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Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

WELCOME BACK ISSUE HERE’S WHAT YOU’VE MISSED

PHOTOS BY TAYLOR WOLFRAM

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

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Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892

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How does a COVID-19 test work?

Volume 130, Issue 2

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COURTESY OF VALL D’HEBRON RESEARCH INSTITUTE (VHIR)

UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory aims to be able to process 1,200 coronavirus tests per day by the end of September.

By Joe Mitchell STAFF WRITER

How do COVID-19 tests work?

This coronavirus question is longer and more complicated than one might imagine. Choosing the correct test to use for a given population is an important question to look at first.

Keith Poulsen, Director at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, says that they, along with the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene, work to produce Coronavirus test results for the UW campus. Poulson says they have been asked constantly, what is the right test to run?

According to the FDA, there are three main types of tests being widely run. These include molecular tests, which detect virus genome in a patient’s sample, and an antigen test, which searches for proteins found on the virus’s surface. Both of these tests are diagnostic, meaning they look for the live virus in a patient at the time of testing.

The third type of test searches for the presence of antibodies in the blood. These antibodies are created by the immune system as a response to an infection.

Using an antibody test, patients can then know if they had a past infection of the coronavirus.

Poulsen said that WVDL runs a molecular test called reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction, or PCR. He says they use PCR because it is both a sensitive and specific test. Sensitivity refers to how well a test can find a positive person, meaning they are very unlikely to return a false negative. Specificity refers to how well a test avoids reporting false positives, meaning a non-infected person returns as infected.

Poulsen also says PCR works well for handling a large volume of tests, which is important for a large college campus like UW-Madison. WVDL now has the ability to process 384 samples at a time. This amounts to over 1,000 tests during an eight hour shift.

Poulsen says WVDL’s goal is to be processing 1,200 tests per day

by the end of September to serve the university of over 40,000.

Dr. Collin Pitts, chief resident at the Preventive Medicine Residency program at UW-Madison supports UHS’s testing strategy for UW’s Smart Restart this year. Pitts says the campus’ tests are processed at WVDL and their results verified

by Exact Sciences, a molecular diagnostics company in Madison.

Currently, UHS is working on getting FDA approval to run all tests at WVDL. At this time, WVDL is running a surveillance based strategy, leaving results to be verified through Exact Sciences.

WVDL is working to show that their tests return the same results as verified labs.

Now that the correct test has been chosen, it’s time to implement the process. Testing samples are taken at a campus testing site, where patients are able to administer their own nasal swabs.

Kelsey Anderson, Health Communications Specialist for UHS, said there will be four testing sites in total. The Ogg Hall and Holdt testing sites will be reserved for students in university housing for required scheduled testing. The site at Henry Mall will be open to all UW employees and students from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. When the Fluno Center site opens, it will offer testing beginning at 6:30 a.m. for all UW employees and students.

After sampling, the swabs are transported to the laboratory.

Using an app on their smartphone that scans a barcode on the samples test tube, the patient will be able to drop off their testing material to be analyzed. These samples are collected during the day to be shipped in coolers and dropped off at WVDL to be run.

But Running the PCR equipment is the easy part, Poulsen says. The real work in testing comes with making sure that the information coming into the lab is accurate as possible. UHS’s coronavirus dashboard serves as a record-keeping mechanism, according to Poulsen, ensuring that samples do not get lost

from test site to laboratory and confirming samples have two unique identifiers. Once a sample is linked by those identifiers to the patient it came from, then the laboratory work begins.

After this, Poulsen says the samples are transferred to WVDL’s BSL-2 certified laboratory, the kind of lab that handles human pathogens. Then, automation takes over. The machines were developed for animal pathogens and are used by the WVDL to look at Bovine Viral Diarrhea virus, a disease found in cattle.

Poulsen emphasized that as the number of tests being run increases, that automation becomes all the more necessary.

“This is monumental in terms of the response to be able to test 100 students a day. Logistically to support that; hiring the personal, getting sites set up, to the completion of the tests is phenomenal that we would be able to do that” Dr. Pitts said. “To get this up and running in the timeline that we have is truly amazing.”

The first step in the laboratory process the sample media is pipeted to an automated nucleic acid extraction instrument, pulling the virus RNA out. Next, the sample runs in an instrument called a thermocycler. This process uses enzymes in the reaction to add fluorescent tags to the viral nucleic acid in the sample. Next the goal is to amplify the nucleic acid in the sample. Poulsen explains that by using a cycle of temperatures along with enzymes in the sample, the nucleic acid will

duplicate. With every duplication, a fluorescent tag will be attached to the new nucleic acid. A laser in the PCR machine will monitor the fluorescence in the sample as it grows, this is why the test is called “real-time”. This goes on for 37 cycles. If a threshold is not reached in those 37 cycles, the sample is considered negative. A readout of the test results is given to the microbiologist in charge to make sure that the controls did what was expected and that the results look good. The results are then updated to UHS’s database.

Poulsen says that currently in his lab they can do this run two to four times per day. They hope to be processing 1,000 to 2,000 tests per day without working overtime or adding more equipment.

Dr. Pitts says that the goal for UHS’s Smart Restart program is to reduce turnaround time as much as possible. Once the results are in hand, then getting the infectious campus members to quarantine and getting contact tracers involved are the next steps. Pitt emphasized that testing is just one part of the Smart Restart Mitigation tactics; other parts include encouraging students to wear masks, enforcing the mask mandate in UW buildings, reducing class sizes and social distancing.

Poulsen says the lab’s goal is to get results back to patients by midnight of the day they arrive at the lab. However, the guarantee is 48 hours, to account for any runs that may have control fails.

Positive COVID-19 cases from UWMadison tests Students

Em ployees

60

50

40

30

20

10

0 8/7

8/9 8/11 8/13 8/15 8/17 8/19 8/21 8/23 8/25 8/27 8/29 8/31

UW-MADISON SMART RESTART DATA

news College from afar: students off campus dailycardinal.com

Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

By Gracie Lund STAFF WRITER

As the UW-Madison community attempts to return to normalcy under the auspices of its “Smart Restart” plan and a hybrid model of teaching instruction, some of its students will be absent from campus.

For various reasons, including health, logistical and financial concerns, a number of students have chosen to spend their semester from their permanent residences.

Three students spoke with the Cardinal about their decision to stay off campus this semester.

In March — during the early stages of the pandemic — Niko Konstantopolous received a phone call from his mother. She was diagnosed in September 2019 with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, however, she was recently selected for an experimental treatment.

“I was sitting in the Memorial Union. She said ‘Niko, I beat cancer’,” Konstantopolous said. “I started breaking out crying. I was so happy.”

Konstantopolous’ celebration, however, met its end shortly thereafter.

The next day, UW-Madison students received a message from Chancellor Rebecca Blank that informed all students living in university housing would be sent home due to COVID-19.

When he returned to his permanent residence in downtown Chicago, Konstantopoulos debated his return to Madison. Despite being cancer free, the doctors told Konstantopolous’ mother her weakened immune system would make her more susceptible to the sometimes fatal effects of the coro-

navirus.

