This week’s SEX COLUMN helps you come through in the clutch THE DIRTY BIRD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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MEN’S HOCKEY HOPES TO AVOID ROCKY START This weekend the Kohl Center welcomes Colorado College to town for a beat down SPORTS
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Fewer arrests at Freakfest allow for lower costs By Caitlin Gath The Daily Cardinal
With Halloween and the annual citywide Freakfest celebration right around the corner, city officials said they are right where they want to be in terms of preparedness. “It’s really becoming a nice event that downtown can be proud of,” Cpt. Mary Schauf of the Madison Police Department said at Thursday’s Downtown Coordinating Committee meeting. “It’s about entertainment now. Our arrests have been dropping every single year.” According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, free taxi services will be available this year thanks to donations from Budweiser distributors. Schauf said there would likely be taxi stands near the Langdon Street area, University Avenue and Madison Area Technical College on Johnson Street. Schauf also said that because the number of arrests at Freakfest has been dropping every year, it has led to a decrease in staff and a decrease in costs for taxpayers. Also discussed at the meeting was the need to pay close attention to the night-time economy in the downtown area, specifically with entertainment options, transportation and bar practices.
According to a survey provided by the Downtown Hospitality Council, students are looking for more latenight dining and shopping options, live music venues and especially a movie theater. Ninety-one percent of the population that comes downtown does so for casual dining, shopping and special events, but more entertainment options are needed, the survey said. Another option the city could use is a regulated taxi service, but cost is the biggest factor preventing that from happening. Verveer said the issue has not been on the city council’s radar for years and Madison has had one of the highest taxi rates in the country. The DHC also promoted its resource guide on how to properly deal with the city’s homeless population. ReachOut Downtown Madison, an educational program on why residents should not give money to panhandlers, says alcohol, drugs and cigarettes are the top three items purchased with money received from homeless persons. Choosing to donate to nonprofit organizations and volunteering can be a much more useful way of helping, according to the DHC guide. More information can be found at madisonreachout.org.
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Weekend, October 16-18, 2009
Yell Like Hell
stephanie moebius/the daily cardinal
Members of the UW Spirit Squad participate in the Yell Like Hell competition at Library Mall Thursday.
SSFC approves budget for Sex Out Loud, postpones decision on GUTS By Kelsey Gunderson The Daily Cardinal
The Student Services Finance Committee voted to approve a budget of $92,279.84 for the UW-Madison student organization Sex Out Loud Thursday, but voted to postpone the budget decision for Greater University Tutoring Services until Monday’s meeting. The committee removed several hundred dollars from Sex Out Loud’s budget intended to pay for airfare for speakers before approving the final budget amount by a 5-0 vote.
Although committee members decided to postpone the final budget decision for GUTS until Monday, they removed several line items requested to fund new computer hardware from the organization’s budget, which currently stands at $161,082.39. SSFC Vice Chair Michael Romenesko said he wanted to remove the items because he felt they were not fiscally responsible since GUTS can easily rent new equipment at various places on campus. The Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group and Badger Catholic also presented
their budget requests Thursday. Badger Catholic requested nearly $5,000 more than the organization received last year. Badger Catholic Chair Nico Fassino said the money will go to various speakers, programming and events to increase awareness of the organization on campus. Following the hearing, some SSFC members said they were concerned about Badger Catholic’s request for funding for food at meetings and said they would make the final budget ssfc page 3
Landlords could face increased penalties By Allison Geyer The Daily Cardinal
patricia lapointe/the daily cardinal
Cpt. Mary Schauf of the Madison Police Department said the number of arrests at Freakfest has continued to decrease over the years.
Members of the Madison Landlord and Tenant Issues Subcommittee had difficulty reaching agreements during Thursday’s meeting as they discussed several items involving the rights and restrictions of both renters and rental property owners. One issue that generated debate among committee members was a proposed increase in penalties for landlords and possible implementation of new bail guidelines for landlords in cases involving tenants’ rights. The proposal would give police officers the ability to write a citation in response to a landlord-tenant dispute, which supporters say would be more efficient than the existing long-form complaints
handled through the city. “When we have a long-form complaint, there is a lot more paperwork that the city has to complete as opposed to a citation,” Maureen O’Brien, a representative from the city attorney’s office, said. Yet several committee members questioned the necessity of such measures, including a representative from the Madison Police Department. “Just from experience in the 20 years I’ve been doing this job, I’ve never written a citation for [this type of dispute],” the representative officer said. “It is useful for officers to have as many tools available to them to gain compliance as they can, but this would not be the first way to deal with this.”
Committee members also brought up concerns that the amendment did not have an equal balance of protection for landlords against bad tenants. “We need to look at both sides,” subcommittee member Curtis Brink said. Amendments to the ordinances concerning properties considered a chronic nuisance were also discussed, including the proper licensing procedure for building managers and the approved procedure for posting notifications of chronic nuisance violations. “If one property becomes a chronic nuisance, we don’t want this to change the whole neighborhood or stereotype an area,” Brink said. “You’re only as good as your best tenants.”
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”