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By Drew Wesson STAFF WRITER
Black University of WisconsinMadison students received racist text messages as part of a nationwide wave of text messages sent over the few days following the election, UWPD reported Friday.
The messages contained references to slavery and were “unsolicited, harassing and racist in nature.”
UWPD said in an email to The
Daily Cardinal that it was aware of the nationwide issue and that some UW-Madison students were recipients of the text messages, but there were no official reports to the department.
Messages containing mentions of slavery have been reported in other Wisconsin cities, including Milwaukee. In one instance, these texts were sent to a 12-year-old.
The FBI and Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
are investigating at this time. UWPD said there is no information to suggest the threats are credible.
“We are committed to the safety of the UW–Madison campus and community, and we take all reports seriously,” UWPD said in a statement on Nov. 8.
These texts come as hate crimes rise following election season. The current political climate is “rife with opportunities for the trend of increased hate to continue,” according to an April
By Ella Gorodetzky NEWS MANAGER EMERITUS
Hundreds of University of Wisconsin-Madison campus community members signed an open letter of concern to Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin over the removal of Warren Scherer (per/pers) as director of the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center.
Scherer served as director of the GSCC from January 2018 to October 2024, when Associate Vice Chancellor Fernie Rodriguez reassigned Scherer.
Scherer’s reassignment, which occurred during LGBTQ History Month, hit the student community hard, the letter said. The letter describes a sense of belonging and acceptance that Scherer brought to the GSCC, saying, “Students sought Warren out for deep mentorship and guidance.”
The letter outlines a lack of confidence in Rodriguez and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Lori Reesor’s support of LGBTQ+ and QTBIPOC students.
“Warren’s sudden removal, without even an opportunity to say goodbye, exemplifies the Student Affairs administration’s disregard for the well-being of marginalized people, particularly QTBIPOC students and employees,” the letter said.
Reesor reaffirmed Rodriguez’s decision-making in a statement to The Daily Cardinal and expressed commitment to maintaining an inclusive campus environment for LGBTQ+ students. Reesor declined to comment on specific personnel matters, citing confidentiality.
Associated Students of Madison Equity and Inclusion Chair Camren Livermore told the Cardinal Scherer is an important role model for the student community.
“Warren was a mentor for a lot of students, provided a lot of advocacy and guidance and, in my personal opinion, was just absolutely amazing at what per did,” Livermore said.
Livermore signed the letter in an attempt to raise awareness of the situation and demand more transparency from university student affairs leadership.
“I think the letter was absolutely crucial in showing administration and student affairs that this is not something that we’re going to let slide,” Livermore said. “It’s our way of saying that this is important and we have concerns.”
The letter said Scherer’s reassignment could affect the future of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at UW-Madison, referencing the December 2023 legislative decision to cap funding for university DEI positions. Livermore worries that the university will be unable to fill the position permanently.
“The GSCC is at an extreme disadvantage to be able to continue functioning in the capacity that it has been for the past several years,” Livermore said. “It’s very concerning to us as student leaders, as a student community in general, that our student affairs leadership is not actually taking into consideration what is best for students.”
The letter labels Scherer’s dismissal
as “part of a system of anti-queer and racist decision-making perpetuated by Vice Chancellor Reesor that must be immediately addressed and stopped by UW leadership.”
A similar situation occurred in 2023 with the reassignment of Gabe Javier, former UW-Madison associate vice chancellor for identity and inclusion, according to the letter.
Livermore said Reesor and Rodriguez did not provide any reasoning to the campus community for the decision to dismiss Scherer.
“We do know that Warren did not break any policy or do anything wrong, so it’s very unclear at this point why the reassignment occurred,” Livermore said.
Livermore said they hope for more support for the GSCC in the absence of Scherer.
“As an ASM leader, I have been in communication with them,” Livermore said. “I want to create this space of sort of mutual aid, where we can learn how to support the GSCC during this time.”
2023 report from The Leadership Conference Education Fund, a national civil rights group. Increased white supremacy plays a significant role in driving this trend.
Students may fill out a Harassment, Discrimination & Bias report to receive support from the Office of Student Assistance and Support.
Students also can contact UWPD at (608) 264-2677. If it is an emergency, call 911.
By Joseph Panzer
The Madison Common Council approved Amendments Five and Four of the 2025 operating budget relating to police oversight and older adult services respectively and an additional traffic engineering amendment Tuesday during the first of multiple budget deliberation meetings.
The 2025 Executive Operating Budget, introduced by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway in October and adopted unanimously by the Common Council Tuesday, is partially funded by a $22 million property tax referendum approved by Madison residents on Nov. 5. The final budget must be approved by the council by Nov 14.
The council passed 15-5 an amendment restoring $127,210 in funding to the Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM) for employee salaries and legal services. Accountability for firing members of the Madison Police Department who engage in misconduct is through a state appointed board, which led the city to create theOIM in 2020 to give more power to local citizens.
Despite having been around for years, the OIM only started accepting complaints last month.
District 8 Ald. MGR Govindarajan told The Daily Cardinal he is “okay” with continued funding to the OIM despite “valid concerns” about its effectiveness.
“That being said, I believe the council should take measures to ensure that the OIM is held accountable to specific goals set by the council,” Govindarajan said.
The Common Council also approved by a narrow 11-9 vote a reallocation of $103,870 from the Community Development Division to purchased services for the Older Adult Services Request for Proposal (RFP).
The Older Adult Services RFP handles case management and outreach and referral programs for seniors in the Madison area. During the meeting, District 17 Ald. Sabrina V. Madison had concerns on the amendment’s impact on seniors from marginalized communities.
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
By Shriya Samanta STAFF WRITER
The re-election of former President Donald Trump has sent shockwaves throughout the world — particularly in East Asia, where the United States has long-standing security commitments and a geopolitical rival in China.
Before the U.S presidential election, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) hosted a panel exploring the impacts of the election on East Asia, where panelists said a second Trump administration would be more unpredictable and could shift the U.S.’s approach to alliances.
The panel, hosted on Oct. 29 featured CEAS Associate Director David Fields, Professor John Ohnesorge and Professor Louise Young. All three panelists agreed the first Trump administration and the incumbent Biden-Harris administration had a relatively consistent stance toward alliances with East Asian countries, particularly Japan and Korea.