With his mother’s best interests at heart, and fearing he would spread the virus into his household if he went back to college, Konstantopolous made the decision to spend his sophomore year at home.

“My mom had literally just beat cancer about two weeks before COVID hit. I remember all the joy I had from that,” Konstantopolous said. “God forbid if I were to go to Wisconsin, go have fun and be somewhat selfish and something were to happen, I’d never forgive myself. It became the right thing to do.”

At the same time, Konstantopolous is looking out for himself and his father.

Konstantopolous developed asthma during his freshman year and his father suffers from diabetes.

Their pre-existing health conditions also put them at greater risk of suffering from complications from the coronavirus.

“I just don’t really want to take the chance,” Konstantopolous said.

“I don’t want to risk my life, my mom’s life, my dad’s life.”

In trying to find a silver-lining of his situation, Konstantopolous said his grades significantly improved when he, along with all UW students, transitioned to remote learning in the spring.

Konstantopolous has found staying home to be mentally trying, in not being able to see his friends and participate in his fraternity’s events. However, preserving his family’s house takes precedence over all.

“People don’t think about it.

Obviously you can’t go to your frat house parties. But other people can’t

even see other people because they are scared that their mom might lose her life” Konstantopolous said.

A more cost-effective approach Like Konstantopolous, Bryce Neels also benefited from virtual class. As his grades steadily improved from his permanent residence in San Diego, Calif., the Junior economics major decided to complete his semester from home.

“I had a big discussion with my parents about this,” Neels, who also

BY LYRA EVANS

p l ays on the university’s Club Baseball team and is a member of a fraternity, said. “I started doing a little bit better in school and I realized that maybe the only reason for going up to Madison when school came around again would be to be social and be around people, which obviously wouldn’t be the best decision given the current times.”

In the meantime, Neels will also continue his summer job at Target where he will receive bet-

ter benefits after five months of working there. Neels also emphasized the importance of routine with remote learning.

“It’s mostly about self discipline because not as often will I have to put on my best outfit or focus on combing my hair,” Neels said. “I’m focusing on the future, keeping good habits, and self discipline.”

When reflecting on what he will miss the most about Madison, Neels listed reuniting with friends at the top. It was difficult, he said, to tell each of his friends he would not be returning to campus. As COVID-19 rates remain high in California, Neels noted that “things might be a little bit slow moving in San Diego” with just his family this fall.

However, in the interest of health and his future endeavors, Neels found that limiting distractions would be the smartest choice.

“If the one thing that I really loved about being in Madison was being around my friends and being social,” Neels said. “If that’s taken away from me, it’s best to try and limit distractions.”

All the way from Mumbai, India, UW sophomore Gautam Agarwal has been confined to his house since March 21, maintaining a unique work schedule.

The Computer and Data Science major said he chose to stay home because he worried about not being able to travel home due to potential travel bans. He also emphasized his concern of contracting the coronavirus in the U.S., where he has no relatives or family to take care of him.

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Other factors that influenced Gautam’s decision included examining COVID-19 infection rates and recovery statistics. With a higher population, higher recovery rates and less cases than the United States, Gautam decided that spending the semester in India would be the safest option. Another silver lining of not returning to Madison was being able to spend more time with his family as he typically spends the entire year in the U.S..

Because he stayed home, he missed out on two on-campus jobs that required him to be in the United States, which would have been “real resume boosters.”

At the same time, Agarwal’s current internship at CamfyVision Innovations in India coupled with his studies in the United States has forced him to accommodate two time zones into his schedule— which have ended up being over 10 hours apart.

Agarwal wakes up at noon, and spends all day studying and working until he goes to bed at sunrise.

In addition, by not being responsible for housing, travel costs and insurance among others, Agarwal said he will save approximately $9000 from living at his permanent residence, in a country he said has fewer cases of the virus with higher recovery rates.

However, Agarwal’s college experience will not be the same — for the time being.

“I’ll miss the Madison culture, the vibe of campus, and seeing my friends, [and participating in] the Pokemon Go Raid Hour when I play with 100 people outside Porter Boathouse,” Agarwal said.

Wisconsin prepares for mail-in voting as USPS sees lawsuit

By Hope Karnopp STATE NEWS EDITOR

Election officials offered mailin voting guidance as legislators express concerns over USPS changes and rejected ballots. The City Clerk’s Office described how they are adjusting to new voting norms.

Wisconsin Watch and APM Reports’ analysis of Wisconsin’s April primary found that over 23,000 ballots were rejected. Multiple states joined a lawsuit challenging USPS changes that have caused mail slowdowns. Legislators and elections officials are concerned that delays could impact the November election.

The City of Madison recently received a grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life for $1.2 million to help administer elections. In a phone interview, Madison Deputy Clerk Jim Verbick said this funding is being used to increase poll worker pay, buy more absentee ballot equipment and implement drop boxes.

Verbick said that temporary hourly employees have been “a huge help” in dealing with the large influx of absentee ballot requests. He also said that the Wisconsin Elections Commission streamlined some processes, which has made it easier to approve requests.

Wisconsin law does not require election officials to contact voters if ballots are incomplete. However, Verbick says that the office can try to complete witness addresses if the

witness’ signature is legible. The office can return incomplete ballots to voters with instructions if the ballots are sent in far enough in advance. They can also contact voters and instruct them to go to their polling place on Election Day to fix their ballots.

Verbick said that the office highlighted key areas on the ballots, such as the voter and witness signature lines, to help voters complete ballots correctly.

An APM Reports analysis of the April primary shows that 13,834 out of the more than 23,000 ballots rejected were due to voters forgetting to sign the ballot envelope or include the address of the witness.

According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, 139,706 absentee ballots were requested in Dane County for the August partisan primary. 138,748 ballots were reported sent and 112,312 ballots were reported returned as of Aug. 31.

Rejected ballots could have an enormous influence on battleground states like Wisconsin.

President Trump’s margin of victory in Wisconsin was just 22,748 votes, just under the number of ballots rejected in the April primary.

In the August primary, Dane County received 139,780 absentee applications and 138,832 ballots were reported sent, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. 101,230 ballots were

reported returned.

Legislators expressed outrage over changes to the U.S. Postal Service that could impact mail-in voting. U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy mandated new cost-cutting rules in early July that caused mail delays. Lawmakers also expressed concerns about the removal of mail sorting machines during DeJoy’s Aug. 24 testimony before the House Oversight Committee.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, reacted after DeJoy announced on Aug. 18 that he would suspend some changes until after the election.

“Your announcement did not reverse the damage already done or put in place long-term solutions to prevent further delays. Millions of Wisconsinites — among them veterans, seniors, small business owners, rural communities, and voters — depend on USPS and I am calling on you to take action to prevent further delays in mail delivery,” Baldwin said in a statement.

Madison Mayor Satya RhodesConway also wrote to DeJoy to address a USPS letter to the State of Wisconsin that said voters could expect delays in the return of absentee ballots.

