UWM Post 03-02-2009 by UWM Post

Horizon League Championship ends swimmingly at Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center Sports page 7

inside News | page 2

The Student-Run Independent Newspaper at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

uwmpost.com

Monday, March 2, 2009

Volume 53 | Issue 21 WATER Institute stresses the importance of Great Lakes fresh water supply

UWM student dies at house party

Guest lecturer speaks on climate change and green initiatives

Sports | page 7 Panther gets a shot at playing in the big league

Combination of prescription drugs, alcohol cause of death

Winkler: Sports salaries are justifiable

fringe | page 11

Milwaukee aldermen are introducing an ordinance that would push for UWM dorms in a downtown location. Post photo by Sam Hogerton

Kovac, Bauman push for downtown dorms New ordinance would re-categorize residence halls Alli Raddatz By Marly Fink Assistant News Editor news@uwmpost.com

UW-Milwaukee freshman Alli Raddatz was found dead at a house on the 3000 block of Frederick Avenue on Saturday morning Feb. 21 due to overdosing on a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol.

By David Acker Assistant News Editor news@uwmpost.com

A new ordinance has been brought forward by Milwaukee Aldermen Nik Kovac and Bob Bauman that, if passed, would encourage future UW-Milwaukee dormitories to be built in the downtown area.

The new regulation would re-categorize dormitories as special uses, which would then call for prospective dorm construction to be approved by the city Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA). BOZA is described as a quasi-judicial body because it functions in a manner similar to a court. If passed, the ordinance could allow for East Side residents who have been displeased with previous student housing plans to have more of a say. During previous working sessions

See DORMS page 6

Saul Williams brings his hip-hop poetry to UWM “iPod tax” may be coming soon to Wisconsin

Editorial | page 18 Kutz: Prescription drugs are the new black Savaryn: UWM’s hidden discrimination

CHANGES TO CHAPTER 17 | PART FOUR OF A CONTINUING SERIES ON PROPOSED STATEWIDE CHANGES TO THE UW SYSTEM’S OFF-CAMPUS STUDENT MISCONDUCT POLICY

“Alli was one of the sweetest, friendliest people I’ve ever known. She was accepting of everyone and made them feel welcome and special.” – Savannah Sachtschale, friend of Alli Raddatz

Chapter 17 hearing this Thursday at UWM

Raddatz, an 18-year-old resident of Sandburg Residence Hall, had taken these drugs in the dorms along with drinking alcohol prior to attending a house party with friends around midnight on Friday evening. Raddatz engaged in more drinking at the party. At around 2 a.m. Saturday, Raddatz was moved from a bedroom to a sleeper bed in the living room. Reports stated that Raddatz was snoring at that time but

By Caitlin PenzeyMoog Staff Writer news@uwmpost.com

Students given chance to voice their concerns

See RADDATZ page 5

uwmpost.com

Controversial proposed revisions to the UW System’s Chapter 17 nonacademic misconduct policy will be open for discussion on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. in UW-Milwaukee’s Zelazo Center. Prior to the hearing, there will be an informational session at 4 pm. Students can listen to a speaker from the Foundation for Individual Rights

uwmpostexchange.com

in Education, a national non-proﬁt organization whose mission includes an eﬀort to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities.

“If we can get some students to say something focused with 300 other students behind them, it would make a big statement to the Board of Regents” – Kyle Duerstein, UWM student and Ch. 17 Review Board member Representatives from the United Council of UW Students (UC) and the UWM Student Association (SA) will

blog.uwmpost.com

also be present to answer questions, take comments and hear suggestions. After the informational session, students will have the chance to participate in a public hearing. The UW System Board of Regents, who will decide the fate of Chapter 17, will hear concerns from the audience during the hearing. Kyle Duerstein, a UWM student who serves on the state-wide Chapter 17 review board, names four areas in Chapter 17 he sees as problematic to students’ rights.

The four areas of concern include the following: • The University could investigate municipal violations on and oﬀ

See CHAPTER 17 page 4

sports.uwmpost.com

2 March 2, 2009

The UWM Post

News Briefs SA election timeline Editor in Chief Jonathan Anderson

Editorial Editor Leslie Peckham

Account Executives Kurt Raether

News Editor Kevin Lessmiller

Production Editor Audrey Posl

Bryan Arnold

Asst. News Editors Marly Fink

Photo Editor Sam Hogerton

David Acker

Puzzle Editor Jonas Wittke

Fringe Editors Melissa Campbell

Advertising Manager Dena Nord Advertising Designer Heidi Cronce Distribution Patrick Quast

Alex Rewey

Chief Copy Editor Katie Visser

Asst. Fringe Editor Darin Kwilinski

Copy Editors Amanda Mitchell

Board of Directors Jonathan Anderson

Sports Editor Jimmy Lemke

Lindsey Millard

Melissa Campbell

Business Manager Simon Bouwman

Audrey Posl

Asst. Sports Editor Tim Prahl

Bryan Arnold

Bryan Arnold Kevin Lessmiller

Phone: (414) 229-4578 Fax: (414) 229-4579 post@uwmpost.com www.uwmpost.com

SHIPPING ADDRESS

MAILING ADDRESS

2200 Kenwood Blvd. Suite EG80 Milwaukee, WI 53211

Union Box 88 UWM P.O. Box 413 Milwaukee, WI 53201

THE UWM POST has a circulation of 10,000 and is distributed on campus and throughout the surrounding communities. The first copy is free, additional copies $.75 each. The UWM Post, Inc. is a registered student organization at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an independent nonstock corporation. All submissions become the property of The UWM Post, Inc. The UWM Post is published Mondays in the fall and spring semesters, except during spring break and exam periods. The UWM Post also publishes once in late summer. The UWM Post is written and edited by students of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and they are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content. The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee is not liable for debts incurred by the publisher. The UWM Post is not an official publication of UWM. The UWM Post is a student organization at UWM.

Nomination papers for the UWM Student Association (SA) elections will be available March 9 and are due, including candidate statements, March 27. Candidates’ names will be released on or before April 3. Campaigning will be allowed to begin at 12:01 a.m. on April 22. Voting will be held on campus April 29–30 from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Menghini selected as UW-Madison chief of staff UW-Madison Chancellor Carolyn Martin chose Becci Menghini as her new chief of staff last week. Menghini will now serve as a member of the chancellor’s cabinet, will manage office issues and will serve as a liaison between internal and external constituencies. Menghini will begin her duties in early March.

Milwaukee to get $22.6 million in stimulus money The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the City of Milwaukee will get $22.6 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, President Obama’s stimulus plan. $10.3 million will go to the Housing Authority, $6.9 million to prevent homelessness, $4.5 million for community development and about $874,000 for “lead-paint reduction and remediation,” according to the report.

Obama unveils $3 trillion budget President unveiled a $3 trillion or more budget plan for the 2010 fiscal year last Thursday, saying he hopes to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term. For 2010, $663.7 billion will be spent on defense funding, $46.7 billion for education and $26.3 billion for energy spending. The federal government’s fiscal year runs from October to September.

Police Reports UWM Police came to the assistance of an elderly man around 7 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 23. The man had reportedly passed out in a Klotsche Center locker room shower. A backpack was reported stolen from the third floor of the UWM Union around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The backpack, containing books, was stolen when its owner left it unattended at a table while he went to the bathroom. UWM Police issued a retail theft citation to a shoplifter at Sandburg Hall’s Emporium convenience store Wednesday, Feb. 25. The student stole a $1.99 can of Chef Boyardee Chili Mac.

UWM Police were alerted to a suspicious smell in Sandburg Hall’s North Tower around 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25. One student was issued citations for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. A report was called in of an intoxicated driver in the Klotsche Pavilion parking lot at 10:25 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26. By the time UWM Police showed up at the scene, the suspect was gone. One citation was issued for assault behavior in the UWM Union’s Recreation Center at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 26. A belligerent student was reported to have been threatening another with fighting.

The First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Student Association begins F-50 appeals process Draheim writes letter to Santiago

The UWM Post is a member of:

By Kevin Lessmiller News Editor news@uwmpost.com

Win Free Tickets! UWM Post March Madness Milwaukee Bucks Trivia Give Away Win Up to 5 Free tickets Game Time:

Saturday March 15th 7:30 vs Golden State First person to come to the UWM Post Union EG80 with all answers right will win 5 tickets! The next two people will win 4 tickets each. Fourth person to come in with all answered right will win 3 tickets.

1. Center Lew Alcindor changed his name while with the Bucks. What did he change it to? 2. Sidney Moncrief spent most of his outstanding career with the Bucks, except for his final season. Who did he play for that year? 3. How many former Bucks coaches have been head coaches in the NBA this season?

UW-Milwaukee’s Student Association (SA) has begun its appeal process to the UW System regarding the system’s F-50 policy, which requires all student organizations to obtain an advisor. SA President Tyler Draheim wrote a letter to UWM Chancellor Carlos E. Santiago, beginning the oﬃcial appeals process, last week. The SA argues that they are a student government, separate and distinct from a student org.

“F-50, as written, clearly differentiates between a Recognized Student Organization (RSO) and student government.” – Tyler Draheim, SA president “We seek a response from your oﬃce as soon as possible…so that we can continue the appeal process to System President [Kevin] Riley and to the Board of Regents,” wrote Draheim. All student orgs are required to have an advisor this semester, but UWM administrators are allowing the SA a fall 2009 extension. In an earlier email to UWM administrators, Draheim explained why the SA believes they are not a student org. “F-50, as written, clearly diﬀerentiates between a Recognized Student Organization (RSO)

and student government,” he wrote. The SA cites subsection 6(a) in Article 1 Section B of the F-50 policy, which outlines appropriate expenditures for segregated university fees as evidence. Item 1 deﬁnes “operations, activities and programs of recognized student organizations” as an appropriate expenditure. Item 5, which the SA says implies a diﬀerence between student governments and student orgs, reads, “General operation costs or overhead costs of the student government organized at each institution under s. 36.09(5).” On Feb. 4, UWM Vice Chancellor Helen Mamarchev told SA via email that UW System General Counsel Patrick Brady ruled that student governments are student orgs. That is also when SA was given the extension. Tom McGinnity, UWM Associate Dean of Students, said the issue is a statewide one that will likely be handled by the UW System Board of Regents. The Post asked McGinnity what the disciplinary action would be if the SA didn’t obtain an advisor by the Fall 2009 semester. “It depends on what they do,” he said. “If they get the Board of Regents to change the rules, nothing.” McGinnity said that if the Board of Regents rules against the SA, they will have to comply with F-50 or face the consequences if they don’t. Consequences include being ruled ineligible to receive allocable segregated university fees. “If the Board of Regents comes back saying ‘No, student governments are a student organization, and must comply like all other student organizations,’ and then they fail to comply, then basically they would not be able to use any of those funds on campus,” said McGinnity.

March 2, 2009 3

uwmpost.com

NOW OPEN AT NOON ON SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS!

BIG TEN

NETWORK * 10 TV’S * * 9 FT. PROJECTION TV *

YO U R PA N T H E R S P O R T S B A R

$1 HAPPY HOUR DAILY 3-9 .

VOTED BEST HAPPY HOUR ‘05, ’06, ‘07! SATURDAY NOON-9PM SUNDAY NOON - CLOSE

$1 DOMESTIC PINTS AND RAIL DRINKS

The Senate Appropriations Committee met in the SA ofﬁce Wednesday night where they heard funding requests from various student organizations. Post photo by Sam Hogerton

SAC approves grants for 12 student orgs, denies two $6,448 allocated Feb. 25 By Kevin Lessmiller News Editor news@uwmpost.com

The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC), a committee of UW-Milwaukee’s Student Association (SA), approved small grant requests for 12 student organizations and denied grants to two Wednesday, Feb. 25. SAC allocated a total of $6,448 in small grants and approved ﬁve student org charters at the Wednesday meeting. Milwaukee Baseball and Students for a Democratic Society were both denied their small grant requests. Milwaukee Baseball was denied because SAC said the student org didn’t provide docu-

mentation, such as a schedule, of a baseball tournament they were requesting travel money for. Students for a Democratic Society was denied an event grant request because their scheduled guest speaker was a UWM professor. SAC said they don’t grant money to pay a UWM professor to speak on campus.

Milwaukee Baseball and Students for a Democrat Society were both denied their small grant requests. A small grant request for the Economics Grad Student Association was tabled until the next SAC meeting because no oﬃcers of the student org were present. SAC approved student org charters for Graduate Students

Student organization

of Sociological Association, Progressive Students of Milwaukee, Billiard Club at UWM, Focus–Photography Club at UWM and CITE, a student magazine. Prior to hear small grant requests, SA Deputy Speaker Kyle Duerstein reminded those in attendance of a March 5 public hearing on proposed revisions to UW System’s Chapter 17 nonacademic misconduct policy. “The state is making some revisions to this policy that drastically aﬀect students’ rights,” Duerstein said. SAC is holding a large grant form training session Wednesday, March 4 from 6-8 p.m. in Union Room 280. Large grant requests for student orgs are due March 13 by 5 p.m. in the SA oﬃce, and large grant hearings will take place April 3-5. Small grants approved at the Feb. 25 meeting are listed below:

Grant type

$ allocated by SAC

Future Healthcare Executives

Travel – National Congress on Healthcare Leadership

$700

Public Relations Student Society of America

Travel – PRSSA National Assembly

$75

Engineers Without Borders

Travel – National Conference

$300

Trafficking Ends With Action

Event – No Sweat Fashion Show

$200

Africology Club

Event – Guest speaker

$700

Bowling Club

Operations

$700

American Institute of Architecture Students

Travel – AIAS Midwest Conference

$360

Guitar Org at UWM

Event – Guest speaker

$700

Peer Health Advocates

Travel – Bacchus Conference

$700

Asian Student Union

Event- Student Volleyball Tournament

$487

Asian Student Union

Event – Cultural Entertainment Night

$196

Nonprofit Leadership Student Association

Travel – Boards in Uncertain Times conference

$700

Panther Golf Club

Travel – Ohio Division Tournament

$630

$1 Taps and Rail Cocktails 12 - CLOSE

Domestic Taps

$2 ANY TAP

9 TO CLOSE - 14 TAPS! $2 CALL COCKTAILS

KARAOKE 9:30 PM - 1:30 AM

$1 OFF ALL MILLER PRODUCTS

9 PM - CLOSE BOTTOMLESS MUG NITE

Including: Guinnes, Newcastle, Harp & 11 other Taps

COLLEGE NIGHT $1 SHOTS W/ COLLEGE ID $3 BOMB SHOTS

9 PM to close

2 SMIRNOFF COCKTAILS ANY FLAVOR

$1 Taps and Rail Cocktails Noon - 9 PM $1 Cans 9 PM -CLOSE

2311 N. MURRAY AVE. • 414-224-7084

OPEN MON-FRI 3 PM-CLOSE

SAT & SUN NOON - CLOSE

CONGRATULATIONS!

