University of Wisconsin-Madison Complete campus coverage since 1892 dailycardinal.com Wednesday, December 8, 2010l

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

Debate erupts at high-speed rail meetingBy Ariel ShapiroThe Daily CarDinal

Local politicians and hundreds of concerned Wisconsin citizens gathered at the Crowne Plaza Tuesday evening to discuss the embattled high-speed rail line in an event sponsored by the Wisconsin and Minnesota trans-portation departments.

Although the meeting was held to address the plan of a rail line between the Twin Cities and Milwaukee, not necessar-ily including a stop in Madison, the focus of the event ultimate-ly turned to the link between Madison and Milwaukee that Governor-elect Scott Walker has vowed to stop.

“Scott Walker has said he is all about jobs and economic development, and he should be,” Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. “But it’s curious way to start by turning down 5,000 jobs, just so they can be created for a similar product in New York, or Illinois or Florida.”

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk addressed criticisms that the rail will be a financial burden for the state by noting the projected yearly costs to run the line have gone down significantly, from over $7 million to just over half that.

Falk also said the federal govern-ment is likely to pick up 90 percent of the yearly cost, putting the burden on Wisconsin at about $750,000, which she called a “steal.”

The plan presented at the meeting examined the goals of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, which, when it was devised in 1995, and aimed to connect cit-ies all over the Midwest, includ-ing Madison, Cleveland, Chicago and St. Louis.

However, the audience was less interested in the projected rider-ship of the lines and other find-ings of the study and more inter-ested in the political future of the Madison-Milwaukee line.

During the lengthy Q-and-A session, most stood up to show their support for the rail, but there were dissenters. One attend-ee placed a sign at the podium that read, “high speed rail will never even come close to sustain-ing itself.”

However, the overall crowd sentiment was overwhelmingly in favor of the project. One elderly woman addressed how important the alternate transportation system would be for all Wisconsinites.

“I am 72 years old,” she said. “How much longer do you want me on the road?”

Ben PierSon/The Daily CarDinal

Supporters and critics attended the high-speed rail information meeting at the Crowne Plaza Tuesday.

Alum’s estate donates large sum to UW

By Kayla JohnsonThe Daily CarDinal

She spent years in hiding, forging papers and fleeing imprisonment in Nazi Germany. Expelled from high school for her Jewish heritage, she fled Germany and ultimately landed in Madison. Now after her death, Vera Croner is giving almost $500,000 to UW-Madison.

Croner was born in 1920 in Germany. Before the Nazi era, Croner described her child-hood as one of a “pampered, only child,” according to her friend and executor of estate Bob Davis.

However, under Nazi rule, she was prohibited from attending German schools and her parents had her tutored privately. She was unable to attend German universities, so she studied under a Jewish attorney.

She moved to Norway as a refugee, then to Copenhagen. Most of her relatives were killed during the war and she was temporarily separat-ed from her father, who was interned in Shanghai, but she was reunited with her parents in Madison in 1951.

Soon after her arrival in America, possibly on the boat, Croner wrote a memoir titled “The Odyssey of the German Jew.” She typed the memoir on both sides on the paper, because paper was scarce.

At the age of 38, Croner enrolled at UW-Madison and graduated in 1958 with a degree in accounting.

After graduation, she soon became administrator and coun-selor of the office at the Credit Union National Association.

Croner spoke four languages fluently, but when she experienced a stroke during her 40’s, she was never expected to speak again.

With much dedication, Croner regained her speech.

“The notable feature of Vera’s life was sheer tenacity,” Davis said. “She was not to be defeated and would not let a cruel fate destroy her.”

Remembered by friends as a talented piano player, good entertainer and traveler, Vera died on January 18, 2010.

She dedicated $641,400—75 percent of her estate—to the UW Foundation for use for scholarships for the Business School, Scandinavian Studies and the Music School.

Central Library design revealed, includes more space for public useBy Anna BukowskiThe Daily CarDinal

Architects working on the Madison Central Library Project presented their final designs at a public hearing Tuesday night.

The plans include adding a third floor and renovating the entire building. More additions include floor-to-ceiling glass windows in parts of the build-ing and a potential green roof, according to Jeff Scherer, lead architect on the project.

Both Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle (MS&R) and Madison’s Potter Lawson architecture firms are working together on the project.

Scherer said construction would begin in Fall 2011 and be completed by Fall 2013.

The remodeling of the library is a mix between old and new, “the DNA of this new build-ing is springing from the past, but it’s not cloning the past,” Scherer said. “It’s evolving.”

Adding on to the existing library makes this building, “the greenest of green,” Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. “The guts of it are recycled.”

According to Scherer, the

presentation was not meant to feature a detailed design. They instead wanted people to see the spatial vision for the building.

The budget for the project is $29.5 million. The cost per square foot is about $50 dollars less than the national median for library construction, Scherer said.

The new library would increase the space available to the public. Currently, around 42 percent of the space is pub-licly accessible, and the renovat-ed library would increase that space by just over 20 percent.

Some Madison residents said they were concerned with adaptability of the space in the future.

“[The building will] provide enough flexibility for the future as possible so that it can be responsive to changes,” Traci Engel Lesneski, MS&R archi-tect, said.

The firms expect to come back with more refined plans that will include details like furnishings, lighting and spe-cific interior designs. Scherer expects they will reconvene mid-February to present their latest designs.

Study links high school GPA to healthAttention all former high

school over-achievers: Your past honor roll status has effects past college admission, according to a UW-Madison study.

