2011.09.16

Page 1

THE UNIVERSITY OF WIS WISCONSIN’S SCONS INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Friday, September 16, 2011

www.badgerherald.com

Volume XLIII, Issue 9

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

NEWS | CAMPUS

ARTS | REVIEW

Badgers to clash with former coach

Although the start of the semester racked up high bills for some students, a campus-wide protest went after book costs | 2

Hockey game a top-shelf score

Former defensive coordinator Dave Doeren leads a strong NIU offense to Soldier Field for a date with UW | 8

Herald’s newest gaming columnist straps on his virtual skates and hits the ice in a review of “NHL 12.” | 6

City outlines plans for 2011 Freakfest Officials say ticket prices expected to go up, UWPD will not aid in patrolling Katherine Krueger Deputy News Editor While the popular theatrics surrounding the Freakfest event are expected to remain largely unchanged in 2011, students making plans for Halloween can expect to pay more for their ticket in the upcoming year. At Thursday’s Downtown Coordinating Committee meeting, members were able to confirm that while a ticket price increase was recently approved in collaboration between the mayor and the production company, no members could confirm what the adjusted price would be. Madison Parks Community Events Coordinator, Kelli Lamberty, said while the format of the event will be the same as in previous years, a ticket price increase has been negotiated, a development the majority of the committee, including City

Council members present, were not previously made aware of. “The event will be essentially the same as last year,” she said. “The admission price is going to go up, but at this time, I’m not sure by how much.” Although the new ticket price is not yet widely available, Lamberty said more information on the event would likely be made available when Frank Productions, the Madisonbased agency behind booking the event, releases the entertainment lineup for the event on Sept. 26. Another change that could alter the face of the student-friendly event is the absence of police officers from the University of Wisconsin force, which typically join the Madison Police Department in providing law enforcement services for the event. City officials were uncertain of the exact reasoning for UWPD’s absence. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said this would likely lead to MPD having to provide additional manpower to cover the event, though there have historically been no major incidents in conjunction with the event since

sponsorship of the event began. The committee also voted to dip into the city’s Contingent Reserve Fund, a practice that is common for the event, for $35,018 to cover the event. While many students consider Freakfest a priority event for the holiday, Verveer said the city of Madison has yet to break even financially on the Halloween festivities. Verveer added the extent to which the city is subsidizing Freakfest has been on a decreasing trend since its inception. He also said the Freakfest resolutions approved in the meeting mark the third and final committee before the details of the event come before the City Council on Tuesday. “The Council was not consulted on the price increase,” Verveer said. “I just hope the price increase is reasonable for the quality of entertainment available.” The committee also made the decision to offer roughly the same number of complimentary tickets to State Street area business owners. In addition to

FREAKFEST, page 3

Steve Sellers The Badger Herald

Members of the Downtown Coordinating Committee met Thursday night to discuss specific plans for the annual Freakfest event on State Street. Ticket prices will go up an undetermined amount so the city can offset the costs it absorbs from hosting the event.

State accused of overpaying unemployment fees White House claims more than 1 in 10 Wis. claims are falsely approved Matt Huppert State Editor In the last three years unemployed citizens in Wisconsin received nearly $500 million they were not entitled to receive, according to a statement released Wednesday from the Office of the Vice

President of the United States. These findings are a part of a Department of Labor report outlining the amount of unemployment insurance each state has improperly given out over the past three years. Wisconsin gave $497,137,531 in unemployment insurance it was not entitled to give, according to the report. Forty-four percent of Wisconsin’s waste was attributed to the state’s failure to confirm that those receiving benefits had met

the state’s requirement that recipients be actively searching for employment, the report said. Unemployment payments given to Wisconsinites who had already returned to work was responsible for nearly a third of the waste. While Wisconsin’s 12.4 percent rate seems high, it is still lower than several states, including Indiana, whose 43.56 percent of improper payments over the last three years resulted in $1.73 billion paid by the state, the statement said. The findings were

included in a joint cabinet meeting called by Vice President Joe Biden to address the wasteful spending occurring in federal agencies as part of President Barack Obama’s Campaign to Cut Waste. In addition to creating an initiative to reduce improper unemployment insurance payments, the campaign includes a program to reduce unnecessary waste in Medicaid and Medicare, the statement said, which is estimated to save $2 billion. “Today’s

The ultimate tryouts University of Wisconsin students brought their best skills to the field Thursday afternoon during the first week of tryouts for the Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Team, the Hodags. More than 100 contenders came out for the challenge, hoping to join the approximately 20 returning players for the upcoming season. The Hodags have won three national championships and twice come in second place.

announcements on cutting waste in Medicare, Medicaid and unemployment insurance shows that we can make our government more efficient and responsible to the American people,” Biden said in Wednesday’s statement. “If we’re going to spur jobs and economic growth and restore longterm fiscal solvency, we need to make sure hardearned tax dollars don’t go to waste.” State Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said the management of

UNEMPLOYMENT, page 3

UW connectivity funds scholarship

Matt Hintz The Badger Herald

Katie Caron News Reporter The University of Wisconsin is introducing the “Bucky Challenge,” which aims to raise money for students as well as increase connectivity with the university through the use of social media sites. Through Oct. 3, whenever anyone “likes” or “follows” UW or the Wisconsin Alumni Association on Facebook or Twitter, UW alumnus Will Hsu, his wife Jenny and his parents, Paul and Sharon, will donate $1 to the Great People Scholarship, according to a UW statement. The scholarship has a limit of $50,000. The statement also said the Great People Scholarship campaign provides need-based financial aid to UW students through the Office of Student Financial Aid. Donations such as the Hsus’ make the © 2011 BADGER HERALD

unemployment insurance is the responsibility of primarily state governments. Because the state receives federal funding for unemployment insurance, he said the state must abide by parameters set by the federal government. Grothman said any short-term changes made in the distribution of unemployment insurance would likely come from a joint labor committee. At the cabinet meeting,

campaign possible. Hsu said when he and his family decided to donate to UW this year, they wanted to further a goal of connectedness in a unique way. He added the use of social media allowed more people to be impacted than if he made a flat donation instead. “Even though it doesn’t cost you anything to sign on or click, the act in order to raise funds makes it meaningful because hopefully it leads to future connections between you and the university,” Hsu said. WAA spokesperson Kate Dixon agreed the use of social media in the Bucky Challenge extends the impact of the Hsus’ contribution and fosters strong university connections. “It’s an easy way for people who are fans and followers of UW to give back to the university,”

SCHOLARSHIP, page 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
2011.09.16 by The Badger Herald - Issuu