THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER R SINC SINCE CE 1 1969 969 Wednesday, September 21, 2011
www.badgerherald.com
V Vo olu lume X LIII LI I , Issue 12 Volume XLIII,
MULTIMEDIA | CITY LIFE
OPINION | EDITORIAL
ARTS | SPOT ON
Check out the video on the new high-rise
Interim Chancellor Ward is a strong transitional figure for UW-Madison, with the key word being transitional | 5
Heroic deeds done dirt cheap
Want to know what all the fuss is about on a proposed highrise on University Ave.? Video coverage is online!
Vigilante superhero ‘Electron’ fills void in city safety by patrolling streets, feeding homeless population. | 11
Costs for recall elections total $44M Senate races break spending records, become state’s most expensive race ever Katherine Krueger Deputy News Editor A report released Tuesday revealed the nine summer recall elections were not only unprecedented in Wisconsin history, but also shattered campaign finance records with spending totals reaching $43.9 million.
The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a non-partisan watchdog group, compiled the survey of total campaign spending by candidates and outside interest groups, which poured four times more money into the campaigns than the candidates themselves. Mike McCabe, director for the organization, said the report aims to give citizens an idea of the magnitude of spending that came as a result of the “tremendous interest” the races garnered for members
of the public. He said the total sum spent in the Senate races in 2011 more than doubled the previous campaign funding record of just more than $20 million in the elections for 99 Assembly seats and 16 Senate seats in 2008. “The numbers are jawdropping and clearly unprecedented,” McCabe said. “The amount of money that flowed into our state was astonishing.” According to the report, the recalls became the most costly race in the state’s history, surpassing
the $37.4 million spent in determining the governor in 2010. Outside groups also played a record-setting role in funding the campaigns, with three organizations — We Are Wisconsin, Club for Growth Wisconsin and the Greater Wisconsin Committee — breaking the previously held alltime records for backing a legislative candidate, the report said. McCabe said campaign contributors fell into three categories: the candidates, registered interest groups
support candidates. “We could only put a price tag on known activity, so there was surely some campaigning that flew under the radar,” he said. University of Wisconsin political science professor Charles Franklin said although spending in political campaigns has been steadily increasing throughout the past couple of decades, the summer recalls embodied an exceptional set of circumstances to greatly
— both of whose campaign finance reports are in the public record and contain hard data — and unregistered groups, which he said are required to disclose financial information. Despite the weeks of research conducted by personnel from the organization, including tracking down advertising invoices from television stations and IRS documents, he said these figures remain only estimates for what unregistered special interest groups contributed to
RECALL, page 4
St. Francis high-rise passes City Council Luther Memorial members say new project may obstruct their own sanctuary Dan Niepow Deputy City Editor After a lengthy debate that stretched into the early morning hours today, the Madison City Council approved the construction of a highrise apartment building at University Avenue and Brooks Street. A total of 36 speakers gathered to voice their concerns on the proposal in public forum. The group was composed of rectors, preachers, church members and many others representing the interests of two different campus ministries — St. Francis Episcopal Student Center, which supports the building, and Luther Memorial Church, which opposes
it. Architect Randy Bruce said the new on-campus building, which would be a part of the redevelopment of the Episcopal Student Center, would form a “beautiful backdrop to the historical buildings in the area.” Other proponents for the high-rise talked about the additional tax revenues the new building would generate. They also believed it would decrease vehicular traffic due to its proximity to campus. Many also felt the new building would rehabilitate the ministry of St. Francis House and add a new dynamic to the church. Those who opposed the high-rise spoke about the fact that Luther Memorial has been officially designated as a landmark. Landscape architect Gary Brown said ice-damming due to lessened sunlight may
cause serious damage to the church. Other opponents to the plan argued the new apartment would cause noise problems for the neighborhood. Many also expressed their concern that the residents in the new building may increase vandalism in the area, as had allegedly happened with Grand Central Apartments — also owned by the same developer, LZ Ventures. Doug Swiggum, a chair of Luther Memorial Facilities Committee, brought in pieces of glass from bottles that had been thrown out of Grand Central windows at the church. Both groups emphasized the factthey hoped to maintain neighborly relations in either case. Some members of the Council addressed the concerns of opponents before taking a final vote. In regard to the
