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FUTURE OF LIBERAL ARTS IN QUESTION Facing budget shortfalls, UW System President Jay Rothman suggested chancellors ‘shift away’ from liberal arts programs at low-income campuses
By Liam Beran
CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
As the University of Wisconsin System faced a dire fiscal situation, system President Jay Rothman suggested chancellors consider “shifting away” from liberal arts programs, particularly at campuses with low-income students. In emails obtained by The Daily Cardinal, Rothman, a former law firm chairman and CEO with no higher education background before leading the UW System, told campus chancellors UW schools should seek a long-term path “to return to financial stability.” “Consider shifting away from liberal arts programs to programs that are more career specific, particularly if the institution serves a large number of low-income students,” Rothman wrote in a list of recommendations sent Sept. 1. “Make the ‘painful’ cuts and adjustments at one time and then move on,” he said in another takeaway. Rothman’s comments come as state Republican lawmakers continue to escalate threats against the UW System by withholding pay raises and inflicting millions of dollars in budget cuts, the latter of which has already resulted in more than 300 layoffs and sweeping furloughs across multiple campuses. Republicans, who for years have questioned the value of liberal arts programs, want to see the UW System shift funds toward “workforce development” programs like nursing and STEM programs, among other demands. However, students and professors who spoke to the Cardinal rebuked Rothman’s statements and worried cutting liberal arts programs would undermine core values of Wisconsin’s public university system. “It represents a fundamental remaking of the very purposes of education. The Wisconsin Idea, the pursuit of truth, everything that higher ed is really supposed to be about,” said Dr. Neil Kraus, a UW-River Falls political science professor. Suggestion to cut liberal arts part of broader budgetary recommendations Rothman’s statement came in response to a Chronicle of Higher Education report he forwarded to all UW System chancellors via email. The report, Rothman said, detailed the background of an institution — Henderson State University — that “faced existential financial challenges” and its strategy to address the situation. “While I am by no means suggesting that any of our universities face such a severe crisis, there are some observations and other takeaways in the report that resonated with me,” Rothman said in the email. In his takeaways, Rothman suggested slimming what he said were “too many” program offerings to address financial challenges. “There may be cases where an institution offers a program that loses money because it is important to the mission,” Rothman said, “but incurring the ‘loss’ should be an intentional decision.” Rothman suggested low-income campuses in particular should consider cutting liberal arts programs. According to UW System statistics, UW-Madison served the lowest number of lowincome students (15.3%) in 2022, classified by the UW System as any student receiving a Pell
Grant. UW-Parkside, which announced layoffs and furloughs in August, is the highest, with 39.6% of students listed as low-income. Some campuses are eyeing cuts to liberal arts UW System spokesperson Mark Pitsch said Rothman has “consistently” stated he valued liberal arts education and shared the report having acknowledged some of its lessons “would not be applicable to the Universities of Wisconsin.” “He did not suggest that chancellors move away from liberal arts programs,” Pitsch said. “However, as evidenced by the $32 million workforce proposal, the universities are seeking to expand capacity in high-growth STEM, health care, and business disciplines to meet workforce needs.” Rothman’s emails tell a different story. Although Rothman said in emails some recommendations “will have no applicability to our situation or imply actions that we may not be prepared to take,” he added they were “nonetheless instructive.” “I encourage you to take a look regardless of your institution’s current financial situation,” Rothman added. “I believe there are some lessons in the report that are relevant and of value to all of us.” And in the months following his email, some UW campuses are targeting liberal arts programs for cuts or enrollment freezes. At UW-Green Bay, majors in economics, environmental policy, and theater and dance — all programs within social sciences or the humanities — are on the chopping block, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette. Although UW-Oshkosh’s “realignment” plan pledges the school won’t cut academic programs, the university in April paused new enrollments in the school’s theater major, citing low enrollment statistics, according to student newspaper The Advance-Titan. Faculty, students ‘not surprised’ at Rothman’s statements Kraus and UW-Oshkosh English professor Douglas Haynes told the Cardinal they weren’t surprised by Rothman’s private statements. They were, however, disappointed at Rothman’s attitude toward higher education, something Haynes said was “disturbing to see spelled out in such clear terms.” “It’s disappointing to me that the leader of a university system committed to liberal education would have such a narrow vision of what education provides to people,” Haynes said. Students and faculty criticized Rothman for having no professional experience in higher education when he was announced as UW System president in 2022. Rothman was chairman and CEO of Foley and Lardner, a nationwide law firm with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, for over 10 years. “I would expect the president of the system to have a deep background and experience in the workings of higher education institutions,” Haynes said. Ben Leasum, a radio, television and film major with a minor in writing at UW-Oshkosh, said “it’s a damn shame” humanities majors face potential cuts at campuses like UW-Green Bay, where leaders floated eliminating a handful of liberal arts majors in November. He enjoys the practical education he gets from hands-on education — working with cameras
COURTESY UW SYSTEM SCREEN CAPTURE
and audio recording equipment, producing pieces and receiving direct feedback from faculty. Leasum said he wouldn’t have even considered UW-Oshkosh if the school didn’t have his major. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” he added. Haynes and Kraus said Rothman’s statements create a vision of higher education that would limit liberal arts to students whose families could financially support them throughout their education and early career. Rothman’s statement illustrates the attitude “toward limiting opportunities for low-income students and first-generation college students alike,” particularly at comprehensive universities, Haynes said. For his part, Leasum chose UW-Oshkosh because it’s where most of his family members went and is close to his hometown, Green Bay. “It’s like a family college at this point,” he joked. “It’s a familiar place.” Are STEM fields tied to workforce development?
