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Springtime slacking? High schools look to reduce senioritis, prepare for college

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

UW System defends inaction on contract law

By Steven Rosenbaum The Daily Cardinal

danny marchewka/the daily cardinal

Student organization MEChA, residing in offices above Brothers Bar and Grill, has gone unmentioned in the legal proceedings between UW Regents and Brothers, leaving their future residence uncertain.

In Brothers-UW battle for property, student org MEChA gets ignored

By Ashley Davis The Daily Cardinal

Throughout the highly publicized property battle between Brothers Bar and Grill and the UW System Board of Regents, student organization MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) said it has slipped through the cracks in university priorities.

The student group’s office is located above Brothers, where the university is fighting to build the new UW School of Music facility.

While the university is exercising eminent domain to seize the property, there has been no initiative to compensate the student organization, said Ismael Cuevas, MEChA president.

“They’re leaving us on our own … at least give us a helping hand and help us find something on campus that meets our expectations and our goals,” Cuevas said.

MEChA is a cultural club on campus seeking to educate the local

community about Chicana/o culture and cultivate a political and artistic presence among students. The organization has resided in their current office space since 1972.

The unknown fate of their office space has made planning workshops much more difficult, according to Cuevas.

“We want our direct services to be used by every student and organization on campus.”

Cuevas also said his group is simply trying to hold onto the space for as long as possible during the legal battle.

According to Cuevas, all of the organization’s direct services are held in the office. Additionally, all historical archives of the club since its establishment in 1972 are located in the office’s backroom.

Cuevas said the university has not been in contact with the organization throughout the public property debate and anything they know regarding their office location’s sta-

tus is through word of mouth.

Within the coming weeks, according to Cuevas, MEChA intends to meet with Dean of Students Lori Berquam to resolve issues regarding office relocation.

“With the history that we have on this campus, along with the programming that we do and the constituency that we serve, I think it’s neglectful on [the university’s] behalf to not contact us,” Cuevas said.

MEChA initiated independent looks into relocating to the Student Activity Center but would be constrained by space limitations there.

The UW System has previously stated that they intend to pay Brothers’ owners $2.1 million for the property and that the music school proposal was included in the state’s 2007 capital budget, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

UW Systems spokesperson David Giroux could not be reached for comment.

Common Council votes against proposal giving greater power to city diversity committees

By Taylor Harvey The Daily Cardinal

The Madison Common Council rejected a change to the Madison General Ordinances Tuesday that would allow the Equal Opportunities Commission, Affirmative Action Commission and Commission on People with Disabilities to sponsor ordinances and resolutions.

The adoption of this proposal would have given these three commissions the right to intervene on a civil rights issue, such as affirmative action, if no city alder sponsored it.

A speaker in support of the proposal claimed a stand needed to

be taken to strengthen affirmative action as much as possible by providing options to avoid civil rights ignorance by future city alders.

Rosemary Lee, a speaker opposing the change, said the change in the ordinance would create a slippery slope. She said the legislative process has worked well for many years and still does.

“If a city committee can’t get at least one alder to sponsor what you want to do, then it probably is not a very good idea … it is by no means a civil rights issue,” she said.

City alders in support of the change recognized that there are other voices in the communi-

The UW System said they are unable to comply with a 2005 law requiring all state agencies to post their contract agreements online because of technology problems.

The law requires all agencies to post their external contract information to a website called Contract Sunshine run by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.

According to UW System spokesperson David Giroux, UW System schools are unable to report their contracts online because of problems with the way the website is set up.

Giroux said UW schools want to comply with the law, but are not capable of doing so because the UW System’s contract database is incompatible with Contract Sunshine’s reporting system.

Some contract information is available to the public on the UW System website and some campus sites.

“The fact is that we would love to comply fully with this immediately, however, we have two tracking systems at the GAB and the UW System that are completely incompatible,” Giroux said. “There is no effort to keep this information

secret. There is no effort to ignore the law.”

According to Giroux, a 2006 estimate said the UW System would manually need to input roughly 41,000 separate contracts to Contract Sunshine to be in accordance with the law.

“We’re hopeful [this issue] will be resolved soon, but it’s going to require a significant investment in some way to link up our two systems,” Giroux said. “Either we’re going to have to devote a whole lot of money to manually re-entering contracts … or we’re going to have to spend some money on a computer fix that links up our two systems.”

Reid Magney, GAB spokesperson, said the Legislature did not give the GAB an easy way to implement the law.

“The Legislature, as they wrote the law, did not give us the tools ... nor the resources to ensure compliance,” Magney said.

Magney said the system has shortcomings. “[State agencies] are not able to export their data in a standardized format that we can upload into our system. We’ve been told that it’s not particularly user friendly,” Magney said.

Walker recycles ‘brown bag’ campaign strategy, Neumann launches radio ad

By Ariel Shapiro The Daily Cardinal

As the 2010 gubernatorial race heats up, the three frontrunners are using traditional, innovative and even recycled tactics to get their messages out to the voters.

The focus of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s campaign is the “Brown Bag” strategy, which includes handing out brown paper bags with materials detailing his economic plans for Wisconsin.

Although the strategy differs sub-

stantially from the more traditional campaign routes taken by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, it has been used before, specifically by U.S. Senator George Voinovich, R-Ohio, in 1998.

Both Voinovich and Walker used the services of SCM Associates, Inc., a Republican fundraising firm based in New Hampshire. Both campaigns sent out letters from the candidates’ wives in brown paper brown bag page 3

ty that need to be heard. Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway, District 12, who was in support of the proposition, said she would be open to sharing power when it comes to introducing proposals.

“I don’t see this as an urgent issue because we have a pretty reasonable council. But these issues are important enough …

The unlikelihood of it happening is not enough to say it isn’t a good idea,” Ald. Brian Solomon, District 10, said.

Opposing Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, said, “Giving people council page 3

danny marchewka/the daily cardinal

“…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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TODAY: sunny hi 61º / lo 34º

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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

Fatty dad learns health lesson the heart way

Volume 119, Issue 109

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News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Charles Brace Managing Editor Ryan Hebel Campus Editor Kelsey Gunderson Grace Urban City Editor State Editor Hannah Furfaro Enterprise Editor Hannah McClung Associate News Editor Ashley Davis Senior News Reporters Alison Dirr Ariel Shapiro Robert Taylor Anthony Cefali Opinion Editors Todd Stevens Arts Editors Katie Foran-McHale Jacqueline O’Reilly Sports Editors Scott Kellogg Nico Savidge Kevin Slane Page Two Editor Features Editor Madeline Anderson Ben Pierson Life and Style Editor Photo Editors Isabel Álvarez Danny Marchewka Graphics Editors Caitlin Kirihara Natasha Soglin Multimedia Editor Jenny Peek Editorial Board Chair Jamie Stark Copy Chiefs Anna Jeon Kyle Sparks Justin Stephani Jake VIctor Copy Editors Kathleen Brosnan, Jaclyn Buffo Libby Pappas, Margaret Raimann, Lisa Robleski Kaitlyn Schnell, Yin Wu

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THURSDAY: partly sunny hi 63º / lo 38º

JILLIAN LEVY one in a jillian

I

am a/an _______ eater. Fill any adjective in the blank— emotional, bored, drunk— and it’s an accurate descriptor. And I think it’s hereditary. Look at any member of my immediate family at any point in time and there’s about a 97 percent chance that they’ll have some kind of foodstuff either in mouth or in hand.