“This letter warned that USPS cannot guarantee that all ballots cast by mail in a manner consistent will arrive in time to be counted.

This forces Wisconsinites to choose

between exercising their constitutional right to vote and protecting their health during a pandemic,” Rhodes-Conway wrote.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul joined a multi-state lawsuit against the USPS over mail slowdowns. Kaul also urged Congress to act on a bill to provide $25 billion to the USPS. House Democrats passed the bill but the Senate has not taken it up yet.

Voters can check their registration and request absentee ballots at myvote.wi.gov. Absentee ballots can be requested as late as Thursday before the election, but the Clerk’s Office recommends making requests as soon as possible.

In-person absentee voting will also be offered Oct. 20 - Nov. 1. Visit vote. wisc.edu for additional resources and voting information.

The City Clerk’s Office plans to send out absentee ballots to voters with requests on file by Sept. 17.

Wisconsin is a “no excuse” state, where voters do not need a reason to vote absentee. The office has laid out several options for returning the ballot, including mailing the ballot to the Clerk’s Office and returning their ballot at drop-off locations.

Drop-off locations in Madison will have poll workers available to accept absentee ballots and serve as witnesses. Locations and dates include the City Clerk’s Office from Sept. 22 - Nov. 2 and voters’ polling places on Election Day. More locations will be added when ballots are mailed. In addition, the office will work with city planning and engineering departments to install 14 drop boxes across the city in early October.

TAYLOR WOLFRAM /THE DAILY CARDINAL

Henry Mall houses one of the COVID-19 testing sites set up on campus

news UW seeks balance on free speech, health l

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Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

By Alexa Heller STAFF WRITER

The UW-Madison administration continues to grapple with the balance between physical acts of social justice activism and COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

In a UW News article, Dean of Students Christina Olstad stated, “As with most things in society and on our campus right now, COVID-19 with it added complications and considerations. More than ever, we hope students will work with us to ensure that any protests, rallies or other mass gatherings can be undertaken with the health and safety of the participants at the forefront.”

Amid concerns about controlling the spread of COVID19 on campus, all in-person gatherings, including protests, must abide by university policies related to COVID-19. This includes requiring attendees to wear appropriate face coverings and to maintain a physical distance of six feet from others.

“Whenever we have advanced knowledge of a planned demonstration/protest we reach out to the organizers and inform them on the policies/guidelines so they can have a safe and successful event and not run afoul of University conduct codes,” said Special Projects Coordinator for Student Affairs Mick Miyamoto. “We encourage students to exercise their first amendment rights and commend their passion towards making this a more just world.”

Guidelines from the County Health Officials have been included to promote COVID-19 health and safety precautions.

The University policy stress-

es that protests and demonstrations that impede or disrupt the academic mission, threaten research, interfere with the free speech of others or threaten campus or personal safety will result in a response to ensure compliance with University rules.

Some examples of disruptive behavior include but are not limited to blocking the vision of others in any manner, producing noise that interferes with the ability of others to hear, turning off lights in a room, using laser pointers or facsimile weapons, setting off alarms on phones and assuming actions that do not comply with public health directives issued.

“I think that it provides a not exhaustive list of things that under most circumstances might be inappropriate” says Amol Goyal, student representative on the Protest Administrative Review Team (PART) and President of the Campus Area Neighborhood Association, in response to the list of disruptive behaviors.

Goyal discusses the differences between actions that are deemed as disruptive by the University. He includes bringing facsimile weapons to an event as an example of a more extreme disruption and producing noise at an event as a less extreme disruption.

“I think that it might be possible for someone to still feel intimidated by these guidelines and that’s a good point of feedback for PART because we will continue to re-evaluate these guidelines and see where they might be intimidating or inconsistent with what students thought was free speech and so on” Goyal explained.

Goyal addresses the concerns of many student activists who are trying to maximize awareness of social injustices while complying with health and safety policies. Some students may feel as if these guidelines impede on protests’ full effects.

Others seek a medium between in-person activism efforts and COVID-19 protocols.

“It is our role as student leaders within student government to hold administrators accountable with how they engage with protestors before, during, or after protests. We want to make sure that when students protest their events are facilitated in a way that is safe as campus asks but also in a way that their voices are heard,” Goyal says.

“I just think that right now it’s just unsafe to protest but in the same time none of that should impact students’ ability to gather and produce demonstrations.

I think that is something the University is allowing students to do and I really hope that they would continue to do so no matter what.”

UW-Madison acknowledged its history of student activism on various social justice issues, such as the Vietnam war protests in the 1970s and civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s.

UW-Madison leaders have made clear that they believe in the rights of free speech, free expression and assembly for student activists.

Last week, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor and Interim Deputy Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Cheryl B. Gittens released a statement addressing their concerns about the shooting of Jacob

Blake in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday Aug. 23.

Reesor and Gittens offered sympathy and expressed their expectation for a full investigation for everyone involved in the shooting.

They also encouraged students to reach out to campus resources such as the Dean of Students Office, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement (DDEEA), University Health Services, the Multicultural Student Center and the Employee Assistance Office for support if they would like to process relative emotions or ideas.

The Multicultural Student Center hosted a virtual processing space on Aug. 26 and Aug. 27.

This was intended as an opportunity for students to connect, to provide each other with resources and to create a community for solidarity, healing and justice.

These events were open to all UW-Madison students.

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When describing the outcome of the processing space, Director of theMulticultural Student Center Claudia Guzman stated “Students expressed gratitude for the space, not only for the opportunity to participate, but also for the simple fact that we offered something to acknowledge the tragic event and its impact on our students, campus and communities.”

“I was really happy with our ability to pull those processing spaces together so quickly with collaboration and support from University Health Services, the Office of Inclusion Education and the Dean of Students Office.

I think that speaks to the level of care and variety of resources we wish to provide to UW-Madison students, and I consider that kind of collaborative, studentcentered effort an indicator of success,” Guzman explained.

Guzman reiterates the MSC commitment to aid students amid these challenging times.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN FAGER

UW-Madison set protest guidelines to promote both advocacy and safety.

UW-Madison ‘Smart Restart’ confronts rising campus spread

By Kate Van Dyke SENIOR STAFF WRITER

As UW-Madison welcomes students back to campus, student COVID-19 cases begin to rise despite the school’s “Smart Restart” approach.

UW has implemented the “Smart Restart” plan to keep campus healthy and safe.

Precautions include the residence and dinings halls rearranging their layout and density of people allowed in each space while Greek Life has been strongly suggested to ban parties and large gatherings.

The approach also centers around on-campus testing centers that will be available to the entire campus community in hopes that these unlimited and free of charge COVID-19 tests will contain the spread and track the prevalence of the virus on campus. The school will also rely on “surveillance testing” to track the virus on campus including asymptomatic cases.

“The university is committed to reducing the risk of COVID19 for its students, faculty and staff,” the ‘Smart Restart’ plan reads. “UW-Madison’s strategy will rely on a rigorous approach to testing, cleaning, face-cover-

ing and symptom monitoring, all aimed at keeping the risk of disease as low as possible. Testing is key to identifying infection and keeping it from spreading.”

