A definitive ranking of every school mascot in the Big Ten.
+ SPORTS, PAGE 5
April 10,
Tardigrades can survive extreme conditions, and they may have implications for cancer research.
+ SCIENCE, PAGE 6
By Ella Hanley COLLEGE NEWS EDITOR
The United States government terminated six University of WisconsinMadison student visas and seven alumni visa employment extensions, the university announced in a statement Monday.
A terminated visa status requires the individual to immediately leave the U.S. with no grace period. The university said it was not involved or aware of the terminations.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said during a Faculty Senate meeting Monday it is not “atypical” to see visa terminations every year, but the university and other institutions have seen an elevated amount of terminations within the past week. Mnookin said the university has “no reason to believe that the record terminations have had anything to do with political speech or protest activity.”
At least 147 international students across the country have had their visas
terminated in recent days.
UW-Madison said it cannot determine the exact rationale for these terminations but does not believe they are specific to participation in “free speech events.” Across the country, immigration officers have detained international students due to their involvement in pro-Palestine causes.
Mnookin said the university has not seen any activity from the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement “here
By Gavin Escott CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
The University of WisconsinMadison Faculty Senate condemned the police violence against protesters at last May’s pro-Palestine encampment during a packed meeting Monday, with proponents arguing the demonstration was non-violent and the police disproportionately harmed students and faculty of color.
In a resolution that passed 79 to 52 with 10 abstentions, the Faculty Senate condemned the police violence and called for the restoration of two advisory protest oversight bodies not included in UW-Madison’s current protest policy adopted after the encampment.
During the encampment, which started April 29 and ended May 10, hundreds of UW-Madison students and community members pitched tents on Library Mall to call for UW-Madison’s complete “financial and social” divestment from Israel. Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin authorized law enforcement to raid the encampment on May 1, enforcing a state law against camping on university grounds. As officers attempted to take down tents, multiple demonstra-
tors and police members were injured. Police arrested 34 protesters, with four later charged with felonies.
“Police violence is not appreciated, not warranted, horribly, it [puts] the whole institution in a different framework,” said UW-Madison professor Samer Alatout, who sustained a gash to his forehead during the takedown in May. Alatout said his support of the resolution was one against police violence, not a condemnation of Mnookin or other administrators.
The resolution said the “disproportionate use of law enforcement in a peaceful protest” highlights the need for shared governance, specifically taking aim at the Expressive Activity Policy adopted in August, which drops previous mentions of shared governance and oversight groups.
Under the previous protest policy in place during the encampment, UW-Madison required a Protest Decision-Making Team (PDT) to convene before responding to protests as well as a Protest Administrative Review Team (PART) to review university responses to protests.
While the updated policy lacks
mention of PDT and PART, they remain “intact and operational,” Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs Nancy Lynch said. Lynch, who is a member of both, said the fact the groups aren’t referenced doesn’t diminish their role, and PDT actually met earlier Monday.
However, multiple faculty members pointed out the groups weren’t consulted in the creation of the Expressive Protest Policy, which restricts “expressive activity” within 25 feet of university facility entrances, the constitutionality of which has been questioned by legal experts.
“What was troubling about this to me is that it was crafted during the summer and then communicated to the entire campus community in the beginning of the faculty contract year so that the Faculty Senate did not have a chance to play even the advisory role that it is prescribed,” Professor Avril Laines said. “As a result, trust between many faculty members and campus leadership has eroded, so I offer this resolution as a path to begin rebuilding some of that trust.”
or in the immediate environments in an unusual way.”
UW-Madison International Student Services has reached out to the individuals to provide resources and advise them about potential consequences, the university said.
“I care deeply about each and every one of our students and our safety, and we will continue to explore this more,”
UW-Madison Dean of Students Christina Olstad told The Daily Cardinal.
Nurses rally for safer work environments
13 UW-Madison visas terminated by U.S. government Faculty Senate condemns violence against encampment
By Zoey Elwood COPY CHIEF
Around 100 nurses, community members and labor allies rallied Tuesday at Brittingham Park to address safety concerns within the nurses’ contracts at Meriter Hospital, emphasizing that nurses are prepared to strike if their demands continue to go unmet.
Meriter nurses have been working without a contract since March 23. They began negotiating their contract in January with Meriter management to improve safety for nurses and patients, according to Pat Raes, president of Service Employees International Union Wisconsin and a registered nurse at Meriter.
“The whole community benefits when their unionized workers get higher wages and better benefits, as well as safer working conditions,” Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, told The Daily Cardinal. “That means safer hospitals for all of us when we’re patients.”
Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Communications Workers of America Union and other union groups joined Meriter nurses in the rally. Participants carried signs showing support for nurses, chanted and marched around the park before speakers took to a podium, with cars honking from the street behind to show their support.
Kevin Gundlach, president of South Central Federation-Labor, described a personal story about receiving care from nurses after an accident. He thanked them for their work and warned that without nurses advocating for safe conditions, patient care will suffer.
Allison Sorg, an attendee and a nurse at Meriter for 20 years, emphasized the need for more security protocols, more representation on safety committees and concerns with staff availability, noting that less staff leads to more competitive salaries and benefits packages.
“Every year, it seems that we come to bargain, and we don’t get management to listen very well to us, and that’s why we’re out here — to get some support and get the community to understand that we are working for safe staffing,” Sorg told the Cardinal.
Continue reading at dailycardinal.com + Faculty Senate page 2
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Faculty Senate
Continued from page 1
The resolution would assert that faculty have a role in all future revisions and policies concerning expressive activity and or political expression, Laines said.
Resolution wording, current protest climate debated
The wording of the resolution, particularly the use of the word “peaceful” when referring to the demonstrations, drew objections from some faculty, who argued protesters injured four police officers and the resolution “condemned violence selectively.”
Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine Lee Ekhart argued the resolution relied on a “selective recounting of events,” challenging the resolution’s assertion that Mnookin’s decision to deploy police came “despite student
offers to negotiate.”
“The interpretation that the police intervention was the first event is incorrect because there were several significant warnings,” Eckhart said. “What’s missing here is the administration, including the chancellor, offered good-faith efforts to negotiate the illegal encampment multiple times [before May 1].”
University officials said on April 29 they would meet with student groups once tents were taken down and protesters comply with state laws banning camping on university grounds.
Sociology Professor Chad Goldberg said Students for Justice in Palestine, which organized the encampment, lacked moral credibility because they were a pro-war “hate organization,” drawing a fierce rebuke from Alatout.
Goldberg also disputed the
claim that women and people of color were disproportionately harmed by the police and said the timing of the resolution was “irresponsible” given the current political context.
“We the faculty need to support our chancellor at this extraordinarily challenging time, not make her job more difficult,”
Goldberg said, referencing the havoc wrought across higher education following President Donald Trump’s executive orders and related agency directives. “Now is the time to circle the wagons and not to form a circular firing squad.”
But some faculty said the current national climate made a resolution condemning police violence necessary.
Trump has threatened to cut all federal funding to universities “that allow illegal protests” and some students have been deport-
ed or faced legal consequences after participating in pro-Palestine protests.
