12 goals in 2002.

Despite Lorenz’s impressive numbers, the Badgers once again struggled versus Big Ten opponents in 2008. Wisconsin’s Oct. 26 4-1 win over Penn State was its only Big Ten win of the regular season and its first since Oct. 15, 2006. The Badgers’ recent history in the Big Ten Tournament paints an even darker picture—only two

wins since 1998.

Wisconsin takes on the Big Ten’s second-ranked Michigan Wolverines Thursday in what should be a fiercely contested rematch of the two teams’ 1-1 tie earlier in the season.

“[Lorenz] is our leading scorer for a reason: he shows up in big games.”

Jon Szczepanski assistant coach UW Men’s Soccer

“We match up well with [Michigan],” said Lorenz. “They have the potential to score a lot of goals, but they also have the potential to give up a lot of goals, so it could be a high-scoring game.”

If that is the case, the Badgers will rely on Lorenz to help keep the game close. Michigan will counter Lorenz with junior forward Peri Marosevic who is second in the Big Ten with 27 points on the season.

In Thursday’s tournament opener at the McClimon Facility, Lorenz’s role will undoubtedly be the same it has been all season.

“He needs to score goals,” Szczepanski said. “Scott knows that.

He is our leading scorer for a reason: he shows up in big games.”

Regardless of their recent struggles in conference play, Lorenz remains optimistic.

“We’re excited for it ... it’s the postseason now and you get a second chance at things,” he said.

played the majority of the time at the center and power forward spots. The Badger rotation featured at least two players over 6'10" in each of the last three seasons.

“Keaton [Nankivil], I thought, he’s starting to come around,” Ryan said. “I think he’s going to be matched up against some bigger guys and have to play some 6'9", 6'10" guys.”

Taylor Shines One Badger guard who performed well was freshman Jordan Taylor. The Minnesota native played 21 minutes on the night and often drew the assignment of defending senior Whitewater guard Matt Goodwin, who earned AllAmerican honors last season.

“He did a great job, we knew he was a player and he just keeps showing us different ways of how he is a player,” Ryan said. “He’s smart, tough, never reacts negatively to anything. But he’ll take your lunch money in a second.”

Taylor, who earned the Mr. Basketball award in Minnesota last season, had three assists in the second half and scored four points. The only shot he missed was a long 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down. games than I feel like I am watching a postseason football game.

Having so many bowl games at the end of the season takes excitement and recognition away from teams that qualify.

It amazes me how a team like Wisconsin will spend its whole regular season getting rocked by con-

ISABEL ALVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin senior forward Joe Krabbenhoft led the Badgers in scoring Tuesday night against UW-Whitewater with 12 points.

ference rivals, and then at the end of an upsetting year, it could qualify for a bowl game against a team it might consider pairing with for an exhibition contest.

Creating some sort of a playoff bracket could be one way to return college football’s postseason play to something worth raving about.

The NFL playoffs seem to work just fine; however, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons argues that if a professional team wins its division with an 8-8 record, it should not be given a playoff spot. He believes that spot should go to a different

team that is more deserving of this honor. Here again, even at the professional level, a .500 winning percentage should not be enough for a team to earn a pass into postseason action.

Is participating in a game like the Papajohns.com Bowl or the Meineke Car Care Bowl almost a month after the regular season ends really something that college football teams should strive for?

If you also would like to watch bowl games that mean something over winter break, e-mail Crystal at crowns@wisc.edu.

sports Badgers pull away from UW-Whitewater 8

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dailycardinal.com/sports

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

ANALYSIS

RECAP

By Matt Fox

By Ben Breiner

THE DAILY CARDINAL

THE DAILY CARDINAL

UW-Whitewater gave the Wisconsin men’s basketball team all it could handle. However, a late Wisconsin surge helped the Badgers defeat the Warhawks 64-47 at home in their final exhibition before the regular season.

In the first half, the Warhawks played the Badgers competitively with tough man-to-man defense, and trailed by just three points heading into halftime. UW-Whitewater hung with the Badgers deep into the second half, trailing 44-42 with just nine minutes remaining. But then the Badgers made their run, scoring nine unanswered points, and held the Warhawks scoreless for more than five minutes of play. UW-Whitewater shot just 3-for-18 from the field in the second half.

