VOLUME 45, ISSUE 42
Monday, March 10, 2014
VENEZUELA in PROTEST Joey Reuteman
Venezuelan students reflect on clashes back home, community shows support at the Capitol Nyal Mueenuddin Print State Editor The underlying fear that the next victim of the ongoing conflict in Venezuela will be a friend or a loved one is affecting Venezuelans pursuing life in Madison and sparking action in the city. Joining together in solidarity for fellow Venezuelans seeking economic opportunity and security within their own country, dozens of Madison residents congregated at the state Capitol Sunday, waving flags, beating drums and singing their country’s national anthem, “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo” – Glory of the Brave People. Fueled by social and
economic problems, studentled protests began in Venezuela last month and are calling for increased security measures, an end to goods shortages and protected freedom of speech, a CNN article said. The protests turned violent and clashes between protesters and government forces continue, having already claimed the lives of up to 20 protesters and leaving hundreds of others injured and jailed, Reuters reported. Venezuelan students in Madison expressed the internal struggle they are faced with living here in America as many of their friends and family fight against continued government oppression, lack
of basic security and economic opportunity, as well as hyperinflation in Venezuela. Adriana Velasco, a senior at University of Wisconsin, who protested in Venezuela against the Chávez administration in 2002, said she wished she could return to fight again now. “We need a total shift in the current government as well as a shift in the current political system,” Velasco said. “How can we strive for a true democracy when we are totally oppressed?” Velasco’s said her sister’s apartment building was tear-gassed and shot at by government forces during recent clashes. Giuliana Gonzalez, a sophomore at Madison Area
Technical College, arrived in Madison to attend university almost three years ago. She said one of the central reasons she left Venezuela to attend university in America was the extreme violence and lawlessness seen across her country. In the first two months of 2014, 2,841 people have been murdered in Venezuela – the third highest homicide rate in the world, according to the World Bank Venezuela Violence Observatory. A concern among protestors in Venezuela is that 91 percent of these murders go unpunished. “Can you imagine sitting here, in class, thinking about your friends and family that are fighting in the streets, and no one around you even
knows?” Gonzalez said. Venezuela’s inflation rate is another point of concern among anti-government protesters, which currently sits at 56 percent, according to the Central Bank of Venezuela, the highest inflation rate in the world. This extreme inflation rate triggers other frustrations among protesters, namely skyrocketing prices and overall shortages of basic staples, ranging from flour and milk to electricity and medicine. “Ultimately, the only ones that can help us are
Venezuela
shooting at us,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez’s friends, who she says are on the streets protesting now, have become fearless in their fight against the government, as they “have nothing left to lose.” According to the New York Times, a group of United Nations human rights officials raised concerns Thursday
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SSFC to decide funding criteria Proposed amendments would lower probation period, direct service rule Rachael Lallensack Print Campus Editor
Kirby Wright The Badger Herald Since the program began in 2008, students involved in the dance marathon have raised more than $300,000, though UW leaders hope to increase participation.
UW hosts sixth dance marathon Twelve-hour celebration raised $49,644 for American Family Children’s Hospital Morgan Krause and Rachael Lallensack Herald Contributor and Print Campus Editor Featuring Dean of Students Lori Berquam’s hot pink hair, the sixth annual madiTHON brought students and campus community members together to “dance because they can and stand for those who can’t” Saturday at Memorial Union. The 12-hour celebration, presented by the Wisconsin Dance Marathon, challenges students to stay on their feet, dancing and engaging in the numerous activities to raise money for patients and families at American Family Children’s Hospital. The event raised $49,644.92 in donations. Jeff Poltawsky, administrator and vice president at the Children’s Hospital, has worked with the marathon since it began
and said over the years the group has begun integrating patients and their families into the event. The year’s featured family was Madison natives, David Mahoney and his daughter, Lulu. Lulu, now five years old, was diagnosed with liver cancer when she was three. David Mahoney said he and his wife never left Lulu the entire week she spent at the Children’s Hospital undergoing tests and eventually receiving surgery. Poltawsky said the hospital relies on donations from the marathon to fund various services that directly impact families who stay at the hospital for long periods of time, like the Mahoneys. Some of the services include a meal program and comfort kits to distract the children during treatment, he said. Students involved in madiTHON have been working since fall to be sure
the night would run smoothly, planning activities down to a five-minute increment, Shannel Gaillard, the Dance Marathon entertainment director, said. One of the first events of the night included the highly anticipated revealing of Berquam’s temporarily pink spray-dyed hair. According to Operations Facility Manager, Jonah Grant, the new look was the result of a deal the two had made prior to the event. “After I had reached my goal, I wanted to raise more money so I made a deal with my peers that if I raised $500 I’d die my hair pink,” Grant said. “I contacted Lori through email and made a proposition that if I raised $1,000 she would die her hair pink.” Grant said he met his goal and Berquam came through with her side of the deal Saturday. Berquam said madiTHON
demonstrates the willingness UW students have to donate time over the weekend to a healthy fundraiser for a good cause. “It’s a selfless action that brings to the forefront an opportunity for students to be here together,” Berquam said. One of the executive board members, Meredith Wesley, has a long history with the marathon. Her father, Kirk Wesley, said their family has been involved with the marathon since 2000 when they were the featured family at Iowa University’s Dance Marathon while their youngest daughter Abigail was receiving treatment at the university hospital. Both Meredith and her older sister, Olivia, have served on the executive board for Dance Marathon at UW, Wesley said. They were excited to find out UW hosted
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A committee tasked in late September to review the funding eligibility criteria for registered student organizations on campus will present amendments to a body of the Associated Students of Madison Monday. Committee members will detail changes to the rules for RSOs to receive General Student Services Funds before the Student Services Finance Committee, which is in charge of allocating these funds. Specific changes the group made up of ASM representatives looked at include the revision of the “50 percent +1” rule and a possible reduction of the two years probation period after a serious violation to one year, Devon Maier, SSFC representative, said. The “50 percent +1” rule means the primary focus of a group must be direct services. Furthermore, the majority of the group’s resources must be dedicated to the educational support of the students. The committee is looking at ways to clarify what defines “primary focus” and possibly lower the percentage of the direct services rule, SSFC Chair David Vines said. Maier said the proposed changes would make access to receive funding easier. “Right now the 50+1 is a barrier of entry and makes it difficult for groups to get access to a lucrative pool
of money,” Maier said. “My biggest concern is that we will get too many groups applying for access to the money.” Secondly, the reduction of the probation period after a policy violation may be changed from two years to one year, Vines said. The probationary period bans a group from applying for eligibility for two years after if they intentionally violate ASM or University of Wisconsin policy, Vines said. Supporters of the amendment see the ban as a “death sentence” for the group, Vines said. He said this side argues that a twoyear probationary period gives groups permanently bad reputations that take away from incoming students’ opportunity to participate or benefit from an RSO group even after the violators have been removed. Others argue that the proposed change to one year is not strict enough, Vines said. Those opposed to the policy argue that the disconnect between incoming students and graduating students is not that strong and does not affect the fact that the RSO violated policy, he said. Vines said they made general language changes to the readability of the document in order to close loopholes and ensure compliance to the policy. “Our goal is to give these groups flexibility for them to engage the campus, to eliminate loopholes that would otherwise inhibit that and create criteria that could withstand the
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