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi has extended invitations to membership to the 1043 qualified juniors, seniors and graduate students on the UWM campus. Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective all-discipline honor society. Seniors and graduate students in the top 10% of their classes may be invted to membership as are the top 7.5% of juniors.

For more information about the UWM chapter, contact Tammy Gates at 1-800-804-9880, ext. 19

• Competitive awards, totaling more than $800,000 in national and local scholarships • $75 discount from The Princeton Review on classroom or online preparation courses • Subscription to the Phi Kappa Phi Forum magazine • Web-based seminars on career-related topics • E-zines focusing on topics such as job search techniques • Resume service that allows members to post and view newly-listed job opportunities.

4 March 2, 2009

The UWM Post

AROUND THE UW | MADISON

Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery construction on schedule By Signe Brewster of The Badger Herald

Dr. Robert Pollin, professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, speaks Tuesday night in the Union Ballroom as part of the Great Decisions lecture series. Post photo by Sam Hogerton

Great Decisions continues with energy, economy Pollin addresses climate change, green initiatives By Brian Schieble Special to the Post news@uwmpost.com

Guest speaker Dr. Robert Pollin, professor of economics at University of MassachusettsAmherst, put forth his views on investments in a green agenda Feb. 24 in the UWMilwaukee Union Ballroom. The lecture was entitled Energy and the Economy: Fostering a Green Recovery, and is part of UWM’s 2009 Great Decisions lecture series. Pollin is also the co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute

Pollin began by expressing his neutrality on the question of whether climate change is occurring due to the world’s consumption of fossil fuels but urged proactive measures be taken simply on the possibility. “I’m not a climate scientist and don’t pretend to be a part of that debate, but even if there is a one percent chance that climate change is real and that the eﬀects of it would be as catastrophic as is possible, then we need to take action immediately on climate change,” said Pollin. He likened our need to

take action in the sphere of environmental protection to buying common forms of insurance. “We buy fire insurance for our homes to protect ourselves from the event of a fire. What is the likeliness of a fire burning down your home? It is less than one percent and yet we would think it is not smart to not have it. The same is true when we’re talking about climate change.” Pollin believes that investments in green technologies and methods make clear sense

See POLLIN page 6

(MADISONU-WIRE) University of Wisconsin officials said Tuesday the construction of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery building is on track for completion in December 2010. “It’s going great. The building is on schedule and on budget, and everything is going well,” said John Wiley, former chancellor and current interim director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. The building is currently under construction at the 1300 block of University Avenue. The completed project will house facilities for WID and the Morgridge Institute for Research, a private, non-profit organization. Wiley and Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, presented updates on the project to the Wisconsin Innovation Network. Wiley spoke on the construction progress of the building and gave an update on the development of the research program the building will house, according to Wisconsin Technology Council President and event moderator Tom Still. “It was a valuable update,” Still said. “I think Wisconsin is well on its way to having one of the most unique facilities in the country. The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery will be unlike anything else in the Midwest and on par with anything else you can find in the country.” Wiley also gave an update on the search for research themes within WID, which were recently narrowed to include 12 pre-proposals. Five final proposals will be given a place at WID in the coming months, according to Wiley. He said information technolo-

CHAPTER 17 Continued from page 1 campus and punish students whether or not the violations were dismissed. • Vague language, with no clear deﬁnitions of “substantial university interest” and “unacceptable conduct.” • Students would not have the right to have a lawyer present during a disciplinary hearing. • Instead of a hearing conducted by a committee with students on it, the hearing would be conducted with one administrator. Duerstein, who serves as the SA’s Deputy Speaker of the Senate, encourages students to attend the hearing.

gies, biotechnologies and nanotechnologies are the most influential technologies of our time, and WID’s goal will be to bring these three together to foster the most effective research. “There’s no other university that is as far along as we are. [WID] is going to keep us among the top five research universities in the nation,” Wiley said. Gulbrandsen presented an update on MIR, which will make up the private half of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. He also spoke on the architectural advantages of the building, according to WARF spokesperson Janet Kelly. “The whole purpose of this facility is really to connect the sciences to advance human health,” Kelly said. “Science has become so complex today that only by working together will researchers be able to make major leaps forward in discoveries. The building has been built … to really promote and facilitate collaboration across the scientific disciplines.” Kelly said a restaurant, a coffee shop, interactive displays and daily programming will aid connections between researchers in the building, along with a main floor that will operate as the “town center.” While the building will be fully completed in December 2010, the structure is slated for completion this April when the top floor will be finished. Construction will then move on to the interior. “[The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery] leverage the University of WisconsinMadison’s strengths in interdisciplinary research and is going to allow us to attract researchers and others not only from around the nation but around the world,” Still said. “This is a very timely and comprehensive addition to the research base at the university.”

“It will be an intimidating environment and even if you just show up and don’t say anything that would be great,” he said. “But if we can get some students to say something focused with 300 other students behind them, it would make a big statement to the Board of Regents.” In coming months, the UW System Board of Regents will decide whether or not proposed changes to Chapter 17 will become official university policy. If the changes are approved, UWM administration could punish students for off-campus behavior that adversely affects UWM-area residents or their property. The maximum penalty for such offenses would be expulsion. UWM officials have publicly supported the proposed changes.

March 2, 2009 5

uwmpost.com

STATE NEWS

Some state Republicans oppose domestic partner benefits United Council supports Doyle’s stance By Tammy McCubbin Staff Writer news@uwmpost.com

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle’s inclusion of same-sex domestic partner beneﬁts in his budget proposal has resulted in opposition by many. Some say the proposal would go against the Wisconsin constitutional law passed by voters in 2006, which bans samesex marriage and civil union. According to a press release Monday, Wisconsin Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, and his allies like Julaine Appling, CEO of Wisconsin Family Council, are questioning the legality of the proposal.

“People across Wisconsin agree domestic partners should enjoy basic legal protections like being able to visit their partners in the hospital.” – Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now Fitzgerald said the courts will have to decide if Doyle’s plan meets that standard. Appling echoed his statement. “If they are going to proceed with this, this is going to be settled in court,” Appling said. Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now, said that most Wisconsin residents support the domestic partner beneﬁts. He said that Fitzgerald and Appling will lose the ﬁght to “common sense and fairness.”

RADDATZ Continued from page 1 she did not wake up when she was moved. Raddatz was found unresponsive by some friends at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning on the second floor of the duplex. The friends alerted a neighbor who attempted CPR. 911 was called shortly afterwards. Raddatz was pronounced dead around 1 p.m. on Saturday. The duplex where Raddatz was found has eight college students living in it. Police found the house messy with several alcohol bottles and beer cans, as well as cigarettes and a large bong on the coffee table. According to Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner, the final cause of Raddatz’s death is pending further toxicology results, which can take up to eight weeks to process.

“People across Wisconsin agree domestic partners should enjoy basic legal protections like being able to visit their partners in the hospital,” said Ross. “Despite the deceptions of Scott Fitzgerald and Julaine Appling, common sense and fairness will prevail.” Ross’ organization, One Wisconsin Now, is an advocacy organization that supports progressive initiatives. The United Council of UW Students (UC), a statewide student association that UWMilwaukee is a part of, also praised the inclusion of domestic partner benefits, saying “UW students support Doyle’s inclusion of domestic partner benefits.” United Council of UW students LGBTQ Director Chris Daniels says, “University of Wisconsin students can be proud of the strong stance the governor has taken on the issue.” Daniels added that, like UW students, many state government and UW system officials also agree with Gov. Doyle’s stance on domestic partner benefits. “The issue of providing domestic partner benefits for University of Wisconsin employees has garnered strong support from the Board of Regents, the Inclusivity Initiative, many state legislators and the governor,” said Daniels. The domestic partner benefits would give certain legal rights to domestic partners who are state employees, such as hospital visitation, health care coverage and the ability to take family and medical leave to care for an ill partner.

Police arrested a 19-year-old UWM female student who was in possession of the prescription drugs that Raddatz had taken. The young woman has known Raddatz for ﬁve or six years, according to an investigative report by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner. The report also stated that, according to Raddatz’s mother, she had no medical problems and no history of past drug abuse problems. Raddatz graduated from Kettle Morraine High School in 2008 and was studying business at UWM. Savannah Sachtschale is a friend of Raddatz’s who graduated with her from Kettle Morraine High School. She described Raddatz as friendly. “Alli was one of the sweetest, friendliest people I’ve ever known,” Sachtschale said. “She was accepting of everyone and made them feel welcome and special.”

UWM’s Great Lakes WATER Institute is the largest academic freshwater research facility on the Great Lakes. Post photo by Sam Hogerton

WATER Institute stresses freshwater research Director explains Lake Michigan’s importance By Kody Schafer Special to the Post news@uwmpost.com

UW-Milwaukee’s Great Lakes WATER Institute Senior Scientist and Director Val Klump held a noon conference Tuesday Feb. 24 to propose his plans for the Institute’s future. Klump addressed a small group of students, faculty and community members, explaining how important freshwater research is to Milwaukee. He stressed that it is not only important to Milwaukee and the greater region, but also to the rest of the world. “Our future depends on freshwater research,” Klump told his audience. “There is an urgent need for new technologies. This is a $400 billion a year global industry.” Klump noted the fact that the Great Lakes hold 20 percent of the entire world’s fresh

water supply. He also pointed out that in Milwaukee alone there are over 120 companies that work mainly with water and that “Great Lakes restoration just makes economic sense.”

“There is an urgent need for new technologies. This is a $400 billion-a-year global industry.” – Val Klump, UWM Great Lakes WATER Institute senior scientist and director Klump believes there is a huge possibility of making Milwaukee the water hub of the world. By increasing public awareness, he hopes to gain funding and research for freshwater sciences and technolo-

gies. Klump also pointed out the possibility of generating funding by charging a small tax to residents of Milwaukee. “If we put a surcharge on water, a penny a day for a household, 10 bucks a year, we would generate $4 million a year.” Currently, Milwaukee residents do not have to pay for water. What taxpayers do pay for, however, is the infrastructure behind the water industry. They pay for the process required to extract, clean and deliver water to their tap. In order to persuade lawmakers to allow such a tax, Klump stated that public awareness needed to be increased greatly. The Institute also desires businesses getting involved with freshwater research, aiming to acquire allies for lobbying and investment. They plan to launch their plans for expansion soon.

6 March 2, 2009

The UWM Post

DORMS Continued from page 1 hosted by the Mandel Group in regard to the Hometown proposal, Joe Klein, president of the Cambridge Woods Neighborhood Association, shared his frustrations concerning the approval process with both UWM and the Mandel Group.

“What’s the point of student housing if it’s that far away? Why wouldn’t you rent an apartment that’s cheaper and closer by?” – Kelly Brandt, UWM senior “Neighborhood groups would like to see the university do cooperative outreach with neighborhood associations. There is a feeling that the schedule for meetings was just dropped and there wasn’t a two-way cooperation,” said Klein at a Nov. 12, 2008 working session. Klein had also called the university’s interaction with the community “hierarchical and formal.” Kelly Brandt, a senior psychology major at UWM, said that building housing downtown would be inconvenient and illogical for students. “What’s the point of student housing if it’s that far away? Why wouldn’t you rent an apartment that’s cheaper and closer by?” Brandt said.

POLLIN Continued from page 4

Puzzle solutions Last week’s In-Word solution In-Word: LAUNDRY auld darn dray dual duly lady land lard laud

Last week’s crossword solution

lunar nard nary rand randy ulna yard yarn

Last week’s Word Search & Rescue solution RESCUE: “Never lend money it gives people amnesia” U N

A N

E M R

O O

A R

E W A

M N

P O

M C N

C R E E P

L E V E E

T O A D

A N N E

F I R E

E V I L

AS P GAL I T A L T EWE OS L K E P GR Y S ER V E D E X AN NG S E

A C H HE E AK V I E N D T AL K I E L RA S C

B L E U

CS AP RA P S SM A S V A A L T I ME L AM P NKO AN T E OW

S U N N Y P O S S E S

S C O T T I E

A L P O

R O A R

I D L E

P I T E A S E T H P E AS L E

E G O S

S H O E

R U L E D

Y E L L S

This week’s Sudoku solution

Try your hand at this week’s puzzles, turn to page 23

economically and politically. “Building a green economy and transforming our economic position from one of fossil fuel to clean fuel will provide a net benefit of job creation,” said Pollin. “Over time it is going to cost us nothing.” He further added that “There are considerable political benefits of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels” and that ”our biggest single source of our $600 billion trade deficit last year came from foreign oil.”

“Building a green economy and transforming our economic position from one of fossil fuel to clean fuel will provide a net benefit of job creation.” – Dr. Robert Pollin, University of Massachusetts-Amherst Pollin believes that while alternative energy sources have great potential to break us through our dependence on fossil fuels, the majority of investments should address energy conservation and would go to great lengths in aiding us in the recovery of the economy. “70 percent of green invest-

Brandt also expressed concern that ﬁrst-year students would be more likely to skip classes if they were further away from campus and that downtown dorms would ruin the community atmosphere. Kovac has already seen three UWM housing projects be approved within his district, which includes neighborhoods on the East Side. The UWM campus is within Kovak’s third aldermanic district. The RiverView dorms at Commerce Street and North Avenue, began housing students in Jan. 2008. Another student housing facility, located at Farwell Avenue and Kenilworth Avenue, is Kenilworth Square, which provides upperclassmen housing. And a third residence hall in the works, the Hometown project, will be constructed on Cambridge Ave. right across the Milwaukee River from the RiverView dorms. A push by both Kovac and Bauman for UWM dormitories to be constructed in the downtown area could result in the creation of the ﬁrst UWM student housing projects in Ald. Bauman’s district. The ordinance will be decided by the Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee to see if future projects will go before the Board of Zoning and Appeals. BOZA is an autonomous organization that is sanctioned to hear appeals involving zoning ordinances. It is estimated that BOZA hears around 700 cases a year.

ment should be based on energy efficiency, retrofitting our homes and buildings,” he said. “Energy efficiency runs on a high degree of certainty while alternative energies are still, as of today, inefficient technologies that will need time to develop.” Pollin also noted “green investments in energy efficiency would create around 2.5 million jobs because of the high domestic content for retrofitting work and could reduce our current unemployment rate from 7.6 percent to 5.9 percent.” Pollin said he believes that government does not need to be the primary source of investment when it comes to the movement of retrofitting American homes and buildings. He said that if the government were to underwrite 80 percent of the value of retrofitting loans made by the private banking sector, it would cost the government a minimal amount of money and stimulate private industry. “There are huge rates of return for retrofitting an average home; an average retrofit will cost $2,500 and will be paid off around three years” said Pollin. The next event in the Great Decisions series is titled “Russia: Confrontation or Partnership” and will be held on Tuesday, March 3rd at 7 p.m. in the UWM Union Ballroom. Admission is free for UWM faculty, staff and students.

