Tuesday, April 12, 2011 - The Daily Cardinal

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Railroad mogul charged for illegal Walker donations By Patrick Tricker THE DAILY CARDINAL

BEN PIERSON/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Diversity Programs Director of the Division of Housing Magpie Martinez said at the panel Monday students in the dormitories often are hesitant to report LGBT discrimination.

Panel talks LGBT safety on campus Administrators, police stress importance of reporting hate crimes By Alex Yant THE DAILY CARDINAL

Members of a panel hosted by the LGBT Campus Center Monday stressed the importance of reporting LGBT discrimination on campus and discussed the resources available to LGBT students who have experienced harassment. According to Associate Dean of Students Kevin Helmkamp, there have been multiple reports of LGBT discrimination on Langdon Street, specifically around the large fraternity houses. “Hopefully we can get on the front end, but Greek Life is a particular challenge in a lot of ways, especially due to the influence of alcohol,” Helmkamp said. In response to the reports of discrimination on Langdon Street and the surrounding areas Madison Police officer Grant Humerickhouse said, “That shit’s not gonna fly with me.” However, Humerickhouse said

that individuals must “do their part” and report harassment crimes if they want to see change. “We can’t do anything about things we don’t know,” Humerickhouse said. Often students do not report discrimination in the dorms because they question the seriousness of each incidence, said Magpie Martinez, the diversity programs director in the Division of Housing. “I think there’s a lot of feelings among students … about ‘Should I even report that?’” Martinez said.

“We can’t do anything about things we don’t know.”

Grant Humerickhouse officer Madison Police Department

Other panelists talked about programs in various departments at UW-Madison that work to combat LGBT stereo-

typing and violence. University Health Services Director Sarah Van Orman presented the new “Let’s Talk” program as an outlet for LGBT students to talk about personal issues. Based off a program at Cornell University, “Let’s Talk” provides drop-in counseling for students with professional counselors in various locations on campus. Students then may be referred to other health professionals if necessary. However, even after crimes are reported, LGBT community members face problems in the legal system as well. There is currently no official hate crime law in Wisconsin, which leads to an inappropriate response to LGBT discrimination and inaccurate harassment records, according to University of Wisconsin Police Department Sgt. Jerome VanNatta. On the campus level, Helmkamp said UW-Madison administrators regard LGBT discrimination as “community issues” and they are working with experts in multiple departments to address them.

Railroad executive William Gardner was charged Monday with giving excessive and illegal contributions to Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign last year, by prompting his employees, daughter and “woman friend” to make donations and reimbursing them through his company. After giving a total of $57,800 to Walker’s campaign, Gardner will plead guilty to the two felonies and will serve 24 months of probation. His company, Wisconsin & Southern Railroad, will be fined $166,900, while each of the seven other participants will be fined $250. “At the time the contributions were made, I did not realize I was violating the law,” Gardner said in a statement. “I never would have asked my employ-

ees, friends or family to break the law. However, this is no justification or excuse at all for what I did.” The complaint cites a document detailing contribution limits to show Gardner possibly understood the illegality of his actions. Additionally, in an e-mail correspondence, Gardner asked one of the participants to “not blab this around.” Gardner’s railroad company depends on millions of dollars of grants and loans from the state. He e-mailed Walker to suggest picking a secretary of transportation who understands the importance of railroads to Wisconsin’s economy and met with Walker in April 2010 at a Noodles & Company to discuss the topic. Katie McCallum, a spokesman donations page 4

Sexual assault on Dayton St. An 18-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the 300 block of West Dayton Street early Sunday morning. According to the police report, the woman said she agreed to go with the man to his apartment on the east side. While they walked, the man touched her inappropriately on the outside of her clothing, Madison Police Department Spokesperson Joel DeSpain said. The woman then confronted the man, but he said her agreement to go with him made the possibility

of intimacy probable, according to the report. When the victim told him that was not the case, she said he punched her in the arms and choked her, according to DeSpain. The victim then broke free and called 911, DeSpain said. She was transported to a hospital with no serious physical injuries, according to the report. According to the report, the suspect is a white 25 to 30-yearold male.

good eats

USDA gives UW program $5 million to combat food insecurity Research will focus on urban communities The UW-Madison Community and Regional Food Systems Program, which aims to alleviate food insecurity in U.S. cities, received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Monday. The program, which will first focus on Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit, will combine research, education and

outreach to build sustainable regional food systems to increase the availability of healthy food in socioeconomically disadvantaged urban communities. Community and regional food systems involve the production, processing and distribution of food. The UW-Madison research team, led by Environmental Studies and Soil Studies professor Stephen Ventura, will partner with Growing Power, Inc.,

a nonprofit organization that operates urban farms in Chicago and Milwaukee. The team will also work with Michigan State Agricultural Institute and various other community organizations. More than 17 million American households were food insecure throughout 2008, and food insecurity is most prevalent in poor communities, according to the USDA. —Kayla Johnson

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Ashley Lee takes cookies out of the oven at Slow Food’s Vegan Family Dinner Night at the Crossing Church.

“…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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