“Maybe you might not agree with the political aims of the protest, or maybe you weren’t on the political side of the students in this case, but you might be next time, and the precedent that we set here is going to have tremendous implications for what happens the next time and then the time after that,” said Leigh Senderowicz, assistant professor of gender and women’s studies and obstetrics and gynecology.
The Faculty Senate’s condemnation joins a list of campus groups that condemned the police’s violence, including the Associated Students of Madison, the Teaching Assistants Association, and The Union Council Executive Committee of the Wisconsin Union, who all released statements last May.
Walker opposes Trump tariffs, talks government spending
By Clara Strecker & Zoey Elwood COPY CHIEFS
Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison Monday to discuss the economy and government spending, despite saying he made no attempt to read Gov. Tony Evers’ 2025-27 Capital Budget.
Walker’s speech, at an event hosted by the Center for Research on Wisconsin Economy, focused on three main categories: “taxes, tariffs and terrible government spending,” followed by questions from students regarding tariffs and Act 10, a bill he put forth as governor which eliminated collective bargaining rights for most public workers.
Government spending
Despite emphasizing the importance of aid for defending the United States — foreign and domestic — Walker disagreed with government spending for foreign aid.
“I looked at a lot of things in terms of foreign aid, and I think many people across the political spectrum wonder, why would any of us want our money doing that? We have certain needs here in the United States that we could certainly better invest those dollars into,” Walker said.
Walker also said he agrees with and wants to emphasize that the powers not delegated to the federal government in the Constitution should be given to the states and the people.
“I have much more faith in the people, the state government, their school districts and your local communities to invest the dollars that we spend in K-12 education than I do a bunch of people who work in Washington,” Walker said.
One of Walker’s main points throughout his speech was “terrible government spending,” but he said he hadn’t read Evers’ 2025-27 Capital Budget.
“I haven’t looked at all at the Capital Budget,” Walker told The Daily Cardinal. “If I want to go to sleep tonight I might, but no.”
In 2019, after Trump’s tax cuts the top 1% actually paid 25% of all taxes, and the top 10% only paid about 54%.
Walker discussed President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of responsive tariffs placed on countries around the world, and is convinced the tariffs will not be a “permanent policy,” hoping they don’t last any longer than Labor Day.
“To me, tariffs are not a long-term solution, but I think there’s probably some merit, at least in what the president and some of his allies are trying to do right now, to push back and at least attempt to level the playing field as much as reasonably possible,” Walker said.
Walker noted his belief that Trump is a “free trader” and the new tariffs are a tactic to encourage other countries toward having close to, or zero tariffs — eventually leading to free trade.
“[Free trade] really encourages us to go and be productive, to invest in our workforce, education, higher ed, technical ed, apprenticeships and other things that make sure that we have the best trained, best equipped workforce in the world — that we’re highly productive and innovative, that we use new technologies along the way,” Walker said.
Walker said the most important economic impact is ensuring the tax cuts passed in 2017 become permanent or at least get a 10-year extension. He also mentioned young voters care about the economy, high prices and tax cuts.
“Looking ahead to the next year in terms of the economic impact of what’s going on… probably the most important thing — more important than even tariffs — is making sure the tax cuts that were passed in 2017 are extended or ideally permanent,” Walker said.
Walker claimed that 86% of the middle class received benefits of this tax cut, with the largest income group being $20,000 to $30,000 receiving a 13.5% benefit and people making over a million half that at about 6%.
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimated that the biggest benefit of the 2017 tax cuts was towards households making $308,000 to $733,000. Additionally, households making over that got a tax cut worth 3.4% of their after-tax income while the richest 0.1% got a tax cut worth 2.7% and middle-income worth 1.6%.
Additionally, Walker said the top 1% pay a big share in taxes and more after Trump’s tax cuts, going from 30’s up to 45.5% of the tax burden in America, and people in the top 10% pay about three quarters of the burden.
Act 10
Walker defended Act 10 after Dane County Circuit Court Judge David Frost struck down major portions of the law on Dec. 2, saying it treated similar types of employees differently. Police officers and firefighters — called “public safety employees” — maintained their right to unionize while everyone else, or “general employees,” lost their collective bargaining rights.
“Wisconsin is one of the biggest states in the country in terms of the amount of the state budget that goes right back to schools, municipalities and counties and so we could reduce aid, but the only way to offset that was to make changes,” Walker said.
He claimed Act 10 asked for a “very reasonable amount,” saying that they asked for around half of what an average citizen would pay in health insurance premiums in the state.
Since Act 10, taxpayers have saved $35 billion but more importantly, schools and other governments can now staff based on merit, Walker said.
“They can pay based on performance, they can put the best and the brightest in the classroom anywhere else,” Walker said.
Up-to-date numbers on actual taxpayer savings from Act 10 are
to find.
Walker disagrees with Trump’s tariffs
Walker believes 2017 tax cuts are crucial
MARY BOSCH/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Professor talks sociology of neighborhood pets
By Ella Hanley COLLEGE NEWS EDITOR
Jason Nolen, a sociology and criminology professor at the University of WisconsinMadison, spoke at Union South Thursday about the sociology of companion animals, a topic he explores in depth through his social media accounts and his new course with the university.
Nolen created @cats_of_ madison in 2016 after noticing there was no Instagram account dedicated to Madison’s cats. Today, the account has over 27,000 followers and features daily posts of cats that Nolen has personally come across on porches, at shelters and in people’s homes. The professor is also wrapping up his first semester teaching a new class at UW-Madison called Sociology of Companion Animals, a course he created based on his “field experience” with pets.
“I love sociology, and I could talk about and read sociology all day. But not everyone feels this way,” Nolen said. “I think if you have a class that’s about animals or pets, that’s kind of like putting cheese on broccoli, right? It’s fun, because it’s pets, but it’s also a way to facilitate learning sociology, which I think is very important.”
Nolen offered a few sociological perspectives that he’s noticed throughout his near decade of pet observations.
When he’s looking for new cats to post, he said he’s usually doing a lot of driving around town, moving through neighborhoods on foot or in the car in a way that could be perceived as questionable.
“I look very suspicious, the way I’m looking at people’s houses and porches for cats,” he said, adding that sometimes he goes onto people’s porches to take photos of their cat. “But I’ve never been treated with suspicion. I’ve been doing this for nine years and it’s never been a problem.”
Cats of Madison is very important to Nolen, and he expressed frustration and sadness when observing that if he had a “different identity, this
would not even be a possibility.”
“The police have never been called on me, and it’s definitely not lost to me that if I weren’t white, and especially if I were Black, I probably wouldn’t be able to do this at all,” he said.
Nolen pointed out that in most of his interactions with dogs, there’s almost always a person at the other end of the leash, which he said calls into question similar contextual factors that influence whether he’ll approach someone to take a photo of their dog.
“I’m always very cognizant that I’m a man and that I’m usually a stranger to the person that I’m thinking about approaching,” he said. Nolen recognizes that while he may have the best intentions, his identity and how it might be perceived in society often make not approaching someone the better choice.