According to the study, good grades in high school lead to better health throughout life.

Pamela Herd, an associate professor of public affairs and sociology at UW-Madison, col-lected data from a Wisconsin Longitudinal Study of 10,00 about 10,000 Wisconsin 1957 high school graduates’ lives after graduation.

The report found links between high school academic performance, personality and psychological characteristics, and late-life health.

According to the study, grad-uates with higher ranks in high school were found to be less like-ly to suffer worsening health as he or she entered retirement age.

According to Herd, the cor-relation may be attributed to the graduate’s overall personal-ity. If the graduate was diligent about their grades, they would more likely watch their health.

Photo CourteSy Meyer, SCherer & roCKCAStle, Potter lAwSon

Madison Central library renovation designs were released Tuesday and include floor-to-ceiling windows and a green roof.

Tenacious, Jewish WWii survivor awards UW for acceptance

tieD Down with FinAl eXAMS?The DC arts Staff has some TV suggestions to distract you

Jordan Taylor leads the Badgers against in-state rival UW-Milwaukee Panthers

SPortS PAGe 8 ArtS PAGe 3l l

page two

Corrections or clarifications? Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an e-mail to edit@dailycardinal.com.

For the record

tHURSDAY:chance o’ snowhi 27º / lo 22º

tODAY:partly sunnyhi 20º / lo 7º

2 • Wednesday, December 8, 2010 dailycardinal.com/page-two

I t might be the giving season, but with the murk of final exams, papers and snow weigh-

ing down on every student, it sure doesn’t feel like it. People don’t need to say what they’re thinking; their actions say it all:

“No, I won’t give you this outlet in the library I’m using even though my computer is fully charged. You should’ve gotten here earlier.”

“No, I won’t give you this seat on the bus that my backpack is using. Toughen up; standing is good for you.”

“No, I won’t give you a smile even after you helped me pick up the stack of papers I dropped. Smiling hurts my face too much.”

There are a lot of bah humbugs around this campus if you ask me. Of course, I’m not guiltless: last night my roommate went to eat the last sugar cookie I’d made, and I shot her a “don’t even think about it” glare. I really regret that; it’s not like I actually needed the sixth cookie.

In order to get myself in the giving mindset, I pulled a classic off my book-shelf—Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree.” If you don’t like this book then you are cold-hearted or don’t have a soul at all.

My latest reading put me in a reflective mood. I started to think about all the giving attitudes I’ve encountered, ones I appreciated more than my “thanks” was ever able to express. Let the corniness commence.

Being lost

There was a blizzard when I first visited UW-Madison. Since we were unable to take a walking tour, my par-ents and I decided to look around by ourselves. At dinnertime, my parents had the absurd idea to eat in the cafete-ria because I hadn’t gotten the chance to see it earlier. I was hesitant because, well, what junior in high school wants to eat with their parents in a crowded cafeteria full of cool college kids? Not me. But once my parents made their decision, it was made.

The only problem was that even though we had about eight campus maps, we still had no freaking idea where Gordon Commons was. We looked like buffoons blankly staring at street signs and trying to read our maps in the dark. A boy asked if we needed help. When we said what we were looking for, he pointed to the left and said, “This is Sellery. That’s the cafeteria.” Yes, you read that cor-rectly; we were incapable of locating a cafeteria that was literally 20 feet away. Instead of making us feel like idiots, he offered to eat dinner with us and tell us more about the campus.

Dear boy who was wearing a Wisconsin hockey jersey on that blus-tery January evening back in 2006, I realize you’ve likely graduated and will never read this, but you are the nicest person I’ve ever met at UW-Madison.

Random e-mailsLast semester I randomly received

an e-mail from my older brother that said, “I know you’re in the middle of finals, so I’m assuming you’re in need of a laugh. I’m not all that funny, but our idol is.” Underneath his message were five links to Tracy Morgan clips on

YouTube. You know what? I did need a laugh, and Tracy Morgan never fails me. If you or someone you know needs cheering up, just Google-search Tracy Morgan and everything will be all right.

Breaking my computerTwo years ago I learned the hard

way that writing a paper in your bunk bed is a bad idea. Not only will you fall asleep and chance not finishing your paper on time, but, you WILL also roll over in your sleep and cause your laptop to crash to the floor.

What was my saving grace? The DoIT Tech Store, in particular the stu-dent technician who helped me. His name unfortunately escapes me, but we’ll just pretend it was Joe. I’m severe-ly computer illiterate and Joe took my dumb, annoying questions in stride. He also kindly sat with me and helped me transfer all my files to my new hard drive. During what could have been a super awkward 30 minutes, we kept a lively discussion going about movies and music, and both agreed Cake was one of our favorite bands.

After picking up my computer the next day and bringing it home, I was happily surprised to find in my disk drive a burned CD of a Cake album I didn’t own. Had he not brought up his girlfriend several times during our little chat, his gesture could have been movie material where everyone lives “happily ever after.”

