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Thursday, January 25, 2024

An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 133, Issue 18

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UW-Madison grad student workers apprehensive about raises

By Bryna Goeking STAFF WRITER

The University of WisconsinMadison announced a 14% increase in minimum stipend amounts in December for graduate student teaching, research and project assistants for the 2024-25 academic year.

The minimum stipends for graduate students maintaining at least a 50% appointment on top of their academic course load will be $26,506 for teaching assistants, $32,396 for research assistants and $26,506 for fellows next school year.

According to a statement from William Karpus, the dean of the graduate school, minimum stipends for teaching assistants and research assistants have increased by 79% and 52%, respectively, in the last 10 years.

“UW-Madison recruits graduate students globally and funding packages need to be competitive for top applicants who receive multiple offers of admission. Over the past several years, the university’s stipend increases have placed UW-Madison’s minimum stipend levels at or above our peer institution median,” Karpus said.

UW-Madison shared that 71% of doctoral working students qualify for tuition remission, and 16% of doctoral students are fully funded through fellow and trainee appointments. Grad workers may also receive high-quality benefits, such as health care, at a discounted rate.

“Transparent employment policy strengthens the graduate student experience at UW–Madison, and combined with competitive stipends and benefits, make it clear that the university values and invests in graduate assistants,” Karpus said.

Despite these increases, many workers in the Teaching Assistants’ Association, the UW-Madison graduate student labor union, are apprehen-

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Union members question the motive, timing for increase In early December, the TAA joined other Wisconsin unions as plaintiffs in a case opposing Act 10, a 2011 law that eliminates collective bargaining rights for most public employees in Wisconsin.

The TAA criticized Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin for declining to meet once per semester. A stronger relationship with university administration was cited as a possible change with the reinstatement of collective bargaining rights through the lawsuit.

“The university announced this raise just one day after our union announced a lawsuit for collective bargaining rights. It didn’t even take 24 hours,” Banks said. “The university knows that grad workers collectively want more than this and that as soon as we have our collective bargaining rights restored, we will get more.”

Karpus indicated that the university shared the stipend increases in late December to “allow programs and departments sufficient time to prepare for new graduate student recruitment.”

“The university is committed to

being responsive to graduate student concerns and engages regularly with graduate students through ASM and a graduate student advisory board that includes members selected by ASM,” Karpus added in his statement.

UW-Madison has a rich history of grad worker advocacy, beginning when Badger activists negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement between student workers and university administrators in the 1960s and 1970s. In recent years, many grad student workers across the country have organized strikes and collective bargaining agreements to increase pay and improve working conditions.

The TAA has not announced any current strike plans. Act 10 also limited public employees’ rights to strike.

According to Act 10, employees engaged in a union can legally strike without fear of being fired if over 50% of employees continually vote to keep the union. If less than 50% of employees vote for the union, striking employees can be fired.

“The question is not will the union strike,” Banks said. “The union is the workers, so the question is, what do the workers feel like they need?”

Republican bill would ban abortion after 14 weeks in Wisconsin

By Francesca Pica CITY EDITOR EMERITUS

Graham Brown • Tyler Katzenberger • Em-J Krigsman • Charlotte Relac • Priyanka Vasavan • Drake White-Bergey • Ethan Wollins • Franchesca Reuter • Lauren Stoneman

sive to see this as a victory. According to Maya Banks, a TA in the Math Department and member of the TAA, the raises fail to address the economic realities and work expectations for graduate students.

“Anytime the university sets minimums for a specific percent appointment, it’s important to remember that the departments can make arbitrary decisions about what percent their workers are actually working,” Banks said. The appointment percent a worker fills influences their salary.

“There are people that do the same amount of work as I do but are classified as a lower percent and will not make the new minimum.”

A living wage in Madison is at least $36,000, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living wage calculator.

Those who do not meet this threshold may struggle to afford food, medical bills, housing and transportation.

The median rent for a Madison apartment is $1,372, according to PayScale. After the 14% increase, the minimum TA stipend is about $2,208 per month, before fees and taxes.

UW-Madison is also facing a housing crisis due to inflation and a growing student population.

Graduate students in the Math Department “already make more than the increase,” Banks said. “Based on an internal survey we did last year, about 70% of the TAs in my department are rent-burdened.”

Additionally, she said some TAs in her department have to work second jobs to stay afloat, cutting into time that could be spent on research or meeting with students.

Financial strain also impacts a grad worker’s ability to travel for conferences — an important part of research, according to Banks. Many cannot pay travel costs upfront even if the university eventually reimburses them.

Lawmakers held a hearing on a Republican-led bill to approve a 14-week abortion ban through a binding statewide referendum Monday, drawing criticism from Democrats and anti-abortion groups.

The bill’s authors, GOP Reps.

Amanda Nedweski of Pleasant Prairie and Donna Rozar of Marshfield, introduced the legislation Friday. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers indicated Sunday he will veto the bill if the Legislature passes it.

Current law allows for abortions performed up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. If passed, the bill would place the referendum on the ballot on April 2, coinciding with the presidential primary election.

The proposed referendum question provides no exceptions for rape and incest after 14 weeks of pregnancy, though it does allow an abortion to be performed in a “medical emergency” if medical professionals deem the pregnancy to

be fatal or cause “irreversible physical impairment.”

Nedweski said at Monday’s hearing the bill “puts the power back in the hands of the people where it belongs” by allowing Wisconsin residents to directly weigh in on abortion policy in the state.

She urged the Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care to move her proposed referendum forward.

“Political parties use abortion as an emotional shiny object to distract people from what’s really going on,” Nedweski said.

“If the people have a voice in settling this issue, we might actually be able to focus on some other issues that affect our state.”

Rozar said the bill would avoid a potential ruling from the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s newly elected liberal majority, which is likely to hear an appeal of a challenge to the state’s 1849 law banning abortion from fertilization.

Democratic lawmakers have stood firm against abortion bans

in Wisconsin. Last year, lawmakers introduced a bill that would restore abortion rights by repealing the 1849 ban, but the Republican majority rejected the proposal.

“I know when I’m sitting in my OB-GYN office, I don’t want somebody sending a ballot off to try to make a decision on how to proceed on whatever it is for which I need treatment,” Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, said during the hearing.

Senate Minority Leader Dianne He s s e l b e i n , D-Middleton, and Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, said in a statement “any proposal that makes abortion more difficult to access, including the one before us today, is a nonstarter.”

Additionally, Evers said in March 2023 he would not sign any bill that “leaves Wisconsin women with fewer rights and freedoms than they had before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe.” Some anti-abortion organiza-

tions testified against the bill Monday, arguing it does not go far enough to restrict abortion access. Wisconsin Family Action Legislative and Policy Director Jack Hoogendyk said the Legislature should wait until the state Supreme Court rules on the lawsuit before passing new abortion restrictions.

“Don’t water down one of the best laws in the United States protecting the unborn,” Hoogendyk said. “Let’s fight to preserve that law.”

Health providers halted abortion services in Wisconsin in June 2022, when the 1849 ban took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

In July 2023, a Dane County Circuit judge ruled the 1849 law applied only to feticide, not elective abortion. In response, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin resumed abortion services up to 20 weeks of pregnancy at three Wisconsin clinics in Madison, Milwaukee and Sheboygan.

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Thursday, January 25, 2024

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Cybercriminals stole thousands of UW records

By Liam Beran

CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

Personal information and over 160,000 University of Wisconsin System records were stolen during a cyberattack that affected the National Student Clearinghouse, according to emails obtained by The Daily Cardinal.

It’s part of a massive global cyberattack affecting governments, businesses and educational institutions that tech reporters at The Verge called the “biggest data theft” of 2023.

While many affected institutions — Michigan State University (MSU) and the University of Illinois, for example — quickly issued studentand public-facing statements on the breach, pointing to lengthy time periods for victim identification, the UW System didn’t follow suit.

UW System spokesperson Mark Pitsch told the Cardinal the UW System was “entirely dependent upon the NSC” for information about the breach and chose not to make an immediate public announcement.

“Rather than prematurely announcing that we were affected and unnecessarily alarming tens of thousands of students, we waited to make decisions based on facts as we always do,” Pitsch said in an email. ”It took several weeks for NSC to provide all of the details, and at no point in the process did we believe the incident reached a level to merit a widespread breach notification message.”

At the University of Illinois System, a cybersecurity official gave the same time-based justification for why the university chose to put out a public disclosure within days of receiving notification from the NSC. Although the NSC “committed” to notifying affected students, “it was clear that it would take a number of weeks for that information to be compiled and distributed,” said Joe Barnes, Chief Digital Risk Officer for the University of Illinois System.

Barnes said that’s why the University of Illinois System chose to put forth a public breach notification within a week of being informed. An MSU spokesperson offered a similar justification over email for the school’s immediate notification, saying the university “did not know just how many students or employees’ information could have been compromised” when it was first notified.

UW’s decision raised questions among two information security experts the Cardinal spoke to who were familiar with the wider incident. While they said state guidelines and other best practices suggest notifying the public about data breaches is usually a safer option, they also said those notifications have limited effectiveness.

Given the finer details of the data breach, the experts acknowledged universities were in a tough spot. However, their biggest worry was that third-party data managers are prime targets for attacks like the one UW and other universities suffered.

“We’re in Equifax breach territory here,” said Dorothea Salo, a UW-Madison Information School professor.

“This is huge.”

The decision to notify was complicated The data breach, orchestrated by Russia-based cybercriminal organization CL0P on May 28, affected over 90 million individuals and 2,700 organizations, according to a running tally by antivirus company Emsisoft. Dozens of class action lawsuits spawned from the breaches, according to Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company.

Some harvested records contained personally identifiable information: names, addresses, financial information, social security numbers and other details that have long-lasting impacts on financial and personal well-being if made public.

According to a Sept. 6 email sent to UW System administrators, including UW System President Jay Rothman, 163,828 UW System records were included in the “critical” May 28 breach. The UW System was notified on June 28.

The number of individuals affected and records breached was unknown at the time, according to Harrison.

Throughout the coming months, the UW System stayed quiet about the breach despite public announcements from other universities and university systems.