“That’s especially going to be the case if the context would make me seem dangerous to someone,” he said. “As a man in a public space, and especially if it’s later out, I definitely get why a woman who’s walking alone with the dogs might be afraid of me.”
Nolen pointed out that he’s noticed while walking dogs, people seem to trust him. He added that research confirms that when someone is walking with a dog, they generally seem “more trustworthy and likable” than someone walking alone.
Therefore, he said, having a lot of dogs — and people walking them — in neighborhoods increases social trust in general and will likely facilitate more social interactions between people. This can increase the effectiveness and ability of the neighborhood to function supportively.
Throughout his sociology of companion animals course, he often discusses anthropomorphism, which is the attribution of human character traits, behaviors and emotions to non-human objects, such as pets. People tend to prefer animals that are easiest to anthropomorphize, such as pandas, who are one of the most popular zoo animals because of their human baby-like charac-
Raygun expands to Madison with new State Street location
By Alaina Walsh ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
A new popular Midwestbased apparel brand known for its witty T-shirts and creative takes on pop culture, politics and local pride is opening a new storefront in downtown Madison this fall.
Raygun, located at 502 State St., will be the store’s first Wisconsin location and its 12th overall. Founded in Des Moines, Iowa in 2005, Raygun has built a devoted following through its irreverent T-shirts, posters and home goods, many of which highlight regional celebration and social commentary.
teristics, Nolen said.
“They look and act like babies. They have a very large head-to-body ratio. They look very soft. They tend to sit how a toddler sits. They are very clumsy. And they have those big black circles around their eyes that make their eyes look larger,” he said.
Nolen added that our tendency to anthropomorphize animals can sometimes be a bad thing, especially when it comes to people approaching other pets in public.
“If you’re walking and you see someone with a dog, and you think, ‘look at that cute baby. I’m going to go right up to it and get in its face and talk to it.’ That could be fine, but you could also lose a chunk of your hand or your face by doing that. Maybe not the best idea,” he said. “So are dogs babies? Yes, but also no.”
Over the years, Nolen has formed partnerships with local cat shelters, including the Madison Cat Project. The shelter holds cat adoption fairs every other Saturday, and Nolen typically visits a few days beforehand to take photos of the adoptable cats ahead of the event.
Nolen said anthropomorphism can be great for human and pet connections because it can motivate people to care for their pets and ensure they are healthy and happy. And when writing captions for adoption posts, he’s intentional about the verbiage.
“ Anthropomorphizing them is going to make people like them more. It’s especially important that people like them when you want them to be adopted,” he said, adding that he writes captions that use the animals’ names and sometimes unique character traits to better connect with their human viewers.
Throughout his time as both a professor and companion animal connoisseur, Nolen has found that insightful sociological dynamics have formed around humanity’s love for their pets, whether that’s a dog on a walk in the park or a cat perched on a neighborhood porch.
Raygun’s decision to open a Madison store was not random. Mike Draper, the founder of Raygun, said it all began with proximity.
“We kind of just draw a circle around Des Moines and see what cities are closest to us. So we’ve mopped up the Iowa ones, and we already work with a lot of organizations in Wisconsin,” Draper told The Daily Cardinal.
With clients like the Wisconsin Teachers Union, Minocqua Brewing, the Madison Teachers Union and the Milwaukee Public Library, Raygun has developed strong ties to the state.
Madison, with its mix of college students, workers and visitors from state government and the university, also offers the perfect urban environment for a retail location, he said.
“You kind of want high density for a brick-and-mortar store, and Madison is perfectly laid out just for that,” Draper said.
The new location occupies the spot once held by Paul’s Books, a cherished independent bookstore that served the Madison community for decades. Draper acknowledged the weight of taking over such a significant location and said Raygun is committed to contributing to the ongoing story of the neighbor-
hood rather than replacing it.
“We want to be the thing that’s like, ‘Oh, here’s a new bit of life.’ You’re not necessarily replacing anything, you’re just another notch on an escalator to wherever the community is going,” Draper said.
As an independently owned business, Raygun is reliant on the communities it serves.
“We’re totally dependent on day-to-day sales,” Draper noted. “It has to be a work in progress, and the community is part of that. We want to keep evolving, working with local groups and always responding to what’s happening around us.”
Draper said Raygun’s commitment to community engagement is a key part of its strategy for success in Madison because “the company is not separated from the community — it’s intertwined with it.” The brand’s ongoing connection to its customers and collaborators is what keeps it thriving and growing.
The new location is set to open in September 2025. In addition to clothing, the Madison store will stock a variety of books, cards, gifts and home goods.
Reflecting on the journey that led Raygun to where it is today, Draper shared the moment from the company’s early days that made him think it could become a success.
“Honestly, the first day I sold T-shirts on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania was the light bulb moment for me,” he said. “It was like, ‘Oh my God, this is a creative medium that I could actually make a career out of.’”
What started as a small, creative side project has now grown into a thriving business with 12 locations and $11 million in total revenue. Despite the growth, Draper said Raygun remains grounded in the values that have always driven their mission: creativity, community and a commitment to making something that people love.
ELLA HANLEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Meet the newly elected campus-area alders
By Vanessa Gavilan CITY NEWS EDITOR
All 20 Madison Common Council seats were up for election on April 1, and some old and new faces now represent the campus-area districts.
Districts 2, 4 and 8 are predominantly lived in by students.
District 2 represents the Langdon Street area as well as some Capitol neighborhoods. The alder race consisted of two new candidates, Matt Egerer and William Ochowicz, and Ochowicz won the race with 60% of the vote.
District 4 represents a bulk of offcampus housing in the Bassett and Washington neighborhoods. The race was between incumbent Ald. Mike Verveer and challenger Eli Tsarovksy, and Verveer won the race with 53% of the vote.
District 8 includes almost all on-campus housing and more student-heavy neighborhoods. Incumbent Ald. MGR Govindarajan ran unopposed and was reelected for another term.
The Daily Cardinal spoke to each winner about their experience within the city and their agenda for the upcoming term beginning on April 15. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What is your personal background and background with the Madison community?
Ochowicz: I’ve lived in Madison for about 10 years… pretty classic Madison story of moving here for work or school and staying because it’s a good life. I’ve worked with many of the alders, past and current, on housing issues, including with [outgoing District 2 Ald.] Juliana Bennett, and she encouraged me to run. I decided to actually stop being an advocate and actually have a voice in the process.
Verveer: I attended both undergrad and law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison… and I’ve been a practicing attorney for many years since. I have been thrilled to represent thousands of UW students in City Hall for many years now.
Govindarajan: I was in ASM [Associated Students of Madison], that’s what brought me into working
at the local side on the Madison city council. I’m the [current] District 8 alder, and I have had this position for two years now.
What platform did you campaign on during this election?
Ochowicz: The three main things I ran on were housing affordability, transportation and climate change. For housing affordability, some of the things that I want to increase the amount of money going to the Affordable Housing Fund, [which] funds new housing that has dedicated affordable housing. For transportation, [it’s] going to be tough to get funding for everything that we need, but the bus system is a priority for me. For climate change, continuing electrification of the city’s operations and making sure that we’re going carbon neutral by 2030.