“It’s not like we’re going from some golden age to something really new,” Ohnesorge said, pointing to a transition from Biden to Trump. “I think everybody’s been kind of rough on our allies in the region for quite a while.”
Ohnesorge cited recent U.S. policies under the Biden administra-
tion, such as the CHIPS Act, that increased pressure on allies in East Asia and were often drafted without consulting them.
But Ohnesorge said a Trump victory meant a return to “the bumpy, bumpy stuff before,” and panelists said his second term could also see a return to his earlier policies, such as raising tariffs and introducing trade measures.
The first Trump administration’s approach differed from Biden in execution, with Biden focusing on collaborative support, and Trump emphasizing financial contributions, a transactional approach that could characterize Trump’s second
term, Ohnsesorge said.
Fields said South Koreans favored Harris over Trump due to concerns about alliance costs and stability, and Young said Trump’s past history of reducing collective defense commitments caused concern in Japan.
CEAS director and professor of Japanese Steven Ridgely moderated the event and asked panelists about the long-term impacts of a second Trump term.
Young and Ohnesorge said there would be minimal impact on the U.S.’s China’s policy, which is the main driver of regional dynamics.
Fields amended their answer, adding “the stakes are quite a bit
higher,” and U.S.-China relations are “heavily dependent on what kind of decisions come out of China in the next 20 or 30 years.”
After Ridgely opened up the conversation to the audience, some attendees asked whether the shifting alliances could diminish American power in East Asia.
“Alliances are, by definition, temporary,” Fields said. “I don’t think American power is declining, but I think it could very rapidly because I think the core of American power in the world is allies. Without allies, the United States is just a hypercapable regional power.”negative. That’s bad for democracy.”
By Alaina Walsh STAFF WRITER
As the Trump-Vance administration prepares to take office, uncertainty over the future of immigration law fuels nationwide apprehension about sweeping policy shifts that could impact undocumented residents, international students and local industries that rely on immigrant labor.
Raffi Friedman, an attorney and clinical instructor with the Immigrant Justice Clinic (IJC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told The Daily Cardinal the Trump-Vance administration plans a broader, more aggressive approach than the Biden-Harris administration which focused on selective immigration enforcement, prioritizing those with criminal histories or recent border crossings.
“Under Biden, administration policy was like using a scalpel to address issues, whereas under Trump, it’s more like a machete,” Friedman said.
Friedman said the new administration will target 11 million undocumented individuals in the United States, not just those with criminal backgrounds. For Wisconsin’s undocumented population of approximately 70,000, this could mean deportation despite having established lives, jobs, tax payments and families in the state.
The implications of such policies reach far beyond individuals directly affected.
“The stakes are incredibly high here,” Friedman said. “Undocumented people in Wisconsin aren’t just isolated individuals: they’re spouses, parents, workers and community
members. Deporting them would tear families apart, leave children without parents, and destabilize local industries like dairy, which depends heavily on immigrant labor.”
Trump campaigned on policies to end birthright citizenship and expand deportations to interior states, which Friedman said would “expedite” removals. This push for mass deportation and denaturalization would disproportionately impact states like Wisconsin, traditionally less targeted by federal immigration enforcement but home to substantial immigrant communities. Of Wisconsin’s undocumented population, 41% is estimated to have at least one U.S. citizen child, making them especially vulnerable to separation under harsh immigration enforcement.
“We’re looking at a shift in priorities. This administration has made it clear that no one will be off limits, whether they have families here or not,” Friedman said. “For a state like Wisconisn, this could mean real
change in our workforce, particularly in industries like dairy where immigrants play a crucial role.”
Friedman also expressed concern over other potential changes, such as the sudden end of discretionary programs that have allowed vulnerable groups, such as Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuela parole programs and Temporary Protected Status, which includes people from countries like Afghanistan. Around 6,000 DACA recipients who are “active and contributing adult members of our communities” in Wisconsin would also be impacted, she said.
The uncertainty surrounding immigration policy is prompting heightened anxiety among students and community members. While these changes are still in the early stages, Friedman urged students and community members to act quickly.
The IJC has been a lifeline for those needing legal assistance or simply a place of support, especially during periods of heightened policy shifts, Friedman said.
“We’re here to help students access resources, find legal representation and manage the unique challenges they may face,” Friedman said.
Friedman highlighted the importance of local support, noting that Madison has a strong community of immigrant advocates. Additionally, the Madison Police Department does not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, offering some degree of protection, she said.
The shifting landscape of immigration policy presents challenges, not only for the individuals directly impacted but also for those working to uphold immigrant rights.
“The legal community here is mobilizing,” said Friedman. “We’ve witnessed the human suffering these policies can cause, and we’re preparing for what’s to come.”
Friedman, a former federal public defender on the San Diego border during the first Trump administration, said she is prepared to “zealously advocate” for her clients’ rights.
“I’ve seen families torn apart, people denied due process and the toll these policies take on human lives,” Friedman said.
But policies can not be enacted until January, and even after the inauguration, can’t all happen at once, Friedman said.
“The Trump agenda is immense, will cost millions upon millions of dollars, require extensive mobilization, and be subject to lawsuits,” Friedman said.
“If students are unsure about their status, whether it be a student visa, work visa or otherwise, they should consult with a lawyer as soon as possible.”
By Anna Kleiber STATE NEWS EDITOR
Despite a nationwide shift right, Wisconsin performed the same as it had in the last two presidential elections: within one percentage point.
By Clara Strecker
COPY CHIEF
Wisconsin’s first conference devoted to Indigenous economic and housing development brought entrepreneurs together Thursday and Friday to address gaps in Wisconsin’s Indigenous communities.
The two-day conference, hosted by the Wisconsin Indigenous Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WIHEDC), took place in Bowler, Wisconsin, and served as a space for Indigenous entrepreneurs, tribal leadership and economic development professionals to collaborate and share ideas on how to better invest in their communities, for example aiding small businesses and housing initiatives.