Affected UW campuses — UW La Crosse, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Platteville, Stevens Point, Stout, Whitewater and Green Bay — were eventually named in NSC reports submitted Sept. 22 to the California attorney general’s office. Harrison also named UW-Madison, Superior and River Falls as affected campuses in his June email.

Emails indicate the UW System closed correspondence with the NSC on Sept. 6.

“We are ultimately very fortunate that NSC was able to narrow the scope from over 160,000 records down to just 16 that were categorized as triggering a legal requirement for notification,” Jeff Harrison, UW System director of cyber defense, wrote in the email.

An unspecified number of records couldn’t be matched to a current address and had “no reasonable method of discerning address,” Harrison said.

“Ultimately, we were pleased to learn that only a very small

number of persons associated with the UWs had enough personal information exposed by this third-party breach to merit a notification,” Pitsch said. He did not provide a specific number of individuals affected.

Some experts said issuing public notification prior to knowing the exact victims of an attack isn’t always a clearcut decision.

Without more information on the extent of a breach and the information compromised, it’s hard to determine whether public disclosure is the best option, said Salo.

“If it was a situation where it wasn’t a whole lot of people, and it wasn’t a whole lot of sensitive data, then I completely understand not making a big deal out of it,” Salo said.

Still, she added that the ramifications of the hack hit throughout the higher education sphere, which is becoming increasingly embattled with cybersecurity threats.

“At that point, I think it might be time, for the sake of trust, to do a little more communicating than they have,” Salo said. “It has to have been a difficult decision for the folks at [the UW] System trying to figure out what to do.”

It’s unclear whether state law required public disclosure In Wisconsin, neither the UW System nor the Board of Regents has a specific policy dictating when public disclosure of data breaches must occur.

Wisconsin state statutes require organizations, including businesses and state bodies, to inform affected individuals they have not communicated with before within 45 days of a data breach if a risk of identity theft is present.

If an address cannot be determined, an organization must communicate the breach in a manner “reasonably calculated to provide notice,” such as a newspaper or television statement.

The UW System did not answer a question asking what method it took to inform the individuals whose addresses could not be matched.

Wash, one of the UW-Madison information professors, said it’s unclear if that statute would apply to the UW System, given the breached data was housed by a third party.

Wash did say it’s considered “best practice” to communicate with potential victims of a breach, but he added a caveat: breach notifications might not pose much help.

Consumers are already told to take protective measures regardless of data breaches, Wash said, and “some research suggests that most people don’t do much differently after the notification as they were doing before.”

Burnout from overexposure to breach notifications is

LIAM BERAN/ THE DAILY CARDINAL

another concern.

“You want people to know, but you don’t want to panic people,” Salo said. “It can feel like crying wolf.”

Still, Wash said public data breach notifications can be vital in a different sense.

“Those breach notifications are really, really important for public policy purposes and for pressuring organizations,” Wash said. “It creates pressure inside of UW to do better. I would like to see a notification because I think it’s time for UW to do a little bit better on this.”

Prior to the adoption of breach disclosure laws, organizations would stay quiet about breaches and “what kinds of things were being stolen,” Wash said.

“There was little pressure to actually fix it or do anything,” Wash said. Notification laws, he said, force organizations to “do a better job at protecting that data so they don’t have to notify people all the time.”

Breach notifications also put the UW System’s various partnerships with third parties under scrutiny, Wash said. Wash and Salo emphasized the importance of putting pressure on third parties and “choosing carefully” about the amount of data given to third parties.

Salo called the amount of student data the NSC has access to a “big red hacker target.”

“But it’s not just that. Who has access to this data? Who else is analyzing this data, what are they analyzing it for?” she said. “There’s a lot of concerns that I have just sending student data hither and yon, and not really putting any controls on it and not telling us that this is happening.”

Breach leaves lingering concerns for the future Harrison’s emails indicated that “lessons learned” include revisions to contract language around data responsibilities and contact methods for thirdparty breaches.

Those lessons track with Salo and Wash’s hopes for a more stringent relationship between the UW System and third-party partners like the NSC. Pointing to the breach,

Salo said she hoped for a UW policy that would provide “the least data we can possibly send” to third parties.

“Because, as this proves, it’s just risky,” Salo said. “It’s risky sending your data to third parties, especially ones who insist on using software that really badly needed an audit.”

But the decision to minimize data sending would fall to UW System administrators, not its cybersecurity teams, she said.

Salo worried information in the thousands of non-personally-identifiable records could be used for re-identification.

“Even without somebody’s name, or social security number or student ID number, you can figure out who they are,” Salo said.

“Let’s say for example, we’ve got their demographics, their year in school, their majors and maybe a list of their courses for some semester,” Salo said, pointing out the NSC would have all that information. “It certainly would take an insider, like, three minutes to figure out exactly who this person is.

An outsider? Hard to say, but not impossible.”

The attack came as educational organizations and government bodies look to invest in cybersecurity for higher education — a sector with troves of personally identifiable information and financial data, prime targets for hackers.

In July, the Biden administration announced a new comprehensive strategy and millions of dollars in awards and infrastructure investments to address “the critical need to fill a vast number of vacant cyber jobs.”

Experts emphasized the need for institutional cybersecurity funding in the UW System. But in dealing with third parties, Salo said, institutions are left to the whims — and cybersecurity systems — of their many partnerships.

On the other third party in the room — the hackers — Wash said the future is still uncertain.

“Someone, an unauthorized third party, definitely does have access to [the data].

But the question is, what are they going to do with it? And we don’t know that yet,” Wash said.

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Thursday, January 25, 2024

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Security flaw exposes UW-Madison graduate program rec letters

By Liam Beran

CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALD. REGINA VIDAVER (LEFT) AND SEN. MELISSA AGARD (RIGHT)

Meet the Dane County executive candidates

By Marin Rosen CITY NEWS EDITOR

Madison Ald. Regina Vidaver and Democratic state Sen. Melissa Agard are running to replace outgoing Dane County Executive Joe Parisi after he retires in May 2024.

Parisi will retire after serving since 2011, before the official end of his term in May 2025. Dane County Board Chair Patrick Miles will serve as a temporary county executive before appointing an interim county executive prior to the November election.

Parisi told The Daily Cardinal he hopes the next county executive will have the humility to listen and learn and the courage to act decisively.

“To be successful in this position, one needs to have a vision for the community, recognize and utilize the talent inside county government, and build strategic partnerships through the community,” Parisi said.

Here’s what we know about the candidates.

Ald. Regina Vidaver Vidaver was the first candidate to announce her campaign for county executive in October. She has served as the District 5 alder on Madison’s Common Council since 2021.

Vidaver’s current district includes neighborhoods west of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus on Madison’s near west side. She highlighted accomplishments she said contributed to the “sustainability, equity and vibrancy of the region.”

She established a zero-dollar loan program for child care centers, acted as lead sponsor for the Building Energy Savings and Transportation Demand Management Programs, championed efforts to complete the Madison Public Market project and advocated for the expansion of the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) team.

“As I’ve served, I’ve witnessed firsthand the challenges we face — from the disparities that exist despite Dane County often being cited as one of the best places to live, to the budgetary issues our communities face and environmental dilemmas threatening our lakes, wildlife, and overall quality of life,” Vidaver said.

Vidaver told the Cardinal her experience as a longtime Madison

resident has given her a “valuable perspective on the intricate tapestry of our community’s needs.”

“This position is not just another role for me; it’s a continuation of my life’s work to make Dane County a place where everyone feels seen, heard and supported,” she said.

Additionally, Vidaver said her skills in organization, finance, human resources, communications and program management are wellaligned with Dane County’s needs.

“As someone who is known to get things done, I will effectively lead and manage diverse initiatives, addressing critical community issues with an informed and multifaceted approach,” Vidaver said.

Vidaver said her team is taking a grassroots approach to her campaign. They focus on the members of the community who are most in need by facilitating conversations around the issues that matter most to the people of the county, she said.

The campaign includes direct voter contact and fundraising.

“Too many people in our community are currently struggling, and we need to be laser-focused on ensuring they have the services they need to be able to thrive,” Vidaver said.

Vidaver said her goals for the City of Madison and Dane County align. She told the Cardinal she believes municipal governments should be able to respond to people’s needs, ensure businesses have a strong community to thrive and continue progress towards goals for a more resilient climate.

Sen. Melissa Agard Agard stepped down from the Wisconsin Senate in November to run for Dane County executive.

Prior to serving in the state Senate, Agard was elected to the Dane County Board of Supervisors for four years and later served four terms in the state Assembly, representing the 48th District in Madison.

Parisi endorsed Agard in her bid for the position on Monday.

“County Executive Joe Parisi has done a fantastic job in balancing the tough choices, and I intend to build upon his work to solidify our communities for generations to come,” Agard said.

Agard told the Cardinal she believes Dane County needs bold leadership with strong Dane

County roots and values. She was born and raised in Madison, raised four sons and began her career in public service in Dane County.

“Dane County is in my blood.

We also need someone who understands the importance of county government, but also has a track record of delivering for our residents,” Agard said. “I am not afraid to roll up my sleeves and take on the challenges facing our communities.”

As county executive, Agard said she plans to keep community services provided by the city government accessible for the vulnerable members. She said she hopes to bring real-life experiences of benefiting from government resources to the position.

“I know what it’s like to be on food stamps or be housing insecure. I also know what it’s like to lose family members to the opioid epidemic,” Agard said. “I understand the vital role that our county government plays in supporting our residents, not just because I’ve served as an elected official, but because I’ve lived it.”

Agard said her campaign relies on traditional means of communication with residents and voters, including door-to-door visits, phone calls and mail. She is reaching out to voters through social media, text messages, daily local newspapers, radio and podcasts.

Agard said she’s spending time with communities around Dane County, meeting with organizations, non-profit groups and individuals to discuss their vision for the county.

“This will be a very active political year with the presidential campaign,” Agard said. “The great part about that is the increased interest and participation in the election — the more people participate in our democracy, the better it works.”

Agard told the Cardinal her track record of fighting for progressive values — social justice, racial equity, abortion rights and legal cannabis — demonstrate her commitment to making Dane County a better place for all residents.