Shameless self promotion. uwmpost.com

March 2, 2009 7

uwmpost.com

Home robbery Ball State steals one from Panthers By Jimmy Lemke Sports Editor sports@uwmpost.com

It was nearly a year ago, the last time the women’s tennis team lost at home. They had been building quite a nice streak to hang their hat on. Unfortunately, Ball State had other plans than being another victim at the Paley Tennis Center. Then UW-Milwaukee dropped a heartbreaker on the Cardinals, 5-2. Kari Kastenholz did her

Horizon League swimmers set themselves for the horn, during the Conference Championships at the YMCA in Browndeer. Post photo by Sam Hogerton

Swimming season comes to a close Women take second, Men third at Championships By Tim Prahl Assistant Sports Editor sports@uwmpost.com

Although they don’t have Michael Phelps on their roster, the UW-Milwaukee men and women’s swimming teams were able to walk away with plenty of records and awards as they played host to the Horizon League Championships at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center. Led by senior Molly Finn, sophomore Danielle Wenger and freshman Sarah Wardecke, the UWM women’s swim team finished second overall with 737 points. Green Bay claimed its fifth-straight title with 859 points. Finn won the league title in the 200 butterfly for the fourthconsecutive year, breaking her own school and league record

in the process. “Molly is just one of those phenomenal people,” Panther head coach Erica Janssen told Panther Athletics. “To watch her win four-straight titles is something that just melts your heart.” After all events were concluded, Wenger was named league athlete of the year. This is just the second time in program history that a woman has won this award. Ashley Hall and Kelsey George won co-divers of the meet for Milwaukee, and Todd Hill won diving coach of the year. The men finished just slightly behind their counterparts, placing third overall with a score of 647 points. UI-Chicago took first with 703 points, while Wright State finished second with 685. “The men were just awe-

By John Parker Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com

Erin Kane, who recently finished a prolific career as the goalkeeper of the women’s soccer team here at UW-Milwaukee, has been invited to participate in training camp with the St. Louis Athletica of the Women’s Professional Soccer league. Kane was named to First Team AllHorizon League in each of her four seasons at Milwaukee and finished with the lowest goals against average (0.67) in Horizon League history. She was the only goalkeeper in league history to be named to the first team each of her four seasons. The St. Louis Athletica squad is a member of the premier women’s soccer league, Women’s Professional Soccer, which is entering its first season. The league will feature seven teams, with

some this week, and I know I use that word a lot, but they were,” Janssen said. Junior Jeremy Waldhart earned second-team all-league honors in the 200 backstroke as he finished less than one second behind Wright State’s Nathan Demchuk. Despite having quite the young squad, the Panthers still placed many participants in the final events after competitive preliminaries. Three UWM freshmen were in the 100 breaststroke, two more Panthers were in the three-meter diving finals, and two more made the 200 butterfly final. “The leadership was just tremendous this year,” Janssen said. “They (the seniors) will be deeply missed, so we will need someone to step up next year and take their place.”

“This was a tough loss to a gutsy Ball State team.” - Matt McCaskill, Milwaukee head coach part in singles competition, dropping Dena Boulieris 3-6, 7-5 and 6-0 in No. 2 singles. Kelly Drvaric, the No. 1 singles player, dropped her decision against Sarah Hebble, 6-3 and 6-4. Ashley Schoneman had the same luck, losing 4-6, 7-6, 64 to Kylee Johnson in the No. 3 match. Sammi Schoen and Megan Gow also lost to the Cardinals, making the singles portion all but over. Jenna Felsher would redeem the team a bit by defeating Rachel Surowiec 7-6 and 6-1, but the damage had been done. In doubles, Schoen and Schoneman had better luck. The team dropped Kylee Johnson and Hebble in a dominating eﬀort, 8-1. However, they were the only Panthers who would take a victory in the doubles. Kelly Drvaric and Kari Kastenholz dropped an 8-6 decision to Georgina Thomson and Dena Boulieris. Megan Gow and Jenna Felsher took a fall against Surowiec

Panther going pro? Erin Kane gets a shot at the big leagues the other six being located in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Santa Clara and Washington D.C.

Kane was the only goalkeeper in league history to be named to the first team each of her four seasons. Kane was invited to training camp following her performance at a tryout last weekend. On the ﬁrst day of the tryout, the players were divided into four

teams and each team played two games in frigid temperatures and heavily gusting winds. The temperature wasn’t the only challenge of the tryout; Kane and the other participants had to overcome nerves as well. “[The coaches] sat up inside a scorer’s box at half-ﬁeld and simply watched all day,” she said. “Unfortunately, not knowing how they felt I was doing or what they wanted me to work on drove me absolutely crazy.” Her tension was eased on the second day when they ran goaliespeciﬁc drills that were similar to those run at UWM.

and Hanna Oman, 8-5. Ball State improved to 4-5, which was the same record Milwaukee dropped to. “This was a tough loss to a gutsy Ball State team,” Milwaukee head coach Matt McCaskill told uwmpanthers. com. “I knew the doubles point would be key, and we came out slow in a couple of those matches. Then, we lost three of the four singles matches that went to three sets, so it is just too tough to get the victory. It was a disappointing loss because I thought, for the most part, Ball State played with more intensity than we did.”

Singles No. 1 - Sarah Hebble (BSU) def. Kelly Drvaric, 6-3, 6-4 No. 2 - Kari Kastenholz (UWM) def. Dena Boylieris (BSU), 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 No. 3 - Kylee Johnson (BSU) def. Ashley Schoneman (UWM), 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 No. 4 - Hanna Oman (BSU) def. Sammi Schoen (UWM), 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 No. 5 - Georgina Thomson (BSU) def. Megan Gow (UWM), 6-1, 5-7, 10-5 No. 6 - Jenna Felsher (UWM) def. Rachel Surowiec (BSU), 7-6, 6-1

Doubles No. 1 - Thomson/Boulieris (BSU) def. Drvaric/ Kastenholz, 8-6 No. 2 - Schoen/Schoneman (UWM) def. Johnson/Hebble (BSU), 8-1 No. 3 - Surowiec/Oman (BSU) def. Gow/Felsher, 8-5

The league allows each team to bring 28 players into training camp. The ﬁnal roster limits are 18 regular players and four optional developmental spots. Following several player drafts in the league’s inaugural season, St. Louis currently has the rights to 20 players. Hope Solo, the starting goalkeeper for the 2008 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, is seemingly locked for the ﬁnal roster. Thus, Kane will be competing with Jillian Loyden, who St. Louis selected in the sixth round of the entry draft, for a spot on the roster as the backup goalkeeper. “Although I’m extremely nervous of [sic] the thought of training alongside Hope Solo for the next two weeks, I’m excited to try and prove myself and work my way towards a contract.” The WPS begins play in April and runs through August, with the championship game on August 22.

8 March 2, 2009

The UWM Post

Cheeks

2009 Wisconsin Sports Summer Travel Calendar Sports Travel, Part Two By Ken “Cheeks” Ryan Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com

Due to the fact that February and the first few days of March are painfully slow sports-wise, the focus of this column these two weeks has been sports travel. Plus, winter sucks, and it’s nice to put summer back into our vernacular. Last week I discussed the top 10 sports vacations I would like to take in my lifetime. This week I am focusing on “save the dates” for sports-related things (mostly baseball) to do in this great Dairy State of ours. Opening Day Weekend @ Miller Park (April 10-12) One of my favorite weekends of the year. This year, the hated Chicago Cubs visit as the Brewers look to build off their first postseason berth in 26 years. The itinerary: Friday’s home opener at 3:05 p.m. is sold out. Who cares? Drive out and get parking passes a couple days beforehand and order up a half-barrel and some ‘wursts to celebrate with a nice-sized group under what conveniently will be warm weather. Then, as soon as you’re done reading this column, dial up the Brewers ticket office for seats to either the Saturday or Sunday game (both at 6:05 p.m.) before they sell out. Obviously, more beer will be required. Saturday night home games at Miller Park: Nothing beats a 6:05 Saturday night game. They allow ample time to tailgate as well as a chance to go out downtown afterward. This year’s slate features nine games between May and

Labor Day weekend. They are as follows: May 2 (Arizona), May 9 (Chicago-NL), May 30 (Cincinnati), June 13 (ChicagoAL), June 27 (San Francisco), July 11 (Los Angeles), July 25 (Atlanta), August 15 (Houston), and August 29 (Pittsburgh). Try your best to make it to two or three of these nights. Northwoods League Baseball (All Summer Long) The Northwoods League is filled with Division One college players that are looking to keep playing ball over the summer. There are 14 teams in the league, including teams in Green Bay, Wausau, Eau Claire, La Crosse and Madison. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Tuesday Nights) Located in Appleton, the T-Rats are now a Single-A affiliate of the Brewers. Games are always affordable, and on Tuesday nights at home games they become even more so, when beers are just $1. Kohler Golf (Pre-Memorial Day) Want a place to test your game? Try some of the most grueling and challenging golf courses in the United States, which happen to be located near Sheboygan. Whether you choose Whistling Straits (or the Irish Course), The Bull at Pinehurst Farms or Blackwolf Run, among others, here’s hoping it’s worth the considerable price tag, which hopefully won’t be quite as big since I’m sending you before Memorial Day. Fish/Golf/Boating up North (Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-25) A wise man once told me there are two things worth marrying into: land up north and Packers season tickets. Well said. This writer has been blessed to have many friends

with places up north on a lake. Destinations I’ve visited include Minocqua, Wautoma, Cecil and Crivitz, among others. Each has their own qualities that make them outstanding, so pack up the High Life and brats. Walleye Weekend (June 1214) A deadpan effort at a shout out to Fond du Lac and Lake Winnebago. The biggest walleye fishing tournament in the Midwest also has a large run/ walk built in, as well as an outdoor basketball court that has somehow become really popular. Twins Series at Miller Park/ CUSA (June 23-25) My favorite series of the year takes place as the ballclub from the state with 10,000 lakes visits the state with 17,000. Good news/ bad news here. I’ll start with the bad: the series is a TuesdayThursday afternoon. The good news? That allows you to travel north to Oshkosh for the biggest country music festival on the globe, Country USA, which takes place the same weekend. This year’s banner lineup includes Taylor Swift, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley. Not to mention that the women who attend country concerts are usually appealing to the eyes of the average male. Wrigley then Summerfest then fireworks (July 3) The Brewers are on Chicago’s north side for a four-game set that figures to be critical in the NL Central race. Enjoy a Friday at Wrigley Field as well as the surrounding taverns (make sure your buddy’s insane girlfriend drives, allowing an afternoon of good times). Once the 1:20 p.m.

See SPORTS TRAVEL page 9

Senior Guard Markita Barnes ﬁghts past her defender during Thursday night’s overtime loss. Photo courtesy of Brent Smith at Butler University

Hitting the valley Tough week with archrival around the corner By Mitch Gallagher Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers women’s basketball team dropped two games over the weekend in heartbreaking style. On Thursday the Panthers lost 74-71 in overtime at Butler and on Saturday had another three-point loss at Valparaiso, losing 67-64. On Thursday the Panthers were led by Traci Edwards, who had 20 points and 14 rebounds. Milwaukee found themselves down by as many as 12 points in the ﬁrst half but clawed their way back and led for much of the second half. With 6.6 seconds remaining in the extra period Sophomore Lindsay Laur saw her oﬀ-balance attempt miss but the ball was rebounded by Markita Barnes who then missed the would-be gametying shot at the buzzer. “I thought Markita’s shot was going in from where I was,”Milwaukee Head Coach Sandy Botham said. “Our kids never gave up, stayed with it. Their poise was great, we just didn’t get some calls to go our way here or layups to fall there. But, we put ourselves in a great position to beat Butler. These are the kinds of losses you can live with.” Laur and sophomore Jenilee Klomstad also had double digit points with 13 and 10, respectively. The Panthers had a +19 advantage on the boards, out rebounding Butler 53-34 which translated into 17 points for Milwaukee. Milwaukee held con-

trol of the game early in second holding Butler to 1-13 shooting to start the half. But it wasn’t quite enough when Butler made the shots when they needed to, going on a 6-0 with the game winding down to send it into overtime. The game may have been decided on the free throw line where Butler converted 26 of 31 attempts. Lindsay Laur and Traci Edwards led in team again in their loss to Valparaiso earning 17 points, 14 rebounds and 15 points, 12 rebounds respectively. The Panthers again led in the second half before seeing their lead disappear. Lauren Kenney led Valpo with a gamehigh 26 points and the Crusaders had two other players score 17. The Panthers finished the first half going on a 10-2 run and led 29-26 at the break. The Panthers then gave Valpo a 16-5 run to start the second half, giving the Crusaders a 42-36 lead with 12:51 left in the game. The Panthers cut the deficit to four points with 12 minutes remaining but would then go cold for nearly 10 minutes with the only basket in the stretch would be a lay-up by laur. The Crusaders only shot 39 percent but were very careful with the ball, only commiting 8 turnovers. The game was again won at the charity stripe. Valpo made 16 of 22 shots from the line to provide the real difference in the game. “It was a physical game. I thought that was what showed up on the stats,” Botham said. “I thought Lauren Kenney was really the player of the game. She got 10 out of 12 free throws and proved to be the big difference in the game. I thought we contained their guards well.” The panthers finish up the regular season March 7 at Green Bay.

