THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIV, Issue 18
Friday, September 28, 2012
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Supreme Court declines voter ID case Polo Rocha State Legislative Editor The Wisconsin Supreme Court will not consider lawsuits against the stat’es voter ID law until after the Court of Appeals decides on them, meaning voters will likely not have to show a photo ID in the November elections. The Court decided to
delay taking on the case, saying the motion to bypass the appeals court is “premature.” One of the plaintiffs, Latino advocacy group Voces de la Frontera, was pleased with the ruling. Voces spokesperson Joe Shansky said the Supreme Court decision to wait is an indication of the law being “unconstitutional and
immoral.” “If it was in place for the election, it would have been blocking people who have every right to exercise their democratic right to vote from doing so,” Shansky said. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen asked the court to join the two state lawsuits and bypass the appeals court. By doing so, Van Hollen said he hoped the
high court would remove the two injunctions placed on the law that have barred it from being in place in every election since February. “The voter ID law protects the integrity of our elections,” Van Hollen said in a statement released after the decision. “The result is that the injunctions against the voter ID law remain in effect and will,
in all likelihood, be in effect for the upcoming November elections. Despite this setback, I continue to believe that the voter ID law is constitutional and I will continue the battle to have the law upheld.” The law’s author, Rep. Jeff Stone, R-Greendale, thanked Van Hollen for trying to have the law implemented for the presidential election.
He criticized the two judges who placed injunctions on the law for being from Dane Country — the part of the state regarded as most politically liberal — and said the law will eventually be validated by the courts. “A duly enacted law of the state of Wisconsin
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Ethnic studies may see change Committee in talks with UW to alter requirement for first time in 10 years Lauren Tubbs Reporter
Jeff Schorefeide The Badger Herald file photo
Community members mourn the loss of Brittany Zimmermann at a memorial event. Zimmermann was murdered in her home in April 2008, and since then Dane County and UW have taken proactive measures.
Zimmermann legacy lives on Tahleel Mohieldin Herald Contributor More than four years ago, University of Wisconsin student Brittany Zimmermann was murdered in her apartment on Doty Street, leaving the campus and city communities shaken. While many of the students attending UW at the time of the homicide have since graduated, Zimmermann and her legacy live on. Zimmermann was 21 years old when a still atlarge assailant entered her apartment and killed her during her junior year. Medical reports revealed she died from multiple stab wounds and strangulation. As part of a three-yearlong tradition, the campus community and friends of the Zimmermann family are preparing to come together this weekend to remember her life via the Brittany Zimmermann 5K Run/Walk. The walk benefits the Madison Area Crime Stoppers, a branch of a national organization which aims to solve and prevent crimes by offering cash rewards for anonymous and
confidential tips. Rewards for tips can be up to $1,000 — depending on the impact of the tip on the investigation. UW Dean of Students Lori Berquam said the annual event came together because so many of the Madison police and members of the community felt compelled to get involved, and they, along with the family, wanted to give back and help keep Zimmermann’s memory alive. As one of the event’s many participants, Berquam said the run is a great family event. Last year’s run drew nearly 300 participants, and Crime Stoppers Coordinator Rodney Wilson said he expects an even larger turnout this year. Crime Stoppers is planning on having the third annual run this year this Saturday at 9 a.m. Following Zimmermann’s death, controversy and confusion surrounded the way Dane County’s 911 Center handled her call. The center received a call from Zimmermann’s cell phone sometime during the incident, but upon answering the call, the dispatcher was met with silence and did
not alert the police. The Zimmermann family later followed with a wrongful death lawsuit. Since the incident, the 911 Center has made several policy changes and implemented a number of new services to improve the center. Specifically, the center has implemented a “When in doubt, dispatch” policy. “We track various performance measures to ensure we’re continuously striving for excellence, … including tracking all abandoned calls to ensure that all are dealt with in accordance with our policy,” Dane County ENP Director John Dejung said. The center has adopted a nationally recognized call-taking protocol for law enforcement, and the program is overseen by the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch, he added. The center has also formalized a Support Services staff to oversee training and quality assurance of all 911 calls. The 911 response time has improved, as 95 percent of 911 calls are answered in 15 seconds or less, Dejung said.