The special election for Dane County executive will take place in November, coinciding with the fall presidential election cycle.

Read the full article online at dailycardinal.com.

A recent security flaw rendered hundreds of individual letters of recommendation for University of WisconsinMadison graduate program applicants publicly accessible and downloadable.

By searching student names or entering a search query related to graduate program applications in search engines, users could access, view and download hundreds of letters of recommendation for applicants to UW-Madison graduate programs.

Though the issue appears fixed on Google as of Thursday evening, searching the same queries in search engine DuckDuckGo shows personal email addresses and other sensitive information about students.

Clicking on the page links to recommendation letters now shows UW-Madison’s online recommendation application is “down for a critical patch.”

It’s unclear how long the security flaw has been in place and the extent of letters affected. Searches conducted

by The Daily Cardinal indicate there were accessible letters for applicants across nearly all UW-Madison graduate programs.

Anthony Ozerov, a University of CaliforniaBerkeley PhD student, came across the vulnerability while looking for a friend’s website on DuckDuckGo. While typing in his friend’s name, he was shocked to come across a letter of recommendation for his friend, which he was able to view and download in full.

should not be revealed when I look up one of my friends on a search engine. I should not be able to accidentally find a recommendation letter submitted to your university for my friend when looking him up,” Ozerov told UW officials via email.

Ozerov said the links he was able to access included letters of recommendation, surveys for recommenders about applicants and submission pages for recommendations.

“This story represents a huge security failure on the part of the university and an egregious violation of graduate students’ privacy (perhaps [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]) rights. It is also obviously a violation of recommenders’ expectation of confidentiality,” Ozerov told the Cardinal via email.

He said over the phone he has reason to believe it’s “every single applicant to the graduate schools.” The Cardinal could not immediately verify this claim.

“If one of [the recommendations] was indexed somehow, however, that one was indexed by the search engine all of the other ones were also indexed,” Ozerov said.

Given that his friend is a first-year student at Berkeley, Ozerov assumes applicants for last year’s cycle had their letters publicly available as well.

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the federal law mandating student privacy practices, institutions must use “reasonable methods to ensure that school officials obtain access to only those education records in

“UW-Madison takes data security and privacy extremely seriously. ” John Lucas UW-Madison spokesperson

“I was thinking, ‘Okay, how could this happen? Is it just him?’” Ozerov said during a phone interview.

It was not, he soon found out. Ozerov took the first portion of the URL, put it into DuckDuckGo and found he was able to access other materials available on the electronic letter of recommendation (ELOR) system.

He emailed UW-Madison about the security flaw on Thursday morning and received a quick response saying it would be their “top priority.” By Thursday evening, web pages that previously showed the letters of recommendation gave the critical patch error, Ozerov said.

Still, simply by searching students’ names in DuckDuckGo, users could find preview text for their letters as of Friday morning.

“Applicant information

which they have legitimate educational interests.”

“An educational agency or institution that does not use physical or technological access controls must ensure that its administrative policy for controlling access to education records is effective,” the policy goes on to read.

The Cardinal was able to access a rating survey and recommendation submission page for a 2021 applicant to UW-Madison’s PhD computer science program through the Wayback Machine. The page included contact information for the recommender.

“UW-Madison takes data security and privacy extremely seriously,” UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas told the Cardinal in an email statement. “The university is aware of this issue, has taken corrective action and is in the process of investigating.”

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Thursday, January 25, 2024

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From streets to shelters: Navigating Madison’s web of housing resources

By Brynn Mancusi STAFF WRITER

Standing in the stinging cold, Jason O’Donnell organized his belongings in front of Triangle Square Market on State Street, his nose a shade of red similar to his hat. A heavy winter coat hung on his bent shoulders, and a kind smile rested on his cheeks.

In the first cold snap of winter, Madison’s homeless search for warmth in storefronts, tents and shelters. But this isn’t Jason’s first time sitting through a frost.

Having spent more than half of his life homeless, he learned to navigate the potholes of Madison’s homelessness services throughout every season.

Jason dropped out of Madison West High School during his freshman year and found himself on the streets of downtown Madison selling marijuana to stay afloat.

His mom kicked him out when he turned 18, pushing him to find his way as an adult without support.

Over the following decades, Jason fell in and out of homelessness, wading through Madison’s decentralized homeless services until he landed on a corner of State Street with his dog, Alabama. That’s where he lives now at the age of 54.

People experience chronic homelessness all over Madison.

The city and numerous non-profit organizations such as Porchlight, the Beacon and the Salvation Army provide shelters, mental health resources and addiction resources, with a new shelter on the way.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway heavily invested local and federal funds in affordable housing and the new men’s homeless shelter on Bartillon Drive in her 2024 executive capital budget. This homeless shelter will be the first permanent men’s shelter in Madison and will provide mental and physical health services as well as addiction recovery resources.

This is an approach called supportive housing, where people are given access to mental health and addiction resources in their affordable housing and shelters. In an episode of “The Political Scene” by the New Yorker, Jennifer Egan claimed it is a key component to successful transitional services, helping people permanently move off the streets.

According to a city of Madison community development specialist Sarah Lim, the new men’s homeless shelter is the latest of many supportive housing projects organized by the city. Overall, there are 118 supportive housing units for families and 470 for singles in Madison, Lim said. The units are scattered across the city in both regular and affordable housing projects.

However, there has been significant backlash to this type of integrated organization.

According to Jason, residents in these buildings have repeatedly called the police, while some residents of the supportive housing program struggle with the lack of guidance and security.

“There’s a lot of drug activity, extortions, robberies,” Jason said.

“People knock on your door all hours of the night… you got people selling crack, crystal meth.”

Jason explained that there needs to be a stricter environment for people experiencing homelessness to break out of addiction and access mental health care. He said he has been offered housing options but chooses to stay on the streets because of his own experiences and stories from others regarding what the city offers.

He primarily referenced Dairy Drive, where the city set up emergency temporary housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was very little supervision at night, and a resident was stabbed to death, leaving the homeless community vulnerable and untrusting of help from the city.

“You know, Dairy Drive is what?

Thirty dog houses in a muddy field? It’s called a concentration camp,” Jason said. “What did I do to deserve that?”

Conditions differ at Porchlight’s temporary men’s homeless shelter on Zeier Road. Open from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., residents can take shuttles from day shelters like the Beacon to the East Side night shelter.

According to Porchlight manager Fares Fares, an average of 275 men come to the shelter each night.

While staff confiscate any drugs, alcohol or weapons, Zeier Road is a wet shelter, meaning men don’t have to be sober to find a bed there at night. Fares said this is

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a strategy of compassion, understanding that most people experiencing homelessness struggle with substance abuse.

Jason argued stricter drug and alcohol policies would be more effective. He said if he could hypothetically organize the city, he would create one large shelter for everyone outside of downtown and bus people there every day.

There would be a zero-tolerance policy for any drugs or alcohol, and people would be courtordered to take any prescribed mental health medications.

“There’s no safe environment for somebody in recovery,” Jason said.

The city of Madison and Porchlight are working to make the new men’s shelter a safe place for people to efficiently transition out of chronic homelessness into permanent housing with access

to education and employment, according to Fares.

“Knowledge is so powerful,” Fares said.

Fares hopes the University of Wisconsin-Madison will get involved, sending guest lecturers and students to work at the shelter, calling it “the school of life.”

Between now and when the new shelter is operating, Fares extended an invitation to the Zeier Road shelter, urging students and anyone in the Madison community to volunteer. Additionally, he said everyday actions can have an impact — acts of kindness, respect and dignity toward those experiencing homelessness.

“We need to get rid of this stigma and understand that any of us can be in that position,” Fares said. “Not tolerate each other, but accept each other, because we are all human beings.”

Kamala Harris defends abortion rights ahead of presidential election

By Rachel Hale and Ava Menkes SENIOR STAFF WRITER & STATE NEWS EDITOR

BIG BEND, Wis. — Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour Monday in Waukesha County, where she bolstered abortion rights and demanded federal lawmakers restore Roe v. Wade as part of President Joe Biden’s

reelection effort.

“This is in fact a healthcare crisis,” Harris said, energizing whistles and applause from the interactive audience.

Harris’ visit fell on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared abortion a constitutional right. Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 by the

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U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson. She focused on the impact of Roe’s elimination in Wisconsin, which caused reproductive care clinics to close and forced hospitals to turn women away from services.

“These extremists want to roll back the clock to a time before women were treated as full citizens — to the 1800s. Just look at what happened here in Wisconsin,” Harris said.

Harris said Biden would veto any national abortion ban passed by Congress.

Ahead of the event, a small group of pro-Palestine protesters held up signs in opposition to the Biden administration’s management of the IsraelHamas war.

Harris denounces GOPcontrolled abortion bans Abortion became a hotbed debate nationwide after Roe v.

Wade was overturned in 2022.

Services were unavailable in Wisconsin for 15 months.

Opposition to abortion restrictions played a critical role in Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiweciz’s victory last April, which gave liberal justices a Democratic majority.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin resumed abortion

services in Madison, Milwaukee and Sheboygan after a lower state court ruled an 1849 Wisconsin law on feticide does not prohibit consensual abortion care.

Harris criticized Republicans’ planned Monday hearing of a bill that would hold a statewide referendum on whether abortions in Wisconsin should be banned after 14 weeks. She also said that if Congress passes a national abortion ban, Biden will veto it.

“Tens of millions of Americans in red states and blue, including here in Wisconsin, marched to polls in defense of fundamental freedom,” Harris said.

Additionally, she condemned former President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint U.S. Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.

“Women have been robbed of the fundamental freedom that doctors could be thrown in prison for caring for their patients, that young women today have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers,” Harris said. “How dare he?”

Wisconsin officials including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez joined Harris for her visit. Baldwin, Planned

Parenthood’s Water Street Clinic Manager Naomi Jackson and Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness CEO Lisa M. Peyton called for the restoration of Roe prior to Harris’ speech.

The Biden administration has made numerous visits to Wisconsin in the past year ahead of the 2024 presidential election, where Wisconsin is expected to play a crucial role.