Verveer: Issue number one is the lack of affordable housing in Madison, especially the downtown campus area. A secondary issue that I always raise is our sustainability concerns and trying to encourage that all new development be built as sustainable as possible in terms of energy efficiency. I have a long list of priorities that I want to continue to be able to address through specific legislative ideas and others that are ongoing.
Govindarajan: A lot of the issues are just about the same. I think affordable housing is still the top issue for most students. Two years ago, when I ran, rent went up about 8.5% every single year, and now the city has managed to bring that down to about 3.5% for students. We’ve made some progress on housing, but rent is still going up and students are being priced out of certain areas, so that is still something that was my top priority to address.
Are there any specific action items that may be your first priority?
Ochowicz: One thing that’s interesting about District 2 is that it’s one of the districts that is basically illegal to build throughout most of Madison today [because] most of Madison doesn’t let you build small buildings with multiple units inside.
So getting our zoning code updated to reflect the actual neighborhoods
UW-Madison class helps keep Irish Gaelic language alive
By Sally Manning STAFF WRITER
Growing up, University of Wisconsin-Madison Language Sciences Instructor Rebecca Shields was always curious about her Irish heritage.
From a young age, she participated in Irish music and dance and always wished her grandfather, an Irish immigrant and native speaker, passed down the language. But that Irish Gaelic language, Shields understood, carried a stigma in the United States.
“Irish immigrants, when they would leave the country, would hide their heritage, and they would stop speaking their native language,” Shields said.
In 2021, inspired by her heritage and extensive study of linguistics, Shields embarked on a journey to teach Irish Gaelic at UW-Madison.
that people like to live in and making it legal to build onto neighborhoods that exist [already].
Verveer: There’s an exciting project that is called the Madison LakeWay, which would beautify 1.7 miles of the public lakeshore around Lake Monona downtown and connect the downtown to Lake Monona in a much safer way than is currently possible. Construction on that will begin this coming October but will go in several phases over several years.
Govindarajan: My main goal this upcoming year is to get more student engagement… getting more students appointed to committees, get folks to know what’s happening at the local level so they can engage themselves. Local government is where everything happens that really impacts folks on an everyday level… and I think people should engage with [local government] more.
What message do you have to voters or those who may be moving into your district?
Ochowicz: I’m really excited to be an alder and make a difference. I won’t know everything that’s going on, so if you see a problem in the district, please reach out to me, send an email to district2@ cityofmadison.com.
Verveer: I do want to thank from the bottom of my heart the residents of downtown for showing their faith in my leadership and for reelecting me as their representative. I will do everything I can to continue to make life better for them, and we certainly have a lot of unfinished business and a lot of challenges ahead in our community. I encourage any downtown residents, including the many students that live downtown, to please reach out to me if they think I can help them in any way possible.
Govindarajan: I’ve joked around saying, ‘I’ve adopted all of you [students] as my constituents,’ because the truth is, I do try to represent all of the students on the city council. I encourage people to keep in touch. I try to be as accessible as possible, especially to students. My main form of communication with folks is on Instagram, @mgrfordistrict8_, because that’s where students are.
subject. Current and past students gathered in her room on St. Patrick’s Day to enjoy a spread of Irish food, excited to spend time with others who share their passion. And though they all share a common desire to learn the language, each person has an individual, passionate reason why they sit in the classroom today.
One of those individuals is Emily Kaufman, a UW-Madison lab manager and technician enrolled in the course.
“When you study Irish history, you’ll find very quickly the importance of language rights and the fight to maintain Irish as a spoken language,” Kaufman said.
Many students in the room share the same sentiment, reflecting on how important it is to have a role in the conservation of an endangered language and how impactful that experience has been in their lives.
Though she always had a desire to learn Irish, what really allowed Shields to immerse herself in the language was the increased necessity of Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Zoom revolution increased the accessibility to study Irish and other minoritized languages because it allowed communities that are spread out geographically to have more interaction,” Shields said. “That really made it attainable to learn the language to a level that wasn’t possible before.”
Shields said Zoom’s increased popularity correlated with an expansion in the amount and availability of online language classes. She also found it helpful to get involved with community organizations as a way to share knowledge and learn more about Irish culture, language and history. One of those organizations was the Two Rivers Gaelic League, a group that strives to make online Irish classes accessible for individuals all over the world.
Shields’ ability to speak the language quickly attracted interest from community members, who encouraged her to teach it. She began by teaching a summer class that ultimately evolved into an inperson introductory course. Due to high interest, she expanded to offer a second level of the language.
The classes are non-credit and draw a variety of different people, including undergraduate and graduate students, as well as community members and retirees. Since it is a non-credit course, Shields said participants take the class purely out of curiosity and a desire to learn.
Shields’ class exudes lively warmth and a genuine love for the
Others are there to pursue the artistic aspects of Irish language and culture.
Noa Rickey, a graduate student, has a background in Irish language and currently researches Irish lace as a textile artist.
Carter Kreft, a graduate student studying Mechanical Engineering, said he’s witnessed an increase in Irish influence in the music industry.
“Within the past five years or so, I’ve noticed that there’s more and more Irish culture present in the arts sphere,” Kreft said, sporting merchandise from Irish hip hop trio Kneecap. “Two of my favorite bands that I found in the last year pretty much only perform in Irish.” Irish language, though endangered around the world, feels very alive in Shields’ classroom.
“I really wanted to learn Irish because I wanted to be a part of its revival and to be able to keep a dying language alive,” undergraduate Erin Kemper said.
Some students choose to advance their studies in the course by partaking in study abroad experiences, which can be found on the UW-Madison Language Sciences website. Linguistics graduate student Keira Hook called her experience at Oideas Gael, an immersion school in Donegal, Ireland, “transformative.”
In the end, studying an endangered language, Shields said, can be helpful in broadening perspectives and understanding the way certain cultures have been “minoritized and pushed to the edges.”
“It’s a really valuable contribution to study an endangered language.” Shields said, “You’re helping to support cultures that need it.”
JON YOON/THE DAILY CARDINAL
EMMA SCHIEFFER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
A look at Wisconsin men’s basketball’s 3 latest additions from the transfer portal sports
By Otto von Sothen STAFF WRITER
As the NCAA men’s basketball offseason begins, the Badgers are looking to fill several major roster holes with three starters — John Tonje, Steven Crowl and Max Klesmit — graduating.
Nonetheless, major contributors John Blackwell, who is exploring NBA draft waters, and Nolan Winter are looking to return. With that in mind, head coach Greg Gard has already found three pieces to build around them.
Nick Boyd
Nick Boyd is a 6-foot-3 point guard from Garnerville, New York, who officially committed to Wisconsin on Sunday. Boyd played a key role on Florida Atlantic University’s Final Four team in 2023, averaging 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game for the Owls.
Last season, Boyd transferred to San Diego State and averaged a career-high 13.4 points and 3.9 assists a game.
Boyd also played efficiently, shooting 41.1% from the field, 35.1% from beyond the arc on high volume and 74.6% from the line.
Boyd chose Wisconsin over many top programs, including the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, which had high interest in the guard.
