Why MPD’s stance on Mifflin is potentially dangerous for the welfare of Madison
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Monday, April 15, 2013
Students react to Mifflin’s cancellation By Melissa Howison THE DAILY CARDINAL
shoaib altaf/cardinal file photo
2012 Mifflin Street block party goers attend a party despite last year’s strict police enforcement, which Madison Police Department announced Friday will further increase this year.
Alder: Stiffer policies will not end Mifflin By Melissa Howison THE DAILY CARDINAL
Madison police released a letter to Mifflin residents Thursday which includes a stipulation that police are canceling the Mifflin Street block party, after announcing policies it will implement for the May 4 event at a recent meeting. In the letter, Madison Police
Department Chief of Police Noble Wray said “there will be NO Mifflin Street Block Party in 2013 or beyond.” Despite the strong language used in the letter, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the growing concerns among students and community members that police officially shut down the block party for the first time
since its inception are somewhat misguided. He said the language used in the letter does not differ greatly from recent years, including 2012, when the Madison Police Department repeatedly referred to the historic block party as a “nonevent.” This year, following the
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While certain students reacted with vigilantism and anger to the news Friday that Madison Police Department canceled Mifflin Street block party, many responded with confusion over what it actually means and how it will change this year’s block party experience. In a letter to Mifflin and Langdon street residents, police refused to acknowledge Mifflin and said the department will be enforcing a “no tolerance” policy for illegal house parties for the first time in the event’s 44-year history. “Hearing that was kind of shocking,” University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore Brienne Schaefer said. “All of my roommates and I have been talking about it and now we’re just confused.” Fellow UW-Madison sophomore Greg Thomas said he was not surprised MPD canceled Mifflin given the police try to end the event every year. Thomas said he expects this year to be even “crazier,” but perhaps in a different way. “Everyone knows that it’s going to be canceled so more people are going to be having parties outside of Mifflin instead of on Mifflin,” Thomas said, adding, “People are definitely
going to still go [to Mifflin].” Among the uncertainty, administrators behind the Mifflin Street Block Party 2013 Facebook event page took a more extreme approach, attempting to rally students in a post stating, “We are at a crucial turning point in history and we, the students, have two choices.” To either “step aside” or, “step the f*** up and show the world how Madison has consistently earned our spot in the top five party schools while continuing to excel academically.” Despite efforts by administrators of the Facebook page, multiple Mifflin Street residents said the 2013 block party will likely be toned down compared to previous years, but said they intend to carry on the tradition while also abiding by MPD’s stricter policies. These policies include staying off the sidewalk when holding an open intoxicant and ensuring music and noise levels do not create a nuisance. UW-Madison senior and Mifflin Street resident Ryan D., who declined to give his full last name, said the police’s cancellation of the 2013 block party will not deter him from having a party. However, Ryan said he will take more precautions this year than he did
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Professor Profile: Dave Cieslewicz, former Madison mayor By Sam Cusick THE DAILY CARDINAL
As former mayor and current University of WisconsinMadison associate professor Dave Cieslewicz knows, there is no better qualification for teaching a class on political leadership than real world experience in public office. Cieslewicz served as the Mayor of Madison from 2003 to 2011, before losing a close race to current mayor Paul Soglin. He has lectured at the university since 2006, teaching topics from graduate-level public management to an undergraduate course this semester called “Bikes, Pedestrians and Cities.” His knowledge as an edu-
cator is a testament to the allencompassing nature of running a city. “I don’t think that anybody knows any city as well as its mayor, because you have to get around and meet everybody in the neighborhoods,” Cieslewicz said. “It’s a very hands-on, tangible job. And you really know whether you’re accomplishing things or not.” It’s not just his experience as mayor that informs his work in the classroom. To Cieslewicz, teaching requires a biggerpicture perspective that would help as a politician, although he currently has no plans to seek public office. “Teaching forces you to step back and take a broader look at
politics, how it functions, how people are successful at it and how they go wrong,” Cieslewicz said. “I think if I did return to politics, and I think that’s unlikely, having taught would make me a better leader.” While Cieslewicz said he does not currently plan to teach at the university next fall, he said he may return to his position at UW-Madison in spring of 2014. “I’ve had a great time teaching and my students have been wonderful,” Cieslewicz said. “My students today are very serious about their studies and it’s really a joy to teach.” Answering questions from
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GRACE FLANNERY/cardinal file photo
UW-Madison professor Dave Cieslewicz uses his experience as a former Madison mayor to educate his students on politics.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”