In August, Harris visited southeastern Wisconsin to tout the Biden administration’s broadband expansion and domestic job creation efforts.

Additionally, she launched a “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour in September, traveling to eight states and targeting issues that impact young people including reproductive rights, climate action and LGBTQ + equality.

Biden visited Milwaukee on Dec. 20, where he met with Black voters at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce and highlighted advancements made by the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. First Lady Jill Biden also lauded the administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative and met with public school educators in an Aug. 31 visit.

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Rise of the zombie deer: Wisconsinites grapple with increase in CWD cases

By Jasper Bernstein ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

In the heartland of Wisconsin, deer are facing a formidable adversary: Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), colloquially referred to as “zombie deer disease.”

As more deer fall prey to this wildlife pandemic and thousands of infected animals are consumed

by Wisconsinites, concerns grow about the potential for interspecies transmission in the Badger State and beyond.

What is CWD? CWD is a fatal disease that targets cervid populations — deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer and moose — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CWD is part of a family of transmissible prion diseases, misfolded proteins that can cause abnormal folds in the brain.

“Prions are in all mammals naturally. But this is a misfolded prion, which eventually causes holes in the brain,” said Erin Larson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Herd Health Specialist. “It’s a very slow-progressing disease.”

After that extended incubation period, on average 18-24 months, most infected deer display symptoms of listlessness, weight loss, loss of awareness and excessive salivation, ultimately leading to death.

But infected deer can be contagious for a long time, spreading the infected prions through bodily fluids.

“The majority of our deer that test positive are going to look perfectly healthy if they are harvested and tested,” Larson said. “[There is] a long time where they could be potentially shedding those prions and infecting other deer but still look perfectly healthy.”

The biggest challenge with prions lies in their ability to stay infectious for extended periods in the

environment. Studies indicate they can remain so for several years, and more recent studies suggest they may persist for over a decade, according to Dr. Cory Anderson, co-director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy CWD Program.

“Deer and elk and other animals can move on their own, of course, but they do remain relatively localized. [The] bigger issue has been the human-assisted movement of these live animals,” he said. “[Humans] do a pretty good job of spreading the disease.”

CWD was first identified in wild deer in 1981. In 2001, the disease was detected in Wisconsin, with three cases found in Western Dane County.

By 2022, almost 11,000 CWD cases were found in Wisconsin’s deer population.

“In 20 years, we have unfortunately seen a geographic spread [of CWD cases], as well as a spread in the amount of positives in our southern part of Wisconsin,” Larson said.

What is the potential risk to humans and other species?

The answer is unclear. However, there have been no human cases of CWD, and studies have not shown “strong evidence” of possible transmission to humans, according to the CDC. “I would not advocate for eating [infected animals],” said Anderson, whose master’s project focused on the species barrier. “At this time, [scientists do not] have a good sense of what the risk is.”

Anderson explained that other prion diseases show a mixed bag of results. For example, scrapie, a prion disease that targets sheep and goats, has not been shown to cross the species barrier.

But Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, known as mad cow disease, created a prion-driven epi-

demic in the United Kingdom that peaked in January 1993 at almost 1,000 new cases per week, according to the CDC. To this date, 178 people in the UK have died of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, caused by mad cow disease.

Studies with squirrel monkeys involved direct cerebral inoculation — an unnatural method of contamination — and feeding them contaminated meals, a more natural route.

In both cases, the squirrel monkeys contracted CWD, according to Larson. There have also been studies revolving around macaques with some showing susceptibility.

And some research raised concerns about the potential for a strain that could cross the species barrier, she said.

Still, Larson urges caution in extrapolating those results to humans.

“Again, at this point, there is no evidence humans are able to get CWD,” she said. “And the human species barrier does seem strong with the current strains.”

Are Wisconsinites at risk?

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the CDC and the World Health Organization all recommend against consuming meat from deer that test positive for the disease, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

“We have testing locations in every single county. We’re trying to make it convenient for folks if they want to get their deer tested,” Larson said. “They can bring it to one of those locations, and then we’ll be able to get that test result back in about 10 days.”

According to Anderson, approximately 300,000 deer were harvested in the past year in Wisconsin, with only 6% of deer statewide tested for CWD. Of those tested, around 1,600, or 9%, were found positive.

“If you do back-of-the-envelope

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calculations, I think it’s pretty safe to say that there’s several thousand [infected] animals that are probably being consumed, unknowingly,” he said.

Once a deer tests positive for CWD, the Wisconsin Department of Human Services reaches out to the hunter as part of its long-term surveillance program.

But some hunters, upon learning of a positive result, still express intentions to consume the deer, and some join a long-term surveillance list, Anderson and Larson both said.

“I think we’re just continually rolling the dice. We don’t necessarily know what the risk is, many people say [that the risk is] low. But it’s not zero,” Anderson said. “It’s not necessarily comforting to know that’s happening.”

What can Wisconsinites do to protect themselves?

Larson and Anderson both heavily emphasize the importance of continued hunting.

Aside from population management, Anderson stressed that hunting, along with CWD testing, serves as a key tool in limiting the potential spread of the disease.

“I grew up in southwest Wisconsin, and [I have] a family that hunts. Just this past year, we harvested our first deer that tested positive for CWD,” he said. “CWD doesn’t have to impact your willingness or desire to hunt. [CWD testing] is one of those things where I think the long-term benefit really sort of warrants the buy-in.”

Larson said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shares a similar goal.

“We have the resources to be able to get your deer tested if you’d like to,” she said. “Wisconsin has such a great historical deer hunting culture and we want that to be able to continue.”

Madison Common Council rejects pay raise for 2025

By Joseph Panzer STAFF WRITER

The Madison Common Council rejected an ordinance Tuesday that would have raised alders’ annual salary by 60% in 2025.

Under the proposal, alders’ annual salary would have risen from $15,128 to $24,218 starting Apr. 15, 2025. Additionally, both the Common Council President and Vice President would have seen salary increases of roughly $10,000 each under this ordinance.

A proposal to double alders’ annual pay was originally introduced in Oct. 2022. The revised ordinance decreased the proposed pay raise by about $9,000 per alder.

A Common Council ordinance must first be passed and then adopted in order to take effect.

While the ordinance passed at the Council’s Jan. 9 meeting, District 7 Ald. Nasra Wehelie changed her original yay vote to an abstention, preventing the

Common Council from gaining the 15 votes needed to pass the ordinance Tuesday.

District 10 Ald. and Council Vice President Yannette Figueroa Cole advocated for the raise in a Dec. 30 blog post, saying it would be fair compensation for a job that demands “research, attention to detail, analytical skills, and understanding of city ordinances and state statutes.”

Cole’s blog post highlighted the current wage for alders is $13.77, while the proposed ordinance would raise it to $19.04. According to Working Wisconsin, the median wage in Wisconsin in 2022 was $22.02.

Despite the increase still falling short of Wisconsin’s median wage, public comments on the ordinance were largely negative, with the main argument being that a public service job should not demand high compensation.

This point was refuted by Cole – who views the Common

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Council as a way for those with limited means to govern – in her blog post.

“Those against a pay raise should not use people’s best intentions and passion for service as an excuse to justify increasing financial hardships while serving and representing the city,” Cole said.

Four alders, District 11 Ald. William Tishler, District 12 Ald. Amani Latimer Burris, District 14 Ald. Isadore Knox, Jr and District 20 Ald. Barbara Harrington-McKinney voted against the ordinance over concerns about the proposal’s price.

“Please present an argument with a different dollar

amount if [the] current suggestion is too high for your comfort,” Cole said.

The proposed raise comes after the Common Council voted to approve the 2024 budget in November, raising Madison property taxes by just under 4% while recommending all departments decrease their budgets by 1%.

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Partying for a purpose: Madison DIY bands raise money for Palestine

By Gabriella Hartlaub ARTS EDITOR

Local artists recently banded together to raise money for medical supplies and other support for people at risk in war-torn Palestine during what they called an ongoing genocide.

The first fundraiser, “Punks 4 Palestine,” took place on Dec. 8 at Freedom Skate Shop and raised over $1,200 for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), an organization that provides medical and social support to Palestinians.

Artists said they were united by a common cause and the need to do something to support Palestinians in Gaza, where conflict has raged for more than 100 days.

“Being able to put your work into something greater than just being the local band is something that I think a lot more local artists and local bands should consider,” said Gavin Uhrmacher, frontman for local band Supercritical.

Organizing for the event began on the Madison DIY Discord, according to Uhrmacher. He said two Supercritical members reached out to the organizer, Sklr, and said they would be interested in participating in the event. Local bands Killer High Life, Mio Min Mio and Sorry Machine rounded out the lineup.

“Generating positive, tangible effects in people’s lives and in the strength of a growing movement is one of the most powerful things you can do as a creative,” Uhrmacher said.

For Sklr, the show represented a call for action on a timely issue and continued a pattern of shows meant to use the creative power of artists to make social change. Sklr, a former University of Wi s c o n s i nMadison student who became involved with the DIY community and activism during their time at UW-Madison, decided to stay in Madison after graduation to continue their work.

“I felt it important to hold space for artists often not welcomed within established venues,” Sklr said. “I am very lucky to have a wonderful group of friends and am blessed to be a part of such a wonderful DIY scene.”

The show came together with help from the community. Sklr said they reached out to friends in local bands to see if they would be interested in performing and researched places to donate proceeds, among other tasks,

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAMSOM BIELY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

to bring everything together.

“A pal of mine brought in a bunch of lights so we could create a cozy aesthetic.

T h e

skaters at Freedom [Skate Shop] helped move everything and clean everything up. The crowd was amazing and everyone was great about respecting the venue,” Sklr said.

Originally, Sklr planned to donate the money from the event to more than one organization, but after conversations with concerned attendees about where their money would be going and how it would be used, they

decided to focus on just two: PRCS and the MadisonRafah Sister City Project, an unofficial affiliation started in 2003 b y

Madison community members seeking to build personal connections with residents of Rafah, Palestine.

Sklr said they wanted to remind people they have power to make a difference on their own terms.

