University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Tuesday, December 2, 2014
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Police arrest former Badger football player Patricia Johnson THE DAILY CARDINAL
THOMAS YONASH/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Porchlight representative Beatrice Hadidian discusses the homeless shelter’s operations with UW-Madison students at the Sewell Social Sciences Building Monday.
UW students take ‘Small Steps’ to better community homelessness Nicole Hurley THE DAILY CARDINAL
While UW-Madison students finalize their housing plans for the 2015-‘16 academic year, a group of students hosted an event Monday to educate attendees about a severe problem: homelessness. What began as a project for a UW-Madison leadership course blossomed into nine students establishing Small Steps, an organization raising awareness about the homeless population and encouraging fellow students to reach out to those in need. The two-hour “homeless simulation” featured speakers from Porchlight shelter, the Young Women’s Christian Association and the UW-Madison Police Department. UWPD Lower Campus Community Officer Tricia Meinholz described the daily duties she carries out to aid the homeless population in and
around the UW-Madison campus, including providing homeless community members with food and warm clothing and connecting them with local shelters and food pantries. “People think law enforcement [is] there to bust the party. They’re there to issue the ticket, take people to jail,” Meinholz said. “That’s not why we’re there. We’re there to help.” Bob Faga, a formerly homeless man, praised the Porchlight services he utilized to get back on his feet and discussed how his experiences and struggles changed his perception of panhandlers and others in need. “I used to walk down State Street and some guy would ask me for change. I’d think, ‘If I give him this change, he’s just going to get drunk.’” Faga said. “Now I know that might be the one thing that keeps that person alive.”
Founding member of Small Steps and junior kinesiology major Jade Koenigs said the campus’ proximity to State Street and its homeless inhabitants qualifies the UW-Madison student body as a great audience for the homeless simulation. “College students are here to go to college, but they want to make a difference in this world. That’s why they go to college, so they can have an impact,” Koenigs said. Faga said he sees homeless stereotypes as the complication standing between students and their abilities to make true change. “The biggest [problem] is the stigma we have against homeless people, but they’re our neighbors. They’re our friends and our relatives,” he said. “We just don’t know what life’s going to dish out to us.”
After tracking the SUV used in three previous Madison robberies, the Madison and Middleton police departments were able to arrest former Badger cornerback Jack Ikegwuono and his twin brother William after their fourth and final robbery Wednesday, Nov. 26. Jack Ikegwuono, 28, became a Philadelphia Eagles cornerback in 2008 after playing for the Badgers. He was arrested in 2006 for a residential burglary and criminal trespassing in Illinois. Joel DeSpain, MPD spokesperson, said in a report that police identified the brothers’ SUV as their getaway vehicle in surveillance videos from robbing Life is good and Madison Modern Market on State Street. A Madison detective placed a GPS tracker on the SUV in question after receiving a warrant that led police to the sus-
pects after they robbed Klinke Cleaners on Odana Road. According to the report, the investigation indicates most of the money from the robberies was put toward heroin. Madison police recently arrested four individuals involved in a string of robberies that occurred in Madison and Middleton due to intensive detective work and tracking crime patterns, according to MPD Sgt. Ed Marshall. Marshall said he did not believe the two groups of criminals were connected. Although police were able to put an end to these two groups of criminals contributing to 10 different robberies in and around Madison, two more robberies occurred within an hour of each other in Madison Sunday morning. The first robbery occurred on North Pinckney Street at approx-
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SSFC proposes additional eligibility dates Laura Grulke THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Student Services Finance Committee met Monday to discuss adding a spring eligibility date for student services, and it heard the Atheists, Humanists & Agnostics’ budget proposal. SSFC Rep. Todd Garon proposed allowing student groups to apply for funding eligibility in the spring. The spring eligibility would allow new groups applying for SSFC funding more time to plan a budget. Garon said this proposal is aimed at allowing groups to apply at a more convenient time in the spring semester because more experienced group mem-
bers are available to plan the budget proposal. AHA President Sam Erickson and Vice President Cole Dreier presented a 2016 budget proposal of $63,803.69, an increase of $2,488.18 from last year. The biggest change in AHA’s budget is the addition of a marketing chair, which would add $3,032.70 to budgeted salaries. Erickson said the new position could help reach out to the student body and combat what he said is the stigma of not following a religion. The Memorial Union then presented its construction plans, which are projected to last until 2017. Amid strong reactions by
Japanese graduates
SSFC members in response to this projection, Director Mark Guthier and Vice President of Program Administration Bill Mulligan said there are plans to include more food vendors. The revenue generated by these would contribute to keeping segregated fees low. The committee also requested Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán return funds to SSFC following a third wage violation. The group incurred its first and second violations when a member not enrolled in classes received pay from student fees. The third violation followed when two members
+ OPINION, page 6
A desperate job search right out of college
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JACOB ELA/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
Jack Ikegwuono, a former Badger and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback, was arrested with his twin after four robberies.
Mifflin Street may see high-rise housing Mifflin Street may see construction begin for a new high-rise housing project as soon as April or May of 2015 if project developers continue to receive positive feedback from city groups. Developers from CA Ventures and architects from Shepley Bulfinch met with the Mifflin neighborhood to discuss the 225,000-square-foot, 193 unit
The Pizza Underground
development which is expected to replace the Negus Container & Packaging Company located at the corner of West Mifflin Street and North Bedford Street. The project was designed with one eight-story tower and one 10-story tower, each catering to either students or young profes-
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+ ARTS, + SPORTS, page 4
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Songs by the Velvet Underground, rewritten about pizza
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”