However, while on-campus testing is expected to be fully operational by the time classes begin on Sept. 2, positive cases are already rising as students return to campus for the school year. One hundred and nineteen students have tested positive to date with a majority of those cases occurring after Aug. 25.

Caden McMann, a UW junior and member of the Greek Life community, tested positive

for COVID-19 on Aug. 24 at University Health Services.

“When the symptoms started, I had a fever, body and joint aches and a lot of fatigue,” McMann said. “I think I likely contracted it from a friend who I saw at their apartment, who also would go on to test positive.”

McMann reflected on his thoughts pertaining to UW’s “Smart Restart” efforts.

“I don’t think there’s much the university can do to stop offcampus gatherings from happening,” McMann said. “While many students, myself included, will follow the 10 person limit

CLAYTON JANNUSCH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

‘Smart Restart’ policies require face masks in most campus settings.

rule on indoor gatherings, I can’t help but feel like there are less careful students on campus who will gather in groups of 10 plus in apartments and houses with no consequences.”

Zoe Klein, another junior and member of Greek Life, also tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 24.

“I have a few friends I was in contact with who tested positive for the virus. While we weren’t more than 10 people inside, we still were inside and wearing no masks which definitely contributed to that,” Klein said. “It’s hard because I wasn’t seeing many other people than this group of people so we felt comfortable being inside together, but I guess unless you all are only seeing each other it doesn’t really matter.”

Inside of the residence halls, students are experiencing the effects of COVID-19 as well.

Lauren, a freshman who prefers to remain anonymous, moved into Witte on August 25.

On Aug. 31, UHS contacted her, saying that she had been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

UHS sent Lauren to quarantine in the Lowell Center in an isolated room, where meals will be

brought up to her and left at her door. She will be in quarantine for 11 days, despite her having in-person class and discussion groups.

Lauren said her experience with UHS and the “Smart Restart” has been frustrating so far.

“They could’ve handled it a lot better,” Lauren said. “They waited four days to contact me about my next steps but claimed they were taking this all very seriously. If they truly were taking it seriously, the university would have contacted me right away once he officially tested positive and they got names [of the people he came in contact with], which was the same day he got his results.”

While some students find fault with the “Smart Restart” plan, the school urges students to still comply with the plan’s everevolving rules and guidance.

“Plans are continuing to evolve as decisions are finalized and new information becomes available,” the ‘Smart Restart’ plan states. “As more details are available, this will be communicated on a regular basis.”

At the time of publishing, the University could not be reached for comment.

news Madison anti-racism protests carry on dailycardinal.com

Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

By Ashley Obuljen STAFF WRITER

Friday, Aug. 27 marked the fourth consecutive day of Black Lives Matter protests in Madison following the shooting of Jacob Blake. But something was different this time — only about 50 people showed up to the demonstration to protest police brutality.

Initial anti-racism demonstrations followed the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer in May. In the midst of both series of protests, activists turned boarded-up State Street buildings into artistic commentary on institutionalized racism.

“We don’t want to guilt people for not showing up physically,” said a volunteer for local Black Lives Matter organizing group LINK. who requested only to be named as Penelope. “But we want people to recognize privilege and encourage support for Black liberation organizations.”

As protestors spoke about racism and police brutality on Capitol Square, some passersby joined in.

But many people, predominately white and without masks, glanced at the small crowd and carried on with their workouts, phone calls and brunches.

This particular event came two days after Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old who’s social media is riddled with “Blue Lives Matter” and pro-Trump content, shot three anti-racism demonstrators, killing two and injuring one on Tuesday, Aug. 25, in Kenosha. Viral video footage shows Rittenhouse bearing his gun as he walks past police shortly after the shooting. He was not arrested until the following day after going back home to Illinois and President Donald Trump later defended the teenager’s actions.

On Friday, LINK. representatives encouraged an open discussion on racial profiling, citing the killing of Tony Robinson, an unarmed biracial Black man, by white Madison police officer Matt

Kenny in 2015. Kenny was placed on temporary paid administrative leave pending an investigation, which exonerated him; he did not face criminal charges.

“Why is Matt Kenny still on the street with a weapon?” Penelope questioned. “He seems unfit to protect other people’s lives considering he takes them.”

Robinson’s death marked the second time Kenny evaded criminal charges after using lethal force. In 2007, he shot and killed a man who aimed a pellet gun in his direction.

According to one protestor, patrons dining at Coopers Tavern, where prominent local activist Yeshua Musa was arrested this summer, took pictures of demonstrators and laughed at them as they enjoyed their meals earlier that week. Musa was charged with federal extortion for allegedly threatening to damage the restaurant’s property. He faces up to forty years in prison.

“That’s what they do to Black leaders,” Penelope said of the police who arrested Musa. “They criminalize them.”

On the Capitol Square, LINK. representatives lead chants of “Abolish the police” and “Fuck 12,” pushing for law enforcement funding to be reallocated to subsidize healthcare, housing and transportation for underprivileged communities. According to LINK. volunteer and social worker Maria Tran, deeply rooted systemic racism in police departments feeds into a cycle of poverty and violence in Black communities.

“Trauma is built into the every-day lives of Black people,” Tran said.

Tran went on to note that felonies and evictions, which are disproportionately dealt to communities of color, can prevent access to necessities like housing.

Those with restricted access, Tran explained, often turn to coping mechanisms like liquor. There’s a lack of dialogue about mental

health in communities of color, according to Tran. Though police officers are often dispatched to respond to mental health crises, they are not adequately trained to do so, demonstrators claim.

“Social workers should be the first ones on the scene,” Tran said of when Emergency Medical Services are called. “The lens should be rehabilitation.”

LINK. representatives also claim the University of WisconsinMadison has not taken adequate action to eradicate racism from its campus. Chancellor Rebecca Blank has not responded to the organizations’ list of anti-racism demands, including a request to remove Chamberlin Rock, which sits on the crest of Observatory Hill, Penelope added. The boulder was named after former university Thomas Crowder Chamberlain,

ing Abraham Lincoln, who — though is famed for the Emancipation Proclamation — opposed racial equality.

A UW-Madison student created the Instagram account @ bipocatwisco in June as a forum to share campus experiences submitted by students of color. The account’s feed alleges white students casually use the N-word and even threaten violence against students of color. One student recalled a pick-up truck driver yelling the N-word in their direction and nearly hitting him with his vehicle. Another recalled a white student laughing and recording as police drew their guns and surrounded Black man outside a dorm building.

Friday’s demonstration also included dialogue regarding the campus “Smart Restart” to univer-

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Notre Dame University, which required students to be tested for COVID-19 before returning to campus, reported a 19 percent positivity rate just two weeks after resuming instruction. The ongoing pandemic and anti-racism demonstrations are not unrelated: UW-Madison’s student body is largely white and Black people are more likely to die from COVID-19 infections.