“I want the impact of the Punks4Palestine event to be an inspiration,” they said.

Another group of DIY artists held a similar fundraising concert for Palestine, “From the River to the

Sea,” a month later on Jan. 4, run by Troy Keller, organizer of local venue The Mousetrap. Local DIY artists The Stoplights, Muscle Memory, Daylight Savings, Faded Nature and newcomer Blaspheme played the event.

Keller said Daylight Savings first approached him with the idea to hold a fundraiser for Palestine.

“I think a lot of people, myself included, really are just thinking of what we can do,” Keller said.

“The least we can do is something like this.”

Samantha Bosco is BlasFemme, an artist who describes her music as “acoustic punk glittercore.”

Her music is also political, by her own definition.

“When I started performing, my songs were mostly about queer and trans experiences,” Bosco said. “I’m also Jewish, and I’m anti-Zionist Jewish, so I have been writing some songs that are more pointedly about Israeli occupation.”

At a local bookstore, A Room of One’s Own, Bosco performed a song called, “Daloy Politsey” which means “Down with the Police” in Yiddish.

Afterward, a member of a band who had already agreed to perform in the Jan. 4 show told Bosco she should perform as well.

Despite being a newcomer, Bosco described the community as ”very welcoming.”

“The audience was a beau-

tiful motley crew of queeridos,” Bosco said when asked about the concert. She felt the environment was very positive and said people had fun without causing destruction or anyone getting hurt in the mosh pit.

Bosco said she hopes her music continues fostering cross-cultural collaborations for justice and peace.

“There’s a purpose and a movement that I feel called to contribute to. The purpose of this event was to raise money and bring people together. And the reason behind my music is to really galvanize and coalesce feelings of frustration and transform them into feelings of empowerment,” Bosco said. “That’s really what my music is for.”

Keller ’s fundraiser brought in over $1,200, which he said “isn’t much in the grand scheme of things.” Still, he was grateful to have brought the community together for a common cause, a sentiment echoed by organizers and bands who participated in both shows.

“I feel it is a really great community where people support each other and support music and support issues like issues in general, like trans issues, like everything going on, I think music is a place where really people can come together,” Keller said.

Sklr, the first to hold a Madison DIY fundraiser for Palestine, said they want people to remember one thing: “I want to remind people that we can be activists while doing what we love.”

sports Serah Williams holds the Wisconsin women’s basketball team together

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National champions or firstround exits? Wisconsin’s ceiling and floor for their 2024 season

By Jordyn Hawkins STAFF WRITER

Sophomore Serah Williams has been a key player for the Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team for the last two seasons, and she’s only going to get better.

Next to senior Brooke Schramek, Williams is one of the few starters that remain from last season. Out of the 31 games in the 2022-23 season, Williams started in 30. Williams has continued to start throughout the 2023-24 season despite not playing in two games.

On a team that is already one of the youngest in the Big Ten, it’s important for the Badgers to have an experienced teammate they can continue to grow with.

Williams, a 6’4” forward, is the main scorer for the Badgers. She leads the team in points and rebounds, and she leads the Big Ten in blocks. She is most dominant in the post but can still

find scoring opportunities in a jump shot.

Opponents have worked hard to guard Williams under the hoop, but that doesn’t stop her from being able to score. Williams has become more comfortable shooting from the 3-point line, with three makes on 15 attempts.

In a postgame interview following a recent loss to Iowa, head coach Marisa Moseley said Williams is “a huge part of what we do.” Moseley also said William’s foul trouble during that game had a huge impact.

“When she’s in foul trouble, it changes the complexity of our team,” Moseley said.

Williams is on track to have an improved statistical season compared to last year. Her scoring average has gone from 12.7 points per game to 16.7. With her experience, she’s starting to become more comfortable on the court, and it shows in her playing.

By Enrique Murguia STAFF WRITER

The year, 1941: newspapers are filled with updates about World War II. Famous Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki is born. And the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team wins the NCAA men’s basketball championship — for the last time.

Will Wisconsin finally find its way back to the front pages and break its championship drought this year?

This season has significantly more potential and optimism as March approaches than in other recent seasons.

Wisconsin currently holds the top spot in the Big Ten standings, beating out No. 2 Purdue. The Badgers are only three wins away from tying their Big Ten win total from last season with two months of basketball to play.

The Badgers’ success can be partially attributed to the player acquisitions they got in the 2023 offseason. Guards AJ Storr and John Blackwell, as well as forward Nolan Winter have been regulars in Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard’s roster rotations despite this season being their first with the Badgers.

Storr, a sophomore transfer from St. John’s, almost doubled his points per game this season compared to his

time with the Red Storm. He leads the Badgers in scoring and worked his way into Wisconsin’s starting lineup the moment he stepped onto campus.

The Badgers’ most noticeable players from their freshman class, Blackwell and Winter, are considerably overachieving their expectations for this season.

Blackwell especially is a hidden gem for Wisconsin and gives the Badgers a lethal scoring threat off the bench they lacked in years prior. Blackwell already won Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season and can easily go down as the best Big Ten freshman guard this season.

According to CBS Sports, Wisconsin is projected to be a top-three seed in the NCAA tournament. If the Badgers can win one of their two matchups against No. 2 Purdue and their March 2 matchup against No. 10 Illinois, Badgers fans can expect big results when March Madness rolls around.

Wisconsin’s new faces this season — in addition to last season’s starters, who all returned this season — give the Badgers the talent and discipline to be frontrunners for the Big Ten championship and potential dark horses for the NCAA men’s basketball national championship.

PHOTOS BY MEGHAN SPIRITO/THE DAILY CARDINAL

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Road to St. Paul: Badgers pushing for a return to glory NICK DUDA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

CAMERON SCHNEIDER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

By Ian Wilder SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Things are getting serious for the Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team.

The No. 3 Badgers have 10 games remaining against five teams, all of them are in-conference. They sit second in Big Ten standings four points behind the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans, who have played two more games than the Badgers.

The Badgers fully control their destiny. They’ve been playing at a high level all season. [Position] Kyle McClellan continues to stand out in net, and the Badgers’ defensive core continues to be one of the best in the nation.

The Badgers’ secret sauce will be to stay on the gas pedal. They have to keep playing the game that’s worked so well for them, and they need to find

ways to keep improving their game.

“One thing about our sport is it’ll humble you in a hurry,” head coach Mike Hastings said in a Jan. 12 press conference, and he’s right.

But if the Badgers continue to push while keeping standards high, they have every chance to go far in Big Ten and national championships.

They’ll have a chance to overtake the Spartans in the Big Ten standings this coming weekend. They’ll face the Spartans again in March in their last games of the regular season, which is shaping up to be a critical matchup.

Still, there’s a lot of hockey to go before the postseason. The Badgers have to put in a lot of work between now and then to stay in the race for the Big Ten regular season title and national championship.

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Staying on top: the keys to a two-peat for Wisconsin hockey

By Shane Colpoys STAFF WRITER

It’s a new year, but the Wisconsin women’s hockey team has the same goal as they look to become back-toback national champions.

The Badgers started out their year on a high note, outscoring their opponents 34 to six since their first game against Merrimack on Jan. 6. Despite a plateau in the middle of the season, the Badgers have gone undefeated since the beginning of the calendar year.

With stiff competition still to come — including matchups at Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth and Ohio State — the Badgers will need to rely heavily on their high-level goaltenders. Both junior Jane Gervais and freshman Ava McNaughton have been named to the National Goaltender of the Year watchlist and will have to come up with key saves in big games to keep

their team alive.

The Badgers sit at the top of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association behind Ohio State and lead the league with the most goals forward at 131.

These goals have been scored by all active players on the roster, not including goaltenders. Versatility and depth will help both the attack and the defense leading into the rest of the regular season.

Although there are some tough road games ahead, the season is not over yet, and there is still much on the line for the team. No matter where the game is played, Badgers fans will surely be seen loud and proud at each one, sporting their women’s hockey gear and chanting, “Go Big Red!” This year’s Frozen Four Tournament will take place in Durham, North Carolina and starts in late March.

ELLA STUFFT/THE DAILY CARDINAL

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When UW-Madison’s food programs close for winter break, these students go hungry

Without dining halls and many student-run food organizations, many students have issues meeting their needs over winter break.

DRAKE WHITE-BERGEY/THE THE DAILY CARDINAL

By Mary Bosch

Not enough resources, students say

How students make do

PHOTO EDITOR

It’s early January. After a long day of work, a student tries to enjoy her microwaved frozen dinner in her dorm room, alone.

It’s a far cry from ​warm meals shared over laughs in the dining hall. Without university resources, many University of Wisconsin-Madison students said they struggled with food insecurity over winter break.

Dining halls are the main food source for most students living in the dorms. But all dining halls close on the final day of the semester, only reopening a week before classes start due to low staffing and customer demand, according to an email from University Housing.

During break, only the Flamingo Run convenience store is open for limited hours.

“Student organizations take on the responsibility of food insecurity during the school year,” said UW-Madison sophomore Chloe Shomo, an Associated Students of Madison (ASM) intern working on a project addressing winter break food insecurity.

When students leave, those resources run dry.

Organizations like The Open Seat, a student-run food pantry, and the Food Recovery Network, which fights food insecurity by serving free meals with food recovered from university dining halls, are no longer options during break because most students running them leave.

The same is true for the UW Frozen Meals Program, which packages unserved dining hall food into frozen meals available for students to pick up twice a week.

The program, run by two student coordinators and predominantly student volunteers, does not operate over break because it uses dining hall surpluses.

University Housing recommends students purchase groceries, prepare food in dorm kitchens or “visit one of the student-led organizations providing free/

UW-Madison offers some resources for students who struggle with food insecurity or to meet their other needs.

In the Office of Financial Aid, students can schedule meetings to discuss how to access resources to meet their basic needs.

UW-Madison offers Purposity, a program that matches donors with student requests for hygiene products, clothing or food. The program is “intended to support students experiencing current struggles meeting their daily basic needs,” according to its website.

While helpful for some, Shomo said the program isn’t a cure-all. “There’s not someone who can hand you money for your needs.”

