'A Checkered Past' - Volume 51, Issue 18

STUDENT MEDIA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

TUESDAY, February 4, 2020 · VOL 51 Issue 18 · BADGERHERALD.COM

A CHECKERED PAST Fraught relations between administration, campus, Greek life has storied history. pg. 12

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Music Theater of Madison presents ‘INDECENT,’ a play that examines xenophobia, LGBTQ+ rights, power of art at $10 for students.

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University of Wisconsin unable to release redacted reports for sexual harassment cases, citing student privacy laws.

‘INDECENT’ AT PLAY CIRCLE

Shayde Erbrecht

NEWS

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SHOUTOUTS

POINT COUNTERPOINT: GERRYMANDERING OR REDISTRICTING?

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College Democrats and Republicans discuss impacts of drawing district lines in Wisconsin.

FOOTBALL: ANALYZING JONATHAN TAYLOR’S DRAFT STOCK

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Following historic career, Taylor is positioned to be top among running back prospects in 2020 draft.

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Harry Potter

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in concert at the overture

February 4, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 3

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UW unable to release redacted reports for sexual harrasment cases University cites student privacy laws as reasoning behind withholding reports that detail actions, investigation

by Savannah Kind Campus Editor

The University of Wisconsin did not release reports for two sexual harassment investigations that would detail what actions occurred and how the investigation was carried out.

One recent case UW has not released investigative reports for involves retired botany professor Don Waller. The Wisconsin State Journal reported the investigation closed in March of last year after finding Waller had engaged in sexual harassment.

Waller retired in June.

UW spokesperson Meredith McGlone said in an email to the Badger Herald that the university was unable to release investigative reports because the information in them would reveal the identity of the

accuser.

“In a number of cases, the university has been able to release redacted investigative reports without jeopardizing the privacy of survivors,” McGlone said. “However, in this particular case, that simply was not possible.

Furthermore, UW Campus Title IX Coordinator Lauren Hasselbacher said the university understands the community’s concerns about sexual violence and misconduct and that UW does everything it can to respond appropriately.

In a sexual harassment investigation there are several reports and documents the public should have access to, though, Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Chair Bill Lueders said. He said there should be documentation of the original allegation, reports from the investigation, records of interviews conducted and a final resolution

Photo - “The university has provided as much information as we are able to under federal student privacy law,” UW spokesperson said.

Daniel Yun The Badger Herald 4 • badgerherald.com • February 4, 2020

on the findings of the investigation.

“None of those documents were released in the case involving professor Waller,” Lueders said. “We don’t know what misconduct occurred. We don’t know what misconduct was alleged.”

McGlone said information regarding the case that was able to be shared was released to Botany department students, faculty, staff and the Letters and Science community. This did not include redacted reports from the investigation.

The university is also unable to provide information about a case that originally launched in 2016 and was reviewed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the OCR was investigating a complaint made against the university regarding the handling of a sexual harassment case.

The OCR dismissed the case in November of 2019 because of difficulties contacting the person who filed the original complaint, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Neither the OCR or the university have shared what the complaint was or what misconduct was alleged in the case.

“The university has provided as much information as we are able to under federal student privacy law,” McGlone said. “We do not control what information the U.S. Department of Education releases about their cases.”

The OCR has three remaining cases involving the University open at this time. These investigations were all opened by the OCR in 2015.

Lueders said he finds the lack of information provided by UW concerning in both cases.

“My perspective is that UW-Madison is over-applying student privacy rules,” Lueders said. “In these instances, it should not be impossible for the public to know what conduct was alleged and what misconduct was affirmed [by an investigation].”

Lueders said the purpose of releasing information after an investigation is to allow the public to evaluate if the university carried out the case properly.

Without released reports, students are left to take the university’s word on the issue, he said.

Hasselbacher said both the complainant and the accused person can request an appeal if they are unhappy with how an investigation was handled.

“We also publicly share our policies and procedures, including specific definitions of sexual harassment and misconduct, and we have mandatory training for all faculty, staff and students on these issues,” Hasselbacher said.

Hasselbacher said information about this process is available on the Title IX website.

UHS Survivor Services Coordinator Zoë Whaley wrote in an email to the Badger Herald why it is important to protect survivors’ anonymity during and after an investigation.

“The confidential support we provide survivors is essential to the healing process,” Whaley said. “Our staff supports survivors in deciding what is most helpful for them, and maintaining their privacy often determines whether or not a survivor will seek resources. Survivors manage many challenges and their privacy — both in records and more— helps maintain their safety.”

Hasselbacher said revealing accusers identities could discourage survivors from coming forward and filing a complaint.

Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment Chair Saja Abu-Hakmeh said finding a balance between protecting survivors’ privacy and releasing information can be difficult, but it is important.

Protecting sexual assault survivors during the reporting process is essential, she said, because they are the ones who have been harmed.

“You want to establish support around them, so I can understand from that perspective why reports remain redacted,” Abu-Hakmeh said. “But on the same end of that, it becomes an issue because students are unaware of the levels of assault that occur on campus.”

Abu-Hakmeh said UW has made improvements in recent years to better support survivors. The university is constantly hiring new counselors, and last semester UHS piloted extended hours for students to access mental health help, she said.

But a stronger push for change will need to occur for the university to make a bigger impact on helping with survivor recovery, Abu-Hakmeh said.

“We are committed to continuing to improve — the university is using data from the recent AAU sexual assault and misconduct survey as well as ongoing campus feedback to further enhance our education, prevention and response efforts,” Hasselbacher said.

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UW, Madison Water Utility work to address tensions from PFAS Thousands of PFAS still commonly used in environment, Madison Water Utility Information Officer says

by Erin Gretzinger City News Editor

As tensions rise around PFAS in Madison’s drinking water, Madison Water Utility and University of Wisconsin researchers continue to work towards addressing the community and the mysteries behind the chemicals.

According to the EPA, PFAS — or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a group of manmade chemicals used in various products such as food packaging, non-stick pans and firefighting foams. In 2017, MWU discovered PFAS in its water wells.

Amy Barrilleaux, Public Information Officer for MWU, said the city tested for PFAS in 2015 and found no traces. MWU employed further testing using new, sensitive techniques, when studies began to show PFAS may have health effects at lower levels than testing required, according to Barilleaux,.

“Just a few years ago we were not ever able to see down that low when looking at these chemicals,” Barrilleaux said. “So, there is a lot of rapid change in respect to this topic, even just in the last two years.”

According to the PFAS-RECH project, 98% of Americans have PFAS in their bodies. PFAS build up in humans over time from various points of exposure, and accumulation can increase to a point where they cause adverse health effects, the EPA website states.

According to Barrilleaux, the EPA has a health advisory level in drinking water for two types of PFAS — PFOA and PFOS — at 70 parts per trillion.

Other nongovernmental organizations advocate for lower levels, such as the Environmental Working Group who encourages a drinking water guideline at just 1 ppt to protect children’s health, according to reporting by USA Today.

“Chemical companies always seem to be ahead of the regulatory environment,” Barrilleaux said.

“PFOA and PFOS aren’t being manufactured anymore, but there are many, many other types that are.”

In 2017, Well 15, located near the Truax National Air Base, had PFOA and PFAS levels detected at around 12 ppt, according to the City of Madison.

The well was shut down in 2019 after Vermont came out with the toughest standard in the nation, which Barrilleaux said would make Well 15 out of compliance.

In the 2019 study done by MWU, 14 of Madison’s 23 wells had some trace of PFAS. In this study, Well 15 had PFAS levels detected at 56ppt.

Barrilleaux said none of the Madison wells in use found with traces of PFAS are outside current regulation standards and far below the strictest standards in the country. She said discovering these chemicals at any level is displeasing.

“We are looking at extremely, extremely low levels,” Barrilleaux said. “But ... we are starting to understand that when you start looking for these compounds, you’re going to find them.”

Barrilleaux said MWU and the city are limited in power to solve this issue on their own. But, since MWU’s testing is ahead of regulation, they have been working extensively with the DNR to help build up their database to test and hopefully increase regulation and information on PFAS, Barrilleaux said.

Despite MWU’s ability to work with the DNR, Barrilleaux said there are still many questions MWU can’t answer.

“It’s really hard, I think, for people to understand why things aren’t happening more quickly, why this is in our water and how it got there,” Barrilleaux said. “It’s a tough situation to be in as a community, but I think it will be beneficial in the long run.”

According to the FDA, there are 5,000 PFAS commonly used throughout the economy. PFOA and PFOS are among the oldest versions of the chemical group; many of the newer ones have not been studied yet, Barrilleaux said.

Barrilleaux said the conversation with the community becomes even more complicated by the fact that PFAS are still used today.

“It’s still our food packaging, it’s still in our clothes,” Barrilleaux said. “It’s still in all these consumer products. Knowing that because all of these chemicals never break down, all of this will eventually end up in our soil and in our water. It’s not a fun conversation to have with the public, but it’s important.”

Christy Remucal, a UW associate professor of civil engineering, is currently working on research at a site of extensive PFAS contamination in Marinette, Wisconsin to answer some of the mysteries surrounding PFAS. Remucal is bringing her focus to water chemistry to better understand the state of these chemicals in the environment and possible avenues of removal.

While other scientists have been studying PFAS for decades, Remucal said her current work surrounding PFAS is relatively new, as her project started Oct. 2019. Remucal wanted to start working on PFAS after they started being detected around Wisconsin.

“Seeing the needs of the state, there’s a lot of questions we have about these chemicals and we are well-positioned to answer some of them,” Remucal said.

Remucal’s research focuses on seeing how PFAS groundwater contamination affects surface water contamination and the sediments in the water. The chemicals are everywhere in low concentrations, so taking precise samples is a key part of the process of understanding them, according to Remucal.

Remucal said the first few months of the project have consisted of coordinating their sites with the DNR, developing a methods strategy and collecting their first round of samples from Marinette. Looking at the levels of the chemicals in the sediment, she said, is important for remediation in the future.

“As far as scientists know, there are no natural [break down] processes that happen,” Remucal explained. “Depending on each chemical structure, some of them like to stick to the sediment.”

Remucal noted past studies of the traditional eight carbon PFAS, like PFOA and PFOS, revealed higher levels were typically found in sediment.

She said comparing this information with how

other PFAS stick to the sediment could allude to more information about newer PFAS. Real samples, she also said, would also reveal more than what could be done in a lab.

Remucal said while the DNR is looking at the regulatory perspective, this project will dive into the science to answer some of the unsolved fundamental questions about PFAS necessary to understanding how they make their way into the environment.

“I think our work will have implications in the state and as well as other locations … water is a fundamental right, you want to have clean drinking water,” Remucal said. “It’s a complicated issue and it’s scary for people to hear about.”

