Apocalyptic mess turns into ill-fated fun when the clock strikes ‘2012’ ARTS
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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STRONG SECOND HALF LED BY DEFENSE Wolverine womping fueled by Tolzien’s five touchdowns, Clay’s consistency
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photoS By Lorenzo Zemella / The Daily Cardinal
Dead body found at Picnic Point The dead body of a missing person was found at Picnic Point this weekend, according to Madison Police Lt. Dave McCaw. “I don’t think that anybody’s in danger,” McCaw said, though he would not comment on the cause of death out of respect for
family members. McCaw said police were “looking for the person who was found,” but said he did not know if the person was a student, Madison resident or from out of state. Grounds Superintendent Gene Turk said a member of
the UW Grounds Team found the body and called it in to the police. Turk declined to disclose the groundskeeper’s identity. According to the Dane County Coroner’s Office, the Madison Police will release a statement Monday morning updating the situation.
Free speech constraints spark criticism, concern By Ryan Hebel The Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison’s faculty has less freedom to criticize administrators than they realize, according to one professor who will propose amending UW’s academic freedom policy at Monday’s University Committee meeting. Donald Downs, a political science and law professor specializing in free speech, said UW’s current policy does not address institutional criticism, like recent faculty statements targeting Provost Paul DeLuca’s graduate school restructuring proposal. According to Kathi Westcott, associate counsel for the American Association of University Professors, faculty nationwide have been concerned about their right to speak out since a 2006 Supreme Court case ruled public employees could be disciplined for criticism “pursu-
ant to their official duties.” Two ensuing cases applied the standard to faculty, including one involving a UW-Milwaukee associate professor who was disciplined for criticizing the way his National Science Foundation grant was handled. A federal circuit court ruled the professor was speaking as an employee and not a public citizen, allowing the university to reduce his pay and return his grant. “Without clear guidance there’s always the potential, even if no one’s been fired or reprimanded, that there may be concern about engaging in that dialogue,” Westcott said, noting the University of Minnesota’s faculty amended its policies in June to address the potential free speech restriction. “I’m not worried about it right now,” Downs said. “Because of our traditions, the faculty would rally around someone … but one can never predict the climate.”
Downs pointed to “witch hunts” over speech codes imposed on faculty in the 1990s as an example of similar restrictions. Downs said university faculty and potentially academic staff should be exempt from the court’s restrictions. “We’re not entitled to more freedom of speech because of who we are, we are entitled to more freedom of speech because that’s necessary for the university to accomplish its mission … which is the pursuit of truth through a variety of perspectives and criticism,” Downs said. Westcott said other universities are currently scanning their academic freedom policies for weaknesses. She said administrators should be concerned as well, since the ruling may leave universities vulnerable to libel lawsuits brought against faculty whose institutional speech may be controlled by the university.
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Monday, November 16, 2009
HE’S IN: Barrett announces run for governor By Ariel Shapiro
Drum major Alex Waskawic conducts his last home game (L), senior marching band members Kayla Eick and Craig Martens kiss after Martens proposed to Eick (R), and senior tight end Mickey Turner celebrates the Badgers’ 45-24 win against Michigan at their last Camp Randall game of the season Saturday.
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After months of speculation, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced Sunday he will join the 2010 gubernatorial race. “It is time to pull together to create jobs and get our state’s fiscal house in order,” Barrett said at a press conference at his home. “That’s why I’m running for governor.” BARRETT The announcement comes three months after Barrett gained statewide recognition for intervening in an attack outside the State Fair grounds. The incident left him with a severely fractured hand and head injuries. Barrett’s decision to run makes him the only major Democratic candidate in the race. Kevin Conroy, a Madison biotech executive, is still considering running. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin said they are pleased to have a viable candidate. “Our Republican counterparts are divided, but right now Wisconsin Democrats are united and strong,” the DPW said in a statement. “We are more than confident that Wisconsin will have an
exceptional Democratic candidate on the ballot who can lead our state into the future.” Although there are multiple Republican candidates, including former congressman Mark Neumann and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, the Republican Party of Wisconsin said they were not worried by Barrett’s announcement. “I like our chances in 2010,” RPW executive director Mark Jefferson said. “These are times when people want aggressive leadership, and I think Tom Barrett offers more of the same.” Jefferson said “more of the same” means higher spending and taxes, citing what he considers to be Barrett’s “far left” record. The RPW has taken to referring to Barrett as “Tom the Taxer.” John Fleming, a member of Barrett’s campaign, said he rejects the claim that the mayor is too liberal to have statewide appeal. “I don’t think that he has run the city of Milwaukee with any partisan point of view,” he said. At the press conference, Barrett said the main focus of his campaign will include solving the state’s economic crisis. “The problems we confront are complex,” he said. “This campaign will be about solutions—real and serious solutions—not slogans.”
WISPIRG marches on Capitol to promote green solutions to environmental issues By Tom Czaja The Daily Cardinal
The Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group hosted a rally and march in continuation of its Big Red Go Green global warming campaign Friday. The rally began at Library Mall and ended with a march to the Capitol to support green solutions. The goal of the program is to get both politicians and ordinary citizens to realize the importance of environmental issues. The march was also intended to build awareness of the Climate Summit in December, The American Clean Energy and Security Act and climate change in general. According to Niels Ole Holck, member of the climate movement in Denmark and organizer of the event, the negative consequences of global warming are overwhelming, with underdeveloped countries taking the biggest hit. Ole Holck cited a lack of clean drinking water, a depleted ozone layer and reliance on fossil fuels as problems demanding attention. WISPIRG emphasized that “business as usual” or apathy is not
the route to take, especially as politicians continue to be hesitant to pass legislation that will have lasting changes on the environment. Supporters chanted “no more pollution, we have a solution” as they marched up State Street toward the Capitol. Several onlookers joined the march alongside WISPIRG members, UW students and other citizens. “There are many important issues today like health care and the economy, but this is something that still cannot be simply forgotten,” supporter and graduate student Nathan Pinney said. Diane Farsetta, the Carbon Free Nuclear Free Campaign coordinator of Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice and one of the final speakers, urged everyone to keep involved and stay aware of the politics and legislation being discussed. Farsetta said environmental issues will be topics for debate in the coming months. Farsetta also announced there will be another march next spring, and anyone interested can get involved in organizing now.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”