Rothman’s recommendations come as university officials are under pressure from state Republican lawmakers to shift toward “workforce development” programs like nursing and engineering. Republicans sliced $32 million from the UW System’s two-year budget in June in an effort to cut diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming at UW System campuses. Although it’s unlikely the UW System will recoup the funds without a deal on DEI, university leaders will have a chance to present a $32 million workforce development proposal to lawmakers on the state’s budget-writing committee. The proposal invests in STEM, health care and finance programs, among others. But students and professors say there’s no clear line between liberal arts and programs oriented toward hard science careers. In fact, the two often go hand-in-hand, said Ben Dimenstein, a UW-Madison student studying landscape and urban studies degree as well as cartography and geographic information systems. Liberal arts programs, Dimenstein said, help students study multiple fields and “figure out what you’re really trying to get into, especially in
your professional career.” “That’s a really big advantage of the College [of Letters and Sciences],” he added. “It sounds like [Rothman] hasn’t done his full research into what entails a liberal arts major.” Kraus also criticized prioritizing STEM education as imperative and questioned leaders’ claims that STEM careers drive workforce development. STEM jobs are high-paying, Kraus said, but he felt channeling students into technical jobs, rather than being “citizens in a democracy,” isn’t realistic. Kraus pointed out that STEM jobs comprise around 6.3% of all jobs in the labor market, citing a 2022 Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics report. “There are lots of jobs for liberal arts majors, as far as I can tell after looking at 30-40 years of market data.” During a meeting with students on Nov. 28, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said humanities programs are in a “culturally challenging moment” punctuated by declining enrollment that impacts their “scale, scope and forms of investment.” She said many students feel pressure “driven by job dynamics” in selecting a field of study. “We should be trying to partly resist that pressure,” Mnookin said, adding the university has a “responsibility” to tell students and the “outside world” that “majors aren’t destinies.” “I am a strong believer that at the undergraduate level, finding something that you care about enough, that you’re going to want to go deep, to take it seriously, matters much much more than the pure practicality of the next work opportunity,” Mnookin said. UW should explore more equitable budget decisions, two professors say To Kraus and Haynes, austerity measures enacted by Republicans — which they see as largely unchallenged by UW System leaders — are having a deleterious effect on the UW System. Kraus said it’s frustrating to watch the UW System, in his view, remain “implicitly committed to receiving less public money,” even under a significant $7 billion budget surplus. Continue reading at dailycardinal.com
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
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Thursday, October 12, 2023
An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 133, Issue 16
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News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Drake White-Bergey Tyler Katzenberger
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Madison announces salt route reduction to reduce environmental hazards By Hailey Siles
News Team News Manager Ella Gorodetzky Campus Editor Liam Beran College Editor Cormac LaLiberte City Editor Francesca Pica State Editor Ava Menkes Associate News Editor Jasper Bernstein Features Editor Ellie Bourdo
Opinion Editors Graham Brown • Franchesca Reuter Arts Editors Noah Fellinger • Gabriella Hartlaub Sports Editors Maddie Sacks • Seth Kruger Special Pages Editor Annika Bereny Photo Editor Lauren Aguila • Meghan Spirito Graphics Editors Henry Moore • Zoe Kukla Science Editor Madelyn Anderson Life & Style Editors Hina Suzuki • Erin Mercuri Podcast Director Honor Durham Copy Editors Kodie Engst • Isabella Barajas •Ella Gorodetzky Copy Chiefs Noe Goldhaber • Madeline Gamburg Social Media Manager Rachel Schultz
Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Emily Chin Advertising Manager Samuel Mayo Marketing Director Claire Taylor The Daily Cardinal is a nonprofit organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales. The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays and distributed at the University of WisconsinMadison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000. Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both. Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. Letters Policy: Letters must be word processed and must include contact information. No anonymous letters will be printed. All letters to the editor will be printed at the discretion of The Daily Cardinal. Letters may be sent to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.
Editorial Board Graham Brown • Tyler Katzenberger • Em-J Krigsman • Charlotte Relac • Franchesca Reuter • Priyanka Vasavan • Drake White-Bergey • Ethan Wollins
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© 2023, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398
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STAFF WRITER
The City of Madison’s Streets Division will reduce the number of city roads salted this winter, city officials announced on Nov. 21. The Streets Division will remove 6% of salt routes around the city in an effort to reduce harm to the environment, according to Bryan Johnson, the city’s recycling and public education coordinator. More than 50 miles of streets will be left without salt this upcoming winter, Johnson said. One of the many factors the street division considered was whether the route is used by the Madison Metro buses. “When Metro redesigned their routes, it removed buses from many roads,” Johnson said. “This gave us an opportunity to really give our salt route network a hard look to remove areas that no longer need an application of salt.” The salt route includes bus routes as well as main roads around schools, emergency facilities and other large commuter routes. Salt is commonly used to remove the final layer of snow and ice from roads to increase
driver safety. Road salt works by decreasing the freezing point of water, which causes ice to melt even if it’s below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Salt Smart Collaborative. However, excess salting of roads and sidewalks can negatively impact the environment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Road salt eventually enters the city’s storm drains and can make its way into the local lakes. This has an impact on the quality of water in nearby lakes, along with water local residents consume. Water with high levels of sodium affects those with high blood pressure and is toxic to many aquatic ecosystems, according to the EPA. The Madison Streets Division isn’t the only large contributor to the mass amount of salt entering local waterways. Many residences and businesses put salt down on sidewalks, parking lots and other areas in the city. The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus spreads over 938 acres and contributes to a large usage of
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salt on roads and sidewalks. By decreasing the amount of roads being salted, the Madison Streets Division will help prevent around 270 tons of salt from entering local waterways. “We are trying to do our part making common sense reductions that do not compromise safety, and it is ultimately a win for our lakes and the water we drink,” Johnson said. Although some roads are being removed from the salt route, 48% of the traffic lanes in Madison are still on the route. Salt removal will be more apparent in less busy commuting routes and local neighborhoods, Johnson said.
Neighborhoods will continue to be plowed if there are three or more inches of snow at the end of a storm. The Streets Division will also continue to put sand down in slippery areas. The city is listening to feedback from residents about the modifications. Currently, no one has reached out, but this could change as winter approaches, Johnson said. “I hope people are aware of the changes, and they’ll understand why they were made and the good it will do — even if it does mean driving a little bit slower on a snowy street near their home,” Johnson said.
The French House: A space of cultural By Clara Zimban STAFF WRITER
At 633 North Frances Street, by Lake Mendota, stands the French House — a century-old establishment for learning conversational French and celebrating French and francophone cultures. The French House is an immersing residence for French-speaking students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a French cultural center for the state of Wisconsin. UW-Madison Professor H.A. Smith and Mme. Jeanne Harouel Greenleaf founded the house in 1918 with the support of the UW-Madison Department of Modern Languages. Anne Theobald, French House director and UW-Madison French instructor, believes the house is a space that values the French language and keeps it circulating in the city of Madison. “The French House is a residence for students who want to speak French on a daily basis, but it’s also for native French speakers who are participating in exchange programs,” Theobald said. “Having both groups together is, I think, mutually beneficial.” Theobald also explained how the French House aims to continue this circulation by hosting events throughout the year for students and Madison community members. “We have public meals on Wednesdays and Fridays as an opportunity for people in the community to come and speak French,” Theobald said. “We also host events, such as lectures, receptions and concerts.” The French House is a space of encounters between people from different cultures: French-speaking Americans, Franco-Americans, French nationals and Francophones of the world can all learn about one
another through the French language. Elsa Debargue is a FrancoAmerican resident and UW-Madison senior. Her parents are both French, but she has lived in the U.S. since she was eight years old. She said the French House provides her with an outlet to embrace her French culture with others.
