Our pick The Cardinal Editorial Board’s recall primary endorsement +OPINION, page 6 University of Wisconsin-Madison
Summer cinema “Django Unchained” is one of many exciting movies set to be released this summer +ARTS, page 5 Complete campus coverage since 1892
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Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Selection process for graduation speakers draws criticism By Kelly Kallien The Daily Cardinal
Mark Kauzlarich/Cardinal file Photo
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk will face off in the Democratic primary Tuesday. The winner will challege Gov. Scott Walker in the June 5 recall election.
Collective bargaining defines Dem. primary By Jack Casey The Daily Cardinal
After a year of political controversy across Wisconsin, Tuesday will mark the first round of elections in an historic gubernatorial recall process. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, the two frontrunners in the Democratic primary, have campaigned across the state, hoping to run against Gov. Scott Walker in a general recall election June 5. Both candidates have similar positions on most state issues,
but differ on their plans for what is likely the most contentious one: restoring collective bargaining for public sector workers. Falk’s staunch stance won her the support and monetary backing of labor unions, while Barrett stayed moderate with a multistep process that garnered him contributions from individual state donors. State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, and Secretary of State Doug La Follette, the two other candidates in the primary, are running less prominent campaigns.
Collective bargaining has been a focal point in Wisconsin politics since Walker introduced Act 10 in February, a bill that eliminated most public workers’ access to the negotiations. It has also led to a well-heeled campaign on all sides, with donations pouring in from contributors from inside Wisconsin and elsewhere. Political science professor Barry Burden said the primary hinges on two issues: electability and collective bargaining. “It is still about who can win in
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Campaign fundraising Money raised by Gov. Scott Walker and the top two Democratic candidates since Jan. 1, 2011, and the percentage of that money coming from in-state donors.
Graphic by Dylan Moriarty
Since they have only been campaigning for a few months, both Democratic candidates have raised far less money than Gov. Scott Walker, who has spent nearly $21 million since January 2011.
In the weeks leading up to former Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz’s speech at commencement, senior class officials and the university have disagreed over the process for selecting future commencement speakers. The University Committee, made up of six professors and with the help of senior class officials, selects commencement speakers from a pool of notable UW-Madison alumni and local figures. Senior Class President Steven Olikara said this selection process allows the university to obtain speakers without paying them an honorarium, because speakers want to give back to their alma mater. But according to Olikara, this policy needs to change. He said the university could attract speakers outside of UW alumni if it offered monetary compensation. While Olikara said he recognizes UW has prestigious alumni, he said expanding speaker
options beyond alumni could help attract a wider range of worldrenowned speakers who would bring the university national attention. He added most schools in the Big Ten offer honorarium to commencement speakers, and UW is “falling behind.” “We are in fact, a globally competitive university and we ought to reflect that in graduation activities to create a memorable send off for the graduating class,” Olikara said. But Secretary of the Faculty David Musolf said paying commencement speakers is not part of UW culture, and the university can attract excellent speakers without a monetary incentive. Musolf pointed to Bartz, a UW-Madison alumna, as a prominent individual who will keep ties to the campus community. “We like to have people who have a connection to the state or to the university,” Musolf said. “I say without exception that the people I call and invite are hon-
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Berquam: Mifflin block party safer than last year By Abby Becker The Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam, who gained viral fame for telling students not to attend the Mifflin Street Block Party, said Monday this year’s party was safer than the last, though she is still concerned about the event. While Berquam jokingly said she followed her own advice and did not attend the party, she said the event was more successful than it was in 2011, despite lingering issues. Berquam said there were reports of sexual assault and many students were taken to detox, but overall, the event was an improvement from last year. “I think it was a safer event and for that I am glad,” she said. While Madison police reported there were 393 arrests as of midnight on May 5, Captain Carl Gloede told the Wisconsin State Journal the unofficial count for arrests totals over 500. Berquam said she was happy to know a number of students did adhere to the rules and hosted legal house parties.
“I do appreciate many students took the advice and direction from police and complied,” Berquam said. “I appreciate the efforts students actually put forth to make it a safer event and take care of each other.
“If the event is going to continue, I want it to continue in a safe way.”
Lori Berquam Dean of Students
As for the future of the block party, Berquam said the city needs to decide how they are going to plan for the event, especially when deciding how to police it. “If the event is going to continue, I want it to continue in a safe way, so that students don’t have to worry about the impact that this will have on their lives,” Berquam said.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
page two Embracing hypocrisy step by step tODAY: mostly sunny hi 65º / lo 46º
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wednesDAY: mostly cloudy hi 62º / lo 41º
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An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 122, Issue 71
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Jaime Brackeen brax on brax on brax
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o sometimes I can be a bit of a hypocrite. It doesn’t happen so often now, but bouts of dramatic opinion switches used to run rampant in my mind back in the day. Like in sixth grade when Destiny’s Child had just released their single, “Lose My Breath” on the radio. For some reason I totally despised that song. Was it the repetitive panting that so greatly turned me off to the number? Or merely feelings of inadequacy that I could not, in fact, keep up? We may never know. But let’s go ahead and cut to less than two weeks later when my friend makes me a mix CD with said song on it and I am bumping and grinding to it er’day. I have the verses memorized. I’ve been playing it on repeat. I’m like a fucking meme. You can call me Hypocrisy Girl. “Hates Destiny’s Child” (insert judgmental picture of me with the words “two weeks later” superimposed) “Destiny’s Child is my favorite band, guys.” Sometimes I hate myself a little. Then there was my hatred of skinny jeans, which I’m sure is hilarious to anyone who’s known me since I’ve come to college. When skinny jeans became a thing my junior year of high school they were the bane of my existence. Why would girls wear such unflattering pants? Didn’t they
know these jeans made their hips look wide? Yet even then, I was exploring the realm between bell-bottoms and boot cut, coming up disappointed and wearing sweat pants. Then I got the fringy, ankle-high moccasins I’d been asking for that Christmas. For those of you that are unaware (males), wearing any kind of shoe that extends beyond the lower tibia region is rendered useless by non-skinny jeans. Yes, one can try to make it work by wrapping the flaring end of your jeans tightly around your leg and tucking them in, but more often than not this merely results in uncomfortable jean chunks attempting to make hollows in your ankle while also looking really dumb. So I bought my first pair of skinny jeans and never looked back. It was about this time as well that I began to truly embrace my gratuitously berthed hips and resigned myself to the fact I would have to date men who like women with curves. Now, I don’t wear jeans often, but when I do, they are skinny. I don’t even want to get into the leggings debacle of ’09. I’m never giving those up. NEVAR. Leggings are just too damn comfortable. However, one of my biggest turn-around topics did not happen until two Octobers ago. I cringe to say it, but I once thought Twitter was stupid (shudders). I had been under the impression, like some are now, that Twitter was merely a place for people to update you about what they were doing throughout the day.
