Trump win built on authoritarian impulses
By Anna Kleiber STATE NEWS EDITOR
Former President Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in a blowout 2024 presidential race, winning his second term in office.
Trump — who was slapped with two impeachments, charged with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, survived an assassination attempt and was found liable for sexual abuse — marked his campaign with authoritarian impulses and controversial rhetoric on immigrants and drew accusations of fascism from his former White House officials.
Early Wednesday morning, Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes gave Trump the 270 he needed to secure the presidency. Along with Wisconsin, Trump won Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia and is expected to win the remaining three battleground states.
“This was a movement like no one has ever seen before,” Trump said after winning a series of battleground states. “Frankly, I believe this was the greatest political movement of all time.”
With a second term, Trump previously promised to “liberate” the Midwest from “illegal aliens” through mass deportations, enact tariffs on a wide range of imported goods and bring “guaranteed” peace in the world.
A major controversy of Trump’s campaign was his link to Project 2025, a 900page document drafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation that lays out a roadmap for an overhaul of the U.S. government.
While Project 2025 doesn’t explicitly call for a nationwide abortion ban, it proposes steps to further restrict the procedure and goes farther than Trump has said he would go on the issue.
The plan would also cut funding to government organizations that promote the scientific consensus that human activity is responsible for climate change and would pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which it labels as “climate fanaticism.”
A lack of action on climate change would severely damage Wisconsin’s complex ecosystem through its effects on the migratory patterns of wildlife, and result in a crippled agricultural sector according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The nearly 3.4 million votes cast in Wisconsin is roughly 200,000 higher than the ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election. Trump won the state by 0.9% over Harris, or roughly 31,319 votes — just less than one percentage point.
+ Trump page 2
‘America has failed us’: Students react to Trump victory
By Gavin Escott CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
University of WisconsinMadison students woke up to a “new world” Wednesday morning with the news former president Donald Trump was re-elected — with Wisconsin providing the final push in the electoral college.
Over a dozen students, faculty and community members shared with The Daily Cardinal their disbelief and horror that Trump — a twotime impeached, convicted felon who was found liable for sexual abuse, and whose campaign was animated by authoritarian rhetoric — was soundly re-elected.
UW-Madison junior Izzy Sunby told the Cardinal she went to sleep crying because of Trump’s advantage in several swing states.
“I woke up this morning incredibly disappointed, especially with a sense of disbelief that the people surrounding me would rather support a rapist than a woman,” Sunby said. “I’m just numb today.”
She said she was concerned Trumps’ policies would imperil women’s abortion rights and completely ruin any possibility to address climate change.
In addition to an overwhelming electoral college victory, Trump was the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades — sweeping battleground states — and during his victory speech he claimed a “mandate.” Many people voiced their fears a second Trump term would roll back protections for women, people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and other groups he demonized during the campaign.
“I think campus is going to feel unsafe for targeted groups,” UW-Madison sophomore Sophia Koo told the Cardinal, referencing Trump’s “racist and misogynistic and discriminatory hate speech” during his rallies. “A fascist has gained arguably the most powerful seat of power in the world, and this is a glimpse of what
they will be doing with it.”
Multiple people were seen crying during lectures or discussions, asking “how could this happen” and “I can’t believe it.” Trump’s victory was accompanied by Republican victories across the ballot, and many students vented shock, anger and despair over the future.
Despite two visits to Madison, and countless more by high-profile surrogates in the final stretch of the campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris fell short of Biden’s 2020 performance by seven percentage points across UW-Madison campus wards.
Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, who was re-elected Tuesday and whose district covers campus, told the Cardinal the Democratic Party has to be better at engaging young voters where they are and said the Harris campaign failed to articulate and prioritize policies young people care about.
“This is a generation who has seen the worst of humanity and has every right to lose trust [in] government and be apathetic to [a] party establishment as well that has failed them,” Hong said, adding the Harris campaign “missed opportunities” to assemble a coalition centered around progressive policies such as eliminating student loan debt
over
and housing.
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, but he argued the bigger factor appeared to be Trump’s appeal to younger men.
UW-Madison graduate Will Friedrich, who canvassed before the election for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said he encountered a clear gender divide in terms of voter engagement.
“It really makes me question the education of a lot of young men who were just seeming to not engage in any of the Democratic organizing I was doing and a lot of times implicitly acted as if they were obviously voting for Trump,” Friedrich said.
UW-Madison campus vote swings right
While many on campus reacted to the results with horror, Republicans on campus saw Trump’s victory — campus wards swung 14 points to the right — as an affirmation.
“The biggest takeaway from this election is that Americans have completely rejected the progressive excesses of the modern Democratic Party — from abortion, to immigration, to transgender issues — it is clear that Democrats need to moderate if they want to win future elections,” UW-Madison sophomore and member of College Republicans Benjamin Rothove said.
UW-Madison freshman Zach Tomlinson, who voted for Trump due to his border policies, inflation and pro-life
ties that could decide the
In the Democratic stronghold Trump received 23.4% to Harris’ 75.1%, according to an independent data analysis from The Daily Cardinal. Harris underperformed in the county by 0.4% compared
stance, said Trump’s victory showed the country believed “there’s problems that need to be resolved.”
“I think that we’re going in the right direction now,” Tomlinson said, who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat. He said he wore it to show “pride.”
Many posts UW-Madison students, particularly women, shared on social media highlighted the fact millions of people voted for Trump despite knowing he had been found liable for sexual abuse.
“America has failed [women],” said Isabella Kim, a UW-Madison Junior studying abroad in London. “I know many of my friends in London, as well as my boyfriend who is British, are in disbelief of the results and are now more concerned for my well-being and the well-being of others who will be negatively affected in America.”
Despite the shock, multiple students said the results didn’t change the way they viewed the UW-Madison campus but stressed it was important for people to come together in a time of stress.
While UW-Madison senior Emma Schaefer felt “betrayed” by Wisconsin voting for Trump, she said she hoped student organizations and advocacy groups would not become disheartened and lose their momentum. She added Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s victory gave her hope Wisconsin still had areas to grow.
“Today I feel defeated, and I see that emotion shared by many — students and faculty alike — as I walk around campus,” Schaefer said. “However, at least now we know where we are headed as a country and as a movement and we can start to form a path forward.”
Biden’s 75% in
On University of WisconsinMadison campus wards, Harris underperformed by seven points compared to Biden in 2020, the Cardinal’s independent data analysis found.
KAYLA NORTHWAY/THE DAILY CARDINAL
TED HYNGSTROM/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Melissa Agard wins Dane County executive race
By Joseph Panzer SENIOR STAFF
In a special county election on Tuesday night, Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, won the race for Dane County
executive over challenger Dane County Supervisor Dana Pellebon.
Agard received 61% of the vote at 74.6% of precincts reporting — a 23.3% margin
over Pellebon’s 37.7%.
Declaring victory in a speech at the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown Madison, Agard affirmed her interest in finding togetherness in the search for
Madison approves property tax referendum
By Joseph Panzer SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The city of Madison’s $22 million funding referendum passed Tuesday night.
The referendum will raise property taxes above their state limit to close a $22 million deficit for 2025. The deficit would have caused Madison to encounter difficulties with paying the salaries of city employees and continuing providing services to residents.
State law prevents cities from raising income taxes or local sales tax to counter shortfalls.
The 2023-25 biennial budget passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature contained no increases in funding for shared revenue in Wisconsin, leaving Dane County cities underfunded compared to the rest of the state.
Officials in the city government have previously told The Daily Cardinal the blame for this deficit lies with the Legislature and the shift to fiscal conservatism that began under Gov. Scott Walker’s administration in 2010. Wisconsin cities have been unable to increase their tax levies in response to inflation by more than one percent of the city’s total taxable property value since May 2011.
“I am particularly grateful that we do not have to consider cuts to essential services that students rely on, such as late-night and weekend busses and public safety,” District 8 Ald. MGR
Govindarajan told the Cardinal. “These are services that students rely on daily, and I will not let the city compromise on them.”
Madison is one of the fastest growing cities in the state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Administration, creating concern that an inability to secure funds will result in hiring problems in the city.
Though the city has faced a budget deficit for 14 years, the 2025 budget gap would have been the largest seen in years, Madison Finance Director David Schmiedlicke previously told the Cardinal.
The average Madison homeowner will pay around $240 more in property taxes annually as a result of this referendum’s passage.