That is, until last week. My Dad, who has been living life as a born-again bachelor for the last ten years, essentially ate his way into the hospital. After subsisting on nothing but fried or frozen food my Dad had not one, but TWO heart attacks in one month. The end result? A quadruple bypass and one hell of a restructured diet.

By no means is my father (or myself, thank you very much) one of those circus sideshows that gets featured on 20/20 while Barbara Walters squirms uncomfortably avoiding drops of perspiration or getting squished. But he’s definitely not built like Bob Saget. To further complicate matters, diabetes, heart disease and an assortment of cancers run in

my family, so even without any compulsive over snacking problems, my Dad was already walking on egg shells.

What concerns me most is not the long recovery process he faces or post-surgery complications, but rather, how do you teach a 64-year-old man that everything that tastes good is just one more nail in his coffin? When I asked my Dad minutes before his surgery what he was most worried about, he responded, “life without butter.” And there was genuine terror in his eyes.

Not only can he not eat butter and other fatty foods, but he’s also on carbohydrate control, a low-sodium diet and has to enter an exercise program three days a week. When the nutritionist came into his room, it was like a parent trying to explain where babies come from to a four-year-old.

My Dad: “So I can’t eat cheese?

But I love cheese.”

Nutritionist: “If you’re going to eat cheese, you need to find low-sodium and reduced fat cheese, and then use it sparingly.

Dairy is very high in fat. You also need to avoid drinking soda and alcohol and anything with high sugar or carbohydrate counts.”

My Dad: “What am I supposed to drink then? Water?” *Makes disgusted face* Nutritionist: *Makes horrified

face* “You don’t like water?!”

My Dad: “It’s alright I guess... it doesn’t taste like much though.”

Nutritionist: “Okay, well you can also drink milk as long as it’s skim...”

Here my Dad interrupts Mrs. Nutrition and exclaims, “Ooh, I like milk!”

Nutritionist: “Very good, Mr. Levy. That’s very good.”

For a moment, I wonder if she’s going to give him a treat or start petting him. She decided to move on instead.

Nutritionist: “On this pamphlet here, there are a list of fats that are good and on the opposite side, what’s bad.”

She hands my Dad a thick pamphlet that details what he needs to eat and what he absolutely cannot eat. He looks very disinterested and I can tell that he is beginning to hate the nice lady.

Nutritionist: “A good general rule of thumb, don’t eat any fats that aren’t liquid at room temperature. Olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, all liquid at room temperature. Butter, lard, anything that’s solid is going to clog up your arteries.”

My Dad: “Well that’s ridiculous. No butter? We’re going to have to find a way around that.”

Nutritionist: “Um, well, I don’t think there’s really any sway in your diet when you’ve just had quadruple bypass surgery.”

I think she was trying to emphasize the severity of my father’s heart condition, but he seemed to think it was more proof that he should be able to enjoy food after such a severe surgery.

The conversation continued this way for awhile, my Dad trying to fit butter and sugar into his daily diet and his nutritionist explaining that unless he wanted to die—literally—he would just have to make the switch to margarine.

It may sound insane to you but my Dad was raised in the ’50s and ’60s, before smoking cigarettes was bad for you and before seatbelts were even invented. Health just isn’t in his nature. I just really hope that it is in mine.

In light of my Dad’s surgery and overall unwellness, I’ve decided to make some serious life changes, starting with ending my current diet plan, Operation Eat on Sight. I foresee some major changes in the future... just not any that eliminate ice cream or alcohol from my life. Then it just wouldn’t be a life worth living.

Sorry Dad...

If you have some great diet suggestions for Jillian, she doesn’t really care. However, if you have coupons for Lean Cuisines or Miller Lite, email her at jlevy2@wisc.edu, and do your small part in helping her toward the healthier lifestyle she really needs to aspire to.

Campus Briefs The best in fake news delivered in briefs for your reading pleasure Direct relationship between living in Madison, becoming a fatass, experts say In one of the most historic scientific breakthroughs in UW-Madison history, scientists dropped a bombshell on Monday when they revealed what they believe to be a direct causal relationship between living in Madison and becoming a fatass.

Esteemed Chemistr y Professor Dr. Marvin Patrick presented the information with a few of his colleagues to a small number of media representatives at a press conference early Monday morning.

“After a very carefully examined and lengthy two-and-a-halfyear study, we believe we have found what appears to be a direct relationship between residing in Madison and becoming a total fat ass,” Dr Patrick explained.

When questioned by reporters about what it was exactly that caused normal, healthy people to be turned into fatasses by residing in Madison, Dr. Patrick said tests were inconclusive. He added, however, that air molecules connected to one’s sense of smell, specifically those surrounding specific geographical locations including Ian’s Pizza, Fat Sandwich Company

and Buffalo Wild Wings could have something to do with it.

“A working theory right now is that somehow certain geographical locations are emitting bizarre molecules that, when inhaled by passerby when breathing normally, send a signal to their brains that eventually turns them into lazy fatasses.”

Yet in perhaps the most stunning moment of the press conference, Dr. Patrick explained that he and his colleagues have strong evidence that suggests living in Madison can cause people to exhibit other personal changes as well. At this moment, Dr. Patrick handed the microphone to his esteemed colleague, Dr. Lauren Sheperd.

“While these tests remain preliminary, it seems that living in Madison increases one’s chances of becoming a Democrat by 55 percent, a lazy fatass by 74 percent and a daily marijuana smoker by a whopping 98.6 percent,” Sheperd was quoted as saying.

At this point a reporter stood up and asked whether it was possible that there was a link between smoking marijuana and becoming a lazy fatass, to which Dr. Sheperd replied: “I’m sorry, what was the question?

I’m really, REALLY fucking stoned right now and all I can think about is getting some Ian’s

Pizza. Who’s with me?” The question was met with cheers as reporters and professors alike quickly filed out, cutting the press conference short.