Photo - There are about 5,000 PFAS used throughout the economy, according to FDA. Curtesy of Flickr User John ‘K’

February 4, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 5

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Over 100 vape related hospitalizations spark WI legislator discussion Sen. Risser, D-Madiosn speaks out about growing vaping epidemic, unsure of how legislation will make an impact

by Olivia Clauss Reporter

Gov. Tony Evers announced goals to pass K-12 school campus bans on vaping, stricter enforcement on the sales of the devices and a campaign to raise awareness about vaping health concerns on Jan. 19 ahead of his State of the State address, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting.

From August 2019 through Jan. 16 of this year, Wisconsin has experienced 104 vaping related hospitalizations, according to the Lake Mills Leader.

Vaping related hospitalizations commonly come from EVALI, the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention’s name for the lung disease caused by electronic smoking devices. As of Jan. 14, the CDC reported 2,668 cases that resulted in hospitalization. Of the 2,668 cases, 60 of the affected individuals died.

“Vaping is a serious public health epidemic and it is time to take action,” Evers said in his State of the State address. “State agencies will continue to work closely with local public health officials, law enforcement, and the medical community to implement solutions, but we also need our partners in the legislature to join us in order to really move the needle.”

State Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said he supports educational attempts on the

Photo - Nationwide, there have been 60 deaths related to vaping as of Jan. 14.

Courtesy of Flickr user micadew

6 • badgerherald.com • February 4 ,2020

matter, and added that he believes it is good public policy to present information on the harmful effects of vaping.

“There are a series of bills on the subject,” Risser said. “Whether or not they will have any effect, I don’t know. What we can do is let them know what is harmful and try to get them to realize they only have one body and you want to keep it going as long as possible.”

Aside from that, Risser said he will not take any separate actions in District 26, which makes up the larger part of Madison. He did, however, say in the meantime, smaller units like city councils and universities can and should make their own rules on vaping, as the issue is of high

importance and larger governing bodies are not able to act timely on everything.

Risser said he does not believe the legislature plans to meet much anymore in regards to the vaping legislation, and it is uncertain whether they will act on these bills.

“I think from a long-range standpoint it ought [to] be statewide, and as a legislator, I’m happy to help work out a statewide policy on this because I consider it a problem,” Risser said. “The subject should be applicable statewide, even nationwide, but since the national government hasn’t taken a strong stand yet, we can take a state stand as much as we want.”

The CDC, however, has been working on reducing vaping related injuries through its investigations with the Food and Drug Administration and its public health warnings. Risser explained a statewide effort at the present might be more applicable and accessible.

Risser said at that point, the passage of the bills will be partly in the hands of the people of Wisconsin and he would not be surprised if more local governments create their own vaping laws.

“It’s the level of society’s interest that determines whether or not something will be acted on,” Risser said. “The funding will be whatever money society wants to put into it.”

In the University of Wisconsin community, sophomore Katelyn Miller said vaping is a huge issue, and one that will continue.

“I see it all around me, and I think part of the problem is so many kids my age got hooked on vaping before they really knew quite how dangerous it was,” Miller said. “It is obviously very addictive, so even though they know it’s bad for them, they can’t stop.”

While Miller believes vaping is an issue on campus, Risser thinks the university is no different than anywhere else and should not be treated differently.

Risser said he believes the issue spans society.

“Whether it’s the university property or other private property or a public building, I think it is a societal problem that we should restrict because it affects other people,” Risser said.

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$700 million power plant to be built in Superior, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Public Service Commission approves construction for natural gas power plant, owned by Minnesota, Wisconsin companies

by Rachel Clark Reporter

The first round of approvals needed to start construction on a $700 million natural gas power plant recently passed in the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

The plant will be located in Superior, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Superior, and will be jointly owned by the power companies Dairyland Power Cooperative in La Crosse, Wisconsin and Minnesota Power in Duluth, Minnesota, according to the Associated Press.

The AP also reported the approval of the plant has been controversial because of its size, cost and feared environmental impact.

Since the plant is producing energy through natural gas rather than coal, some believe it is a positive change from traditional coal-based power plants, according to the AP. Plants based in natural gas energy rather than coal are proven to produce half as much carbon dioxide, according to the AP. The same story noted due to the size and power output of the plant, there are fears it could do more harm than good, though.

The mining and transporting of natural gas can result in more heat-trapping gasses that could prove harmful to the environment, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration website.

“Natural gas production can also produce large volumes of contaminated water,” the website says. “This water requires proper handling, storage, and treatment so that it does not pollute land and other waters.”

The proposed power plant, named Nemadji Trail Energy Center, was approved by tight margins as conservationist groups and individuals opposed the plan, including the Public Service Commission Chairperson Rebecca Valcq, who was outvoted 2-1. Valcq explained there may be undue environmental impacts.

“My vote is not a referendum on natural gas as a fuel source,” Valcq said. “In my view, the record demonstrates that neither the preferred nor the alternate site are in the public interest because both present undue environmental impacts.”

Valcq is a veteran in the clean energy industry with previous experience serving on the Regulatory Counsel for Wisconsin Electric Power Company and the Committee on Water, among others.

Though Valcq was outvoted in Wisconsin, regulators still do not have the full approval in Minnesota appeals courts.

According to the AP, since the plant will be built in Wisconsin, it is not necessary

Photo - A natural gas power plant has environmental benefits and costs.

Courtesy of Herald Archives for Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to complete an environmental review for possible adverse environmental consequences.

The Communications and Legislative Director at Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Matthew Sweeney, said public input will still be heard.

“Our process invites public input from interested parties or intervenors like conservationists,” Sweeney said.

On the other hand, Dairyland Power Cooperative, a 50% owner in the Nemadji Trail Energy Center, is more optimistic about the results the power plant could produce.

Katie Thomson, a corporate communicator for Dairyland Power, has a different name for the natural gas plant, referring to it as a combined cycle natural gas plant which is a

renewable energy enabling resource.

Thomson said Dairyland Power supports clean energy, and the purpose of this new plant will be to stand in as a reliability component when wind cannot propel windmills and sun cannot power-up solar panels.

“When the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine the Nemadji Trail would be able to ramp up … and fill in those gaps so that we ensure that people have the light and heat and power that they need,” Thomson said.

Sweeney explained the Superior site has been in consideration for a natural gas project for about ten years with smaller and different styles, but previous plans never broke ground.

Sweeney added to fully approve the current plan for the Nemadji Trail Energy Center,

it requires a multi-year process within both Wisconsin and Minnesota state governments.

Though the plan does have many conservationists fighting against the final approval, Sweeney said local elected officials and electrical trades in Superior, Wisconsin were supportive of building a new power plant in the area.

The debate continues on whether the benefits outweigh the costs. While Thomson said the Nemadji Trail Energy Center would emit 65% less carbon dioxide than a similarly sized coal facility, Sweeney noted Valcq’s concerns.

“There was sufficient evidence in the record to demonstrate to her [Valcq] that the project was not in the public interest because of the undue environment impacts,” Sweeney said.

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Bills introduced to challenge vaccination accessibility in Wisconsin UHS looks to require certain vaccines for incoming freshmen in future in order to protect all ages on campus

by Nicole Herzog Reporter

Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, introduced a package of three bills Jan. 17 that would ultimately make vaccines more accessible to Wisconsin residents.

The first bill in the package would deem Wisconsin a universal vaccine purchasing state, the second would allow dentists to administer vaccines under specific training criteria and the third bill would allow a minor aged 16 or older to make their own choices regarding being vaccinated, according to Hintz’s press release.

“If we increase access to vaccines, we will increase immunization rates in Wisconsin, and that is a win for the health and well-being of our state,” Hintz said in the press release. “We need to do all we can to increase vaccination rates in order to avoid a completely unnecessary outbreak in Wisconsin.”

According to the press release, these bills are a result of many conversations with experts in public health who all agree the best thing the state can do, in addition to removing the personal conviction waiver, is to create more access points for vaccination.

In regards to partisan support, Brett Halverson, a staff member who works closely on bills with Hintz, said two of the three bills have a Republican cosponsor, while one only has Democrat cosponsors.

Halverson said Hintz originally circulated a bill regarding vaccinations in May, but it was not implemented.

“Our goal was to increase immunization rates across the state, so we were looking at other ways to do that,” Halverson said.

“After speaking with stakeholders and experts in medicine and in the field of immunizations, we came up with these three bills, which are things that have been done in other states and are incremental ways to increase access to vaccines.”

Wisconsin is currently one of only 18 states that allows parents to exempt their children from receiving vaccinations due to personal reasons. Additionally, opt-out rates for vaccinations are five times higher now than they were during the 1997-1998 school year, according to Hintz’s website.

With one of the broadest exemption rates in the country, Wisconsin is a potential highrisk area for vaccine-preventable diseases.

Yet, parents in Wisconsin may still opt-out their children from vaccines due to medical, religious and personal reasons with no restrictions, according to Hintz’s website.

According to Patrick Kelly, a doctor at 8 • badgerherald.com • February 4, 2020

Photo - Minors aged to 16 would be able to elect to have vaccinations.

Alica Vagun The Badger Herald UHS, Vaccines are highly important because they have the potential to save lives from a multitude of diseases.

“Vaccines, still to this day, are probably the things that have saved the most lives and prevented the most deaths in terms of our public health actions, so just from a sky level view of this — vaccines save lives,” Kelly said.

For college students, Kelly recommends students receive the influenza, meningococcal and human papillomavirus vaccinations.

In the future, UHS, backed with the support of Chancellor Rebecca Blank and the UHS executive director Jake Baggott, hope to make certain vaccinations a requirement for incoming freshman, Kelly

said.

“Right now we don’t require any specific immunizations, but we [UHS] are looking to implement a policy where all incoming first-year students would need to have documented, a set of basic immunizations, and so that will be for the future; we’re looking ahead to at least in the fall semester,” Kelly said.

UHS has administered around 16,000 influenza vaccines, according to Kelly. If students wish to receive immunizations on campus, they can make an appointment through MyUHS to visit the immunization clinic on the green side of the sixth floor of UHS. Additional information about which vaccines one can receive is available on the UHS website.

Kelly said because UHS does not bill students through insurance, the vaccines do come at a certain cost. But Kelly said there is a law in Wisconsin that allows one to receive a prescription for an immunization through any doctor or health care provider.

If one finds a pharmacy that has the vaccine in stock, the pharmacist may bill through insurance.

“On a more specific level, as we look at where we are today, where some of these diseases aren’t as prevalent, but they’re still threatening, there are a lot of individuals who can’t be immunized or whose immune systems make them particularly vulnerable to some of these,” Kelly said. “[It’s] very important for everyone to look out for each other here.”

