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UW-Madison students, staff protest UW-Oshkosh budget cuts, layoffs

By Mary Bosch STAFF WRITER

About 20 UW-Madison students and staff gathered Tuesday afternoon at Union South to stand in solidarity with those affected by layoffs planned at UW-Oshkosh.

Due to an $18 million budget deficit, UW-Oshkosh plans to furlough employees, lay off over 200 non-teaching staff, offer early retirement packages and implement increased teaching loads for faculty.

The group protested outside Union South before walking to Bascom Hall. The protest concluded with a shout of “Oshkosh solidarity,” underlining the demonstration’s focus.

“We’re here to show solidarity with workers throughout the UW System,” said Jason Le, a UW-Madison academic staff member. “We know when they start to look at cuts, they’re looking at some of the most vulnerable people first.”

The protest came after UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt failed to respond to a petition by the United Faculty and Staff of UW-Oshkosh (UFSO).

Protestors handed out fliers for the petition, which is now approaching 550 signatures.

“We don’t think that’s right,” said Robert Hawkins, an assistant professor of psychology at UW-Madison. “It was done with very little input from the employees and the workers themselves. It just came out of nowhere. Some of these folks had been working there for 20 years.”

Hawkins described this as a “manufactured budget crisis.” Cuts across

the UW System have been widespread at the urging of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who has also threatened to block pay raises until diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs are cut.

The Wisconsin Legislature cut all UW System funding by $32 million in June, the amount Republicans said would go toward DEI efforts at the UW System’s 13 campuses over two years.

Most UW-Madison students did not have prior awareness of the issue.

“I had no clue,” said Chey King, a UW-Madison student. “I feel like we are kind of a powerhouse, so to speak. Everything is about Madison, so we don’t really talk about anyone else.”

“Being here at the flagship school, I think we have a responsibility to raise visibility for our colleagues at all the other UW campuses,” Hawkins added. “We have to build

power, so that eventually we can make our demands.”

The University Labor Council, a coalition of campus workers and labor unions, hosted the protest and demonstrated solidarity between unions in the UW System community.

“I think it’s really powerful to see that we can all stand together,” said Nina Denne, covice president of the Graduate Student Union. “There are a lot of issues that unite all of us.”

In their petition, the UFSO demanded Leavitt “prioritize cuts to administrative positions and salaries over instructional/student support positions and salaries,” especially

since “the size of the administration has increased significantly in the last ten years at the same time that teaching positions have declined.”

“Hearing that from the administration here at UW-Madison would mean a lot,” Hawkins said.

“It’s fantastic. It’s sunny, and people are just learning about this issue for the first time,” Le said about the protest’s impact.

“Today, it’s really about UW Oshkosh,” Le added. “But moving forward, it’s really about everywhere ... it takes all of us to figure out how we are going to defend ourselves as workers for the good of public education.”

Dane County executive releases $937 million

By Vanessa Gavilan

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced the county’s 2024 executive budget Monday.

The $937 million budget proposal extends funding and adds programs to several sectors of the county government, particularly in social and environmental wellness. In his budget address Monday, Parisi said the budget will expand the scope of vital county programs.

“This budget builds upon popular projects and starts new ones, further enhancing quality of life and creating even more opportunities for wellness,” Parisi said.

Total expenses for the 2024 county budget increased by $103 million compared to last year’s budget. The proposal will be introduced to the Dane County Board of Supervisors in the coming weeks, and the board is set to approve the final budget in November.

roundings for safety concerns.

This call center is part of the largest sector of the budget — dedicated to the expansion of the county’s “social safety net” — which totals $242 million in funding for new and existing programs. A majority of these funds will go to mental health and crisis services, including higher wages for first-line responders.

“We know that skills are in demand and the cost of living is rising, so it’s important wages for these critical jobs keep up,” Parisi said.

In addition to higher wages, the budget includes funding for new mental health counselors, physicians and dispatchers. The additional funds are in part due to the expansion of the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) program that works to provide mental health treatment in nonviolent emergencies as an alternative to law enforcement.

sionate services for all of our neighbors in need,” Parisi said during the announcement of the countywide CARES expansion.

Other social services receiving additional funding include addiction recovery resources, chronic fall prevention initiatives and over $1.5 million for a new men’s homeless shelter in the city of Madison.

thermal heating and cooling meant to reduce natural gas use and overall carbon emissions, Parisi said.

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Expanded funding for mental health, social services

The single most expensive item on the budget is funding for a new Public Safety Communications (911) Call Center located in the East District Campus. The proposed $36.4 million facility will replace two existing facilities to create a 34,000 square foot building.

As the new site for all day-to-day calls and dispatches, the center adds new technology to monitor public sur-

The CARES program initially launched in Madison Police Department’s Central District in September 2021, but has since expanded to provide citywide service. Parisi announced last week the budget will expand the program countywide.

“Teaming together, we can improve frontline mental health services and reduce unnecessary law enforcement and emergency room contacts and continue to grow toward our goal of ensuring proper and compas-

County moves toward clean energy goals

Dane County set a goal in 2021 to release zero carbon emissions through all county buildings and machines by 2030, and the 2024 budget aims to expand the environmental and conservation initiatives that move toward that goal.

The new call center includes design elements intended to keep environmental concerns in mind, with $330,000 allocated towards geo-

Existing carbon reduction programs receiving additional grants include $1 million for the Continuous Cover program, which helps farmers increase biodiversity by adding acres of grass and prairies. Another $10 million would be allocated to the Dane County conservation fund and several other projects.

New programs including six new solar projects in the Henry Vilas Zoo and the Badger Prairie Needs Network in Verona aim to contribute to the same goal, according to Parisi.

“We want to be a resource for residents, for businesses, for everyone else who’s concerned about the climate crisis because this is about our kids,” Parisi said.

MEGHAN SPIRITO/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Members of the UW-Madison community gathered to show solidarity with those at risk of losing their jobs due to the budget crisis at UW-Oshkosh.

Members of the UW-Madison community gathered to show solidarity with those at risk of losing their jobs due to the budget crisis at UW-Oshkosh.

LAUREN AGUILA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

UW-Madison hosts carillon concert in remembrance of Chancellor Emerita Blank

chancellorship included United States Department of Commerce roles as the undersecretary for economic affairs, deputy secretary of commerce and acting secretary of commerce.

According to Hoslet, Blank’s political experience equipped her well for her role at UW-Madison.

“Having that set of experiences really helped her quickly adapt to the campus, and she knew what she needed to do to move the campus forward in a variety of ways,” Hoslet said. The two often had “long and interesting conversations” about the state of Wisconsin and national politics, he added.

Why the carillon?

The historic carillon tower at UW-Madison stands on Observatory Drive outside the Sewell Social Sciences Building. It contains 56 bells, each of which resonates with its own individual note.

By Natasha Hicks SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Students, friends and faculty gathered for a carillon concert and ice cream on Oct. 2 to remember the late Rebecca M. Blank, who served as the University of WisconsinMadison’s chancellor from 2013-2022.

“I suggested that we have a fun Becky Blank tribute, ice cream and carillons as opposed to sitting in a room and having people talk,” Blank’s husband Hanns Kuttner told The Daily Cardinal.

During the carillon concert, attendees ate ice cream and enjoyed songs dear to Blank and Kuttner, such as “Varsity” and “Magic Penny,” which was played at their wedding.

Blank served as UW-Madison’s chancellor from 2013-2022 after a long career in education and as an economist in high level government positions, including a year as the acting United States Secretary of Commerce.

Some of Blank’s biggest accomplish-

ments during her time at UW-Madison included Bucky’s Tuition Promise — which fully covers tuition and segregated fees for households with an adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less — and bringing commencement back to Camp Randall Stadium, according to Vice Chancellor for University Relations Charles Hoslet.

The tuition promise was expanded into Bucky’s Pell Pathway, which covers tuition, housing and “all remaining financial need” for Pell Grant-eligible students.

Kuttner emphasized Blank was proud of UW-Madison’s financial stability efforts to increase its student body’s size.

Heather Daniels, secretary of the faculty at UW-Madison, served on the search and screen committee that recommended Blank for the position. She said Blank was a natural fit for the university.

“It was immediately apparent that she would be a good leader for us here at UW,” Daniels told the Cardinal.

Blank’s political career prior to her

Although Blank enjoyed listening to the carillon with her husband during her time at UW-Madison, Kuttner was especially fond of it.

“She tolerated it… no, she liked it,” Kuttner joked while remembering dragging her to go listen to the carillon.

Kuttner explained that the carillon was silenced for five years due to safety issues and was recently brought back in the last two years.

“I thought this would be a fun way to feature that the carillon is back,” he said.

The concert ended with “Varsity,” during which Kuttner encouraged everyone to stand and sing along to the historic song as a fun way to remember Blank.

Kuttner said Blank enjoyed having fun, and he said the concert was a way to represent that fun and to “bring Becky’s career on campus to a close.”

Attendants remembered Blank’s ability to form not only professional, but close, personal relationships with UW-Madison staff.

“She became not just my boss, but a mentor and a friend,” Hoslet said.

Why Culver’s has no plans for State Street location

By Jasper Bernstein ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will “absorb” $7 million in budget cuts with no faculty layoffs and furloughs, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced Monday.

Mnookin made her announcement during the chancellor’s annual State of the University address to UW-Madison’s Faculty Senate.

“$7 million [in budget cuts], given the strength of our overall fiscal situation, is something that we will be able to absorb without anything like furloughs or layoffs,” she said.

Mnookin said the cuts will primarily impact other schools within the UW System, who, unlike UW-Madison, are running a deficit.

“Our budget is in a solid position because of strong fiscal management, including by [Chancellor Emeritus Rebecca Blank], and the attractiveness of this institution,” she said. “We can manage this cut.”

State Republican lawmakers, led by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, slashed major higher education budget proposals and reduced the UW System’s funding by $32 million over the next two years during the state budget cycle this past year in an effort to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at the university.

Vos said the $32 million cut was equal to his estimation of the cost of DEI initiatives.

UW System leaders in August allocated $7

million in 2023-24 budget cuts to UW-Madison.

UW-Madison responded by affirming that no DEI positions would be cut.

The second-year chancellor also highlighted UW-Madison’s “budget challenges” during her address.

Earlier this summer, Republicans on the state Legislature’s budget-writing committee shot down $347 million in funding that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed to build a new engineering building for UW-Madison.