@some_1: Going for a run!! @some_1: Getting Jamba Juice after a hard workout. @some_1: g2g shower now, k tnx. Unfortunately this is still true for some users who think their followers want constant updates about the trivial matters of their day—this is why those people only have 50 followers. Anyway, I hated hard on this social media device without ever trying it. Then one week I attended two “Dinners On Wisconsin” networking events for students going into the strategic communication field where the hosts told us over and over again how important a role Twitter played in getting a job. All I could think was: OMG I AM GOING TO BE JOBLESS AND DESTITUTE, MUST MAKE TWITTER IMMEDIATELY. Surprisingly, it turns out my overreaction worked out for the best. I did make a Twitter account immediately, and for the first few months it remained seldom used as I figured out that whole conflabbed tweeting thing. This was October. Yet by the time March rolled around, I had realized Twitter is less a bunch of status updates and more a farreaching repository for all the things I usually think to myself or mutter awkwardly to no one in particular. Needless to say, the commonality of talking to myself has reduced tenfold, though has not diminished completely. Now I seem only semi-schizophrenic. Not only that, but Twitter is also a great self-esteem booster, mainly because of the punctuation it uses
when delivering the good news of someone interacting with you. “So-and-so retweeted one of your tweets!” “This person favorited one of your tweets!” “What’s-her-face mentioned you on Twitter!” They did?! Someone thinks I’m funny and/or relevant?! People want to talk to me! I cannot stress this enough: Punctuation matters, guys. Twitter is also great to get the latest news updates or hear about new music before anyone else, but these are just added perks. It’s also a great networking tool (I got the interview that led to my last internship from interacting with the business on Twitter, just sayin’). Before I start sounding like a spokesperson for this truly wonderful and revolutionary social media tool though, I’ma let me finish. Yes, it is true; I am, at times, a hypocrite. But more often than not, my large shifts in judgment stem from an influx of information and a willingness to change my mind rather than stubbornly sticking to my guns. If that’s still hypocrisy, then I welcome it with open arms. Sometimes it’s okay to veer from your original thought process when it means you’ll be happier in the long run. “Starts column claiming she’s a hypocrite” (“900 words later” superimposed over judgmental face) “Guess I’m just open minded, guys.” Do people think you’re a flipflopper as well? E-mail Jaime at jbrackeen@wisc.edu to join forces with her (and Romney while you’re at it) and defend your ways.
Liberal arts major turned cat lady Riley beggin riled up
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ast week I attended a lecture by Stephen Jarchow, the executive producer of the film “Gods and Monsters.” The talk, hosted by the English department, was advertised as something that will reassure you “why an English major is really important.” Although I am not an English major (History and International Studies are my métier), I felt a strong sense of Liberal-Artsmajor unity in that audience, as we all felt we had fallen victim to false advertising. A man who had been through business and law school and was now regularly raking in big bucks, Jarchow spent about an hour casually throwing around dollar amounts that could probably
fund the government of Sierra Leone and then capped it all off by mentioning that knowing how to read critically is “just really important.” He even joked that during his speech “a couple of [his] knuckle-head employees were probably losing [him] $10,000.” By that point, we were all visibly sweating. My lack of profitable prospects really hit me when my friend and I were road-tripping down to Austin, Texas and needed to crash at my aunt’s house for the night. Owning several very spoiled and confident cats, her entire apartment was covered in cat hair, much to my sinuses’ dismay. That night, laying rigidly on a bed of cat hair and attempting to not let my snotty face touch anything, I couldn’t help but panic that this is what my future held—an alleyway full of cats that slowly followed me around and forced me into allergic seclusion when I couldn’t afford a place to live. This feeling is by no means a
new one for me—after decades of being told to “follow your dreams” and “do what makes you happy,” it’s becoming more and more obvious that those sentiments are only real if what makes me happy is poring over petri dishes, building military technology or doing other peoples’ taxes (or, as I like to call it, porn for math nerds). Even though I won’t be able to wipe my parents’ asses with hundred dollar bills when they’re old, and my “labs” will look more like an under-funded elementary school than a scene out of “Star Trek: Enterprise,” I like to think that there are some redeeming qualities of my seemingly fluff degree. For one, my value at adult-style dinner parties has drastically increased. Returning home for Christmas and Thanksgiving provided ample opportunity for me to make Herman Cain jokes (“I got 9-9-9 problems but a bitch ain’t one”) for my very conservative relatives. They were not amused.