Addressing a crowd of reporters at City Hall, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway gave closing remarks on concerns from residents about the tax hike.
“It’s not easy to vote to raise your own taxes, and we should never have been put in this position by the state Legislature,” Rhodes-Conway said.
“It’s my commitment to the community that we as the city of Madison — and hopefully in coalition with other cities around the state and other folks who care about cities — will work with the state Legislature to get the investment that we need from the state of Wisconsin into cities.”
progress as executive.
“We are one community and with a shared set of values grounded in equity, in progress and innovation, we can move our county forward,” Agard said.
The election was called after former Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced in October 2023 that he would be retiring. Since stepping down in May, the position has been filled by interim Dane County Supervisor Jamie Kuhn.
Agard and Pellebon landed on the ballot after defeating candidates Wes Sparkman and Regina Vidaver in the August primary.
Agard previously told The Daily Cardinal that as county executive, she will prioritize including student perspectives on housing affordability issues to address cost of living concerns as student housing costs continue to rise.
In a Q&A with the Cap Times, Agard has also said that addressing climate concerns, racial disparities and prioritizing workforce development and small businesses will be goals of her administration. Agard will serve until the end of Parisi’s term in April 2025, after which she can run for a full four-year term.
The county executive is responsible for overseeing county government departments, approving or vetoing resolutions from the Dane County Board of Supervisors and submitting the annual budget to the county board. Dane County approved its $925 million 2025 budget on Oct. 30.
Both Madison Metropolitan School District funding referendums pass
By Joseph Panzer SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Two Madison Metropolitan School District referendums passed with 69.4% and 71.9%, respectively, at 100% of precincts reporting as of Wednesday morning.
The first referendum, a $100 million operational referendum paid over four years, will provide for hiring more educators, full-day 4-K programs and mental health initiatives districtwide. The second referendum, a $507 million facility referendum paid over 23 years, will pay for updating elementary and middle schools in the district, according to MMSD’s website.
The operational referendum will also allow MMSD to overhaul multilingual education across schools and expand middle school career exploration opportunities through an increase in extracurricular activities and other educational resources.
The facility referendum will result in 26 facilities over 60 years old being refurbished with modern heating and plumbing in addition to STEM labs, new libraries and shared spaces.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF) estimated that these two referenda will
increase property tax bills by $1,376 for Madison homeowners.
Edell Fiedel, the senior director of communications for MMSD, previously told The Daily Cardinal that the district faces a $30.2 million deficit for 2023-25 because the state budget did not keep pace with inflation.
A report from WPF also assessed funding concerns for MMSD stemming from the district no longer being able to use revenue from a 2020 referendum or federal COVID-19 relief due to the expiration of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund.
In the past year, 92 different school referenda were on ballots across Wisconsin as a result of what MMSD characterizes as the state’s inability to properly fund school districts through limits on the amount of state aid and local taxes that a district can receive.
A press release from the Office of the Mayor said that the referendum will balance the budget until 2030 with the potential for special changes addressing budget gaps to be implemented in 2027.
The Cardinal reached out to MMSD for comment.
COURTESY OF CHARLIE BOURDO
MARY BOSCH/THE DAILY CARDINAL
State lawmakers discuss higher ed funding
TheLegislativeCouncilStudyCommitteeontheFuture of theUniversityofWisconsinSystemevaluatedrecommendations that could see UW-Madison leave the UW Systemandgiveuniversitiesbondingauthority.
By Drew Wesson STAFF WRITER
The Legislative Council Study Committee on the future of the University of Wisconsin System met for the fifth and final time, as a committee, Oct. 24 at the Capitol to discuss and vote on 19 recommendations, including a proposal for the UW-Madison to separate from the UW System.
The proposed recommendation would include creating a new Board of Regents to oversee UW-Madison, while another would oversee the other 12 UW System campuses, according to the meeting minutes. A new state fund to provide general purpose revenue (GPR) would be created specifically for UW-Madison.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and UW System President Jay Rothman oppose the idea.
Members discussed other proposals, including revisions to current Board of Regents membership and allowing bonding authority for campuses. Bonding authority would allow UW System campuses to take out loans to build without approval from the Legislature.
Committee members voted on paper ballots, and approved recommendations will be compiled into a final report and submitted to the Joint Legislative Council. The council is made up of two Democratic and two Republican lawmakers and 14 other stakeholders.
The UW System, which includes 13 universities and over 162,000 students, is dealing with budget shortfalls, with only UW-La Crosse and UW-Madison ending the 2023 fiscal year without a deficit. Declining enrollment is also of concern for lawmakers.
The UW System currently ranks 43rd in the nation for higher education funding despite a state budget surplus. The Board of Regents and Wisconsin Gov.
Tony Evers recently proposed an $855 million increase in funding for the next biennial budget, the largest in the UW System’s history. The budget will go to the state Legislature for approval in the next session.
Although enrollment has been decreasing at some UW System schools, the system as a whole saw a 1.2% increase over the last year. Branch campuses, several of which have been closed recently, suffered a 22% decrease in enrollment.
“We all want the UW System to survive and thrive in the future, but it can’t be at the expense of the taxpayer,”
Amanda Nedweski , Committee chair Rep., R-Pleasant Prairie
“It has to be value added for
the entire state.”
Robert Venable, President and CEO of the Miami Corporation Management and committee member, said “students and citizens deserve” for the state Legislature to get ahead of the problems the UW System is facing.
Another recommendation suggested increasing tuition to help address economic difficulties for the system.
Ananth Seshadri, a professor of economics at UW-Madison, said that when tuition at UW System schools is much lower than University of Minnesota schools, “the ability of wealthier parents to cross-subsidize poorer counterparts is just non-existent.” Wisconsin and Minnesota residents pay in-state tuition at each state’s universities.
Changes to the UW System’s structure will require legislative approval in the next session.
How can Madison adapt to climate change?
By Ronan Rataj STAFF WRITER
In Madison, it’s beginning to feel a lot like springtime.
After weeks of temperatures in the high 90s, an immediate drop to 70 degrees and heavy rain in early August led to common lilacs breaking dormancy in October, according to a blog written by David Stevens, Longenecker Horticultural Garden curator at the University of WisconsinMadison Arboretum.
And it’s not just the flowers feeling the effects.
Last winter was the warmest recorded in Wisconsin’s history, with average temperatures nearly 10 degrees warmer than normal. This increase in temperature leads to fewer days where rain water can freeze into snow, Dr. Dan Vimont, professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UW-Madison told The Daily Cardinal.
“It’s almost unheard of that we had so much rain during the winter,” Vimont said. “And that rainon-snow fundamentally changes the characteristics of winter.”
Increased temperatures prevented Lake Mendota from freezing over, leading to the cancellation of the Lily’s Classic hockey tournament.
“I’m very disappointed that Lily’s Classic was canceled,” Madeline Haug told the Cardinal, a UW-Madison sophomore. “I’ve heard from a lot of people that in years prior it was a lot of fun.”
But students are not the only ones being affected by warm rainy winters. David Stevens, curator of the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens at UW-Madison, told the Cardinal local wildlife is struggling to adapt.
“For our native woody plant species, this is uncharted territory,” Stevens said. “They are experiencing repeat extreme stressors that they have never seen before during their evolution.”
Extreme weather
The 2010s was Wisconsin’s wettest decade on record, leading to extreme flooding and millions of dollars in property damage in Madison and its surrounding neighborhoods.
“Folks in Shorewood Hills and Middleton experienced 14 inches of rain in 24 hours,” Vimont said. “Those kinds of events are likely to become more common.”
These floods also leave standing pools of water at the UW-Madison Arboretum, drowning native plants, Stevens said. Even more damaging is the extreme droughts.
The 2020s have started with 4 straight years of drought, with 2022 and 2023 being two of the driest years on record, according to the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. The native plants at the arboretum are not equipped to handle a drought of this extent, and the Arboretum’s irrigation systems cannot fully support the plants either, Stevens said.
“Keeping plants healthy has become more challenging,” Stevens said. “We lack the capacity to irrigate at the arboretum, and during the drought events, it is hard to keep moisture levels adequate.”
This fluctuation of drought
and flooding has created a perfect environment for disease to spread amongst native plants, Stevens said. Armillaria Root Disease — a disease that dries out root systems of infected hosts — and the twolined chestnut borer — a beetle native to the area — have “finished off” oaks in the Arboretum, leaving an “irreplaceable hole,” he said. With drought, flooding, disease and increasing urbanization killing native plants, more non-native species may need to be planted, according to Stevens.