The event also focused on two studies addressing economic impact and housing needs. Many families in tribal communities live in overcrowded homes, WIHEDC CEO Fern Orie told The Daily Cardinal. The study aims to see what the needs are and develop solutions on how to tackle this crisis, beginning with affordable housing.
The WIHEDC is conducting a new project to evaluate and display contributions of “NonGaming tribal entities and Indigenous small businesses to the state of Wisconsin,” according to their website.
“We did a study, the first of its kind, highlighting all of the Native-owned businesses in Wisconsin and gathering data about what kind of businesses are out there, what kind of work and services they provide and really just gathering it into a native small business directory,” Orie stated.
The WIHEDC collected data from tribal corporations, indigenous businesses and nonprofit organizations. To further engage with communities, they also visited tribal reservations.
The study will allow the corporation to create a database, which in turn can be used to create economic development and policy initiatives supporting tribal communities in Wisconsin.
Orie told the Cardinal she hopes the study will help highlight opportunities in workforce development and encourage investment in Wisconsin’s Indigenous communities.
“This was kind of the first swoop of gathering data and pulling in all the non-gaming enterprises from tribes, along with trying to get as many of our Native entrepreneurs to provide data but really showcasing the work, the impact and the landscape out there in tribal economic development,” Orie said.
Going hand-in-hand with the economic development plan, the conference was able to provide awards to small businesses. During the conference, 32 Native-owned
businesses received a $5,000 business grant award.
“It all ties together with opportunity, right? We’re providing opportunities for Native-owned businesses to showcase the work they do,” Orie told the Cardinal.
The Wisconsin Native Homeownership Coalition’s housing study
The WIHEDC will also conduct the Wisconsin Native Homeownership housing study, an analysis aimed at providing insights into the current state of Indigenous housing development in Wisconsin in order to address housing gaps in Native communities.
The coalition is expanding from Wisconsin to the regional Great Lakes states, Orie said.
The WIHEDC recognizes the lack of affordable housing in America, which Orie said is amplified in tribal communities, as families already live in congested housing with many extended families living together.
“How do we tackle and address these housing challenges? … starting with having enough housing stock to house our families and then addressing affordability. We need affordable housing,” Orie said.
The WIHEDC will hold a session at the annual WHEDA conference next week in Madison, where they will present more results from their studies.
President-elect Donald Trump saw small gains by widening his edge in smaller counties and held his own in larger counties. Unlike the 2020 presidential election, Democrats were unable to replicate big shifts in the Madison and Milwaukee suburbs that had offset Trump’s rural gains, paving the way for President Joe Biden’s victory in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes gave Trump the 270 he needed to secure the presidency over Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Nov. 5 election marked the fifth time in the past seven presidential elections that Wisconsin was decided by less than a percentage point, and the seventh time in the past nine elections that the winning candidate for president received 50% of the vote in the state.
Here’s a county-by-county look at how both candidates performed in Wisconsin in the 2024 presidential election.
Harris underperformed in Wisconsin’s Democratic strongholds
While Harris held a considerable margin over Trump in Dane and Milwaukee counties by 38.5%, she performed marginally worse than Biden in both by 1.1%.
In Milwaukee County, Harris received 68.3% compared to Biden’s 69.4%, underperforming by roughly one percentage point, according to an independent data analysis from The Daily Cardinal.
NBC News reported Dane County was one of the seven counties that could decide the election. In the Democratic stronghold, Trump received 23.4% to Harris’ 75.1%, according to the Cardinal’s independent data analysis. Harris underperformed in the county by 0.4% compared to Biden’s 75.5% in 2020.
On University of WisconsinMadison campus wards, Harris underperformed by seven points compared to Biden in 2020, according to the Cardinal’s independent data analysis.
The ‘WOW’ counties continue to shift left Milwaukee’s suburban communities, while historically Republican strongholds in statewide elections, have slowly trended toward Democrats in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties — collectively referred to as Wisconsin’s “WOW” counties — are predominantly white and have voted for Republican candidates by margins upwards of 60% in every presidential election in the 21st century, according to state elections results archives.
In the 2024 election, Trump won all three counties by a comfortable margin — 19.7%, 10.5% and 36.3% for Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties, respectively — although Harris performed marginally better than Biden, making headway in these historically red counties, according to an independent data analysis from The Daily Cardinal.
Harris received 39.5%, 44.1% and 31.3% of the vote in Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties compared to Biden’s 38.9%, 43.3% and 30.3%.
There are many factors that could play a role in the suburban shifts seen in the last three presidential elections, including Trump’s authoritarian impulses and controversial rhetoric on immigrants and the economy, that could contribute to the increased Democratic support in the “WOW” counties.
The ‘BOW’ counties stay red despite the region trending less red in statewide elections
Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties make up Wisconsin’s “BOW” counties, home to a growing population center in the Fox Valley that includes cities like Green Bay and Appleton. In recent statewide elections, the region has trended less red.
The new 18th Senate District — made up of Appleton in Outagamie County and Menasha, Neenah and Oshkosh in Winnebago County — and the 53rd Assembly District — made up of Neenah, Menasha and part of Appleton — were top targets in the Democrats’ battle for more seats in the state Legislature.
While Democrats were unsuccessful in flipping the 53rd Assembly District seat, Democrats comfortably won the 18th Senate District with Democratic candidate Kristin Alfheim taking 53.3% of the vote to Republican candidate Anthony Phillips’ 46.7%. The district was one of five seats Democrats picked up, causing Senate Republicans to lose their supermajority.
Trump performed marginally better in all three counties, earning 53.1%, 54.4% and 51.7% in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties compared to 2020’s 52.8%, 54.1% and 51%. Harris, on the other hand, performed similarly to Biden in the counties, according to the Cardinal’s independent data analysis.
While both Trump and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels performed well in the Outagamie County, the county notably swung in favor of liberal-leaning Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz in the spring 2023 election with 51.5% of the county’s vote going to her over conservative former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly.
Three of four battleground counties swing right Sauk, Door, Vernon and Columbia are Wisconsin’s battleground counties, often swinging from election to election. In 2020, the counties went 50-50 — Sauk and Door for Biden and Vernon and Columbia for Trump.
