Thursday, April 7, 2022 by The Daily Cardinal

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Since 1892 dailycardinal.com

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Softball

+Sports, page 4

-%../(01&+$

!"#$%&#%'()*+%(,

Wisconsin Film Festival to be in-person By Brooke Sholem STAFF WRITER

The University of WisconsinMadison Department of Communication Arts will present the in-person return of the annual Wisconsin Film Festival on Thursday, April 7. The week-long festival strives to showcase various types of films from Wisconsin and beyond. After the festival was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and streamed online last year, community members are excited to finally experience cinema in person once again. “It’s especially exciting for the participants and the audience members alike, as the best way to experience movies is on the big screen with fellow film lovers,” Karen Cross Durham, Wisconsin Film Festival marketing and public relations director, told The Daily Cardinal. “There is something magical that occurs when sitting together in a theater to watch a movie that can’t be replicated at home on one’s laptop or any other screen display device.” Pre-pandemic, annual atten-

dance at the Wisconsin Film Festival was around 28,000 people, but due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the festival is anticipating a slightly lower turnout. “We have a handful of UW student filmmakers with work featured in this year’s festival, and we are hoping for a large turnout of student attendees, especially since tickets are free to them this year,” said Durham. According to Ben Reiser, director of operations for Wisconsin’s Own programming, there will be 150 Wisconsin films screened this year over the course of eight days. A diverse array of films, including American independent films, international cinema and documentary films, will be featured. The festival will also screen experimental, avant-garde and restored classics. The opening night film, “Anais in Love,” will be screened Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m. at Shannon Hall in Memorial Union. The movie is about a young woman who falls in love with the partner of the man with whom she is having an affair.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WISCONSIN FILM FESTIVAL/@WIFILMFEST

The Wisconsin Film Festival is going to be held in person for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival will also present “KIMI,” a film that UW-Madison alum, screenwriter and co-producer David Koepp worked on. It is about an agoraphobic tech worker named Angela Childs, who discovers a murder and puts her own life in danger in an attempt to solve the mystery. “KIMI” will screen on Saturday, April 9 at 1 p.m. at the UW Cinematheque in Vilas Hall. Although tickets are sold out, there will be rush tickets available. “Stay Prayed Up” will be presented as part of Wisconsin’s Own,

which is a section of the film festival that features Wisconsin filmmakers, themes or settings. This documentary explores the story of “Mother” Lena Mae Perry, who leads her group in the recording of their first live gospel album. There will be a Q&A and performance following the screening. The festival also caters to a younger audience through the children’s section of the event called Big Screens, Little Folks (BSLF). This series will present four feature films and 26 shorts aimed to

“inspire” and “delight” the youth. “‘Small but Mighty!’ is the shorts program for ages 5 to 8, ‘Troubles and Triumphs’ is recommended for ages 8 to 11 and our French program for ages 8 and up is called ‘Take Heart’,” BSLF Director Terry Kerr told the Cardinal. “We offer student matinees for elementary schools that are underwritten by grants and other funding so that schools can attend for free.” Tickets are available at wifilmfest.eventive.org.

Nurses ‘just want to be appreciated’ amid COVID-19 challenges By Samantha Benish LIFE & STYLE EDITOR

Arielle Graves had never experienced a fear like this before. In the early months of 2020, the recent college graduate had been working in the healthcare system for a handful of years. Upon graduating from Madison Area Technical College in 2017, Graves started at St. Mary’s Hospital (SSM Health) as a registered nurse. She had found a home there, on the third floor of the southwest wing. Yet, this familiarity and comfort seemed to vanish in an instant. It was in early 2020 that Graves and other healthcare providers learned of the rapidly spreading COVID19 disease. A wave of questions flooded through her mind. What is this virus? How will I protect my family? Am I safe at work? Graves was not the only one to feel this uncertainty. Hospitals and clinics across the nation were struck with a very sudden, very severe problem: patients were arriving by the hour, and they were not leaving. Throughout the next coming months, the healthcare system was thrown into a whirlwind of both physical and emotional challenges. The sudden surge of patients evoked an ongoing stream of complications, ranging from a lack of supplies to a lack of space. The

most prominent issue? There were not enough nurses to take care of all the patients. Laura Keithahn understood the severity of these problems more than anyone else. As vice president of Hospital Operations at a larger healthcare system in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, Keithahn had worked for nearly 40 years in the healthcare industry at the start of the pandemic. Despite her seniority and experience, she felt that same fear that Graves had. “As a healthcare provider, when you don’t know what the disease is, that’s scary,” Keithahn said. “It was a very, very scary time. Everything was changing hour by hour.” Keithahn, among others, was at the forefront of tackling these quickly arising problems. Those below her were asking questions, and they needed answers. There was no room for hesitancy; things needed to happen — fast. Her team quickly began a surge planning approach, looking at which departments they could shut down and which needed the most attention. The lack of available nurses made it difficult to fill areas that needed the most help. “We began [to ask ourselves]... do we have enough people and resources to take on this pandemic?” Keithahn said.

Keithahn was aware of the nursing shortage well before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Back then, however, it was an issue that was low on everyone’s radar; schedules could simply be switched around. There were more pressing issues to take care of. Yet, the pandemic exposed this problem at its core, starting with its complex roots. Tonya Heidenreich, like Keithahn, had been working in the healthcare industry for a number of years. During the pandemic, she was working as a Nursing Professional Development specialist at UW-Health Northern Illinois, educating young nurses. The challenges of teaching nursing students online due to COVID19 restrictions caused a rift in the industry. Young nurses were not getting the valuable hands-on experience that they needed to succeed, and this delayed their entrance into the workforce. “I spent a lot of the time just asking how they were doing, because I could tell,” Heidenreich said. “I could see the anxiety on their faces that they knew that they were entering a very dynamic workforce without as much clinical background and experience as they needed. That terrified these clinical students. They were scared.”