“While I love native plants, urban environments are not what these plants evolved in,” Stevens said. “We need to look for species that can complement our native species that are adapted to these conditions and our climate without becoming invasive. That may mean using a tree species native to elsewhere in the country or the world.”
Additionally, Wisconsin recently had its first ever February tornado, killing cattle, hitting 30 homes and causing $2.4 million in property damage in the towns of Porter and Fulton.
Adaptation and reframing solutions
Climate change is already necessitating adaptation from Wisconsin’s winter tourism industry. Outdoor recreational activities like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing will all have shortened seasons as a result of warmer winters.
These winter recreational activities play a large part in the culture of Madison.
“I love ice fishing,” Madison native Ike Willis said. “Madison without ice fishing doesn’t feel like Madison at all.”
Willis said he would do anything to lengthen the ice fishing season and was disappointed in last year’s winter.
But while Willis is pessimistic about the effects climate change will have on Madison, Vimont still holds hope for solutions.
Every dollar Madison spends on fossil fuels is a dollar sent out of the local economy, but renewable energy can be both more environmentally friendly and more cost effective, Vimont said.
“There are tremendous opportunities for win-win situations,” Vimont told the Cardinal. “And not just win-win, but win-winwin-win situations.”
Madison Gas and Electric has already committed to being carbon neutrality by 2050, creating a more consistent and predictable stream of energy, saving them money in the long run, their website claims.
There are many solutions individuals can take to combat climate change, such as biking or using public transportation, living in walkable communities and eating vegetarian meals.
“We need to be thinking about the impacts and planning for the impacts,” Vimont said. “Educating ourselves, learning what opportunities are out there and taking action is critical.”
Fortunately for the lilacs, Stevens wrote, it will take more than one season of “defoliation and reblooming” to bring them to an end.
DRAKE WHITE-BERGEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL
ALEXA COLEMAN/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Wisconsin county holds the keys to the election. Split residents maintain civility
By Tomer Ronen FEATURES EDITOR
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. — Orange leaves litter the ground of Sturgeon Bay.
The drive up is a constant backand-forth, with signs promoting Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump seemingly alternating down Wisconsin’s Highway 57.
Days before an election that could change everything, Door County, the northern Wisconsin county that has accurately predicted each of the last six presidential elections, is quiet. A light drizzle keeps most people inside, and the potential for a big Green Bay Packers win over the Detroit Lions at the Lambeau Field — less than an hour away — has TV sets tuned to FOX.
Wisconsin, which President Joe Biden won by just over 20,000 votes in 2020, will almost certainly be close again.
“I think in Door County, this election’s almost perfectly tied,” Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Ben Wikler, told 60 Minutes. “Whoever wins Door County on election day, probably wins the state of Wisconsin.”
The final Marquette Law School Poll gave Harris a slight edge over Trump among likely voters, 50% to 49%, and undecided voters, 48% to 47%. The poll’s director, Charles Franklin told The Washington Post top issues include the economy, immigration and abortion rights, and while “virtually all” Democratic respondents favor Harris, 13% of Republicans “expressed hesitation” about Trump.
Carlos Berrios, a Puerto Rican who came to Door County three years ago as a ship welder, and considers himself a Libertarian — identifying strongly with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — is voting for Trump despite remarks referring to Puerto
Rico as a “floating island of garbage” by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27.
Berrios believes conservative culture meshes well with Puerto Rican “family oriented” values and said immigration is a major concern swaying his vote.
“I have a lot of friends that tell me about their stories, and I think we should do something about it,” Berrios told The Daily Cardinal. “I don’t think we should be letting everybody walk through the border like that.”
Berrios added his general dislike of Harris contributed to his choice to vote for Trump. Berrios said he considers Harris a globalist, which he calls the “new communism.”
“I know a lot of people from Cuba… they tell me these stories about what communism does in the end, how it starts, they tell me ‘you guys are going the same way,’” Berrios said.
Whilehis support for Trump led to “a lot of pushback” from Puerto Rican friends, Berrios said he’s found his community in Door County.
“It feels like home. Everybody’s friendly, everybody says hi when they walk by,” Berrios said. “That’s not something you say in a big city.”
Too close to call
In and around Sturgeon Bay’s Historic Third Avenue, business owners, employees and residents all agree: the race to win Door County is extremely close.
“50% of Door County is Republican, the other 50 is Democratic,” said 18-year-old Parker Gallagher, who plans to work toward becoming a registered nurse after graduating high school. “Most people in my school are Republican, because most of them are country kids, so they love Trump and think that Trump is the best.”
Still, Gallagher thinks Door County is “an open community.” The
high school senior, whose moms are part of the LGBTQ+ community, told the Cardinal that almost 1,000 people showed up to a June Pride festival in Sturgeon Bay. Gallagher is still worried his mom’s marriage will become illegal if Trump wins and Project 2025 — which promotes the formation of “stable, married, nuclear families” over “agenda items” including “LGBTQ+ equity” — is implemented.
“They want to vote for Kamala so they can stay married and not be ridiculed,” Gallagher said.
Judy, who has lived in Door County for 23 years, voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 and is voting for him again in 2024, more because of her connection to the Republican Party than the candidate himself. But she told the Cardinal she’s noticed a Harris lean in the county.
While there are active groups speaking out about who they’re voting for, most people don’t want to debate each other on politics, she said.
“That’s what politics should be,” Judy said. “I don’t believe you should be unfriendly just because you have different [political affiliations].”
It’s for just that reason Mario Micheli, who co-owns Clario Farmstead Pasta with his wife, Claire, called Door County a “unique place.”
“I think people are generally respectful enough to just let the election speak for itself, rather than yelling at people about how they’re going to do it,” Micheli said.
But people still chat, Micheli said. After Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Micheli recalled friends saying they never would have voted for the former president had they known the potential consequences. Micheli said “he’s noticed fewer Trump signs and flags than 2020 despite strong support for Republican Wisconsin State Assemblyman Joel Kitchens.
“There’s obviously the hardcore [Trump] voters,” Micheli said.
“But it makes me wonder: this time around, maybe they’re not going that way. It’s all anecdotal, but it just seems to me like there’s just not that much kind of fervent support for Trump this time around.”
Down the street, at a department store aptly named “The Marketplace,” Lance Brolin, an employee at Bliss, one of the shops at the outlet, said he believes there is a Harris lean in Door County too. While Trump’s signage is often larger in size, scale and quantity of signs, Brolin told the Cardinal there are “definitely” a lot of Harris and Democratic candidate signage.
And he’s not only relying on his eyes.
“My FedEx guy told me that,” Brolin said.
Most people keep to themselves
In a bright green house that was once a parsonage of the Hope Congregational Church, Phil Sweet sinks into a dark brown couch to watch the Sunday lineup of NFL games while his wife Sharon talks on the phone.
The couple, who have lived in Door County for 55 years, said they’ve noticed much more fanfare for Harris than Trump in the county and noted that support for other Republican candidates, such as Kitchens, by neighbors is followed by a lack of support for Trump.
Phil, who thinks Trump can “be labeled a fascist,” said he’s concerned about abortion rights and democracy, but hasn’t noticed election denialism trickle into Door County after 2020. Sharon’s not convinced Trump will take a loss rolling over.
“My concern is that Trump will win, and if he doesn’t win, he’s not going to accept losing,” Sharon said. “I’m worried that there’ll be some sort of a violent, if not violent, at least not a happy situation with the Trump movement. I hope that doesn’t happen.”
But the Sweets agree that Door County’s community, which they describe as “Midwestern nice,” is not in danger of violence, especially because most people keep their political views to themselves.
“We just talk about other things,” Sharon said.
And the Packers seem to be the talk of the town. On Sunday, the Lions snapped Green Bay’s four-game winning streak in dominant fashion, notching a pick-6 off Packer quarterback Jordan Love en route to a 24-14 victory. Today, Door County will likely be much closer.
Yet despite the controversy, closeness and drama election night may bring, one sign shares a message all of Door County can agree on: “The Bears still suck.”
Managing Editor Ava Menkes contributed reporting to this article.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan holds seat in rout
By Alaina Walsh & Audrey Lopez-Stane
STAFF WRITER & STAFF WRITER
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan soundly defeated Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District Republican challenger Erik Olsen Tuesday night.