—Phil Vesselinovitch Madison’s filthy hippie population “charms” prospective students Prospective UW-Madison students taking a tour around campus were pleasantly surprised when two dirty, smelly Madison hippies suddenly approached them as their tour guide walked them through State Street. The tour guide, Walker Connelly, was leading his group past Potbelly’s when one particularly dirty and smelly hippie, later identified as 33 year old self professed “musician” Freedom Lawrence, greeted the group with an unfortunate off-rhythm bongo solo that lasted approximately five and a half minutes.

While much of the group of students was from out of town, and was thus fascinated by the dirty, smelly, hippies that many Madison students have begrudgingly accepted as residents of their city, UWMadison tour guide Walker Connelly was not amused.

“You never want to be too mean to those guys, they mean

well. At the same time I only had an hour for the tour and I was subtly trying to get the group to move on, but they all seemed pretty charmed by him,” Connelly was quoted as saying.

One prospective student, Becky Miller, seemed particularly fascinated by Lawrence and his stinky, unhygienic, female accomplice, known only as “Winter.”

“While Freedom was playing his cool bongo solo, Winter walked up to us and showed us her beautiful knitting,” Miller said excitedly. Even though Winter admitted it was a relatively simple knitting piece, knitted in the shape of an uneven circle and made out of pieces of twine and cat hair, Miller was enthralled.

Added Miller, “She asked for $5 for the knitting, which is really quite a bargain when you consider she worked on it for four whole days. I mean, I had to have it!”

Despite the group’s fascination with Freedom’s bongo playing and Winter’s cat hair and twine knitting, Connelly took charge and told the group they would have to move on after the smell of feces, marijuana and pure filth resulted in several tour members falling ill in a local trash receptacle.

—Phil Vesselinovitch

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Proposed central library redevelopment faces challenges

By Grace Urban The Daily Cardinal

Negotiations between the city of Madison and Fiore Cos. to rebuild Madison’s Central Library are encountering obstacles, causing some to question whether the project will take place as planned.

The Wisconsin State Journal alleged Tuesday that negotiations between the city of Madison and Fiore Cos. have broken down over cost, which Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s spokesperson Rachel Strauch-Nelson confirmed.

“The mayor hopes we can come to an agreement with Fiore, but the bottom line is that there will be a new central library whether it’s with Fiore or a rebuild with the existing site,” she said.

Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, said he also expects the library to be approved and built, most likely as a public works project. “It’s just a matter of going through the process,” he said.

The original plan calls for Fiore Cos. to buy the site of the existing library and develop that block while working with the city to build a new library on West Washington Avenue.

According to Strauch-Nelson, Fiore Cos. is asking for a higher

price than what was originally budgeted by the City Council and the mayor, in addition to no longer intending to buy the existing site.

“That does change things pretty significantly,” she said. “If that is the case, then we may have to look back at the rebuild of the current site.”

Bill Kunkler, executive vice president of Fiore Cos., said in a blog post that the company cannot continue development under the city’s “proposed approach,” but does wish to see the project completed.

“We have suggested a ‘project acquisition price’ that includes the site … and compensation for developer service already provided by FioreIrgens,” Kunkler said in a statement.

The mayor is scheduled to meet with representatives of Fiore Cos. later this week, but Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, is “disappointed” that the West Washington Avenue location for the library may no longer happen.

“The West Washington library proposal is on life-support as of today,” he said. “If negotiations fail, the likely scenario is not that we take time to look for another location downtown but rather … rehab the existing site.”

Lawmaker not likely to be expelled from the Legislature A lawmaker charged with driving while intoxicated likely will not be expelled from the state Assembly, according to a lawmaker involved in the expulsion resolution.

State Rep. Jeffrey Wood, I-Chippewa Falls, who is currently facing three OWI charges, defended himself in front of the Special Committee on Ethics and Standards of Conduct hearing Tuesday.

In his defense, Wood said the Assembly should not punish him for his actions outside the Capitol.

brown bag from page 1 bags, and SCM lists the brown bag campaign under its “Hall of Fame” of strategies on its website.

Walker’s spokesperson Jill Bader said their campaign team was fully responsible for the idea of behind Walker as the “brown bag candidate.”

“The ‘brown bag’ idea and the brown bag campaign came completely from Scott, from who he is and from our campaign team from Wisconsin,” Bader said. “It just happened to fit into something that our fundraising team had already produced for another campaign.”

Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Graeme Zielinski said the campaign is both artificial

council from page 1 who aren’t voted [into office] the same power as those that are is a disrespect to district committees.”

The proposal was rejected by a margin of two votes.

Also passed in the meeting were controversial assessments for the installation of a roundabouts at the intersections of County Road M, Pleasant View Road and

Wood has already said he does not plan to run for re-election.

State Rep. Mary Hubler, D-Rice Lake, said it is unlikely that the plan to expel Wood will receive 66 votes from the Assembly. She said the Assembly will vote on the resolution in April or May. According to state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, Wood continued to “play the victim” during his hearing.

“It is insulting to the people of this state who face real standards of accountability everyday,” Nass said. and a misrepresentation of Walker’s true practices.

“It’s a fabrication, a fraud, a sham, and people in Wisconsin are going to see that,” Zielinski said.

The other campaigns are taking more traditional approaches.

Barrett’s spokesperson Phil Walzak said Barrett has been traveling around the state to reach out to Wisconsinites, and that “the energy and excitement for Tom’s candidacy is very strong.”

Neumann released a new radio ad Monday called “Principled,” one of several advertisements that Neumann’s spokesperson, Chris Lato, said keeps them on the offensive. Neumann released the first television ad and Walker released a TV ad earlier this month.

Valley View Road.

Supporters claimed this large piece of farmland property will most likely be developed in a few decades, and the installation of this roundabout is only a small part of a larger project intended to improve Madison.

Opposing alders insisted county funds should be used as well as city funds to reconstruct the county road.

The proposal was adopted with support from all but three alders.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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Sconnie nation Culverization

danny marchewka/the daily cardinal

As a part of the “Wisconsin’s Best” lecture series, Craig Culver spoke in the Ebiling Symposium Center about Wisconsin’s culinary traditions, providing Culver’s samples for a hands-on experience.

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

College ready with no senior year?

Story by Kate Bothe

Graphics by Natasha Soglin

Senioritis has always plagued high school seniors. Now some school districts are resolving the dilemma by allowing students to graduate before four years.

F

riday night football games, skip days, prom, applying to colleges. These are typical highlights that make the senior year of high school most memorable.

However, while some kick up the effort a notch for this final year, others bask in thoughts of graduation and essentially take the academic year off.

This trend is often referred to as senioritis. Symptoms include severe lack of motivation, excessive desire to party and blow off school work, slipping grades and decreased involvement in school activites. It is often the result of a perceivably relaxed atmosphere following three years of intense pressure.

