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Thursday, March 4, 2021

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Fly-Over Country to Alex Lasry

Women’s hockey wins WCHA +Sports, page 4

+Opinion 7

Badgers for Special Olympics address inclusion

By Anthony Trombi STAFF WRITER

Badgers for Special Olympics discussed the inclusion of students with disabilities at a meeting Tuesday.

The student organization aims to further the mission of the Special Olympics by creating an environment that develops relationships between people — with and without disabilities — to further one of their guiding values: Inclusion.

Sydney Schaeffer, a board member of Badgers for Special Olympics, moderated the event and facilitated questions for the six panelists. These panelists included sophomore Kimberly Stathas, senior Maddie Gogolewski, junior Geroge Baldassano, senior Sammi Lococo, Edgewood College junior Nate Barge and local student Tyler Wigington.

Topics of discussion ranged from what inclusion means to ways UW-Madison can improve inclusivity on campus.

“Inclusion to me is respecting, welcoming and celebrating everyone’s uniqueness,” said Lococo.

“This also means having a loving environment where everyone can be one-hundred percent their authentic selves.”

Barge discussed his part in

Edgewood’s Cutting Edge program, where he works with individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Cutting Edge was piloted in 2007 and served as the first program at a four-year college in Wisconsin to offer a fully inclusive college experience for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to its website.

“On the baseball team as a team manager, I find ways to build relationships between the Cutting Edge program and the athletics department,” said Barge.

“There is a lot of inclusivity with Cutting Edge on campus. Since it is a small campus it is easy to get to know everyone.”

Through Badgers for Special Olympics, many students can find a safe place on campus to build friendships.

“Everything Badgers for Special Olympics does makes sure to include everyone around us,” said Stathas on why he enjoys being a member of the organization. “This goes into what living unified means, lifting up friends and strangers at any cost. Also spreading kindness and being there for people when they are down. We are all open to the opportunity of new friendships

and opportunities.”

Panelists also talked about what the UW-Madison community can do to be more inclusive of individuals with disabilities.

While the university takes action to promote inclusivity and provide safe spaces on campus, the panelists expressed a continued need for improvement.

“I would like to see more students volunteering,” said Baldassano. “This can be accomplished by the school putting some volunteering requirements or incentives to get students to try volunteering. I think this would really get some students out of their shells and find them a cause they are in love with and take off with.”

Stathas mentioned additional ways in which the university holds up barriers toward students with disabilities, even while providing services like the McBurney Disability Resource Center, which assists students with issues ranging from note-taking to housing accomodations.

“I have noticed that prerecorded lectures do not have closed captioning,” said Stathas.

“This is one example of a lot of barriers for online education.

McBurney can be a barrier too

COURTESY OF BRITTA HESSELBERG

Badgers for Special Olympics discussed the inclusion of students with disabilities. and some things can be difficult to get the support you need.

UW-Madison has inclusive strategies but there is always room for improvement.”

Local athlete Tyler Wigington spoke about his involvement with Badgers for Special Olympics.

“My dad got me involved. He started to volunteer with some of the Badgers for Special Olympics students for about a year,” said Wigington. “It is very unique to get out and spend time getting to know all the students. It is a great way to get out there with sports and also through their

book club.”

Badgers for Special Olympics encouraged attendees to share what inclusion means to them, as well as ways in which they will show inclusion, on a jamboard. Additionally, the organization encouraged signing a Special Olympics “Inclusion Pledge.”

Students looking to get involved can click “contact” in the top right of the student organization page and send a brief email saying they are looking to join.

The organization also provides a form for prospective members to fill out.

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expands in Wisconsin rollout

By Emma Grenzebach STAFF WRITER

Wisconsin has ramped up its vaccine rollout, as more groups are now eligible to receive the vaccine and the state will receive doses of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

As of Tuesday, 16 percent of the Wisconsin population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Department of Health Services (DHS) dashboard. This corresponds to 1,466,654 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine dis-

JEFF MILLER/UW-MADISON

Wisconsin has ramped up its vaccine rollout to include more groups.

tributed throughout the state.

Of these doses, 510,239 were a second dose. This means more than half a million people in the state have completed their vaccine series.

Racial disparities are still apparent in the vaccine distribution. Of white residents in the state, 15.5 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

This compares to 11.2 percent of American Indian residents, 7.1 percent of Asian residents and 5.1 percent of Black residents.

Black residents have 2.1 times greater hospitalization rates from COVID-19 and American Indians have 1.5 times greater death rates compared to white residents.

DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said that Wisconsin is one of the top states when it comes to distributing the vaccine, according to a WisEye Tuesday media briefing.

The national average for distribution of the allotted vaccines is 78 percent; Wisconsin has given 93 percent of the available doses.

Before Monday, frontline healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term care facili-

ties, police and fire personnel, correctional staff and adults aged 65 and older were eligible to receive vaccinations.

As of March 1, eligibility has extended to people in the 1B group, which includes education and child care staff, individuals enrolled in Medicaid long-term care programs, some public facing essential workers, non-frontline essential healthcare personnel and staff and residents of congregant living facilities. For this 1B group, education and child care staff are given full priority.

Van Dijk explained that 47,000 to 48,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be shipped to Wisconsin next week. These doses will be allocated mostly to educators first in order to make way for the rest of those eligible in the 1B group.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one dose and only requires refrigeration, while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are twodose vaccines and must be kept in ultra-cold storage.

After this initial shipment of Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the state does not expect more of

those doses until closer to the end of March.

At the briefing, when asked how Wisconsinites would be notified when they become eligible, Van Dijk suggested people monitor the DHS website, register with the new DHS vaccine registry system — which will add more providers over time — and call their physician’s office to ask about their eligibility if they have a regular primary care provider.

“Having more doses available to us means that we can vaccinate more people. And the more people who get vaccinated, the safer we all are,” said Van Dijk. “We have built an impressive vaccination effort here in Wisconsin and we look forward to continuing to ensure we get shots in arms as quickly, as safely and as equitably as possible.”

The state is still making decisions about which groups will be included in the next wave of eligibility. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the U.S. was on track to have vaccines for every adult by the end of May, according to the New York Times.

“…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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Thursday, March 4, 2021

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Robinson family continues legal fight

By Benjamin Farrell STAFF WRITER

A local activist group held a candlelight vigil Sunday outside of Dane County District Attorney’s home to commemorate Tony Robinson’s death and urge officials to reopen his investigation.

Local activist group Black Umbrella representatives stated that their decision to hold the vigil outside of District Attorney Ismael Ozanne’s house is intended to pressure him to reopen an investigation into Madison Police Department police officer Matt Kenny and his involvement with Robinson’s death.

In 2015, Kenny shot and killed Robinson, an unarmed Black teenager, while responding to a call regarding Robinson’s erratic behavior.

“We believe in holding our elected officials accountable for their actions and inaction right at their doorstep,” Black Umbrella said in a statement to the Cardinal. “The district attorney has never allowed a sit down or conversation, or personally answered any phone calls or emails. He also has refused to comment on if he has the power to reopen the case against Matt Kenny.

Black Umbrella held the vigil because the statute of limitations regarding the shooting are due to expire on March 7, sparking renewed calls for officials to press criminal charges against Kenny.

Robinson’s grandmother, Sharon Irwin-Henry, created an online petition to file a lawsuit against Kenny and the MPD before the statute of limitations expires. In the petition, Irwin-Henry accuses Kenny of perjuring himself, and claims that the MPD failed to properly investigate its officers under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Lorien Carter, Robinson’s aunt who has been involved in activism and advocacy since Robinson’s death, said she expects that new testimony from expert witnesses will play a major role in showing

that Kenny’s recollection of the shooting was inaccurate.

“Tony stood at six foot four, I believe. maybe sixfive, Matthew Kenny stood at five foot nothing,” Carter said. “And every single bullet that entered my nephew’s body is at a downward trajectory. If things have been the way that he said that it happened on the staircase, where he claimed to have fired up at him, then none of them would be facing downwards.”

In 2017 the city of Madison settled a $3.35 million lawsuit with Robinson’s family over allegations that Kenny lied about his encounter with Robinson.