COVID-19 restrictions put nursing students on hold from being able to get into hospitals, causing immediate setbacks. Heidenreich also noted that a recent lack of nurse educators created an additional challenge for the industry. Most current nurse educators are nearing retirement age, and younger nurses are not drawn to the field due to the lack of pay. “You have to have a love for teaching to want to go into this field,” Heidenreich said. “It’s hard to get people.” Today, problems produced by short-staffing spill over into the halls of hospitals. Nurses working on the front lines are plagued by physical and mental burnout. According to a 2021 Registered Nurse Survey by AMN Healthcare, 62% of nurses are emotionally drained, 57% feel burned out most days, 51% worry their job is affecting their health and 39% often feel like quitting their jobs. Graves began to experience these symptoms herself. Even though there were mental health services available to her and others, she was more concerned with learning how to deal with her work situation. “[I understand that] this is a stressful time and a stressful job, but I could be in more stressful areas, in my mind,” she said. “I

know the grass isn’t greener anywhere else. I know that every hospital is dealing with this, and I know every floor is going to have its own issues.” Like Graves, Keithahn is looking to the future and what exactly it may look like for the healthcare industry. Their answers may look different, but she hopes that some things will change. “Everyone wants a better work-life balance, especially now,” Keithahn said. “These nurses can’t keep working like this forever. Employers are going to have to meet the needs of the new workforce.” For nurses like Graves, however, the answer is much simpler than that. “Nurses do a lot more than people think they do. We are literally the middleman between doctors and patients. A lot of the time, the ball falls to us,” she said. A simple change in the way we appreciate these nurses — these individuals working relentlessly to care for others — is the simple aim for the future of healthcare. It is exactly what Graves wishes for. “I hope it comes to the point where [everyone] appreciates nurses just as much as doctors. We are just as vital to the system. We just want to be appreciated — that’s all.”

2345%(+6%*4(74*4%(8&$9%67$4/(:;(<$7#:&7$&(75:1.=(%9%6(%&#:16*+%(45*4(#:&4$&1*.(*&=(;%*6.%77(7$>$&+(*&=(?$&&:?$&+(@/(?5$#5(*.:&%(45%(46145(#*&(@%(;:1&=AB

news l

Thursday, April 7, 2022

An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 131, Issue 24

2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000

News and Editorial editor@dailycardinal.com Editor-in-Chief Addison Lathers

Managing Editor Grace Hodgman !!

News Team Campus Editor Ali Stecker College Editor Sophia Vento City Editor Charlie Hildebrand State Editor Annabella Rosciglione Associate News Editor Jackson Mozena Features Editor Gina Musso

Opinion Editors Em-J Krigsman • Ethan Wollins Arts Editors Rebecca Perla • Seamus Rohrer Sports Editors Christian Voskuil • Justin Alpert Almanac Editor Mackenzie Moore Photo Editor Drake White-Bergey Graphics Editors Jennifer Schaler • Madi Sherman Science Editors Joyce Riphagen • Emily Rohloff Life & Style Editor Samantha Benish Copy Chief Olivia Everett Copy Editors Ella Gorodetzky • Kodie Engst Social Media Manager Clare McManamon Podcast Director Hope Karnopp

dailycardinal.com

Midwest Filipino American Summit at UW By Noah Maze STAFF WRITER

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus hosted the Midwestern Filipino-American Summit (MFAS) on Saturday. Working hand in hand with the university’s Filipinx American Student Organization (FASO), the Midwestern Association of Filipino Americans (MAFA) was able to organize the summit, which drew over 234 attendees from 13 different colleges across the Midwest. Excitement among MFAS attendees and organizers was high as it was the first time since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic that the event could be held in person. “Seeing the resurgence and revival of our annual MFAS event really empowered our community’s desire to be together and uplift our region,” Jacinta Rivera, MFAS attendee and president of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities’ Philippines Student Association told The Daily Cardinal. Founded in 2008, MAFA is an organization dedicated

Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Brandon Sanger Advertising Managers Noal Basil • Sydney Hawk Marketing Manager Muriel Goldfarb

The Daily Cardinal is a nonprofit organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales. The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays and distributed at the University of WisconsinMadison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000. Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both. Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. Letters Policy: Letters must be word processed and must include contact information. No anonymous letters will be printed. All letters to the editor will be printed at the discretion of The Daily Cardinal. Letters may be sent to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.

Editorial Board Grace Hodgman • Em-J Krigsman • Addison Lathers • Anupras Mohapatra • Riley Sumner • Ethan Wollins

Board of Directors Scott Girard, President Herman Baumann • Ishita Chakraborty • Don Miner • Nancy Sandy • Phil Hands • Josh Klemons • Barbara Arnold • Jennifer Sereno

For the record Corrections or clarifications? Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an email to!editor@dailycardinal.com.

COURTESY OF MICHAEL LUY

MAFA gathers in-person in Madison. to connecting and uniting Filipinos in different states across the Midwest. Each year they select one of their 23 member schools as the host of MFAS. The MFAS conference gives all of these students an

opportunity to come together once a year and bond over their shared history and heritage as Filipino Americans in the Midwest. For organizers, having the summit in person is a critical aspect to MAFA’s core values and goals. “The most important part about having this conference is that people get to share their experiences and relate on similar levels,” MAFA President and former internal president of FASO Sophia Sanchez said. “Each school can be unique in their own right, so combining those schools allows people to share experiences.” This year’s theme was “Kinabukasan: Our Future Is Now.” There was a heightened focus on social justice in the United States as well as how Filipino Americans can support their community. Rivera emphasized the richness of Filipino culture highlighted at the summit. “Due to [the] Philippines being an archipelago, and [its] geographical location in Asia, a lot of different countries have influenced our culture, making it incredibly unique. We have a mix of Spanish, Malaysian and Pacific islands all combined into one new culture,” said Rivera. At the opening ceremony of MFAS on Saturday, students in the crowd sang songs, shared chants and cheered each other on during introductions. Their passion, energy and excitement for the day’s events resonated throughout the building. “Since the Filipino presence isn’t as saturated out here in the Midwest, the fact that we can create this safe place, where you can have a community within your region and campus is incredible,” Sanchez stated. The experiences and challenges of being a Filipino in the Midwest are unique due its rural and racially homogeneous nature. “The population of Filipino Americans in the Midwest

is completely different from other parts of the country; the east and west coasts are very populated with Filipinos, [which is] why it is so important that we have this event where we get to reunite with each other,” Trixie Cattagatan, external president of FASO, said in an interview with the Cardinal. There are approximately

another,” Rivera said. “The scarcity of us in the Midwest forces us to band together and form a community.” A collaborative event like MFAS gives Filipino American students across the Midwest a platform, providing them with a sense of cultural belonging. “To better understand Filipinos, you have to stop putting us in a box,” Rivera

COURTESY OF MICHAEL LUY

There were multiple performances that showcased Filipino culture and traditions. 4.2 million people of Filipino descent in the United States according to 2019 data from the Pew Research Center. The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the highest number of Filipino Americans in the Midwest, totaling about 145,000 people. “I only get to learn about the experiences of students in our school’s organization in the Midwest, but this event allows me to hear the experience of other Midwestern Filipinos at other schools,” continued Cattagatan. For Rivera, the small number of Filipino Americans in the Midwest has allowed her to form a tight-knit community. “I now see that there is a huge advantage to being a Filipino in the Midwest, because of how scarce they are here compared to California and New York. Here, we immediately want to get connected with one

emphasized. “We are not just Asian, we are not just Spanish, we are not just Pacific. We are unique in our birthright. We don’t fit into a singular identity box. Once people understand that, you will be able to understand who we truly are and not what history has written for us.” Yet, no matter the struggles Filipino Americans have faced — they’ve overcome them, said Rivera. “We are resilient people. Regardless of hurricanes and colonizing countries, we have always been able to bounce back,” Rivera said. “I believe that comes out in our hospitality. I believe that we have brought that hospitality to the United States, and it allowed us to form a community where we could share our pride and our heritage.” “This weekend’s MFAS conference was just another great example of that,” Rivera concluded.