March 2, 2009 9

uwmpost.com

A Wink and a Nod

Pay day Sports salaries are justifiable By Brett Winkler Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com

During these tough economic times, it’s not surprising that everyone has their mind on their money and their money on their mind. It seems a little unfair that CEOs of major corporations continue to bring in millions annually, while the people slaving away in the corporation’s factories are losing their jobs at an assembly line-like rate. Sports are not immune to the recent economic crisis, either. Attendance and merchandise sales are predictably down in most markets as fans spend more time and money supporting themselves rather than their favorite teams. Smaller leagues, like Arena Football, have been forced to suspend play, while even the bigger leagues, such as the NFL, have had to lay off several employees. When it comes to the salaries of sports figures, though, I really don’t mind. Recently, a pesky little I’m-going-to-change-the-world-withmy-annoying-and-irresponsible-freelance-journalism type, Ken Krayeske, asked University of Connecticut men’s basketball head coach Jim Calhoun about his $1.6 million salary, considering that the state of Connecticut faces a roughly $1.35 billion deficit. Since Calhoun, a two-time National Champion at UConn, coaches for the public state university, he is technically the highest-paid employee in the state of Connecticut. He dodged the out-of-place question initially by treating it like the joke that it seemingly was, slightly caught offguard by the random inquiry leading off his post-game press conference. “Not a dime back,” Calhoun quipped. “I’d like to be able to retire someday.” Like an annoying kid who

SPORTS TRAVEL Continued from page 8 ballgame concludes, hightail it back to Milwaukee for Kenny Chesney (opened by up-and-coming acts Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert) at the Marcus Amphitheatre. Afterward, Wisconsin’s top ﬁreworks show takes place as Milwaukee celebrates our nation’s 233rd birthday with the “Big Bang” on the Lakefront. Packers Training Camp (August 1-13) Head up to Titletown for a padded practice and analyze the roster for yourself as the Green and Gold prepare for their 90th season this fall. Longest mentioned as one

asks “but why,” after every statement without comprehending what was previously said, Krayeske continued to question the coach. Eventually, Calhoun could no longer hold back. “Quite frankly, we bring in $12 million a year for this university.” he said. “Don’t throw out salaries or other things. Get some facts and come back and see me. We turn over more than $12 million to the University of Connecticut, which is state-run.” And that’s the thing that Krayeske and others who only follow sports from afar fail to realize. The salaries of coaches at public, state-run universities are paid for by the state per se, but not in such a literal sense. The Athletic Departments at state-run universities, which are mostly ﬁnancially self-sufﬁcient thanks to donors, boosters and the money generated by their programs, are paying for the coaches. So, in essence, Calhoun is paying for his own salary with the money that he and the program earns for the school.

Sports are not immune to the recent economic crisis, either. Attendance and merchandise sales are predictably down in most markets as fans spend more time and money supporting themselves rather than their favorite teams. The same goes for professional sports. It’s easy to balk at someone like A-Rod, steroids or not, making $25 million per year. But in reality, A-Rod is receiving money that he’s largely responsible for earning, since the MLB and the Yankees are selling products and tickets thanks to players like him. As for Ken Krayeske, all he’s doing is pushing his own agenda and wasting everybody’s time. He ignored all the beat writers working on deadlines with legitimate game-related questions at a post-game news conference and instead used the time to get all “Woodward and Bernstein” and probe at a topic he knew very little about. But why?

of the greatest fan experiences in all of sports, this year the Packers will unveil a new practice set-up as Training Camp moves east of the Don Hutson Center onto Ray Nitschke Field. Training Camp extends all the way through August, but the meat and potatoes of camp is mostly conducted prior to the ﬁrst preseason game, which appears will take place August 15. Along with the game the Packers will be candidates for home games the next two weekends. If you haven’t already, take a walk through the Packers Hall of Fame, tour Lambeau or dine inside the atrium. Also, if you’d like to make an overnight stay, there are a number of hotels within walking distance available.

INTRAMURAL

Coed Kickball New Sport!! Indoors!!

Register for Kickball and Tennis by next week!! March 30th is the registration deadline for Volleyball, Dodgeball, and Badminton.

Eat. Sleep. Cricket.

10 March 2, 2009

The UWM Post

The Panthers take a moment to discuss the game during Thursday night’s loss at Wright State. Photo courtesy of Matt Zircher at Wright State

f the w o t e a t

Bats come alive

Mike Rauwerdink (17) pitches to a Northern Illinois batter in 2007. File photos by Kyle Stevens

Milwaukee Tops #25 Michigan and sneaks by Akron By Jesse Tiedt Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com

The Panthers (14) baseball team belted out 16 hits against Michigan (5-1) Friday at the Jacksonville Invitational. Milwaukee had a seven-run sixth inning to pull away from the Wolverines for their first win of the season. Michigan was handed its first loss of the year in large part by Milwaukee senior Shawn Wozniak, who drove in five runs. Offensively, Wozniak and Ben Long each finished with three hits, with Paul Hoenecke and Josh Groves adding two each. Every starter had at least one hit and scored at least one run on the day. Ryan LaMarre had four hits - two of them home runs - and drove in seven to lead the Wolverines. Junior Lucas Annen (1-0) earned the victory, coming on in relief of senior Andy

Hetebrueg who started the game. Hetebrueg allowed five runs in 4.0 innings, striking out two. Annen threw 3.0 innings, allowing five hits and striking out three. Travis Smith (1-1) took the loss, allowing seven runs (just three earned) on six hits. Saturday, the Panthers (2-4) faced the Akron Zips (0-6) in an exciting game. Senior Ben Long hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh inning to push the Panthers to a 9-7 victory. Long’s home run turned a 7-5 deficit into an 8-7 lead. Senior Craig Meier closed the door, retiring all six batters he faced in the final two innings for the save. Senior Andy Gerhartz went 4-for-4 and stole three bases on the day. The Panthers had another day of solid batting, gathering 14 hits off of 3 opposing pitchers. Kraft, Long, Patzman and senior Shawn Wozniak all had two hits apiece. Amsrud (1-0) earned the win by facing just one bat-

ter after senior Brad Lusti got the start, allowing ﬁve runs in 5.0 innings, striking out two.

Men’s basketball plays Loyola at the U.S. Cellular Arena on Tuesday at 7 in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament. Their first-round opponent last year? Loyola, who defeated the Panthers 57-51 at the Cell.

What’s On Tap Tuesday | Men’s basketball vs. Loyola at the U.S. Cellular Arena, 7 p.m. The Panthers face off against Loyola for the third time this season. Can the Panthers complete the odd trifecta and win by the same 14point margin? The Horizon League Tournament begins. March Madness is upon us. Friday - Saturday | Track and Field at the Alex Wilson Classic in South Bend, Ind. The track team goes to Notre Dame to come away with a good showing. Friday - Saturday | Men’s basketball in the Horizon League Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Should the Panthers beat Loyola on Tuesday, a large contingent of Milwaukee fans will make the trek to Butler on the weekend to see their Panthers take on the winner of Wright State/Valparaiso on Friday, and with another victory they take on No. 1 seed Butler in the semifinals on Saturday. Milwaukee has defeated all teams on their side of the bracket this season. Friday - Sunday | Baseball vs. Louisville and Eastern Illinois at Louisville. Milwaukee had a great showing in Jacksonville, defeating No. 25 Michigan. Can the Panthers regain some of that mojo and take down another baseball power in Louisville? Saturday | Tennis vs. Bradley at the Paley Tennis Center, 4 p.m. The Panthers look to get to .500 again after dropping a tough one to Ball State. Women’s basketball at Green Bay, 2 p.m. Milwaukee tries to get a marquee victory against their arch-rival heading into the conference tournament. Green Bay took one in Milwaukee earlier this year. Sunday | Tennis at Green Bay, noon. Milwaukee looks to get off on the right foot in conference play against a top rival.

Post photo by Brian McComb

fringe

12 March 2, 2009

The UWM Post

“Out of the darkness comes the…” Poet Saul Williams illuminates UWM once more By Alex Rewey fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com

“Why are so many of you here?” asked a clearly surprised Saul Williams moments after he literally leapt back to the UW-Milwaukee stage Wednesday night. The Union’s Wisconsin Room was filled to capacity with both poetry and hip hop fans alike. They came to see the former slam poet give a reading from his provocative and unconventional body of work, and the sea of eager eyes and ears must have been quite a surprise indeed. Opening for Williams this time around was the young Haitian singer-songwriter Rosemond Jolissaint, who while still in his teens became champion of Haiti’s first Digicel Stars competition for his rueful lyrics about his home country. Singing in his native Haitian Creole, the young Jolissaint projected somberness and deep compassion through songs like “Ala Traka” (Woe the Suffering) and “Ti Moun Yo” (Children), which concern the plight of Haiti’s poor, who are among the most impoverished in the Western Hemisphere. Williams, who himself shared a partially Haitian ancestry, drew particular attention toward the sadly ongoing struggle of a nation so closely intertwined with the history of emancipation. Williams’ own performance began with a thunderous rendition of his lyrical dissection of modern semantics entitled, “Coded Language,” during which he stopped briefly to dismount from the stage to be on par with the audience for a more

natural feel. Closing the poem to riotous applause, Williams abandoned the conventions of a typical reading, allowing audience members to literally shout out questions in response to each verse. First, Williams answered questions concerning his upbringing as the son of a Baptist minister, along with his long love of theater and philosophy. “The stage, not the pulpit, is my calling,” laughed Williams as his de facto response to the many inquisitors asking whether he would follow in his father’s footsteps.

With a melancholy air, Williams exclaimed, “The greatest Americans have not been born yet. They are patiently waiting for the past to die.” Williams continued with the second part of what he refers to as his “Lunacy Trilogy,” entitled “Children of the Night.” He wrote this through much of the pregnancy of his daughter, Saturn. The overtly divine imagery of much of Williams’ poetry was enough to prompt one of the stranger questions of the evening in which an audience member informed the rather dumbstruck Williams that leading national religious journals had published articles on the poet’s ability to incorporate Christian, Buddhist and Hindu themes in meaningful, rather than topical ways. Much of “Children,” as well as his hypercritical take on the state of modern hip hop, “Telegram,” addressed Williams’ much-elaborated view of modern femininity, a topic greatly explored in his 2003 collection, “Said the Shotgun to the Head,” in which the narrator details the concept of a female messiah.

Along with considerations of gender, Williams performed an a cappella version of perhaps his most intimate work on race, “Black Stacey,” from his self-titled 2004 album. The shining performance of the evening was undoubtedly Williams’ performance of the infectiously rhythmic, “Ohm,” which he had previously performed alongside legendary beat poet Allen Ginsberg in a reading three weeks before his death. Williams’ ﬁnal reading came as an excerpt from “Said the Shotgun,” entitled “Bloodletting.” With a melancholy air, Williams exclaimed, “The greatest Americans have not been born yet. They are patiently waiting for the past to die.” While his theatrical delivery is well-renowned for its unbridled intensity, Wednesday’s rather casual performance proved that Williams’ personal philosophy is what truly makes his poetry resonate in artistic fan circles. Williams spent much of the evening calmly elaborating on the deep personal convictions and life imagery that has prompted so much of his work. Taking frequent thought gathering pauses, it became abundantly clear that his musings were less rehearsed speeches than honest contemplations on the nature of spirituality and the role of expressive poetry in society. Invoking the Roman concept of poets as the ﬁrst gateways for divine (read “new”) ideas, Williams humbly drew connections between all major poetic movements to the social revolutions that followed, while questioning his own role in the theoretical construct. Nevertheless, his own olive branch concept of religions as crutch to help us all one day walk free again under our own power seemed especially poignant and extraordinarily vivid under the potent lyricism of Williams’ gifted tongue.

uwmpost.com

Cover art courtesy the Ragadors

Roots music through and through Ragadors young band with great range By Zachary Hoeppner Staff Writer fringe@uwmpost.com

“Don’t hide your love,” sings Ragadors front man Ben Hall on the band’s slugger bluesrock opener “Grave Baby,” a combustion of ferociously memorable melodies and raging guitars. Hall’s guttural delivery harkens back to many a blues legend. The Milwaukee quartet released their self-titled EP to a receptive crowd at the Up & Under (1216 E. Brady St.) Saturday night.

“We play rock songs, bluesy enough to be familiar, with just enough grit to make your grandmother nervous.” –the Ragadors The EP was recorded live with no overdubbing—it is no accident or trick that these gentlemen sound good. Fans of an honest quarternote dance groove will have no quarrel with “Trapped in Big Ben,” with its stadium rock sensibility, foot stomping rhythm and contagious groove. “Got to keep these hands working baby year after year/ Making the same damn rounds baby still out of fear/ …I’ve spent enough time trapped…,” Hall proclaims with over-driven vocals. What Hall’s lyrics lack in philosophical determination, they makes up for in honest subject matter basted in soul gravy. “Sick of Love,” brings the business in a Blind Faith-esque halftime groove that intermittently breaks out in a raucous dynamo of grisly rock-and-rolling.

Drummer Josh Harper creates a pocket for his melodic counterparts to deliver a groove worthy of eager ears. Harper, like great drummers Danny Carey and Neil Peart, pulls out the tone of his drums with aggressive precision. Bassist Dan Weber rounds out the tight rhythm section with his powerful, yet restrained attack. The Ragadors have an uncanny ear for creating tension, and there is no shortage on this dynamic highlight. “Run You Down,” dives right into a cunning dance number that combines cheeky guitar hooks with major dude sweat. Satisfyingly, the EP ends on a deep-rooted blues number titled “Turn Me Over.” Lead guitarist Russell Leary is not afraid of challenging the solo as a rock-and-roll taboo with a few tasty licks tactfully placed throughout. It’s exciting to see a band willing to take risks in their live performance. While their songs have observed boundaries, the Ragadors are fearless in their pursuit of improvised energy. So many selfproclaimed Indie bands have lost sight of the power live variation offers—no one wants to pay money to hear a band mirror their studio recordings verbatim. You might as well get some life-size cutouts of your favorite band, turn the surround sound speakers in your room up to ear damaging levels and dance the night away in a state of perpetual delirium. “We play rock songs, bluesy enough to be familiar, with just enough grit to make your grandmother nervous,” proclaims the Milwaukee quartet. For a young band, the Ragadors have an extended range, moving from melodic grooves laid down by their classic rock forefathers to straightahead blistering rock-and-roll, all of which is firmly grounded in an obvious love for the blues. From the first note to the last, this is roots music.

fringe

uwmpost.com

March 2, 2009 13

“Just press pay” Wisconsin’s new “iPod tax” By Melissa Campbell fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com

Wisconsinites who enjoy their $9.99 album downloads may have a virtual bone to pick with Gov. Jim Doyle. Hidden within his tax proposal Feb. 19, Doyle enacted a five percent sales tax on all Internet downloads, effective October 1. The Main Street Equity Act, cleverly dubbed the “iPod tax,” will cover music, movies, ringtones, photos and any form of digital entertainment. The tax requires Internet retailers to add the sales tax to any downloaded product and remit the tax to the State government. Music megastore iTunes says it already adds tax in states that have a download tax, and will presumably just add Wisconsin to its list come Oct. 1. Part of the preparation for that date is an extensive campaign by the Department of Revenue to educate vendors. Critics say that the new tax, passed under the guise that it will “level the playing field” between virtual and physical businesses, is just another way to make up for the budget deficit. And they have a strong argument there. If estimates are right, the tax will net the State government a hefty chunk of change—$6.7 million the first year, and 20 percent growth each year after. Doyle has responded to the criticism, saying that the new law has been a longtime coming; already 15 other states, as well as the District of Columbia have similar laws on the books, but that doesn’t mean the new law hasn’t smarted some down-

loaders. Students I spoke with seemed to share the mentality that information should be free, and not subject to regulation by the government. The “level the playing ﬁeld” argument seems to be the main push point for the act. Doyle spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner told the Journal Sentinel that the tax promotes fairness between virtual businesses and Wisconsin’s physical ones. “This is applying the sales tax in the same way to the same products,” he said.