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Employee survey reveals harrasment issues in city workplaces Women’s Initiative Committee not completely shocked by results of survey, hopeful for future, according to WIC Chair

by Arushi Gupta Reporter

A City of Madison employee development survey found workplace harassment and discrimination to be a common theme, with 25% of respondents reporting experiences of harassment, bullying or discrimination in the last year while on the job.

An employee climate survey was conducted by the Women’s Initiative Committee and the Multicultural Affairs Committee June 2019. The survey showed of the 25% who experienced harassment, less than half of them reported it.

Carla Garces-Redd, Multicultural Affairs Committee Chair, said the survey was designed by MAC and WIC and released to the entire City of Madison staff. GarcesRedd said 930 employees responded to the

survey.

Victoria Larson, WIC Chair, said all city workers had the option to participate in the survey which included numerous professionals who work in the Attorney’s Office as well as departments including Civil Rights, transit, engineering, police and fire. The survey was optional for full-time, part-time and seasonal workers.

Larson said all city employees, including supervisors, are required to go through APM3-5 training by the Department of Civil Rights every three years to learn about the city’s harassment and discrimination policies.

According to Larson, there have been talks about strengthening the training for supervisors. Larson said peer-to-peer harassment in the survey was higher than harassment by supervisors, but the

harassment by supervisors was not far behind “Sometimes, things don’t reach to the level of harassment or discrimination, but there is still bullying behaviors that disrupt the workplace,” Larson said. “We talked about perhaps strengthening the criteria around that. There are situations when folks have reported being stalked by the public, actually assaulted by the public. Are there things we can do to strengthen policies in relation to that?”

WIC and MAC met with the Mayor ’s Office to discuss the results of the survey and to learn about what has been done already, Garces-Redd said.

MAC is meeting with departments and other groups within Madison to try and collaborate on the recommendations released with the results of the survey,

Photo - Sexual harassment prevalent in city workplaces with a quarter of respondents reporting experiencing it in the past year at the position.

Jen Small The Badger Herald

according to Garces-Redd.

“We’ve already met with the Mayor ’s Office about this, and she really wants to look at this and take some proactive steps to address the results of the survey,” Larson said. “We’re really hopeful. We’ll be continuing meeting with the leadership over the next month or so to talk about our findings. I know she’s designated groups that she would like to start looking at these issues and working on these issues.”

According to Garces-Redd, there is a list of three primary areas the MAC would like to act on. Within the three areas, MAC had anywhere between three and seven specific recommendations for things that need to be focused on. The big focus for MAC, GarcesRedd said, is raising the voices of people of color and the aim of their committee as MAC. In addition, MAC recommended a pay equity study that looks at gender, race and ethnicity for large gaps to target and address. Garces-Redd added MAC also wants to see what groups are targeted and affected more by looking at demographics.

“We knew this was going on, so I wouldn’t say this is a complete shock to us,” Larson said. “I think that 25% of respondents, we were a little shocked by that ... it’s good that we have data now, and we’re really hopeful through some of the initial conversation we’ve had with the city leadership that the city’s gonna take the right steps to address some of these concerns throughout the city and within our departments.”

According to Larson, investigators are responsible for looking into any instances of harassment or discrimination that have been reported. If they find an incident has occurred, the investigators work with departments and individuals to step in and take care of the situation.

In addition, Larson said other groups like human resources also work with departments to address concerns related to harassment and discrimination.

“I think, ultimately, we feel really fortunate to work at a place that is asking these types of questions, and so we really want to make sure that people know that the City of Madison is a great place to work at and we want to continue to diversify our workforce,” GarcesRedd said. “This is a theme that is really proactive and challenging and kind of the way things are because I believe from the way we work, change is possible.”

February 4 , 2020 • badgerherald.com • 9

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Hidden gems in February movie dump

Whether seen in theaters or not, best February movies will test viewer limits, boundaries

by Zach Lutz ArtsEtc Editor

When you see pictures of empty movie theaters, it’s likely someone just took the shot at a January or February release.

In the film community, it’s no secret each new year brings us some of the worst features long before it gives us some of the best.

Though the Oscars fall in February almost every year, Hollywood’s biggest night is surrounded by the industry’s biggest movie dumps.

Usually, the only movies worth seeing in February are the Oscar nominees that are somehow still in theaters or got an extended release, or some of the movies that got snubbed from the Oscars and were technically 2019 releases but ended coming out in the first week or two of the new year. This year, the only movie theater worthy experiences are “Just Mercy,” “The Gentleman” and “Bad Boys For Life.”

In years past we have gotten movies like “Get Out” and “Us” around this time — movies worthy of the next awards season — but this year is currently lacking. Besides “Just Mercy,” which was deserving of some Oscar recognition but was snubbed, “Bad Boys For Life” and “The Gentleman” are pure popcorn entertainment and fan appeasing, but they aren’t going to attain critical acclaim, raise any standards or invent anything new.

Luckily, there are some hidden gems on the way in February.

But right now, unless you are going to see one of these three movies, it is recommended that your money is spent elsewhere.

After all, most theaters are currently filled with the likes of “Dolittle,” “The Turning,” “Gretel & Hansel” and “The Rhythm Section.”

All of these movies have achieved little praise, and none of them have the red tomato on Rotten Tomatoes, which means most critics disliked the film. But it’s not just the critics, because the fan scores on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes have also been woeful.

A movie like “Dolittle” can be a big trap because Robert 10• badgerherald.com • February 4, 2020

Downey Jr. usually gives great drama/romance with a unique “Come To Daddy” appears performances, and he’s starring and wholly original plot. to be an art-house, genrehere as a beloved character in a Though this is a period piece, blending horror film. remake. Alongside Downey Jr., it’s giving us a story unknown New Zealand Director Ant the movie boasts a deep voice to the big screen. The movie Timpson has been flying under acting cast with some mega follows a painter in 1770 France the radar for some time, despite stars. Combine these factors who is assigned to paint a critical acclaim for most of his with the fact that it’s a kids reluctant young bride-to-be films. It’s no wonder, though, movie, and it seems like a cute without her knowing. She must due to his fringe cinema and family-fun film. It’s not. observe her daily and paint in experimental style. His movies Sure, some people have her in secret. often combine sci-fi and horror generally liked the film, but Every year, it seems a movie and are overall quite strange. those are little kids and their about elderly romance comes To those trained in parents who want to like it out and does really well, and mainstream film, “Come To because their kids like it. every year it’s anchored by two Daddy” will likely test your The word is that Downey terrific actors. This year is no limits, but it could also open Jr.’s accent is ridiculously different. your eyes to a whole new way unnecessary, the story is “Ordinary Love” stars Liam of filmmaking. Elijah Wood — muddled and the humor is oneNeeson and Lesley Manville AKA Frodo from Lord of the note. in what’s sure to be a heart Rings — is actually starring in The real shame is that these wrenching drama. Critics are the movie, so if he appeals to aforementioned movies have loving this movie — it has a you, you might want to try it. received a lot of mainstream 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Come To Daddy” promises advertising. In the past few The movie follows two to be a weird thrill ride about a weeks, “Dolittle,” “The devoted, married lovers who man-child. Yeah, sounds like an Turning” and “Gretel & are blindsided by the wife’s adventure and a half. But critics Hansel” have filled network TV breast cancer diagnosis. It’s the are loving it, and it could be a commercials. type of movie that promises to fun experience.

Thankfully, all of these be honest with harsh realities Hopefully these new movies are now in theaters and and leave you appreciative of releases will be enough to the commercials will slowly every moment in life. get us through February. The start to die down. Now we Even if you don’t see it in future in March, and beyond, can look towards the smaller, theaters, it will likely be a gem is bright. but more promising movies worth seeing at some point.

February has to offer.

I’m not talking about “Birds of Prey” or “Sonic the Hedgehog,” though we hope those pan out. Those have yet to be screened and could very easily flop in the ratings. Both expect to have some sort of box office success, however.

I’m talking about “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Ordinary Love” and “Come to Daddy.”

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” has been out for critic viewing for some time now in order to be eligible for the Oscars, which turned out to be one of the biggest snubs of the awards season. In fact, the movie ended up No. 2 on Chris Stuckmann’s 2019 favorite movie list, despite not actually being released in wide release until Feb. 14.

This French film is said to have gorgeous Photo · This old, empty theater represents the turnout for February movies. set and costume design, and some of the most Flickr user Studio Sarah Lou refreshingly beautiful cinematography. It’s a

Notice of Availability and Public Information Meeting Draft Environmental Impact Assessment Gymnasium-Natatorium Replacement University of Wisconsin-Madison A public information meeting is scheduled for February 12, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. local time in Conference Room 132 of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) Building, located at 610 Walnut Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53726 on the University of Wisconsin- Madison (UW-Madison) campus.

Parking is available free of charge after 4:30 PM in adjacent parking Lot #64. A description of the project will be presented, and all persons will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to identify both orally and in writing any support, issues, or concerns they believe should be addressed as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for this proposed project.

The Draft EIA has been prepared in accordance with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA), Wisconsin Statutes 1.11, and University of Wisconsin System guidelines.

This project removes the original 249,579 gross square foot (GSF) Gymnasium-Natatorium located on the north side of the UW-Madison campus. After removal, the project prepares the site, and constructs a new 262,108 GSF replacement facility with basketball courts, ice sheet with spectator seating, indoor track, multi-purpose activity spaces, expanded fitness for cardio and strength training, a wellness center for Recreation and Wellbeing and an adaptive fitness space for the UW-Madison Kinesiology Department. These amenities are prevalent at peer institutions.

Although the modest net square footage increase will still not meet the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) standards for square footage per student, it will allow the Recreation and Wellbeing program to grow and provide increased accessibility, visibility, and utilization by students. As the university seeks to increase overall enrollment, additional facilities will be required to accommodate that growth and the critical space needs have been identified and included in this project.

The intent of this EIA process is to evaluate the potential positive and adverse environmental impacts for the project to determine if an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is necessary.

The Drat EIA is available to the general public for a 15-day review period starting February 4, 2020, and this notice of availability has been circulated to the appropriate federal, state, and local agencies. Copies of this Draft EIA are available at the Madison Public Library-Central Branch located at 201 W Mifflin Street, the Helen C. White Library located on the UW-Madison campus at 600 N. Park Street, and online at: https://geiconsultants.sharefile.com/d-s4b4b2eddbdf4196a If you are interested in the potential environmental impact of this project, we welcome your comments in writing by 5:30 p.m. central time, February 19, 2020. Response Forms are available on the website. Comments should be directed to: Neil E. Carney GEI Consultants Inc. 406 Science Drive, Suite 404 Madison, WI 53711 ncarney@geiconsultants.com

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‘INDECENT’ examines themes of historic controversy, power of art

Music Theater Madison production tackles assimilation, xenophobia, LGBTQ+ rights, with student tickets $10 for next weekends at Memorial Union Play Circle

by Veronica Kuffel ArtsEtc Editor

Last weekend, the Music Theater of Madison had their first performances of “INDECENT,” a play reflecting cultural assimilation, xenophobia and LGBTQ+ rights in 1920’s America. For $10, students can catch performances over the next two weeks at Memorial Union’s Play Circle.