The long ride homeLast year I had to take the bus back

to Chicago to attend a funeral. It could have been a pretty dismal trip, but luck-ily I had the cutest grandma sitting next to me. She was quite a talker and she rivals me as the most random person in the country. She asked questions

without waiting for the answers but I didn’t even mind. She was so entertain-ing and I wasn’t really in the mood for talking anyway. As creepy as it may sound, I didn’t want to forget what she said, so once she fell asleep, I tried my best to write down word for word what she said. The following is what she, Annie, said to me in a time span of two minutes:

“Hi. What’s your name? I’m Annie. I’m 78 and I like polka music. See this hat on my head? It’s crochet and I made it. I’ve made about 250 of them. Mostly animal print. Leopard print is my favorite in the entire world. You like leopard print? It’s a shame if you don’t. Did you see the bus driver? What a hunk! Perfect for my niece. You like Charlie Brown? I do. You want some of these chips? They’re gua-camole flavored and Pringle chips in general are the best. I like your freckles. Has anyone told you that? Well if not, I’m telling you now that they’re nice. Beautiful. They’re actually beautiful freckles.”

A few more random thoughts later, she declared herself sleepy, and within three minutes she was quietly snoring. Her compliment is one of the nicest I’ve ever received. Annie, wherever you are, I hope you’re watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and keep-ing warm in a crocheted leopard-print hat. Thanks for making my long trip home a little brighter.

I kind of want to punch myself in the face for getting so sentimental during this column, but at the same time, I truly appreciate all the giving attitudes I’ve encountered. It would be really stupid of me to not take this opportunity to further my thanks. Please share any random acts of kindness you’ve witnessed at kqbros-nan@wisc.edu.

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EditorialBoardHannah Furfaro • Miles Kellerman

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Emma Roller • Cole WenzelSamuel Todd Stevens • Mara Greenwald

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We could all take a lesson from Shel Silversteinkathleen broSnan‘leen back

news

Fourth candidate enters Dane Co. raceDeputy state Commerce Secretary

Zach Brandon announced his can-didacy for Dane County Executive Tuesday, promising to create an eco-nomic climate more conducive to job creation in Dane County.

“Dane County has to get into eco-nomic development in a real, meaning-ful way, and I know how to do that,” Brandon said in a statement. “Lots of candidates for office talk the talk about the importance of job creation, but I’m the only one who’s walked the walk.”

Brandon will join Dane County

Board Chairman Scott McDonell, state Rep. Joe Parisi, D-Madison, and Verona Mayor Jon Hochammer in the race to replace current Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk after she finishes her term in December and serves as interim exec-utive through April.

Although he did not specify how he would promote job creation, he said he would take bold action to create a better business climate.

“This is personal to me,” he said. “I am not Johnny-Come-Lately on jobs.”

Several gov. agencies in the redThe Legislative Fiscal Bureau

released information Tuesday detailing the shortfalls of the 2011 fiscal year budget, including the departments that face the worst financial problems.

The projected shortfall for Medicaid is $148 million, the Transportation Fund is facing a deficit of $30 million or higher and the Public Defender’s office is $9.5 million in the red.

Governor-elect Scott Walker said in a statement if the state legislature chooses not to deal with these bud-get issues, the total 2011 fiscal year budget shortfall would be at least $150 million.

“When faced with the choice of bringing public sector employee ben-efits in line with the private sector or cutting core government services, it would be best to have a range of

options on the table moving forward,” Walker said in a statement.

Walker advised the state Legislature not to pass employee labor contracts before dealing with the budget shortfall. He said that such action “will tie my hands when trying to deal with the deficit mov-ing forward.”

Walker also announced his list of possible solutions to eliminate the budget shortfalls. He proposed requiring state workers to make a small contribution to their own pen-sions and making adjustments to state employees’ health insurance plans. The proposed moves are estimated to save the state over $150 million, which would almost completely make up for the shortfalls.

—Adam Wollner

employee benefits proposed for overture Centerby beth PickhardTHE DAILy CARDINAL

The Overture Center work group presented a revised proposal for the center Tuesday that would allow a private owner to gain grants from the city and union employees to maintain current benefits.

Members created the pro-posal based on private ownership and operation by the 201 State Foundation.

The plan would allow 201 State to request funds if it has trouble paying maintenance costs. The city would loan 201 State money through a mortgage on the facility, to be repaid by a reduction in the grants that the Overture Center receives from the city.

“I think there’s an understand-ing that, even if we don’t own the building, we still have an interest in the building,” Common Council President Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, said.

Current Overture Center union employees would receive benefits like sick leave during transition in ownership from the city to 201 State. The city and the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 60 union would negotiate these terms.

City Attorney Michael May said union members would be “considered government employ-ees who are offered jobs at Overture” during the transition.

May said much of the commit-tee’s deliberation during the past week focused on employee issues.

Linda Baldwin, a member of the Board of Directors for 201 State, said the full board of directors will meet Friday to review financial implications of the revised proposal.

“Like you, they are going to want to have a conversation,” Baldwin said.

Members of the Overture work group did not vote on the new proposal and will con-tinue to discuss it throughout the week. Clear said work group members have not expressed whether or not they support the plan or any of its provisions.

The group will present their conclusions to the Common Council Dec. 14.

artsl

“Dexter”(For those sudden, violent urges)

Serial killing is a fun hobby. Unfortunately, it’s not a socially accepted form of recreation. Thankfully, we can all live vicariously through Michael C. Hall in Showtime’s portrait of a serial killer, “Dexter.” Whether you’re in need of a distraction or an obsession, “Dexter” is a great way to waste away the hours as the titular blood-splatter analyst dispatches his numerous victims —but only victims that deserve it, of course. The best aspect of the show is that it makes Dexter’s hunger for murder so identifi-able that the viewer becomes just as addicted as he is, though most people act out their addiction through less violent means, such as watching more “Dexter.” And the icing on the cake: the first two seasons of “Dexter” are on Netflix Instant, so you don’t even need to waste time torrenting them—not that The Daily Cardinal would ever encourage such behavior, no sir.