According to Carter, attempts to pursue justice for Robinson’s death have been met with pushback from local officials, including the MPD, who declined to comment on the six year anniversary of Robinson’s death.

“Everybody in government has given us pushback,” Carter said. “The only time that I can genuinely say that I haven’t received pushback is when you’re talking

to specific officers one-onone who don’t agree with what had happened.”

Carter claims that the District Attorney’s Office behaved unprofessionally following the death of Robinson, which added to the trauma experienced by family members. Carter alleged that Ozanne purposefully waited until Mother’s Day to inform Robinson’s family that he planned not to file charges against Kenny.

“The DA had decided to call us and let us know, even though he had known days before,” Carter said. “Even during the phone call, he said yeah, my wife didn’t want me to call you on Mother’s Day either. But I knew that there was no time that was going to be a good time.”

Carter also questioned Ozanne’s commitment to his constituents, claiming that the District Attorney failed to properly review all of the evidence surrounding the incident.

“He said that, ‘oh, because I’m a person of color, I can understand. Trust me when I tell you that this wasn’t an easy decision for me to come

to,’ but we all know it was,” Carter said. “It was so easy, in fact, that you didn’t go over not a single stitch of evidence in crimes with police officerinvolved shootings.”

Carter also said that, during her first visit with MPD following her nephew’s death, former interim Police Chief Vic Wahl made an insensitive joke.

“At the end of the interview, he looks at us and he smiles and he said to my brother and I ‘you two should come work for me.’ Did you just offer us a job after your department killed our nephew? Are you serious right now?” Carter said.

Carter voiced her hope that her efforts to pursue criminal charges against Kenny and the MPD will be aided by renewed interest in racial justice following the protests against police brutality that occurred throughout 2020.

“We’ve got the whole city of Madison wanting to participate now,” said Carter. “This year is the first year that we have just huge public support because of everything that happened in 2020 with racial injustice coming out.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF TONY ROBINSON/FACEBOOK

Community calls to reopen an investigation have grown as the statute of limitations for the case nears.

Spring 2021 Campus Climate Progress Report reactions

By Gina Musso COLLEGE NEWS EDITOR

UW-Madison student leaders reacted to the Spring 2021 Campus Climate Progress Report, which highlights diversity initiatives on campus.

The report, released on Feb. 24, covers campus initiatives towards inclusion and includes statistics, including an increase from 9.9% to 11.7% in the amount of underrepresented undergraduate students of color on campus and an increase from 18% to 25% of faculty of color at the university, both from 2011 to 2020.

UW-Madison also noted how the retention rate, which covers the amount of freshmen who returned for a second year, among underrepresented domestic students of color is the highest it has ever been at

95.9% and is above the retention rate for the entire student body which is at 95.2%.

The report discussed how the amount of underrepresented students of color among the UW-Madison freshman class in 2020 increased by 19.8 percent at 989 students compared to 825 students last year. While students of color make up 13.5% of the freshman class, some student leaders think there is more work that must be done.

“Reports like this kind of just seem arbitrary to me personally,” said Juliana Bennett, a UW-Madison junior and a co-founder of the UW-Madison Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Coalition. “If you’re really gonna do a climate report, then you also need to recognize where you’ve failed, where there is still room for

improvement. This climate report fails to recognize all that BIPOC students have been pushing against this past year.”

Throughout the last two semesters, the BIPOC Coalition has advocated for initiatives including pass/fail grading systems, the payment of international students who telecommute and the Associated Students of Madison COVID-19 Student Relief Fund — clashing often with university administration.

One initiative that the report discusses is the Business Emerging Leaders Program through the Wisconsin School of Business, of which Bennett is a member.

“As a junior in college that has gone through three years of being in the program prior to UW and coming here, I can say that we haven’t really received

support while at the UW,” Bennett said. “We had support coming in in the three years prior when we were high school students, but when we came to UW, it is clear that this program is really to use our faces and tokenize us.”

Another initiative that is mentioned in the report is the Diversity Forum 2020, which was controversial because white author Robin DiAngelo was paid $12,750 and Black author Austin Channing Brown was paid $7,500.

The report also mentions plans for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Summit, scheduled for March 11-12, 2021, which will feature virtual activities and tips that focus on caring for one’s mental health. Bennett

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COVID-19’s impact on student living decisions

By Elea Levin STAFF WRITER

This past fall, while much of the world was sheltering in place and leaving their homes as little as possible to lower their risk of being exposed to COVID-19, college students across the world were doing something that might seem unthinkable in the middle of a pandemic: Moving.

Many students faced the difficult decision of if they should come back to the Madison area at the beginning of both the Fall and Spring semesters, both of which began when COVID-19 cases were on the rise. Despite the majority of classes and student activities being held virtually, many students made the decision to return for non-academic reasons.

“You only get four years of college, so I think you’re losing something from going home and just taking classes from your bedroom,” sophomore Sienna Green said. “If you’re able to, you might as well put yourself on a college campus.”

Others felt that the risk of contracting COVID-19 by coming back to Madison was too high.

“I decided to stay home because I am in general very nervous about COVID,” junior Molly Kehoe said.

“If I’m on a college campus in a pandemic, I’ll be constantly worried and convinced that I have it.”

Though in-person classes were not the main motivator for many students who decided to return to Madison, some students ran into problems with their schedule after opting to stay home for the semester.

Kehoe said she doesn’t mind taking her classes fully virtually.

She did, however, have to change her Fall 2020 schedule after making the decision to stay home because one of her courses only allowed students who would be in-person to participate in the hybrid model of instruction.

“It ended up being fine, but all of last semester I was meeting with my advisors and seeing if it’s possible to take all these classes online that I had to take or I wouldn’t be able to graduate in December,” Kehoe said. “It was a stressor, but it worked out.”

Kehoe originally only planned to stay home for the first semester

+REPORT was contacted in the planning of this event and likes the idea of having resources for students of color, but hopes for more consistent mental health resources.

of school, but after seeing the continuously higher rates of COVID19 in Madison and having already found someone to sublet her apartment, decided not to return for the second semester either.

Not all students were as lucky.

The UW-Madison sublet and roommate Facebook group has been highly active since the pandemic began, with daily posts by individuals looking to sublet rooms and even entire apartments and houses.

Because many students sign leases for the subsequent year early on, some who opted not to return to Madison this year were unable to get out of their leasing contract or find someone to sublease to.

For students who stayed at home for the semester, some of the stress about COVID-19 was mitigated by not being on a college campus or seeing as many people. Still, many of these students faced other stress factors from not being on campus with their friends.

“I’m missing out on things, and part of me feels like I’m not going through that experience with anyone,” Kehoe said. “I still talk to my friends, but I feel some level of disconnect.”

For many freshmen, the decision to come and live on campus was motivated by the desire to make friends in-person rather than from behind a screen. Because freshman year is a time when so many students find the friends they spend the next four years with, many were hesitant to miss out on that experience.

But for those living in the dorms, frequent exposure to COVID-19 caused some additional anxiety on top of adjusting to life in a new environment.

When the Sellery and Witte residence halls went into a two week lockdown in September following an outbreak, many students opted to ride out the lockdown at home, or to move to an apartment for the rest of the year. According to University Housing, the residents halls opened at about 83% capacity for the fall semester, but occupancy fell to about 64% by the beginning of spring semester.

Dr. Katie Eklund, an Associate Professor in the School Psychology program at UW-Madison, noted that the pandemic and increased housing instability have caused

a rise in mental health concerns among students.

“When students experience social isolation and abrupt transitions, they can be especially prone to feelings of loneliness and higher rates of anxiety and depression,” she said.

Meaning, when students are removed from their social support systems and extracurricular activities on campus, they can develop a feeling of lost connection to friends, organizations and other interests they are used to being able to pursue.

“It’s important to remember that each student will need or want something different during this time of uncertainty during the

pandemic. For some college students, staying home for the semester or year might represent a great choice for their own mental health and wellbeing,” Eklund said. “For other students, this set-up could be less than ideal.”

This school year has brought extra anxiety for nearly all students, but that doesn’t mean that individuals who decided to come to campus and those that decided to stay home didn’t make the right choices for their safety and wellness.

