FAMILY MIXER: When parents drink with students on visits, does it exacerbate the binge-drinking problem? FEATURES
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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BUSY BANKS TALKS LIFE, ACTING IN HOLLYWOOD Rising star Elizabeth Banks’ comedic timing has her busier than ever on the big screen.
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dailycardinal.com
By Grace Urban THE DAILY CARDINAL
LORENZO ZEMELLA THE DAILY CARDINAL
Box truck ignites near WID construction site THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Madison Fire Department responded to a call from the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery construction site on campus Wednesday morning after a truck containing waterproofing materials lit on fire and caused traffic problems on University Avenue. The incident took place at 11:35 a.m. at the construction site at 333 �N. Orchard St., near University Avenue. According to a statement released by the Madison Fire Department, the estimated damage to the truck is approximately $70,000. Traffic started forming at the site and trailed back to East Campus Mall.
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Thursday, January 22, 2009
State may see billions in benefits from federal economic stimulus bill
Madison firefighters extinguished flames from a construction truck on the corner of Orchard Street and University Avenue Wednesday morning.
By Beth Pickhard
ARTS
Officers cleared the traffic shortly after the incident occurred, but some students said they had to get off their buses and walk to class. “When firefighters arrived from station four they observed the truck with a �lot of fire coming from the vehicle,” said Lt. Bradley Olson of the Madison Fire Investigation Division. According to Bernadette Galvez, officer of public information for the �MFD, firefighters saw flames over 10 feet high when they �arrived. Construction workers warned the firefighters of hazardous materials in the back of the �truck such as propane, gasoline and various waterproofing materials. Olson said the officials were effi-
cient in attending to the situation. “They were essentially told that there were hazardous chemicals inside,” he said. “They asked for some additional resources and they were able to extinguish the fire within 10 minutes of their arrival.” The officials who responded to the situation determined no one �was injured in the incident, and the cause is currently unknown. “From our perspective, we’re going to try and find out how the fire started,” Olson said. Madison Fire Investigators are currently investigating the incident in collaboration with the UW Police Department.
Since Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives released a draft of the economic stimulus package last week, there has been increasing speculation regarding its potential effect on Wisconsin and higher education. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 is an attempt to “keep the recession from turning into a depression,” said Ellis Brachman, spokesperson for U.S. Rep. David Obey, D-Wis. Obey is the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which released the stimulus proposal. State Budget Director Dave Schmiedicke estimated Tuesday that Wisconsin could receive about $2.5 billion of the stimulus money. The House’s bill would include total spending of $825 billion. “We will see some changes [to the bill], but it will probably stay mostly the same,” Brachman said. In the draft, $79 billion is included in the package as state fiscal relief to prevent “cutbacks to key services,” $39 billion of which will go to school districts and public colleges and universities. In addition, the package includes $15.6 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant, a form of need-based financial aid, by $500
and includes $6 billion to improve infrastructure at universities. Any specifics attached to the bill by the federal government will alter exactly how the package will affect the UW System. UW System spokesperson David Giroux said it is too soon to speculate exactly how much money the system will receive, but added, “The most important news for students is people are talking seriously about financial aid.” Although there is no denying the stimulus will help fill in the projected $5.4 billion state budget deficit for the 2009-’11 biennium, the bill is not in its final form, and the question of exactly how much money Wisconsin will receive remains open. “I think the most important part of the package is the level of money being spread across the states,” said state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Finance. Jim Bender, spokesperson for state Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, RHoricon, said a problem with the bill is it is simply postponing the budget problem. “The downside is that it’s a one time influx of cash,” Bender said. “If we don’t adjust spending, we will be creating a hole in the next budget.”
Standing for immigration reform
ASM sets date for student vote on constitution By Rory Linnane THE DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison students will have the opportunity to vote on a new Associated Students of Madison constitution Feb. 17-18, pending approval by the ASM Student Judiciary. The Constitutional Committee and Student Election Committee previously worked together to set a date. Constitutional Committee chair Jeffrey Wright said they originally set two dates for financial reasons, but he would try to secure a third. Students have organized multiple get-out-the-vote efforts. The SEC plans to assign ASM representatives to oversee get-out-the-vote efforts in specific sections of campus. The ASM Outreach Committee is also working on educating students about the constitution and encouraging them to vote. According to Wright, these efforts use ASM funds to operate, but do not encourage a “yes” vote on the constitution.
Students for ASM Reform, an organization made up of members of student organizations and ASM members, will be encouraging a “yes” vote but will not use ASM funds. According to Wright, there are no designated leaders of the organization, but meetings are held weekly and collectively. The organization will focus on off-campus voters. “It’s a target population often missed,” Student Services Finance Committee chair Kurt Gosselin said. Wright said Students for ASM Reform is working to build endorsements and will go door to door to encourage students to vote for the constitution. “On the days of [the vote], we’re going to be foot soldiers off campus, turning out the vote,” Wright said. The group will also encourage “yes” votes on campus. Gosselin said ASM is not allowed to do so in the residence halls because of housing non-partisan campaigning rules.
At the ASM meeting, Wright encouraged members to educate students about the constitution. “The vast majority of students certainly have not read the constitution,” he said. “Reach out to your constituents. That’s your duty, and this is easily the most important thing that we’re going to be doing this year.” ASM members continue to work on bylaws for the constitution, and Wright said they plan to bring those that are completed to the Student Council at their next meeting. Academic Affairs Chair Chris Tiernan said at the meeting this year’s ASM Book Swap saved students over $10,000. According to Tiernan, students turned in 626 books, and over half of them were sold at 70 percent of the price at which the University Book Store would have sold them. Former ASM Chief Justice Sol Grosskopf was elected Campus Safety Initiative Coordinator by a vote of 11-0-7 at Wednesday’s meeting.
CHARLIE BAKER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Alex Gillis, co-founder of the Immigrant Workers Union, speaks in front of the state Capitol as part of the kickoff of the 100 Days for Immigration Reform campaign. The press conference was held by the IWU, which plans to educate communities about immigration and work toward new immigration-reform legislation.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”