—Todd Stevens

Game Shows(Particularly old, vintage game shows)

Finals television is tricky. If you watch something too mindless, like “Friends,” you risk falling into a coma, only emerg-ing for Pop Tarts and gin, certainly not textbooks. If you watch something with actual entertainment value, you’ll be sucked in, and once you realize how much more enjoyable “Mad Men” and “Arrested Development” are than studying, you won’t stand a chance.

And thus I recommend some game shows. Unless you’re a Game Show Network junkie, you’ve usually gotten your fill after an episode or two. They’ll keep the brain juices flowing, helping your transition into studying go a bit smoother once Pat and Vanna finish up with their oh-so-endearing banter.

Game shows of the past are the real gold. “Let’s Make a Deal,” “Supermarket Sweep” or “Press Your Luck!” are all great choices. Plus, if you manage to find some vintage episodes of “Jeopardy,” not only will the trivia stimulate your noggin, but Alex Trebek’s mustache will stimulate something that really gets the blood pumping.

—Jacqueline O’Reilly

“Skins”(Like “Gossip Girl,” only British and witty)

This British series is ridiculously addic-tive. Each episode is presented through the perspective of a different member of a group of teenagers growing up in Bristol, England. The stories are refreshingly origi-nal and true to life. This makes sense as the series’ writers are all under the age of 25. Although the accents and slang are some-times hard to understand, the witty and quick dialogue makes up for it. A delicate balance is seen between exploring each character’s individual story and the group

dynamic comprises the first two seasons. “Skins” currently has four seasons, with an almost entirely new cast introduced in season three. This allows the show to avoid the usual downfall of most teenage televi-sion series: beating the plot lines to death and creating far too many love triangles.

—Abigail Cardinal

“Summer Heights High”(Ever wonder if Borat were a teacher?)

From their surfboards to their accents, Australians are all but universally accepted as the coolest people on the globe. The coolest of the cool? It’s Steve Lilly, who wrote and starred in “Summer Heights High,” possibly the most hilarious thing ever to come out of Austrailia.

Taking a “Da Ali G Show”-like approach, Lilly stars as three separate characters. Mr. G finds Lilly teaching drama and composing Avril Lavigne-inspired musicals. With Ja’mie King, Lilly does his best Regina George impression as a spoiled private school girl. But it’s in the role of Jonah Takalua, a school bully who graffitis penises all over the school and obnoxiously pranks his teachers, that Lilly really hits his stride.

Originally airing in 2007 on an Austrailian network, “Summer Heights High” only ever made it through eight episodes of production. And while some might be wishing for more from the hilarious Lilly, we should just take solace in the fact that we can get through the entire sea-

son in a few hours—and still have time to cram those last few o-chem equations into our brains.

—Jon Mitchell

“Community”(Community college is cool again)

What better way to distract yourself from finals than to watch a bunch of community college slackers distract them-selves from their finals? Fully embracing the second season of “Community” is a scary thing as it’s always two bad-rating weeks away from being canceled. Losing this show would be the biggest disaster since losing “Arrested Development” pre-maturely. You should be watching this show because it’s one of the best comedies on television right now and just a few seasons away from being one of the best of all time. It’s also rare that we get a comedy that’s actually about something. “Community” has a meaningful core hid-den beneath its jokes and hilarious char-acters. These slackers are standing on the edge. Like many students at Madison, they are scared to make that leap into their future. Watching their struggles and shenanigans is simply one of the best plea-sures TV has to offer.

—Mike Kujak

dailycardinal.com/arts Wednesday, December 8, 2010 3

TV to distract you from that ‘F’ in o-chemThe Daily Cardinal’s guide to television-based procrastination for the end of the semester

By Nick CusatisThe Daily CarDinal

With exams fast approaching the students need an escape from all the chaos. We need to keep ourselves sane before delving into the hell we call finals week, or for some, finals month. This Friday, steez is going to blow the roof off of the Majestic Theater with their fifth annual Last Day of Class Mustache Bash. Calling this an end of the year pick-me-up is an understate-ment. This concert will send you into finals saying to yourself, “I’m going to rock the shit out of these exams. Creepfunk style.”

Creepfunk is the self-defined genre of music the band has given to their unique, one-of-a-kind sound, a style that results in exponentially high-energy concerts that leave you begging for more. In an interview with The Daily Cardinal, lead guitarist Steve Neary explained steeze’s music in depth.

“In terms of the music, we like to call it creepfunk. The bottom line being things are always funky in our kitchen. Our style is a mix of funk and electronica that’s mostly instru-mental. Chances are you’ll hear a random cover or two that you wouldn’t expect ... We cover everyone from Madonna to Ratatat.”

“First and foremost, a steez concert is a dance party,” Neary said when asked to describe a steez show. “Our main focus is to keep people moving throughout the entire show. We like to make things get all hot and sweaty.” This is exactly what one can expect for the Mustache Bash.

In the past, the concert has been insane, with the legendary mustache competition result-ing in extraordinary facial hair reconstruction.

“Previous outcomes have been pretty wild. From the first year on, people have really gone all out. A good set of handlebars [mustache] won’t always get you the gold. Last year one of the contestants shaved a lightning bolt into his moustache, if you can believe that,” Neary said.

Steez has stood by Madison through thick and thin, and their fans. Neary expressed his gratitude, saying, “I’d have to say that this event is mainly focused on giving back to our com-munity of friends and fans here in Madison. We always come up with a few surprises and new tunes to debut each year at the bash, which is basically us saying ‘thank you’ to everyone that has supported us so graciously in the past.”