For Green, being at home with her family meant that her ability to socialize was much more restricted because she did not want to spread the virus to any-

one in her household. This was enough to motivate Green to come back to Madison.

“It was definitely more tense at home in terms of the COVID situation,” she said. “All the decisions you make at home directly impact your parents.”

While Kehoe does plan to return to school next fall, she intentionally signed a lease in a smaller apartment building where there is less risk of spreading the virus. “[When looking for an apartment] I was really thinking about where I could be around the least amount of people,” Kehoe stated.

“If I wasn’t worried about the pandemic, I would be a lot more open to more places.”

“Where [are] the mental health resources for people of color?” Bennett said. “There’s only like three or so mental health providers specifically for people of color at this uni-

versity, and they are so busy that they literally have to turn people away.”

UW-Madison Director of News and Media Relations Meredith McGlone said the

University recognizes and appreciates student organizations’ efforts but does not want to take credit for their work, as the report focuses on university-led initiatives.

“The new report reflects the recent emphasis, both on campus and around the country, on issues facing BIPOC communities,” McGlone said. “However, it’s important to note that most of the work highlighted in the report addresses multiple underrepresented communities and identities, including the LGBTQ+ community. ” On Wednesday, UW-Madison announced their plans to utilize $20 million raised to support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts through the RaimeyNoland Campaign, named after the first known African American UW-Madison graduates, Mabel Raimey and William Noland.

Plans for the fund include the implementation of schol-

arships and programming — aimed to increase the diversity of the student body, faculty and staff — to help students achieve academic success and career readiness, foster an inclusive campus community and support research to address injustices and advance equity.

“Overall this past year has been a time of social justice reckoning, reckoning for underrepresented communities,” Bennett said. “Frankly, I think that if it didn’t make this report it is because the University didn’t do anything or doesn’t find it something to brag about.

So much more could’ve been in this climate report if the University would just embrace BIPOC student demands.”

UW-Madison student leaders reacted to the Spring 2021 Campus Climate Progress Report, which highlights diversity initiatives on campus.

KALLI ANDERSON/THE DAILY CARDINAL

College students across the world have been doing something that might seem unthinkable during a pandemic.

COURTESY OF ROBYN GEORGE AND ADAM DUNNE

UW-Madison student leaders reacted to the Spring 2021 Campus Climate Progress Report, highlighting diversity initiatives.

sports Badger women’s hockey nabs WCHA season title, splitting series vs. UMD l

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Thursday, March 4, 2021

dailycardinal.com

By Ryan Cody and Christian Voskuil STAFF WRITERS

The Wisconsin women’s hockey team (12-3-1) became WCHA regular-season champions for the second straight season following a 4-3 overtime win over Minnesota-Duluth (11-5) Saturday afternoon at Amsoil Arena.

Game one was a somewhat unusually poor offensive showing, as the Badgers were only able to convert two scoring opportunities throughout the game, both coming in the first period.

Nicole Lamantia was able to score off of an early power play opportunity after the Bulldogs were penalized for having too many players on the ice, giving the Badgers an early 1-0 lead.

However, the Badgers quickly fell behind the Bulldogs after giving up two goals in the space of three minutes.

Brette Pettet equalized the score for Wisconsin with a goal, but the Badgers never answered Duluth’s two goals that would carry them to a 4-2 series-opening win.

Defensively, a consistent theme for the Badgers this season has been starting slow, with many of the Badgers losses coming as a result of early scoring sprees by the opposition during the first period, and game one was no exception. Going forward, the Badgers will need to

AJ HARRISON /UW ATHLETICS

Senior defenseman Grace Bowlby smiles on the LaBahn Arena ice. Bowlby was one of three Badgers to be named First Team All-Conference. prevent these early runs to protect themselves against an upset during the postseason.

Game two started slower.

After not much happening for the Badgers through the first half of the opening period, Makenna Webster got free behind the Bulldog defense with a chance to give Wisconsin the lead. The freshman forward’s

shot attempt was turned away

by UMD’s Emma Söderberg, and the Bulldogs dumped the puck into the Badgers’ zone.

Wisconsin’s Nicole LaMantia picked up the loose puck but threw away possession with an errant pass that was picked up

by Minnesota-Duluth’s Gabbie Hughes, who skated around LaMantia and shot the puck

AJ HARRISON/UW ATHLETICS

Patty Kazmaier Award Finalist Daryl Watts celebrates a goal with teammates Chayla Edwards and Britta Curl.

between Wisconsin’s Kennedy Blair to make it 1-0, Bulldogs.

The Badgers had two power play opportunities toward the end of the period to tie up the game, but the second-best penalty kill in the WCHA stood stout, keeping the 1-0 scoreline going into the second period.

The second period was a goal galore, surprising for the two best scoring defenses in the WCHA. The nation’s leading scorer, Daryl Watts, started the scoring in the second period, breaking her four-game scoring drought.

Watts took the puck from linemate Sophie Shirley in front of the Badger goal and skated end-to-end before sliding the puck past Söderberg to tie the game, 1-1.

Hughes gave the Bulldogs the lead once again later in the period, poking the puck into the goal as Blair tried to cover it with her glove.

Five minutes later, MinnesotaDuluth’s Anna Klien doubled the Bulldog lead. Klein situated herself right in front of the goal and scored off a centering pass from Taylor Anderson to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.

Just when it looked as if Wisconsin might have lost all momentum, the Badgers’ Lacey Eden made sure to keep her team in the game. Only 23 seconds after Klien’s goal, Eden sniped a goal from the top of the slot to bring the Badgers’ deficit back within one going into the final period of play.

The third period was full of frantic play on both sides, as it seemed that the pressure of playing for a championship title was starting to hit both teams.

With just over two minutes left in the third period, Wisconsin took a timeout to figure out their game plan in hopes of saving their chances of winning the title. Following that timeout, the Badgers’

Brette Pettet won the faceoff in Wisconsin’s zone, and Eden and Watts went off to the races.

As soon as Eden carried the puck into the UMD zone, Wisconsin pulled Blair to bring on an extra attacker.

With that extra attacker, the Badgers let out a barrage of shots, eventually leading to Watts picking up a rebound behind the net. The senior spun around and sent a pass to the front of the net, hoping to find a teammate to equalize. She found that teammate in Pettet, whose goal tied the game, 3-3, with 87 seconds left in the period.

The tied score meant the game was heading to a threeon-three overtime period; the next score would win the WCHA title.

As the saying goes, big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games, and there was no bigger player on the ice than Daryl Watts. Watts took an outlet pass from Britta Curl and led a two-on-one fastbreak with Nicole LaMantia. Watts skated in patiently, looked over her options, and sniped a shot over Söderberg’s stick-side shoulder to give Wisconsin the game win and the conference title.

Coach Mark Johnson talked after the game about this season and winning this title in a year like this.

“I think we’ll all look back on it and remember how everybody had a big smile on their face because they did what they needed to do and they got rewarded for their efforts,” Johnson said. “I’m just really happy for them.”

As WCHA regular-season champs, Wisconsin will go into next weekend’s WCHA Final Faceoff as the top seed. The Badgers will face the four seed, No. 8 Minnesota, in their semifinal game on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Minneapolis.

arts ‘I Care A Lot’ fails its female lead dailycardinal.com

Thursday, March 4, 2021

By Emily Knepple ARTS EDITOR

There’s real excitement in movies with a female lead. Very honestly, I’m more drawn to things that show women doing cool stuff than I am to watching male characters talk over each other for two hours. If I wanted to witness that, I would just leave my apartment.

But anyways, I get really excited when I see a trailer that showcases strong, badass women in charge. It’s cool to see a shift in the narrative, it’s even cooler when it’s done correctly.

In J Blakeson’s new Netflix thriller “I Care A Lot,” we follow Rosamund Pike as Marla Grayson, someone who appears, at first, to be the lady in charge and we quickly learn that yes, she’s a lady in charge, but of what turns out to be the actual plot.

Grayson is the head of an operation that takes advantage of older people by deeming them incapable of living on their own. In turn, Grayson becomes their legal guardian and soon enough, they become a bank account to suck dry. While that sounds like a pretty cool plot to follow, what falls short is Grayson as a character. There’s not much to her other than a bobbed haircut, an obnoxiously large vape and a lack of real personality.