The district, which Pocan has represented since 2013, which includes Madison, Janesville and several surrounding areas, has drawn significant attention in recent months as both parties ramped up efforts to sway voters in this evolving battleground.
Pocan has spoken about his unwavering support for abortion rights and has voiced his hopes to codify federal abortion protections. He urged for more U.S. governmental aid to Gaza and called for an end to the war, calling upon the U.S. government to end the offensive weapon contribution that further damages Gaza.
Pocan said he hopes to implement more uniform marajuana regulations between state and federal governments.
Final Count from the District with 85% of votes reporting are as follows:
(D) Mark Pocan
239,480 and 70.1%
(R) Erik Olsen
111,264 and 29.9
CLEAN urges students to sign energy burden petition science
By Lindsay Pfeiffer SCIENCE EDITOR
Campus Leaders for Energy Action
Now (CLEAN), a student organization at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, stood at East Campus Mall Friday to urge students to sign their petition.
The petition, which pushes for a rental energy burden disclosure ordinance for the city of Madison, needs at least 2,000 signatures, according to Amanda Sadowski, the community executive member of CLEAN and UW-Madison sophomore.
CLEAN aims to ensure UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Moonkin sticks to the energy goals she outlined and pushes for additional clean energy projects across campus, Sadowski said.
UW-Madison has currently set a goal to have net-zero emissions — when the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted is balanced by the amount removed from the atmosphere — by 2048 and an interim goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
A rental energy burden disclosure ordinance requires landlords to divulge information about their building’s energy efficiency to potential tenants, creating pressure for landlords to decrease energy costs for their renters.
Energy burden is defined by the U.S. Department of Energy as the percentage of household income spent on energy costs. A household energy burden of 6% or more is considered high. Madison has an average energy burden of 2%, but lowincome households can experience burdens up to 9%.
Climate change is only exacerbating this issue. Flooding, wildfires and warmer temperatures can damage energy supply,
which can disrupt energy transmission into homes.
Additionally, a warmer climate means that more energy will be required to keep residents cool, especially in the summer. An increase in energy consumption increases carbon emissions and may create an influx of power loss across the country, which increases costs for Americans.
Rental buildings use an average of
20% more energy per square foot than non-rentals. According to the 2022 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, 52.5% of people living in Madison are renters. Older homes often have lower energy efficiency due to limited insulation and old appliances, which increases energy costs further.
Sadowski told the Cardinal that when energy costs are transparent,
prospective renters tend to choose more energy efficient housing. And when renters choose to live in energy efficient housing, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
Buildings currently release 39% of the world’s carbon emissions, 28% due to the energy used to heat, cool and power them, according to the World Green Building Council. In Madison, buildings are responsible for 64.9% of the city’s total greenhouse gas emissions, with 45.1% coming from commercial buildings and 19.8% from residential buildings.
Energy-related greenhouse gas emissions increased by 1.4% in 2017 to the equivalent of 32.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. However, without energy efficiency, emissions would have increased by 12% in 2017.
A rental energy burden disclosure in Madison would create transparency for renters regarding energy efficiency, which would result in decreased cost and reduced carbon emissions from rental buildings.
By signing CLEAN’s petition, students can help advocate for clean energy projects on campus and in Madison.
CLEAN is also involved in other clean energy projects on campus. The organization is working toward the addition of electric bikes and an electric lawnmower at the UW-Madison Arboretum and an electric car for University Housing, according to Hannah Stahmann, the campus and systems executive member of CLEAN and UW-Madison senior.
The city of Madison is also taking steps to make buildings more energy efficient with programs such as Project Home, which aids in the weatherization of homes on behalf of the state of Wisconsin.
Ride in style with new ‘Cranes of Wisconsin’ license plate
By Kayla Northway STAFF WRITER
Wisconsinites can now purchase the new “Cranes of Wisconsin” license plate featuring two species of cranes native to North America and Wisconsin: the sandhill crane and the endangered whooping crane.
Wisconsin artist Jay Jocham designed the plate, and strives to raise awareness for endangered wildlife and habitats through his art. For over 37 years, he has created art that has helped conservation groups fund programs to protect wildlife.
Jocham has done work for the International Crane Foundation previously, including a series of six murals totaling over 1,100 feet in 2020, which are displayed at the International Crane Foundation’s headquarters.
Sandhill cranes and whooping cranes are two crane species found in Wisconsin and throughout North America. It’s estimated that there are at least 40,000 sandhill cranes in Wisconsin and their population is steadily increasing.
Historically, whooping cranes were hunted for hat-making, trophy hunting, museum collections, sustenance and recreation. In the early 1900s, settlers also overtook the crane’s wetland breeding grounds and native prairies for farming, leaving whooping cranes on the brink of extinction with only 21 individuals left in the wild. Fortunately, that number has since grown to approximately 836 whooping cranes alive today.
Whooping cranes are still endangered, but their rise in numbers is largely due
to the International Crane Foundation’s conservation efforts to reintroduce an experimental flock of whooping cranes to Wisconsin’s wetlands starting in 2001. Known as the Eastern Migratory Population, this population hosts nearly 80 whooping cranes to date.
For each ‘Cranes of Wisconsin’ license plate purchased and subsequent annual registration, the International Crane Foundation will receive a $25 tax deductible donation. Funds from the license plate will support two of the foundation’s “key projects” in Wisconsin: the continued efforts to reintroduce the whooping crane and the resolution of crop damage caused by sandhill cranes.
“The issue of crop damage by cranes is one of great importance here in Wisconsin,” Dr. Rich Beilfuss, president and CEO of the International Crane Foundation, said in a statement. “Our Wisconsin team is working hard to ensure that farmers get the help they need through in-the-field farmer outreach and policy advocacy. This Cranes of Wisconsin license plate will further that mission.”
The International Crane Foundation has a nearly 300-acre headquarters in Baraboo, Wisconsin, as well as offices and staff all around the globe, including China, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa and Texas. The Foundation works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds and flyways on which they depend by providing knowledge, leadership and inspiration to engage people in resolving threats to cranes and their diverse landscapes.
In Wisconsin, the most common-
ly reported crop damage by sandhill cranes is feeding on recently planted corn seed. According to Sandhill Crane Ecology & Damage Management, when large flocks of cranes feed on planted fields, the damage they cause to an unprotected crop can be severe enough to force the farmer to replant the entire field.
Sandhill cranes are experts at using their long beaks and finding planted agricultural seeds such as corn. They remove individual corn seeds within the first few weeks after planting and continue to feed on the germinating seed until the corn plant reaches four to eight inches in height.
The International Crane Foundation
has worked in Wisconsin’s agricultural communities for three decades to resolve the issue of crop damage by cranes, and it was especially instrumental in field-testing to prove the effectiveness of Avipel seed treatment, a non-toxic deterrent that prevents cranes from consuming freshly-planted corn seed, the news release said.
To purchase the International Crane Foundation’s “Cranes of Wisconsin” license plate and see what vehicles qualify, please visit Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s website.
For more information about the International Crane Foundation and how you can help, please visit: https://savingcranes.org/.
LINDSAY PFEIFFER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Moth Project takes flight at Overture Center arts
By Sonia Bendre STAFF WRITER
It’s easy to think of the moth as the boring, less colorful relative of the butterfly. But The Moth Project explores the forgotten insect with new levels of music and videography.
The Moth Project began on Oct. 24 at the Overture Center with a white background and two performers, Peter Kiesewalter, dressed in white with dark-shaded, white-rimmed sunglasses, and his partner Whitney La Grange. Kiesewalter expressed gratitude for being able to perform at the Overture Center and poked at the similarities between the Midwest and Ottawa, Canada, where The Moth Project was conceived — the abundance of natural beauty, the weather and even some of the same moth species.
Then, the lights dimmed. Kiesewalter walked to the electric piano as La Grange got into position on the violin. The first song came to life on the screen with a visual of the spinning planet Earth: “Welcome to My Haus.” The title of the song hints at Kiesewalter’s German heritage and the tone of the show, which is equal parts playful and personal.
Moths transitioned from nocturnal insect to lifestyle quickly for Kiesewalter when his brother, an interpretive naturalist, started collecting photographs of them during pandemic season in Canada. Kiesewatler proudly displayed his collection of moth photographs. Among his favorites is the luna moth, a green beauty with eyespots like half-moons on its wings, a type of moth that emerges from its cocoon with vestigial mouthparts and thus only days or hours to live.