And while my mechanical engineering friends are lecturing me on the improper fractions of my gin and tonic that I claim to be 2/3 gin, 2/3 tonic, Wisconsinstyle drinking is nonetheless tied in with my studies as well. As the question master in King’s Cup, I can always catch people by asking which president they think had the largest penis. But if this stacked resumé of skills is not enough to get me a job after college, I can always resort to being a post-woman, a bag lady or one of those ladies that work at mall kiosks selling fake hair extensions to 13-year-olds. My friends should just be prepared for when I come knocking on their door, looking to crash on their couch. I’ll leave my cats in the alleyway. Feelin’ like your anthropology major isn’t going to amount to shit post-graduation? E-mail Riley at beggin@dailycardinal.com to join her in stocking up on cats and gin to pester your successful finance and accounting major friends with.
It is statistically proven that funny people drink more wine.*
Drink more wine. Be a Page Two columnist. *It is not statistically proven that funny people drink more wine.
Now accepting applicants for the Fall 2012 semester. Send three samples to page2@dailycardinal.com by May 20.
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Woman robbed, three men beaten over weekend By Meghan Chua The Daily Cardinal
Grey Satterfield/the daily cardinal
Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell spoke to the Faculty Senate Monday about the Human Resources redesign, which must go into effect by July 2013.
Faculty Senate makes recommendations for human resources restructuring project By Anna Duffin The Daily Cardinal
Members of the UW-Madison Faculty Senate had many questions for members of the human resources redesign team following a presentation Monday. Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell said over 150 faculty and staff members have been working to build a framework for a new HR structure on campus over the past year and are currently seeking input from campus community members on how to improve their recommendations. The redesign began after the state gave UW system institutions additional flexibility in its biennial budget. Some faculty senators cautioned members of the project against using a “business model,” which focuses on keep-
ing compensation competitive with institutions similar to UW-Madison, to bring talented workers to the university, saying it will not necessarily reward good teaching. “I’m struck often on this campus that some of our most famous scientists quite rightly have a request matched from other universities, but we never match faculty members who are teachers,” Faculty Senator John Sharpless said. Faculty Senator Cyrena Pondrom said redesign members should rethink their recommendation to consolidate “academic staff” such as researchers with “classified staff” such as custodial workers, saying the two groups have different needs. “I think that you will find that the coherence of that group is so absent that common policies gov-
erning all of these people actually turn out to be inappropriate,” Pondrom said.
“I’m struck often on this campus that ... we never match faculty members who are teachers.” John Sharpless senator Faculty Senate
Levigna said the proposal to join the groups has been contentious and members of the redesign team are open to changing the recommendation to consolidate them. State legislation requires the implementation of the new design to go into effect no later than July 1, 2013.
City approves West Dayton Street apartment proposal By Abby Becker The Daily Cardinal
A city planning committee approved plans Monday for a new apartment complex aimed at student renters on West Dayton Street near Union South. The proposal calls for the demolition of a current 21-unit apartment building and house at 1323 W. Dayton St. and 1318 Randall Ct. to make way for the 8-story building. The complex will have 65 apartments, underground parking, bicycle stalls and moped parking spaces, according to architect Randy Bruce.
speaker from page 1 ored by the invitation.” Consistent with his wish for speaker honorarium, Olikara said senior class officials helped create a fund to pay commencement speakers. But after the University Committee declined to change its policy, senior class officials created Senior Day to help
Several out-of-town visitors who fell victim to beatings and robbery over the weekend may have been in Madison for the Mifflin Street Block Party, according to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain. Around 1 a.m. Saturday, two male suspects knocked a 19-year-old man from Illinois unconscious in a dispute on College Court. DeSpain said two groups of men were in a fight and one or two men from one side started beating up a man from the other group. The victim was taken to the hospital and did not remember details of the beating. Early Sunday morning, a group of several men assaulted two 19- and 20-year-old Minnesota residents on
Fahrenbrook Court, who were later taken to a hospital. Also early Sunday morning, a 24-year-old Minnesota woman was robbed at gunpoint while walking in the 700 block of West Washington Avenue, according to DeSpain. DeSpain said the woman was walking back to the place she was staying for the weekend when a young African-American man approached her, asking to borrow her phone. He allegedly knocked the phone out of her hand when she offered it to him and then pointed a gun at the woman before taking her phone and fleeing the scene. DeSpain said robberies of small electronic items are common, and burglars often use them to trade for money or drugs. It is common for muggers and robbers to steal purses, wallets and phones from pedestrians.
Owner Jim Stopple, Madison Property Management president, said residents are provided with beds and living room furniture, which will make move-in easier for students. “We are very excited by this project,” Bruce said. “I think it will be a very good addition to the student neighborhood.” Additionally, Plan Commission members approved extending Echo Tap and Grill’s hours of service, and increasing the West Main Street Bar’s outdoor patio to accommodate more patrons. The Echo Tap will now serve food and beverages until 10 p.m.
on weekdays and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Additionally, the patio will be able to hold 50 people, double its original capacity. “We are trying to make it more of a community space and have our neighbors come in and join us,” owner Katie Bulgrin said. Some neighborhood residents and commission members said the increased patio capacity will create excess noise. Evan Rowley, who owns an apartment complex next door to the Echo Tap, said he was not in support of the extended hours because many of his residents are students who are “very serious” about their work.
promote UW on a national level. Well-known astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will speak at that event May 10. Olikara also criticized the selection process as a whole, saying the University Committee does not include students. But Musolf said the committee works closely with senior class officers who develop a list of potential speakers. Musolf
said he and the chancellor discuss the list and then choose the commencement speaker. But Olikara said the chancellor should take a more direct approach in helping select the commencement speaker. “It shouldn’t just stay to the Secretary of the Faculty’s office,” Olikara said. “We need to make this a campus priority.”