I can’t help but think that maybe this is what happens when men try to write compelling women. Maybe Grayson sounded really cool in Blakeson’s head and when he had to actually put her on paper, on screen, his ambitions fell short and it was a lot easier to have the leading lady be a pawn in a bigger game.

When Jennifer Peterson becomes Grayson’s next prospect, everyone learns quickly that she’s not just an inept old person who’s easy to

SEACIA PAVAO / NETFLIX

Rosamund Pike is Marla Grayson, a shady legal guardian who gets caught up with a certain victim. screw over. Her son, played by Peter Dinklage, quickly catches wind of her disappearance and soon the Russian Mafia is breaking down doors to the senior home and shooting security guards without hesitation.

It’s a movie that has your jaw dropping every five minutes because it’s hard to pin down what’s exactly happening. You don’t have time to digress the last scene because you’re already on the next.

A minute away from the screen leaves you stranded. Where did she go? Why is he doing that? Is she really hitting the vape again?

The only consistent plot element is the obnoxious vape. It’s actually one of the few things that stuck out to me the entire time and it’s already had its fair share of memes online.

And that’s the problem. In a

movie that has potential to tell a cool story about a female villain, the audience shouldn’t be walking away wondering how much a vape company had to put up in order to get that much screen time.

We don’t see any development on Grayson’s end, the only thing we know about her personally is that she works alongside her girlfriend, Fran, who grows hesitant when Grayson continues to keep Peterson under her “care” after a near-death experience.

In our current society, we hear the term ‘girl boss’ being thrown around a ton. In “I Care A Lot,” the movie quickly becomes awkward, girl-boss propaganda. What was once accepted by the public as a term to describe a hardworking, capable woman is now a memeifable concept, one that

falls short of its real goal and allows for mockery. And just for the record, does anyone ever say boy boss?

It also has generally only ever really applied to white women.

Think Sheryl Sandberg or Hillary Clinton. It tends to disregard racial disparity and only makes way for a change in the gender gap. Not to say that gender equality isn’t important, but girl boss as a societal trend has relied heavily on the workings of white women and gender equality isn’t pertinent to just one race.

In “I Care A Lot,” this idea sits forthright. In a weird way, the movie appears to want you to be on her team.

The movie starts with a voiceover and she says, “There’s two types of people in this world. Those who take and those that get took. Predators

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and prey. Lions and lambs.”

But, she’s a rebel in all the wrong ways. Any faint hints of real feminism come from a frazzled and frustrated Grayson. Even those attempts fall short of getting the real message across.

When she gets verbally attacked for keeping someone’s mother away from their son up until her death, she tries to pivot this into a gender thing and it’s not. When you’re taking advantage of old people and profiting from it, you sort of deserve the heat — gender aside.

Are these the sorts of things that happen when men try and write women into power? You can’t help but laugh at certain monologues because at times, it’s so painfully obvious that a man is behind the camera directing Pike on how to sell her sorrows. When Peterson’s son finally has a sit down with Grayson, we see her fight for her life in the form of a plea for money.

She admits she’s not scared to die but then pleads for a crisp $10 million for the return of his mother. It would’ve been cool to see Grayson as a real person here, especially when she’s staring death in the face.

Overall, I wanted to like this movie. I love Rosamund Pike and I also really liked the movie poster.

But that’s not enough, especially in this day and age. If you spend a lot of your time online, constantly taking in different forms of media and growing your lens of criticism, nothing will ever really make you happy.

Maybe in the future, a movie about a woman in charge will be about just that. Until then, we continue to sift through oversaturated, often insincere narratives that keep falling short.

‘Promising Young Woman’s leading lady reminds all of us that the nice guys can be the bad guys

By Micaela Udell STAFF WRITER

Not all heroes wear capes. In Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman,” Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan) is a misunderstood hero to fight crime in a modern day society. In the film, Cassie would go to clubs and bars each week, pretending to be under the influence to see if men would come up to her and ask her if she needs a ride home.

While in reality, she was completely sober and acting, every one of the “nice guys” that asked her if she needed a ride home always took her back to their apartment and took advantage of her. She never gives consent or says “yes” to their offers, because she is pretending to be very drunk, but she goes along with it to get to their houses.

Right before the men succeed in the assault, she snaps out of her drunken character and tells them to stop. She frightens these men to make sure they never take advantage of another woman again.

Throughout the movie, other characters would call Cassie “crazy” or “a psycho,” but I believe she was a realistic, modern hero.

Even heroes like Wonder Woman and Batman kill to fight crime to protect innocent civilians.

Cassie saves innocent women

from being taken advantage of by men. Even though the film takes a dark turn with a murderous ending, I believe Cassie fighting back against cruelty makes her a hero.

Cassie is in seek of revenge against Al Monroe (Chris Lowell), a man that raped her best friend Nina when they were in medical school together, causing her and Nina to drop out, who were in the top of their class, and eventually, Nina to take her own life. It is understood that the superheroes’ goals are to murder the villain in order to save the world.

Cassie mimics this by trying to get revenge on Al Monroe, making her similar to a said fictional hero.

The title of the film “Promising Young Woman” has more than just one meaning to me. It does indicate that even promising young women like students in medical school can experience sexual assaults, and it can alter the course of their lives.

However, I believe it also means Cassie is making a promise to other young women, to try and stop the “nice guys” from assaulting innocent women.

Revenge is a prevalent theme of this movie. Throughout the film, Cassie tried to get revenge on a woman from medical school who did not believe Nina, the dean of their medical school, Al Monroe’s lawyer

FOCUS FEATURES

You can stream the movie on VOD.

and Al Monroe himself.

Cassie got brunch with Madison (Alison Brie), the woman who disagreed with Nina’s rape allegations.

Cassie hired a man to stage a fake assault, by putting her into a hotel bed, making her think she was raped. This seemingly malicious action was done so Madison would feel how Nina felt, without actually suffering through a real assault.

She gave Madison a taste of the fear, violation and pain that comes with being taken advantage of.

Dean Walker (Connie Britton)

didn’t even remember Nina’s story, due to the number of sexual assault and rape cases she claimed to get.

She states how she always wanted to give the men accused “the benefit of the doubt.”

Cassie teaches her a lesson by tricking Dean Walker’s daughter into giving Cassie her cell phone and telling Dean Walker that she is in the room where Nina was raped, making her fear that she would be raped, too.

Al Monroe’s lawyer displayed his regret by crying to Cassie for bullying Nina to drop the case, so Cassie does not get revenge on him. He later helps catch Al for killing Cassie.

Lastly, Cassie tries to stab Al Monroe to get back at him, but she ends up being murdered herself.

The powerful subplot within this film involves Cassie’s love interest, Ryan Cooper (Bo Burnham). Coop goes to the coffee shop that Cassie works at and he confesses he had feelings for her when they went to medical school together.

The audience starts to love Ryan and finds him to be a “nice guy” for Cassie. However, she later finds out his involvement in Nina’s sexual assault.Cassie saw a video of the assault, and Ryan was in the background of it. He was watching it occur, as a bystander.

When she confronts him about it, she goes on a downward spiral.

He says he was sorry but he “didn’t do anything.”

However, witnessing something as severe as a sexual assault makes you partially at fault for not helping.

The film’s overarching message about sexual assault allegations is clear. People in society, even other women, often choose to believe the man. This allows men like Al to walk away with clean hands more often than we might think. In this case, Al still graduates from medical school, and even gets engaged.

While Cassie was hungry for justice for Nina, Al does not get caught for any of the crimes he commits.

Cassie plays the role of a misunderstood hero in this film, as she tries to protect young women everywhere from frightening men willing to take advantage of them.

Although she does end up being murdered by Al Monroe, the ending takes a huge twist. She succeeds in getting revenge on those involved in the rape of her best friend, by having the police lock up Al Monroe and Joe. However, Cassie is subsequently murdered. While the audience is initially stunned by her death, she still manages to successfully get justice for herself, and Nina.