Mary Neville, an American resident at the French House and UW-Madison senior, explained how she has become more culturally aware through intercultural exchanges in the house. “Cultural mix makes you better at communication, at least, because then you’re more aware that not everybody
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“The French House helps me because there aren’t only French people or native speakers here, but also Americans who learn French,” Debargue said. “It’s very refreshing. It shows that the French language is not as rigid as you’d think and that everyone can fit in it.” While the French House provides various educational opportunities, Theobald said it also offers a chance to learn and appreciate French and Francophone cultures. “It’s really an incredible opportunity to grow and learn, not just about French, but about people,” Theobald said. “And that’s something that’s really striking, to see the group of residents at the beginning of the school year and at the end of the school year, because just being in the same house with people from different cultures gives them an opportunity to mature.”
has the same experiences as you do,” she said. “It changes the way you interact with people. I think it makes you try to be more inclusive, even when you’re not talking to people outside your culture, because you’re more aware that people don’t all come from the same place.” Neville also mentioned how throughout her experiences at the French House, she has gained an admiration for those who speak English as a second or third language, similar to her French speaking. “When you interact with native speakers, it’s frustrating because there are sentiments or feelings that you want to express, but you don’t have the words, and you have to settle for second best.t makes you reflect on people in your life who speak English as their second or third language,” Neville said. “I’m honestly stunned by
people who can live their whole lives in a country that’s not their own.” The house traditionally hosts various cultural events. For the 2023-24 academic year, Theobald organized a series of public lectures in collaboration with Professor Gilles Bousquet and with support from the French Consulate in Chicago. The lectures began in July. “We’re trying to provide a service of outreach to the community, but it also benefits the people who are here,” Theobald said. “We want to increase visibility for the French House in Madison and in Wisconsin, but I’m most interested in what we can offer to the community of residents.” One of the events Theobald organized was a visit from François-Henri Désérable, an acclaimed novelist whose books have been translated in a dozen languages. Theobald believes one of the benefits of the house is that it allows the French-speaking community of the Madison area to come together and appreciate another perspective on art and literature available through French. For Theobald, “Language is like a key that unlocks the door to another real and imaginative life.” “Désérable was talking about literature and culture in French, and we had audience members from different cultures and backgrounds, and they all could take something from this moment,” Theobald said. “It felt like we were invited to share as a community in someone’s personal experience and to make it part of our own. And I think that summarizes the mission and the experience of the French House.”
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Thursday, November 30, 2023
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UW-Madison professor discusses US support for Israel, historical context By Joseph Panzer STAFF WRITER
University of WisconsinMadison political science professor Jon Pevehouse spoke about United States support for Israel at a Monday lecture hosted by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Society & Politics Committee. The lecture began with a focus on the modern roots of the Israeli state. Pevehouse detailed the end of World War I and the issuance of the Balfour Declaration by the British government in 1917. The declaration, which expressed support for the creation of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, was issued under the condition that non-Jewish communities in the region and Jewish communities in other countries would be free from discrimination. According to Pevehouse, the largest stride toward the foundation of an Israeli state came with the U.N. Partition Plan of 1947, which proposed a Jewish state on more than half of the British-controlled territory
of Mandatory Palestine and became the impetus for the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the mass displacement of Palestinians in the Nakba. Throughout the lecture, the crowd was silent and only made commentary during the Q&A portion, contrasting with reactions that took place during other lectures hosted this semester focusing on Israel. The lecture then moved on to Israeli independence, which the nation declared on May 14, 1948. U.S. President Harry S. Truman immediately recognized the new nation, which began nascent AmericanIsraeli relations, Pevehouse said. “Ultimately, the U.S. leads the way to diplomatic recognition of Israel,” Pevehouse said. “This [was] the first sign that the U.S. and Israeli relationship is going to be close.” Israel’s choice to support the U.S. in the Cold War as many Arab states in the region supported Soviet Union interests further strengthened the two countries’ bond, Pevehouse said. Following a stretch of tension between Israel and the U.S. during
the 1956 Suez Crisis, U.S. aid to Israel skyrocketed in 1973. Pevehouse said the aid was essential to Israel’s ability to defend itself in the Yom Kippur War and began the practice of the U.S. spending billions of dollars every year to bolster Israeli defenses. In addition to military aid and support, Pevehouse expanded on the United States’ crucial role in brokering international recognition and peace between Israel and neighboring Arab states. U.S. President Jimmy Carter facilitated the Camp David Accords in 1978, returning Sinai to Egypt in exchange for Israel gaining recognition from Egypt. The U.S. again facilitated Israeli recognition from an Arab state when President Bill Clinton signed the two-part Oslo Accords in 1993 and 1995. The accords, which made Palestine acknowledge Israel as legitimate and Israel recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, created
Madison city council set to approve $11.3 million for affordable housing projects By Pranav Prakash STAFF WRITER
The city of Madison Finance Committee approved funding for multiple affordable housing projects on Monday, setting up the Common Council to vote on final approval next week. The initiative will allocate $11.3 million in funding for five housing projects citywide. Funding for the projects will come from the city’s Affordable Housing Fund and will be divided between District 11, District 13 and District 19 on Madison’s west side. Approximately 375 units are planned, 300 of which will be affordable. District 11 Ald. Bill Tishler told The Daily Cardinal these projects will benefit older Madison residents. “Young people starting out here in Madison need affordable housing, but also we need to look at the older population who are living on a fixed income,” Tishler said. More than 600 individuals
and 70 families experiencing homelessness in Dane County were waiting for housing as of August 2023, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. An average of 700 people in Dane County alone were unhoused on any given night in 2022, equating to 12 out of every 10,000 residents, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. This figure is nearly 50% higher than the state average and marks a sharp increase from 2019, when Dane County averaged 578 homeless individuals. Tishler said as District 11 expands closer to the center of the city its population increases and the need for affordable housing grows. “There is definitely a need for affordable housing because we are no longer the far west side of the city. We are three miles away from campus,” Tishler said. “District 11 is becoming more in the center,
and so you want to have affordable housing near the amenities that a city has to offer… The location that has been selected is ideal.” The housing projects in District 11 will receive $2.1 million of the funding set aside, according to Tishler. The region already has 82 units of affordable housing near the former Westgate Mall and is scheduled to have 80 units of marketrate housing built next year for senior citizens. New housing units will be constructed in the University Park Commons area of the district. The Common Council will vote on the project at its Dec. 5 meeting. Tishler said he is confident the Common Council will approve the funding. “The Common Council has already set money aside. Now it is just deciding on where this particular amount will be going in 2024,” Tishler said. “I can’t see why they are not in agreement with funding.”
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the Palestinian Authority to exercise control over the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. “Until this point, Israel kind of pretended that there w e r e no Palestinians in the s e n s e of diplomatically or politically,” Pevehouse said. But steps towards peace in the region have stalled since the Oslo Accords were signed. The lecture comes amid the
Israel-Hamas war, where 15,000 Gazan civilians have been killed. Israel has reported an official death toll of 1,200 from the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. “My experience is that political decisions are made quickly and on the fly under extreme political pressure,” Pevehouse said. “The long-term planning of foreign policy by any country is sometimes a lot to handle.”
