Photo by Lorenzo zemella, story by max sternberg
SMELLING ROSES ONCE MORE
I N D I A NA P O L I S —A victory in the first-ever Big Ten Championship game was always going to leave a sweet taste. But after the No. 15 Badgers (7-2 Big Ten, 11-2 overall) defeated No. 13 Michigan State (7-2, 10-3) 42-39 on Saturday night, that sweet taste was even sweeter after the events that transpired when the teams last faced off in East Lansing. For most of the night, there was an aura of déjà vu. After storming out to a 21-7 first quarter lead, Wisconsin faltered in the second quarter, with the Spartans embarking on a 22-0 run that gave them a 29-21 lead heading into the halftime break. MSU dominated offensively in the first half, picking up 317 yards of total offense and converting four of six third downs, all while not having to punt.
champs page 8
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Complete campus coverage since 1892
l
dailycardinal.com
Monday, December 5, 2011
Who can beat Walker? UW professor: No clear frontrunner in race to oust governor By Rachel Hahn The Daily Cardinal
Even though UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said the field is “wide open” for a Democratic contender to face Gov. Scott Walker in a recall election, he asserts that no potential candidate stands out. Despite popular opinion from supporters, former Sen. Russ Feingold has reiterated that he will not run should the recall bid prove successful. “Because [Feingold] is not
there and [Milwaukee Mayor] Tom Barrett is not making obvious signals about what he’s going to do, there are a lot of Democrats toying with the idea [of running],” Burden said. Several potential challengers, including state Sens. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and others, have expressed interest in running, but none have officially announced their candidacies. Cullen, who Burden said is “known for working with politicians on both sides of the aisle,” told the Janesville Gazette Friday he hopes to be the Democratic candidate if there is a recall election based on his credentials. Another potential candidate,
Erpenbach, has positives and negatives according to Burden, who described him as a “hero” to Democrats and union leaders, skilled with the media, but too partisan and lacking name recognition outside of Madison. But all potential challengers seem to lack the necessary characteristics to pull ahead as a frontrunner. “None of them feel like the strongest possible candidate. Many of them don’t have statewide recognition,” Burden said. “They don’t have the range of experiences they would like them to have, beyond the legislature say, in seeking the governor’s office.” United Wisconsin announced
recall page 3
Grace Liu/cardinal file photo
Members of the Student Labor Action Coalition protested Nov. 21 against adidas’ alleged workers’ rights abuses.
Officials recommend adidas investigation By Taylor Harvey The Daily Cardinal
A university committee recommended Friday UW-Madison put top apparel manufacturer adidas on notice after an allegation of workers’ rights abuses in Indonesia. The Labor Licensing Policy Committee, made up of student representatives, faculty and administrators, voted university
officials propose a 90-day deadline for adidas to make $3.2 million in legally mandated severance payments owed to displaced factory workers in Indonesia. Indonesian factory PT Kizone, contracted by Nike and UW partner adidas, closed in January, leaving 2,800 workers jobless. Legally, the companies still owe
adidas page 3
Graduation speaker picked Grace Liu/Cardinal File Photo
Madison teachers marched on Capitol Square Nov. 19 at a rally to support the recall of Gov. Scott Walker. Currently, no Democrats have officially announced their candidacies.
UW-Madison could have office in Shanghai as early as June By Alex DiTullio The Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison could have an office in Shanghai by June, according to university officials who recently visited China to explore the possibility of bolstering ties
between the university and the Asian country. Gilles Bousquet, dean of the division of international studies and vice provost for globalization, said the office would be an important “physical presence in one of the
world’s most emerging countries,” adding it would help UW-Madison increase relations with Chinese institutions and Wisconsin-based companies doing business in China.