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Thursday, March 4, 2021

The plastic pile to recovering from the pandemic

By Ashton Jenks ALMANAC CONTRIBUTER

The plastic pile to recovering from the pandemic Plastic containers are piling up Alongside masks that never get washed I saved up my spit the other day Only for the funnel to spill it and slosh An overachiever in high school Now I have no motivation for zoom One RNA Mess up It seems my academic career is doomed But the friends I’ve made on discord After nearly a year of this mess For indeed it will be a year Since we got the call that we would be on perm nent recess Have become closer than pollen and bees As we find new games online to explore

Searching for memes for my girlfriend Getting to conserve my social energy for more Crunching through the snow After existing dejope testing Reading more than ever before And spending more time resting From the tiktok trends To more quality time with friends Sleeping in late And wearing Pajamas to date The spurr of political protests On the cusp of change Easier for disabilities And online free range The pangea may have disrupted our lives But as all good movies show Lessons and joys mostly come from Things that disrupt the flow

GRAPHIC BY LILY HOUTMAN

‘Cardinal-Scopes’ Returns

Prat

IMAGE BY DANA MOON COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Anupras Mohapatra GRAPHIC COURTESY LEO REYNOLDS VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

By Nick Rawling ALMANAC EDITOR

Pisces (February 19 March 20) Now that Valentine’s day has come and gone, your relationship doesn’t seem so great anymore, does it Pisces? We can all see that you secretly hate your significant other.

Aries (March 21 - April 19) Somehow, you hate your job even more than Pisces hates their romantic partner. You should probably quit without giving a twoweeks notice.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) It’s time to stop overthinking and live a little. Be a homewrecker and cheat with a Pisces who’s in a committed relationship.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) I checked just to be safe, and yeah, everyone still hates you even more than Pisces hates their sweetheart. I’m really not sure what you guys expect at this point.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) You are having a really

rough go of it lately. Either you have been crying or will cry soon. Are you dating a Pisces?

Leo (July 23 - August 22) Much like a lion, everyone feels uneasy and afraid in your presence. Most of your friends secretly dislike you — much like Pisces secretly dislikes their lover.

Virgo (August 23 September 22) I think this is the luckiest sign? I don’t know, go play slots or something. Or, better yet, get lucky by having rebound sex with Cancer after Pisces dumps them.

Libra (September 23 October 22) It’s past time that you be honest with yourself and with the world.

You’re the friend of Pisces who has been manipulating them into hating their better half, aren’t you?

Shame on you.

Scorpio (October 23 November 21) Now is the time for you to take on that challenging project, because Mars

is giving you strength or something like that.

In fact, right now, you’re much, much stronger than Pisces’ relationship.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) Thanks to the moon, you’re bouncing off the walls like you just shotgunned three Red Bulls.

Try lending some of that energy to Pisces; maybe they can use it to try to fix their relationship.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) Your week will be marked by a sense of confusion. You may find yourself asking questions like: “What did I do last night?” and “Why won’t Cancer shut the fuck up and stop crying?”

Aquarius (January 20 February 18) You’re really stressed out thanks to Pluto’s shenanigans. Give yourself a day off; you’ve earned it. Don’t worry about what your Cancer roommate is crying about. They’ll get over it.

ALMANAC CONTRIBUTER

A Brit walked into an American restaurant Asked for a plate of chips Confused, the bartender pulled out a packet of Lays Laid it on a plate and offered it, poker faced The Brit was enraged “These are crisps, not chips innit,” he said “What the duck is a crisp?” said the American, pissed “You’re uh bloody prat, an absolute twat,” The Brit was now burning up and mad As entitled as a Brit could be, he gave the bartender a slap “That’s it bruv, you’re getting clapped” They exchanged more slaps and kicks and punches A pure kerfuffle stretching two continents Foul fingers were raised and the Brit was offered a sandwich Unfortunately not lobster, but instead knuckle The cops came to the scene and passively watched and gleamed They might now be bleeding, but at least they are white A Syrian customer now arrived He wanted some chips, the American kind The fighting duo noticed and stopped the fight They looked each other in the eye and nodded Knocking the plate to the ground sending the chips scuttling around “Imperialism, am I right?”

They laughed and gleefully agreed There was no confusion this time around

We’re always looking for more funny and insightful writers with fresh takes on topics ranging from the UW campus to international news. We accept and encourage creative submissions as well! Any and all submissions are more than welcome. You can send your submissions and any comments or questions to almanac@dailycardinal.com. All articles featured in Almanac are creative, satirical and/or entirely fictional pieces. They are fully intended as such and should not be taken seriously as news.

opinion Diving into the alt-right rabbit hole dailycardinal.com

By Anupras Mohapatra SENIOR STAFF WRITER

On Jan. 6, 2021, insurrectionists stormed the United States Capitol in Washington D.C., as Donald Trump’s loss to President-elect Joe Biden was being finalized through the certification of each state’s electoral college votes. The domestic terrorists smashed windows, stole and even killed as lawmakers hung onto their lives precariously until the originally tame response to the rioters shifted to something more assertive. There were white supremacists dressed in vile “camp Auschwitz” garb and carrying Confederate flags. Indeed, this was the first time the flag had breached into the Capitol in the context of insurrection — having previously only been in the Capitol as part of Mississippi’s old state flag that was replaced by a new one in November.

Such a feat had not been accomplished even during the Civil War. Those who stormed the Capitol did so at Trump and his entourage’s behest. Earlier in the day, he had spoken of walking down Pennsylvania Avenue, telling his supporters “you’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong.” In only a matter of hours, his supporters did exactly as he told, leaving the country — and indeed the whole watching world — in shock, as America, a preeminent bastion of democracy, found its soul almost eviscerated.

Such is the power of demagoguery. Those hungry for power play into their naive audience’s deepest fears and painful experiences and feed into conspiracies, best evidenced by a new wave of elected Republican representatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina. This rabbit hole is carefully constructed, luring people to the very bottom of a bottomless pit. Perhaps it makes sense to understand how and why the rabbit hole draws people in and maybe then

Thursday, March 4, 2021

speculate on what could be done to plug the hole.

First and foremost, we have the media. Humans are inherently bias-driven creatures and such biases can work their way into a journalist’s mind. Yet, most reliable sources can be verifiably considered reliable due to the journalistic processes employed by reporters that eliminate bias as much as humanly possible. Some outlets, however, do such an excellent job of masquerading as reliable sources — minus the journalistic standards of course — that they rack up strong ratings.

Cable news channels like Newsmax saw significant ratings boosts after the 2020 election, posing a challenge to the original mainstay Fox News.

All of these channels perpetuate a world far removed from reality, lying in wait to snare those who respond positively to falsehoods. They often employ dog whistles to appeal to their viewers’ fears through implication, speaking of the erosion of western culture — there is no monolithic western culture — rather than saying the racist thing out loud, or labeling everything as communist.

Rural isolation, financial condition and education could really help explain how and why the rabbit hole works. These factors can allow individualistic, isolationist and bigoted views to take root. After all, abstract concepts such as intersectionality simply do not hold firm in such an environment and only sound like jargon.

Demagogues are aware of this and often keep things simple, while liberal or even progressive messaging can appear out of touch.

Misinformation is also free of cost while reliable news is often kept behind a paywall. Reliable journalism requires financial backing and requesting funds from readers, which ensures more transparency than taking funds from a single rich donor, but the matter of the fact remains that a subscription is

the least of a working class person’s concerns and leaves an opening to be exploited.

A lot has often been said about this older demographic and it is clear that the last four years have been difficult for the younger generation who face a misinformation generation gap. It is probably impossible to do anything besides making things painfully obvious, perhaps through satire as I’d mentioned in another article. Expanding accessible mental healthcare should be a focus too, for some of the reactions to the election cycle from those in the rabbit hole are just sad to see and indicate need for genuine help. Perhaps invoking less academic messaging and more simplistic messaging might work too but, by and large, the older generation is too well programmed, too deep in the hole and too set in their ways. They may very well not be saved entirely but hopefully enough not to stage further insurrections.

This does not hold true for all people who have been sucked in, however. In recent times, younger people have also found themselves lured by the rabbit hole.

