University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Three student’s candidacy for ASM Chair By Katrina Kallas STAFF WRITER
As the 2021-22 academic school year comes to a close, elections for the ASM Student Council are in full swing. The primary elections were held in late March to determine which students will sit on the council, which is made up of 33 elected members who work in legislative positions as the voice of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. However, the role of ASM Chair, which comes with a number of responsibilities, has yet to be decided. Junior Steven Shi, sophomore Ndemazea Fonkem and junior Maxwell Laubenstein are all running for the position. “It’s like a moderator during the [student council] meetings, and it’s also the representation of the entire ASM,” Shi said. “We talk with university administrators and the legislature about things that we are considering.” The position requires a lot of work with both students, staff and university employers in order to create a cohesive environment at Madison. Shi has many goals that he plans to accomplish if elected,
most of which are for the direct benefit of students themselves. With a goal to raise the student minimum wage on campus, Shi hopes to see the plan for a $15 minimum wage go through for the 2022-23 school year. “The $15 minimum wage … that question is authored by me, and I want to see that go through,” he said. “I already talked [about] segregated fees funding some employers like Union, RecWell, [etc].” Shi also hopes to create a more inclusive space for all students at Madison, including international students. An international student himself, Shi would be the first international student elected to this position. “Being Chair will give me the loudest voice that hasn’t been given to international students for three decades,” Shi told the Cardinal. Hoping to raise the voices of minority groups on campus, Shi plans to work with the Diversity and Equity Coordinator on the subject. He hopes to create a space of diversity that addresses all minority groups, hoping to increase the sense of equity and equality across campus. “I find that the past practice of
diversity and inclusion has been focused on one or two specific minority groups so much that it neglected other minority groups, like Jewish students, international students,” he said. “What I envision is the kind of diversity and inclusion that addresses everyone’s problem, not just one or two specific groups.” Sophomore Charlie Fahey is campaigning for Vice Chair to work alongside Shi, hoping to play a major role in making changes for students on campus and helping their voices be heard. “[As] Vice Chair, unlike a lot of other roles, you really get to define what you want to do,” he said “There’s some basic responsibilities, but it gives me the freedom to pursue causes that I really care about.” If elected, Fahey has a variety of goals that he wants to accomplish in order to help Madison become a more tight-knit community. With a focus on making sure each student has a voice and is able to express their opinions freely, Fahey said he wants to create a place where “... any student, even if they’re not on the student council, can feel free
to come to our meetings and express themselves.” Fonkem is also running for ASM Chair, with a focus on both inclusion and monetary adjustments. Like Shi and Fahey, Fonkem also supports the push for a $15 minimum wage, as well as an adjustment to student housing. In her campaign declaration, Fonkem states that she wants to “advocate for more affordable student housing options, including the expansion of student cooperative housing like Zoe Bayliss.” With an emphasis on campus inclusion, she also plans to “cultivate community cohesion and belonging for
all students.” As chair, Laubenstein believes he could push ASM forward by supporting every student representative. “Every day in ASM has been a learning experience for me and the clearest thing that I have learned is that this organization is strongest when its members support each other,” he stated in his campaign declaration. Fonkem and Laubenstein did not respond to interview requests from The Daily Cardinal. The ASM Chair and Vice Chair for the 2022-23 academic school year will be announced on Sunday, April 24.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAXWELL LAUBENSTEIN, STEVEN SHI AND NDEMAZEA FONKEM
Left to Right above: Steven Shi, Mdemazea Fonkem, and Maxwell Laubstein.
Gov. Evers releases the state’s first-ever clean energy plan By Alexander Tan STAFF WRITER
Gov. Tony Evers released the state’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan Tuesday after issuing an executive order that created the state’s Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy (OSCE). The effort is part of a broader collaborative effort to make all electricity consumed within the state of Wisconsin totally carbonfree by 2050. The Clean Energy Plan puts forth numerous strategies to lower energy prices for Wisconsin families, promote energy independence in the state by cutting reliance on out-of-state sources, improve water security and weather-resistant infrastructure and invest in job training to support industries and technologies, such as solar energy, that are conducive to cleaner energy. “Over the past two years the OSCE team worked to create a collaborative path forward to address emissions in our state,” OSCE Director Maria Redmond said. “I’m looking forward to implementation of this plan and to continuing to work with partners across the state to support sustainable local economies, environmental justice
and direct actions to address climate change. ” Evers believes that executing these recommendations will create more than 40,000 jobs by 2030. To bolster the workforce, the plan will work with technical colleges to develop pathways into the clean energy industry, support reentry skills training programs for incarcerated individuals and create a Clean Energy Workforce Advisory Council. “Our Clean Energy Plan can help us create good paying jobs that don’t require a college degree
and bring talented workers to Wisconsin while saving money, reducing energy costs and building the sustainable future we want for our state,” Evers said. Wisconsin in particular has much room to improve with its energy sourcing: a 2019 study conducted by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy estimated that Wisconsin annually sends $14.4 billion out of state due to the it’s dependence on out-of-state energy sources. The same study expects that 100% instate production would directly create an estimated 162,100 net
COURTESY OF JEFF MILLER
Gov. Evers and OSCE put out a plan to lower energy bills and invest in jobs.
jobs, increase the GDP due to instate spending and save the state several billion dollars of expenditure due to greater investment in energy efficiency. “By expanding and speeding up production of cheaper, cleaner energy like wind and solar here in Wisconsin, we can keep our money here at home rather than relying on unpredictable markets often disrupted by foreign leaders and conflicts,” Evers stated. In addition, the plan includes environmental justice directives meant to address the disproportionate impacts of the energy industry on low-income communities and communities of color. Some of these goals include equitable opportunities for the clean energy jobs and improvement of energy affordability. Wisconsin Conservation Voters have applauded Evers’ release of the Clean Energy Plan, declaring it “the strongest roadmap to climate justice and clean energy in Wisconsin history.” “This plan is a much needed step to addressing the climate crisis and creating economic opportunities for the people of Wisconsin,” Wisconsin Conservation Voters Executive Director Kerry
Schumann said. “We look forward to working with the governor to build a clean energy future that creates opportunities for everyone in the state.” The Clean Energy Plan builds on the previous work of the Evers Administration, including the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change. Beyond energy infrastructure, it also rolls out a few subsidiary goals, including modernizing building methods, conserving forests and funding for electric and alternative transportation. It ultimately incorporated the suggestions of people throughout Wisconsin, including utilities, private industry, frontline communities, Tribal Nations, government partners and academic experts. “Wisconsin’s economy depends on fresh air, clean water and fruitful land. But it’s more than that — it’s part of who we are as a people, from handing down a family farm to teaching the next generation to hunt or fish to showing a loved one a new park or trail,” Evers said. “We must deliver on the promise we made to our kids by leaving them a better life and world than the one we inherited, and this plan will ensure we can deliver on that promise for generations to come.”
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”