The center has also lengthened the time the dispatcher spends on the line with each citizen to ensure protocol is completely followed. “Any changes that can help save a life — though it didn’t help Brittany — can give us some comfort,” Brittany Zimmermann’s mother, Jean, said of the improvements at the call center. Since the homicide hit campus, UW has worked on several safety-related improvements. “Brittany’s death reaffirmed a commitment to doing whatever we can to keep students safe. … That’s part of what we want to have as a university value,” Associate Dean of Students Kevin Helmkamp said. WiscAlerts, a measure that was in the works prior to Zimmermann’s death, was implemented following her murder. WiscAlerts is a campus-wide text message system designed to provide the campus with information in an emergency. This, among other safety measures, was intended to
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Student government officials are beginning to express interest in proposing changes to the University of Wisconsin’s ethnic studies general education requirement. Mia Akers, the chair of the Associated Students of Madison’s Diversity Committee, said the committee’s interest in changing the ethnic studies requirement comes from the desire to make the ethnic studies courses more applicable to the lives of students at UW. “We are looking to change the requirement so it’s more reflective of our climate and diversity here at UW,” Akers said. Akers said they hope to enhance the requirement by making
the ethnic studies classes more open to discussion among students in the hope students will better understand each other. She also added she wanted the ethnic studies courses to have a greater focus on racial situations in the United States rather than focusing on racial roles in the international environment. “We would like the classes to deal more with race relations in the U.S. so the things discussed can be applied to situations on campus,” Akers said. According to Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate Damon Williams, the parties involved with the changes have not yet decided on a concrete plan for the development of the changes. However, Williams said
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Student arrested for dorm thefts Julia Skulstad Campus Life Editor A University of Wisconsin student was arrested for alleged theft in university housing residence halls including Cole Hall and Sellery Hall. According to a statement from the UW Police Department, investigators identified a suspect involved with the recent university housing thefts Wednesday. Nicholas Suarez, a student at UW but not a campus housing resident, confessed to investigators he committed the crimes, the statement said. He was then admitted to the Dane County Jail. UWPD requested charges for burglary, theft and disorderly
conduct from the Dane County District Attorney’s Office. UWPD Sgt. Aaron Chapin said theft is the number one crime on campus and the office receives somewhere between 300-400 cases of it per year. “Occasionally it does lead to arrest, but a lot of thefts are very difficult to investigate, and there is not a lot of evidence that ends up helping us make arrests,” Chapin said. Chapin said Suarez’s potential consequences include a conviction for criminal charges and other possible criminal consequences. He added the university also may take disciplinary action as well.
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Council extends collective bargaining rights for union Camille Albert City Hall Editor In an emergency City Council meeting Thursday, the City of Madison came to an agreement with a local union that allowed the two parties to continue collectively bargaining until March 2015. The Council voted unanimously to approve the agreement to extend the former March 2014 deadline
for collective bargaining with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 60. AFSCME represents 1,100 city employees. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the agreement between the City of Madison and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 60 Union extends the former March 2014 deadline for collective bargaining
an additional 12 months. AFSCME represents 1,100 city employees. The majority of AFSCME agreed with this decision, with 73 percent of its members voting in favor of the compromise with the city, according to Verveer. According to Mayor Paul Soglin, if the two parties had not come to this compromise, in March 2014 bargaining
COUNCIL, page 3
TJ Pyzyk The Badger Herald
Labor Relations Manager Greg Leifer addresses City Council in its emergency meeting Thursday. Council voted to extend AFSCME’s collective bargaining rights. © 2012 BADGER HERALD