Television and radio just don’t have as great of an effect on younger people. Instead, YouTube can often prove to be a platform for right wing and even alt-right voices. The YouTube algorithm is especially potent. The content on YouTube often utilizes dog whistles — in some ways similar to cable news — that target the lonely and vulnerable. For instance, a straight, white male who might have faced a lot of bullying and rejection early on could easily stumble across one single video mocking feminists and SJWs, followed by one touting feminism to be the source of all his woes; this then leads him down the path of recommended videos which ends at the fringes of YouTube with outright conspiracy theories about cultural Marxism and white supremacy. Channels like PragerU have well established them-

selves on YouTube and personalities like Jordan Peterson and Stefan Molyneaux are also widely found on the platform. They could be considered greatly effective starting points for people, eventually leading the lost to a path of radicalization through the algorithm that doubles down.

One could then step out of YouTube and find themselves in forums and chat rooms or watching direct conspiracy programming like InfoWars, thus completing the radicalization.

In simple words, alt-right and conservative content creators have been smart and gamed the platform in order to exploit those in hardship who would easily blame the world around them, view the left as a caricature and eventually buy into blatant misinformation and conspiracy theories outside of mainstream spaces as well. YouTube may very well have influenced future insurrectionists and possibly some who were in the crowd that day in D.C. How can we combat this? We can fight fire with fire. YouTube did make alterations to its algorithm to try and combat this, but more must be done. My hypothetical example was inspired by real stories where people who had fallen some way into the rabbit hole managed to find their way out. They did so through engagement with progressive content.

Progressive YouTubers like Vaush, Destiny and Contrapoints began mimicking the style of rightwing YouTube, utilizing similar phrases in video titles. The algorithm then did the rest. These videos featured creative, simplified and active debate on the concepts that were previously so well manipulated to exploit the viewer’s personal struggles, thus helping in deradicalization. This is where the answer lies, if further insurrections are to be prevented. It acts in much the same way as lighting up a dark room with a single torch, which then enables one to find the light switch and then the light itself.

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Unlike the older generation that may be set in their ways, the younger generations can definitely be saved.

It is wise to keep an eye on those around you and ensure that no one floats in isolation like an island in the sea. They could easily — and quite heartbreakingly — morph into the next radical insurrectionist with vile views if they find the wrong video online during a low point in their life.

The reactionary nature of progressives can often push people further to the brink. Progressive YouTubers are doing what ordinary progressives often struggle to do: Engage with people, rather than cancel.

All of this points out the most significant issue faced by democracy, which is also its biggest asset: Democracy depends on the vote of the people. Socrates feared that not everyone would be an ideal, informed voter and those who were clever enough would simply speak the right words and appeal to the ignorant masses, thus creating a destructive mob of loyalists. It is democracy that killed Socrates after all, with a vote declaring that he be killed by poison hemlock for “corrupting minds.”

Despite the obvious flaws in democracy, it is the preferred mode of governance of the land of the free and one that nations around the world have valiantly fought for. The session did commence on that fateful day and now we have a President Joe Biden in office. However, the threat cannot be downplayed. Work must be done to ensure the rabbit holes are plugged before the holes gape wide and the ground underneath our feet caves entirely, leaving democracy to die in tatters and demagoguery to rise in its place.

Anupras is a sophomore studying Computer Science and Journalism.

Do you think the alt-right media presence is growing? Do you think that alt-right media is in a rabbit hole? Send all comments to opinion@ dailycardinal.com

An open letter from fly-over country to Alex Lasry

By Philip Klinker STAFF WRITER

Early last week, Alex Lasry, the 33-year-old son of billionaire Wall Street baron and Bucks owner Marc Lasry, announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2022. The seat is currently occupied by gaffe-prone Trump loyalist Ron Johnson, so the Democrats will be gunning hard for it come election season.

I want Johnson to be held accountable. He deserves a double digit loss for his servility to Trump and his naked corruption. But Alex Lasry is the last person I want replacing him.

To trade a reactionary conservative millionaire for a clueless, faux-gressive billionaire is not an improvement. It is a loss either way.

I worry though because it’s the exact type of screw-up Democrats would make. In a primary that is just getting started, it would be so typical of the national Democratic Party to put their institutional power behind a billionaire New Yorker who has more ties with fundraisers than everyday Wisconsinites.

Many are already using the word “carpetbagger” to describe Lasry. A carpetbagger is an antiquated term for someone who moves to a different state just to run for office. I object to this not

because he is not a carpetbagger (by definition, he is) but because it’s the wrong reason to oppose his candidacy.

We live in a united country where citizens have freedom of movement.

Americans cross invisible state borders all the time seeking work, entertainment and enrichment. People should be able to move to a new place, and if they are the right person for the job, represent that place’s interests in government.

Robert Kennedy was a great senator from New York for the people of New York, even if he was a through and through New Englander. Bernie Sanders may be a born and bred New Yorker but the people of Vermont have overwhelmingly elected him time and time again as their champion in the Senate.

Americans can move to a new state and become a great representative of that state, but they need to make an effort to understand the needs and the people of that state. It’s apparent that Alex Lasry has made no such effort.

In a video conversation this past summer, Lasry expressed surprise that some podunk town like Milwaukee had… schools, bars and even art. Lasry may have thought Milwaukee was some well-kept secret in the provincial hinterlands, but it’s no secret to the

million people who live in and around it. The video of that interview blew me away the first time I saw it.

It seems like Lasry expected his only communication to be delivered via pony express and that his food would only come from what he’d be able to catch fishing in the Kinnickinnic that day. Much to his surprise, the city of half a million people has art galleries and bars just like New York! Who knew?

His painfully out of touch attitude shows he knows next to nothing about Wisconsin. If his knowledge of the state’s largest city was so elitist and lacking, God knows what he thinks of Wisconsin’s rural areas, where bold progressive reforms are needed just as badly.

I remember when I first heard the phrase “fly-over country” I needed to have it explained to me. Flying where?

Why? For the uninitiated, the phrase is a colloquialism for the Midwest or, more broadly, any place that isn’t on either coast. It means that these places are only good for flying over on your way to somewhere that matters.

It’s a phrase that speaks to the disdain or, at the very least, obliviousness some on the coasts feel for the rest of us. In politics, I think it underlines the shallow understanding national politi-

cal figures have for much of America, even when they are courting our votes.

Lasry did not call Wisconsin flyover country in so many words, but his attitude speaks for itself. He has made no effort to get to know the people, the needs and the identity of the state. He arrived in Milwaukee expecting a single crossroads and cornfields and was shocked to find buildings with more than eight stories.

If Wisconsin Democrats want to hold Sen. Johnson accountable for his bumbling and shady performance as one of the state’s senators, the last

person they should put up against him in the general is a bored rich kid from New York. Democrats in Wisconsin need to shake the perception that they are the out of touch arm of a party of coastal elites.

The Democratic primary for senate is still a long way away. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski or any other proud, progressive Scon could grace the ballot come Fall of 2022, but whoever it is should understand Wisconsin and be ready to push her forward.

COURTESY OF SUSAN RUGGLES

Senate hopeful Alex Lasry speaking at a March for our Lives rally

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VANILLA CUPCAKES

dailycardinal.com

BY LYRA EVANS

SUDOKU

DIRECTIONS: Fill in each row, column and square with the numbers 1-9

CROSSWORD

DIRECTIONS: Fill in words via the prompts across or down via their respective numbers.

Down 1. Mud brick 2. Evil spirit 3. Warn 4. ____ water 5. Small hound 6. Butter alternative Down 1. Nigerianborn pop singer 2. Garden of earthly delights 3. Doesn’t keep 4. Like many writers 5. Preacher’s speeches 6. Nuptial lane 7. Trot easily 8. Andy Capp’s quaff

9. Pelagic plant 10. Knight’s load 11. Item often filed 12. “The Whole --Yards” 13. Colony resident 19. Moon of Saturn discovered in 1672 21. Swimwear item 24. Finish in the top three 25. Development developments

26. Up to one’s ears 27. Chapter’s partner 28. Flowerless plants 29. Army chaplain 30. Venomous viper 31. Nods of the head 33. Split --- (be picky) 34. Fancy dive 39. Galas

28. Parasitic insect 29. Strike sticking point 32. 1936 Olympian Jesse 33. Place for a band 34. Green gem 35. Antony’s first name 36. Welding phenomenon 37. Sticks on 38. To be, for Caesar 39. Just dandy 40. Landslide debris 41. Seashell seller, in a tongue twister 42. Some Christmas trees 43. Fireplace equipment 44. Some costs 45. Sound for Old MacDonald 40. Beethoven output 50. Ancient Dead Sea 15. Hercules’ captive 46. Parts of brake 42. Provide proven- land 16. “Don’t --- on my mechanisms der for 51. Theatrical trapparade!”