The proposed building, which would have replaced the 83-year-old current Engineering Centers Building, would have allowed the school to graduate over 1,000 more undergraduates annually. The current building flooded in late September and remains closed to the public until further notice.

Classes and labs scheduled in the Engineering Centers Building will continue to be relocated to other buildings through at least Friday, Oct. 6, according to the university.

“We have $110 million committed toward this project, most of which will not stick around, if [the project is] not able to go forward in this biannual [budget],” Mnookin said. “If the Legislature doesn’t decide to [fund the new building], they’ll be taking that private money and throwing it down the drain.”

Mnookin also cited concerns over the Legislature’s lack of funding for the proposed

“art department relocation and consolidation” and UW-Madison’s lack of bonding authority.

Mnookin said “universities in 49 other states have imposed” bonding authority, something that UW-Madison describes as “greater borrowing power.”

“The state budget results are certainly disappointing for anyone who cares about higher education and our incredibly important role in keeping the state strong and healthy,” she said. “And in a moment when the national dialogue around higher education is pretty critical, [it] is perhaps not shocking but nonetheless disappointing.”

By Allie Waino STAFF WRITER

Students have long supported adding a Culver’s location near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

Concrete mixers and cheese curds continue to remain elusive for Badgers, though. Why?

A Culver’s spokesperson told The Daily Cardinal they are lacking “interest” from owner-operators for a State Street location.

“Currently, we do not have any owneroperators expressing interest in State Street as a potential location,” Eric Skrum said via email.

The company itself does not decide where locations are placed around the state, they said.

“Our restaurants are independently owned and operated, which means that we work with those individuals to determine the location where they would like to build their restaurant,” Culver’s explained. “While we offer guidance in terms of ideal locations, it ultimately is driven by the owner-operator.”

Student pushes for a Culver’s location aren’t new, but they have spiked in recent years.

On Sept. 18, UW-Madison parody Instagram account @badnewsbadgers created a satirical post about Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s plans to replace the Chadbourne dorm with a Culver’s. The post received over 3,000 likes.

District 8 Alder MGR Govindarajan took up the mission of bringing Culvers to UW-Madison recently, citing the cause as his “personal goal.”

“I actually reached out to the regional real estate director for Culver’s over the summer to see if they’re interested in bringing a Culver’s close to campus,” he said in an Instagram story on Sept. 18. “They said no because of internal issues.”

Students were disappointed. UW-Madison sophomore Nick Fitt responded with a commonly used meme of Bucky Badger.

“[A State Street location would] be in a prime spot that gets a lot of traffic…at least during the academic year,” Fitt said. “As an in-state student, adding a Culver’s to State Street would help bring a little more Midwest culture to it.”

ButterBurger-loving students are excited about the possibility of a Culver’s on State Street. To make this goal a reality, though, they would have to convince an owner-operator to feel the same.

Chancellor Mnookin highlights “budget challenges” during State of the University address

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Et tu, Bucky: Why UW-Madison men think about the Roman Empire

By Clara Zimban STAFF WRITER

In a trend that has swept through social media in recent weeks, women have posed a question to their male friends, boyfriends and husbands: How often do you think about the Roman Empire?

To their surprise, most discovered that many men think about it every week — and sometimes daily.

Behind the entertaining aspect of the trend lie more profound sociological questions — why do men share a surprisingly consistent interest for this time period, and how do men and women differ in their relationship to history?

When asked how often they thought about the Roman Empire, most men agreed the frequency had increased since they heard about the trend.

“I would say, after everybody’s asked me this, it’s probably been like once or twice a week,” Sam Gabler, a student at the University of WisconsinMadison explained.

However, some men revealed that they did not think about it as often as others.

“I would say before [the trend], I think about [the Roman Empire] once a month, twice a month,” Skyler Sitzberger, a UW-Madison student said.

The fre quency of Roman Empire

thoughts varied, as did the reasoning. For several male students interviewed, historical knowledge about the empire and its legacies is shrouded in fiction and fantasy.

Some admired Roman aesthetics and said Roman statues represented their dream bodies. Some discussed the thrill of epic combat scenes pictured in movies like “Gladiator.” Others evoked the simple desire to “walk around all day wearing sandals and a toga.”

Many admitted they fantasized about going back to that time period.

“I would say [I think about the Roman Empire] at least a couple times a week, majorly because, one, my favorite movie is ‘Gladiator,’” UW-Madison student Ethan Myers said. “And second, I’m really interested in the philosophers during that time period.”

Gabler also agreed that the Roman Empire’s aesthetics were part of why he thought about it as much as he did.

Professor Marc Kleijgwegt, an expert in Roman history, responded to this narrative by arguing that men who idealize the Roman Empire do so without looking at the drawbacks.

”Men who like the Roman Empire like it for the snippets that show triumph and victory, etc, etc., but have never looked at its downsides,” Kleijgwegt said. “Look, if you could travel back in time, you better belong to [the] 2% at the top, and even there, it’s not a really nice place for all of you.”

He went on to note parts of the Roman Empire that many tend to forget — disease, lack of health services, starvation

and more. He said men post many of their interests onto a fantastical and idealized version of Rome: glory, philosophy, war and violence.

“It’s a perception of the Roman Empire that men are in love with,” Kleijgwegt said.

On the other hand, female students interviewed on campus consistently said the Roman Empire rarely crosses their minds.

Some suggested that the trend had everything to do with masculinity.

“It’s like a testimony to their testosterone,” said Elise Dahlby, a student at UW-Madison.

Nicholas A. Pedriana, a sociology professor at UW-Madison, suggested that the social con struct of mascu linity was essential to under stand ing this trend.

When we hear about the Roman Empire, whether it’s in movies, documentaries or books, there is a disproportionate emphasis on generals, senators, soldiers and philosophers — positions exclusively occupied by men, he said. As a result, a certain definition of masculinity has bled into the meaning of the Roman Empire.

“I think there’s a big, disproportionate emphasis on what you might call hypermasculinity-type roles: generals, senators, soldiers, that kind of thing,” Pedriana said.

“Those are all highly masculine-type roles.”

Dahlby explained how she believes men are often seen as more powerful than women, which leads them to this type of fantasy.

“When [men] think about that, they’re like, ‘I wish I could be valued in a different way and put on a pedestal,’” Dahlby said.

Kleijgwegt said there is nothing for women to fantasize about if they think about their roles in the Roman Empire. Women, if they were mentioned at all, were always characterized in a negative way in this time period, he said.

“There’s not a lot to be sympathetic about if [women] think about themselves in the Roman Empire,” Kleijgwegt said. “Women are basically always characterized in a negative way because the people who wrote about women are men and not women.

Pedriana gave insights into why women are quasi-absent from dominant historical narratives. He said history is a social construct that comes down to the nature of power relationships in a given society.

He also explained how patriarchy has been the dominating manner of organizing societies.

“History is almost completely dominated by a male narrative. The experiences of other people rarely find themselves into the dominant narratives and some of that is to be expected because women and other groups simply didn’t have access to that influence.”

Pedriana said most women probably have absorbed domi-

nant masculine narratives of history — the idea that only men can

aspire to have their name shape the course of the world.

“Men are more likely to think of history in terms of the male gaze, the male dominated viewpoint,” Pedriana said. “But given how dominant that conventional wisdom has been, most women, I would guess, have assumed history in that way as well because that’s what they are offered.”

When considering the effects that the Roman Empire had on today’s society, Daniel Kapust, a professor of political science and expert on the Roman Empire, noted that Ancient Rome’s cultural influence is visible in today’s America and the West in a variety of ways.

“You look at the architecture of the late 18th century and neoclassical architecture, [and] you can see quite a lot of Roman influence,” Kapust said. “Then, especially in the U.S., in Washington, D.C. — around the Capitol and in the Capitol — there’s a lot of Roman iconography as well.”

Historically and politically, subsequent powers have tended to measure themselves against Rome. Kapust explained that since America’s independence, officials and state agents have used Roman references and imagery to characterize and understand the country.

“From the beginning, there was this sense that once America declared itself independent and became a republic, it would look to Rome, and they did look to Rome,” Kapust said. “I mean, George Washington was sometimes depicted as a Cincinnatus figure for example.”

While some argue that the U.S. could be considered a “new Rome,” Kapust recognized that, done carefully, the comparison could be fruitful.

But he warned against the vagueness and subjectivity of the approach.

”They don’t have political parties in Rome. They don’t have elections quite like we do. They don’t have nearly as inclusive and diverse electorate as we do. So you have to be very careful,” he said.

“When people talk about these comparisons, they’re almost always picking up on different things. So what aspect of Roman history is going to most illuminate our current moment?”

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UW-Madison launches new pilot program to benefit first-generation students

By Megan Mladucky STAFF WRITER

The University of WisconsinMadison announced the launch of its First Generation Badgers pilot program last week. The experimental program is designed to better support first-generation students by building community and providing more resources, one-on-one mentorship and various events throughout the year.

Spearheaded by Dean of Students Christina Olstad and the Office of Student Affairs, the program will include events that celebrate first-generation students throughout the year.

“We are thrilled to be starting this initiative in support of our firstgen students,” said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor. “As a first-generation student myself, I recall how difficult it was at times to be learning the ins and outs of college academics and campus life without guidance or experience

from my family.”

The university administration’s Badger Dialogues event series is a set of discussions intended to facilitate collaboration of voices between students and faculty in an informal discussion. One of these upcoming discussions, which will take place in Memorial Union on Oct. 16, will be centered on giving first-generation students the opportunity to share their input on what they believe the program is doing well and how it could improve.

The launch of the FirstGeneration Badgers program comes as part of an effort to better connect students to resources that will set them up for future success.

Jenny Bernhardt, communications director for student affairs, said the program’s initiatives are based on research showing institutionalized support increases firstgeneration student belonging.

“A centralized institutional effort to serve first-gen students best

sets them up for success, which is what we aim to achieve with our campus partners through the FirstGeneration Badgers program,” Bernhardt said in an email.

First-generation students are required to use a scattered network of offices to access resources they need. These offices include the Division of Enrollment Management, the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement, the Center for Academic Excellence in the College of Letters & Science and Student Affairs as well as faculty members.

A crucial initiative of the program, Bernhardt said, will be to coordinate these decentralized points of contact for first-generation students by including representatives from each group in the program.