Wil Gibb/the daily cardinal
The Student Services Finance Committee appointed Ellie Bruecker chair in a meeting Monday.
Student finance committee appoints next year’s leadership By Cheyenne Langkamp The Daily Cardinal
The Student Services Finance Committee appointed its leadership for next school year, naming Ellie Bruecker chair in a meeting Monday. Bruecker, who served as secretary on last year’s SSFC, was the sole nominee and won in a unanimous vote.
“I’m really excited to work with them and everybody else who was appointed or elected to SSFC.” Ellie Bruecker incoming chair SSFC
Bruecker said her main focus as chair will be to increase communication with student organizations and to continue to improve the atmo-
sphere of SSFC meetings. “I think, in general, for groups it’s been a little scary and I think we can do a lot to improve that while remaining within our process and following the rules,” Bruecker said. Also at the meeting, Joe Vanden Avond was appointed SSFC vice chair and Jonathan Harris was appointed secretary. Vanden Avond said his approachability will be an important part of improving communications with campus groups. “Sometimes this room can be pretty full and a little scary, I think what I will offer more than anything is a level-headed approach that will keep things in perspective,” Avond said. “I am thrilled with the leadership that was elected tonight,” Bruecker said. “I’m really excited to work with them and everybody else who was appointed or elected to SSFC.”
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primary from page 1 a general election against Walker, but also about what the most reasonable approach might be to dealing with collective bargaining once a Democrat were in office,” said Burden.
Reversing Act 10
Falk, who Burden said is considered the more aggressive candidate, said the best way to restore collective bargaining is to include the repairs in the state budget. Some politicians disagreed with Falk’s plan, suggesting such a strong move could lead to a stalemate in an already polarized state government. But many union members see Falk’s stance as the only way. “If you don’t have a governor who is committed to restoring collective bargaining then it won’t get done in the budget. You’ve got to be strong on it in order to get it done,” Falk said. Most of the state’s largest unions, like Wisconsin’s AFL-CIO, chose to endorse and contribute to Falk’s campaign because of her position. Conversely, Barrett proposed a multifaceted system to restoring collective bargaining. Barrett said he would start by calling a special session of the state legislature. If Democrats were elected in the Senate recalls, which are scheduled for the same day as the gubernatorial recall, Barrett said his plan would pass the Senate and gain votes from Assembly Republicans influenced by the Democratic swing in state politics. “There were some Assembly Republicans who voted against [Act 10] last time. I believe that there would be even more Assembly Republicans that would support the restoration of collective bargaining rights now,” Barrett said in an
interview May 3. If calling a special session does not work, Barrett said he planned to introduce reparations through a freestanding bill while simultaneously tying them to the budget bill. “To me, the issue is not so much the vehicle, the issue is getting to the destination,” Barrett said. Burden said Barrett’s emphasis on compromise makes him the more moderate candidate, adding Barrett has a more realistic plan for restoring collective bargaining. “I think Barrett’s approach is probably more feasible,” Burden said. “If you separate the issues, you could have one discussion about the budget and a separate discussion about collective bargaining rights.” Barrett received the majority of his donations from individual in-state donors. Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Executive Director Mike McCabe said this gives Barrett a more independent image.
The advantages (and pitfalls) of union support
Falk, who declared her candidacy soon after signatures to recall Walker were officially collected in January, was the frontrunner in the race until Barrett decided to run in late March. Since then, Barrett gradually picked up support and took a lead over Falk in statewide polls. Barrett led Falk 38 to 21 percent in the most recent Marquette Law School Poll released May 2. According to Burden, that is because voters believe Barrett has the best chance of beating Walker in the general recall. Although Barrett leads in polls, Falk has raised more money than Barrett in campaign donations with about one third of her funds coming directly from large
dailycardinal.com state unions. Barrett raised about $831,000 to Falk’s $977,000. Walker, meanwhile, has raised $25 million since January 2011, a much larger time frame but one in which he has also spent nearly $21 million. McCabe said the discrepancy in campaign funds between the Democrats can be attributed to Barrett’s relatively late start campaigning and Falk’s large influx of money from labor unions earlier this year. Union-backed organization Wisconsin for Falk, for instance, has already spent over $4 million on advertisements. Although support from unions could help Falk in the primary, McCabe said her labor allegiance might hurt her because voters could tie her too closely to the unions’ cause. “She’s going to benefit from millions of dollars of union spending on her behalf but … she is seen as the union candidate and that could very well work against her,” McCabe said. Both Barrett and Falk agree that unity after the primary will be important. If he
were to win the primary, Barrett has said he would emphasize gathering support from unions in the form of both votes and financial backing and would suggest Democratic primary candidates consolidate their support bases after the primary is over. Once the election is over, Falk said the party will come together for the general election. “On May 9th we are all united,” Falk said.
On DailyCardinal.com Looking to find out where you can vote Tuesday? Head to DailyCardinal.com for links to help you find your polling place and how to get there. Remember, polls are open until 8 p.m. Also, follow @DailyCardinal for live primary results Tuesday night.