Telehealth services may expand to out-of-state providers, Republicans say By Ella Gletty-Syoen STAFF WRITER
Lawmakers on a Wisconsin Senate committee met Tuesday to hear testimony on a proposal seeking to legalize out-of-state telehealth appointments with mental health care providers for Wisconsin residents. The Republican-led bill, introduced Oct. 16 by four senators and brought before the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families on Tuesday, would require providers to be licensed to offer services in their state and inform the patient of the state they practice in. Sen. Rachael CabralGuevara, R-Appleton, told The Daily Cardinal the COVID19 pandemic and a shortage of healthcare providers prompted the bill’s creation. “Out-of-state providers were critical [during the pandemic] to meeting the needs of individuals seeking services, especially with the shortage of providers here in Wisconsin,” Cabral-Guevara said. “I’m hoping that this bill will allow that [service] to continue. Currently, it is not an option.” Licensed out-of-state providers were previously able to provide virtual mental health services under Wisconsin Emergency Order #16, issued by Gov. Tony Evers during the pandemic in March 2020. The order expired 60 days after it was signed, which Cabral-Guevara said revoked access to out-of-state telehealth care throughout the state. Bill cosponsor Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, agreed with Cabral-Guevara and told the Cardinal mental health issues have steadily increased for a
number of years but that COVID “exacerbated the situation.” In 2021, 36% of adults in the state reported symptoms of depression or anxiety, and over two million people in Wisconsin lived in communities with a shortage of mental health professionals, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “This bill would allow struggling Wisconsinites continued access to quicker and more efficient telehealth services,” Cabral-Guevara said. “Wisconsin deserves better access to Telehealth treatment beyond public health emergencies.” Alex Ignatowski, director of state budget and government reform for conservative think tank Institute for Reforming Government, testified at the hearing. He said the bill would help out-of-state college students attending UW institutions find care. “Many college students are seeking help with depression or anxiety, and many have relationships with mental health providers back in their home state,” Ignatowski said. Multiple amendments have been made to the legislation in response to requests from the Wisconsin Medical Society and the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) to narrow the list of providers and require registration with DSPS. The Assembly passed the legislation on a voice vote and the bill has not faced any significant Senate opposition, according to Cabral-Guevara. She hopes the bill will pass the Senate and reach Evers’ desk“before the end of January.
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Thursday, November 30, 2023
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UW split series against Alaska Anchorage as struggles continue By Ian Wilder STAFF WRITER
The No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team split a twogame series Friday and Saturday against the unranked Alaska Anchorage Seawolves The Badgers started the season 9-1-0 but are now 1-3-0 in the last four games after this series. Wisconsin came into the game after losing two to Michigan State University the weekend prior and extended the streak to three after falling 0-1 Friday. They returned with a resounding 5-0 victory Saturday to snap the streak. The only goal in game one came at the hands of Seawolves’ Gunnar VanDamme in the second period. But that isn’t to say the Badgers didn’t have their chances.
Wisconsin put 41 shots on the goal of Jared Whale, but the only shot that found its way in the net — late in the third period — was challenged by the Seawolves and later called back for goaltender interference. After Friday’s game, the Badgers had failed to convert on 15 power plays in their last three games, six of which came Friday. Compared to game one, Wisconsin turned game two around on its head. Freshman goaltender William Gramme got his first NCAA start, and it’s hard to imagine a better start for a netminder. Gramme saved all 25 shots to post a shutout and made some miraculous saves to start his NCAA career off with a bang. “It was a dream come true; I had some tears in my eyes before
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I went out. It was just so fun, and I’m so happy,” Gramme said after the game. Offensively, the Badgers looked like themselves again. They scored one power play goal on five opportunities and had 12 shots in 8:42 power play minutes, three more shots than they managed in game one with 10:00 power play minutes. William Whitelaw found the net twice and Jack Horbach and Charlie Stramel each scored their first goals this season for the Badgers. David Silye posted a multipoint game, assisting both goals in the first period. Overall, the 5-0 victory in game two showed this team is capable of having a short memory. They washed away the less-than-ideal result the night before and came back to look like the team that was 9-1. The Alaska Anchorage series is part of a six-game homestand, the next two next two games of which are Dec. 1-2 against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes recently retook the all-time series lead 26-24-5 after winning seven of the last 10 matchups, so the Badgers will undoubtedly look to regain the lead this season against one of their Big Ten rivals. The series puck drop is 7 p.m. Friday.
UW volleyball ends season with two wins, triumph over Nebraska By Dylan Goldman STAFF WRITER
The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team had a strong weekend, dominating No. 1 Nebraska in a rousing sweep Friday and sweeping Iowa Saturday while celebrating Senior Night. Entering Friday, there were some questions about the Badgers, and their claim for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament was in question. They answered a lot of those questions Friday, welcoming the Cornhuskers to the UW Field House for a rematch of the heartbreaking five-set loss they suffered in Lincoln in October. While Nebraska had already wrapped up the Big Ten championship, there’s always something to get up for anytime the No. 1 team comes into town. The Badgers got off to a shaky start, trailing 5-1. Nebraska led steadily throughout the set, but Wisconsin hung around and struck later to take the lead. Trailing 19-18, they used a 4-0 run to grab a 22-19 lead. They did not trail again and took home the first set 25-22 with a kill from Sarah Franklin. Nebraska wasn’t going down quietly, and they gave the Badgers all they could handle in
the second set. The Cornhuskers led 22-19 and appeared to be in good shape. But behind a raucous crowd, the Badgers fought back to reclaim a 24-23 lead. Nebraska star Harper Murray scored two straight points to force set point. Anna Smrek responded with a kill, but Nebraska took the lead right back with a kill from Ally Batenhorst. Wisconsin took the last three points to secure the second set. While the Cornhuskers were definitely talented enough to get out of an 0-2 hole, Friday was not their day. Wisconsin raced out to a 20-12 lead and never looked back, winning 25-16 and earning revenge for their October loss to Nebraska. This marked head coach Kelly Sheffield’s fourth win against a No. 1 ranked team. However, Sheffield was more pleased with the performance than the opponent they beat. “This match, for us, wasn’t about Nebraska,” Sheffield said. “When you’ve lost two out of your last three, it was about us playing well at the end, and it was essential for us to start playing well no matter who we’re playing.” Riding the high of a massive victory, Wisconsin was in letdown territory against Iowa
Saturday, but they avoided the trap and defeated the Hawkeyes 3-0. Iowa, who entered the game winless in the Big Ten, managed to give Wisconsin all they could handle in the first set, but Wisconsin held on to win 25-21. Wisconsin brushed Iowa off the last two sets, winning 25-10 and 25-16. The highlight of the match for the Badgers was graduate student Joslyn Boyer, who engineered a 9-0 serving run in the first set on Senior Night. Additionally, graduate student Sydney Reed registered two aces, and Gaby McCaa got her first kill of the season. The Badgers secured a secondplace Big Ten finish with an overall record of 26-3 and conference record of 17-3. The Badgers now turn their focus to the NCAA Tournament, starting this weekend, looking to win their second national championship in three seasons. The Badgers will host the first two rounds of the Wisconsin quarter of the bracket as the Badgers earned the third overall seed in the tournament, good for one of four No. 1 seeds. They will face Jackson State Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the UW Field House.