Bernhardt also said the office is currently exploring the possibility of a mentorship program for firstgeneration students, which would

start next fall.

According to first-generation student Dayanara LimonHernandez, the First-Generation Badgers program helped her feel a sense of belonging.

“It’s been hard, but I know that I have a lot of support,” said LimonHernandez. “I’m really excited to see what UW is going to do with these programs to help future students feel included.”

The Great Midwest Hemp Fest celebrates cannabis, pushes for legal reform

The Great Midwest Hemp Fest held its annual festival at Library Mall Sunday, featuring more than 20 vendors, musicians and speakers.

By Eliza Tool STAFF WRITER

The Great Midwest Hemp Fest hosted its annual festival Sunday with local vendors, musicians and advocacy for cannabis reform.

Local vendors carrying various products including gummies, CBD oil, hemp clothing and topical relief sprays gathered near Library Mall to engage with customers. Nicklaus Rueda, festival operations manager, told The Daily Cardinal the event’s goal since its inception in 1971 is to educate people about marijuana, target unconscious ideas that go beyond medical or recreational legislation and destigmatize cannabis use.

“We’re talking about the things that we aren’t thinking about to try to change the mind of the general public and let them know this isn’t a scary plant,” Rueda said. “We can create a better future for our children to live in one day by finding reform in cannabis here in Wisconsin.”

BioSpectrum Hemp, a Madison-based manufacturer of cannabis products, came to Hemp Fest to find new consumers and support a growing market, according to BioSpectrum representative Cole Melius. BioSpectrum sells its products to customers and vendors across the country, but Melius said the festival creates an opportunity to build a local customer base.

“[The Great Midwest Hemp Fest has] a lot of tradition here in Madison,” Melius said. “We’re just wanting to be a part of that

culture and community.”

The U.S. cannabis market generated $27 billion in sales in 2022 and its projected worth is $50.7 billion by 2028, according to wellness industry research firm BrightField Group.

“People are definitely wanting the intoxicating effects, whether it’s to relax, to calm down or simply to just be stoned and have a good time,” Melius said. “A huge goal is to make a product that’s going to feel good.”

“It’s such a trending market,” Melius added.

Lawmaker pushes for legalization

Lending her support to statewide legalization of mari-

juana, state Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, said in a speech at the Capitol during the event that legalization would benefit the state’s economy.

“The industry is already here in Wisconsin,” Agard said. “It’s time that we support it in a thoughtfully well-regulated and progressive manner rather than ignoring the fact that this plant exists here in the state of Wisconsin.”

The possession, manufacture and sale of marijuana is currently illegal in Wisconsin. A first offense for possession of mari-

juana is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months. A second offense is a Class I felony and is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and/ or imprisonment for up to 3.5 years, according to The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

According to 2023 data from the National Conference of State Legislatures, 38 states have legalized medical marijuana use, and 23 states have implemented laws allowing regulated recreational marijuana use. Agard, along with Rep. Darrin Madison, D-Milwaukee, introduced a bill on Friday to legalize marijuana possession for people 21 years or older.

Neighboring states Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois have legalized medical and recreational marijuana use. Agard said that by continuing to criminalize marijuana, Wisconsin risks falling behind its peers in expanding freedom for its residents.

“It is very dangerous for Wisconsin to continue to remain an island of prohibition,” Agard said. “This is perpetuating racial disparities, it is harming our economy and it is infringing on your personal liberties.”

Rueda said he hopes events like the Great Midwest Hemp Fest help normalize marijuana use, especially in places where the substance is still criminalized.

“It’s not a scary drug like our government used to paint it out to be,” Rueda said. “The sooner that we can break that stigma and make it just a general statement, we will create a better future.”

Nicklaus

Rueda Hemp Fest operations manager

“It’s not a scary drug like our government used to paint it out to be.”

MEGHAN SPIRITO/THE DAILY CARDINAL

ALEXA COLEMAN/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin continues to battle water contamination, rural areas hit the hardest

By Alexander Tan SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Last October, citizens of Peshtigo, Wisconsin gathered for a meeting and waited for state officials to deliver news that there is a clear path forward to one day drink their own homes’ well water.

But the town walked away empty-handed. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials admitted that, without clear guidance from the state government, their hands are tied.

Peshtigo’s approximately 4,000 residents have faced years-long efforts to secure safe drinking water after the DNR found dangerous amounts of PFAS contamination in the Peshtigo-Marinette area in 2019.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of chemicals widely used in various industrial and consumer goods from nonstick cookware to firefighting foams. They are commonly known as “forever chemicals” for their tenacity in the environment and the human body and are known to cause multi-systemic health complications, including carcinogenic effects.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last year that 12 out of 40 samples of municipal tap water across Wisconsin contained PFAS. Though most sources did not exceed the EPA’s allowed limit according to the report, the agency admits that virtually no amount is truly harmless.

Peshtigo is seeking legal reparations from the polluters.

Within the same month, the Town of Peshtigo filed a lawsuit against Tyco Fire Products and other chemical companies and firms involved in the manufacturing of PFAS located in nearby Marinette.

The suit alleges over 230 drinking water wells in the town have been heavily contaminated due to Tyco and other companies testing firefighting foam containing PFAS outdoors for decades since 1962.

“I am confident that the judicial process will help restore our town and begin to return to us what Tyco, JCI and the other defendants have taken: our water, our safety and ultimately our peace of mind,” Cindy Boyle, Peshtigo town chairwoman, said in an October 2022 press release.

So far, Tyco and the DNR can both agree the company polluted a sliver of the town known as the “potable well sampling area.” Tyco supplies water filtration systems and bottled water for 169 homes in this area but does not assume further liability.

The company also unveiled a $25 million Groundwater Extraction and Treatment System to remove groundwater chemicals in the area surrounding the fire testing facil-

ity in Marinette.

The number of contaminated homes under Tyco’s umbrella of responsibility is hotly debated. The DNR found forever chemicals at elevated levels outside of the area Tyco takes responsibility for, but Tyco attributes it to the ubiquity of PFAS in other industries and products that could be to blame.

The risks behind how rural Wisconsin sources water

PFAS pollution is not the only challenge faced by Wisconsinites seeking clean, secure drinking water. The contamination of Wisconsin

their drinking water from groundwater, according to the DNR. The fewer resources available to small rural municipal water systems make these communities vulnerable to Wisconsin’s worsening nitrate issues.

Nitrates can be a problem in agricultural areas due to fertilizer runoff and manure spreading. Between 2003 and 2017, contamination worsened in 165 Wisconsin towns by an average of 46%, according to a report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Replacing a single contaminated well can cost up

not testing was because their “water tastes and looks fine,” and an estimated 45% were unsure what to test for.

Although the DNR regulates the construction of private wells, the wells receive little attention once in place. There is no requirement that private wells be tested, including when a home is sold.

Accessibility remains a challenge for small and rural communities

State and federal officials have apportioned over $100M through the state budget, national Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other

cially when applications are detailed and arduous.

Often, the municipalities only have a choice between stretching their staff thinner or hiring an expensive consultant — if they can afford the funding match requirement at all.

Match requirements are common in federal funding programs and discriminate funding distribution based on whether a recipient can match a certain amount of the grant. Over 60% of federal resilience funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires a local match.

U.S. Government Accountability Office reports on flood mitigation and disaster recovery pointed out how match requirements restrict the ability of some communities to take action on climate risk. They proposed making funding requirements more flexible by reducing or even eliminating match requirements.

New legislation and funding for water protection

The rise in PFAS controversy has inspired more legislation and funding in favor of updating Wisconsin’s water services. The state’s biennium budget allocates $125 million towards repairing water contamination.

Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, authored a bill to fund a program empowering municipalities and water utility entities to conduct testing for PFAS levels in water systems and build infrastructure to address PFAS contamination.

Landowners and private well users would also be able to seek grants for treatment.

groundwater has been a ubiquitous problem for over 50 years, according to a report by the DNR.

Agricultural pollutants such as nitrate runoff from industrial fertilizers can cause severe birth defects and ecological disruption. The DNR’s report found that about 10% of private wells exceeded the EPA’s maximum contaminant level (MCL) for nitrateN. In agricultural areas, such as south-central Wisconsin, around 20%-30% of private well samples exceed the MCL.

A 2023 analysis from the Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC) expects that replacing contaminated private wells could cost over $10 million in some counties, totaling $446M statewide.

Sierra Club, a climate action nonprofit, determined 90% of nitrate in Wisconsin comes from manure or excess fertilizer runoff due to inadequate safety precautions or careless farming practices.

Approximately two-thirds of Wisconsin residents get

to several thousands of dollars. Treatments for contaminated wells may be covered under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, but the landowner’s family or business income may not exceed $100,000 for the prior calendar year, and the landowner must submit multiple samples for eligibility.

A 2017 study by Kristen

M.C. Malecki et al. found that of people who depended on wells, only about one-half of respondents reported testing their wells in the last ten years. Of that half, only 10% reported testing in the last 12 months. Malecki et al. also stated that barriers to testing can be largely attributed to social norms, knowledge about risks and convenience.

However, cost is not the main disincentive for proper well maintenance. An earlier 2008 survey of 1,447 private well owners by the DNR showed that only 13% of private well owners who did not test their water listed cost as a barrier to testing. Over 80% stated their reason for

sources for Wisconsin’s water issues. Targeted projects include PFAS treatment and infrastructure upgrades, but their accessibility for rural towns and villages remains unclear.

Drinking water violations increased in smaller systems nationwide even as larger systems saw decreases, indicating that water services to rural and small communities are lagging behind, according to the EPA.

Contamination was “more likely to get worse” in smaller communities between 2003 and 2017, according to the EWG, and 83% of systems where contamination increased served 3,300 people or fewer.

Rural communities face more hurdles in obtaining state and federal funding and are more often underfunded and understaffed, according to Wisconsin Watch.

In the competition for federal funding, smaller systems are disadvantaged with their restricted budgets and overworked staff, espe -

However, Wimberger’s bill would require recipients to match up to 20% of the funding for many of the grants, something underfunded communities may not be able to afford.

The bill also limits when the DNR can test for PFAS on private land and prevents the agency from taking enforcement action unless it can demonstrate harm to public health or the environment, according to The Cap Times.