1st African American mayor elected in Milwaukee By Ian Wilder STAFF WRITER

In a decisive victory with over 70% of the projected vote, incumbent Cavalier Johnson defeated Robert Donovan in Milwaukee’s special mayoral election Tuesday. Johnson is Milwaukee’s first elected African American mayor, but has been acting mayor since the departure of former Mayor Tom Barrett, who resigned in late 2021 to become the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. Because Johnson was the city’s Common Council president at the time, he automatically assumed the role of mayor. Due to those proceedings, Tuesday’s election was a special election, which means that Mayor Johnson will serve an abbreviated two-year term.

“This city for the first time in our 176-year history has elected its first Black mayor. We did it,” Johnson said, joined by his wife and three children, celebrating the victory. This is the first time Milwaukee voters have selected

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Milwaukee's first elected Black mayor.

a new mayor in over 18 years, with Barrett having been reelected consistently since 2004. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Johnson used his position as acting mayor as a platform to campaign and defeat Donovan. Since becoming acting mayor, Johnson held press conferences and events at city hall, effectively establishing his name and image as mayor amongst Milwaukee residents. Johnson also dominated the election in terms of campaign spending. Milwaukee mayoral elections are non-partisan, regardless, the Democratic Party contributed over $100,000 to Johnson’s campaign, which contributed to him spending about four times as much as Donovan in the campaign. Despite the high level of

spending, the city of Milwaukee saw a voter turnout of only 31%, a number fairly consistent with past spring elections. “Well, we took it on the chin tonight, but boy oh boy, we’re not down,” said Donovan, conceding the election on Tuesday. “There’s no shame in going after it and coming up short. We had a vision, a goal, a plan for Milwaukee that I still to this day believe in.” Following the election, Johnson becomes mayor in Milwaukee in a crucial moment. The city reported more homicides in 2021 than it had ever recorded before. Johnson will also have to address some of his other campaign promises, including combatting reckless driving, creating jobs and fighting COVID-19.

almanac The Daily Cardinal to become a dual coloring book, porn mag dailycardinal.com

By Mackenzie Moore ALMANAC EDITOR

April 4, 2022 marks the 130th anniversary of The Daily Cardinal. Founded by William Wesley Young in 1892, the paper was created to give students a voice that was both financially and editorially independent of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over the decades, the Cardinal has created a roster of incredibly impressive alumni, amassing dozens of Pullitzers, Emmys and other shiny awards that represent their world-class journalistic abilities. Sure, there’s also an anti-Vietnam War bomber or two in the bunch, but I know I can’t speak to exactly what I was doing in August of 1970. Anyhoo, the paper is now sifting and winnowing in a different direction. Effective immediately, The Daily Cardinal is beginning its transformation into a joint coloring book and porn magazine. It’s understandable that some may have questions. After all, the paper is financially stable, has a

Thursday, April 7, 2022

large and committed writing staff and holds a significant place in the history of Wisconsin journalism. Luckily, the explanation is simple — colors and orgasms are way more popular than news and state history. Some may be concerned about The Daily Cardinal housing two formats that typically cater to two very different stages of life in one paper. To that, I say that little Timmy is gonna see boobs at some point, so it might as well be because of us. If The Daily Cardinal isn’t showing your kid boobs, they’ll just go look at them at their friend’s house. It’s best that if a child is going to see boobs, it’s on the streets, as that is where physical copies of the paper are found. Besides, adults like to color too. Frankly, it’s pretty elitist to assume that the average Jack or Jodie can’t appreciate a nice pubic bush one moment and debate whether a sun should be colored dandelion or goldenrod the next. To clarify, the paper will not be half coloring book, half

COURTESY OF ABISHEK SHARDA VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

porn mag cut straight down the middle. Rather, porn will be dispersed throughout. This is a tribute to journalism’s gripping and shocking nature. We hope that when readers

Stepping on the soapbox: Linguist edition (part II) By Anupras Mohapatra CONTRIBUTOR

I AM BACK! I AM BACK!! There is no need to be afraid. Your beloved prescriptivist is back. Inflation couldn’t stop me from getting hold of my beloved IPA “schwa.” So here I am, uh, drunk as a skunk. Time for me to step on my soapbox and do some more prescribing :)) 1. “Oh they’ve got such an accent! I don’t have an accent.” SHUT UP! We ALL have accents. If you say someone has a “stronger” or “weaker” accent, I can accept that. Saying that you lack an accent altogether leads me to believe you simply do not speak — which WOULD be ideal in your case. You are not better for “not having an accent” and the other isn’t “worse” for having one. You are just misinformed, and they are just normal. Also, if you are not Black — barring few exceptions — stop using AAVE. You’re not being “cool.” You are just being disrespectful. 2. Ah yes. Anniversaries. A wonderful time to celebrate a milestone. However, my head heats up when I see anniversary posts monthly. “Happy x month anniversary!” I’m sorry, WHAT?? Anniversaries are YEARLY. You don’t celebrate your birthday every month, do you? Heard of the Latin word “annum?” “Annum” refers to a year. You can see it in the “ann” in “anniversary.” Next time you want to make a nauseating monthly update post on social media, don’t say “anniversary.” I will still skip past the post, but at least I won’t go ballistic.

are sitting at the dentist’s office filling in the blanks on a drawing of a bow-wearing cat playing with a ball of yarn, they get a little jolt out of turning the page to find a very different kind of cat playing

with a very different kind of toy. When people see a smirk or hear a gasp, we want the first thing that comes to mind to be, “Oh, the new edition of The Daily Cardinal must be out.” Anyway, back to the kids — many parents are uncomfortable enrolling their kids in public school sex-ed classes. Who better to learn about the naked tango from than a bunch of college kids who had Naturdays for dinner last night? These Dirty Birds are for the children. Millions of people in the United States believe that the liberal media is brainwashing this country’s youth. As a publication with integrity, the Cardinal is making the statement that sources like The New York Times and the Associated Press are too afraid to come forward with — one can either be well-informed or get laid, not both. On the 130th anniversary of one of the country’s oldest remaining independent student papers, let one thing be clear — The Daily Cardinal fucks.