“This is also the third year that we’ve done the food drive, which is another way that we can

give back to the community that spawned us,” Neary continued, “Ultimately, this is a Madison kind of party.”

All of the non-perishable food is going to the Second Harvest Foodbank of Wisconsin as part of NBC15’s Share Your Holidays campaign, taking place all over the UW-Madison campus. Any even where you can feed yourself some amazing music while helping feed the stomachs

of those in need is a good.So take a break and get your nose out of

the books for one night. Grow yourself a crazy mustache and funk out with steez this weekend.

The Last Day of Class Mustache Bash will be this Friday, Dec. 10, at 9:00 p.m. The show will take place at the Majestic Theatre, and bands Elf Lettuce and Wook will be opening.

Style and ease with steez at Majestic

pHoTo CourTeSy SHowTiMe NeTworkS

pHoTo CourTeSy ColuMBia TriSTar TeleViSioN

pHoTo CourTeSy CoMpaNy piCTureS

pHoTo CourTeSy kraSNoFF FoSTer proDuCTioNS

pHoTo CourTeSy priNCeSS piCTureS

local ‘Creepfunk’ band steez forgoes the capital letter at the start of their name, but they are looking to throw one hell of a bash Friday night at the Majestic.

pHoTo CourTeSy STeez

l

6 l Wednesday, December 8, 2010 dailycardinal.com/comics

comicsStarting your holiday shopping

© Puzzles by Pappocom

Hot Sauce By Oliver Buchino buchino@wisc.edu

Crustaches By Patrick Remington premington@wisc.edu

Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Today’s Sudoku

NO RUNNING

ACROSS 1 Lofgren who plays

with Bruce 5 Quaint footwear 10 Draws away from

shore 14 Attending to the

matter 15 Red River capital 16 Rubber cement, e.g. 17 Big bird of Chile 18 Hardly sure-handed 19 Saintly emanation 20 They aren’t triage

priorities 23 “A Lesson from ___”

(Fugard drama) 24 Aromatherapy

setting 25 Quilting event 27 Bow wood 28 Centers of activity 32 Some silverware 34 Club music genre 36 Diana or Betsy 37 Easy mark 40 Sanction

wrongdoing 42 Jai alai missile 43 Delight in cruelty 46 What homeowners

don’t pay 47 Lawyers’ org. 50 School open-house

organizer 51 Band-___ (first aid

kit item) 53 Chalet overhangs 55 Permanent military

procedures 60 Dubai leader 61 Command to a

horse 62 Now aware of 63 Wasn’t sturdy 64 Cast out 65 Germany’s ___

Valley 66 Binary code parts 67 Compensable

wrongs 68 Without a hair out

of place

DOWN 1 Country of fjords 2 Doctor’s directive 3 Stay off the radar 4 Tent-pitching need 5 Splint’s locale,

perhaps 6 Feeling of hunger 7 Again from the top 8 Maps for hikers 9 Tummy exercises 10 “Heavens!” 11 Place for a student’s

essay 12 Stressful concerns 13 ___ breeze (vodka

cocktail) 21 Archipelago feature 22 Kindergarten break 26 Suffix with “steward” 29 Good mo. for candy

companies 30 China defect 31 Word with “tube” 33 1977 whale of a

tale 34 Long-tailed monkey 35 Glance at

provocatively 37 Drug that reduces

excitability 38 Mafia boss 39 Express verbally 40 Killer snake 41 Cricket player 44 ___ Simeon, Calif. 45 Car-racing class 47 Manhattan’s Park,

for one 48 Big ___ (WWI gun) 49 Separate by type 52 Zorro’s real first

name 54 Embellish 56 Greek god of war 57 When pigs fly, to

poets 58 Burst of wind 59 Declines (with “out

of”) 60 Sense of self

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

First in Twenty

Life Sentence: Some female cockroaches mate once and are pregnant for the rest of their lives.

Washington and the Bear By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com

Eatin’ Cake By Dylan Moriarty eatincake@gmail.com

Evil Bird By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu

By Angel Lee alee23@wisc.edu

By Nick Fritzopinion columnist

A disturbing trend is spreading across Wisconsin. Students in the UW system are acting out violently and tar-geting specific minorities. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, there have been nine reported hate crimes across six UW four-year universities this year compared to the one reported in 2008.

And these are just the reported ones. Some violent incidents are not even considered hate crimes, but rather non-criminal offensive acts, as deemed by university officials. For example, seven incidents at UW-Stout and 22 at UW-Platteville were reported as “extraordinary” incidents.

What is causing this increase in reported hate crimes? Some experts blame it on this year’s heated elections and the poor economy. They think the nastiness of the past year has given students a reason to lash out violently.

I disagree with this completely. If it were the case we would have seen an increase in hate crimes nationally, but we don’t. It’s occurring mainly in the UW school system. This means that the violence is originating from a dif-ferent source and I have some theories.

I’m thinking more about the con-centration of small town, conservative students. Considering how many UW students come from small towns, it’s likely the system has a lot of conserva-tive students. And Wisconsin consists of many small towns, which tend to have conservative viewpoints. I think

the non-diverse student population contributes to the increase of hate crimes. Some students may not under-stand other cultures due to a lack of exposure as a kid.