“INDECENT” is a Tony Award-winning production depicting the controversy behind “God of Vengeance,” a Yiddish play that jailed a theater troupe after its Broadway debut. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel, it first debuted in 2015 and was hailed as “captivating and gorgeous” by New York critics.

It’s a play within a play, one that guides the audience through the development of the show and highlighting the changes made when it reached America.

Sholem Asch’s “God of Vengeance” tells the story of a Jewish brothel owner and his daughter’s love affair with a prostitute. There’s a beautiful love scene in the rain that is brought up many times in “INDECENT,” as it was the air of most of the backlash.

While “INDECENT” does comment on LGBTQ+ rights, it’s also a piece on immigration to the U.S. “God of Vengeance” did very well in Europe, but the American version replaced the lead actor because she couldn’t learn English and took out the rain scene.

Despite their attempts, the actors were still arrested by the New York police in 1923 and charged with obscenity and libel.

When founder of MTM and director Meghan Randolph first considered “INDECENT”, she thought it would be impossible.

“There are so many components to it,” Randolph said. “It’s a really tough play to stage and wrap your head around.”

But this isn’t the first time MTM has dealt with heavy material. Created in 2016, the professional organization strives to perform new and different shows in musical theater. They look for unique and provocative pieces that stir up conversation within the community. MTM actively seeks out complex works like “INDECENT” and strives for authentic representation.

One way they do this is by involving the University of Wisconsin and professors. For this production, MTM brought on Sunny Stern Yudkoff, UW assistant professor of German, Nordic and Slavic Languages, and Mary Trotter, Chair of Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies at UW, along with a Yiddish consultant, LGBTQ+ advocate and many more.

“Madison is a town full of people who want to learn, and we have so many great resources at our disposal,” Randolph said. “Without them, I would not, as a director, be able to do justice to this play.”

The company wants to give as much contextual

information as possible, through study guides, translations and even projections. “INDECENT” has a screen behind the actors that projects subtitles and clues to what’s going on in scenes.

When characters switch languages, the change is followed up by text in English and Yiddish.

Songs and some dialogue are translated as well, but sometimes, the projections serve a more poetic purpose.

During the play when the company comes to the U.S., the translations amplify the conflict of assimilating to American theater. When it’s noted that they’re speaking in Yiddish or German, their native tongue, they speak with ease and no accent. But when they switch to English, the actors produce thick accents, highlighting the challenge of proving intelligence and merit when there’s a language barrier.

MTM doesn’t overuse the screen but makes it a necessary complement to the production.

There are also some key differences in MTM’s version. The play is normally performed in a large venue, but the Play Circle brings a new element of intimacy to the piece.

It eliminates the distance of their movements and creates a more centrally viewed choreography.

The actors glide past the three instrumentalists, who move around with violin, accordion and woodwind instruments.

Another component that sets MTM apart from the original is its simplicity. The company uses an assortment of old luggage to make tables, chairs and steps. Their light focus on props allows the audience to focus more on the characters that use them.

The amount of time and work spent on the show creates a beauty that reflects on the major theme of “INDECENT” — art endures. In the best and worst circumstances, art will endure and provide hope in times of struggle. It’s an idea as

relevant now as it was back then.

UW student and co-producer Alexis O’Connell said it’s an idea as relevant now as it was back then.

“MTM tries to do plays like ‘INDECENT’ as accurately as possible, with justice to the storyline but bringing light to what the story means to our current audience,” O’Connell said.

Shows will run Feb. 6-9 and Feb. 14-15, with Thursday to Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.. Tickets are available at $10 for students and $35 for the general public.

MTM works to show accurate representations of Jewish, Yiddish and LGBTQ+ cultures while staying true to the history involved in the production.

To learn more about Jewish and Yiddish culture, assimilation and LGBTQ+ rights, look no further than the deeply moving “INDECENT.”

Photo · Lizzie Cutrupi and Kelsey Anne Johnson from the Madison Theater Company in the rain scene for INDECENT’s portrayal of “God of Vengeance.”

Julia Luebke Music Theater of Madison February 4, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 11

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A Checkered Past Fraught relations between administration, campus, Greek life has storied history

by Angela Peterson Public Relations Director

Fraught relations between administration, campus and Greek life has storied history When the external review teamof the University of Wisconsin fraternities and sororities released their report following their spring 2019 interviews, meetings and investigations into the community’s culture, the group found a particularly curious cause for the cracked foundations many UW Greek organizations rest on.

“Among many student affairs staff members there exists a sense that the fraternity/sorority students ‘belong’ to [Fraternity and Sorority Life] alone,” the report reads. “One staff member problematically referred to them as ‘their [FSL] students’ — specifically implying they were not hers.”

Crooked on the Northeast corner of the UW’s campus, Langdon Street sometimes appears to be a natural artery from the figurative heart of campus, Memorial Union. In recent history, though, a discrepancy in the perception between what is and is not considered a part of campus when it comes to Greek Life has risen to the forefront and created a sometimes divisive relationship between the university and Greek organizations.

As Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Mark Guthier sees it, the tension that rises in this relationship isn’t exactly hidden.

“We are focused on deepening both the university’s, and [the Greek] community’s commitment to building and sustaining a healthier relationship,” Guthier said.

“I think it’s well-known there have been challenges in this area.”

For current UW undergraduates, it’s not surprising to see the university acknowledge this disconnect between itself and organizations in the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association, Multicultural Greek Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council. In the Big Ten Conference, known for relatively active Greek Life communities in addition to academic and athletic excellence, UW’s community seems thin.

According to US News and World Report, only 8% of students participate in Greek Life at UW — UW officially reports 14% of students are involved in Greek organizations — a statistic which ranks dead last out of all reported Big Ten figures. For many UW students, it is possible to have an undergraduate experience completely devoid of the Greek community.

Seemingly annual reports relating increased health and safety risks to members of Greek organizations, coupled with these comparatively low involvement numbers, further spells trouble for UW’s Greek community. Released in February 2019, “The Color of Drinking”report found fraternity and sorority houses and Langdon Street in general as the two mostreported drinking sites for UW students — by over

12 • badgerherald.com • February 4, 2020

20% more than the next-highest reported site.

At present, five fraternities have been fully terminatedin relationship to UW, with two more either suspended or on probation. Negative perceptions of Greek life continue to creep into student conversations on Madison streets and online.

The disconnect in the relationship between Langdon’s houses and the university-at-large can seem like a byproduct of the modern era. Increased attention to sexual assault and drinking risks in studies like “The Color of Drinking” and the AAU Campus Climate Surveyappear to put more and more heat on these long-standing UW communities.

With all the headlines, however, comes a history.

“We are focused on deepening both the university’s, and [the Greek] community’s commitment to building and sustaining a healthier relationship ... I think it’s wellknown there have been challenges in this area.”

Mark Guthier Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

AUTONOMY FROM NATIONAL, CAMPUS One of the first issues of autonomy Greek organizations faced on UW’s campus put more than a decade’s worth of UW students in a contentious fight supporting discrimination clauses. Until 1961, various Greek organizations on UW’s campus restricted membership based on racial, ethnic or religious grounds. These clauses included Sigma Chi’s restriction of membership to only “bona-fide white” males.

While the timeline seems quite delayed for eliminating these clearly discriminatory provisions, UW was one of the first universities nationwide to be entirely rid of the clauses in all of its organizations. Yet the Human Rights Committee, which was primarily

composed of faculty, ultimately pushed these clauses to extinction rather than intent of the organizations themselves.

For example, then-President of UW Sigma Chi Richard Urfer drafted a report calling for the elimination of a strict 1960 deadline to remove clauses like those found in the chapter ’s constitution. A few months later, he went with other members of the chapter to fight for the removal of said clauses. This report, like many other pieces of evidence from this tension, can be found in the UW Archives in Steenbock Library.

Once removed, additional worries of true autonomy bubbled to the surface. A nearby case, where the national organization of Delta Gamma suspended its Beloit College chapter after it tried to pledgean African-American student, made the faculty Human Rights Committee question whether UW organizations could actually pledge members of color. Due to these fears, the Board of Regents recommended to terminate the Delta Gamma chapter at UW shortly thereafter.

In an oral history conducted in 1975, former dean of students Leroy E. Luberg said over 1,000 members of the local chapters marched to his office in Bascom Hall to say that they “were free, they were open, they were nondiscriminatory, and we at the University should be strong enough and broadminded enough to allow them to continue.”

The chapter was allowed to stay on campus, but the tone had shifted. The minutes of a following IFC meeting noted the community’s want for “faculty help, not faculty dictation” in confronting these issues facing the chapters. The archives themselves also support signs of a rift at this particular moment in the community’s history, as the university only holds records of meeting minutes until early 1964.

In the following decades, newsmaking incidents repeatedly suggested a disconnect between the university and the Greek community. In the late 1980s, a series of racially-charged events, including a Zeta Beta Tau “slave auction” conspicuously parodying famous African-American personalities and a “Harlem” room at a party featuring watermelon jugs, brought questions of the relationship between the Greek community and the university as a whole back into focus.

In Zeta Beta Tau’s case, for example, a student-led committee determined no action could be taken against the fraternity’s “slave auction,” given the display lied within the scope of the first amendment. But the Wisconsin Student Association, a previous iteration of student government, proclaimed Zeta Beta Tau “had no place on campus.”

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With this backdrop, then-Chancellor Donna Shalala created The Commission on the Future of Fraternities and Sororities to examine the community and its relationship to the university as a whole.

School of Journalism and Mass Communication Professor Emeritus James Hoyt led the commission comprised of faculty, staff, alumni and students, making the commission widely called the “Hoyt Commission.” Hoyt said in a feature in the 1993 edition of the Badger Yearbook that the Greek community at the time was very unorganized and lacked oversight from the broader university.

“We discovered the IFC was a very ineffective, ragtag organization,” Hoyt said. “No one knew if they had a constitution.”

Following this commission, the IFC and other Greek governing bodies became restrengthened as the commission effectively let the Greek communities govern themselves. Then-IFC President Dennis Lesak said in the same feature this was “different from other campuses,” where the university has more direct involvement in the governance of its Greek organizations.