Senate determines Supreme Court nominee unqualified By Jeffrey Brown CONTRIBUTOR

After extensive nomination hearings before the Senate, the nominee for the Supreme Court seat vacated by Stephen Breyer, Ketanji Brown Jackson, was found underqualified due to her spotless record. Despite the best efforts of Senate Republicans to accuse Jackson of supporting a pedophile, a look into her history revealed no sexual assault allegations, shady financial transactions or

spouses who believe in QAnon conspiracies. “It would have been a big plus for her if she was more openly insane,” said Sen. Ted Cruz. “We set the highest standards for the US Supreme Court and she just doesn’t have the brain-rot.” “Her law degree cum laude from Harvard pales in comparison to the awesome stories Kavanaugh has about boofing with the boys at Yale,” added Sen.

Lindsay Graham. “And the American people need to know how she feels about beer.” Sen. Ron Johnson commented, “Her husband seems like a normal guy. He won’t fit in at all with all the Supreme Court spouses as they plan the assassination of Mike Pence.” We reached out to Clarence Thomas for comment, but his office said he was unable to comment due to his death.

3. Babyyy, Mommy, Daddy. I needed a shower just thinking of these words. If you indulge in baby talk with another adult unironically in a romantic/sexual way, please reconsider your life choices. Get creative in addressing each other! If you ARE going to make me cringe, I would rather hear something unique. I love love. I hate out of place infantilism. The same goes for people who unironically use words like chad, alpha, beta, cuck. That’s not quite infantilism, but y’all need to grow up. 4. NATIONAL Basketball Association. WORLD champions? It is bad enough that your “national” basketball association includes a team from Canada — a pretty competent franchise as well. But calling yourselves “world champions” just doesn’t add up. Using a “world champion” label would be appropriate if the franchises were from most/all inhabited continents. As it stands, the franchises don’t even cover all of the U.S. Bring back the Supersonics! 5. The word “woke” used to top my most hated list because of its misuse. Every utterance of “woke” still makes me want to punch a wall. However, my latest hated word is “winningest.” Now, I AM a prize and I LOVE winning! But I cannot take so much winning that we use the word “winningest.” I get that it is nice to have one word for “someone or something with the most wins.” However, something about adding the -est suffix to an existing -ing makes me want to throw up in my mouth. “All time winningest” in particular sounds redundant to me, and I’ve heard it multiple times. You know what? Let’s just go around saying winningest and losingest and leave me dyingest and let the world endingest. I’m done!

COURTESY OF MARK FISCHER VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

The Supreme Court building, also referred to as "The Marble Palace," stands tall in Washington D.C.

We're always looking for more funny and insightful writers with fresh takes on topics ranging from the UW campus to international news. We accept and encourage creative submissions as well! Any and all submissions are more than welcome. You can send your submissions and any comments or questions to almanac@dailycardinal.com. All articles featured in Almanac are creative, satirical and/or entirely fictional pieces. They are fully intended as such and should not be taken seriously as news.

sports 4 • Thursday, April 7, 2022

dailycardinal.com

Wisconsin Softball defeats Indiana 2-1 in first home series of 2022 By Ellie Scheirey SPORTS WRITER

Wisconsin came back to Goodman Diamond last weekend with fans in the stadium for the first time since 2019. The atmosphere helped carry the team to a thrilling series win, including some Game 3 drama. Wisconsin headed into the series with an eight-game winning streak after sweeping Iowa in Iowa City. Maddie Schwartz, Wisconsin’s ace pitcher, entered Game 1 with a 13-2 record and a 2.05 ERA. She battled Indiana’s Heather Johnson, who had a 5-2 record and 4.55 ERA. The Badger bats were hot, as Wisconsin entered the game with seven players batting over .400. That said, Indiana’s offense struck first, scoring three first-inning runs off four hits and one Wisconsin fielding error. Indiana’a Cora Bassett led off the first inning with a single to right that turned into an inside-the-park home run due to a fielding error by right fielder Molly Schlosser. Grace Lorsung and Brittany Ford continued the inning for the Hoosiers with singles to the outfield. Taylor Minnick then drove them both in with a double to left-center. In the bottom of the first, Wisconsin got their first two batters on base thanks to a pair of Indiana errors. Fiona Girardot stepped up and singled to right, but lead runner Alyssa McClelland was gunned down at home by a beautiful Sarah Stone throw. The Badgers were able to get one, as Bannon scored when Skylar Sirdashney reached on a fielder’s choice. Sirdashney was caught stealing third to end the inning. After one, Indiana led 3-1. Schwartz settled in and logged consecutive 1-2-3 innings, giving Wisconsin’s offense the opportunity to strike back. Brooke Kuffel led off the bottom of the third with a bomb to center. Peyton Bannon followed with a triple to center field and then crossed home plate on a Girardot single. The game was tied 3-3 until the bottom of the fifth when Girardot struck again, hitting a two-run shot to left-center. Schwartz got into a bit of trouble in the sixth, yielding four hits and a run to make the score 5-4. Wisconsin pulled ahead, 7-4, in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff double by Taylor Miklesh, an Ellie Hubbard single, a Kayla Konwent walk and, finally, a two-run double to left center by Bannon. Indiana’s Brianna Copeland hit a solo home run with two outs in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough and Wisconsin held on for a 7-5 win. Schwartz threw a 109-pitch complete game with one walk, five strikeouts and four earned runs. Indiana’s Johnson got through five innings, recording three strikeouts and no walks with five earned runs.

TAYLOR WOLFRAM/THE DAILY CARDINAL

The University of Wisconsin-Madison softball team gathers together on the field of the Goodman Softball Complex before Sunday's matchup with Indiana.