“Let’s have a moral restart,” Penelope said, noting that staff such as janitors are often sidelined from conversations surrounding campus safety.

LINK. representatives encouraged demonstrators to send emails to university leadership demanding institutional change. The @bipocatwisco Instagram account started a petition with a list of demands

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN FAGER

Anti-racism protests honoring Jacob Blake, calling for defense of Black lives, fill the Madison area. but white students often referred to the landmark using a racial slur.

“It’s deeper than just a rock,” Penelope explained. Protestors also demanded removal of the Bascom Hill statue depict-

sity instruction, which includes a hybrid of in-person and online courses. As colleges reopen across the county, many are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks despite efforts to suppress the virus.

aimed at university leadership, including a request to defund the UW-Madison Police Department; the petition has gained over 2,000 since it went live Monday.

COVID-19 prompts a new plan for student organizations

By Gina Musso COLLEGE NEWS EDITOR

With new initiatives encouraging students to wear masks, and bottles of hand sanitizer seemingly as prevalent as Badger fans in Madison, UW-Madison has already implemented new social distancing and health safety initia-

JEFF MILLER/UW-MADISON

Pre-COVID, ASM occurred in-person.

tives in order to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its effects on student life.

Similar to UW-Madison’s “Smart Restart” plan, student organizations like the Associated Students of Madison — the university’s student governance body — also have worked to implement changes to help slow the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

“The pandemic has impacted ASM’s involvement in student governance by making student voices invaluable. Due to the pandemic, the 27th Session of ASM was stalled, as have a number of other student committees and groups that have not been able to convene virtually. In my personal opinion and as a student myself, I believe that university used this to its advantage,” Student Council Representative and former ASM Press Office Director for the College of Letters and Science Matthew Mitnick said.

A Madison summer gave way to a multitude of Black Lives Matter protests, realling with stu-

dent activism. The recent attention to youth activism points a finger at the university for not taking into account student voices when constructing a “Smart Restart” plan.

“Student voices were not taken into consideration when it comes to the ‘Smart Restart.’ If they were actively including our input, it would look much different,” said Mitnick. “Another area of concern is UWPD, as there are reports they supplied Madison Police with chemical ammunition. Advocacy is needed on these fronts.”

The Student Services Finance Committee, a branch of ASM is responsible for allocating approximately $50 million in segregated university fees — which usually are distributed to fund Registered Student Organizations — to maintain recreational facilities and unions and to provide student events and programming.

Thus far, it has been determined that ASM Open Committee and Student Council meetings will be virtual. Mitnick

notes how virtual meetings may make it easier for students not involved in student government to attend meetings.

“The virtual meeting format does expand accessibility in some sense,” Mitnick said. “By allowing students to participate in discussion without having to visit far away locations across the City, and with a busy schedule, calling in when you have a 10 minute break, for example, can be much more time efficient.”

More specifics on ASM’s response to the pandemic will not be available until after ASM’s 27th Session leadership elections, which were stalled until Wednesday, Sept. 2.

“As a Student Council Representative, I really believe that all this will only work if we actively ensure that any student has the ability to get involved,” Mitnick said. “It may be harder to build connections with people online, but I am optimistic in my belief that it can potentially foster higher levels of engagement.”

“With student orgs, I hope the Grant Allocation Committee can be creative in how it allocated its funding to ensure that events and programming can still occur,” Mitnick said. “Perhaps a higher level of speakers could be booked if travel fees are no longer needed.

Rather, a call or connection over Zoom could bring in more people.”

Mitnick urges students to continue to advocate for change on campus, no matter the circumstances.

“It’s important students continue to make their voices heard and that is why I also speak in open forums and attend meetings with decision making administrators is so very important,” Mitnick said. “If you make your voice heard, the very least they can do is listen.”

ASM also manages the Student Activity Center, which will be open with reduced hours this semester. More details will be available on or after the Wednesday Sept. 2, following the 27th Session elections.

6 • Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

dailycardinal.com • 7

What you missed in Madison during COVID-19 Reporting by Addison Lathers CITY NEWS EDITOR

A comprehensive timeline from March 23 to September 2

Graphic by Lyra Evans GRAPHICS EDITOR

opinion Why yes, All Cops Are Bastards l

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Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

By Riley Sumner OPINION EDITOR

TW: racism, police violence Kenosha police shot Jacob Blake on Sunday, Aug. 23. The police shot Jacob Blake seven times. The police shot Jacob Blake in front of his three children — aged 3, 5 and 8.

It’s still happening. It’s not going to stop happening until the

officers. Instead, politicians enable the system by calling murderers like Chauvin “one bad apple.” But how many bad apples does it take?

While some groups have interpreted the ideology as all cops are bad, ACAB is intended not to make moral character judgements on police officers, but instead point out that all police officers enforce a bastardized, or broken system. By

Because these neighborhoods were supposedly more likely to commit crimes, they placed more police in said neighborhoods.

Police began to — and still do — patrol these areas at a higher rate than others and as a result they find more crimes. Based on police data, the neighborhoods continued to be “high-crime” since they found more crimes there due to

almost 11 billion dollars. While it will face significant cuts in 2021, that money could — and should — be used to actually help communities. In Madison, the police budget has been increasing over the past 10 years, up to a staggering 82 million dollars.

Compare this to 2 million dollars for Madison’s Department of Civil Rights, 7 million dollars

It's still happening. It's not going to stop happening until the police are gone. The list of avoidable deaths keeps on growing.

GRAPHIC BY RILEY SUMNER /THE DAILY CARDINAL

police are gone.

Activists organized tons of protests around the country, ranging from New York to Seattle, and managed to accomplish a lot. On June 3, charges against Derek Chauvin — the policeman who knelt on and killed George Floyd on Memorial Day — were increased to second-degree murder charges and the Minneapolis City Council is investigating plans to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department, with a few other cities across the country following suit.

Seattle is another city working to minimize their police force with plans to remove 100 officers and cut the police budget in half.

But how many “bad apples” do we need to fix the problem: the entire system is rotten.

Police are part of a system built on white supremacy that requires suppression and marginalization of underprivileged groups. The counter to this system: All Cops are Bastards — ACAB. The problem is there is not enough big, structural change to meaningfully alter behaviors of

inherently being a member of law enforcement, officers uphold this agent of white supremacy.

It’s important, especially for white-bodied individuals, to recognize that individual positive interactions with police officers shouldn’t be used to mask the immense history of violence that police have plagued the country with for ages.

Let’s take a look into the origins of modern policing and from there, analyze why the institution needs to be dismantled. American Police evolved from slave patrols.

The goal of the institution was to prevent slaves from escaping and organizing revolts. Before this, “police” largely didn’t exist in America. Having a system of active officers was created because of a need to reinforce an oppressive institution.

Because of the police force’s inability to change, it continues to reinforce the oppressive system it was created to uphold. Police identified certain neighborhoods as “high-crime” neighborhoods which were typically impoverished as a result of redlining.

the fact that they weren’t equally policing other neighborhoods.