If estimates are right, the tax will net the State government a hefty chunk of change—$6.7 million the first year, and 20 percent growth each year after.

Now with 5% sales tax on every song.

Illustration by Melissa Campbell This is an argument that UWM lecturer Marc Tasman, who teaches a class entitled Internet Culture, can get behind. “I agree with Doyle’s characterization of the fairness of tax,” he says. “For years people have not been paying tax on these products. And we aren’t talking about toothpaste, soap and clothes. All these products (subject to the tax) are luxury items.” But a large argument against the tax is that digital downloads aren’t stuﬀ. When someone goes to a record shop and buys a CD, s/he gets a physical thing (the CD, its plastic case and booklet). In contrast, when someone buys a CD on the Internet, he or she just gets digital ﬁles that

CORRECTION: The article “What a drag (show)!” published in the Feb. 23 issue of the Post incorrectly identified LGBT Resource Center staff as those handing out condoms and collecting donations for the LGBT youth organization Project Q. It was actually staff and youth leaders from Project Q, the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center’s youth program, who handed out condoms and collected donations. We apologize for the confusion.

have no physical presence, at least to us. According to Tasman, this is an antiquated and over-simpliﬁed way of looking at the Internet, one he believes will go away with future generations. We have a cultural understanding that the Internet doesn’t exist anywhere, that it is just “invisible particles, bits and bytes,” he explains. But the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. “The one area that the USA is falling down in is digital access; the infrastructure that is actually part of the place that we think doesn’t have a physical space.” This infrastructure refers to wires that carry signals,

the electrical grid that supplies computers, servers where information is stored and companies that send signals into our homes. The Digital Access Index rated the United States 11th in the world in terms of its digital access, behind countries like Sweden and Korea. Tasman would like to see the government use the money collected from this tax to help rebuild and improve upon the infrastructure. “For too long we have been taking this for granted. The Internet is 20 years old,” he says. “How long would we wait to repave a road? 20 years?” Unfortunately for Tasman, Department of Revenue spokes-

woman Jessica Iverson says that sales tax collected from digital downloads will not go towards rebuilding/expanding the infrastructure of the Internet in Wisconsin. “It is just the application of Wisconsin sales tax to a diﬀerent set of products,” and will contribute to the general “sales tax revenue,” despite the fact that the digital products purchased may or may not have any physical ties to Wisconsin. While the “iPod tax” has many Wisconsin Internet users peeved, come Oct. 1 they will have no choice but to “just press pay” when it comes to their downloads.

14 March 2, 2009

fringe

The UWM Post

Cover art courtesy Wind-Up Records

An abundance of redundancies Company of Thieves steals your time and hearing By Darin Kwilinski Assistant fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com

Doing something on a whim can have unintended consequences, good, bad or a little bit of both. After picking up Company of Thieves’ ﬁrst album, “Ordinary Riches,” I quickly discovered I was on the fence about the band and in a situation of conﬂicted conscience. On one hand, I had discovered a new band, full of intelligent song designs and a full sound rarely seen on the super- experimental indie scene. On the other hand, I had also discovered a band so afraid of deviating from a working formula that it actually hindered most of their freshman release.

Resident vocalist Genevieve Schatz’s voice uncannily resembles Regina Spektor and getting past that fact alone was a chore. At first you may think Regina joined the band, but nay, this is not the truth.

Word of the week imbibition \im-buh-BISH-un\ • noun The act or action of imbibing : the act or action of drinking or taking in liquid

Resident vocalist Genevieve Schatz’s voice uncannily resembles Regina Spektor and getting past that fact alone was a chore. At first you may think Regina joined the band, but nay, this is not the truth. Still, Schultz’s voice is a great asset to the band, and it caps off an already impressive, if not redundant, sound. The opening track, “Old Letters,” opens with an eerie ambience that leads into some reckless drums and squealing violins. It is fairly epic in scope, with off beats and a variety of sounds setting the tone for the overly energetic, and sadly, often replicated, sound of the album. “In Passing” and “Oscar Wilde” complete the trio of opening tracks that sound so similar to

each other you’d think Company of Thieves was covering their own material. “Oscar Wilde” introduces a slightly new opening, but the band falls back to what worked well for the first track. “Quiet on the Front” and “Pressure” also stay close to home with this formula. Starting with track six the band gets a little more loose in their delivery, with “Around the Block,” their first song that cuts back on the volume, even if it is just a little bit. It also marks a point in the album where the band’s seemingly limitless energy starts to become a little subdued. “Even in the Dark” is a very welcome break, introducing a little bit softer tone. The band quickly slams an energy drink and comes back in full force with “Under the Umbrella,” which is almost a mix of two entirely different songs, creating an awkward listening experience. “The Fire Song” and “The Tornado Song” are similar in title, but fairly different in sound. The variety in the album is starting to show, albeit very late. That being said, the tracks come across forced; the band seems only to want to play loud, energetic songs (which they excel at). The closer, “New Letters,” starts out acoustic, but you already know where it’s going. It’s going up to 11, or at least the band tries. It would have succeeded if the tracks before it hadn’t already been cranked to max. Company of Thieves has a sound reminiscent of a great opening act for a larger name. And they may never move past this point if they keep creating the same song. They stick to a tried-and-true formula: driving verses leading into explosive choruses, complete with buildup bridges and quirky off-beats to fill the void of an otherwise fun though static sound.

“Ordinary Riches” Company of Thieves Released Feb. 24, 2009

fringe

uwmpost.com

March 2, 2009 15

Braving deep waters Asobi Seksu’s “Hush” ventures into difficult territory By Michael Ray Staff Writer fringe@uwmpost.com

An ethereal combination of overtly sweet, dreamy vocals and perfectly matched melodies are at the core of Asobi Seksu’s latest release, “Hush.” The disturbing, beautiful words and occasional turns of Japanese phrase color the air, letting listeners see into the mind behind this incredible madness. Voice weaves between music so smoothly that the resulting sound embraces listeners completely, drawing them into a state of bliss and introspection. This is shoegaze music at its best. Melancholy and even simple

at times, “Hush” is an album that appears to oﬀer a door into lead singer Yuki Chikudate’s world, but ultimately leaves the listener wanting more. Not that the album is incomplete, but songs like “Layers” that pull us in with overlapping vocals playfully taunt.

This is shoegaze music at its best. The eﬀect is a trip down the rabbit hole. Come on in, but question your very surroundings. “I set my past on ﬁre / I can’t take this anymore / Maybe I’ll forgive you / But this is where it ends / Leave the world just in time / But I can’t live like this,” we hear on “In the Sky.” This voice, this incredible voice, will absolutely break your heart. Leave all the past behind you. Get buried in a new life. Yet, the scars are still there and they’re going to show

no matter how much you try to dress them up. “Say goodbye to happy times / Say goodbye / Fail to keep the memories on my side / Love so much that I can’t survive / Love so much that I’m dead inside,” we hear on “Me and Mary,” a song that leaves mental pictures of young girls at concerts dancing without quite getting it. The song is beautiful, rhythmic and amazing all at once. However, it is also dark, haunting and painful. This convergence makes “Hush” both an impressive and heartbreaking album. Raw and cutting lyrics become buried in the melodies, words trailing oﬀ into nothing. At the same time, the dream pop melodies lull listeners into a false sense of security. If one ignores the words, the album becomes something different entirely. It puts on a happy face to cover up the pain—a portrait of real life. Chikudate

Another superb release on U2’s horizon

“There’s a part of me in the chaos that’s quiet, and there’s a part of you that wants me to riot,” Bono sings in the poppy gem “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight.” Bono and U2 have fashioned quite a riot indeed with their latest release, “No Line on the Horizon.” The arena rockers have crafted yet another timeless album, which lives up to their reputation as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. With some of the industry’s best producers at their side (Brian Eno, Danny Lanois, Steve Lillywhite), U2 has created an 11-song collection that is arguably their best work since the haunting “Joshua Tree.”

The arena rockers have crafted yet another timeless album, which lives up to their reputation as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. It all begins with the thunderous title track. The song is layered with spacey synth lines, while also highlighting the Edge’s trashy guitar tones. Bono yelps, “I know a girl with a hole in her heart. She said infinity’s a great place to start.” This reoccurring female figure provides certain wisdoms, which are referred to throughout the remainder of the album. The next song, “Magnificent,” is best described by its title. The militant drumming of Larry Mullen Jr., coupled with the Edge’s distorted guitar, instantly creates a vociferous U2 classic. The album really has few if any low points, reaching

sings on “Familiar Light” about “treading deep water.” “Hush” is deeper water than perhaps most of us are familiar with, but it’s well worth the wade into this ocean.

Dan K's 824 E. LOCUST

OPEN~ ~ MON-FRI 12-8 SAT 12-7

Irish rockers stay fresh with first new album in nearly five years By Trapper Schoepp Special to the Post fringe@uwmpost.com

Cover art courtesy Polyvinyl Records

* SUN 12-6

“Hush” Asobi Seksu Released Feb. 17, 2009

Salvia 5x - 40x Grinders Scales Dug Outs De-tox Whipped Jewelry Cream Chargers Obscene array of Pipes

* * *

***

Cover art courtesy Interscope Records its pinnacle halfway through with standouts, “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” and the fast-paced single “Get On Your Boots,” in which Bono declares, “Here’s where we gotta be, love and community.” In his rambling manner, Bono temporarily dismisses current events as he intones, “I don’t want to talk about wars between nations. Not right now.” The ferocious album chugs on to its gentle closer, “Cedars of Lebanon,” which features some of the album’s most memorable melodies. Bono sings falsetto alongside a rolling snare, “Return the call to home.” Provocative imagery such as, “Child drinking dirty water from the river bank, soldier brings oranges he got out from a tank,” flood the song and successfully bring the album. Bono maintains his unorthodox songwriting style in “No Line on the Horizon,” while also providing plenty of the usual U2 insight and peace-loving guidance. While his lyrics aren’t always full of well-crafted poetry, they often don’t need to be. The recurring themes of social and political strife within his writing are not meant to sound overly complex or pompous. More often than not, it is Bono’s full-bodied vocal lines that effectively convey his ideology to the world around him. While “No Line on the Horizon” may not deafen the voices of the many U2 naysayers, it will surely test their malice. There’s something extraordinary about the way U2 consistently delivers rock anthems, beguiling melodies, ingenious guitar riffs and unforgettable vocal paths, which yet again have helped U2 to another genuinely excellent collection of songs.

“No Line on the Horizon” U2 Released March 3, 2009

Income Tax Prep Fast and Aﬀordable

All returns e-ﬁled Student rates Pick/Delivery – Union Email/US Mail COMPLETE ACCOUNTING SERVICE 414-559-9275 - Ask for Jill jillmurphy@wi.rr.com

Hold your horses...three more weeks until the first day of spring.

fringe

16 March 2, 2009

The UWM Post

Painting the picture of war “Waltz with Bashir” combines Flash, traditional cell and 3D animation By Thomas Michalski Staff Writer fringe@uwmpost.com

A pack of 26 vicious dogs careens through the city streets. They fly past a young mother and her child, plow through the tables and chairs of a café without slowing down—they are on a mission. The dogs come to a snarling, slobbering halt outside the apartment of Boaz Rein Buskila, and wait for their prey. But this is just a bad dream, an endlessly recurring nightmare, one which Boaz recounts to his old friend, filmmaker and fellow Israeli army veteran Ari Folman. Boaz’s frayed nerves and obvious desperation bring Folman to an uncomfortable realization—he has not suffered from any nightmares or flashbacks. And he has no recollection whatsoever of the traumatic experiences of his time in the army, particularly those surrounding the massacres in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. Folman embarks on a quest to uncover these lost memories, tracking down old comrades and deciding, naturally, to make a film about his experiences. So begins “Waltz With Bashir,” writerdirector-producer Ari Folman’s deeply

Still image courtesy Bridgit Folman Film Gang personal animated documentary. We follow the ﬁlmmaker as he interviews old friends about their experiences during the Lebanese war, hoping to pin down where he was and what happened

Overall, he has no problem blending the best of the two modes of filmmaking, combining the informative and real-life aspects of documentary with the visual excitement and expressive possibilities of animation. to him. At the outset he has little to work with, just the surreal image, which may or may not be real, of himself emerging from the sea onto a beach as ﬂares light up the night sky. As he uncovers

more and more details, his memories begin creeping back and invading his real life. With every revelation comes more questions. As Ari’s friends tell their tales, their experiences, often bizarre and hallucinatory, are visualized with beautiful animation. Folman is quick to point out that the film was not made using the Rotoscope process—painting and drawing directly over the original video footage—used to produce “Waking Life” and “A Scanner Darkly,” but is instead a combination of Flash, traditional cell and 3D animation, made up of some 2,300 illustrations. It is understandable that he would wish to make such a distinction, since beyond the product of an infinitely laborous process, the images in “Bashir” take on a nuance and detail that rotoscoped films have yet to deliver. The film’s combination of an animated narrative and documentary elements is fascinating and original.