The Office of Financial Aid suggested resources to Shomo that would not be available over all of break.

“Though we are closed to the public for the first week of winter break, we will be monitoring email during that time and still available to support students experiencing financial crisis,” the Office of Financial Aid said in a statement to the Cardinal. “Our team is here to help students navigate food resources one on one, especially the availability of food pantries and some of their adjusted hours.”

University Housing shares resources like bus schedules and off-campus food options, but Shomo said they “haven’t done a great job in the past.”

Information access was a concern for Rasch.

“There definitely could have been more of a support with sending out emails on things that they were doing,” Rasch added.

University Housing provides those staying over winter break with QR codes informing them about “transportation options, local events and campus

Without access to dining halls or fresh food, students' diets became synonymous with the stereotypical innutritious college diet. Sandwiches, ramen and frozen meals were the primary food groups. Shomo tried to make big-batch meals like pasta out of mainly canned ingredients.

Making use of the residence hall kitchens was difficult because front desks — where students can check out pots, pans and other cooking utensils — are only open two hours a day.

“I could not access a can opener. That is still my biggest complaint,” Shomo said. “Thankfully, I had this bottle opener that kind of had an opener on it.”

Even when the desk is open, there’s no guarantee students can access the cooking equipment they need.

Hagen said there were some instances where other students did not return items to the front desk, leaving her unable to check things out.

University Housing plans to make kitchen items available at more hours so residents are not limited by the reduced schedule.

Students often were only able to access affordable food by taking rides from friends with cars, who could drive them off campus.

“My friend took me to Walmart, so I was very thankful for that,” Rasch said.

Shomo did most of her shopping at Woodman’s. “It's really hard to transport groceries around,” she added.

The effects on students Students’ mental and physical well being are negatively affected by insufficient food access.

“It was very stressful not being able to have a basic need met. It’s hard to focus on pretty much anything else,” Hagen said. She, like other students, said her well being was affected by food insecurity Hagen, a hospital worker, and Rasch agreed that skipping meals affected their energy and ability to get through the day. Two meals a day left Rasch feeling drained.

“If I was to go out and be physically active, I don't think I would have enough energy to do so,” Rasch said.

And with the majority of students off-campus, students lose communities they built over the fall semester.

“The biggest part of it, besides nutrition, is just the emotional stuff you get from a warm meal and eating with friends,” Shomo said. “I lost out on all that over break.”

Rasch and Shomo lived on the same floor during winter break. They both shared how meaningful the few meals they shared together were.

Shomo said the two most affected groups are independent students who don't receive financial

MARY BOSCH/THE THE DAILY CARDINAL

reduced-cost food on campus,” in a press release to The Daily Cardinal.

But without typical resources being available, those staying over winter break struggle with the transition and affording nutritious food.

“I just got whatever was the cheapest, or I just wouldn’t eat very much,” said Ashley Hagen, a sophomore at UW-Madison who stayed on campus over winter break last year. She’s planning to do the same this year.

Most easily accessible grocery stores near campus, like Fresh Market and Trader Joe’s, are unaffordable for low-income students. Cooking in the communal residence hall kitchens was difficult for some due to lack of materials and skills.

“Growing up, my mom was just way too busy to teach us how to cook,” UW-Madison sophomore Joy Rasch said. She doesn’t feel equipped to cook for herself.

Students also skipped meals due to lack of food access.

“I regularly skipped lunch,” Rasch said. Hagen typically ate one meal a day, and many students said they try to make food last as long as possible.

“I had gone and done a bunch of meal exchanges at Flamingo market, I maxed them out. I would freeze food to spread it out. I even tried to take a little bit of food from the dining halls to freeze,” Hagen said.

support resources,” the office said in a statement.

Last year, they emailed students options like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and The River Food Pantry, which both deliver meals, but only a few times a month.

Most off-campus food pantries are inaccessible to students without cars, which makes getting to them a “logistical nightmare,” Shomo said.

Before winter break this year, housing emailed inaccurate transportation and food resources including electric B-Cycle which is closed from Dec. 15 to Mar. 15. Housing has since corrected these errors.

As a part of her ASM intern project, Shomo compiled a comprehensive food resource list for students staying on campus over break.

“I think one of the reasons this happens is because food equity can shuffle around between different departments. There's not one person on campus,” Shomo said. “Admin has been really receptive to Band-Aid solutions, but in terms of actionable solutions, there's a lot of hesitation because it takes money. I would love for the university to put some more money into things”

“I feel like they forgot about the students who did stay over winter break in the dorms. I didn’t feel like I could reach out — I was relying on the university, and they weren’t really there.” or emotional support from family or parents and international students who can’t return home for winter break.

“I would compare my situation with other people at home who were eating home-cooked meals, and that does not help with my loneliness at all,” Rasch said.

“I didn’t have anywhere else to go,” Shomo said.“When I was living in the dorm, that was my home.”

Without familial or other support, independent students felt UW-Madison was not fulfilling their needs.

“I feel like they forgot about the students who did stay over winter break in the dorms,” Rasch said. “I didn't feel like I could reach out — I was relying on the university, and they weren’t really there.”

Shomo emphasized the same point.

“Students leave, hungry doesn't.”

life & style

dailycardinal.com

Thursday, January 25, 2024

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Less is more: wisdom from grandparents

By Alexandra Malatesta STAFF WRITER

Simplicity became a profound lesson during the week I spent with my grandparents in a small town just outside of Sacramento, California.

While it’s not a typical go-to destination for leisure, the priority was to spend quality time with my grandparents, making it a worthwhile trade-off. The days were filled with moments of tranquility, lounging on the couch while my grandma immersed herself in her nook, my grandpa engaged in animated conversations with the TV during football broadcasts and the delightful aroma of home-cooked meals wafting from the crockpot. In the midst of this uncomplicated and comforting routine, I discovered that, sometimes, less truly is more.

As I immersed myself in the company of my grandparents, I closely observed their lifestyle. It became evident that, although they had only a small circle of friends, these connections were maintained over time. In the context of 2024, prioritizing quality over quantity in relationships became increasingly apparent to me. Surrounding yourself with healthy relationships and good habits is key, and those simplicities hold a very profound significance.

Reflecting on my time with my grandparents prompted me to ask: how I could integrate the essence of simplicity into my own life?

I have a tendency to over-complicate my daily routine. The week I spent with my grandparents made me pause and redirect my focus toward apprecizating the smaller, more meaningful aspects of life.

Gaining a fresh outlook on life has signifi-

GRAPHIC BY ILYA SEDYKH/FREE-VECTORS.NET

cantly heightened my appreciation for the vast opportunities yet to be explored, prompting me to approach life one step at a time. In this newfound perspective, I’ve come to recognize the importance of consistency.

Adhering to a daily routine has proven to be a cornerstone of maintaining mental wellbeing. Whether it involves savoring a cup of tea each morning, engaging in a daily workout regimen or immersing oneself in 10 pages of a beloved book before bedtime, the key lies in fostering consistency. This deliberate and steady approach to daily life serves as a stabilizing

force, contributing to the preservation of one’s mental equilibrium.

“Having a routine is how you build habits,” Chyrell Beutell, an APRN at Northwestern Medicine, said in an article they published titled, ‘Health Benefits of Having a Routine’.

The acknowledgment that life unfolds gradually — and the understanding that consistency is instrumental in navigating its complexities — has become a guiding principle for me. It highlights the importance of including daily habits that match your likes when making a reliable routine.

Knowing yourself is pivotal, and being consistent

in a routine is equally indispensable for preserving your sanity. Or maybe that’s just me.

The lesson of “less is more” learned from my grandparents extends beyond simplicity; it shows life is only as complex as you make it.

I’ve come to recognize simple moments spent sitting on the couch, immersed in a good book and relaxing in comfortable attire are just as vital as any other activity in your day.

As we start this semester, remember these seemingly ordinary moments serve as indispensable tools, and take moments to acknowledge their impact on your overall well-being.

2024 brings change of seasons, change of semesters

By Madeline Wooten STAFF WRITER

The bustle of traffic this weekend announced the return of University of Wisconsin-Madison students to campus for the spring semester.

As families and students slid around on the ice, it was a sight to see Madison turn into a snowy, icy winter wonderland. With temperatures dipping into the negatives and strong gusts of wind coming from Lake Mendota sharp enough to cut your face, students were surprised and underprepared for the late arrival of the winter season.

Before students left campus for the holidays, temperatures spiked to an average of 51.3 degrees Fahrenheit, historic for December in Madison and the Midwest. With no snow on the ground,

games of Spikeball and ultimate frisbee resumed in fields around campus, and students didn’t feel the need to wear jackets and other winter gear to final exams.

This weather change in December was due to climate change patterns taking hold in the Midwest and northern parts of the United States. Another reason for the weather was a natural climate pattern known as El Niño, which occurs every two to seven years and mostly in the winter season. Associated with ocean surface warming, El Niño causes warmer conditions in northern areas of the U.S. and wetter conditions in southern areas of the country.

While we generally start to experience winter toward the end of the fall semester, winter conditions didn’t start

until mid-January this year. For many out-of-state students who have never experienced a Midwest winter, the cold and snowy conditions may take time to get used to.

“I was surprised coming back because I was tanning over break when I was home in Shanghai,” said Phoebe Tseng, a UW-Madison freshman. “Something I didn’t expect coming back for second semester was all the ice and snow in Madison. I wasn’t expecting how much snow builds up after one snowfall and the maintenance work they have to do to keep everything safe and working. I also wasn’t expecting how difficult it is to walk on icy roads, it is definitely something I’ve never experienced before.”

Many students were getting used to

PHOTO BY MADELINE WOOTEN/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Students returned to classes this week with piles of snow and slush around campus.

the idea of a warm winter this year and now have to accommodate the icy weather conditions as classes for the spring semester began.

The normal fast paces on the sidewalk and buses whipping around every corner will come to a halt as students will need to get to classes safely on the icy roads and snowy sidewalks.

Buses and other modes of transportation will be at capacity as students rush to get out of the cold temperatures into warm vehicles instead of walking to classes.