After a 30-minute break, the teams were back on the field for Game 2. Due to snow in Saturday’s forecast, the game had been rescheduled for a Friday doubleheader. The rubber-armed Schwartz started Friday’s second game as well. Indiana, meanwhile, threw Macy Montgomery, who entered the game with a record of 7-2 and a 1.11 ERA. In the bottom of the first inning, Wisconsin’s Konwent hit her 28th home run of the season. Then, with Molly Schlosser’s walk and a single by Miklesh, they put another run on the board. Action picked back up in the top of the third when Indiana’s Brooke Benson hit a home run of her own. With three additional hits and three more runs, Indiana grabbed a 4-2 lead. Schwartz lasted only 2.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk while punching out three. Her fatigue was beginning to show after throwing 159 pitches in the span of a few hours, so Tessa Magnanimo entered in relief for Wisconsin and got out of the inning. The Hoosiers continued to apply pressure in the fifth, taking a 7-2 lead on two singles and Taylor Minnick’s threerun home run. Magnanimo was pulled after allowing three runs in 1.1 innings. Ava Justman stepped in and pitched well, turning in three scoreless frames despite allowing four hits and two walks while hitting a pair of batters. Wisconsin loaded the bases in the fifth and sixth but came away with only two runs, both of which were attributable to Indiana errors. Trailing 7-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the Badgers went quietly and lost the nightcap of the doubleheader. Montgomery earned the win for Indiana with an effective, yet

inefficient performance—she walked seven batters and hit two in the 139-pitch outing. The Badgers failed to take advantage of Montgomery’s wildness, as they left 13 runners on base in a very winnable game. Sunday afternoon’s rubber match started off slowly, with Schwartz and Montgomery their usual, shutdown selves early. Through two scoreless frames, a Taylor Miklesh double was the only hit for either team. Indiana’s Aaliyah Andrews led off the third with a single before stealing three bases, including home, and giving the Hoosiers a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Indiana had runners on the corners with nobody out. The Hoosiers attempted a double steal to score Benson. As Badger catcher Christaana Angelopulos received the throw back from second, Benson barreled into her and was called out. Angelopulos, clearly shaken, got up after a minute. Benson, meanwhile,

was ejected, as was Indiana coach Shonda Stanton for arguing with the umpire. Angelopulos stayed in the game and tied it with a solo home run—her first of the season—in the third inning. It was an impressive moment considering the circumstances, and her teammates and the crowd went wild. Wisconsin’s backstop wasn’t done, though. Angelopulos gave the Badgers a 4-1 lead with a two-out, three-run shot in the sixth inning. Kayla Konwent then added her second home run of the series, this one a tworun blast. The five-run inning put Wisconsin ahead 6-1 before the final frame. Schwartz secured the 6-2 win and the series victory with her second complete game of the weekend and her eighth of the season. The seven-hit, tworun outing improved her ERA to 2.41, which ranks ninth in the Big Ten. Schwartz’s 15 wins lead the conference, and her ability to eat innings has been instrumental to Wisconsin’s success.

After the game, Angelopulos spoke about her teammates’ support. “It really meant everything. I just really appreciated my teammates sticking with me, my coaches sticking with me—I got them and they got me,” she said. “It’s just super cool to have that spark and going into the rest of the game it was awesome.” “She was a spark. She dug deep,” added Badger Head Coach Yvette Healy. “She took a big hit earlier in the game and she stayed in it. To put the ball over the fence twice today, that was pretty cool.” After this home series, Wisconsin is now 5-1 in the Big Ten and 20-8 overall. They are tied for second in the conference alongside Maryland and Northwestern, and they’ve gone 9-1 in their last 10 games. Wisconsin heads to Illinois for another three-game series this weekend. Game 1 begins at 5 p.m, with Games 2 and Game 3 following on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

SHANE FRUCHTERMAN/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Indiana University's Brooke Benson collides with Badger Christaana Angelopulos on the journey to home plate.

science dailycardinal.com

Thursday, April 7, 2022

I just think they’re neat:

Jelly Fungi!

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

By Joyce Riphagen SCIENCE EDITOR

In characteristic Wisconsin fashion, spring has sprung, and unsprung, and resprung, and then unsprung again, and then re-resprung. Warmer weather is around the corner, and the snow has given way to not-so-gentle rain. The conditions are ideal…and now they are here. Poke them…feel the slime. G o o e y…w i g g l y…w r i n k l y… they’re perhaps the loveliest spring ephemeral (sorry Dutchman’s Breeches!), wobbling on fallen branches and rotting logs. They are alien, ethereal, and kinda gross. Jelly fungi! Jellies are some of the earliest fungi to pop up in spring, fruiting long before the more well-known morels and chantrelles. What we see and often name as mushrooms are actually only the tip of the fungal iceberg; mushrooms and most of the other fungi we can see are the fruit bodies of unseen mycelia that permeate their substrate. While mushrooms are characteristically defined as having a stalk and cap, fungal fruit bodies can take on a variety of forms. Jelly fungi are heteroba-

sidiomycetes, meaning that their basidia (spore-producing organisms) have septa (dividing walls). This sets them apart from most of the fungal fruiting bodies commonly known as mushrooms, which are homobasidiomycetes (they have aseptate basidia). There are many species of jelly fungi, each with their own unique color and delightful common name: apricot jelly, witches butter, cloud ear…the sky’s the limit. Hues range from orange, to yellow, to a bright blue. Jelly fungi are not a real, phylogenetic clade – they do not all come from the same ancestral jelly fungus. Life as a jelly fungus seems to have evolved multiple times (makes sense – if given the opportunity, wouldn’t you become a jelly). They’re most prolific after spring rain, which gives them the water they need to power their wiggles. In all basidiomycetes (a group of fungi), the basidia bear spores on the surface of fungal fruit bodies, which in this case is the irregular contours of the jelly. When the jellies are struck by falling rain drops, spores splash off the surface. These spores then land on new substrate, ready

to become more jellies. Jelly fungi are saprophytes, meaning they grow on decaying organic matter – so if you’re jelly hunting, focus your searches on those mossy rotting logs. In a dry spell, the jellies will shrivel up, but given a bit of precipitation they’ll perk right up again. This allows them to persist through conditions that aren’t ideal for spore dispersal without having to reinvest in costly fruit bodies after each dry spell. Many people, when faced with a jelly fungus for the first time, are a bit alarmed – it seems wholly alien, and a bit scary. Fear not! Jelly fungi are perfectly safe (and fun) to touch, and many are even edible, though they tend not to be all that tasty when raw. As we move further into spring, jellies will only increase in numbers. If you have a chance, head into the woods and see if you can find any. Your best chances are right after rain! Remember – never pass by a decaying log (there’s always good stuff in there), stay on trail, and poke those jellies to your heart’s content. It’s impossible to resist the squish.

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Purple is one of the most eye-catching colours of jelly fungus that lives in our woods around the world!

Space news:

Protoplanet defies expectations By Sophie Reeves STAFF WRITER

This jelly fungus, now growing in the proper climate, is in prime spore-bearing condition!