High voter turnout expected for primary With heightened interest in this year’s election, officials are expecting high voter turnout with 30 to 35 percent of the voting age population expected to vote in the primary recall election Tuesday. The Government Accountability Board said in a statement Saturday approximately 1.3 to 1.5 million people are expected to turnout for the election. Kevin Kennedy, Director and General Counsel of the GAB, cited a strong public interest in the recall election as a reason for the expected increase in voter turnout. However, on the Milwaukee political news
program “Upfront with Mike Gousha”, Kennedy said that although the board is predicting as high as a 35 percent turnout, it is difficult to know how many people will actually vote because this election is unlike previous races. Kennedy also said he expects a turnout of more than 50 percent for the general recall election June 5, higher than the 2010 gubernatorial election. In the last 50 years, the highest voter turnout for a September partisan primary was 27.9 percent in 1964. In the last decade, the highest turnout was 22.5 percent in 2002. sarah Olson
arts Appreciating the past, looking to the future dailycardinal.com
Moonrise Kingdom, May 25
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Django Unchained, December 25
Prometheus, June 8
photo courtesy (from right to left) focus features, 20th century fox, the weinstein company
David Cottrell Co-ttrell it on the mountain
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he end is nigh. In only two excruciatingly short weeks I’ll be graduating from the Badger state’s finest institution of higher learning, finally earning that elusive descriptor of “real adult”—or more likely just “that depressed guy who drinks at the Union all day and pretends he’s still a student here, drowning his delusions in pint after pint of Spotted Cow.” We have come to the conclusion of my two-year tenure as The Daily Cardinal’s film columnist, and I can honestly
say it was one of my most cherished aspects of my last four years in Madison. My time at the Cardinal gave me a podium from which to profess my movie nerd innerdialogue and an audience that would listen and even talk back. It gave me a valid excuse to attend both the Sundance Film Festival and South By Southwest, resulting in some of the most memorable weeks of my life. And perhaps most importantly, it kept me thinking. Never stop thinking about the movies you see, the books you read or the TV shows you watch. Don’t just let them wash over you, because when you learn something from them, when you discern intriguing new ideas or internalize some
new way of thinking about life, that’s when entertainment changes from being something to pass the time into meaningful art that has the power to change our perspective and offer real benefits to our lives. I concluded this column last year with a list of my five favorite movies of all time. But enough about me. While I may be leaving you, you’ll have plenty of worthy distractions to quell your thirst for nerdy cinema discourse, as the lineup of movies to be released in 2012 is quite possibly the most enticing I’ve seen in years. So together let’s gander at the succulent cinematic offerings that await us in the year ahead. “Moonrise Kingdom” (May 25) It’s Wes Anderson, now set
in the 1960s. What more can be said? While Anderson’s particular brand of stylish auteur filmmaking can be very hit-or-miss with viewers, if you usually love him, “Moonrise Kingdom” looks to be no exception. Edward Norton and Bruce Willis now join the typical Anderson faces like Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman in this story of two young lovers who flee their small town together, eliciting a manhunt lead by Boy Scout troop leader Willis. “Prometheus” (June 8) In his 1979 sci-fi masterpiece “Alien,” director Ridley Scott revived and reinterpreted the genre of gothic horror in a way few had done since Edgar Allan Poe. He molded the genre to not just a new era in time but a new artistic medium as well. “Prometheus” promises a return for Scott to the fictional universe he first brought to life in “Alien,” even if the classic creature doesn’t make an appearance in the same fashion we remember it. Any of the numerous trailers and clips released thus far will surely wet your appetite, and judging by Internet buzz, “Prometheus” is certainly one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year. “Looper” (September 28) Over winter break I read the script for writer/director Rian Johnson’s (“Brick,” “The Brothers Bloom”) stylized scifi neo-noir project “Looper,” but by the end I wished I hadn’t. The story is so well executed, original, intriguing and overall terrific that I wish I could see the film for the first time without already knowing what’s to come. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the titular Looper, a futuristic mob-employed hit man who one day fails to finish off his target (Bruce Willis). As a future version of himself, he must correct his mistake or die trying—it feels like it could be the “Inception” of 2012. “Gravity” (November 21) Starring that silver fox George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as the only two actors on screen for the vast majority of the film, “Gravity” follows the intensely realistic struggle for survival of two astronauts stranded in space after an
orbital accident destroys their space station and kills off the rest of their colleagues. Written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón (the man behind some of the most impressive single-take cinematography I’ve ever seen in his brilliant dystopic scifi masterpiece “Children of Men”), “Gravity” seems poised to dazzle film geeks yet again with its reportedly seventeen-minute continuous opening shot through the inky expanses of space. “Django Unchained” (December 25) While Will Smith may have dropped off this latest Quentin Tarantino project, plenty of big names still abide, including Tarantino-standby Samuel L. Jackson and recent Oscarwinner Christoph Waltz. They are now joined by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Sacha Baron Cohen, RZA and many other newcomers to the Tarantino cavalcade. With “Django Unchained,” Tarantino has set out to create an American “southern” to explore the dark specter of slavery in our nation’s past with his unique style of reference-laden filmgeekery. It’ll be an excellent, if a bit odd, Christmas present for film lovers everywhere. As I bid my final adieus, I’d like to say thanks. Thanks to Jacqueline O’Reilly, my friend and first editor, who got me started on this wonderful path despite having no prior journalistic experience, as well as all my exceedingly helpful editors thereafter. Thanks to all my friends who have come to the movies with me and kept the discussion going long after the credits finished rolling. Thanks to my mom for catalyzing my cinematic obsession early in life by taking me to innumerable Friday afternoon showings, back when you had to buy a newspaper to check the times. And thanks to every single one of my readers, because you gave me a damn good excuse to continue indulging my nerdy side for the last two years. Keep on watching good movies. Say your final goodbyes and send your thanks to David at dcottrell@wisc.edu.
opinion 6
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Tuesday, May 8, 2012
view Cardinal View editorials represent The Daily Cardinal’s organizational opinion. Each editorial is crafted independent of news coverage.