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Braelon Allen announces transition to NFL By Tomer Ronen STAFF WRITER
All good things must come to an end. On Tuesday, that end was for the Wisconsin Badgers’ star running back Braelon Allen, who announced on social media Tuesday afternoon he donned the cardinal red and white for the final time and is declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. The 19-year-old Fond Du Lac, WI native and two-time consensus second-team AllBig Ten recipient racked up 3,494 yards and 35 touchdowns in his three-year tenure at Wisconsin. “Playing for Wisconsin and wearing the Motion W has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Allen said in a video posted to Twitter. “I was proud to carry on the incredible legacy of RBU and follow in the footsteps of so many great running backs.” In his last two games as a Badger, Allen — fondly known as Agent 0 — racked up 227 yards and scored four touchdowns. Against Nebraska on Nov. 18, Allen pushed in the goahead score for the Badgers and the winner in overtime to clinch bowl eligibility. On Saturday at Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium, Allen put the Badgers on the board and gave them the lead early in the third quarter to help
them win back Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Allen’s 165 yards against the Golden Gophers marked the 20th time he hit triple digits in a game and propelled him to ninth on the Badgers’ all-time rushing list. “I’ve tried to represent UW and my state with dignity and pride and I wanted to leave this program on even more solid footing than when I arrived, and I have no doubt the Badgers are headed in the right direction,” Allen said Allen’s departure leaves Wisconsin with Jackson Acker and Cade Yacamelli heading the backfield in the upcoming bowl game. Graduate student Chez Mellusi, who is out for the season with a fractured fibula, is eligible for a sixth season in 2024. “I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way. There are far too many people to name, but I am extremely grateful. It’s always been my dream to play in the NFL and I believe I’m ready to chase that next step. I’m excited to announce that I’m declaring for the 2024 NFL draft,” Allen said. CBS Sports ranked Allen as the top running back prospect coming into the draft as of Nov. 28. For Allen, the next step will likely involve different colors, but the memories will last forever. “Once a Badger, always a Badger,” Allen said. “On, Wisconsin.”
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arts The historicism of the studio glass movement in Chazen’s ‘Look What Harvey Did’ dailycardinal.com
Thursday, November 30, 2023
By Molly Sheehan STAFF WRITER
“Look What Harvey Did: Harvey K. Littleton’s Legacy in the Simona and Jerome Chazen Studio Glass Collection,” opened to the public Nov. 6 at the Chazen Museum of Art. The exhibition details the development of the American studio glass movement as pioneered by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor emeritus Harvey K. Littleton. The studio glass movement emerged in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, characterized by a shift from traditional methods of glassmaking, such as factory production. Harvey K. Littleton cultivated small-scale studios that fostered independent environments, allowing artists to explore their own creative ideas. Studio glass artists explored the form as an artistic medium beyond its use as functional and everyday objects as they incorporated a wide range of techniques, styles and concepts into their work. Davira S. Taragin, the exhibition’s guest curator, furnished a humble room in the Chazen with a range of
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almost entirely glassware forms. With what once began as a maledominated glassblowing phenomenon, Taragin creates a visual narrative using the studio glass collection as a mosaic to demonstrate how the art form expanded a global medium for contemporary expression beyond its common functional use. Attendees will walk away having traversed an intersection of artistic innovation and technical prowess
that redefines the art landscape. The collection features seven different yet innately intertwined subsects that detail glassblowing progression: “The Forerunners,” “The Beginning of a Movement,” “Working Together,” “How We Use It,” “The Women,” “Protest” and “Glass+.” Imbued by historicism, Simona and Jerome Chazen’s collection presents an extrospection in their range of American precursors to the studio glass movement. Frances Higgin’s “Branchless Trees” presents a fused glass and enamel landscape, where he joined different sheets of glass in order to create a dynamic piece that serves as a testament to the early potential of the medium as an art form. “The Beginning of a Movement” recognizes Littleton’s paternal role in the development of studio glass and the revival of contemporary blown glass revival. The era marked a significant juncture in the movement’s trajectory as it shifted from technical refinement toward diversified expression of conceptual ideas. “Technique is cheap” asserts
Littleton, as noted within the text on the exhibition wall. Littleton’s “Triple Loops,” an early example of his mature aesthetic and an exhibition highlight, relies on gravity and manipulation of glass-laden punty, an iron rod used to gather molten glass, to create unique forms. The exhibition serves as a microcosm of the studio glass movement’s development, reverberating the notion of legacy as it features the works of Littleton’s UW-Madison disciples. The studio glass movement reformed past being a man’s occupation, paralleling the beginning of the women’s movement. “The Women” subsect emphasizes this demographic departure through the works of Ginny Ruffner, whose flameworked glass “Another Pretty Face” features acrylic-painted women on the complexities of the form itself. The shift from technique to conceptual messages is further permeated in the exhibition’s narrative, where works by artists like Michael Aschenbrenner and Scott Chaseling
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delve into powerful political and social commentary. Chaseling’s “Loaded Messages” emphasizes the adage “the pen is mightier than the sword.” The exterior vessel form portrays two figures, one with a pointed gun and another with duplicitous speech. However, the internal painting features intimate scenes of a seated man engrossed in his writing and a woman’s breasts, contrasting the more violent outer form of the vessel. The piece emphasizes the visceral power of glass as an art medium, serving as an instrument of social criticism that can give way to societal progress. Studio glass has evidently transformed under the early influence of Littleton, permeating through space and time. The exhibition confronts the complexities of the movement’s development as derived from Harvey K. Littleton’s forerunning techniques, detailing the multitude of artists and their styles that leave attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the medium. “Look What Harvey Did” runs through Aug. 16, 2024 at the Chazen.