This past season, the Badgers lacked a true point guard following Chucky Hepburn’s departure. Blackwell, Klesmit and McGee alternated that role, but the gap in the roster needed to be addressed.
Boyd is the answer to that problem as he could be the primary ball handler. In turn, given Blackwell’s return, the Badger would profit if Gard plays him at shooting guard — his natural position.
One of Boyd’s strengths is his playmaking, with a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1. He also has Final Four experience that the Badgers could use if they hope to make a deep tournament run next season.
Andrew Rohde
Wisconsin announced Andrew Rohde’s official commitment to the program on April 6. Rohde, a 6-foot-6 guard from Milwaukee, played his freshman year for St. Thomas, where he averaged 17.1 points (44.8 FG%), 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game.
Rohde then transferred to Virginia where he went on to appear in 63 games for the Cavaliers. This past year, he averaged 9.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game for Virginia. Rohde’s strength is his 3-point shooting, as he averaged 41.3% from deep on 3.5 attempts a game.
Rohde is also a great passer (29.7 AST%) and the only Division I player 6-foot-5 or taller to have an AST% of 25 and shoot over 40% from three on at least 100 attempts this season. With the Badgers second in the Big Ten in 3-point attempts per game, averaging 28.4, and converting close to 35% of those, it’s evident Gard values shooting.
Rohde may not be a great defender, but Gard has the
ability to develop his players’ defensive game. If Rohde improves on that end and manages to shoot consistently and playmake the way he did this past year, this Badgers offense could be dangerous.
Austin Rapp
Wisconsin’s first official recruit from the portal on Saturday, Austin Rapp is a 6-foot-10 forward from Melbourne, Australia. He averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season for the Portland Pilots.
Rapp separates himself through his shooting. He averaged 35.2% from 3 on 7.6 attempts per game, which are some staggering numbers for someone his size. He’s a great shooter, whether off the dribble, a catch-and-shoot or coming off screens. Rapp was named WCC Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-WCC.
Rapp recorded an impressive 24-point game against Oregon State and a 16-point game against Gonzaga earlier
this year. He’s arguably one of the best shooters available at his size in the transfer portal. Nevertheless, he’s not a great defender, which is the only flaw in his game.
Questions have arisen on where he would fit in this Badgers frontcourt. Would he play alongside Winter or would he come off the bench?
Rapp visited Madison this past weekend and chose Wisconsin over Iowa, Michigan, Clemson and Oregon.
Overall, all three of these signings are tremendous for the Badgers and will fill in holes left by the departures of Tonje, Klesmit and Crowl, even if their productivity will be tough to match.
With the Badgers beating out top programs like North Carolina, Iowa State and other Power 5 schools, the Badgers have enough NIL to challenge these top schools, which wasn’t the case in previous years.
This is encouraging for the future of the program following a successful 27-win season, as the transfer portal era keeps growing.
Column: A definitive ranking of Big Ten mascots
By Gabriella Hartlaub
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
With the “Big Dance” coming to an end and the Wisconsin men’s basketball team placing second in the Big Ten Tournament, it’s past time we look at the true stars of the Big Ten — the mascots.
Here is a definitive ranking of all 15 Big Ten mascots.
No. 1: Puddles
There’s so much to love about Puddles, it’s only sensible that he is the No. 1 pick. From his simple origins as a random duck that Oregon students pulled out of a pond and made their mascot to his copyright battle with Donald Duck, Puddles is just all around that Duck. Not to mention his actual physical battle with the Houston Cougar.
No. 2: Dubs
As one of the only schools on this list brave enough to have a live mascot, Washington almost made it to the No. 1 spot with Dubs the Husky. But, seeing as Dubs has never physically attacked another mascot, I had to boot him down to second place. He is by far the cutest mascot on this list, though, and when he dies I will shed a single tear.
No. 3: Bucky
I’m ranking Bucky third mostly because I’m afraid of what he will do to me if he found out I left him out of the top three. Bucky Badger is scary. We shouldn’t be afraid to admit this. As anyone who still lives in the dorms will tell you, Bucky just appears out of nowhere and then never leaves. My most stark memory of Bucky was watching him read Paul Ham’s “Hiroshima Nagasaki,” a book about the atomic bombings and their aftermath, on the jumbotron at a women’s basketball game. That’s all you really need to know about him.
No. 4: Testudo
There’s really nothing bad you can say about Maryland’s Testudo, he’s just a little freak. I mean look at him.
Is it a bird? A bird wearing a vest? A toucan kept in someone’s house for a year? No! He’s a terrapin, which is a kind of turtle. It’s these kinds of mysteries that make him just a little freak and I would argue the most underrated mascot in the Big Ten. Specifically, Testudo is a Diamondback Terrapin, which is a serve if I’ve ever heard one. No other mascot on this list can say they have diamond in their name.
No. 5: Nittany Lion
What I like about Penn State’s lion is that he’s not quite right. I know, a Nittany Lion is not a traditional lion, but when you hear the word lion, the animal that comes to mind looks nothing like Penn State’s mascot. But that’s what I like about him — he’s a little messed up, a little off, and I relate to that on a deep level. Let your freak flag fly, Nittany Lion, and maybe you’ll make the NCAA Tournament next year!
No. 6: Joe Bruin
Joe Bruin is by far the most basic
mascot on this list, but I’m posed to argue in his favor because there’s something classic about him. Bears, California, a silly name — it all really goes together. The fact that he has a girlfriend named Josie is truly just the icing on top of the cake. Everyone needs their basics, and UCLA has theirs.
No. 7: Brutus
I originally had Brutus much further down this list but was recently informed what a “Buckeye” actually is, and honestly, Brutus might be the only good thing to ever come out of the state of Ohio. He’s a 10-out-of-10 on accuracy in a way that doesnt make me mind that his head might be twice the size of a normal mascot. Brutus is a nut native to Ohio, a sweet treat with peanut butter and chocolate and a mascot of the worst school in the Big Ten. This is a lot for one mascot’s (or should I say anthropomorphic plant?) shoulders.
No. 8: Herky
Iowa’s Herky is so bad he’s good.
Looking at him as an opposing team member just makes me want to beat Iowa at any sport, whether it be basketball, football, tennis or even curling. Looking at this mascot makes you want to wipe that smile off his face, and bringing that competitive energy to any competition is a net positive.
No. 9: Traveler the Horse Horse girls rejoice! Traveler has made it to the top 10, if only because all the other options are significantly worse. Much like Joe, Traveler’s a little basic. I mean, a Spartan riding a horse? Okay. I respect, however, that it’s a real horse. According to USC, Traveler is “one of the most famous college mascots,” but truly, I’ve never heard of it. Note to Traveler: get a better marketing team, and maybe start working out because it seems like you’re gonna have to start at the running back position next season.
No. 10: Goldy Gopher
Putting aside Wisconsin’s deep rivalry with Minnesota, Goldy’s kind of cute? No. 11: Purdue Pete
Boring.
No. 12: Lil Red
Too short.