CONCERNS THROUGHOUT CAMPUS Once again, UW turns its eye eastward to Langdon Street with the UW Fraternity and Sorority Life External Review. With this past as prologue, the reasoning for the wide-ranging external review becomes clearer. One can begin to understand why the second article of the IFC’s bylaws denote the organization as “self-governing,” and pushed away from strict university dictation.

Early last spring, the vice chancellor charged the group with the purpose of “assessing, clarifying, and strengthening the relationship between the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the fraternity and sorority community.” As the review worked on identifying the tensions in this relationship, familiar issues yet again rose to the surface.

At least in my experience, history of Greek life as a whole at this university is not really focused on ... the history of specific chapters at the university and nationally is, but as far as the community as a whole and its history, I don’t think there’s any formal education.”

Tim Nielsen junior member of Delta Tau Delta

In the August 2019 report, the external review team described an issue of autonomy in decision-making between the Committee on Student Organizations, the Office of Student Conduct and the councils, which they termed as a “jurisdictional challenge.”

Created in 1996, after the events and determinations of the Hoyt Commission, the Committee on Student Organization’s purposes are to keep registered student organizations in compliance with established policies and discipline organizations if these policies are broken.

While proximal in development of the Hoyt Commission, the creation of this committee was a departure from the self-governance solution. This committee, along with the chapter judicial boards, national headquarters and the Governing Council, leaves all Greek organizations under four layers of jurisdiction, each with their own requirements.

Noted in the external review’s report, concerns about the sense of a judicial bureaucracy with these competing jurisdictional bodies made several IFC openly contemplate the possibilities of a Greek community adjacent yet dissociated from campus.

These dreams of a completely autonomous, “underground” system seems like a typical want for UW’s Greek communities when put in historical context, but most Greek-affiliated students never learn of this history.

Tim Nielsen, junior member of Delta Tau Delta, had never heard of this community history before.

“At least in my experience, history of Greek life as a whole at this university is not really focused on,” Nielsen said. “The history of specific chapters at the university and nationally is, but as far as the community as a whole and its history, I don’t think there’s any formal education.”

Of course, this want for autonomy was not the only aspect of the historical UW Greek experience reiterated in the external review. Students of color interviewed for the review, both involved in Greek organizations and unaffiliated, routinely described Langdon Street as a place where they did not feel safe.

Additionally, members of MGC and NPHC organizations felt marginalized as their organizations never received praise for the good they were doing in the community, and yet all Greeks were scolded whenever any chapter engaged in detrimental behaviors.

These findings led the team to recommend the university “place singular focus and attention on UW’s history, structures, policy and practices and how they lead to or inhibit the recruitment, retention, and belonging of students, faculty, and staff of color.”

When the vice chancellor released the action plan in August, Greek leaders said they were optimistic for progress in a UW news article.

Gloria Wide, president of the MGC, felt this indicated a university commitment towards the entire Greek community and allows for members in the community to share their voices to evoke change in their communities.

“I’m optimistic because there are so many of us dedicated to working on the system — to do better and to be better,” Wide said.

COMMUNITIES IN COLLABORATION These action plans are just getting started. Two new work groups inspired by the external review team’s suggestions have come to fruition since the report’s release last August.

The Langdon Street Community Coalition, consisting of fraternity and sorority members, advisors and other stakeholders involved with student organizations, is focused on addressing broad concerns which have in the past added tension in the community’s relationship to the university, including group climate and risk reduction.

Another work group includes student members from the MGC and NPHC and is focused on drafting tangible action plans to address the five priority areas in the institution’s response to the report.

“I’m optimistic because there are so many of us dedicated to working on the system — to do better and to be better.”

Gloria Wide President of MGC “Since the fraternity and sorority life review was completed in August, we’ve had seven listening sessions with several constituent groups, including the Langdon Area Community Coalition and the four councils that govern the nearly 60 chapters in this community,” Guthier said. “The response was very positive, and the sessions allowed us to get important feedback and agreements on our priority areas.”

These key priorities neglect to specifically include community-wide education on the history of UW’s Greek organizations, leaving the question of whether the community can broadly learn from its past tensions up in the air.

With many forces joining together this time, there is hope a collaborative can change the community’s narrative going forward.

“I think it’s important to emphasize that we are doing this work in community,” Guthier said. “It has been a very collaborative process among students in fraternity and sorority life, the governing councils [IFC, PHA, NPHC and MGC], alumni, house corps members, advisors, university staff and Madison community members. Each of the priority areas are connected, so this work isn’t being done in silos.”

Guthier added that progress from these newly-formed groups should become available throughout the current semester.

In the Greek community, these new groups do not come tarnished with a history of disagreements and tension, leaving an open relationship possible in their coming actions. “[The work groups are] relatively new, they haven’t really done things that I necessarily disagree with or completely agree with,” Nielsen said, “but I’m aware of their existence.

They just haven’t really done much yet.”

With work to be done, these plans have a chance to make the bonds between fraternity and sorority life and UW just as strong as the bonds between brothers and sisters.

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Failures in the US healthcare industry contribute to the opioid epidemic

New study reveals gross negilence by the FDA to properly regulate opioid circulation, saftey practices of opiod companies

by Samiha Bhushan Opinion Editor

The opioid epidemic is a widely documented phenomenon. Along with the rest of America, Wisconsin has had to face a growing population of people abusing prescription pills — an issue so severe that the rate of fatal opioid overdoses has surpassed the number of car-related deaths.

Doctors and other healthcare professionals have had to bear the majority of the blame.

There is no doubt their overzealous prescribing of opioids has contributed to an increasing dependence on drugs like Vicodin and morphine. To place sole responsibility for the opioid crisis on healthcare providers would be criminal, though. There are far more complex factors that come into play, especially when considering the healthcare industry as a whole.

The healthcare system — as it “functions” in the U.S. — is not just made up of busybody doctors running around in hospitals, performing debilitatingly expensive medical tests on the uninsured. It also consists of nurses, engineers, insurance companies, administrative agencies seemingly hellbent on bankrupting the sick and, of course, drug companies whose sole motivation comes from their bottom line.

Unfortunately, this is the most specific we can be when describing U.S. health care, as there is no real uniformity among hospitals.

There is no universal healthcare — we are just left with a dizzying array of insurance plans and seemingly never-ending paperwork for doctors and patients alike. This is simply an additional problem in the growing pain that is the U.S. health care industry.

Unsurprisingly, the opioid crisis has not been immune to the failures of the health care industry.

In December 2019, several documents came to light showing how the Food and Drug Administration failed to implement an effective program to prevent the improper prescribing of opioids.

In 2011, the FDA began requiring makers of addictive substances, such as OxyContin, to implement safety training programs for their doctors in an effort to combat America’s growing drug problem. But, what they never thought to do was to check just how effective these programs really were. Not only was the data they received faulty, but the program was heading for failure from its inception.

Caleb Alexander, senior author of the study conducted at Johns Hopkins evaluating the FDA program’s effectiveness, told the New York Times that the program was faulty from the very beginning.

14 • badgerherald.com •February 4, 2020

“It’s unclear why the FDA didn’t insist upon a more scientifically rigorous evaluation of this safety program,” Alexander said.

The Johns Hopkins study cited several areas where the FDA fell short, including the FDA’s own deeply flawed review process. These deficiencies have come at an astronomical cost to the public, as the opioid crisis has cost the country more than $2.5 trillion dollars over a period of four years.

In response to the Johns Hopkins study, the FDA pointed out that their egregious oversights happened as the opioid epidemic was declared a public health crisis and over ten thousand people were dying a year from opioid overdoses.

The FDA is a federal agency whose sole purpose is to address public health, and any and all crises that may threaten it. In 2019, their budget was $5.7 billion — funding which should have been dedicated to this sentiment.

With all this in mind, their excuse that the

opioid epidemic had gotten too out of hand is unacceptable. If the FDA was working the way it was intended to, we may never have had to deal with the crisis and all its resulting devastation.

When the first line of defense — agencies supposed to prevent the improper use of drugs — fail, how are hospitals and victims of the opioid crisis supposed to fare?

Failure of public entities to regulate private industries translate to crises such as the one we are currently witnessing. The FDA has also received criticism for trusting private pharmaceutical companies in implementing effective safety programs.

After all, these companies’ sole purpose is to bring in profits — even at the cost of the public.

In fact, one executive at a drug manufacturing was criminally convicted of bribing doctors into promoting their product to patients.

In January of this year, the Madison Police Department received funding to combat

Wisconsin’s increasing rates of opioid abuse, along with Public Health Madison Dane County, Dane County Department of Human Services, Madison Fire Department and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. While this is largely a positive move that would enable Wisconsin to be a step closer to a drug abuse-free state, we must also look at the failures of the organization meant to oversee these state-wide agencies.

There are insidious forces at play. Call it capitalistic greed, call it gross negligence, but the failures of large corporations must be addressed. In the end, we pay for their mistakes in social or healthcare costs, or even in the loss of our loved ones to issues they are helping propagate.

Samiha Bhushan (bhushan3@badgerherald.com) is a freshman studying neurobiology and English literature.

Photo - The FDA pointed out that egregious oversights happened as the opioid epidemic was declared a public health crisis.

Emily Hamer The Badger Herald

Divvying up Wisconsin is divvying up opinions College Republicans: Redistricting a new form of gerrymandering

College Democrats: Redistricting gives power back to the people

Few political issues in Wisconsin have been as contentious as the process of drawing district lines in the state over the past few decades has been. This issue recently resurfaced in a redistricting case that went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2018 when Wisconsin Democrats claimed the lines had been drawn illegally. While Wisconsin Democrats claim the state’s electoral maps are built through partisan gerrymandering, history and Supreme Court precedent prove this claim as baseless and devious.

This issue is often fraught with accusations of racial bias, and therefore it is beneficial to examine the constitutional framework for legislative redistricting. Article I Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution grants state legislatures the explicit authority to determine the time, place and manner of their elections for the House of Representatives. It also declares states maintain the right to draw the districts of their statehouse seats.

Nevertheless, this capacity is subject to congressional limitations. For example, the 1965 Voting Rights Act prohibited the use of the redistricting process to intentionally harm a racial minority’s electoral prospects. Beyond exceptions like this one, districts are expected to be compact, contiguous and equally populated.

For these reasons, it remains suspicious that Evers claims Wisconsin’s state legislative districts were formed illegally due to partisan gerrymandering. It is worth noting the distinction between racial and political bias.

To believe Evers’ claim, one must either be ignorant of the 100th and 101st Wisconsin legislatures or, more likely, be motivated politically.