I
Tom Barrett right man for the job
t’s finally here. Today, Wisconsin Democrats have the historic opportunity to choose who they want to oppose Gov. Scott Walker in the upcoming recall election. To this Editorial Board the choice is clear. If you are casting a ballot today, cast it for Tom Barrett. In short, the mayor of Milwaukee is the only Democrat who can win. If the point of this entire recall process is to get Walker out of office, then Barrett is the only viable candidate. Let’s get the easy part out of the way: State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (who?) and Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette (while he is a cute old grandfather) have no chance to win within their own party, let alone against Walker.
Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is the only one who can challenge Barrett, but we believe her nomination would be a mistake. One problem Democrats have with Walker and the Republicans in power is their unwillingness to compromise. A Falk administration would not correct the problem, it would simply shift the intransigence to the other side of the aisle. Falk signed a union pledge to veto any budget that does not include restoration of collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers. Barrett has refused to sign on. This Board believes governing by pledge is wrong and ineffective. Pledges force officials to be beholden to special interests while sacri-
ficing political compromise, something that is already all too rare. The Walker campaign and its supporting PACs would have a field day with advertisements portraying Falk as a union rubber stamp. Barrett would have no such problem. Again, the purpose of this process is to oust Walker. Although most unions around the state have endorsed Falk in the primary, it is certain they will try their damndest to back Barrett against the governor. The same thing can’t be said for Falk, who will have a harder time attracting independent or undecided voters. In Friday night’s debate between the four Democratic candidates, Falk made another big mistake that Walker supporters will harp on over and over again. Comparing the current political climate to a war, Falk said, “When a family is at war, it takes mom usually to get folks together. That’s what this state needs, we need a mom.” Her campaign must have let out a collective groan of despair after that one. Falk sounded like she was patronizing the voters, like she has all the answers. After hearing that a couple dozen times on TV and radio, Wisconsinites will not want to support her. The premise behind that statement is as flawed as the words themselves. There is a level of animosity from Republicans toward
dailycardinal.com
Mark Kauzlarich/daily cardinal File photo
Tom Barrett leads his nearest competitor, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, 38 percent to 21 percent in recent poles. Falk, so it is hard to see her becoming the maternal figure she claims she will be. Barrett has more statewide credibility and has angered those in his own party during his time as Milwaukee mayor, demonstrating his ability and willingness to compromise. Admittedly, Tom Barrett is not the best Wisconsin Democrat to face Walker. After all, he lost the gubernatorial race in 2010.
This Board would have liked to see other someone like Russ Feingold enter the race, and this endorsement is based as much on Kathleen Falk’s flaws as it is on Barrett’s strengths. However, Barrett was ready to be governor in 2010. This Board was comfortable endorsing him then and is more than comfortable doing so now. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Unions put an unnecessary strain on the state budget Steven Nemcek opinion columnist
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ast Tuesday, David Gardner, Chief of Staff of ASM, along with a number of other ASM representatives, wrote a letter to The Daily Cardinal disparaging Gov. Scott Walker's repeal of collective bargaining rights for the majority of Wisconsin union employees, calling his actions “radical,” the bill “onerous” and his vision “antiworker.” While imagery portraying unions as heroic defenders of the voiceless man are colorful and emotionally rousing, ASM does not examine the economic damage that collective bargaining induces. Indeed, collective bargaining is inherently anticompetitive and therefore is antiworker, a concept that most liberals cannot seem to grasp. Morgan Reynolds, former chief economist of the U.S. Department of Labor, notes that labor unions can be adequately modeled as cartels which “raise worker wages above competitive levels by restricting the supply of labor,” in this case, to state school boards. The fundamental law of demand states that as the price of an object increases, consumers will buy less of it. Therefore, as the cost of employing teachers increases, the government, their employer, will hire fewer of them. While it may be argued that a professor or teacher who has worked at a university or school for many years and is well decorated is deserving of higher pay, it cannot be denied that unemployment is high and that there are many young individuals just out of college that are eager and willing to work for less. With an economy that has a high