No. 13: Sir Henry
This is America, not 1500’s England. No. 14: Willie the Wildcat Northwestern’s Willie the Wildcat scares me, and not in the fun Bucky way, but in the way that I cannot stand to look at him because he reminds me of an animatronic from “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”
No. 15: Sparty
I truly hate everything about Sparty. The outfit is not giving, the concept is boring and why is everyone obsessed with being a Spartan? Sparty is like the ex-boyfriend whose pictures you keep in your camera roll just so you can show your friends that they haven’t hit rock bottom until they’ve dated this guy. He’s cute on the surface, sure, and then you start thinking about it and
MOLLY SHEEHAN/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Wisconsin DNR holds public hearing on PFAS regulation revisions science
By Olivia Ruetten STAFF WRITER
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) discussed changes to regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water at a public hearing on March 4.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals used since the 1940s in industrial and consumer products. Several threats to human health have been identified because of PFAS in the water supply, such as cancer, liver and heart effects in adults and developmental and immune issues in children, all due to bioaccumulation of PFAS in the body.
Wisconsin started addressing PFAS as a problem in 2019, when it began the process of regulating water contaminants.
At the public hearing, the DNR provided information on the economic impact, requirements and additional edits to current PFAS regulation.
Under the rules of NR 809, the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) are standards set to keep harmful pollutants out of the environment. For example, pollutants like PFOA and PFOS are capped off at 70 parts per trillion (ppt). It was originally proposed as 20 ppt, but was changed because of a rule approved at a 2022 Natural Resources Board meeting.
However, the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule has set enforceable MCL standards at four ppt for PFOA and PFOS. Three other PFAS
I
chemicals, PFNA, PFHxS and HFPODA, have standards set at 10 ppt.
The NR 809 revision uses something the EPA calls a “Hazard Index,” which determines the danger to public health that chemicals can have. It compares chemicals from a water sample to ratios that are in accordance with their PFAS regulations.
The threat of mixing two or more PFAS can create significant health risks.
The EPA has set goals of keeping the Hazard Index for mixing PFAS contaminants at one ppt, while setting MCL goals for PFOA and PFOS to zero ppt.
Setting these new goals is included in the proposed changes to NR 809. By the year 2029, the public water systems would need to consistently regulate and monitor PFAS to adhere to the new rules and implement corrective
actions on public water supply to meet the new maximum contaminant level.
The revision also included guidelines for water sampling in order to ensure the amount of PFAS in the water remains below the MCL. The testing will depend on whether the water is surface water or groundwater, how many people use that water source and how much of a contaminant is found in that water supply.
Since 2013, the number of surface water and groundwater supply points in Wisconsin being tested for PFAS has doubled from approximately 100 to approximately 200. This provides that water meets EPA standards and is safer for Wisconsin residents to drink.
The DNR said in the public hearing that many systems exist that are able to remove PFAS chemicals from drinking water. Some common treatments are granular activated carbon, reverse osmosis and ion exchange systems, many of which are in use today. Other options include abandoning contaminated wells and finding new sources of uncontaminated water.
The presentation also discussed minor changes to current regulation that would incorporate evidence from the EPA into Wisconsin PFAS legislation. Changes will also clearly define pesticide, herbicide and corrosion control in more clear terms to be more accessible to the community and include provisions for lead and copper control.
just think they’re neat: Tardigrades
Tardigrades are grain-sized organisms that can survive extreme conditions, and they may have implications for cancer research.
By Ella Gorodetzky
NEWS MANAGER EMERITUS
Have you ever wondered if there’s an organism that can survive in any condition? From the freezing cold of space or the deep sea, to above boiling temperatures or radiation over 1,000 times the lethal human dose, the tardigrade, more commonly called the water bear, is just that.
German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze first discovered tardigrades in 1773, and he nicknamed them “Kleiner Wasserbär,” or “little water bear,” after their bear-like appearance. As of 2024, scientists have discovered about 1,300 species of tardigrades. Although they might resemble a bear, tardigrades are only 0.5 to 1.5 millimeters long, or about the size of a grain of sand. They have long, segmented bodies similar to insects or crustaceans and eight short legs with claws on the ends. They have no respiratory organs — they are open hemocoels — meaning they can breathe by performing nutrient and gas exchange throughout their entire bodies. While tardigrades most often live in water, they can survive in almost any environment. They do this by entering a “tun” state, almost like a hibernation, where the tardigrade dries out its body of 95% of its water and rolls its head and legs into a small ball. When they’re in this state, they grow a glass-like protective shell, their metabolism slows to about 0.01% of its original state and they can survive up to 30 years without eating, according to Live Science. They can survive for up to a century in the tun state, so if found in harsh condi-
tions, they can survive as tuns until their environment improves.
What this means for humans
Scientists have found tardigrade fossils dating back to around 500 million years, meaning these creatures have survived multiple five major extinction events on Earth. So, humans have a lot to study from tardigrades.
For example, the tardigrade’s ability to dry itself out and survive has the possibility of allowing scientists to preserve organs needed for transplants for longer.
One area scientists have focused on is the tardigrade’s ability to withstand
extreme radiation. When humans are exposed to radiation, it causes the DNA to break down, killing the cells.
Tardigrades contain a protein called Dsup, which protects them from energy rays. Multiple studies have found that while Dsup does not prevent the genes from breaking down, it provides enough protection for tardigrades to survive.
The tardigrade can then repair its DNA at a rate much faster than humans, according to the New York Times.
Over 50% of cancer patients undergo radiation therapy as part of their treatment. However, it also causes severe side effects in many cases.
A February 2025 study by MIT,
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Iowa looked into the possible implications of the tardigrades’ protein with cancer treatment. The team injected RNA from the protein into mice and found that it protected the cells from radiation-induced damage, seeing about 50% less breakage in double-stranded DNA caused by radiation. They also found that the effects remained limited to the injection site, meaning the radiation therapy could still work on the cancerous cells with the protein protecting the rest. Scientists are hopeful an adaptation of this discovery might lead to more ways to reduce the risks and suffering of radiation therapy for cancer patients.
KATIE SCHIEDT/THE DAILY CARDINAL
arts
Energetic and relevantly political, Bright Eyes takes over The Sylvee
By Sonia Bendre STAFF WRITER
American indie-rock band Bright Eyes performed at The Sylvee Thursday, providing biting political commentary between a mix of songs from their newest album, fan favorites and covers of other artists.
Six musicians took the stage, with core members Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott joined by artists MiWi La Lupa, Alex Levine and Conor Elmes. Bright Eyes, founded by lead singer and guitarist Conor Oberst in 1995 when he was 14 years old, released their 11th studio album “Five Dice, All Threes” last September to an outpour of positive reviews. At the concert Thursday, Bright Eyes played seven songs from the album.
It is worth noting the spectacular array of instruments on display at the concert, including but not limited to banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, trumpet and melodica. The band’s first album received critical reviews for its unwieldy experimentation with techno-synth, acoustic guitar and drum machines, but Bright Eyes’s performance at The Sylvee demonstrated that their grasp of blending instrumentalism with lyrics and vocals has matured during the band’s lifespan — 2025 marks their 30-year anniversary, though the band has taken a hiatus within that period.