And, when the weather eventually changes from winter to spring, everyone will start to see crazy weather conditions in Wisconsin are just another part of what makes them UW-Madison students.

PHOTO BY MADELINE WOOTEN/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Madison, Wis. ended the week with 28.4 inches of snow.

opinion Fans are everywhere. Why aren’t artists?

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dailycardinal.com

What a festival in small-town Iowa can teach the music industry.

By Grace Winokur STAFF WRITER

Led by heavyweights Hozier, Vampire Weekend and Noah Kahan, big-name indieAmerican artists will take center stage in August at “Hinterland,” a three-day event set in rural Iowa that brings attention to small-city music scenes.

The event takes place every year in Saint Charles, Iowa, a town with less than 700 residents. Although the town’s population is sparse, the Hinterland festival managed to attract a crowd of over 15,000 people per day during its 2023 event.

Hinterland serves as an example of the lengths fans will go to in order to see their favorite artists. The success of the festival proves how much music lovers value unique concert experiences.

The event has only grown in popularity since its inauguration in 2015, expanding from a two-day to a three-day festival. Fans have flocked from over five continents and 37 states to get to Saint Charles, Iowa, according to a 2019 event organizer.

The festival’s momentum is only continuing to grow. In preparation for the 2024 event, all tiers of three-day admission tickets, ranging from $250 to $350 per ticket, sold out on the official site.

Live music has made a notable comeback.

Given the unprecedented success of this past summer’s tours, such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyonce Resonance Tour, this trend will likely stay consistent for the foreseeable future.

However, most of these chart-topping artists hit the same huge venues in the same major cities, leaving much of the United States without even a close stop on the tour. A notable example is Harry Styles’ Love on Tour, which stopped at only four major U.S. cities in 2022: New York, Austin, Chicago and Los Angeles. This put the onus on his fans to travel to him, at their own expense. That’s not a financial reality for many of his devoted fans, considering his concert tickets alone averaged $171 per seat.

There are practical reasons why artists prefer larger venues in big cities, like increased security

practices. Smaller venues tend to have quicker security procedures in place, mostly relying on pat-downs and bag searches before allowing patrons to enter the arena. However, smaller venues still hold significant value to performers. They offer a more intimate experience for concertgoers and allow fans from different geographical locations the opportunity to see their favorite performer.

With the rise in competition between musicians for tour dates and venues, areas with smaller concert scenes will stand to benefit, especially among up-and-coming artists. By adding in smaller cities such as Topeka, Kansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; or Portland, Maine to a tour, artists “can easily extend a touring cycle six to 12 months,” Ben Levin of Good Harbor, a music management company, told Pitchfork.

In addition to creating a more intimate concert-going experience, many smaller venues are in historic settings. The Majestic Theater, located right here in Madison, has been around since 1906 and is the oldest theater in Wisconsin. The venue recently attracted artists such as Tennis and Del Water Gap, who reached Billboard’s Top100 chart for the first time in 2023. The Majestic’s rich history and connection to Madison make it a desirable site for any live performance.

Even titans of the music industry, such as Billie Eilish, see magic in small venues. Eilish surprised her fans with a show at a small venue in London this past August, where she brought out popular artists boygenius and Labrinth on stage as guests for the intimate performance.

The venue, Electric Ballroom, only holds up to 1,500 guests, which made the night even more special for those in attendance.

With the popularity of the Hinterland festival, in addition to big-name artists like Eilish flocking to nontraditional venues, it’s clear that smaller, unique venues are in for music lovers in 2024. Spending 30 nights at Madison Square Gardens is out.

Grace Winokur is a sophomore studying journalism and communication arts.

Do you agree larger artists should be touring in smaller cities? Send all comments to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARREN LEMAY/FLICKR VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

Do final exams make the difference?

By Lauren Stoneman OPINION EDITOR

While taking a much-needed study break from my own final exams this past semester, I came across an article in the Yale Daily News, “The Case for Final Exams.”

In it, Pradz Sapre argued that humanities courses should incorporate final exams into their curricula as they increase students’ long-term retention of material.

It is a “travesty,” he argued, to come out of a semester-long course on Leibniz only to forget his Principle of Sufficient Reason, or to emerge from a course on Shakespeare unable to recognize a quote from King Lear.

Yet it is a phenomenon that virtually all students are guilty of at some point in our college careers. When a course has wrapped up, we click off our tabs, close our computers and leave behind four months of learning without much hesitation at all.

Sapre is right to suggest that increased testing could help improve short-term retention as studies indicate testing is generally an effective learning tool. That being said, his argument sidesteps a broader question: why does the type of retention he describes actually matter?

Sure, it would make for interesting conversation if more students could recite the Charge of the Light Brigade or effectively outline the impact of the Goths on the fall of Rome. If a student

is unable to do so, however, I would hesitate to call it a “travesty.” It merely indicates that that student does not have a passion for the given material.

What a student remembers, then, matters because it shows what they care about.

Final exams are not determinative of whether a student cares for the material, and as such, implementing final exams in all humanities classes may not be worthwhile.

Adept students are able to “game the system” in such a way that they can pass a class without putting in their full time or attention. To a student uninterested in course content, a final exam is yet another opportunity to game the system. Cramming, for instance, is an effective way to get a good grade in the short term and retain little-to-no course material long-term.

In other words: while exams can encourage short-term retention, they cannot make a student passionate about the material in such a way that they will remember it long-term.

Compare this to research papers, where students are able to delve deeper into the aspects of a course that interest them. Papers may not encourage content retention in the same way that exams do, but papers offer different advantages as they allow students to independently navigate their interests and determine for themselves what content they care about.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUESTOCKING/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Becoming exposed to the disciplines we are passionate about seems like a more important educational aim than “remembering for remembering’s sake.”

In this way, then, true retention might depend more on what a student does outside the classroom. When I retain course content, it is because the material inspired me in such a way that I chose to continue exploring after the semester ended — whether it was a class on international relations that inspired a summer reading list or a class on philosophy that inspired my next opinion article.

Implementing final exams might improve what some students remember in the short-term. The larger goal, however, is to inspire students in such a way that they are independently motivated to retain course content.

Ultimately, there is no one curriculum or method of teaching that will encourage every student to care. That part is up to the students.

Lauren Stoneman is a junior studying history, philosophy, and political science. Do you agree having interest in a subject helps you remember it long-term? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

science dailycardinal.com

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Monkey abuse or monkey business?

UW-Madison’s primate university research lab is under fire for animal abuse allegations.

Scientists argue it isn’t so simple. according to UW-Madison.

By Ava Menkes STATE NEWS EDITOR

In early December, the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a petition to a Dane County judge accusing Wisconsin National Primate Center staff of animal cruelty charges related to the mistreatment of two monkeys.

The female and male rhesus macaque monkeys in question, native to Central and Southeast Asia, were named “Princess” and “Cornelius” by PETA. The allegations blossomed from a 2020 operation conducted by PETA, which they say found evidence of animal mistreatment in video footage from an individual who worked in the lab for six months.

“It’s within the constraints of the law to use these animals and invasive experiments, and to kill them when the experimenters are done with them,” said Dr. Alka Chanda, PETA vice president of laboratory investigations cases.

Controversy surrounding animal research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is not new.

However, scientists who work in the primate lab say PETA’s allegations don’t tell the full story about their work, and UW-Madison maintains research at the lab studies human disease and biological processes to develop medications and surgical procedures.

Preethi Saravanan, a UW-Madison senior working in the pre-clinical Parkinson’s research program at the WNPRC, told The Daily Cardinal her work can be seen as “a little bit controversial,” but “there’s nothing crazy going on or anything behind the scenes.”

She has been working there since freshman year and said scientists “follow a lot of protocols and ethical considerations before even starting [research].”

Scientists at UW-Madison follow the animal welfare law and other guidelines created by campus committees and federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

What did PETA find?

Chanda, the PETA vice president of laboratory investigations cases, told the Cardinal a 2023 annual report for UW-Madison revealed 1,270 monkeys were used in experiments. An additional 1,090 monkeys were held at UW-Madison but not experimented on.

Chanda broke the animal cruelty allegations into three main categories: isolation, experimentation and breeding.

She said the primate lab is revamping experiments similar to controversial studies conducted

by Harry Harlow, an American psychologist who worked at the primate center in the 1960s. He is best known for his “nature of love” findings, which concluded rhesus monkey infants have maternal dependency needs.

In Harlow’s experiments, infant rhesus monkeys were removed from their mothers and raised in a laboratory setting. Some infants were in separate cages, according to the Association for Psychological Science.

“In social isolation, the monkeys showed disturbed behavior, staring blankly, circling their cages, and engaging in self-mutilation,” the article reads.

Chandna said the two monkeys, Princess and Cornelius, were taken away from their mothers at the age of one. She mentioned the male, Cornelius, was largely caged alone and was “showing signs of depression” during their investigation.

She said the monkeys’ enclosures have a mirror hanging from the cage or one plastic ball.

Chandna also claimed the female monkey had no hair on her body, something she said revealed “extreme psychological distress.”

When Princess gave birth to an infant, Chandna said she started tearing out hair from her baby’s body.

“Primatologists tell us that this

COURTESY OF THE WISCONSIN NATIONAL PRIMATE CENTER

is something you’d never see in the wild,” she said.

A 1986 study cited by The National Library of Medicine found monkeys naturally pull out their own hair or that of others. However “limited enclosure space appears to have an additional effect on hair loss in group-housed rhesus monkeys,” the study reads.

Additionally, Chandna told the Cardinal the lab has practiced caloric deprivation experiments for nearly 40 years.

However, research from a recent experiment found lacking evidence that caloric deprivation shortens a monkey’s lifespan.

A 2017 UW-Madison study found rhesus monkeys, when fed a calorierestricted diet that contained 30% more calories than a control group’s diet, survived to roughly 28 years for males and about 30 years for females.

A National Institute on Aging (NIA) study found no serious effect of calorie restriction on survival.

“It really begs the question, why are animals being made to suffer so horrendously for decades for poor results that we don’t even know if they’re true?” Chandna said.