This senioritis dilemma, as well as budget deficit and college preparatory issues is a topic that are constantly at the top of school districts’ agendas. In recent weeks, several suggestions have been made to systematically resolve most of these issues, many of which suggest that the current four-year high school program may not be the best option.

Time Wasted or Wasted Time The senioritis epidemic has swept through high schools across the nation, and while many school boards discuss courses of action to alleviate this problem, Utah state Senator Chris Buttars proposed a money-saving solution: eliminate senior year. An article on ABC News stated that Buttars feels the year is spent doing nothing but “playing around” and that reducing high school to three years instead of the standard four would improve the state’s deficit issues. He ultimately

concluded that the final year should at least be made optional.

While many students would agree that their high schools provided the option for early graduation, it is controversial as to whether or not this option should be made a requirement.

UW-Madison senior Nicole Lenz looked back on her senior year experience as a time to grow.

“I actually could have graduated early but chose to do all four [years] because I just have the very mentality of when else am I going to do this?” she said. “I have all the rest of my life to grow up.”

Other students defend the importance of senior year because it is essential for mental and social development, rather than a year to simply “fool around.”

UW-Madison freshman Aimee Katz described herself as a hard worker during her senior year of high school because her course load and extracurricular activities required her to do so. She also explained the personal growth that takes place when students are transitioning into adulthood.

“You need senior year. A lot changes ... You have that new position of authority at your school and it’s really a year about working hard,” Katz said. “A senior starting high school and a freshman starting college, they are only a year apart but are at such different places in their lives.”

Rather than simply pushing students to attend college early, many school districts look to alternative methods for making the final year of high school worthwhile.

Rather than spending a year in

gym classes and study halls, schools can encourage Advanced Placement (AP) courses or Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) in order to allow prepared students to ease their way into a college experience without necessarily ending their high school one.

In place of completing her final year and a half at her high school, UW-Madison freshman, Brianah Mader studied abroad the second semester of her junior year and then worked through a PSEO program by taking courses at a local community college. This allowed her to complete high school requirements and earn college credits at the same time.

She agreed that without access to these educational opportunities she would have felt her senior year was a “waste of time,” but by taking advantage of the study abroad and PSEO opportunities, she was able to be proactive at preparing herself for a college experience. The accumulation of credits and completion of some general requirements helped Mader as well.

“I was able to get many general requirements out of the way, and courses that would have been a 500-student lecture here I was able to complete in a class with 40 students,” she said.

These benefits allowed Mader to get a head start exploring fields that she may want to pursue. Rather than eliminating senior year, Mader argued the kind of programs she was involved in should be incentive for what other high schools should be providing.

“If you make it meaningful and give kids the opportunity to work towards something, they’ll work harder,” she said.

Testing Toward a Diploma Several other states are also considering ways to shorten the high school experience. According to an article in the New York Times, school districts in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont will begin new programs in the fall of 2011 that will allow students to take battery tests following their sophomore year.

Upon passing these tests students can receive a diploma and can immediately enroll in college, community college or in preparatory schools for those who have the intention of attending more selective schools.

This system would ensure that students are challenged and advance their education at their ability.

However, the idea of standardized testing to determine college preparation is an idea that worries many.

Cross College Advising Services student advisor, Adrienne Thunder said, “I’m really weary of testing.

There’s only so much it can do so I really hope that there is more to it than that. I’m just really leery

of any incentive that involves a test that is going to say something about a student’s preparedness.”

A major concern with these exams is that there is a difference between being academically and psychologically prepared. Many question whether exams can accurately measure if a student would be prepared for the social and environmental challenges of college.

Thunder said there is a difference between being academically and psychologically prepared for college.

“For some students they’re ready to move on, but for the most part having a senior year is developmentally appropriate,” Thunder said.

“Even with cognitive development too, the way you think about things changes with time, so you are a lot more able to see that between black and white there is a whole lot of grey. You’re cutting off that process by shoving students into it too soon, and in some cases they’re just not ready for that.”

Testing issues aside, Thunder supports the idea of a community college or preparatory school as a good route to pursue if students felt ready.

Thunder also works with several transfer students who often come from community colleges. She said these students have a different appreciation for their education, are more confident, and often are more successful their first year.

Lenz, who has worked as a house fellow in Witte Hall for the past two years, said, “I have seen many residents that are so strong academically but then have issues acclimating to the school and almost ended up dropping out by semester’s end because they just weren’t ready for it.”

She agreed that starting college earlier without having the developmental opportunity of senior year could elevate this problem.

Working Around the System A shorter high school experience would obviously lead to fewer classes, and thus, many of the schools considering early graduation options are looking for ways to work around the current graduation requirements, which are based on accumulation of credits. Rather, schools are suggesting that students could work toward a system that allows them to move on upon reaching a designated level of comprehension.

“I definitely don’t think credit numbers should be important,” Mader said. “Students shouldn’t care more about the credits that they are getting than the classes that they’re in. Students should go to classes to learn and get to a certain level, not just fulfill the requirements.”

However, Thunder expressed the need to have skills in areas other than the ones of specialization.

“As an academic advisor at a university, my job is to help stu-

dents gain knowledge all across the university, so specialization in one area excludes a whole plethora of knowledge that you need to have before you graduate,” Thunder said.

“And relating to jobs, we’re in an economy right now where no one knows where it’s going, and so the thing that I talk to students about all the time is how multi-skilled can you be before you graduate.”

Rushing the Process Education psychology professor Howard Everson of the City University of New York said in New York Times article, “One hope is that this board exam system can prepare students to move on to careers, higher education and technical colleges and the workplace, sooner rather than later.”

One of the less obvious concerns people have about this shortened high school experience is the pressure it would put on students to rush through their education.

“Education is really a process, it is not something that should be speeded up for the sake of being able to say that you did something quickly,” Katz said. “It’s almost more admirable that you take a longer time.”

Many students, such as Mader, come to college with a semester’s worth of credits and are still undecided. As a result, Thunder worries this system will demand that students declare their majors before they are ready and “make it to med school before they realize they hate it.” Instead, she urges students to gain life experience, difficult feat in such a fast-paced, short amount of time.

Solutions Is there one absolute route that could potentially be best for all students?

“These one-size-fits-all solutions, they just don’t work,” Thunder said.

No matter the best route, funding must always come into play.

“In the ideal world everything would be very individualized, however, with money being an issue, that would never be a plausible answer,” Lenz said. “However, the idea of letting students who are prepared for it take on extra challenges is a good idea because you don’t want anyone who is ready to be held back, but you don’t want to push anybody to hard either.”

Whether or not an achievable balance is out there, Katz said the discussion should center around the students’ best interest.