UW student wins grand prize at Study Abroad Film Festival By Spencer Ball STAFF WRITER
“They say that studying abroad changes you,” a voiceover begins in a University of Wisconsin-Madison student’s award-winning short film. “But what I did not expect to learn or realize is that I had been living but only half alive.” “Take The Goggles Off” is a short film by Sami Stidham, a senior at UW-Madison studying journalism and digital studies. The film centers around her semester abroad in Barcelona in the spring of 2023. Stidham traveled to Barcelona through IES Abroad, a leading nonprofit study abroad provider based in Chicago, IL. She was one of 13 semifinalists in this year’s 9th Annual IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival. “Take The Goggles Off” won first place, earning Stidham the $1,500 Grand Prize as well as claiming the new $5,000 IES Abroad Barbara Bobrich Annual Scholarship for a future UW-Madison study abroad student in financial need. Stidham chronicles her explorations in rhythmic prose and striking imagery, and she expresses how living in a new world pushed her to appreciate beauty in the everyday. She encourages her audience not to become mindless in repeating the habitual and mundane. The compassionate and lifeaffirming film finds meaning and awe in little details and small moments. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. How did you decide to make your film? I was studying in Barcelona through IES Abroad, and I found out a month-ish into my semester that they hosted a film festival competition every year. I’m getting a Digital Studies Certificate and, through that, I’ve gotten really into film and have fallen in love with it. I knew I wanted to find something to do a film on for
the festival. How new was this filmmaking process for you? Was there anything that was harder than you were expecting? I’ve done a fair amount of filmmaking for my classes, but nothing huge. Everything has been really short mini-documentaries, video stories and other one-minute projects, both for digital studies and for my journalism classes as well. My short film is actually the longest thing I’ve ever made. Writing the script was a little difficult because I wanted it all to rhyme. And then I also wanted to communicate specific things and include specific memories, and I had footage I really wanted to include. So that was difficult, to get it all to sound the way I wanted to sound while at the same time communicating the message I wanted to convey. Then, editing just took forever, because editing always does. But I really enjoy this stuff, so it was fun to do. I was really struck by the shot selection you chose to accompany the voiceover, and how that combination added to the message of the film. Did you plan to take those shots ahead of time, or was it a matter of looking through footage afterward and finding what fit? Both. There were a couple of shots or memories I recorded that I really wanted to include. And then there were other things where I didn’t have planned out footage I wanted. A lot of it was just writing the script and then finding footage I thought fit. How did it feel to finally present your film at the festival? I am proud of it. There are always things that I would change about it, but I feel like that’s always true for creative works. It’s a message I really believe in, so I was really excited to have other people see it. But creative works are so subjective. It was nerve-wracking to have
that be put out there. I got over that a little bit by the time the actual festival rolled around. I had to be a politician and ask all of my friends and family to go watch it and vote for it, so I got over a little bit of that like, “oh, go watch my short film.” I was really excited to have it out there, but definitely a little nervous to find out if I won as well. Were there any big elements that didn’t end up making the final cut? I went to London with a friend from Madison for a weekend, and on the flight back I ended up talking to the woman next to me. She was from Bulgaria and lived in Spain. I’m a camp counselor in the summer, and I had a little friendship bracelet — it was red, white and pink — on my water bottle. And this woman was like “Oh my gosh, is this from Martenitsa?” Martenitsa is a Bulgarian tradition where they make hair ties, bracelets and necklaces from red and white string twisted together. It’s something with spring renewal, and you wear it until you see your first sparrow or your first tree blooming. Then, you tie it to a tree, and it’s supposed to bring good luck and good fortune. I thought that was a really cool, unique experience. Then, a week later back in Spain, I was walking home from class. Right outside my host mom’s apartment there were a bunch of trees with red and white string tied to them. I really wanted to include something about that, but it was hard to fit it in. And I could not figure out how to rhyme the word Martenitsa. So that ended up not getting in, but I still included the footage without the story. What were some of the lessons that you took away from the experience? I learned through my journalism classes that I don’t want to be a traditional reporter. There are a lot of things that I would not jive with even
in broadcast or film journalism. I just don’t like having a new thing every day and having to do something more surface-level. The longest piece of one thing on broadcast news is two or three minutes. I really enjoy having one topic and getting a lot of time to really dive into it. That’s why I want to go into documentaries and longer-form journalism. This experience has definitely been really helpful for that endeavor, I mean, the reception of it was really good. It seemed like a lot of people connected to it and liked it, which I was very honored by. More than anything, it’s just given me some confidence. I’m graduating in the spring, and I’m going to have to figure out what to do with my life really soon. It’s definitely helped me realize I’m on the right path, career-wise. Are there any documentary topics that you’re really interested in or something you might want to explore in the future? You can probably tell from my film, but I love travel, and I love nature. I grew up camping and road tripping, and my parents are both pretty hippie-dippie. As a result, I feel a really strong connection to nature. Obviously, the environment and the climate are facing quite a bit of hardship right now, with climate change and all this stuff going on. So I am really interested in going into documentaries about the environment and what we can do to help. Finally, what’s your favorite memory from your semester abroad? I went to Italy for spring break with a group of friends, and we were in Rome for a couple days. We all toured the Colosseum, but I went on a different day because I booked my tickets too late. I ended up going alone to this tour of the Colosseum, and I met this older married couple on the tour. They were some of the most genuine and kind people I’ve ever met.
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And they had three kids of their own who are all grown up. We got to talking, and they seemed really interested in my life. I think they just noticed, “Here’s this young girl, doing this thing on her own.” They almost became my adopted parents for the tour. I had a lot of experiences abroad where I was so astounded by the kindness and generosity of strangers. They were so sweet, they would always make sure that I had a spot at the front of the group so I could hear our tour guide better. They made sure I had water because it was hot and took pictures of me because my friends weren’t with me. Then, at the end of the tour, they had this really sweet parental heartto-heart with me, where they essentially were just like, “You have to go after the things that you want in life. Like if you want to live abroad, it’s scary, but you just got to do it. You got to take that leap of faith, and your family and support system will always be there to back you up if things go wrong.” It was a really unique experience. And that literally will stay with me forever. “Take The Goggles Off” is available on YouTube.
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Column: Beware the Crease Creatures By Abigail Bures STAFF WRITER
The University of WisconsinMadison is officially a hockey school. Following the wild weekend of Nov. 3 — the women’s team tying their third-longest winning streak from the season opening and the men’s team sweeping No. 4 Michigan — Madison has cemented itself among the elite. And this comes before both teams were ranked number one. This is no surprise for the women’s team, which has created attention for years and won their seventh national title last season. They were previously tied with Minnesota for the most in the NCAA. The record-breaking doesn’t stop there. Renowned women’s hockey head coach Mark Johnson, a member of both the IIHF Hall of Fame and the US Hockey Hall of Fame, and a player for Team USA during the 1980 Miracle on Ice, just reached his 600th win — becoming the first coach in NCAA women’s hockey history to do so. The men’s season also started strong. In the five series so far, Badger men’s hockey has nine wins and three losses. This includes remarkable wins against the previous No. 1 Minnesota and a tie-breaking goal in the last six seconds of the series final against No. 4 Michigan. What factors does Wisconsin have, besides skilled players and coaches, that help contribute to these wins? Student-athletes at Madison have a wide variety of resources
available to them, focusing on their academic and physical prosperity. But there’s another large component at play: the Crease Creatures. The Badger student section, titled “AreaRED,” supports many of the schools’ top-ranked sports teams and rivals other student bodies across the country. With famous traditions like the singing of “Buttercup” and “Varsity,” spectators don’t have to worry about a lack of entertainment. AreaRED encompasses all sports at UW-Madison, and simply being a student at a sporting event means you are a member of AreaRED. They’ve coined names for some of these student sections: soccer’s being “The Colony,” volleyball’s being “MadHouse” and hockey’s being the “Crease Creatures.” AreaRED is led and organized by UW-Madison students, allowing students and athletes to connect through their love of sports. It helps students become a part of something meaningful during their time at Madison. The night of Nov. 4 was recorded as the highest-attended men’s hockey game at the Kohl Center since Jan. 29, 2022. “That was just such an unbelievable feeling, seeing that many people in the Kohl Center, the student section,” Mathieu De St. Phalle, who scored the final goal, told BadgerExtra after the Nov. 4 game. “That’s just what we’ve been dreaming about going into the season.” Last season, the women’s hockey team recorded six crowds of more
than 10,000 fans and was the only school to draw crowds of over 10,000 to women’s hockey games. Players talked about the crowd as a source for their energy after beating No. 4 Michigan on Nov. 3. “Getting the crowd involved and getting the entire school behind us just feeding off of the energy,” said sophomore forward Simon Tassy. “The more fans we can get, the better because we need to make this place the hardest place to play,” added graduate student forward Owen Lindmark. With attendance starting off strong in both the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena, each team is looking to have an excitement-packed and well-supported year.