In the 2024 election, Trump took three of the four battleground counties in Wisconsin — Sauk, Vernon and Columbia. Harris led Door County, a bellwether county that had accurately predicted the outcome of the last six presidential elections, by 2.3% with 99% of precincts reporting despite Trump ultimately winning the 2024 presidential election.
In addition to not accurately predicting the outcome of the election, Harris outperformed Biden by 1.4% in the county, according to the Cardinal’s independent data analysis.
By Mary Bosch & Zoey Elwood PHOTO EDITOR & STAFF WRITER
When Halah Ahmad received her absentee ballot before the 2024 presidential election, she struggled with voting for either President-elect Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I didn’t know what to fill in — regardless of my choice, me as a person, as a Palestinian, I’m not given the choice to vote against the continuation of genocide,”Ahmad told The Daily Cardinal.
Ahmad is the lead organizer of Listen to Wisconsin, the organization that led the “uninstructed” protest vote against the Biden administration’s military support for Israel’s war in Gaza during the Democratic primary last spring.
Over 48,000 people voted uninstructed in Wisconsin — including many University of Wisconsin-Madison students — exceeding Trump’s 29,000 vote margin of victory in the 2024 election.
“The Democratic Party had a lot of people who were trying to say, ‘Palestine is important, but it’s going to be less than 2% less than 1.5% of the population that will consider this a voting issue,’” Ahmad said. “But
the reality is, at least in Wisconsin and in other swing states, that was a significant number — definitely not a number to shrug off.”
During last week’s election, roughly 1.8% of voters on campus wards voted third party, similar to the 2020 election. While the third-party vote wouldn’t have been able to swing Wisconsin for Harris, it doesn’t account for the students who abstained from voting because of Palestine.
Political science professor and director of the Elections Research Center Barry Burden told the Cardinal Harris may have fallen short of Biden’s performance due to discontent among young progressive voters regarding the Biden-Harris administration’s Middle East policies.
“I was looking for a reason to be able to vote against Donald Trump, but unfortunately, the Democrats ran a campaign that supported the genocide,” Students for Justice in Palestine organizer Dahlia Saba told the Cardinal. “For me, that was a red line I couldn’t cross.”
While Saba expressed fear of the domestic realities of a Trump presidency, she doubted Trump would “change where we already
are” toward Gaza. She said she ultimately chose to vote for a third party in the 2024 election.
Harris could have secured proPalestine voters if she committed to an arms embargo with Israel, activists said. Listen to Wisconsin ran a “Ceasefire First, Votes Next,” pledge campaign prior to the election demanding “action from VP Harris and Democratic Leadership to end the genocide before we promise our votes.” The group didn’t endorse any candidate.
Democrats failed to mobilize the progressive groups which helped them win the 2020 election, Saba said, adding that “Democrats didn’t have a good reason for people to go out or to vote for Kamala Harris.”
Harris failed to distance herself from Biden, who Saba said was a “genocidal president.”
“There was a lot of disingenuous appeals to the campaign that they’re working for a ceasefire while doing nothing to actually change the fact that they’re materially funding this genocide,” Saba said. “There was also a lack of respect — we can see through the difference between words and actions.”
By Nick Bumgardner
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Assembly Republicans reelected Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, as Assembly speaker Tuesday afternoon, successfully fending off a challenge from Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha.
Vos will oversee a slim 54-45 Republican majority in the Assembly next year, down from 64 seats last term. It’s the smallest majority under his leadership and the first Legislative term under new legislative maps signed by Gov. Tony Evers earlier this year. Vos declined to release the final vote count, and Allen did not attend Tuesday’s news conference.
Assembly Republicans also retained Rep. Tyler August, R-Walworth, as Majority Leader.
Vos, the longest serving Assembly speaker in Wisconsin, overcame opposition among others within his party and a turbulent relationship with Presidentelect Donald Trump. Following the 2020 election, Vos drew criticism within the party for declining to challenge the results or impeach nonpartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe.
In 2022, Vos narrowly beat back a primary challenge from Trump-endorsed Adam Steen, winning by just 260 votes.
In 2024, conservative activists launched a recall petition after Vos declined to impeach Wolfe. The effort ultimately fell short, with activists failing to meet the signature requirement to force a recall. Vos was reelected comfortably in the 2024 general election.
Earlier this week, Republicans reelected Devin LeMahieu as the Senate Majority Leader. Republicans lost their supermajority in the Senate and now hold a narrow 18-15 majority.
Vos laid out his plans for the new term at a news conference Tuesday.
He said the Assembly’s “not in a rush” to spend the state’s record surplus. Instead, Republicans will focus on fighting inflation and “putting the money [Wisconsinites] overpaid back in their wallets,” Vos said.
On abortion, Vos told reporters he wants a statewide referendum to decide the future of abortion access, and though the issue is “important,” he doesn’t think it was “top of mind” for most voters in 2024.
“They were worried about the price of eggs and how am I going to afford rent, and what are we going to do about making sure that we have enough money to be able to buy a new house, things that I think were much more economic faced,” Vos said.
Vos also doesn’t think the election results mean Republicans need to govern differently, citing Trump’s win statewide. Instead, Vos said his job is the same as it was before: uniting his party around conservative “consensus.”
“I’d be curious when you ask the Democrats at the same press conference, what are the areas that you’re going to look like you reflect Wisconsin that President Trump carried? Are you going to work with them to cut taxes? Are you going to work with them to reduce regulations? Are you going to find a way to say that we can’t afford all the spending that you promised during the campaign?” Vos said.
Vos also briefly addressed Wisconsin’s election system, saying it “by and large worked well” in 2024. Newly elected Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, agreed, but he said delays at Milwaukee’s central count location made it “apparent” Republicans “have to do something” about Milwaukee absentee ballot processing.
Krug praised Florida’s system, which allows absentee ballots to be processed and counted before Election Day, saying he “hopes to get support to do something similar.”
The Wisconsin Democratic Party and Harris-Walz campaign were aware of pro-Palestine voter’s significance but had hard limits on policy change, according to Ahmad.
Activists also pointed out Harris’ inability to sway conservatives who dislike Trump — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s share of the Wisconsin vote was higher than any other third-party candidate.