On April 4, 2022, NASA’s Hubble Telescope, launched in 1990, detected a Jupiterlike protoplanet, which is otherwise known as a swirling, massive ball of gas and matter thought to eventually become a planet. Dubbed AB Aurigae b due to its location in the Auriga constellation, this protoplanet is located about 531 light years away from the sun. For context, one light year is equivalent to about 9.5 trillion kilometers, which is nearly an incomprehensible distance. Hubble has detected countless celestial bodies situated at a further distance than this, including Earendel, a recently-spotted star some 12.9 billion light years away from the sun. However, what is particularly striking about AB Aurigae b is the potential implications of its discovery for understanding planetary formation. The core accretion model is commonly believed to be the way in which most planets formed. It involves the binding of small particles from the circumstellar disk around a collapsed star into larger particles, and it is a process primarily driven by gravity. This model is officially described as a “bottomup” approach but can also be thought of as being an “inside-out” approach, as particles accumulate from the core outwards. The core accretion model works well to describe the formation of planets containing lots of mass and metals, such as Earth, but less so for lighter planets primarily consisting of gas and dust. In contrast, the disk instability model is a much more unusual model for planetary formation, mostly due to its “intense and violent” nature, as described by NASA researchers. Whereas the core accretion model consists of more denselypacked particles binding together and building on one another, the disk instability model is characterized

by the rapid binding of more loosely-packed gas and dust from larger chunks of the circumstellar disk around a collapsed star. It is described as a “top-down” approach, as the first particles to bind with one another are large to begin with. The core accretion model describes a slow process, but AB Aurigae b, which is estimated to be about nine times larger than Jupiter, is thought to have been formed not more than 2 million years ago — very recent in star time! Additionally, it is 8.6 billion miles away from the star that it orbits around, which is more than two times further than Pluto is to our sun. Considering the age, size, and distance from its host star, AB Aurigae b cannot be described by the core accretion model. Researchers compared data from the image of AB Aurigae b that was captured by Hubble with data from the SCExAO imaging instrument located at the Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii. SCExAO is a massive device with the capability to transfer images of celestial bodies millions of light years away into clear resolution images. Hubble archival observations were also looked at to measure AB Aurigae b’s orbit, further confirming that it is, in fact, a planet. After a promising conclusion emerged from crossanalyzing data, Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Science in Washington D.C. stated “This new discovery is strong evidence that some gas giants [including AB Aurigae b] can form by the disk instability mechanism.” Such a discovery will be beneficial in expanding the understanding and historical knowledge of our own solar system. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which was launched on Dec. 21, 2021 and will come on line later this year, will hopefully be able to confirm the disk instability theory and provide further observations about protoplanetary disks such as AB Aurigae b.

COURTESY OF THAYNE CURRIE, ALYSSA PAGAN (STSCI)

It might not look like much, but this protoplanet has really flipped the script!

arts ‘Turning Red’ is turning heads l

Thursday, April 7, 2022

By Emily Knepple SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Pixar is back again with another tearjerker. This time, it pulls at the heartstrings of once-adolescent girls and bothers those that love to ignore basic biology. “Turning Red,” Domee Shi’s directorial debut, follows Meilin “Mei’’ Lee as she soon has to face a family curse that turns her into a giant red panda whenever expressing strong emotion. The movie is the first ever Pixar film directed by a woman and only the second to feature an Asian lead character, following “Up.” Despite the milestone being achieved far too late, it’s pretty cool to have the movie echo the early struggles women face. The notability of the movie just makes the topic all the more pressing to the public. Perhaps Pixar was onto something with the female director idea. Mei, who is ChineseCanadian, is a 13-year-old who can’t and won’t be stopped. We learn early on that she’s eager and excited about pretty much everything. Of course, her biggest passion lies with 4*Town, the hottest boy band around. Think N-Sync, One Direction, BTS. In an interview, Shi shared that the name 4*Town is actually a combination of O-Town and b4-4, a Toronto boy band. The band serves as a great part of the plot, tapping into all the best parts of the 2000s and providing a strong basis for the friendship of Mei and her three best friends, Miriam, Priya and Abby. Mei and her mother, Ming, appear to be very close. We see Mei and her mom, who is strict and overprotective, work in-sync

dailycardinal.com

with one another at the family temple. Of course, Mei keeps things from her mom, like her obsession with 4*Town. A secret many, including myself, can relate to because if there’s anyone a 13-year-old girl would love more than their mother, it is absolutely the timely teenage heartthrob. At the onset of Mei’s puberty, she is confronted with a very large, red and furry reflection in the mirror. She soon realizes that she has in fact turned into a giant red panda. Her reaction is warranted, she panics and tries to navigate the new dimensions of her body in a small bathroom.

Ming assumes that the moment has come for Mei’s first period. Minus the red panda in the room, it is a portrayal of a pretty universal female experience and many laughs were had in my living room. Mei inevitably tells her friends after they discover Mei’s new identity one day following an outburst of anger. She leans on her friends to keep her emotions in check and soon enough, she’s able to take control over her feelings and alas, the spirit. It’s a cute glance at how friendships can help young women navigate anything. I

it. Yes, fine. Menstruating does make women angry and causes them to cry out of nowhere. But, people should understand what menstruating actually is! The movie starts to build suspense when Ming’s mother and other aunts arrive in Toronto to help Mei for the ritual. At the same time, Mei starts to embrace the curse and suddenly the whole school wants a picture with a cute, furry red panda. Coincidentally, 4*Town announces a show nearby and Mei and her friends stop at nothing to get tickets. But, what sort of money do four 13-year-

PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY/PIXAR/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Domee Shi's directorial debut is a charming new Pixar coming-of-age movie. In the room over, dinner is ready but the sound from Mei’s commotion travels. Like most mothers across the globe,

argue that “Turning Red” and Shi do a really good and effective job at not leaning into the stereotype but also not avoiding

old girls have to spend on things they absolutely don’t want their parents to know about? In a last minute twist, Mei

decides to keep the red panda and stop the ritual halfway through. She flees the ceremony and while doing so, upsets her mother’s talisman, unleashing Ming’s even bigger red panda. Mei ends up at the 4*Town concert but it’s soon turned upside down when Ming shows up and destroys half the city in her wake. The two have it out as half the audience flees and the five members of 4*Town hides behind a broken piece from their set. Eventually, Mei and her mom make amends, which inspires Ming and her own mother, Wu, to also move forward in their relationship. It’s a heartwarming ending and even the 4*Town boys join in to help sing during the ritual that conceals both Wu and Ming’s pandas. Mei decides to keep hers and Ming accepts that she’s carving out her own path. Everyone wins, maybe except for the city of Toronto that walks away from that night in pretty bad shape. For all the controversy that “Turning Red” caused, the movie itself is quite the opposite. It’s always interesting to hear some of the conversation before seeing something because I find it quite hard to ignore. Only this time, if I wasn’t forgetting it, I was laughing at it. The movie shines a light on a topic that movies in general, let alone animated, have shied away from for decades. By providing a necessary forum, Shi is able to create a diverse space that all of the characters and fine details bring to life. Even if your period doesn’t include you turning into a giant red panda, girls can definitely relate to feeling like one. Final Grade: A

