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dailycardinal.com
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Black students still face issues under Obama By Robert Taylor and Daniel Tollefson The Daily Cardinal
Lorenzo Zemella/the daily cardinal
Gov. Jim Doyle delivered his final State of the State Address Tuesday at the state Capitol. Doyle focused on Wisconsin’s economy, job growth through green energy legislation and health care.
Doyle focuses on economy, legacy in final State of the State Address By Steven Rosenbaum The Daily Cardinal
Gov. Jim Doyle spoke to state lawmakers and Wisconsin citizens Tuesday night in his annual State of the State Address. He focused on job growth, improving education, new health-care programs and his legacy. Doyle pointed to manufacturing tax credits as well as research and development incentives that he said make Wisconsin a desirable place for companies. “As a result of our work, Wisconsin now ranks 30th in business taxes— well below the national average,” he said. “With the help of these incentives, over the last year, many other companies have moved their operations from other states to Wisconsin,” Doyle also promoted green energy development and technology. He urged lawmakers to pass the
Clean Energy Jobs Act, a new bill mandating renewable energy usage standards for Wisconsin businesses. State Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Green Bay, said he is worried about the impact the new legislation may have on jobs. “My biggest issue right now is the [energy] bill that’s he is working on. My estimates are that we will lose 43,000 manufacturing jobs and have an estimated cost of over $18 billion,” he said. Doyle also focused on education policy. He said Wisconsin has made great progress helping students pay for higher education, and pointed to the Wisconsin Covenant program as a successful example. “We now have $25 million a year to help Covenant Scholars pay for college. I’m proud to say that even in these tough times, we are educating more students in our university system
today than at any time in our history.” Doyle also addressed health care and said 98 percent of Wisconsin residents are covered, currently ranking the state first in the nation in healthcare quality. According to Doyle, much of that success can be attributed to BadgerCare Plus and it’s subset programs, including BadgerCare Plus Core. In his speech, Doyle outlined the BadgerCare Plus Basic plan, a recently announced self-funded plan for individuals waiting to get into the Core program. Montgomery said the new plan will likely cost taxpayers. “When you create these new programs you have to pay for them, and unfortunately, we are facing a multibillion dollar deficit going into the next budget and so that’s part of the legacy as well,” he said.
Walker outlines platform on job growth, taxes By Beth Pickhard The Daily Cardinal
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker spoke at the Capitol about economic issues just hours before Gov. Jim Doyle’s State of the State address Tuesday. Walker, considered a Republican frontrunner in the 2010 gubernatorial election, emphasized the importance of lowering taxes and bringing jobs back to Wisconsin. According to Walker, the state lost 163,000 jobs last year and thousands more remained unemployed. Walker said he believes citizens are burdened by taxes and families are struggling. “The people of Wisconsin have the privilege to live, work and raise families … In recent years, the state government has grown beyond the ability of the taxpayer to pay,” he said.
Walker said he thinks Wisconsin has failed to attract businesses and previously stable businesses are facing losses. He said corporate hubs,
including Harley Davidson and Kimberly-Clark, continue to struggle. walker page 3
Isabel álvarez/the daily cardinal
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama became the first AfricanAmerican president of the United States. His election was an historic first, and to many observers, marked a significant moment in American politics and society in regards to race. A year later and on the cusp of Black History Month, however, some minority students on campus feel that race remains a potent challenge in everyday student life. African Americans account for only 2.9 percent of the enrolled student body at UW-Madison, according to the University’s web site. “It can be overwhelming when I walk into a major lecture with over 400 students,” Keith Jackson, an African-American senior majoring in engineering, said. “No one else looks like me.” According to Kendra Allen, president of the National Society of Black Engineers at UW-Madison, the College of Engineering struggles to retain the few African-American students it attracts, with attrition
rates hovering around 50 percent. “That is why the NSBE is such an important entity for this university,” Allen said. “It is our job, the administration’s job and the students’ job to work together on retention and make sure that we fill the demand we hear every day from the community for skilled engineers from under-represented backgrounds.” In the effort to promote a cross-cultural awareness among its student body, UW-Madison requires that all students complete an ethnic studies course. According to the University web site, ethnic studies course material must “illuminate the circumstances, conditions and experiences of racial and ethnic minorities.” Some students feel the ethnic studies courses are not enough. Ashley Johnson, an AfricanAmerican junior majoring in women’s studies and Spanish, said that many students in her African American studies classes were there simply because they had to be. “While it is usually a diverse group and I have had positive experace page 3
Campus officials express concern for student safety following recent robbery By Grace Urban The Daily Cardinal
In light of a recent armed robbery of a UW-Madison student on North Mills Street, UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas released a statement Monday urging students to focus on personal safety. “It’s impossible to ensure everyone’s complete safety and people need to take the best precautions they can moving around not just on campus but anywhere in the city,” Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said. According to the incident report, the 20-year-old female was robbed at gunpoint Saturday evening while walking along a bike path around 7:40 p.m. The suspect is described as a 20to 25-year-old male, possibly Asian, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 150 pounds with a medium build. An additional incident occurred near Edgewood College, on the 400 block of Allen Street, Sunday morning when a 21-year-old Madison woman was tackled by a stranger as she stretched before her run. The attacker is described as a white male age 20 to 29, 5 feet 9 inches tall with a slender build
and spiky brown hair. DeSpain said he does not believe the two crimes are connected. Nevertheless, he said students should do their best to protect themselves by walking in well-lit areas and making sure they’re not walking alone. “The things that your parents told you when you were young about having a buddy system and having a plan about where you are going, how you’re going to get there, how you’re going to get home; all those things still hold up as you go to college,” DeSpain said. Lucas echoed this sentiment, reminding students to make use of SAFE Nighttime Services and carry a cell phone. “If you intend to drink, do so in moderation so as not to put yourself in a position of increased risk,” Lucas said in a statement. DeSpain said MPD works closely with the UW Madison Police Department and “the people on Bascom Hill” to promote safety on campus. Students are still encouraged to call police if they see suspicious activity.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”