University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Tuesday, October 14, 2014
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Orpheum receives grant for revisions By Patricia Johnson THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Orpheum Theater will undergo facade improvements to update the decades-old exterior while still maintaining its iconic old-fashioned style after Madison’s Board of Estimates approved a $20,000 grant to the owner Monday. Owners Gus and Mary Paras will be required to spend a minimum of $20,000 of their own money to match the city’s grant. The total project costs are estimated at just over $42,000. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said last year that Paras plans to reestablish the Orpheum as an entertainment venue open to comedy shows and wedding receptions in addition to music. The improvements for the theater include replacing the beige 1960s era brick in the front with a type of granite that mim-
ics the appearance of marble. The owners also presented plans to replace six emergency exit doors and frames facing Johnson Street with steel insulated doors. Paras’s proposed changes to the exterior of the Orpheum will not modify the theater’s current plaque, a landmark that has remained a part of the city since its opening. Madison’s Board of Estimates members also listened to the Madison Police Department’s presentation on 2015 budget plans. The city’s executive budget allows the MPD to train two new officers as Neighborhood Resources Officers who are assigned to specific districts and provide more concentrated attention to areas with high crime. Police Chief Mike Koval is seeking funding to allow five NROs in Madison.
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Chancellor says ‘tough’ budgetary times ahead
GREY SATTERFIELD/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
Orpheum Theater owners Gus and Mary Paras received a grant from the city to improve the building’s facade.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank told staff it is going to be a “tough year” when discussing finances at an Academic Staff meeting in Bascom Hall Monday. “With no additional funding from the state this year, we will have to implement the budget cuts that were handed down to us two years ago,” Blank said. Blank described the differences the university could experience when facing financial challenges. She said she plans to speak with the Board of Regents about raising tuition for both professional schools and out-of-state undergraduates this June in anticipation of the new fiscal year. All staff will receive a pay raise this year, but Blank said there is no room in the budget for targeted pay increases from the critical compensation fund. Some staff members expressed concern about past and future layoffs, which Blank said could be better communicated externally.
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Rep. Pocan addresses student issues at Legislative Affairs By Scott Bembenek THE DAILY CARDINAL
DREW GILMORE/THE DAILY CARDINAL
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., presented on student life and the importance of good dialogue with ASM Legislative Affairs.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., visited the Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee Monday to speak about his role in the federal government and answer questions involving student life. Pocan, who is a UW-Madison alumnus, is nearing the end of his first term as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He represents Wisconsin’s 2nd District, which includes the city of Madison. In the House of Representatives, Pocan serves on the Education & the Workforce Committee, which focuses on issues involving job training, various levels of education and the minimum wage. He also serves on the Committee on the Budget. In Congress, Pocan has worked with issues of student
affordability and state funding of public universities after cuts that took place during the recent economic crash. He brought up specifically the idea that states need
“My opinion is it’s more important the state lives up to their part of the obligation and puts their money back into the system. ”
Mark Pocan U.S. representative D-Wisconsin
to reinvest in public universities. “My opinion is it’s more important the state lives up to their part of the obligation and puts their money back into the system,” Pocan said. He also spoke to how students
can get involved in decision-making processes through campaign resolution, emphasizing the importance of students reaching out to officials about the issues they want to discuss. “We want to have a good dialogue going,” he said. “That dialogue is really important for us.” The representative also noted the importance of pursuing issues that are important to people, even if they aren’t specific to education, citing marriage equality and the minimum wage as examples. Pocan went on to praise ASM’s recent efforts to register voters for the upcoming elections. The committee also discussed possible campaigns to pursue on campus, such as student loan debt and more secure bike lanes on campus. Legislative Affairs will hold its next meeting Monday to further discuss campaign resolutions.
Gov. Walker announces Wisconsin will legally recognize all same-sex marriages from June All marriage licenses issued after U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb struck down Wisconsin’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in June, will be legally recognized, Gov. Scott Walker announced Monday.
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Roughly 500 marriages were performed in the week following Crabb’s ruling, before she stayed her decision pending appeal. “Per the guidance from the Department of Justice … the state will be treating licenses issued in
June as valid marriage licenses,” Walker spokesperson Laurel Patrick said in an email. Walker’s order comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week to decline to hear the state’s appeal
+ ARTS, page 4
Quiet, melodic-souled guitarist rocks High Noon
to reinstate the ban, effectively making same-sex marriage legal in Wisconsin. “We are pleased that the State of Wisconsin is doing the right thing and recognizing these marriages,” Larry
Community leader: ‘Mama K’
Dupuis, legal director of the ACLU of Wisconsin said in a statement. “We expect the State to move quickly and assertively to make the promise of marriage equality a practical reality in Wisconsin.”
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”