china page 3
Former Badger football lineman Jake Wood, the co-founder and president of a nonprofit organization that deploys military veterans to aid in disaster relief internationally, will be this year’s mid-year commencement speaker at the ceremonies taking place on Dec. 18 at the Kohl Center. Wood’s organization, Team Rubicon, aims to give military veterans a “continued feeling of self worth” by allowing them to apply their skills to disaster response. According to Team Rubicon’s website, 92 percent of the 2.2 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans say continued community ser-
vice is important to them, and 44 percent of veterans report feeling they no longer serve a purpose. Created in January 2010, the organization has impacted thousands of people across the globe. Wood served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He now speaks around the country about issues veterans face upon returning home. This year, Wood received GQ Magazine’s “Better Men, Better World” award as well as the Big Ten Conference “Live Big” award for his work with Team Rubicon.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
page two Heavenly ways to handle hell tODAY: partly cloudy
Tuesday: partly cloudy
hi 35º / lo 23º
2
l
hi 32º / lo 20º
Monday, December 5, 2011
dailycardinal.com
An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 121, Issue 62
2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 • fax (608) 262-8100
News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com
Editor in Chief Kayla Johnson
Managing Editor Nico Savidge
News Team Campus Editor Alex DiTullio College Editor Anna Duffin City Editor Taylor Harvey State Editor Samy Moskol Enterprise Editor Scott Girard Associate News Editor Ben Siegel News Editor Alison Bauter Opinion Editors Matt Beaty • Miles Kellerman Editorial Board Chair Samantha Witthuhn Arts Editors Riley Beggin • Jeremy Gartzke Sports Editors Ryan Evans • Matthew Kleist Page Two Editor Rebecca Alt • Ariel Shapiro Life & Style Editor Maggie DeGroot Features Editor Stephanie Lindholm Photo Editors Mark Kauzlarich • Grace Liu Graphics Editors Dylan Moriarty • Natasha Soglin Multimedia Editors Eddy Cevilla • Mark Troianovski Science Editor Lauren Michael Diversity Editor Aarushi Agni Copy Chiefs Jenna Bushnell • Jacqueline O’Reilly Steven Rosenbaum • Rachel Schulze Copy Editors Zach Thomae • Alex Coppins
Jacqueline O’Reilly o’really?! Here we find ourselves, Badgers: the worst few weeks of the semester. The giant clit (yes, clit) tease that is Thanksgiving Break is regrettably behind us, and in its place has come a slew of term papers, exams and projects professors tossed onto the syllabus at the last minute, because hey, why the hell not? The TA is the one who has to suffer through grading my under-researched paper on the Cold War anyway. We as students find ourselves willing to take whatever means necessary to get through the end of the semester with all limbs in tact. The good news is we know that in one month’s time—less, in fact— everything will have ended. We do not know how exactly we will make it to that finish line, but time stops for no stressed Badger, so for better or for worse we will cross it. Let’s
just be thankful college students have “matured” to the point where sending home report cards is no longer necessary. I, for one, find that it is the simple pleasures that keep me chugging along in December. Sure, imbibing on gin is a reliable go-to—one I put into good practice over the weekend—but sometimes you have to get more creative, especially when alcohol only increases the frequency of those damn inopportune naps.
Jacqueline’s little luxuries: Comforts for my tush:
For example, I have a stockpile of toilet paper on the top shelf of my bathroom closet. Most of it is the generic brand and one notch above construction paper. But one lovely six pack of Charmin Ultra sits amongst them, a gift my benevolent parents got for me during their last visit to Madison. When the time came to replace the toilet paper roll yesterday, I decided to indulge in the namebrand goodness. This month will suck no matter how hard I pray (read: whine). I may as well wipe
with something plush.
Chocolatey noms:
My Advent calendar is also a small thing that provides happiness in this bleakest of bleak months. Before doing anything else with my day, I roll out of bed, stumble the approximate one and a half steps to my desk, groggily ram into it (because it is 10:30 a.m. and that is early in my book) then open that day’s respective door. Advent calendars are like a perfectly rigged version of “The Price is Right:” Behind every door is chocolate! There is no bullshit year’s supply of Centrum Silver waiting for you, just solid cocoa noms. Happy holidays indeed.
“Parks & Rec”:
Watching my favorite television shows while falling asleep is also something basic that keeps me cheery. Sure, sometimes “Parks and Recreation” draws me in so thoroughly that I only end up losing sleep, making me exponentially more cranky, but let us ignore that fact for the moment. As my eyelids grow heavier and heavier, there is
Delving into
little I enjoy more than swooning over Adam Scott’s profound cuteness. Eventually I drift to sleep, where he now stars in my dreams as the token of my affection, by which I mean he writes my political science paper. Nothing turns me on in December quite like someone offering to do my work for me. I don’t even care if people can do it well, so long as they do it. And let me tell you, Adam can.
Silky leggings:
My final small pleasure, one hotly debated in the Dairy State, is wearing leggings. Yes: shiny, skin-tight, black nylon leggings. I’m sorry, Wisconsinites, but on the comfort scale, they are the second best thing after walking around naked. Deal with it. Sure, the above techniques can only do so much to appease the hell of finals, but surely spandex and chocolate with a plastic essence cannot hurt. And when in doubt, just fail stuff. Grades do not matter. Just look at our governor. Have a simple way to help Jacqueline get through finals? Send her your tips at jgoreilly@wisc.edu.
’s History
Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Parker Gabriel Advertising Manager Nick Bruno Account Executives Dennis Lee • Philip Aciman Emily Rosenbaum • Joy Shin Sherry Xu • Alexa Buckingham Tze Min Lim Web Director Eric Harris Public Relations Manager Becky Tucci Events Manager Bill Clifford Creative Director Claire Silverstein Office Managers Mike Jasinski • Dave Mendelsohn Copywriters Dustin Bui • Bob Sixsmith 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 Matt Beaty • Nick Fritz Kayla Johnson • Miles Kellerman Steven Rosenbaum • Nico Savidge Ariel Shapiro • Samantha Witthuhn
Board of Directors Melissa Anderson, President Kayla Johnson • Nico Savidge Parker Gabriel • John Surdyk Janet Larson • Nick Bruno Jenny Sereno • Chris Drosner Jason Stein • Nancy Sandy
© 2011, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398
For the record Corrections or clarifications? Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an e-mail to edit@dailycardinal.com.