In March 2022, Peshtigo residents petitioned federal officials to criticize the fire testing facility under the Superfund Act, which could allow the EPA to clean up the area on Tyco’s dime. The agency granted the petition to further examine the site and has listed it as a Superfund site.

Three other bills by a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are seeking to reduce road salt usage, expand grant eligibility for replacing nitrate-contaminated wells and expand funding for farmer-led groups that evaluate land conservation practices and their impact on water quality.

LIAM BERAN/THE DAILY CARDINAL

New Sweetgreen location impresses, raises concerns among students

By Sophia Ross STAFF WRITER

University of Wisconsin–Madison students flocked to State Street on Sept. 21 to try Madison’s newest salad restaurant: Sweetgreen. The nationwide phenomenon opened its doors in a convenient location next to Chipotle, bringing a promise of free goodies to celebrate its opening day.

Excitement was in the air surrounding the store opening. Days before the storefront welcomed the general public, several students signed up to receive a promotional deal. The marketing technique, which most likely was for employee training and to get the word about the restaurant, was a big success in the eyes of Madison students.

“We signed up for the free Sweetgreeen meal promotion,” said Annie Hammel, a UW-Madison sophomore. “I had never been before, so it was very exciting to walk into

the brand new establishment.”

The fast-casual salad chain prides itself on “building healthier communities by connecting people to real food,” and has a variety of different items on its menu, ranging from salads to warm bowls to plates and even kids meals.

Jonathan Newman, Sweetgreen co-founder and CEO, said the restaurant’s goal is universal across their locations.

“This past July, we put down roots in Wisconsin as part of our national expansion, delivering on our mission to connect people to real food across the country,” Neman told The Daily Cardinal. “As our third location in Wisconsin, we’re excited to provide a convenient option for quality, delicious meals to all UW-Madison Badgers and the greater Madison community.”

But with the opening of a new salad restaurant, many wonder what Sweetgreen will contribute to a campus that already has its fair

‘Jump Around’ in Badger History

By Sophie Walk LIFE & STYLE EDITOR EMERITUS

The University of WisconsinMadison has many gameday traditions. Fans sing along to “Build Me Up Buttercup,” sway arm-in-arm to “Varsity” and jump up and down to “Jump Around.” Although all of these traditions are loved by the masses, many people don’t actually know how they started.

The origin of the song “Varsity” is a little less of a mystery than other famous traditions. According to the Wisconsin Alumni Association, Badgers have been singing the song for decades. A young instructor in the College of Letters and Science wrote a new version of the song in 1898. It was former Band Director Ray Dvorak who established the tradition of swinging together arm in arm in 1934.

Overcome with school pride during the historical “Varsity” mitigates any need for musical talent, however, “Build Me Up Buttercup” is when all Badgers get to show off their amazing singing skills. This tradition started simply because of peoples’ love for the song, according to the WAA, and its popularity grew after the song was featured in the 1998 film, “There’s Something About Mary.”

The fans loved participating in this new tradition, so by the 2000s the song was played at almost all games. To this day, students and fans continue to sing along.

Arguably the biggest gameday tra-

and a tight end who was injured for this game, made a playlist of songs for the stadium with a teammate. Their mission was to find songs that would pump

share of salad and health-oriented restaurants.

The behind-the-counter service of a salad bar filled with many ingredients might look extremely similar to some. Madison students’ other favorite salad place, Forage Kitchen, has an almost identical setup just across the street from Sweetgreen.

Forage enthusiast Ellie Herrald, a junior at UW-Madison, couldn’t help but express her concern about what the opening of the major salad chain will do to the local establishment she’s grabbed lunch from for years.

“As much as I’m excited for Sweetgreen, I wish we got a different type of food in that location rather than competing with an already really established and sufficient place like Forage,” Herrald said. “I really hope Sweetgreen doesn’t excite the crowds and run Forage out of business.”

Both places offer fresh and tasty options for a reasonable price. In my eyes, the introduc-

tion of Sweetgreen to Madison is simply bringing another nutritious option to the table. So enjoy your salads and bowls, Madison!

dition at UW-Madison is the song “Jump Around,” by House of Pain. The entire stadium erupts in cheers the moment the starting horns are heard over the speakers. Students, alumni and Badger fans alike jump up and down, shaking all of Camp Randall Stadium.

This infamous tradition can be traced back to the Homecoming football game against Purdue on Oct. 10, 1998. Legend has it that, before the game, Ryan Sondrup ’99, a marketing intern

the speakers, and the student section sprang to their feet.

Although songs like “Jump Around,” “Varsity” and “Build Me Up Buttercup” all have an enormous impact on the gameday atmosphere, their influence does not end after the fourth quarter. Or even after the fifth. Their power goes far past the field and into the hearts and minds of the student body.

All these songs have become a significant part of the culture at UW-Madison. “Varsity” is a time when students all stand arm-in-arm and are reminded of the family they have at the university. “Build Me Up Buttercup” is so loved by the students that they continue to sing even after the music ends — a moment of calm and togetherness.

Even though “Jump Around” started as a song to pump up the crowd, it has become so much more. The song has now become a part of the UW-Madison college experience. It is even played at commencement ceremonies, about three-quarters of the way through (obviously) so students graduating can “Jump Around” with each other one last time.

Students, alumni and Wisconsin Badger fans alike are connected by this long-standing tradition as 76,000 fans all jump to the same beat.

A Badger is pretty easy to spot out in the wild. Play those sweet trumpet sounds at the start of “Jump Around,” and — almost like a Pavlovian response — all Badger fans will feel themselves lift to their feet and start jumping all around.

By Gracie Becker STAFF WRITER

Some of the University of WisconsinMadison’s most positive attributes are its numerous long-standing traditions, cultivated throughout academic years characterized by dedication and passion. Perhaps one of the most unique, engaging and spirited traditions is the UW Marching Band’s Fifth Quarter.

In the late 1970s, the UW Marching Band began attracting significantly more recognition and attention from students and outsiders alike. For this reason, the band reconstructed their postgame performance to alter its structure, add goofy behaviors and expand its music repertoire. Responses to these changes to the post-game show were nothing but positive and earned its own unique title of Fifth Quarter. The same characteristics of this special postgame tradition remain today as they did when they were implemented decades ago.

I vividly remember my first Fifth Quarter as an official Badger. My new college best friends and I stuck around after the first football game of the 2022 season. We were exhausted, sweaty and ravenous, but we were excited to experience the performance from the student section. We polkaed, faked our way through the songs we did not yet know the words to and did the chicken dance as fast as we could.

Experiencing students dancing and singing with each other to cherished Wisconsin anthems was one of those “ah-ha” moments where I remembered just how lucky I was to be a student at UW-Madison.

Nothing brings people together like music does, and Fifth Quarter is the perfect example of this. The songs performed

CARDINAL

by the band are songs that have been loved by generations of UW-Madison students. When current students sing and dance to the band’s music, they are singing and dancing with thousands of Badgers that came before them.

Fifth Quarter promotes UW-Madison school spirit and is an essential part of every home football game, providing the band with the spotlight they deserve and students with the space to be goofy alongside them.

I had the pleasure of interviewing UW-Madison associate marching band director Dr. Corey Pompey about his initial take on Fifth Quarter when he started as director several years ago. After experiencing his first Fifth Quarter, Pompey felt he had “never seen anyone or any organization do a post game performance like this one.”

Prior to directing at UW-Madison, Pompey was involved with marching bands at other universities such as the University of Nevada-Reno, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Texas at Austin. Despite years of experience with other accomplished bands, Pompey remarked that the Fifth Quarter was “a shock to the system” in a positive way.

Additionally, he remarked that “most of the band members enjoy doing it” and that “when we don’t do Fifth Quarter, it’s a huge disappointment.” Pompey agreed that Fifth Quarter boosts member morale and is important to the students.

If you are not sticking around for Fifth Quarter, you definitely should be. Take it from Dr. Pompey that Fifth Quarter is a “chance to dance a little bit and an opportunity to sing a little bit in a judgment-free zone.” Just as Pompey said, there truly is nothing like it.

UW’s cherished postgame tradition: Fifth Quarter highlights small businesses

EVAN HALPOP/THE DAILY

RIVER KRATOCHVIL/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Sophie Walk UW-Madison Student

“Play those sweet trumpet sounds at the start of “Jump Around,” andalmost like a Pavovian response- all Badger fans will feel themselves lift to their feet and start jumping all around.”

Harmonizing progress: Q&A with UW Band Director Dr. Corey Pompey

By Nicholas Sinn STAFF WRITER

Dr. Corey Pompey assumed leadership of the UW Marching Band in spring of 2019, navigating them through the 2020 Rose Bowl and the challenges of the pandemic and now into the revitalized era of football under Luke Fickell.

Emphasizing passion and prioritizing communication, Pompey shared with The Daily Cardinal his reflections on both his journey and the band’s. He explored band members’ collective struggles, their unwavering determination and their relentless pursuit to excel in their musical roles.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Where are you from and how did you get involved in music?

I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama. I got involved in music because [of] music programs in the schools. I started off in a string program, and eventually I joined the band program [in] fifth grade.

How did this passion evolve into a career?

I didn’t know that I wanted to be a band director. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be an attorney. I knew that you could major in anything you wanted to if you want to be an attor -

job, I was not interested in it. Conventional wisdom tells me you don’t take a job following someone that’s been in a position for 50 years. But the people that I met prior to taking this job all said, “We will be supportive. We’re not looking for a clone of Mike.” That was helpful. The other thing that was helpful [was that] prior to officially starting the position, I had breakfast with Mike and my other soon-to-be band colleagues. One of them asked Mike, “So Mike, do you have any advice for Corey?” And Mike shook his head and said no, he did not have any advice. Then he said, “Do what you know how to do.”

Even though he said he didn’t have any advice, that was his advice: just do what you know how to do. One of the things he talked about being grateful for when he took over the position was that his predecessor was supportive, and he planned to do the same thing.

What do you hope your legacy is?

Honestly, I don’t think in those terms. I hope I do the best job that I can do for the students. If there was a legacy to be had, I hope it didn’t burn to the ground and that, somehow, we were able to maintain high musical standards and high marching standards. That’s my hope. I hope we will also be in a position to bring the band in line with some other major bands of the country in terms of resources. The band is not struggling by any stretch of the imagination, [but]

of things going on that first game when they said the DJ was playing over the band. Our friends in the athletic department were doing the best that they could do. Were there some hiccups? Yes, there were hiccups. I think we worked a lot of those out over the second game. I am very aware of the public criticism that came down on the athletic department.