And what they do with that time, mostly, is have sex. The emergence and subsequent activities of the moth inspire two songs. The first is
“Emergence,” a poppy, upbeat track with a motif reminiscent of “Flight of the Bumblebee” in the twenty-first century. Kiesewalter powered on the piano and vocals (hitting some impressive high notes), and La Grange played the difficult song on the violin with impressive consistency.
The second song is “Pheromones,” a slow love song which starts with Kiesewalter crooning into a vocoder and features videos of intimate moth activities.
Throughout the show, the lyrics continually surprised the audience. I especially enjoyed listening to “Death,” a mashup of KISS’s “Beth,” a Virginia Woolf essay about the death of a moth and Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” Kiesewalter’s creativity came from an online thesaurus, painstaking hours of songwriting and science tips from his brother.
Sometimes humorous and other times deeply personal, The Moth Project is fresh, experimental and most of all, fun. With the show, Kiesewalter aimed to raise viewers’ awareness about the natural world.
It is a significant tonal shift from most media in the environmentalism movement, which tends to be negative. The Moth Project, on the other hand, celebrates the natural world. I left wanting to learn more about moths, and I had a more concrete idea of who I would be protecting by living sustainably.
Kiesewater said botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer inspired parts of the show. Her voice is featured in the song “Reciprocity,” reading a chapter of her book “Braiding Sweetgrass” while La Grange plays a beautiful rendition of “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy.
Like “Braiding Sweetgrass,” The Moth Project has a more positive and hopeful mood than a plain call-to-action. As Kimmerer tries to inject emo-
Perennial Order: Stop and smell the flowers
By Arin Chandra STAFF WRITER
Perennial Order is Gardenfiend Games’ first venture into game development, mixing a uniquely haunting visual and audio combo with ingenious gameplay decisions to form a marvelous world of plants, beasts and monsters to conquer.
Released on Sept. 6 and published by SOEDESCO, Perennial Order creates a challenging experience that takes full advantage of its flawless presentation to envelop the player in the wonders (and horrors) of nature.
ly to give more weight to the player’s actions and create a more satisfying ending.
Aside from the slight misstep in the story, Perennial Order proves to be an exceptionally well-presented experience that keeps the player in a sense of shock throughout its events thanks to its amazing artistic decisions.
If Perennial Order is like a painting, then its gameplay is a challenging mix of creating an effective playstyle with the tools at hand and avoiding as many mistakes as possible.
tionality and a sense of being into her gardens, Kiesewalter tells not just the facts but the story of the moth, whether it is just emerging from a cocoon, traveling great distances or immolating itself on a flame, allowing people to see themselves in the creatures.
During the show, as expected, Kiesewalter spent a lot of time talking about moths. But he also found a way to connect their journeys to the human condition.
For example, the moth’s migration was framed as an allegory for Kiesewalter’s parents’ immigration from Germany to Canada in the 1950s. The song “Emergence,” Kiesewalter said, alludes to the experience of coming out. The show ended with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “The Case of You” set to pictures of Kiesewalter’s family. From zydeco to classical to pop, the protean music reflected the diversity of moth species in the show’s videography. Peter Kiesewalter played an electric piano and sang, while La Grange, a Juilliard-trained violinist, played hauntingly beautiful melodies.
Kiesewalter’s subject matter was similarly diverse, musing about moths’ motivations to kill themselves over flames in “Immolation,” the process of exiting the cocoon in “Emergence” and comparing their journeys to human migration in “Migration.”
The song and videography of “Flight” was a standout — a series of high-res, slow-motion videos of moths jumping into the air with their wings fanning out behind them.
If scientists are looking for a way to make people pay attention to nature again, The Moth Project is doing the right work. It is the antithesis of a dry list of facts or a compilation of depressing statistics. It is a performance with a human dimension, one full of excitement, contemplation and joy.
The game opens with the resurrection of the player character, known only as the Perennial Knight. Immediately, they are tasked with wandering through a bleak and decaying forest, slaying a formidable treelike creature at the end. This eventful opening segment foreshadows the game’s strongest aspects: its presentation and world building.
Throughout the journey, the mood always remains consistently bleak, only matched by the sparse tones of hopefulness in the game’s hub areas, which are populated by nonplayer characters that both give insight to the state of the world as well as help the knight out with upgrades.
The arboreal-infused art style is what makes the presentation top notch. Areas are uniquely characterized through hand-drawn environments and NPCs, ultimately making every place the knight visits a distinct treat for the eyes. From lush jungles filled with life to the foreboding enigma of the abyss, Gardenfiend Games has created a world whose areas feel like walking into paintings.
Its art style also contributes to the suspense and horror elements of the experience, especially to the designs of the NPCs and bosses. Everything the player sees in the game is marked with a sense of dread to contribute to the ominous atmosphere, as well as a sense of wonder for the world that came before the events of the game.
The art style is not the only star of the show. The original soundtrack captures the desperation behind each hostile encounter as well as the slight flickers of hope that linger in the game’s plant-diseased world. Complementing the foreboding mood Perennial Order maintains, it evokes strong emotions with every new track.
A solid narrative helps to give purpose to the masterful presentation of the game. Every boss has some type of story behind them which the knight can discover as they explore and overcome their respective areas.
While some explanation for the state of the world is certainly given, there could have been more in terms of what happens to the knight direct-
It takes only one hit for the knight to fall. However, the game gives them the tools they need to succeed. These include powerful basic charged attacks and holding Wisps, which allows them to either dash to safety or perform various special attacks called Instincts. This allows for the knight to choose between non-stop aggression and precise critical hits.
Speaking of precision, Perennial Order demands it from the player at all costs. Each dash is marked with the risk of not being offensive enough to shorten the lengthy boss encounters, and every use of Instincts can prove a fatal error that costs the player time.
The delicate balancing act of offense and defense with the limiting Wisp system contributes to the tension and strategy involved with the combat.
The game’s difficulty is further pushed forward by the boss battles, which are the main attractions of its combat system. They are incredibly designed within the bounds of the art style and a worthy challenge of the knight’s skills and Instinct combinations.
Most importantly, they are fun encounters that encourage various different strategies and setups to overcome. Even though one strategy can work for every boss, there are still many tactics to try out. There is even a boss rush mode that allows players to refight them as many times as they please, encouraging them to push their limits and master every aspect of the combat system.
All of this results in a tightly implemented combat system that is pushed to its absolute limit with difficult, creative and fun encounters that encourage players to learn and adapt.
Perennial Order proves to be a good omen for Gardenfiend Games and their future in the industry, successfully combining a solid game direction with incredible audio and visual components. The art style is an enthralling take on nature’s unbridled wrath and shows what the developers are capable of. They also manage to make the boss rush aspect an amazing experience, with each fight being a significant development in the player’s story.
Even though its narrative leaves something to be desired, Perennial Order is certainly a game worth picking out for the bouquet.
COURTESY OF PETER KIESEWALTER
Baldwin narrowly wins reelection bid against Republican Eric Hovde
Despite
Republicans retain control of Assembly, state Senate in 20 24 elections
By Annika Bereny & Gabriella
By Iain Chang SENIOR
“The people of Wisconsin have chosen someone who always puts Wisconsin first,” Baldwin said in a statement.
As of 8:33 a.m. Wednesday, Baldwin secured around 27,000 more votes than Hovde in one of the 2024 elections’ most competitive races.
Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race was tracked as one of the critical races in determining the post-election Senate majority. The October Marquette Law Poll had Baldwin leading Hovde 51% to 49%, six points less than her lead in August.
Baldwin’s race was the seventh most expensive race in the nation, raising over $66 million between the two candidates. By the end of October, Baldwin managed to out-raise Hovde by $10 million in campaign contributions. However, Hovde outspent Baldwin by $6 million in TV advertisements between Oct. 14 and Election Day, according to the Associated Press.
Baldwin outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris, who was losing her bid for the presidency to former President Donald Trump by more than 32,000 votes in the state.
Earlier Tuesday, Baldwin told The Daily Cardinal she believed the record high early voter turnout was a good sign for her race. She said the reports of record early voter turnout has been “amazing” and believed it was a good sign for her race.
Baldwin’s campaign focused heavily on restoring abortion rights, a critical issue among Wisconsin voters. When the Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for the procedure in June 2022, an 1849 law banning abortions with no exception for rape or incest went into effect in Wisconsin.