December 7, 1993
By Valerie Panou of the Cardinal Staff
“All about timing,” are the words which welcomed the 1993 Big Ten Coach of the Year Barry Alvarez and the Big Ten Champions home, in front of over 12,000 screaming Badger fans in the familiar setting of Camp Randall Stadium Monday. And what timing it is. After two weeks of a dream in the waiting, the moment came on the other side of the world, where a dream of three decades came true for the Wisconsin football program and its faithful followers. The time was right for the UW football team to show the Badgers’ 12th man what they waited 31 years for—the roses. University Athletic Director Pat Richter, who was a member of the 1963 Rose Bowl Badgers, said the Rose Bowl team itself is not the miracle. “Do you believe in miracles?” he said. “Well, let me tell you this isn’t a miracle. A great staff, a great bunch of young men, and great fans in the state of Wisconsin. That’s the miracle.” Four years ago, former University Chancellor Donna Shalala, now a member of Clinton’s cabinet, was the cause of the miracle. Shalala hired
Richter, who then hired Alvarez to bring a football program, which was then a nightmare, the sweet dream of victory. After one 1-10 season and two 5-6 finishes under his belt, Alvarez brought the Badgers out of the cellar of the Big Ten and into the penthouse in style at 9-1-1. “Thank you for being here,” Alvarez said to his fans. “I don’t know about you, but we’re going to Disneyland.” Alvarez credited the moment and again guaranteed victory to the Badger boosters who made Camp Randall one of the hardest places for other teams to play in on those cold Saturday mornings and afternoons. “This football team would not be here without you guys,” he said. “They [the team] wanted to bring the Big Ten Championship and the Rose Bowl back to Madison and back to the state of Wisconsin. This team will represent you very well in Pasadena, and let me say: Pasadena and California will not be the same after Wisconsin gets through there.” For fifth-year senior, strong safety Reggie Holt, this feeling of accomplishment is also not the same. “Anytime you come out as a winner, it’s definitely a great feeling of accomplishment,” Holt said. “It’s
been a long time coming for the University of Wisconsin who hasn’t been in the Rose Bowl in 31 years. I haven’t even been in a bowl yet. This is my last year going out, so why not the Rose Bowl?” Holt is not the only person who has been waiting for Wisconsin to go to a bowl game—so has the
whole state of Badger faithfuls. And since they’ve waited so close to a lifetime, why not the Rose Bowl, and why not a victory in sunny California? “On behalf of the football team, we did not work this hard the past four years to get this far today, [just] to let you guys down in Pasadena,” senior full back Mark Montgomery said.
Weekend shenanigans get a little weird? Need to rant about the creeper at your ugly Christmas sweater soiree who couldn’t take a hint?
Become a Page Two Columnist for next semester
and join the rest of us cardinalistas in jamming to the new Black Keys album. For more information, contact us at page2@dailycardinal.com.
news
Monday, December 5, 2011 3
l
dailycardinal.com
GOP group withdraws lawsuit A Republican group that filed a lawsuit about redistricting with the Supreme Court Nov. 21 withdrew it Friday and altered a similar lawsuit filed a week later. Nine individuals associated with the Republican party filed the lawsuit after organizers began circulating recall petitions for four Republican state senators.
ON CAMPUS
Photo Courtesy Madison Public Library
An interim library will open until renovations of the Central Public Library, located on Mifflin Street, are completed in 2013.
Interim library opens Monday Madison Public Library’s Central Library will reopen 9 a.m. Monday at its interim location on S. Hamilton Street. The interim library will offer a smaller collection of popular DVDs, CDs and books on CD. The majority of the library’s collection moved to a storage building on Madison’s east side but is still available to the public through online reservation. The Central Library will stay at 126 S. Hamilton St. until the new Central Library on W.
Mifflin Street is completed in the summer of 2013. Construction for the new Central Library is expected to begin in February 2012. The new library’s public space will increase by 22 percent and the total floor space will expand from 95,000 to 118,500 square feet, according to the Madison Public Library website. There will be three times as many computers in the new library in addition to many study tables for laptop use.
United Council proposes student strike Members of the student governing board of UW system schools proposed legislation that would support a student strike if the state makes additional budget cuts to the system. UW-Madison sophomore Sam Seering, one of the students who proposed the legislation, said it would help bring attention to the extensive cuts to the system. But United Council Vice President Dylan Jambrek said the strike would require too much attention from the council. “I think that it commits a lot of capacity, and I’m not sure that’s something we’re willing to do,” Jambrek said. “An event like that requires a lot of effort and a lot of maintenance.” The council tabled the legislation to learn more about what plan-
ning the strike would entail. Also at the convention, student government leaders from 12 UW campuses discussed changing the policy for allocating student segregated fees. Associated Students of Madison Chair Allie Gardner said by changing the policy, students hope to gain more of a say in distributing segregated fees to better “support long-term commitments at the university.” “[The current policy] very much takes away from student autonomy and student control of segregated fee allocations,” Gardner said. The convention focused on training student government leaders on voting issues, like the new voter identification available for students to use for voting and absentee voting for students.
china from page 1
from UW-Madison and getting the necessary permits in China. “We recognize that we must navigate a complex process ahead of us, which will require due diligence all along the way,” Bousquet said in an e-mail. “We cannot take any steps for granted. If we pay close attention to details, I am optimistic that we will succeed.” Despite officials’ excitement about the office, an article in the Wisconsin State Journal said some members of Students for a Free Tibet oppose increased relations with China, saying it compromises the university’s principles. Bousquet said he hopes the office will showcase a democratic way of doing business. “Over time, we hope that China will recognize that it is in the country’s interests to address these issues,” he said.