48. Purges, as bad 43. It’s slapstick ma- pings 17. Discourage thoughts terial 52. Place to unwind 52. Aquarium fish 44. Strong point 53. Valuable diamond? from proceeding 18. Gum flavor 54. Sa o Paulo has 45. Earthen water 20.

Group of perone jars Across formers 55. Constituent 46. Trumpeting bird 1. Peasants 22.

Entire 56. --- Sanctorum 47. Warning device 6. “Too bad!”

57. In progress 48. Quote as fact 10. First name in a Tol- 23. Folk tale 24. Mr. Gynt 58. Designer Klein 49. Fruit of the black- stoy novel 25. Capital of Cuba 59. Seize homophone thorn 14. Cherish greatly

science Pandemic prevention: COVID-19 lessons dailycardinal.com

By Anupras Mohapatra SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The COVID-19 pandemic is showing signs of slowing down, with vaccinations drives around the world in full swing, although the virus continues to claim lives today. It is now more than a year since the world was gripped by the virus, and at the time, the rapid spread of the virus caught most people off guard. However, pandemics have always been in the cards and should not have come as such a surprise, and there will be more pandemics if lessons are not learned from COVID-19.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018 looked back at the 1918 influenza pandemic and assessed global pandemic readiness at the time. It listed multiple factors that could pose a challenge, which now appear prophetic.

The convergence of human and animal worlds was touted as something that could pose a pandemic risk. The rise of COVID-19 is attributed to infection spreading from animals to humans.

While investigations are still ongoing, a wet market in Wuhan, China, has been linked to the outbreak. Wet markets typically sell fresh, perishable produce, but can sometimes also sell wild animals and their meat, like the Huanan market in Wuhan. Such environments can prove to be perfect breeding grounds for pandemiccausing pathogens.

While the concept of wet

Thursday, March 4, 2021

markets might seem foreign to Americans, there exists a near equivalent in the United States: state fairs. The Wisconsin State Fair, held annually at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, features exhibitions of farm animals as part of its itinerary. Such events provide a similar environment for human-animal interaction that can result in inter-species spread of disease.

animals and humans can serve as a future pandemic breeding ground, much like wet markets.

Another potential means of inter-species exposure is through exotic pets. Wisconsin is one of four states with no statewide regulations of exotic animals. Exotic animals can carry zoonotic diseases — diseases that spread from animal to man — like Herpes B, Monkeypox and Salmonellosis. Considering

JEFF MILLER /UW-MADISON

A basket of COVID vaccines carried to University Health Services.

Dr. Andrew Bowman of Ohio State University and his team have been looking at county fair pigs around the country and anticipating the risk of influenza by trying to identify new strains in them. Considering the swine flu pandemic of 2009 spread from pigs to humans, state and county fairs acting as the intersection of food, farm

COVID-19 likely originated from a non-domesticated animal and has been linked to bats or pangolins in the past, exotic animals could certainly act as a pandemic kickstarter in the future as well.

In addition to blurring of the human-animal divide, the CDC’s report also listed the potentially devastating effect a pandemic

could have on supply chains.

This was made abundantly clear when, due to the dramatic decrease in demand for milk from restaurants and schools, Wisconsin dairy farmers could not sell the milk allocated to those markets and were instead forced to dump milk while store shelves lay barren due to low consumer demand.

Healthcare services were also predicted to be disrupted. The “treatment and clinical care” section of the report outlined limited ventilator access and the potential for healthcare systems to become overwhelmed. Ventilator access was a major national concern at the beginning of the current pandemic, while in November 2020, Wisconsin hospitals were said to be nearing a “tipping point,” almost hitting capacity. Disruptions to this system certainly played a role in the United States recent grim milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 related deaths.

Besides the factors mentioned in the report, the overall dismissal of science also contributed to the current situation, and could contribute to a future pandemic. The anti-mask, antilockdown protests are well documented, and serve as a prime example of Americans dismissing science. In 2019, the United States Agency for International Development’s Predict project was scrapped, cutting funding for scientists hunting for

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potential pandemic pathogens.

The program discovered nearly 1,000 novel viruses, including a new Ebola virus.

Looking back at the report and the effects of the current pandemic, there are clear lessons to be learned. The barrier between humans and animals must not be eroded further. Considering the state of Wisconsin specifically, regulating exotic pets is imperative. State and county farms in Wisconsin and around the country should enforce strict guidelines to mitigate the spread of disease.

Further funding for scientists researching pathogens and pandemics should be deemed a priority at every level — from local to global. Strengthening supply chains and healthcare systems is also crucial to the protection of people from the most devastating effects of global pandemics, perhaps even preventing a disease from becoming a pandemic.

Most importantly of all, trust in science must be restored.

Despite occasionally conflicting information arising from the scientific community, the rigorous methods employed in scientific inquiry ensure that any answers found are as close to the truth as can be.

Implementing all of the above is easier said than done, but if the human and economic costs of the current pandemic are any indication, these efforts are certainly worth it.

What’s the deal with dairy? A guide to making dairy decisions

By Forrest Ziebell STAFF WRITER

Dairy foods have been a hot topic in nutrition in recent years. Some tout milk products as a source of calcium, vitamins, and protein for bone and muscle health, while others say it is harmful, causing skin breakouts and delivering high levels of saturated fat to the diet. Both of these claims carry some truth, but the magnitude of these statements is difficult to assess.

Dairy has been a staple in diets for thousands of years.

All mammalian babies must depend on milk for important nutrients after they first leave the womb, but most species stop consuming it after infancy. Humans, however, have continued to use dairy products throughout their lifespan in a variety of food products. It is believed milk’s ubiquity was a result of it being a byproduct of beef production. It’s utility and consistency as a healthy beverage have made it a cornerstone of many modern cuisines.

Dairy’s popularity was boosted as a result of pasteurization, a process that prevents milk from carrying dozens disease-causing pathogens. Critics claimed processing milk removed flavor, but the nature of this claim made it hard to support. If pasteurization made dairy safer, why, then, do people continue to turn from dairy?

Some ditch dairy after learning about years of unethical practices, such as artificial insemination of females, removing calves from their parents after birth, or woeful livestock living conditions. Many cows are also forced to carry more than ten times the milk they naturally do in their udders to increase profitability for the farmer. This can result in a disease called mastitis, resulting in infected and swollen udders for the cow.

Many other people stop consuming dairy due to gastrointestinal issues. Figures that show that 65 percent of the global population suffers from lactose intolerance, with non-European populations seeing much higher rates of intolerance. They find their symptoms of diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain are relieved after limiting dairy intake.

Recently, products such as Lactaid have become available.

They contain the lactase enzyme that is used to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk, which can be safely consumed by most lactose intolerant individuals.

On the other hand, the argument for dairy is largely one

based on tradition and health. Dairy is found in many products, from baked goods and desserts to hundreds of cheese varieties. It has been a source of nutrition for humans for centuries and is difficult to replicate in culinary applications using non-dairy sources. While replicating dairy-based flavor is difficult to accomplish, cashews, soy and other plant based products are being used to try and do so.

From a health standpoint, dairy is nutrient rich. It is an excellent source of calcium and Vitamin B, which are difficult to obtain from other sources. It is likely that these nutrients are beneficial for bone and overall health, and dairy advocates claim they outweigh any other potential risks, such as weight gain or digestive issues. Studies also mention how lactose intolerant persons can consume products that are not frequently associated with gastrointestinal effects, such as yogurt and some cheeses.

