THEUWMPOST est. 1956
the student-run independent newspaper
October 3, 2011
The Milwaukee Film Festival page 7
Issue 6, Volume 56
Economic wisdom from Joe Ford page 17
Black labor and Leninism Professor discusses Leninism in the early 20th century labor movement
The Milwaukee Film Festival page 7
Failing the freshmen
Students that don't receive proper education in high school could pay more for college By John Parnon Assistant News Editor news@uwmpost.com
Jonathan Flatley, English professor at Wayne State Univeristy has an overall rating of 2.8 on ratemyprofessor.com. Post photo by Sierra Riesberg By Lyla Goerl Staff Writer news@uwmpost.com
Approximately 30 students and community members attended Jonathan Flatley’s lecture, “Black Leninism; Or, Newspapers and Revolutionary Attunement from Lenin to the League of Revolutionary Black Workers,” on Friday, Sept. 30 in Curtin Hall hosted by the Center for 21st Century Studies. A related screening of Finally Got the News, a documentary about the activities of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in
Detroit, Michigan, was shown Sept. 27. Flatley is an English professor at Wayne State University and has written many articles on various topics including modernity in literature and culture, modern and contemporary art, American studies and AfricanAmerican literature and culture. He believes that the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement is an inf luence in today’s society and should be studied as such. “What we need to think about is looking back into the past for help,” Flatley said. Flatley gave his argument on
how DRUM facilitated an affected attunement that allowed workers to share an affective state and become aware of themselves as a collective. Formed in May 1968, DRUM was organized in Detroit, Michigan, at the Chrysler Corporation Assembly Plant where most of the workers were African-American and were not being treated equally. DRUM organized strikes, starting when the Hamtramck Assembly plant, formerly Dodge Main of the Chrysler Corporation, wanted an increase in production without adding more workers. They wrote one page newspapers describing the strikes and
calling other workers to organize more strikes to make a point to the plant managers. “When we look at today’s society and how the newspapers have changed today, DRUM has had a big inf luence in changing the news,” Flatley said. Flatley ended his argument by saying the political actions executed by African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement in Detroit will always be part of the past and part of the future. A question and answer session was held afterwards, and Flatley answered questions pertaining to Leninism in the 21st century.
UWM named 12th most gay-friendly school in the nation Campus Pride’s Campus Climate Index rates top universities By Jon Gorski Staff Writer news@uwmpost.com
This year, UW-Milwaukee was ranked 12th out of the 25 most gayfriendly schools in a new survey conducted and published by Newsweek and The Daily Beast. The study was based on eight factors from the Campus Pride’s Campus Climate Index, ranging from “policy inclusion” and “academic life” to student housing and counseling services. Founded in 2001, Campus Pride is the only nonprofit organization devoted
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to helping incorporate and protect LGBT students in the entire country. It is made up entirely of volunteers, a large majority of which are students. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was ranked number one on the list. Warren Scherer is a program coordinator at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center on campus, located on the ground floor of the Union near The Union Station. He expressed surprise at the award. “Initially, I wasn't even aware that Newsweek or The Daily Beast were
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giving out this award at all,” he said. “It was very exciting to be ranked among some nationally recognized schools for our efforts.” The study concluded that about 84 percent of students thought the university was “very accepting of minority students” and gave UWM a “B” grade on diversity, noting its LGBT center as a factor in the rating. According to Scherer, UWM’s LGBT Resource Center is dedicated to resolving disputes between students and taking care of reports of bias, as well as providing an environment in which LGBT students can get to know
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one another and feel comfortable. It also works to ensure that UWM has a welcoming climate to LGBT students, working to resolve differences on campus. Though the campus was ranked highly among LGBT-friendly universities, Scherer says there is more work to be done. “We deal with bias, like things being written on stalls, students being verbally harassed, that sort of thing,” Scherer said. “It depends on the solution they want. Some folks just want someone to talk to.”
COMICS PUZZLES
When the leaves begin to fall around Milwaukee, students know they'll be dusting off their favorite jackets, watching their heating bills skyrocket and, most certain of all, paying more for tuition than the previous year. But for almost 45 percent of the freshmen class, the cost of education might go up more than just the 5.5 percent increase in tuition this year. The number of students taking remedial math and English courses has gone up by 7 percent from the previous year at UW-Milwaukee, amid a 41 percent increase over the past five years. About 2,300 students are currently enrolled in remedial courses, which the university defines as “non-credit” classes. This means that students must still pay full price for these courses yet receive no college credit towards their degree. About 550 students are currently enrolled in UWM's Honors College, which is intended for students who score highly on the placement exam and typically have high ACT scores (a 25/26 composite score or higher) coming into college. Opposite UWM, UW-Madison currently has 16 students enrolled in “non-credit” classes, according to Martin Rouse, an assistant dean in the Adult Career and Special Student Services department at UW-Madison. A student that tests into a Math 90 course could end up paying thousands more in tuition than a student who received high marks on their placement exam. Of these students, 1,668 of them are freshmen, Director of the First Year Center Ericca Rolland said. This number makes up almost half of the entire freshmen class. “There are significantly more students taking remedial courses,” Rolland said. “And about 40 to 45 percent of the freshmen class is enrolled in remedial courses.” But Rolland said the university wants students to be successful and created Panther Math Prep to assess if students are being placed properly. Upon completion of the program, students may retake their placement exams. “It's a totally free program so that students don't have to pay for the classes later,” Rolland said. “Students are sent a letter in the first week of May or June about coming on campus and doing the four week program.”
See FRESHMAN page 2 uwmpost.com
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