Another theory is the relative absence of diversity programs in these schools. Compared to the Madison campus, the diversity programs at the other UW schools fall short. This con-tributes to students violently acting out. That’s not to say that the diversity programs are nonexistent, but rather they aren’t as effective.

In response to the increase in hate crimes, UW schools have offered ideas to solve the problem. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the schools have increased the presence of diver-sity events and rallies. Some students have even suggested mandatory diver-sity training for incoming freshmen. Clearly the schools recognize the issue and are working to fix it. I’m glad they have the humility to admit that they have a problem. For that, I say kudos.

I would also like to give our school a tip of my hat because UW-Madison hasn’t had a single reported hate crime this year. Our required ethnic studies class and high numbers of out of state and international students are critical to campus diversity. I am glad to see that our extensive programs are work-ing so effectively and I hope that they continue to work for years to come.

Nick Fritz is a sophomore majoring in marketing. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

W hen I heard the name, “Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery,” the image

that immediately came to mind was Disney Epcot’s fake Imagination Institute, complete with Wayne Szalinski from “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.” This may have originated from the fact that I am a Disney freak and somehow relate most things back to the Mouse, but it also stems from the too-good-to-be-true illusion I got when hearing details of the interdisci-plinary research facility.

There’s been a lot of hype. WID was constructed under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for energy efficiency—using 50 percent less energy and water than other UW–Madison research facilities—and is powered by geothermal energy. With the col-laboration of both private and pub-lic research groups, The discovery potential is extraordinary. This poten-tial will attract world-class researches and grants. Its beautiful architecture and locally-focused restaurants will become iconic.

I decided to check out Monday’s series of grand opening events to see if this hype was warranted. The publicity for WID is well-deserved. My first thought was, “where am I?” The facility looks like a Los Angeles hotel. There are gardens, a helix stair-case, waterfall bench clock structures, waterfalls that light up in a Fibonacci sequence when you walk by and chimes that sound to reflect your movement. It took five minutes to

realize what I assumed was a swanky bar was actually where Babcock ice cream will be sold.

Ah, yes. Babcock ice cream means I’m in Wisconsin. And of course there is a new flavor to celebrate the open-ing, according to Kathleen Gallagher of the Journal Sentinel, which includes UW’s patented HyRed cran-berries and dark chocolate ribbons.

WID is easily the most impres-sive building on campus. Walking around, I was, as a quote on the wall said, “in a constant state of discovery.”

Then there’s the science. Bruce Alberts, editor of Science Magazine and former president of the National Academy of Sciences, told Gallagher, “people in Wisconsin may not rec-ognize the great university you have here. It’s a fantastic source of ingenu-ity and leadership.”

After listening to the conver-sation between Santae Kim, the Morgridge Institute for Research Director, and John Wiley, the WID Director I agree. I was amazed at the immense potential for ingenuity in the building.

I’m not scientifically-literate, so the areas of research just sounded intense. But the idea behind the collaboration and mission of the institute’s research is something I can understand. It is what makes this facility unique. Kim explained that if you “want to harness discovery to solve societal problems, it is unlikely that one path will do it.” Wiley added, “nature doesn’t recog-nize our disciplines.” The building is designed with transparency in mind to force researchers to work together and, both literally and figuratively, rub shoulders. As Kim pointed out, a lot of researchers have the answers to other researchers’ problems.

This collaboration will hopefully lead to a faster discovery to delivery

process, and that’s the exciting part. The facility has the potential to “unleash more local commercial-ization of the UW’s world-class research,” as Gallagher noted.

Pro-life protestors would argue that my too-good-to-be-true opin-ion ignores the ethical and moral implications that the private research side will encounter, namely stem-cell research. Jamie Thomson, the first researcher to isolate and grow human embryonic stem cells, will be one of the many pioneers working for the private research side at WID. But this is exactly why WID is ground-breaking. Stem-cell research can lead to cures for Alzheimer’s, blind-ness, Parkinson’s disease and other human illnesses. It’s invigorating to think that these breakthroughs may emerge right here on campus. Todd Finkelmeyer of the Cap Times found that these private researchers are not on UW payroll, and their facilities are financed through private funds, yet they still use UW’s outstanding facil-ity. It seems UW has found a funding loophole, and I’m grateful. According to the Badger Herald, Governor Doyle believes “politics and religion need not decide where science should be going.” Finally.

Kim noted researchers can’t just be happy with discovery; they need to extend their efforts to connect-ing that research to tangible societal impact. It seems clear to me that the vibrancy of the facility, as well as the breakthroughs at both the public and private level, will have no problem impacting the world in unimaginable ways. At WID, researchers are finally free to discover.

Melissa Grau is a sophomore intending to major in journal-ism. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

dailycardinal.com/opinion Wednesday, December 8, 2010 7opinion

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melissa grauopinion columnist

Hate crimes on campus

Cardinal View editorials represent The Daily Cardinal’s organizational opinion. Each editorial is crafted independent of news coverage.

view Time to believe the hype

The great thing about ASM is that it always changes, yet always stays the same. Just look at this past semester. In September, we spoke with ASM Chair Brandon Williams and Vice Chair Adam Johnson who pledged that they would bring a fresh approach to ASM. They made a point to claim that a lack of strong leadership was one ASM’s chief problems last year. Meanwhile, new SSFC Chair Matt Manes prepared to introduce the Campus Services Fund, a system that would provide ASM with some seri-ous teeth while completely overhauling how student services are funded.