More study abroad and internship opportunities in the country were another perk. “With a full-time contact in China, UW-Madison will be able to identify and pursue more mutually beneficial opportunities with Chinese partners, as well as working with Wisconsin businesses to advance the state’s economic interests in China,” Bousquet said. While Bousquet said officials are still working out the details of how the office would function, they envision it will have minimal staffing with an on-site director, assistant and student interns. This “lean operation” would pay for itself, he said. While the university is hoping to meet this timeline, Bousquet said it depends on continued support
Badger Catholic to debate hotbutton issues with atheists
Members from UW-Madison’s Badger Catholic will debate members of Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics at Union South Wednesday, where they will discuss topics including stemcell research, abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage. The debate, hosted by the Wisconsin Union Directorate SOCIETY AND POLITICS COMMITTEE, will begin at 7 p.m. in Varsity Hall. It is free to the public and intended for UW-Madison students, faculty, staff and Union Members. In anticipation of the debate, WUD is also hosting a discussion titled “Religious Influence on Moral Issues” on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Round Table Room at the Memorial Union.
The two lawsuits filed to the Supreme Court and Waukesha County contend that recall elections occurring before November 2012 should be held in new legislative districts approved this summer by the legislature. The group withdrew the Supreme Court lawsuit and requested that the Waukesha case be heard by a Waukesha County
judge. Before, the group wanted the Supreme Court to create a panel of judges from three different counties to hear the case. Citing his health, Justice David Prosser said he would not be active on the Supreme Court this month. Without his typically conservative viewpoints, the court is speculated to split 3-3.
Rose Bowl tickets sell out With Wisconsin fans headed to Pasadena for the second year in a row, Badger student tickets to the Rose Bowl sold out 15 minutes after going on sale Sunday. At $150 apiece, the tickets sold out quickly after going on sale at 9 p.m. to student season ticket holders. While tickets disappeared from
UWBadgers.com, many reappeared just as quickly on sites like Facebook Marketplace with a $100 mark-up or request for “best offer.” Prices were as steep as a request for $650 for one ticket. The tickets that remain after season holders and donors get their pick Sunday go on sale to the general public Monday at 8:30 a.m.
recall from page 1
recall election of Walker, whose policies on collective bargaining of public employees decisively split the state politically last February.
they gathered approximately 300,000 of the 540,208 signatures necessary to prompt a
adidas from page 1 $1.8 million of the original $3.3 million employees’ monetary compensation as severance pay. According to Student Labor Action Coalition member Leland Pan, it is important to “hold adidas accountable to the contract they signed with UW-Madison, in which they promised they are responsible for following labor practices, including allowing unionization and paying severance pay.” “We are going to hold [Chancellor David] Ward accountable,” Pan said. “If adidas refuses to listen if we put them on notice, we would probably push to end the contract if they refuse to follow their end of the bargain.”
Adidas said the factory owner, not adidas, is responsible for severance pay and the company will “continue to support activities that aim for sustainable solutions to the reemployment of the Kizone workers, and the elimination of illegal factory closures and the flight of foreign owners from their legal obligations,” the university said in a press release. According to SLAC member Jon Perkins, LLPC member and university official Vince Sweeny said they would decide to put adidas on notice by Dec. 15. “We figure the sooner the decision they reach the better because this is a very urgent situation these workers are facing,” Perkins said. “We really can’t put [workers’] rights on hold.”
Celebration
Happy birthday, WID!