Baldwin also focused her campaign on highlighting authorship of the Women’s Health Protection Act, a Senate bill that would restore nationwide abortion access and restore protections for abortion.
was first elected to the Assembly. But the redrawing of legislative maps came after Gov. Tony Evers’ passed a proposal to redraw Wisconsin’s legislative maps on Feb. 19. The previous maps had been declared in a 4-3 decision as unconstitutional by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in late 2023. Snyder had been drawn out of his previous district but rented an apartment in the new 85th District throughout the election and vowed to the media that he would move if victorious.
“Despite the best efforts of Governor Evers to gerrymander Rep. Snyder out of a community — by one block — that he has spent decades serving,” Snyder wrote in a press release following his victory. “Pat once again won reelection due to the faith the Wausau community put in him to be their voice in Madison.” In the 92nd Assembly District, which represents the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls area, Republican Clint Moses has defeated Democratic challenger Joe Plouff by an 8% margin and about 2,000 votes.
expected to just barely eke out a win against Republican Ryan Huebsch in a rematch between the two after they faced off in 2022. Although the vote count currently stands at 100% reported, the margin of victory is close enough that a candidate may demand a recount.
“With the new districting and the redistricting, we knew that this was going to be a tight race,” Huebsch said. “Probably one of the tightest in the entire state.”
In the new 88th Assembly District, Republican Benjamin Franklin will also likely beat Democrat Christy Welch by a similar margin to Doyle’s, also opening the door to a potential recount, though Welch has said she will not request one.
Franklin is a veteran and small business owner who grew up in Iowa but recently moved to
districts both represented by Republican state senators. Only one of those, Duey Strobel, ran against Habush Sinykin and lost by 2% of votes.
According to WisPolitics, the district voted 53% Republican in the 2020 election.
Keyeski won the 14th Senate District. She defeated Sen. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan , who had represented the district since 2020 but was drawn out when the new maps were instated. Ballweg moved back into the new 14th District in order to run for the seat.
“It is an honor to welcome Sarah Keyeski to the State Senate. Senate-elect Keyeski ran a successful campaign against a tough incumbent in one of the
Wisconsin Republicans sweep battleground U.S. House districts
Hartlaub
race, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin secured victory against Eric Hovde in one of the most competitive 2024 Senate races.
By Alaina Walsh & Audrey Lopez-Stane
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin narrowly beat Republican challenger Eric Hovde on Tuesday, securing a third Senate term.
A look back at Locke-Tober: The past and future of the Badgers’ QB1 sports
By Paul O’Gorman STAFF WRITER
Wisconsin football fans got the first true showcase of Braedyn Locke in last season’s nail-biter win against Illinois when he stepped in for starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai following Mordecai’s injury in their previous game against Iowa. Again this year, Locke has unexpectedly stepped into the starting quarterback position, mirroring the team’s hardships from last season.
Locke, a Texas native who competed at the state’s highest level of high school football, led the Badgers to a 25-21 comeback victory with two touchdowns and 240 passing yards last year. Locke would go on to play well against the then-No. 3 Ohio State with a quarterback rating of 64.3, but he finished his time filling in for Mordecai with a crushing loss to 2-6 Indiana.
This past offseason, Wisconsin’s coaching staff began to feel confident in Locke, claiming he offered stiff competition to Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke for the starting job. Following Van Dyke’s seasonending injury against No. 4 Alabama, questions were raised as to whether Locke could be a competent quarterback, especially in Big Ten play.
Although Locke couldn’t lead the offense to overcome Alabama’s top-tier defense, and his start against the University
of Southern California produced his worst quarterback rating to date, the Purdue game would completely alter perceptions of Locke’s capabilities.
Locke finished the game with three touchdowns and a career-high 359 passing yards, leading the team to a 52-6 win over the Boilermakers. With this, fans began to notice Locke’s confidence in his ability and strong relations to his teammates that would define what the media began to call “Locke-Tober.”
Concerns about Locke’s capabilities and consistency still remained going into week six as the Badgers traveled to New Brunswick to take on Rutgers. This talk would quickly be shut
down, however, as Wisconsin’s air raid offense crushed the Scarlet Knights 42-7.
With the Rutgers and Purdue wins under Locke’s belt and broadcasters’ praise of his skill and recent stats during the games, Locke-Tober was seemingly in full effect.
But this streak wouldn’t last long. A lackluster performance against Northwestern in week seven saw Locke log a 37.1 Quarterback Rating, his second lowest of the season. Still, the Badgers managed to pull away with a 23-3 victory, although it was a far cry from the numbers the team’s offense had put up in the prior two weeks.
After his slump against Northwestern, Locke had his
work cut out for him in one of Wisconsin’s biggest games of the season thus far, then-No. 3 Penn State.
Fans had seen what Locke was capable of, but with Purdue’s poor season and Rutgers falling apart after their loss to the Badgers, the prospect of a major upset against a strong opponent seemed more and more unlikely.
These doubts would sadly prove to be true, as Wisconsin suffered a 28-13 loss at Camp Randall to the Nittany Lions’ crushing defense and an offense that ran like a welloiled machine. Locke escaped from the defeat with 217 passing yards, a QBR of 54.2 and zero touchdowns. The quarter-
back Wisconsin fans had rallied behind during their three-game win streak couldn’t go toe-to-toe with a top-ranked opponent.
With this loss, Locke-Tober ended in a very different way than it began. But Locke’s regression against Northwestern and Penn State shouldn’t dissuade fans from appreciating the stellar performances Locke gave earlier in the month and the improvement he’s made after having to unexpectedly step into the starting role.
Locke is clearly extremely confident in his ability. He’s not afraid to throw deep balls and create opportunities during plays that can help march the offense down the field. This type of player won’t be discouraged by losses to championship contending teams — they will learn from their mistakes and the pressure they felt and build off of it.
Locke has played on par if not better than Tanner Mordecai, whose more conservative play style didn’t seem to mesh well with the air raid offense head coach Luke Fickell wants for his offense. This offseason, offensive coordinator Phil Longo praised Locke for his football IQ and claimed he “is twice the player” he was last season.
Fans would be doing themselves a disservice not to rally behind this quarterback and should expect more big games out of him this season.
Badgers volleyball falls to Nebraska in three hard-fought sets
By Carlos Bello STAFF WRITER
The No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team faced off against the No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers in one of the most anticipated matchups of the season at the UW Field House on Friday.
Both teams fell just short of the national championship last season, the Badgers losing to the Texas Longhorns in the semifinal matchup and the Huskers falling to the Longhorns in the championship match. Both teams have their sights set on championship aspirations this year.
The Badgers came into the match with an impressive 8-0 home record and hadn’t lost at the UW Field House since they were narrowly defeated by Pittsburgh in five sets on Dec. 10, 2022. Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers have been on a roll, boasting a 17-game winning streak, with their only loss of the season coming in an away game against No. 12 Southern Methodist University.
The Badgers tried to control Nebraska’s high-powered offense at the net. The Huskers are currently ranked seventh in the nation for kills per set (14.34) and eighth for assists per set (13.27). Andi Jackson is the main threat for this offense, leading the nation in kill percentage at .472, while Bergen Reilly supports with an impressive 11.25 assists per set, ranking fourth nationally. Wisconsin aimed to counter with their strong net presence, ranking second in the nation in blocks per set at 3.08, just behind No. 4 Louisville.
The first set featured a competitive back-and-forth between the teams.
Wisconsin initially set the tone, taking a slight 6-4 lead with kills from senior outside hitter Julia Orzol and senior middle blocker Anna Smrek. Nebraska responded, going on a 5-1 run led by Merrit Beason and Rebekah Allick that put them ahead 10-8. The Badgers fought back to tie the game at 15 with another kill from Orzol.
But Nebraska took control of the pace and went on a three-point run highlighted by a service ace from Kennedi Orr, prompting Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield to call a timeout at 18-15. The Badgers continued to score but struggled to string together multiple points, as Nebraska consistently answered back. Beason closed out the 25-21 set with a kill. Nebraska recorded six blocks more than double what they average a set.
In the second set, both teams applied pressure at the net. Wisconsin held a 6-5 lead, but the Huskers went on a 7-1 run fueled by three straight attack errors from the Badgers, who were feeling the pressure at the net after Nebraska’s dominant first-set showing. But unlike the first set, Wisconsin was able to chain together some points, going on a 9-1 run led by multiple blocks from Smrek, Orzol, freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer and fifth-year middle blocker CC Crawford that gave them a 17-14 lead.