The 100th legislature, voted in after the 2010 state elections, was the last body resulting from the court-drawn 2001 map. At its peak, 60 Republicans — including an independent caucusing with them — comprised the newfound majority.

In 2010, Republicans took control of the state legislature under court-drawn maps and achieved the power to draw the election map for the next 10 years. Inconvenient for Evers, these new maps produced a total of 60

When Wisconsin voters came together in 2018 to elect the state government, 53% of votes for the State Assembly were cast for Democratic candidates — roughly matching the proportion that carried Gov. Tony Evers into the governor ’s office. A simple majority of Wisconsin’s electorate wanted Democrats in office, but the Republican party rode this popular vote loss and took control of nearly two-thirds of the assembly.

What, one might ask, were some of the first few items on this minority government’s agenda after the election?

Reducing the powers of the governor, cementing their authority over the majority of Wisconsinites who voted against them and sweeping Democrats out of every statewide elected office.

Something is broken in Wisconsin’s electoral system. Its dysfunction dates back to 2011, when the way the state’s legislative districts were drawn was kept hidden from the public under a secrecy pledge.

Wisconsin’s Republican party drew a map where 62 of the state’s 99 legislative districts are more Republican than the state as a whole.

During this highly partisan process, Speaker for the Wisconsin State Assembly Robin Vos instructed his colleagues to ignore public comments that differed from what was said behind closed doors – in other words, to act casual when they heard their fellow lawmakers lying through their teeth about their intentions.

Following the nation’s census to draw new districting maps in 2021, leaked documents from a GOP redistricting expert revealed plans to create questions advantageous to Republicans and nonHispanic whites.

They also showed maps drawn in North Carolina to be partisan shams that needed to be thrown out entirely. There are no signs that the dishonesty or the cynicism have stopped.

For nearly a decade now, the Republican party has pushed the agenda of more power with fewer and fewer votes. The effects are clear — while neighboring states like Illinois and Michigan have legalized

Designed by Greta Zimmerman

Republican Assembly members in 2012 . A net change of zero. If Republicans had intentions of stealing elections, this clearly proved ineffective.

The concept of a partisan gerrymander is itself dubious. Unlike race, political affiliation is not an immutable characteristic. A geographic region voting reliably for one party historically does not guarantee future voting outcomes. Democrats would be served well to run more effective candidates with messages that resonate with Wisconsinites rather than inaccurately point to the Republicans for their loss. We live in an electoral system that provides representation on the basis of both population and geography.

Unsurprisingly, in 2015, Wisconsin Democrats filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of Wisconsin State Assembly voting districts. This case eventually made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was declined to be heard. But in 2019, the court ruled on a similar North Carolina case whose precedent extended to Wisconsin.

“Partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts,” Justice Roberts said. “Federal judges have no license to reallocate political power between the two major political parties, with no plausible grant of authority in the Constitution, and no legal standards to limit and direct their decisions.”

This brings us to Evers’ proposal for a nonpartisan redistricting committee. While this may sound great in theory, this would prove ineffective in practice. When Evers advocates nonpartisan maps, he is arguing for maps that will give more Assembly seats to Democrats.

Like most bureaucratic agencies, a nonpartisan committee would be susceptible to corruption and partisanship, and it completely separates voters from the power of drawing districts.

Quite frankly, the Democratic Party’s solution to gerrymandering is gerrymandering rebranded. This process would place trust in a board of unelected bureaucrats, rather than the duly elected representatives on behalf of voters across Wisconsin.

Justin Hineline is a junior studying electrical engineering. He is a general member of the College Republicans of UW-Madison.

marijuana and our governor was elected with a popular mandate to legalize it here, Wisconsin is left lagging behind. With an astounding 80% of Wisconsin voters supporting the expansion of background checks on firearms, Republican legislators refuse to move gun control forward.

In a state where competitive electoral districts are all but extinct, the conservatives’ minority government is insulated from being held accountable to the voting public and able to leave the pressing demands of today by the wayside in favor of their own agendas.

Fortunately, there is a way forward to restore the popular mandate to our state’s leaders. Evers has signed an executive order for a nonpartisan commission of experts to draw fair legislative districts.

Rather than a hidden project by party loyalists sworn to secrecy, the commission will offer an open and public process in which party officials, paid lobbyists and elected partisans will be kept from interfering.

Since Evers is staying within his constitutional limits by limiting the commission to an advisory role, the maps drawn by the commission will still need to be approved by the legislature. While it’s unlikely that Robin Vos or his cronies will act to return legitimacy to the statehouse, this commission provides a model for a future where the people of Wisconsin receive a fair government election based on the choices of voters and not a single party.

The values of the Democratic Party are the values of the Voting Rights Act, of equal protection and fair representation. Though the GOP has put its thumb on the scales, we believe the voices of the voter are what matter. The people of Wisconsin deserve nonpartisan districts and Wisconsin’s voting majority will not be silenced.

Ethan Carpenter (emcarpenter2@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in political science. He is the press secretary for the College Democrats of UW-Madison.

February 4, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 15

OPINION

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School choice programs provide opportuity to less affluent students

Number of private schools may grow too big, posing challenges for Wisconsin and national public education system

by John Grindal Columnist

By examining the disparity between private and public schooling through a statistical lens, the advantage of sending your child to a private institution becomes evident. The average public school enrolls roughly 526 students, while private schools typically harbor around a third of that with about 166 students. As an extension of their smaller size, private schools also feature a lower student to faculty ratio — 11.9 compared to 16.2 at public schools.

Many prominent universities state that they do not give special treatment to private school students throughout the admissions process, but students at private institutions have access to an arsenal of college admissions knowledge, extracurricular opportunities and standardized test prep services that give them the ability to shine

in the eyes of an admissions officer.

According to data from the National Association for College Admission Counseling, guidance counselors in the state of California serve roughly 950 students on average, while private schools often employ a separate college admissions counselor to guide students through the process.

Yet with all these apparent advantages, only 10.5 percent of students nationwide attend a private school, and the barrier is quite clearly a financial one. The average cost of private high school in the state of Wisconsin is $8,355 per year, a cost which is presumably prohibitive for the vast majority of families.

But, in Wisconsin the disparity between private and public education has not gone unrecognized. Private school voucher programs cropping up throughout the state aim to make a private education

more accessible for more families, offering parents the option to send their children to a private school at little to no cost through select state-sponsored programs.

But how do these programs operate?

Whose pocket is the money coming from?

Thus far the state of Wisconsin has established three main school choice programs — the Racine Parental Choice Program, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and the statewide Wisconsin Parental Choice Program.

The Wisconsin Parental Choice program boasts 213 partner schools with 7,140 participating students, up from just 500 in 2014. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program on the other hand has 28,978 participating students. Such statistics are promising and clearly demonstrate that there is an interest throughout the state for voucher programs.

In order to be eligible for a voucher

program, a student’s collective family income must not exceed 300% of the state poverty level. A number of other factors — such as parent marital status — also play into the equation to determine whether or not a student is eligible for the program.

Once a student is deemed eligible, they receive a voucher endowed with a certain value — just over $7,000 on average — to be applied toward their education. The voucher can be used at any participating partner school and its continuing validity does not depend upon family income.

The funds for the program are primarily sourced from income tax revenue.

The core intent of most voucher programs is to provide an opportunity for motivated students in failing school districts to receive a quality education on par with students from more affluent backgrounds.

In addition to having a positive impact on typically low-income school districts, voucher programs could also yield benefits for private schools themselves, seeing as most private institutions suffer from a severe lack of economic diversity.

Only 8% of students enrolled in private schools are categorized as impoverished, with only 13% being considered “near impoverished,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics website.

Currently, 39 states employ some sort of school choice program — and that number is ever-expanding. If voucher programs prove to be scalable they may eventually grow to support even greater groups of students around the nation, growing past their original purpose and presenting a challenge to the traditional model of public school.

Since the establishment of Milwaukee’s voucher program in 1990, Wisconsin has been a pioneer in the pushback against a system that often puts less affluent students at a significant disadvantage. But with enrollment numbers steadily rising throughout the state, voucher programs certainly appear to be gaining steam.

John Grindal (grindal@wisc.edu) is a freshman studying computer science and neurobiology.

Photo - Private school voucher programs cropping up throughout the state aim to make a private education more accessible.

Courtesy of Flickr user Alberto G.

16 • badgerherald.com • February 4, 2020

OPINION

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UBI promises cash, dignity, possiblity to those who need it most Basic income to pilot in Milwaukee after successes in Alaska, California, but will it work in the Midwest?

by Anne Isman Colunnist

On Jan. 21, the Milwaukee Common Council voted 10-5 to forward a basic income pilot in Milwaukee, initially proposed by council members Chantia Lewis and Nik Kovac last October.

Council members voted to request the Department of Administration provide a framework for the program, which would provide 50 eligible families with $500 a month for 18 months, in addition to a personal financial coach, afforded by funds sourced from private philanthropy. Once the program is developed and approved, eligible Milwaukee residents will be able to apply and enroll on a first-come, first-serve basis.

A universal basic income is a “fixed income” that everyone receives from the government, regardless of employment or financial status. Similarly, basic income is a standard payment, but for pilot programs like the one proposed for Milwaukee, there are eligibility requirements so it is not technically “universal.”

Still, a basic income pilot is exciting news for financially struggling Milwaukee residents, especially given the positive outcomes from current programs in places like Stockton, California and Alaska, which has doled out a basic income dividend for residents since 1982 as part of its Alaska Permanent Fund.

The Milwaukee basic income pilot is largely based on the experiment currently underway in Stockton, called the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration.

Created by Mayor Michael Tubbs, SEED provides 125 residents with $500 a month, available through debit cards that program facilitators can track to determine where recipients are spending their money most, according to Citylab.

In Stockton, SEED offers a financial boost to residents where the median monthly income is just $1,800. When researchers tracked the recipients’ spending, they found that 40% went towards food and 12% was spent on utilities. The $500 monthly income increased their earnings by about 30%, and the checks empowered Stockton residents to feel more financially secure while working, or by having an additional, reliable source of income.

Though SEED is only a short-term test for basic income, the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend has historically been successful. Based on state oil revenues, the dividend fluctuates between $1,000 to

$2,000, and is distributed each September.

Studies have shown that since 1982 — when the dividend was first introduced — the extra income has reduced poverty by about 20%, as of 2016. In addition, parttime employment actually increased in this time period, while there was no noticeable effect on full-time employment. In other words, the basic income likely covered fixed costs associated with working, such as child care or transportation, allowing residents to enter the labor force when they had previously faced financial obstacles.

Stockton and Alaska are just two of several examples where basic income has had proven success, and the idea of a universal basic income is so promising that it’s presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s signature proposal.