The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery celebrated its one year birthday Friday. The celebration included scavenger and fossil hunts, live science experiments and demonstrations of new labratory equipment available for campus use. Photo by Grace Liu
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
arts Photoshop killed the movie poster dailycardinal.com
david cottrell co-ttrell it on the mountain
C
ameron Crowe was once regarded as a seminal modern American filmmaker. He spent the ‘80s and ‘90s producing some of the most beloved films of those respective decades. In the 80’s Crowe began his film career by adapting a screenplay from his non-fiction book “Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story,” a chronicle of the lives of six different teenagers, which Crow secretly reenrolled in high school at the age of 22 in order to capture. From there, Crowe took the helm. As writer and director, Crow delivered a string of influential and iconic movies like “Say Anything…,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Almost Famous”— then he made “Vanilla Sky.” Midway through the aughts Crowe delivered another clunker with “Elizabeth Town” and subsequently withdrew from Hollywood, choosing instead to return to his adolescent roots in music journalism (his time as an astoundingly young writer traveling for Rolling Stone was the inspiration for “Almost Famous”) by directing several music documentaries. Much like “Vanilla Sky” marked Crowe’s turn from remarkable to mundane, the advent
Monday, December 5, 2011 5
of Photoshop and digital design in the last two decades seems to have marked the steady decline of the art of movie posters themselves. As of late movie posters have boiled down to a list of formulaic clichés that, rather than serving as actual pieces of art, leave all the artistic expression out of the equation. They instead simply serve as a subconscious genre symbol, conveying to an audience what they should expect from a flick. There’s the ever popular “closeup of an eye” favored by many horror flicks and thrillers alike— even “Avatar” couldn’t resist the cliché. Rom-coms and screwball comedies have their “two people standing back-to-back or otherwise leaning on each other over a white background” standby. Romances and cheesy dramas love their “floating, dramatic heads over a horizon, clouds, a landscape or the sea” staple. No dramatic action flick is complete without at least one “loan dark figure with his back to the viewer”—even Christopher Nolan was surprisingly fond of this cliché with “Inception” and “The Dark Knight.” And don’t forget the constant stream of Jason Statham and Nicholas Cage diehard rip-offs that feature a “blackand-white action scene—except for the badass color flames!” For the most part, they all just seem like disembodied, sort-ofcreepy-if-you-think-about-it, float-
ing heads with giant print of the popular stars’ names (just in case you didn’t notice their giant faces) over a generic background vaguely connected to the film. It feels as if all the artistry and originality was lost somewhere along the way as the film industry transitioned into the heavily computer-oriented industry it is now. Don’t get me wrong—I think computer technology has done a great many wonderful things for moviemaking. But when a passable poster can be thrown together in Photoshop in half an hour, and no one seems to care either way, why waste time creating real art? But thankfully, Cameron Crowe decided to reverse his trend with the poster for his return to Hollywood. Crowe’s new flick “We Bought A Zoo,” out December 23 and starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johanssan, has perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing theatrical movie poster I’ve seen in quite a long time—and it was a gutsy move. The clever poster, which creates an abstract tree out of a plethora of green paw prints from a variety of creatures, features not a single floating head. It also only features a single actor name—Matt Damon—despite a cast list of several equally famous celebrities. And even Damon’s name is relatively low-key in respect to the art of the poster itself. The poster isn’t “Starry Night”, nor is it a reinvention of the wheel. But it’s something different, some-
l
photo courtesy 20th century fox
The poster for “We Bought A Zoo” is a reminder that there is hope for a revival of art in film marketing, despite the prevalence ofPhotoshop. thing that makes you stop and look at a poster for more than a brief glance. It’s an image that also stands as a work of art in and of itself, regardless of the film. And isn’t that the ideal standard? Why waste the space and potential for art just because Photoshop makes it easy to throw something bland together that gets
the job done and little else? Will “We Bought A Zoo” mark the turning point into a new era of artistic creativity for Cameron Crowe and, perhaps, movie posters themselves? I can only hope. Send your questions and comments to David at dcottrell@wisc.edu.
opinion 6
l
Monday, December 5, 2011
view Cardinal View editorials represent The Daily Cardinal’s organizational opinion. Each editorial is crafted independent of news coverage.
Transportation to jobs grants have no wheels
A
nd the plot thickens. In the midst of a boiling recall frenzy breaching its halfway point, Gov. Scott Walker approved $3.67 million in federal, state and local grant money for the “Transportation to Jobs” program. Designed to get, as Walker puts it, “Wisconsinites back on their feet by helping them get back to work,” the program improves local transit services for low-income workers by increasing their travel options, thus providing more accessible transportation to work. While the service is good in theory, this editorial board isn’t buying it. And before we rip this obvious political ploy apart, we would like to remind Walker, his administration and loyal supporters of the $810 million in federal funds he rejected for Wisconsin’s high-speed rail project—infrastructure that the Democratic
Party of Wisconsin projected would create over 13,000 jobs. And with Wisconsin currently leading the nation in recent job losses, that 13,000 could have prevented Walker’s foot from being permanently lodged in his mouth. Nevertheless, $3.67 million is a miserable amount to allocate toward transit services if Walker seriously expects to create any substantial transportation overhaul. While his heart appears to be in the right place, this board continues to roll its eyes and see otherwise. Due to the laughably low amount of grant funds combined with Walker’s devastatingly disappointing “jobs session”—a convention that focused on passing abstinence-only sex education in lieu of real employment policies—it’s obvious Walker is compensating for something: His failure to instigate true job creation, along with his
tarnished reputation in the recall campaign. After all, the name “Transportation to Jobs” says it all. It’s clear Walker is attempting to strategically salvage his reputation as Wisconsin’s job creator. Unfortunately for him, this editorial board is left to wonder: What “jobs” is he transporting these workers to? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wisconsin waved goodbye to 9,700 jobs in October alone, bringing the state unemployment rate up from 7.3 percent in May to 7.7 percent today. Evidently, Walker’s budget and policies failed to positively impact most Wisconsinites, except the conservative interest groups and large donors pining for a piece of the budget pie—leaving the average citizen with leftover crumbs from the deficit. That said, approving the “Transportation to Jobs” program is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to investing in local transportation and public works projects and the Walker administration knows it. Saying this $3.67 million fulfills Walker’s promise to increase employment rates completely undermines Wisconsin’s understanding of successful job creating initiatives. All in all, this purely political move builds nothing but a bus to nowhere. And judging by Wisconsin’s enthusiastic response to the recall petition, Walker might as well reserve a seat.