Nebraska wasn’t done, as they responded with a run to tie the game at 20. The Huskers showcased their scoring versatility during a final 4-0 run, featuring an ace, a kill and a block from four
different players. Junior middle blocker Carter Booth scored for Wisconsin, but Beason recorded a kill for Nebraska, taking the set and putting the Badgers behind by two sets in the match.
The third set began with Nebraska jumping out to a quick 7-2 lead that included two more service aces and exposed Wisconsin’s ongoing struggles with serve reception. The Badgers fought back, taking a 10-9 lead on a run of their own. From there, Nebraska strung together points and stopped Wisconsin from doing the same, gradually increasing their lead. Two of the final points came from Wisconsin attack errors, highlighting the pressure the Huskers put on their oppo-
nents throughout the night. From a statistical standpoint, the match was quite close, with both teams recording the same number of assists. Nebraska had slight edges in blocks and digs, but the only notable difference came from serving, as the Huskers registered five aces to Wisconsin’s two. Ultimately, Nebraska won the game due to their ability to chain points together — they had 10 runs of three or more consecutive points compared to Wisconsin’s five. With this loss, the Badgers fall to 9-2 in conference play and remain third in the Big Ten behind Penn State and Nebraska.
CAMERON SCHNEIDER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
JOHNATHAN DYE/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Surviving the Dark: How to adjust to the 4 p.m. sunsets of Daylight Savings
By Adalyn Reichenberger STAFF WRITER
Daylight Savings Time (DST) is used to increase productivity during the day, ensuring children are not going to school in the dark. The annual “fallback” offers an extra hour of morning light, but in exchange, we forfeit an hour of evening daylight. While DST has both
positive and negative effects on individuals, I notice many communities, specifically college students, struggling more than others during this time.
While the one-hour change may offer relief in the mornings, the dark, endless nights awaiting become an ongoing struggle. As a student, my days are packed with classes and activities, which tends to be the
same for my peers. With this, the evenings are often when students can study, complete assignments and get ready for classes. As darkness creeps in around 4 p.m., motivation and productivity levels can be challenged, making these crucial studying hours a struggle.
The early sunset can also negatively affect mental health, particularly for students prone
to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The lack of daylight exposure in the late afternoons and evenings can contribute to feelings of sadness, lethargy and difficulty concentrating. Madison’s long winters, coupled with shorter days, can exacerbate these symptoms. For students already juggling high academic and personal pressures, these seasonal challenges add a layer of stress.
While DST likely won’t be changed in the near future, there are many ways students can be proactive in fighting the problems that come with it. As a long-time Wisconsinite and UW-Madison junior, I have been through this a few times before. Below, you will find my tips that have helped me persevere through the winter season.
Adjust your sleep schedule
While it may feel natural to stay up late as a student, shifting your sleep schedule can help make the most of available daylight. Even just an hour more of morning light can positively impact your mood and energy. Setting your alarm to take in a few extra hours of daylight as you get ready for the day can do wonders. This adjustment can help you feel more refreshed, energized and ready for class.
Limit naps during the day
With darker, colder afternoons, the temptation to nap can be strong. Trust me, I love a good afternoon bed-rotting time. However, excessive napping can interfere with a healthy sleep schedule, making you feel groggy or reducing the quality of your nighttime sleep. If you do feel the need to rest, try to limit naps to 20-30 minutes. This way, you can recharge without disrupting your night’s sleep.
Take a moment in the morning
I have found that taking some time to myself in the morning helps get my mind ready for the long, cold days. Reminding myself what I am grateful for and doing morning meditation allows me to get my mind and body prepared. If you are religious, mornings are a good time to catch up on any holy books and teachings for the day.
Eat well, exercise and take care of yourself
Finally, remember that maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly and practicing self-care are essential for overall wellness. This goes without saying, but by prioritizing health and well-being, students can combat the slow winter and stay productive all semester long. Doing what is best for you when these months get hard is important. It is time to get on that winter arc.
UW-Madison student explores personal phone addiction in book ‘Enemy in Your Pocket’
By Katherine McGrann STAFF WRITER
Your phone knows more about you than even your closest friends. University of Wisconsin-Madison Junior Jackson Antonow explores this reality in his book “Enemy in Your Pocket,” which details his journey with phone addiction and the benefits of breaking this dependence.
From ages 12-19, Antonow averaged upwards of eight hours a day on his phone. But it wasn’t until he was a freshman in college that he realized he had an anxious addiction to scrolling aimlessly on his phone throughout the day.
“I was really having these overwhelming feelings of anxiety, and it got to the point where it just really bothered me. And I don’t think it was like this huge revelation at one point. But I was like, ‘my anxiety is interfering with my daily life,’” Antonow told The Daily Cardinal. “This just makes no sense on paper, and I wanted to look around and think about what I was doing in my life that was causing harm and causing these emotions. I started using my phone less, and everything changed dramatically.”
Antonow was inspired to write this book to help individuals who were experiencing anxiety and missing out on life like he was because of their phones.
Antonow had researched extensively and read other books on phone addiction, but he felt as if all the books and articles were missing the perspective of a younger person.
In “Enemy in Your Pocket”, Antonow combines personal stories with research to explore the impact of phone addiction. He conducted a study surveying individuals’ screen time between the age range of 13 and 23. He found the average screen time is five hours and 32 minutes a day, which, spread over a lifetime, would total 15.05 years spent on your phone.
Now, Antonow has limited his screen time to an hour per day, spending roughly 2.72 years of his life on his phone. He cut his screen time by redesigning his phone to make it less engaging — deleting unnecessary apps, including social media, and turning off notifications for non-immediate apps.
Antonow’s improved relationships and mental health result from limiting his screen time and staying away from social media, he said. With less time spent on his screen, he has found more time for new interests, increased productivity and strengthened connections with friends and family
“I think it really improved my relationship with my parents because when I was coming home in high school, I’d be texting my friends, doing something on my phone. But now when I come home, it’s like there’s nothing on my phone or like my phone is away,” Antonow said. “It’s not like I have things to do besides talk to my parents or watch TV. I come home, and I have a conversation with my dad for around like four hours every single day in the summer.”
As our lives become increasingly
consumed by technology, “Enemy in Your Pocket” serves as a timely reminder of the importance of balance and connections outside of a screen.
“I think conversation is super important because it’s almost like a book. At a certain point, it’s like a lens of learning. That’s how I think about conversation. And when you ask questions about people, you really get to understand their world views, and I talk about [this] through the book. But when you’re on your phone, when you’re in the car, with the Uber driver, you’ve lost every potential of any life experience they’ve ever had,” Antonow said.
KALLI ANDERSON/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Election season’s over. Civic engagement shouldn’t end with it
When volunteers only push for political engagement before an election, their motives are rarely sincere.
By Lauren Stoneman
OPINION EDITOR
For the past few months, University of Wisconsin-Madison students and Madison locals have patted themselves on the back for their civic engagement. They have stood on the streets with clipboards, canvassed door-todoor and enthusiastically directed new voters to registration tables and polling places.
This effort to get citizens to the polls is important. But on its own, it feels a little insincere.
If you were to ask any of these volunteers why they’re sacrificing their time, you’d be hit with a wave of platitudes about the importance of civic engagement. You’d hear a string of truisms about exercising our rights as citizens.
Up close, though, every volunteer has their own reasons for getting involved. Each will inevitably be more interested in engaging with one half of the political spectrum. They’ll be much more eager to see people exercise their right to vote for a certain candidate.
Granted, in an election that has become as hostile and as inescapable as this one, it’s
impossible not to have an opinion. It would take a saint not to have personal, partisan motivations for getting involved. But most of the volunteers I spoke to didn’t seem to care what I knew about politics or civics at all provided I cast my ballot early — and cast it the right way.
All of the efforts stop as soon as the polls close. For the rest of the year, you’re all but guaranteed to walk on campus without anyone imploring you to be politically informed or to pursue a civic education.
The results of this neglect are clear. A recent survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni shows an alarmingly low level of civics literacy among college students. Only 32% of students understand the impeachment process, despite living through two recent trials. 27% could identify Vice President Kamala Harris as the president of the U.S. Senate.