The practice of electro-ejaculation stood out most to Chandna, who said scientists “put electrodes on the penis of the monkey” to get the primate to ejaculate.

“We made the argument that because these animals, Cornelius and Princess, were being used in breeding and not in actual experimentation, they were not excluded from Wisconsin’s state anti-cruelty statutes,” she said. “What happens to them matters to them. They’re not inanimate objects, which is how laboratories basically treat them.”

Animal research develops treatments and vaccines

COURTESY OF THE WISCONSIN NATIONAL PRIMATE CENTER

Dr. Michelle Ciucci, faculty director of the UW-Madison Animal Program and a professor of surgery at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, told the Cardinal the primate center addresses medical diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and works toward treatments for HIV, AIDS, COVID-19 and the Zika virus.

“The reason why we need animals in research is because when we’re testing something like a disease, and you’re trying to follow up [with] a vaccine, for example, you need a complex living organism to test the

efficacy of it,” Ciucci said. “You can’t do it in a test tube or a computer simulation.”.

Saravanan, the UW-Madison senior working in the Parkinson’s program, said the university uses the minimum amount of animals needed to do so.

“We’re always looking to maintain the health of the animals,” she added. “No one is trying to just do a bunch of random experiments to see what happens.”

In order for research to begin, a protocol application is prepared by an investigator and submitted to the Research Animal Resource Center (RARC), which assigns the protocol to the appropriate Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) for review.

The ACUC can approve the protocol or require revision. The RARC staff communicates the IACUC’s approval or request for further information or revision to the investigator.

Any violation at the lab is self-reported to the Agriculture Department and is public on the federal agency’s website.

“We report the mistake. Internally, we do a root-cause analysis. We try to prevent the mistake as much as we can, but it’s just impossible to be perfect,” Ciucci said.

Ciucci said the female monkey, Princess, was humanely euthanized as part of a Zika experiment to study her tissue. Euthanization is the “typical flow of the experiments,” Ciucci added.

The research for Princess required analyzing tissue samples that could not be taken humanely without euthanizing the animals, Ciucci said in an email.

Saravanan similarly elaborated by saying the euthanization process is taken “extremely seriously” and that scientists “put a lot of respect into animal care.”

Ciucci also said breeding is an important part of “maintaining a healthy breeding colony” so new generations of primates can develop and explore new interventions to treat medical diseases.

“It’s part of the whole primate center’s viability to breed,” she said.

“Sometimes, they will be separated because they have to change the cage or somebody might be sick, or they’re part of a protocol, but they really try to keep the animals together as much as they can.”

Electro-ejaculation is part of the breeding program as well and is safe due to the “small amount of current

that’s used to stimulate ejaculation,” Ciucci said.

“It’s a standard semen collection procedure. It’s very common in research across multiple species.

It’s even used on humans,” she said.

“I wish [PETA] would stop using that or equating that with something that is torture to the animals because that’s simply not true.”

Additionally, Ciucci said rhesus macaques monkeys are naturally territorial and aggressive.

And, in response to concerns about hair-pulling, she said PETA “continues to misrepresent” the macaques seasonally plucking their hair out “as a tactic to discredit the ethical, legal and valuable research” done at the primate lab.

Former lab employee had mixed experiences at primate lab In November, Dane County Circuit Judge Nia Trammell declined to file charges against the lab and appointed a special prosecutor to pursue them.

“Given the totality of the allegations made and evidence available, it appears it would be difficult for any prosecutor to meet their burden of proof and obtain a conviction on the alleged offenses,” Trammell said in her decision.

A former lab employee who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns of professional backlash told the Cardinal their perspective after joining the primate lab for four months to further their career in animal research. Their tasks were to make food and monitor the monkeys’ behaviors.

“I think that my opinion on it has changed over time,” they said when asked if they saw animal mistreatment. “If you would have asked me this when I worked there I would have said ‘no,’ but now that I am out and I have thought about my experience there, I feel like the general concept of experimenting on animals is abusive.”

The former employee said they saw no animal welfare violations while working at the primate lab and “only [had] good things” to say about their co-workers.

Still, they said some researchers were not paying full attention to their job.

Continue reading at dailycardinal.com

the beet 14

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dailycardinal.com

A tasteful review of former UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow’s erotic escapades

By Omar Waheed THE BEET EDITOR

All articles featured in The Beet are creative, satirical and/or entirely fictional pieces. They are fully intended as such and should not be taken seriously as news.

The University of WisconsinLa Crosse’s well-endowed former Chancellor Joe Gow faced fire for his personal hobbies, but a deeper dive shows that our erotic educator is a lustful labellum whisked away by a unilaterally uptight university system.

After the discovery of his pornographic channel with his wife, Gow and Carmen Wilson came under the public eye for keeping the spark in their marriage alive and continuously exploring their bodies in their golden years.

But before the UW System Board of Regents took the time to really understand the erotic escapades of the concupiscent couple, Gow was erroneously ejected from his position as chancellor.

Luckily, The Beet is willing to do what the Board of Regents wouldn’t and the cowardly other media outlets refused: subscribing to their OnlyFans and spending $35 to watch hours of Gow’s porn.

Read the Cardinal’s tasteful, fair review of Gow’s career as a promising porn actor creatively stifled by educational bureaucracy.

Passionate pounding COURTESY OF SEXYHAPPYCOUPLE VIA ONLYFANS

The “Sexy Happy Couple” brings romance back in the bedroom and kitchen with thoughtfulness and care in their scenes. The production quality is much higher than most would expect from amateur porn, but the salary of a chancellor and a professor goes a long way to create a quality studio environment.

Scenes are often split between their two romantic ventures of the “Sexy Happy Couple” and “Sexy Healthy Cooking.” The scenes often involve a third, famous porn actor, but what captures the essences of sexual exploration of the Gows comes from their individual scenes.

“Bedroom Shenanigans” best exemplifies Gow and Wilson’s pornographic pursuit. In the scene, Gow and Wilson share their “whole story” as they called it, and give a recipe for a vegan Philly cheesesteak sandwich inspired by Joe’s time in Pennsylvania. Gow and Wilson lead a plant-based, vegan lifestyle that fuels their furious fornicating.

The recipe looked appetizing. As someone who has been vegetarian on and off most of my life, I always appreciate a solid recipe that helps provide an alternative to consuming meat. The recipe calls for the use of pressed extra firm tofu, mushroom powder, onion powder, ground thyme, olive oil, tamari, a vegan Worcester sauce, browning liquid and food coloring to give it a more steak-like appearance, and a cup of water makes up the flavor before adding it to seitan.

But no one is particularly interested in the cooking segment.

In “Bedroom Shenanigans,” the plot is simple yet realistic. In the scene, Gow and Wilson come back from a nondescript reception. Joe pours a bottle of white wine for the two as they discuss issues with a company — parroting recruitment directives of university leadership. The two express their discontent with relationships with friends, work and why they hastily left the reception. The plot quickly progresses

as Carmen tells Joe she has “something special under her dress,” and he takes one of his “special vitamins” before the two head toward the bedroom.

It’s powerful to see a man admit to erectile issues and take a pill to rectify that on camera. Male performance issues in the bedroom often intimidate men, but taking a moment to verbally state needing to take a pill and actually taking it on camera is a bold move to promote the growing awareness of men’s sexual health.

In the bedroom, the two engage in some mutual nipple play and light dirty talk before getting down to business. The scenes and positions are nothing special — a lot of missionary and doggystyle — but the end of “Bedroom Shenanigans” leaves the viewer shocked.

The money shot happens on Wilson’s stomach. Gow then immediately licks it from her body before kissing her with his now semen-soaked tongue. I don’t think that’s vegan.

The evolution of love Our key takeaways from Gow and Wilson can be boiled down to: I should go vegetarian again, and sexual exploration in marriage is important. We often hear of stagnwxzant sexual relationships from couples well into their marriage, but Joe and Carmen are 10 years into it after coming off previous divorces.

Keeping the spark alive is something many struggle with. Attraction wanes, and couples need to constantly find new ways to keep the romance alive. The respect for each of their sexual desires through a fostered mutual understanding for a lifestyle many find to be deviant is exemplary of how to maintain a healthy relationship.

The Board of Regents could take a few pointers from Gow and Wilson on how to grow a positive, healthy sexual relationship.

Ask Morgan: Midwest winters for warm-weather students

By Morgan McCormack STAFF WRITER

Q: Hey Morgan! I’m a freshman and completely new to Wisconsin. I’m originally from a warmer state and was warned about Midwestwinters and the snow and cold, but I was never told about slush and ice. I’m having some difficulty getting to class. Do you have any advice?

All break I had to see my friends go home to beautiful, sunny California or Florida or whatever. I had to hear them laughing when my power went out due to the snow. I waited, though, because I knew the second we all stepped back on campus, I would land on my feet and you would all

land on your backs.

Listen — not to sound like an elitist, but as a native Wisconsinite, this is the only time I get to.

You better start practicing how to walk through slush and puddles and ice because I have a 13-minute walk I need to do in a 15-minute break, and I will roller derby body slam you to the ground if you’re in my way.

My advice is to invest in boots with good traction. Don’t be afraid to jump over the obstacles and try to act like this is just another day.

If I can sense you never spent a recess on the blacktop because you forgot your snow pants in elementary school, I will use it against you.

Hope this helps!

BETSY OSTERBERGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

snapper’s row Polar Politics: Winter in Wisconsin dailycardinal.com

Thursday, January 25, 2024

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MARY BOSCH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

MARY BOSCH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Students sled down Bascom Hill and play in the fresh snow.

Vice President Kamala Harris greets supporters on her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour in Waukesha County on Jan. 22, 2024.

GAVIN ESCOTT/THE DAILY CARDINAL

MARY BOSCH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Gov. Tony Evers delivers his annual State of State Address on Jan. 23, 2024.

UW-Madison students walk across frozen Lake Mendota.

MARY BOSCH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

MARY BOSCH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsinites ice fish in the early morning on Jan. 24, 2024.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin at an event with Kamala Harris on Jan. 22, 2024 in Big Bend, Wis.

comics

16 • Thursday, January 25, 2024

dailycardinal.com

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