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Badger volleyball: The road to the championship By Cate Schiller STAFF WRITER
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — time to dance. The NCAA announced the women’s volleyball tournament bracket Sunday, giving the Wisconsin Badgers the No. 3 overall seed and a No. 1 seed alongside not-so-friendly faces Nebraska, Stanford and Pittsburgh. Coming into Selection Sunday ranked No. 5 in the
American Volleyball Coaches Association rankings, the Badgers dominant sweep Friday of the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers launched them into the top four, bumping Pitt out of the third spot and Texas out of the top four. While the Badgers are coming into the tournament on a high, they have a long and turbulent road ahead in their pursuit for another championship ring.
As a top seed, Wisconsin gets a home court advantage for the first two rounds and will host the Jackson State Tigers at the UW Field House this Thursday. If they beat the Tigers, the Badgers will move on to play either the Miami Hurricanes or Northern Iowa Panthers on Friday. Having swept the Hurricanes in September, the Badgers should feel confident in their third round prospects.
Some familiar Big Ten competitors lurk later in the bracket, namely No. 3 seeded Purdue and No. 5 seeded Penn State, both of which upset the Badgers in back-to-back away games in November. Out-of-conference teams like Kansas and overall No. 6 ranked Oregon, who beat No. 4 Pitt in a five-set thriller in September, will also put their names in the hat in earlier rounds. If the Badgers are able to push through these trials, they’ll find
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themselves in the Final Four. Wisconsin sits opposite the Stanford Cardinal in the official bracket, meaning the two teams will meet in the Final Four if they compete against each other during the tournament. The teams have a storied history, but the Cardinal most recently had the last laugh when they swept the Badgers in the 2019 National Championship. A rematch gives Wisconsin a chance for redemption — that is, if the Cardinal stay consistent while facing battle-tested competitors like Texas, Tennessee and BYU. On the other half of the bracket are top-ranked teams Louisville, Kentucky and Arkansas, but they sit behind giants Nebraska and Pittsburgh, both of which have handed the Badgers some of their most devastating losses in recent history. Wisconsin and Pitt faced off in the Elite Eight in 2022. Despite being ranked second to the Badgers, the Panthers pulled off a five-set upset and eliminated Wisconsin from the tournament. The two have yet to play each other again since but have developed a rivalry of sorts. Then, of course, there’s Nebraska. The Huskers and the Badgers have been in a tug-of-war this season, fighting for undefeated records and No. 1 rankings since September. A third matchup, if it comes to fruition, would solidify which team claims Big Ten dominance this year.
opinion dailycardinal.com
Thursday, November 30, 2023
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Winter wake-up call: The student impact of Madison’s changing weather By Matthew Silletti STAFF WRITER
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Open letter: United against hate, standing together as one Badger family By Jewish alumni from the University of WisconsinMadison As students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison return to campus following Thanksgiving break, changing weather signals the start of their most challenging weeks of the semester. Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor and open letters reflect the opinions, concerns and views of University of Wisconsin-Madison students and community. As such, the information presented may or may not be accurate. Letters to the Editor and open letters do not reflect the editorial views or opinions of The Daily Cardinal. To Our Badger Community, We are disgusted and heartbroken over the antisemitic events that have taken place on and around campus since October 7th. First, we saw videos with pro-Hamas rhetoric, including the chanting of “Glory to the Martyrs” on the steps of Memorial Library. Then, just last weekend, on November 18th, we saw a neo-Nazi march near our beloved campus. Swastikas, Nazi salutes and menacing chants like “There will be blood” on the streets of Madison contradict the open and progressive principles this city is famous for. What makes all of this particularly distressing is that it happened following the horrors of October 7th in Israel, the single deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. This disgrace is compounded by the skyrocketing number of antisemitic attacks against Jews worldwide, and all of this makes one thing clear to us: Jew-hatred persists and demands urgent action. We are a group of alumni who
live across the globe, but in some ways, Madison will always be our home. It’s where many of us discovered, re-discovered, or grew closer to our Jewish identities, and it’s where we found a deep sense of community that went beyond a normal college experience. We’ll always love Madison, and because of that, we are comforted to see the events of November 18th immediately and unequivocally denounced by Chancellor Mnookin, Governor Evers, Senator Baldwin, Mayor RhodesConway and other elected officials. We commend the clear communication that there is no place for antisemitism on campus, that there is no description of these events other than “disgusting and repugnant.” We also deeply appreciate the immediate heightened security on campus and the availability of mental health resources for students following this hatefueled onslaught. Still, we can’t erase the devastating reality of what took place — of what is taking place. There are times when free speech can tip into harassment and intimidation, and this is clearly one of those times. In this vein, we hope to send our message loud and clear to all Jewish students on campus: We are here for You. We stand with You. We were You. We remember (some better than others…) our years in Madison — the joy of walking up State Street to the Capitol, the less-joyful trek up Bascom Hill to class, the Badger football games that turned the streets red and white, the Shabbat dinners at Chabad and Hillel. It may be hard to see right now, but You are not alone. You have a strong and vibrant communi-
ty, both on campus and among Badger alumni. In Madison, Hillel and Chabad are not just organizations; they are pillars of support and understanding. And in times of uncertainty, these spaces offer solace, connection and a sense of belonging. We encourage you to continue living your lives as Jews on campus without fear, because the best thing we can do is maintain our identities unapologetically. As an immediate action to show our support, we will be sponsoring all Shabbat dinners at UW Hillel and UW Chabad through the end of 2023. We raised these funds through a word-of-mouth alumni network that began just 24 hours after that abhorrent march on November 18th and includes many of the co-signers of this letter. We are Badgers forever, and we feel a responsibility to the next generation of Jewish Badgers as well. The college years are complex — they are years of self-discovery nuanced with the novelty of leaving home, living on your own and among friends and peers, opening your eyes to a well-rounded education, and becoming the person you’ve dreamed of becoming. Unfortunately, at this moment in Your journey, we are also living in times of near-unprecedented Jew-hatred, and we recognize that this has added a challenging layer of complexity to Your college years. In this moment, we want to share with you our pride that the Jewish community in Madison lives on, and our faith that we will all emerge strongly from this extremely challenging time. With all our love, Jewish alumni from the University of Wisconsin-Madison See all signatories at dailycardinal.com/opinion
As students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison return to campus following Thanksgiving break, changing weather signals the start of their most challenging weeks of the semester. Fall break gives a much-needed holiday to fatigued students, allowing them to return home and replenish their depleted energy stores. However, its conclusion thrusts students back into the fire of college, with the weight of the semester’s success burdening their spirits. As it stands, UW-Madison is currently in week 13 of the Fall 2023 semester. With only a few weeks remaining, final exams are prominently on students’ radar, causing new levels of stress. It is fitting that as break ends and school resumes, Madison throws its hat into the fray, leaving students fighting both their classes and the weather. Henry Barber, a UW-Madison junior and Chicago native, said the changing weather and pressure of final exams go “hand in hand” in creating unique mental stresses for already overburdened students. The feeling around campus during exam season is unrecognizable from its norm. The overbearing pressure of attaining high exam marks forms additional tension and stress for students. The element of the unknown is a driving force of these stresses as the feeling of not knowing what will or won’t be on a test can drive students mad. Stress also manifests itself from the increased time spent studying for exams. Students are logging more hours in the library and losing necessary sleep, creating an exponential snowball of stress. Additionally, the weather makes navigating campus a more challenging feat. Classes seem farther away, walking on streets becomes more daunting and backpacks feel heavier as the oppressive weather weighs students down. This can make it more challenging to attend discussions and lectures, feeding into the cycles of negative study habits catalyzed by the force of the Madison winter.