Yang plans to use revenue from a 10% value-added tax and consolidate current welfare programs to distribute $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. Yang argues for a universal basic income on the basis that it would enable Americans to have the financial security to do something productive, whether it’s paying their bills each month or starting a business.

Though a universal basic income offers many possibilities to those who are financially insecure, there are critics who are quick to point out the obstacles a basic income could pose. Namely, funding these basic income experiments is costly, given that $450,000 is still needed to finance the Milwaukee pilot program. Not only that, but giving out what is essentially “free” money could cause inflation, as prices could increase once consumers have greater purchasing power.

While Yang counters this by invoking that firms will still need to compete to attract customers, it is unclear how his specific proposal would curb price increases.

Also, Yang’s campaign has relied heavily on his “Freedom Dividend,” which, if elected, would be a clear expectation of voters.

According to Vox, Alaskan state residents’ reliance on the PFD has “left elections vulnerable to candidates willing to make unkeepable promises” regarding the annual level of the dividend. If a universal basic income is ever implemented nationwide, later elections could very well be determined by how the basic income will be maintained.

It’s also important to note the idea of basic income is controversial based on

longstanding individualistic American attitudes towards work. As Stockton Mayor Tubbs points out, Americans have “... this Puritan ethos of ‘I work hard. If you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat.’”

While the most obvious obstacle to implementing basic income may be financing it, there is still the added pressure of rejecting an ideology that how much you earn should be based on how much you work.

That said, basic income pilots are worth the “challenge,” according to Milwaukee District 6 Alder Milele Coggs. Coggs also claimed that though there are critics of basic income models, “we know that whatever models we have been using, have gotten us to where we are.”

A move to basic income is necessary on the basis that current means-tested government benefits are more restrictive

and bureaucratic than basic income, as evidenced by limits much like those former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker introduced.

As has been the case with the Stockton experiment, residents feel dignified when given the freedom to spend the basic income how they choose to do so, proving that a basic income is more than simply a potential replacement for welfare in the future, but a means of empowering Americans financially in ways that the wealthy have always afforded. Though Yang may not receive the nomination, his current popularity is a testament to Americans’ support for UBI, which will likely endure long after the 2020 election.

Anne Isman (isman@wisc.edu) is a freshman studying economics.

Photo - UBI is 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s signature proposal.

Kirby Wright The Badger Herald February 4, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 17

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Football: Analyzing Jonathan Taylor’s draft stock after historic career Three highly impressive collegiate seasons leave Taylor positioned to be top among running back prospects in 2020 NFL draft

by Harrison Freuck Sports Editor

Running back Jonathan Taylor has been a crucial piece of Wisconsin’s offense for the past three seasons, making the decision to forgo his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft in April.

While Taylor ’s college career is undoubtedly great, how his skills will translate to the NFL are on the minds of NFL scouts across the league. During his time at Wisconsin, Taylor broke numerous records — most notably for most 200-yard rushing games in an Football Bowl Subdivision career (12) and most rushing yards through a junior season (6,174).

But Taylor has also raised concerns about a heavy workload with 926 rushing attempts in three seasons, and ball security with five fumbles in the 2019 season alone.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the draft stock of one of the greatest running backs in UW history.

In 2017, Taylor joined the Wisconsin football team as a three-star recruit out of Salem High School in New Jersey. While it is evident that Wisconsin has a long history of producing highly-touted NFL running backs — Ron Dayne, Melvin Gordon and James White, to name only a few — nobody could have expected the career that Taylor would have as a Badger.

In just three seasons, Taylor surpassed 6,000 yards rushing — placing him sixth on the NCAA’s all-time rushing list and second in Badger history, behind only Dayne.

Taylor also finished in the top 10 for Heisman voting each season, along with winning the Doak Walker Award, for best NCAA running back, twice and earning multiple All-American and All-Big Ten selections.

In Taylor ’s junior season, he also expanded his repertoire to include “passcatching back,” hauling in 26 receptions after just 16 total over the course of his first two seasons. Those 26 grabs went for 252 yards and five touchdowns.

Taylor averaged 6.7 yards per carry over his three seasons, amassing 50 touchdowns on the ground in addition to his five receiving touchdowns — an astonishing total considering he only played 41 career games.

Though Taylor ’s stats are impressive even when measured on the offense-heavy college football scale, he did raise concerns for NFL scouts during his three seasons at Wisconsin.

As mentioned earlier, Taylor lost five fumbles in the 2019 season alone, but that’s average compared to the rest of his college career. In his 41 career games, Taylor has fumbled a total of 18 times, with 15 of those recovered by the opposing team.

What’s worse, his inability to hold on to the ball has not improved over the course of 18 • badgerherald.com • February 4, 2020

his career with eight fumbles in 2017 before four and six in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

In the NFL, these stats are simply unacceptable. The occurrence of Taylor ’s fumbles average out to roughly one fumble for every 2-3 games, or roughly seven fumbles in a full NFL season. Seven fumbles would be good enough to tie for 18th place in the NFL, and first place among nonquarterbacks, like Derrick Henry whose five fumbles have him as the next closest nonquarterback on the total fumbles list.

Another concern among NFL scouts is Taylor ’s true abilities as a running back, since he has undoubtedly benefited from Wisconsin’s superior offensive line, which is considered one of the best run-blocking lines in the nation.

Though Taylor averages 6.7 yards per carry, he’s faltered against difficult competition during his Badger career.

In Wisconsin’s loss to The Ohio State University in November 2019, Taylor totaled only 52 yards on 20 rushing attempts, an average of just 2.6 yards per carry.

Looking at Taylor ’s career in its entirety, Taylor is easily one of the best running backs in Wisconsin football history.

But, as we’ve seen with former star running backs like Montee Ball and Michael Bennett, not all running back talent translates to the NFL. Most mock drafts have placed Jonathan Taylor as a late first-round or early secondround draft pick. This seems to be a fairly safe assessment, as most early first-round

picks tend to be used on more glaring issues, such as quarterback or the defense.

Various other mock drafts also have an interchangeable order among Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Taylor, as all three are considered to be potential starting running backs in the NFL. All three backs are projected to go in either the first or second round.

Among the mock drafts mentioned earlier, Taylor is projected to go to various teams, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (x2) and the Miami Dolphins (x3) emerging as the favorites. As April’s NFL Draft approaches, keep an eye on Taylor ’s draft stock following the NFL Draft Combine in late February and early March.

Photo · While Jonathan Taylor is undoubtedly considered one of many top running backs available in 2020, certain issues remain with turnover statistics.

Justin Mielke The Badger Herald

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Cristina Daglas’ inspiring, unorthodox journey to heights of journalism Early discovery of intense curiosity, talent for crafting narratives drove Daglas to pursue journalism from young age

by John Spengler Sports Editor

Before becoming Senior Deputy Editor at ESPN, Cristina Daglas found herself on a winding path to a career in journalism.

With little previous experience in sports journalism, though, it’s not where she imagined ending up. But the path to the Deputy Editor ’s desk isn’t one she would change for anything.

Daglas attended a large high school in the suburbs of Chicago. During this time, she was certainly less than confident in her ability to succeed at a prestigious higher education institution.

“I went to a huge high school full of very, very smart kids. I did not think I was one of them,” Daglas said. “So I applied to all of the very nice state schools and I threw in the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois as kind of what I thought were reaches. Surprisingly, I got into both of them.”

While Daglas’ eventual choice to attend Wisconsin came as a result of unexpected application approvals, her love for journalism was not a last minute development. From an early point in her high school education, Daglas found journalism to be an outlet for her curiosity that no other subject could quite fulfill.

Her eventual journey to the upper echelon of journalism began with a simple class recommendation on the subject from her mother, who was a neighboring school’s guidance counselor. The class would inspire a life-long passion that many youths desperately yearn to discover for themselves.

“I took [the class] and I ended up loving it because, to me, it was an excuse to ask really invasive questions,” Daglas said. “I was just relentlessly curious and had a lot of interests. For me, [journalism] was an excuse to explore anything. I fell in love with it very quickly.”

Daglas continued to pursue journalism at the university level with the Badger Herald, where she quickly ascended through the ranks of management. Daglas finished her career at the Herald as Editor in Chief after working her way up from her first position as a reporter for the colleges beat — a higher education section which no longer exists at the Herald.

Surprisingly, given her current position at ESPN, at no point during her tenure at the Herald did Daglas work directly with the sports section. It was a plethora of experiences in primarily magazine journalism that prepared her for the opportunity ESPN presented.

“I think I’ve always been the type of person who moves very quickly,” Daglas said. “I was never terribly fearful of any of the opportunities that came and always just figured ‘why not try this stuff?’ On the one hand, it was being purposeful

about all of your actions and, on the other, able to uncover the compelling narratives Clearly, Daglas earned that respect being open about what people came to you that are there for the taking. through her hard work and personal with.”

“You have an expertise as an editor in talent — it’s what has allowed her to be A formidable education that included different ways,” Daglas said. “It doesn’t one of many trailblazers in her field. But a bachelor ’s degree from Wisconsin and mean you don’t understand the material, there’s always more to someone than their a graduate degree from the University but it does mean that I have come to terms journalistic prowess. of Missouri was just the beginning of with the fact that I will never analyze a Perhaps most important to her success is this experience, as Daglas quickly moved basketball game the way Zach Lowe does.

Daglas’ willingness to follow that profound up the ladder at multiple magazine And that’s okay.” level of curiosity wherever it may take her. publications. The most notable of her Time and again, Daglas’ passion The same inherent curiosity that inspired former jobs include editor positions for uncovering compelling narratives her love for journalism is instrumental in at Milwaukee Magazine as well as D propelled her through the ranks of any understanding her professional ascent.

Magazine in Dallas, Texas. organization she worked for. Even with When asked whether she had any advice Her propensity for success at these underlying talent, few would doubt such for aspiring journalists, Daglas offered positions did not go unnoticed. After only a rapid career progression could come some personal wisdom. a year at D Magazine, ESPN reached out to without stalwart challenges.

“You have to be passionate about Daglas to offer her an opportunity to work One of the most profound barriers, this and you have to work harder than with ESPN Magazine. The decision they especially within sports journalism, is a everyone else,” Daglas said. “Be open to presented Daglas with was not a difficult lack of women in the industry. According opportunities that maybe aren’t incredibly one for her to make. to a report released by the Associated Press in line with what you were thinking.