I would say no one was acting maliciously that first game. We were all working to put [out] the best product that we could. That’s how I would respond to that.

The people that do production for the football games really took the critiques to heart. They worked over those next two weeks to really dial things in. My hope is that people felt better.

Could you explain a bit about what goes into band performances at halftime and the Fifth Quarter?

The first thing that people probably should know is that the marching band is a class on campus. The class meets Tuesday through Fridays in the afternoons. For a game

Saturdays, we meet in the morning. If it’s an 11 a.m. game, we’re rehearsing at 7 a.m.

If it’s a one week game [a second back-to-back week with a home game], we have to figure out how we’re going to learn the field show pregame in one week, and they’re very stressful. They’re not fun. We got one week! We do a different show every game, so preparing a full production in one week can be stressful. In a two week preparation, we’ll talk about something that took nearly 18 to 20 hours of rehearsal to be able to do. If we’re preparing for a halftime show early in the process, we focus on the music. Then between the beginning and the end of that preparation period, [we] shift focus from the music to the visual. By the time we get on the back end, we’ll mostly [be] working on the combination of the music and the visual. That’s kind of how it works.

What makes UW-Madison different from other schools, programs or bands you’ve worked for?

The thing that makes us unique is our marching style. We call [it] “stop at the top.” We’re the only university that does that because Mike invented it. That is something that’s unique to us, and that’s special.

Is it the high knees?

It’s how we do the high knees. A lot of the bands do high stuff. [In the] traditional Big Ten, those schools that were at the beginning of the conference all had a high step. And in varying degrees, they still do it. But the difference is we still high step for pregame and halftime. Most of the bands of our conference, if they have a high step, they’ll do it for pregame but not for halftime.

concert that we were expecting to have in April, and that got taken away. Then you fast forward to the fall. We were a shell of ourselves at that point. We could not meet as a large group, so we were meeting in pods with a maximum of 25 people or so for a whole semester, never having the opportunity to perform as an ensemble.

The students felt a sense of loss. The sense of community was really disrupted during that time. We started that year without the prospect of playing at football games, too. I have an appreciation for all of the people that joined the band knowing we were not going to play football because they wanted to be a part of the band. I’ll always be appreciative of those people, and I’m also appreciative of all the people that stayed because they love the band. There was a handful of people that said, “We’re not doing football? I’m out of here.” But the vast majority stayed. Without their help, we could not have gone through that period.

At a predominantly white institution, what would you say to young Black people or young people of color who may not see a place for them in music in higher education?

Honestly, I think the only thing that I can say is: Give us a shot. We have really good students in the band. They’re very supportive, and there are structures in place to support students of color here at this institution.

Come observe, see what you think. Do you like what you see? If so, give us a shot.

I would also encourage them to talk to the students of color in the band to see what their experiences are because we have students of color [who] have been in the band for multiple years. It would be good for future students to have those conver-

see more people of color in the ranks.

If I am able to inspire or provide encouragement for those people who are also coming up to do this, I would love to do that and am happy to do that to the best of my ability. People do reach out from time to time, and I am able to offer advice.

This is kind of a silly question, but do you like football? Are you interested in that side of things?

Oh, yes…. I love football. I love college football. I follow college football more than I do the NFL. I’m a Packers fan by default. I have several teams that I follow, but Wisconsin is number one. What is your favorite memory here so far?

Oh, wow. There have been some great memories. The Rose Bowl was magical. Being able to march the parade and then do a halftime on one of the biggest stages of the sport — that was special.

One of the things that was special for me — I had the opportunity to meet Allee Willis. For people that don’t know Allee Willis, she was a songwriter [who] wrote “September,” “Boogie Wonderland” and the theme from “Friends.” She graduated from Wisconsin in 1969. She visited campus for the 50th anniversary of her class.

I grew up listening to Earth, Wind & Fire, and to be able to talk to someone that wrote those songs or co-wrote those songs was crazy to me, absolutely crazy.

Unfortunately, she passed that December, so the fact that I was able to have that experience with her was wonderful. She was great to the students — any picture that they wanted to take, she took. And that was awesome.

She conducted the band during halftime, which was an awesome experience. We played some of her music, and she was just really supportive.

ney. I did not want to do English, history, political science… I wanted to do something that I enjoy, and that’s music.

I was going to get my music degree, take the LSAT and go be a lawyer. Somewhere along the way, I came to the realization that I might have been kidding myself.

What was it like to transition the culture of the band into a new post-Leckrone era, and how important is it to retain its unique history?

I had a lot of help. Our assistant band director [in his 7th year] at the time was hugely helpful for me, [and] the students were extremely helpful. If there was anything that was running afoul of tradition, I would hear about it.

There were times when I would ask, “Here’s an idea. What do you think?” And sometimes they would be receptive to it. But from a tradition standpoint, it is important to maintain those things that are good. Anything that does not bring harm to the organization, I’m okay with.

I thought the transition went about as well as it could have gone. I’ve observed other band programs get really sideways.

When I first found out about this

there are some bands that are set up in a way that we’re not set up right now. That’s where I hope to get.

I would compare it to programs that started the NIL [Name, Image and Likeness] journey before we did. There is a band in the country, in the conference, [that] started working on [NIL] way ahead of everybody else. Now they’re sitting on a nearly $30 million endowment, and that helps to support the program. I’d like to get us into that realm.

What is your relationship with the DJ at football games? Is he receptive to the needs of the band?

He’s great! He and I, we’re great. There’s no issue between us and the DJ. He’s doing the job that he’s been hired to do. When we see each other, it’s cordial.

Here’s the thing that most people might not know when it comes to the DJ and the band: The DJ plays when he’s told to play. The band plays when we are told to play.

I will say that there were a lot

It’s our approach to doing that high-step that’s unique, the “stop at the top” aspect of it [where the leg is brought up quickly and pauses at a 90-degree angle, a style exclusive to UW-Madison]. There’s some real technical things physically that go into making that happen. That’s unique to us. The other thing that I really appreciate about Wisconsin is people love the band, and I really appreciate that. [The fans are] overt in their affection for the band.

They built this later iteration of Union South so that it would be good for the acoustics when the band plays these pregame concerts. Where else does a university build a building so that their band can sound good?

I’m not talking about a music or band building that’s designed for them to rehearse. The fact that they took [into] consideration those concerts is totally unique to us, and Union South houses the [Badger Band] Hall of Fame. That’s what I mean when I say we’ve got great, great support here.

Speaking of that support, how challenging was it to deal with COVID?

Oh my goodness, I’m still trying to forget. Maybe I shouldn’t forget. It was tough. I can’t sugarcoat it. Number one, thank goodness we went to the Rose Bowl that year, because if we hadn’t gone to the Rose Bowl [for] those seniors, that would have made that year worse. That’s really something positive that they can look back on. So we [did] the Rose Bowl in January, and we started practicing for the spring

sations with them to see what they did to be able to navigate all of this.

On a personal note, there are only two Black band directors in the Big Ten and five in the Power Five conferences. What does it mean to be among them?

I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here, and it means a lot to a lot of people. For that reason, it’s important to me. When I’m doing my job on a day-to-day basis, I’m trying to do the best job that I can for everybody. That piece of it is not always on the forefront of my thinking.

I don’t want to sound like I’m being dismissive of it, because it is very important. I’m hoping that my presence here would potentially encourage others to come. So it’s a big deal, and we’d love to

“If there was a legacy to be had, I hope it didn’t burn to the ground and that, somehow, we were able to maintain high musical standards and high marching standards. That’s my hope.”

LAUREN AGUILA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Activists see frightening future for energy as Wisconsin utility rates increase

By Britta Wellenstein STAFF WRITER

October may be known for its scary movies and spooky vibes. But it’s also Energy Awareness Month, which can be equally as anxiety-inducing.

Energy Awareness Month is a national movement aiming to “underscore how central energy is to our national prosperity, security and environmental well-being.”

However, big energy changes may be underway in southwest Wisconsin that could affect residents’ utility bills and the future of solar energy.

This spring, Alliant Energy and Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) proposed increased rates for electricity and natural gas as well as changes to rooftop solar pricing, known as net metering. The proposals are currently under review by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW).

MGE, which manages the city of Madison’s public utility services, proposed a 1.5% electrical rate increase in 2024 followed by a 1.9% increase in 2025. This is down from their ini tial proposed rate increase of 3.5% in 2024. Natural gas rates would increase 2.27% in 2024 under the current provisions.

In an email to The Daily Cardinal, MGE spokesperson Steve Schultz cited “lower anticipated fuel costs” as the cause for the decrease and said that the newest rates are in line with inflation.

Alliant Energy, which services much of Dane County, proposed an 8.4% rate hike

for electricity in 2024. It’s an increase of about $13 per month for the average family, according to Alliant.

JP Brummond, Alliant Energy’s vice president of customer and community engagement, stated in an email that Alliant currently has the lowes electric rates in Wisconsin, “and we expect to remain among the lowest.”

The increased rates will be used to make infrastructure improvements, he added.

“We’re taking action now in order to best manage costs, increase resiliency and build a stronger energy future,” Brummond said.

Both rate increases raised alarms for activists worried about environmental justice and energy burden.

“With climate change, we’re going to be seeing longer and more severe heat waves that are also going to put a burden on lowincome families by increasing their energy bills. These rate increases will exacerbate that,”

Stephanie Robinson, a coordinating council member of 350 Wisconsin, told the Cardinal.

350 Wisconsin is a local climate action group who filed in opposition to MGE to the PSCW.

The 350 Wisconsin Art Collaborative performed a flash mob at the Dane County Farmers’ Market to inspire others to get involved. They have been working to raise aware-

ness of the impact these changes will have on all Madisonians, especially the disproportionate impact it will have on lowincome communities.

A 2023 study from 350 Madison found that in Madison, the average energy burden — the percent of household income spent on energy — for extremely low-income residents was 9%. An energy burden of 6% is considered high.

“We’d like to see more support for improving the energy efficiency of homes,” Robinson said. “And we’d like to see [the PSCW] put a cap on energy burden at no more than 6%.”

