A beer that is to die for
GO BIG READ: Pulitzer Prize recipient Sonia Nazario, author of “Enrique’s Journey,” describes her awardwinning book. +FEATURES, page 5
+PAGE TWO
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Complete campus coverage since 1892
l
dailycardinal.com
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
MPM, others impose new rules for Freakfest By Alison Bauter The Daily Cardinal
Grace Liu/the daily cardinal
Madison Property Management is one of five landlords imposing rules limiting guests and parties during Freakfest.
Pay freeze for public employees announced By Tyler Nickerson The Daily Cardinal
In an effort to reign-in the state’s spending, Gov. Scott Walker’s administration introduced a plan that would mostly freeze public employee’s pay for the next two years. The Compensation Plan, proposed Tuesday, is the latest piece of legislation from Walker and Republican lawmakers that aims to cut Wisconsin’s spending. Included in the plan is the option for merit-based pay increases for those workers identified as deserving a raise. “The vast majority of public employees will see few changes in their day to day work life,” Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau said in a press release. “However, we continue to reform state government in ways that will improve service and save taxpayer dollars.” But Democratic leaders see the decision as an attempt for Walker to gain more influence. “This essentially amounts to a political power grab from
an administration that has consistently sought to amass political power,” said a spokesperson for state Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona. The plan specifies that pay increases based on merit will be determined centrally by the Office of State Employment Relations rather than by individual state agencies. Miller’s office said this would give Walker the ability to decide how job performance is rewarded or punished. “You could imagine employees of the DNR issuing sensitive environment permits for example would either be rewarded or punished based on what permits they do or do not issue,” Miller’s spokesperson said. Fitzgerald said the changes will improve the system. “For the first time for many state employees quality of service will play a factor in their compensation,” Fitzgerald said. The changes would take effect at the beginning of next year.
Last Wednesday, Grand Central residents received new rules for hosting guests, having parties and entering their apartments during Freakfest. Under the new policy, residents need a wristband to enter buildings after certain hours, and receive two wristbands to share with guests Friday and Saturday. Additionally, landlords “reserve the right during these hours to enter any apartment should [they] observe or hear there is a safety concern or lease violation,” and emphasize that “parties that are overcrowded may be shut down.” Grand Central is one of at least five apartment complexes instituting similar Freakfest policies this year, a change that surprised some city officials and housing specialists, while frustrating student residents. “I’m trying to throw a birthday party for my boyfriend,” said Grand Central senior Sarah Sandock. “I planned this a month in advance, and we found out about this [policy] a week ago.” MPM President Jim Stopple said inhibiting gatherings like
Sandock’s is simply a “side-effect” from a larger policy designed to keep properties and residents safe following incidents stemming from large, raucous parties in 2010. “We felt we had to do something,” Sopple said. “Our best goal was to try to have everybody enjoy themselves as much as possible, but also with some semblance of safety.” According to its lease, Grand Central allows only two overnight guests per resident, per night. The rules during Freakfest allow two guests with wristbands. Although Sandock was upset the changes did not square with wording in the lease she signed, Sopple said MPM is within its rights because commercial landlords may impose “community policies” relating to safety and other concerns during the leasing period. “Definitely, [property owners] have the ability to restrict the number of guests and create some community safety policies,” said Nancy Jensen, executive director for the Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin. But Jensen added she was unaware MPM and other complexes instituted the new wrist-
band policy. Along with MPM’s Grand Central and Equinox complexes, Lucky, Pres House and The Collegiate also instituted rules limiting residents’ Freakfest guests. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, was also unaware of the new rules. “Something like this should be talked about for weeks or months,” Resnick said. “And tenants, quite frankly, should be aware of this in their leases.” Sophomore Equinox resident Erin Lord said although the policy is legal, she is conflicted. “They’re kind of barging in on our privacy as tenants,” Lord said. “That’s why we live in apartments—to have freedom. They just assume we’re going to have unsafe situations.” Jensen said she and Resnick hope to create an “ongoing dialogue” between landlords and tenants, facilitated by UW-Madison’s student government. With the new Freakfest policies, Jensen said dialogue would allow residents to explore why property owners imposed the rules, what students dislike about them and “if there’s some common ground in the middle.”
Grace Liu/the daily cardinal
State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, criticized Gov. Scott Walker at the AFSCME offices Tuesday.
Erpenbach, Parisi encourage citizen participation in Walker recall efforts By Jacob Riederer The Daily Cardinal
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin held it’s first of many political “barnstorms” in Middleton’s AFSCME offices Wednesday in hopes of gaining supporters in the upcoming recall effort of Gov Scott Walker. State Sen. John Erpenbach,
D-Middleton, was highly optimistic about the recall process, and expected recall groups would obtain 200,000 more signatures than the 540,000 needed to initiate the recall process. Erpenbach said acquiring signatures will not be difficult because Walker’s actions go against core Wisconsin values.
“[Walker] introduced legislation and rammed it through a Republican controlled legislature passing legislation that has nothing to do with who we are as Wisconsinites,” Erpenbach said. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin along with politi-
afscme page 3
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”