“The Democratic Party, broadly speaking, has not been offering a campaign that speaks to what people care about, that speaks to people’s material realities,” Saba said. “My material reality is that my family has been ethnically cleansed from their homes in the past year because of the
actions of the Biden administration.”
Pro-Palestine protests and calls for divestment have continued on the UW-Madison campus, with a “week of rage” centered around the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas’ terrorist attack and pro-Palestine chants disrupting Harris’ final Madison rally.
Listen to Wisconsin plans to continue protest by focusing on boycotting consumer goods made by companies complicit in genocide, supporting university divestment campaigns and pressuring private companies supporting as well as local governments to cut all engagement with Israel, according to Ahmad.
By Marin Rosen CITY NEWS EDITOR
Interim Dane County Executive Jamie Kuhn signed the 2025 Dane County budget Nov. 4, that will focus on affordable housing and access to community services alongside the Dane County Board of Supervisors.
Kuhn’s budget proposal totals $926 million. The operating budget is $813 million while the capital plan is $112 million, a nearly 7% decrease from 2024. The cut in spending is a result of pandemic-era federal aid expiring.
The proposed tax rate is $2.57 per $1,000 of equalized value, down from $2.73 in 2024 and the lowest it has been since 2010.
“This budget prioritizes community needs by identifying and funding gaps in services while ensuring we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Kuhn said in a Nov. 4 release.
County Board Chair Patrick Miles said the 2025 budget is a “reflection of the values and priorities we all have to serve the Dane County community.”
Highlights of Kuhn’s 2025 budget proposal include:
• Over $30 million for housing and housing supports.
• Enhance access for veterans to programs they are eligible for.
• Additional capacity for services in Adult Protective Services for those in need.
• Funds to establish a Dementia Care Stabilization Unit.
• Increase language access in multiple departments to county services.
• Increase support for reentry and jail diversion programs.
• $10 million commitment to the Dane County Conservation Fund.
• Investments to the Alliant Energy Center campus and funding for next steps of the Exposition Hall expansion.
• $16.6 million in county highway projects across the County.
• $2 million in capital financing to expand access to Sunshine Place, a community resource hub serving eastern Dane County.
Dane County Executive
By Blake Martin OPINION EDITOR
I owe you something, and you owe me something, too. I have no idea who you are, and you’ve probably never met me before — but that’s the point.
Think about it: when you walk into a campus building, and you know a stranger is just a few seconds behind you, do you stay and hold the door? Does it change if you’re having a bad day?
More importantly, do you owe that act of kindness to the person behind you?
Today, the idea that “you don’t owe anyone, anything” thrives in primarily digital self-care spaces. For the most part, it comes from a good place. When we’ve had a long day, or we just aren’t feeling our best, it’s important to focus on treating ourselves with kindness. Maybe, when we’re feeling overwhelmed, or lost in our own thoughts, it’s okay that we let the door close on a stranger.
But the first time I read the words “you don’t owe anyone, anything,” while scrolling through self-care content on TikTok, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a week. In the days that followed, I started to see this rhetoric in practice everywhere I looked.
Modern interpretations of self-care mantras like this have become social cheat codes for our own bad behavior. In pursuit of self-care, we have convinced ourselves that lapses in kindness are a means of putting the self first.
From excuses made about doors closed in strangers’ faces to glares exchanged for smiles on the street, it’s
become clear that in an attempt to care for ourselves, we’ve lost sight of our duty to care for others.
But where did the idea that we “don’t owe anyone, anything” come from?
Looking back to 1966, we find the first notable use of the phrase in Harry Browne’s “A Gift for My Daughter,” in which he claims the best Christmas gift he could give was the “simple truth” that “no one owes you anything.” However, Browne, a two-time Libertarian Party presidential nominee, wasn’t speaking from a place of personal leniency and self-care, but instead arguing in favor of hyper-individualism and self-reliance.
So how did the rhetoric of a libertarian politician become a mantra for modern self-care?
Over time, the self-care movement has become rather unrecognizable. The origins of the self-care movement were inherently political, getting its start in the 1960s as a form of radical selfpreservation adopted by Black civil rights activists. Foundational writers and thinkers like Audrey Lorde and bell hooks focused on self-care as a means of survival and a method of community care.
Now, instead of serving as a means of political resistance, the landscape of modern self-care has become dominated by consumerism and the same hyper-individualism Browne spoke about. From bubble baths to face masks peddled by influencers, quickfix self-care solutions have become a
perpetual carrot on a stick designed to keep us, above all, in constant pursuit of our own wellness.
But it’s important to ask ourselves — is this really self-care?
In the words of bell hooks, “whether we learn how to love ourselves and others will depend on the presence of a loving environment. Self love cannot flourish in isolation.”
We all owe each other something: a conscious effort to uphold the right to exist in a community of care. While it might be tempting to focus on ourselves, and ourselves alone, we can’t ignore that our own wellbeing often relies on those around us.
Next time you get the chance, you owe it to yourself, and to the stranger behind you, just hold the door.
Students were shocked by the 2024 election results. They shouldn’t be
By Safa Razvi STAFF WRITER
The election ignited outrage, distress and overwhelming emotions for young voters across the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Students are uncertain about the future of social policies such as abortion rights, privacy and immigration, but one thing remains certain: our country has never been more polarized and students on campus may not feel it.
Many who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris found themselves completely shocked by the election’s outcome, especially considering the support she garnered on campus. It may seem odd that students are so surprised by the outcome of an election that was always predicted to be razor-thin. It begs the question: are campuses glorified echo chambers?
As students were surrounded by Harris-Walz advocates, petitions and rallies from the nominee herself, they became entrenched in her campaign. Harris won an overwhelming 75% of Dane County but lost Wisconsin by 30,000 votes.
Many, myself included, were surprised by how far this outcome diverged from our campus experience. This shock is a result of campus echo chambers. On social media, in campus culture and through other forms of campaigning such as appearances on campus, students were caught up in a world where Harris’ victory seemed imminent. For many students, UW-Madison was their first exposure to life in a swing state — they were surprised to see it swing red after all the support Harris maintained throughout campus.
