Top ten News Stories, fall 2011
Bird Flu Blues UW-Madison scientists are under fire for bird flu research. +SCIENCE, page 4 University of Wisconsin-Madison
We revisit the biggest headlines from this semester. +pages 8 and 9 Complete campus coverage since 1892
l
dailycardinal.com
Fall Farewell Issue 2011
Heroin ‘epidemic’ hits home One family’s tragedy illuminates drug’s growing impact in Madison It just turns a good person into a monster. JOE KLEIN, whose son overdosed on heroin
By Scott Girard & wife knew it could come at Taylor Harvey any time. “Obviously I was sad, but i s s o n w a s it wasn’t something that was s up p o s e d t o entirely unexpected.” Klein, meet him and whose son died of a heroin his wife for dinner overdose after eight years b u t n e ve r s h owe d of battling addiction, said. up. Joe Klein got a “He was always kind of a call from police the risk-taker, he was always next night instead. the kind of kid who would Most parents would be stand on his tiptoes to get on surprised to receive a phone a roller coaster.” call regarding their son’s Timothy Klein, 31, death, but as parents of a died at a friend’s heroin addict, Klein and his
H
apartment on the corner of Wilson and Broom Street in June of 2008. His was one of 21 overdoses in Dane County in 2008 that have contributed to the rising trend in heroin use and overdoses in Madison and throughout Dane County in recent years. According to the Madison
The Daily Cardinal
heroin, page 6 photo by mark kauzlarich/the daily cardinal
Mixed opinions about Egypt study abroad By Corinne Burgermeister
Police Department, the number of heroin overdoses in Dane County so far in 2011 is 131, over six times higher than in 2008. “As much as I hated to see it happen, I can tell
at UW-Madison, always imagined herself studying colloquial Arabic in the home of the Nile River and the historic Giza pyramids. While she felt the university’s initial response was reasonable given the uncertainties of the situation, she thinks it is a good time to re-open the program. Instead, Bechard will travel to Morocco next semester, where she will study their regional variation of Arabic. Although her academic requirements will be met, she said the Moroccan language is less widely known and the cultural experience will undoubtedly be different than the Egypt program.
Mining bill divides Wisconsin public
“I was a little disappointed but at the same time I understood what was going on in the country and understood why it wasn’t the greatest time to be there,” Bechard said. “Although at the same time, it does make [Egypt] a little more appealing to witness [political shifts] firsthand.” Jurgens said he felt safe in his three weeks abroad, but he understands why the university had to cancel the program. “For once in my life I got to experience history firsthand,” Jurgens said. “But I can’t imagine trying to do that with school and in a whole different country at the same time.” Jurgens said he chose to return to Madison, though many in the program relocated to other countries. “I had my heart set on Egypt, and I didn’t really want to go to any of the options,” he said. Although political unrest in Egypt remains, UW-Madison and Michigan State are the only two schools within the Big Ten to suspend their programs. While Michigan State canceled photo courtesy michael jurgens its program for the 2011
Iron and Ashland counties, in the very north of Wisconsin, are home to over 300 lakes and serve as a hotspot for outdoor enthusiasts. Ashland County is also home to the Bad River Indian Tribe, who has lived on its reservation since 1854. But these two counties that are celebrated for their natural beauty also suffer from some of the highest unemployment in the state. If the state Legislature passes legislation that would streamline the mine permitting process, an iron mining company would resume plans for a large-scale mine in the region. The company, Gogebic Taconite, promises to bring much needed job growth to the region but environmental groups, and representatives of the Bad River Tribe say it would come at the environment’s expense of the environment. The new bill, which would change the current process of applying for mining permits from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, aims to restructure the regulations in a way that would clearly define both the timelines and the amount of information associated with the permitting process. Gogebic Taconite has halted its plans to open a mine in Northern Wisconsin until the bill moves forward. Legislators and lobbying groups who support the bill claim it streamlines the permitting process and allows for beneficial job and economic growth while still maintaining proper protection for the environment. Jessie Augustyn, legislative assistant to state
egypt page 3
mining page 3
Armed with kitchen knives and guns, a local militia formed to protect their city from protestors after police were forced out of Alexandria. The mob caught up with one man and beat him mercilessly, with the attack ending only after a man with a machete dragged him around the corner. This is the scene UW-Madison senior Michael Jurgens witnessed from the balcony of his seventh-floor apartment while studying abroad in Egypt last spring. At 6 a.m. the next morning, Jurgens and his roommates received a call from UW’s program partner, International Foreign Study Abroad, telling them they were being evacuated. Since the uprising against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last February, UW-Madison has suspended all International Academic Programs to the country, according to Interim Managing Director Julie Lindsey. Now, UW-Madison students have expressed mixed opinions about the UW-Madison student Michael Jurgens spent three weeks program’s future. Laura Bechard, a junior abroad in Egypt amidst the politically tense Arab Spring.
By Jack Casey The Daily Cardinal
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”