But as of now, the CSF appears to be everything but dead, and ASM’s leadership appears to be as removed from their student base as ever. For any student who has been on this campus for four years, it’s hard to imagine ASM ever changing. But just a few simple changes could make ASM both more accessible and make it easier for wholesale reform, like the kind sought in the CSF. Most elected representa-tives know exactly what these changes are, too—but eventually, somebody is going to need to step up.

A good first step would be improv-ing online access to ASM. Williams and Johnson have both said ASM’s website needs a change. However, the only action taken so far is to search for a student programmer who will earn little more than an average student hourly wage. Any competent website programmer can earn considerably more than that on a usual project. ASM needs to treat this issue seri-ously and put more money into devel-oping an entirely new website—one

that actually contains all the necessary information on student representa-tives, has a fully updated calendar and information on meeting agendas, pro-posals and initiatives.

ASM does a good job with their social network platforms on Facebook and Twitter, and the ASM Student Voice blog has been a great source of worthwhile updates. But that level of attention and effort needs to be applied to every bit of ASM’s outreach, starting with the website.

In addition, ASM must take its out-reach beyond the virtual world. This semester, it seems ASM has relegated much of this job to Chief of Staff Tom Templeton, but one person cannot make the rounds on the entire cam-pus. Every representative on Student Council should be reaching out to stu-dent groups, as well as catching fresh-men early and educating them about ASM. Get to them during SOAR and Welcome Week when they can’t ignore the speakers in front of them, and talk to them in simple language instead of ASM jargon. Proposals like the CSF look a lot scarier than they actually are because they are layered behind a wall of bureaucratic terminology.

We realize increasing student involvement is a hard task. Much of what ASM deals with is very dry material, and many of their most dedicated members are already over-worked. But in order for the system to truly become both effective and worthwhile, more needs to be done. So let’s look forward to spring semes-ter with cautious optimism, because the possibility for change is there. It simply needs a push.

REFORMING ASM

sports8 Wednesday, December 8, 2010 dailycardinal.com/sportsl

Men’s Basketball

Danny Marchewka/the Daily carDinal

Wisconsin junior point guard Jordan taylor will be looking to build on a strong start to his season as the Badgers welcome their in-state rivals, the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers, to the Kohl center

Badgers and Panthers to renew in-state rivalry Jeremy wodajothe Daily carDinal

For the sixth straight year, the pupil and the teacher will meet head-to-head: Badger bas-ketball head coach Bo Ryan and UW-Milwaukee’s Rob Jeter are set to square off Wednesday night as the Panthers visit the Kohl Center for their annual in-state battle.

While Ryan is proud of his former player and assistant coach’s professional resume, he is quick to point out the privi-lege of having numerous Division I programs in-state for UW to compete with.

“We’re fortunate in that there are four D-I teams that compete, for the most part, year in and year out at a very high level,” Ryan said. “To have four good teams in the state […] as far as the D-I level, and we get a chance to play all of them, that’s pretty good stuff.”

The Panthers, members of the Horizon League along with UW-Green Bay, have not com-peted for a conference champion-ship since Jeter’s first season at the helm as head coach in 2005-’06.

The Badgers have dominated every meeting with Milwaukee, compiling a 26-1 record. The Badgers only loss came during

the 1992-’93 season. The Badgers are 17-1 against the Panthers in Madison, and although Ryan has held the edge in each match-up, he speaks highly of Jeter’s group and credits the coach with the development of this year’s squad.

“Defensively, just watching the little bit that I have, they’ve got a team of guys that want to play defense,” Ryan said. “So [Jeter’s] done a lot of things as a profession-al in this game to take what he’s seen, take what he’s experienced and be a better person for it.”

Wisconsin comes into Wednesday’s match up with the most efficient offense in the country. The Badgers rank first in the nation in ball security with a 1.80 assist-to-turnover ratio. They also hold the mark for the nation’s fewest turnovers per game, giving the ball up just 8.8 times per contest.

Since their meeting with UNLV, in which they committed 15 turnovers, the Badgers have turned the ball over a total of 30 times in five games. Ryan makes ball security a priority for his players each season and says they should expect this type of prece-dence in ball security during their initial years.

“They know when we do our passing drills, they know that we probably do more than any other team in the country for a reason, but they accept that and they know that coming in,” Ryan said. “Our recruits, they see us doing passing drills […] so there aren’t any surprises when guys come here and play for us.”

A player who is definitely anchoring UW’s recent consis-tent play is junior point guard Jordan Taylor, who flirted with UW’s first ever triple-double over the weekend, posting career highs in rebounds and assists, with 11 and nine respectively, while chipping in 20 points in a win over South Dakota.

Taylor has successfully stepped into the role of floor general this season, which is important for Ryan’s squad because they lost two of their leaders at that position last season. Although Ryan has always had confidence in Taylor’s play, he likes to take some of the credit for his efficient numbers.

“You ever have to listen to me for a couple hours a day?” Ryan said. “He doesn’t want to listen to me, so he just does it the right way and he just smiles while he’s doing it.”

NFL playoff system in need of re-evaluation

A midst the scramble, chaos, joy, anger, relief and agitation that the student sale of Rose

Bowl tickets has incited since Sunday evening, one facet of the reaction from both sides has stuck out to me. Many of the students who did not get tickets and reacted either on Facebook or some other public forum—at least the ones that I witnessed personally— included some sense of entitlement in their proclamations of dismay.