Del Water Gap gives energetic, personal performance By Hope Karnopp PODCAST DIRECTOR

High Noon Saloon was the perfect venue for Friday’s deeply personal and enthusiastic performance by Del Water Gap, the solo project of New York-based musician S. Holden Jaffe. This was my first time at High Noon Saloon, and I found it to be a much more relaxed, comfortable setting than the Sylvee or Majestic. The crowd was genuinely nicer; everyone had enough personal space to sway or jump along when the songs warranted it. Jaffe and his opener, Taylor Janzen, performed for a sold-out crowd, but at times it didn’t feel like one. It surprised me that there was open room at the back of the first level. When the tour announcement came out, I was shocked that the Madison stop was at a smaller venue, especially since Del Water Gap seems to have picked up in popularity recently. Over the course of the night, I realized that this was actually the ideal setting to showcase such intimate songwriting. Taylor Janzen made this immediately clear. Her stripped-back instrumentation allowed her incredibly clear voice to shine through in highly personal lyrics. She made herself available at the merch table, where I overheard fans complimenting her on her sheer vocal talent. I also appreciated her life-size cutout of Zac Efron that stood imposingly behind her on stage. Side note: I apologize on behalf of Wisconsin for the fact that the world’s largest Culver’s did not have a gift shop. Jaffe and his bandmates took the stage and moved swiftly through the setlist, which featured some of his early work and many selections from his first,

self-titled album released in October 2021. He changed between his four or five guitars frequently, sometimes needing to stop and tune or tweak them. He improvised and asked us for “non-cheese Wisconsin facts” in these breaks since it was his first time in the state. Other than that, Jaffe, who confessed he grew up shy, didn’t say much between songs except pausing to offer gratitude or brief explanations for songs like “Chastain” and “Alone Together.” He said the latter was about meeting someone during the pandemic. It felt almost eerie to hear the lyrics “Don’t you find it moving how we’re still alone, still alone together?” as we start to move further away from our memories of the past two years. Besides his confident vocals and reflective lyrics, the crowd was gripped by his stage presence. At times, it seemed like Jaffe used every square inch of space he had available. He wore a cape-like trench coat and seemed to glide from one side of the stage to another without losing any of his endurance, only stopping once to catch his breath after one of his up-tempo songs. The beauty of Del Water Gap is that his music can effortlessly shift from the personal to sheer fun. The crowd was ready to stop and take in his storytelling, then go crazy when the pace picked up thanks to his talented backing members. This was the case during “Let’s Pretend,” the first song I ever heard from Del Water Gap that proved to me that Spotify’s Discover Weekly algorithm does sometimes work. The almost off-tempo slowness of the first half of the song transitioned into something that everyone wanted to dance along to. I think the crowd responded best during these rock-

ier moments. Jaffe performed a cover of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated,” which he also released as a Spotify Single earlier in the week. The crowd seemed to skew slightly older than other shows I’ve been to in Madison, and I could tell they enjoyed screaming along to familiar lyrics from the early 2000s. While some of Jaffe’s songs seemed new to the crowd, I was impressed by the recognition of some of my favorites like the newer “Perfume” and the older “High Tops.” The crowd’s energy for these songs was almost as high as for the encore, which featured “Ode to a Conversation Stick in Your Throat,” his most streamed song on Spotify that I expected most of the crowd was waiting for. High Noon Saloon proved to be the perfect, intimate venue for Del Water Gap and Taylor Janzen to engage the crowd, whether encouraging us to reflect on their confessional lyrics or simply vibe to top-tier indie music. Final grade: A-

HOPE KARNOPP/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Performer in trench coat entertains crowd of onlookers.

opinion The aftermath: Can Bon Appétit recover? dailycardinal.com

By Angela Glowacki STAFF WRITER

At its peak, the Bon Appétit (BA) YouTube channel was the hub for foodies, offering creative exploration in the culinary scene, a cast of lovable chefs and a brief escape from the unprecedented times of 2020. Millions of viewers, myself included, got lost in Bon Appétit Test Kitchen and what became known as the “BA Culinary Universe.” However in June 2020, the company — owned by the mass media conglomerate Condé Nast — found itself under a glaring spotlight as several allegations brought to light an incredibly toxic and discriminatory work environment. Tensions began as a picture of the former editor in chief, Adam Rapoport, in brown-face surfaced on Twitter. This scandal led to the uncovering of more issues surrounding Rapoport’s conduct at Bon Appétit, even going as far as to reveal the poor treatment of people of color on the channel. In one such example, former Test Kitchen chef Sohla El-Waylly pointed out a massive pay disparity between herself and white employees, despite her rise to popularity on the channel. In response, several Test Kitchen chefs vowed not to appear in Bon Appétit videos until their coworkers were given fair compensation. Some chefs, El-Waylly included, left the company completely. Within a few months, Bon Appétit’s reputation had been

Thursday, April 7, 2022

flushed down the drain. Public opinion of the channel plummeted, with several viewers vowing to boycott their videos until the company took responsibility and made serious changes to their discriminatory policies. After four months of silence, the company re-entered the YouTube realm by hiring a new editor-in-chief, Dawn Davis, as well as new talent to replace the eight chefs who had left the company. Their YouTube relaunch was focused on “providing platforms for new voices, diverse content, and inclusive programming.” In actuality their relaunch was irrational. Bon Appétit had diverse talent priorly — they just didn’t treat them right. Nonetheless, their return felt weird. The first cooking video released after their four month break had a remarkably different vibe. In the video, chef Chris Morocco lamely delivered a statement touching on coming back strong from an unnamed situation before launching into how to make homemade meatballs. In reflection Youtuber Jack Saint described it like “trying to do the regular show, but there’s a dead body on the floor.” Acknowledging this, Zoë Sonnenberg wrote a thoughtprovoking essay in which she unpacks what made Bon Appétit so special on YouTube, and how its fall decimated its reputation. In doing so, she discusses the dramaturgy of the channel that made it so engaging to watch. The

dynamic between the chefs created a rapport similar to that of reality television, invoking similar aspects such as the “unselfconscious” behavior of the chefs that create a more natural and authentic product. Sonnenberg goes on to argue that once the racial reckoning occured, the illusion of this carefree, fun and deli-

people who made it successful in the first place. Now that so many of those people are gone, it is that much harder to build up their new chefs. This, obviously, is not fair to the new hires who are coming into a situation where they are already up against barriers that Bon Appétit caused. Even now, almost two years