Police systematically imprisoned segregated neighborhoods in order to directly maintain white supremacy, and blamed black people for “causing more crime.”

So what can we do instead to “keep people safe?” Spend money on things that keep people safe.

Instead of sending two people with guns to handle domestic violence incidents, send a social worker who has training in de-escalation. Spend money on affordable housing so people can have a place to live and get a job, which will decrease or eliminate the need for people to steal or commit other crimes related to poverty.

Increase access to mental health services by offering counseling to kids in schools and provide the same services to other people in the community, so people are able to get care they need by trained professionals, not overworked people with no training.

Spend money on education, so kids can learn the skills they need in order to be successful.

NYPD’s budget for 2020 totals

towards affordable housing and only 8 million dollars for childcare, youth support and senior support efforts combined.

Police have shot and killed 1,026 people in the past year according to the Washington Post’s police shootings database.

The same database shows that police kill black people at more than twice the rate of white people. You may have heard the argument that police kill twice as many white people than black people, which is true based on raw numbers, but it’s an absurd argument because the police shouldn’t be killing any people.

Some may say, “the police aren’t racist because they kill more white people.” The police shouldn’t be killing any people. American society normalizes cops killing people, but why? Police are not a judge.

They are not a jury. They have no right to enforce capital punishment.

Right now, the police are being watched more intensely than they have ever been before. Instead of actually behaving like the protectors they claim to be, police offi-

dailycardinal.com

cers have miserably failed at justifying their roles.

During protests in Buffalo, they shoved an elderly man to the ground, fracturing his skull and leaving him unable to walk.

In Philadelphia, they pinned protesters against a wall and rained tear gas over them. Police shot a journalist in Minneapolis who was covering the protests.

Police also have been used as a tool of the Trump administration’s excessive abuse of power The president ordered police to gas protesters outside The White House for a photo-op.

In addition to deflecting chronic instances of police brutality, our country fails to support protesters.

Following George Floyd’s death, protesters were met with tons of resistance by both police officers and other media pundits. Instead of criminalizing the officers who kill people, protesters were criminalized for their tactics.

Colin Kaepernick sat down for the national anthem explaining, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color, to me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Opponents told him that kneeling was “not the right way to protest,” as it disrespects members of the military. In other words, “my blind patriotism refuses to recognize the inherent police violence problem because you disrespected a piece of cloth.”

Protesters often block traffic on busy roads as a way of getting noticed. In Minneapolis, they blocked traffic on I-35W following George Floyd’s death. Police in St. Petersburg, Florida issued fines to protesters blocking traffic, demonstrating that this was “not the right way to protest.” In other words, “my need and desire to get to a destination is more important than acknowledging the systemic violence police disproportionately direct towards black folx.”

Peaceful protesters get criticized, by supposed allies, “I support what you’re saying, but not the peaceful ways you use to spread the word.”

So what is the right way to protest?

It seems like no matter what protesters do, people choose to enable a racist system instead of demanding leaders make meaningful change. Hundreds upon hundreds of black people have been killed by police, but instead we’re worried about the windows of a Target?

Across the country, there were countless videos of police assaulting peaceful protesters when their jobs were under heavy criticism. Cops should not exist. Until this country eliminates the police force, Americans will continue to die every single day. It is immoral for us to allow this system of oppression to continue to plague the country.

Riley is a Junior studying Computer Science and Journalism. Do you think the police should be defunded?

Send all comments to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.

arts Gotham City, Meet Robert Pattinson dailycardinal.com

Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

By JOHN BILDINGS STAFF WRITER

As the rest of the world lies in waiting for Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” I’ve shifted my attention towards another blockbuster coming down the post-COVID pipeline in the next 12-15 months — a familiar figure of comic book lore Nolan himself has successfully and notably tackled before.

At DC Comic’s virtual FanDome Convention over this past weekend, director Matt Reeves of “Planet of the Apes” fame gave viewers an early teaser trailer for his Robert Pattinson-led 2021 Batman adaptation titled “The Batman,” the first of a planned trilogy that will reintroduce a new version of the character into the DC extended universe.

The film features the former “Twilight” heartthrob taking over the role that Ben Affleck vacated in 2019, as well as boasts a truly stacked cast of supporting players including Jeffery Wright as Commissioner Gordon (“Westworld”), Paul Dano (“There Will Be Blood”) as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/ Catwoman (“High Fidelity”) and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth (“Lord of The Rings” trilogy, any mo-cap role).

While Reeves noted that only roughly 25 percent of the film was shot before production shutdowns began back in March, the footage fans of the cape and cowl received exceeded expectations in just over 120 seconds. We’ve been promised a gritty, noirdriven detective Batman story unlike anything put to screen previously according to reports, and several points during the teaser gave me the hope that this adaption may finally deliver upon that assurance.

I know, I know — trailers are just that, fleeting glimpses of halffinished films that are dissected to pieces long before we have any clue what the final product might look like.

And while DC has been known to drop the ball with phenomenal trailers and lackluster movies in the past (here’s looking at you, David Ayer and “Suicide Squad”), Reeves’ take on the World’s

Greatest Detective and a laundry list of rogues gallery figures might be just enough to hold us over until we see some big-budget films back in theatres soon.

Until that moment arrives, here’s five gut reactions from “The Batman” trailer, where the story could be headed, and what it all means (note: please watch the trailer to keep reading, I guarantee it’s two minutes you won’t regret).

1. David Fincher, Meet Bruce Wayne Ripped duct tape, a man lying — dead or alive — on a hardwood floor and the same fellow, suffocated, with the words “No More Lies” written across his mouth? It’s clear this version of the Riddler, and the mystery he’s weaving for Batman and the Gotham City Police Department is more akin to a disturbing psychological thriller than CGIheavy superhero movie.

The ominous clues we see written in his greeting card, man who drives a car into a packed banquet hall and baffling questions he leaves for Commissioner Gordon (played by Wright) immediately reminds me of the 1995 David Fincher movie “Se7en”, where Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman play detectives trying to make sense of brutal crimes of a monstrous serial killer.

In that film — which if you haven’t seen before, please do — the killer behind the crimes leaves more and more unspeakable acts in his wake as he terrorizes the city, slowly toeing the line between a real-life crime story and some of the most hideous imagery I’ve ever seen put to a non-horror film. I have no clue if Reeves plans to walk that dark of a line in this (hopefully R-rated) film, all I’m saying is that if Gordon receives any random boxes — cover your eyes as quickly as possible.

2. Are we getting an even darker, more disengaged grunge-loving Batman?

With the harrowing strum of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” opening at 20 seconds, Pattinson’s blackened eye makeup — 57 seconds, 2 minutes and 14 seconds — and multiple shots of him just star-

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WARNER BROS.

Paul Dano, whose most notable work includes 'There Will Be Blood' stars as the movies villian, Riddler. ing depressingly at something beyond the camera, it seems as though this younger version of the Dark Knight is going through a rough patch.