Shameless self promotion. uwmpost.com

Folman brings stories related in rather conventional talking-head interviews to life with heavily stylized animation that put us in the thick of the action. Overall, he has no problem blending the best of the two modes of filmmaking, combining the informative and real-life aspects of documentary with the visual excitement and expressive possibilities of animation. The film paints a vivid picture of the events surrounding the Lebanese war, including the murder of Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel that spurred the Phalangist Christian Militia to murder up to 3,000 people in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. Of all of Folman’s lost memories, this is the most elusive as well as the most potentially traumatic to unearth. Eventually he achieves his aim, and the film’s conclusion makes these terrible events as real and powerful for us as they have suddenly become for him.

You can never go home again Valerie Laken’s “Dream House” a modern American Gothic By Alex Rewey fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com

In perhaps his most haunting consideration of secondhand spaces, legendary musician Tom Waits once growled, “You take on the dreams of the ones who have slept there.” Dramatics aside, this is no truer than in the case of Valerie Laken’s unsettling debut novel, “Dream House.” Already a Pushcart and Hopwood award-winning short story writer, Laken has recently settled into her second semester teaching for the UWMilwaukee’s Creative Writing program, during which time she was able to ﬁnalize her ﬁrst full-length work. Set in her former residence of Ann Arbor, Mich., “Dream House” follows the periodic occupants on an unassuming house on Macon Street. After a violent crime in the late 1980s ultimately ousts the struggling

Cover art courtesy HarperCollins occupants, the house ﬁnds its way into the hands of young couple named Kate and Stuart Kinzler. As a dilapidated rental property in 2005, the house attracts Kate Kinzler’s attention, and she plans to renovate it into a perfect home, despite the ob-

See HOUSE page 17

fringe

uwmpost.com

March 2, 2009 17

A new arrival in the Grand Theft Auto family Special episode expands experience gaming By Jimmy Lemke Sports Editor fringe@uwmpost.com

In February, Rockstar Games released the first of two episodic expansion packs for the infinitely popular Grand Theft Auto IV, which hit stores in spring 2008. The first episode, titled “The Lost and Damned, “features GTA IV minor character Johnny Klebitz as he navigates his biker gang, the Lost, through the dangerous streets of Liberty City. Microsoft paid a hefty $50 million price to have exclusive rights to the two episodes, so for all of you Playstation 3 owners out there, sorry you made the mistake. Buy American next time. For the first time, gamers get to run through the same city at the same time as the main character of another GTA game. And Niko, the main character from IV, is present a lot of the time. He is seen during the opening credits, and several missions over the game have you working with Niko (original GTA IV owners will recognize them right away) or affecting Niko’s story (Johnny is the kidnapper of Roman Bellic, Niko’s cousin). The plot is pretty ho-hum, like most games in the series. Johnny and his pals begin the story by picking up their club

HOUSE Continued from page 16 jections of her her husband and her real estate developer father. When the crime’s unlikely perpetrator, a gentle young man named Walker, is released from prison he must come to terms with his family’s newfound relocation, as memories and the echoes of his now-stale crime begin to resurface for all involved.

president, Billy, from rehab (he got rehab instead of a 15-year sentence for a drug conviction). In his absence, Johnny ran the club like a business, making money and burying the hatchet with rival gangs in the interest of additional earnings. Billy is of the older generation, one who’d much rather bloody the hatchet than bury it. The missions in the game are same-old, same-old, but for those who enjoy GTA, it’s definitely worth it. This conflict of interests obviously leads to serious divisions in the clubhouse, which end in a bloody battle following Billy’s arrest for trying to sell heroin (Johnny got away). Billy’s lackey Brian, a terribly one-dimensional character, believes Billy was set up by Johnny and tries to take the club over himself. The minor characters have no development, with Johnny and Billy the only ones that have any depth. Rockstar explains this away by jumping into an ongoing story, but the lack of character depth leads to no reaction when faced with the death of “major” characters like Jim Fitzgerald, Johnny’s best friend (and I believe the first person in GTA to die ‘off-camera’). The cast of characters is relatively blank. The Lost’s main opponents, the Angels of Death,

long ago begin to creep into Kate and Stuart’s relationship in surprising ways. Clashes over the concept of home are among the novel’s most poignant moments. While the plot may occasionally, and brieﬂy, meander into cut-and-dry thrills, the thoroughly vivid characters are what propel the novel beyond convention. Laken’s compulsively readable prose details the minute intimacies of families on both sides of the tracks, and the ef-

Laken’s compulsively readable prose detailing the minute intimacies of families on both sides of the tracks appears unnervingly genuine, and thoroughly disarming. As opposed to a loaded thematic presentation of particular spaces as “cursed,” Laken masterfully examines the psychological implications and realistic reverberations of violence within one’s ideal home. That being said, early labeling of Laken’s novel as a contemporary ghost story feels just a trifle inaccurate. Much like life, the spirit of the past is what each character makes it. With the revelation of the house’s sordid history, both Kate and Stuart begin to view the interior differently. What was a routine remodeling quickly becomes a franticly obsessive effort to cover up all traces of the house’s past. As Walker benignly tries to recapture the image of his childhood home amidst the ongoing demolition, reverberations of the domestic strife

fect is unnervingly genuine and thoroughly disarming. Ultimately, the novel’s literary coup de grace comes in its wholly unique reworking of the notion of home building. The physical reconstruction of the house on Macon Street is much more complex than a simple redecorating. As each character discovers, homes are not simply built, but crafted and nurtured by our own idiosyncrasies and memories, from the little joys of domestic personalization to the harsh words exchanged behind locked doors. As Laken wonderfully illustrates, underneath the placid surfaces of every dream home are both beautiful and ugly truths that can echo through any new coat of paint, to the delight and disturbance of us all.

Screenshot courtesy Rockstar Games have no recurring characters. In fact, the only AOD biker who has any extensive dialogue is shot in the back of the head about a minute after you meet him. There are enough advances that make the game worthwhile to the GTA fan. Being in a biker gang allows for help in any number of ways, eliminating the wait time and work Niko had to put in to get explosives from Packie or guns from Lil Jacob. New weapons include a grenade launcher, which wasn’t anything special, and an automatic shotgun, which was so fun that had it been included in a weapons cheat I wouldn’t

have had time to write this article because I’d never put down the controller. One of the aspects of the game I really enjoyed was its address of the heavy-handed subject that is drug abuse. GTA IV saw a bit of that, but the comical unintelligibility of Lil Jacob and the heavily drunk McCreary family doesn’t depict the harsh side of drug abuse like the character Ashley. Johnny’s ex-girlfriend, she made a cameo in the original, but her character cast a dark and eye-opening look at the struggles drug abuse causes among both users and their loved ones. Perhaps the best addition

to the GTA IV is the additional multiplayer modes brought into the game. Certain modes, like Lone Wolf Biker, are your runof-the-mill games. But there’s also Own the City, which brings back San Andreas’ gang wars, and Witness Protection, which pits the police force NOOSE against the Lost in their attempt to eliminate a bus carrying witnesses to a crime. What it all comes down to is what interests you. If you’re satisﬁed with the GTA series, this is a cheap option for a new game (1600 Microsoft points, or $23). If you’re looking for a new game but didn’t like Niko’s plight, you may want to stay away.

The UWM Post

18 March 2, 2009

Solidarity | Working class perspective

False hope Obama sends 17,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan By Nathan Johnson Columnist editorial@uwmpost.com

If I’m not mistaken, people voted for Obama expecting hope and change. The changes which Obama has made in war policy have been fairly superficial so far. For instance, Obama has ordered the closing of the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay and an end to the harshest interrogation techniques. But he has nothing to say about giving Cuba its territory back, closing the remaining 730 or more military bases the United States. has across the world, prosecuting the agents and politicians

who either tortured prisoners or allowed them to be tortured, or a thousand other burning issues. And if I’m not mistaken, Obama was elected president thanks in large part to promising to bring American troops home. Instead, he has recently stepped on the gas and ordered 17,000 additional troops (an increase of more than 40 percent) to be sent to Afghanistan. In addition to being more aggressive than Bush with regard to Afghanistan, Obama has continued the U.S. military operations in Pakistan. Recently the Los Angeles Times reported that “scores of Pakistani civilians have… been killed in the drone attacks. Many [Pakistanis] also consider the strikes a violation of the country’s sovereignty.”

When the war-weary American people cast their votes last November, they weren’t voting for an increase in troop deployment or militarization. Significantly, nobody bothered to ask the Afghani people whether or not they want 17,000 more American soldiers occupying their country. We know how Afghani people would have responded—in the negative. The Afghani people are distraught over wayward bombs killing innocent people, soldiers misunderstanding their culture and a corrupt puppet government. While the public’s attention is

Behind the political doublespeak, we can see that the two ruling parties aren’t so different after all. focused on Iraq, atrocities take place unnoticed in Afghanistan. Air strike civilian deaths have tripled between 2006 and 2007, killing more than 320 people. Press TV reports, “According to the United Nations, more than

2,000 Afghan civilians were killed throughout 2008. NATO claims, however, that only 200 civilians were killed by foreign troops last year.” Further, more soldiers have died in 2008 in Afghanistan (113) than in any previous year. General Mike Mullen testified, “I’m not convinced we are winning it in Afghanistan.” Insurgents are said to be stronger today than they were before the U.S. invasion. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again— if the democracies set up in Afghanistan and Iraq crumble, it won’t be because the United States. didn’t stay long enough, but because it stayed too long. The longer we stay in those countries and the more we flex our military muscle, the more we enrage the people, the more extremists and fundamentalists are supported. It’s a vicious cycle. Obama’s stated plan is to redeploy troops now in Iraq into Afghanistan. Most people don’t know that, because Obama was too busy harping about “hope and change” to get around to being straightforward about

IdioThink A political pandemic of fallacious thinking By Johanan Raatz Staff Writer editorial@uwmpost.com

Pill-poppin’ society Prescription drugs are the new black By Lacy Kutz Staff Writer editorial@uwmpost.com

More than half of Americans use prescription drugs for chronic health problems. Patients use these drugs mostly in response to high cholesterol and blood pressure, anxiety, pain or depression. However useful these drugs may be to some patients, they end up being more harmful than helpful for most. According to the CDC from 1999-2004, unintentional deaths from prescription sleeping pills, antidepressants and tranquillizers grew from 12,186 in 1999 to 20,950 in 2004. In 2003, 15.1 million Americans admitted to using prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse), and in 2006, one in five teenagers (4.5 million) admitted to abusing prescription drugs not prescribed to them. Clearly, America is overmedicated. Many people have the opportunity to abuse prescription

drugs because doctors overprescribe them. According to the American Heart Association, 22 percent of Americans take less than the amount of medication prescribed to them, and 12 percent don’t use any of the drugs after they fill their prescription. This is first of all due to marketing strategies. Pharmaceutical companies advertise not only to the public but to doctors as well. People go into the doctors’ offices knowing what kind of prescription drug they want because they saw it advertised on TV. Doctors, on the other hand, are not only prescribing the new and improved biomedicine (which they believe in), but they are also making up for the past under-treatment of pain, anxiety and depression. Now, if someone has pain they need painkillers. If someone has anxiety they need antianxiety medication. If someone is depressed they need antidepressants. This makes sense to a certain extent. People with

See PILLS page 20

Fallacious reasoning can be irritating to argue against, but it’s often inconsequential. However, there are notable cases where it isn’t. Here, I’m going to look at a particular fallacy known as “affirming the consequent” and how it has influenced people’s thinking in consequential ways. Affirming the consequent is a fallacy in which one assumes the converse of modus ponens. It came to my attention recently when a friend was called racist because she opposed affirmative action. The argument presented behind this assertion was a textbook example of the affirming the consequent fallacy. It went as follows: affirmative action eliminates racial inequality. Racists want racial inequality. Therefore, if you are opposed to affirmative action you’re racist. The flaw with this argument is that it rules out the logical possibility of people being opposed to affirmative action for reasons other than wanting racial inequality. In reality, my friend opposes affirmative action because she thinks it’s unfair, not because she desires racial inequality. This is just the tip of the iceberg. It seems that this kind of illogic has made its way into a lot more of our political dialogue than just a few random incidences. That example is fairly common and has been recycled so many times that it’s easy to see how it could get into someone’s head. Other times, however, the stupidity involved is mind-boggling. I recall once getting into an argument about the supposed discrimination in the Iraq war. The argument was that the war was killing a disproportionate amount of Middle-Easterners and therefore was racist against them. My opponent never stopped to consider the obvious: Iraq has a disproportionate number of Middle-Easterners in the first place. Thus, if there is a war in the Middle East there is likely to be a disproportionate number

his war policy. Similarly, the Democratic Party’s national platform calls for an expanded military and larger military budget. Are you starting to see a pattern? Behind the political doublespeak, we can see that the two ruling parties aren’t so different after all. Only a working class party can represent the interests of the working class. Just as workers would never vote for millionaire capitalists to be their union leaders, the working class should never vote for the political parties representing the wealthy elite. The sooner people realize the two ruling parties are the private property of the ruling class, the sooner a working class party will be fought for. As Trotsky wrote, “Whatever the conditions may be the [working class] must clearly see its path and take it consciously. Above everything else it must be free from illusions. And the worst illusion in all its history from which the [working class] has up till now suffered has always been reliance upon others.”

of casualties of Middle-Easterners. After looking at a number of cases like this, I’ve found a pattern. Most frequently when these arguments are used, they come as a tool in some kind of witch hunt. The examples I’ve presented thus far seem to fit a certain formula. First, some kind of inequality is presented. Then issues are looked at based on how they affect this inequality. If one argues for one side of the issue that also happens to produce a larger inequality, then one is given some sort of negative label that usually ends in “-ist” or “-ophobe.” By this logic, if you are against affirmative action you’re a racist, if you’re against abortion you’re a sexist and if you’re against gay marriage you’re a homophobe. What the purveyors of this fallacy ignore is that there are arguments for all of these positions that have nothing to do with racism, sexism or homophobia.