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

cate environment was shattered. In offering further analysis, Victoria Song from Gizmodo wrote that the channel’s failure served as proof that media companies simply don’t understand what makes videos work. People of color were routinely pushed to the thumbnails in videos to take advantage of the algorithm while they were being treated poorly behind the scenes, all for the sake of making the highest profit possible. Ultimately, Bon Appétit failed because it did not support the

later, the channel hasn’t regained its same following from before. Videos that normally climbed into the 3 million view range plummeted to only mid 300,000 to 500,000 views. From this, it looks as if the damage to the channel is a permanent consequence for Bon Appetit. However, that is not the case. The question is not whether or not Bon Appétit will rebuild itself, it is a matter of when, because ultimately, it will. After such ill treatment I would hope Bon Appétit would never rebuild that same energy in

its videos, and in consequence, never reach its same popularity. Unfortunately, it seems the public is quick to forget. This is plainly demonstrated by looking at the comment sections in the first few videos that Bon Appétit posted when they returned to YouTube. In their first video introducing their new chefs, the comment section was filled with users calling out Bon Appétit for the performative measures they took in response to everything. In Chris Morocco’s meatball video there are a few comments against the company, but there are more claiming that Chris should not be blamed and wishing him all the best. In Chrissy Tracey’s debut solo video, there are a few more comments ridiculing Bon Appétit for the way it’s handling its relaunch. However by the time you reach Brad and Andy’s video, those comments are almost completely replaced by the usual positive, “just happy to be here” comments. The public forgets, sooner or later, regardless if the company deserves it. Bon Appétit will likely return to the public’s favor regardless of the blatant discrimination taken to initially get there. Angela Glowacki is a junior studying Chinese and Community & Nonprofit Leadership. Do you believe the public should forgive Bon Appétit after prejudiced actions? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

John Mearsheimer is wrong about the crisis in Ukraine By Benjamin Baharlias STAFF WRITER

John Mearsheimer has recently made headlines for an article in the New Yorker in which he claims that the United States, not Russia, is to blame for the crisis in Ukraine. Once one can get past the natural emotionally charged reaction that might come from reading such a headline, the realist professor from the University of Chicago makes an argument that seems to make sense on the surface, but fails to uphold further scrutiny. Mearsheimer states that this crisis started at a 2008 NATO conference, when they announced a plan for Georgia and Ukraine — two neighbors of Russia — to join the defense organization that would formally align these countries with the Western world — at least militarily speaking. Under Mearsheimer’s logic, Russia viewed this attempted union as an “existential” threat, and therefore invaded Georgia, and later Crimea and now Ukraine, to stop their neighbors from aligning themselves with the U.S. and its allies. Of course, the natural counterpoint to this is that Ukraine should be able to decide its sovereignty and who they want to align with. Mearsheimer counters that from a realist point of view, the leaders of Ukraine and the Western world should recognize that a “great power” such as Russia is going to have its

say and that Ukraine would be unwise to “poke the bear” by aligning with the U.S. This argument makes sense on the surface, at least when taking away the moral issues at play. Realism is much more concerned with how the world is rather than how the world should be, so this is absolutely on-brand for someone who adheres to that International Relations doctrine. However, there are very significant flaws to Mearsheimer’s argument, even when looking at the situation from a “realist” point of view. First, Mearsheimer seems to imply that Russia’s response is what any “great power” would do — no matter the circumstance — if another power brought in military forces to a country bordering it. He gives a hypothetical example of what the U.S. would do if another country, say China, had any sort of military presence in say Canada or South America. This seems to make sense on the surface until one considers that Russia already has troops from a “distant great power” as close to its borders as Ukraine. Mearsheimer seems to conveniently forget that Poland joined NATO on March 12, 1999, without any sort of military provocation from Russia. From a land perspective, Poland is nearly as close to Russia as Ukraine. Furthermore, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are all also member states of NATO, and they directly border Russia. Mearsheimer’s claim about

why Russia invaded Ukraine in the first place is blatantly wrong. This was not some natural, inevitable reaction by one great power to respond to a potential looming threat to their sovereignty. This invasion was about one man — Vladimir Putin — embracing the ridiculous and ahistorical claim that Russia has every right to invade Ukraine because he sincerely believes that Ukraine is actually just a part of Russia. This justifies an invasion in Putin’s mind because he never believes Ukraine should have been given sovereignty in the first place. Putin echoed sentiments in a speech that indicates he feels that Ukraine is not a country, and instead was accidentally “created” and mistakenly given autonomy in the 1920s by Bolshevik Russia. However, this is wrong. While Russia and Ukraine have cultural ties, Ukraine is not merely a place that was made up by Vladimir Lenin’s government. Ukraine has its own complex history that does not always include Russia. For example, much of Ukraine’s territory was in the jurisdiction of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Despite Mearsheimer’s misrepresentation of Russia’s motives, one could still make the argument that Russia is a great power that will naturally have its own territorial interest. From that point of view, one could argue that the smart realist move for the United States and its allies should have been to “back off” the moment

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM SCHULTZ/THE WHITE HOUSE

Russia indicated that an alliance with Ukraine would be an issue. However, Mearsheimer does not address what the “realist” goals of the U.S. and its allies are. The only attempt appeared when Mearsheimer stated the U.S. policy should focus on pivoting out of Eastern Europe entirely to make an alliance with Russia so that they can be jointly united against the other “great power” — China. To be frank, this foreign policy analysis is incorrect and suggests that at least a part of Mearsheimer’s brain is stuck in the 1980s. From a solely militaristic perspective, Mearsheimer is not wrong that the three great powers are the United States, Russia and China. These countries possess the most nuclear weapons and have historically held differing political interests. However, since any serious military confronta-

tion between these would likely result in a nuclear holocaust, I fail to see how it matters if the scenario involves the U.S. and China taking on Russia, or Russia and China taking on the U.S. The point is, if the end result is everyone dying no matter what, the “teams” involved in the conflict don’t really matter. The other dimension one could look at when defining a “great power” would be in terms of economic power. In this regard, Mearsheimer would be very wrong about Russia’s status as a “great power.” In terms of economic power, the two clear “great powers” are the U.S. and China, holding GDPs of 19 trillion and 12 trillion, respectively. No other country even gets to 5 trillion, so it’s safe to say that this is a competition between the U.S. and China.