“Kids should do what’s best for themselves,” she said. “When it comes to education, I really feel that you have to be selfish and you have to do what’s best for you because it’s your life that’s in your own hands. You’re the only person that this effects.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DANNY MARCHEWKA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

arts

dailycardinal.com/arts

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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When it comes to watching ‘Lost,’ be patient, grasshoppers mark riechers jumping the mark

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Photo courtesy apparition

Having premiered early this year at the Sundance Film Festival, “The Runaways” depicts the story of the first all-girl punk-rock band, starring Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie and Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett.

Rock out to ‘Runaways’

By Brandi Stone The Daily Cardinal

In the ’70s, the all-girl rock band the Runaways gained huge amounts of fame and attention for albums like The Runaways and Queens of Noise. Although the group disbanded decades ago, the band continues to gain recognition with the new film “The Runaways.” The movie, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, tells of the band’s experiences in the music industry and is likely to be a success with audiences.

The film follows the same storyline as Cherie Currie’s upcoming book, “Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway,” a personal memoir about her experiences in the band.

The book is about Currie’s struggles with drugs and violence along with some other wild stories about the band that are not mentioned in the film.

Like the book, the film follows Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) as they go from unknown California kids to rebellious rock stars. It depicts how record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) brought the girls together and turned them into an outrageous success; but because he never had the girls’ best interests at heart, the bandmates eventually turned against each other.

Lead singer of the Runaways

and central focus of the movie, Cherie Currie, worked closely with the film’s producers and thinks the band’s story is valuable for all audiences.

“It’s an important story to tell,” Currie said. “It’s a story that says you can be what you want to be against all odds.”

Rock ’n’ roll in the ’70s was ruled completely by men. This meant the Runaways had to deal with many hardships both on and off the stage, including having garbage thrown at them while performing by the male bands they were opening for.

“We went up against the big, bad boys in music, and none of them wanted us there,” Currie said. “We basically worked hard for any kind of respect in the music business.”

The look of the film emphasizes the grungy, dirty world of rock ’n’ roll, highlighting sexuality, drugs and garbage infested streets and concert halls. The Runaways were not treated with respect and never experienced the shiny, glamorous treatment the rock stars of today receive.

Director Floria Sigismondi, who is best known for her direction of music videos, shot large portions of the film in close-ups, piecing them together with fast-paced editing, making the film style resemble that of a rock ’n’ roll music video.

Normally this excessive, rapid pace would be off-putting, but it pairs extremely well with the Runaways’ chaotic road to success and makes the concert scenes exciting to watch.

Cherie Currie and Joan Jett both worked closely with their acting counter-parts, which clearly had an impact on the actresses’ performances. Fanning excelled in her role as Cherie Currie, able to transform with ease from a wideeyed, innocent California girl to an angry rock chick who is not afraid to strut out on stage wearing sixinch platform heals, a corset and fishnet stockings. Stewart left the fragile Bella Swan (“Twilight”) in the dust, morphing into an angry, swearing, tough rocker who is willing to mess someone up without thinking twice. Both Fanning and Stewart did all their own singing, which is so well done that it’s difficult to differentiate between the actresses’ singing and the use of actual Runaways’ recordings.

Michael Shannon’s portrayal of Fowley, however, was the best the movie had to offer. Shannon was entertaining and intimidating at the same time, making the viewer wonder whether to laugh or cower in the corner whenever he says a line.

Overall, “The Runaways” is an enticing tale of a troubled band, andone that is sure to entertain music enthusiasts.

Cülture Clüb

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heir eponymous debut was a rodeo bull M.I.A. thrives on a sardonically upbeat track— bucking at the gates of taboo, thrash- this irony backs up her message of the gentrified ing listeners into submission to their glory of a criminal lifestyle. Don’t lie—we and unabashed tirade against political injusour middle-class suburban friends haptice. London Calling, their third album, pily shoot our finger-guns along to the galvanized their socially conscious punk chorus whenever the song comes on at with an onslaught of infectious hooks. a party.

In the balance is the Clash’s fifth stuIt would be excessive to elaborate on dio album, and our Cülture Clüb pick the cultural significance of songs like of the week, Combat Rock. In the for“Should I Stay or Should I Go” and est of Clash discography, Combat Rock “Rock the Casbah.” That said, Combat Combat Rock has grown to Sequoian proportions in Rock tempers the poppiness of London The Clash its relevance for current bands. The Calling with more directly political obvious example is M.I.A.’s sample of albums like The Clash and Sandanista!

“Straight to Hell” in “Paper Planes.” This party The bitter minimalism of Combat Rock is also anthem relies on Joe Strummer’s spaced-out riffs, what makes it so attractive to artists: it shows a but where the Clash use desolate soundscapes frustration with the ease of modern life, which to point listeners toward their political message, parallels the angst of many indie artists today.

Cülture Clüb consists of Daily Cardinal staff members looking to revisit albums of the past and evaluate their cultural significance today. Do you have any album recommendations you think Cülture Clüb should examine? Send them to arts@dailycardinal.com.

haven’t spoiled the crap out of “Lost” here in a while, so commence your groaning and flip to the comics if you’re still back in season three waiting for Sawyer and Kate to get out of the cages. We’re coming up on the halfway point in the final season of “Lost,” and every week fans and critics gripe about the fact that much of each episode thus far has been dedicated to flashes of the “Sideways world,” a whatif dimension where, in addition to Oceanic 815 safely landing in L.A., aspects of each former castaway’s life are just a little different.

Jack has a son and keeps finding weird scars on his body. Hurley thinks he’s the luckiest guy in the world, not cursed. And apparently Ben is a good guy.

Until last week’s episode, the Sideways story had seemed an oddly peaceful diversion from the brooding war on the Island. With “Dr. Linus,” things started to get really interesting—we flashed to a world where the Island’s big, bad Benjamin Linus was a simple European history teacher, explaining the fall and exile of Napoleon Bonaparte to a class full of bored high schoolers.

Like previous Sideways stories, Ben bumps into a few would-be castaways—Doc Arzt, famous for being blown to tiny pieces in the first season, returns as a science teacher in Ben’s school. And Ben’s star pupil is, of course, Alex Rousseau: his adopted Island daughter.

The brilliance here is how the action of the flash-sideways mirrors the Island past and present—Ben’s lecture on Napoleon’s impotence and humiliation in exile mirrors Island Ben’s powerlessness now that Not Locke has taken over the Island. Like his manipulations of Jack, Juliet or Locke, Ben tries to manipulate Arzt and the school’s principal to make a power grab for the

principal’s job. In a scene that mirrors mercenary Keamy holding a gun to Alex’s head while Ben refuses to turn himself in, the principal threatens to ruin Alex’s college recommendation letter if Ben doesn’t drop his blackmailing scheme—but this Ben values her future over his own personal agenda and returns to his powerlessness. Sideways Ben, like the rest of the Sideways world, seems to have changed for the better.

