Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - The Daily Cardinal

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The dilemmas of dating Musings on the confusing world of courtship. Questions include: When is it finally appropriate to poo at your boo’s place? + PAGE TWO University of Wisconsin-Madison

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR A former member of Delta Upsilon weighs in on the recent issue of alleged racism in the Greek community.

+ OPINION, page 5

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SAFEcab program funding cut

Students push for state-level alcohol policy By Samuel Morgen The Daily Cardinal

By David Klein The Daily Cardinal

The Student Services Finance Committee removed the SAFEcab service from its Student Transportation Budget Monday. According to UW’s Transportation Services website, SAFEcab “provides emergency nighttime transportation to individuals who are outside the SAFEwalk boundary or who are not serviced by a SAFEride Bus route.”

“In the past couple of years, it’s just been a poorly run service.”

Chase Wilson vice chair SSFC

SSFC Vice Chair Chase Wilson said students do not use the program on a regular basis. “You can only use SAFEcab six times, so no one is using it as a standard form of transportation because you can’t depend on it,” Wilson said. Wilson said students have used the program significantly less in the past two fiscal years.

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UW alters protocol for reports of prejudice By Sam Cusick The Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison administration is simplifying protocol for students to report incidents involving prejudice conduct, speech or expression.

“By having better knowledge as to where there are problems, we can put ourselves as a university in a better position to be proactive.” Kevin Helmkamp associate dean of students

Associate Dean of Students Kevin Helmkamp said the current procedure has deterred some students from reporting incidents, and the new protocol will allow for more complete reporting of bias. Currently, students must fill out a written form and deliver it to the Dean of Students Office if they wish to

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Photo courtesy of Twitter, @ISNore (M. Geoff Murray)

ASM Chair Allie Gardner and SSFC Rep. Tia Nowack were arrested in Washington D.C. while protesting student loan debt Monday.

ASM Chair, student leaders arrested protesting in D.C. By Anna Duffin The Daily Cardinal

Associated Students of Madison Chair Allie Gardner and other student government leaders were arrested protesting in Washington, D.C. Monday. Gardner, along with Student Services Finance Committee Rep. Tia Nowack, student council representative-elect Maxwell Love, United Council President Seth Hoffmeister and UC Board member Michael Pincikowski were staging a sit-in outside of Sallie Mae, a major student loan distribution cooperation, when Washington D.C. police arrested them. The five were protesting student loan debt during the United States Student Association’s Lobby Day, part of the organization’s annual legislative conference. 36 students were arrested in total while staging the sit-in outside Sallie Mae waiting for CEO Albert Lord. Sallie Mae officials gave the students three warnings that the police were coming, but none of the protestors left. Some crowd members joined the protestors after learning they would be arrested. Gardner said the average UW-Madison student graduates with

about $27,000 in student loan debt, and being arrested was worth drawing attention to the cause. “This is an issue that’s been really hidden in the shadows,” Gardner said. “It was really important that students make it clear that this is a serious crisis, especially for UW-Madison students.” According to ASM Vice Chair Andrew Bulovsky, student segregated fees funded Gardner’s trip to the conference, where she was representing UW-Madison. He said Gardner’s actions are “unbecoming of a Badger,” and reflect poorly upon the university and state. “Students are paying for people to go to D.C. to lobby on their behalf at the national level, and I feel like this is not a good representation of student government or students in general,” Bulovsky said. But Gardner said UW-Madison students should not have to feel the burden of substantial student loan debt after graduating, and she was protesting to support students at the university. “It’s unacceptable that students are graduating with $27,000 in loans completely on education so that they can give back to their state or community,” Gardner said.

Student government’s Legislative Affairs Committee discussed plans to advocate making a campus-wide policy to protect underage students who have been drinking from being punished after reporting an incident into a state law Monday. Under the Responsible Action Policy, University Housing officials or UW-Madison police cannot take disciplinary action against an underage student who has been drinking for reporting an incident. By making Responsible Action a statewide policy, Morgan Ray, the author of the proposal, hopes to protect people under 21 who may be afraid to seek medical assistance while dangerously intoxicated for fear of facing legal and monetary consequences. “I’m just trying to get help when they need it, or for a friend, because obviously alcohol poisoning isn’t good,” Ray said. In a poll recently sent out to the student body, over 53 percent of respondents did not know about the policy. Despite the relative obscurity of the policy, in the first year of Responsible Action in 2011, the second-highest amount of people were admitted into detox. But committee members said students on campus still fear repercussions stemming from calling an intoxicated friend in to detox. Ray hopes making Responsible Action a state law will eliminate the fear people under 21 might have of fines for underage drinking when they might need medical attention. Ray said she expects tension from conservative Wisconsin Legislatures in attempting to implement the policy. “Republicans like to think if they ignore something like drinking it is just not going to happen,” Ray said. “Somebody who needs medical attention, it doesn’t matter if they are 20 and three weeks away from turning 21 or if they are like a freshman or in high school. I think if they need medical attention they should be able to get help without the fear of tickets.”

Mark Kauzlarich/the daily cardinal

Legislative Affairs Committee member Morgan Ray said many students do not know about the Responsible Action Policy.

“…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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