This has to change. The values that election volunteers purport to hold don’t materialize in the two weeks before an election. When the public is inundated with partisan messaging, they’re practically pre-
Dear class of 2030 applicants, we owe you an apology
By Blake Martin OPINION EDITOR
On Nov. 1 at midnight, hopeful high school seniors across the U.S. submitted their early action applications to secure their spot as part of the University of WisconsinMadison’s class of 2030. With admissions becoming increasingly competitive in recent years, over half will receive a rejection letter this upcoming spring, forcing some to move on from a future they’ve been imagining for years.
Meanwhile, on campus, students in the face of a midsemester slump find themselves going through the motions to get by — skipping classes, completing coursework at the last minute and retreating to their off-campus apartments whenever possible.
With the stress of college admissions in the rearview mirror, enrolled students have started to take their place at UW-Madison for granted.
As a student body, we owe it to hopeful future badgers to give falling back in love with UW-Madison another chance.
disposed to tune out the noise. Instead, emphasizing civic engagement and education should be a year-round pursuit.
This effort is perhaps most easily carried out in a university setting. Universities can offer or even require civics courses. Students can seek those courses out. Schools can host panels and promote literature on the American political process. They can even sponsor outreach projects to educate younger generations, emulating programs like the University of Chicago’s Civic Knowledge Project.
UW-Madison has already taken admiral steps in the right direction. In September, students instituted a new chapter of BridgeUSA with the goal of fostering dialogue across the political spectrum. In October, the Morgridge Center for Public Service hosted a panel on the role of higher education in shaping civic engagement and democracy. Recently, the university sent out a Student Campus Climate Survey in order to learn more about the political environment on campus.
Of course, all of these initiatives popped up in the flurry of election season. Regardless, they’re a promising start. They have given us a unique chance to keep momentum after all the ballots are cast. Think ahead. Four years from now, we will feel much more comfortable pushing people to the polls if we spend this time building a civically informed public.
Lauren Stoneman is a senior studying history, philosophy and political science. Do you agree that we need to prioritize civic education year-round? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Four years ago, getting accepted into UW-Madison was all I could think about. Every AP test, every hour I spent volunteering and every minute I spent studying for the ACT were all building towards the same goal: getting to where I am right now. As a current student, I’ll be the first to admit to you that it’s easy to forget just how badly I wanted the chance to attend an 8 a.m. lecture. Semesters pass, you start to adjust to life in college and one skipped lecture turns into a class you just...skip.
I know what you’re probably thinking: “that’s just part of life in college.” While sliding down this slippery slope
of “academic apathy” might be easy, it’s important to remember you’re hurting more than just yourself, you’re wasting an opportunity that would have belonged to someone else. The bottom line is, having access to higher education, here of all places, is a privilege, even if it feels more like a curse when midterm season becomes particularly overwhelming.
Last year, over 63,000 high school students applied to UW-Madison’s admissions office. Of those applicants around 36,000 were rejected. From dripping with sweat in the early morning climbing Bascom Hill to the eleventh hour of an all-nighter in College Library — for some of those students, it was heartbreaking to part ways with even the parts of the Wisconsin experience most of us dread. So, what do we do now?
If you haven’t already, start by making it a routine to go to class and try to do more than online shopping or the New York Times mini-crossword while you’re there. Next, get to know the material, and even better, your professors. Drop by office hours, talk to your TA and make sure you have a face they remember. Lastly, take your experience here one day at a time.
I know it’s easy for school work to feel like a chore, for lectures to feel like an obstacle in your day and your week to feel like a countdown to your weekend. But if you want to have a Wisconsin experience to remember, you should cherish every Tuesday morning the same way you do a Friday night.
Most importantly, when things get tough — don’t forget, there was once a time when you wished to be where you are and have what you do.
ALEXA COLEMAN/THE DAILY CARDINAL
the beet
Catch me, feds! I ballot stuffed 450 times in the 2024 election
TofeelthepassionofDemocracy,Ivotedbetween three states for both Kamala and Donald.
By Peter Pricket STAFF WRITER
All articles featured in The Beet are creative, satirical and/or entirely fictional pieces. They are fully intended as such and should not be taken seriously as news.
Come catch me, feds! I voted 450 times in Wisconsin, Iowa and Pennsylvania.
I truly just want to feel extra involved with civic engagement and show my passion for democracy this election. And when I heard people were double or triple voting in 2020, I thought, ‘I need to step it up, get these numbers up!’
I stuffed about 100 in Wisconsin — 50 in Dane County and 50 in Door County — those will go to Vice
President Kamala Harris. I did a little embezzlement with company funds to travel to Philly and ballot stuffed 200 more times for Kamala. I love the libs lol.
I also think, however, democracy prevails best when it is equitable, so I voted an additional 100 times in Pennsylvania for Donald Trump, just to keep people on their toes.
You must be wondering, ‘Peter, how did Ann Selzer’s poll have Harris in the lead in Iowa?’ Well, I must say that is all me. I stuffed all the rest of my ballots for Harris in Iowa in an effort to spin back the Obama 2008 electoral map. This took so much work. My printer was backed up and at full speed, but I kept reminding myself to do this
I graduated from PETA University. Now I electroejaculate monkeys
By Peter Pricket STAFF WRITER
All articles featured in The Beet are creative, satirical and/or entirely fictional pieces. They are fully intended as such and should not be taken seriously as news.
Dear diary:
Today I electroejaculated a monkey named “Coralilac” again. I am at odds with this work, as I recently graduated from PETA University with a major in biological misinformation and public outrage.
When I went to PETA Uni, my professors told me to get upset at anything remotely involved with animals. I would see someone casually putting honey on food, I spring into action. “Oh, you’re just gonna eat that? A baby bee probably died for your fucking honey, you know. Had its whole home destroyed because some farmer thought profit and capitalistic yellow sauce was more important than a bee’s dwelling place. But sure… enjoy your honey.”
But I ended up in a more unique field now, and it goes against everything I stand for like bees’ rights. While I write
this, I am currently in a lab coat at a monkey lab electroejaculating monkey penises for research purposes.
The scientists around me try to calm me down and tell me this is a normal process to collect semen for genetic, breeding and reproductive disease research, but I genuinely have to take Xanax before sending electrodes to a monkey’s penis by inserting a probe into their rectum.
I do this everyday, five days a week for 40 hours. It is absolutely draining and sinister work.
It smells like ass inside the lab, the monkeys including “Coralilac” are too excited about this shit. While I question my morals through attending mass every Sunday, the monkeys are thrilled. This isn’t what I graduated from PETA University for.
Somewhere, my professors are probably shaming me. I mean maybe they could be proud. I am making the monkeys happy to some degree, but this is straight-up animal abuse. They should be outside roaming and getting to live without electric shock waves to their dicks while I get paid minimum wage.
for Obama.
Now, one thing about me is I’m a bit hot headed. My friend Libby Demi only voted once, and she went back home to Vancouver, Washington to cast her ballot. Are you fucking with me? So, I used company funds once more and lit the ballot box on fire where she put her vote in. I actually was disgruntled and shocked that this unshowered progressive did not use her only ID to vote in Wisconsin. Yuck!
Libby Demi is a flop in many ways — I mean, did anyone forget the Shannon Hall incident? — so I hope I taught her a lesson. But you know what. At least that woke abortion queen voted. And you should too. I hope you voted once, twice or 450 times on Election Day.
JAKE PIPER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
HALEY
photo feature
Students Vote on Nov. 5
Students vote in Nicholas Recreation Center on November 5, 2024.
CAMERON SCHNEIDER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
A student votes at Bethel Lutheran Church on Nov. 5.
EMMA SCHIEFFER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
EMMA SCHIEFFER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
A student votes at Bethel Lutheran Church on Nov. 5.
Election officials assist a voter with registration at Bethel Lutheran Church.
EMMA SCHIEFFER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
An election workers scans documents at Bethel Church.
EMMA SCHIEFFER/THE DAILY CARDINAL Election officials review documents at Betherl Lutheran Church.
JAKE PIPER/THE DAILY CARDINAL People rush through the rain with jackets and umbrellas outside of Memorial Union polling place on Nov. 5, 2024.
Mixed Emotions: Republican and Democrat Watch Parties
MAGGIE
Melissa Agard celebrates her win on Nov. 5, 2024.
JOSEPH PANZER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Daily Cardinal Crossword
by Paige Stevenson
Crowd by Hailey Johnson
Homage to German Expressionism by Hailey Johnson
I Can’t Believe That Actually Happened by Hailey Johnson
Party to the Polls
by Hailey Johnson
Graphics Recruitment
by Zoe Kukla