The Badgers also benefited from a major second half presence inside. Wisconsin out-rebounded the Warhawks 39-22, and had a 32-12 advantage for points in the paint.

Senior forward Marcus Landry finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for the Badgers. Landry said he felt the Badgers’ second-half adjustment inside was a key to the team’s turnaround.

“More of our touches were at the post and we had all the rebounds,” Landry said. “That’s where it was.

It wasn’t so much as getting the ball. It was driving in the lane and making plays. It was about getting in the paint.”

UW-Whitewater head coach Pat Miller said he was proud of his team’s effort but felt that in the end, Wisconsin’s defense and size advan-

This game was the Warhawks’ first Division I matchup since a loss to Marquette in November of 2005.

At the end of Wisconsin’s exhibition win over UW-Whitewater, one thing was abundantly clear. The Badgers will need to improve on the performance before they open regularseason play.

The Warhawks, who play on the Division-III level, hung with the Badgers at the Kohl Center for more than 30 minutes before a 9-0 run all but put the game out of reach. The players stressed how the team has usually improved throughout the season.

“Last year we got tremendously better as the season went on,” junior guard Jason Bohannon said. “I think that’s our biggest goal right now is to just keep getting better every day, and coach [Bo] Ryan won’t settle for anything less.”

Wisconsin could never establish a lead of more than seven in the first half, turning the ball over seven times and allowing Whitewater to shoot 47.8 percent. The Badgers connected on under 40 percent of their second half shots but had 16 more attempts due to a massive rebounding advantage.

“When they did get it inside our emphasis was to make them score over us and not give them lanes to the rim,” Whitewater head coach Pat Miller said. “Overall, defensively, I was real happy with our effort.”

Senior forward Joe Krabbenhoft, who shot just 4-for-14 on the night, said the assist-to-turnover ratio (12 assists, 12 turnovers), 3-point shooting and number of free-throw attempts are areas where the team traditionally fares better than it did Tuesday.

recap page 7

analysis page 7

ISABEL ALVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil registered eight points and seven rebounds in the final exhibition game of the season against UW-Whitewater Tuesday evening at the Kohl Center. tage proved to be too much.

“I thought we held our own for 30 minutes and then I think we got a little tired,” Miller said. “Their strength and athleticism wore us down, and it

was really telling down the stretch.”

Division III UW-Whitewater was the winner of the last year’s Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and the WIAC Tournament.

Plethora of bowl games rewards mediocre play CRYSTAL CROWNS the crystal ball

W

ith the end of the 2008 college football season quickly approaching, teams are beginning to realize their fate in terms of bowl game contention. Several teams in the Big Ten are likely to make it into postseason action.

Wisconsin (2-5 Big Ten, 5-5 overall), believe it or not, is one of them. All the Badgers need to do is secure a win in one of their remaining two games—against either Minnesota or Cal Poly— to become bowl eligible. As of this week, UW could find itself competing in the Alamo, Insight, Motor City or Champs Sports Bowl at the end of the season, but is this something the Badgers should really feel good about?

Prior to the 2006 season, the NCAA announced it was going to relax its rules for bowl eligibility. Now, all a team needs is a 6-6 record between conference and non-conference competitors to make it into one of the 34 bowl games running from late December through early January.

At the end of last season, eight of the 11 Big Ten programs participated in bowl games. Northwestern

(3-5, 6-6) and Iowa (4-4, 6-6) finished just shy of claiming a spot in one of the bowl games. As for Minnesota (0-8, 1-11), they really weren’t close to earning a spot in a bowl contest.

Yes, the Big Ten is one of the nation’s most respected conferences; however, there are Big-12, SEC and Pac-10 teams who also have tough roads to postseason play. And let’s not forget about the Big East and the ACC.

Returning back to the way things used to be would make bowl games more prestigious and actually worth watching.

Having so many bowl games at the end of the season takes excitement and recognition away from teams that qualify. No longer do teams have to show prosperity during the regular season.

If a team puts together a mediocre season and squeezes out a .500 record, is this enough for it to pat itself on the back because it is bowl eligible? Absolutely not.

The Rose Bowl was the only bowl game available to Big Ten schools prior to 1975. To qualify, a Big bowl games page 7