Now, I don’t intend to levy judg-ment on any of these people, or on the process, reaction or anything of the sort. I only bring it up because the idea of merit is interesting to me. We see it used as an argument in all sorts of societal situations—college admissions and entry-level jobs come immediately to mind—but rarely see it actually employed in a pure form when difficult decisions must be made. Maybe it’s because, in many cases, merit is an ambiguous and generally subjective measuring stick.

For all the imperfections of straight-up meritocracy, though, it’s become painfully obvious that the NFL needs to give it a whirl. Do you know anybody who thinks an NFC West team deserves a spot in the playoffs this year? Do you even know anybody that can name all four teams in the NFC West? No offense to Derek Anderson, but the criticism he got for being seen laughing on the sideline during a nationally televised blowout loss to the ‘49ers is the most compelling thing that’s happened to any of those teams in the last month (I doubt he thinks that’s funny, but it’s true).

The St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks are tied for the division lead at 6-6. I hope that sounds as gross to you as it does to me. The ‘49ers started the season 0-5 and now they’re just two games out of the division lead. Not one team in the division has a positive point differential this season. Among the starting quarterbacks in the NFC Weak, the highest-ranked is Rams rookie Sam Bradford at No. 20 (81.0 quarterback rating). Granted, Troy Smith has recently been playing for San Fransisco and has been bet-ter than Alex Smith, but still, elite quarterback play does not exist in this division.

None of this would bother me except for the fact that one of these middling squads is going to make the playoffs. Moreover, one of these teams is going to host a playoff game.

At this point, that means either the Giants, Eagles or Packers, each currently 8-4, would be left out. That means there is a very real pos-sibility that one of those three teams or the New Orleans Saints could win 11 games and have to travel to an 8-8 or—heaven forbid—7-9 NFC West “champion” for the first round of the playoffs.

It’s just not right.Unlike the most extreme dissent-

ers, I wouldn’t agree to taking the top 12 teams regardless of confer-ence alignment. Like I said, meritoc-racy very rarely works in pure form. However, the automatic berth to divi-sion champions needs to go.

I understand the argument that it will neuter the intensity of division rivalries. To some extent that may be true. Maybe this year’s final week-end showdown between the Bears and the Packers would not have the same playoff implications, but the two teams and fan bases will still hate each other. On top of that, say Green Bay enters the game at 10-6, Chicago at 11-5 and Seattle at an NFC West-leading 7-8. Should the game in Green Bay have playoff implications in the first place? Of course not.

College football is dealing with a similar problem. Six conferences have automatic Bowl Championship Series berths and no conference can have two representatives per year. In terms of this year, that means an 11-1 Michigan State team ends up in the Capital One Bowl while 8-4 UConn gets the Big East’s automatic berth.

The problem with changing the college football system is money. Good luck telling the Big East it isn’t guaranteed the cash associated with a BCS game each year.

The NFL should not have that problem. It is a conglomeration of professionals with no academic institutions and no amateur ath-letes to worry about. Their only objectives are to win football games and make money. If one division can’t do it in a given year, forget it. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has no business pigeon-holing his league into putting sub-standard teams in the playoffs.

Does the NFL playoff system need to be changed? Have a better idea for a playoff structure? E-mail Parker at pjgabriel@dailycardinal.com

Parker gaBrielparks and rec

Lawler still contributing to team even after her time on the roster has passed women’s hockey

nico Savidgethe Daily carDinal

Erika Lawler captained the Wisconsin women’s hockey team to a national title two seasons ago—her third in four years—and earned a silver medal with the U.S. Olympic team in Vancouver last winter.

But when she graduates from UW-Madison later this month, she will find herself in the same unen-viable position many of her fellow graduates are dreading: looking for what to do next now that her time at Wisconsin is over.

“Everyone has to do it at some point in life and it’s just my time, unfortu-nately,” Lawler said with a laugh.

Before that day, however, Lawler is taking advantage of her time in Madison. Since the start of the season, she has been skating with the Badgers in a coaching role, sharing her years of experience with the team and getting back to what she said is her favorite aspect of being an athlete—getting to play the game every day.

“When you graduate you realize that you take it for granted when you’re in the situation,” she said. She added that she will remind the team “you could be in a wind suit pushing pucks, so enjoy it.”

“She was a big part of our program for four years,” said head coach Mark Johnson, who coached Lawler on

Team USA as well as with the Badgers. “Being an Olympic athlete and having those kids around helps.”

Senior forward Meghan Duggan, who played alongside Lawler on the Olympic team, said Lawler has a wealth of experience she uses to teach current Badgers.

“She adds a lot of knowledge to some of our younger players and any of us on the team,” Duggan said. “She’s got a great eye for the game and I think many of the things she says are similar to what coach [Johnson] says.”

But it did not always seem like Lawler’s time with the team this year would be so easy, as Wisconsin today is a far younger team than the ones

Lawler played on.Fewer than half of the play-

ers on today’s Badger roster were on the team in Lawler’s senior season two years ago. With so many new faces, Lawler said she was nervous about how the team would respond to her return.

“Fortunately they made the transition really easy for me,” she said. “I have a ton of fun with them.”

During practices Lawler said she is “definitely not just another coach on the ice,” and that she tries to keep the mood light by joking around

with players during the team’s often tough practices.

“I just have fun with the girls,” she said. “I really enjoy that part of the day when you get to just forget about school and have a good time.”

When Lawler crosses the stage at her graduation, she will close this chapter of her career and life. Whether the next stage will match the past five and a half years, a time highlighted by national

championships and Olympic achieve-ment, is still to be determined.

“We’ll see what the real world is like in comparison to all of that,” she said.

lawler