The consequences of a campus echo chamber go beyond disappointment
over election results. Selectively consuming media and information will only further us from understanding the political climate, which is necessary to address before the next election. If made more aware, we will have the power to be more dynamic citizens.
Despite these overwhelming reactions, UW-Madison students have been resilient, opening up in different atmospheres and speaking out about their feelings. Tuesday night, the History
Department hosted an open table conversation for undergraduate students to share their feelings regarding the election. Additionally, numerous people including students and celebrities took to social media to express their disappointment over the election results and call out the nation for supporting the economy over women’s autonomy and other social issues.
Many feel like their apprehensions were ignored by a country they thought
was progressing. In the wake of such disappointment, resources such as open table discussions and an opportunity to share personal feelings about the election would greatly benefit the mental burden some students are struggling with. As Harris said, “sometimes the fight takes a while.” This includes breaking out of our echo chambers which are keeping us blissfully unaware of the political realities we must confront. If we don’t, we’ll be left reeling from every unexpected outcome.
By Alexandra Malatesta
& STYLE EDITOR
It’s been eight days since the United States elected its 47th president, yet the echoes of that night still resonate.
Picture this: MSNBC’s Jen Psaki analyzing Wisconsin, a key state, announcing a victory for Donald Trump — a jarring twist of events, only moments before the final call. That dreary Wednesday that dawned, dark and heavy, will be etched in my memory.
It all felt oddly familiar, like a haunting echo of 2016. Yet this time, the stakes feel sharper, closer, more personal. In 2016, my biggest concern was how I was supposed to balance sports while studying for my sixth-grade history test. Today, as I stand on the cusp of life-shaping decisions, entering adulthood as a young woman, the weight of these results hits deeper, anchoring me in a moment that feels both piv-
otal and painfully uncertain.
For many of us, especially women, this past week has been a whirlwind of emotions: shock, disappointment and an unsettling sense of loss. That morning brought a flood of questions: What now? Will we be safe? Is our world about to shift in ways we aren’t prepared for? Vice President Kamala Harris’ words cut through the tension, and through tear-filled eyes, we listened — a promise that the work of generations isn’t undone.
“This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together,” Harris said in her concession speech at Howard University.
Let me just say, today is not the day to give up. Hold fast to your values. Don’t underesti-
mate the strength in your beliefs or the profound impact of understanding what your vote truly means. Many cast their ballots and brought real change, and even if these weren’t the results we hoped for, don’t lose faith in the power of your voice.
This is a moment that demands resilience, not resignation. This is a reminder that democracy is a marathon, not a sprint. Change rarely happens all at once. it unfolds through sustained efforts, countless voices, and a steady, determined work of those who refuse to settle for anything less than equality. We are the continuation of a long line of advocates who’ve kept pushing forward, and that sprint endures in each of us today.
The path to progress is winding, and the moments like this only highlight the need to stay engaged, informed and ready to contribute, no matter the setback.
So let this moment be fuel, not defeat. The fight for justice and equal representation belongs to all of us, and every voice — every vote — matters more than ever. Now is the time to stay active, and bring our communities together. Don’t let this result disrupt or stop your daily routine in any way.
When history looks back on this moment, let it see that we didn’t let disappointment silence us. Instead, be motivated by our belief in a future that includes and honors all of us.
This work is far from over, and our voices are just beginning.
By Hallie Albert LIFE & STYLE EDITOR
As breast cancer awareness month concludes, I want to remind you that awareness and advocacy should not be limited to just one month. Breast cancer does not follow a calendar, and neither should our efforts to spread awareness.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in the United States. Approximately “240,000 women are diagnosed annually, and 42,000 women die from the disease each year,” according to the CDC. These statistics are intense, but they also prove the need for education and support among our world.
Breast cancer advocacy holds a special place in my heart, as both of my grandmothers have battled and survived breast cancer. I remember visiting my grandmother during one of her treatments. Witnessing her pain and exhaustion was heartbreaking, but her resilience and determination was incredibly inspiring.
My grandma was lucky enough to catch her cancer early and had a wonderful support system by her side throughout the treatment process.
I couldn’t help but think about the thousands of people who do not have a support system or adequate finances to support themselves, or do not catch symptoms early enough.
As college students, we need to better educate ourselves on the facts and statistics of breast cancer, warning signs and precautionary measures women should be taking. This knowledge can save someone’s life as catching breast cancer early tremendously raises survival rates.
Ribbon of Hope, an organiza-
tion based here in Wisconsin, was founded by a group of breast cancer survivors and offers financial and emotional support to individuals undergoing breast cancer treatments. As survivors themselves, they understand the physical and emotional impact breast cancer in itself can have on an individual, which fuels their mission to help others. Their goal is to provide adequate support so patients can focus on fighting cancer, minimizing other stressful worries such as medical bills.
Breast cancer awareness month is just one example of how our society confines advocacy for certain health causes to a single month — heart health in February, mental health in May. While these months bring awareness to specific diseases and circumstances, just like breast cancer, these conditions do not adhere to a calendar. Sadly, the reality is that diseases such as breast cancer affect individuals every day.
With this, I ask you to do your research, learn facts, statistics and share your knowledge with friends and family. When you become aware of an “awareness month,” challenge yourself to sit down and learn information. Do not just post an Instagram picture because everyone else is. If you are able, reach out to organizations such as Ribbon of Hope on how to get involved because you can make a positive impact in the lives of others.
Advocacy, education and support must be ongoing in order to make a lasting impact on our society. We are in control of our future, so let’s advocate, let’s research, let’s come together to make a lasting difference — no matter what month it is.
By Daniel Desmond STAFF WRITER
The Badgers men’s basketball team will face their first real test of the season against No. 9 Arizona at home Friday night.
Here’s what the Badgers have to do to pull off the upset.
Do not fall behind early
The Badgers have had issues with starting slow this season. Across their first three games, Wisconsin has been outscored 58 to 33 in the first eight minutes of the first half.
Arizona, by contrast, might be the best first-half team in college basketball. Last year, the Wildcats averaged 41.4 points with the fifth-highest average point differential in the first half, according to TeamRankings.