Like a lot of fans, I yearn for the explanations to mysteries that got me hooked on the show in the first place. We need to see the people behind the Dharma Initiative in Ann Arbor. We still need to see the magic box. We need to find out what will happen with the volcano. But it should never come at the expense of the characters—while the flashsideways is certainly the oddest story conceit the show has used thus far, it’s creating contrasts with the Island that highlight how six seasons of adventure have affected them emotionally and psychologically.

How is this device much different from narrative gambles in other shows? “How I Met Your Mother”’s bodiless Future Ted explains the exploits of his past self in every episode. Or, in the last few seasons of “Dexter,” where flashbacks to his father’s lessons on safe serial killing have evolved into an imaginary “dark passenger” in the form of his father that follows him around, scolding him for breaking his “code.”

Patience is my advice to the frustrated. Patience. I know we’ve been hearing that for years, but the diversions here will be well worth the richness that they add to the characters. Besides, with only nine episodes to go, we should savor every second we can get with these characters.

In a parallel timeline, Mark gave up on “Lost” back in the cages and now his favorite show is “Glee.”

Thankfully, he only has a column in this dimension. Send your theories on combining the two worlds at mriechers@wisc.edu.

Your Madison Music Scene March 18-21

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Baby back, baby back, baby back: One out of 20 people have an extra rib. dailycardinal.com/comics

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Dropping It Like It’s Hot

Today’s Sudoku

Evil Bird

By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu

© Puzzles by Pappocom

Ludicrous Linguistics

By Celia Donnelly donnelly.celia@gmail.com

The Graph Giraffe Classic

By Yosef Lerner graphics@dailycardinal.com

Crustaches

By Patrick Remington premington@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.

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

First in Twenty

By Angel Lee alee23@wisc.edu

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com

IN TRAFFIC ACROSS 1 Oozing movie menace 5 ___ Mesa, Calif.

10 Akebono’s sport 14 Grammy winner Horne 15 “With God ___ Side” 16 In a short while 17 Animated movie based on Beatles songs 20 They have time on their hands 21 Used a bench 22 “Star Wars” forename 23 “To the max” suffix 24 Catchall column heading 27 Excised spud buds 29 Scrub 32 Twosome 33 FBI worker, briefly 36 “A” and “the” 38 Memorable occasions 41 Hooded baby bed 42 A sniggler snares it 43 A compass can help you make one 44 Corset stiffeners 46 “Monster ___” 50 Flinches, for instance 52 “Men in Black” co-

55 56 57 60 63 64 65 66 67 68

star Tommy ___ Jones Murmur romantically “Before,” when before Snazzy wheels Favre’s old team Defy waterproofing, in a way Honeymoon hideaways French notion View from a pew “We hold ___ truths to be self-evident” Taped-eyeglasses wearer

DOWN 1 Danner, mother of Gwyneth Paltrow 2 Room to maneuver 3 How some people shop 4 With no hair apparent 5 Monks’ hoods 6 Commencements 7 Go bad, as milk 8 They may be draining 9 Something up your sleeve 10 Vocalist Vaughan 11 In a harmonious manner 12 Wk. starter, for many 13 Its root is itself

18 Yeats offering 19 With one leg on each side of 24 Really bizarre 25 Regrets 26 Titanic transmission 28 Some parents 30 Slyly spiteful 31 Bonanza yield 34 Reflect brilliantly 35 Canvas shelters 37 Cool as a cucumber 38 Book classification 39 The ones that got away?

40 Crumpets partner 41 High-jump need 45 Aspen attractions 47 Give in, as to a demand 48 Airborne eagle, e.g.

49 Cut up (with “around”) 51 Fancy pancake 53 Clear a blackboard 54 “Yada, yada, yada” 57 Casement, e.g.

58 Gomer of Mayberry 59 Dermatologist’s concern 60 Federal purchasing org.

61 Sales staff member (Abbr.)

62 Comedy routine

Washington and the Bear

By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com

opinion dailycardinal.com/opinion

Editorial Cartoon

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

By John Liesveld opinion@dailycardinal.com

THE DAILY CARDINAL

MARK BENNETT opinion columnist

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s we enter into warmer weather, melting snow and relentless rain, it is becoming clear that spring is on the way. With clear streets and temperatures above the freezing mark, it is just about time to bring out the bicycles again. In fact, many students are already enjoying the opportunity and pedaling their ways across campus; and as a fellow cyclist, I am eager to join just as soon as I can get my bike back to Madison.

However, as bicycle season returns, it is important to review a few simple rules that many students have apparently forgotten. Every day it becomes more apparent that many bikers are ignorant to the fact that when on the road, they too must follow the same traffic laws as motor vehicles.

The red octagon with the word STOP on it at the top of the pole means, quite obviously, stop. Now,

I totally understand how much of a pain it is to bring a bike to a complete stop and then have to start from zero again—I really do. However, a mere yield, making certain that no traffic is coming or pedestrians are crossing is not really that difficult.

Just because bicycles might be vulnerable does not mean that cars have to treat cyclists any differently.

Thankfully, most drivers in Madison and around campus are fairly bike conscious, but that is not to say that reckless, oblivious motorists are not abundant in this city.

Essentially, if a bicycle is on the road, the rider must follow the traffic laws. If you see a stop sign, stop. If a car arrives at the intersection first, they have the right to go before you.

These simple, obvious ideas not only protect you, but the people around you as well.

Take, for example, the guy at the intersection of Observatory and Charter last week who ignored not only the stop sign but also the pedestrians crossing the street. Apparently convinced that he had the right of way over them, the cyclist sped through the pack of students, sending them, literally, diving for the curb to avoid

MATTHEW WISNIEWSKI/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Now that the sun’s out, ride your bike, and practice bike etiquette.

a collision.

This is clearly an isolated incident.

However, there is a simple solution to avoid any possible assumptions that this situation is a campus-wide issue— do not be like that cyclist.

Additionally, there are some cyclists who have no problem breaking traffic laws... because there are no traffic laws to break on the sidewalk.

Especially on a campus where the majority of the main streets have specified bicycle lanes, there is little excuse to ride a bike on the sidewalk, even if it is legal. This does not take much explanation. The sidewalk is for pedestrians, the bike lanes are for cyclists.

To be fair, most cyclists on campus are courteous, law-abiding pedalers. However, everyone can benefit by understanding the responsibility one takes on when riding a bicycle.

The rules are pretty straight-forward.