The future of dairy is difficult to project. Widespread dairy consumption has increased in recent years, notably as a result of higher demand in Asia, where dairy products are much less used than in the rest of the world. However, others are turning their backs to dairy products and instead

LYRA EVANS /THE DAILY CARDINAL

A dairy farmer holds a crate and leans on her cow.

opting for the ever-growing non-dairy substitutes.

Whether or not you choose to consume dairy products depends on your perceived benefits and costs of consumption, along with your body’s reaction to it. Learning about the nutritional benefits and ease of dairy use is important, as are the conditions in which products are created. Dairy contains many important nutrients, but it is uncertain if it can harm the non-lactose intolerant bodies.

If you choose to consume dairy products, health experts suggest you should limit your intake, as many dairy products are sources of saturated fat and calories that can cause weight gain, unless calories are restricted from other parts of a diet. Most individuals only need one or two servings of dairy products a day to get their necessary nutrients. The rest is made up for in foods like beans and vegetables that supplement calcium and protein intake.

If you choose to avoid dairy products, you should be aware of the nutrients you must otherwise consume in other foods. Plant-based milk options are not nutritionally comparable with dairy products, and could lead to a nutrient deficiency in the diet if this is not accounted for.

Two of these nutrients to account for are calcium and B vitamins. Fortunately, there are non-dairy foods that supply calcium, such as fortified breads, cereals and leafy greens.

Most non-dairy sources of calcium are poorly absorbed, so it is recommended to consume Vitamin D with them to increase intake of calcium. Healthy Vitamin D sources include fortified orange juice, egg yolks and oily fish.

Legumes, leafy greens and fortified foods can be used to replace missed B vitamins, including the difficult to find B12 Vitamin. This vitamin is crucial to avoid anemia, fatigue and difficulty maintaining hormone levels in the body.

In short, dairy has become criticized and praised in large amounts for its health effects, and it is difficult to discern which side holds more weight. Dairy has played and continues to play a huge role in our food culture. Regardless of whether you consume dairy or not, it is imperative to your physical and mental health that you intake the correct amounts of nutrients needed to support a healthy lifestyle.

Dairy contains many key nutrients for health, but those all can be found in different foods. Until further research is out, it is up to you to decide to what extent dairy has a place in your diet.

Life & Style The benefits of owning plants in college l

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Thursday, March 4, 2020

By Emily Rohloff STAFF WRITER

As the first week of March approaches, the challenging season of midterms begin. This month more than ever it is important to remember and practice your selfcare routines and place yourself in an environment that will promote not only good study habits, but also your own well-being.

It is proven that one of the best ways to do this is to decorate your room or study space with plants.

There are many benefits of having plants in your study environment.

Not only do plants have the ability to help you breathe better, but, according to various studies, they also promote relaxation, better memory and increased concentration.

Plants allow you to feel more connected to nature, and thus instill a

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sense of outdoors into your home.

Being responsible for their growth is proven to reduce stress levels and give a sense of purpose outside your own life and schedule.

Especially during the midterm season, it is important to take time for yourself and do activities outside of class.

There are many types of plants you can choose to decorate your home with. Herbs, for example, are a good choice if you are looking to stimulate or relax your senses.

Specifically, lavender is a herb high in essential oils which will help to relieve stress and improve sleep.

Another option is sage, which is found to have cognitive-enhancing effects in adults by improving mood, alertness, and memory.

Both of which are helpful during studying for exams. Aside from

herbs, succulents are also a popular choice to grow in your home. If you are a person who easily forgets to water plants, then these are a perfect option. Succulents include a wide range of shapes, colors and sizes, so they can create any aesthetic look for your study space.

They require minimal care and flourish easily. They promote a sense of capability and accomplishment — two important feelings during the midterm season.

In Madison, located on both Mifflin and State Street, you can find a cute plant shop called Red Square Flowers. They have a wide variety of plants to choose from, and even if you are not an expert on buying and caring for plants, the workers are extremely knowledgeable and ZOE BENDOFF /THE DAILY CARDINAL will help you find the right one to fit Owning plants can be a very good way to soothe your mind. your home.

How to handle spring scaries

By Sophie Reeves STAFF WRITER

JEFF MILLER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Springtime is a very exciting time in Madison so take advantage of the great weather!

Enjoying the springtime weather

By Jenna Kestan STAFF WRITER

Wake up Badgers, it is March 4!!

This means we are 18 days away till it is officially spring. This has been a really hard year for everyone because of the obvious — the pandemic.

We are almost out of the cold winter time and can finally enjoy spending time outdoors. I am a sophomore, so I was sent home my freshmen year right as the really nice weather began to settle into Madison, so I have never truly experienced the spring weather everyone in Madison raves about. However, I asked lots of friends what they like to do and compiled a list of 20 different things that just hit differently during the spring.

Think of this as your bucket list for the springtime!

1.

Take advantage of online classes and take them outside.

2.

Do five Minutes of journaling.

3.

Download the app, “Headspace” and try meditating.

4.

Do a 305 dance workout on YouTube.

5.

Treat yourself to a $2 taco at Bellair on Tuesdays.

6.

Try the new Starbucks Oat Latte.

7.

Picnic by the Capitol.

8.

Take a walk on the frozen lake — or around the frozen lake once it melts!

9.

Go on a road trip to either Chicago or Milwaukee.

10. Go hiking at Devil’s Lake!

11.

Get a spring roll from the spring roll food truck.

12. Go thrifting at Dig & Save.

13. Try an appetizer from every restaurant at Memorial Union and enjoy them while sitting next to the lake.

14. Join a new club.

15. Take a walk to Picnic Point.

16. Download a dating app and go on a date — many restaurants by the Capitol will be opening their patios up soon!

17.

Reserve a table at Memorial Union Terrace once it’s open

and operating.

18. Go on a cheese curd crawl.

19. Jo i n the Hoffers group, a premier outdoors club at UW-Madison.

20. Rent an electric bike and do a biking tour around Madison.

It is so important to remember we are still in a pandemic, so if you are spending time around other people, please make sure to wear a mask and keep a safe distance. Good news for everyone, the time of sitting inside with nothing to do may be coming to a close very soon.

As it gets warmer, we will be able to enjoy the outdoors while socially distancing. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely cannot wait to feel those sun rays on my face. After the long winter months, springtime gives you the Vitamin D you need.

I hope this list gets you excited for springtime and gives you some motivation to get outdoors and enjoy one of the best parts about living in Madison!

As soon as it hits 40 degrees in Madison, it is time to shed the parkas and enjoy the … warmth! Since the beginning of February, we have been enduring brutal, seemingly never-ending cold. Thankfully, that spell is (hopefully) beginning to break, and we have many days in the 40’s and 50’s ahead of us.

If you’re like me, you are looking forward to the desire to leave your apartment during the day instead of being holed up on the couch in your coziest clothes wrapped in your warmest blanket for hours on end.

This past weekend, many students took the ‘warm’ weather as an opportunity to enjoy the frozen Lake Mendota.

There are many areas on the lake in which students have cleared off

the snow and formed ice rinks, and it is also a very pretty place to watch the sunset from.

After many weeks stuck indoors, many of us students don’t know what to do with ourselves now that it is bearable to be outside again. Quite frankly, I am just happy that I don’t have to wear gloves everywhere I go if I want to prevent my knuckles from completely drying out. But what else can we look forward to now that Spring is on the horizon, even amidst the ongoing pandemic?

One thing that I enjoy doing is walking towards the Capitol, taking in the atmosphere of State Street, on my way to my favorite Madison cafe, Ancora. They have a delicious grilled cheese and tomato soup combo, and it is also a great place to study. I also recently got the opportunity to go to

the Chazen Museum of Art, which is another must-visit in Madison. They had a smaller number of exhibits than normal, however the art was breathtaking. I really enjoyed taking it all in, reflecting, and then writing about it later.

Another great winter activity in Madison is sledding! Many students have tried sledding down Bascom Hill at one point or another, and many others have even built ramps out of snow to ski off of.

While the former is definitely the safer option, fun in the snow is something that Scons don’t take lightly, though the opportunities for such activities are decelerating for the 202021 season as the weather gets warmer, however, there will always be a frozen lake to look forward to next winter.

LYRA EVANS /THE DAILY CARDINAL

Make sure that you are taking care of yourself and making time to do things you love this spring!