In addition to rate changes, proposals to change net metering policies concerned activists about the future of renewable energy access in the state. Net metering allows customers to be compensated for extra solar electricity they contribute to the grid, helping make up for the heavy upfront costs for rooftop solar installation.

In documents to the PSCW, MGE proposed transitioning

to an hourly-based net metering system, which reduces the compensation rate from 14.8 cents per kilowatt hour to 7.5 cents for both residential and commercial users. The changes do not apply to existing customers.

“Our proposed changes to net metering address consistency in net metering rates, regardless of the size of a system, and address affordability for all customers while adding to incentives already available for customers who choose to invest in rooftop solar,” Schultz said.

RENEW Wisconsin, who filed in opposition to Alliant and MGE’s changes, said the changes would decrease rooftop solar adoption at a time when the state is aiming to be 100% carbon-free by 2050.

Net metering is one of the most effective ways to increase rooftop solar adoption and decrease financial barriers, more than other incentive programs, a 2021 PSCW report found.

“[MGE’s proposal] makes the payback periods much, much lon-

ger, which in turn means that the only residents that are going to go solar… [are] affluent people,” Sam Dunaiski, executive director of RENEW, told the Cardinal. “We want to make rooftop solar available to anyone that needs it. The people that need them most are those lowand moderate-income customers who would benefit the most.”

Alliant Energy reversed its initial net metering proposal and is continuing net metering for two years until it transitions to a new program called the Power Partnership, leading RENEW to support Alliant’s proposal to the PSCW.

The Power Partnership is still net metering, but would eliminate extra charges, allow customers to estimate their payback period, ensure a steady revenue stream to solar customers and provide a solid growth path for solar storage, RENEW states on its website. Comment periods for both cases have closed. Negotiations are ongoing and proposals are subject to change. The PSCW is expected to finish reviewing the cases by the end of 2023.

Science sit down with geologist Susan Swanson

By Madelyn Anderson SCIENCE EDITOR

What comes to mind when you hear the word geology?

For many of us, our minds paint a picture of rugged rocks or sediment on shores. But according to Susan Swanson, Wisconsin state geologist and director of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS), the field is more than that.

“Geology encompasses multiple branches of science and impacts everyone’s daily lives,” Swanson said in an interview with The Daily Cardinal. “The key is finding that connection.”

For Swanson, the tie to geology started when she was young. She spent her days exploring her childhood farm, from touching water to wandering fields. These lived experiences led her to earn her bachelor’s degree in geology from Gustavus Adolphus College, followed by a master’s and doctorate

focused on hydrogeology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

However, Swanson stresses that a rural upbringing and higher education is not necessary to connect with our natural resources or encounter their impact.

“Experiencing nature doesn’t have to be hiking in the woods, walking through a prairie or fishing in one of Wisconsin’s pristine trout streams,” Swanson said. “You can connect with your surroundings in the middle of the city in a variety of ways.”

A key link between Madison residents and geology comes in the form of water quality, one of Swanson’s focuses. Having an understanding of the distribution of materials in the subsurface, a main goal of WGNHS, aids organizations in solving issues of clean water access.

“The survey aims to conduct applied research for objective science,” Swanson said. “The idea is that our information gets used for informed

decision making in education, planning, management and outreach.”

Besides water, these decisions can regard topics of emerging contaminants, critical minerals and climate change. These are among some of geology’s most pressing questions, and Swanson looks forward to helping answer them at a statewide scale.

Furthermore, she is excited to expand WGNHS’s engagement. The organization is bringing on a communications and outreach specialist focused on connecting with environmental consultants, well drillers and other geologists — but especially citizens. “Geosciences have a lot to do in terms of reaching other communities as well as diversifying our workforce,” Swanson said. “My advice to folks who look at our field and don’t identify with someone is please reach out. There are people more than happy to talk about their experiences, share resources and have a conversation about your role in our field.”

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Badger men’s hockey tries to turn things around in their 75th season

By Ian Wilder SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After two straight losing seasons and finishing last in the Big Ten in 2022-23, the Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team can only move up the Big Ten leaderboard in their 75th season under new head coach Mike Hastings.

Hastings joins the team from the Minnesota State Mavericks after former head coach and Badger alumnus Tony Granato got the axe after last year’s season.

The Badgers finished 13-23-0 last year, the fifth losing season in seven years under Granato. And with the 2021-22 Badgers finishing with the second-worst modern record in school history of 10-24-3, University of Wisconsin-Madison Athletic Director Chris McIntosh decided it was time for a change.

Offensive weapons old and new show hope for Badgers

The Badgers averaged a disappointing 2.6 goals per game last year, tied for 41st out of 60 NCAA Division I teams. They put up shot numbers fairly on par with the rest of the Big Ten teams but struggled to convert those opportunities into goals with a .081 shot percentage.

The Big Ten tournament champion Michigan Wolverines averaged 4.2 goals per game with a .120 shot percentage. The runnerup and longtime Badger rival Minnesota Golden Gophers similarly averaged 4.2 goals a game with a .130 shot percentage.

The Badgers head into this season with two of their three main offensive weapons from last season. Senior forward alternate captain Mathieu De St. Phalle led the roster last year with 13 goals and was second in assists with 17, falling behind only Cruz Lucius, who came first with 23 assists and tied for second in goals with Brock Caufield.

Caufield, on the other hand, played his last season with the Badgers after winning the Big Ten regular season title with his brother Cole back in 2021. After a blazing Badger career, Cole Caufield moved on in 2021 to the Montreal Canadiens, while Brock Caufield signed over the

offensive stats from last year.

David Silye, who was recently named alternate captain alongside De St. Phalle, won the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Forward of the Year award last year and scored 39 points in 39 games for the Mavericks. With those numbers and a 62.2% faceoff win percentage, Silye could find his home as the first line center with the Badgers.

But, as Hastings pointed out after the transfer, Silye’s versatility could see him perform well at any of the forward positions.

“David Silye has continued to get better every year. His versatility as a player allows him to play all three forward positions and contribute in all areas of the game,” Hastings said in a press release.

“He takes tremendous pride in being one of the best faceoff men in college hockey. He’s a great teammate and leads by example.”

Christian Fitzgerald, also joining from Mavericks, scored 16 goals and contributed 29 points in 38 games, ranking second and third in the Mavericks lineup, respectively.

Simon Tassy, the last of the three Minnesota state transfers, missed over half of the games last season due to injury.

placing them tied for 54th out of 60 in all of Division I men’s hockey.

Mike Vorlicky will lead the defense both on and off the ice, having been with the team since the 2019-20 season and receiving the honor of captaining the team this year. His several years of Big Ten experience will undoubtedly come in handy as the Badgers try to come away with a better season this year.

Some familiar names like seniors Sam Stange and Anthony Kehrer will be returning as well, but with three freshman and two sophomores on the defensive roster, Hastings will undoubtedly be looking for some new combinations to improve the less-than-stellar defensive performance from last year.

Kyle McClellan will likely be the starting goaltender for the Badgers this season, taking over the starting role from Jared Moe. Moe played his final season last year and will move on to AA hockey in the ECHL, signing with the Idaho Steelheads.

McClellan started eight games last season and will likely have a chance to prove himself as the starter this season. Also on the goaltending roster is Ben Garrity, who hasn’t seen action since the 2021-22 sea-

6-1-1 against Bemidji, which should make it the most manageable game of the stretch.

The first few games against solid out-of-conference teams will set the season’s tone, and the two games against the Michigan Tech Huskies will be critically important as the Badgers look toward their first Big Ten games in Minnesota. The Badgers lost their last two-game series against the Huskies in 2021, so turning the series around this time could be a big boost before they head on to face Minnesota.

Starting in Minnesota, the Badgers will begin six straight Big Ten games — two against Minnesota, two against the Michigan Wolverines at home and then heading back on the road to face the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing.

The Badgers will play four more Big Ten games before the New Year — Ohio State and Penn State — while the other 14 Big Ten matchups will be mostly back-to-back in 2024, apart from a two-game series against Lindenwood.

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Highlights from the Chazen’s thought provoking “Insistent Presence” exhibition

By Lillian Mihelich STAFF WRITER

“Insistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection,” the current exhibit at the Chazen Museum of Art, is one that leaves attendees ruminating on the exciting combination of juxtaposition, storytelling and an abundance of African experiences.

The curators of the exhibition are African scholars Okwui Enwezor and Chika Okeke-Agulu. They have strategically built a forum for human life depicted through art, touching on spirituality, physical life and human creations.

“[They represent] artists keen on affirming the humanity of Africans and those critical of postcolonial governments,” the Chazen website reads. Despite the many art styles and vast diversity of the 24 artists represented from Africa’s heterogeneous continent and diasporic communities, one key element unites the exhibit: the use of juxtaposition.

Emptiness and fullness, noise and silence, light and dark — these are all components of the exhibit. From the very first look into the gallery, “Ruka,” a black-and-white painting of a dancer by Tanzanian artist Sungi Mlengeya, contrasts strikingly with the orange wall it hangs upon. The dancer’s toned

limbs are beautifully highlighted by a sterile white background, calling to attention how a body can make a blank space a vibrant one. This exhibit is an experience for the viewer to contemplate the many ways life can be represented.

The exhibit has three portions:

“The Body in Society,” “The Artist Is Present” and “The Absent Body.”

“The exhibit was full of many different things. Each new space had its own unique story to tell,” said exhibit viewer Kaylie Baier.

“The Body in Society” illustrates human interaction. It builds upon the idea of ubuntu, which is an African term in several countries that ties one’s own identity to the condition and health of relationships. The art displayed provides commentary on patriarchal power dynamics, spirituality, religious influences and political unrest.

Omar Ba, the Senegalian artist’s piece, “Afrique, Afrique, Afrique,” is an imaginative depiction of global unity in the absence of racism and oppression. Malik Welli’s photographs “Sisters of Joseph Cluny, Saint-Louis” and “Mosque of the Divinity” depict the infiltration of the French Catholic congregation and Chinese communist doctrine into Senegal, demonstrating a plurality of influence.

This section of the exhibit is a

portrayal of both human turmoil and gathering. Neo Matloga’s work “Ompile Korobela” literally stitches bodies together in a decadent blackand-white collage, signaling to viewers that we as individuals have multiple identities that thrive in the spaces we occupy.