When riding in the street, follow the traffic laws as if you are a motorist.

This is not just the courteous thing to do, but most importantly it is a matter of safety. A bike does not make you invincible. In fact, it makes you incredibly vulnerable.

Following the traffic laws is the safest choice a bicyclist can make. Cyclists must still yield to pedestrians, and sidewalks are not for bicycles.

I am not here to preach about wearing reflective clothing or helmets.

That, I believe, is every cyclist’s personal choice. However, it’s the responsibility of the biker to follow the rules and use common sense to make sure he or she is not endangering the wellbeing of others.

We are fortunate on this campus to have the convenience of bike lanes and paths. Especially as the weather becomes warmer, biking to class and around the city is a great option for getting to class, enjoying some exercise and avoiding crowded busses.

Before you head out for a jaunt on the two-wheeler, though, just remember to keep the rules and responsibilities of the road in mind— for everyone’s sake.

Mark Bennett is a freshman intending to major in journalism. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

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Reasons for statewide salvia ban hazy at best

By Samantha Witthuhn

Rules of the road still apply to bicyclists

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Two weeks ago, the powerful hand of the law laid a smack down on one of the few remaining legal drugs being used throughout Wisconsin. Salvia divinorum, commonly confused with saliva, was effectively banned from being manufactured and distributed among the many citizens of Wisconsin.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the short-term hallucinogenic drug, salvia is a Mexican herb that was legal to those over the age of eighteen up until March 3, 2010. The drug is known to cause hallucinations that remain for a short period of time. They occur seconds after being smoked, licked or chewed. The lack of lengthy sensory stimulations produced by salvia have pushed it to become an afterthought substance among avid drug users and essentially makes it an unpopular and somewhat “non-existent” drug to the general public.

Despite salvia’s minor impact on society, state legislators, including former state Senators Sheldon Wasserman and David Cullen, have found its existence to be so troublesome that they have continually exerted efforts to ban the drug for the sake of “protecting our children.”

Authoring the Assembly Bill 168, Wasserman and Cullen believe salvia to be a dangerous hallucinogen that “we cannot allow young people to be deceived into thinking [is] risk free because it is legal.” Gov. Jim Doyle concurred with Wasserman’s claims and ultimately decided to rid Wisconsin of the herb upon signing the bill outlawing the drug on March 3, making Wisconsin a fresh member of the 19 states now regulating it.

By imposing laws and regulations without public consent, state politicians are essentially deciding what is best for us.

While the prohibition of salvia divinorum has been branded into legislation for the last two weeks, knowledge of its removal has failed to successfully spread to those familiar with the substance.

Although local businesses now risk facing $10,000 fines if found violating the new legislation, many who have experimented with the trivial hallucinogen remain ignorant to its newfound illegality. The reason for this unawareness is the lack of public

exposure to the bill. Time to debate the guts of the bill or submit a referendum was overlooked, for the taboo topic of legalizing any questionable substance remains a dark subject most sensible state lawmakers aim to avoid.

Although students attempt to make their voices heard through stoned State Street marches toward the Capitol once a year or by passionately carving “Legalize It” on the back of almost every chair in Bascom 165, decisions outlawing particular drugs continue to be made without public knowledge. Delivering proper and accurate information concerning the pros and cons of legalizing the use of certain substances remains unclear because most politicians tend to turn their shoulders on drug-related matters for fear of public disapproval. The ban on salvia throughout Wisconsin is yet another example of a successful push to ban a drug that ultimately only harms those who make the choice to use it.

Representation for those in favor of legalizing marijuana and other drugs is minimal, and the time has come for legislators and representatives to overcome their fears of rejection by particular demographics and start listening to constituents who have valid arguments surrounding big, bad drugs. The purpose of this article is not to debate the pros and cons surrounding the legalization of marijuana, but to highlight how important it is for politicians to start listening to their constituents about these issues. By imposing laws and regulations without public consent, state politicians like Gov. Doyle are essentially deciding what is best for us. Constituents should have a say in this.

Outlawing more and more drugs may have negative effects on those who use them safely and legally, which might make their opinions significant enough to deserve adequate representation. The lack of total publication of the new ban on salvia divinorum demonstrates that politicians are not taking those in favor of legal usage seriously.

Unfortunately, representatives continue to avoid subjects concerning the authorization of particular substances for fear of decreased approval ratings and pessimistic political reputations despite legitimate and valid arguments being expressed by the opposition. The banning of salvia throughout Wisconsin is yet another step backwards in the world of healthy drug debates. What’s next to go, Red Bull?

Samantha Witthuhn is a sophomore majoring in political science. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Today in The Daily Cardinal’s opinion blog, The Soapbox, Anthony Cefali helps you to come to your Census.

Check out more posts online at www.dailycardinal.com and click on “The Soapbox”

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dailycardinal.com/sports

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Men’s Hockey

No room for underdogs: Final Five is for favorites

By Nico Savidge, Parker Gabriel and Ben Breiner THE DAILY CARDINAL

This year’s WCHA Tournament has not exactly been upset-heavy.

Last year, seventh-seeded Minnesota-Duluth stormed from the back of the field to claim the title, knocking off top teams like North Dakota and Denver. The Bulldogs are in the tournament again this year, though as a five seed they will likely not play a big role.

In the best-of-three first round series, the five higher-seeded teams all advanced, and it looks like that trend will continue as the remaining teams descend on Minneapolis for the Final Five. The tournament will likely turn into a showcase for powerhouse teams like the topseeded Pioneers and second-seeded Badgers, so while it might not be friendly to Cinderella stories it will make for some awesome hockey.

Here is a look at how we think the tournament will go and who will take home the Broadmoor Trophy.

Quarterfinal: (4) North Dakota vs. (5) Minnesota-Duluth The Final Five kicks off at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday night with a showdown between North Dakota

and Minnesota-Duluth.

The Fighting Sioux enter the Final Five as one of the hottest teams in the country, having won eight of their last nine contests. North Dakota needed three games to get past Minnesota in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, but defeated the Gophers 4-1 Sunday night in Grand Forks, N.D., to advance. Also, Sioux forward and WCHA freshman of the year candidate Danny Kristo enters the Final Five working on a careerbest ten-game scoring streak to help get North Dakota’s offense going.

Minnesota-Duluth advanced to this point after beating Colorado College at home in three games.

The Bulldogs will continue to rely on an explosive quartet of 40-point scorers in sophomores Jack and Mike Connolly and juniors Rob Bordson and Justin Fontaine.

Fatigue could come into play for these two teams as both were forced to play an extra day last week and a day early this week. North Dakota won three of four regular season contests. The reward for Thursday’s winner: A Friday night date with the top-ranked Denver Pioneers.