The show began with “Bells and Whistles,” a song ripe with artistic disillusionment. In an interview with WXPN, songwriter Oberst described the track as a showcase of “the many little details in life that can seem insignificant or frivolous or temporary at the time, but eventually end up forming your destiny.”
The song’s tones duel between flippant and melancholy, with Oberst describ -
ing “cheap seats and broken dreams/U-turns in limousines,” detailing a meet-andgreet and repeating the song’s most memorable line, “fancy cheap thrills cost a lot.” The backdrop of cheerful whistling and strummed banjo lent a bittersweet tone to Oberst’s warbling lyrics.
“El Capitan,” played next, was a non-title track from “Five Dive, All Threes.” The song, seemingly dedicated to a love gone cold, was notable for its inventive lyricism that combines biblical references with phrases like “So you’re playing your Nintendo, strung out like a gramophone/living in a basement, sleeping down there all alone.” The lyrics were classic Conor Oberst, who has been hailed by some critics as a modern-day Bob Dylan. Oberst, who was notable for his youth at the start of his musical career, still retains the on-stage excitement and energy of a teenager at his first big gig, but with a higher level of professionalism and familiarity.
Songs from “Five Dice, All Threes,” like “El Capitan,” “Bas Jan Ader” and “Real Feel 105,” contain themes reminiscent of Bright Eyes’ earlier albums, but they also hint at a developed sense of irony and worldly disenchantment. Bright Eyes’ North America tour, which led them to The Sylvee, had been planned for shortly after the release of the new album but was delayed because Oberst lost his voice from excessive singing. But for the two-hour duration of Bright Eyes’ set at The Sylvee, Oberst’s signature shaky voice rang powerfully through the venue.
Bright Eyes also played covers of Ted Hawkins’ “Sorry You’re Sick,” Warren Zevon’s “Carmelita” and Thin Lizzy’s “Running Back.” And in perhaps the most cheered moment of the show, they played a ban-
The Bur Oak connects local, national artists with shared experience
By Julia Walkowicz STAFF WRITER
In an unassuming brick building with a golden neon “OPEN” sign, The Bur Oak on Madison’s East Side, hosted artists Bright Arcana, Will Orchard and Lost Lakes Saturday.
Inside, Edison lights crisscross the ceiling illuminating a chandelier made from polished trombones. The overhead bulbs dim to highlight a purple lit stage, as locals nursing old fashioneds shift their attention forward to the performers, who delivered music from the heart.
J ohn Hardin, who performs folk music under the moniker Bright Arcana, opened the show accompanied by Hayward William and Paul Brandt. Loss and love characterize Bright Arcanas’ music, with Hardin’s humble demeanor connecting deeply with the audience as he tapped his rough-soled boot to keep time.
jo-heavy version of “First Day of My Life,” the band’s most famous song — a hopeful love song with significantly lighter themes than the tracks in “Five Dice, All Threes.” The band also played favorites from past albums including “Persona non grata,” “At the Bottom of Everything,” “We Are Nowhere and It’s Now” and “Shell Games.”
Oberst took a moment to address the crowd directly midway through the show, saying to cheers that America has become a “wet-dream fascist state” and imploring the audience to remember that “we’re all in this together.” Oberst also spoke about his disappointment with the Trump administration’s immigration rhetoric — ironic “Deport Conor Oberst” T-shirts were available for purchase at the event.
The band also advertised their Poison Oak Project, a charity initiative dedicated primarily to transgender aid and advocacy. Bright Eyes is not new to activism, and has in its 30-year span performed a single at a protest concert against former President George W. Bush called “When The President Talks to God” and boycotted the media megacorporation Clear Channel in response to its influence on the indie music sphere.
The energy and enthusiasm of the audience continued to expand following the political interlude. After a false ending, the band re-entered the stage to tear into a four-song encore made up of “Poison Oak,” “Running Back” by Thin Lizzy, “The Calendar Hung Itself” and “Let’s Not Shit Ourselves.”
Bright Eyes’ dynamic performance at The Sylvee blended their signature songs with new album tracks, and the combination of the venue’s naturally well-designed acoustics and balanced sound mixing created a powerful execution.
when making his music.
“I’ve always been influenced by a need to express what’s going on in my head,” he told the Cardinal. “Music sometimes feels like the only option to do that. I’m not a person who is extremely open toward most people — I require a lot of trust, so songwriting is a method for expressing myself authentically regardless of my relationship to the listener.”
Orchard came of age on the East Coast, but touring has allowed him to develop a “truer version” of his work. He started out in music in the east bay of Rhode Island, but he honed his musical skill traveling across the United States and Europe.
Bright Arcana is shaped by Hardin’s connections to his past patients. He worked as a nurse in an intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing holding up iPads to help families connect with their loved ones in their last moments. Reflecting on this national loss of life, he spoke to the audience saying, “what can really be normal anymore.” Introducing his song, “I Wash The Bodies of Your Dead,” Hardin said, “the only songs I sing I sing for them.”
Hardin emphasized “shared experience” when making music.
“Goals can be tricky things when it comes to art,” Hardin told The Daily Cardinal. “My goal in general is to make something nice and put it out into our collective shared experience. What happens after that isn’t really up to me.”
This shared experience comes with the willingness to be open about emotions, he said.
“We are each exposing ourselves in a vulnerable way, and that vulnerability binds us,” Hardin said.
Next, Nashville-based troubadour Will Orchard captured the audience’s attention with crystal-clear ballads for his first show in Madison. With a heavy strum of his guitar, Orchard said he uses music to decipher feelings he otherwise couldn’t tackle, and he values the same vulnerability cited by Hardin
“My music isn’t country, or even really Americana. It can be tricky to find the right audience when I’m straddling the folk/singer-songwriter tradition and more experimental/progressive genres, but touching both of those worlds has helped me to accept my music for what it is,” Orchard said.
Corey Mathew Hart concluded the show who is one-half of the collaboration Lost Lakes between Hart and musician Paul Mitch. The Madison natives met in a radio competition on 105.5 Triple M, building a collaboration that has led to the development of their shared strength.
“Much like other collaborations, songwriting with a duo or group can feel greater than the sum of the parts,” Hart and Mitch told the Cardinal, “Where one writer struggles, the other can offer suggestions or alternate ideas. The two eventually agree on how best to proceed and bolster the other strengths.”
In the cozy atmosphere of the Bur Oak, bonds between friends and family shine bright. Will Orchard’s father flew out to watch his son, he told the audience, gesturing to his father who held a hand up in pride.
John Hardin’s family sat front and center, the musician taking time to joke with his young son in between songs.
“It was special for me,” Hardin said. “My kids don’t really see me in that way, or know me as the guy who did this for a living for 15 years before they were born. There was a different kind of nervousness I’d never felt before. I’m glad we got to have that experience together in such an intimate setting.”
SONIA BENDRE/THE DAILY CARDINAL
opinion
How protectionism has crippled America’s economy Everyone deserves access to a basic legal education
By Blake Martin OPINION EDITOR
This weekend, I said goodbye to one of my greatest passions: pretending to be a witness in fake court.