“The Artist is Present” is a multifaceted showcase of the artists’ personal histories in combination with reflections on the past and the conditions of society. The film “Ke Sale Teng,” animated by Lebohang Kganye, is a black-and-white journey in which pages of history pop out at the viewer, detailing migration and building out of newness.

One of the biggest juxtapositions of the exhibit is a colossal bronze statue by Mary Sibande that invites viewers into the center of the exhibit. Previously residing in the Chazen’s entryway, a bronze gown flows off of “Sophie,” an ego the artist developed to relay stories of females dominating industries in apartheid South Africa. The statue is the only human sculpture in the exhibit, juxtaposing the 2d art and 3d objects with its lifelike stature. “Sophie,” walks forward, personifying the space and directioning viewers further into it.

“The Absent Body” is a series of objects and photographs in which the human presence is represented

yet missing. Immy Mali’s “Virtually Mine” is a hanging display of glass phone screens with messages relaying Ugandan economic struggle and the digital human presence that is born out of modern romance. The tall glass installment in the shape of a man’s body chimes together, juxtaposing the museum’s silent ambiance with sharp clashes.

One of the pieces museum-goers flocked to was Gonçalo Mabunda’s “The Throne of Languages,” a chair fully faceted from scraps of AK-47s

and materials from Mozambique’s liberation struggle and civil war. The chair has a face built into it, bringing new life to otherwise daunting remnants of the past.

“Insistent Presence” is an opportunity to realize the many ways the human body can populate a space through artwork, relationships and through an atmosphere. To have such abundant stories in one place is a gift to Madison.

The free exhibition will be on display until Dec. 23.

An insider’s look into music communities in Copenhagen

By Athena Kafkas STAFF WRITER

The University of WisconsinMadison and the city in which it is nestled has long been a utopia of school spirit and self-expression bolstered by a steadily diversifying population and a wide range of academic offerings.

Much of Madison’s artistic prowess is evident across campus — just venture into the Chazen Art Museum, tune into WSUM 91.7 FM Madison on your car radio or admire the fashion feats hidden in the School of Human Ecology.

Madison is rich in artistic and cultural diversity, but how does it measure up against a major center of techno and fashion in Europe?

Copenhagen has garnered a massive reputation for its nightlife, street fashion and music — this is particularly evident in viral TikToks showing accessory-clad people walking the streets of the Danish capital like a runway. The city is an international hub for talent and creative expression, which might just contribute to its No. 5 ranking on the World Happiness Report.

Both provincial centers have pronounced strengths and weaknesses. However, my semester abroad has given me the opportunity to go undercover in Copenhagen and determine how it compares to Wisconsin’s capital.

Madison’s music scene is composed of an impressive network of audiences and artists, making it almost too complex to describe. For instance, Madisonians enjoy concerts in a number of theaters scattered around the area.

The most popular of these, The

Sylvee and the Majestic Theatre, have hosted performers ranging from Hippo Campus and Adam Melchor to Lana Del Rey. Many notable shows also occur at High Noon Saloon and The Rigby, especially performances from up-andcoming Midwestern bands.

Additionally, a number of Madison residences host multi-band shows for residents, their friends and anyone perceptive enough to find the address amongst flyers and social media exchanges. These shows, similar to those played at The Nottingham’s “Arthurfest,” offer a wide range of musical entertainment in the genres of emo and pop punk, indie rock, funk and fusion.

As someone who has experienced concerts both big and small in UW-Madison’s backyard, I find Madison’s DIY scene to be the most impressive and unique. Its shows are intimate and inclusive with hosts, musicians and listeners uniting over a common passion. Madison’s DIY scene is home to memories of many evenings I’ve spent with friends seeing Madison bands.

On one such evening last spring,

I dragged my twin sister through the snow to a grunge/post-punk show on State Street with earplugs in hand. Although she has always been skeptical of my music taste, she ended the night with a smile on her face and some local music added to her Spotify playlist.

Long story short, the diversity of Madison’s music is incredible, and the ultra-involved nature of its varied audiences has formed a scene that is curated to the desires of modern Madison listeners.

A trip across the Baltic Sea later, I have suffered a desperate longing for those valuable aspects of Madison’s music community. Here in Copenhagen, I’ve made it my goal to find a Danish equivalent.

Of course, my identity as an American student in Europe set my progress back. I felt alien to the musical culture here.

Still, I have found that Copenhagen and Madison, although quite distant from one another, share a multitude of similarities when it comes to music and art.

My first encounter with music here in Copenhagen began quite

literally the moment I left the airport. Walking along the cobbled streets, I was met with sounds — both impressive and not — of street performers entertaining passers-by.

Often, these performances were limited to a one-person band, an acoustic guitar and a microphone. Otherwise, performers played more traditional instruments such as the accordion or the oboe. These are pleasant to experience in passing, but it’s not quite what I hoped to find.

As night fell on my first day in Copenhagen, I began to understand more about its culture. The city, known for its nightlife, was alight with clubs bumping techno and popular music. Jazz bars along quiet streets offered a wide range of performers nightly. Again, these facets are uniquely fun and interesting. But I sought something a little different.

Denmark hosts concerts in the city year-round, with Vega and Loppen representing much of the rock- and techno-loving community. Big names regularly take to these stages as well as highly antici-

pated artists such as Wednesday and Inhaler.

These two venues most closely resemble Madison’s theaters, and both offer an intimate experience between the performers and their audiences. On top of this, Danish music festivals are known for being some of the largest in Northern Europe. For example, Roskilde Festival and Copenhell are music events offering a wide range of music and cultural expositions. However, these options diminish as the weather gets colder.

These musical offerings left me pleasantly surprised, but the scene in Copenhagen is still incomparable to the innocence and passion that pulls Madison’s music community together.

I say innocence not in the way of purity, but in the novelty of it all. Everyone involved is actively learning how to build a culture of art and togetherness. This, I’ve found, is something that is unique to Madison’s studentheavy population.

Furthermore, Copenhagen boasts a diverse range of genres for the public to consume. However, listener experiences appear to be highly curated. Unfortunately, this characteristic roots out the sense of rebellion that gives a true underground music scene its charm.

Even now, temperatures are dropping in both of my cities, and listeners like me may opt to do so in heated bedrooms with headphones snug over our ears. Instead, I implore Cardinal readers to venture out into the wind and snow, wherever they may be. They’ll find just as much warmth in front of booming loudspeakers.

LILLIAN MIHELICH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

COURTESY GRACE MCKINSTRY

Metro passengers relieved public masturbator grower, not shower

By Omar Waheed STAFF WRITER

All articles featured in The Beet are purely satirical and not real news.

As Madison Metro continues to revamp its services to exclusively serve Epic employees, one rider is now capitalizing on the new routes.

Olive Jerkanhoff has taken to Metro buses to engage in a little bit of self-love in front of unsuspecting riders. Fear could be found in riders as he started, but those eyes turned to looks of wonder as the local pervert proved to have more than he let on.

“I was shocked that someone could just jump on a bus and do something like that,” a Metro passenger said. “But once he got going, he left me surprised with his massive meat missile.”

But why has Madison’s new premier public pleasurer started taking to the bus to sharpen his pork sword?

The answer is more daunting than most realize.

Madison Metro, in its efforts to

revamp the bus systems, has removed bus benches and shelters from stops. The policy follows a wave of antihomeless decisions to stop Madison’s most vulnerable from using the city’s public transit.

Metro’s rationale for the effort comes from the anti-homeless general ordinance 11.03(1) passed in 1995. The ordinance outlines that public transit fixtures, like bus shelters and benches, are only to be used for accessing the bus.

“It’s a shame that I have been left with no other option than to play my skin flute on the bus,” Jerkanhoff said. “I would love to do it on the beautiful streets of our scenic city, but Metro’s systematic dismantling of bus shelters and benches has left me with no other choice.”

Riders like our Metro Masturbator are now left paying $2 for the simple pleasure of whacking his one-eyed weasel on the bus until Metro reverses its anti-homeless, anti-human decency stance.

To get our extravagant exhibitionist back on the streets to pull at his plump pecker, write to Mayor RhodesConway and Madison Metro to stop implementing policy that negatively affects our most vulnerable.

Campus demands hazing for 2023 freshmen honors class

By Sreejita Patra STAFF WRITER

School may have been in session for less than a month, but there are already rumbles of burnout and discontent among both faculty and students.

By Morgan McCormack STAFF

Hey Morgan! I’ve been seeing this guy for a while and he just asked to be exclusive. I really like him. The only problem is he doesn’t have a job and doesn’t really go to class that much. What should I do?

Ah, the start of the semester, and love is in the air.

Except it’s not love — it's fear!

It’s the fear that “oh, my parents met in college, and the last five guys I’ve talked to wouldn’t even let me call him my boyfriend.”

The fear that graduating with a degree isn’t enough, I need a man too.

This fear leads people to do the worst thing they can possibly do: lower their standards.

You think a guy that doesn’t care about school is going to care about your relationship?

Without a job, how is he going to take you out on dates? And no, sitting in your apartment watching the show he picked out is not a date.

Honestly, do you think his “C's get degrees” mindset, no outside involvement and who cares internship is going to impress a job interviewer after college? NO!

Now look at you. Not only are you in crippling debt, but you have to take care of dead weight, too.

Tell that man to shape up or ship out because you deserve better.

And if he tells you you’re acting like a gold-digger — tell him to lay off the sigma male podcasts.

Hope this helps!

Sources in various departments and disciplines, ranging from senior professors to undergraduate students, are beginning to confirm a problem experts have forewarned for years: the post-pandemic honors classes of 2023 are impossible to teach. And at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the effects of their actions have been catastrophic.

Christine Evans has faithfully served the UW-Madison honors program for too many years, helping guide countless students to graduate school, internships and more. But lately, she’s been spending most of her time at work fighting off droves of complaints from administration and staff.

“It’s nothing like we’ve ever seen before,” Evans said in a 2 a.m. interview behind Washburn Observatory. “Teachers can take a lot: I personally was jumped more than three times by disgruntled students as a Fullbright educator. But say you teach 8 a.m. lecture, and every single student insists on arriving two hours early to prepare themselves for class. It becomes psychological warfare.”

Reports of freshmen honors students asking complex, thoughtful questions in 500-person seminars have skyrocketed, along with more extreme incidents of vibrant course-related engagement in teaching assistants’ discussion sections.