Letter: Don’t blame the teachers unions Michael Braun UW-Madison student
In Jeff Steinfeld’s letter, published December 1, he argues that the unions representing public school teachers hurt innovation in schools and produce poor educational outcomes. Two of Mr. Steinfeld’s key claims are misguided and disingenuous, and I’d like to set the record straight today. First, Mr. Steinfeld argues that non-union schools like the Harlem Children’s Zone (prominently featured in the documentary “Waiting for Superman”) perform much better than unionized public schools. This may be true, but the expense of running such a school is far greater than that of the average public school. According to the New York Times (“Lauded Harlem Schools Have Their Own Problems,” Sharon Otterman, Oct. 12, 2010), the expense of running this institution is $15,925 per pupil, an amount that does not include the cost of extensive after-school programs and other expenses, such as the chef who prepares meals. This is far higher than
the national average spending per pupil: $10,441 in 20072008, the last year available from the National Center for Education Statistics. Comparisons between special schools like the Harlem Children’s Zone and average public schools is misguided. Second, Mr. Steinfeld claims that our state and federal governments are dedicated to improving education, while unions are dedicated to protecting members’ interest at the expense of students. Recent political events do not support this contention. States around the country are cutting education funding and restricting the ability of school districts to raise additional revenue. In our most recent state budget approved by governor Scott Walker, school budgets have been slashed; to his credit, he has not justified this act by suggesting it will improve education. No one on either side of the aisle believes less money will help students. As for unions not supporting students, the legislative agenda of WEAC for 2011-2012 focuses on, among
other things, improving school funding and closing achievement gaps. Mr. Steinfeld is wise in his recognition that education can improve. But blaming teachers’ unions for state budget shortfalls is akin to blaming teachers for the recession. Unions are an easy target when times get tough, but their power is already severely curtailed. Prior the most recent restrictions to union bargaining power, Wisconsin’s teachers had already surrendered their right to strike, and school districts’ abilities to raise teacher salaries was capped by legislation signed by former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson. Under Mr. Steinfeld’s logic, these restrictions to unions should improve education in Wisconsin. Time will tell if he is correct, but evidence suggests that bullying unions helps no child to succeed. Michael Braun is a Ph.D student in the Department of Communication Arts at UW-Madison. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Are you tired of nobody listening to you? Write for The Daily Cardinal... where our ears are always open! E-mail letters or op-eds to opinion@dailycardinal.com
dailycardinal.com
Grace Liu/cardinal file photo
Kathleen Falk speaks at a Recall Walker event. She is one of the possible candidates to run against Walker in a recall election.
Moderate needs to run for Dems in recall ethan safran opinion columnist
I
t has been almost impossible these past few weeks not to stumble upon the casual congregations of Scott Walker recall supporters vying for the signatures needed to begin the gubernatorial recall process. There is almost no doubt that, amidst all of the political turmoil and anger plaguing the streets of Madison and other parts of the state, that supporters will probably obtain the 540,208 signatures needed for step one in their effort to oust the governor from office. Yet, admittedly, Walker opponents are in need of a strong, well-rounded and more moderate candidate. Such a candidate should hold stances on social and economic issues that counteract what many would label as the “ultra-reactionary” ideas of Walker’s administration. The major blow to the recall process came with the realization that three-term U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced that he would stay out of the race. Feingold is extremely popular, and his political experience and intelligence are hard to beat. His policies and ideologies are systematically nearly polar-opposites of Walker’s all across the board. Yet, if the last several weeks have displayed anything, many will point to both Kathleen Falk and Mahlon Mitchell as two potential serious challengers to Walker. Falk, having run for the gubernatorial office before, has extensive experience as both County Executive and Assistant Attorney General and has actively participated in the early stages of the recall process, making her a possible candidate. In her resignation letter last year, Falk referred to her “progressive” policies. Yet, Falk is much more of a liberal than she might want to admit. She has an extensive record with environmental policies, launched programs, including those such as Pathfinders, that some may argue border upon pork, championed human service policies, fought against poverty and worked on preventing the expansion of urban sprawl. Don’t get me wrong: I agree with the majority of these programs and ideas. However, having lost in a previ-
ous gubernatorial run and a run for Wisconsin Attorney General, Falk will hypothetically have a difficult time trying to appeal to the mass majority of Wisconsin residents that live outside of the more liberal counties of the state. Surprisingly, Mahlon Mitchell, the current president of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin, has taken an equally active role in the recall. He has staged rallies supporting workers’ rights and has marched with recall supporters in the past several weeks as the paperwork to initiate the recall effort began being filed. It is hard to disagree with, at least on the surface, a populist candidate who argues that citizens are tired of haphazard politicians who fail to come through on their campaign promises. While it may be good to an extent that Mitchell has no political experience (the outsider effect can sometimes help), it is not a good idea for a union leader to be governor of the state, no matter how upset Wisconsin citizens may be with the state’s collective bargaining fiasco.