For the last four years, I’ve been a member of the Mock Trial team here at the University of WisconsinMadison. Together, we’ve traveled across the country competing against students from other universities portraying witnesses and attorneys in fictional cases written by the American Mock Trial Association, often judged by real-life attorneys and judges.
In my time with the program, we’ve tried everything from air crash negligence to aggravated arson, developing skills in trial advocacy along the way. As competitors, we familiarize ourselves with the intricacies of the federal rules of evidence to prepare for objection battles, develop detailed case theories, craft compelling witness examinations and deliver moving closing arguments.
But if my time as a member of the Mock Trial community has taught me anything, it’s this: everyone deserves access to a basic legal education. Why? Because the law is confusing, and all too often we’re led to believe we know a lot more about it than we do.
Whether or not you plan on heading to law school or end up with an “incarceration, conviction or arrest record” like one in every three American adults, you interact with the law every day. You deserve to have a basic understanding of it.
Think about your walk to class for example: as you head out the door, you probably walk through an intersection or two, before climbing a few
steps or taking a ramp to enter a campus building. When you cross the street, you probably don’t think too much about Wisconsin Pedestrian Laws that can be used to evaluate fault in the event of an accident. As you climb the stairs or take a ramp, if you’re able-bodied, I’m guessing chapter 4 of the Americans with Disability Act mandating the basic standard for accessible entrances doesn’t cross your mind.
The truth is, not even legal professionals know all the rules working behind the scenes to keep our lives running smoothly. But in a matter of moments, anyone at any time can find themselves in a situation where one of those small rules can turn their lives upside down.
Unfortunately, most Americans find themselves in a legal dispute at some point in their adult lives, with twothirds of Americans experiencing some legal problem in the last four years. In 2021 for example, nearly three out of four low-income American households were involved in a “civil legal problem,” ranging from “consumer issues” to “health care” disputes and difficulties with “housing.”
Despite just how common legal issues are for American households, too many people have a limited or incomplete understanding of the basics of the justice system.
I am no exception.
When I first stepped foot on campus as a bright-eyed pre-law freshman, I thought I knew a lot more than I did.
The law had always been a passion of mine, and in my free time, I poured over any legal media I could consume. But the more I was exposed to, the more I realized how limited, and in some cases incor-
rect, my knowledge was.
My perceptions of the law, and my understanding of what makes a good advocate all came from the legal media I grew up on. But the truth is, despite what “Law and Order” might lead you to believe, jury trials are overrepresented in the media as a method of legal dispute resolution — making up “less than two percent of federal criminal cases.” In the rare event that cases make it to trial, the impact of media on legal misinformation is often on full display.
In the media, sensationalized stories of “frivolous” lawsuits — like the famous McDonald’s “hot coffee case” — take on a life of their own, obscuring the truth of the central legal matter in the process. High-profile cases involving celebrities — like Depp v. Heard — bring with them an onslaught of misinformed commentary on social media about everything from legal strategy to the basic function of a trial. Without a legal background, it can feel nearly impossible to decipher fact from fiction in representations of the justice system in the media.
The truth is, most of us will have to deal with the justice system at one point or another, and our experience is unlikely to match what we see on TV. Whether it’s something you think of daily, when you want to or only when you’re forced to, the law is something we all have to deal with.
It’s no secret that the law is a complicated endeavor. But you shouldn’t have to dedicate years of study to develop a basic understanding of your entitled rights, protections and freedoms: you deserve access to a basic legal education.
By Owen Puckett OPINION EDITOR
President Donald Trump’s tariff policies have significantly harmed the United States economy, burdening American consumers, businesses and workers while dramatically failing to achieve their intended goals.
Despite Trump’s bold assertions that tariffs would rejuvenate American industry and restore fairness in global trade, economic research unequivocally demonstrates that these policies have backfired, imposing significant and lasting economic damage on the nation.
At their core, tariffs function as direct taxes on American consumers, raising the cost of imported goods and ultimately hitting the wallets of working and middle-class families hardest.
Trump’s first round of tariffs in 2019 led to an annual cost increase of approximately $831 per household, according to economists at the New York Federal Reserve. This price surge disproportionately impacts lower-income families, undermining their financial security and increasing economic inequality.
In 2025, Trump escalated his tariff strategy dramatically by declaring trade deficits a national emergency. He imposed an unprecedented 10% baseline tariff on nearly all imported goods, accompanied by significantly higher tariffs on key trade partners such as China, Mexico and the European Union. Rather than stabilizing the economy by creating jobs, this escalation immediately spiked consumer prices for everyday goods and essentials — whether it be food prices or clothing and textiles — exacerbating inflationary pressures and placing even greater financial stress on American households.
The damage extends far beyond rising consumer costs. Trump’s aggressive tariff policies have provoked retaliatory actions from other nations, severely harming U.S. exporters, particularly in the agricultural sector. Retaliatory tariffs from China resulted in annual losses exceeding $10 billion for American farmers, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Soybean exports, once a cornerstone of U.S. agriculture, plummeted, forcing many farmers to rely heavily on government subsidies rather than market-driven revenues.
Additionally, industries beyond agriculture, such as technology and automotive sectors, faced severe disruptions due to retaliatory tariffs and increased input costs. Companies have been forced either to absorb higher costs,
thus reducing profitability and investment potential, or pass these costs on to consumers, further driving inflation.
The manufacturing sector, heavily championed by Trump as a beneficiary of his tariffs, has also suffered substantial setbacks. A comprehensive 2020 Federal Reserve study confirmed that manufacturing employment actually declined in industries dependent on imported components due to rising production costs, decreased global competitiveness and weakened demand.
Moreover, Trump’s unpredictable tariff approach has injected damaging uncertainty into the U.S. economy. This unpredictability deters business investment and slows economic growth. Harvard Business Review highlights how companies have delayed or canceled investment plans in response to unpredictable trade policy shifts, hindering innovation and job creation. Perhaps most striking is Trump’s complete failure to address the very trade deficits his tariffs sought to reduce. A report by The Commerce Department revealed that the U.S. trade deficit not only persisted but widened during Trump’s administration. Far from strengthening America’s economic position, Trump’s protectionist stance has isolated the U.S. internationally, eroding trust and damaging relationships with vital trading partners, such as Mexico, China and the European Union.
By pursuing a confrontational stance rather than engaging in constructive dialogue, Trump’s tariffs have diminished America’s ability to influence global economic standards positively. Our allies abroad have increasingly begun to view the U.S. as an unreliable partner, weakening America’s strategic economic position globally.
Ultimately, Trump’s tariffs represent an economically indefensible policy driven more by political symbolism than genuine economic rationale. They punish American families, damage key industries and fail to achieve even the basic objectives of job creation and trade deficit reduction. The economic costs far outweigh any perceived benefits.
Moving forward, policymakers must decisively reject Trump’s protectionist approach. Returning to evidence-based international trade practices is crucial for America’s economic recovery and long-term prosperity. By abandoning harmful tariffs, the U.S. can restore consumer purchasing power, stimulate business investment and reestablish itself as a reliable and respected trade partner.