“With the talent that was with ESPN Sports Editors in 2018, in which ESPN’s Maybe you have the happy accident of Magazine at the time in terms of writers, staff statistics are included, just 10% of ending up at ESPN in sports.” it was just unreal,” she said. “When they sports editors are women. While ESPN Daglas began her journey as what she listed out all the writers I could possibly was a clear industry leader in diversity called a “punky high school student” work with I was like, ‘how could I turn this hires, the problem remains salient in the with a penchant for curiosity. What makes down?’” aggregate. her journey to her current position so Daglas made it clear to ESPN right away “It’s definitely male dominated and it compelling is that we can all see a piece of that she was no sports fanatic. Aside from is challenging,” Daglas said. “I kind of ourselves within it. being a lifelong Cubs fan, Daglas had maintain that it’s just going to be more No matter the subject or endeavor, we little experience following sports in her challenging as a woman in the field. You all desire to find something in our lives professional life. They didn’t care though. just have to work a little bit harder to gain that we can work hard towards in earnest.

She knew stories, and that’s what they that respect. But that’s okay, I enjoy doing Cristina Daglas found that passion, and it were looking for in an editor. that.” has carried her to the heights of journalism.

After spending time with ESPN Magazine, Daglas took on the role of Deputy Editor for online publications and, shortly after, rose to Senior Deputy Editor. Even with her lengthy experience on the job, certain aspects of her new position were understandably intimidating.

Specifically, Daglas would now work directly with industry legends such as the Senior NBA Insider for ESPN, Adrian Wojnarowski.

“It was totally daunting,” Daglas said. “I think that learning a new beat and learning any of that stuff is tough. Getting to this level and dealing with someone like Woj [Adrian Wojnarowski] every day, sure that can be daunting,” Yet, Daglas always fell back on her talents as an editor that cemented her spot at ESPN in the first place. It’s why they hired her, and it’s what makes her one of the best at what she does.

You don’t always need Photo · Daglas quickly moved through ranks of multiple publications to reach her current position to have the sports expertise as Senior Deputy Editor at ESPN. of Zach Lowe or Adrian Wojnarowski to make a Cristina Daglas meaningful impact at a sports ESPN publication. You just have to be February 4, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 19

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Men’s Basketball: Crucial stretch includes must-win conference games

Even with impressive victory over No. 14 Michigan State, multiple Big Ten opponents provide opportunity, challenge for Badgers

by Will Whitmore Associate Sports Editor

With 11 of the 14 men’s basketball teams in the Big Ten projected to make the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the Big Ten is by far the deepest and most difficult conference in college basketball.

With historic home-court advantages, including Michigan State’s Breslin Center, Indiana’s Assembly Hall and Purdue’s Mackey Arena, winning on the road is close to impossible for Big Ten teams.

The conference’s depth and difficulty playing on the road has been a challenge for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team, who currently sit tied for sixth in the conference.

A projected No. 7 seed by Lunardi, Wisconsin must maneuver a difficult threegame stretch to continue to feel safe about their NCAA Tournament chances. Let’s take

an in-depth look at Wisconsin’s next three opponents.

Wednesday, Feb. 5 at Minnesota Following Wisconsin’s difficult home game against the Spartans, they will travel to raucous Williams Arena for a matchup against Minnesota (11-9, 5-5 Big Ten), a game with major NCAA Tournament implications.

Currently, Minnesota sits squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Gophers are among the last four at-large bids, according to Lunardi.

The Gophers are a dangerous team and have two of the conference’s most dynamic players in Marcus Carr and Daniel Oturu.

Carr is an excellent lead guard that wears defenders down in the pick and roll.

After sitting out a year after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh, Carr has made an immediate all-around impact,

averaging 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.

Carr also has a knack for the big moments, recently hitting a game-winning stepback three in Minnesota’s 62–59 road win against The Ohio State University.

Player to watch: PF/C Daniel Oturu Without a doubt, a focal point for a Badger win will be slowing down Oturu, who has arguably been the conference’s most improved player from last season.

Oturu — the 6-foot-10-inch sophomore forward from St. Paul, Minnesota — has put up mind-boggling numbers, averaging a double-double with 19.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. It will be interesting to see if Badger Head Coach Greg Gard plays both forwards Micah Potter and Nathan Reuvers to neutralize Oturu’s size and physicality.

Sunday, Feb. 9 vs. The Ohio State University After a road visit to Minneapolis, the Badgers return to Madison for a Sunday home matchup against Ohio State (13-7, 3-6). After a red-hot 9-0 start, the Buckeyes have simmered in conference play with a dismal 3-6 record. Though Ohio State sits in the cellar of the Big Ten (tied for 11th), the Buckeyes are still projected to be a No. 8 seed by Lunardi due to impressive nonconference wins against Villanova, Kentucky and Cincinnati.

Most of Ohio State’s conference play struggles have been away from Value City Arena. The Buckeyes have struggled mightily on the road. Ohio State is 1-4 in five Big Ten road games with all four losses coming by double digits.

Player to watch: F Kaleb Wesson Like Oturu, Wesson is one of the conference’s top forwards. Wesson is an outstanding rebounder, grabbing 9.6 boards a game. He can also stretch the floor, shooting threes at a 40.9% clip.

Wesson was a monster in Wisconsin’s previous matchup against Ohio State, tallying 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Saturday, Feb. 15 at Nebraska

Photo · Late season conference victories could serve to build momentum, propel Badgers to higher seed in NCAA tournament in March.

Justin Mielke The Badger Herald 20 • badgerherald.com • February 4, 2020

The Badgers conclude their crucial three-game stretch on the road against Nebraska (7-13, 2-7). The Cornhuskers have lost five consecutive games and will look to play spoiler to Wisconsin’s tournament hopes. Though Nebraska has struggled to win conference games, the Cornhuskers are capable of an upset.

The Cornhuskers knocked off No. 19 Iowa in early January.

Player to watch: G Cam Mack After transferring from the Stephen F. Austin State University, Mack has made an immediate impact, becoming one of the best all-around guards in the Big Ten. Like Carr, Mack can impact the game in a variety of ways. The sophomore averages 13.3 points and 4.6 rebounds.

He also ranks third in the Big Ten with 6.7 assists per game. In Nebraska’s 70–56 win against Purdue, Mack recorded the first triple-double in school history with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

These next three games could make or break Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament hopes.

If the Badgers seize the opportunity with two home games and defeat their rival Minnesota on the road, they could be looking at a No. 5 seed or better in the NCAA Tournament. On the contrary, three consecutive losses could drive the team out the door. Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks.

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Women’s Basketball: Badgers have few chances left to prove mettle

With multiple disappointing losses on books, Badgers must find consistency in last major stretch of regular season play

by Ben Moody Associate Sports Editor

To say that the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team (10-10, 2-7 Big Ten) has gotten off to a rocky start in the 2019-20 season would be an understatement.

The Badgers are currently ranked 11th in the Big Ten conference, following a onepoint loss to the University of Nebraska (15-5, 5-4) in late January. The unit lost the contest in particularly heartbreaking fashion, watching their double-digit lead dwindle in the second half before Nebraska took over in the final minutes.

This loss, which significantly lowers the Badgers’ chances of making the postseason, came off an inspiring 72–62 road win against rival Minnesota in Minneapolis on Jan. 22. Wisconsin failed to capture the momentum that this rare in-conference win

provided and translate it into successful, season-ending play, leaving players and fans alike wondering — where can the team go from here?

The simplest answer the Badgers and Head Coach Jonathan Tsipis can find to this puzzling question is to lean on the players that propelled the Badgers to a 5-1 start at the beginning of the year.

During this month-long stretch of games, forward Imani Lewis was influential in the team’s success. The sophomore from Willingboro, New Jersey was able to rack up at least seven points per game amid the team’s fiery start, with her most impressive performance coming at Colorado where she scored 19 points and brought in seven rebounds en route to a 70–41 victory.

On the season, Lewis has played in all 20 games while starting in 19 — scoring double digits in 18 games and leading the team with an average 15.5 points per

game. The breakout star has recorded nine double-doubles as well as scoring a careerhigh 23 points against Penn State and 16 rebounds at Minnesota.

The Life Center Academy graduate is currently on a ten-game double-digit scoring streak and is tied for 10th in school history with 14 career double-doubles.

On top of Lewis, senior forward Abby Laszewski has been key in the Badgers’ contests this season, scoring a season-high 20 points against Rutgers and recording a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Arkansas. The Jupiter, Florida native is currently averaging 11.3 points per game on the season, and her career block total of 110 puts her at sixth all-time in UW history.

When asked about where he thinks the team can improve in their offensive game plan for the rest of the season, Tsipis had some hopeful criticism for his squad

Photo ·Imani Lewis, Abby Laszewski must remain key offensive contributors if Badgers are to finish 2020 campaign strong against stalwart Big Ten opponents.

during a press conference on Jan. 27.

“You look on both sides of the ball, I think on the offensive side we are much better when the ball is changing sides of the floor and players are getting a lot of touches,” Tsipis said. “In our three most recent games the ball may have been stuck a little bit, and we tried to do things on only one side of the floor.”

This lack of ball movement can be attributed to opponents’ increased awareness of Lewis as a scoring threat, as she often gets double-teamed, making it difficult for her to have a significant impact on the game when it matters most.

Tsipis acknowledged this fact, accrediting the sophomore for her willingness to recognize her impact on opposing teams’ game plans and accepting that she needs to get other players more involved on the offensive side of the court.

When asked about the defensive side of the floor, Tsipis preached consistency and fundamentals.

“Defensively, in all three of those games coming up with key stops and rebounds helped us immensely,” Tsipis said during the press conference. “That was the difference in the Minnesota game, even with missing some of those shots we got in the lane, we got to the free-throw line, and we took advantage of that. We haven’t been able to do that these past three games, we haven’t put the pressure on the other team.”

The Badgers still have nine more games to play in the regular season, but one can’t help but feel that the team’s morale and postseason hopes are dwindling by the day.

During the stretch run, the Badgers will battle three top 25 opponents in back-toback-to-back games, with contests against No. 18 Iowa Feb. 16, No. 17 Maryland Feb. 19 and No. 23 Northwestern Feb. 22.

While the outlook on the remainder of the regular season may look grim, Tsipis relayed the confidence that he has in his squad and highlighted the improvements that they have made throughout the year.

“You can sit and put your head down and pout about it or you can get ready,” Tsipis said during the press conference. “I think our team has improved over the last two weeks, and seeing how we played at Nebraska, against Iowa, against Minnesota, we got to be able to take those positives and move forward.”

Perseverance is key, as the next few games will certainly decide the fate for the Badgers and their season.

Wisconsin will battle Minnesota in a rivalry matchup Thursday, Feb. 6, when they seek to sweep the season series against the Gophers for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Justin Mielke The Badger Herald February 4, 2020 • badgerherald.com • 21

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