Walker opponents are in need of a strong, wellrounded and more moderate candidate.
United Wisconsin announced last week that they have obtained over 300,00 signatures in two weeks, and recall supporters have nearly a month and half to collect the more than 200,000 remaining signatures. While it is mildly unsettling that some individuals are randomly signing recall petitions without any true knowledge of the scope and magnitude of the issues at hand, Walker opponents must find a solid candidate who does not possess any radical tendencies, a candidate whose more moderate-leaning stances on economic and social issues can counteract what many would label as the “ultra-reactionary” ideas of Walker’s administration. Only then will the recall supporters and Democrats have a real chance at putting what they believe will be an end to Walker’s policies. Ethan Safran is a freshman with an undeclared major. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
comics dailycardinal.com
Lemon-Squeezy
Today’s Sudoku
Evil Bird
This also holds true for students during finals... A hedgehog’s heart beats 300 times a minute on average. Monday, December 5, 2011 • 7
By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu
© Puzzles by Pappocom
Eatin’ Cake
By Dylan Moriarty EatinCake@gmail.com
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.
Tanked Life
By Steven Wishau wishau@wisc.edu
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
Caved In
Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com
AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT ACROSS 1 Fiber-___ cable 6 Fairy-tale figure 11 Tub-safety item 14 Sao ___, Brazil 15 Golden calf crafter 16 ____ Lilly and Company 17 “Captain Blood” star Flynn 18 It brings bad luck? 20 One of the Bobbsey twins 21 Sneaker ties 23 Related to the kidneys 24 Opposite of comedy 26 Get hot under the collar 27 It brings good luck? 31 Hole for an anchor cable 32 Defeat resoundingly 33 Trendy 36 Bone in the arm 37 Attach with a string 39 Undeserving of a padded cell 40 Negative responses 41 Biting comment 42 “___ minute, Mr. Postman...” 43 It brings bad luck?
46 Type of fruit that’s high in vitamin C 49 Like charged particles 50 Hunter with a long belt 51 ___ up (confessed) 53 Make up one’s mind 56 It brings good luck? 58 Home under the midnight sun 60 Small digit 61 Opposite of “’tis” 62 Loop at the end of a rope 63 Tilde’s shape, loosely 64 Like bars in old films 65 Injured in the bullring DOWN 1 Sign on a store’s door 2 Beginning for “legal” 3 Rejections 4 UN body dealing with workers’ rights 5 Assemble for binding 6 Mower owner’s buy 7 What a scarf covers 8 “... ___ it Memorex?” 9 Gretchen of “Finding Graceland” 10 Pray 11 Should have said 12 Deity of Islam 13 Book spine info 19 Oracle
22 “___ making myself clear?” 25 Civil rights pioneer Parks 26 Blow out of the water 27 Steer clear of 28 Angel’s topper 29 Aquatic bird similar to a loon 30 Michigan’s ____ Locks 33 Ash blond, e.g. 34 Enthralled by 35 Lute-shaped fruit 37 New Mexico artists’ colony 38 Annoy 39 Dress along the Ganges 41 Blonds’ counterparts (Var.) 42 Twisty, as a road 43 Sis’ counterparts 44 A ripe old age 45 Curly’s smacker 46 Small Pacific salmon 47 Golf clubs 48 Foursome for a Ford 51 Akron’s home 52 Bookworm, in slang 54 What people often do for pictures 55 Word with “steel” or “pigeon” 57 America’s Uncle 59 Baby’s word
First in Twenty Classic
By Nick Kryshak nkryshak@wisc.edu
Washington and the Bear
By Angel Lee alee23@wisc.edu
By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com
Sports
Monday december 5, 2011 DailyCardinal.com
Special teams make key plays, assure win
Football
Badgers flying high
ANALYSIS By Parker Gabriel the daily cardinal
mark kauzlarich/the daily cardinal
Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Duckworth hauls in a 36-yard bomb from senior quarterback Russell Wilson. The catch set up a seven-yard touchdown run and gave the Badgers the 42-39 victory.
