+ARTS, pages 4 & 5 University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Weekend, November 1-3, 2013
Student union group’s 2014-’15 budget passes By Alex Bernell the daily cardinal
jane thompson/the daily cardinal
Future co-owners of the Orpheum, Gus Paras and Henry Doane, aim to return the historic theater to its roots by re-introducing movie screenings, comedy shows and weddings.
Future of Orpheum to invoke historic past By Melissa Howison the daily cardinal
The beacon that once shone over Madison’s bourgeoning entertainment district may once again illuminate the future of State Street in all its iconic glory. Veteran State Street business owner Gus Paras is now the proud owner of Madison’s most historic theater, the prestigious Orpheum and said he is excited to revive the once dazzling downtown entertainment hub and its towering marquee. Paras’ acquisition of the property resulted from a complicated, decade-long legal battle for ownership of the auditorium marred by foreclosure, drama and several allegations of arson. However, Paras said he is focused on the future and hopes to begin the necessary renovations on the theater “very soon,” although he hesitated to supply a timeline.
“The Orpheum was a very important place in the downtown area, and I was lucky enough to have a couple of good businesses and do good and be able to afford to put some money in the Orpheum, which it needs,” Paras said. He intends to repair building hazards first by replacing the failing ceiling, plumbing and air conditioning before restoring the marquee. Paras also said he is committed to maintaining the Orpheum’s interior character and has no plans to redesign the theater. The Orpheum Theatre originally opened March 31, 1927 and became a city landmark in 1998. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said Henry Doane played an invaluable role in the preservation of the theater. “If it wasn’t for Henry Doane saving the Orpheum Theatre years ago, there would be no
Orpheum Theatre today to speak of,” Verveer said. Paras, who also owns Comedy Club on State, said he is partnering with Doane to reopen the restaurant and bar Doane previously operated in the Orpheum. In addition, Paras and Doane plan to diversify the theater’s functions to include comedy shows, wedding receptions, banquets and movie screenings as well as continue to offer live music. The pair also look forward to bringing the Wisconsin Film Festival back to the Orpheum. Paras said he wants the theater’s door to be “open all the time for everybody to walk in and out.” He added “the Orpheum is not, I never look at the Orpheum as a moneymaker, I look at the Orpheum as a place for the city and I want to be proud about.”
ASM to host second annual Diversity Week By Paige Villiard the daily cardinal
The Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee decided Thursday it will implement another Diversity Week in Spring 2014. The inaugural Diversity Week held during Spring 2013 was the first ever, and many diversity committee members said they want to continue having a diver-
sity week because it is needed on campus and also provides a great opportunity to work with other student organizations. Diversity Committee member Tori Atkinson said she took on the project of organizing and implementing Diversity Week as an ASM intern last year. “The main goal, I think, of Diversity Week is kind of to raise campus diversity awareness and
to show people that there are a lot of diversity resources on campus, especially just through all these groups on campus,” Atkinson said. She said Diversity Week “went fine” considering it was the first time ever happening, but she said there are “definitely ways to improve on it.”
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The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee passed an operating budget for the Working Class Student Union and listened to a 2014- ’15 fiscal year Sex Out Loud budget proposal at a meeting Thursday. WCSU is an organization that focuses on supporting and advocating for first-generation, non-traditional, transfer and working-class students, according to its website. SSFC members’ discussion focused on funding for a visiting speaker in the WCSU. SSFC agreed to allow $5,000 to fund a speaker. WC SU r e p r e s e nt atives Derek Field and Dena Ohlinger said they were happy SSFC passed a $5,000 budget for the WCSU speaker because last year the organization tried to book a speaker that would not agree to speak for the organization for any
value less than $5,000. Ohlinger also noted that the amount allotted is a base value and the organization could need more. Representative Brett Ducharme proposed an alternative method to reduce WCSU spending. Ducharme said in previous years the funding for the communication director positions for the school year and summer has been considerably less than it is currently. He argued in favor of reducing the number of hours these individuals work by two hours a week, which SSFC approved. SSFC also listened to a presentation made by Sex Out Loud Representative Nick Fetzner. Sex Out Loud promotes healthy sexuality through sex-positive education and activism, according to its website. Fetzner proposed an operating budget of $98,432, which
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emma pankratz/the daily cardinal
The Student Services Finance Committee approved additional funding for a Working Class Student Union guest speaker.
Babcock debuts dairy-free ice cream Babcock Hall Dairy Plant at the University of WisconsinMadison started producing two lactose-free ice cream options this fall, vanilla and hazelnut cafe, according to a news release. The ice cream is created similarly to Babcock Hall’s other flavors, but the enzyme lactase is added, which makes the molecules easier to digest. The store certified the flavors were tested and officially determined lactose-free. “They’re delicious and taste very, very similar to regular ice cream,” UW-Madison senior
Sandy Hughes said, a food science major who helped develop the new ice cream formula under the guidance of the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant manager. Dean of UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Kate VandenBosch’s arrival on campus in 2012 inspired the idea. VandenBosch, like 10 percent of the U.S. population, is lactose intolerant. The flavors can be sampled for free Nov. 1 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Babcock Hall Dairy Store and are available for purchase at the Babcock Hall Dairy Store.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”