If you can’t see a fallacy, then that fallacy becomes a blind spot. Now the question is what to do about it. With this fallacy pervading so much of our political thinking, no easy answer comes to mind. However, I have come up with a few suggestions. First of all, I was thinking that when logic and reason fail, this fallacy can be exploited to lead others to the logical conclusion. I’ve seen this done from time to time, sometimes quite skillfully. The idea is that if people simply refuse to admit this kind of thinking as a fallacy, then others can use that fallacy on them without their knowing. If you can’t see a fallacy, then that fallacy becomes a blind spot. Secondly, I’m going to suggest that people who can think rationally become crypto-elitist. Irrationality doesn’t discriminate based on status or importance. Famous figures and important politicians can think like this just as much as some average guy can. You can’t wait for someone else to take charge of the situation, when the people who are supposed to be in charge are also irrational. Now that last suggestion is likely to provoke criticism. It might look too much like little Eric Cartman running around South Park imposing his authoritah on all of the politically correct dunderheads, or it may look arrogant. However, if people don’t like elitism, then they shouldn’t make it so easy.

March 2, 2009 19

uwmpost.com

Kicking out the soapbox Legal LSD? UWM’s hidden discrimination By Lorelei Savaryn Staff Writer editorial@uwmpost.com

According to UW-Milwaukee’s discriminatory conduct policy, “UWM is committed to building and maintaining a campus environment that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of every person, fosters tolerance, sensitivity, understanding, and mutual respect . . . UWM must provide an environment that respects the value of each person and that does not tolerate discriminatory conduct of any kind.” UWM defines discrimination as “conduct that adversely affects any aspect of an individual’s … education … and is based on one or more characteristics of the individual that are protected under federal, state or local laws.” This includes “political affiliation” and religion, among many other things.

I believe that if a professor deems it important to share their own personal views, the floor should be made wide open for discussion and input from the entire class. This stance against discrimination is a respectable and necessary goal for any institution of higher education. However, UWM’s teaching faculty frequently violates this policy in

classrooms throughout campus, and frankly, I’ve had enough. Many, if not all the students at UWM have at one time or another been in a classroom where a teacher has decided to use their place at the front of the room as a platform from which to propel their own personal political or religious ideology toward the listening ears of their students. More often than not, these professors make statements about their own ideals as though it is obvious that the entire classroom agrees with them. Almost always students feel as though they are not allowed to respond. It is one thing if a professor is talking about religion or politics in a classroom where the subject is relevant to the course. It is entirely different, however, when a professor starts talking about their thoughts on politics and religion when the subject matter of the class does not in any way relate. It is worse when the students are not given the opportunity to respond. For example, in one class a professor answered a student’s question with a response that President Barack Obama was an example of someone who speaks in eloquent, elevated language. That in and of itself did not create an uncomfortable situation, and was a relevant answer to the student’s question. However, he chose to continue, saying: “John McCain speaks in a lower, debased language. And I won’t even tell you what I think about Sarah Palin.” At this, about half of the class laughed. What this professor didn’t seem to notice, though, was that the other half of the class did not. This

comment was completely out of context from the actual topic of the class, and at that moment, any students who were Republican or voted for or respect either of the politicians who were disrespected felt uncomfortable, and in my opinion, were discriminated against according to the school’s own definition of the word. Another professor on campus was addressing the issue of samesex marriage in his course. Instead of addressing all sides of the issue and allowing students to respond, he made vehement arguments on the destructiveness of civil unions from his own perspective. This professor was also using the classroom as a platform to one-sidedly share his own moral convictions and, students who disagreed with this professor felt as though they were not welcome to respond. This professor’s actions damaged the learning environment of the classroom and were discriminatory against those who disagreed with his views on the topic. Since classroom discussion is inherently a situation where the teacher has more power than the student, students are too often afraid to speak out in situations like the examples above. Either we are concerned that our grades will suffer for it, or we are under the impression that the rest of the class thinks exactly like the professor does and that we’ll be embarrassed for expressing our dissenting opinion. Either way, when the twoway communication between students and professors is shut down, it intrinsically sets up a situation in

See DISCRIMINATION page 21

Mis en Scene | The Politics of Art

The dying arts Show some respect for the dead By Leslie Peckham Editorial Editor editorial@uwmpost.com

On Feb. 18 we all received an e-mail from Chancellor Santiago explaining a bit about the school budget in this economic crisis. As a state school, UW-Milwaukee depends on state funding to function, grossing nearly $300 million yearly in state funding, in the past. This year, Gov. Doyle has proposed a $174 million budget cut, and while it is yet unclear how exactly the remaining funding will be directed, it is apparent who will be left out in the rain. The budget proposal includes the Campus Master Plan, which focuses on programs lucrative to the university’s budget. Programs developing health care, engineering and science will find their departments supported by the recent budget change, but little is said about the rest of the university. As an art student working in an art supplies store, I know exactly how expensive the cost of art supplies is. For instance, when I started out at UWM I was buying 16mm film at $22 for three minutes. Foundations kits for sale at Utrecht at the beginning of the semester can run anywhere between $75 and $200 dollars, and these costs continue to rise. Segregated fees can account for the cost of some of the materials in these programs but certainly not all. With the cost of tuition set to go up over the next two years, art students may find even more difficulty gathering needed supplies. Everyday at work I hear the same thing over and over, being an artist isn’t cheap. People outside this community seriously take for granted how expensive this career choice really is. A sketchbook and a pencil can cost $2, true, but in order to be a contender in the art community, you could spend as much as $5 on a good piece of cotton archival paper and $15 on a set of decent art pencils. Throw in the cost of an eraser and a sharpener

and you’ve spent $25 on one drawing. That’s groceries for a week; no wonder they call us starving. I guess you could say I should do something else. A lot of people condemn the arts, saying that it’s a hobby and that if we were serious about having a job and money enough for a home we would choose a different profession. To these people I say, shut up. It takes a whole lot of soul to have the courage to choose art as your profession, and furthermore, it isn’t exactly a choice. Most of us are here because art is what we are good at, what we love and what we can contribute to society. So you are left-brained and can put together a rocket, good for

So you are left-brained and can put together a rocket, good for you. I can capture light onto a plastic emulsion-coated surface, strategically remove silver halide particles from emulsion paper (in pitch black darkness even!) and convert analogue files to digital. We’re all good at different things, so why can’t my program get any funding? you. I can capture light onto a plastic emulsion-coated surface, strategically remove silver halide particles from emulsion paper (in pitch black darkness even!) and convert analogue files to digital. We’re all good at different things, so why can’t my program get any funding? I read an interesting story once about a city that banished its artists and poets in an effort to purge the city of its inefficient or impractical citizens. That city collapsed. Art, in its truest sense, is pure communication, an utter conveyance of culture. To the left-brained members of this university: You need us. I am sick of finding these programs continually underfunded, resources stripped from underneath us. To quote Chancellor Santiago’s email, “We cannot stop doing what we have been doing. Yes, we will need to find different ways to fulfill our mission and achieve our goals. And our progress may be slowed. But this city, region and state need UWMilwaukee, and we must continue to deliver regardless of the obstacles before us.” Amen, brother. It seems as though we all could use a little creativity on our side.

Salvia purchased at your local hippy store By Andy Ambrosius Special to the Post editorial@uwmpost.com

I first heard of salvia divinorum about a year ago when I popped into Knuckleheads smoke shop with a few friends; the bonglined window display intrigued me. After asking what the little purple baggies next to the American Spirit cigarettes were, I was shot down by the clerk. She quickly responded, “It’s incense. That’s all I’m allowed to say.” As soon as she uttered those words, I became obsessed with salvia: why it’s legal, what it does and who has done it. Salvia is a hallucinogenic drug that’s grown in Mexico. Based on the different potencies – from 10x to 100x – the drug can be as crazy as you want it to be. A majority of the people who have reported on salvia have compared it closely to the effects of LSD, but shorter-lasting. That’s the kicker: salvia is smoked like marijuana, has the effects of LSD, but only lasts for a few minutes. Having never smoked salvia myself (I’m a scaredy-cat when it comes to drugs), I relied on other, more freewheeling people through whom I could live vicariously. I changed my Facebook status from, “Andy is watching Hannah Montana” to a shout-out, calling all of my loosely inhibited friends to share their experiences with me. I got some nightmarish stories, changing my question about salvia from, “What is it?” to “Why isn’t it outlawed?”

[Scientists are] excited about the possibilities it could hold regarding cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and even HIV/AIDS. It’s also been proven to help treat cocaine addictions and depression. A good friend of mine told me he tried it while camping with his brother and some friends. “I didn’t even finish passing the pipe before hitting a brick wall,” he said. Greg went on to explain how he “left his body,” couldn’t remember where he was, what he was doing or who his friends were. He said, “I tried running away… [but] the speckles of the moonlight coming through the leaves were raised off the ground, and I kept tripping over them.” I decided to wait for more insane stories to verify the drug’s consistency, but one after another, I was messaged with stories about blurred vision, Donnie Darko scenarios and how friends pissed their pants. Occasionally I got a story about non-stop laughter (to the point of pissing in pants), but it seemed the darker trips were more common. So why is this stuff legal? It’s definitely not a party drug, and the growing number of YouTube videos of high teenagers having panic attacks should be enough to put it on lockdown. Even some of the people who told me they’ve done it didn’t understand. Salvia has flown under the radar as a spiritual and religious drug for ages, but the government is slowly getting worried. Apparently, scientists are pushing the drug’s legality because of its beneficial uses in other areas of medicine. They’re excited about the possibilities it could hold regarding cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and even HIV/AIDS. It’s also been proven to help treat cocaine addictions and depression (although I think treating depression with a drug that throws you into a world of helplessness is a little ironic). It sounds pretty miraculous and definitely worth looking into, but does it have to be legal to be tested? If you’re a legitimate scientist, obviously you’re allowed to test illegal substances. With the argument going back and forth, for the public it’s just a waiting game. Which will come first: the life-saving cure or a ban on the drug that causes the five-minute-freakout? I’m placing bets on the latter.

20 March 2, 2009

The UWM Post

Op / Ed

The inﬂated cost of textbooks How our university fails By Harrison Marcott

Tell me if this sounds familiar: It’s the second week of school and you sigh to yourself about the grocery and rent money that seems to have disappeared. “Where could all my money have gone?” you ask yourself. But then you remember. Textbooks. About $500 worth of textbooks. Since 1994, textbook prices have increased at four times the rate of inflation. One would assume that financial precautions would be taken to prevent students from paying the brunt of such fees, but it has now reached a point where the average college student now pays $900 per year in textbook fees. That’s about one-fourth the cost of tuition at most universities and almost half the tuition of a two year college. Another tidbit of information: the UW Board of Regents in December criticized some UW campuses for not adopting cost saving programs developed last year to lift the unethical financial burden on students in terms of textbooks. Though the textbook rental system featured at seven of the thirteen UW institutions truthfully isn’t feasible right this instant because of our University’s size, there have been few efforts on part of our administration to lower textbook costs in other ways. UWM administrators and staff recognize the importance of early textbook adoptions and faculty commitment to textbooks for at least four semesters in reducing textbook costs. They recognize that the size of our university is reflected in our buying power. They recognize that their students are nearly selling their organs for books, but they’re not doing anything. There are no early adoption policies or plans at OUR univer-

sity. There are no faculty commitment programs that would keep used books in circulation at OUR university. There are no efforts by OUR university to prevent publishers from printing off edition after edition every semester, at twice the rate of inflation, complete with 10 CDs that will most likely serve as your new coaster. The question of any sensible student at this point should not be, “I wonder how much money next semester’s books will cost?” or “Where am I going to get that money?” It should be “Why?”. The question on everyone’s mind should be “Why isn’t our administration doing anything?” There are a few cheaper textbook campaigns in action through a few student organizations but they won’t achieve anything without momentum, awareness and ultimately the voice of the student body. They won’t change a textbook system that is exploiting our education unless we stand with them and make demands. We as students have to let our administration know that it isn’t they who are suffering textbook fees, that it’s not they who are sacrificing weeks of heat for a chemistry textbook, that it’s not them who get $40 back for what was $600 last semester; it’s us. All 30,000 of us. Therefore, WE, as students, the heart and blood of this university, must demand action. WE must demand and, if necessary, implement the programs and policies that will change our situation. WE must tell the administration that UWM is not their university; it’s ours. E-mail hmarcott@uwm.edu for more info on what we can do as students. You can also join any of the textbook campaigns featured by orgs like WISPIRG, SDS or others. Sign any of the cheaper textbook petitions and, most importantly, make your voice heard.

PILLS Continued from page 18 chronic pain, because of painkillers, can do things they normally couldn’t do because of their pain. We can apply the same logic in the cases of anxiety and depression. There are people out there who need these medications to function since there may be no alternative solution. On the other hand, these types of medications often simply mask the symptoms of an illness or disease instead of fixing the root problem. Before a person with chronic pain is prescribed highly addictive opioids all other alternatives should be explored. Painkillers will never fix what’s causing the pain. In truth, they may not even take the pain away. Instead, make the pain (or anxiety or depression) different, bearable. Another problem with prescrip-

Afﬁmative backlash Are the country’s policies outdated? By Beau Sibbing Special to the Post editorial@uwmpost.com

With war in the Middle East, the economy in a nose dive and political scandal running wild, the issue of affirmative action has fallen to the back burner of most minds in America. Ward Connerly is out to remind us all of its importance. His view is a relatively simple one: affirmative action has outlived its use in the United States, and it’s time to take a look at alternatives. The right-wing fiscal conservative spoke in depth on this topic in the UW-Milwaukee Union Ballroom Feb. 18, thanks to sponsorship by the UWM Conservative Union. I sat in a room full of empty chairs expecting a pathetic turnout, but about 10 minutes before the speech was scheduled to start a small but diverse crowd shuffled in from the cold, and 15 minutes later Connerly took the podium. He began with a look at his past. He comes from a mixed-race background and did not hesitate to tell us that many blacks share the same heritage, adding that if you look into most black people’s lineage, odds are you will find some German or Irish. The air was already stale. After 15 minutes, the small-talk was over and he’d begun to express his opinion that the United States has grown past the idea of ensuring minorities are free from discrimination by applying affirmative action techniques. He said that this is now a social class issue. It didn’t take long until one man had had

Affirmative action is no longer ensuring equal opportunity, but purely an act of treating people differently because of the color of their ethnicity, which government should have no business doing. enough, walking out exclaiming “You are keeping Jim Crow alive!” His actions fell short of anything that could be considered intelligent. Connerly replied with a calm yet agitated “thanks for coming; thanks for leaving.” After some childish banter and sly political tact, the man left and the coffee shop revolution walked out with him. Connerly began to speak again with dull rhetoric, lulling any excitement that could have been evoked right to sleep. His speech was short but not quite short enough. His idea was simple, and his arguments for it were understandable. First off, aligning with his Libertarian views, he is against most government interference including both affirmative action and in regards to issues like gay marriage. Second, he believes that when affirmative action was brought to life by President

tion drugs is that doctors prescribe medications without fully explaining to the patient what the medication is, what it is intended for, what its side effects are or how addictive it is. In any case, we can’t just blame the pharmaceutical companies and the doctors. It might be easy to blame them, but society in general and the individual patients should bear some of the responsibility as well. Media and other conventions instruct the public to trust their doctors. After all, the doctors are the ones who have gone through at least eight years of schooling. Society tells us that prescription drugs are OK. Society tells us that biomedicine will fix it all. Society tells us to trust our doctor’s judgment. Nevertheless, it is time we as individuals start questioning our doctors, biomedicine and prescription drugs. It is time patients do their homework and find out what oxyco-

done, Zoloft and Prozac really are. It is time people start taking their prescriptions like they are supposed to. The American Heart Association says that “The number one problem in treating illnesses today is patients’ failure to take prescription medication correctly.” We live in a society where people expect instant gratification, even when dealing with illnesses. People don’t have the time to eat right and exercise, attend physical therapy or visit a psychiatrist. People want to walk out of the doctor’s office, fill a prescription and start to feel better immediately, and rightfully so, but we have to start thinking about the long term affects these drugs are having on individuals and as a society. Prescription drugs are the cause of deaths every day. It is a serious problem in America and pharmaceutical companies, doctors and individuals need to wake up and take this problem seriously.