rate of unemployment, graduates our age are unable to find jobs. It is unreasonable that the government, which employs teachers, does not have greater control over benefits and salaries. Education is a function of the state, and it is not dictatorial that the government asserts control over this domain. Those that think public workers are underpaid and their recent increase in benefits contributions is unfair should note that public employee workers “earned an average of $50,774 in wages and benefits in 2009, about $1,800 more than in the private sector.” Further, the increase in employee pension contributions is only to the national average, and the increase in employee health insurance contributions is only half the national average. I don’t think the demands placed on public employees are unfair at all, and I might even argue the opposite. Government employees are paid by private sector tax payers, and I don’t think that it is appropriate that they should be making more than the people who are paying them. One more point that is frequently ignored is union membership is forced upon teachers. The argument goes that because all teachers “benefit” from union bargaining, all teachers should be forced to pay for that service. I think this is immoral on its face, and teachers shouldn’t be forced to join organizations with which they may philosophically disagree. If anything, those dues could provide a higher standard of living for union employees. The initial purpose of unions was to protest harsh and dangerous working conditions and to fight for lower working hours. It cannot be argued that such conditions exist to any significant degree in the workforce any longer, and
unions now serve primarily as a vehicle for collective bargaining. However, just as the private sector needs to be flexible during times of economic crisis, so should the government have the flexibility to control and alter its spending when tax
income may drop due to economic recession. When unions bully the government and threaten to have teachers and other public workers strike, the functional ability of the government to balance its expenses is limited. Pay increases therefore
should be limited to the rate of inflation, which is exactly what Walker’s collective bargaining bill does. Steven Nemcek is a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and political science. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
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Today’s Sudoku
Marches leave their mark. Penguin poop can be seen from space. Tuesday, May 8, 2012 • 7
Evil Bird
By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu
© Puzzles by Pappocom
Eatin’ Cake
By Dylan Moriarty EatinCake@gmail.com
Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
Caved In
By Nick Kryshak nkryshak@wisc.edu
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
Tanked Life ssic
Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com
WORD OF DIVISION ACROSS 1 Escalator part 5 Certain dreadlocked Jamaican, briefly 10 Adult male deer 14 Nehemiah follows it 15 ___ Island (former immigration checkpoint) 16 Melt ingredient, often 17 Balcony feature 18 Raccoon relative 19 Came down from one’s high horse? 20 Display happiness, in a way 23 Cone-shaped tent 24 Increased, as prices 25 Express discontent 28 Yodelers’ milieu 30 Word with “code” or “restricted” 31 A boss, occasionally 33 CEO candidate 36 Make round, as dough 40 Not merely -er 41 Simpleton 42 Tissue additive, perhaps 43 Start, as a savings account 44 “Empty hand” fighting skill, literally 46 Be head over heels about 49 “Airtight” story 51 Providing particulars
7 Shipwreck locale 5 58 “Eyes” in many emoticons 59 “Puss in Boots” villain 60 Cast a creepy glance 61 Apathetic 62 Word at the top of an application 63 Whirl of water 64 Walk leisurely 65 Significant time periods DOWN 1 Balkan Wars participant 2 Former Winter Palace resident (Var.) 3 Great Lake 4 Spacious and grand 5 “Eye of newt and toe of frog” context 6 Not with another 7 Chalkboard material 8 Ballplayer Fuentes or one of the musical Jacksons 9 Minor in geography? 10 By-the-book purchase 11 Blooming bulb 12 Like a doddering old woman 13 Like some exclusive communities 21 Guy that’s a doll 22 Old Toyota model 25 ___, medium or well done
A son of Aphrodite Attack, as with eggs A bit pretentious “Anna Karenina” author Tolstoy 31 Wild Huckleberry? 32 Wet-your-whistle stop 33 ___ fide (in bad faith) 34 Clean, as with paper towels 35 On the less breezy side, at sea 37 Let off the hook? 38 Cherry or pizza creation 39 Choir voice 43 Bad tempered 44 Bean type or shape 45 He played Tessio in “The Godfather” 46 Gazellelike 47 Administered medicine 48 Lubricated 49 Strongman’s reference? 50 Not quite ready for the tooth fairy 52 Long-range warhead carrier, briefly 53 “___ contendere” (no contest plea) 54 Bacteria culture medium 55 ___ la Douce (Shirley MacLaine role)
By Steven Wishau wishau@wisc.edu
By Angel Lee alee23@wisc.edu
First in Twenty Classicassic
6 2 27 28 29
56 Alternatives to Levis
Washington and the Bear
By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com
Sports
Tuesday May 8, 2012 DailyCardinal.com
Softball
Healy looks for strong finish to season By Rex Sheild the daily cardinal
In its final conference series of the season, the Wisconsin softball team (12-8 Big Ten, 33-17 overall) will travel to Lincoln, Neb., for a three-game series against Nebraska, with the winner having the opportunity to seize sole possession of second place in the Big Ten conference standings. “We know we’re in for a battle going to Nebraska on the road, being a new foe in the Big Ten and never having traveled there,” head coach Yvette Healy said during her Monday press conference. “They’re a great program, and I think it’s no better way for us to close out the season.” The upcoming series with the Cornhuskers is pivotal for the Badgers, not only to solidify their position in the final conference standings, but also for an NCAA tournament at-large berth. As Healy pointed out, the team controls its own destiny moving forward. “The big talk is postseason. We’re on the [NCAA tournament] bubble, and we’re excited about it,” Healy said. “I think our destiny is in our own hands, and the fact we’re still having conversations of what’s next
and are we still going to be playing, that’s an exciting thing.” However, despite the outside distractions and hoopla surrounding an NCAA tournament berth, Healy stressed that the team needs to keep its focus heading into the weekend. She is confident they will do so.