This year — though it is a smaller sample size — the Wildcats are averaging 51 points in the first half and have the best first-half point differential in the country at 25.5 points per game.
Arizona will run away with the game if the Badgers come out slow.
Control the tempo
The Badgers need to disrupt Arizona’s rhythm and game flow. The Wildcats average 73.2 possessions per game, the 11th fastest in the country, while Wisconsin clocks in at 65.8 possessions per game, ranked 313th in the country.
The Wildcats have played at the 11th fastest pace in the country this season, averag-
ing 73.2 possessions per game. Wisconsin ranks 313th with 65.8 possessions per game.
When Arizona had less than an estimated 71.5 possessions per game last year, they suffered six out of their nine total losses.
But last year, Wisconsin went a staggering 18-1 when having fewer than 67.2 possessions per game. When the Badgers played at a fast clip — over 70 possessions per game — they went 3-6.
Less than three possessions may not seem like much of a margin, but playing at a slower pace could immensely favor the Badgers and help them come away victorious.
Do not let Caleb Love take over the game
Arizona has a talented, deep roster. Four players currently average over 11 points, and eight players average 16 or more minutes per game. The Wildcats have shown they can beat teams with their offensive depth, but Caleb Love is their superstar.
Love, a fifth-year senior, is coming off last season’s career highs in scoring, with 18 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game while also taking home the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year award.
In Wildcat wins last year, Love shot 43.4% overall and
36.2% from beyond the arc.
These numbers dropped drastically during losses as Love shot 36.5% overall and 25.9% from three.
Defensively, Wisconsin must know where Love is on the court and do their best to limit him.
Get to the free-throw line early and often
Wisconsin is shooting an incredible 92.5 percent from the free-throw line this year, the fifth-highest free-throw percentage in the NCAA.
The Badgers must focus on getting to the line. Not only
are they cashing in at a high rate when they do, but it helps them slow the game down which could make the Arizona offense more stagnant.
It won’t be easy for the Badgers. Arizona is well-coached and fouls at a low rate. So far this season, Wisconsin has shot 23 more free throws than their opponents across three games.
If the Badgers can get to the line and grow their free throw margin, they’ll be competitive in this game.
Come together, stay together
Wisconsin lost and replaced eight players during the offseason. The team is still building chemistry and learning how to play with each other. Missouri transfer John Tonje and fifth-year senior Max Klesmit have been leading the offense this season, averaging 17.7 and 16.0 points per game respectively.
Although the Badgers have fallen behind early in some games, this team has yet to be put under a lot of pressure. Wisconsin will take on Arizona at 8 p.m. at the Kohl Center on Friday night. Playing the No. 9 team in the country, emotions and tensions will be running high for the team.
If the Badgers can accomplish some of these keys to victory, they have a chance of pulling off the upset. By fighting until the last whistle and playing for each other, the team can use this game as a growing moment and unlock new heights for the rest of the season.
By Gabriella Hartlaub ARTS EDITOR EMERITUS
The Wisconsin Badgers women’s soccer team will host the University of Maine in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Friday.
The NCAA announced the 64-team bracket on Monday which includes nine other Big Ten teams. Teams from 30 conferences were given automatic entry to the tournament as winners from their respective conference championships. For the Big Ten, conference champion UCLA was granted entry and seeded second.
USC is seeded first, going undefeated in conference play. Another notable Big Ten opponent in the tournament is Ohio State, who defeated the Badgers in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Despite the presence of other Big Ten teams, no teams in the same conference are allowed to play one another in the first two rounds of competition, according to the NCAA.
The competing schools will host the first and second rounds. Whichever team is seeded the highest in their matchup hosts the game.
Wisconsin is seeded fifth in their quarter of the bracket and will host Maine at the McClimon Soccer Complex. Should the Badgers take the win over Maine to move on to the second round, and if they are seeded higher than their opponent, they will host that team at home as well.
Wisconsin’s first-round opponent, Maine, received automatic qualification as the winner of their conference tournament. The Black Bears have a 13-1-3 overall regular season record and won the America East Championship game 3-0 against University of New Hampshire. This game will be the first time Wisconsin and Maine meet in program history.
The Badgers and the Black Bears will face off on Friday at 7 p.m. at the McClimon Soccer Complex.
By Britta Sevcik STAFF WRITER
It can be difficult to rework a 200-year-old novel for university students. But director and co-adaptor Ann M. Shanahan and co-adaptor and costume designer Aly Amidei’s adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” brought a new lens to the play, enrapturing the audience in this romantic classic.
In an interview with The Daily Cardinal, Shanahan said she appreciates all of the novel’s past adaptations, but “none of them felt like they spoke to what resonates with me about the novel.”
For Amidei, this meant a deeper focus “on the unapologetic nature of the women characters,” particularly showcasing how “they stand with both feet on the ground, and they stand in their truth, and they voice their truth in a way that is startling for me, even 200 years later,” she said.
All of the actresses, supporting and leading, take on
the role of narrator at some point. Passing around the role of narration kept the audience on its toes, replicating the role gossip plays in past and present society.
The strength of the play’s female characters was on full display. Although our world looks very different from Jane Austen’s, certain themes still remain relevant today.
“Even though it’s dealing in a lot of weddings and couplings, it’s the voice, the strong voices that make it feel like you can relate to it,”
Shanahan said.
This was especially communicated by AJ Stoffel’s portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet. Between her convincing recitation of Austen’s hefty dialogue paired with her use of physical comedy and facial expressions, she perfectly portrayed a headstrong Elizabeth Bennet.
But no actresses portrayed comedy quite like Amelia Echmeier’s Caroline Bingley and Nora Wondra’s Mrs.
Bennet. These ladies delivered lines that had me doubled over in laughter throughout the play. Both co-adaptors felt this play held a strong relevance today. “Pride and Prejudice” continues to still garner popularity in every generation. The cast themselves proved this throughout the production.
“There’s one person we cast who was named Eliza for Eliza Bennett,” Shanahan said. “[We] had another person who auditioned whose parent’s first date had been going to see a movie version of the play.”
The costuming of this production posed the unique challenge of capturing the essence of the original novel but in a way that has not been overdone.