Kennedy it was a great concept, due to the nature of racism in the United States at the time particularly in the South. However, by the time of the very next president, President Johnson, the idea had shifted from protecting minorities to treating people differently because of color. The protection was no longer the main concept. How exactly the idea shifted so drastically and quickly is hard to understand, but it’s his opinion nonetheless. And that is exactly where the issue stands in his mind. Affirmative action is no longer ensuring equal opportunity, but purely an act of treating people differently because of their ethnicity, which government should have no business doing. He of course uses the election of President Obama in his defense. When asked a question about black people who need help, he responded “President Obama has two daughters. Should those daughters receive special treatment?” A good argument, yet the man asking the question replied, “Sir, you are using the exception to prove the rule.” The point being that yes, a self-identified black man has been voted president, and yes, the issue of black equality still exists. The man also said claimed that while the average white man inherits $110,000, the average black man inherits debt. Connerly also addressed the issue of gender bias, believing that everyone should receive equal pay for equal work. However, Connerly is selling the idea that the statistics showing women make 75 cents to each dollar a man makes are flawed, due to inconstancies such as stay-at-home moms. We’ll see if people will buy it. He does have some good ideas to back up the things that seem to be short of reality. His concept is that the issues are no longer racerelated but are rather an issue of social class, which he is all about. Connerly believes that the common denominator we all share is income. His efforts have indeed helped some in California who have not had the necessary opportunities to go to college. He points the finger at under-performing schools. The concept is that we need a certain amount of education to move up in the world, and in many cases it is lack of school funding that holds those going to inner-city schools back, a great deal of whom are minorities. Connerly says he believes in helping people and that affirmative action is nothing more than a philosophical ideal. So where do we stand? This is, in the end, a question of the ideological strength of America. Are we as a nation and culture past the age of racism? Are the CEOs and Deans of this nation 100 percent past discrimination? “We do not live in a ‘kum-bay-a’ world as of now,” says Connerly, “but Obama has [sic] a way of telling me we are almost there.”

The UWM Post invites readers to submit Letters to the Editor, as well as perspective pieces, counter-points to previously published pieces, opinions, rants and tauntings. To be eligible for publication, letters and opinion pieces must include the author’s name and contact information. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted. Please submit to The UWM Post office (Union EG80), or via email at letters@uwmpost.com. Please title e-mail correspondence “Letter to the Editor.” The preferred length for letters is 350 words or less. Opinions and perspective pieces should be no longer than 750 words. Deadline for outside submission is Wednesday at noon. The UWM Post reserves the right to edit or reject your submission.

March 2, 2009 21

uwmpost.com

EARN EXTRA MONEY

Where the successful business man goes for his news.

STUDENTS NEEDED ASAP $150 PER DAY BEING A MYSTERY SHOPPER NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED CALL: 1-800-722-4791

“If you haven’t found something strange during the day, it hasn’t been much of a day.” —John A. Wheeler

DISCRIMINATION Continued from page 19

which students are too uncomfortable to question what is being said. This is dangerous ground since questioning is an absolutely essential part of the learning process. I believe that if a professor deems it important to share their own personal views, the floor should be made wide open for discussion and input from the entire class. That professor then needs to take on the responsibility of facilitating the learning environment of the classroom when addressing these controversial topics. It’s a tricky thing to do, but it can be done. Professors could begin by asking themselves: Does what I am saying add to the learning in the classroom, or does it leave students behind? Beneficial discussions on such matters can become a great tool for all-around learning and heightened understanding. But that can only happen

if students from all ideological backgrounds and points of view feel like that classroom is a safe place to share where they are coming from, and to disagree with or clarify any matter without fear of reprisal. The UWM administration needs to take its own policies seriously and should consider reeducating its faculty in what is and is not acceptable conduct in the classroom. We, as students, also need to start standing up to and questioning our professors when they start using our class time to profess their own views. If professors and students alike can learn to acknowledge that others within the classroom are likely coming from a wide spectrum of ideological backgrounds, and can acknowledge that those differences are valid and deserve respect, then we will experience much less of this discrimination and our UWM classrooms will be environments where everyone actually does feel safe to learn.

Attention graphic designers! Looking for a job on campus next year? is currently on the lookout for a print designer, a web designer and an advertising designer to start training this spring to hold down the fort next academic year. Print designer / Production editor will lay out the newspaper on a weekly basis. Must be proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite, especially InDesign, and possess strong organizational, communication and problem solving skills. Web designer will update our website on a weekly basis. Must be proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite, especially Dreamweaver, HTML and CSS. Flash is a plus. Advertising designer will create and adjust advertisement artwork to the specifications set by our clients. Must be proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite. To inquire about these positions e-mail your cover letter and resumé to post@ uwmpost.com, or stop by our office (Union Room EG80) and fill out an application.

The UWM Post

22 March 2, 2009

PRESSED

RYAN PAGELOW

Pet of the week Tela Tela is a 13 wk old basset hound/australian shepherd mix. She loves to bark at her dish, surgically remove squeakers from her toys and show off her “party hat” at Thurmans 15.

PILED HIGHER AND DEEPER

CORPORATE HORROR

JORGE CHAM

JOSEPH KUENZLE

Send us photos of your pet(s), with their name(s) and a little about them to post@uwmpost.com.

March 2, 2009 23

uwmpost.com

Word Search & Rescue

Sudoku

INSTRUCTIONS: Words from the list may appear forwards, backwards, horizontally, vertically, or diago-

INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the squares so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 exactly once.

nally in the grid. When all words from the list have been circled, place the remaining UNCIRCLED letters in the “RESCUE,” in order (starting with the top line, reading left-to-right), to spell out a familiar saying!

‘LAND FORMS’ Word List ALAS BLUFF BUTTE CLIFF CUESTA DALE DELL ESCARPMENT GLEN GULLY HILL

E R

G N

M G

Y R

A R

M F

M L

A U

HORST KNOLL MESA MOUNTAIN PLAIN RAVINE RIDGE SCREE STRATH TERRACE VALLEY

RESCUE: solution from last week found on page 6 Solution found on page 6

THE UWM POST CROSSWORD ACROSS

1 Copper + Zinc 17 18 6 Freshman residence 10 Rapid 20 21 14 City in France 15 Fencing sword 23 16 Like a cephalopod’s output 26 27 28 29 30 17 Relating to the number eight 32 33 18 Ang and Robert E. 39 40 19 Use shears 20 Familiar piano tune 43 44 45 22 Charter 23 Japanese money 47 48 49 24 Romantic backdrops, maybe 51 52 53 54 26 Voice boxes 56 57 58 31 Olive filler 32 Vicinity 63 64 33 NM city 35 Rice dish 66 67 39 Wound reminder 40 Throat infection (abbr.) 69 70 42 Pine tree product 43 Contains Jonas Wittke, 2009 45 Sicilian spewer 2 Affluent 46 Cattle 3 Singing voice 47 Reggae precursor 4 Smack 49 Emphasized 5 Rotary electrical transformer 51 Doing figure-eights, maybe 6 Outline 55 Monty Python opener 7 Oil org. 56 Amos or Spelling 8 Stinks 57 Turkey parts 9 Ruffle (2 wds.) 63 Acid excreted by the kidneys 10 Van de Kamp’s product 64 Valentine’s Day flower 11 Musical orphan 65 Solitary 12 Waist-down garment 66 Submissive 13 Uses a keyboard 67 Steven’s adjective? 21 Phone messages 68 Asian nation 25 Pinch 69 Favre output 26 Whip 70 Mae or Benjamin 27 With a bow 71 Facilitates 28 True DOWN 29 They have three feet 30 Classifies 1 Coalition

anagramcrackers@yahoo.com

INSTRUCTIONS: Unscramble the letters below to spell out everyday English words. When you’re finished, unscramble the circled letters to find the missing word from the quip! Solutions are published in the following issue.

PIRCH

19 22 24

TATEL

31 34

35 41

FEBERO

FIVERY

Q: What is the only thing that money can’t buy?

55 59

A: “ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ” ANSWERS FROM LAST WEEK: ETHIC, BOUND, CANKER, GNAWED “WEDDING CAKE”

68 71

In-word

THIS WEEK’S IN-WORD: DIPLOMA

INSTRUCTIONS: Find as many words as possible using only the letters

34 Opinion 36 Superman’s Ms. Lane 37 Green Gables dweller 38 Serve food to 41 Whole segments? 44 Hit the slopes 48 Jackson or W.K. 50 Personal property 51 Baffle 52 Seoul’s area 53 Ram sign 54 Planting of fruit trees 58 Employs 59 Pelvic bones 60 Corn holders 61 Leg joint 62 TV units

last week’s solution found on page 6

from this week’s IN-WORD. Words must be four or more letters long. Slang words, proper nouns, and contractions are not permitted. Only one form of a verb is permitted. Words that become four or more letters by the addition of “s” are not permitted. Solutions are published in the following issue.

Can you find 26 or more words in “DIPLOMA?”

last week’s solution found on page 6

UWMTRIVIA What is the minimum cumulative GPA necessary for an Honors student to graduate with an Honors Degree? a) 3.5 b) 3.7 c) 3.8 Answer a) Source: http://www4.uwm.edu/honors/admissions.cfm

Anagram Crackers

Paid Advertisements

24 March 2, 2009

5443 C74 =443

C > ? ? 4 A B 2 > <

H>DA 27>824 % (( 4027 CAH C74< 0;; <438D< C>??8=6 ?8II0 >A !» 6A8=34A >A ! F8=6B >A ;1 1>=4;4BB F8=6B >A CA8?;4 >A34A >5 >A868=0; C>??4ABC8G

The UWM Post

;0A64 ?8II0

((

0=H ;0A64 ! C>??8=6 ?8II0 033 0 ! ;8C4A 5>A !

@D4B038;;0 C>??4ABC8GC<

((

0=H @D4B038;;0 0=3 0 B8=6;4 >A34A >5 >A868=0; C>??4ABC8G 033 0 ! ;8C4A 5>A !

<438D< ?8II0 C>??4ABC8GC<

((

0=H <438D< C>??8=6 ?8II0 0=3 0 B8=6;4 >A34A >5 >A868=0; C>??4ABC8GC< 033 0 ! ;8C4A 5>A !

0Rc fWX[T h^d½aT bcX[[ Wd]Vah QTRPdbT cWXb ÛUTa Tg_XaTb " $ ( P]S h^d½[[ b^^] QT Ud[[ >]T SXbR^d]c _Ta âSTa _[db cPg P]S ST[XeTah ;^^Z Uâ ^cWTa VaTPc STP[b Pc C^__Tab R^\

CF> % 6A8=34AB C>??4ABC8GC<

;0A64 ?8II0 C>??4ABC8GC<

CF> ;0A64 ?8II0B

0Rc fWX[T h^d½aT bcX[[ Wd]Vah QTRPdbT cWXb ÛUTa Tg_XaTb " $ ( P]S h^d½[[ b^^] QT Ud[[ 2P] QT R^\QX]TS fXcW ^cWTa ÛUTab _[db cPg P]S ST[XeTah ;^^Z Uâ ^cWTa VaTPc STP[b Pc C^__Tab R^\

34;8E4AH 50BC4A C70= 50BC

# # !!% !%!% ( " :4=8;F>AC7 ?; <8;F0D:44 >?4= )" 0< #0< 4E4AH 30H 0 ^aSTa VTcb cWT V^^Sb ST[XeTaTS

! ((

0=H CF> % 6A8=34AB 0=3 0 B8=6;4 >A34A >5 >A868=0; C>??4ABC8GC< 033 0 ! ;8C4A 5>A ! 0Rc fWX[T h^d½aT bcX[[ Wd]Vah QTRPdbT cWXb ÛUTa Tg_XaTb " $ ( P]S h^d½[[ b^^] QT Ud[[ >]T SXbR^d]c _Ta âSTa _[db cPg P]S ST[XeTah ;^^Z Uâ ^cWTa VaTPc STP[b Pc C^__Tab R^\

# ((

0=H ;0A64 C>??8=6 ?8II0B 0=3 0 CA8?;4 >A34A >5 >A868=0; C>??4ABC8GC< 033 0 ! ;8C4A 5>A ! 0Rc fWX[T h^d½aT bcX[[ Wd]Vah QTRPdbT cWXb ÛUTa Tg_XaTb " $ ( P]S h^d½[[ b^^] QT Ud[[ >]T SXbR^d]c _Ta âSTa _[db cPg P]S ST[XeTah ;^^Z Uâ ^cWTa VaTPc STP[b Pc C^__Tab R^\

( ((

0=H CF> ;0A64 ! C>??8=6 ?8II0B 033 0 ! ;8C4A 5>A ! 0Rc fWX[T h^d½aT bcX[[ Wd]Vah QTRPdbT cWXb ÛUTa Tg_XaTb " $ ( P]S h^d½[[ b^^] QT Ud[[ >]T SXbR^d]c _Ta âSTa _[db cPg P]S ST[XeTah ;^^Z Uâ ^cWTa VaTPc STP[b Pc C^__Tab R^\