Semifinal 1: (2) Wisconsin vs.

(3) St. Cloud State If the WCHA playoffs were

LORENZO ZEMELLA/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Scott Gudmandson will be the Badgers’ starting goaltender for the playoffs, which continue this weekend with the WCHA Final Five.

a meal, last week’s Kohl Center sweep of Alaska-Anchorage would be something like the salad (the Seawolves even wear green).

But a Final Five opener of No. 3 seed St. Cloud State will serve as the main course.

The Huskies, more of a skill team than one that relies on brute force, have played well against Wisconsin this season, splitting the season series by scoring a 4-1 win at home and a 6-1 win on the road. St. Cloud is led by the dangerous productive duo of Garrett Roe and Ryan Lasch, who play on different lines but team up on the powerplay.

Freshman netminder Mike Lee appears to have taken the reigns at his position, starting the final two games of the Huskies’ first-round series against Minnesota State.

In pursuit of their first WCHA tournament crown in the Mike Eaves era, the Badgers counter with the nation’s second-best offense featuring four 40-point scorers.

A key to the game may come in the corners, where the Badgers may be able to beat up St. Cloud players in pursuit of loose pucks.

Wisconsin should hold a slight advantage with one of the strongest, deepest group of skaters in the country, but do not be surprised if the Huskies manage to jump out early and hold on to win in pursuit of their own No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Semifinal 2: (1) Denver vs.

Quarterfinal Winner In a field that includes five teams ranked in the top eleven, at least two legitimate national title contenders and a talent pool that has 30 NHL general managers drooling, there is at least one advantage to having the top seed if you are the Denver Pioneers. They essentially have a normal week as they prepare to play the winner of Thursday’s North Dakota/ Minnesota-Duluth matchup.

The Pioneers’ semifinal game will be played at 7:00 Friday night, a time the team is used to, whereas Wisconsin and St. Cloud State square off at 2:00 Friday afternoon. A friendly schedule is not the only thing working in the

DANNY MARCHEWKA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Patrick Johnson is part of a Wisconsin third line that has come alive recently, something the team will need to have success in Minneapolis.

Pioneers’ favor.

They also have the best goaltender in the WCHA in junior Marc Cheverie and arguably the most feared line in the country.

Seniors Rhett Rakhshani and Tyler Ruegsegger and sophomore Joe Colborne have combined to rack up 57 goals and 128 points so far this season.

After getting only one point in Madison in late January, Denver reeled off ten straight wins and won the regular season by five points.

As for the prospective opponents, Denver swept North Dakota twice and split with UMD in Duluth. It is fair to say they are the favorites.

Championship Game Yes, playoff hockey is unpredictable, but in this tournament there are only two teams we can see facing off for the WCHA playoff title Saturday.

Wisconsin and Denver have been the two teams atop the conference all year long, and though there has been a rotating cast of characters nipping at their heels throughout the season, the race for the Broadmoor Trophy will come down to these teams.

When they faced off in their only meeting of the season Jan. 22 and 23, the Badgers played their best hockey of the season and claimed three of an available four points at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin played

like a team possessed in that series.

The offense fared better than just about anyone else against Cheverie, Badger junior goaltenders Scott Gudmandson and Brett Bennett were strong in goal and the defense in front of them was superb.

There are two important differences between that series and the meeting the teams could have if they play to decide the WCHA tournament championship, the first of which is the atmosphere at the Kohl Center. Yes, the conventional wisdom is that the Badgers struggle at home against Denver, but the arena was rocking all weekend and it is hard to argue the fans did not give Wisconsin at least some help.

They will not have that advantage if they meet at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis.

The more important difference is that the Denver series showcased the team living up to their potential. If the Badgers play like they did that weekend for the next six games, they will not just win the Broadmoor Trophy, they will come back to Madison with a national championship.

Given the neutral ice and the fact that the Badgers have not quite played at the level they were against Denver in their most recent series, the Pioneers are our pick to follow up their WCHA regular season title with a playoff one as well.

Expanding tournament field will only ruin March Madness SCOTT KELLOGG the cereal box

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his is the year the Badgers go to the Elite Eight, and I’ll tell you why.

Flash forward to the Sweet Sixteen (yes, I’m taking that for granted). Wisconsin will likely draw No. 1 seed Kentucky, a team that lost only two games this season and boasts an embarrassing glutton of talent. No team has a better composition and plays a better style to beat Kentucky than Wisconsin.

Wisconsin will, as usual, play a disciplined game. On offense it will work the ball around, melt the shot clock and often get off good

shot attempts. The Badgers do not turn the ball over. According to cbssports.com, they rank first in the entire country in turnovers per game, with 8.9.

A 96-team tournament will make teams with sub-.500 conference records locks for the field.

Kentucky will not get the explosive fast break opportunities off steals and bad shoots like it has all season in the SEC. Unless the Badgers turn in a freakishly bad shooting performance like they did in the Big Ten Tournament against

Illinois, you can count on them to turn in an efficient offensive game.

Perhaps they will not put up a ton of points, but they’ll hold the ball and score a high number of points for the number of possessions and shots they’ll take.

Defensively, the Badgers will be just as frustrating to the Wildcats.

They’ll lock Kentucky into man-toman defense and force bad shots.

Sure, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins will get their points, but I want to point back to the inexperience factor.

Wisconsin will slow down the game, keep Kentucky away from run-out situations and force the Wildcats to work hard on offense.

The young Wildcats will lose their composure. We’ve already seen the volatile Cousins lose it this season, screaming at his coach on mul-

tiple occasions. Wall will crumble under the pressure of UW’s style of play.

I think this is the perfect matchup for Wisconsin, but enjoy it while it lasts.

This tournament, and entire college basketball season, may be a special one because it could mark the final time we see a 64-team tournament. NCAA officials and head coaches are pining for a 96team tournament—this way the NCAA could pick up some extra cash and coaches would have a better chance to succeed.

If the field was that large, it would completely kill the regular season. A 96-team tournament would make teams with sub.500 conference records locks for the field, such as Northwestern, Cincinnati and Connecticut, all

teams that showed terrible inconsistency this season.

Wisconsin’s goal each year to make it into the tournament would require winning seven or so conference games and making sure they have a winning record overall. There would be no need to schedule anyone difficult out of conference anymore. The regular season would take a huge nose dive.

As for the tournament, the opening rounds would become a debacle.

Thirty two teams would have a bye, meaning we would see very poor first round matchups. Instead of watching Texas-Wake Forest in an 8-9 matchup, we’d see Utah State vs.

Rhode Island in a 16-17 matchup.

The thought gives me the chills.

Should the NCAA expand the bracket to 96 teams? E-mail Scott at kellogg2@wisc.edu.