Amidei, who in addition to her role as co-adaptor also designed the costumes, said the design choices she made not only had to support the story but to work at “shaping the story.”
Amidei said sourcing for a period piece was challenging, as they had to borrow,
make and buy different items to piece together the costumes for this show. And “because of shows like Bridgeton, and the popularity of Austen in general, you can even straight up order something from Amazon,” she said.
Amidei also explained the process of practicing in period costumes by providing practice garments for the actors — the men wore jackets during rehearsals to work on posture, and the women practiced walking in petticoats.
Another unique aspect to their adaptation is the use of dance in propelling the storyline forward. The play features multiple balls and dance is used to showcase the emotion of the characters and draw the viewers further into the world of Austen.
“That was your Facebook, your social, your TikTok, your Tinder of the Austen era, right?” Amidei said.
Choreographer Kristen Rollins had never choreographed
for an Austen work before but took the challenge of choreographing the balls in stride.
“The dances are just great. They’re the best parts of this show,” Shanahan joked. Each week when the actors had dance rehearsals Shanahan was surprised by how enthralled the company became, especially the young men.
These balls still held significance, “almost like a square dance, [they] had this timeless kind of identification.” Shanahan shared.
The real star of the show was the way in which everything worked together as a unit. Between the actors, choreography and technical execution the company produced a beautiful twist on a timeless tale.
“The work of the students on stage, all of them together as an organism, it’s astounding,” Amidei said.
“Pride and Prejudice” will run from Nov. 8 to Nov. 17 at the Ronald E. Mitchell Theatre in Vilas Hall.
‘Angry Fags’ gives a hilarious look into the minds of terrorists
By Oliver Gerharz
PODCAST EDITOR
“Angry Fags” is a campy play full of oddball characters and dialogue that feels human yet hilarious. It’s also about queer sorrow and rage inspired by homophobia and is a dialogue between ideas on how to resist bigotry.
“Angry Fags,” running at the Bartell Theatre from Nov. 1-16, was put on by StageQ, a Madison organization dedicated to theater covering LGBTQ+ topics.
At the start of “Angry Fags,” the audience is introduced to Bennet Riggs (Jonah Hirst) and Thomas “Coop” Cooper (Jack Garton) as they share a bottle of wine, joke about their work crushes and use explosives to assassinate a political opponent.
After that flash-forward, the first act of the 120-minute play introduces Bennet as a communications staffer on the team of Georgia State Sen. Alison Haines (Molly Maslin). Haines is up for re-election, an incumbent accused of prioritizing her own agenda as a lesbian instead of the needs of the people.
On top of political conflict, “Angry Fags” follows a romance between Bennet and Adam (Matt Reines), the chief of staff on Haines’ campaign. Bennet and Adam’s relationship is supported by their coworker Kimberly (Vi Williams) — that is to say, as a married straight woman, she thinks it’s hot that two guys are kissing. Kimberly is probably the funniest part of this play, at one point giving Bennet a brief list of gay guys she thinks he should hook up with “for her.”
After a day on the job, Bennet returns home and exchanges some very real-feeling banter with his roommate Cooper. Cooper tells Bennet about running into Bennet’s ex-boyfriend Sammy the night before, and the roommates mock Sammy for going home with an unattractive and straight-looking man that night.
Then Cooper gets a call that Sammy has been found badly beaten — that man Sammy “went home with” is the prime suspect. The reality shift that happens at this moment is what “Angry
Fags” is best at. From this point on, suspense and narrative discomfort slowly build as comedy and tragedy sit side by side and eventually blur together.
While his boss sticks to a moderate and politically-conscious response to the attack, Bennet is enraged. He laments the homophobes that perpetuate these attacks don’t fear any repercussions from the gay community. Bennet and Cooper discuss how someone needs to strike fear into their hearts so that they can “protect the tribe” from these attacks.
Cooper becomes this protector when he sees Sammy’s attacker outside of a Home Depot and murders him, leading into the play’s second act.
Things quickly start to spiral out of control. Bennet and Cooper start to assassinate homophobic public figures, and the play’s central conflict as one between moderation and extremism shines bright through the second act as the roommates kill their homophobic political opponents.
This might sound serious, but it cannot be stressed enough that despite an increasingly dark subject matter, “Angry Fags” remains hilarious throughout. The bleak yet queer dialogue between Cooper and Bennet is a constant delight. They fluctuate effortlessly between trivial gossip and where to draw the line when it comes to killing their enemies.
Even though the play was originally performed in 2013, the political messaging of the play is relevant in the current political moment — with Haines and her opponent Peggy Musgrove (Renee Reed) in many ways reminiscent of the recent presidential election.
Musgrove, a Black woman running as a republican, is particularly threatening to Haines because she is more of an outsider than Haines. Though Haines was once an activist, she has mellowed out into a part of the political machine in the time she’s been in office.
Similar to 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Haines is reluctant
to take an extreme position on anything for fear of losing moderate voters. Some of her campaign staff agree with this stance, but Bennet disagrees in a way that drives him away from the campaign and toward Cooper’s extremism.
In one scene, Adam and Bennett briefly discuss their divergent viewpoints on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, arguing about why she lost. One argues that she failed to win over the electorate because she was tied to Bill Clinton and did not become the feminist icon she would have if she left him.
With how this play has been consistently updated to include modern political references, I would be shocked if there was not someday a version of this play where this discussion is more focused on Harris than Clinton. The discussion of Clinton clinging too close to her husband and losing votes from the left maps straight onto Harris clinging too close to President Joe Biden and losing votes from the left.
Ultimately, the central dialogue between liberalism and leftist extremism that this play walks the audience through resolves without clarity. Both perspectives are treated rationally and fully argued through, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions. In the end it is unclear about who is correct on what the best way to achieve their political motivations are. However, it should be noted that while there is a political question at play, there is no doubt as to the moral question — Bennet and Cooper kill too many people for that debate to have two sides.
In a 2015 interview with Backstage Magazine, playwright Topher Payne said that “if you can make someone laugh, they listen. And they lean in, and they want to hear more. And once you have that level of engagement, then you can start layering in a message that you want them to take away.”
“Angry Fags” really embodies its creator’s philosophy.