“The big talk is postseason. We’re on the [NCAA tournament] bubble, and we’re excited about it.” Yvette Healy head coach Wisconsin softball
“From a focus standpoint, [the upcoming series with Nebraska is] what the team’s focusing on. It’s been fun being in the conversation about winning the Big Ten, but there’s still a lot of exciting things that can happen,” Healy said. “The team is really focused just playing great on the road at Nebraska and giving ourselves a chance to keep playing.” Since Healy took over at Wisconsin in the summer of 2010, she has brought the program to new heights. Healy took the program from a
30-win season in 2011—a 10-win improvement from the previous season—to a team with 33 wins this season already. “We’re really pleased. I think that we’re in a great position right now, and it’s something that we have to keep kind of taking a step back and enjoying, because the more you win, the more you want to win,” Healy said. “And the better the team plays, the more quickly you want it all to happen. You have to kind of put it all in perspective of it’s the group that we’ve got here, and we’re getting a lot out of them.” The current success of the program can be attributed to breakout performances by junior infielder/outfielder Whitney Massey, who leads the nation in doubles, and sophomore infielder Michelle Mueller, who boasts a .268 batting average and a .967 fielding percentage. Despite the team’s success with Healy at the helm, the second-year head coach said the program would not have made the strides it has during her tenure without the determination and work ethic of the coaching staff and student-athletes. “For us in year two, we’ve worked our butt off just coaching and trying to improve the
wil gibb /the daily cardinal
Junior infielder/outfielder Whitney Massey’s improved play is a big reason why Wisconsin is in contention for an NCAA berth. current players, and they don’t always buy in and they’re not always on board,” Healy said. “And this group: They do, and they’re excited about it. And
I think their success really is about them wanting to be great. It would be a great story if we could pull it off and make the most of it.”
The Bryce Harper era in Major League Baseball has begun Ryan Evans not that one
T
he other day, as I was perusing around the “Truth and Rumors” portion of Sports Illustrated’s website, I came across a headline that caught my eye: “Harper’s call-up may not last long.” The blurb quoted Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo as telling The Washington Post, “there could be a step sideways to take a leap forward.” As baseball fans know, Bryce Harper—the baseball superprospect once labeled by Sports Illustrated as baseball’s “chosen one” and “the most exciting prodigy since LeBron” at age 17—has finally gotten his first taste of the big leagues with the Nationals, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 2010 on the promise of a once-in-ageneration, five-tool player. Since being called up from Triple-A in late April, Harper is batting .308 (8-for-26) with five doubles, three runs batted in, only four strikeouts and an on-base percentage of .424 to already earn the No. 3 spot in the Nationals’ batting order. He’s shown off an impressive arm and solid, sometimes spectacular, defense, from his converted outfield position (he was a catcher in high school). He even stole home Sunday against the Phillies when pitcher Cole Hamels made a pick-off throw to first base, a pretty ballsy move for the 19-year-old to make for his first career stolen base. Harper, as was expected of him, has taken Major League Baseball
by storm. At an age where most kids are still toiling in their second year of college trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives, Harper seems perfectly comfortable in a major league lineup facing major league pitching. I mean, yeah, the guy came in with sky-high expectations, but didn’t we think there would be at least some adjustment period? Not for Bryce Harper I guess. So my question is, at this point, why would Rizzo and the Nationals even consider the idea of ever having the kid return to the minors? Harper should be here to stay because he’s exactly what the Nationals—and baseball as a whole—needs. There are a lot of parallels between Harper and the Nationals and Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. It may be hard to remember with them in their current state as one of the premier teams in the National Hockey League, but it wasn’t too long ago that the Penguins were a fledgling franchise languishing near the bottom of the standings. Then Sidney Crosby came along with the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. Hockey’s “chosen one,” the one Wayne Gretzky predicted would break all of his records, Crosby re-energized the Penguins’ franchise and as soon as the next season—along with the also highly touted Evgeni Malkin—helped make Pittsburgh cup contenders. Crosby quickly established himself as hockey’s premier player. He recorded four 100-point seasons in his first five seasons, won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2006-’07, and led Pittsburgh to
its first Stanley Cup since 1992 two seasons after that. If you’re a hockey fan you either love or hate Sidney Crosby. He’s either the greatest thing that has ever happened to hockey or an overrated crybaby douche who gets far more attention than he deserves. But no matter what you think of Crosby, he’s good for the game of hockey. Fans pack road arenas to watch him when the Penguins come to town, whether to cheer or boo, and national TV ratings are never better than when he’s playing. His presence makes hockey more compelling and exciting to watch, in part because of the intense fan emotions he evokes. What Sidney Crosby has done for hockey, Bryce Harper can do for baseball. You’re probably going to hate Bryce Harper, in part because of all the hype surrounding him, or because he’s going to own your team’s pitching for the next 15-20 years. It might be because he carries a cocky swagger with him each trip to the plate, or maybe it’s because of whatever the hell that hairdo he’s rocking right now is. Whatever the reason is, Harper’s role as a polarizing presence in baseball was already evident as he was being vehemently booed in his first major league game at Dodger Stadium April 28. But if you’re a Nationals fan or a fan of compelling baseball, you’re going to love Bryce Harper. He’s the type of talent and personality that people will pack ballparks around the country for— something baseball hasn’t had in a long time—and he has the ability to make Washington a contender. The Nationals are in first place
in the NL East right now, and with pieces like pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg (think of him as Malkin in this analogy) already in place, the future of baseball looks bright in the nation’s capital, and with Harper playing a role in that potential success, the sport of baseball as a whole will be better off for it. This is Ryan’s final column for The Daily Cardinal. He would like to thank all of the people who have supported him during his five semes-
ters as a sports writer and three as sports editor at the Cardinal, including his two co-editors, Mark Bennett and Matthew Kleist, as well as Nico Savidge, Parker Gabriel and the rest of the Cardinal staff during his time there. Thanks for making the bowels of Vilas Hall feel like home. What are your thoughts on Bryce Harper and the future of baseball? Any final parting words for Ryan? Let him know via e-mail at rmevans2@dailycardinal.com or hit him up on Twitter @ryanmevans.