The change in the air is not only physically oppressive to student’s mental health, but it also prohibits students from activities that could boost their mental health when needed most. Sports are among the most common and widely appreciated hobbies, with a multitude of research supporting their positive health benefits, according to a study by the National Library of Medicine. The study showed a higher level of physical activity correlated to increased protection from psychological stress. Outdoor intramural sports are one of the casualties of winter. As a fan of intramural sports, Barber is on multiple teams for outdoor sports. When the winter took away one of his main mental health boosters in intramural football, it had a significant impact on his psyche. “I can’t go out there and get after it because of the weather,” Barber said. “It’s kind of sad.” Due to the vast pressures and stresses they face during a semester, college students’ mental stability and health are in constant flux. College students at over 113 different universities found that more than half of college students meet the criteria for one mental health disorder, according to the National Education Association. At the same time, 44% reported symptoms of depression, and another 37% reported symptoms of anxiety. The bottom line is students now are more overworked and undersupported than at any other time in history. It does not help that the arrival of winter coincides with an increase in exam anxiety, compounded by the physical and mental detriments the weather can have on students. Students are fighting both the education system and the forces of Mother Nature to attain academic success. The only solution is for students to don their coats, hats and gloves and melt the winter ice with their fiery desire for academic triumph. Matthew Silletti is a junior studying journalism. Do you agree students’ mental health and academics are significantly impacted by the cold weather? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com
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dailycardinal.com
The Database Group: A hidden Wisconsin powerhouse
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By Bryson Turner STAFF WRITER
In the world of science, companies and universities are continuously researching and innovating across fields. However, there is one sector that is becoming increasingly essential: computer science. Many of us have to come to know the vitality of software and technology. However, what you might not know is there is a hidden gem nestled in the University of WisconsinMadison’s 13th-ranked U.S computer science department: the Database Group. UW-Madison’s Database Group has been one of the world’s most influential database departments, consistently ranking near the top in international rankings for the past 50 years. Since its creation, the group states it has earned numerous awards, generated projects such as deploying Cloud Matcher code at American Family Insurance, and taught UW-Madison students who later went on to work for companies like Microsoft and Google. Despite these accomplishments, they’re far from finished. So, where is this powerhouse sourced from? The Database Group is a faculty research team led by Dr. Anhai Doan, Dr. Paris Koutris and Dr. Xiangyao Yu, with Doan as the group’s most senior member. They self-describe as special-
izing in technology, such as relational databases, cloud-native databases, data modeling and data integration. These types of technology deal with data storage and data implementation. In a conversation with The Daily Cardinal, the Database Group said they believe their research has the potential to impact the world as it forms the foundation for many of our future technologies, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. During the 1970s and 1980s, they said their research was primarily centered on relational databases, which are data management systems that entailed organizing data into rows and columns to form tables. With this focus, the Database Group was able to dive deep and provide incred-
“We were making a widespread impact and did a major part in growing the relational database industry into a multibillion dollar industry.” Dr. Anhai Doan Database Group Senior Member UW-Madison Professor
ibly insightful and vital information to grow the relational database field. This groundbreaking research was
unprecedented, establishing the Database Group as a unique and influential group that would affect database systems for years to come. With that momentum, the Database Group was able to innovate and research continually in the broad field of database systems, propelling Madison Computer Science to reach new highs. The Database Group currently ranks as third in the country, according to csrankings.org. Doan said that since he began working at UW-Madison, the Database Group has exploded in popularity with new research being established in various subareas, including social media data, the cloud and advanced relational databases. For example, Koutris’s homepage advertises that they have conducted research focusing on the foundational aspect of data management, which includes theoretical models and core fundamental problems in data processing. Koutris said their research has earned various awards, including the SIGMOD Jim Grey Dissertation award and the Test of Time award in 2023. Yu is a relatively new UW-Madison faculty member, having joined the university in 2020. However, he has already started to propel the database group into the vast world of cloud databases, which are
databases deployed, delivered
“Data growth is exponential, there will be a constant need to address new problems.” Dr. Xiangyao Yu Database Group Member UW-Madison Professor
and accessed in the cloud. Given the relative novelty of the cloud, Yu said cloud research is “almost driven by industry demand,” causing Yu to try to build “a tighter connection with the industry, like companies such as Microsoft, Google, Oracle and Snowflake.” He called this a “fundamental reason” to work on cloud databases. The Database Group cre dits two distinguishing characeteristics with their continuous success in the field. First, the group said they research pressing problems, which they then deploy to real users to learn and improve upon their solutions. Second, they are a user-driven research group, meaning they focus on the system aspect of the solution, build systems that real users could use and work very closely with the industry. Additionally, besides conducting a variety of research
to benefit the database field, the group also said they play a large part in developing UW-Madison’s prestige. For example, the Database Group played a significant role in creating the new School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, which was created in 2018 and is set to open in 2025. Similarly, the Database Group also aids other university departments in managing the vast quantity of data they receive, allowing for more efficient research. Doan and Koutris said the group’s goal is to “grow significantly” and expand its faculty and research focus in the future. The group aims to specialize through additions to the group in theoretical foundations of database systems, machine learning and data science. “I hope to invest and grow in the intersection of databases in machine learning and AI,” Koutris said. “Whether that be through the direction of how the database group can help AI or how the database group can use machine learning or AI to help build better data management systems.” The strategic shift of investing in data science and AI could revolutionize the group, allowing them to conduct fundamental data management research and develop nextgeneration database systems, all while continuing to impact the industry and society.