Courtesy of the City of Madison
The 8-story building would provide more student housing to the Univerity Avenue corridor. The high-rise, which would be partially owned by St. Francis Episcopal Church, as well as a developer, would be situated near Luther Memorial. ice dams, Ald. Chris Schmidt, District 11, said the shadows cast by the new building would not prevent the melting of ice on Luther Memorial. He gave his final approval for the plan, noting he found the project
“compatible with the nature of an area.” Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, addressed the issue of possible vandalism to Luther Memorial by arguing it would be very difficult to throw bottles through a
stained glass window. Resnick also mentioned many of the problems presented by the opponents had more to do with the location of the proposed building
ST FRANCIS, page 4
MPD resolves to fight gang issue Dan Niepow Deputy City Editor
Matt Hintz The Badger Herald
Nakila Robinson, a UW student and member of First Wave, Katrina Flores, also a UW student and Keeanga-Yahmatta Taylor, a writer at SocialistWorker.org, speak to a crowd during Tuesday’s event.
Testimonies define diversity forum Selby Rodriguez Campus Editor University of Wisconsin students and Madison community members came together Tuesday night to scrutinize points brought up by the Center for Equal Opportunity during last week’s visit, contemplating future actions and aiming for a solidified movement. The International Socialist Organization, Student Labor Action Coalition and Teaching Assistants’ Association’s
Stewards Council coordinated the Tuesday event, titled “Power to the People: Fighting Racism on the UW Campus.” The event was composed of a forum and open discussion, with speakers Nakila Robinson, Katrina Flores and KeeangaYahmatta Taylor. It was formed as a reaction to CEO President Roger Clegg’s press conference revealing the organization’s report stating UW discriminates against white and Asian
applicants. Robinson is a UW student studying English education and a member of First Wave, a multicultural program promoting artistic expression that awards full tuition scholarships to each member. A Milwaukee native, Robinson zeroed in on the report’s use of standardized test scores. Through her experience in the Milwaukee Public School district, Robinson said she was made fully aware of the disadvantages
of coming from a school in a poor area. Citing that standardized tests do not take quality of education into account and that they are expensive both to take and prepare for, Robinson said affirmative action benefits all students from poor economic backgrounds. “Poverty reaches everybody and has nothing to do with the color of your skin,” Robinson said. “Taking away affirmative
FORUM, page 4
© 2011 BADGER HERALD
There are 1,198 confirmed gang members in the Madison area, plus 2,500 suspected members and associates. Madison Police Department’s Crime Prevention Gang Unit is fighting that statistic, and highlighted the reality of gangs in Dane County at a brief discussion before the Common Council last night. Sgt. Amy Schwartz and Officer Lester Moore, who head the unit, presented statistics that said there are 1,198 confirmed gang members in the Madison area, in addition to 2,500 suspected members and associates. Most often, a person is considered a confirmed gang member when he or she self-admits at the time of arrest or incarceration, though there are other methods of confirming as well, Moore said. In the beginning of her presentation, Schwartz showed a map of Dane County that highlighted both the location and density of gangs in the area. She emphasized the crimes committed by gang members are not
restricted to the county. “This is just where they live,” she said. “They don’t necessarily commit crimes in the neighborhoods where they live.” Since gang activity can occur within families, she also noted Madison police are already seeing second and third-generation gang members. “We have to prevent kids from going down this path,” Moore said. To stop gangs from growing, CPGU has developed a fourpronged strategy. It involves prevention, intervention, suppression and re-entry. The unit accomplishes most of its work through home and school visits in the area. Both officers stressed the importance of these visits, as they foster a sense of trust between youth and police. They also promote honest communication between children and their parents. The unit has conducted more than 200 visits before the start of the current school year. During home visits, officers speak frankly with youth about their social and academic
GANGS, page 2