Jo Ramsey is a self-identified “highachieving” honors sophomore taking one of countless reserved courses offered at UW-Madison. When asked about her experience, she described a harrowing tale of hazing by freshmen honors students which nearly made her drop the class altogether.

“I started the year under the impression that being an older student with the ethnic studies requirement under my belt would make me more knowledgeable about Southeast Asia than my freshmen constituents,” Ramsey said. “But when Professor Cullinane asked us if we could

recognize the figurine on his shirt, and every single honors freshman could read the Tagalog description of baby Jesus below the statue, I was humiliated. They all simultaneously looked at me with pity.”

Jenny Saffran, a famous psychologist and head of the honors program at UW-Madison, attributes the issue mainly to online schooling.

“These smartasses spent all those years they were supposed to be optimistic and idealistic asleep on a screen,” she told The Daily Cardinal. “All that wasted intellectual curiosity was shoved to the back burner and has re-manifested itself in a group of insatiable try-hards.”

Saffran also believes that online school has led to improper socialization among freshmen, causing them to lack basic skills which college freshmen typically come in having acquired through high school.

“Many of these nerds have barely been bullied by upperclassmen for showing too much enthusiasm or for raising their hand more than once in two hours,” Saffran said. “Quite frankly, they have no idea how annoying people find them.”

Despite overwhelming evidence speaking to the seriousness of the issue, little action has been taken toward better discipline or education of ‘23 honors freshmen. But there are murmurs of change on the horizon, as

revealed by confidential aides close to College of Letters and Science Dean Eric Wilcots.

“The university plans to take severe action against honors freshmen who continue to violate the unspoken academic rules of this school,” Wilcots wrote in a letter to his secretary. “I am going to personally see to it that this institution follows in the footsteps of California’s UC Davis by encouraging organized protest against honors freshmen.”

Starting Oct. 10, UW-Madison policy for seniors, graduate students and professors will be to encourage taunting, booing and jeering at freshmen students walking over Bascom Hill to classes. Anybody with documented evidence that they caused an emotional breakdown in an honors student will be rewarded tuition assistance.

“For the betterment of our campus community, we must enact immediate institutional reform,” Dean Wilcots said in a statement to the Cardinal. “I never thought it would be under my leadership. But as former President Barack Obama so aptly put: we are the change we seek.”

Honors freshmen students seeking to opt out from the new harassment policy may choose to do so by choosing from a limited selection of pro-hazing, house fellow-led roundtables meeting every Sunday at an undisclosed location.

DRAKE WHITE-BERGEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

ZOE BENDOFF/THE DAILY CARDINAL

WRITER

DRAKE WHITE-BERGEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

change

By Zayna Quraishi STAFF WRITER

As harvest season quickly approaches, climate change continues to have serious and lasting effects on Wisconsin’s agriculture and farming systems.

Community pays price for stadium renovation

By Mia Shapiro STAFF WRITER

Earlier this month, Republican lawmakers in the Wisconsin Legislature announced a $614 million plan to renovate the Milwaukee Brewers’ baseball stadium, and the result would place a heavy burden on taxpayers.

Under the bill, the Brewers would contribute about $100 million dollars to the renovations, while the rest of the funding would be split between the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. In exchange for the funding and renovations, the Brewers would extend their lease at American Family Field until 2050, satisfying lawmakers’ desire to keep major league baseball in Milwaukee.

American Family Field creates jobs and generates revenue for the state, which makes establishing a plan for the Brewers to remain at American Family Field a pressing topic for the state government.

The proposed bill aims to winterize the stadium and allow it to be visited year round, creating an even greater desire for lawmakers to keep the team in its home city. However, if this public money plan reflects the desires of Republicans, it utterly ignores the desires of the people who would be paying the cost.

In Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ announcement of the plan at a stadium news conference, he claimed baseball generates enough tax money so that no new taxes would be imposed.

But J.C. Bradbury, an economics professor at Kennesaw State University, countered this claim. He told the Cap Times that Wisconsin would lose out on the revenue diverted to pay for the stadium.

Although lawmakers emphasized the revenue that would be generated from winterizing the stadium, Bradbury said the economic return from funding stadiums is actually much worse than the financial burden placed on local communities over time.

Further, a memo attached to the bill by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau asserted that stadium funding would come from an income tax, and future alterations to this tax creates uncertainty regarding the amount of revenue that will be devoted.

It explains that income tax revenue is expected to grow by 2050,

which could potentially raise the funding allocated to the stadium. But it also notes that if lawmakers reduce the income tax over the coming years, there’s a chance the funding may decrease.

Research alludes to the fact that the justifications for this bill are illogical, and without further research, devoting $614 million toward an unreliable plan that will likely result in taxpayers losing money is an irresponsible use of public funding.

For this bill to be passed, it must be signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. He recently proposed a plan to draw $300 million from the state’s $7 billion surplus to give to the Brewers and extend their lease until 2043. Although this plan would have reduced the burden on taxpayers, it was struck down by the Republican-controlled Legislature out of desire for securing a longer lease.

Their incentive for this is that substantial renovations to the stadium could prevent the team from opting to move out of Milwaukee in the future, and the lease extension could lead the team toward a partnership with the state, rather than its current agreement with the stadium.

Although both major parties within the state government share the same goal of maintaining the Brewers’ team in Milwaukee, it is clear the issue extends beyond economics and is largely politicized. In response to the new bill, Democratic politicians such as Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and state Sen. Tim Carpenter have outwardly expressed their disapproval and concern for the potential burden on local taxpayers.

While Democrats tend to favor an amended version of the bill that corresponds more closely with Evers’ proposal, Republicans are more interested in devoting more money at the cost of residents to solidify a longer lease. In spite of this debate, a compromise will need to be made because the bipartisan end goal is shared.

Additionally, the people of Milwaukee have shown their clear disapproval for this plan.

When the stadium was first built in 2001, the $392 million project and 0.1% sales tax to carry out the funding caused massive controversy, ultimately resulting in a recall of

state Sen. George Petak. Lawmakers imposed this tax on Milwaukee County along with four surrounding counties, with the sum of the tax money being around $605 million by the time the tax ended in 2020. The Republican lawmakers’ desire to impose a similar, long-term tax just after the completion of the previous five-county tax shows that the interest of the people is not at all being considered.

A recent poll of Milwaukee residents shows 56% oppose the proposed bill, only 25% approve and the rest are unsure. Taxpayers have made it clear that they don’t want their money going into funding the stadium, and the government should come up with a solution that balances their desire to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee while also supporting the wants of the people.

It is crucial that this bill be amended to more closely correspond with Evers’ proposal of less funding drawn from taxpayers. Even if this means a slightly shorter lease, this would still benefit the government, as it would allow for more time to develop a long-term solution in the coming years. This would also leave more room for funding in other areas.

Earlier this year, Evers proposed an idea for the upcoming 2023-25 state budget to establish a research team to assist local governments in receiving state and federal grants. However, the Republicancontrolled state budget-writing committee rejected the plan before it even reached the Legislature.

Local Wisconsin communities would benefit substantially from greater funding and assistance. This could allow the Milwaukee County supervisors to adopt favorable proposals such as County Executive David Crowley’s suggestion for a $21 million fund toward a Milwaukee community-based mental health and substance abuse program.

It’s time for the state government to pass legislation and put funding towards areas that benefit communities and coincide with the peoples’ best interests rather than focusing on enhancing their own agendas.

Mia Shapiro is a sophomore studying political science. Do you agree taxpayers will feel an unfair burdenwiththisnewstadiumplan? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Wisconsin is known for its agriculture, and its location in the Midwest earns a reputation for holding fields of corn as far as the eye can see. Its farming is essential to the United States’ food supply. Wisconsin is the largest producer of snap beans, cheese, dry whey and corn for silage, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The state also boasts a fishing industry worth $2 billion a year.

The adverse effects of climate change have started to affect the yearly harvest in Wisconsin. According to the University of WisconsinMadison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, unpredictable and volatile weather — including heavier rainfall and a declining snow cover — is stressing farms. It is now harder for farmers to access parts of their fields to adequately tend to their crops in addition to increased risk of flooding and plant disease. Furthermore, crops that are more sensitive to changes in weather and climate, such as wild rice, are in jeopardy.

In addition to threats of crop damage, climate change will also impact fish in Wisconsin. As temperatures of lakes and streams rise, certain species of fish will fare better than others, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Species like largemouth bass and bluegill, which thrive in warmer water temperatures, will adjust to rising temperatures better than fish that live in cooler water temperatures, like brown and brook trout. If waterways continue to warm on this trajectory, experts predict that trout habitats will decline by 32% for brown trout and by 68% for brook trout by 2050.

This concerning series of events will only worsen if no action is taken to improve the situation. It threatens to affect not only Wisconsin, but also the rest of the United States and the structure of its agricultural system.

Currently, Wisconsin produces 60% of the U.S.’s cranberries and houses the most dairy farms per state. In total, Wisconsin’s agriculture generates $104.8 billion to the state’s economy. If crops are affected by climate change, many of the products that Wisconsin exports to areas around the United States and world-

wide will no longer be as readily available. This will result in a decrease in profits for farmers, which in turn affect their livelihoods as the United States and other countries turn to different areas where they can source their food and goods supply.

Apart from negative effects on the economy, a shortage of food and goods threatens our livelihoods as humans. We depend on these agriculture systems and the Midwest as a whole to sustain our nation and the health of its people. If these agricultural systems are impaired, it is likely that we will experience food shortages, which affects all of us.

Climate change is not an issue that only affects certain people, nor can it be fixed by only a small minority. We all play a role in mitigating the effects of climate change, and that is why we need to work together to achieve progress.

It is up to governments at both state and national levels to enact policy that prevents greenhouse gas emissions and pollution as well as ensure that natural areas and resources are protected. Citizens must be mindful of the causes of these climate effects, as well as petitioning and voting for candidates that promise to give the climate change issue the importance it needs. Citizens can recycle, buy second hand clothes and buy groceries from local farmers to reduce their carbon footprint to ensure less discarded materials end up in landfills.

Together, we can help reverse this damage and keep the agricultural backbone of the United States intact.

Zayna Quraishi is a sophomore studying journalism. Do you agree climate change poses a threat to Wisconsin’s harvests? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Climate

threatens state’s annual harvest

The baseball diamond inside American Family Field, formerly known as Miller’s Park.

COURTESY OF EVLIS KENNEDY/FLICKR

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