Reeves mentioned during the panel that his version of the story takes place only a year after Bruce Wayne first wears the cape and cowl, and while he may still be dealing with trauma stemming from the murder of his parents Thomas and Martha Wayne years earlier — please, don’t show us again, I beg you — the Bat’s eyes and scowl definitely doesn’t look like he’s adopted his no-killing, only justice mantra quite yet.

Could we be getting treated to a version who might snap a few necks in his quest to clean up the streets? Or is there an even darker reveal “underneath the bridge” that will make us question everything we think we know about the character and how he views the world?

3. Colin who? Wait, you mean that guy is playing the Penguin?

In a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moment arriving one minute and 17 seconds into the teaser, we’re treated to a nearly unrecognizable Colin Farrell (“In Bruges”) playing rising crime lord Oswald Cobblepot, also known as The

WARNER BROS.

Robert Pattinson returns to the screen as the new Bruce Wayne, entering a new sphere of film genres.

Penguin. Balding, scarred and surely overweight, I was forced to check multiple blogs and Reddit pages to make sure that the heavy figure we saw underneath heavy downpour was actually Farrell and not another actor - which only makes me more excited to see how the character’s final transformation looks once the film is released.

Batman villains who wear makeup and change themselves to fit the villain have been pretty awesome-looking and successful in the past — not one, but two Oscar wins for the Joker — and if those three seconds of Farrell’s face doesn’t get you excited to see someone other than Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) playing the devious old bird again, I’m not sure what exactly will.

Even though the actor has noted that he’s a secondary character in this film as opposed to other ones Reeves has planned, it’s just another example of incredible casting work completed. Not to mention, Jonah Hill was originally slated to play Cobblepot — and I can’t wrap my head around whether or not I would laugh if the “Superbad” star popped up in a comic-book movie.

4. Will the entirety of this movie take place in the middle of the night?

While the man himself only emerges from his cave during the night, it seems as though nearly every shot in the film we receive in the teaser is pitch black, very cloudy or just plain dark — just like the Gotham City we all know and certainly don’t love from previous adaptations put to screen.

Images of what seems to be a grim press conference around 57 seconds, Wayne Manor just a few moments later and the same banquet gathering around the 90 second mark are difficult to determine what exactly is happening and whether or not we should expect any brighter moments in the movie.

I’m not complaining if that’s the genuine mood we’re trying to set up here, but it would’ve been nice to see even a glimmer of light somewhere across the city landscape to get a better sense of the layout.

Especially in the case of what

appears to be Catwoman committing some light burglary around one minute, 15 seconds into the teaser, I have no good vision of what the character may look like and if she serves as initial friend or immediate foe in this feature.

This is Batman though, so I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up.

5. The fight choreography we saw looks – Larry David voice – “pretty, pretty good” Just before the end of the teaser, a makeup-heavy henchman ominously asks Batman “who the hell are you supposed to be?” before the vigilante promptly pummels several members of his skeleton gang with a flurry of fighting moves that would make any action fan need to lie down for a few minutes.

This was my biggest problem with the Batfleck — his juggernaut-like suit, gadgets and other “abilities” were just far too overpowered (and almost killed Superman) in both “Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League” to make it a realistic vision and made me lose interest in the battle at large once I saw him going toe-to-toe with a literal superhuman.

This version looks so much better though — a return to the swift-kicking, martialarts driven style that fans of “John Wick” and Nolan’s “Dark Knight” films may find refreshing and hopefully drive them in droves to see how much asskicking Pattinson will serve up to bad guys in the film.

Capped off with Batman’s glowering response of “I’m vengeance” before the scene ends, and I needed to take few deep breaths before I could gather myself to write this paragraph.

Good or bad, this teaser had me so incredibly pumped up for Reeves’ Batman vision I nearly forgot I haven’t been to the theatre in months in the middle of this global pandemic.

Expectations may be high following the success of Nolan’s trilogy, but it seems as though he, Pattinson, and the rest of the crew look up to the challenge as they begin shooting again come September – and I, along with many others, anxiously await the Caped Crusader’s next journey.

sports Bucks, Brewers strike in response to police shooting of Jacob Blake l

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Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

dailycardinal.com

IMAGE COURTESY OF DARRIN VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

Miller Park has been without fans all season due to COVID-19 protocols, but last Wednesday it was without players as well as the Brewers refused to take the field in protest of racial injustice.

By Joe Rickes SPORTS EDITOR

The Milwaukee Bucks chose not to take the court last Wednesday In order to bring more attention to the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, by Officer Rusten Sheskey of the Kenosha PD. The Milwaukee Brewers decided not to play against the Cincinnati Reds for the same reason later that same day.

The Bucks game, scheduled for 3 p.m. CST for their scheduled playoff game against the Orlando Magic, was to be game five of the series in the first round of the NBA playoffs. But the Bucks did not leave their locker room at all, and ten minutes after the game was scheduled to begin, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Bucks would not be taking the court. Bucks point guard George Hill was the first to make a statement, saying “we’re tired of the killings and the injustice.”

“We’re tired of the killings and the injustice.”

Bucks guard George Hill on the postponment of Milwaukee’s game Wednesday following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin by Kenosh PD.

The Magic also chose not to play, meaning that the game will not count as a forfeit for the Bucks.

“The only way to bring

about change is to shine a light on the racial injustices in front of us,” a statement from Bucks owners Marc Lasry, Wes Edens, and Jamie Dinan reads. “Our players have done that and we will continue to stand by them.”

The Bucks spent over three hours in their locker room after the game’s postponement. At least some of that time was spent on a conference call with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, according to Wojnarowski.

At around 6:20 p.m., the Bucks left the locker room and Hill and Bucks guard Sterling Brown read a statement to the media.

“Despite the overwhelming pleas for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball,” said Brown.

They called for the officer who shot Jacob Blake to be held accountable. The statement also called upon the Wisconsin State Legislature to come back into session “after months of inaction,” and for legislators to enact “meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality, and criminal justice reform.”

The NBA ultimately postponed all playoff games through last Friday after the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and then eventually all of the remaining teams in the playoffs, agreed to sit out in unison with Milwaukee.

Aside from the fact that the shooting took place just 40 miles away from Milwaukee, the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer raised painful memories for members of the Bucks organization.

Sterling Brown settled a lawsuit

against the Milwaukee PD for kneeling on his neck and tasing him for parking illegally in 2018. He penned a piece in The Players’ Tribune about his experience with police brutality.

Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer was the head coach for the Atlanta Hawks when then-Hawks guard

“Our community and our nation is in so much pain.”

Brewers starting pitcher Brent Suter in an official statement Wednesday evening, defending the club’s decision to join the Bucks in protest. The Brewers and Reds made up their postponed game with a doubleheader Thursday.

Thabo Sefolosha had his leg broken by NYPD officers outside of a nightclub in April 2015, forcing him out of that season’s playoffs. Sefolosha was awarded a $4 million settlement for his false arrest.

An hour after the Bucks game was postponed, the Brewers met to discuss the possibility of joining the strike. Fifty minutes later, Jared Diamond of The Wall Street Journal reported that the Brewers club had decided not to play, and that the Reds would agree not to play as well, ruling out a forfeiture situation.