champs from page 1 “We feel like we underperformed in the first half of this game defensively,” sophomore linebacker Chris Borland said. “The offense kept us in it but we were able to get a few stops in the second half.” The Badgers were able to get the stop they needed on the opening possession. Once the defense did their part, senior quarterback Russell Wilson took it from there, evading a would-be tackler in the backfield on a third-and-long play, eventually finding junior wide receiver Jared Abbrederis wide open in the end zone for a 42-yard touchdown pass that cut the Spartan lead down to just one. “We brought corner blitz off the edge. We missed them,” Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio. “We’ve got to play coverage down the field and hook up the players in the deep part of the field on the scramble, and we did not do that. The guy was left wide open.” Michigan State responded on their next drive. Michigan State senior quarterback Kirk Cousins hit senior wide receiver B.J. Cunningham on a third-and-long situation. Cunningham sprinted past the Badger secondary en route to a 44 yard touchdown catch. Once again, the Badgers found
themselves in a hole heading into the fourth quarter. And once again, they pulled themselves out. The comeback began early in the fourth. Abbrederis gave the Badgers solid field position with a 44-yard kickoff return and Wilson’s offense took advantage. Junior runnning back Montee Ball later received a five-yard shovel pass from Wilson for the score, bringing the Badgers within two. Wisconsin would fail on a twopoint conversion attempt. Wisconsin then forced the Spartans to settle for a field goal and gave the offense a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Badger drive stalled in Michigan State territory and Wisconsin found themselves in a fourth and six situation. Rushed out of the pocket, Wilson heaved the ball downfield in the vicinity of sophomore receiver Jeff Duckworth and two Spartan defenders. Somehow, the 6-foot Duckworth came down with the ball at the eight-yard line, giving Wisconsin a first-and-goal opportunity with just over four minutes to play. “I knew Duckworth was running deep back to the back corner, and that was my only shot,” Wilson said after the win. “I knew he would come down with it once I put it up in the air, and it was a
Marquette hands Wisconsin first home loss As soon as Wisconsin men’s basketball felt they were ready for the national stage, the Badgers’ hopes of a top-5 ranking heading into the Big Ten season were dashed, first with Wednesday’s 60-57 loss at No. 5 North Carolina and then by a shocking 61-54 defeat at the hands of No. 16 Marquette, the latter coming in the friendly confines of the Kohl Center. Wisconsin (6-2 overall) struggled all day, losing the lead midway through the first half and never getting it back. The Badgers made two separate runs to cut double-digit Marquette leads to just a single possession differential, each time failing to hold onto the momentum. Senior guard Jordan Taylor dealt with foul trouble all day and while he did finish with a team-high 13 points, he also committed an
Photo courtesy dan sanger
Taylor finished the day with 13 points but also had five turnovers. uncharacteristic five turnovers in his 30 minutes on the floor. The Badgers continue their four-game homestand Wednesday against UW-Green Bay. Visit www.dailycardinal.com for
a full recap of the Badgers loss at home to Marquette.
max sternberg/ the daily cardinal
pretty spectacular play.” “A common saying that we’ve been using quite a bit over the last three or four weeks is ‘those who are humbled will be exalted and those who are exalted will be humbled’,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “That play right there gave justice to everything.” Ball finished things off with a seven-yard touchdown run. Converting the two-point attempt this time, Wisconsin took the 42-39 lead. Although the game eventually came down to a runninginto-the-kicker penalty against Michigan State, the pass to Duckworth will undoubtedly be the defining moment of the Badger comeback.
INDIANAPOLIS—All year, the punt and kickoff coverage units have given the Badgers fits. For the better part of 12 games, UW could not buy a break, buy a call or scrape up enough change for more than a desperation tackle when an opponent fielded any variety of kick. Early Saturday night in Indianapolis, with a berth in the Rose Bowl hanging in the balance, it seemed like that trend was destined to continue. After No. 15 Wisconsin (7-2 Big Ten, 11-2 overall) marched down the field and scored with its opening drive, freshman running back Nick Hill ripped off a 39-yard return and the No. 13 Spartans (7-3, 10-3) evened the score. Advantage in the field position department changed hands several times throughout the game, but the Badgers made two key plays on special teams coverage that had major ramifications on UW’s thrilling 42-39 victory. Late in the first quarter, after junior tailback Montee Ball scored his first of four touchdowns, sophomore linebacker Connor O’Neill put a solid hit on Hill and jarred the ball free. Sophomore tight end Jacob Pedersen fell on it, and Ball walked in for his second score just two plays later to extend the lead to 21-7. “We really stressed the four phases of the kicking game all week, as we do every week, and
thankfully it paid off,” head coach Bret Bielema said. The Badgers mustered two turnovers on kickoffs a week ago at Camp Randall, when a wet ball contributed to two muffed kicks by Penn State. Game conditions did not play into anything Saturday—domes tend to mitigate those factors—but Wisconsin certainly caught a break in the fourth quarter. Leading 42-39 and punting on fourth-and-four with 1:37 remaining in the game, senior Spartan wide receiver and Badger-killer Keshawn Martin fielded a punt from senior punter Brad Nortman and raced all the way inside the Wisconsin five-yard-line. However, sophomore safety Isaiah Lewis was flagged for running into Nortman when he got good pressure off the left edge and made contact with the back of the Brookfield, Wis. native’s right leg. The five-yard penalty gave UW a first down and, three kneeldowns later, a trip to Pasadena. “I thought [Nortman] flopped a little bit,” said MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, who noted he did not have a great view of the play. “Obviously, if he hit him, he just nicked him.” Nortman could not disagree. “Luckily they got a piece of me and it’s never hurts to put a little extra on it,” he said. “If that wasn’t called, I’d be surprised.” “I’ve got texts about acting classes and things like that. I can neither confirm nor deny anything like that,” Nortman added, smiling.