Brewers pitcher Brent Suter issued a statement after the game’s postponement, noting that “our community and our nation is in so much pain,” and that the Brewers and Reds want “100% of the focus to be on issues that are much more important than baseball.”

The MLB’s embrace of the Black Lives Matter

“There has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.”

Bucks guard Sterling Brown in an official statement Wednesday regarding the Bucks’ decision to sit out their game five matchup with the Orlando Magic.

movement has been slower and less extreme than that of the NBA. A scattering of games around Major League Baseball were cancelled Wednesday and Thursday in support of Blake, but there was no unified mandate from the league surrounding the cancellations.

KATIE SCHEIDT/THE DAILY CARDINAL

sports Bucks return to play, still unsatisfied with state response dailycardinal.com

Fall Welcome Back Issue 2020

By Dexter McCann STAFF WRITER

“This group wants to do both and fight for both,” announced Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer just before the Bucks took on the Orlando Magic in game five of their opening Andround series on Saturday, referring to two seperate but important goals for the team — the use of their unique platform to combat racial injustice as well the pursuit of an NBA title.

And, while the latter goal has commanded more attention since the Bucks began their second round series against the Heat, Milwaukee guard Kyle Korver hasn’t lost sight of the former, ripping into the Wisconsin State Legislature’s response to the killing of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wis. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers called for a special session to take on the legislature regarding police reform in light of the shooting, a move Bucks guard George Hill called for strongly and later applauded.

That special session, however, lasted all of 30 seconds.

The Republican-controlled legislature adjourned the meeting immediately, and there’s no indication the legislature will address police reform when the session resumes this Thursday.

Korver was one of several bucks dismayed by the actions of the legislature, and addressed

his concerns when speaking to the media on Tuesday.

“I think watching what happened [Monday] was disappointing with our legislature gaveling in and gaveling out,” Korver said Tuesday to ESPN. “It was disappointing.

Surely, there are things to talk about right now, right? Surely, there are things that our state needs leadership in and how can we better? We’re trying to stand for what’s right. We’re trying to stand for people, but we’re demanding that our leaders be better.”

Every NBA player in the playoff bubble in Orlando has had the option to wear a special slogan on their jerseys in order to draw attention to systemic racism. Some have chosen slogans like “Education Reform” or “Equality.” Korver’s is simply “Black Lives Matter.”

However, the attention garnered as a result of the special jerseys hasn’t been enough for Korver. He was hoping that the Blake shooting and resulting pressure from the Bucks would force the state legislature to take meaningful action, a hope that was dispelled in a mere 30 seconds on Monday.

“Was there really nothing to talk about yesterday? … We’re getting so sidetracked with the narratives that people are trying to create. Our team is trying to stand in the middle.

We’re trying to be a bridge, and I think we’re all disappointed

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Wisconsin Governer Tony Evers' special session Monday on police reform was stopped after just 30 seconds. in what happened yesterday,” added Korver.

The Bucks had spoken with Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes over the phone prior to the session, and were encouraged by proposed legislation that would ban the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants by state police.

Why that legislation wasn’t debated or even acknowledged was a mystery to Budenholzer, who pleaded for bipartisan action in an interview with ESPN. “It seems like there’s sig-

nificant things that need to be addressed,” Budenholzer said. “Governance, leadership is needed at this time. So, for the leadership to gavel in and gavel out after 30 seconds is just disappointing. At the end of the day, it feels like there’s work to be done, and they’re not doing it.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, it seems like you should be in the chambers, having conversations, debating,” added Budenholzer.

The Bucks took the court again Wednesday in the second game of their series

against the Miami Heat, but it seems as if the team is devoting just as much attention and effort to the issues off the court as they are to their problems on it.

All-Star guard Khris Middleton summed up the team’s attitude, telling ESPN that “as far as balancing it all, I think we’re professionals. We know once we step on that basketball court we’ve got to take care of that business and not let off-court issues or whatever it is affect us on the court, but off the court, we’re human beings. We have to do what we need to do.”

Talk of Big Ten restart makes way to White House

By Simon Farber SPORTS EDITOR

President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that he had a “productive meeting” with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren discussing plans for a 2020 Big Ten football season this fall. Trump added that a potential plan is “on the one yard line,” though there is no indication from the Big Ten that an official plan will be announced soon.

The Big Ten released an official statement a few hours later confirming the meeting between Trump and Warren, and added that the school presidents are “exhausting every resource to help studentathletes get back to playing the sports they love, at the appropriate time, in the safest and healthiest way possible.”

P r e s i d e nt Tr u m p ’s involvement in the conference’s pandemic preparations is the latest turn in a wild couple weeks for Big Ten football. The season was originally postponed in early August after school presidents voted in favor of not playing out the revised conference-only schedule.

On Monday, the Big Ten revealed officially that the

decision to postpone passed by an 11-3 margin, with just Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska voting to play the season. Nine Nebraska football players have decided to take legal action against the Big Ten, stating in their lawsuit that the cancellation is “invalid” due to the conference’s “vague reasoning and no explanation.”

The Pac-12 Conference is the only other Power Five conference to cancel their fall season so far, but no official statement or tweet from either the Pac-12 or Trump has indicated that the two sides have had any meetings to resume.

Trump’s involvement with the Big Ten — but not the Pac-12 — has led to widespread speculation that the Trump campaign is using a Big Ten restart to increase the President’s popularity in midwest states ahead of the election.

If Big Ten presidents do come together and reverse course on the season’s fate, the next question becomes: when do the games begin? Rumors surfaced Wednesday about a season beginning as soon as Oct. 10 “if [the] conference can pass updated safety measures and procedures”, according

PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER /UW-MADISON

The Big Ten announced there won't be football at Camp Randall Stadium this fall through at least September. to Dan Patrick of The Dan Patrick Show.

An Oct. 10 restart would give teams just over five weeks to secure a vote in favor of playing, establish protocols to ensure that the players are safe and isolated and resume football activities.

While these complications remain to be resolved, it’s worth noting that many Big Ten players have expressed a desire to play as soon as possible. Last Saturday morning before the FCS kickoff, Wisconsin cornerback Faion

Hicks tweeted out his displeasure over the differing conference policies this fall.

Hicks’ tweet reads “sooooo these other conferences gone by playing football while we sit at home and watch? [laugh emoji].” A number of Big Ten athletes have joined Hicks in using twitter as a platform to show the public that they are willing to play.

While the Big Ten and Pac12 sit idle for the time being, the ACC and Big 12 are scheduled to begin conference games as soon as Sept. 11. The SEC will

kick off their conference-only schedule two weeks later with their conference opener on Sept. 26.

All eyes will be on those 39 teams as they combat the COVID-19 virus among rosters of about 120 players per team. A successful couple of weeks without an outbreak could persuade Big Ten presidents into action; on the contrary, one or multiple outbreaks would likely persuade the Big Ten to keep to their original plan of no fall or winter football.